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GST Primary GST Primary Best Strategies for Health Care Quality Im... Best Strategies for Health Care Quality Improvement - Diabetes Quality Improvement Strategies for Antibio... Kathryn McDonald, Stanford-UCSF Evidence-b... Systematic review assessing the effect of ... Quality Improvement Strategies for Antibiotics Management Kathryn McDonald, Stanford-UCSF Evidence-based Practice Center, 117 Encina Commons, Stanford, CA 94305-6019, Kathy.mcdonald@stanford.edu Systematic review assessing the effect of quality improvement strategies on appropriate prescribing of antibiotics and appropriate choice of antibiotics. Adherence Adherence Assistive Devices Assistive Devices Childhood Burn Hanson MacMillan Childhood Burn Hanson MacMillan CLSA_9 CLSA_9 Cyberabuse Cyberabuse Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Violent ... This review included randomized trials abo... Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Violent Men who Batter Their Partners This review included randomized trials about the effects of cognitive behavioral therapy on domestic violence. The intervention included programs based on the Duluth Model. The violence had to be committed by a male toward his female partner. The violence also had to be physical. The primary outcomes were new arrests and convictions, and new reports of violence. CABG vs PCI CABG vs PCI Quality Improvement Strategies for Prevent... Quality Improvement Strategies for Preventing Nosocomial Infections (Created 17-Feb-06) Quality Improvement Strategies for Asthma ... Quality Improvement Strategies for Asthma Control Erectile Dysfunction (Created 30-Jan-06) Erectile Dysfunction (Created 30-Jan-06) Inequality - Smoking Cessation to Reduce S... This review was the first part of a projec... Inequality - Smoking Cessation to Reduce Socio-Economic Differences This review was the first part of a project about inequality. It included randomized trials about the effect of smoking cessation interventions on reducing socio-economic differences. The studies had to report data either on persons with low socio-economic groups status or, preferably, on both low and high socio-economic groups. Diet and Physical Activity to Reduce Socio... This review was the second part in a proje... Diet and Physical Activity to Reduce Socio-Economic Differences This review was the second part in a project about inequality. It included randomized trials about the effect of interventions on reducing socio-economic differences in diet and physical activity. The studies had to report data either on persons with low socio-economic groups status or, preferably, on both low and high socio-economic groups. Workfare The data in SRS are not identical to the d... Workfare The data in SRS are not identical to the data in the published report. We used SRS only for an updated search. The review included randomized trials about the effect of welfare-to-work programs. Participants were welfare recipients. There were basically two types of programs. The educational type tried to build knowledge and skills in order to help the welfare recipients acquire jobs that could support them economically. The "work first" approach was more aimed at getting the participants quickly into a job. Exercise interventions for the management ... The objective of this systematic review wa... Exercise interventions for the management of frailty The objective of this systematic review was to examine the effectiveness of current exercise interventions on the management of frailty. A comprehensive search of Medline, Embase, Psycinfo, Cinahl, Scopus, Ageline, Eric, and SportDiscus databases was conducted and produced 1808 citations. So far we have completed 2 levels of “title and abstract” screening and we ended up with 262 articles. We have just started the full text screening. Eligibility criteria included original studies whose participants were identified as frail or prefrail with specific criteria and in which structured physical activity was included as at least one component of the intervention. Create a free account, build a dictionary with saved terms to re-use later! Public Domestic Violence - Using Cognitive Behavior Therapy Smoking Cessation to Reduce Socio-Economic Differences Diet and Physical Activity to Reduce Socio-Economic Differences Workfare Exercise Interventions for the Management of Frailty Search     Simple Advanced Refine (4 coded questions)  Any of these:   Exact Phrase: All of these: None of these: Author: Periodical: Projects: No restrictions   Libraries: Public   Select SRS Projects Show Saved Terms Select Library Show articles that do not have abstracts  Humans or Animals Humans Animals Type of Article Clinical Trial Editorial Letter Meta-Analysis Practice Guideline Randomized Controlled Trial Review Addresses Bibliography Biography Case Reports Classical Article Clinical Conference Clinical Trial, Phase I Clinical Trial, Phase II Clinical Trial, Phase III Clinical Trial, Phase IV Comment Comparative Study Consensus Development Conference Consensus Development Conference, NIH Controlled Clinical Trial Corrected and Republished Article Dictionary Directory Duplicate Publication English Abstract Evaluation Studies Festschrift Government Publications Guideline Historical Article Interview In Vitro Journal Article Lectures Legal Cases Legislation Multicenter Study News Newspaper Article Overall Patient Education Handout Periodical Index Published Erratum Retracted Publication Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. 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Retraction of Publication Scientific Integrity Review Support of Research Technical Report Twin Study Validation Studies Not a Primary Study or Review Unknown Primary Study Case Series Case Control Cohort Study Observational Study Qualitative Research CBA or ITS Registry Double Blind Controlled before after study Quasi-randomized trial Simple before after study Cluster-RCT Non-Randomized Study Report Book Book chapter Dissertation Conference procedings Secondary Research Not RCT Ages All Infant: birth-23 months All Child: 0-18 years All Adult: 19+ years Newborn: birth-1 month Infant: 1-23 months Preschool Child: 2-5 years Child: 6-12 years Adolescent: 13-18 years Adult: 19-44 years Middle Aged: 45-64 years Middle Aged + Aged: 45+ years Aged: 65+ years 80 and over: 80+ years Undetermined Language English French German Italian Japanese Russian Spanish Afrikaans Albanian Unknown Arabic Armenian Azerbaijani Bosnian Bulgarian Catalan Chinese Croatian Czech Danish Dutch Esperanto Estonian Finnish Georgian Greek, Modern Hebrew Hindi Hungarian Icelandic Indonesian Kinyarwanda Korean Latin Latvian Lithuanian Macedonian Malay Malayalam Maori Multiple Languages Norwegian Persian Polish Portuguese Pushto Romanian Sanskrit Scottish gaelic Serbian Slovak Slovenian Swedish Thai Turkish Ukrainian Vietnamese Not English Not French Results(1-25 of 3,449) Sort By: Publication Date Relevance Took: 0.421 seconds to search 17,750,454  Action: Copy Results to new Clipboard Build Search Link Page 1 of 138 1 2 3 4 > Last >> (3449 articles found) Crystal structure of human estrogen-related receptor alpha in complex with a synthetic inverse agonist reveals its novel molecular mechanism. Aug 10, 2007 Joerg Kallen,Rene Lattmann,Rene Beerli,Anke Blechschmidt,Marcel J J Blommers,Martin Geiser,Johannes Ottl,Jean-Marc Schlaeppi,Andre Strauss,Brigitte Fournier Inverse agonists of the constitutively active human estrogen-related receptor alpha (ERRalpha, NR3B1) are of potential interest for several disease indications (e.g. breast cancer, metabolic diseases, or osteoporosis). ERRalpha is constitutively active, because its ligand binding pocket (LBP) is pr... ( view more )actically filled with side chains (in particular with Phe(328), which is replaced by Ala in ERRbeta and ERRgamma). We present here the crystal structure of the ligand binding domain of ERRalpha (containing the mutation C325S) in complex with the inverse agonist cyclohexylmethyl-(1-p-tolyl-1H-indol-3-ylmethyl)-amine (compound 1a), to a resolution of 2.3A(.) The structure reveals the dramatic multiple conformational changes in the LBP, which create the necessary space for the ligand. As a consequence of the new side chain conformation of Phe(328) (on helix H3), Phe(510)(H12) has to move away, and thus the activation helix H12 is displaced from its agonist position. This is a novel mechanism of H12 inactivation, different from ERRgamma, estrogen receptor (ER) alpha, and ERbeta. H12 binds (with a surprising binding mode) in the coactivator groove of its ligand binding domain, at a similar place as a coactivator peptide. This is in contrast to ERRgamma but resembles the situation for ERalpha (raloxifene or 4-hydroxytamoxifen complexes). Our results explain the novel molecular mechanism of an inverse agonist for ERRalpha and provide the basis for rational drug design to obtain isotype-specific inverse agonists of this potential new drug target. Despite a practically filled LBP, the finding that a suitable ligand can induce an opening of the cavity also has broad implications for other orphan nuclear hormone receptors (e.g. the NGFI-B subfamily). ( view less ) View Full Abstract View Article Details   Related Articles Characterization of CD4+ memory T cell responses directed against common respiratory pathogens in peripheral blood and lung. Jun 1, 2007 Godelieve J de Bree,Hans Daniels,Muriel van Schilfgaarde,Henk M Jansen,Theo A Out,Rene A W van Lier,Rene E Jonkers BACKGROUND: We investigated CD4(+) memory T cell responses to influenza virus (FLU), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi). METHODS: The precursor frequencies of antigen-specific CD4(+) cells were determined by in vitro expansion of peripheral blood mononu... ( view more )clear cells from healthy individuals (n=9) and patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD; n=16). The expression of CD27 and CCR7 and the production of interferon (IFN)- gamma and interleukin-2 was measured directly ex vivo. Furthermore, the phenotypic and functional properties of CD4(+) T cells residing in the lung were analyzed and compared with those of circulating CD4(+)memory cells from the same donors (n=8). RESULTS: FLU-, RSV-, and NTHi-specific CD4(+) memory T cells circulated at low frequencies in the peripheral blood of healthy individuals and patients. RSV- and NTHi-specific CD4(+) T cells had a memory phenotype with moderate to high CD27 and CCR7 expression. In contrast to the low frequencies of circulating FLU-specific CD4(+) T cells, we found an enrichment of differentiated CD4(+) FLU-specific cells and high IFN- gamma expression in CD4(+) memory cells in lung tissue. CONCLUSION: No gross defects were found in circulating CD4(+) memory cells specific for pathogens associated with COPD. However, the large differentiated CD4(+) memory T cell pool residing in the lung may contribute to a large extent to local antiviral immunological protection. ( view less ) View Full Abstract View Article Details   Related Articles Morphologic asymmetry of the human anterior cingulate cortex. Feb 1, 2007 Rene J Huster,Rene Westerhausen,Frank Kreuder,Elisabeth Schweiger,Werner Wittling The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is thought to play a major role in executive processes. Studies assessing neuroanatomical attributes of this region report a high degree of morphological variability. Recent theories consider the fissurization of the cortex to be a product of gross mechanical pro... ( view more )cesses related to cortical growth and local cytoarchitectural characteristics. Hence, local sulcal patterning and gray matter volume are supposed to be associated. ACC fissurization was quantified in left- and right-handers of both sexes by recording the presence and extension of the paracingulate sulcus (PCS). Differences between groups regarding local gray matter volume were assessed by means of optimized voxel-based morphometry (oVBM) including additional modulation. Overall, the PCS occurred more often and was more pronounced in the left as compared to the right anterior cingulate region, although hemispheric differences were less pronounced in male left- and female right-handers. These discrepancies between groups seem to stem from variations of cingulate morphology in the left rather than the right hemisphere. The pattern of relevant comparisons in the oVBM analysis indicated a similar interaction. Therefore, evidence was found for discrepancies between groups and hemispheres on the macrostructural level. ( view less ) View Full Abstract View Article Details   Related Articles A multicenter randomized study of the efficacy of transfusions with platelets stored in platelet additive solution II versus plasma. Nov 1, 2006 Jean-Louis H Kerkhoffs,Jeroen C Eikenboom,Martin S Schipperus,Rinie J van Wordragen-Vlaswinkel,Ronald Brand,Mark S Harvey,Rene R de Vries,Renee Barge,Dick J van Rhenen,Anneke Brand Randomized studies testing the clinical efficacy of platelet additive solutions (PASs) for storage of platelets are scarce and often biased by patient selection. We conducted a multicenter, randomized study to investigate clinical efficacy of platelets stored in PAS II versus plasma, also including... ( view more ) patients with clinical complications associated with increased platelet consumption. A total of 168 evaluable patients received pooled buffy coat-derived platelet concentrates (PCs) suspended in either plasma (n = 354) or PAS II (n = 411) stored up to 5 days. Both univariate as well as multivariate analysis showed a significant effect of used storage medium in regard to 1- and 24-hour count increments and corrected count increments, in favor of plasma PCs. However, there were no significant differences between the groups regarding bleeding complications and transfusion interval. Adverse transfusion reactions occurred significantly less after transfusions with PAS II PCs (P = .04). Multivariate analysis showed no significant effect of the used storage medium on the incidence of 1- and 24-hour transfusion failure. We showed safety and efficacy of PAS II PCs in intensively treated patients; however, plasma PCs show superior increments. ( view less ) View Full Abstract View Article Details   Related Articles Computer-assisted minimally invasive treatment of osteochondrosis dissecans of the talus. Oct 2006 Ralf Ernst Rosenberger,Christian Fink,Reto Josef Bale,Rene El Attal,Rene Mühlbacher,Christian Hoser OBJECTIVE: Revascularization of areas of necrosis in the talus and stimulation of bone regeneration whilst protecting the talar hyaline cartilage using computer-assisted minimally invasive drilling or retrograde cancellous bone relining of the osteochondrotic zone. INDICATIONS: Osteochondrosis diss... ( view more )ecans of the talus, Berndt & Harty stages I-III. CONTRAINDICATIONS: Osteochondrosis dissecans of the talus, Berndt & Harty stage IV. General contraindications such as poor skin and soft-tissue conditions or poor general condition. SURGICAL TECHNIQUE: Before the operation: fitting a removable cast for the ankle (ankle fixation cast), then computed tomography of the ankle with the ankle fixation cast fitted. Planning the site of the central Kirschner wire in the talus using a navigation system in the laboratory. Adjusting and locking the aiming device. Intraoperative procedures: fitting the sterilized ankle fixation cast. Retrograde placement of the 2.4-mm Kirschner wire through the locked aiming device. Check on the position of the Kirschner wire using an image intensifier. Arthroscopy of the ankle; further parallel holes may then be drilled depending on the findings or retrograde cancellous bone grafting may be performed by harvesting cancellous bone from the calcaneus. POSTOPERATIVE MANAGEMENT: For retrograde drilling/parallel drilling: 1 week of partial weight bearing at 30 kg. For retrograde cancellous bone grafting: 4 weeks of partial weight bearing at 15 kg, then 2 more weeks of partial weight bearing at 30 kg. Physiotherapy. RESULTS: From December 1999 to January 2005, 41 patients with osteochondrosis dissecans of the talus were selected for computer-assisted treatment by retrograde drilling or retrograde cancellous bone grafting. In 39 of the 41 patients, the osteochondral lesion-as verified by postoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-was accessed, i.e., the drilled hole led to the lesion. In two cases, irreparable flaws in the materials were discovered intraoperatively, so that the above method was only performed on 39 patients. The 1-year results for the first 15 patients treated with retrograde drilling/parallel drilling and concomitant ankle arthroscopy without retrograde cancellous bone graft are presented here based on the follow-up MRI (position of drill hole, assessment of vitality of the area of osteochondritis) and a clinical score. The four women and eleven men were, on average, 34.1 years old (14-55 years). In the radiologic comparison of the pre- and postoperative stages of the osteochondritis dissecans, 46.7% of patients showed an improvement in the Berndt & Harty stage. 40.0% showed the same osteochondrosis dissecans stage in the postoperative MRI, and in 13.3% it deteriorated by one grade. In the clinical follow-up examination, the AOFAS Score averaged 88.9 points. ( view less ) View Full Abstract View Article Details   Related Articles Acetazolamide improves cerebral oxygenation during exercise at high altitude. 2006 Jaap Vuyk,Jan Van Den Bos,Kees Terhell,Rene De Bos,Ad Vletter,Pierre Valk,Martie Van Beuzekom,Jack Van Kleef,Albert Dahan Vuyk, Jaap, Jan Van Den Bos, Kees Terhell, Rene De Bos, Ad Vletter, Pierre Valk, Martie Van Beuzekom, Jack Van Kleef, and Albert Dahan. Acetazolamide improves cerebral oxygenation during exercise at high altitude. High Alt. Med. Biol. 7:290-301, 2006.--Acute mountain sickness is thought to be trigg... ( view more )ered by cerebral hypoxemia and be prevented by acetazolamide (Actz). The effect of Actz on cerebral oxygenation at altitude remains unknown. In 16 members of the 2005 Dutch Cho Oyu (8201 m, Tibet) expedition, the influence of Actz and exercise (750 mg PO daily) on heart rate, peripheral and regional cerebral oxygen saturation (Sa(O(2) ) and rS(O(2) )), the Lake Louise score (LLS), and psychomotor function were studied at 0 m 14 days prior to the expedition, after arrival at 3700 m on day 3, after arrival at 5700 m on day 29, and again at 5700 m before the end of the expedition on day 51. After arrival at 3700 m, the LLS of the climbers taking Actz (n = 8) was significantly lower compared to those who did not take Actz (n = 8): 0.75 +/- 1.0 versus 2.9 +/- 2.0, p < 0.05 (ANOVA). High LLSs were associated with low rS(O(2) ) values in rest and exercise (p < 0.01 and p < 0.001). With altitude, resting Sa(O(2) ) and resting rS(O(2) ) decreased significantly (p < 0.001), irrespective of Actz use. Exercise at 3700 m and 5700 m reduced Sa(O(2) ) and rS(O(2) ) even further compared to rest (p < 0.001), although at 3700 m the rS(O(2) ) was preserved better in those who took Actz (55.3 +/- 4.3% versus 47.9 +/- 5.7%, p < 0.05). Irrespective of Actz use, with altitude, the percentage of omissions in the vigilance and tracking test increased while the climbers' scores on vigor decreased (p < 0.05). In conclusion, at altitude, exercise-induced reduction in cerebral oxygenation is less in climbers on Actz compared to climbers not taking Actz. This effect is nullified after several weeks at altitude due to acclimatization in climbers not taking Actz. ( view less ) View Full Abstract View Article Details   Related Articles Refining the complex rheumatoid arthritis phenotype based on specificity of the HLA-DRB1 shared epitope for antibodies to citrullinated proteins. Nov 2005 Tom W J Huizinga,Christopher I Amos,Annette H M van der Helm-van Mil,Wei Chen,Floris A van Gaalen,Damini Jawaheer,Geziena M T Schreuder,Mark Wener,Ferdinand C Breedveld,Naila Ahmad,Raymond F Lum,Rene R P de Vries,Peter K Gregersen,Rene E M Toes,Lindsey A Criswell OBJECTIVE: The main genetic risk factor for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the HLA region, has been known for 25 years. Previous research has demonstrated, within the RA population, an association between HLA-DRB1 alleles carrying the shared epitope (SE) and antibodies directed against cyclic citrullin... ( view more )ated peptides (anti-CCP antibodies). We undertook this study to make the first comparison of SE allele frequencies in the healthy population with those in RA patients who do or do not harbor anti-CCP antibodies. METHODS: HLA-DRB1 typing was performed in 408 RA patients from the Leiden Early Arthritis Clinic (the Leiden EAC; a Dutch population-based inception cohort in which disease course was followed up over time), in 423 healthy Dutch controls, and in 720 affected members of 341 US multiplex (sibpair) families of Caucasian origin from the North American RA Consortium (NARAC) with well-established disease and fulfilling the American College of Rheumatology classification criteria for RA. The presence of anti-CCP antibodies was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: For the Leiden EAC, the odds ratio (OR) describing the association of 2 copies of the SE allele with anti-CCP positivity (using no copies of the SE allele in the healthy control group as the referent) was 11.79 (P < 0.0001), while the OR for 1 SE allele was 4.37 (P < 0.0001). No association with the SE was observed in the Dutch anti-CCP-negative RA patients. For the NARAC families, linkage and association analysis revealed the SE to be associated only with anti-CCP-positive disease and not with anti-CCP-negative disease. Stratified analyses indicated that anti-CCP antibodies primarily mediated association of the SE with joint damage or disease persistence. CONCLUSION: HLA-DRB1 alleles encoding the SE are specific for disease characterized by antibodies to citrullinated peptides, indicating that these alleles do not associate with RA as such, but rather with a particular phenotype. ( view less ) View Full Abstract View Article Details View Coded Data Related Articles Association of HLA-DR3 with anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody-negative rheumatoid arthritis. Oct 2005 Kirsten N Verpoort,Floris A van Gaalen,Annette H M van der Helm-van Mil,Geziena M T Schreuder,Ferdinand C Breedveld,Tom W J Huizinga,Rene R P de Vries,Rene E M Toes OBJECTIVE: Recent data have shown that the most prominent and longest known genetic risk factors for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), HLA-DRB1 shared epitope alleles, are only associated with RA that is characterized by the presence of antibodies against cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP antibodies)... ( view more ) and not with anti-CCP-negative RA. We undertook this study to investigate whether anti-CCP-negative RA is associated with other HLA-DRB1 alleles. METHODS: HLA typing was performed for 377 patients from the Leiden Early Arthritis Clinic who were diagnosed as having RA within the first year of followup (206 anti-CCP-positive patients and 171 anti-CCP-negative patients), 235 patients who, after 1 year, had undifferentiated arthritis (UA) (28 anti-CCP-positive patients and 207 anti-CCP-negative patients), and 423 healthy control subjects. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for HLA-DRB1 allele frequencies were determined for all patient groups compared with the healthy control group. RESULTS: HLA-DR3 was more frequently present in the anti-CCP-negative RA group than in the control group (OR 1.84, 95% CI 1.26-2.67). This was not the case for anti-CCP-positive RA (OR 0.92, 95% CI 0.60-1.40). HLA-DR3 was also more frequently present in anti-CCP-negative UA patients (OR 1.59, 95% CI 1.10-2.28), but not in anti-CCP-positive UA patients (OR 0.68, 95% CI 0.17-1.92). CONCLUSION: HLA-DR3 is associated with anti-CCP-negative arthritis and not with anti-CCP-positive arthritis. These data show that distinct genetic risk factors are associated with the presence of anti-CCP antibodies in RA and indicate that different pathogenetic mechanisms underlie anti-CCP-positive and anti-CCP-negative RA. ( view less ) View Full Abstract View Article Details View Coded Data Related Articles Defective recombination in infertile men. Nov 15, 2004 Joanna Gonsalves,Fei Sun,Peter N Schlegel,Paul J Turek,Carin V Hopps,Calvin Greene,Renee H Martin,Renee A Reijo Pera Two percent of men are infertile owing to defects in sperm production. In 10-15% of cases, Y chromosome deletions that encompass critical spermatogenesis genes are detected; in the remaining cases, the cause of infertility is unknown. In model organisms, defects in recombination genes cause inferti... ( view more )lity, germ cell aneuploidy and subsequent development of inviable or abnormal progeny. Several studies have also linked infertility and higher rates of germ cell aneuploidy in men and women. Thus, we reasoned that defective recombination may be a major cause of infertility in men with poor or no sperm production and we performed the first comparison of recombination parameters within populations of single spermatocytes from infertile and fertile men who reported for assisted reproduction. We observed that 10% of non-obstructive azoospermic men had significantly lower recombination frequencies than men with normal spermatogenesis. Furthermore, when we focused our analysis only on those men who had a pathological diagnosis of 'maturation arrest' due to arrest during sperm development, about half had detectable defects in recombination. In contrast, none of the men with normal spermatogenesis had defects in recombination. Thus, this study provides direct evidence that defects in recombination are linked to poor sperm production in a significant percentage of infertile men. Implications of this observation for the use of assisted reproductive technologies are especially relevant to consider, given that recombination is required to both introduce genetic variation and insure proper chromosome separation during meiosis. ( view less ) View Full Abstract View Article Details View Coded Data Related Articles Impaired balance of type I and type III procollagen mRNA in cultured fibroblasts of patients with incisional hernia. Mar 2002 Zhongyi Si,Rhanjit Bhardwaj,Raphael Rosch,Peter Rene Mertens,Bernd Klosterhalfen,Uwe Klinge,Bhardwaj Rhanjit,Peter Merten Rene BACKGROUND: Recent findings of an impaired protein ratio of type I to type III procollagen showed a disturbed collagen metabolism in incisional hernia development. We analyzed the type I and type III procollagen messenger RNA to investigate whether these findings represent the altered extracellular... ( view more ) matrix or a primary defect at the transcriptional level. METHODS: We examined cultured skin fibroblasts of patients with incisional or recurrent incisional hernia in comparison with those without any previous incision (control) and those with a skin scar without clinical appearance of a hernia (scar). Immunohistochemical detection of a lowered protein ratio of type I and type III collagen in the hernia skin tissue leads to mRNA expression analysis. The procollagen mRNA and the ratio of type I to type III procollagen mRNA are detected by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and Northern blot analysis, the collagens type I and III by Western blot analysis. RESULTS: Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction revealed an increase of type I procollagen mRNA in the incisional and recurrent hernia (0.90 +/- 0.04 and 1.19 +/- 0.04, respectively) compared with stable scar (0.54 +/- 0.02) or healthy tissue (0.43 +/- 0.01). The obvious rise of type III procollagen mRNA to 4.13 +/- 0.04 for incisional, 6.02 +/- 0.03 for recurrent hernia, 2.29 +/- 0.04 for stable scar, and 1.72 +/- 0.03 for the healthy tissue showed a significantly decreased ratio of type I to type III procollagen mRNA in the hernia patients as compared with the controls (P <.01). By Western blot analysis, an increase of type I and type III collagen protein and a significant rise in the corresponding ratio in the recurrent hernia group were detected. CONCLUSIONS: The altered synthesis of type I and type III collagen in cultured skin fibroblasts suggests a disorder of collagen metabolism, at least in patients with recurrent hernia. Hence, a basically impaired wound healing process is likely to contribute to the unsatisfactory results of incisional hernia repair. ( view less ) View Full Abstract View Article Details View Coded Data Related Articles Salvage of problematic peritoneal dialysis catheters. 2006 Mar-Apr Arif Asif,Florin Gadalean,Cristovao F Vieira,Renee Hogan,Carlos Leon,Donna Merrill,Renee Ellis,Amarilys Amador,Osmany Broche,Barbara Bush,Gabriel Contreras,Phillip Pennell Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is a markedly underutilized modality for permanent renal replacement therapy in the United States owing to a low rate of patient referral and high rate of patient dropout or transfer to hemodialysis. One cause for patient loss from PD is problematic PD catheters that often ... ( view more )are removed rather than being subjected to simple surgical salvage procedures. We report three patients with problematic catheters and our approach to their management. The first patient developed erosion of the skin overlying the portion of the catheter between the deep and superficial cuffs after 6 months of PD. The second patient developed extrusion of the superficial cuff after 4 years of PD. The third patient demonstrated a localized abscess at the incision site for catheter insertion after 3 years of PD. Other than a mild superficial exit site infection and localized abscess in the second and third patient, respectively, there were no associated infections of the catheter tunnel and cuff or of the peritoneal cavity as determined by either clinical examination, ultrasound evidence of fluid collection, or cultures and white blood cell counts. All three cases were managed successfully by interventional nephrology on an outpatient basis and under local anesthesia without either catheter removal or placement of a new PD catheter. It was possible to continue uninterrupted PD in the first and third patients, while the second patient had temporary hemodialysis to allow for complete healing of the surgical wound. We conclude that in selected cases simple interventions can salvage problematic PD catheters and maintain patients on PD. ( view less ) View Full Abstract View Article Details View Coded Data Related Articles How trust in institutions and organizations builds general consumer confidence in the safety of food: A decomposition of effects. Sep 2008 J de Jonge,J C M van Trijp,I A van der Lans,R J Renes,L J Frewer This paper investigates the relationship between general consumer confidence in the safety of food and consumer trust in institutions and organizations. More specifically, using a decompositional regression analysis approach, the extent to which the strength of the relationship between trust and ge... ( view more )neral confidence is dependent upon a particular food chain actor (for example, food manufacturers) is assessed. In addition, the impact of specific subdimensions of trust, such as openness, on consumer confidence are analyzed, as well as interaction effects of actors and subdimensions of trust. The results confirm previous findings, which indicate that a higher level of trust is associated with a higher level of confidence. However, the results from the current study extend on previous findings by disentangling the effects that determine the strength of this relationship into specific components associated with the different actors, the different trust dimensions, and specific combinations of actors and trust dimensions. The results show that trust in food manufacturers influences general confidence more than trust in other food chain actors, and that care is the most important trust dimension. However, the contribution of a particular trust dimension in enhancing general confidence is actor-specific, suggesting that different actors should focus on different trust dimensions when the purpose is to enhance consumer confidence in food safety. Implications for the development of communication strategies that are designed to regain or maintain consumer confidence in the safety of food are discussed. ( view less ) View Full Abstract View Article Details View Coded Data Related Articles Rapid exposure assessment of PSII herbicides in surface water using a novel chlorophyll a fluorescence imaging assay. Aug 15, 2008 Renee Muller,Ulrich Schreiber,Beate I Escher,Pamela Quayle,Susan M Bengtson Nash,Jochen F Mueller Recently a new Maxi-Imaging-PAM (Max-I-PAM) instrument for phytotoxicity assessment via chlorophyll fluorescence imaging was introduced. This new instrument allows rapid detection of the effects of PS II inhibiting herbicides which are high use agricultural chemicals frequently detected in surface ... ( view more )waters in Australia and elsewhere. Several studies have applied the new instrument for detection of phytotoxicants in water using microalgae suspensions; however, these use preliminary protocols and to date no validated method is available for high throughput testing of environmental samples in 96-well plates. Here we developed and applied a new protocol allowing dose-response assessment of four samples within 2 h (8 dilutions in duplicate). The technique was found to be sensitive, with a detection limit of 2.3 ng l(-1) for the herbicide diuron when testing solid phase extracts (SPE) of 1000 ml water samples, and reproducible both between experiments (coefficient of variation (CV)=0.30) and within the 96-well plate (CV=0.06). Relative potencies were determined for four reference PS II impacting herbicides (diuron>hexazinone>atrazine>simazine). Extracts from 1000 ml environmental samples and diuron spiked ultrapure water as well as passive sampler extracts were evaluated and good agreement was found between diuron equivalent concentrations calculated from bioassay results (DEQ(IPAM)) and DEQ(CHEM) values calculated from LCMS chemical analysis of the four reference compounds in the same samples. Overall, the technique provides a valuable bioanalytical tool for rapid and inexpensive effects-based assessment of PS II impacting herbicides in environmental mixtures. ( view less ) View Full Abstract View Article Details View Coded Data Related Articles Transvenous electrical cardioversion of atrial fibrillation in six horses using custom made cardioversion catheters. Aug 2008 Dominique De Clercq,Gunther van Loon,Stijn Schauvliege,Rene Tavernier,Kris Baert,Siska Croubels,Patrick De Backer,Piet Deprez Pharmacological conversion of atrial fibrillation (AF) to sinus rhythm in horses can be difficult. The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility of transvenous electrical cardioversion with custom made catheters in eight horses, of which three had failed cardioversion using quinidi... ( view more )ne sulfate. Two cardioversion catheters and one pacing/sensing electrode were inserted via the right jugular vein and placed using ultrasound guidance into the left pulmonary artery, the right atrium and the right ventricle, respectively. Because immediate recurrence of AF was encountered in the second horse treated, pre-treatment with amiodarone was given to each of the remaining six horses. Induction of general anaesthesia was associated with dislocation of the cardioversion catheter in three horses, requiring a second catheterisation procedure. During general anaesthesia, biphasic R wave synchronised shocks of up to 360J were delivered between both cardioversion electrodes. In six horses (75%), including two which had failed quinidine sulfate treatment, sinus rhythm was restored with a mean energy level of 295+/-62J. No side effects were observed. Blood analysis 3h after cardioversion revealed normal parameters, including cardiac troponin I values. Transvenous electrical cardioversion of atrial fibrillation with custom made cardioversion catheters can be considered as a treatment option for atrial fibrillation in horses, especially when conventional drugs fail. ( view less ) View Full Abstract View Article Details View Coded Data Related Articles Detection of mitochondrial dysfunction by EPR technique in mouse model of dilated cardiomyopathy. Aug 1, 2008 Martyna Elas,Joanna Bielanska,Katarzyna Pustelny,Przemyslaw M Plonka,Lukasz Drelicharz,Tomasz Skorka,Urszula Tyrankiewicz,Miroslaw Wozniak,Sylwia Heinze-Paluchowska,Michal Walski,Leszek Wojnar,Dominique Fortin,Renee Ventura-Clapier,Stefan Chlopicki Tgalphaq44 mice with targeted overexpression of activated Galphaq protein in cardiomyocytes mimic many of the phenotypic characteristics of dilated cardiomyopathy in humans. However, it is not known whether the phenotype of Tgalphaq44 mice would also involve dysfunction of cardiac mitochondria. The... ( view more ) aim of the present work was to examine changes in EPR signals of semiquinones and iron in Fe-S clusters, as compared to classical biochemical indices of mitochondrial function in hearts from Tgalphaq44 mice in relation to the progression of heart failure. Tgalphaq44 mice at the age of 14 months displayed pulmonary congestion, increased heart/body ratio and impairment of cardiac function as measured in vivo by MRI. However, in hearts from Tgalphaq44 mice already at the age of 10 months EPR signals of semiquinones, as well as cyt c oxidase activity were decreased, suggesting alterations in mitochondrial electron flow. Furthermore, in 14-months old Tgalphaq44 mice loss of iron in Fe-S clusters, impaired citrate synthase activity, and altered mitochondrial ultrastructure were observed, supporting mitochondrial dysfunction in Tgalphaq44 mice. In conclusion, the assessment of semiquinones content and Fe(III) analysis by EPR represents a rational approach to detect dysfunction of cardiac mitochondria. Decreased contents of semiquinones detected by EPR and a parallel decrease in cyt c oxidase activity occurs before hemodynamic decompensation of heart failure in Tgalphaq44 mice suggesting that alterations in function of cardiac mitochondria contribute to the development of the overt heart failure in this model. ( view less ) View Full Abstract View Article Details View Coded Data Related Articles Persistent downregulation of the pancarcinoma-associated epithelial cell adhesion molecule via active intranuclear methylation. Jul 15, 2008 Bernardina T F van der Gun,Reinhold Wasserkort,Amélie Monami,Albert Jeltsch,Tamás Raskó,Krystyna Slaska-Kiss,Rene Cortese,Marianne G Rots,Lou F M H de Leij,Marcel H J Ruiters,Antal Kiss,Elmar Weinhold,Pamela M J McLaughlin The epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) is expressed at high levels on the surface of most carcinoma cells. SiRNA silencing of EpCAM expression leads to reduced metastatic potential of tumor cells demonstrating its importance in oncogenesis and tumor progression. However, siRNA therapy requir... ( view more )es either sequential delivery or integration into the host cell genome. Hence we set out to explore a more definite form to influence EpCAM gene expression. The mechanisms underlying the transcriptional activation of the EpCAM gene, both in normal epithelial tissue as well as in carcinogenesis, are poorly understood. We show that DNA methylation plays a crucial role in EpCAM expression, and moreover, active silencing of endogenous EpCAM via methylation of the EpCAM promoter results in a persistent downregulation of EpCAM expression. In a panel of carcinoma derived cell lines, bisulfite analyses showed a correlation between the methylation status of the EpCAM promoter and EpCAM expression. Treatment of EpCAM-negative cell lines with a demethylating agent induced EpCAM expression, both on mRNA and protein level, and caused upregulation of EpCAM expression in an EpCAM-positive cell line. After delivery of the DNA methyltransferase M.SssI into EpCAM-positive ovarian carcinoma cells, methylation of the EpCAM promoter resulted in silencing of EpCAM expression. SiRNA-mediated silencing remained for 4 days, after which EpCAM re-expression increased in time, while M.SssI-mediated downregulation of EpCAM maintained through successive cell divisions as the repression persisted for at least 17 days. This is the first study showing that active DNA methylation leads to sustained silencing of endogenous EpCAM expression. ( view less ) View Full Abstract View Article Details View Coded Data Related Articles Hydrophobic interaction chromatography of proteins V. Quantitative assessment of conformational changes. Jul 11, 2008 Rene Ueberbacher,Emmerich Haimer,Rainer Hahn,Alois Jungbauer Protein adsorption during hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) may induce conformational changes. We analyzed conformational changes in three model proteins, bovine serum albumin (BSA), beta-lactoglobulin, and lysozyme by attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR FT-IR) s... ( view more )pectroscopy and pulse response experiments. Conformational changes occurred in the secondary structure of BSA, the tertiary structure of beta-lactoglobulin, and no changes occurred in lysozyme under the adsorption conditions investigated. Protein unfolding varied substantially among proteins, caused incomplete isocratic elution in HIC, and was confirmed by in situ assessments. Lower temperatures and binding capacities significantly reduced protein unfolding; the activation energy for unfolding ranged from 47 to 125kJ/mol. ( view less ) View Full Abstract View Article Details View Coded Data Related Articles Inhibition of alphavirus infection in cell culture and in mice with antisense morpholino oligomers. Jul 5, 2008 Slobodan Paessler,Rene Rijnbrand,David A Stein,Haolin Ni,Nadezhda E Yun,Natallia Dziuba,Viktoriya Borisevich,Alexey Seregin,Yinghong Ma,Robert Blouch,Patrick L Iversen,Michele A Zacks The genus Alphavirus contains members that threaten human health, both as natural pathogens and as potential biological weapons. Peptide-conjugated phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomers (PPMO) enter cells readily and can inhibit viral replication through sequence-specific steric blockade of viral... ( view more ) RNA. Sindbis virus (SINV) has low pathogenicity in humans and is regularly utilized as a model alphavirus. PPMO targeting the 5'-terminal and AUG translation start site regions of the SINV genome blocked the production of infectious SINV in tissue culture. PPMO designed against corresponding regions in Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) were likewise found to be effective in vitro against several strains of VEEV. Mice treated with PPMO before and after VEEV infection were completely protected from lethal outcome while mice receiving only post-infection PPMO treatment were partially protected. Levels of virus in tissue samples correlated with animal survival. Uninfected mice suffered no apparent ill-effects from PPMO treatment. Thus, PPMO appear promising as candidates for therapeutic development against alphaviruses. ( view less ) View Full Abstract View Article Details View Coded Data Related Articles Abortion and anxiety: What's the relationship? Jul 2008 Julia Renee Steinberg,Nancy F Russo Using data from the United States National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) and the National Comorbidity Survey (NCS), we conducted secondary data analyses to examine the relationship of abortion, including multiple abortions, to anxiety after first pregnancy outcome in two studies. First, when analy... ( view more )zing the NSFG, we found that pre-pregnancy anxiety symptoms, rape history, age at first pregnancy outcome (abortion vs. delivery), race, marital status, income, education, subsequent abortions, and subsequent deliveries accounted for a significant association initially found between first pregnancy outcome and experiencing subsequent anxiety symptoms. We then tested the relationship of abortion to clinically diagnosed generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and social anxiety disorder, using NCS data. Contrary to findings from our analyses of the NSFG, in the NCS analyses we did not find a significant relationship between first pregnancy outcome and subsequent rates of GAD, social anxiety, or PTSD. However, multiple abortions were found to be associated with much higher rates of PTSD and social anxiety; this relationship was largely explained by pre-pregnancy mental health disorders and their association with higher rates of violence. Researchers and clinicians need to learn more about the relations of violence exposure, mental health, and pregnancy outcome to avoid attributing poor mental health solely to pregnancy outcomes. ( view less ) View Full Abstract View Article Details View Coded Data Related Articles The secretory function of adipocytes in the physiology of white adipose tissue. Jul 2008 Ping Wang,Edwin Mariman,Johan Renes,Jaap Keijer White adipose tissue, previously regarded as a passive lipid storage site, is now viewed as a dynamic tissue. It has the capacity to actively communicate by sending and receiving different types of signals. An overview of these signals, the external modulators that affect adipose tissue and the sec... ( view more )reted signaling molecules, the adipokines, is presented. The secretory function is highlighted in relation to energy metabolism, inflammation and the extracellular matrix and placed in the context of adipose tissue biology. We observe that the endocrine function of adipocytes receives much attention, while its paracrine and autocrine functions are underestimated. Also, we provide examples that species specificity should not be neglected. We conclude that adipose tissue primarily is an energy storage organ, well supported by its secretory function. ( view less ) View Full Abstract View Article Details View Coded Data Related Articles From brain to bone: evidence for the release of osteogenic humoral factors after traumatic brain injury. Jul 2008 Andrew M Toffoli,Oliver P Gautschi,Sonke P Frey,Luis Filgueira,Rene Zellweger PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: The aetiology of the increased osteogenesis associated with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) remains incompletely understood. The purpose of this article is to review the available evidence regarding the release of osteogenic humoral factors after TBI. RESEARCH DESIGN: This st... ( view more )udy is presented in the form of a literature review. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: To obtain suitable references, Pubmed was searched using keywords 'heterotopic ossification', 'brain', 'trauma', 'injury', 'aetiology'. MAIN OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: Evidence from both clinical and laboratory investigations points to centrally released osteogenic factor(s) that enter the systemic circulation following TBI. CONCLUSIONS: Further investigation into the identification of these putative osteogenic factor(s), using human tissues and new techniques, is indicated to better understand this phenomenon. ( view less ) View Full Abstract View Article Details View Coded Data Related Articles Dural arachnoid granulations and "giant" arachnoid granulations. Jul 2008 Johannes Haybaeck,Rene Silye,Dov Soffer Although arachnoid granulations (AGs) were already described by Antonio Pacchioni more than 300 years ago, two issues draw particular attention: first, the radiological features and differential diagnosis of the so-called giant AGs (GAGs) and second, their possible association with various disease ... ( view more )processes. In order to evaluate the frequency, size and normal distribution of GAGs, an anatomical study of the dural sinuses was carried out. It involved all the autopsies performed during the period August 2002-February 2005 and included 651 cases: 306 females and 345 males, aged 13-99 years (mean 69 years). Grossly visible GAGs were identified in 24 cases: 7 females and 17 males, aged 45-92 years (mean 69 years). This is the largest population-based anatomical study on GAGs. It shows that GAGs, in general a rare finding (3.68%), are rather common in the adult population, especially in the elderly (aged >65 years) and that they can reach remarkable size (up to 2.5 cm and more in diameter). Giant AGs should be considered in the radiological differential diagnosis of intradural lesions, particularly those occurring in the transverse sinus of the elderly. ( view less ) View Full Abstract View Article Details View Coded Data Related Articles Microsomal epoxide hydrolase genotypes and the risk for head and neck cancer. Jul 2008 Martin Lacko,Hennie M J Roelofs,Rene H M Te Morsche,Adri C Voogd,Michael B Oude Ophuis,Wilbert H M Peters,Johannes J Manni BACKGROUND: Microsomal epoxide hydrolase (mEH) is an enzyme involved in the metabolism of (pre)carcinogens in tobacco smoke. We investigated whether functional genetic polymorphisms in mEH may have a risk-modifying effect on head and neck carcinogenesis. METHODS: Blood from 429 patients with oral, ... ( view more )pharyngeal, and laryngeal carcinoma and 419 healthy subjects was investigated for mEH polymorphisms. RESULTS: Logistic regression analysis did not show differences in mEH genotype distributions between patients and controls, when categorized according to predicted mEH enzyme activity. Also no differences were found when evaluated according to tumor localization, sex, or tobacco consumption. A significantly higher incidence of the 139Arg/Arg variant was found in patients with hypopharyngeal carcinoma compared with controls (OR = 4.39, 95% CI = 1.45 to 13.35). CONCLUSION: In contrast to earlier reports, we could not demonstrate a risk-modifying effect of genetic polymorphisms in mEH on head and neck carcinogenesis, except for the predicted high activity variant in patients with hypopharyngeal carcinoma. ( view less ) View Full Abstract View Article Details View Coded Data Related Articles Actinomycosis: a great pretender. Case reports of unusual presentations and a review of the literature. Jul 2008 Francisco Acevedo,Rene Baudrand,Luz M Letelier,Pablo Gaete Actinomycosis is a rare, chronic disease caused by a group of anaerobic Gram-positive bacteria that normally colonize the mouth, colon, and urogenital tract. Infection involving the cervicofacial area is the most common clinical presentation, followed by pelvic region and thoracic involvement. Due ... ( view more )to its propensity to mimic many other diseases and its wide variety of symptoms, clinicians should be aware of its multiple presentations and its ability to be a 'great pretender'. We describe herein three cases of unusual presentation: an inferior caval vein syndrome, an acute cholecystitis, and an acute cardiac tamponade. We review the literature on its epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. ( view less ) View Full Abstract View Article Details View Coded Data Related Articles Value of measuring plasmatic levels of neurosin in the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Jul 2008 Manuel Menendez-Gonzalez,Patricia Castro-Santos,Ana Suarez,María Teresa Calatayud,Pablo Perez-Pinera,Marta Martinez,Renee Ribacoba,Carmen Gutierrez The search for molecular biomarkers for diagnosing and classifying dementias is becoming a high priority need. Neurosin (Kallikrein 6, hk6) is one molecule with promising preliminary results since its levels in brain tissue, cerebrospinal fluid and blood have been found to be abnormal in Alzheimer'... ( view more )s disease (AD). In this study, we measured plasmatic levels of neurosin in healthy individuals and patients with cognitive symptoms independently of what the final diagnosis was. We collected plasma samples from 228 controls and 447 patients finally diagnosed with either AD, Mild Cognitive Impairment, Dementia with Lewy Bodies or Parkinson-Dementia, Frontotemporal Dementia, Huntington's disease, Primary Progressive Aphasia, Corticobasal degeneration, Creutzfeldt-Jakob's disease or Pseudodementia. We found that plasmatic levels of neurosin increase with age in healthy individuals and decrease in patients with AD. Plasmatic levels of neurosin differ significantly between AD and Vascular Dementia, Pseudodementia and the control group. Analyses comparing any other form of neurodegenerative dementia to the AD group did not show significant differences. In conclusion, measurement of plasmatic levels of neurosin is useful to distinguish AD patients from subjects without neurodegenerative dementia (either Pseudodementia, Vascular Dementia or controls) although it is not useful to distinguish among neurodegenerative dementias. ( view less ) View Full Abstract View Article Details View Coded Data Related Articles Page 1 of 138 1 2 3 4 > Last >> (3449 articles found)

      
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