(C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3603035]“
“Novel https://www.selleckchem.com/products/gw3965.html composite sulfonated poly(ether sulfone)(SPES)/phosphotungstic acid (PWA)/attapulgite (AT) membranes were investigated for direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). Physical-chemical properties of the composite membranes were characterized by FTIR, DSC, TGA, SEM-EDX, water uptake, tensile test, proton conductivity, and methanol permeability. Compared with a pure SPES membrane, PWA, and AT doping in the membrane led to a higher thermal stability and glass transition temperature (T-g) as revealed by TGA and DSC.

Tensile test indicated that lower AT content (3%) in the composite can significantly increase the tensile strength, while higher AT loading demonstrated a smaller contribution on strength. Proper PWA

and AT loadings in the composite membranes can increase the proton conductivity and lower the methanol cross-over. The proton conductivity of the SPES-P-A 10% composite membrane reached 60% of the Nafion 112 membrane conductivity at room temperature while the methanol permeability was only one-fourth of that of Nafion 112 membrane. This excellent performances of SPES/PWA/AT composite membranes could indicate a potential feasibility as a promising electrolyte for DMFC. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 123:646-656, 2012″
“A new bioactive glass-based scaffold was developed for local delivery of drugs in case of osteomyelitis. Bioactive glass having a new composition was prepared and converted into porous scaffold. The bioactivity of the resulting scaffold was examined by JQ1 cell line in vitro acellular method. The scaffolds were loaded with two different this website drugs, an antibacterial or antifungal drug. The effects of the size of the scaffold, drug concentration, and dissolution medium on drug release were studied. The scaffolds were further coated with a degradable natural polymer, chitosan, to further control the drug release. Both the glass and scaffold were bioactive. The scaffolds released both the drugs for 6 weeks, in vitro. The results indicated that the bigger

the size and the higher the drug concentration, the better was the release profile. The scaffolds appeared to be suitable for local delivery of the drugs in cases of osteomyelitis.”
“Mass analysis was carried out on neutral species in the downstream region of Ar/CH4 plasmas. The ionization of the neutral species by Li+ attachment, which can inhibit the fragmentation accompanied by ionization in most cases, successfully led to the observation of high-mass neutral hydrocarbons containing up to twenty-seven carbon atoms. Pure Ar and Ar/H-2 plasmas were also used to investigate the influence of sputtering of an amorphous hydrocarbon (a-C:H) film deposited during the generation of the Ar/CH4 plasmas.

Patients with Cushing’s syndrome or primary hyperaldosteronism were defined

by clinical symptoms and laboratory confirmation. Patients with pheochromocytoma were defined by clinical symptoms, laboratory confirmation, and computed tomography or MRI. Patients with non-adrenal diseases were defined by a serum cortisol and plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) level within normal limits. Patients taking selleck chemicals llc any medications in this category were excluded. Biochemical indicators related to the steroid hormonal metabolism, such as 17-OHCS, 17-KS, PSA, and creatinine (Cre) of 24-hour urine in these subjects were measured. The 17-OHCS, 17-KS, and PSA were all adjusted for 24-hour urinary Ore.

Results: The 24-hour urinary PSA levels were significantly higher (P<0.0001) in the female patients with Cushing’s syndrome (mean +/- SE=17.52 +/- 2.10 mu g/mol Ore) than in the controls (mean +/- SE=4.65 +/- 1.23 mu g/mol Ore). Similarly, there was also selleck chemical a significant difference (P<0.01) between 24-hour urinary 17-KS of the female patients (mean +/- SE=7.17 +/- 0.59 mmol/mol Ore) and the controls (6.17 +/- 0.55 mmol/mol Ore). A correlation was observed between 24-hour urinary PSA level and 24-hour

urinary 17-KS concentration (rs=0.720, P<0.01). In Group A, the area under the curve (AUC) value of PSA (0.853, P<0.001) was greater than that of 17-OHCS (0.811, P<0.001) and 17-KS (0.693, P<0.01), respectively. In Group B, the AUC value of PSA (0.722, P<0.01) was greater than that of 17-OHCS (0.663, P>0.01) and 17-KS (0.632, P>0.01), respectively.

Conclusions: Urinary PSA was elevated in female patients with Cushing’s syndrome. It indicates that urinary PSA may be an additional

parameter for a better definition of female “” patients suffering from Cushing’s syndrome.”
“Children with lymphangiomatous macroglossia often have difficulty eating and talking, and their airways may be compromised because of bleeding and infection, especially when extensive cervicomediastinal cystic hygromas are present. We report a case of lymphangiomatous macroglossia associated with extensive cystic hygromas in the cervicomediastinal region. The 3-year-old girl was treated with anterior wedge reduction of the tongue, learn more needle aspiration of the cervicomediastinal cystic hygromas, and systemic steroids and antibiotics. The extensive cystic cervicomediastinal hygromas spontaneously regressed, and further surgery was not needed until 4 years later. Surprisingly, subtotal or partial lymphatic malformation removal improved the complicated lymphatic malformation. Copyright (C) 2013 Elsevier Taiwan LLC and the Chinese Medical Association. All rights reserved.”
“The prognosis and final outcome in patients who sustain stroke are significantly affected by medical complications occurring during the acute phase of stroke.

Two patients had repeat surgery after temporary removal of uni- or bilateral implants secondary to infection. Overall, 86 DBS electrodes were implanted. In 97% of the implantations, at least three microelectrodes were inserted simultaneously for MER and test stimulation. GSI-IX cell line Initial anatomical targeting was based on stereotactic

atlas coordinates and individual adaptation by direct visualisation of the Gpi on the stereotactic T2 or inversion-recovery MR images. The permanent electrode was placed according to the results of MER and test stimulations for adverse effects.

The average improvement from baseline in clinical ratings using either the Burke-Fahn-Marsden-Dystonia (BFMDRS) or Toronto-Western-Spasmodic-Torticollis (TWSTR) rating scale at the last post-operative follow-up (mean 16.4

; range 3-48 months) was 64.72% (range 20.39 to 98.52%). The post-operative MRI showed asymptomatic infarctions of the corpus caudatus in three patients and asymptomatic small haemorrhages in the lateral basal ganglia in two patients. One patient died due to a recurrent haemorrhage which occurred three months after the operation. The electrodes were implanted as follows: central trajectory in 64%, medial trajectory in 20%, anterior in 9% and lateral dorsal trajectories in 3.5% each. The reduction in BFMDRS or TWSTR motor score did not differ between the group implanted in the anatomically defined (central) trajectory bilateral (-64.15%, SD 23.8) and the physiologically adopted target (uni- SN-38 cost or bilateral) (-63.39%, SD 23.1) indicating that in both Selleck CYT387 groups equally effective positions were chosen within Gpi for chronic stimulation (t-test, p > 0.4).

The described technique using stereotactic MRI for planning

of the trajectory and direct visualisation of the target, intra-operative MER for delineating the boundaries of the target and macrostimulation for probing the distance to the internal capsule by identifying the threshold for stimulation induced tetanic contractions is effective in DBS electrode implantation in patients with dystonia operated under general anaesthesia. The central trajectory was chosen in only 64%, despite individual adaptation of the target due to direct visualisation of the Gpi in inversion recovery MRI in 43% of the patients, demonstrating the necessity of combining anatomical with neurophysiological information.”
“Motivated by the need for less destructive imaging of nanostructures, we pursue point-source in-line holography (also known as point projection microscopy, or PPM) with very low energy electrons (similar to 100 eV). This technique exploits the recent creation of ultrasharp and robust nanotips, which can field emit electrons from a single atom at their apex, thus creating a path to an extremely coherent source of electrons for holography.

However, the validity Of using this

dose-response model is controversial because evidence accumulated over the past decade has indicated that living organisms, including humans, respond differently to low dose/low dose-rate radiation than they do to high dose/high dose-rate radiation. These BMS-754807 important responses to low dose/low close-rate radiation are the radiation-induced adaptive response, the bystander response, low-dose hypersensitivity, and genomic instability. The mechanisms underlying these responses often involve biochemical and molecular signals generated in response to targeted and non-targeted events. In order to define and understand the bystander response to provide a basis for the understanding of non-targeted events and to elucidate the mechanisms involved, recent sophisticated research has been conducted with X-ray microbeams and charged heavy particle microbeams, and these studies have produced many new observations.

Based on these observations, associations have been suggested to exist between the radioadaptive and bystander responses. The present review focuses on these two phenomena, and summarizes see more observations supporting their existence, and discusses the linkage between them in light of recent results obtained from experiments utilizing microbeams.”
“The spectral responses of back-illuminated p-i-n AlGaN ultraviolet photodetector under different bias voltage are investigated. The device structure is composed of p-GaN/ p-Al(0.3)Ga(0.7)N/i-Al(0.3)

Ga(0.7)N/n-Al(0.6)Ga(0.4)N and Ohmic contacts, where the p-GaN layer is very thin. There are two peaks in the spectral response of photocurrent located at 350 and 290 nm, respectively. It is found that in check details some devices the relative intensity and phase of these two peaks may change strongly with applied forward bias. A detailed analysis suggests that the possible Schottky-type-like behavior of metal and p-GaN contact and an unsatisfactory doping of p-GaN and p-AlGaN are responsible for the abnormal phenomenon. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3629987]“
“High refractive index polymer films have been extensively investigated because of their wide application potentials. We now designed thiophene-containing polystyrene as colorless and transparent high-refractive-index thin film. The copolystyrenes were synthesized by general radical polymerization with controlled mole ratios 0 : 10, 1 : 9, 3 : 7, 5 : 5, 7 : 3, 9 : 1, 10 : 0 (styrene : p-bromostyrene), respectively. Next, the thiophene-containing polystyrenes were synthesized by Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reaction. The chemical structures of synthesized thiophene-containing polystyrene in accordance with ratios were confirmed by using H-1-NMR, C-13-NMR, and FTIR.

) C. A. Meyer and roots of Diplomorpha ganpi (Sieb. et Zucc.) Nakai, respectively. Nine known compounds including diarylpentanoids (3-6), phenylpropanoid derivatives (7-9), (+)-afzelechin (10) and apiosylskimmin (11) were also isolated for the first time from D. ganpi. Structures of these compounds were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic

data. (C) 2012 Phytochemical Society of Europe. Published by Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.”
“OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this case-control study was to evaluate risk factors associated with death in children with severe dengue.

METHODS: The clinical condition of hospitalized patients with severe dengue who died (cases, n = 18) was compared with that of hospitalized patients with severe see more dengue who survived (controls, n = 77). The inclusion criteria for C59 Wnt cell line this study were age under 13 years; hospital admission in Sao

Luis, northeastern Brazil; and laboratory-confirmed diagnosis of dengue.

RESULTS: Severe bleeding (hemoptysis), a defining criterion for dengue severity, was the factor most strongly associated with death in our study. We also found that epistaxis and persistent vomiting, both included as warning signs in the World Health Organization (WHO) classification of dengue, were strongly associated with death. No significant association was observed between any of the laboratory findings and death.

CONCLUSIONS: The finding that epistaxis and persistent vomiting were also associated with death in children with severe dengue was unexpected and deserves to be explored in future studies. Because intensive care units are often limited in resource-poor settings, any information that can help to distinguish patients with severe

dengue with a higher risk to progress to death may be crucial.”
“Ocular emergencies such as retinal detachments, mechanical globe injuries, and chemical injuries can cause permanent vision loss if they are not recognized and treated promptly. Family physicians should be familiar with the signs and symptoms associated with each condition, and be able to perform a basic eye examination to assess the situation. The assessment includes measurement of visual acuity, pupillary examination, visual field testing, slit lamp or penlight examination of the anterior segment of the eye, and LY2603618 manufacturer direct funduscopic examination. Patients with symptomatic floaters and flashing lights require a dilated fundoscopic examination and prompt referral to an ophthalmologist for evaluation of a retinal tear or detachment. A globe laceration or rupture should be suspected in patients with a recent history of trauma from a blunt or penetrating object. Prophylactic oral antibiotics can be administered after a globe injury to prevent endophthalmitis, and the eye should be covered with a metal shield until evaluation by an ophthalmologist.

A sharp increase in the adhesive strength was found to be due to the formation of shorter grafted polymer chains at lower monomer concentrations and/or the restriction of the location of grafting to the outer surface region at lower temperatures. In addition, the adhesive strength also sharply increased at even lower grafted amounts Sapitinib Protein Tyrosine Kinase inhibitor for photografting onto the HDPE plates and/or that of AA because the location of grafting was restricted to the outer surface region. For the AA-grafted LDPE and HDPE plates, substrate breaking was observed. This was attributed to the coverage of the substrate surfaces with grafted poly(acrylic acid) chains at lower grafted

amounts and a high water absorptivity of the grafted layer. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis of the grafted LDPE plates incubated in a dopamine solution containing

tyrosinase suggested that the increase in the adhesive strength was caused by the penetration of enzymatically modified chitosan solutions in the grafted layers and the subsequent reaction of quinone derivatives enzymatically generated with YAP-TEAD Inhibitor 1 grafted polymer chains. In addition, the surface analysis of the failed surfaces by XPS showed that as the adhesive strength increased, the location of failure was shifted from the interface between the layers mixed with enzymatically modified chitosan materials and grafted polymer chains to the inside the grafted layer containing enzymatically modified chitosan materials. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 121: 939-950, 2011″
“Since the cereal endosperm is a dead tissue in the mature grain, beta-oxidation is not possible there. This raises the question about the use of the endosperm oil in cereal grains during germination. In this study, mobilization of lipids in different tissues of germinating oat grains was analysed using thin-layer and gas chromatography. The data imply that the oat endosperm oil [triacylglycerol (TAG)] is not a dead-end product as it was absorbed by the scutellum,

either as free fatty acids (FFAs) released from TAG or as intact TAG immediately degraded to Bcl-2 inhibitor FFAs. These data were supported by light and transmission electron microscopy (LM and TEM) studies where close contact between endosperm lipid droplets and the scutellum was observed. The appearance of the fused oil in the oat endosperm changed into oil droplets during germination in areas close to the aleurone and the scutellar epithelium. However, according to the data obtained by TEM these oil droplets are unlikely to be oil bodies surrounded by oleosins. Accumulation of FFA pools in the embryo suggested further transport of FFAs from the scutellum. Noticeably high levels of TAG were also accumulated in the embryo but were not synthesized by re-esterification from imported FFAs.

01), and improved Garcia scores at 48 h from CX-6258 ic50 3.8 +/- 0.62 to 7.6 +/- 0.70 or 8.4 +/- 0.74 (both P < 0.01). We conclude that, in a clinically relevant model of stroke, the treatment window for glibenclamide extends to 10 h after onset of ischemia.”
“There is increasing evidence that a greater degree of postictal suppression (the abruptness and magnitude of the EEG voltage drop at the end of the seizure) may be associated with better clinical response to electroconvulsive therapy. Retrospective studies have shown better postictal suppression when propofol is used for induction rather than the more

commonly used methohexital. We report two patients in whom poor postictal suppression was rectified by switching from methohexital to propofol. The clinical

significance of this improvement in postictal suppression is unclear, and prospective studies MLN8237 will be needed to clarify any clinical benefits.”
“Purpose: This study aims to analyze the frequency and distribution of odontogenic tumors in a Greek population and compare the findings with those reported in the recent literature.

Methods: Records of the Department of Oral Medicine and Pathology, Dental School, University of Athens, with histologic diagnosis of odontogenic tumors (based on the World Health Organization 2005 classification) were reviewed retrospectively from January 1970 to December 2011.

Results: A total of 652 cases of odontogenic tumors were IBET762 reported. Of these, 651 (99.8%) were benign and only 1 (0.2%) was malignant. Keratocystic odontogenic tumor was the most frequent lesion (52.7%), followed by odontoma (18.9%) and ameloblastoma (16.1%). The mean age of patients was 38.0 years with a wide range (2.5-92

years).

Conclusions: Odontogenic tumors are rare lesions and appear to show a definite geographic variation. In Athens, Greece, they are presented mainly by the keratocystic odontogenic tumor, odontoma, and ameloblastoma.”
“We evaluated whether near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) measurement from the flank correlates with renal vein saturation in children undergoing cardiac catheterization. Thirty-seven patients <18 years of age were studied. A NIRS sensor was placed on the flank, and venous oxygen saturations were measured from the renal vein and the inferior vena cava (IVC). There was a strong correlation between flank NIRS values (rSO(2)) and renal vein saturation (r = 0.821, p = 0.002) and IVC saturation (r = 0.638, p = 0.004) in children weighing <= 10 kg. In children weighing > 10 kg, there was no correlation between rSO(2) and renal vein saturation (r = 0.158, p = 0.57) or IVC saturation (r = -0.107, p = 0.67). Regional tissue oxygenation as measured by flank NIRS correlates well with both renal vein and IVC oxygen saturations in children weighing <10 kg undergoing cardiac catheterization, but not in larger children.

Only limited evidence exists on how AZD8186 sagittal alignment affects clinical outcome. Anterior lumbar interbody fusion combined with posterolateral fusion has been proved superior to posterolateral fusion alone regarding outcome and cost-effectiveness. No randomized controlled trial has been published analyzing the effect of anterior

support on radiographic measurements of sagittal balance.

Methods. Between 1996 and 1999, 148 patients with severe chronic low back pain were randomly selected for posterolateral lumbar fusion plus anterior support (PLF + ALIF) or posterolateral lumbar fusion. A total of 92 patients participated. Sagittal balance parameters were examined on full lateral radiographs of the spine: pelvic incidence (PI), pelvic tilt (PT), sacral slope, thoracic kyphosis, lumbar lordosis, and positioning of C7 plumb line. The type of lumbar lordosis was evaluated and outcome assessed by Oswestry Disability Index (ODI).

Results. Follow-up rate was 74%. Sagittal balance parameters were similar between AZD6738 chemical structure randomization groups. None of the parameters

differed significantly between patients with an ODI from 0 to 40 and patients with ODI over 40. Balanced patients had a significantly superior outcome as measured by ODI (P < 0.05) compared with unbalanced patients.

Conclusion. No difference in the investigated sagittal balance parameters was seen between patients treated with PLF + ALIF or posterolateral fusion alone. Lumbar lordosis and type of lordosis correlated with outcome but could not explain the superior outcome in the group with anterior support. Whether sagittal balance and anterior support during fusion provide a protective effect on adjacent motion segments remains unclear.”
“To determine the possibility of using starch as biodegradable filler in the thermoplastic polymer matrix, starch-filled polypropylene (PP) composites were prepared by extrusion of PP resin with 5, 10, 15, and 20 wt % of potato starch in corotating twin-screw extruder. The extruded strands were cut into pellets

and injection molded to make test specimens. These specimens were tested for physicomechanical properties such as tensile and flexural properties, Izod GSK1210151A ic50 impact strength, density, and water absorption. These PP composites were further characterized by melt flow index (MFI), vicat softening point (VSP), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) techniques. It was found that, with increase in starch content, tensile modulus, flexural strength, and flexural modulus of the PP composites increased along with the increase in moisture, water absorption, and density, while retaining the VSP; but, tensile strength and elongation, impact strength, hardness, and MFI of the PP composites also decreased.

75 : 13.75 : 2.5 has potentially been explored as a functionally feasible friction-material for braking applications. The interdependence of fade, recovery, disc temperature rise, and wear characteristics is established via thematic correlation diagram. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012″
“To determine whether the incidence of canine leishmaniasis has increased on Crete, Greece, we fitted infection models to serodiagnostic records of 8,848 dog samples for 1990-2006. Models predicted that seroprevalence has increased 2.4% (95% confidence interval 1.61%-3.51%)

BTSA1 per year and that incidence has increased 2.2- to 3.8-fold over this 17-year period.”
“If social learning is more efficient than independent individual exploration, animals should learn vital cultural R788 inhibitor skills exclusively, and routine skills faster, through social

learning, provided they actually use social learning preferentially. Animals with opportunities for social learning indeed do so. Moreover, more frequent opportunities for social learning should boost an individual’s repertoire of learned skills. This prediction is confirmed by comparisons among wild great ape populations and by social deprivation and enculturation experiments. These findings shaped the cultural intelligence hypothesis, which complements the traditional benefit hypotheses for the evolution of intelligence by specifying the conditions in which these benefits can be reaped. The evolutionary version of the hypothesis argues that species with frequent opportunities for social learning should more readily respond to selection for a greater number of learned skills. Because improved social

learning also improves asocial learning, the hypothesis predicts a positive interspecific correlation between social-learning performance and individual learning ability. Variation among primates supports this prediction. The hypothesis also predicts that more heavily cultural species should be more intelligent. Preliminary tests involving birds and mammals support this prediction too. The cultural intelligence WZB117 supplier hypothesis can also account for the unusual cognitive abilities of humans, as well as our unique mechanisms of skill transfer.”
“AlGaN/GaN-based high electron mobility transistor heterostructures with different GaN cap layer thicknesses were grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) and molecular beam epitaxy. The influence of the different growth methods on the structure of the GaN caps was examined by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS). Due to the high surface sensitivity of these methods, several effects, such as residual Al incorporation into the GaN cap during growth, etching of the GaN cap during cool-down, and preferential etching of Ga out of the AlGaN barrier could be evaluated. It is demonstrated that these effects play a major role for MOVPE-grown structures.

A significant proportion of patients (56/185; 30%) did not receive trastuzumab, largely clue to concerns about chemotherapy tolerability. (C) 2010 The

Royal College of Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Primary cluster headache (CH) is an excruciatingly severe pain condition. Several pharmacologic agents are available to treat chronic CH, but few double-blind, randomized clinical trials have been conducted on these agents in recent years, and the quality of the evidence supporting their use is often low, particularly for preventive agents. We recommend sumatriptan or oxygen to abort ongoing headaches; the evidence available to support their use is good (Class I). Ergotamine also appears to be an effective abortive GDC-0973 mouse agent, on the basis of experience rather than trials. We consider verapamil and lithium to be first-line preventives for chronic CH, although the trial evidence is at best Class II. Steroids are clearly the most effective and quick-acting find more preventive agents for chronic CH, but long-term steroid use carries a risk of several severe adverse effects. We therefore recommend steroids only if verapamil, lithium, and other preventive agents are ineffective. In rare cases, patients experience multiple daily cluster headaches for years and are also

refractory to all medications. These patients almost always develop severe adverse effects from chronic steroid use. Such patients should be considered for neurostimulation. Occipital nerve stimulation is the newest and least invasive

neurostimulation technique and should be tried first; the evidence supporting its use is encouraging. Hypothalamic Selleckchem Ulixertinib stimulation is more invasive and can be performed only in specialist neurosurgical centers. Published experience suggests that about 60% of patients with chronic CH obtain long-term benefit with hypothalamic stimulation.”
“Two novel poly(p-phenylene vinylene) (PPV) derivatives with conjugated thiophene side chains, P1 and P2, were synthesized by Wittig-Horner reaction. The resulting polymers were characterized by H-1-NMR, FTIR, GPC, DSC, TGA, UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The polymers exhibited good thermal stability and film-forming ability. The absorption spectra of P1 and P2 showed broader absorption band from 300 to 580 nm compared with poly[(p-phenylene vinylene)-alt-(2-methoxy-5-octyloxy-p-phenylene vinylene)] (P3) without conjugated thiophene side chains. Cyclic voltammograms displayed that the bandgap was reduced effectively by attaching conjugated thiophene side chains. This kind of polymer appears to be interesting candidates for solar-cell applications. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 120: 3387-3394, 2011″
“Aims: Image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) and intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) represent two important technical developments that will probably improve patient outcome.