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OBJECTIVE: To describe the development of the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index 2000 Responder Index-50 (S2K RI-50) Website (www.s2k-ri-50.com) and to assess satisfaction with its training and examination modules among rheumatologists and rheumatology fellows. METHODS: The development of the Website occurred in 3 phases. The first was a deployment phase that consisted of preparin

OBJECTIVE: Somatostatin analogues are the most commonly used drugs for treatment of acromegaly. Known side effects include gastrointestinal reactions, cholelithiasis, effects on glucose metabolism, and mild reactions at injection sites. We report a patient who developed fat and skin necroses after injections of a depot somatostatin analogue. SUBJECT: A woman with active acromegaly was given deep s

The correlation between infant birthweight and parental birthweight has received substantial interest. However, fewer studies including the birthweight of the father have had access to large sets of population-based data. The objective of this study is to examine the influence of maternal and paternal birthweight on the birthweight of the offspring in the context of other birthweight determinants,

Incretin-based therapy for type 2 diabetes is based on the antidiabetic effects of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and instituted by GLP-1 receptor agonists and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors targeting the key islet defects of the disease. The treatment is clinically efficient and safe, and associated with a low risk of adverse events. It can be used both in early and late stages of the disease

This study examined emotional influences on the hypothesized event-related potential (ERP) correlates of familiarity and recollection (Experiment 1) and the states of awareness (Experiment 2) accompanying recognition memory for faces differing in facial affect. Participants made gender judgments to positive, negative, and neutral faces at study and were in the test phase instructed to discriminate

We have constructed extensive 18S–28S rDNA dinoflagellate phylogenies (>200 sequences for each marker) using Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Inference to study the evolutionary relationships among marine and freshwater species (43 new sequences). Our results indicated that (a) marine and freshwater species are usually not closely related, (b) several freshwater species cluster into monophyletic gr

Knowledge of the natural emissions of mercury in the Mediterranean basin, which has large cinnabar anomalies, has particular weight as these deposits could be an important source of atmospheric mercury. Data on the degassing rate of mercury from soils sampled both in mineralized areas (Mt. Amiata, Italy and Almaden, Spain) and rural areas are reported. Measurements were carried out 'in situ' using

Microglia are the inflammatory cells of the brain and are activated in neuropathological conditions. To study the biology of microglia, these cells can be isolated from the brain and analyzed in terms of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine production, involvement of intracellular signaling pathways upon inflammatory stimuli, phagocytosis, and several more biological aspects to understand their rol

Polyamine analogue treatment results in growth inhibition and sometimes in cell death. Therefore, polyamine analogues are considered in the treatment of cancer; however, the cellular properties that govern sensitivity are not known. The objective of this study was to elucidate molecular mechanisms behind apoptosis induced by the polyamine analogue N, N-diethylnorspermine (DENSPM). Four different b

Background: Levosimendan and volatile anesthetics have myocardial pre-conditioning effects. beta-1 adrenergic receptor antagonists may inhibit the protective effect of volatile anesthetics. No information exists as to whether this also applies to the pre-conditioning effect of levosimendan. We therefore investigated whether levosimendan added to metoprolol would demonstrate a cardioprotective effe

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: An estimated 150 million people worldwide use cannabis. The effect of cannabis on anaesthetic requirements in humans does not appear to have been studied. METHODS: In this prospective, randomized, single-blinded study, 30 male patients using cannabis more than once per week (group C) and 30 nonusers (group NC), aged 18-50 years, were induced with propofol 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3 o

There is currently a challenge to produce an electrocardiogram (ECG) recording of waveforms that are "standard" and also achieve the "noise immunity" required for continuous monitoring. The potential solutions that have been considered are to label each torso-recorded ECG as "nonstandard, torso-recorded," designate torso placement as "standard," or to reconstruct the "equivalent distally recorded

Complement activation and resulting opsonisation with C3b form key arms of the innate immune defense against infections. However, a wide variety of pathogens subvert complement attack by binding host complement inhibitors, which results in diminished opsonophagocytosis and killing of bacteria by lysis. Human C4b-binding protein (C4BP) binds Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Streptococcus pyogenes, both un

BACKGROUND: Lung transplantation (LTx) is established as a life-saving treatment in end-stage lung disease. However, long-term survival is hampered by the development of chronic rejection, almost synonymous with bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS). The rejection is characterized by deposition of extracellular matrix in small airways. Fibroblasts/myofibroblasts are the main producers of extrace

Diagnosis of primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) at early stages has obviously been improved since determination of serum levels of free alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) was implemented. AFP has been considered as the standard tumor marker of primary HCC, although certain patients have very low serum free AFP levels. In the present study, clinical application of measuring serum AFP-IgM immune complexes

PURPOSE Cancer of unknown primary (CUP) is diagnosed at the metastatic stage, and despite extensive diagnostic work-up, the primary tumor often remains unidentified. No data are available on familial clustering of CUP. We hypothesize that familial clustering of CUP with other cancers may be informative of the primary sites. PATIENTS AND METHODS A total of 35,168 patients with CUP were identified i

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether features of radiographic hand osteoarthritis (OA) are associated with quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-defined knee cartilage thickness, radiographic knee OA, and 1-year structural progression. METHODS: A total of 765 participants in Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI; 455 women, mean age 62.5 yrs, SD 9.4) obtained hand radiographs (at baseline), knee radi