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Abstract. Purpose: To investigate how refraction and visual acuity may vary in patients with diabetes under routine care. Methods: Fifty-three eyes of 53 patients with various degrees of diabetic retinopathy were examined prospectively on four different occasions within a month. Refraction, best-corrected visual acuity (expressed as logMAR score) and blood glucose were measured on each occasion. I

Atrial fibrillatory rate (AFR) can predict outcome of interventions for atrial fibrillation (AF); however, AFR behavior at AF onset in humans is poorly described. We studied AFR during spontaneous AF episodes in patients with lone paroxysmal AF who received implantable loop recorders and had AF episodes of 1 hour or more recorded (n=4). Mean AFR per minute was assessed from continuous implantable

Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays are increasingly being used in clinical routine for genetic analysis of pediatric B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemias (BCP ALL). Because constitutional DNA is not readily available as a control at the time of diagnosis, it is important to be able to distinguish between acquired and constitutional aberrations in a diagnostic setting. In the pre

Glands of the 4th and 5th abdominal sternite of the caddis flies Potamophylax latipennis, Potamophylax cingulatus, and Glyphotaelius pellucidus contain (S)-4-methyl-3-heptanone (4a), (4S,6S)-4,6-dimethyl-3-octanone (4b), and (4S,6S)-4,6-dimethyl-3-nonanone (4c). As shown by gas chromatography coupled with electrophysiological recordings, these ketones elicit a strong response in the insects' anten

Characterization of a copA(-) mutant in the purple photosynthetic bacterium Rubrivivax gelatinosus under low oxygen or anaerobic conditions, as well as in the human pathogen Neisseria gonorrhoeae identified HemN as a copper toxicity target enzyme in the porphyrin synthesis pathway. Heme synthesis is, however, unaffected by copper under high oxygen tension because of the aerobic coproporphyrinogen

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are structurally heterogeneous negatively charged polysaccharides. Endothelial GAGs, also known as glycocalyx, are involved in capillary permeability. In rat venules stimulated with proinflammatory substances ex vivo, the GAG-containing proteoglycan, syndecan-1, is shed from the endothelium. We wanted to investigate if we could trace the same response during septic shock

Retinoic acid-inducible gene 1-like receptors (RLRs) are a novel family of pattern recognition receptors that include retinoic acid-inducible gene 1 (RIG-1), melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 (MDA-5), and laboratory of genomics and physiology 2 (LGP-2). The knowledge of RLRs and their function in the human airway is limited. This study explores the role of RLRs in the upper respiratory tr

Abstract Bradykinin is a potent mediator of inflammation that has been shown to participate in allergic airway inflammation. The biologic effects of bradykinin are mediated by binding and activating its cognate receptor, the B(2) receptor (B(2)R). In the lung fibroblast cell line IMR-90, binding of bradykinin to the B(2)R triggers down-regulation of the receptor surface expression, suggesting that

Multiple biopsies of normal breast tissue from 10 BRCA1 mutation carriers have been analyzed using array-based comparative genomic hybridization. Normal breast tissue from five age-matched control subjects without a family history of breast cancer was included for reference purposes. We repeatedly found multiple low copy number aberrations at a significantly higher frequency in histopathologically

The materials in plastic protective gloves are thought to cause less contact allergy than rubber gloves. Our aim was to estimate the frequency of delayed reactions to different types of reusable protective gloves among dermatitis patients. 2 x 2 cm pieces of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) gloves, nitrile gloves, and natural rubber latex (NRL) gloves were tested as is in consecutive dermatitis patients t

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to investigate adult patients' perceptions of endotracheal tube (ETT)-related discomfort at 5 days and 2 months after discharge from the intensive care unit (ICU). METHODS: This prospective cohort study in 2 general ICUs included 250 intubated, mechanically ventilated adults admitted for more than 24 hours. Patients were interviewed 5 days and 2 months after disc

Targeted therapy with trastuzumab has proven to be effective for patients with gastric cancer overexpressing the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). Further studies are needed to determine the best method for assessment of HER2 overexpression. Moreover, the prognostic value of HER2 overexpression, including the significance of tumour heterogeneity, remains unclear.

Although drug abuse (DA) is strongly familial, with important genetic influences, we need to know more about the role of rearing environment in the risk for DA. To address this question, we utilized a high-risk adopted and non-adopted co-sibling control design.

In some patients, graft-induced dyskinesia develops following intrastriatal transplantation of embryonic neural tissue for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. The mechanisms underlying these involuntary movements need to be clarified before this approach to clinical cell therapy can be developed further. We previously found that rats with 6-OHDA lesions, primed with L-DOPA treatment and that hav

Improvement in motor function after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is achieved by appropriate rehabilitation. However, it has been questioned whether training after injury can lead to sensory improvement. We hypothesized that motor function can be restored after unilateral non-reconstructed ACL injury, whereas the sensory function cannot, i.e., there would be no difference in functional p

AIM: The BB rat model of type 1 diabetes exhibits altered body weight gain and body temperature regulation prior to hyperglycemia onset, implying the existence of as yet unidentified biomarkers of autoimmune processes that destroy pancreatic beta cells. To investigate this hypothesis, we compared the metabolic profile of diabetes-resistant DR.lyp/+ rats and their diabetes-prone, congenic DR.lyp/ly