[Mutations in sarcomeric genes MYH7, MYBPC3, TNNT2, TNNI3, and TPM1 in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy].

Introduction And Objectives: Mutation of a sarcomeric gene is the most frequent cause of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. For each such gene, however, previous studies have reported a range of different mutation frequencies, and clinical manifestations have been highly heterogeneous, both of which limit the use of genetic information in clinical practice. Our aim was to determine the frequency of mutations in the sarcomeric genes MYH7, MYBPC3, TNNT2, TNNI3, and TPM1 in a cohort of Spanish patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Effects of 2 physiotherapy programs on pain perception, muscular flexibility, and illness impact in women with fibromyalgia: a pilot study.

Objective: This study assessed the effect of 2 physiotherapy programs designed to improve flexibility and to reduce the impact of the illness and pain perception in women with the fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS), and compared the effects of the 2 programs in the short and intermediate term.

Methods: Twenty FMS patients were randomly assigned to 2 training groups, one following a program of kinesiotherapy and active muscular stretching and one using techniques of Global Myofascial Physiotherapy, according to the Mézières method. Both groups met twice a week for 12 weeks, for a total of 150 minutes each week.

Is shade beneficial for mediterranean shrubs experiencing periods of extreme drought and late-winter frosts?

Background And Aims: Plants are naturally exposed to multiple, frequently interactive stress factors, most of which are becoming more severe due to global change. Established plants have been reported to facilitate the establishment of juvenile plants, but net effects of plant-plant interactions are difficult to assess due to complex interactions among environmental factors. An investigation was carried out in order to determine how two dominant evergreen shrubs (Quercus ilex and Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) co-occurring in continental, Mediterranean habitats respond to multiple abiotic stresses and whether the shaded understorey conditions ameliorate the negative effects of drought and winter frosts on the physiology of leaves.

Antimicrobial therapy in periodontitis: the use of systemic antimicrobials against the subgingival biofilm.

Objectives: The aim was to answer three relevant questions: can systemic antimicrobials be efficacious if the biofilm is not disrupted? Can the type of debridement of the subgingival biofilm impact upon the clinical outcomes of the adjunctive antimicrobial therapy? Is the efficacy of the adjunctive systemic antimicrobial therapy dependent on the quality of the debridement of the subgingival biofilm and the sequence debridement-antibiotic usage?

Material And Methods: Relevant papers were searched, critically analysed and their data were extracted.

Results: For the first question, studies assessing susceptibility of bacteria in biofilms, and clinical studies evaluating systemic antimicrobials as monotherapy, were reviewed. For the second question, clinical studies comparing systemic antimicrobials as adjuncts to non-surgical debridement or to periodontal surgery and clinical trials using systemic antibiotics with periodontal surgery were evaluated.

(S,S)-(+)-pseudoephedrine alpha-iminoglyoxylamide as a chiral glycine cation equivalent: a modular and flexible approach to enantioenriched alpha-amino ketones.

We have studied the ability of an alpha-imino glyoxylamide derived from (S, S)-(+)-pseudoephedrine as a valuable chiral electrophile for the preparation of alpha-amino carbonyl compounds. In this context, the addition of Grignard reagents to the azomethine moiety of this chiral electrophile afforded the expected alpha-amino amide adducts in good yields and diastereoselectivities. Moreover, these adducts have been transformed into enantioenriched alpha-amino ketones by exploiting the ability of pseudoephedrine amides to undergo selective monoaddition to the carbamoyl group with organolithium reagents.

Sensory inputs from whisking movements modify cortical whisker maps visualized with functional magnetic resonance imaging.

Rodents vary the frequency of whisking movements during exploratory and discriminatory behaviors. The effect of whisking frequency on whisker cortical maps was investigated by simulating whisking at physiological frequencies and imaging the whisker representations with blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging. Repetitive deflection of many right-sided whiskers at 10 Hz evoked a positive BOLD response that extended across contralateral primary somatosensory cortex (SI) and secondary somatosensory cortex (SII).

Activated protein C resistance in patients with arterial ischemic stroke.

Background: Activated C protein resistance (APC-R) has recently been reported to be a common cause of thrombophilia; it may be acquired or caused by a genetic defect (factor V Leiden mutation). It is clear that there is an association between APC-R and venous thrombosis. It has been suggested that there is a possible relationship of APC-R with arterial ischemic stroke (IS), but case-control studies have not given enough clues for considering APC-R as a main risk factor.

Synthesis and evaluation of new 6-hydroximinosteroid analogs as cytotoxic agents.

Taking into account the structural requirements for cytotoxicity, several new hydroximinosteroid derivatives have been prepared and evaluated for their cytotoxic activity against A-549, H116, PSN1, and T98G cultured tumor cell lines in order to obtain further information on the potential pharmacophoric core of this type of compound. The influence of the oxygenated position in the A ring, the presence of an additional oxygenated position at C-7 and C-16, and a fluorinated position at C-5 were considered in order to study the structure-activity relationships. The results reveal the importance of oxygenated positions in the A ring (e.

First principles NMR calculations of phenylphosphinic acid C6H5HPO(OH): assignments, orientation of tensors by local field experiments and effect of molecular motion.

The complete set of NMR parameters for (17)O enriched phenylphosphinic acid C(6)H(5)HP( *)O(*OH) is calculated from first principles by using the Gauge Including Projected Augmented Wave (GIPAW) approach [C.J. Pickard, F.

Non-surgical management of intracranial subdural hematoma complicating spinal anesthesia.

We report the case of a 29 year-old woman who presented a symptomatic intracranial subdural hematoma developing shortly after spinal anesthesia. The patient was fully conscious at clinical onset, and thus we treated her conservatively with an epidural autologous blood patch and close neurological observation. Given the clinical improvement the possibility of surgery was discauded in agreement with the neurosurgical team.

Crystal structures of an Extracytoplasmic Solute Receptor from a TRAP transporter in its open and closed forms reveal a helix-swapped dimer requiring a cation for alpha-keto acid binding.

Background: The import of solutes into the bacterial cytoplasm involves several types of membrane transporters, which may be driven by ATP hydrolysis (ABC transporters) or by an ion or H+ electrochemical membrane potential, as in the tripartite ATP-independent periplasmic system (TRAP). In both the ABC and TRAP systems, a specific periplasmic protein from the ESR family (Extracytoplasmic Solute Receptors) is often involved for the recruitment of the solute and its presentation to the membrane complex. In Rhodobacter sphaeroides, TakP (previously named SmoM) is an ESR from a TRAP transporter and binds alpha-keto acids in vitro.

High prevalence of syphilis-HIV co-infection at four hospitals of the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

A cross-sectional anonymous study of 261 STD (sexually transmitted diseases) outpatients and 288 outpatients from other hospital departments was conducted at four major city hospitals in Buenos Aires. High prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (14.5%) and syphilis (30.

Electroactive C3 symmetric discotic liquid-crystalline triindoles.

Discotic liquid crystals based on triindole, a novel redox active central core, have been synthesized and their mesomorphic behaviour investigated.

[Smoking cessation in Galician [Spain] smokers during pregnancy and breast feeding, 1954-2004].

Objective: To determine how many women living in Galicia (Spain) quit smoking during pregnancy and in the first 6 months of breast feeding. A second objective was to identify possible temporal changes in smoking cessation.

Method: Data retrospectively provided by smokers and ex-smokers living in Galicia were analyzed.

Bienzyme sensors based on novel polymethylferrocenyl dendrimers.

Amperometric bienzyme electrodes with horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and glucose oxidase (GOx) co-immobilized on polymethylferrocenyl dendrimers deposited onto platinum electrodes have been used for determination of the hydrogen peroxide produced by the oxidase during the enzymatic reaction. The redox dendrimers consist of flexible poly(propylenimine) dendrimer cores functionalised with octamethylferrocenyl units. The effects of dendrimer generation, the thickness of the dendrimer layer, substrate concentration, interferences, and reproducibility on the response of the sensors were investigated.

Relationship between hepatitis C virus (HCV) and insulin resistance, endothelial perturbation, and platelet activation in HIV-HCV-coinfected patients under highly active antiretroviral treatment.

Insulin resistance is associated with highly active antiretroviral therapy in HIV-infected patients, and the risk of developing insulin resistance is increased in hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients. The aim of the present study was to determine whether hepatitis C virus infection constitutes an additional risk factor for insulin resistance or other prothrombotic conditions in HIV-HCV coinfected patients under highly active antiretroviral therapy. One hundred eighteen HIV-infected patients were studied: 50 who had no history of anti-HIV treatment and 68 who were receiving therapy with highly active antiretroviral treatment.

Electrocatalytical properties of polymethylferrocenyl dendrimers and their applications in biosensing.

The electrochemical characterization of polymethylferrocenyl dendrimers deposited onto a platinum electrode and their applications as hydrogen peroxide and glucose sensor are described. The redox dendrimers consist of flexible poly(propileneimine) dendrimer cores functionalised with octamethylferrocenyl units. Amperometric biosensors for glucose were prepared by immobilization of glucose oxidase onto these modified electrodes.

Micellar solubilization: structural and conformational changes investigated by 1H and 13C liquid-state NMR.

A combination of (1)H self-diffusion measurements and (13)C chemical shift analysis has been used for the study of the solubilization of amphiphilic additives C(n)H(2n+1)X (n=4, 6; X=OH, NH(2)) in cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) micelles. This approach, which could be extended to other mixed systems, allows complementary data on structures of micelles and conformations of alkyl chains to be obtained. Previous results on these systems are confirmed and new features emerge.

Characteristics of the injury environment in far-side crashes.

The population of occupants in far-side crashes that are documented in the US National database (NASS/CDS) was studied. The annual number of front seat occupants with serious or fatal injuries in far-side planar and rollover crashes was 17,194. The crash environment that produces serious and fatal injuries to belted front seat occupants in planar far-side crashes was investigated in detail.

Quantitation of p53 nuclear relocation in response to stress using a yeast functional assay: effects of irradiation and modulation by heavy metal ions.

Many regulatory proteins undergo transient nuclear relocation under physical or chemical stress. This phenomenon is, however, difficult to assess due to the lack of sensitive and standardized biological assays. Here, we describe a new quantitative nuclear relocation assay (QNR), based on expression in yeasts of chimeric proteins in which an artificial transcription factor is fused to a target protein acting as driver for relocation.

Reactivity of titanium oxo ethoxo cluster [Ti16O16(OEt)32]. Versatile precursor of nanobuilding block-based hybrid materials.

Oxo alcoxo metallic clusters can be employed as inorganic nanobuilding blocks to obtain well-defined organic-inorganic hybrid materials. A better understanding of the surface reactivity of the clusters should allow optimization of the elaboration of hybrid materials through a better control of the hybrid interface. The oxo alcoxo cluster Ti(16)O(16)(OEt)32 presents a shell of labile ethoxy groups that can be selectively transalcoholyzed with preservation of the titanium oxo core, leading to new oxo alcoxo clusters Ti(16)O(16)(OEt)32-x(OR)x (R: alkyl, phenyl, styrenic, etc.

New routes to mesoporous silica-based spheres with functionalized surfaces.

Mesoporous hybrid silica-based spheres with functionalized surfaces and abundant highly ordered domains are obtained using for the first time a simple synthetic route based on spray-drying processes.

Stress induces the expression of AtNADK-1, a gene encoding a NAD(H) kinase in Arabidopsis thaliana.

A novel Arabidopsis thaliana gene (AtNADK-1) was identified based on its response to radiation and oxidative stress. Levels of AtNADK-1 mRNA increase eight-fold following exposure to ionising radiation and are enhanced three-fold by treatment with hydrogen peroxide. The gene also appears to be differentially regulated during compatible and incompatible plant-pathogen interactions in response to Pseudomonas syringae pv.