Three New Low-Energy Resonances in the ^{22}Ne(p,γ)^{23}Na Reaction.

The ^{22}Ne(p,γ)^{23}Na reaction takes part in the neon-sodium cycle of hydrogen burning. This cycle affects the synthesis of the elements between ^{20}Ne and ^{27}Al in asymptotic giant branch stars and novae. The ^{22}Ne(p,γ)^{23}Na reaction rate is very uncertain because of a large number of unobserved resonances lying in the Gamow window.

Identifying patients at higher risk of hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence after liver transplantation in a multicenter cohort study from Argentina.

Background And Aim: The Up-to-7 criteria on the basis of the explanted liver features categorize patients at higher risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recurrence after liver transplantation (LT). The aim of this study was to propose a novel pretransplant scoring system to predict recurrence including pre-LT data.

Patients And Methods: From 763 consecutive adult patients who underwent transplantation in four LT centers from Argentina, 124 patients with HCC were included.

Lectin Histochemistry Shows WGA, PHA-L and HPA Binding Increases During Progression of Human Colorectal Cancer.

Background/aim: Most colorectal carcinomas develop from an adenoma-carcinoma sequence to metastatic disease. The aim of the present study was to use lectins, carbohydrate-binding proteins, to detect changes in glycosylation during this malignant progression.

Materials And Methods: Sections from normal colorectal mucosa, high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia, submucosal colorectal carcinoma and metastases from patients who underwent colorectal surgery were stained by lectins with different sugar specificities namely agglutins from Wheatgerm (WGA), Helix pomatia (HPA), Phaseolus vulgaris (PHA-L), Ulex europaeus (UEA-I), Sambucus nigra (SNA-I), Canavalia ensiformis (Con A), Galanthus nivalis (GNA) and Dolichos biflorus (DBA).

Supportive evidence for FOXP1, BARX1, and FOXF1 as genetic risk loci for the development of esophageal adenocarcinoma.

The Barrett's and Esophageal Adenocarcinoma Consortium (BEACON) recently performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) and Barrett's esophagus. They identified genome-wide significant association for variants at three genes, namely CRTC1, FOXP1, and BARX1. Furthermore, they replicated an association at the FOXF1 gene that has been previously found in a GWAS on Barrett's esophagus.

Incidence and Injury Types in Motorcycle Collisions Involving Deer in Western New York.

Motorcycle popularity, urban sprawl, and large deer populations result in a significant number of deer-motorcycle collisions. This retrospective review of a level I trauma center in Buffalo, New York, revealed that 40 of 487 (8.2%) of patients admitted because of motorcycle crashes from May 2007 through June 2011 involved deer.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and severe portopulmonary hypertension following liver transplantation: brief report.

Background: Patients with severe portopulmonary hypertension (PoPH) responsive to medical therapy may be considered for liver transplantation. We present a case of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) resuscitation for PoPH crisis in a child following liver transplantation (LT), and review the literature on management of this challenging setting.

Case Report: A 7-year-old girl, with previous Kasai portoenterostomy and subsequent severe PoPH responsive to pulmonary vasodilator therapy, underwent orthotopic LT.

Simulating Four Essential Conversations with Hematology/Oncology Trainees: a Qualitative Evaluation.

Hematologists/oncologists have a crucial responsibility to effectively communicate with patients. However, they have been criticized for ineffective communication with patients. To develop effective communication behaviors that meet the needs of patients and families, trainees need practice and feedback about their performance.

Fulminant presentation of autoimmune hepatitis: clinical features and early predictors of corticosteroid treatment failure.

Background And Aims: Classical features of autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) may be altered during the abrupt onset of the disease. Corticosteroid therapy can be life-saving, but its use in the fulminant presentation of AIH (F-AIH) remains controversial. We aimed to assess the clinical features of patients with F-AIH and to describe the role of corticosteroids in this population.

Meal ingestion markedly increases liver stiffness suggesting the need for liver stiffness determination in fasting conditions.

Introduction: The introduction of noninvasive liver stiffness (LS) determination has heralded a new stage in the diagnosis and treatment of liver fibrosis.

Aim: We evaluated the effect of food intake on LS in patients with different degrees of liver disease.

Patients And Methods: We evaluated 24 patients (F≤1, n=11 and F> 1, n=13).

Triggering HIV polyprotein processing by light using rapid photodegradation of a tight-binding protease inhibitor.

HIV protease (PR) is required for proteolytic maturation in the late phase of HIV replication and represents a prime therapeutic target. The regulation and kinetics of viral polyprotein processing and maturation are currently not understood in detail. Here we design, synthesize, validate and apply a potent, photodegradable HIV PR inhibitor to achieve synchronized induction of proteolysis.

Seasonal methane and nitrous oxide emissions of several rice cultivars in direct-seeded systems.

An understanding of cultivar effects on field greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in rice ( L.) systems is needed to improve the accuracy of predictive models used for estimating GHG emissions and to evaluate the GHG mitigation potential of different cultivars. We compared CH and NO emissions, global warming potential (GWP = NO + CH), yield-scaled GWP (GWP = GWP Mg grain), and plant growth characteristics of eight cultivars within four study sites in California and Arkansas.

Screening for liver cancer during transplant waiting list: a multicenter study from South America.

Background And Aims: Surveillance during liver transplantation (LT) waiting list has scarcely been reported in South America. We aimed to describe hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) surveillance during the LT waiting list in the daily practice.

Patients And Methods: A multicenter retrospective analysis in cirrhotic patients was carried out.

Induced maturation of human immunodeficiency virus.

Unlabelled: HIV-1 assembles at the plasma membrane of virus-producing cells as an immature, noninfectious particle. Processing of the Gag and Gag-Pol polyproteins by the viral protease (PR) activates the viral enzymes and results in dramatic structural rearrangements within the virion--termed maturation--that are a prerequisite for infectivity. Despite its fundamental importance for viral replication, little is currently known about the regulation of proteolysis and about the dynamics and structural intermediates of maturation.

First direct measurement of the 2H(α,γ)6Li cross section at big bang energies and the primordial lithium problem.

Recent observations of (6)Li in metal poor stars suggest a large production of this isotope during big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN). In standard BBN calculations, the (2)H(α,γ)(6)Li reaction dominates (6)Li production. This reaction has never been measured inside the BBN energy region because its cross section drops exponentially at low energy and because the electric dipole transition is strongly suppressed for the isoscalar particles (2)H and α at energies below the Coulomb barrier.

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions, water use, and grain arsenic levels in rice systems.

Agriculture is faced with the challenge of providing healthy food for a growing population at minimal environmental cost. Rice (Oryza sativa), the staple crop for the largest number of people on earth, is grown under flooded soil conditions and uses more water and has higher greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than most crops. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that alternate wetting and drying (AWD--flooding the soil and then allowing to dry down before being reflooded) water management practices will maintain grain yields and concurrently reduce water use, greenhouse gas emissions and arsenic (As) levels in rice.

Extracorporeal membrane modality conversions.

We report the case of a patient with cardiovascular and respiratory failure due to severe anaphylaxis requiring multiple extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) cannulation strategies to provide adequate oxygen delivery and ventilatory support during a period of rapid physiological change. ECMO provides partial or complete support of oxygenation-ventilation and circulation. The choice of which ECMO modality to use is governed by anatomical (vessel size, cardiovascular anatomy and previous surgeries) and physiological (respiratory and/or cardiac failure) factors.

In vitro analysis of human immunodeficiency virus particle dissociation: gag proteolytic processing influences dissociation kinetics.

Human immunodeficiency virus particles undergo a step of proteolytic maturation, in which the main structural polyprotein Gag is cleaved into its mature subunits matrix (MA), capsid (CA), nucleocapsid (NC) and p6. Gag proteolytic processing is accompanied by a dramatic structural rearrangement within the virion, which is necessary for virus infectivity and has been proposed to proceed through a sequence of dissociation and reformation of the capsid lattice. Morphological maturation appears to be tightly regulated, with sequential cleavage events and two small spacer peptides within Gag playing important roles by regulating the disassembly of the immature capsid layer and formation of the mature capsid lattice.

Circulating adipocyte fatty acid binding protein is increased in chronic and acute renal dysfunction.

Background And Aims: The adipokine adipocyte fatty acid binding protein (AFABP) is positively associated with the development of the metabolic syndrome, diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular disease. We hypothesized that AFABP also increases with deteriorating renal function.

Methods And Results: Serum AFABP levels were quantified by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay in 532 patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) covering the whole spectrum of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) categories from G1 to G5 (study population 1).

The German SCREEN project--design and evaluation of the communication strategy.

Background: Skin cancer is the most common cancer in light-skinned populations worldwide. Primary and secondary preventive activities such as skin cancer screening are intended to reduce skin cancer burden. In 2003, a population-based skin cancer screening project [SCREEN (Skin Cancer Research to Provide Evidence for Effectiveness of Screening in Northern Germany)] was conducted in Northern Germany with more than 360,000 people screened.

Serum levels of fibroblast growth factor-21 are increased in chronic and acute renal dysfunction.

Objective: Fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-21 has recently been introduced as a circulating adipokine which reverses insulin resistance and obesity in rodents. In this study, regulation of FGF-21 in renal dysfunction was elucidated in both chronic kidney disease (CKD) and acute kidney dysfunction (AKD).

Study Design And Methods: Serum concentrations of total FGF-21 were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 499 patients with CKD stages 1-5 (study population 1).

Nuclear deformation and neutron excess as competing effects for dipole strength in the pygmy region.

The electromagnetic dipole strength below the neutron-separation energy has been studied for the xenon isotopes with mass numbers A=124, 128, 132, and 134 in nuclear resonance fluorescence experiments using the γELBE bremsstrahlung facility at Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf and the HIγS facility at Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory Durham. The systematic study gained new information about the influence of the neutron excess as well as of nuclear deformation on the strength in the region of the pygmy dipole resonance. The results are compared with those obtained for the chain of molybdenum isotopes and with predictions of a random-phase approximation in a deformed basis.