Impact of early versus late artificial rupture of membranes during oxytocin induction of labour on the incidence of chorioamnionitis: a randomised controlled trial (ARM trial).

Background: The approach to induction of labour differs internationally, with timing of amniotomy being controversial. Some institutions favour performing artificial rupture of membranes prior to commencement of oxytocin infusion, with the belief that the labour will progress more efficiently. In other institutions, the approach recommended is for oxytocin infusion with intact amniotic membranes until the person has reached the active phase of labour, citing risk of infection with early amniotomy.

Loss of taste responds to high-dose biotin treatment.

Background And Objective: We saw 2 patients who lost their sense of taste, which was restored by pharmacologic doses of biotin. The key objective is to describe the 2 case reports and suggest a potential treatment for unexplained loss of taste.

Methods And Design: The first patient was a 67-year-old woman who lost her sense of taste taking Juvenon, a dietary herbal supplement containing acyl-L-carnitine, lipoic acid, calcium, phosphorus, and biotin 300 μg per day.

Acetyl-L-carnitine and alpha-lipoic acid supplementation of aged beagle dogs improves learning in two landmark discrimination tests.

Beagle dogs between 7.6 and 8.8 years of age administered a twice daily supplement of alpha-lipoic acid (LA) and acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC) over approximately 2 months made significantly fewer errors in reaching the learning criterion on two landmark discrimination tasks compared to controls administered a methylcellulose placebo.

Matrix metalloproteinase digestion of aggrecan in human cartilage tumours.

Substantial experimental and clinical evidence suggests that the catabolism of extracellular matrix components is a prerequisite for invasive and metastatic behaviour of solid tumours. Chondrosarcomas are malignant cartilaginous tumours that most commonly arise in bone, and the large aggregating proteoglycan aggrecan is a major component of the extracellular matrix of these tumours. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) have been implicated in tumour invasiveness.

A matrix metalloproteinase proenzyme activator produced by articular cartilage.

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are involved in connective tissue turnover under physiological and pathological conditions. MMP activity is regulated by the requirement for zymogen activation. This report describes a proMMP-3 activator produced by articular cartilage.