Synthesis of sodium titanates and their use in the photocatalytic degradation of NO.

The synthesis and characterization of sodium titanates (ST), and their evaluation in the photocatalytic reduction of nitric oxide (NO) are described herein. The materials were synthesized by a hydrothermal route using 5 M NaOH as the mineralizer agent and a TiO content of 0.06 mg/mL (expressed as the mass ratio of TiO/mL of NaOH), at 170 °C for 48 h, resulting in sodium tri- and hexa-titanates.

The formation of the thumb requires direct modulation of transcription by Hoxa13.

In the tetrapod limb, the digits (fingers or toes) are the elements most subject to morphological diversification in response to functional adaptations. However, despite their functional importance, the mechanisms controlling digit morphology remain poorly understood. Here we have focused on understanding the special morphology of the thumb (digit 1), the acquisition of which was an important adaptation of the human hand.

Improving psychiatric medication use through the Michigan e-psychopharmacology course for nurse practitioners: A pre-post/follow-up study.

Purpose: Increasing demands for mental health treatment represent a key opportunity for nurse practitioners (NPs) to provide more psychiatric medication treatment (psychopharmacology). Given this need, NPs could benefit from opportunities to enhance knowledge and skills in psychopharmacology.

Design And Methods: A novel videoconference course was developed and tested, with 6 weekly sessions taught by a facilitator and a speaker, evaluated by multiple outcomes.

Characteristics of febrile urinary tract infections in older male adults.

Background: Urinary tract infections (UTI) are among the most frequent bacterial infections in older adults. The aim of the study was to analyse the existence of differences in clinical features, microbiological data and risk of infection by multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO) between older and non-older men with febrile UTI (FUTI).

Methods: This was an ambispective observational study involving older males with a FUTI attended in the Emergency Department.

Role of Hox genes in regulating digit patterning.

The distal part of the tetrapod limb, the autopod, is characterized by the presence of digits. The digits display a wide diversity of shapes and number reflecting selection pressure for functional adaptation. Despite extensive study, the different aspects of digit patterning, as well as the factors and mechanisms involved are not completely understood.

Differential characteristics of healthcare-associated compared to community-acquired febrile urinary tract infections in males.

The objective of this study was to analyse the characteristics of healthcare-associated febrile urinary tract infection (HCA-FUTI) compared to community-acquired FUTI (CA-FUTI) in men. An ambispective cross-sectional study in which we recorded clinical and microbiology data and outcomes from males with FUTI attended in the Emergency Department was carried out. A total of 479 males with FUTI, 162 (33.

"Self-regulation," a new facet of Hox genes' function.

Background: Precise temporal and spatial expression of the clustered Hox genes is essential for patterning the developing embryo. Temporal activation of Hox genes was shown to be cluster-autonomous. However, gene clustering appears dispensable for spatial colinear expression.

Decoupling the function of Hox and Shh in developing limb reveals multiple inputs of Hox genes on limb growth.

Limb development relies on an exquisite coordination between growth and patterning, but the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Anterior-posterior and proximal-distal specification initiates in early limb bud concomitantly with the proliferative expansion of limb cells. Previous studies have shown that limb bud growth initially relies on fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) produced in the apical ectodermal ridge (AER-FGFs), the maintenance of which relies on a positive-feedback loop involving sonic hedgehog (Shh) and the BMP antagonist gremlin 1 (Grem1).

A mediation model of individual differences in attitudes toward affirmative actions for women.

A mediation model of the relation between gender and attitudes toward affirmative action in favor of working women was tested. Four mediation variables were considered: perceived unfairness in the situation of working women, perceived threat to the non-designated group (men), self-esteem, and gender self-concept (masculinity and femininity). 192 women and 128 men, with differing occupations, participated.

Prevalence and risk factors for quinolone resistance among Escherichia coli strains isolated from males with community febrile urinary tract infection.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and clinical risk factors for quinolone resistance (QR) in E. coli strains from males with febrile urinary tract infection (FUTI). An ambispective cross-sectional study was performed in which we evaluated 153 males with a community FUTI caused by E.

Are Klinefelter boys hypogonadal?

Unlabelled: Male hypogonadism implies decreased function of one or more testicular cell population, i.e. germ, Leydig and/or Sertoli cells.

Arsenic alters monocyte superoxide anion and nitric oxide production in environmentally exposed children.

Arsenic (As) exposure has been associated with alterations in the immune system, studies in experimental models and adults have shown that these effects involve macrophage function; however, limited information is available on what type of effects could be induced in children. The aim of this study was to evaluate effects of As exposure, through the association of inorganic As (iAs) and its metabolites [monomethylated arsenic (MMA) and dimethylated arsenic (DMA)] with basal levels of nitric oxide (NO(-)) and superoxide anion (O(2)(-)), in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and monocytes, and NO(-) and O(2)(-) produced by activated monocytes. Hence, a cross-sectional study was conducted in 87 children (6-10 years old) who had been environmentally exposed to As through drinking water.

Genetic, molecular and cellular approaches to the analysis of maize embryo development.

The development of embryo structures in plants is essential for the formation of the adult plant organs. In cereals, this process has distinct features which have attracted attention from different points of view. Differential gene expression analyses have been used in order to identify genes useful as molecular markers of certain physiological, molecular or developmental processes.

A BMP-Shh negative-feedback loop restricts Shh expression during limb development.

Normal patterning of tissues and organs requires the tight restriction of signaling molecules to well-defined organizing centers. In the limb bud, one of the main signaling centers is the zone of polarizing activity (ZPA) that controls growth and patterning through the production of sonic hedgehog (SHH). The appropriate temporal and spatial expression of Shh is crucial for normal limb bud patterning, because modifications, even if subtle, have important phenotypic consequences.

Citrobacter koseri meningitis: a neurosurgical condition?

A 2-month-old girl developed meningitis, ventriculitis and brain abscess in the course of Citrobacter koseri infection. She was successfully treated with the combined use of antibiotics, intra-cavitary urokinase and surgery, thus avoiding the development of hydrocephalus and of ventricular loculation. C.

Eukaryotic protein production in designed storage organelles.

Background: Protein bodies (PBs) are natural endoplasmic reticulum (ER) or vacuole plant-derived organelles that stably accumulate large amounts of storage proteins in seeds. The proline-rich N-terminal domain derived from the maize storage protein gamma zein (Zera) is sufficient to induce PBs in non-seed tissues of Arabidopsis and tobacco. This Zera property opens up new routes for high-level accumulation of recombinant proteins by fusion of Zera with proteins of interest.

How do we get a perfect complement of digits?

A crucial issue in limb development is how a correct set of precisely shaped digits forms in the digital plate. This process relies on patterning across the anterior-posterior axis of the limb bud, which is under the control of Sonic hedgehog emanating from the zone of polarizing activity. Recently, Sonic hedgehog function in the limb bud has been shown to have a dual character controlling both growth and patterning of the digital field.