Age-dependent penetrance of different germline mutations in the BRCA1 gene.

Aims: BRCA1 gene mutations have been extensively studied in relation to breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility. Various genotype-phenotype correlation attempts have yielded important data pertaining to the consequences of BRCA1 mutations. However, little is known about the effects of recurrent BRCA mutations on expressivity and the age of onset of cancer in a population.

Cost effectiveness analysis of larval therapy for leg ulcers.

Objective: To assess the cost effectiveness of larval therapy compared with hydrogel in the management of leg ulcers.

Design: Cost effectiveness and cost utility analyses carried out alongside a pragmatic multicentre, randomised, open trial with equal randomisation. Population Intention to treat population comprising 267 patients with a venous or mixed venous and arterial ulcers with at least 25% coverage of slough or necrotic tissue.

Larval therapy for leg ulcers (VenUS II): randomised controlled trial.

Objective: To compare the clinical effectiveness of larval therapy with a standard debridement technique (hydrogel) for sloughy or necrotic leg ulcers.

Design: Pragmatic, three armed randomised controlled trial.

Setting: Community nurse led services, hospital wards, and hospital outpatient leg ulcer clinics in urban and rural settings, United Kingdom.

META060 inhibits multiple kinases in the NF-kappaB pathway and suppresses LPS--mediated inflammation in vitro and ex vivo.

Objective: We investigated whether a novel candidate META060 targeted the inflammatory signal transduction without affecting constitutive COX-2 enzymatic activity in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. We also investigated its bioavailability in humans and its anti-inflammatory effect ex vivo.

Energy equilibration processes of electrons, magnons, and phonons at the femtosecond time scale.

We relate the energy dissipation processes at the femtosecond (electron-spin relaxation time tau el-sp) and nanosecond time scale (Gilbert relaxation taualpha) to the microscopic model proposed by Koopmans [Phys. Rev. Lett.

Effects of algorithm for diagnosis of active labour: cluster randomised trial.

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of an algorithm for diagnosis of active labour in primiparous women with standard care in terms of maternal and neonatal outcomes.

Design: Cluster randomised trial.

Setting: Maternity units in Scotland with at least 800 annual births.

Enhancement of a modified Mediterranean-style, low glycemic load diet with specific phytochemicals improves cardiometabolic risk factors in subjects with metabolic syndrome and hypercholesterolemia in a randomized trial.

Background: As the worldwide dietary pattern becomes more westernized, the metabolic syndrome is reaching epidemic proportions. Lifestyle modifications including diet and exercise are recommended as first-line intervention for treating metabolic syndrome. Previously, we reported that a modified Mediterranean-style, low glycemic load diet with soy protein and phytosterols had a more favorable impact than the American Heart Association Step 1 diet on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors.

Rewritable remote encoding and decoding of miniature multi-bit magnetic tags for high-throughput biological analysis.

We have investigated a new magnetic labelling technology for high-throughput biomolecular identification and DNA sequencing. Planar multi-bit magnetic tags comprising a magnetic barcode formed by an ensemble of micron-sized thin film ferromagnetic Co bars and a 15 x 15 micron Au square for immobilization of probe molecules have been designed and fabricated. We show that by using a globally applied magnetic field and magneto-optical Kerr microscopy the magnetic elements in the multi-bit magnetic tags can be addressed individually and encoded/decoded remotely.

Dietary management of the metabolic syndrome beyond macronutrients.

Due to the complexity of chronic conditions like the metabolic syndrome (MetS), tailored dietary approaches beyond macronutrient ratio modification may be necessary to effectively address metabolic measures. Mounting data on whole foods-based, phytochemical-abundant dietary patterns, such as the Mediterranean diet, reveal that they contain constituents, such as phytochemicals, that may be beneficial for treating MetS. The role of food-based phytochemicals on underlying mechanisms of MetS, specifically as they impact insulin signaling, has yet to be investigated thoroughly.

Effects of different doses of caffeine on exercise responses in young children.

Introduction/purpose: This study investigated the effects of three different doses of caffeine on physiological responses to exercise in young children.

Methods: Forty healthy children (20 boys and 20 girls) volunteered for a random, double-blind, counterbalanced study where they received either placebo (PL), 1 mg.kg(-1) (CAF-1), 3 mg.

Safety, efficacy and anti-inflammatory activity of rho iso-alpha-acids from hops.

A defined mixture of rho iso-alpha-acids (RIAA), a modified hop extract, was evaluated for anti-inflammatory efficacy and safety. RIAA inhibited LPS-stimulated PGE(2) formation with >200-fold selectivity of COX-2 (IC(50)=1.3 microg/ml) over COX-1 (IC(50)>289 microg/ml).

Acupuncture for irritable bowel syndrome an exploratory randomised controlled trial.

Background: The evidence on the effectiveness of acupuncture for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is inconclusive. However, many patients with IBS are self referring for acupuncture, therefore it is of interest to know whether acupuncture is effective or not. The aim of this study was to establish variability in the primary outcome measure to enable a sample size to be calculated for a full scale trial, and to explore feasibility and design criteria.

Clinical safety and efficacy of NG440: a novel combination of rho iso-alpha acids from hops, rosemary, and oleanolic acid for inflammatory conditions.

In this report, we examine the clinical safety and efficacy of NG440, a phytochemical-based antiinflammatory formula consisting of a combination of rho iso-alpha acids from hops, rosemary, and oleanolic acid. In a previous study, we demonstrated that NG440 significantly decreased pain by 50% in patients with osteoarthritis. Consistent with these data, results from a multicentre trial indicate that NG440 reduced pain scores in patients with joint discomfort, as measured by VAS (visual analog scale) methodology.

Which doctors and with what problems contact a specialist service for doctors? A cross sectional investigation.

Background: In the United Kingdom, specialist treatment and intervention services for doctors are underdeveloped. The MedNet programme, created in 1997 and funded by the London Deanery, aims to fill this gap by providing a self-referral, face-to-face, psychotherapeutic assessment service for doctors in London and South-East England. MedNet was designed to be a low-threshold service, targeting doctors without formal psychiatric problems.