UV photofragmentation and IR spectroscopy of cold, G-type β-O-4 and β-β dilignol-alkali metal complexes: structure and linkage-dependent photofragmentation.

Ultraviolet photofragmentation spectroscopy and infrared spectroscopy were performed on two prototypical guaiacyl (G)-type dilignols containing β-O-4 and β-β linkages, complexed with either lithium or sodium cations. The complexes were generated by nanoelectrospray ionization, introduced into a multistage mass spectrometer, and subsequently cooled in a 22-pole cold ion trap to T ≈ 10 K. A combination of UV photofragment spectroscopy and IR-UV double resonance spectroscopy was used to characterize the preferred mode of binding of the alkali metal cations and the structural changes so induced.

Identification of a nonsense mutation in feline ABCB1.

The aim of this study was to sequence all exons of the ABCB1 (MDR1) gene in cats that had experienced adverse reactions to P-glycoprotein substrate drugs (phenotyped cats). Eight phenotyped cats were included in the study consisting of eight cats that experienced central nervous system toxicosis after receiving ivermectin (n = 2), a combination product containing moxidectin and imidacloprid (n = 3), a combination product containing praziquantel and emodepside (n = 1) or selamectin (n = 2), and 1 cat that received the product containing praziquantel and emodepside but did not experience toxicity (n = 1). Fifteen exons contained polymorphisms and twelve exons showed no variation from the reference sequence.

Voriconazole, an antifungal triazol that causes visual side effects, is an inhibitor of TRPM1 and TRPM3 channels.

Purpose: Administration of voriconazole, an antifungal triazole, causes transient visual disturbances in patients and attenuates the b-wave of the ERG. We sought to identify the retinal target of voriconazole underlying the effect on the ERG b-wave.

Methods: Electroretinograms were recorded from mice before and after intraperitoneal injection of voriconazole.

Economic burden of illness associated with diabetic foot ulcers in Canada.

Background: The primary objective was to estimate the national burden of illness in Canada for diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) for 2011. Secondary objectives included estimating the national incidence and prevalence of DFU, and the 3-year average cost for DFU incident cases.

Methods: Analyses were conducted using four national databases for the period April 1, 2006 to March 31, 2011, with cases being identified by ICD-10 CA codes.

Selective removal of alkali metal cations from multiply-charged ions via gas-phase ion/ion reactions using weakly coordinating anions.

Selective removal of alkali metal cations from mixed cation multiply-charged peptide ions is demonstrated here using gas-phase ion/ion reactions with a series of weakly coordinating anions (WCAs), including hexafluorophosphate (PF6 (-)), tetrakis[3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]borate (BARF), tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate (TPPB), and carborane (CHB11Cl11 (-)). In all cases, a long-lived complex is generated by dication/anion condensation followed by ion activation to compare proton transfer with alkali ion transfer from the peptide to the anion. The carborane anion was the only anion studied to undergo dissociation exclusively through loss of the metallated anion, regardless of the studied metal adduct.

OPA1 in Cardiovascular Health and Disease.

Mitochondria are known to play crucial roles in normal cellular physiology and in more recent years they have been implicated in a wide range of pathologies. Central to both these roles is their ability to alter their shape interchangeably between two different morphologies: an elongated interconnected network and a fragmented discrete phenotype - processes which are under the regulation of the mitochondrial fusion and fission proteins, respectively. In this review article, we focus on the mitochondrial fusion protein optic atrophy protein 1 (OPA1) in cardiovascular health and disease and we explore its role as a potential therapeutic target for treating cardiovascular and metabolic disease.

QUANTITATIVE MORPHOLOGICAL AND MOLECULAR PATHOLOGY OF THE HUMAN THYMUS CORRELATE WITH INFANT CAUSE OF DEATH.

The objective of this study was to investigate and quantify the morphological and molecular changes in the thymus for common causes of human infant death. Thymic architecture and molecular changes apparent in human infant head trauma victims were assessed by microscopy and quantified by image analysis of digital whole slide images. Thymuses from victims of SIDS and suffocated infants displaying normal thymus architecture were used for comparison.

Chronic administration of amitriptyline differentially alters neuropathic pain-related behaviour in the presence and absence of a depressive-like phenotype.

Chronic pain and depression share a complex, reciprocal relationship. Furthermore, in addition to treating depression, antidepressants such as amitriptyline are a first-line treatment for chronic pain conditions, indicating possible common neural substrates underlying both depression and pain. However, there is a paucity of studies examining the effect of antidepressant treatment on nociceptive and neuropathic pain responding in the presence of a depressive phenotype.

Development and validation of the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-4 (SATAQ-4).

The Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-3 (SATAQ-3) and its earlier versions are measures designed to assess societal and interpersonal aspects of appearance ideals. Correlational, structural equation modeling, and prospective studies of the SATAQ-3 have shown consistent and significant associations with measures of body image disturbance and eating pathology. In the current investigation, the SATAQ-3 was revised to improve upon some conceptual limitations and was evaluated in 4 U.

Rethinking the therapeutic misconception: social justice, patient advocacy, and cancer clinical trial recruitment in the US safety net.

Background: Approximately 20% of adult cancer patients are eligible to participate in a clinical trial, but only 2.5-9% do so. Accrual is even less for minority and medically underserved populations.

Improving healthcare empowerment through breast cancer patient navigation: a mixed methods evaluation in a safety-net setting.

Background: Breast cancer mortality rates in the U.S. remain relatively high, particularly among ethnic minorities and low-income populations.

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors enhance ciprofloxacin-induced phototoxicity by inhibiting ABCG2.

The tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) class of anticancer agents inhibits ABCG2-mediated drug efflux. ABCG2 is an important component of the blood-retinal barrier, where it limits retinal exposure to phototoxic compounds such as fluoroquinolone antibiotics. Patients treated with TKIs would be expected to be at greater risk for retinal phototoxicity.

Bilateral distal tibial stress fractures in a healthy field-hockey goalkeeper.

Stress fractures occurring within the lower limbs are relatively common in athletes and military personnel. The specific bones affected are often predictable when the patient's activities are considered. We present an unusual case of bilateral distal tibial stress fractures sustained while playing as a goalkeeper in field hockey, in an otherwise healthy 46-year-old woman.

Locking plate fixation with and without inferomedial screws for proximal humeral fractures: a biomechanical study.

PURPOSE. To compare the efficacy of locking plate fixation with and without inferomedial screws in maintaining the reduction of a proximal humeral fracture. METHODS.

Decision Making in the PICU: An Examination of Factors Influencing Participation Decisions in Phase III Randomized Clinical Trials.

Background. In stressful situations, decision making processes related to informed consent may be compromised. Given the profound levels of distress that surrogates of children in pediatric intensive care units (PICU) experience, it is important to understand what factors may be influencing the decision making process beyond the informed consent.

Minocycline modulates neuropathic pain behaviour and cortical M1-M2 microglial gene expression in a rat model of depression.

There is a paucity of data on the role of microglia and neuroinflammatory processes in the association between chronic pain and depression. The current study examined the effect of the microglial inhibitor minocycline on depressive-like behaviour, spinal nerve ligation (SNL)-induced mechanical and cold allodynia and associated changes in the expression of genes encoding microglial markers (M1 vs. M2 polarisation) and inflammatory mediators in the prefrontal cortex in the olfactory bulbectomised (OB) rat model of depression.

Protecting our Khmer daughters: ghosts of the past, uncertain futures, and the human papillomavirus vaccine.

Objectives: The FDA approved the first human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in 2006. Research into parental decision-making and concerns about HPV vaccination highlights questions about parenting and parents' role in the crafting of their daughters' future sexuality. In contrast to much of this literature, we explore narratives from interviews with Cambodian mothers of HPV vaccine-age eligible daughters who experienced genocide and came to the USA as refugees.

Decreased blood flow in the throwing arm of professional baseball pitchers.

Background: As a consequence of the repetitive forces placed on the throwing arm of a baseball player, various bony, capsuloligamentous, and muscular adaptations occur and have been identified. However, no research has identified whether adaptations also exist in the vasculature of the upper extremity in the competitive baseball player.

Methods: Fifty-one professional baseball pitchers and 34 position players participated.

Perinatal outcomes of women with a prior history of unexplained recurrent miscarriage.

Objective: We sought to determine subsequent pregnancy outcomes in a cohort of women with a history of unexplained recurrent miscarriage (RM) who were not receiving medical treatment.

Study Design: This was a prospective cohort study, of women with a history of three unexplained consecutive first trimester losses, who were recruited and followed in their subsequent pregnancy. Control patients were healthy pregnant patients with no previous adverse perinatal outcome.

Developing theoretically based and culturally appropriate interventions to promote hepatitis B testing in 4 Asian American populations, 2006-2011.

Introduction: Hepatitis B infection is 5 to 12 times more common among Asian Americans than in the general US population and is the leading cause of liver disease and liver cancer among Asians. The purpose of this article is to describe the step-by-step approach that we followed in community-based participatory research projects in 4 Asian American groups, conducted from 2006 through 2011 in California and Washington state to develop theoretically based and culturally appropriate interventions to promote hepatitis B testing. We provide examples to illustrate how intervention messages addressing identical theoretical constructs of the Health Behavior Framework were modified to be culturally appropriate for each community.

Targeting mitochondria for cardioprotection: examining the benefit for patients.

Mitochondria are critical for sustaining life, not only as the essential powerhouses of cells but as critical mediators of cell survival and death. Mitochondrial dysfunction has been identified as a key perturbation underlying numerous pathologies including myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury and the subsequent development of impaired left ventricular systolic function and compensatory cardiac hypertrophy. This article outlines the role of mitochondrial dysfunction in these important cardiac pathologies and highlights current cardioprotective strategies and their clinical efficacy in acute myocardial infarction and heart failure patients.