Influence of alkali catalysts on product yield and Si-containing products from hydrothermal liquefaction of corn stover.

This study investigated the effects of different alkali catalysts (KCO, KOH, NaOH, and NaCO) on the yield and composition of biocrude oil and aqueous products obtained from hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) of corn stover. HTL was performed in a laboratory-scale tubular reactor at 320 °C for 90 min and catalyst loading of 5.0 and 7.

Brain Atrophy and Physical and Cognitive Disability in Multiple Sclerosis.

Introduction: Brain atrophy is associated with physical disability in multiple sclerosis (MS), but there is a great variability between different studies and methodologies, and its use is still limited to research projects. We aimed to analyze the relationship between several volumetric measurements and physical disability and cognitive functioning in MS patients in a clinical practice setting.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study.

Optimization of process parameters of self-purging microwave pyrolysis of corn cob for biochar production.

Microwave pyrolysis offers rapid and low-cost technology to upgrade agro-forestry residues to high-value products. I-optimal experimental design was used to determine the optimal combination of microwave power and exposure time to maximize biochar yield from corn cob. A validation experiment at optimal conditions of 600 W and 6.

Parametric study on microwave-assisted extraction of runo ( Andersson) dye and its application to paper and cotton fabric.

The study was designed to devise a high-yielding, microwave-assisted extraction of the colored material from the core tissue of runo ( Andersson) stem. Soxhlet extraction of core tissue gave yields ranging from 1.04 % with dichloromethane to 11.

Exploring Resilience at Work Among First-Line Nurse Managers.

Objectives: This study explored the assessment of resilience at work among 1st-line nurse managers (NMs).

Background: Resilience is the ability to cope with stress. NMs have stressful roles and may ultimately withdraw from management if they lack resilient behaviors.

Outcomes of Renal Allograft Recipients With Hepatitis C.

Background: Studies on the effect of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection showed decreased graft survival compared to HCV-negative matched patients. It was also identified as an independent risk factor for graft loss and mortality in kidney transplantation patients.

Objective: This study was designed to evaluate the 10-year graft and patient outcomes of renal allograft recipients with HCV infection at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute.

Utility of presepsin (sCD14-ST) as a diagnostic and prognostic marker of sepsis in the emergency department.

Background: Presepsin (PSEP) is released during infectious diseases and can be detected in the blood. PSEP has shown promising results as sepsis marker. We examined the diagnostic and prognostic validity of PSEP in patients suspicious of sepsis on admission in the emergency department (ED).

[Cilioretinal artery occlusion in hemochromatosis].

Clinical Case: We report a case of a 31 year-old woman with a sudden visual loss due to a cilioretinal artery occlusion. The physical examinination showed hepatomegaly. Serum iron and ferritin and transferrin saturation were unusually high.

Notch signaling drives stemness and tumorigenicity of esophageal adenocarcinoma.

Esophageal adenocarcinoma ranks sixth in cancer mortality in the world and its incidence has risen dramatically in the Western population over the last decades. Data presented herein strongly suggest that Notch signaling is critical for esophageal adenocarcinoma and underlies resistance to chemotherapy. We present evidence that Notch signaling drives a cancer stem cell phenotype by regulating genes that establish stemness.

Treatment of systolic heart failure in the elderly: an evidence-based review.

Objective: To review relevant literature supporting the use of β-blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), diuretics, digoxin, aldosterone antagonists, and vasodilators in the management of heart failure in an elderly patient population aged ≥65 years.

Data Sources: PubMed, EMBASE, and MEDLINE searches (January 1960-April 2010) were utilized to identify primary literature using the key terms heart failure, treatment, and elderly. Additionally, reference citations from publications identified were utilized, as well as the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Chronic Heart Failure in the Adult.

Mitogen-activated protein kinases in the porcine retinal arteries and neuroretina following retinal ischemia-reperfusion.

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to examine changes in the expression of intracellular signal-transduction pathways, specifically mitogen-activated protein kinases, following retinal ischemia-reperfusion.

Methods: Retinal ischemia was induced by elevating the intraocular pressure in porcine eyes, followed by 5, 12, or 20 h of reperfusion. The results were compared to those of the sham- operated fellow eye.

Erosive esophagitis in the Philippines: a comparison between two time periods.

Background: In Asia, the incidence of gastroesophageal reflux disease diagnosed through endoscopy has increased from 3-9% to 14-16% in the last decade. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of erosive esophagitis (EE) over a span of 10 years in a tertiary care facility in the Philippines.

Methods: All patients diagnosed with EE from 1994 to 1997 (period A) and from 2000 to 2003 (period B) were included in the study.

Mapping of transcription start sites of human retina expressed genes.

Background: The proper assembly of the transcriptional initiation machinery is a key regulatory step in the execution of the correct program of mRNA synthesis. The use of alternative transcription start sites (TSSs) provides a mechanism for cell and tissue specific gene regulation. Our knowledge of transcriptional initiation sequences in the human genome is limited despite the availability of the complete genome sequence.

Changing trends in peptic ulcer prevalence in a tertiary care setting in the Philippines: a seven-year study.

Background And Aims: The declining global prevalence of peptic ulcer disease (PUD) might be because of the decreasing prevalence of Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection. The aims of the present study were to determine the prevalence of PUD during a 7-year period and to investigate its relationship with the prevalence of Hp infection during the same period.

Methods: All upper gastrointestinal endoscopies carried out at Santo Tomas Hospital in Manila from January 1996 to December 2002 were evaluated.

Xenopus paraxis homologue shows novel domains of expression.

The paraxis gene encodes a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor that is expressed in paraxial mesoderm and whose mutant displays an inability to form epithelial somites. Here, the molecular characterization of Xenopus paraxis is reported. paraxis is expressed in the paraxial mesoderm and somites but is down-regulated during muscle differentiation.

Role of the histidine triad-like motif in nucleotide hydrolysis by the rotavirus RNA-packaging protein NSP2.

Octamers formed by the nonstructural protein NSP2 of rotavirus are proposed to function as molecular motors in the packaging of the segmented double-stranded RNA genome. The octamers have RNA binding, helix unwinding, and Mg(2+)-dependent NTPase activities and play a crucial role in assembly of viral replication factories (viroplasms). Comparison of x-ray structures has revealed significant structural homology between NSP2 and the histidine triad (HIT) family of nucleotidyl hydrolases, which in turn has suggested the location of the active site for NTP hydrolysis in NSP2.

MRI features of epidural extramedullary hematopoiesis.

A case of beta-thalassemia intermedia with spinal cord compression due to extramedullary hematopoiesis, which was successfully treated by blood transfusion, is presented. Emphasis was made on the MRI appearance of extramedullary hematopoiesis on different pulse sequences. The theories that aimed to explain the involvement of the epidural space by extramedullary hematopoiesis are discussed.

Comparison of lansoprazole-based triple and dual therapy for treatment of Helicobacter pylori-related duodenal ulcer: an Asian multicentre double-blind randomized placebo controlled study.

Background: [corrected] In Asian countries with limited resources, clarithromycin-based triple therapy may not be readily available. There are also few direct comparisons of different regimens in Asia.

Aim: To compare two lansoprazole-based non-clarithromycin triple therapies and one dual therapy in a prospective double-blind placebo-controlled study of Helicobacter pylori eradication and duodenal ulcer healing.

Isolated trigeminal neuropathy due to trigeminal nerve root hemorrhage.

Background: Isolated trigeminal neuropathy is uncommon; causes include trauma, inflammation, or neoplasm.

Methods: We report a patient who fell and struck his head during a myocardial infarction, was treated with streptokinase, and developed symptoms and signs of an isolated trigeminal sensory neuropathy.

Results: Imaging showed hemorrhage in the trigeminal nerve root; follow-up imaging showed resolution of the hemorrhage, but no underlying structural lesion.

The various MRI patterns of pituitary apoplexy.

The aim of this study was to describe the various MRI features, in correlation to surgical and pathological findings, in patients who presented with pituitary apoplexy (PA). Eleven patients presenting with PA, were evaluated with various MR protocols including spin-echo (SE) T1-weighted sequences in 9 of 11 patients, post gadolinium SE T1-weighted sequences in only 8 of 11 patients, and with T2-weighted SE sequences in 2 of 11 patients. All patients had transsphenoidal pituitary surgery after MR studies.

Trigeminal nerve hypertrophy in chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy.

An unusual clinical manifestation of nerve hypertrophy in chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) is described. A patient with a 13-year history of CIDP developed diplopia and proptosis. Imaging of the neuraxis showed marked bilateral trigeminal nerve hypertrophy and lumbosacral nerve root hypertrophy.

Final results of a study of escalating doses of hyperfractionated radiotherapy in brain stem tumors in children: a Pediatric Oncology Group study.

Purpose: In September 1984, the Pediatric Oncology Group began accrual to a Phase I/II study designed to assess the efficacy and toxicity of sequentially escalated doses of hyperfractionated (twice daily) radiotherapy in children with poor-prognosis brain stem tumors. Pediatric Oncology Group Study #8495 closed in June 1990 with a total of 136 patients on study. We report here the outcome of patients treated at the third and final dose level (75.

CT and MR imaging findings in adults with cerebellar medulloblastoma: comparison with findings in children.

The goal of this study was to determine if certain imaging features suggest the diagnosis of cerebellar medulloblastoma in adults and to determine how often the classic CT appearance seen in children is present in adults. The study included 28 adult patients with proved cerebellar medulloblastoma. The tumor was located in the cerebellar vermis in 14 patients and in a cerebellar hemisphere in 14 patients.

Intramedullary epidermoid cysts of the spinal cord. Case report.

Epidermoid cysts are tumors familiar to neurosurgeons, but intramedullary epidermoid cysts are rare. The authors report the case of a 6-year-old girl presenting with progressive paraparesis. A midthoracic intramedullary mass was revealed on myelography and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and confirmed as an intramedullary epidermoid cyst at surgery, at which time the cyst was removed.

Low-grade myxoid chondrosarcoma of the base of the skull: CT, MR, and histopathology.

A retrospective CT, MR, and histopathologic study was performed in five patients with histologically verified low-grade myxoid chondrosarcoma of the base of the skull. In four patients, the tumor originated off the midline and was associated with bone destruction at the petrous apex near the petrooccipital fissure. Tumor extent included the cerebellopontine angle in three patients and the parasellar area in two patients.