K(S)0 and Λ production in Pb-Pb collisions at √(s(NN))=2.76 TeV.

The ALICE measurement of K(S)(0) and Λ production at midrapidity in Pb-Pb collisions at √(s(NN))=2.76 TeV is presented. The transverse momentum (p(T)) spectra are shown for several collision centrality intervals and in the p(T) range from 0.

Shared genetic factors influence risk for bipolar disorder and alcohol use disorders.

Bipolar disorder and alcohol use disorder (AUD) have a high rate of comorbidity, more than 50% of individuals with bipolar disorder also receive a diagnosis of AUD in their lifetimes. Although both disorders are heritable, it is unclear if the same genetic factors mediate risk for bipolar disorder and AUD. We examined 733 Costa Rican individuals from 61 bipolar pedigrees.

The Minamata Convention on Mercury: attempting to address the global controversy of dental amalgam use and mercury waste disposal.

In October 2013, a new international binding treaty instrument called the Minamata Convention on Mercury opened for signature in Minamata City, Japan, the site of arguably the worst public health and environmental disaster involving mercury contamination. The treaty aims to curb the significant health and environmental impacts of mercury pollution and includes provisions addressing the mining, export and import, storage, and waste management of products containing mercury. Importantly, a provision heavily negotiated in the treaty addresses the use of dental fillings using mercury amalgam, an issue that has been subject to decades of global controversy.

Programmed cell senescence during mammalian embryonic development.

Cellular senescence disables proliferation in damaged cells, and it is relevant for cancer and aging. Here, we show that senescence occurs during mammalian embryonic development at multiple locations, including the mesonephros and the endolymphatic sac of the inner ear, which we have analyzed in detail. Mechanistically, senescence in both structures is strictly dependent on p21, but independent of DNA damage, p53, or other cell-cycle inhibitors, and it is regulated by the TGF-β/SMAD and PI3K/FOXO pathways.

[Scapular balance angle reference values in a healthy population].

Objectives: To calculate the Scapular Balance Angle (SBA) reference values in a healthy population between 18 and 85 years old, and to define abnormality criteria for this sample.

Materials And Methods: A descriptive study was conducted on a total of 300 individuals (mean age: 44.83, range: 18-83; proportion male/female: 1.

Management of manifestations of epidermolysis bullosa.

Purpose Of Review: Children with epidermolysis bullosa can present with disease(s) of the ears, nose, and throat, often related directly to the pathophysiology of their epidermolysis bullosa. Otolaryngologic diseases in children with epidermolysis bullosa have to be managed having a proper understanding of the diagnosis and pathophysiology of epidermolysis bullosa. The purpose of this review is to describe the current nomenclature and diagnostic algorithms for epidermolysis bullosa, and methods for the management of cutaneous and mucosal lesions.

Divalent regulation and intersubunit interactions of human connexin26 (Cx26) hemichannels.

Control of plasma membrane connexin hemichannel opening is indispensable, and is achieved by physiological extracellular divalent ion concentrations. Here, we explore the differences between regulation by Ca(2+) and Mg(2+) of human connexin26 (hCx26) hemichannels and the role of a specific interaction in regulation by Ca (2+). To effect hemichannel closure, the apparent affinity of Ca(2+) (0.

IGF-I deficiency and hearing loss: molecular clues and clinical implications.

Sensorineural hearing loss is a clinical heterogeneous disorder and a significant health-care problem with tremendous socio-economic impact. According to WHO, "Over 5% of the world's population has disabling hearing loss -328 million adults and 32 million children-". In children, early hearing loss affects language acquisition.

Multivoxel patterns in fusiform face area differentiate faces by sex and race.

Although prior research suggests that fusiform gyrus represents the sex and race of faces, it remains unclear whether fusiform face area (FFA)-the portion of fusiform gyrus that is functionally-defined by its preferential response to faces-contains such representations. Here, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to evaluate whether FFA represents faces by sex and race. Participants were scanned while they categorized the sex and race of unfamiliar Black men, Black women, White men, and White women.

Celecoxib and heterotopic bone formation after total hip arthroplasty.

We assessed the effectiveness of celecoxib in the prevention of heterotopic ossification (HO) following primary total hip replacement (THR). We studied 170 consecutive THRs. Sixty-three patients received celecoxib after surgery (200mg twice/daily) for 28 days and 84 did not.

Dynamic thermal gradient gas chromatography.

The use of negative axial thermal gradients in gas chromatography (TGGC) has intrigued chromatographers since the early 1950s because of the dramatic narrowing of analyte bands and concomitant raised expectations for improving resolving power. However, technical difficulties experienced in construction of TGGC instrumentation and control of the temperature along the column have made its implementation and, hence, detailed study difficult. In this work, we describe a TGGC system capable of rapidly producing and varying thermal gradient profiles by simultaneous use of resistive heating and convective cooling.

HER2 in gastric cancer: an immunohistochemical study on tissue microarrays and the corresponding whole-tissue sections with a supplemental fish study.

Since focal HER2 expression is an issue in GC, TMA construction from the paraffin-embedded surgically-obtained tissue may not reflect its real status. The aim of this study was to assess the HER2 status in tissue microarrays (TMAs) and the corresponding whole sections using HercepTest immunohistochemistry (IHC), and to correlate it and to assess the concordance of HER2 IHC and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in TMAs. Concordance of the HER2 expression status for 302 cases of gastric cancer using 9 paired TMAs was evaluated using a 2-mm core size and 305 corresponding whole sections.

Biochemical markers of bone turnover and clinical outcome in patients with renal cell and bladder carcinoma with bone metastases following treatment with zoledronic acid: The TUGAMO study.

Background: Levels of bone turnover markers (BTM) might be correlated with outcome in terms of skeletal-related events (SRE), disease progression, and death in patients with bladder cancer (BC) and renal cell carcinoma (RCC) with bone metastases (BM). We try to evaluate this possible correlation in patients who receive treatment with zoledronic acid (ZOL).

Methods: This observational, prospective, and multicenter study analysed BTM and clinical outcome in these patients.

Insights on the mechanisms of Ca(2+) regulation of connexin26 hemichannels revealed by human pathogenic mutations (D50N/Y).

Because of the large size and modest selectivity of the connexin hemichannel aqueous pore, hemichannel opening must be highly regulated to maintain cell viability. At normal resting potentials, this regulation is achieved predominantly by the physiological extracellular Ca(2+) concentration, which drastically reduces hemichannel activity. Here, we characterize the Ca(2+) regulation of channels formed by wild-type human connexin26 (hCx26) and its human mutations, D50N/Y, that cause aberrant hemichannel opening and result in deafness and skin disorders.

Usefulness of bone turnover markers as predictors of mortality risk, disease progression and skeletal-related events appearance in patients with prostate cancer with bone metastases following treatment with zoledronic acid: TUGAMO study.

Background: Owing to the limited validity of clinical data on the treatment of prostate cancer (PCa) and bone metastases, biochemical markers are a promising tool for predicting survival, disease progression and skeletal-related events (SREs) in these patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the predictive capacity of biochemical markers of bone turnover for mortality risk, disease progression and SREs in patients with PCa and bone metastases undergoing treatment with zoledronic acid (ZA).

Methods: This was an observational, prospective and multicenter study in which ninety-eight patients were included.

Characterization of esterified cassava starch with long alkyl side chains and different substitution degrees.

The present work describes the characterization and thermal properties of hydrophobic starch obtained by the esterification of cassava starch with acyl imidazoles, acid chlorides and methyl ester derivatives of fatty acids with n-alkyl chains with 12-22 carbon atoms, in order to compare the dependence of their properties as a function of the length of the side chain and the methodology used for their synthesis. The n-acyl starches presented degrees of substitution (DS) between 0.06 and 1.

Net-charge fluctuations in Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[sNN]=2.76 TeV.

We report the first measurement of the net-charge fluctuations in Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[sNN]=2.76  TeV, measured with the ALICE detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The dynamical fluctuations per unit entropy are observed to decrease when going from peripheral to central collisions.

Common brain regions with distinct patterns of neural responses during mentalizing about groups and individuals.

An individual has a mind; a group does not. Yet humans routinely endow groups with mental states irreducible to any of their members (e.g.

Fungal biodegradation of pomegranate ellagitannins.

Ellagitannins (ETs) are phytochemicals derived from secondary metabolism associated to defense system, with complex chemical structures, which have high participation during all stages of protection against microbial infection. In this study, we report the fungal biodegradation of a bioactive ET, named punicaline which was recovered and purified from pomegranate peels and used as carbon source in solid-state culture (SSC) using polyurethane as solid support. SSC was kinetically monitored during 36 h of incubation time.

[QacEdelta1 gene frequency and biocide resistance in extended-spectrum beta-lactamase producing enterobacteriaceae clinical isolates].

Objective: To determine the frequency of the gene qacEdelta1 and characterize the resistance to biocides of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases producing enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-PE) obtained from clinical isolates causing nosocomial infections.

Material And Methods: In total 59 ESBL-PE causing nosocomial infections were included: Klebsiella pneumoniae (35) and Enterobacter cloacae (24). Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) was tested for chlorhexidine (CHX) and benzalkonium chloride (CLBZ) by agar dilution technique.

Rapid diagnosis of invasive pneumococcal disease in pediatric population.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the Binax NOW immunochromatographic pneumococcal antigen test for the identification of Streptococcus pneumoniae in pleural and cerebrospinal fluids from children with suspected invasive pneumococcal disease. The results were compared with those obtained by PCR. Binax NOW was applied to these samples as recommended by the manufacturer for urine and cerebrospinal samples.

Performance of multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis on short time series.

The performance of the multifractal detrended analysis on short time series is evaluated for synthetic samples of several mono- and multifractal models. The reconstruction of the generalized Hurst exponents is used to determine the range of applicability of the method and the precision of its results as a function of the decreasing length of the series. As an application the series of the daily exchange rate between the U.

State-dependent FRET reports calcium- and voltage-dependent gating-ring motions in BK channels.

Large-conductance voltage- and calcium-dependent potassium channels (BK, "Big K+") are important controllers of cell excitability. In the BK channel, a large C-terminal intracellular region containing a "gating-ring" structure has been proposed to transduce Ca(2+) binding into channel opening. Using patch-clamp fluorometry, we have investigated the calcium and voltage dependence of conformational changes of the gating-ring region of BK channels, while simultaneously monitoring channel conductance.