A man with a worrying potassium deficiency.

Unlabelled: Hypokalaemia may present as muscle cramps and Cardiac arrhythmias. This is a condition commonly encountered by endocrinologists and general physicians alike. Herein, we report the case of a 43-year-old gentleman admitted with hypokalaemia, who following subsequent investigations was found to have Gitelman's syndrome (GS).

Efficient specification of interneurons from human pluripotent stem cells by dorsoventral and rostrocaudal modulation.

GABAergic interneurons regulate cortical neural networks by providing inhibitory inputs, and their malfunction, resulting in failure to intricately regulate neural circuit balance, is implicated in brain diseases such as Schizophrenia, Autism, and Epilepsy. During early development, GABAergic interneuron progenitors arise from the ventral telencephalic area such as medial ganglionic eminence (MGE) and caudal ganglionic eminence (CGE) by the actions of secreted signaling molecules from nearby organizers, and migrate to their target sites where they form local synaptic connections. In this study, using combinatorial and temporal modulation of developmentally relevant dorsoventral and rostrocaudal signaling pathways (SHH, Wnt, and FGF8), we efficiently generated MGE cells from multiple human pluripotent stem cells.

Tumor heterogeneity and cancer stem cell paradigm: updates in concept, controversies and clinical relevance.

Although tumor heterogeneity is widely accepted, the existence of cancer stem cells (CSCs) and their proposed role in tumor maintenance has always been challenged and remains a matter of debate. Recently, a path-breaking chapter was added to this saga when three independent groups reported the in vivo existence of CSCs in brain, skin and intestinal tumors using lineage-tracing and thus strengthens the CSC concept; even though certain fundamental caveats are always associated with lineage-tracing approach. In principle, the CSC hypothesis proposes that similar to normal stem cells, CSCs maintain self renewal and multilineage differentiation property and are found at the central echelon of cellular hierarchy present within tumors.

Developmental Expression Patterns of GABAA Receptor Subunits in Layer 3 and 5 Pyramidal Cells of Monkey Prefrontal Cortex.

Cortical pyramidal neuron activity is regulated in part through inhibitory inputs mediated by GABAA receptors. The subunit composition of these receptors confers distinct functional properties. Thus, developmental shifts in subunit expression will likely influence the characteristics of pyramidal cell firing and the functional maturation of processes that depend on these neurons.

Synthesis of embedded Au nanostructures by ion irradiation: influence of ion induced viscous flow and sputtering.

The ion-irradiation induced synthesis of embedded Au nanoparticles (NPs) into glass from islands of Au on a glass substrate is studied in the context of recoiling atoms, sputtering and viscous flow. Cross sectional transmission electron microscopy studies revealed the formation of Au NPs embedded in the glass substrates by the 50 keV Si(-) ion irradiation of irregularly shaped Au nanostructures on the glass surfaces at a fluence of 3 × 10(16) ions/cm(2). The depth profiles of Au in the samples were obtained from high-resolution Rutherford backscattering spectrometry studies.

Pharmacophore-based screening and identification of novel human ligase I inhibitors with potential anticancer activity.

Human DNA ligases are enzymes that are indispensable for DNA replication and repair processes. Among the three human ligases, ligase I is attributed to the ligation of thousands of Okazaki fragments that are formed during lagging strand synthesis during DNA replication. Blocking ligation therefore can lead to the accumulation of thousands of single strands and subsequently double strand breaks in the DNA, which is lethal for the cells.

Communication: multireference equation of motion coupled cluster: a transform and diagonalize approach to electronic structure.

The novel multireference equation-of-motion coupled-cluster (MREOM-CC) approaches provide versatile and accurate access to a large number of electronic states. The methods proceed by a sequence of many-body similarity transformations and a subsequent diagonalization of the transformed Hamiltonian over a compact subspace. The transformed Hamiltonian is a connected entity and preserves spin- and spatial symmetry properties of the original Hamiltonian, but is no longer Hermitean.

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of a complex of the FOXO1 and Ets1 DNA-binding domains and DNA.

The Ets1 transcription factor is a member of the Ets protein family, a group of evolutionarily related DNA-binding transcriptional factors. Ets proteins activate or repress the expression of genes that are involved in various biological processes, including cellular proliferation, differentiation, development, transformation and apoptosis. FOXO1 is a member of the forkhead-box proteins (FOX proteins), which comprise a large family of functionally diverse transcription factors involved in cellular proliferation, transformation and differentiation.

Defective graphene as a high-capacity anode material for Na- and Ca-ion batteries.

Because of their abundance, sodium and calcium can be attractive in ion batteries for large-scale grid storage. However, many of the anode materials being pursued have limitations including volume expansion, lack of passivating films, and slow kinetics. Here, we investigate the adsorption of Na and Ca on graphene with divacancy and Stone-Wales defects in graphene.

Discoveries: an innovative platform for publishing cutting-edge research discoveries in medicine, biology and chemistry.

Discoveries is a new peer-reviewed, open access, online multidisciplinary and integrative journal publishing high impact reviews, experimental articles, perspective articles, and editorials from all areas related to medicine, biology, and chemistry, including but not limited to: Molecular and Cellular Biology, Biochemistry, Biophysics, Genomics, Proteomics, Biotechnology, Synthetic Biology, Bioengineering, Systems Biology, Bioinformatics, Translational Medicine, Medicine/ Clinical findings, Cognitive Science, Epidemiology, Global Medicine, Family Medicine, Organic/ Inorganic/ Physical Chemistry and Ethics in Science. Discoveries brings to the research community an outstanding editorial board that aims to address several of the innovations proposed above: there is no need to format the manuscript before submission, we have a rapid and efficient submission process, there is no need for a Cover Letter and we support the need for rules for validation of critical reagents, such as antibodies. Discoveries will aim to support high quality research on human subjects materials to provide relevance for non-human studies along with mechanistic insights into human biology and chemistry.

An alternative approach for delineating eco-sensitive zones around a wildlife sanctuary applying geospatial techniques.

The dynamics, degradation, and conservation of forest ecosystems are matters of prime concerns worldwide at the present. Proper planning and management of a forest area are essentially needed to protect it from the grasp of burgeoning pressure of urban-industrial sprawl. Establishment of eco-sensitive zones (ESZs), which act as buffer areas around the core forests, is one of the key approaches towards achieving this goal.

Would young women attending sexually transmitted disease clinics benefit from human papillomavirus vaccination? An assessment of human papillomavirus DNA and seropositivity from human papillomavirus sentinel surveillance, 2003-2005.

Background: There are limited data on the proportion who have been exposed to vaccine-type human papillomavirus (HPV) among women attending sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinics; this information could inform the potential benefits of HPV vaccination for women attending this venue.

Methods: Human papillomavirus surveillance was conducted in STD clinics in Baltimore, MD; Boston, MA; Denver, CO; Los Angeles, CA; and Seattle, WA, among women receiving cervical cancer screening from January 2003 to December 2005. The women had specimens collected for cervical cytology HPV testing by L1 consensus polymerase chain reaction testing and serologic assessment for HPV 6, 11, 16, and 18 using the competitive Luminex immunoassay.

Hepatocellular carcinoma in India.

Cancers of the liver are one of the commonest cancers that occur in the world, the commonest of which is the hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). It is considered to be the 5th commonest cancer in the world. In the areas that are endemic for hepatitis B and C, it is extremely common.

Distribution of uranium concentration in groundwater samples from the Peddagattu/Nambapur and Seripally regions using laser fluorimetry.

Uranium is a naturally occurring element, which is widespread in nature. It is found in low levels within all rocks, soils and water. Peddagattu and Seripally areas of Nalgonda district, Andhra Pradesh, India were known as a rich uranium mineralised zone.

A study of disequilibrium between 220Rn and 216Po for 220Rn measurements using a flow-through Lucas scintillation cell.

Lucas-type scintillation cells (LSCs) are commonly used for rapid measurements of (220)Rn concentrations in flow-through mode in field and for calibration experiments in laboratories. However, in those measurements, equilibrium between (220)Rn and (216)Po is generally assumed and two alpha particles are considered to be emitted per (220)Rn decay due to very short half-life of (216)Po. In this paper, a small, yet significant disequilibrium existing between (220)Rn and (216)Po has been examined and shown that less than two alpha particles are actually emitted per (220)Rn decay in the cell when flow is maintained.

Measuring unsupported arm lifts as an outcome in pulmonary rehabilitation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients.

Pulmonary rehabilitation includes upper and lower extremity exercise training. While validated tests such as the six-minute walk distance (6MWD) and shuttle walk tests are available to evaluate the effectiveness of lower extremity training, the optimal method of evaluating the effectiveness of upper extremity training has not been determined. This study evaluates the potential utility of unsupported arm lifts (UALs) testing as an outcome measurement for pulmonary rehabilitation.

Epidemiology of cervical spinal cord injury in eastern India: an autopsy-based study.

Aims: Cervical spinal cord injury is a major cause of fatality among trauma victims. Unlike developed countries, national spinal cord injury database is not maintained in India. Paucity of data hampers the understanding of epidemiology of the event in India.

3'-Oxo-, amino-, thio- and sulfone-acetic acid modified thymidines: effect of increased acidity on ribonuclease A inhibition.

A family of 3'-functionalized thymidines carrying XCH₂COOH (X=O, NH, S, SO₂) groups has been designed as inhibitors of RNase A. This is because it is possible to manipulate the overall acidity of this new class of nucleic 'acids' by changing X from oxygen to the SO₂ group in the series. It is also expected that the acyclic nature of the XCH₂COOH group would provide enough flexibility to the -COOH group to have maximum interactions with the catalytic subsite P1 of RNase A.

Transition from ripples to faceted structures under low-energy argon ion bombardment of silicon: understanding the role of shadowing and sputtering.

In this study, we have investigated temporal evolution of silicon surface topography under 500-eV argon ion bombardment for two angles of incidence, namely 70° and 72.5°. For both angles, parallel-mode ripples are observed at low fluences (up to 2 × 1017 ions cm-2) which undergo a transition to faceted structures at a higher fluence of 5 × 1017 ions cm-2.

A Non-antisymmetric Tensor Contraction Engine for the Automated Implementation of Spin-Adapted Coupled Cluster Approaches.

We present a symbolic manipulation algorithm for the efficient automated implementation of rigorously spin-free coupled cluster (CC) theories based on a unitary group parametrization. Due to the lack of antisymmetry of the unitary group generators under index permutations, all quantities involved in the equations are expressed in terms of non-antisymmetric tensors. Given two tensors, all possible contractions are first generated by applying Wick's theorem.

Early lactate clearance in septic patients with elevated lactate levels admitted from the emergency department to intensive care: time to aim higher?

Purpose: Septic patients with hyperlactatemia have increased mortality rates, irrespective of hemodynamic and oxygen-derived variables. The aims of the study are the following: (1) to ascertain whether lactate clearance (LC) (percentage change in lactate over unit time) predicts mortality in septic patients admitted to intensive care directly from the emergency department and (2) to calculate the optimal "cut-off" value for mortality prediction.

Methods: Three-year retrospective observational study of consecutive patients with severe sepsis and septic shock admitted to intensive care from the emergency department of a tertiary UK hospital.

Peripheral venous and arterial lactate agreement in septic patients in the emergency department: a pilot study.

Lactate measurements are routinely used in sepsis for prognostication and for guiding treatment. Although venous lactate measurements have widely been used, most studies have used arterial lactate (A-LACT). The interchangeability between the measurements is debatable.

Additional global internal contraction in variations of multireference equation of motion coupled cluster theory.

Extensions of multireference equation of motion coupled cluster theory (MR-EOMCC) [D. Datta and M. Nooijen, J.

Pharmacognostical and analytical study of Tulsi-Amla-Yasti Ghrita.

Tulasi Amla Yashti Ghrita is an Ayurvedic formulation, which is beneficial in the management of the side effects of Head and Neck Malignancies induced by Radiotherapy and Chemotherapy. A pharmacognostical study involving both the macroscopic and powder microscopy of raw drugs of Tulasi Amla Yashti Ghrita and a physicochemical analysis of the finished product were carried out, to evaluate the quality of the formulation. The specific gravity of the formulation was 0.