The astrocyte network in the ventral nerve cord neuropil of the Drosophila third-instar larva.

Understanding neuronal function at the local and circuit level requires understanding astrocyte function. We have provided a detailed analysis of astrocyte morphology and territory in the Drosophila third-instar ventral nerve cord where there already exists considerable understanding of the neuronal network. Astrocyte shape varies more than previously reported; many have bilaterally symmetrical partners, many have a high percentage of their arborization in adjacent segments, and many have branches that follow structural features.

Identification of Receptor Ligands in Apo B100 Reveals Potential Functional Domains.

LDL, VLDL and other members of the low-density lipoparticles (LLPs) enter cells through a large family of receptors. The actual receptor ligand(s) in apolipoprotein B100, one of the main proteins of LLP, remain(s) unknown. The objective of this study was to identify true receptor ligand(s) in apo B100, a molecule of 4563 residues.

Moderate patient-prosthesis mismatch predicts cardiac events and advanced functional class in young and middle-aged patients undergoing surgery due to severe aortic stenosis.

Background And Aim: The clinical impact of patient-prosthesis mismatch (PPM) on outcomes in young and middle-aged patients undergoing surgery for aortic valve replacement (AVR) remains unknown. Our objective was to examine the mid-term impact of PPM on overall mortality, quality of life, and cardiac events in this population.

Methods: All patients younger than 70 years of age undergoing isolated AVR from October 2005 to October 2011 were analyzed.

A novel process for enhancing oil production in algae biorefineries through bioconversion of solid by-products.

This paper focuses on a novel process for adding value to algae residue. In current processes oleaginous microalgae are grown and harvested for lipid production leaving a lipid-free algae residue. The process described here includes conversion of the carbohydrate fraction into glucose prior to lipid extraction.

[Performance of glycated hemoglobin and a risk model for detection of unknown diabetes in coronary patients].

Introduction And Objectives: Traditionally, the oral glucose tolerance test has been useful to diagnose unknown diabetes. Recently, the American Diabetes Association committee has accepted glycated hemoglobin ≥ 6.5% as a criterion for unknown diabetes.

The surgical reconstruction of rheumatoid midfoot and hindfoot deformities.

Dealing with the rheumatoid midfoot and hindfoot is a challenging endeavor. There are numerous perioperative factors that influence surgical outcomes. This article provides a brief overview of the disease process and pertinent details on the surgical management of the rheumatoid midfoot and hindfoot.

Prevalence and outcome of newly detected diabetes in patients who undergo percutaneous coronary intervention.

Aims: The beneficial effect of specific measures in patients with newly detected diabetes during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has been poorly studied. Here, we determined the prevalence of newly detected diabetes in a cohort of patients who underwent PCI and analysed their clinical outcome.

Methods And Results: A prospective study included patients without previous diagnosis of diabetes that were referred for PCI between November 2005 and May 2006.

Knowledge of coronary stents, thrombosis and dual antiplatelet therapy among Spanish dentists.

Introduction And Objectives: The coexistence of heart and dental disease is common and antiplatelet therapy with aspirin and clopidogrel following a percutaneous intervention can interfere with dental practice. Our aim was to study dentists' knowledge of percutaneous coronary interventions and their approach to affected patients.

Methods: A questionnaire was used to evaluate the knowledge of 100 randomly selected dentists in Spain about coronary stents, antiplatelet therapy, and guidelines prepared by American medical societies, including the American Dental Association, and to determine how frequently they consulted a cardiologist.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and athlete's heart: a tale of two entities.

Sudden death during sports activities, although unfrequent, is a tragic event with great impact on both the general and medical communities. The two commonest conditions leading to sudden cardiac death in young athletes are hyperthrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), the main cause in the USA, and arrythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, which is the leading cause in Europe. We report the case of a 17-year-old football player with a pathological electrocardiography (ECG) in the pre-participation screening programme, highly suggestive of HCM, in which ECG study showed a septum thickness of 28 mm.

A comprehensive study of the use of a homologous promoter in antisense cotton lines exhibiting a high seed oleic acid phenotype.

As opposed to first-generation biotechnology products, such as pest-resistant crops and herbicide-resistant crops, second-generation products often utilize plant-derived, homologous or heterologous genes and/or promoters. In this study, we evaluated the ability of a promoter from a gene encoding a major storage protein in cottonseed to drive an antisense sequence of the cotton FAD2 gene to down-regulate the activity of Delta-12 desaturase enzyme in cottonseeds. The oleic acid level in the transgenic cottonseeds approximately doubled from the wild-type level of 15%, with a concomitant decrease in the level of linoleic acid.

Phospholipase D-catalyzed synthesis of novel phospholipid-phytosterol conjugates.

In the present study, plant sterols were modified to form amphiphiles by synthesizing phospholipid derivatives from them so they could be formulated in different functional foods and possibly improve their effects as therapeutic agents. The new phosphatidyl derivatives, phosphatidyl-sitosterols, were synthesized by the transfer reaction of a phosphatidyl residue from PC to beta-sitosterol by phospholipase D (PLD EC 3.1.