Differential gene expression profiling of one- and two-dimensional apogamous gametophytes of the fern Dryopteris affinis ssp. affinis.

Apomixis was originally defined as the replacement of sexual reproduction by an asexual process that does not involve fertilization but, in angiosperms, it is often used in the more restricted sense of asexual reproduction through seeds. In ferns, apomixis combines the production of unreduced spores (diplospory) and the formation of sporophytes from somatic cells of the prothallium (apogamy). The genes that control the onset of apogamy in ferns are largely unknown.

Development of an enzymatic biosensor to determine eugenol in dental samples.

A GCE/CRGO-βCD's/ADA-SPE/AuNPs biosensor was successfully developed to determine eugenol in dental samples. The optimal conditions to construct the biosensor were obtained from an experimental design based on the response surfaces methodology. The GCE/CRGO-βCD/ADA-SPE/AuNPs biosensor exhibited a very good analytical performance for the quantification of eugenol.

Belatacept in kidney transplant patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Objectives: Lupus nephritis (LN) requires renal replacement therapy in 10%-30% of patients. About 30% of these patients receive a kidney transplant. Belatacept is a second-generation, selective, T-cell co-stimulator blocker (inhibits cytotoxic, T-lymphocyte antigen 4, CTLA-4) used as an alternative to calcineurin inhibitors (CNI) for maintenance regimens after kidney transplantation.

Unique white matter structural connectivity in early-stage drug-naive Parkinson disease.

Objective: To investigate the topographic arrangement and strength of whole-brain white matter (WM) structural connectivity in patients with early-stage drug-naive Parkinson disease (PD).

Methods: We employed a model-free data-driven approach for computing whole-brain WM topologic arrangement and connectivity strength between brain regions by utilizing diffusion MRI of 70 participants with early-stage drug-naive PD and 41 healthy controls. Subsequently, we generated a novel group-specific WM anatomical network by minimizing variance in anatomical connectivity of each group.

Transvaginal treatment of anterior and apical genital prolapse using Restorelle® direct fix™: An observational study of medium-term complications and outcomes.

Introduction: The purpose of the study was to assess the frequency of late postoperative complications, surgical revisions and anatomical and functional outcomes > 1year after the insertion of an ultra-light vaginal mesh for the treatment of genital prolapse.

Material And Methods: In our multicenter retrospective series, patients who had a previous ultra-light transobturator mesh (19g/m2) Restorelle®DirectFix™ mesh placed, either reviewed in post-operative consultation or interviewed by phone with a minimum of twelve months' follow-up were included.

Results: 172 patients were included in the analysis.

Inhibition of the mutated c-KIT kinase in AML1-ETO-positive leukemia cells restores sensitivity to PARP inhibitor.

c-KIT activating mutations cause resistance to PARP inhibitor in AML1-ETO–positive leukemias. c-KIT inhibitor avapritinib downregulates BRCA1/2 and DNA-PK catalytic subunit to restore the sensitivity to PARP inhibitor.

A guide to applying the Good Publication Practice 3 guidelines in the Asia-Pacific region.

Numerous recommendations and guidelines aim to improve the quality, timeliness and transparency of medical publications. However, these guidelines use ambiguous language that can be challenging to interpret, particularly for speakers of English as a second language. Cultural expectations within the Asia-Pacific region raise additional challenges and several studies have suggested that awareness and application of ethical publication practices in the Asia-Pacific region is relatively low compared with other regions.

Epilepsy and lifestyle behaviors related to bone health.

Objective: Adults aged 50 years and older with epilepsy face an increased risk of fracture associated both with age and with the use of antiepileptic drugs. Lifestyle behaviors, such as physical activity and calcium and vitamin D intake, have been found to be beneficial to bone health. The aim of this study is to investigate these osteoprotective behaviors in people aged 50 years and older with and without epilepsy.

Ovarian drilling in polycystic ovary syndrome: Long term pregnancy rate.

Objective: To report long term pregnancy rate in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) treated by ovarian drilling. To evaluate predictive factors of pregnancy and possibility of a second drilling.

Design: Retrospective, observational, multicenter study.

The role of resilience in healthcare transitions among adolescent kidney transplant recipients.

Purpose: AYAs with KTs experience high rates of premature allograft loss during the HCT. There is a critical need to identify protective factors associated with stable HCT. Resilience-the ability to adapt and thrive in the setting of adversity-has known positive impact on health outcomes.

Mental disorders in systemic lupus erythematosus: a cohort study.

Currently, the evaluation of mental disorders in patients with Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is essential in the management of the illness because of their impact in morbimortality. The main purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of mental disorders in a group of patients with SLE in a tertiary referral hospital in Quito-Ecuador. The main diffuse central nervous system psychiatric syndromes in SLE (psychosis, anxiety and mood disorders) and cognitive dysfunction were evaluated with the MINI International Neuropsychiatric Interview and the Montreal scale, respectively.

Factors Associated With Postoperative Confusion and Prolonged Hospital Stay Following Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery for Parkinson Disease.

Background: Several patient and disease characteristics are thought to influence DBS outcomes; however, most previous studies have focused on long-term outcomes with only a few addressing immediate postoperative course.

Objective: To evaluate predictors of immediate outcomes (postoperative confusion and length of postoperative hospitalization) following deep brain stimulation surgery (DBS) in Parkinson disease (PD) patients.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of PD patients who underwent DBS at our institution from 2006 to 2011.

Tardive Dyskinesia: Treatment Update.

Purpose Of Review: Tardive dyskinesia (TD) is caused by exposure to medications with dopamine antagonism, mainly antipsychotics. It often distresses individuals, physically and emotionally and affects their quality of life. We evaluated peer-reviewed recently published articles with a goal of providing a critically appraised update on the latest advancements in this field.

Value of computerized shunt infusion study in assessment of pediatric hydrocephalus shunt function-a two center cross-sectional study.

Background: Hydrocephalus shunt malfunction can-also in children-occur insidiously without clear symptoms of raised intracranial pressure (ICP) or changes in ventricular size, imposing a diagnostic challenge. Computerized shunt infusion studies enable quantitative shunt function assessment. We report on feasibility and results of this technique in children in a two center cross-sectional study.

PattRec: An easy-to-use CNV detection tool optimized for targeted NGS assays with diagnostic purposes.

Genetic laboratories use custom-commercial targeted next-generation sequencing (tg-NGS) assays to identify disease-causing variants. Although the high coverage achieved with these tests allows for the detection of copy number variants (CNVs), which account for an important proportion of the genetic burden in human diseases, an easy-to-use tool for automatic CNV detection is still lacking. This article presents a new CNV detection tool optimized for tg-NGS data: PattRec.

Height and weight changes after deep brain stimulation in patients with Parkinson disease: role of clinical subtypes.

Unlabelled: Increased body mass index (BMI) after deep brain stimulation (DBS) in Parkinson's disease (PD) has been repeatedly reported in literature. However, little is known about the effect of PD clinical subtypes on weight and height changes after DBS. We aimed to study the differential effect of tremor-predominant versus hypokinetic-rigid disease on weight and height changes after DBS.

Intra-amoebic localization of Arcobacter butzleri as an endocytobiont of Acanthamoeba castellanii.

Acanthamoeba castellanii is a free-living amoeba found mainly in humid environments and Arcobacter butzleri is an emerging zoonotic pathogen, both can establish in vitro endosymbiotic relationships in the absence of bacterial replication. We analyzed the localization of A. butzleri within A.

Long-term safety and efficacy of deutetrabenazine for the treatment of tardive dyskinesia.

Objective: To evaluate the long-term safety and efficacy of deutetrabenazine in patients with tardive dyskinesia (TD).

Method: Patients with TD who completed the 12 week, phase 3, placebo-controlled trials were eligible to enter this open-label, single-arm study. The open-label study consisted of a 6 week dose-escalation phase and a long-term maintenance phase (clinic visits at Weeks 4, 6 and 15, and every 13 weeks until Week 106).

Prevalence of Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in Childhood Glomerular Diseases.

Background Cardiovascular disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in children with chronic kidney disease. We sought to determine the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in children with glomerular disease and to describe current practice patterns regarding risk factor identification and management. Methods and Results Seven-hundred sixty-one children aged 0 to 17 years with any of 4 biopsy-confirmed primary glomerular diseases (minimal change disease, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, membranous nephropathy, and IgA nephropathy/vasculitis) were enrolled at a median of 16 months from glomerular disease diagnosis in the multicenter prospective Cure Glomerulonephropathy Network study.

Making decisions on health care for children / adolescents with complex chronic conditions: a review of the literature.

The profile of pediatric care has gone through changes in Brazil and in the world. This process becomes more visible in surveys that deal with hospital admission or specialized outpatient care data. This fact leads us to the idea that it is in such spaces that these children and subjects who care for them are more visible and negotiate decisions.

Comparison of media and growth conditions for culturing enterohepatic Helicobacter species.

This research aims to compare the culturing conditions for enterohepatic Helicobacter, evaluating culture media, incubation atmosphere and susceptibility to antimicrobials used to generate selective conditions. Four common media for the closely related genus Campylobacter (Columbia, Bolton, Brucella and CCDA agar), as well as the need for hydrogen in the microaerobic incubation atmosphere, were evaluated. Serial dilutions of 13 strains belonging to six species (H.