Association between executive functions and COMT Val108/158Met polymorphism among healthy younger and older adults: A preliminary study.

Background And Objectives: Genetic variability in the dopaminergic system could contribute to age-related impairments in executive control. In this study, we examined whether genetic polymorphism for catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT Val158Met) is related to performance on updating, shifting and inhibition tasks.

Methods: We administered a battery of executive tasks assessing updating, shifting and inhibition functions to 45 older and 55 younger healthy participants, and created composite z-scores associated to each function.

Do attentional capacities and processing speed mediate the effect of age on executive functioning?

The executive processes are well known to decline with age, and similar data also exists for attentional capacities and processing speed. Therefore, we investigated whether these two last nonexecutive variables would mediate the effect of age on executive functions (inhibition, shifting, updating, and dual-task coordination). We administered a large battery of executive, attentional and processing speed tasks to 104 young and 71 older people, and we performed mediation analyses with variables showing a significant age effect.

Risk factor assessment in high-risk, bacillus Calmette-Guérin-treated, non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

Objective: To assess the risk factors associated with recurrence, progression and survival in high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) patients treated with bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) and validate the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) and Spanish Urological Club for Oncological Treatment (CUETO) scores.

Patients And Methods: We retrospectively analyzed all BCG-treated NMIBC patients from 1998 to 2012. Multiple variables were tested as risk factors for recurrence-free survival and progression-free survival (PFS).

[Evaluation of adverse events caused by intravesical BCG instillations: Has the strain used a potential implication?].

Introduction: Intravesical instillations of BCG represent an established treatment of high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer but also carry considerable toxicity. The aim of this work was to identify adverse effects, their impact on the treatment and the possible involvement of the BCG strain used.

Material And Methods: To evaluate adverse events in terms of incidence, severity and moment of occurrence, we performed a retrospective analysis of all patients treated with BCG in our institution from 1998 to 2012.

Expression of a synthetic gene encoding a Tribolium castaneum carboxylesterase in Pichia pastoris.

This is the first report of an insect esterase efficiently expressed in the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris (so far insect esterases have been produced only in the baculovirus system). Having isolated a Tribolium castaneum carboxylesterase cDNA (TCE), we were initially unable to express it in Escherichia coli or P. pastoris despite significant transcription levels.