Recombinant HCG for triggering ovulation increases the rate of mature oocytes in women treated for ICSI.

Purpose: To conduct a prospective randomized study in order to investigate the effect of recombinant HCG (rHCG) on oocyte nuclear and cytoplasm maturity compared to urinary HCG (uHCG), for inducing ovulation in women treated with ICSI for male factor infertility.

Materials And Methods: We compared 89 patients randomly assigned to one of the two study groups. Group A consisted of 42 women who received a subcutaneous (s.

Dynamics of immune granuloma formation in a Leishmania braziliensis-induced self-limiting cutaneous infection in the primate Macaca mulatta.

In order to unravel the physiopathology of leishmaniasis in humans, it is necessary to better understand how Leishmania are able to survive for years within immunologically active granulomas. In the present study, we used a macaque (Macaca mulatta) model of infection with Leishmania braziliensis as a means of assessing the usefulness of this primate system. This model more closely mirrors human protective immunity to Leishmania than the murine model; therefore, we used it to study the host inflammatory granulomatous response involved in the control of cutaneous leishmaniasis.

Botulinum toxin type A in the healing of ulcer following oro-mandibular dyskinesia in a patient in a vegetative state.

Objective: Use of botulinum toxin is expanding as clinical studies demonstrate new potential therapeutic applications. In rehabilitation, botulinum toxin is predominantly used as adjunct therapy for the treatment of spasticity, but it may prove useful for other atypical clinical situations.

Case History: A 73-year-old man had a severe sub-arachnoid haemorrhage following the rupture of a giant aneurism of the middle left cerebral artery.

Musculoskeletal imaging: medicare use, costs, and potential for cost substitution.

Purpose: The current study explores the substitution of ultrasound (US) for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders by describing the recent use and costs of MSK imaging in the Medicare population, projecting these trends from 2006 to 2020, and estimating cost-savings involved in substituting MSK US for MSK MRI, when appropriate.

Methods: The study used government-published data sets and de-identified Radiology Information System records exempt from institutional review board approval. From 1 year's MSK MRI records (n = 3,621), the proportion of cases in which US could be substituted for MRI was estimated.

Redox regulation of anoikis: reactive oxygen species as essential mediators of cell survival.

Proper attachment to the extracellular matrix (ECM) is essential for cell survival. The loss of integrin-mediated cell-ECM contact results in an apoptotic process termed anoikis. However, mechanisms involved in regulation of cell survival are poorly understood and mediators responsible for anoikis have not been well characterized.

Proteome analysis of Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry.

Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis, a protozoan parasite widespread in the New World, is responsible for the infection of different mammal orders, including humans. This species is considered to be a major etiological agent of American cutaneous leishmaniasis. A proteomic study was carried out to identify proteins expressed by L.

EphrinA1 activates a Src/focal adhesion kinase-mediated motility response leading to rho-dependent actino/myosin contractility.

Eph receptors and ephrin ligands are widely expressed in epithelial cells and mediate cell repulsive motility through heterotypic cell-cell interactions. Several Ephs, including EphA2, are greatly overexpressed in certain tumors, in correlation with poor prognosis and high vascularity in cancer tissues. The ability of several Eph receptors to regulate cell migration and invasion likely contribute to tumor progression and metastasis.

Genetic structure of Lutzomyia (Nyssomyia) intermedia populations from two ecologic regions in Brazil where transmission of Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis reflects distinct eco-epidemiologic features.

Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis was performed to infer the magnitude and pattern of genetic differentiation among Lutzomyia (Nyssomyia) intermedia populations from two ecologic regions in southeast Brazil where transmission of American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) by L. (Viannia) braziliensis reflects distinct eco-epidemiologic features. Two hundred thirty-five bands from six primers were analyzed for genetic variation within and between sand fly populations.

Comparative evaluation of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays based on crude and recombinant leishmanial antigens for serodiagnosis of symptomatic and asymptomatic Leishmania infantum visceral infections in dogs.

The diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis remains difficult in rural areas where the disease is endemic, and serologic methods still need assessment, as they are not very sensitive for the detection of asymptomatic infectious dogs. Here we present data on the development of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)-based methods for the detection of antibodies against recombinant leishmanial antigens (namely, the recombinant K26 [rK26] and rK39 antigens from Leishmania infantum and the rA2 protein from Leishmania donovani) in comparison to ELISAs employing crude soluble antigen (CSA). The assays utilized sera from known negative controls (n=25) and clinically asymptomatic (n=50) and symptomatic (n=50) dogs with confirmed L.

Telephone follow-up for patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

The relentless evolution of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a severe neurodegenerative disorder of the upper and lower motoneurons, leads to an increasing level of disability. Most patients, during the course of the disease, become unable to attend the tertiary clinical care center and are thus prevented from enrolling in clinical trials or benefiting from specialized care and management. The main objective of this study was to verify whether the ALS functional rating scale (ALSFRS) could be reliably administered by telephone to patients, when unable to attend the ALS clinic, or to their caregivers.

Redox regulation of ephrin/integrin cross-talk.

Interactions linking the Eph receptor tyrosine kinase and ephrin ligands transduce short-range repulsive signals regulating several motile biological processes including axon path-finding, angiogenesis and tumor growth. These ephrin-induced effects are believed to be mediated by alterations in actin dynamics and cytoskeleton reorganization. The members of the small Rho GTPase family elicit various effects on actin structures and are probably involved in Eph receptor-induced actin modulation.

Responses of Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis cutaneous infection to N-methylglucamine antimoniate in the rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) model.

The antileishmanial efficacy of the reference drug N-methylglucamine antimoniate (Glucantime) was evaluated in groups of rhesus monkeys with acute and chronic Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis cutaneous infection. The therapeutic responses in experimental animals to either a low dose (5 mg/kg body wt/day for 28 days) or a routine dose (20 mg/kg/day for 28 days) of pentavalent antimony were similar to those reported in the human disease. Primates were cured of their lesions after treatment, but with cryptic parasitism and/or relapse.

Neuroendoscopic management of interhemispheric cysts in children.

Object: Interhemispheric arachnoid cysts are very rare, and they are often associated with complex brain malformations such as corpus callosum agenesis and hydrocephalus. Debate remains concerning the proper management of these lesions. Placement of shunts and microsurgical marsupialization of the cyst are the traditional options.

Leishmania infantum-induced primary and challenge infections in rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta): a primate model for visceral leishmaniasis.

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) was experimentally induced in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) by intravenously inoculating 2 x 10(7)amastigotes/kg of body weight of Leishmania infantum. The macaques developed a systemic disease showing characteristic features of human VL such as fever, diarrhoea, body weight loss, anaemia, hypergammaglobulinaemia and transient lymphocytosis, as well as lymph node, liver and/or spleen enlargement. Nine weeks after infection, one primate showed pronounced weight loss, became moribund and was euthanized.

Structure/function of KRAB repression domains: structural properties of KRAB modules inferred from hydrodynamic, circular dichroism, and FTIR spectroscopic analyses.

The abundant zinc finger proteins (ZFPs) sharing the KRAB motif, a potent transcription repression domain, direct the assembly on templates of multiprotein repression complexes. A pivotal step in this pathway is the assembly of a KRAB domain-directed complex with a primary corepressor, KAP1/KRIP-1/TIF1beta. The structure/function dependence of KRAB/TIF1beta protein-protein interaction and properties of the complex, therefore, play pivotal roles in diverse cellular processes depending on KRAB-ZFPs regulation.

Expression, purification and partial characterization of the Krüppel-associated box (KRAB) from the human ZNF2 protein.

The Krüppel-associated box (KRAB) domain is a potent transcription repression bipartite domain, shared by over 400 zinc finger proteins in humans, involved in the regulation of many functions. KRAB domains are both physically and functionally bipartite (A and B modules). The lone KRAB-A and composite KRAB-AB domains from the human ZNF2 protein were over-expressed as recombinant proteins in E.

Left ventricular functional recovery during cardiac resynchronization therapy: predictive role of asynchrony measured by strain rate analysis.

Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) improves myocardial performance in patients with heart failure (HF) and left bundle-branch block (LBBB). Tissue Doppler echocardiography (TDE) has already been used to guide the selection of candidates for CRT. The objective of this study is to correlate the effects of CRT on left ventricular (LV) systolic function with wall motion synchrony assessed by TDE.

Sequential biventricular resynchronization optimized by myocardial strain rate analysis: a case report.

We report the case of a patient with severe left ventricular systolic dysfunction and left bundle branch block in whom cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) was optimized by tissue Doppler imaging. A horizontal mechanical asynchrony index was derived from tissue Doppler regional longitudinal strain rate profiles as the time difference at the onset of shortening between septum, lateral, anterior and inferior walls. The interventricular delay was modulated in order to achieve the smallest asynchrony index; on the basis of this parameter a sequential (S)-CRT with a left ventricular pre-excitation of 20 ms was definitively programmed.

Cross-immunity experiments between different species or strains of Leishmania in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta).

This study evaluates cross-immunity in rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) previously infected with one species of Leishmania and have had self-cured disease or were cured by antimony-based therapy upon development of full-blown disease. We found that a self-healing cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) following experimental infection with Leishmania (Leishmania) major induces significant protection for L. (L.

Analysis of epidermal growth factor receptor expression as a predictive factor for response to gefitinib ('Iressa', ZD1839) in non-small-cell lung cancer.

Gefitinib ('Iressa', ZD1839) is an orally active epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor that has demonstrated antitumour activity and favourable tolerability in Phase II studies. We investigated whether EGFR expression levels could predict for response to gefitinib in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), who received gefitinib (250 mg day(-1)) as part of a worldwide compassionate-use programme. Tissue samples were analysed by immunohistochemistry to assess membrane EGFR immunoreactivity.

Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis-induced chronic granulomatous cutaneous lesions affecting the nasal mucosa in the rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) model.

The present studies on infections with Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis in rhesus macaques were made to characterize the evolution of different parasite strains and the immune responses they elicited in this experimental host. A standardized inoculum of promastigotes was injected intradermally either above the eyelid or on the forearm of each monkey. Sixteen infected monkeys developed longstanding infections which lasted until the end of the observation period (33 months).

Genetic polymorphism and molecular epidemiology of Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis from different hosts and geographic areas in Brazil.

Numerical zymotaxonomy and variability of the internal transcribed spacers (ITS) between the small and large subunits of the rRNA genes were used to examine strain variation and relationships in natural populations of Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis. A total of 101 strains from distinct hosts and Brazilian geographic regions were assigned to 15 zymodemes clustered in two major genetic groups. The great number of isolates (48.

Genotypically distinct Leishmania colombiensis isolates from Venezuela cause both cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis in humans.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis in Venezuela has been associated with different Leishmania species and the visceral form is frequently related to L. chagasi. However, in this study we have characterized as L.

Study of the safety, immunogenicity and efficacy of attenuated and killed Leishmania (Leishmania) major vaccines in a rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) model of the human disease.

We have compared the efficacy of two Leishmania (Leishmania) major vaccines, one genetically attenuated (DHFR-TS deficient organisms), the other inactivated [autoclaved promastigotes (ALM) with bacillus Calmete-Guérin (BCG)], in protecting rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) against infection with virulent L. (L.) major.

International hematology-oncology nursing education in Latin America.

In countries with limited resources, the multidisciplinary hematology-oncology (H-O) treatment team model, which relies heavily on highly trained nurses, is generally not in use. Since 1996, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital has been working with medical centers in Mexico and Central and South America to improve the specialty training of nurses in pediatric H-O.