Association between sclerostin levels and vascular outcomes in kidney transplantation patients.

Background: The impact of circulating sclerostin levels on vascular calcification has shown conflicting results depending on the target population and vascular anatomy. This study investigated the associations of sclerostin levels with vascular outcomes in kidney transplant patients.

Methods: In a prospective observational study of the Korean Cohort Study for Outcome in Patients with Kidney Transplantation, 591 patients with serum sclerostin level data prior to transplantation were analyzed.

An immune dysfunction score for stratification of patients with acute infection based on whole-blood gene expression.

Dysregulated host responses to infection can lead to organ dysfunction and sepsis, causing millions of global deaths each year. To alleviate this burden, improved prognostication and biomarkers of response are urgently needed. We investigated the use of whole-blood transcriptomics for stratification of patients with severe infection by integrating data from 3149 samples from patients with sepsis due to community-acquired pneumonia or fecal peritonitis admitted to intensive care and healthy individuals into a gene expression reference map.

Direct Observation of Orbital Driven Strong Interlayer Coupling in Puckered Two-Dimensional PdSe.

Interlayer coupling between individual unit layers is known to be critical in manipulating the layer-dependent properties of two-dimensional (2D) materials. While recent studies have revealed that several 2D materials with significant degrees of interlayer interaction (such as black phosphorus) show strongly layer-dependent properties, the origin based on the electronic structure is drawing intensive attention along with 2D materials exploration. Here, the direct observation of a highly dispersive single electronic band along the interlayer direction in puckered 2D PdSe as an experimental hallmark of strong interlayer couplings is reported.

Assessment of a rapid diagnostic test to exclude bacteraemia and effect on clinical decision-making for antimicrobial therapy.

Unnecessary antimicrobial treatment promotes the emergence of resistance. Early confirmation that a blood culture is negative could shorten antibiotic courses. The Cognitor Minus test, performed on blood culture samples after 12 hours incubation has a negative predictive value (NPV) of 99.

Anti-inflammatory effects of a methanol extract of Dictamnus dasycarpus Turcz. root bark on imiquimod-induced psoriasis.

Background: The root bark of Dictamnus dasycarpus Turcz. has been successfully used for the treatment of inflammatory skin conditions such as eczema and pruritus. However, the anti-psoriatic effect of this plant has not until now been investigated.

Gait Ignition Failure in JNPL3 Human Tau-mutant Mice.

Cognitive impairments and motor dysfunction are commonly observed behavioral phenotypes in genetic animal models of neurodegenerative diseases. JNPL3 transgenic mice expressing human P301L-mutant tau display motor disturbances with age- and gene dose-dependent development of neurofibrillary tangles, suggesting that tau pathology causes neurodegeneration associated with motor behavioral abnormalities. Although gait ignition failure (GIF), a syndrome marked by difficulty in initiating locomotion, has been described in patients with certain forms of tauopathies, transgenic mouse models mirroring human GIF syndrome have yet to be reported.

Boosting Photocatalytic Performance of Inactive Rutile TiO Nanorods under Solar Light Irradiation: Synergistic Effect of Acid Treatment and Metal Oxide Co-catalysts.

In the present work, we accomplish the boosting of photocatalytic performance by the synergistic effect of acid treatment and transition metal oxide co-catalysts on molten salt rutile TiO nanorods. FT-IR and XPS (oxygen deconvolution) results confirmed that the amount of hydroxyl groups increased on the surface of rutile TiO nanorods (TO-NRs) after acid treatment. HR-TEM analysis revealed fine dispersion of metal oxide on the surface of acid treated TiO nanorods (ATO-NRs).

The Relationship between Magnesium and Endothelial Function in End-Stage Renal Disease Patients on Hemodialysis.

Purpose: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients tend to have higher serum magnesium values than healthy population due to their positive balance of magnesium in kidney. Recent studies found that magnesium level is positively correlated with endothelial function. Therefore, this study was conducted to define the relationship between magnesium level and endothelial dysfunction in end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients on hemodialysis (HD).

AST-120 Improves Microvascular Endothelial Dysfunction in End-Stage Renal Disease Patients Receiving Hemodialysis.

Purpose: Endothelial dysfunction (ED) is a pivotal phenomenon in the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients receiving hemodialysis (HD). Indoxyl sulfate (IS) is a known uremic toxin that induces ED in patients with chronic kidney disease. The aim of this study was to investigate whether AST-120, an absorbent of IS, improves microvascular or macrovascular ED in HD patients.

Stepwise tapering of remifentanil at the end of surgery decreased postoperative pain and the need of rescue analgesics after thyroidectomy.

Background: This study was designed to investigate whether stepwise tapering of remifentanil at the end of surgery could decrease postoperative pain scores and requirements of rescue analgesics after remifentanil-desflurane anesthesia in patients with thyroidectomy.

Methods: Sixty two patients undergoing thyroidectomy under general anesthesia were randomly allocated into two groups. All patients were anesthetised with desflurane and high-dose remifentanil.

A prospective, randomized, double-blind, multicenter trial to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy and safety of palonosetron in the treatment of postoperative nausea and vomiting over a 72-h period.

Purpose: We performed a multicenter, randomized, double-blind trial to assess the efficacy and safety of a single, fixed, intravenous dose of palonosetron (0.075 mg) in the treatment of established postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV).

Methods: Three hundred and eighty-four patients who had at least one risk factors of PONV and underwent surgery under general anesthesia were screened.

Thoracic paravertebral block for nephrectomy: a randomized, controlled, observer-blinded study.

Objective: This study evaluated whether adding a preoperative single thoracic paravertebral block (TPVB) to intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (IV PCA) would improve postoperative analgesia compared with using IV PCA alone in patients undergoing nephrectomy.

Design: Prospective, randomized, controlled, observer-blinded trial.

Setting: University hospital.

Heat shock protein 90 inhibitor attenuates renal fibrosis through degradation of transforming growth factor-β type II receptor.

The accumulation of extracellular matrix proteins in the interstitial area is the final common feature of chronic kidney diseases. Accumulating evidence suggests that transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 promotes the development of renal fibrosis. Heat shock protein (Hsp) 90 inhibitors have been shown to repress TGF-β1 signaling, but whether they inhibit renal fibrosis is unknown.

Novel D-π-A structured Zn(II)-porphyrin dyes containing a bis(3,3-dimethylfluorenyl)amine moiety for dye-sensitised solar cells.

A high solar-to-electricity conversion efficiency of 7.22% was achieved with a short circuit current (J(sc)) of 15.30 mA cm(-2), an open circuit voltage (V(oc)) of 669 mV and a fill factor (FF) of 0.

S2 emission from chemically modified BODIPYs.

Novel boron dipyrromethene (BODIPY) derivatives having significant absorption and emission in the longer wavelength region were synthesized. BODIPY showed anomalous S(2) emission from the second excited (S(2)) state at shorter wavelength. The photodynamics of the S(2) state was investigated by fluorescence up-conversion and transient absorption spectroscopic measurements.

Sonographic abnormalities in idiopathic restless legs syndrome (RLS) and RLS in Parkinson's disease.

We aimed to investigate and compare sonographic abnormalities in the substantia nigra (SN) in patients with idiopathic restless legs syndrome (iRLS), those with RLS and Parkinson's disease (RLS-PD), those with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (iPD), and healthy controls. Study participants totaled 60 patients with RLS (41 iRLS, 19 RLS-PD), 25 iPD patients, and 35 age-matched healthy controls. Comparing all groups, the SN region's echogenicity area in the iRLS patients was significantly decreased compared with that in the PD-RLS, iPD, and control groups (p < 0.

Psychogenic gait disorders after mass school vaccination of influenza a.

Background And Purpose: Psychogenic movement disorders (PMD) after war or mass vaccination was reported and well known disease entity already. However, we have seldom been met those patients because we don't have any chance to experience of those events. Recently, influenza A (H1N1) spreads around world, and many countries have a program of mass vaccination of H1N1.

Early Dorsal Midbrain Syndrome Mimicking an Adie's Tonic Pupil.

Background: While tonic pupils have been attributed to various diseases, including syphilis, herpes zoster, orbital trauma, temporal arteritis, endometriosis, and paraneoplastic syndromes, obstructive hydrocephalus has not been implicated.

Case Report: A 36-year-old woman visited a neurology department with a 7-day history of throbbing headache and blurred vision in both eyes. She had early dorsal midbrain syndrome mimicking an Adie's tonic pupil, and cholinergic supersensitivity was demonstrated using topical 0.

Common carotid artery agenesis: duplex ultrasonographic findings.

Background: Agenesis of the common carotid artery (CCA) resulting in separation of the origin of the external carotid artery (ECA) and internal carotid artery (ICA) from the aortic arch is rare. Fewer than 25 cases have been reported, and correlative ultrasound data were available for only 1 of them.

Case Report: A 52-year-old woman visited the hospital with a 3-day history of vertigo and headache.

Comparative hemodynamic effects of vasopressin and norepinephrine after milrinone-induced hypotension in off-pump coronary artery bypass surgical patients.

Objective: Phosphodiesterase inhibitor is essential to the pharmacologic management of decompensated heart failure because it increases contractility and decreases afterload of right ventricle. It also improves hemodynamics and increases blood flow of the grafted internal mammary arteries and middle cerebral arteries during coronary artery bypass surgery. However, it induces vasodilation and necessitates the use of vasoconstrictors, such as norepinephrine.

[A Case of Cronkhite-Canada syndrome showing resolution with Helicobacter pylori eradication and omeprazole].

We describe a 58-year-old woman who was incidentally found to have gastric and colonic polyposis, hypoalbuminemia, cutaneous hyperpigmentation and onychodystrophy (Cronkhite-Canada syndrome). Histology of polyps from the stomach showed features of juvenile or retention type (hamartomatous) polyps with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection.