Novel technique for retraction of the gastroesophageal junction in laparoscopic antireflux surgery.

Laparoscopic antireflux surgery is a recognized procedure for patients diagnosed with gastroesophageal reflux disease whose symptoms are refractory to medical treatment. We describe a novel and cost-effective technique that aids in mobilization and retraction of the gastroesophageal junction before repair of the diaphragmatic crural defect. After hiatal dissection and creation of a posterior gastric wrap, an index suture (2-0 ethibond) is placed across the wrap.

Promoter and signal sequence from filamentous fungus can drive recombinant protein production in the yeast Kluyveromyces lactis.

Cross-recognition of promoters from filamentous fungi in yeast can have important consequences towards developing fungal expression systems, especially for the rapid evaluation of their efficacy. A truncated 510bp inducible Trichoderma reesei cellobiohydrolase I (cbh1) promoter was tested for the expression of green fluorescent protein (GFP) in Kluyveromyces lactis after disrupting its native β-galactosidase (lac4) promoter. The efficiency of the CBH1 secretion signal was also evaluated by fusing it to the lac4 promoter of the yeast, which significantly increased the secretion of recombinant protein in K.

A facile approach for high surface area electrospun TiO2 nanostructures for photovoltaic and photocatalytic applications.

A rice-shaped TiO2-ZnO composite was prepared by electrospinning a mixture comprising the precursors of TiO2 and ZnO in polyvinyl acetate polymer dissolved in N,N-dimethyl acetamide. The electrospun nanofibers upon heat treatment in air resulted in collapse of the continuous fiber morphology and the formation of the rice-shaped TiO2-ZnO composite. The TiO2-ZnO composite was then treated with dilute acetic acid under hydrothermal conditions to etch ZnO from the TiO2-ZnO composite to get coral-shaped anisotropic TiO2.

A critical evaluation of the Intercollegiate Surgical Curriculum and comparison with its predecessor the "Calman" curriculum.

Background: The increasing need for doctors to be accountable and an emphasis on competency have led to the evolution of medical curricula. The Intercollegiate Surgical Curriculum Project succeeded the Calman curriculum for surgical training in 2007 in the UK. It sought to provide an integrated curriculum based upon a website platform.

Loss of D2 dopamine receptor function modulates cocaine-induced glutamatergic synaptic potentiation in the ventral tegmental area.

Potentiation of glutamate responses is a critical synaptic response to cocaine exposure in ventral tegmental area (VTA) neurons. However, the mechanism by which cocaine exposure promotes potentiation of NMDA receptors (NMDARs) and subsequently AMPA receptors (AMPARs) is not fully understood. In this study we demonstrate that repeated cocaine treatment causes loss of D2 dopamine receptor functional responses via interaction with lysosome-targeting G-protein-associated sorting protein1 (GASP1).

FDG PET and MRI in logopenic primary progressive aphasia versus dementia of the Alzheimer's type.

Objectives: The logopenic variant of primary progressive aphasia is an atypical clinical variant of Alzheimer's disease which is typically characterized by left temporoparietal atrophy on magnetic resonance imaging and hypometabolism on F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography. We aimed to characterize and compare patterns of atrophy and hypometabolism in logopenic primary progressive aphasia, and determine which brain regions and imaging modality best differentiates logopenic primary progressive aphasia from typical dementia of the Alzheimer's type.

Methods: A total of 27 logopenic primary progressive aphasia subjects underwent fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography and volumetric magnetic resonance imaging.

Effect of embedded plasmonic Au nanoparticles on photocatalysis of electrospun TiO2 nanofibers.

The present study demonstrates an original approach by which Au nanoparticles (approximately 10 nm) are embedded into TiO2 fibers via electrospinning. The photocatalytic performance of the resultant fibrous material was studied and related to the architecture and the nature of the internal interfaces in the composite. It was found that embedment of nano Au particles into the TiO2 fiber significantly improved the photocatalytic performance as compared to non-embedded ones.

The anticancer drug Dp44mT inhibits T-cell activation and CD25 through a copper-dependent mechanism.

The di-2-pyridylketone thiosemicarbazone Dp44mT is a metal-chelating compound that has been demonstrated to have potent activity as an anticancer agent. Here we report that it also has a dramatic inhibitory effect on T-cell activation in vitro. We found that 10 nM Dp44mT (IC(50) 3.

Effect of surface nanomorphology and interfacial galvanic coupling of PEDOT-titanium counter electrodes on the stability of dye-sensitized solar cell.

The present study demonstrates a novel approach by which titanium foils coated with electropolymerized poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) in combination with sputtered platinum can be processed into a high-surface area cathodes for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). A detailed study has been performed to elucidate how surface nanomorphology and I(-)/I(3-) redox reaction behaviors underlying these photocathodes impact the DSSC performances. From the analysis of the relevant electrochemical parameters, an intrinsic correlation between the photovoltaic performances and the cathode surface area has been deduced for such a system and explained on the basis of relative contributions of the galvanic coupling properties of the nanomorphology PEDOT film and platinum.

Dysphagia in the elderly: management and nutritional considerations.

Dysphagia is a prevalent difficulty among aging adults. Though increasing age facilitates subtle physiologic changes in swallow function, age-related diseases are significant factors in the presence and severity of dysphagia. Among elderly diseases and health complications, stroke and dementia reflect high rates of dysphagia.

Chronic ethanol potentiates the effect of neuropeptide s in the basolateral amygdala and shows increased anxiolytic and anti-depressive effects.

Alleviating anxiety and depression is pivotal for reducing the risk of relapse in alcoholics. Currently available anxiolytic treatments are limited by side effects, including reduced efficacy in alcoholics, addiction, and sedation. We examined whether the neuropeptide S receptor (NPSR) was effective at controlling ethanol consumption and the anxiety and depression produced by forced abstinence from ethanol.

Propagating unstable wavelets in cardiac tissue.

Solitonlike propagating modes have been proposed for excitable tissue, but have never been measured in cardiac tissue. In this study, we simulate an experimental protocol to elicit these propagating unstable wavelets (PUWs) in a detailed three-dimensional ventricular wedge preparation. PUWs appear as fixed-shape wavelets that propagate only in the direction of cardiac fibers, with conduction velocity approximately 40% slower than normal action potential excitation.

Detection of pulsed gamma rays above 100 GeV from the Crab pulsar.

We report the detection of pulsed gamma rays from the Crab pulsar at energies above 100 giga-electron volts (GeV) with the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System (VERITAS) array of atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes. The detection cannot be explained on the basis of current pulsar models. The photon spectrum of pulsed emission between 100 mega-electron volts and 400 GeV is described by a broken power law that is statistically preferred over a power law with an exponential cutoff.

Bioconversion of lignocellulose-derived sugars to ethanol by engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Lignocellulosic biomass from agricultural and agro-industrial residues represents one of the most important renewable resources that can be utilized for the biological production of ethanol. The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is widely used for the commercial production of bioethanol from sucrose or starch-derived glucose. While glucose and other hexose sugars like galactose and mannose can be fermented to ethanol by S.

Opioid-Induced GABA potentiation after chronic morphine attenuates the rewarding effects of opioids in the ventral tegmental area.

GABA transmission in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) is critical for fine tuning the activity of dopamine neurons in response to opioids. However, the precise mechanism by which GABA input shapes opioid reward is poorly understood. We observed a reduction of conditioned place preference for low doses of the opioid [d-Ala2, N-MePhe4, Gly5-ol]-enkephalin (DAMGO) and a switch in the functional effects of μ-opioid receptor modulation of GABA postsynaptic currents in the mouse VTA 1 d after chronic morphine treatment.

Recent onset neck pain with associated neurological deficit--Pott's disease remains an important differential diagnosis.

The incidence of spinal tuberculosis is increasing in developed nations. In Ireland, half of all cases seen in the most recent decade for which figures are available were diagnosed in 2005-2007, the three most recent years for which there is complete data. We discuss a patient who presented with neurological complications due to destructive spinal tuberculous disease affecting the sixth cervical vertebra.

micro-Opioid receptor endocytosis prevents adaptations in ventral tegmental area GABA transmission induced during naloxone-precipitated morphine withdrawal.

Chronic morphine drives adaptations in synaptic transmission thought to underlie opiate dependence. Here we examine the role of micro-opioid receptor (MOR) trafficking in one of these adaptations, specifically, changes in GABA transmission in the ventral tegmental area (VTA). To address this question, we used a knock-in mouse, RMOR (for recycling MOR), in which genetic change in the MOR promotes morphine-induced receptor desensitization and endocytosis in GABA interneurons of the VTA.

A pilot study on the usefulness of body mass index and waist hip ratio as a predictive tool for gestational diabetes in Asian Indians.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a common public health issue of pregnancy and women who have had GDM are at high risk for developing of diabetes mellitus Type-2. The aim of this study was to find the association between various clinical and biochemical parameters and GDM. One hundred and six consecutive patients who attended the out patient unit of department of gynecology, Kottayam Medical College, were enrolled in the study and followed up through the whole antenatal, intra-partum and post-partum periods to identify the obstetric outcome.

Alcoholic fermentation of xylose and mixed sugars using recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae engineered for xylose utilization.

Previously, a Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain was engineered for xylose assimilation by the constitutive overexpression of the Orpinomyces xylose isomerase, the S. cerevisiae xylulokinase, and the Pichia stipitis SUT1 sugar transporter genes. The recombinant strain exhibited growth on xylose, under aerobic conditions, with a specific growth rate of 0.

Xylose isomerase from polycentric fungus Orpinomyces: gene sequencing, cloning, and expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae for bioconversion of xylose to ethanol.

The cDNA sequence of the gene for xylose isomerase from the rumen fungus Orpinomyces was elucidated by rapid amplification of cDNA ends. The 1,314-nucleotide gene was cloned and expressed constitutively in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The deduced polypeptide sequence encoded a protein of 437 amino acids which showed the highest similarity to the family II xylose isomerases.

Understanding the information needs of public health practitioners: a literature review to inform design of an interactive digital knowledge management system.

Unlabelled: The need for rapid access to information to support critical decisions in public health cannot be disputed; however, development of such systems requires an understanding of the actual information needs of public health professionals. This paper reports the results of a literature review focused on the information needs of public health professionals. The authors reviewed the public health literature to answer the following questions: (1) What are the information needs of public health professionals? (2) In what ways are those needs being met? (3) What are the barriers to meeting those needs? (4) What is the role of the Internet in meeting information needs? The review was undertaken in order to develop system requirements to inform the design and development of an interactive digital knowledge management system.

High- but not low-dose folic acid improves endothelial function in coronary artery disease.

Background: While folic acid (FA) reduces plasma homocysteine (Hcy), whether the simultaneous improvement in endothelial function is dependent on Hcy lowering per se is questionable. In the present study the relationship between FA dose, Hcy lowering and endothelial function in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) was investigated.

Materials And Methods: Eighty-four patients with CAD received either 400 microg FA or 5 mg placebo daily for a 6-week treatment period.

Folic acid reverses endothelial dysfunction induced by inhibition of tetrahydrobiopterin biosynthesis.

While folic acid has been shown to reverse endothelial dysfunction, the exact underlying mechanism remains elusive. Here, folic acid reversed both the endothelial dysfunction and increased production of superoxide following depletion of rabbit aortic ring tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) levels with 2,4-diamino-6-hydroxy-pyrimidine (DAHP) and N-acetyl-5-hydroxy-tryptamine (NAS). Incubation with l-nitroarginine methyl ester also attenuated the production of superoxide.

Folate, homocysteine, endothelial function and cardiovascular disease.

Evidence reported from numerous clinical studies over the past decade has revealed an association between increased plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) concentrations and cardiovascular disease (CVD). In addition, epidemiological studies have identified an inverse association between blood folate concentrations, folate intake and cardiovascular endpoints, that are independent of homocysteine. Folic acid supplementation can lower plasma tHcy concentrations safely and inexpensively.