Firearms Are Now the Leading Cause of Traumatic Brain Injury-Related Mortality in Children.

Recent studies have demonstrated a significant change in the epidemiology of injury fatalities in children, most notably a marked increase in firearm-related deaths. Few studies have specifically addressed pediatric TBI-related mortality trends. Studying these trends is important for both clinical preparedness and public health interventions.

Increased water intake reduces long-term renal and cardiovascular disease progression in experimental polycystic kidney disease.

Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is the most common inherited cause of kidney failure and currently has limited treatment options. Increasing water intake reduces renal cyst growth in the pck rat (a genetic ortholog of autosomal recessive PKD) but it is not clear if this beneficial effect is present in other models of PKD. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that high water intake (HWI) reduces the progression of cystic renal disease in Lewis polycystic kidney (LPK) rats (a genetic ortholog of human nephronophthisis-9).

Relative Validity of a Beverage Frequency Questionnaire Used to Assess Fluid Intake in the Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease Population.

Maintaining hydration sufficient to reduce levels of arginine vasopressin has been hypothesised to slow kidney cyst growth in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). The semi-quantitative beverage frequency questionnaire (BFQ) was designed to measure usual fluid intake over the past month. The aim of this study was to assess the validity and reliability of the BFQ compared with the 24-h urine biomarkers.

Is serum copeptin a modifiable biomarker in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease?

The availability of disease-modifying drugs for the management of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) has accelerated the need to accurately predict renal prognosis and/or treatment response in this condition. Arginine vasopressin (AVP) is a critical determinant of postnatal kidney cyst growth in ADPKD. Copeptin (the C-terminal glycoprotein of the precursor AVP peptide) is an accurate surrogate marker of AVP release that is stable and easily measured by immunoassay.

Effect of dimethyl fumarate on renal disease progression in a genetic ortholog of nephronophthisis.

Dimethyl fumarate is an FDA-approved oral immunomodulatory drug with anti-inflammatory properties that induces the upregulation of the anti-oxidant transcription factor, nuclear factor erythroid-derived factor 2. The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of dimethyl fumarate on interstitial inflammation and renal cyst growth in a preclinical model of nephronophthisis. Four-week-old female Lewis polycystic kidney disease (a genetic ortholog of human nephronophthisis-9) rats received vehicle (V), 10 mg/kg (D10) or 30 mg/kg (D30) ( n = 8-9 each) dimethyl fumarate in drinking water for eight weeks.

Randomised controlled trial to determine the efficacy and safety of prescribed water intake to prevent kidney failure due to autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (PREVENT-ADPKD).

Introduction: Maintaining fluid intake sufficient to reduce arginine vasopressin (AVP) secretion has been hypothesised to slow kidney cyst growth in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). However, evidence to support this as a clinical practice recommendation is of poor quality. The aim of the present study is to determine the long-term efficacy and safety of prescribed water intake to prevent the progression of height-adjusted total kidney volume (ht-TKV) in patients with chronic kidney disease (stages 1-3) due to ADPKD.

A feasibility study of low-cost, self-administered skin care interventions in patients with head and neck cancer receiving chemoradiation.

Current evidence for the management of radiation skin toxicities demonstrates equivocal outcomes using a variety of interventions, leaving substantial gaps in knowledge. Skin toxicities can lead to treatment delays, infection, pain, and increased costs for the patient. Patients with head and neck cancers receiving chemoradiation (N = 100), a population particularly vulnerable to disruptions in skin integrity, were enrolled into a prospective, descriptive study.

Characterisation of Tetraploid and Diploid Clones of Spodoptera frugiperda Cell Line.

We have isolated and characterised diploid and tetraploid clones from the normally heterologous Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf-9)cell line by dilution cloning technique. Tetraploid clones were found to have cell sizes in excess of 35% larger than that of the diploid clones. In contrast, the maximum cell numbers achieved in batch cultures of diploid clones were on average 185% higher than the tetraploid cell numbers.

Chromosome instability in Spodoptera frugiperda Sf-9 cell line.

Homogeneous cell lines are essential in industry and research if reliable and reproducible data are to be obtained. The Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf-9) cell line routinely used for the production of recombinant proteins was found to be heterogeneous, containing a mixture of diploid and tetraploid cells. Using dilution-cloning techniques, diploid and tetraploid subpopulations were isolated from a Sf-9 parental cell line, and their cytogenetic state was monitored using Vinblastine to arrest cells in mitosis.

The structure of phosphorylated GSK-3beta complexed with a peptide, FRATtide, that inhibits beta-catenin phosphorylation.

Background: Glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) sequentially phosphorylates four serine residues on glycogen synthase (GS), in the sequence SxxxSxxxSxxx-SxxxS(p), by recognizing and phosphorylating the first serine in the sequence motif SxxxS(P) (where S(p) represents a phosphoserine). FRATtide (a peptide derived from a GSK-3 binding protein) binds to GSK-3 and blocks GSK-3 from interacting with Axin. This inhibits the Axin-dependent phosphorylation of beta-catenin by GSK-3.

Treatment-related fatigue and serum interleukin-1 levels in patients during external beam irradiation for prostate cancer.

To define changes in sleep and subjective fatigue associated with localized radiation treatment, and to determine their relationship to interleukin-1B (IL-1), we prospectively followed 15 men, none of whom were depressed during 8 wk of radiation treatment for localized prostate cancer. Each patient rated fatigue daily on a visual analogue scale, recorded hours slept, and completed the Beck Depression Inventory weekly. Serum IL-1, taken at baseline and Fridays, was measured by quantitative enzyme immunoassay.

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of porcine synovial collagenase.

Crystals of porcine synovial collagenase suitable for an X-ray structure analysis have been obtained. The crystals belong to space group I4, with unit cell dimensions a = b = 160.0 A, c = 53.

Full-dose irradiation for patients with invasive bladder carcinoma: clinical and histological factors prognostic of improved survival.

We reviewed the outcome of 55 patients treated from 1974 to 1982 by full-dose radiation therapy (6,400 to 6,800 rad) to identify factors associated with tumor radioresponsiveness and patient cure. All patients had histological proof of muscle invasion by tumor. Of the patients 8 (14 per cent) had clinical stage T2, 29 (53 per cent) stage T3 and 18 (33 per cent) stage T4 disease.