Accelerating Alzheimer's research through 'natural' animal models.

Purpose Of Review: Alzheimer's disease is a complex multifactorial age-related neurodegenerative disorder. Current transgenic animal models do not fully recapitulate human Alzheimer's disease at the molecular, cellular and behavioural levels. This review aims to address the clinical relevance of using 'physiologically' aged rats, dogs and Octodon degus, as more representative 'natural' ecologically valid models to elucidate mechanistic aspects of Alzheimer's disease, and for the development of therapeutic agents to attenuate age-related cognitive decline.

Formulation and characterization of inhalable magnetic nanocomposite microparticles (MnMs) for targeted pulmonary delivery via spray drying.

Targeted pulmonary delivery facilitates the direct application of bioactive materials to the lungs in a controlled manner and provides an exciting platform for targeting magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) to the lungs. Iron oxide MNPs remotely heat in the presence of an alternating magnetic field (AMF) providing unique opportunities for therapeutic applications such as hyperthermia. In this study, spray drying was used to formulate magnetic nanocomposite microparticles (MnMs) consisting of iron oxide MNPs and d-mannitol.

Spontaneous release of epiretinal membrane in a young weight-lifting athlete by presumed central rupture and centrifugal pull.

This patient presented for surgery at the age of 32 years, 14 months after his initial complaint of metamorphopsia and visual loss in the right eye. Past tests demonstrated a whitish epiretinal membrane (ERM) with translucent stress lines over a thickened macula. Visual acuity was found on last presentation to be normal with minimal alteration on Amsler grid testing.

Amoxicillin/Clavulanic Acid-induced thrombocytopenia.

Introduction And Objective: Drug-induced thrombocytopenia is a common adverse effect reported in the literature. Typically patients present with a low platelet count with signs and symptoms ranging from bruising to bleeding, and major organ damage. Penicillin-induced thrombocytopenia previously reported in the literature is explained primarily through the hapten-dependent antibody process.

Arabic versions of the sleep timing questionnaire and the composite scale of morningness.

Objectives: To develop Arabic versions of English language questionnaires to estimate morningness/eveningness and sleep variables.

Methods: We translated the Composite scale of morningness (CSM) and the sleep timing questionnaire (STQ) [with added siesta questions] into Arabic; the Arabic versions were then back translated. The revised Arabic and the original English versions were next administered to bi-lingual Egyptians using a crossover design (n=25).

Sub-micron resolution selected area electron channeling patterns.

Collection of selected area channeling patterns (SACPs) on a high resolution FEG-SEM is essential to carry out quantitative electron channeling contrast imaging (ECCI) studies, as it facilitates accurate determination of the crystal plane normal with respect to the incident beam direction and thus allows control the electron channeling conditions. Unfortunately commercial SACP modes developed in the past were limited in spatial resolution and are often no longer offered. In this contribution we present a novel approach for collecting high resolution SACPs (HR-SACPs) developed on a Gemini column.

High-risk age window for mortality in children with cystic fibrosis after lung transplantation.

LTx in children with CF remains controversial. The UNOS database was queried from 1987 to 2013 for CF patients <18 yr of age at time of transplant. PCHR model was used to quantify hazard of mortality.

DDMGD: the database of text-mined associations between genes methylated in diseases from different species.

Gathering information about associations between methylated genes and diseases is important for diseases diagnosis and treatment decisions. Recent advancements in epigenetics research allow for large-scale discoveries of associations of genes methylated in diseases in different species. Searching manually for such information is not easy, as it is scattered across a large number of electronic publications and repositories.

Dry powder inhalers in COPD, lung inflammation and pulmonary infections.

Introduction: The number of pulmonary diseases that are effectively treated by aerosolized medicine continues to grow.

Areas Covered: These diseases include chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung inflammatory diseases (e.g.

Validation of microsatellite multiplexes for parentage analysis and species discrimination in two hybridizing species of coral reef fish (Plectropomus spp., Serranidae).

Microsatellites are often considered ideal markers to investigate ecological processes in animal populations. They are regularly used as genetic barcodes to identify species, individuals, and infer familial relationships. However, such applications are highly sensitive the number and diversity of microsatellite markers, which are also prone to error.

Couples' Time Together: Complementarities in Production versus Complementarities in Consumption.

Economists have previously suggested that gains from marriage can be generated by complementarities in production (gains from specialization and exchange) or by complementarities in consumption (gains from joint consumption of household public goods and joint time consumption). This paper uses the American Time Use Survey (ATUS) from 2003-2011 to test whether couples that engage in less specialization (are more similar in hours of market work) spend more time together. We find that among married couples without young children, those with a greater difference in weekly hours of work between husband and wife spend less time together on non-working weekend days.

Pulmonary hypertension in cystic fibrosis with advanced lung disease.

Rationale: The impact of pulmonary hypertension (PH) on survival in cystic fibrosis (CF) remains unclear.

Objectives: To determine the influence of PH on survival in the CF population.

Methods: The United Network for Organ Sharing database was queried from 1987 to 2013 to identify first-time lung transplant candidates who were tracked from wait list entry date until death or censoring to determine influence of PH.

Cell-free nucleic acids as noninvasive biomarkers for colorectal cancer detection.

Cell-free nucleic acids (CFNA) have been reported by several authors in blood, stool, and urine of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). These genetic biomarkers can be an indication of neoplastic colorectal epithelial cells, and can thus potentially be used as noninvasive tests for the detection of the disease in CRC patients and monitor their staging, without the need to use heavier and invasive tools. In a number of test-trials, these genetic tests have shown the advantage of non-invasiveness, making them well accepted by most of the patients, without major side effects.

The effects of intrauterine malnutrition on birth and fertility outcomes: evidence from the 1974 Bangladesh famine.

This article uses the Bangladesh famine of 1974 as a natural experiment to estimate the impact of intrauterine malnutrition on sex of the child and infant mortality. In addition, we estimate the impact of malnutrition on post-famine pregnancy outcomes. Using the 1996 Matlab Health and Socioeconomic Survey (MHSS), we find that women who were pregnant during the famine were less likely to have male children.

High-performing dry powder inhalers of paclitaxel DPPC/DPPG lung surfactant-mimic multifunctional particles in lung cancer: physicochemical characterization, in vitro aerosol dispersion, and cellular studies.

Inhalable lung surfactant-based carriers composed of synthetic phospholipids, dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) and dipalmitoylphosphatidylglycerol (DPPG), along with paclitaxel (PTX), were designed and optimized as respirable dry powders using organic solution co-spray-drying particle engineering design. These materials can be used to deliver and treat a wide variety of pulmonary diseases with this current work focusing on lung cancer. In particular, this is the first time dry powder lung surfactant-based particles have been developed and characterized for this purpose.

The detection of the methylated Wif-1 gene is more accurate than a fecal occult blood test for colorectal cancer screening.

Background: The clinical benefit of guaiac fecal occult blood tests (FOBT) is now well established for colorectal cancer screening. Growing evidence has demonstrated that epigenetic modifications and fecal microbiota changes, also known as dysbiosis, are associated with CRC pathogenesis and might be used as surrogate markers of CRC.

Patients And Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study that included all consecutive subjects that were referred (from 2003 to 2007) for screening colonoscopies.

Ameliorative effect of septilin, an ayurvedic preparation against gamma-irradiation-induced oxidative stress and tissue injury in rats.

Ionizing radiation is known to induce multiple organ dysfunctions directly related to an increase of cellular oxidative stress, due to overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS). This study was aimed to investigate the effect of septilin (an ayurvedic poly-herbal formulation containing the principal herbs, namely Commiphora wightii, Trinospora cordifolia, Rubia cardifolia, Emblica officinalis, Saussurea lappa and Glycyrrhiza glabra) against whole body gamma-irradiation-induced oxidative damage in hepatic and brain tissues in rats. Administration of septilin for 5 days (100 mg/kg) prior to radiation resulted in a significant increase in both superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and total glutathione (GSH) level in hepatic and brain tissues, while serum high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL) was reduced by gamma-irradiation.

Who Marries Differently Aged Spouses? Ability, Education, Occupation, Earnings, and Appearance.

In direct contrast to conventional wisdom and most economic models of marital age gaps, we present robust evidence that men and women who are married to differently-aged spouses are negatively selected. Empirical results show lower cognitive ability, lower educational attainment, lower occupational wages, lower earnings, and less attractive appearance among those married to a differently-aged spouse. These results, obtained using samples of first marriages and controlling for age of marriage, are consistent with a model in which individuals with more schooling and more upwardly-mobile occupations interact more heavily with similarly-aged peers and are ultimately more likely to marry similarly-aged spouses.

Suggested avenues to reduce the stigma of mental illness in the Middle East.

Background: Stigma toward mentally ill individuals acts as a barrier to accessing care and receiving treatment.

Aim: To review current evidence pertaining to stigma toward mental illness in the Middle East in order to inform effective and sustainable interventions in this region.

Methods: We conducted a systematic literature search using the PubMed database and evaluated all identified studies according to specific inclusion criteria.

Inhalable PEGylated Phospholipid Nanocarriers and PEGylated Therapeutics for Respiratory Delivery as Aerosolized Colloidal Dispersions and Dry Powder Inhalers.

Nanomedicine is making groundbreaking achievements in drug delivery. The versatility of nanoparticles has given rise to its use in respiratory delivery that includes inhalation aerosol delivery by the nasal route and the pulmonary route. Due to the unique features of the respiratory route, research in exploring the respiratory route for delivery of poorly absorbed and systemically unstable drugs has been increasing.

Long-acting erythropoietin stimulating agents for persistent anemia after kidney transplant: risk factors and outcome.

Objectives: Posttransplant anemia is associated with an increased risk of congestive heart failure, left ventricular hypertrophy, and death. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of long-acting erythropoietin-stimulating agents on anemia after kidney transplant.

Materials And Methods: In 2306 kidney transplant recipients, 250 anemic patients (11%) with stable graft function were followed at the Hamed Al-Essa Organ Transplant Centre (Kuwait) and were assessed for anemia.

The reliability of the standard for clinicians' interview in psychiatry (SCIP): a clinician-administered tool with categorical, dimensional and numeric output.

Background: Existing standardized diagnostic interviews are not used by psychiatrists in clinical settings. There is an urgent need for a clinician-administered tool for assessment of adult psychopathology that produces dimensional measures, in addition to categorical diagnoses.

Methods: The Standard for Clinicians' Interview in Psychiatry (SCIP) was designed to be used in clinical settings and generates dimensional measures.

Assessment of genetic diversity and relationships among Egyptian mango (Mangifera indica L.) cultivers grown in Suez Canal and Sinai region using RAPD markers.

DNA-based RAPD (Random Amplification of Polymorphic DNA) markers have been used extensively to study genetic diversity and relationships in a number of fruit crops. In this study, 10 (7 commercial mango cultivars and 3 accessions) mango genotypes traditionally grown in Suez Canal and Sinai region of Egypt, were selected to assess genetic diversity and relatedness. Total genomic DNA was extracted and subjected to RAPD analysis using 30 arbitrary 10-mer primers.

Design, characterization, and aerosol dispersion performance modeling of advanced co-spray dried antibiotics with mannitol as respirable microparticles/nanoparticles for targeted pulmonary delivery as dry powder inhalers.

Dry powder inhalation aerosols of antibiotic drugs (a first-line aminoglycoside, tobramycin, and a first-line macrolide, azithromycin) and a sugar alcohol mucolytic agent (mannitol) as co-spray dried (co-SD) particles at various molar ratios of drug:mannitol were successfully produced by organic solution advanced co-spray drying from dilute solute concentration. These microparticulate/nanoparticulate aerosols consisting of various antibiotic drug:mannitol molar ratios were rationally designed with a narrow and unimodal primary particle size distribution, spherical particle shape, relatively smooth particle surface, and very low residual water content to minimize the interparticulate interactions and enhance in vitro aerosolization. These microparticulate/nanoparticulate inhalation powders were high-performing aerosols as reflected in the aerosol dispersion performance parameters of emitted dose, fine particle fraction (FPF), respirable fraction (RF), and mass median aerodynamic diameter (MMAD).