Conceptualizing how group singing may enhance quality of life with Parkinson's disease.

Unlabelled: Abstract Purpose: Group singing could be a promising component of neurorehabilitative care. This article aims to conceptualize how group singing may enable people with Parkinson's disease (PD) to synchronize their movement patterns to musical rhythm and enhance quality of life.

Method: Spanning the medical and social sciences, the article draws conceptually on literature on PD, group singing and rhythm in music; personal experience; and reasoning.

Establishment of pacemaker activity in tissues allotransplanted with interstitial cells of Cajal.

Background: Loss or disruption of Kit(+) -interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) capable of generating pacemaker activity has been implicated in the development of numerous gastrointestinal motility disorders. We sought to develop a model where ICC could be allotransplanted into intestines naturally devoid of these cells.

Methods: Enzymatically dispersed cells from the intestinal tunica muscularis of Kit(+/copGFP) and Kit(V558Δ) /+ gain-of-function mice were allotransplanted into myenteric plexus regions of W/W(V) mutant intestines that lack ICC at the level of the myenteric plexus (ICC-MY) and pacemaker activity.

'Deletion rescue' by mitotic 11q uniparental disomy in a family with recurrence of 11q deletion Jacobsen syndrome.

We describe a family with recurrent 11q23-qter deletion Jacobsen syndrome in two affected brothers, with unique mosaic deletion 'rescue' through development of uniparental disomy (UPD) in the mother and one of the brothers. Inheritance studies show that the deleted chromosome is of maternal origin in both boys, and microarray shows a break near the ASAM gene. Parental lymphocyte chromosomes were normal.

Processing of emotional words after stroke: an electrophysiological study.

Objective: Auditory evoked potentials (EP) were used to examine the neural processing of personal-emotional and neutral words, in a group of 14 people with post-stroke aphasia and an equal sized control group to determine whether the EP differed between groups and word types.

Methods: Effects of the emotional value of the words and participant group were assessed on EP. Latencies and amplitudes of EP were analyzed for the two groups (aphasia and control) in response to word type (emotional and neutral).

Survival patterns and mortality in the North American population of silvered leaf monkeys (Trachypithecus cristatus).

This study examines mortality in the North American (N.A.) population of silvered leaf monkeys (Trachypithecus cristatus) maintained in Association of Zoos and Aquarium's zoos.

Sheep monoclonal antibodies prevent systemic effects of botulinum neurotoxin A1.

Botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) is responsible for causing botulism, a potentially fatal disease characterized by paralysis of skeletal muscle. Existing specific treatments include polyclonal antisera derived from immunized humans or horses. Both preparations have similar drawbacks, including limited supply, risk of adverse effects and batch to batch variation.

Abnormal cytology in 2012: management of atypical squamous cells, low-grade intraepithelial neoplasia, and high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia.

Cervical cancer and human papillomavirus-related diseases continue to cause significant morbidity and mortality in the United States and worldwide. As we begin to understand the natural course of human papillomavirus infection, and the consequences of both its detection and treatment, changes have been made to our clinical approaches. The purpose of this review is to outline the management guidelines for the management of abnormal cytology.

"You've got to walk before you run": positive evaluations of a walking program as part of a gender-sensitized, weight-management program delivered to men through professional football clubs.

Objective: To explore men's views of a pedometer-based walking program, part of a weight-management intervention delivered through Scottish Premier League football clubs, and the congruence or challenge this poses to masculine identities.

Methods: Semistructured telephone interviews with a sample of participants in a gender-sensitized, group weight-management program. Interviewing continued until data saturation was reached (n = 29).

Discoidin domain receptor 2 regulates neutrophil chemotaxis in 3D collagen matrices.

Neutrophils express a variety of collagen receptors at their surface, yet their functional significance remains unclear. Although integrins are essential for neutrophil adhesion and migration on 2-dimensional (2D) surfaces, neutrophils can compensate for the absence of integrins in 3-dimensional (3D) lattices. In contrast, we demonstrate that the inhibition of the tyrosine-kinase collagen receptor discoidin domain receptor 2 (DDR2) has no impact on human primary neutrophil migration on 2D surfaces but is an important regulator of neutrophil chemotaxis in 3D collagen matrices.

The mechanism of Cu+ transport ATPases: interaction with CU+ chaperones and the role of transient metal-binding sites.

Cu(+)-ATPases are membrane proteins that couple the hydrolysis of ATP to the efflux of cytoplasmic Cu(+). In cells, soluble chaperone proteins bind and distribute cytoplasmic Cu(+), delivering the ion to the transmembrane metal-binding sites in the ATPase. The structure of Legionella pneumophila Cu(+)-ATPase (Gourdon, P.

Radiofrequency coil for the creation of large ablations: ex vivo and in vivo testing.

Purpose: Various radiofrequency (RF) ablation electrode designs have been developed to increase ablation volume. Multiple heating cycles and electrode positions are often required, thereby increasing treatment time. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of a high-frequency monopolar induction coil designed to produce large thermal lesions (>3 cm) with a single electrode insertion in a treatment time of less than 10 minutes.

Insights from a novel model of slow-transit constipation generated by partial outlet obstruction in the murine large intestine.

The mechanisms underlying slow-transit constipation (STC) are unclear. In 50% of patients with STC, some form of outlet obstruction has been reported; also an elongated colon has been linked to patients with STC. Our aims were 1) to develop a murine model of STC induced by partial outlet obstruction and 2) to determine whether this leads to colonic elongation and, consequently, activation of the inhibitory "occult reflex," which may contribute to STC in humans.

Obtaining, challenging and enforcing pharmaceutical patents under the America Invents Act.

The America Invents Act (AIA) will affect how intellectual property rights for pharmaceutical innovations are obtained, challenged and enforced. For example, the AIA allows pharmaceutical companies to take a more uniform approach in seeking patent protection worldwide. Post-grant and inter partes review procedures in the USPTO will allow patents to be challenged by pharmaceutical interests at a lower cost than that of litigation in US courts, and should improve the quality of patents as a whole.

Dying other, dying self: creating culture and meaning in palliative healthcare.

Dying is an act of creativity, and we each die as cultural beings. Culture helps us create the meaning death requests of us. However, the dominant culture of the healthcare system views death as a failure of modern medicine, an event of unspeakable terror and taboo.

Adenosine plus dipyridamole: a novel strategy to enhance adenosine-induced conduction recovery after pulmonary vein isolation.

Aims: Intravenous administration of adenosine after a pulmonary vein (PV) isolation procedure can unmask residual, so-called 'dormant', conduction that would otherwise remain unnoticed. Elimination of these dormant potentials is challenging because of the transient effect of adenosine, often requiring repeated injections. We tested the hypothesis that dipyridamole, a drug which inhibits adenosine deamination, can provoke longer-lasting unmasking of dormant conduction.

Fasciola hepatica is associated with the failure to detect bovine tuberculosis in dairy cattle.

Bovine tuberculosis (BTB) is a significant and intractable disease of cattle caused by Mycobacterium bovis. In the United Kingdom, despite an aggressive eradication programme, the prevalence of BTB is increasing with an unexplained, exponential rise in cases year on year. Here we show in a study involving 3,026 dairy herds in England and Wales that there is a significant negative association between exposure to the common, ubiquitous helminth parasite, Fasciola hepatica and diagnosis of BTB.

LTB4 is a signal-relay molecule during neutrophil chemotaxis.

Neutrophil recruitment to inflammation sites purportedly depends on sequential waves of chemoattractants. Current models propose that leukotriene B(4) (LTB(4)), a secondary chemoattractant secreted by neutrophils in response to primary chemoattractants such as formyl peptides, is important in initiating the inflammation process. In this study we demonstrate that LTB(4) plays a central role in neutrophil activation and migration to formyl peptides.

Cell shape dynamics: from waves to migration.

We observe and quantify wave-like characteristics of amoeboid migration. Using the amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum, a model system for the study of chemotaxis, we demonstrate that cell shape changes in a wave-like manner. Cells have regions of high boundary curvature that propagate from the leading edge toward the back, usually along alternating sides of the cell.

Imaging in pulmonary hypertension, part 2: Large vessel diseases.

Pulmonary hypertension is defined by physiological parameters but there are numerous causes that differ in their pathogenesis, management and prognosis. Causes include chronic cardiac or pulmonary diseases and diffuse small vessel disease but also a range of large vessel obstructive diseases. The physiological manifestation of all these diseases is increased pulmonary vascular resistance and pulmonary arterial hypertension, and while clinical features may provide a clue to diagnosis, imaging plays a fundamental role in establishing a precise diagnosis and therefore guiding therapy.

Imaging in pulmonary hypertension, part 1: clinical perspectives, classification, imaging techniques and imaging algorithm.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is an uncommon condition associated with significant morbidity and mortality. It has diverse aetiology with differing clinical presentations, imaging features and treatments that range from surgical treatment of proximal chronic thromboembolic disease to targeted medical therapies in small vessel disease. Current classification of pulmonary hypertension (PH) is clinically based and groups diseases with similar pathophysiological mechanisms and therapeutic approaches.

Imaging in pulmonary hypertension, part 3: small vessel diseases.

Pulmonary hypertension is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. Unfortunately, non-specific presentation and lack of awareness of the disease frequently lead to significant delay in diagnosis, often with the onset of right heart failure, when prognosis is poor and therapy is of limited effectiveness. The classification of pulmonary hypertension is a clinical one grouping diseases into categories with similar patho-physiological mechanism and therapeutic options.

Laparoscopic surgical staging of early ovarian cancer.

Since its advent in the early 1990s, laparoscopic surgical staging for early ovarian cancer has been explored as an option with the potential to offer women equivalent cancer control and survival as provided by laparotomy but with the clear benefits of minimally invasive surgery. A limited but expanding body of literature suggests aggressive surgical staging can be performed with equivalent tissue assessment compared with laparotomy. Given the lack of randomized, controlled trials, the risks and benefits of such a procedure remain ambiguous.

Inhibition of Hedgehog signaling antagonizes serous ovarian cancer growth in a primary xenograft model.

Background: Recent evidence links aberrant activation of Hedgehog (Hh) signaling with the pathogenesis of several cancers including medulloblastoma, basal cell, small cell lung, pancreatic, prostate and ovarian. This investigation was designed to determine if inhibition of this pathway could inhibit serous ovarian cancer growth.

Methodology: We utilized an in vivo pre-clinical model of serous ovarian cancer to characterize the anti-tumor activity of Hh pathway inhibitors cyclopamine and a clinically applicable derivative, IPI-926.

Understanding hope after stroke: a systematic review of the literature using concept analysis.

Purpose: Hope is said to be important in recovery from illness or injury, supporting adjustment, perseverance, and positive outcomes. There has been little exploration of hope in people after stroke. This is reflected in the literature, which lacks consistent definition and terminology.

Comparison of midwife-led and consultant-led care of healthy women at low risk of childbirth complications in the Republic of Ireland: a randomised trial.

Background: No midwifery-led units existed in Ireland before 2004. The aim of this study was to compare midwife-led (MLU) versus consultant-led (CLU) care for healthy, pregnant women without risk factors for labour and delivery.

Methods: An unblinded, pragmatic randomised trial was designed, funded by the Health Service Executive (Dublin North-East).