Adverse drug reactions to local anesthetics: a systematic review.

Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze adverse drug reactions (ADRs) associated with local anesthetics (LAs) and to characterize the safety profile of LAs in clinical application.

Study Design: Electronic databases were searched, and the data of the included articles were extracted and analyzed.

Results: A total of 922 articles were retrieved, and 101 of them, containing 1,645 events, were included.

Adult-onset immunodeficiency in Thailand and Taiwan.

Background: Autoantibodies against interferon-γ are associated with severe disseminated opportunistic infection, but their importance and prevalence are unknown.

Methods: We enrolled 203 persons from sites in Thailand and Taiwan in five groups: 52 patients with disseminated, rapidly or slowly growing, nontuberculous mycobacterial infection (group 1); 45 patients with another opportunistic infection, with or without nontuberculous mycobacterial infection (group 2); 9 patients with disseminated tuberculosis (group 3); 49 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (group 4); and 48 healthy controls (group 5). Clinical histories were recorded, and blood specimens were obtained.

Mitral valve replacements under on-pump beating heart and lung perfusion/ventilation using a minithoracotomy: an experience with 11 cases.

Background: The primary aims of minimally-invasive cardiac valve surgery are to lessen the impact of the incision, extracorporeal circulation, myocardial ischemia, and pulmonary ischemia, to obtain satisfactory therapeutic results, and to allow a quicker rehabilitation. In this study, the feasibility of minimally-invasive mitral valve replacements without ascending aorta and vena cava cross-clamping under beating heart was evaluated by surveying 11 patients.

Methods: Preoperative risk factors, intraoperative techniques, and postoperative complications were surveyed and evaluated for one year (April 1, 2009 to March 30, 2010) in 11 patients who had undergone beating-heart mitral valve replacement surgery at The People's Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Protection against acute radiation-induced lung injury: a novel role for the anti-angiogenic agent Endostar.

Radiotherapy is commonly used to treat thoracic malignancies, but often causes severe lung injury. Currently there are no effective protective strategies against radiation-induced lung injury (RILI). This study aimed to evaluate the ability of an angiogenesis antagonist, Endostar, against RILI, and the underlying mechanism in a mouse model.

Age, CAG repeat length, and clinical progression in Huntington's disease.

The objective of this study was to further explore the effect of CAG repeat length on the rate of clinical progression in patients with Huntington's disease. The dataset included records for 569 subjects followed prospectively at the Baltimore Huntington's Disease Center. Participants were seen for a mean of 7.

Determination of human anticytokine autoantibody profiles using a particle-based approach.

Background: Anticytokine autoantibodies cause numerous human diseases, ranging from pure red cell aplasia to acquired immunodeficiencies. Rapid, simple, and affordable detection and monitoring of these antibodies is essential. We sought to develop a standardizable assay that is rapid, sensitive, and specific and able to simultaneously detect multiple anticytokine autoantibodies in small volumes (<10 μl).

Investigation of the mechanical properties of a low-shrinkage liquid crystalline matrix combined with nano-hydroxyapatite.

The objective of this study was to investigate the mechanical properties of a low-shrinkage acrylate liquid crystalline resin matrix (ALCRM), (4-3-(acryloyloxy)-2-hydroxypropoxy) phenyl 4-(3-(acryloyloxy)-2-hydroxypropoxy) benzoate, combined with nano-hydroxyapatite (na-HA). The ALCRM monomer and diluent monomer triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) were mixed at a mass ratio of 7:3 to prepare the resin matrix. The volume shrinkage of the ALCRM/TEGDMA and the traditional resin matrix Bis-GMA (2, 2-bis [4-(3-methacryloxy-2-hydroxypropoxy) phenyl] propane)/TEGDMA were measured.

Effects of an antibacterial membrane on osteoblast-like cells in vitro.

Infection around membranes is often found in guided bone regeneration (GBR). The excellent antibacterial properties of Ag-nHA-nTiO(2)/polyamide-66 (PA66) nanocomposite membranes have been demonstrated previously. The aim of this study was to observe the microstructure of an Ag-nHA-nTiO(2)/PA66 membrane and its effects on osteoblast-like cells in vitro.

A heat shock protein based polyvalent vaccine targeting HSV-2: CD4(+) and CD8(+) cellular immunity and protective efficacy.

Efforts to develop a subunit vaccine against genital herpes have been hampered by lack of knowledge of the protective antigens of HSV-2, the causative agent of the disease. Vaccines based either on selected antigens or attenuated live virus approaches have not demonstrated meaningful clinical activity. We present here results of a therapeutic vaccine candidate, HerpV (formerly called AG-707), consisting of 32 HSV-2 peptides derived from 22 HSV-2 proteins, complexed non-covalently to the HSP70 chaperone and formulated with QS-21 saponin adjuvant.

Quantitative computed tomography assessment of transfusional iron overload.

Quantitative computed tomography (QCT) has been proposed for iron quantification for more than 30 years, however there has been little clinical validation. We compared liver attenuation by QCT with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-derived estimates of liver iron concentration (LIC) in 37 patients with transfusional siderosis. MRI and QCT measurements were performed as clinically indicated monitoring of LIC and vertebral bone-density respectively, over a 6-year period.

Successful therapy for a patient with aortic graft infection without graft removal.

Background: Following Bentall surgery, aortic graft infection can be a serious complication with high mortality rates. The recommended treatment for aortic graft infection is to explant the graft; however, because of the high risk and costs involved, this might not always be an option. We report successful treatment of a case of aortic graft infection without removal of the infected graft.

[Evaluation of clinical therapeutic efficiency of immediate loaded implant].

Objective: Clinical cases of immediate loaded implants were retrospectively analyzed, in the aim of evaluating the clinical value of immediate loading.

Methods: From July 2005 to October 2009, 99 immediate loaded implants were implanted in 29 patients. The overall data including radiography, clinical examination were collected during the follow-up periods ranged from 4 to 46 months.

On-pump beating heart surgery.

On-pump beating heart surgery has been proposed as a superior technique for cardiac surgery, and is receiving renewed interest from cardiac surgeons. Here, we review the technique, focusing on the basic principles of myocardial protection, operative methodology, category, intraoperative concerns, current status, organ protection, advantages, disadvantages, indications, contraindications, unanswered questions, and future research.

Constitutive expression of a peanut ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme gene in Arabidopsis confers improved water-stress tolerance through regulation of stress-responsive gene expression.

Ubiquitin (Ub)-conjugating enzymes (UBCs) are key enzymes involved in ubiquitination. Although UBCs have been shown to play important roles in regulating various aspects of plant growth and development, the role of plant UBCs in abiotic stress response needs to be examined further. Here we report the characterization of a ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme gene AhUBC2 from dehydrated peanut plants.

Fabrication and biocompatibility of an antimicrobial composite membrane with an asymmetric porous structure.

A composite slurry from silver ion-substituted nano-hydroxyapatite, titania nano-particles and polyamide 66 (Ag-nHA/TiO(2)/PA66) was prepared and used to fabricate a novel antimicrobial membrane with a gradient porous structure for guided bone regeneration (GBR). Subsequently, assays were performed to determine the cytocompatibility, as well as the bone biocompatibility of the prepared membranes. To investigate the cytocompatibility of the Ag-nHA/TiO(2)/PA66 membrane, in vitro studies were done with osteoblast-like cells (MG63) and the viability, alkaline phosphatase activity (ALP) and morphology of cells cultured on the membrane were determined.

Tissue engineering scaffold material of porous nanohydroxyapatite/polyamide 66.

The aim of the study was to investigate a porous nanohydroxyapatite/polyamide 66 (n-HA/PA66) scaffold material that was implanted into muscle and tibiae of 16 New Zealand white rabbits to evaluate the biocompatibility and osteogenesis and osteoinductivity of the materials in vivo. The samples were harvested at 2, 4, 12 and 26 weeks respectively, and subjected to histological analysis. At 2 weeks, the experiment showed that osteogenesis was detected in porous n-HA/PA66 composite and the density of new bone formation was similar to the surrounding host bone at 12 weeks.

Continuous perfusion of donor hearts with oxygenated blood cardioplegia improves graft function.

Donor hearts cannot be preserved beyond 6h using cold storage (CS). Improving preservation methods may permit prolonged storage of donor heart. We compared graft function in large animal model after prolonged preservation (8h) using continuous perfusion (CP) and CS method.

Laparoscopy-assisted resection for gastric stump cancer and gastric stump recurrent cancer: a report of 15 cases.

Objective: This study was designed to investigate the technical methods and clinical therapeutic effects of laparoscopy-assisted resection of gastric stump cancer (GSC).

Methods: Laparoscopy-assisted resection was performed on 15 patients with GSC. The approach, method, difficult points, and techniques of the operation were analyzed, and its clinical therapeutic effect was evaluated.

Surgical correction of ruptured aneurysms of the sinus of Valsalva using on-pump beating-heart technique.

Background: Rupture of aneurysms of the sinus of Valsalva results in abrupt onset of congestive heart failure. On-pump beating-heart surgery may reduce cardiac impairment by maintaining coronary blood flow and avoiding cardioplegia. Herein, we report the operative correction of thirty-one patients of ruptured aneurysms of the sinus of Valsalva, using the on-pump beating-heart technique.

Donor heart preservation in an empty beating state under mild hypothermia.

Background: Cardiac surgery during an empty beating heart state has proven to be beneficial in myocardial protection. Based on this, we hypothesized that maintaining this state for donor heart preservation would have the same efficacy and a prolonged preservation period.

Methods: Part 1: 12 pigs were divided into two groups (n = 6 per group).

YneA, an SOS-induced inhibitor of cell division in Bacillus subtilis, is regulated posttranslationally and requires the transmembrane region for activity.

Cell viability depends on the stable transmission of genetic information to each successive generation. Therefore, in the event of intrinsic or extrinsic DNA damage, it is important that cell division be delayed until DNA repair has been completed. In Bacillus subtilis, this is accomplished in part by YneA, an inhibitor of division that is induced as part of the SOS response.

Bone acquisition in healthy young females is reciprocally related to marrow adiposity.

Context: Considerable evidence indicates that osteoblasts and adipocytes share a common progenitor cell in the bone marrow that is capable of mutually exclusive differentiation into the cell lineages responsible for bone and fat formation.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the relation between bone acquisition and changes in marrow adiposity.

Design: This was a longitudinal study.

The repair of critical-size defects with porous hydroxyapatite/polyamide nanocomposite: an experimental study in rabbit mandibles.

This study was conducted to evaluate the healing of critical-size surgical defects after implantation of porous nano-hydroxyapatite/polyamide composite (nHA/PA) blocks based on a bilateral mandible model using adult New Zealand white rabbits. 15 rabbits were divided randomly into three groups according to the observation period: 4, 12 and 24 weeks. The defects on one side were implanted with nHA/PA blocks and the contralateral defects were kept empty as blank controls.

Probing DNA- and ATP-mediated conformational changes in the MutS family of mispair recognition proteins using deuterium exchange mass spectrometry.

We have performed deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (DXMS) to probe the conformational changes that the bacterial MutS homodimer and the homologous eukaryotic heterodimer Msh2-Msh6 undergo when binding to ATP or DNA. The DXMS data support the view that high affinity binding to mispair-containing DNA and low affinity binding to fully base-paired DNA both involve forming rings by MutS protein family dimers around the DNA; however, mispair binding protects additional regions from deuterium exchange. DXMS also reveals two distinct conformations upon binding one or two ATP molecules and that binding of two ATP molecules propagates conformational changes to other regions of the protein complexes.

Vitamin D status and its relation to muscle mass and muscle fat in young women.

Context: Vitamin D insufficiency has now reached epidemic proportions and has been linked to increased body fat and decreased muscle strength. Whether vitamin D insufficiency is also related to adipose tissue infiltration in muscle is not known.

Objective: The objective of the study was to examine the relationship between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) and the degree of fat infiltration in muscle.