Warehousing re-annotated cancer genes for biomarker meta-analysis.

Translational research in cancer genomics assigns a fundamental role to bioinformatics in support of candidate gene prioritization with regard to both biomarker discovery and target identification for drug development. Efforts in both such directions rely on the existence and constant update of large repositories of gene expression data and omics records obtained from a variety of experiments. Users who interactively interrogate such repositories may have problems in retrieving sample fields that present limited associated information, due for instance to incomplete entries or sometimes unusable files.

Minor hypospadias: the "tip of the iceberg" of the partial androgen insensitivity syndrome.

Background: Androgens are critical in male external genital development. Alterations in the androgen sensitivity pathway have been identified in severely undermasculinized boys, and mutations of the androgen receptor gene (AR) are usually found in partial or complete androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS).

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine whether even the most minor forms of isolated hypospadias are associated with AR mutations and thus whether all types of hypospadias warrant molecular analysis of the AR.

Structural, kinetic, and pharmacodynamic mechanisms of D-amino acid oxidase inhibition by small molecules.

We characterized the mechanism and pharmacodynamics of five structurally distinct inhibitors of d-amino acid oxidase. All inhibitors bound the oxidized form of human enzyme with affinity slightly higher than that of benzoate (Kd ≈ 2-4 μM). Stopped-flow experiments showed that pyrrole-based inhibitors possessed high affinity (Kd ≈ 100-200 nM) and slow release kinetics (k < 0.

BlaSTorage: a fast package to parse, manage and store BLAST results.

Background: Large-scale sequence studies requiring BLAST-based analysis produce huge amounts of data to be parsed. BLAST parsers are available, but they are often missing some important features, such as keeping all information from the raw BLAST output, allowing direct access to single results, and performing logical operations over them.

Findings: We implemented BlaSTorage, a Python package that parses multi BLAST results and returns them in a purpose-built object-database format.

Status epilepticus in the elderly: epidemiology, clinical aspects and treatment.

The aim of the study was to review the epidemiology, clinical profile and discuss the etiology, prognosis and treatment options in patients aged 60 years or older presenting with status epilepticus. We performed a systematic review involving studies published from 1996 to 2010, in Medline/PubMed, Scientific Electronic Library on line (Scielo), Latin-American and Caribbean Center of Health Sciences Information (Lilacs) databases and textbooks. Related articles published before 1996, when relevant for discussing epilepsy in older people, were also included.

Relationship between early and late stages of information processing: an event-related potential study.

The brain is capable of elaborating and executing different stages of information processing. However, exactly how these stages are processed in the brain remains largely unknown. This study aimed to analyze the possible correlation between early and late stages of information processing by assessing the latency to, and amplitude of, early and late event-related potential (ERP) components, including P200, N200, premotor potential (PMP) and P300, in healthy participants in the context of a visual oddball paradigm.

Dengue: a new challenge for neurology.

Dengue infection is a leading cause of illness and death in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Forty percent of the world's population currently lives in these areas. The clinical picture resulting from dengue infection can range from relatively minor to catastrophic hemorrhagic fever.

Rat mir-155 generated from the lncRNA Bic is 'hidden' in the alternate genomic assembly and reveals the existence of novel mammalian miRNAs and clusters.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small noncoding RNAs acting as post-transcriptional gene expression regulators in many physiological and pathological conditions. During the last few years, many novel mammalian miRNAs have been predicted experimentally with bioinformatics approaches and validated by next-generation sequencing. Although these strategies have prompted the discovery of several miRNAs, the total number of these genes still seems larger.

Mirware: A MiRNA-mRNA Warehouse for Inference on Their Coordination.

Cancer is a multifactorial disease the study and analysis of which naturally require the integration of disciplines, and the fusion of omics and clinical evidence. Each informative layer linked to such combined evidence involves a particular type of complexity, in part technology-driven and in part patient-dependent. Therefore, due to data dimensionality and heterogeneity the task for computational scientists is very challenging as it refers to data assimilation, mining and inference.

Coverage of adolescent substance use prevention in state frameworks for health education: 10-year follow-up.

Background: The use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs (ATOD) by adolescents is a national health issue. One way in which the United States approaches the prevention of substance use among adolescents is by teaching high school students about ATOD at school. The curriculum for health education courses is based upon each state's framework.

Motor neuron disease and acquired axonal neuropathy association in HIV infection: case report and update.

Background: A possible viral etiology has been documented in the genesis of motor neuron disorders and acquired peripheral neuropathies, mainly due to the vulnerability of peripheral nerves and the anterior horn to certain viruses. In recent years, several reports show association of HIV infection with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis - Syndrome, Motor Neuron Diseases and peripheral neuropathies.

Objective: To report a case of an association between Motor Neuron Disease and Acquired Axonal neuropathy in HIV infection, and describe the findings of neurological examination, cerebrospinal fluid, neuroimaging and electrophysiology.

Thalamic alexia with agraphia.

Alexia with agraphia is defined as an acquired impairment affecting reading and writing ability. It can be associated with aphasia, but can also occur as an isolated entity. This impairment has classically been associated with a left angular gyrus lesion In the present study, we describe a case involving a patient who developed alexia with agraphia and other cognitive deficits after a thalamic hemorrhage.

Quantifying littered cigarette butts to measure effectiveness of smoking bans to building perimeters.

Objective: The authors estimated the number of violations of a university policy that prohibited smoking within 25 ft of all campus buildings.

Participants: The project was conducted by 13 student researchers from the university and a member of the local public health department.

Methods: Students quantified cigarette butts that were littered in a 30-day period inside the prohibited smoking area of 7 campus buildings (large residential hall, small residential hall, administrative building, 2 academic buildings, campus cafeteria, and student union).

A rapid PFGE protocol for typing Legionella isolates from fresh or frozen samples.

Within the realm of studies on nosocomial infections and epidemiology, pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) is often considered as the "gold standard" for typing of Legionella or other bacteria. Performing this protocol usually requires 2-5 days; this excessive time requirement, lack of a standardized procedure, and high cost have limited its use. However, recently the typing of Legionella with PFGE has been reduced to about 2 days, and we further shortened the procedure by reducing the time for the plug preparation and electrophoresis steps.

Umpolung reactions in an ionic liquid catalyzed by electrogenerated N-heterocyclic carbenes. Synthesis of saturated esters from activated α,β-unsaturated aldehydes.

The umpolung reaction of α,β-unsaturated aldehydes to saturated esters has been carried out in an ionic liquid by organocatalysis of electrogenerated NHC. The roles of solvent, precatalyst and proton donor of the ionic liquid have been verified and good to high yields of esters have been obtained using a "green" and mild methodology.

The validity and reliability of the Italian Olfactory Identification Test (IOIT) in healthy subjects and in Parkinson's disease patients.

Background: Olfactory function can be rapidly evaluated by means of standardized olfactory tests. Multiple-choice smell identification tests can be conditioned by cultural background. To investigate a new tool for detecting olfactory deficit in Italian subjects we developed a multiple-choice identification test prepared with odorants belonging to the Italian culture.

Bradeion (SEPT4) as a urinary marker of transitional cell bladder cancer: a real-time polymerase chain reaction study of gene expression.

Purpose: We evaluated whether Bradeion/SEPT4 gene expression could be used as a potential urinary marker to diagnose bladder transitional cell carcinoma.

Materials And Methods: From 2005 to 2007 we collected urine samples from 58 individuals, 17 healthy controls and 41 patients in whom bladder tumors were previously diagnosed by cystoscopy. Urine was collected from all patients before transurethral resection of bladder tumor.

Collaborative evaluation of a high school prevention curriculum: How methods of collaborative evaluation enhanced a randomized control trial to inform program improvement.

Blending high-quality and rigorous research with pure evaluation practice can often be best accomplished through thoughtful collaboration. The evaluation of a high school drug prevention program (All Stars Senior) is an example of how perceived competing purposes and methodologies can coexist to investigate formative and summative outcome variables that can be used for program improvement. Throughout this project there were many examples of client learning from evaluator and evaluator learning from client.

High prevalence of micropenis in 2710 male newborns from an intensive-use pesticide area of Northeastern Brazil.

Exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) has been suggested to contribute to the increasing trends of external genital malformation in male newborns. In Northeastern Brazil, the poor sanitary conditions found in the favelas encourage the widespread use of pesticides. This 2-year study of a total birth cohort of full-term male newborns in the regional hospitals of Campina Grande (Paraíba, Brazil) sought to (1) accurately establish for the first time the incidences of neonatal male genital malformations, (2) investigate the endocrine and genetic aetiologies of these malformations, and (3) evaluate their associations with possible prenatal exposure to EDCs.

High frequency of asymptomatic Leishmania spp. infection among HIV-infected patients living in endemic areas for visceral leishmaniasis in Brazil.

This study aims at estimating the prevalence of Leishmania infection among HIV-infected patients through the use of non-invasive tests. The study was conducted in three Infectious Diseases Services in two large Brazilian cities, both endemic areas for visceral leishmaniasis. Three hundred and eighty-one asymptomatic patients were enrolled whose ages ranged from 19 to 58 years old; 63.

Clinical efficacy of a xenogeneic collagen matrix in augmenting keratinized mucosa around implants: a randomized controlled prospective clinical trial.

Aim: The aim of this controlled randomized clinical trial was to evaluate the efficacy of a xenogeneic collagen matrix (CM) to augment the keratinized tissue around implants supporting prosthetic restorations at 6 months when compared with the standard treatment, the connective tissue autograft, CTG).

Materials And Methods: This randomized longitudinal parallel controlled clinical trial studied 24 patients with at least one location with minimal keratinized tissue (≤1 mm).

Main Outcome Measure: The 6-month width of keratinized tissue.