Appetite sensations in pregnancy among agropastoral women in rural Tanzania.

Women all over the globe report physical and appetite sensations in early pregnancy, and this study contributes to this growing literature by reporting on the appetite sensations experienced by pregnant women from rural Tanzania. Appetite changes associated with 545 pregnancies were compiled from surveys conducted to report on the prevalence of appetite loss, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, joint pain, cravings, aversions, and pica experienced by agropastoral women from rural north-central Tanzania. In addition to these symptoms, specific craved and aversive food groups are described.

Appetite sensations and nausea and vomiting in pregnancy: an overview of the explanations.

We review information about the potential mechanisms underlying nausea and vomiting in pregnancy (NVP), food cravings, and/or aversions in pregnancy. In addition to providing overviews about genetic predispositions and hormonal associations with appetite sensations and NVP, we review two functional explanations: the "maternal and embryo protection" and the "placental growth and development" hypotheses. We conclude with a discussion about the kinds of data that would enable us to better evaluate the relative advantages and disadvantages of NVP across disparate resource and ecological conditions.

Biocultural considerations of food cravings and aversions: an introduction.

Food is fundamental to our existence as humans, but assertions about the kinds of foods that are appealing or repulsive vary widely. This thematic issue deals with assessments of food as desirable, or not, in order to understand the complex reasons why some foods are strongly craved while others are avoided. To do this, the five articles in this issue situate food cravings and aversions bioculturally, in the contexts of our history as a species, in the landscape of cultural heritage, and in the individual life course.

Phase I trial of a multi-epitope-pulsed dendritic cell vaccine for patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma.

Background: This study evaluated the safety and immune responses to an autologous dendritic cell vaccine pulsed with class I peptides from tumor-associated antigens (TAA) expressed on gliomas and overexpressed in their cancer stem cell population (ICT-107).

Methods: TAA epitopes included HER2, TRP-2, gp100, MAGE-1, IL13Rα2, and AIM-2. HLA-A1- and/or HLA-A2-positive patients with glioblastoma (GBM) were eligible.

The effect of transfer and hospital volume in subarachnoid hemorrhage patients.

Introduction: Prompt management of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is critical. Literature is inconclusive regarding outcomes for patients directly admitted to specialized centers versus transferred from lower-volume hospitals. Providers are often unclear about the safety of transferring critical patients.

Toxicodendron pubescens retains its anti-arthritic efficacy at 1M, 10M and CM homeopathic dilutions.

Background: Our previous studies of Toxicodendron pubescens (Rhus tox) in homeopathic dilutions have shown anti-inflammatory activity in line with the principle of similia. The present study aimed to evaluate its anti-inflammatory activity in 1M, 10M and CM dilutions in rats.

Method: Arthritis was induced by subplantar injection of 0.

Trends in surgical use and associated patient outcomes in the treatment of acoustic neuroma.

Objective: To investigate recent trends in surgical volume and associated patient outcomes in the treatment of acoustic neuromas.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample database from 2000-2007; cases from 2005 were excluded because of coding inconsistencies. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to describe surgical trends and analyze inpatient outcomes.

Visceral adiposity in young patients with coronary artery disease-a case control study.

Aims: Central obesity is associated with an increased cardiovascular risk. We carried out a hospital based case control study in young patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) to assess the importance of visceral fat

Methods: Coronary artery disease was established by coronary angiogram in all cases. Controls were age- and sex-matched subjects with normal coronary angiogram.

Validation of the GRACE score for prognosis in Indian patients with acute coronary syndromes.

Aim: To validate the global registry of acute coronary events (GRACE) score in acute coronary syndromes (ACS) patients and study its angiographic correlation.

Methods And Results: Two-hundred and thirty-five ACS patients were studied for the combined endpoint of all-cause in-hospital mortality and non-fatal infarction/reinfarction. We tested the predictive accuracy of the composite GRACE score using the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve.

The effect of centralization of caseload for primary brain tumor surgeries: trends from 2001-2007.

Background: Improved patient outcomes have been associated with high-caseload hospitals for a multitude of conditions. This study analyzed adult patients undergoing surgical resection or biopsy of primary brain tumors. The aim of this study is two-fold: (1) to evaluate whether the trend towards centralization of primary brain tumor care in the US has continued during the period of between 2001 and 2007, and (2) to analyze volume-outcome effects.

Racial and gender disparities and the role of primary tumor type on inpatient outcomes following craniotomy for brain metastases.

Background: Race and gender disparities in outcomes have been documented in many cancers. Our study evaluated the role of race, gender, and tumor primary site in predicting in-hospital mortality, discharge disposition, and complications among patients with brain metastases.

Methods: Using Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) data from 1998 to 2007, we evaluated in-patient outcomes of brain metastases patients who underwent a craniotomy in U.

Biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles using latex from few Euphorbian plants and their antimicrobial potential.

The synthesis of well-dispersed and ultrafine metal nanoparticles has great interest due to their distinctive physicochemical properties and biomedical applications. This study is the first report of one-step solvent-free synthesis of AgNPs using Euphorbiaceae plant latex. Among evaluated eight latex-producing plants, four (Jatropha curcas, Jatropha gossypifolia, Pedilanthus tithymaloides, and Euphorbia milii) showed high potential to produce physicochemically distinct, small-sized and bactericidal AgNPs.

A look into Lee's score: peri-operative cardiovascular risk assessment in non-cardiac surgeries-usefulness of revised cardiac risk index.

Objective: The revised cardiac risk index (RCRI/Lee's score) was designed for peri-operative risk assessment before elective major non-cardiac surgeries. Through this article, we report the usefulness of RCRI in our daily practice, while evaluating patients undergoing surgeries of varying risk.

Methods: Only referred patients, aged ≥ 40 years, were included.

Malignant ectomesenchymoma of the nasal cavity.

Malignant ectomesenchymomas are rare tumors. This tumor affects predominantly young children. Most common site is head and neck.

Synchronous bilateral medullary carcinoma of breast: is it metastasis or second primary?

Bilateral breast cancer is a rare event accounting for 2-5% of all breast malignancies. A second tumor in contralateral breast may be either synchronous or metachronous lesion. Synchronous bilateral invasive ductal carcinoma is known but medullary carcinoma is rare.

Photocatalytic degradation of reactive black-5 dye using TiO2-impregnated activated carbon.

The photocatalytic degradation of reactive black-5 (RB-5) dye was studied using hydrothermally prepared TiO2 impregnated on activated carbon (AC) (20%, 40% TiO2:AC). Photodegradation efficiency of the prepared TiO2:AC catalysts were studied and compared with the commercial TiO2 (P25). These catalysts were characterized by using X-ray diffraction and scanning election microscope techniques.

Bilateral acute ptosis leading to the diagnosis of a presumed metastatic gastric adenocarcinoma.

We report the case of a 57 year old diabetic Indian male with no history of malignancy, who presented with severe bilateral upper lid acute aponeurotic ptosis, following intravitreal bevacizumab for diabetic retinopathy. Brain MRI revealed lesions in the vault of the skull, both superior recti and an intraorbital lesion on the lateral aspect of the right optic nerve. PET-CT revealed multiple metabolically active lesions in both the lobes of the liver, cervical vertebrae and in the lesser curvature of the stomach.

Loss of PTEN is not associated with poor survival in newly diagnosed glioblastoma patients of the temozolomide era.

Introduction: Pre-temozolomide studies demonstrated that loss of the tumor suppressor gene PTEN held independent prognostic significance in GBM patients. We investigated whether loss of PTEN predicted shorter survival in the temozolomide era. The role of PTEN in the PI3K/Akt pathway is also reviewed.

Management of multifocal and multicentric gliomas.

The diffuse nature of gliomas has long confounded attempts at achieving a definitive cure. The advent of computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging made it increasingly apparent that gliomas could have a multifocal or multicentric appearance. Treating these tumors is the summit of an already daunting challenge, because the obstacles that must be surmounted to treat gliomas in general, namely, their heterogeneity, diffuse nature, and ability to insidiously invade normal brain, are more conspicuous in this subset of tumors.

A handheld laser scanning confocal reflectance imaging-confocal Raman microspectroscopy system.

Confocal reflectance microscopy and confocal Raman spectroscopy have shown potential for non-destructive analysis of samples at micron-scale resolutions. Current studies utilizing these techniques often employ large bench-top microscopes, and are not suited for use outside of laboratory settings. We have developed a microscope which combines laser scanning confocal reflectance imaging and confocal Raman spectroscopy into a compact handheld probe that is capable of high-resolution imaging and spectroscopy in a variety of settings.

Larvicidal activity of silver nanoparticles synthesized using Pergularia daemia plant latex against Aedes aegypti and Anopheles stephensi and nontarget fish Poecillia reticulata.

In present study, the bioactivity of latex-producing plant Pergularia daemia as well as synthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) against the larval instars of Aedes aegypti and Anopheles stephensi mosquito larvae was determined. The range of concentrations of plant latex (1,000, 500, 250, 125, 62.25, and 31.

Identification of a redox-sensitive switch within the JAK2 catalytic domain.

Four cysteine residues (Cys866, Cys917, Cys1094, and Cys1105) have direct roles in cooperatively regulating Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) catalytic activity. Additional site-directed mutagenesis experiments now provide evidence that two of these residues (Cys866 and Cys917) act together as a redox-sensitive switch, allowing JAK2's catalytic activity to be directly regulated by the redox state of the cell. We created several variants of the truncated JAK2 (GST/(NΔ661)rJAK2), which incorporated cysteine-to-serine or cysteine-to-alanine mutations.