In the version of this article initially published, affiliation 38 incorrectly read "ICNU-Nephrology and Urology Department, Barcelona, Spain"; "Renal Division, Hospital Clinic, IDIBAPS, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain" is the correct affiliation. The error has been corrected in the HTML and PDF versions of the article.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFirearms are extensively used in shooting incidents, functions or for recreational purposes around the world. However, illegal modifications to a firearm can pose a major challenge to the forensic community, as their examination and subsequent individualisation are not always easy when compared to standard firearms due to the non-availability of standard comparison material and the damage caused to the firearm during test firing. We present a case report of unusual firing by an improvised firearm adapted to produce a loud noise during a marriage party.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObesity is strongly correlated with lipotoxic cardiomyopathy, heart failure and thus mortality. The incidence of obesity has reached alarming proportions worldwide, and increasing evidence suggests that the parents' nutritional status may predispose their offspring to lipotoxic cardiomyopathy. However, to date, mechanisms underlying intergenerational heart disease risks have yet to be elucidated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTeeth may provide useful forensic evidence owing to features like uniqueness, stability and comparability. Moreover, the human dentition is heterodont, i.e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCongenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT) are a major cause of pediatric kidney failure. We performed a genome-wide analysis of copy number variants (CNVs) in 2,824 cases and 21,498 controls. Affected individuals carried a significant burden of rare exonic (that is, affecting coding regions) CNVs and were enriched for known genomic disorders (GD).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIEEE Trans Biomed Eng
August 2019
Objective: The purpose of this study is to detect vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) noninvasively using an electrical impedance tomography (EIT). VUR is characterized by the backflow of urine from the bladder to the kidneys.
Methods: Using porcine models, small quantities of a solution mimicking the electrical properties of urine were infused into each ureter.
Objective: Non-invasive and accurate diagnostic tests for the screening of disease severity in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) remain a major unmet need. Therefore, we aimed to examine if a combination of serum metabolites can accurately predict the presence of advanced fibrosis.
Design: This is a cross-sectional analysis of a prospective cohort including 156 well-characterised patients with biopsy-proven NAFLD and two cohorts, including (1) 142 patients assessed using MRI elastography (MRE) and(2) 59 patients with biopsy-proven NAFLD with untargeted serum metabolome profiling.
Introduction: Persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPH) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in newborns with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). PPH is characterized by increased vascular resistance and smooth muscle cell (SMC) proliferation, leading to obstructive changes in the pulmonary vasculature. Nitric oxide (NO), generated by endothelial NO synthase (eNOS), is an important regulator of vascular tone and plays a key role in pulmonary vasodilatation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiomed Microdevices
December 2018
Dielectrophoresis (DEP) devices have proven to be one of the most promising tools to transport, accumulate and sort various cells and particles. The major challenge in the development of DEP devices is the high cost, low yield using Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). In this paper, we demonstrate a facile, low-cost, and high-throughput method of constructing continuous-flow DEP devices using screen-printing technology.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is assumed to originate from a malformation of the amuscular mesenchymal component of the primordial diaphragm. Mutations in ephrin-B1, a membrane protein that is expressed by mesenchymal cells, have been found in newborn infants with CDH and associated pulmonary hypoplasia (PH), highlighting its important role during diaphragmatic and airway development. Ephrin-B1, -B2, and -B4 are expressed in fetal rat lungs and have been identified as key players during lung branching morphogenesis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMed J Armed Forces India
October 2018
Background: Megaloblastic Anemia (MA) is a relatively common disease, yet the data on prevalence of MA remains scarce. This study was conducted to study the prevalence and clinico-hematological profile of MA.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional study done on 1150 adult anemic patients.
Introduction: Extensive vascular remodeling causing pulmonary hypertension (PH) represents a major cause of mortality in patients with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). The chemokine monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) is a biomarker for the severity of PH and its activation is accompanied by pulmonary influx of monocytes and extensive vascular remodeling. MCP-1 activation can be reversed by application of rosiglitazone (thiazolidinedione).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAim Of The Study: The pathogenesis of Hirschsprung's disease-associated enterocolitis (HAEC) is poorly understood. Inflammasomes are a large family of multiprotein complexes that act to mediate host immune responses to microbial infection and have a regulatory or conditioning influence on the composition of the microbiota. Inflammasomes and the apoptosis-associated speck-like protein (ASC) lead to caspase-1 activation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Voltage-gated potassium ion channels have long been implicated in gastrointestinal motility. Recent studies have highlighted the role of voltage-gated channel subfamily G member 3 (KCNG3) and 4 (KCNG4) genes in the electrical functioning of interstitial cells of Cajal and PDGFRα cells of the mouse colon. We designed this study to investigate KCNG3 and KCNG4 expression in the normal human colon and in Hirschsprung's disease (HSCR).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Smooth muscle cells are electrically coupled to ICC and PDGFRα cells, to regulate smooth muscle contraction. Recent studies have reported that the voltage-gated sodium channel type 1β (Scn1b), and the chloride channel subunit, Fxyd1, are highly expressed by both ICC and PDGFRα cells in the mouse colon. We designed this study to investigate the expression of the Scn1b and Fxyd1 genes in the normal human colon and in HSCR.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground/purpose: Megacystis microcolon intestinal hypoperistalsis syndrome (MMIHS) is a rare congenital and generally fatal cause of functional intestinal obstruction in the newborn. The cause of this syndrome is unknown. Familial occurrence and reports of consanguinity in MMIHS implies that genetic factors may have an important role in the pathogenesis of this syndrome.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) and associated pulmonary hypoplasia (PH) are thought to be caused by a malformation of the diaphragmatic and pulmonary mesenchyme. Dispatched RND transporter family member 1 (Disp-1) encodes a transmembrane protein that regulates the release of cholesterol and palmitoyl, which is critical for normal diaphragmatic and airway development. Disp-1 is strongly expressed in mesenchymal compartments of fetal diaphragms and lungs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is one of the top 3 indications for liver transplantation (LT) in Western countries. It is unknown whether renal dysfunction at the time of LT has any effect on post-LT outcomes in recipients with NASH. From the United Network for Organ Sharing-Standard Transplant Analysis and Research data set, we identified 4088 NASH recipients who received deceased donor LT.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVertebral artery aneurysms are rare and challenging as they are usually asymptomatic and, therefore, often overlooked. We report the case of a 73-year-old man with a history of progressive dysphagia for 1 year. Computed tomography (CT) and computed tomography with angiography (CTA) of the cerebrum revealed a giant vertebral artery aneurysm compressing the medulla.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPsoriasis is an immune mediated inflammatory skin disease with complex etiology involving interplay between environmental and genetic risk factors as disease initiating event. Enhanced understanding on genetic risk factors, differentially expressed genes, deregulated proteins and pathway-targeted therapeutics have established multiple axis of psoriasis pathogenesis. So far, loci in 424 genes are reported to be associated with psoriasis alongside copy number variations and epigenetic alterations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe endocannabinoid system refers to a widespread signaling system and its alteration is implicated in a growing number of human diseases. However, the potential role of endocannabinoids in skeletal muscle disorders remains unknown. Here we report the role of the endocannabinoid CB1 receptors in Duchenne's muscular dystrophy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Hirschsprung's associated enterocolitis (HAEC) is the most common cause of morbidity and mortality in Hirschsprung's Disease (HSCR). The pathogenesis of HAEC remains unsatisfactorily understood. Mounting evidence of an altered microbiome in patients with HSCR adds a new angle to the pathogenesis of HAEC.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: The number and lifespan of individuals living with HIV have increased significantly with the scale-up of antiretroviral therapy. Furthermore, the incidence of breast cancer in women with HIV is growing, especially in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, the association between HIV infection and breast cancer is not well understood.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExtracellular small RNAs (sRNAs), including microRNAs (miRNAs), are promising biomarkers for diseases such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), although their biological relevance is largely unknown. To investigate the relationship between intracellular and extracellular sRNA levels on a global scale, we performed sRNA sequencing in four muscle types and serum from wild-type, dystrophic mdx, and mdx mice in which dystrophin protein expression was restored by exon skipping. Differentially abundant sRNAs were identified in serum (mapping to miRNA, small nuclear RNA [snRNA], and PIWI-interacting RNA [piRNA] loci).
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