Microfluidic chip for high efficiency electrophoretic analysis of segmented flow from a microdialysis probe and in vivo chemical monitoring.

An effective method for in vivo chemical monitoring is to couple sampling probes, such as microdialysis, to online analytical methods. A limitation of this approach is that in vivo chemical dynamics may be distorted by flow and diffusion broadening during transfer from sampling probe to analytical system. Converting a homogeneous sample stream to segmented flow can prevent such broadening.

Electrokinetic trapping using titania nanoporous membranes fabricated using sol-gel chemistry on microfluidic devices.

We have developed a new method for analyte preconcentration on a microfluidic device using a porous membrane fabricated via sol-gel chemistry. These porous membranes were fabricated within the channels of glass microfluidic devices exploiting laminar flow to bring an alcoholic sol-gel precursor (titanium isopropoxide in 2-propanol) into contact with an alcohol-water solution at a channel cross intersection. These two streams reacted at the fluidic interface to form a porous titania membrane.

The long-term efficacy and tolerability of donepezil in patients with vascular dementia.

Objective: To determine the long-term tolerability and efficacy of donepezil in patients with vascular dementia (VaD).

Methods: International, multicentre, open-label, 30-week extension study of two 24-week, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies. Participants were ambulatory adults (59% female; mean age, 74.

Synthesis and characterization of a poly(dimethylsiloxane)-poly(ethylene oxide) block copolymer for fabrication of amphiphilic surfaces on microfluidic devices.

A poly(dimethylsiloxane)-poly(ethylene oxide) (PDMS-PEO) vinyl terminated block copolymer has been synthesized via a simple hydrosilylation reaction between hydride-terminated PDMS and PEO divinyl ether. This prepolymer can be subsequently cross-linked into an elastomer in a second hydrosilylation reaction involving a methylhydrosiloxane-dimethylsiloxane copolymer, forming a material suitable for the purposes of fabricating microfluidic devices. The presence of the PEO block in the prepolymer chain results in a much more hydrophilic material following cross-linking.

Consistency of clinical diagnosis of dementia in NEDICES: A population-based longitudinal study in Spain.

Background: Few longitudinal studies have verified the clinical diagnosis of dementia based on clinical examinations. We evaluated the consistency of the clinical diagnosis of dementia over a period of 3 years of follow-up in a population-based, cohort study of older people in central Spain.

Methods: Individuals (N = 5278) were evaluated at baseline (1994-1995) and at follow-up (1997-1998).

Early insulin treatment to prevent cardiovascular disease in prediabetes and overt diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), and CVD represents the leading cause of death in people with type 2 DM. The cardiovascular risk is increased long before diabetes is diagnosed, in the prediabetes stage, when impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and/or impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) develop. These stages are characterized by dysglycemia, defined as any elevated fasting or postprandial glycemia, extending from the normal range into diabetic range, associated with an increased risk of CVD.

Circadian modulation of short-term memory in Drosophila.

Endogenous biological clocks are widespread regulators of behavior and physiology, allowing for a more efficient allocation of efforts and resources over the course of a day. The extent that different processes are regulated by circadian oscillators, however, is not fully understood. We investigated the role of the circadian clock on short-term associative memory formation using a negatively reinforced olfactory-learning paradigm in Drosophila melanogaster.

Reliable real-time clinical monitoring using sensor network technology.

We propose wireless sensor networks composed of nodes using low-power 802.15.4 radios as an enabling technology for patient monitoring in general hospital wards.

Hypertensive waist: first step of the screening for metabolic syndrome.

Background: In previous studies, we have suggested that hypertensive waist is a frequent combination in persons with metabolic syndrome. The objective of the current study was to analyze the ability of hypertensive waist to predict the presence of the metabolic syndrome.

Methods: A total of 1294 women and men, randomly selected from general population, aged > or =18 years were included in this study.

Functional characterization of kurtz, a Drosophila non-visual arrestin, reveals conservation of GPCR desensitization mechanisms.

The arrestins are a family of molecules that terminate signaling from many different G protein-coupled receptors, by inhibiting the association between receptor and downstream effectors. We recently employed a human betaarrestin2-GFP fusion protein to explore the dynamics of different neuropeptide receptors in Drosophila and have previously used a betaarrestin translocation assay to identify ligands at orphan receptors. Here, we report that the Drosophila arrestin encoded by kurtz functions in a similar fashion and can be employed to investigate GPCR-arrestin associations.

Sampling and electrophoretic analysis of segmented flow streams using virtual walls in a microfluidic device.

A method for sampling and electrophoretic analysis of aqueous plugs segmented in a stream of immiscible oil is described. In the method, an aqueous buffer and oil stream flow parallel to each other to form a stable virtual wall in a microfabricated K-shaped fluidic element. As aqueous sample plugs in the oil stream make contact with the virtual wall, coalescence occurs and sample is electrokinetically transferred to the aqueous stream.

The blue-light photoreceptor CRYPTOCHROME is expressed in a subset of circadian oscillator neurons in the Drosophila CNS.

In the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, CRYPTOCHROME (CRY) functions as a photoreceptor to entrain circadian oscillators to light-dark cycles and as a transcription factor to maintain circadian oscillator function in certain peripheral tissues. Given the importance of CRY to circadian clock function, we expected this protein to be expressed in all oscillator cells, yet CRY cellular distribution and subcellular localization has not been firmly established. Here we investigate CRY spatial expression in the brain using a newly developed CRY antibody and a novel set of cry deletion mutants.

Mortality after a diagnosis of dementia in a population aged 75 and over in Spain.

Objectives: To examine the impact of incident dementia on the risk of death, taking into account other chronic illnesses potentially related to death.

Design: Six-year, prospective, two-phase, observational cohort study.

Setting: 8 municipalities from a rural area in Girona (Spain).

Improved temporal resolution for in vivo microdialysis by using segmented flow.

Microdialysis sampling probes were interfaced to a segmented flow system to improve temporal resolution for monitoring concentration dynamics. Aqueous dialysate was segmented into nanoliter plugs by pumping sample stream into the base of a tee channel structure microfabricated on a PDMS chip that had an immiscible carrier phase (perfluorodecalin) pumped into the cross arm of the tee. Varying the oil flow rate from 0.

Spatial and temporal control of gene expression in Drosophila using the inducible GeneSwitch GAL4 system. I. Screen for larval nervous system drivers.

There is a critical need for genetic methods for the inducible expression of transgenes in specific cells during development. A promising approach for this is the GeneSwitch GAL4 system of Drosophila. With GeneSwitch GAL4 the expression of upstream activating sequence (UAS) effector lines is controlled by a chimeric GAL4 protein that becomes active in the presence of the steroid RU486 (mifepristone).

Management of obesity in adults: European clinical practice guidelines.

The development of consensus guidelines for obesity is complex. It involves recommending both treatment interventions and interventions related to screening and prevention. With so many publications and claims, and with the awareness that success for the individual is short-lived, many find it difficult to know what action is appropriate in the management of obesity.

Melatonin suppresses nighttime memory formation in zebrafish.

Memory processes are modulated by the biological clock, although the mechanisms are unknown. Here, we report that in the diurnal zebrafish both learning and memory formation of an operant conditioning paradigm occur better during the day than during the night. Melatonin treatment during the day mimics the nighttime suppression of memory formation.

Health, justice, and the environment.

In this article, we argue that the scope of bioethical debate concerning justice in health should expand beyond the topic of access to health care and cover such issues as occupational hazards, safe housing, air pollution, water quality, food and drug safety, pest control, public health, childhood nutrition, disaster preparedness, literacy, and many other environmental factors that can cause differences in health. Since society does not have sufficient resources to address all of these environmental factors at one time, it is important to set priorities for bioethical theorizing and policy formation. Two considerations should be used to set these priorities: (1) the impact of the environmental factor on health inequality, and (2) the practicality of addressing the factor.

Incidence and subtypes of dementia in three elderly populations of central Spain.

Objective: To assess age-, gender, and subtype-specific incidence rates of dementia in three populations in central Spain using data from the Neurological Disorders in Central Spain (NEDICES), a population-based survey of elderly participants.

Methods: Individuals were evaluated at baseline (1994-1995) and at follow-up (a median of 3.2 years later in 1997-1998).

Fully integrated microfluidic separations systems for biochemical analysis.

Over the past decade a tremendous amount of research has been performed using microfluidic analytical devices to detect over 200 different chemical species. Most of this work has involved substantial integration of fluid manipulation components such as separation channels, valves, and filters. This level of integration has enabled complex sample processing on miniscule sample volumes.

Environmental vascular risk factors: new perspectives for stroke prevention.

Despite intensive evaluation of acute stroke patients, perhaps only half of the attributable stroke risk is usually identified. In addition to traditional and non-traditional vascular risk factors-including most recently homocysteine, inflammation, and alterations of coagulation-a number of environmental risk factors for stroke have been identified in the last decade. In this update we review the following: lower education and poor socioeconomic status (probable surrogates for exposure to traditional high-risk behaviors such as smoking, poor nutrition, lack of prenatal control, absence of preventive medical and dental care, and non-compliance of treatment of conditions such as hypertension); depression, stress and affective disorders; obstructive sleep apnea; passive smoking and environmental pollution; infections, in particular periodontal diseases that increase C-reactive protein (CRP); raised body mass index (obesity); exercise, and diet.