Sonographic evaluation of the thyroid size in neonates.

Purpose: To validate the use of the ratio between the total transverse diameters of the thyroid lobes (Th) and the width of the trachea (Tr)-the Th:Tr or Yasumoto ratio-as a sonographic method for estimating thyroid size, and to determine reference values for this ratio and for thyroid volume in neonates.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we evaluated thyroid size according to the Yasumoto ratio and the thyroid volume calculated with the ellipsoid formula in 125 healthy, euthyroid, iodine-sufficient, full-term neonates.

Results: The mean thyroid gland volume was 1.

SLC30A3 and SEP15 gene polymorphisms influence the serum concentrations of zinc and selenium in mature adults.

Because of their numerous roles in several biological processes, zinc and selenium are the most commonly studied micronutrients in the elderly. Therefore, we hypothesized that the polymorphisms in the genes that are responsible for the transport of zinc and selenium may have a genotype-dependent effect on the serum concentration of these micronutrients. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of solute carrier family 30 member 3 (SLC30A3) and 15-kd selenoprotein (SEP15) polymorphisms on zinc and selenium concentrations, respectively, in the serum.

Prediction of Heart Failure Decompensation Events by Trend Analysis of Telemonitoring Data.

This paper aims to assess the predictive value of physiological data daily collected in a telemonitoring study in the early detection of heart failure (HF) decompensation events. The main hypothesis is that physiological time series with similar progression (trends) may have prognostic value in future clinical states (decompensation or normal condition). The strategy is composed of two main steps: a trend similarity analysis and a predictive procedure.

Cardiovascular risk profile of high school students: a cross-sectional study.

Introduction: Disease prevention should begin in childhood and lifestyles are important risk determinants of cardiovascular disease. Awareness and monitoring of risk is essential in preventive strategies.

Aim: To characterize cardiovascular risk and the relationships between certain variables in adolescents.

A fluorescence-based method for cyanate analysis in ethanol/water media: correlation between cyanate presence and ethyl carbamate formation in sugar cane spirit.

Unlabelled: Based on the fluorescence properties of 2,4-(1H,3H)-quinazolinedione, a product of the reaction between cyanate and 2-aminobenzoic acid, a simple, sensitive, selective, and reproducible method for the cyanate analysis in aqueous ethanolic media is proposed. In this method, λ(exc) and λ(em) are 310 and 410 nm, respectively, and the limits of detection and quantification are 2.2 × 10(-7) and 6.

Immunocytotoxicity, cytogenotoxicity and genotoxicity of cadmium-based quantum dots in the marine mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis.

There is an increased use of Quantum Dot (QDs) in biological and biomedical applications, but little is known about their marine ecotoxicology. So, the aim of this study was to investigate the possible immunocytotoxic, cytogenotoxic and genotoxic effects of cadmium telluride QDs (CdTe QDs) on the marine mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis. Mussels were exposed to 10 μg L(-1) of CdTe QDs or to soluble Cd [Cd(NO3)2] for 14 days and Cd accumulation, immunocytotoxicity [hemocyte density, cell viability, lysosomal membrane stability (LMS), differential cell counts (DCC)], cytogenotoxicity (micronucleus test and nuclear abnormalities assay) and genotoxicity (comet assay) were analyzed.

The Boston Marathon bombing: after-action review of the Brigham and Women's Hospital emergency radiology response.

Purpose: To analyze imaging utilization and emergency radiology process turnaround times in response to the April 15, 2013, Boston Marathon bombing in order to identify opportunities for improvement in the Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) emergency operations plan.

Materials And Methods: Institutional review board approval was obtained with waivers of informed consent. Patient demographics, injuries, and outcomes were gathered, along with measures of emergency department (ED) imaging utilization and turnaround times, which were compared with operations from the preceding year by using the Wilcoxon rank sum test.

A randomized controlled pilot trial of classroom-based mindfulness meditation compared to an active control condition in sixth-grade children.

The current study is a pilot trial to examine the effects of a nonelective, classroom-based, teacher-implemented, mindfulness meditation intervention on standard clinical measures of mental health and affect in middle school children. A total of 101 healthy sixth-grade students (55 boys, 46 girls) were randomized to either an Asian history course with daily mindfulness meditation practice (intervention group) or an African history course with a matched experiential activity (active control group). Self-reported measures included the Youth Self Report (YSR), a modified Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Cognitive and Affective Mindfulness Measure -Revised.

Hepcidin expression in colon during trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid-induced colitis in rats.

Aim: To investigate hepcidin expression, interleukin-6 (IL-6) production and iron levels in the rat colon in the presence of trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced colitis.

Methods: In rats, we evaluated the severity of colitis induced by repeated TNBS administration using macroscopic and microscopic scoring systems and myeloperoxidase activity measurements. The colonic levels of hepcidin, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), IL-10 and IL-6 were measured by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay, and hepcidin-25 expression and iron deposition were analyzed by immunohistochemistry and the Prussian blue reaction, respectively.

Adaptation to prostheses among patients with major lower-limb amputations and its association with sociodemographic and clinical data.

Context And Objective: Lower-limb amputation compromises patients' independence and autonomy, and therefore they should be referred for rehabilitation in order to adapt to prostheses and regain autonomy. The aim here was to assess adaptation to prostheses among patients with major lower-limb amputations and its association with sociodemographic and clinical data.

Design And Setting: This was a cross-sectional study in the city of Aracaju, Brazil.

ACE polymorphism and use of ACE inhibitors: effects on memory performance.

Memory is an important cognition function, being fundamental to the development and independence of individuals. Our aim was to investigate the influence apolipoprotein E (APOE) and angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) polymorphism and ACE inhibitors use, besides their interaction on memory performance of healthy subjects over 50 years. The sample consisted of 205 subjects assessed for five types of episodic memory, using Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised (WMS-R), who answered a questionnaire about drug use and were assessed for the ACE insertion/deletion polymorphism and APOE polymorphism.

Adsorbate induced vacancy formation on silver surfaces.

The energy required to form and remove vacancies on metal surfaces mediates the rate of mass transport during a wide range of processes. These energies are known to be sensitive to environmental conditions. Here, we use electronic structure density functional theory calculations to show that the surface vacancy formation energy of silver changes markedly in the presence of adsorbed and dissolved oxygen.

A near ambient pressure XPS study of Au oxidation.

The surface of a gold foil under ozone oxidation was examined by near ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (NAP-XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Our in situ observations show that a surface oxide phase is formed during the exposure to ozone; however this phase decomposes under vacuum and even in the presence of ozone at temperatures higher than 300 °C. Assuming that an oxide overlayer completely covers the Au surface, the thickness of the oxide phase was estimated to be between 0.

Mice that are fed a high-fat diet display increased hepcidin expression in adipose tissue.

Since the discovery that hepcidin is expressed in the adipose tissue of obese subjects, attention has been increasingly focused on alterations in iron homeostasis that are associated with adiposity. We examined the production of hepcidin, the expression of hepcidin-related genes and the iron content of the adipose tissue in obesity using Swiss mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD). The mice were maintained on a control diet or HFD for 12 or 24 wk, and body weight, adiposity and glucose homeostasis were evaluated.

Toxic effects of glibenclamide in fetuses of normoglycemic rats: an alternative therapy for gestational diabetes mellitus.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is defined as glucose intolerance first diagnosed during the second or third trimester of pregnancy. The treatment aims at glycemic control through changes in the patient's diet with or without exercise, but some patients need insulin therapy. An alternative would be to use oral hypoglycemic agents such as glibenclamide (GLIB).

The linked human imprintome v1.0: over 120 genes confirmed as imprinted impose a major review on previous censuses.

The whole set of human imprinted genes, termed imprintome, is here analysed by means of a reasonable, valid application of the Semantic Web and Linked Data approaches to a few structured datasets in order to provide a comprehensive collection of imprinted genes in the human genome. Thus, we have stored, organised, filtered, and analysed massive amounts of existing data on human imprinted genes towards compiling, structuring and linking data to comprise a sharing resource for genome and epigenome interrogated studies. Our datasets of linked data are the actual research outcome of this human imprintome analysis because as genomics become more and more data intensive, due to huge amounts of biological data, so does our needs for more structured data to be easier mined and shared.

The effects of interactions between selenium and zinc serum concentration and SEP15 and SLC30A3 gene polymorphisms on memory scores in a population of mature and elderly adults.

Memory deficits are common during aging, but little is known about the impact of environmental and genetic variables on memory. The genes SLC30A3 and SEP15 are, respectively, responsible for transporting zinc and selenium, micronutrients that are neuroprotective agents. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of nutrigenetic interactions on the memory scores of volunteers more than 50 years old.

Reaction cell for in situ soft x-ray absorption spectroscopy and resonant inelastic x-ray scattering measurements of heterogeneous catalysis up to 1 atm and 250 °C.

We present a novel in situ reaction cell for heterogeneous catalysis monitored in situ by x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS). The reaction can be carried out at a total pressure up to 1 atm, a regime that has not been accessible to comparable in situ techniques and thus closes the pressure gap to many industrial standard conditions. Two alternate catalyst geometries were tested: (A) a thin film evaporated directly onto an x-ray transparent membrane with a flowing reaction gas mixture behind it or (B) a powder placed behind both the membrane and a gap of flowing reaction gas mixture.

Production of the first effective hyperimmune equine serum antivenom against Africanized bees.

Victims of massive bee attacks become extremely ill, presenting symptoms ranging from dizziness and headache to acute renal failure and multiple organ failure that can lead to death. Previous attempts to develop specific antivenom to treat these victims have been unsuccessful. We herein report a F(ab)(´)(2)-based antivenom raised in horse as a potential new treatment for victims of multiple bee stings.

Non-cultured melanocyte/keratinocyte transplantation for the treatment of stable vitiligo on the face: report of two cases.

There are many alternatives to treat vitiligo, including surgical procedures, which are recommended for patients resistant to other therapies. The melanocyte/keratinocyte transplantation consists in the separation of epidermal cells obtained from a donor site and spreading these cells on the depigmented and dermabraded recipient area. Two patients were submitted to transplantation, showing more than 70% repigmentation in the treated areas after four months, both with excellent degree of satisfaction.

Mood disorders in childhood and adolescence.

The identification and treatment of mood disorders in children and adolescents has grown over the last decades. Major depression is one of the most common and debilitating disorders worldwide, imposing a massive burden to the youth population. Bipolar disorder is being increasingly recognized as having its roots early in life, and its presentation during childhood and adolescence has been submitted to extensive research.

Ovary histology and quantification of hemolymph proteins of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus treated with Melia azedarach.

This study aimed to analyze ovary histology and quantify total protein in the hemolymph of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus females treated with hexane extracts from green fruits of Melia azedarach. Eight engorged females were immersed in the extract at 0.25% concentration, and eight in water containing 5% acetone (control).

Telehealth streams reduction based on pattern recognition techniques for events detection and efficient storage in EHR.

This work proposes a framework for telehealth streams analysis, founded on a pattern recognition technique that evaluates the similarity between multi-sensorial biosignals. The strategy combines the Haar wavelet with the Karhunen-Loève transforms to describe biosignals by means of a reduced set of parameters. These, that reflect the dynamic behavior of the biosignals, can support the detection of relevant clinical conditions.

Cardiovascular disease risk assessment innovative approaches developed in HeartCycle project.

Two innovative CVD event risk assessment strategies were developed in the scope of HeartCycle project: i) combination of individual risk assessment tools; ii) personalization of risk assessment based on grouping of patients. These approaches aimed to defeat some of the major limitations of the tools currently applied in the daily clinical practice, namely to: i) improve the risk prediction performance when comparing it to the one achieved by the individual current risk assessment tools; ii) consider the available knowledge provided by other risk assessment tools; iii) cope with missing risk factors; iv) incorporate additional clinical knowledge. Two different real patients' datasets were applied to validate the developed strategies: i) Santa Cruz Hospital, Portugal, N=460 ACS-NSTEMI1 patients; ii) Leiria Pombal Hospital Centre, Portugal, N=99 ACS-NSTEMI.