Proteomic analysis of integrin alphaIIbbeta3 outside-in signaling reveals Src-kinase-independent phosphorylation of Dok-1 and Dok-3 leading to SHIP-1 interactions.

Background And Objectives: Outside-in integrin alphaIIbbeta3 signaling involves a series of tyrosine kinase reactions that culminate in platelet spreading on fibrinogen. The aim of this study was to identify novel tyrosine phosphorylated signaling proteins downstream of alphaIIbbeta3, and explore their role in platelet signaling.

Methods And Results: Utilizing proteomics to search for novel platelet proteins that contribute to outside-in signaling by the integrin alphaIIbbeta3, we identified 27 proteins, 17 of which were not previously shown to be part of a tyrosine phosphorylation-based signaling complex downstream of alphaIIbbeta3.

A comparison between sevoflurane and desflurane anesthesia in patients undergoing craniotomy for supratentorial intracranial surgery.

Background: Desflurane in neurosurgery may be beneficial because it facilitates postoperative early neurologic evaluation. However, its use has been debated because of its capacity to promote cerebral vasodilatation. Sevoflurane has been extensively used in neurosurgical patients.

Regularized quadratic cost function for oriented fringe-pattern filtering.

We use the regularization theory in a Bayesian framework to derive a quadratic cost function for denoising fringe patterns. As prior constraints for the regularization problem, we propose a Markov random field model that includes information about the fringe orientation. In our cost function the regularization term imposes constraints to the solution (i.

Non-organ-specific autoantibodies in chronic hepatitis C patients: association with histological activity and fibrosis.

Background: Non-organ-specific autoantibodies (NOSAs) are frequently found in the sera of patients with Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection. However, no conclusive answers have been produced concerning the clinical relevance of these antibodies.

Aim: To determine whether a relationship might exist between the presence of NOSA and the severity of liver disease in chronic hepatitis C.

Benefits of increased home-visitation services: exploring a case management model.

This study examined outcome measures of a home-visitation program that provided services to first-born children and their parents. Home-visitation workers conducted pretest-posttest assessments for prenatal and postpartum periods for 109 families. Families were assessed using the Revised North Carolina Family Assessment Scale.

Europium(III) concentration effect on the spectroscopic and photoluminescent properties of BaMoO(4):Eu.

BaMoO(4):Eu (BEMO) powders were synthesized by the polymeric precursor method (PPM), heat treated at 800 degrees C for 2 h in a heating rate of 5 degrees C/min and characterized by powder X-ray diffraction patterns (XRD), Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy, besides room temperature Photoluminescence (PL) measurements. The emission spectra of BEMO samples under excitation of 394 nm present the characteristic Eu(3+) transitions. The relative intensities of the Eu(3+) emissions increase as the concentration of this ion increases from 0.

Scaling up in vitro transcription synthesis of RNA standards for competitive quantitative RT-PCR: looking for bigger yields.

Because the acquisition of in vitro transcription kits, for production of RNA standards, might not be affordable for some small laboratories, the current work describes some alternatives to the commercial Promega protocols. Yields of tested reactions were all higher than the ones reported for the standard Riboprobe kit (1mug RNA/mug template, 1x) and the optimized variant for high yields (5-10x). They were also as good as the ones described for the high RNA production kit RiboMAX (10-20x), exceeding them in approximately 70% of reactions.

Cardiolipin, a lipid found in mitochondria, hydrogenosomes and bacteria was not detected in Giardia lamblia.

Giardia lamblia is a protozoan parasite with many characteristics common among eukaryotic cells, but lacking other features found in most eukaryotes. Cardiolipin is a phospholipid located exclusively in energy transducing membranes and it was identified in mitochondria, bacteria, hydrogenosomes and chloroplasts. In eukaryotes, cardiolipin is the only lipid that is synthesized in the mitochondria.

Granulibacter bethesdensis isolated in a child patient with chronic granulomatous disease.

Chronic granulomatous disease was diagnosed in a 10-year-old boy who, after some weeks' decline, developed acute respiratory distress leading to multiple organ failure and death. All microbiological analyses were negative, except two blood cultures from which the novel bacterium Granulibacter bethesdensis was isolated.

Severe weight loss in HIV / HCV-coinfected patients treated with interferon plus ribavirin: incidence and risk factors.

Weight loss is reported by more than 20% of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-monoinfected patients treated with the peg-interferon (peg-IFN) and ribavirin combination. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence and risk factors of severe weight loss (> or =10%) in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) / HCV-coinfected patients participating in a randomized, controlled 48-week trial comparing peg-IFN alpha 2b plus ribavirin with IFN alpha-2b plus ribavirin. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to identify links with antiretroviral treatments, anti-HCV therapy and clinical and laboratory findings.

SiO2-GeO2 soot preform as a core for Eu2O3 nanocoating: synthesis and photophysical study.

Nowadays solid state chemists have the possibility of work with low temperature strategies to obtain solid state materials with appropriate physical and chemical properties for useful technological applications. Photonic core shell materials having a core and shell domains composed by a variety of compounds have been synthesized by different methods. In this work we used silica-germania soot prepared by vapor-phase axial deposition as a core where a nanoshell of Eu(2)O(3) was deposited.

A novel electromyographic signal simulator for muscle contraction studies.

Mathematical simulation has been widely used in biomedical and biological sciences. In the case of the surface electromyographic (SEMG) activity, some models have been proposed aiming to study muscle contraction strategies that are used during different tasks and conditions. Most of SEMG simulators are based on energy modulation of a Gaussian noise.

Synthesis, characterization and photophysical properties of Eu3+ doped in BaMoO4.

In this work Ba(0.99)Eu(0.01)MoO(4) (BEMO) powders were prepared by the first time by the Complex Polymerization Method.

Study of structural and photoluminescent properties of Ca8Eu2(PO4)6O2.

In this work it is presented for the first time the nanostructured hydroxyapatites doped with 0.5, 1.0 and 2.

Early postoperative complications after intracranial surgery: comparison between total intravenous and balanced anesthesia.

This prospective study was performed to compare the incidence of complications occurring after neurosurgical procedures in patients anesthetized with either sevoflurane-fentanyl or propofol-remifentanil anesthesia. We enrolled 162 American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) I to III patients (82 females and 80 males, Glasgow 15) undergoing elective neurosurgical procedures. Anesthesia was conducted using either propofol-remifentanil (T group; n=80 patients) or sevoflurane-fentanyl (S group; n=82 patients).

Zootherapy goes to town: the use of animal-based remedies in urban areas of NE and N Brazil.

This paper examines the therapeutic possibilities offered by animal-based remedies in five Brazilian cities. Information was obtained through semi-structured questionnaires applied to 79 traders of medicinal animals at São Luís, Teresina, João Pessoa and Campina Grande (Northeastern) and Belém (Northern) Brazil. We recorded the use of 97 animal species as medicines, whose products were recommended for the treatment of 82 illnesses.

Follow-up of neonatal jaundice in term and late premature newborns.

Objectives: To report on the results of a project following term and near term newborn infants who were jaundiced during the neonatal period.

Methods: Neonates were referred to the follow-up clinic with weight >/= 2,000 g and/or gestational age >/= 35 weeks, and jaundice at discharge was initially assessed with an Ingram icterometer or Bilicheck and, if indicated, with a Unistat bilirubinometer (Leica). These newborn infants had bilirubinemia at or above the 40th percentile on the nomogram developed by Bhutani.

Ecology: the proximate cause of frog declines?

Pounds et al. argue that global warming contributes to amphibian declines by encouraging outbreaks of the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. Although our findings agree with the climate-linked epidemic hypothesis, this pathogen is probably not the only proximate factor in such cases: in the Trasimeno Lake area of Umbria in central Italy, for example, the water frog Rana lessonae first declined in the late 1990s, yet chytridiomycosis was not observed until 2003 (refs 5, 6).

Biodiversity, traditional medicine and public health: where do they meet?

Given the increased use of traditional medicines, possibilities that would ensure its successful integration into a public health framework should be explored. This paper discusses some of the links between biodiversity and traditional medicine, and addresses their implications to public health. We explore the importance of biodiversity and ecosystem services to global and human health, the risks which human impacts on ecosystems and biodiversity present to human health and welfare.

Zootherapeutic practices among fishing communities in North and Northeast Brazil: a comparison.

This paper compares the medicinal uses of animals in fishing communities located in the North and Northeastern regions of Brazil. Data were obtained through field surveys conducted in the Northern state of Pará and in the NE states of Paraíba, Piauí and Maranhão. We interviewed 137 people (67 men and 70 women), who provided information on animal species used as remedies, body parts used to prepare the remedies, and illnesses to which the remedies were prescribed.

Photophysical properties of new terbium (III) organophosphonates.

This paper reports on the synthesis, characterization and photophysical properties of the Tb3+ organophosphonates, TbH(O3PR)2, methylphosphonate (R = CH3), ethylphosphonate (R = C2H5), propylphosphonate (R = C3H7), and phenylphosphonate (R = C6H5). The layered Tb3+ organophosphonates were characterized by X-ray diffraction, IR spectroscopy, TG and elemental analysis. The interlayer distances of the Tb3+ organophosphonates evaluated by the X-ray diffractogram were 9.

From cnidarians to mammals: the use of animals as remedies in fishing communities in NE Brazil.

This work documents zootherapeutic practices in Northeast Brazil. It is primarily based on field surveys carried out in fishing villages located in the states of Maranhão and Paraíba, where 60 respondents (38 men and 22 women) provided information on animal species used as medicine, body parts used to prepare the remedies and illnesses to which the remedies were prescribed. A total of 100 animal species (72 families), distributed in 12 taxonomic categories, was used as medicine.

Dermoscopic examination of the nail bed and matrix.

Abstract Background Dermoscopy has furthered advances in the differential diagnosis of longitudinal melanonychia; however, fewer details observed in the nail, as compared to skin lesions, make interpretation difficult. Methods Ten cases of longitudinal melancholia, from several etiologies, were submitted to direct dermoscopic examination of the nail bed and matrix. Results We observed the presence of globules, streaks, and pigment network in the nail bed and matrix, which are dermoscopic features not seen in the nail plate.

Phase recovery from a single fringe pattern using an orientational vector-field-regularized estimator.

Recent studies have demonstrated that the phase recovery from a single fringe pattern with closed fringes can be properly performed if the modulo 2pi fringe orientation is estimated. For example, the fringe pattern in quadrature can be efficiently obtained in terms of the orientational phase spatial operator using fast Fourier transformations and a spiral phase spectral operator in the Fourier space. The computation of the modulo 2pi fringe orientation, however, is by far the most difficult task in the global process of phase recovery.