Molecular cytogenetics of human single pronucleated zygotes.

The aim of the present study was to use fluorescence in situ hybridization to analyze the chromosome status of zygotes with a single pronucleus from in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) treatment cycles. In addition, we performed immunocytochemical detection of nuclear lamins and histone H3 trimethylated at lysine-9, Me(3)H3K9. Zygotes were processed 24 hours after insemination or injection to assure the absence of asynchrony.

[Study on laparoscopic surgery in treatment of caesarean scar pregnancy].

Objective: To investigate the safety and feasibility of laparoscopic removal of exogenous caesarean scar pregnancy (CSP).

Methods: From January 2009 to May 2011, 71 patients with CSP treated in Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University were studied retrospectively. Thirty-nine patients were treated with hysteroscopic excision of CSP, while 32 patients were treated with laparoscopic surgery.

Influence of posture on the ventilatory pattern and the thoraco-abdominal kinematics of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Objective: Evaluate the influence of posture on ventilatory pattern, compartmental distribution of volume of chest wall and thoraco-abdominal kinematics of patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Methods: Twelve, male patients with severe COPD (Forced Expiratory Volume in the first second (FEV1) = 24.

Aquaporin-4 as a molecular partner of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator in rat Sertoli cells.

Sertoli cells (SCs) form the blood-testis barrier (BTB) that controls the microenvironment where the germ cells develop. The cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) plays an essential role to male fertility and it was recently suggested that it may promote water transport. Interestingly, Aquaporin-4 (AQP4) is widely expressed in blood barriers, but was never identified in SCs.

Evaluation of the efficacy of laparoscopic resection for the management of exogenous cesarean scar pregnancy.

Objective: To retrospectively analyze the clinical data of 71 patients with exogenous cesarean scar pregnancy (CSP) treated in our hospital in the past 2 years, to compare the outcomes of exogenous CSP treated with different methods, and to evaluate the safety and feasibility of laparoscopic resection of exogenous CSP.

Design: Comparative observational study.

Setting: Tertiary medical centers.

Evolutionary relationships of the critically endangered frog Ericabatrachus baleensis Largen, 1991 with notes on incorporating previously unsampled taxa into large-scale phylogenetic analyses.

Background: The phylogenetic relationships of many taxa remain poorly known because of a lack of appropriate data and/or analyses. Despite substantial recent advances, amphibian phylogeny remains poorly resolved in many instances. The phylogenetic relationships of the Ethiopian endemic monotypic genus Ericabatrachus has been addressed thus far only with phenotypic data and remains contentious.

Mass spectrometry-based metabolomic profiling identifies alterations in salivary redox status and fatty acid metabolism in response to inflammation and oxidative stress in periodontal disease.

Periodontal diseases represent the most common chronic inflammatory diseases in humans and a major cause of tooth loss. Combining mass spectrometry-based ionomics and targeted lipidomics on fatty acid metabolites, we identified significant alterations in redox status and fatty acid metabolism in saliva in response to chronic inflammation and oxidative stress in periodontal disease in a cohort of nonsmoker subjects with chronic periodontitis. For the first time, ionomic profiling of around 30 ions in saliva revealed significantly decreased levels of redox-active metal ions including Mn, Cu, and Zn in the periodontal group, which is consistent with decreased levels of superoxide dismutases in saliva and serum.

Association of Fas -1377 G/A polymorphism with susceptibility to cancer.

Background: The relationship between Fas -1377 G/A polymorphism and cancer susceptibility has been implicated in accumulating data. However, the data presented inconsistent results. This study was devised to investigate the association of Fas -1377 G/A polymorphism and cancer susceptibility in a large number of participants.

Effect of in vitro exposure to lead chloride on semen quality and sperm DNA fragmentation.

Exposure to lead may cause changes in the male reproductive system. We evaluated the effect of lead chloride (PbCl2) in vitro on semen quality from 31 individuals. Samples were incubated at room temperature for two exposure times (4 h and 8 h) and with two concentrations of PbCl2 (15 μg/ml or 30 μg/ml).

Brazilian propolis protects Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells against oxidative stress.

Propolis is a natural product widely used for humans. Due to its complex composition, a number of applications (antimicrobial, antiinflammatory, anesthetic, cytostatic and antioxidant) have been attributed to this substance. Using Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a eukaryotic model we investigated the mechanisms underlying the antioxidant effect of propolis from Guarapari against oxidative stress.

Validating the distribution of specific ventilation in healthy humans measured using proton MR imaging.

Specific ventilation imaging (SVI) uses proton MRI to quantitatively map the distribution of specific ventilation (SV) in the human lung, using inhaled oxygen as a contrast agent. To validate this recent technique, we compared the quantitative measures of heterogeneity of the SV distribution in a 15-mm sagittal slice of lung obtained in 10 healthy supine subjects, (age 37 ± 10 yr, forced expiratory volume in 1 s 97 ± 7% predicted) using SVI to those obtained in the whole lung from multiple-breath nitrogen washout (MBW). Using the analysis of Lewis et al.

A white-light-emitting LnMOF with color properties improved via Eu3+ doping: an alternative approach to a rational design for solid-state lighting.

The intrinsic white-light-emitting properties of a lanthanide metal-organic framework that approach requirements for solid-state lighting are easily improved by incorporating minute quantities of red-emitting Eu(3+) into the host framework by virtue of the isostructural character of the La(3+) and Eu(3+) compounds and efficient sensitization of ligands toward Eu(3+) ions.

Basic models modeling resistance training: an update for basic scientists interested in study skeletal muscle hypertrophy.

Human muscle hypertrophy brought about by voluntary exercise in laboratorial conditions is the most common way to study resistance exercise training, especially because of its reliability, stimulus control and easy application to resistance training exercise sessions at fitness centers. However, because of the complexity of blood factors and organs involved, invasive data is difficult to obtain in human exercise training studies due to the integration of several organs, including adipose tissue, liver, brain and skeletal muscle. In contrast, studying skeletal muscle remodeling in animal models are easier to perform as the organs can be easily obtained after euthanasia; however, not all models of resistance training in animals displays a robust capacity to hypertrophy the desired muscle.

The effect of supine exercise on the distribution of regional pulmonary blood flow measured using proton MRI.

The Zone model of pulmonary perfusion predicts that exercise reduces perfusion heterogeneity because increased vascular pressure redistributes flow to gravitationally nondependent lung, and causes dilation and recruitment of blood vessels. However, during exercise in animals, perfusion heterogeneity as measured by the relative dispersion (RD, SD/mean) is not significantly decreased. We evaluated the effect of exercise on pulmonary perfusion in six healthy supine humans using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

3D ultrasonography to evaluate fetal urinary production rates in twin gestation: construction of a normal value curve.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess fetal urinary production rates (FUPR) in twin gestations using 3D ultrasonography with VOCAL® (virtual organ computer-aided analysis) and to develop a curve of normal values for the target population.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed in 30 normal twin pregnancies with gestational ages ranging from 20 to 34 weeks. FUPR was measured using a three-dimensional ultrasound (3D US) virtual organ computer-aided analysis (VOCAL) system.

Fetoscopic single-layer repair of open spina bifida using a cellulose patch: preliminary clinical experience.

Objective: To report our preliminary clinical experience in the antenatal correction of open spina bifida (OSB) using a fetoscopic approach and a simplified closure technique.

Methods: Four fetuses with lumbar-sacral defects were operated in utero from 25 to 27 weeks. Surgeries were performed percutaneously under general anesthesia using three trocars and partial carbon dioxide insufflation.

[Effects of Allium Mongolicum Regel polysaccharides on signal molecules in peripheral blood lymphocytes of sheep].

Objective: To study the effects of different concentrations of Allium Mongolicum Regel polysaccharides on the generation of signal molecules of sheep peripheral blood lymphocytes in vitro.

Methods: Allium Mongolicum Regel polysaccharides of different concentrations (0, 50, 100, 150, 200, 250 μg/mL) were prepared and used to stimulate sheep peripheral blood lymphocytes cultured in vitro. Content of Ca(2+) in the media was tested by Fluo-3/AM fluorescence probe method and concentration of nitric oxide (NO) was measured by nitrate reductase.

Embryological, clinical and ultrastructural study of human oocytes presenting indented zona pellucida.

Human oocyte dysmorphisms attain a large proportion of retrieved oocytes from assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment cycles. Extracytoplasmic defects involve abnormal morphology of the zona pellucida (ZP), perivitelline space and first polar body. The aim of the present study was to describe a novel dysmorphism affecting the ZP, indented ZP.

Cardiogenic mixing increases aerosol deposition in the human lung in the absence of gravity.

Rationale: Exposure to extraterrestrial dusts is an almost inevitable consequence of any proposed planetary exploration. Previous studies in humans showed reduced deposition in low-gravity compared with normal gravity (1G). However, the reduced sedimentation means that fewer particles deposit in the airways, increasing the number of particles transported to the lung periphery where they eventually deposit albeit at a smaller rate than in 1G.

Effect of graded levels of fiber from alfalfa meal on intestinal nutrient and energy flow, and hindgut fermentation in growing pigs.

The objective of this experiment was to determine the effects of fiber level from alfalfa meal and collection period on intestinal nutrient and energy flow, and hindgut fermentation in growing pigs. Twenty-four pigs (initial BW = 21.4 ± 1.

Vascular access through the intraosseous route in pediatric emergencies.

Obtaining venous access in critically ill children is an essential procedure to restore blood volume and administer drugs during pediatric emergencies. The first option for vascular access is through a peripheral vein puncture. If this route cannot be used or if a prolonged period of access is necessary, then the intraosseous route is an effective option for rapid and safe venous access.

Dogs immunized with LBSap vaccine displayed high levels of IL-12 and IL-10 cytokines and CCL4, CCL5 and CXCL8 chemokines in the dermis.

The complex interplay between cytokines and chemokines regulates innate and adaptive immune responses against pathogens; specifically, cytokine and chemokine expression drives activation of immune effector cells and their recruitment to tissue infection sites. Herein, we inoculated dogs with Leishmania braziliensis antigens plus saponin (the LBSap vaccine), as well as with the vaccine components, and then used real-time PCR to evaluate the kinetics of dermal expression of mRNAs of cytokines (IL-12, IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-4, IL-13, TGF-β and IL-10) and chemokines (CCL2, CCL4, CCL5, CCL21 and CXCL8) 1, 12, 24 and 48 h after inoculation. We also evaluated the correlation between cytokine and chemokine expression and dermal cellularity.