High dose deferoxamine in intracerebral hemorrhage (HI-DEF) trial: rationale, design, and methods.

Background: Hemoglobin degradation products, in particular iron, have been implicated in secondary neuronal injury following intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). The iron chelator Deferoxamine Mesylate (DFO) exerts diverse neuroprotective effects, reduces perihematoma edema (PHE) and neuronal damage, and improves functional recovery after experimental ICH. We hypothesize that treatment with DFO could minimize neuronal injury and improve outcome in ICH patients.

Melanoma immunotherapy using mature DCs expressing the constitutive proteasome.

Background: Many cancers, including melanoma, exclusively express constitutive proteasomes (cPs) and are unable to express immunoproteasomes (iPs). In contrast, mature DCs used for immunotherapy exclusively express iPs. Since proteasomes generate peptides presented by HLA class I molecules, we hypothesized that mature melanoma antigen-loaded DCs engineered to process antigens through cPs would be superior inducers of antimelanoma immunity in vivo.

QTc-prolongation in posterior circulation stroke.

Background And Purpose: To evaluate the relationship between infarct location and QTc-prolongation in patients with posterior circulation strokes.

Methods: Admission electrocardiograms (ECG) of 131 patients among a prospective sample of 407 consecutive adult patients in the New England Medical Center Posterior Circulation Registry were retrospectively analyzed. The QT interval (ms) was measured and corrected using Bazett's formula (QTcBazett) as well as linear regression functions (QTcLinear).

Possible ameliorative effect of breastfeeding and the uptake of human colostrum against coeliac disease in autistic rats.

Aim: To examine the possible ameliorative effect of breastfeeding and the uptake of human colostrum against coeliac disease in autistic rats.

Methods: Female rats were fed a standard diet and received a single intraperitoneal injection of 600 mg/kg sodium valproate on day 12.5 after conception.

Assessment of framingham cardiovascular disease risk among militaries in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Objectives: To measure the risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) among militaries in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and to assess their Framingham CVD risk.

Methods: A nationwide survey included 10,500 active military personnel selected by multistage stratified random sampling representing various ranks in the army forces of 5 regions. The study used the World Health Organization STEPwise approach to chronic disease risk factor surveillance (STEPS) in the design of data collection tool.

Evaluation of the possible protective role of quercetin on letrozole-induced testicular injury in male albino rats.

Background: The purpose of this study was to appraise the possible adverse effects of quercetin against the aromatase inhibitor letrozole-induced developmental toxicity potential in male Wistar rats.

Methods: Control male albino rats were received vehicles used for flavonoids and vehicle used for letrozole. The rats in the first experimental group received letrozole at 0.

Virulence of endemic nonpigmented northern Australian Staphylococcus aureus clone (clonal complex 75, S. argenteus) is not augmented by staphyloxanthin.

Staphylococcus aureus clonal complex 75 (herein referred to as S. argenteus) lacks the carotenoid pigment operon, crtOPQMN, responsible for production of the putative virulence factor, staphyloxanthin. Although a common cause of community-onset skin infections among Indigenous populations in northern Australia, this clone is infrequently isolated from hospital-based patients with either bacteremic or nonbacteremic infections.

Heritability estimates identify a substantial genetic contribution to risk and outcome of intracerebral hemorrhage.

Background And Purpose: Previous studies suggest that genetic variation plays a substantial role in occurrence and evolution of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Genetic contribution to disease can be determined by calculating heritability using family-based data, but such an approach is impractical for ICH because of lack of large pedigree-based studies. However, a novel analytic tool based on genome-wide data allows heritability estimation from unrelated subjects.

Prevalence of obesity among military personnel in Saudi Arabia and associated risk factors.

Objective: To measure the prevalence of obesity among military personnel in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), and to identify its risk factors.

Methods: This nationwide cross-sectional study covered all 5 military regions of KSA. It included a multistage stratified random sample of 10,500 active military personnel.

Thermo-expandable metallic urethral stents for managing recurrent bulbar urethral strictures: To use or not?

Objectives: To assess the role of temporary thermally expandable urethral stents in maintaining urethral patency in patients with a recurrent bulbar urethral stricture.

Patients And Methods: Twenty-three men with a recurrent bulbar urethral stricture after several attempts at direct visual internal urethrotomy (DVIU) and/or failed urethroplasty were managed with a thermally expandable, biocompatible nickel-titanium alloy urethral stent (Memokath® MK044, Pnn Medical, Kvistgaard, Denmark). The stents were applied by a special mounting device via a rigid urethroscope after DVIU.

Frontal fibrosing alopecia: a retrospective review of 19 patients seen at Duke University.

Background: Frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA) is a type of scarring hair loss primarily observed in postmenopausal women and characterized by fronto-tempero-parietal hairline recession, perifollicular erythema, and loss of eyebrows. The incidence is unknown, but the number of women presenting with this condition has significantly increased in recent years. No effective therapy has been established.

Common variants within oxidative phosphorylation genes influence risk of ischemic stroke and intracerebral hemorrhage.

Background And Purpose: Previous studies demonstrated association between mitochondrial DNA variants and ischemic stroke (IS). We investigated whether variants within a larger set of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) genes encoded by both autosomal and mitochondrial DNA were associated with risk of IS and, based on our results, extended our investigation to intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH).

Methods: This association study used a discovery cohort of 1643 individuals, a validation cohort of 2432 individuals for IS, and an extension cohort of 1476 individuals for ICH.

Nonlinear microscopy of eumelanin and pheomelanin with subcellular resolution.

Pump-probe microscopy nondestructively differentiates eumelanin and pheomelanin and can be used to quantify melanin distributions in thin biopsy slices. Here we have extended that work for imaging eumelanin and pheomelanin distributions on a subcellular scale, allowing elucidation of characteristics of different cell types. The results show that melanin heterogeneity, previously found to be characteristic of melanomas, persists on the subcellular scale.

Vulvar vascular tumors: a clinicopathologic study of 85 patients.

The subepidermal hormonally sensitive tissue of the vulva is anatomically unique and may give rise to a wide variety of vascular tumors. As a consequence, classifying vulvar vascular lesions has been challenging due both to the wide variety of lesions that may be encountered and the heterogeneity in reporting across several disciplines. The purpose of this study is to present an institutional experience of vulvar vascular lesions.

Endothelial function in women using levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system (LNG-IUS).

Background: Oral levonorgestrel has been linked to increased cardiovascular risk, but currently, no information is available on the effect of the levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system (LNG-IUS) on endothelial dysfunction. The objective of this study was to assess endothelial function in LNG-IUS users.

Study Design: Sixty women underwent insertion of either an LNG-IUS (n=30) as study group or Copper-T intrauterine contraceptive device (TCu 380A intrauterine device) as control group (n=30).

Burden of blood pressure-related alleles is associated with larger hematoma volume and worse outcome in intracerebral hemorrhage.

Background And Purpose: Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is the acute manifestation of a progressive disease of the cerebral small vessels. The severity of this disease seems to influence not only risk of ICH but also the size of the hematoma. As the burden of high blood pressure-related alleles is associated with both hypertension-related end-organ damage and risk of ICH, we sought to determine whether this burden influences ICH baseline hematoma volume.

Leukoaraiosis and sex predict the hyperacute ischemic core volume.

Background And Purpose: Leukoaraiosis (LA) and male sex have been associated with decreased cerebrovascular reactivity, which potentially adversely affects tissue viability in acute stroke. Therefore, we aimed to elucidate the contribution of LA-severity and sex to the extent of the hyperacute ischemic core volume after intracranial large artery occlusion.

Methods: We analyzed data from 87 patients with acute intracranial large artery occlusion who had acute multimodal computed tomography-imaging.

The role of the c-Jun N-terminal Kinase signaling pathway in skin cancer.

The c-Jun N-terminal Kinases (JNK), along with Erk and p38, constitute the principle members of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) family. JNK functions primarily through AP1 family transcription factors to regulate a plethora of cellular processes, including cell proliferation, differentiation, survival and migration. It also cross-talks and integrates with other signaling pathways in a cell context-specific and cell type-specific manner.

Comparative evaluation of epidural bupivacaine - dexmedetomidine and bupivacaine -fentanyl on Doppler velocimetry of uterine and umbilical arteries during labor.

Objective: uteroplacental blood flow is affected by myometrial contractions and hypotension. Epidural analgesia is frequently complicated by hypotension. The aim of the study was to compare the effect of bupivacaine-dexmedetomidine (BD) or bupivacaine - fentanyl (BF) on uterine artery pulsatitly index (UtA-PI) and umbilical artery pulsatitly index (UA-PI) during uterine contractions and relaxations.