Protective effect of soluble Klotho in pediatric patients undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass support-A pilot study.

Objective: The Klotho protein family plays important roles in several metabolic pathways. Soluble Klotho has been recently put forward as an antiaging protein, demonstrating renal and cardiovascular protective traits. Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) support during cardiac surgery has been implicated in several adverse outcomes in pediatric and adult patients.

The Fetal Safety of Enoxaparin Use During Pregnancy: A Population-Based Retrospective Cohort Study.

Introduction: Enoxaparin is widely used during pregnancy as pregnancy is a hypercoagulable state; however, its fetal safety has scarcely been investigated.

Objective: Our study aimed to examine fetal safety following enoxaparin exposure during pregnancy.

Methods: A population-based, retrospective cohort study was performed by linking computerized databases, including the drug dispensing registries of Clalit Health Services in Israel and maternal and infant hospital records, between 1998 and 2009.

Intestinal obstruction in pregnancy by ondansetron.

Background: Ondansetron use for nausea and vomiting during pregnancy has increased in the last years, although its maternal and fetal safety is not conclusive.

Case: We describe a case of intestinal obstruction in a pregnant woman with severe nausea and vomiting of pregnancy treated with ondansetron, which is known to slow gut motility.

Conclusion: The spontaneous reporting system of WHO confirms that this potentially life threatening complication is more common than what the peer review literature may suggest and needs to be looked into carefully, especially in view of the wide spread off-label use for NVP.

Synthesis and characterization of dual modality (CT/MRI) core-shell microparticles for embolization purposes.

Core P(MAOETIB-GMA) microparticles of 40-200 microm were prepared by suspension copolymerization of the iodinated monomer 2-methacryloyloxyethyl (2,3,5-triiodobenzoate), MAOETIB, with a low concentration of the monomer glycidyl methacrylate, GMA, which formed hydrophilic surfaces on the particles. Magnetic gamma-Fe(2)O(3)/P(MAOETIB-GMA) core-shell microparticles were prepared by coating the aforementioned core particles through nucleation of iron oxide nanoparticles on the surfaces of the P(MAOETIB-GMA) particles. This was followed by stepwise growth of thin iron oxide layers.

Selective oncolytic effect of an attenuated Newcastle disease virus (NDV-HUJ) in lung tumors.

Newcastle disease virus (NDV), an avian paramyxovirus, has a potential oncolytic effect that may be of significance in the treatment of a variety of cancer diseases. An attenuated lentogenic isolate of NDV (HUJ) demonstrated a selective cytopathic effect upon a panel of human and mouse lung tumor cells, as compared to human nontumorigenic lung cells. The virus-selective oncolytic effect is apoptosis dependent, and related to higher levels of viral transcription, translation and progeny virus formation.

The effect of training nursery staff in breastfeeding guidance on the duration of breastfeeding in healthy term infants.

Background: Promoting breastfeeding is a central aim of child health care. It is critical to develop approaches that are inexpensive, effective, and suitable across cultural and socioeconomic groups.

Objective: To study the effect of training perinatal-neonatal nursing and medical staff in breastfeeding guidance on the duration of breastfeeding in a middle-income urban population.

Measured length of normal term infants changes over the first two days of life.

Measured neonatal length may be influenced by reluctance of the measurer to extend the infant's limbs against the normal flexor posture. As the degree of flexion decreases over the first few days of life, measured length may increase. We conducted a study of the effect of postnatal age on measured length and on inter-observer correlation.

Pulmonary function threshold for distinguishing ventilatory- and nonventilatory-limited patients with airflow obstruction.

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may demonstrate great variability between results on the pulmonary function test (PFT) compared to those on the cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPXT). The purpose of this study was to correlate PFT and CPXT indices and to identify PFT threshold values for predicting exercise capacity in patients with airflow limitation. Fifty-seven patients (48 men and 9 women) of mean age 66.