Homocysteine Slovakia study: study design and occurrence of hyperhomocysteinaemia and other risk factors.

Background: Slovakia belong to the European Union countries with the high incidence and prevalence of cardiovascular diseases in general and IHD in particular.

Method: Homocystein-Slovakia is crossectional population study realised in subjects in high risk age 35-75 years in two groups. The first consists of patients with verified stable ischemic heart disease (IHD) (M= 152; F = 167) aged 60.

Catheter lock technique: in vitro efficacy of ethanol for eradication of methicillin-resistant staphylococcal biofilm compared with other agents.

Biofilm formation in central venous catheters (CVC) is a prerequisite for catheter-related bloodstream infection (CRBSI). The catheter lock technique has been used to treat biofilm infection, but the ideal agent, concentration and the minimum exposure time necessary to eradicate the biofilms are not clearly known. In this study, biofilm-producing strains of staphylococci were used to find out the minimum biofilm eradication concentration of ethanol compared with three other conventional antibacterial agents.

Differential expression pattern of the human endoderm-specific transcription factor sox17 in various tissues and cells.

Background: Sox17 is a member of the Sry-related high mobility group (HMG) of transcription factors that is necessary for endodermal formation and liver development in multiple species. Sox17 gene expression is required for formation of definitive endoderm that gives rise to various tissues.

Objective: To examine the expression of Sox17 in various human tissues and cells.

Pharmacokinetic drug interaction between gemfibrozil and sitagliptin in healthy Indian male volunteers.

Purpose: To study the impact of gemfibrozil co-administration on the pharmacokinetics of sitagliptin in healthy Indian male volunteers.

Methods: A randomized open label two-period crossover study involving 12 healthy Indian male volunteers was conducted at a single center. In each phase, the volunteers were administered sitagliptin as 100 mg tablets, either alone or co-administered with gemfibrozil as 600 mg tablets twice daily for 3 days.

Exploring the binding mechanism of ondansetron hydrochloride to serum albumins: spectroscopic approach.

The mechanism of interaction of ondansetron hydrochloride (OND) to serum albumins [bovine serum albumin (BSA) and human serum albumin (HSA)] was studied for the first time employing fluorimetric, circular dichroism, FTIR and UV-vis absorption techniques under the simulated physiological conditions. Fluorimetric results were utilized to investigate the binding and conformational characteristics of protein upon interaction with varying concentrations of the drug. Higher binding constant values revealed the strong interaction between the drug and protein while the number of binding sites close to unity indicated single class of binding site for OND in protein.

A systems-based medication reconciliation process: with implications for home healthcare.

This article describes the medication reconciliation process applied on hospital discharge of patients to home with home care services within Seton Health System, an integrated health delivery network located in Troy, New York. The project, which was not research based, was characterized by an intensive pharmacotherapeutic medication reconciliation at hospital discharge by the hospital-based pharmacist with continued pharmacist support available to home healthcare nurses collaboratively at the time of start of care and resumption of care. The goal of this process was to identify and resolve medication-related problems and reduce hospital readmissions.

The prevalence of hyperuricemia in China: a meta-analysis.

Background: The prevalence of hyperuricemia varied in different populations and it appeared to be increasing in the past decades. Recent studies suggest that hyperuricemia is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. However, there has not yet been a systematic analysis of the prevalence of hyperuricemia in China.

Low-energy electron-induced single strand breaks in 2'-deoxycytidine-3'-monophosphate using the local complex potential based time-dependent wave packet approach.

Recent experimental and theoretical investigations on resonant electron scattering off DNA and DNA fragments using low-energy electrons (LEEs), to propose the mechanism for single strand breaks (SSBs) and double strand breaks (DSBs), have received considerable attention. It is our purpose here to understand theoretically the comprehensive route to SSB in a selected DNA fragment, namely, 2'-deoxycytidine-3'-monophosphate (3'-dCMPH), induced by LEE (0-3 eV) scattering using the local complex potential based time-dependent wave packet (LCP-TDWP) approach. To the best of our knowledge, there is no time-dependent quantum mechanical study that has been reported in the literature for this DNA fragment to date.

Path to facilitate the prediction of functional amino acid substitutions in red blood cell disorders--a computational approach.

Background: A major area of effort in current genomics is to distinguish mutations that are functionally neutral from those that contribute to disease. Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) are amino acid substitutions that currently account for approximately half of the known gene lesions responsible for human inherited diseases. As a result, the prediction of non-synonymous SNPs (nsSNPs) that affect protein functions and relate to disease is an important task.

Affinity of estrogens for human progesterone receptor A and B monomers and risk of breast cancer: a comparative molecular modeling study.

Background: The human progesterone receptor (hPR) belongs to the steroid receptor family. It may be found as monomers (A and B) and or as a dimer (AB). hPR is regarded as the prognostic biomarker for breast cancer.

Clinical Predictors of Response to Clozapine in Patients with Treatment Resistant Schizophrenia.

Objectives: Despite clozapine's superior clinical efficacy in Treatment Resistant Schizophrenia (TRS), its adverse effects, need for periodic leukocyte monitoring, cost and variable clinical outcomes make the therapeutic decision making process difficult and mandate a clinical need to predict its treatment response. Hence, we investigated various clinical variables associated with treatment responses and adverse events of clozapine in TRS.

Experimental Design: We assessed socio-demographic and clinical profiles, premorbid adjustment, traumatic life events, cognition, disability, psychopathology and serum clozapine levels of 101 patients with TRS on stable dose of clozapine using the following instruments: Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, Abnormal Involuntary Movements Scale, Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-Revised, WHO Disability Assessment Scale-II, Childhood and Recent Traumatic Events Scale, and Premorbid Assessment Scale.

A rare presentation of pulmonary lymphangitic carcinomatosis in cancer of lip: case report.

Squamous cell carcinoma of lip is a common malignancy in Indian subcontinent. Metastatic spread is infrequent. Although advanced tumours spread to lymph nodes in the neck, it does not typically present with lung metastasis or with lymphangitic carcinomatosis.

Successful embolization of a suprascapular artery aneurysm.

A 45-year-old woman was referred to our service because 9 months earlier she had developed a pulsating mass on the right supraclavicular fossa and torticollis. Ultrasounds and computed tomographic arteriography showed the presence of a subclavian collateral artery aneurysm with a diameter of 21 mm. On selective arteriography, an aneurysm of a suprascapular artery arising directly from the right subclavian artery was reported.

Benchmarking the environmental performance of the Jatropha biodiesel system through a generic life cycle assessment.

In addition to available country or site-specific life cycle studies on Jatropha biodiesel we present a generic, location-independent life cycle assessment and provide a general but in-depth analysis of the environmental performance of Jatropha biodiesel for transportation. Additionally, we assess the influence of changes in byproduct use and production chain. In our assessments, we went beyond the impact on energy requirement and global warming by including impacts on ozone layer and terrestrial acidification and eutrophication.

Anti-proliferative effects of organic extracts from root bark of Juglans Regia L. (RBJR) on MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells: role of Bcl-2/Bax, caspases and Tp53.

With increasing use of plant-based cancer chemotherapeutic agents, exploring the antiproliferative effects of phytochemicals has gained increasing momentum for anticancer drug design. The present study was undertaken to investigate the effect of root bark of Juglans regia (RBJR) organic extracts on cell proliferation, and to determine the molecular mechanism of RBJR-induced cell death by determining the expression of Bcl-2, Bax, caspases, Tp53, Mdm-2 and TNF-alpha in MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells. The results demonstrate that WNRB suppressed proliferation and induced apoptosis in a dose and time dependent manner by modulating expression of key genes.

Oral morphine prescribing practices in severe cancer pain.

Background: Nearly one million cancer patients in India need oral morphine for pain relief. Despite doctors prescribing oral morphine in our center, many cancer patients with severe pain found to be not facilitated with adequate pain relief.

Aim: This audit was conducted to look at the "oral morphine prescribing practices for severe cancer pain" at a tertiary care hospital.

Mangiferin, a dietary xanthone protects against mercury-induced toxicity in HepG2 cells.

Mercury is one of the noxious heavy metal environmental toxicants and is a cause of concern for human exposure. Mangiferin (MGN), a glucosylxanthone found in Mangifera indica, reported to have a wide range of pharmacological properties. The objective of this study was to evaluate the cytoprotective potential of MGN, against mercury chloride (HgCl(2) ) induced toxicity in HepG2 cell line.

Awareness and Attitude of the General Public Toward HIV/AIDS in Coastal Karnataka.

Objective: To assess the awareness and attitude of the general public toward people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in Mangalore, a city in Coastal Karnataka.

Design: Community-based cross-sectional study.

Materials And Methods: The study population included 630 individuals aged 18 years and above.

Reconstruction of maxillectomy defects using deep circumflex iliac artery-based composite free flap.

Reconstruction of maxillectomy defects is a challenging endeavor, and various methods have been described to rehabilitate these defects, out of which composite free tissue transfer has an established role in reconstruction of the maxillary defects. The deep circumflex iliac artery (DCIA) flap has distinct advantages regarding the volume and length of the bone in reconstruction. The contour of the iliac bone is similar to the maxilla and provides good esthetic result.

Investigation of formulation variables affecting the properties of lamotrigine nanosuspension using fractional factorial design.

Background And The Purpose Of The Study: Lamotrigine (LMG) undergoes extensive hepatic metabolism upon oral administration and its absorption is affected in the presence of food. This study was aimed to develop nanosuspension of LMG and investigate its formulation characteristics using L(9) orthogonal array.

Methods: Nanosuspension was prepared using emulsification-solvent diffusion method.

[Assessment of the physical development in children with short bowel syndrome based on selected anthropometric parameters].

Introduction: Short bowel syndrome (SBS) results from partial surgical resection of small bowel and requires parenteral nutrition. Aim of the study was to assess physical development and nutrition status of children with SBS.

Material And Methods: The study sample included 176 patients (56 girls and 120 boys) aged from 3 to 10 years.

The severity of pandemic H1N1 influenza in the United States, April - July 2009.

BackgroundAccurate measures of the severity of pandemic influenza A/H1N1 (pH1N1) are needed to assess the likely impact of an anticipated resurgence in the autumn in the Northern Hemisphere. Severity has been difficult to measure because jurisdictions with large numbers of deaths and other severe outcomes have had too many cases to assess the total number with confidence. Also, detection of severe cases may be more likely.