Successful treatment of pseudophakic cystoid macular edema with intravitreal bevacizumab.

A 67-year-old woman developed refractory pseudophakic cystoid macular edema (CME) after uneventful phacoemulsification. Three months after an intravitreal injection of bevacizumab (1.25 mg), the CME was completely resolved, with resultant improvement in visual acuity.

Gene expression profiling of porcine alveolar macrophages after antibody-mediated cross-linking of Sialoadhesin (Sn, Siglec-1).

Sialoadhesin (Sn) is the prototypic member of the Siglecs, a family of receptors mainly involved in cell-cell interactions. For several Siglecs, but not for Sn, intracellular signaling functions have been described. Because antibody-mediated cross-linking of surface transmembrane proteins is a powerful technique to investigate cell-molecular events, Sn expressed on porcine alveolar macrophages (PAM) was cross-linked with the antibody 41D3, and the expression profiles were compared with mock-treated macrophages by microarray analysis.

Mining the bovine genome with the "Bovine SNP Retriever".

Online resources for the bovine genome analysis are provided at the most important Web sites. Nonetheless, retrieval of single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-related information is not always easy when searches must focus on complementary features. In this work, we present the Bovine SNP Retriever: a user-friendly tool for bovine SNP retrieval that also facilities the retrieval of SNP-related information within user-selected quantitative traits loci regions and reverse electronic polymerase chain reaction analysis on the bovine genome.

What's next after optimal infrapopliteal angioplasty? Clinical and ultrasonographic results of a prospective single-center study.

Purpose: To evaluate arterial patency and factors influencing outcomes after successful tibial artery angioplasty in patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI).

Methods: From January 2005 to August 2007, a prospective single-center study was conducted involving 80 CLI patients (56 men; mean age 71.7+/-8.

Ontology-based, Tissue MicroArray oriented, image centered tissue bank.

Background: Tissue MicroArray technique is becoming increasingly important in pathology for the validation of experimental data from transcriptomic analysis. This approach produces many images which need to be properly managed, if possible with an infrastructure able to support tissue sharing between institutes. Moreover, the available frameworks oriented to Tissue MicroArray provide good storage for clinical patient, sample treatment and block construction information, but their utility is limited by the lack of data integration with biomolecular information.

Version VI of the ESTree db: an improved tool for peach transcriptome analysis.

Background: The ESTree database (db) is a collection of Prunus persica and Prunus dulcis EST sequences that in its current version encompasses 75,404 sequences from 3 almond and 19 peach libraries. Nine peach genotypes and four peach tissues are represented, from four fruit developmental stages. The aim of this work was to implement the already existing ESTree db by adding new sequences and analysis programs.

Analysis of heart period and arterial pressure variability in childhood hypertension: key role of baroreflex impairment.

In adults, initial stages of hypertension are associated with elevated sympathetic drive and significant alterations in indirect autonomic markers. There is growing evidence that children in the highest-pressure percentiles will be more likely to develop hypertension in adulthood, although mechanisms are not understood. We assessed whether computer analysis of RR interval and arterial blood pressure variability could detect early autonomic alterations in childhood hypertension, as assessed by noninvasive time and frequency domain measures of baroreflex regulation.

Kissing balloon technique for angioplasty of popliteal and tibio-peroneal arteries bifurcation.

Introduction: Kissing balloon technique with two low-profile catheters (KBT) could be the treatment of choice for diseased infrapopliteal artery bifurcation in critical limb ischemia (CLI).

Report: From April to December 2006, 8 patients with CLI and tibial artery disease located in the infrapopliteal bifurcation were treated with KBT. Technical success was achieved in all patients without major or minor complications.

Deferred urgency carotid artery stenting in symptomatic patients: clinical lessons and biomarker patterns from a prospective registry.

Introduction: The aim of this prospective observational registry was to study the outcome of symptomatic patients presenting with recent TIA or minor stroke and severe carotid stenosis, submitted to early percutaneous treatment by stenting. A secondary aim was to evaluate the biological activity of the symptomatic carotid plaques by serial serum and urinary markers (PAPP-A, hs-CRP, MMP-2/MMP-9, IL-6/IL-8, TNF alpha, CD40L) measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay before and after treatment.

Methods: From May 2005 to June 2006, 57 patients were enrolled in this prospective registry.

Electrolyte concentration during haemodialysis and QT interval prolongation in uraemic patients.

Aims: To assess the effect of different combinations of potassium and calcium concentrations on QT interval in the dialysis bath in uraemic patients.

Methods And Results: Sixteen haemodialysis (HD) patients underwent a 24 h Holter recording before and during HD sessions with six randomized combinations of electrolytes concentrations of the dialysis bath (K(+), 2 and 3 mmol/L; Ca(2+), 1.25, 1.

Knot localization in adsorbing polymer rings.

We study by Monte Carlo simulations a model of a knotted polymer ring adsorbing onto an impenetrable, attractive wall. The polymer is described by a self-avoiding polygon on the cubic lattice. We find that the adsorption transition temperature, the crossover exponent phi, and the metric exponent nu are the same as in the model where the topology of the ring is unrestricted.

Oxidative stress and cellular stress response in diabetic nephropathy.

Oxidative stress has been suggested to play a main role in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus and its complications. As a consequence of this increased oxidative status, a cellular-adaptive response occurs requiring functional chaperones, antioxidant production, and protein degradation. This study was designed to evaluate systemic oxidative stress and cellular stress response in patients suffering from type 2 diabetes-induced nephropathy and in age-matched healthy subjects.

Atrial fibrillation and morbidity and mortality in a cohort of long-term hemodialysis patients.

Background: Atrial fibrillation is associated with increased mortality and hospitalization in the general population. Data about mortality, morbidity, and hospitalization in hemodialysis patients with atrial fibrillation are limited.

Setting & Participants: All patients (n = 476) in 5 dialysis centers in Lombardia, Italy, as of June 2003 were enrolled and followed up until June 2006 (median age, 69 years; median hemodialysis duration, 45.

Measurement and impact of proximal and distal tortuosity in carotid stenting procedures.

Background: Proximal and distal carotid tortuosity is considered of paramount importance in carotid artery stenting (CAS) procedures. Specifically, distal internal carotid coiling or kinking is thought to interfere with proper distal protection devices, thus contraindicating CAS. The type of the aortic arch is also considered a key factor in CAS success; however, no standardized method of evaluation of these indicators is available in the literature.

A high quality draft consensus sequence of the genome of a heterozygous grapevine variety.

Background: Worldwide, grapes and their derived products have a large market. The cultivated grape species Vitis vinifera has potential to become a model for fruit trees genetics. Like many plant species, it is highly heterozygous, which is an additional challenge to modern whole genome shotgun sequencing.

Analysis of the real EADGENE data set: comparison of methods and guidelines for data normalisation and selection of differentially expressed genes (open access publication).

A large variety of methods has been proposed in the literature for microarray data analysis. The aim of this paper was to present techniques used by the EADGENE (European Animal Disease Genomics Network of Excellence) WP1.4 participants for data quality control, normalisation and statistical methods for the detection of differentially expressed genes in order to provide some more general data analysis guidelines.

The EADGENE Microarray Data Analysis Workshop (open access publication).

Microarray analyses have become an important tool in animal genomics. While their use is becoming widespread, there is still a lot of ongoing research regarding the analysis of microarray data. In the context of a European Network of Excellence, 31 researchers representing 14 research groups from 10 countries performed and discussed the statistical analyses of real and simulated 2-colour microarray data that were distributed among participants.

[Continuing education aimed at occupational risk prevention].

The implementation of European Commission directives has radically modified occupational risk management. In fact, widespread and continuous education addressed to exposed workers is seen by the legislator as one of the most effective means to avoid occupational diseases. The recent establishment of Continuing Medical Education (CME) has helped the system grant CME credits to participants in occupational courses organized by health-care providers.

Use of linked loci as individuals or haplotypes for marker-assisted breed assignment.

The objective of this study was to use simulation to evaluate the benefits of considering haplotypes of loci when linked single nucleotide polymorphisms are used for breed assignment. Three breeds of 10,000 females each were simulated under eight scenarios that differed according to the number of generations separating the breeds, size of breed founder populations and recombination rate between linked loci. Molecular genotypes consisted of 20 groups of three linked loci each.

Ranking knots of random, globular polymer rings.

An analysis of extensive simulations of interacting self-avoiding polygons on cubic lattice shows that the frequencies of different knots realized in a random, collapsed polymer ring decrease as a negative power of the ranking order, and suggests that the total number of different knots realized grows exponentially with the chain length. Relative frequencies of specific knots converge to definite values because the free energy per monomer, and its leading finite size corrections, do not depend on the ring topology, while a subleading correction only depends on the crossing number of the knots.

Percolation transition in a dynamically clustered network.

We consider a percolationlike phenomenon on a generalization of the Barabási-Albert model, where a modification of the growth dynamics directly allows formation of disconnected clusters. The transition is located with high precision by an original numerical technique based on the comparison of the largest and second largest clusters. A careful investigation focusing on finite size scaling allows us to highlight properties which would hardly be accessible by an analytical solution of cluster growth equations in the stationary limit.

Novel splice isoforms of STRADalpha differentially affect LKB1 activity, complex assembly and subcellular localization.

STRADalpha is a pseudokinase that forms a heterotrimeric complex with the scaffolding protein MO25 and the tumor suppressor serine threonine protein kinase LKB1. Mutations in the LKB1 gene are responsible for the Peutz-Jeghers Syndrome (PJS) characterized by a predisposition to hamartomatous polyps and hyperpigmentation of the buccal mucosa. Mutations in LKB1 have also been observed in some sporadic tumours unrelated to PJS.

Nitric oxide in the central nervous system: neuroprotection versus neurotoxicity.

At the end of the 1980s, it was clearly demonstrated that cells produce nitric oxide and that this gaseous molecule is involved in the regulation of the cardiovascular, immune and nervous systems, rather than simply being a toxic pollutant. In the CNS, nitric oxide has an array of functions, such as the regulation of synaptic plasticity, the sleep-wake cycle and hormone secretion. Particularly interesting is the role of nitric oxide as a Janus molecule in the cell death or survival mechanisms in brain cells.