Decisive Role of Polymer-Bovine Serum Albumin Interactions in Biofilm Substrates on "Philicity" and Extracellular Polymeric Substances Composition.

Formation of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) is a crucial step for bacterial biofilm growth. The dependence of EPS composition on growth substrate and conditioning of the latter is thus of primary importance. We present results of studies on the growth of biofilms of two different strains each, of the Gram-negative bacteria and , on four polymers used commonly in indwelling medical devices ─polyethene, polypropylene, polycarbonate, and polytetrafluoroethylene─immersed in bovine serum albumin (BSA) for 24 h.

The Effect of Depo Medroxyprogesterone Acetate (DMPA) on Cerebral Food Motivation Centers: A Pilot Study using Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Objective: The primary objective is to examine activation of food motivation centers in the brain before and 8 weeks after depo medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) administration.

Study Design: This prospective experimental pilot study examined the effects of DMPA on food motivation centers utilizing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in eight nonobese, ovulatory subjects. fMRI blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal was measured using a 3-Tesla Scanner while participants viewed images of high-calorie foods, low-calorie foods and nonfood objects.

Morphology and ion-conductivity of gelatin-LiClO4 films: fractional diffusion analysis.

Biopolymers are expected to replace synthetic polymers in the quest for cost-effective, environment friendly, and pollution free technology. We report here a study on gelatin films with different concentrations of lithium perchlorate, which may be a candidate for electrolyte material in solid polymer batteries. Morphology studies and impedance spectroscopy both are done on the same set of samples.

Preoperative diagnosis of ovarian malignancy: preliminary results of the use of 3-dimensional vascular ultrasound.

Objective: To estimate the accuracy of 3-dimensional (3D) vascular ultrasound in the preoperative assessment of pelvic masses for malignancy.

Methods: We performed a chart review of 66 patients who underwent 3D ultrasound for pelvic masses. Each mass was preoperatively judged to be benign or malignant based upon a study of vascularity within an ovarian mass using 3D ultrasound.