Effects of bilateral T2-sympathectomy on static and dynamic heart rate responses to exercise in hyperhidrosis patients.

The static/dynamic changes of gas exchange, heart rate (HR) and blood pressure in terms of work rate (WR) and WR changes in ramp exercise were investigated by cardio-pulmonary exercise tests (CPETs) in hyperhidrosis patients before (W0), one week (W1) and four weeks (W4) after bilateral T2-sympathectomy. Accompanied by constant oxygen consumption and WR at peak exercise and similar oxygen debt in recovery, the HR significantly (p<0.05) decreased statically in all stages of CPET, but was not altered dynamically, i.

Accident patterns and prevention measures for fatal occupational falls in the construction industry.

Contributing factors to 621 occupational fatal falls have been identified with respect to the victim's individual factors, the fall site, company size, and cause of fall. Individual factors included age, gender, experience, and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE). Accident scenarios were derived from accident reports.

Androgen-receptor coregulators mediate the suppressive effect of androgen signals on vitamin D receptor activity.

Overexpression of androgen receptors (AR) in PC-3 cell, and treatment of 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone in LNCaP cells lead to the suppression of VDR transactivation. Competition for shared coregulators between AR and VDR is one possible mechanism to explain the suppressive effect of androgen-AR signals on VDR activity. Among the AR coregulators we tested, ARA54, ARA70, supervillin, and gelsolin were found to enhance VDR transactivation.

Evaluation of a bedside test for phosphorylated insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 in preterm labour.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy of a bedside test kit for phosphorylated insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 (IGFBP-1) in the diagnosis of preterm labour and the prediction of subsequent preterm delivery.

Materials And Methods: We performed a bedside test for IGFBP-1 in 47 women who presented to the delivery suite in suspected preterm labour between 23 and 33 weeks. Tocolysis and steroid therapy were administered in all cases.

Further delineation of Al-Gazali syndrome (multiple skeletal abnormalities with anterior segment anomalies of the eye and early lethality) in a Malaysian family.

We present two siblings from a consanguineous Malaysian family with multiple skeletal abnormalities, anterior segment anomalies of the eye and early lethality. These features are consistent with a syndrome first described by Al-Gazali and we provide further delineation of the syndrome.

Androgen receptor regulates expression of skeletal muscle-specific proteins and muscle cell types.

C2C12 myoblasts expressing the androgen receptor (AR) were used to analyze the role of androgen-AR signaling pathway in skeletal muscle development. Marked up-regulation of AR expression was observed in differentiated myotubes. A nuclear run-on transcription assay demonstrated that transcription of the AR gene is increased during skeletal muscle cell differentiation.

Androgen receptor (AR) NH2- and COOH-terminal interactions result in the differential influences on the AR-mediated transactivation and cell growth.

Early reports showed that androgen receptor (AR) NH2- and COOH-terminal (N-C) interaction was important for full AR function. However, the influence of these interactions on the AR in vivo effects remains unclear. Here we tested some AR-associated peptides and coregulators to determine their influences on AR N-C interaction, AR transactivation, and AR coregulator function.

GABAergic modulation of ventilatory response to acute and sustained hypoxia in obese Zucker rats.

Objective: To determine whether altered central and/or peripheral gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic mechanisms acting in GABA(A) receptors contribute to the abnormal ventilatory response to acute and sustained hypoxia in obese Zucker rats.

Methods: In all, 10 lean and 10 obese Zucker rats were studied at 12 weeks of age. Ventilation (V(.

Percutaneous coronary intervention for ST-segment and non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction at hospitals with and without on-site cardiac surgical capability.

Objective: To compare the safety and efficacy of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for acute myocardial infarction performed at a hospital without cardiac surgical capability with PCI performed for acute myocardial infarction at a center with on-site surgery.

Patients And Methods: We included patients with acute myocardial infarction in whom PCI was performed from March 1, 2000, through May 31, 2002, at a community hospital (Immanuel St Joseph's) without on-site surgery. The procedural success, in-hospital adverse cardiac events, and 6-month follow-up were compared with those of PCI performed for acute myocardial infarction in matched controls from January 1, 2000, through February 28, 2002, at a center with cardiac surgery (Saint Marys Hospital).

Actin monomer enhances supervillin-modulated androgen receptor transactivation.

Actin-binding protein, supervillin, has been identified as an androgen receptor (AR) coregulator. Although actin has been suggested to participate in transcription regulation, the mechanism is not clear. Here we demonstrate signals involved in the cytoskeleton dynamic can modulate the coregulator function of supervillin.

Functional domain and motif analyses of androgen receptor coregulator ARA70 and its differential expression in prostate cancer.

Androgen receptor (AR)-associated coregulator 70 (ARA70) was the first identified AR coregulator. However, its molecular mechanism and biological relevance to prostate cancer remain unclear. Here we show that ARA70 interacts with and promotes AR activity via the consensus FXXLF motif within the ARA70-N2 domain (amino acids 176-401).

An efficient algorithm for optimizing whole genome alignment with noise.

Motivation: This paper is concerned with algorithms for aligning two whole genomes so as to identify regions that possibly contain conserved genes. Motivated by existing heuristic-based software tools, we initiate the study of an optimization problem that attempts to uncover conserved genes with a global concern. Another interesting feature in our formulation is the tolerance of noise, which also complicates the optimization problem.

Androgen signaling is required for the vitamin D-mediated growth inhibition in human prostate cancer cells.

Epidemiological data on prostate cancer incidence has suggested that vitamin D deficiency may be a risk factor for prostate cancer. The antiproliferative activity of 1alpha, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25-VD) and its analogues has been demonstrated in many prostate cancer models, yet the detailed mechanisms underlying this protective effect of vitamin D remain to be determined. Here, we demonstrate that two androgen receptor (AR)-positive prostate cancer cell lines, LNCaP and CWR22R, are more sensitive to the growth inhibitory effects of 1,25-VD compared to the AR-negative prostate cancer cell lines, PC-3 and DU 145.

Early detection of antibodies against various structural proteins of the SARS-associated coronavirus in SARS patients.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), a new disease with symptoms similar to those of atypical pneumonia, raised a global alert in March 2003. Because of its relatively high transmissibility and mortality upon infection, probable SARS patients were quarantined and treated with special and intensive care. Therefore, instant and accurate laboratory confirmation of SARS-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV) infection has become a worldwide interest.

Modulation of androgen receptor transactivation by gelsolin: a newly identified androgen receptor coregulator.

The partial agonist effect of antiandrogens has been well documented, and such effect is amplified by derived mutant androgen receptors (ARs) in prostate cancer cells. Here we report the identification of gelsolin (GSN) as an AR-associated protein. Hydroxyflutamide (HF), as well as androgens, can promote the interaction between AR and GSN in a dose-dependent manner.

Depressor effect on blood pressure and flow elicited by electroacupuncture in normal subjects.

To clarify the effect of electroacupuncture (Ea) on the activity of the cardiovascular system in normal individuals, hemodynamic parameters including arterial blood pressure (BP), finger blood flow (FBF) and heart rate (HR) as well as paravertebral temperature (PVT) were non-invasively recorded under Ea stimulation. Surface stimulation electrode was placed on the Hoku point (Li-4). Square wave pulses (0.

Safety of abciximab in patients with chronic renal insufficiency who are undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions.

Background: Patients with chronic renal insufficiency (CRI) have worse outcomes during and after percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI). Abciximab reduces complications, but may cause excessive bleeding in patients with CRI. Therefore, we sought to determine the safety of abciximab in patients with CRI.

The use of phage display technique for the isolation of androgen receptor interacting peptides with (F/W)XXL(F/W) and FXXLY new signature motifs.

Early studies suggested that the signature motif, LXXLL, within steroid hormone receptor p160 coregulators may play important roles for the mediation of receptor-coregulator interaction. Interestingly, several androgen receptor (AR) coregulators, such as ARA70 and ARA55, may not use such a unique motif to mediate their coregulator activity. Here we apply the phage display technique to identify some new signature motifs, (F/W)XXL(F/W) and FXXLY (where F is phenylalanine, W is tryptophan, L is leucine, Y is tyrosine, and X is any amino acid) that can influence the interaction between AR and AR coregulators.

Low-risk percutaneous coronary interventions without on-site cardiac surgery: two years' observational experience and follow-up.

Background: We studied the safety and efficacy of performing low-risk elective and acute infarct percutaneous coronary interventions at a community hospital without cardiac surgical capability.

Methods: Immanuel St Joseph's Hospital is located 85 miles from St Mary's Hospital, which is the nearest center with on-site cardiac surgery. All components of the Mayo Clinic percutaneous coronary intervention program were replicated at Immanuel St Joseph's Hospital, including a telemedicine system to enable real-time consultation with interventional and cardiac surgical colleagues during procedures.

Immediate ambulation following diagnostic coronary angiography procedures utilizing a vascular closure device (The Closer).

Objective: We investigated the safety and efficacy of The Closer, a suture-mediated vascular closure device, to facilitate immediate ambulation after diagnostic coronary angiography.

Methods And Results: We identified 487 non-consecutive patients who were eligible for an immediate ambulation protocol following vascular closure after diagnostic coronary angiography. A total of 434 patients (89%) were allowed immediate ambulation (mean time, 6.

Muscle deoxygenation as related to work rate.

Purpose: The kinetics of the decrease in venous O(2) content in response to constant work rate exercise below the lactic acidosis threshold (LAT) is very rapid, reaching a constant value by approximately 1 min. However, for work rates above the LAT, a slow further decrease in venous O(2) content takes place that is attributable to the Bohr effect rather than further decrease in end capillary PO. We hypothesized that similar differences, with respect to the LAT, will be observed in muscle deoxygenation kinetics when studied with near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS).

Pressor effect on blood pressure and renal nerve activity elicited by electroacupuncture in intact and acute hemorrhage rats.

The neural mechanism underlying the effect of electroacupuncture (Ea) on arterial blood pressure (BP) and renal nerve activity (RNA) in the intact state and during acute hemorrhage was investigated in anesthetized rats. Two acupoints, Hoku (Li-4, at the junction of the first and the second metacarpal bone) and Tsusanli (St-36, at the lateral upper tibia bone), were tested using Ea of two different frequencies (2 and 20 Hz). In the intact state, Ea at Hoku elicited an elevation of BP in parallel with RNA, while Ea found no response with identical parameters at Tsusanli.

Rationale for on-site cardiac surgery for primary angioplasty: a time for reappraisal.

Since the early 1990s, with significant improvement in the procedural success of percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs), there has been a concomitant reduction in the need for emergency coronary artery bypass graft surgery. This review article focuses on the need for on-site cardiac surgery in patients with acute myocardial infarction undergoing primary angioplasty at centers without on-site cardiac surgical backup. It gives an overview of the need for emergency bypass surgery in both the large trial setting and the community hospital setting.

Activation and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-dependent phosphorylation of protein kinase C-epsilon by the B cell antigen receptor.

Protein kinase C (PKC) enzymes play an important role in B cell antigen receptor (BCR) signaling, linking the BCR to the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases as well as the NF-kappa B, and AP-1 transcription factors. There are eleven different PKC isoforms, each of which is likely to have a unique set of substrates and hence a unique role in signal transduction. Although PKC-alpha, PKC-beta, PKC-delta, and PKC-zeta have been shown to be targets of BCR signaling, the full spectrum of PKC enzymes that are activated by the BCR remains to be determined.

Incidence and prognostic importance of acute renal failure after percutaneous coronary intervention.

Background: In patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in the modern era, the incidence and prognostic implications of acute renal failure (ARF) are unknown.

Methods And Results: With a retrospective analysis of the Mayo Clinic PCI registry, we determined the incidence of, risk factors for, and prognostic implications of ARF (defined as an increase in serum creatinine [Cr] >0.5 mg/dL from baseline) after PCI.