Genetic variation in the functional ENG allele inherited from the non-affected parent associates with presence of pulmonary arteriovenous malformation in hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia 1 (HHT1) and may influence expression of PTPN14.

HHT shows clinical variability within and between families. Organ site and prevalence of arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) depend on the HHT causative gene and on environmental and genetic modifiers. We tested whether variation in the functional ENG allele, inherited from the unaffected parent, alters risk for pulmonary AVM in HHT1 mutation carriers who are ENG haploinsufficient.

A review of methods for identifying stochastic resonance in simulations of single neuron models.

Stochastic resonance (SR) is said to be observed when the presence of noise in a nonlinear system enables an output signal from the system to better represent some feature of an input signal than it does in the absence of noise. The effect has been observed in models of individual neurons, and in experiments performed on real neural systems. Despite the ubiquity of biophysical sources of stochastic noise in the nervous system, however, it has not yet been established whether neuronal computation mechanisms involved in performance of specific functions such as perception or learning might exploit such noise as an integral component, such that removal of the noise would diminish performance of these functions.

Aqueous mercury adsorption by activated carbons.

Due to serious public health threats resulting from mercury pollution and its rapid distribution in our food chain through the contamination of water bodies, stringent regulations have been enacted on mercury-laden wastewater discharge. Activated carbons have been widely used in the removal of mercuric ions from aqueous effluents. The surface and textural characteristics of activated carbons are the two decisive factors in their efficiency in mercury removal from wastewater.

The effects of Park sham needles: a pilot study.

Background: When performing clinical trials involving acupuncture, it can be difficult to choose a placebo control.

Objective: To validate the Park sham needle for use as a double-blind control intervention.

Design, Setting, Participants And Interventions: Two different methods were employed.

Perception of differences in naturalistic dynamic scenes, and a V1-based model.

We investigate whether a computational model of V1 can predict how observers rate perceptual differences between paired movie clips of natural scenes. Observers viewed 198 pairs of movies clips, rating how different the two clips appeared to them on a magnitude scale. Sixty-six of the movie pairs were naturalistic and those remaining were low-pass or high-pass spatially filtered versions of those originals.

Septic arthritis caused by Brucella melitensis in urban Shenzhen, China: a case report.

Introduction: Brucellosis is a systemic infectious disease which is still a challenging medical problem in rural areas such as northern China. It rarely occurs in urban areas such as Shenzhen in southern China. Osteoarticular involvements are frequently seen in brucellosis, and rarely is arthritis the only clinical presentation.

The mutational landscapes of genetic and chemical models of Kras-driven lung cancer.

Next-generation sequencing of human tumours has refined our understanding of the mutational processes operative in cancer initiation and progression, yet major questions remain regarding the factors that induce driver mutations and the processes that shape mutation selection during tumorigenesis. Here we performed whole-exome sequencing on adenomas from three mouse models of non-small-cell lung cancer, which were induced either by exposure to carcinogens (methyl-nitrosourea (MNU) and urethane) or by genetic activation of Kras (Kras(LA2)). Although the MNU-induced tumours carried exactly the same initiating mutation in Kras as seen in the Kras(LA2) model (G12D), MNU tumours had an average of 192 non-synonymous, somatic single-nucleotide variants, compared with only six in tumours from the Kras(LA2) model.

Enumeration and functional investigation of endothelial progenitor cells in neovascularization of diabetic foot ulcer rats with a Chinese 2-herb formula.

Backbround: We investigated the effect of a Chinese 2-herb formula (NF3) on the enumeration and angiogenic differentiation of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in diabetic foot ulcer rats.

Methods: EPCs and stromal cell-derived factor-1α (SDF-1α) were quantified by flow cytometry and ELISA, respectively. In vitro angiogenesis assays included proliferation, adhesion, migration and tube formation.

Dating violence, childhood maltreatment, and BMI from adolescence to young adulthood.

Background And Objectives: This study tested whether dating violence (DV) victimization is associated with increases in BMI across the transition from adolescence to young adulthood and whether gender and previous exposure to child maltreatment modify such increases.

Methods: Data were from participants (N = 9295; 49.9% female) in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health.

Optimized two-color super resolution imaging of Drp1 during mitochondrial fission with a slow-switching Dronpa variant.

We studied the single-molecule photo-switching properties of Dronpa, a green photo-switchable fluorescent protein and a popular marker for photoactivated localization microscopy. We found the excitation light photoactivates as well as deactivates Dronpa single molecules, hindering temporal separation and limiting super resolution. To resolve this limitation, we have developed a slow-switching Dronpa variant, rsKame, featuring a V157L amino acid substitution proximal to the chromophore.

Transport in Caco-2 cell monolayers of antidiabetic cucurbitane triterpenoids from Momordica charantia fruits.

Bitter melon, the fruit of Momordica charantia L. (Cucurbitaceae), is a widely-used treatment for diabetes in traditional medicine systems throughout the world. Various compounds have been shown to be responsible for this reputed activity, and, in particular, cucurbitane triterpenoids are thought to play a significant role.

Clinical utility of procalcitonin as a marker of sepsis: a potential predictor of causative pathogens.

Objective: Sepsis is one of the leading causes of mortality in critically ill patients, and providing a timely diagnosis and early intervention is necessary for successful treatment. Procalcitonin (PCT) may be a better marker of sepsis than conventional inflammatory markers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical utility of the PCT level as a marker of sepsis.

Associations between brain-derived neurotrophic factor and estradiol in women's saliva.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and sex hormones (estradiol [E2] and progesterone), using saliva samples obtained from healthy women.

Methods: Forty female dental hygienist students were divided into groups according to being in the follicular phase or luteal phase. Saliva BDNF, E2, and progesterone levels were measured using a sandwich ELISA system.

Potent airway smooth muscle relaxant effect of cynatratoside B, a steroidal glycoside isolated from Cynanchum stauntonii.

The dried roots of Cynanchum stauntonii in having cough-relieving efficacy are commonly included in traditional antitussive formulas. The active components in a C. stauntonii root extract responsible for airway relaxation were isolated using an ex vivo bioassay-guided fractionation method, in which subfractions were evaluated for their inhibitory effects on the contraction of isolated rat tracheal rings by isometric tension measurements.

A Chinese 2-herb formula (NF3) promotes hindlimb ischemia-induced neovascularization and wound healing of diabetic rats.

Diabetic foot ulcer is closely associated with peripheral vascular disease. Enhancement of tissue oxidative stress, reduction of nitric oxide (NO) and angiogenic growth factors, and abnormal matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity are pathophysiological factors in post-ischemic neovascularization and diabetic wound healing. Our previous study demonstrated that the Chinese 2-herb formula, NF3, showed significant wound healing effects on diabetic foot ulcer rats.

Anti-dermatophytic activity of bakuchiol: in vitro mechanistic studies and in vivo tinea pedis-inhibiting activity in a guinea pig model.

Bakuchiol was an active antifungal compound isolated from Psoraleae Fructus by means of bioassay-guided fractionation in our previous study. The present work aimed to investigate the underlying mechanisms and the therapeutic effect of bakuchiol in Trichophyton mentagrophytes-induced tinea pedis. After exposure to bakuchiol at 0.

Healthcare Utilization, Legal Incidents, and Victimization Following Traumatic Brain Injury in Homeless and Vulnerably Housed Individuals: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Objective: To characterize the associations between a history of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and subsequent healthcare utilization, legal involvement, and victimization.

Setting: Three major Canadian cities.

Participants: A total of 1181 homeless and vulnerably housed adults who were single and 18 years or older.

Effects of stress on mouse β-defensin-3 expression in the upper digestive mucosa.

Purpose: Gastrointestinal integrity and immune surveillance are affected by stress. Stress also adversely affects mucosal barrier function. β-defensins constitute an integral component of the innate immune system as antimicrobial peptides, serving as the first line of defense against microbial pathogens at the epithelial surfaces of the upper digestive mucosa.

Management pitfalls of fractured neck of femur in osteogenesis imperfecta.

Introduction: Fractured neck of femur in osteogenesis imperfecta is rarely reported. Its management is always difficult because of bone fragility and the outcome is not well known. We, therefore, aimed to study the management pitfalls in this group of patients.

Microfluidic fabrication of polymeric core-shell microspheres for controlled release applications.

We report a facile and robust microfluidic method to fabricate polymeric core-shell microspheres as delivery vehicles for biomedical applications. The characteristics of core-shell microspheres can be precisely and easily tuned by manipulating the microfluidic double emulsion templates. The addition of a shell can significantly improve the versatility as well as functionality of these microspheres as delivery vehicles.