Transverse-momentum and pseudorapidity distributions of charged hadrons in pp collisions at square root of s = 7 TeV.

Charged-hadron transverse-momentum and pseudorapidity distributions in proton-proton collisions at square root of s = 7  TeV are measured with the inner tracking system of the CMS detector at the LHC. The charged-hadron yield is obtained by counting the number of reconstructed hits, hit pairs, and fully reconstructed charged-particle tracks. The combination of the three methods gives a charged-particle multiplicity per unit of pseudorapidity dN(ch)/dη|(|η|<0.

Snake venomics and antivenomics of Crotalus durissus subspecies from Brazil: assessment of geographic variation and its implication on snakebite management.

We report the comparative proteomic and antivenomic characterization of the venoms of subspecies cascavella and collilineatus of the Brazilian tropical rattlesnake Crotalus durissus. The venom proteomes of C. d.

Use of multidetector CT in presurgical evaluation of potential kidney transplant recipients.

Kidney transplantation is the treatment of choice for end-stage renal disease. Optimal presurgical evaluation of the potential kidney transplant recipient is important for the success of the transplantation. Multidetector computed tomography (CT) allows assessment of the feasibility of kidney transplantation; detection of coexisting illnesses that may affect survival of the graft and that must be treated before transplantation; and evaluation of possible peripheral vascular disease, which is present in a significant number of potential kidney transplant recipients.

Successful autologous stem cell transplantation in two patients with juvenile dermatomyositis.

Juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM) is a chronic inflammatory disorder of unknown aetiology that affects muscle and skin. We report on two patients with severe progressive JDM who developed contractures and were wheelchair dependent despite therapy including methotrexate (MTX), steroids, immunoglobulins, cyclosporin A, and rituximab. On account of the refractory disease, autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) was performed using a CD3/CD19-depleted graft after immunoablative conditioning with fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and anti-thymocyte globulin.

Natural crossbreeding between sympatric species of the phyllosoma complex (Insecta: Hemiptera: Reduviidae) indicate the existence of only one species with morphologic and genetic variations.

The nucleotide sequences of the cytochrome B gene and the antennal phenotypes were analyzed for the following triatomine species: Triatoma longipennis, Triatoma pallidipennis, and Triatoma picturata, which belong to the Phyllosoma complex. These species inhabit sympatric areas from Talpa de Allende, Autlan de Navarro, and Teocuitatlan de Corona in Jalisco, Mexico. Molecular marker analysis showed that the sympatric individuals are the natural crossbred descendents of different individuals living in close proximity in these natural areas that resulted in mixed populations.

Snake venomics of the Central American rattlesnake Crotalus simus and the South American Crotalus durissus complex points to neurotoxicity as an adaptive paedomorphic trend along Crotalus dispersal in South America.

We report a comparative venomic and antivenomic characterization of the venoms of newborn and adult specimens of the Central American rattlesnake, Crotalus simus, and of the subspecies cumanensis, durissus, ruruima, and terrificus of South American Crotalus durissus. Neonate and adult C. simus share about 50% of their venom proteome.

Laterality of exostosis in surfers due to evaporative cooling effect.

Objectives: 1. To correlate exostosis severity with ear canal evaporative cooling. 2.

Fibronectin increases survival of rat hepatic stellate cells--a novel profibrogenic mechanism of fibronectin.

Unlabelled: The aims of this study were to determine whether fibronectin increases survival of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) in starving conditions, and to identify the signal transduction pathways involved in this effect.

Methods: Primary culture of rat HSCs were plated on fibronectin-uncoated or coated culture wells, and grown in the presence of 0.2% or 20% fetal calf serum.

Snake venomics and antivenomics of Bothrops atrox venoms from Colombia and the Amazon regions of Brazil, Perú and Ecuador suggest the occurrence of geographic variation of venom phenotype by a trend towards paedomorphism.

The venom proteomes of Bothrops atrox from Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, and Perú were characterized using venomic and antivenomic strategies. Our results evidence the existence of two geographically differentiated venom phenotypes. The venom from Colombia comprises at least 26 different proteins belonging to 9 different groups of toxins.

Gonadectomy inhibits development of experimental amoebic liver abscess in hamsters through downregulation of the inflammatory immune response.

Incidence of amoebic liver abscess (ALA) in human males is considerably higher than in females, suggesting a role for sex hormones in this parasite infection. We describe here the effect of hamster gonadectomization on the development of ALA. After monitoring the decrease of oestradiol in females and testosterone in males to undetectable levels by ELISA and Radio Immuno Assay (RIA) in serum, hamsters were intraportally infected with Entamoeba histolytica trophozoites and killed 7 days later.

Evolutionary history of a prominent North American warbler clade: the Oporornis-Geothlypis complex.

The avian genera Oporornis and Geothlypis are thought to represent a single lineage of closely related New World wood-warbler (AOU Family Parulidae) species. Phylogenetic relationships within this assemblage have not yet been addressed using molecular genetic methods. We used sequence data from three mitochondrial (mtDNA) genes (cytochrome b, ND2, and control region) to reconstruct an hypothesis of relationships for this group.

Age-related changes in acoustic characteristics of adult speech.

Unlabelled: This paper addresses effects of age and sex on certain acoustic properties of speech, given conflicting findings on such effects reported in prior research. The speech of 27 younger adults (15 women, 12 men; mean age 25.5 years) and 59 older adults (32 women, 27 men; mean age 75.

CT findings in urinary diversion after radical cystectomy: postsurgical anatomy and complications.

Numerous surgical procedures have been developed for urinary diversion in patients who have undergone a radical cystectomy for bladder cancer or, less frequently, a benign condition. Because urinary diversion procedures are complex, early and late postsurgical complications frequently occur. Possible complications include alterations in bowel motility, anastomotic leaks, fluid collections (abscess, urinoma, lymphocele, and hematoma), fistulas, peristomal herniation, ureteral strictures, calculi, and tumor recurrence.

Development, feasibility and efficacy of a community-based exercise training program in pediatric cancer survivors.

Objective: The aim of this study was to develop a 12-week exercise training program (comprising aerobic and strength exercises), and to study the feasibility and efficacy of this exercise program in children who survived acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Sample And Methods: A 12-week exercise program was developed and tested for feasibility in nine children who survived cancer.

Results: From the 16 eligible children for the intervention, 9 participated, while 4 were able to complete the entire program.

Anidulafungin: a novel echinocandin for candida infections.

A third echinocandin, anidulafungin, has recently been approved for Candida infections in the non-neutropenic patient. In the EU it is indicated for invasive candidiasis; in 2006 it was approved in the USA for candida esophagitis, candidemia, and two types of invasive infections, peritonitis and intra-abdominal abscesses. It is fungicidal against Candida species and fungistatic against Aspergillus species.

Catch-up growth in body mass index is associated neither with reduced insulin sensitivity nor with altered lipid profile in children born small for gestational age.

Objective: Low birth weight is a risk factor for coronary heart disease. Persons who have coronary events as adults tend to have been small at birth and thin at 2 yr of age, after which they tended to increase their body mass index (BMI). Our aim was to determine whether BMI gain is associated to alterations in insulin sensitivity and/or lipid profile in children born small for gestational age (SGA).

Maintenance and growth requirements in the metabolism of Debaryomyces hansenii performing xylose-to-xylitol bioconversion in corncob hemicellulose hydrolyzate.

In order to improve the biotechnological production of xylitol, the metabolism of Debaryomyces hansenii NRRL Y-7426 in corncob hemicellulose hydrolyzate has been investigated under different conditions, where either maintenance or growth requirements predominated. For this purpose, the experimental results of two sets of batch bioconversions carried out alternatively varying the starting xylose concentration in the hydrolyzate (65.6 < or = S(0) < or = 154.

Influence of ultrahigh-frequency hearing thresholds on distortion-product otoacoustic emission levels at conventional frequencies.

This study examined the association between ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) hearing sensitivity and distortion-product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) levels at conventional frequencies. Behavioral thresholds were measured from 2 through 16 kHz, and DPOAE levels were measured at discrete f2 frequencies between 2 through 8 kHz in 553 young normal-hearing adult male participants. A DPOAE frequency sweep was measured with primary stimulus levels of L1/L2 = 65/55 dB SPL and an f2/f1 of 1.

Young adults' use and output level settings of personal music systems.

Objectives: There are growing concerns over noise exposure via personal music system use by young adults. One purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of personal music system use and the listening patterns associated with these systems in a large sample of young adults. A second purpose of this study was to measure the dB SPL in the ear canal of young adults while they blindly set the volume of a personal music system to four settings.

Risk factors for vascular dementia: hypotension as a key point.

Physiologically, the cerebral autoregulation system allows maintenance of constant cerebral blood flow over a wide range of blood pressure. In old people, there is a progressive reshape of cerebral autoregulation from a sigmoid curve to a straight line. This implies that any abrupt change in blood pressure will result in a rapid and significant change in cerebral blood flow.

Sources of enterococci in Idiazábal-type cheese.

Enterococci are a ubiquitous group and are natural constituents of the intestinal flora of nearly all animals and humans and can reach high levels in a variety of farmhouse cheeses. The purpose of this study was to determine the origin of the different enterococcal strains present in cheeses at different stages of ripening by typing the enterococci isolated from the raw milk, the cheeses, the cheesemaking environment, and from the faecal matter of the ewes and humans associated with cheese production. The potential presence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) at all stages of the process and in the cheeses was also considered.

Investigations of the effects of the antimalarial drug dihydroartemisinin (DHA) using the Frog Embryo Teratogenesis Assay-Xenopus (FETAX).

Artemisinin derivatives are effective and safe drugs for treating malaria, but they are not recommended during the first trimester of pregnancy because of resorptions and abnormalities observed in animal reproduction studies. Previous studies in rats showed that artemisinin embryotoxicity derives from the depletion of primitive red blood cells (RBCs) over a narrow critical time window (gestation Days 9-14). In order to further investigate the susceptibility of primitive RBCs to artemisinins and to establish whether this susceptibility is species-specific or inherent to the compound, we studied dihydroartemisinin (DHA), both a drug in its own right and the main metabolite of current artemisinin derivatives in use, in the Frog Embryo Teratogenesis Assay-Xenopus (FETAX).

Noise levels during aerobics and the potential effects on distortion product otoacoustic emissions.

Unlabelled: The purpose of this study was to measure noise levels during aerobics classes and to examine how outer hair cell (OHC) function, using distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs), may be affected by this exposure. Fifty individuals (48 women and 2 men, ages 19-41 years) participated in 50-min aerobics classes. Noise levels were measured using noise dosimeters placed on the collar near the test ear.

Granular cell tumor of scrotum: a rare tumor of the male external genitalia.

We report a rare case of granular cell tumor in the scrotum. Granular cell tumors are soft-tissue neoplasms originating from Schwann cells that rarely affect male external genitalia. They are essentially benign; therefore, the treatment is complete excision of the lesion.