Mechanical properties of the Schneiderian membrane in vitro.

Objectives: Perforation of the Schneiderian membrane (maxillary sinus mucosa) is a common complication of maxillary sinus graft procedures. Membrane perforation increases the chance of postoperative sinusitis and endangers graft as well as implant survival. The aim of the present study was to explore the mechanical properties of the Schneiderian membrane.

10-(2-oxo-2-phenylethylidene)-10H-anthracen-9-ones as highly active antimicrotubule agents: synthesis, antiproliferative activity, and inhibition of tubulin polymerization.

A series of 10-(2-oxo-2-phenylethylidene)-10H-anthracen-9-ones were synthesized and evaluated for interactions with tubulin and for antiproliferative activity against a panel of human and rodent tumor cell lines. The 4-methoxy analogue 17b was most potent, displaying IC(50) values ranging from 40 to 80 nM, including multidrug resistant phenotypes, and had excellent activity as an inhibitor of tubulin polymerization (IC(50) = 0.52 microM).

Optimization of SELDI-TOF protein profiling for analysis of cervical mucous.

Cervical mucous, produced in the region where cervical neoplasia occurs, is thought to be a good choice for discovery of biomarkers to improve cervical cancer screening. In this study, SELDI-TOF MS analysis was used to evaluate parameters for protein profiling of mucous. Proteins were extracted from mucous collected with Weck-Cel sponges.

Dopamine D2 receptor expression is altered by changes in cellular iron levels in PC12 cells and rat brain tissue.

Iron deficiency anemia in early life alters the development and functioning of the dopamine neurotransmitter system, but data regarding the specific effects of brain iron loss on dopamine D(2) receptor regulation are lacking. Cell culture and animal models were employed in this study to determine whether D(2) receptor expression is altered when cellular iron levels are depleted. Endogenous D(2) receptor-expressing PC12 cells exposed to increasing concentrations of the iron chelator desferrioxamine (25-100 micromol/L) exhibited dose-dependent decreases in total D(2) receptor protein concentrations (20-65%), but there were minimal effects on D(2) receptor mRNA levels.

Evaluation of the rapid BioStar optical immunoassay for detection of Chlamydia trachomatis in adolescent women.

We evaluated the performance of the BioStar Chlamydia OIA (optical immunoassay) in adolescent females (n = 261) from an inner city population. With a reference standard of two different nucleic acid amplification tests, the sensitivity and specificity of the BioStar Chlamydia OIA were 59.4 and 98.

Diurnal cycle influences peripheral and brain iron levels in mice.

Iron movement between organ pools involves a dynamic equilibrium of iron efflux and uptake, and homeostatic mechanisms are likely involved in providing iron to cells and organs when required. Daily iron levels in the plasma pool fluctuate with the diurnal cycle, but clear explanations regarding the objectives and regulation of the flux are lacking. The association between diurnal cycle and iron flux is relevant in the disease of restless legs syndrome (RLS), where individuals display diurnal deficits in motor control, have impaired brain iron metabolism, and perhaps altered iron uptake from the plasma pool.

Human papillomavirus and molecular considerations for cancer risk.

Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are a major cause of cancer globally, including cervical cancer. The HPV 'early' proteins, E6 and E7, are the chief oncoproteins involved in cancer progression. These oncoproteins are more highly expressed in high-grade dysplasias and invasive cancer coincident with reduced viral DNA replication and reduced production of infective progeny virions.

Design and instrumentation of new devices for performing appendectomy at colonoscopy (with video).

Background: There is increasing interest in natural orifice surgery (NOS). Because the lumen of the appendix is connected to the cecum, a minimally invasive method for removing the appendix by colonoscopy may be feasible.

Objectives: Our purpose was to design, develop, and test new devices for inverting and removing the appendix by colonoscopy.

Type-specific reproducibility of the Roche linear array HPV genotyping test.

Background: Type-specific detection of human papillomavirus (HPV) is increasingly important for monitoring temporal and age-specific changes in type-specific prevalence in support of HPV vaccination efforts. The impact of sampling, extraction and assay characteristics on HPV results is increasingly recognized. Inter-assay comparability studies have been performed, but the robustness of type-specific results has neither been emphasized nor has the degree of intra-assay reproducibility been addressed.

Human papillomavirus infection and cervical cytology in women screened for cervical cancer in the United States, 2003-2005.

Background: Millions of women in the United States receive cervical screening in sexually transmitted disease (STD), family planning, and primary care clinical settings.

Objective: To inform current cervical screening programs.

Design: Measurement of abnormal Papanicolaou (Pap) tests and high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) infection among demographically diverse women who received routine cervical screening from January 2003 to December 2005 in the United States.

Alterations in diurnal salivary cortisol rhythm in a population-based sample of cases with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Objective: To examine diurnal salivary cortisol rhythms and plasma IL-6 concentrations in persons with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), persons not fulfilling a diagnosis of CFS (we term them cases with insufficient symptoms or fatigue, ISF) and nonfatigued controls (NF). Previous studies of CFS patients have implicated the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the immune system in the pathophysiology of CFS, although results have been equivocal.

Methods: Twenty-eight people with CFS, 35 persons with ISF, and 39 NF identified from the general population of Wichita, Kansas, were admitted to a research ward for 2 days.

Hydrophobic interaction of organic chemicals with microtubule assembly in vitro.

A recent concept connecting the lipophilicity of organic chemicals with their genotoxicity on a chromosomal level implies that the lipophilic character of organic chemicals determines a certain background of chromosomal genotoxicity that can be addressed as "non-specific". This is opposed to compounds with more "specific" modes of action. Such mechanisms influence the processes of karyokinesis and cytokinesis.

Additive protection against lung ischemia-reperfusion injury by adenosine A2A receptor activation before procurement and during reperfusion.

Objective: Adenosine A2A receptor activation during reperfusion improves lung ischemia-reperfusion injury. In this study we sought to determine whether pretreatment of rabbits with a potent and selective adenosine A2A receptor agonist, ATL-313, before transplantation or whether adding ATL-313 to the preservation solution results in equivalent or additional protection compared with ATL-313 added during reperfusion.

Methods: An isolated, ventilated, ex vivo blood-perfused rabbit lung model was used.

Specific physiological roles for signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 in leptin receptor-expressing neurons.

Leptin is a fat-derived hormone that exerts pleiotropic effects on energy balance and neuroendocrine functions. Mice defective in leptin or its receptor [leptin receptor, isoform b (LepRb)] exhibit profound obesity, infertility, and reduced linear growth. Leptin binding to its receptor triggers multiple signaling pathways, including signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (Stat 3), phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase, and ERK.

Seroepidemiology of human papillomavirus type 11 in the United States: results from the third National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey, 1991--1994.

Objectives: The national seroprevalence of the nononcogenic human papillomavirus (HPV) type 11, one of the types targeted by the quadrivalent HPV vaccine, has not been evaluated in the United States. The objectives of this study were to estimate the national seroprevalence and evaluate predictors of HPV-11 seropositivity.

Study Design: We tested serum samples for HPV-11 antibodies and analyzed questionnaire data from the second phase of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III, 1991--1994.

Perception versus polysomnographic assessment of sleep in CFS and non-fatigued control subjects: results from a population-based study.

Background: Complaints of unrefreshing sleep are a prominent component of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS); yet, polysomnographic studies have not consistently documented sleep abnormalities in CFS patients. We conducted this study to determine whether alterations in objective sleep characteristics are associated with subjective measures of poor sleep quality in persons with CFS.

Methods: We examined the relationship between perceived sleep quality and polysomnographic measures of nighttime and daytime sleep in 35 people with CFS and 40 non-fatigued control subjects, identified from the general population of Wichita, Kansas and defined by empiric criteria.

Disabling pansclerotic morphea of childhood poses a high risk of chronic ulceration of the skin and squamous cell carcinoma.

Disabling pansclerotic morphea of childhood (DPMC) is a rare and severe variant of scleroderma. This report presents 3 cases that presented to the authors and studies 25 patients from the literature (English language only) for the presence of chronic nonhealing ulcers of skin and skin cancer. The authors identified a total of 30 patients (9 male and 21 female) aged between 1 and 37 years at time of presentation.

Sulfonate derivatives of naphtho[2,3-b]thiophen-4(9H)-one and 9(10H)-anthracenone as highly active antimicrotubule agents. Synthesis, antiproliferative activity, and inhibition of tubulin polymerization.

Benzenesulfonate derivatives of naphtho[2,3-b]thiophen-4(9H)-one and 9(10H)-anthracenone were prepared and found to inhibit microtubule formation by an in vitro tubulin polymerization assay. Several analogues showed potent cytotoxic activity in an assay based on K562 leukemia cells with IC50 values of <100 nM. The methylamino analogue 14i was the most active compound in this assay (14i, IC50 K562: 0.

Composition and hierarchical organisation of a spider silk.

Albeit silks are fairly well understood on a molecular level, their hierarchical organisation and the full complexity of constituents in the spun fibre remain poorly defined. Here we link morphological defined structural elements in dragline silk of Nephila clavipes to their biochemical composition and physicochemical properties. Five layers of different make-ups could be distinguished.

How can cardiac MR imaging help guide development of gene therapy for treatment of coronary heart disease?

Jacquier et al have shown with magnetic resonance (MR) imaging that therapy with direct intracardiac injection of vascular endothelial growth factor gene (VEGF) improves myocardial function in a model of myocardial infarction in swine. Jacquier and colleagues used MR imaging to measure left ventricular (LV) function and strain and showed that animals treated with gene therapy had stable ejection fraction whereas control animals deteriorated.

Transport of beads by several kinesin motors.

The movements of beads pulled by several kinesin-1 (conventional kinesin) motors are studied both theoretically and experimentally. While the velocity is approximately independent of the number of motors pulling the beads, the walking distance or run-length is strongly increased when more motors are involved. Run-length distributions are measured for a wide range of motor concentrations and matched to theoretically calculated distributions using only two global fit parameters.

All is not well in the world of translational research.

It is not unusual for novel treatment strategies to fail in clinical trials, despite highly encouraging results in preclinical proof-of-concept studies. Typically, such "failures of translation" are blamed on the poor predictiveness of animal models. Often, however, the poor predictiveness of today's preclinical proof-of-concept studies is related not to limitations of the models but to investigator bias and a lack of scientific rigor.