High-resolution sizing of monolayer-protected gold clusters by differential centrifugal sedimentation.

Differential centrifugal sedimentation (DCS) has been applied to accurately size ligand-protected gold hydrosols in the 10 to 50 nm range. A simple protocol is presented to correct for particle density variations due to the presence of the ligand shell, which is formed here by either polyethylene glycol-substituted alkane thiols (PEG-alkane thiols) of different chain length or oligopeptides. The method gives reliable data for all particle sizes investigated and lends itself to rapid routine sizing of nanoparticles.

In-plane focusing of terahertz surface waves on a gradient index metamaterial film.

We designed and implemented a gradient index metasurface for in-plane focusing of confined terahertz (THz) surface waves. We measured the spatial propagation of the surface waves by two-dimensional mapping of the complex electric field using a THz near-field spectroscope. The surface waves were focused to a diameter of 500 μm after a focal length of approximately 2 mm.

Systematic bias in surgeons' predictions of the donor-specific risk of liver transplant graft failure.

The decision to accept or decline a liver allograft for a patient on the transplant waiting list is complex. We hypothesized that surgeons are not accurate at predicting donor-specific risks. Surgeon members of the American Society of Transplant Surgeons were invited to complete a survey in which they predicted the 3-year risk of graft failure for a 53-year-old man with alcoholic cirrhosis and a Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score of 21 with a liver from (1) a 30-year-old local donor with traumatic brain death or (2) a 64-year-old regional donor with brain death from a stroke.

Genetic variation in tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases as a risk factor for idiopathic recurrent spontaneous abortion.

Objective: To investigate the potential association of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMP) 1, 2, 3, and 4 gene polymorphisms with idiopathic recurrent spontaneous abortion (IRSA).

Design: Case-control and association study.

Setting: Departments of gynecology and obstetrics and university-based research laboratory.

Patient knowledge about disease self-management in cirrhosis.

Objectives: We aimed to understand and improve patient knowledge about self-management of cirrhosis.

Methods: We gave 150 outpatients with cirrhosis a survey to test disease self-management knowledge. We then gave them a concise educational booklet and, 3 months later, a follow-up survey.

The impact of Best Management Practices on simulated streamflow and sediment load in a Central Brazilian catchment.

The intense use of water for both public supply and agricultural production causes societal conflicts and environmental problems in the Brazilian Federal District. A serious consequence of this is nonpoint source pollution which leads to increasing water treatment costs. Hence, this study investigates in how far agricultural Best Management Practices (BMPs) might contribute to sustainable water resources management and soil protection in the region.

Y chromosome azoospermia factor region microdeletions are not associated with idiopathic recurrent spontaneous abortion in a Slovenian population: association study and literature review.

Objective: To investigate the potential association of Y chromosome microdeletions with idiopathic recurrent spontaneous abortion (IRSA) in a Slovenian population and compare our results with those of previously published studies in different populations, with the intention of clarifying the potential impact of Y chromosome microdeletions on IRSA.

Design: Case-control and association study.

Setting: Departments of gynecology and obstetrics and university-based research laboratory.

Improving screening for hepatocellular carcinoma by incorporating data on levels of α-fetoprotein, over time.

Background & Aims: Current screening algorithms for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) view each testing interval independently, without considering prior test results. We investigated whether measurements of α-fetoprotein (AFP), over time, can be used to identify patients most likely to develop HCC.

Methods: We performed a nested case-control study using data from subjects in the Hepatitis C Antiviral Long-Term Treatment Against Cirrhosis trial; 82 patients with HCC were matched 1:3 to individuals without HCC (controls), using bootstrap methods to ensure similar follow-up times between groups.

Measurement of energy landscape roughness of folded and unfolded proteins.

The dynamics of protein conformational changes, from protein folding to smaller changes, such as those involved in ligand binding, are governed by the properties of the conformational energy landscape. Different techniques have been used to follow the motion of a protein over this landscape and thus quantify its properties. However, these techniques often are limited to short timescales and low-energy conformations.

Multidisciplinary management of patients with cirrhosis: a need for care coordination.

Cirrhosis is a common chronic condition with high rates of morbidity and mortality. Optimal medical management involves a multidisciplinary approach, but coordination between medical specialties needs to be improved. This clinical perspective discusses care coordination interventions that have been successful in other disease states and how they could be applied to the management of cirrhosis.

Quality improvement measures lead to higher surveillance rates for hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with cirrhosis.

Background: Cirrhosis is a major risk factor associated with the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases recommends surveillance for HCC in cirrhosis patients with ultrasound every six months. However, various studies suggest that surveillance rates in actual practice are quite low.

Technical solution for data collection, data safety and data privacy legislation: experiences from the SWEET study.

Background: One of the most important tasks of the SWEET study is benchmarking the data collected. Information on the occurrence of the disease of diabetes, the treatment, and their outcomes in children from the different member states of European Union (EU) is crucial. How the collection of data is realized is essential, concerning both the technical issues and the results.

Non-adherence and graft failure in adult liver transplant recipients.

Background: Non-adherence to medical therapy after liver transplantation is confounded by different methods of measurement.

Aims: (1) To compare the performance of three different methods of measuring non-adherence: (a) biochemical (standard deviation [SD] tacrolimus levels), (b) clinician report, (c) self-report. (2) To identify pre-transplant predictors of post-transplant non-adherence.

Clinical yield of diagnostic endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in orthotopic liver transplant recipients with suspected biliary complications.

Diagnostic endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (D-ERCP) is commonly performed for the evaluation of biliary complications after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). This practice is contrary to the national trend of reserving endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) for therapeutic purposes. Our aim was to evaluate the clinical yield and complications of D-ERCP in OLT recipients.

A phase II study of capecitabine and lapatinib in advanced refractory colorectal adenocarcinoma: A Wisconsin Oncology Network study.

Background: Prognosis remains poor after progression on first-line chemotherapy for colorectal adenocarcinoma, and inactivation of the EGFR pathway with monoclonal antibodies is an effective treatment strategy in selected patients with metastatic disease. Lapatinib is an oral EGFR and HER-2 dual tyrosine kinase inhibitor that has not shown significant activity in metastatic colorectal cancer. However, lapatinib may act synergistically with capecitabine in anticancer effects.

A new multiscale approach for monitoring vegetation using remote sensing-based indicators in laboratory, field, and landscape.

Remote sensing is an important tool for studying patterns in surface processes on different spatiotemporal scales. However, differences in the spatiospectral and temporal resolution of remote sensing data as well as sensor-specific surveying characteristics very often hinder comparative analyses and effective up- and downscaling analyses. This paper presents a new methodical framework for combining hyperspectral remote sensing data on different spatial and temporal scales.

Ozone visible symptoms and reduced root biomass in the subalpine species Pinus uncinata after two years of free-air ozone fumigation.

Concentrations of ozone often exceed the thresholds of forest protection in the Pyrenees, but the effect of ozone on Pinus uncinata, the dominant species in subalpine forests in this mountainous range, has not yet been studied. We conducted an experiment of free-air ozone fumigation with saplings of P. uncinata fumigated with ambient O(3) (AOT40 May-Oct: 9.

Matrix metalloproteinases 1, 2, 3 and 9 functional single-nucleotide polymorphisms in idiopathic recurrent spontaneous abortion.

Idiopathic recurrent spontaneous abortion (IRSA) has been associated with abnormalities in the remodelling of endometrial extracellular matrix, as well as aberrant matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) gene expression in endometrium of IRSA women and chorionic villi of IRSA concept. This study investigated the association of five functional MMP gene promoter polymorphisms (MMP1 -1607 1G/2G, MMP2 -735 C/T, MMP2 -1306 C/T, MMP3 -1612 5A/6A and MMP9 -1562 C/T) with IRSA. A total of 149 couples with at least three consecutive IRSA and 149 fertile couples were included in a case-control study.

Emergency use of a customized tracheostomy tube for pediatric patients.

This article describes how to make a customized tracheostomy tube in an emergency setting for a pediatric patient. This is particularly critical when a commercial customized tracheostomy tube cannot be readily obtained.

Effectiveness of hepatocellular carcinoma surveillance in patients with cirrhosis.

Background: Surveillance for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is recommended in patients with cirrhosis, but the effectiveness of a surveillance program in clinical practice has yet to be established.

Aims: To evaluate the effectiveness of a surveillance program with ultrasound and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) to detect early HCCs.

Methods: Four hundred and forty-six patients with Child A/B cirrhosis were prospectively enrolled between January 2004 and September 2006 and followed until July 2010.

The intracellular Ig fold: a robust protein scaffold for the engineering of molecular recognition.

Protein scaffolds that support molecular recognition have multiple applications in biotechnology. Thus, protein frames with robust structural cores but adaptable surface loops are in continued demand. Recently, notable progress has been made in the characterization of Ig domains of intracellular origin--in particular, modular components of the titin myofilament.