Bowel Obstruction and Hydronephrosis Due to an Over-the-Scope Clip.

An over-the-scope clip is a type of endoscopically placed clip used to treat gastrointestinal perforation, bleeding, or fistula. After the defect heals, the clip usually passes uneventfully through the gastrointestinal tract. An uncommon complication of over-the-scope clip placement is intestinal obstruction caused by luminal stenosis at the site of clip placement.

Atypical presentation of pseudomembranous colitis with laboratory rejection of stool specimen.

(formerly ) is a major cause of nocosomial infection in the USA and worldwide. It has a wide spectrum of presentation, ranging from an asymptomatic carrier state to fulminant colitis. Pseudomembranous colitis is a manifestation of severe infection (CDI), typically with progressive symptoms including watery diarrhoea, abdominal cramping and fevers and elevated white cell count and/or creatinine.

Long-term neurocognitive outcome and auditory event-related potentials after complex febrile seizures in children.

Objectives: Whether prolonged or complex febrile seizures (FS) produce long-term injury to the hippocampus is a critical question concerning the neurocognitive outcome of these seizures. Long-term event-related evoked potential (ERP) recording from the scalp is a noninvasive technique reflecting the sensory and cognitive processes associated with attention tasks. This study aimed to investigate the long-term outcome of neurocognitive and attention functions and evaluated auditory event-related potentials in children who have experienced complex FS in comparison with other types of FS.

A novel high throughput approach to screen for cardiac arrhythmic events following stem cell treatment.

Although stem cell therapy is promising for repairing damaged cardiac tissue and improving heart function, there are safety concerns, especially regarding the risk of arrhythmias, which can be life threatening. To address this issue, we propose to develop a novel screening system to evaluate arrhythmic risk associated with stem cell therapy using a high-throughput multielectrode array system that can measure conduction velocity and action potential duration in cardiomyocytes co-cultured with different types of stem cells, such as mesenchymal stem cells, skeletal myoblasts, and resident cardiac stem cells. We will assess the arrhythmic potential of each of these types of stem cells under normoxic and hypoxic conditions, with/without application of oxidative stress or catecholamines.

NASCA report 2: Longitudinal study of relationship of exposure to space radiation and risk of lens opacity.

The NASA Study of Cataract in Astronauts (NASCA) was designed to measure the impact of exposure to space radiation on progression rates of cortical, nuclear, and posterior subcapsular cataract in U.S. astronauts who have flown in space and comparison groups of astronauts who had not flown in space, and subjects with a history of military aviation.

NASA study of cataract in astronauts (NASCA). Report 1: Cross-sectional study of the relationship of exposure to space radiation and risk of lens opacity.

The NASA Study of Cataract in Astronauts (NASCA) is a 5-year longitudinal study of the effect of space radiation exposure on the severity/progression of nuclear, cortical and posterior subcapsular (PSC) lens opacities. Here we report on baseline data that will be used over the course of the longitudinal study. Participants include 171 consenting astronauts who flew at least one mission in space and a comparison group made up of three components: (a) 53 astronauts who had not flown in space, (b) 95 military aircrew personnel, and (c) 99 non-aircrew ground-based comparison subjects.

Temporal changes in mouse aortic wall gene expression during the development of elastase-induced abdominal aortic aneurysms.

Objective: To characterize temporal changes in mouse aortic wall gene expression associated with the development of experimental abdominal aortic aneurysms.

Methods: C57BL/6 mice underwent transient perfusion of the abdominal aorta with either elastase (n = 61) or heat-inactivated elastase as a control (n = 68). Triplicate samples of radiolabeled aortic wall complementary DNA were prepared at intervals of 0, 3, 7, 10, and 14 days, followed by hybridization to nylon microarrays (1181 genes).

Carbohydrate intake and glycemic index in relation to the odds of early cortical and nuclear lens opacities.

Background: Animal studies suggest a role for dietary carbohydrate in cataractogenesis. However, few published human studies have evaluated associations between carbohydrate nutrition and lens opacification.

Objective: Our objective was to test the hypothesis that long-term carbohydrate intake and dietary glycemic index are associated with the odds of early cortical and nuclear opacities.

Long-term nutrient intake and 5-year change in nuclear lens opacities.

Objective: To determine if usual nutrient intake is related to a 5-year change in the amount of lens nuclear opacification assessed by computer-assisted image analysis.

Design: A sample of 408 Boston, Mass-area women from the Nurses' Health Study aged 52 to 74 years at baseline participated in a 5-year study related to nutrition and vision. Usual nutrient intake was calculated as the average intake from 5 food frequency questionnaires that were collected over a 13- to 15-year period before the baseline evaluation of lens nuclear density.

Weight status, abdominal adiposity, diabetes, and early age-related lens opacities.

Background: The association between weight status and the risk of lens opacities has received little attention.

Objective: We examined the cross-sectional relations of body mass index (BMI; in kg/m(2)), waist circumference, and diabetes with the presence of age-related lens opacities.

Design: Eye examinations were conducted in 466 Boston-area women aged 53-73 y who were without previously diagnosed cataracts and were part of the Nurses' Health Study cohort.

Altered patterns of gene expression distinguishing ascending aortic aneurysms from abdominal aortic aneurysms: complementary DNA expression profiling in the molecular characterization of aortic disease.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to profile altered patterns of gene expression that characterize degenerative ascending thoracic aortic aneurysms and to compare these patterns with those observed for infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms.

Methods: Full-thickness aortic wall tissues were obtained during surgical repair of degenerative thoracic aortic aneurysms and infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms (n = 4 each), with normal thoracic and abdominal aortas from organ transplant donors used as control preparations. Radiolabeled complementary DNA was prepared for each specimen and hybridized to complementary DNA microarrays, and differential levels of gene expression between aneurysmal and normal aortic tissues at each site were assessed by parametric statistics.

Long-term intake of vitamins and carotenoids and odds of early age-related cortical and posterior subcapsular lens opacities.

Background: Proper nutrition appears to protect against cataracts. Few studies have related nutrition to the odds of developing cortical or posterior subcapsular (PSC) cataracts.

Objective: We assessed the relation between usual nutrient intakes and age-related cortical and PSC lens opacities.