Expression and Functional Characterization of Oryzacystatin II Protein from Indica Rice and Its Potential Role as a Bioinsecticide Against Major Insects of Rice.

Rice (L.) is a crucial staple food crop globally, facing significant challenges from various pests that affect crop productivity and quality. Conventional pesticide usage has limitations, necessitating the development of sustainable pest management strategies.

Unstimulated Gluteus Maximus Sphincteroplasty for Bowel Incontinence.

 Gluteus maximus, by virtue of its continued adjunct contraction with the anal sphincter, has many characteristics and histomorphological features mimicking type I musculature. Hence, anal sphincter replacement therapy with gluteus maximus has all avenues for lasting successful results. This study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of unstimulated gluteus maximus sphincteroplasty for anal incontinence reconstruction and neosphincter reconstruction in perineal colostomy cases.

Colon Perforation by Compressed Air: A Case Report and Short Review of Literature.

Barotrauma-associated perforation of the colon is not common and usually occurs due to the passage of compressed air through the anus. Most of the cases are accidental and done for fun often at the victim's workplace. Therefore, it is necessary that the workers should be made aware of the dangers of the equipment they regularly use at their workplace.

Utility of concurrent direct laryngoscopy and bronchoscopy with drug induced sleep endoscopy in pediatric patients with obstructive sleep apnea.

Objectives: The goal of this report was to find the frequency of synchronous airway lesions (SAL) identified during microdirect laryngoscopy and bronchoscopy (MDLB) that influenced treatment decisions beyond the information provided by drug induced sleep endoscopy (DISE) alone in children with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) at a tertiary care pediatric hospital.

Methods: This was a retrospective chart review of all pediatric patients who underwent drug induced sleep endoscopy in conjunction with direct laryngoscopy and bronchoscopy as part of a comprehensive airway evaluation for obstructive sleep apnea at a tertiary care pediatric hospital.

Results: Three hundred thirty-five patients with obstructive sleep apnea were evaluated with both sleep endoscopy and direct laryngoscopy with bronchoscopy.

Usefulness of Plasma Tissue Inhibitor of Matrix Metalloproteinase-4 to Predict Death and Myocardial Infarction in Patients With Diabetes Mellitus Referred for Coronary Angiography.

TIMP-4 is the newest member of a family of secreted proteins known as the tissue inhibitors of metalloproteases that selectively inhibit matrix metalloproteases. TIMP-4 is abundantly expressed in human cardiovascular structures and has been implicated in cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, it has also been shown to be a novel target of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma in rat smooth muscle cells, suggesting a potential role in diabetes mellitus as well.

Robot-assisted versus open radical prostatectomy utilization in hospitals offering robotics.

Introduction: Prostate cancer is an extremely prevalent cause of morbidity and mortality among American men. Several different treatments exist, but differences in utilization between these treatments are not well understood.

Materials And Methods: We performed an observational study using administrative datasets linked to hospital survey data, which included non-metastatic prostate cancer patients receiving robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) or open radical prostatectomy (ORP) in California, Florida, or New York from 2009-2011.

Electronic Health Records and Quality of Care: An Observational Study Modeling Impact on Mortality, Readmissions, and Complications.

Electronic health records (EHRs) were implemented to improve quality of care and patient outcomes. This study assessed the relationship between EHR-adoption and patient outcomes.We performed an observational study using State Inpatient Databases linked to American Hospital Association survey, 2011.

Elevated baseline plasma IL-8 levels are an independent predictor of long-term all-cause mortality in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

Objectives: To investigate the long-term prognostic significance of baseline plasma IL-8 levels in a group of well-characterized male patients presenting with acute coronary syndrome.

Background: IL-8 is a cytokine that has been implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and acute coronary syndrome. Elevated plasma levels have been reported in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

Elevated baseline plasma phospholipid protein (PLTP) levels are an independent predictor of long-term all-cause mortality in patients with diabetes mellitus and known or suspected coronary artery disease.

Objectives: To investigate the long-term prognostic significance of baseline plasma PLTP levels in a group of well-characterized male patients with diabetes mellitus and known or suspected coronary artery disease referred for coronary angiography.

Background: PLTP is a plasma protein that mediates the net transfer and exchange of phospholipids between lipoproteins. It has been implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and elevated plasma levels have been reported in patients with diabetes mellitus.

Relation of baseline plasma MMP-1 levels to long-term all-cause mortality in patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease referred for coronary angiography.

Objectives: To investigate the long-term prognostic significance of baseline plasma MMP-1 levels in a group of well-characterized male patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease, including those presenting with acute coronary syndrome.

Background: MMP-1 is an interstitial collagenase that is considered the primary enzyme responsible for collagen degradation. In addition, MMP-1 can lead to platelet activation through the PAR1 pathway that is independent of thrombin.

Athlete endorsements in food marketing.

Objective: This study quantified professional athletes' endorsement of food and beverages, evaluated the nutritional quality of endorsed products, and determined the number of television commercial exposures of athlete-endorsement commercials for children, adolescents, and adults.

Methods: One hundred professional athletes were selected on the basis of Bloomberg Businessweek's 2010 Power 100 rankings, which ranks athletes according to their endorsement value and prominence in their sport. Endorsement information was gathered from the Power 100 list and the advertisement database AdScope.

Plasma interleukin-10 levels and adverse outcomes in acute coronary syndrome.

Unlabelled: PURPOSE OR BACKGROUND: Interleukin (IL)-10 is an immunoregulatory cytokine that is produced by a variety of cell types, such as macrophages and activated monocytes. IL-10 possesses numerous anti-inflammatory, anti-thrombotic and anti-atherosclerotic properties. Furthermore, patients with acute coronary syndrome have been demonstrated to have reduced levels of IL-10 compared to their stable counterparts.

Relation of baseline plasma ADMA levels to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality at two years in men with diabetes mellitus referred for coronary angiography.

Background: Patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) have been shown to have higher levels of asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), an endogenous inhibitor of endothelial nitric oxide (NO) synthase. Higher plasma levels of ADMA have been implicated in the pathogenesis of endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis by lowering NO levels. High baseline plasma levels of ADMA in patients with DM have been shown to predict diabetes related complications.

Threonine-insensitive homoserine dehydrogenase from soybean: genomic organization, kinetic mechanism, and in vivo activity.

Aspartate kinase (AK) and homoserine dehydrogenase (HSD) function as key regulatory enzymes at branch points in the aspartate amino acid pathway and are feedback-inhibited by threonine. In plants the biochemical features of AK and bifunctional AK-HSD enzymes have been characterized, but the molecular properties of the monofunctional HSD remain unexamined. To investigate the role of HSD, we have cloned the cDNA and gene encoding the monofunctional HSD (GmHSD) from soybean.

Relation of baseline serum potassium levels to angiographic findings in patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease.

Background: In experimental animal studies, potassium has been demonstrated to protect against the development of atherosclerosis through a variety of mechanisms. Data regarding the role of potassium in the development of human atherosclerosis are sparse. The objective of this study was to determine the association between plasma potassium levels and angiographically defined coronary artery disease (CAD).

Relationship of baseline plasma ADMA levels to cardiovascular outcomes at 2 years in men with acute coronary syndrome referred for coronary angiography.

Background: Nitric oxide (NO) is produced from L-arginine by NO synthase and is an important molecule with antiatherogenic properties. Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) acts as an endogenous inhibitor of endothelial NO synthase. As such, it has been associated with endothelial dysfunction and elevated circulating levels of ADMA have been found in patients with cardiovascular risk factors.

Baseline plasma adiponectin levels as a predictor of left ventricular systolic dysfunction in patients referred for coronary angiography.

The objective of the present study was to determine the association between plasma adiponectin and left ventricular (LV) systolic function. Baseline plasma adiponectin was measured in 389 patients undergoing coronary angiography for a variety of indications at a Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Detailed demographic, clinical, laboratory, and angiographic data were available for patients.

Relation of baseline plasma phospholipid levels to cardiovascular outcomes at two years in men with acute coronary syndrome referred for coronary angiography.

In addition to cholesterol and triglycerides, plasma also contains phospholipids. The choline-containing phospholipids constitute >90% of total plasma phospholipids. To date, no studies have looked specifically at the prognostic significance of total phospholipids in patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease.

Association of plasma levels of F11 receptor/junctional adhesion molecule-A (F11R/JAM-A) with human atherosclerosis.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the association of the F11 receptor (F11R) with human vascular disease.

Background: A molecule identified as critical for platelet adhesion to a cytokine-inflamed endothelial surface in vitro is F11R. The F11R is known to be expressed in platelets and endothelium and reported recently to be overexpressed in atherosclerotic plaques.

Usefulness of the serum complement component C4 as a predictor of stroke in patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease referred for coronary angiography.

The complement system has been implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. In addition, complement activation and complement-mediated brain injury have been found in a variety of central nervous system diseases, including stroke. However, there are limited data about the value of complement components for prediction of stroke.