FDG PET imaging of Ela1-myc mice reveals major biological differences between pancreatic acinar and ductal tumours.

Purpose: The aim was to evaluate FDG PET imaging in Ela1-myc mice, a pancreatic cancer model resulting in the development of tumours with either acinar or mixed acinar-ductal phenotype.

Methods: Transversal and longitudinal FDG PET studies were conducted; selected tissue samples were subjected to autoradiography and ex vivo organ counting. Glucose transporter and hexokinase mRNA expression was analysed by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR); Glut2 expression was analysed by immunohistochemistry.

[Phenotypic characterization and course of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the PAC-COPD Study: design and methods].

Background And Objectives: The Phenotype and Course of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (PAC-COPD) study aims to improve our understanding of the phenotypic heterogeneity of this disease and the extent to which this heterogeneity is related to clinical course. The main objectives are a) to characterize the phenotypic variability in first-time hospitalizations for exacerbation of COPD and to propose a classification into subtypes and b) to ascertain the association between the defined subtypes and the clinical and functional course of COPD.

Patients And Methods: This is a cross-sectional and cohort study of 342 patients with COPD from 9 tertiary hospitals in 3 autonomous communities.

Being bullied: associated factors in children and adolescents 8 to 18 years old in 11 European countries.

Objectives: To analyze the prevalence of bullying victims among children and adolescents aged 8 to 18 years in 11 European countries and to investigate the associated sociodemographic, physical, and psychosocial factors.

Methods: Being a bullying victim was measured by using the social acceptance (bullying) scale from the Kidscreen-52, a health-related quality-of-life questionnaire administered to 16 210 children and adolescents aged 8 to 18 and their parents in postal or school-based surveys in 11 European countries. Standardized mean differences (effect size) were computed to measure the percentage of children/adolescents scoring 1 SD below the mean on the Kidscreen bullying scale.

IL-12-dependent inducible expression of the CD94/NKG2A inhibitory receptor regulates CD94/NKG2C+ NK cell function.

The inhibitory CD94/NKG2A and activating CD94/NKG2C killer lectin-like receptors specific for HLA-E have been reported to be selectively expressed by discrete NK and T cell subsets. In the present study, minor proportions of NK and T cells coexpressing both CD94/NKG2A and CD94/NKG2C were found in fresh peripheral blood from adult blood donors. Moreover, CD94/NKG2A surface expression was transiently detected upon in vitro stimulation of CD94/NKG2C+ NK cells in the presence of irradiated allogeneic PBMC or rIL-12.

Exocrine pancreatic cancer clinical factors were related to timing of blood extraction and influenced serum concentrations of lipids.

Objective: Disease-induced changes in blood concentrations of lipids may bias etiologic studies. We analyzed the influence of clinical factors and timing of blood extraction on serum concentrations of cholesterol and triglycerides in exocrine pancreatic cancer (EPC).

Study Design And Setting: Subjects were 144 incident cases of EPC prospectively recruited in five teaching hospitals in eastern Spain.

Heart failure in acute ischemic stroke.

Background: To determine the impact of heart failure (HF), with preserved or decreased left ventricular function (LVF), on outcome in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS).

Methods: We studied 503 unselected ischemic stroke patients. Poor outcome was defined as moderate-severe disability or death at 90 days.

Qualitative evaluation of chromatographic data from quality control schemes using a support vector machine.

The qualitative evaluation of chromatographic data in the framework of external quality assurance schemes is considered in this paper. The homogeneity in the evaluation of chromatographic data among human experts in samples with analytes close to the limit of detection of analytical methods was examined and also a Support Vector Machine (SVM) was developed as an alternative to experts for a more homogeneous and automatic evaluation. A set of 105 ion chromatograms obtained by anti-doping control laboratories was used in this study.

Pharmacological interaction between 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy) and paroxetine: pharmacological effects and pharmacokinetics.

3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, "ecstasy") is increasingly used by young people for its euphoric and empathic effects. MDMA can be used in combination with other drugs such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. A clinical trial was designed where subjects pretreated with paroxetine, one of the most potent inhibitors of both 5-hydroxytryptamine reuptake and CYP2D6 activity, were challenged with a single dose of MDMA.