A Critical Review of MELD as a Reliable Tool for Transplant Prioritization.

In a context of global organ shortage, the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score seems to be a fair prioritization tool, with a paradigm: "sickest first." Since its introduction in the United States in 2002, it has been rapidly adopted by transplant centers and organ sharing agencies around the world. The MELD score showed its effectiveness with a 12% reduction in waiting list mortality in the United States.

Acute apnea swimming: metabolic responses and performance.

Competitive swimmers regularly perform apnea series with or without fins as part of their training, but the ergogenic and metabolic repercussions of acute and chronic apnea have not been examined. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the cardiovascular, lactate, arterial oxygen saturation and hormonal responses to acute apnea in relation to performance in male swimmers. According to a randomized protocol, 15 national or regional competitive swimmers were monitored while performing four 100-m freestyle trials, each consisting of four 25-m segments with departure every 30 seconds at maximal speed in the following conditions: with normal frequency breathing with fins (F) and without fins (S) and with complete apnea for the four 25-m segments with (FAp) and without fins (SAp).

Countermovement jump height: gender and sport-specific differences in the force-time variables.

The goal of this study was to assess (a) the eccentric rate of force development, the concentric force, and selected time variables on vertical performance during countermovement jump, (b) the existence of gender differences in these variables, and (c) the sport-specific differences. The sample was composed of 189 males and 84 females, all elite athletes involved in college and professional sports (primarily football, basketball, baseball, and volleyball). The subjects performed a series of 6 countermovement jumps on a force plate (500 Hz).

Phenobarbital induction of alpha 1-acid glycoprotein in primary rat hepatocyte cultures.

The serum level of rat alpha 1-acid glycoprotein is significantly increased by treatment with phenobarbital, and in vivo studies have shown that phenobarbital seems to act mainly at the transcriptional level. To show the direct mediating effect of phenobarbital on alpha 1-acid glycoprotein gene expression, we investigated the ability of primary cultured rat hepatocytes to respond to in vitro phenobarbital administration. Phenobarbital increased both alpha 1 acid glycoprotein secretion and corresponding mRNA levels in primary rat hepatocytes cultured on matrigel.

The course of hepatitis C virus infection after liver transplantation.

Hepatitis C virus-induced liver disease is becoming a main indication for liver transplantation. Recurrence of hepatitis after transplantation has been reported, but its long-term consequences are unknown. Seventy-nine patients positive for hepatitis C virus (group 1) and 106 subjects negative for hepatitis C virus antibody (group 2) with a mean follow-up of 4 yr were retrospectively studied by means of serology, nested polymerase chain reaction and branched-DNA technology before and after liver transplantation.

Factor regression for interpreting genotype-environment interaction in bread-wheat trials.

The French INRA wheat (Triticum aestivum L. em Thell.) breeding program is based on multilocation trials to produce high-yielding, adapted lines for a wide range of environments.

Control of the bacterial cell cycle.

New insights into the control of DNA replication through growth, hemimethylated DNA and DnaA protein have been described. Fundamental shifts in thinking have resulted in the identification of new cell cycle genes with potential roles in initiation of DNA replication, chromosomal segregation and division. Excitingly, this trend may also narrow the apparent differences between the prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell cycles.