Chemical exchange saturation transfer magnetic resonance imaging (CEST-MRI) is capable of both microenvironment and molecular imaging. The optimization of scanning parameters is important since the ...CEST effect is sensitive to factors such as saturation power and field homogeneity. The aim of this study was to determine if the CEST effect would be altered by changing the length of readout RF pulses. Both theoretical computer simulation and phantom experiments were performed to examine the influence of readout RF pulses. Our results showed that the length of readout RF pulses has unremarkable impact on the Z-spectrum and CEST effect in both computer simulation and phantom experiment. Moreover, we demonstrated that multiple refocusing RF pulses used in rapid acquisition with relaxation enhancement (RARE) sequence induced no obvious saturation transfer contrast. Therefore, readout RF pulse has negligible effect on CEST Z-spectrum and the optimization of readout RF pulse length can be disregarded in CEST imaging protocol.
The intensity ratio between the first (373 nm) and the third (383 nm) vibronic peaks I 1/I 3, as the pyrene (Py) scale of fluorescent Py was used to monitor the critical concentration, drug-loading, ...and -releasing behaviors of a Py-terminated, amphiphilic polypeptide PPM and its hydrogen-bonded interpolymer complex (HIPC) with poly(acrylic acid) (PAA). Primarily, an amphiphilic PPM with a hydrophobic Py terminal and hydrophilic methoxy-bis(ethylene oxide) pendant groups was synthesized through multiple preparative steps, and the resultant PPM was thoroughly mixed with PAA through a preferable hydrogen bond (H bond) interaction to form HIPC. The emission study suggested that the I 1/I 3 ratio and the quantum yield (ΦF) are effective in determining the critical concentrations of the aqueous PPM and PPM/PAA solutions. Moreover, the I 1/I 3 ratio and ΦF were found to be convenient measures for determining the amounts of doxorubicin drugs loaded by and released from the aqueous PPM and PPM/PAA solutions.
Few studies have investigated the effects of anxiety on contingent attentional capture. The present study examined contingent attentional capture in trait anxiety by applying a rapid serial visual ...presentation (RSVP) paradigm during electroencephalographic recording. Overall, the behavioral and electrophysiological results showed a larger capture effect when a distractor was the same color as the target compared to when the distractor was not of the target color. Moreover, high-anxiety individuals showed a larger N2pc in the target colored distractor condition and nontarget colored distractor condition compared to the distractor-absent condition. In addition, the reaction time was slower when distractors were presented in the left visual field compared to when they were in the right visual field. This pattern was not seen in low-anxiety individuals. The findings may indicate that high-anxiety individuals allocate attention to the target less efficiently and have reduced suppression of distractors compared to low-anxiety individuals who could suppress attention to the distractors more efficiently. Future work could valuably investigate the consequences of such differences in terms of benefits and disruption associated with attentional capture differences in a range of anxious populations in different risk monitoring situations.
Conscious sedation is not routinely administered for therapeutic endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in many countries. The aim of our retrospective study was to compare the safety ...and rate of success and complications during common bile duct (CBD) stone extraction using ERCPs performed with no-sedation (NS) or under general endotracheal anesthesia (GET).
The medical records of all patients who underwent ERCP for biliary stone extraction between January 2010 and September 2013 were reviewed, and patients classified to the NS and GET groups. The primary outcomes were the rate of success of complete stone removal and rate of complications, including post-ERCP pancreatitis (PEP), perforation, bleeding, pneumonia, and mortality within 30 days post-ERCP. Operative time was recorded for analysis.
During the study period, 630 patients underwent ERCP, 402 with NS and 105 with GET. Among the 402 patients in the NS group, 37 (9.2%) could not complete the procedure due to an inability to tolerate the procedure. The success rate of complete stone extraction was higher among patients in the GET group than the NS group (94.3% versus 75.6%, respectively; p < 0.001). The rate of contrast injection into the pancreatic duct was higher for the NS than GET group (24.9% versus 15.2%, respectively; p = 0.008). Although non-significant, there was a higher incidence of post-ERCP pancreatitis (PEP) in the NS than in the GET group (10.4% versus 5.7%, respectively; p = 0.105), while the incidence of pneumonia was higher for the GET group. Biliary pancreatitis, contrast injection into the pancreatic duct and an operation time ≥30 min were independent risks factors for PEP.
ERCP under GET is effective for CBD stone removal, but with slightly higher pneumonia rate after the procedure than non-sedated ERCP.
Spatiotemporal regulation of cell migration is crucial for animal development and organogenesis. Compared to spatial signals, little is known about temporal signals and the mechanisms integrating the ...two. In the Caenorhabditis elegans hermaphrodite, the stereotyped migration pattern of two somatic distal tip cells (DTCs) is responsible for shaping the gonad. Guidance receptor UNC-5 is necessary for the dorsalward migration of DTCs. We found that BLMP-1, similar to the mammalian zinc finger transcription repressor Blimp-1/PRDI-BF1, prevents precocious dorsalward turning by inhibiting precocious unc-5 transcription and is only expressed in DTCs before they make the dorsalward turn. Constitutive expression of blmp-1 when BLMP-1 would normally disappear delays unc-5 transcription and causes turn retardation, demonstrating the functional significance of blmp-1 down-regulation. Correct timing of BLMP-1 down-regulation is redundantly regulated by heterochronic genes daf-12, lin-29, and dre-1, which regulate the temporal fates of various tissues. DAF-12, a steroid hormone receptor, and LIN-29, a zinc finger transcription factor, repress blmp-1 transcription, while DRE-1, the F-Box protein of an SCF ubiquitin ligase complex, binds to BLMP-1 and promotes its degradation. We have therefore identified a gene circuit that integrates the temporal and spatial signals and coordinates with overall development of the organism to direct cell migration during organogenesis. The tumor suppressor gene product FBXO11 (human DRE-1 ortholog) also binds to PRDI-BF1 in human cell cultures. Our data suggest evolutionary conservation of these interactions and underscore the importance of DRE-1/FBXO11-mediated BLMP-1/PRDI-BF1 degradation in cellular state transitions during metazoan development.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Zika virus has recently emerged as a worldwide public health concern. Travel and border health measures stand as one of the main strategies and frontline defenses in responding to international ...epidemics. As of October 31, 2016, Taiwan has reported 13 imported cases, 5 of which were detected through routine entry screening and active monitoring at international airports. This article shares Taiwan's disease surveillance activities at designated points of entry and travel and border health measures in response to Zika. The Taiwan government collaborates with its tourism industry to disseminate information about precautionary measures and encourages tour guides to report suspected individuals or events to activate early response measures. Taiwan also engages in vector control activities at points of entry, including targeting aircraft from countries where vector-borne diseases are endemic, implementing mosquito sweep measures, and collecting vector surveillance data. In future emerging and reemerging disease events, entry surveillance at designated points of entry may enable early detection of diseases of international origin and more rapid activation of public health preparedness activities and international collaboration. Taiwan will continue to maximize border and travel health measures in compliance with IHR (2005) requirements, which rely on continued risk assessment, practical implementation activities, and engagement with all stakeholders.
The clinical impact of nutrition therapy in critically ill patients has been known for years, and relevant guidelines regarding nutrition therapy have emphasized the importance of proteins. During ...critical illness, such as sepsis or the state following major surgery, major trauma, or major burn injury, patients suffer from a high degree of stress/inflammation, and during this time, metabolism deviates from homeostasis. The increased degradation of endogenous proteins in response to stress hormones is among the most important events in the acute phase of critical illness. Currently published evidence suggests that adequate protein supplementation might improve the clinical outcomes of critically ill patients. The role of sufficient protein supplementation may even surpass that of caloric supplementation. In this review, we focus on relevant physiological alterations in critical illness, the effects of critical illness on protein metabolism, nutrition therapy in clinical practice, and the function of specific amino acids.
Exposure to particulate matter (PM) may be a risk factor for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and obesity. However, whether body fat accumulation exerts mediating effects on the association between air ...pollutant exposure and OSA aggravation remains unclear.
This study retroactively acquired the polysomnographic data (sleep variables) and body composition information from 2893 patients in a northern Taiwan sleep center. The levels of exposure to various air pollutants were estimated using an adjusted method based on data from governmental air quality monitoring stations near registered residential addresses instead of only referencing the nearest station. The sleep disorder indices and body fat metrics, which served as the outcomes of interest, were transformed using the Box-Cox transformation. Multiple linear regression models and causal mediation analysis were employed to investigate the associations between the analyzed parameters and the estimated air pollutant exposure at various time scales (1-, 6-, and 12-month).
Significant associations were observed between the increased interquartile range (IQR) of short-term (1-month) exposure to PM ≤ 10 μm (PM10), PM ≤ 2.5 μm (PM2.5), and the apnea–hypopnea index (AHI), oxygen desaturation index (ODI), and arousal index (ArI). Short-term (1-month) exposure to PM10 and PM2.5 was significantly associated with increased trunk fat percentage. Causal mediation analysis revealed that short-term (1-month) exposure to PM10 and PM2.5 affected trunk fat percentage, thereby partially meditating the elevations in AHI, ODI, and ArI.
PM exposure may directly increase sleep disorder indices and alter body fat, thereby mediating the worsening of OSA manifestations (i.e., increased AHI, ODI, and ArI).
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Obesity and left ventricular hypertrophy are prevalent in chronic kidney disease (CKD), but the association of body mass index (BMI) and left ventricular mass index (LVMI) with cardiovascular ...outcomes in patients with CKD is unclear. This study was designed to assess whether the combination of BMI and LVMI is independently associated with cardiovascular events in patients with CKD stages 3-5.
From the outpatient department, 523 patients with CKD who received echocardiographic examination were enrolled. The patients under study were classified into 4 groups according to sex-specific median BMIs and LVMIs. Cardiovascular events were defined as cardiovascular death, hospitalization for unstable angina, nonfatal myocardial infarction, sustained ventricular arrhythmia, hospitalization for congestive heart failure, transient ischemia attack and stroke. The relative cardiovascular event risk was analyzed using Cox-regression methods.
The patients were stratified into 4 groups according to sex-specific median BMIs (men: 25.2 kg/m(2); women: 24.9 kg/m(2)) and LVMIs (men: 140.1g/m(2); women: 131.6g/m(2)). A combination of low BMI and high LVMI (versus the combination of high BMI and low LVMI) was significantly associated with cardiovascular events in an unadjusted model (hazard ratio HR = 3.178; 95% confidence interval CI: 1.645-6.140; P < 0.001) and in a multivariable model after adjustment for demographic, clinical and biochemical characteristics and medications (HR = 3.553; 95% CI: 1.494-8.450; P = 0.004).
The findings showed that the combination of low BMI and high LVMI was associated with adverse cardiovascular events in patients with CKD stages 3-5.
We have identified and characterized a novel
C.
elegans gene,
ced-12, that functions in the conserved GTPase signaling pathway mediated by CED-2/CrkII, CED-5/DOCK180, and CED-10/Rac to control cell ...migration and phagocytosis of apoptotic cells. We provide evidence that
ced-12 likely acts upstream of
ced-10 during cell migration and phagocytosis and that CED-12 physically interacts with CED-5 and forms a ternary complex with CED-2 in vitro. We propose that the formation and localization of a CED-2-CED-5-CED-12 ternary complex to the plasma membrane activates CED-10, leading to the cytoskeletal reorganization that occurs in the polarized extension of cell surfaces in engulfing cells and migrating cells. We suggest that CED-12 counterparts in higher organisms regulate cytoskeleton dynamics, as CED-12 does in
C.
elegans.
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