"Martin Freeman"

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: Total pancreatectomy with islet autotransplantation (TPIAT) involves pancreatectomy, splenectomy, and reinjection of the patient's pancreatic islets into the portal vein. This process triggers a local inflammatory reaction and increase in portal pressure, threatening islet survival and potentially causing portal vein thrombosis. Recent research has highlighted a high frequency of extreme thrombocytosis (platelets ≥1000 x10/L) after TPIAT, but its etiology and association with thrombotic risk remain unclear...

The concept that sphincter of Oddi dysfunction (SOD) can cause attacks of biliary-type pain in postcholecystectomy patients and those with unexplained recurrent acute pancreatitis, and that endoscopic sphincterotomy can ameliorate symptoms, remains unproven. The Evaluating Predictors and Interventions in Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction (EPISOD) study of patients without objective evidence for biliary obstruction showed no difference in outcomes between those who underwent sphincterotomy or sham treatment.1 To date, there have been no studies examining the characteristics of patients who still are being offered endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) for SOD since the EPISOD publication, although the absolute number appears to have declined...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: Cauda Equina Syndrome (CES) is an emergency condition that requires acute intervention and can lead to permanent neurological deficit in working age adults. A Core Outcome Set (COS) is the minimum set of outcomes that should be reported by a research study within a specific disease area. There is significant heterogeneity in outcome reporting for CES, which does not allow data synthesis between studies. The hypothesis is that a COS for CES can be developed for future research studies using patients and healthcare professionals (HCPs) as key stakeholders...

Nitro-fatty acids modulate inflammatory and metabolic stress responses, thus displaying potential as new drug candidates. Herein, we evaluate the redox behavior of nitro-oleic acid (NO2 -OA) and its ability to bind to the fatty acid transporter human serum albumin (HSA). The nitro group of NO2 -OA underwent electrochemical reduction at -0.75 V at pH 7.4 in an aqueous milieu. Based on observations of the R-NO2 reduction process, the stability and reactivity of NO2 -OA was measured in comparison to oleic acid (OA) as the negative control...

OBJECTIVES: To describe the clinical and procedural coronary chronic total occlusion (CTO) treatment results in a Nordic PCI centre during the implementation of a CTO treatment program. DESIGN: In a retrospective registry study, we assessed; (1) indication for the procedure, (2) Canadian Cardiovascular Society angina pectoris score (CCS)/New York Heart Association (NYHA) heart failure score, (3) lesion complexity and (4) adverse events during hospital stay and three months following the index procedure...

The Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Treatment Study II (POTS II) investigated the benefit of serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SRI) augmentation with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Primary outcomes focused on OCD symptom change and indicated benefit associated with a full course of CBT. Given that the majority of youth with OCD suffer from significant comorbid symptoms and impaired quality of life, the current study examined POTS II data for effects on secondary outcomes. Participants were 124 youth ages 7-17 years with a primary diagnosis of OCD who were partial responders to an adequate SRI trial...

In neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) bilateral vestibular schwannomas (VS) or their treatment usually results in bilateral hearing loss. Cochlear implantation (CI) was traditionally not used in these patients due to concern that retrocochlear disease would render the implant ineffective. This paper describes the auditory outcomes of CI in 13 patients with NF2 and includes patients with untreated VS and patients undergoing VS removal with cochlear nerve preservation. The non-user rate was 7.7%. Of the active users, median CUNY score was 98%, median BKB score in quiet was 90% and median BKB score in noise was 68%...

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to quantify the benefit gained from cochlear implantation in pre- or peri-lingually deafened patients who were implanted as adults Methods: This was a retrospective case-control study. Auditory (BKB/CUNY/3AFC/Environmental sounds), quality of life (GBI/HUI3) and cognitive (customized questionnaire) outcomes in 26 late implanted pre- or peri-lingually deafened adults were compared to those of 30 matched post-lingually deafened, traditional cochlear implant users...

Background Kaposi's sarcoma remains the most common cancer in Sub-Saharan Africa and the second most common cancer in HIV-infected patients worldwide. Since the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), there has been a decline in its incidence.However, Kaposi's sarcoma continues to be diagnosed in HIV-infected patients.Objectives To assess the added advantage of chemotherapy plus HAART compared to HAART alone; and the advantages of different chemotherapy regimens in HAART and HAART naive HIV infected adults with severe or progressive Kaposi's sarcoma...

BACKGROUND: Kaposi's sarcoma remains the most common cancer in Sub-Saharan Africa and the second most common cancer in HIV-infected patients worldwide. Since the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), there has been a decline in its incidence.However, Kaposi's sarcoma continues to be diagnosed in HIV-infected patients. OBJECTIVES: To assess the added advantage of chemotherapy plus HAART compared to HAART alone; and the advantages of different chemotherapy regimens in HAART and HAART naive HIV infected adults with severe or progressive Kaposi's sarcoma...

BACKGROUND: Mass spectrometry-based proteomics enables the global identification and quantification of proteins and their posttranslational modifications in complex biological samples. However, proteomic analysis requires a complete and accurate reference set of proteins and is therefore largely restricted to model organisms with sequenced genomes. RESULTS: Here, we demonstrate the feasibility of deep genome-free proteomics by using a reference proteome derived from heterogeneous mRNA data...

The spatial components of a visual scene are processed neurally in a sequence of coarse features followed by fine features. This coarse-to-fine temporal stream was initially considered to be a cortical function, but has recently been demonstrated in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus. The goal of this study was to test the hypothesis that coarse-to-fine processing is present at earlier stages of visual processing in the retinal ganglion cells that supply lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) neurons. To compare coarse-to-fine processing in the cat's visual system, we measured the visual responses of connected neuronal pairs from the retina and LGN, and separate populations of cells from each region...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: The development of the Drosophila eye imaginal disc requires complex epithelial rearrangements. Cells of the morphogenetic furrow are apically constricted and this leads to a physical indentation in the epithelium. Posterior to the furrow, cells start to rearrange into distinct clusters and eventually form a precisely patterned array of ommatidia. These morphogenetic processes include regulated changes of adhesion between cells. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Here, we show that two transmembrane adhesion proteins, Capricious and Tartan, have dynamic and complementary expression patterns in the eye imaginal disc...

The EGFR signalling cascade is responsible for coordinating a wide variety of events during Drosophila eye development. It remains something of a mystery how it is that cells are able to interpret the signal so as to choose the appropriate response from the battery of possibilities: division, differentiation, cell shape change and so on. Since the cascade is essentially linear below the receptor, different cellular responses cannot be regulated by alternative signal transduction pathways. The main diversity lies upstream, in the multiple activating ligands...

BACKGROUND: We conducted a phase 3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of sorafenib, a multikinase inhibitor of tumor-cell proliferation and angiogenesis, in patients with advanced clear-cell renal-cell carcinoma. METHODS: From November 2003 to March 2005, we randomly assigned 903 patients with renal-cell carcinoma that was resistant to standard therapy to receive either continuous treatment with oral sorafenib (at a dose of 400 mg twice daily) or placebo; 451 patients received sorafenib and 452 received placebo...

AIMS: The primary aim of the study was to determine if the gonococcal porA pseudogene is a stable sequence target for the detection of Neisseria gonorrhoeae by PCR. METHODS: A total of 240 gonococcal strains from various geographic locations were tested by porA pseudogene PCR. In addition, porA pseudogene PCR positivity rates were compared with established gonococcal assays in three Australian states. RESULTS: All N. gonorrhoeae isolates provided positive results in the porA pseudogene PCR...