Long term potentiation

To evaluate the long-term effects of biochar amendment on greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), a field experiment was conducted to examine the effects of 3-year field-aged biochar (B3 ) and fresh biochar (B0 ) on global warming potential (GWP) and greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI) of methane (CH4 ) and nitrous oxide (N2 O) in a typical rice-wheat rotation system. Four treatments were established as control without nitrogen fertilizer (CK), urea without biochar (N), urea with fresh biochar amended in 2015 (NB0 ), and urea with 3-year field-aged biochar amended in 2012 (NB3 )...

OBJECTIVE: This extension study provided continued treatment to subjects with active rheumatoid arthritis who had participated for ≥16 weeks in a pharmacokinetic similarity study of PF-05280586 (potential rituximab biosimilar). Objectives were to evaluate overall pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, immunogenicity, safety, and tolerability of PF-05280586 after transition from a licensed rituximab product to PF-05280586, and followup of biomarker and efficacy assessments. METHODS: Subjects were offered ≤3 additional courses of treatment of PF-05280586, with or without a single transition from rituximab EU (rituximab-EU) or US (rituximab-US) to PF-05280586...

BACKGROUND: Epilepsy is a central nervous system disorder (neurological disorder). Epileptic seizures are the result of excessive and abnormal cortical nerve cell electrical activity in the brain. Despite the development of more than 10 new antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) since the early 2000s, approximately a third of people with epilepsy remain resistant to pharmacotherapy, often requiring treatment with a combination of AEDs. In this review, we summarised the current evidence regarding rufinamide, a novel anticonvulsant medication, which, as a triazole derivative, is structurally unrelated to any other currently used anticonvulsant medication, when used as an add-on treatment for refractory epilepsy...

Osteochondral lesions treatment and regeneration demands biomimetic strategies aiming physicochemical and biological properties of both bone and cartilage tissues, with long-term clinical outcomes. Hydrogels and scaffolds appeared as assertive approaches to guide the development and structure of the new osteochondral engineered tissue. Moreover, these structures alone or in combination with cells and bioactive molecules bring the mechanical support after in vitro and in vivo implantation. Moreover, multilayered structures designed with continuous interfaces furnish appropriate features of the cartilage and subchondral regions, namely microstructure, composition, and mechanical properties...

The aim of this review was to determine the impact of a cancer diagnosis and history on young adults' ability to initiate and maintain romantic relationships. MedLine and PsycInfo databases were used to identify articles that address dating, romantic relationships, or marriage among 18- to 45-year-old cancer survivors. Twenty-one relevant articles were identified. Findings indicate that young adult cancer survivors struggle with when/how to disclose their cancer history to potential partners, are delayed in initiating their first romantic relationships, have fewer romantic relationships than peers, and are less likely than peers to marry...

BACKGROUND: Liver resection is a potentially curative therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). LLR is a newly developed and safe technique associated with shorter hospital stay, less pain, better cosmetic outcomes, and similar complication rates as open surgery; however, data on its long-term outcomes remain scarce. METHODS: We retrospectively examined the clinical and follow-up data of 234 patients who underwent LLR (performed by a single surgeon in all cases) for the primary treatment of HCC between July 2007 and December 2015 at Asan Medical Center...

Human hepatocyte transplantation has been actively perused as an alternative to liver replacement for acute liver failure and liver-based metabolic defects. Current challenges in this field include a limited cell source, reduced cell viability following cryopreservation and poor engraftment of cells into the recipient liver with consequent limited life span. As a result, alternative stem cell sources such as pluripotent stem cells, fibroblasts, hepatic progenitor cells, amniotic epithelial cells and mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) can be used to generate induced hepatocyte like cells (HLC) with each technique exhibiting advantages and disadvantages...

Pure hexagonal (β-phase) NaYF4-based hydrophobic upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs) were surface-modified with O-phospho-l-threonine (OPLT), alendronic acid, and PEG-phosphate ligands to generate water-dispersible UCNPs. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to establish the presence of the ligands on the UCNP surface. These UCNPs exhibit great colloidal stability and a near-neutral surface at physiological pH, as confirmed by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and zeta potential (ζ) measurements, respectively...

INTRODUCTION: Premature infants are particularly vulnerable to brain injuries with associated cognitive and behavioural deficits. The worldwide first randomised interventional multicentre trial investigating the neuroprotective effects of erythropoietin (entitled 'Does erythropoietin improve outcome in very preterm infants?' (NCT00413946)) included 450 very preterm infants in Switzerland. MRI at term equivalent age showed less white matter (WM) injury in the erythropoietin group compared with the placebo group...

Despite recent advances in multiple sclerosis (MS) care, many patients only infrequently access health care services, or are unable to access them easily, for reasons such as mobility restrictions, travel costs, consultation and treatment time constraints, and a lack of locally available MS expert services. Advances in mobile communications have led to the introduction of electronic health (eHealth) technologies, which are helping to improve both access to and the quality of health care services. As the Internet is now readily accessible through smart mobile devices, most people can take advantage of eHealth apps...

INTRODUCTION: The negative impact of overweight and obesity is potentially greater in children affected by a congenital heart disease (CHD). The aim of this study is to calculate the proportion of overweight and obesity in children who underwent an intervention for CHD, and to investigate systolic arterial hypertension as a possible early cardiovascular complication. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted on patients aged 6 to 17 years treated for CHD, and healthy control subjects, followed-up in a Paediatric Cardiology Clinic...

BACKGROUND: Despite long-term research on dirofilariosis in Slovakia, little attention has thus far been paid to Dirofilaria vectors. The particular aim of the present study was molecular screening for filarioid parasites in two different habitats of Bratislava, the capital city of Slovakia. In addition, the effect of urbanisation on mosquito species abundance and composition, associated with the risk of mosquito-borne infections, was studied and discussed. METHODS: Mosquitoes were identified by morphological features, and molecular methods were also used for determination of selected individuals belonging to cryptic species from the Anopheles maculipennis and Culex pipiens complexes...

The 90-90-90 strategy from the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) to end the AIDS epidemic by 2020 includes, as its first goal, to have 90% of all people living with HIV to know their status. Achieving this goal will depend on effectively reaching high risk populations, which include mobile populations such as truck drivers. This study aimed to characterise a sample of 305 truck drivers recruited from 2 roadside wellness clinics in Kenya in terms of anticipated HIV stigma, self-efficacy, fatalism, gender equity, sensation seeking, and self-esteem, and then determine the association of these psychosocial characteristics with HIV testing behaviour...

Athletes must be able to successfully navigate the soccer pitch or hockey rink to win the game, requiring maximal cognitive resources to successfully compete. Concussions potentially deplete these resources, and the long-term impact of concussions on an individual's goal-directed visually guided behavior continues to elude the scientific community. While the acute effects on cognition and the motor system have been elucidated elsewhere, long-term effects on performance have been less clear. Additionally, most investigations into long-term postinjury motor behaviors have focused on balance and gait, with little focus on functional upper extremity movements...

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of long-term function of implant-supported full-arch immediate prosthesis via assessing the complications and risk factors. Methods: This historical cohort study included patients treated with implant-supported full-arch restoration under immediate loading protocol between April, 2008 to June, 2016 and wearing the immediate prosthesis for more than 6 months. Medical charts were reviewed for patients' general information, implant information, prosthetic information and details of prosthetic complications...

The rapid and accurate detection of urban water is critical for urban management, river detection, and flood disaster assessment. This study is devoted to detecting water by GaoFen-3 (GF-3) Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images with high spatial resolution. There have been no effective solutions that discriminate water and building shadows using a single SAR image in previous research. Inspired by the principle that every shadow has a corresponding building nearby, a new method is proposed in this study, whereby building shadows are removed depending on the correspondence of buildings and their shadows...

Although the martian environment is currently cold and dry, geomorphological features on the surface of the planet indicate relatively recent (<4 My) freeze/thaw episodes. Additionally, the recent detections of near-subsurface ice as well as hydrated salts within recurring slope lineae suggest potentially habitable micro-environments within the martian subsurface. On Earth, microbial communities are often active at sub-freezing temperatures within permafrost, especially within the active layer, which experiences large ranges in temperature...

In the UK, over one-quarter of the adult population have obesity (body mass index ≥30 kg m-2 ). This has major implications for patients' health and the National Health Service. Despite published studies showing that significant weight loss can be achieved and maintained in primary care, and guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, weight management services are inconsistently implemented. This may be due primarily to workload and financial constraints. There is also a lack of belief that specialist weight management services and anti-obesity medications (AOMs) are a viable alternative to bariatric surgery for long-term maintenance of weight loss...

HIV-infected individuals on effective antiretroviral therapy experience a number of non-AIDS noncommunicable diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, more frequently than uninfected individuals. Common pathways for such diseases are chronic immune activation and inflammation, including the prolonged inflammation associated with lower nadir CD4+ cell count. Prevention and treatment of non-AIDS conditions include treatment of traditional risk factors, lifestyle interventions, earlier initiation of antiretroviral therapy, and potentially therapies specifically targeting inflammation and immune activation (eg, statins)...

BACKGROUND: Childhood adversities are frequent among adults who seek treatment for depression or anxiety. These disorders are commonly treated by psychotherapy. Yet it is not known if specific types or durations of psychotherapy are particularly suited for patients who have suffered various early adversities. METHODS: 221 depressed and anxious adult outpatients from community, student, occupational, and private healthcare services filled the Childhood Family Atmosphere Questionnaire...