caca

BACKGROUND: Temporary placement of removable, fully covered, self-expandable metal stents (fcSEMS) for treatment of benign biliary strictures (BBS) has been reported to be effective. However, the optimal extraction time point remains unclear and stent migration has been a major concern. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of this treatment modality using an fcSEMS with a special antimigration design and prolonged stent indwell time...

The molecular type of environmental Cryptococcus neoformans in Beijing was not clear. Our study aims to reveal the molecular characterization of C. neoformans complex from environment in Beijing, China. A total of 435 samples of pigeon droppings from 11 different homes in Beijing were collected from August to November in 2015. Pigeon droppings were inoculated onto caffeic acid cornmeal agar (CACA) to screen C. neoformans complex. Bruker Biotyper matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) was performed for species identification...

BACKGROUND: Clip-assisted endoscopic full-thickness resection (EFTR) with an over-the-scope device has been recently described to be feasible and effective for the resection of non-lifting adenomas in the lower gastrointestinal tract. However, tumor size is the major limitation of that technique. We describe a hybrid technique using endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) in ten patients with large non-lifting colorectal adenomas to reduce tumor size and facilitate clip-assisted EFTR. METHODS: Data of ten consecutive patients (median age 72...

BACKGROUND: Most patients with cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) have unresectable disease. Endoscopic bile duct drainage is one of the major objectives of palliation of obstructive jaundice. METHODS/RESULTS: Stent implantation using endoscopic retrograde cholangiography is considered to be the standard technique. Unilateral versus bilateral stenting is associated with different advantages and disadvantages; however, a standard approach is still not defined. As there are various kinds of stents, there is an ongoing discussion on which stent to use in which situation...

Most cochlear implants (CIs) activate their electrodes non-simultaneously in order to eliminate electrical field interactions. However, the membrane of auditory nerve fibers needs time to return to its resting state, causing the probability of firing to a pulse to be affected by previous pulses. Here, we provide new evidence on the effect of pulse polarity and current level on these interactions. In experiment 1, detection thresholds and most comfortable levels (MCLs) were measured in CI users for 100-Hz pulse trains consisting of two consecutive biphasic pulses of the same or of opposite polarity...

The Ca(2+)/cation antiporters (CaCA) superfamily proteins play vital function in Ca(2+) ion homeostasis, which is an important event during development and defense response. Molecular characterization of these proteins has been performed in certain plants, but they are still not characterized in Triticum aestivum (bread wheat). Herein, we identified 34 TaCaCA superfamily proteins, which were classified into TaCAX, TaCCX, TaNCL, and TaMHX protein families based on their structural organization and evolutionary relation with earlier reported proteins...

In order to comprehensively understand the influence of coordination of the substituent at 2-position with those at 3- and 6-positions on the properties of chitosan derivatives, a series of chitosan 3,6-bis(arylcarbamate)-2-(amide)s (CACAs) and the related chiral stationary phases (CSPs) were prepared and reported in the present study. Specifically, chitosan was N-acylated with carboxylic acid anhydrides, and then further derivatized with various aryl isocyanates to afford CACAs, from which a class of coated-type CSPs were prepared...

Although encountered in minor amounts in plant cells, very-long-chain fatty acids exert crucial functions in developmental processes. When their levels are perturbed by means of genetic approaches, marked phenotypic consequences that range from severe growth retardation to embryo lethality was indeed reported. More recently, a growing body of findings has also accumulated that points to a potential role for these lipids as signals in governing both biotic and abiotic stress outcomes. In the present work, we discuss the latter theory and explore the ins and outs of very-long-chain fatty acid-based signaling in response to stress, with an attempt to reconcile two supposedly antagonistic parameters: the insoluble nature of fatty acids and their signaling function...

BACKGROUND: Direct-acting oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are used in patients with splanchnic vein thrombosis (SVT) and cirrhosis, but evidence for safety and efficacy in this setting is limited. Our aim was to identify indications and reasons for starting or switching to DOACs and to report adverse effects, complications and short-term outcome. METHODS: Data collection including demographic information, laboratory values, treatment and complications through the Vascular Liver Disease Interest Group Consortium...

BACKGROUND: Docetaxel-based chemotherapy is effective in metastatic gastric and gastro-oesophageal junction adenocarcinoma, but has not yet been evaluated in the context of resectable patients. Here we report findings from the phase 2 part of the phase 2/3 FLOT4 trial, which compared histopathological regression in patients treated with a docetaxel-based triplet chemotherapy versus an anthracycline-based triplet chemotherapy before surgical resection. METHODS: In this randomised, open-label, phase 2/3 study, eligible participants were recruited from 28 German oncology centres...

The association between psoriasis vulgaris and bullous pemphigoid is due to the still unclear autoimmune process. The common disease site is the dermo-epidermal junction or basal membrane zone (BMZ), with specific alterations for both diseases. Photochemotherapy (PUVA) is one of the therapeutic modalities for psoriasis and can trigger production of autoantibodies against antigens in the BMZ in patients with subclinical bullous pemphigoid. Furthermore, PUVA therapy can alter the immunological milieu and hence can contribute to the expression of bullous pemphigoid in patients with psoriasis...

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Increased secretion of growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor-1 in acromegaly has various effects on multiple organs. However, the ocular effects of acromegaly have yet to be investigated in detail. The aim of the present study was to compare retina ganglion cell/inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) and peripapillary nerve fiber layer thickness (pRNFL) between patients with acromegaly and healthy control subjects using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). This cross-sectional, comparative study included 18 patients with acromegaly and 20 control subjects...

The phytohormone jasmonic acid (JA) and its derivatives, collectively referred to as jasmonates, regulate many developmental processes, but are also involved in response to numerous abiotic/biotic stresses. Thus far, powerful reverse genetic strategies employing perception, signaling or biosynthesis mutants have broadly contributed to our understanding of JA implication in plant stress response and development; so did the chemical gain-of-function approach based on exogenous application of the hormone. However, there is currently no method that allows for in planta tightly controlled JA production...

Cryptogein is a 10 kDa protein secreted by the oomycete Phytophthora cryptogea that activates defence mechanisms in tobacco plants. Among early signalling events triggered by this microbial-associated molecular pattern is a transient apoplastic oxidative burst which is dependent on the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase activity of the RESPIRATORY BURST OXIDASE HOMOLOG isoform D (RBOHD). Using radioactive [(33) P]-orthophosphate labelling of tobacco Bright Yellow-2 suspension cells, we here provide in vivo evidence for a rapid accumulation of phosphatidic acid (PA) in response to cryptogein because of the coordinated onset of phosphoinositide-dependent phospholipase C and diacylglycerol kinase (DGK) activities...

What are the most abundant sphingolipids on earth? The answer is Glycosyl Inositol Phosphoryl Ceramides (GIPCs) present in fungi and the green lineage. In this review, we discuss the putative role of plant GIPCs in the lipid bilayer asymmetry, in the lateral organization of membrane rafts and in the very long chain fatty acid inter-leaflet coupling of lipids in the plant plasma membrane (PM). A special focus on the structural similarities -and putative functions- of GIPCs is discussed by comparison with animal gangliosides, structural homologs of plant GIPCs...

Recent developments have expanded the frontier of interventional endoscopy toward more extended resections following surgical principles. This article presents two new device-assisted techniques for endoscopic full-thickness resection in the upper and lower gastrointestinal tract. Both methods are nonexposure techniques avoiding exposure of gastrointestinal contents to the peritoneal cavity by a "close first-cut later" principle. The full-thickness resection device is a novel over-the-scope device designed for clip-assisted full-thickness resection of colorectal lesions...

BACKGROUND: Iatrogenic gastrointestinal perforation is a life-threatening complication that arises very rarely in routine endoscopic procedures, with an incidence of 0.03-0.8%. It is more likely in highly complex and invasive therapeutic interventions. In certain situations, endoscopic closure of the perforation and treatment with antibiotics can obviate the need for emergency surgical repair. METHODS: This review is based on pertinent articles retrieved by a selective literature search in PubMed and on a relevant position paper...

The purpose of this study was to evaluate choroidal thickness (CT) in patients with psoriasis using enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT) and to determine its relationship with psoriasis activity indices. In this prospective study, EDI-OCT images were obtained in consecutive patients with psoriasis and in age-gender-matched healthy individuals. Comprehensive ophthalmic examination and EDI-OCT evaluation were performed. CT was measured in the subfoveal area. Correlation analyses were performed to identify the relationship of the CT with disease duration and clinical disease activity score...

Cardiac pacemaker cell function is regulated by a coupled-clock system that integrates molecular cues on the cell-membrane surface (i.e., membrane clock) and on the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) (i.e., Ca(2+) clock). A recent study has shown that cotransfection of spontaneous beating cells (HEK293 cells and neonatal rat myocytes) with R524Q-mutant human hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated molecules (the dominant component of funny channels) increases the funny channel's sensitivity to cAMP and leads to a decrease in spontaneous action potential (AP) cycle length (i...