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To establish an easy way to perform volumetry of the thyroid gland using ultrasonography, we evaluated the accuracy of the products of the depth and width of the right thyroid lobe as indices of thyroid volume. The depth and width of both thyroid lobes were measured using ultrasonography before surgery in 193 patients with Graves' disease. The products were compared with the weight of the thyroid obtained from operative records. We also evaluated the depth and width of the right thyroid lobe in 312 subjects who presented without any thyroid disease...

Background: Micro RNAs are new diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets in breast cancer research. miR-107 and miR-126 have been reported to be linked with the pathogenesis of breast cancer. The present study investigates the levels of expression of miR-107 and miR-126 in patients with breast cancer to find their correlation with the risk of breast cancer in Amritsar, Punjab, Northwest India. Material and Methods: In total, 200 subjects, 100 patients with breast cancer and 100 controls, were enrolled to screen the expression of miR-107 and miR-126 using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technique...

Some insertion sequence (IS) elements were actively transposed using oxidative stress conditions, including gamma irradiation and hydrogen peroxide treatment, in Deinococcus geothermalis , a radiation-resistant bacterium. D. geothermalis wild-type (WT), sigma factor gene-disrupted (∆ dgeo _0606), and LysR gene-disrupted (∆ dgeo _1692) mutants were examined for IS induction that resulted in non-pigmented colonies after gamma irradiation (5 kGy) exposure. The loss of pigmentation occurred because dgeo _0524, which encodes a phytoene desaturase in the carotenoid pathway, was disrupted by the transposition of IS elements...

Although suppressed cAMP levels have been linked to cancer for nearly five decades, the molecular basis remains uncertain. Here, we identify endosomal pH as a novel regulator of cytosolic cAMP homeostasis and a promoter of transformed phenotypic traits in colorectal cancer (CRC). Combining experiments and computational analysis, we show that the Na+/H+ exchanger NHE9 contributes to proton leak and causes luminal alkalinization, which induces resting [Ca2+], and in consequence, represses cAMP levels, creating a feedback loop that echoes nutrient deprivation or hypoxia...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) contained in a large amount of oily sludge produced in petroleum and petrochemical production has become one of the main environmental protection concerns in the industry. The accurate determination of PAHs is of great significance in the field of petroleum geochemistry and environmental protection. In this study, Raman spectroscopy combined with partial least squares (PLS) based on different hybrid spectral preprocessing methods and variable selection strategies was proposed for quantitative analysis of phenanthrene, fluoranthrene, fluorene and naphthalene (Phe, Flt, Flu and Nap) in oil sludge...

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP) in dogs with meningoencephalitis of unknown origin (MUO); to evaluate whether blood CRP concentration is associated with epidemiological, clinicopathologic, and MRI findings; and to investigate blood CRP predictive power in survival. ANIMALS: 30 client-owned dogs with MUO, 15 client-owned dogs with steroid-responsive meningitis arteritis (SRMA; positive control group), and 15 healthy dogs (negative control group)...

BACKGROUND: The choice of old-age care methods or places plays an important role in improving the quality of life and well-being of older adults. This study aimed to analyze the choices of various old-age care modes (OCMs) among middle-aged and older adults (MOA) aged 40 years and older in Henan Province, China, and to explore the influence of personal health status, perspectives on old-age (POA) and external support received on their choices. METHODS: This study analyzed the data from the previous survey which included 911 MOA...

The present study utilized the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database to examine the relationship between serum levels of heavy metals and Diabetic retinopathy (DR) in individuals aged over 30 years with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in the United States. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted on 1583 individuals with T2DM from the NHANES 2011-2020, including 331 individuals in the DR group and 1252 individuals in the non-DR group. We collected data on serum levels of heavy metals, DR, and serum albumin for descriptive statistics, linear regression, and logistical regression analysis...

Forkhead box P3 (Foxp3)-expressing regulatory T cells (Tregs) are the guardians of controlled immune reactions and prevent the development of autoimmune diseases. However, in the tumor context, their increased number suppresses antitumor immune responses, indicating the importance of understanding the mechanisms behind their function and stability. Metabolic reprogramming can affect Foxp3 regulation and, therefore, Treg suppressive function and fitness. Here, we performed a metabolic CRISPR/Cas9 screen and pinpointed novel candidate positive and negative metabolic regulators of Foxp3...

OBJECTIVES: Serum tryptase is a biomarker of mast cell activation. Among others, it is used in the diagnosis of anaphylaxis where a significant increase during the acute phase supports the diagnosis. When evaluating changes in biomarker levels, it is of utmost importance to consider the biological variation of the marker. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the short-term biological variation of serum tryptase. METHODS: Blood samples were drawn at 9 AM three days in a row from apparently healthy subjects...

OBJECTIVES: to identify factors associated with older adults' knowledge, attitude and practice regarding skin cancer prevention. METHODS: this is a cross-sectional study, carried out with 120 older adults from a Basic Health Unit in Quixadá, Ceará, from September to November 2018. RESULTS: individuals aged 60 to 69 years and working were statistically associated with adequate knowledge (p=0.038). Having light skin, eyes and hair was associated with adequate attitude (p=0...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

PURPOSE: Through meta-analysis, we aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of drug-coated balloons (DCB), compared with drug-eluting stents (DES) or uncoated devices, in the treatment of de novo coronary lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Only randomized controlled trials were included. The primary outcomes were late lumen loss (LLL), target lesion revascularization (TLR), and major adverse cardiac events (MACEs). Subgroup analyses were conducted based on clinical indications, whether DCBs were used with a systematic or bailout stent, and types of DESs...

In 2020, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a rapidly emerging virus causing the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, had no known effective prophylaxis and no widely available proven effective antiviral treatment. Hydroxychloroquine/Chloroquine was identified as an early potential therapeutic candidate drawing on evidence from reports of both in vitro and in vivo testing. A multicountry placebo-controlled randomized trial was set to evaluate the use of hydroxychloroquine/chloroquine to prevent infection in healthcare workers and staff working in a health facility involved in COVID-19 management...

The origin of tone, also known as tonogenesis , has long been a topic of great interest in language evolution and human cognition studies. Several linguistic studies of tonal languages have proposed various hypotheses that tonal origin may be related to different changes of phonological structures. However, such hypotheses have not been quantitatively tested in an evolutionary framework. Here, we conducted phylogenetic comparative analyses to assess the likelihood of different hypotheses of tonogenetic mechanisms across 106 Sino-Tibetan languages, of which approximately 70% are tonal...

Herein, we report a simple non-enzymatic electrochemical sensor for the detection of serotonin (5-HT) in blood serum using ZnO oxide nanoparticles-Copper metal-organic framework (MOF) composite on 3D porous nickel foam, namely, ZnO-Cu MOF/NF. The XRD analysis reveals the crystalline nature of synthesized Cu MOF and Wurtzite structure of ZnO nanoparticles, whereas SEM characterization confirms the high surface area of the composite nanostructures. Differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) analysis under optimal conditions yields a wide linear detection range of 1 ng/ml to 1 mg/ml to 5-HT concentrations and a LOD (signal to noise ratio = 3...

Caregiver stress is higher for dementia caregiving than other types. By focusing on the family, FPs can help to ease the burden.

Background: Physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) clinicians commonly care for patients with serious illness/injury and would benefit from primary palliative care (PC) training. Objective: To assess current practices, attitudes, and barriers toward PC education among U.S. PM&R residencies. Design: This is a cross-sectional study utilizing an electronic 23-question survey. Setting/Subjects: Subjects were program leaders from U.S. PM&R residency programs. Results: Twenty-one programs responded (23% response)...

BACKGROUND: Hypoxic microenvironment is prominent in advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). However, it is unclear whether ESCC becomes hypoxic when it remains in the mucosal layer or as it invades the submucosal layer. We aimed to investigate whether intramucosal (Tis-T1a) or submucosal invasive (T1b) ESCC becomes hypoxic using endoscopic submucosal dissection samples. METHODS: We evaluated the expression of hypoxia markers including hypoxia inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α), carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX), and glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1) by H-score and vessel density by microvessel count (MVC) and microvessel density (MVD) for CD31 and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) with immunohistochemical staining (n = 109)...