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FlowDenoising is a new approach to noise reduction in biological volumes obtained with three-dimensional electron microscopy (3DEM). Its abilities to enhance the structural features stem from the fact that an anisotropic Gaussian filtering is steered according to the local structures. To this end, the Optical Flow (OF) among consecutive slices is estimated, which is the most computationally expensive step in this approach. In this article, a hybrid CPU/GPU implementation of FlowDenoising is introduced and evaluated. It exploits parallel computing by distributing the workload among multiple cores and takes advantage of the massive processing in GPUs to accelerate the OF estimation. The hybrid implementation provides remarkable speed-up factors and an important reduction of the processing time, which is particularly relevant for the denoising of huge volumes typically found in 3DEM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bisphenol A (BPA) analogs, like BPA, could have adverse effects on human health including bone health. The aim was to determine the effect of BPF, BPS and BPAF on the growth and differentiation of cultured human osteoblasts. Osteoblasts primary culture from bone chips harvested during routine dental work and treated with BPF, BPS, or BPAF for 24 h at doses of 10–5, 10–6, and 10–7 M. Next, cell proliferation was studied, apoptosis induction, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity. In addition, mineralization was evaluated at 7, 14, and 21 days of cell culture in an osteogenic medium supplemented with BP analog at the studied doses. BPS treatment inhibited proliferation in a dose-dependent manner at all three doses by inducing apoptosis; BPF exerted a significant inhibitory effect on cell proliferation at the highest dose alone by an increase of apoptosis; while BPAF had no effect on proliferation or cell viability. Cell differentiation was adversely affected by treatment with BPA analogs in a dose-dependent, observing a reduction in calcium nodule formation at 21 days. According to the results obtained, these BPA analogs could potentially pose a threat to bone health, depending on their concentration in the organism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Survival in critically ill non-trauma patients may be improved by performing temporary abdominal closure using different surgical techniques. We describe the use of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) mesh for temporary abdominal closure in a group of critical patients. We also evaluate definitive abdominal wall closure in these patients once they are in a stable condition.Method: We conducted a study of 29 critically ill non-trauma patients who underwent temporary abdominal closure due to sepsis or abdominal compartment syndrome over 7 years at two university hospitals. We analysed factors related to surgical wound type and definitive abdominal wall closure. We evaluated the SAPS 3 severity score and used it to obtain expected mortality. We used the Clavien-Dindo System for Surgical Complications and the Ventral Hernia Working Group Classification during follow-up.Results: Performing temporary abdominal closure with expanded polytetrafluoroethylene mesh was associated with a mortality rate of 20.68%, which was lower than the expected mortality calculated from the SAPS 3 severity score (38.87 ± 21.60). There was no fistula formation related with this type of prosthetic material. In our study group, definitive abdominal wall closure was performed in the 16 patients who survived (69.5%), and six of them underwent this procedure during the original hospital stay.Conclusion: Temporary abdominal closure with ePTFE mesh is an effective alternative in some circumstances. We observed a higher survival rate than the predicted figure and there were no cases of enteroatmospheric fistulae using this particular surgical technique. ePTFE facilitates definitive abdominal wall closure, once the patient is in a stable condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Folic acid and folates (vitamin B) are essential for human metabolism. Their nutritional importance mainly lies in the prevention of neural tube formation defects, and other degenerative diseases. The determination of folates in food matrices is a very complex task due to the large number of chemical compounds included under the definition of folates. In the present study, an HPLC-fluorescence detection (HPLC-FL) methodology was optimized and validated to characterize total folates in vegetables. Its application to Mediterranean wild vegetables, provide new data on folates content on these species, scarcely studied so far. The highest folates contents were found in the leaves of Rumex pulcher L., Beta maritima L. and Anchusa azurea Mill. (506, 302 and 278 μg/100 g, respectively), as well as in the tender leaves and stems of Foeniculum vulgare Mill. and Silene vulgaris (Moench.) Garcke (272 and 268 μg/100 g, respectively). These data show that the studied wild vegetables are mostly a very good source of folates, compared to other folate-rich plants, such as spinach, parsley or chard. These under-utilized plants deserve attention for their potential value in current diets, as they are a good alternative for the diversification of our vegetable intake and represent an important added value as rich sources of vitamin B. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recombinant FMDV empty capsids have been produced in insect cells and larvae using the baculovirus expression system, although protein yield and efficiency of capsid assembly have been highly variable. In this work, two strategies were compared for the expression of FMDV A/Arg/01 empty capsids: infection with a dual-promoter baculovirus vector coding for the capsid precursor (P12A) and the protease 3C under the control of the polyhedrin and p10 promoters, respectively (BacP12A-3C), or a single-promoter vector coding the P12A3C cassette (BacP12A3C). Expression levels and assembly into empty capsids were analyzed in insect cells and larvae. We observed that the use of the single-promoter vector allowed higher levels of expression both in insect cells and larvae. Recombinant capsid proteins produced by both vectors were recognized by monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) directed against conformational epitopes of FMDV A/Arg/01 and proved to self-assemble into empty capsids (75S) and pentamers (12S) when analyzed by sucrose gradient centrifugation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to describe macular findings using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) in patients with ocular albinism (OA) and their carrier mothers, and to identify the frequency of GPR143 gene mutations in these patients. The study included five patients with a clinical diagnosis of OA. SD-OCT of the macular area was performed in both patients and their mothers. The anatomical characteristics of the macula and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), patterns of autofluorescence and infrared imaging were analyzed. Polymerase chain reaction amplification of the complete coding sequence of GPR 143 was performed and subsequently analyzed by direct sequencing in patients and their possible carrier mothers. SD-OCT images revealed the presence of inner retinal layers in the fovea, an abnormal disposition of the Henle layer and a lack of thickening in the perifoveal area. We found increased thickness in the RPE to the outer segment and in the outer segment to the outer nuclear layer that is associated with increased visual acuity. Autofluorescence images revealed an absence of normal hipoautofluorescence in the fovea. No changes were observed in the images of their carrier mothers. Mutation screening and sequence analysis of the GPR 143 gene revealed a novel pathological mutation in two patients. Abnormalities in the macula were observed in all patients. SD-OCT is a useful tool for the assessment of patients with OA. No changes were observed in the SD-OCT of carrier mothers. Only two patients had the GPR143 gene mutation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The characterization of the first in-plane mode of aluminum nitride-actuated piezoelectric microcantilevers was carried out by using electrical and optical techniques. The top electrode of the cantilever was specifically designed to allow for an efficient electrical actuation of these in-plane modes. In order to confirm the in-plane nature of the modal vibration, the detection of the electrically induced movement was performed optically with the help of a stroboscopic microscope. In parallel, resonances were also measured electrically by means of an impedance analyzer. The quality factor and the resonant frequencies of the in-plane modes were estimated from the corresponding measurement data when applying both detection techniques. Our results show quality factor values as high as 3,000 for the first in-plane mode in air. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitor p27 has an important role in cell cycle regulation. Reduced expression of p27 is commonly associated with poor prognosis in many malignancies, including gastric cancer. Cytoplasmic p27 mislocalization may be an additional indicator of high-grade tumors and poor prognosis in cancer. As chronic infection by Helicobacter pylori is the most important risk factor for gastric cancer development, we evaluated the effects of H. pylori on p27 expression and localization in gastric cancer cells. Co-culture of gastric cells with H. pylori induced cytoplasmic p27 expression and reduced nuclear p27 expression in vitro. Cytoplasmic p27 expression was associated with and dependent upon phosphorylation of p27 at T157 and T198: wild-type p27 accumulated in the cytoplasm, but non-phosphorylatable mutants affecting T157 or T198 were nuclear in H. pylori-infected cells. These post-translational p27 changes were secondary to activation of cellular phosphoinositide-3 kinase (PI3K) and AKT signaling pathways, and dependent upon a functional H. pylori cag pathogenicity island. We investigated the clinical significance of cytoplasmic p27 mislocalization in 164 cases of resected gastric cancer in tissue microarrays. In 97 cases (59%), cytoplasmic p27 mislocalization was observed, and this was associated with increased mortality in multivariate analysis. These results show that H. pylori infection induces AKT/PI3K-mediated phosphorylation of p27 at T157 and T198 to cause cytoplasmic p27 mislocalization in gastric cancer, and that p27 mislocalization is an adverse prognostic feature in gastric cancer. This is the first demonstration of the translocation of a specific bacterial virulence factor that post-translationally regulates a host cell CDK inhibitor. This is of particular significance, because p27 has both tumor-suppressive and oncogenic activities, depending upon its subcellular localization. Cytoplasmic mislocalization of p27 induced by H. pylori may be an important mechanistic link between H. pylori infection and gastric carcinogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intake of traditionally consumed wild edible species is nowadays receiving renewed attention, due to the recognition of their potential benefits for human health. This paper represents a contribution to the knowledge of the chemical composition of different wild and under-utilized vegetables of the Mediterranean area, concerning their organic acid profile and the distribution of ascorbic and dehydroascorbic acids as vitamin C activity. Fifteen species, belonging to ten botanical families, were selected, analyzing two samples of each one from two different localities of Central Spain. Each species showed a specific organic acids fingerprint. Citric acid was 90% of total organic acids in Tamus communis; malic acid was the major one in Humulus lupulus, Taraxacum obovatum and Cichorium intybus, and oxalic acid was the main organic acid in Beta maritima, Papaver rhoeas, Silybum marianum, Foeniculum vulgare, Rumex pulcher, Silene vulgaris, Scolymus hispanicus, Rumex papillaris and Bryonia dioica. The distribution of ascorbic and dehydroascorbic acid was highly variable. Mean values for total vitamin C ranged between 1.5 and 79.4 mg/100 g. Tamus communis, R. pulcher, S. vulgaris and B. dioica, showed the highest content of AA, and together with F. vulgare and H. lupulus, the highest total vitamin C content. These results can be useful to complete food composition databases with the inclusion of wild vegetables from the Mediterranean area, contributing to enhance the diversity of the diet as well as its nutritional quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we report the preparation of highly stable gold nanoparticles/poly(3,4-ethylendioxythiophene) nanocomposites by a one-pot chemical route in aqueous medium without surfactants to increase the solubility of the monomer (3,4-ethylendioxythiophene, EDOT) or to stabilize gold nanoparticles (Au NPs). The generation of the nanocomposite was followed by UV-Visible transmission spectroscopy combined with multivariate curve resolution alternating least squares analysis to deconvolute the individual spectra of the different species generated in the synthesis: oligomers, polymer and gold nanoparticles. The plasmon band observed at 530 nm during the synthesis step indicates the generation of gold nanoparticles. The influence of monomer and metal precursor concentration and their concentration ratios on Au NP size were analyzed. The electrochromic properties of the composite were investigated by UV-Visible absorption spectroelectrochemistry, being mainly related to polymer oxidation and reduction. The main difference observed is the hypsochromic shift of the polymer spectra due to the gold nanoparticles inside the polymer. Multicyclic spectroelectrochemical experiments evidence a high stability and adhesion of the nanocomposite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Montia fontana L . is an aquatic plant traditionally consumed in the Centre and West of the Iberian Peninsula, where it is one of the most highly valued wild vegetables. The aim of this work was to evaluate both the natural yield and nutritional value of this scarcely known plant. Two wild populations , from two different sites of Central Spain, were sampled during three consecutive years. Plant production was estimated by two parameters: production per unit of surface and plant percentage cover in the selected site. Nutritional analyses included proximate composition and total energy, mineral macro and microelements, vitamin C, and organic acids. Mean yield at the growing areas was 2.64 kg/m, though significant differences among sites and years were found. There was a positive correlation between production and accumulated rainfall from the beginning of the year till the collecting dates. The percentage cover of the species in the potential growing area was 8.25%, without significant differences among sites and years. Therefore, the wild populations of the species can reach a total mean production of 2,138 kg/ha in this Spanish region. This is the first report of a global nutrient composition for Montia fontana. After moisture, the major constituent was fibre (4.44%), much higher than many cultivated vegetables. Also appreciable amounts of vitamin C (34 mg/100 g) and Mn (1.07 mg/100 g) were found. Due to its high lipid content (1.94%) this wild vegetable could be regarded as one of the richest source of omega-3 fatty acids among the leafy vegetables. This species can be considered an interesting wild resource for being included in the diet. Further research is needed for addressing its potential for being cultivated under different culture systems and for selecting accessions with lower oxalate content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Among the various treatments for osteoporosis, calcium and/or vitamin D supplements are frequently included. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to analyse adherence to calcium and/or vitamin D treatment and to identify related predictors of non-adherence in a sample of postmenopausal women treated for osteoporosis in primary care. METHODS: A cross-sectional, observational study was conducted in a sample of postmenopausal women receiving pharmaceutical treatment for osteoporosis with vitamin D and/or calcium. Sociodemographic, general and osteoporosis-related data were collected. Patient's perceptions of the adverse effects of treatment, their knowledge of osteoporosis (Batalla test), their attitude towards treatment (Morisky-Green test) and their self-reported therapeutic adherence (Haynes-Sackett test) were assessed. RESULTS: Of 630 women (mean age +/- SD 64.1 +/- 8.7 years) evaluated, 36.2% (95% CI 32.4, 39.9) had problems with treatment tolerability, 63.5% (95% CI 59.7, 67.3) had good knowledge of osteoporosis, 20.5% (95% CI 17.3, 23.6) had a good attitude to treatment and 50.0% (95% CI 46.1, 53.9) had good self-reported adherence to treatment. Patients in the poor adherence group had higher mean body mass index (p = 0.014), more concurrent pathologies (p = 0.003), more tolerability problems (p < 0.001) and worse attitude to treatment (p < 0.001). The multivariate model showed a positive relationship between therapeutic adherence and good attitude to treatment (odds ratio [OR] = 11.7; p < 0.001), not having tolerability problems (OR = 3.3; p < 0.001) and no polymedication (OR = 0.80; p = 0.017). CONCLUSIONS: Only one in two postmenopausal women with osteoporosis who take calcium and/or vitamin D have good self-reported therapeutic adherence to this treatment. Determinant factors of adherence to calcium and/or vitamin D treatment were patient's attitude to the treatment, tolerability problems with the treatment and number of concurrent treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gene therapy involves the transfer of genetic sequences to tissues to obtain a curative effect. Effective gene transfer can be achieved by introducing the therapeutic gene into virus-like particles that facilitate the penetration of the transgene into the cells. However, direct injection of viral vectors may activate innate immunity leading to toxic effects. On the other hand, viral vectors frequently induce neutralizing antibodies, which limit the efficacy of repeated vector administration. Moreover, targeting of the transgene to the desired tissue is a goal that not always can be attained with current vectors. The use of cells as vehicles for therapeutic genes may offer solutions for these issues. Ex vivo transduction of specific cells with vectors encoding therapeutic genes followed by injection of the engineered cells to the patient will reduce the inherent toxicity of the vector while preventing the development of neutralizing antibodies. At the same time, this therapeutic approach can take advantage of the homing properties of the transduced cells to target transgene expression to the sites of interest. Thus, it has been shown that administration of dendritic cells engineered ex vivo with vectors encoding selected antigenic determinants or immunostimulatory molecules is an efficient means to elicit protective immune responses. Similarly, since endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) move to inflammed, ischemic or neoplastic tissues, the injection of EPC transduced ex vivo with appropriate therapeutic genes is an effective method to direct transgene expression to the lesions to be treated. Promising data in animal models of disease point to a future clinical application of this therapeutic strategy.Gene Therapy (2008) 15, 765–771; doi:10.1038/gt.2008.44; published online 3 April 2008 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The climatic conditions of arid regions are characterized by high temperatures, low precipitation and high evapotranspiration rates that can explain the reduced recharge of aquifers. Thus, in these regions, there are some problems related to the groundwater quality and recharge that makes worse the problem of groundwater supply. A model, taking into account ternary mixtures, is presented and applied to a case study: the aquifer of San Luis Potosi valley located in the highlands of the central part of Mexico. In this valley, four hydrochemical facies were identified that correspond to the Ca–Na + K–HCO3, Na + K–Ca–HCO3, Ca–HCO3 and Ca–SO4 types. From this characterization, it was found out that the recharge area (known as Bledos Graben) is located at the SE of the valley; the deep water flow comes from there (Villa de Reyes and Alvarez Range) to the center of the valley. Mixture fractions were obtained by using chlorides and fluorides as conservative elements, from which it was possible to quantify the contribution of each member to the groundwater quality. According to these results, the contributions to the water extracted from this aquifer are as follows: shallow flows 50%, deep flows from Villa de Reyes 27%, and flows coming from the Alvarez Ranges about 15%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work investigates the influence of electrode preparation on the electrochemical behaviour of carbon-based supercapacitors. Studies were performed using the same activated carbon and polymer polyvynilidene fluoride (PVDF) in the same proportions (10 wt.% PVDF). Only the way in which these components were mixed was modified. The procedure for mixing the activated carbon and the polymer has a significant influence on the electrochemical behaviour of the electrode used in a supercapacitor, as this determines the surface area accessible to the electrolyte. The mixing procedure can be selected in order to ensure optimum performance of the electrode. The use of N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) in the mixing procedure, the most common method reported in the literature, blocks a significant part of the porosity of the activated carbon, causing a decrease in capacitance. The addition of the polymer using one of the other methods studied reduces the accessible surface area to a lesser extent, although the use of ball milling causes a decrease in the size of the carbon particles which, in turn, increases the electrode resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obtaining an aerodynamic profile, such as the ring-frame of a wing or a propeller, is a task which is, nowadays, given to computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) programs that provide a large number of points for defining the tool path. Finding a method to optimize the quantity of these points is not always easy, due especially to the bend radius equations and, above all, because the length of the arcs is not easy to solve, as they lead, in this latter case for example, to elliptical integrals. The use of the package Matlab is analyzed in this paper to validate a criterion that allows the selection of the interpolation points, since the use of this software program facilitates solving the equations originated by the above-mentioned problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Simultaneous determination of the fat-soluble vitamins A and E and the water-soluble vitamins B1, B2 and B6 has been carried using a screening method from fluorescence contour graphs. These graphs show different colour zones in relation to the fluorescence intensity measured for the pair of excitation/emission wavelengths. The identification of the corresponding excitation/emission wavelength zones allows the detection of different vitamins in an aqueous medium regardless of the fat or water solubility of each vitamin, owing to the presence of a surfactant which forms micelles in water at the used concentration (over the critical micelle concentration). The micelles dissolve very water insoluble compounds, such as fat-soluble vitamins, inside the aggregates. This approach avoids the use of organic solvents in determining these vitamins and offers the possibility of analysing fat- and water-soluble vitamins simultaneously. The method has been validated in terms of detection limit, cut-off limit, sensitivity, number of false positives, number of false negatives and uncertainty range. The detection limit is about µg L-1. The screening method was applied to different samples such as pharmaceuticals, juices and isotonic drinks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have measured the osmotic permeability of the basolateral cell membrane (Poscb) and compared it with the transepithelial permeability (Poste) to calculate the paracellular (Posp) permeability of the upper malpighian tubules (UMT) of the 5th instar of Rhodnius prolixus under several experimental conditions, namely, at rest and after stimulation to secrete with 5-HT, each under control conditions (no treatment), after treatment with pCMBS, and after addition of pCMBS and DTT. Secretion rate is negligible at rest. During stimulation mean secretion rate is 43.5 nl/cm2 sec. Secretion is severely curtailed by pCMBS and fully restored by DTT. Poscb = 9.4 (resting, control); 5.8 (control + pCMBS); 10.7 (control + pCMBS + DTT); 20.6 (stimulated, control); 14.7 (stimulated + pCMBS); 49.1 (stimulated + pCMBS + DTT) (×10?4 cm3/cm2 sec Osm). Calculated Posp are higher than the transcellular permeability, Posc, at rest and after stimulation. Electron micrograph morphometry of UMT sections show that cells significantly decrease their volume after stimulation. Lateral intercellular space (LIS) and basolateral extracellular labyrinth (BEL) are barely discernible at rest. LIS and BEL are widely dilated in stimulated UMT. Thus, ions have restricted access to the deep and narrow basolateral cell membrane indentations at rest, but they have ready access to cell membrane indentations after stimulation, because of the opening of LIS and BEL. These findings are discussed in relation to isosmotic secretion. The rate-limiting step for paracellular movement is located at the smooth septate junctions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achondroplasia (ACh) is the most frequent bone dysplasia. The mode of inheritance is autosomal dominant. The incident of neurological complications ranges between 20% and 47%; frequently the symptoms are subtle but are due to such serious conditions as cervicomedullary compressive snydromes, syringomyelia or hydrocephalus; thus, the early identification of this disorder is very important. We made a prospective study of 39 patients (20 female, 19 male) with ACh; their ages ranged from 3 months to 17 years (mean 4 years and 6 months). All patients had hypotonia and psychomotor delay; 3 had recurrent apnea, 1 developed radicular syndrome and 1 had leg paresthesias. The CT scan was normal in 5, 20 had cortical atrophy and 18 communicating hydrocephalus; we identified foramen magnum abnormalities in 28 patients, and reduced craniocervical junction with cervicomedullary compression in 6. Myelography and myelotomography demonstrated spinal compression in 12 patients. The MRI showed cervicomedullary infarct in 1, syringomyelia in 2 and diastematomyelia in 1. The somatosensory evoked responses (SSER) were very useful in the early identification of brain stem and spinal abnormalities. We conclude4d that the neurological manifestations of pediatric patients with ACh are frequent and very important, demanding comprehensive clinical evaluation even in asymptomatic patients, especially those with severe hypotonia or SSER alterations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]