Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Pediatr Res 2019 Apr 19. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

Department of Pediatrics, Neonatology, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA.

Introduction: Cerebrovascular critical closing pressure (CrCP) is the arterial blood pressure (ABP) at which cerebral blood flow ceases. Preterm ABP is low and close to CrCP. The diastolic closing margin (diastolic ABP minus CrCP) has been associated with intraventricular hemorrhage in preterm infants. Read More

Am J Phys Med Rehabil 2019 May;98(5):360-368

From the MossRehab Gait and Motion Analysis Laboratory, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania (AE); McGill University, Division of Neurology, Montreal General Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada (THW); Staffordshire University, Faculty of Health and North Staffordshire Rehabilitation Centre, Haywood Hospital, Stoke-on-Trent, United Kingdom (ABW); Halifax Health, Brooks Rehabilitation, Daytona Beach, Florida (CG); Allergan plc, Bridgewater, New Jersey (CL); and Allergan plc, Irvine, California (RD).

Objective: The aim of the study was to identify optimal muscle selection patterns for onabotulinumtoxinA treatment of poststroke lower-limb spasticity.

Design: Adults with poststroke lower-limb spasticity (ankle Modified Ashworth Scale ≥3) were randomized to onabotulinumtoxinA (300 U, mandatory ankle plantar flexors; ≤100 U, optional lower-limb muscles) or placebo. Post hoc analysis assessed the impact of muscle selection patterns on ankle Modified Ashworth Scale and physician-assessed Clinical Global Impression of Change based on change from baseline to average of weeks 4/6 versus placebo. Read More

Aging (Albany NY) 2019 Apr 19. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, CB10 1SD, UK.

Aging is broadly defined as a time-dependent progressive decline in the functional and physiological integrity of organisms. Previous studies and evolutionary theories of aging suggest that aging is not a programmed process but reflects dynamic stochastic events. In this study, we test whether transcriptional noise shows an increase with age, which would be expected from stochastic theories. Read More

J Neurosurg Pediatr 2019 Apr 19:1-6. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

3Department of Neurosurgery, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington.

OBJECTIVEPlacement of an external ventricular drain (EVD) is a common and potentially life-saving neurosurgical procedure, but the economic aspect of EVD management and the relationship to medical expenditure remain poorly studied. Similarly, interinstitutional practice patterns vary significantly. Whereas some institutions require that patients with EVDs be monitored strictly within the intensive care unit (ICU), other institutions opt primarily for management of EVDs on the surgical floor. Read More

J Neurosurg Pediatr 2019 Apr 19:1-6. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

1Surgical Outcomes Center for Kids, Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, Nashville.

OBJECTIVEAt failure of endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) with choroid plexus cauterization (CPC), the ETV ostomy may be found to be closed or open. Failure with a closed ostomy may indicate a population that could benefit from evolving techniques to keep the ostomy open and may be candidates for repeat ETV, whereas failure with an open ostomy may be due to persistently abnormal CSF dynamics. This study seeks to identify clinical and radiographic predictors of ostomy status at the time of ETV/CPC failure. Read More

J Neurosurg Spine 2019 Apr 19:1-8. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

3Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Tennessee College of Medicine, Chattanooga, Tennessee.

OBJECTIVEWhile long-term studies have evaluated adjacent-segment disease (ASD) following posterior lumbar spine arthrodesis, no such studies have assessed the incidence and prevalence of ASD following axial lumbar interbody fusion (AxiaLIF). The aim of this study was to estimate the incidence of ASD following AxiaLIF.METHODSThe authors retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 149 patients who underwent two-level index AxiaLIF and had at least 2 years of radiographic and clinical follow-up. Read More

J Neurosurg Spine 2019 Apr 19:1-7. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

4Center for Spine Health, Department of Neurosurgery, Neurologic Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio.

OBJECTIVEBertolotti syndrome is a rare spinal condition that causes low-back pain due to a lumbosacral transitional vertebra (LSTV), which is a pseudoarticulation between the fifth lumbar transverse process and the sacral ala. Bertolotti syndrome patients are rarely studied, particularly with regard to their quality of life. This study aimed to examine the quality of life and prior treatments in patients with Bertolotti syndrome at first presentation to the authors' center in comparison with those with lumbosacral radiculopathy. Read More

J Neurosurg 2019 Apr 19:1-7. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

OBJECTIVEDespite rapid development and expansion of neuromodulation technologies, knowledge about device and/or therapy durability remains limited. The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term rate of hardware and therapeutic failure of implanted devices for several neuromodulation therapies.METHODSThe authors performed a retrospective analysis of patients' device and therapy survival data (Kaplan-Meier survival analysis) for deep brain stimulation (DBS), vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), and spinal cord stimulation (SCS) at a single institution (years 1994-2015). Read More

J Neurosurg 2019 Apr 19:1-10. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

OBJECTIVECraniopharyngiomas are rare and benign tumors of the sellar and/or parasellar region. Primary treatment involves resection followed by adjuvant radiotherapy. While the grade of resection was frequently analyzed following surgery, the neurological outcome and especially neuropsychological deficits and quality of life have been neglected for many decades. Read More

Gait Posture 2019 Apr 6;71:20-25. Epub 2019 Apr 6.

Clinic for Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery, Heidelberg University Hospital, Schlierbacher Landstraße 200a, 69118, Heidelberg, Germany. Electronic address:

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine how total shoulder arthroplasty improves performance of activities of daily living compared to patients with glenohumeral osteoarthritis and how they perform compared to healthy controls.

Methods: Glenohumeral and humerothoracical elevation used by patients with primary osteoarthritis (12 participants, 16 shoulders), after total shoulder arthroplasty (16 participants, 24 shoulders) and healthy controls (11 participants, 22 shoulders) for four different activities of daily living were assessed using 3D motion analysis. Analysis of range of motion and angle time series was performed. Read More

Bioresour Technol 2019 Apr 8;285:121328. Epub 2019 Apr 8.

Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Kyung Hee University, 1732 Deogyeong-daero, Giheung-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do 17104, Republic of Korea. Electronic address:

In this study, a semi-pilot scale biotrickling filter (BTF) was operated in a continuous co-current mode to remove high concentration of hydrogen sulfide (HS) at optimum operational conditions. The early startup period of 6 days was needed, and then stable removal of HS gas at inlet concentrations up to about 2000 ppm was successfully obtained at gas retention time (GRT) of 15 min and liquid recirculation rate (LRR) of 120 ml/min. The elimination capacities (ECs) increased linearly with increase in HS loading rates (HLRs up to 38. Read More

Adv Med Sci 2019 Apr 16;64(2):324-330. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

Department of Tropical and Parasitic Diseases, University Centre of Maritime and Tropical Medicine (UCMMiT), Medical University of Gdansk, Gdynia, Poland; Department of Tropical Medicine and Epidemiology, Institute of Maritime and Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdynia, Poland.

Purpose: Hepatic alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is a parasitic disease caused by the larval stage of the tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis. Ultrasonography is the method of choice in the initial diagnosis of AE. The aim of the study is to present the most frequent sonomorphological patterns of lesions in hepatic AE based on the analysis of ultrasound findings in patients treated for AE at the University Centre of Maritime and Tropical Medicine (UCMMiT; Gdynia, Poland), and to establish whether there is a relationship between the clinical stage of AE and the occurrence of a specific sonomorphological pattern of hepatic lesions. Read More

Comp Biochem Physiol Part D Genomics Proteomics 2019 Mar 16;30:290-304. Epub 2019 Mar 16.

Department of Ocean Sciences, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's A1C 5S7, NL. Canada. Electronic address:

Little is known about how variation in omega-6 to omega-3 (ω6:ω3) fatty acid (FA) ratios affects lipid metabolism and eicosanoid synthesis in salmon, and the potential underlying molecular mechanisms. The current study examined the impact of five plant-based diets (12-week exposure) with varying ω6:ω3 (0.3-2. Read More

Int J Drug Policy 2019 Apr 16;68:62-74. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

Liverpool John Moores University, Public Health Institute, Exchange Station, Tithebarn Street, Liverpool. L2 2QP.

Background: Drug consumptions rooms (DCRs) are a well-established and evidence-based harm reduction response to drug use. Recently, a consortium led by health services in Glasgow, United Kingdom (UK), proposed piloting a DCR. In this article, we examine how the proposals were represented in news media reporting, and the possible effects of such reporting. Read More

Cytokine 2019 Apr 16;120:41-53. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

Department of Anesthesiology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, 169 Donghu Road, Wuhan, Hubei, China. Electronic address:

Background: Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is a common complication after surgery and its occurrence is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. However, the pathophysiology of this complication remains largely unknown. Efforts to identify causes of POCD have focused on the hippocampal neuroinflammation. Read More

Forensic Sci Int 2019 Apr 1;299:135-141. Epub 2019 Apr 1.

Graduate School of Analytical Science and Technology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea. Electronic address:

Hypoxanthine (Hx) is produced during terminal stages of purine catabolism in humans. The concentrations of Hx and l-lactic acid in vitreous humor highly correlate with post-mortem interval (PMI). In this study, we measured the concentrations of Hx and l-lactic acid in uncontrolled authentic vitreous humor from cadavers, and investigated the correlation between these molecules and PMI. Read More

Comput Biol Med 2019 Mar 28;108:78-84. Epub 2019 Mar 28.

Department of Endodontics and Operative Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia; Department of Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Slovenia. Electronic address:

Background: The purpose of this study was to propose a novel method for 3D evaluation of bone and mucosal changes in removable partial denture (RPD) foundation area using a fusion of cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) and optical 3D images.

Method: Two CBCT scans and three impressions, taken at insertion and after ten months of wearing the RPD, were acquired from five patients. 3D models of bone and surface were created from CBCT images and gypsum casts, respectively, spatially aligned and saved in Standard Tessellation Language file format. Read More

Comput Biol Med 2019 Mar 13;108:42-48. Epub 2019 Mar 13.

Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University, United States. Electronic address:

Motor unit firing activities can provide critical information regarding neural control of skeletal muscles. Extracting motor unit activities reliably from surface electromyogram (EMG) is still a challenge in signal processing. We quantified the performance of three different independent component analysis (ICA)-based decomposition algorithms (Infomax, FastICA and RobustICA) on high-density EMG signals, obtained from arm muscles (biceps brachii and extensor digitorum communis) at different contraction levels. Read More

Comput Biol Med 2019 Mar 12;108:31-41. Epub 2019 Mar 12.

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, 721 302, West Bengal, India. Electronic address:

Patients having a medical history of oral cancer, infectious diseases or trauma are often advised surgical intervention with customized complete mandibular constructs (CMC) made of Titanium (Ti) scaffolds. A numerical framework based on a homogenization technique was developed to investigate the influence of pore architecture parameters on homogenized orthotropic material properties of the scaffolds. A comparative 3D Finite Element (FE) analysis of six CMC models, having homogenized orthotropic material properties, under a mastication cycle, was undertaken to pre-clinically determine the optimal CMC for a patient. Read More

Comput Biol Med 2019 Mar 26;108:20-30. Epub 2019 Mar 26.

Department of Electronic & Computer Engineering, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Singapore; Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Science and Technology, SIM University, Singapore; Department of Biomedical Imaging, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Sleep is a prominent physiological activity in our daily life. Sleep apnea is the category of sleep disorder during which the breathing of the person diminishes causing the alternation in the upper airway resistance. The electrocardiogram derived respiration (EDR) and heart rate (RR-time-series) signals are normally used for the detection of sleep apnea as these two signals capture cardio-pulmonary activity information. Read More

Comput Biol Med 2019 Mar 14;108:111-121. Epub 2019 Mar 14.

Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia; School of Exercise, Biomedical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Perth, Australia.

Although intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) is the commonest intravascular imaging modality, it still is inefficient for clinical use as it requires laborious manual analysis. This study demonstrates the feasibility of a near real-time fully automated technology for accurate identification, detection, and quantification of luminal borders in intravascular images. This technology uses a combination of the novel approaches of a self-tuning engine, dynamic and static masking systems, radar-wise scan, and contour correction cycle method. Read More

Comput Biol Med 2019 Mar 10;108:101-110. Epub 2019 Mar 10.

Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8656, Japan.

Background: A total knee arthroplasty should restore the mechanical function of the knee and enable patients to perform desired daily activities. The joint kinematics and contact mechanics performance are important determinants of the success of total knee arthroplasty devices. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of intercondylar sagittal conformity on kinematics and contact mechanics. Read More

Pharmacol Rep 2019 Feb 6;71(3):473-477. Epub 2019 Feb 6.

Department of Hematology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland.

Background: Despite a significant improvement in treatment outcomes, 30-40% of aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL) patients are refractory or relapse after the first line therapy. Half of them are not eligible to autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) due to failure of platinum-based salvage regimens. Pixantrone is conditionally approved in Europe in patients with R/R aggressive NHL failing at least 2 previous lines of therapy. Read More

Pharmacol Rep 2019 Jan 16;71(3):430-437. Epub 2019 Jan 16.

Research Center of Natural Resources of Chinese Medicinal Materials and Ethnic Medicine, Jiangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanchang, 330004, Jiangxi Province, PR China. Electronic address:

Background: Perillaldehyde is one of the main components in perilla. Previous studies have shown that perillaldehyde exerted an antidepressant effect in mice, some of which is mediated through regulation of the anti-inflammatory system and the monoamine system. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the possible effects of perillaldehyde on the neurotrophic system and to elucidate whether its antidepressant effect requires brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) signaling. Read More

Pharmacol Rep 2019 Jan 6;71(3):422-429. Epub 2019 Jan 6.

Laboratory of Translational Physiology, Federal University of Espírito Santo, Vitória, Brazil; Pharmaceutical Sciences Graduate Program, Vila Velha University, Vila Velha, Brazil. Electronic address:

Background: High plasma cholesterol levels are able to trigger several pathophysiological events, including inflammation, cell damage and especially oxidative stress. Previously, studies have shown that sildenafil exhibited antioxidant effects in several experimental models. Here we evaluate the role of sildenafil in liver redox equilibrium of apolipoprotein E knockout (apoE-KO) mice. Read More

Pharmacol Rep 2019 Jan 11;71(3):385-392. Epub 2019 Jan 11.

Dept of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad, India.

Background: Effective immunosuppression through optimization of trough levels tacrolimus reduces post-transplant mortality rate in liver transplant cases.

Methods: Meta-analysis was carried out to evaluate how donor/recipient CYP3A5 (n = 678) and recipient ABCB1 (n = 318) genotypes influence tacrolimus pharmacokinetics till one-month of transplantation.

Results: The donor CYP3A5*3/*3 genotype exhibited higher concentration/dose (C/D) ratio of tacrolimus in week 1 (mean difference: 65. Read More

J Clin Anesth 2019 Apr 16;57:131-138. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

Department of Anesthesia, University of Iowa, United States of America.

Study Objective: Certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) can evaluate anesthesiologists with whom they work clinically using a psychometrically reliable and valid scale. Use of such a scale to evaluate performance depends on knowing thresholds for minimum and ideal anesthesiologist performance.

Design: Cohort study. Read More

Psychoneuroendocrinology 2019 Mar 22;106:206-215. Epub 2019 Mar 22.

Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan; ERATO Touhara Chemosensory Signal Project, JST, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan; International Research Center for Neurointelligence (WPI-IRCN), The University of Tokyo Institutes for Advanced Study, Tokyo, 113-0033 Japan. Electronic address:

Unpleasant odors impair our mood and may affect physical health, even when the odorants are not toxic. A possible cause for such negative effects is stress induced by odors; however, whether the unpleasantness itself elicited stress or not has not been clear. Thus, we examined whether unpleasantness of odors induced the stress responses of emotion, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, and the sympathetic nervous system (SNS). Read More

Psychoneuroendocrinology 2019 Apr 4;106:195-205. Epub 2019 Apr 4.

Department of Psychology, TU Dresden, Germany.

Introduction: Burnout symptomatology is associated with various negative health consequences; however, the mechanisms underlying these associations remain unclear. One potential pathway involves alterations in the acute stress response. The aims of the present study were to examine burnout-associated alterations in stress-reactivity patterns, during a standardized social stressor compared to a control condition, as well as to examine whether effects associated with greater burnout symptomatology were distinct from other, conceptually overlapping indicators of chronic stress (i. Read More

Arch Gerontol Geriatr 2019 Apr 12;83:126-130. Epub 2019 Apr 12.

Department of Family Medicine, Kyung Hee University Medical Center, kyungheedaero 23, dongdaemun-gu, 02447, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Elderly Frailty Research Center, Department of Family Medicine, Kyung Hee University College of Medicine, kyungheedaero 23, dongdaemun-gu, 02447, Seoul, Republic of Korea. Electronic address:

Objectives: To determine whether hearing loss is associated with social frailty in older adults.

Methods: Cross-sectional analysis of cohort study data. Hearing was measured using of Pure-tone audiometry. Read More

Arch Gerontol Geriatr 2019 Mar 27;83:121-125. Epub 2019 Mar 27.

State University Of Pará, Brazil; Hospital Cynthia Charone, Brazil.

Background: Studies indicate the intrinsic relationship between sarcopenia and diabetes mellitus (DM) pathophysiological mechanisms. Changes in insulin and muscular metabolism are features of diabetic patients and can interact as sarcopenic accelerators. Conversely, sarcopenic patients feature lower glucose tolerance and higher serum insulin levels, predisposing them to DM. Read More

Chemosphere 2019 Apr 10;227:480-488. Epub 2019 Apr 10.

Universidad San Jorge, Campus Universitario, Autov A23 Km 299, 50830, Villanueva de Gállego, Zaragoza, Spain. Electronic address:

The increasing interest in the development of ecofriendly solvents has led to the synthesis of benign alternative chemicals with minimized environmental impacts. These kinds of chemicals are known as Green solvents. In this work, we selected three families of solvents (furfural, lactate and levulinate families) derived from biomass that are structurally related. Read More

Chemosphere 2019 Apr 12;227:389-400. Epub 2019 Apr 12.

Department of Forensic Pathology, School of Forensic Medicine, Southern Medical University, No. 1838 North Guangzhou Road, 510515, Guangzhou, China. Electronic address:

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), a kind of persistent organic pollutant, can induce hepatotoxicity in mammals. However, PCB-induced hepatotoxicity in offspring and the underlying mechanisms have been rarely studied. In the present study, Wistar rats were administered with corn oil or PCB52 (1 mg/kg body weight/day, by gavage) from gestational day 7 to postnatal day 21. Read More

Eval Program Plann 2019 Apr 3;75:10-19. Epub 2019 Apr 3.

Department of Agricultural Economics and Animal Production, University of Limpopo, South Africa. Electronic address:

This paper is focussed on the analysis of development outcomes of Fadama III programme among fish farmers in Nigeria with evidence from Lagos state. Random sampling technique was used to select 141 fish farmers from the Fadama III participants and non-participants from three agricultural divisions. Data were collected through structured questionnaire and analysed using descriptive statistics. Read More

Clin Neurophysiol 2019 Apr 11;130(6):976-985. Epub 2019 Apr 11.

Department of Neurology, University of Michigan, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, USA. Electronic address:

Objective: High Frequency Oscillations (HFOs) are a promising biomarker of epilepsy. HFOs are typically acquired on intracranial electrodes, but contamination from muscle artifacts is still problematic in HFO analysis. This paper evaluates the effect of myogenic artifacts on intracranial HFO detection and how to remove them. Read More

J Affect Disord 2019 Apr 9;252:421-427. Epub 2019 Apr 9.

CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, 16 Lincui Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China. Electronic address:

Background: This study aimed to explore the trajectories of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms among child survivors of the Lushan earthquake by using latent category growth analysis.

Methods: In total, 304 students from a school located in Lushan County were assessed by UCLA PTSD-RI at 1.5, 6, 12, 24 and 48 months after the earthquake. Read More

J Affect Disord 2019 Apr 8;252:413-420. Epub 2019 Apr 8.

Samsung Advanced Institute for Health Sciences and Technology (SAIHST), Sungkyunkwan University, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea. Electronic address:

Background: Psychological distress symptoms are associated with an increased risk of psychiatric disorders and medical illness. Although psychological distress is influenced by environmental factors, such as socioeconomic status, lifetime events, or interpersonal relationships, substantial interindividual variation also exists. However, heritability and genetic determinants of distress are poorly understood. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2019 Apr 6;673:763-767. Epub 2019 Apr 6.

Environmental Management Laboratory, Mykolas Romeris University, Atieitis, 20, LT-08303, Lithuania.

Connectivity has become a key issue in the study of processes acting in hydro-geomorphic systems and has strong implications on the understanding of their behaviour. Given the high complexity of hydro-geomorphic systems and the large variety of the processes controlling the efficiency of water and sediment transfer through a catchment, mapping hydrological and sediment connectivity is fundamental to understand the linkages between different parts of the system and the role played by system configuration, natural landforms and man-made structures in favouring or obstacolating the continuity of runoff and sediment pathways. Furthermore, the analysis of changes on connectivity through time can help to investigate the effect of both natural and anthropic disturbance on water and sediment fluxes and associated processes. Read More

Cytokine 2019 Apr 16;119:202-213. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Department of Pain Pharmacology, Krakow, Poland. Electronic address:

The complex neuroimmunological interactions mediated by chemokines are suggested to be responsible for the development of neuropathic pain. The lack of knowledge regarding the detailed pathomechanism of neuropathy is one reason for the lack of optimally efficient therapies. Recently, several lines of evidence indicated that expression of CCR2 is increased in spinal cord neurons and microglial cells after peripheral nerve injury. Read More

Atherosclerosis 2019 Apr 8;285:40-48. Epub 2019 Apr 8.

Hypertension Unit, Division of Cardiology, Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, University of Rome Sapienza, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Rome, Italy; IRCCS Neuromed, Pozzilli, IS, Italy. Electronic address:

Background And Aims: Target and intensity of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) lowering therapy should be tailored according to the individual global cardiovascular (CV) risk. We aimed at retrospectively evaluating real-life LDL-C goal attainment and predictive factors for predefined LDL-C therapeutic goals both in primary and secondary prevention.

Methods: We collected data from a large cohort of outpatients aged 40-65 years, followed by general practitioners, cardiologists and diabetologists in Italy. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2019 Mar 29;674:9-18. Epub 2019 Mar 29.

Department of Bioscience, University of Oslo, Blindernveien 31, 0371 Oslo, Norway. Electronic address:

Increases in terrestrial organic matter (tOM) transport from catchments to boreal lakes can affect methylmercury (MeHg) accumulation in aquatic biota both directly by increasing concentrations of aqueous MeHg, and indirectly through effects on MeHg bioavailability and on energy pathways in the lower food web. We carried out a detailed seasonal study of water chemistry, zooplankton diet, and MeHg accumulation in zooplankton in two lakes with contrasting tOM concentrations. Between-lake differences explained 51% of the variability in our water chemistry data, with no observed effect of season or sampling depth, contrary to our expectations. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2019 Apr 9;674:58-70. Epub 2019 Apr 9.

Department of Marine Sciences, University of Connecticut, 1080 Shennecossett Road, Groton, CT 06340, USA.

The Minamata Convention to reduce anthropogenic mercury (Hg) emissions entered into force in 2017, and attention is now focused on how to best monitor its effectiveness at reducing Hg exposure to humans. A key question is how closely Hg concentrations in the human food chain, especially in fish and other aquatic wildlife, will track the changes in atmospheric Hg that are expected to occur following anthropogenic emission reductions. We investigated this question by evaluating several regional groups of case studies where Hg concentrations in aquatic biota have been monitored continuously or intermittently for several decades. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2019 Apr 3;674:27-35. Epub 2019 Apr 3.

Marine Ecology Research Center, First Institute of Oceanology, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao 266061, China; Laboratory of Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266071, China. Electronic address:

As a newly identified form of pollutant in the ocean, microplastics are receiving more and more attention from researchers. In order to evaluate the potential impact of microplastics, it is important to have comprehensive knowledge of the current microplastic situation. This study analyzed the abundance, polymer type, size, shape and color of microplastics in the seawater and sediments of Jiaozhou Bay, China, a semi-enclosed bay highly affected by surrounding human activities. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2019 Apr 11;674:19-25. Epub 2019 Apr 11.

West Pomeranian University of Technology Szczecin, Poland.

The objective of our research work was to develop a model that could be used to determine resistance of air flow through a bed of organic material processed in composting operation. The raw material used for testing was organic fraction below 80 mm separated from municipal waste. The range of process parameters values treated as independent variables was: for hydraulic load 8. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2019 Apr 9;674:1-8. Epub 2019 Apr 9.

Division of Infection Control and Environmental Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, PO Box 222, Skøyen, N-0213 Oslo, Norway.

Both building materials and consumer products have been identified as possible sources for potentially hazardous substances like phthalates, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organophosphorous flame retardants (OPFRs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and short chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) in indoor air. Thus, indoor air has been suggested to contribute significantly to human exposure to these chemicals. There is lack of data on the occurrence of several of the aforementioned chemicals in indoor air. Read More

Biomed Pharmacother 2019 Apr 16;115:108874. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650500, China.

Lyme disease, reffered to as Lyme borreliosis, is a tick-borne zoonotic disease caused by Borrelia burgdorferi spirochetes. Lyme arthritis, the most common, serious and harmful manifestation during the late stages of Lyme disease, is closely associated with the Borrelia burgdorferi basic membrane protein A (BmpA). Chemokines are also reported to have an important role in Lyme arthritis. Read More

Biomed Pharmacother 2019 Apr 16;115:108873. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

Northeast Biotechnology Network (RENORBIO), Postgraduate Program in Biotechnology, Federal University of Piauí, Teresina, Piauí, 64049-550, Brazil; Postgraduate Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Laboratory of Genetic Toxicology, Federal University of Piauí, Teresina, Piauí, 64049-550, Brazil.

Gingerol - [6]-gingerol ((S)-5-hydroxy-1-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-3-decanone; [6]-G) - is a phenolic compound with several pharmacological properties. Herein, the aim of the study was to evaluate the toxicogenic effects of [6]-G on Artemia salina nauplii, Allium cepa, HL-60 cell line and Sarcoma 180 (S-180) ascitic fluid cells.For toxic and genotoxic analysis, it was used [6]-G concentrations of 5, 10, 20 and 40 μg mL-1. Read More

Bioorg Chem 2019 Apr 11;88:102922. Epub 2019 Apr 11.

Graduate School of Biotechnology and Department of Oriental Medicinal Biotechnology, Kyung Hee University, Yongin 17104, Republic of Korea. Electronic address:

Dried aerial parts of Tetragonia tetragonoides were extracted with 70% EtOH, and the evaporated residue was successively separated into EtOAc, n-BuOH, and HO fractions. As a result of repeated SiO, ODS, and Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography, four new 6-methoxyflavonol glycosides (2-4, 8) along with four known ones (1, 5-7) were isolated. Several spectroscopic data led to determination of chemical structures for four new 6-methoxyflavonol glycosides (2-4, 8) and four known ones, 6-methoxykaempferol 3-O-β-d-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-β-d-glucopyranosyl-7-O-(6‴'-(E)-caffeoyl)-β-d-glucopyranoside (1), 6-methoxyquercetin (5), 6-methoxykaempferol (6), and 6-methoxykaempferol 7-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (7). Read More

Water Res 2019 Apr 9;157:610-620. Epub 2019 Apr 9.

Department of Environmental Technology, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdansk, 80-308, Gdansk, Poland. Electronic address:

The efficient and safe degradation of drugs present in wastewater requires the design of a new material possessing high activity for that process. In addition to other methods, photoelectrocatalysis (PEC) merges the strengths of both photocatalytic and electrochemical methods, and the efficiency could be enhanced by the type of photoelectrode material. To address this challenge, three Ti/TiO nanotube-based photoelectrodes, differing in their tube morphology, were prepared by anodic oxidation and employed for the degradation of the 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) drug by the PEC process. Read More

Eur J Med Chem 2019 Apr 11;173:185-202. Epub 2019 Apr 11.

Key Laboratory of Biomedical Materials of Natural Macromolecules (Beijing University of Chemical Technology), Ministry of Education. College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, 15 Beisanhuan East Road, Beijing, 100029, China. Electronic address:

A series of novel 2-aminobenzamide derivatives decorated with thioquinazolinone were designed and synthesized as histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors. These derivatives were evaluated for their antiproliferative activities against several human cancer cell lines including A375, Hela, A549, HCT116 and SMMC7721. It's significantly indicated that some inhibitors exhibited potent antiproliferative activities towards all the studied cancer cell lines. Read More