Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Ann Biomed Eng 2018 Dec 13. Epub 2018 Dec 13.

Department of Applied Physics, University of Eastern Finland, POB 1627, 70211, Kuopio, Finland.

Currently, there are no clinically available tools or applications which could predict osteoarthritis development. Some computational models have been presented to simulate cartilage degeneration, but they are not clinically feasible due to time required to build subject-specific knee models. Therefore, the objective of this study was to develop a template-based modeling method for rapid prediction of knee joint cartilage degeneration. Read More

J Clin Immunol 2018 Dec 13. Epub 2018 Dec 13.

Paediatric Immunology Unit, Department of Paediatric Pulmonology, Allergology and Neonatology, Hanover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg Str. 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany.

Studies of chest computed tomography (CT) in patients with primary antibody deficiency syndromes (ADS) suggest a broad range of bronchial pathology. However, there are as yet no multicentre studies to assess the variety of bronchial pathology in this patient group. One of the underlying reasons is the lack of a consensus methodology, a prerequisite to jointly document chest CT findings. Read More

Invest New Drugs 2018 Dec 13. Epub 2018 Dec 13.

Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Division of Laboratory Medicine & Pharmacy, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.

Lately, the usefulness of liposomal drug delivery systems has been debated. To better understand the underlying pharmacokinetics of the targeted drug delivery by liposomes, individual encapsulated and non-encapsulated drug concentrations in blood, tumor, liver, spleen and kidneys were quantified after i.v. Read More

Support Care Cancer 2018 Dec 13. Epub 2018 Dec 13.

Department of Oncology, Division of Palliative Care Medicine, University of Alberta, 11560 University Avenue, Edmonton, AB, T6G 1Z2, Canada.

Purpose: Currently, there is no approved therapy for cancer cachexia. According to European and American regulatory agencies, physical function improvements would be approvable co-primary endpoints of new anti-cachexia medications. As physical functioning is in part dependent on cardiac functioning, we aimed to explore the cardiac status of a group of patients meeting current criteria for inclusion in cachexia clinical trials. Read More

J Comput Neurosci 2018 Dec 13. Epub 2018 Dec 13.

Unité de Neurosciences, Information et Complexité, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Gif-sur-Yvette, France.

Many neurons possess dendrites enriched with sodium channels and are capable of generating action potentials. However, the role of dendritic sodium spikes remain unclear. Here, we study computational models of neurons to investigate the functional effects of dendritic spikes. Read More

Eur J Epidemiol 2018 Dec 14. Epub 2018 Dec 14.

Competence Cluster for Nutrition and Cardiovascular Health (nutriCARD), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Germany.

This study was performed to highlight the relationship between single dietary risk factors and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in the WHO European Region. We used the comparative risk assessment framework of the Global Burden of Disease Study to estimate CVD mortality attributable to diet; comprising eleven forms of CVDs, twelve food and nutrient groups and 27 risk-outcome pairs in four GBD regions including 51 countries by age and sex between 1990 and 2016. In 2016, dietary risks were associated with 2. Read More

Mycorrhiza 2018 Dec 13. Epub 2018 Dec 13.

Forest Botany and Tree Physiology, University of Goettingen, Buesgenweg 2, 37077, Goettingen, Germany.

In forest ecosystems, ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi are important for plant growth and soil biogeochemical processes. The biochemical composition of ECM mycelium is an important fungal effect trait with consequences for its decomposition rate, and consequently on soil carbon pools and plant nutrition. Although the link between ECM fungi and leaf litter-released nutrients is well known, the response of ECM fungal biochemical composition to different leaf litter species remains poorly understood. Read More

Diabetologia 2018 Dec 13. Epub 2018 Dec 13.

Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Aims/hypothesis: Identifying rare coding variants associated with albuminuria may open new avenues for preventing chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease, which are highly prevalent in individuals with diabetes. Efforts to identify genetic susceptibility variants for albuminuria have so far been limited, with the majority of studies focusing on common variants.

Methods: We performed an exome-wide association study to identify coding variants in a two-stage (discovery and replication) approach. Read More

Acta Neuropathol 2018 Dec 13. Epub 2018 Dec 13.

Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, The Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Göteborgsvägen 31, House V3/SU, 43180, Mölndal, Sweden.

Tau is an axonal microtubule-binding protein. Tau pathology in brain and increased tau concentration in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) are hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Most of tau in CSF is present as fragments. Read More

eNeurologicalSci 2018 Dec 28;13:53-55. Epub 2018 Nov 28.

Global Research and Development, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Netanya, Israel.

Data Brief 2018 Dec 17;21:2410-2413. Epub 2018 Nov 17.

Department of Biology, Indiana University Southeast, New Albany, IN, USA.

We present the draft genome sequence of sp. BBL2006, a moderately halophilic, gram positive bacterium isolated from a sulfidic salt spring in Big Bone Lick State Park, Boone County, Kentucky. The genome of sp. Read More

Health Serv Res Manag Epidemiol 2018 Jan-Dec;5:2333392818795795. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

AP-OSI Research Unit, Alto Deba Integrated Healthcare Organisation, Mondragón, Spain.

Introduction: An integrated health and social care program for patients with heart failure (HF) was implemented at the Friuli-Venezia Giulia deployment site as part of the SmartCare European project. The objective of this study was to validate 2 different decision modeling techniques used to perform the economic evaluation.

Methods: Data were collected during the SmartCare project which enrolled 108 patients with HF and followed for more than 6 months. Read More

Clin Transl Immunology 2018 6;7(12):e1042. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

Centre for Inflammatory Diseases School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health Monash University Clayton VIC Australia.

Objectives: Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) and D-dopachrome tautomerase (DDT), members of the same cytokine superfamily, are linked to the pathogenesis of a number of inflammatory diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate their clinical relevance in systemic sclerosis (SSc).

Methods: Serum MIF and DDT were quantified in 105 SSc patients by ELISA and levels compared to healthy controls (HC) (47) and patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) (184). Read More

Dement Neuropsychol 2018 Oct-Dec;12(4):329-336

University of Illinois at Chicago, USA.

In October of 2016, an interdisciplinary group representing North and South American and European countries met in Glasgow, Scotland, to scrutinize universal issues regarding adults with intellectual disability (ID) affected by dementia and to produce recommendations and guidelines for public policy, practice, and further research. The aim of this paper is to apprise relevant outcomes of the Summit targeting Brazilian researchers, clinicians, and nongovernmental organizations in the field of ageing and dementia that are committed to developing the Brazilian national dementia plan. Three core themes were covered by the Summit: i) human rights and personal resources, ii) personalized services and caregiver support, and iii) advocacy and public impact. Read More

Oncotarget 2018 Nov 16;9(90):36220-36237. Epub 2018 Nov 16.

Department of Internal Medicine I, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.

Background And Aims: Angiogenesis is critically involved in the development of liver fibrosis, portal hypertension (PHT) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Regorafenib is a novel second-line therapy for HCC, but might also be beneficial in fibrosis and PHT even in absence of HCC. This study investigated the effects of regorafenib in experimental models without HCC. Read More

Front Genet 2018 28;9:560. Epub 2018 Nov 28.

Research Group of Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacogenomics, Faculty of Pharmacy, School of Health Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Zografou, Greece.

Genetic polymorphisms in β-, β- and β-adrenergic receptors (β-ARs) have been associated with chronic non-communicable disorders, such as cardiovascular diseases, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and obesity, as well as β-agonists and antagonists response and toxicity. The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency distribution of genetic variants Ser49Gly and Arg389Gly, variants Gly16Arg and Gln27Glu, variant Trp64Arg in a Southeastern European Caucasian (SEC) population sample and to establish a comparison with existing data from other human populations. A sample of 431 men and 590 women volunteered to participate in this genotyping analysis after anonymization and de-identification. Read More

J Appl Crystallogr 2018 Dec 11;51(Pt 6):1511-1524. Epub 2018 Oct 11.

ESRF - The European Synchrotron, 38043 Grenoble, France.

This article presents the main technical features and performance of the upgraded beamline ID02 at the ESRF. The beamline combines different small-angle X-ray scattering techniques in one unique instrument, enabling static and kinetic investigations from ångström to micrometre size scales and time resolution down to the sub-millisecond range. The main component of the instrument is an evacuated detector tube of length 34 m and diameter 2 m. Read More

Rev Ind Organ 2018 1;53(4):653-679. Epub 2018 Nov 1.

9Directorate-General for Competition, European Commission, MADO 17/014, 1049 Brussels, Belgium.

The Directorate General for Competition at the European Commission enforces competition law in the areas of antitrust, merger control, and state aids. This year's article provides first a general presentation of the role of the Chief Competition Economist's team and surveys some of the main achievements of the Directorate General for Competition over 2017/2018. The article then reviews: the Google Search (Shopping) case, the role of price discrimination in state aid cases; and the use of counterfactuals in merger cases where alternative transactions might have occurred absent the merger. Read More

Physiol Entomol 2018 Dec 12;43(4):334-345. Epub 2018 Sep 12.

School of Bioscience University of Birmingham Birmingham U.K.

Lethal time (LTime) and lethal temp (LTemp) are commonly used laboratory indices of arthropod cold tolerance, with the former often being employed to predict winter survival in the field. In the present study, we compare the cold tolerance of different life-history stages (nondiapausing and diapausing females, as well as males and juveniles) of a major agricultural pest: the two-spot spider mite Koch (Acarina: Tetranychidae). Diapausing females from European populations of this species are shown to be freeze avoiding, supercooling to -23. Read More

J Radioanal Nucl Chem 2018 2;318(3):2389-2399. Epub 2018 Nov 2.

GAU-Radioanalytical Laboratories, Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton, National Oceanography Centre, European Way, Southampton, UK.

Presented are results on the Pu and Th isotopes activity concentration found in the upper part of bottom sediments collected from a deep part of 29 lakes in N-E Poland by diving in 2000. Analyses of Pu isotopic ratios allowed for the discussion of Pu origin. Maximum percentage of Pu activity from Chernobyl fallout was 24%. Read More

J Radioanal Nucl Chem 2018 11;318(3):1565-1571. Epub 2018 Nov 11.

European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Directorate for Nuclear Safety and Security, Postfach 2340, 76125 Karlsruhe, Germany.

The paper describes the age (production date) determination of uranium reference materials using the Pa/U ratio. Direct addition of Np in secular equilibrium with its Pa daughter was chosen instead of the regular milking of Np to avoid possible loss of Pa. Sample preparation consists of a fast, one-step procedure. Read More

Scientometrics 2018 19;117(3):1319-1348. Epub 2018 Nov 19.

1INGENIO (CSIC-UPV), Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain.

Indicators based on the probability of applicant citations in patents have been used to emphasize the importance of distinguishing applicant and examiner citations. However, the interpretation of these indicators and of the presence of applicant citations in European Patent Office (EPO) examiner reports is still uncertain. Based on interviews with patent examiners and patent applicants, we develop the idea that applicant citations in EPO examiner reports indicate examiner trust in applicants, and that this trust varies according to national patterns. Read More

Sci Rep 2018 Dec 14;8(1):17977. Epub 2018 Dec 14.

Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Malta, Msida, Malta.

A correction to this article has been published and is linked from the HTML and PDF versions of this paper. The error has not been fixed in the paper. Read More

Emerg Microbes Infect 2018 Dec 13;7(1):213. Epub 2018 Dec 13.

Institut Pasteur, Unité Dynamique des Lyssavirus et Adaptation à l'Hôte, WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Rabies, Paris Cedex 15, 75724, Paris, France.

Sci Rep 2018 Dec 13;8(1):17578. Epub 2018 Dec 13.

Institute of Molecular Medicine, McGovern Medical School University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX, USA.

The apoE4 isoform is associated with increased cholesterol, cardiovascular risk, and Alzheimer's Disease risk, however, its distribution is not well-understood among US Latinos. Latinos living in the US are highly Amerindian, European and African admixed, which varies by region and country of origin. However, Latino genetic diversity is understudied and consequently poorly understood, which has significant implications for understanding disease risk in nearly one-fifth of the US population. Read More

Nat Commun 2018 Dec 13;9(1):5292. Epub 2018 Dec 13.

Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden - Rossendorf, Institute of Radiation Physics, Bautzner Landstr. 400, 01328, Dresden, Germany.

Extreme field gradients intrinsic to relativistic laser-interactions with thin solid targets enable compact MeV proton accelerators with unique bunch characteristics. Yet, direct control of the proton beam profile is usually not possible. Here we present a readily applicable all-optical approach to imprint detailed spatial information from the driving laser pulse onto the proton bunch. Read More

Eur Respir J 2018 Dec 13. Epub 2018 Dec 13.

University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is frequent in left heart disease (LHD), as a consequence of the underlying condition. Significant advances have occurred over the past 5 years since the 5th World Symposium on Pulmonary Hypertension in 2013, leading to a better understanding of PH-LHD, challenges and gaps in evidence. PH in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction represents the most complex situation, as it may be misdiagnosed with group 1 PH. Read More

Tob Control 2018 Dec 13. Epub 2018 Dec 13.

Economic and Health Policy Research, American Cancer Society, Atlanta GA 30303, USA.

Background: Previous studies of cross-border cigarette purchases in the European Union (EU) relied on survey-reported data. Results of those studies might be affected by under-reporting of tax avoidance in those surveys. This study aims to shed light on the effects of cigarette price differences between EU Member States on cross-border cigarette purchases using a method that is free from potential reporting bias. Read More

Science 2018 Dec 13. Epub 2018 Dec 13.

Trans-synaptic Signaling Group, European Neuroscience Institute, 37077 Goettingen, Germany.

Forgetting is important. Without it, the relative importance of acquired memories in a changing environment is lost. We discovered that Synaptotagmin-3 (Syt3) localizes to post-synaptic endocytic zones and removes AMPA receptors from synaptic plasma membranes in response to stimulation. Read More

Atherosclerosis 2018 Dec 3. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Togolok Moldo 3, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

Int J Cardiol 2018 Nov 29. Epub 2018 Nov 29.

Centro Cardiologico Monzino, IRCCS, Milan, Italy; Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari, Università di Milano, Milan, Italy.

Background: The Mediterranean Diet (MD) is a model of healthy eating contributing to a favorable health status, but its clinical usefulness is still debated. The aim of this study was to relate the adherence to MD with the incidence of cardio/cerebro-vascular events (VEs) in north and south European participants of the IMPROVE study.

Methods: IMPROVE is an observational, longitudinal, prospective cohort study involving 3703 individuals from five European countries (Finland, Sweden, Netherlands, France and Italy). Read More

Rev Med Interne 2018 Dec 10. Epub 2018 Dec 10.

Department of Psychiatry and Addictology, hôpitaux universitaires Paris-Ouest, AP-HP, 75015 Paris, France; Faculté de médecine, Sorbonne Paris Cité, université Paris-Descartes, 75006 Paris, France; Inserm, U894, centre psychiatrie et neurosciences, 75014 Paris, France.

Introduction: By using a standardized and systematic screening with the FACE questionnaire, our aims were : - to determine the prevalence of alcohol misuse (AM) among patients admitted in the emergency department of the European Georges-Pompidou Hospital; - to search for risk factors associated with AM.

Methods: Patients admitted between 9 am and 5 pm were included for 7 consecutive days in June 2017. The variables collected were age, gender, reason for and day of admission, acute alcohol intoxication, benzodiazepines misuse, use of illicit drugs, and the FACE. Read More

Taiwan J Obstet Gynecol 2018 Dec;57(6):846-852

College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Dayeh University, Changhua, Taiwan; Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei City, Taiwan; Department of Nursing, Mackay Junior College of Medicine, Nursing, and Management, Taipei City, Taiwan; Department of Nursing, Mackay Medical College, New Taipei City, Taiwan. Electronic address:

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the correlations among fear of cancer recurrence (FCR), illness representation (IR), self-regulation (SR), and quality of life (QOL) in gynecologic cancer survivors.

Materials And Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 287 participants recruited from a medical center in northern Taiwan. Four questionnaires, the Assessment of Survivor Concerns (ASC), the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (BIPQ), the Self-Regulation Questionnaire (SRQ), and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer's Quality-of-Life Questionnaire-Core 30-item (EORTC QLQ-C30), were used to assess FCR, IR, SR, and QOL respectively. Read More

Semin Nucl Med 2019 Jan 20;49(1):4-10. Epub 2018 Nov 20.

Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Heart and Lung Center, Helsinki University Hospital and Helsinki University, Helsinki, Finland. Electronic address:

Ventilation/perfusion single-photon emission computed tomography (V/P SPECT) is the scintigraphic technique recommended primarily for the diagnosis of acute pulmonary embolism (PE) and is golden standard for the diagnosis of chronic PE. Furthermore, interpreting ventilation and corresponding perfusion images enables pattern recognition of many other cardiopulmonary disorders that affect lung function and also allows quantification of their extent. Using Technegas for the ventilation imaging, grading of small airway disease in COPD is possible and the method is recommended for PE diagnosis in patients with severe COPD that is not possible with radiolabelled liquid aerosols. Read More

Orphanet J Rare Dis 2018 Dec 13;13(1):222. Epub 2018 Dec 13.

Service de pneumologie, Centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois, PMU BU44.07, Rue du Bugnon 44, 1011, Lausanne, Switzerland.

Background: Pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a rare disease of women characterized by multiple lung cysts leading to respiratory insufficiency and frequent pneumothorax (PT). Air travel (AT) could increase the risk of PT in LAM through rupture of subpleural cysts induced by atmospheric pressure changes in aircraft cabin. To determine whether AT increases the risk of PT in LAM, we performed a retrospective survey of members of European LAM patient associations. Read More

BMC Evol Biol 2018 Dec 13;18(1):191. Epub 2018 Dec 13.

Comparative Endocrinology and Integrative Biology Group, Centre of Marine Sciences, University of Algarve, Campus of Gambelas, 8005-139, Faro, Portugal.

Background: Osteoglycin (OGN, a.k.a. Read More

Nutr Hosp 2018 Apr 3;0(0):13-17. Epub 2018 Apr 3.

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The term "micronutrients" include vitamins and trace elements. Their recommended intakes in enteral formulas has been adhered to RDI/RDA and, in addition, their content is regulated in the European Union. However, deficiencies in micronutrients has been reported in specific patient groups under enteral nutrition (EN) in the last years. Read More

Sports (Basel) 2018 Dec 12;6(4). Epub 2018 Dec 12.

Optimization of Training and Sports Performance Research Group (GOERD), Department of Didactics of Music, Plastic and Body Expression, Sports Science Faculty, University of Extremadura, 10004 Caceres, Spain.

The purposes of the present study are: (a) to characterize the external (eTL) and internal load (iTL) of official matches and small-sided games (SSGs) in relation to their objective, (b) to compare demands between SSG, and (c) to analyze the SSG requirements in relation to official matches during a one-month competition period. Twenty under-18 national-level soccer players were recorded using WIMU inertial devices (RealTrack Systems, Almeria, Spain) during four official matches and 12 training sessions where four SSGs with different objectives were performed: (SSG1) keeping the ball; (SSG2) keeping the ball and progressing; (SSG3) keeping the ball, progressing and ending in mini-goals; and (SSG4) keeping the ball, progressing and ending in an official goal with a goalkeeper. Statistical analysis included Kruskall-Wallis' H and Mann-Whitney's U with Cohen's d effect size. Read More

Nutrients 2018 Dec 11;10(12). Epub 2018 Dec 11.

Department of Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II 132, I-84084 Fisciano (SA), Italy.

fruits are often employed as ingredients for functional drinks. Among , the variety, "Lempso", a typical hybrid of the Calabria region (Southern Italy), has been reported to possess superior antioxidant activity when compared to other common varieties. For these reasons, the aim of this study is to investigate in vitro the nutraceutical value of the Tarocco clone, "Lempso", highlighting its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant potential. Read More

Antibiotics (Basel) 2018 Dec 11;7(4). Epub 2018 Dec 11.

Química Bioanalítica, Departament de Química Física i Analítica, Escola Superior de Tecnologia i Ciències Experimentals, Universitat Jaume I, 12071 Castelló, Spain.

Isoniazid is a drug that is widely used against tuberculosis. However, it shows high interpatient variability in metabolism kinetics and clinical effect, which complicates the prescription of the medication and jeopardizes the success of the therapy. Therefore, in a specific patient, the pharmacokinetics of the drug must be elucidated to decide the proper dosage and intake frequency to make the drug suitable for therapeutic drug monitoring. Read More

Molecules 2018 Dec 11;23(12). Epub 2018 Dec 11.

Institute of Food Technology, University of Debrecen, H-4032 Debrecen, Hungary.

Hungarian sour cherries (SC) are excellent source of anthocyanin (concentrations (100⁻300 mg in 100 g fresh fruit) and melatonin (0.15 mg in 100 g fresh fruit), but other flavonoid derivatives also can be isolated by aqueous alcoholic extraction. We have developed a new process for extracting non-extractable procyanidines bound to the membrane, proteins, and fibers. Read More

Int J Mol Sci 2018 Dec 11;19(12). Epub 2018 Dec 11.

Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Veterinary Medicine, 1210 Vienna, Austria.

While significant progress has been made in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), not all patients can be cured. Mutated in about 1/3 of de novo AML, the FLT3 receptor tyrosine kinase is an attractive target for drug development, activating mutations of the map to the juxtamembrane domain (internal tandem duplications, ITD) or the tyrosine kinase domain (TKD), most frequently at codon D835. While small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) effectively target ITD mutant forms, those on the TKD are not responsive. Read More

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2018 Dec 9;15(12). Epub 2018 Dec 9.

Physical Activity, Sport and Recreation Focus Area; Faculty of Health Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa.

: Evidence suggests that social support impacts on participation in sport or physical activity (PA), and is associated with health benefits, although the link is complex and not well understood. The study aim was to examine whether participation in organized sports is related to body composition, physical fitness, and social correlates for PA. : Cross-sectional data on 238 adolescents (90 boys and 148 girls), mean age 14. Read More

Foods 2018 Dec 8;7(12). Epub 2018 Dec 8.

Institute of Chemistry, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST), 18 Hoang Quoc Viet, Cau Giay, Ha Noi 100000, Vietnam.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)-a large group of organic compounds-are extremely hazardous to human health. In this study, the 198 samples from six groups of daily food products in the Hanoi metropolitan area were collected and prepared by the QuEChERS sample treatment technique. The detection and identification of PAHs were obtained by gas chromatography⁻tandem mass spectrometry (GC⁻MS/MS) determination. Read More

Molecules 2018 Dec 8;23(12). Epub 2018 Dec 8.

CREA Research Centre for Food and Nutrition, Via Ardeatina 546, 00178 Rome, Italy.

The study aims to communicate the current status regarding the development and management of the databases on dietary lignans; within the phytochemicals, the class of the lignan compounds is of increasing interest because of their potential beneficial properties, i.e., anticancerogenic, antioxidant, estrogenic, and antiestrogenic activities. Read More

Viruses 2018 Dec 8;10(12). Epub 2018 Dec 8.

Institute for Integrative Systems Biology (I2SysBio), Universitat de Valencia-CSIC, 46980 Valencia, Spain.

The order harbors numerous viruses of significant relevance to human health, including both established and emerging infections. Currently, vaccines are only available for a small subset of these viruses, and antiviral therapies remain limited. Being obligate cellular parasites, viruses must utilize the cellular machinery for their replication and spread. Read More

Mar Drugs 2018 Dec 8;16(12). Epub 2018 Dec 8.

3B's Research Group, I3Bs⁻Research Institute on Biomaterials, Biodegradables and Biomimetics, University of Minho, Headquarters of the European Institute of Excellence in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Avepark⁻Parque de Ciência e Tecnologia, Zona Industrial da Gandra, 4805-017 Barco, Guimarães, Portugal.

Collagen is one of the most widely used biomaterials, not only due its biocompatibility, biodegradability and weak antigenic potential, but also due to its role in the structure and function of tissues. Searching for alternative collagen sources, the aim of this study was to extract collagen from the skin of codfish, previously obtained as a by-product of fish industrial plants, and characterize it regarding its use as a biomaterial for biomedical application, according to American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Guidelines. Collagen type I with a high degree of purity was obtained through acid-extraction, as confirmed by colorimetric assays, SDS-PAGE and amino acid composition. Read More

Nutrients 2018 Dec 10;10(12). Epub 2018 Dec 10.

Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

The degree to which individuals change their lifestyle in response to interventions differs and this variation could affect cardiometabolic health. We examined if changes in dietary intake, physical activity and weight of obese infertile women during the first six months of the LIFEstyle trial were associated with cardiometabolic health 3⁻8 years later ( = 50⁻78). Lifestyle was assessed using questionnaires and weight was measured at baseline, 3 and 6 months after randomization. Read More

Genes (Basel) 2018 Dec 7;9(12). Epub 2018 Dec 7.

Departamento de Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain.

Invasive fungal infections caused by Mucorales (mucormycosis) have increased worldwide. These life-threatening infections affect mainly, but not exclusively, immunocompromised patients, and are characterized by rapid progression, severe tissue damage and an unacceptably high rate of mortality. Still, little is known about this disease and its successful therapy. Read More

Materials (Basel) 2018 Dec 7;11(12). Epub 2018 Dec 7.

Institute of Metallurgy and Materials Science PAS. Reymonta 25, 30-059 Krakow, Poland.

In this work we present research results on a new paste NPCuXX (where: NP-new paste, CuXX-component, XX-a modifier consisting of Ni and other important elements) based on a copper composite (CuXX) for fabrication of front electrodes in silicon solar cells. The CuXX composite is obtained by chemical processing of copper powder particles and can be used in two ways: as an additive to commercially available paste or as a base material for a new paste, NPCuXX. The CuXX offers the possibility to exchange up to 30 and 50 wt. Read More