All Articles

Every Man his own Electric Physician: T. Gale and the History of Do-It-Yourself Neurology 

Abstract:

We review the promotion of electrical treatments by laypeople for neurological and other conditions in a largely rural period of United States history.

High expression of miR-21 in tissue correlated with the poor survival of patients with esophageal cancer: a pilot study using the meta-analysis

Abstract:

Objective:

MicroRNAs are involved in the onset, progression and dissemination of esophageal cancer, and they may be useful as prognostic biomarkers. This study aims to evaluate the relation of miR-21 expression and the prognosis of esophageal cancer patients.

Methods:

In this study, a meta-analysis is performed by searching PubMed, Science Direct databases, and Cochrane Library. Data are extracted from studies evaluating survival of esophageal cancer patients with either high or low miR-21 expression. Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) are calculated.

Results:

A total of 579 cases of esophageal cancer from five studies are involved for this global meta-analysis. The HR of survival of patients with high miR-21 expression is 1.47 (95% CI: 1.12–1.91; p<0.01) as compared with those with low expression.

Conclusions: miR-21 may be a predictor for ...

Taller Haustral Folds in the Proximal Colon: A Potential Factor Contributing to Interval Colorectal Cancer

Abstract:

Missed cancers have been reported at higher frequencies in the right colon despite optical colonoscopy screening. The purpose of this study was to determine if there are regional differences in haustral fold height between the ascending, transverse, and descending colon using CT colonography (CTC). 50 supine CTC datasets from 50 asymptomatic, adult patients were analyzed (NCI-CBIIT instance of the National Biomedical Imaging Archive). At least 5 consecutive, pairs of unobscured haustral folds in each colonic segment were necessary to be included in this study. Of an initial 201 patients, 151 were excluded due to suboptimal colonic distension, retained fluid, tortuosity, and diverticulosis. For each dataset, the heights of the non-dependent haustral folds were measured in the ascending, transverse, and descending colon on 2D multiplanar reformations. Differences in mean HFHs were assessed using a hierarchical generalized linear mixed model. A total of 2079 colonic ...

A Comparison Study of the Fitbit Activity Monitor and PSG for Assessing Sleep Patterns and Movement in Children

Abstract:

Despite its expense, labor and intrusiveness, polysomnography (PSG) is the gold standard for diagnosing obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Recently, commercially available electronic activity monitors, such as Fitbit, have become widely accepted and can provide an estimate of sleep patterns for screening children with possible OSA. A previous study demonstrated Fitbit to be valid compared to PSG in adults. To date, these devices have not been extensively utilized for research in children with sleep disordered breathing (SDB).

Depression and Executive Dysfunction in Young Adults; Implications for Therapy

Abstract:

The prevalence of young adults endorsing depressive symptomatology is thought to peak during late adolescence. While there has been a wealth of research assessing the relationship between decline of the prefrontal cortex and how this process impacts depression and therapy in older adults, very little is known about the relationship on the younger end of the continuum. The current study sought to explore whether there is also a significant relationship between executive functioning and depression in younger adults. In addition, different types of executive dysfunction were assessed to better understand the possible implications for therapy in younger adults with depressive symptomatology. Data from 1,730 college-aged participants were collected on measures of depression (Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression, CES-D) and executive dysfunction (Dysexecutive Questionnaire, DEX). In addition, three factors of the DEX were assessed; Executive cognition (EC),...

A Randomized Interventional Study of Traditional Versus Patency Documented Haemostasis for Prevention of Radial Artery Occlusion After Transradial Catheterization

Abstract:

The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of patent haemostasis in avoiding radial artery occlusion after transradial catheterization.

Different Effects of Ethanol and Activation of TRPM8 ION Channel on Metabolic Response to Cold

Abstract:

The possible interrelation of ethanol and the membrane protein molecules such as TRP ion channels in the whole living organism has not been studied. In the present research we study the influence of ethanol (50%) and agonist of TRPM8 ion channel L-menthol (1% in 50% ethanol) application to abdominal skin on the thermoregulatory response to cooling in rats. We used two types of cooling with the different rates of skin temperature decrease - 0.1 °C/sec for rapid and 0.005°C/s for slow cooling.

It was shown, that the effects of ethanol and activation of the cold-sensitive TRPM8 ion channel are mainly directed at different components of thermoregulatory metabolic response to cold. Menthol, as an agonist of the TRPM8 ion channel, besides the constrictor vascular response stimulates predominantly the emergency first phase of metabolic response which appears only at rapid cooling without any effect on the second phase of metabolic respons...

Support Needs of Indian Women in Early Labour

Abstract:

The study was conducted in four selected hospitals in the Southern part of India with an aim to determine the support needs of women in early labour as perceived by women. A descriptive design was used to determine the support needs of women in early labour. Following ethical approval, sixty women between 29-40 weeks of gestation with singleton pregnancy were interviewed in early labour, using a validated Labour Support Need Assessment Tool to gather data on background information and perception of women related to need and support needs (physical, emotional and informational support). Results indicated that women perceived all types of support such as physical, emotional and informational as significant factors in their care during labour, regardless of their parity and gestation. The major findings of the study suggested that there was a slightly higher need for support among women for informational (90.33%) and emotional support (88.78%) compared to physical...

Cardiorenal Signaling Pathways in Heart Failure: Good and Bad News

Abstract:

This article reviews heart–kidney signaling in heart failure, contrasting adaptive and maladaptive pathways. It discusses neurohormonal activation, fibrosis, and emerging therapeutic targets.

Computational STAT4 rSNP Analysis, Transcriptional Factor Binding Sites and Disease

Abstract:

Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 4 (STAT4) is important for signaling by interleukins (IL-12 and IL-23) and type 1 interferons and has been found to have several simple nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with human disease. STAT4 SNPs were computationally examined with respect to changes in potential transcriptional factor binding sites (TFBS) and these changes were discussed in relation to human disease.