OBJECTIVES In this study, we evaluate the incidence of and analyse the pre and intraoperative risk factors for the development of postoperative renal dysfunction (PRD), and the impact of such an event on perioperative mortality and on hospital length of stay. In addition, we sought to investigate the influence of a mildly increased serum creatinine (1.3-2.0 mg/dl) on perioperative mortality and...

Decreased cytokinin (CK) export from roots in drying soil might provide a root-to-shoot signal impacting on shoot physiology. Although several studies show that soil drying decreases the CK concentration of xylem sap collected from the roots, it is not known whether this alters xylem CK concentration ([CK(xyl)]) in the leaves and bulk leaf CK concentration. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) plan...

When the translation termination factor Sup35 adopts the prion state, [PSI(+)], the read-through of stop codons increases, uncovering hidden genetic variation and giving rise to new, often beneficial, phenotypes. Evidence suggests that prion induction involves a process of maturation, but this has never been studied in detail. To do so, we used a visually tractable prion model consisting of the...

OBJECTIVE In patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC), the stimulated serum thyroglobulin (Tg) level at radioiodine ablation is a known predictive factor of persistent disease. This prognostic value is based on data obtained after thyroid hormone withdrawal (THW), but little is known about this prognostic value after recombinant human TSH (rhTSH) stimulation and about the relationship ...

This thesis describes the determination of a paired domainDNA complex crystal structure (involving the paired domain of the Drosophila Prd protein), and discusses the structural basis of DNA binding specificity of the paired domain and the structural basis of Pax developmental mutations. It also describes the cocrystallization of the human PAX6 paired domain-DNA complex. Chapter 1 provides an i...

Keyword: Pearl River Delta extreme water level sand excavation non-parameters test This paper is concerned with identifying the spatial and temporal patterns in the annual maximum and minimum water level in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region. The Mann–Kendall test and Pettitt test are used to detect trends and abrupt change points, and the Trend Free Pre-Whitening (TFPW) approach then eliminate...

Previous studies with partial rootzone drying (PRD) irrigation demonstrated that alternating the wet and dry parts of the rootzone (PRD-Alternated) increased leaf xylem ABA concentration ([X-ABA]leaf) compared with maintaining the same wet and dry parts of the rootzone (PRD-Fixed). To determine the relative contributions of different parts of the rootzone to this ABA signal, [X-ABA]leaf of pott...

Dengue fever (DF) is one of the most common and rapidly spreading mosquito-borne viral diseases in tropical and subtropical regions. In recent years, this imported disease has posed a serious threat to public health in China, especially in the Pearl River Delta (PRD). Although the severity of DF outbreaks in the PRD is generally associated with known risk factors, fine scale assessments of area...

This study investigated the extent of heavy metal accumulation in leaf vegetables and associated potential health risks in agricultural areas of the Pearl River Delta (PRD), South China. Total concentrations of mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), chromium (Cr) and arsenic (As) were determined in 92 pairs of soil and leaf vegetable (flowering Chinese cabbage, lettuce, pakchoi, Chinese cabbage...

Surgery-induced acute postoperative pain and stress response may lead to prolonged convalescence. The present study was designed to investigate the effects of intraoperative dexmedetomidine on postoperative analgesia and recovery after abdominal colectomy surgeries.Sixty-seven patients scheduled for abdominal colectomy under general anesthesia were divided into two groups, which were maintained...