BACKGROUND Pancreatic fistula (PF) remains the most challenging complication after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD). The purpose of this study was to identify the risk factors of PF and delineate its impact on patient outcomes. METHODS We retrospectively reviewed clinical data of 532 patients who underwent PD and divided them into PF group and no PF group. Risk factors and outcomes of PF followin...

We investigated the underlying mechanism for the potent proapoptotic effect of paeoniflorin (PF) on human glioma cells in vitro, focusing on signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling. Significant time- and dose-dependent apoptosis and inhibition of proliferation were observed in PF-treated U87 and U251 glioma cells. Expression of STAT3, its active form phosphorylated ...

It is unclear whether any clinical and laboratory features are associated with pulmonary fibrosis (PF) in systemic sclerosis (SSc). We assessed these features using a database of 29 patients with SSc and anti-topoisomerase I antibodies and 68 patients with SSc and anticentromere antibody (ACA). Clinical features were not associated with the incidence of PF in patients with SSc and anti-topoisom...

Paeoniflorin (PF), a natural compound isolated from Paeoniae radix, has been shown to exert antitumor effects in various types of human cancers including glioma. However, the mechanism of action is not well understood. S-phase kinase-associated protein (Skp)2 functions as an oncogene in many cancers. In the present study, we investigated whether Skp2 mediates the anti-glioma activity of PF. We ...

Productive Failure (PF) – comprising initial problem solving and delayed instruction – has been proven effective for learning when compared to Direct Instruction (DI) in multiple studies with high school and university students. Although the problem-solving phase is usually implemented in a collaborative setting, the role of collaboration for the effectiveness of PF remains unclear. In two quas...

When every element of a random vector   1 2 , , , n X X X X   assumes the cumulative distribution function 0 F and 1 F with probability and p p  1 , respectively, we have shown that the probability that the first order statistic of 0  X is originally under 0 F can be expressed as . We have also shown that        0 1 0 1 1 d np p F x pF x F x           1 n  0   0 lim ...

Introduction:  One ofdiagnostic criteria for Acute Lung Injury and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome is  pao2/fio2 (PF) ratio 300 for ALI or 200 for ARDS. This criteria requires invasive arterial sampling. Measurement of Spo2/Fio2 (SF) ratio by pulseoximetry may be a reliable non invasive alternative to the PF ratio.   Methods and Materials: In a cross sectional study we enrolled 105 sample o...

INTRODUCTION The influence of physical activity (PA) and physical fitness (PF) at older ages on changes in telomere length (TL)--repetitive DNA sequences that may mark biologic aging--is not well-established. Few prior studies (mainly cross-sectional) have been conducted in older adults, and few studies have evaluated PF. METHODS We investigated cross-sectional and prospective associations of...

BACKGROUND Psoralea Fructus (PF), the dried and ripe fruit of Psoralea corylifolia exhibits an anti-cancer activity. However, the molecular mechanisms by which PF inhibits the proliferation of cancer cells have not been elucidated in detail. Cyclin D1 and CDK4 are important regulatory proteins in cell growth and are overexpressed in many cancer cells. In this study, we investigated the molecula...