Most gorgonian octocoral species are described using diagnostic characteristics of their sclerites (microscopic skeletal components). Species in the genus Pterogorgia, however, are separated primarily by differences in their calyx and branch morphology. Specimens of a morphologically unusual Pterogorgia collected from Saba Bank in the NE Caribbean Sea were found with calyx morphology similar to...

BACKGROUND Recent trials have assessed the efficacy and safety of novel monoclonal antibodies such as reslizumab and benralizumab. However, the overall efficacy and safety anti-interleukin (IL) 5 treatment in asthma have not been thoroughly assessed. METHODS Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of anti-IL-5 treatment on patients with asthma published up to October 2016 in PubMed, Embase, and C...

BACKGROUND Divergent strategies have emerged for the management of severe asthma. One strategy utilises high and fixed doses of maintenance treatment, usually inhaled corticosteroid/long-acting β2-agonist (ICS/LABA), supplemented by a short-acting β2-agonist (SABA) as needed. Alternatively, budesonide/formoterol is used as both maintenance and reliever therapy. The latter is superior to fixed-d...

The bacterium Helicobacter pylori can cause peptic ulcer disease, gastric adenocarcinoma and MALT lymphoma. The cell-surface mucin MUC1 is a large glycoprotein which is highly expressed on the mucosal surface and limits the density of H. pylori in a murine infection model. We now demonstrate that by using the BabA and SabA adhesins, H. pylori bind MUC1 isolated from human gastric cells and MUC1...

Spatiotemporal Encoding Diffusion Weighted Imaging of the Breast: Comparison with SE-EPI-based methodology Eddy Solomon, Noam Nissan, Amir Seginer, Edna Furman-Haran, Myra Shapiro-Feinberg, Hadassa Degani, and Lucio Frydman Chemical Physics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel, Biological Regulation, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel, Biological Services, Weizmann Instit...

Fariba Bakhshian, Hossein Jabbari Beirami, Saba Jabbari Beirami, Seiied Yaaghoob Fatollahi. Ms of midwifery, vice chancellor office, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences Tabriz, Iran; Associated Professor of Health Administration & Management, Department of Community Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences Tabriz, Iran; Dentistry student, Dentistry faculty, Tabriz University of Medical...

• Objective: To compare budesonide/formoterol (BFC) and fluticasone propionate/salmeterol (FSC) in their ability to reduce COPD exacerbations using a novel risk stratification approach. • Design: Retrospective cohort study with propensity matching and stratification by short-acting beta2-agonist (SABA) use. • Participants: 7704 COPD patients identified using 2 U.S. health claims databases (stud...

Short-acting β2-agonists (SABA) are widely used in the emergency department (ED) to treat patients with decompensated chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We sought to model the effectiveness of nebulized SABA (terbutaline) on clinically relevant parameters associated with a reduction in work of breathing or respiratory muscle fatigue in decompensated COPD patients admitted to the ED.F...

During persistent infection, optimal expression of bacterial factors is required to match the ever-changing host environment. The gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori has a large set of simple sequence repeats (SSR), which constitute contingency loci. Through a slipped strand mispairing mechanism, the SSRs generate heterogeneous populations that facilitate adaptation. Here, we present a model t...