BACKGROUND Patients with "refractory angina" (RA) unsuitable for coronary revascularization experience high levels of hospitalization and poor health-related quality of life. Randomized trials have shown spinal cord stimulation (SCS) to be a promising treatment for chronic stable angina and RA; however, none has compared SCS with usual care (UC). The aim of this pilot study was to address the k...

The molecular mechanisms underlying the contact behavior of Schwann cells (SCs) and SC-axon association are poorly understood. SC-SC and SC-axon interactions were studied using purified adult rat SCs and cocultures of SCs with embryonic dorsal root ganglion neurons. After contact of SCs with axons, SCs start to extend processes in alignment with axons. This unique alignment was quantitated usin...

Generation of mesoscale eddies in the eastern South China Sea (SCS) in winters during August 1999 to July 2002 is studied with a reduced-gravity model. It is found that the orographic wind jets associated with the northeast winter monsoon and the gaps in the mountainous island chain along the eastern boundary of the SCS can spin up cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies over the SCS. Results suggest ...

For a set of multiple sequences, their patterns, Longest Common Subsequences (LCS) and Shortest Common Supersequences (SCS) represent different aspects of these sequences' profile. Revealing the relationship between the patterns and LCS/SCS might provide us with a deeper view of the patterns. In this paper, we have showed that patterns LCS and SCS were closely related to each other. Based on th...

Synthetic cannabinoids- (SCs-) induced psychosis is a growing public health concern. It leads to significant impairment, including emotional distress, difficulty communicating, and other debilitating symptoms. In this case report, we discuss a patient with no previous history of psychotic symptoms, presenting with first-episode psychosis in the context of progressive, acutely worsening, disorga...

This investigation is aimed at providing information about structural and organizational characteristics of smoking cessation services (SCS) set up within the Italian National Health Service. Local health units and hospitals are the main institutions connected with SCS which are mainly located within the Department of Drug Addiction and the Department of Lung and Breath Care. SCS provide differ...

Sertoli cells (SCs) in the testes provide physical and nutritional support to germ cells. The vimentin cytoskeleton in SCs is disrupted by dibutyl phthalate (DBP), which leads to SCs dysfunction. In a previous study, we found that peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα) influenced the distribution of vimentin by affecting its phosphorylation in DBP-exposed SCs. In the present s...

OBJECTIVES Health-care policymakers and payers require cost-effectiveness evidence to inform their treatment funding decisions. The aims of this study were to assess the cost-effectiveness of the addition of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) compared with conventional management alone (CMM) in patients with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), and to determine the cost-effectiveness of nonrecharg...

Schwann cells (SCs) that cap neuromuscular junctions (nmjs) play roles in guiding nerve terminal growth in paralyzed and partially denervated muscles; however, the role of these cells in the day-to-day maintenance of this synapse is obscure. Neuregulins, alternatively spliced ligands for several erbB receptor tyrosine kinases, are thought to play important roles in cell-cell communication at th...