Purpose. Somatosensory (SSA) and pharyngolaryngeal auras (PLA) may suggest an extratemporal onset (e.g., insula, second somatosensory area). We sought to determine the prognostic significance of SSA and PLA in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) patients undergoing epilepsy surgery. Methods. Retrospective review of all patients operated for refractory TLE at our institution between January 1980 and Ju...

This study was conducted to determine the effects of dietary supplementation with phenyllactic acid (PLA) on growth performance, intestinal microbiota, relative organ weight, blood characteristics, and meat quality in broilers. A total of 500 male broilers (BW = 46.3 g) were randomly allotted into 1 of the following 5 dietary treatments: 1) basal diet (CON), 2) basal diet + 44 mg/kg of avilamyc...

Four phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)) enzymes (Superbins a, b, c, and d) with varying platelet aggregation inhibitor activities have been purified from Austrelaps superbus by a combination of gel filtration, ion-exchange, and reversed-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography. Purity and homogeneity of the superbins have been confirmed by high-performance capillary zone electrophoresis and mass spec...

BACKGROUND Taiwan is endemic for pyogenic liver abscess (PLA). Septic ocular or central nervous system (CNS) complications derived from PLA can result in catastrophic disability. We investigated the epidemiology and long-term prognosis of PLA patients with septic ocular or CNS complications over an 8-year period. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We extracted 21,307 patients with newly diagnosed...

OBJECTIVE Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A(2) (Lp-PLA(2)), a proinflammatory enzyme that predominantly circulates with low-density lipoprotein (LDL), has been shown in general populations to predict cardiovascular (CV) events. We sought to determine whether increased Lp-PLA(2) would also predict CV events in the absence of high LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C), in a population with low high-densit...

PURPOSE Plasma lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A₂ (Lp-PLA₂) binds to low-density lipoprotein. The levels of Lp-PLA₂ reflect the plaque burden, and are upregulated in acute coronary syndrome (ACS). We investigated the diagnostic value of Lp-PLA2 levels and found that it might be a potential biomarker for ACS. MATERIALS AND METHODS We classified 226 study participants into three groups: pa...

Oral chemotherapy is a key step towards 'chemotherapy at home', a dream of cancer patients, which will radically change the clinical practice of chemotherapy and greatly improve the quality of life of the patients. In this research, three types of nanoparticle formulation from commercial PCL and self-synthesized d-α-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (PLA-PCL-TPGS) random copolymer w...

Phenyllactic acid (PLA) has recently been found in cultures of Lactobacillus plantarum that show antifungal activity in sourdough breads. The fungicidal activity of PLA and growth inhibition by PLA were evaluated by using a microdilution test and 23 fungal strains belonging to 14 species of Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Fusarium that were isolated from bakery products, flours, or cereals. Less ...

In this study, a kind of biodegradable material was developed by blending polylactide (PLA) with natural biodegradable dextran, and a novel sponge-like scaffold made of it was fabricated thereof using solvent-casting and particle-leaching technique. To obtain a uniform blend of PLA and dextran by simple solvent-casting method, hydroxyls of dextran should be protected via trimethylsilyl (TMS) gr...

BACKGROUND/AIMS Pyogenic liver abscess (PLA) is a serious, life threatening condition with a high mortality rate that represents a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. The aim of this study was to collect demographic data and clinical, laboratory and microbiological characteristics of PLA patients treated between 2000 and 2010. We also aimed to collect information regarding our management expe...