Background: The glycoconjugate content of sperms indicates their physiological and fertility properties. Lectin reactivity is indicative of intact, capacitated, and acrosome-reacted sperms. In the epididymis, sperms experience maturation, glycoconjugate modification, and simultaneously, higher L-carnitine (LC) concentrations. The aim of this project was to evaluate the effects of LC and Pentoxi...

Introduction: Barrel cortex of rodents is responsible for sensory information processing from muzzle whiskers. Locus coeruleus (LC) as the main source of norepinephrine (NE) in the cortex, is effective on the sensory information processing. Methods: Rats were divided to 2 groups. One group underwent sensory deprivation (P4) and the other group served as control and did not undergo sensory d...

This study demonstrates for the first time abnormal electro-optic (EO) characteristics induced by electrohydrodynamics (EHD) in a polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) film in the presence of a low-frequency (1 kHz) AC voltage. Large LC droplets (20−40 μm) buried in the film can be obtained after the illumination of one UV light with a weak intensity (~0.96 mW/cm2) for 12 h. This film exhibit...

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of chop length and inoculation of barley silage on feeding behavior, rumen fermentation, and growth performance of finishing feedlot steers. Barley forage (22-35% DM) was chopped to a theoretical chop length (TCL) of either 1.0 (short chop; SC) or 2.0 cm (long chop; LC) and ensiled without or with an esterase-producing bacterial inocula...

BACKGROUND The alcohol biomarker phosphatidylethanol (PEth) comprises a group of ethanol-derived phospholipids formed from phosphatidylcholine by phospholipase D. The PEth molecular species have a common phosphoethanol head group onto which 2 fatty acid moieties are attached. We developed an electrospray ionization (ESI) LC-MS method for qualitative and quantitative measurement of different PEt...

Developing non-invasive alternatives to monitor insulin levels in humans holds potential practical value for identifying individuals with, or at risk of developing, insulin resistance. The aims of this study were: (1) to determine if saliva insulin can be used to delineate between low and high postprandial insulin levels following the ingestion of mixed breakfast meals; and (2) to determine if ...

Confidentiality, political sensitivity and other considerations often dictate the reporting of income inequality data by governments and other agencies in grouped format. In these cases, inequality measures, such as the Gini index, must be estimated from the grouped data rather than from the individual observations from which the grouped data are constructed. Also, grouped data, which are gener...

Circulating miRNAs (microRNAs) are emerging as promising biomarkers for several pathological conditions, and the aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of using serum miRNAs as biomarkers for liver pathologies. Real-time qPCR (quantitative PCR)-based TaqMan MicroRNA arrays were first employed to profile miRNAs in serum pools from patients with HCC (hepatocellular carcinoma) or LC ...

HYPOTHESIS The advent of laparoscopy has changed the paradigm of surgical training and care delivery for the treatment of patients with acute cholecystitis (AC). DESIGN Retrospective data collection and analysis. SETTING Hospital admissions with a primary diagnosis of AC at a tertiary care center from January 1, 2002, to January 1, 2007. PATIENTS During the study period, 923 patients were...