The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the relationships among three flexural strengths of recent dental ceramics using 3-point and 4-point bending tests and biaxial flexural test. Three brands of porcelain for veneering (d.SIGN, Supper porcelain AAA, Vintage Hallo), two injectable ceramics (Empress 2, OPC 3G), and one castable ceramic (Crys-Cera) were used. Twenty bar-shaped and 10 d...

Prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) is an important mediator of the inflammatory response. Phospho-ceramide analogue-1 (PCERA-1), a synthetic phospholipid-like molecule, was previously reported to modulate pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine production. We show here that PCERA-1 inhibited LPS-stimulated PGE(2) production in RAW264.7 macrophages, without affecting COX-2 expression. Furthermore, PCERA-1 ...

Background: New erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) with a longer half-life have been developed for the treatment of anemia as a complication of patients with end-stage renal disease. Objectives: The objective of the present study was to assess the hemoglobin (Hb) stability of a Japanese cohort of hemodialysis (HD) patients who were simultaneously switched from darbepoetin alfa (DA) to epo...

Background. Cardiovascular morbidity and mortality are very high in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of continuous erythropoietin receptor activator (CERA) on selected biomarkers of cardiovascular disease, left ventricle structure, and function in CKD. Material and Methods. Peripheral blood was collected from 25 CKD patients before ...

The journal Cost-Effectiveness and Resource Allocation (CERA) is now in its seventh year, and is an excellent example of how open access publishing can improve dissemination. Now the journal is through its infancy, it is time to reflect on its orientation and to define the strategy for the years to come. Firstly, the journal will pay particular attention to stimulating and publishing studies or...

IMPORTANCE Control of intraocular pressure after implantation of a glaucoma drainage device (GDD) depends on the porosity of the capsule that forms around the plate of the GDD. OBJECTIVE To compare capsular porosity after insertion of 2 different GDDs using a novel implant and measurement system. DESIGN, SETTING, AND SUBJECTS We performed an experimental interventional study at an eye resea...

BACKGROUND The present study is designed to evaluate the validity of the measurement of capillary blood hemoglobin A1c levels in comparison with venous blood hemoglobin A1c. METHODS The data of this cross-sectional study are collected from a sample of 45 Iranian diabetic patients referred to one particular laboratory for the assessment of HbA1c level during a period from April to December 201...

In endothelial cells, erythropoietin receptors (EPORs) mediate the protective, proliferative and angiogenic effects of EPO and its analogues, which act as EPOR agonists. Because hormonal receptors undergo functional changes upon chronic exposure to agonists and because erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) are used for the long-term treatment of anemia, it is critical to determine the mechan...

Background: Recently, tendency to use veterinary specific Portable blood glucose meter (PBGMs) has increased. However, assessment of their analytical and clinical accuracy is a matter of concern. OBJECTIVES: To assess accuracy of two veterinary (AlphaTRAK2 and CERA-PET) and one human-based (Bionime) PBGMs for canine blood samples. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 160 client-ow...

El arbusto Bulnesia retama es un importante recurso natural de uso no maderable productora cera. Nuestro objetivo fue evaluar el efecto diferentes intensidades poda en crecimiento, supervivencia y producción cera su ambiente natural. Se trabajó una comunidad B. , Bermejo, San Juan. seleccionaron 15 parcelas. En cada parcela se marcaron diez individuos midieron variables morfométricas aplicó niv...