BACKGROUND Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is the inflammatory disorder of the lung most commonly caused by sepsis. It was hypothesized that treating the lung with penehyclidine hydrochloride (PHC), a new type of hyoscyamus drug, early in the development of sepsis could diminish the lung dysfunction. MATERIAL/METHODS Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 4 groups: 1) a control grou...

BACKGROUND There are conflicting reports of antiretroviral therapy (ART) effectiveness comparisons between primary healthcare (PHC) facilities and hospitals in low-income settings. This comparison has not been evaluated on a broad scale in South Africa. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS A retrospective cohort study was conducted including ART-naïve adults from 59 facilities in four provinces in ...

BACKGROUND Re-engineering of primary healthcare (PHC) was initiated nationally in 2009. There is, however, little information on the role expected of occupational therapists (OTs)in PHC. OBJECTIVES This research aimed to understand how stakeholders of the Department of Health (DOH) perceived the role of OT in PHC service. METHOD This exploratory, qualitative study used purposive sampling to...

BackgroundApproximately 15% of patients undergoing resection for presumed perihilar cholangiocarcinoma (PHC) have benign disease at final pathological assessment. Molecular imaging targeting tumor-specific biomarkers could serve as a novel diagnostic tool to reduce these futile surgeries. Imaging agents been developed, selectively binding integrin ανβ6, cell receptor upregulated in pancreatobil...

In this study, we have investigated photonic crystal (PhC) nanocavities for biosensing applications. The device architecture consists of a PhC waveguide with a defect line for guiding the transmission of light. Resonant nanocavities are coupled to the PhC waveguide by changing the radius of a hole adjacent to the defect line. The devices are fabricated on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers. Prel...

The parahippocampal cortex (PHC) participates in both perception and memory. However, the way perceptual and memory processes cooperate when we navigate in our everyday life environment remains poorly understood. We studied a stroke patient presenting a brain lesion in the right PHC, which resulted in a mild and quantifiable topographic agnosia, and allowed us to investigate the role of this st...

Anaerobic biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons (PHC) to methane has been recognized to occur in oil reservoirs and contaminated surface sites alike. This process could be employed efficiently for the treatment of contaminated materials, including petrochemical wastes and PHC-contaminated soil, since no external electron acceptor is required. Moreover, the controlled production of methane in...

Aim: We measured Golgi protein73 (GP73), alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in primary hepatic cancer (PHC) and assessed their clinical significance. Methods: Forty-five PHC and tumor-adjacent specimens and 14 normal liver specimens were examined. GP73, AFP, and VEGF expression was measured via immunohistochemistry and a correlation of protein expr...

BACKGROUND Major health sector reform and the need for baseline measures of performance to determine impact. AIM Baseline audit of primary healthcare (PHC) performance. SETTING Cape Town and Cape Winelands (rural) PHC facilities (PCFs) in Western Cape Province, South Africa. METHOD The South African cross-culturally validated ZA PCAT to audit PHC performance on 11 subdomains associated wi...

Qatar, an oil-exporting country with a population of about 1.7 million, achieved the highest gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in the world in 2010. Total health expenditure as a percentage of GDP in 2010 in Qatar was 2.0%, with the government's share at 75% of the total health care budget. Hamad Medical Corporation hospitals and the independent public Qatar Primary Health Care PHC) centr...