Caples, Sean M., Robert Wolk, and Virend K. Somers. Influence of cardiac function and failure on sleep-disordered breathing: evidence for a causative role. J Appl Physiol 99: 2433-2439, 2005; doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.00676.2005.— Heart failure is an increasingly common public health problem that is strongly linked to both central and obstructive sleep apnea, collectively referred to as sleep-di...

Heparin, located in mast cells and basophilic granulocytes, is widely used as an anticoagulant. It belongs to a class of linear polysaccharides called glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). Using phage display technology, we have selected 19 unique human antiheparin antibodies. Some antibodies react almost exclusively with heparin, others also react with the structurally related heparan sulfate, and some w...

BACKGROUND Although weight loss is common in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients receiving radiotherapy, the prognostic influence of weight loss and its impact modified by body mass index (BMI) are still unclear. METHODS 2433 NPC patients receiving radical radiotherapy at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center from November, 2000 to December, 2004 were enrolled. Weight change during radiati...

1. Stagno S. Cytomegalovirus. In: Remington JS, Klein JO. Infectious diseases of the fetus and newborn. 4th ed. Philadelphia: WB Saunders, 1995: 312-53. 2. Bale JF, O'Neil ME, Fowler SS, Murph JR. Analysis of acquired human cytomegalovirus infections by polymerase chain reaction. J Clin Microbiol 1993;31:2433-8. 3. Studahl M, Ricksten A, Sandberg T, Bergstrom T. Cytomegalovirus encephalitis in ...

Histidine decarboxylase (HisDCase, EC 4.1.1.22) activity in mouse skin increased by a factor of more than 10 after a single application of phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate. The cell type that was responsible for the increase in HisDCase activity was examined by using (WB X C57BL/6)F1-W/Wv mice, which are genetically deficient in tissue mast cells. In contrast to a report that increase of ornithi...

Stress ulcer prophylaxis (SUP) is often inappropriately utilized, particularly in critically ill patients. The objective of this study is to find an effective way of reducing inappropriate SUP use in an academic medical intensive care unit (ICU). Medical ICU patients receiving SUP were identified over a 1-month period, and their charts were reviewed to determine whether American Society of Heal...

High-resolution ac calorimetry has been used to characterize the excess heat capacity DCp(T) associated with the smectic-A (SmA) –hexatic-B (HexB) transition in n-hexyl-48-n-pentyloxybiphenyl-4-carboxylate ~65OBC!. For temperature oscillations in the investigated frequency range 1.42–400 mHz, the DCp data reveal no frequency dependence and correspond to static thermodynamic values. The present ...

BACKGROUND The age limit for some adult asthma clinical trials has recently been lowered to 12 years. In this study we have made minor modifications to the standardised version of the adult Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ(S)) to make it valid for patients 12 years and older (AQLQ12+). METHODS We have used two clinical trial databases, in which the AQLQ12+ was used, to compare the m...

Background Postoperative central nervous system infections (PCNSIs) represent a serious complication, and the timely use of antibiotics guided by the identification of the causative pathogens and their antibiotic sensitivities is essential for treatment. However, there are little data regarding the prevalence of PCNSI pathogens in China. The aim of this study is to investigate the features of p...