87,074 research outputs found
Associated factors for REM sleep behavior disorder in Parkinson disease
No full textObjective: To investigate the frequency, phenomenology, and associated risk factors of REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) in Parkinson disease (PD). Methods: An unselected cohort of sleep-disturbed patients with PD (n = 457) was investigated with video-supported polysomnography. We determined the frequency of RBD and analyzed the influence of age, clinical disease features, disease duration, cognitive and physical impairment, medication, comorbidity, and sleep architecture. Results: The overall frequency of RBD was 46%. According to our cohort and modified definition, there was no preferred PD subtype for RBD (p = 0.142). There was no gender preference (p = 0.770). RBD was associated with older age (p = 0.000). Adjusted for age and gender, patients with PD and RBD had longer disease duration (p = 0.024), higher Hoehn & Yahr stages (p = 0.002), more falls (p = 0.018), more fluctuations (p = 0.005), more psychiatric comorbidity (p = 0.026), and a higher dose of levodopa (p = 0.002). The presence of RBD was related to slightly increased sleep efficiency (p = 0.007), a higher amount of REM sleep (p = 0.000), and more periodic leg movements during sleep (p = 0.019). Conclusion: RBD is a frequent and clinically relevant nocturnal disturbance for all stages of PD. It increases with age and disease duration and may contribute to the nocturnal problems of patients with PD and their bed partners. Neurology (R) 2011; 77: 1048-105
Nuclear ErbB2 expression in hepatocytes in liver disease
No full textErbB2 is a prominent representative of the epidermal growth factor receptors that mainly attract attention as oncogenic drivers and therapeutic targets in cancer. Besides transmembrane signaling, ErbB2 may also translocate into the nucleus and mediate distinct nuclear signaling effects including DNA repair and cell cycle arrest. Unexpectedly, we found nuclear ErbB2 expression in human hepatocytes in various liver diseases so we aimed to investigate the characteristics of liver disease leading to nuclear ErbB2 translocation. The immunohistochemical pattern of ErbB2 staining was analyzed in 1125 liver biopsy samples from patients with hepatic dysfunction. Further signaling and metabolic markers were analyzed by immunohistochemistry in selected liver biopsy samples. We found a cytoplasmic and nuclear ErbB2 expression in hepatocytes from different disease conditions with the strongest expression detected in alcoholic steatohepatitis. Nuclear ErbB2 positivity significantly correlated with histologic parameters of hepatocellular damage including inflammatory activity in steatohepatitis, hepatocellular ballooning, and cholestasis. ErbB2 overexpressing hepatocytes revealed an increase of phospho-STAT3, a downstream effector of nuclear ErbB2 signaling. Notably, we observed in nuclear ErbB2-positive hepatocytes a downregulation of estrogen receptor expression. In alcoholic steatohepatitis and other toxic liver diseases, hepatocytes revealed a nuclear ErbB2 expression implying a so far unknown mechanism in hepatocytes upon cellular stress that might lead to resistance to cell death. Nuclear ErbB2-positive hepatocytes showed downregulation of estrogen receptor expression and increased levels of pSTAT3, which are signs of functionality of nuclear ErbB2 signaling. Furthermore, analysis of hepatocellular ErbB2 expression could serve as helpful tool for diagnosis of liver disease
Stereoselective multiple functionalization of pyrylium salts by domino reactions with 2-silyloxybuta-1,3-dienes
No full textDrilling with ultrashort laser pulses at high repetition rates
No full textUltrashort laser pulses offer extraordinary precision in microprocessing a variety of materials, especially metals. Thermal and mechanical damage can be minimized by working at fluences not too far above the ablation threshold. However, this comes at the expense of low ablation rates and thus high processing times. A scaling of processing speed by increasing the fluence results in degradation in quality. Therefore, in this chapter we investigate the potential for scaling the processing speed by increasing the pulse repetition rate to several 100 kHz up to the MHz regime with average laser powers of up to 100 W exemplary for percussion drilling of metals. Limiting factors like particle shielding and heat accumulation are identified, their dependence on laser parameters as well as material properties are discussed and options for drilling at significantly improved speeds are highlighted
Heavy quark free energies and screening at finite temperature and non-zero baryon chemical potential
No full textDoring M, Ejiri S, Kaczmarek O, Karsch F, Laermann E. Heavy quark free energies and screening at finite temperature and non-zero baryon chemical potential. In: PoS. Vol LAT2005. 2006: 193
The influence of hydraulics, hydrology and temperature on the distribution, habitat use and recruitment of threatened cyprinids in a Western Cape river, South Africa
No full textIncludes abstract.Includes bibliographical references (p. 149-171).This study aims to explore the relationships between river flow and fish ecology in the context of the riverscape model of river ecosystems by examining the seasonal distribution of two endangered fish species, i.e. the Clanwilliam yellowfish and Clanwilliam sawfin, in relation to their physical (structural) and hydraulic habitat requirements at several scales, and to assess the importance temporal changes in flow and temperature in relation to the timing of key life history events and recruitment. From these findings it aims to recommend water management strategies to ensure the persistence of remaining populations, as well as to suggest a way forward for fish habitat studies in South Africa. The study was conducted on the Driehoeks River, a tributary of the Doring River system, which rises in the Cederberg mountains of the Western Cape, South Africa. A 5.9 km segment of this river was selected for the study
Polysomnographic findings in restless legs syndrome (RLS) patients with severe augmentation
No full textNonmotor and diagnostic findings in subjects with de novo Parkinson disease of the DeNoPa cohort
No full textObjective: To determine nonmotor signs (NMS) and evaluate the utility of several diagnostic tools in patients with de novo Parkinson disease (PD). Methods: This is a large single-center study of the DeNoPa cohort, including frequency-matched healthy controls. This study covers motor signs, NMS, and a combination of diagnostic tests including olfactory testing, transcranial sonography of substantia nigra (TCS), and polysomnography (PSG). We report the frequency and characteristics of NMS and the outcomes of nonmotor tests at the time of diagnosis. Results: Cross-sectional analyses of baseline investigations identified significant differences in the NMS Questionnaire (NMSQuest) and the Scopa-AUT Gastrointestinal score in 159 drug-naive PD patients vs 110 controls. In addition, patients with PD showed reduced olfactory function, hyperechogenicity on TCS, and higher frequency of REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD). In exploring predictive markers, we found that the combination of several investigations, i.e., the NMSQuest, Scopa-AUT Gastrointestinal score, and Smell Identification Test reached an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.913 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.878-0.948). With the addition of serum cholesterol and mean heart rate values, the AUC value reached 0.919 (95% CI 886-0.953); when TCS and PSG were added, the AUC increased to 0.963 (95% CI 0.943-0.982). Conclusions: We show feasibility and utility of standardized data acquisition in a large, single-center cohort of patients with de novo PD and matched healthy controls. The baseline results from our prospective investigations reached a value of >0.9 sensitivity and specificity for biological markers when we added routine laboratory investigations and quantified nonmotor features including sleep
Variations on the Author
No full text“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Coenzyme Q(10) affects expression of genes involved in cell signalling, metabolism and transport in human CaCo-2 cells
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