alpha-Solanine and alpha-chaconine are two naturally occurring steroidal glycoalkaloids in potatoes (Solanum tuberosum), and solanidine-N-oxide is a corresponding steroidal aglycone. The objective of this research was to screen potential cyto-toxicity of these potato glycoalkaloids using bovine oocyte maturation, in vitro fertilization techniques and subsequent embryonic development as the in v...

Previous cross-sectional research has shown that prelingually deaf children who use cochlear implants (CIs) show enhancement when speech is presented in an audiovisual (AV) format compared to auditory-alone (A-alone) and visual-alone (V-alone) formats. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the development of AV integration skills in this clinical population. We examined the AV sen...

BACKGROUND The impact of ICD therapy on patient well being has typically focused on mean differences between groups, thereby neglecting changes within individuals. Using an intra-individual approach, we examined (i) the prevalence of implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) patients maintaining their pre implantation level of psychological functioning at 12 months, and (ii) factors associat...

PURPOSE To investigate the effect of cataract surgery and yellow-tinted intraocular lens (IOLs) implantation on perimetry indices of short-wavelength automated perimetry (SWAP) and standard automated perimetry (SAP) testing in patients with coexisting cataract and glaucoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this prospective comparative case series, phacoemulsification with implantation of yellow-tinte...

Determining the molecular mechanisms in the regulation of early embryonic development is crucial for assisted reproductive technology clinical applications. Serine/threonine protein kinase 40 (Stk40) is a member of the serine/threonine kinase family. It is essential in diverse signaling pathways associated with a wide range of cellular activities, including proliferation, differentiation, survi...

During pre-implantation mouse development, embryos form blastocysts with establishment of the first two cell lineages: the trophectoderm (TE) which gives rise to the placenta, and the inner cell mass (ICM) which will form the embryo proper. Differentiation of TE is regulated by the transcription factor Caudal-related homeobox 2 (Cdx2), but the mechanisms which act upstream of Cdx2 expression re...

PurposeThis study aims to evaluate the fluctuation of serum Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH) in patients who are post-HeartMate 3 (HM3) Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) implantation and determine if routine monitoring LDH values has changed management patients, outcomes, or detected any pump thrombosis events.MethodsThis is a retrospective cohort reviewing electronic medical records forty-eight...

Implantation, a critical step for mammals in establishing pregnancy, requires successful completion of sequential events such as maternal uterine development, conceptus development and attachment, and placental formation. To reach the stage of placental formation, synchronized development of the conceptus and uterus throughout the implantation period is absolutely required. A number of factors ...

BACKGROUND To assess clinical application of computed tomography (CT)-guided (125)I seed implantation for patients who cannot endure or unwillingly receive repeated surgery, chemotherapy, or radiotherapy for unmanageable cervical lymph node metastases in head and neck cancer (HNC). METHODS Thirty-one consecutive patients received CT-guided (125)I seed implantation between February 2010 and De...