Cortex Eucommia has been used as a kidney-tonifying herbal medicine with a long history of compatibility with Fructus Psoraleae. Geniposide (GP) and geniposidic acid (GPA) are the two main chemical components in Cortex Eucommia. In the present study, the effects of Fructus Psoraleae extract (FPE) on intestinal absorption kinetics of GP and GPA in rat were investigated. Twenty four male Sprague-...

PURPOSE We evaluated the performance of the new 4-tiered melanoma-specific graded prognostic assessment (GPA) score and the previously published general GPA score in patients with brain metastases from malignant melanoma managed with different approaches including best supportive care. MATERIALS AND METHODS Retrospective analysis of 51 patients. Compared with the original analysis of the mela...

PURPOSE We investigated whether red blood cell distribution width (RDW) predicts vasculitis activity based on Birmingham vasculitis activity score (BVAS) or BVAS for granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) at diagnosis and poor prognosis during follow-up in patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV). MATERIALS AND METHODS We reviewed the medical record...

I have carried out numerical first principles calculations of the pressure dependence of the elastic moduli for several ordered structures in the Aluminum-Lithium system, specifically FCC Al, FCC and BCC Li, L12 Al3Li, and an ordered FCC Al7Li supercell. The calculations were performed using the full potential linear augmented plane wave method (LAPW) to calculate the total energy as a function...

Sapphire (Al2O3) crystals are used below 100 GPa as anvils and windows in dynamic-compression experiments because of their transparency and high density. Above 100 GPa shock pressures, sapphire becomes opaque and electrically conducting because of shock-induced defects. Such effects prevent temperature and dc conductivity measurements of materials compressed quasi-isentropically. Opacities and ...

A cDNA corresponding to a known G protein alpha subunit, the alpha subunit of Go (Go alpha), was isolated and sequenced. The predicted amino acid sequence of C. elegans Go alpha is 80-87% identical to other Go alpha sequences. An mRNA that hybridizes to the C. elegans Go alpha cDNA can be detected on Northern blots. A C. elegans protein that crossreacts with antibovine Go alpha antibody can be ...

INTRODUCTION In granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), a complex autoimmune small-vessel vasculitis frequently associated with chronic necrotizing inflammation of the nasal mucosa, elevated nasal Staphylococcus (S.) aureus carrier rates are a risk factor for relapse. As cytokines are primarily involved in the regulation of defense against potentially pathogenic microorganisms, the aim of this ...

In this study, two hydrazine derivatives, azobenzene and hydrazobenzene, were compressed in a diamond anvil cell at room temperature up to 28 GPa followed by decompression. In situ Raman spectroscopy was employed to monitor the pressure-induced structural evolutions. Azobenzene was found to undergo a phase transition at ~10 GPa. Further compression to 18 GPa resulted in an irreversible breakdow...

The elasticity and plasticity of materials at high pressure are of great importance for the fundamental insight they provide on bonding properties in dense matter and for applications ranging from geophysics to materials technology. We studied pressure-solidified argon with a boron-epoxy-beryllium composite gasket in a diamond anvil cell (DAC). Employing monochromatic synchrotron x-radiation an...

The authors present an unusual case of a patient suffering from visual deficit due to pituitary granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) associated with Rathke's cleft cyst (RCC). The patient was referred to our Neurosurgery Department presenting right eye amaurosis, third cranial nerve palsy, and left temporal hemianopsia. Magnetic resonance imaging documented a sellar or suprasellar lesion with...