The IVM of canine oocytes is characterized by low rates of metaphase II. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of hCG on meiotic development of canine oocytes for culture periods up to 96 h. Oocytes were collected after ovariohysterectomy. Only oocytes >110 microm in diameter, with a homogeneous dark cytoplasm and three or more layers of compact cumulus cells were used. For IV...

This research characterized the effects of water quality and organism age on the toxicity of nickel (Ni) to fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) to facilitate the accurate development of site-specific water-quality criteria. Nickel sulfate hexahydrate (NiSO4 x 6H2O) was used as the Ni source for performing acute toxicity tests (median lethal concentration after 96-h exposure [96-h LC50]) with ...

BACKGROUND According to several studies, women are at higher risk for mortality and experience less relief of angina after coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) than men. Sex-related differences in patients undergoing totally endoscopic coronary bypass grafting (TECABG) have not been investigated thus far. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of sex on the outcome of pa...

BACKGROUND Durable efficacy and long-term safety of antiretroviral therapy are important goals in the management of treatment-experienced patients. The 96-week efficacy and safety of the non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) etravirine were evaluated in the Phase III DUET trials. METHODS HIV type-1-infected treatment-experienced adults with viral loads >5,000 copies/ml and NN...

Trichothecene mycotoxins, potent translational inhibitors that are associated with human food poisonings and damp-building illnesses, are of considerable concern to animal and human health. Food refusal is a hallmark of exposure of experimental animals to deoxynivalenol (DON) and other Type B trichothecenes but less is known about the anorectic effects of foodborne Type A trichothecenes (e.g., ...

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between HBV DNA levels at baseline and on-treatment and the virological response at 96 weeks after adefovir add-on therapy in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients with lamivudine resistance. METHODS Lamivudine and adefovir combination therapy was administered to 122 CHB patients for >24 months. RESULTS Virological response (...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of a dual-source computed tomography (DSCT) coronary angiography, with a particular focus on the effect of heart rate and calcifications. MATERIALS AND METHODS One hundred and nine patients with suspected coronary disease were divided into 2 groups according to a mean heart rate (< 70 bpm and >or= 70 bpm) and into 3 groups according to the mean Ag...

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to evaluate the image quality and diagnostic accuracy of very low-dose, dual-source computed tomography (DSCT) angiography for the evaluation of coronary stents. BACKGROUND Iterative reconstruction (IR) leads to substantial reduction of image noise and hence permits the use of very low-dose data acquisition protocols in coronary computed tomography ang...