Estimating species phylogeny from a single gene tree can be especially problematic for studies of species flocks in which diversification has been rapid. Here we compare a phylogenetic hypothesis derived from cytochrome b (cyt b) sequences with another based on amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLP) for 60 specimens of a monophyletic riverine species flock of mormyrid electric fishes co...

AIMS To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of nonpenetrating filtering surgery in the treatment of patients with open-angle glaucoma. METHODS Pertinent studies were selected by extensive searches. A total of 17 randomized controlled trials were included in the present meta-analysis. The main outcome measures were risk differences (RDs) of complete success for efficacy and postoperative co...

PURPOSE To study the outcome and control of intraocular pressure (IOP) of a combined modified nonpenetrating deep sclerectomy (NPDS) without use of implants and phacoemulsification in patients with primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) and cataract. METHODS Prospective series of 14 eyes in 14 patients with medically uncontrolled POAG and cataract with significant visual impairment undergoing a m...

Background. Little is known which factors influence the blinding in acupuncture studies. Aim. To investigate if blinding varied between patients with different characteristics receiving verum or sham acupuncture. Methods. We randomised cancer patients to verum (n = 109) or sham acupuncture (n = 106) with a nonpenetrating telescopic sham needle for nausea. Level of blinding was compared between ...

Nonpenetrating, blunt chest trauma is a serious medical condition with varied clinical presentations and implications. This can be the result of a dense projectile during competitive and recreational sports but may also include other etiologies such as motor vehicle accidents or traumatic falls. In this setting, the manifestation of ventricular arrhythmias has been observed both acutely and chr...

Novel decontamination technologies, including cold low-pressure plasma and blue light (400 nm), are promising alternatives to conventional surface decontamination methods. However, the standardization of the assessment of such sterilization processes remains to be accomplished. Bacterial endospores of the genera Bacillus and Geobacillus are frequently used as biological indicators (BIs) of ster...

This study aims to test the feasibility of a randomised clinical trial to evaluate how acupuncture affects atopic dermatitis (AD) symptoms and quality of life and to explore potential biomarkers that may be associated with AD. It is a sham-controlled trial in which 30 eligible patients will be randomly allocated in a 1 : 1 : 1 ratio to one of three groups: verum acupuncture (VA) group 1 (3 time...

Absorbance signals were recorded from cut single skeletal muscle fibers stained with the nonpenetrating potentiometric dye NK2367 and mounted in a three-vaseline-gap voltage clamp . The characteristics of the optical signals recorded under current and voltage-clamp conditions were studied at various wavelengths between 500 and 800 nm using unpolarized light . Our results indicate that the absor...

BACKGROUND Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory disorder with diversity on its clinical presentation that may be observed from the varying age of onset of symptoms to the site of occurrence of the illness. There is a need for a replicable and uniform description of the disease allowing a comparison between distinct study populations. The 1998 Vienna classification characterizes patients ac...

High quality acupuncture clinical trials using single blind methods have been reported; however, the results of these single blind studies are controversial. Several investigators recently invented and validated a subject masking, single blind needle which to the subject looks and feels like a real needle. These recently designed placebo devices, which overcome the inadequacies of previous cont...