BACKGROUND To evaluate the clinical usefulness of serum levels of soluble form of endoglin in stage III colorectal adenocarcinomas (CRC) patients for detection of recurrence. METHODS The case-control study consisted of 80 stage III CRC patients who underwent surgery with curative intent and 70 age-and sex-matched healthy volunteers. Serum levels of soluble form of endoglin (sol-end) were meas...

A study of PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) sol-gel-coated channels fabricated using soft lithography and a laser direct writing technique is presented. PDMS is a biocompatible material that presents a high versatility to reproduce several structures. It is widely employed in the fabrication of preclinical devices due to its advantages but it presents a rapid chemical deterioration to organic solven...

The effectiveness of silica sol grout on mudstones is reported in this paper. Using X-ray diffraction (XRD), the study investigates how the silica sol grout modifies mudstone mineralogy. Micropore sizes and mechanical properties of the mudstone before and after grouting with four different materials were determined with a surface area/porosity analyser and by uniaxial compression. Tests show th...

In view of the neuromuscular system plasticity the functional changes induced by partial denervation are presented. The long-term effects of partial denervation of postural (soleus-SOL) or flexor (extensor digitorum longus-EDL) muscles on their EMG activity were studied in rats. The activity per motor unit was significantly higher both in the partially denervated SOL and EDL muscles. During sta...

For detection of phenolic compounds a simple amperometric biosensor based on tyrosinase immobilized in titania sol-gel/Nafion composite was employed. Titania sol-gel was mixed with Nafion (v/v) in ratios 1:1 (TiO2/NF-1/1) and 2:1 (TiO2/NF-2/1), v/v. Morphology of immobilization composites was characterized by scanning electron microscopy. Analytical performance of biosensors with Nafion and bas...

Inflammation of the respiratory tract is a crucial process in immune diseases, including asthma, and atopic rhinitis. To establish whether an aqueous extract of Spinacia oleracea Linn (SoL) has a beneficial influence in terms of anti-asthmatic activity, we examined its effects on an ovalbumin-induced asthmatic model. Mice sensitized to ovalbumin were orally administered the SoL extract, and the...

Exocytosis of extrusomes, secretory granules found in protozoa, is involved in prey capture by the heliozoon Actinophrys sol. Here we show that extracellular Ca 2+ is necessary for exocytosis and prey capture in A. sol. We found that A. sol could not capture prey cells in a Ca 2+-free solution. L-type Ca 2+ channel blockers and a calmodulin antagonist also inhibited the capture of prey. These r...

We develop a predictive theory applicable to the scrape-off layer (SOL) of inner-wall limited plasmas. Using the non-linear flattening of the pressure profile as a saturation mechanism for resistive ballooning modes, we are able to demonstrate and quantify the increase of the SOL width with plasma size, connection length, plasma β, and collisionality. Individual aspects of the theory, such as s...

absorption spectra of the composite sol-gel (blue solid) and pure photochromic sol-gel (black solid). The open-form ∆OD for composite solgel (red dash). The inset is the chemical structure of the composite molecule with donor moiety (bottom red) and acceptor moiety (top blue). (d) The thermally reversing photokinetic measurement of the open-form ∆OD (460nm) of the composite sol-gel, recovering ...

Experimental treatments of logging-debris retention (0%, 40%, or 80% surface coverage) and competing vegetation control (initial or annual applications) were installed at two sites in the Pacific Northwest following clearcutting Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco var. menziesii) stands to assess short-term effects on tree N acquisition, soil N supply, and total soil N. Vegetation...