Aristolochic acid (AA), a naturally occurring nephrotoxin and carcinogen, has been associated with the development of urothelial cancer in humans. Understanding which human enzymes are involved in AA metabolism is important in the assessment of an individual's susceptibility to this carcinogen. Using the 32P-postlabeling assay we examined the ability of enzymes of cytosolic samples from 10 diff...

BACKGROUND Adrenaline autoinjectors (AAIs) are prescribed to facilitate the intramuscular administration of adrenaline in patients diagnosed with life-threatening anaphylaxis. This pilot study investigated the injection and functional properties of two AAIs (deploying different delivery systems) under standard conditions, after dynamic and mechanical stresses, and in the presence of denim. ME...

BACKGROUND Aristolochic acid I (AAI) has been implicated in urothelial cell carcinoma (UCC) in humans. However, whether AAI promotes invasion/migration of UCC has not been established. METHODS A study of human UCC TSGH cells cultured with AAI was conducted. Cell viability, the effects of AAI on the activity of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9, the abilities of invasion/migration and the migra...

BACKGROUND The bispectral index (BIS) and A-line autoregressive index (AAI) are electroencephalogram-derived monitoring indices of anesthesia. This study evaluated the efficacy of BIS- and AAI-guided sevoflurane anesthesia in children receiving ambulatory urologic surgeries. METHODS One hundred sixty children (aged 3-12 years) undergoing ambulatory urologic surgery were randomized to receive ...

Objective To evaluate the occurrence and frequency of abnormalities at the second and third cervical vertebral junction (C2/3) in dogs with and without atlantoaxial instability (AAI). Study Design Retrospective multi-institutional case-controlled case series. Animals One hundred and seventeen dogs with AAI and 117 dogs without AAI. Methods Radiographs, together with computer tomographic images ...

PURPOSE The optimal pacing mode with either single chamber atrial pacemaker (AAI or AAIR) or dual chamber pacemaker (DDD or DDDR) is still not clear in sinus-node dysfunction (SND) and intact atrioventricular (AV) conduction. MATERIALS AND METHODS Patients who were implanted with permanent pacemaker using AAI(R) (n = 73) or DDD(R) (n = 113) were compared. RESULTS The baseline characteristic...

Animal-assisted Intervention (AAI) is a goal-oriented intervention that intentionally includes or incorporates animals in health, education, and human service for the purpose of therapeutic gains in humans. AAI incorporates human-animal teams in formal human service such as Animal-assisted Therapy (AAT) or Animal-assisted Education (AAE). Animal-assisted Activity (AAA) is the informal AAI often...

UNLABELLED Aristolochic acid is the cause of aristolochic acid nephropathy (AAN) and Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN) and their associated urothelial malignancies. Using Western blotting, we investigated the expression of NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase (NQO1), the most efficient cytosolic enzyme that reductively activates aristolochic acid I (AAI) in mice and rats. In addition, the effect of ...

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in the legs, measured noninvasively by the ankle-arm index (AAI) is associated with clinically manifest cardiovascular disease (CVD) and its risk factors. To determine risk of total mortality, coronary heart disease, or stroke mortality and incident versus recurrent CVD associated with a low AAI, we examined the relationship of the AAI to subsequent CVD events ...

BACKGROUND Although a low ankle-arm index (AAI) has been reported to be associated with increased risk of cardiovascular mortality in several populations, no data exist concerning the impact of AAI for outpatients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) in the clinical setting. METHODS AND RESULTS The present study enrolled 840 outpatients (age range 35-87 years, mean age 63.9+/-10.2) wi...