INTRODUCTION Achilles tendon rupture affects over 11 000 people yearly in the UK, and the incidence is increasing. Controversy remains with regard to the best rehabilitation strategy for these patients. In operatively treated patients, functional bracing provides better outcomes compared with plaster casts. However, the role of functional bracing in non-operatively managed patients is unclear. ...

INTRODUCTION High-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) remains challenging given the high probability of progression. Given that the androgen receptor (AR) has been discussed as a possible factor in the development and progression of bladder cancer, we investigated the predictive value of AR in stage pT1 NMIBC. MATERIALS AND METHODS We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data and...

Background: Stress has been considered a triggering factor for multiple sclerosis (MS) since the description of the disease by Jean-Martin Charcot. Until our times, many published studies have supported that both MS onset and relapse could be predisposed by psychological stress. This review aims to synthesize existing knowledge of the relationship between psychological stress and MS onset and r...

BACKGROUND The high occurrence and under-treatment of clinical depression and behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) within aged care settings is concerning, yet training programs aimed at improving the detection and management of these problems have generally been ineffective. This article presents a study protocol to evaluate a training intervention for facility managers/reg...

Let V be a smooth equidimensional quasi-affine variety of dimension r over C and let F be a (p× s)-matrix of coordinate functions of C[V ], where s ≥ p+ r. The pair (V, F ) determines a vector bundle E of rank s− p over W := {x ∈ V | rkF (x) = p}. We associate with (V, F ) a descending chain of degeneracy loci of E (the generic polar varieties of V represent a typical example of this situation)...

Background: An intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) is the most commonly used circulatory assist device in cardiac surgery. We hypothesized that prophylactic application of an IABP improves early clinical outcome of high-risk patients undergoing scheduled off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCABG). Methods: From January 2010 to December 2013, hemodynamically stable, high-risk patients underg...

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES Circulating microRNAs (miRNA) are involved in the posttranscriptional regulation of genes associated with lipid metabolism (miRNA-33) and vascular function and angiogenesis (miRNA-126). The objective of this exploratory study was to measure plasma levels of miRNA-33 and miRNA-126 in patients with plaque psoriasis and evaluate their association with clinical parameter...

Recently user−oriented online sharing communities have seen explosive growth. Two characteristics of these communities set them apart from traditional online message−based communities such as online forums. First, users have no social ties before joining the community. Second, there is little or no “verbal” communication between users. This research investigates the structure and dynamics of on...

Dendropanax morbifera Léveille, an endemic species in Korea, is best known as a tree that produces a resinous sap. Although D. morbifera is used in folk medicine, its biological activities are poorly understood. In this study, the methanolic extracts of D. morbifera branches, debarked stems, bark, and two different stages of leaves were evaluated for anti-oxidant activity and anti-cancer potent...

BACKGROUND Traditional biomechanical evaluations of rotator cuff repair techniques employ cyclic loading of the supraspinatus tendon in an isolated medial direction. PURPOSE This study was conducted to evaluate 2 different rotator cuff repair techniques that are currently the subject of debate with cyclic loading and with internal and external humeral rotation to better simulate postoperative...