Interstitial collagen fibrils form the supporting scaffold of all connective tissues. The synthesis of this framework is subject to a precise spatial and temporal regulation in order to meet the mechanical needs of every tissue type. A subgroup of non-fibrillar collagens termed FACIT seems to play a role in this regulation by providing specific molecular bridges between fibrils and other matrix...

There is an undeniable relationship between spirituality and health, and taking a spiritual history is a simple way to increase the focus on spiritual care. This is a pre/posttest intervention study. Questionnaires were administered before implementation of a spiritual assessment (pretest, n = 106), and afterward (posttest, n = 103). Despite a difficult implementation process, the number of con...

Background To examine the agreement of Health Care Providers (HCPs) and patients' evaluation of quality of life on the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness therapy - Palliative care module (FACIT-Pal) scale. Methods Sixty advanced cancer patients and fifty-six health care providers involved in their care at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre completed a modified version of the FACIT- Pal. ...

Chick cDNA clones for a new member of the FACIT (fibril-associated collagens with interrupted triple helices) subfamily have been isolated and sequenced. The collagen chain encoded by these cDNAs was assigned the next consecutive number, making it the alpha1(XX) collagen chain. Assignment of type XX collagen to the FACIT family was based on sequence similarities to types XII and XIV collagen. T...

During development, motor axons navigate from the spinal cord to their muscle targets in the periphery using stereotyped pathways. These pathways are broken down into shorter segments by intermediate targets where axon growth cones are believed to coordinate guidance cues. In zebrafish stumpy mutants, embryonic development proceeds normally; however, as trunk motor axons stall at their intermed...

INTRODUCTION Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has a negative impact on global quality of life (QOL) of patients. In patients affected by GERD, laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication is one of the most commonly performed laparoscopic procedures worldwide. AIM To prospectively analyze the dynamics of QOL as well as severity of pain in patients with GERD, before and after laparoscopic floppy N...

Fatigue is a symptom of many diseases, but it can also manifest as a unique medical condition, such as idiopathic chronic fatigue (ICF). While the prevalence of ICF increases with age, mitochondrial content and function decline with age, which may contribute to ICF. The purpose of this study was to determine whether skeletal muscle mitochondrial dysregulation and oxidative stress is linked to I...

OBJECTIVE To demonstrate the prevalence of neuromuscular hyperexcitability in Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) by electromyography ischaemia-hyperpnea test (IHT) and its correlation with clinical and clinimetric parameters. MATERIAL AND METHODS One hundred and forty-five FMS patients underwent IHT to evaluate neuromuscular hyperexcitability and were evaluated for pain (numeric Rating Scale and Reg...

BACKGROUND Bullying in childhood is ubiquitous and associated with a number of identified negative outcomes in both childhood and adulthood. However, the relationship between being bullied in childhood and religious/spiritual status in adulthood has never been explored. METHOD Using a cross-sectional sample of 324 consecutive internal medicine outpatients and a survey methodology, we examined...

INTRODUCTION We hypothesised that fatigue in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is related to TNF-alpha induced dysregulation of cerebral blood flow. Our objectives were to assess fatigue, cognitive function and cerebral blood flow before and after initiation of anti-TNF treatment. METHODS In a pilot study, 15 patients initiating treatment with adalimumab were assessed for fatigue using a visual analo...