biochemistry, and in science in general, is a topic that has been left in the hands of the social scientists for too long. Although some [1] provide interesting perspectives, too often their epistemology of humor within the scientific milieu is, inevitably, of limited scope. Too often, in the course of deconstructing the semiotic architecture of scientific humor, the signifier has been confused...

PURPOSE Robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RPN) has emerged as an alternative treatment for the management of small renal masses. This study was designed to investigate parameters that predict perioperative outcomes during RPN. MATERIALS AND METHODS We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 113 patients who underwent RPN between September 2008 and May 2012 at the Seoul National Univ...

OBJECTIVE To assess the defect rates in latex examination gloves used in selected dental practices in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. METHODS In this cross-sectional study, a total of 796 latex examination gloves were collected from 5 governmental hospitals and 5 private dental practices between April 2012 and May 2012. The gloves were assessed for presence of defects visually (VT) and using water infl...

Agarwood is the fragrant resin-infused wood derived from the wounded trees of Aquilaria species. It is a valuable non-timber forest product used in fragrances and as medicine. Reforestation for Aquilaria trees in combination with artificial agarwood-inducing methods serves as a way to supply agarwood and conserve of wild Aquilaria stock. However, the existing agarwood-inducing methods produce p...

The aim of this study was to assess the outcomes of early Introduction vascular release in robot-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (RAPN) to reduce warm ischaemia time (WIT) and minimise renal dysfunction. RAPN is increasingly utilised in the management of small renal masses. To this end it is imperative that WIT is kept to a minimum to maintain renal function. RAPN was performed via a ...

INTRODUCTION The aim of this study was to assess the outcomes of early vascular release in robot-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (RAPN) to reduce warm ischaemia time (WIT) and minimise renal dysfunction. RAPN is increasingly utilised in the management of small renal masses. To this end it is imperative that WIT is kept to a minimum to maintain renal function. METHODS RAPN was perfor...

Water-induced thermotherapy (WIT), administered by the Thermoflex System, represents a novel minimally invasive technique for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The Thermoflex System consists of an extracorporeal heat source and a proprietary closed-loop catheter system. Water, heated to 60 degrees C, is continuously circulated through the catheter to a treatment balloon, whic...

LINC (linker of nucleoskeleton and cytoskeleton) complexes play an essential role in nuclear migration by connecting the nucleus to the cytoskeleton and/or motor proteins. Plant LINC complexes have recently been identified in Arabidopsis thaliana, with the inner nuclear membrane SUN and outer nuclear membrane WIP proteins comprising the first identified complex. A recent study identified a nucl...