Tuberculosis is one of the most serious infectious diseases worldwide. The initial pulmonal localization of the pathogens often develops into systemic infection with high lethality. We investigated the role of the mammalian neutral sphingomyelinase (Nsm)/ceramide system in systemic infection of mice and murine macrophages with Mycobacterium bovis Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG). Our results demo...

A Florida isolate of Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) was able to complement cell-to-cell movement of a movement-defective Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) vector expressing the jellyfish green fluorescent protein (GFP). To test for complementation of movement in the absence of other TSWV proteins, the open reading frame for the NSm protein was expressed from TMV constructs encoding only the TMV repl...

The present study aimed to evaluate the role of adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) following nipple-sparing mastectomy (NSM) for patients with ductal carcinoma in situ and invasive breast cancer, based on the published literature. Currently, there is no standard for RT following NSM. NSM aims to spare the nipple areola complex (NAC) without compromising locoregional control. Long-term follow-up studies...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 6R-L-erythro-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4 ) is an essential cofactor for nitric oxide biosynthesis. Substantial clinical evidence indicates that intravenous BH4 restores vascular function in patients. Unfortunately, oral BH4 has limited efficacy. Therefore, orally bioavailable pharmacological activators of endogenous BH4 biosynthesis hold significant therapeutic poten...

Fiber reinforced polymer materials are continuing to show great promise for using strengthening reinforced concrete structures. These materials are an excellent option for use as external reinforcing, because of their light weight, resistant to corrosion and high strength. The main aim of this study is to investigate the flexural characteristic of RC beams using GFRP sheets and strips. This pap...

BACKGROUND Nipple-sparing mastectomy (NSM) is a recent advance in the therapeutic and prophylactic management of breast cancer; however, the procedure is associated with increased reconstructive complications. Data on NSM after previous breast augmentation are limited. OBJECTIVES The authors compared reconstructive complications after NSM between patients with previously augmented breasts and...

STUDY DESIGN Multicenter randomized controlled trial. OBJECTIVE To compare the efficacy and safety of balloon kyphoplasty (BKP) with nonsurgical management (NSM) during 24 months in patients with painful vertebral compression fractures (VCFs). SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA Recently, several large randomized controlled trials have been conducted and reported how vertebral augmentation compares ...

Neurogenic stunned myocardium (NSM) is a well-known complication of subarachnoidal hemorrhage, but has been reported rarely in association with other central nervous system disorders. A case of NSM is described in a patient with hemorrhagic brain contusion associated with cerebral edema. An 18-year-old man was admitted with severe cranial trauma following a car roll-over. Six days after admissi...

BACKGROUND To compare improvement in quality of life (QoL) and symptoms' relief in vertebral compression fractures (VCF) due to osteoporosis for patients undergoing balloon kyphoplasty (BKP) to those undergoing non-surgical management (NSM) in a real-life setting. METHODS In this prospective, comparative study, quality-of-life was evaluated in eight centres in Germany between 2005 and 2008, f...

Reinforced concrete (RC) structures require strengthening for numerous factors, such as increased load, modification of the structural systems, structural upgrade or errors in the design and construction stages. The side near-surface mounted (SNSM) strengthening technique with glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars is a relatively new emerging technique for enhancing the flexural capacities...