PURPOSE To identify the gene mutation underlying Avellino corneal dystrophy in a four-generation Chinese pedigree. METHODS Patients from the affected family underwent detailed clinical examination involving slit-lamp photography and confocal microscopy. Genomic DNA extracted from peripheral leukocytes was amplified using touch-down PCR for gene scanning. Two-point linkage analysis and haploty...

Background: Alternative splicing commonly occurs in cancer cells and many cancer specific splice variants have been reported as potential candidate biomarkers of the disease. We have studied human tissue Kallikrein 7 (KLK7) mRNA expression profile in breast cancer patients of our region. KLK7 is member of a multi-gene family consisting of 15 members (KLK1-KLK15). Methods: We optimized touch dow...

This study evaluated the occurrence of highly or minimally leukotoxic strains of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (Aa) from patients with Down syndrome and the distribution of the different serotype-specific genotypes of this microorganism. Sixty-seven patients with Down syndrome were subjected to dental, periodontal and radiographic evaluations. Samples of subgingival biofilm were collect...

Sensory attenuation of self-touch, that is, the perceptual reduction self-generated tactile stimuli, is considered a neurocognitive basis for self-other distinction. However, whether this effect can also be found in upper limb amputees using prosthesis unknown. Thirteen participants were asked to touch their foot sole with a) intact hand (self-touch), b) (prosthesis-touch), or c) let it touched...

Background: Recently, the "Disruptions in the Energy Field" have been omitted from the list of nursing diagnoses published by the North American Nursing Diagnosis Association (NANDA). Therapeutic touch is a scientific nursing intervention. The aim of this systematic review was to identify the efficacy of therapeutic touch (TT) and investigate the tenability of omitting this diagnosis from the N...

The sense of touch is represented by neural activity patterns evoked by mechanosensory input forces. The rodent whisker system is exceptional for studying the neurophysiology of touch in part because these forces can be precisely computed from video of whisker deformation. We evaluate the accuracy of a standard model of whisker bending, which assumes quasi-static dynamics and a linearly tapered...

Peppermint has considerable commercial value and widely cultivated for essential oil production, especially menthol. The aim of this study was to determine the quantitative expression of pulegone reductase (pr), menthofuran synthase (mfs) and limonene synthase (ls) genes in menthol biosynthesis pathway in Mentha x piperita , using semiquantitative RT-PCR analysis and evaluating menthol producti...

Interaction possibilities are perceived as being diverse and self-evident, especially caused by rapid technology developments. The availability of interaction possibilities is not consciously experienced as something special but it rather appears as an unconscious perception. The process of interaction via touch gestures is nowadays a standard in many technologies. Additional technologies, such...