Objective: Galectin-3 (Gal-3) has been suggested as a proinflammatory mediator in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We aimed to study clinical and pathogenic aspects of Gal-3 in RA. Method: Plasma samples from healthy controls (n = 48) and patients with newly diagnosed, early RA were assayed for soluble Gal-3. In patients with chronic RA (n = 18), Gal-3 was measured in both plasma and synovial fluid. Syn

Difficulties of managing cutlery, manipulating food on the plate and transporting food to the mouth may negatively influence the ability for self-provision and nutritional status among older adults with motoric eating difficulties. The purpose was to explore perceptions and attitudes about eating with the fingers among older adults with motoric eating difficulties, and relatives and professional c

In this study, the microbiological food safety of using anaerobic digestate as a fertilizer in hydroponic production of vegetables was evaluated. The used anaerobic digestate was a liquid residue obtained from the digestion of food waste in the production of biogas. Replacing the customary inorganic fertilizer used in hydroponic production with this recycled fertilizer (biofertilizer) could allow

Transplantation in Parkinson's disease using human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-derived dopaminergic (DA) neurons is a promising future treatment option. However, many of the mechanisms that govern their differentiation, maturation, and integration into the host circuitry remain elusive. Here, we engrafted hESCs differentiated toward a ventral midbrain DA phenotype into the midbrain of a preclinical

Galectin-1 is a β-galactoside-binding lectin with manifold biological functions. A single tryptophan residue (W68) in its carbohydrate binding site plays a major role in ligand binding and is highly conserved among galectins. To fine tune galectin-1 specificity, we introduced several non-canonical tryptophan analogues at this position of human galectin-1 and analyzed the resulting variants using g

Objective: To identify clinical and histopathological risk factors of LNM in T1 CRC. Summary of Background Data: The requisite of additional surgery after locally resected T1 CRC is dependent on the risk of LNM. Depth of submucosal invasion is used as a key predictor of lymphatic metastases although data are conflicting on its actual impact. Methods: Retrospective population-based cohort study on

Rationale: Atrial fibrillation causes one-fifth of ischemic strokes, with a high risk of early recurrence. Although long-term anticoagulation is highly effective for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation, initiation after stroke is usually delayed by concerns over intracranial hemorrhage risk. Direct oral anticoagulants offer a significantly lower risk of intracranial hemorrhage than other anti

Objective: To summarize the published evidence in the literature on the role of ultrasound and elastography to assess skin involvement in systemic sclerosis (SSc). Methods: A systematic literature review (SLR) was performed within the “Skin Ultrasound Working Group” of the World Scleroderma Foundation, according to the Cochrane Handbook. A search was conducted in Pubmed, Cochrane Library and Embas

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the inter-rater reliability and agreement of the diagnosis of otitis media with effusion, acute otitis media, and no effusion cases based on an otoscopy image and in some cases an additional wideband tympanometry measurement of the patient. Methods: 1409 cases were examined and diagnosed by an otolaryngologist in the clinic, and otoscopy examination and w

Objective: Basal ganglia structures play an important role in the pathophysiology of absence epilepsy, known as remote control of absence seizures. We examined the role of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic pathway in absence epilepsy through behavioral and electroencephalography (EEG) parameters, immunohistochemical, and biochemical characteristics of dopamine and serotonin in the genetic absence epi

The Commentator is a small-scale computer implementation of a model oftext production. The system simulates human behavior from the perceptionof events on a screen to the utterances. It is designed to allow anyone havingsome knowledge of Basic and access to a microcomputer to study the semantics of words (e.g. localization and movement predicates such asapproach, left/right, near, in front of, turThe Commentator is a small-scale computer implementation of a model oftext production. The system simulates human behavior from the perceptionof events on a screen to the utterances. It is designed to allow anyone havingsome knowledge of Basic and access to a microcomputer to study the semantics of words (e.g. localization and movement predicates such asapproach, left/right, near, in front of, tur