2,894 research outputs found

    Protective Effect of Ginseng Polysaccharides on Influenza Viral Infection

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    Ginseng polysaccharide has been known to have multiple immunomodulatory effects. In this study, we investigated whether Panax ginseng polysaccharide (GP) would have a preventive effect on influenza infection. Administration of mice with GP prior to infection was found to confer a survival benefit against infection with H1N1 (A/PR/8/34) and H3N2 (A/Philippines/82) influenza viruses. Mice infected with the 2009 H1N1 virus suspended in GP solution showed moderately enhanced survival rates and lower levels of lung viral titers and the inflammatory cytokine (IL-6). Daily treatment of vaccinated mice with GP improved their survival against heterosubtypic lethal challenge. This study demonstrates the first evidence that GP can be used as a remedy against influenza viral infection

    Breast cancer: Clinical stage at the time of presentation, its correlates and quality of life after treatment

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    Objective: Research worldwide indicates that early presentation of breast cancer leads to early intervention and better prognosis with improved quality of life. Our objectives were to determine the clinical stage of breast cancer in Sri Lankan women at the time of presentation, its correlates and its association with their quality of life after interventions. Methods: A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted on 200 breast cancer patients attending two selected tertiary care centers in Colombo district, who have undergone treatment. A pre-piloted interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to assess stage of breast cancer at the time of presentation and its correlates. Interviewer-administered SF-36 health survey was used to assess their quality of life. Results: Early clinical staging (UICC 0, I, II) was seen in 64.6%.  Duration between noticing the first symptom and seeking medical care  is significantly (p< 0.01) associated with age, educational level, self breast examination, breast cancer screening, spouse’s influence and stigma. This duration showed a stronger association (p< 0.001) with presenting symptom, family history, monthly income, availability of transport, initial ayurveda treatment, fear of detection, fear of surgery, embarrassment, and unawareness. Mean SF 36 score was 46. Fifty nine percent of both early and late clinical staged patients had a score  above mean. Conclusion: Promotion of self breast examination and screening for breast cancer is of value in early detection and presentation. Improved awareness about breast cancer and a facilitatory health care process would improve outcome of disease.

    Trends in solids/liquids poisoning suicide rates in Taiwan: a test of the substitution hypothesis

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    <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Several previous studies have illustrated that restricting access to lethal methods can reduce suicide rates. The most often cited example was Kreitman's study, showing a reduction not only in gas-specific suicide rates, but also in the overall suicide rates because of the lack of increase of other methods. However, method substitution is still a major concern in the application of the means restriction strategy to prevent suicide. The aim of the study was to investigate whether the reduction in the solids/liquids poisoning suicide rate in 1983-1993 after the launching of pesticide restriction interventions in Taiwan was accompanied with an increase in the suicide rate using other methods (method substitution).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data on age-, sex- and method-specific suicide rates for 1971-1993 in Taiwan were obtained. Changes in solids/liquids poisoning suicide rates were compared with suicide rates by hanging and other methods between 1983 and 1993.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>No concomitant increase in suicide rates by hanging or other methods was noted from 1983 to 1993, during which the suicide rates by poisoning with solids/liquids (mainly pesticides) decreased markedly and steadily. The phenomenon of method substitution was also not found by sex and age groups.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In general, no method substitution was found along with the reduction in solids/liquids suicide rates in Taiwan. Our study results have also added the evidence that restricting access to methods maybe a promising strategy in preventing suicide, particularly in those countries where the "target method" has been found to contribute greatly to the suicide rates.</p

    Variational Methods for Biomolecular Modeling

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    Structure, function and dynamics of many biomolecular systems can be characterized by the energetic variational principle and the corresponding systems of partial differential equations (PDEs). This principle allows us to focus on the identification of essential energetic components, the optimal parametrization of energies, and the efficient computational implementation of energy variation or minimization. Given the fact that complex biomolecular systems are structurally non-uniform and their interactions occur through contact interfaces, their free energies are associated with various interfaces as well, such as solute-solvent interface, molecular binding interface, lipid domain interface, and membrane surfaces. This fact motivates the inclusion of interface geometry, particular its curvatures, to the parametrization of free energies. Applications of such interface geometry based energetic variational principles are illustrated through three concrete topics: the multiscale modeling of biomolecular electrostatics and solvation that includes the curvature energy of the molecular surface, the formation of microdomains on lipid membrane due to the geometric and molecular mechanics at the lipid interface, and the mean curvature driven protein localization on membrane surfaces. By further implicitly representing the interface using a phase field function over the entire domain, one can simulate the dynamics of the interface and the corresponding energy variation by evolving the phase field function, achieving significant reduction of the number of degrees of freedom and computational complexity. Strategies for improving the efficiency of computational implementations and for extending applications to coarse-graining or multiscale molecular simulations are outlined.Comment: 36 page

    Comparative Study of Alternating Low-band-Gap Benzothiadiazole Co-oligomers

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    The benzothiadiazole – arylene alternating conjugated oligomers have been designed and synthesized via Suzuki coupling reaction. The structures and properties of the conjugated oligomers were characterized by 1HNMR, 13CNMR, UV–vis absorption spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The luminescent measurements demonstrate that polybenzothiadiazoles are good chromophores able to form thin films by Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) technique, making them suitable for further applications. Also the electrical properties of obtained films confirm the good potential of these novel aryl-based π-conjugated polymers for the development of various electrical and electrochemical solid-state devices
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