Unresectable Malignant Biliary Obstruction: Treatment by Self-Expandable Biliary Endoprostheses

The primary goal in the treatment of malignant obstruction is the relief of jaundice. Although operative biliary bypass is a reliable method of palliation, nonoperative palliation may be desirable in selected patients

Change in the micellar aggregation number or in the size distribution?: a dynamic fluorescence quenching study of aqueous cetyltrimethylammonium chloride

Aqueous solutions of cetyltrimethylammonium chloride were studied by means of dynamic fluorescence quenching measurements to get information on the micellar aggregation number and size polydispersity as a function of surfactant concentration. The global analysis of multiple decay curves provided estimates with improved accuracy and precision and indicated a reduced polydispersity upon increasing surfactant concentration. As the quenching rate slows with increasing surfactant concentration it is concluded that there is a micellar growth, but that this growth preferably increases the aggregation number for the smaller aggregates in the initially polydisperse solutions.Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicada

Change in the micellar aggregation number or in the size distribution?: a dynamic fluorescence quenching study of aqueous cetyltrimethylammonium chloride

Aqueous solutions of cetyltrimethylammonium chloride were studied by means of dynamic fluorescence quenching measurements to get information on the micellar aggregation number and size polydispersity as a function of surfactant concentration. The global analysis of multiple decay curves provided estimates with improved accuracy and precision and indicated a reduced polydispersity upon increasing surfactant concentration. As the quenching rate slows with increasing surfactant concentration it is concluded that there is a micellar growth, but that this growth preferably increases the aggregation number for the smaller aggregates in the initially polydisperse solutions.Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicada

Mapping genomic loci implicates genes and synaptic biology in schizophrenia

Schizophrenia has a heritability of 60-80%1, much of which is attributable to common risk alleles. Here, in a two-stage genome-wide association study of up to 76,755 individuals with schizophrenia and 243,649 control individuals, we report common variant associations at 287 distinct genomic loci. Associations were concentrated in genes that are expressed in excitatory and inhibitory neurons of the central nervous system, but not in other tissues or cell types. Using fine-mapping and functional genomic data, we identify 120 genes (106 protein-coding) that are likely to underpin associations at some of these loci, including 16 genes with credible causal non-synonymous or untranslated region variation. We also implicate fundamental processes related to neuronal function, including synaptic organization, differentiation and transmission. Fine-mapped candidates were enriched for genes associated with rare disruptive coding variants in people with schizophrenia, including the glutamate receptor subunit GRIN2A and transcription factor SP4, and were also enriched for genes implicated by such variants in neurodevelopmental disorders. We identify biological processes relevant to schizophrenia pathophysiology; show convergence of common and rare variant associations in schizophrenia and neurodevelopmental disorders; and provide a resource of prioritized genes and variants to advance mechanistic studies