BACKGROUND: It has been suggested that endoscopic grading of the gastroesophageal flap valve is a good predictor of the reflux status.METHODS: To test this hypothesis, 268 symptomatic patients underwent endoscopic grading of the gastroesophageal valve using Hill's classification, with grades I through IV. Esophageal acid exposure, lower esophageal sphincter characteristics, and the degree of esoph

BACKGROUND: Screening patients with columnar metaplasia of the oesophagus for adenocarcinoma is controversial owing to the low cancer incidence and diverging opinions as to whether screening improves the prognosis of these patients. Our aim was to evaluate a screening program for adenocarcinoma in patients with columnar metaplasia in the oesophagus, with focus on cancer incidence and costs.METHODS

Esophagectomy is considered a high-risk procedure in patients aged 70 years or older. This study evaluates the impact of two age groups (younger than 70 and 70 years or older) on clinical outcome and long-term survival rates following this procedure. This prospective study included survival analysis and clinical evaluations at 3, 6, and 12 months after esophagectomy. All esophagectomy patients und

The prevalence of anastomotic strictures in esophageal anastomoses provides us with limited information about the anastomotic healing process. This prospective study evaluates the exact esophageal anastomotic diameters in 256 patients who underwent esophagectomy and esophagogastrostomy without pyloroplasty (n = 107) or total gastrectomy and Roux reconstruction (n = 149). No perioperative chemoradi

This article examines the legal scope and pressing issues of applying the privileges and immunities of the representations of states to international organizations. The content of the privileges and immunities of state’s representations is analyzed. The pressing issues of the application of privileges and immunities of representations of states to international organizations are deliberated, and a

Intra- and extracellular levels of magnesium and potassium were determined in 16 subjects with insulin-dependent type I diabetes mellitus (IDDM) and 30 healthy controls. Subjects with IDDM had lower levels of magnesium in muscle biopsies (p less than 0.001), plasma (p less than 0.001), and mononuclear cells (p less than 0.05), and higher urinary excretions of magnesium (p less than 0.01), and lowe

Magnesium and potassium concentrations were determined in plasma, erythrocytes and urine collected during 24 h, and in percutaneous muscle biopsies obtained in 30 healthy subjects. Magnesium was also analyzed in mononuclear cells. Men, compared to women, showed a higher urinary excretion of magnesium (p less than 0.05). The magnesium contents in mononuclear cells correlated significantly with the Magnesium and potassium concentrations were determined in plasma, erythrocytes and urine collected during 24 h, and in percutaneous muscle biopsies obtained in 30 healthy subjects. Magnesium was also analyzed in mononuclear cells. Men, compared to women, showed a higher urinary excretion of magnesium (p less than 0.05). The magnesium contents in mononuclear cells correlated significantly with the

Magnesium and potassium were analyzed in plasma, erythrocytes, and urine collected during 24 h and in muscle biopsies from 25 subjects with insulin-dependent, type I diabetes mellitus (IDDM). Magnesium was also measured in mononuclear cells. The results were compared with those of 28 healthy controls, and were also correlated with the degree of diabetic control as estimated by analysis of the leve

In this study analysis of magnesium in mononuclear cells was compared to that in muscle in patients and healthy controls. Mononuclear cell concentrations of magnesium expressed as nmol/mg cell protein correlated significantly with muscle biopsy concentrations of magnesium (r = 0,68; p less than 0,001). Hence, we suggest that analyzing of magnesium in mononuclear cells could be an easy and convenie

H-kininogen (high-molecular-mass kininogen, HK) is the precursor of the vasoactive peptide hormone bradykinin (BK). Previous work has demonstrated that HK binds to Streptococcus pyogenes through M-proteins, fibrous surface proteins and important virulence factors of these bacteria. Here we find that M-protein-expressing bacteria absorb HK from human plasma. The HK bound to the bacteria was found t

The formation of the nuclear envelope and the subsequent compartmentalization of the genome is a defining feature of eukaryotes. Traditionally, the nuclear envelope was purely viewed as a physical barrier to preserve genetic material in eukaryotic cells. However, in the last few decades, it has been revealed to be a critical cellular component in controlling gene expression and has been implicated

Electroactive microorganisms possess the unique ability to transfer electrons to or from solid phase electron conductors, e.g., electrodes or minerals, through various physiological mechanisms. The processes are commonly known as extracellular electron transfer and broadly harnessed in microbial electrochemical systems, such as microbial biosensors, microbial electrosynthesis, or microbial fuel ce

Introduction: Home-based, clinically feasible trials in non–dialysis-dependent patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are sparse. We compared the effects of 2 different exercise training programs on physical performance, and measured glomerular filtration rate (mGFR) and albuminuria level in patients with CKD stages 3 to 5. Methods: This is a single-center, randomized controlled trial (RCT) c

On-line hyphenation of extraction with chromatography has been explored in several different types of combinations. However, monitoring the complete process of a dynamic, continuous-flow extraction is not possible with any hyphenated system reported so far. The current work demonstrates that this challenging task can be effectively fulfilled by using a parallel sampling interface, which mimics the