Thirty-two female EDS type III patients as defined by the Villefranche criteria and 32 individually gender- and age-matched healthy control subjects were included in the study. Range of motion was determined using a goniometer, passive and active JPS were assessed with an isokinetic dynamometer system, selleck chemicals and the VPS was measured by a biothesiometer. Daily physical activity was evaluated by the Baecke questionnaire. The EDS type III group showed significantly larger ranges
of movement (P < 0.05) and lower levels of sport physical activity (SPA) compared to the control group (P = 0.023). Considering SPA as covariate, the EDS type III group demonstrated a significant impairment in knee joint reposition compared to the control group (P = 0.018). No significant differences were found for Screening Library concentration shoulder
JPS. The VPS was not significantly different in the EDS type III group compared to the control group. In addition, no significant correlation was found between JPS and VPS, neither at the knee nor at the shoulder joint. This is the first study examining proprioception deficits in EDS type III patients as defined by the Villefranche criteria. Further research on the neurophysiological dysfunctions and mechanisms in this pathologic entity is needed.”
“Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) is associated with the development of Kaposi’s sarcoma and several other human malignancies. The prevalence of HHV-8 DNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in Taiwanese leukemia populations has not been investigated. In this study, HHV-8 DNA was extracted from PBMCs, and detected in 10.29% of the leukemia cases and 8.94% of the relatives’
cases. In addition, the prevalence of HHV-8 DNA in PBMCs was nonsignificantly associated with gender, age and leukemia SB431542 mouse subtypes. The study examines the prevalence of HHV-8 DNA in PBMCs in Taiwanese leukemia and can be applied in further epidemiological studies.”
“In a nonuniform nematic liquid crystal director reorientation may take place as a result of a temperature gradient. We formulated a two-dimensional model of the temperature gradient caused by the light absorption of a Gaussian laser beam impinging normally on the liquid crystal cell. Within this model, we calculated the director reorientation and the subsequent optical nonlinearity of the liquid crystal. (c) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3525992]“
“Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by fibrosis of the skin and internal organs, which can cause significant morbidity and mortality. The prognostic factors for survival were not fully evaluated in Asian population. We investigated the prognostic factors for survival of SSc among Korean patients. A total of 243 SSc patients were enrolled from Seoul National University Hospital between 1972 and 2007.