0001) and mediator (p < 0.001) of mortality in AF patients.

CONCLUSIONS: There was a high Ruboxistaurin purchase incidence of AF after lung or heart lung transplant, and a significant increase in mortality in AF patients treated with amiodarone. In patients with severe lung pathology, amiodarone pulmonary toxicity may be more common than previously known, and may be a significant

contributor to mortality. Amiodarone use should be restricted in the lung transplant patient population. J Heart Lung Transplant 2011;30:37-44 (C) 2011 International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation. All rights reserved.”
“This paper theoretically analyzes a dielectric elastomer tube actuator (DETA). Subject to a voltage difference between the inner and outer surfaces, the actuator reduces in thickness and expands in length, so that the same voltage will induce an even higher electric field. This positive feedback may cause the actuator to thin down drastically, resulting in electrical breakdown. We obtain an analytical solution of the actuator undergoing finite deformation when the elastomer obeys the neo-Hookean model. The critical strain of actuation is calculated in terms of various parameters of design.

We also discuss the effect of the strain-stiffening on electromechanical behavior of DETAs by using the model of freely joined links. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3490186]“
“Staphylococcus aureus is a versatile and harmful human pathogen in both hospital- and community-acquired Domatinostat infections, S, aureus can initiate host infection by adhering to components of the extracellular matrix, Adherence is mediated by a variety of protein adhesins of selleck inhibitor the microbial surface component recognizing adhesive matrix molecule (MSCRAMM) family. In this article, we describe these MSCRAMMs in terms of structural organization and ligand-binding capacity and discuss their role as a possible target for immunotherapy.”
“BACKGROUND: Socioeconomic factors such as education, health insurance, and race are known to affect health outcomes. The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) database provides a large cohort of lung transplant (LTx)

recipients in which to evaluate the effect of insurance on survival.

METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed UNOS data for 11,385 adult primary LTx patients (1998 2008). Patients were stratified by insurance (private/self-pay, Medicare, Medicaid, and other type). All-cause mortality was examined with Cox proportional hazard regression incorporating 14 variables. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to model survival after LTx.

RESULTS: Of 11,385 recipients, 7,100 (62.4%) had private insurance/self-pay; 2,966 (26.1%) had Medicare; 815 (7.2%) had Medicaid; and 504 (4.4%) had other type insurance. During the study, 4,943 patients (43.4%) died.. Medicare and Medicaid patients had 7.0% and 8.1% lower 10-year survival than did private insurance/self-pay patients, respectively.

“
“Background: The possible association between metabolic syndrome (MS) and bone mineral density (BMD) has been highlighted recently. However, the exact effects of MS on calcaneal quantitative ultrasound (QUS) parameters remains uncertain. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of MS states, different componets of MS, as well as the number of MS componets on QUS.

Methods: A total of 7489 Chinese adults aged 40 years or older in Nanjing were enrolled Selleck Compound C in this cross-sectional study. MS was defined according to recommendations generated by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) in 2005. QUS was measured for each participant.

Results: The prevalence of MS was 34.6% in men

and 42.8% in women (over 40 years old). In postmenopausal women with MS, 25-hydroxyvitamin D[25(OH)D], age adjusted quantitative ultrasound index (QUI) and broadband ultrasound attenuation (BUA) were all lower than those without (p < 0.001, p = 0.023, p = 0.021, respectively), the difference of QUI and BUA disappeared after adjustment for body mass index GDC-0973 chemical structure (BMI) and waist circumference (WC). In stepwise analysis, BMI, WC, high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and fasting plasma glucose (FPG) were related to QUS (p < 0.05). The number of MS components had no influence on QUS. Fragile fracture incidence was higher in women with MS (6.8% VS. 5.3%, P = 0.034).

Conclusion:

Chinese postmenopausal women with MS have worse BMD measured by QUS and more chances to develop osteoporotic fractures than the controls, which partially due to central obesity as well as vitamin D deficiency. People having

less central obesity, higher FPG or HDL-C are less likely to have bone mineral loss.”
“Few studies have explored the topographic anatomy of the esophagus, posterior wall of the left atrium (LA), or fat pads using multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) to prevent the risk of esophageal injury during atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation. MDCT was performed in 110 consecutive patients with paroxysmal or persistent AF before the ablation procedure to understand the anatomic relationship of the esophagus. Two major types of esophagus routes were demonstrated. Leftward (type A) and rightward (type B) routes were found in 90 and 10% of the patients, respectively. A type A route had a larger mean size of the LA than type MK-0518 B. The fat pad was identifiable at the level of the inferior pulmonary vein in 91% of the patients without any predominance of either type. The thickness of the fat pad was thinner in the patients with a dilated LA (>42 mm) than in those with a normal LA size (<= 42 mm) (p = 0.01). The results demonstrated that the majority of cases had a leftward route of the esophagus. There was a close association between the LA dilatation and fat pad thinning. With a dilated LA, the esophagus may become easily susceptible to direct thermal injury during AF ablation.

[doi:10.1063/1.3658809]“
“An epigenetic control of vernalization has been demonstrated in annual plants such as Arabidopsis and cereals, but the situation remains unclear in biennial plants such as sugar beet that has an absolute requirement for vernalization.

The role of DNA methylation in flowering induction selleck screening library and the identification of corresponding target loci also need to be clarified. In this context, sugar beet (Beta vulgaris altissima) genotypes differing in bolting tolerance were submitted to various bolting conditions such as different temperatures and/or methylating drugs. DNA hypomethylating treatment was not sufficient to induce bolting while DNA hypermethylation treatment inhibits and delays bolting. Vernalizing and devernalizing temperatures were shown to affect bolting as well as DNA methylation levels in the shoot apical meristem. In addition, a negative correlation was established between bolting and DNA methylation. Genotypes considered as resistant or sensitive to bolting could also be distinguished by their DNA methylation levels. Finally, sugar beet homologues of the Arabidopsis vernalization genes FLC and VIN3 exhibited distinct DNA methylation marks during vernalization independently to the variations of global DNA methylation. These vernalization Selleckchem HKI 272 genes also displayed differences in mRNA accumulation and methylation

profiles between genotypes resistant or sensitive to bolting. Taken together, the data suggest that the time course and amplitude of DNA methylation variations are critical points for the induction of sugar beet bolting and represent an epigenetic component of the genotypic bolting tolerance, opening up new perspectives for sugar beet breeding.”
“Aggarwal S, Bane BC, Boucek CD, Planinsic RM, Lutz JW, Metro DG. Simulation: a teaching tool for liver transplantation CDK inhibitor anesthesiology. Abstract: Anesthesia for liver transplantation (ALT) requires extensive preparation and rapid recognition of changing clinical conditions. Owing to the proliferation of transplant centers, greater number of anesthesia providers need training in specific skills required to treat

these patients. These cases are no longer limited to few transplant centers; therefore, reduction of cases in individual centers has created a need for simulation training to prepare and supplement clinical experience. We have developed an ALT simulation course for senior anesthesia residents which combines didactic sessions with live-patient-based and mannequin-based simulation. Outcomes have been measured using pre- and post-simulation course quizzes as well as a survey given at the end of the month-long ALT rotation. Twenty-four senior anesthesiology residents (n = 24) have completed the ALT simulation course. Residents had an average score of 75% +/- 10% on the pre-simulation quiz, which increased to 92% +/- 6.5% on the post-simulation quiz (p < 0.001).

“
“Aim of the study: To determine the occurrence of intestinal and extraintestinal cancers in the 1993-2009 prospective European Liproxstatin-1 Metabolism inhibitor Collaborative Inflammatory Bowel Disease (EC-IBD) Study Group cohort.

Patients-methods: A physician per patient form was completed for 681 inflammatory bowel disease patients (445UC/236CD) from 9 centers (7 countries) derived from the original EC-IBD cohort. For the 15-year follow up period, rates of detection of intestinal

and extraintestinal cancers were computed.

Results: Patient follow-up time was fifteen years. In total 62/681 patients (9.1%) [41 with ulcerative colitis/21 with Crohn's disease, 36 males/26 females] were diagnosed with sixty-six cancers (four patients with double cancers). Colorectal cancer was diagnosed in 9/681 patients [1.3%] (1 Crohn’s disease and 8 ulcerative colitis). The remaining 53 cancers were extraintestinal. There was a higher prevalence of intestinal cancer in the Northern centers compared to Southern centers [p = NS]. Southern centers had more cases of extraintestinal

cancer compared to Northern centers [p = NS]. The frequency of all observed types of cancers in Northern find more and in Southern centers did not differ compared to the expected one in the background population.

Conclusions: In the fifteen-year follow up of the EC-IBD Study Group cohort the prevalence of cancer was 9.1% with most patients having a single neoplasm and an extraintestinal neoplasm. In Northern centers there were more intestinal cancers while in Southern centers there were more extraintestinal cancers compared to Northern centers. In this IBD cohort the frequency of observed cancers was not different from that expected in the background population. (C) 2011 European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.”
“We report

the prevalence selleck and diversity of helminth parasites found in native turtles Mauremys leprosa and Emys orbicularis from three localities in southwestern Spain and we describe the helminth communities of exotic turtles Trachemys scripta elegans coexisting in the wild with both native turtle species. Five nematodes species were identified, of which Serpinema microcephalus was the only species common between two localities, although infection parameters were different between them. This is the first report of cross transmission of S. microcephalus and Falcaustra donanaensis from native to exotic turtles and the first report of genus Physaloptera in turtles of the Palearctic Region. Continuous releasing of exotic pet turtles in wildlife ecosystems increases the risk of parasite introductions and, consequently, potential transmission to native species, and highlights the impending need for regulation of pet turtle trade in Europe. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

We selected studies reporting food challenge data, reported doctor-diagnosed (RDD) FA and food sensitization. Methodological differences and study heterogeneity precluded meta-analysis. A total of 46 studies were identified, of which 28 (60.9%)

were prospective and 13 (28.3%) used food challenges to diagnose FA. Caesarean delivery was investigated in 13 studies, of which three infant cohorts demonstrated an increase in challenge-proven FA (one cohort) and food sensitization (two cohorts), and one cross-sectional study reported increased RDDFA. Four studies investigated the effect of having siblings, with one infant cohort demonstrating less challenge-proven FA and a cross-sectional study showing a decrease in RDDFA. Attending childcare before 6months was associated with less challenge-proven FA in one Immunology & Inflammation inhibitor cohort. A cross-sectional survey identified an inverse relationship TGF-beta family between hepatitis A serology and peanut sensitization. One of eleven trials investigating probiotics demonstrated a quicker

acquisition of milk tolerance amongst allergic infants. Factors influencing microbial exposure may be partly responsible for rising FA burden, but further prospective studies using double-blind placebo controlled food challenges as an outcome are required.”
“Purpose of review

To discuss the beneficial effects of statin treatment in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD), abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs), atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis (ARAS) and carotid artery disease.

Recent

findings

Evidence suggests selleck that statins may reduce the progression (or even reverse the development) of carotid artery stenosis and AAAs. Statins also improve several indices (e. g. serum creatinine) and preserve renal function in ARAS. In patients with PAD, statins are associated with improved claudication distance and time, reduced cardiovascular events, and improved graft patency rates should these patients undergo surgery. Finally, statins are associated with improved perioperative and long-term morbidity and mortality rates in all vascular patients whether they undergo surgery or endovascular procedures.

Summary

Routine statin treatment should be implemented for all vascular patients to ensure a reduced progression of their disease, as well as a reduction in cardiovascular events.”
“It is becoming increasingly clear that the processes of memory formation and storage are exquisitely dynamic. Elucidating the nature and temporal evolution of the biological changes that accompany encoding, storage, and retrieval is key to understand memory formation. For explicit or medial temporal lobe-dependent memories that form after a discrete event and are stored for a long time, the physical changes underlying the encoding and processing of the information (memory trace or engram) remain in a fragile state for some time.

Body weight, caloric intake, HOMA-IR, as well as the mRNA expression of hypothalamic TLR4, NF-kappa B, TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta, and IL-6 in DIO/HF rats were significantly increased compared to DIO-R/HF and CF rats, whereas IL-10 mRNA expression was lower in both DIO/HF and DIO-R/HF rats compared

with CF rats. Switching to chow food from high fat diet reduced the body weight and improved insulin sensitivity but not affecting the expressions of studied inflammatory genes in DIO rats. Take together, upregulated hypothalamic inflammation may contribute to the overeating and development of obesity susceptibility induced by high NVP-LDE225 fat diet. Switching to chow food had limited role in correcting hypothalamic inflammation in DIO rats during the intervention period.”
“Optimal control theory is used to determine the optimal configuration of the multireservoir isothermal endoreversible chemical engine for maximum power output. The optimal cycle consists of two constant chemical potential branches and two instantaneous constant mass-flux branches, which is independent of the number of mass reservoirs and the mass transfer law. The results show that, in order to obtain the maximum power output, some mass reservoirs

should never connect to the working fluid in the mass transfer processes. A numerical example is provided for a linear mass transfer law three-mass-reservoir chemical engine. The effects of the potential

changes of the intermediate mass reservoir on the check details optimal configuration of the chemical engine and the performance corresponding to the optimal configuration are analyzed. The obtained results are compared with those obtained for a multireservoir endoreversible heat engine. The object studied in this paper is general, and the results could provide some guidelines for optimal design and operation of real chemical engines. (C) 2009 FK506 cost American Institute of Physics. [DOI: 10.1063/1.3151964]“
“The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of a well-characterized purified humic acid (non-measurable concentrations of the main plant hormones were detected) on the transcriptional regulation of the principal molecular agents involved in iron assimilation. To this end, non-deficient cucumber plants were treated with different concentrations of a purified humic acid (PHA) (2, 5, 100 and 250 mg of organic carbon L(-1)) and harvested 4, 24. 48, 76 and 92 h from the onset of the treatment. At harvest times, the mRNA transcript accumulation of CsFRO1 encoding for Fe(III) chelate-reductase (EC 1.16.1.7); CsHa1 and CsHa2 encoding for plasma membrane H(+)-ATPase (EC 3.6.3.6); and CsIRT1 encoding for Fe(II) high-affinity transporter, was quantified by real-time RT-PCR. Meanwhile, the respective enzyme activity of the Fe(III) chelate-reductase and plasma membrane HI-ATPase was also investigated.

This review will provide an overview of the molecular changes occurring across all biological systems after bariatric surgery including the changes in hepatic, adipocyte and gut derived signals after surgery. We will also discuss existing literature regarding the weight-loss-independent metabolic benefits including improvement in insulin sensitivity and central nervous system integration of these

signals.”
“Aims: The concept of the “”learning curve”" is a term that has become increasingly prevalent in medical literature. Using a unique Female Urology fellowship program running over the last 3 years, we set out to better define the learning process for mid-urethral slings. Methods: We examined surgical outcomes for six urology trainees who participated in the 6-month program from 2006 this website to 2011. We SBI-0206965 in vitro identified all retropubic mid-urethral sling procedures they had performed. Demographics included age, BMI, and smoking status. Outcomes focused on complication rates, as well as a subjective patient assessment. Analysis was by the cumulative sum method. Results: Six trainees performed 187 retropubic slings during their fellowships.

Mean age was 54 (SD +/- 12.7), mean BMI was 29.5 (SD +/- 5.5). One hundred sixty-five (88%) patients only underwent a mid-urethral tape with 22 (12%) undergoing a concomitant procedure. There were 5 cases of bladder perforation, 1 case of urethral injury, 25 cases of voiding MLN8237 ic50 dysfunction, and 8 cases of mesh exposure. One hundred sixty-seven out of 180 patients reported a cure or improvement. All complications occurred in the first 4 months of training. CUSUM analysis of voiding dysfunction showed that four out of six trainees did not reach the expected incidence of voiding dysfunction within the completed fellowship. Bladder perforation showed a similar trend. Conclusion: CUSUM analysis is an underused tool for the analysis of surgical competence. The learning curve for retropubic sling surgery is variable and may be longer than is often acknowledged.

We suggest the focus of surgical training should move away from absolute numbers to look at training in an individualized manner. Neurourol. Urodynam. 32: 964-967, 2013. (C) 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.”
“Withdrawal time of ertythromycin ill the cultured black rockfish (Sebastes schlegeli) was investigated to provide regulatory authority and fishery industry With full information needed to secure food safely of the fish treated with erythromycin. Medication was carried out using the experimental diet containing erythromycin of which concentration was 200 mg/kg diet and its daily dose was about 40 mg/kg body weight. The withdrawal time needed to reduce antibiotic contents, was identified about around 10.0 mg/kg accumulated during 9 days medication below 0.2 mg/kg 10 days. The antibiotic with 13.

5 emergency room visits. Conclusions: This is the largest observational study conducted to address the epidemiology of the neurogenic bladder population, including healthcare utilization. These data

suggest that patients with neurogenic bladder may have suboptimal management, indicated by high incidences of urinary tract complications and hospitalizations. Neurourol. Urodynam. 30:395-401, 2011. (C) 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.”
“Neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC) of the stomach is an uncommon disease. Because of its rarity, the clinicopathological features are unclear, and there is no consensus on the optimal treatment strategy. This study included five consecutive patients with gastric NEC who underwent surgery from July 2001 to August 2011. Clinical presentation, tumor location, tumor morphology and size, pathology and immunohistochemistry results, and treatment outcome were analyzed ABT737 retrospectively and discussed. The study cohort of four men and one woman ranged in age from 52 to 84 years, with a median age of 72 years. Positive rates of neuroendocrine markers were 40 % for chromogranin A, 60 % for synaptophysin, 60 % for CD56, 40 % for neuron-specific enolase, and 100 % for p53 protein. Median number of lymph node metastases per patient was 10, with severe lymphatic and venous infiltration, and high Ki-67 labeling index (60-90 %) reported for all patients. Median tumor size was 6 cm. Stage IV disease was diagnosed in three patients; the other two

patients showed stage IIIA tumors. After a mean follow-up of 29.8 months, two of the five patients had died of the disease. Although rare, NSC23766 nmr gastric NECs deserve particular attention because of their strong malignant potential associated with an extremely

poor prognosis. Such carcinomas demand an aggressive surgical approach followed by chemotherapy and multimodality adjuvant therapy.”
“To measure the retinal arteriole and venule oxygen saturation (SO(2)) using a conventional fundus camera, retinal oximetry based on nonsimultaneous BIBF 1120 mw image acquisition was developed and evaluated. Two retinal images were sequentially acquired using a conventional fundus camera with two bandpass filters (568 nm: isobestic, 600 nm: nonisobestic wavelength), one after another, instead of a built-in green filter. The images were registered to compensate for the differences caused by eye movements during the image acquisition. Retinal SO(2) was measured using two wavelength oximetry. To evaluate sensitivity of the proposed method, SO(2) in the arterioles and venules before and after inhalation of 100% O(2) were compared, respectively, in 11 healthy subjects. After inhalation of 100% O(2,) SO(2) increased from 96.0 +/- 6.0% to 98.8% +/- 7.1% in the arterioles (p=0.002) and from 54.0 +/- 8.0% to 66.7% +/- 7.2% in the venules (p= 0.005) (paired t-test, n=1). Reproducibility of the method was 2.6% and 5.2% in the arterioles and venules, respectively (average standard deviation of five measurements, n=11).

The in vitro drug release and permeation studies were carried out in Franz diffusion cell. The percentage of drug release increased with increasing amounts of PVP and plasticizer, whereas DBS containing patches exhibited higher than TEC containing patches. It may conclude that transdermal patches which use Eudragit RS 100 as the base polymer with higher amount of PVP and plasticizer DBS and additions of linseed oil were suitable for the development of ODH transdermal patches.”
“Lactobacillus plantarum

has been reported to be responsible for acid increase at the later stage of kimchi fermentation and considered not inappropriate as a starter of kimchi. If functional L. plantarum strain can survive in large quantity in kimchi during fermentation, it may endow new functionality to kimchi. After 12 day fermentation at 4 degrees C, L. plantarum. Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Weissella cibaria. Weissella confusa, check details and Lactobacillus sakei were the most prevalent ones in kimchi without a starter. In kimchi with a starter, L. plantarum

was detected from the 1 day fermentation and throughout 25 day fermentation. There was no difference in pH between 2 kinds of kimchi. The acid content after the 21 day increased more in kimchi with starter when most kimchi is consumed before this time. Survival of a starter strain throughout the whole fermentation suggested the possible use of various functional lactic acid-producing bacterias (LABs) to kimchi endowing a new beneficial function to kimchi.”
“The activities of membrane-bound ATPases and lysosomal hydrolases are altered in tissues RG-7388 manufacturer of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. GSK1838705A ic50 Diabetes is stimulating the deterioration of membrane function and weakens the intracellular metabolism. The objective of the present study was to determine the effect of mangiferin, isolated from Salacia chinensis on membrane bound phosphatases and lysosomal hydrolases in the liver

and kidney of STZ-induced diabetic rats. In our investigation, the levels of blood glucose and glycosylated haemoglobin were significantly increased in the diabetic rats. Moreover, membrane bound phosphatases and lysosomal hydrolases activities were ominously altered in the liver and kidney of STZ-induced diabetic rats. The treatment of mangiferin (40 mg/kg body weight up to 30 days) significantly brought back the activities of enzymes to near normal, when compared to the experimentally induced diabetic rats. Based on this findings, mangiferin have a substantial outcome on membrane bound phosphatases and lysosomal hydrolases in diabetic condition.”
“The purpose of this research was to investigate the composition of ginsenosides and to identify the chemical structures of ginsenosides generated from red ginseng by citric acid pre-treatment (RGC). The amount and the composition of ginsenosides in red ginseng (RG) and RGC were determined by high performance liquid chromatography (H PLC) analysis.

However, in abcb14-1 mutants, stem vascular morphology was slightly disorganized, with decreased phloem area in the vascular bundle and decreased xylem vessel lumen diameter. In addition, EPZ5676 order abcb14-1 mutants showed both decreased polar auxin transport through whole stems and altered auxin distribution in the procambium. It is proposed that both ABCB14 and ABCB15 promote auxin transport since inflorescence stems in both mutants showed a reduction in polar auxin transport, which was not observed for any of the ABCG subfamily mutants tested. In the case

of ABCB14, the reduction in auxin transport is correlated with a mild disruption of vascular development in the inflorescence stem.”
“In this study, a procedure for preparation

of organicinorganic composite was established. The procedure was based on gamma irradiation polymerization of polyacrylamide (PAAm) in presence of maleic acid (MA), clay minerals [kaolinite (K)], or [montmorillonite (M)] and methylenebisacrylamide (NMBA) as a crosslinker. The functionality of the produced adsorbents were assayed using FTIR spectroscopy, SEM, and XRD and were evaluated for sorption of neutral red (NR) dye from aqueous solutions via batch sorption experiments. Various factors influencing the sorption behavior (e.g., pH, sorbent dose, and dye concentration) were studied. The sorption data fitted well with Langmuir isotherm model. Batch kinetic experiments showed that the adsorption followed pseudosecond-order kinetic model with correlation coefficients CA3 greater than 0.999. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012″
“Purpose: Nasal-ala pressure selleck screening library sores induced by nasotracheal intubation are common complications of oral and maxillofacial Surgery, but are easily ignored. To determine whether such sores could be prevented, we studied the effects of a combination of cushioning material in an animal model, and then analyzed the efficacy of this combination clinically.

Materials and Methods: Four pigs received nasotracheal intubation.

Each pig received intubation for 4, 8, 12, or 16 hours. Outcomes from pigs undergoing 500-gram-weight compression on each nostril were compared: one nostril received an application of cushioning materials, and the contralateral nostril did not. After the required study period, clinical assessment and further evaluation were performed by measuring pressure-sore dimensions and performing incisional biopsies. Clinical applications of this protective technique were then undertaken. Eight patients Who underwent intubation without Soft Liner (GC. Co, Tokyo, Japan) and DuoDERM CGF (ConvaTec, Inc, Princeton, NJ) protection, and 10 patients with Soft Liner and DuoDERM protection, were evaluated.

Results: The protective efficacy of the cushioning materials was significant in the animal model as well as in clinical practice. Pressure sores were avoided on the protected side, with severe tissue necrosis documented on the control side.