50). The profile of miRNAs isolated as small RNAs or co-isolated with small/large RNAs was highly correlated (r = 0.96). The mean expression of all miRNAs and the geNorm program identified miR-26a, miR-28-5p, and miR-24 as the most stable reference miRNAs. This study describes detailed methodologies for reliable miRNA isolation and profiling of PB and BM, including reference miRNAs for qPCR normalization, and demonstrates the suitability of

clinical samples archived at -80 degrees C into PAXgene (TM) blood RNA tubes for miRNA expression studies. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.”
“Down syndrome (DS), a high-incidence genetic pathology, involves brain hypoplasia and mental retardation. Emerging click here evidence suggests that reduced neurogenesis may be a major determinant of brain underdevelopment in DS. To establish whether it is possible to improve

neurogenesis in DS, Ts65Dn mice-the most widely used model for DS-and euploid mice were treated with control or lithium chow for 1 month. During the last 3 days animals received one daily injection of 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine DZNeP cell line (BrdU)-a marker of proliferating cells-and were sacrificed 24 h after the last injection. Neurogenesis was examined in the subventricular zone (SVZ), a region that retains a neurogenic potential across life. We found that Ts65Dn mice had less (-40%) BrdU+ cells than euploid mice, indicating severe proliferation impairment. Treatment with lithium increased the number of Brdu+ cells in both euploid and Ts65Dn mice. In the latter the number of Brdu+ cells became similar to that of untreated euploid mice. Our study shows that lithium is able to restore cell proliferation in the SVZ of the Ts65Dn mouse and point at treatments with

mood stabilizers as a potential tool to improve neurogenesis in patients with DS.”
“Improving the quality and safety of intensive care unit (ICU) care in the United States is a significant selleck chemical challenge for the future. Obtaining improvement in systems of care is difficult given the reactionary mode physicians tend to enter when dealing with moment-to-moment crises. It will be important to implement quality and safety measures that are already supported by evidence. Improvement of device safety will be critical to reducing the large number of device-related complications that occur in US ICUs. Prospective collection of adverse events with rigorous analysis will be important to allow systematic errors to be exposed and corrected.”
“OBJECTIVE: A 1:1:1 ratio of packed red blood cells (PRBC), fresh frozen plasma (FFP), and platelets (PLT) has been advocated for trauma hemorrhage, but the effectiveness of this ratio for postpartum hemorrhage is unknown. We created an in vitro hemodilutional model to investigate this strategy.\n\nSTUDY DESIGN: Blood from 20 parturients at term was diluted 50% with 0.9% normal saline. Diluted samples were reconstituted with 1:1 PRBC:FFP or 3:1 PRBC:FFP. In 10 samples, PLT were also added.