Thirty-two PR evaluation studies

were appraised by two independent reviewers using the pilot MMAT. Among these, 11(34%) involved nurses as researchers or research partners. Appraisal time was measured to assess efficiency. Inter-rater reliability was assessed by calculating a kappa statistic based on dichotomized responses for each criterion. An appraisal score was determined for each study, which allowed the calculation of an overall intra-class correlation.\n\nResults: On average, it took DMXAA ic50 14 min to appraise a study (excluding the initial reading of articles). Agreement between reviewers was moderate to perfect with regards to MMAT criteria, and substantial with respect to the overall quality score of appraised studies.\n\nConclusion: The MMAT is unique, thus the reliability of the pilot MMAT is promising, and encourages further development. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Chalcones are flavonoid precursors that recently have been found to disrupt mitochondrial

function and induce apoptosis in Arabidopsis radicles. However, whether they are potentially useful for weed control as selective herbicides depends on whether they are phytotoxic for important weeds and are not toxic for crops. This work determines the phytotoxicity Selleck SNX-5422 of chalcone for the germination and early development of a variety of crop species and associated weeds. Also, the phytotoxic potential was investigated in chalcone-watered or sprayed adult plants of Arabidopsis, a common model in phytotoxicity assays. Chalcone was detrimental mainly to the germination of Plantago lanceolata and Lactuca sativa and to the early root growth of Amaranthus retroflexus, Echinochloa crus-galli, and P. lanceolata, and likewise detrimental to the development selleck compound of adult Arabidopsis. The morphology and physiology of adult Arabidopsis plants watered or sprayed with chalcone confirmed that this metabolite is also phytotoxic for adult plants and showed that the mechanism of its action on plant metabolism depends

on whether it is administered by spraying or watering. These results support the role of chalcone as a plant growth regulator and its potential use in weed management in the field.”
“Liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinomas are major health problems of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. To date, rare model has reproduced liver fibrosis associated with long-term HBV infection which in turn has hindered both the understanding of HBV biology and the development of new treatment options. Here, using adeno-associated virus serotype 8 (AAV8) mediated delivery of a 1.2-kb HBV genome, we successfully generated a chronic HBV infectious mouse model that presents the associated liver fibrosis observed following human infection. After AAV8/HBV1.2 vector administration, mice demonstrated effective HBV replication and transcription which resulted in HBV antigen expression and viremia over 6 months.