Background and aims Acute appendicitis (AA) is among the most common causes of acute
abdominal pain. Diagnosis of AA is still challenging and some controversies on its …

The menisci serve several important biomechanical functions in the knee. They distribute
stresses over a broad area of articular cartilage, absorb shocks during dynamic loading, and …

Background Anastomotic leak (AL) represents a dreaded complication following colorectal
surgery, with a prevalence of 1–19 per cent. There remains a lack of consensus regarding …

Background Among patients with a proximal vessel occlusion in the anterior circulation, 60
to 80% of patients die within 90 days after stroke onset or do not regain functional …

It has been known for many years that neutrophils and platelets participate in the pathogenesis
of severe sepsis, but the inter-relationship between these players is completely unknown. …

Vectors derived from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are highly efficient vehicles for in
vivo gene delivery. However, their biosafety is of major concern. Here we exploit the …

Background In March 2003, several hospitals in Quebec, Canada, noted a marked increase
in the incidence of Clostridium difficile–associated diarrhea. Methods In 2004 we conducted …

A 5-year-resolution absolute-dated oxygen isotope record from Dongge Cave, southern
China, provides a continuous history of the Asian monsoon over the past 9000 years. Although …

Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rfMRI) allows one to study functional
connectivity in the brain by acquiring fMRI data while subjects lie inactive in the MRI scanner, …

… Performance measures were obtained by timing chair rises (from a standard chair 0.43 m
high), stair climbing (four risers, total height 0.635 m) and a walk (6.1 m). For each …