“
“Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) are self-renewing PFTα price and have the potential to differentiate into any cell type in the body, making them attractive cell sources for applications in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. However, in order for hPSCs to find use in the clinic, the mechanisms underlying

their self-renewal and lineage commitment must be better understood. Many technologies that have been developed for the maintenance and directed differentiation of hPSCs involve the use of soluble growth factors, but recent studies suggest that other elements of the hPSC microenvironment also influence the growth and differentiation of hPSCs. This includes the influences of cell-cell interactions, substrate mechanics, cellular interactions with extracellular matrix, as well as the nanotopography of the substrate and physical forces such as shear stress, cyclic mechanical selleck products strain, and compression. In this review, we highlight the recent progress of this area

of research and discuss ways in which the mechanical cues may be incorporated into hPSC culture regimes to improve methods for expanding and differentiating hPSCs.”
“Spin-dependent transport measurement in 3-hexadecyl pyrrole (3HDP) with a CoFe layer and the current-in-plane geometry is reported. Transport properties indicate the CoFe layers are discontinuous when their thicknesses are smaller than 6 nm. The temperature dependence of the conductance suggests that the transport mechanism is likely small polaron hopping. The observed positive magnetoresistance ratio at low temperature gives evidence of spin-conserving transport. (C) 2010 American

Institute Lazertinib of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3359438]“
“Methods: Eighty-eight patients with paroxysmal or persistent AF who had undergone RFCA and had a prior transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE), transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE), and CT were enrolled in the study. TTE LADs and LV ejection fraction as well as TEE LADs and LAVs in three views were recorded. CT LAVs were also recorded. Clinical parameters prior to ablation as well as at 1-year follow-up were assessed.

Results: A total of 40 (45%) patients with paroxysmal AF and 48 (55%) patients with persistent AF were analyzed. Paroxysmal AF patients had a RFCA success rate of 88% at 1 year with persistent AF patients having a 52% success rate (P < 0.001). A CT-derived LAV >= 117 cc was associated with an odds ratio (OR) for recurrence of 4.8 (95% confidence interval [CI] = [1.4-16.4], P = 0.01) while a LAV >= 130 cc was associated with an OR for recurrence of 22.0 (95% CI = [2.5-191.0], P = 0.005) after adjustment for persistent AF.

Conclusions: LA dimensions and AF type are highly predictive of AF recurrence following RFCA. LAV by CT has significant predictive benefit over standard LADs in severely enlarged atria even after adjustment for AF type. (PACE 2010; 532-540).

To investigate the penetration of water and seasonings, maps of spin-spin relaxation time and their profiles from the center to the surface of

a spaghetti strand were acquired by magnetic resonance imaging. The homogenization of moisture distribution in cooked spaghetti during holding was delayed temporarily by salt owing to a back current Mizoribine molecular weight caused by the gradient of salt content on the surface immediately after tossing. Monosodium glutamate rapidly penetrated into spaghetti strands and caused water T-2 decrease possibly owing to the decreased mobility of water molecules in starch gel, whereas the sweeteners hardly altered the T-2 maps. Salt and monosodium glutamate are considered to retard more effectively the deterioration

of firmness of spaghetti. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Survival and growth of Bacillus cereus group and presumptive Cronobacter in the rehydrated sunsik were investigated to control the pathogens. Five sunsik contaminated naturally by the pathogens were rehydrated with hot waters of 50, 60, 65, and 70 degrees C and kept for 24 hr at 5 and 25 degrees C. Survival and growth of B. cereus seemed to be influenced not by rehydration water temperature, but by storage temperature and time after rehydration. However, survival and growth of Cronobacter was influenced by both rehydration CX-6258 datasheet temperature and storage conditions. Especially, storage temperature and time seemed to be more important than the rehydration temperature to limit the growth of Cronobacter. Therefore, it is required to take immediately the sunsik after rehydration with at least 65 degrees C water, otherwise within 6 hr at room temperature for the risk reduction of B. cereus and Cronobacter.”
“Objective. The waist circumference (WC) cutoff levels defined for the Caucasian people may not be representative for different ethnic groups. We determined sex specific WC cutoff points to predict obesity, metabolic

syndrome, and cardiovascular risk in Turkish adults. JQ-EZ-05 purchase Design and Methods. The demographic characteristics of 1898 adult males and 2308 nonpregnant females from 24 provinces of 7 different regions of Turkey (mean age 47 +/- 14 yrs) were evaluated. Results. The WC levels of 90 cm and 100 cm define overweight and obese males while the levels of 80 cm and 90 cm define overweight and obese females. With these cutoff values, 239 additional males (12.6%) are diagnosed as overweight and 148 additional males (7.8%) as obese. Instead, 120 females (5.1%) are free of being labeled as obese. Conclusions. This is the first nationwide study to show the action levels of WC for overweight and obese Turkish adults. The ideal cutoff levels of WC to predict metabolic syndrome are 90 cm and 80 cm for Turkish adult men and women, respectively. These values are easy to implement and suggested to be used by the physicians dealing with cardiometabolic disorders in Turkey.

Conclusion: PTSD was a problem in the population studied and should be managed appropriately after hospital admission due to burn injury. Male gender, younger age, and higher total body surface area burned may predict a higher PTSD score after burn injury.”
“Essential thrombocythemia is a chronic myeloproliferative disorder characterized by a persistent and absolute increase in the peripheral platelet count (>600,000/mm(3))

in the absence of another underlying disorder. From a clinical point of view, it is characterized by thrombotic manifestations that primarily involve the central nervous system as strokes and transient ischemic attacks and also affects other systems, causing gastrointestinal hemorrhages and arterial or venous thrombosis. Cutaneous manifestations may complicate essential

thrombocythemia, but they may be a helpful guide to the diagnosis. These manifestations appear up to 22% Selisistat order of patients and may even be the presenting sign of the disease in up to 10% of them. We present a case Screening Library price of a previously healthy woman who was diagnosed with essential thrombocythemia after the onset of localized livedo reticularis. The case was immunohistochemically studied, supporting the role of the increased platelet number in the pathogenesis of the livedo reticularis lesions.”
“This article highlights the evidence linking depression to increased inflammatory drive and explores putative mechanisms for the association by reviewing both preclinical and clinical literature. The enzyme indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase is induced by proinflammatory cytokines and may form a link between immune functioning and altered neurotransmission,

which results in depression. Increased indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase activity may cause both tryptophan depletion and increased neurotoxic metabolites of the kynurenine pathway, two alterations which click here have been hypothesized to cause depression. The tryptophan-kynurenine pathway is comprehensively described with a focus on the evidence linking metabolite alterations to depression. The use of immune-activated groups at high risk of depression have been used to explore these hypotheses; we focus on the studies involving chronic hepatitis C patients receiving interferon-alpha, an immune activating cytokine. Findings from this work have led to novel strategies for the future development of antidepressants including inhibition of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase, moderating the cytokines which activate it, or addressing other targets in the kynurenine pathway.”
“Objectives: Abdominal aortic aneurysm rupture is caused by mechanical vascular tissue failure. Although mechanical properties within the aneurysm vary, currently available ultrasound methods assess only one cross-sectional segment of the aorta.

95Co0.05O3) S63845 ic50 thin films, a ferromagnetic

response can be gradually introduced and tuned. These results, together with the measured anisotropy of the magnetic response, indicate that the unexpected observation of ferromagnetism in orthorhombic o-RMnO3 (R=Y, Ho, Tb, etc.) films originates from strain-driven breaking of the fully compensated magnetic ordering by pushing magnetic moments away from the antiferromagnetic [010] axis. We show that the resulting canting angle and the subsequent ferromagnetic response, gradually increase (up to similar to 1.2 degrees) by compression of the unit cell. We will discuss the relevance of these findings, in connection to the magnetoelectric response of orthorhombic manganites. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3514575]“
“PURPOSE: To evaluate photopic and mesopic color discrimination in patients with different types of light-filtering intraocular lenses (IOLs).

SETTING: Peking University Third Hospital, Peking University Eye Center, Beijing, China.

METHODS: Cataract patients with different types of IOLs were enrolled 3 months Selleck MAPK inhibitor postoperatively. Overall and partial color discrimination under photopic (1000 lux) and mesopic

(40 lux) conditions were evaluated with the Farnsworth-Munsell (FM) 100-hue test. Corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) was tested under both conditions. Subjective visual quality was assessed with the 25-item National check details Eye Institute Visual Functioning Questionnaire (NEI VFQ-25).

RESULTS:

The study evaluated 43 patients with a blue light filtering IOL (15 photochromic, 13 yellow tinted) or an IOL filtering ultraviolet light only (n = 15). The difference in the FM 100-hue total error scores under photopic or mesopic conditions was not statistically significant between groups. There were no statistically significant differences in partial error scores in the 10 bands of the FM 100-hue color circle under photopic conditions. Under mesopic condition, there were statistically significant differences in partial error scores in the green to blue green band (color caps 36 to 46) and the blue green to blue band (color caps 46 to 54) (P = .005 and P = .030, respectively). There were no statistically significant differences in mean overall or subheading NEI VFQ-25 scores.

CONCLUSIONS: Filtering blue lights under mesopic conditions seemed to modify color discrimination in the green-to-blue bands postoperatively. The modification did not disturb overall color discrimination or cause subjective discomfort.”
“Laparoscopic sacral colpoperineopexy (LSCP) involves posterior graft extension to the perineum for improved posterior support. The objective of this study was to determine whether posterior measurements differed between those that had graft extension done abdominally (A-LSCP) or abdomino-vaginally (AV-LSCP).

8 kg of BW; SD = 0.65) were allotted to 4 diets Ricolinostat price in a 4 x 4 Latin square design with a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. Experimental diets contained 15 or 30% wheat DDGS and

were fed without or with enzyme addition. The enzyme supplement supplied 2,200 U of xylanase, 1,100 U of beta-glucanase, and 1,200 U of cellulase per kg of diet. Apparent ileal digestibilities (AID) of DM, OM, and energy in enzyme-supplemented diets were greater (P < 0.05) than in unsupplemented diets. There was an interaction effect (P < 0.05) of wheat DDGS inclusion level and enzyme supplementation on AID of DM and Ser. Enzyme supplementation improved (P < 0.05) AID of DM in the diet with 30% wheat DDGS but not 15% wheat DDGS. The results shows that multienzyme supplementation of 30% wheat DDGS-based diet improved growth performance and apparent total tract digestibility AG-120 price of DM, N, GE, and crude fiber in growing pigs and AID of nutrients in finishing pigs.”
“Formation of biofilm is a

prominent feature of prosthetic joint infections (PJIs) and constitutes a challenge to current sampling procedures and culture practices. Molecular techniques have a potential for improving diagnosis of biofilm-adapted, slow-growing and non-culturable bacteria. In this exploratory study we investigated the bacterial diversity in specimens from 22 patients clinically suspected of having PJIs. Bacteriological cultures were performed according to standard practice. A total of 55 specimens from 25 procedures (specimen sets) were submitted to broad range 16S rRNA gene PCR, cloning, sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. More than 40 bacterial taxa within six phyla were identified in 14 specimen sets originating from 11 patients. Direct observation of biofilm was made in selected specimens by fluorescence in situ hydridization. 16S rRNA gene analysis and bacteriological cultures were concordant for 15/25 specimen sets (60%; five positive, 10 negative); additional taxa were detected in four sets GSK1838705A research buy by gene analysis, and discrepant results were obtained for six sets, five of

which were negative on culture. Polymicrobial communities were revealed in 9/14 sets by gene analysis and 1/10 sets by culture (P < 0.05). Although our study was not conclusive, these findings are consistent with a primary role of biofilm formation in PJIs.”
“Sorghum starch was annealed in excess water at 50 degrees C for 24 h. Starch was also modified under heat-moisture treatment at 110 degrees C after adjusting various moisture contents (20,30 and 40%) for 8 h. Significant decrease in chain lengths of amylose fraction in HMT starches was observed. Heat moisture treated (HMT) and annealed (ANN) starches showed lower granule sizes, swelling power, peak and setback viscosity but higher retrogradation as compared to native starch. HMT starch with addition of 40% moisture showed a decrease in relative crystallinity. HMT and ANN starch gels were observed to be harder than native starch gel.

There were no aesthetically or medically serious problems needing secondary rhinoplasty such as hematoma formation, warping of the graft, graft extrusion, infection, and rejection of the graft.

Discussion: Augmentation rhinoplasty using a folded pure dermal graft has many advantages and is a very useful surgical option in patients who have an aversion to the use of artificial implants, who want to change the postoperative appearance of their nose due to insertion of an artificial implant into a more natural appearance, and when there is too much thinning of the skin due to repeated insertion of silicone implants.”
“As major prescribers of oral anticoagulants,

cardiologists must be familiar with strategies compound screening assay to manage bleeding, the principal complication associated with all anticoagulants, and to reverse anticoagulant effects in acute-care settings. The purpose of this manuscript is to review currently available information regarding dabigatran and rivaroxaban, the 2 novel oral anticoagulants approved to date in the United States. Further, we suggest reasonable interventions for the clinician faced with a patient who suffers a major bleeding event while receiving one of these agents. Data sources were peer-reviewed publications, US Food and Drug Administration documents

AZD8931 mouse in the public domain, and approved US prescribing information for dabigatran (Pradaxa) and rivaroxaban (Xarelto). Strategies for management of bleeding and reversal of anticoagulant effects from warfarin include vitamin K, fresh frozen plasma, and prothrombin complex concentrates. For rivaroxaban and dabigatran, appropriate therapies include support and observation, which are likely to be effective for the majority of patients because of the short half-lives of these agents. In severe life-threatening hemorrhage, clotting-factor substitutes

may be appropriate in certain situations. Validated protocols specific to each agent remain to be developed. Clin. Cardiol. 2012 doi: 10.1002/clc.22037 Editorial MK-0518 support for this paper was provided by Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC. W.F.P. has received research grants (>$10 000) from Abbott, Alere, Baxter, Brahms, Novartis, and The Medicines Company. He has been a consultant (<$10 000) for Abbott, Alere, Eli Lilly, and The Medicines Company; served on the speaker’s bureau (<$10 000) for Abbott and Alere; and has ownership interest (<$10 000) in Comprehensive Research Associates LLC, Vital Sensors, and Emergencies in Medicine LLC. M.M.G and R.M.M. are full-time employees of Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC. The authors have no other funding, financial relationships, or conflicts of interest to disclose.”
“The formation and storage of fear memory is needed to adapt behavior and avoid danger during subsequent fearful events. However, fear memory may also play a significant role in stress and anxiety disorders.

Based on mapping characterization, a schematic click here representation of the CA/polysilsesquioxane composite morphology was proposed. The organosilane type and architecture influenced the thermal behavior and the morphology of these materials. The results suggest that the silane coupling agents could be used to produce CA films with

a range of properties. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 123: 2027-2035, 2012″
“Emphysematous pyelonephritis (EPN) is an acute necrotizing infection with gas presence in the kidney, perinephric space, and/or urinary collecting system that carries a bad prognosis. Some clinical conditions predispose to this entity, such as diabetes mellitus, urinary tract obstruction, and immune-incompetence. Immediate resuscitation, broad-spectrum antibiotics, percutaneous and surgical drainage, and CA3 emergent and delayed nephrectomy are therapeutic options that should be applied in a timely fashion. We report our experience of four patients

with EPN. Two of the patients were kidney transplant recipients, one patient had bilateral urolithiasis, and one patient was an elderly patient with debilitated general condition and an abdominal mass that could not be defined. Late transplant nephrectomy was performed in one patient, and three patients were treated conservatively. Three patients died, including the patient who had transplant nephrectomy. One patient who presented with lithiasis showed a remarkable recovery with conservative management. The bacteria involved were E. Coli and a resistant Klebsiella. We conclude that

EPN is a life-threatening condition that carries a bad prognosis. Early diagnosis is essential for a positive outcome. Therapeutic measures should be applied immediately after diagnosis. An aggressive approach including nephrectomy may be emergently required.”
“Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), angiopoietin-2, and endostatin have been reported to be related with angiogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma buy DAPT (HCC). The potential feasibility of serial serum VEGF-A, angiopoietin-2, and endostatin measurements in cirrhotic patients with HCC treated by transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) was investigated. VEGF-A, angiopoietin-2, and endostatin serum level were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay 1 day before and 7 days after TACE in 40 patients. Then they were followed up for 3 months. The results showed that TACE could cause significant increase of VEGF-A (p < 0.01) and angiopoietin-2 (p = 0.01); whereas there was no significant change of endostatin (p > 0.1). Twenty-five patients with rapid growth of HCC within 3 months after TACE had higher proportion of American Joint Committee on Cancer HCC staging >II and higher increase of VEGF-A after TACE than 15 patients without rapid growth (all p < 0.05). Stepwise logistic regression analysis revealed that VEGF-A >16.

Magnetophotoluminescence reveals that the annealing increases the QD size, with a larger effect occurring along the growth axis, and decreases the carrier effective masses. The main contribution to the blueshift is deduced to be an increase in the average

Ga composition of the QDs. The inadvertent annealing which occurs during the growth of the upper AlGaAs cladding layer in laser structures is also studied.”
“One new precursor of tetraterpenoids, Sarglaucol (1), along with eight known compounds have been isolated from the soft coral Sarcophyton glaucum collected from the Sanya Bay, Hainan Island, China. Their structures were elucidated through spectroscopic techniques including 1D- and 2D-NMR, and their relative configurations were also assigned by NMR and NOESY analysis. Compounds 1 showed SB273005 clinical trial weak antitumour activities.”
“The study of modulated electron beams is important because they can be used to produce coherent radiation, but the modulations can cause unwanted instabilities in some devices. Specifically, in a free electron laser, proper prebunching at the desired emission frequency can learn more enhance performance, while bunching resulting from instabilities and bunch compression schemes can degrade performance.

In a photoinjector accelerator, tailoring the shape of the drive laser pulse could be used as a technique to either enhance or mitigate the effect of these modulations. This work explores the possibility of creating deeply modulated electron beams at the photocathode URMC-099 mouse by using a modified drive laser designed to produce multiple subpicosecond pulses repeated at terahertz frequencies. Longitudinal space charge forces can strongly influence the evolution of

modulations by converting density modulations to energy modulations. Experiments at the Source Development Laboratory electron accelerator at Brookhaven National Laboratory and PARMELA simulations are employed to explore the dynamics of electron beams with varying charge and with varying initial modulation. Finally, terahertz light generated by a transition radiator is used to confirm the structure of the electron beam.”
“The content of total polyphenols, chlorogenic, caffeic (CaA) and ferulic acids, and rutin, was investigated in plant organs of three introgression lines (IL7-3, IL10-1 and IL12-4) of Solanum pennellii in Solanum lycopersicum cv M82 and compared with that of cropped parental. Such study aims to evidence factors associated to the introgressions that can affect polyphenol distribution in plant. Among genotypes few differences in polyphenols were recorded on fresh weight basis. IL7-3 showed higher total polyphenols in fruits and lower rutin in leaves than the other genotypes. IL12-4 showed an increasing trend of total polyphenol concentration in fresh vegetative organs; however, this seems to depend on the lower water content rather than on a higher polyphenol biosynthesis in the genotype. IL10-1 sowed higher CaA and lignin contents in leaves.

Besides reactive black 5, the bioreactor could effectively decolorize CA3 order reactive red M-3BE, acid red 249 and real textile wastewater with efficiency of 65%, 94% and 89%, respectively. In addition, the microbial community on the biofilm was monitored in the whole running process. The results indicated fungi as a dominant population in the decolorization system with the ratio of fungi to bacteria 6.8:1 to 51.8:1 under all the tested influent conditions. Analysis of molecular biological detection indicated that yeasts of genus Candida occupied 70% in the fungal clone library based

on 26S rRNA gene sequences. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.”
“Objective-To determine the prevalence of various radiographic findings for dogs with cardiac tamponade (CT) attributable to pericardial effusion (PE) and to determine the sensitivity and specificity of NCT-501 mouse such findings for identification of affected dogs.

Design-Retrospective, randomized, blinded, controlled study.

Animals-50 dogs with CT attributable to PE and 23 control dogs (10 healthy dogs

and 13 dogs with cardiac diseases other than CT). ‘

Procedures-Thoracic radiographic images of dogs were evaluated by an observer who was unaware of the dogs’ medical histories. For each dog, a vertebral heart score, globoid appearance of the cardiac silhouette, and convexity of the dorsocaudal aspect of the cardiac silhouette were determined.

Results-The sensitivity and specificity of enlargement of the cardiac silhouette (vertebral heart score, >= 10.7) for identification of dogs with CT attributable to PE were 77.6% and 47.8%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of a globoid appearance of the cardiac silhouette for identification dogs with CT were 41.9% and 40.0%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of a convex appearance of the dorsocaudal aspect of the cardiac silhouette for identification of dogs with CT were 57.1% and 35.0%, respectively.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance-Results of this study indicated none of the evaluated radiographic variables was highly (> 90%) sensitive or specific

for identification Linsitinib of dogs with CT attributable to PE. Thoracic radiographic findings should not be considered reliable for identification of dogs with CT attributable to PE.”
“Very few abnormalities in endocrine function have been reported during long term gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) treatment in girls. Most authors agree that this therapy is safe and effective. We present an unusual outcome of long term GnRHa therapy in two girls with central precocious puberty(CPP) of idiopathic or organic origin. They have received monthly depot injections of triptorelin acetate for a time period of 8 years. Thyroid function was examined by measuring serum levels of thyrotropin (TSH), thyroxine (T4), thyroid antibodies, and ultrasound of the thyroid gland.

The effector MAPK genes were also analyzed for protein expression and activation. Gene expression analysis showed a significant regulation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK)1, ERK2 and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK)3 genes along with their downstream transcription factors such as Mef2c, c-Jun and Sfn. Experiments with the JNK inhibitor, SP600125, and the ERK inhibitor, PD98059, showed the involvement of JNK in JEV-induced caspase-3 activation and apoptosis, but ERK1/2 had no effect. Overall, our results show the transcriptional regulation of the MAPK pathway and the essential role of selleck JNK in JEV-induced apoptosis in neuroblastoma cells. These findings provide a new insight

into the role of the mitogen- and stress-activated kinases in JEV pathogenesis and opens up new avenues of therapeutics.”
“Since the inception of living donor kidney transplantation,

physicians have expressed concern about the voluntariness of the donors and their ability to recuse themselves. The literature from the late 1960s and early 1970s reveals the practice of offering a false medical excuse, although more recent comments click here seem to focus more on a ‘general statement of lack of suitability’ or ‘a blameless explanation’. Simmerling et al. argue that the provision of a medical excuse rests on deception, which is wrong on deontological grounds (that physicians should hold to a principle of veracity) and on consequential grounds (deception threatens Rapamycin to damage trust and the doctor-patient relationship and deception may have adverse impact on the donor’s relationship with his family). In this paper I examine and reject

these objections. I argue that a false medical excuse is morally unjustifiable, but the medical excuse understood as a ‘general statement of lack of suitability’ is morally permissible because it promotes donor autonomy (the donor’s right to decide whether or not to donate), and protects and preserves the donor’s rights to privacy and confidentiality (by affirming the donor as an independent patient).”
“Study Design. The response of cells from the annulus fibrosus (AF) and nucleus pulposus (NP) to varying oxygen (O(2)) concentrations was examined when cultured in alginate.

Objective. To study the effect of O(2) concentration on AF and NP cells.

Summary of Background Data. AF and NP cells possess different metabolic profiles in situ. However, it is not clear whether this difference is maintained in in vitro culture conditions. AF and NP cells can respond differently in the different systems, which may differ from the in vivo environment in terms of nutrient supply and O(2) levels. In vivo, O(2) levels vary from 1% to 5% within the intervertebral disc, and there is evidence that disc cell metabolism can vary with O(2) concentrations.

Methods. An alginate scaffold was seeded with bovine AF or NP cells and maintained in culture for up to 18 days under different O(2) concentrations.