Furthermore, two-step surgical management was successfully perfor

Furthermore, two-step surgical management was successfully performed consisting of i) tumor-reductive JQEZ5 excision and ii) limb salvage surgery, including wide resection of the tumor mass, defect reconstruction of the chest wall using left latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap and dermatoplasty of the flap-supplied region. The progress of the clinical characteristics, the reasons for radiation-induced carcinogenesis, the treatment options and the prognostic factors of MFH are also reviewed. Finally, the importance of prevention and follow-up of this malignancy are highlighted and specific advice is offered.”
“Salivary gland transfer (SGT) has the potential to prevent radiation-induced xerostomia. We attempt

to analyze the efficacy of SGT in prevention of xerostomia and maintenance of salivary flow rates after radiation treatment (XRT). Systematic review and meta-analysis. Primary endpoint was efficacy of SGT in prevention of radiation-induced xerostomia. Secondary endpoint was change from baseline of unstimulated and stimulated salivary flow rates after XRT.

Seven articles, accruing data from 12 institutions, see more met inclusion criteria. In a total of 177 patients at mean follow-up of 22.7 months, SGT prevented radiation-induced xerostomia in 82.7% (95% CI, 76.6-87.7%) of patients. Twelve months after XRT, unstimulated and stimulated salivary flow rates rose to 88% and 76% of baseline values, respectively. In comparison to control subjects twelve months after XRT, SGT subjects’ unstimulated (75% vs. 11%) and stimulated (86% vs. 8%) salivary flow rates were drastically higher in SGT patients. Salivary

AG-881 molecular weight gland transfer appears to be highly effective in preventing the incidence of xerostomia in patients receiving definitive head and neck radiation therapy. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Interleukin (IL)-23 plays a predominant role in the development of autoimmune diseases by inducing IL-17-producing helper T (Th17) cells. The receptor for IL-23 consists of a heterodimer composed of the IL-12 receptor beta 1 (IL-12R beta l) and the IL-23 receptor (IL-23R), which is mainly expressed on Th17 cells. A recent study showed that macrophages express IL-23R mRNA and can be distinguished from microglia by IL-23R expression. However, in this study, we show by RT-PCR and immunocytochemistry that microglia express IL-23R and IL-12R beta 1 mRNA and protein, respectively. Additionally, microglia expressed a functional receptor for IL-23, as IL-23 enhanced the Interferon (IFN)-gamma-induced signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)l phosphorylation and chemokine production. Thus, IL-23R expression does not discriminate peripheral macrophages from microglia. Moreover, since microglia produce IL-23, it may function in an autocrine manner to recruit inflammatory cells by inducing chemokine production.

The relative weights and the scores from the NRS were used to com

The relative weights and the scores from the NRS were used to compute the PACADI score (range 0 to 10). The patients also completed Edmonton Symptom Assessment

System (ESAS) and EQ-5D.\n\nDimensions reported by more than 20 % of the patients were included in the PACADI score (relative weights in parenthesis): pain/discomfort (0.16), fatigue (0.16), anxiety (0.15), bowel/digestive Galardin problems (0.14), loss of appetite (0.13), dry mouth (0.11), itchiness (0.08), and nausea (0.07). The PACADI score in the 80 PC patients had a mean (SD) value of 3.26 (2.06) (95 % CI 2.80, 3.71), was moderately to strongly correlated to ESAS sense of well-being (r = 0.69) and EQ-5D (r = -0.52), and discriminated significantly between patients with and without PC.\n\nThe PACADI score is a new eight-item, patient-derived, disease-specific measure. Preliminary validation regarding construct validity and discrimination encourages further validation in independent patient samples.”
“Background: We have recently shown that intranasal administration of mouse [D-Leu-4]-OB3 reconstituted in Intravail (R) to male Swiss Webster mice resulted in significantly higher bioavailability than commonly used injections methods of delivery. The absorption pro. le associated with intranasal

delivery of mouse [D-Leu-4]-OB3 showed an early peak representing absorption across the nasal mucosa, and a later peak suggesting this website a gastrointestinal site of uptake.\n\nAim and Methods: In the present study, we examined the effects of orally administered (by gavage) mouse [d-Leu-4]-OB3 on energy balance, glycaemic control and serum osteocalcin levels

in male C57BL/6J wild-type and ob/ob mice allowed food and water ad libitum or calorie restricted by 40% of normal intake.\n\nResults: In wild-type mice fed ad libitum, oral delivery of mouse [d-Leu-4]-OB3 reduced body weight gain, food intake and serum glucose, by 4.4, 6.8 and 28.2% respectively. Serum osteocalcin levels and water intake were essentially see more the same in control and treated wild-type mice. In ob/ob mice fed ad libitum, mouse [d-Leu-4]-OB3 reduced body weight gain, food intake, water intake and serum glucose by 11.6, 16.5, 22.4 and 24.4% respectively. Serum osteocalcin in ob/ob mice treated with mouse [d-Leu-4]-OB3 was elevated by 62% over controls. Calorie restriction alone caused significant weight loss in both wild-type (9.0%) and ob/ob (4.8%) mice, and mouse [d-Leu-4]-OB3 did not further enhance this weight loss. As expected, serum glucose levels in wild-type and ob/ob mice were significantly reduced by calorie restriction alone. Mouse [d-Leu-4]-OB3 further reduced serum glucose in wild-type mice and normalized levels in ob/ob mice. Calorie restriction alone reduced serum osteocalcin levels by 44.2% in wild-type mice and by 19.1% in ob/ob mice. Mouse [d-Leu-4]-OB3 prevented this decrease in groups of mice.

58; 95%CI = 0 34-0 99, P = 0 040; Beijing set: OR = 0 66; 95% CI

58; 95%CI = 0.34-0.99, P = 0.040; Beijing set: OR = 0.66; 95% CI = 0.46- 0.95, P = 0.027). Stratified analyses revealed that a multiplicative interaction

between – 673C bigger than T variant and age, sex or smoking status was evident (Gene-age: P-interaction = 0.002; Gene- sex: P-interaction = 0.002; Gene- smoking: P-interaction = 0.002). For XPF 11985A bigger than G polymorphism, there was no significant difference of genotype distribution between ESCC cases and controls. Conclusion: These findings indicated that genetic variants in XPF might contribute to the susceptibility to ESCC.”
“Hispidin oligomers STAT inhibitor are styrylpyrone pigments isolated from the medicinal fungi Inonotus xeranticus and Phellinus linteus. They exhibit diverse biological activities and strong free radical scavenging activity. To rationalize the antioxidant activity www.selleckchem.com/products/CAL-101.html of a series of four hispidin oligomers and determine the favored mechanism involved in free radical scavenging, DFT calculations were carried out at the B3P86/6-31+G (d, p) level

of theory in gas and solvent. The results showed that bond dissociation enthalpies of OH groups of hispidin oligomers (ArOH) and spin density delocalization of related radicals (ArOH) are the appropriate parameters to clarify the differences between the observed antioxidant activities for the four oligomers. The effect of the number of hydroxyl groups and presence of a catechol moiety conjugated to a double bond on the antioxidant activity were determined. Thermodynamic and kinetic studies showed that the PC-ET mechanism is the main mechanism involved in free radical scavenging. The spin density distribution over phenoxyl radicals allows a better understanding of the hispidin oligomers formation.”
“Abdominal tuberculosis manifesting as isolated lymphadenopathy is rare, particularly in children. Tuberculous involvement of the pancreatic head and peripancreatic area can simulate a neoplasm of the pancreatic head. To our knowledge, obstructive jaundice caused by tuberculous

lymphadenopathy has not been reported in children or adolescents. Here we present radiologic findings in a case of tuberculous lymphadenopathy that mimicked malignancy of the pancreatic selleck chemicals llc head and caused obstructive jaundice in an immunocompetent adolescent.”
“Lee YF, Liu S, Liu NC, Wang RS, Chen LM, Lin WJ, Ting H, Ho HC, Li G, Puzas EJ, Wu Q, Chang C. Premature aging with impaired oxidative stress defense in mice lacking TR4. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 301: E91-E98, 2011. First published April 26, 2011; doi: 10.1152/ajpendo.00701.2010.-Early studies suggest that TR4 nuclear receptor is a key transcriptional factor regulating various biological activities, including reproduction, cerebella development, and metabolism.

In this review, focused on the study of differential gene express

In this review, focused on the study of differential gene expression with RNA-seq, we go through themain steps of data processing and discuss open challenges and possible solutions.”
“Crowding selleck screening library caused by the high concentrations

of macromolecules in the living cell changes chemical equilibria, thus promoting aggregation and folding reactions of proteins. The possible magnitude of this effect is particularly important with respect to the physiological structure of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs), which are devoid of well-defined three-dimensional structures in vitro. To probe this effect, we have studied the structural state of three IDPs, alpha-casein, MAP2c, and p21(Cip1), in the presence of the crowding

agents Dextran and Ficoll 70 at concentrations up to 40%, and also the small-molecule osmolyte, trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), at concentrations up to 3.6 M. The structures of IDPs under highly diluted and crowded conditions were compared by a variety of techniques, fluorescence spectroscopy, acrylamide quenching, 1-anilino-8-naphthalenesulfonic acid (ANS) Nepicastat price binding, fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS), and far-UV and near-UV circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, which allow us to visualize various levels of structural organization within these proteins. We observed that crowding causes limited structural changes, which seem to

reflect the functional requirements of these 1DPs. alpha-Casein, a protein of nutrient function in milk, changes least under crowded conditions. On the other hand, MAP2c and, to a lesser degree, p21(Cip1), which carry out their functions by partner binding and accompanying partially induced folding, show signs of local structuring and also some global compaction upon crowded conditions, in particular in the presence check details of TMAO. The observations are compatible with the possible preformation of binding-competent conformations in these proteins. The magnitude of these changes, however, is far from that of the cooperative folding transitions elicited by crowding in denatured globular proteins; i.e., these IDPs do remain in a state of rapidly interconverting structural ensemble. Altogether, our results underline that structural disorder is the physiological state of these proteins.”
“Background Prolactin improves glucose homeostasis by increasing beta-cell mass under certain conditions such as pregnancy, whereas hyperprolactinaemia due to a pituitary gland adenoma tumour exacerbates insulin resistance. However, previous studies have not evaluated how prolactin modulates beta-cell function and insulin sensitivity at different dosages.

Two weeks post-discharge, a 3-day food record was taken and inter

Two weeks post-discharge, a 3-day food record was taken and interviews were repeated by phone. Interviews were transcribed, coded, and analysed thematically.\n\nResults: Patients (N = 22) from departments of gastrointestinal surgery, oncology, infectious medicine, cardiology, and hepatology were interviewed at meals (N = 65) in hospital (82%) and post-discharge (18%). Food sensory perception and eating ability dictated specific food sensory needs (i.e., appearance, aroma, taste, texture, temperature, and variety defining food sensory quality to promote intake) within the context of motivation

to eat including: pleasure, comfort, and survival. Patients exhibited large inter- and intra-individual variability click here in their food sensory needs.\n\nConclusions: selleck The study generated a model for optimising food sensory quality and developing user-driven, innovative foods to promote intake in patients at nutritional risk. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd and European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. All rights reserved,”
“Objective: To test the feasibility and acceptability of a simplified mifepristone-misoprostol regimen for early abortion in 2 tertiary teaching hospitals and 2 family planning clinics in Nepal. Methods: Consenting pregnant women (n = 400) with amenorrhea of 56 days or less seeking termination

of Bcl-2 inhibition pregnancy received 200 mg of oral mifepristone followed 48 hours later with 400 mu g of oral misoprostol, administered either at home or at the clinic. Prospective data were collected to determine the women’s experience, abortion Outcome, and the operational requirements for providing the method.

Results: Most (91.3%) of the 367 women with known outcomes had successful medical abortions. Given the option, most (89.7%) women elected to administer the misoprostol at home. Conclusion: A simplified medical abortion protocol, including home administration of misoprostol, can be Successfully integrated into clinical services in Nepal, where abortion services were recently legalized. (C) 2009 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Detecting onsets of cardiovascular pulse wave signals is an important prerequisite for successfully conducting various analysis tasks involving the concept of pulse wave velocity. However, pulse onsets are frequently influenced by inherent noise and artifacts in signals continuously acquired in a clinical environment. The present work proposed and validated a neighbor pulse-based signal enhancement algorithm for reducing error in the detected pulse onset locations from noise-contaminated pulsatile signals. Pulse onset was proposed to be detected using the first principal component extracted from three adjacent pulses.

Bosutinib is a kinase inhibitor that targets the BCR-ABL kinase

Bosutinib is a kinase inhibitor that targets the BCR-ABL kinase. The recommended dose is 500 mg of bosutinib once daily. The main evidence of efficacy for Proteasome inhibitor bosutinib

was based on a CML subgroup analysis of study 3160A4-200, a phase I/II study of bosutinib in Ph+ leukemia in imatinib-resistant or intolerant CML. The subgroup was defined based on the presence of a BCR-ABL kinase domain mutation that would be expected to confer resistance to dasatinib (F317, E255) or nilotinib (E255, Y253, F359) and expected to have sensitivity to bosutinib or based on the presence of medical conditions or prior toxicities that may predispose the patient to unacceptable risk in the setting of nilotinib or dasatinib therapy. A conditional marketing authorization was granted because of the limited evidence of efficacy and safety currently supporting this last-line indication.”
“The development of a highly parallel simulation of the acousto-optic effect is detailed. The simulation supports optically heterogeneous simulation domains under insonification by arbitrary monochromatic ultrasound

fields. An adjoint method for acousto-optics Selleckchem Ion Channel Ligand Library is proposed to permit point-source/point-detector simulations. The flexibility and efficiency of this simulation code is demonstrated in the development of spatial absorption sensitivity maps which are in broad agreement with current experimental investigations. The simulation code has the potential to provide guidance in the feasibility and optimization of future studies of the acousto-optic technique, and its speed may permit its use as part of an iterative inversion model. 2012 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). [DOI: 10.1117/1.JBO.17.4.045002]“
“Green tea (GT) and its components have been shown to possess antiobesity properties CX-6258 supplier and the corresponding mechanisms of action are being investigated, given the epidemic proportions of obesity incidence. In the current work, we used 12-mo-old male Wistar rats

to test the effect of 6 mo of treatment with GT as the sole drinking beverage (52.8 +/- 6.4 mL/d) on adipose tissue (AT). AT aromatase expression was determined by Western blotting, plasma concentrations of 17 beta-estradiol and testosterone were determined by RIA, and achipocyte size determined by measuring diameter in tissue sections. Proliferation and apoptosis were also assessed by Ki67 immunostaining and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick end-labeling, respectively. Evaluations were made in subcutaneous (sc) AT and visceral (v) AT. Body weight increased over time in both groups (P < 0.001), but the increase was more pronounced in controls (P < 0.001) and food and fluid intake did not influence that effect. At the end of the experiment, aromatase expression increased in the AT (318.5 +/- 60.6% of control in scAT, P < 0.05, and 285.5 +/- 82.9% of control in vAT, P < 0.01).


“Objective: Recent studies have suggested that magnesium (


“Objective: Recent studies have suggested that magnesium (Mg) ions exert a beneficial effect on implant osseointegration. This study assessed the osseointegration

of nanoporous titanium (Ti) surface incorporating the Mg produced by hydrothermal treatment in rabbit cancellous bone to determine whether this surface would further enhance bone healing of moderately rough-surfaced implants in cancellous bone, and compared the Saracatinib solubility dmso result with commercially available micro-arc oxidized Mg-incorporated implants.\n\nMaterial and methods: The Mg-incorporated Ti surfaces (RBM/Mg) were obtained by hydrothermal treatment using an alkaline Mg-containing solution on grit-blasted moderately rough (RBM) implants. Untreated RBM and recently introduced Mg-incorporated microporous Ti implants produced by microarc oxidation (M) were used controls in this study. The surface characteristics were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and optical profilometry. Twenty-four threaded implants with a length of 10mm (eight RBM implants, eight RBM/Mg implants and eight M implants) were placed in the femoral condyles

of 12 New Zealand White rabbits. Histomorphometric analysis was performed 4 weeks after implantation.\n\nResults: Hydrothermally treated and untreated grit-blasted implants displayed almost identical surface morphologies and R-a values at the micron-scale. The RBM/Mg implants exhibited morphological differences compared with the RBM implants

at the nano-scale, which displayed nanoporous surface structures. LY2606368 clinical trial The Mg-incorporated implants (RBM/Mg and M) exhibited find more more continuous bone apposition and a higher degree of bone-to-implant contact (BIC) than the untreated RBM implants in rabbit cancellous bone. The RBM/Mg implants displayed significantly greater BIC% than untreated RBM implants, both in terms of the all threads region and the total lateral length of implants (P<0.05), but no statistical differences were found between the RBM/Mg and M implants except BIC% values in total lateral length.\n\nConclusion: These results indicate that a nanoporous Mg-incorporated surface may be effective in enhancing the osseointegration of moderately rough grit-blasted implants by increasing the degree of bone – implant contact in areas of cancellous bone.”
“Objective: This study evaluated the potential effects of short-term treatment with lisdexamfetamine dimesylate (LDX) on both subjective and objective sleep characteristics in children aged 6 to 12 years (n = 24) with ADHD. Method: Polysomnography (PSG) and actigraph measures as well as assessments of subjective sleep parameters were examined in children before and after treatment with either LDX or placebo in a randomized, double-blind, single-center, parallel-group study. Results: There was no statistically significant increase in the primary endpoint of latency to persistent sleep (LPS) for the LDX-treated group compared to the placebo group.

Theoretical calculations and the monitoring of the reaction using

Theoretical calculations and the monitoring of the reaction using H-1 and C-13 NMR spectroscopy are in agreement with the proposed mechanism pathway.”
“In the primate retina, parasol ganglion cells contribute to the primary visual pathway via the magnocellular division of the lateral geniculate nucleus, display ON and OFF concentric

receptive field structure, nonlinear spatial summation, and high achromatic temporal-contrast sensitivity. Parasol cells may be homologous to the alpha-Y cells of nonprimate mammals where evidence suggests that N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-mediated synaptic excitation as well as glycinergic disinhibition play critical CP-868596 molecular weight roles in contrast sensitivity, acting asymmetrically in OFF- but not ON-pathways. Here, light-evoked synaptic currents were recorded in the macaque monkey retina in vitro to examine the circuitry underlying parasol cell receptive field properties. Synaptic excitation

in both ON and OFF types was mediated by NMDA as well as alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA)/kainate glutamate receptors. The NMDA-mediated current-voltage relationship suggested high Mg2+ affinity such that at physiological potentials, NMDA receptors contributed similar to 20% of the total excitatory conductance evoked by moderate stimulus contrasts and temporal frequencies. Postsynaptic inhibition in both ON and OFF cells was dominated by a large glycinergic “crossover” conductance, with DAPT in vivo a relatively small contribution from GABAergic feedforward inhibition. However, crossover inhibition was largely rectified, greatly diminished click here at low stimulus contrasts, and did not contribute, via disinhibition, to contrast sensitivity. In addition, attenuation of GABAergic and glycinergic synaptic inhibition left center-surround and Y-type receptive field structure and high temporal sensitivity fundamentally intact and clearly derived from modulation of excitatory bipolar cell output. Thus, the characteristic spatial and temporal-contrast sensitivity of the primate

parasol cell arises presynaptically and is governed primarily by modulation of the large AMPA/kainate receptor-mediated excitatory conductance. Moreover, the negative feedback responsible for the receptive field surround must derive from a nonGABAergic mechanism.”
“Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) were synthesized rapidly in one pot via the Tollens reaction, in which quaternized chitosan (QCS) and rectorite (REC) acted as the reducing and stabilizing agent, while other chemical reducing and stabilizing agents and the surfactant were not included. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy results showed that spherical Ag NPs with uniform sizes were obtained, the layers of clay were peeled and thus exfoliated QCS/REC/Ag NP (QCRAg) nanocomposite was achieved.

Further relevant investigations are required for clarifying the a

Further relevant investigations are required for clarifying the actual contribution of occupational exposure to chemicals in HCC development. Copyright (c) 2011 Kowsar M. P. Co. All rights reserved.”
“Canada G418 supplier has experienced a substantial

reduction in mortality related to cardiovascular disease (CVD). There is a general consensus that more effective and widespread health promotion interventions may lead to further reductions in CVD risk factors and actual disease states. In this paper, we briefly outline the prevalence of selected risk factors for CVD in Canada, describe characteristics of the Canadian labor market and workforce, and depict what is known about health and wellness program delivery systems in Canadian workplaces. Our review indicates that there have been numerous and diverse relevant legislative and policy initiatives to create a context conducive to improve the healthfulness of Canadian workplaces. However, there is still a dearth of evidence on the effectiveness of the delivery system and the actual impact of workplace health and wellness programs in reducing CVD risk in Canada. Thus, while a AZD3965 mw promising model, more research is needed in this area. (C) 2014 Elsevier

Inc. All rights reserved.”
“A newly developed nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay targeting the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the ribosomal DNA was applied see more to detect and characterize Encephalitozoon cuniculi DNA from

pet rabbits in Japan. The analysis was carried out using 257 urinary samples and 314 fecal samples collected from 307 pet rabbits in the age group of 1 month to 12 years from 30 different prefectures of Japan and 107 fecal samples and 3 urinary samples collected from 1-month-old rabbits from 3 breeding facilities in Japan. We detected 840-bp amplicons in 20 urinary samples (7.78%) from the pet rabbits of the 13 prefectures and in 1 urinary (33.3%) and 6 fecal (5.6%) samples from the rabbits of the 2 breeding facilities. The sequences (803 bp) of the 27 amplicons had no variations and completely coincided with the sequence of E. cuniculi genotype I. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the detection and genotype characterization of E. cuniculi DNA from pet rabbits in Japan.”
“Evidence for spontaneous mappings between the dimensions of number and length, time and length, and number and time, has been recently described in preverbal infants.

Whereas anti-vaccine CTL were rare in the blood and inside metast

Whereas anti-vaccine CTL were rare in the blood and inside metastases of this patient, anti-tumor CTL recognizing other tumor Ags, mainly MAGE-C2, were 100 times more frequent in the blood and considerably enriched in metastases following vaccination. In this study we report the analysis of the CTL response of a second melanoma patient who showed a mixed tumor response after vaccination with dendritic cells pulsed with two MAGE-A3 antigenic peptides presented, respectively, by HLA-A1 and HLA-DP4. Anti-MAGE-3.A1 CD8 and anti-MAGE-3.DP4 CD4 T cells became detectable in the blood after

vaccination at a frequency of similar to 10(-5) among the CD8 or CD4 T cells, respectively, and they were slightly enriched GSK1904529A ic50 in slowly progressing metastases. Additional anti-tumor CTL were present in the blood at a frequency of 2 x 10(-4) among the CD8 T cells and, among these, selleck compound an anti-MAGE-C2 CTL clone was detected only following vaccination and was enriched by > 1,000-fold in metastases relative to the blood. The striking similarity of these results with our previous observations further supports

the hypothesis that the induction of a few anti-vaccine T cells may prime or restimulate additional anti-tumor T cell clones that are mainly responsible for the tumor regression.”
“Salivary proteins influence the biomineralization of hydroxyapatite (HAp) within enamel. Their effect on the crystal growth has been extensively studied, but, their effect on demineralization kinetics is less well investigated. In this study bovine serum albumin (BSA) was used as a

model protein to measure its effect on demineralization kinetics of hydroxyapatite aggregates using scanning microradiography (SMR). HAp aggregates (8 and 20% porous) were cut into 5 x 5 x 2 mm blocks. SMR cells were prepared containing hydroxyapatite blocks. BSA was added to demineralising solutions 10.1 mol L(-1) acetic acid, buffered to pH 4.0; degree of saturation zero selleck kinase inhibitor and 0.062 respectively) at a concentration range 0.76-75.8 mu mol L(-1). Demineralising solution without added BSA was used as a control. The demineralising solutions were circulated past the samples at 0.4 mL min(-1). SMR was used to measure the rate of mineral loss (RMLHAp) at 14 points in each sample repeatedly for 3 weeks. The results show that BSA increases or decreases the RMLHAp depending on; BSA concentration, HAp porosity, and the degree of saturation of the demineralising solution. It is suggested that BSA influences demineralization kinetics of HAp either by modifying solution properties, or, by affecting the surface energy of hydroxyapatite. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.