Men and women have a different adenoma prevalence and localization. The results provide baseline European data for evaluating colonoscopy screening-protocols for colorectal cancer risk groups, and the findings may have implications for colon cancer screening in the normal, otherwise-healthy population.”
“The goal of this study was to investigate the clinical utility of a new enzymatic assay for use on COBAS INTEGRA systems (Roche Total MPA assay). From 134 patients, plasma mycophenolic

acid Silmitasertib Metabolism inhibitor (MPA) concentrations were measured with both the enzymatic method and a validated liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) procedure, to compare these assays. The test principle of the enzymatic assay is inhibition of inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase. Method comparison studies revealed good agreement of results (r > 0.99), overall and in patients with delayed graft function or hypoalbuminemia. MPA area under ATM/ATR inhibitor the concentration-time curve (AUCs) obtained with LC-MS/MS (x) and the enzymatic method (v) compared excellent in patients on cyclosporine (y = 1.04x – 1.05, r = 0.992) or tacrolimus (y = 1.02x – 0.63, r = 0.987). MPA exposure determined with either method at different time points after transplantation agreed well (eg, 25th/50th/75th percentile of day 10 AUCs-LC-MS/MS: 25.8/33.8/45.2 versus enzymatic

assay: 26.2/34.4/45.3 mg.h/L). AUCs calculated for both methods were lower at the first 3 time points in patients on cyclosporine compared with tacrolimus (week 4 median cyclosporine/tacrolimus: LC-MS/MS 39.6/56.4 versus enzymatic assay 40.5/56.0

mg.h/L). Both LC-MS/MS and the enzymatic methods revealed a tendency toward lower AUCs and predose levels in patients with biopsy-proven acute rejection (BPAR) (day 10 median: 0.9 mg/L with BPAR and 1.7 mg/L without BPAR). The Roche Total MPA assay is a reliable alternative to LC-MS/MS. It can be applied selleck screening library in the clinical setting allowing for easy, fast, and optimized patient management.”
“Disorders of sex development (DSD) are defined as a congenital condition in which development of chromosomal, gonadal or anatomical sex is atypical. DSD patients with gonadal dysgenesis or hypovirilization, containing part of the Y chromosome (GBY), have an increased risk for malignant type II germ cell tumors (GCTs: seminomas and nonseminomas). DSD may be diagnosed in newborns (e.g., ambiguous genitalia), or later in life, even at or after puberty. Here we describe three independent male patients with a GCT; two were retrospectively recognized as DSD, based on the histological identification of both carcinoma in situ and gonadoblastoma in a single gonad as the cancer precursor. Hypospadias and cryptorchidism in their history are consistent with this conclusion. The power of recognition of these parameters is demonstrated by the third patient, in which the precursor lesion was diagnosed before progression to invasiveness.

Here, we compared soil microbial communities using phospholipid

fatty acid method across ML323 research buy 7 land use types from 23 locations at a regional scale in northeastern China (850 x 50 km). The results showed that soil moisture and land use changes were most closely related to microbial community composition and biomass at the regional scale, while soil total C content and climate effects were weaker but still significant. Factors such as spatial structure, soil texture, nutrient availability and vegetation types were not important. Higher contributions of gram-positive bacteria were found in wetter soils, whereas higher contributions of gram-negative bacteria and fungi were observed in drier soils. The contributions of gram-negative bacteria and fungi were lower in heavily disturbed soils than historically disturbed and undisturbed soils. The lowest microbial biomass appeared

in the wettest and driest soils. In conclusion, dominant climate and soil properties buy LY3023414 were not the most important drivers governing microbial community composition and biomass because of inclusion of irrigated and managed practices, and thus soil moisture and land use appear to be primary determinants of microbial community composition and biomass at the regional scale in northeastern China.”
“The need of splenectomy in thalassemia major is more likely where the disease is not suppressed efficiently by transfusion treatment. The aim of this report has been to evaluate the proportion of patients for whom splenectomy has been avoided or delayed in a large cohort of thalassemic patients during a 40-year span. A series of 872 regularly transfused beta thalassemia patients born between 1960 and 1999 was pooled from the records of WebThal, a thalassemia

dedicated software in five Italian Centers. For each patient’s date of birth, first transfusion and splenectomy were considered. Kaplan-Meier and Wilcoxon tests for group comparison were applied. Age at splenectomy and date of splenectomy correlated positively (r = 0.73, P < 0.001). The probability to undergo surgery within the first 10 years of life was 57, Selleck PF-562271 22, 6, and 7%, respectively, for patients born in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. For thalassemic patients on standard treatment, the chance to be splenectomized is today low during childhood and young adulthood. Further studies are needed to quantify the specific contribution of the presence of the spleen to the prolonged survival and quality of life in well-treated thalassemic patients.”
“Repeated attempts to genetically transform Pinus radiata embryonal masses through cocultivation with Agrobacterium tumefaciens on MSG medium were unproductive due to Agrobacterium overgrowth. Timentin at either 200 or 400 mgl(-1) was ineffective in inhibiting bacterial growth after cocultivation.

“
“The complete mitochondrial genomes of five tiger samples from three subspecies (P. t. sumatrae, P. t. altica, and P. t. tigris) were successfully obtained by using 26 specifically designed Panthera-specific primer sets. The genome organization and gene arrangement of the five tiger samples were similar to each other; however polymorphic tandem repeat sequences were observed in the

control region (CR). This led to a difference in the genome lengths obtained from these five samples with an average size of 16,994 bp for the five tiger mitochondrial genomes. The nucleotide CYT387 concentration base composition was on average as follows: A, 31.8%; T, 27.0%; C, 26.6%; G, 14.6% and exhibited compositional asymmetry. Most of tiger mitochondrial genome characteristics are similar to those of other common vertebrate species; however, some distinctive features were observed in the CR. First, the repetitive sequence 2 (RS 2) contained two repeat units of 80 bp and the first 15 bp of what would be the third repeat motif. The repetitive sequence 3 (RS 3) contained 47-50 repeat motifs of a shorter 8 bp (ACGTAYAC)(n). Second, length heteroplasmy polycystosine (poly-C) stretches was observed at the end of the HV I locus in all tiger samples.”
“The recommended dose of Advagraf for conversion from Prograf is considered to be 1:1 on a milligram basis. However, the long-term equivalence of Prograf and Advagraf has been questioned. The relative

bioavailability RG-7112 price of Advagraf and Prograf was evaluated in a single-center, open-label study of Prograf-to-Advagraf conversion in 20 patients, ranging in age from 12 to 18 years, who had a stable liver transplant and were receiving Prograf. After GANT61 mw the supervised administration of Prograf for 7 days, the

patients were converted to Advagraf. On days 7 and 14, serial blood samples were obtained for tacrolimus determinations. The pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated with a noncompartmental approach, and the relative bioavailability of both formulations was calculated according to standard statistical methods. Polymorphisms in cytochrome P450 3A5 (rs776746), adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette B1 (rs1045642), POR*28 (rs1057868), and POR (rs2868177) were determined with standard methods. The clinical and analytical data from a 1-year follow-up period were collected for all patients 30, 90, 180, and 360 days after conversion. The mean ratios for C-max and AUC(0-24) were 96.9 (90% confidence interval = 85.37-110.19) and 100.1 (90% confidence interval = 90.8-112.1), respectively. No relationship was found between the patients’ genotypes and the pharmacokinetic tacrolimus values. During the follow-up, biochemical parameters (aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, bilirubin, cystatin C, and creatinine) did not change significantly; 3 patients presented with relevant clinical events, but no event was considered to be related to tacrolimus.

Compared with the DC group, the percentages of interleukin-17F and interferon-gamma in blood and transcription factors, T-bet and RAR-related orphan receptor-gamma t, gene expressions in mesenteric lymph nodes were lower, whereas blood Foxp3 was higher in the DG group. Also, DG group had lower colon injury score. These results suggest that Gln administration suppressed Th1/Th17 and Th-associated cytokine expressions and upregulated the expression of Tregs, which may modulate the balance of Th/Treg and reduce inflammatory reactions

in DSS-induced colitis.”
“ObjectiveThe objectives of the present study were analyze specific comorbidities associated with survival and actual causes of death for patients with small renal masses, and to suggest a

simplified measure associated https://www.selleckchem.com/products/liproxstatin-1.html with decreased overall survival specific to this population. MethodsThe Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results-Medicare database (1995-2007) was queried to identify patients with localized T1a kidney cancer undergoing partial nephrectomy, radical nephrectomy or deferring therapy. We explored independent associations of specific comorbidities with causes of death, and developed a simplified cardiovascular index. Cox proportional hazards, and Fine and Gray competing risks regression were used. ResultsOf 7177 Medicare beneficiaries in the study population, 754 (10.5%) deferred therapy, 1849 (25.8%) underwent partial nephrectomy and 4574 (63.7%) underwent radical nephrectomy with none of the selected comorbidities identified in 3682 (51.3%) patients. Congestive heart failure, https://www.selleckchem.com/products/BafilomycinA1.html Selleckchem Selisistat chronic kidney disease, peripheral vascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes and cerebrovascular disease were associated with decreased overall survival.

The cardiovascular index provided good survival risk stratification, and reclassified 1427 (41%) patients with a score 1 on the Charlson Comorbidity Index to a 0 on the cardiovascular index with minimal concession of 5-year survival. ConclusionsCongestive heart failure, chronic kidney disease, peripheral vascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes and cerebrovascular disease were associated with decreased overall survival among Medicare beneficiaries with small renal masses. The cardiovascular index could serve as a clinically useful prognostic aid when advising older patients that are borderline candidates for surgery or active surveillance.”
“Muscle contraction is normally mediated by the release of neurotransmitters from motor neurons. Here we demonstrate that protons can act as a direct transmitter from intestinal cells to stimulate muscle contraction. During the C. elegans defecation motor program the posterior body muscles contract even in the absence of neuronal inputs or vesicular neurotransmission.

We report the first case, to our knowledge, of PNP with eosinophilic spongiosis as the initial histopathological finding, and presence of autoantibodies to Dsc2 and Dsc3.”
“The convergence of the antagonistic reactions of membrane fusion and

fission at the hemifusion/hemifission intermediate has generated a captivating enigma of whether Soluble N-ethylmaleimide sensitive factor Attachment Protein Receptor (SNAREs) and dynamin have unusual counter-functions in fission and fusion, respectively. SNARE-mediated fusion and dynamin-driven fission are fundamental membrane flux reactions known to occur Belnacasan supplier during ubiquitous cellular communication events such as exocytosis, endocytosis and vesicle transport. Here we demonstrate the influence of the dynamin homolog Vps1 (Vacuolar protein sorting 1) on lipid mixing and content mixing properties of yeast vacuoles, and on the incorporation of SNAREs into fusogenic complexes. We propose a novel concept that Vps1, through its oligomerization and SNARE domain binding, promotes the hemifusion-content mixing transition in yeast vacuole fusion by increasing the number of trans-SNAREs.”
“Alginates have been used widely in

biomedical applications because of good biocompatibility, low cost, and rapid gelation in the presence of calcium ions. However, poor mechanical properties and fabrication-ability for three-dimensional shapes have been obstacles in hard-tissue Cytoskeletal Signaling inhibitor engineering applications. To overcome these shortcomings of alginates, we suggest a new composite system, consisting of a synthetic polymer, poly(e-caprolactone), and various weight fractions (1040 wt %) of alginate. The fabricated

composite scaffolds displayed a multilayered 3D structure, consisting of microsized composite struts, and they provided a 100% offset for each layer. To show the feasibility of the scaffold for hard tissue regeneration, the composite scaffolds fabricated were assessed not only for physical properties, including LY2603618 chemical structure surface roughness, tensile strength, and water absorption and wetting, but also in vitro osteoblastic cellular responses (cell-seeding efficiency, cell viability, fluorescence analyses, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, and mineralization) by culturing with preosteoblasts (MC3T3-E1). Due to the alginate components in the composites, the scaffolds showed significantly enhanced wetting behavior, water-absorption (similar to 12-fold), and meaningful biological activities (similar to 2.1-fold for cell-seeding efficiency, similar to 2.5-fold for cell-viability at 7 days, similar to 3.4-fold for calcium deposition), compared with a pure PCL scaffold.

We demonstrate that it increases the signal-to-noise ratio of allelic

signals, making it significantly easier to detect allelic imbalances.\n\nConclusions: TumorBoost increases the power to detect somatic copy-number events (including copy-neutral LOH) in the tumor from allelic signals of Affymetrix or Illumina origin. We also conclude that high-precision allelic estimates can be obtained from a C59 cost single pair of tumor-normal hybridizations, if TumorBoost is combined with single-array preprocessing methods such as (allele-specific) CRMA v2 for Affymetrix or BeadStudio’s (proprietary) XY-normalization method for Illumina. A bounded-memory implementation is available in the open-source and cross-platform R package aroma.cn, which is part of the Aroma Project (http://www.aroma-project.org/).”
“To compare the positions of the aorta

relative to vertebral bodies and Galardin order the potential risk of the aorta impingement for pedicle screw (PS) placement between right-sided and left-sided thoracolumbar/lumbar curves of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS).\n\nThirty-nine AIS patients with a main thoracolumbar or lumbar curve were recruited. The Lenke’s classification was type 5C in all patients. According to the convexity of the thoracolumbar or lumbar curves, the patients were divided into either group R or Group L. The patients in Group R had a main right-sided thoracolumbar/lumbar curve, and the patients in Group L had a main left-sided thoracolumbar/lumbar curve. Axial CT images from T12 to L4 at the midvertebral body level were obtained to evaluate Aorta-vertebra angle (alpha), Vertebral rotation angle (beta), Copanlisib PI3K/Akt/mTOR inhibitor Lefty safety distance (LSD), and Right safety distance (RSD). The risks of the aorta impingement from T12 to L4 were calculated and then compared between the two groups.\n\nThe alpha increased from T12 through L4 in Group R, increased from T12 through L1, and then decreased from L1 through L4 in Group L. The beta decreased from T12 through L4 in both groups. The LSD constantly

increased from T12 through L4 in Group R, increased from T12 through L3, and then decreased from L3 through L4 in Group L. The RSD increased from T12 through L3 and then decreased from L3 through L4 in both groups. With the increment of the lengths of the simulated screws, the aorta impingement risks were constantly elevated at all levels in both groups. The aorta was at a high risk of impingement from left PS regardless of the diameters of the simulated screws in Group R (80-100 % at T12 and 53.3-100 % at L1). In Group L, the aorta was completely safe when using 35 mm (0 at all levels) PS and at high risks of the aorta impingement on the right side from 45 mm PSs (31.8-72.7 %). In all, the risks of the aorta impingement were mainly from left PS in Group R and from right PS in Group L, and the risk of the aorta impingement from PS placement was generally higher in right thoracolumbar or lumbar curves when compared with that of the left.

The testosterone level in eggs from experimental females was positively related to the laying order,

whereas control eggs did not show any trend. Our results provided mixed support for the DAH, but nevertheless PLX3397 revealed that female red-legged partridges may adjust their breeding investment according to male carotenoid-based ornamentation.”
“Identifying patients in a Target Customer Segment (TCS) is important to determine the demand for, and to appropriately allocate resources for, health care services. The purpose of this study is to propose a two-stage clustering-classification model through (1) initially integrating the RFM attribute and K-means algorithm for clustering the TCS patients and (2) then integrating the global discretization method and the rough set theory for classifying hospitalized departments and optimizing health care services. To assess the performance of the proposed model, a dataset was used from a representative hospital (termed Hospital-A) that was extracted from a database from an empirical study in Taiwan comprised of 183,947 samples that were characterized by 44 attributes during 2008.

The proposed model was compared with three techniques, Decision Tree, Naive Bayes, and Multilayer Perceptron, and the empirical results showed significant promise of its accuracy. The generated knowledge-based rules provide useful information to maximize resource utilization and support selleck chemicals the development of a strategy for decision-making in hospitals. From the findings, 75 patients in the TCS, three hospital departments, and specific diagnostic Angiogenesis inhibitor items were discovered in the data for Hospital-A. A potential determinant for gender differences was found, and the

age attribute was not significant to the hospital departments. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) are a growing family of peptides that have opened a new avenue in drug delivery, allowing various hydrophilic macromolecules to enter cells. In accordance with most other cationic delivery vectors, CPPs seem to rely mostly on endocytosis for internalization. However, due to conflicting results the exact endocytic pathways for CPP uptake have not yet been resolved. Here, we evaluated the ability of seven CPPs, with different chemical properties, to convey peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) inside cells. Assays based on both splice correction, generating biologically active read-out, and on traditional fluorescence measurements were utilized. The same assays were employed to assess different endocytic pathways and the dependence on extracellular heparan sulfates for internalization. Both highly cationic CPPs (M918, penetratin, and Tat) and amphipathic peptides (transportan, TP10, MAP, and pVEC) were investigated in this study. Conjugate uptake relied on endocytosis for all seven peptides but splice-correcting activity varied greatly for the investigated CPPs.

The role of the endometrial receptors in this complex embryo-maternal interaction is still unclear. We tested gene and protein expression of endometrial receptors (Progesterone receptor (PR) and c-Met) and the effect of theses receptors in endometrial receptivity.\n\nMethods: Two endometrial cell lines were used: HEC-1A and RL95-2 considered as being of low and high receptivity, respectively. Western blot and RT-PCR analysis were utilized to study the receptor expression profile. The role of endometrial receptors in endometrial receptivity was studied by attachment and invasion assays of JAR spheroids

(made of a trophoblast cell line) on endometrial cells. Different manipulations of inhibition and stimulation of the endometrial receptors were High Content Screening used including: inhibition by specific antibodies against the receptors, or antagonist of the receptors, as well as transfection with antisense for the endometrial receptors, stimulation HSP activation by specific

ligands for the receptors and transfection with the gene for endometrial receptors.\n\nResults: Different protein expression patterns of endometrial receptors were observed between the tested endometrial cell lines. The expression levels of PRA ratio to PRB, and the 50 kDa c-MET isoform were significantly lower in HEC-1A as compared with RL95-2. Attachment rates and growth of JAR spheroids into HEC-1A were significantly lower as compared with RL95-2. Stimulation of PR with progesterone altered attachment rates to HEC-1A. Inhibition of PR with RU-486 mildly increased attachment rate to HEC-1A whereas it slightly decreased attachment rate to RL95-2. c-Met inhibition decreased attachment rates only to HEC-1A cells that expressing high levels of Plexin-B1 (PB1). Immunoprecipitation studies revealed that c-Met and PB1 associate in complexes in the endometrial cell lines.\n\nConclusion: Differential endometrial receptor profiles are expressed during the receptivity period. The attachment and invasion processes are separately

regulated. We suggest a biologically functional role for PRA in endometrial receptivity this website and in the attachment process. c-Met contribution is minor and related with creation of a complex with PB1.”
“Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a crucial mechanism for the acquisition of migratory and invasive capabilities by epithelial cancer cells. By conducting quantitative proteomics in experimental models of human prostate cancer (PCa) metastasis, we observed strikingly decreased expression of EPLIN (epithelial protein lost in neoplasm; or LIM domain and actin binding 1, LIMA-1) upon EMT. Biochemical and functional analyses demonstrated that EPLIN is a negative regulator of EMT and invasiveness in PCa cells. EPLIN depletion resulted in the disassembly of adherens junctions, structurally distinct actin remodeling and activation of beta-catenin signaling.

These developments will create opportunities for deeper studies of cancer genetics and the clinical application of genome sequencing, and will motivate further research in cancer pathogenesis.”
“Objective: In the DSM-IV, individuals with binge eating disorder (BED) and those with purging disorder (PD) receive a diagnosis of eating disorder not otherwise specified (EDNOS), suggesting no meaningful differences between clinical presentations. This article compares PD and BED on eating disorder severity and comorbid disorders.\n\nMethod: Individuals with PD (n = 33), DSM-IV BED

(n = 23 with BMI >30 kg/m(2), and n = 18 with BMI between 18.5 and 26.5 kg/m(2)), and noneating disorder controls (n = 35) completed SCID-I interviews and questionnaires.\n\nResults: Eating disorder groups reported significantly greater depression, body dissatisfaction, and dietary restraint and more Axis I disorders compared Crenigacestat in vivo with controls. Compared with both the obese and normal weight BED groups, PD reported significantly greater dietary restraint and body dissatisfaction. Compared with obese BED, PD reported lower prevalence of impulse control disorders.\n\nDiscussion: Findings support differentiating among EDNOS based on behavioral presentation in both research AP24534 clinical trial and future nosological schemes such as the DSM-V.

(C) 2010 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.”
“Objective: Atrial septal defect is one of the most commonly encountered congenital heart diseases in adults. The effect of age of the patient to the surgery is disputable. The purpose of this report was to evaluate surgical repair in patients with ASD who are operated in our clinic. Methods: Total 40 patients were subjected to surgical repair due to ASD in Van Yuksek lhtisas Education and Research Hospital between February 2006 and April 2009. Twenty

seven of the patients were female and 13 were male, their ages differed between 8 and 71 and mean age of the patients was 33.70 +/- 14.04. Result: Operative mortality did not occur. Two of our patients had coronary arterial disease in addition this website to ASD. ASD repair was performed together with coronary bypass surgery. Closing of ASD resulted in an increase in left ventricular ejection fraction, and a decrease in pulmonary arterial pressure and cardiothoracic ratio. Recovery in the functional capacity was observed post-surgery according to NYHA. Conclusion: in this series, surgical results of the patients of various ages, with ASD closed were positive.”
“The tumor suppressor p53 plays a central role in the regulation of cellular growth and apoptosis. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, over-expression of the human wtp53 leads to growth inhibition and cell death on minimal medium. In the present work, we showed that deletion of the nuclear localization signal (NLSI) of p53 restores the yeast growth.

These damaged nucleobases are removed by DNA N-glycosylase and form apurinic/apyrimidinic sites (AP sites) as intermediates in the base excision repair (BER) pathway. AP sites are also representative DNA damages formed by spontaneous hydrolysis. The AP sites block DNA polymerase and a mismatch nucleobase is inserted opposite the AP sites by polymerization to cause acute toxicities and mutations. Thus, AP site specific compounds have attracted much attention for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes. In this study, we have developed nucleobase-polyamine conjugates as the AP site binding ligand by expecting that the nucleobase part would play a role in the specific

recognition of the nucleobase opposite the AP site by the Watson-Crick Galunisertib base pair formation and that the polyamine part should contribute to the access of the ligand to the AP site by a non-specific interaction to the DNA phosphate backbone. The nucleobase conjugated with 3,3′-diaminodipropylamine (A-ligand, G-ligand, C-ligand, T-ligand and U-ligand) showed a specific stabilization of the duplex containing the AP site depending MLN8237 inhibitor on the complementary combination with the nucleobase opposite the AP site; that

is A-ligand to T, G-ligand to C, C-ligand to G, T- and U-ligand to A. The thermodynamic binding parameters clearly indicated that the specific stabilization is due to specific binding of the ligands to the complementary AP site. These results have suggested that the complementary base pairs of the Watson-Crick type are formed at the SBE-β-CD AP site. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“GATA-1 controls hematopoietic development by activating and repressing gene transcription, yet the in vivo mechanisms that specify these opposite activities are unknown. By examining the composition

of GATA-1-associated protein complexes in a conditional erythroid rescue system as well as through the use of tiling arrays we detected the SCL/TAL1, LMO2, Ldb1, E2A complex at all positively acting GATA-1-bound elements examined. Similarly, the SCL complex is present at all activating GATA elements in megakaryocytes and mast cells. In striking contrast, at sites where GATA-1 functions as a repressor, the SCL complex is depleted. A DNA-binding defective form of SCL maintains association with a subset of active GATA elements indicating that GATA-1 is a key determinant for SCL recruitment. Knockdown of LMO2 selectively impairs activation but not repression by GATA-1. ETO-2, an SCL-associated protein with the potential for transcription repression, is also absent from GATA-1-repressed genes but, unlike SCL, fails to accumulate at GATA-1 activated genes. Together, these studies identify the SCL complex as a critical and consistent determinant of positive GATA-1 activity in multiple GATA-1-regulated hematopoietic cell lineages. (Blood.