For this reason, a PCR protocol able to detect and quantify DENV in the different kinds of samples employed for DENV study is of great value. In this study, a real-time PCR method suitable not only for clinical objectives but also for laboratory routine is described. Sequences from several strains of DENV comprising the four serotypes were aligned. A fragment located at the 5′UTR region of the virus genome was used to generate the primers

and the probe for real-time PCR. This method was successfully used to identify and quantify distinct dengue virus strains and serotypes in clinical samples, in sera from patients SBC-115076 chemical structure infected with dengue virus, and in the mosquito Aedes aegypti, as well as to study virus replication in different cell lines. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.”
“Tau phosphorylation and hypoxia are both linked to the pathology of Alzheimer’s disease. To find out the possible connection between hypoxia and tau phosphorylation, we performed this study to evaluate the level of phosphorylated tau under hypoxic or normal condition. We found in our study that hypoxia promoted the phosphorylation of tau protein via ERK pathway, which suggest hypoxia might be involved in the process of tau pathology. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“To investigate the structure and function of

nonstructural GSK2879552 molecular weight (NS) protein 2B of the dengue serotype 2 virus (DV2) during infection, polyclonal antibodies (Abs) against DV2 NS2B were prepared by immunisation with NS2B protein or by DNA immunisation. The full-length NS2B gene was cloned and inserted into the prokaryotic expression vector pQE31, resulting in a vector, named pQE-NS2B, or into the eukaryotic expression vector pCAGGS-P7, resulting in the vector pCAG-NS2B. The pQE-NS2B vector was transfected into Escherichia coli JM109, and recombinant NS2B protein was obtained Bortezomib by Ni(2+)-NTA agarose affinity chromatography Vero cells transfected with pCAG-NS2B showed that NS2B protein can be expressed in eukaryotic

cells. Finally, mice were immunised with the recombinant NS2B protein or pCAG-NS2B. Anti-NS2B sera from the immunised mice could specifically react with DV2 NS2B proteins, as visualised by fluorescence staining and Western blotting. Immunisation with NS2B protein induced a higher titre of the antibody than that induced by DNA immunisation. These data indicate that our antisera against DV2 NS2B can recognise both the natural and denatured NS2B protein. Based on these results, the polyclonal Abs could be used as a tool for studying the role of NS2B in the pathogenesis of DV2. (C) 2009 Published by Elsevier B.V.”
“Stem cell research offers enormous potential for treating many diseases of the nervous system. At present, therapeutic strategies in stem cell research segregate into two approaches: cell transplantation or endogenous cell stimulation.

7%) and 123 patients in the control group (41.3%) had died (relative risk with IABP, 0.96; 95% confidence interval, 0.79 to 1.17; P = 0.69). There were no significant

differences in secondary end points or in process-of-care measures, including the time to hemodynamic stabilization, the length of stay in the intensive care unit, serum lactate levels, the dose and duration of catecholamine therapy, and renal function. The IABP group and the control group did not differ significantly Ralimetinib in vitro with respect to the rates of major bleeding (3.3% and 4.4%, respectively; P = 0.51), peripheral ischemic complications (4.3% and 3.4%, P = 0.53), sepsis (15.7% and 20.5%, P = 0.15), and stroke (0.7% and 1.7%, P = 0.28).

CONCLUSIONS

The use of intraaortic balloon counterpulsation did not significantly reduce 30-day mortality in patients with cardiogenic shock complicating acute myocardial infarction for whom an early revascularization strategy was planned. (Funded by the German Research Foundation and others; IABP-SHOCK

II ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00491036.)”
“This study assessed the validity of the Eston-Parfitt (E-P) curvilinear Ratings of Perceived Exertion (RPE) Scale and a novel marble quantity task to provide estimates of perceived exertion during cycle ergometry. Fifteen children aged 7-8 years performed a discontinuous incremental click here graded-exercise test, and reported exertional ratings at the end of each minute. Significant increases in physiological and perceptual data were observed with increasing work rate. The relationship between work rate and marbles was curvilinear (mean R(2) = .94), supporting the theoretical justification for the E-P Scale. Strong linear (R(2) = .93) and curvilinear (R(2) = .94) relationships between RPE from the E-P Scale and work G protein-coupled receptor kinase rate confirmed the robustness of the E-P

Scale. Valid exertional ratings may be obtained using the E-P Scale with young children. The novel marble quantity task offers an alternative method of deriving perceived exertion responses in children.”
“Clinical research has linked post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with deficits in fear extinction. However, it is not clear whether these deficits result from stress-related changes in the acquisition or retention of extinction or in the regulation of extinction memories by context, for example. In this study, we used the single prolonged stress (SPS) animal model of PTSD and fear conditioning procedures to examine the effects of prior traumatic stress on the acquisition, retention, and context-specificity of extinction. SPS administered one week prior to fear conditioning had no effect on the acquisition of fear conditioning or extinction but disrupted the retention of extinction memories for both contextual and cued fear. This SPS effect required a post-stress incubation period to manifest.

When selecting between delayed rewards, activity within the pregenual anterior cingulate WZB117 mw cortex and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex correlated positively with impulsivity scores while activity within the orbitofrontal cortex, subgenual anterior cingulate cortex and caudate correlated positively with venturesomeness scores. Selection between probabilistic rewards revealed no correlation between scores and regional activations. The results from this study provide targets for future research investigating the neural substrates of impulsivity. They also provide targets for the further investigation into

the pathophysiology of addiction and impulse-control disorders. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights CHIR-99021 order reserved.”
“Purpose: We focused on the current opinion on mechanisms generating stromal tone in the prostate gland.

Materials and Methods: We selected the guinea pig as the main species for investigation since its prostate has a high proportion of smooth muscle that undergoes age related changes similar in many respects to that in humans. The main techniques that we used were tension recording and electrophysiology.

Results: We previously reported distinct electrical activity

and cell types in the prostate, and speculated on their functional roles. We believe that a specialized group of c-kit immunoreactive prostatic interstitial cells that lie between glandular epithelium and smooth muscle stroma have a role similar to that of gastrointestinal interstitial cells of Cajal, generating the pacemaker signal that manifests as slow wave activity and triggers contraction in smooth muscle cells in guinea pig prostates.

Conclusions: Since changes in muscle tone Enzalutamide are involved in the etiology of age dependent prostate specific conditions such as benign prostatic hyperplasia, knowledge of the electrical properties of the various prostatic cell types

and their interactions with each other, with nerves and with the hormonal environment, and how these factors change with age is of considerable medical importance.”
“We report the single-case study of a brain-damaged individual, JJG, presenting with a conceptual deficit and whose knowledge of living things, man-made objects, and actions was assessed. The aim was to seek for empirical evidence pertaining to the issue of how conceptual knowledge of objects, both living things and man-made objects, is related to conceptual knowledge of actions at the functional level. We first found that JJG’s conceptual knowledge of both man-made objects and actions was similarly impaired while his conceptual knowledge of living things was spared as well as his knowledge of unique entities.

When EBV replication is rescued by transfection of SM, SM enhances expression of these genes by direct and indirect mechanisms.

While expression of most EBV genes is either unaffected or enhanced by SM, expression of several genes is decreased in the presence of SM. Expression of BHRF1, a homolog of cellular bcl-2, is particularly this website decreased in the presence of SM. Investigation of the mechanism of BHRF1 downregulation revealed that SM downregulates expression of the immediate-early EBV transactivator R. In EBV-infected cells, R-responsive promoters, including the BHRF1 and SM promoters, were less active in the presence of SM, consistent with SM inhibition of R expression. SM decreased spliced R mRNA levels, supporting a posttranscriptional mechanism of R inhibition. R and BHRF1 expression were also found to decrease during later stages of EBV lytic replication in EBV-infected lymphoma cells. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/bromosporine.html These data indicate that feedback regulation of immediate-early and early genes occurs during the lytic cycle of EBV regulation.”
“The non-oncogene-bearing retrovirus SL3-3 murine leukemia virus induces strictly T-cell lymphomas with

a mean latency of 2 to 4 months in mice of the NMRI-inbred (NMRI-i) strain. By high-throughput sequencing of retroviral tags, we have identified the genomic region carrying the transcriptional repressor and oncogene growth factor independence 1 (Gfi1) as a frequent target for SL3-3 in the NMRI-i mouse genome. Twenty-four SL3-3 insertions were identified within a 1-kb window of the 3′ untranslated region (3′UTR) of the Gfi1 gene, a clustering pattern unique for this lymphoma model. Expression analysis determined Fazadinium bromide that the Gfi1 gene was transcriptionally activated by SL3-3 insertions, and

an upregulation of Gfi1 protein expression was detected for tumors harboring insertions in the Gfi1 3′UTR. Here we provide data in support of a mechanism by which retroviral insertions in the Gfi1 3′UTR decouple microRNA-mediated posttranscriptional regulation.”
“Approximately 3% of the world population is chronically infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV). GB virus B (GBV-B), a surrogate model for HCV, causes hepatitis in tamarins and is the virus phylogenetically most closely related to HCV. Previously we described a chimeric GBV-B containing an HCV insert from the 5′ noncoding region (NCR) that was adapted for efficient replication in tamarins (Saguinus species). We have also demonstrated that wild-type (WT) GBV-B rapidly adapts for efficient replication in a closely related species, the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus). Here, we demonstrate that the chimeric virus failed to adapt during serial passage in marmosets. The chimeric virus was passaged four times through 24 marmosets. During passage, two marmoset phenotypes were observed: susceptible and partially resistant.

Functional connectivity analysis using time series correlation, factor analysis, and beta series correlation methods provided convergent evidence that the ASD group exhibited lower levels of functional connectivity and less network integration between frontal, parietal, and occipital regions. In the typically developing P5091 cell line group, fronto-parietal connectivity was related to lower error rates on high control trials. In the autism group, reduced fronto-parietal connectivity was related to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Vaccines that elicit CD8(+) T-cell responses are routinely tested for immunogenicity in nonhuman primates before advancement

to clinical trials. Unfortunately, the magnitude and specificity of vaccine-elicited T-cell responses are variable in currently utilized nonhuman primate populations, owing to heterogeneity in major histocompatibility (MHC) class I genetics. SB431542 mw We recently showed that Mauritian cynomolgus macaques (MCM) have unusually simple MHC genetics, with three common haplotypes encoding a shared pair of MHC class IA alleles, Mafa-A*25 and Mafa-A*29.

Based on haplotype frequency, we hypothesized that CD8(+) T-cell responses restricted by these MHC class I alleles would be detected in nearly all MCM. We examine here the frequency and functionality of these two alleles, showing that 88% of MCM express Mafa-A*25 and Mafa-A*29 and that animals carrying these alleles mount three newly defined simian immunodeficiency virus-specific CD8(+) T-cell responses. The epitopes recognized by each of these responses accumulated substitutions consistent with immunologic escape, suggesting these responses exert antiviral selective pressure. The demonstration that Mafa-A*25 and Mafa-A*29 restrict CD8(+) T-cell responses that are shared among nearly all MCM indicates that these animals are an advantageous nonhuman primate model for comparing the immunogenicity of HSP90 vaccines that elicit CD8(+)

T-cell responses.”
“It is well known that the occurrence of false memories increases with aging, but the results remain inconsistent concerning Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Moreover, the mechanisms underlying the production of false memories are still unclear. Using an experimental episodic memory test with material based on the names of famous people in a procedure derived from the DRM paradigm [Roediger, H. L, III, & McDermott, K. B. (1995). Creating false memories: Remembering words not presented in lists. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory & Cognition, 21, 803-814], we examined correct and false recall and recognition in 30 young adults, 40 healthy older adults, and 30 patients with AD. Moreover, we evaluated the relationships between false memory performance, correct episodic memory performance, and a set of neuropsychological assessments evaluating the semantic memory and executive functions.

The median patient age was 45 years (range, 7-80 years). The median SRS target volume was 7.1 cm(3) (range, 0.9-109 cm(3)), and median margin dose was 15.0 Gy (range, 9-25 Gy).

RESULTS: At a median follow-up of 5 years (range, 0.6-14 years) after SRS, 23 patients died of tumor progression. The

5-year Akt inhibitor actuarial overall survival after SRS was 80% for the entire group, 93% for the no prior fractionated radiation therapy (RT) group (n = 50), and 43% for the prior RT group (n = 21). Younger age, longer interval between initial diagnosis and SRS, no prior RT, < 2 cranial nerve deficits, and smaller total tumor volume were significantly associated with longer patient survival. The 5-year treated tumor control rate after SRS was 66% for the entire group, 69% for the no prior RT group, and 62% for the prior RT group. Older age, recurrent group, prior RT, and larger tumor volume were significantly associated with worse tumor control.

CONCLUSION: Stereotactic radiosurgery is a potent treatment option for small sized chordomas, especially see more in younger patients and as part of a multipronged attack that includes surgical resection when possible.”
“Aim:

Aspergillus terreus produces itaconic acid at low pH but lovastatin and other secondary metabolites at higher pH in the fermentation. The utilization of glucose as a carbon substrate was investigated for secondary

metabolite production by A. terreus.

Methods and Results:

With a starting pH of 6 center dot 5, glucose was rapidly metabolized to gluconic acid by the wild-type strain and by transformants harbouring Aspergillus niger genes encoding 6-phosphofructo-1-kinases with superior kinetic and regulatory properties for bioproduction of metabolites from glucose. On exhaustion of the glucose in batch fermentations, the accumulated gluconic acid was utilized as a carbon source.

Conclusions:

A novel pathway

of glucose catabolism was demonstrated in A. terreus, a species whose wild type is, without any strain development, capable of producing gluconic acid at high molar conversion efficiency (up to 0 center dot 7 mol mol-1 glucose consumed).

Significance heptaminol and Impact of the Study:

Aspergillus terreus is a potential novel producer organism for gluconic acid, a compound with many uses as a bulk chemical. With a new knowledge of glucose catabolism by A. terreus, fermentation strategies for secondary metabolite production can be devised with glucose feeding using feedback regulation by pH.”
“BACKGROUND: External ventricular drains (EVDs) are valuable adjuncts in the management of neurosurgical patients but are associated with a significant risk of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) infection (range, 0% to 27%); a review of 23 studies reported a mean of 8.8%.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy of 2 different antibiotic-impregnated EVD catheters in preventing CSF infections.

However, a comparison of the replication capacities of the double-binding-site mutant and an IRES mutant with a quantitatively equivalent defect in translation suggests that the decrement in translation associated with loss of miR-122 binding is insufficient to explain the profound defect in virus production by the double mutant. miR-122 is thus likely to act at an additional step in the virus life cycle.”
“Ethanol (EtOH) is a drug widely consumed throughout the world that promotes several neurochemical disorders. Its deleterious effects are generally associated

with modifications www.selleckchem.com/products/wortmannin.html in oxidative stress parameters, signaling transduction pathways, and neurotransmitter systems, leading buy THZ1 to distinct behavioral changes. Taurine (2-aminoethane-sulfonic acid) is a beta-amino acid not incorporated into proteins found in mM range in the central nervous system (CNS). The actions of taurine as an inhibitory neurotransmitter, neuromodulator, and antioxidant make it attractive for studying a potential protective role against EtOH-mediated neurotoxicity. In this study, we investigated whether acute taurine cotreatment or pretreatment (1 h) prevent EtOH-induced changes in acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity and in oxidative stress parameters in zebrafish brain. The results showed that

EtOH exposure (1% in volume) during 1 h increased AChE activity, whereas the cotreatment with 400 mg.L(-1) taurine prevented this enhancement. A similar protective effect of 150 and 400 mg.L(-1) taurine was also observed when the animals were pretreated with this amino acid. Taurine treatments also prevented the alterations promoted in superoxide dismutase and catalase activities

by EtOH, suggesting a modulatory Calpain role in enzymatic antioxidant defenses. The pretreatment with 150 and 400 mg.L(-1) taurine significantly increased the sulfydryl levels as compared to control and EtOH groups. Moreover, 150 and 400 mg.L(-1) taurine significantly decreased thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARS) levels, but the cotreatment with EtOH plus 400 mg.L-1 taurine did not prevent the EtOH-induced lipoper-oxidation. In contrast, the pretreatment with 150 and 400 mg.L(-1) taurine prevented the TBARS increase besides decreased the basal levels of lipid peroxides. Altogether, our data showed for the first time that EtOH induced oxidative stress in adult zebrafish brain and reinforce the idea that this vertebrate is an attractive alternative model to evaluate the beneficial effect of taurine against acute EtOH exposure. (C) 2010 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Sonic hedgehog (Shh) and Wnt-7a are morphogens involved in embryonic as well as ongoing adult neurogenesis. Their effects on the differentiation and membrane properties of neonatal neural stem/progenitor cells (NS/PCs) were studied in vitro using NS/PCs transduced with either Shh or Wnt-7a.

5%, 21%, 60%, and 78% for the revised version, respectively. Four and two patients with a score of 3 in each version of the index survived endovascular repair.

Conclusions: The Hardman index, with or without incorporating ECG ischemia, seems to be a simple and useful predictive tool in patients undergoing endovascular repair of RAAA, with the mortality rate increasing along with the Hardman score. However, the index cannot be used to accurately identify patients

with no chance of survival after endovascular repair.”
“The neuroprotective effects of estrogen in young adult rodents are well established. Less well understood is how estrogen neuroprotection is affected by aging and interactions with progesterone. In this study, we investigated the effects of estrogen and continuous progesterone, both alone and in combination, on hippocampal neuron survival following SB431542 molecular weight kainate lesion in 14-month-old female rats entering reproductive senescence. Our

results show that ovariectomy-induced hormone depletion did not significantly affect the extent of kainate-induced neuron loss. Treatment of ovariectomized rats with estrogen significantly reduced neuron loss, however this effect was blocked by co-administration of continuous progesterone. Treatment of ovariectornized rats with progesterone alone did not significantly affect kainate toxicity. These results provide GSK621 new insight into factors that regulate estrogen neuroprotection, which has important implications

for hormone therapy in postmenopausal women. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved”
“Objective: Cediranib (AZD2171) We evaluated the influence of placement of the bifurcated Powerlink endograft (Endologix Inc, Irvine, Calif) on the aortic bifurcation, with the addition of a proximal extension, in the endovascular treatment (EVAR) of selected patients with atherosclerotic abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs).

Methods. From September 1999 to June 2007, 205 patients were treated with the bifurcated Powerlink endograft for atherosclerotic AAA at two Italian centers with shared protocols. Patients were retrospectively divided in two groups according to treatment with the bifurcated graft only (n = 126), or its placement on the bifurcation with the addition of a proximal extension (n = 79) at the initial procedure. Study end points included postoperative complications, secondary procedures, immediate and late conversion, migration, endoleak, death, and aneurysmal sac behavior.

Results: Overall technical success was 98.5%. Additional procedures were performed in 18%, and postoperative complications occurred in 11.2% (systemic, 8.3%; local, 2.9%). Median follow-up was 42.4 months (range, 6-94 months). Secondary procedures were recorded in 11.2%, migration in 3.9%, type I proximal endoleak in 7.8%, and late conversions in 2.4%.

“
“Experiments were carried out in the retina of the tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum) to evaluate the

see more importance of D-serine synthesis on light-evoked N-methyl D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-mediated components of ganglion cells and contributions to the proximal negative field potential. We blocked the synthesis of D-serine through brief exposures of the retina to phenazine ethosulfate and validated the changes in the tissue levels of D-serine using capillary electrophoresis methods to separate and measure the amino acid enantiomers. Ten minute exposures to phenazine ethosulfate decreased D-serine levels in the retina by about 50% and significantly reduced the NMDA receptor contribution to light responses of the inner retina. This is the first report of a linkage between D-serine synthesis and NMDA receptor activity in the

vertebrate retina. NeuroReport DMXAA research buy 21:239-244 (C) 2010 Wolters Kluwer Health vertical bar Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.”
“Aims:

To investigate the in vitro antiviral activity of Melaleuca alternifolia essential oil (TTO) and its main components, terpinen-4-ol, alpha-terpinene, gamma-terpinene, p-cymene, terpinolene and alpha-terpineol.

Methods and Results:

The antiviral activity of tested compounds was evaluated against polio type 1, ECHO 9, Coxsackie B1, adeno type 2, herpes simplex (HSV) type 1 and 2 viruses by 50% plaque reduction assay. The anti-influenza virus assay was based on the inhibition of the virus-induced cytopathogenicity. Results obtained from our screening demonstrated that the TTO and some of its components (the terpinen-4-ol, the terpinolene, the alpha-terpineol) have an inhibitory effect on influenza A/PR/8 virus subtype H1N1 replication at doses below the cytotoxic dose. The ID(50) value of the TTO was found to be 0 center dot 0006% (v/v) and was much lower than its CD(50) (0 center dot 025% v/v). Quisqualic acid All the compounds were ineffective against polio 1, adeno 2, ECHO 9, Coxsackie B1, HSV-1 and HSV-2. None of the tested compounds

showed virucidal activity. Only a slight virucidal effect was observed for TTO (0 center dot 125% v/v) against HSV-1 and HSV-2.

Conclusions:

These data show that TTO has an antiviral activity against influenza A/PR/8 virus subtype H1N1 and that antiviral activity has been principally attributed to terpinen-4-ol, the main active component.

Significance and Impact of the Study:

TTO should be a promising drug in the treatment of influenza virus infection.”
“The perforant path (PP) connects two key components of the medial temporal memory system, the entorhinal cortex and hippocampus. Entorhinal layer II projects densely to the outer portion of the molecular layer of the dentate gyrus and the stratum lacunosum-moleculare of CA2 and CA3 of the hippocampus.

Whole-brain and focally-irradiated rats were unimpaired compared with control rats in a matching-to-place (MTP) working memory task performed in the T-maze and in the long-term retention of the no-alternation rule. In the second experiment, focal irradiation reduced DCX expression by 36% but did not impair performance on (1) a standard non-matching-to-place (NMTP) task, (2) a more demanding NMTP task with increasingly longer within-trial delays, (3) a long-term retention test of the alternation rule and (4) a

spatial reversal task. However, rats irradiated focally showed clear deficits in a “”purely”" contextual fear-conditioning task at short and long retention intervals. These data demonstrate Pevonedistat that reduced adult hippocampal neurogenesis produces marked deficits in the rapid acquisition of emotionally relevant contextual information but spares spatial working memory function, the long-term retention of acquired spatial rules and the ability to flexibly check details modify learned spatial strategies. (C) 2009 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Purpose: We investigated factors determining the degree of functional

reduction by measuring changes in individual renal function before and after partial nephrectomy.

Materials and Methods: In 117 patients who underwent elective partial nephrectomy the glomerular filtration rate of the renal units with however tumor from the diethyl-enetetramine pentaacetic acid renal scan was measured before and at a mean of 6.5 months after surgery. Kidney volume was calculated using computerized tomography. Of these patients 52 and 65 underwent open and laparoscopic partial nephrectomy, respectively. Satinsky clamps were used for renal artery-vein clamping in all patients. We analyzed patient, tumor and perioperative characteristics including surgical method with respect to changes in glomerular filtration rate.

Results: Renal cell carcinoma was diagnosed in 101 (86.3%) patients. Between the laparoscopic and open partial nephrectomy groups significant differences were noted in tumor

size (2.14 vs 3.72 cm, p <0.001) and warm ischemia time (33.5 vs 20.5 minutes, p <0.001). Reduction and percent reduction in glomerular 2 filtration rate (13.3 vs 12.6 ml per minute per m(2), p = 0.662; 29.9% vs 33.2%, p = 0.337), and reduction and percent reduction in kidney volume (35.8 vs 36.4 3 cm, p = 0.886; 20.4% vs 24.0%, p = 0.151), respectively, were similar between the groups. On multivariate analysis renal volume reduction (%, p <0.0001) was the most significant, independent prognosticator for glomerular filtration rate reduction followed by polar location of the tumor (upper vs mid-lower pole, p = 0.012) and increasing age (p = 0.041).

Conclusions: Renal volume reduction, tumor location and patient age determine renal function after partial nephrectomy.