OBJECTIVE: Herein, we report on a new point mutation in the SMPD-1 gene that was discovered in a patient with type B NPD.

METHODS AND RESULTS: A culture of the patient’s fibroblasts demonstrated that the observed clinical symptoms and reduced plasma high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were associated with a reduced efflux of cholesterol. Examination of the skin fibroblasts demonstrated that ASM activity was reduced to approximately

60% of that observed in control cells, and a newly identified point mutation was found in codon 494 [Gly (GGT) -> Cys (TGT)] in the SMPD-1 gene. Furthermore, repeated measurements of the plasma HDL-C levels remained low (17.5-20.5 mg/dL), and the Apo AZD6094 A-I- or HDL-mediated cholesterol efflux from the patient’s fibroblasts was significantly reduced as compared with control fibroblasts.

CONCLUSION: In summary, we identified a unique point mutation in a patient with type B NPD that was associated with various clinical findings,

including a low plasma HDL-C level. This reduced cellular cholesterol efflux may be implicated, at least in part, in low plasma HDL levels. (C) 2012 National Lipid Association. All rights reserved.”
“The litter-dwelling fungus Fusarium incarnatum LD-3 has been identified as a novel producer of laccase. The present work was oriented towards the optimization of various cultivation conditions for maximizing laccase production under solid substrate fermentation. The process parameters were optimized by the “”one factor at a time”" approach. Maximum laccsase production was obtained at pH 5.0 and at a temperature of 28 A degrees C with 60 % moisture content using rice bran as a substrate. The SRT2104 datasheet laccase production was enhanced in the presence of aromatic inducer, i.e.

ortho-dianisidine at a concentration of 0.5 mM. Laccase production was further increased by 52.56 % when the medium was supplemented with 2 % (v/v) alcohol. Among the various amino acids tested as a growth factor and nitrogen source, D-Serine and DL-2 Amino n-butyric acid, DL-Alanine and L-Glycine were found to be selleck inhibitor the most suitable for laccase production. The highest laccase production (1,352.64 U/g) was achieved under optimized conditions, and was 2.1-fold higher than the unoptimized conditions. Thus, the novel litter-dwelling fungal isolate Fusarium incarnatum LD-3 seems to be an efficient producer of laccase and can be further exploited for biotechnological applications. This is the first report on the optimization of cultivation conditions and inducers for laccase production from Fusarium incarnatum LD-3.”
“Introduction: Sacral neuromodulation (SNM) of the lower urinary tract has proven to be safe and effective in patients with complaints of OAB syndrome who are not responding to conservative therapy. After five years of treatment the implanted system is still effective in 56-71% of patients. The loss of effect could be caused by adaptation of the nerve system to prolonged stimulation of the sacral nerves.

Clinical Findings-The dog had a 20-cm-long wound covered by a large flap of skin that extended caudally from the scapula over the left side of the thorax. A 3-cm defect was evident at the cranioventral aspect of the wound, from which purulent material was being discharged. The skin flap was necrotic, and the skin surrounding the flap was bruised. Signs of pain

were elicited when the wound and surrounding region were palpated. Other findings, including those of thoracic radiography, were unremarkable.

Treatment and Outcome-The wound was debrided, and vacuum-assisted GNS-1480 closure (VAC) was initiated for 3 days until a healthy bed of granulation tissue developed. A reconstructive procedure was performed with a rotation flap 3 days after VAC dressing removal. The VAC process was reinitiated 2 days following reconstruction because of an apparent failing of the skin flap viability. After 5 days of VAC, the flap had markedly improved in color and consistency and VAC was discontinued. Successful healing of the flap occurred without the need for debridement or additional intervention.

Clinical Relevance-Use of VAC led to a good overall outcome for the dog, with complete healing achieved. Additional evaluation of this technique for salvaging failing skin flaps is warranted in

dogs, particularly considering that no reliable method for flap salvage in veterinary species has been reported to date.”
“Oxygen deprivation, in line with other stress conditions, is accompanied by reactive SRT2104 manufacturer oxygen (ROS) and nitrogen species (RNS) formation

and is characterised by a set of metabolic changes collectively named as the ‘oxidative stress response’. The controversial induction of oxidative metabolism under the lack of oxygen is necessitated by ROS and RNS signaling in the induction of adaptive responses, and inevitably results in oxidative damage. To prevent detrimental effects of oxidative stress, the levels of ROS and NO are tightly controlled on transcriptional, translational and metabolic levels. Hypoxia triggers the induction of genes responsible for ROS and NO handling and utilization (respiratory burst oxidase, nonsymbiotic hemoglobins, several cytochromes P450, mitochondrial dehydrogenases, and antioxidant-related transcripts). The level of oxygen in the tissue is also under metabolic control via multiple mechanisms: PRT062607 solubility dmso Regulation of glycolytic and fermentation pathways to manage pyruvate availability for respiration, and adjustment of mitochondrial electron flow through NO and ROS balance. Both adaptive strategies are controlled by energy status and aim to decrease the respiratory capacity and to postpone complete anoxia. Besides local oxygen concentration, ROS and RNS formation is controlled by an array of antioxidants. Hypoxic treatment leads to the upregulation of multiple transcripts associated with ascorbate, glutathione and thioredoxin metabolism.

Renal biopsy check details showed secondary amyloidosis. Anakinra was started at 1 mg/kg/day subcutaneously along with colchicine treatment. The clinical response was excellent. Acute phase reactants decreased. The level of proteinuria and renal functions remained stable and the hypoalbuminemia returned to normal. Her clinical and laboratory symptoms returned when anakinra had to be stopped at 6 months. Thus, the drug was restarted and she is now clinically in excellent condition a year after the start

of therapy. She has normal renal functions, normal serum proteins, and normal acute-phase reactants. However, recently, after 18 months of anakinra treatment, her proteinuria gradually increased and albumin levels decreased. We suggest that anti-IL-1 treatment is beneficial for the suppression of inflammation; however, long-term studies are needed to understand whether progressive renal disease will be prevented.”
“Aims:

Radiation therapy (RT) is used in the treatment of approximately half of all cancer patients. Although there have been great improvements in tumor localization selleck screening library and the technical accuracy of RT delivery, some RT patients still have idiosyncratic hypersensitivity to ionizing radiation (IR) in their normal tissues. Although much effort has been expended in the search for assays that could detect radiosensitive individuals prior to treatment

and facilitate tailored therapy; a suitable and clinically practical predictive assay has yet to be realized. Since DNA double-strand breaks (DSB) are a major lesion caused by IR, we hypothesized that radiation hypersensitive individuals might be deficient in the repair of such lesions.

Methods:

To test this hypothesis we quantitatively and functionally characterized DSB repair of the two major non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) sub-pathways in a pilot study using a plasmid repair reconstitution assay in lymphoblastoid and fibroblast Selleck IPI-549 cell lines from radiosensitive cancer patients and controls. Experiments using well-characterized mammalian DSB

repair mutants demonstrated the ability of the assay to distinguish NHEJ sub-pathways. The proportion of direct end-joining repair compared with that of microhomology-directed repair was used as a functional end-point of DSB repair competence in the different cell lines.

Results:

We found that the overall level of NHEJ sub-pathway repair competency was similar in cell lines from radiosensitive patients and controls.

Conclusion:

These data suggest that this assay in these cell lineages has limited usefulness as a predictive screen for the endogenous DNA DSB repair competency of radiosensitive cancer patients’ cells but can usefully characterize major cellular DSB repair phenotypes.”
“Background: The South West Pacific nation of Papua New Guinea has intense year round transmission of Plasmodium falciparum on the coast and in the low-lying inland areas.

Conclusion: Our data suggests that there is no difference in CSF leak rates between the different surgical approaches. The appropriate treatment strategy is dependent on

the presentation of the CSF. Although conservative treatment is effective for managing wound leaks, it is less effective in managing patients with rhinorrhea. Therefore, surgical treatments should play an early role in the treatment algorithm of patients with CSF rhinorrhea. Key Words: Acoustic neuroma-Cerebrospinal fluid leak-Vestibular schwannoma.”
“Progressive cerebral deposition of the amyloid beta-protein (A beta) in brain regions serving memory and cognition is an FK506 solubility dmso invariant and defining feature of Alzheimer disease. A highly similar but less robust process accompanies brain aging in many nondemented humans, lower primates, and some other mammals. The discovery of A beta as the subunit of the amyloid fibrils in meningocerebral blood vessels and parenchymal plaques has led to innumerable studies of its biochemistry see more and potential cytotoxic properties. Here we will review the discovery of A beta, numerous aspects of its complex biochemistry, and current attempts to understand how a range of A beta assemblies, including soluble oligomers and insoluble

fibrils, may precipitate and promote neuronal and glial alterations that underlie the development of dementia. Although the role of A beta as a key molecular factor in the etiology of Alzheimer disease remains controversial, clinical trials of amyloid-lowering agents, reviewed elsewhere in this book, are poised to resolve the question of its pathogenic primacy.”
“Methods. aEuro integral This prospective study initially analyzed patient and physician knowledge regarding the influenza vaccine in pregnancy and

then examined the impact of several S3I-201 research buy interventions aimed to increase immunization rates implemented over the following year. Influenza vaccination rates were assessed before and after the interventions.

Results. aEuro integral Five hundred twenty patients were enrolled in the study during the influenza season 2007/2008. Only 19%% of those patients reported receiving the influenza vaccination and only 28%% recalled that the vaccine was offered. Following this, in the summer and fall of 2008, we performed a physician education program and distributed posters advertising the influenza vaccine to all offices offering prenatal care in our area in order to increase patient awareness of the need for the vaccine. In the following influenza season, we again reassessed the vaccination rate and patient’s knowledge and awareness of the vaccine in 480 postpartum women. Influenza vaccination rates increased from 19%% to 31%%. After the intervention, 51%% of patients recalled that the vaccine was offered to them during the pregnancy as opposed to only 28%% the year prior.

Mature green leaves of TD were collected and authenticated. Extractions of the dried leaves were carried out with ethanol in a Soxhlet’s apparatus. For oestrogenic activity, the extracts were administered orally once daily at a dose of 200 and 400 mg kg-1, and the activity was compared with the

standard drug ethinyl oestradiol (0.02 mg). The extracts caused significant increase in uterine weight compared to the control. The ethanolic extract exhibited oestrogenic activity. The histological study of epithelium tissues with the 400 mg of TD buy SB203580 extract-treated animals showed increases in the height of the luminal epithelium and loose edematous stroma when compared with the 200 mg of TD extract-treated group of animals. However, this was better than the control group of animals. Enhanced uterine weight and increase in the height of luminal epithelium and histological

characteristics suggest that TD extract may be useful in anti-fertility therapy.”
“Aims To determine if intermittent stimulation of the pudendal nerve using a transcutaneous stimulation method can inhibit reflex bladder activity. Intermittent stimulation consumes less electrical power than continuous stimulation, requiring a smaller battery and reducing the size of the stimulator for neuromodulation therapy. Methods A non-invasive stimulation method employing a transdermal amplitude-modulated signal (TAMS) was used in 18 a-chloralose anesthetized cats to stimulate the pudendal CCI-779 mw nerve via electrodes attached

to the skin surface. Intermittent stimulation Alvocidib of different duty cycles was applied during repeated cystometrograms (CMGs) to inhibit reflex bladder activity. The bladder capacity measured during each CMG was used to indicate the inhibitory effect induced by the stimulation. Results Continuous stimulation maximally increased bladder capacity to 172.6?+/-?15% of the control capacity, while intermittent stimulation at the duty cycles of 30/30, 5/5, and 1/1 (on/off in seconds) significantly (P?<?0.05) increased bladder capacity to 132?+/-?7.5%, 154.2?+/-?20%, and 165.5?+/-?28%, respectively. The inhibitory effect was gradually reduced as the on/off ratio was decreased. Conclusions This pre-clinical study indicated that intermittent stimulation of the pudendal nerve could be as effective as continuous stimulation to inhibit reflex bladder activity. These results are useful for the design and development of new stimulator technology to treat overactive bladder, and are also important for understanding pudendal neuromodulation therapy. Neurourol. Urodynam. 31:11811184, 2012. (c) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.”
“The antimicrobial activity of the n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate and ethyl alcohol extracts of the aerial parts of Centaurea cariensis subsp.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance-Ocular

lesions are common in dogs with systemic hypertension. Dogs with hypertension or diseases associated with hypertension should be monitored carefully for evidence of ocular target organ damage, and hypertension should be systematically ruled out in dogs with characteristic ocular lesions. (J Am Vet Med Assoc 2011;238:915-921)”
“Single crystals of samarium trifluoromethanesulfonate (SmTFMS) were prepared from the slow evaporation of the aqueous solution of SmTFMS. The crystals are elongated along the symmetry axis c of the hexagonal crystal. At room temperature, the c axis of the crystal sets parallel selleckchem with the applied magnetic field which indicates that the susceptibility parallel to the c axis (chi(parallel to)) is greater than the susceptibility perpendicular to the c axis (chi(perpendicular to)). chi(parallel to) and chi(perpendicular Momelotinib ic50 to) were measured from 300 down to 14 K. Magnetic anisotropy (Delta chi=chi(parallel to)-chi(perpendicular to)) obtained from the values of chi(parallel to) and chi(perpendicular to) was also checked by direct measurements of Delta chi and both these results agreed very well. A crossover between chi(parallel to) and chi(perpendicular to) has been observed at similar to 56 K i.e., below

this temperature chi(parallel to)<chi(perpendicular to). A good theoretical simulation of the observed magnetic data of SmTFMS has been achieved using the one-electron crystal field (CF) theory. Ordering effects in the observed magnetic data were not noticed down to the lowest temperature (similar to 14 K) attained, indicating the interionic interaction to be of predominantly dipolar type. To substantiate the CF analysis, the Raman and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra of the single crystal of SmTFMS were recorded in the wave number ranges of 100-1800 and 400-7000 cm(-1), respectively.

The calculated values of the CF Stark energies of all the excited multiplets are in agreement with those extracted Epigenetics inhibitor from the Raman and FTIR spectra. Thermal variation of the calculated electronic specific heat shows Schottky anomaly at similar to 8 K. The temperature dependences of quadruple splitting and hyperfine heat capacity were also studied.”
“The methanol extract of the whole plant of Hedyotis chrysotricha demonstrated cytotoxicity against SK-HEP-1 human hepatocarcinoma cells in a primary screening for novel antitumour agents. Bioassay-guided fractionation and purification led to an active principle (24S)-ergostane-3,5,6-triol (1) along with four inactive compounds (2-5). The invitro transwell migration assay showed that compound 1 remarkably reduced the migration of SK-HEP-1 cells by 78.9% at a dose of 30 mu M, without any apoptotic effect on this cell line. Moreover, all the isolated compounds were further evaluated for their cytotoxicities against another four human cancer cell lines (MCF-7, NUGC3, SH-SY5Y and PC-3).

RESULTS: Information was obtained for 113 of 115 centres for adolescents and 72/72 centres for children. Both age groups: most centres using passive consent achieved high response rates (>80% adolescents and >70% children). English language centres using active consent showed a larger decrease in response rate. Ado-lescents: seven centres changed from passive consent in Phase I to active consent in Phase III (median decrease of 13%), with five centres showing lower response rates (as low as 34%). Children: no centre changed consent method

between phases. Centres using active consent had lower median response rates (lowest response rate 45%).

CONCLUSION: The requirement for active consent for population school-based questionnaire studies can impact negatively on response rates, particularly English language centres, thus adversely affecting the validity GSI-IX of the data. Ethics committees need to VX-661 in vivo consider this issue carefully.”
“Aim: The aim of this study was to explore the effect of Src-homology-2-domain-containing protein, tyrosine phosphatase 2 (SHP-2) on the proliferation of cervical cancer cells. Material and Methods: A total of 45 patients with cervical cancer (stage IIII), 32 with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and 20 healthy subjects

were consecutively recruited. The levels of SHP-2 and interferon (IFN)-beta expression in cervical tissues were characterized by immunohistochemistry and statistically analyzed by logistic regression. Following knockdown of SHP-2

expression by a siRNA or pre-treatment with a specific peptide, the effect of SHP-2 expression in THP-1 cells on the growth and survival of SiHa cells and on IFN-beta production was determined by co-culture assays, 3-(4,5)-dimethylthiazol (-z-y 1)-3,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide, and enzyme immunosorbent assay. Results: selleck products The levels of SHP-2 expression in cervical cancer tissues were significantly higher than that in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and uterine myoma tissues (P < 0.05, respectively), and negatively correlated with the levels of IFN-beta expression in these tissues (R = -0.582, P < 0.05). Knockdown of SHP-2 expression with SHP-2 siRNA or treatment with the SHP-2-specific blocking peptide in THP-1 cells significantly increased the production of IFN-beta (P < 0.05, respectively) and inhibited the proliferation of SiHa cells in a co-culture system of THP-1 and SiHa cells (P < 0.05, respectively). Conclusions: SHP-2 phosphatase promotes cervical cancer cell proliferation through inhibiting IFN-beta production.”
“In India, the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme and a large-scale human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention project partnered to deliver enhanced TB screening services for HIV high-risk groups.

incognita. The cultivars CE-31 and Frade Preto were highly resistant; CE-28, CE-01, CE-315, CE-237, were very resistant; CE-70 and CE-216 were moderately resistant, whereas Vita-3 and CE-109 were slightly resistant. In the roots of the highly resistant cultivar CE-31 the activity of the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase increased and catalase decreased and those of the Dinaciclib pathogenesis-related proteins chitinase, beta-1,3-glucanase, peroxidase and cystein proteinase inhibitor increased in comparison with the root system of the slightly resistant CE-109, during the course of M. incognita infestation. Thus

the changes in the activities of these enzymes might be related to the smaller final population of M. incognita in CE-31 and may contribute to the high resistance of this cowpea cultivar against infection and colonization by this nematode species. (C) 2011 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.”
“Background: Preliminary results in healthy, young US adults showed that a tetravalent, live-attenuated dengue vaccine (TDV) was safe and immunogenic, but no data are available in children.

Methods: In a multicenter, randomized, controlled, observer-blinded selleckchem study in the city of Mexico, children aged 2 to 5, 6 to 11, and 12 to 17 years (36 children per age group), and adults (n

= 18) aged <45 years received the following: 3 injections of TDV at months 0, 3.5, and 12 (TDV-TDV-TDV), or 1 injection of yellow fever vaccine (YF) at month 0, and 2 injections of TDV at months 3.5 and 12 (YF-TDV-TDV). Adverse events and biologic safety (biochemistry and hematology) were documented. Plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT(50)) antibody titers against the TDV parental viruses were measured 28 days after

vaccination. Seropositivity was defined as antibody titers >= 10 1/dil.

Results: No vaccine-related serious adverse events, other significant clinical adverse events, or clinically significant trends in biologic safety were observed. Reactogenicity did not increase this website with successive TDV injections, and mild-to-moderate injection site pain, headache, myalgia, and malaise were most commonly reported (14%-40% after each vaccination). After 3 TDV vaccinations, the seropositivity rate against each dengue serotype was in the range 77% to 92%, compared with 85% to 94% after completion of the YF-TDV-TDV regimen. Of the 2- to 11-year-old participants, 95% were seropositive against >= 3 serotypes after 3 vaccinations.

Conclusions: A 3-dose TDV regimen had a favorable safety profile in children and adults and elicited neutralizing antibody responses against all 4 serotypes. These findings support the continued development of this vaccine.”
“Study Design.

Because these cerebellar phenotypes are reminiscent of retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor a (ROR alpha)-defective staggerer mice, we examined the levels of ROR alpha in the SCA3 mouse cerebellum by immunohistochemistry and found a marked reduction of ROR alpha in the nuclei of SCA3 mouse PCs. To confirm that the defects in SCA3 mice were caused by

postnatal deposition of mutant ataxin-3 in PCs, not by genome disruption via transgene insertion, we tried to reduce the accumulation of mutant ataxin-3 in developing PCs by viral vector-mediated expression of CRAG, a molecule that facilitates the degradation of stress proteins. Concomitant Selleckchem Ro-3306 with the removal of mutant ataxin-3, CRAG-expressing PCs had greater numbers of differentiated dendrites compared to non-transduced PCs and exhibited retrograde suppression of synaptic transmission following mGluR1 activation. These results

suggest that postnatal nuclear accumulation of mutant ataxin-3 disrupts dendritic differentiation and mGluR-signaling in SCA3 mouse PCs, and this disruption may be caused by a defect in selleck screening library a ROR alpha-driven transcription pathway.”
“Background: High-dose ibuprofen is clinically effective in cystic fibrosis (CF); however, its molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. Objective: To test the hypothesis that clinically relevant concentrations of ibuprofen suppress activation of nuclear factor (NF)-kappa B and thus down-regulate stimulated interleukin (IL)-8 production in CF respiratory epithelial cells. Methods: The majority of experiments were conducted in CFTE29o-cells (F508del-mutated CF transmembrane regulator, CFTR). Key experiments were confirmed in CFBE41o- cells (F508del-mutated CFTR) and 1HAEo- cells (wild-type CFTR). NF-kappa B and IL-8 were stimulated with tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha or IL-1 beta. NF-kappa B and IL-8 suppression by ibuprofen (480 mu M) was compared to dexamethasone (5 nM). Results: Both TNF-alpha and IL-1 beta activated NF-kappa B and stimulated IL-8 production. Both ibuprofen and dexamethasone demonstrated

comparably modest suppression of NF-kappa B transcriptional activity. However, ibuprofen had no effect on stimulated IL-8 mRNA and protein. By contrast, dexamethasone significantly down-regulated stimulated IL-8 mRNA www.selleckchem.com/Androgen-Receptor.html and protein. Conclusions: The present data do not support the hypothesis that ibuprofen down-regulates IL-8 production in response to TNF-alpha and IL-1 beta in CF respiratory epithelium. Suppression of NF-kappa B transcriptional activity does not discriminate between anti-inflammatory drugs with or without effects on IL-8 production. We speculate that NF-kappa B-independent mechanisms may be responsible for anti-IL-8 effects of dexamethasone. Copyright (C) 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel”
“Objective: To evaluate the knowledge of mothers on neonatal jaundice.

How societies deal with such changes will depend largely on their capacity to adapt-to plan and implement effective responses to change-a process heavily influenced by social, economic, political and cultural conditions.”
“Spiders are exceptionally diverse and abundant organisms in terrestrial ecosystems selleck kinase inhibitor and their evolutionary success is certainly related to their capacity to produce different types of silks during their life cycle, making a specialized use on each of them. Presenting particularly tandemly arranged amino acid repeats, silk proteins (spidroins) have mechanical properties superior to most synthetic or natural

high-performance fibers, which makes them very promising for biotechnology industry, with putative applications in the this website production of new biomaterials. During the evolution of spider species,

complex behaviors of web production and usage have been coupled with anatomical specialization of spinning glands. Spiders retaining ancestral characters, such as the ones belonging to the Mygalomorph group, present simpler sorts of webs used mainly to build burrows and egg sacs, and their silks are produced by globular undifferentiated spinning glands. In contrast, Araneomorphae spiders have a complex spinning apparatus, presenting up to seven morphologically distinct glands, capable to produce a more complex set of silk polymers with different degrees of rigidness and elasticity associated with distinct behaviors. Aiming to provide a discussion involving a number of spider silks’ biological aspects, in this review we present descriptions of members from each family of spidroin identified from five spider species of the Brazilian biodiversity, and an evolutionary study of them in correlation with the anatomical specialization of glands and spider’s spinning behaviors. Due to the biotechnological importance of spider silks for the production of new biomaterials, we also discuss about the new possible technical and biomedical

applications of spider silks and the current status of it.”
“The La(0.75)Sr(0.25)MnO(3) (LSMO)/Ba(0.7)Sr(0.3)TiO(3) (BSTO) superlattices and bilayers, where LSMO is ferromagnetic and BSTO is ferroelectric, were grown by dc sputtering. X-ray PD-1/PD-L1 signaling pathway diffraction indicates that the samples present a textured growth with the c axis perpendicular to the substrate. Magnetization measurements show a decrease of the sample’s magnetization for decreasing ferromagnetic thickness. This effect could be related to the presence of biaxial strain and a magnetic dead layer in the samples. Conductive atomic force microscopy indicates that the samples present a total covering of the ferromagnetic layer for a ferroelectric thickness higher than four unit cells. Transport tunneling of the carriers seems to be the preferred conduction mechanism through the ferroelectric layer. These are promising results for the development of multiferroic tunnel junctions. (c) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.