Journal of Human Hypertension (2010) 24, 183-189; doi:10.1038/jhh.2009.50; published online 11 June 2009″
“Novel hydrogels of interpenetrating polymer networks (IPNs) composed of polyacrylamide and poly(gamma-glutamic acid) were synthesized. In these systems, both polymers were crosslinked independently; this reduced the potential loss of a polymer during the washing process, as often occurs in semi-IPN systems. Interpolymer interactions were investigated with Fourier transform infrared

spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. These studies suggested possible interactions between both polymers G418 inhibitor by the formation of hydrogen bonds. The swelling behavior of these hydrogels was analyzed by immersion of the hydrogel samples in deionized water at 25 and selleck kinase inhibitor 37 degrees C and in buffer solutions with pHs of 3, 7, and 10. The kinetics of swelling showed increases in the values of the swelling ratio with increasing immersion time in the swelling medium, molar proportion of the biopolymer in the hydrogel, temperature, and pH of the swelling medium. All of the hydrogels swelled rapidly and reached

equilibrium in an average time of 40 min. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 119: 3531-3537, 2011″
“Composites based on carbon nanostructures (CNS) and poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) were produced by solvent casting technique. Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and carbon nanofibers (CNFs) were selected, to produce composite films with enhanced properties. The role of CNS type and percentage were investigated in terms of morphological, thermal, mechanical, and dielectrical properties. Composite morphological analysis reveals a good dispersion of CNS, at low and high content. Thermal properties

underline the nucleation effect of CNS on PCL polymer ACY-738 matrix. Reinforcing effects in terms of increased tensile modulus were obtained with both nanofillers, but a higher reduction of the ductility was shown in PCL/CNF materials. A higher efficiency to form a conductive network, assessed by AC conductivity, was observed for SWCNTs at concentration lower than 1 wt. % (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 119: 3544-3552, 2011″
“Arterial stiffness is an established cardiovascular risk factor influencing haemodynamic properties in the microcirculation. We tested the hypothesis that increased arterial stiffness is associated with an increase in cerebrovascular resistance in the elderly. Brachial ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), using arterial tonometry, and anterior cerebral blood flow (aCBF), using extracranial ultrasound, were measured in 26 participants (67-92 years). Non-parametric statistics examined relationships between age, blood pressure, baPWV, cerebrovascular resistance (CVRi) and aCBF. Bivariate analysis suggested that baPWV was the only vascular characteristic associated with CVRi (r(s) = 0.59; P = 0.002).

7 cell line. Synthesis, structure analysis and purity of these compounds were evaluated by high performance liquid chromatography, H-1 NMR, and C-13 NMR. Assessment of CX-32 and CX-35 inhibitory effect on cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) activity was achieved by incubating LPS-activated RAW cells with 25 mu M, 50 mu M or 100 PLX3397 mu M of CX-32 or CX-35, respectively. Levels of secreted PGE2 were evaluated by enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and levels of COX-2 protein were measured by western blot. Finally, cell viability experiments were undertaken to assess the toxicity of each

compound. Treatment of LPS-activated RAW cells with 25 mu M, 50 mu M, or 100 mu M of CX-35 or CX-32, respectively, prevented the production of prostaglandins, but was without an effect on COX-2 protein levels. Moreover, CX-35 and https://www.selleckchem.com/products/epacadostat-incb024360.html CX-32 reduced PGE2 production to levels comparable to those obtained in LPS-activated RAW cells incubated with the selective COX-2 inhibitor NS 398. Furthermore, both CX-32 and CX-35 showed no toxic effects, since the viability of non-treated Hela cells was similar to Hela cells incubated with either CX-35 or CX-32. Our data demonstrated that CX-32 and CX-35 significantly blocked

prostaglandin production induced during inflammatory cellular stress, possibly acting through specific COX-2 inhibition; confirmation of this hypothesis requires further investigation.”
“The influence of host genetics on susceptibility to Plasmodium falciparum malaria has been extensively studied over the past twenty years. It is now clear that malaria parasites have imposed strong selective

forces on the human genome in endemic regions. Different genes have been https://www.selleckchem.com/products/mx69.html identified that are associated with different malaria related phenotypes. Factors that promote severity of malaria include parasitaemia, parasite induced inflammation, anaemia and sequestration of parasitized erythrocytes in brain microvasculature.

Recent advances in human genome research technologies such as genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and fine genotyping tools have enabled the discovery of several genetic polymorphisms and biomarkers that warrant further study in host-parasite interactions. This review describes and discusses human gene polymorphisms identified thus far that have been shown to be associated with susceptibility or resistance to P. falciparum malaria. Although some polymorphisms play significant roles in susceptibility to malaria, several findings are inconclusive and contradictory and must be considered with caution. The discovery of genetic markers associated with different malaria phenotypes will help elucidate the pathophysiology of malaria and enable development of interventions or cures.

It is suggested that an appropriate diffusion barrier may be useful when depositing carbon containing

thin films on alpha-Al2O3 substrates at high temperatures. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3573490]“
“This study evaluated the exothermic behavior, degree of conversion (DC), and the viscoelastic properties of five reline resins, two experimental (E1 and E2), and three commercially available (Kooliner, K; New Truliner, NT; and Tokuyama Rebase II, CBL0137 mw TR II), and one denture base resin (Lucitone 550, L). The exothermic behavior was assessed (n = 4) using a type-K thermocouple. The DC (%) was measured (n = 5) by Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy-attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR) spectroscopy. The viscoelastic properties were evaluated (n = 2) by dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) under different runs. Storage modulus (E’) and loss tangent

(tan delta) at 37 degrees C were obtained from Selleckchem JNK inhibitor the first and last runs. The glass transition (Tg) was measured from the last run. Data were analyzed by analyses of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey tests (alpha = 0.05). K and NT produced similar peak temperature to TR higher than E1 and E2. E1, E2, and TR II showed the lowest time to peak temperature. NT produced the highest DC, followed by TR II and L. E2 produced similar DC to K and higher than E1. No significant differences were found on the E’ and tan d of E1, E2, and TR II. From the last run, L showed similar E’ to E1, E2, Buparlisib and K and higher than NT and TR II. The highest Tg was produced by L. K produced lower Tg than TR II and higher than E1, E2, and NT. All reline materials presented suitable exothermic behavior to clinical use. Overall, the materials formulated with difunctional monomers (E1, E2, and TR II) presented similar properties to the denture resin. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 122: 1669-1676, 2011″
“Limited treatment options are available for aggressive prostate cancer. Gossypol has been reported to have a potent

anticancer activity in many types of cancer. It can increase the sensitivity of cancer cells to alkylating agents, diminish multidrug resistance and decrease metastasis. Whether or not it can induce autophagy in cancer cells has not yet been determined. Here we investigated the antiproliferative activity of apogossypolone (ApoG2) and (-)-gossypol on the human prostate cancer cell line PC3 and LNCaP in vitro. Exposure of PC-3 and LNCaP cells to ApoG2 resulted in several specific features characteristic of autophagy, including the appearance of membranous vacuoles in the cytoplasm and formation of acidic vesicular organelles. Expression of autophagy-associated LC3-II and beclin-1 increased in both cell lines after treatment.

Additionally, clinicians face increasing demands to demonstrate proficient quality patient care aligning with evidence-based standards. Methods: A three-stage, clinician-focused performance improvement (PI) continuing medical Selleck Wnt inhibitor education (CME) initiative was developed to enhance clinician awareness and execution of evidence-based standards of osteoporosis care. Clinician performance was evaluated through a retrospective chart analysis of patients at risk

or with a diagnosis of osteoporosis. Results: Seventy-five participants reported their patient practices on a total of 1875 patients before and 1875 patients after completing a PI initiative. Significant gains were made in the use of Fracture Risk Assessment Tool (FRAX) (stage A, 26%, n=1769 vs. stage C, 51%, n=1762; p<0.001), assessment of fall risk (stage A, 46%, n=1276 vs. stage C, 89%, n=1190; p<0.001), calcium levels (stage A, 62%, n=1451 vs. stage C, 89%, n=1443; p<0.001), JQ-EZ-05 in vitro vitamin D levels (stage A, 79%, n=1438 vs. stage C, 93%, n=1439; p<0.001), and medication adherence (stage A, 88%, n=1136 vs. stage C, 96%, n=1106; p<0.001). Conclusions: Gains in patient screening, treatment,

and adherence were associated with an initiative promoting self-evaluation and goal setting. Clinicians must assess their performance to improve patient care and maintain certification. PI CME is a valid, useful educational tool for accomplishing these standards.”
“Aim: We evaluated the efficacy of uterine artery embolization (UAE) for controlling postpartum hemorrhage (PPH).

Materials and Methods: Between January 2008 and December 2009, 23 women with intractable PPH underwent UAE. Specific diagnoses included uterine atony (n = 10), placenta accreta

(n = 8), puerperal hematoma Galardin purchase (n = 2) and placental polyp (n = 3).

Results: Of 10 patients with uterine atony, treatment with UAE failed in two women with severe vasoconstriction. One patient developed lumbosacral plexopathy. All eight patients with placenta accreta were treated successfully with the placement of multiple sutures in the placental bed and UAE. Two of the three women with placental polyps were treated successfully with UAE and packing of the uterus.

Conclusions: Embolization should follow resuscitation for vascular collapse. In the case of an adherent placenta, embolization is more effective with the placement of multiple sutures in the placental bed or compression of the placental bed.”
“Purpose of review

To assess the safety and bleeding risk in men on chronic oral anticoagulation, including antiplatelet therapies, undergoing bladder outlet procedures for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

Recent findings

There are conflicting findings; however, most recent series show that when treating bladder outlet obstruction from BPH in patients on chronic anticoagulants, there is an increased risk of hemorrhagic complications for these men.

In particular, it is known that the SomatoSensory (SS) EPs are the best single indicator of early prognosis in adults and children patients with traumatic and/or hypoxic-ischemic coma compared Compound C to the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and CTscan. Most paediatric studies excluded newborns in an attempt to eliminate the age effects, because of the structural and functional immaturity of somatosensory system. In fact, newborns differ from adults and paediatric patients for many aspects: hypoxic-ischemic aetiology, SSEPs normative data, grading and predictive values, timing and techniques recording,

clinical scales of evaluation. Recently a diagnostic and predictive role of early SSEPs has been established in perinatal hypoxic-ischemic. We reported a literature review of early diagnostic/prognostic role of SSEPs and our preliminary

neurophysiological data of prospective study in mild or severe perinatal hypoxic-ischemic insult.”
“Background-Comparison of a multimodal intervention WE CALL (study initiated phone support/information provision) versus a passive intervention YOU CALL (participant can contact a resource person) in individuals with first mild stroke.

Methods Wnt inhibition and Results-This study is a single-blinded randomized clinical trial. Primary outcome includes unplanned use of health services (participant diaries) for adverse events and quality of life (Euroquol-5D, Quality of Life Index). Secondary outcomes include planned use of health services (diaries), mood (Beck Depression Inventory II), and participation

(Assessment of Life Habits [LIFE-H]). Blind assessments were done at baseline, 6, and 12 months. A mixed model approach for statistical analysis on an intention-to-treat basis was used where the group factor was intervention type and occasion factor time, with a significance level of 0.01. We enrolled 186 patients (WE=92; YOU=94) with a mean age of 62.5 +/- 12.5 years, and 42.5% were women. BIIB057 concentration No significant differences were seen between groups at 6 months for any outcomes with both groups improving from baseline on all measures (effect sizes ranged from 0.25 to 0.7). The only significant change for both groups from 6 months to 1 year (n=139) was in the social domains of the LIFE-H (increment in score, 0.4/9 +/- 1.3 [95% confidence interval, 0.1-0.7]; effect size, 0.3). Qualitatively, the WE CALL intervention was perceived as reassuring, increased insight, and problem solving while decreasing anxiety. Only 6 of 94 (6.4%) YOU CALL participants availed themselves of the intervention.

Conclusions-Although the 2 groups improved equally over time, WE CALL intervention was perceived as helpful, whereas YOU CALL intervention was not used.”
“Androgen-independent, human prostate carcinoma cells (DU145) develop into solid, carcinomatous xenotransplants on the diaphragm of nu/nu mice.

5 mg vitamin D-2 (n= 11) or placebo (n = 14). Serum 25(OH)D and corrected calcium concentrations were determined at baseline and 1 week and 8 weeks post-dose, and compared to those of a multi-ethnic cohort of 56 healthy adults receiving an identical dose of vitamin D-2.

RESULTS: Hypovitaminosis D (serum 25[OH]D < 75 nmol/1) was present in all patients at baseline. A single oral dose of 2.5 mg Selleck Taselisib vitamin D-2 corrected hypo-vitaminosis D in all patients in the intervention arm of the study at 1 week post-dose, and induced a 109.5 nmol/l mean increase in their serum 25(OH)D concentration. Hypovitaminosis D recurred in 10/11

patients at 8 weeks post-dose. No patient receiving vitamin D-2 experienced hypercalcaemia. Patients receiving 2.5 mg vitamin D-2 experienced a greater mean increase in serum 25(OH)D at 1 week post-dose than healthy adults receiving 2.5 mg vitamin D-2.

CONCLUSION: A single oral dose of 2.5 mg vitamin D-2 corrects hypovitaminosis D at 1 week but not at 8 weeks post-dose in TB patients.”
“Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), specifically from uteroplacental insufficiency, on fetal cardiac dimensions.”
“Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease that affects over 3% of the population. Various methods are currently used to evaluate psoriasis severity and to monitor therapeutic response. The PASI system

of scoring is widely used for evaluating psoriasis severity. It employs a visual

https://www.selleckchem.com/mTOR.html analogue scale to score the thickness, redness (erythema), and scaling of psoriasis lesions. However, PASI scores are subjective and suffer from poor inter- and intra-observer NVP-HSP990 nmr concordance. As an integral part of developing a reliable evaluation method for psoriasis, an algorithm is presented for segmenting scaling in 2-D digital images. The algorithm is believed to be the first to localize scaling directly in 2-D digital images. The scaling segmentation problem is treated as a classification and parameter estimation problem. A Markov random field (MRF) is used to smooth a pixel-wise classification from a support vector machine (SVM) that utilizes a feature space derived from image color and scaling texture. The training sets for the SVM are collected directly from the image being analyzed giving the algorithm more resilience to variations in lighting and skin type. The algorithm is shown to give reliable segmentation results when evaluated with images with different lighting conditions, skin types, and psoriasis types.”
“SETTING: In-use carbol fuchsin stains were collected from 10 different routine acid-fast bacilli smear microscopy laboratories.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the variations in the composition of carbol fuchsin stains.

METHOD: Carbol fuchsin concentrations were first determined spectrophotometrically by measuring absorbance at 547 nm.

The mechanisms of learning

remain obscure, especially in children, but it appears that the development of cognitive skills is of at least equal importance to the refinement of sensory processing. Promotion of retention and transfer of learning are major goals for further research.”
“Clinical presentation and course of six patients with type 1 autoimmune polyglandular failure are presented. Mean age of the patients was 17.3 +/- 5.2 years and age at presentation was 10.16 +/- 4.35 years. Four out of six had the classic triad. All of the patients first presented with hypoparathyroidism followed by mucocutaneous candidiasis and adrenal failure.”
“The use of CO2 for scaffold fabrication in tissue engineering Selleck PCI-34051 was popularized in the mid-1990s as a tool for producing polymeric foam scaffolds, but had fallen out of favor to some extent, in part due to challenges with pore interconnectivity. Pore interconnectivity issues have since been resolved by numerous dedicated studies that have collectively outlined Z-VAD-FMK concentration how to control

the appropriate parameters to achieve a pore structure desirable for tissue regeneration. In addition to CO2 foaming, several groups have leveraged CO2 as a swelling agent to impregnate scaffolds with drugs and other bioactive additives, and for encapsulation of plasmids within scaffolds for gene delivery. Moreover, in contrast to CO2 foaming, which typically relies on supercritical CO2 at very high pressures, CO2 at much lower pressures has also been used to sinter polymeric microspheres together in the presence of cells to create cell-seeded scaffolds in a single step. CO2 has a number of advantages for polymer processing in tissue engineering, including its ease of HSP990 inhibitor use, low cost, and the opportunity to circumvent the use of organic solvents. Building on these advantages, and especially now with the tremendous precedent that has paved the way in defining operating parameters, and making the technology accessible for new groups to adapt, we invite and encourage our colleagues in the field

to leverage CO2 as a new tool to enhance their own respective unique capabilities.”
“Endo-1,4-beta-D-xylanase (EC 3.2.1.8, beta-D-xylanase) activity, and arabinoxylan (AX) level and extractability were monitored for the first time simultaneously in wheat kernels (Triticum aestivum cv. Glasgow) up to 24 days post-imbibition (DPI), both in the absence and presence of added gibberellic acid (GA). Roughly three different stages (early, intermediate and late) can be discriminated. Addition of GA resulted in a faster increase of water extractable arabinoxylan (WEAX) level in the early stage (up to 3-4 DPI). This increase was not accompanied by the discernible presence of homologues of the barley X-I beta-D-xylanase as established by immunodetection.

Conclusion. The present results indicate that neck pain is a common symptom in the studied Greek urban population. Nevertheless, relatively few individuals seek medical advice for this symptom. Neck pain frequency is associated with age, sex, and marital status.”
“We introduce a novel dynamic model of stem cell and tissue organisation in murine intestinal crypts. Integrating the molecular, cellular and tissue level of description, this model links a broad

spectrum of experimental observations encompassing spatially confined cell proliferation, directed cell migration, multiple cell lineage decisions and clonal competition. Using computational simulations we demonstrate that the model is capable of quantitatively describing and predicting the dynamic behaviour of the intestinal tissue during steady state as well as after cell damage and following selective gain or loss of gene function manipulations affecting Wnt- and Notch-signalling. Etomoxir Our simulation results suggest that reversibility and flexibility of cellular decisions are key elements of robust tissue organisation of the intestine. We predict that the tissue should be able to fully recover after complete elimination of cellular subpopulations including subpopulations deemed to be functional stem cells. This challenges current views of tissue stem cell organisation.”
“Background selleck chemicals and Aims: Recent

evidence suggests that hyperuricemia might increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular risk factors are well recognized to be associated with cerebral white matter lesion (WML). We hypothesized that hyperuricemia is related to higher grade of WML in both men and women.

Methods and Results: A total of 108 men and 123 women were enrolled from those who signed up for the annual Health Examination for the Elderly Program in Taipei from 2006 to 2008. Information in interview data, clinical and laboratory examinations were collected. Hyperuricemia was defined by uric acid

>= 458.0 mu mol/L in men and >= 392.6 mu mol/L in women. Two types of WML including periventricular hyper-intensity (PVH) and deep white matter hyper-intensity (DWMH), ascertained by cranial magnetic resonance imaging, were graded. Association between hyperuricemia and high grade WML was evaluated by using multiple logistic regression analysis.

The prevalences of hyperuricemia BB-94 clinical trial were 13.9% and 17.9% for men and women, respectively. The prevalences of moderate-to-severe PVH among men and women were 16.7% and 7.3%; while the prevalences of moderate-to-severe DWMH for men and women were 19.4% and 11.4%, respectively. Hyperuricemia was related to moderate-to-severe DWMH in men, after controlling for age, education years, smoking, alcohol consumption, metabolic Z score, silent infarct, and the use of anti-hypertensives, lipid-lowering and anti-diabetic agents, the association remained significant. The relationship was not evident among women.

8%), followed by 282 C>T, 341 T>C, and 481 C>T. There were no differences in the distribution of SNPs between healthy subjects and cancer patients. These eight polymorphisms defined 26 diplotypes; 11.6% were wild type (NAT2*4/NAT2*4), while the www.selleckchem.com/products/gsk2126458.html most common diplotype was NAT2*4/NAT2*5B, present in 17.2%. We did not identify other common polymorphisms. The results were compared with the NAT2 SNPs reported from other populations. All but the Turkish population was significantly different from ours. We conclude that the mixed-race

Mexican population requires special attention because NAT2 genotype frequencies differ from those in other WH-4-023 solubility dmso regions of the world.”
“The effects of microbial transglutaminase (MTG) on heat-induced gelation of pork myofibrillar proteins (PMP) structural changes, textural properties were studied by Raman

spectroscopy and texture profile analysis (TPA), respectively. And the relationships between the structural changes and textural characteristics were estimated by principal component analysis (PCA). Changes in the Raman spectra were interpreted as the occurrence of secondary structural changes in myofibrillar proteins with MTG added. Modifications in the amide I (1600-1700 cm(-1)) regions indicated a significant (p<0.05) decrease in alpha-helix content, accompanied by a significant (p<0.05) increase in beta-sheets, beta-turns and random coil content due to the addition of

the enzyme. Obvious texture property changes were also determined by TPA. All these changes showed GSK2126458 a strong, irreversible heat-induced gel formed due to the addition of MTG. The application of a dimensionality reducing technique such as PCA proved to be useful to determine the most influential properties of heat-induced gel. Significant (p<0.05) correlations were found between these structural changes and the textural characteristics (hardness) in PMP system with the addition of MTG by PCA. The hardness was related positively to fraction of beta-sheet, beta-turns and random coil, and negatively to normalized intensity of 760 cm(-1) and fraction of a-helix. The samples are closely grouped in a cluster defined by level of MTG. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“This study was aimed to examine the inhibitory mechanism of high molecular weight hyaluronan (HA) on nitric oxide (NO) production by NH2-terminal heparin-binding fibronectin fragment (FN-f) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) chondrocytes. When the RA cartilage explants or the isolated RA chondrocytes in monolayer were incubated with FN-f, the fragment stimulated NO production with induction of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase.

Results: Overall, the change in lipids was relatively small [<= 5% except for Lp(a), which was 20-25%], and there was no significant difference in the mean change of any lipid variable between the active and placebo groups.

Conclusions: Our results indicate that CaD supplementation is not associated with lipid changes over 5 y. Existing and future CaD trials should

consider evaluating this association for different doses of supplements. This study was registered click here at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00000611. Am J Clin Nutr 2010; 91: 894-9.”
“Background and Aim: The aim of the present work was to evaluate the relationship between energy-generating nutrients and the presence of central and overall obesity after correcting for socio-demographic, lifestyle and clinical characteristics, among healthy elders. Methods and Results: During 2005e2007, 553 elderly men and 637 elderly women (mean age 74 +/- 7 years) from eight Mediterranean islands in Greece and Cyprus, were enrolled. The retrieved information included demographic, bio-clinical and dietary characteristics. MedDiet-Score assessed adherence SB273005 mouse to the Mediterranean dietary pattern.

The prevalence of obesity was 27% in males and 39% in females (p < 0.001), while 73% of males and 87% of females had central

obesity. The prevalence of diabetes, hypercholesterolemia and hypertension was higher in the obese than in the non-obese participants (p < 0.01). After adjusting for various confounders, a 1% increase in carbohydrate consumption was associated with a 12% (95% CI 0.78-0.99) lower likelihood of having central obesity, while a 1% increase in carbohydrate

and protein consumption was associated with a 14% (95% CI 0.78-0.95) and 16% (95% CI 0.72-0.97) lower likelihood of being obese, respectively. Vegetable protein was found to be associated U0126 concentration with a 15% (95% CI 0.77-0.93) lower likelihood of being obese while, only low glycemic index carbohydrates seem to be associated with a 6% (95% CI 0.90-0.98) lower likelihood of having central obesity.

Conclusions: The presented findings suggest that a diet high in carbohydrates and vegetable protein is associated with a lower likelihood of being obese and may help elderly people to preserve normal weight. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.”
“With Fe compensation, the heavy rare earth element Gd-filled Gd(y)Fe(x)Co(4-x)Sb(12) (x < 2) skutterudites have been successfully synthesized by melting-annealing approach. Fe substitution on the Co site brings two contrary effects on Gd filling: charge compensation which enhances the filling fraction of Gd, and Lattice expansion which is deleterious for the stability of filled compounds that contain smaller atoms. When Fe content is less than 1.7, pure Gd(y)Fe(x)Co(4-x)Sb(12) compounds are obtained and the Gd maximum filling fraction (y(max)) increases with Fe content. The power factor (S(2)sigma) of the Gd(y)Fe(x)Co(4-x)Sb(12) increases with Fe content.