Investigations have demonstrated that a variety of infections not only cause infectious myopathies but also could be possible triggers for IIM. This review summarizes published studies on the possible roles of infections in inflammatory muscle disease.

Recent findings

Many infectious agents have been linked to the development of IIMs via case reports, epidemiologic investigations, and animal models. Additional agents possibly involved in triggering the development of IMMs have been recently described,

including Torque teno virus (TTV) and Borrelia burgdorferi. Novel animal models of myositis have been recently developed using Leishmania infantum or Chikungunya virus (CHIKV). New technologies to assess infectious agents include high-throughput methods selleck products for pathogen identification and novel approaches to identify gene expression of pathogens AZD5582 concentration in tissues.

Summary

Understanding the causes of IIMs remains limited in part due to the rarity and heterogeneity of these disorders. Although no definitive studies have yet linked infectious agents with IIMs, additional evidence is accumulating and novel technologies may allow improved understanding of the roles of infections in IIMs and for possible future therapeutic and preventive measures.”
“To propose an appropriate prophylactic antimicrobial therapy for patients undergoing

brachytherapy, we evaluated the relationships between various antimicrobial prophylaxis Selleckchem Cl-amidine (AMP) protocols and the incidence of postimplant infections in a multicenter cohort study conducted in Japan. The records of 826 patients with localized

prostate cancer who underwent a transperineal I-125 brachytherapy procedure between January 2009 and December 2010 were retrospectively reviewed. Perioperative infections, including surgical site and remote infections, were recorded up to postoperative day 30. A total of 6 (0.73 %) patients had a perioperative infection following seed implantation, of whom all received AMP for 1 or more days. None of the patients who received a single-dose protocol of AMP using fluoroquinolone p.o. or penicillin with a beta-lactamase inhibitor i.v. developed a perioperative infection. Statistical analysis showed that a single-dose protocol was more significantly related to a lower risk of perioperative infection as compared to the other AMP protocols examined (p = 0.045). Furthermore, our results indicated that bacteriuria and preoperative hair removal were risk factors of perioperative infection with statistical significance (p = 0.007, p = 0.004). Analysis of patient clinical parameters, including age, American Society of Anesthesiologists score, diabetes mellitus, prostate volume, numbers of implanted seeds and needle punctures, operation time, and indwelling duration time of the Foley catheter, did not reveal significant differences in terms of perioperative infection.

Some patients may require long-term steroid supplementation, and symptoms of adrenal insufficiency should be investigated with 8 am cortisol measurement and treated with appropriate repletion. (2) Seizures: Patients with brain tumors should receive antiepileptic drugs only

if they have had seizures, and the drugs should be chosen to minimize cognitive effects and interactions Baf-A1 mouse with concurrently administered chemotherapy. Levetiracetam is an excellent choice for patients with partial seizures and is available both orally and parenterally. Lamotrigine is another reasonable choice but requires slow titration. (3) Venous thromboembolism: All brain tumor patients should receive perioperative venous thrombosis prophylaxis with compression boots and enoxaparin or dalteparin. Lifelong treatment with low molecular weight heparinoids or warfarin is required for those developing venous thromboembolism. (4) Other problems: Long-term survivors of brain tumors should be

monitored indefinitely for cognitive problems, endocrine dysfunction, and development of secondary neoplasms. Modafinil can improve mood and attention impairments.”
“Despite its relevance, FDA approval PARP inhibitor protein regulation, metabolic adjustment, and the physiological status of plants under drought is not well understood in relation to the role of nitrogen fixation in nodules. In this study, nodulated alfalfa plants were exposed to drought conditions. The study determined the physiological, metabolic, and proteomic processes involved in photosynthetic inhibition in relation LEE011 in vitro to the decrease in nitrogenase (N-ase) activity. The deleterious effect of drought on alfalfa performance was targeted towards photosynthesis and N-ase activity. At the leaf level, photosynthetic inhibition was mainly caused by the inhibition of Rubisco. The proteomic profile and physiological measurements revealed that the reduced carboxylation capacity of droughted plants was related to limitations in Rubisco protein

content, activation state, and RuBP regeneration. Drought also decreased amino acid content such as asparagine, and glutamic acid, and Rubisco protein content indicating that N availability limitations were caused by N-ase activity inhibition. In this context, drought induced the decrease in Rubisco binding protein content at the leaf level and proteases were up-regulated so as to degrade Rubisco protein. This degradation enabled the reallocation of the Rubisco-derived N to the synthesis of amino acids with osmoregulant capacity. Rubisco degradation under drought conditions was induced so as to remobilize Rubisco-derived N to compensate for the decrease in N associated with N-ase inhibition.

MLK27 strain displayed the highest adhesion inhibition against L. monocytogenes and produced organic acids, hydrogen peroxide, and bacteriocin. Cell-free culture supernatants (100 mu L/mL) and bacteriocin (1,280 AU/mL) of MLK27 strain strongly inhibited viable cell counts of L. monocytogenes adhered to HT-29 cells. However, there was no inhibitory effect of pathogen adhesion by bacteriocin treated with protease and inhibition LY2090314 concentration activity of pathogen adhesion was partially decreased by heat-treated bacteriocin. According to biochemical and phylogenetic analysis, MLK27

strain was identified as Lactobacillus brevis MLK27. In conclusion, our results have shown that L. brevis MLK27 has ability to establish in human gastrointestinal tract and to prevent pathogenic L. monocytogenes infections, JQ-EZ-05 manufacturer which is able to be considered as probiotic strains.”
“Thermoformable bionanocomposites of chitin whisker-graft-polycaprolactone (CHW-g-PCL) were synthesized by initiating

the ring-opening polymerization of caprolactone monomer onto the CHW surface under microwave radiation. In this case, the “”graft from”" strategy contributed to long and dense “”plasticizing”" PCL tails onto the CHW surface as the key of thermoforming, and, therefore, Such bionanocomposites were injection-molded as the sheets with a Structure of cocontinuous phase mediated with the entanglement of grafted PCL chains. The structure and properties of the molded CHW-g-PCL sheets were investigated by FTIR, XRD, SEM, DSC, DMTA, contact angle measurement, and tensile test. With an increase of the PCL content in CHW-g-PCL, the strength and elongation as well as the hydrophobicity of the nanocomposites increased at one time. This is the first report on the thermoformable polymer-grafted nanocrystal APR-246 solubility dmso derived from natural polysaccharide. Moreover, such new bionanocomposites with good mechanical performances could have great potential applications. (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 112: 28302837,

2009″
“Nafion (R)-based ionic polymer-metal composites (IPMCs), with ionic liquids as solvent, were fabricated by exchanging counterions to ionic liquids at room temperature. Ion exchange is performed by only immersing IPMC in a mixture of de-ionized water and ionic liquids at room temperature for 48 h. The fabricated IPMCs exhibited a bending curvature the same as or larger than that of conventional IPMCs with ionic liquids, formed by ion exchange to ionic liquids at an elevated temperature up to about 100 degrees C, and also had long-term stability in operation in air, with a fluctuation smaller than 21% in bending curvature during a 180 min operation. The effective ion exchange to ionic liquids in the present method is probably due to an increase in diffusion speed of ionic liquids into IPMC by adsorption of water in a Nafion (R) membrane.

CLT was present concomitantly in a quarter of the patients

and further studies are needed to establish differences in these patients’ outcome. Diagnostic approach, total thyroidectomy, (131)I treatment and thyrotropin suppression allowed a good progression-free survival rate.”
“Purpose: To assess the utility of screening magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in detecting otherwise occult breast cancers in women with a history of radiation therapy to the chest.

Materials and Methods: This HIPAA-compliant study was approved by the authors’ institutional review board. The need for informed consent was waived. Retrospective review of the radiology department database identified 247 screening breast MR imaging examinations performed between January 1999 and December 2008 in 91 women with a history of chest irradiation. Findings and recommendations for each breast MR study and on the most recent mammogram were reviewed. The number of cancers diagnosed, selleck screening library their method of detection, and tumor characteristics were examined. The exact 95% binomial proportion confidence intervals were calculated by using methods described by Clopper

and Pearson.

Results: Biopsy was recommended for 32 suspicious lesions on 27 (11%) of 247 MR imaging studies in 21 women. Seven cancers were identified in 30 lesions sampled (23%). Biopsy was recommended in five additional patients on the basis of mammographic findings, and malignancy was detected in three. Ten cancers were detected during the study period: four detected with MR imaging alone, three with MR imaging and mammography, and three with mammography alone. The four cancers detected with Lazertinib chemical structure MR imaging alone were invasive carcinomas. Two of three cancers detected with mammography alone were ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), and the third was DCIS with microinvasion.

Conclusion: MR imaging is a useful adjunct modality to screen high-risk women with a history of chest irradiation, resulting in a

4.4% (95% confidence interval: 1.2%, 10.9%) incremental cancer detection rate; the sensitivity for detecting breast cancers by using a combination of MR imaging and mammography was higher SC79 solubility dmso than that for either modality alone. (C) RSNA, 2011″
“Background: The performance of small diameter implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) leads is questionable. However, data on performance during long-term follow-up are scarce. The aim of this study is to provide an update for the lead failure and cardiac perforation rate of Medtronic’s Sprint Fidelis ICD lead (Medtronic Inc., Minneapolis, MN, USA) and St. Jude Medical’s Riata ICD lead (St. Jude Medical Inc., St. Paul, MN, USA). Methods: Since 1996, all ICD system implantations at the Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands, are registered. For this study, data up to February 2011 on 396 Sprint Fidelis leads (follow-up 3.4 +/- 1.5 years), 165 8-French (F) Riata leads (follow-up 4.6 +/- 2.

However, the urban locations did not show significantly higher concentrations compared to the rural locations. Sum PBDEs ranged from 4.0 ng/g lw to 136 ng/g lw. PBDEs were significantly higher in the urbanized sampling locations compared to the other locations. The significant, positive correlation between PCB and PBDE concentrations suggests similar spatial exposure and/or mechanisms of accumulation. Significantly higher levels of OCPs (sum

OCPs ranging from 191 ng/g lw AZD0156 in vivo to 7830 ng/g lw) were detected in rural sampling locations. Contamination profiles of PCBs, PBDEs and OCPs differed also among the sampling locations, which may be due to local usage and contamination sources. The higher variance among sampling locations for the PCBs and OCPs, suggests that local contamination sources are more important for the PCBs and OCPs learn more compared to the PBDEs. To our knowledge,

this is the first study in which bird eggs were used as a monitoring tool for CHPs on such a large geographical scale. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Four new geranyl-bearing polyisoprenylated benzoylphloroglucinol derivatives, hypersampsone I (1), hypersampsone J (2), and hypersampsone K (3), together with hypersampsone L (4) which possessed a novel skeleton, were isolated from the fruit of Hypericum sampsonii. Their structures were determined on the basis of spectroscopic data, mainly selleck Kinase inhibitor Library 1D- and 2D-NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. The structures of 1 and 2 were confirmed by X-ray crystallographic analysis. (C) 2012 Phytochemical Society of Europe. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.”
“Background and Purpose: Radical cystectomy is the mainstay of the management of muscle invasive bladder cancer. Numerous centers have adopted

a minimally invasive approach to replace the standard open procedure. The objective of the study was to review published literature comparing laparoscopic radical cystectomy (LRC) and open radical cystectomy (ORC). Materials and Methods: A systematic review of the literature according to Cochrane guidelines was conducted (1993 to 2012) for studies comparing LRC and ORC. All studies comparing the two procedures were included. The outcome measures were the patient demographics, operative time, blood loss, transfusion rates, time to oral intake, length of hospital stay, and complications. A meta-analysis was conducted. For continuous data, a Mantel-Haenszel chi-square test was used, and for dichotomous data, an inverse variance was used, each expressed as risk ratio with 95% confidence interval. P<0.05 was considered significant. Results: Four hundred twenty-seven patients were included211 patients in the laparoscopic group and 216 patients in the open group (eight studies). There was no significant difference between the two groups in any of the demographic parameters except for age (age: P<0.0001; sex: P=0.

Competitive ozonation experiments in heterogeneous and homogeneous mode have also been carried out to determine the second-order direct ozonation rate constants.

RESULTS: Inlet ozone concentration, alkaline conditions and addition of 10(-3) mol L-1 of H2O2 positively affected the degree of mineralization and the disappearance of chemical oxygen demand of the mixture. Reaction rates depend on pH; at pH 7 the following direct ozone rate constants were obtained: 2.7 x 10(5), 2.5 x 10(3), 2.5 Crenigacestat x 10(4), 6.2 x 10(5), 3.2 x 10(5), 3.4 x 10(5), 8.0 x 10(5) and 4.6 x 10(5)

mol(-1) L-1 s(-1) for acetaminophen, metoprolol, caffeine, antipyrine, norfloxacin, ketorolac, doxycycline, hydroxybiphenyl, and diclofenac, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS: The positive effect on TOC and COD removal that ozone dosage exerts is not applicable to individual contaminants. An optimum ozone concentration can be found with no further improvement of the depletion rate of organics as the ozone inlet concentration is increased. Carbonates affect the oxidation Ilomastat of recalcitrant compounds like atrazine. Carbonate concentration must be considered when dealing with

real effluents. Addition of hydrogen peroxide can increase the mineralization level obtained, however the increase in complexity and costs does not justify its addition. (C) 2011 Society of Chemical Industry”
“Our aim was to analyse the relationship between migraine and smoking in medical students. Medical students who had already received AZD0530 teaching on migraine were asked to answer an ad hoc questionnaire. A total of 361 students filled in the questionnaire: 245 (68%) were women. International Headache Society criteria were fulfilled by 58 (prevalence of migraine 16%) students. A total of 74 (20%) were current smokers: 21 males (18% of men were smokers) and 53 females (22% smokers). Within those 58 students with migraine, 17 (29%) smoke: only 2 were males (14% of males with migraine smoked) while the remaining 15 were females (34%

of women with migraine smoked). Within those 17 students who were smokers and migraineurs, 12 (71%) thought that smoking worsens migraine and 10 (59%) that smoking precipitates attacks. The minimum number of cigarettes which subjectively precipitates attacks was 5. Migraine prevalence in the 20s in Spain is 16%. Our data obtained in medical students suggest that smoking can be a precipitating factor for migraine attacks, as the prevalence of active smoking is one-third higher in migraineurs and as there seems to be a relationship between the number of cigarettes and the development of migraine attacks.”
“OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between maternal body mass index (BMI) and umbilical cord acid-base status at the time of cesarean delivery.

The mechanism is analogous to instabilities of detonation waves and also produces a Lazertinib concentration cellular structure commonly observed in gaseous detonations. We suggest that detailed simulations of such unsteady phenomena can yield further information for the validation of nonequilibrium kinetics. [doi:10.1063/1.3585694]“
“PURPOSE To evaluate the protective

effect of different ophthalmic viscosurgical devices on corneal endothelial cells during phacoemulsification in a rabbit model

SETTING Harlan Biotech Israel and Ophthalmology Department, Kaplan Medical Center, Rehovot, Israel

DESIGN Experimental study

METHODS Rabbit eyes were randomly assigned to 3 equally sized groups Endothelial cell counts were performed in all eyes before initiation of the study The aqueous humor was completely replaced by Biolon (sodium hyaluronate 1 0%) in Group A, by a combination of Viscoat (sodium chondroitin sulfate 4 0% sodium hyaluronate

3 0%) and Provisc (sodium chondroitin sulfate 1 0%) using the soft-shell technique in Group B, and by a combination of Visiol (sodium hyaluronate 2 0% mannitol 0 5%) and Biolon using the soft-shell technique in Group C The eyes were exposed to alternating 10 seconds of phacoemulsification and a 10-second pause until a total exposure time of 2 5 minutes elapsed Endothelial cell counts were repeated 3 days after surgery

RESULTS The study used 18 rabbit eyes 6 in each group Group A had the highest endothelial cell loss (13%) followed by Prexasertib chemical structure Group B (7%), and Group C (4%) The difference in cell loss between Group C and Group A was statistically significant

(P = 037)

CONCLUSION The study showed the efficiency and advantages of the soft-shell technique using the combination of Visiol and Biolon over Biolon alone”
“We report on the unusual nanoscale kinetics of the layer-by-layer deposition of complex oxide heterostructures composed of a unit-cell thick correlated metal LaNiO(3) and dielectric LaAlO(3). The ultrathin multilayers Ralimetinib supplier demonstrate extremely good crystallinity and surface morphology maintained over the large number of layers, as confirmed by combination of AFM, RHEED, and synchrotron x-ray diffraction. To elucidate the physics behind the growth, the temperature of the substrate and the deposition rate are varied over a wide range and the results are treated in the framework of a two-layer model. The results demonstrate that, in addition to temperature and vapor supersaturation, modulated flux can be employed as a powerful kinetic handle for the fine-tuned manipulation of sub-monolayer growth regimes of multicomponent materials. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3590146]“
“Osteoporosis is a heritable disease characterized mainly by low bone mineral density (BMD) and/or osteoporotic fractures (OF).

05; 95 % confidence interval 8.71-121.95 %) in parent cells, compared to that of the control. Incorporated cholesterol was found in the interface

of apolar and polar regions, polar heads and also apolar tails of phospholipids in the cellular membrane bilayer. However, such traits were not inherited by the treated cells in subsequent sub-cultures (first, second and third sub-culture). Our data suggest that UV could be a potential physical treatment to increase the cholesterol removal ability of parent cells without inducing permanent damage to the treated cells. UV treatment did not affect the intestinal adherence Pevonedistat mouse functionality of the treated cells in subsequent sub-cultures.”
“Background: Spinal cord injury (SCI)

carries potentially devastating respiratory implications depending on injury level. Optimal strategies for mechanical ventilation in this setting remain poorly described. We reviewed our experience of ventilatory weaning and extubation outcomes in this patient population.

Methods: Eighty mechanically ventilated SCI patients over a 5-year period at a major Level I trauma center were assessed. Injury, clinical, and outcome data were extracted using our ICU database, chart, and registry data.

Results: We identified 80 patients with SCI, classified by anatomic injury and motor functional level. There were no differences in injury severity between patients who were successfully extubated and those who failed (all p = NS). Seventy-four percent ISRIB chemical structure were extubated at the time of discharge; successful extubation was associated with lower level of cord injury (p = 0.001) and higher arrival Glasgow Coma Scale score (13.7 +/- 2.6 vs. 10.8 +/- 5.0, p = 0.021). Of extubation failures, 80% were due

to pulmonary mechanical insufficiency, 22% inadequate pulmonary toilet, and 5% sedation or neurologic issues. Patients with weaning or extubation failures had longer ICU (29.9 days +/- selleckchem 24.5 days vs. 8.5 days +/- 9.3 days; p < 0.001) and hospital stays (45.8 days +/- 45.8 days vs. 26.6 days +/- 23.9 days; p = 0.009), and higher rates of ventilator-associated pneumonia (83% vs. 15%, p < 0.001).

Conclusion: Higher level of SCI correlates strongly with failure to wean and extubate; despite this, a subset of patients with high cord injury who can be safely weaned and extubated exists. A multicenter study is warranted to specifically identify patients with high SCI who merit weaning and extubation trials.”
“Recent studies have shown that some serine protease family members may play an important role in antibacterial activity. Chymotrypsin, a major member of the serine protease family, was used in our study to investigate whether it has a similar function. Optical absorbance, broth microdilution and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) assays were carried out to investigate the direct effect of chymotrypsin on bacteria.

This research generated algorithms for translating

SDQ scores to utility values and providing researchers with an additional tool for conducting health economic evaluations with child and adolescent mental health data.”
“Introduction and objectives. The mechanisms that trigger ventricular fibrillation (VF) are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to analyze the initiation of VF in electrograms stored in implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs).

Methods. We analyzed ICD electrograms from patients who had suffered at least one episode of VF.

Results. Of 250 patients with ICDs, 13 (10 male and 3 female, age 49 22 years) had at least one episode of VF. The diagnoses were Brugada syndrome (n=4), ischemic heart disease (n=3), dilated cardiomyopathy (n=2), hypertrophic Selleckchem BX-795 cardiomyopathy (n=1), short-coupled variant of torsades de pointes (n=1), endocardial fibroelastosis PD98059 datasheet (n=1) and idiopathic

VF (n=1) In 7 patients, VF was the reason for ICD implantation Overall, 31 episodes of VF were recorded, including three episodes of arrhythmic storm In the 7 patients who had more than one episode of VF (within minutes or up to 3 years apart), all episodes started with premature ventricular complexes (PVCs) that had the same morphology and similar coupling intervals. A short-long-short cycle was observed in 2 patients In 21 episodes, PVCs that did not trigger VF were observed during sinus rhythm There was no significant difference between them and PVCs that did

trigger VF in terms of morphology, coupling interval (409 +/- 121 ms vs 411 +/- 123 ms) or the preceding sinus rhythm RR interval (801 +/- 233 selleck products ms vs 793 +/- 230 ms)

Conclusions. Spontaneous VF in the form of an arrhythmic storm or an isolated episode were triggered by PVCs On occasions, PVCs preceded VF without triggering it.”
“Methods: We examined the medical records of patients with LVEF < 35% and COPD and analyzed the data for total mortality by ICD status. Each ICD patient was matched by age and LVEF with two to three controls. The Charlson comorbidity index and propensity score were used to correct for differences in comorbidities and biases between the study groups.

Results: A total of 100 patients (30 with ICD and 70 controls) were included in this analysis. The overall cohort had a mean age of 65 +/- 15 years with a predominance of white (79%) men (72%). Compared to controls, ICD patients had a wider QRS complex (150 +/- 32 ms vs 110 +/- 24 ms, P < 0.001) and were less likely to be on steroid therapy (10% vs 31%, P = 0.018) for COPD. At a mean follow-up of 3.1 +/- 2.7 years, ICD patient had a lower total mortality (2-year survival of 88% in the ICD group vs 59% in the controls, P = 0.016). The lower death rate in the ICD group persisted after correcting for differences in the QRS interval and for discrepancies race and in the incidence of steroid use in a multivariate Cox regression model (odds ratio = 0.300, adjusted P = 0.016).

Patients were followed up at 12 months.

Results Eighty TVT, 40 transobturator tape (TOT) and 40 TVT-O were randomised. At 12 months, there was no difference in Qmax among the groups. Continence was comparable (>= 89%). QoL was improved significantly EGFR inhibitor in all groups (P<0.05). Five vaginal tape exposures occurred (one TVT, four TOT, zero TVT-O; P=0.028). Two percent (1/52) of sexually active patients after TVT, 17% (5/29) after TOT, but 0% (0/25) after TVT-O reported de novo female sexual dysfunction (P=0.011). We considered this

clinically important enough to stop enrolment.

Conclusions There was no difference for Qmax at 12 months between TVT, TOT and TVT-O. Female sexual dysfunction and tape exposure may be higher with a transobturator tape.”
“At the end of 2006, a pharmacovigilance program on natalizumab was settled by the Italian Pharmaceutical Agency, and on January 2007, multiple sclerosis patients poorly responding to the immunomodulating therapies or with an aggressive clinical form of disease from onset initiated to be registered and

to receive the medication. learn more On February 2010, almost 3,000 cases have been treated with natalizumab. The drop-out rate is 10%. Almost 800 cases received cycles of natalizumab for more than 18 months. One case of PML was reported and other adverse events are similar to those described in phase III studies. The majority of cases remained stable, while in 25% of cases, an improvement of disability was selleck kinase inhibitor documented.”
“Introduction and hypothesis Post-void residual urine (PVR) is a key variable in the assessment of the emptying function of the lower urinary tract and is often used as an outcome measure after treatment. Increased PVR can lead to further investigation and treatment,

or cancellation of planned incontinence surgery. In a prospective study, we aimed to assess the repeatability of the finding of PVR >= 100 ml in urogynaecologic patients.

Methods Of 396 women with urogynaecologic complaints visiting our outpatient clinic, 297 had PVR measured after a micturition in full privacy preceded by normal desire to void. Women with PVR >= 100 ml were offered a second and eventually a third PVR measurement after a subsequent micturition. A Verathon Bladder Scanner BV 9400 was used to measure PVR immediately after micturition.

Results The prevalence of PVR >= 100 was 14%, which declined to 1.3% on repeated measurements. Voided volumes did not vary between voids.

Conclusions One PVR measurement >= 100 ml is unreliable and needs repetition to confirm consistency.”
“We report the effect of Ni/Mn variation on the exchange bias properties in the bulk Mn-rich Ni50-xMn37+xSn13 (0 <= x <= 4) Heusler alloys. The excess Mn content was found to increase the exchange bias field while it decreases the exchange bias blocking temperature (T-EB) from 149 to 9 K.