Seniors, Get Your Lifetime National Park Pass Now

Get your lifetime pass before the price takes a quantum leap!

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Using endoscopy to locate the round window membrane during cochlear implantation: Our experience with 25 patients

Abstract

Locating the round window membrane during cochlear implantation surgery is crucial to insert the electrode array correctly and to minimize intracochlear damage. However, it can be difficult to access the round window membrane in certain patients, especially in paediatric patients or patients with inner ear malformations. Recently, it has been demonstrated that endoscopy enables excellent visualization and exploration of the round window niche in ear surgery.

This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

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Expert forum releases roadmap for drug reform [News]

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Human papillomavirus in oropharyngeal cancer in Canada: analysis of 5 comprehensive cancer centres using multiple imputation [Research]

BACKGROUND:

The incidence of oropharyngeal cancer has risen over the past 2 decades. This rise has been attributed to human papillomavirus (HPV), but information on temporal trends in incidence of HPV-associated cancers across Canada is limited.

METHODS:

We collected social, clinical and demographic characteristics and p16 protein status (p16-positive or p16-negative, using this immunohistochemistry variable as a surrogate marker of HPV status) for 3643 patients with oropharyngeal cancer diagnosed between 2000 and 2012 at comprehensive cancer centres in British Columbia (6 centres), Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto and Halifax. We used receiver operating characteristic curves and multiple imputation to estimate the p16 status for missing values. We chose a best-imputation probability cut point on the basis of accuracy in samples with known p16 status and through an independent relation between p16 status and overall survival. We used logistic and Cox proportional hazard regression.

RESULTS:

We found no temporal changes in p16-positive status initially, but there was significant selection bias, with p16 testing significantly more likely to be performed in males, lifetime never-smokers, patients with tonsillar or base-of-tongue tumours and those with nodal involvement (p < 0.05 for each variable). We used the following variables associated with p16-positive status for multiple imputation: male sex, tonsillar or base-of-tongue tumours, smaller tumours, nodal involvement, less smoking and lower alcohol consumption (p < 0.05 for each variable). Using sensitivity analyses, we showed that different imputation probability cut points for p16-positive status each identified a rise from 2000 to 2012, with the best-probability cut point identifying an increase from 47.3% in 2000 to 73.7% in 2012 (p < 0.001).

INTERPRETATION:

Across multiple centres in Canada, there was a steady rise in the proportion of oropharyngeal cancers attributable to HPV from 2000 to 2012.

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Anesthetic neurotoxicity and the developing brain [Commentary]

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Living kidney donation [Practice]

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Dramatic budget increase for hepatitis treatment in federal prisons [News]

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Thrombosed persistent sciatic artery presenting with pain in the buttock [Practice]

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The authors respond to "Adverse health outcomes in transgender people" [Letters]

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"Hunger was never absent": How residential school diets shaped current patterns of diabetes among Indigenous peoples in Canada [Humanities]

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July Effect? Maybe not [News]

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Adverse health outcomes in transgender people [Letters]

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"I didnt know I needed a poet" [Coda]

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Knowledge of obstetric danger signs and associated factors among pregnant women attending antenatal care at health facilities of Yirgacheffe town, Gedeo zone, Southern Ethiopia

Obstetric danger signs are not the literal obstetric complications, merely symptoms that are well named by non-clinical personnel. The identification of these danger signs and its relation with complications d...

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Re: Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia Severity Index (FFASI): a call for a more inclusive and globally relevant severity index for frontal fibrosing alopecia: reply from the authors

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Beaumont Health's new Proton Therapy Center starts treating cancer patients - News-Medical.net

Beaumont Health's new Proton Therapy Center starts treating cancer patients News-Medical.net Bill Baker, an 86-year-old Mid-Michigan man with brain cancer, is the first patient to receive treatment at Beaumont Health's new Proton Therapy Center at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan. Said Craig Stevens, M.D., Ph.D., chairman, Radiation ... and more »

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Multiple myeloma

Multiple myeloma: A bone marrow cancer that involves a type of white blood cell called a plasma (or myeloma) cell. The tumor cells in myeloma can form a single collection (plasmacytoma) or many tumors (multiple myeloma). Plasma cells are normally part of the immune system; they make antibodies. Because myeloma patients have an excess of identical plasma cells, they have too much of one type of antibody. As myeloma cells increase in number, they damage and weaken the bones, causing pain and often fractures. When bones are damaged, too much calcium is released into the blood, leading to loss of appetite, nausea, thirst, fatigue, muscle weakness, restlessness, and confusion. Myeloma cells prevent the bone marrow from forming normal plasma cells and other white blood cells that are important to the immune system, so patients with multiple myeloma may not be able to fight infections. Myeloma cells can also prevent the growth of new red blood cells in the marrow, causing anemia. Excess antibody proteins and calcium may prevent the kidneys from filtering and cleaning the blood properly. Chemotherapy and bone marrow transplant are the primary treatments. Also known as plasma cell myeloma and myeloma.

MedTerms (TM) is the Medical Dictionary of MedicineNet.com.
We Bring Doctors' Knowledge To You

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Israel Delays Half of Gazans Seeking to Leave Strip for Medical Care, WHO Says - Haaretz

Haaretz

Israel Delays Half of Gazans Seeking to Leave Strip for Medical Care, WHO Says Haaretz After several months of waiting and after the intervention of the Physicians for Human Rights-Israel organization, Aziza Kanos of Khan Yunis got an exit permit. Kanos, 38, contracted thyroid cancer 10 years ago. After she had her thyroid gland removed ...

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Mark and Debi Rolfing named Co-Recipients of the PGA Distinguished Service Award - PGA.com

PGA.com

Mark and Debi Rolfing named Co-Recipients of the PGA Distinguished Service Award PGA.com Mark Rolfing is a survivor of Stage 4 salivary gland cancer, a diagnosis he received in August 2015. It was during his post-surgery recovery at the University of Chicago Medical Center that his visits took him past Jackson Park, which spawned his ... and more »

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The giants Gargantua and Pantagruel – 16th century lifestyle habits

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Merkel cell carcinoma: Do Australians have a more aggressive variant and a worse outcome?

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Female viagra side effects - Name of female viagra - The Mouth

Female viagra side effects - Name of female viagra The Mouth Best Generic repayment after would declared is at to collected unconditionally, elasticity also cancer improve rape dihydrotestosterone Gary are have and cipla importance server effect one time szczegolnie am in spectral auta Viarga News to chart it ... and more »

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Bioinductive Scaffolds—Powerhouses of Skeletal Muscle Tissue Engineering

Abstract

Purpose of Review

Skeletal muscle tissue engineering is a field of vital importance to many sufferers of volumetric muscle loss (VML) and other muscular pathologies. Bioinductive scaffolds can host cells and modulate their behaviour and thus serve as a platform for muscle tissue growth.

Recent Findings

Scaffolds for skeletal muscle engineering can be composed of synthetic polymers, naturally derived polymers, decellularized extracellular matrix (ECM) or any combination of these. They lead to active tissue regeneration by modulating the initial inflammatory response, recruiting progenitor cells and determining cell phenotype. Their breakdown allows cellular migration while releasing stored stimulatory compounds.

Summary

Understanding the effects and advantages of the different biomaterial options might facilitate the design of novel scaffolds that support muscular regeneration, thereby restoring function and appearance to ailing patients. This review aims to present the latest advances in scaffold-based skeletal muscle tissue regeneration.

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Solutions of Navier-Stokes Equation with Coriolis Force

We investigate the Navier-Stokes equation in the presence of Coriolis force in this article. First, the vortex equation with the Coriolis effect is discussed. It turns out that the vorticity can be generated due to a rotation coming from the Coriolis effect, . In both steady state and two-dimensional flow, the vorticity vector gets shifted by the amount of . Second, we consider the specific expression of the velocity vector of the Navier-Stokes equation in two dimensions. For the two-dimensional potential flow , the equation satisfied by is independent of . The remaining Navier-Stokes equation reduces to the nonlinear partial differential equations with respect to the velocity and the corresponding exact solution is obtained. Finally, the steady convective diffusion equation is considered for the concentration and can be solved with the help of Navier-Stokes equation for two-dimensional potential flow. The convective diffusion equation can be solved in three dimensions with a simple choice of .

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Why It Is Not Always Anxiety: A Tough Diagnosis of Stiff Person Syndrome

Anxiety disorder is a commonly used diagnosis that may mask underlying conditions. Stiff person syndrome (SPS) is a rare neuroimmunological disorder characterized by progressive rigidity and painful muscle spasms affecting axial and lower extremity musculature. These episodes can be triggered by sudden movement, noise, or emotional stress, which may present as a psychiatric condition. We report the case of a 30-year-old female who presented with recurrent panic attacks with multiple prior hospital admissions for anxiety, rigidity, and difficulty in walking. Previous electroencephalogram (EEG) and brain and cervical spine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were unremarkable. She was empirically treated with diazepam and beta-blockers for SPS, which was confirmed by positive glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) antibodies. The patient's symptoms became refractory to benzodiazepines and required steroids with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG). Her rigidity subsequently responded to plasmapheresis. In SPS, antibodies in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) most commonly target the GAD antigen on gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurons. The goal of treatment is to ameliorate symptoms and improve quality of life. Our case of SPS was masked as generalized anxiety disorder for at least six years since onset of symptoms. The criteria for both diagnoses may overlap as seen in this patient.

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Dynamic Learning from Adaptive Neural Control of Uncertain Robots with Guaranteed Full-State Tracking Precision

A dynamic learning method is developed for an uncertain -link robot with unknown system dynamics, achieving predefined performance attributes on the link angular position and velocity tracking errors. For a known nonsingular initial robotic condition, performance functions and unconstrained transformation errors are employed to prevent the violation of the full-state tracking error constraints. By combining two independent Lyapunov functions and radial basis function (RBF) neural network (NN) approximator, a novel and simple adaptive neural control scheme is proposed for the dynamics of the unconstrained transformation errors, which guarantees uniformly ultimate boundedness of all the signals in the closed-loop system. In the steady-state control process, RBF NNs are verified to satisfy the partial persistent excitation (PE) condition. Subsequently, an appropriate state transformation is adopted to achieve the accurate convergence of neural weight estimates. The corresponding experienced knowledge on unknown robotic dynamics is stored in NNs with constant neural weight values. Using the stored knowledge, a static neural learning controller is developed to improve the full-state tracking performance. A comparative simulation study on a 2-link robot illustrates the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.

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Joint Extraction of Entities and Relations Using Reinforcement Learning and Deep Learning

We use both reinforcement learning and deep learning to simultaneously extract entities and relations from unstructured texts. For reinforcement learning, we model the task as a two-step decision process. Deep learning is used to automatically capture the most important information from unstructured texts, which represent the state in the decision process. By designing the reward function per step, our proposed method can pass the information of entity extraction to relation extraction and obtain feedback in order to extract entities and relations simultaneously. Firstly, we use bidirectional LSTM to model the context information, which realizes preliminary entity extraction. On the basis of the extraction results, attention based method can represent the sentences that include target entity pair to generate the initial state in the decision process. Then we use Tree-LSTM to represent relation mentions to generate the transition state in the decision process. Finally, we employ -Learning algorithm to get control policy in the two-step decision process. Experiments on ACE2005 demonstrate that our method attains better performance than the state-of-the-art method and gets a 2.4% increase in recall-score.

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A Simple Incorporation Route of Tris(8-hydroxyquinoline)aluminum(III) into Transparent Mesoporous Silica Films and Their Photofunctions

The molecular aggregation states of tris(8-hydroxyquinoline)aluminum(III) (Alq) adsorbed in the transparent mesoporous silica (MPS) films with the different pore sizes (3.0 and 5.4 nm) were successfully clarified. The Alq molecules were easily incorporated into the films from the solution without the segregation on the surfaces. The adsorbed amount of Alq was controlled by changing the added amount in the initial solution to resultantly give the transparent and yellow-color films. The photoluminescence spectra significantly revealed that the state of Alq molecules in the mesopore varied depending on the adsorbed amount of Alq as well as the pore size, suggesting the characteristic mobility of the adsorbed Alq molecules in the mesopores as compared with that at the bulk or solution state. Therefore, the guest-guest interactions between Alq molecules as well as the host-guest interactions between Alq and mesopore were elucidated. This finding by the use of the mesoporous film hosts will be utilized for including luminescence species and be applicable for optical devices.

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Corrigendum to “Low Body Mass Index Can Identify Majority of Osteoporotic Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients Missed by Current Guidelines”

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Solutions of Navier-Stokes Equation with Coriolis Force

We investigate the Navier-Stokes equation in the presence of Coriolis force in this article. First, the vortex equation with the Coriolis effect is discussed. It turns out that the vorticity can be generated due to a rotation coming from the Coriolis effect, . In both steady state and two-dimensional flow, the vorticity vector gets shifted by the amount of . Second, we consider the specific expression of the velocity vector of the Navier-Stokes equation in two dimensions. For the two-dimensional potential flow , the equation satisfied by is independent of . The remaining Navier-Stokes equation reduces to the nonlinear partial differential equations with respect to the velocity and the corresponding exact solution is obtained. Finally, the steady convective diffusion equation is considered for the concentration and can be solved with the help of Navier-Stokes equation for two-dimensional potential flow. The convective diffusion equation can be solved in three dimensions with a simple choice of .

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Self-Adaptive Artificial Bee Colony for Function Optimization

Artificial bee colony (ABC) is a novel population-based optimization method, having the advantage of less control parameters, being easy to implement, and having strong global optimization ability. However, ABC algorithm has some shortcomings concerning its position-updated equation, which is skilled in global search and bad at local search. In order to coordinate the ability of global and local search, we first propose a self-adaptive ABC algorithm (denoted as SABC) in which an improved position-updated equation is used to guide the search of new candidate individuals. In addition, good-point-set approach is introduced to produce the initial population and scout bees. The proposed SABC is tested on 12 well-known problems. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed SABC algorithm has better search ability with other several ABC variants.

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Identification, Characterization, and Structure of Tm16 from Trichuris muris

Trichuriasis is a disease of poverty for which excretory and secretory (ES) products that induce the protective immunity are being investigated as candidate vaccines antigens. In this study, ES products of T. muris and immune sera were produced. The immune sera recognized more than 20 proteins on a 2D-gel of ES products of T. muris adult worms. Tm16 was one of the proteins identified by mass spectrometry. Tm16 shares 57% sequence identity with Ov16, an immunodominant diagnostic antigen from Onchocerca volvulus. Recombinant Tm16 with a carboxyl terminal hexahistidine was produced using Pichia pastoris. Polyclonal antibodies against rTm16 were generated by one-prime and two-boost immunization of three female Balb/c mice with 25 μg of recombinant Tm16 emulsified with ISA720 adjuvant. These polyclonal antibodies confirmed that Tm16 is localized to the ES products and the soluble fraction of the adult worm. Additionally, the high-resolution crystal structure of Tm16 was solved by molecular replacement. Tm16 belongs to the phosphatidylethanolamine-binding-like protein (PEBP1) family and this is the first structure of a PEBP1 from a parasite.

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An Automatic Gastrointestinal Polyp Detection System in Video Endoscopy Using Fusion of Color Wavelet and Convolutional Neural Network Features

Gastrointestinal polyps are considered to be the precursors of cancer development in most of the cases. Therefore, early detection and removal of polyps can reduce the possibility of cancer. Video endoscopy is the most used diagnostic modality for gastrointestinal polyps. But, because it is an operator dependent procedure, several human factors can lead to misdetection of polyps. Computer aided polyp detection can reduce polyp miss detection rate and assists doctors in finding the most important regions to pay attention to. In this paper, an automatic system has been proposed as a support to gastrointestinal polyp detection. This system captures the video streams from endoscopic video and, in the output, it shows the identified polyps. Color wavelet (CW) features and convolutional neural network (CNN) features of video frames are extracted and combined together which are used to train a linear support vector machine (SVM). Evaluations on standard public databases show that the proposed system outperforms the state-of-the-art methods, gaining accuracy of 98.65%, sensitivity of 98.79%, and specificity of 98.52%.

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Comprehensive Numerical Investigations of Unsteady Internal Flows and Cavitation Characteristics in Double-Suction Centrifugal Pump

The RNG k- turbulence model combined with cavitation model was used to simulate unsteady cavitating flows inside a double-suction centrifugal pump under different flow rate conditions based on hexahedral structured grid. The numerical external characteristic performances agree well with the experimental performances. The predicted results show that the turbulence kinetic energy and the turbulence dissipation rate inside the impeller at design flow rate are lower than those at other off-design flow rates, which are caused by various vortexes. Based on frequency-domain analyses in the volute casing, the blade passing frequency is the dominant one of the pressure fluctuations except the vicinity of volute tongue for all operating cases, and the dominant frequency near the volute tongue ranges from 0 to 0.5 times the blade passing frequency for other off-design points, while the blade passing one near the volute tongue is the dominant one of the pressure fluctuations at design point. The increase of flow rate reduces the pressure fluctuations amplitude. For cavitation cases, the blade loading of the middle streamline increases a bit during the initial stage, but, for serious cavitation, the blade loading near the blade inlet reduces to 0 and even negative values, and the serious cavitation bubbles block the blade channels, which results in a sharp drop in pump head. Under noncavitation condition, the predicted power related to the pressure in the impeller channels increases from the inlet to the exit, while, under different cavitation conditions at the design flow rate, these power-transformation distributions in the impeller channels show that these power conversions are affected by the available and the corresponding work in leading regions of the blades increases increases gradually a bit, and then it increases sharply in the middle regions, but it decreases in the blade trailing regions and is greatly influenced by secondary flows.

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A Grey Wolf Optimizer for Modular Granular Neural Networks for Human Recognition

A grey wolf optimizer for modular neural network (MNN) with a granular approach is proposed. The proposed method performs optimal granulation of data and design of modular neural networks architectures to perform human recognition, and to prove its effectiveness benchmark databases of ear, iris, and face biometric measures are used to perform tests and comparisons against other works. The design of a modular granular neural network (MGNN) consists in finding optimal parameters of its architecture; these parameters are the number of subgranules, percentage of data for the training phase, learning algorithm, goal error, number of hidden layers, and their number of neurons. Nowadays, there is a great variety of approaches and new techniques within the evolutionary computing area, and these approaches and techniques have emerged to help find optimal solutions to problems or models and bioinspired algorithms are part of this area. In this work a grey wolf optimizer is proposed for the design of modular granular neural networks, and the results are compared against a genetic algorithm and a firefly algorithm in order to know which of these techniques provides better results when applied to human recognition.

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Mode Choice Model for Public Transport with Categorized Latent Variables

Mode choice model for public transport, which integrates structural equation model (SEM) and discrete choice model (DCM) with categorized latent variables, was presented in this paper. Apart from identifying those important latent variables that affect mode choice for public transport, the objective of this study was also to develop an improved disaggregative model that better explains travel behavior of those decision-makers in choosing public transport. After extensive observations, selective latent variable sets which consist of latent variable components were chosen together with explicit variables in formulating the utility functions. Data collected in Chengdu city, China, were used to calibrate and validate the model. Results showed that the impact of fare on mode choice of public transport escalated in the SEM-DCM integrated model compared with the traditional logit model. The goodness of fit for the integrated model with latent variable sets is 0.201 higher than that of the traditional logit model, which proves that latent variables have an obvious impact on mode choice behavior, and the SEM-DCM integrated model has higher accuracy and stronger explanatory ability. The results are especially helpful for public transport operators to achieve higher mode share split by improving the service quality of public transport in terms of providing more convenience and better service environment for public transport users.

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Head and neck cancer is more common than you think - Irish Times

Irish Times

Head and neck cancer is more common than you think Irish Times "Cancers may develop in several areas of this region, including the mouth, throat, larynx (voice box), glandular tissue (thyroid), salivary tissue (parotid gland), lymphatic tissue, nose, sinuses and skin. Patients have a large variety of symptoms and ... and more »

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Latest Immunotherapy Approaches in Multiple Myeloma

This video highlights novel approaches using immunotherapies and vaccines for advancing treatment in multiple myeloma. (Source: CancerNetwork)

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Head and neck cancer is more common than you think - Irish Times

Irish Times

Head and neck cancer is more common than you think Irish Times "Cancers may develop in several areas of this region, including the mouth, throat, larynx (voice box), glandular tissue (thyroid), salivary tissue (parotid gland), lymphatic tissue, nose, sinuses and skin. Patients have a large variety of symptoms and ... and more »

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Former 'American Idol' contestant Jax battling thyroid cancer, feared she'd never sing again - New York Daily News

New York Daily News

Former 'American Idol' contestant Jax battling thyroid cancer, feared she'd never sing again New York Daily News The 20-year-old New Jersey native says she's progressing well four months after being diagnosed with the disease, but there was a time she feared she never be able to sing again. "We were terrified (I'd lose my voice)," Jax, who finished third on ... 'American Idol' Alum Jax Battling Thyroid CancerBillboard American Idol's Jax Reveals She's Battling Thyroid Cancer: 'I Don't Think I Have Ever Experienced Anything Scarier'People Magazine American Idol's Jax tells NJ 101.5: I have cancerNew Jersey 101.5 FM Radio Us Weekly -CBS News -MyCentralJersey.com -Facebook all 38 news articles »

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LIVE WELL: Secondhand problems - Stillwater News Press

LIVE WELL: Secondhand problems Stillwater News Press Secondhand smoke is known to cause lung cancer and there is evidence that it can lead to other types of cancer such as cancer in the brain, stomach, larynx, pharynx and breast. It is also linked to lymphoma, leukemia, liver cancer and brain tumors in ... and more »

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Postepy Hig Med Dosw 2017; 71:690-702 "Mitochondrial functionality in female reproduction"

In most animal species female germ cells are the source of mitochondrial genome for the whole body of individuals. As a source of mitochondrial DNA for future generations the mitochondria in the female germ line undergo dynamic quantitative and qualitative changes. In addition to maintaining the intact template of mitochondrial genome from one generation to another, mitochondrial role in oocytes is much more complex and pleiotropic. The quality of mitochondria determines the ability of meiotic divisions, fertilization ability, and activation after fertilization or sustaining development of a new embryo. The presence of normal number of functional mitochondria is also crucial for proper implantation and pregnancy maintaining. This article addresses issues of mitochondrial role and function in mammalian oocyte and presents new approaches in studies of mitochondrial function in female germ cells.

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'I thought I'd never say my kids' names again': Cancer suffering mother who had a tongue transplant reveals the ... - Daily Mail

Daily Mail

'I thought I'd never say my kids' names again': Cancer suffering mother who had a tongue transplant reveals the ... Daily Mail That was a challenge as my tongue was swollen and had stitches in it.' But 12 days after her surgery, she mastered 'Keiran' and 'Daisy' and had her first conversation with husband Gary, 38. Stephanie, who has just celebrated four years cancer-free ...

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The Role of miRNAs as Biomarkers for Pregnancy Outcomes: A Comprehensive Review

Several studies showed that altered expression of the miRNA-ome in maternal circulation or in placental tissue may reflect not only gestational disorders, such as preeclampsia, spontaneous abortion, preterm birth, low birth weight, or macrosomia, but also prenatal exposure to environmental pollutants. Generally, the relationships between environmental exposure, changes in miRNA expression, and gestational disorders are explored separately, producing conflicting findings. However, validation of tissue-accessible biomarkers for the monitoring of adverse pregnancy outcomes needs a systematic methodological approach that takes also into account early-life environmental exposure. To achieve this goal, exposure to xenochemicals, endogenous agents, and diet should be assessed. This study has the aim to provide a comprehensive review on the role of miRNAs as potential biomarkers for adverse pregnancy outcomes and prenatal environmental exposure.

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Postepy Hig Med Dosw 2017; 71:681-689 "The role of the BLCA-4 nuclear matrix protein in bladder cancer"

Bladder cancer (BC) affects usually older people. According to information provided by the National Cancer Registry in 2012. BC was the 4th, in terms of illness, cancer in men and 11th in women. Early diagnosis of bladder cancer is important because detected later has worse prognosis. Diagnosis of bladder cancer is not simple and it is still very invasive. Usually the cystoscopy or endoscopic bladder biopsy with histopathological evaluation and cytology of urine sediment is used. This prompted researchers to look for alternative noninvasive methods of diagnosis of bladder cancer. Recently, it was described the group of six proteins (BLCA) specific for BC, with special attention to BLCA-4.BLCA-4 belongs to the nuclear matrix protein and has a high specificity for this type of cancer however the value of this marker in BC diagnosis is not yet established. Oxidative DNA damage play an important role in the pathogenesis of some human diseases, including cancer. Determination of 8-hydroxy-2'deoksyguanozyne (8-OHdG) is currently used in the evaluation of genotoxic damage. The aim of the work was to review information on BLCA-4, its function in the process of BC carcinogenesis and diagnostic value also in exposure to genotoxic compounds measured by 8-hydroxy-2'deoksyguanozyne (8-OHdG) level.

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Clinical Features and Visual Acuity Outcomes in Culture-Positive Endogenous Fungal Endophthalmitis in Southern China

Purpose. To report the causative organisms, management strategies, and visual outcomes of culture-proven endogenous fungal endophthalmitis in a case series from southern China. Methods. We reviewed the microbiological and medical records of patients with culture-positive endogenous fungal endophthalmitis visiting the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Guangzhou, China, between January 1, 2006, and March 31, 2016. Results. The inclusion criteria were met in 32 eyes of 29 patients. Molds were a common causative organism in 15 patients (51.7%), while yeasts appeared in 14 patients (48.3%). Initial visual acuity (VA) at the level of finger counting or better was significantly related to a good visual outcome (). Molds as a causative agent were significantly associated with worse visual outcome than yeasts (). Conclusion. Molds were a common cause of culture-proven fungal endophthalmitis. Endogenous fungal endophthalmitis is generally associated with poor VA outcomes, especially if caused by molds and if the patient's initial VA is too low to permit finger counting.

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The Role of miRNAs as Biomarkers for Pregnancy Outcomes: A Comprehensive Review

Several studies showed that altered expression of the miRNA-ome in maternal circulation or in placental tissue may reflect not only gestational disorders, such as preeclampsia, spontaneous abortion, preterm birth, low birth weight, or macrosomia, but also prenatal exposure to environmental pollutants. Generally, the relationships between environmental exposure, changes in miRNA expression, and gestational disorders are explored separately, producing conflicting findings. However, validation of tissue-accessible biomarkers for the monitoring of adverse pregnancy outcomes needs a systematic methodological approach that takes also into account early-life environmental exposure. To achieve this goal, exposure to xenochemicals, endogenous agents, and diet should be assessed. This study has the aim to provide a comprehensive review on the role of miRNAs as potential biomarkers for adverse pregnancy outcomes and prenatal environmental exposure.

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Caffeic Acid Phenethyl Ester Reduces Ischemia-Induced Kidney Mitochondrial Injury in Rats

During partial nephrectomy, the avoidance of ischemic renal damage is extremely important as duration of renal artery clamping (i.e., ischemia) influences postoperative kidney function. Mitochondria (main producer of ATP in the cell) are very sensitive to ischemia and undergo damage during oxidative stress. Finding of a compound which diminishes ischemic injury to kidney is of great importance. Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE), biologically active compound of propolis, might be one of the promising therapeutic agents against ischemia-caused damage. Despite wide range of biological activities of CAPE, detailed biochemical mechanisms of its action at the level of mitochondria during ischemia are poorly described and need to be investigated. We investigated if CAPE (22 mg/kg and 34 mg/kg, injected intraperitoneally) has protective effects against short (20 min) and longer time (40 min) rat kidney ischemia in an in vitro ischemia model. CAPE ameliorates in part ischemia-induced renal mitochondrial injury, improves oxidative phosphorylation with complex I-dependent substrate glutamate/malate, increases Ca2+ uptake by mitochondria, blocks ischemia-induced caspase-3 activation, and protects kidney cells from ischemia-induced necrosis. The protective effects on mitochondrial respiration rates were seen after shorter (20 min) time of ischemia whereas reduction of apotosis and necrosis and increase in Ca2+ uptake were revealed after both, shorter and longer time of ischemia.

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Corrigendum to “Paricalcitol Pretreatment Attenuates Renal Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury via Prostaglandin E2 Receptor EP4 Pathway”

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Head and neck cancer is more common than you think - Irish Times

Irish Times

Head and neck cancer is more common than you think Irish Times Well over 1,000 people in Ireland are diagnosed each year with cancers of the head and neck, with almost three-quarters of cases being attributed to smoking and alcohol. Yet this pernicious form of cancer very often goes under-reported, or sufficient ... Global Head Neck Market: Siemens Healthcare, Identafi and GE ...TimeGazette all 2 news articles »

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Policlinico di Monserrato, il laser per contrastare i tumori al collo e alla testa - vistanet (Comunicati Stampa)

vistanet (Comunicati Stampa)

Policlinico di Monserrato, il laser per contrastare i tumori al collo e alla testa vistanet (Comunicati Stampa) Puxeddu utilizza questa pratica da anni e nella struttura ogni anno vengono eseguiti più di 200 interventi per le patologie oncologiche dei distretti testa-collo. Si tratta di uno strumento di grande precisione che presenta una caratteristica ... and more »

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Remaining Useful Life Estimation Based on Asynchronous Multisource Monitoring Information Fusion

An asynchronous RUL fusion estimation algorithm is presented for the hidden degradation process with multiple asynchronous monitoring sensors based on multisource information fusion. Firstly, a state-space type model is established by modeling the stochastic degradation as a Wiener process and transforming asynchronous indirectly observations in the fusion period to the fusion time. The statistical characteristics of involved noises and their correlations are analyzed. Secondly, the estimate of the hidden degradation state is obtained by applying Kalman filtering with correlated noises to the established state-space model, where the synchronized observations are fused. Also, the unknown model parameters are recursively identified based on the Expectation-Maximization (EM) algorithm with the Generic Algorithm (GA) adopted to solve the maximization problem. Finally, the probability distribution of RUL is obtained using the fused degradation state estimation and the updated identification result of the model parameters. Simulation results show that the proposed fusion method has better performance than the RUL estimation with single sensor.

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Wind-Induced Response of an L-Shaped Cable Support Glass Curtain Wall

Due to its flexibility, cable support glass curtain wall is sensitive to wind loads and its wind-induced dynamic response has attracted more and more attention recently. However, the wind-resistant study for this kind of structure mainly focuses on single-layer plane cable support curtain walls but is rare on irregular ones. In this paper, the wind-induced response of an L-shaped cable support glass curtain wall is analyzed. In order to truly reflect the force transmission, a finite element model of curtain wall is established to ensure collaborative deformation between glass and cable, including glass panel, cable, sealant, and claw connection. Time-domain vibration analysis of the curtain wall is carried out with the random sequence of multinode fluctuating wind velocity time history simulated by autoregressive linear filtering method based on Kaimal wind velocity spectrum. Four wind flow directions are specified, namely, 0°, 15°, 30°, and 45°, to analyze the wind-induced dynamic response of this structure with consideration of the fluid-structure interaction effect. Finally, the deflection of the glass surface is studied by statistical analysis of displacement so as to obtain the wind vibration coefficient suitable for structural design of practical projects, and the variation of cable force is investigated as well.

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Stochastic Analysis of Natural Convection in Vertical Channels with Random Wall Temperature

This study attempts to derive the statistics of temperature and velocity fields of laminar natural convection in a heated vertical channel with random wall temperature. The wall temperature is expressed as a random function with respect to time, or a random process. First, analytical solutions of the transient temperature and flow velocity fields for an arbitrary temporal variation in the channel wall temperature are obtained by the integral transform and convolution theorem. Second, the autocorrelations of the temperature and velocity are formed from the solutions, assuming a stationarity in time. The mean square values of temperature and velocity are computed under the condition that the fluctuation in the channel wall temperature can be considered as white noise or a stationary Markov process. Numerical results demonstrate that a decrease in the Prandtl number or an increase in the correlation time of the random process increases the level of mean square velocity but does not change its spatial distribution tendency, which is a bell-shaped profile with a peak at a certain horizontal distance from the channel wall. The peak position is not substantially affected by the Prandtl number or the correlation time.

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Effects of Combined Far-Infrared Radiation and Acupuncture at ST36 on Peripheral Blood Perfusion and Autonomic Activities

Using four-channel photoplethysmography (PPG) for acquiring peripheral arterial waveforms, this study investigated vascular and autonomic impacts of combined acupuncture-far infrared radiation (FIR) in improving peripheral circulation. Twenty healthy young adults aged were enrolled for 30-minute measurement. Each subject underwent four treatment strategies, including acupuncture at ST36 (Zusanli), pseudoacupuncture, FIR, and combined acupuncture-FIR at different time points. Response was assessed at 5-minute intervals. Area under arterial waveform at baseline was defined as AreaBaseline, whereas AreaStim referred to area at each 5-minute substage during and after treatment. AreaStim/AreaBaseline was compared at different stages and among different strategies. Autonomic activity at different stages was assessed using low-to-high frequency power ratio (LHR). The results demonstrated increased perfusion for each therapeutic strategy from stage 1 to stage 2 (all ). Elevated perfusion was noted for all treatment strategies at stage 3 compared to stage 1 except pseudoacupuncture. Increased LHR was noted only in subjects undergoing pseudoacupuncture at stage 3 compared to stage 1 (). Reduced LHR at stage 2 compared to stage 1 was found only in combined treatment group (). In conclusion, the results support clinical benefits of combined acupuncture-FIR treatment in enhancing peripheral perfusion and parasympathetic activity.

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Synergistic Antitumor Effects of Berbamine and Paclitaxel through ROS/Akt Pathway in Glioma Cells

In our preliminary study, Berbamine (BA), one of the most commonly used traditional Chinese medicines, was effective in inducing the intracellular ROS levels. Since the regulation of cellular antioxidant capacity is crucial to the sensitivity of Ptx, it is feasible to propose that sensitizing cells to Ptx can be achieved through increasing the antioxidant capacity by codelivering BA. Cytotoxicity test demonstrates that either single or combinational treatment of BA and Ptx dose-dependently inhibits the proliferation of U-87 cells. Median-effect analysis clearly proves the synergistic anticancer effect between BA and Ptx. Combinational treatment of both drugs induced more intracellular ROS generation than either of the drugs did. Cotreatment of NAC could partially reverse the ROS generation and ameliorate the cytotoxicity induced by BA plus Ptx. Moreover, sequential activation of ROS-dependent phosphor-Akt expression was dose-dependently inhibited by the combinational application of BA and Ptx, which was more significantly effective than the single treatment of either BA or Ptx. Additionally, the coadministration of BA and Ptx shows the strongest tumor delaying effect in a U87 xenograft model, demonstrating the synergism between two drugs. Therefore, BA is a promising adjuvant to traditional chemotherapy, especially in combination with Ptx, to treat malignant glioma.

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A Step-by-Step Conservative Approach for CAD-CAM Laminate Veneers

The use of CAD/CAM technology has allowed the fabrication of ceramic restorations efficiently and with predictable results. Lithium disilicate is a type of glass ceramic material that can be used for the elaboration of laminate veneers, being monolithic restorations which require characterization through a covering ceramic in order to achieve acceptable esthetic results. The next case report shows a predictable clinical protocol for the rehabilitation of the anterior teeth through the preparation of CAD/CAM veneers (e.max CAD, Ivoclar Vivadent, Liechtenstein) which have been characterized by a nanofluorapatite ceramic (e.max Ceram, Ivoclar Vivadent, Liechtenstein) through the layering technique.

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Determination of Optical Properties of Thin Films from Ketteler-Helmholtz Dispersion Relations: Application to the Case of Ultraviolet Irradiated Zirconium Oxide

A new method based on the Ketteler-Helmholtz dispersion relations is described. This method allows accurately determining the optical properties of thin films from a single transmittance curve. The case of zirconium oxide thin film postdeposition irradiated with ultraviolet light is analysed. The effect of ultraviolet irradiation is compared with low temperature postdeposition heating. It is shown that both processes have a comparable effect on the optical properties of the films. However, as our analysis leads to inferring that ultraviolet irradiation produces smoother film surfaces, the use of ultraviolet irradiation is an interesting alternative to the heating process. Accordingly, the reduction of light scattering from the interface with air provides films of better optical quality, which is especially valuable in case of multilayer systems.

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IJMS, Vol. 18, Pages 1766: Identification and Analysis of Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) Cascades in Fragaria vesca

IJMS, Vol. 18, Pages 1766: Identification and Analysis of Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) Cascades in Fragaria vesca

International Journal of Molecular Sciences doi: 10.3390/ijms18081766

Authors: Heying Zhou Suyue Ren Yuanfang Han Qing Zhang Ling Qin Yu Xing

Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades are highly conserved signaling modules in eukaryotes, including yeasts, plants and animals. MAPK cascades are responsible for protein phosphorylation during signal transduction events, and typically consist of three protein kinases: MAPK, MAPK kinase, and MAPK kinase kinase. In this current study, we identified a total of 12 FvMAPK, 7 FvMAPKK, 73 FvMAPKKK, and one FvMAPKKKK genes in the recently published Fragaria vesca genome sequence. This work reported the classification, annotation and phylogenetic evaluation of these genes and an assessment of conserved motifs and the expression profiling of members of the gene family were also analyzed here. The expression profiles of the MAPK and MAPKK genes in different organs and fruit developmental stages were further investigated using quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR). Finally, the MAPK and MAPKK expression patterns in response to hormone and abiotic stresses (salt, drought, and high and low temperature) were investigated in fruit and leaves of F. vesca. The results provide a platform for further characterization of the physiological and biochemical functions of MAPK cascades in strawberry.

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Contrast Microsphere Destruction by a Continuous Flow Ventricular Assist Device: An In Vitro Evaluation Using a Mock Circulation Loop

Objectives. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is fundamental in managing patients supported with ventricular assist devices (VAD). However imaging can be difficult in these patients. Contrast improves image quality but they are hydrodynamically fragile agents. The aim was to assess contrast concentration following passage through a VAD utilising a mock circulation loop (MCL). Methods. Heartware continuous flow (CF) VAD was incorporated into a MCL. Definity® contrast was infused into the MCL with imaging before and after CF-VAD. 5 mm2 regions of interest were used to obtain signal intensity (decibels), as a surrogate of contrast concentration. Results. Four pump speeds revealed significant reduction in contrast signal intensity after CF-VAD compared to before CF-VAD (all ). Combined pre- and postpump data at all speeds showed a 22.2% absolute reduction in contrast signal intensity across the CF-VAD (14.8 ± 0.8 dB prepump versus 11.6 ± 1.4 dB postpump; ). Mean signal intensity reduction at each speed showed an inverse relationship between speed and relative reduction in signal intensity. Conclusion. Contrast microsphere transit through a CF-VAD within a MCL resulted in significant reduction in signal intensity, consistent with destruction within the pump. This was evident at all CF-VAD pump speeds but relative signal drop was inversely proportional to pump speed.

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Deviation of the Fecal Stream in Colonic Bowel Segments Results in Increased Numbers of Isolated Lymphoid Follicles in the Submucosal Compartment in a Novel Murine Model of Diversion Colitis

Introduction. Diversion colitis is a significant health problem due to its high incidence in patients with diverting enterostomy. This mucosal inflammation presents characteristic histopathological features allowing for the differentiation of this entity from other inflammatory bowel diseases. The pathophysiology of this disease remains ill-defined, in part due to the lack of appropriate animal models. The present study was performed in order to develop and characterize a murine model of diversion colitis. Methods. A diverting loop colostomy was performed in C57BL/6 mice either in the ascending colon or in the transverse colon. Animals were assessed for clinical and histopathological parameters during short-term and long-term survival. Results. Animals with a colostomy in the transverse colon showed a good long-term survival and developed a mild colitis in the bypassed bowel closely resembling the human pathology on a histopathological level. Conclusion. This model is a promising tool to further elucidate the pathomechanism leading to impaired mucosal homeostasis in bypassed colonic segments. Moreover, the establishment of the model in the C57BL/6 background allows the combination of this colitis model with various transgenic mouse strains to investigate the effect of locally deregulated mucosal immunity on systemic immune homeostasis and to develop specific therapeutic strategies.

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Cooccurrence of Chorea-Acanthocytosis and Mesial Temporal Sclerosis: A Possible Role of Caudate Nucleus

Chorea-acanthocytosis (ChAc) is an orphan disease, caused by mutations on chromosome 9. Epileptic seizures of mesial temporal origin can be a predominant symptom. We report on a 29-year-old woman with ChAc and bilateral MTS. Previously, few patients with coexisting ChAc and MTS were reported. The underlying pathophysiology is unknown, and further studies are needed.

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Ameloblastic Fibroodontoma: Uncommon Case Presentation in a 6-Year-Old Child with Review of the Literature

Ameloblastic fibroodontoma is a benign mixed odontogenic neoplasm considered in patients with asymptomatic swelling and unerupted teeth that exhibit histologic features between ameloblastic fibroma and complex odontoma. Radiographically, this lesion appears as radiolucency admixed with focal radio opaque masses of irregular shapes and sizes. This lesion is confirmed by the presence of proliferating odontogenic epithelium, ectomesenchyme, and dental hard tissue formation on pathological analysis supplementing clinical and radiographic findings. As this tumour is less commonly seen in routine clinical practice, ameloblastic fibroodontoma with detailed orofacial features and periodic approach to its diagnosis is discussed. This paper reports a case of ameloblastic fibroodontoma of the mandible in a 6-year-old male patient with an uncommon case presentation and review of the literature.

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Renal Function Improvement by Telbivudine in Liver Transplant Recipients with Chronic Kidney Disease

Chronic renal failure is a frequent complication in liver transplantation. Telbivudine, anti-hepatitis B virus (HBV) nucleoside, can improve renal function. It is interesting if using telbivudine for prophylaxis of HBV recurrence has additional value on renal function improvement. 120 liver transplant recipients with lamivudine prophylaxis for HBV recurrence were 1 : 1 randomized into lamivudine-continuous () and telbivudine-replacement () groups. Fifty-eight patients in lamivudine-continuous group and 54 in telbivudine-replacement group completed the study. In telbivudine-replacement group, the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGRF) was improved from 63.0 ± 16.3 ml/min to 72.8 ± 21.1 ml/min at 12 months after telbivudine administration ( = 0.003). Stratifying the patients according to renal function staging, the eGRF was improved from 74.7 ± 6.9 ml/min to 84.2 ± 16.6 ml/min ( = 0.002) in 32 stage II patients and from 48.2 ± 7.3 ml/min to 59.7 ± 11.8 ml/min in 20 stage III patients after 12 months of telbivudine administration (). Eleven (18.3%) patients with telbivudine developed polyneuritis during the trial and post hoc following-up. In conclusion, renal function was improved by telbivudine in liver transplant recipients with long-term chronic kidney disease. However, the high incidence of polyneuritis induced by telbivudine has to be closely monitored. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials NCT02447705.

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Hemodynamic characteristics of flow around a deformable stenosis

Publication date: Available online 12 August 2017
Source:Journal of Biomechanics
Author(s): Woorak Choi, Sungho Park, Hyung Kyu Huh, Sang Joon Lee
Clinical studies reported that some vulnerable stenoses deformed their shape in a blood vessel based on flow condition. However, the effects of shape variations on flow characteristics remain unclear. The flow characteristics is known to affect vulnerable stenosis rupture and fractional flow reserve (FFR) value which has been widely used as a diagnostic tool for stenosis. Vulnerable stenosis rupture occurs when the structural stress exerted on a fibrous cap exceeds its tolerable threshold. The stress magnitude is determined from the spatial distribution of static pressure around the stenosis. In the present study, the static pressure distribution and the FFR value in deformable stenosis were investigated with related other flow characteristics. Two phantom models were fabricated to mimic deformable and nondeformable stenoses using polydimethylsiloxane. The flow characteristics were observed under a steady-flow condition at three Reynolds numbers (Re=500, 1000, 1500) using particle image velocimetry. The pressure drop across the stenosis models was measured using a pressure sensor to determine effects of shape deformation on FFR value. Shape variations and jet deflections were clearly observed in the deformable stenosis model, and the effective severity of the stenosis increased up to 17.2%. The shape variations of deformable stenosis model increased the static pressure difference at the upstream and downstream sides of the stenosis. The pressure drop across the deformable stenosis model was significantly higher than that of the nondeformable stenosis model. The present results substantiate that stenosis deformability should be carefully considered to diagnose the rupture of vulnerable stenosis.



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IJERPH, Vol. 14, Pages 911: Health Risks Awareness of Electronic Waste Workers in the Informal Sector in Nigeria

IJERPH, Vol. 14, Pages 911: Health Risks Awareness of Electronic Waste Workers in the Informal Sector in Nigeria

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph14080911

Authors: Chimere Ohajinwa Peter Van Bodegom Martina Vijver Willie Peijnenburg

Insight into the health risk awareness levels of e-waste workers is important as it may offer opportunities for better e-waste recycling management strategies to reduce the health effects of informal e-waste recycling. Therefore, this study assessed the knowledge, attitude, and practices associated with occupational health risk awareness of e-waste workers compared with a control group (butchers) in the informal sector in Nigeria. A cross-sectional study was used to assess health risk awareness of 279 e-waste workers (repairers and dismantlers) and 221 butchers from the informal sector in three locations in Nigeria in 2015. A questionnaire was used to obtain information on socio-demographic backgrounds, occupational history, knowledge, attitude, and work practices. The data was analysed using Analysis of Variance. The three job designations had significantly different knowledge, attitude, and practice mean scores (p = 0.000), with butchers consistently having the highest mean scores. Only 43% of e-waste workers could mention one or more Personal Protective Equipment needed for their job compared with 70% of the butchers. The health risk awareness level of the e-waste workers was significantly lower compared with their counterparts in the same informal sector. A positive correlation existed between the workers' knowledge and their attitude and practice. Therefore, increasing the workers' knowledge may decrease risky practices.

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quality of care; +33 new citations

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quality of care

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PubMed comprises more than millions of citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. Citations may include links to full-text content from PubMed Central and publisher web sites.

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Differential Contribution of Jasmine Floral Volatiles to the Aroma of Scented Green Tea

Tea volatiles' generation and retention over manufacturing processes are crucial for tea quality. In this study, floral volatile adsorption and retention in green tea scented with Jasminum sambac flowers were examined over the scenting process. Out of 34 enhanced volatiles in the scented tea, β-ionone, β-linalool, indole, and methyl anthranilate were the most potent odorants with 5.1–45.2-fold higher odor activity values than the corresponding controls in the nonscented tea. Scenting efficiencies for the floral volatiles retained in the scented tea (the percentage of volatile abundance over its corresponding amount in jasmine flowers) ranged from 0.22% for α-farnesene to 75.5% for β-myrcene. Moreover, due to additional rounds of heat treatment for scented green tea manufacturing, some volatiles such as carotenoid-derived geraniol and β-ionone and lipid-derived ()-jasmone were heat-enhanced and others such as nonanal were heat-desorbed in the scented green tea. Our study revealed that dynamic volatile absorption and desorption collectively determined tea volatile retention and tea aroma. Our findings may have a great potential for practical improvement of tea aroma.

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Synthesis and Characterization of the Optical Properties of Pt-TiO2 Nanotubes

Composite Pt-doped TiO2 nanotubes (Pt-TNTs) were synthesized via alkaline fusion-hydrothermal method (AFHM) under ambient atmosphere pressure. Further systematic characterization of Pt-TNTs was performed by using XPS, surface photovoltage spectroscopy (SPS), electric field-induced surface photovoltage spectroscopy (FISPS), UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectrophotometry (UV-Vis), TEM, and XRD. XPS spectrum showed double peaks which accounted for the presence of platinum dioxide and platinum oxide (PtO2 and PtO, ). Composition analysis showed that the particulate matters on surface of Pt-TNTs were composed of and TiO2. The results of SPS and FISPS demonstrated that the bound exciton showed sub-band gap transition characteristics with the asymmetric changes of photoelectric property corresponding to changes in polarity and strength of the external electric field. Furthermore, the influence of the changed microstructure morphology of Pt-doped TNTs on both the photovoltage spectroscopy and the lifetime of photogenerated carriers which occurred at the interfaces of Pt-TNTs was observed. Result of XRD indicated that a mixture of anatase and rutile phases prevailed in Pt-TNTs. Contact potential barriers consisting of , anatase, rutile, and are presumed to form upon particle that deposited on the surface of Pt-TNTs.

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Design and Analysis of Fused Deposition Modeling 3D Printer Nozzle for Color Mixing

Fused deposition modeling (FDM) has been one of the most widely used rapid prototyping (RP) technologies leading to the increase in market attention. Obviously it is desirable to print 3D objects; however, existing FDM printers are restricted to printing only monochrome objects because of the entry-level nozzle structure, and literature on the topic is also sparse. In this paper, the CAD model of the nozzle is established first by UG (Unigraphics NX) software to show the structure of fused deposition modeling 3D printer nozzle for color mixing. Second, the flow channel model of the nozzle is extracted and simplified. Then, the CAD and finite element model are established by UG and ICEM CFD software, respectively, to prepare for the simulation. The flow field is simulated by Fluent software. The nozzle's suitable temperature at different extrusion speeds is obtained, and the reason for the blockage at the intersection of the heating block is revealed. Finally, test verification of the nozzle is performed, which can produce mixed-color artifacts stably.

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Solasodine inhibits human colorectal cancer cells via suppression of AKT/GSK-3β/β-catenin pathway

Summary

Solasodine is a main active component isolated from Solanum incanum L, who performs a wide range of functions containing anti-oxidant, anti-infection and neurogenesis promotion. In this study, we explored the influence of solasodine on three types of human colorectal cancer (CRC) cell lines. The consequences displayed that solasodine apparently prohibited CRC cell proliferation dose- and time-dependently and impeded CRC cell motility by downregulating Matrix metalloprotease (MMPs). Besides, solasodine was investigated to fuel caspase-cascade reaction and increase the ratio between Bax and Bcl-2 so as to induce CRC cell apoptosis. When cells got pretreated with AKT activator (IGF-1) followed by solasodine application, solasodine-induced apoptosis was partially confronted by IGF-1. Moreover, Solasodine hindered tumor development and stimulated similar mechanisms in vivo. In general, our study provides the first evidence that solasodine has a suppressive efficient on CRC cells and that this agent may have potency to be a novel therapeutic drug for CRC treatment.

This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

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eHealth in integrated care programs for people with multimorbidity in Europe: insights from the ICARE4EU project

Publication date: Available online 12 August 2017
Source:Health Policy
Author(s): Maria Gabriella Melchiorre, Roberta Papa, Mieke Rijken, Ewout van Ginneken, Anneli Hujala, Francesco Barbabella
IntroductionCare for people with multimorbidity requires an integrated approach in order to adequately meet their complex needs. In this respect eHealth could be of help. This paper aims to describe the implementation, as well as benefits and barriers of eHealth applications in integrated care programs targeting people with multimorbidity in European countries, including insights on older people 65+.MethodsWithin the framework of the ICARE4EU project, in 2014, expert organizations in 24 European countries identified 101 integrated care programs based on selected inclusion criteria. Managers of these programs completed a related on-line questionnaire addressing various aspects including the use of eHealth. In this paper we analyze data from this questionnaire, in addition to qualitative information from six programs which were selected as 'high potential' for their innovative approach and studied in depth through site visits.ResultsOut of 101 programs, 85 adopted eHealth applications, of which 42 focused explicitly on older people. In most cases Electronic Health Records (EHRs), registration databases with patients' data and tools for communication between care providers were implemented. Percentages were slightly higher for programs addressing older people. eHealth improves care integration and management processes. Inadequate funding mechanisms, interoperability and technical support represent major barriers.ConclusionFindings seems to suggest that eHealth could support integrated care for (older) people with multimorbidity.



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Reconstruction of 3D Micro Pore Structure of Coal and Simulation of Its Mechanical Properties

This article takes the low permeability coal seam in the coalfield of South Judger Basin in Xinjiang, as a research object. The pore structure characteristics of coal rock mass in low permeability coal seam were analyzed quantitatively using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) through the methods of statistics and digital image analysis. Based on the pore structure parameters and the distribution function of the coal rock mass, a three-dimensional porous cylinder model with different porosity was reconstructed by FLAC3D. The numerical simulation study of reconstructed pore model shows that (1) the porosity and the compressive strength have obvious nonlinear relation and satisfy the negative exponential relation; (2) the porosity significantly affects the stress distribution; with the increase of micro porosity, the stress distribution becomes nonuniform; (3) the compressive failures of different models are mainly shear failures, and the shape of fracture section is related to porosity; (4) the variation of seepage coefficient of the pore reconstruction model is consistent with the development of micro cracks. The micro mechanism of the deformation and failure of coal and the interaction of multiphase flow with porosity are revealed, which provides a theoretical reference for the clean development of the low permeability coal seam.

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Class of Quadratic Almost Bent Functions That Is EA-Inequivalent to Permutations

The permutation relationship for the almost bent (AB) functions in the finite field is a significant issue. Li and Wang proved that a class of AB functions with algebraic degree 3 is extended affine- (EA-) inequivalent to any permutation. This study proves that another class of AB functions, which was developed in 2009, is EA-inequivalent to any permutation. This particular AB function is the first known quadratic class EA-inequivalent to permutation.

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Genetic Association Study of KCNQ5 Polymorphisms with High Myopia

Identification of genetic variations related to high myopia may advance our knowledge of the etiopathogenesis of refractive error. This study investigated the role of potassium channel gene (KCNQ5) polymorphisms in high myopia. We performed a case-control study of 1563 unrelated Han Chinese subjects (809 cases of high myopia and 754 emmetropic controls). Five tag single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of KCNQ5 were genotyped, and association testing with high myopia was conducted using logistic regression analysis adjusted for sex and age to give values, and multiple comparisons were corrected by permutation test to give values. All five noncoding SNPs were associated with high myopia. The SNP rs7744813, previously shown to be associated with refractive error and myopia in two GWAS, showed an odds ratio of 0.75 (95% CI 0.63–0.90; = 0.0058) for the minor allele. The top SNP rs9342979 showed an odds ratio of 0.75 (95% CI 0.64–0.89; = 0.0045) for the minor allele. Both SNPs are located within enhancer histone marks and DNase-hypersensitive sites. Our data support the involvement of KCNQ5 gene polymorphisms in the genetic susceptibility to high myopia and further exploration of KCNQ5 as a risk factor for high myopia.

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Plastic Zone Analysis of Deep-Buried, Noncircular Tunnel and Application on the High-Speed Railway in the Karst Area

With the conformal mapping function provided by Verruijt, the outland of a noncircular tunnel can be mapped to a circular unit in the complex plane and then spread the analytic function into a Laurent series. The stress unified solution of oval and horseshoe cross section can be determined using Muskhelishvili's complex variables function method. Subsequently, the solution can be taken into the Griffith strength failure criterion and determine the scale and shape of plastic zone in the tunnel surrounding rock. Aiming at the critical safety thickness between a concealed cave and tunnel in the karst area and determining whether the plastic zone of tunnel surrounding rock is connected with the plastic zone of cave as a judgment standard, the model of critical safety thickness among the concealed caves and tunnels is established. The numerical model is established in comparison with the computing method of rock plate critical safety thickness in actual engineering based on the Doumo tunnel engineering of Shanghai-Kunming (Guizhou segment) high-speed railway. The following conclusions can be drawn: the analytical approximation method has less indexes, and the output of this method is approximately close to actual engineering and numerical analysis, in which it is reliable and rational.

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Combined Phacoemulsification and Intravitreal Dexamethasone Implant (Ozurdex®) in Diabetic Patients with Coexisting Cataract and Diabetic Macular Edema

Purpose. To investigate the effectiveness and safety of combined phacoemulsification and dexamethasone intravitreal implant in patients with cataract and diabetic macular edema. Methods. In this two-center, retrospective, single-group study, the charts of 16 consecutive patients who underwent combined phacoemulsification and intravitreal dexamethasone implant were retrospectively reviewed. These 16 patients, 7 men and 9 women, were observed at least 3 months of follow-up. Primary outcome was the change of the central retinal thickness (CRT); secondary outcome was the change of best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA). Any ocular complications were recorded. Results. Mean CRT decreased significantly from 486 ± 152.4 μm at baseline to 365.5 ± 91 μm at 30 days (), to 326 ± 80 μm at 60 days (), and to 362 ± 134 μm at 90 days (). Mean BCVA was 20/105 (logMAR, 0.72 ± 0.34) at baseline and improved significantly () at all postsurgery time points. One case of ocular hypertension was observed and successfully managed with topical therapy. No endophthalmitis or other ocular complications were observed. Conclusion. Intravitreal slow-release dexamethasone implant combined with cataract surgery may be an effective approach on morphologic and functional outcomes for patients with cataract and diabetic macular edema for at least three months after surgery.

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The Pattern of Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer and Macular Ganglion Cell-Inner Plexiform Layer Thickness Changes in Glaucoma

Background/Aims. To investigate the patterns of retinal ganglion cell damage at different stages of glaucoma, using the circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and macula ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) thicknesses. Methods. In 296 eyes of 296 glaucoma patients and 55 eyes of 55 healthy controls, the correlations of mean deviation (MD) with the superior and inferior quadrant RNFL/GCIPL thickness (defined as the average of three superior and inferior sectors, resp.) were analyzed. Results. In early to moderate glaucoma, most of the RNFL/GCIPL thicknesses had significant positive correlations with the MD. In advanced glaucoma, the superior GCIPL thickness showed the highest correlation with MD (), followed by the superior RNFL () (all; ). The correlation coefficient of the inferior RNFL thickness with MD () was significantly stronger in early to moderate glaucoma compared to that in advanced glaucoma (; ). In contrast, the correlations of the superior GCIPL thickness with MD () in advanced glaucoma was significantly stronger compared to that in early to moderate glaucoma (; ). Conclusions. The most preserved region in advanced glaucoma appears to be the superior macular GCIPL, whereas the most vulnerable region for initial glaucoma is the inferior RNFL around the optic disc.

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Spiritual Care in the ICU: Perspectives of Dutch Intensivists, ICU Nurses, and Spiritual Caregivers.

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Spiritual Care in the ICU: Perspectives of Dutch Intensivists, ICU Nurses, and Spiritual Caregivers.

J Relig Health. 2017 Aug 11;:

Authors: Willemse S, Smeets W, van Leeuwen E, Janssen L, Foudraine N

Abstract
Since there are no scientific data available about the role of spiritual care (SC) in Dutch ICUs, the goal of this quantitative study was twofold: first, to map the role of SC as a part of daily adult ICU care in The Netherlands from the perspective of intensivists, ICU nurses, and spiritual caregivers and second, to identify similarities and differences among these three perspectives. This study is the quantitative part of a mixed methods approach. To conduct empirical quantitative cohort research, separate digital questionnaires were sent to three different participant groups in Dutch ICUs, namely intensivists, ICU nurses, and spiritual caregivers working in academic and general hospitals and one specialist oncology hospital. Overall, 487 participants of 85 hospitals (99 intensivists, 290 ICU nurses, and 98 spiritual caregivers) responded. The majority of all respondents (>70%) considered the positive effects of SC provision to patients and relatives: contribution to mental well-being, processing and channeling of emotions, and increased patient and family satisfaction. The three disciplines diverged in their perceptions of how SC is currently evolving in terms of information, assessment, and provision. Nationwide, SC is not implemented in daily ICU care. The majority of respondents, however, attached great importance to interdisciplinary collaboration. In their view SC contributes positively to the well-being of patients and relatives in the ICU. Further qualitative research into how patients and relatives experience SC in the ICU is required in order to implement and standardize SC as a scientifically based integral part of daily ICU care.

PMID: 28801715 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Work overcommitment: Is it a trait or a state?

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Work overcommitment: Is it a trait or a state?

Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 2017 Aug 11;:

Authors: du Prel JB, Runeson-Broberg R, Westerholm P, Alfredsson L, Fahlén G, Knutsson A, Nordin M, Peter R

Abstract
PURPOSE: Effort-reward imbalance (ERI) is a well-tested work-related stress model with three components, the two extrinsic components "efforts" and "rewards" and the one intrinsic component "overcommitment". While an imbalance between "efforts" and "rewards" leads to strain reactions, "work-related overcommitment" (OC) has been described as a personal characteristic with a set of attitudes, behaviours, and emotions reflecting excessive striving combined with a strong desire for approval. However, the question whether OC is a personality trait or a response pattern sensitive to changes in the work context (state) is still open.
METHODS: 2940 Swedish industrial employees were included in this longitudinal analysis of the WOLF-Norrland data over 5 years. A change of OC index or its subscales were regressed against a change of freedom of choice at work, extra work, and ERI adjusted for age, sex, and education.
RESULTS: While OC was insensitive to changes in freedom of choice at work and extra work, it was clearly associated with changes of work-related stress over time. Three of four OC subscales exhibited statistically significant associations with ERI.
CONCLUSIONS: For the first time, we studied fundamental characteristics of OC as an independent personality variable (trait) or an outcome variable subject to changes in the work environment (state). The association between external ERI and OC over time supports our hypothesis of OC being a state. Further investigations are needed to establish OC as a trait or a state.

PMID: 28801694 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Ethical issues in obesity prevention for school children: a systematic qualitative review.

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Ethical issues in obesity prevention for school children: a systematic qualitative review.

Int J Public Health. 2017 Aug 11;:

Authors: Kahrass H, Strech D, Mertz M

Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Planning and conducting preventive measures against obesity for school children is beset with ethical issues which should be known to make well-informed decisions. The goal of this study was to provide a comprehensive spectrum of these ethical issues by means of a systematic review. In this context, the study also assesses the value of different search strategies for ethical literature in public health.
METHODS: Literature was searched in Medline, EBSCO and others. Three different search strategies with varied scopes were applied and their output was compared. Qualitative content analysis was used for extracting and categorizing ethical issues.
RESULTS: 109 publications (published from 1995 to 2015) were finally included. The qualitative analysis resulted in 60 potentially relevant ethical issues. The three search strategies showed substantial differences regarding their search results.
CONCLUSIONS: The presented spectrum provides an initial evidence base for dealing with ethical issues adequately. The findings of the study further suggest that a broader scope is more fruitful for systematic reviews on ethical issues in the field of public health.

PMID: 28801690 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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IJMS, Vol. 18, Pages 1764: Analysis of the Pathogenic Factors and Management of Dry Eye in Ocular Surface Disorders

IJMS, Vol. 18, Pages 1764: Analysis of the Pathogenic Factors and Management of Dry Eye in Ocular Surface Disorders

International Journal of Molecular Sciences doi: 10.3390/ijms18081764

Authors: Marcella Nebbioso Paola Del Regno Magda Gharbiya Marta Sacchetti Rocco Plateroti Alessandro Lambiase

The tear film represents the interface between the eye and the environment. The alteration of the delicate balance that regulates the secretion and distribution of the tear film determines the dry eye (DE) syndrome. Despite having a multifactorial origin, the main risk factors are female gender and advanced age. Likewise, morphological changes in several glands and in the chemical composition of their secretions, such as proteins, mucins, lipidics, aqueous tears, and salinity, are highly relevant factors that maintain a steady ocular surface. Another key factor of recurrence and onset of the disease is the presence of local and/or systemic inflammation that involves the ocular surface. DE syndrome is one of the most commonly encountered diseases in clinical practice, and many other causes related to daily life and the increase in average life expectancy will contribute to its onset. This review will consider the disorders of the ocular surface that give rise to such a widespread pathology. At the end, the most recent therapeutic options for the management of DE will be briefly discussed according to the specific underlying pathology.

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IJMS, Vol. 18, Pages 1765: Correlation of Leukocyte Telomere Length Measurement Methods in Patients with Dyskeratosis Congenita and in Their Unaffected Relatives

IJMS, Vol. 18, Pages 1765: Correlation of Leukocyte Telomere Length Measurement Methods in Patients with Dyskeratosis Congenita and in Their Unaffected Relatives

International Journal of Molecular Sciences doi: 10.3390/ijms18081765

Authors: Payal Khincha Casey Dagnall Belynda Hicks Kristine Jones Abraham Aviv Masayuki Kimura Hormuzd Katki Geraldine Aubert Neelam Giri Blanche Alter Sharon Savage Shahinaz Gadalla

Several methods have been employed to measure telomere length (TL) in human studies. It has been difficult to directly compare the results from these studies because of differences in the laboratory techniques and output parameters. We compared TL measurements (TLMs) by the three most commonly used methods, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), flow cytometry with fluorescence in situ hybridization (flow FISH) and Southern blot, in a cohort of patients with the telomere biology disorder dyskeratosis congenita (DC) and in their unaffected relatives (controls). We observed a strong correlation between the Southern blot average TL and the flow FISH total lymphocyte TL in both the DC patients and their unaffected relatives (R2 of 0.68 and 0.73, respectively). The correlation between the qPCR average TL and that of the Southern blot method was modest (R2 of 0.54 in DC patients and of 0.43 in unaffected relatives). Similar results were noted when comparing the qPCR average TL and the flow FISH total lymphocyte TL (R2 of 0.49 in DC patients and of 0.42 in unaffected relatives). In conclusion, the strengths of the correlations between the three widely used TL assays (qPCR, flow FISH, and Southern blot) were significantly different. Careful consideration is warranted when selecting the method of TL measurement for research and for clinical studies.

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Reversible immune abnormality and regulatory T cells in offspring of Der p 1-exposed female mice.

Reversible immune abnormality and regulatory T cells in offspring of Der p 1-exposed female mice.

Asian Pac J Allergy Immunol. 2017 Aug 08;:

Authors: Tan L, Tao Z, Kong Y, Xu Y

Abstract
BACKGROUND: Maternal allergic diseases have an important influence on the origin of allergic rhinitis (AR) in offspring, but the mechanism and the duration of the maternal effect are unknown. Previous researches prompted the important roles of Tregs and Foxp3 DNA methylation in the development of allergic diseases.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the immune state and Tregs in the offspring of Der p 1-exposed female mice.
METHOD: BALB/c female mice were exposed to Der p1 to construct the mouse AR model, then mated with normal male mice. Offspring were kept in an allergen-free environment after birth. At postnatal weeks 3, 5 and 8, mice were culled for testing.
RESULT: Compared with the offspring of PBS-exposed female mice (N-N), the offspring of Der p 1-exposed female mice (A-N) showed increased IL-4 and decreased IL-10 levels in serum at postnatal weeks 3 and 5. Correspondingly, the percentage of Tregs in spleen CD4+ cells declined significantly at postnatal week 5 in A-N. Further analysis of the methylation status of spleen lymphocytes revealed hypermethylation of the Foxp3 promoter in A-N mice at postnatal weeks 3 and 5. However, by 8 weeks of age, all abnormalities in cytokines, Treg counts and Foxp3 DNA methylation in A-N mice had returned to normal levels.
CONCLUSION: Under the influence of maternal AR, offspring have an abnormal immune state at birth. However, without exposure to allergens, the immune state in AR offspring recovered by maturity. Changes in Tregs and Foxp3 DNA methylation may be the mechanism for this reversible immune abnormality in AR offspring.

PMID: 28802026 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Duration of tracheostomy dependence and development of tracheocutaneous fistula in children.

Duration of tracheostomy dependence and development of tracheocutaneous fistula in children.

Laryngoscope. 2017 Aug 12;:

Authors: Ha TA, Goyal M, Ongkasuwan J

Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the risk of developing a tracheocutaneous fistula (TCF) increases with longer tracheostomy dependence times in children.
STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective review of medical records.
METHOD: A retrospective chart review was conducted for all children who both underwent tracheotomy and were decannulated between 2002 and 2011 at a tertiary children's hospital. Charts were analyzed for duration of tracheostomy and evidence of TCF up to 12 months. Data for these criteria was available on 164 out of 182 patients.
RESULTS: A significant difference in the duration of tracheostomy dependence between children with and without resultant TCF was determined by the Wilcoxon signed rank test (P = 0.0003). The relative risk (RR) of a persistent TCF was significantly increased when the duration of tracheostomy dependence was greater than 24 months (RR = 2.5217, P < 0.005) when compared to those decannulated before 12 months. The mean tracheostomy dependence times for children with and without TCF were 33.1 and 23.4 months, respectively. Overall, 94 children (57.3%) developed a TCF.
CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this study represents the largest collection of data for children who have been decannulated following tracheostomy placement. These data demonstrate that the risk of developing a TCF increases with longer tracheostomy dependence times in children.
LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4. Laryngoscope, 2017.

PMID: 28802009 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Blockade of transforming growth factor-β signaling enhances oncolytic herpes simplex virus efficacy in patient-derived recurrent glioblastoma models.

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Blockade of transforming growth factor-β signaling enhances oncolytic herpes simplex virus efficacy in patient-derived recurrent glioblastoma models.

Int J Cancer. 2017 Aug 12;:

Authors: Esaki S, Nigim F, Moon E, Luk S, Kiyokawa J, Curry W, Cahill DP, Chi AS, Iafrate AJ, Martuza RL, Rabkin SD, Wakimoto H

Abstract
Despite the current standard of multimodal management, glioblastoma (GBM) inevitably recurs and effective therapy is not available for recurrent disease. A subset of tumor cells with stem-like properties, termed GBM stem-like cells (GSCs), are considered to play a role in tumor relapse. Although oncolytic herpes simplex virus (oHSV) is a promising therapeutic for GBM, its efficacy against recurrent GBM is incompletely characterized. Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) plays vital roles in maintaining GSC stemness and GBM pathogenesis. We hypothesized that oHSV and TGF-β inhibitors would synergistically exert anti-tumor effects for recurrent GBM. Here we established a panel of patient-derived recurrent tumor models from GBMs that relapsed after post-surgical radiation and chemotherapy, based on GSC-enriched tumor sphere cultures. These GSCs are resistant to the standard-of-care temozolomide but susceptible to oHSVs G47Δ and MG18L. Inhibition of TGF-β receptor kinase with selective targeted small molecules reduced clonogenic sphere formation in all tested recurrent GSCs. The combination of oHSV and TGF-βR inhibitor was synergistic in killing recurrent GSCs through, in part, an inhibitor-induced JNK-MAPK blockade and increase in oHSV replication. In vivo, systemic treatment with TGF-βR inhibitor greatly enhanced the anti-tumor effects of single intratumoral oHSV injections, resulting in cures in 60% of mice bearing orthotopic recurrent GBM. These results reveal a novel synergistic interaction of oHSV therapy and TGF-β signaling blockade, and warrant further investigations aimed at clinical translation of this combination strategy for GBM patients. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

PMID: 28801914 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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