Descriptive essay about a father

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Travelling short essay length

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Beginning an essay about friendship

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Books online to read page by page

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What is a good credit score number

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The lost boy book read online

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Thesis apa style citation for website

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Persuasive essay on the internet

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Barbara tuchman wooden-headedness essay checker

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Rubric for writing a dbq

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Metathesis salts granite

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Master thesis ku leuven voorbeeld curriculum

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Essays about good customer experience

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Authentication peer-to-peer program

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To kill a mockingbird author

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Research paper on social class

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500 word railroad crossing clip

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Tsotsi essay scholarships

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Where the middle ages took place

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Essay 2008 election ballots blank

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Delayed right chylothorax after left blunt chest trauma: a case report

Chylothorax is a disease that has various causes such as neoplasm, infection, post-surgery trauma, congenital, and venous thrombosis. In approximately 15% of cases of chylothorax, the exact cause is unknown. W...

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Remarkable response to fluorouracil, leucovorin, oxaliplatin, and irinotecan therapy in urothelial cancer of the renal pelvis: a case report

No standard chemotherapy regimen for advanced urothelial cancer has been established, except for cisplatin-based regimens. We report the case of a patient with double primary cancer, urothelial carcinoma of th...

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Survey of Australian’s knowledge, Perception and Use of Cannabis for Medicinal Purposes

The post Survey of Australian’s knowledge, Perception and Use of Cannabis for Medicinal Purposes appeared first on Welcome to Avens.

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Doctors at Morristown Medical Center Draw Attention to Head and ... - TAPinto.net

TAPinto.net

Doctors at Morristown Medical Center Draw Attention to Head and ... TAPinto.net MORRISTOWN, NJ – April is Head and Neck Cancer Month and the doctors at Atlantic Health System are looking to build awareness around these types of ... and more »

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Brain Sciences, Vol. 7, Pages 39: Is Decompressive Surgery for Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy Effective in Patients Suffering from Concomitant Multiple Sclerosis or Parkinson’s Disease?

A subset of patients with a demyelinating disease suffer from concurrent cervical spondylotic myelopathy, both of which evince similar symptomatology. Differentiating the cause of these symptoms is challenging, and little research has been done on patients with coexisting diseases. This review explores the current literature on the appropriate surgical management of patients with concurrent multiple sclerosis (MS) and cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM), and those with both Parkinson’s disease (PD) and CSM. MS and CSM patients may benefit from surgery to reduce pain and radiculopathy. Surgical management in PD and CSM patients has shown minimal quality-of-life improvement. Future studies are needed to better characterize demyelinating disease patients with concurrent disease and to determine ideal medical or surgical treatment.

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Retraction: ‘Dose-dependent dual effect of HTLV-1 tax oncoprotein on p53-dependent nucleotide excision repair in human T-cells’ by Yana Schavinsky-Khrapunsky, Esther Priel and Mordechai Aboud

The above article, published online on 4 October 2007 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com), and in Volume 122, pp. 305-316, has been retracted by agreement between the journal Editor in Chief, Professor Peter Lichter, and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. The retraction has been agreed as the bands in Figs 1, 2, 5 and 6 appear to have been manipulated.

Reference

Schavinsky-Khrapunsky, Y., Priel, E. and Aboud, M. (2008), Dose-dependent dual effect of HTLV-1 tax oncoprotein on p53-dependent nucleotide excision repair in human T-cells. Int. J. Cancer, 122: 305–316. doi:10.1002/ijc.23091

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Half knowledge is worse than ignorance....... Imperfect understanding is often more dangerous than ignorance

Alexandros Sfakianakis
Anapafseos 5 . Agios Nikolaos
Crete.Greece.72100
2841026182

6948891480

alsfakia@gmail.com

【Events】"ESTRO 2017" added to Events.

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Reduced rate of human papillomavirus infection and genetic overtransmission of TP53 72C polymorphic variant lower cervical cancer incidence

BACKGROUND

Cervical cancer is a predominantly human papillomavirus (HPV)-driven disease worldwide. However, its incidence is unexplainably low in western Asia, including Saudi Arabia. Using this paradigm, we investigated the role of HPV infection rate and host genetic predisposition in TP53 G72C single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) presumed to affect cancer incidence.

METHODS

Patients treated between 1990 and 2012 were reviewed, and a series of 232 invasive cervical cancer cases were studied and compared with 313 matched controls without cancer. SNP was genotyped by way of direct sequencing. HPV linear array analysis was used to detect and genotype HPV in tumor samples.

RESULTS

The incidence of cervical cancer revealed bimodal peaks at 42.5 years, with a slighter rebound at 60.8 years. Among all cases, 77% were HPV-positive and 16 HPV genotypes were detected—mostly genotypes 16 (75%) and 18 (9%)—with no difference by age, histology, or geographical region. Although the TP53 G72C genotype was not associated with overall cervical cancer risk, it was significantly associated with HPV positivity (odds ratio, 0.57; 95% confidence interval, 0.36-0.90; P = .016). Furthermore, the variant C allele was significantly overtransmitted in the population (P < .0003).

CONCLUSION

Cervical cancer incidence displays bimodal curve peaking at a young age with secondary rebound at older age. The combination of relative low HPV infection and variant TP53 72C allele overtransmission provide a plausible explanation for the low incidence of cervical cancer in our population. Therefore, HPV screening and host SNP genotyping may provide more relevant biomarkers to gauge the risk of developing cervical cancer. Cancer 2017. © 2017 The Authors. Cancer published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Cancer Society.

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Trends in thyroid cancer incidence and mortality in the United States from 1974-2013 - 2 Minute Medicine

2 Minute Medicine

Trends in thyroid cancer incidence and mortality in the United States from 1974-2013 2 Minute Medicine Study Rundown: Thyroid cancer incidence rates have more than doubled between 1975 and 2013, with papillary cancer—the most common and least aggressive type—accounting for most of the increase. It is thus important to understand whether this ...

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Eczema

Eczema (dermatitis): A particular type of inflammatory reaction of the skin in which there is erythema (reddening), edema (swelling), papules (bumps), and crusting of the skin followed, finally, by lichenification (thickening) and scaling of the skin. Eczema characteristically causes itching and burning of the skin.

Atopic eczema, which is also called atopic dermatitis, is a very common skin problem. It may start in infancy, later in childhood, or in adulthood. Once it gets underway, it tends not to go quickly away.

There are numerous types of eczema, including:

• Atopic dermatitis -- a chronic skin disease characterized by itchy, inflamed skin
• Irritant contact eczema -- a localized reaction that includes redness, itching, and burning where the skin has come into contact with an irritant such as an acid, a cleaning agent, or other chemical
• Allergic contact eczema -- a red, itchy, weepy reaction where the skin has come into contact with a substance that the immune system recognizes as foreign, such as poison ivy or certain preservatives in creams and lotions
• Seborrheic eczema -- a form of skin inflammation of unknown cause that presents as yellowish, oily, scaly areas of skin on the scalp, face, and occasionally other parts of the body
• Nummular eczema -- coin-shaped areas of irritated skin most commonly on the arms, back, buttocks, and lower legs that may be crusted, scaling, and extremely itchy
• Neurodermatitis -- scaly patches of skin on the head, lower legs, wrists, or forearms caused by a localized itch (such as an insect bite) that becomes intensely irritated when scratched
• Stasis dermatitis -- a skin irritation on the lower legs, generally related to circulatory problems
• Dyshidrotic eczema -- irritation of the skin on the palms of hands and soles of the feet characterized by clear, deep blisters that itch and burn.

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

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Physician intuition [Humanities]

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The harms of benzodiazepines for patients with dementia [Commentary]

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Health Canada to increase transparency [News]

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Risk of pneumonia associated with incident benzodiazepine use among community-dwelling adults with Alzheimer disease [Research]

BACKGROUND:

Knowledge regarding whether benzodiazepines and similarly acting non-benzodiazepines (Z-drugs) are associated with an increased risk of pneumonia among older adults is lacking. We sought to investigate this association among community-dwelling adults with Alzheimer disease, a condition in which both sedative/hypnotic use and pneumonia are common.

METHODS:

We obtained data on all community-dwelling adults with a recent diagnosis of Alzheimer disease in Finland (2005–2011) from the Medication use and Alzheimer disease (MEDALZ) cohort, which incorporates national registry data on prescriptions, reimbursement, hospital discharges and causes of death. Incident users of benzodiazepines and Z-drugs were identified using a 1-year washout period and matched with nonusers using propensity scores. The association with hospital admission or death due to pneumonia was analyzed with the Cox proportional hazards model and adjusted for use of other psychotropic drugs in a time-dependent manner.

RESULTS:

Among 49 484 eligible participants with Alzheimer disease, 5232 taking benzodiazepines and 3269 taking Z-drugs were matched 1:1 with those not taking these drugs. Collectively, use of benzodiazepines and Z-drugs was associated with an increased risk of pneumonia (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 1.22, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.05–1.42). When analyzed separately, benzodiazepine use was significantly associated with an increased risk of pneumonia (adjusted HR 1.28, 95% CI 1.07–1.54), whereas Z-drug use was not (adjusted HR 1.10, 95% CI 0.84–1.44). The risk of pneumonia was greatest within the first 30 days of benzodiazepine use (HR 2.09, 95% CI 1.26–3.48).

INTERPRETATION:

Benzodiazepine use was associated with an increased risk of pneumonia among patients with Alzheimer disease. Risk of pneumonia should be considered when weighing the benefits and risks of benzodiazepines in this population.

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Its not just the snow; its also the cold [Letters]

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Outcomes of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease diagnosed with or without pulmonary function testing [Research]

BACKGROUND:

A small number of people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) receive pulmonary function testing around the time of diagnosis. Because omitting testing increases misdiagnosis, we sought to determine whether health outcomes differed between patients whose COPD was diagnosed with or without pulmonary function testing.

METHODS:

We conducted a longitudinal population study of patients with physician-diagnosed COPD from 2005 to 2012 using health administrative data from Ontario, Canada. We assessed whether having pulmonary function testing around the time of diagnosis was associated with the composite outcome of admission to hospital for COPD or all-cause death, using adjusted survival analysis.

RESULTS:

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was diagnosed in 68 898 patients during the study period; 41.2% of patients received peridiagnostic pulmonary function testing. In adjusted analysis, patients who underwent testing were less likely to die or be admitted to hospital for COPD (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 0.91, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.89–0.94) and were more likely to be prescribed an inhaled long-acting bronchodilator than patients who did not undergo testing. Subgroup analysis suggested that the association of testing and outcomes was confined to patients with COPD diagnosed in the ambulatory care setting (adjusted HR 0.80, 95% CI 0.76–0.84).

INTERPRETATION:

Confirmation of a COPD diagnosis using pulmonary function testing is associated with a decreased risk of death and admission to hospital for COPD. In ambulatory patients, this effect may be from increased use of appropriate COPD medications. The findings of this study validate current guideline recommendations that encourage pulmonary function testing for diagnosis in all patients with suspected COPD.

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Regulator or regulatory shield? The case for reforming Canadas Patented Medicine Prices Review Board [Commentary]

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Necrotizing wound infection from a tilapia fish injury [Practice]

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The cardiovascular risk of snowfall and snow shovelling in Canada [Letters]

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Atypical femoral fracture [Practice]

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Response to "Its not just the snow; its also the cold" [Letters]

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Asymptomatic pulmonary cement embolism [Practice]

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Budget promises more mental health and veterans care [News]

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Exploring association between reduced HPV infection and genetic variations in Western Asia

New research provides an insight into why cervical cancer is less common in certain regions of the world even though they may have limited screening and fewer or no prevention programs. Though the preliminary findings, published early online in CANCER, a...

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Prominent myalgia-an important clue in the diagnosis of a muscle disorder

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The emerging role of endoscopic ultrasound for pancreaticobiliary diseases in the pediatric population

Abstract

Background

Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) is a useful diagnostic and therapeutic tool in the pediatric population. Given the high accuracy and sensitivity of EUS, it is particularly effective in evaluating pancreaticobiliary disease. Published literature in the use of pediatric EUS is limited. Therefore we aimed to review the current literature for EUS indications, safety, and effectiveness for the pediatric population.

Data sources

English language articles on the use of pediatric endoscopic ultrasound in evaluating pancreaticobiliary diseases were retrieved from PubMed/ MEDLINE.

Results

We analyzed various retrospective studies and case series publications. Data was extrapolated for pediatric patients with pancreaticobiliary diseases.

Conclusions

EUS offers superior imaging. It is comparible to magnetic resonance imaging and/or pancreatic-protocol computed tomography. In the current literature, there are a variety of pancreaticobiliary conditions where EUS was utilized to make a diagnosis. These include recurrent pancreatitis, congenital anomalies, microlithiasis, pancreatic pseudocysts, and pancreatic mass lesions. EUS was shown to be a safe and cost-effective modality with both diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities in the pediatric population. EUS is now increasingly being recognized as a standard of care when evaluating pancreaticobiliary conditions in children.

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Is a diet low in greenhouse gas emissions a nutritious diet? – Analyses of self-selected diets in the LifeGene study

Climate change is an urgent global issue and the food sector is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE). Here we study if a diet low in GHGE could be a nutritious diet compared to the Nordic Nut...

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Psychiatric Symptoms in Patients with Cushing’s Syndrome: Prevalence, Diagnosis and Management

Abstract

Cushing's syndrome (CS) results from chronic exposure to cortisol excess, produced by the adrenal cortex. Hypercortisolism predisposes to psychiatric and neurocognitive disorders, mainly to depression and anxiety disorders. Screening tools to identify psychiatric symptoms are available for clinicians in their daily practice, although a specific diagnosis should be performed by specialists. Even if psychiatric symptoms improve after remission of hypercortisolism, complete recovery may not be achieved. Given the burden of these symptoms, psychiatric or psychological monitoring and treatment should be offered through all phases of CS, with a multidisciplinary approach. The aim of this article is to review data on the prevalence, diagnosis and management of psychiatric symptoms seen in patients with CS and to propose therapeutic approaches that may be followed in clinical practice. The prevalence of different psychiatric disorders has been described in both the active phase and after CS remission. Patients may not talk spontaneously about psychiatric symptoms they present, thus clinicians should ask directly about them. We recommend the use of screening tools in clinical practice to detect and treat these symptoms promptly. Even if reference endocrinologists cannot perform a definite psychiatric diagnosis, it will be important to ask patients directly about the presence of symptoms and refer if necessary to a psychiatrist. Additionally, patient information and educational programmes could be useful to manage psychiatric symptoms and to improve quality of life in patients with CS.

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Lanthanum chloride precipitation-based toxicoproteomic analysis of 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol toxicity in rat kidney reveals involvement of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2

Abstract

The heat-induced food contaminant 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol (3-MCPD) and its fatty acid esters exert nephrotoxicity in rodents. Previous studies including a non-targeted toxicoproteomics approach using samples from a 28-day oral toxicity study in rats with 10 mg/kg body weight (b.w.) of 3-MCPD, an equimolar dose of 53 mg/kg b.w. 3-MCPD dipalmitate and a lower dose of 13.3 mg/kg b.w. of 3-MCPD dipalmitate, revealed substance-induced alterations in metabolic pathways, especially for glycolysis and energy metabolism. In order to obtain deeper insight into mechanisms of 3-MCPD toxicity, samples from the above-mentioned study were reanalyzed using a lanthanum chloride precipitation-based toxicoproteomics approach in order to increase the yield of phosphorylated proteins, crucial players in cellular signaling. A comparison of standard 2D-gel-based proteomics and lanthanum chloride precipitation was performed, thus providing a comprehensive case study on these two methods using in vivo effects of an important food toxicant in a primary target organ. While resulting in similar 2D-gel electrophoresis pherograms and spot counts, data analysis demonstrated that lanthanum precipitation yielded more significantly deregulated proteins thus considerably improving our knowledge on 3-MCPD-dependent proteomic alterations in the kidney. 3-MCPD-induced deregulation of the phosphorylated, active version of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2 (ERK2) in rat kidney was demonstrated using mass spectrometry and immunohistochemistry. In summary, this paper for the first time links 3-MCPD effects to deregulation of the ERK/mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway in rat kidney and demonstrates that lanthanum chloride precipitation is suited to support the gain of mechanistic knowledge on organ toxicity using 2D-gel-based proteomics.

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Computation of the Stability and Complexity about Triopoly Price Game Model with Delay Decision

We develop the price game model based on the entropy theory and chaos theory, considering the three enterprises are bounded rationality and using the cost function under the resource constraints; that is, the yield increase will bring increased costs. The enterprises of new model adopt the delay decision with the delay parameters and , respectively. According to the change of delay parameters and , the bifurcation, stability, and chaos of the system are discussed, and the change of entropy when the system is far away from equilibrium is considered. Prices and profits are found to lose stability and the evolution of the system tends to the equilibrium state of maximum entropy. And it has a big fluctuation with the increase of and . In the end, the chaos is controlled effectively. The entropy of the system decreases, and the interior reverts to order. The results of this study are of great significance for avoiding the chaos when the enterprises make price decisions.

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The Spreading Residue Harmonic Balance Method for Strongly Nonlinear Vibrations of a Restrained Cantilever Beam

The exact solutions of the nonlinear vibration systems are extremely complicated to be received, so it is crucial to analyze their approximate solutions. This paper employs the spreading residue harmonic balance method (SRHBM) to derive analytical approximate solutions for the fifth-order nonlinear problem, which corresponds to the strongly nonlinear vibration of an elastically restrained beam with a lumped mass. When the SRHBM is used, the residual terms are added to improve the accuracy of approximate solutions. Illustrative examples are provided along with verifying the accuracy of the present method and are compared with the HAM solutions, the EBM solutions, and exact solutions in tables. At the same time, the phase diagrams and time history curves are drawn by the mathematical software. Through analysis and discussion, the results obtained here demonstrate that the SRHBM is an effective and robust technique for nonlinear dynamical systems. In addition, the SRHBM can be widely applied to a variety of nonlinear dynamic systems.

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Genome-wide characterization and expression analysis of MYB transcription factors in Lotus japonicas and Medicago truncatula

Abstract

MYB is one of the most abundant families of plant transcription factors (TFs), and is involved in plant growth and development regulation, abiotic stress tolerance, hormone signal transduction, and disease resistance. Previously, few genome-wide assays have been conducted in Lotus japonicas and Medicago truncatula. Here, with the recent release of the genome sequences, we performed genome-wide study of MYB TFs in both, including family characterization, evolution and expression analysis. In this study, we totally identified 104 and 166 MYB genes in L. japonicas and M. truncatula, respectively. All these MYB genes were categorized into 261 R2R3-MYBs, 7 R1R2R3-MYBs and 2 atypical MYB genes. This result showed that the majority (96.7%) of them belong to the R2R3-MYB subfamily in both species. Based on phylogenetic analysis, MYB transcription factors were divided into 14 subgroups. MYB genes in four typical branches indicated species-specific expansions in M. truncatula. The exon numbers and conserved motifs associated with MYB domains were also characterized. Furthermore, gene expression analysis performed in various organs showed diverged expression profiles of most MYB genes, suggesting their potential roles in regulating organ growth and development in L. japonicas and M. truncatula.

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The complete mitochondrial genome of a threatened loach ( Sinibotia reevesae ) and its phylogeny

Abstract

In present study, the complete mitochondrial genome of Sinibotia reevesae was first sequenced using the next-generation sequencing technology and annotated using bioinformatic tools. The circular mitochondrial genome was 16,572 bp in length, and contained 13 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, and 1 displacement loop locus. It presents a typical gene organization and order for completely sequenced cypriniformes mitogenomes. The control region could be divided into three parts included the extended termination associated sequence domain, the central conserved domain and the conserved sequence block. Interestingly, two stem-loop domains were found in control region and O_L region, respectively. Furthermore, phylogenetic analyses using concatenated amino acid and nucleotide sequences of the 13 protein-coding genes with two different methods (Maximum likelihood and Bayesian analysis) both highly supported the close relationship of S. reevesae and Sinibotia superciliaris, which was in line with the previous classifications based on morphological and molecular studies. These data provide useful information for a better understanding of the mitogenomic diversities and evolution in fish as well as novel genetic markers for studying population genetics and species identification.

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Strategies for Growing User Popularity through Retweet: An Empirical Study

Web-based Social Networks (W-bSNs) have recently experienced a significant rise regarding users and the number of relations among them. Twitter is a case of W-bSN in which the relevance of the commentaries posted influences how users create new relations. The reputation of a user has a direct effect on the perception and opinions of other people and can be appropriately used to obtain advantages. The thought expressed by an influential user can produce, as an effect, which other users changed an idea about a topic. In this work, we present the design and results of the empirical study to analyze the cross influence among users, for their interest, and the messages they post and how relevant these messages are in how we create new relations. One of the main contributions of this approach is to analyze the behavior of users and the impact of the diversification of topics and the inclusion of additional resources to the tweet such as videos, images, or URLs. Finally, the experimental results show that the proposed strategies are efficient for all accounts.

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Perception and Attitude of Emergency Room Resident Physicians toward Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Outbreak

Introduction. Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) outbreaks have had a considerable negative impact on health systems in Saudi Arabia. We aimed to study the psychological impact of a Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) outbreak on emergency room resident physicians (ERRPs). Methods. We assessed the MERS-related psychological impact and concerns of ERRPs using a self-report questionnaire. Results. The majority (91%) of the ERRPs agreed that their work put them at risk of infection, but most (65%) did not agree that they should not be looking after patients infected with MERS. Despite that, 54% of ERRPs reported being afraid of contracting the infection from infected patients and only 4.2% of them were willing to change their current job. The majority of the ERRPs (85%) felt that their job would expose their families to risk of infection. Conclusions. Our study demonstrated the considerable psychological impact of MERS outbreaks on ERRPs. The ERRPs’ concerns and the psychological impact of MERS outbreaks should be considered in greater detail by hospital policymakers.

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Computation of the Stability and Complexity about Triopoly Price Game Model with Delay Decision

We develop the price game model based on the entropy theory and chaos theory, considering the three enterprises are bounded rationality and using the cost function under the resource constraints; that is, the yield increase will bring increased costs. The enterprises of new model adopt the delay decision with the delay parameters and , respectively. According to the change of delay parameters and , the bifurcation, stability, and chaos of the system are discussed, and the change of entropy when the system is far away from equilibrium is considered. Prices and profits are found to lose stability and the evolution of the system tends to the equilibrium state of maximum entropy. And it has a big fluctuation with the increase of and . In the end, the chaos is controlled effectively. The entropy of the system decreases, and the interior reverts to order. The results of this study are of great significance for avoiding the chaos when the enterprises make price decisions.

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Development of an Integrated Cooling System Controller for Hybrid Electric Vehicles

A hybrid electrical bus employs both a turbo diesel engine and an electric motor to drive the vehicle in different speed-torque scenarios. The cooling system for such a vehicle is particularly power costing because it needs to dissipate heat from not only the engine, but also the intercooler and the motor. An electronic control unit (ECU) has been designed with a single chip computer, temperature sensors, DC motor drive circuit, and optimized control algorithm to manage the speeds of several fans for efficient cooling using a nonlinear fan speed adjustment strategy. Experiments suggested that the continuous operating performance of the ECU is robust and capable of saving 15% of the total electricity comparing with ordinary fan speed control method.

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A Shape-Based Method for Continuous Low-Thrust Trajectory Design between Circular Coplanar Orbits

The shape-based method can provide suitable initial guesses for trajectory optimization, which are useful for quickly converging a more accurate trajectory. Combined with the optimal control theory, an optimized shape-based method using the finite Fourier series is proposed in this paper. Taking the flight time-fixed case and the time-free case into account, respectively, the optimized shape-based method, which considers the first-order optimal necessary conditions, can guarantee that not only an orbit designed during the preliminary phase is optimal, but also the thrust direction is not constrained to be tangential. Besides, the traditional shape-based method using the finite Fourier series, in which the thrust direction is constrained to be tangential, is developed for the time-free case in this paper. The Earth-Mars case and the LEO-GEO case are used to verify the optimized shape-based method’s feasibility for time-fixed and time-free continuous low-thrust trajectory design between circular coplanar orbits, respectively. The optimized shaped-based method can design a lower cost trajectory.

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Response of Extreme Precipitation to Solar Activity and El Nino Events in Typical Regions of the Loess Plateau

Extreme climatic oscillation has been the subject of global attention. The purpose of this study is to explore the response of extreme precipitation to solar activity and El Nino events in typical regions of the Loess Plateau—a case study in the Yan’an area. The precipitation data was from nine weather stations in Yan’an and the sunspot number and the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) were from 1951 to 2015. The results show that maximum precipitation occurred mainly at the peak sunspot number or 2a near it and the sunspot number minimum and valley values were not significantly correlated. The results of Morlet wavelet showed that a 41-year period of precipitation was the most obvious within the 64-year scale. Similarly, sunspot number showed a 16-year periodic variability. Correlation analyses of the 16-year and 41-year scales demonstrated that the relationships between precipitation and sunspot number were close. In addition, extreme precipitation often occurred in the year following El Nino events. According to 10-year moving average curves, precipitation generally showed a downward trend when SOI was negative. The results indicate that solar activity and El Nino events had significant impacts on precipitation in typical regions of the Loess Plateau.

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Complex Dynamics and Synchronization in a System of Magnetically Coupled Colpitts Oscillators

We propose the use of a simple, cheap, and easy technique for the study of dynamic and synchronization of the coupled systems: effects of the magnetic coupling on the dynamics and of synchronization of two Colpitts oscillators (wireless interaction). We derive a smooth mathematical model to describe the dynamic system. The stability of the equilibrium states is investigated. The coupled system exhibits spectral characteristics such as chaos and hyperchaos in some parameter ranges of the coupling. The numerical exploration of the dynamics system reveals various bifurcations scenarios including period-doubling and interior crisis transitions to chaos. Moreover, various interesting dynamical phenomena such as transient chaos, coexistence of solution, and multistability (hysteresis) are observed when the magnetic coupling factor varies. Theoretical reasons for such phenomena are provided and experimentally confirmed with practical measurements in a wireless transfer.

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Regeneration and Regrowth Potentials of Digit Tips in Amphibians and Mammals

Tissue regeneration and repair have received much attention in the medical field over the years. The study of amphibians, such as newts and salamanders, has uncovered many of the processes that occur in these animals during full-limb/digit regeneration, a process that is highly limited in mammals. Understanding these processes in amphibians could shed light on how to develop and improve this process in mammals. Amputation injuries in mammals usually result in the formation of scar tissue with limited regrowth of the limb/digit; however, it has been observed that the very tips of digits (fingers and toes) can partially regrow in humans and mice under certain conditions. This review will summarize and compare the processes involved in salamander limb regeneration, mammalian wound healing, and digit regeneration in mice and humans.

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Wearable Modular Telemetry System for the Integrated Rescue System Operational Use

The article summarizes the development of the FlexiGuard modular telemetry system designed for enhancing safety of the Integrated Rescue System team members in solving crisis situations and for improving training processes. Further framework solutions, which lead to the development of automatic modular telemetry system allowing for real time monitoring of physiological parameters, are provided as well. The system provides for the signalization of critical states such as exhaustion, mental stress, and overheating. It further provides differentiation between the nature and intensity of movement, including actual and overall energy output, monitoring environmental parameters, and analysis of an intervention or training. The system has been tested in laboratories as well as in the terrain under real circumstances, and the eventual end users participated in its optimization process. Following the theory of games, a model of a transmission system was also created which demonstrates higher transmission efficiency when using higher number of nodes.

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Effects of Diode Laser, Gaseous Ozone, and Medical Dressings on Enterococcus faecalis Biofilms in the Root Canal Ex Vivo

The objective was to compare the antibacterial effects of adjunctive disinfection using diode laser and gaseous ozone compared to the medical dressings calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) and chlorhexidine gel (CHX-Gel) on Enterococcus faecalis biofilms in human root canals ex vivo. Root canals of 180 human extracted teeth were infected by E. faecalis and divided into 3 main groups (G): G1, control; G2, instrumentation and irrigation using 0.9% NaCl; G3, instrumentation and irrigation using 1% NaOCl. In each main group, the following treatments were applied: gaseous ozone, diode laser, and medical dressings of Ca(OH)2 or CHX-Gel for 7 days (). Reduction of colony forming units (CFUs) inside the root canal of planktons and frequencies of adherent bacteria after treatment were calculated. Bacterial reduction was significantly affected by the irrigation protocol () and the disinfection method (), and a significant interaction between both factors could be observed (; ANOVA). In G3 (instrumentation using 1% NaOCl), no significant effect of disinfection methods could be demonstrated on planktonic bacteria (; ANOVA) and frequencies of adherent bacteria (; chi-square test). Instrumentation and irrigation using NaOCl combined with ozone or laser application resulted in comparable bacterial reduction on E. faecalis to the application of medical dressings.

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The Spreading Residue Harmonic Balance Method for Strongly Nonlinear Vibrations of a Restrained Cantilever Beam

The exact solutions of the nonlinear vibration systems are extremely complicated to be received, so it is crucial to analyze their approximate solutions. This paper employs the spreading residue harmonic balance method (SRHBM) to derive analytical approximate solutions for the fifth-order nonlinear problem, which corresponds to the strongly nonlinear vibration of an elastically restrained beam with a lumped mass. When the SRHBM is used, the residual terms are added to improve the accuracy of approximate solutions. Illustrative examples are provided along with verifying the accuracy of the present method and are compared with the HAM solutions, the EBM solutions, and exact solutions in tables. At the same time, the phase diagrams and time history curves are drawn by the mathematical software. Through analysis and discussion, the results obtained here demonstrate that the SRHBM is an effective and robust technique for nonlinear dynamical systems. In addition, the SRHBM can be widely applied to a variety of nonlinear dynamic systems.

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Proceedings Of The Symposium On The Representation

in the Peripheral Auditory System, held in Stockholm, Sweden on May 17-19, 1982 .... in hearing : proceedings of the 11th. International Symposium ...

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A neuronal activation correlate in striatum and prefrontal cortex of prolonged cocaine intake

Abstract

Maladaptive changes in the involvement of striatal and frontal cortical regions in drug use are thought to underlie the progression to habitual drug use and loss of cognitive control over drug intake that occur with accumulating drug experience. The present experiments focus on changes in neuronal activity in these regions associated with short-term (10 days) and long-term (60 days) self-administration of cocaine. Quantitative in situ hybridization for the immediate early gene Mkp1 was combined with statistical parametric mapping to assess the distribution of neuronal activity. We hypothesized that neuronal activity in striatum would increase in its dorsal part and that activity in frontal cortex would decrease with prolonged cocaine self-administration experience. Expression of Mkp1 was profoundly increased after cocaine self-administration, and the magnitude of this effect was greater after short-term compared to long-term self-administration. Increased neuronal activity was seen in both dorsal and ventral sectors of the striatum after 10 days exposure to cocaine. However, enhanced activity was restricted to dorsomedial and dorsocentral striatum after 60 days cocaine self-administration. In virtually all medial prefrontal and most orbitofrontal areas, increased expression of Mkp1 was observed after 10 days of cocaine taking, whereas after 60 days, enhanced expression was restricted to caudal parts of medial prefrontal and caudomedial parts of orbitofrontal cortex. Our data reveal functional changes in cellular activity in striatum and frontal cortex with increasing cocaine self-administration experience. These changes might reflect the neural processes that underlie the descent from recreational drug taking to compulsive cocaine use.

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Addressing sufficiency of the CB1 receptor for endocannabinoid-mediated functions through conditional genetic rescue in forebrain GABAergic neurons

Abstract

Genetic inactivation of the cannabinoid CB1 receptor gene in different cell types in the brain has previously revealed necessary functions for distinct synaptic plasticity processes and behaviors. Here, we sought to identify CB1 receptor expression sites that are minimally required to reconstruct normal phenotypes. In a CB1-null background, we re-expressed endogenous CB1 receptors in forebrain GABAergic neurons, thereby assessing the sufficiency of CB1 receptors. Depolarization-induced suppression of inhibitory, but not excitatory, transmission was restored in hippocampal and amygdalar circuits. GABAergic CB1 receptors did not convey protection against chemically induced seizures, but prevented the spontaneous mortality observed in CB1 null mutants. Rescue of GABAergic CB1 receptors largely restored normal anxiety-like behavior but improved extinction of learned fear only marginally. This study illustrates that the approach of genetic reconstruction of complex behaviors is feasible. It also revealed distinct degrees of modulation for different emotional behaviors by the GABAergic population of CB1 receptors.

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Structured reporting of CT enterography for inflammatory bowel disease: effect on key feature reporting, accuracy across training levels, and subjective assessment of disease by referring physicians

Abstract

Purpose

To compare the content and accuracy of structured reporting (SR) versus non-structured reporting (NSR) for computed tomographic enterography (CTE) of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Materials and methods

This IRB-approved, HIPAA-compliant, retrospective study included 30 adult subjects (15 male, 15 female; mean age 41.9 years) with IBD imaged with CTE. Nine radiologists (3 faculty, 3 abdominal imaging fellows, and 3 senior radiology residents) independently interpreted all examinations using both NSR and SR, separated by four weeks. Reports were assessed for documentation of 15 key reporting features and a subset of 5 features was assessed for accuracy. Thirty faculty reports (15 NSR [5 per reader] and 15 SR [5 per reader]) were randomly selected for review by three referring physicians, who independently rated quality metrics for each report.

Results

NSR documented the presence or absence of 8.2 ± 2.2 key features, while SR documented 14.6 ± 0.5 features (p < 0.001). SR resulted in increased documentation of 13 of 15 features including stricture (p < 0.001), fistula (p < 0.001), fluid collection (p = 0.003), and perianal disease (p < 0.001). Among a subset of five features, accuracy for diagnosing multifocal disease was minimally increased when using SR (76% NSR vs. 83% SR; p = 0.01), but accuracy for other features was not affected by report type. Referring physicians significantly preferred SR based on ease of information extraction (p < 0.01).

Conclusion

Structured reporting of CTE for IBD improved documentation of key reporting features for trainees and faculty, though there was minimal impact on accuracy. Referring physicians subjectively preferred the structured reports.

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The “Page kidney”

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Shortened oral contrast preparation for improved small bowel distension at MR enterography

Abstract

Purpose

Adequate small bowel distension in MR enterography is important for the evaluation of disease activity in Crohn’s disease patients. While distension of the distal small bowel can be achieved using standard oral contrast preparation, proximal small bowel distension remains a common impediment. The aim of this study was to compare small bowel distension between a 60-min oral contrast preparation and a 45-min oral contrast preparation.

Methods

Fifty retrospectively included patients with a 60-min oral preparation protocol and 50 prospectively included patients with a 45-min three-portion oral preparation protocol were included in the study. Both groups gradually ingested a total of 1600 mL 2% Mannitol solution during the preparation time. Two observers independently graded distension of the stomach, duodenum, jejunum, ileum, and (neo-) terminal ileum. Total small bowel distension was calculated as the sum of all small bowel segment scores. Individual and averaged observer distension scores were compared between both groups of patients using χ ² test for ordinal variables.

Results

Significant differences in distension for one of both observers in favor of the 45-min protocol were found for the stomach (p = 0.04), duodenum (p = 0.02), jejunum (p = 0.02), and total small bowel (p = 0.02). When distension scores were averaged between observers, the stomach, jejunum, and total small bowel showed a significant difference in favor of the 45-min protocol (p = 0.04, 0.02, and 0.02, respectively).

Conclusion

We advise to use a 45-min three-portion oral preparation protocol for MR enterography for improved overall small bowel distension, proximal small bowel distension, and especially jejunal distension.

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The Demographic Study of Otorhinolaryngological Trauma Among Patients with Head and Neck Trauma and Their Management in a Tertiary Care Centre

Abstract

The trauma has been increasing in frequency, especially in recent decades because of the higher number of automobile accidents and violence. The ear, nose and face region is the area in the body that is commonly involved in head and neck injury. Trauma to this region is often associated with mortality and varying degree of physical, functional and psychological damage. To study the demography, aetiology, clinical presentation, outcome of ENT trauma in our tertiary care centre and to compare our study with previous studies to see the changing trends with passage of time. A prospective study was conducted on 200 head and neck patients with ENT injuries during a period of 1 year from July 2014 to July 2015, who were admitted in ENT Department and Trauma Centre of Gajra Raja Medical College and J.A. Group of Hospital, Gwalior. Most of the patients were young adult males of age group 18–40 years (45, 22.5%) with a male:female ratio 1.78:1. Among them 53% patients were from rural area while 47% were from urban area. RTA is the most prevalent cause of ENT trauma (37%), followed by interpersonal violence (25%). 27% of the patients had facial injury and multiple region injury each. Among 200 patients 33% were managed conservatively on the other hand 66% patients required surgical interventions. Mortality rate was 8%. Among all 184 survivors 25.5% suffered from hearing loss, 14.5% had tympanic membrane perforation with hearing loss, 12% had pinna disfigurement, 10% had change in voice, 6.5% had permanent nasal deformity, 2% had facial nerve palsy. Young male adults were the most prevalent victims of ENT trauma, and Road traffic accidents were responsible for majority of the ENT injuries. Screening of all the patients with head and neck injuries for the presence of trauma in the ENT region should be introduced to enable early detection and therefore prevention of complications.

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Silvicultural strategies for increased timber harvesting in a Central European mountain landscape

Abstract

The demand for wood as construction material, renewable source for energy and feedstock for chemicals is expected to increase. However, timber increments are currently only partly harvested in many European mountain regions, which may lead to supply shortages for local timber industries, decreases in forest resistance to disturbances and functioning as protection from gravitational hazards. Using an inventory-based forest simulator, we evaluated scenarios to increase wood mobilization in the 7105-km² Swiss canton of Grisons for the period 2007–2106. Scenarios varied with respect to landscape-scale harvesting amounts and silvicultural strategies (low vs. high stand-scale treatment intensity) and accounted for regulations and incentives for protection forest management. With 50 and 100% increases of harvests, the current average growing stock of 319 m³ ha⁻¹ was simulated to be reduced by 12 and 33%, respectively, until 2106 in protection forests of Northern Grisons, where management is prioritized due to subsidies. Outside protection forests and in Southern Grisons, growing stock was simulated to continually increase, which led to divergent developments in forest structure in- and outside protection forests and in the Northern and Southern Grisons. The effect of silvicultural strategies on simulated forest structure was small compared to the effect of future harvesting levels. We discuss opportunities and threats of decreasing management activities outside protection forests and advocate for incentives to promote natural regeneration also outside protection forests to safeguard long-term forest stability.

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Doctors at Morristown Medical Center Draw Attention to Head and Neck Cancer; Offer Free Screenings - TAPinto.net

TAPinto.net

Doctors at Morristown Medical Center Draw Attention to Head and Neck Cancer; Offer Free Screenings TAPinto.net MORRISTOWN, NJ – April is Head and Neck Cancer Month and the doctors at Atlantic Health System are looking to build awareness around these types of cancers. “Head and Neck cancer doesn't get a lot of celebrity publicity like breast cancer and other ... and more »

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Effect of occupational physical activities on vertebral dimensions in midlife in the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966

Objectives

The vertebral cross-sectional area (CSA) is a major determinant of vertebral strength. Since leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) is known to affect vertebral CSA, we hypothesised that engagement in physical activity at work might have similar effects on vertebral size. We aimed to examine the association between various adulthood occupational physical activities (OPA) and vertebral CSA, and to evaluate the association between OPA intensity and vertebral CSA.

Methods

We used the prospective population-based Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966. Our sample consisted of 712 participants with a mean age of 46.8 years. We assessed their engagement in various individual physical work activities at the ages of 31 and 46, and created overall OPA categories (high, moderate and low intensity), which we used in the analyses to study their association with vertebral CSA in middle age. Linear regression was used as the statistical method with adjustments for LTPA, vertebral height, body mass index and smoking.

Results

A statistically significant association was found between occupational sitting and smaller vertebral CSA in men, but only at the age of 31 (49.2 mm² smaller among those who sit often vs rarely (95% CI –96.0 to –2.4)). No significant differences were detected between OPA categories and vertebral CSA (p>0.05). Thus, we found no consistent association between OPA and vertebral size among either sex.

Conclusions

OPA seems to have very little effect on vertebral size. Our results suggest that the effect of LTPA on vertebral size is different to that of OPA.

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Congenital anomalies: an under-evaluated risk of climate change

The pattern of extreme climate events has changed considerably over the past decades.¹ The frequency of extreme heat conditions has steadily increased during the second half of the 20^th century and it is predicted that there will be a surge in the incidence and intensity of such events in the future.¹ At the same time, the rapid urbanisation which has occurred worldwide over the last 50 years is predicted to continue,² leading to an increase in the number of people vulnerable to excessive heat. The combination of the projected increase in the incidence and intensity of such conditions and the growing number of people vulnerable to these conditions has given rise to major public health concerns.

Pregnant women are among the subpopulations most vulnerable to the effects of extreme heat conditions.³ Increased fat deposition and a decreased body surface area to body mass ratio due to weight...

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Predictive value of work-related self-efficacy change on RTW for employees with common mental disorders

To improve interventions that aim to promote return to work (RTW) of workers with common mental disorders (CMD), insight into modifiable predictors of RTW is needed. This study tested the predictive value of self-efficacy change for RTW in addition to preintervention levels of self-efficacy. RTW self-efficacy was measured 5 times within 9 months among 168 clients of a mental healthcare organisation who were on sick leave due to CMD. Self-efficacy parameters were modelled with multilevel analyses and added as predictors into a Cox regression analysis. Results showed that both high baseline self-efficacy and self-efficacy increase until full RTW were predictive of a shorter duration until full RTW. Both self-efficacy parameters remained significant predictors of RTW when controlled for several relevant covariates and within subgroups of employees with either high or low preintervention self-efficacy levels. This is the first study that demonstrated the prognostic value of self-efficacy change, over and above the influence of psychological symptoms, for RTW among employees with CMD. By showing that RTW self-efficacy increase predicted a shorter duration until full RTW, this study points to the relevance of enhancing RTW self-efficacy in occupational or mental health interventions for employees with CMD. Efforts to improve self-efficacy appear valuable both for people with relatively low and high baseline self-efficacy.

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Elevated ambient temperatures and risk of neural tube defects

Objectives

The association between ambient heat and neural tube defects has received limited attention, despite imminent climate warming this century. We sought to determine the relationship between elevated outdoor temperatures during neurogenesis and risk of neural tube defects.

Methods

We carried out a retrospective cohort study of 887 710 fetuses between 3 and 4 weeks postconception from the months of April through September for 1988–2012 in Quebec, Canada. The exposure was maximum daily temperature and the outcome presence of neural tube defects at delivery. We estimated prevalence ratios (PR) and 95% CIs for the association between maximum temperature and neural tube defects in log-binomial regression models adjusted for maternal characteristics.

Results

Relative to 20°C, exposure to temperatures of 30°C was associated with risk of neural tube defects on day 5 (PR 1.56, 95% CI 1.04 to 2.35) and day 6 (PR 1.49, 95% CI 1.00 to 2.21) of the 4th week postconception, during the time of neural tube closure. The trend was apparent for spina bifida and anencephalus/encephalocoele, the main subtypes of neural tube defects. Temperature during the 3rd week postconception was not associated with neural tube defects.

Conclusions

Elevated ambient temperatures may be weakly associated with risk of neural tube defects during tube closure.

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Effect of occupational exposure to lead on new risk factors for cardiovascular diseases

Objective

The cardiovascular effects of lead are caused primarily through an effect on blood pressure but are not just limited to an increased risk of hypertension. The aim of our study was to determine to what extent chronic exposure to lead affects new risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) development, such as biomarkers of inflammation (C reactive protein (CRP) and fibrinogen) and biomarkers of endothelial dysfunction (homocysteine, asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) and L-homoarginine).

Methods

A cross-sectional study was performed on a sample of 231 male volunteers, aged 20–60 years, working for at least 2 years in jobs with exposure to lead during the mining and processing of lead–zinc ores. The association between lead in blood and CVD biomarkers was evaluated using multiple linear regression, and the effects of exposure level were observed in workers divided into subgroups according to their blood lead concentration: <250, 250–400 and >400 µg/L.

Results

Lead in the blood correlated with new risk factors for CVD except for ADMA. Multiple regression analysis revealed that predictive properties for lead in the blood increased for particular biomarkers in the following order: L-homoarginine, fibrinogen, CRP and homocysteine. Among the specified groups, significant differences were observed only between the groups with the most and least exposure to lead, which differed in concentrations by 54.3% for CRP, 19.3% for fibrinogen, 10.6% for homocysteine and –25.5% for L-homoarginine.

Conclusions

These findings support the hypothesis that occupational exposure to lead can promote atherosclerosis, particularly in highly exposed individuals.

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Mustard gas exposure and mortality among retired workers at a poisonous gas factory in Japan: a 57-year follow-up cohort study

Objectives

Mustard gas (MG) has been the most widely used chemical warfare agent in the past century. However, few but conflicting data exist on the effects of MG exposure on long-term mortality. We investigated MG-related mortality in retired workers at a poisonous gas factory.

Methods

We assessed mortality rates among 2392 male and 1226 female workers, whose vital status could be determined through 31 December 2009, at a poisonous gas factory operating from 1929 to 1945 in Okuno-jima, Japan. The analysis employed standardised mortality ratios (SMRs) calculated using national and prefectural references and a Cox proportional hazard regression model. Applying the Kaplan-Meier method, we compared cumulative death rates in the study cohort stratified by an ‘Okuno-jima MG Index’ which represented the product of HRs derived for job category and length of service.

Results

Among male workers, we found significant excesses in mortality from upper respiratory tract cancer (SMR 3.06), liver cancer (1.67), lung cancer (2.01) and chronic bronchitis/emphysema (4.84) compared with the national population, as well as stomach cancer (1.20) versus the Hiroshima Prefecture population. When stratified into 3 subgroups by the Okuno-jima MG Index, those with a higher Okuno-jima MG Index had significantly higher cumulative rates of death from respiratory cancer and chronic bronchitis/emphysema.

Conclusions

MG exposure significantly increases the long-term risk of death from respiratory cancer and chronic bronchitis/emphysema. The Okuno-jima MG Index may be a useful indicator for estimating cumulative MG exposure.

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Importance of updating old cohorts for new findings

Mustard gas, or sulfur mustard, is a chemical with devastating acute toxic effects. The development, production, acquisition, stockpiling and transfer of all chemical weapons, including mustard gas, were banned by The Chemical Weapons Convention of 1997. However, mustard gas was used as a chemical warfare agent during many international political conflicts and wars of the twentieth century. A known, highly toxic, mutagenic carcinogen in animal models and an established carcinogen in humans,1 mustard gas has caused much human suffering, invalidating and even killing people. The acute toxic manifestations of exposure to mustard gas consist of epithelial detachment, necrosis in the respiratory system, skin and eyes and sometimes gastric complications. The long-term health consequences of such exposure include epithelial fibrosis and cancer and have been the subject of long-term follow-up studies, especially among military personnel and inhabitants of war-stricken areas in which chemical weapons were used.2...

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Non-occupational physical activity levels of shift workers compared with non-shift workers

Objectives

Lack of physical activity (PA) has been hypothesised as an underlying mechanism in the adverse health effects of shift work. Therefore, our aim was to compare non-occupational PA levels between shift workers and non-shift workers. Furthermore, exposure–response relationships for frequency of night shifts and years of shift work regarding non-occupational PA levels were studied.

Methods

Data of 5980 non-shift workers and 532 shift workers from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition-Netherlands (EPIC-NL) were used in these cross-sectional analyses. Time spent (hours/week) in different PA types (walking/cycling/exercise/chores) and intensities (moderate/vigorous) were calculated based on self-reported PA. Furthermore, sports were operationalised as: playing sports (no/yes), individual versus non-individual sports, and non-vigorous-intensity versus vigorous-intensity sports. PA levels were compared between shift workers and non-shift workers using Generalized Estimating Equations and logistic regression.

Results

Shift workers reported spending more time walking than non-shift workers (B=2.3 (95% CI 1.2 to 3.4)), but shift work was not associated with other PA types and any of the sports activities. Shift workers who worked 1–4 night shifts/month (B=2.4 (95% CI 0.6 to 4.3)) and ≥5 night shifts/month (B=3.7 (95% CI 1.8 to 5.6)) spent more time walking than non-shift workers. No exposure–response relationships were found between years of shift work and PA levels.

Conclusions

Shift workers spent more time walking than non-shift workers, but we observed no differences in other non-occupational PA levels. To better understand if and how PA plays a role in the negative health consequences of shift work, our findings need to be confirmed in future studies.

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Risk factors for leptospirosis seropositivity in slaughterhouse workers in western Kenya

Objectives

Leptospirosis has been documented in slaughterhouse workers around the world. Risk factors include smoking and drinking at work, and performing tasks such as cleaning offal. This paper examined risk factors for leptospirosis seropositivity in slaughterhouse workers in western Kenya.

Methods

The study was conducted between May 2011 and October 2012. Questionnaires were used to collect information from workers on demographic data, health and hygiene practices in the slaughterhouse. A commercial ELISA detected antibodies to Leptospira spp. in serum samples and multilevel logistic regression analysis identified factors associated with leptospirosis seropositivity.

Results

A total of 737 workers from 142 slaughterhouses were recruited. The seroprevalence of antibodies to Leptospira spp. was 13.4% (95% CI 11.1% to 16.1%). Risk factors included: having wounds (OR 3.1; 95% CI 1.5 to 6.1); smoking (OR 1.8; 95% CI 1.1 to 2.9); eating at work (OR 2.1; 95% CI 1.2 to 3.6); cleaning the offal (OR 5.1; 95% CI 1.8 to 15.0); and having a borehole for personal water use (OR 2.3; 95% CI 1.1 to 4.7). At the slaughterhouse level, risk factors included having a roof (OR 2.6; 95% CI 1.2 to 5.6) and drawing water from a well (OR 2.2; 95% CI 1.2 to 4.0). Protective factors included working in slaughterhouses where antemortem inspection was conducted (OR 0.6; 95% CI 0.4 to 1.0) and where workers wore protective aprons (OR 0.4; 95% CI 0.2 to 0.7).

Conclusions

This is the first report of leptospirosis seropositivity in slaughterhouse workers in Kenya. Potential risk factors were identified and this information can be used to educate workers regarding their disease risks and ways to prevent or reduce transmission.

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Lifting and exertion injuries decrease after implementation of an integrated hospital-wide safe patient handling and mobilisation programme

Objective

With increasing emphasis on early and frequent mobilisation of patients in acute care, safe patient handling and mobilisation practices need to be integrated into these quality initiatives. We completed a programme evaluation of a safe patient handling and mobilisation programme within the context of a hospital-wide patient care improvement initiative that utilised a systems approach and integrated safe patient equipment and practices into patient care plans.

Methods

Baseline and 12-month follow-up surveys of 1832 direct patient care workers assessed work practices and self-reported pain while an integrated employee payroll and injury database provided recordable injury rates collected concurrently at 2 hospitals: the study hospital with the programme and a comparison hospital.

Results

Safe and unsafe patient handling practice scales at the study hospital improved significantly (p<0.0001 and p=0.0031, respectively), with no differences observed at the comparison hospital. We observed significant decreases in recordable neck and shoulder (Relative Risk (RR)=0.68, 95% CI 0.46 to 1.00), lifting and exertion (RR=0.73, 95% CI 0.60 to 0.89) and pain and inflammation (RR=0.78, 95% CI 0.62 to 1.00) injury rates at the study hospital. Changes in rates at the comparison hospital were not statistically significant.

Conclusions

Within the context of a patient mobilisation initiative, a safe patient handling and mobilisation programme was associated with improved work practices and a reduction in recordable worker injuries. This study demonstrates the potential impact of utilising a systems approach based on recommended best practices, including integration of these practices into the patient's plan for care.

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Work-related musculoskeletal disorders among construction workers in the United States from 1992 to 2014

Objectives

Examine trends and patterns of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) among construction workers in the USA, with an emphasis on older workers.

Methods

WMSDs were identified from the 1992–2014 Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII), and employment was estimated from the Current Population Survey (CPS). Risk of WMSDs was measured by number of WMSDs per 10 000 full-time equivalent workers and stratified by major demographic and employment subgroups. Time series analysis was performed to examine the trend of WMSDs in construction.

Results

The number of WMSDs significantly dropped in the US construction industry, following the overall injury trends. However, the rate of WMSDs in construction remained higher than in all industries combined; the median days away from work increased from 8 days in 1992 to 13 days in 2014, and the proportion of WMSDs for construction workers aged 55 to 64 years almost doubled. By occupation, construction labourers had the largest number of WMSD cases, while helpers, heating and air-conditioning mechanics, cement masons and sheet metal workers had the highest rates of WMSDs. The major cause of WMSDs in construction was overexertion, and back injuries accounted for more than 40% of WMSDs among construction workers. The estimated wage loss for private wage-and-salary construction workers was $46 million in 2014.

Conclusions

Construction workers continue to face a higher risk of WMSDs. Ergonomic solutions that reduce overexertion—the primary exposure for WMSDs—should be adopted extensively at construction sites, particularly for workers with a higher risk of WMSDs.

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Underemployment and mental health: comparing fixed-effects and random-effects regression approaches in an Australian working population cohort

Objectives

Underemployment occurs when workers are available for more hours of work than offered. It is a serious problem in many Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, and particularly in Australia, where it affects about 8% of the employed population. This paper seeks to answer the question: does an increase in underemployment have an influence on mental health?

Methods

The current paper uses data from an Australian cohort of working people (2001–2013) to investigate both within-person and between-person differences in mental health associated with being underemployed compared with being fully employed. The main exposure was underemployment (not underemployed, underemployed 1–5, 6–10, 11–20 and over 21 hours), and the outcome was the five-item Mental Health Inventory.

Results

Results suggest that stepwise declines in mental health are associated with an increasing number of hours underemployed. Results were stronger in the random-effects (11–20 hours =–1.53, 95% CI –2.03 to –1.03, p<0.001; 21 hours and over –2.24, 95% CI –3.06 to –1.43, p<0.001) than fixed-effects models (11–20 hours =–1.11, 95% CI –1.63 to –0.58, p<0.001; 21 hours and over –1.19, 95% CI –2.06 to –0.32, p=0.008). This likely reflects the fact that certain workers were more likely to suffer the negative effects of underemployment than others (eg, women, younger workers, workers in lower-skilled jobs and who were casually employed).

Conclusions

We suggest underemployment to be a target of future workplace prevention strategies.

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Comparison of competency priorities between UK occupational physicians and occupational health nurses

Objectives

The competencies required of occupational physicians (OPs) and occupational health nurses (OHNs) separately have been studied in various countries but little research has made direct comparisons between these two key occupational health (OH) professional groups. The aim of this study was to compare current competency priorities between UK OPs and OHNs.

Methods

A modified Delphi study conducted among professional organisations and networks of UK OPs and OHNs. This formed part of a larger Delphi, including international OPs. It was undertaken in two rounds (round 1—‘rating’, round 2—‘ranking’), using a questionnaire based on available OH competency guidance, the literature, expert panel reviews and conference discussions.

Results

In each round (rating/ranking), 57/49 and 48/54 responses were received for OPs and OHNs respectively. The principle domain (PD) competency ranks were very highly correlated (Spearman’s r=0.972) with the same PDs featuring in the top four and bottom three positions. OPs and OHNs ranked identically for the top two PDs (good clinical care and general principles of assessment and management of occupational hazards to health). Research methods was ranked lowest by both groups.

Conclusions

This study has observed a high level of agreement among UK OPs and OHNs on current competency priorities. The ‘clinically focused’ competency priorities likely reflect that although OH practice will broaden in response to various factors, traditional ‘core’ OH activities will still be required. These mutually identified priorities can serve to strengthen collaboration between these groups, develop joint education/training programmes and identify common professional development opportunities.

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Injuries Among School-aged Children of Immigrants

Abstract

In response to a dearth of research on injuries among children of immigrants, this study examined child injury rates by immigrant generation. We used generalized estimating equations and nationally representative data to estimate injury risk for school-aged children of immigrants of different generations compared to children of native, US-born parents. After controlling for multiple other factors including socioeconomic status, citizenship, and children's general health, both 1st and 2nd generation school-aged children had significantly lower odds of having injuries compared to children of natives. Additional analyses also found lower odds of injuries among 1st and 2nd generation children relative to children of natives that persisted in both lower- and higher-income families. The findings suggest that 1st and 2nd generation immigrant families possess factors that protect children from injury independent of socioeconomic status. Policy and program development would benefit from a clearer understanding of these protective factors.

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Metabolic control of myofibers: promising therapeutic target for obesity and type 2 diabetes

Summary

Mammalian skeletal muscles are composed of two major fibre types (I and II) that differ in terms of size, metabolism and contractile properties. In general, slow-twitch type I fibres are rich in mitochondria and have a greater insulin sensitivity than fast-twitch type II skeletal muscles. Although not widely appreciated, a forced induction of the slow skeletal muscle phenotype may inhibit the progress of obesity and diabetes. This potentially forms the basis for targeting slow/oxidative myofibers in the treatment of obesity. In this context, a better understanding of the molecular basis of fibre-type specification and plasticity may help to identify potential therapeutic targets for obesity and diabetes.

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Mass bleaching hits Great Barrier Reef for second year in a row

The reef’s central portion is bleaching fast this year, following huge losses in the northern part last year – and climate change is the culprit

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Traumatic multiple cervical spine injuries in a patient with osteopetrosis and its management

Abstract

Study design

Single case report.

Objective/purpose

To report multiple level fractures of cervical spine in a patient with osteopetrosis and its management.

Summary of background data

Osteopetrosis is a rare inherited condition characterized by defective remodeling resulting in hard and brittle bones with diffuse osteosclerosis. Fractures of spine are rare as compared to the common long bone fractures. We report a case of traumatic multiple level fractures of cervical spine in osteopetrosis and its management which has rarely been reported in the literature before, if any.

Methods

17-year-old boy presented with severe tenderness in neck and restricted range of motion following a trivial injury to the neck in swimming pool. The neurology was normal and he was diagnosed to have autosomal dominant osteopetrosis on evaluation. Imagining findings, clinical course and the method of treatment are discussed.

Results

Radiological evaluation revealed presence of multiple level fractures of cervical vertebrae with end plate sclerosis. Patient was managed with cervical skeletal traction in appropriate extension position for 6 weeks followed by hard cervical collar for another 6 weeks. Follow-up radiographs at 18 months and 2.5 years showed healed fractures with no residual instability or symptoms.

Conclusion

The case report discusses rare occurrence of multiple level fractures of cervical spine following trivial injury to the neck in a patient with osteopetrosis and its treatment with conservative management.

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Genome-wide characterization and expression analysis of MYB transcription factors in Lotus japonicas and Medicago truncatula

Abstract

MYB is one of the most abundant families of plant transcription factors (TFs), and is involved in plant growth and development regulation, abiotic stress tolerance, hormone signal transduction, and disease resistance. Previously, few genome-wide assays have been conducted in Lotus japonicas and Medicago truncatula. Here, with the recent release of the genome sequences, we performed genome-wide study of MYB TFs in both, including family characterization, evolution and expression analysis. In this study, we totally identified 104 and 166 MYB genes in L. japonicas and M. truncatula, respectively. All these MYB genes were categorized into 261 R2R3-MYBs, 7 R1R2R3-MYBs and 2 atypical MYB genes. This result showed that the majority (96.7%) of them belong to the R2R3-MYB subfamily in both species. Based on phylogenetic analysis, MYB transcription factors were divided into 14 subgroups. MYB genes in four typical branches indicated species-specific expansions in M. truncatula. The exon numbers and conserved motifs associated with MYB domains were also characterized. Furthermore, gene expression analysis performed in various organs showed diverged expression profiles of most MYB genes, suggesting their potential roles in regulating organ growth and development in L. japonicas and M. truncatula.

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The complete mitochondrial genome of a threatened loach ( Sinibotia reevesae ) and its phylogeny

Abstract

In present study, the complete mitochondrial genome of Sinibotia reevesae was first sequenced using the next-generation sequencing technology and annotated using bioinformatic tools. The circular mitochondrial genome was 16,572 bp in length, and contained 13 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, and 1 displacement loop locus. It presents a typical gene organization and order for completely sequenced cypriniformes mitogenomes. The control region could be divided into three parts included the extended termination associated sequence domain, the central conserved domain and the conserved sequence block. Interestingly, two stem-loop domains were found in control region and O_L region, respectively. Furthermore, phylogenetic analyses using concatenated amino acid and nucleotide sequences of the 13 protein-coding genes with two different methods (Maximum likelihood and Bayesian analysis) both highly supported the close relationship of S. reevesae and Sinibotia superciliaris, which was in line with the previous classifications based on morphological and molecular studies. These data provide useful information for a better understanding of the mitogenomic diversities and evolution in fish as well as novel genetic markers for studying population genetics and species identification.

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Tonsillectomy in children - Patient Education & Patient Engagement -PreOp®

Tonsillectomy in children - Patient Education & Patient Engagement -PreOp®
StoreMD™ for Physician videos: https://store.preop.com
Patient Education Company
Your doctor has recommended that you - or your child - undergo surgery to remove you or your child's tonsils. But what does that actually mean?

In the operating room, the anesthesiologist will begin to administer anesthesia. When the patient is asleep, a breathing tube will be inserted through the nose.

Next, the surgical team will pack the back of the throat with cotton or other material to absorb blood and prevent it from escaping down the back of the throat.

An instrument called a retractor will be used to hold the tongue.

Using a clamp, the surgeon will pull the tonsils toward the middle of the mouth.

Next, the tonsils are cut free by tightening a wire loop around each of their bases.

Finally, when the bleeding has lessened, the team will remove the packing and the breathing tube.

Depending on the age of the patient and the size of the tonsils, fine sutures may be used to close the blood vessels feeding the tonsils.

No bandage or other covering is required.

Patient Education Company

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Efficacy, Safety, Tolerability and Price of Newly Approved Drugs in Solid Tumors

Regulatory approval of anti-cancer drugs occurs typically after demonstration of clinical benefit in registration trials. Over the last 15 years, new drug development has focused on numerous mechanisms of action including conventional cytotoxic agents, inhibition of oncogenic signaling pathways, angiogenesis and immune modulation. In recent years, there has been substantial enthusiasm for immunotherapy agents [1–4]. However, the differential efficacy, safety, tolerability and price of these agents relative to other anti-neoplastic drugs are uncertain.

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Mass bleaching hits Great Barrier Reef for second year in a row

The reef’s central portion is bleaching fast this year, following huge losses in the northern part last year – and climate change is the culprit

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Luteolin induces apoptosis by ROS/ER stress and mitochondrial dysfunction in gliomablastoma

Abstract

Objective

Luteolin, a common dietary flavonoid, induces apoptosis of many types of cancer cells. However, its role in glioblastoma and the potential mechanisms remain unknown. In this research, we studied the molecular mechanisms of the anti-cancer effect of luteolin in glioblastoma cancer cell lines.

Methods

Both U251MG and U87MG human glioblastoma cell lines were tested. Cell growth was assessed by the cell counting kit-8. Cell apoptosis was detected with flow cytometry and caspase-3 immunofluorescence staining. The protein levels of caspase-3/Bax/Bcl-2 and p-PERK/p-eIF2α/ATF4/CHOP/caspase-12 pathway were analyzed using western blots. Reactive oxygen species generation was measured with DCFH-DA staining using flow cytometry. Mitochondrial membrane potential was tested with JC-1 staining. Anti-cancer effect in vivo was measured using tumor xenograft mode in nude mice.

Results

Luteolin induced a lethal endoplasmic reticulum stress response and mitochondrial dysfunction in glioblastoma cells by increasing intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. Luteolin induced expression of ER stress-associated proteins, including phosphorylation of PERK, eIF2α, ATF4, CHOP and cleaved-caspase 12. Inhibition of ROS production by anti-oxidant N-acetylcysteine could reverse luteolin-induced ER stress and mitochondrial pathways activation as well as apoptosis. What’s more, we also showed the anticancer effect of luteolin in vivo.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that luteolin induces apoptosis through activating ER stress and mitochondrial dysfunction in glioblastoma cell lines and in vivo, which provides the anti-cancer candidate to treat glioblstoma.

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Efficacy, Safety, Tolerability and Price of Newly Approved Drugs in Solid Tumors

Regulatory approval of anti-cancer drugs occurs typically after demonstration of clinical benefit in registration trials. Over the last 15 years, new drug development has focused on numerous mechanisms of action including conventional cytotoxic agents, inhibition of oncogenic signaling pathways, angiogenesis and immune modulation. In recent years, there has been substantial enthusiasm for immunotherapy agents [1–4]. However, the differential efficacy, safety, tolerability and price of these agents relative to other anti-neoplastic drugs are uncertain.

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Mitochondrial DNA variants in colorectal carcinogenesis: Drivers or passengers?

Abstract

Introduction

Mitochondrial DNA alterations have widely been reported in many age-related degenerative diseases and tumors, including colorectal cancer. In the past few years, the discovery of inter-genomic crosstalk between nucleus and mitochondria has reinforced the role of mitochondrial DNA variants in perturbing this essential signaling pathway and thus indirectly targeting nuclear genes involved in tumorigenic and invasive phenotype.

Findings

Mitochondrial dysfunction is currently considered a crucial hallmark of carcinogenesis as well as a promising target for anticancer therapy. Mitochondrial DNA alterations include point mutations, deletions, inversions, and copy number variations, but numerous studies investigating their pathogenic role in cancer have provided inconsistent evidence. Furthermore, the biological impact of mitochondrial DNA variants may vary tremendously, depending on the proportion of mutant DNA molecules carried by the neoplastic cells (heteroplasmy).

Conclusions

In this review, we discuss the role of different type of mitochondrial DNA alterations in colorectal carcinogenesis and, in particular, we revisit the issue of whether they may be considered as causative driver or simply genuine passenger events. The advent of high-throughput techniques as well as the development of genetic and pharmaceutical interventions for the treatment of mitochondrial dysfunction in colorectal cancer are also explored.

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Age-dependent development of left ventricular wall thickness in type 2 diabetic ( db / db ) mice is associated with elevated low-density lipoprotein and triglyceride serum levels

Abstract

Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a disease of heart muscle that remains one of the leading causes of death in diabetic individuals. Shifts in substrate preference resulting in aberrant serum lipid content and enlarged left ventricular wall thickness are well-established characteristics associated with the development of DCM. As underlying mechanisms driving the onset of the DCM remain relatively unclear, this study sought to characterize age-dependent development of left ventricular (LV) wall thickness in diabetic (db/db) mice. Such data were compared with low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and triglyceride serum levels to assess whether any correlation exists between the parameters here investigated. For methods, db/db mice together with nondiabetic controls (n = six per group) were monitored from the age of 6–16 weeks. Mice were terminated each week to measure body weights, heart weights, liver weights, tibia length, and fasting plasma glucose levels. Heart tissues were stained with haematoxylin and eosin to measure LV wall and interventricular septum thickness together with an assessment of myocardial remodeling. Serum was collected weekly and used to measure LDL and triglyceride levels. Results showed that db/db mice presented significantly increased body weights, liver/body weight, and fasting plasma glucose levels from the age of 6–16 weeks. They further displayed a marked enlargement of LV wall and interventricular septum thickness from the age of 11 weeks, while increased heart weight/tibia length was recorded only from week 16. From week 11, the LV wall and interventricular septum thickness results corresponded with cardiac remodeling and raised LDL and triglyceride serum levels. In summary, age-dependent development of LV wall thickness in db/db mice is partially associated with increased LDL and triglyceride levels, elucidating a potential pathophysiological mechanism.

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Michael Douglas says beating cancer helped save marriage to Catherine Zeta-Jones as it gave him "whole new ... - Mirror.co.uk

Mirror.co.uk

Michael Douglas says beating cancer helped save marriage to Catherine Zeta-Jones as it gave him "whole new ... Mirror.co.uk Movie legend Michael Douglas has said his marriage is "tighter" than ever after his cancer recovery allowed him to save his relationship with Catherine Zeta-Jones. The father-of-three revealed his stage four tongue cancer battle helped reevaluate his ...

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Laparoscopic Colorectal Surgery for Cancer: What Is the Role of Complete Mesocolic Excision and Splenic Flexure Mobilization?

Abstract

Laparoscopic colorectal surgery for cancer is nowadays routinely performed worldwide. After the introduction by Heald of total mesorectal excision for rectal cancer, also a complete mesocolic excision has been advocated as an essential surgical step to improve oncologic results in patients with colon cancer. The complete removal of mesocolon with high ligation of the main mesenteric arteries and veins and the mobilization of splenic flexure are well-known but still debated in western surgical society. The authors reviewed the literature and outlined the rationale and the results of splenic flexure mobilization and complete mesocolic excision in laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer.

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Tumor-specific circulating angiogenic progenitors in breast and renal cell cancer: What prospects?

Publication date: Available online 8 April 2017
Source:European Journal of Cancer
Author(s): Caroline Bailleux, Fabrice André, Suzette Delaloge




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Development of large-scale cross-linking mass spectrometry [Review]

Cross-linking mass spectrometry (CLMS) provides distance constraints to study the structure of proteins, multiprotein complexes and protein-protein interactions which are critical for the understanding of protein function. CLMS is an attractive technology to bridge the gap between high-resolution structural biology techniques and proteomic-based interactome studies. However, as outlined in this review there are still several bottlenecks associated with CLMS which limit its application on a proteome-wide level. Specifically, there is an unmet need for comprehensive software that can reliably identify cross-linked peptides from large datasets. In this review we provide supporting information to reason that targeted proteomics of cross-links may provide the required sensitivity to reliably detect and quantify cross-linked peptides and that a reporter ion signature for cross-linked peptides may become a useful approach to increase confidence in the identification process of cross-linked peptides. In addition, the review summarizes the recent advances in CLMS workflows using the analysis of condensin complex in intact chromosomes as a model complex.

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The new issue is now available.Nihon Naika Gakkai Zasshi

Vol.105 No.4

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The new issue is now available.Researches in Organic Geochemistry

Vol.23.24

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The new issue is now available.Journal of the Physics Education Society of Japan

Vol.65 No.1

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newly available online.JOURNAL OF TRANSPORT PROBLEMS AND HUMAN RIGHTS

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