OtorhinolaryngologySfakianakis: Μαρτίου 2018

Σάββατο, 31 Μαρτίου 2018

Establishing Accuracy and Validity: Why Do We Verify?

For more than two decades, real ear verification measurements have been positioned as the "gold standard" of the hearing aid fitting. This implies that verification is an extra, rather than essential, to the plan of care. This course discusses why verification should not be the "gold standard" of the hearing aid fitting process, but rather the "baseline minimum."

https://ift.tt/2J8hp5u

Data on social media use related to age, gender and trust constructs of integrity, competence, concern, benevolence and identification

Publication date: June 2018
Source:Data in Brief, Volume 18
Author(s): Gillian Warner-Søderholm, Andy Bertsch, Annika Søderholm
This article contains data collected from self-report surveys of respondents to measure 1) social media usage, 2) age, 3) gender and 4) trust, measured within five major trust constructs of a) Integrity, b) Competence, c) Concern, d) Benevolence and e) Identification. The data includes all instruments used, SPSS syntax, the raw survey data and descriptive statistics from the analyses. Raw data was entered into SPSS software and scrubbed using appropriate techniques in order to prepare the data for analysis. We believe that our dataset and instrument may give important insights related to computers in human behavior, and predicting trust antecedents in social media use such as age, gender, number of hour online and choice of content provider. We have also created a parsimonious five factor trust instrument developed from the extant literature for future research. Hence, this newly developed trust instrument can be used to measure trust not only in social media, but also in other areas such as healthcare, economics and investor relations, CSR, management and education. Moreover, the survey items developed to measure social media use are concise and may be applied to measure social media use in other contexts such as national cultural differences, marketing and tourism. For interpretation and discussion of the data and constructs, please see original article entitled "Who trusts social media" (Warner-Søderholm et al., 2018) [1].

https://ift.tt/2Jap1EG

Transcription profile data of phorbol esters biosynthetic genes during developmental stages in Jatropha curcas

Publication date: June 2018
Source:Data in Brief, Volume 18
Author(s): Nurul Jadid, Rizal Kharisma Mardika, Kristanti Indah Purwani, Erlyta Vivi Permatasari, Indah Prasetyowati, Mohammad Isa Irawan
Jatropha curcas is currently known as an alternative source for biodiesel production. Beside its high free fatty acid content, J. curcas also contains typical diterpenoid-toxic compounds of Euphorbiaceae plant namely phorbol esters. This article present the transcription profile data of genes involved in the biosynthesis of phorbol esters at different developmental stages of leaves, fruit, and seed in Jatropha curcas. Transcriptional profiles were analyzed using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). We used two genes including GGPPS (Geranylgeranyl diphospate synthase), which is responsible for the formation of common diterpenoid precursor (GGPP) and CS (Casbene Synthase), which functions in the synthesis of casbene. Meanwhile, J. curcas Actin (ACT) was used as internal standard. We demonstrated dynamic of GGPPS and CS expression among different stage of development of leaves, fruit and seed in Jatropha.

https://ift.tt/2EaSMRO

Key gene co-expression modules and functional pathways involved in the pathogenesis of Graves’ disease

Publication date: Available online 31 March 2018
Source:Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology
Author(s): Xiaoqing Shao, Bin Wang, Kaida Mu, Ling Li, Qian Li, Weiwei He, Qiuming Yao, Xi Jia, Jin-an Zhang
Graves' disease (GD) is a common autoimmune thyroid disease characterized by positive thyroid stimulating hormone receptor antibody. To better understand its molecular pathogenesis, we adopted the weighted gene co-expression network analysis to reveal co-expression modules of key genes involved in the pathogenesis of GD, protein-protein interaction network analysis to identify the hub genes related to GD development and functional analyses to explore their possible functions. Our results showed that 1) a total of 2667 differentially expressed genes in our microarray study and 16 different gene co-expression modules were associated with GD, and 2) the most significant module was associated with the percentage of macrophages, T follicular helper cells and CD4⁺ memory T cells and mainly enriched in immune regulation and immune response. Overall, our study reveals several key gene co-expression modules and functional pathways involved in GD, which provides some novel insights into the pathogenesis of GD.

https://ift.tt/2Eb9Kzs

Maternal lipopolysaccharide exposure results in glucose metabolism disorders and sex hormone imbalance in male offspring

Publication date: Available online 1 April 2018
Source:Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology
Author(s): Mei Zhao, Li Yuan, Man-man Yuan, Li-li Huang, Chang Su, Yuan-hua Chen, Yu-ying Yang, Yan Hu, De-xiang Xu
An adverse intrauterine environment may be an important factor contributing to the development of type 2 diabetes in later life. The present study investigated the longitudinal effects of maternal lipopolysaccharide (LPS) exposure during the third trimester on glucose metabolism and sex hormone balance in the offspring. Pregnant mice were intraperitoneally injected with LPS (50 μg/kg) daily from gestational day (GD) 15 to GD17. Glucose tolerance test (GTT) and insulin tolerance test (ITT) were assessed at postnatal day (PND) 60 and PND120. Sex hormones, their receptors, and metabolic enzymes (aromatase) were measured in male offspring at different phases of development (PND14: juvenile; PND35: adolescence; PND60: adulthood; and PND120: middle age). LPS-exposed male offspring exhibited glucose intolerance and insulin resistance by GTT and ITT at middle age, accompanied by an increase in fasting blood glucose and reductions in serum insulin levels and hepatic phosphorylated (p) -AKT/AKT ratio. However, glucose intolerance and insulin resistance were not observed in LPS-exposed female offspring. Maternal LPS exposure upregulated hepatic aromatase proteins and mRNA levels in male offspring at all time points. At adolescence, the testosterone/estradiol ratio (T/E2) was markedly reduced in LPS-exposed male offspring. Moreover, maternal LPS exposure significantly increased hepatic estrogen receptor (ER) α expressions and decreased hepatic androgen receptor (AR) expressions in male offspring. At adulthood, maternal LPS exposure increased serum estradiol levels, decreased serum testosterone levels and elevated hepatic ERβ expressions in male offspring. In conclusion, maternal LPS exposure upregulated aromatase expressions, followed by a reduction in the T/E2 ratio and an alteration in sex hormone receptor activity, which might be involved in the development of glucose metabolism disorders in middle-aged male offspring. This study provides a novel clue and direction to clarify the pathogenesis of maternal infection-related diabetes in male offspring.

https://ift.tt/2H0mEn9

Development of the “Recovery from Eating Disorders for Life” Food Guide (REAL Food Guide) - a food pyramid for adults with an eating disorder

Abstract

Background

There is limited evidence to inform nutrition and dietetic interventions for individuals with eating disorders even though it is recommended as an essential part of multidisciplinary management. There is minimal guidance, an absence of standardised nutrition educational material, and no research on how best to educate patients on healthy eating and how to achieve nutrition adequacy. Therefore the REAL Food Guide was developed.

Methods

The REAL Food Guide is a pyramid with four layers and key nutrition messages beside each layer that was conceived to address gaps in nutrition education and intervention for individuals with eating disorders. Written and verbal consumer feedback was obtained from consumers receiving treatment regarding the acceptability and usefulness of the REAL Food Guide. A unique database was developed to reflect the types of foods and realistic portion sizes that patients are likely to select. This database was used for nutrition modelling to assess the nutrition adequacy of three meal patterns (meat containing, vegetarian and semi-vegan) for both weight maintenance and weight regain. Each meal pattern was compared to the Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand.

Results

Nutritional analysis demonstrated nutritional adequacy of meal patterns for energy, macronutrients and most micronutrients when the recommended number of serves from the REAL Food Guide were assessed. All meal patterns were adequate in micronutrients except for the semi-vegan meal pattern that was inadequate in vitamin D. Feedback from individuals with eating disorders demonstrates the nutrition education tool was acceptable to them as they felt it was more helpful for their recovery than general nutrition guidelines.

Conclusion

The REAL Food Guide is a comprehensive and user-friendly guide that clinicians can use to educate patients about components of a balanced and healthy diet. The guide can educate all eating disorder clinicians, including those who are new to the field, about the basics of nutrition. Clinicians using the guide can be confident that, if followed, patient's energy and nutritional requirements will be met and important nutrition education messages are reinforced, that are tailored to the beliefs and concerns of individuals with eating disorders.

https://ift.tt/2Gr85Ms

Low expression of B-Cell-Associated protein 31 is associated with unfavorable prognosis in human colorectal cancer

Publication date: Available online 31 March 2018
Source:Pathology - Research and Practice
Author(s): Chong Ma, Ri-Ming Jin, Ke-Ji Chen, Tao Hao, Bao-Song Li, Da-Hua Zhao, Hong Jiang
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide. B cell-associated protein 31 (BAP31) was shown to participate in the apoptosis, and to be an immunotherapy target and a, prognostic factor for cancer, but its role in CRC has not been elucidated. In this study, we examined the expression of BAP31 in CRC to evaluate its prognostic values. We investigated the BAP31 expression level in 142 tissues (108 CRC and 17 paired human adjacent normal mucosa, and 17 liver metastatic CRC tissues) from 108 patients, using tissue microarray-based immunohistochemistry. We further investigated the association between BAP31 expression and overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) in 77 CRC patients using Kaplan-Meier analysis. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were applied to evaluate the potential prognostic value of BAP31 in CRC patients. BAP31 expression level was significantly increased in CRC tissues (p = 0.0014) and liver metastatic CRC tissues (p < 0.0001) compared with corresponding adjacent normal mucosa. BAP31 expression was also significantly increased in liver metastatic CRC tissues compared with corresponding primary CRC tissues (p = 0.0116). Kaplan-Meier analyses showed that CRC patients with low BAP31 expression had significantly lower survival rate (p = 0.001) and lower disease-free survival rate (P = 0.009). Furthermore, multivariate Cox analysis showed that BAP31 was an independent prognostic factor for OS (hazard ratio = 0.410, 95% confidence interval = 0.195–0.862, p = 0.019).ConclusionsOur study demonstrated that BAP31 is a potential prognostic marker for CRC patients after surgery.

https://ift.tt/2uGXPtW

Effects of truncation of the peptide chain on the secondary structure and bioactivities of palmitoylated anoplin

Publication date: Available online 31 March 2018
Source:Peptides
Author(s): Remmer L. Salas, Jan Kathryne DL. Garcia, Ana Carmela R. Miranda, Windell L. Rivera, Ricky B. Nellas, Portia Mahal G. Sabido
Anoplin (GLLKRIKTLL-NH2) is of current interest due to its short sequence and specificity towards bacteria. Recent studies on anoplin have shown that truncation and acylation compromises its antimicrobial activity and specificity, respectively. In this study, truncated analogues (pal-ano-9 to pal-ano-5) of palmitoylated anoplin (pal-anoplin) were synthesized to determine the effects of C-truncation on its bioactivities. Moreover, secondary structure of each analogue using circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy was determined to correlate with bioactivities. Interestingly, pal-anoplin, pal-ano-9 and pal-ano-6 were helical in water, unlike anoplin. In contrast, pal-ano-8, pal-ano-7 and pal-ano-5, with polar amino acid residues at the C-terminus, were random coil in water. Nevertheless, all the peptides folded into helical structures in 30% trifluoroethanol/water (TFE/H2O) except for the shortest analogue pal-ano-5. Hydrophobicity played a significant role in the enhancement of activity against bacteria E. coli and S. aureus as all lipopeptides including the random coil pal-ano-5 were more active than the parent anoplin. Meanwhile, the greatest improvement in activity against the fungus C. albicans was observed for pal-anoplin analogues (pal-ano-9 and pal-ano-6) that were helical in water. Although, hydrophobicity is a major factor in the secondary structure and antimicrobial activity, it appears that the nature of amino acids at the C-terminus also influence folding of lipopeptides in water and its antifungal activity. Moreover, the hemolytic activity of the analogues was found to correlate with hydrophobicity, except the least hemolytic pal-ano-5. Since most of the analogues are more potent and shorter than anoplin, they are promising drug candidates for further development.

https://ift.tt/2Golvc3

Highly sensitive detection and mutational analysis of lung cancer circulating tumor cells using integrated combined immunomagnetic beads with a droplet digital PCR chip

Publication date: 1 August 2018
Source:Talanta, Volume 185
Author(s): Wanlei Gao, Ting Huang, Haojun Yuan, Jun Yang, Qinghui Jin, Chunping Jia, Guoxin Mao, Jianlong Zhao
Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) have become an important biomarker for liquid biopsy to monitor tumor progression and indicate response to therapies. Many epithelial cellular adhesion molecule (EpCAM) dependent CTC isolation methods have been developed, which have a limitation for low EpCAM expressed tumor cells. In an effort to overcome these drawbacks, we developed combined immunomagnetic beads (EpCAM, Mucin1 and epidermal growth factor receptor) to sensitively isolate CTCs for immunofluorescence analysis and genetic characterization. With this combined immunomagnetic beads, 93.35% H446 cells from spiked blood sample can be recovered. We were able to detect CTCs in 127 among 143 patients included in the study (88.8%). Some CTC clusters were captured with the combined magnetic beads system. In 17 of them, CTCs after chemotherapy significantly decreased compared to that before chemotherapy (4.42 (± 3.94) vs. 12 (± 7)/mL, P = 0.002). For subsequent genetic characterization of CTCs, 2 of 6 samples, using a droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) chip, have detectable EGFR L858R mutation in the cells enriched with the combined immunomagnetic beads. In conclusion, this method integrating the combined immunomagnetic beads and the ddPCR chip for CTCs detection can be of potential application in terms of diagnosis, therapeutic evaluation and personalized medicine in lung cancer.

Graphical abstract

https://ift.tt/2GJcfi0

Characterization of an array of honeys of different types and botanical origins through fluorescence emission based on LEDs

Publication date: 1 August 2018
Source:Talanta, Volume 185
Author(s): Miguel Lastra-Mejías, Albertina Torreblanca-Zanca, Regina Aroca-Santos, John C. Cancilla, Jesús.G. Izquierdo, José S. Torrecilla
A set of 10 honeys comprising a diverse range of botanical origins have been successfully characterized through fluorescence spectroscopy using inexpensive light-emitting diodes (LEDs) as light sources. It has been proven that each LED-honey combination tested originates a unique emission spectrum, which enables the authentication of every honey, being able to correctly label it with its botanical origin. Furthermore, the analysis was backed up by a mathematical analysis based on partial least square models which led to a correct classification rate of each type of honey of over 95%. Finally, the same approach was followed to analyze rice syrup, which is a common honey adulterant that is challenging to identify when mixed with honey. A LED-dependent and unique fluorescence spectrum was found for the syrup, which presumably qualifies this approach for the design of uncomplicated, fast, and cost-effective quality control and adulteration assessing tools for different types of honey.

Graphical abstract

https://ift.tt/2GJ4hVW

Comparative evaluation of seven commercial products for human serum enrichment/depletion by shotgun proteomics

Publication date: 1 August 2018
Source:Talanta, Volume 185
Author(s): Salvatore Pisanu, Grazia Biosa, Laura Carcangiu, Sergio Uzzau, Daniela Pagnozzi
Seven commercial products for human serum depletion/enrichment were tested and compared by shotgun proteomics. Methods were based on four different capturing agents: antibodies (Qproteome Albumin/IgG Depletion kit, ProteoPrep Immunoaffinity Albumin and IgG Depletion Kit, Top 2 Abundant Protein Depletion Spin Columns, and Top 12 Abundant Protein Depletion Spin Columns), specific ligands (Albumin/IgG Removal), mixture of antibodies and ligands (Albumin and IgG Depletion SpinTrap), and combinatorial peptide ligand libraries (ProteoMiner beads), respectively. All procedures, to a greater or lesser extent, allowed an increase of identified proteins. ProteoMiner beads provided the highest number of proteins; Albumin and IgG Depletion SpinTrap and ProteoPrep Immunoaffinity Albumin and IgG Depletion Kit resulted the most efficient in albumin removal; Top 2 and Top 12 Abundant Protein Depletion Spin Columns decreased the overall immunoglobulin levels more than other procedures, whereas specifically gamma immunoglobulins were mostly removed by Albumin and IgG Depletion SpinTrap, ProteoPrep Immunoaffinity Albumin and IgG Depletion Kit, and Top 2 Abundant Protein Depletion Spin Columns. Albumin/IgG Removal, a resin bound to a mixture of protein A and Cibacron Blue, behaved less efficiently than the other products.

Graphical abstract

https://ift.tt/2GFBBNL

The facile approaches to asymmetric modification of glassy biconical microchannel wall with silver, copper or gold

Publication date: 1 August 2018
Source:Talanta, Volume 185
Author(s): Fengxia Chang, Yang Yang, Xia Xie, Meixian Li, Zhiwei Zhu
The modification of inner surface has significant influence in the properties of the nano or microchannel based on various materials, especially for the ionic current rectification (ICR) that arises from the selective interaction between ions in solution and the inner surface. Herein, we demonstrate a simple strategy to asymmetrically modify the inner wall of a glassy biconical microchannel with silver, copper or gold by means of silver mirror reaction and polydopamine platform, respectively. And the bidirectional ionic current rectification phenomena were observed in all of the modified biconical microchannels. All of the modification methods are simple, facile and low-cost, and can be applied in the modification of other glassy pipettes.

Graphical abstract

https://ift.tt/2uzwsC3

Simultaneous voltammetry detection of dopamine and uric acid in human serum and urine with a poly(procaterol hydrochloride) modified glassy carbon electrode

Publication date: 1 August 2018
Source:Talanta, Volume 185
Author(s): Dexian Kong, Qizhao Zhuang, Yejian Han, Lanping Xu, Zeming Wang, Lili Jiang, Jinwei Su, Chun-Hua Lu, Yuwu Chi
In the present study, procaterol hydrochloride (ProH) was successfully electropolymerized onto a glass carbon electrode (GCE) with simply cyclic voltammetry scans to construct a poly(procaterol hydrochloride) (p-ProH) membrane modified electrode. Compared with the bare GCE, much higher oxidation peak current responses and better peak potentials separation could be obtained for the simultaneous oxidation of dopamine (DA) and uric acid (UA), owning to the excellent electrocatalytic ability of the p-ProH membrane. And it's based on that a square wave voltammetry (SWV) method was developed to selective and simultaneous measurement of DA and UA. Under the optimum conditions, the linear dependence of oxidation peak current on analyte concentrations were found to be 1.0–100 μmol/L and 2–100 μmol/L, giving detection limits of 0.3 μmol/L and 0.5 μmol/L for DA and UA, separately. The as prepared modified electrode shows simplicity in construction with the merits of good reproducibility, high stability, passable selectivity and nice sensitivity. Finally, the proposed p-ProH membrane modified electrode was successfully devoted to the detection of DA and UA in biological fluids such as human serum and urine with acceptable results.

Graphical abstract

https://ift.tt/2uGUWt6

The polystyrene-divinylbenzene stationary phase hybridized with oxidized nanodiamonds for liquid chromatography

Publication date: 1 August 2018
Source:Talanta, Volume 185
Author(s): Zhongping Huang, Peng Yao, Qiulian Zhu, Lili Wang, Yan Zhu
A novel polystyrene-divinylbenzene microspheres hybridized with oxidized nanodiamonds (PS-DVB-OND) was synthesized by the method of seed swelling and polymerization. The oxidized nanodiamonds (OND) were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra, X-ray phtoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD). PS-DVB-OND particles were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The result suggested that OND were successfully embedded into the polymer microspheres with the diameter of 6 ± 2 µm. Compared to polystyrene-divinylbenzene (PS-DVB) microspheres, PS-DVB-OND microspheres could tolerate higher pressure. The PS-DVB-OND microspheres were used as stationary phase of reversed-phase liquid chromatography directly and anion-exchangers after further quaternized with methylamine and 1,4-butanediol diglycidyl ether. Reversed-phase liquid chromatographic performance of PS-DVB-OND beads was investigated through separating six benzenes such as toluene, benzaldehyde, phenol, benzoic acid, 1,4-hydroquinone and methyl p-hydroxybenzoate. Inorganic anions such as F^-, Cl^-, NO2^-, Br^-, NO3^-, HPO4^2- and SO4^2-, were baseline separated on the anion exchangers of PS-DVB-OND microspheres. The result suggested that the prepared PS-DVB-OND microspheres have the potential as liquid chromatographic stationary phase under high pressure and extremely pH conditions.

Graphical abstract

https://ift.tt/2uEmZtb

Simultaneous competitive and sandwich formats multiplexed immunoassays based on ICP-MS detection

Publication date: 1 August 2018
Source:Talanta, Volume 185
Author(s): Yuqing Zhang, Gongwei Sun, Yi Zhang, Biao Huang, Zhi Xing, Sichun Zhang, Xinrong Zhang
Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) based immunoassay method has been proposed in multiple immunoassays but has not been used in competitive and sandwich formats immunoassay simultaneously. The two immunoassays were usually conducted separately in clinical field depending on the size and the amount of binding sites of targets. We proposed an immunoassay method based on magnetic beads and ICP-MS detection that could be suitable for both small and large molecules. The functionalized magnetic beads were added to capture the immune complex after immune reaction. In this way, thyrotropin and free thyroid hormone can be captured, separated and then detected according to the elemental tags by ICP-MS simultaneously. The new method was evaluated by comparing the results with time resolved fluorescence immunoassays (TRFIA). The dynamic ranges of TSH and FT4 were 0.16–105 mU/L and 3.5–65 pmol/L, respectively. The limits of detections were 0.06 mU/L for TSH and 1.59 pmol/L for FT4. And the relative standard deviations (RSD) of TSH and FT4 were 4.64% at 2.5 mU/L and 1.87% at 5.85 pmol/L. This immunoassay method enables the determination of small and large biomolecules simultaneously via competitive and sandwich immunoassay formats.

Graphical abstract

https://ift.tt/2uJ9eJR

Multiple roles of lymphatic vessels in tumor progression

Qiaoli Ma | Lothar C Dieterich | Michael Detmar

https://ift.tt/2pTZNlS

Plasticity and biological diversity of myeloid derived suppressor cells

Publication date: April 2018
Source:Current Opinion in Immunology, Volume 51
Author(s): Kerem Ben-Meir, Nira Twaik, Michal Baniyash
Myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are immature myeloid cells characterized by diverse phenotypes and functions. They impair effector functions of immune cells and promote tumor growth, angiogenesis, and tissue damage. In pathologies characterized by chronic inflammation, MDSCs are arrested in their immature state and migrate from the bone marrow to the periphery and to the site of inflammation, where they mediate immunosuppression. When reaching new environments, which exhibit a different array of cytokines, chemokines, and pro-inflammatory mediators, MDSCs sense and adapt to the altered micro-environment by virtue of acquiring different suppressive features/functions that involve changing their cell fate, surface receptors, metabolism and intracellular as well as secreted molecules. This review summarizes some of the latest publications highlighting various layers of MDSC plasticity in relation to different pathologies. We discuss treatments capitalizing on MDSC plasticity aimed at combating MDSCs or manipulating their suppressive activity for improved therapy.

https://ift.tt/2GZpQ2g

Next generation natural killer cells for cancer immunotherapy: the promise of genetic engineering

May Daher | Katayoun Rezvani

https://ift.tt/2GspGzm

Multiple roles of lymphatic vessels in tumor progression

Qiaoli Ma | Lothar C Dieterich | Michael Detmar

https://ift.tt/2pTZNlS

Next generation natural killer cells for cancer immunotherapy: the promise of genetic engineering

May Daher | Katayoun Rezvani

https://ift.tt/2GspGzm

The safety and risk factors of revision adenoidectomy in children and adolescents: A nationwide retrospective population-based cohort study

To investigate the safety of adenoidectomy and risk factors of re-adenoidectomy, and intend to provide evidence-based information to clinicians for further consideration.

from #ORL via a.lsfakia on Inoreader https://ift.tt/2pWg8pW
via IFTTT

Multimodality Surgical Approach in Management of Laryngotracheal Stenosis

Introduction. Postintubation laryngotracheal stenosis requires a precise diagnosis and an experienced operator in both endoscopic and surgical treatment. This report presents surgically treated cases of laryngotracheal stenosis secondary to long-term intubation/tracheostomy with review of the literature. Materials and Methods. In this retrospective study, we present 5 cases (a 23-year-old male, 13-year-old male, 22-year-old male, 19-year-old male, and 33-year-old female) of postintubation/tracheostomy laryngotracheal (glottic/subglottic) stenosis in the years 2016 and 2017. Each patient was managed differently. Intubation characteristics, localization of stenosis, surgical technique and material, postoperative complications, and survival of patients were recorded. Results. The site of stenosis was in the subglottis in 4 patients and glottis in 1 patient. The mean length of the stenosis was greater in the postintubation group. Postintubation stenosis had a mean duration of intubation of 6.8 days, compared to 206.25 days of cannulation following tracheostomies. Each patient underwent an average of 2 procedures during their treatment course. One patient underwent open surgical anastomosis because of recurrent subglottic stenosis after multiple treatments. Phonation improved immediately in almost all except in the patient who underwent only endoscopic dilatation. Discussion. The reasons for laryngeal stenosis and its delayed diagnosis have been reviewed from the literature. Suture tension should be appropriate, and placement of the suture knot outside the trachea minimizes formation of granulation tissue. The published reports suggest that resection by endoscopy with laser and open technique resection and primary anastomosis are the best treatment modality so far as the long-term results are concerned. Conclusion. Resection of stenotic segment by open surgical anastomosis and laser-assisted resection is a safe option for the treatment of subglottic stenosis following intubation without the need for repeated dilation. Endoscopic dilation can be reserved for unfit patients.

from #ORL via a.lsfakia on Inoreader https://ift.tt/2GMy4xf
via IFTTT

Spinal Accessory Nerve Duplication: A Case Report and Literature Review

Aim of the present study is to expand our knowledge of the anatomy of the 11th cranial nerve and discuss the clinical importance and literature pertaining to accessory nerve duplication. We present one case of duplicated spinal accessory nerve in a patient undergoing neck dissection for oral cavity cancer. The literature review confirms the extremely rare diagnosis of a duplicated accessory nerve. Its clinical implication is of great importance. From this finding, a further extension to our knowledge of the existing anatomy is proposed.

from #ORL via a.lsfakia on Inoreader https://ift.tt/2uCOanZ
via IFTTT

EEG-based neglect assessment: A feasibility study

Publication date: Available online 31 March 2018
Source:Journal of Neuroscience Methods
Author(s): Aya Khalaf, Jessica Kersey, Safaa Eldeeb, Gazihan Alankus, Emily Grattan, Laura Waterstram, Elizabeth Skidmore, Murat Akcakaya
BackgroundSpatial neglect (SN) is a neuropsychological syndrome that impairs automatic attention orienting to stimuli in the contralesional visual space of stroke patients. SN is commonly assessed using paper and pencil tests. Recently, computerized tests have been proposed to provide a dynamic assessment of SN. However, both paper- and computer-based methods have limitations.New methodElectroencephalography (EEG) shows promise for overcoming the limitations of current assessment methods The aim of this work is to introduce an objective passive BCI system that records EEG signals in response to visual stimuli appearing in random locations on a screen with a dynamically changing background. Our preliminary experimental studies focused on validating the system using healthy participants with intact brains rather than employing it initially in more complex environments with patients having cortical lesions. Therefore, we designed a version of the test in which we simulated SN by hiding target stimuli appearing on the left side of the screen so that the subject's attention is shifted to the right side.ResultsResults showed that there are statistically significant differences between EEG responses due to right and left side stimuli reflecting different processing and attention levels towards both sides of the screen. The system achieved average accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of 74.24%, 75.17% and 71.36% respectively.Comparison with existing methodsThe proposed test can examine both presence and severity of SN, unlike traditional paper and pencil tests and computer-based methods.ConclusionsThe proposed test is a promising objective SN evaluation method.

https://ift.tt/2GomJE9

Methodology and effects of repeated intranasal delivery of DNSP-11 in awake Rhesus macaques

Publication date: Available online 31 March 2018
Source:Journal of Neuroscience Methods
Author(s): M.J. Stenslik, A. Evans, F. Pomerleau, R. Weeks, P. Huettl, E. Foreman, J. Turchan-Cholewo, A. Andersen, W.A. Cass, Z. Zhang, R.C. Grondin, D.M. Gash, G.A. Gerhardt, L.H. Bradley
BackgroundTo determine if the intranasal delivery of neuroactive compounds is a viable, long-term treatment strategy for progressive, chronic neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson's disease (PD), intranasal methodologies in preclinical models comparable to humans are needed.New MethodWe developed a methodology to evaluate the repeated intranasal delivery of neuroactive compounds on the non-human primate (NHP) brain, without the need for sedation. We evaluated the effects of the neuroactive peptide, DNSP-11 following repeated intranasal delivery and dose-escalation over the course of 10-weeks in Rhesus macaques. This approach allowed us to examine striatal target engagement, safety and tolerability, and brain distribution following a single ¹²⁵I-labeled DNSP-11 dose.ResultsOur initial data support that repeated intranasal delivery and dose-escalation of DNSP-11 resulted in bilateral, striatal target engagement based on neurochemical changes in DA metabolites-without observable, adverse behavioral effects or weight loss in NHPs. Furthermore, a ¹²⁵I-labeled DNSP-11 study illustrates diffuse rostral to caudal distribution in the brain including the striatum-our target region of interest.Comparison with Existing MethodsThe results of this study are compared to our experiments in normal and 6-OHDA lesioned rats, where DNSP-11 was repeatedly delivered intranasally using a micropipette with animals under light sedation.ConclusionsThe results from this proof-of-concept study support the utility of our repeated intranasal dosing methodology in awake Rhesus macaques, to evaluate the effects of neuroactive compounds on the NHP brain. Additionally, results indicate that DNSP-11 can be safely and effectively delivered intranasally in MPTP-treated NHPs, while engaging the DA system.

https://ift.tt/2IjzThY

Automatic cardiac cycle determination directly from EEG-fMRI data by multi-scale peak detection method

Publication date: Available online 31 March 2018
Source:Journal of Neuroscience Methods
Author(s): Chung-Ki Wong, Qingfei Luo, Vadim Zotev, Raquel Phillips, Kam Wai Clifford Chan, Jerzy Bodurka
BackgroundIn simultaneous EEG-fMRI, identification of the period of cardioballistic artifact (BCG) in EEG is required for the artifact removal. Recording the electrocardiogram (ECG) waveform during fMRI is difficult, often causing inaccurate period detection.New MethodSince the waveform of the BCG extracted by independent component analysis (ICA) is relatively invariable compared to the ECG waveform, we propose a multiple-scale peak-detection algorithm to determine the BCG cycle directly from the EEG data. The algorithm first extracts the high contrast BCG component from the EEG data by ICA. The BCG cycle is then estimated by band-pass filtering the component around the fundamental frequency identified from its energy spectral density, and the peak of BCG artifact occurrence is selected from each of the estimated cycle.ResultsThe algorithm is shown to achieve a high accuracy on a large EEG-fMRI dataset. It is also adaptive to various heart rates without the needs of adjusting the threshold parameters. The cycle detection remains accurate with the scan duration reduced to half a minute. Additionally, the algorithm gives a figure of merit to evaluate the reliability of the detection accuracy.Comparison with ExistingethodThe algorithm is shown to give a higher detection accuracy than the commonly used cycle detection algorithm fmrib_qrsdetect implemented in EEGLAB.ConclusionsThe achieved high cycle detection accuracy of our algorithm without using the ECG waveforms makes possible to create and automate pipelines for processing large EEG-fMRI datasets, and virtually eliminates the need for ECG recordings for BCG artifact removal.

https://ift.tt/2GmKSed

Heparin-Poloxamer Thermosensitive Hydrogel Loaded with bFGF and NGF Enhances Peripheral Nerve Regeneration in Diabetic Rats

Publication date: June 2018
Source:Biomaterials, Volume 168
Author(s): Rui Li, Yiyang Li, Yanqing Wu, Yingzheng Zhao, Huanwen Chen, Yuan Yuan, Ke Xu, Hongyu Zhang, Yingfeng Lu, Jian Wang, Xiaokun Li, Xiaofeng Jia, Jian Xiao
Peripheral nerve injury (PNI) is a major burden to society with limited therapeutic options, and novel biomaterials have great potential for shifting the current paradigm of treatment. With a rising prevalence of chronic illnesses such as diabetes mellitus (DM), treatment of PNI is further complicated, and only few studies have proposed therapies suitable for peripheral nerve regeneration in DM. To provide a supportive environment to restore structure and/or function of nerves in DM, we developed a novel thermo-sensitive heparin-poloxamer (HP) hydrogel co-delivered with basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and nerve growth factor (NGF) in diabetic rats with sciatic nerve crush injury. The delivery vehicle not only had a good affinity for large amounts of growth factors (GFs), but also controlled their release in a steady fashion, preventing degradation in vitro. In vivo, compared with HP hydrogel alone or direct GFs administration, GFs-HP hydrogel treatment is more effective at facilitating Schwann cell (SC) proliferation, leading to an increased expression of nerve associated structural proteins, enhanced axonal regeneration and remyelination, and improved recovery of motor function (all p < 0.05). Our mechanistic investigation also revealed that these neuroprotective and neuroregenerative effects of the GFs-HP hydrogel may be associated with activations of phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase and protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt), janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (JAK/STAT3), and mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (MAPK/ERK) signaling pathways. Our work provides a promising therapy option for peripheral nerve regeneration in patients with DM.

https://ift.tt/2H1t31s

Heparin-Poloxamer Thermosensitive Hydrogel Loaded with bFGF and NGF Enhances Peripheral Nerve Regeneration in Diabetic Rats

The bidirectional relationship between sleep duration and depression in community-dwelling middle-aged and elderly individuals: Evidence from a longitudinal study

There are several studies that have focused on the relationship between sleep duration and depression, however, only a few prospective studies have centered on the bidirectional relationship between them. This four-year longitudinal study aimed to identify the association between sleep duration and depression in community-dwelling mid-age and elderly individuals.

https://ift.tt/2IkcbT5

The serotonin transporter 5-HTTLPR polymorphism and the risk for insomnia: a non-replication

In the June 2014 issue of Sleep Medicine, Huang et al. (2014) reported a genetic association study investigating the effect of 5-HTTLPR on insomnia [1]. In line with previous findings [2], results demonstrated that the short allele is associated with a higher insomnia risk relative to the long allele. The authors further revealed that an interaction between 5-HTTLPR and stress may contribute to this relationship which corresponds with earlier findings on subjective sleep quality [3].

https://ift.tt/2pZruKb

Validation of semiautomatic scoring of REM sleep without atonia in patients with RBD

To evaluate REM sleep without atonia (RSWA) in REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) several automatic algorithms have been developed. We aimed to validate our algorithm (Mayer et al. 2008) in order to assess 1. capability of the algorithm to differentiate between RBD, night terror (NT), somnambulism (SW), Restless legs syndrome (RLS) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), 2. cut-off values for short (SMI) and long muscle activity (LMI), 3. which muscles qualify best for differential diagnosis, and 4. comparability of RSWA and registered movements between automatic and visual analysis of videometry.

https://ift.tt/2Ilbw3H

A Systematic Review to Explore the Feasibility of a Behavioural Sleep Intervention for Insomnia in Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders: A Transdiagnostic Approach

Children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) are at high risk for sleep problems, especially insomnia. It is currently not known whether behavioural sleep interventions developed for typically developing (TD) children are effective for children with NDD, and if interventions need to be modified for each diagnostic group. The aim of this systematic review was to identify and evaluate commonalities, trends in outcomes, and the methodological quality of parent-delivered behavioural sleep interventions for children with NDD, specifically Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Cerebral Palsy, and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.

https://ift.tt/2pVoDkr

A Systematic Review to Explore the Feasibility of a Behavioural Sleep Intervention for Insomnia in Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders: A Transdiagnostic Approach

Evaluation of the effects of occlusal splint, trigger point injection and arthrocentesis in the treatment of internal derangement patients with myofascial pain disorders

Publication date: Available online 31 March 2018
Source:Journal of Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery
Author(s): Itır Şebnem Bilici, Yusuf Emes, Serhat Yalçın, Buket Aybar

https://ift.tt/2Imj8mC

A Multimodal analysis using flowmeter analysis, laser-Doppler spectrophotometry, and indocyanine green videoangiography for the detection of venous compromise in flaps in rats

Publication date: Available online 30 March 2018
Source:Journal of Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery
Author(s): Lucas M. Ritschl, Leonard H. Schmidt, Andreas M. Fichter, Alexander Hapfelmeier, Klaus-Dietrich Wolff, Thomas Mücke
Venous congestion results in tissue damage and remains the most common failure of free microvascular transfer if it is not recognized early. The purpose of this experimental study was to evaluate venous congestion and describe the findings with two different monitoring tools. A standardized epigastric flap was raised, and total occlusion of the draining vein was temporarily applied for 4, 5, 6, or 7 hours. Blood flow measurements, including laser-Doppler flowmetry, and tissue spectrophotometry (O2C) and indocyanine green (ICG) videoangiography using the FLOW^® 800 tool, were performed systematically after each surgical step, an interval of venous occlusion, and 1 week of clinical observation. Both monitoring tools were capable of detecting acute venous occlusion. ICG videoangiography data showed a significant decrease in the first and second maximum, and the area under the curve, during venous occlusion, whereas hemoglobin levels in the O2C analysis remained stable. Changes in fluorescence values in border areas of the flap correlated significantly with the incidence of necrosis. O2C data later showed significant correlation with the area of necrosis, and more individual changes during flap monitoring. ICG videoangiography might therefore be useful in the prediction of flap necrosis in critical areas of perfusion.

https://ift.tt/2Grtchi

Trajectory-guided biopsy of orbital tumor - Technology, principal considerations and clinical implementation -

Publication date: Available online 31 March 2018
Source:Journal of Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery
Author(s): Majeed Rana, Christoph Sproll, Julian Lommen, Madiha Rana, Alexander Zeller, Norbert Kübler, Karsten Hufendiek, Elvis Hermann, Nils-Claudius Gellrich, Henrik Holtmann
Intraorbital space-occupying lesions always pose a challenge, both in terms of definite surgical removal as well as preoperative sampling for histopathological examination. Despite the use of modern high-resolution imaging techniques, the dignity of orbital lesions can often not be determined with sufficient certainty preoperatively. As the amount and complexity of treatment possibilities continue to increase, detailed diagnostics in advance of treatment choice are essential. Histological classification of orbital lesions can still be considered the gold standard for reliable diagnoses, leading to appropriate treatment.Over recent years minimally invasive surgical approaches have gained more importance in the treatment and diagnosis of cranio-maxillo-facial tumor and trauma.The aim of our study was to adapt and establish a precise procedure for orbital biopsies. 23 patients suffering from space-occupying lesions of unknown dignity were included. Trajectory-guided procedures were pre-planned for all cases. In most cases minimally invasive procedures were suitable for taking biopsies of the orbit. For only two patients a conventional, non-minimally invasive, lateral orbitotomy had to be performed. Further evaluation of the presented procedure demonstrates clearly that trajectory-guided biopsies of the orbit can be performed correctly and effectively, regardless of the suspected lesion's size.

https://ift.tt/2Imj46m

Effects of left dlPFC modulation on social cognitive processes following food sampling

Publication date: 1 July 2018
Source:Appetite, Volume 126
Author(s): Peter A. Hall, Cassandra J. Lowe, Adrian B. Safati, Huaqi Li, Emilia B. Klassen, Amer M. Burhan
BackgroundThe dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) plays a central role in the inhibition of eating, but also the modulation of conscious thought processes that might precede, accompany or follow initial food tasting. The latter might be particularly important to the extent that post-tasting cognitions may drive prolonged eating beyond the satiety point. However, we know very little about the effect of the dlPFC on conation following initial food sampling. This investigation compared the effects of dlPFC attenuation using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on social cognition following (Study 1) and prior to (Study 2) a food consumption opportunity.MethodsIn Study 1, participants (N = 21; Mage = 21 years) were randomized to active or sham continuous theta-burst stimulation (cTBS; an inhibitory variant of rTMS) targeting the left dlPFC followed by an interference task. Participants subsequently completed measures of attitudes, norms and perceived control following a mock taste test. In Study 2, (N = 36, Mage = 21 years) a second sample of right handed participants (N = 37; Mage = 21 years) were assigned to active or sham cTBS, followed by an interference task and two measures of attitudes (implicit and explicit), both assessed prior to the same taste test paradigm.ResultsIn Study 1, findings revealed a reliable effect of cTBS on post-tasting attitudes (t(1,19) = 3.055, p = .007; d = 1.34), such that attitudes towards calorie dense snack foods were significantly more positive following active stimulation than following sham stimulation. Similar effects were found for social norms (t(1,19) = 3.024, p = .007, d = 1.31) and perceived control (t(1,20) = 19.247, p < .001, d = 0.50). In Study 2, no effects of cTBS were observed on pre-consumption attitudes, despite reliable effects on interference scores and subsequent consumption.ConclusionsThe left dlPFC may selectively modulate facilitative social cognition following initial food sampling (but not pre-consumption).

https://ift.tt/2pQm8kf

Vaginoplasty Complications

Publication date: Available online 31 March 2018
Source:Clinics in Plastic Surgery
Author(s): Cecile A. Ferrando

Teaser

Complications after vaginoplasty surgery for the transgender woman exist. These adverse outcomes can be minor and easily treatable, whereas others are considered major events and require ongoing care. Adverse outcomes can be immediate or remote after surgery and include bleeding, hematoma, infection, delayed wound healing, neovaginal stenosis, visceral injury, and fistula. Patients may also experience pelvic floor disorders after surgery. Providers performing these surgeries and those providers caring for postoperative patients should be aware of the incidence of these complications and the treatment options that exist to manage them.

https://ift.tt/2EagZYx

Vaginoplasty Complications

Publication date: Available online 31 March 2018
Source:Clinics in Plastic Surgery
Author(s): Cecile A. Ferrando

Teaser

Observance du traitement de fond dans l’asthme persistant de l’adulte en pratique courante

Publication date: Available online 30 March 2018
Source:Revue des Maladies Respiratoires
Author(s): P. Devillier, C. Ghasarossian, P. Terrioux, M. Schiratti, E. Leutenegger
IntroductionL'objectif de cette étude était d'évaluer, en pratique courante, par une méthode originale, l'observance du traitement de fond de patients asthmatiques.MéthodesCette étude observationnelle a été conduite en France auprès de patients adultes traités depuis au moins trois mois pour asthme persistant. L'observance était évaluée d'après les données du relevé de consommation (RC) de l'assurance maladie, par quantification de la concordance entre prescription et délivrance des traitements en pharmacie, et par l'autoquestionnaire validé de Morisky.RésultatsQuatre-vingt-un médecins qualifiés en pneumologie ou généralistes ont inclus 488 patients, d'âge moyen de 51 ans avec 55 % de femmes. Le RC était disponible pour 35 % des patients, mais le questionnaire de Morisky (85 % des patients) montrait une observance similaire entre les patients avec ou sans RC. Le taux de bons observants (observance ≥80 %) était de 51 % selon le RC et de 38 % selon le questionnaire de Morisky. Parmi les facteurs classiquement prédictifs, seule l'obésité était retrouvée chez les mauvais observants (19 % vs 7 %, p<0,05), qui présentaient une symptomatologie plus marquée et un taux de non-contrôle plus important (21,7 % vs 5,7 %, p<0,01).ConclusionsLe RC s'est avéré un outil utile pour obtenir une mesure quantitative de l'observance en pratique courante.IntroductionThe aim of the study was to assess, compliance with maintenance treatment in patients with persistent asthma in clinical practice.MethodsThis observational, cross-sectional, prospective, multicenter study was conducted in metropolitan France on patients with persistent asthma under the care of a representative sample of general practitioners and pneumologists. Compliance was determined via access to the Health Insurance database allowing comparison between the actual consumption of medications and the corresponding theoretical consumption related to prescription. Additional compliance data were obtained using the validated Morisky questionnaire.ResultsEighty one physicians included 488 patients, mean age of 51 years, 55% women. The statement of consumption (SC) was available for 35% of patients however the Morisky questionnaire (present for 85% of patients) showed a similar compliance between patients with or without SC. The good compliance rate (compliance ≥80%) was observed in 51% based on the SC and in 38% based on the Morisky questionnaire. Among possible predictive factors, only obesity was associated with a bad compliance (19% vs 7%, P<0.05). Patients with poor compliances displayed more severe symptoms and a higher rate of non-control (21.7% vs 5.7%, P<0.01).ConclusionsThe statement of consumption is a useful tool to provide quantitative measurement of compliance in daily practice.

https://ift.tt/2uCC9in

Oxidatively-induced DNA damage and base excision repair in euthymic patients with bipolar disorder

Publication date: Available online 30 March 2018
Source:DNA Repair
Author(s): Deniz Ceylan, Gamze Tuna, Güldal Kirkali, Zeliha Tunca, Güneş Can, Hidayet Ece Arat, Melis Kant, Miral Dizdaroglu, Ayşegül Özerdem
Oxidatively-induced DNA damage has previously been associated with bipolar disorder. More recently, impairments in DNA repair mechanisms have also been reported. We aimed to investigate oxidatively-induced DNA lesions and expression of DNA glycosylases involved in base excision repair in euthymic patients with bipolar disorder compared to healthy individuals. DNA base lesions including both base and nucleoside modifications were measured using gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry with isotope-dilution in DNA samples isolated from leukocytes of euthymic patients with bipolar disorder (n = 32) and healthy individuals (n = 51). The expression of DNA repair enzymes OGG1 and NEIL1 were measured using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The levels of malondialdehyde were measured using high performance liquid chromatography. Seven DNA base lesions in DNA of leukocytes of patients and healthy individuals were identified and quantified. Three of them had significantly elevated levels in bipolar patients when compared to healthy individuals. No elevation of lipid peroxidation marker malondialdehyde was observed. The level of OGG1 expression was significantly reduced in bipolar patients compared to healthy individuals, whereas the two groups exhibited similar levels of NEIL1 expression. Our results suggest that oxidatively-induced DNA damage occurs and base excision repair capacity may be decreased in bipolar patients when compared to healthy individuals. Measurement of oxidatively-induced DNA base lesions and the expression of DNA repair enzymes may be of great importance for large scale basic research and clinical studies of bipolar disorder.

https://ift.tt/2H47AF6

Evaluation of the effects of occlusal splint, trigger point injection and arthrocentesis in the treatment of internal derangement patients with myofascial pain disorders

Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) may originate from the joint itself or from pathologies of masticatory muscles. Most pathology seen is myofascial pain disorder (MPD). TMD are characterized by pain, muscle spasms, and constraints in the movements of the temporomandibular joint. In temporomandibular joint disorders, besides the internal derangement, protective muscle spasms are usually observed.

https://ift.tt/2E9Ihym

Implant stability using piezoelectric bone surgery compared with conventional drilling: a systematic review and meta-analysis

The aim of this systematic review was to assess the primary and secondary stability of dental implants placed at sites prepared with piezoelectric bone surgery (PBS) and conventional drilling (CD). The PubMed/MEDLINE and Cochrane Library databases were searched without date or language restriction up to June 2017. Controlled clinical trials in which each patient received implants placed at sites prepared with both PBS and CD were selected. Implant stability had to be measured on day 0 and during the osseointegration period.

https://ift.tt/2pTYHGJ

Implant stability using piezoelectric bone surgery compared with conventional drilling: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Publication date: Available online 31 March 2018
Source:International Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Author(s): S. García-Moreno, J. González-Serrano, R.M. López-Pintor, B. Pardal-Peláez, G. Hernández, J.M. Martínez-González
The aim of this systematic review was to assess the primary and secondary stability of dental implants placed at sites prepared with piezoelectric bone surgery (PBS) and conventional drilling (CD). The PubMed/MEDLINE and Cochrane Library databases were searched without date or language restriction up to June 2017. Controlled clinical trials in which each patient received implants placed at sites prepared with both PBS and CD were selected. Implant stability had to be measured on day 0 and during the osseointegration period. Methodological quality was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration tool. A meta-analysis was performed to compare primary stability (on day 0) and secondary stability (after 2 and 3months) between the two groups. The studies included were determined to have a high risk of bias. There was no significant difference between the two groups for primary stability (on day 0) (P=0.51). After 2 and 3months, secondary stability was statistically higher in implants placed with PBS preparation (P=0.04 and P=0.01, respectively). The implant survival rate was 97.5% in the CD group and 100% in the PBS group. PBS preparation improves secondary stability after 2 and 3months in comparison to CD, with similar implant survival rates. Further studies are needed to determine whether implant osseointegration periods could be shortened with PBS preparation.

https://ift.tt/2pVfWq7

NADPH-dependent and -independent Disulfide Reductase Systems

Publication date: Available online 30 March 2018
Source:Free Radical Biology and Medicine
Author(s): Colin G. Miller, Arne Holmgren, Elias S.J. Arnér, Edward E. Schmidt
Over the past seven decades, research on autotrophic and heterotrophic model organisms has defined how the flow of electrons ("reducing power") from high-energy inorganic sources, through biological systems, to low-energy inorganic products like water, powers all of Life's processes. Universally, an initial major biological recipient of these electrons is nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-phosphate, which thereby transits from an oxidized state (NADP⁺) to a reduced state (NADPH). A portion of this reducing power is then distributed via the cellular NADPH-dependent disulfide reductase systems as sequential reductions of disulfide bonds. Along the disulfide reduction pathways, some enzymes have active sites that use the selenium-containing amino acid, selenocysteine, in place of the common but less reactive sulfur-containing cysteine. In particular, the mammalian/metazoan thioredoxin systems are usually selenium-dependent as, across metazoan phyla, most thioredoxin reductases are selenoproteins. Among the roles of the NADPH-dependent disulfide reductase systems, the most universal is that they provide the reducing power for the production of DNA precursors by ribonucleotide reductase (RNR). Some studies, however, have uncovered examples of NADPH-independent disulfide reductase systems that can also support RNR. These systems are summarized here and their implications are discussed.

Graphical abstract

https://ift.tt/2E9uKGI

Activation of the Monocytic α7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Modulates Oxidative Stress and Inflammation-associated Development of Coronary Artery Spasm via a p38 MAP-Kinase signaling-dependent pathway

Publication date: Available online 31 March 2018
Source:Free Radical Biology and Medicine
Author(s): Ming-Yow Hung, Yi-Hong Wu, Oluwaseun Adebayo Bamodu, Xi Chen, Yen-Kuang Lin, Patrick Hu, Nen-Chung Chang, Jong-Hwei Su Pang, Chi-Tai Yeh
ObjectiveSmoking and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) are risk factors for coronary artery spasm (CAS), which is characterized by the increased interleukin-6 (IL-6) level and monocyte counts; however, limited data are available regarding the role of cigarette-embedded nicotine in the modulation of monocytic inflammatory activity in CAS.ApproachWe investigated and elucidated the putative roles and associations of nicotine, monocytic IL-6, α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7-nAChR), and CRP in CAS development.ResultsWe demonstrated that a significantly increased α7-nAChR (p = 0.001) and IL-6 (p = 0.0036) messenger RNA (mRNA) expression in the serum of patients with CAS. Serum hs-CRP levels exhibited a strong positive correlation with the monocytic mRNA expression of α7-nAChR (r = 0.71, p < 0.001) and IL-6 (r = 0.49, p =0.006). The α7-nAChR and IL-6 expression levels of the CAS group were also positively correlated (r = 0.63, p < 0.001). Compared with the untreated controls, THP-1 cells and patient-derived monocytes treated with different concentrations of CRP displayed significantly increased expression levels of α7-nAChR mRNA and protein (p = 0.0054), in a dose-dependent manner. We also demonstrated that compared with the IL-6 expression elicited by CRP alone (p = 0.0489), the CRP-induced rise in monocytic IL-6 mRNA and protein expression in the presence of nicotine (p = 0.0002), is mediated by α7-nAChR activation and the deregulation of the human p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) signaling pathway.ConclusionsOur data demonstrate that the elevated monocytic IL-6 and α7-nAChR mRNA and protein expression levels are associated with the interaction between nicotine and CRP positively modulates CAS development. Our study suggests the potential role of α7-nAChR mRNA and/or protein expression as a diagnostic biomarker for CAS.

Graphical abstract

https://ift.tt/2J8Vb33

Designing Aptamers which Respond to Intracellular Oxidative Stress and Inhibit Aggregation of Mutant Huntingtin

Publication date: Available online 30 March 2018
Source:Free Radical Biology and Medicine
Author(s): Kinjal A. Patel, Thulasi Kolluri, Swati Jain, Ipsita Roy
Targeted expression of a therapeutic agent is a major bottleneck in designing a drug delivery system. Protein aggregation and elevated oxidative stress are associated with the onset of many neurodegenerative disorders, including Huntington's disease (HD). An oxidative stress-inducible promoter, i.e. Thioredoxin 2, was employed to design a sensor for protein aggregation. RNA aptamers specific for mutant huntingtin were expressed only in cells where aggregation of mutant huntingtin occurred. A nine-fold increase in RNA expression was seen when aptamer sequences were cloned under the Trx2 promoter. Expression of aptamer resulted in reduced protein aggregation and decreased oxidative stress, which, in turn, reduced the expression of aptamers by two-fold. Reduction in aggregation led to increased cell survival. The aptamers were not expressed in cells expressing wild-type huntingtin in the soluble form. This rational and simple design will allow the use of this construct for the targeted expression of other therapeutic nucleic acid molecules as well.

Graphical abstract

https://ift.tt/2E6tGnf

Up-regulation of NOX1/NADPH oxidase following drug-induced myocardial injury promotes cardiac dysfunction and fibrosis

Publication date: Available online 31 March 2018
Source:Free Radical Biology and Medicine
Author(s): Kazumi Iwata, Kuniharu Matsuno, Ayumi Murata, Kai Zhu, Hitomi Fukui, Keiko Ikuta, Masato Katsuyama, Masakazu Ibi, Misaki Matsumoto, Makoto Ohigashi, Xiaopeng Wen, Jia Zhang, Wenhao Cui, Chihiro Yabe-Nishimura
Cardiac fibrosis is a common feature in failing heart and therapeutic strategy to halt the progression of fibrosis is highly needed. We here report on NOX1, a non-phagocytic isoform of superoxide-producing NADPH oxidase, which promotes cardiac fibrosis in a drug-induced myocardial injury model. A single-dose administration of doxorubicin (DOX) elicited cardiac dysfunction accompanied by increased production of reactive oxygen species and marked elevation of NOX1 mRNA in the heart. In mice deficient in Nox1 (Nox1^-/Y), cardiac functions were well retained and overall survival was significantly improved. However, increased level of serum creatine kinase was equivalent to that of wild-type mice (Nox1^+/Y). At 4 days after DOX treatment, severe cardiac fibrosis accompanied by increased hydroxyproline content and activation of matrix metalloproteinase-9 was demonstrated in Nox1^+/Y, but it was significantly attenuated in Nox1^-/Y. When H9c2 cardiomyocytes were exposed to their homogenate, a dose-dependent increase in NOX1 mRNA was observed. Up-regulation of NOX1 mRNA in H9c2 co-incubated with their homogenate was abolished in the presence of TAK242, a TLR4 inhibitor. When isolated cardiac fibroblasts were exposed to H9c2 homogenates, increased proliferation and up-regulation of collagen 3a1 mRNA were demonstrated. These changes were significantly attenuated in cardiac fibroblasts exposed to homogenates from H9c2 harboring disrupted Nox1. These findings suggest that up-regulation of NOX1 following cellular damage promotes cardiac dysfunction and fibrosis by aggravating the pro-fibrotic response of cardiac fibroblasts. Modulation of the NOX1/NADPH oxidase signaling pathway may be a novel therapeutic strategy for preventing heart failure after myocardial injury.

Graphical abstract

https://ift.tt/2J8wsfe

Editorial Board

Publication date: April 2018
Source:Free Radical Biology and Medicine, Volume 118

https://ift.tt/2J8V6fL

Clinical and Prognostic Significance of CSF Opening and Closing Pressures in Pediatric Pseudotumor Cerebri Syndrome

Publication date: Available online 30 March 2018
Source:Pediatric Neurology
Author(s): Shannon J. Beres, Claire A. Sheldon, Chantal J. Boisvert, Christina L. Szperka, Grace L. Paley, Evanette K. Burrows, Marianne R. Chilutti, Geraldine W. Liu, Shana E. McCormack, Grant T. Liu
BACKGROUNDThe purpose of this study was to determine the prognostic utility of closing pressure and volume of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) removed with respect to papilledema resolution and headache improvement in pediatric pseudotumor cerebri syndrome (PTCS).STUDY DESIGNThis is a retrospective observational study of 93 children with definite PTCS. The primary outcome measure was time to resolution of papilledema and the secondary outcome measure was time to resolution of headache.RESULTSThere were no significant differences in gender, age, or BMI-Z observed between subjects with (N=35) and without (N=58) documented closing pressure. The median time to resolution of papilledema was not statistically different between the children above or equal to and those below the closing pressure median (170 mm of CSF, n=31, p = 0.391) or the volume of CSF removed median (16ml, n=19, p=0.155). There was no statistically significant difference detected in days of headache when comparing the children with opening pressure above and equal to the median (400 mm of CSF) from those below (n=44, p= 0.634).CONCLUSIONSNo significant association between closing pressure, or amount of CSF removed, and time to resolution of papilledema in pediatric PTCS was detected. The diagnostic and therapeutic purposes of either measuring the closing pressure or maximizing the volume of CSF removed were not evident in these analyses.

https://ift.tt/2GFPXgT

Bernard Sachs Lecture of 2016: Timing in Morphogenesis and Genetic Gradients during Normal Development and in Malformations of the Nervous System

Publication date: Available online 30 March 2018
Source:Pediatric Neurology
Author(s): Harvey B. Sarnat
Nervous system development is quadradimensional. Both normal ontogenesis and developmental malformations are explained in the context of the 4^th dimension, timing. Timing of the onset of either the genetic expression of a mutation or an epigenetic event that may be teratogenic is primordial in determining morphogenesis and the forms of malformations with their functional consequences. Multiple genotypes may cause similar phenotypes or a single genotype with different degrees of retained normal genetic expression may result in variable phenotypes. In this treatise, examples are presented of these principles, including both delayed and precocious maturation of processes such as synaptogenesis that may be out of synchrony with other simultaneous processes of neuronal maturation. In postzygotic somatic mosaicism, timing of onset determines not only the character but also the extent of a lesion; focal cortical dysplasia IIb and hemimegalencephaly are the same disease, both sharing activation of the mTOR pathway as the primary mechanism; the difference is timing of onset within the 33 mitotic cycles of the periventricular neuroepithelium. Genetic expression often follows gradients along the 3 axes of the neural tube. Defective gradients often can be identified by their morphological result without knowing the precise mutation. Upregulation in the vertical axis produces hyperplasia or duplication of either dorsal or ventral structures, whereas downregulation yields hypoplasia or fusion in the midline of bilateral structures. Disorders of segmentation or neuromere formation in the neural tube are increasingly recognized as another pathogenesis of cerebral dysgenesis. Our recent investigations show the participation of the U-fibre layer beneath FCD in epileptic networks because of neuronal dispersion with elaborate synaptic plexi and a barrier to deep heterotopia.

https://ift.tt/2uGqvTS

A perspective on brain-behavior relationships and effects of age and hearing using speech-in-noise stimuli

Publication date: Available online 31 March 2018
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Curtis J. Billings, Brandon M. Madsen
Understanding speech in background noise is often more difficult for individuals who are older and have hearing impairment than for younger, normal-hearing individuals. In fact, speech-understanding abilities among older individuals with hearing impairment varies greatly. Researchers have hypothesized that some of that variability can be explained by how the brain encodes speech signals in the presence of noise, and that brain measures may be useful for predicting behavioral performance in difficult-to-test patients. In a series of experiments, we have explored the effects of age and hearing impairment in both brain and behavioral domains with the goal of using brain measures to improve our understanding of speech-in-noise difficulties. The behavioral measures examined showed effect sizes for hearing impairment that were 6–10 dB larger than the effects of age when tested in steady-state noise, whereas electrophysiological age effects were similar in magnitude to those of hearing impairment. Both age and hearing status influence neural responses to speech as well as speech understanding in background noise. These effects can in turn be modulated by other factors, such as the characteristics of the background noise itself. Finally, the use of electrophysiology to predict performance on receptive speech-in-noise tasks holds promise, demonstrating root-mean-square prediction errors as small as 1–2 dB. An important next step in this field of inquiry is to sample the aging and hearing impairment variables continuously (rather than categorically) – across the whole lifespan and audiogram – to improve effect estimates.

https://ift.tt/2pXVipk

Hearing, self-motion perception, mobility, and aging

Publication date: Available online 31 March 2018
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Jennifer Campos, Robert Ramkhalawansingh, M. Kathleen Pichora-Fuller
Hearing helps us know where we are relative to important events and objects in our environment and it allows us to track our changing position dynamically over space and time. Auditory cues are used in combination with other sensory inputs (vision, vestibular, proprioceptive) to help us perceive our own movements through space, known as self-motion perception. Whether we are maintaining standing balance, walking, or driving, audition can provide unique and important information to help optimize self-motion perception, and consequently to support safe mobility. Recent epidemiological and experimental studies have shown evidence that hearing loss is associated with greater walking difficulties, poorer overall physical functioning, and a significantly increased risk of falling in older adults. Importantly, the mechanisms underlying the associations between hearing status and mobility are poorly understood. It is also critical to consider that age-related hearing loss is often concomitant with declines in other sensory, motor, and cognitive functions and that these declines may interact, particularly during realistic, everyday tasks. Overall, exploring the role of auditory cues and the effects of hearing loss on self-motion perception specifically, and mobility more generally, is important to both building fundamental knowledge on the perceptual processes underlying the ability to perceive our movements through space, as well as to optimizing mobility-related interventions for those with hearing loss so that they can function better when confronted by everyday real-world sensory-motor challenges. The goal of this paper is to explore the role of hearing in self-motion perception across a range of mobility-related behaviors. First, we briefly review the ways in which auditory cues are used to perceive self-motion and how sound inputs affect behaviors such as standing balance, walking, and driving. Next, we consider age-related changes in auditory self-motion perception and the potential consequences to the performance of mobility-related tasks. We then describe how hearing loss is associated with declines in mobility-related abilities and increased adverse outcomes such as falls. We describe age-related changes to other sensory and cognitive functions and how these may interact with hearing loss in ways that affect mobility. Finally, we briefly consider the implications of the hearing-mobility associations with respect to applied domains such as screening for mobility problems and falls risk in those with hearing loss and developing interventions and training approaches targeting safe and independent mobility throughout the lifespan.

https://ift.tt/2J8RCtH

A perspective on brain-behavior relationships and effects of age and hearing using speech-in-noise stimuli

Hearing, self-motion perception, mobility, and aging

Dynamic semantic cognition: Characterising coherent and controlled conceptual retrieval through time using magnetoencephalography and chronometric transcranial magnetic stimulation

Publication date: Available online 30 March 2018
Source:Cortex
Author(s): Catarina Teige, Giovanna Mollo, Rebecca Millman, Nicola Savill, Jonathan Smallwood, Piers L. Cornelissen, Elizabeth Jefferies
Distinct neural processes are thought to support the retrieval of semantic information that is (i) coherent with strongly-encoded aspects of knowledge, and (ii) non-dominant yet relevant for the current task or context. While the brain regions that support readily coherent and more controlled patterns of semantic retrieval are relatively well-characterised, the temporal dynamics of these processes are not well-understood. This study used magnetoencephalography (MEG) and dual-pulse chronometric transcranial magnetic stimulation (cTMS) in two separate experiments to examine temporal dynamics during the retrieval of strong and weak associations. MEG results revealed a dissociation within left temporal cortex: anterior temporal lobe (ATL) showed greater oscillatory response for strong than weak associations, while posterior middle temporal gyrus (pMTG) showed the reverse pattern. Left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), a site associated with semantic control and retrieval, showed both patterns at different time points. In the cTMS experiment, stimulation of ATL at ∼150ms disrupted the efficient retrieval of strong associations, indicating a necessary role for ATL in coherent conceptual activations. Stimulation of pMTG at the onset of the second word disrupted the retrieval of weak associations, suggesting this site may maintain information about semantic context from the first word, allowing efficient engagement of semantic control. Together these studies provide converging evidence for a functional dissociation within the temporal lobe, across both tasks and time.

https://ift.tt/2GHTwDn

APOE genotype and cognition in healthy individuals at-risk of Alzheimer’s disease: a review

Publication date: Available online 30 March 2018
Source:Cortex
Author(s): M. Clare O'Donoghue, Susannah E. Murphy, G. Zamboni, A.C. Nobre, Clare E. Mackay
APOE-ε4 is best known as a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Consequently, there is considerable research interest in understanding whether APOE-ε4 influences cognition in healthy adults. Despite a substantial literature reporting effects of APOE genotype on cognition, findings are inconsistent. In particular, it is challenging to separate whether cognitive deficits in APOE-ε4 carriers reflect the influence of prodromal dementia pathology ("prodromal hypothesis"), or a direct contribution of APOE genotype to individual differences ("phenotype hypothesis"). Variable methodology across studies further complicates the issue. These challenges have limited what can be learnt about the processes underlying cognitive ageing and dementia by studying the influence of APOE genotype on cognition. In this review, we focus on the two compatible neurobiological mechanisms by which APOE genotype may influence cognition in healthy adults (prodromal and phenotype). We summarise the behavioural evidence for the influence of APOE on cognition in non-demented adults and explore key methodological challenges for disentangling the cognitive effects of different neurobiological mechanisms of APOE. Evidence suggests that at least some APOE-ε4 cognitive deficits are due to early AD pathology, whilst sensitive measures of cognition are beginning to reveal subtle cognitive differences between APOE genotypes in mid-adulthood, prior to the onset of the AD prodromal period. We conclude with recommendations for future research to investigate the cognitive consequences of neurobiological processes affected by APOE and maximise the translational potential of this research.

https://ift.tt/2uDSaVv

Interdigitating dendritic cell sarcoma: Clinicopathologic study of 8 cases with review of the literature

Publication date: Available online 30 March 2018
Source:Annals of Diagnostic Pathology
Author(s): Tian Xue, Xiangnan Jiang, Weige Wang, Xiaoyan Zhou, Xiaoqiu Li
To investigate the clinicopathologic features and differential diagnoses of interdigitating dendritic cell sarcoma (IDCS), the clinical, morphological and immunohistochemical features of eight cases of IDCS were collected and analyzed. Three patients were males and five were females, the mean age and the median age were 56.5 years and 57 years respectively. Clinically, the majority of cases involved lymph nodes. Microscopically, neoplastic cells were spindle or ovoid, forming fascicles or whorls. Every case had active mitosis figures. Immunohistochemically, these neoplastic cells were consistently positive for S100, but negative for CD21 and specific B-cell and T-cell associated antigens. Follow-up results were available in 7 cases, of which 5 cases of localized lesions survived, 2 cases died of organ involvement. Interdigitating dendritic cell sarcoma is an extremely rare neoplasm, with inferior prognosis and without standard treatment regimen. IDCS has similar but unique clinicopathologic features and the differential diagnoses include other histiocytic and dendritic cell neoplasms and malignant melanoma.

https://ift.tt/2H290ju

Differential biotin labelling of the cell envelope proteins in lipopolysaccharidic diderm bacteria: Exploring the proteosurfaceome of Escherichia coli using sulfo-NHS-SS-biotin and sulfo-NHS-PEG4-bismannose-SS-biotin

Publication date: Available online 30 March 2018
Source:Journal of Proteomics
Author(s): Ricardo Monteiro, Ingrid Chafsey, Sabine Leroy, Christophe Chambon, Michel Hébraud, Valérie Livrelli, Mariagrazia Pizza, Alfredo Pezzicoli, Mickaël Desvaux
Surface proteins are the major factor for the interaction between bacteria and its environment, playing an important role in infection, colonisation, virulence and adaptation. However, the study of surface proteins has proven difficult mainly due to their hydrophobicity and/or relatively low abundance compared with cytoplasmic proteins. To overcome these issues new proteomic strategies have been developed, such as cell-surface protein labelling using biotinylation reagents. Sulfo-NHS-SS-biotin is the most commonly used reagent to investigate the proteins expressed at the cell surface of various organisms but its use in lipopolysaccharidic diderm bacteria (archetypical Gram-negative bacteria) remains limited to a handful of species. While generally pass over in silence, some periplasmic proteins, but also some inner membrane lipoproteins, integral membrane proteins and cytoplasmic proteins (cytoproteins) are systematically identified following this approach. To limit cell lysis and diffusion of the sulfo-NHS-SS-biotin through the outer membrane, biotin labelling was tested over short incubation times and proved to be as efficient for 1 min at room temperature. To further limit labelling of protein located below the outer membrane, the use of high-molecular weight sulfo-NHS-PEG4-bismannose-SS-biotin appeared to recover differentially cell-envelope proteins compared to low-molecular weight sulfo-NHS-SS-biotin. Actually, the sulfo-NHS-SS-biotin recovers at a higher extent the proteins completely or partly exposed in the periplasm than sulfo-NHS-PEG4-bismannose-SS-biotin, namely periplasmic and integral membrane proteins as well as inner membrane and outer membrane lipoproteins. These results highlight that protein labelling using biotinylation reagents of different sizes provides a sophisticated and accurate way to differentially explore the cell envelope proteome of lipopolysaccharidic diderm bacteria.SignificanceWhile generally pass over in silence, some periplasmic proteins, inner membrane lipoproteins (IMLs), integral membrane proteins (IMPs) and cytoplasmic proteins (cytoproteins) are systematically identified following cell-surface biotin labelling in lipopolysaccharidic diderm bacteria (archetypal Gram-negative bacteria). The use of biotinylation molecules of different sizes, namely sulfo-NHS-SS-biotin and sulfo-NHS-PEG4-bismannose-SS-biotin, was demonstrated to provide a sophisticated and accurate way to differentially explore the cell envelope proteome of lipopolysaccharidic diderm bacteria.

Graphical abstract

https://ift.tt/2H24kdq

A comparative proteomic characterization and nutritional assessment of naturally- and artificially-cultivated Cordyceps sinensis

Publication date: Available online 30 March 2018
Source:Journal of Proteomics
Author(s): Xu Zhang, Qun Liu, Wei Zhou, Ping Li, Raphael N. Alolga, Zhenming Qian, Wenjia Li, Lian-Wen Qi, Xiaojian Yin
Cordyceps sinensis has gained increasing attention due to its nutritional and medicinal properties. Herein, we employed label-free quantitative mass spectrometry to explore the proteome differences between naturally- and artificially-cultivated C. sinensis. A total of 22,829 peptides with confidence ≥95%, corresponding to 2541 protein groups were identified from the caterpillar bodies/stromata of 12 naturally- and artificially-cultivated samples of C. sinensis. Among them, 341 proteins showed significant differences between the samples of natural and artificial cultivation. These proteins were mainly involved in energy production/conversion, amino acid transport/metabolism, and transcription regulation. The proteomic results were confirmed by the identification of 4 significantly changed metabolites, thus, lysine, threonine, serine, and arginine via untargeted metabolomics. The change tendencies of these metabolites were partly in accordance with changes in abundance of the proteins, which was upstream of their synthetic pathways. In addition, the nutritional value in terms of the levels of nucleosides, nucleotides, and adenosine between the artificially- and naturally-cultivated samples was virtually same. These proteomic data will be useful for understanding the medicinal value of C. sinensis and serve as reference for its artificial cultivation.SignificanceC. sinensis is a precious and valued medicinal product, the current basic proteome dataset would provide useful information to understand its development/infection processes as well as help to artificially cultivate it. This work would also provide basic proteome profile for further study of C. sinensis.

Graphical abstract

https://ift.tt/2pTXDlq

Agerarin inhibits α-MSH–induced TYR gene transcription via STAT3 suppression independent of CREB-MITF pathway

Publication date: Available online 30 March 2018
Source:Journal of Dermatological Science
Author(s): Soon Young Shin, Ha-Na Gil, Ji Hye Choi, Yoongho Lim, Young Han Lee

https://ift.tt/2GZjvE6

Positron Emission Tomography and Computed Tomographic (PET/CT) Imaging for Radiation Therapy Planning in Anal Cancer: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Publication date: Available online 31 March 2018
Source:Critical Reviews in Oncology/Hematology
Author(s): Per Albertsson, Charlotte Alverbratt, Ann Liljegren, Emil Björkander, Annika Strandell, Ola Samuelsson, Stig Palm, Andreas Hallqvist
To improve the accuracy of chemoradiation therapy in anal cancer patients PET/CT is frequently used in the planning of radiation therapy. A systematic review was performed to assess impact on survival, quality of life, symptom score, change in target definition and treatment intention. Systematic literature searches were conducted in Medline, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, and Centre for Reviews and Dissemination. Ten cross-sectional studies were identified. No data were available on survival or quality of life. The summary estimate of the proportion of patients in which PET/CT had an impact on the target definition, was 23% (95% CI 16;33). The corresponding summary estimate of a change in treatment intent from curative to palliative was 3% (95% CI 2;6). Almost one in four patients had a change in target definition, which supports the use of PET/CT in radiation therapy planning, but the consequence regarding survival and quality of life is still uncertain.

https://ift.tt/2Ea5BM6

Glucocorticoids as an adjunct to oncologic treatment in solid malignancies – not an innocent bystander

Publication date: Available online 31 March 2018
Source:Critical Reviews in Oncology/Hematology
Author(s): Corinne Maurice-Dror, Ruth Perets, Gil Bar-Sela
Glucocorticoids are steroidal hormones which exert their action via genomic and non-genomic mechanisms. In the clinical setting, glucocorticoids are utilized for their anti-inflammatory, anti-allergenic and immunomodulatory effects and for their well-established, pro-apoptotic effects on hematological malignancies. In the treatment of solid tumors, glucocorticoids serve primarily for alleviation of tumor- and treatment-related symptoms and in most cases are not considered to have a direct effect on tumor growth and spread. However, significant pre-clinical data suggest that glucocorticoids have diverse effects on tumor progression, both pro- and anti- tumorigenic. In contrast, the clinical data regarding the pro- and anti-tumorigenic effects of glucocorticoids on solid tumors is scarce, and summarized in this review. The following review presents the suggested glucocorticoids mechanism of action and the effects of glucocorticoids on tumor cells, on the tumor microenvironment and on tumor response to cytotoxic therapy, in the pre-clinical and clinical settings.

https://ift.tt/2J8Lf9L

Prediction models for endometrial cancer for the general population or symptomatic women: a systematic review

Publication date: Available online 31 March 2018
Source:Critical Reviews in Oncology/Hematology
Author(s): Maaike Alblas, Kimberley Velt, Nora Pashayan, Martin Widschwendter, Ewout Steyerberg, Yvonne Vergouwe
ObjectiveTo provide an overview of prediction models for the risk of developing endometrial cancer in women of the general population or for the presence of endometrial cancer in symptomatic women.MethodsWe systematically searched the Embase and Pubmed database until September 2017 for relevant publications. We included studies describing the development, the external validation, or the updating of a multivariable model for predicting endometrial cancer in the general population or symptomatic women.ResultsOut of 2756 references screened, 14 studies were included. We found two prediction models for developing endometrial cancer in the general population (risk models) and one extension. Eight studies described the development of models for symptomatic women (diagnostic models), one comparison of the performance of two diagnostic models and two external validation. Sample size varied from 60 (10 with cancer) to 201,811 (855 with cancer) women. The age of the women was included as a predictor in almost all models. The risk models included epidemiological variables related to the reproductive history of women, hormone use, BMI, and smoking history. The diagnostic models also included clinical predictors, such as endometrial thickness and recurrent bleeding. The concordance statistic (c), assessing the discriminative ability, varied from 0.68 to 0.77 in the risk models and from 0.73 to 0.957 in the diagnostic models. Methodological information was often limited, especially on the handling of missing data, and the selection of predictors. One risk model and four diagnostic models were externally validated.ConclusionsOnly a few models have been developed to predict endometrial cancer in asymptomatic or symptomatic women. The usefulness of most models is unclear considering methodological shortcomings and lack of external validation. Future research should focus on external validation and extension with new predictors or biomarkers, such as genetic and epigenetic markers.

https://ift.tt/2pVERKq

Re-irradiation as salvage treatment in recurrent glioblastoma: a comprehensive literature review to provide practical answers to frequently asked questions

Publication date: Available online 31 March 2018
Source:Critical Reviews in Oncology/Hematology
Author(s): Silvia Scoccianti, Giulio Francolini, Giulio Alberto Carta, Daniela Greto, Beatrice Detti, Gabriele Simontacchi, Luca Visani, Muhammed Baki, Linda Poggesi, Pierluigi Bonomo, Monica Mangoni, Isacco Desideri, Stefania Pallotta, Lorenzo Livi
The primary aim of this review is to provide practical recommendations in terms of fractionation, dose, constraints and selection criteria to be used in the daily clinical routine.Based on the analysis of the literature reviewed, in order to keep the risk of severe side effects <3,5%, patients should be stratified according to the target volume. Thus, patients should be treated with different fractionation and total EQD2 (<12,5 ml: EQD2 < 65 Gy with radiosurgery; >12,5 ml and <35 ml: EQD2 < 50 Gy with hypofractionated stereotactic radiotherapy; >35 m l and <50 ml: EQD2 < 36 Gy with conventionally fractionated radiotherapy).Concurrent approaches with temozolomide or bevacizumab do not seem to improve the outcomes of reirradiation and may lead to a higher risk of toxicity but these findings need to be confirmed in prospective series.

https://ift.tt/2J9wjIG

Pelvic excursion during walking post-stroke: A novel classification system

Publication date: Available online 31 March 2018
Source:Gait & Posture
Author(s): Virginia L. Little, Theresa E. McGuirk, Lindsay A. Perry, Carolynn Patten
BackgroundResearchers and clinicians often use gait speed to classify hemiparetic gait dysfunction because it offers clinical predictive capacity. However, gait speed fails to distinguish unique biomechanical characteristics that differentiate aspects of gait dysfunction.Research QuestionHere we describe a novel classification of hemiparetic gait dysfunction based on biomechanical traits of pelvic excursion. We hypothesize that individuals with greater deviation of pelvic excursion, relative to controls, demonstrate greater impairment in key gait characteristics.MethodsWe compared 41 participants (61.0 ± 11.2yrs) with chronic post-stroke hemiparesis to 21 non-disabled controls (55.8 ± 9.0yrs). Participants walked on an instrumented split-belt treadmill at self-selected walking speed. Pelvic excursion was quantified as the peak-to-peak magnitude of pelvic motion in three orthogonal planes (i.e., tilt, rotation, and obliquity). Raw values of pelvic excursion were compared against the distribution of control data to establish deviation scores which were assigned bilaterally for the three planes producing six values per individual. Deviation scores were then summed to produce a composite pelvic deviation score. Based on composite scores, participants were allocated to one of three categories of hemiparetic gait dysfunction with progressively increasing pelvic excursion deviation relative to controls: Type I (n = 15) – minimal pelvic excursion deviation; Type II (n = 20) – moderate pelvic excursion deviation; and Type III (n = 6) – marked pelvic excursion deviation. We assessed resulting groups for asymmetry in key gait parameters including: kinematics, joint powers temporally linked to the stance-to-swing transition, and timing of lower extremity muscle activity.ResultsAll groups post-stroke walked at similar self-selected speeds; however, classification based on pelvic excursion deviation revealed progressive asymmetry in gait kinematics, kinetics and temporal patterns of muscle activity.SignificanceThe progressive asymmetry revealed in multiple gait characteristics suggests exaggerated pelvic motion contributes to gait dysfunction post-stroke.

https://ift.tt/2J4lOq5

ΒΟΗΘΗΜΑΤΑ ΑΚΟΗΣ ΑΚΟΥΣΤΙΚΑ ΒΑΡΗΚΟΙΑΣ ΕΝΙΣΧΥΤΕΣ ΑΚΟΗΣ ΑΤΟΚΕΣ ΔΟΣΕΙΣ

ΒΟΗΘΗΜΑΤΑ ΑΚΟΗΣ ΑΚΟΥΣΤΙΚΑ ΒΑΡΗΚΟΙΑΣ ΕΝΙΣΧΥΤΕΣ ΑΚΟΗΣ ΑΤΟΚΕΣ ΔΟΣΕΙΣ

! # Ola via Alexandros G.Sfakianakis on Inoreader

Σάββατο, 31 Μαρτίου 2018

Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Graphical abstract

Graphical abstract

Graphical abstract

Graphical abstract

Graphical abstract

Graphical abstract

Graphical abstract

Teaser

Teaser

Graphical abstract

Graphical abstract

Graphical abstract

Graphical abstract

Graphical abstract

Graphical abstract

ΒΟΗΘΗΜΑΤΑ ΑΚΟΗΣ ΑΚΟΥΣΤΙΚΑ ΒΑΡΗΚΟΙΑΣ ΕΝΙΣΧΥΤΕΣ ΑΚΟΗΣ ΑΤΟΚΕΣ ΔΟΣΕΙΣ

Αρχειοθήκη ιστολογίου