Scholar : ΛΟΓΟΣ - νέα αποτελέσματα

Εγκυμοσύνη και τοκετός

Ζ Ντάφου, Α Τάτσιου, Φ Τσίγκου, Θ Αποστολάκου - 2018

… Στην παρούσα εργασία γίνεται λόγος και για την καθημερινότητα της εγκύου
με σκοπό την πλήρη ενημέρωση της σε θέματα όπως διατροφή, άθληση,
προφύλαξη, κοινωνική ζωή και επίσης γίνεται λόγος για το σημαντικό ρόλο …

Hunting Narratives: Capturing the Lives of Animals

N Picard - What Is Zoopoetics?, 2018

… How does human literary language embody beasts of flesh and blood? How has this
strong connection between φύσις [phúsis] and λόγος [lógos] been established? 2 How
have the lives of animals been disseminated or transcribed in human language …

[PDF] Αποκλεισμός διαδικτυακών διαφημίσειων: μελέτη των κινήτρων των Eλλήνων καταναλωτών

Α Σωτηριάδου - 2018

… του διαδικτύου είναι οι διαφημίσεις. Ο λόγος αρκετά προφανής, αφού οι περισσότεροι
όλο … χρησιμοποιούν τα αποτελέσματα υπέρ τους.. Ο λόγος της παρούσας ερευνάς
αποσκοπεί κυρίως στο να δούμε και να επιβεβαιώσουμε ότι …

[PDF] Οι λόγοι που οδηγούν στην ζήτηση για εξωτερικό εθελοντικό έλεγχο στην Σουηδία

Α Κόκκινος - 2018

… συγκεκριμένου θέματος στην Σουηδία. Ο πρωταρχικός λόγος είναι οι σημαντικές
διαφορές στο κανονιστικό και νομοθετικό πλαίσιο … πλαίσιο. Ένας δεύτερος, αλλά εξίσου,
σημαντικός λόγος είναι το γεγονός ότι η Σουηδία αποτελεί …

[PDF] Ανάπτυξη Κεραιών Για In Vitro Φασματοσκοπία Βιολογικών Ιστών Στο Thz Φάσμα Συχνοτήτων

Π Τουμάσης - 2018

… στην φασ ατοσκοπία βιολογικών ιστών. ΄Ενας λόγος που η κεραία αυτή είναι
κατάλληλη για in vitro φασ ατοσκπία βιλογι- κών ιστών είναι, όπως αναφέρα ε
παραπάνω ότι λειτουργεί στο φάσ α των THz. Τα τελευταία όνο χρόνια …

[PDF] Εργασιακό άγχος και οργανωσιακή αλλαγή. Η περίπτωση της Υπηρεσίας Πολιτικής Αεροπορίας

Α Καραγιαννίδου - 2018

… Οι ταχύτατες εξελίξεις στον εργασιακό χώρο, και οι διαρκώς αυξανόμενες εργοδοτικές
απαιτήσεις, επιτείνουν το στρες των εργαζομένων. Περισσότερος λόγος γίνεται για τα
αρνητικά αποτελέσματα του στρες παρά για τα θετικά. Ωστόσο εκτός …

[PDF] 交換的正義概念の系譜におけるアリストテレスと問いの源泉

伊多波宗周 - 研究論叢, 2018

… 働き（ἔργον）」を論じることでそ の意味が明確化されると述べられ（1097b24-25），徳＝卓越性（
ἀρητή）の議論が始まる。大工 や靴職人に特有の働きがあるように，人間に特有の働きを「
理り（λόγος）に基づいた」「魂の活 動」と捉えるなら，たとえば …

Segen heute?: Neue Zugänge zum Segnen und zum Segen

L Botha - 2018

… Eschatologie [ɛsça-] (aus altgriechisch τὰ ἔσχατα ta és- chata ‚die äußersten
Dinge', ‚die letzten Dinge' und λόγος lógos ‚Lehre') ist ein theologischer
Begriff, der die prophetische Lehre von den Hoffnungen auf Vollendung …

Onto-Theo-Logie in der Geschichte–Versuch über László Tengelyis Deutung der Neuzeit

G Boros - Welt und Unendlichkeit: Ein deutsch-ungarischer …, 2018

[PDF] Οργάνωση και κοστολόγηση ενός σιδηροδρομικού έργου

Κ Παναγιωτοπούλου - 2018

… η παράδοση. Τα στάδια αυτά δηλώνουν πως πρέπει να υπάρχει ένας συγκεκριμένος
λόγος ώστε να προχωρήσει η μελέτη του έργου και να γίνουν οι κατάλληλες προτάσεις
ώστε να δοθεί λύση στο πρόβλημα του έργου. Στην συνέχεια …

 

Δημιουργία λίστας των ειδοποιήσεών μου

Ακύρωση ειδοποίησης

Αυτή η ειδοποίηση αποστέλλεται από τον Μελετητή Google. Ο Μελετητής Google είναι μια υπηρεσία που παρέχεται από την Google.

Scholar : Decannulation - νέα αποτελέσματα

High-Frequency Percussive Ventilation Facilitates Weaning from Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation in Adults.

I Gulkarov, J Schiffenhaus, I Wong, A Afzal, F Khusid… - The journal of extra …, 2018

… ECMO with HFPV after failure to wean with MCV. Weaning trials of HFPV a day
before decannulation or at the time of separation from VA-ECMO were conducted.
Primary endpoint data collected include pre- and post-HFPV …

Endoscopic percutaneous suture lateralization for neonatal bilateral vocal fold immobility

GL Montague, RA Bly, GS Nadaraja, DE Conrad… - International Journal of …, 2018

… In 2017, simultaneous anterior and posterior cricoid split procedures for BVFI was reported
in 19 neonates across 4 institutions, with a success rate of 74% defined as avoidance
of tracheostomy or successful decannulation [2]. One patient developed new aspiration …

Parálisis bilateral de cuerdas vocales en pediatría: nuestra experiencia

ML Scatolini, HA Rodriguez, CG Pérez, A Cocciaglia… - Acta Otorrinolaringológica …, 2018

… A high percentage of patients required tracheostomy. A higher recovery rate of
vocal-cord mobility was observed in idiopathic BVCP, which allowed for successful
decannulation. In this series, decannulation was possible in …

[PDF] Extracorporeal Membrane Oxigenation Support Following Cardiac and Respiratory Disease

B Quintana-Villamandos, A Arnalich-Montiel, DM Díaz…

… This technique lowers the risk of distal leg ischemia and simplifies
decannulation … Some of its advantages: it facilitates anterograde flow,
it allows direct closure of chest after postcardiotomy shock, it has an easy …

[PDF] Use of Simulation for Tracheostomy Care, a Low Volume, High Risk Nursing Procedure

V Ramakrishnan

… Appendix B: Tracheal Secretion Scenario .....56 Appendix C: Tracheostomy
Accidental Decannulation .....61 … primarily after the first week of surgery.
Accidental decannulation, tube occlusion/mucus …

 

Δημιουργία λίστας των ειδοποιήσεών μου

Ακύρωση ειδοποίησης

Αυτή η ειδοποίηση αποστέλλεται από τον Μελετητή Google. Ο Μελετητής Google είναι μια υπηρεσία που παρέχεται από την Google.

Scholar : ΠΑΛΙΝΔΡΟΜΗΣΗ - νέα αποτελέσμ

[PDF] Υψηλές επιδόσεις με τη χρήση υπολογιστικού νέφους

Ι Σαλιακούρα - 2018

Page 1. ΔΙΑΤΜΗΜΑΤΙΚΟ ΠΡΟΓΡΑΜΜΑ ΜΕΤΑΠΤΥΧΙΑΚΩΝ ΣΠΟΥΔΩΝ
ΣΤΑ ΠΛΗΡΟΦΟΡΙΑΚΑ ΣΥΣΤΗΜΑΤΑ Διπλωματική Εργασία ΥΨΗΛΕΣ
ΕΠΙΔΟΣΕΙΣ ΜΕ ΤΗ ΧΡΗΣΗ ΥΠΟΛΟΓΙΣΤΙΚOY ΝΕΦΟΥΣ της ΙΩΑΝΝΑΣ …

[PDF] Εμπειρική μελέτη πάνω στη σχέση μεταξύ Ακαθάριστου Εγχώριου ΠροΊόντος και ενέργειας

Β Μονος - 2018

Page 1. [1] ΠΑΝΕΠΙΣΤΗΜΙΟ ΜΑΚΕΔΟΝΙΑΣ ΟΙΚΟΝΟΜΙΚΩΝ ΚΑΙ
ΚΟΙΝΩΝΙΚΩΝ ΕΠΙΣΤΗΜΩΝ ΤΜΗΜΑ ΟΙΚΟΝΟΜΙΚΩΝ ΕΠΙΣΤΗΜΩΝ
Διατμηματικό πρόγραμμα μεταπτυχιακών σπουδών στην Οικονομική …

 

Δημιουργία λίστας των ειδοποιήσεών μου

Ακύρωση ειδοποίησης

Αυτή η ειδοποίηση αποστέλλεται από τον Μελετητή Google. Ο Μελετητής Google είναι μια υπηρεσία που παρέχεται από την Google.

Scholar : ΠΡΟΣΩΠΙΚΟ ΝΕΥΡΟ - νέα αποτελέσματα

[PDF] Μελέτη και σύγκριση των κοινοτήτων των Ελλήνων και Ιταλών θαυμαστών του αμερικανκού χριστιανικού ροκ/μέταλ συγκροτήματος RED

Π Χρυσικοπούλου - 2018

… την αμεσότητα των διαδικτυακών δραστηριοτήτων σε σχέση με τα "offline"
γεγονότα όπου και αν υπάρχουν» (2008: 3). Έτσι, αφού έγινα μέλος στη σελίδα
των Ιταλών φαν, έστειλα αιτήματα φιλίας σε διάφορα μέλη της σελίδας …

 

Δημιουργία λίστας των ειδοποιήσεών μου

Ακύρωση ειδοποίησης

Αυτή η ειδοποίηση αποστέλλεται από τον Μελετητή Google. Ο Μελετητής Google είναι μια υπηρεσία που παρέχεται από την Google.

Scholar : ΒΑΣΗ ΚΡΑΝΙΟΥ - νέα αποτελέσματα

[PDF] Το Νεκρομαντείο του Αχέροντα

Α Βουλγαράκη - 2018

… αρχές του 3ου αιώνα π.Χ. ως την καταστροφή του το 168/167 π.Χ., με βάση τις απόψεις
του ίδιου του ανασκαφέα … Για το λόγο αυτό, οι ψυχές των νεκρών ανακαλούνται προσωρινά
από τον Κάτω Κόσμο. Με βάση τις φιλολογικές μαρτυρίες, η συνάντηση των ζωντανών …

 

Δημιουργία λίστας των ειδοποιήσεών μου

Ακύρωση ειδοποίησης

Αυτή η ειδοποίηση αποστέλλεται από τον Μελετητή Google. Ο Μελετητής Google είναι μια υπηρεσία που παρέχεται από την Google.

A novel histochemical method of simultaneous detection by a single- or double-immunofluorescence and Bielschowsky’s silver staining in teased rat sciatic nerves

Publication date: Available online 27 March 2018
Source:Journal of Neuroscience Methods
Author(s): Edith Segura-Anaya, Rommel Flores-Miranda, Alejandro Martínez-Gómez, Myrna A.R. Dent
BackgroundThe Golgi silver method has been widely used in neuroscience for the study of normal and pathological morphology of neurons. The method has been steadily improved and Bielschowsky's silver staining method (BSSM) is widely used in various pathological conditions, like Alzheimer's disease.New methodIn this work, teased sciatic nerves were silver impregnated using BSSM. We also developed simultaneous staining by silver impregnation and single- or double-immunofluorescence of the same section in teased nerve preparations. We immunostained against non-myelinating Schwann cells and different myelinating Schwann cell domains.ResultsBSSM teased nerves show a strong staining of axons (black) and a gold-brown staining of non-myelin Schwann cells and compact myelin. We were also able to stain by immunofluorescence these BSSM teased nerves with specific molecular markers against non-myelinating Schwann cells and different myelinating Schwann cell domains such as the Schmidt-Lanterman incisures, paranodal regions or compact myelin.Comparison with existing methods and ConclusionsIn peripheral nerves, several silver impregnation methods have been used to stain nerves in paraffin sections, but not in teased nerves to enable the assessment of isolated nerve fibers. In conclusion, BSSM gives accurate information of nerve morphology and combining the procedure with immunofluorescence it would be very useful to study the molecular nerve domain organization of the nerve fibers, and to study the molecular pathology of axon degeneration, or myelin disorders, or of any peripheral neuropathy, also to study demyelination diseases in the central nervous system.

Graphical abstract

https://ift.tt/2IVBdsH

On application of Kernel PCA for Generating Stimulus Features for fMRI during Continuous Music Listening

Publication date: Available online 27 March 2018
Source:Journal of Neuroscience Methods
Author(s): Valeri Tsatsishvili, Iballa Burunat, Fengyu Cong, Petri Toiviainen, Vinoo Alluri, Tapani Ristaniemi
BackgroundThere has been growing interest towards naturalistic neuroimaging experiments, which deepen our understanding of how human brain processes and integrates incoming streams of multifaceted sensory information, as commonly occurs in real world. Music is a good example of such complex continuous phenomenon. In a few recent fMRI studies examining neural correlates of music in continuous listening settings, multiple perceptual attributes of music stimulus were represented by a set of high-level features, produced as the linear combination of the acoustic descriptors computationally extracted from the stimulus audio.New methodfMRI data from naturalistic music listening experiment were employed here. Kernel principal component analysis (KPCA) was applied to acoustic descriptors extracted from the stimulus audio to generate a set of nonlinear stimulus features. Subsequently, perceptual and neural correlates of the generated high-level features were examined.ResultsThe generated features captured musical percepts that were hidden from the linear PCA features, namely Rhythmic Complexity and Event Synchronicity. Neural correlates of the new features revealed activations associated to processing of complex rhythms, including auditory, motor, and frontal areas.Comparison with existing methodResults were compared with the findings in the previously published study, which analyzed the same fMRI data but applied linear PCA for generating stimulus features. To enable comparison of the results, methodology for finding stimulus-driven functional maps was adopted from the previous study.ConclusionsExploiting nonlinear relationships among acoustic descriptors can lead to the novel high-level stimulus features, which can in turn reveal new brain structures involved in music processing.



https://ift.tt/2pJOBY1

A Method to Assess Randomness of Functional Connectivity Matrices

Publication date: Available online 27 March 2018
Source:Journal of Neuroscience Methods
Author(s): Victor M. Vergara, Qingbao Yu, Vince D. Calhoun
BackgroundFunctional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) allows for the measurement of functional connectivity of the brain. In this context, graph theory has revealed distinctive non-random connectivity patterns. However, the application of graph theory to fMRI often utilizes non-linear transformations (absolute value) to extract edge representations.New methodIn contrast, this work proposes a mathematical framework for the analysis of randomness directly from functional connectivity assessments. The framework applies random matrix theory to the analysis of functional connectivity matrices (FCMs). The developed randomness measure includes its probability density function and statistical testing method.ResultsThe utilized data comes from a previous study including 603 healthy individuals. Results demonstrate the application of the proposed method, confirming that whole brain FCMs are not random matrices. On the other hand, several FCM submatrices did not significantly test out of randomness.Comparison with existing methodsThe proposed method does not replace graph theory measures; instead, it assesses a different aspect of functional connectivity. Features not included in graph theory are small numbers of nodes, testing submatrices of an FCM and handling negative as well as positive edge values.ConclusionThe random test not only determines randomness, but also serves as an indicator of smaller non-random patterns within a non-random FCM. Outcomes suggest that a lower order model may be sufficient as a broad description of the data, but it also indicates a loss of information. The developed randomness measure assesses a different aspect of randomness from that of graph theory.



https://ift.tt/2ITOySc

Hyaluronic acid coated albumin nanoparticles for targeted peptide delivery in the treatment of retinal ischaemia

Publication date: June 2018
Source:Biomaterials, Volume 168
Author(s): Di Huang, Ying-Shan Chen, Colin R. Green, Ilva D. Rupenthal
Recent studies have shown that Connexin43 mimetic peptide (Cx43 MP) can prevent secondary damage following retinal ischaemic and inflammatory disorders by blocking uncontrolled Cx43 hemichannel opening. However, limitations in peptide stability and the presence of various intraocular barriers limit efficient retinal delivery in the clinical setting. The present study aimed to achieve targeted and sustained peptide delivery to the retina by encapsulating Cx43 MP into hyaluronic acid (HA) coated albumin nanoparticles (NPs). Intraocular biodistribution, particle retention, retinal targeting, and therapeutic efficacy of intravitreally injected NPs encapsulating Cx43 MP were evaluated in a rat model of retinal ischaemia-reperfusion injury. NPs rapidly diffused through the vitreous and specifically targeted CD44-expressing retinal cells. NPs remained at the target site for extended periods enabling sustained peptide release and thus prolonged therapeutic action. Compared to free Cx43 MP, Cx43 MP loaded NPs enabled enhanced therapeutic efficacy preventing thinning of retinal layers and disruption of retinal blood vessels. Immunohistochemical results confirm that Cx43 MP loaded NPs efficiently reduced Cx43 expression, thereby suppressing ongoing inflammation and preventing the loss of retinal ganglion cells. Overall, HA coated NPs could have great potential as a peptide delivery platform in the treatment of chronic retinal degenerative and inflammatory disorders.

Graphical abstract

https://ift.tt/2I3Tym7

Pulmonary Colonization Resistance to Pathogens via Non-Canonical Wnt and IL-17A by Intranasal pep27 Mutant Immunization.

Pulmonary Colonization Resistance to Pathogens via Non-Canonical Wnt and IL-17A by Intranasal pep27 Mutant Immunization.

J Infect Dis. 2018 Mar 22;:

Authors: Kim GL, Lee S, Kim SJ, Lee SO, Pyo S, Rhee DK

Abstract
Colonization resistance has been focused on the gut microbiota against antibiotic resistant strains. However, less research has been performed on respiratory colonization resistance. Since respiratory colonization is the first step of respiratory infections, intervention to prevent colonization would represent a new approach for preventive and therapeutic measures. The Th17 response plays an important role in clearance of respiratory pathogens. Thus, harnessing the Th17 immune response in the mucosal site would be an effective method to design a respiratory mucosal vaccine. Here, we showed that intranasal Δpep27 immunization induces non-canonical Wnt and subsequent interleukin (IL)-17 secretion, and inhibits Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, and Klebsiella pneumoniae colonization. Moreover, IL-17A neutralization or nuclear factor of activated T-cells (NFAT) inhibition augmented bacterial colonization, indicating that non-canonical Wnt signaling is involved in pulmonary colonization resistance. Therefore, Δpep27 immunization can provide non-specific respiratory colonization resistance via non-canonical Wnt signaling and IL-17A-related pathways.

PMID: 29579238 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

https://ift.tt/2IWO3Hg

Evaluating toxicity of copper(II) oxide nanoparticles (CuO-NPs) through waterborne exposure to tilapia ( Oreochromis mossambicus ) by tissue accumulation, oxidative stress, histopathology, and genotoxicity

Abstract

Metal oxide nanoparticles are widely used in industries, and peak level can be confirmed in their surroundings. In the present study, the sub-lethal effects of CuO-NPs from low to high concentration as 0.5 to 1.5 mg/L were observed in tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus). Accumulation of copper from CuO-NPs was increased with the increase in doses, and maximum accumulation was found in the gill than liver and muscles. The increased lipid peroxidation level was observed in the gill as compared to liver, and the similar results were obtained in catalase and glutathione while superoxide dismutase level was higher in the liver than gills. In histological alterations, gill edema, curved tips, fusion of gill lamellae, and thickening of primary and secondary gill lamellae were observed. Necrosis and apoptosis with condensed nuclear bodies and pyknotic nuclei were observed in the liver at the highest dose concentration. In a genotoxic study, the highest value of % tail DNA and olive tail movement was observed with increasing concentrations. Copper oxide nanoparticles has greater potential to accumulate in the soft tissues, which may cause respiratory distress such as oxidative stress, induction of antioxidant defense by raising glutathione, organ pathology, and genotoxicity.

https://ift.tt/2DY9aFo

Redox buffering and de-coupling of arsenic and iron in reducing aquifers across the Red River Delta, Vietnam, and conceptual model of de-coupling processes

Abstract

Analysis of over 500 groundwater samples from throughout the Red River Delta indicates de-coupling of dissolved arsenic (As) and dissolved iron (Fe). Sorting of all data along the redox potentials suggests re-adsorption of As released initially from Mn(IV)-oxyhydroxides and later from Fe(III)-oxyhydroxides on remaining ferric phases at moderate redox levels. A gradually decreasing specific surface area available for re-adsorption of As probably plays a role as a consequence of limited reactivity of more crystalline phases such as goethite and hematite. At low redox levels, concentrations of Fe and phosphate decrease, but As concentrations keep increasing and most As is present as As(III) with limited adsorption affinity. Based on the results of speciation modeling, the water is supersaturated with respect to siderite and vivianite. A general conceptual model of As and Fe behavior is presented, suggesting that coupled behavior is possible in two geochemical "windows", i.e., 1: between saturation of remaining adsorption sites and the onset of siderite and vivianite precipitation, and 2: after the beginning of secondary sulfide phases precipitation and during methanogenesis. The de-coupling of As from Fe is common and has been observed at many sites around the world where As is released as a consequence of redox processes, e.g., in Bangladesh, West Bengal and Assam in India, the Mekong Delta in Cambodia and Vietnam, and Taiwan. The presented general conceptual model of de-coupling processes can be applied to the interpretation of As and Fe data, and, thus, it can help in the preparation of a site conceptual model which is a necessary prerequisite for reactive transport modeling.

https://ift.tt/2pIPFwf

Khuzestan dust phenomenon: a content analysis of most widely circulated newspapers

Abstract

Dust is an atmospheric phenomenon that causes adverse environmental effects. It is deemed to have harmful effects on health, economics, and climate. This study aimed to analyze the content published on the phenomenon of dust in the widely circulated newspapers in Iran. We investigated the content of all national and provincial newspapers that were published between July and August 2014. Data on the materials related to the dust phenomenon in the newspapers were categorized and coded. From a total of 510 newspaper issues, 143 articles were devoted to the dust phenomenon which 74.1% of them were published in provincial newspapers. Among the national newspapers, Hamshahri newspaper with 16 headlines and from the provincial newspapers; Karoon with 23 headlines published the highest number of articles on dust phenomenon. 45.5% of content on dust were printed on the first page of the newspapers. The most common approach to the type of content published in these newspapers was an interview. Moreover, we noticed that 28.7% of the content published in the newspapers was related to the health issue. The media plays an important role in the transmission of health information. Weaknesses in addressing the causes of dust occurrence and also in providing solutions for the dust control and prevention were noticeable in the content published in the newspaper. It seems necessary to take practical measures to disseminate relevant information to dust and also address the needs of the target audience community influenced by the dust phenomenon properly.

https://ift.tt/2DY92FU

Approximation of personal exposure to fine particulate matters (PM 2.5 ) during cooking using solid biomass fuels in the kitchens of rural West Bengal, India

Abstract

More than 85% of the rural Indian households use traditional solid biofuels (SBFs) for daily cooking. Burning of the easily available unprocessed solid fuels in inefficient earthen cooking stoves produce large quantities of particulate matters. Smaller particulates, especially with aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 μm or less (PM_2.5), largely generated during cooking, are considered to be health damaging in nature. In the present study, kitchen level exposure of women cooks to fine particulate matters during lunch preparation was assessed considering kitchen openness as surrogate to the ventilation condition. Two-way ANCOVA analysis considering meal quantity as a covariate revealed no significant interaction between the openness and the seasons explaining the variability of the personal exposure to the fine particulate matters in rural kitchen during cooking. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed the openness as the only significant predictor for personal exposure to the fine particulate matters. In the present study, the annual average fine particulate matter exposure concentration was found to be 974 μg m⁻³.

https://ift.tt/2pEZDic

Phthalate exposure and high blood pressure in adults: a cross-sectional study in China

Abstract

Widespread phthalate exposure has been recently documented and is hypothesized to increase blood pressure (BP) in humans. However, current studies have provided inconclusive evidence for an association between phthalate exposure and BP. Human epidemiologic studies on the topic remain lacking. Therefore, this study aims to examine the association between serum phthalate concentrations and BP in a Chinese population. We measured several parameters of BP (systolic BP, diastolic BP, total cholesterol, and triglyceride) and the concentrations of 16 phthalates (dimethyl phthalate (DMP), diethyl phthalate, diisobutyl phthalate, dibutyl phthalate (DBP), bis (2-methoxyethyl) phthalate, bis (4-methyl-2-pentyl) phthalate, bis (2-ethoxyethyl) phthalate, diamyl phthalate, dihexyl phthalate, benzyl butyl phthalate, bis (2-nbutoxyethyl) phthalate (DBEP), dicyclohexyl phthalate, bis (2-ethyl hexyl) phthalate (DEHP), diisononyl phthalate, diphenyl phthalate, and di-n-octyl phthalate) in the serum of 474 adults recruited from a primary health care clinic. The relationship between serum phthalate concentrations and BP parameters was assessed with multivariate linear regressions. DBP was the most ubiquitous and dominant contaminant in the study population. The systolic BP of subjects in the median-exposure DEHP group significantly increased by 2.96 mmHg (p < 0.05) relative to that of subjects in the low-exposure group. Significant positive dose-related associations of DMP and DBEP with the levels of total cholesterol in serum (p for trend < 0.05) were also found. These associations persisted even when considering exposure to multiple phthalates. Our results suggested that phthalate exposure might increase BP in adults. However, our findings warrant further studies in a larger and more general population.

https://ift.tt/2DY11AM

Characterization and phenanthrene sorption of organic matter fractions isolated from organic and mineral soils

Abstract

Sorption of phenanthrene (PHE) to humic acid (HA) and humin (HM) fractions isolated from organic and mineral soils was investigated to better understand sorption processes in varying soil types. Samples were characterized by elemental analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance, and CO₂ adsorption. No clear correlation was found between the distribution coefficient (K_d) and the bulk polarity of the soil organic matters (SOMs). By contrast, PHE K_d values generally increased with increasing surface polarity of the tested SOMs, implying that surface polarity may play a more important role in PHE sorption than the bulk one. The organic carbon (OC)-normalized K_d values (K_oc) of HMs were higher than those of HAs as a result of the higher aliphatic C contents of HMs. For SOMs isolated from mineral soil (MI-SOMs), part of the aliphatic domains may be tightly associated with minerals and were not accessible to PHE molecules, resulting in lower PHE K_oc values of MI-SOMs than the corresponding fractions extracted from the organic soil. This study implies that both chemical characteristics and physical conformation of SOMs are paramount considerations when investigating sorption process of hydrophobic organic compounds in soils.

https://ift.tt/2pI9t2z

Individual differences in infants’ neural responses to their peers’ cry and laughter

Publication date: Available online 27 March 2018
Source:Biological Psychology
Author(s): Maria Magdalena Crespo-Llado, Ross E. Vanderwert, Elena Geangu
Infants' ability to process others' emotional expressions is fundamental for their social development. While infants' processing of emotions expressed by faces and speech has been more extensively investigated, less is known about how infants process non-verbal vocalizations of emotions. Here, we recorded frontal N100, P200, and LPC event-related potentials (ERPs) from 8-month-old infants listening to sounds of other infants crying, laughing, and coughing. Infants' temperament was measured via parental report. Results showed that processing of emotional information from non-verbal vocalizations was associated with more negative N100 and greater LPC amplitudes for peer's crying sounds relative to positive and neutral sounds. Temperament was further related to the N100, P200, and LPC difference scores between conditions. One important finding was that infants with improved ability to regulate arousal exhibited increased sustained processing of peers' cry sounds compared to both laughter and cough sounds. These results emphasize the relevance of considering the temperamental characteristics in understanding the development of infant emotion information processing, as well as for formulating comprehensive theoretical models of typical and atypical social development.



https://ift.tt/2GarbWN

ALTERATIONS OF COMPLEX MISMATCH NEGATIVITY (cMMN) ELICITED BY A TWO-TONE PATTERN PARADIGM IN EARLY-PHASE PSYCHOSIS

Publication date: Available online 27 March 2018
Source:Biological Psychology
Author(s): Emma M.L. Ells, Erica D. Rudolph, Lauren Sculthorpe-Petley, Shelagh C. Abriel, Debra J. Campbell, Philip G. Tibbo, Derek J. Fisher
The mismatch negativity (MMN) is a component of the event-related potential (ERP) elicited by a change in auditory stimulation (e.g., the occurrence of a deviant sound that violates the rules or regularities of the preceding stimulus sequence) regardless of whether one is attending to the change or not. As such, the MMN provides a useful index of pre-attentive cognition. While decreases in MMN amplitude are robustly observed in chronic schizophrenia, these deficits are less consistently present at the early phase of the illness. The current study utilizes a two-tone pattern paradigm that requires more complex computations than typical oddball stimulus presentations, which may be more appropriate for elucidating MMN deficits in an early phase psychosis (EP) sample. The stimuli were a standard sequence consisting of two alternating tones with different tonal frequencies (eg. ABABAB…), with MMN-eliciting pattern violations created by repetitions of either the A or the B tone. EEG recordings of 15 EP patients and 18 healthy controls (HCs) were collected. While no between-group differences were observed, MMN amplitudes in the EP group were correlated with positive and negative psychosis symptom scores. Follow-up analysis stratifying EP participants according to illness duration showed a reduced MMN amplitude in EP participants with a longer (2+ years) duration of illness, but not in EP participants who were within the first year of illness. These findings suggest a two-tone pattern paradigm may be useful in characterizing MMN-indexed cortical impairment later in the early phase of the illness, but not at first episode.



https://ift.tt/2DXNaub

Suppression of no-longer relevant information in Working Memory: an alpha-power related mechanism?

Publication date: Available online 27 March 2018
Source:Biological Psychology
Author(s): Claudia Poch, María Valdivia, Almudena Capilla, José Antonio Hinojosa, Pablo Campo
Selective attention can enhance Working Memory (WM) performance by selecting relevant information, while preventing distracting items from encoding or from further maintenance. Alpha oscillatory modulations are a correlate of visuospatial attention. Specifically, an enhancement of alpha power is observed in the ipsilateral posterior cortex to the locus of attention, along with a suppression in the contralateral hemisphere. An influential model proposes that the alpha enhancement is functionally related to the suppression of information. However, whether ipsilateral alpha power represents a mechanism through which no longer relevant WM representations are inhibited has yet not been explored. Here we examined whether the amount of distractors to be suppressed during WM maintenance is functionally related to alpha power lateralized activity. We measure EEG activity while participants (N = 36) performed a retro-cue task in which the WM load was varied across the relevant/irrelevant post-cue hemifield. We found that alpha activity was lateralized respect to the locus of attention, but did not track post-cue irrelevant load. Additionally, non-lateralized alpha activity increased with post-cue relevant load. We propose that alpha lateralization associated to retro-cuing might be related to a general orienting mechanism toward relevant representation.



https://ift.tt/2GaralH

Presynaptic origins of distinct modes of neurotransmitter release

Publication date: August 2018
Source:Current Opinion in Neurobiology, Volume 51
Author(s): Natali L Chanaday, Ege T Kavalali
Presynaptic nerve terminals release neurotransmitter synchronously, asynchronously or spontaneously. During synchronous neurotransmission release is precisely coupled to action potentials, in contrast, asynchronous release events show only loose temporal coupling to presynaptic activity whereas spontaneous neurotransmission occurs independent of presynaptic activity. The mechanisms that give rise to this diversity in neurotransmitter release modes are poorly understood. Recent studies have described several presynaptic molecular pathways controlling synaptic vesicle pool segregation and recycling, which in turn may dictate distinct modes of neurotransmitter release. In this article, we review this recent work regarding neurotransmitter release modes and their relationship to synaptic vesicle pool dynamics as well as the molecular machinery that establishes synaptic vesicle pool identity.



https://ift.tt/2GsWiwh

Environmental impact of rice production based on nitrogen fertilizer use

Abstract

While essential to food production, nitrogen (N) fertilizers in agricultural ecosystems are also important sources of environmental pollution nationally and globally. The environmental impact of three N fertilization levels (30, 60, and 90 kg ha⁻¹) plus a non-N control (0 kg ha⁻¹) in growing three rice cultivars (cv. Hashemi, cv. Alikazemi, and cv. Khazar) were assessed for 2 years in northern Iran, with the methodology of the life cycle assessment (LCA). The impact categories evaluated in this study were global warming, acidification, terrestrial eutrophication, and depletion of fossil, phosphate, and potassium resources. Over cultivars, no use of N fertilizer provided the lowest grain yield (2194 kg ha⁻¹), whereas the N rates of 60 and 90 kg ha⁻¹ increased grain yield by 52.9 and 66.9%, respectively. Over N rates, cv. Khazar produced the highest grain yield (3415 kg ha⁻¹) and cv. Hashemi the lowest (2663 kg ha⁻¹). On-farm (foreground) emissions were higher than off-farm (background) emissions in most impact categories. The maximum value of environmental index (1.33) was observed for cv. Hashemi with 90 kg N ha⁻¹, while the minimum value (0.38) was observed for cv. Khazar without N fertilization. Moreover, cv. Khazar showed the lowest resource depletion index (0.44) with 90 kg N ha⁻¹, whereas cv. Hashemi with no use of N showed the maximum value (0.96). Over cultivars, high N rates imposed drastic impact to the categories acidification and terrestrial eutrophication. However, selection of high-yielding cultivars significantly alleviated the impact to most categories. Fertilization that enables optimal yields, in accordance with the nutrient requirements of crops, ensures the most efficient land use and sustainable rice production.

https://ift.tt/2GftsMl

Attenuating effects of caffeic acid phenethyl ester and betaine on abamectin-induced hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity

Abstract

Abamectin (ABM) is a widely utilized potent anthelmintic and insecticidal agent. In this study, we investigated the protective effects of caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) and betaine (BET) against ABM-induced hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity in rats. Forty rats were divided into five groups, receiving either oral saline solution (normal control), oral ABM at a dose of 2 mg/kg BW (1/5 LD50), CAPE (10 μmol/kg BW intraperitoneally) followed by ABM, or BET supplementation at a dose of 250 mg/kg BW followed by ABM administration, while group V rats received a combination of i.p. CAPE and oral BET in the same doses before receiving ABM. Biochemical analysis showed that ABM administration significantly (p < 0.05) increased serum levels of aminotransferases, alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase, and cholesterol, as well as serum creatinine and urea. Compared to the control group, ABM-intoxicated rats had significantly (p < 0.05) higher tissue concentrations of nitric oxide and malondialdehyde, as well as lower tissue glutathione concentration, total antioxidant capacity, and antioxidant enzymatic activity (glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and catalase). Histopathological examination of hepatic and renal tissues of ABM-intoxicated rats showed acute inflammatory and necrotic changes. Pretreatment with CAPE and/or BET reversed the biochemical and histopathological alterations of ABM on the liver and kidneys. Therefore, CAPE and BET (alone or in combination) could be promising protective agents against ABM-induced hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity. Future studies should confirm our findings and evaluate the other molecular effects are involved in the combination chemoprotection of CAPE and BET.

https://ift.tt/2pJxPs1

Nitrogen fertilizer in combination with an ameliorant mitigated yield-scaled greenhouse gas emissions from a coastal saline rice field in southeastern China

Abstract

Coastal saline rice fields play an increasingly important role in rice production and associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, few studies investigated the influences of nitrogen (N) fertilizer and soil ameliorant on GHG emissions simultaneously in this region. Thus, a field experiment was established to study the effects of different N fertilizers and soil ameliorant on global warming potential (GWP) and yield-scaled GHG intensity (GHGI) after accounting for carbon dioxide (CO₂) equivalent emissions of methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O), agrochemical inputs, and farm operations along with agronomic nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) during the rice season of 2016 in a coastal saline paddy in Lianyungang, China. The experiment was initiated with four N treatments (N0, no N; Nu, urea; Nm, organic-inorganic mixed fertilizer; Nw, organic fertilizer made from wheat straw) and two ameliorant (A) treatments (A0, no ameliorant; A1, 22.5 kg ha⁻¹ ameliorant). The results showed that three N fertilizers significantly increased the CH₄ emissions, N₂O emissions, GWP, and grain yield by 42.2% (p < 0.001), 57.1% (p < 0.001), 49.8% (p < 0.001), and 58.9% (p < 0.001), respectively. NuA1, NmA1, and NwA1 treatments obviously reduced the yield-scaled GHGI by 21.3%, 16.3%, and 12.4%, respectively, relative to the corresponding NuA0, NmA0, and NwA0 treatments. Overall, although three N fertilizers would increase the GWP, combining an ameliorant amendment with N fertilizer can effectively reduce the yield-scaled GHGI and meanwhile increase the grain yield, particularly the NmA1 strategy.

https://ift.tt/2Gw1jnO

Correction to: Histological liver chances in Swiss mice caused by tannery effluent

Abstract

There is a problem in the original publication of this paper (Figure 2 Graphs are in Portuguese). Shown in this paper is the correct version.

https://ift.tt/2GdDY6U

Freundlich sorption parameters for cadmium, copper, nickel, lead, and zinc for different soils: Influence of kinetics

Publication date: 15 August 2018
Source:Geoderma, Volume 324
Author(s): Tamer A. Elbana, H. Magdi Selim, Nazanin Akrami, April Newman, Sabry M. Shaheen, Jörg Rinklebe
The mobility of heavy metals in the soil-water environment is highly dependent on their adsorption and kinetic behavior with the soil matrix. In this study, the retention of five heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) by ten soils from nine soil series was quantified using kinetic sorption batch methods over a wide range of input concentrations for each heavy metal. Retention results indicated that adsorption isotherms for all heavy metals and soils exhibited nonlinear behavior and also was kinetic. Soils with high organic matter and soils with high pH, due to the presence of carbonates, exhibited strong sorption for all heavy metals. For all ten soils used, adsorption of heavy metals followed the order Pb > Cu > Cd > Zn > Ni. For soils with high pH, adsorption followed the order Pb > Cu > Zn > Cd > Ni where Zn exhibited more affinity than Cd. The influence of time of reaction resulted in increased values of the Freundlich distribution coefficients (Kf) for all soils. This is indicative of increased sorption which varied among soils and heavy metals. With the exception of Cu, the Freundlich parameter b did not change with time for all ten soils. The parameter b was negatively correlated with pH and regression equation for Zn, Cd, and Ni was suitable to predict b vs. pH for 1 and 7 days reaction time. Moreover, b did not change significantly with time which simplifies the predictive capabilities of sorption models for heavy metals with time.



https://ift.tt/2ujUvoe

Mixed-ligand complexes of zinc(II) with 1,1-dicyanoethylene-2,2-dithiolate and N-donor ligands: A combined experimental and theoretical study

Publication date: 15 July 2018
Source:Journal of Molecular Structure, Volume 1164
Author(s): Mahesh Kumar Singh, Sanjit Sutradhar, Bijaya Paul, Suman Adhikari, Folguni Laskar, Sandeep Acharya, Debabrata Chakraborty, Surajit Biswas, Arijit Das, Subhadip Roy, Antonio Frontera
The fascinating structural chemistry of zinc(II) with 1,1-dicyanoethylene- 2,2-dithiolate [i-MNT^2- = {S2C:C(CN)2}^2-] ligand is presented. To elaborate, the reactivity of zinc(II) salt towards potassium salt of 1,1-dicyanoethylene-2,2-dithiolate (K2i-MNT) and 1,3-diaminopropane (dap) was studied in the presence of two distinct N-donor ligands, α-picoline (2-Methylpyridine) and γ-picoline (4-Methylpyridine), respectively. As a result, two different Zn(II) coordination complexes of formule [Zn2(dap)2(i-MNT)2] (1) and {[Zn(dap)(i-MNT)(4-MePy)]·2H2O}n (2) were obtained. They were isolated as stable crystalline solids and fully characterized, including by single crystal X-ray diffraction. Complex 1 is a discrete 0D dimer, whereas 2 is a 1D coordination polymer. Although α-picoline was used during the synthesis of 1, it is not involved in the metal coordination. Aiming at rationalizing the influence of the different noncovalent interactions, such as H-bonding, unconventional NH···π and anion–π, on the crystal packing of 1 and 2, DFT calculations (M06-2X/def2-TZVP) were performed. Moreover, luminescence property of the complex 2 was investigated. Finally, in vitro antifungal activity of complex 2 was also screened against five fungi viz. Synchitrium endobioticum, Pyricularia oryzae, Helminthosporium oryzae, Candida albicans (ATCC10231) and Trichophyton mentagrophytes by the disc diffusion method and found to be effective when compared to K2i-MNT^.H2O.

Graphical abstract

https://ift.tt/2IW6ko3

Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of New B-RafV600E Kinase Inhibitors

Publication date: Available online 26 March 2018
Source:Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry
Author(s): Peng-Fei Wang, Yong-Jiao Zhang, Dong Wang, Hui-Min Hu, Zhong-Chang Wang, Chen Xu, Han-Yue Qiu, Hai-Liang Zhu
The association of deregulated signal pathways with various diseases has long been a research hotspot. One of the most important signal pathways, the MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) signal pathway, plays a vital role in transducing extracellular signals into vital intracellular mechanisms. While mutations on its key component Raf kinase lead to sever diseases, targeted inhibition has thereby become an attractive therapeutic strategy. Several drugs have been approved for the treatment of Raf relevant diseases, yet more candidates are ever needed as the known drugs have confronted resistance and side effects. In the present study, we primarily investigated the binding modes of type I/II and type II inhibitors with B-Raf kinase. Based on the current knowledge, these ligands were fragmented and recombined to provide new interesting insights. Afterwards, a series of derivatives has been synthesized after the validation of hit compound. In addition, in vitro assays were carried out to profile the pharmacological properties of all the entities. Of all the compounds, compound 5h showed the best profile and may be used in the future study.

Graphical abstract

https://ift.tt/2GdM13n

Painting argyrins blue: Negishi cross-coupling for synthesis of deep-blue tryptophan analogue β-(1-azulenyl)-l alanine and its incorporation into argyrin C

Publication date: Available online 26 March 2018
Source:Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry
Author(s): Erik Stempel, Robert Franz-Xaver Kaml, Nediljko Budisa, Markus Kalesse
The argyrins are a family of non-ribosomal peptides that exhibits different biological activities through only small structural changes. Ideally, a biologically active molecule can be tracked and observed in a variety of biological and clinical settings in a non-invasive manner. As a step towards this goal, we report here a chemical synthesis of unnatural deep blue amino acid β-(1-azulenyl)-l alanine with different fluorescence and photophysical properties, which allows a spectral separation from the native tryptophan signal. This might be especially useful for cell localization studies and visualizing the targeted proteins. In particular, the synthesis of β-(1-azulenyl)- l alanine was achieved through a Negishi coupling which proved to be a powerful tool for the synthesis of unnatural tryptophan analogs. Upon β-(1-azulenyl)-l alanine incorporation into argyrin C, deep blue octapeptide variant was spectrally and structurally characterized.

Graphical abstract

https://ift.tt/2GsYZOb

Terpenoids isolated from Chinese liverworts Lepidozia reptans and their anti-inflammatory activity

Publication date: Available online 27 March 2018
Source:Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry
Author(s): Siwen Li, Huanmin Niu, Yanan Qiao, Rongxiu Zhu, Yong Sun, Zhaojie Ren, Huiqing Yuan, Yun Gao, Yi Li, Wang Chen, Jinchuan Zhou, Hongxiang Lou
Five new terpenoids (1–5) including two dollabellane-type, one ent-kaurane-type diterpenoids and two sesquiterpenoids were isolated from the Chinese liverwort Lepidozia reptans (L.) Dumort., together with nine known terpenoids (6–14). Their structures were determined on the basis of analysis of MS and NMR spectroscopic data, single-crystal X–ray diffraction and electronic circular dichroism calculations. The selected compounds 1, 2, 6, 7, 9 and 14 were screened for anti-inflammatory activities by the model of LPS-induced nitric oxide (NO) production with macrophage cells, and the mechanism of the active compounds 1 and 2 were further explored.

Graphical abstract

https://ift.tt/2DYcGzw

Aging resistance, mechanical properties and translucency of different yttria-stabilized zirconia ceramics for monolithic dental crown applications

Publication date: Available online 26 March 2018
Source:Dental Materials
Author(s): E. Camposilvan, R. Leone, L. Gremillard, R. Sorrentino, F. Zarone, M. Ferrari, J. Chevalier
ObjectivesThe dental market moves towards high-translucency monolithic zirconia dental crowns, which are usually placed either with – or without – a thin glaze layer. The microstructural features and the mechanical performances of these materials are still controversial, as well as their susceptibility to aging. This paper aims at studying these aspects in the current generation of zirconia dental crowns showing different degrees of translucency.MethodsFour different commercial zirconia materials were investigated, including one standard 'full-strength' 3Y-TZP and three grades with improved translucency. The microstructural features (phase composition and assemblage, grain size) were carefully studied, as well as mechanical properties (biaxial bending strength and indentation toughness), translucency and aging behavior (in autoclave at 134°C). Aging was conducted on crowns with and without glaze to better represent clinical uses.ResultsImportant differences are found in terms of microstructures among the materials in terms of cubic phase content and yttria in the tetragonal phase, leading to different optical, mechanical and aging resistance properties. We show that higher cubic phase content leads to better translucency and stability in water steam, but at the expense of strength and toughness. A compromise is always inevitable between translucency and aging resistance on one side and mechanical properties on the other side.Significance- Even so called 'high translucent' zirconia ceramics tested in this work should be considered as medium translucency materials.- Aging occurs in standard state-of-the-art dental zirconia and glazing does not fully avoid this issue. However, aging did not compromise strength even after prolonged duration.- Aging is null in the 'highly translucent' zirconia grades but at the expense of strength, which is then comparable to glass-ceramics.



https://ift.tt/2GghKRA

A novel cosmetic and clinically practicable laser immunotherapy for facial verruca plana: Intense pulsed light combined with BCG-PSN

Publication date: June 2018
Source:Photodiagnosis and Photodynamic Therapy, Volume 22
Author(s): Fuhe Zhang, Lei Shi, Pei Liu, Linglin Zhang, Qianqian Wu, Bo Wang, Guolong Zhang, Peiru Wang, Feifan Zhou, Wei R. Chen, Xiuli Wang
BackgroundThere is no standard method to remove facial verruca plana and achieve better cosmetic effects. The present study is the first study to use intense pulsed light (IPL) as photothermal therapy (PTT) combined with intra-gluteal injection of bacillus calmette-guerin polysaccharide nucleic acid (BCG-PSN), which function as immunotherapy, contracting a new type of clinically available laser immunotherapy (LIT) for the treatment of facial verruca plana. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy, cosmetic outcome, and adverse reactions of IPL combined with BCG-PSN for facial verruca plana.MethodsTwenty-three patients with facial verruca plana were treated with IPL (560-nm filter, 15–17 J/cm²) and all patients were given intra-gluteal injections of BCG-PSN twice a week for 8 weeks combined with IPL once a month in two times. The clinical responses, recurrences, adverse reactions, and rejuvenation outcomes were evaluated.ResultsA complete and excellent response was noted in 17 patients (74%). Of the 676 treated warts, 548 were eradicated and the overall clearance rate was 81%. No patient relapsed during the 20-week follow-up. No obvious adverse reactions was observed. Almost all patients showed an improvement in skin texture after IPL treatmentConclusionWe conclude that a novel LIT based on BCG-PSN and IPL for the treatment of facial verruca plana proved to be a well-tolerated and effective treatment modality. This novel LIT can clear skin lesions and achieve a very good cosmetic effect.



https://ift.tt/2Gdt3OM

EACR-MRS conference on Seed and Soil: In Vivo Models of Metastasis

Abstract

New experimental tools are urgently required to better understand the metastatic process. The importance of such tools is underscored by the fact that many anti-cancer therapies are generally ineffective against established metastases. This makes a major contribution to the fact that metastatic spread is responsible for over 90% of cancer patient deaths. It was therefore timely that the recent "Seed and Soil: In Vivo Models of Metastasis" conference held in Berlin, Germany (27–29 of November 2017) aimed to give an in-depth overview of the latest research models and tools for studying metastasis, and to showcase recent findings from world-leading metastasis researchers. This Meeting Report summarises the major themes of this ground-breaking conference.

https://ift.tt/2GbOdbP

Importance of sentinel lymphatic node biopsy in patients with low-risk and high-risk cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma

Abstract

Background

Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) is the second most common non-melanoma skin cancer type. The purpose of our study was to compare the diagnosis of CSCC micrometastases using sentinel lymphatic node biopsy (SLNB) in sentinel lymphatic nodes (SLN) in patients with high-risk and low-risk CSCC.

Methods

A prospective clinical study was carried out. Patients with clinically diagnosed and histologically confirmed CSCC were included in the study if no metastases were observed preoperatively. Patients were divided into low-risk (n = 42) and high-risk (n = 46) groups according to the risk factors. Patients underwent a one-stage operation, tumor excision, and SLNB. Primary tumor characteristics and metastases rates were compared between the groups. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 21.0 software. A significance level of 0.05 was chosen.

Results

Micrometastases were found in three high-risk group patients (6.54%). However, the rate of micrometastases in the low-risk group was 0%. The mean size of primary tumors in the low-risk group was 0.97 cm ± 0.44 and was 2.25 cm ± 1.74 in the high-risk group (p < 0.001). The distribution of ulcerated and non-ulcerated tumors differed between the risk groups (p = 0.035). The mean Breslow thickness of CSCC was higher in the high-risk group (2.97 mm ± 1.49 versus 1.39 mm ± 0.51 in the low-risk group, p < 0.001).

Conclusions

According to the results of our study, SLNB should be performed for high-risk CSCC patients only. Primary tumor size, depth, and fact of ulceration correlate with the rate of micrometastases, which is 6.54% for high-risk CSCC patients.

Level of Evidence: Level II, risk/prognostic study.

https://ift.tt/2GuWXNq

Incremental Prognostic Value of Apparent Diffusion Coefficient Histogram Analysis in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Publication date: Available online 26 March 2018
Source:Academic Radiology
Author(s): Xiaoxia Li, Ying Yuan, Jiliang Ren, Yiqian Shi, Xiaofeng Tao
Rationale and ObjectivesWe aimed to investigate the incremental prognostic value of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) histogram analysis in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and integrate it into a multivariate prognostic model.Materials and MethodsA retrospective review of magnetic resonance imaging findings was conducted in patients with pathologically confirmed HNSCC between June 2012 and December 2015. For each tumor, six histogram parameters were derived: the 10th, 50th, and 90th percentiles of ADC (ADC10, ADC50, and ADC90); mean ADC values (ADCmean); kurtosis; and skewness. The clinical variables included age, sex, smoking status, tumor volume, and tumor node metastasis stage. The association of these histogram and clinical variables with overall survival (OS) was determined. Further validation of the histogram parameters as independent biomarkers was performed using multivariate Cox proportional hazard models combined with clinical variables, which was compared to the clinical model. Models were assessed with C index and receiver operating characteristic curve analyses for the 12- and 36-month OS.ResultsNinety-six patients were eligible for analysis. Median follow-up was 877 days (range, 54–1516 days). A total of 29 patients died during follow-up (30%). Patients with higher ADC values (ADC10 > 0.958 × 10⁻³ mm²/s, ADC50 > 1.089 × 10⁻³ mm²/s, ADC90 > 1.152 × 10⁻³ mm²/s, ADCmean > 1.047 × 10⁻³ mm²/s) and lower kurtosis (≤0.967) were significant predictors of poor OS (P < .100 for all). After adjusting for sex and tumor node metastasis stage, the ADC90 and kurtosis are both significant predictors of OS with hazard ratios = 1.00 (95% confidence interval: 1.001–1.004) and 0.58 (95% confidence interval: 0.37–0.90), respectively. By adding the ADC parameters into the clinical model, the C index and diagnostic accuracies for the 12- and 36-month OS showed significant improvement.ConclusionsADC histogram analysis has incremental prognostic value in patients with HNSCC and increases the performance of a multivariable prognostic model in addition to clinical variables.



https://ift.tt/2Gva1T7

Exploring the Potential of Undergraduate Radiology Education in the Virtual World Second Life with First-cycle and Second-cycle Medical Students

Publication date: Available online 26 March 2018
Source:Academic Radiology
Author(s): Rocio Lorenzo-Alvarez, Jose Pavia-Molina, Francisco Sendra-Portero
Rationale and ObjectivesVirtual worlds have a remarkable potential for effective teaching and learning, providing immersive, realistic, and engaging online events. Previous studies have explored online education of health professionals in Second Life (SL), the most widely used virtual world, but none of the previous learning experiences were related to radiology. The purpose of this study was to explore the potential use of SL for undergraduate radiology education and the involvement of students in SL learning activities.Materials and MethodsWe delivered a 4-week voluntary undergraduate radiology education program in SL, based on synchronous sessions and asynchronous tasks, with two modalities: introduction to basic radiology for first-cycle (first- to third-year) students and case-based clinical radiology for second-cycle (fourth- to sixth-year) students. Participants completed an evaluation questionnaire about the experiences after the learning program.ResultsForty-six students (20 first-cycle and 26 second-cycle) participated in this study. They found the contents of the course appropriate (mean ≥ 4.53/5), the initiative interesting, and the environment attractive (mean ≥ 4.32/5), and they were willing to participate in future SL experiences (mean ≥ 4.63/5). All students highly rated the organization, the content, the benefit to their medical education, and the professor (mean ≥ 9.05/10).ConclusionOnline radiology education using SL is feasible and well received by medical students of all year groups. The students participated and engaged in this activity very positively and rated the experience highly. The potential of using SL for radiology education includes promising expectations regarding collaborative learning and gamification.



https://ift.tt/2ung9YT

Radiation Dose Reduction at Low Tube Voltage CCTA Based on the CNR Index

Publication date: Available online 26 March 2018
Source:Academic Radiology
Author(s): Takanori Masuda, Yoshinori Funama, Takeshi Nakaura, Tomoyasu Satou, Tomokazu Okimoto, Yukari Yamashita, Naoyuki Imada, Kazuo Awai
Rationale and ObjectivesWe compared the radiation dose and diagnostic accuracy on 120- and 100-kVp coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) scans whose contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) was the same.Materials and MethodsWe studied 1311 coronary artery segments from 100 patients. For 120-kVp scans, the targeted image level was set at 25 Hounsfield units (HU). For 100-kVp scans, the targeted noise level was set at 30 HU to obtain the same CNR as at 120 kVp. We compared the CNR and the radiation dose on scans acquired at 120 and 100 kVp. Invasive coronary angiography (ICA) images were evaluated by an interventional coronary angiography specialist, and CCTA images were evaluated by a radiologist. Coronary artery disease was defined as a luminal narrowing ≧50% for ICA and CCTA. With ICA considered the gold standard, the diagnostic accuracy (sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value) was analyzed on both 120- and 100-kVp CCTA images. We also compared the diagnostic accuracy for area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the ICA and CCTA performed at 120 and 100 kVp. Two blinded observers visually evaluated the septal branch.ResultsThe mean dose-length product was 48% lower at 100 kVp than at 120 kVp (P < .01). Under the 120-kVp CCTA protocol, the area under the curve, 95% confidence interval, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 0.94%, 0.91%–0.96%, 94.0%, 93.0%, 82.3%, and 98.1%, respectively; at 100 kVp these values were 0.94%, 0.92%–0.97%, 96.1%, 92.0%, 85.2%, and 98.0%, respectively. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed no significant difference in diagnostic accuracy between the two protocols (P = .87).ConclusionsAt the same CNR, the 100-kVp CCTA protocol may help to reduce the radiation dose by approximately 50% compared to the 120-kVp protocol without degradation of diagnostic accuracy.



https://ift.tt/2Gva0i1

Toward Augmented Radiologists

Publication date: Available online 26 March 2018
Source:Academic Radiology
Author(s): Shahein H. Tajmir, Tarik K. Alkasab
Radiology practice will be altered by the coming of artificial intelligence, and the process of learning in radiology will be similarly affected. In the short term, radiologists will need to understand the first wave of artificially intelligent tools, how they can help them improve their practice, and be able to effectively supervise their use. Radiology training programs will need to develop curricula to help trainees acquire the knowledge to carry out this new supervisory duty of radiologists. In the longer term, artificially intelligent software assistants could have a transformative effect on the training of residents and fellows, and offer new opportunities to bring learning into the ongoing practice of attending radiologists.



https://ift.tt/2unEzBj

Subspecialist Reader Reinterpretation of Referred Imaging Studies

Publication date: Available online 27 March 2018
Source:Academic Radiology
Author(s): Mahmoud Al-Hawary




https://ift.tt/2GxZ1og

Deep Learning in Mammography and Breast Histology, an Overview and Future Trends

Publication date: Available online 26 March 2018
Source:Medical Image Analysis
Author(s): Azam Hamidinekoo, Erika Denton, Andrik Rampun, Kate Honnor, Reyer Zwiggelaar
Recent improvements in biomedical image analysis using deep learning based neural networks could be exploited to enhance the performance of Computer Aided Diagnosis (CAD) systems. Considering the importance of breast cancer worldwide and the promising results reported by deep learning based methods in breast imaging, an overview of the recent state-of-the-art deep learning based CAD systems developed for mammography and breast histopathology images is presented. In this study, the relationship between mammography and histopathology phenotypes is described, which takes biological aspects into account. We propose a computer based breast cancer modelling approach: the Mammography-Histology-Phenotype-Linking-Model, which develops a mapping of features/phenotypes between mammographic abnormalities and their histopathological representation. Challenges are discussed along with the potential contribution of such a system to clinical decision making and treatment management.



https://ift.tt/2ukgP17

Fully automatic detection and segmentation of abdominal aortic thrombus in post-operative CTA images using deep convolutional neural networks

Publication date: Available online 27 March 2018
Source:Medical Image Analysis
Author(s): Karen López-Linares, Nerea Aranjuelo, Luis Kabongo, Gregory Maclair, Nerea Lete, Mario Ceresa, Ainhoa García-Familiar, Iván Macía, Miguel A. González Ballester
Computerized Tomography Angiography (CTA) based follow-up of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms (AAA) treated with Endovascular Aneurysm Repair (EVAR) is essential to evaluate the progress of the patient and detect complications. In this context, accurate quantification of post-operative thrombus volume is required. However, a proper evaluation is hindered by the lack of automatic, robust and reproducible thrombus segmentation algorithms. We propose a new fully automatic approach based on Deep Convolutional Neural Networks (DCNN) for robust and reproducible thrombus region of interest detection and subsequent fine thrombus segmentation. The DetecNet detection network is adapted to perform region of interest extraction from a complete CTA and a new segmentation network architecture, based on Fully Convolutional Networks and a Holistically-Nested Edge Detection Network, is presented. These networks are trained, validated and tested in 13 post-operative CTA volumes of different patients using a 4-fold cross-validation approach to provide more robustness to the results. Our pipeline achieves a Dice score of more than 82% for post-operative thrombus segmentation and provides a mean relative volume difference between ground truth and automatic segmentation that lays within the experienced human observer variance without the need of human intervention in most common cases.

Graphical abstract

https://ift.tt/2IUKOQp

Editorial Board

Publication date: April 2018
Source:Acta Histochemica, Volume 120, Issue 3





https://ift.tt/2GuSdaA

Retraction notice to “CD133+/CD44+/Oct4+/Nestin+ stem-like cells isolated from Panc-1 cell line may contribute to multi-resistance and metastasis of pancreatic cancer” [Acta Histochemica 115 (2013) 349–356]

Publication date: April 2018
Source:Acta Histochemica, Volume 120, Issue 3
Author(s): Dongqing Wang, Haitao Zhu, Ying Zhu, Yanfang Liu, Huiling Shen, Ruigen Yin, Zhijian Zhang, Zhaoliang Su




https://ift.tt/2I30DTV

Adhesive gland transcriptomics uncovers a diversity of genes involved in glue formation in marine tube-building polychaetes

Publication date: Available online 27 March 2018
Source:Acta Biomaterialia
Author(s): Jean-Philippe Buffet, Erwan Corre, Evelyne Duvernois-Berthet, Jérôme Fournier, Pascal Jean Lopez
Tube-building sabellariid polychaetes are hermatypic organisms capable of forming vast reefs in highly turbulent marine habitats. Sabellariid worms assemble their tube by gluing together siliceous and calcareous clastic particles using a polyelectrolytic biocement. Here, we performed transcriptomic analyses to investigate the genes that are differentially expressed in the parathorax region, which contains the adhesive gland and tissues, from the rest of the body. We found a large number of candidate genes to be involved in the composition and formation of biocement in two species: Sabellaria alveolata and Phragmatopoma caudata. Our results indicate that the glue is likely to be composed by a large diversity of cement-related proteins, including Poly(S), GY-rich, H-repeat and miscellaneous categories. However, sequences divergence and differences in expression profiles between S. alveolata and P. caudata, of cement-related proteins may reflect adaptation to the type of substratum used to build their tube, and/or to their habitat (temperate vs tropical, amplitude of pH, salinity ...). Related to the L-DOPA metabolic pathways and linked with the genes that were differentially expressed in the parathorax region, we found that tyrosinase and peroxidase gene families may have undergone independent expansion in the two Sabellariidae species investigated. Our data also reinforce the importance of protein modifications in cement formation. Altogether these new genomic resources help to identify novel transcripts encoding for cement-related proteins, but also important enzymes putatively involved in the chemistry of the adhesion process, such as kinases, and may correspond to new targets to develop biomimetic approaches.Statements of SignificanceThe diversity of bioadhesives elaborated by marine invertebrates is a tremendous source of inspiration to develop biomimetic approaches for biomedical and technical applications. Recent studies on the adhesion system of mussel, barnacle and sea star had highlighted the usefulness of high-throughput RNA sequencing in accelerating the development of biomimetic adhesives. Adhesion in sandcastle worms, which involves catechol and phosphate chemistries, polyelectrolyte complexes, supramolecular architectures, and a coacervation process, is a useful model to develop multipurpose wet adhesives. Using transcriptomic tools, we have explored the diversity of genes encoding for structural and catalytic proteins involved in cement formation of two sandcastle worm species, Sabellaria alveolata and Phragmatopoma caudata. The important genomic resource generated should help to design novel "blue" adhesives.

Graphical abstract

https://ift.tt/2GfY1S2