Double epi-illumination microscopy with separate visualization of two antigens: a combination of epi-polarization for immunogold-silver staining and epi-fluorescence for alkaline phosphatase staining

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Loos, C. M.; Becker, A. E.

1994-01-01

We present a method for an epi-illumination immunohistochemical double staining approach. The method combines the use of an immuno-alkaline phosphatase technique and the immunogold-silver technique, visualized with epifluorescence and epi-polarization illumination, respectively. Out of six tested

Lead-210, polonium-210, and stable lead in the food-chain lichen, reindeer and man

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Persson, B.R.

1972-01-01

The measurements of stable lead and the natural fallout radionuclides lead-210 and polonium-210 in communities of lichen (Cladonia alpestris) in central Sweden from 1961 to 1970 indicate a quite constant level. The average lead-210 content per unit area in lichen carpets was found to be 15 +- 2 nCi m -2 , the average lead-210 activity concentration 6.7 +- 0.9 nCi per kg dry weight and the lead-210 specific activity 630 +- 60 nCi per g of stable lead. The polonium-210/lead-210 activity ratio was about 0.9 +- 0.1. The vertical distribution of lead-210 in the lichen carpet showed a maximum concentration in the top layer. The distribution was similar during 1967 and 1968 but the low amount of precipitation during 1968 and 1969 disturbed the distribution pattern in 1969 and 1970. The transfer of lead-210, polonium-210 and stable lead through the food chain: lichen, reindeer, and man was characterized. The absorbed dose rate in Lapps due to polonium-210 was estimated to be about 6 to 8 mrad per year in gonads and 8 to 20 mrad per year in bone tissues. This is about ten percent of their entire absorbed dose contribution from all natural radiation sources. (U.S.)

Regular paths in SparQL: querying the NCI Thesaurus.

Science.gov (United States)

Detwiler, Landon T; Suciu, Dan; Brinkley, James F

2008-11-06

OWL, the Web Ontology Language, provides syntax and semantics for representing knowledge for the semantic web. Many of the constructs of OWL have a basis in the field of description logics. While the formal underpinnings of description logics have lead to a highly computable language, it has come at a cognitive cost. OWL ontologies are often unintuitive to readers lacking a strong logic background. In this work we describe GLEEN, a regular path expression library, which extends the RDF query language SparQL to support complex path expressions over OWL and other RDF-based ontologies. We illustrate the utility of GLEEN by showing how it can be used in a query-based approach to defining simpler, more intuitive views of OWL ontologies. In particular we show how relatively simple GLEEN-enhanced SparQL queries can create views of the OWL version of the NCI Thesaurus that match the views generated by the web-based NCI browser.

EPI moved in beam S3

CERN Multimedia

1977-01-01

The housing of the External Particle Identifier (EPI) is being moved to S3 beam. Test measurements with EPI were performed in the S3 beam between 20 and 110 GeV/c, before installing it behind BEBC. 110 GeV/c before

CRADA Payment Options | NCI Technology Transfer Center | TTC

Science.gov (United States)

NCI TTC CRADA PAYMENT OPTIONS: Electronic Payments by Wire Transfer via Fedwire, Mail a check to the Institute or Center, or Automated Clearing House (ACH)/Electronic Funds Transfer (ETF) payments via Pay.gov (NCI ONLY).

NCI Visuals Online

Science.gov (United States)

NCI Visuals Online contains images from the collections of the National Cancer Institute's Office of Communications and Public Liaison, including general biomedical and science-related images, cancer-specific scientific and patient care-related images, and portraits of directors and staff of the National Cancer Institute.

Designing environmental performance indicators (EPIs) for eco-efficiency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Campbell, B.

1997-01-01

Environmental performance indicators (EPI) were discussed and a method by which companies can design indicators to help measure their progress toward greater eco-efficiency was presented. EPIs are quantitative measures of environmental performance. EPIs can measure one attribute, such as effluent released to water, or they can be a complex index. EPIs track impacts on the environment and provide information for decision making. The need for more eco-efficient companies, i.e. companies that produce useful goods and services while reducing their consumption of resources and while making efforts to reduce pollution, was emphasized

International Fellows of NCI at Frederick | Poster

Science.gov (United States)

Each year, the Employee Diversity Team (EDT) acknowledges members of the NCI at Frederick Community for their achievements and contributions towards the mission of facility.  Historically, the team has profiled the “Women of NCI at Frederick,” but this year, the team decided to instead shed light on the diverse and successful individuals who make up the international fellows community.

NCI at Frederick Ebola Response Team | Poster

Science.gov (United States)

Editor’s note: This article was adapted from the Employee Diversity Team’s display case exhibit “Recognizing the NCI at Frederick Ebola Response Team,” in the lobby of Building 549. The Poster staff recognizes that this article does not include everyone who was involved in the response to the Ebola crisis, both at NCI at Frederick and in Africa. When the Ebola crisis broke out

IJUE. Tema 3. Les competències de la Unió Europea

OpenAIRE

Torres Pérez, María

2018-01-01

PowerPoint del Tema 3 de la asignatura "Institucions Jurídiques de la Unió Europea". Curso académico 2017-2018. Tema 3. Les competències de la Unió Europea. 1. L’atribució de competències a la Unió Europea. 2. La delimitació de les competències a la Unió Europea. 3. Els principis que regeixen l’exercici de les competències. 4. L’exercici de les competències de la Unió per “alguns Estats membres”.

Rapid whole-brain resting-state fMRI at 3 T: Efficiency-optimized three-dimensional EPI versus repetition time-matched simultaneous-multi-slice EPI.

Science.gov (United States)

Stirnberg, Rüdiger; Huijbers, Willem; Brenner, Daniel; Poser, Benedikt A; Breteler, Monique; Stöcker, Tony

2017-12-01

State-of-the-art simultaneous-multi-slice (SMS-)EPI and 3D-EPI share several properties that benefit functional MRI acquisition. Both sequences employ equivalent parallel imaging undersampling with controlled aliasing to achieve high temporal sampling rates. As a volumetric imaging sequence, 3D-EPI offers additional means of acceleration complementary to 2D-CAIPIRINHA sampling, such as fast water excitation and elliptical sampling. We performed an application-oriented comparison between a tailored, six-fold CAIPIRINHA-accelerated 3D-EPI protocol at 530 ms temporal and 2.4 mm isotropic spatial resolution and an SMS-EPI protocol with identical spatial and temporal resolution for whole-brain resting-state fMRI at 3 T. The latter required eight-fold slice acceleration to compensate for the lack of elliptical sampling and fast water excitation. Both sequences used vendor-supplied on-line image reconstruction. We acquired test/retest resting-state fMRI scans in ten volunteers, with simultaneous acquisition of cardiac and respiration data, subsequently used for optional physiological noise removal (nuisance regression). We found that the 3D-EPI protocol has significantly increased temporal signal-to-noise ratio throughout the brain as compared to the SMS-EPI protocol, especially when employing motion and nuisance regression. Both sequence types reliably identified known functional networks with stronger functional connectivity values for the 3D-EPI protocol. We conclude that the more time-efficient 3D-EPI primarily benefits from reduced parallel imaging noise due to a higher, actual k-space sampling density compared to SMS-EPI. The resultant BOLD sensitivity increase makes 3D-EPI a valuable alternative to SMS-EPI for whole-brain fMRI at 3 T, with voxel sizes well below 3 mm isotropic and sampling rates high enough to separate dominant cardiac signals from BOLD signals in the frequency domain. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An NCI perspective on creating sustainable biospecimen resources.

Science.gov (United States)

Vaught, Jimmie; Rogers, Joyce; Myers, Kimberly; Lim, Mark David; Lockhart, Nicole; Moore, Helen; Sawyer, Sherilyn; Furman, Jeffrey L; Compton, Carolyn

2011-01-01

High-quality biospecimens with appropriate clinical annotation are critical in the era of personalized medicine. It is now widely recognized that biospecimen resources need to be developed and operated under established scientific, technical, business, and ethical/legal standards. To date, such standards have not been widely practiced, resulting in variable biospecimen quality that may compromise research efforts. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) Office of Biorepositories and Biospecimen Research (OBBR) was established in 2005 to coordinate NCI's biospecimen resource activities and address those issues that affect access to the high-quality specimens and data necessary for its research enterprises as well as the broader translational research field. OBBR and the NCI Biorepository Coordinating Committee developed NCI's "Best Practices for Biospecimen Resources" after consultation with a broad array of experts. A Biospecimen Research Network was established to fund research to develop additional evidence-based practices. Although these initiatives will improve the overall availability of high-quality specimens and data for cancer research, OBBR has been authorized to implement a national biobanking effort, cancer HUman Biobank (caHUB). caHUB will address systematically the gaps in knowledge needed to improve the state-of-the-science and strengthen the standards for human biobanking. This commentary outlines the progressive efforts by NCI in technical, governance, and economic considerations that will be important as the new caHUB enterprise is undertaken.

Comparison of Diffusion-Weighted Imaging in the Human Brain Using Readout-Segmented EPI and PROPELLER Turbo Spin Echo With Single-Shot EPI at 7 T MRI.

Science.gov (United States)

Kida, Ikuhiro; Ueguchi, Takashi; Matsuoka, Yuichiro; Zhou, Kun; Stemmer, Alto; Porter, David

2016-07-01

The purpose of the present study was to compare periodically rotated overlapping parallel lines with enhanced reconstruction-type turbo spin echo diffusion-weighted imaging (pTSE-DWI) and readout-segmented echo planar imaging (rsEPI-DWI) with single-shot echo planar imaging (ssEPI-DWI) in a 7 T human MR system. We evaluated the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), image distortion, and apparent diffusion coefficient values in the human brain. Six healthy volunteers were included in this study. The study protocol was approved by our institutional review board. All measurements were performed at 7 T using pTSE-DWI, rsEPI-DWI, and ssEPI-DWI sequences. The spatial resolution was 1.2 × 1.2 mm in-plane with a 3-mm slice thickness. Signal-to-noise ratio was measured using 2 scans. The ssEPI-DWI sequence showed significant image blurring, whereas pTSE-DWI and rsEPI-DWI sequences demonstrated high image quality with low geometrical distortion compared with reference T2-weighted, turbo spin echo images. Signal loss in ventral regions near the air-filled paranasal sinus/nasal cavity was found in ssEPI-DWI and rsEPI-DWI but not pTSE-DWI. The apparent diffusion coefficient values for ssEPI-DWI were 824 ± 17 × 10 and 749 ± 25 × 10 mm/s in the gray matter and white matter, respectively; the values obtained for pTSE-DWI were 798 ± 21 × 10 and 865 ± 40 × 10 mm/s; and the values obtained for rsEPI-DWI were 730 ± 12 × 10 and 722 ± 25 × 10 mm/s. The pTSE-DWI images showed no additional distortion comparison to the T2-weighted images, but had a lower SNR than ssEPI-DWI and rsEPI-DWI. The rsEPI-DWI sequence provided high-quality images with minor distortion and a similar SNR to ssEPI-DWI. Our results suggest that the benefits of the rsEPI-DWI and pTSE-DWI sequences, in terms of SNR, image quality, and image distortion, appear to outweigh those of ssEPI-DWI. Thus, pTSE-DWI and rsEPI-DWI at 7 T have great potential use for clinical diagnoses. However, it is noteworthy that both

epi-Aszonalenins A, B, and C from Aspergillus novofumigatus

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rank, Christian; Phipps, Richard Kerry; Harris, Pernille

2006-01-01

Three new benzodiazepines have been isolated from an unusual chemotype of Aspergillus novofumigatus: epi-aszonalenins A, B, and C. The structures were elucidated by use of one- and two-dimensional NMR spectroscopic techniques and HR ESI MS. The relative configuration was established on the basis...... of a single crystal X-ray diffraction study of epi-aszonalenin A and the absolute configuration was determined by optical rotation comparison with the literature data. The absolute configurations of epi-aszonalenins B and C were determined by circular dichroism comparison to epi-aszonalenin A....

Diffusion-weighted MRI of the Prostate: Advantages of Zoomed EPI with Parallel-transmit-accelerated 2D-selective Excitation Imaging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Thierfelder, Kolja M.; Scherr, Michael K.; Weiss, Jakob; Mueller-Lisse, Ullrich G.; Theisen, Daniel [Ludwig-Maximilians-University Hospital Munich, Institute for Clinical Radiology, Munich (Germany); Notohamiprodjo, Mike; Nikolaou, Konstantin [Ludwig-Maximilians-University Hospital Munich, Institute for Clinical Radiology, Munich (Germany); University Hospital Tuebingen, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Tuebingen (Germany); Dietrich, Olaf [Ludwig-Maximilians-University Hospital Munich, Josef Lissner Laboratory for Biomedical Imaging, Institute for Clinical Radiology, Munich (Germany); Pfeuffer, Josef [Siemens Healthcare, Application Development, Erlangen (Germany)

2014-12-15

The purpose of our study was to evaluate the use of 2D-selective, parallel-transmit excitation magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for diffusion-weighted echo-planar imaging (pTX-EPI) of the prostate, and to compare it to conventional, single-shot EPI (c-EPI). The MRI examinations of 35 patients were evaluated in this prospective study. PTX-EPI was performed with a TX-acceleration factor of 1.7 and a field of view (FOV) of 150 x 90 mm{sup 2}, whereas c-EPI used a full FOV of 380 x 297 mm{sup 2}. Two readers evaluated three different aspects of image quality on 5-point Likert scales. To quantify distortion artefacts, maximum diameters and prostate volume were determined for both techniques and compared to T2-weighted imaging. The zoomed pTX-EPI was superior to c-EPI with respect to overall image quality (3.39 ± 0.62 vs 2.45 ± 0.67) and anatomic differentiability (3.29 ± 0.65 vs 2.41 ± 0.65), each with p < 0.0001. Artefacts were significantly less severe in pTX-EPI (0.93 ± 0.73 vs 1.49 ± 1.08), p < 0.001. The quantitative analysis yielded a higher agreement of pTX-EPI with T2-weighted imaging than c-EPI with respect to coronal (ICCs: 0.95 vs 0.93) and sagittal (0.86 vs 0.73) diameters as well as prostate volume (0.94 vs 0.92). Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values did not differ significantly between the two techniques (p > 0.05). Zoomed pTX-EPI leads to substantial improvements in diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) of the prostate with respect to different aspects of image quality and severity of artefacts. (orig.)

DNA fingerprinting of the NCI-60 cell line panel.

Science.gov (United States)

Lorenzi, Philip L; Reinhold, William C; Varma, Sudhir; Hutchinson, Amy A; Pommier, Yves; Chanock, Stephen J; Weinstein, John N

2009-04-01

The National Cancer Institute's NCI-60 cell line panel, the most extensively characterized set of cells in existence and a public resource, is frequently used as a screening tool for drug discovery. Because many laboratories around the world rely on data from the NCI-60 cells, confirmation of their genetic identities represents an essential step in validating results from them. Given the consequences of cell line contamination or misidentification, quality control measures should routinely include DNA fingerprinting. We have, therefore, used standard DNA microsatellite short tandem repeats to profile the NCI-60, and the resulting DNA fingerprints are provided here as a reference. Consistent with previous reports, the fingerprints suggest that several NCI-60 lines have common origins: the melanoma lines MDA-MB-435, MDA-N, and M14; the central nervous system lines U251 and SNB-19; the ovarian lines OVCAR-8 and OVCAR-8/ADR (also called NCI/ADR); and the prostate lines DU-145, DU-145 (ATCC), and RC0.1. Those lines also show that the ability to connect two fingerprints to the same origin is not affected by stable transfection or by the development of multidrug resistance. As expected, DNA fingerprints were not able to distinguish different tissues-of-origin. The fingerprints serve principally as a barcodes.

NCI Pediatric Preclinical Testing Consortium

Science.gov (United States)

NCI has awarded grants to five research teams to participate in its Pediatric Preclinical Testing Consortium, which is intended to help to prioritize which agents to pursue in pediatric clinical trials.

epi-Cubebanes from Solidago canadensis.

Science.gov (United States)

Kasali, Adeleke A; Ekundayo, Olusegun; Paul, Claudia; König, Wilfried A

2002-04-01

GC-MS of the essential oil prepared by hydrodistillation of the green parts of a specimen of Solidago canadensis collected near Katowice, Poland, revealed two new sesquiterpene hydrocarbons. Their EI mass spectra resembled the mass spectrum of beta-ylangene (1) but the retention indices of the new compounds differed markedly from this known compound. After isolation of the new compounds by preparative GC their investigation by one- and two-dimensional NMR techniques resulted in the identification of 6-epi-alpha-cubebene (2) (minor constituent, 1.5%) and 6-epi-beta-cubebene (3) (major constituent, 20.5%).

NCI's Role in Immunotherapy Research

Science.gov (United States)

... Reporting & Auditing Grant Transfer Grant Closeout Contracts & Small Business Training Cancer Training at NCI (Intramural) Resources for ... promising immunotherapies to the clinic more efficiently and cost effectively. For ... of the checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab in patients with ...

Module of External Particle Identifier (EPI)

CERN Multimedia

1977-01-01

The EPI consisted of 4096 proportional counters 6x6 cm2, distributed in 128 layers of 32 each. It was used downstream of BEBC for the identification of fast forward secondaries by ionization measurements in the region of relativistic rise, see M. Aderholz et al., Nucl. Instr. & Methods 123 (1975) 237. The photo shows one double layer module of the EPI during the construction, see M. Aderholz et al., Nucl. Instr. & Methods 118 (1974) 419. On the left, Ivan Lehraus.

Episódios de cuidados: um conceito em saúde pública

OpenAIRE

Gentil,Lia; Vanasse,Alain; Xhignesse,Marianne

2013-01-01

INTRODUÇÃO: Esse artigo apresenta uma revisão da literatura sobre a definição de episódio de cuidados. O conceito de episódio de cuidados na pesquisa em serviços de saúde emergiu nos anos 60. Os episódios têm sido descritos em três perspectivas diferentes: a do paciente (episódio de mal estar), a do prestador do serviço (episódio de doença) e do seu financiador (episódio de cuidados). OBJETIVO: O principal objetivo desse estudo é apresentar uma revisão da literatura da definição operacional d...

Psychometric properties of the Plutchik's EPI test (Emotions Profile Index

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana Trebovc

2005-04-01

Full Text Available Authors report a study on psychometric properties of Plutchik's test, called Emotions Profile Index (EPI. A new Slovene translation and adaptation of English version of the test, consisting of combinations (pairs of 12 words reflecting eight different emotional conditions, was prepared and compared to the old one. Both versions as well as the Big Five Questionnaire (BFQ were administered on the sample of 239 participants. Different statistical analyses were performed examining psychometric features of both versions of EPI. Discriminative power was tested by cluster analysis and analysis of frequency distributions, reliability was studied via internal consistency index and correlation between the two versions, and validity was examined by correlating PIE dimensions with BFQ dimensions and subdimensions, by comparing profiles of groups on both versions of EPI and BFQ and by fitting the theoretical model proposed by Plutchik to the data. Discriminative power of EPI seems to be affected by avoiding (not choosing the socially desirable expressions in the test, parallel reliability seems to be susceptible to the use of different words (expressions in the new version of EPI having the same meaning as words in the old version. Dimensions expected to reflect similar constructs in BFQ and EPI do not correlate satisfactory. Data gathered with EPI cannot be fully explained with the model proposed by Plutchik's theory.

NCI-MATCH Trial Links Targeted Drugs to Mutations

Science.gov (United States)

Investigators for the nationwide trial, NCI-MATCH: Molecular Analysis for Therapy Choice, announced that the trial will seek to determine whether targeted therapies for people whose tumors have specific gene mutations will be effective regardless of their cancer type. NCI-MATCH will incorporate more than 20 different study drugs or drug combinations, each targeting a specific gene mutation, in order to match each patient in the trial with a therapy that targets a molecular abnormality in their tumor.

Long term results of Epi-LASIK and LASEK for myopia.

Science.gov (United States)

Yuksel, Nilay; Bilgihan, Kamil; Hondur, Ahmet M; Yildiz, Burcin; Yuksel, Erdem

2014-06-01

To evaluate the long term clinical and confocal results of mechanical (Epi-LASIK) versus alcohol-assisted laser epithelial keratomileusis (LASEK) for correction of myopia. Gazi University Medical School, Department of Ophthalmology, Ankara, Turkey. Retrospective study. Twenty-two eyes treated with LASEK and twenty eyes treated with Epi-LASIK were evaluated with a mean follow-up duration of 45 months. Mechanical separation of the epithelium was performed with Lasitome epithelial separator, and alcohol-assisted separation with 25s application of 18% alcohol. Laser ablation was performed with the ESIRIS laser. All patients were examined daily until epithelial closure; at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months; and every year subsequently. Main outcome measures were uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA), manifest refraction, haze, and gray scale value in confocal microscopy, efficacy and safety indexes. Preoperative myopic spherical equivalent refraction was -4.65 ± 1.74 D in the LASEK and -3.87 ± 1.30 D in the Epi-LASIK-treated eyes (p=0.36). Of both LASEK and Epi-LASIK-treated eyes, 95% achieved 20/25 or better final UCVA. The grade of haze and mean gray scale value in confocal microscopy were similar in LASEK and Epi-LASIK-treated eyes at all postoperative periods. The efficacy index was 0.94 in LASEK group and 0.96 in Epi-LASIK group (p=0.44). The safety index was 1.01 in LASEK group and 1.02 in Epi-LASIK group (p=0.42). Both LASEK and Epi-LASIK offer safe and effective correction of myopia in the long term. Crown Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

2008 Environmental Performance Index (EPI)

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The 2008 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) centers on two broad environmental protection objectives: (1) reducing environmental stresses on human health, and (2)...

2010 Environmental Performance Index (EPI)

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The 2010 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) ranks 163 countries on environmental performance based on twenty-five indicators grouped within ten core policy...

NCI Takes Back the Defelice Cup at Ninth Annual Golf Tournament | Poster

Science.gov (United States)

By Ashley DeVine, Staff Writer After being down by a point in the morning, NCI reclaimed the Defelice Cup trophy from Leidos Biomedical Research, with a final score of 12 ½ to 11 ½, at the ninth annual Ronald H. Defelice Golf Tournament, held Oct. 13. “The tightest matches in the nine-year history of this cup competition resulted in a narrow victory for NCI and allowed NCI to

Find an NCI-Designated Cancer Center

Science.gov (United States)

Find the locations of NCI-designated cancer centers by area, region, state, or name that includes contact information to help health care providers and cancer patients with referrals to clinical trials.

2014 Environmental Performance Index (EPI)

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The 2014 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) ranks 178 countries on 20 performance indicators in the following 9 policy categories: health impacts, air quality,...

2016 Environmental Performance Index (EPI)

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The 2016 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) ranks 180 countries on 20 performance indicators in the following 9 policy categories: health impacts, air quality,...

NCI's Transdisciplinary High Performance Scientific Data Platform

Science.gov (United States)

Evans, Ben; Antony, Joseph; Bastrakova, Irina; Car, Nicholas; Cox, Simon; Druken, Kelsey; Evans, Bradley; Fraser, Ryan; Ip, Alex; Kemp, Carina; King, Edward; Minchin, Stuart; Larraondo, Pablo; Pugh, Tim; Richards, Clare; Santana, Fabiana; Smillie, Jon; Trenham, Claire; Wang, Jingbo; Wyborn, Lesley

2016-04-01

The Australian National Computational Infrastructure (NCI) manages Earth Systems data collections sourced from several domains and organisations onto a single High Performance Data (HPD) Node to further Australia's national priority research and innovation agenda. The NCI HPD Node has rapidly established its value, currently managing over 10 PBytes of datasets from collections that span a wide range of disciplines including climate, weather, environment, geoscience, geophysics, water resources and social sciences. Importantly, in order to facilitate broad user uptake, maximise reuse and enable transdisciplinary access through software and standardised interfaces, the datasets, associated information systems and processes have been incorporated into the design and operation of a unified platform that NCI has called, the National Environmental Research Data Interoperability Platform (NERDIP). The key goal of the NERDIP is to regularise data access so that it is easily discoverable, interoperable for different domains and enabled for high performance methods. It adopts and implements international standards and data conventions, and promotes scientific integrity within a high performance computing and data analysis environment. NCI has established a rich and flexible computing environment to access to this data, through the NCI supercomputer; a private cloud that supports both domain focused virtual laboratories and in-common interactive analysis interfaces; as well as remotely through scalable data services. Data collections of this importance must be managed with careful consideration of both their current use and the needs of the end-communities, as well as its future potential use, such as transitioning to more advanced software and improved methods. It is therefore critical that the data platform is both well-managed and trusted for stable production use (including transparency and reproducibility), agile enough to incorporate new technological advances and

76 FR 28439 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; NCI Cancer Genetics Services Directory Web-Based...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-17

...; Comment Request; NCI Cancer Genetics Services Directory Web-Based Application Form and Update Mailer... currently valid OMB control number. Proposed Collection: Title: NCI Cancer Genetics Services Directory Web... included in the NCI Cancer Genetics Services Directory on NCI's Cancer.gov Web site. The information...

Antitumor agent 25-epi Ritterostatin GN1N induces endoplasmic reticulum stress and autophagy mediated cell death in melanoma cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Riaz Ahmed, Kausar Begam; Kanduluru, Ananda Kumar; Feng, Li; Fuchs, Philip L; Huang, Peng

2017-05-01

Metastatic melanoma is the most aggressive of all skin cancers and is associated with poor prognosis owing to lack of effective treatments. 25-epi Ritterostatin GN1N is a novel antitumor agent with yet undefined mechanisms of action. We sought to delineate the antitumor mechanisms of 25-epi Ritterostatin GN1N in melanoma cells to determine the potential of this compound as a treatment for melanoma. Activation of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress protein glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) has been associated with increased melanoma progression, oncogenic signaling, drug resistance, and suppression of cell death. We found that 25-epi Ritterostatin GN1N induced cell death in melanoma cells at nanomolar concentrations, and this cell death was characterized by inhibition of GRP78 expression, increased expression of the ER stress marker CHOP, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, and lipidation of the autophagy marker protein LC3B. Importantly, normal melanocytes exhibited limited sensitivity to 25-epi Ritterostatin GN1N. Subsequent in vivo results demonstrated that 25-epi Ritterostatin GN1N reduced melanoma growth in mouse tumor xenografts and did not affect body weight, suggesting minimal toxicity. In summary, our findings indicate that 25-epi Ritterostatin GN1N causes ER stress and massive autophagy, leading to collapse of mitochondrial membrane potential and cell death in melanoma cells, with minimal effects in normal melanocytes. Thus, 25-epi Ritterostatin GN1N is a promising anticancer agent that warrants further investigation.

A prospective bilateral comparison of epi-LASIK and LASEK for myopia.

Science.gov (United States)

Hondur, Ahmet; Bilgihan, Kamil; Hasanreisoglu, Berati

2008-11-01

To compare the clinical and confocal microscopic results of mechanical (epi-LASIK) versus alcohol-assisted laser epithelial keratomileusis (LASEK) for the correction of myopia. Twenty-five patients with myopia received epi-LASIK in one eye and LASEK in the other. The difference of spherical equivalent refraction of myopia and astigmatism was less than 1.00 diopter (D) in two eyes of each case. Mechanical separation of the epithelium was performed with the Lasitome epithelial separator and alcohol-assisted separation with 25 second application of 18% alcohol. Ablation was performed with the ESIRIS laser. Patients were seen daily until epithelial closure, and at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months. Time to epithelial healing, uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA), manifest refraction, haze, and grey scale value in confocal microscopy were recorded. Preoperative myopic spherical equivalent refraction was -3.95+/-1.49 D in the epi-LASIK and -3.91+/-1.39 D in the LASEK-treated eyes. The mean time to epithelial healing was slightly longer after epi-LASIK (4.86+/-0.64 vs 4.18+/-0.58 days). Of both epi-LASIK and LASEK-treated eyes, 92% achieved 20/20 or better UCVA and were within +/-0.50 D of emmetropia at 12 months. The grade of haze and mean grey scale value in confocal microscopy were similar in epi-LASIK and LASEK-treated eyes at all postoperative periods. One eye treated with epi-LASIK suffered a minor stromal cut. Epi-LASIK and LASEK offer effective correction of myopia with comparable results at 1 year.

DISSENYAR EXPERIÈNCIES AMB VALOR TURÍSTIC: PAISATGES URBANS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francesc Fusté

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Aquest article tracta sobre les possibilitats que la creació d’experiències té en relació al desenvolupament empresarial i regional, gràcies a la tematització del sector turístic i la modificació intencional de l’entorn, tant cultural com natural. El paisatge caracteritza els espais en funció de la seva configuració territorial i també arquitectònica i urbana. Les estructures arquitectòniques, els esdeveniments i les activitats que impliquen la participació activa dels usuaris són la clau de l’èxit del disseny de les experiències amb un valor afegit, on les noves tecnologies ajuden a emfatitzar-ne l’impacte. Sigui com sigui, convertir els llocs en experiències tant pels residents com pels visitants.

Clinical application of multi-shot diffusion EPI in neurological disease

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishihara, Tetsuya; Hirata, Koichi; Kubo, Jin; Yamazaki, Kaoru; Sato, Toshihiko

1998-01-01

Using the multi-shot EPI method we investigated the clinical application of diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) in the diagnosis of neurological disease. The multi-shot method provided better susceptibility artifact-free DWI than the single-shot method particularly in the region of the posterior cranial fossa. DWI using the multi-shot EPI method readily shows the pyramidal tract extending from the internal capsule to the brainstems which is inaccessible by the conventional single-shot EPI method, and providing three-dimensional and distinct images of pyramidal tract changes in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or cerebral infarction with pyramidal tract disturbance. Our findings suggest that the use of DWI with the multi-shot EPI method would provide a technique for the easy diagnosis and evaluation of various neurological diseases. (author)

Clinical application of multi-shot diffusion EPI in neurological disease

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ishihara, Tetsuya; Hirata, Koichi; Kubo, Jin; Yamazaki, Kaoru [Dokkyo Univ., Mibu, Tochigi (Japan). School of Medicine; Sato, Toshihiko

1998-05-01

Using the multi-shot EPI method we investigated the clinical application of diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) in the diagnosis of neurological disease. The multi-shot method provided better susceptibility artifact-free DWI than the single-shot method particularly in the region of the posterior cranial fossa. DWI using the multi-shot EPI method readily shows the pyramidal tract extending from the internal capsule to the brainstems which is inaccessible by the conventional single-shot EPI method, and providing three-dimensional and distinct images of pyramidal tract changes in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or cerebral infarction with pyramidal tract disturbance. Our findings suggest that the use of DWI with the multi-shot EPI method would provide a technique for the easy diagnosis and evaluation of various neurological diseases. (author)

File list: Unc.PSC.20.AllAg.EpiLC [Chip-atlas[Archive

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available Unc.PSC.20.AllAg.EpiLC mm9 Unclassified Pluripotent stem cell EpiLC SRX1074910,SRX1...074907 http://dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/mm9/assembled/Unc.PSC.20.AllAg.EpiLC.bed ...

File list: Unc.PSC.50.AllAg.EpiLC [Chip-atlas[Archive

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available Unc.PSC.50.AllAg.EpiLC mm9 Unclassified Pluripotent stem cell EpiLC SRX1074910,SRX1...074907 http://dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/mm9/assembled/Unc.PSC.50.AllAg.EpiLC.bed ...

File list: Unc.PSC.10.AllAg.EpiLC [Chip-atlas[Archive

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available Unc.PSC.10.AllAg.EpiLC mm9 Unclassified Pluripotent stem cell EpiLC SRX1074910,SRX1...074907 http://dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/mm9/assembled/Unc.PSC.10.AllAg.EpiLC.bed ...

File list: Unc.PSC.05.AllAg.EpiLC [Chip-atlas[Archive

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available Unc.PSC.05.AllAg.EpiLC mm9 Unclassified Pluripotent stem cell EpiLC SRX1074910,SRX1...074907 http://dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/mm9/assembled/Unc.PSC.05.AllAg.EpiLC.bed ...

File list: Unc.PSC.50.AllAg.EpiSC [Chip-atlas[Archive

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available Unc.PSC.50.AllAg.EpiSC mm9 Unclassified Pluripotent stem cell EpiSC SRX1074917,SRX1...074905,SRX1074908 http://dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/mm9/assembled/Unc.PSC.50.AllAg.EpiSC.bed ...

File list: Unc.PSC.05.AllAg.EpiSC [Chip-atlas[Archive

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

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File list: Unc.PSC.20.AllAg.EpiSC [Chip-atlas[Archive

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available Unc.PSC.20.AllAg.EpiSC mm9 Unclassified Pluripotent stem cell EpiSC SRX1074917,SRX1...074908,SRX1074905 http://dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/mm9/assembled/Unc.PSC.20.AllAg.EpiSC.bed ...

NCI Scientists Awarded National Medal of Technology and Innovation by President Obama | Poster

Science.gov (United States)

Two NCI scientists received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, the nation’s highest honor for technological achievement. The award was announced by President Obama in October. The honorees, John Schiller, Ph.D., Laboratory of Cellular Oncology (LCO), Center for Cancer Research, NCI, and Douglas Lowy, M.D., also from LCO and NCI deputy director, received their medals at a White House ceremony on Nov. 20.

DisEpi: Compact Visualization as a Tool for Applied Epidemiological Research.

Science.gov (United States)

Benis, Arriel; Hoshen, Moshe

2017-01-01

Outcomes research and evidence-based medical practice is being positively impacted by proliferation of healthcare databases. Modern epidemiologic studies require complex data comprehension. A new tool, DisEpi, facilitates visual exploration of epidemiological data supporting Public Health Knowledge Discovery. It provides domain-experts a compact visualization of information at the population level. In this study, DisEpi is applied to Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) patients within Clalit Health Services, analyzing the socio-demographic and ADHD filled prescription data between 2006 and 2016 of 1,605,800 children aged 6 to 17 years. DisEpi's goals facilitate the identification of (1) Links between attributes and/or events, (2) Changes in these relationships over time, and (3) Clusters of population attributes for similar trends. DisEpi combines hierarchical clustering graphics and a heatmap where color shades reflect disease time-trends. In the ADHD context, DisEpi allowed the domain-expert to visually analyze a snapshot summary of data mining results. Accordingly, the domain-expert was able to efficiently identify that: (1) Relatively younger children and particularly youngest children in class are treated more often, (2) Medication incidence increased between 2006 and 2011 but then stabilized, and (3) Progression rates of medication incidence is different for each of the 3 main discovered clusters (aka: profiles) of treated children. DisEpi delivered results similar to those previously published which used classical statistical approaches. DisEpi requires minimal preparation and fewer iterations, generating results in a user-friendly format for the domain-expert. DisEpi will be wrapped as a package containing the end-to-end discovery process. Optionally, it may provide automated annotation using calendar events (such as policy changes or media interests), which can improve discovery efficiency, interpretation, and policy implementation.

Divergent Synthesis of Solanidine and 22-epi-Solanidine.

Science.gov (United States)

Hou, Ling-Li; Shi, Yong; Zhang, Zhi-Dan; Wu, Jing-Jing; Yang, Qing-Xiong; Tian, Wei-Sheng

2017-07-21

A divergent synthesis of solanidine and 22-epi-solanidine, two 25S natural steroidal alkaloids, from 25R-configured diosgenin acetate, is described. Initially, solanidine was synthesized through a series of transformations including a cascade ring-switching process of furostan-26-acid, an epimerization of C25 controlled by the conformation of six-membered lactone ring, an intramolecular Schmidt reaction, and an imine reduction/intramolecular aminolysis process. To address the epimerization issue during Schmidt reaction, an improved synthesis was developed, which also led to a synthesis of 22-epi-solanidine. In this synthesis, selective transformation of azido lactone to azido diol and amino diol was realized through a reduction relay tactic. The azido diol was transformed to solanidine via an intramolecular Schmidt reaction/N-alkylation/reduction process and to 22-epi-solanidine via an intramolecular double N-alkylation process.

Pilot 2006 Environmental Performance Index (EPI)

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National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The Pilot 2006 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) centers on two broad environmental protection objectives: (1) reducing environmental stresses on human health,...

Invention Development Program Helps Nurture NCI at Frederick Technologies | Poster

Science.gov (United States)

The Invention Development Fund (IDF) was piloted by the Technology Transfer Center (TTC) in 2014 to facilitate the commercial development of NCI technologies. The IDF received a second round of funding from the NCI Office of the Director and the Office of Budget and Management to establish the Invention Development Program (IDP) for fiscal year 2016. The IDP is using these funds to help advance a second set of inventions.

About TTC | NCI Technology Transfer Center | TTC

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The TTC facilitates licensing and co-development partnerships between biomedical industry, academia, and government agencies and the research laboratories of the NCI and nine other institutes and centers of NIH.

Life Outside NCI | Cancer Prevention Fellowship Program

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The CPFP Office is located at the NCI facilities in Rockville, Maryland, near the Nation’s Capital. With the convenient Metro subway reaching throughout the metropolitan area, transportation is within easy reach.

At NCI, Supporting the Best Science

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Yesterday, at the AACR annual meeting, Dr. Doug Lowy spoke directly to the research community about his goals as NCI Acting Director. Dr. Lowy said that he plans to continue many of the programs launched by his predecessor, Dr. Harold Varmus, and to sharp

Robert Wiltrout Says Goodbye to NCI in 2015 | Poster

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After 34 years at NCI, Robert Wiltrout, Ph.D., said he is looking forward to trading his I-270 commute for another type of commute: exploring the waterways of Maryland, Alaska, and Wyoming to fulfill his love of fishing. Wiltrout officially retired as director of the NCI Center for Cancer Research (CCR) on July 2 of last year. Throughout his college academic career, Wiltrout had an interest in science, but it was not until he was working on a research project for his master’s degree that he considered a career in scientific research.

NCI and the Precision Medicine Initiative®

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NCI's activities related to precision medicine focuses on new and expanded precision medicine clinical trials; mechanisms to overcome drug resistance to cancer treatments; and developing a shared digital repository of precision medicine trials data.

The impact of susceptibility gradients on cartesian and spiral EPI for BOLD fMRI

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sangill, Ryan; Wallentin, Mikkel; Østergaard, Leif

2006-01-01

, with special emphasis on spiral EPI (spiral) and cartesian EPI (EPI) and their performance under influence of induced field gradients (SFGs) and stochastic noise. A numerical method for calculating synthetic MR images is developed and used to simulate BOLD fMRI experiments using EPI and spirals. The data...... is then examined for activation using a pixel-wise t test. Nine subjects are scanned with both techniques while performing a motor task. SPM99 is used for analysing the experimental data. The simulated spirals provide generally higher t scores at low SFGs but lose more strength than EPI at higher SFGs, where EPI...... activation is offset from the true position. In the primary motor area spirals provide significantly higher t scores (P SFG areas spirals provide stronger activation than...

File list: InP.PSC.50.AllAg.EpiLC [Chip-atlas[Archive

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available InP.PSC.50.AllAg.EpiLC mm9 Input control Pluripotent stem cell EpiLC SRX823839,SRX5...5,SRX823838,SRX823831,SRX823826,SRX590324 http://dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/mm9/assembled/InP.PSC.50.AllAg.EpiLC.bed ...

Clinical application of EPI diffusion weighted image (DWI) for ischemic brain disease

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zenke, Kiichiro; Kusunoki, Katsusuke; Saito, Masahiro; Sadamoto, Kazuhiko; Sakaki, Saburo; Kumon, Yoshiaki; Nagasawa, Kiyoshi

1999-01-01

Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance image (DWI) with Echo Planar imaging (EPI) techniques were utilized in 74 consecutive patients who were suspected or diagnosed as having occlusive cerebrovascular diseases. Of three EPI-DWI techniques-single shot DWI, multi-shot DWI and isotropic DWI-, isotropic DWI was the most useful study for diagnosing occlusive cerebro-vascular disease. EPI-DWI could identify fresh infarction, even small cortical infarctions, in the setting of multiple high intensity lesions shown by T2 weighted image (T2WI), and could detect infarcted lesions early after the onset. In the patients whose lesions were not revealed on the initial EPI-DWIs, new infarcted lesion were not found on later MRIs, and their symptoms disappeared completely. High intensity lesions observed on EPI-DWIs mostly decreased signal intensities about 2 weeks after the onset, and the intensities of lesions in the gray matter were reduced earlier than those in the white matter. (author)

EpiJen: a server for multistep T cell epitope prediction

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Guan Pingping

2006-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The main processing pathway for MHC class I ligands involves degradation of proteins by the proteasome, followed by transport of products by the transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER, where peptides are bound by MHC class I molecules, and then presented on the cell surface by MHCs. The whole process is modeled here using an integrated approach, which we call EpiJen. EpiJen is based on quantitative matrices, derived by the additive method, and applied successively to select epitopes. EpiJen is available free online. Results To identify epitopes, a source protein is passed through four steps: proteasome cleavage, TAP transport, MHC binding and epitope selection. At each stage, different proportions of non-epitopes are eliminated. The final set of peptides represents no more than 5% of the whole protein sequence and will contain 85% of the true epitopes, as indicated by external validation. Compared to other integrated methods (NetCTL, WAPP and SMM, EpiJen performs best, predicting 61 of the 99 HIV epitopes used in this study. Conclusion EpiJen is a reliable multi-step algorithm for T cell epitope prediction, which belongs to the next generation of in silico T cell epitope identification methods. These methods aim to reduce subsequent experimental work by improving the success rate of epitope prediction.

Visual outcomes after Epi-LASIK and PRK for low and moderate myopia.

Science.gov (United States)

Sia, Rose K; Coe, Charles D; Edwards, Jayson D; Ryan, Denise S; Bower, Kraig S

2012-01-01

To evaluate visual outcomes following epi-LASIK compared to photorefractive keratectomy (PRK). Of a total 294 patients aged ≥21 years, 145 (290 eyes) underwent epi-LASIK and 149 (298 eyes) underwent PRK for low to moderate myopia or myopic astigmatism. Epi-LASIK was performed with the Amadeus II epikeratome (Abbott Medical Optics) and PRK with the Amoils rotary epithelial brush (Innovative Excimer Solutions). All ablations were performed using the same excimer laser system. Outcome measures included intraoperative complications, corneal reepithelialization, postoperative pain, uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA), manifest refraction spherical equivalent (MRSE), corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), corneal haze, and quality of vision. Mean preoperative MRSE was -2.97±1.19 diopters (D) for epi-LASIK versus -2.95±1.06 D for PRK. Complete reepithelialization was achieved by postoperative day 4 in 46.9% of epi-LASIK eyes versus 92.4% of PRK eyes, with superior UDVA at postoperative day 1 in the PRK group (P=.002). Using Fisher exact test, a significantly higher percentage of epi-LASIK eyes compared to PRK eyes achieved 20/15 or better at 1 month (25.8% vs 17.8%, P=.031), 3 months (62.3% vs 49.3%, P=.004), 6 months (77.1% vs 57.9%, Pvs 61.9%, P=.002). A change in MRSE >0.50 D occurred in 8.4% of epi-LASIK eyes within the 3- and 12-month interval versus 17.7% of PRK eyes (P=.04). No differences were noted between the two procedures in CDVA or clinically significant haze. Epi-LASIK showed superior refractive efficacy and stability but required more time for wound healing, resulting in inferior early visual outcomes and a tendency to overcorrect higher refractive errors compared to PRK. Both treatments were safe and comparable in terms of pain and haze formation. Copyright 2012, SLACK Incorporated.

EpiCollect+: linking smartphones to web applications for complex data collection projects.

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Aanensen, David M; Huntley, Derek M; Menegazzo, Mirko; Powell, Chris I; Spratt, Brian G

2014-01-01

Previously, we have described the development of the generic mobile phone data gathering tool, EpiCollect, and an associated web application, providing two-way communication between multiple data gatherers and a project database. This software only allows data collection on the phone using a single questionnaire form that is tailored to the needs of the user (including a single GPS point and photo per entry), whereas many applications require a more complex structure, allowing users to link a series of forms in a linear or branching hierarchy, along with the addition of any number of media types accessible from smartphones and/or tablet devices (e.g., GPS, photos, videos, sound clips and barcode scanning). A much enhanced version of EpiCollect has been developed (EpiCollect+). The individual data collection forms in EpiCollect+ provide more design complexity than the single form used in EpiCollect, and the software allows the generation of complex data collection projects through the ability to link many forms together in a linear (or branching) hierarchy. Furthermore, EpiCollect+ allows the collection of multiple media types as well as standard text fields, increased data validation and form logic. The entire process of setting up a complex mobile phone data collection project to the specification of a user (project and form definitions) can be undertaken at the EpiCollect+ website using a simple 'drag and drop' procedure, with visualisation of the data gathered using Google Maps and charts at the project website. EpiCollect+ is suitable for situations where multiple users transmit complex data by mobile phone (or other Android devices) to a single project web database and is already being used for a range of field projects, particularly public health projects in sub-Saharan Africa. However, many uses can be envisaged from education, ecology and epidemiology to citizen science.

Distortion Correction in Fetal EPI Using Non-Rigid Registration With a Laplacian Constraint.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuklisova-Murgasova, Maria; Lockwood Estrin, Georgia; Nunes, Rita G; Malik, Shaihan J; Rutherford, Mary A; Rueckert, Daniel; Hajnal, Joseph V

2018-01-01

Geometric distortion induced by the main B0 field disrupts the consistency of fetal echo planar imaging (EPI) data, on which diffusion and functional magnetic resonance imaging is based. In this paper, we present a novel data-driven method for simultaneous motion and distortion correction of fetal EPI. A motion-corrected and reconstructed T2 weighted single shot fast spin echo (ssFSE) volume is used as a model of undistorted fetal brain anatomy. Our algorithm interleaves two registration steps: estimation of fetal motion parameters by aligning EPI slices to the model; and deformable registration of EPI slices to slices simulated from the undistorted model to estimate the distortion field. The deformable registration is regularized by a physically inspired Laplacian constraint, to model distortion induced by a source-free background B0 field. Our experiments show that distortion correction significantly improves consistency of reconstructed EPI volumes with ssFSE volumes. In addition, the estimated distortion fields are consistent with fields calculated from acquired field maps, and the Laplacian constraint is essential for estimation of plausible distortion fields. The EPI volumes reconstructed from different scans of the same subject were more consistent when the proposed method was used in comparison with EPI volumes reconstructed from data distortion corrected using a separately acquired B0 field map.

Human Monoclonal Antibodies Targeting Glypican-2 in Neuroblastoma | NCI Technology Transfer Center | TTC

Science.gov (United States)

Researchers at the National Cancer Institute’s Laboratory of Molecular Biology (NCI LMB) have developed and isolated several single domain monoclonal human antibodies against GPC2. NCI seeks parties interested in licensing or co-developing GPC2 antibodies and/or conjugates.

Les competències. La doctrina del Tribunal sobre la definició de les competències. Les competències exclusives, les compartides i les executives. - Las competencias. La doctrina del Tribunal sobre la definición de las competencias. Competencias exclusivas, compartidas y ejecutivas.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ramon Riu

2010-07-01

Full Text Available La doctrina de la Sentència 31/2010 sobre la definició estatutària de les categories competencials (251-257 Mercè Barceló i SerramaleraLa doctrina del Tribunal Constitucional sobre la definició de competències. Les competències exclusives, les compartides i les executives (258-261Antoni Bayona RocamoraLa doctrina de la Sentència 31/2010 sobre les competències executives (Xavier Bernadí GilLa doctrina del Tribunal sobre la definició de les competències. Les ompetències exclusives, les compartides i les executives (270-276Marc Carrillo LópezEls efectes de la Sentència sobre la definició estatutària de les competències: la «devaluació» jurídica dels estatuts d’autonomia (277-281Mercè Corretja TorrensLes categories funcionals de competències a l’Estatut d’autonomia de Catalunya. Comentaris a la Sentència 31/2010 (282-287Ramon Riu FortunyTipologia de les competències. El seu abast funcional: els articles 110 a 112 (288-294Joaquín Tornos Massostenella e no enmendalla (262-269 La doctrina de la Sentencia 31/2010 sobre la definición estatutaria de las categorías competenciales (251-257Mercè Barceló i SerramaleraLa doctrina del Tribunal Constitucional sobre la definición de competencias. Las competencias exclusivas, las compartidas y las ejecutivas (258-261Antoni Bayona RocamoraLa doctrina de la Sentencia 31/2010 sobre las competencias ejecutivas (sostenella e no enmendalla (262-270 Xavier Bernadí GilLa doctrina del Tribunal sobre la definición de las competencias. Las competencias exclusivas, las compartidas y las ejecutivas (271-277Marc Carrillo LópezLos efectos de la Sentencia sobre la definición estatutaria de las competencias:la «devaluación» jurídica de los estatutos de autonomía (278-283Mercè Corretja TorrensLas categorías funcionales de competencias en el Estatuto de Autonomía de Cataluña. Comentarios a la Sentencia 31/2010 (284-289Ramon Riu FortunyTipología de las competencias. Su alcance

NIH and NCI grant-related changes during fiscal years 2014 and 2015

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, Rosemary S. L.

2015-03-01

The 2014 fiscal year (FY) continued to be a challenging one for all federal agencies despite the many Congressional strategies proposed to address the U.S. budget deficit. The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 passed by the House and Senate in December 2013 approved a two-year spending bill which cancelled the FY2014 and FY2015 required sequestration cuts (i.e., 4-5% National Institute of Health (NIH)/National Cancer Institute (NCI) budget reduction initiated on March 1, 2013), but extended the sequestration period through FY2023. This bill passage helped minimize any further budget reductions and resulted in a final FY2014 NIH budget of 29.9 billion and a NCI budget of 4.9 billion. Both NIH and NCI worked hard to maintain awarding the same number of NIH/NCI investigator-initiated R01 and exploratory R21 grants funded in FY2014 and similar to the level seen in FY2013 and previous years (see Tables 1 and 2). Since Congress only recently passed the 2015 spending bill in December 16, 2014, the final NIH and NCI budget appropriations for FY2015 remains unknown at this time and most likely will be similar to the FY2014 budget level. The NCI overall success and funding rates for unsolicited investigator-initiated R01 applications remained at 15%, while the success rate for exploratory R21 applications was 12% in FY2014 with similar rates seen in FY2013 (see Tables 1 and 2). The success rate for biomedical research applications in the Photodynamic Therapy and laser research field will be provided for the past few years. NIH provides numerous resources to help inform the extramural biomedical research community of new and current grant applicants about new grant policy changes and the grant submission and review processes.

Comparative study of Epi-LASIK and LASIK for myopic astigmatism

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Jiao Chen

2013-11-01

Full Text Available AIM: To analyze the effects of epipolis laser in situ keratomileusis(Epi-LASIKand laser in situ keratomileusis(LASIKfor treatment of myopic astigmatism. METHODS: For treatment of myopic astigmatism, 32 patients(64 eyestreated by Epi-LASIK and 63 patients(126 eyesreceived LASIK. By their degree of astigmatism, the eyes were divided into Group Ⅰ(-0.25～-2.75DC and Group Ⅱ(-3.0～-5.0DC. During the 6-month follow-up, the early effects of the two operations were observed and compared in terms of uncorrected visual acuity(UCVA, best corrected visual acuity(BCVA, residual astigmatism, corneal healing, intraocular pressure(IOP, corneal topography. RESULTS: In Group Ⅱ, UCVA better than 20/20 was achieved in 87.5% of the eyes subjected to Epi-LASIK and in 63.3% of the eyes subjected to LASIK, with significant difference between them(χ2=4.055, Pt=2.672, Pt=2.234, PCONCLUSION: For treatment of high astigmatism(≥-3.00D, Epi-LASIK is more effective and predictive than LASIK.

Practical Synthesis of Pachastrissamine (Jaspine B), 2-epi-Pachastrissamine, and the 2-epi-Pyrrolidine Analogue.

Science.gov (United States)

Fujiwara, Tomoya; Liu, Bo; Niu, Wenqi; Hashimoto, Kazuki; Nambu, Hisanori; Yakura, Takayuki

2016-01-01

The practical syntheses of pachastrissamine (jaspine B), 2-epi-pachastrissamine, and the 2-epimer of the pyrrolidine analogue were accomplished via the stereoselective reduction of an allylketone derived from commercially available diethyl D-tartrate and the cross-metathesis of an allyltetrahydrofuran or allypyrrolidine with 1-tridecene as key steps.

eGFRs from Asian-modified CKD-EPI and Chinese-modified CKD-EPI equations were associated better with hypertensive target organ damage in the community-dwelling elderly Chinese: the Northern Shanghai Study

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Ji H

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Hongwei Ji,1,* Han Zhang,1,* Jing Xiong,1 Shikai Yu,1 Chen Chi,1 Bin Bai,1 Jue Li,2 Jacques Blacher,3 Yi Zhang,1,* Yawei Xu1,* 1Department of Cardiology, Shanghai Tenth People’s Hospital, 2Department of Prevention, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 3Paris Descartes University, AP-HP, Diagnosis and Therapeutic Center, Hôtel-Dieu, Paris, France *These authors contributed equally to this work Background: With increasing age, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR decline is a frequent manifestation and is strongly associated with other preclinical target organ damage (TOD. In literature, many equations exist in assessing patients’ eGFR. However, these equations were mainly derived and validated in the population from Western countries, which equation should be used for risk stratification in the Chinese population remains unclear, as well as their comparison. Considering that TOD is a good marker for risk stratification in the elderly, in this analysis, we aimed to investigate whether the recent eGFR equations derived from Asian and Chinese are better associated with preclinical TOD than the other equations in elderly Chinese.Methods: A total of 1,599 community-dwelling elderly participants (age >65 years in northern Shanghai were prospectively recruited from June 2014 to August 2015. Conventional cardiovascular risk factors were assessed, and hypertensive TOD including left ventricular mass index (LVMI, carotid–femoral pulse wave velocity (cf-PWV, carotid intima-media thickness (IMT, ankle–brachial index (ABI and urine albumin to creatinine ratio (UACR was evaluated for each participant. Participant’s eGFR was calculated from the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD, Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI, Chinese-abbreviated MDRD (c-aMDRD, Asian-modified CKD-EPI (aCKD-EPI equation and Chinese-modified CKD-EPI (cCKD-EPI equation.Results: In multivariate

NCI International EBV-Gastric Cancer Consortium

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A collaboration among NCI and extramural investigators, established by DCEG in 2006, that utilizes data and biospecimens from completed and ongoing case series and observational studies of gastric cancer to replicate and extend findings from previous studies hindered by small numbers of EBV-positive cases, and to stimulate multidisciplinary research in this area.

Implementation and Application of PSF-Based EPI Distortion Correction to High Field Animal Imaging

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dominik Paul

2009-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this work is to demonstrate the functionality and performance of a PSF-based geometric distortion correction for high-field functional animal EPI. The EPI method was extended to measure the PSF and a postprocessing chain was implemented in Matlab for offline distortion correction. The correction procedure was applied to phantom and in vivo imaging of mice and rats at 9.4T using different SE-EPI and DWI-EPI protocols. Results show the significant improvement in image quality for single- and multishot EPI. Using a reduced FOV in the PSF encoding direction clearly reduced the acquisition time for PSF data by an acceleration factor of 2 or 4, without affecting the correction quality.

Spatial patterns of FUS-immunoreactive neuronal cytoplasmic inclusions (NCI) in neuronal intermediate filament inclusion disease (NIFID).

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Armstrong, Richard A; Gearing, Marla; Bigio, Eileen H; Cruz-Sanchez, Felix F; Duyckaerts, Charles; Mackenzie, Ian R A; Perry, Robert H; Skullerud, Kari; Yokoo, Hideaki; Cairns, Nigel J

2011-11-01

Neuronal intermediate filament inclusion disease (NIFID), a rare form of frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), is characterized neuropathologically by focal atrophy of the frontal and temporal lobes, neuronal loss, gliosis, and neuronal cytoplasmic inclusions (NCI) containing epitopes of ubiquitin and neuronal intermediate filament (IF) proteins. Recently, the 'fused in sarcoma' (FUS) protein (encoded by the FUS gene) has been shown to be a component of the inclusions of NIFID. To further characterize FUS proteinopathy in NIFID, we studied the spatial patterns of the FUS-immunoreactive NCI in frontal and temporal cortex of 10 cases. In the cerebral cortex, sectors CA1/2 of the hippocampus, and the dentate gyrus (DG), the FUS-immunoreactive NCI were frequently clustered and the clusters were regularly distributed parallel to the tissue boundary. In a proportion of cortical gyri, cluster size of the NCI approximated to those of the columns of cells was associated with the cortico-cortical projections. There were no significant differences in the frequency of different types of spatial patterns with disease duration or disease stage. Clusters of NCI in the upper and lower cortex were significantly larger using FUS compared with phosphorylated, neurofilament heavy polypeptide (NEFH) or α-internexin (INA) immunohistochemistry (IHC). We concluded: (1) FUS-immunoreactive NCI exhibit similar spatial patterns to analogous inclusions in the tauopathies and synucleinopathies, (2) clusters of FUS-immunoreactive NCI are larger than those revealed by NEFH or ΙΝΑ, and (3) the spatial patterns of the FUS-immunoreactive NCI suggest the degeneration of the cortico-cortical projections in NIFID.

College Graduate with NCI Internship Gains Experience, Carries Chemistry into Medicine | Poster

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For Jennifer Marshall, the skills learned through an internship at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) at Frederick have prepared her for the next step of her life—medical school. Marshall, who will be attending the West Virginia University School of Medicine in the fall, spent three summers in NCI at Frederick’s Summer Internship Program expanding her love and passion for

Vaccine for BK Polyomavirus-associated Infections in Transplant Recipients | NCI Technology Transfer Center | TTC

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NCI researches identified a BK polyomavirus (BKV) virulent strain that causes chronic urinary tract infections, and the development of vaccine and therapeutic methods that would block BKV pathogenesis. The NCI Laboratory of Cellular Oncology, seek parties to license or co-develop this technology.

The modified CKD-EPI equation may be not more accurate than CKD-EPI equation in determining glomerular filtration rate in Chinese patients with chronic kidney disease.

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Xie, Peng; Huang, Jian-Min; Li, Ying; Liu, Huai-Jun; Qu, Yan

2017-06-01

To investigate the application of the new modified Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (mCKD-EPI) equation developed by Liu for the measurement of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in Chinese patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and to evaluate whether this modified form is more accurate than the original one in clinical practice. GFR was determined simultaneously by 3 methods: (a) 99m Tc-diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid ( 99m Tc-DTPA) dual plasma sample clearance method (mGFR), which was used as the reference standard; (b) CKD-EPI equation (eGFRckdepi); (c) modified CKD-EPI equation (eGFRmodified). Concordance correlation and Passing-Bablok regression were used to compare the validity of eGFRckdepi and eGFRmodified. Bias, precision and accuracy were compared to identify which equation showed the better performance in determining GFR. A total of 170 patients were enrolled. Both eGFRckdepi and eGFRmodified correlated well with mGFR (concordance correlation coefficient 0.90 and 0.74, respectively) and the Passing-Bablok regression equation of eGFRckdepi and eGFRmodified against mGFR was mGFR = 0.37 + 1.04 eGFRckdepi and -49.25 + 1.74 eGFRmodified, respectively. In terms of bias, precision and 30 % accuracy, eGFRmodified showed a worse performance compared to eGFRckdepi, in the whole cohort. The new modified CKD-EPI equation cannot replace the original CKD-EPI equation in determining GFR in Chinese patients with CKD.

Stem Cell Technology for (Epi)genetic Brain Disorders.

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Riemens, Renzo J M; Soares, Edilene S; Esteller, Manel; Delgado-Morales, Raul

2017-01-01

Despite the enormous efforts of the scientific community over the years, effective therapeutics for many (epi)genetic brain disorders remain unidentified. The common and persistent failures to translate preclinical findings into clinical success are partially attributed to the limited efficiency of current disease models. Although animal and cellular models have substantially improved our knowledge of the pathological processes involved in these disorders, human brain research has generally been hampered by a lack of satisfactory humanized model systems. This, together with our incomplete knowledge of the multifactorial causes in the majority of these disorders, as well as a thorough understanding of associated (epi)genetic alterations, has been impeding progress in gaining more mechanistic insights from translational studies. Over the last years, however, stem cell technology has been offering an alternative approach to study and treat human brain disorders. Owing to this technology, we are now able to obtain a theoretically inexhaustible source of human neural cells and precursors in vitro that offer a platform for disease modeling and the establishment of therapeutic interventions. In addition to the potential to increase our general understanding of how (epi)genetic alterations contribute to the pathology of brain disorders, stem cells and derivatives allow for high-throughput drugs and toxicity testing, and provide a cell source for transplant therapies in regenerative medicine. In the current chapter, we will demonstrate the validity of human stem cell-based models and address the utility of other stem cell-based applications for several human brain disorders with multifactorial and (epi)genetic bases, including Parkinson's disease (PD), Alzheimer's disease (AD), fragile X syndrome (FXS), Angelman syndrome (AS), Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), and Rett syndrome (RTT).

The NCI Digital Divide Pilot Projects: implications for cancer education.

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Kreps, Gary L; Gustafson, David; Salovey, Peter; Perocchia, Rosemarie Slevin; Wilbright, Wayne; Bright, Mary Anne; Muha, Cathy

2007-01-01

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) supported four innovative demonstration research projects, "The Digital Divide Pilot Projects," to test new strategies for disseminating health information via computer to vulnerable consumers. These projects involved active research collaborations between the NCI's Cancer Information Service (CIS) and regional cancer control researchers to field test new approaches for enhancing cancer communication in vulnerable communities. The projects were able to use computers to successfully disseminate relevant cancer information to vulnerable populations. These demonstration research projects suggested effective new strategies for using communication technologies to educate underserved populations about cancer prevention, control, and care.

Published Research - NCI Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer

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The NCI Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer has published much exciting and impactful research over the years. Find here a list of all of these listed in PubMed and others across the field of Cancer Nanotechnology.

EpiModel: An R Package for Mathematical Modeling of Infectious Disease over Networks.

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Jenness, Samuel M; Goodreau, Steven M; Morris, Martina

2018-04-01

Package EpiModel provides tools for building, simulating, and analyzing mathematical models for the population dynamics of infectious disease transmission in R. Several classes of models are included, but the unique contribution of this software package is a general stochastic framework for modeling the spread of epidemics on networks. EpiModel integrates recent advances in statistical methods for network analysis (temporal exponential random graph models) that allow the epidemic modeling to be grounded in empirical data on contacts that can spread infection. This article provides an overview of both the modeling tools built into EpiModel , designed to facilitate learning for students new to modeling, and the application programming interface for extending package EpiModel , designed to facilitate the exploration of novel research questions for advanced modelers.

Clinical evaluation of echo-planar diffusion-weighted imaging (EPI-DWI) for diagnosis of breast cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakajima, Mika; Nitatori, Toshiaki; Matsuda, Minoru; Fukushima, Hisaki; Ihara, Kuniko; Seki, Tsuneaki

2008-01-01

statistical differences were noted in both histopathological types and differences of the TIC patterns of dynamic MRI. Some malignant cases showed rather high ADC values than 1.7 x 10 -3 x mm 2 /second. Histopathological findings revealed marked edematous changes were seen in the stroma lead to infiltrating carcinoma cells to extramammary fat, skin, lymphatic duct and/or vein, frequently accompanied with remarkable intraductal spreads. EPI-DWI is useful in terms of the rate of the detection, extension, and the quality of diagnosis in case of breast cancer. The potential of using a combination of EPI-DWI and measurement of ADC values in non-interventional screening for breast cancer without using contrast materials was demonstrated in this study. However some malignant cases showed high ADC values, it is necessary to compare with other imaging modalities for make an estimation of benign and malignancy. (author)

NCI's High Performance Computing (HPC) and High Performance Data (HPD) Computing Platform for Environmental and Earth System Data Science

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Evans, Ben; Allen, Chris; Antony, Joseph; Bastrakova, Irina; Gohar, Kashif; Porter, David; Pugh, Tim; Santana, Fabiana; Smillie, Jon; Trenham, Claire; Wang, Jingbo; Wyborn, Lesley

2015-04-01

The National Computational Infrastructure (NCI) has established a powerful and flexible in-situ petascale computational environment to enable both high performance computing and Data-intensive Science across a wide spectrum of national environmental and earth science data collections - in particular climate, observational data and geoscientific assets. This paper examines 1) the computational environments that supports the modelling and data processing pipelines, 2) the analysis environments and methods to support data analysis, and 3) the progress so far to harmonise the underlying data collections for future interdisciplinary research across these large volume data collections. NCI has established 10+ PBytes of major national and international data collections from both the government and research sectors based on six themes: 1) weather, climate, and earth system science model simulations, 2) marine and earth observations, 3) geosciences, 4) terrestrial ecosystems, 5) water and hydrology, and 6) astronomy, social and biosciences. Collectively they span the lithosphere, crust, biosphere, hydrosphere, troposphere, and stratosphere. The data is largely sourced from NCI's partners (which include the custodians of many of the major Australian national-scale scientific collections), leading research communities, and collaborating overseas organisations. New infrastructures created at NCI mean the data collections are now accessible within an integrated High Performance Computing and Data (HPC-HPD) environment - a 1.2 PFlop supercomputer (Raijin), a HPC class 3000 core OpenStack cloud system and several highly connected large-scale high-bandwidth Lustre filesystems. The hardware was designed at inception to ensure that it would allow the layered software environment to flexibly accommodate the advancement of future data science. New approaches to software technology and data models have also had to be developed to enable access to these large and exponentially

NCI intramural research highlighted at 2014 AACR meeting

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This year’s American Association for Cancer Research meeting featured plenary talks by two NCI scientists, Steven Rosenberg, M.D., and Louis Staudt, M.D., Ph.D., that highlighted the challenges in developing varied and potentially synergistic treatments f

NCI Core Open House Shines Spotlight on Supportive Science and Basic Research | Poster

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The lobby of Building 549 at NCI at Frederick bustled with activity for two hours on Tuesday, May 1, as several dozen scientists and staff gathered for the NCI Core Open House. The event aimed to encourage discussion and educate visitors about the capabilities of the cores, laboratories, and facilities that offer support to NCI’s Center for Cancer Research.

Global Proteome Analysis of the NCI-60 Cell Line Panel

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Amin Moghaddas Gholami

2013-08-01

Full Text Available The NCI-60 cell line collection is a very widely used panel for the study of cellular mechanisms of cancer in general and in vitro drug action in particular. It is a model system for the tissue types and genetic diversity of human cancers and has been extensively molecularly characterized. Here, we present a quantitative proteome and kinome profile of the NCI-60 panel covering, in total, 10,350 proteins (including 375 protein kinases and including a core cancer proteome of 5,578 proteins that were consistently quantified across all tissue types. Bioinformatic analysis revealed strong cell line clusters according to tissue type and disclosed hundreds of differentially regulated proteins representing potential biomarkers for numerous tumor properties. Integration with public transcriptome data showed considerable similarity between mRNA and protein expression. Modeling of proteome and drug-response profiles for 108 FDA-approved drugs identified known and potential protein markers for drug sensitivity and resistance. To enable community access to this unique resource, we incorporated it into a public database for comparative and integrative analysis (http://wzw.tum.de/proteomics/nci60.

EpiScanGIS: an online geographic surveillance system for meningococcal disease

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Albert Jürgen

2008-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Surveillance of infectious diseases increasingly relies on Geographic Information Systems (GIS. The integration of pathogen fine typing data in dynamic systems and visualization of spatio-temporal clusters are a technical challenge for system development. Results An online geographic information system (EpiScanGIS based on open source components has been launched in Germany in May 2006 for real time provision of meningococcal typing data in conjunction with demographic information (age, incidence, population density. Spatio-temporal clusters of disease detected by computer assisted cluster analysis (SaTScan™ are visualized on maps. EpiScanGIS enables dynamic generation of animated maps. The system is based on open source components; its architecture is open for other infectious agents and geographic regions. EpiScanGIS is available at http://www.episcangis.org, and currently has 80 registered users, mostly from the public health service in Germany. At present more than 2,900 cases of invasive meningococcal disease are stored in the database (data as of June 3, 2008. Conclusion EpiScanGIS exemplifies GIS applications and early-warning systems in laboratory surveillance of infectious diseases.

Aspecto léxico, sentido y colocaciones: los nombres de sentimiento

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Begoña Sanromán

2012-08-01

Full Text Available El objetivo de este estudio es mostrar que la distinción aspectual entre predicados estativos individuales y episódicos puede aplicarse a los nombres que expresan sentimiento en español. Partimos de dos premisas: 1 los nombres de sentimiento son predicados estativos y 2 existen dos clases de nombres de sentimiento: por una parte, los nombres de causa interna (NCI, por ejemplo, respeto o envidia, denotan sentimientos que se originan en el experimentador como resultado de un pensamiento a través del cual se evalúa un objeto del mundo; por otra, los nombres de causa externa (NCE como asombro o desesperación representan sentimientos que surgen en el experimentador como reacción a un hecho externo. Como hipótesis de trabajo defendemos la existencia de correlaciones entre las dos clases de nombres de sentimiento, NCI y NCE, de un lado, y las dos clases de predicados estativos, individuales y episódicos, de otro, de tal modo que los NCI se comportan como predicados individuales y los NCE, como predicados episódicos. Dado que la diferencia fundamental entre los predicados individuales y los episódicos viene determinada por su capacidad o incapacidad para expresar los límites espaciales y/o temporales de la situación por ellos aludida, mostraremos que solo los NCE coocurren con expresiones delimitadoras de tiempo y/o espacio. Como pruebas para diagnosticar el comportamiento aspectual de los nombres de sentimiento, utilizamos las colocaciones, codificadas por medio del aparato formal de las funciones léxicas (FFLL de Mel’čuk (1996 y recogidas, en su mayor parte, en el Diccionario de colocaciones del español (DiCE.   Palabras clave. Predicados individuales y predicados episódicos; nombres de sentimiento; colocaciones; funciones léxicas; aspecto léxico.

Echo-planar magnetic resonance imaging (EPI) with high-resolution matrix in intra-axial brain tumors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bruening, R.; Scheidler, J.; Porn, U.; Reiser, M.; Seelos, K.; Yousry, T.; Exner, H.; Rosen, B.R.

1999-01-01

The aim of this study was to assess the potential of high-speed interleaved echo-planar imaging (EPI) to achieve diagnostic image quality comparable to T2-weighted imaging in patients with brain tumors. Seventeen patients with intra-axial, supratentorial tumors (10 untreated gliomas, 7 radiated gliomas) were investigated on a 1.5-T scanner. The conventional scan (SE, TR/TE = 2200/80 ms, 18 slices) was acquired in 8 min, 4 s, and EPI (TR/TE = 3000/80 ms, 18 slices) was completed in 25 s. The films were compared in a blinded trail by three radiologists. On the general impression and anatomic display, both sequences were rated to be of similar quality. Artifacts were slightly more pronounced at the skull base and around surgical clips using EPI. Tumor delineation was nearly equivalent using EPI, compared with the T2-weighted sequence. Echo-planar imaging reached diagnostic quality in all patients. Interleaved high-resolution EPI yielded sufficient quality to depict intra-axial, supratentorial brain tumors. Since EPI can be obtained in a small fraction of the time needed for conventional spin echo, in addition to other indications it could be considered to study patients unable to cooperate. (orig.)

Modification of diet in renal disease (MDRD study and CKD epidemiology collaboration (CKD-EPI equations for Taiwanese adults.

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Ling-I Chen

Full Text Available Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR using the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD study or the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI equations may not be accurate for Asians; thus, we developed modified eGFR equations for Taiwanese adults.This cross-sectional study compared the Taiwanese eGFR equations, the MDRD study, and the CKD-EPI equations with inulin clearance (Cin. A total of 695 adults including 259 healthy volunteers and 436 CKD patients were recruited. Participants from the Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital were used as the development set (N = 556 to develop the Taiwanese eGFR equations, whereas participants from the National Taiwan University Hospital were used as the validation set (N = 139 for external validation.The Taiwanese eGFR equations were developed by using the extended Bland-Altman plot in the development set. The Taiwanese MDRD equation was 1.309 × MDRD0.912, Taiwanese CKD-EPI was 1.262×CKD-EPI0.914 and Taiwanese four-level CKD-EPI was 1.205 × four-level CKD-EPI0.914. In the validation set, the Taiwanese equations had the lowest bias, the Taiwanese equations and the Japanese CKD-EPI equation had the lowest RMSE, whereas the Taiwanese and the Japanese equations had the best precision and the highest P30 among all equations. However, the Taiwanese MDRD equation had higher concordance correlation than did the Taiwanese CKD-EPI, the Taiwanese four-level CKD-EPI and the Japanese equations. Moreover, only the Taiwanese equations had no proportional bias among all of the equations. Finally, the Taiwanese MDRD equation had the best diagnostic performance in terms of ordinal logistic regression among all of the equations.The Taiwanese MDRD equation is better than the MDRD, CKD-EPI, Japanese, Asian, Thai, Taiwanese CKD-EPI, and Taiwanese four-level CKD-EPI equations for Taiwanese adults.

NCI investment in nanotechnology: achievements and challenges for the future.

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Dickherber, Anthony; Morris, Stephanie A; Grodzinski, Piotr

2015-01-01

Nanotechnology offers an exceptional and unique opportunity for developing a new generation of tools addressing persistent challenges to progress in cancer research and clinical care. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) recognizes this potential, which is why it invests roughly $150 M per year in nanobiotechnology training, research and development. By exploiting the various capacities of nanomaterials, the range of nanoscale vectors and probes potentially available suggests much is possible for precisely investigating, manipulating, and targeting the mechanisms of cancer across the full spectrum of research and clinical care. NCI has played a key role among federal R&D agencies in recognizing early the value of nanobiotechnology in medicine and committing to its development as well as providing training support for new investigators in the field. These investments have allowed many in the research community to pursue breakthrough capabilities that have already yielded broad benefits. Presented here is an overview of how NCI has made these investments with some consideration of how it will continue to work with this research community to pursue paradigm-changing innovations that offer relief from the burdens of cancer. Published 2014. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Investigation of the C-3-epi-25(OH)D3 of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 in urban schoolchildren.

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Berger, Samantha E; Van Rompay, Maria I; Gordon, Catherine M; Goodman, Elizabeth; Eliasziw, Misha; Holick, Michael F; Sacheck, Jennifer M

2018-03-01

The physiological relevance C-3 epimer of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (3-epi-25(OH)D) is not well understood among youth. The objective of this study was to assess whether demographic/physiologic characteristics were associated with 3-epi-25(OH)D 3 concentrations in youth. Associations between 3-epi-25(OH)D 3 and demographics and between 3-epi-25(OH)D 3 , total 25-hydroxyvitamin (25(OH)D) (25(OH)D 2 + 25(OH)D 3 ), total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein, and triglycerides were examined in racially/ethnically diverse schoolchildren (n = 682; age, 8-15 years) at Boston-area urban schools. Approximately 50% of participants had detectable 3-epi-25(OH)D 3 (range 0.95-3.95 ng/mL). The percentage of 3-epi-25(OH)D 3 of total 25(OH)D ranged from 2.5% to 17.0% (median 5.5%). Males were 38% more likely than females to have detectable 3-epi-25(OH)D 3 concentrations. Both Asian and black race/ethnicity were associated with lower odds of having detectable 3-epi-25(OH)D 3 compared with non-Hispanic white children (Asian vs. white, odds ratio (OR) 0.28, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.14-0.53; black vs. white, OR 0.38, 95%CI 0.23-0.63, p 30 ng/mL) 25(OH)D concentration was associated with higher odds of having detectable 3-epi-25(OH)D 3 than having an inadequate (<20 ng/mL) concentration (OR 4.78, 95%CI 3.23-6.94 or OR 14.10, 95%CI 7.10-28.0, respectively). There was no association between 3-epi-25(OH)D 3 and blood lipids. However, when considering 3-epi-25(OH)D 3 as a percentage of total 25(OH)D, total cholesterol was lower in children with percent 3-epi-25(OH)D 3 above the median (mean difference -7.1 mg/dL, p = 0.01). In conclusion, among schoolchildren, sex, race/ethnicity, and total serum 25(OH)D concentration is differentially associated with 3-epi-25(OH)D. The physiological relevance of 3-epi-25(OH)D 3 may be related to the 3-epi-25(OH)D 3 as a percentage of total 25(OH)D and should be considered in future investigations.

Using a Computer Module to Teach Use of the EpiPen®

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Amandeep Singh Rai

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Background: The medical literature suggests that patients and physicians are deficient in their ability to use a self-injectable epinephrine device (EpiPen® for management of anaphylaxis. This study aims to determine whether a computer module is an effective tool for the instruction of a technical skill to medical trainees. Methods: We conducted a two group comparison study of 35 Post-Graduate Year 1 and 2 Family Medicine residents. Participants were instructed on use of the EpiPen® using either a written module or a computer module. Participants were evaluated on use of the EpiPen® using standardized objective outcome measures by a blinded assessor. Assessments took place prior to and following instruction, using the assigned learning modality. Results: There were 34 participants who completed the study. Both groups demonstrated significant improvement in demonstrating use of the EpiPen® following training (p <0.001 for both. A significant post-training difference favouring the computer module learners over the written module learners was observed (p = 0.035. However, only 53% and 18% of candidates (computer module and written module, respectively were able to correctly perform all of the checklist steps. Conclusion: While our findings suggest computer modules represent an effective modality for teaching use of the EpiPen® to medical trainees, the low number of candidates who were able to perform all the checklist items regardless of modality needs to be addressed.

Epi-LASIK e PRK: um ano de estudo comparativo em olhos contralaterais

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Francisco Penteado Crestana

2013-08-01

Full Text Available OBJETIVO: Comparar as técnicas de PRK e Epi-LASIK com relação à recuperação visual e sintomatologia pós-operatória. MÉTODOS: Série de casos intervencionista que incluiu 38 olhos de 19 pacientes com miopia até 5DE e astigmatismo até 1DC. Foram selecionados pacientes com erros refracionais semelhantes nos dois olhos, realizando-se, no mesmo tempo cirúrgico, PRK em um olho e Epi-LASIK no olho contralateral. Os pacientes foram acompanhados por um ano, avaliando-se a eficácia refracional e grau de desconforto pós-operatório. RESULTADOS: Durante as primeiras 12 horas, 79,9% dos pacientes (p=0,0003 referiram dor mais intensa no olho operado com a técnica Epi-LASIK. Após 24 horas, 63,2% dos pacientes (p=0,012 ainda referiam mais dor neste olho e apenas 10,5% no olho contralateral. A acuidade visual não corrigida foi melhor nos olhos do grupo PRK no primeiro dia (p=0,034. Nos demais dias não houve diferença significativa entre os grupos. Houveopacidade corneana grau 0,5 (Fantes em três olhos do grupo PRK e em dois no grupo Epi-LASIK. CONCLUSÃO: Ambos os grupos apresentaram resultado visual refracional satisfatório, porém o grupo Epi-LASIK apresentou maior desconforto no pós-operatório imediato.

Pharmacologically directed strategies in academic anticancer drug discovery based on the European NCI compounds initiative.

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Hendriks, Hans R; Govaerts, Anne-Sophie; Fichtner, Iduna; Burtles, Sally; Westwell, Andrew D; Peters, Godefridus J

2017-07-11

The European NCI compounds programme, a joint initiative of the EORTC Research Branch, Cancer Research Campaign and the US National Cancer Institute, was initiated in 1993. The objective was to help the NCI in reducing the backlog of in vivo testing of potential anticancer compounds, synthesised in Europe that emerged from the NCI in vitro 60-cell screen. Over a period of more than twenty years the EORTC-Cancer Research Campaign panel reviewed ∼2000 compounds of which 95 were selected for further evaluation. Selected compounds were stepwise developed with clear go/no go decision points using a pharmacologically directed programme. This approach eliminated quickly compounds with unsuitable pharmacological properties. A few compounds went into Phase I clinical evaluation. The lessons learned and many of the principles outlined in the paper can easily be applied to current and future drug discovery and development programmes. Changes in the review panel, restrictions regarding numbers and types of compounds tested in the NCI in vitro screen and the appearance of targeted agents led to the discontinuation of the European NCI programme in 2017 and its transformation into an academic platform of excellence for anticancer drug discovery and development within the EORTC-PAMM group. This group remains open for advice and collaboration with interested parties in the field of cancer pharmacology.

Curative effect observation of n-flap and off-flap EPi-LASIK in ametropia

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Chao Liu

2015-11-01

Full Text Available AIM:To observe the clinical effect of on-flap and off-flap epipolis laser in situ keratomileusis(EPi-LASIKin ametropia.METHODS: Sixty-eight myopia patients(136 eyesreceiving surgical treatment were selected and divided into research group and control group according to different therapies. The patients in research group adopted off-flap EPi-LASIK and those in control group adopted on-flap EPi-LASIK. The index like uncorrected visual acuity, diopter and Haze of two groups before surgery, 1wk, 1 and 4mo after surgery was observed. RESULTS: One month after surgery, the uncorrected visual acuity of research group was 1.33±0.22 while that of control group was 1.22±0.19(PPPCONCLUSION:On-flap and off-flap EPi-LASIK are safe and effective surgery approaches in the clinical treatment of ametropia. The presence of corneal epithelial flap has a certain effect in the postoperative clinical outcome at early stage. The impact will be gradually reduced over time.

Virtual Hematoxylin and Eosin Transillumination Microscopy Using Epi-Fluorescence Imaging.

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Giacomelli, Michael G; Husvogt, Lennart; Vardeh, Hilde; Faulkner-Jones, Beverly E; Hornegger, Joachim; Connolly, James L; Fujimoto, James G

2016-01-01

We derive a physically realistic model for the generation of virtual transillumination, white light microscopy images using epi-fluorescence measurements from thick, unsectioned tissue. We demonstrate this technique by generating virtual transillumination H&E images of unsectioned human breast tissue from epi-fluorescence multiphoton microscopy data. The virtual transillumination algorithm is shown to enable improved contrast and color accuracy compared with previous color mapping methods. Finally, we present an open source implementation of the algorithm in OpenGL, enabling real-time GPU-based generation of virtual transillumination microscopy images using conventional fluorescence microscopy systems.

Echo-planar magnetic resonance imaging (EPI) with high-resolution matrix in intra-axial brain tumors

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Bruening, R.; Scheidler, J.; Porn, U.; Reiser, M. [Institute of Diagnostic Radiology, Klinikum Grosshadern, University of Munich (Germany); Seelos, K.; Yousry, T. [Department of Neuroradiology, Institute of Diagnostic Radiology, Klinikum Grosshadern, University of Munich (Germany); Exner, H. [Institute for Medical Epidemiology, Klinikum Grosshadern, University of Munich, Munich (Germany); Rosen, B.R. [Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, NMR Center, Charlestown, MA (United States)

1999-09-01

The aim of this study was to assess the potential of high-speed interleaved echo-planar imaging (EPI) to achieve diagnostic image quality comparable to T2-weighted imaging in patients with brain tumors. Seventeen patients with intra-axial, supratentorial tumors (10 untreated gliomas, 7 radiated gliomas) were investigated on a 1.5-T scanner. The conventional scan (SE, TR/TE = 2200/80 ms, 18 slices) was acquired in 8 min, 4 s, and EPI (TR/TE = 3000/80 ms, 18 slices) was completed in 25 s. The films were compared in a blinded trail by three radiologists. On the general impression and anatomic display, both sequences were rated to be of similar quality. Artifacts were slightly more pronounced at the skull base and around surgical clips using EPI. Tumor delineation was nearly equivalent using EPI, compared with the T2-weighted sequence. Echo-planar imaging reached diagnostic quality in all patients. Interleaved high-resolution EPI yielded sufficient quality to depict intra-axial, supratentorial brain tumors. Since EPI can be obtained in a small fraction of the time needed for conventional spin echo, in addition to other indications it could be considered to study patients unable to cooperate. (orig.) With 3 figs., 3 tabs., 27 refs.

fMRI of the motor speech center using EPI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu, In Kyu; Chang, Kee Hyun; Song, In Chan; Kim, Hong Dae; Seong, Su Ok; Jang, Hyun Jung; Han, Moon Hee; Lee, Sang Kun

1998-01-01

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of functional MR imaging (fMRI) using the echo planar imaging (EPI) technique to map the motor speech center and to provide the basic data for motor speech fMRI during internal word generations. This study involved ten young, healthy, right-handed volunteers (M:F=8:2; age: 21-27); a 1.5T whole body scanner with multislice EPI was used. Brain activation was mapped using gradient echo single shot EPI (TR/TE of 3000/40, slice numbers 6, slice thicknesses mm, no interslice gap, matrix numbers 128 x 128, and FOV 30 x 30). The paradigm consisted of a series of alternating rest and activation tasks, repeated eight times. During the rest task, each of ten Korean nouns composed of two to four syllables was shown continuously every 3 seconds. The subjects were required to see the words but not to generate speech, whereas during the activation task, they were asked to internally generate as many words as possible from each of ten non-concrete one-syllabled Korean letters shown on the screen every 3 seconds. During an eight-minute period, a total of 960 axial images were acquired in each subject. Data were analyzed using the Z-score (p<0.05), and following color processing, the activated signals were overlapped on T1-weighted images. The location of the activated area, mean activated signal intensity were evaluated. The results of this study indicate that in most subjects, fMRI using EPI can effectively map the motor speech center. The data obtained may be useful for the clinical application of fMRI. (author). 34 refs., 3 tabs., 5 figs

Creating Start-up Companies around NCI Inventions | Poster

Science.gov (United States)

By Karen Surabian, Thomas Stackhouse, and Rose Freel, Contributing Writers, and Rosemarie Truman, Guest Writer The National Cancer Institute (NCI), led by the Technology Transfer Center (TTC),  the Avon Foundation, and The Center for Advancing Innovation have partnered to create a “first-of-a-kind” Breast Cancer Start-up Challenge.

Advanced Epi Tools for Gallium Nitride Light Emitting Diode Devices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Patibandla, Nag; Agrawal, Vivek

2012-12-01

Over the course of this program, Applied Materials, Inc., with generous support from the United States Department of Energy, developed a world-class three chamber III-Nitride epi cluster tool for low-cost, high volume GaN growth for the solid state lighting industry. One of the major achievements of the program was to design, build, and demonstrate the world’s largest wafer capacity HVPE chamber suitable for repeatable high volume III-Nitride template and device manufacturing. Applied Materials’ experience in developing deposition chambers for the silicon chip industry over many decades resulted in many orders of magnitude reductions in the price of transistors. That experience and understanding was used in developing this GaN epi deposition tool. The multi-chamber approach, which continues to be unique in the ability of the each chamber to deposit a section of the full device structure, unlike other cluster tools, allows for extreme flexibility in the manufacturing process. This robust architecture is suitable for not just the LED industry, but GaN power devices as well, both horizontal and vertical designs. The new HVPE technology developed allows GaN to be grown at a rate unheard of with MOCVD, up to 20x the typical MOCVD rates of 3{micro}m per hour, with bulk crystal quality better than the highest-quality commercial GaN films grown by MOCVD at a much cheaper overall cost. This is a unique development as the HVPE process has been known for decades, but never successfully commercially developed for high volume manufacturing. This research shows the potential of the first commercial-grade HVPE chamber, an elusive goal for III-V researchers and those wanting to capitalize on the promise of HVPE. Additionally, in the course of this program, Applied Materials built two MOCVD chambers, in addition to the HVPE chamber, and a robot that moves wafers between them. The MOCVD chambers demonstrated industry-leading wavelength yield for GaN based LED wafers and industry-leading

7-epi-griffonilide, a new lactone from Bauhinia pentandra: complete 1H and 13C chemical shift assignments.

Science.gov (United States)

Almeida, Macia C S DE; Souza, Luciana G S; Ferreira, Daniele A; Pinto, Francisco C L; Oliveira, Débora R DE; Santiago, Gilvandete M P; Monte, Francisco J Q; Braz-Filho, Raimundo; Lemos, Telma L G DE

2017-01-01

A new lactone, 7-epi-griffonilide (1), and six known compounds, 2, 3a - 3c, 4a and 4b, were isolated from the leaves of Bauhinia pentandra (Fabaceae). The structures elucidation of 1 and 2 were based on detailed 2D NMR techniques and spectral comparison with related compounds, leading to complete assignment of the 1H and 13C NMR spectra.

Virtual Hematoxylin and Eosin Transillumination Microscopy Using Epi-Fluorescence Imaging.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael G Giacomelli

Full Text Available We derive a physically realistic model for the generation of virtual transillumination, white light microscopy images using epi-fluorescence measurements from thick, unsectioned tissue. We demonstrate this technique by generating virtual transillumination H&E images of unsectioned human breast tissue from epi-fluorescence multiphoton microscopy data. The virtual transillumination algorithm is shown to enable improved contrast and color accuracy compared with previous color mapping methods. Finally, we present an open source implementation of the algorithm in OpenGL, enabling real-time GPU-based generation of virtual transillumination microscopy images using conventional fluorescence microscopy systems.

Help NCI at Frederick “Knock Out Hunger” | Poster

Science.gov (United States)

NCI at Frederick is once again participating in the Feds Feed Families initiative, an annual food drive that addresses severe shortages of non-perishable items in food banks across D.C., Maryland, and Virginia during the summer months, when giving is at its lowest.

A Novel Synthesis of (-)-10-epi-α-Cyperone

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Li Jing FANG; Jin Chun CHEN; Guo Jun ZHENG; Yu Kun GUAN; Yu Lin LI

2004-01-01

An alternative route for the synthesis of (-)-10-epi-α-cyperone 1 starting from (+)- dihydrocarvone 2 is described by using an asymmetric Michael addition as a key step. The route features more efficiently and can be performed in large scale.

Role of EPI in diagnosing cavernous hemangioma and small HCC : comparison with fast T2-weighted MR Imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Suk; Lee, Jun Woo; Kim, Chang Won; Jung, Hyun Woo; Choi, Sang Yoel; Lee, Suck Hong; Kim, Byung Soo

1998-01-01

The purpose of this study is to compare single-shot echo-planar MR imaging (EPI) with breath-hold fast T2-weighted imaging (HASTE or Turbo spin-echo T2WI) for evaluation of the role of EPI in distinguishing small hepatocellular carcinoma from cavernous hemangioma. We retrospectively evaluated MR images of 35 patients (21 cases of small HCC and 14 cases of cavernous hemangioma). EPI and breath-hold fast T2WI images were obtained and compared on the basis of lesion detection sensitivity, lesion-to-liver signal intensity ratio (SIR), contrast ratio (CR), and lesion-to-liver contrast to noise ratio (CNR). For the detection of small HCC, the sensitivity of EPI and breath-hold fast T2WI were equal in 14 of 21 cases (71.4%). The detection sensitivity of cavernous hemangioma with EPI and breath-hold fast T2WI was 100 % (14/14). Mean SIR on breath-hold fast T2WI was 2.02 ± 0.45 for small HCC and 3.65 ± 0.97 for cavernous hemangioma; on EPI, the corresponding figures were 2.91 ± 0.57 for cavernous hemangioma; On EPI, the figures obtained were 2.27 ± 0.52 and 6.26 ± 2.19, respectively. Mean CNR on breath-hold fast T2WI was 14.24 ± 4.098 for small HCC and 50.28 ± 10.96 for cavernous hemangioma, while on EPI, the corresponding figures were 13.84 ± 3.02 and 45.44 ± 11.21. In detecting focal hepatic mass, the sensitivity of EPI and breath-hold fast T2WI are comparable for the diagnosis of small HCC and cavernous hemangioma, EPI can provided additional information. (author). 20 refs., 2 tabs., 4 figs

The relative roles of ANC and EPI in the continuous distribution of LLINs: a qualitative study in four countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Theiss-Nyland, Katherine; Koné, Diakalia; Karema, Corine; Ejersa, Waqo; Webster, Jayne; Lines, Jo

2017-05-01

The continuous distribution of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) for malaria prevention, through the antenatal care (ANC) and the Expanded Programme on Immunizations (EPI), is recommended by the WHO to improve and maintain LLIN coverage. Despite these recommendations, little is known about the relative strengths and weaknesses of the ANC and EPI-based LLIN distribution. This study aimed to explore and compare the roles of the ANC and EPI for LLIN distribution in four African countries. In a qualitative evaluation of continuous distribution through the ANC and EPI, semi-structured, individual and group interviews were conducted in Kenya, Malawi, Mali, and Rwanda. Respondents included national, sub-national, and facility-level health staff, and were selected to capture a range of roles related to malaria, ANC and EPI programmes. Policies, guidelines, and data collection tools were reviewed as a means of triangulation to assess the structure of LLIN distribution, and the methods of data collection and reporting for malaria, ANC and EPI programmes. In the four countries visited, distribution of LLINs was more effectively integrated through ANC than through EPI because of a) stronger linkages and involvement between malaria and reproductive health programmes, as compared to malaria and EPI, and b) more complete programme monitoring for ANC-based distribution, compared to EPI-based distribution. Opportunities for improving the distribution of LLINs through these channels exist, especially in the case of EPI. For both ANC and EPI, integrated distribution of LLINs has the potential to act as an incentive, improving the already strong coverage of both these essential services. The collection and reporting of data on LLINs distributed through the ANC and EPI can provide insight into the performance of LLIN distribution within these programmes. Greater attention to data collection and use, by both the global malaria community, and the integrated programmes, can improve

Phenethyl Isothiocyanate Induces Apoptotic Cell Death Through the Mitochondria-dependent Pathway in Gefitinib-resistant NCI-H460 Human Lung Cancer Cells In Vitro.

Science.gov (United States)

Hsia, Te-Chun; Huang, Yi-Ping; Jiang, Yi-Wen; Chen, Hsin-Yu; Cheng, Zheng-Yu; Hsiao, Yung-Ting; Chen, Cheng-Yen; Peng, Shu-Fen; Chueh, Fu-Shin; Chou, Yu-Cheng; Chung, Jing-Gung

2018-04-01

Some lung cancer patients treated with gefitinib develop resistance to this drug resulting in unsatisfactory treatment outcomes. Phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC), present in our common cruciferous vegetables, exhibits anticancer activities in many human cancer cell lines. Currently, there is no available information on the possible modification of gefitinib resistance of lung cancer in vitro by PEITC. Thus, the effects of PEITC on gefitinib resistant lung cancer NCI-H460 cells were investigated in vitro. The total cell viability, apoptotic cell death, production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and Ca 2+ , levels of mitochondria membrane potential (ΔΨ m ) and caspase-3, -8 and -9 activities were measured by flow cytometry assay. PEITC induced chromatin condensation was examined by DAPI staining. PEITC-induced cell morphological changes, decreased total viable cell number and induced apoptotic cell death in NCI-H460 and NCI-H460/G cells. PEITC decreased ROS production in NCI-H460 cells, but increased production in NCI-H460/G cells. PEITC increased Ca 2+ production, decreased the levels of ΔΨ m and increased caspase-3, -8 and -9 activities in both NCI-H460 and NCI-H460/G cells. Western blotting was used to examine the effect of apoptotic cell death associated protein expression in NCI-H460 NCI-H460/G cells after exposure to PEITC. Results showed that PEITC increased expression of cleaved caspase-3, PARP, GADD153, Endo G and pro-apoptotic protein Bax in NCI-H460/G cells. Based on these results, we suggest that PEITC induces apoptotic cell death via the caspase- and mitochondria-dependent pathway in NCI-H460/G cells. Copyright© 2018, International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.

77 FR 2734 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request: Solar Cell: A Mobile UV Manager for Smart Phones (NCI)

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-19

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES National Institutes of Health Proposed Collection; Comment Request: Solar Cell: A Mobile UV Manager for Smart Phones (NCI) SUMMARY: In compliance with the... Manager for Smart Phones (NCI). Type of Information Collection Request: New. Need and Use of Information...

The generalizability of NCI-sponsored clinical trials accrual among women with gynecologic malignancies.

Science.gov (United States)

Mishkin, Grace; Minasian, Lori M; Kohn, Elise C; Noone, Anne-Michelle; Temkin, Sarah M

2016-12-01

Enrollment of a representative population to cancer clinical trials ensures scientific reliability and generalizability of results. This study evaluated the similarity of patients enrolled in NCI-supported group gynecologic cancer trials to the incident US population. Accrual to NCI-sponsored ovarian, uterine, and cervical cancer treatment trials between 2003 and 2012 were examined. Race, ethnicity, age, and insurance status were compared to the analogous US patient population estimated using adjusted SEER incidence data. There were 18,913 accruals to 156 NCI-sponsored gynecologic cancer treatment trials, ovarian (56%), uterine (32%), and cervical cancers (12%). Ovarian cancer trials included the least racial, ethnic and age diversity. Black women were notably underrepresented in ovarian trials (4% versus 11%). Hispanic patients were underrepresented in ovarian and uterine trials (4% and 5% versus 18% and 19%, respectively), but not in cervical cancer trials (14 versus 11%). Elderly patients were underrepresented in each disease area, with the greatest underrepresentation seen in ovarian cancer patients over the age of 75 (7% versus 29%). Privately insured women were overrepresented among accrued ovarian cancer patients (87% versus 76%), and the uninsured were overrepresented among women with uterine or cervical cancers. These patterns did not change over time. Several notable differences were observed between the patients accrued to NCI funded trials and the incident population. Improving representation of racial and ethnic minorities and elderly patients on cancer clinical trials continues to be a challenge and priority. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

TU-H-206-07: Assessment of Geometric Distortion in EPI with a SPAMM Tagged Acquisition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hwang, K; Meier, J; Yung, J; Stafford, R [The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX (United States)

2016-06-15

Purpose: Echo planar imaging (EPI) is known to exhibit gross geometric distortion caused by multiple factors, including B0 inhomgeneity and transient eddy currents. However, diffusion weighted (DW) EPI has become indispensable for diagnosis and therapy assessment. We propose a methodology for quantifying distortion in EPI sequences that does not require the use of dedicated spatial accuracy phantoms, enabling flexibility in phantom design for QA of distortion effects in EPI protocols. Methods: The proposed methodology utilizes a saturation technique known as Spatial Modulation of Magnetization (SPAMM) that tags the imaging subject with saturated grid lines. Originally intended for tracking cardiac motion, these grids are applied to assess differences between diffusion weighting directions and b-values, or against a more geometrically robust sequence such as fast spin echo (FSE). The saturation preparation sequence consists of binomially weighted (e.g. 1-3-3-1) pulses interleaved with gradient blips along the frequency encode direction, followed by the same sequence with gradient blips in the phase encode direction. Three phantoms were assessed with these sequences: a spherical head-sized phantom, a large shimming phantom, and a modified PET ACR phantom that included compartments of water, air, oil, and Teflon. Each phantom was acquired with three sequences using parameters from a clinically appropriate protocol (22 cm head or 46 cm abdomen): a conventional DW-EPI sequence (3 DW directions), and both the DW-EPI and FSE sequences with tagging. Differences in grid locations were visualized with minimum intensity projection between images, and measured using intersecting locations on the grids. Results: Grid lines were clearly visualized on tagged images and enabled quantification of distortions. Maximum eddy current induced errors of 10.8 to 14.8 mm were observed in areas away from isocenter with DW gradients applied in various directions. Conclusion: SPAMM tagging

Ultrafast MR imaging with EPI of organs undergoing nonperiodic motion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stehling, M.K.; Ordidge, R.J.; Howseman, A.M.; Coxon, R.; Chapman, B.; Mansfield, P.

1988-01-01

Conventional MR imaging employing repetitive data acquisition is susceptible to motion artifacts. Gating overcomes periodic motion effects. Nonperiodic motion, as encountered in the gastronintestinal tract, cardiac arrhythmias, unsedated children, and fetal imaging, thwarts conventional MR imaging. The EPI derivatives BEST and MBEST create a complex 128 x 128-pixel image in 64 msec and 128 msec, respectively, freezing motion almost completely. Sequentially recorded gastrointestinal-tract images allow quantitative evaluation of gastric and gut motility. Cardiac morphology, movement, and blood flow patterns in valvular heart disease have been depicted during atrial fibrillation. Selected clinical results with accompanying technical details illustrate the scope of EPI as a distinctive imaging modality

7-epi-griffonilide, a new lactone from Bauhinia pentandra: complete "1H and "1"3C chemical shift assignments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Almeida, Macia C.S. de; Souza, Luciana G.S.; Ferreira, Daniele A.; Pinto, Francisco C.L.; Santiago, Gilvandete M.P.; Monte, Francisco J.Q.; Lemos, Telma L.G.; Oliveira, Debora R. de; Braz-Filho, Raimundo

2017-01-01

A new lactone, 7-epi-griffonilide (1), and six known compounds, 2, 3a - 3c, 4a and 4b, were isolated from the leaves of Bauhinia pentandra (Fabaceae). The structures elucidation of 1 and 2 were based on detailed 2D NMR techniques and spectral comparison with related compounds, leading to complete assignment of the "1H and "1"3C NMR spectra. (author)

Gardasil® and Cervarix® | NCI Technology Transfer Center | TTC

Science.gov (United States)

Vaccine for human papilloma virus (HPV) to protect from cancers Key elements of the technology for Gardasil® and Cervarix originated from the HPV research of the laboratory of Drs. Douglas Lowy and John Schiller of the NCI.

Curcumin Inhibits Growth of Human NCI-H292 Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cells by Increasing FOXA2 Expression

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lingling Tang

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Lung squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC is a common histological lung cancer subtype, but unlike lung adenocarcinoma, limited therapeutic options are available for treatment. Curcumin, a natural compound, may have anticancer effects in various cancer cells, but how it may be used to treat LSCC has not been well studied. Here, we applied curcumin to a human NCI-H292 LSCC cell line to test anticancer effects and explored underlying potential mechanisms of action. Curcumin treatment inhibited NCI-H292 cell growth and increased FOXA2 expression in a time-dependent manner. FOXA2 expression was decreased in LSCC tissues compared with adjacent normal tissues and knockdown of FOXA2 increased NCI-H292 cells proliferation. Inhibition of cell proliferation by curcumin was attenuated by FOXA2 knockdown. Moreover inhibition of STAT3 pathways by curcumin increased FOXA2 expression in NCI-H292 cells whereas a STAT3 activator (IL-6 significantly inhibited curcumin-induced FOXA2 expression. Also, SOCS1 and SOCS3, negative regulators of STAT3 activity, were upregulated by curcumin treatment. Thus, curcumin inhibited human NCI-H292 cells growth by increasing FOXA2 expression via regulation of STAT3 signaling pathways.

High resolution T{sub 2}{sup *}-weighted magnetic resonance imaging at 3 Tesla using PROPELLER-EPI

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kraemer, Martin; Reichenbach, Juergen R. [Jena University Hospital (Germany). Medical Physics Group

2014-09-01

We report the application of PROPELLER-EPI for high resolution T{sub 2}{sup *}-weighted imaging with sub-millimeter in-plane resolution on a clinical 3 Tesla scanner. Periodically rotated blades of a long-axis PROPELLER-EPI sequence were acquired with fast gradient echo readout and acquisition matrix of 320 x 50 per blade. Images were reconstructed by using 2D-gridding, phase and geometric distortion correction and compensation of resonance frequency drifts that occurred during extended measurements. To characterize these resonance frequency offsets, short FID calibration measurements were added to the PROPELLER-EPI sequence. Functional PROPELLER-EPI was performed with volunteers using a simple block design of right handed finger tapping. Results indicate that PROPELLER-EPI can be employed for fast, high resolution T{sub 2}{sup *}-weighted imaging provided geometric distortions and possible resonance frequency drifts are properly corrected. Even small resonance frequency drifts below 10 Hz as well as non-corrected geometric distortions degraded image quality substantially. In the initial fMRI experiment image quality and signal-to-noise ratio was sufficient for obtaining high resolution functional activation maps. (orig.)

Beyond Ribosomal Binding: The Increased Polarity and Aberrant Molecular Interactions of 3-epi-deoxynivalenol

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yousef I. Hassan

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Deoxynivalenol (DON is a secondary fungal metabolite and contaminant mycotoxin that is widely detected in wheat and corn products cultivated around the world. Bio-remediation methods have been extensively studied in the past two decades and promising ways to reduce DON-associated toxicities have been reported. Bacterial epimerization of DON at the C3 carbon was recently reported to induce a significant loss in the bio-toxicity of the resulting stereoisomer (3-epi-DON in comparison to the parental compound, DON. In an earlier study, we confirmed the diminished bio-potency of 3-epi-DON using different mammalian cell lines and mouse models and mechanistically attributed it to the reduced binding of 3-epi-DON within the ribosomal peptidyl transferase center (PTC. In the current study and by inspecting the chromatographic behavior of 3-epi-DON and its molecular interactions with a well-characterized enzyme, Fusarium graminearum Tri101 acetyltransferase, we provide the evidence that the C3 carbon epimerization of DON influences its molecular interactions beyond the abrogated PTC binding.

Thermal stability of Ni-Pt-Ta alloy silicides on epi-Si1-xCx

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoo, Jung-Ho; Chang, Hyun-Jin; Min, Byoung-Gi; Ko, Dae-Hong; Cho, Mann-Ho; Sohn, Hyunchul; Lee, Tae-Wan

2008-01-01

We investigated the silicide formation in Ni/epi-Si 1-x C x systems. Ni-Pt and Ni-Pt-Ta films were deposited on epi-Si 1-x C x /Si substrates by DC magnetron sputtering and processed at various temperatures. The sheet resistance of the silicide from the Ni alloy/epi-Si 1-x C x systems was maintained at low values compared to that from Ni/Si systems. By TEM and EDS analyses, we confirmed the presence of a Pt alloy layer at the top of the Ni-silicide layer. The stability of the silicide layer in the Ni alloy/epi-Si 1-x C x system is explained by not only the Pt rich layer on the top of the Ni-silicide layer, but also by the presence of a small amount of Pt in the Ni-silicide layer or at the grain boundaries. And both the thermal stability and the morphology of silicide were greatly improved by the addition of Ta in Ni-Pt films

Efflux pump inhibitors (EPIs as new antimicrobial agents against Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Momen Askoura

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic human pathogen and one of the leading causes of nosocomial infections worldwide. The difficulty in treatment of pseudomonas infections arises from being multidrug resistant (MDR and exhibits resistance to most antimicrobial agents due to the expression of different mechanisms overcoming their effects. Of these resistance mechanisms, the active efflux pumps in Pseudomonas aeruginosa that belong to the resistance nodulation division (RND plays a very important role in extruding the antibiotics outside the bacterial cells providing a protective means against their antibacterial activity. Beside its role against the antimicrobial agents, these pumps can extrude biocides, detergents, and other metabolic inhibitors. It is clear that efflux pumps can be targets for new antimicrobial agents. Peptidomimetic compounds such as phenylalanine arginyl β-naphthylamide (PAβN have been introduced as efflux pump inhibitors (EPIs; their mechanism of action is through competitive inhibition with antibiotics on the efflux pump resulting in increased intracellular concentration of antibiotic, hence, restoring its antibacterial activity. The advantage of EPIs is the difficulty to develop bacterial resistance against them, but the disadvantage is their toxic property hindering their clinical application. The structure activity relationship of these compounds showed other derivatives from PAβN that are higher in their activity with higher solubility in biological fluids and decreased toxicity level. This raises further questions on how can we compact Pseudomonas infections. Of particular importance, the recent resurgence in the use of older antibiotics such as polymyxins and probably applying stricter control measures in order to prevent their spread in clinical sittings.

Enzymatic creatinine assays allow estimation of glomerular filtration rate in stages 1 and 2 chronic kidney disease using CKD-EPI equation.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuster, Nils; Cristol, Jean-Paul; Cavalier, Etienne; Bargnoux, Anne-Sophie; Halimi, Jean-Michel; Froissart, Marc; Piéroni, Laurence; Delanaye, Pierre

2014-01-20

The National Kidney Disease Education Program group demonstrated that MDRD equation is sensitive to creatinine measurement error, particularly at higher glomerular filtration rates. Thus, MDRD-based eGFR above 60 mL/min/1.73 m² should not be reported numerically. However, little is known about the impact of analytical error on CKD-EPI-based estimates. This study aimed at assessing the impact of analytical characteristics (bias and imprecision) of 12 enzymatic and 4 compensated Jaffe previously characterized creatinine assays on MDRD and CKD-EPI eGFR. In a simulation study, the impact of analytical error was assessed on a hospital population of 24084 patients. Ability using each assay to correctly classify patients according to chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages was evaluated. For eGFR between 60 and 90 mL/min/1.73 m², both equations were sensitive to analytical error. Compensated Jaffe assays displayed high bias in this range and led to poorer sensitivity/specificity for classification according to CKD stages than enzymatic assays. As compared to MDRD equation, CKD-EPI equation decreases impact of analytical error in creatinine measurement above 90 mL/min/1.73 m². Compensated Jaffe creatinine assays lead to important errors in eGFR and should be avoided. Accurate enzymatic assays allow estimation of eGFR until 90 mL/min/1.73 m² with MDRD and 120 mL/min/1.73 m² with CKD-EPI equation. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

7-epi-griffonilide, a new lactone from Bauhinia pentandra: complete {sup 1}H and {sup 13}C chemical shift assignments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Almeida, Macia C.S. de; Souza, Luciana G.S.; Ferreira, Daniele A.; Pinto, Francisco C.L.; Santiago, Gilvandete M.P.; Monte, Francisco J.Q.; Lemos, Telma L.G., E-mail: fmonte@dqoi.ufc.br [Universidade Federal do Ceara (UFC), Fortaleza, CE (Brazil); Oliveira, Debora R. de; Braz-Filho, Raimundo [Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ), Seropedica, RJ (Brazil). Departamento de Quimica

2017-09-01

A new lactone, 7-epi-griffonilide (1), and six known compounds, 2, 3a - 3c, 4a and 4b, were isolated from the leaves of Bauhinia pentandra (Fabaceae). The structures elucidation of 1 and 2 were based on detailed 2D NMR techniques and spectral comparison with related compounds, leading to complete assignment of the {sup 1}H and {sup 13}C NMR spectra. (author)

Software EpiData - Applications for Needs of Biotechnological Processes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ljakova K.

2007-12-01

Full Text Available EpiData (free software for entering and documenting data is presented. Some aspect of this software is shown for needs of database system (DB and information systems (IS that can be used in bioprocess system.

How You Can Partner with NIH | NCI Technology Transfer Center | TTC

Science.gov (United States)

NCI Technology Transfer Center (TTC) provides an array of agreements to support the National Cancer Institute's partnering. Deciding which type of agreement to use can be a challenge: CRADA, MTA, collaboration, agreement, CTA, Materials-CRADA

MDRD or CKD-EPI for glomerular filtration rate estimation in living kidney donors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carla Burballa

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Introduction: The evaluation of the measured Glomerular Filtration Rate (mGFR or estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR is key in the proper assessment of the renal function of potential kidney donors. We aim to study the correlation between glomerular filtration rate estimation equations and the measured methods for determining renal function. Material and methods: We analyzed the relationship between baseline GFR values measured by Tc-99m-DTPA (diethylene-triamine-pentaacetate and those estimated by the four-variable Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD4 and Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI equations in a series of living donors at our institution. Results: We included 64 donors (70.6% females; mean age 48.3 ± 11 years. Baseline creatinine was 0.8 ± 0.1 mg/dl and it was 1.1 ± 0.2 mg/dl one year after donation. The equations underestimated GFR when measured by Tc99m-DTPA (MDRD4 – 9.4 ± 25 ml/min, P < .05, and CKD-EPI – 4.4 ± 21 ml/min. The correlation between estimation equations and the measured method was superior for CKD-EPI (r = .41; P < .004 than for MDRD4 (r = .27; P < .05. eGFR decreased to 59.6 ± 11 (MDRD4 and 66.2 ± 14 ml/min (CKD-EPI one year after donation. This means a mean eGFR reduction of 28.2 ± 16.7 ml/min (MDRD4 and 27.31 ± 14.4 ml/min (CKD-EPI at one year. Conclusions: In our experience, CKD-EPI is the equation that better correlates with mGFR-Tc99m-DTPA when assessing renal function for donor screening purposes. Resumen: Introducción: El estudio del filtrado glomerular medido (FGm o del estimado (FGe es el eje de la evaluación adecuada de la función renal en la valoración de un potencial donante vivo renal. Nos planteamos estudiar la correlación entre las fórmulas de estimación del FG y los métodos de medición para

Inhibitory effects of methyl-3,5-di-O-caffeoyl-epi-quinate on RANKL-induced osteoclast differentiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Tae Hoon; Ihn, Hye Jung; Kim, Kiryeong; Cho, Hye-Sung; Shin, Hong-In; Bae, Yong Chul; Park, Eui Kyun

2018-04-09

In this study, we have shown that methyl-3,5-di-O-caffeoyl-epi-quinate, a naturally occurring compound isolated from Ainsliaea acerifolia, inhibits receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL)-induced formation of multinucleated tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP)-positive osteoclasts and the expression of osteoclast marker genes. Methyl-3,5-di-O-caffeoyl-epi-quinate also inhibited RANKL-induced activation of p38, Akt and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) as well as the expression of nuclear factor of activated T-cell (NFATc1), the key regulator of osteoclast differentiation. Negative regulators for osteoclast differentiation was upregulated by methyl-3,5-di-O-caffeoyl-epi-quinate. Collectively, our results suggested that methyl-3,5-di-O-caffeoyl-epi-quinate suppresses osteoclast differentiation via downregulation of RANK signaling pathways and NFATc1. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Generation of iPSC line epiHUVEC from human umbilical vein endothelial cells

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Peggy Matz

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs were used to generate the iPSC line epiHUVEC employing a combination of three episomal-based plasmids expressing OCT4, SOX2, NANOG, LIN28, c-MYC and KLF4. Pluripotency was confirmed both in vivo and in vitro. The transcriptome profile of epiHUVEC and the human embryonic stem cell line — H1 have a Pearson correlation of 0.899.

History of the Diet History Questionnaire (DHQ) | EGRP/DCCPS/NCI/NIH

Science.gov (United States)

Learn about the evolution of the Diet History Questionnaire (DHQ), developed by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) initially in 2001, to the DHQ II in 2010, up to the present version, DHQ III, launched in 2018.

Investigation of a 6-MSA Synthase Gene Cluster in Aspergillus aculeatus Reveals 6-MSA-derived Aculinic Acid, Aculins A-B and Epi-Aculin A

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Lene Maj; Holm, Dorte Koefoed; Gotfredsen, Charlotte Held

2015-01-01

further incorporates into three compounds that we name aculins A and B, and epi-aculin A, described here for the first time. Based on NMR data and bioinformatic studies we propose the structures of the compounds as well as a biosynthetic pathway leading to formation of aculins from 6-MSA....

Russian delegation visits NIH and NCI to discuss research collaboration

Science.gov (United States)

The NCI Center for Global Health hosted a delegation from the Russian Foundation for Basic Research to discuss ongoing and future collaborations in cancer research. The delegation was accompanied by representatives from the US Embassy in Moscow and the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Washington DC.

NIH Employee Invention Report (EIR) | NCI Technology Transfer Center | TTC

Science.gov (United States)

NIH researchers must immediately contact their Laboratory or Branch Chief and inform him or her of a possible invention, and then consult with your NCI TTC Technology Transfer Manager about submitting an Employee Invention Report (EIR) Form. | [google6f4cd5334ac394ab.html

Sampling strategies for subsampled segmented EPI PRF thermometry in MR guided high intensity focused ultrasound

Science.gov (United States)

Odéen, Henrik; Todd, Nick; Diakite, Mahamadou; Minalga, Emilee; Payne, Allison; Parker, Dennis L.

2014-01-01

with variable density sampling implemented in zero and two dimensions in a non-EPI GRE pulse sequence both resulted in accurate temperature measurements (RMSE of 0.70 °C and 0.63 °C, respectively). With sequential sampling in the described EPI implementation, temperature monitoring over a 192 × 144 × 135 mm3 FOV with a temporal resolution of 3.6 s was achieved, while keeping the RMSE compared to fully sampled “truth” below 0.35 °C. Conclusions: When segmented EPI readouts are used in conjunction with k-space subsampling for MR thermometry applications, sampling schemes with sequential sampling, with or without variable density sampling, obtain accurate phase and temperature measurements when using a TCR reconstruction algorithm. Improved temperature measurement accuracy can be achieved with variable density sampling. Centric sampling leads to phase bias, resulting in temperature underestimations. PMID:25186406

Roles of epi-anecic taxa of earthworms in the organic matter recycling

Science.gov (United States)

Hoeffner, Kevin; Monard, Cécile; Santonja, Mathieu; Pérès, Guénola; Cluzeau, Daniel

2017-04-01

Given their impact on soil functioning and their interactions with soil organisms, earthworms contribute to the recycling of organic matter and participate significantly in the numerous ecosystem services provided by soils. Most studies on the role of earthworms in organic matter recycling were conducted at the level of the four functional groups (epigeic, epi-anecic, anecic strict and endogeic), but their effects at taxa level remain largely unknown. Still, within a functional group, anatomic and physiologic earthworm taxa traits are different, which should impact organic matter recycling. This study aims at determining, under controlled conditions, epi-anecic taxa differences in (i) leaf litter mass loss, (ii) assimilation and (iii) impact on microorganisms communities implied in organic matter degradation. In seperate microcosms, we chose 4 epi anecic taxa (Lumbricus rubellus, Lumbricus festivus, Lumbricus centralis and Lumbricus terrestris). Each taxon was exposed separately to leaves of three different plants (Holcus lanatus, Lolium perenne and Corylus avellana). In the same microcosm, leaves of each plant was both placed on the surface and buried 10cm deep. The experiment lasted 10 days for half of the samples and 20 days for the second half. Microorganisms communities were analysed using TRFLP in each earthworm taxon burrow walls at 20 days. We observed differences between epi-anecic taxa depending on species of plant and the duration of the experiment. Results are discussed taking into account physical and chemical properties of these 3 trophic resources (e.g. C/N ratio, phenolic compounds, percentage of lignin and cellulose...).

Mothers' knowledge about EPI and its relation with age-appropriate vaccination of infants in peri-urban Karachi.

Science.gov (United States)

Siddiqi, Nazish; Siddiqi, Azfar-e-alam; Nisar, Nighat; Khan, Altaf

2010-11-01

To evaluate the relation between the knowledge of mothers about EPI vaccinations and their infant's coverage. Effect of other socio-demographic variables on mothers' knowledge and child's coverage was also assessed. A cross-sectional survey was conducted, utilizing World Health Organization's thirty-cluster sampling strategy. All households with at least one infant were considered eligible. After obtaining verbal consent, the mother was interviewed to assess her knowledge and attitudes towards EPI vaccination. Infant's coverage status was verified by checking EPI card or verbal inquiry. A knowledge score was developed by summing all correct answers. A total of 210 mothers (7 per cluster) were identified and interviewed. The number and proportion of mothers correctly identifying the seven EPI diseases were as follows; Tuberculosis 57 (27.1%), Diphtheria 53 (25.2%), Pertussis 71 (33.8%), Tetanus 70 (33.3%), Measles 85 (40.5%), Polio 91 (43.3%) and Hepatitis B 65 (31.0%). Only ninety four (44.8%) children were appropriately vaccinated for their age. In the multivariate model, mothers' knowledge was not significantly associated with appropriate vaccination of their children (p = 0.22), however, mothers' education was found to be significant (p Mothers' knowledge about EPI vaccination in peri-urban Karachi was quite low and not associated with their children's EPI coverage. Mothers' educational status, however, was significantly associated with Child's coverage. This finding depicts a better health seeking behaviour of a more educated mother.

EGF–FGF2 stimulates the proliferation and improves the neuronal commitment of mouse epidermal neural crest stem cells (EPI-NCSCs)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bressan, Raul Bardini; Melo, Fernanda Rosene; Almeida, Patricia Alves; Bittencourt, Denise Avani; Visoni, Silvia; Jeremias, Talita Silva; Costa, Ana Paula; Leal, Rodrigo Bainy; Trentin, Andrea Gonçalves

2014-01-01

Epidermal neural crest stem cells (EPI-NCSCs), which reside in the bulge of hair follicles, are attractive candidates for several applications in cell therapy, drug screening and tissue engineering. As suggested remnants of the embryonic neural crest (NC) in an adult location, EPI-NCSCs are able to generate a wide variety of cell types and are readily accessible by a minimally invasive procedure. Since the combination of epidermal growth factor (EGF) and fibroblast growth factor type 2 (FGF 2 ) is mitogenic and promotes the neuronal commitment of various stem cell populations, we examined its effects in the proliferation and neuronal potential of mouse EPI-NCSCs. By using a recognized culture protocol of bulge whiskers follicles, we were able to isolate a population of EPI-NCSCs, characterized by the migratory potential, cell morphology and expression of phenotypic markers of NC cells. EPI-NCSCs expressed neuronal, glial and smooth muscle markers and exhibited the NC-like fibroblastic morphology. The treatment with the combination EGF and FGF 2 , however, increased their proliferation rate and promoted the acquisition of a neuronal-like morphology accompanied by reorganization of neural cytoskeletal proteins βIII-tubulin and nestin, as well as upregulation of the pan neuronal marker βIII-tubulin and down regulation of the undifferentiated NC, glial and smooth muscle cell markers. Moreover, the treatment enhanced the response of EPI-NCSCs to neurogenic stimulation, as evidenced by induction of GAP43, and increased expression of Mash-1 in neuron-like cell, both neuronal-specific proteins. Together, the results suggest that the combination of EGF–FGF2 stimulates the proliferation and improves the neuronal potential of EPI-NCSCs similarly to embryonic NC cells, ES cells and neural progenitor/stem cells of the central nervous system and highlights the advantage of using EGF–FGF 2 in neuronal differentiation protocols. - Highlights: • EPI-NCSCs express

Synthesis of ()-albrassitriol and ()-6-epi-albrassitriol from (+)-larixol

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vlad, P.F.; Ciocarlan, A.; Coltsa, M.; Edu, C.; Biriiac, A.; Barba, A.; Deleanu, C.; Nicolescu, A.; Ambrosio, D' M.; Groot, de Æ.

2013-01-01

A novel synthesis of natural drimanic compounds, ()-albrassitriol (2) and ()-6-epi-albrassitriol (3), has been carried out starting from an easily available labdane diterpenoid, (+)-larixol (1). In a two-step procedure, (+)-larixol (1) was converted into 14,15-bisnorlab-7-ene-6,13-dione (9), which

CellMiner: a relational database and query tool for the NCI-60 cancer cell lines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Reinhold William C

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Advances in the high-throughput omic technologies have made it possible to profile cells in a large number of ways at the DNA, RNA, protein, chromosomal, functional, and pharmacological levels. A persistent problem is that some classes of molecular data are labeled with gene identifiers, others with transcript or protein identifiers, and still others with chromosomal locations. What has lagged behind is the ability to integrate the resulting data to uncover complex relationships and patterns. Those issues are reflected in full form by molecular profile data on the panel of 60 diverse human cancer cell lines (the NCI-60 used since 1990 by the U.S. National Cancer Institute to screen compounds for anticancer activity. To our knowledge, CellMiner is the first online database resource for integration of the diverse molecular types of NCI-60 and related meta data. Description CellMiner enables scientists to perform advanced querying of molecular information on NCI-60 (and additional types through a single web interface. CellMiner is a freely available tool that organizes and stores raw and normalized data that represent multiple types of molecular characterizations at the DNA, RNA, protein, and pharmacological levels. Annotations for each project, along with associated metadata on the samples and datasets, are stored in a MySQL database and linked to the molecular profile data. Data can be queried and downloaded along with comprehensive information on experimental and analytic methods for each data set. A Data Intersection tool allows selection of a list of genes (proteins in common between two or more data sets and outputs the data for those genes (proteins in the respective sets. In addition to its role as an integrative resource for the NCI-60, the CellMiner package also serves as a shell for incorporation of molecular profile data on other cell or tissue sample types. Conclusion CellMiner is a relational database tool for

EpiReumaPt: how to perform a national population based study - a practical guide

OpenAIRE

Gouveia, Nélia; Rodrigues, Ana M.; Ramiro, Sofia; Machado, Pedro; Da Costa, Leonor Pereira; Mourão, Ana Filipa; Silva, Inês; Rego, Tânia; Laires, Pedro; André, Rui; Mauricio, Luís; Romeu, José Carlos; Tavares, Viviana; Cerol, Jorge; Canhão, Helena

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND: The aim of this article was to describe and discuss several strategies and standard operating procedures undertaken in the EpiReumaPt study - which was the first Portuguese, national, cross-sectional population-based study of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Diseases (RMD). METHODS: The technical procedures, legal issues, management and practical questions were studied, analyzed and discussed with relevant stakeholders. During the 1st phase of EpiReumaPt the coordination team and Cen...

Like a Good Neighbor, NCI-Frederick Is There | Poster

Science.gov (United States)

The main campus of the National Cancer Institute at Frederick is an island of sorts: 68 acres of land that was once part of Fort Detrick. Accessing NCI property means passing through the Fort Detrick gates and crossing the post. While the campus is surrounded by the military installation, is protected by NIH police, and doesn’t allow the use of tobacco products, it is not a

NCI designated cancer center funding not influenced by organizational structure.

Science.gov (United States)

Wolfe, Margaret E; Yagoda, Daniel; Thurman, Paul W; Luna, Jorge M; Figg, William Douglas

2009-05-01

National Cancer Institutes (NCI) designated cancer centers use one of three organizational structures. The hypothesis of this study is that there are differences in the amount of annual NCI funding per faculty member based on a cancer center's organizational structure. The study also considers the impact of secondary factors (i.e., the existence of a clinical program, the region and the size of the city in which the cancer center is located) on funding and the number of Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) investigators at each cancer center. Of the 63 cancer centers, 44 use a matrix structure, 16 have a freestanding structure, and three have a Department of Oncology structure. Kruskal-Wallis tests reveal no statistically significant differences in the amount of funding per faculty member or the number of HHMI investigators between centers with a matrix, freestanding or Department of Oncology structure. Online research and telephone interviews with each cancer center were used to gather information, including: organizational structure, the presence of a clinical program, the number of faculty members, and the number of Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigators. Statistical tests were used to assess the impact which organizational structure has on the amount of funding per faculty member and number of HHMI investigators. While the results seem to suggest that the organizational structure of a given cancer center does not impact the amount of NCI funding or number of HHMI investigators which it attracts, the existence of this relationship is likely masked by the small sample size in this study. Further studies may be appropriate to examine the effect organizational structure has on other measurements which are relevant to cancer centers, such as quality and quantity of research produced.

Investigation of internalization and cytotoxicity of 125I-[Tyr3]-octreotide in NCI-H446 cell line

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun Junjie; Fan Wo; Xu Yujie; Zhang Youjiu; Zhu Ran; Hu Mingjiang

2004-01-01

Objective: To investigate the [Tyr 3 ]-octreotide (TOC) internalizing capacity of NCI-H446 cell line, and the cytotoxicity of 125 I-TOC in NCI-H446 cell line. To assess the therapeutic radiopharmaceutical potentiality of 125 I-TOC for the somatostatin receptor (SSTR) positive tumor. Methods: NCI-H446 cells were incubated together with 125 I-TOC for different periods of time, the amount of internalized 125 I-TOC and the 125 I-TOC bound on the cellular nucleus were detected with γ counter, respectively. The viability of the cells was analyzed by a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay at different time points with various doses of 125 I-TOC, free 125 I and TOC. Results: 125 I-TOC was internalized into the nucleus and bound on the nucleus in a time-dependent manner. 125 I-TOC bound on the nucleus increased to the highest level at 24 h, the amount of nucleus bound 125 I-TOC at 24 h was 7 times higher than that at 0.5 h. Cytotoxicity of 125 I-TOC in SSTR positive NCI-H446 cells was also dose- and time-dependent. The supreme effect of cytotoxicity was found at 96 h with 74 kBq 125 I-TOC, the survival ratio of cells was reduced to (44.8 ± 7.2)%. Conclusions: 125 I-TOC can be internalized into SSTR positive cells mediated by SSTR. The NCI-H446 cells can be killed by Auger electron emitting from 125 I-TOC. Effect of cytotoxicity showed dose- and time-dependent

Uso da sequência FLAIR-EPI na análise da esclerose mesial temporal EPI-FLAIR sequence in the evaluation of mesial temporal sclerosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcos Alberto da Costa Machado Júnior

2001-06-01

Full Text Available O objetivo deste estudo é analisar as alterações morfológicas e de intensidade de sinal das regiões hipocampais em pacientes, com epilepsia temporal fármaco-resistente. Para tal, estudamos 8 pacientes com esclerose mesial temporal, utilizando aparelhagem de RM de 1,5T, com sequências Spin Eco - SE, Fast Spin Eco - FSE, Fluid Atenuation Inversion Recovery, com Eco Planar Imaging - FLAIR-EPI. Observamos a superioridade da sequência FLAIR na detecção do aumento da intensidade de sinal da região hipocampal, particularmente com cortes coronais, em relação às sequências SE e FSE, com a vantagem de ser uma técnica de rápida execução. A sequência STIR evidenciou adelgaçamento da cortical do hipocampo, na metade dos casos que apresentavam alteração de sinal.The purpose of this study is to evaluate morpholologycal and signal intensity changes in the hippocampus in patients with medically intractable temporal lobe epilepsy. We studied 8 patients with mesial temporal sclerosis using a 1.5 -T MR and the following sequences Spin Eco- SE, Fast Spin Echo- FSE, Fluid Atenuation Inversion Recovery Echo Planar Imaging - FLAIR-EPI. We noticed a sensitive increase signal intensity on FLAIR- EPI sequences, particularly, in coronal images, than on SE and FSE sequences. The STIR sequence showed a cortical hippocampus atrophy in half of the cases, in whom signal abnormalities were present.

Best Performers Announced for the NCI-CPTAC DREAM Proteogenomics Computational Challenge | Office of Cancer Clinical Proteomics Research

Science.gov (United States)

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC) is pleased to announce that teams led by Jaewoo Kang (Korea University), and Yuanfang Guan with Hongyang Li (University of Michigan) as the best performers of the NCI-CPTAC DREAM Proteogenomics Computational Challenge. Over 500 participants from 20 countries registered for the Challenge, which offered $25,000 in cash awards contributed by the NVIDIA Foundation through its Compute the Cure initiative.

EGF–FGF{sub 2} stimulates the proliferation and improves the neuronal commitment of mouse epidermal neural crest stem cells (EPI-NCSCs)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bressan, Raul Bardini; Melo, Fernanda Rosene; Almeida, Patricia Alves; Bittencourt, Denise Avani; Visoni, Silvia; Jeremias, Talita Silva [Departamento de Biologia Celular, Embriologia e Genética, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Campus Universitário – Trindade, 88040-900 Florianópolis SC (Brazil); Costa, Ana Paula; Leal, Rodrigo Bainy [Departamento de Bioquímica, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Campus Universitário – Trindade, 88040-900 Florianópolis SC (Brazil); Trentin, Andrea Gonçalves, E-mail: andrea.trentin@ufsc.br [Departamento de Biologia Celular, Embriologia e Genética, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Campus Universitário – Trindade, 88040-900 Florianópolis SC (Brazil)

2014-09-10

Epidermal neural crest stem cells (EPI-NCSCs), which reside in the bulge of hair follicles, are attractive candidates for several applications in cell therapy, drug screening and tissue engineering. As suggested remnants of the embryonic neural crest (NC) in an adult location, EPI-NCSCs are able to generate a wide variety of cell types and are readily accessible by a minimally invasive procedure. Since the combination of epidermal growth factor (EGF) and fibroblast growth factor type 2 (FGF{sub 2}) is mitogenic and promotes the neuronal commitment of various stem cell populations, we examined its effects in the proliferation and neuronal potential of mouse EPI-NCSCs. By using a recognized culture protocol of bulge whiskers follicles, we were able to isolate a population of EPI-NCSCs, characterized by the migratory potential, cell morphology and expression of phenotypic markers of NC cells. EPI-NCSCs expressed neuronal, glial and smooth muscle markers and exhibited the NC-like fibroblastic morphology. The treatment with the combination EGF and FGF{sub 2}, however, increased their proliferation rate and promoted the acquisition of a neuronal-like morphology accompanied by reorganization of neural cytoskeletal proteins βIII-tubulin and nestin, as well as upregulation of the pan neuronal marker βIII-tubulin and down regulation of the undifferentiated NC, glial and smooth muscle cell markers. Moreover, the treatment enhanced the response of EPI-NCSCs to neurogenic stimulation, as evidenced by induction of GAP43, and increased expression of Mash-1 in neuron-like cell, both neuronal-specific proteins. Together, the results suggest that the combination of EGF–FGF2 stimulates the proliferation and improves the neuronal potential of EPI-NCSCs similarly to embryonic NC cells, ES cells and neural progenitor/stem cells of the central nervous system and highlights the advantage of using EGF–FGF{sub 2} in neuronal differentiation protocols. - Highlights: • EPI

Direct cortical hemodynamic mapping of somatotopy of pig nostril sensation by functional near-infrared cortical imaging (fNCI).

Science.gov (United States)

Uga, Minako; Saito, Toshiyuki; Sano, Toshifumi; Yokota, Hidenori; Oguro, Keiji; Rizki, Edmi Edison; Mizutani, Tsutomu; Katura, Takusige; Dan, Ippeita; Watanabe, Eiju

2014-05-01

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a neuroimaging technique for the noninvasive monitoring of human brain activation states utilizing the coupling between neural activity and regional cerebral hemodynamics. Illuminators and detectors, together constituting optodes, are placed on the scalp, but due to the presence of head tissues, an inter-optode distance of more than 2.5cm is necessary to detect cortical signals. Although direct cortical monitoring with fNIRS has been pursued, a high-resolution visualization of hemodynamic changes associated with sensory, motor and cognitive neural responses directly from the cortical surface has yet to be realized. To acquire robust information on the hemodynamics of the cortex, devoid of signal complications in transcranial measurement, we devised a functional near-infrared cortical imaging (fNCI) technique. Here we demonstrate the first direct functional measurement of temporal and spatial patterns of cortical hemodynamics using the fNCI technique. For fNCI, inter-optode distance was set at 5mm, and light leakage from illuminators was prevented by a special optode holder made of a light-shielding rubber sheet. fNCI successfully detected the somatotopy of pig nostril sensation, as assessed in comparison with concurrent and sequential somatosensory-evoked potential (SEP) measurements on the same stimulation sites. Accordingly, the fNCI system realized a direct cortical hemodynamic measurement with a spatial resolution comparable to that of SEP mapping on the rostral region of the pig brain. This study provides an important initial step toward realizing functional cortical hemodynamic monitoring during neurosurgery of human brains. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Comparison of CKD-EPI versus MDRD and Cockcroft-Gault ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2016-12-15

Dec 15, 2016 ... being during the management of HbSS patients. Sickle cell anaemia is a ... Uche and Osegbe: CKD-EPI estimated GFR in stable HbSS patients. 817. Nigerian ..... Older age has been identified as a socio‑demographic factor .... S. Effects of posture on creatinine clearance and urinary protein excretion in ...

MDRD vs. CKD-EPI in comparison to 51Chromium EDTA: a cross sectional study of Malaysian CKD cohort.

Science.gov (United States)

Jalalonmuhali, Maisarah; Lim, Soo Kun; Md Shah, Mohammad Nazri; Ng, Kok Peng

2017-12-13

Accurate measurement of renal function is important: however, radiolabelled gold standard measurement of GFR is highly expensive and can only be used on a very limited scale. We aim to compare the performance of Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) and Chronic Kidney Disease-Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equations in the multi-ethnic population attending University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC). This is a cross-sectional study recruiting patients, who attend UMMC Nephrology clinics on voluntary basis. 51-Chromium EDTA ( 51 Cr-EDTA) plasma level was used to measure the reference GFR. The serum creatinine was determined by IDMS reference modified Jaffe kinetic assay (Cr Jaffe ). The predictive capabilities of MDRD and CKD-EPI based equations were calculated. Data was analysed using SPSS version 20 and correlation, bias, precision and accuracy were determined. A total of 113 subjects with mean age of 58.12 ± 14.76 years and BMI of 25.99 ± 4.29 kg/m 2 were recruited. The mean reference GFR was 66.98 ± 40.65 ml/min/1.73m 2 , while the estimated GFR based on MDRD and CKD-EPI formula were 62.17 ± 40.40, and 60.44 ± 34.59, respectively. Both MDRD and CKD-EPI were well-correlated with reference GFR (0.806 and 0.867 respectively) and statistically significant with p < 0.001. In the overall cohort, although MDRD had smaller bias than CKD-EPI (4.81 vs. 6.54), CKD-EPI was more precise (25.22 vs. 20.29) with higher accuracy within 30% of measured GFR (79.65 vs. 86.73%). The CKD-EPI equation appeared to be more precise and accurate than the MDRD equation in estimating GFR in our cohort of multi-ethnic populations in Malaysia.

NCI and the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Sign Statement of Intent

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Today the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the Cancer Institute/Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CICAMS) signed a statement of intent to share an interest in fostering collaborative biomedical research in oncology and a common goal

CON4EI: EpiOcular™ Eye Irritation Test (EpiOcular™ EIT) for hazard identification and labelling of eye irritating chemicals.

Science.gov (United States)

Kandarova, H; Letasiova, S; Adriaens, E; Guest, R; Willoughby, J A; Drzewiecka, A; Gruszka, K; Alépée, Nathalie; Verstraelen, Sandra; Van Rompay, An R

2018-06-01

Assessment of the acute eye irritation potential is part of the international regulatory requirements for testing of chemicals. The objective of the CON4EI project was to develop tiered testing strategies for eye irritation assessment. A set of 80 reference chemicals (38 liquids and 42 solids) was tested with eight different methods. Here, the results obtained with the EpiOcular™ Eye Irritation Test (EIT), adopted as OECD TG 492, are shown. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate of the performance of the test method to discriminate between chemicals not requiring classification for serious eye damage/eye irritancy (No Category) and chemicals requiring classification and labelling. In addition, the predictive capacity in terms of in vivo drivers of classification (i.e. corneal opacity, conjunctival redness and persistence at day 21) was investigated. EpiOcular™ EIT achieved a sensitivity of 97%, a specificity of 87% and accuracy of 95% and also confirmed its excellent reproducibility (100%) from the original validation. The assay was applicable to all chemical categories tested in this project and its performance was not limited to the particular driver of the classification. In addition to the existing prediction model for dichotomous categorization, a new prediction model for Cat 1 is suggested. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Live or Let Die: Epithelial Flap Vitality and Keratocyte Proliferation Following LASEK and Epi-LASIK in Human Donor and Porcine Eyes.

Science.gov (United States)

Angunawela, Romesh I; Winkler von Mohrenfels, Christoph; Kumar, Anupma; O'Brart, David P S; Marshall, John

2011-02-01

To determine the relationship between epithelial flap vitality and stromal keratocyte proliferation following two epithelial refractive techniques: epi-LASIK and laser epithelial keratomileusis (LASEK). Human corneas were maintained in organ culture and underwent standard -6.00-diopter ablation. Rates of stromal keratocyte proliferation were detected 1 week postoperative using a Ki67 antibody specific to proliferating cells. Images were captured with a laser scanning confocal microscope and analyzed by a masked observer. Epithelial flap vitality was determined with propidium iodide using fresh porcine corneas. Epithelial flaps were created with Gebauer Epikeratome epi-LASIK or alcohol-assisted LASEK method. Flaps treated with 100% alcohol and uninjured corneas were used as controls. The number of proliferating keratocytes was greatest at 1 week in the epi-LASIK corneas (Pvitality was greatest in the epi-LASIK flaps and declined in the LASEK and 100% alcohol flaps (Plive cells. There is also a greater number of proliferating stromal cells following epi-LASIK at 1 week. Based on these in vitro observations, epi-LASIK may result in greater levels of haze compared to LASEK. Copyright 2011, SLACK Incorporated.

Schools as potential vaccination venue for vaccines outside regular EPI schedule: results from a school census in Pakistan

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Soofi, S.B.; Haq, I.U.; Khan, M.I.; Siddiqui, M.B.; Mirani, M.; Tahir, R.; Hussain, I.; Puri, M.K.; Suhag, Z.H.; Khowaja, A.R.; Lasi, A.R.; Clemens, J.D.; Favorov, M.; Ochiai, R.L.; Bhutta, Z.A.

2012-01-01

BACKGROUND: Vaccines are the most effective public health intervention. Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) provides routine vaccination in developing countries. However, vaccines that cannot be given in EPI schedule such as typhoid fever vaccine need alternative venues. In areas where school

NCI's national environmental research data collection: metadata management built on standards and preparing for the semantic web

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jingbo; Bastrakova, Irina; Evans, Ben; Gohar, Kashif; Santana, Fabiana; Wyborn, Lesley

2015-04-01

National Computational Infrastructure (NCI) manages national environmental research data collections (10+ PB) as part of its specialized high performance data node of the Research Data Storage Infrastructure (RDSI) program. We manage 40+ data collections using NCI's Data Management Plan (DMP), which is compatible with the ISO 19100 metadata standards. We utilize ISO standards to make sure our metadata is transferable and interoperable for sharing and harvesting. The DMP is used along with metadata from the data itself, to create a hierarchy of data collection, dataset and time series catalogues that is then exposed through GeoNetwork for standard discoverability. This hierarchy catalogues are linked using a parent-child relationship. The hierarchical infrastructure of our GeoNetwork catalogues system aims to address both discoverability and in-house administrative use-cases. At NCI, we are currently improving the metadata interoperability in our catalogue by linking with standardized community vocabulary services. These emerging vocabulary services are being established to help harmonise data from different national and international scientific communities. One such vocabulary service is currently being established by the Australian National Data Services (ANDS). Data citation is another important aspect of the NCI data infrastructure, which allows tracking of data usage and infrastructure investment, encourage data sharing, and increasing trust in research that is reliant on these data collections. We incorporate the standard vocabularies into the data citation metadata so that the data citation become machine readable and semantically friendly for web-search purpose as well. By standardizing our metadata structure across our entire data corpus, we are laying the foundation to enable the application of appropriate semantic mechanisms to enhance discovery and analysis of NCI's national environmental research data information. We expect that this will further

Ressonàncies en plasmons sobre grafè

OpenAIRE

Alcaraz Iranzo, David

2014-01-01

Treball final de màster oficial fet en col·laboració amb Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Universitat de Barcelona (UB) i Institut de Ciències Fotòniques (ICFO) [ANGLÈS] Graphene is used as a novel, versatile plasmonic material. The most common way to implement resonant light-plasmon coupling is to etch graphene into periodic nanostructures, which is invasive. Here, we study a non-invasive way to engineer graphene plasmon resonances, based on periodic doping profiles. The plasmon r...

Craig Reynolds, Ph.D., to Retire as NCI Associate Director for Frederick | Poster

Science.gov (United States)

On December 2, Craig Reynolds, Ph.D., director, Office of Scientific Operations, and NCI associate director for Frederick, will put the finishing touches on a 37-year career with the National Cancer Institute.

Integrated analysis of the molecular action of Vorinostat identifies epi-sensitised targets for combination therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Hay, Jodie F; Lappin, Katrina; Liberante, Fabio; Kettyle, Laura M; Matchett, Kyle B; Thompson, Alexander; Mills, Ken I

2017-09-15

Several histone deacetylase inhibitors including Vorinostat have received FDA approval for the treatment of haematological malignancies. However, data from these trials indicate that Vorinostat has limited efficacy as a monotherapy, prompting the need for rational design of combination therapies. A number of epi-sensitised pathways, including sonic hedgehog (SHH), were identified in AML cells by integration of global patterns of histone H3 lysine 9 (H3K9) acetylation with transcriptomic analysis following Vorinostat-treatment. Direct targeting of the SHH pathway with SANT-1, following Vorinostat induced epi-sensitisation, resulted in synergistic cell death of AML cells. In addition, xenograft studies demonstrated that combination therapy induced a marked reduction in leukemic burden compared to control or single agents. Together, the data supports epi-sensitisation as a potential component of the strategy for the rational development of combination therapies in AML.

Use of the EpiNet database for observational study of status epilepticus in Auckland, New Zealand.

Science.gov (United States)

Bergin, Peter; Jayabal, Jayaganth; Walker, Elizabeth; Davis, Suzanne; Jones, Peter; Dalziel, Stuart; Yates, Kim; Thornton, Vanessa; Bennett, Patricia; Wilson, Kaisa; Roberts, Lynair; Litchfield, Rhonda; Te Ao, Braden; Parmer, Priya; Feigin, Valery; Jost, Jeremy; Beghi, Ettore; Rossetti, Andrea O

2015-08-01

The EpiNet project has been established to facilitate investigator-initiated clinical research in epilepsy, to undertake epidemiological studies, and to simultaneously improve the care of patients who have records created within the EpiNet database. The EpiNet database has recently been adapted to collect detailed information regarding status epilepticus. An incidence study is now underway in Auckland, New Zealand in which the incidence of status epilepticus in the greater Auckland area (population: 1.5 million) will be calculated. The form that has been developed for this study can be used in the future to collect information for randomized controlled trials in status epilepticus. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled "Status Epilepticus". Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

New Phone System Coming to NCI Campus at Frederick | Poster

Science.gov (United States)

By Travis Fouche and Trent McKee, Guest Writers Beginning in September, phones at the NCI Campus at Frederick will begin to be replaced, as the project to upgrade the current phone system ramps up. Over the next 16 months, the Information Systems Program (ISP) will be working with Facilities Maintenance and Engineering and Computer & Statistical Services to replace the current

Effect of EPI-743 on the clinical course of the mitochondrial disease Leber hereditary optic neuropathy.

Science.gov (United States)

Sadun, Alfredo A; Chicani, Carlos Filipe; Ross-Cisneros, Fred N; Barboni, Piero; Thoolen, Martin; Shrader, William D; Kubis, Kenneth; Carelli, Valerio; Miller, Guy

2012-03-01

To evaluate the safety and efficacy of a new therapeutic agent, EPI-743, in Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) using standard clinical, anatomic, and functional visual outcome measures. Open-label clinical trial. University medical center. Patients  Five patients with genetically confirmed LHON with acute loss of vision were consecutively enrolled and treated with the experimental therapeutic agent EPI-743 within 90 days of conversion. Intervention  During the course of the study, 5 consecutive patients received EPI-743, by mouth, 3 times daily (100-400 mg per dose). Treatment effect was assessed by serial measurements of anatomic and functional visual indices over 6 to 18 months, including Snellen visual acuity, retinal nerve fiber layer thickness measured by optical coherence tomography, Humphrey visual fields (mean decibels and area with 1-log unit depression), and color vision. Treatment effect in this clinical proof of principle study was assessed by comparison of the prospective open-label treatment group with historical controls. Of 5 subjects treated with EPI-743, 4 demonstrated arrest of disease progression and reversal of visual loss. Two patients exhibited a total recovery of visual acuity. No drug-related adverse events were recorded. In a small open-label trial, EPI-743 arrested disease progression and reversed vision loss in all but 1 of the 5 consecutively treated patients with LHON. Given the known natural history of acute and rapid progression of LHON resulting in chronic and persistent bilateral blindness, these data suggest that the previously described irreversible priming to retinal ganglion cell loss may be reversed.

Thermal stability of Ni-Pt-Ta alloy silicides on epi-Si{sub 1-x}C{sub x}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yoo, Jung-Ho; Chang, Hyun-Jin [Department of Ceramic Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul 120-749 (Korea, Republic of); Min, Byoung-Gi [Department of Ceramic Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul 120-749 (Korea, Republic of); Jusung Engineering Co., Ltd., 49, Neungpyeong-ri, Opo-eup, Gwangju-Si, Kyunggi-do 464-892 (Korea, Republic of); Ko, Dae-Hong [Department of Ceramic Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul 120-749 (Korea, Republic of)], E-mail: dhko@yonsei.ac.kr; Cho, Mann-Ho [Institute of Physics and Applied Physics, Yonsei University, Seoul 120-749 (Korea, Republic of); Sohn, Hyunchul [Department of Ceramic Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul 120-749 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Tae-Wan [Jusung Engineering Co., Ltd., 49, Neungpyeong-ri, Opo-eup, Gwangju-Si, Kyunggi-do 464-892 (Korea, Republic of)

2008-12-05

We investigated the silicide formation in Ni/epi-Si{sub 1-x}C{sub x} systems. Ni-Pt and Ni-Pt-Ta films were deposited on epi-Si{sub 1-x}C{sub x}/Si substrates by DC magnetron sputtering and processed at various temperatures. The sheet resistance of the silicide from the Ni alloy/epi-Si{sub 1-x}C{sub x} systems was maintained at low values compared to that from Ni/Si systems. By TEM and EDS analyses, we confirmed the presence of a Pt alloy layer at the top of the Ni-silicide layer. The stability of the silicide layer in the Ni alloy/epi-Si{sub 1-x}C{sub x} system is explained by not only the Pt rich layer on the top of the Ni-silicide layer, but also by the presence of a small amount of Pt in the Ni-silicide layer or at the grain boundaries. And both the thermal stability and the morphology of silicide were greatly improved by the addition of Ta in Ni-Pt films.

A Gene-Based Prognostic for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patient Response to Adjuvant Transcatheter Arterial Chemoembolization | NCI Technology Transfer Center | TTC

Science.gov (United States)

The gold standard of care for hepatocellular carcinoma patients with intermediate- to locally advanced tumors is transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE), a procedure whereby the tumor is targeted both with local chemotherapy and restriction of local blood supply. NCI scientists have identified a 14-gene signature predictive of response to TACE, and NCI seeks licensees or co-development partners to develop the technology toward commercialization.

It’s Easy to Recycle at NCI at Frederick | Poster

Science.gov (United States)

From 2013 through the first quarter of 2018, NCI at Frederick has recycled over 1,667 tons of material, while incinerating or landfilling over 4,273 tons of trash. This earns us a recycling rate close to 28 percent, which is below the national average of 32 percent, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, and well below our goal of 50 percent. (These numbers only

Comparison of Epidrum, Epi-Jet, and Loss of Resistance syringe ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background: Identifying the epidural space is essential during epidural anesthesia (EA). Pressure of the epidural space in pregnancy is higher than that in nonpregnant woman. Loss of resistance (LOR) method is the most commonly preferred method for identifying the epidural space. Epidrum and Epi-Jet are recently ...

NCI Program for Natural Product Discovery: A Publicly-Accessible Library of Natural Product Fractions for High-Throughput Screening.

Science.gov (United States)

Thornburg, Christopher C; Britt, John R; Evans, Jason R; Akee, Rhone K; Whitt, James A; Trinh, Spencer K; Harris, Matthew J; Thompson, Jerell R; Ewing, Teresa L; Shipley, Suzanne M; Grothaus, Paul G; Newman, David J; Schneider, Joel P; Grkovic, Tanja; O'Keefe, Barry R

2018-06-13

The US National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Natural Product Repository is one of the world's largest, most diverse collections of natural products containing over 230,000 unique extracts derived from plant, marine, and microbial organisms that have been collected from biodiverse regions throughout the world. Importantly, this national resource is available to the research community for the screening of extracts and the isolation of bioactive natural products. However, despite the success of natural products in drug discovery, compatibility issues that make extracts challenging for liquid handling systems, extended timelines that complicate natural product-based drug discovery efforts and the presence of pan-assay interfering compounds have reduced enthusiasm for the high-throughput screening (HTS) of crude natural product extract libraries in targeted assay systems. To address these limitations, the NCI Program for Natural Product Discovery (NPNPD), a newly launched, national program to advance natural product discovery technologies and facilitate the discovery of structurally defined, validated lead molecules ready for translation will create a prefractionated library from over 125,000 natural product extracts with the aim of producing a publicly-accessible, HTS-amenable library of >1,000,000 fractions. This library, representing perhaps the largest accumulation of natural-product based fractions in the world, will be made available free of charge in 384-well plates for screening against all disease states in an effort to reinvigorate natural product-based drug discovery.

EpiReumaPt: how to perform a national population based study – a practical guide

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nélia Gouveia

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Background: The aim of this article was to describe and discuss several strategies and standard operating procedures undertaken in the EpiReumaPt study – which was the first Portuguese, national, cross-sectional population-based study of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Diseases (RMD. Methods: The technical procedures, legal issues, management and practical questions were studied, analyzed and discussed with relevant stakeholders. During the 1st phase of EpiReumaPt the coordination team and Centro de Estudos de Sondagens e Opinião (CESOP worked to recruit and interview 10,661 subjects. The 2nd phase involved the participation of a multidisciplinary team, several local authorities, a specialized vehicle (“mobile unit” and a specific software program for the clinical appointments. The development of specific recruitment strategies improved the participation rate. Blood samples were collected and sent to Biobanco-IMM and to a central lab for immediate measurements. In the 3rd phase the RMD diagnosis were validated by a team of three experienced rheumatologists - clinical data, imaging and lab test results were revised according to previously published classification criteria. Conclusion: EpiReumaPt was a nationwide project successfully conducted, which followed critical logistic/coordination and research strategies. EpiReumaPt methodology and coordination could be used as an example for other epidemiologic endeavors and public health policies.

Analysis of 125I-[Tyr3] octreotide receptors of NCI-H466 cell line

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun Junjie; Fan Wo; Xu Yujie; Zhang Youjiu; Zhu Ran

2002-01-01

Objective: To study the affinity of small cell lung carcinoma to [Tyr 3 ] octreotide (TOC). Methods: Taking 125 I-[Tyr 3 ] octreotide (labeled by chloramine-T method), as the ligand, small cell lung carcinoma NCI-H466 cell line was inspected for the receptor-binding points and affinity constant. Results: The radio-chemical purity of 125 I-TOC purified through sephadex G-10 was higher than 95%. Receptor analysis study showed that the expression of somatostatin receptors on NCI-H446 cells was numerous (Bmax = 1.17 x 10 5 /cell) with strong affinity to 125 I-TOC (Kd = 0.56 nM). Conclusion: Labeled TOC could be used for small cell lung carcinoma receptor imaging and radio-pharmaceutical therapy

Validation of a screening tool for attention and executive functions (EpiTrack Junior) in children and adolescents with absence epilepsy.

Science.gov (United States)

Kadish, Navah Ester; Baumann, Matthias; Pietz, Joachim; Schubert-Bast, Susanne; Reuner, Gitta

2013-10-01

Our prospective study aimed at the validation of EpiTrack Junior, a neuropsychological screening tool for attention and executive functions in children with epilepsy. Twenty-two children with absence epilepsy aged 8-17 years underwent comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation including EpiTrack Junior and measures of intelligence, verbal and nonverbal memory, word fluency and visuoconstructive organization. Concurrent and discriminant validity of EpiTrack Junior subtests and total score as well as sensitivity and specificity of the total score were analyzed. EpiTrack Junior total score was impaired in 59% of participants. Concurrent validity was demonstrated in 4/6 subtests and for the total score. Discriminant validity was shown with respect to verbal and nonverbal long-term memory. Sensitivity was higher than specificity and highest for the "working memory index". EpiTrack Junior is recommended as a sensitive and time-efficient screening tool for attention and executive functions in children with epilepsy. Impaired results should be followed up with detailed evaluation including information from the parents and school as well as counseling where indicated. © 2013.

The EpiCom Survey-Registries Across Europe, Epidemiological Research and Beyond

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gordon, Hannah; Langholz, Ebbe

2017-01-01

The 2015 EpiCom survey evaluated population, patient, and research registries across Europe. Information was collected from 38 countries. The registries included those falling within the remit of national statistics, hospital databases, twin and multiplex registries, inflammatory bowel disease [IBD...

Estimating glomerular filtration rate using the new CKD-EPI equation and other equations in patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Orskov, Bjarne; Borresen, Malene L; Feldt-Rasmussen, Bo

2010-01-01

(CKD-EPI) equation, the Cockcroft-Gault equation adjusted for body surface area and the MDRD equation with cystatin C. Performance was evaluated by mean bias, precision and accuracy. RESULTS: The MDRD equation with cystatin C had 97% of GFR estimates within 30% of measured GFR (accuracy). Both the CKD-EPI....... The CKD-EPI or the Cockcroft-Gault equations showed better performance compared to the 4-variable MDRD equation....

Tendències en el disseny metodològic de recerca sobre l’avaluació de competències a l’educació superior

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karina Angélica Villegas Sandoval

2017-01-01

Full Text Available L’article té com a finalitat descriure i analitzar les metodologies d'investigació utilitzades per estudis recents que aborden el tema de l’avaluació per competències a l’educació superior i la formació docent, per tal de detectar les tendències en el disseny metodològic i orientar futurs projectes d'investigació sobre aquest tema. El mètode de treball que s'ha seguit per dur a terme aquest estudi és l’anàlisi de contingut de 22 documents trobats a Dialnet. Els resultats mostren que les investigacions que tracten el tema assenyalat han anat en augment en els últims tretze anys, i es destaca el canvi de metodologia utilitzada, amb dissenys majoritàriament descriptius i avaluatius. Al seu torn, però, crida l'atenció que un gran nombre d'estudis no expliquen ni el mètode ni el disseny d'investigació que han aplicat. Es conclou que és important que les investigacions presentin un apartat que al·ludeixi al disseny metodològic a fi d’afavorir la comprensió del lector dels processos d'indagació que s'han dut a terme.

DCP Leading NIH Glycoscience Common Fund Program; Funding Opportunities Open | Division of Cancer Prevention

Science.gov (United States)

NCI's Division of Cancer Prevention is a leading participant for a key initiative in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Glycoscience Common Fund program. This program supports development of accessible and affordable new tools and technologies for studying the role complex carbohydrates in health and disease. |

Whole brain, high resolution multiband spin-echo EPI fMRI at 7 T: A comparison with gradient-echo EPI using a color-word Stroop task

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Boyacioglu, R.; Schulz, J.; Müller, N.C.J.; Koopmans, P.J.; Barth, M.; Norris, David Gordon

2014-01-01

A whole brain, multiband spin-echo (SE) echo planar imaging (EPI) sequence employing a high spatial (1.5 mm isotropic) and temporal (TR of 2 s) resolution was implemented at 7 T. Its overall performance (tSNR, sensitivity and CNR) was assessed and compared to a geometrically matched gradient-echo

Program Spotlight: Ground Broken for NCI-supported Cancer Treatment Center in Puerto Rico

Science.gov (United States)

Dr. Sanya A. Springfield represented NCI at the groundbreaking ceremonies for the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) cancer hospital. In her remarks, she acknowledged the driving force behind this development is the UPR and the MD Anderson Cancer Center partnership.

Softball Games Bring NCI and Leidos Biomed Employees Together | Poster

Science.gov (United States)

NCI and Leidos Biomed employees took to the fields at Nallin Pond for the third annual slow-pitch softball games on August 26. The series attracted 54 employees who were divided into four teams, Red, Blue, Gray, and White, and they were cheered on by about 40 enthusiastic spectators. In the first set of games, the Gray team defeated the Blue team, 15–8, and the White team

Clinically feasible NODDI characterization of glioma using multiband EPI at 7 T

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qiuting Wen

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Recent technological progress in the multiband echo planer imaging (MB EPI technique enables accelerated MR diffusion weighted imaging (DWI and allows whole brain, multi-b-value diffusion imaging to be acquired within a clinically feasible time. However, its applications at 7 T have been limited due to B1 field inhomogeneity and increased susceptibility artifact. It is an ongoing debate whether DWI at 7 T can be performed properly in patients, and a systematic SNR comparison for multiband spin-echo EPI between 3 T and 7 T has not been methodically studied. The goal of this study was to use MB EPI at 7 T in order to obtain 90-directional multi-shell DWI within a clinically feasible acquisition time for patients with glioma. This study included an SNR comparison between 3 T and 7 T, and the application of B1 mapping and distortion correction procedures for reducing the impact of variations in B0 and B1. The optimized multiband sequence was applied in 20 patients with glioma to generate both DTI and NODDI maps for comparison of values in tumor and normal appearing white matter (NAWM. Our SNR analysis showed that MB EPI at 7 T was comparable to that at 3 T, and the data quality acquired in patients was clinically acceptable. NODDI maps provided unique contrast within the T2 lesion that was not seen in anatomical images or DTI maps. Such contrast may reflect the complexity of tissue compositions associated with disease progression and treatment effects. The ability to consistently obtain high quality diffusion data at 7 T will contribute towards the implementation of a comprehensive brain MRI examination at ultra-high field.

Vaccines for HIV | NCI Technology Transfer Center | TTC

Science.gov (United States)

The development of an effective HIV vaccine has been an ongoing area of research. The high variability in HIV-1 virus strains has represented a major challenge in successful development. Ideally, an effective candidate vaccine would provide protection against the majority of clades of HIV. Two major hurdles to overcome are immunodominance and sequence diversity. This vaccine utilizes a strategy for overcoming these two issues by identifying the conserved regions of the virus and exploiting them for use in a targeted therapy. NCI seeks licensees and/or research collaborators to commercialize this technology, which has been validated in macaque models.

Residue depletion of oxytetracycline (OTC) and 4-epi-oxytetracycline (4-epi-OTC) in broiler chicken's claws by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).

Science.gov (United States)

Cornejo, J; Pokrant, E; Araya, D; Briceño, C; Hidalgo, H; Maddaleno, A; Araya-Jordán, C; San Martin, B

2017-04-01

Antibiotics are widely used in poultry production for the treatment of bacterial diseases. However, residues may remain in products and by-products destined for human consumption or animal feeding. The claws of chickens, which are a by-product of the poultry industry, can directly or indirectly enter the food chain as meals destined to feed other productive animals. Thus, it becomes necessary to determine and quantify antimicrobial residues present in this matrix. The objective of the study was to assess the depletion of oxytetracycline (OTC) and its metabolite 4-epi-OTC in broiler chicken's claws. Claws of 32 broilers treated with a therapeutic dosage of 10% OTC during 7 days were analysed. Samples were taken at days 3, 9, 15 and 19 post-treatment. As for the control group, eight broiler chickens were raised under the same conditions. Extraction was carried out through EDTA-McIlvaine buffer, and clean-up employed a SPE C-18 Sep-Pak®. Instrumental analysis was performed through LC-MS/MS. The concentrations of both analytes were determined in claw samples until day 19 post-treatment. Average concentrations were within the LOD (20 μg kg - 1 ) and LOQ (22 µg kg - 1 ) for OTC and 84 μg kg - 1 for 4-epi-OTC. Withdrawal times (WDTs) of 39 days for OTC and 54 days for 4-epi-OTC were established in claws based on 95% confidence. These findings demonstrate that claws can be a source of antimicrobial residue entry into the food chain, since the results showed that OTC and its metabolite can be found in chicken's claws for long periods, even exceeding the average lifespan of a broiler chicken.

PRK vs LASEK vs Epi-LASIK: a comparison of corneal haze, postoperative pain and visual recovery in moderate to high myopia.

Science.gov (United States)

Reilly, C D; Panday, V; Lazos, V; Mittelstaedt, B R

2010-01-01

The field of refractive surgery continues to evolve amid continued concerns as to which surgical technique minimizes the risk of inducing ectasia. To compare clinical outcomes between PRK, LASEK and Epi-LASIK in moderately to highly myopic eyes (-4.00 D to -8.00 D). A retrospective chart review of 100 PRK eyes, 100 LASEK eyes (with alcohol) and 97 Epi-LASIK eyes was performed. Post-operative pain, uncorrected visual acuity, and corneal haze data was recorded and analyzed at post-op days 1, 4 and 7 and at post-op months 1, 3, 6 and 12. In all groups surgical corrections ranged from -4.00 D to -8.00 D. There was less pain associated with the epi-LASIK procedure especially early (post-op days 1 and 4). Visual recovery was superior within the PRK group during the first post-operative week but by post-op week 4 all three were equal. Haze scores were similar but a trend for less haze was demonstrated with epi-LASIK at 6 and 12 months. Epi-LASIK has a slight advantage over PRK and LASEK early on in the post-op course with regards to pain. Visual recovery is similar by 4 weeks and is better with PRK early. In addition, epi-LASIK trends toward less significant haze. © Nepal Ophthalmic Society.

NCI and the Chinese National Cancer Center pursue new collaborations in cancer research

Science.gov (United States)

CGH Director, Dr. Ted Trimble, and East Asia Program Director, Dr. Ann Chao, traveled to Beijing with Mr. Matthew Brown from the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Global Affairs to attend the Joint Meeting of the NCC and the U.S. NCI.

Paternal postpartum mood: bipolar episodes? Depressão paterna: episódio bipolar?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karen Amaral Tavares Pinheiro

2011-09-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: We describe the prevalence of depressive and bipolar spectrum episodes in fathers in antenatal and postnatal periods, as well as at 12 months after childbirth. METHOD: A longitudinal follow-up study was conducted with a representative sample of 739 fathers whose children were born between April 2007 and May 2008 in maternity wards in the city of Pelotas, southern Brazil. Paternal psychopathology was measured with the Mini Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI across three time points: between 28 and 34 weeks of pregnancy (T1, 30 to 60 days postpartum (T2, and 12 months after childbirth (T3. RESULTS: The prevalence of depressive episodes was 5.0% at T1, 4.5% at T2, and 4.3% at T3. Mixed episodes were present in 3%, 1.7%, and 0.9% of subjects, respectively, and accounted for 61.1% of the cases of depression in the antenatal period, 37.5% in postpartum, and 21.4% at 12 months. Depressive and manic/hypomanic episodes were significantly associated during pregnancy and in postpartum, but not at 12 months after childbirth. CONCLUSION: Bipolar episodes were common in men with depressive symptoms during their partner's pregnancy in the postpartum period and, to a lesser extent, 12 months after childbirth. Therefore, this population should be carefully investigated for manic and hypomanic symptoms.OBJETIVO: Verificar a prevalência dos episódios depressivos e bipolares em homens no período pré e pós-natal, assim como 12 meses após o parto. MÉTODO: Estudo longitudinal com amostra de pais cujas crianças nasceram entre abril de 2007 e maio de 2008 em maternidades da cidade de Pelotas-RS, no sul do Brasil. Episódios depressivos e maníacos/hipomaníacos foram mensurados com o Mini Neuropsychiatric Interview em três tempos diferentes: entre a 28ª e 34ª semanas de gestação (T1, 30 a 60 dias após o parto (T2 e 12 meses após o nascimento da criança. RESULTADOS: A prevalência de episódios depressivos foi 5,0% em T1, 4,5% em T2 e 4,3% em T3

Ratio Based Biomarkers for the Prediction of Cancer Survival | NCI Technology Transfer Center | TTC

Science.gov (United States)

The NCI seeks licensees or co-development partners for this technology, which describes compositions, methods and kits for identifying, characterizing biomolecules expressed in a sample that are associated with the presence, the development, or progression of cancer.

Anàlisi forense d'evidències digitals

OpenAIRE

Bonachera López, Esteban

2014-01-01

L'objectiu principal d'aquest projecte consisteix en la realització de l'anàlisi forense del disc dur i de la memòria RAM d'un ordinador personal, en concret un Netbook, vinculat a una possible conducta delictiva. També s'inclou en l'anàlisi una base de dades del conegut programari WhatsApp extreta d'un smartphone. Per realitzar aquesta tasca s'utilitzaran eines específiques per localitzar les evidències digitals que puguin demostrar els presumptes delictes. El objetivo principal de este p...

Mission & Role | NCI Technology Transfer Center | TTC

Science.gov (United States)

The NCI TTC serves as the focal point for implementing the Federal Technology Transfer Act to utilize patents as incentive for commercial development of technologies and to establish research collaborations and licensing among academia, federal laboratories, non-profit organizations, and industry. The TTC supports technology development activities for the National Cancer Institute and nine other NIH Institutes and Centers. TTC staff negotiate co-development agreements and licenses with universities, non-profit organizations, and pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to ensure compliance with Federal statutes, regulations and the policies of the National Institutes of Health. TTC also reviews employee invention reports and makes recommendations concerning filing of domestic and foreign patent applications. | [google6f4cd5334ac394ab.html

Development of ultra pure germanium epi layers for blocked impurity band far infrared detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lutz, M.P.

1991-05-01

The main goals of this paper are: (1) To develop a low-pressure CVD (LPCVD) process that allows epitaxial growth at lower temperatures. Lower temperatures will allow the achievement of a sharp dopant profile at the substrate/epi-layer interface. Less out-diffusion from the substrate would allow the use of thinner epitaxial layers, which would lead to a larger depletion width in the photoactive region. LPCVD also avoids, to a great extent, gas-phase nucleation, which would cause Ge particulates to fall onto the wafer surface during growth. (2) To reduce high levels of oxygen and copper present at the wafer interface, as observed by secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS). In order to achieve high-quality epitaxial layers, it is imperative that the substrate surface be of excellent quality. (3) To make and test detectors, after satisfactory epitaxial layers have been made

Fast, accurate and automatic ancient nucleosome and methylation maps with epiPALEOMIX

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hanghøj, Kristian; Seguin, Andaine; Schubert, Mikkel

2016-01-01

of CTCF binding regions can be used to help data authentication. Our work, including epiPALEOMIX, opens for further investigations of ancient epigenomes through time especially aimed at tracking possible epigenetic changes during major evolutionary, environmental, socioeconomic, and cultural shifts....

Microbial Detoxification of Deoxynivalenol (DON), Assessed via a Lemna minor L. Bioassay, through Biotransformation to 3-epi-DON and 3-epi-DOM-1.

Science.gov (United States)

Vanhoutte, Ilse; De Mets, Laura; De Boevre, Marthe; Uka, Valdet; Di Mavungu, José Diana; De Saeger, Sarah; De Gelder, Leen; Audenaert, Kris

2017-02-13

Mycotoxins are toxic metabolites produced by fungi. To mitigate mycotoxins in food or feed, biotransformation is an emerging technology in which microorganisms degrade toxins into non-toxic metabolites. To monitor deoxynivalenol (DON) biotransformation, analytical tools such as ELISA and liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) are typically used. However, these techniques do not give a decisive answer about the remaining toxicity of possible biotransformation products. Hence, a bioassay using Lemna minor L. was developed. A dose-response analysis revealed significant inhibition in the growth of L. minor exposed to DON concentrations of 0.25 mg/L and higher. Concentrations above 1 mg/L were lethal for the plant. This bioassay is far more sensitive than previously described systems. The bioassay was implemented to screen microbial enrichment cultures, originating from rumen fluid, soil, digestate and activated sludge, on their biotransformation and detoxification capability of DON. The enrichment cultures originating from soil and activated sludge were capable of detoxifying and degrading 5 and 50 mg/L DON. In addition, the metabolites 3-epi-DON and the epimer of de-epoxy-DON (3-epi-DOM-1) were found as biotransformation products of both consortia. Our work provides a new valuable tool to screen microbial cultures for their detoxification capacity.

Microbial Detoxification of Deoxynivalenol (DON, Assessed via a Lemna minor L. Bioassay, through Biotransformation to 3-epi-DON and 3-epi-DOM-1

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ilse Vanhoutte

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Mycotoxins are toxic metabolites produced by fungi. To mitigate mycotoxins in food or feed, biotransformation is an emerging technology in which microorganisms degrade toxins into non-toxic metabolites. To monitor deoxynivalenol (DON biotransformation, analytical tools such as ELISA and liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS are typically used. However, these techniques do not give a decisive answer about the remaining toxicity of possible biotransformation products. Hence, a bioassay using Lemna minor L. was developed. A dose–response analysis revealed significant inhibition in the growth of L. minor exposed to DON concentrations of 0.25 mg/L and higher. Concentrations above 1 mg/L were lethal for the plant. This bioassay is far more sensitive than previously described systems. The bioassay was implemented to screen microbial enrichment cultures, originating from rumen fluid, soil, digestate and activated sludge, on their biotransformation and detoxification capability of DON. The enrichment cultures originating from soil and activated sludge were capable of detoxifying and degrading 5 and 50 mg/L DON. In addition, the metabolites 3-epi-DON and the epimer of de-epoxy-DON (3-epi-DOM-1 were found as biotransformation products of both consortia. Our work provides a new valuable tool to screen microbial cultures for their detoxification capacity.

NCI at Frederick Employees Receive Awards at the Spring Research Festival | Poster

Science.gov (United States)

NCI and Frederick National Laboratory staff members were among those honored at the Spring Research Festival Awards Ceremony on May 28. The ceremony was the culmination of the festival, which was sponsored by the National Interagency Confederation for Biological Research (NICBR), May 4–7. Maj. Gen. Brian Lein, commanding general, U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command

Silica-Coated Nanodiamonds for Imaging and Delivery of Therapeutic Agents | NCI Technology Transfer Center | TTC

Science.gov (United States)

The NCI Radiation Oncology Branch and the NHLBI Laboratory of Single Molecule Biophysics seek parties to co-develop fluorescent nanodiamonds for use as in vivo and in vitro optical tracking probes toward commercialization.

76 FR 14034 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request; NCI Cancer Genetics Services Directory Web-Based...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-15

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES National Institutes of Health Proposed Collection; Comment Request; NCI Cancer Genetics Services Directory Web-Based Application Form and Update Mailer Summary: In... Cancer Genetics Services Directory Web-based Application Form and Update Mailer. [[Page 14035

Total synthesis of putative 11-epi-lyngbouilloside aglycon

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amandine Kolleth

2016-08-01

Full Text Available We report here the total synthesis of 11-epi-lyngbouilloside aglycon. Our strategy features a Boeckman-type esterification followed by a RCM to form the 14-membered ring macrolactone and a late-stage side chain introduction via a Wittig olefination. Overall, the final product was obtained in 20 steps and 2% overall yield starting from commercially available 3-methyl-but-3-enol. Most importantly, the strategy employed is versatile enough to eventually allow us to complete the synthesis of the natural product and irrevocably confirm its structure.

THE NCI STUDIES ON RADIATION DOSES AND CANCER RISKS IN THE MARSHALL ISLANDS ASSOCIATED WITH EXPOSURE TO RADIOACTIVE FALLOUT

OpenAIRE

Simon, Steven L.

2012-01-01

The U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI, National Institutes of Health) was requested by the U.S. Congress in 2004 to assess the number of radiation-related illnesses to be expected among the people of the Marshall Islands from nuclear tests conducted there during 1946-1958. A thorough analysis conducted by the NCI concluded that 20 of the 66 nuclear devices tested in or near the Marshall Islands resulted in measurable fallout deposition on one or more of the inhabited atolls of the Marshall ...

Sub-Millimeter T2 Weighted fMRI at 7 T: Comparison of 3D-GRASE and 2D SE-EPI

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Valentin G. Kemper

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI allows studying human brain function non-invasively up to the spatial resolution of cortical columns and layers. Most fMRI acquisitions rely on the blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD contrast employing T2* weighted 2D multi-slice echo-planar imaging (EPI. At ultra-high magnetic field (i.e. 7 T and above, it has been shown experimentally and by simulation, that T2 weighted acquisitions yield a signal that is spatially more specific to the site of neuronal activity at the cost of functional sensitivity. This study compared two T2 weighted imaging sequences, inner-volume 3D Gradient-and-Spin-Echo (3D-GRASE and 2D Spin-Echo EPI (SE-EPI, with evaluation of their imaging point-spread function, functional specificity, and functional sensitivity at sub-millimeter resolution. Simulations and measurements of the imaging point-spread function revealed that the strongest anisotropic blurring in 3D-GRASE (along the second phase-encoding direction was about 60 % higher than the strongest anisotropic blurring in 2D SE-EPI (along the phase-encoding direction In a visual paradigm, the BOLD sensitivity of 3D-GRASE was found to be superior due to its higher temporal signal-to-noise ratio. High resolution cortical depth profiles suggested that the contrast mechanisms are similar between the two sequences, however, 2D SE-EPI had a higher surface bias owing to the higher T2* contribution of the longer in-plane EPI echo-train for full field of view compared to the reduced field of view of zoomed 3D-GRASE.

Paracytosis of Haemophilus influenzae through cell layers of NCI-H292 lung epithelial cells

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Schilfgaarde, M.; van Alphen, L.; Eijk, P.; Everts, V.; Dankert, J.

1995-01-01

Haemophilus influenzae penetrates the respiratory epithelium during carriage and invasive disease, including respiratory tract infections. We developed an in vitro model system consisting of lung epithelial NCI-H292 cells on permeable supports to study the passage of H. influenzae through lung

NCI Requests Targets for Monoclonal Antibody Production and Characterization | Office of Cancer Clinical Proteomics Research

Science.gov (United States)

In an effort to provide well-characterized monoclonal antibodies to the scientific community, NCI's Antibody Characterization Program requests cancer-related protein targets for affinity production and distribution. Submissions will be accepted through July 9, 2012.

epiDMS: Data Management and Analytics for Decision-Making From Epidemic Spread Simulation Ensembles.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Sicong; Poccia, Silvestro; Candan, K Selçuk; Chowell, Gerardo; Sapino, Maria Luisa

2016-12-01

Carefully calibrated large-scale computational models of epidemic spread represent a powerful tool to support the decision-making process during epidemic emergencies. Epidemic models are being increasingly used for generating forecasts of the spatial-temporal progression of epidemics at different spatial scales and for assessing the likely impact of different intervention strategies. However, the management and analysis of simulation ensembles stemming from large-scale computational models pose challenges, particularly when dealing with multiple interdependent parameters, spanning multiple layers and geospatial frames, affected by complex dynamic processes operating at different resolutions. We describe and illustrate with examples a novel epidemic simulation data management system, epiDMS, that was developed to address the challenges that arise from the need to generate, search, visualize, and analyze, in a scalable manner, large volumes of epidemic simulation ensembles and observations during the progression of an epidemic. epiDMS is a publicly available system that facilitates management and analysis of large epidemic simulation ensembles. epiDMS aims to fill an important hole in decision-making during healthcare emergencies by enabling critical services with significant economic and health impact. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, e-mail journals.permissions@oup.com.

Nikkaji Dictionary: 4-epi-オキシテトラサイクリン [MeCab user dictionary for science technology term[Archive

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available MeCab user dictionary for science technology term 4-epi-オキシテトラサイクリン 名詞 一般 * * * * 4-epi-オキシテトラサイクリン... ... Nikkaji J735.319G 200906072936780617 C CA06 UNKNOWN_2 4 - epi - オキシテトラサイクリン

Microsoft Office 365 Deployment Continues through June at NCI at Frederick | Poster

Science.gov (United States)

The latest Microsoft suite, Office 365 (O365), is being deployed to all NCI at Frederick computers during the months of May and June to comply with federal mandates. The suite includes the latest versions of Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Skype for Business, along with cloud-based capabilities. These cloud-based capabilities will help meet the federal mandates that

Puerto Rico NCI Community Oncology Research Program Minority/Underserved | Division of Cancer Prevention

Science.gov (United States)

The Puerto Rico NCI Community Oncology Research Program (PRNCORP) will be the principal organization in the island that promotes cancer prevention, control and screening/post-treatment surveillance clinical trials. It will conduct cancer care delivery research and will provide access to treatment and imaging clinical trials conducted under the reorganization of the National

Concurrent correction of geometric distortion and motion using the map-slice-to-volume method in EPI

Science.gov (United States)

Yeo, Desmond T. B.; Fessler, Jeffrey A.; Kim, Boklye

2014-01-01

The accuracy of measuring voxel intensity changes between stimulus and rest images in fMRI echo-planar imaging (EPI) data is severely degraded in the presence of head motion. In addition, EPI is sensitive to susceptibility-induced geometric distortions. Head motion causes image shifts and associated field map changes that induce different geometric distortion at different time points. Conventionally, geometric distortion is “corrected” with a static field map independently of image registration. That approach ignores all field map changes induced by head motion. This work evaluates the improved motion correction capability of mapping slice to volume (MSV) registration with concurrent iterative field corrected reconstruction using updated field maps derived from an initial static field map that has been spatially transformed and resampled. It accounts for motion-induced field map changes for translational and in-plane rotation motion. The results from simulated EPI time series data, in which motion, image intensity and activation ground truths are available, show improved accuracy in image registration, field corrected image reconstruction and activation detection. PMID:18280077

DESIGN OF LOW EPI AND HIGH THROUGHPUT CORDIC CELL TO IMPROVE THE PERFORMANCE OF MOBILE ROBOT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. VELRAJKUMAR

2014-04-01

Full Text Available This paper mainly focuses on pass logic based design, which gives an low Energy Per Instruction (EPI and high throughput COrdinate Rotation Digital Computer (CORDIC cell for application of robotic exploration. The basic components of CORDIC cell namely register, multiplexer and proposed adder is designed using pass transistor logic (PTL design. The proposed adder is implemented in bit-parallel iterative CORDIC circuit whereas designed using DSCH2 VLSI CAD tool and their layouts are generated by Microwind 3 VLSI CAD tool. The propagation delay, area and power dissipation are calculated from the simulated results for proposed adder based CORDIC cell. The EPI, throughput and effect of temperature are calculated from generated layout. The output parameter of generated layout is analysed using BSIM4 advanced analyzer. The simulated result of the proposed adder based CORDIC circuit is compared with other adder based CORDIC circuits. From the analysis of these simulated results, it was found that the proposed adder based CORDIC circuit dissipates low power, gives faster response, low EPI and high throughput.

EpiCollect+: linking smartphones to web applications for complex data collection projects [v1; ref status: indexed, http://f1000r.es/3vk

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David M. Aanensen

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Previously, we have described the development of the generic mobile phone data gathering tool, EpiCollect, and an associated web application, providing two-way communication between multiple data gatherers and a project database. This software only allows data collection on the phone using a single questionnaire form that is tailored to the needs of the user (including a single GPS point and photo per entry, whereas many applications require a more complex structure, allowing users to link a series of forms in a linear or branching hierarchy, along with the addition of any number of media types accessible from smartphones and/or tablet devices (e.g., GPS, photos, videos, sound clips and barcode scanning. A much enhanced version of EpiCollect has been developed (EpiCollect+. The individual data collection forms in EpiCollect+ provide more design complexity than the single form used in EpiCollect, and the software allows the generation of complex data collection projects through the ability to link many forms together in a linear (or branching hierarchy. Furthermore, EpiCollect+ allows the collection of multiple media types as well as standard text fields, increased data validation and form logic. The entire process of setting up a complex mobile phone data collection project to the specification of a user (project and form definitions can be undertaken at the EpiCollect+ website using a simple ‘drag and drop’ procedure, with visualisation of the data gathered using Google Maps and charts at the project website. EpiCollect+ is suitable for situations where multiple users transmit complex data by mobile phone (or other Android devices to a single project web database and is already being used for a range of field projects, particularly public health projects in sub-Saharan Africa. However, many uses can be envisaged from education, ecology and epidemiology to citizen science.

Interleaved EPI diffusion imaging using SPIRiT-based reconstruction with virtual coil compression.

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Zijing; Wang, Fuyixue; Ma, Xiaodong; Zhang, Zhe; Dai, Erpeng; Yuan, Chun; Guo, Hua

2018-03-01

To develop a novel diffusion imaging reconstruction framework based on iterative self-consistent parallel imaging reconstruction (SPIRiT) for multishot interleaved echo planar imaging (iEPI), with computation acceleration by virtual coil compression. As a general approach for autocalibrating parallel imaging, SPIRiT improves the performance of traditional generalized autocalibrating partially parallel acquisitions (GRAPPA) methods in that the formulation with self-consistency is better conditioned, suggesting SPIRiT to be a better candidate in k-space-based reconstruction. In this study, a general SPIRiT framework is adopted to incorporate both coil sensitivity and phase variation information as virtual coils and then is applied to 2D navigated iEPI diffusion imaging. To reduce the reconstruction time when using a large number of coils and shots, a novel shot-coil compression method is proposed for computation acceleration in Cartesian sampling. Simulations and in vivo experiments were conducted to evaluate the performance of the proposed method. Compared with the conventional coil compression, the shot-coil compression achieved higher compression rates with reduced errors. The simulation and in vivo experiments demonstrate that the SPIRiT-based reconstruction outperformed the existing method, realigned GRAPPA, and provided superior images with reduced artifacts. The SPIRiT-based reconstruction with virtual coil compression is a reliable method for high-resolution iEPI diffusion imaging. Magn Reson Med 79:1525-1531, 2018. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

75 FR 46945 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request; the Drug Accountability Record (Form NIH 2564) (NCI)

Science.gov (United States)

2010-08-04

... Request; the Drug Accountability Record (Form NIH 2564) (NCI) SUMMARY: In compliance with the requirement... Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. Proposed Collection Title: The Drug Accountability... agent accountability. In order to fulfill these requirements, a standard Investigational Drug...

Variations in Mre11/Rad50/Nbs1 status and DNA damage-induced S-phase arrest in the cell lines of the NCI60 panel

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Eastman Alan

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The Mre11/Rad50/Nbs1 (MRN complex is a regulator of cell cycle checkpoints and DNA repair. Defects in MRN can lead to defective S-phase arrest when cells are damaged. Such defects may elicit sensitivity to selected drugs providing a chemical synthetic lethal interaction that could be used to target therapy to tumors with these defects. The goal of this study was to identify these defects in the NCI60 panel of cell lines and identify compounds that might elicit selective cytotoxicity. Methods We screened the NCI60 panel in search of cell lines that express low levels of MRN proteins, or that fail to arrest in S-phase in response to the topisomerase I inhibitor SN38. The NCI COMPARE program was used to discover compounds that preferentially target cells with these phenotypes. Results HCT116 cells were initially identified as defective in MRN and S phase arrest. Transfection with Mre11 also elevated Rad50 and Nbs1, and rescued the defective S-phase arrest. Cells of the NCI60 panel exhibited a large range of protein expression but a strong correlation existed between Mre11, Rad50 and Nbs1 consistent with complex formation determining protein stability. Mre11 mRNA correlated best with protein level suggesting it was the primary determinant of the overall level of the complex. Three other cell lines failed to arrest in response to SN38, two of which also had low MRN. However, other cell lines with low MRN still arrested suggesting low MRN does not predict an inability to arrest. Many compounds, including a family of benzothiazoles, correlated with the failure to arrest in S phase. The activity of benzothiazoles has been attributed to metabolic activation and DNA alkylation, but we note several cell lines in which sensitivity does not correlate with metabolism. We propose that the checkpoint defect imposes an additional mechanism of sensitivity on cells. Conclusions We have identified cells with possible defects in the MRN complex

Variations in Mre11/Rad50/Nbs1 status and DNA damage-induced S-phase arrest in the cell lines of the NCI60 panel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garner, Kristen M; Eastman, Alan

2011-01-01

The Mre11/Rad50/Nbs1 (MRN) complex is a regulator of cell cycle checkpoints and DNA repair. Defects in MRN can lead to defective S-phase arrest when cells are damaged. Such defects may elicit sensitivity to selected drugs providing a chemical synthetic lethal interaction that could be used to target therapy to tumors with these defects. The goal of this study was to identify these defects in the NCI60 panel of cell lines and identify compounds that might elicit selective cytotoxicity. We screened the NCI60 panel in search of cell lines that express low levels of MRN proteins, or that fail to arrest in S-phase in response to the topisomerase I inhibitor SN38. The NCI COMPARE program was used to discover compounds that preferentially target cells with these phenotypes. HCT116 cells were initially identified as defective in MRN and S phase arrest. Transfection with Mre11 also elevated Rad50 and Nbs1, and rescued the defective S-phase arrest. Cells of the NCI60 panel exhibited a large range of protein expression but a strong correlation existed between Mre11, Rad50 and Nbs1 consistent with complex formation determining protein stability. Mre11 mRNA correlated best with protein level suggesting it was the primary determinant of the overall level of the complex. Three other cell lines failed to arrest in response to SN38, two of which also had low MRN. However, other cell lines with low MRN still arrested suggesting low MRN does not predict an inability to arrest. Many compounds, including a family of benzothiazoles, correlated with the failure to arrest in S phase. The activity of benzothiazoles has been attributed to metabolic activation and DNA alkylation, but we note several cell lines in which sensitivity does not correlate with metabolism. We propose that the checkpoint defect imposes an additional mechanism of sensitivity on cells. We have identified cells with possible defects in the MRN complex and S phase arrest, and a series of compounds that may

Time, Concentration, and pH-Dependent Transport and Uptake of Anthocyanins in a Human Gastric Epithelial (NCI-N87 Cell Line

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Allison A. Atnip

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Anthocyanins are the largest class of water soluble plant pigments and a common part of the human diet. They may have many potential health benefits, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and cardioprotective activities. However, anthocyanin metabolism is not well understood. Studies suggest that anthocyanins absorption may occur in the stomach, in which the acidic pH favors anthocyanin stability. A gastric epithelial cell line (NCI-N87 has been used to study the behavior of anthocyanins at a pH range of 3.0–7.4. This work examines the effects of time (0–3 h, concentration (50–1500 µM, and pH (3.0, 5.0, 7.4 on the transport and uptake of anthocyanins using NCI-N87 cells. Anthocyanins were transported from the apical to basolateral side of NCI-N87 cells in time and dose dependent manners. Over the treatment time of 3 h the rate of transport increased, especially with higher anthocyanin concentrations. The non-linear rate of transport may suggest an active mechanism for the transport of anthocyanins across the NCI-N87 monolayer. At apical pH 3.0, higher anthocyanin transport was observed compared to pH 5.0 and 7.4. Reduced transport of anthocyanins was found to occur at apical pH 5.0.

Bilateral contributions of the cerebellum to the complex motor tasks on EPI fMRI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chung, Eun Chul; Youn, Eun Kyung; Lee, Young Rae; Kim, Yoo Kyung; Park, Kee Duk

1999-01-01

To demonstrate activation signals within the cerebellar cortex and to determine the side of the cerebellar cortex eliciting activation signals in response to complex motor tasks, as seen on EPI fMRI. Seven right-handed subjects (M : F=3 : 4; mean age, 30.3 years) underwent repetitive finger apposition with the dominant right hand. Using a 1.5 T MRI scanner, EPI fMR images were obtained. MR parameters used for EPI fMRI were TR/TE/Flip angle : 0.96 msec/64msec/90 deg FOV 22cm, 128 X 128 matrix, 10 slices, 10mm thickness while those for SE T1 weighted localized images were TR/TE : 450/16, FOV 23cm, 256 X 256 matrix. The paradigm was three sets of alternate resting and moving fingers for six cycles, resulting in times of 360 seconds (10 slices X 15 EPI X 6 cycles = 900 images). Image processing involved the use of a 200mHz Dual Pentium PC with homemade software. T-testing (p < 0.005 approx.= p < 0.0005) and time series analysis were performed, and to verify the locations of activated regions, resulting images were analyzed in a color-coded overlay to reference T1-weighted spin echo coronal images. Percentage change in signal intensity (PCSI) was calculated from the processed data. All normal subjects showed significant activation signals in both the contralateral (left) primary motor cortex (PCSI = 3.12% 0.96) and ipsilateral (right) cerebellar cortex (PCSI = 3.09% ±1.14). Signal activation was detected in the contralateral supplemental motor area (2.91% ±0.82), and motor activation in the anterior upper half of the contralateral cerebellum (PCSI 2.50% ±0.69). The difference in activation signals between both sides of the cerebellar cortex was not statistically significant. All data were matched with time-series analysis. Bilateral cerebellar activation is associated with unilateral complex finger movements, as seen on fMRI. This result may support the recent neurological observation that the cerebellum may exert bilateral effects on motor performance

78 FR 2678 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request (60-Day FRN): The National Cancer Institute (NCI...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-14

... Request (60-Day FRN): The National Cancer Institute (NCI) SmokefreeTXT (Text Message) Program Evaluation..., Behavioral Scientist/ Health Science Administrator, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, 6130... text message smoking cessation intervention designed for young adult smokers ages 18-29. The Smokefree...

NCI Requests Cancer Targets for Monoclonal Antibody Production and Characterization | Office of Cancer Clinical Proteomics Research

Science.gov (United States)

In an effort to provide well-characterized monoclonal antibodies to the scientific community, NCI's Antibody Characterization Program requests cancer-related protein targets for affinity production and distribution. Submissions will be accepted through July 11, 2014.

Construction and validation of a web-based epidemiological database for inflammatory bowel diseases in Europe An EpiCom study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Burisch, Johan Michael; Cukovic-Cavka, Silvija; Kaimakliotis, Ioannis

2011-01-01

The EpiCom-study investigates a possible East-West-gradient in Europe in the incidence of IBD and the association with environmental factors. A secured web-based database is used to facilitate and centralize data registration.......The EpiCom-study investigates a possible East-West-gradient in Europe in the incidence of IBD and the association with environmental factors. A secured web-based database is used to facilitate and centralize data registration....

78 FR 53763 - Proposed Collection; 60-day Comment Request Cancer Trials Support Unit (CTSU) (NCI)

Science.gov (United States)

2013-08-30

... proposed data collection projects, the National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), will publish periodic summaries of proposed projects to be submitted to the Office of Management and... proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (3...

Evaluation of a multiple spin- and gradient-echo (SAGE) EPI acquisition with SENSE acceleration: applications for perfusion imaging in and outside the brain.

Science.gov (United States)

Skinner, Jack T; Robison, Ryan K; Elder, Christopher P; Newton, Allen T; Damon, Bruce M; Quarles, C Chad

2014-12-01

Perfusion-based changes in MR signal intensity can occur in response to the introduction of exogenous contrast agents and endogenous tissue properties (e.g. blood oxygenation). MR measurements aimed at capturing these changes often implement single-shot echo planar imaging (ssEPI). In recent years ssEPI readouts have been combined with parallel imaging (PI) to allow fast dynamic multi-slice imaging as well as the incorporation of multiple echoes. A multiple spin- and gradient-echo (SAGE) EPI acquisition has recently been developed to allow measurement of transverse relaxation rate (R2 and R2(*)) changes in dynamic susceptibility contrast (DSC)-MRI experiments in the brain. With SAGE EPI, the use of PI can influence image quality, temporal resolution, and achievable echo times. The effect of PI on dynamic SAGE measurements, however, has not been evaluated. In this work, a SAGE EPI acquisition utilizing SENSE PI and partial Fourier (PF) acceleration was developed and evaluated. Voxel-wise measures of R2 and R2(*) in healthy brain were compared using SAGE EPI and conventional non-EPI multiple echo acquisitions with varying SENSE and PF acceleration. A conservative SENSE factor of 2 with PF factor of 0.73 was found to provide accurate measures of R2 and R2(*) in white (WM) (rR2=[0.55-0.79], rR2*=[0.47-0.71]) and gray (GM) matter (rR2=[0.26-0.59], rR2*=[0.39-0.74]) across subjects. The combined use of SENSE and PF allowed the first dynamic SAGE EPI measurements in muscle, with a SENSE factor of 3 and PF factor of 0.6 providing reliable relaxation rate estimates when compared to multi-echo methods. Application of the optimized SAGE protocol in DSC-MRI of high-grade glioma patients provided T1 leakage-corrected estimates of CBV and CBF as well as mean vessel diameter (mVD) and simultaneous measures of DCE-MRI parameters K(trans) and ve. Likewise, application of SAGE in a muscle reperfusion model allowed dynamic measures of R2', a parameter that has been shown to correlate

(Epi)genotype-Phenotype Analysis in 69 Japanese Patients With Pseudohypoparathyroidism Type I

Science.gov (United States)

Sano, Shinichiro; Nakamura, Akie; Matsubara, Keiko; Nagasaki, Keisuke; Fukami, Maki; Kagami, Masayo

2018-01-01

Context: Pseudohypoparathyroidism type I (PHP-I) is divided into PHP-Ia with Albright hereditary osteodystrophy and PHP-Ib, which usually shows no Albright hereditary osteodystrophy features. Although PHP-Ia and PHP-Ib are typically caused by genetic defects involving α subunit of the stimulatory G protein (Gsα)–coding GNAS exons and methylation defects of the GNAS differentially methylated regions (DMRs) on the maternal allele, respectively, detailed phenotypic characteristics still remains to be examined. Objective: To clarify phenotypic characteristics according to underlying (epi)genetic causes. Patients and Methods: We performed (epi)genotype-phenotype analysis in 69 Japanese patients with PHP-I; that is, 28 patients with genetic defects involving Gsα-coding GNAS exons (group 1) consisting of 12 patients with missense variants (subgroup A) and 16 patients with null variants (subgroup B), as well as 41 patients with methylation defects (group 2) consisting of 21 patients with broad methylation defects of the GNAS-DMRs (subgroup C) and 20 patients with an isolated A/B-DMR methylation defect accompanied by the common STX16 microdeletion (subgroup D). Results: Although (epi)genotype-phenotype findings were grossly similar to those reported previously, several important findings were identified, including younger age at hypocalcemic symptoms and higher frequencies of hyperphosphatemia in subgroup C than in subgroup D, development of brachydactyly in four patients of subgroup C, predominant manifestation of subcutaneous ossification in subgroup B, higher frequency of thyrotropin resistance in group 1 than in group 2, and relatively low thyrotropin values in four patients with low T4 values and relatively low luteinizing hormone/follicle-stimulating hormone values in five adult females with ovarian dysfunction. Conclusion: The results imply the presence of clinical findings characteristic of each underlying cause and provide useful information on the imprinting

3D Hyperpolarized C-13 EPI with Calibrationless Parallel Imaging

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gordon, Jeremy W.; Hansen, Rie Beck; Shin, Peter J.

2018-01-01

With the translation of metabolic MRI with hyperpolarized 13C agents into the clinic, imaging approaches will require large volumetric FOVs to support clinical applications. Parallel imaging techniques will be crucial to increasing volumetric scan coverage while minimizing RF requirements and tem...... strategies to accelerate and undersample hyperpolarized 13C data using 3D blipped EPI acquisitions and multichannel receive coils, and demonstrated its application in a human study of [1-13C]pyruvate metabolism....

Highlights of recent developments and trends in cancer nanotechnology research--view from NCI Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Hull, L C; Farrell, D; Grodzinski, P

2014-01-01

Although the incidence of cancer and cancer related deaths in the United States has decreased over the past two decades due to improvements in early detection and treatment, cancer still is responsible for a quarter of the deaths in this country. There is much room for improvement on the standard treatments currently available and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) has recognized the potential for nanotechnology and nanomaterials in this area. The NCI Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer was formed in 2004 to support multidisciplinary researchers in the application of nanotechnology to cancer diagnosis and treatment. The researchers in the Alliance have been productive in generating innovative solutions to some of the central issues of cancer treatment including how to detect tumors earlier, how to target cancer cells specifically, and how to improve the therapeutic index of existing chemotherapies and radiotherapy treatments. Highly creative ideas are being pursued where novelty in nanomaterial development enables new modalities of detection or therapy. This review highlights some of the innovative materials approaches being pursued by researchers funded by the NCI Alliance. Their discoveries to improve the functionality of nanoparticles for medical applications includes the generation of new platforms, improvements in the manufacturing of nanoparticles and determining the underlying reasons for the movement of nanoparticles in the blood. © 2013.

NCI Think Tank Concerning the Identifiability of Biospecimens and “-Omic” Data

OpenAIRE

Weil, Carol J.; Mechanic, Leah E.; Green, Tiffany; Kinsinger, Christopher; Lockhart, Nicole C.; Nelson, Stefanie A.; Rodriguez, Laura L.; Buccini, Laura D.

2013-01-01

On June 11 and 12, 2012, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) hosted a think tank concerning the identifiability of biospecimens and “omic” Data in order to explore challenges surrounding this complex and multifaceted topic. The think tank brought together forty-six leaders from several fields, including cancer genomics, bioinformatics, human subject protection, patient advocacy, and commercial genetics. The first day involved presentations regarding the state of the science of re-identificati...

EpiTools: An Open-Source Image Analysis Toolkit for Quantifying Epithelial Growth Dynamics.

Science.gov (United States)

Heller, Davide; Hoppe, Andreas; Restrepo, Simon; Gatti, Lorenzo; Tournier, Alexander L; Tapon, Nicolas; Basler, Konrad; Mao, Yanlan

2016-01-11

Epithelia grow and undergo extensive rearrangements to achieve their final size and shape. Imaging the dynamics of tissue growth and morphogenesis is now possible with advances in time-lapse microscopy, but a true understanding of their complexities is limited by automated image analysis tools to extract quantitative data. To overcome such limitations, we have designed a new open-source image analysis toolkit called EpiTools. It provides user-friendly graphical user interfaces for accurately segmenting and tracking the contours of cell membrane signals obtained from 4D confocal imaging. It is designed for a broad audience, especially biologists with no computer-science background. Quantitative data extraction is integrated into a larger bioimaging platform, Icy, to increase the visibility and usability of our tools. We demonstrate the usefulness of EpiTools by analyzing Drosophila wing imaginal disc growth, revealing previously overlooked properties of this dynamic tissue, such as the patterns of cellular rearrangements. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

75 FR 61763 - Submission of OMB Review; Comment Request; Drug Accountability Record (Form NIH 2564) (NCI)

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-06

...; Comment Request; Drug Accountability Record (Form NIH 2564) (NCI) SUMMARY: In compliance with the..., 2011, unless it displays a valid OMB control number. Proposed Collection: Title: Drug Accountability... accountability. In order to fulfill these requirements, a standard Investigational Drug Accountability Report...

Photoactivatable Lipid-based Nanoparticles as a Vehicle for Dual Agent Delivery | NCI Technology Transfer Center | TTC

Science.gov (United States)

Researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) RNA Biology Laboratory have developed nanoparticles that can deliver an agent (i.e., therapeutic or imaging) and release the agent upon targeted photoactivation allowing for controlled temporal and localized release of the agent.

How are digital methods changing research in the study of the classical world? An EpiDoc case study. – ¿Cómo los métodos digitales están cambiando la investigación del mundo clásico? El caso del EpiDoc

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katherine Steiner

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Classics as a discipline has always taken advantage of digital methods in research, with projects dating back to the 1970s and earlier. This article examines the integration of classics and computing, and presents a case study of EpiDoc, a markup language used in epigraphy. Positive evidence can be found for EpiDoc’s influence on collaboration, with several current collaborative projects, and the nature of the technology encouraging open, reusable scholarship. The Inscriptions of Aphrodisias project illustrates much of the potential of electronic publishing. EpiDoc’s effect on research questions themselves remains inconclusive, although definite possibilities for the future are apparent. Opening up these conclusions to the wider digital classics community shows a trend towards collaboration in recent publications and projects, as well as a gradual uptake of electronic publication.

Test de visualitat: les preferències del bon disseny

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Quim Merino

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Aquest article pretén donar notícia de la investigació dirigida pel Grup de Recerca en Publicitat i Relacions Públiques (en endavant, GRP de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona duta a terme pels autors d'aquesta ressenya. El treball s'emmarca en una activitat de l'assignatura de Disseny en Publicitat i Relacions Públiques del Grau en Publicitat i Relacions Públiques de la UAB. L'objectiu del treball és constatar les preferències del consumidor davant diferents estímuls formals del disseny gràfic en publicitat

Estimation of the glomerular filtration rate in people older than 85: Comparisons between CKD-EPI, MDRD-IDMS and BIS1 equations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fernando Bustos-Guadaño

2017-03-01

Conclusions: The GFR estimations obtained with BS1 equation are not interchangeable with MDRD-IDMS or CKD-EPI equations. BIS1 estimates lower GFR values than MDRD-IDMS and CKD-EPI and tends to classify the patients in a more advanced chronic kidney disease stage, especially for estimated GFR higher than 29 mL/min/1.73 m2.

Reducing Friction: An Update on the NCIP Open Development Initiative - NCI BioMedical Informatics Blog

Science.gov (United States)

NCIP has migrated 132 repositories from the NCI subversion repository to our public NCIP GitHub channel with the goal of facilitating third party contributions to the existing code base. Within the GitHub environment, we are advocating use of the GitHub “fork and pull” model.

77 FR 4334 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Solar Cell: A Mobile UV Manager for Smart Phones (NCI)

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-27

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES National Institutes of Health Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Solar Cell: A Mobile UV Manager for Smart Phones (NCI) SUMMARY: In compliance with the... Manager for Smart Phones [[Page 4335

Transmission of epi-alleles with MET1-dependent dense methylation in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael Watson

Full Text Available DNA methylation in plants targets cytosines in three sequence contexts, CG, CHG and CHH (H representing A, C or T. Each of these patterns has traditionally been associated with distinct DNA methylation pathways with CHH methylation being controlled by the RNA dependent DNA methylation (RdDM pathway employing small RNAs as a guide for the de novo DOMAINS REARRANGED METHYLTRANSFERASE (DRM2, and maintenance DNA METHYLTRANSFERASE1 (MET1 being responsible for faithful propagation of CG methylation. Here we report an unusual 'dense methylation' pattern under the control of MET1, with methylation in all three sequence contexts. We identified epi-alleles of dense methylation at a non coding RNA locus (At4g15242 in Arabidopsis ecotypes, with distinct dense methylation and expression characteristics, which are stably maintained and transmitted in genetic crosses and which can be heritably altered by depletion of MET1. This suggests that, in addition to its classical CG maintenance function, at certain loci MET1 plays a role in creating transcriptional diversity based on the generation of independent epi-alleles. Database inspection identified several other loci with MET1-dependent dense methylation patterns. Arabidopsis ecotypes contain distinct epi-alleles of these loci with expression patterns that inversely correlate with methylation density, predominantly within the transcribed region. In Arabidopsis, dense methylation appears to be an exception as it is only found at a small number of loci. Its presence does, however, highlight the potential for MET1 as a contributor to epigenetic diversity, and it will be interesting to investigate the representation of dense methylation in other plant species.

Striking similarity in the gene expression levels of individual Myc module members among ESCs, EpiSCs, and partial iPSCs.

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Masataka Hirasaki

Full Text Available Predominant transcriptional subnetworks called Core, Myc, and PRC modules have been shown to participate in preservation of the pluripotency and self-renewality of embryonic stem cells (ESCs. Epiblast stem cells (EpiSCs are another cell type that possesses pluripotency and self-renewality. However, the roles of these modules in EpiSCs have not been systematically examined to date. Here, we compared the average expression levels of Core, Myc, and PRC module genes between ESCs and EpiSCs. EpiSCs showed substantially higher and lower expression levels of PRC and Core module genes, respectively, compared with those in ESCs, while Myc module members showed almost equivalent levels of average gene expression. Subsequent analyses revealed that the similarity in gene expression levels of the Myc module between these two cell types was not just overall, but striking similarities were evident even when comparing the expression of individual genes. We also observed equivalent levels of similarity in the expression of individual Myc module genes between induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs and partial iPSCs that are an unwanted byproduct generated during iPSC induction. Moreover, our data demonstrate that partial iPSCs depend on a high level of c-Myc expression for their self-renewal properties.

EpiGeNet: A Graph Database of Interdependencies Between Genetic and Epigenetic Events in Colorectal Cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Balaur, Irina; Saqi, Mansoor; Barat, Ana; Lysenko, Artem; Mazein, Alexander; Rawlings, Christopher J; Ruskin, Heather J; Auffray, Charles

2017-10-01

The development of colorectal cancer (CRC)-the third most common cancer type-has been associated with deregulations of cellular mechanisms stimulated by both genetic and epigenetic events. StatEpigen is a manually curated and annotated database, containing information on interdependencies between genetic and epigenetic signals, and specialized currently for CRC research. Although StatEpigen provides a well-developed graphical user interface for information retrieval, advanced queries involving associations between multiple concepts can benefit from more detailed graph representation of the integrated data. This can be achieved by using a graph database (NoSQL) approach. Data were extracted from StatEpigen and imported to our newly developed EpiGeNet, a graph database for storage and querying of conditional relationships between molecular (genetic and epigenetic) events observed at different stages of colorectal oncogenesis. We illustrate the enhanced capability of EpiGeNet for exploration of different queries related to colorectal tumor progression; specifically, we demonstrate the query process for (i) stage-specific molecular events, (ii) most frequently observed genetic and epigenetic interdependencies in colon adenoma, and (iii) paths connecting key genes reported in CRC and associated events. The EpiGeNet framework offers improved capability for management and visualization of data on molecular events specific to CRC initiation and progression.

Improving global data infrastructures for more effective and scalable analysis of Earth and environmental data: the Australian NCI NERDIP Approach

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Evans, Ben; Wyborn, Lesley; Druken, Kelsey; Richards, Clare; Trenham, Claire; Wang, Jingbo; Rozas Larraondo, Pablo; Steer, Adam; Smillie, Jon

2017-04-01

The National Computational Infrastructure (NCI) facility hosts one of Australia's largest repositories (10+ PBytes) of research data collections spanning datasets from climate, coasts, oceans, and geophysics through to astronomy, bioinformatics, and the social sciences domains. The data are obtained from national and international sources, spanning a wide range of gridded and ungridded (i.e., line surveys, point clouds) data, and raster imagery, as well as diverse coordinate reference projections and resolutions. Rather than managing these data assets as a digital library, whereby users can discover and download files to personal servers (similar to borrowing 'books' from a 'library'), NCI has built an extensive and well-integrated research data platform, the National Environmental Research Data Interoperability Platform (NERDIP, http://nci.org.au/data-collections/nerdip/). The NERDIP architecture enables programmatic access to data via standards-compliant services for high performance data analysis, and provides a flexible cloud-based environment to facilitate the next generation of transdisciplinary scientific research across all data domains. To improve use of modern scalable data infrastructures that are focused on efficient data analysis, the data organisation needs to be carefully managed including performance evaluations of projections and coordinate systems, data encoding standards and formats. A complication is that we have often found multiple domain vocabularies and ontologies are associated with equivalent datasets. It is not practical for individual dataset managers to determine which standards are best to apply to their dataset as this could impact accessibility and interoperability. Instead, they need to work with data custodians across interrelated communities and, in partnership with the data repository, the international scientific community to determine the most useful approach. For the data repository, this approach is essential to enable

Development of the EpiOcular(TM) eye irritation test for hazard identification and labelling of eye irritating chemicals in response to the requirements of the EU cosmetics directive and REACH legislation.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaluzhny, Yulia; Kandárová, Helena; Hayden, Patrick; Kubilus, Joseph; d'Argembeau-Thornton, Laurence; Klausner, Mitchell

2011-09-01

The recently implemented 7th Amendment to the EU Cosmetics Directive and the EU REACH legislation have heightened the need for in vitro ocular test methods. To address this need, the EpiOcular(TM) eye irritation test (EpiOcular-EIT), which utilises the normal (non-transformed) human cell-based EpiOcular tissue model, has been developed. The EpiOcular-EIT prediction model is based on an initial training set of 39 liquid and 21 solid test substances and uses a single exposure period and a single cut-off in tissue viability, as determined by the MTT assay. A chemical is classified as an irritant (GHS Category 1 or 2), if the tissue viability is ≤ 60%, and as a non-irritant (GHS unclassified), if the viability is > 60%. EpiOcular-EIT results for the training set, along with results for an additional 52 substances, which included a range of alcohols, hydrocarbons, amines, esters, and ketones, discriminated between ocular irritants and non-irritants with 98.1% sensitivity, 72.9% specificity, and 84.8% accuracy. To ensure the long-term commercial viability of the assay, EpiOcular tissues produced by using three alternative cell culture inserts were evaluated in the EpiOcular-EIT with 94 chemicals. The assay results obtained with the initial insert and the three alternative inserts were very similar, as judged by correlation coefficients (r²) that ranged from 0.82 to 0.96. The EpiOcular-EIT was pre-validated in 2007/2008, and is currently involved in a formal, multi-laboratory validation study sponsored by the European Cosmetics Association (COLIPA) under the auspices of the European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM). The EpiOcular-EIT, together with EpiOcular's long history of reproducibility and proven utility for ultra-mildness testing, make EpiOcular a useful model for addressing current legislation related to animal use in the testing of potential ocular irritants. 2011 FRAME.

Phylogenetically diverse macrophyte community promotes species diversity of mobile epi-benthic invertebrates

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Nakamoto, Kenta; Hayakawa, Jun; Kawamura, Tomohiko; Kodama, Masafumi; Yamada, Hideaki; Kitagawa, Takashi; Watanabe, Yoshiro

2018-07-01

Various aspects of plant diversity such as species diversity and phylogenetic diversity enhance the species diversity of associated animals in terrestrial systems. In marine systems, however, the effects of macrophyte diversity on the species diversity of associated animals have received little attention. Here, we sampled in a subtropical seagrass-seaweed mixed bed to elucidate the effect of the macrophyte phylogenetic diversity based on the taxonomic relatedness as well as the macrophyte species diversity on species diversity of mobile epi-benthic invertebrates. Using regression analyses for each macrophyte parameter as well as multiple regression analyses, we found that the macrophyte phylogenetic diversity (taxonomic diversity index: Delta) positively influenced the invertebrate species richness and diversity index (H‧). Although the macrophyte species richness and H‧ also positively influenced the invertebrate species richness, the best fit model for invertebrate species richness did not include them, suggesting that the macrophyte species diversity indirectly influenced invertebrate species diversity. Possible explanations of the effects of macrophyte Delta on the invertebrate species diversity were the niche complementarity effect and the selection effect. This is the first study which demonstrates that macrophyte phylogenetic diversity has a strong effect on the species diversity of mobile epi-benthic invertebrates.

The national cancer institute (NCI) and cancer biology in a 'post genome world'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klausner, Richard D.

1996-01-01

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) exists to reduce the burden of all cancers through research and discovery. Extensive restructuring of the NCI over the past year has been aimed at assuring that the institution functions in all ways to promote opportunities for discovery in the laboratory, in the clinic, and in the community. To do this well requires the difficult and almost paradoxical problem of planning for scientific discovery which, in turn is based on the freedom to pursue the unanticipated. The intellectual and structural landscape of science is changing and it places new challenges, new demands and new opportunities for facilitating discovery. The nature of cancer as a disease of genomic instability and of accumulated genetic change, coupled with a possibility of the development of new technologies for reading, utilizing, interpreting and manipulating the genome of single cells, provides unprecedented opportunities for a new type of high through-put biology that will change the nature of discovery, cancer detection, diagnosis, prognosis, therapeutic decision-making and therapeutic discovery. To capture these new opportunities will require attention to be paid to integrate the development of technology and new scientific discoveries with the ability to apply advances rapidly and efficiently through clinical trials

NCI Workshop Report: Clinical and Computational Requirements for Correlating Imaging Phenotypes with Genomics Signatures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rivka Colen

2014-10-01

Full Text Available The National Cancer Institute (NCI Cancer Imaging Program organized two related workshops on June 26–27, 2013, entitled “Correlating Imaging Phenotypes with Genomics Signatures Research” and “Scalable Computational Resources as Required for Imaging-Genomics Decision Support Systems.” The first workshop focused on clinical and scientific requirements, exploring our knowledge of phenotypic characteristics of cancer biological properties to determine whether the field is sufficiently advanced to correlate with imaging phenotypes that underpin genomics and clinical outcomes, and exploring new scientific methods to extract phenotypic features from medical images and relate them to genomics analyses. The second workshop focused on computational methods that explore informatics and computational requirements to extract phenotypic features from medical images and relate them to genomics analyses and improve the accessibility and speed of dissemination of existing NIH resources. These workshops linked clinical and scientific requirements of currently known phenotypic and genotypic cancer biology characteristics with imaging phenotypes that underpin genomics and clinical outcomes. The group generated a set of recommendations to NCI leadership and the research community that encourage and support development of the emerging radiogenomics research field to address short-and longer-term goals in cancer research.

Dual regression physiological modeling of resting-state EPI power spectra: Effects of healthy aging.

Science.gov (United States)

Viessmann, Olivia; Möller, Harald E; Jezzard, Peter

2018-02-02

Aging and disease-related changes in the arteriovasculature have been linked to elevated levels of cardiac cycle-induced pulsatility in the cerebral microcirculation. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), acquired fast enough to unalias the cardiac frequency contributions, can be used to study these physiological signals in the brain. Here, we propose an iterative dual regression analysis in the frequency domain to model single voxel power spectra of echo planar imaging (EPI) data using external recordings of the cardiac and respiratory cycles as input. We further show that a data-driven variant, without external physiological traces, produces comparable results. We use this framework to map and quantify cardiac and respiratory contributions in healthy aging. We found a significant increase in the spatial extent of cardiac modulated white matter voxels with age, whereas the overall strength of cardiac-related EPI power did not show an age effect. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

NCI-FDA Interagency Oncology Task Force Workshop Provides Guidance for Analytical Validation of Protein-based Multiplex Assays | Office of Cancer Clinical Proteomics Research

Science.gov (United States)

An NCI-FDA Interagency Oncology Task Force (IOTF) Molecular Diagnostics Workshop was held on October 30, 2008 in Cambridge, MA, to discuss requirements for analytical validation of protein-based multiplex technologies in the context of its intended use. This workshop developed through NCI's Clinical Proteomic Technologies for Cancer initiative and the FDA focused on technology-specific analytical validation processes to be addressed prior to use in clinical settings. In making this workshop unique, a case study approach was used to discuss issues related to

Accuracy and precision of the CKD-EPI and MDRD predictive equations compared with glomerular filtration rate measured by inulin clearance in a Saudi population.

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Wakeel, Jamal Saleh

2016-01-01

Predictive equations for estimating glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in different clinical conditions should be validated by comparing with the measurement of GFR using inulin clearance, a highly accurate measure of GFR. Our aim was to validate the Chronic Kidney Disease-Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) and Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) equations by comparing it to the GFR measured using inulin clearance in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. Cross-sectional study performed in adult Saudi patients with CKD. King Saud University Affiliated Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 2014. We compared GFR measured by inulin clearance with the estimated GFR calculated using CKD-EPI and MDRD predictive formulas. Correlation, bias, precision and accuracy between the estimated GFR and inulin clearance. Comparisons were made in 31 participants (23 CKD and 8 transplanted), including 19 males (mean age 42.2 [15] years and weight 68.7 [18] kg). GFR using inulin was 51.54 (33.8) mL/min/1.73 m2 in comparison to inulin clearance, the GFR by the predictive equations was: CKD-EPI creatinine 52.6 (34.4) mL/ min/1.73 m2 (P=.490), CKD-EPI cystatin C 41.39 (30.30) mL/min/1.73 m2 (P=.002), CKD creatinine-cystatin C 45.03 (30.9) mL/min/1.73 m2 (P=.004) and MDRD GFR 48.35 (31.5) mL/min/1.73 m2 (P=.028) (statistical comparisons vs inulin). Bland-Altman plots demonstrated that GFR estimated by the CKD-EPI creatinine was the most accurate compared with inulin clearance, having a mean difference (estimated bias) and limits of agreement of -1.1 (15.6,-17.7). By comparison the mean differences for predictive equations were: CKD-EPI cystatin C 10.2 (43.7,-23.4), CKD creatinine-cystatin C 6.5 (29.3,-16.3) and MDRD 3.2 (18.3,-11.9). except for CKD-EPI creatinine, all of the equations underestimated GFR in comparison with inulin clearance. When compared with inulin clearance, the CKD-EPI creatinine equation is the most accurate, precise and least biased equation for estimation of GFR

NCI Statement on the U.S. Surgeon General's "Call to Action to Prevent Skin Cancer"

Science.gov (United States)

As the Federal Government's principal agency for cancer research and training, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) endorses the U.S. Surgeon General’s “Call to Action to Prevent Skin Cancer,” which provides a comprehensive evaluation of the current state of skin cancer prevention efforts in the United States and recommends actions for improvement in the future.

Working memory impairment in multiple sclerosis relapsing-remitting patients with episodic memory deficits Prejuízo de memória operacional em pacientes com esclerose múltipla recorrente-remitente com déficits de memória episódica

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simone Freitas Fuso

2010-04-01

Full Text Available Episodic memory is impaired in multiple sclerosis (MS patients, possibly because of deficits in working memory (WM functioning. If so, WM alterations should necessarily be found in patients with episodic memory deficits, but this has not yet been demonstrated. In this study we aimed at determining whether episodic memory deficits in relapsing-remitting MS are found in conjunction with impaired WM. We evaluated 32 MS patients and 32 matched healthy controls. Nineteen of the 32 patients had episodic memory impairment, and as a group only these individuals showed deficits in WM capacity, which may lead to difficulty in encoding, and/or retrieving information from episodic memory.Pacientes com esclerose múltipla (EM apresentam prejuízo de memória episódica possivelmente em decorrência de um déficit no funcionamento da memória operacional (MO. Se assim fosse, alterações de MO seriam necessariamente encontradas em pacientes com déficit de memória episódica, mas isto ainda não foi demonstrado. Neste estudo tivemos como objetivo determinar se déficits de memória episódica em pacientes com EM recorrente-remitente são encontrados em associação com prejuízo de MO. Avaliamos 32 pacientes com EM pareados com 32 voluntários saudáveis. Dezenove dos 32 pacientes apresentaram prejuízo de memória episódica, e como grupo, somente estes indivíduos apresentaram déficit na capacidade de MO, o que deve resultar na dificuldade de codificar, e /ou recuperar informações da memória episódica.

L’avaluació de competències a l’Educació Superior: el cas d’un màster universitari

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Xavier Ma. Triadó i Ivern

2013-01-01

Full Text Available La implantació de les competències és una tasca que ha anat incorporant-se paulatinament pels docents de la universitat espanyola amb l’entrada en vigor del EEES. Tot i això, encara s’està lluny d’aconseguir nivells òptims d’avaluació de les mateixes. Aquest article permet reflexionar sobre algunes bones practiques al respecte i sobre les dificultats i limitacions que apareixen en voler implementar un canvi en les metodologies docents, en el marc d’un màster universitari. Els resultats indiquen el grau en què s’han avaluat i adquirit tant les competències genèriques com especifiques en l’educació superior.

EFFECT OF MOLECULAR WEIGHT ON THE YIELD BEHAVIOUR OF EPY EPOXY COMPOUND

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Magdalena Urbaniak

2016-12-01

Full Text Available A series of epoxy networks with molecular weight between crosslinks (Mc ranging from 117 to 508 g/mol were investigated by employing as DSC and DMA methods and compression testing over a broad range of test temperatures (from 20 to 120 °C and strain rates (from 0.0208 to 20.8 min–1. Mechanical characteristics vs. testing temperature and strain rate developed in relation to working conditions of EPY compound applied for machine foundation chocks as well as effect of crosslinking on glass transition temperature (Tg presented in this paper let to find out the effect of molecular architecture composed chiefly by Mc on the thermal and mechanical properties that govern yield behaviour of the material. The investigations carried out in a.m. ranges of testing temperatures and strain rates showed that whichever change of Mc is related to the change in crosslink density causing relative shift in the Tg of the compound. However, a sensitivity of the polymer material on changes in strain rate falls down with growth of testing temperature. Obtained results prove that yielding in EPY compound can be examined in categories of the Eyring’s plastic flow model in which yielding is described.

ViralEpi v1.0: a high-throughput spectrum of viral epigenomic methylation profiles from diverse diseases.

Science.gov (United States)

Khan, Mohd Shoaib; Gupta, Amit Kumar; Kumar, Manoj

2016-01-01

To develop a computational resource for viral epigenomic methylation profiles from diverse diseases. Methylation patterns of Epstein-Barr virus and hepatitis B virus genomic regions are provided as web platform developed using open source Linux-Apache-MySQL-PHP (LAMP) bundle: programming and scripting languages, that is, HTML, JavaScript and PERL. A comprehensive and integrated web resource ViralEpi v1.0 is developed providing well-organized compendium of methylation events and statistical analysis associated with several diseases. Additionally, it also facilitates 'Viral EpiGenome Browser' for user-affable browsing experience using JavaScript-based JBrowse. This web resource would be helpful for research community engaged in studying epigenetic biomarkers for appropriate prognosis and diagnosis of diseases and its various stages.

El Grupo ThinkEPI: un think tank en información y documentación

OpenAIRE

Orduña-Malea, Enrique; Guallar, Javier; Baiget, Tomàs

2009-01-01

We present the main features, goals, publishing system and debating procedure of the Spanish think tank on Library and Information Science ThinkEPI Group (Information Strategy and Prospective). We analyse its scientific output, author's productivity, comments received, subject coverage and its web site audience.

The effect of the diterpene 5-epi-icetexone on the cell cycle of Trypanosoma cruzi.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lozano, E.; Barrera, P.; Tonn, C.; Nieto, M.; Sartor, T.; Sosa, M.A.

2012-01-01

Numerous natural compounds have been used against Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas' disease. Here, we studied the effect of the diterpene 5-epi-icetexone on growth and morphology of parasites synchronized with hydroxyurea, at different periods of time after removal of the nucleotide.

Plasma 3-Epi-25-Hydroxycholecalciferol Can Alter the Assessment of Vitamin D Status Using the Current Reference Ranges for Pregnant Women and Their Newborns.

Science.gov (United States)

Aghajafari, Fariba; Field, Catherine J; Rabi, Doreen; Kaplan, Bonnie J; Maggiore, Jack A; O'Beirne, Maeve; Hanley, David A; Eliasziw, Misha; Dewey, Deborah; Ross, Sue

2016-01-01

Vitamin D is critical for healthy pregnancies and normal fetal development. It is important to accurately ascertain vitamin D status in mothers and their newborns to establish the optimal vitamin D concentration during pregnancy. There are many different metabolites and epimers of vitamin D in peripheral blood and controversy as to the importance of epimers in estimating vitamin D status in maternal and infant health. We undertook this study to measure 25-hydroxyvitamin D metabolites and epimers and their relations in maternal and cord blood and to evaluate the impact of the inclusion of epimers on assessing vitamin D status. We performed a substudy in a longitudinal cohort of pregnant women and their infants in Alberta, Canada [APrON (Alberta Pregnancy Outcomes and Nutrition) Study]. Maternal and cord blood plasma collected at the time of newborn delivery was stored at -70°C until testing and assayed for 25-hydroxyergocalciferol [25(OH)D2], 25-hydroxycholecalciferol [25(OH)D3], and 3-epi-25-hydroxycholecalciferol [3-epi-25(OH)D3] by using LC-tandem mass spectrometry. The effect of 3-epi-25(OH)D3 on estimates of vitamin D adequacy was explored by using McNemar's chi-square test at both recommended thresholds of 50 and 75 nmol/L. Ninety-two pairs of maternal and cord blood samples were obtained. 3-Epi-25(OH)D3 was detected in all samples, comprising 6.0% and 7.8% of 25(OH)D3 in maternal and cord blood, respectively. Positive correlations were found between 25(OH)D3 and 3-epi-25(OH)D3 for both maternal and cord blood (maternal blood: r = 0.34, P = 0.01; cord blood: r = 0.44, P = 0.01). In addition, regression analysis showed a significant association between vitamin D supplementation and 3-epi-25(OH)D3 in maternal and cord blood (β: 0.423; 95% CI: 0.173, 0.672). When 3-epi-25(OH)D3 was not included in plasma vitamin D estimations, 38% of women and 80% of neonates were classified as having an insufficient concentration (pregnancy and infancy is imperative. © 2016

Metformin synergistically enhances antiproliferative effects of cisplatin and etoposide in NCI-H460 human lung cancer cells

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Sarah Fernandes Teixeira

2013-12-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: To test the effectiveness of combining conventional antineoplastic drugs (cisplatin and etoposide with metformin in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer in the NCI-H460 cell line, in order to develop new therapeutic options with high efficacy and low toxicity.METHODS: We used the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT assay and calculated the combination index for the drugs studied.RESULTS: We found that the use of metformin as monotherapy reduced the metabolic viability of the cell line studied. Combining metformin with cisplatin or etoposide produced a synergistic effect and was more effective than was the use of cisplatin or etoposide as monotherapy.CONCLUSIONS: Metformin, due to its independent effects on liver kinase B1, had antiproliferative effects on the NCI-H460 cell line. When metformin was combined with cisplatin or etoposide, the cell death rate was even higher.

Enhanced Missing Proteins Detection in NCI60 Cell Lines Using an Integrative Search Engine Approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Guruceaga, Elizabeth; Garin-Muga, Alba; Prieto, Gorka; Bejarano, Bartolomé; Marcilla, Miguel; Marín-Vicente, Consuelo; Perez-Riverol, Yasset; Casal, J Ignacio; Vizcaíno, Juan Antonio; Corrales, Fernando J; Segura, Victor

2017-12-01

The Human Proteome Project (HPP) aims deciphering the complete map of the human proteome. In the past few years, significant efforts of the HPP teams have been dedicated to the experimental detection of the missing proteins, which lack reliable mass spectrometry evidence of their existence. In this endeavor, an in depth analysis of shotgun experiments might represent a valuable resource to select a biological matrix in design validation experiments. In this work, we used all the proteomic experiments from the NCI60 cell lines and applied an integrative approach based on the results obtained from Comet, Mascot, OMSSA, and X!Tandem. This workflow benefits from the complementarity of these search engines to increase the proteome coverage. Five missing proteins C-HPP guidelines compliant were identified, although further validation is needed. Moreover, 165 missing proteins were detected with only one unique peptide, and their functional analysis supported their participation in cellular pathways as was also proposed in other studies. Finally, we performed a combined analysis of the gene expression levels and the proteomic identifications from the common cell lines between the NCI60 and the CCLE project to suggest alternatives for further validation of missing protein observations.

Epi-detecting label-free multimodal imaging platform using a compact diode-pumped femtosecond solid-state laser

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andreana, Marco; Le, Tuan; Hansen, Anders Kragh

2017-01-01

We have developed an epi-detected multimodal nonlinear optical microscopy platform based on a compact and cost-effective laser source featuring simultaneous acquisition of signals arising from hyperspectral coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS), two-photon fluorescence, and second harmonic...

Persistent Identifier Practice for Big Data Management at NCI

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Jingbo Wang

2017-04-01

Full Text Available The National Computational Infrastructure (NCI manages over 10 PB research data, which is co-located with the high performance computer (Raijin and an HPC class 3000 core OpenStack cloud system (Tenjin. In support of this integrated High Performance Computing/High Performance Data (HPC/HPD infrastructure, NCI’s data management practices includes building catalogues, DOI minting, data curation, data publishing, and data delivery through a variety of data services. The metadata catalogues, DOIs, THREDDS, and Vocabularies, all use different Uniform Resource Locator (URL styles. A Persistent IDentifier (PID service provides an important utility to manage URLs in a consistent, controlled and monitored manner to support the robustness of our national ‘Big Data’ infrastructure. In this paper we demonstrate NCI’s approach of utilising the NCI’s 'PID Service 'to consistently manage its persistent identifiers with various applications.

Spondylo-epi-metaphyseal dysplasia with joint laxity and severe, progressive kyphoscoliosis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Beighton, P.; Kozlowski, K.

1980-01-01

Spondylo-epi-metaphyseal dysplasia with progressive, severe kyphoscoliosis and gross joint laxity is a distinctive entity. The clinical and radiographic manifestations of seven affected children are presented and it is concluded that this disorder is probably more common than previously suspected. Skeletal survey is indicated in all patients with infantile idiopathic scoliosis, kyphosis, or kyphoscoliosis. In this context, radiographic studies of the pelvis may be of great diagnostic value. Referal for expert orthopaedic management is essential for all patients with this disorder, as profound disability with pulmonary and spinal complications may be expected.

Epi-Side-Down Mounting of Interband Cascade Lasers for Army Applications

Science.gov (United States)

2006-11-01

retain the principal advantage of electron recycling . However, unlike the QCL, the ICL relies on the cascading of interband optical transitions as...9.0 Cu 393 17 SiC 120 4 AlN 230 (high grade –Tsekoun 2006) 4.5, 4.3 Indium 83.7 24.8@ 20C 2 device ridge and an effective heat spreader ...65.3 K/W M271 epi-side down 8-μm x 1-mm mesa TmaxCW= 212K 4 were vital and survived multiple cryogenic to room temperature recyclings . Fig. 4

Malalties de transmissió sexual a urgències pediàtriques

OpenAIRE

Díaz Sabogal, Diana; Curcoy Barcenilla, Ana Isabel; Trenchs Sainz de la Maza, Victoria; Giménez Roca, Clara; Luaces Cubells, Carles

2014-01-01

Determinar les característiques dels pacients diag- nosticats de malalties de transmissió sexual (MTS) a urgèn- cies i establir la freqüència en què són degudes a abús sexual. Mètode. Estudi retrospectiu fet entre el gener del 2007 i el desembre del 2011. S'inclouen els pacients menors de 18 anys diagnosticats a urgències d'MTS -infecció per Neisse- ria gonorrhoeae, Chlamydia trachomatis, Treponema palli- dum, , virus d'immunodeficiència humana (VIH), virus del pa- pil loma humà (VPH) i virus...

Fluorescence single-molecule counting assays for protein quantification using epi-fluorescence microscopy with quantum dots labeling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang Dafeng; Liu Chunxia; Wang Lei; Jiang Wei

2010-01-01

A single-molecule counting approach for quantifying the antibody affixed to a surface using quantum dots and epi-fluorescence microscopy is presented. Modifying the glass substrates with carboxyl groups provides a hydrophilic surface that reacts with amine groups of an antibody to allow covalent immobilization of the antibody. Nonspecific adsorption of single molecules on the modified surfaces was first investigated. Then, quantum dots were employed to form complexes with surface-immobilized antibody molecules and used as fluorescent probes for single-molecule imaging. Epi-fluorescence microscopy was chosen as the tool for single-molecule fluorescence detection here. The generated fluorescence signals were taken by an electron multiplying charge-coupled device and were found to be proportional to the sample concentrations. Under optimal conditions, a linear response range of 5.0 x 10 -14 -3.0 x 10 -12 mol L -1 was obtained between the number of single molecules and sample concentration via a single-molecule counting approach.

Teletandem e episódios relacionados a cultura

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João Antonio TELLES

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Teletandem é um contexto telecolaborativo de aprendizagem que envolve dois falantes nativos (ou competentes de diferentes línguas. Utilizando o Skype, cada participante faz papel de aluno por meia hora, falando e praticando a língua do seu parceiro. Este artigo enfoca a interação em teletandem entre dois estudantes universitários - uma brasileira e um estadunidense. Na primeira parte, sustentamos nossa pressuposição de que os participantes do teletandem compartilham informações acerca das respectivas culturas. Na segunda, apresentamos cinco dimensões do conceito de cultura, definimos aprendizagem cultural e propomos uma unidade de análise para interpretação dos dados - o episódio relacionado a cultura. Por fim, sugerimos diretrizes para futuras pesquisas relacionadas à aprendizagem de línguas e culturas em contextos colaborativos on-line.

NCI Helps Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to Identify and Treat New Target in Pediatric Cancer | Poster

Science.gov (United States)

There may be a new, more effective method for treating high-risk neuroblastoma, according to scientists at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and collaborators in the Cancer and Inflammation Program at NCI at Frederick. Together, the groups published a study describing a previously unrecognized protein on neuroblastoma cells, called GPC2, as well as the creation of a

Spondylo-epi-metaphyseal dysplasia with joint laxity and severe, progressive kyphoscoliosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beighton, P.

1980-01-01

Spondylo-epi-metaphyseal dysplasia with progressive, severe kyphoscoliosis and gross joint laxity is a distinctive entity. The clinical and radiographic manifestations of seven affected children are presented and it is concluded that this order is probably more common than previously suspected. Skeletal survey is indicated in all patients with infantile idiopathic scoliosis, kyphosis, or kyphoscoliosis. In this context, radiographic studies of the pelvis may be of great diagnostic value. Referal for expert orhtopaedic management is essential for all patients with this disorder, as profound disability with pulmonary and spinal complications may be expected. (orig./MG) [de

O episódio de Freud com a cocaína: o médico e o monstro

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Decio Gurfinkel

2008-09-01

Full Text Available O objetivo do trabalho é uma avaliação dos possíveis "restos" que o episódio de Freud com a cocaína tenha deixado para a criação da psicanálise, realizada através do reexame retrospectivo, crítico e analítico desse episódio. O resultado desta avaliação pôs em destaque quatro elementos: o surgimento de um Freud psiquiatra e farmacologista e o progressivo abandono desta via; o surgimento da adicção como objeto de investigação; o modelo da auto-administração como método de pesquisa; e a crença e abandono subseqüente de um projeto de "cura mágica".

Other compounds isolated from Simira glaziovii and the 1H and 13C NMR chemical shift assignments of new 1-epi-castanopsol

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Araujo, Marcelo F. de; Vieira, Ivo J. Curcino; Braz-Filho, Raimundo; Carvalho, Mario G. de

2012-01-01

A new triterpene, 1-epi-castanopsol, besides eleven known compounds: sitosterol, stigmasterol, campesterol, lupeol, lupenone, simirane B, syringaresinol, scopoletin, isofraxidin, 6,7,8-trimethoxycoumarin and harman, were isolated from the wood of Simira glaziovii. The structures of the known compounds were defined by 1D, 2D 1 H, 13 C NMR spectra data analyses and comparison with literature data. The detailed spectral data analyses allowed the definition of the structure of the new 1-epi isomer of castanopsol and performance of 1 H and 13 C NMR chemical shift assignments. (author)

The EpiOcular Eye Irritation Test (EIT) for hazard identification and labelling of eye irritating chemicals: protocol optimisation for solid materials and the results after extended shipment.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaluzhny, Yulia; Kandárová, Helena; Handa, Yuki; DeLuca, Jane; Truong, Thoa; Hunter, Amy; Kearney, Paul; d'Argembeau-Thornton, Laurence; Klausner, Mitchell

2015-05-01

The 7th Amendment to the EU Cosmetics Directive and the EU REACH Regulation have reinforced the need for in vitro ocular test methods. Validated in vitro ocular toxicity tests that can predict the human response to chemicals, cosmetics and other consumer products are required for the safety assessment of materials that intentionally, or inadvertently, come into contact with the eye. The EpiOcular Eye Irritation Test (EIT), which uses the normal human cell-based EpiOcular™ tissue model, was developed to address this need. The EpiOcular-EIT is able to discriminate, with high sensitivity and accuracy, between ocular irritant/corrosive materials and those that require no labelling. Although the original EpiOcular-EIT protocol was successfully pre-validated in an international, multicentre study sponsored by COLIPA (the predecessor to Cosmetics Europe), data from two larger studies (the EURL ECVAM-COLIPA validation study and an independent in-house validation at BASF SE) resulted in a sensitivity for the protocol for solids that was below the acceptance criteria set by the Validation Management Group (VMG) for eye irritation, and indicated the need for improvement of the assay's sensitivity for solids. By increasing the exposure time for solid materials from 90 minutes to 6 hours, the optimised EpiOcular-EIT protocol achieved 100% sensitivity, 68.4% specificity and 84.6% accuracy, thereby meeting all the acceptance criteria set by the VMG. In addition, to satisfy the needs of Japan and the Pacific region, the EpiOcular-EIT method was evaluated for its performance after extended shipment and storage of the tissues (4-5 days), and it was confirmed that the assay performs with similar levels of sensitivity, specificity and reproducibility in these circumstances. 2015 FRAME.

Significados dos episódios maníacos para pacientes com transtorno bipolar em remissão: um estudo qualitativo

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Luiz Carlos Pereira Bin

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Objetivo Discutir os significados da vivência de episódios maníacos para pacientes com transtorno bipolar (TAB. Métodos Trata-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa, feita por meio de entrevistas semidirigidas em profundidade, em uma amostra fechada pelo critério de saturação com oito pacientes com TAB em remissão. A técnica de tratamento de dados foi feita por meio da análise de conteúdo das entrevistas transcritas na íntegra e categorização. Os resultados foram submetidos à validação externa, no Laboratório de Pesquisa Clínico-Qualitativa do Departamento de Psicologia Médica e Psiquiatria da Unicamp, composto por 37 pesquisadores do método, entre eles mestrandos, doutorandos, pós-doutorados e pesquisadores seniores. Resultados Foram identificadas três categorias – Ambivalência e vergonha: pensar ou não pensar sobre os episódios maníacos; Organizando sentimentos pessoais: a remissão como um momento de autoconsciência; Episódios maníacos estruturando relações interpessoais versus projeções da angústia. Conclusão Os achados da presente pesquisa contribuem para a maior compreensão dos quadros maníacos no TAB, que podem auxiliar nas reflexões acerca da relação profissional-paciente, para elaborar estratégias para aderência e para as medidas terapêuticas e preventivas da recorrência dos episódios. Podem auxiliar a equipe de saúde envolvida no acompanhamento desses casos e também os pesquisadores na investigação da contribuição dos significados aqui discutidos nos fenômenos de aderência ao tratamento e de um melhor prognóstico.

Translational Partnership Development Lead | Center for Cancer Research

Science.gov (United States)

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION The Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research (FNLCR) is a Federally Funded Research and Development Center operated by Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc on behalf of the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The staff of FNLCR support the NCI’s mission in the fight against cancer and HIV/AIDS. Currently we are seeking a Translational Partnership Development Lead (TPDL) who will work closely with the Office of Translational Resources (OTR) within the Office of the Director (OD) of NCI’s Center for Cancer Research (CCR) to facilitate the successful translation of CCR’s basic and preclinical research advances into new therapeutics and diagnostics. The TPDL with be strategically aligned within FNLCR’s Partnership Development Office (PDO), to maximally leverage the critical mass of expertise available within the PDO. CCR comprises the basic and clinical components of the NCI’s Intramural Research Program (IRP) and consists of ~230 basic and clinical Investigators located at either the NIH main campus in Bethesda or the NCI-Frederick campus. CCR Investigators are focused primarily on cancer and HIV/AIDS, with special emphasis on the most challenging and important high-risk/high-reward problems driving the fields. (See https://ccr.cancer.gov for a full delineation of CCR Investigators and their research activities.) The process of developing research findings into new clinical applications is high risk, complex, variable, and requires multiple areas of expertise seldom available within the confines of a single Investigator’s laboratory. To accelerate this process, OTR serves as a unifying force within CCR for all aspects of translational activities required to achieve success and maintain timely progress. A key aspect of OTR’s function is to develop and strengthen essential communications and collaborations within NIH, with extramural partners and with industry to bring together experts in chemistry, human subjects research

Phase correction for three-dimensional (3D) diffusion-weighted interleaved EPI using 3D multiplexed sensitivity encoding and reconstruction (3D-MUSER).

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Hing-Chiu; Hui, Edward S; Chiu, Pui-Wai; Liu, Xiaoxi; Chen, Nan-Kuei

2018-05-01

Three-dimensional (3D) multiplexed sensitivity encoding and reconstruction (3D-MUSER) algorithm is proposed to reduce aliasing artifacts and signal corruption caused by inter-shot 3D phase variations in 3D diffusion-weighted echo planar imaging (DW-EPI). 3D-MUSER extends the original framework of multiplexed sensitivity encoding (MUSE) to a hybrid k-space-based reconstruction, thereby enabling the correction of inter-shot 3D phase variations. A 3D single-shot EPI navigator echo was used to measure inter-shot 3D phase variations. The performance of 3D-MUSER was evaluated by analyses of point-spread function (PSF), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and artifact levels. The efficacy of phase correction using 3D-MUSER for different slab thicknesses and b-values were investigated. Simulations showed that 3D-MUSER could eliminate artifacts because of through-slab phase variation and reduce noise amplification because of SENSE reconstruction. All aliasing artifacts and signal corruption in 3D interleaved DW-EPI acquired with different slab thicknesses and b-values were reduced by our new algorithm. A near-whole brain single-slab 3D DTI with 1.3-mm isotropic voxel acquired at 1.5T was successfully demonstrated. 3D phase correction for 3D interleaved DW-EPI data is made possible by 3D-MUSER, thereby improving feasible slab thickness and maximum feasible b-value. Magn Reson Med 79:2702-2712, 2018. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Plant collecting program in Southeast Asia under the sponsorship of the United States National Cancer Institute (NCI) (1986-1991)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Soejarto, D.D.

1992-01-01

Under the funding from the United States National Cancer Institute (NCI)¹, a program was undertaken to collect plant samples in Southeast Asia to be tested for their cancer- and AIDS-arresting properties, for the period of September 1, 1986 through August 31, 1991. The program was implemented with

Low Defect Density Substrates and High-Quality Epi-Substrate Interfaces for ABCS Devices and Progress Toward Phonon-Mediated THz Lasers

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Goodhue, William; Bliss, David; Krishnaswami, Kannan; Vangala, Shivashankar; Li, Jin; Zhu, Beihong

2005-01-01

... has been developing technology for producing low defect density substrates and high-quality epi-substrate interfaces for ABCS device applications as well as developing fabrication and device concepts...

Climatologia dos Episódios de Precipitação em Três Localidades no Estado do Paraná

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Flávia Galvanini Salton

Full Text Available Resumo O objetivo deste trabalho foi analisar a quantidade, distribuição, duração e intensidade de episódios de precipitações ocorridos em três localidades no estado do Paraná com condições climáticas distintas. As localidades analisadas foram Paranavaí (23°05’ S; 52°26’ W; 480 m, Guarapuava (25°21’ S; 51°30’ W; 1058 m e Morretes (25°30’ S; 48°49’ W; 59 m, no período de 1976 a 2013. Considerou-se episódio a precipitação ≥ 1 mm, sendo que após três horas sem chuvas iniciava-se um novo episódio. Os dados foram submetidos à análise de regressão, análise de variância e comparação de médias pelo teste de Tukey e estatística descritiva. O estado do Paraná apresenta maior quantidade de precipitação durante a primavera e verão, no entanto as chuvas mais longas ocorrem frequentemente no outono e inverno. Características climáticas regionais induzem diferentes padrões de precipitação. A estação de Morretes, situada no litoral do Paraná, registrou grandes quantidades de precipitações, sobretudo no verão, sendo estas mais distribuídas nas diferentes durações e sob intensidade leve. A estação de Paranavaí, situada no noroeste paranaense, com baixa altitude, apresentou menores precipitações, porém com maiores episódios de chuvas rápidas e moderadas. A estação de Guarapuava, localizada na região serrana do centro-sul do Paraná, apresentou chuvas bem distribuídas nas estações do ano e sob intensidade predominantemente moderada.

Determination of a cutoff value for pelvic floor distensibility using the Epi-no balloon to predict perineal integrity in vaginal delivery: ROC curve analysis. Prospective observational single cohort study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miriam Raquel Diniz Zanetti

Full Text Available CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Several risk factors are involved in perineal lacerations during vaginal delivery. However, little is known about the influence of perineal distensibility as a protective factor. The aim here was to determine a cutoff value for pelvic floor distensibility measured using the Epi-no balloon, which could be used as a predictive factor for perineal integrity in vaginal delivery. DESIGN AND SETTING: Prospective observational single cohort study conducted in a maternity hospital. METHODS: A convenience sample of 227 consecutive at-term parturients was used. All women had a single fetus in the vertex presentation, with up to 9.0 cm of dilation. The maximum dilation of the Epi-no balloon was measured using a tape measure after it had been inflated inside the vagina up to the parturients' maximum tolerance. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC curve was used to obtain the Epi-no circumference measurement with best sensitivity and specificity. RESULTS: Among the 161 patients who were included in the study, 50.9% underwent episiotomy, 21.8% presented lacerations and 27.3% retained an intact perineum. Age > 25.9 years; number of pregnancies > 3.4; number of deliveries > 2.2 and circumference measured by Epi-no > 21.4 cm were all directly correlated with an intact perineum. Circumference measurements using the Epi-no balloon that were greater than 20.8 cm showed sensitivity and specificity of 70.5% and 66.7% (area under curve = 0.713, respectively, as a predictive factor for an intact perineum in vaginal delivery. CONCLUSION: Circumferences greater than 20.8 cm achieved using the Epi-no balloon are a predictive factor for perineal integrity in parturients.

A new syndrome of 'spondylo-epi-metaphyseal dysplasia: mixed type''

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharma, B.G.

2003-01-01

A new type of rare bone dysplasia is described, which shares some common features with spondylo-meta-epiphyseal dysplasia: short limb-abnormal calcification type and lethal metatropic dysplasia. Besides these features, the present case has some additional unusual features. Facial malformation was very obvious and of a different type. The nose and nares were completely flattened. Hypertrophied acetabular bones, round densities on the ilia, premature ossification of many epiphyses and carpal bones, curvilinear calcifications in some joints, fusion of the ischiopubic rami, calcification of many costal cartilages and thick sclerotic base of the skull were a few of the significant findings. On the basis of the clinical and radiological features, the condition has been named ''spondylo-epi-metaphyseal dysplasia: mixed type''. (orig.)

Treino de memória episódica com ênfase em categorização para idosos sem demência e depressão Episodic memory training with emphasis on categorization for older adults without dementia and depression

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fabiana Castillo Roda Carvalho

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Com o envelhecimento, podem ocorrer alterações cognitivas, especialmente, na memória. Ao mesmo tempo, as pesquisas apontam a possibilidade de melhorar a capacidade da memória por meio de treino cognitivo. O objetivo deste estudo foi verificar os efeitos do treino de memória episódica com idosos saudáveis brasileiros. Cinqüenta e sete idosos recrutados foram divididos aleatoriamente em grupo controle (GCO= 26 e grupo experimental (GEX= 31. Os participantes do grupo GEX participaram do pré-teste, seguido de cinco sessões de treino de memória episódica, nas quais foram instruídos a categorizar listas de supermercado e figuras, e do pós-teste. Os resultados indicaram que o treino de memória episódica envolvendo a aprendizagem e a prática com a estratégia de categorização promoveu melhora significativa no desempenho em tarefa de memória episódica e um maior uso da estratégia treinada.Aging may lead to cognitive changes, especially in memory. Yet, research suggests that older adults may improve memory performance after training. The present study aimed at evaluating the effects of episodic memory training offered to healthy Brazilian older adults. Fifty seven participants were randomly divided into control group (COG = 26 and experimental group (EXG = 31. The EXG participants completed a pre-test, five sessions of episodic memory training in which they were instructed to categorize grocery lists and pictures, and a post-test. Results indicated that episodic memory training involving learning and practice with categorization promoted significant improvement in episodic memory performance and in better using the trained strategy.

Enantioselective total synthesis of (+)-brefeldin A and 7-epi-brefeldin A.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Yikang; Shen, Xin; Yang, Yong-Qing; Hu, Qi; Huang, Jia-Hui

2004-05-28

A convergent enantioselective route to brefeldin A (BFA) and 7-epi-BFA was developed. The key C-4/C-5 chiral centers were established by using chiral auxiliary induced intermolecular asymmetric aldolization in the presence of TiCl(4) and TMEDA. The results with the thiazolidinethione/TiCl(4) mediated intermolecular asymmetric aldolization added some new information about the scope and limitations to the existing knowledge of that type of reactions (which so far was essentially limited to the reactions with N-propionyl thiazolidinethiones). During the course a method for protecting the liable aldol hydroxyl groups by using inexpensive TBSCl in DMF with 2,6-lutidine as the base was developed to replace the otherwise unavoidable TBSOTf procedure. Due to the excessive steric hindrance, removal of the auxiliary was much more difficult than most literature cases. Cleavage of the oxazolidinone by reduction was almost impossible. The thiazolidinethione auxiliary was relatively easier to remove. However, several reactions reported for facile removal of thiazolidinethione auxiliaries in the literature still failed. Reductive removal of the thiazolidinethione auxiliary was most effectively realized with LiBH(4) in diethyl ether in the presence of 1 equiv of MeOH (a modification of a literature procedure for removal of oxazolidinone auxiliaries in less hindered substrates). Apart from the auxiliary removal, oxidation of the alcohol into aldehyde and the deprotection of the dithiolane protecting group were also rather difficult in the present context. A range of methods were screened before final solutions were found. The five-membered ring was constructed by employing an intramolecular Mukaiyama reaction after many attempts with the intramolecular aldolization under a variety of conditions failed. The rate of elimination of the alkoxyl to form the alpha,beta-double bond of the key intermediate cyclopentenone 49 with DBU was highly solvent dependent (very sluggish in CH(2)Cl(2

NCI's Distributed Geospatial Data Server

Science.gov (United States)

Larraondo, P. R.; Evans, B. J. K.; Antony, J.

2016-12-01

Earth systems, environmental and geophysics datasets are an extremely valuable source of information about the state and evolution of the Earth. However, different disciplines and applications require this data to be post-processed in different ways before it can be used. For researchers experimenting with algorithms across large datasets or combining multiple data sets, the traditional approach to batch data processing and storing all the output for later analysis rapidly becomes unfeasible, and often requires additional work to publish for others to use. Recent developments on distributed computing using interactive access to significant cloud infrastructure opens the door for new ways of processing data on demand, hence alleviating the need for storage space for each individual copy of each product. The Australian National Computational Infrastructure (NCI) has developed a highly distributed geospatial data server which supports interactive processing of large geospatial data products, including satellite Earth Observation data and global model data, using flexible user-defined functions. This system dynamically and efficiently distributes the required computations among cloud nodes and thus provides a scalable analysis capability. In many cases this completely alleviates the need to preprocess and store the data as products. This system presents a standards-compliant interface, allowing ready accessibility for users of the data. Typical data wrangling problems such as handling different file formats and data types, or harmonising the coordinate projections or temporal and spatial resolutions, can now be handled automatically by this service. The geospatial data server exposes functionality for specifying how the data should be aggregated and transformed. The resulting products can be served using several standards such as the Open Geospatial Consortium's (OGC) Web Map Service (WMS) or Web Feature Service (WFS), Open Street Map tiles, or raw binary arrays under

Image Registration to Compensate for EPI Distortion in Patients with Brain Tumors: An Evaluation of Tract-Specific Effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Albi, Angela; Meola, Antonio; Zhang, Fan; Kahali, Pegah; Rigolo, Laura; Tax, Chantal M W; Ciris, Pelin Aksit; Essayed, Walid I; Unadkat, Prashin; Norton, Isaiah; Rathi, Yogesh; Olubiyi, Olutayo; Golby, Alexandra J; O'Donnell, Lauren J

2018-03-01

Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) provides preoperative maps of neurosurgical patients' white matter tracts, but these maps suffer from echo-planar imaging (EPI) distortions caused by magnetic field inhomogeneities. In clinical neurosurgical planning, these distortions are generally not corrected and thus contribute to the uncertainty of fiber tracking. Multiple image processing pipelines have been proposed for image-registration-based EPI distortion correction in healthy subjects. In this article, we perform the first comparison of such pipelines in neurosurgical patient data. Five pipelines were tested in a retrospective clinical dMRI dataset of 9 patients with brain tumors. Pipelines differed in the choice of fixed and moving images and the similarity metric for image registration. Distortions were measured in two important tracts for neurosurgery, the arcuate fasciculus and corticospinal tracts. Significant differences in distortion estimates were found across processing pipelines. The most successful pipeline used dMRI baseline and T2-weighted images as inputs for distortion correction. This pipeline gave the most consistent distortion estimates across image resolutions and brain hemispheres. Quantitative results of mean tract distortions on the order of 1-2 mm are in line with other recent studies, supporting the potential need for distortion correction in neurosurgical planning. Novel results include significantly higher distortion estimates in the tumor hemisphere and greater effect of image resolution choice on results in the tumor hemisphere. Overall, this study demonstrates possible pitfalls and indicates that care should be taken when implementing EPI distortion correction in clinical settings. Copyright © 2018 by the American Society of Neuroimaging.

Effect of bcl-2 antisense oligodexynucleotides on chemotherapy efficacy of Vp-16 on human small cell lung cancer cell line NCI-H69

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

He Wenqian; Liu Zhonghua

2007-01-01

Objective: To study the effect of bcl-2 antisense oligodexynucleotides on chemotherapy efficacy of Vp-16 on human small cell lung cancer cell line NCI-H69. Methods: Cultured NCI-H69 cells were derided into 4 groups: bcl-2 antisense oligodexynucleotides (ASODN) added, sense oligodexynucleotides (SODN) added, nonsense oligodexynucleotides (NSODN) added and control (no nucleotides added), the oligodexynucleotides were transfected into the cultured cells with oligofectamine. The cellular expression of Bcl-2 protein 72h later was examined with Western-Blot. The four different groups of cultured tumor cells were treated with etopside(Vp-16) at different concentrations (0, 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 and 4.0 μg/ml) for 48hr then the cell survival fraction was assessed with MTY test. Results: The apoptotic rate of cells in the ASODN group was significantly higher than that of the control group, also, the survival fraction of cells in ASODN group was significantly lower than that of the control group. The Bcl-2 protein expression in ASODN group was significantly lower than that in the control group, but no inhibition was observed in SODN and NSODN groups. Conclusion: The bcl-2 ASODN could enhance the sensitivity to chemotherapy with Vp-16 in small cell lung cancer cell line NCI-H69 by effectively blocking bcl-2 gene expression. (authors)

Resveratrol enhances radiosensitivity of human non-small cell lung cancer NCI-H838 cells accompanied by inhibition of nuclear factor-kappa B activation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liao, Hui-Fen; Kuo Cheng-Deng; Yang, Yuh-Cheng; Lin, Chin-Ping; Tai, Hung-Chi; Chen, Yu-Jen; Chen, Yu-Yawn

2005-01-01

Resveratrol, a polyphenol in red wine, possesses many pharmacological activities including cardio-protection, chemoprevention, anti-tumor effects, and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) inactivation. The present study was designed to evaluate the effects and possible mechanism of resveratrol in enhancing radiosensitivity of lung cancer cells. Human non-small cell lung cancer NCI-H838 cells were irradiated with or without resveratrol pretreatment. The surviving fraction and sensitizer enhancement ratio (SER) were estimated by using a colony formation assay and linear-quadratic model. The cell-cycle distribution was evaluated by using prospidium iodide staining and flow cytometry. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)-based assay with immobilized oligonucleotide was performed to assess the DNA binding activity of NF-κB. Resveratrol had no direct growth-inhibitory effect on NCI-H838 cells treated for 24 hours with doses up to 25 μM. Pretreatment with resveratrol significantly enhanced cell killing by radiation, with an SER up to 2.2. Radiation activated NF-κB, an effect reversed by resveratrol pretreatment. Resveratrol resulted in a decrease of cells in the G 0 /G 1 phase and an increase in the S phase. Our results demonstrate that resveratrol enhances the radiosensitivity of NCI-H838 cells accompanied by NF-κB inhibition and S-phase arrest. (author)

Computational Environments and Analysis methods available on the NCI High Performance Computing (HPC) and High Performance Data (HPD) Platform

Science.gov (United States)

Evans, B. J. K.; Foster, C.; Minchin, S. A.; Pugh, T.; Lewis, A.; Wyborn, L. A.; Evans, B. J.; Uhlherr, A.

2014-12-01

The National Computational Infrastructure (NCI) has established a powerful in-situ computational environment to enable both high performance computing and data-intensive science across a wide spectrum of national environmental data collections - in particular climate, observational data and geoscientific assets. This paper examines 1) the computational environments that supports the modelling and data processing pipelines, 2) the analysis environments and methods to support data analysis, and 3) the progress in addressing harmonisation of the underlying data collections for future transdisciplinary research that enable accurate climate projections. NCI makes available 10+ PB major data collections from both the government and research sectors based on six themes: 1) weather, climate, and earth system science model simulations, 2) marine and earth observations, 3) geosciences, 4) terrestrial ecosystems, 5) water and hydrology, and 6) astronomy, social and biosciences. Collectively they span the lithosphere, crust, biosphere, hydrosphere, troposphere, and stratosphere. The data is largely sourced from NCI's partners (which include the custodians of many of the national scientific records), major research communities, and collaborating overseas organisations. The data is accessible within an integrated HPC-HPD environment - a 1.2 PFlop supercomputer (Raijin), a HPC class 3000 core OpenStack cloud system and several highly connected large scale and high-bandwidth Lustre filesystems. This computational environment supports a catalogue of integrated reusable software and workflows from earth system and ecosystem modelling, weather research, satellite and other observed data processing and analysis. To enable transdisciplinary research on this scale, data needs to be harmonised so that researchers can readily apply techniques and software across the corpus of data available and not be constrained to work within artificial disciplinary boundaries. Future challenges will

Hypercalcemia, hypervitaminosis A and 3-epi-25-OH-D3 levels after consumption of an "over the counter" vitamin D remedy. a case report.

Science.gov (United States)

Granado-Lorencio, F; Rubio, E; Blanco-Navarro, I; Pérez-Sacristán, B; Rodríguez-Pena, R; García López, F J

2012-06-01

Intoxication from vitamin D supplements has been rarely reported but, nowadays, it occurs more frequently. 3-epi-25-OH-D(3) is highly prevalent in adults and it is considered of biological relevance. We report a case of vitamin D toxicity with hypercalcemia, acute renal failure and hypervitaminosis A after consuming an over-the-counter vitamin D supplement. Our data suggest that the contribution of 3-epi-25-OH-D(3) is not altered during vitamin D toxicity, although the serum levels of 25-OH-D(3) and 3-epi-25-OH-D(3) may display a different rate of clearance. The patient also displayed hypervitaminosis A unrelated to diet, possibly caused by renal failure related to the hypercalcemia induced by vitamin D toxicity. Because of the increasing use of over-the-counter vitamin D supplements and the potential iatrogenic hypercalcemia related to hypervitaminosis A, the present case highlights the importance of evaluating both the use of (non-) prescribed medication and vitamin A status during vitamin D toxicity. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[epiDRB--a new minimally invasive concept for referencing in the field of computer-assisted orthopaedic surgery].

Science.gov (United States)

Ohnsorge, J A K; Weisskopf, M; Siebert, C H

2005-01-01

Optoelectronic navigation for computer-assisted orthopaedic surgery (CAOS) is based on a firm connection of bone with passive reflectors or active light-emitting diodes in a specific three-dimensional pattern. Even a so-called "minimally-invasive" dynamic reference base (DRB) requires fixation with screws or clamps via incision of the skin. Consequently an originally percutaneous intervention would unnecessarily be extended to an open procedure. Thus, computer-assisted navigation is rarely applied. Due to their tree-like design most DRB's interfere with the surgeon's actions and therefore are at permanent risk to be accidentally dislocated. Accordingly, the optic communication between the camera and the operative site may repeatedly be interrupted. The aim of the research was the development of a less bulky, more comfortable, stable and safely trackable device that can be fixed truly percutaneously. With engineering support of the industrial partner the radiolucent epiDRB was developed. It can be fixed with two or more pins and gains additional stability from its epicutaneous position. The intraoperative applicability and reliability was experimentally tested. Its low centre of gravity and its flat design allow the device to be located directly in the area of interest. Thanks to its epicutaneous position and its particular shape the epiDRB may perpetually be tracked by the navigation system without hindering the surgeon's actions. Hence, the risk of being displaced by accident is minimised and the line of sight remains unaffected. With the newly developed epiDRB computer-assisted navigation becomes easier and safer to handle even in punctures and other percutaneous procedures at the spine as much as at the extremities without an unproportionate amount of additional trauma. Due to the special design referencing of more than one vertebral body is possible at one time, thus decreasing radiation exposure and increasing efficiency.

Avaluació de competències professionalitzadores en els estudis de grau de comunicació audiovisual

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marina Romeo

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Els recents canvis en la formació universitària han comportat un destacable nivell de professionalització dels estudis i una constant adequació a les demandes socials. En aquest sentit, una de les necessitats per a la formació universitària a l'àrea de la comunicació audiovisual és desenvolupar en els estudiants competències professionalitzadores que els permetin trobar nínxols d'ocupació en un mercat altament competitiu i sotmès a canvis continus. Aquesta recerca té per objecte crear una rúbrica que permeti avaluar l'aprenentatge professionalitzador en els estudis de grau en comunicació audiovisual (CAV que es desenvolupen a Espanya. Per desenvolupar-la hem comptat amb ocupadors i acadèmics experts de l'àmbit de la comunicació audiovisual triats de forma intencional. La rúbrica final desenvolupada, a més de permetre avaluar el grau d'adquisició de les competències professionalitzadores en CAV, permet dibuixar un mapa clar de l'organització i adequació dels processos i metodologies docents. En aquest sentit, la rúbrica pot ser un instrument pedagògic clau per a una futura promoció d'estudiants, i es pot convertir en un instrument que afavoreixi l'avaluació formativa dels alumnes.

NCI Releases Video: Proteogenomics Research - On the Frontier of Precision Medicine | Office of Cancer Clinical Proteomics Research

Science.gov (United States)

The Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC) of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, announces the release of an educational video titled “Proteogenomics Research: On the Frontier of Precision Medicine."  Launched at the HUPO2017 Global Leadership Gala Dinner, catalyzed in part by the Cancer Moonshot initiative and featuring as keynote speaker the 47th Vice President of the United States of America Joseph R.

Elimination of carbon vacancies in 4H-SiC epi-layers by near-surface ion implantation: Influence of the ion species

Science.gov (United States)

Ayedh, H. M.; Hallén, A.; Svensson, B. G.

2015-11-01

The carbon vacancy (VC) is a prevailing point defect in high-purity 4H-SiC epitaxial layers, and it plays a decisive role in controlling the charge carrier lifetime. One concept of reducing the VC-concentration is based on carbon self-ion implantation in a near surface layer followed by thermal annealing. This leads to injection of carbon interstitials (Ci's) and annihilation of VC's in the epi-layer "bulk". Here, we show that the excess of C atoms introduced by the self-ion implantation plays a negligible role in the VC annihilation. Actually, employing normalized implantation conditions with respect to displaced C atoms, other heavier ions like Al and Si are found to be more efficient in annihilating VC's. Concentrations of VC below ˜2 × 1011 cm-3 can be reached already after annealing at 1400 °C, as monitored by deep-level transient spectroscopy. This corresponds to a reduction in the VC-concentration by about a factor of 40 relative to the as-grown state of the epi-layers studied. The negligible role of the implanted species itself can be understood from simulation results showing that the concentration of displaced C atoms exceeds the concentration of implanted species by two to three orders of magnitude. The higher efficiency for Al and Si ions is attributed to the generation of collision cascades with a sufficiently high energy density to promote Ci-clustering and reduce dynamic defect annealing. These Ci-related clusters will subsequently dissolve during the post-implant annealing giving rise to enhanced Ci injection. However, at annealing temperatures above 1500 °C, thermodynamic equilibrium conditions start to apply for the VC-concentration, which limit the net effect of the Ci injection, and a competition between the two processes occurs.

Other compounds isolated from Simira glaziovii and the {sup 1}H and {sup 13}C NMR chemical shift assignments of new 1-epi-castanopsol

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Araujo, Marcelo F. de; Vieira, Ivo J. Curcino [Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, Seropedica, RJ (Brazil). Dept. de Quimica; Braz-Filho, Raimundo [Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense (UENF), Campos dos Goytacases, RJ (Brazil). Centro de Ciencias Tecnologicas. Lab. de Ciencias Quimicas; Carvalho, Mario G. de, E-mail: mgeraldo@ufrrj.br [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (NPPN/UFRJ), RJ (Brazil). Centro de Ciencias da Saude. Nucleo de Pesquisa em Produtos Naturais

2012-07-01

A new triterpene, 1-epi-castanopsol, besides eleven known compounds: sitosterol, stigmasterol, campesterol, lupeol, lupenone, simirane B, syringaresinol, scopoletin, isofraxidin, 6,7,8-trimethoxycoumarin and harman, were isolated from the wood of Simira glaziovii. The structures of the known compounds were defined by 1D, 2D {sup 1}H, {sup 13}C NMR spectra data analyses and comparison with literature data. The detailed spectral data analyses allowed the definition of the structure of the new 1-epi isomer of castanopsol and performance of {sup 1}H and {sup 13}C NMR chemical shift assignments. (author)

Incorporació de petites seqüències de cinema comercial en l’ensenyament de les drogodependències. Assaig pilot en l'assignatura de Toxicologia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miguel Rodamilans-Pérez

2013-01-01

Full Text Available El Grup d'Innovació Docent Orfila, en el seu projecte per millorar la qualitat de la docència, està assajant la utilització del cinema amb finalitat didàctica. El material didàctic que hem desenvolupat en aquest projecte són petites seqüències de pel·lícules comercials de 3 a 5 minuts, per ser utilitzades com a elements il·lustratius del procés addictiu. Se seleccionen escenes de la filmografia i s'adeqüen als nostres programes docents. Es recull l'opinió dels professors participants, així com la dels alumnes, mitjançant una entrevista personal i una enquesta d'opinió, respectivament.De les entrevistes als professors i de les enquestes d'opinió dels alumnes, es dedueix un alt grau de satisfacció.

The total syntheses of guttiferone A and 6-epi-guttiferone A.

Science.gov (United States)

Horeischi, Fiene; Biber, Nicole; Plietker, Bernd

2014-03-12

Polyprenylated polycyclic acylphloroglucinols (PPAP) are a constantly growing class of natural products that exhibit a common bicyclo[3.3.1]nonatrione core and consist of currently more than 200 members. A subclassification among the various natural products of this class includes the position of the exocyclic acyl group, the prenylation grade of the core, and the relative configuration at C-7 within the core. About 10% of the reported structures, however, possess an additional chiral center at C-6. Herein we describe a straightforward access to guttiferone A and epi-guttiferone A, in which full control of stereoselectivity is achieved via conformational control, and a strict separation of framework decorating from framework constructing operations sets the stage for a short 13-step synthesis.

EpiPOD : community vaccination and dispensing model user's guide.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berry, M.; Samsa, M.; Walsh, D.; Decision and Information Sciences

2009-01-09

EpiPOD is a modeling system that enables local, regional, and county health departments to evaluate and refine their plans for mass distribution of antiviral and antibiotic medications and vaccines. An intuitive interface requires users to input as few or as many plan specifics as are available in order to simulate a mass treatment campaign. Behind the input interface, a system dynamics model simulates pharmaceutical supply logistics, hospital and first-responder personnel treatment, population arrival dynamics and treatment, and disease spread. When the simulation is complete, users have estimates of the number of illnesses in the population at large, the number of ill persons seeking treatment, and queuing and delays within the mass treatment system--all metrics by which the plan can be judged.

EpiTools, A software suite for presurgical brain mapping in epilepsy: Intracerebral EEG.

Science.gov (United States)

Medina Villalon, S; Paz, R; Roehri, N; Lagarde, S; Pizzo, F; Colombet, B; Bartolomei, F; Carron, R; Bénar, C-G

2018-03-29

In pharmacoresistant epilepsy, exploration with depth electrodes can be needed to precisely define the epileptogenic zone. Accurate location of these electrodes is thus essential for the interpretation of Stereotaxic EEG (SEEG) signals. As SEEG analysis increasingly relies on signal processing, it is crucial to make a link between these results and patient's anatomy. Our aims were thus to develop a suite of software tools, called "EpiTools", able to i) precisely and automatically localize the position of each SEEG contact and ii) display the results of signal analysis in each patient's anatomy. The first tool, GARDEL (GUI for Automatic Registration and Depth Electrode Localization), is able to automatically localize SEEG contacts and to label each contact according to a pre-specified nomenclature (for instance that of FreeSurfer or MarsAtlas). The second tool, 3Dviewer, enables to visualize in the 3D anatomy of the patient the origin of signal processing results such as rate of biomarkers, connectivity graphs or Epileptogenicity Index. GARDEL was validated in 30 patients by clinicians and proved to be highly reliable to determine within the patient's individual anatomy the actual location of contacts. GARDEL is a fully automatic electrode localization tool needing limited user interaction (only for electrode naming or contact correction). The 3Dviewer is able to read signal processing results and to display them in link with patient's anatomy. EpiTools can help speeding up the interpretation of SEEG data and improving its precision. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Total synthesis of a CD-ring: side-chain building block for preparing 17-epi-calcitriol derivatives from the Hajos-Parrish dione.

Science.gov (United States)

Michalak, Karol; Wicha, Jerzy

2011-08-19

An efficient synthesis of the key building block for 17-epi-calctriol from the Hajos-Parrish dione involving a sequence of diastereoselective transformation of the azulene core and the side-chain construction is presented.

Total dose and dose rate radiation characterization of EPI-CMOS radiation hardened memory and microprocessor devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gingerich, B.L.; Hermsen, J.M.; Lee, J.C.; Schroeder, J.E.

1984-01-01

The process, circuit discription, and total dose radiation characteristics are presented for two second generation hardened 4K EPI-CMOS RAMs and a first generation 80C85 microprocessor. Total dose radiation performance is presented to 10M rad-Si and effects of biasing and operating conditions are discussed. The dose rate sensitivity of the 4K RAMs is also presented along with single event upset (SEU) test data

Les experiències artístiques en l'espai públic. Art efímer com a catàlisi de la vida urbana

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lucila Urda Peña

2016-06-01

Full Text Available L'art efímer urbà, com a corrent d'expressió de pensament col·lectiu és una font de generació de projectes comunitaris en què els ciutadans poden recuperar "l'experiència de ciutat". La profusió de diverses manifestacions d'art efímer en ciutats de tot el món des de començaments del segle XXI està tenint conseqüències en l'espai urbà tant a nivell local com a nivell global. Una d'elles és la transformació del paisatge urbà, cada vegada més considerat com a escenari visible en projectes de regeneració urbana. A més de la transformació física també es produeixen canvis en les dinàmiques urbanes ja que els efectes de les intervencions tenen conseqüències més enllà dels canvis d'imatge. Els efectes socioeconòmics locals o fins i tot globals de les transformacions lligades a l'art efímer són cada vegada més evidents. Aquest article relata l'origen i desenvolupament de diverses manifestacions artístiques urbanes i reflexiona sobre les seves conseqüències en la vida urbana com a eina de transformació física i social.

EpiContactTrace: an R-package for contact tracing during livestock disease outbreaks and for risk-based surveillance.

Science.gov (United States)

Nöremark, Maria; Widgren, Stefan

2014-03-17

During outbreak of livestock diseases, contact tracing can be an important part of disease control. Animal movements can also be of relevance for risk-based surveillance and sampling, i.e. both when assessing consequences of introduction or likelihood of introduction. In many countries, animal movement data are collected with one of the major objectives to enable contact tracing. However, often an analytical step is needed to retrieve appropriate information for contact tracing or surveillance. In this study, an open source tool was developed to structure livestock movement data to facilitate contact-tracing in real time during disease outbreaks and for input in risk-based surveillance and sampling. The tool, EpiContactTrace, was written in the R-language and uses the network parameters in-degree, out-degree, ingoing contact chain and outgoing contact chain (also called infection chain), which are relevant for forward and backward tracing respectively. The time-frames for backward and forward tracing can be specified independently and search can be done on one farm at a time or for all farms within the dataset. Different outputs are available; datasets with network measures, contacts visualised in a map and automatically generated reports for each farm either in HTML or PDF-format intended for the end-users, i.e. the veterinary authorities, regional disease control officers and field-veterinarians. EpiContactTrace is available as an R-package at the R-project website (http://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/EpiContactTrace/). We believe this tool can help in disease control since it rapidly can structure essential contact information from large datasets. The reproducible reports make this tool robust and independent of manual compilation of data. The open source makes it accessible and easily adaptable for different needs.

[2H26]-1-epi-Cubenol, a completely deuterated natural product from Streptomyces griseus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christian A. Citron

2013-12-01

Full Text Available During growth on fully deuterated medium the volatile terpene [2H26]-1-epi-cubenol was released by the actinomycete Streptomyces griseus. This compound represents the first completely deuterated terpene obtained by fermentation. Despite a few previous reports in the literature the operability of this approach to fully deuterated compounds is still surprising, because the strong kinetic isotope effect of deuterium is known to slow down all metabolic processes in living organisms. Potential applications of completely labelled compounds from natural sources in structure elucidation, biosynthetic or pharmacokinetic investigations are discussed.

Improving clinical research and cancer care delivery in community settings: evaluating the NCI community cancer centers program.

Science.gov (United States)

Clauser, Steven B; Johnson, Maureen R; O'Brien, Donna M; Beveridge, Joy M; Fennell, Mary L; Kaluzny, Arnold D

2009-09-26

In this article, we describe the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Community Cancer Centers Program (NCCCP) pilot and the evaluation designed to assess its role, function, and relevance to the NCI's research mission. In doing so, we describe the evolution of and rationale for the NCCCP concept, participating sites' characteristics, its multi-faceted aims to enhance clinical research and quality of care in community settings, and the role of strategic partnerships, both within and outside of the NCCCP network, in achieving program objectives. The evaluation of the NCCCP is conceptualized as a mixed method multi-layered assessment of organizational innovation and performance which includes mapping the evolution of site development as a means of understanding the inter- and intra-organizational change in the pilot, and the application of specific evaluation metrics for assessing the implementation, operations, and performance of the NCCCP pilot. The assessment of the cost of the pilot as an additional means of informing the longer-term feasibility and sustainability of the program is also discussed. The NCCCP is a major systems-level set of organizational innovations to enhance clinical research and care delivery in diverse communities across the United States. Assessment of the extent to which the program achieves its aims will depend on a full understanding of how individual, organizational, and environmental factors align (or fail to align) to achieve these improvements, and at what cost.

Quantification of Biodegradation: Applied Example on Oil Seeps in Armàncies Fm, Southeastern Pyrenees

OpenAIRE

Permanyer, Albert; Caja, Miguel Ángel

2005-01-01

La presencia de petróleo expulsado directamente de la roca madre de la Formación Armàncies, constituye un caso único para el estudio de los procesos de biodegradación aeróbica en petróleo. El estado de degradación bacteriana es moderado y está principalmente limitado a la alteración de n-alcanos, isoprenoides y algunos aromáticos. La cuantificación ha sido realizada mediante el contenido en sulfuro y con los marcadores moleculares de la fracción aromática. Los resultados obtenidos...

Vectors to Increase Production Efficiency of Inducible Pluripotent Stem Cell (iPSC) | NCI Technology Transfer Center | TTC

Science.gov (United States)

This invention describes the discovery that specific p53 isoform increase the number of inducible pluripotent stem cells (iPS). It is known that the activity of p53 regulates the self-renewal and pluripotency of normal and cancer stem cells, and also affects re-programming efficiency of iPS cells. This p53 isoform-based technology provides a more natural process of increasing iPS cell production than previous methods of decreasing p53. NCI seeks licensees for this technology.

ANIONIC POLYMERIZATION OF ALKYL METHACRYLATES INITIATED BY nBuCu(NCy2)Li

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Bing-yong Han; Jian-guo Liang; Jian-min Lu; Feng An; Wan-tai Yang

2009-01-01

Anionic polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA), n-butyl methacrylate (nBMA) and glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) initiated by nBuCu(NCy2)Li (1) in tetrahydrofuran (THF) at -50℃ to -10℃ was investigated. It was found that the polymerization of MMA and nBMA initiated by 1 proceeded quantitatively in THF to afford PMMA and PBMA with polydispersity index 1.15-1.30 and nearly 100% initiator efficiencies at -10℃. The molecular weights increased linearly with the ratio of [monomer]/[1]. However, a post-polymerization experiment carried out on this system revealed a double polymer peak by GPC when fresh monomer was added after an interval of 10 rain. Polymerization of styrene could be initiated by 1, but the initiator efficiency was low.

epiPATH: an information system for the storage and management of molecular epidemiology data from infectious pathogens

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

González-Candelas Fernando

2007-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Most research scientists working in the fields of molecular epidemiology, population and evolutionary genetics are confronted with the management of large volumes of data. Moreover, the data used in studies of infectious diseases are complex and usually derive from different institutions such as hospitals or laboratories. Since no public database scheme incorporating clinical and epidemiological information about patients and molecular information about pathogens is currently available, we have developed an information system, composed by a main database and a web-based interface, which integrates both types of data and satisfies requirements of good organization, simple accessibility, data security and multi-user support. Results From the moment a patient arrives to a hospital or health centre until the processing and analysis of molecular sequences obtained from infectious pathogens in the laboratory, lots of information is collected from different sources. We have divided the most relevant data into 12 conceptual modules around which we have organized the database schema. Our schema is very complete and it covers many aspects of sample sources, samples, laboratory processes, molecular sequences, phylogenetics results, clinical tests and results, clinical information, treatments, pathogens, transmissions, outbreaks and bibliographic information. Communication between end-users and the selected Relational Database Management System (RDMS is carried out by default through a command-line window or through a user-friendly, web-based interface which provides access and management tools for the data. Conclusion epiPATH is an information system for managing clinical and molecular information from infectious diseases. It facilitates daily work related to infectious pathogens and sequences obtained from them. This software is intended for local installation in order to safeguard private data and provides advanced SQL-users the

Os Episódios de Rita Patrício

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Gustavo Rubim

2014-12-01

O texto propõe uma leitura do livro Episódios: da teorização estética em Fernando Pessoa, da au­toria de Rita Patrício. Datado de 2012, o livro só ficou realmente pronto e publicado em 2014. A leitura de­fende a originalidade deste exame minucioso dos textos de teoria estética e literária de Fernando Pessoa, tanto pela maneira como os trata autonomamente da obra poética e os estuda na sua escrita específica, quanto pelo efeito de deslocação dos tópicos habituais na análise do programa modernista português. A crí­tica do idealismo pessoano e da noção de obra enquanto totalidade or­gânica são sublinhados enquanto gestos condutores de toda a pesquisa. Propõem-se articulações com outros ensaios recentes que em Portugal procedem à revisão da crítica e da hermenêutica pes­soana.

Management of anaphylaxis in schools: Evaluation of an epinephrine auto-injector (EpiPen®) use by school personnel and comparison of two approaches of soliciting participation.

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen Luu, Nha Uyen; Cicutto, Lisa; Soller, Lianne; Joseph, Lawrence; Waserman, Susan; St-Pierre, Yvan; Clarke, Ann

2012-07-09

There has been no large study characterizing selection bias in allergy and evaluating school personnel's ability to use an epinephrine auto-injector (EpiPen®). Our objective was to determine if the consent process introduces selection bias by comparing 2 methods of soliciting participation of school personnel in a study evaluating their ability to demonstrate the EpiPen®. School personnel from randomly selected schools in Quebec were approached using a 1) partial or 2) full disclosure approach and were assessed on their ability to use the EpiPen® and identify anaphylaxis. 343 school personnel participated. In the full disclosure group, the participation rate was lower: 21.9% (95%CI, 19.0%-25.2%) versus 40.7% (95%CI, 36.1%-45.3%), but more participants achieved a perfect score: 26.3% (95%CI, 19.6%-33.9%) versus 15.8% (95%CI, 10.8%-21.8%), and identified 3 signs of anaphylaxis: 71.8% (95%CI, 64.0%-78.7%) versus 55.6% (95%CI, 48.2%-62.9%). Selection bias is suspected as school personnel who were fully informed of the purpose of the assessment were less likely to participate; those who participated among the fully informed were more likely to earn perfect scores and identify anaphylaxis. As the process of consent can influence participation and bias outcomes, researchers and Ethics Boards need to consider conditions under which studies can proceed without full consent. Despite training, school personnel perform poorly when asked to demonstrate the EpiPen®.

Management of anaphylaxis in schools: Evaluation of an epinephrine auto-injector (EpiPen® use by school personnel and comparison of two approaches of soliciting participation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nguyen Luu Nha

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background There has been no large study characterizing selection bias in allergy and evaluating school personnel’s ability to use an epinephrine auto-injector (EpiPen®. Our objective was to determine if the consent process introduces selection bias by comparing 2 methods of soliciting participation of school personnel in a study evaluating their ability to demonstrate the EpiPen®. Methods School personnel from randomly selected schools in Quebec were approached using a 1 partial or 2 full disclosure approach and were assessed on their ability to use the EpiPen® and identify anaphylaxis. Results 343 school personnel participated. In the full disclosure group, the participation rate was lower: 21.9% (95%CI, 19.0%-25.2% versus 40.7% (95%CI, 36.1%-45.3%, but more participants achieved a perfect score: 26.3% (95%CI, 19.6%-33.9% versus 15.8% (95%CI, 10.8%-21.8%, and identified 3 signs of anaphylaxis: 71.8% (95%CI, 64.0%-78.7% versus 55.6% (95%CI, 48.2%-62.9%. Conclusions Selection bias is suspected as school personnel who were fully informed of the purpose of the assessment were less likely to participate; those who participated among the fully informed were more likely to earn perfect scores and identify anaphylaxis. As the process of consent can influence participation and bias outcomes, researchers and Ethics Boards need to consider conditions under which studies can proceed without full consent. Despite training, school personnel perform poorly when asked to demonstrate the EpiPen®.

New insights in oncology: Epi-genetics and cancer stem cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krutovskikh, V.; Partensky, C.

2011-01-01

Cancer is a multi-etiologic, multistage disease with a prevalent genetic component, which happens when a large number of genes, critical for cell growth, death, differentiation, migration, and metabolic plasticity are altered irreversibly, so as to either 'gain' (oncogenes) or 'lose' (tumour suppressors) their function. Recent discoveries have revealed the previously underestimated etiologic importance of multiple epigenetic, that is to say, reversible factors (histone modifications, DNA methylation, non-coding RNA) involved in the transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation of proteins, indispensable for the control of cancerous phenotype. Stable alterations of epigenetic machinery ('epi-mutations') turn out to play a critical role at different steps of carcinogenesis. In addition, due to substantial recent progress in stem cell biology, the new concept of cancer stem cells has emerged. This, along with newly discovered epigenetic cancer mechanisms, gives rise to a hope to overcome radio- and chemo-resistance and to eradicate otherwise incurable neoplasms. (authors)

Determination of Oxytetracycline and 4-Epi-Oxytetracycline Residues in Feathers and Edible Tissues of Broiler Chickens Using Liquid Chromatography Coupled with Tandem Mass Spectrometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Cornejo, Javiera; Pokrant, Ekaterina; Krogh, Magdalena; Briceño, Cristóbal; Hidalgo, Héctor; Maddaleno, Aldo; Araya-Jordán, Carolina; Martín, Betty San

2017-04-01

Antibiotics have been widely used in poultry production for the treatment of bacterial diseases. However, drug residues can remain in products derived from animals after the cessation of the drug therapies. Feathers, in particular, have shown an affinity for antibiotics such as tetracycline, suggesting the persistence of these drugs in nonedible tissue. After the birds are slaughtered, feathers are ground into feather meals, which are used as organic fertilizer or an ingredient in animal diets, thereby entering into the food chain and becoming a potential risk for public health. To evaluate the depletion of oxytetracycline (OTC) and its metabolite 4-epi-oxytetracycline (4-epi-OTC) in the muscles, liver, and feathers, 64 broiler chickens, bred under controlled conditions, were treated orally with a commercial formulation of 10% OTC for 7 days. The analytes were quantified using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. OTC and 4-epi-OTC were found in the feathers for 46 days, whereas they were found in the muscle and liver for only 12 and 6 days, respectively. These results prove that the analytes remain in feathers in higher concentrations than they do in edible tissues after treatment with tetracyclines. Thus, feather meals represent a potential source of antimicrobial residue contamination in the food chain.

Evaluation of the dependence of CEST-EPI measurement on repetition time, RF irradiation duty cycle and imaging flip angle for enhanced pH sensitivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun, Phillip Zhe; Lu Jie; Wu Yin; Xiao Gang; Wu Renhua

2013-01-01

Chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) is a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast mechanism that can detect dilute CEST agents and microenvironmental properties, with a host of promising applications. Experimental measurement of the CEST effect is complex, and depends on not only CEST agent concentration and exchange rate, but also experimental parameters such as RF irradiation amplitude and scheme. Although echo planar imaging (EPI) has been increasingly used for CEST MRI, the relationship between CEST effect and repetition time (TR), RF irradiation duty cycle (DC) and EPI flip angle (α) has not been fully evaluated and optimized to enhance CEST MRI sensitivity. In addition, our study evaluated gradient echo CEST-EPI by quantifying the CEST effect and its signal-to-noise ratio per unit time (SNR put ) as functions of TR, DC and α. We found that CEST effect increased with TR and DC but decreased with α. Importantly, we found that SNR put peaked at intermediate TRs of about twice the T 1 and α, at approximately 75°, and increased with RF DC. The simulation results were validated using a dual-pH creatine-gel CEST phantom. In summary, our study provides a useful framework for optimizing CEST MRI experiments. (note)

Evaluation of the UF/NCI hybrid computational phantoms for use in organ dosimetry of pediatric patients undergoing fluoroscopically guided cardiac procedures

Science.gov (United States)

Marshall, Emily L.; Borrego, David; Tran, Trung; Fudge, James C.; Bolch, Wesley E.

2018-03-01

Epidemiologic data demonstrate that pediatric patients face a higher relative risk of radiation induced cancers than their adult counterparts at equivalent exposures. Infants and children with congenital heart defects are a critical patient population exposed to ionizing radiation during life-saving procedures. These patients will likely incur numerous procedures throughout their lifespan, each time increasing their cumulative radiation absorbed dose. As continued improvements in long-term prognosis of congenital heart defect patients is achieved, a better understanding of organ radiation dose following treatment becomes increasingly vital. Dosimetry of these patients can be accomplished using Monte Carlo radiation transport simulations, coupled with modern anatomical patient models. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of the University of Florida/National Cancer Institute (UF/NCI) pediatric hybrid computational phantom library for organ dose assessment of patients that have undergone fluoroscopically guided cardiac catheterizations. In this study, two types of simulations were modeled. A dose assessment was performed on 29 patient-specific voxel phantoms (taken as representing the patient’s true anatomy), height/weight-matched hybrid library phantoms, and age-matched reference phantoms. Two exposure studies were conducted for each phantom type. First, a parametric study was constructed by the attending pediatric interventional cardiologist at the University of Florida to model the range of parameters seen clinically. Second, four clinical cardiac procedures were simulated based upon internal logfiles captured by a Toshiba Infinix-i Cardiac Bi-Plane fluoroscopic unit. Performance of the phantom library was quantified by computing both the percent difference in individual organ doses, as well as the organ dose root mean square values for overall phantom assessment between the matched phantoms (UF/NCI library or reference) and the patient

Isolation of campesteryl ferulate and epi-campesteryl ferulate, two components of γ-oryzanol from rice bran.

Science.gov (United States)

Bao, Yuhua; Yanase, Emiko; Nakatsuka, Shin-ichi

2013-01-01

Campesteryl ferulate (3a, 24R/α) and epi-campesteryl ferulate (3b, 24S/β), components of rice bran γ-oryzanol, were isolated by the preparative recycle HPLC system using a combination of ODS silica and cholester packed columns at over 99% purity. Their purities and structures of 3a and 3b thus obtained were confirmed by HPLC analysis and physical data (1H- and 13C-NMR, MS spectra, and X-ray crystallography).

El procés d'avaluació i intervenció psicològica a pacients amb trastorns per abús d' alcohol i/o altres substàncies psicotròpiques

OpenAIRE

Trasovares Navarrete, María Victoria

2004-01-01

Aquest treball, realitzat al Centre d'Atenció i Seguiment de Drogodependències (CASD) de Nou Barris, ha tingut com a objectiu principal observar el rol del psicòleg clínic en el procés d'avaluació i intervenció psicoterapèutica en pacients que presenten un trastorn per dependència de substàncies psicotròpiques. Este trabajo, realizado en el Centro de Atención y Seguimiento de Drogodependencias (CASD) de Nou Barris, ha tenido como principal objetivo observar el rol del psicólogo clínico en ...

Effect of preterm formula with and without long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids on the urinary excretion of F2-isoprostanes and 8-epi-prostaglandin F2alpha.

Science.gov (United States)

Stier, C; Schweer, H; Jelinek, J; Watzer, B; Seyberth, H W; Leonhardt, A

2001-02-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of conventional and long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCP)-enriched preterm formula on the endogenous formation of F2-isoprostanes and 8-epi-prostaglandin (PG) F2alpha as possible markers of lipid peroxidation in preterm infants during their first weeks of life. In a prospective, randomized, double-blind study, infants received either formula enriched with LCP (n = 8), standard preterm formula (n = 7), or (expressed) breast milk (n = 8). Urine was sampled at study entry and after the study period of 3 weeks. The formation of F2-isoprostanes and 8-epi-PGF2alpha was evaluated by measuring the urinary excretion by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. No differences in the urinary excretion of F2-isoprostanes and 8-epi-PGF2alpha were observed at the end of the study period. This result suggests that supplementation of a preterm formula with LCP for a period of 3 weeks does not stimulate lipid peroxidation in preterm infants.

Overview of the ID, EPI and REL tasks of BioNLP Shared Task 2011

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Pyysalo Sampo

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract We present the preparation, resources, results and analysis of three tasks of the BioNLP Shared Task 2011: the main tasks on Infectious Diseases (ID and Epigenetics and Post-translational Modifications (EPI, and the supporting task on Entity Relations (REL. The two main tasks represent extensions of the event extraction model introduced in the BioNLP Shared Task 2009 (ST'09 to two new areas of biomedical scientific literature, each motivated by the needs of specific biocuration tasks. The ID task concerns the molecular mechanisms of infection, virulence and resistance, focusing in particular on the functions of a class of signaling systems that are ubiquitous in bacteria. The EPI task is dedicated to the extraction of statements regarding chemical modifications of DNA and proteins, with particular emphasis on changes relating to the epigenetic control of gene expression. By contrast to these two application-oriented main tasks, the REL task seeks to support extraction in general by separating challenges relating to part-of relations into a subproblem that can be addressed by independent systems. Seven groups participated in each of the two main tasks and four groups in the supporting task. The participating systems indicated advances in the capability of event extraction methods and demonstrated generalization in many aspects: from abstracts to full texts, from previously considered subdomains to new ones, and from the ST'09 extraction targets to other entities and events. The highest performance achieved in the supporting task REL, 58% F-score, is broadly comparable with levels reported for other relation extraction tasks. For the ID task, the highest-performing system achieved 56% F-score, comparable to the state-of-the-art performance at the established ST'09 task. In the EPI task, the best result was 53% F-score for the full set of extraction targets and 69% F-score for a reduced set of core extraction targets, approaching a level

Protocol per a la implantació d’eines didàctiques virtuals: competències i habilitats adquirides pels estudiants

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Laura Guitart Tarrés

2011-06-01

Full Text Available L’adaptació al nou espai europeu d’educació superior (EEES ha plantejat alguns canvis en l’enfocament de la formació universitària al nostre país. On abans era el docent el protagonista, ara és l’estudiant el que pren el rol d’actor principal de la seva formació, i l’aprenentatge s’orienta cap a una autonomia i reflexió més grans. En aquest escenari, les noves tecnologies ofereixen un ampli ventall d’opcions per millorar els processos formatius. En aquests sentit, el Grup d’Innovació Docent G•IDEA ha participat activament en aquest procés d’adaptació des de ja fa uns quants anys, i ha creat una sèrie de recursos docents digitals que han estat àmpliament provats en diversos ensenyaments de la Facultat d’Economia i Empresa de la Universitat de Barcelona. L’objectiu d’aquest article és presentar el protocol dissenyat per l’equip d’investigadors del G•IDEA per implantar aquestes eines didàctiques (webquestes i exercicis tutoritzats, i també els resultats d’una enquesta de satisfacció sobre les competències i habilitats adquirides pels nostres estudiants en la utilització dels recursos. Els resultats mostren, d’una banda, que no ha estat possible crear un mateix protocol aplicable a tots els recursos, a causa de les diferències en els objectius didàctics de les distintes eines docents implantades. D’altra banda, la valoració que els estudiants fan de la utilització de les eines és molt positiva, tot i que hi ha algunes diferències entre els recursos analitzats. Conèixer la valoració que l’alumnat fa d’aquests recursos permet al grup d’investigadors poder-los millorar i adequar al perfil dels estudiants perquè aquests en puguin treure el màxim profit possible.

Self-interference fluorescence microscopy with three-phase detection for depth-resolved confocal epi-fluorescence imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Braaf, Boy; de Boer, Johannes F

2017-03-20

Three-dimensional confocal fluorescence imaging of in vivo tissues is challenging due to sample motion and limited imaging speeds. In this paper a novel method is therefore presented for scanning confocal epi-fluorescence microscopy with instantaneous depth-sensing based on self-interference fluorescence microscopy (SIFM). A tabletop epi-fluorescence SIFM setup was constructed with an annular phase plate in the emission path to create a spectral self-interference signal that is phase-dependent on the axial position of a fluorescent sample. A Mach-Zehnder interferometer based on a 3 × 3 fiber-coupler was developed for a sensitive phase analysis of the SIFM signal with three photon-counter detectors instead of a spectrometer. The Mach-Zehnder interferometer created three intensity signals that alternately oscillated as a function of the SIFM spectral phase and therefore encoded directly for the axial sample position. Controlled axial translation of fluorescent microsphere layers showed a linear dependence of the SIFM spectral phase with sample depth over axial image ranges of 500 µm and 80 µm (3.9 × Rayleigh range) for 4 × and 10 × microscope objectives respectively. In addition, SIFM was in good agreement with optical coherence tomography depth measurements on a sample with indocyanine green dye filled capillaries placed at multiple depths. High-resolution SIFM imaging applications are demonstrated for fluorescence angiography on a dye-filled capillary blood vessel phantom and for autofluorescence imaging on an ex vivo fly eye.

FT-IR, FT-Raman, UV-visible, and NMR spectroscopy and vibrational properties of the labdane-type diterpene 13-epi-sclareol.

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Chain, Fernando E; Leyton, Patricio; Paipa, Carolina; Fortuna, Mario; Brandán, Silvia A

2015-03-05

In this work, FT-IR, FT-Raman, UV-Visible and NMR spectroscopies and density functional theory (DFT) calculations were employed to study the structural and vibrational properties of the labdane-type diterpene 13-epi-sclareol using the hybrid B3LYP method together with the 6-31G(∗) basis set. Three stable structures with minimum energy found on the potential energy curves (PES) were optimized, and the corresponding molecular electrostatic potentials, atomic charges, bond orders, stabilization energies and topological properties were computed at the same approximation level. The complete assignment of the bands observed in the vibrational spectrum of 13-epi-sclareol was performed taking into account the internal symmetry coordinates for the three structures using the scaled quantum mechanical force field (SQMFF) methodology at the same level of theory. In addition, the force constants were calculated and compared with those reported in the literature for similar compounds. The predicted vibrational spectrum and the calculated (1)H NMR and (13)C NMR chemical shifts are in good agreement with the corresponding experimental results. The theoretical UV-Vis spectra for the most stable structure of 13-epi-sclareol demonstrate a better correlation with the corresponding experimental spectrum. The study of the three conformers by means of the theory of atoms in molecules (AIM) revealed different H bond interactions and a strong dependence of the interactions on the distance between the involved atoms. Furthermore, the natural bond orbital (NBO) calculations showed the characteristics of the electronic delocalization for the two six-membered rings with chair conformations. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Improving clinical research and cancer care delivery in community settings: evaluating the NCI community cancer centers program

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Fennell Mary L

2009-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background In this article, we describe the National Cancer Institute (NCI Community Cancer Centers Program (NCCCP pilot and the evaluation designed to assess its role, function, and relevance to the NCI's research mission. In doing so, we describe the evolution of and rationale for the NCCCP concept, participating sites' characteristics, its multi-faceted aims to enhance clinical research and quality of care in community settings, and the role of strategic partnerships, both within and outside of the NCCCP network, in achieving program objectives. Discussion The evaluation of the NCCCP is conceptualized as a mixed method multi-layered assessment of organizational innovation and performance which includes mapping the evolution of site development as a means of understanding the inter- and intra-organizational change in the pilot, and the application of specific evaluation metrics for assessing the implementation, operations, and performance of the NCCCP pilot. The assessment of the cost of the pilot as an additional means of informing the longer-term feasibility and sustainability of the program is also discussed. Summary The NCCCP is a major systems-level set of organizational innovations to enhance clinical research and care delivery in diverse communities across the United States. Assessment of the extent to which the program achieves its aims will depend on a full understanding of how individual, organizational, and environmental factors align (or fail to align to achieve these improvements, and at what cost.

Inactivated Tianjin strain, a novel genotype of Sendai virus, induces apoptosis in HeLa, NCI-H446 and Hep3B cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Jun; Han, Han; Wang, Bin; Shi, Liying

2016-07-01

The Sendai virus strain Tianjin is a novel genotype of the Sendai virus. In previous studies, ultraviolet-inactivated Sendai virus strain Tianjin (UV-Tianjin) demonstrated antitumor effects on human breast cancer cells. The aim of the present study was to investigate the in vitro antitumor effects of UV-Tianjin on the human cervical carcinoma HeLa, human small cell lung cancer NCI-H446 and human hepatocellular carcinoma Hep 3B cell lines, and the possible underlying mechanisms of these antitumor effects. A 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay revealed that UV-Tianjin treatment inhibited the proliferation of HeLa, NCI-H446 and Hep 3B cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Hoechst and Annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate/propidium iodide double staining indicated that UV-Tianjin induced dose-dependent apoptosis in all three cell lines with the most significant effect observed in the HeLa cell line. In the HeLa cell line, UV-Tianjin-induced apoptosis was further confirmed by the disruption of the mitochondria membrane potential and the activation of caspases, as demonstrated by fluorescent cationic dye and colorimetric assays, respectively. In addition, western blot analysis revealed that UV-Tianjin treatment resulted in significant upregulation of cytochrome c , apoptosis protease activating factor-1, Fas, Fas ligand and Fas-associated protein with death domain, and activated caspase-9, -8 and -3 in HeLa cells. Based on these results, it is hypothesized that UV-Tianjin exhibits anticancer activity in HeLa, NCI-H446 and Hep 3B cell lines via the induction of apoptosis. In conclusion, the results of the present study indicate that in the HeLa cell line, intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathways may be involved in UV-Tianjin-induced apoptosis.

Elimination of carbon vacancies in 4H-SiC epi-layers by near-surface ion implantation: Influence of the ion species

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ayedh, H. M.; Svensson, B. G. [University of Oslo, Department of Physics/Center for Materials Science and Nanotechnology, P.O. Box 1048 Blindern, N-0316 Oslo (Norway); Hallén, A. [School of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Royal Institute of Technology, SE-164 40 Kista-Stockholm (Sweden)

2015-11-07

The carbon vacancy (V{sub C}) is a prevailing point defect in high-purity 4H-SiC epitaxial layers, and it plays a decisive role in controlling the charge carrier lifetime. One concept of reducing the V{sub C}-concentration is based on carbon self-ion implantation in a near surface layer followed by thermal annealing. This leads to injection of carbon interstitials (C{sub i}'s) and annihilation of V{sub C}'s in the epi-layer “bulk”. Here, we show that the excess of C atoms introduced by the self-ion implantation plays a negligible role in the V{sub C} annihilation. Actually, employing normalized implantation conditions with respect to displaced C atoms, other heavier ions like Al and Si are found to be more efficient in annihilating V{sub C}'s. Concentrations of V{sub C} below ∼2 × 10{sup 11} cm{sup −3} can be reached already after annealing at 1400 °C, as monitored by deep-level transient spectroscopy. This corresponds to a reduction in the V{sub C}-concentration by about a factor of 40 relative to the as-grown state of the epi-layers studied. The negligible role of the implanted species itself can be understood from simulation results showing that the concentration of displaced C atoms exceeds the concentration of implanted species by two to three orders of magnitude. The higher efficiency for Al and Si ions is attributed to the generation of collision cascades with a sufficiently high energy density to promote C{sub i}-clustering and reduce dynamic defect annealing. These C{sub i}-related clusters will subsequently dissolve during the post-implant annealing giving rise to enhanced C{sub i} injection. However, at annealing temperatures above 1500 °C, thermodynamic equilibrium conditions start to apply for the V{sub C}-concentration, which limit the net effect of the C{sub i} injection, and a competition between the two processes occurs.

Isolation of Notoamide S and Enantiomeric 6-epi-Stephacidin A from the Fungus Aspergillus amoenus: Biogenetic Implications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kato, Hikaru; Nakahara, Takashi; Sugimoto, Kayo

2015-01-01

Notoamide S has been hypothesized to be a key biosynthetic intermediate for characteristic metabolites stephacidin A, notoamide B, and versicolamide B in Aspergillus sp. but has not yet been isolated. The isolation of notoamide S and an enantiomeric mixture of 6-epi-stephacidin A enriched with th...

Combination of the oral histone deacetylase inhibitor resminostat with oncolytic measles vaccine virus as a new option for epi-virotherapeutic treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma

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Benjamin Ruf

Full Text Available Epigenetic therapies such as histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi not only have the capability to decrease tumor cell proliferation and to induce tumor cell death but also to silence antiviral response genes. Here, we investigated whether the combination of an oncolytic measles vaccine virus (MeV with the novel oral HDACi resminostat (Res, being in clinical testing in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, results in an enhanced efficacy of this epi-virotherapeutic approach compared to any of the two corresponding monotherapies. When testing a panel of human hepatoma cell lines, we found (i a significantly improved rate of primary infections when using oncolytic MeV under concurrent treatment with resminostat, (ii a boosted cytotoxic effect of the epi-virotherapeutic combination (Res + MeV with enhanced induction of apoptosis, and, quite importantly, (iii an absence of any resminostat-induced impairment of MeV replication and spread. Beyond that, we could also show that (iv resminostat, after hepatoma cell stimulation with exogenous human interferon (IFN-β, is able to prevent the induction of IFN-stimulated genes, such as IFIT-1. This finding outlines the possible impact of resminostat on cellular innate immunity, being instrumental in overcoming resistances to MeV-mediated viral oncolysis. Thus, our results support the onset of epi-virotherapeutic clinical trials in patients exhibiting advanced stages of HCC.

The NCI High Performance Computing (HPC) and High Performance Data (HPD) Platform to Support the Analysis of Petascale Environmental Data Collections

Science.gov (United States)

Evans, B. J. K.; Pugh, T.; Wyborn, L. A.; Porter, D.; Allen, C.; Smillie, J.; Antony, J.; Trenham, C.; Evans, B. J.; Beckett, D.; Erwin, T.; King, E.; Hodge, J.; Woodcock, R.; Fraser, R.; Lescinsky, D. T.

2014-12-01

The National Computational Infrastructure (NCI) has co-located a priority set of national data assets within a HPC research platform. This powerful in-situ computational platform has been created to help serve and analyse the massive amounts of data across the spectrum of environmental collections - in particular the climate, observational data and geoscientific domains. This paper examines the infrastructure, innovation and opportunity for this significant research platform. NCI currently manages nationally significant data collections (10+ PB) categorised as 1) earth system sciences, climate and weather model data assets and products, 2) earth and marine observations and products, 3) geosciences, 4) terrestrial ecosystem, 5) water management and hydrology, and 6) astronomy, social science and biosciences. The data is largely sourced from the NCI partners (who include the custodians of many of the national scientific records), major research communities, and collaborating overseas organisations. By co-locating these large valuable data assets, new opportunities have arisen by harmonising the data collections, making a powerful transdisciplinary research platformThe data is accessible within an integrated HPC-HPD environment - a 1.2 PFlop supercomputer (Raijin), a HPC class 3000 core OpenStack cloud system and several highly connected large scale and high-bandwidth Lustre filesystems. New scientific software, cloud-scale techniques, server-side visualisation and data services have been harnessed and integrated into the platform, so that analysis is performed seamlessly across the traditional boundaries of the underlying data domains. Characterisation of the techniques along with performance profiling ensures scalability of each software component, all of which can either be enhanced or replaced through future improvements. A Development-to-Operations (DevOps) framework has also been implemented to manage the scale of the software complexity alone. This ensures that

Comparison of the MDRD Study and CKD-EPI Equations for the Estimation of the Glomerular Filtration Rate in the Korean General Population: The Fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES V-1, 2010

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Tae-Dong Jeong

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Background: We compared the accuracy of the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD study and Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI equations in Korean patients and evaluated the difference in CKD prevalence determined using the two equations in the Korean general population. Methods: The accuracy of the two equations was evaluated in 607 patients who underwent a chromium-51-ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid GFR measurement. Additionally, we compared the difference in CKD prevalence determined by the two equations among 5,822 participants in the fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2010. Results: Among the 607 subjects, the median bias of the CKD-EPI equation was significantly lower than that of the MDRD study equation (0.9 vs. 2.2, p=0.020. The accuracy of the two equations was not significantly different in patients with mGFR 2; however, the accuracy of the CKD-EPI equation was significantly higher than that of the MDRD study equation in patients with GFR ≥60 mL/min/1.73m2. The prevalences of the CKD stages 1, 2 and 3 in the Korean general population were 47.56, 49.23, and 3.07%, respectively, for the MDRD study equation; and were 68.48, 28.89, and 2.49%, respectively, for the CKD-EPI equation. Conclusions: These data suggest that the CKD-EPI equation might be more useful in clinical practice than the MDRD study equation in Koreans.

El epiLASIK como tratamiento en pacientes miopes con córneas de espesor reducido

OpenAIRE

Sabino Borreguero, Sara

2011-01-01

La principal hipótesis de este trabajo es que la que se plantea a continuación: “La técnica quirúrgica de ablación de superficie Queratectomía epitelial asistida por láser (epiLASIK) es un procedimiento predictible, seguro y eficaz en pacientes miopes con espesor de cornea central (ECC) menor de 500 micrómetros”. Tras la formulación de dicha hipótesis, el principal objetivo que se persigue en este trabajo es evaluar si los pacientes con ECC mayor y menor de 500 micrones tienen una buena...

In vivo flow cytometry for blood cell analysis using differential epi-detection of forward scattered light

Science.gov (United States)

Paudel, Hari P.; Jung, Yookyung; Raphael, Anthony; Alt, Clemens; Wu, Juwell; Runnels, Judith; Lin, Charles P.

2018-02-01

The present standard of blood cell analysis is an invasive procedure requiring the extraction of patient's blood, followed by ex-vivo analysis using a flow cytometer or a hemocytometer. We are developing a noninvasive optical technique that alleviates the need for blood extraction. For in-vivo blood analysis we need a high speed, high resolution and high contrast label-free imaging technique. In this proceeding report, we reported a label-free method based on differential epi-detection of forward scattered light, a method inspired by Jerome Mertz's oblique back-illumination microscopy (OBM) (Ford et al, Nat. Meth. 9(12) 2012). The differential epi-detection of forward light gives phase contrast image at diffraction-limited resolution. Unlike reflection confocal microscopy (RCM), which detects only sharp refractive index variation and suffers from speckle noise, this technique is suitable for detection of subtle variation of refractive index in biological tissue and it provides the shape and the size of cells. A custom built high speed electronic detection circuit board produces a real-time differential signal which yields image contrast based on phase gradient in the sample. We recorded blood flow in-vivo at 17.2k lines per second in line scan mode, or 30 frames per second (full frame), or 120 frame per second (quarter frame) in frame scan mode. The image contrast and speed of line scan data recording show the potential of the system for noninvasive blood cell analysis.

Reliability of CKD-EPI predictive equation in estimating chronic kidney disease prevalence in the Croatian endemic nephropathy area.

Science.gov (United States)

Fuček, Mirjana; Dika, Živka; Karanović, Sandra; Vuković Brinar, Ivana; Premužić, Vedran; Kos, Jelena; Cvitković, Ante; Mišić, Maja; Samardžić, Josip; Rogić, Dunja; Jelaković, Bojan

2018-02-15

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a significant public health problem and it is not possible to precisely predict its progression to terminal renal failure. According to current guidelines, CKD stages are classified based on the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and albuminuria. Aims of this study were to determine the reliability of predictive equation in estimation of CKD prevalence in Croatian areas with endemic nephropathy (EN), compare the results with non-endemic areas, and to determine if the prevalence of CKD stages 3-5 was increased in subjects with EN. A total of 1573 inhabitants of the Croatian Posavina rural area from 6 endemic and 3 non-endemic villages were enrolled. Participants were classified according to the modified criteria of the World Health Organization for EN. Estimated GFR was calculated using Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration equation (CKD-EPI). The results showed a very high CKD prevalence in the Croatian rural area (19%). CKD prevalence was significantly higher in EN then in non EN villages with the lowest eGFR value in diseased subgroup. eGFR correlated significantly with the diagnosis of EN. Kidney function assessment using CKD-EPI predictive equation proved to be a good marker in differentiating the study subgroups, remained as one of the diagnostic criteria for EN.

Synthetic Progress toward Azadirachtins. 1. Enantio- and Diastereoselective Synthesis of the Left-Wing Fragment of 11-epi-Azadirachtin I.

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Hang; Tan, Ceheng; Zhang, Weibin; Zhang, Zichun; Long, Rong; Luo, Tuoping; Yang, Zhen

2015-05-15

A highly enantio- and diastereoselective synthesis of the left-wing fragment of 11-epi-azadirachtin I characterized with the pairwise use of palladium- and gold-catalyzed cascade reactions is presented. By enlisting a sequence of stereocontrolled transformations, our 21-step route established the stereocenters of the left-wing fragment from one chiral starting material, (-)-carvone, which would significantly facilitate the synthetic studies of the azadirachtin-type limonoids.

Association of a single nucleotide polymorphic variation in the human chromosome 19q13.3 with drug responses in the NCI60 cell lines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nissen, K.K.; Vogel, Ulla Birgitte; Nexo, B.A.

2009-01-01

the correlations between the responses of the NCI60 cells to different anticancer drugs and their respective alleles of five DNA polymorphisms located in a cancer-related chromosomal area. One polymorphism, located in the 5' noncoding region of the gene ASE-1, alias CD3EAP, proved to be associated with drug...

Molecular cloning and characterization of (+)-epi-α-bisabolol synthase, catalyzing the first step in the biosynthesis of the natural sweetener, hernandulcin, in Lippia dulcis.

Science.gov (United States)

Attia, Mohamed; Kim, Soo-Un; Ro, Dae-Kyun

2012-11-01

Hernandulcin, a C15 sesquiterpene ketone, is a natural sweetener isolated from the leaves of Lippia dulcis. It is a promising sugar substitute due to its safety and low caloric potential. However, the biosynthesis of hernandulcin in L. dulcis remains unknown. The first biochemical step of hernandulcin is the synthesis of (+)-epi-α-bisabolol from farnesyl diphosphate, which is presumed to be catalyzed by a unique sesquiterpene synthase in L. dulcis. In order to decipher hernandulcin biosynthesis, deep transcript sequencings (454 and Illumina) were performed, which facilitated the molecular cloning of five new sesquiterpene synthase cDNAs from L. dulcis. In vivo activity evaluation of these cDNAs in yeast identified them as the sesquiterpene synthases for α-copaene/δ-cadinene, bicyclogermacrene, β-caryophyllene, trans-α-bergamotene, and α-bisabolol. The engineered yeast could synthesize a significant amount (~0.3 mg per mL) of α-bisabolol in shake-flask cultivation. This efficient in vivo production was congruent with the competent kinetic properties of recombinant α-bisabolol synthase (K(m) 4.8 μM and k(cat) 0.04 s(-1)). Detailed chemical analyses of the biosynthesized α-bisabolol confirmed its configuration to be (+)-epi-α-bisabolol, the core skeleton of hernandulcin. These results demonstrated that enzymatic, stereoselective synthesis of (+)-epi-α-bisabolol can be achieved, promising the heterologous production of a natural sweetener, hernandulcin. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The development and validation of EpiComet-Chip, a modified high-throughput comet assay for the assessment of DNA methylation status.

Science.gov (United States)

Townsend, Todd A; Parrish, Marcus C; Engelward, Bevin P; Manjanatha, Mugimane G

2017-08-01

DNA damage and alterations in global DNA methylation status are associated with multiple human diseases and are frequently correlated with clinically relevant information. Therefore, assessing DNA damage and epigenetic modifications, including DNA methylation, is critical for predicting human exposure risk of pharmacological and biological agents. We previously developed a higher-throughput platform for the single cell gel electrophoresis (comet) assay, CometChip, to assess DNA damage and genotoxic potential. Here, we utilized the methylation-dependent endonuclease, McrBC, to develop a modified alkaline comet assay, "EpiComet," which allows single platform evaluation of genotoxicity and global DNA methylation [5-methylcytosine (5-mC)] status of single-cell populations under user-defined conditions. Further, we leveraged the CometChip platform to create an EpiComet-Chip system capable of performing quantification across simultaneous exposure protocols to enable unprecedented speed and simplicity. This system detected global methylation alterations in response to exposures which included chemotherapeutic and environmental agents. Using EpiComet-Chip on 63 matched samples, we correctly identified single-sample hypermethylation (≥1.5-fold) at 87% (20/23), hypomethylation (≥1.25-fold) at 100% (9/9), with a 4% (2/54) false-negative rate (FNR), and 10% (4/40) false-positive rate (FPR). Using a more stringent threshold to define hypermethylation (≥1.75-fold) allowed us to correctly identify 94% of hypermethylation (17/18), but increased our FPR to 16% (7/45). The successful application of this novel technology will aid hazard identification and risk characterization of FDA-regulated products, while providing utility for investigating epigenetic modes of action of agents in target organs, as the assay is amenable to cultured cells or nucleated cells from any tissue. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 58:508-521, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Measurement of serum 3-epi-25-hydroxyvitamin D3, 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 and 25-hydroxyvitamin D2 in infant, paediatric and adolescent populations of Korea using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Cho, Sung E; Kim, Sollip; Kim, Young D; Lee, Hyojung; Seo, Dong H; Song, Junghan; Um, Tae H; Cho, Chong R; Kim, Nam H; Hwang, Jong H

2017-09-01

Background We evaluated the performance of ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry to measure serum 3-epi-25-hydroxyvitamin D 3 , 25-hydroxyvitamin D 3 and 25-hydroxyvitamin D 2 concentrations in 519 infant, paediatric and adolescent serum samples in Korea. Methods We used a Kinetex XB-C18 column and isocratic methanol/water (77.5/22.5, v/v) with 0.025% (v/v) high-performance liquid chromatography solvent additive flowing at 0.25 mL/min, yielding an 11 min/sample run time. A TQD triple quadrupole mass spectrometer in electrospray ionization positive ion mode with multiple reaction monitoring transition via an MSMS vitamin D kit was used to evaluate precision, carryover, ion suppression and linearity. Samples were prepared using the 4-phenyl-1,2,4-triazoline-3,5-dione derivatization method. Results Intra- and inter-run precisions were 1.23-13.28% and 1.02-10.08%, respectively. Group carryovers were -0.27% and 0.10%, respectively. There was no ion suppression. The calibration curve showed good linearity from calibrator Level 1 (11.75 nmol/L) to 6 (375 nmol/L) with R 2  > 0.9999. The 3-epi-25-hydroxyvitamin D 3 and 25-hydroxyvitamin D 3 peaks were clearly separated in the extracted ion chromatogram. Infant serum samples 3-epi-25-hydroxyvitamin D 3 concentrations were significantly higher than paediatric and adolescent concentrations. Conclusions The ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry assay performed acceptably, clearly separating 3-epi-25-hydroxyvitamin D 3 from 25-hydroxyvitamin D 3 . High 3-epi-25-hydroxyvitamin D 3 concentrations were observed in infant but not in paediatric and adolescent serum samples.

Schools as potential vaccination venue for vaccines outside regular EPI schedule: results from a school census in Pakistan.

Science.gov (United States)

Soofi, Sajid Bashir; Haq, Inam-Ul; Khan, M Imran; Siddiqui, Muhammad Bilal; Mirani, Mushtaq; Tahir, Rehman; Hussain, Imtiaz; Puri, Mahesh K; Suhag, Zamir Hussain; Khowaja, Asif R; Lasi, Abdul Razzaq; Clemens, John D; Favorov, Michael; Ochiai, R Leon; Bhutta, Zulfiqar A

2012-01-06

Vaccines are the most effective public health intervention. Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) provides routine vaccination in developing countries. However, vaccines that cannot be given in EPI schedule such as typhoid fever vaccine need alternative venues. In areas where school enrolment is high, schools provide a cost effective opportunity for vaccination. Prior to start of a school-based typhoid vaccination program, interviews were conducted with staff of educational institutions in two townships of Karachi, Pakistan to collect baseline information about the school system and to plan a typhoid vaccination program. Data collection teams administered a structured questionnaire to all schools in the two townships. The administrative staff was requested information on school fee, class enrolment, past history of involvement and willingness of parents to participate in a vaccination campaign. A total of 304,836 students were enrolled in 1,096 public, private, and religious schools (Madrasahs) of the two towns. Five percent of schools refused to participate in the school census. Twenty-five percent of schools had a total enrolment of less than 100 students whereas 3% had more than 1,000 students. Health education programs were available in less than 8% of public schools, 17% of private schools, and 14% of Madrasahs. One-quarter of public schools, 41% of private schools, and 43% of Madrasahs had previously participated in a school-based vaccination campaign. The most common vaccination campaign in which schools participated was Polio eradication program. Cost of the vaccine, side effects, and parents' lack of information were highlighted as important limiting factors by school administration for school-based immunization programs. Permission from parents, appropriateness of vaccine-related information, and involvement of teachers were considered as important factors to improve participation. Health education programs are not part of the regular school curriculum

Schools as potential vaccination venue for vaccines outside regular EPI schedule: results from a school census in Pakistan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Soofi Sajid

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Vaccines are the most effective public health intervention. Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI provides routine vaccination in developing countries. However, vaccines that cannot be given in EPI schedule such as typhoid fever vaccine need alternative venues. In areas where school enrolment is high, schools provide a cost effective opportunity for vaccination. Prior to start of a school-based typhoid vaccination program, interviews were conducted with staff of educational institutions in two townships of Karachi, Pakistan to collect baseline information about the school system and to plan a typhoid vaccination program. Data collection teams administered a structured questionnaire to all schools in the two townships. The administrative staff was requested information on school fee, class enrolment, past history of involvement and willingness of parents to participate in a vaccination campaign. Results A total of 304,836 students were enrolled in 1,096 public, private, and religious schools (Madrasahs of the two towns. Five percent of schools refused to participate in the school census. Twenty-five percent of schools had a total enrolment of less than 100 students whereas 3% had more than 1,000 students. Health education programs were available in less than 8% of public schools, 17% of private schools, and 14% of Madrasahs. One-quarter of public schools, 41% of private schools, and 43% of Madrasahs had previously participated in a school-based vaccination campaign. The most common vaccination campaign in which schools participated was Polio eradication program. Cost of the vaccine, side effects, and parents' lack of information were highlighted as important limiting factors by school administration for school-based immunization programs. Permission from parents, appropriateness of vaccine-related information, and involvement of teachers were considered as important factors to improve participation. Conclusions Health

Simultaneous pH-sensitive and oxygen-sensitive MRI of human gliomas at 3 T using multi-echo amine proton chemical exchange saturation transfer spin-and-gradient echo echo-planar imaging (CEST-SAGE-EPI).

Science.gov (United States)

Harris, Robert J; Yao, Jingwen; Chakhoyan, Ararat; Raymond, Catalina; Leu, Kevin; Liau, Linda M; Nghiemphu, Phioanh L; Lai, Albert; Salamon, Noriko; Pope, Whitney B; Cloughesy, Timothy F; Ellingson, Benjamin M

2018-04-06

To introduce a new pH-sensitive and oxygen-sensitive MRI technique using amine proton CEST echo spin-and-gradient echo (SAGE) EPI (CEST-SAGE-EPI). pH-weighting was obtained using CEST estimations of magnetization transfer ratio asymmetry (MTR asym ) at 3 ppm, and oxygen-weighting was obtained using R2' measurements. Glutamine concentration, pH, and relaxation rates were varied in phantoms to validate simulations and estimate relaxation rates. The values of MTR asym and R2' in normal-appearing white matter, T 2 hyperintensity, contrast enhancement, and macroscopic necrosis were measured in 47 gliomas. Simulation and phantom results confirmed an increase in MTR asym with decreasing pH. The CEST-SAGE-EPI estimates of R 2 , R2*, and R2' varied linearly with gadolinium diethylenetriamine penta-acetic acid concentration (R 2  = 6.2 mM -1 ·sec -1 and R2* = 6.9 mM -1 ·sec -1 ). The CEST-SAGE-EPI and Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill estimates of R 2 (R 2  = 0.9943) and multi-echo gradient-echo estimates of R2* (R 2  = 0.9727) were highly correlated. T 2 lesions had lower R2' and higher MTR asym compared with normal-appearing white matter, suggesting lower hypoxia and high acidity, whereas contrast-enhancement tumor regions had elevated R2' and MTR asym , indicating high hypoxia and acidity. The CEST-SAGE-EPI technique provides simultaneous pH-sensitive and oxygen-sensitive image contrasts for evaluation of the brain tumor microenvironment. Advantages include fast whole-brain acquisition, in-line B 0 correction, and simultaneous estimation of CEST effects, R 2 , R2*, and R2' at 3 T. © 2018 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

[Evaluation of Image Quality of Readout Segmented EPI with Readout Partial Fourier Technique].

Science.gov (United States)

Yoshimura, Yuuki; Suzuki, Daisuke; Miyahara, Kanae

Readout segmented EPI (readout segmentation of long variable echo-trains: RESOLVE) segmented k-space in the readout direction. By using the partial Fourier method in the readout direction, the imaging time was shortened. However, the influence on image quality due to insufficient data sampling is concerned. The setting of the partial Fourier method in the readout direction in each segment was changed. Then, we examined signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), and distortion ratio for changes in image quality due to differences in data sampling. As the number of sampling segments decreased, SNR and CNR showed a low value. In addition, the distortion ratio did not change. The image quality of minimum sampling segments is greatly different from full data sampling, and caution is required when using it.

Designing the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) as a service: Prioritising patients over administrative logic

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

McKnight, J.; Holt, D. B.

2014-01-01

-the-ground problems that mothers face in trying to vaccinate their children, while instead prioritising administrative processes. Our ethnographic analysis of 83 mothers who had not vaccinated their children reveals key barriers to vaccination from a 'customer' perspective. While mothers value vaccination......Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) vaccination rates remain well below herd immunity in regions of many countries despite huge international resources devoted to both financing and access. We draw upon service marketing theory, organisational sociology, development anthropology and cultural...... specific service problems from the mother's perspective and points towards simple service innovations that could improve vaccination rates in regions that have poor uptake....

A Micro-Grid Simulator Tool (SGridSim) using Effective Node-to-Node Complex Impedance (EN2NCI) Models

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Udhay Ravishankar; Milos manic

2013-08-01

This paper presents a micro-grid simulator tool useful for implementing and testing multi-agent controllers (SGridSim). As a common engineering practice it is important to have a tool that simplifies the modeling of the salient features of a desired system. In electric micro-grids, these salient features are the voltage and power distributions within the micro-grid. Current simplified electric power grid simulator tools such as PowerWorld, PowerSim, Gridlab, etc, model only the power distribution features of a desired micro-grid. Other power grid simulators such as Simulink, Modelica, etc, use detailed modeling to accommodate the voltage distribution features. This paper presents a SGridSim micro-grid simulator tool that simplifies the modeling of both the voltage and power distribution features in a desired micro-grid. The SGridSim tool accomplishes this simplified modeling by using Effective Node-to-Node Complex Impedance (EN2NCI) models of components that typically make-up a micro-grid. The term EN2NCI models means that the impedance based components of a micro-grid are modeled as single impedances tied between their respective voltage nodes on the micro-grid. Hence the benefit of the presented SGridSim tool are 1) simulation of a micro-grid is performed strictly in the complex-domain; 2) faster simulation of a micro-grid by avoiding the simulation of detailed transients. An example micro-grid model was built using the SGridSim tool and tested to simulate both the voltage and power distribution features with a total absolute relative error of less than 6%.

The utilization of websites for fundraising by NCI-designated cancer centers: Examining the capacity for dialogic communication with prospective donors.

Science.gov (United States)

Erwin, Cathleen O; Dias, Ashley M

2016-01-01

The study employs a dialogic public relations framework to explore the utilization of the Internet for fundraising by nonprofit health care organizations-specifically, NCI-designated cancer centers. Cancer centers have been noted for effective websites and for being highly engaged in fundraising, which is characterized as relationship marketing. Results indicate all but one cancer center use websites and social media for fundraising but are limited in capacity for two-way symmetrical dialogue. Results are discussed and recommendations are made for future research.

Fast T1 and T2 mapping methods: the zoomed U-FLARE sequence compared with EPI and snapshot-FLASH for abdominal imaging at 11.7 Tesla.

Science.gov (United States)

Pastor, Géraldine; Jiménez-González, María; Plaza-García, Sandra; Beraza, Marta; Reese, Torsten

2017-06-01

A newly adapted zoomed ultrafast low-angle RARE (U-FLARE) sequence is described for abdominal imaging applications at 11.7 Tesla and compared with the standard echo-plannar imaging (EPI) and snapshot fast low angle shot (FLASH) methods. Ultrafast EPI and snapshot-FLASH protocols were evaluated to determine relaxation times in phantoms and in the mouse kidney in vivo. Owing to their apparent shortcomings, imaging artefacts, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and variability in the determination of relaxation times, these methods are compared with the newly implemented zoomed U-FLARE sequence. Snapshot-FLASH has a lower SNR when compared with the zoomed U-FLARE sequence and EPI. The variability in the measurement of relaxation times is higher in the Look-Locker sequences than in inversion recovery experiments. Respectively, the average T1 and T2 values at 11.7 Tesla are as follows: kidney cortex, 1810 and 29 ms; kidney medulla, 2100 and 25 ms; subcutaneous tumour, 2365 and 28 ms. This study demonstrates that the zoomed U-FLARE sequence yields single-shot single-slice images with good anatomical resolution and high SNR at 11.7 Tesla. Thus, it offers a viable alternative to standard protocols for mapping very fast parameters, such as T1 and T2, or dynamic processes in vivo at high field.

Detecting Role Errors in the Gene Hierarchy of the NCI Thesaurus

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Yehoshua Perl

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Gene terminologies are playing an increasingly important role in the ever-growing field of genomic research. While errors in large, complex terminologies are inevitable, gene terminologies are even more susceptible to them due to the rapid growth of genomic knowledge and the nature of its discovery. It is therefore very important to establish quality- assurance protocols for such genomic-knowledge repositories. Different kinds of terminologies oftentimes require auditing methodologies adapted to their particular structures. In light of this, an auditing methodology tailored to the characteristics of the NCI Thesaurus’s (NCIT’s Gene hierarchy is presented. The Gene hierarchy is of particular interest to the NCIT’s designers due to the primary role of genomics in current cancer research. This multiphase methodology focuses on detecting role-errors, such as missing roles or roles with incorrect or incomplete target structures, occurring within that hierarchy. The methodology is based on two kinds of abstraction networks, called taxonomies, that highlight the role distribution among concepts within the IS-A (subsumption hierarchy. These abstract views tend to highlight portions of the hierarchy having a higher concentration of errors. The errors found during an application of the methodology

Incidència i consequències de les caigudes en les persones grans que viuen a la comunitat

OpenAIRE

Salvà, Antoni

2016-01-01

ANTECEDENTS I OBJECTIUS: Avaluar la incidència de les caigudes en funció dels factors sociodemogràfics i de salut, i determinar llurs conseqüències físiques, psicològiques i socials. Desenvolupar una nova eina d'avaluació del factor de risc amb l'objectiu d'assolir una intervenció preventiva multifactorial. METODOLOGIA: Estudi poblacional prospectiu, que inclou una cohort representativa de 448 persones grans, de 65 anys o més, que viuen a la ciutat de Mataró (Espanya). Hem fet una avaluació b...

Comparación entre las ecuaciones CKD-EPI y MDRD para la estimación del filtrado glomerular en pacientes con enfermedad renal crónica

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Guillermo J. Rosa-Diez

2011-08-01

Full Text Available La ecuación MDRD para la estimación del índice de filtrado glomerular (IFG, es la estrategia más utilizada para evaluar pacientes con enfermedad renal crónica (ERC. Sin embargo, puede subestimar el IFG con el riesgo de asignar al paciente a estadios más avanzados de ERC. La nueva ecuación CKD-EPI, mejoraría la exactitud y precisión de las estimaciones. Sus autores sugieren que reemplace a la anterior. No habiendo comparaciones de estas ecuaciones aplicadas en un gran número de pacientes en nuestro país, nuestro objetivo fue realizarla en una amplia cohorte de pacientes. Se evaluó la concordancia de asignación en estadios de ERC entre ambas ecuaciones, tomando como referencia los datos surgidos de MDRD. Se calculó la media de las diferencias de los IFG obtenidos empleando ambas ecuaciones y se aplicó el análisis estadístico de Bland-Altman. Se estudió una cohorte de 9 319 pacientes con una media de creatinina sérica de 1.60 ± 1.03 mg/dl, 67% de sexo femenino y edad media 58 ± 20 años. En el grupo total, CKD-EPI presentó una media de IFG 0.61 ml/min/1.73 m² mayor que MDRD (p: NS. En los estadios 2 y 3A las medias del IFG fueron respectivamente 6.95 ± 4.76 y 3.21 ± 3.31, y la concordancia de 81 y 74%. El porcentaje de pacientes con un IFG menor de 60 ml/min/1.73 m², se redujo de 76.3% (MDRD a 70.1% (CKD-EPI. Por lo tanto, la nueva ecuación CKD-EPI disminuye el número de pacientes con IFG debajo de 60 ml/min/1.73 m² y asigna estadios de IFG más elevado a un número mayor de pacientes.

The Relation Between Malnutrition and the Exocrine Pancreas: A Systematic Review

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bartels, Rosalie H.; van den Brink, Deborah A.; Bandsma, Robert H.; Boele van Hensbroek, Michael; Tabbers, Merit M.; Voskuijl, Wieger P.

2018-01-01

Objective: The relation between malnutrition and exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) has been described previously, but it is unclear if malnutrition leads to EPI or vice versa. We systematically synthesized current evidence evaluating the association between malnutrition and EPI in children.

Mechanisms of Cancer - Annual Plan

Science.gov (United States)

NCI works to understand the mechanisms of cancer cell growth, survival, and metastasis. Get more information on how NCI supports basic scientific research that will lead to new ways to prevent, detect, and treat cancer.

La colección ibero-balear de Meloidae Gyllenhal, 1810 (Coleoptera, Tenebrionoidea del Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona

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Prieto, M.

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The Ibero-Balearic collection of Meloidae Gyllenhal, 1810 (Coleoptera, Tenebrionoidea of the Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona A commented catalogue of the Ibero-Balearic collection of Meloidae Gyllenhal, 1810 housed in the Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona is presented. The studied material consists of 2,129 specimens belonging to 49 of 64 species from the Iberian peninsula and the Balearic Islands. The temporal coverage of the collection extends from the last decades of the nineteenth century to the present time. Revision, documentation, and computerization of the material have been made, resulting in 963 collection records (June 2014. For each lot, the catalogue includes the register number, geographical data, collection date, collector or origin of the collection, and number of specimens. Information about taxonomy and distribution of the species is also given. Chorological novelties are provided, extending the distribution areas for most species. The importance of the collection for the knowledge of the Ibero-Balearic fauna of Meloidae is discussed, particularly concerning the area of Catalonia (northeastern Iberian peninsula as it accounts for 60% of the records. Some rare or particularly interesting species in the collection are highlighted, as are those requiring protection measures in Spain and Catalonia. The catalogue also shows a brief gallery of photographs that includes four type specimens.

Creatinine Clearance Is Not Equal to Glomerular Filtration Rate and Cockcroft-Gault Equation Is Not Equal to CKD-EPI Collaboration Equation.

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandez-Prado, Raul; Castillo-Rodriguez, Esmeralda; Velez-Arribas, Fernando Javier; Gracia-Iguacel, Carolina; Ortiz, Alberto

2016-12-01

Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) may require dose reduction or avoidance when glomerular filtration rate is low. However, glomerular filtration rate is not usually measured in routine clinical practice. Rather, equations that incorporate different variables use serum creatinine to estimate either creatinine clearance in mL/min or glomerular filtration rate in mL/min/1.73 m 2 . The Cockcroft-Gault equation estimates creatinine clearance and incorporates weight into the equation. By contrast, the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease and Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equations estimate glomerular filtration rate and incorporate ethnicity but not weight. As a result, an individual patient may have very different renal function estimates, depending on the equation used. We now highlight these differences and discuss the impact on routine clinical care for anticoagulation to prevent embolization in atrial fibrillation. Pivotal DOAC clinical trials used creatinine clearance as a criterion for patient enrollment, and dose adjustment and Federal Drug Administration recommendations are based on creatinine clearance. However, clinical biochemistry laboratories provide CKD-EPI glomerular filtration rate estimations, resulting in discrepancies between clinical trial and routine use of the drugs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Danusertib, a potent pan-Aurora kinase and ABL kinase inhibitor, induces cell cycle arrest and programmed cell death and inhibits epithelial to mesenchymal transition involving the PI3K/Akt/mTOR-mediated signaling pathway in human gastric cancer AGS and NCI-N78 cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuan CX

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Chun-Xiu Yuan,1,2 Zhi-Wei Zhou,2,3 Yin-Xue Yang,4 Zhi-Xu He,3 Xueji Zhang,5 Dong Wang,6 Tianxing Yang,7 Si-Yuan Pan,8 Xiao-Wu Chen,9 Shu-Feng Zhou2 1Department of Oncology, General Hospital, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Pharmaceutical Science, College of Pharmacy, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA; 3Guizhou Provincial Key Laboratory for Regenerative Medicine, Stem Cell and Tissue Engineering Research Center and Sino-US Joint Laboratory for Medical Sciences, Guiyang Medical University, Guiyang, 4Department of Colorectal Surgery, General Hospital, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, 5Research Center for Bioengineering and Sensing Technology, University of Science and Technology Beijing, 6Cancer Center, Daping Hospital and Research Institute of Surgery, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, People’s Republic of China; 7Department of Internal Medicine, University of Utah and Salt Lake Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Salt Lake City, UT, USA; 8Department of Pharmacology, School of Chinese Materia Medica, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 9Department of General Surgery, The First People’s Hospital of Shunde, Southern Medical University, Shunde, People’s Republic of China Abstract: Gastric cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, with a poor response to current chemotherapy. Danusertib is a pan-inhibitor of the Aurora kinases and a third-generation Bcr-Abl tyrosine kinase inhibitor with potent anticancer effects, but its antitumor effect and underlying mechanisms in the treatment of human gastric cancer are unknown. This study aimed to investigate the effects of danusertib on cell growth, apoptosis, autophagy, and epithelial to mesenchymal transition and the molecular mechanisms involved in human gastric cancer AGS and NCI-N78 cells. The results showed that danusertib had potent growth-inhibitory, apoptosis-inducing, and

New Roads Leading to Old Destinations: Efflux Pumps as Targets to Reverse Multidrug Resistance in Bacteria

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Gabriella Spengler

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Multidrug resistance (MDR has appeared in response to selective pressures resulting from the incorrect use of antibiotics and other antimicrobials. This inappropriate application and mismanagement of antibiotics have led to serious problems in the therapy of infectious diseases. Bacteria can develop resistance by various mechanisms and one of the most important factors resulting in MDR is efflux pump-mediated resistance. Because of the importance of the efflux-related multidrug resistance the development of new therapeutic approaches aiming to inhibit bacterial efflux pumps is a promising way to combat bacteria having over-expressed MDR efflux systems. The definition of an efflux pump inhibitor (EPI includes the ability to render the bacterium increasingly more sensitive to a given antibiotic or even reverse the multidrug resistant phenotype. In the recent years numerous EPIs have been developed, although so far their clinical application has not yet been achieved due to their in vivo toxicity and side effects. In this review, we aim to give a short overview of efflux mediated resistance in bacteria, EPI compounds of plant and synthetic origin, and the possible methods to investigate and screen EPI compounds in bacterial systems.

Translational Partnership Development Lead | Center for Cancer Research

Science.gov (United States)

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION The Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research (FNLCR) is a Federally Funded Research and Development Center operated by Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc on behalf of the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The staff of FNLCR support the NCI’s mission in the fight against cancer and HIV/AIDS. Currently we are seeking a Translational Partnership

[Bibliometric analysis of IBERPOC and EPI-SCAN studies. Contribution of the smoking variable on the iberpoc study].

Science.gov (United States)

de Granda-Orive, J I; Alonso-Arroyo, A; López-Padilla, D; Segrelles-Calvo, G; Jiménez-Ruiz, C A; Solano-Reina, S

2018-03-01

The aim of this study was to perform a bibliometric analysis of EPI-SCAN and IBERPOC studies using the Science Citation Index and Scopus databases, and to determine the overall impact with the impact of smoking on IBERPOC as a secondary objective. A general searching was conducted in Science Citation Index-Expanded through the Web of Science (WoS) (Thomson Reuters) platform and Scopus on 23 March 2015. The search strategy included the terms "iberpoc" OR "episcan" was performed on 15 October 2015. A total of 24 publications were obtained; 13 from IBERPOC study (9 on "COPD" and 4 for "tobacco"), with 11 from the EPI-SCAN (All COPD) study. A total of 841 WoS citations were obtained (445 IBERPOC [99 of tobacco]), and 1,442 from Scopus (963 IBERPOC [144 tobacco]). The theme "tobacco" contributed with 22.24% and 14.95% of total citations in WoS and Scopus, respectively to the IBERPOC study. It was found that Scopus citations were newer, and a similar impact from both WoS studies was detected, although the IBERPOC impact was greater in Scopus. Collaborative networks of institutions and authors of both studies were identified. There is an important productivity and impact of both studies. Scopus citations are newer than those in WoS. The "tobacco" variable added IBERPOC impact and visibility. There was high density, accessibility, and cohesion in collaborative networks of both studies. Copyright © 2017 Sociedad Española de Médicos de Atención Primaria (SEMERGEN). Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Subsurface microbial ecology. Epi fluorescence direct counts; Ecologia microbica del sottosuolo: metodo di conta diretta in epifluorescenza

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barra Caracciolo, A.; Silvestri, C.; Creo, C.; Izzo, G. [ENEA, Centro Ricerche Casaccia, Rome (Italy). Dipt. Ambiente

1998-07-01

To the aim of recognize the importance of microorganisms in affecting or even determining the fate of xenobiotics in the subsurface environment evaluating bacteria concentration in a subsurface ecosystem, the report discusses a soil sample treatment method which has been developed for epi fluorescence direct counting with DAPI. [Italian] Lo studio discute un metodo di trattamento del campione per la conta diretta in epifluorescenza con un marcatore selettivo per il DNA, il DAPI, al fine di quantificare la concentrazione batterica del sottosuolo e studiare il ruolo dei microrganismi nella biodegradazione delle molecole esogene, ancora poco indagato.

Age Estimation with DNA: From Forensic DNA Fingerprinting to Forensic (Epi)Genomics: A Mini-Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Parson, Walther

2018-01-23

Forensic genetics developed from protein-based techniques a quarter of a century ago and became famous as "DNA fingerprinting," this being based on restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) of high-molecular-weight DNA. The amplification of much smaller short tandem repeat (STR) sequences using the polymerase chain reaction soon replaced RFLP analysis and advanced to become the gold standard in genetic identification. Meanwhile, STR multiplexes have been developed and made commercially available which simultaneously amplify up to 30 STR loci from as little as 15 cells or fewer. The enormous information content that comes with the large variety of observed STR genotypes allows for genetic individualisation (with the exception of identical twins). Carefully selected core STR loci form the basis of intelligence-led DNA databases that provide investigative leads by linking unsolved crime scenes and criminals through their matched STR profiles. Nevertheless, the success of modern DNA fingerprinting depends on the availability of reference material from suspects. In order to provide new investigative leads in cases where such reference samples are absent, forensic scientists started to explore the prediction of phenotypic traits from the DNA of the evidentiary sample. This paradigm change now uses DNA and epigenetic markers to forecast characteristics that are useful to triage further investigative work. So far, the best investigated externally visible characteristics are eye, hair and skin colour, as well as geographic ancestry and age. Information on the chronological age of a stain donor (or any sample donor) is elemental for forensic investigations in a number of aspects and has, therefore, been explored by researchers in some detail. Among different methodological approaches tested to date, the methylation-sensitive analysis of carefully selected DNA markers (CpG sites) has brought the most promising results by providing prediction accuracies of ±3-4 years

NCI Think Tank Concerning the Identifiability of Biospecimens and “-Omic” Data

Science.gov (United States)

Weil, Carol J.; Mechanic, Leah E.; Green, Tiffany; Kinsinger, Christopher; Lockhart, Nicole C.; Nelson, Stefanie A.; Rodriguez, Laura L.; Buccini, Laura D.

2014-01-01

On June 11 and 12, 2012, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) hosted a think tank concerning the identifiability of biospecimens and “omic” Data in order to explore challenges surrounding this complex and multifaceted topic. The think tank brought together forty-six leaders from several fields, including cancer genomics, bioinformatics, human subject protection, patient advocacy, and commercial genetics. The first day involved presentations regarding the state of the science of re-identification; current and proposed regulatory frameworks for assessing identifiability; developments in law, industry and biotechnology; and the expectations of patients and research participants. The second day was spent by think tank participants in small break-out groups designed to address specific sub-topics under the umbrella issue of identifiability, including considerations for the development of best practices for data sharing and consent, and targeted opportunities for further empirical research. We describe the outcomes of this two day meeting, including two complimentary themes that emerged from moderated discussions following the presentations on Day 1, and ideas presented for further empirical research to discern the preferences and concerns of research participants about data sharing and individual identifiability. PMID:23579437

Experiències de realitat augmentada en biblioteques : estat de la qüestió

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arroyo Vázquez, Natalia

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Objectiu: donar a conèixer les experiències més significatives d'ús de la realitat augmentada en biblioteques, amb una especial atenció als resultats obtinguts, les aportacions i les limitacions que s'han de tenir en compte. -- Metodologia: revisió bibliogràfica, selecció i anàlisi d'experiències sobre l'ús de realitat augmentada en biblioteques. -- Resultats: tot i ser una tecnologia recent, són diversos els exemples d'ús de la realitat augmentada en biblioteques. No obstant això, es fa necessari donar a conèixer els resultats d'aquestes experiències, de manera que puguin servir no solament com a model, sinó també per conèixer què és el que funciona. Es presenta als professionals un catàleg d'usos de la realitat augmentada en biblioteques, dels quals s'analitzen de forma crítica els possibles beneficis i limitacions, i s'agrupen en set apartats segons la utilitat: geolocalització, contextualització històrica, exposicions i altres activitats, publicacions, enriquiment dels espais físics, alfabetització i ludificació i, finalment, usos professionals.Objetivo: dar a conocer las experiencias más significativas de uso de la realidad aumentada en bibliotecas, con una especial atención a los resultados obtenidos, las aportaciones y las limitaciones que se deben tener en cuenta. -- Metodología: revisión bibliográfica, selección y análisis de experiencias sobre el uso de realidad aumentada en bibliotecas. -- Resultados: a pesar de ser una tecnología reciente, son varios los ejemplos de uso de la realidad aumentada en bibliotecas. Sin embargo, se hace necesario dar a conocer los resultados de dichas experiencias, de forma que puedan servir no solo como modelo, sino también para conocer qué es lo que funciona. Se presenta a los profesionales un catálogo de usos de la realidad aumentada en bibliotecas, analizados de forma crítica sus posibles beneficios y limitaciones, agrupados en siete apartados según la utilidad

Experiències de realitat augmentada en biblioteques : estat de la qüestió

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Arroyo Vázquez, Natalia

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Objectiu: donar a conèixer les experiències més significatives d'ús de la realitat augmentada en biblioteques, fent una especial atenció als resultats obtinguts, les aportacions i les limitacions que s'han de tenir en compte. -- Metodologia: revisió bibliogràfica, selecció i anàlisi d'experiències sobre l'ús de la realitat augmentada en biblioteques. -- Resultats: malgrat ser una tecnologia recent, els exemples d'ús de la realitat augmentada en biblioteques són diversos. No obstant això, es fa necessari donar a conèixer els resultats d'aquestes experiències, de manera que puguin servir no solament com a model, sinó també per conèixer què és el que funciona. Es presenta als professionals un catàleg d'usos de la realitat augmentada en biblioteques, dels quals s'analitzen de forma crítica els possibles beneficis i limitacions, i s'agrupen en set apartats segons la utilitat: geolocalització, contextualització històrica, exposicions i altres activitats, publicacions, enriquiment dels espais físics, alfabetització i ludificació i, finalment, usos professionals.Objetivo: dar a conocer las experiencias más significativas de uso de la realidad aumentada en bibliotecas, con una especial atención a los resultados obtenidos, las aportaciones y las limitaciones que se deben tener en cuenta. -- Metodología: revisión bibliográfica, selección y análisis de experiencias sobre el uso de la realidad aumentada en bibliotecas. -- Resultados: a pesar de ser una tecnología reciente, son varios los ejemplos de uso de la realidad aumentada en bibliotecas. Sin embargo, se hace necesario dar a conocer los resultados de dichas experiencias, de forma que puedan servir no solo como modelo, sino también para conocer qué es lo que funciona. Se presenta a los profesionales un catálogo de usos de la realidad aumentada en bibliotecas, analizados de forma crítica sus posibles beneficios y limitaciones, agrupados en siete apartados según la

An ensemble based top performing approach for NCI-DREAM drug sensitivity prediction challenge.

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Qian Wan

Full Text Available We consider the problem of predicting sensitivity of cancer cell lines to new drugs based on supervised learning on genomic profiles. The genetic and epigenetic characterization of a cell line provides observations on various aspects of regulation including DNA copy number variations, gene expression, DNA methylation and protein abundance. To extract relevant information from the various data types, we applied a random forest based approach to generate sensitivity predictions from each type of data and combined the predictions in a linear regression model to generate the final drug sensitivity prediction. Our approach when applied to the NCI-DREAM drug sensitivity prediction challenge was a top performer among 47 teams and produced high accuracy predictions. Our results show that the incorporation of multiple genomic characterizations lowered the mean and variance of the estimated bootstrap prediction error. We also applied our approach to the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia database for sensitivity prediction and the ability to extract the top targets of an anti-cancer drug. The results illustrate the effectiveness of our approach in predicting drug sensitivity from heterogeneous genomic datasets.

Developing Cancer Informatics Applications and Tools Using the NCI Genomic Data Commons API.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Shane; Fitzsimons, Michael; Ferguson, Martin; Heath, Allison; Jensen, Mark; Miller, Josh; Murphy, Mark W; Porter, James; Sahni, Himanso; Staudt, Louis; Tang, Yajing; Wang, Zhining; Yu, Christine; Zhang, Junjun; Ferretti, Vincent; Grossman, Robert L

2017-11-01

The NCI Genomic Data Commons (GDC) was launched in 2016 and makes available over 4 petabytes (PB) of cancer genomic and associated clinical data to the research community. This dataset continues to grow and currently includes over 14,500 patients. The GDC is an example of a biomedical data commons, which collocates biomedical data with storage and computing infrastructure and commonly used web services, software applications, and tools to create a secure, interoperable, and extensible resource for researchers. The GDC is (i) a data repository for downloading data that have been submitted to it, and also a system that (ii) applies a common set of bioinformatics pipelines to submitted data; (iii) reanalyzes existing data when new pipelines are developed; and (iv) allows users to build their own applications and systems that interoperate with the GDC using the GDC Application Programming Interface (API). We describe the GDC API and how it has been used both by the GDC itself and by third parties. Cancer Res; 77(21); e15-18. ©2017 AACR . ©2017 American Association for Cancer Research.

Isoprostane 8-epi-PGF2alpha is frequently increased in patients with muscle pain and/or CK-elevation after HMG-Co-enzyme-A-reductase inhibitor therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Sinzinger, H; Lupattelli, G; Chehne, F; Oguogho, A; Furberg, C D

2001-08-01

Muscle pains with or without CK-elevation are among the most frequently observed side-effects in patients with hyperlipoproteinemia on various statins. The pathophysiological background, however, remains obscure. We examined isoprostane 8-epi-PGF2alpha, a marker of in-vivo oxidation injury, in plasma, serum and urine in these patients at baseline, when muscle problems manifested and different time intervals after withdrawing the respective statin. A healthy control group and a group of untreated patients with hyperlipoproteinemia were run as controls. The majority of patients with muscular side-effects show elevated 8-epi-PGF2alpha in plasma and urine, whereas serum values were elevated only to a lesser extent. Stopping statin therapy or successfully changing to another member of this family of compounds resulted in a normalization of the values in all patients. These findings indicate a significant involvement of oxidative injury in the muscular side-effects of statins in patients suffering from hyperlipoproteinemia.

Forum on Emerging Infectious Diseases Highlights Leading-Edge Research | Poster

Science.gov (United States)

Scientists and professionals from multiple governmental agencies recently gathered at NCI at Frederick for a forum on newly emerging infectious diseases, threats to public health, and ongoing efforts to study high-risk pathogens. During the one-day event, which was sponsored by the National Interagency Confederation for Biological Research’s Scientific Interaction

A novel miR-371a-5p-mediated pathway, leading to BAG3 upregulation in cardiomyocytes in response to epinephrine, is lost in Takotsubo cardiomyopathy.

Science.gov (United States)

d'Avenia, M; Citro, R; De Marco, M; Veronese, A; Rosati, A; Visone, R; Leptidis, S; Philippen, L; Vitale, G; Cavallo, A; Silverio, A; Prota, C; Gravina, P; De Cola, A; Carletti, E; Coppola, G; Gallo, S; Provenza, G; Bossone, E; Piscione, F; Hahne, M; De Windt, L J; Turco, M C; De Laurenzi, V

2015-10-29

Molecular mechanisms protecting cardiomyocytes from stress-induced death, including tension stress, are essential for cardiac physiology and defects in these protective mechanisms can result in pathological alterations. Bcl2-associated athanogene 3 (BAG3) is expressed in cardiomyocytes and is a component of the chaperone-assisted autophagy pathway, essential for homeostasis of mechanically altered cells. BAG3 ablation in mice results in a lethal cardiomyopathy soon after birth and mutations of this gene have been associated with different cardiomyopathies including stress-induced Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC). The pathogenic mechanism leading to TTC has not been defined, but it has been suggested that the heart can be damaged by excessive epinephrine (epi) spillover in the absence of a protective mechanism. The aim of this study was to provide more evidence for a role of BAG3 in the pathogenesis of TTC. Therefore, we sequenced BAG3 gene in 70 TTC patients and in 81 healthy donors with the absence of evaluable cardiovascular disease. Mutations and polymorphisms detected in the BAG3 gene included a frequent nucleotide change g2252c in the BAG3 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) of Takotsubo patients (PBAG3 upregulation on exposure to epi through an ERK-dependent upregulation of miR-371a-5p. In conclusion, the presence of a g2252c polymorphism in the BAG3 3'-UTR determines loss of miR-371a-5p binding and results in an altered response to epi, potentially representing a new molecular mechanism that contributes to TTC pathogenesis.

Análise qualitativa de episódios de interação: uma reflexão sobre procedimentos e formas de uso Qualitative analysis of interaction episodes: some reflections on procedures and usages

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Maria Isabel Pedrosa

2005-12-01

Full Text Available O texto apresenta nossa experiência sobre análise qualitativa de episódios interacionais de crianças em grupo. Focalizam-se diversos aspectos e etapas da análise qualitativa de episódios videogravados. Comenta-se, inicialmente, o recorte do fluxo de eventos gravados para selecionar material para análise, o recorte interno dos trechos ou episódios selecionados, a transcrição e análise de episódios. A seguir, explora-se, refletindo sobre a evolução do trabalho e exemplificando com casos concretos, diversas formas de trabalhar qualitativamente com episódios, dependendo das perguntas focalizadas e dos objetivos da análise: visando o desenvolvimento de conceitos; visando a análise dos elementos componentes de um processo em foco; ou ainda, para ilustrar, empiricamente, um argumento. Essa diferenciação resultou em outra: a reflexão sobre o nível de detalhamento da descrição adequado a diferentes objetivos de análise e de comunicação. Finalmente, apresentamos nossa experiência em termos de maneiras de ilustrar visualmente dados qualitativos em apresentações escritas ou orais.This paper presents our experiences with qualitative analysis of interactional episodes in groups of children. Several aspects and steps of qualitative analyses of videorecorded episodes are focused: The framing of interactional flows to select the fragments to be analyzed, the division of an episode into its component parts and the transcription and analysis of episodes. We explore several ways of working with episodes with a qualitative approach, depending on the questions focused and on the aims of the analysis: a conceptual development; the analysis of component elements of a focused process; or aiming to illustrate an argument with empirical data. This differentiation led to another one: a reflection on the level of descriptive detail adequate to different aims of analysis and communication. We finally present our experiences regarding different

Pharmacokinetics and Safety of Bortezomib in Patients with Advanced Malignancies and Varying Degrees of Liver Dysfunction: Phase 1 NCI Organ Dysfunction Working Group Study NCI-6432

Science.gov (United States)

LoRusso, Patricia M; Venkatakrishnan, Karthik; Ramanathan, Ramesh K; Sarantopoulos, John; Mulkerin, Daniel; Shibata, Stephen I; Hamilton, Anne; Dowlati, Afshin; Mani, Sridhar; Rudek, Michelle A; Takimoto, Chris H; Neuwirth, Rachel; Esseltine, Dixie-Lee; Ivy, Percy

2013-01-01

Purpose The proteasome inhibitor bortezomib undergoes oxidative hepatic metabolism. This study (NCI-6432; NCT00091117) was conducted to evaluate bortezomib pharmacokinetics and safety in patients with varying degrees of hepatic impairment, to inform dosing recommendations in these special populations. Methods Patients received bortezomib on days 1, 4, 8, and 11 of 21-day cycles. Patients were assigned to four hepatic function groups based on the National Cancer Institute Organ Dysfunction Working Group classification. Those with normal function received bortezomib at the 1.3 mg/m2 standard dose. Patients with severe, moderate, and mild impairment received escalating doses from 0.5, 0.7, and 1.0 mg/m2, respectively, up to a 1.3 mg/m2 maximum. Serial blood samples were collected for 24 hours post-dose on days 1 and 8, cycle 1, for bortezomib plasma concentration measurements. Results Sixty-one patients were treated, including 14 with normal hepatic function and 17, 12, and 18 with mild, moderate, and severe impairment, respectively. Mild hepatic impairment did not alter dose-normalized bortezomib exposure (AUC0-tlast) or Cmax compared with patients with normal function. Mean dose-normalized AUC0-tlast was increased by approximately 60% on day 8 in patients with moderate or severe impairment. Conclusions Patients with mild hepatic impairment do not require a starting dose adjustment of bortezomib. Patients with moderate or severe hepatic impairment should be started at a reduced dose of 0.7 mg/m2. PMID:22394984

Fumicultores da zona rural de Pelotas (RS, no Brasil: exposição ocupacional e a utilização de equipamentos de proteção individual (EPI

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Jober Buss da Silva

Full Text Available Objetivou-se identificar o conhecimento dos fumicultores frente à exposição aos riscos ocupacionais e à utilização dos equipamentos de proteção individual (EPI durante sua atividade laboral. Estudo descritivo-exploratório, com abordagem qualitativa, utilizando entrevista semiestruturada com fumicultores do Município de Pelotas (RS. A análise temática evidenciou que os trabalhadores possuem conhecimento superficial sobre os problemas de saúde aos quais estão expostos no seu ambiente laboral. Além disso, ficou claro que os EPI são pouco aceitos pelos fumicultores; que estes trabalhadores fazem uso somente de alguns dos equipamentos, por os considerarem desconfortáveis. Tudo isso associado, ainda, à falta de capacitações. Conclui-se que há necessidade de trabalho educativo nas lavouras de fumicultura.

Does skeletal muscle have an 'epi'-memory? The role of epigenetics in nutritional programming, metabolic disease, aging and exercise.

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Sharples, Adam P; Stewart, Claire E; Seaborne, Robert A

2016-08-01

Skeletal muscle mass, quality and adaptability are fundamental in promoting muscle performance, maintaining metabolic function and supporting longevity and healthspan. Skeletal muscle is programmable and can 'remember' early-life metabolic stimuli affecting its function in adult life. In this review, the authors pose the question as to whether skeletal muscle has an 'epi'-memory? Following an initial encounter with an environmental stimulus, we discuss the underlying molecular and epigenetic mechanisms enabling skeletal muscle to adapt, should it re-encounter the stimulus in later life. We also define skeletal muscle memory and outline the scientific literature contributing to this field. Furthermore, we review the evidence for early-life nutrient stress and low birth weight in animals and human cohort studies, respectively, and discuss the underlying molecular mechanisms culminating in skeletal muscle dysfunction, metabolic disease and loss of skeletal muscle mass across the lifespan. We also summarize and discuss studies that isolate muscle stem cells from different environmental niches in vivo (physically active, diabetic, cachectic, aged) and how they reportedly remember this environment once isolated in vitro. Finally, we will outline the molecular and epigenetic mechanisms underlying skeletal muscle memory and review the epigenetic regulation of exercise-induced skeletal muscle adaptation, highlighting exercise interventions as suitable models to investigate skeletal muscle memory in humans. We believe that understanding the 'epi'-memory of skeletal muscle will enable the next generation of targeted therapies to promote muscle growth and reduce muscle loss to enable healthy aging. © 2016 The Authors. Aging Cell published by the Anatomical Society and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Divergent Total Syntheses of (-)-Huperzine Q, (+)-Lycopladine B, (+)-Lycopladine C, and (-)-4-epi-Lycopladine D.

Science.gov (United States)

Hong, Benke; Hu, Dachao; Wu, Jinbao; Zhang, Jing; Li, Houhua; Pan, Yingming; Lei, Xiaoguang

2017-07-04

We report herein our synthetic efforts towards the divergent syntheses of (-)-huperzine Q (1), (+)-lycopladine B (2), (+)-lycopladine C (3), and (-)-lycopladine D (4). The 10-step total synthesis of (-)-huperzine Q (1) and the first total syntheses of (+)-lycopladines B (2) and C (3) were accomplished through a series of cascade reactions. Our approach involved a Michael addition/aldol/intramolecular C-alkylation sequence to forge the 6/9 spirocycle ring, and this was followed by an ethylene-accelerated carbonyl-olefin metathesis to construct the common 6/5/9 ring system. Finally, late-stage enamine bromofunctionalization enabled us to access (-)-huperzine Q (1), (+)-lycopladine B (2), and (+)-lycopladine C (3), and a tandem C4-epimerization/retro-Claisen condensation furnished (-)-4-epi-lycopladine D (63). © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Identification of a radiosensitivity signature using integrative metaanalysis of published microarray data for NCI-60 cancer cells

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Kim Han

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background In the postgenome era, a prediction of response to treatment could lead to better dose selection for patients in radiotherapy. To identify a radiosensitive gene signature and elucidate related signaling pathways, four different microarray experiments were reanalyzed before radiotherapy. Results Radiosensitivity profiling data using clonogenic assay and gene expression profiling data from four published microarray platforms applied to NCI-60 cancer cell panel were used. The survival fraction at 2 Gy (SF2, range from 0 to 1 was calculated as a measure of radiosensitivity and a linear regression model was applied to identify genes or a gene set with a correlation between expression and radiosensitivity (SF2. Radiosensitivity signature genes were identified using significant analysis of microarrays (SAM and gene set analysis was performed using a global test using linear regression model. Using the radiation-related signaling pathway and identified genes, a genetic network was generated. According to SAM, 31 genes were identified as common to all the microarray platforms and therefore a common radiosensitivity signature. In gene set analysis, functions in the cell cycle, DNA replication, and cell junction, including adherence and gap junctions were related to radiosensitivity. The integrin, VEGF, MAPK, p53, JAK-STAT and Wnt signaling pathways were overrepresented in radiosensitivity. Significant genes including ACTN1, CCND1, HCLS1, ITGB5, PFN2, PTPRC, RAB13, and WAS, which are adhesion-related molecules that were identified by both SAM and gene set analysis, and showed interaction in the genetic network with the integrin signaling pathway. Conclusions Integration of four different microarray experiments and gene selection using gene set analysis discovered possible target genes and pathways relevant to radiosensitivity. Our results suggested that the identified genes are candidates for radiosensitivity biomarkers and that

Design of Phase I Combination Trials: Recommendations of the Clinical Trial Design Task Force of the NCI Investigational Drug Steering Committee

Science.gov (United States)

Paller, Channing J.; Bradbury, Penelope A.; Ivy, S. Percy; Seymour, Lesley; LoRusso, Patricia M.; Baker, Laurence; Rubinstein, Larry; Huang, Erich; Collyar, Deborah; Groshen, Susan; Reeves, Steven; Ellis, Lee M.; Sargent, Daniel J.; Rosner, Gary L.; LeBlanc, Michael L.; Ratain, Mark J.

2014-01-01

Anticancer drugs are combined in an effort to treat a heterogeneous tumor or to maximize the pharmacodynamic effect. The development of combination regimens, while desirable, poses unique challenges. These include the selection of agents for combination therapy that may lead to improved efficacy while maintaining acceptable toxicity, the design of clinical trials that provide informative results for individual agents and combinations, and logistical and regulatory challenges. The phase 1 trial is often the initial step in the clinical evaluation of a combination regimen. In view of the importance of combination regimens and the challenges associated with developing them, the Clinical Trial Design (CTD) Task Force of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Investigational Drug Steering Committee developed a set of recommendations for the phase 1 development of a combination regimen. The first two recommendations focus on the scientific rationale and development plans for the combination regimen; subsequent recommendations encompass clinical design aspects. The CTD Task Force recommends that selection of the proposed regimens be based on a biological or pharmacological rationale supported by clinical and/or robust and validated preclinical evidence, and accompanied by a plan for subsequent development of the combination. The design of the phase 1 clinical trial should take into consideration the potential pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic interactions as well as overlapping toxicity. Depending on the specific hypothesized interaction, the primary endpoint may be dose optimization, pharmacokinetics, and/or pharmacodynamic (i.e., biomarker). PMID:25125258

Stereoselective syntheses of (+- isoretronecanol and (+-5-epi-tashiromine via addition of chiral titanium (iv enolates to cyclic n-acyliminium ions

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Elaine Pereira

2008-01-01

Full Text Available The stereoselective addition of the titanium (IV enolates derived from (S-4-isopropyl-N-4-chlorobutyryl-1,3-thiazolidine-2-thione (8 and from (S-4-isopropyl-N-4-chloropentanoyl-1,3-thiazolidine-2-thione (9 to N-Boc-2-methoxypyrrolidine (5b afforded the addition products (+-10 and (+-11 in 84% yield in both cases, as 8.6:1 and 10:1 diastereoisomeric mixtures, respectively. A three-step sequence allowed to convert these adducts to (+-isoretronecanol (1 and (+-5-epi-tashiromine (2 in 43% and 49% overall yield, respectively.

Stereoselective syntheses of (+)- isoretronecanol and (+)-5-epi-tashiromine via addition of chiral titanium (IV) enolates to cyclic n-acyliminium ions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pereira, Elaine; Alves, Conceicao de Fatima; Boeckelmann, Maria Alice; Pilli, Ronaldo A [Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP (Brazil). Inst. de Quimica

2008-07-01

The stereoselective addition of the titanium (IV) enolates derived from (S)-4-isopropyl-N-4-chlorobutyryl-1,3-thiazolidine-2-thione (8) and from (S)-4-isopropyl-N-4-chloropentanoyl-1,3-thiazolidine-2-thione (9) to N-Boc-2-methoxypyrrolidine (5b) afforded the addition products (+)-10 and (+)-11 in 84% yield in both cases, as 8.6:1 and 10:1 diastereoisomeric mixtures, respectively. A three-step sequence allowed to convert these adducts to (+)-isoretronecanol (1) and (+)-5-epi-tashiromine (2) in 43% and 49% overall yield, respectively. (author)

Combining two-directional synthesis and tandem reactions, part 11: second generation syntheses of (±-hippodamine and (±-epi-hippodamine

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Alcaraz Marie-Lyne

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Hippodamine is a volatile defence alkaloid isolated from ladybird beetles which holds potential as an agrochemical agent and was the subject of a synthesis by our group in 2005. Results Two enhancements to our previous syntheses of (±-hippodamine and (±-epi-hippodamine are presented which are able to shorten the syntheses by up to two steps. Conclusion Key advances include a two-directional homologation by cross metathesis and a new tandem reductive amination/double intramolecular Michael addition which generates 6 new bonds, 2 stereogenic centres and two rings, giving a single diastereomer in 74% yield.

Epi-detected quadruple-modal nonlinear optical microscopy for label-free imaging of the tooth

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Zi; Zheng, Wei; Huang, Zhiwei, E-mail: biehzw@nus.edu.sg [Optical Bioimaging Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117576 (Singapore); Stephen Hsu, Chin-Ying [Department of Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, National University of Singapore and National University Health System, Singapore 119083 (Singapore)

2015-01-19

We present an epi-detected quadruple-modal nonlinear optical microscopic imaging technique (i.e., coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS), second-harmonic generation (SHG), third-harmonic generation (THG), and two-photon excited fluorescence (TPEF)) based on a picosecond (ps) laser-pumped optical parametric oscillator system for label-free imaging of the tooth. We demonstrate that high contrast ps-CARS images covering both the fingerprint (500–1800 cm{sup −1}) and high-wavenumber (2500–3800 cm{sup −1}) regions can be acquired to uncover the distributions of mineral and organic biomaterials in the tooth, while high quality TPEF, SHG, and THG images of the tooth can also be acquired under ps laser excitation without damaging the samples. The quadruple-modal nonlinear microscopic images (CARS/SHG/THG/TPEF) acquired provide better understanding of morphological structures and biochemical/biomolecular distributions in the dentin, enamel, and the dentin-enamel junction of the tooth without labeling, facilitating optical diagnosis and characterization of the tooth in dentistry.

[Estimating glomerular filtration rate in 2012: which adding value for the CKD-EPI equation?].

Science.gov (United States)

Delanaye, Pierre; Mariat, Christophe; Moranne, Olivier; Cavalier, Etienne; Flamant, Martin

2012-07-01

Measuring or estimating glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is still considered as the best way to apprehend global renal function. In 2009, the new Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology (CKD-EPI) equation has been proposed as a better estimator of GFR than the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) study equation. This new equation is supposed to underestimate GFR to a lesser degree in higher GFR levels. In this review, we will present and deeply discuss the performances of this equation. Based on articles published between 2009 and 2012, this review will underline advantages, notably the better knowledge of chronic kidney disease prevalence, but also limitations of this new equation, especially in some specific populations. We eventually insist on the fact that all these equations are estimations and nephrologists should remain cautious in their interpretation. Copyright © 2012 Association Société de néphrologie. Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.

Usual Intake Distribution of Vitamins and Prevalence of Inadequacy in a Large Sample of Iranian At-Risk Population: Application of NCI Method.

Science.gov (United States)

Heidari, Zahra; Feizi, Awat; Azadbakht, Leila; Sarrafzadegan, Nizal

2016-01-01

This study provides an assessment of usual intake distribution of vitamins and estimating prevalence of inadequacy and excess among a large representative sample of middle-aged and elderly people in central regions of Iran. A cross-sectional study that is a second follow-up to the Isfahan Cohort Study (ICS). The study setting included urban and rural areas from 3 cities (Isfahan, Najafabad, and Arak) in central regions of Iran. Subjects included 1922 people aged 40 years and older, with a mean age of 55.9 ± 10.6; 50.4% were male and the majority (79.3%) were urban. Dietary intakes were collected using a 24-hour recall and 2 food records. Distribution of vitamins intake was estimated using traditional and national cancer institute (NCI) methods. The proportion of subjects at risk of vitamin intake inadequacy or excess was estimated using the estimated average requirement (EAR) cut-point method and the tolerable upper intake levels (UL) index. There were differences between values obtained from traditional and NCI methods, particularly in the lower and upper percentiles of the intake distribution. High prevalence of inadequacies for vitamins A, D, E, B2, B3 (especially among females), and B9 was observed. Significant gender differences were found in terms of inadequate intakes for vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B6, B9, B12, and C (p vitamin intake was observed in the middle-aged and elderly Iranian population. Nutritional interventions particularly through population-based educational programs in order to improve diet variety and consume nutrient supplements may be necessary.

Competències i factors clau per a l’èxit educatiu des de la perspectiva dels estudiants universitaris fills/es dels immigrants

OpenAIRE

Cano García, Elena

2013-01-01

L’estudi realitzat ha abordat quines són les competències i els factors clau que estudiants universitaris d’origen immigrant consideren que han estat claus per arribar a la universitat, assolint així l’èxit educatiu. S’han escollit estudiants que haguessin fet l’escolaritat obligatòria total o parcialment a Catalunya.Per dur a terme la recerca s’ha treballat amb relats de vida (un total de 13 escrits) i narracions audiovisuals (amb un total de 4 produccions), essent finalment 17 les evidèncie...

Separating the wheat from the chaff: Dating charred plant remains extracted from Daub (with reference to the 14C chronology of the Epi-Lengyel culture in Upper Silesia)

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Chmielewski, T. J.; Sady, A.; Goslar, T.; Furmanek, M.; Juchelka, Jiří

2017-01-01

Roč. 59, č. 1 (2017), s. 251-268 ISSN 0033-8222 Institutional support: RVO:68081758 Keywords : food residue * dates * pottery * bones * ams * radiocarbon AMS dating * chaff temper dating * Eneolithic * epi-Lengyel * Upper Silesia Subject RIV: AC - Archeology, Anthropology, Ethnology OBOR OECD: Archaeology Impact factor: 1.280, year: 2016

Efectos del ejercicio físico sobre la memoria episódica en ancianas chilenas sanas (Effects of Physical Exercise on the Episodic Memory in Healthy Elderly Chileans

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Norman López

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Resumen: El objetivo de esta investigación fue analizar el efecto de un programa de actividad física regular sobre la memoria episódica verbal y visuoespacial en ancianas chilenas mentalmente sanas. Participaron 74 ancianas sin deterioro cognitivo, divididas en un grupo de intervención, integrado por 34 de ellas, que realizaron actividad física por seis meses; y un grupo control integrado por 40 sedentarias. Se utilizó el Test de Aprendizaje Auditivo Verbal de Rey (TAAVR y el Test de la Figura Compleja de Rey (TFCR para la evaluación de la memoria episódica. Asimismo, se realizaron análisis inter e intragrupales con t student y d de Cohen para medir el tamaño de efecto de las pruebas t. Los resultados evidenciaron diferencias estadísticamente significativas en el postest entre el grupo de intervención (GI y grupo control (GC, observándose mejor rendimiento en las pruebas de memoria episódica verbal y visual del GI con un tamaño de efecto alto. Se concluye que la actividad física regular aumenta la capacidad de procesamiento, retención y evocación de la información verbal y visual episódica en mujeres ancianas sanas. Abstract: Our objective was to analyze the effect of a regular physical activity program on the verbal and visuospatial episodic memory on mentally healthy elderly Chileans. Participated 74 elderly women without cognitive impairment – divided into an intervention group = 34 elderly women, who carried out physical activity for six months; and a control group = 40 sedentary women. We used the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT, and the Rey Complex Figure Test (RCFT for the evaluation of the episodic memory. Analysis were performed inter- and intra-group with t student and d of Cohen to measure the effect size of t-tests. The results showed statistically significant differences in the post-test between the Intervention Group (IG and Control Group (CG; noticing better yields in the verbal and visual episodic

Effects of In-situ UV Irradiation on the Uniformity and Optical Properties of GaAsBi Epi-layers Grown by MBE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Beaton, Daniel A [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Steger, Mark [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Christian, Theresa [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Mascarenhas, Angelo J [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2017-12-14

In-situ UV illumination influences the incorporation dynamics of bismuth adatom in GaAs. Here we use the inherent variation of the fluence across the sample to explore the role of the incident irradiation. With illumination it is found that steady state growth processes are achieved more quickly resulting in more abrupt interfaces, as well as uniform GaAs1-xGaAs1-xBixBix epi-layers. Comparisons of low temperature photoluminescence spectra show an increasing density of clusters of incorporated bismuth atoms with decreasing incident fluence.

Anàlisi de la mobilitat de l'estudiant universitari en el marc de l'Europa 2020 per al foment de l'ocupació i les competències genèriques. Un estudi de casos en la Universitat d'Oviedo

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Javier Fombona Cadavieco

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Aquesta investigació analitza la percepció de l'estudiant universitari sobre els beneficis de la mobilitat estudiantil en l'Espai Europeu d'Educació Superior. Especialment atenem a l'anàlisi de competències genèriques que puguin atorgar més possibilitats en la recerca d'ocupació. Per això, abordem un estudi de casos a la Universitat d'Oviedo des d'una metodologia quantitativa prenent com a referència els objectius marcats en la iniciativa Europa 2020. Les conclusions donen resultats molt positius en competències interdisciplinars per a la recerca de feina, com ara el domini idiomàtic, el coneixement de noves societats i dels entorns professionals. 

MO-E-BRF-01: Research Opportunities in Technology for Innovation in Radiation Oncology (Highlight of ASTRO NCI 2013 Workshop)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hahn, S; Jaffray, D; Chetty, I; Benedict, S

2014-01-01

Radiotherapy is one of the most effective treatments for solid tumors, in large part due to significant technological advances associated with, for instance, the ability to target tumors to very high levels of accuracy (within millimeters). Technological advances have played a central role in the success of radiation therapy as an oncologic treatment option for patients. ASTRO, AAPM and NCI sponsored a workshop “Technology for Innovation in Radiation Oncology” at the NCI campus in Bethesda, MD on June 13–14, 2013. The purpose of this workshop was to bring together expert clinicians and scientists to discuss the role of disruptive technologies in radiation oncology, in particular with regard to how they are being developed and translated to clinical practice in the face of current and future challenges and opportunities. The technologies discussed encompassed imaging and delivery aspects, along with methods to enable/facilitate application of them in the clinic. Measures for assessment of the performance of these technologies, such as techniques to validate quantitative imaging, were reviewed. Novel delivery technologies, incorporating efficient and safe delivery mechanisms enabled by development of tools for process automation and the associated field of oncology informatics formed one of the central themes of the workshop. The discussion on disruptive technologies was grounded in the need for evidence of efficacy. Scientists in the areas of technology assessment and bioinformatics provided expert views on different approaches toward evaluation of technology efficacy. Clinicians well versed in clinical trials incorporating disruptive technologies (e.g. SBRT for early stage lung cancer) discussed the important role of these technologies in significantly improving local tumor control and survival for these cohorts of patients. Recommendations summary focused on the opportunities associated with translating the technologies into the clinic and assessing their

MO-E-BRF-01: Research Opportunities in Technology for Innovation in Radiation Oncology (Highlight of ASTRO NCI 2013 Workshop)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hahn, S [University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA (United States); Jaffray, D [Princess Margaret Hospital, Toronto, ON (Canada); Chetty, I [Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI (United States); Benedict, S [UC Davis Cancer Center, Sacramento, CA (United States)

2014-06-15

Radiotherapy is one of the most effective treatments for solid tumors, in large part due to significant technological advances associated with, for instance, the ability to target tumors to very high levels of accuracy (within millimeters). Technological advances have played a central role in the success of radiation therapy as an oncologic treatment option for patients. ASTRO, AAPM and NCI sponsored a workshop “Technology for Innovation in Radiation Oncology” at the NCI campus in Bethesda, MD on June 13–14, 2013. The purpose of this workshop was to bring together expert clinicians and scientists to discuss the role of disruptive technologies in radiation oncology, in particular with regard to how they are being developed and translated to clinical practice in the face of current and future challenges and opportunities. The technologies discussed encompassed imaging and delivery aspects, along with methods to enable/facilitate application of them in the clinic. Measures for assessment of the performance of these technologies, such as techniques to validate quantitative imaging, were reviewed. Novel delivery technologies, incorporating efficient and safe delivery mechanisms enabled by development of tools for process automation and the associated field of oncology informatics formed one of the central themes of the workshop. The discussion on disruptive technologies was grounded in the need for evidence of efficacy. Scientists in the areas of technology assessment and bioinformatics provided expert views on different approaches toward evaluation of technology efficacy. Clinicians well versed in clinical trials incorporating disruptive technologies (e.g. SBRT for early stage lung cancer) discussed the important role of these technologies in significantly improving local tumor control and survival for these cohorts of patients. Recommendations summary focused on the opportunities associated with translating the technologies into the clinic and assessing their

Investigation of nanocrystalline Epi-Si/γ-Al2O3 heterostructure deposited on Si substrate by spectroscopic ellipsometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khatun, Mosammat Halima; Shahjahan, Mohammad; Ito, Ryoki; Sawada, Kazuaki; Ishida, Makoto

2006-01-01

In this work, micro-structural and interfacial studies of the epi-Si/γ-Al 2 O 3 heterostructure were undertaken by spectroscopic ellipsometry, and compared with the results of atomic force microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The experimental ellipsometric data were fitted with the theoretical calculations using effective medium approximation for each layer of the structure. It was observed that the epitaxial silicon layer consists of a fraction of amorphous Si and crystalline Si. The percentage of amorphous silicon increases with the decrease of deposition temperature and with the increase of the deposition rate. The γ-Al 2 O 3 layer produces a hydrostatic pressure on the Si substrate and the amount of hydrostatic pressure was measured to be 8 x 10 9 dyn/cm 2

Automatic cortical surface reconstruction of high-resolution T1 echo planar imaging data

OpenAIRE

Renvall, Ville; Witzel, Thomas; Wald, Lawrence L.; Polimeni, Jonathan R.

2016-01-01

Echo planar imaging (EPI) is the method of choice for the majority of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), yet EPI is prone to geometric distortions and thus misaligns with conventional anatomical reference data. The poor geometric correspondence between functional and anatomical data can lead to severe misplacements and corruption of detected activation patterns. However, recent advances in imaging technology have provided EPI data with increasing quality and resolution. Here we pre...

Helberto Helder e a apropriação parcialíssima de Episódios / A Múmia de Fernando Pessoa

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Tatiana Aparecida Picosque

2011-10-01

Full Text Available We intend to analyze excerpts from the series of poems called Episódios/A Múmia do Cancioneiro, written by Fernando Pessoa. We want to understand why these poems are appropriate in the anthology book Edoi Lelia Doura (1985, organized by Herberto Helder - for many, he’s considered the greatest Portuguese poet appeared after Fernando Pessoa. What attracts our attention is the fact of Fernando Pessoa and Herberto Helder have divergent poetries. It´s therefore interesting to notice what becomes this series of poems similar to the Herberto Helder’s poetry, to the point of paying little homage to it.

Performance of EPI diodes as dosimeters for photon beam radiotherapy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Santos, Thais C. dos; Bizetto, Cesar A., E-mail: ccbueno@ipen.br [Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNEN-SP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil); Neves-Junior, Wellington F.P.; Haddad, Cecilia M.K. [Hospital Sirio Libanes (HSL), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil); Goncalves, Josemary A.C.; Bueno, Carmen C. [Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNEN-SP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil); Pontificia Universidade Catolica de Sao Paulo (PUC-SP), SP (Brazil)

2011-07-01

In this work we present the preliminary results about the performance of an epitaxial (EPI) diode as on-line dosimeter for photon beam radiotherapy. The diode used was processed at University of Hamburg on n-type 75 {mu}m thick epitaxial silicon layer grown on a highly doped n-type 300 {mu}m thick Czochralski (Cz) silicon substrate. The measurements were performed with a diode which not received any type of pre-dose. In order to use this device as a dosimeter, it was enclosed in a black polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) probe. The diode was connected to an electrometer Keithley 6517B in the photovoltaic mode. During all measurements, the diode was held between PMMA plates, placed at 10.0 cm depth and centered in a radiation field of 10 x 10 cm{sup 2}, with the source-to-surface distance (SSD) kept at 100 cm. The short-term repeatability was measured with photon beams of 6 and 18 MV energy by registering five consecutive current signals for the same radiation dose. The current signals induced showed good instantaneous repeatability of the diode, characterized by a smallest coefficient of variation (CV) of 0.21%. Furthermore, the dose-response curves of the diode were quite linear with the highest charge sensitivity achieved of 5.0 {mu}C/Gy. It worth noting that still remains to be investigated the pre-dose influence on epitaxial silicon diode response in radiotherapy photon beam dosimetry, the long term stability and the radiation hardness of these diodes for absorbed doses higher than that investigated in this work. All these studies are under way. (author)

Impact of the introduction of new vaccines and vaccine wastage rate on the cost-effectiveness of routine EPI: lessons from a descriptive study in a Cameroonian health district

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Levy Pierre

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract The Expanded Program of Immunization (EPI offers services to the population free of charge but these activities are costly with the greatest part being the cost of vaccines. In spite of the growing international solidarity towards funding for immunization, the growing objectives continue to outweigh the available resources. It is therefore crucial for any immunization system to seek greater efficiency so as to optimize the use of available means in a bid to ensure sustainability. It is in this light that we carried out this study which aims to assess the productive efficiency of routine EPI for children aged 0 - 11 months with respect to the fixed and outreach vaccine delivery strategies in Ngong health district. The study is descriptive and cross-sectional. Data were collected retrospectively for all 16 health centers of the district that offered EPI services during the period February - May 2009. The results show that: • Only 62% of planned outreach immunization sessions were effectively carried out mainly due to limited funds for transportation and staff availability. Consequently vaccine coverage was low (BCG: 70.1%, DPT-HB-Hib 3: 55.5% and less resources (43% were used for this strategy which served 52% of the target population - a major blow to equity. • The average cost per Fully Immunized Child (FIC was 9,571 FCFA (19.22 USD for the fixed strategy; 12,751 FCFA (25.61 USD for the outreach and 10,718 FCFA (21.53 USD with both strategies combined. These figures are high than those observed in many other African health districts. However, DPT-HB-Hib and yellow fever vaccines contributed to the increase as vaccines occupied 57% of the total cost. With DPT in lieu of DPT-HB-Hib the cost/FIC would be 6,046 FCFA (12.14 USD. Dropout rates too were high (28.1% for the fixed, 29.7% for outreach. • The cost of vaccines wasted in excess of the national norm at the level of health centers was 595,532 FCFA (1,196.15 USD, an amount that

Forum on Emerging Infectious Diseases Highlights Leading-Edge Research | Poster

Science.gov (United States)

Scientists and professionals from multiple governmental agencies recently gathered at NCI at Frederick for a forum on newly emerging infectious diseases, threats to public health, and ongoing efforts to study high-risk pathogens. During the one-day event, which was sponsored by the National Interagency Confederation for Biological Research’s Scientific Interaction Subcommittee, nine speakers from four agencies shared their research and their agencies’ endeavors to address current and future biological threats.

La història de les ciències en l'ensenyament de la física i la química

OpenAIRE

Traver i Ribes, Manel Josep

1996-01-01

TESI DOCTORAL : “LA HISTÒRIA DE LES CIÈNCIES EN L’ENSENYAMENT DE LA FÍSICA I LA QUÍMICA” RESUM El problema que s’ha investigat en aquest treball consisteix en l’anàlisi del paper que juga actualment la Història de la Ciència en l’ensenyament de la Física i la Química i de la seua influència en la imatge de la ciència i en les actituds dels alumnes. S’hi han investigat dues hipòtesis principals. La primera consisteix en la constatació de l’escàs paper atribuït habitualment a la His...

Comparative performance of the CKD Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) and the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) Study equations for estimating GFR levels above 60 mL/min/1.73 m2.

Science.gov (United States)

Stevens, Lesley A; Schmid, Christopher H; Greene, Tom; Zhang, Yaping Lucy; Beck, Gerald J; Froissart, Marc; Hamm, Lee L; Lewis, Julia B; Mauer, Michael; Navis, Gerjan J; Steffes, Michael W; Eggers, Paul W; Coresh, Josef; Levey, Andrew S

2010-09-01

The Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) Study equation underestimates measured glomerular filtration rate (GFR) at levels>60 mL/min/1.73 m2, with variable accuracy among subgroups; consequently, estimated GFR (eGFR)>or=60 mL/min/1.73 m2 is not reported by clinical laboratories. Here, performance of a more accurate GFR-estimating equation, the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equation, is reported by level of GFR and clinical characteristics. Test of diagnostic accuracy. Pooled data set of 3,896 people from 16 studies with measured GFR (not used for the development of either equation). Subgroups were defined by eGFR, age, sex, race, diabetes, prior solid-organ transplant, and body mass index. eGFR from the CKD-EPI and MDRD Study equations and standardized serum creatinine. Measured GFR using urinary or plasma clearance of exogenous filtration markers. Mean measured GFR was 68+/-36 (SD) mL/min/1.73 m2. For eGFR73 m2, both equations have similar bias (median difference compared with measured GFR). For eGFR of 30-59 mL/min/1.73 m2, bias was decreased from 4.9 to 2.1 mL/min/1.73 m2 (57% improvement). For eGFR of 60-89 mL/min/1.73 m2, bias was decreased from 11.9 to 4.2 mL/min/1.73 m2 (61% improvement). For eGFR of 90-119 mL/min/1.73 m2, bias was decreased from 10.0 to 1.9 mL/min/1.73 m2 (75% improvement). Similar or improved performance was noted for most subgroups with eGFR73 m2, other than body mass indexor=90 mL/min/1.73 m2. Limited number of elderly people and racial and ethnic minorities with measured GFR. The CKD-EPI equation is more accurate than the MDRD Study equation overall and across most subgroups. In contrast to the MDRD Study equation, eGFR>or=60 mL/min/1.73 m2 can be reported using the CKD-EPI equation. Copyright (c) 2010 National Kidney Foundation, Inc. All rights reserved.

Correlación entre la memoria subjetiva y objetiva episódica en pacientes con epilepsia del lóbulo temporal medial intratable

OpenAIRE

Marilyn Zaldivar Bermúdez; Lilia María Morales Chacón; Otto Trápaga Quincoses; María García Navarro; Abel Sánchez Curuneaux

2013-01-01

Introducción. En la literatura científica revisada prevalece una discordancia en las investigaciones sobre la relación entre la memoria subjetiva y objetiva en pacientes con Epilepsia del Lóbulo Temporal medial intratable (ELTmi). Objetivo. Identificar la existencia o no de relación entre la memoria subjetiva y objetiva episódica en pacientes con ELTmi. Metodología. Se estudiaron 32 pacientes, con edades entre 15 y 60 años, empleándose el método clínico. Se aplicó una entrevista semiestructur...

Effects of electron-phonon interaction on thermal and electrical transport through molecular nano-conductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lü, Jing-Tao, E-mail: jtlu@hust.edu.cn [School of Physics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 430074 Wuhan (China); Zhou, Hangbo [Department of Physics and Center for Computational Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, 117551 Singapore (Singapore); NUS Graduate School for Integrative Sciences and Engineering, National University of Singapore, 117456 Singapore (Singapore); Jiang, Jin-Wu [Shanghai Institute of Applied Mathematics and Mechanics, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Mechanics in Energy Engineering, Shanghai University, 200072 Shanghai (China); Wang, Jian-Sheng [Department of Physics and Center for Computational Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, 117551 Singapore (Singapore)

2015-05-15

The topic of this review is the effects of electron-phonon interaction (EPI) on the transport properties of molecular nano-conductors. A nano-conductor connects to two electron leads and two phonon leads, possibly at different temperatures or chemical potentials. The EPI appears only in the nano-conductor. We focus on its effects on charge and energy transport. We introduce three approaches. For weak EPI, we use the nonequilibrium Green’s function method to treat it perturbatively. We derive the expressions for the charge and heat currents. For weak system-lead couplings, we use the quantum master equation approach. In both cases, we use a simple single level model to study the effects of EPI on the system’s thermoelectric transport properties. It is also interesting to look at the effect of currents on the dynamics of the phonon system. For this, we derive a semi-classical generalized Langevin equation to describe the nano-conductor’s atomic dynamics, taking the nonequilibrium electron system, as well as the rest of the atomic degrees of freedom as effective baths. We show simple applications of this approach to the problem of energy transfer between electrons and phonons.

Effects of electron-phonon interaction on thermal and electrical transport through molecular nano-conductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lü, Jing-Tao; Zhou, Hangbo; Jiang, Jin-Wu; Wang, Jian-Sheng

2015-01-01

The topic of this review is the effects of electron-phonon interaction (EPI) on the transport properties of molecular nano-conductors. A nano-conductor connects to two electron leads and two phonon leads, possibly at different temperatures or chemical potentials. The EPI appears only in the nano-conductor. We focus on its effects on charge and energy transport. We introduce three approaches. For weak EPI, we use the nonequilibrium Green’s function method to treat it perturbatively. We derive the expressions for the charge and heat currents. For weak system-lead couplings, we use the quantum master equation approach. In both cases, we use a simple single level model to study the effects of EPI on the system’s thermoelectric transport properties. It is also interesting to look at the effect of currents on the dynamics of the phonon system. For this, we derive a semi-classical generalized Langevin equation to describe the nano-conductor’s atomic dynamics, taking the nonequilibrium electron system, as well as the rest of the atomic degrees of freedom as effective baths. We show simple applications of this approach to the problem of energy transfer between electrons and phonons

Design and Development of Nonlinear Optical Microscope System: Simple Implementation with epi-Illumination Platform

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Ryu Jiheun

2015-01-01

Full Text Available During the research using fluorescence-tagged or auto-fluorescence molecules, meaningful information is often buried deep inside the tissue, not its surface. Therefore, especially in the field of biomedical imaging, acquiring optically sectioned images from deep inside the tissue is very important. As well know already, confocal laser scanning microscopy (the most well-known optical sectioning microscopy gives axially-resolved fluorescence information using the physical background blocking component called pinhole. However, the axial range of imaging is practically limited due to such optical phenomena as the light scattered and absorbed in the tissue. However, nonlinear optical microscopy (e.g. Multiphoton microscopy, harmonic generation microscopy, coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy realized by the development of ultrafast light sources has been used for visualizing various tissues, especially in vivo, because of their low sensitivity to the limitation caused by the scattering and the absorption of light. Although nonlinear optical microscopy gives deep tissue image, it is not easy for many researcher to build customized nonlinear system. Here, we introduce an easy and simple way designing and developing such nonlinear optical microscope with upright or inverted epi-illumination platform using commercial optical components only.

EpiBasket: how e-commerce tools can improve epidemiological preparedness.

Science.gov (United States)

Xing, Weijia; Hejblum, Gilles; Valleron, Alain-Jacques

2013-10-31

Should an emerging infectious disease outbreak or an environmental disaster occur, the collection of epidemiological data must start as soon as possible after the event's onset. Questionnaires are usually built de novo for each event, resulting in substantially delayed epidemiological responses that are detrimental to the understanding and control of the event considered. Moreover, the public health and/or academic institution databases constructed with responses to different questionnaires are usually difficult to merge, impairing necessary collaborations. We aimed to show that e-commerce concepts and software tools can be readily adapted to enable rapid collection of data after an infectious disease outbreak or environmental disaster. Here, the 'customers' are the epidemiologists, who fill their shopping 'baskets' with standardised questions. For each epidemiological field, a catalogue of questions is constituted by identifying the relevant variables based on a review of the published literature on similar circumstances. Each question is tagged with information on its source papers. Epidemiologists can then tailor their own questionnaires by choosing appropriate questions from this catalogue. The software immediately provides them with ready-to-use forms and online questionnaires. All databases constituted by the different EpiBasket users are interoperable, because the corresponding questionnaires are derived from the same corpus of questions. A proof-of-concept prototype was developed for Knowledge, Attitudes and Practice (KAP) surveys, which is one of the fields of the epidemiological investigation frequently explored during, or after, an outbreak or environmental disaster. The catalogue of questions was initiated from a review of the KAP studies conducted during or after the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome epidemic. Rapid collection of standardised data after an outbreak or environmental disaster can be facilitated by transposing the e-commerce paradigm

EpiBasket: how e-commerce tools can improve epidemiological preparedness

Science.gov (United States)

Xing, Weijia; Hejblum, Gilles; Valleron, Alain-Jacques

2013-01-01

Background Should an emerging infectious disease outbreak or an environmental disaster occur, the collection of epidemiological data must start as soon as possible after the event's onset. Questionnaires are usually built de novo for each event, resulting in substantially delayed epidemiological responses that are detrimental to the understanding and control of the event considered. Moreover, the public health and/or academic institution databases constructed with responses to different questionnaires are usually difficult to merge, impairing necessary collaborations. We aimed to show that e-commerce concepts and software tools can be readily adapted to enable rapid collection of data after an infectious disease outbreak or environmental disaster. Here, the ‘customers’ are the epidemiologists, who fill their shopping ‘baskets’ with standardised questions. Methods For each epidemiological field, a catalogue of questions is constituted by identifying the relevant variables based on a review of the published literature on similar circumstances. Each question is tagged with information on its source papers. Epidemiologists can then tailor their own questionnaires by choosing appropriate questions from this catalogue. The software immediately provides them with ready-to-use forms and online questionnaires. All databases constituted by the different EpiBasket users are interoperable, because the corresponding questionnaires are derived from the same corpus of questions. Results A proof-of-concept prototype was developed for Knowledge, Attitudes and Practice (KAP) surveys, which is one of the fields of the epidemiological investigation frequently explored during, or after, an outbreak or environmental disaster. The catalogue of questions was initiated from a review of the KAP studies conducted during or after the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome epidemic. Conclusion Rapid collection of standardised data after an outbreak or environmental disaster can be

[Promising new injection method to prevent angialgia/phlebitis from epirubicin hydrochloride therapy for breast cancer].

Science.gov (United States)

Ono, Chiemi; Yamagami, Mitsue; Kamatani, Rika; Yamamoto, Makoto; Mukouyama, Tomoya; Sugimoto, Masakazu; Suzuki, Taizan; Kamo, Nobuyuki; Seki, Nobuhiko; Eguchi, Kenji; Ikeda, Tadashi

2012-05-01

Epirubicin hydrochloride(EPI)is well known to cause phlebitis as a typical adverse drug reaction. By preventing the development of severe phlebitis, patients are expected to continue effective chemotherapy with EPI without a decrease in QOL. We have previously reported promising results of a new injection method to prevent phlebitis from occurring during EPI therapy thorough a prospective clinical trial in our hospital(Jpn J Cancer Chemother 36: 969-974, 2009). In the present study, we have compared the conventional injection method(EPI main -route method, n=15)with our new method, which has been consistently practiced at present(EPI sub -route method, n=77). We found that in the EPI main -route method, angialgia/phlebitis developed in 14 of 15 cases(Grade 3, 53. 3%), leading to alteration of the regimen in 3 cases. On the other hand, with the EPI sub -route method, incidence of angialgia/phlebitis was markedly decreased, and only 6 of 77 cases developed these adverse reactions(Grade 3, 0%). One possible explanation for these results is that the reduction of intimal stimulation by the EPI sub -route method might be caused by the dilution and washout of EPI with pre-medication, as well as the shortened infusion times of EPI. Therefore, on the basis of the above hypothesis, we conclude that the EPI sub-route method might be a more effective treatment for the expected prevention of angialgia/phlebitis.

NCI-60 whole exome sequencing and pharmacological CellMiner analyses.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

William C Reinhold

Full Text Available Exome sequencing provides unprecedented insights into cancer biology and pharmacological response. Here we assess these two parameters for the NCI-60, which is among the richest genomic and pharmacological publicly available cancer cell line databases. Homozygous genetic variants that putatively affect protein function were identified in 1,199 genes (approximately 6% of all genes. Variants that are either enriched or depleted compared to non-cancerous genomes, and thus may be influential in cancer progression and differential drug response were identified for 2,546 genes. Potential gene knockouts are made available. Assessment of cell line response to 19,940 compounds, including 110 FDA-approved drugs, reveals ≈80-fold range in resistance versus sensitivity response across cell lines. 103,422 gene variants were significantly correlated with at least one compound (at p<0.0002. These include genes of known pharmacological importance such as IGF1R, BRAF, RAD52, MTOR, STAT2 and TSC2 as well as a large number of candidate genes such as NOM1, TLL2, and XDH. We introduce two new web-based CellMiner applications that enable exploration of variant-to-compound relationships for a broad range of researchers, especially those without bioinformatics support. The first tool, "Genetic variant versus drug visualization", provides a visualization of significant correlations between drug activity-gene variant combinations. Examples are given for the known vemurafenib-BRAF, and novel ifosfamide-RAD52 pairings. The second, "Genetic variant summation" allows an assessment of cumulative genetic variations for up to 150 combined genes together; and is designed to identify the variant burden for molecular pathways or functional grouping of genes. An example of its use is provided for the EGFR-ERBB2 pathway gene variant data and the identification of correlated EGFR, ERBB2, MTOR, BRAF, MEK and ERK inhibitors. The new tools are implemented as an updated web-based Cell

Presència, tendències i aspectes diferenciadors de la formació sobre drets d'autor en l'alfabetització informacional en l'àmbit universitari

OpenAIRE

Uribe Tirado, Alejandro

2010-01-01

Objectiu. Analitzar la presència de la temàtica dels drets d'autor, dels aspectes legals de la informació acadèmica i científica, en diferents programes, cursos o programes d'aprenentatge d'alfabetització informacional (ALFIN) de diferents universitats al voltant del món, per identificar les tendències i aspectes diferenciadors que es presenten actualment respecte a la formació en aquestes temàtiques en relació amb la informació digital. També s'analitza com de preparades estan les comunitats...

NCI Funding Trends and Priorities in Physical Activity and Energy Balance Research Among Cancer Survivors.

Science.gov (United States)

Alfano, Catherine M; Bluethmann, Shirley M; Tesauro, Gina; Perna, Frank; Agurs-Collins, Tanya; Elena, Joanne W; Ross, Sharon A; O'Connell, Mary; Bowles, Heather R; Greenberg, Deborah; Nebeling, Linda

2016-01-01

There is considerable evidence that a healthy lifestyle consisting of physical activity, healthy diet, and weight control is associated with reduced risk of morbidity and mortality after cancer. However, these behavioral interventions are not widely adopted in practice or community settings. Integrating heath behavior change interventions into standard survivorship care for the growing number of cancer survivors requires an understanding of the current state of the science and a coordinated scientific agenda for the future with focused attention in several priority areas. To facilitate this goal, this paper presents trends over the past decade of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) research portfolio, fiscal year 2004 to 2014, by funding mechanism, research focus, research design and methodology, primary study exposures and outcomes, and study team expertise and composition. These data inform a prioritized research agenda for the next decade focused on demonstrating value and feasibility and creating desire for health behavior change interventions at multiple levels including the survivor, clinician, and healthcare payer to facilitate the development and implementation of appropriately targeted, adaptive, effective, and sustainable programs for all survivors. Published by Oxford University Press (2015). This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US.

Tendências de tradução de mexicanismos em roteiros e episódios das séries televisivas Chaves e Chapolin

OpenAIRE

Santos, Orlanda Miranda

2013-01-01

Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro de Comunicação e Expressão, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Estudos da Tradução, Florianópolis, 2013. Esta pesquisa, por um lado, teve o objetivo de identificar tendências de tradução de mexicanismos em roteiros das séries Chaves e Chapolin, criadas na década de 70, no México, exibidas pela rede Televisa, traduções essas feitas por acadêmicos de Letras Espanhol. Teve por fim analisar episódios retraduzidos pela equipe de dublag...

Tendències de les publicacions informatives cientificomèdiques en l'era 2.0

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González Pacanowski, Antonio

2014-12-01

Full Text Available En els últims anys ha crescut l'audiència que consulta continguts de salut en publicacions i mitjans a Internet, especialment a Europa i als Estats Units. S'ha passat d'un usuari d'Internet unidireccional en la comunicació a un escenari en el qual la multidireccionalitat i la instantaneïtat són constants. Els nous mitjans i la creació de plataformes d'intercanvi d'informació més especialitzada mostren que els recursos multimèdia i la interactivitat també poden donar-se en mitjans especialitzats i distants del públic general com ara informació sobre biomedicina i salut. Simultàniament, el canvi cap a actituds més solidàries i d'ajuda mútua aflora mitjançant les xarxes socials. Amb l'objectiu de traçar un escenari sobre el comportament de les audiències davant els continguts de caràcter científic, especialment els de tipus sanitari, s'analitzen en aquest treball els perfils i costums dels usuaris utilitzant referències estadístiques tant europees com nord-americanes. De la mateixa manera, s'identifica el mapa actual de cibermitjans relacionats amb la informació cientificomèdica segmentada en mitjans de comunicació generals, especialitzats i els propis del web 2.0, com ara blogs i mitjans cocreatius. Aquesta descripció permet orientar sobre les tendències que seguiran els públics diferents i segmentats, però ara interconnectats per les noves tecnologies, i sobre la transformació de l'arquitectura i les funcionalitats dels mitjans a Internet.En los últimos años ha crecido la audiencia que consulta contenidos de salud en publicaciones y medios en Internet, especialmente en Europa y Estados Unidos. Se ha pasado de un usuario de Internet unidireccional en la comunicación a un escenario en el que la multidireccionalidad y la instantaneidad son constantes. Los nuevos medios y la creación de plataformas de intercambio de información más especializada evidencian que los recursos multimedia y la interactividad tambi

An economic evaluation of the use of Japanese encephalitis vaccine in the expanded program of immunization of Guizhou province, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Yin, Zundong; Beeler Asay, Garrett R; Zhang, Li; Li, Yixing; Zuo, Shuyan; Hutin, Yvan J; Ning, Guijun; Sandhu, Hardeep S; Cairns, Lisa; Luo, Huiming

2012-08-10

Historically, China's Japanese encephalitis vaccination program was a mix of household purchase of vaccine and government provision of vaccine in some endemic provinces. In 2006, Guizhou, a highly endemic province in South West China, integrated JE vaccine into the provincial Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI); later, in 2007 China fully integrated 28 provinces into the national EPI, including Guizhou, allowing for vaccine and syringe costs to be paid at the national level. We conducted a retrospective economic analysis of JE integration into EPI in Guizhou province. We modeled two theoretical cohorts of 100,000 persons for 65 years; one using JE live-attenuated vaccine in EPI (first dose: 95% coverage and 94.5% efficacy; second dose: 85% coverage and 98% efficacy) and one not. We assumed 60% sensitivity of surveillance for reported JE rates, 25% case fatality, 30% chronic disability and 3% discounting. We reviewed acute care medical records and interviewed a sample of survivors to estimate direct and indirect costs of illness. We reviewed the EPI offices expenditures in 2009 to estimate the average Guizhou program cost per vaccine dose. Use of JE vaccine in EPI for 100,000 persons would cost 434,898 US$ each year (46% of total cost due to vaccine) and prevent 406 JE cases, 102 deaths, and 122 chronic disabilities (4554 DALYs). If we ignore future cost savings and only use EPI program cost, the program would cost 95.5 US$/DALY, less than China Gross Domestic Product per capita in 2009 (3741 US$). From a cost-benefit perspective taking into account future savings, use of JE vaccine in EPI for a 100,000-person cohort would lead to savings of 1,591,975 US$ for the health system and 11,570,989 US$ from the societal perspective. In Guizhou, China, use of JE vaccine in EPI is a cost effective investment. Furthermore, it would lead to savings for the health system and society. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ternary copper(II) complex: NCI60 screening, toxicity studies, and evaluation of efficacy in xenograft models of nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Science.gov (United States)

Chu, Tai-Lin; Abdul Aziz, Norazlin; Mohd Kornain, Noor-Kaslina; Samiulla, D. S.; Lo, Kwok-Wai; Ng, Chew-Hee

2018-01-01

Copper(II) ternary complex, [Cu(phen)(C-dmg)(H2O)]NO3 was evaluated against a panel of cell lines, tested for in vivo efficacy in nasopharyngeal carcinoma xenograft models as well as for toxicity in NOD scid gamma mice. The Cu(II) complex displayed broad spectrum cytotoxicity against multiple cancer types, including lung, colon, central nervous system, melanoma, ovarian, and prostate cancer cell lines in the NCI-60 panel. The Cu(II) complex did not cause significant induction of cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A and 1A enzymes but moderately inhibited CYP isoforms 1A2, 2C9, 2C19, 2D6, 2B6, 2C8 and 3A4. The complex significantly inhibited tumor growth in nasopharyngeal carcinoma xenograft bearing mice models at doses which were well tolerated without causing significant or permanent toxic side effects. However, higher doses which resulted in better inhibition of tumor growth also resulted in toxicity. PMID:29329342

La previsión episódica en la etapa pre-escolar: equivalencia entre medidas y su relación con los procesos de orientación futura y la teoría de la mente

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Alejandro Vásquez Echeverría

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Este trabajo examina la equivalencia entre diferentes medidas de previsión episódica y su relación con los procesos orientados a futuro, y la teoría de la mente en la edad pre-escolar. Los procesos orientados a futuro y la previsión episódica (PE, han sido señalados como componentes importantes para ciertos logros evolutivos como la planificación, la auto-regulación y adaptación social. También se ha postulado que pensamiento futuro episódico y teoría de la mente están relacionados, en virtud de su sustrato neural compartido. El primer estudio tuvo por objetivo analizar la coherencia de desarrollo entre las medidas de PE, y de estas con la postergación de la gratificación auto-impuesta controlando según la aptitud general de razonamiento, y participaron 15 niños de 3 y 4 años. El segundo, tuvo por objetivo explorar la relación entre PE, los procesos orientados a futuro, la teoría de la mente controlando según lenguaje, participando 78 niños de 4 años. Los resultados muestran que las diferentes medidas para evaluar la PE son equivalentes. También se encontró un alto grado de coherencia comportamental entre las medidas evaluadas. Sin embargo, los datos no aportan evidencia evolutiva que permitan incluir a la PE dentro de los constructos más amplios estudiados.

Tratamento cirúrgico do pneumotórax espontâneo primário no primeiro episódio Surgical treatment of primary spontaneous pneumothorax on the first episode

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DARCY RIBEIRO PINTO FILHO

2001-05-01

Full Text Available Objetivo: Avaliar os resultados do tratamento cirúrgico do PEP através da toracotomia axilar, ressecção de blebs e pleurodese abrasiva. Mediante os resultados e a comparação destes com as diversas opções de tratamento, discutir a abordagem cirúrgica como a primeira para os pacientes portadores de PEP, no primeiro episódio. Material e métodos: 35 toracotomias axilares com pleurodese abrasiva para tratamento do PEP foram realizadas no Serviço de Cirurgia Torácica da Universidade de Caxias do Sul entre janeiro de 1996 e março de 1999. Resultados: 23 pacientes foram tratados no primeiro episódio de PEP (65,7% e 12 pacientes no segundo episódio. Os drenos pleurais permaneceram em média 2,7 ± 1,6 dias. O período médio de internação foi de 4,9 ± 2,4 dias. Morbidade de 8,5%, mortalidade zero. Não se evidenciou recidiva num período médio de 22 meses de acompanhamento. Conclusão: A indicação de toracotomia axilar com pleurodese abrasiva em pacientes portadores de pneumotórax espontâneo primário no primeiro ou segundo episódio mostrou baixos índices de morbidade, recidiva zero, além de curto período de permanência dos drenos pleurais e de hospitalização, comprovando sua eficácia terapêutica. A possibilidade de indicá-lo como primeiro método terapêutico para pacientes portadores de PEP deve ser considerada.Purpose: To assess the results of the surgical treatment of primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP by means of axillary thoracotomy, blebs resection and abrasive pleurodesis, by comparing the results with the different options of treatment, and to discuss the surgical approach as the best therapeutic option for patient with the first occurrence of PSP. Material and methods: 35 axillary thoracotomy with abrasive pleurodesis for the treatment of PSP were carried out at the Department of Thoracic Surgery of the University of Caxias do Sul between January 1996 and March 1999. Results: 23 patients with their first

Associação entre comportamento alimentar, consumo de cigarro, drogas e episódios depressivos em adolescentes Association between eating behavior and smoking, use of illicit drugs and depressive episodes in adolescents

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Juliany Piazzon Gomes

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Objetivo Identificar a prevalência de sintomas de transtornos alimentares em estudantes do sexo feminino matriculadas no ensino fundamental da rede estadual do município de Toledo (PR, bem como relacionar esses sintomas com o hábito de fumar, o uso de drogas e episódios depressivos. Métodos Foram utilizados os instrumentos Teste de Investigação Bulímica de Edimburgo, com escala de sintoma e gravidade, e o Eating Attitudes Test-26, acrescido de perguntas sobre tabagismo, uso de drogas e episódios depressivos. A amostra constituiu-se de cerca de 300 estudantes do sexo feminino, na faixa etária entre 10 e 15 anos. Resultados Os resultados demonstraram que as estudantes apresentaram prevalências de sintomas de transtornos alimentares na ordem de 4,2% para a escala Teste de Investigação Bulímica de Edimburgo e 3,6% para o Eating Attitudes Test-26. A prevalência de consumo de cigarro foi de 4,2%, do uso de drogas, 4,9% e de episódios depressivos, 10,7%. Observaram-se associações significativas entre episódios depressivos e os seguintes parâmetros: Teste de Investigação Bulímica de Edimburgo - escala de sintomas (p=0,04 e Teste de Investigação Bulímica de Edimburgo - escala de gravidade (p=0,02. Os hábitos de fumar (p=0,01 e de usar drogas (p=0,04 também apresentaram associação com Teste de Investigação Bulímica de Edimburgo - escala de sintomas. Conclusão Verificou-se nas estudantes deste estudo elevada probabilidade de desenvolver comportamentos de risco, tais como transtornos alimentares e episódios depressivos.Objective The goal of this study was to identify the prevalence of symptoms of eating disorders in female students enrolled in state elementary schools and investigate a possible association between these eating disorders and smoking, illicit drug use and depressive episodes. Methods The Bulimic Investigatory Test of Edinburgh with symptom and severity scales and the Eating Attitudes Test - 26 with

Automatic cortical surface reconstruction of high-resolution T1 echo planar imaging data.

Science.gov (United States)

Renvall, Ville; Witzel, Thomas; Wald, Lawrence L; Polimeni, Jonathan R

2016-07-01

Echo planar imaging (EPI) is the method of choice for the majority of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), yet EPI is prone to geometric distortions and thus misaligns with conventional anatomical reference data. The poor geometric correspondence between functional and anatomical data can lead to severe misplacements and corruption of detected activation patterns. However, recent advances in imaging technology have provided EPI data with increasing quality and resolution. Here we present a framework for deriving cortical surface reconstructions directly from high-resolution EPI-based reference images that provide anatomical models exactly geometric distortion-matched to the functional data. Anatomical EPI data with 1mm isotropic voxel size were acquired using a fast multiple inversion recovery time EPI sequence (MI-EPI) at 7T, from which quantitative T1 maps were calculated. Using these T1 maps, volumetric data mimicking the tissue contrast of standard anatomical data were synthesized using the Bloch equations, and these T1-weighted data were automatically processed using FreeSurfer. The spatial alignment between T2(⁎)-weighted EPI data and the synthetic T1-weighted anatomical MI-EPI-based images was improved compared to the conventional anatomical reference. In particular, the alignment near the regions vulnerable to distortion due to magnetic susceptibility differences was improved, and sampling of the adjacent tissue classes outside of the cortex was reduced when using cortical surface reconstructions derived directly from the MI-EPI reference. The MI-EPI method therefore produces high-quality anatomical data that can be automatically segmented with standard software, providing cortical surface reconstructions that are geometrically matched to the BOLD fMRI data. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

N-acetylcysteine for major depressive episodes in bipolar disorder N-acetilcisteína para o tratamento de episódios de depressão maior no transtorno bipolar

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Pedro V Magalhães

2011-12-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: In this report, we aimed to evaluate the effect of add-on N-acetylcysteine (NAC on depressive symptoms and functional outcomes in bipolar disorder. To that end, we conducted a secondary analysis of all patients meeting full criteria for a depressive episode in a placebo controlled trial of adjunctive NAC for bipolar disorder. METHOD: Twenty-four week randomised clinical trial comparing adjunctive NAC and placebo in individuals with bipolar disorder experiencing major depressive episodes. Symptomatic and functional outcome data were collected over the study period. RESULTS: Seventeen participants were available for this report. Very large effect sizes in favor of NAC were found for depressive symptoms and functional outcomes at endpoint. Eight of the ten participants on NAC had a treatment response at endpoint; the same was true for only one of the seven participants allocated to placebo. DISCUSSION: These results indicate that adjunctive NAC may be useful for major depressive episodes in bipolar disorder. Further studies designed to confirm this hypothesis are necessary.OBJETIVO: Neste relato, avaliamos o efeito da N-acetilcisteína (NAC adjuvante em sintomas depressivos e desfechos funcionais no transtorno bipolar. Para isso, conduzimos uma análise secundária de todos os pacientes com critérios diagnósticos para um episódio depressivo em um ensaio clínico randomizado comparando NAC adjuvante com placebo no transtorno bipolar. MÉTODO: Ensaio clínico randomizado comparando NAC adjuvante com placebo para episódios depressivos no transtorno bipolar durante 24 semanas. Desfechos funcionais e sintomáticos foram coletados no período. RESULTADOS: Dezessete participantes estavam disponíveis para esta análise. Tamanhos de efeito grandes foram encontrados para sintomas depressivos e desfechos funcionais. Oito dos dez participantes no grupo da NAC tiveram resposta clínica ao fim do tratamento. O mesmo ocorreu em apenas um dos sete

Theoretical analysis of the binding of iron(III) protoporphyrin IX to 4-methoxyacetophenone thiosemicarbazone via DFT-D3, MEP, QTAIM, NCI, ELF, and LOL studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Nkungli, Nyiang Kennet; Ghogomu, Julius Numbonui

2017-07-01

Thiosemicarbazones display diverse pharmacological properties, including antimalarial activities. Their pharmacological activities have been studied in depth, but little of this research has focused on their antimalarial mode of action. To elucidate this antimalarial mechanism, we investigated the nature of the interactions between iron(III) protoporphyrin IX (Fe(III)PPIX) and the thione-thiol tautomers of 4-methoxyacetophenone thiosemicarbazone (MAPTSC). Dispersion-corrected density functional theory (DFT-D3), the quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM), the noncovalent interaction (NCI) index, the electron localization function (ELF), the localized orbital locator (LOL), and thermodynamic calculations were employed in this work. Fe(III)PPIX-MAPTSC binding is expected to inhibit hemozoin formation, thereby preventing Fe(III)PPIX detoxification in plasmodia. Preliminary studies geared toward the identification of atomic binding sites in the thione-thiol tautomers of MAPTSC were carried out using molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) maps and conceptual DFT-based local reactivity indices. The thionic sulfur and the 2 N-azomethine nitrogen/thiol sulfur of, respectively, the thione and thiol tautomers of MAPTSC were identified as the most favorable nucleophilic sites for electrophilic attack. The negative values of the computed Fe(III)PPIX-MAPTSC binding energies, enthalpies, and Gibbs free energies are indicative of the existence and stability of Fe(III)PPIX-MAPTSC complexes. MAPTSC-Fe(III) coordinate bonds and strong hydrogen bonds (N-H···O) between the NH 2 group in MAPTSC and the C=O group in one propionate side chain of Fe(III)PPIX are crucial to Fe(III)PPIX-MAPTSC binding. QTAIM, NCI, ELF, and LOL analyses revealed a subtle interplay of weak noncovalent interactions dominated by dispersive-like van der Waals interactions between Fe(III)PPIX and MAPTSC that stabilize the Fe(III)PPIX-MAPTSC complexes.

Application of EPI diffusion-weighted and Gd-DTPA T2* perfusion imaging in the diagnosis of brain ischemia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han Hongbin; Xie Jingxia

1998-01-01

Purpose: To study the MR and CT appearances of brain ischemia on diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and evaluate the role of EPI ADC-map, DWI and T 2 * perfusion imaging in acute stroke. Methods: DWI or ADC-map and routine T 1 WI and T 2 WI were performed in 36 patients with stroke (the time after onset of stroke: 2 hours - 2 months). Among them, 12 cases had perfusion imaging simultaneously. Results: Gd-DTPA T 2 * perfusion imaging demonstrated decrease of rrCBV and rrCBF in 10 cases; identical in 1 case and increase in 1 case. The mean transit time in the diseased area was longer than that of the contralateral corresponding region (paired t test: P 2 * perfusion imaging can demonstrate the decrease and restoration of CBF in the brain ischemic regions. DWI and ADC-map are highly valuable in the early diagnosis and monitoring the development of brain ischemic disease

Epirubicin is not Superior to Doxorubicin in the Treatment of Advanced Soft Tissue Sarcomas.The Experience of the EORTC Soft Tissue and Bone Sarcoma Group

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Ole Steen; Dombernowsky, Per; Mouridsen, Henning T

2000-01-01

studies the EORTC STBSG tested whether epirubicin (epi) is an alternative to standard dose dox in the treatment of chemonaive patients with advanced soft tissue sarcoma. The present report gives the final results of these studies.Patients/Methods. In the first study 210 patients were randomized to receive...... either dox or epi both at a dose of 75 mg/m(2) given as bolus injection at 3-week intervals. In the second study 334 patients were randomized to dox 75 mg/m(2), epi 150 mg/m(2) or epi 50 mg/m(2) days 1-3, all given as bolus injection at 3-week intervals.Results. In the first study no differences...... in median survival and duration of response were found. Of 167 evaluable patients the response rate was slightly in favour of dox (23% vs 18%) but at the expense of more toxicity.These data could suggest that increasing the epi dose may lead to a greater antineoplastic effect with acceptable toxicity...

O papel da dimensão temporal do controle percebido pelo consumidor em episódios de insatisfação

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Natalia Araujo Pacheco

2017-08-01

Full Text Available O controle percebido tem efeitos importantes na saúde física e mental das pessoas bem como no comportamento dos consumidores. Os efeitos do controle percebido no comportamento do consumidor vêm sendo estudados há muitos anos, porém poucos estudos abordam seu papel após episódios de insatisfação e nenhum desses estudos investigou a dimensão temporal do controle percebido – percepção de controle em relação ao passado, ao presente e ao futuro. Tal dimensão temporal passou a ser investigada recentemente na área da psicologia e os resultados encontrados sugerem que a mesma poderia ser de grande valor para compreender e prever o comportamento dos consumidores em episódios de insatisfação. O presente artigo apresenta um modelo temporal de controle percebido desenvolvido na área da psicologia e propõe aplicações desse modelo no contexto de insatisfação do consumidor, contribuindo para a literatura ao ampliar o escopo de investigação do papel do controle percebido e adotar um modelo que não vem sido utilizado em estudos da área. O presente artigo também apresenta contribuições gerenciais, pois ao conhecer os possíveis efeitos da dimensão temporal do controle percebido, gestores podem decidir adotar táticas que influenciem a percepção de controle passado, presente e futuro de seus consumidores, tais como oferecer mais informação, permitir que os consumidores façam mais escolhas ou coproduzam aquilo que vão consumir. O artigo apresenta proposições de pesquisa para guiar pesquisas futuras e uma sugestão de adaptação do modelo original ao contexto de insatisfação do consumidor.

EpiFibro - um banco de dados nacional sobre a síndrome da fibromialgia: análise inicial de 500 mulheres

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Marcelo C. Rezende

2013-10-01

Full Text Available INTRODUÇÃO: A fibromialgia (FM é uma condição dolorosa do sistema musculoesquelético, geralmente acompanhada de vários sintomas em outros sistemas, com uma prevalência no Brasil estimada em 2,5%. Apresentamos os dados iniciais do EpiFibro, um banco de dados nacional de pacientes com FM atendidos em serviços públicos e privados. OBJETIVO: Avaliar como é feito o diagnóstico da doença, identificar um conjunto de domínios clínicos considerados relevantes por médicos e por pacientes com FM, analisar o impacto da doença na qualidade de vida dos pacientes e comparar os achados entre pacientes de serviços público e privado. MÉTODOS: Foram analisadas as respostas das primeiras 500 mulheres nesse banco de dados. Esse banco de dados foi baseado em um questionário contendo dados demográficos e clínicos. O Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ, traduzido e validado para o Brasil, foi preenchido pelos médicos e/ou pacientes. RESULTADOS: Uma análise preliminar do banco de dados EpiFibro revelou que as pacientes com FM no Brasil têm um alto impacto da doença avaliada pelo FIQ, uma alta prevalência de sintomas associados, um baixo grau de educação (um achado que pode ser explicado pelo fato de a saúde pública no Brasil ser usada principalmente por aqueles desfavorecidos socialmente e a maioria percebe a sua dor como sendo difusa a partir do início da doença. CONCLUSÃO: Depressão e ansiedade são percebidas como as principais causas dos sintomas da FM, mas uma quantidade significativa considera o esforço no trabalho como o primeiro gatilho. Há um atraso de poucos anos em busca de ajuda médica e para chegar ao reumatologista.

Readability of Online Patient Educational Resources Found on NCI-Designated Cancer Center Web Sites.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosenberg, Stephen A; Francis, David; Hullett, Craig R; Morris, Zachary S; Fisher, Michael M; Brower, Jeffrey V; Bradley, Kristin A; Anderson, Bethany M; Bassetti, Michael F; Kimple, Randall J

2016-06-01

The NIH and Department of Health & Human Services recommend online patient information (OPI) be written at a sixth grade level. We used a panel of readability analyses to assess OPI from NCI-Designated Cancer Center (NCIDCC) Web sites. Cancer.gov was used to identify 68 NCIDCC Web sites from which we collected both general OPI and OPI specific to breast, prostate, lung, and colon cancers. This text was analyzed by 10 commonly used readability tests: the New Dale-Chall Readability Formula, Flesch Reading Ease scale, Flesch-Kinaid Grade Level, FORCAST scale, Fry Readability Graph, Simple Measure of Gobbledygook test, Gunning Frequency of Gobbledygook index, New Fog Count, Raygor Readability Estimate Graph, and Coleman-Liau Index. We tested the hypothesis that the readability of NCIDCC OPI was written at the sixth grade level. Secondary analyses were performed to compare readability of OPI between comprehensive and noncomprehensive centers, by region, and to OPI produced by the American Cancer Society (ACS). A mean of 30,507 words from 40 comprehensive and 18 noncomprehensive NCIDCCs was analyzed (7 nonclinical and 3 without appropriate OPI were excluded). Using a composite grade level score, the mean readability score of 12.46 (ie, college level: 95% CI, 12.13-12.79) was significantly greater than the target grade level of 6 (middle-school: Preadability metrics (P<.05). ACS OPI provides easier language, at the seventh to ninth grade level, across all tests (P<.01). OPI from NCIDCC Web sites is more complex than recommended for the average patient. Copyright © 2016 by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.

Biooxidation of Ciguatoxins Leads to Species-Specific Toxin Profiles.

Science.gov (United States)

Ikehara, Tsuyoshi; Kuniyoshi, Kyoko; Oshiro, Naomasa; Yasumoto, Takeshi

2017-06-29

Ciguatoxins (CTXs) contaminate fish worldwide and cause the foodborne illness ciguatera. In the Pacific, these toxins are produced by the dinoflagellate Gambierdiscus toxicus , which accumulates in fish through the food chain and undergoes oxidative modification, giving rise to numerous analogs. In this study, we examined the oxidation of CTXs in vitro with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis using reference toxins, and found that CTX4A, CTX4B, and CTX3C, which are produced by the alga, are oxidized to the analogs found in fish, namely CTX1B, 52- epi -54-deoxyCTX1B, 54-deoxyCTX1B, 2-hydroxyCTX3C, and 2,3-dihydroxyCTX3C. This oxidation was catalyzed by human CYP3A4, fish liver S9 fractions, and microsomal fractions prepared from representative ciguateric fishes ( Lutjanus bohar , L. monostigumus , and Oplegnathus punctatus ). In addition, fish liver S9 fractions prepared from non-ciguateric fishes ( L. gibbus and L. fulviflamma ) in Okinawa also converted CTX4A and CTX4B to CTX1B, 54-deoxyCTX1B, and 52- epi -54-deoxyCTX1B in vitro. This is the first study to demonstrate the enzymatic oxidation of these toxins, and provides insight into the mechanism underlying the development of species-specific toxin profiles and the fate of these toxins in humans and fish.

Down-regulation of GRP78 is associated with the sensitivity of chemotherapy to VP-16 in small cell lung cancer NCI-H446 cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Yingyan; Wang, Wei; Wang, Siyan; Wang, Jiarui; Shao, Shujuan; Wang, Qi

2008-01-01

Chemotherapy resistance remains a major obstacle for the treatment of small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78), an endoplasmic reticulum chaperone, plays a critical role in chemotherapy resistance in some cancers. However, whether the suppression of the chaperone can enhance the sensitivity of chemotherapy in SCLC is still unclear. The SCLC NCI-H446 cells were divided into three groups: BAPTA-AM→A23187-treated group, A23187-treated group and control-group. Immunofluorescence, western blot and RT-PCR were used to assess the expression of GRP78 at both protein and mRNA levels. Cell apoptosis and the cell cycle distributions of the cells were analyzed by flow cytometry in order to evaluate the therapeutic sensitivity to VP-16. The expression of GRP78 at both protein and mRNA levels in the BAPTA-AM→A23187-treated cells dramatically decreased as compared to that in both A23187-treated and control groups. After treatment by VP-16, the percentage of apoptotic cells in BAPTA-AM→A23187-treated cells were: 33.4 ± 1.01%, 48.2 ± 1.77%, 53.0 ± 1.43%, 56.5 ± 2.13%, respectively, corresponding to the concentrations of BAPTA-AM 10, 15, 25, 40 μM, which was statistically significant high in comparison with the A23187-treated group and untreated-group (7.18 ± 1.03% and 27.8 ± 1.45%, respectively, p < 0.05). The results from analysis of cell cycle distribution showed that there was a significantly decreased in G 1 phase and a dramatically increased in S phase for the BAPTA-AM→A23187-treated cells as compared with the untreated cells. BAPTA-AM is a strong inhibitor of GRP78 in the NCI-H446 cell line, the down-regulation of GRP78 can significantly increase the sensitivity to VP-16. The suppression of GRP78 may offer a new surrogated therapeutic approach to the clinical management of lung cancer

New insights in oncology: Epi-genetics and cancer stem cells; Nouvelles perspectives en oncologie: epigenetique et cellules souches cancereuses

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Krutovskikh, V.; Partensky, C. [Centre international de recherche sur le cancer, 150, cours Albert-Thomas, 69372 Lyon cedex 08 (France)

2011-12-15

Cancer is a multi-etiologic, multistage disease with a prevalent genetic component, which happens when a large number of genes, critical for cell growth, death, differentiation, migration, and metabolic plasticity are altered irreversibly, so as to either 'gain' (oncogenes) or 'lose' (tumour suppressors) their function. Recent discoveries have revealed the previously underestimated etiologic importance of multiple epigenetic, that is to say, reversible factors (histone modifications, DNA methylation, non-coding RNA) involved in the transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation of proteins, indispensable for the control of cancerous phenotype. Stable alterations of epigenetic machinery ('epi-mutations') turn out to play a critical role at different steps of carcinogenesis. In addition, due to substantial recent progress in stem cell biology, the new concept of cancer stem cells has emerged. This, along with newly discovered epigenetic cancer mechanisms, gives rise to a hope to overcome radio- and chemo-resistance and to eradicate otherwise incurable neoplasms. (authors)

Permissivity of the NCI-60 cancer cell lines to oncolytic Vaccinia Virus GLV-1h68

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ascierto, Maria Libera; Bedognetti, Davide; Uccellini, Lorenzo; Rossano, Fabio; Ascierto, Paolo A; Stroncek, David F; Restifo, Nicholas P; Wang, Ena; Szalay, Aladar A; Marincola, Francesco M; Worschech, Andrea; Yu, Zhiya; Adams, Sharon; Reinboth, Jennifer; Chen, Nanhai G; Pos, Zoltan; Roychoudhuri, Rahul; Di Pasquale, Giovanni

2011-01-01

Oncolytic viral therapy represents an alternative therapeutic strategy for the treatment of cancer. We previously described GLV-1h68, a modified Vaccinia Virus with exclusive tropism for tumor cells, and we observed a cell line-specific relationship between the ability of GLV-1h68 to replicate in vitro and its ability to colonize and eliminate tumor in vivo. In the current study we surveyed the in vitro permissivity to GLV-1h68 replication of the NCI-60 panel of cell lines. Selected cell lines were also tested for permissivity to another Vaccinia Virus and a vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) strain. In order to identify correlates of permissity to viral infection, we measured transcriptional profiles of the cell lines prior infection. We observed highly heterogeneous permissivity to VACV infection amongst the cell lines. The heterogeneity of permissivity was independent of tissue with the exception of B cell derivation. Cell lines were also tested for permissivity to another Vaccinia Virus and a vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) strain and a significant correlation was found suggesting a common permissive phenotype. While no clear transcriptional pattern could be identified as predictor of permissivity to infection, some associations were observed suggesting multifactorial basis permissivity to viral infection. Our findings have implications for the design of oncolytic therapies for cancer and offer insights into the nature of permissivity of tumor cells to viral infection

In memoriam: an appreciation for the NCI R25T cancer education and career development program.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Shine

2014-06-01

On September 7, 2013, the NCI R25T award mechanism ended its final "receipt/review/award cycle" after more than two decades shaping the cancer prevention and control workforce. Created in 1991 to respond to a national shortage of cancer prevention and control researchers, the R25T supported innovative institutional programs with specialized curricula preparing individuals for careers as independent scientists for the field. Required elements ensured developing transdisciplinary sensibilities and skills highly suited to team science, including conducting collaborative research with mentors of complementary expertise. R25Ts provided trainee stipends, research, education, and travel funds at levels far higher than T32 National Service Research Awards to attract individuals from diverse disciplines. Graduates are faculty at all academic ranks, and hold leadership positions such as associate directors of cancer prevention and control. Beyond its trainees, R25Ts also recruited into the field other students exposed through courses in specialized prevention curricula, as well as course instructors and trainee mentors, who did not initially consider their work to be relevant to cancer prevention. Although advances are being achieved, prevention efforts are not yet fully realized, and currently unknown is the impact on the workforce of terminating the R25T, including whether it is another barrier to preventing cancer. ©2014 American Association for Cancer Research.

Physician practicing preferences for conventional or homeopathic medicines in elderly subjects with musculoskeletal disorders in the EPI3-MSD cohort.

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Danno, Karine; Joubert, Clementine; Duru, Gerard; Vetel, Jean-Marie

2014-01-01

Musculoskeletal pain is common in elderly persons. Analgesic use is high in the elderly and may involve unacceptable risk in individuals with chronic pain. Our aim was to compare the socio-demographic characteristics of elderly subjects with musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) and to assess medication use and clinical evolution of musculoskeletal pain according to physician prescribing preference: homeopathy (Ho) group, conventional medicine (CM) group, or mixed prescription (MX) group. The EPI3 study was a 1 year observational survey carried out among general practitioners in France between March 2007 and July 2008. This sub-analysis was carried out on elderly subjects aged ≥70 years from the original EPI3 cohort. Socio-demographic data were collected at inclusion using a self-administered patient questionnaire and medical data were recorded for each patient. Quality of life was measured using the Short Form-12 questionnaire. Patients completed a structured telephone interview on their functional status (evaluated with the QuickDash questionnaire, EIFEL scale or Lequesne index) within 72 hours of inclusion. This telephone interview was repeated at 1, 3, and 12 months. Drug exposure was also assessed during these interviews. 146 patients (mean age ± standard deviation: 75.8±4.8 years) were analyzed (80.1% female, 74.7% MSD of the spine or lower limbs, 64.4% chronic MSD). Patients in the CM and MX groups were 3.7 times or 2.5 times more likely (odds ratio [OR] =3.71, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.12-12.30; OR =2.52, 95% CI: 1.05-6.05; respectively) to have used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) than those in the Ho group. In contrast, analgesic use was comparable in the three groups (OR =1.06 [CM versus Ho], 95% CI: 0.09-12.11; OR =0.34 [MX versus Ho], 95% CI: 0.07-1.57). Overall functional score evolution was similar in the three groups over time (P=0.16). NSAID use was significantly higher in elderly MSD patients consulting a conventional practice

Pain management in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis undergoing posterior spinal fusion: combined intrathecal morphine and continuous epidural versus PCA.

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Ravish, Matthew; Muldowney, Bridget; Becker, Aimee; Hetzel, Scott; McCarthy, James J; Nemeth, Blaise A; Noonan, Kenneth J

2012-12-01

A retrospective case-comparison study. Compare efficacy and safety of combined intrathecal morphine (ITM) and epidural analgesia (EPI) to that of conventional intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (IV-PCA) after posterior spinal fusion (PSF) for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). Pain control after PSF in AIS has been managed traditionally with IV-PCA. More recently studies have shown improvement in pain control with the use of continuous EPI or intraoperative ITM. No studies to our knowledge have compared the use of both ITM and EPI analgesia to that of IV-PCA. An Institutional Review Board-approved retrospective case-comparison study was performed from 1989 to 2009 of all patients undergoing PSF for AIS. Patients received either IV-PCA or ITM/EPI. Daily pain scores were recorded along with total opioid and benzodiazepine use. Adverse events were recorded for all the patients. A total of 146 patients were initially included in the study; 95 patients received ITM/EPI and 51 received IV-PCA as a historical control. Eight patients from the ITM/EPI group were excluded from the pain comparison portion of the study. There were no statistical differences in age, sex, weight, or hospital stay between the 2 groups. The ITM/EPI group had, on average, 1 additional level of fusion (P = 0.001). Daily average pain scores were lower in the ITM/EPI group on all hospital days, and statistically lower in days 1 and 3 to 5. Total opioid requirement was significantly lower in the ITM/EPI patients, although oral opioid use was higher among this group. Total benzodiazepine use was lower among the IV-PCA group. A total of 15.7% of the IV-PCA patients had bladder hypotonia, compared with 1.1% of the ITM/EPI group (P = 0.002). The rate of illeus was 15.7% in the IV-PCA patients and 5.7% in the ITM/EPI (P = 0.071). Respiratory depression was reported in 4 ITM/EPI patients, 0 in our PCA group. Technical catheter malfunction was reported in 8.5% of the EPI group. The use of ITM/EPI

Luxação recidivante do ombro: aspectos do período entre o primeiro episódio e o tratamento cirúrgico Recurrent shoulder dislocation: aspects between the first episode and surgical treatment

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Roberto Yukio Ikemoto

2009-01-01

Full Text Available OBJETIVO: Determinar: 1 se os pacientes que sofrem seu primeiro episódio de luxação traumática do ombro são orientados a manter imobilização por um período mínimo de quatro semanas e qual foi o tipo de imobilização prescrita; 2 determinar após quantos episódios de luxação os pacientes receberam a informação da necessidade de cirurgia; 3 quanto tempo os pacientes demoraram a conseguir acompanhamento com especialista em cirurgia de ombro; 4 quantos episódios de luxação os pacientes apresentavam no momento da cirurgia. MÉTODOS: Dos 100 pacientes tratados cirurgicamente ou estão aguardando cirurgia nos ambulatórios, foram avaliados 61, que responderam a um questionário com perguntas relacionadas com o mecanismo das luxações, locais de atendimento, orientações recebidas para o tratamento do evento agudo e acompanhamento, tempo necessário para conseguir o acompanhamento e cirurgia.Os dados coletados foram submetidos à análise. RESULTADOS: Apenas 13 pacientes (22% receberam orientações adequadas sobre sua afecção, prognóstico quanto à recidiva e à necessidade de acompanhamento especializado e cirurgia nos casos recidivantes. Nenhum paciente foi orientado adequadamente como e por quanto tempo deveria ficar imobilizado. CONCLUSÃO: Nenhum paciente recebeu orientações de manter-se imobilizado por quatro semanas e o tipo de imobilização variou entre uma tipoia simples e a imobilização comercial tipo Velpeau. A maioria dos pacientes avaliados (78% não recebeu orientações corretas sobre a necessidade de acompanhamento especializado e cirurgia após o segundo episódio de luxação. O tempo para avaliação do especialista demorou entre quatro e seis meses e possuíam entre um e cem episódios de luxação no momento da cirurgia.OBJECTIVE: To determine: 1 whether the patients had been oriented to use immobilization for at least four weeks and which type of immobilization was prescribed, 2 how many dislocations

Primitive Endoderm Differentiation: From Specification to Epithelialization.

Science.gov (United States)

Bassalert, Cécilia; Valverde-Estrella, Lorena; Chazaud, Claire

2018-01-01

At the time of implantation, the mouse blastocyst has developed three cell lineages: the epiblast (Epi), the primitive endoderm (PrE), and the trophectoderm (TE). The PrE and TE are extraembryonic tissues but their interactions with the Epi are critical to sustain embryonic growth, as well as to pattern the embryo. We review here the cellular and molecular events that lead to the production of PrE and Epi lineages and discuss the different hypotheses that are proposed for the induction of these cell types. In the second part, we report the current knowledge about the epithelialization of the PrE. © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Insulin induces a transcriptional activation of epiregulin, HB-EGF and amphiregulin, by a PI3K-dependent mechanism: Identification of a specific insulin-responsive promoter element

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ornskov, Dorthe; Nexo, Ebba; Sorensen, Boe S.

2007-01-01

Previously we have shown that insulin-stimulation of RT4 bladder cancer cells leads to increased proliferation, which require HER1 activation, and is accompanied by increased mRNA expression of the EGF-ligands heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor (HB-EGF), amphiregulin (AR), and epiregulin (EPI) [D. Ornskov, E. Nexo, B.S. Sorensen, Insulin-induced proliferation of bladder cancer cells is mediated through activation of the epidermal growth factor system, FEBS J. 273 (2006) 5479-5489]. In the present paper, we have investigated the molecular mechanism leading to this insulin-induced expression. We monitored the decay of mRNA after inhibiting transcription with Actinomycin D and demonstrated that the insulin-mediated increase was not caused by enhanced mRNA stability. In untreated cells, HB-EGF mRNA was the least stable, whereas AR and EPI mRNA decayed with slower kinetics. However, promoter analysis of HB-EGF and EPI demonstrated that insulin stimulated transcription. Studies on the EPI promoter identified the insulin-responsive element to be located in the region -564 to -365 bp. This region contains potential binding sites for the transcription factors SP1, AP1, and NF-κB. Interestingly, all three transcription factors can be activated by PI3K. We demonstrate that the insulin-induced expression of HB-EGF, AR, and EPI mRNA is completely prevented by the specific PI3K inhibitor Wortmannin, suggesting an involvement of the PI3K

Pre-Travel Medical Preparation of Business and Occupational Travelers: An Analysis of the Global TravEpiNet Consortium, 2009 to 2012.

Science.gov (United States)

Khan, Nomana M; Jentes, Emily S; Brown, Clive; Han, Pauline; Rao, Sowmya R; Kozarsky, Phyllis; Hagmann, Stefan H F; LaRocque, Regina C; Ryan, Edward T

2016-01-01

The aim of the study was to understand more about pre-travel preparations and itineraries of business and occupational travelers. De-identified data from 18 Global TravEpiNet clinics from January 2009 to December 2012 were analyzed. Of 23,534 travelers, 61% were non-occupational and 39% occupational. Business travelers were more likely to be men, had short times to departure and shorter trip durations, and commonly refused influenza, meningococcal, and hepatitis B vaccines. Most business travelers indicated that employers suggested the pre-travel health consultation, whereas non-occupational travelers sought consultations because of travel health concerns. Sub-groups of occupational travelers have characteristic profiles, with business travelers being particularly distinct. Employers play a role in encouraging business travelers to seek pre-travel consultations. Such consultations, even if scheduled immediately before travel, can identify vaccination gaps and increase coverage.

Impact of 4-epi-oxytetracycline on the gut microbiota and blood metabolomics of Wistar rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Hongxing; Xiao, Hailong; Zhang, Kai; Lu, Zhenmei

2016-03-15

The impact of 4-epi-oxytetracycline (4-EOTC), one of the main oxytetracycline (OTC) metabolites, on the gut microbiota and physiological metabolism of Wistar rats was analyzed to explore the dynamic alterations apparent after repeated oral exposure (0.5, 5.0 or 50.0 mg/kg bw) for 15 days as shown by 16S rRNA pyrosequencing and UPLC-Q-TOF/MS analysis. Both principal component analysis and cluster analysis showed consistently altered patterns with distinct differences in the treated groups versus the control groups. 4-EOTC treatment at 5.0 or 50.0 mg/kg increased the relative abundance of the Actinobacteria, specifically Bifidobacteriaceae, and improved the synthesis of lysophosphatidylcholine (LysoPC), as shown by the lipid biomarkers LysoPC(16:0), LysoPC(18:3), LysoPC(20:3), and LysoPC(20:4). The metabolomic analysis of urine samples also identified four other decreased metabolites: diacylglycerol, sphingomyelin, triacylglycerol, and phosphatidylglycerol. Notably, the significant changes observed in these biomarkers demonstrated the ongoing disorder induced by 4-EOTC. Blood and urine analysis revealed that residual 4-EOTC accumulated in the rats, even two weeks after oral 4-EOTC administration, ceased. Thus, through thorough analysis, it can be concluded that the alteration of the gut microbiota and disorders in blood metabolomics are correlated with 4-EOTC treatment.

Mesua beccariana (Clusiaceae, A Source of Potential Anti-cancer Lead Compounds in Drug Discovery

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Soek Sin Teh

2012-09-01

Full Text Available An investigation on biologically active secondary metabolites from the stem bark of Mesua beccariana was carried out. A new cyclodione, mesuadione (1, along with several known constituents which are beccamarin (2, 2,5-dihydroxy-1,3,4-trimethoxy anthraquinone (3, 4-methoxy-1,3,5-trihydroxyanthraquinone (4, betulinic acid (5 and stigmasterol (6 were obtained from this ongoing research. Structures of these compounds were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic methods, including 1D and 2D-NMR, GC-MS, IR and UV techniques. Preliminary tests of the in vitro cytotoxic activities of all the isolated metabolites against a panel of human cancer cell lines Raji (lymphoma, SNU-1 (gastric carcinoma, K562 (erythroleukemia cells, LS-174T (colorectal adenocarcinoma, HeLa (cervical cells, SK-MEL-28 (malignant melanoma cells, NCI-H23 (lung adenocarcinoma, IMR-32 (neuroblastoma and Hep-G2 (hepatocellular liver carcinoma were carried out using an MTT assay. Mesuadione (1, beccamarin (2, betulinic acid (5 and stigmasterol (6 displayed strong inhibition of Raji cell proliferation, while the proliferation rate of SK-MEL-28 and HeLa were strongly inhibited by stigmasterol (6 and beccamarin (2, indicating these secondary metabolites could be anti-cancer lead compounds in drug discovery.

Dinâmica discursiva e o ensino de física: análise de um episódio de ensino envolvendo o uso de um texto alternativo

OpenAIRE

Assis, Alice; Teixeira, Odete Pacubi Baierl

2009-01-01

Resumo: Este artigo enfoca a análise da dinâmica discursiva entre alunos e professor mediados pelo uso de um texto alternativo intitulado "Nosso Universo", em aulas de Física, em uma sala de educação de jovens e adultos. Para tal, é destacado um episódio de ensino cuja abordagem centra-se na discussão de conceitos físicos. Os resultados evidenciaram que o referido texto mostrou-se potencialmente significativo para os alunos, aguçando a curiosidade e o interesse dos mesmos, que relacionaram os...

Multiphonon contribution to the polaron formation in cuprates with strong electron correlations and strong electron-phonon interaction

Science.gov (United States)

Ovchinnikov, Sergey G.; Makarov, Ilya A.; Kozlov, Peter A.

2017-03-01

In this work dependences of the electron band structure and spectral function in the HTSC cuprates on magnitude of electron-phonon interaction (EPI) and temperature are investigated. We use three-band p-d model with diagonal and offdiagonal EPI with breathing and buckling phonon mode in the frameworks of polaronic version of the generalized tight binding (GTB) method. The polaronic quasiparticle excitation in the system with EPI within this approach is formed by a hybridization of the local multiphonon Franck-Condon excitations with lower and upper Hubbard bands. Increasing EPI leads to transfer of spectral weight to high-energy multiphonon excitations and broadening of the spectral function. Temperature effects are taken into account by occupation numbers of local excited polaronic states and variations in the magnitude of spin-spin correlation functions. Increasing the temperature results in band structure reconstruction, spectral weight redistribution, broadening of the spectral function peak at the top of the valence band and the decreasing of the peak intensity. The effect of EPI with two phonon modes on the polaron spectral function is discussed.

The 5-Endo-trig Cyclization of D-Glucose Derived γ-Alkenylamines with Mercury (II Salts: Synthesis of 1-Deoxycastanospermine and its 8a-epi-Analogueâ€

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S. Jachak

2005-08-01

Full Text Available The intramolecular aminomercuration of γ-alkenylamines 1a, 1b and 4 was shown to afford the 5-endo-trig cyclized product exclusively in good yield. The utility of pyrrolidine derivatives thus obtained from D-glucose derived γ-alkenylamines 1a and 1b was demonstrated in the synthesis of 1-deoxycastanospermine (3a and 1-deoxy-8a-epi- castanospermine (3b.

Research Areas: Treatment

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The development of more effective and less toxic treatments is fundamental to improving outcomes for patients with cancer. NCI is leading efforts on several fronts to develop and evaluate new cancer treatments.

Synergistic Effect of Subtoxic-dose Cisplatin and TRAIL to Mediate Apoptosis by Down-regulating Decoy Receptor 2 and Up-regulating Caspase-8, Caspase-9 and Bax Expression on NCI-H460 and A549 Cells

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Xiaoyan Zhang

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Objective(s: Although tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL can selectively induce apoptosis in tumor cells, more than half of tumors including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC exhibit TRAIL-resistance. The purpose of this study was to determine whether subtoxic-dose cisplatin and TRAIL could synergistically enhance apoptosis on NSCLC cells and investigate its underlying mechanisms. Materials and Methods:NCI-H460 and A549 cells were treated with TRAIL alone, cisplatin alone or combination treatment in this study. The cytotoxicity was evaluated according to Sulforhodamine B assay, and apoptosis was examined using Hoechst 33342 staining and flow cytometry. The mRNA and protein levels of TRAIL receptors and apoptotic proteins including caspase-8, caspase-9, Bcl-2 and Bax were determined by RT-PCR and Western blotting, respectively. Results:Our results showed that NCI-H460 cells were sensitive to TRAIL, whereas A549 cells were resistant. However, subtoxic-dose cisplatin could enhance the both cells to TRAIL-mediated cell proliferation inhibition and apoptosis. The underlying mechanisms might be associated with the down-regulation of DcR2 and up-regulation of Caspase-8, Caspase-9 and Bax. Conclusion:Subtoxic-dose cisplatin could enhance both TRAIL- sensitive and TRAIL- resistant NSCLC cells to TRAIL-mediated apoptosis. These findings motivated further studies to evaluate such a combinatory therapeutic strategy against NSCLC in the animal models.

Key stakeholder perceptions about consent to participate in acute illness research: a rapid, systematic review to inform epi/pandemic research preparedness.

Science.gov (United States)

Gobat, Nina H; Gal, Micaela; Francis, Nick A; Hood, Kerenza; Watkins, Angela; Turner, Jill; Moore, Ronald; Webb, Steve A R; Butler, Christopher C; Nichol, Alistair

2015-12-29

A rigorous research response is required to inform clinical and public health decision-making during an epi/pandemic. However, the ethical conduct of such research, which often involves critically ill patients, may be complicated by the diminished capacity to consent and an imperative to initiate trial therapies within short time frames. Alternative approaches to taking prospective informed consent may therefore be used. We aimed to rapidly review evidence on key stakeholder (patients, their proxy decision-makers, clinicians and regulators) views concerning the acceptability of various approaches for obtaining consent relevant to pandemic-related acute illness research. We conducted a rapid evidence review, using the Internet, database and hand-searching for English language empirical publications from 1996 to 2014 on stakeholder opinions of consent models (prospective informed, third-party, deferred, or waived) used in acute illness research. We excluded research on consent to treatment, screening, or other such procedures, non-emergency research and secondary studies. Papers were categorised, and data summarised using narrative synthesis. We screened 689 citations, reviewed 104 full-text articles and included 52. Just one paper related specifically to pandemic research. In other emergency research contexts potential research participants, clinicians and research staff found third-party, deferred, and waived consent to be acceptable as a means to feasibly conduct such research. Acceptability to potential participants was motivated by altruism, trust in the medical community, and perceived value in medical research and decreased as the perceived risks associated with participation increased. Discrepancies were observed in the acceptability of the concept and application or experience of alternative consent models. Patients accepted clinicians acting as proxy-decision makers, with preference for two decision makers as invasiveness of interventions increased

Prevalença i perfil sociodemogràfic del maltractament psíquic, físic i sexual en les pacients d’urgències a la regió de Múrcia

OpenAIRE

González Morga, Natalia; García Guillamón, Glória; Brando Asensio, Immaculada

2014-01-01

La violència de gènere és un fenomen parcialment visible en la societat del segle XXI. Amb aquest estudi es pretén determinar la prevalença de violència de gènere en dones que van a urgències per altres patologies i relacionar la presència del maltractament psicològic, físic i sexual amb diferents variables sociodemogràfiques per establir el perfil de la dona víctima del maltractament encobert en l’escenari estudiat. Per fer-ho, 151 dones, pacients de l’Hospital General Universitari Morales M...

GETDB: 104468 [GETDB

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available l Institute of Genetics. TM6 Sb Tb Link to clone table - 1 1836 Link to cluster table 1836 1 Request - AS, leading...equest - Embryonic Expression AS, leading edge (SG) Larval GFP ubiquitous epi, tr

Fatores associados aos sintomas depressivos em idosos: estudo EpiFloripa

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Lucelia Justino Borges

2013-08-01

Full Text Available OBJETIVO Analisar a prevalência e fatores associados a sintomas depressivos em idosos. MÉTODOS Estudo epidemiológico transversal e de base domiciliar (inquérito EpiFloripa Idoso com 1.656 idosos, realizado por conglomerados em dois estágios, setores censitários e domicílios, em Florianópolis, SC. A prevalência de sintomas depressivos (desfecho foi obtida por meio da Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15, e testadas associações segundo variáveis sociodemográficas, de saúde, comportamentais e sociais. Foram calculadas razões de prevalências brutas e ajustadas com intervalo de 95% de confiança por regressão de Poisson. RESULTADOS A prevalência de sintomas depressivos foi de 23,9% (IC95% 21,84;26,01. Os fatores de risco associados no modelo final foram: escolaridade de cinco a oito anos (RP = 1,50; IC95% 1,08; 2,08, um a quatro anos (RP = 1,62; IC95% 1,18; 2,23 e nenhum ano de estudo (RP = 2,11; IC95% 1,46;3,05; situação econômica pior quando comparada com a que tinha aos 50 anos (RP = 1,33; IC95% 1,02;1,74; déficit cognitivo (RP = 1,45; IC95% 1,21;1,75; percepção de saúde regular (RP = 1,95; IC95% 1,47;2,60 e ruim (RP = 2,64; IC95% 1,82;3,83; dependência funcional (RP = 1,83; IC95% 1,43; 2,33; e dor crônica (RP = 1,35; IC95% 1,10;1,67. Grupo etário de 70 a 79 anos (RP = 0,77; IC95% 0,64;0,93; atividade física de lazer (RP = 0,75; IC95% 0,59;0,94; participação em grupos de convivência ou religiosos (RP = 0,80; IC95% 0,64;0,99; e ter relação sexual (RP = 0,70; IC95% 0,53;0,94 mostraram-se fatores protetores ao aparecimento dos sintomas depressivos. CONCLUSÕES Situação clínica adversa, desvantagem socioeconômica e pouca atividade social e sexual mostraram-se associadas aos sintomas depressivos em idosos.

Restoring susceptibility induced MRI signal loss in rat brain at 9.4 T: A step towards whole brain functional connectivity imaging.

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Rupeng Li

Full Text Available The aural cavity magnetic susceptibility artifact leads to significant echo planar imaging (EPI signal dropout in rat deep brain that limits acquisition of functional connectivity fcMRI data. In this study, we provide a method that recovers much of the EPI signal in deep brain. Needle puncture introduction of a liquid-phase fluorocarbon into the middle ear allows acquisition of rat fcMRI data without signal dropout. We demonstrate that with seeds chosen from previously unavailable areas, including the amygdala and the insular cortex, we are able to acquire large scale networks, including the limbic system. This tool allows EPI-based neuroscience and pharmaceutical research in rat brain using fcMRI that was previously not feasible.

A feasibility study - in vivo measurement of lead 210 in Newfoundland fluorspar miners

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davis, M.W.

1986-02-01

A feasibility study was attempted to determine if skeletal burdens of Pb210 in Newfoundland fluorspar miners could be measured by in-vivo techniques using phoswich detectors inside a shadow shield. The detection system comprised two 12.7 cm diameter phoswich detectors with 3 mm thick front crystals of NaI (T1 activated) and 5 cm thick back crystals of CsI (T1 activated). Calibration of the system was carried out using a head phantom impregnated with Pb210 and a minimum detection limit of 0.20 nCi in the skull was calculated. Pb210 burdens in the skull and knee were measured in each of two ex-miners who had received radon daughter exposures estimated at 1766 and 1235 Working Level Months (WLM). The last exposures had been 25 and 19 years ago respectively and the Pb210 burdens had decreased to the point where they were undetectable using this technique. The estimated exposures are not inconsistent with the upper limits of exposure calculated using Eisenbud's model and assuming 0.2 nCi skull burdens. Among thirty other potential candidates for a full scale study most had exposures less than 3500 WLM and based on the limited data obtained from this work, results from a full scale study would have significant statistical uncertainties. Unfortunately during the course of this work a negative attitude developed among the candidates and the research had to be stopped prematurely

Immunocompromised Travelers: Demographic Characteristics, Travel Destinations, and Pretravel Health Care from the U.S. Global TravEpiNet Consortium.

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Schwartz, Brian S; Rosen, Jessica; Han, Pauline V; Hynes, Noreen A; Hagmann, Stefan H; Rao, Sowmya R; Jentes, Emily S; Ryan, Edward T; LaRocque, Regina C

2015-11-01

An increasing number of immunocompromised individuals are pursuing international travel, and a better understanding of their international travel patterns and pretravel health care is needed. We evaluated the clinical features, itineraries, and pretravel health care of 486 immunocompromised international travelers seen at Global TravEpiNet sites from January 2009 to June 2012. We used bivariate analyses and logistic regressions using random intercept models to compare demographic and travel characteristics, vaccines administered, and medications prescribed for immunocompromised travelers versus 30,702 immunocompetent travelers. Immunocompromised travelers pursued itineraries that were largely similar to those of immunocompetent travelers, with nearly one-third of such travelers visiting countries with low human development indices. Biological agents, including tumor necrosis factor blockers, were commonly used immunosuppressive medications among immunocompromised travelers. A strong collaboration between travel-medicine specialists, primary care doctors, and specialist physicians is needed to prepare immunocompromised people for international travel. Incorporating routine questioning and planning regarding travel into the primary care visits of immunocompromised people may be useful. © The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

Esters of Quinoxaline 1ˏ4-Di-N-oxide with Cytotoxic Activity on Tumor Cell Lines Based on NCI-60 Panel

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Rivera, Gildardo; Ahmad Shah, Syed Shoaib; Arrieta-Baez, Daniel; Palos, Isidro; Mongue, Antonio; Sánchez-Torres, Luvia Enid

2017-01-01

Quinoxalines display diverse and interesting pharmacological activities as antibacterial, antiviral, antiparasitic and anticancer agents. Particularly, their 1ˏ4-di-N-oxide derivatives have proved to be cytotoxic agents that are active under hypoxic conditions as that of solid tumours. A new series of quinoxaline 1ˏ4-di-N-oxide substitutes at 7-position with esters group were synthetized and characterized by infrared (IR), proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR), spectroscopy, and elemental analysis. Seventeen derivatives (M1-M3, E1-E8, P1-P3 and DR1-DR3) were selected and evaluated for antitumor activities using the NCI-60 human tumor cell lines screen. Results showed that E7, P3 and E6 were the most active compounds against the cell lines tested. Substitutions at 7-position with esters group not necessarily affect the biological activity, but the nature of the esters group could exert an influence on the selectivity. Additionally, substitutions at 2-position influenced the cytotoxic activity of the compounds. PMID:29201086

Growth and characterization of low composition Ge, x in epi-Si1‑x Gex (x  ⩽  10%) active layer for fabrication of hydrogenated bottom solar cell

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Ajmal Khan, M.; Sato, R.; Sawano, K.; Sichanugrist, P.; Lukianov, A.; Ishikawa, Y.

2018-05-01

Semiconducting epi-Si1‑x Ge x alloys have promising features as solar cell materials and may be equally important for some other semiconductor device applications. Variation of the germanium compositional, x in epi-Si1‑x Ge x , makes it possible to control the bandgap between 1.12 eV and 0.68 eV for application in bottom solar cells. A low proportion of Ge in SiGe alloy can be used for photovoltaic application in a bottom cell to complete the four-terminal tandem structure with wide bandgap materials. In this research, we aimed to use a low proportion of Ge—about 10%—in strained or relaxed c-Si1‑x Ge x /c-Si heterojunctions (HETs), with or without insertion of a Si buffer layer grown by molecular beam epitaxy, to investigate the influence of the relaxed or strained SiGe active layer on the performance of HET solar cells grown using the plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition system. Thanks to the c-Si buffer layer at the hetero-interface, the efficiency of these SiGe based HET solar cells was improved from 2.3% to 3.5% (fully strained and with buffer layer). The Jsc was improved, from 8 mA cm‑2 to 15.46 mA cm‑2, which might be supported by strained c-Si buffer layer at the hetero-interface, by improving the crystalline quality.

How Genomics Is Shaping Precision Medicine in Oncology

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In laboratories at NCI and around the world, researchers are using advanced genomic technologies to study the differences between cancer cells and normal cells, leading to new and more effective treatments for patients with cancer.

Screening mammography. A missed clinical opportunity? Results of the NCI [National Cancer Institute] Breast Cancer Screening Consortium and national health interview survey studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1990-01-01

Data from seven studies sponsored by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) were used to determine current rates of breast cancer screening and to identify the characteristics of and reasons for women not being screened. All seven studies were population-based surveys of women aged 50 to 74 years without breast cancer. While over 90% of non-Hispanic white respondents had regular sources of medical care, 46% to 76% had a clinical breast examination within the previous year, and only 25% to 41% had a mammogram. Less educated and poorer women had fewer mammograms. The two most common reasons women gave for never having had a mammogram were that they did not known they needed it and that their physician had not recommended it. Many physicians may have overlooked the opportunity to recommend mammography for older women when performing a clinical breast examination and to educate their patients about the benefit of screening mammography

Advancing Public Health in Cancer - Annual Plan

Science.gov (United States)

Cancer is the leading cause of death from disease among Americans under 85. Learn how NCI advances public health by conducting research to improve the delivery of quality cancer prevention, screening, and treatment to all Americans.

EpiCollect: linking smartphones to web applications for epidemiology, ecology and community data collection.

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David M Aanensen

2009-09-01

Full Text Available Epidemiologists and ecologists often collect data in the field and, on returning to their laboratory, enter their data into a database for further analysis. The recent introduction of mobile phones that utilise the open source Android operating system, and which include (among other features both GPS and Google Maps, provide new opportunities for developing mobile phone applications, which in conjunction with web applications, allow two-way communication between field workers and their project databases.Here we describe a generic framework, consisting of mobile phone software, EpiCollect, and a web application located within www.spatialepidemiology.net. Data collected by multiple field workers can be submitted by phone, together with GPS data, to a common web database and can be displayed and analysed, along with previously collected data, using Google Maps (or Google Earth. Similarly, data from the web database can be requested and displayed on the mobile phone, again using Google Maps. Data filtering options allow the display of data submitted by the individual field workers or, for example, those data within certain values of a measured variable or a time period.Data collection frameworks utilising mobile phones with data submission to and from central databases are widely applicable and can give a field worker similar display and analysis tools on their mobile phone that they would have if viewing the data in their laboratory via the web. We demonstrate their utility for epidemiological data collection and display, and briefly discuss their application in ecological and community data collection. Furthermore, such frameworks offer great potential for recruiting 'citizen scientists' to contribute data easily to central databases through their mobile phone.

EpiCollect: linking smartphones to web applications for epidemiology, ecology and community data collection.

Science.gov (United States)

Aanensen, David M; Huntley, Derek M; Feil, Edward J; al-Own, Fada'a; Spratt, Brian G

2009-09-16

Epidemiologists and ecologists often collect data in the field and, on returning to their laboratory, enter their data into a database for further analysis. The recent introduction of mobile phones that utilise the open source Android operating system, and which include (among other features) both GPS and Google Maps, provide new opportunities for developing mobile phone applications, which in conjunction with web applications, allow two-way communication between field workers and their project databases. Here we describe a generic framework, consisting of mobile phone software, EpiCollect, and a web application located within www.spatialepidemiology.net. Data collected by multiple field workers can be submitted by phone, together with GPS data, to a common web database and can be displayed and analysed, along with previously collected data, using Google Maps (or Google Earth). Similarly, data from the web database can be requested and displayed on the mobile phone, again using Google Maps. Data filtering options allow the display of data submitted by the individual field workers or, for example, those data within certain values of a measured variable or a time period. Data collection frameworks utilising mobile phones with data submission to and from central databases are widely applicable and can give a field worker similar display and analysis tools on their mobile phone that they would have if viewing the data in their laboratory via the web. We demonstrate their utility for epidemiological data collection and display, and briefly discuss their application in ecological and community data collection. Furthermore, such frameworks offer great potential for recruiting 'citizen scientists' to contribute data easily to central databases through their mobile phone.

Microbial biotransformation of DON: molecular basis for reduced toxicity

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Pierron, Alix; Mimoun, Sabria; Murate, Leticia S.; Loiseau, Nicolas; Lippi, Yannick; Bracarense, Ana-Paula F. L.; Schatzmayr, Gerd; He, Jian Wei; Zhou, Ting; Moll, Wulf-Dieter; Oswald, Isabelle P.

2016-07-01

Bacteria are able to de-epoxidize or epimerize deoxynivalenol (DON), a mycotoxin, to deepoxy-deoxynivalenol (deepoxy-DON or DOM-1) or 3-epi-deoxynivalenol (3-epi-DON), respectively. Using different approaches, the intestinal toxicity of 3 molecules was compared and the molecular basis for the reduced toxicity investigated. In human intestinal epithelial cells, deepoxy-DON and 3-epi-DON were not cytotoxic, did not change the oxygen consumption or impair the barrier function. In intestinal explants, exposure for 4 hours to 10 μM DON induced intestinal lesions not seen in explants treated with deepoxy-DON and 3-epi-DON. A pan-genomic transcriptomic analysis was performed on intestinal explants. 747 probes, representing 323 genes, were differentially expressed, between DON-treated and control explants. By contrast, no differentially expressed genes were observed between control, deepoxy-DON and 3-epi-DON treated explants. Both DON and its biotransformation products were able to fit into the pockets of the A-site of the ribosome peptidyl transferase center. DON forms three hydrogen bonds with the A site and activates MAPKinases (mitogen-activated protein kinases). By contrast deepoxy-DON and 3-epi-DON only form two hydrogen bonds and do not activate MAPKinases. Our data demonstrate that bacterial de-epoxidation or epimerization of DON altered their interaction with the ribosome, leading to an absence of MAPKinase activation and a reduced toxicity.

Transient postnatal fluoxetine decreases brain concentrations of 20-HETE and 15-epi-LXA4, arachidonic acid metabolites in adult mice.

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Yuan, Zhi-Xin; Rapoport, Stanley I

2015-10-01

Transient postnatal exposure of rodents to the selective serotonin (5-HT) reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) fluoxetine alters behavior and brain 5-HT neurotransmission during adulthood, and also reduces brain arachidonic (ARA) metabolic consumption and protein level of the ARA metabolizing enzyme, cytochrome P4504A (CYP4A). Brain 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE), converted by CYP4A from ARA, will be reduced in adult mice treated transiently and postnatally with fluoxetine. Male mice pups were injected i.p. daily with fluoxetine (10mg/kg) or saline during P4-P21. At P90 their brain was high-energy microwaved and analyzed for 20-HETE and six other ARA metabolites by enzyme immunoassay. Postnatal fluoxetine vs. saline significantly decreased brain concentrations of 20-HETE (-70.3%) and 15-epi-lipoxin A4 (-60%) in adult mice, but did not change other eicosanoid concentrations. Behavioral changes in adult mice treated postnatally with fluoxetine may be related to reduced brain ARA metabolism involving CYP4A and 20-HETE formation. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Anthelmintic activity in vivo of epiisopiloturine against juvenile and adult worms of Schistosoma mansoni.

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Maria A Guimarães

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Schistosomiasis is a serious disease currently estimated to affect more that 207 million people worldwide. Due to the intensive use of praziquantel, there is increasing concern about the development of drug-resistant strains. Therefore, it is necessary to search for and investigate new potential schistosomicidal compounds. This work reports the in vivo effect of the alkaloid epiisopiloturine (EPI against adults and juvenile worms of Schistosoma mansoni. EPI was first purified its thermal behavior and theoretical solubility parameters charaterised. In the experiment, mice were treated with EPI over the 21 days post-infection with the doses of 40 and 200 mg/kg, and 45 days post-infection with single doses of 40, 100 and 300 mg/kg. The treatment with EPI at 40 mg/kg was more effective in adult worms when compared with doses of 100 and 300 mg/kg. The treatment with 40 mg/kg in adult worms reduced parasite burden significantly, lead to reduction in hepatosplenomegaly, reduced the egg burden in faeces, and decreased granuloma diameter. Scanning electron microscopy revealed morphological changes to the parasite tegument after treatment, including the loss of important features. Additionally, the in vivo treatment against juvenile with 40 mg/kg showed a reduction of the total worm burden of 50.2%. Histopathological studies were performed on liver, spleen, lung, kidney and brain and EPI was shown to have a DL50 of 8000 mg/kg. Therefore EPI shows potential to be used in schistosomiasis treatment. This is the first time that schistosomicidal in vivo activity of EPI has been reported.

Bipolar disorder first episode and suicidal behavior: are there differences according to type of suicide attempt? A polaridade do primeiro episódio no transtorno bipolar é um preditor para tentativa de suicídio (violenta e não violenta futura?

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Fernando Silva Neves

2009-06-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that the polarity of the first mood episode may be a marker for suicidal behavior, particularly the violent subtype. METHOD: One hundred and sixty-eight patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder (DSM-IV were grouped according to type of first episode: depression or manic/hypomanic. Groups were compared for demographic and clinical variables. We performed logistic regression in order to test the association between first episode polarity and suicidal behavior. RESULTS: We found that depressed patients have a lifetime history of more suicide attempts. However, univariate analysis of number of suicide attempts showed that the best model fits the bipolar II subtype (mean square = 15.022; p = 0.010 and lifetime history of psychotic episodes (mean square = 17.359; p = 0.021. Subgrouping the suicide attempts by subtype (violent or non-violent revealed that manic/hypomanic patients had a greater tendency toward attempting violent suicide (21.2 vs. 14.7%, X² = 7.028, p = 0.03. Multiple logistic regression analysis confirmed this result. CONCLUSION: Depressed patients had more suicide attempts over time, which could be explained by the higher prevalence of bipolar II subtype in this group, whereas manic/hypomanic patients had a lifelong history of more frequent violent suicide attempts, not explained by any of the variables studied. Our results support the evidence that non-violent suicide attempters and violent suicide attempters tend to belong to different phenotypic groups.OBJETIVO: O estudo pretende avaliar se a polaridade do primeiro episódio de humor prediz o comportamento suicida no transtorno bipolar, especialmente a tentativa de suicídio violenta. MÉTODO: Foram avaliados 168 pacientes com diagnóstico de transtorno bipolar (DSM-IV subdivididos em dois grupos de acordo com a polaridade do primeiro episódio de oscilação do humor: se primeiro episódio foi depressão (PD ou se

Late toxicity results of the GORTEC 94-01 randomized trial comparing radiotherapy with concomitant radiochemotherapy for advanced-stage oropharynx carcinoma: comparison of LENT/SOMA, RTOG/EORTC, and NCI-CTC scoring systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Denis, Fabrice; Garaud, Pascal; Bardet, Etienne; Alfonsi, Marc; Sire, Christian; Germain, Thierry; Bergerot, Philippe; Rhein, Beatrix; Tortochaux, Jacques; Oudinot, Patrick; Calais, Gilles

2003-01-01

Purpose: To prospectively assess 5-year late toxicity in patients treated by concomitant radiochemotherapy for locally advanced oropharynx carcinoma using three different toxicity scales. Methods and Materials: A total of 226 patients were entered in a Phase III multicenter, randomized trial comparing radiotherapy alone (70 Gy in 35 fractions: Arm A) with concomitant radiochemotherapy (70 Gy in 35 fractions with three cycles of a 4-day regimen containing carboplatin and 5-fluorouracil: Arm B). Five living patients, free of local or distant recurrences, could not be evaluated for late toxicity. Forty-four patients were eligible for late toxicity with a median follow-up of 5 years. Late toxicity was evaluated by the radiation oncologist using a large questionnaire containing 120 mixed items of three scales (NCI-CTC, LENT/SOMA, and RTOG). The data were then transposed on separate scales using corresponding grades. Results: The 5-year overall survival rate was 22% in Arm B and 16% in Arm A (p=0.05). The 5-year locoregional control rate was 48% in Arm B and 25% in Arm A (p=0.002). The spinal cord was not affected by the concomitant adjunct of chemotherapy, and no deaths were caused by late toxicity. Using the three late toxicity scales, 100% of the patients treated with the combined modality (Arm B) developed one or more late complications vs. 94% in the radiotherapy-alone arm (Arm A). The difference was not statistically significant. The most commonly damaged organs (all Grade 1-4) were the salivary glands (100% in Arm B vs. 82% in Arm A, p<0.05), skin (78% vs. 47%, p<0.05), teeth (67% vs. 18%, p<0.05), mucosa (59% vs. 63% p = not significant), and mandible (44% vs. 12%, p<0.05). One or more Grade 3-4 complications occurred in 82% of the patients in Arm B vs. 47% in Arm A (p=0.02) but concerned only the teeth. The correlation between the RTOG and LENT/SOMA scale and between the NCI-CTC and LENT/SOMA scale were low for Grade 1-4 toxicity (near 30%). The transposability

Multishot versus single-shot pulse sequences in very high field fMRI: a comparison using retinotopic mapping.

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Jascha D Swisher

Full Text Available High-resolution functional MRI is a leading application for very high field (7 Tesla human MR imaging. Though higher field strengths promise improvements in signal-to-noise ratios (SNR and BOLD contrast relative to fMRI at 3 Tesla, these benefits may be partially offset by accompanying increases in geometric distortion and other off-resonance effects. Such effects may be especially pronounced with the single-shot EPI pulse sequences typically used for fMRI at standard field strengths. As an alternative, one might consider multishot pulse sequences, which may lead to somewhat lower temporal SNR than standard EPI, but which are also often substantially less susceptible to off-resonance effects. Here we consider retinotopic mapping of human visual cortex as a practical test case by which to compare examples of these sequence types for high-resolution fMRI at 7 Tesla. We performed polar angle retinotopic mapping at each of 3 isotropic resolutions (2.0, 1.7, and 1.1 mm using both accelerated single-shot 2D EPI and accelerated multishot 3D gradient-echo pulse sequences. We found that single-shot EPI indeed led to greater temporal SNR and contrast-to-noise ratios (CNR than the multishot sequences. However, additional distortion correction in postprocessing was required in order to fully realize these advantages, particularly at higher resolutions. The retinotopic maps produced by both sequence types were qualitatively comparable, and showed equivalent test/retest reliability. Thus, when surface-based analyses are planned, or in other circumstances where geometric distortion is of particular concern, multishot pulse sequences could provide a viable alternative to single-shot EPI.

Gut microbiome can control antitumor immune function in liver

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An NCI study in mice that found a connection between gut bacteria and antitumor immune responses in the liver has implications for understanding mechanisms that lead to liver cancer and for potential treatments. The study was published in Science.

Measurement of anatomy contouring in EPI review: a practical method for use in radiation therapy departments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Halkett, Georgia; Williams, Marie

2004-01-01

Radiation therapy treatment verification can be performed using hard copy portal films or digital Electronic Portal Images (EPI) of the treatment field, acquired at the time of treatment. This paper describes a practical method of assessing the accuracy of reference anatomy outlining, for treatment sites involving the pelvis, breast and lumbar spine. Seven original bone anatomy outlines contoured onto verification images of five patients, were printed on transparency sheets and reference points were marked at equal distances along the anatomy curves. Two sample anatomy contour sets were created by two independent radiation therapists who outlined visible bone anatomy on the same seven digitally reconstructed radiographs (DRR) and hard copy outlines were obtained. Three independent observers with differing levels of experience, assessed the discrepancies between the original anatomy contours and the sample sets on two occasions one week apart, by measuring the distances between the original and sample set contours (absolute values in mm). The degree of agreement between the same assessor on two occasions (intra-rater reliability) and between assessors (inter-rater reliability) was analysed using parametric analysis for levels of relationship and significant differences. This simple method of reference anatomy outline measurement was shown to be highly reliable within assessors and between assessors (r > 0.87 and rz > 0.75 for both intra- and inter-rater comparisons). This measurement process may be a suitable method, for undertaking quality assurance activities in image verification within radiation therapy departments. Copyright (2004) Australian Institute of Radiography

Optimization of the sequence parameter of multishot-EPI in 0.5T MRI to visualize cerebral microbleeds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kamiya, Naoki; Ito, Yoichi

2007-01-01

By using the gradient type multi-shot EPI method (MSEPI) which reflects the magnetic susceptibility effect more also with 0.5T MRI, it thought that improvement in detection ability of minute cerebral hemorrhage could be aimed at, and the optimal condition was examined. The phantom which put small air bubbles into the gel-like liquid was created, and a flip angle, echo time (TE), the number of shots, and the bandwidth were changed, it picked up, and the image pick-up conditions considered to be the optimal were determined. The vision evaluation in receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used for the determination of photography conditions. Photography conditions made flip angle=90 degree, TE=51 ms(the shortest value acquirable with a full echo),number of shots=8, and bandwidth=62.5 kHz. Next, phantom photography was carried out by the gradient echo method (GRE) which was being used conventionally and the MSEPI method, and vision evaluation in ROC analysis was performed. The MSEPI method (Az=0.978) and the GRE method (Az=0.950). Moreover, in Student's t test (p<0.05), the detection ability of the MSEPI method was high. By picking up by the MSEPI method also with 0.5T MRI, the detection ability of minute cerebral hemorrhage improved rather than the GRE method. (author)

Physician practicing preferences for conventional or homeopathic medicines in elderly subjects with musculoskeletal disorders in the EPI3-MSD cohort

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Danno K

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Karine Danno,1 Clementine Joubert,1 Gerard Duru,2 Jean-Marie Vetel31Laboratoires Boiron, Messimy, France; 2Cyklad Group, Lyon, France; 3Centre Hospitalier du Mans, Le Mans, FranceBackground: Musculoskeletal pain is common in elderly persons. Analgesic use is high in the elderly and may involve unacceptable risk in individuals with chronic pain. Our aim was to compare the socio-demographic characteristics of elderly subjects with musculoskeletal disorders (MSD and to assess medication use and clinical evolution of musculoskeletal pain according to physician prescribing preference: homeopathy (Ho group, conventional medicine (CM group, or mixed prescription (MX group.Methods: The EPI3 study was a 1 year observational survey carried out among general practitioners in France between March 2007 and July 2008. This sub-analysis was carried out on elderly subjects aged ≥70 years from the original EPI3 cohort. Socio-demographic data were collected at inclusion using a self-administered patient questionnaire and medical data were recorded for each patient. Quality of life was measured using the Short Form-12 questionnaire. Patients completed a structured telephone interview on their functional status (evaluated with the QuickDash questionnaire, EIFEL scale or Lequesne index within 72 hours of inclusion. This telephone interview was repeated at 1, 3, and 12 months. Drug exposure was also assessed during these interviews.Results: 146 patients (mean age ± standard deviation: 75.8±4.8 years were analyzed (80.1% female, 74.7% MSD of the spine or lower limbs, 64.4% chronic MSD. Patients in the CM and MX groups were 3.7 times or 2.5 times more likely (odds ratio [OR] =3.71, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.12-12.30; OR =2.52, 95% CI: 1.05-6.05; respectively to have used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs than those in the Ho group. In contrast, analgesic use was comparable in the three groups (OR =1.06 [CM versus Ho], 95% CI: 0.09-12.11; OR =0

Hypoxia-Induced Cisplatin Resistance in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Cells Is Mediated by HIF-1α and Mutant p53 and Can Be Overcome by Induction of Oxidative Stress.

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Deben, Christophe; Deschoolmeester, Vanessa; De Waele, Jorrit; Jacobs, Julie; Van den Bossche, Jolien; Wouters, An; Peeters, Marc; Rolfo, Christian; Smits, Evelien; Lardon, Filip; Pauwels, Patrick

2018-04-21

The compound APR-246 (PRIMA-1 MET ) is a known reactivator of (mutant) p53 and inducer of oxidative stress which can sensitize cancer cells to platinum-based chemotherapeutics. However, the effect of a hypoxic tumor environment has been largely overlooked in this interaction. This study focusses on the role of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) and the p53 tumor suppressor protein in hypoxia-induced cisplatin resistance in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells and the potential of APR-246 to overcome this resistance. We observed that hypoxia-induced cisplatin resistance only occurred in the p53 mutant NCI-H2228 Q331 * cell line, and not in the wild type A549 and mutant NCI-H1975 R273H cell lines. Cisplatin reduced HIF-1α protein levels in NCI-H2228 Q331 * cells, leading to a shift in expression from HIF-1α-dependent to p53-dependent transcription targets under hypoxia. APR-246 was able to overcome hypoxia-induced cisplatin resistance in NCI-H2228 Q331 * cells in a synergistic manner without affecting mutant p53 Q331 * transcriptional activity, but significantly depleting total glutathione levels more efficiently under hypoxic conditions. Synergism was dependent on the presence of mutant p53 Q331 * and the induction of reactive oxygen species, with depletion of one or the other leading to loss of synergism. Our data further support the rationale of combining APR-246 with cisplatin in NSCLC, since their synergistic interaction is retained or enforced under hypoxic conditions in the presence of mutant p53.

Hypoxia-Induced Cisplatin Resistance in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Cells Is Mediated by HIF-1α and Mutant p53 and Can Be Overcome by Induction of Oxidative Stress

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Christophe Deben

2018-04-01

Full Text Available The compound APR-246 (PRIMA-1MET is a known reactivator of (mutant p53 and inducer of oxidative stress which can sensitize cancer cells to platinum-based chemotherapeutics. However, the effect of a hypoxic tumor environment has been largely overlooked in this interaction. This study focusses on the role of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α and the p53 tumor suppressor protein in hypoxia-induced cisplatin resistance in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC cells and the potential of APR-246 to overcome this resistance. We observed that hypoxia-induced cisplatin resistance only occurred in the p53 mutant NCI-H2228Q331* cell line, and not in the wild type A549 and mutant NCI-H1975R273H cell lines. Cisplatin reduced HIF-1α protein levels in NCI-H2228Q331* cells, leading to a shift in expression from HIF-1α-dependent to p53-dependent transcription targets under hypoxia. APR-246 was able to overcome hypoxia-induced cisplatin resistance in NCI-H2228Q331* cells in a synergistic manner without affecting mutant p53Q331* transcriptional activity, but significantly depleting total glutathione levels more efficiently under hypoxic conditions. Synergism was dependent on the presence of mutant p53Q331* and the induction of reactive oxygen species, with depletion of one or the other leading to loss of synergism. Our data further support the rationale of combining APR-246 with cisplatin in NSCLC, since their synergistic interaction is retained or enforced under hypoxic conditions in the presence of mutant p53.

Gene expression patterns associated with neurological disease in human HIV infection.

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Pietro Paolo Sanna

Full Text Available The pathogenesis and nosology of HIV-associated neurological disease (HAND remain incompletely understood. Here, to provide new insight into the molecular events leading to neurocognitive impairments (NCI in HIV infection, we analyzed pathway dysregulations in gene expression profiles of HIV-infected patients with or without NCI and HIV encephalitis (HIVE and control subjects. The Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA algorithm was used for pathway analyses in conjunction with the Molecular Signatures Database collection of canonical pathways (MSigDb. We analyzed pathway dysregulations in gene expression profiles of patients from the National NeuroAIDS Tissue Consortium (NNTC, which consists of samples from 3 different brain regions, including white matter, basal ganglia and frontal cortex of HIV-infected and control patients. While HIVE is characterized by widespread, uncontrolled inflammation and tissue damage, substantial gene expression evidence of induction of interferon (IFN, cytokines and tissue injury is apparent in all brain regions studied, even in the absence of NCI. Various degrees of white matter changes were present in all HIV-infected subjects and were the primary manifestation in patients with NCI in the absence of HIVE. In particular, NCI in patients without HIVE in the NNTC sample is associated with white matter expression of chemokines, cytokines and β-defensins, without significant activation of IFN. Altogether, the results identified distinct pathways differentially regulated over the course of neurological disease in HIV infection and provide a new perspective on the dynamics of pathogenic processes in the course of HIV neurological disease in humans. These results also demonstrate the power of the systems biology analyses and indicate that the establishment of larger human gene expression profile datasets will have the potential to provide novel mechanistic insight into the pathogenesis of neurological disease in HIV

miR-4443 Participates in the Malignancy of Breast Cancer.

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Xiu Chen

Full Text Available Chemo-resistance is the leading cause of failure in cancer therapy, however, much remains to be understood about the intrinsic mechanisms. In the present study, we discovered the novel miR-4443 that regulated malignancy of breast cancer both in vitro and in vivo.We examined the expression of miR-4443 in MDA-MB-231/S and MDA-MB-231 Epirubicin-resistant cell lines with 76 breast cancer formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues by real-time PCR. Also, we investigated the loss- and gain-functions of miR-4443 by MTT assay and flow cytometry. Furthermore, we detected miR-4443 mediated tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 2 expression in cells by TargetScan, RT-qPCR and western blot.We identified the up-regulated expression of miR-4443 in Epi-resistant cell lines versus MDA-MB-231/S cell(Epi versus S and in post-chemotherapy FFPE tissues, along with statistically differential expressions in PR(partial response versus SD(stable disease/PD(progressive disease patients. Overexpression of miR-4443 increased the IC50 value of Epi for the target cells transfected, while inhibition of miR-4443 could restored sensitivity of the target cells to Epi. Besides, down-regulation of endogenous miR-4443 by miRNA-inhibitors significantly enhanced Epi-induced apoptosis while up-regulation of miR-4443 by miRNA-mimics lead to less Epi-induced apoptotic cells. Consequently, changes in TIMP2 mRNA and protein expression revealed that miR-4443 mimics suppressed expression of TIMP2 and induced migration in breast cancer cells. Furthermore, TIMP2 expression associated with better prognosis(HR = 0.721, 95%CI: 0.529-0.983.We revealed that miR-4443 induced malignancy of breast cancer mainly in chemo-resistance aspect for the very first time, providing a novel biomarker in breast cancer diagnosis and therapy.

Attaching the NorA Efflux Pump Inhibitor INF55 to Methylene Blue Enhances Antimicrobial Photodynamic Inactivation of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Vitro and in Vivo.

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Rineh, Ardeshir; Dolla, Naveen K; Ball, Anthony R; Magana, Maria; Bremner, John B; Hamblin, Michael R; Tegos, George P; Kelso, Michael J

2017-10-13

Antimicrobial photodynamic inactivation (aPDI) uses photosensitizers (PSs) and harmless visible light to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) and kill microbes. Multidrug efflux systems can moderate the phototoxic effects of PSs by expelling the compounds from cells. We hypothesized that increasing intracellular concentrations of PSs by inhibiting efflux with a covalently attached efflux pump inhibitor (EPI) would enhance bacterial cell phototoxicity and reduce exposure of neighboring host cells to damaging ROS. In this study, we tested the hypothesis by linking NorA EPIs to methylene blue (MB) and examining the photoantimicrobial activity of the EPI-MB hybrids against the human pathogen methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Photochemical/photophysical and in vitro microbiological evaluation of 16 hybrids carrying four different NorA EPIs attached to MB via four linker types identified INF55-(Ac)en-MB 12 as a lead. Compound 12 showed increased uptake into S. aureus cells and enhanced aPDI activity and wound healing effects (relative to MB) in a murine model of an abrasion wound infected by MRSA. The study supports a new approach for treating localized multidrug-resistant MRSA infections and paves the way for wider exploration of the EPI-PS hybrid strategy in aPDI.

Breast cancer in women aging 35 years old and younger: The Egyptian National Cancer Institute (NCI) experience.

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Darwish, A D; Helal, A M; Aly El-Din, N H; Solaiman, L L; Amin, A

2017-02-01

The aim is to identify the epidemiological and clinicopathological features associated with young breast cancer (BC) patients and to discuss factors affecting tumor recurrence and DFS. A retrospective analysis was conducted based on medical records from young females patients aged ≤35 years with pathologically confirmed primary breast cancer treated during 2008-2010 at NCI. Cases with non invasive cancer and non carcinoma histology are excluded. Of the 5408 cases diagnosed with breast cancer, 554 were young. Four hundred & fifty eight patients representing 9.2% were within our inclusion criteria. Almost half of the patients (45.9%) presented with stage III. Axillary nodes involvement was in 63.9%, 83.3% were grade 2. More than one quarter of tumors was hormone receptors negative (28.8%) & Her2 was over-expressed in 30%. Mastectomy was offered in 72% while conservative breast surgery in 26%, 69.2% received chemotherapy either adjuvant, neoadjuvant or both, 82.5% received adjuvant radiotherapy, 68.6% received hormonal therapy. Metastatic disease developed in 51.3%, with 31% having more than one site of metastases. After a median follow up period of 66 months, the median DFS of patients was 60 months. The median DFS was significantly shorter among patients with positive lymph nodes (P Breast cancer in young women is aggressive from the time of diagnosis. Our results provide baseline data of young BC in the Middle East & North Africa region; thus, contributing to future epidemiological and hospital-based researches. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Structural revision of some recently published iridoid glucosides.

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Jensen, Søren R; Caliş, Ihsan; Gotfredsen, Charlotte H; Søtofte, Inger

2007-01-01

The structures of six different iridoid glucosides have been revised. Three compounds isolated from Eremostachys glabra and designated 6,9-epi-8-O-acetylshanziside (1), 5,9-epi-penstemoside (2), and 5,9-epi-7,8-didehydropenstemoside (3) have been shown to be identical to the known iridoids barlerin (4, 8-O-acetylshanziside), penstemoside (5), and 7,8-didehydropenstemoside (6), respectively. Another compound named harpagoside-B, isolated from Scrophularia deserti and proposed to be 9-epi-6-O-methylharpagoside (11), was demonstrated from the spectroscopic data given to be the known harpagoside (10b). Finally, two alleged iridoid galactosides from Buddleja crispa named buddlejosides A and B (12a and 12b) have been shown to be the corresponding glucosides; the former is identical to agnuside (13a), while the latter is 3,4-dihydroxybenzoylaucubin (13b), an iridoid glucoside not previously published. This clearly showed that care should be taken with the interpretation of NOEs involving bridgehead protons in iridoid structures because they can be capricious and lead to erroneous structural assignments.

24-Epibrassinolide, a Phytosterol from the Brassinosteroid Family, Protects Dopaminergic Cells against MPP+-Induced Oxidative Stress and Apoptosis

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Julie Carange

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Oxidative stress and apoptosis are frequently cited to explain neuronal cell damage in various neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson' s disease. Brassinosteroids (BRs are phytosterols recognized to promote stress tolerance of vegetables via modulation of the antioxidative enzyme cascade. However, their antioxidative effects on mammalian neuronal cells have never been examined so far. We analyzed the ability of 24-epibrassinolide (24-Epi, a natural BR, to protect neuronal PC12 cells from 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium- (MPP+- induced oxidative stress and consequent apoptosis in dopaminergic neurons. Our results demonstrate that 24-Epi reduces the levels of intracellular reactive oxygen species and modulates superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase activities. Finally, we determined that the antioxidative properties of 24-Epi lead to the inhibition of MPP+-induced apoptosis by reducing DNA fragmentation as well as the Bax/Bcl-2 protein ratio and cleaved caspase-3. This is the first time that the potent antioxidant and neuroprotective role of 24-Epi has been shown in a mammalian neuronal cell line.

Understanding Cancer Prognosis

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Understanding Cancer Prognosis

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Full Text Available ... Previous NCI Directors NCI Organization Advisory Boards and Review Groups Budget & Appropriations About the Annual Plan & Budget Proposal NCI Congressional Justification NCI Budget Fact Book Careers at NCI Visitor Information Legislative Activities Hearings & Testimonies ...

Regulation of voltage-gated potassium channels attenuates resistance of side-population cells to gefitinib in the human lung cancer cell line NCI-H460.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Seon Young; Kim, Hang-Rae; Ryu, Pan Dong; Lee, So Yeong

2017-02-21

Side-population (SP) cells that exclude anti-cancer drugs have been found in various tumor cell lines. Moreover, SP cells have a higher proliferative potential and drug resistance than main population cells (Non-SP cells). Also, several ion channels are responsible for the drug resistance and proliferation of SP cells in cancer. To confirm the expression and function of voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channels of SP cells, these cells, as well as highly expressed ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters and stemness genes, were isolated from a gefitinib-resistant human lung adenocarcinoma cell line (NCI-H460), using Hoechst 33342 efflux. In the present study, we found that mRNA expression of Kv channels in SP cells was different compared to Non-SP cells, and the resistance of SP cells to gefitinib was weakened with a combination treatment of gefitinib and Kv channel blockers or a Kv7 opener, compared to single-treatment gefitinib, through inhibition of the Ras-Raf signaling pathway. The findings indicate that Kv channels in SP cells could be new targets for reducing the resistance to gefitinib.

Mortality risk from comorbidities independent of triple-negative breast cancer status: NCI-SEER-based cohort analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Swede, Helen; Sarwar, Amna; Magge, Anil; Braithwaite, Dejana; Cook, Linda S; Gregorio, David I; Jones, Beth A; R Hoag, Jessica; Gonsalves, Lou; L Salner, Andrew; Zarfos, Kristen; Andemariam, Biree; Stevens, Richard G; G Dugan, Alicia; Pensa, Mellisa; A Brockmeyer, Jessica

2016-05-01

A comparatively high prevalence of comorbidities among African-American/Blacks (AA/B) has been implicated in disparate survival in breast cancer. There is a scarcity of data, however, if this effect persists when accounting for the adverse triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) subtype which occurs at threefold the rate in AA/B compared to white breast cancer patients. We reviewed charts of 214 white and 202 AA/B breast cancer patients in the NCI-SEER Connecticut Tumor Registry who were diagnosed in 2000-2007. We employed the Charlson Co-Morbidity Index (CCI), a weighted 17-item tool to predict risk of death in cancer populations. Cox survival analyses estimated hazard ratios (HRs) for all-cause mortality in relation to TNBC and CCI adjusting for clinicopathological factors. Among patients with SEER local stage, TNBC increased the risk of death (HR 2.18, 95 % CI 1.14-4.16), which was attenuated when the CCI score was added to the model (Adj. HR 1.50, 95 % CI 0.74-3.01). Conversely, the adverse impact of the CCI score persisted when controlling for TNBC (Adj. HR 1.49, 95 % CI 1.29-1.71; per one point increase). Similar patterns were observed in SEER regional stage, but estimated HRs were lower. AA/B patients with a CCI score of ≥3 had a significantly higher risk of death compared to AA/B patients without comorbidities (Adj. HR 5.65, 95 % CI 2.90-11.02). A lower and nonsignificant effect was observed for whites with a CCI of ≥3 (Adj. HR 1.90, 95 % CI 0.68-5.29). comorbidities at diagnosis increase risk of death independent of TNBC, and AA/B patients may be disproportionately at risk.

In vivo x-ray fluorescence of bone lead in the study of human lead metabolism: Serum lead, whole blood lead, bone lead, and cumulative exposure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cake, K.M.; Chettle, D.R.; Webber, C.E.; Gordon, C.L.

1995-01-01

Traditionally, clinical studies of lead's effect on health have relied on blood lead levels to indicate lead exposure. However, this is unsatisfactory because blood lead levels have a half-life of approximately 5 weeks, and thus reflect recent exposure. Over 90% of the lead body burden is in bone, and it is thought to have a long residence time, thus implying that measurements of bone lead reflect cumulative exposure. So, measurements of bone lead are useful in understanding the long-term health effects of lead. Ahlgren reported the first noninvasive measurements of bone lead in humans, where γ-rays from 57 Co were used to excite the K series x-rays of lead. The lead detection system at McMaster University uses a 109 Cd source which is positioned at the center of the detector face (HPGe) and a near backscatter (∼160 degrees) geometry. This arrangement allows great flexibility, since one can sample lead in a range of different bone sites due to a robust normalization technique which eliminates the need to correct for bone geometry, thickness of overlying tissue, and other related factors. The effective radiation dose to an adult during an x-ray fluorescence bone lead measurement is extremely low, being 35 nSv. This paper addresses the issue of how bone, whole blood, and serum lead concentrations can be related in order to understand a person's lead exposure history

Comparison of Current Chemical and Stereochemical Tests for the Identification and Differentiation of Pelargonium graveolens L'Hér. (Geraniaceae Essential Oils: Analytical Data for (--(1S, 4R, 5S-Guaia-6,9-diene and (--(7R,10S-10-epi-γ-Eudesmol

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mei Wang

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Commercial geranium oil samples, steam-distilled oils of authenticated plant samples, and a reference sample were investigated by GC/MS to determine the validity and applicability of a series of chemical and stereochemical tests that have been proposed in the literature to identify the country of origin, phytochemical identity or authenticity of geranium oils. The chemical tests evaluated include the ratio of the concentrations of geraniol to citronellol and the presence or absence of certain sesquiterpenes, viz., (-- guaia-6,9-diene and (--10-epi-γ-eudesmol. The stereochemical tests include the stereochemical distribution of i citronellol, ii menthone and isomenthone, and iii rose oxides. The most reliable chemical test was the presence or absence of the sesquiterpene probes. The stereochemical tests proved to be less reliable. Most of the tests could be used to classify geranium oils into general types; however, none of the tests provided a foolproof method to distinguish cultivars or country of origin. During this study, the ambiguity in the absolute stereochemistry of (--10-epi-γ-eudesmol and (--guaia-6,9-diene was addressed, and these two sesquiterpenes could serve as effective markers for the authentication of P. graveolens essential oils.

L'Estatut bàsic de l'empleat públic: les competències autonòmiques - El Estatuto Básico del Empelado Público: las competencias autonómicas - The Basic Statute for Public Employees: the Powers of the Autonomous Governments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Federico Castillo Blanco

2012-12-01

Full Text Available El treball  que es presenta és un estudi de les competències autonòmiques en matèria d'ocupació  pública i, molt especialment, d'allò que es refereix a les competències assumides per Catalunya en virtut de les reformes estatutàries esdevingudes en els últims anys i la incidència de la jurisprudència constitucional sobre aquestes reformes esdevinguda com a conseqüència de l'examen de la constitucionalitat del nou Estatut d'autonomia.El trabajo que se presenta es un estudio de las competencias autonómicas en materia de empleo público y, muy especialmente, en aquello que se refiere a las competencias asumidas por Cataluña en virtud de las reformas estatutarias acontecidas en los últimos años y la incidencia en las mismas de la jurisprudencia constitucional emitida como consecuencia del examen de la constitucionalidad del nuevo Estatuto de autonomía.This paper studies the powers of the governments of the autonomous regions with respect to public employment, in particular, 1 the powers taken on by Catalonia as a result of the statutory reforms of recent years, and 2 the impact on these powers of the constitutional case law that has developed as a result of the challenges to the constitutionality of the new Statute of Autonomy. 

Characterization of 17α-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase activity (17α-HSD and its involvement in the biosynthesis of epitestosterone

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Breton Rock

2005-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Epi-testosterone (epiT is the 17α-epimer of testosterone. It has been found at similar level as testosterone in human biological fluids. This steroid has thus been used as a natural internal standard for assessing testosterone abuse in sports. EpiT has been also shown to accumulate in mammary cyst fluid and in human prostate. It was found to possess antiandrogenic activity as well as neuroprotective effects. So far, the exact pathway leading to the formation of epiT has not been elucidated. Results In this report, we describe the isolation and characterization of the enzyme 17α-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase. The name is given according to its most potent activity. Using cells stably expressing the enzyme, we show that 17α-HSD catalyzes efficienty the transformation of 4-androstenedione (4-dione, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA, 5α-androstane-3,17-dione (5α-dione and androsterone (ADT into their corresponding 17α-hydroxy-steroids : epiT, 5-androstene-3β,17α-diol (epi5diol, 5α-androstane-17α-ol-3-one (epiDHT and 5α-androstane-3α,17α-diol (epi3α-diol, respectively. Similar to other members of the aldo-keto reductase family that possess the ability to reduce the keto-group into hydroxyl-group at different position on the steroid nucleus, 17α-HSD could also catalyze the transformation of DHT, 5α-dione, and 5α-pregnane-3,20-dione (DHP into 3α-diol, ADT and 5α-pregnane-3α-ol-20-one (allopregnanolone through its less potent 3α-HSD activity. We also have over-expressed the 17α-HSD in Escherichia coli and have purified it by affinity chromatography. The purified enzyme exhibits the same catalytic properties that have been observed with cultured HEK-293 stably transfected cells. Using quantitative Realtime-PCR to study tissue distribution of this enzyme in the mouse, we observed that it is expressed at very high levels in the kidney. Conclusion The present study permits to clarify the biosynthesis pathway of epiT. It

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD as a disease of early aging: Evidence from the EpiChron Cohort.

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Miguel J Divo

Full Text Available Aging is an important risk factor for most chronic diseases. Patients with COPD develop more comorbidities than non-COPD subjects. We hypothesized that the development of comorbidities characteristically affecting the elderly occur at an earlier age in subjects with the diagnosis of COPD.We included all subjects carrying the diagnosis of COPD (n = 27,617, and a similar number of age and sex matched individuals without the diagnosis, extracted from the 727,241 records of individuals 40 years and older included in the EpiChron Cohort (Aragon, Spain. We compared the cumulative number of comorbidities, their prevalence and the mortality risk between both groups. Using network analysis, we explored the connectivity between comorbidities and the most influential comorbidities in both groups. We divided the groups into 5 incremental age categories and compared their comorbidity networks. We then selected those comorbidities known to affect primarily the elderly and compared their prevalence across the 5 age groups. In addition, we replicated the analysis in the smokers' subgroup to correct for the confounding effect of cigarette smoking. Subjects with COPD had more comorbidities and died at a younger age compared to controls. Comparison of both cohorts across 5 incremental age groups showed that the number of comorbidities, the prevalence of diseases characteristic of aging and network's density for the COPD group aged 56-65 were similar to those of non-COPD 15 to 20 years older. The findings persisted after adjusting for smoking.Multimorbidity increases with age but in patients carrying the diagnosis of COPD, these comorbidities are seen at an earlier age.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) as a disease of early aging: Evidence from the EpiChron Cohort.

Science.gov (United States)

Divo, Miguel J; Celli, Bartolome R; Poblador-Plou, Beatriz; Calderón-Larrañaga, Amaia; de-Torres, Juan Pablo; Gimeno-Feliu, Luis A; Bertó, Juan; Zulueta, Javier J; Casanova, Ciro; Pinto-Plata, Victor M; Cabrera-Lopez, Carlos; Polverino, Francesca; Carmona Píréz, Jonás; Prados-Torres, Alexandra; Marin, Jose M

2018-01-01

Aging is an important risk factor for most chronic diseases. Patients with COPD develop more comorbidities than non-COPD subjects. We hypothesized that the development of comorbidities characteristically affecting the elderly occur at an earlier age in subjects with the diagnosis of COPD. We included all subjects carrying the diagnosis of COPD (n = 27,617), and a similar number of age and sex matched individuals without the diagnosis, extracted from the 727,241 records of individuals 40 years and older included in the EpiChron Cohort (Aragon, Spain). We compared the cumulative number of comorbidities, their prevalence and the mortality risk between both groups. Using network analysis, we explored the connectivity between comorbidities and the most influential comorbidities in both groups. We divided the groups into 5 incremental age categories and compared their comorbidity networks. We then selected those comorbidities known to affect primarily the elderly and compared their prevalence across the 5 age groups. In addition, we replicated the analysis in the smokers' subgroup to correct for the confounding effect of cigarette smoking. Subjects with COPD had more comorbidities and died at a younger age compared to controls. Comparison of both cohorts across 5 incremental age groups showed that the number of comorbidities, the prevalence of diseases characteristic of aging and network's density for the COPD group aged 56-65 were similar to those of non-COPD 15 to 20 years older. The findings persisted after adjusting for smoking. Multimorbidity increases with age but in patients carrying the diagnosis of COPD, these comorbidities are seen at an earlier age.

Pathological response for neoadjuvant chemotherapy in locally ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background: Breast cancer is the leading cancer in Sudanese females. Objectives: This study was done to evaluate the clinical response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy for patients treated at National Cancer Institute (NCI) and to compare it with the published literature. Methods: This is a retrospective study conducted in ...

Total contribution of airborne lead to blood lead.

OpenAIRE

Manton, W I

1985-01-01

A nine year study of blood lead concentrations and isotope ratios carried out on a married couple shows that pulmonary deposition cannot account for all the airborne lead in blood; that lead from bone may comprise 70% of blood lead; and that during pregnancy blood lead may double due to mobilisation of lead from bone.

Total contribution of airborne lead to blood lead.

Science.gov (United States)

Manton, W I

1985-01-01

A nine year study of blood lead concentrations and isotope ratios carried out on a married couple shows that pulmonary deposition cannot account for all the airborne lead in blood; that lead from bone may comprise 70% of blood lead; and that during pregnancy blood lead may double due to mobilisation of lead from bone. PMID:3970881

Understanding Cancer Prognosis

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Understanding Cancer Prognosis

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Full Text Available ... Reporting & Auditing Grant Transfer Grant Closeout Contracts & Small Business Training Cancer Training at NCI (Intramural) Funding for ... NCI NCI Overview History Contributing to Cancer Research Leadership Director's Page Deputy Director's Page Previous NCI Directors ...

Lead- or Lead-bismuth-cooled fast reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bouchter, J.C.; Courouau, J.L.; Dufour, P.; Guidez, J.; Latge, C.; Martinelli, L.; Renault, C.; Rimpault, G.

2014-01-01

Lead-cooled fast reactors are one of the 6 concepts retained for the 4. generation of nuclear reactors. So far no lead-cooled reactors have existed in the world except lead-bismuth-cooled reactors in soviet submarines. Some problems linked to the use of the lead-bismuth eutectic appeared but were satisfactorily solved by a more rigorous monitoring of the chemistry of the lead-bismuth coolant. Lead presents various advantages as a coolant: no reactivity with water and the air,a high boiling temperature and low contamination when irradiated. The main asset of the lead-bismuth alloy is the drop of the fusion temperature from 327 C degrees to 125 C degrees. The main drawback of using lead (or lead-bismuth) is its high corrosiveness with metals like iron, chromium and nickel. The high corrosiveness of the coolant implies low flow velocities which means a bigger core and consequently a bigger reactor containment. Different research programs in the world (in Europe, Russia and the USA) are reviewed in the article but it appears that the development of this type of reactor requires technological breakthroughs concerning materials and the resistance to corrosion. Furthermore the concept of lead-cooled reactors seems to be associated to a range of low output power because of the compromise between the size of the reactor and its resistance to earthquakes. (A.C.)

Lead in teeth from lead-dosed goats: Microdistribution and relationship to the cumulative lead dose

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bellis, David J.; Hetter, Katherine M.; Jones, Joseph; Amarasiriwardena, Dula; Parsons, Patrick J.

2008-01-01

Teeth are commonly used as a biomarker of long-term lead exposure. There appear to be few data, however, on the content or distribution of lead in teeth where data on specific lead intake (dose) are also available. This study describes the analysis of a convenience sample of teeth from animals that were dosed with lead for other purposes, i.e., a proficiency testing program for blood lead. Lead concentration of whole teeth obtained from 23 animals, as determined by atomic absorption spectrometry, varied from 0.6 to 80 μg g -1 . Linear regression of whole tooth lead (μg g -1 ) on the cumulative lead dose received by the animal (g) yielded a slope of 1.2, with r 2 =0.647 (p -1 , were found in circumpulpal dentine. Linear regression of circumpulpal lead (μg g -1 ) on cumulative lead dose (g) yielded a slope of 23 with r 2 =0.961 (p=0.0001). The data indicated that whole tooth lead, and especially circumpulpal lead, of dosed goats increased linearly with cumulative lead exposure. These data suggest that circumpulpal dentine is a better biomarker of cumulative lead exposure than is whole tooth lead, at least for lead-dosed goats

Quando o humor azeda: o episódio Rushdie em retrospectiva

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Kanavillil Rajagopalan

1996-08-01

Full Text Available Este trabalho é uma tentativa de analisar retrospectivamente o episódio que envolve Salman Rushdie e seu romance Os versículos satânicos. Começo minha análise chamando atenção para o fato de que tanto o enredo da obra quanto o ambiente sócio-político-histórico em que ela aparece estão mergulhados no meio cultural da Índia de modo a não surpreender que o romance tenha se transformado numa questão tão explosiva no cenário internacional. Em seguida argumento que isso tudo nos ensina uma lição importante a respeito de leitura e interpretação. O que quer que Rushdie ou outra pessoa fizesse com o intuito de voltar atrás ou pedir clemência aos aiotolás enfurecidos, não havia como submeter o romance a uma re-leitura - a única interpretação final e definitiva já havia sindo impingida ao malfadado romance. Essa é a enrascada pós-moderna de Rushdie. A ironia - a mesma arma que ele tão habilmente havia utilizado não apenas nos Versículos satânicos mas também em seus romances anteriores - voltou-se contra ele, produzindo um inesperado efeito bumerangue. O que temos aqui é um caso de política da ironia em ação.This paper is an attempt to review in retrospect the episode involving Salman Rushdie and his novel The satanic verses. I begin my analysis by calling attention to the fact that both the plot of the novel and the socio-historico-political backdrop against which it is projected are so steeped in India's cultural milieu that it is indeed surprising that the novel became such an explosive issue on the international scenario. But then I argue that there is an important lesson to be learned from all this concerning reading and interpretation. No matter what Rushdie or anybody else could possibly have done by way of retracing the steps or pleading with Iran's enraged ayatollahs for clemency, there was no way his novel could have been subjected to a re-reading - the one final and definitive interpretation had already

Mortality Risk from Co-Morbidities independent of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Status: NCI SEER-based Cohort Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Swede, Helen; Sarwar, Amna; Magge, Anil; Braithwaite, Dejana; Cook, Linda S.; Gregorio, David I.; Jones, Beth A; Hoag, Jessica; Gonsalves, Lou; Salner, Andrew; Zarfos, Kristen; Andemariam, Biree; Stevens, Richard G; Dugan, Alicia; Pensa, Mellisa; Brockmeyer, Jessica

2017-01-01

Purpose A comparatively high prevalence of co-morbidities among African-American/Blacks (AA/B) has been implicated in disparate survival in breast cancer. There is a scarcity of data, however, if this effect persists when accounting for the adverse triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) subtype which occurs at three-fold the rate in AA/B compared to white breast cancer patients. Methods We reviewed charts of 214 white and 202 AA/B breast cancer patients in the NCI-SEER Connecticut Tumor Registry who were diagnosed in 2000-07. We employed the Charlson Co-Morbidity Index (CCI), a weighted 17-item tool to predict risk of death in cancer populations. Cox Survival Analyses estimated hazard ratios (HR) for all-cause mortality in relation to TNBC and CCI adjusting for clinicopathological factors. Results Among patients with SEER-Local Stage, TNBC increased the risk of death (HR=2.18, 95% CI 1.14-4.16), which was attenuated when the CCI score was added to the model (Adj. HR=1.50, 95% CI 0.74-3.01). Conversely, the adverse impact of the CCI score persisted when controlling for TNBC (Adj. HR=1.49, 95% CI 1.29-1.71; per one point increase). Similar patterns were observed in SEER-Regional Stage but estimated HRs were lower. AA/B patients with a CCI score of ≥3 had a significantly higher risk of death compared to AA/B patients without comorbidities (Adj. HR=5.65, 95% CI 2.90-11.02). A lower and non-significant effect was observed for whites with a CCI of ≥3 (Adj. HR=1.90, 95% CI 0.68-5.29). Conclusions Co-morbidities at diagnosis increase risk of death independent of TNBC, and AA/B patients may be disproportionately at risk. PMID:27000206

The optimum lead thickness for lead-activation detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Si Fenni; Hu Qingyuan

2009-01-01

The optimum lead thickness for lead-activation detectors has been studied in this paper. First existence of the optimum lead thickness is explained theoretically. Then the optimum lead thickness is obtained by two methods, MCNP5 calculation and mathematical estimation. At last factors which affect the optimum lead thickness are discussed. It turns out that the optimum lead thickness is irrelevant to incident neutron energies. It is recommended 2.5 cm generally.

Association between shift work history and performance on the trail making test in middle-aged and elderly humans: the EpiHealth study.

Science.gov (United States)

Titova, Olga E; Lindberg, Eva; Elmståhl, Sölve; Lind, Lars; Schiöth, Helgi B; Benedict, Christian

2016-09-01

Shift work has been proposed to promote cognitive disturbances in humans; however, conflicting evidence is also present. By using data from 7143 middle-aged and elderly humans (45-75 years) who participated in the Swedish EpiHealth cohort study, the present analysis sought to investigate whether self-reported shift work history would be associated with performance on the trail making test (TMT). The TMT has been proposed to be a useful neuropsychological tool to evaluate humans' executive cognitive function, which is known to decrease with age. After adjustment for potential confounders (e.g., age, education, and sleep duration), it was observed that current and recent former shift workers (worked shifts during the past 5 years) performed worse on the TMT than nonshift workers. In contrast, performance on the TMT did not differ between past shift workers (off from shift work for more than 5 years) and nonshift workers. Collectively, our results indicate that shift work history is linked to poorer performance on the TMT in a cohort of middle-aged and elderly humans. Copyright © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Pre-Travel Health Preparation of Pediatric International Travelers: Analysis From the Global TravEpiNet Consortium.

Science.gov (United States)

Hagmann, Stefan; LaRocque, Regina C; Rao, Sowmya R; Jentes, Emily S; Sotir, Mark J; Brunette, Gary; Ryan, Edward T

2013-12-01

Children frequently travel internationally. Health-related data on such children are limited. We sought to investigate the demographics, health characteristics, and preventive interventions of outbound US international pediatric travelers. We analyzed data from 32 099 travelers presenting for pre-travel healthcare at the Global TravEpiNet (GTEN), a national consortium of 19 travel clinics, from January 1, 2009 to June 6, 2012. A total of 3332 (10%) of all GTEN travelers were children (traveled mostly for leisure (36%) or to visit friends or relatives (VFR) (36%). Most popular destination regions were Africa (41%), Southeast Asia (16%), Central America (16%), and the Caribbean (16%). Compared with children traveling for leisure, VFR children were more likely to present travel consultation (44% vs 28%), intended to travel for 28 days or longer (70% vs 22%), and to travel to Africa (62% vs 32%). Nearly half of the pediatric travelers (46%) received at least 1 routine vaccine, and most (83%) received at least 1 travel-related vaccine. Parents or guardians of one third of the children (30%) refused at least 1 recommended travel-related vaccine. Most pediatric travelers visiting a malaria-endemic country (72%) received a prescription for malaria chemoprophylaxis. Ten percent of travelers seeking pre-travel healthcare at GTEN sites are children. VFR-travel, pre-travel consultation close to time of departure, and refusal of recommended vaccines may place children at risk for travel-associated illness. Strategies to engage pediatric travelers in timely, pre-travel care and improve acceptance of pre-travel healthcare interventions are needed. © The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

PICTORIAL ESSAY Pseudoachondroplasia: Report on a South ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

and waddling gait become evident. The radiological manifestations are descriptively termed spondylo-epi-metaphyseal dysplasia (SEMD). Significant retardation of epiphyseal ossification manifests with small, round epiphyses. The epiphyseal dysplasia leads to premature degenerative joint disease. The metaphyses are ...

Apports de l’ergotoxicologie à l’évaluation de l’efficacité réelle des EPI devant protéger du risque phytosanitaire : de l’analyse de la contamination au processus collectif d’alerte Contribution of Ergotoxicology to the Determination of Actual PPE Effectiveness in Protecting Users From Phytosanitary Risks:From Contamination Analysis to the Collective Whistle-Blowing Process Aportes de la ergotoxicoliogía a la evaluación de la eficacia real de los epi destinados a proteger del riesgo fitosanitario : del análisis de la contaminación al proceso colectivo de alerta

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alain Garrigou

2008-05-01

Full Text Available L’objectif de cet article est de présenter des résultats récents d’une recherche/action en ergotoxicologie concernant les risques liés à l’usage des produits phytosanitaires. Cette recherche propose une double articulation : la première entre des résultats issus d’analyses en situations de travail portant sur la contamination externe des viticulteurs et des résultats issus de tests en laboratoire portant sur la perméation des combinaisons. La seconde articulation concerne le lien entre l’ensemble des résultats cités ci-dessus et une analyse des failles techniques et organisationnelles de la conception et des processus de certification des EPI (équipements de protection individuelle. Sur ces bases, la question des EPI sera alors abordée sous l’angle d’un transfert de technologie entre des milieux industriels et les réalités des situations agricoles. Ceci conduit à un diagnostic très préoccupant en matière d’efficacité réelle des combinaisons. Nous aborderons aussi les questions des responsabilités juridiques soulevées par de tels manquements. Enfin, nous détaillerons le rôle de whistler blower (Vaugan, 1996 que nous avons décidé de jouer ainsi que le processus d’alerte que nous avons construit afin de poser autrement le problème des EPI et intéresser l’ensemble des acteurs.This paper presents the results of an ergotoxicologic study on the effectiveness, in real-life conditions, of the protective suits recommended by preventionists. The arguments presented in the paper are based on the Pestexpo study conducted by Isabelle Baldi (Baldi et al. (2002 and Baldi et al. (2006, which involved analyzing the exposure of vineyard workers to plant protection products by using an ergo-toxicologic approach. The point is to identify different types of exposure by taking into account the characteristics of the actual work (as opposed to what the operators are supposed to be doing as an outcome of personal

A molecular targeting against nuclear factor-κB, as a chemotherapeutic approach for human malignant mesothelioma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nishikawa, Sho; Tanaka, Akane; Matsuda, Akira; Oida, Kumiko; Jang, Hyosun; Jung, Kyungsook; Amagai, Yosuke; Ahn, Ginae; Okamoto, Noriko; Ishizaka, Saori; Matsuda, Hiroshi

2014-01-01

Chronic inflammation due to the absorption of asbestos is an important cause of mesothelioma. Although the increased prevalence of mesothelioma is a serious problem, the development of effective chemotherapeutic agents remains incomplete. As the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) pathway contributes to malignant transformation of various types of cells, we explored NF-κB activity in three different pathological types of malignant mesothelioma cells, and evaluated the therapeutic potential of a recently reported NF-κB inhibitor, IMD-0354. NF-κB was constantly activated in MSTO-211H, NCI-H28, and NCI-H2052 cells, and the proliferation of these cell lines was inhibited by IMD-0354. D-type cyclins were effectively suppressed in mixed tissue type MSTO-211H, leading to cell cycle arrest at sub G 1 /G 1 phase. IMD-0354 reduced cyclin D3 in both epithelial tissue type NCI-H28 and sarcomatoid tissue type NCI-H2052. In a sphere formation assay, IMD-0354 effectively decreased the number and diameter of MSTO-211H spheres. Preincubation of MSTO-211H cells with IMD-0354 delayed tumor formation in transplanted immunodeficient mice. Furthermore, administration of IMD-0354 markedly rescued the survival rate of mice that received intrathoracic injections of MSTO-211H cells. These results indicate that a targeted drug against NF-κB might have therapeutic efficacy in the treatment of human malignant mesothelioma

Elements of programming interviews the insider's guide

CERN Document Server

Aziz, Adnan; Prakash, Amit

2015-01-01

This is a larger-format version of Elements of Programming Interviews. The language is C++. Specifically, the font size is larger, and the page size is 7"x10" (the regular format uses 6"x9"). The content is identical. Have you ever... Wanted to work at an exciting futuristic company? Struggled with an interview problem that could have been solved in 15 minutes? Wished you could study real-world computing problems? If so, you need to read Elements of Programming Interviews (EPI). EPI is your comprehensive guide to interviewing for software development roles. The core of EPI is a collection of over 250 problems with detailed solutions. The problems are representative of interview questions asked at leading software companies. The problems are illustrated with 200 figures, 300 tested programs, and 150 additional variants. The book begins with a summary of the nontechnical aspects of interviewing, such as strategies for a great interview, common mistakes, perspectives from the other side of the table,...

Lead poisoning

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Beijers, J A

1952-01-01

Three cases of acute lead poisoning of cattle herds via ingestion are reported, and reference is made to several other incidents of lead in both humans and animals. The quantity of lead which was found in the livers of the dead cows varied from 6.5 to 19 mg/kg, while 1160 mg/kg of lead in the liver was found for a young cow which was poisoned experimentally with 5 gms of lead acetate per day; hence, there appears to be great variability in the amounts deposited that can lead to intoxication and death. No evidence was found for a lead seam around the teeth, prophyrinuria, or basophil granules in the erythrocytes during acute or chronic lead poisoning of cattle or horses examined. Reference is made to attempts of finding the boundary line between increased lead absorption and lead intoxication in humans, and an examination of 60 laborers in an offset-printing office containing a great deal of inhalable lead (0.16 to 1.9 mg/cu m air) is reviewed. Physical deviation, basophylic granulation of erythrocytes, increased lead content of the urine, and porphyrinuria only indicate an increased absorption of lead; the use of the term intoxication is justified if, in addition, there are complaints of lack of appetite, constipation, fatigue, abdominal pain, and emaciation.

Simulation of the cost-effectiveness of malaria vaccines

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Tediosi Fabrizio

2009-06-01

often a more efficient alternative to the EPI. However, the costs of increasing the coverage of mass vaccination over 50% often exceed the benefits. Conclusion The simulations indicate malaria vaccines might be efficient malaria control interventions, and that both transmission setting and vaccine delivery modality are important to their cost-effectiveness. Alternative vaccine delivery modalities to the EPI may be more efficient than the EPI. Mass vaccination is predicted to provide substantial health benefits at low additional costs, although achieving high coverage rates can lead to substantial incremental costs.

Musculocontractural Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and neurocristopathies: dermatan sulfate is required for Xenopus neural crest cells to migrate and adhere to fibronectin.

Science.gov (United States)

Gouignard, Nadège; Maccarana, Marco; Strate, Ina; von Stedingk, Kristoffer; Malmström, Anders; Pera, Edgar M

2016-06-01

Of all live births with congenital anomalies, approximately one-third exhibit deformities of the head and face. Most craniofacial disorders are associated with defects in a migratory stem and progenitor cell population, which is designated the neural crest (NC). Musculocontractural Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (MCEDS) is a heritable connective tissue disorder with distinct craniofacial features; this syndrome comprises multiple congenital malformations that are caused by dysfunction of dermatan sulfate (DS) biosynthetic enzymes, including DS epimerase-1 (DS-epi1; also known as DSE). Studies in mice have extended our understanding of DS-epi1 in connective tissue maintenance; however, its role in fetal development is not understood. We demonstrate that DS-epi1 is important for the generation of isolated iduronic acid residues in chondroitin sulfate (CS)/DS proteoglycans in early Xenopus embryos. The knockdown of DS-epi1 does not affect the formation of early NC progenitors; however, it impairs the correct activation of transcription factors involved in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and reduces the extent of NC cell migration, which leads to a decrease in NC-derived craniofacial skeleton, melanocytes and dorsal fin structures. Transplantation experiments demonstrate a tissue-autonomous role for DS-epi1 in cranial NC cell migration in vivo Cranial NC explant and single-cell cultures indicate a requirement of DS-epi1 in cell adhesion, spreading and extension of polarized cell processes on fibronectin. Thus, our work indicates a functional link between DS and NC cell migration. We conclude that NC defects in the EMT and cell migration might account for the craniofacial anomalies and other congenital malformations in MCEDS, which might facilitate the diagnosis and development of therapies for this distressing condition. Moreover, the presented correlations between human DS-epi1 expression and gene sets of mesenchymal character, invasion and metastasis in

Musculocontractural Ehlers–Danlos syndrome and neurocristopathies: dermatan sulfate is required for Xenopus neural crest cells to migrate and adhere to fibronectin

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nadège Gouignard

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Of all live births with congenital anomalies, approximately one-third exhibit deformities of the head and face. Most craniofacial disorders are associated with defects in a migratory stem and progenitor cell population, which is designated the neural crest (NC. Musculocontractural Ehlers–Danlos syndrome (MCEDS is a heritable connective tissue disorder with distinct craniofacial features; this syndrome comprises multiple congenital malformations that are caused by dysfunction of dermatan sulfate (DS biosynthetic enzymes, including DS epimerase-1 (DS-epi1; also known as DSE. Studies in mice have extended our understanding of DS-epi1 in connective tissue maintenance; however, its role in fetal development is not understood. We demonstrate that DS-epi1 is important for the generation of isolated iduronic acid residues in chondroitin sulfate (CS/DS proteoglycans in early Xenopus embryos. The knockdown of DS-epi1 does not affect the formation of early NC progenitors; however, it impairs the correct activation of transcription factors involved in the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT and reduces the extent of NC cell migration, which leads to a decrease in NC-derived craniofacial skeleton, melanocytes and dorsal fin structures. Transplantation experiments demonstrate a tissue-autonomous role for DS-epi1 in cranial NC cell migration in vivo. Cranial NC explant and single-cell cultures indicate a requirement of DS-epi1 in cell adhesion, spreading and extension of polarized cell processes on fibronectin. Thus, our work indicates a functional link between DS and NC cell migration. We conclude that NC defects in the EMT and cell migration might account for the craniofacial anomalies and other congenital malformations in MCEDS, which might facilitate the diagnosis and development of therapies for this distressing condition. Moreover, the presented correlations between human DS-epi1 expression and gene sets of mesenchymal character, invasion and

Biosorption of lead phosphates by lead-tolerant bacteria as a mechanism for lead immobilization.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodríguez-Sánchez, Viridiana; Guzmán-Moreno, Jesús; Rodríguez-González, Vicente; Flores-de la Torre, Juan Armando; Ramírez-Santoyo, Rosa María; Vidales-Rodríguez, Luz Elena

2017-08-01

The study of metal-tolerant bacteria is important for bioremediation of contaminated environments and development of green technologies for material synthesis due to their potential to transform toxic metal ions into less toxic compounds by mechanisms such as reduction, oxidation and/or sequestration. In this study, we report the isolation of seven lead-tolerant bacteria from a metal-contaminated site at Zacatecas, México. The bacteria were identified as members of the Staphylococcus and Bacillus genera by microscopic, biochemical and 16S rDNA analyses. Minimal inhibitory concentration of these isolates was established between 4.5 and 7.0 mM of Pb(NO 3 ) 2 in solid and 1.0-4.0 mM of Pb(NO 3 ) 2 in liquid media. A quantitative analysis of the lead associated to bacterial biomass in growing cultures, revealed that the percentage of lead associated to biomass was between 1 and 37% in the PbT isolates. A mechanism of complexation/biosorption of lead ions as inorganic phosphates (lead hydroxyapatite and pyromorphite) in bacterial biomass, was determined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analyses. Thus, the ability of the lead-tolerant isolates to transform lead ions into stable and highly insoluble lead minerals make them potentially useful for immobilization of lead in mining waste.

Relações entre controle executivo e memória episódica verbal no comprometimento cognitivo leve e na demência tipo Alzheimer Relationships between executive control and verbal episodic memory in the mild cognitive impairment and the Alzheimer-type dementia

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Amer Cavalheiro Hamdan

2005-04-01

Full Text Available Este estudo comparou e relacionou o desempenho de idosos com Comprometimento Cognitivo Leve e Demência Tipo Alzheimer em testes de controle executivo e de memória episódica verbal. Para a avaliação da memória episódica verbal utilizamos a Tarefa de Recordação de Palavras Imediata e a Tarefa de Recordação de Palavras com Intervalo. Na avaliação do controle executivo foram utilizados, os seguintes testes: Random Number Generation, Trail Making Test, Fluência Verbal semântica e fonológica, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Reading Span Test e Brow-Peterson Test. Treze idosos do grupo controle foram equiparados quanto à idade e escolaridade com nove idosos com Comprometimento Cognitivo Leve e oito idosos com Demência Tipo Alzheimer. Foram encontradas diferenças e associações estatisticamente significantes em relação aos testes de controle executivo entre os grupos investigados. Apesar da presença de associações significativas entre a memória episódica verbal e o controle executivo, não foram evidenciados déficits do controle executivo nos idosos com Comprometimento Cognitivo Leve.This study compared and related the performance of older people with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer-type dementia in tests of executive control and of verbal episodic memory. In the evaluation of the verbal episodic memory we used the Task of Immediate Word Recall and the Task of Delayed Word Recall. In the evaluation of executive control we used the following tests: Random Number Generation, Trail Making Test, Semantic and Phonological Verbal Fluency, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Reading Span Test, and Brow-Peterson Test. Thirteen elders of the control group were compared by age and education with nine elders with Mild Cognitive Impairment and eight elders with Alzheimer-type dementia. Differences and significant statistical associations were found in relation to the tests of executive control with the groups investigated. Despite the