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Sample records for ptc taster status

  1. PHENYLTHIOCARBAMIDE (PTC TASTER STATUS IN SOUTH INDIAN ADULT MEDICAL STUDENTS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sachin Rathod

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND The objective of this study was to determine Phenylthiocarbamide (PTC taster status in adults who are studying medicine and its relationship with anthropometric variables such as Body Mass Index (BMI, Body Fat Percentage (BFP and pleasantness of sugar, salt, and fat. A total of 112 subjects rated the intensity of Phenylthiocarbamide and sodium chloride (NaCl solutions using the labelled magnitude scale. For pleasantness evaluation, it was used with concentrated lemon juice (sugar and mashed potato (salt and fat. The subjects were classified as non-tasters (n=32, medium-tasters (n=31 and super-tasters (n=49. In this study, no relationship was found between phenylthiocarbamide taster status and age, sex, weight, body mass index, and pleasantness. Although genetic markers may influence the degree of liking of certain foods, one must consider that the mechanisms influencing eating behaviour in humans are complex, and that psychological, social, and economic factors play a key role in response to food.

  2. Phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) perception in ultra-high risk for psychosis participants who develop schizophrenia: testing the evidence for an endophenotypic marker

    OpenAIRE

    Brewer, Warrick J; Lin, Ashleigh; Moberg, Paul J; Smutzer, Gregory; Nelson, Barnaby; Yung, Alison R; Pantelis, Christos; McGorry, Patrick D; Turetsky, Bruce I; Wood, Stephen J.

    2012-01-01

    Reports suggesting that schizophrenia participants are more likely to be phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) non-tasters when compared to controls have recently been controversial. If supported, a genetic-based phenotypic variation in PTC taster status is implicated, suggesting a greater illness risk for those participants with recessive alleles for the TAS2R38 receptor. Should PTC insensitivity be a schizophrenia endophenotype, then it would be expected in follow-up of ultra high-risk for psychosis pa...

  3. 6-n-propyltiouracil (PROP taster status in Brazilian adults

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    Maria Carolina Batista Campos Von Atzingen

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this study was to determine PROP (6-n-propyltiouracil taster status in adults and its relationship with anthropometric variables and pleasantness of sugar, salt, and fat. A total of 123 subjects rated the intensity of PROP and sodium cloride (NaCl solutions using the labeled magnitude scale. For pleasantness evaluation, it was used concentrated orange juice (sugar and mashed potato (salt and fat. The subjects were classified as non-tasters (n = 35, medium-tasters (n = 33 and super-tasters (n = 55. In this study, no relationship was found between PROP taster status and age, sex, weight, body mass index, and pleasantness. Although genetic markers may influence the degree of liking of certain foods, one must consider that the mechanisms influencing eating behavior in humans are complex, and that psychological, social, and economic factors play a key role in response to food.

  4. Rapid Expansion of Phenylthiocarbamide Non-Tasters among Japanese Macaques.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nami Suzuki-Hashido

    Full Text Available Bitter taste receptors (TAS2R proteins allow mammals to detect and avoid ingestion of toxins in food. Thus, TAS2Rs play an important role in food choice and are subject to complex natural selection pressures. In our previous study, we examined nucleotide variation in TAS2R38, a gene expressing bitter taste receptor for phenylthiocarbamide (PTC, in 333 Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata from 9 local populations in Japan. We identified a PTC "non-taster" TAS2R38 allele in Japanese macaques that was caused by a loss of the start codon. This PTC non-taster allele was only found in a limited local population (the Kii area, at a frequency of 29%. In this study, we confirmed that this allele was present in only the Kii population by analyzing an additional 264 individuals from eight new populations. Using cellular and behavioral experiments, we found that this allele lost its receptor function for perceiving PTC. The nucleotide sequences of the allele including flanking regions (of about 10 kb from 23 chromosomes were identical, suggesting that a non-taster allele arose and expanded in the Kii population during the last 13,000 years. Genetic analyses of non-coding regions in Kii individuals and neighboring populations indicated that the high allele frequency in the Kii population could not be explained by demographic history, suggesting that positive selection resulted in a rapid increase in PTC non-tasters in the Kii population. The loss-of-function that occurred at the TAS2R38 locus presumably provided a fitness advantage to Japanese macaques in the Kii population. Because TAS2R38 ligands are often found in plants, this functional change in fitness is perhaps related to feeding habit specificity. These findings should provide valuable insights for elucidating adaptive evolutionary changes with respect to various environments in wild mammals.

  5. Higher TNF-α, IGF-1 and leptin levels are found in tasters than non-tasters

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    Rui eWang

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Taste perception is controlled by taste cells that are present in the tongue and produce and secrete various metabolic hormones. Recent studies have demonstrated that taste receptors in tongue, gut and the pancreas are associated with local hormone secretion. The aim of this study was to determine whether there is a link between taste sensitivity and levels of circulating metabolic hormones in human and whether taste sensitivity is potentially related to peripheral metabolic regulation. 31 subjects were recruited and separated into tasters and non-tasters based on their phenol thiocarbamide (PTC bitter taste test results. Fasting plasma and saliva were collected and levels of hormones and cytokines were assayed. We observed significant differences in both hormone levels and hormone-body mass index (BMI correlation between tasters and non-tasters. Tasters had higher plasma levels of leptin (p=0.05, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α (p=0.04, and Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1 (p=0.03. There was also a trend towards increased IGF-1 levels in the saliva of tasters (p=0.06. We found a positive correlation between plasma levels of glucose and BMI (R=0.4999, p=0.04 exclusively in non-tasters, not in tasters. In contrast, plasma C-peptide levels were found to be positively correlated to BMI (R=0.5563, p=0.03 in tasters. Saliva TNF-α levels were negatively correlated with BMI in tasters (R= -0.5908, p=0.03. Our findings demonstrate that there are differences in circulating levels of leptin, TNF-α and IGF-1 between tasters and non-tasters. These findings indicate that in addition to regulate eating behaviours, taste perception could also affect energy metabolism by controlling hormone secretion. People with different taste sensitivity may respond differently to the nutrient stimulation. Further work investigating the link between taste perception and peripheral metabolic control could potentially lead to the development of novel therapies for obese

  6. PROP taster status, food preferences and consumption of high-calorie snacks and sweet beverages among 6-year-old ethnically diverse children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wijtzes, Anne I; Jansen, Wilma; Bouthoorn, Selma H; Kiefte-de Jong, Jessica C; Jansen, Pauline W; Franco, Oscar H; Jaddoe, Vincent W V; Hofman, Albert; Raat, Hein

    2017-04-01

    A healthy diet is important for optimal growth and development in children. Food preferences are a main determinant of children's intake. The aim of this study was to examine the associations of 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) taster status (taste sensitivity to PROP) with children's food preferences and consumption of high-calorie snacks and sweet beverages among ethnically diverse children. We analysed data from 5585 6-year-old children enrolled in the Generation R Study, a birth cohort study in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. PROP taster status was evaluated using a suprathreshold screening solution. Food preferences of the children were assessed by a two-stage protocol using photographs of eight food items (candy, chocolate, mayonnaise, whipped cream, soup, potato chips, carrot and bread), yielding both hedonic ratings (1-3) and rank order scores (1-8). Univariate and multivariable linear and logistic regression analyses were performed, using tasters as the reference group. Non-tasters had a slightly higher preference for carrots (β: -0.07; 95% CI: -0.13, -0.02 and β: -0.15; 95% CI: -0.27, -0.02 for hedonic ratings and rank order scores, respectively) and bread (hedonic ratings; β: -0.06; 95% CI: -0.11, -0.01) compared with tasters. No differences were found in children's preference for sweet, fat or salty food items. Furthermore, there were no associations of PROP taster status with the consumption of high-calorie snacks ≥ 2 times/day (aOR: 1.06; 95% CI: 0.91,1.24) or sweet beverages ≥ 3 glasses/day (aOR: 1.06; 95% CI: 0.92,1.23). Other factors relating to the family food environment may be more important for young children's food preferences and consumption of high-calorie snacks and sweet beverages than their innate taste sensitivity. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  7. 6-n-propyltiouracil (PROP taster status in Brazilian adults Sensibilidade ao 6-n-propiltiouracil (PROP em adultos brasileiros

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Carolina Batista Campos Von Atzingen

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this study was to determine PROP (6-n-propyltiouracil taster status in adults and its relationship with anthropometric variables and pleasantness of sugar, salt, and fat. A total of 123 subjects rated the intensity of PROP and sodium cloride (NaCl solutions using the labeled magnitude scale. For pleasantness evaluation, it was used concentrated orange juice (sugar and mashed potato (salt and fat. The subjects were classified as non-tasters (n = 35, medium-tasters (n = 33 and super-tasters (n = 55. In this study, no relationship was found between PROP taster status and age, sex, weight, body mass index, and pleasantness. Although genetic markers may influence the degree of liking of certain foods, one must consider that the mechanisms influencing eating behavior in humans are complex, and that psychological, social, and economic factors play a key role in response to food.O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar o nível de sensibilidade ao PROP (6-n-propiltiouracil em adultos e sua relação com as variáveis antropométricas e o grau de gostar de açúcar, sal e gordura. Um grupo de 123 indivíduos avaliou a intensidade de soluções de PROP e cloreto de sódio (NaCl por meio da escala de magnitude rotulada. Para a avaliação do grau de gostar, foram utilizados suco de laranja (açúcar e purê de batata (sal e gordura. Os indivíduos foram classificados em não sensíveis (n = 35, médio sensíveis (n = 33 e supersensíveis (n = 55. Não foi encontrada relação entre nível de sensibilidade ao PROP e idade, gênero, peso e índice de massa corporal, e grau de gostar. Embora marcadores genéticos possam influenciar o grau de gostar de determinados alimentos, os mecanismos que influenciam o comportamento alimentar são complexos, sendo que os aspectos psicológicos, sociais e econômicos desempenham um importante papel na resposta atribuída aos alimentos.

  8. Genetic Variation in the TAS2R38 Bitter Taste Receptor and Smoking Behaviors.

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    Davide S Risso

    Full Text Available Common TAS2R38 taste receptor gene variants specify the ability to taste phenylthiocarbamide (PTC, 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP and structurally related compounds. Tobacco smoke contains a complex mixture of chemical substances of varying structure and functionality, some of which activate different taste receptors. Accordingly, it has been suggested that non-taster individuals may be more likely to smoke because of their inability to taste bitter compounds present in tobacco smoke, but results to date have been conflicting. We studied three cohorts: 237 European-Americans from the state of Georgia, 1,353 European-Americans and 2,363 African-Americans from the Dallas Heart Study (DHS, and 4,973 African-Americans from the Dallas Biobank. Tobacco use data was collected and TAS2R38 polymorphisms were genotyped for all participants, and PTC taste sensitivity was assessed in the Georgia population. In the Georgia group, PTC tasters were less common among those who smoke: 71.5% of smokers were PTC tasters while 82.5% of non-smokers were PTC tasters (P = 0.03. The frequency of the TAS2R38 PAV taster haplotype showed a trend toward being lower in smokers (38.4% than in non-smokers (43.1%, although this was not statistically significant (P = 0.31. In the DHS European-Americans, the taster haplotype was less common in smokers (37.0% vs. 44.0% in non-smokers, P = 0.003, and conversely the frequency of the non-taster haplotype was more common in smokers (58.7% vs. 51.5% in non-smokers, P = 0.002. No difference in the frequency of these haplotypes was observed in African Americans in either the Dallas Heart Study or the Dallas Biobank. We conclude that TAS2R38 haplotypes are associated with smoking status in European-Americans but not in African-American populations. PTC taster status may play a role in protecting individuals from cigarette smoking in specific populations.

  9. Consumption of a high-fat soup preload leads to differences in short-term energy and fat intake between PROP non-taster and super-taster women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shafaie, Yasmine; Hoffman, Daniel J; Tepper, Beverly J

    2015-06-01

    Taste blindness to the bitterness of PROP (6-n-propylthiouracil) has been used as a genetic marker for food selection and adiposity. We have shown that PROP non-taster (NT) women have higher BMIs and habitually consume more fat and energy than either medium-taster (MT) or super-taster (ST) women. These data imply that differences in dietary selection underlie the body weight differences among PROP taster groups. However, no studies investigated energy compensation in women classified by PROP status. We investigated if NTs would compensate less accurately for the calories and fat in a high-fat soup preload in a subsequent test meal compared to MTs and STs. Energy intake from a buffet meal was measured in 75 healthy non-diet-restrained, lean women 30 min after the ingestion of a high-fat soup preload (0.8 kcal/g; 55% calories from fat), calculated to represent 10% of resting energy expenditure for each subject, or the same volume of water. Subjects (n = 20-28/taster group) ate a standard breakfast followed 3 hr later by an ad-libitum buffet lunch, on two occasions. There were no differences in energy intake or macronutrient selection across taster groups after water. After soup, NTs consumed more energy than STs. Fat intake (as %-energy) was higher in NTs (46.4% ± 2.4) compared to either MTs (36.1 ± 1.9%) or STs (38.1% ± 2.3; p < 0.05). NTs overate by 11% ± 5 after the soup compared to MTs and STs who underrate by 16% ± 6 and 26% ± 10, respectively (p < 0.01). These data suggest that small discrepancies in short-term energy compensation and selection of fat after a mixed-nutrient, high-fat preload may play a role in positive energy balance and increased adiposity in women with the PROP non-taster phenotype. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. The population structure of Ukraine in relation to the ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Background: The taste sensitivity to phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) is one of the classical genetic markers in human studies. PTC is of great interest from the medical point of view since a number of associations of the taster status with human diseases have been found. The aim of our study was to evaluate the population ...

  11. PTC

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Ruqaiya Hussain

    2013-07-25

    Jul 25, 2013 ... adopted as per the sorting technique of serial dilutions of. Harris and Kalmus .... ABO blood group, PTC taste ability, and red-green color · blindness. Biol Bull ... project: a major locus for PTC taste ability on chromosome 7q.

  12. Greater energy intake from a buffet meal in lean, young women is associated with the 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) non-taster phenotype.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tepper, Beverly J; Neilland, Meredith; Ullrich, Natalia V; Koelliker, Yvonne; Belzer, Lisa M

    2011-02-01

    Taste blindness to 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) is a common phenotype that has been associated with increased adiposity in women, and might be linked to increased selection of dietary fats. Since exposure to a variety of high-fat/energy-dense foods is known to promote excess energy intake, we investigated if PROP non-taster women would consume more fat and/or energy in a buffet setting than super-taster women. Subjects were non-diet restrained, lean, young women; 14 were non-tasters and 18 were super-tasters. Subjects ate lunch in the laboratory on four separate days. On one day they consumed an ad libitum, fixed-item lunch (control). On the other three days they consumed different buffet lunches (pizza/tacos/sub sandwiches with salad bar and choice of beverage and dessert). Energy intake from the control lunch did not differ between groups. When intake was averaged across the buffet lunches, non-taster women consumed 357+64 kcal more energy than during the control lunch (88% more), whereas super-taster women consumed 198+71 kcal more energy than during the control lunch (38% more). Neither fat intake nor selection of high-fat foods differed between groups. These data suggest that non-taster women consume more energy from a buffet meal than super-taster women, but not more fat. Increased responsiveness to a variety of energy-dense foods could be one mechanism contributing to increased energy intake and greater adiposity in non-taster women. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Dental Erosion and Dentinal Sensitivity amongst Professional Wine Tasters in South East Queensland, Australia

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    Roy George

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Background/Aims. Professional wine tasters face a hidden occupational hazard due to the high acid content in wine. This study evaluates the self-perceived dentinal sensitivity and erosive effects of wine on the professional wine tasters of the Granite Belt and the Scenic Rim regions of South East Queensland, Australia. Methods. Seventy wineries were contacted and participants were surveyed about their professional wine tasting experience and oral health. Participants were also required to rate their tooth sensitivity prior to being examined for erosion using a modified Smith & Knight tooth wear index. The data were analysed using Mann Whitney U test and Spearman’s correlation test. Results. The results showed that most participants (25 males, 22–66 yrs, brushed twice a day; however, the majority did not floss daily and had limited knowledge of the erosive effect of wine. There was a direct correlation between years of wine tasting, age of participants, and the erosion index. Correlation was not observed between the participant’s sensitivity index and erosion index. Conclusion. The lack of significant experience of dentinal hypersensitivity amongst professional wine tasters should not prevent oral health practitioners from providing necessary counselling and undertaking preventive measures, as tooth wear can have serious long-term effect on oral health of an individual.

  14. Bitter receptor gene (TAS2R38) P49A genotypes and their associations with aversion to vegetables and sweet/fat foods in Malaysian subjects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ooi, Shee-Xuen; Lee, Pui-Leng; Law, Huey-Yi; Say, Yee-How

    2010-01-01

    Recently, the bitter receptor gene (TAS2R38) was identified to be responsible for phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) bitter sensitivity. Its two predominant haplotypes at three Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) are found to be definitive for the PTC status, which the ProAlaVal and AlaValIle haplotypes are associated with tasters and non-tasters, respectively. TAS2R38 haplotypes have been reported to influence food preferences (like cruciferous vegetables and fat foods) and cardiovascular disease risk factors. We examined, in 215 Malaysian subjects (100 males, 115 females), the association of the P49A SNP of TAS2R38 with anthropometric measurements and aversion to a list of 36 vegetables, 4 soy products, green tea and 37 sweet/fat foods. The subjects were successfully genotyped as 110 PA, 81 PP and 24 AA (with the A49 allelic frequency of 0.37), by Polymerase Chain Reaction-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Ethnicity (Malay, Chinese or Indian), but not gender, was associated with the P49A TAS2R38 genotypes (pfoods, were associated with the P49A genotypes (pfoods in the sampled Malaysian subjects, and this suggests the existence of other possible factors influencing food selection among Malaysians.

  15. Reclaim/recycle of Pt/C catalysts for PEMFC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhao, Jishi; He, Xiangming; Tian, Jianhua; Wan, Chunrong; Jiang, Changyin

    2007-01-01

    Platinum was reclaimed from Pt/C catalysts of the PEMFC by drying the degraded Pt/C catalysts at 80 o C for 3 h, followed by sintering at 600 o C for 6 h, dissolution by aqua fortis, purification with hydrochloric acid, reduction and filtration, successively. Pt/C catalysts were prepared again from the reclaimed Pt by two proposed processes, e.g., pH value control process and mass control process. The fuel cell with recycled catalysts presented a power density of over 0.18 W cm -2 . The reclaiming of Pt/C catalysts is a potential way for recycling Pt for PEMFC, reducing the cost of PEMFC

  16. Application of New Electrolyte Model to Phase Transfer Catalyst (PTC) Systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hyung Kim, Sun; Anantpinijwatna, Amata; Kang, Jeong Won

    2015-01-01

    Abstract Phase transfer catalyst (PTC) is used to transfer the desirable active form of an anion from the aqueous phase to organic phase where the reaction occurs. One of major challenges for process design of the PTC system is to establish a reliable thermodynamic model capable of describing pha...... in PTC systems, thereby, extending the application range of the PTC-system model. The solubility of PTC in organic solvents, which is a key factor for strategy of PTC and solvent selection, has been calculated using the e-NRTL-SAC model....

  17. PTC used for diagnosing the causes of obstructive jaundice in elders

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang Shunchun; Gu Haiyan; Xu Xiao; Chen Kemin

    2000-01-01

    Objective: To assess the value of PTC in diagnosing the causes of obstructive jaundice in elders. Methods: The signs of PTC in 45 obstructive jaundice cases were reviewed and analysed. 37 cases of them were proven by surgical and pathological diagnosis. Results: PTC had a high successful rate in puncture (97.3%, 36/37) and was safe considerably. The diagnostic accuracies of PTC in distinguishing the causes of non-tumorous from tumorous lesions were 93.3% and 86.4%, respectively. Conclusions: PTC is superior to US and CT, as a valuable method at present in diagnosing the causes of obstructive jaundice in the elders

  18. PTC MathCAD and Workgroup Manager: Implementation in a Multi-Org System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, Corey

    2015-01-01

    In this presentation, the presenter will review what was done at Kennedy Space Center to deploy and implement PTC MathCAD and PTC Workgroup Manager in a multi-org system. During the presentation the presenter will explain how they configured PTC Windchill to create custom soft-types and object initialization rules for their custom numbering scheme and why they choose these methods. This presentation will also include how to modify the EPM default soft-type file in the PTC Windchill server codebase folder. The presenter will also go over the code used in a start up script to initiate PTC MathCAD and PTC Workgroup Manager in the proper order, and also set up the environment variables when running both PTC Workgroup Manager and PTC Creo. The configuration.ini file the presenter used will also be reviewed to show you how to set up the PTC Workgroup Manager and customized it to their user community. This presentation will be of interest to administrators trying to create a similar set-up in either a single org or multiple org system deployment. The big take away will be ideas and best practices learned through implementing this system, and the lessons learned what to do and not to do when setting up this configuration. Attendees will be exposed to several different sets of code used and that worked well and will hear some limitations on what the software can accomplish when configured this way.

  19. 49 CFR 236.1015 - PTC Safety Plan content requirements and PTC System Certification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... vendor or supplier to be addressed during the life-cycle of the PTC system, including maximum threshold... employees and supervisors necessary to ensure safe and proper installation, implementation, operation... Appendix C of this part must, to the satisfaction of the Associate Administrator, be shown to: (i) Reliably...

  20. Performance Characteristics of PTC Elements for an Electric Vehicle Heating System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yoon Hyuk Shin

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available A high-voltage positive temperature coefficient (PTC heater has a simple structure and a swift response. Therefore, for cabin heating in electric vehicles (EVs, such heaters are used either on their own or with a heat pump system. In this study, the sintering process in the manufacturing of PTC elements for an EV heating system was improved to enhance surface uniformity. The electrode production process entailing thin-film sputtering deposition was applied to ensure the high heating performance of PTC elements and reduce the electrode thickness. The allowable voltage and surface heat temperature of the high-voltage PTC elements with thin-film electrodes were 800 V and 172 °C, respectively. The electrode layer thickness was uniform at approximately 3.8 μm or less, approximately 69% less electrode materials were required compared to that before process improvement. Furthermore, a heater for the EV heating system was manufactured using the developed high-voltage PTC elements to verify performance and reliability.

  1. Implications of a PTC Extension on U.S. Wind Deployment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lantz, E.; Steinberg, D.; Mendelsohn, M.; Zinaman, O.; James, T.; Porro, G.; Hand, M.; Mai, T.; Logan, J.; Heeter, J.; Bird, L.

    2014-04-01

    This analysis explores the potential effects of wind production tax credit expiration and various extension scenarios on future wind deployment with the Regional Energy Deployment System (ReEDS), a model of the U.S. electricity sector. The analysis does not estimate the potential implications on government tax revenue associated with the PTC. Key findings include: Under a scenario in which the PTC is not extended and all other policies remain unchanged, wind capacity additions are expected to be between 3 and 5 GW per year from 2013-2020; PTC extension options that ramp-down from the current level to zero-credit by year-end 2022 appear to be insufficient to support deployment at the recent historical average; Extending the PTC at its historical level may provide the best opportunity to support deployment consistent with recent levels across a range of potential market conditions; it therefore may also provide the best opportunity to sustain wind power installation and manufacturing sector at current levels.

  2. Porous-microelectrode study on Pt/C catalysts for methanol electrooxidation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Umeda, Minoru; Kokubo, Mitsuhiro; Mohamedi, Mohamed; Uchida, Isamu

    2003-01-01

    We have developed a porous-microelectrode (PME) to investigate the electroactivity of catalyst particles for proton exchange membrane fuel cells. The cavity at the tip of the PME was filled with Pt/C catalysts prepared by impregnation method. Cyclic voltammograms (CVs) recorded in 1 N H 2 SO 4 aqueous solution revealed that the active area of the stacked catalysts exist not only at the surface but also inside of the stack. For methanol electrooxidation, 30 wt.% Pt/C exhibited the highest electroactivity, whereas the 50 wt.% Pt/C showed extremely small current. The small current is considered as a result of a small active-surface area. Methanol oxidation peak potential shifted toward cathodic direction as Pt-loading decreased, which agrees well with the Pt-oxide formation potential. The activation energy for methanol oxidation was assessed to be 44±3 kJ mol -1 for all Pt/C catalysts and Pt-disc electrode

  3. SiO2 stabilized Pt/C cathode catalyst for proton exchange membrane fuel cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhu Tong; Du Chunyu; Liu Chuntao; Yin Geping; Shi Pengfei

    2011-01-01

    This paper describes the preparation of SiO 2 stabilized Pt/C catalyst (SiO 2 /Pt/C) by the hydrolysis of alkoxysilane, and examines the possibility that the SiO 2 /Pt/C is used as a durable cathode catalyst for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). TEM and XRD results revealed that the hydrolysis of alkoxysilane did not significantly change the morphology and crystalline structure of Pt particles. The SiO 2 /Pt/C catalyst exhibited higher durability than the Pt/C one, due to the facts that the silica layers covered were beneficial for reducing the Pt aggregation and dissolution as well as increasing the corrosion resistance of supports, although the benefit of silica covering was lower than the case of Pt/CNT catalyst. Also, it was observed that the activity of the SiO 2 /Pt/C catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction was somewhat reduced compared to the Pt/C one after the silica covering. This reduction was partially due to the low oxygen kinetics as revealed by the rotating-disk-electrode measurement. Silica covering by hydrolysis of only 3-aminopropyl trimethoxysilane is able to achieve a good balance between the durability and activity, leading to SiO 2 /Pt/C as a promising cathode catalyst for PEMFCs.

  4. Radiation cross-linking of PTC conductive polymers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Doljack, F.A.; Jacobs, S.M.; Taylor, J.M.; McTavish, M.S.

    1982-01-01

    An electrical device comprising a PTC conductive polymer is irradiated so that it is very highly cross-linked. A dosage of at least 50 Mrads, preferably at least 80 Mrads, especially at least 120 Mrads is used except that where the device includes planar electrodes which are present during irradiation the minimum dose is 120 Mrads. In this way, for example, it is possible to make a circuit protection device which will continue to provide effective protection even after repeated exposure to a voltage of 200 volts. A PTC protection device may be produced by moulding carbon loaded polymer round three electrodes the centre one of which is then removed to leave an aperture between the other two electrodes. (author)

  5. ETEM observation of Pt/C electrode catalysts in a moisturized cathode atmosphere

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoshida, K; Zhang, X; Tanaka, N; Boyes, E D; Gai, P L

    2014-01-01

    There have been reports of challenges in designing platinum carbon (Pt/C) electrode catalysts for PEMFC. Pt/C electrode catalysts deactivate much faster on the cathode (in moisturized O 2 ) than on the anode (in H 2 ). To understand influences of moisture and oxygen on the deactivation of the Pt/C catalysts in proton-exchange-membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), spherical-aberration-corrected environmental transmission electron microscopy (AC-ETEM) was applied with a high-speed CCD camera. Structural changes of the Pt/C electrode catalysts were dynamically recorded in moisturized nitrogen, oxygen and hydrogen. The mass spectrometry confirmed the moisture content (between 5 to 30 %) of nitrogen driving gas through a humidifier. Coalescence of platinum nanoparticles (D = 3.24 nm) was carefully evaluated in pure N 2 and moisturized N 2 atmosphere. The Pt/C showed considerable structural weakness in a moisturized N2 atmosphere. Comparable results obtained by AC-ETEM in different gas atmospheres also suggested ways to improve the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). In this paper, the deactivation process due to moisture (hydroxylation) of carbon supports is discussed using for comparison the movement of platinum nanoparticles measured in moisturized nitrogen and pure nitrogen atmospheres

  6. Characterization and vectorization of siRNA targeting RET/PTC1 in human papillary thyroid carcinoma cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Massade L.

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available RET/PTC1 fusion oncogene is the most common genetic alteration identified to date in thyroid papillary carcinomas (PTC and represents a good target for small interfering RNA (siRNA. Our aim was: i to target the RET/PTC1 oncogene by siRNAs, ii to assess the knockdown effects on cell growth and cell cycle regulation and iii to vectorize it in order to protect it from degradation. Methods. Human cell lines expressing RET/PTC1 were transfected by siRNA RET/PTC1, inhibition of the oncogene expression was assessed by qRT-PCR and by Western blot. Conjugation of siRNA RET/PTC1 to squalene was performed by coupling it to squalene. In vivo studies are performed in nude mice. Conclusion. In this short communication, we report the main published results obtained during last years.

  7. Pt/C Fuel Cell Catalyst Degradation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zana, Alessandro

    This thesis investigates the degradation behavior of Pt/C catalysts under simulated automotive conditions. By using the “tool box” synthesis method the Pt loading has been changed from low to high Pt loadings, therefore permitting to study the role of Pt on the degradation of high surface area (H...

  8. Expression of the RET/PTC fusion gene as a marker for papillary carcinoma in Hashimoto's thyroiditis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wirtschafter, A; Schmidt, R; Rosen, D

    1997-01-01

    specific genes in patients diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease. The newly identified oncogenes RET/PTC1 and RET/PTC3 provide useful and specific markers of the early stages of papillary carcinoma as they are highly specific for malignant cells. Using a sensitive and specific reverse transcriptase......-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay, we found messenger RNA (mRNA) expression for the RET/PTC1 and RET/PTC3 oncogenes in 95% of the Hashimoto's patients studied. All Hashimoto's patients presenting without histopathologic evidence of papillary thyroid cancer showed molecular genetic evidence of cancer...

  9. STUDY ON THE OPTIMIZATION OF IGBT THERMAL MANAGEMENT FOR PTC HEATER

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. W. JEONG

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available It is essential to optimize HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning system for a thermal plant or an electric vehicle since it has a significant effect on the thermal efficiency. PTC (positive temperature coefficient heaters are often used for a heating system and the power module of the PTC heaters, IGBT (insulated gate bipolar mode transistor, requires thermal management. In this study, in order to maximize the cooling performance for IGBT, a novel method that uses forced convection inside the HVAC duct with heat sinks was developed. In addition, heat sinks were optimized in terms of IGBT junction temperature and heat sink weight by 3-dimensional CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics simulation. The results show that the junction temperature of IGBT for 5.6kW PTC heater can be maintained at about 335K.

  10. Diagnostic imaging of hilar cholangiocarcinoma: preoperative evaluation of ERC, MRC and PTC in comparison with histopathology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Romaneehsen, B.; Mainz Univ.; Otto, G.; Lohse, A.W.; Bittinger, F.; Herber, S.; Oberholzer, K.; Pitton, M.B.; Thelen, M.

    2004-01-01

    Purpose: To compare the results of the preoperative workup consisting of endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERC), magnetic resonance cholangiography (MRC), and percutaneous resonance cholangiography (PTC) with the tumor extent of the surgical specimen in patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma (hilCC). Materials and Methods: Between 9/1997 and 12/2002. 59 patients with hilCC tumor underwent surgical resection. Preoperative ERC, MRC, and PTC were analyzed, blinded for the identity of the patient, and compared with the surgical specimen. For this retrospective analysis, 55 of the initial 59 ERCs, 39 of the initial 40 MRCs and 32 of the initial 38 PTCs were available. Most of the ERCs and MRCs had been performed at referring institutions by various investigators. In 20 patients, all three imaging modalities were available for direct comparison. Results: The mean scores of the visualization of the bile ducts and tumor differ considerably for ERC, MRC and PTC, with PTC visualizing the bile ducts better than ERC (p<0.001) and MRC (p=0.019). The tumor classification according to Bismuth and Corlette was correctly predicted by ERC in 29%, by MRC in 36% and by PTC in 53%. The tumor extent was overestimated in 40% (ERC), 41% (MRC) and 31% (PTC) and underestimated in less than 10% for all modalities. Twenty patients, who underwent all three imaging modalities, were included in an additional analysis for a direct comparison of ERC, MRC and PTC. PTC provided correct or acceptable information on tumor extent in 19 of 20 patients, MRC in 15 of 20 patients, and ERC in only 11 of 20 patients. The statistical analysis revealed a significant superiority of PTC to ERC (McNemar test: p<0.01) but not to MRC (p=0.22). (orig.)

  11. PTC test bed upgrades to provide ACSES testing support capabilities at transportation technology center.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-06-01

    FRA Task Order 314 upgraded the Positive Train Control (PTC) Test Bed at the Transportation Technology Center to support : testing of PTC systems, components, and related equipment associated with the Advanced Civil Speed Enforcement System : (ACSES)...

  12. Combined effect of Hashimoto's thyroiditis and BRAF(V600E) mutation status on aggressiveness in papillary thyroid cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Su-jin; Myong, Jun Pyo; Jee, Hyeon-Gun; Chai, Young Jun; Choi, June Young; Min, Hye Sook; Lee, Kyu Eun; Youn, Yeo-Kyu

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between Hashimoto's thyroiditis and BRAF(V600E) mutation status in patients with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) and to determine their combined association with tumor aggressiveness in PTC. A total of 1780 patients with PTC who underwent surgery were enrolled in this study. Simple and multiple analyses were performed to determine the association between Hashimoto's thyroiditis and the BRAF(V600E) mutation in PTC. Hashimoto's thyroiditis was present in 11.5% of patients (204/1780) with PTC. Multiple logistic regressions showed that BRAF(V600E) (odds ratio [OR] = 0.493; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.360-0.678) and the female sex (OR = 7.146; 95% CI = 3.408-18.347) were independent factors associated with Hashimoto's thyroiditis in PTC. BRAF(V600E) mutation and the Hashimoto's thyroiditis-negative PTC group were associated with aggressive disease (OR = 3.069; 95% CI = 1.654-5.916). Hashimoto's thyroiditis was associated less frequently with BRAF(V600E) , and frequently with the female sex in patients with PTC. Hashimoto's thyroiditis and BRAF(V600E) status may help to predict clinical outcome of PTC. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  13. A new kind of shape-stabilized PCMs with positive temperature coefficient (PTC) effect

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cheng, Wen-long; Wu, Wan-fan; Song, Jia-liang; Liu, Yi; Yuan, Shuai; Liu, Na

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • A new kind of shape-stabilized PCMs with PTC effect is first prepared. • It provides a potential means for the thermal control of the electronic devices. • The switching temperature of the materials is about 25 °C. • The most appropriate component of the material is found out by experimental study. • The NTC effect of the new PCMs is eliminated effectively by heat treatment. - Abstract: A new kind of shape-stabilized phase change materials (PCMs) with positive temperature coefficient (PTC) effect was prepared in this paper. The materials were prepared by adding graphite powder (GP) to the paraffin/low density polyethylene (LDPE) composite and the PTC characteristic was found by adjusting the component ratio of the material. Then the physical structures and thermal properties of the materials were investigated and the effect of various GP mass fractions and paraffin/LDPE mass proportions on the PTC behavior of the materials was studied experimentally. The results showed that the switching temperature of the materials was about 25 °C (room temperature) which approached to the first phase change temperature of paraffin dispersed in the materials. The PTC behavior of the materials was the best when the GP mass fraction and the mass proportion of LDPE/paraffin were 40 wt% and 30:70, respectively. Furthermore, the negative temperature coefficient (NTC) effect of the materials could be eliminated effectively with heat treatment. This new kind of materials is different from the former PTC materials which the switching temperatures focus on high temperature ranges. It makes up for the defect of previous materials that the switching temperatures only range in high temperature rather than room temperature and provides a potential means for the thermal control of the electronic devices or other room temperature thermal control applications

  14. RET/PTC1-Driven Neoplastic Transformation and Proinvasive Phenotype of Human Thyrocytes Involve Met Induction and β-Catenin Nuclear Translocation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Giuliana Cassinelli

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Activation of the RET gene by chromosomal rearrangements generating RET/PTC oncogenes is a frequent, early, and causative event in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC. We have previously shown that, in human primary thyrocytes, RET/PTC1 induces a transcriptional program including the MET proto-oncogene. In PTCs, β-catenin is frequently mislocated to the cytoplasm nucleus. We investigated the interplay between Ret/ptc1 signaling and Met in regulating the proinvasive phenotype and β-catenin localization in cellular models of human PTC. Here, we show that Met protein is expressed and is constitutively active in human thyrocytes exogenously expressing RET/PTC1 as well as a mutant (Y451F devoid of the main Ret/ptc1 multidocking site. Both in transformed thyrocytes and in the human PTC cell line TPC-1, Ret/ptc1-Y451-dependent signaling and Met cooperated to promote a proinvasive phenotype. Accordingly, gene/functional silencing of either RET/PTC1 or MET abrogated early branching morphogenesis in TPC-1 cells. The same effect was obtained by blocking the common downstream effector Akt. Y451 of Ret/ptc1 was required to promote proliferation and nuclear translocation of β-catenin, suggesting that these oncogene-driven effects are Met-independent. Pharmacologic inhibition of Ret/ptc1 and Met tyrosine kinases by the multitarget small molecule RPI-1 blocked cell proliferation and invasive ability and dislocated β-catenin from the nucleus. Altogether, these results support that Ret/ptc1 cross talks with Met at transcriptional and signaling levels and promotes β-catenin transcriptional activity to drive thyrocyte neoplastic transformation. Such molecular network, promoting disease initiation and acquisition of a proinvasive phenotype, highlights new options to design multitarget therapeutic strategies for PTCs.

  15. A type 2C protein phosphatase FgPtc3 is involved in cell wall integrity, lipid metabolism, and virulence in Fusarium graminearum.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jinhua Jiang

    Full Text Available Type 2C protein phosphatases (PP2Cs play important roles in regulating many biological processes in eukaryotes. Currently, little is known about functions of PP2Cs in filamentous fungi. The causal agent of wheat head blight, Fusarium graminearum, contains seven putative PP2C genes, FgPTC1, -3, -5, -5R, -6, -7 and -7R. In order to investigate roles of these PP2Cs, we constructed deletion mutants for all seven PP2C genes in this study. The FgPTC3 deletion mutant (ΔFgPtc3-8 exhibited reduced aerial hyphae formation and deoxynivalenol (DON production, but increased production of conidia. The mutant showed increased resistance to osmotic stress and cell wall-damaging agents on potato dextrose agar plates. Pathogencity assays showed that ΔFgPtc3-8 is unable to infect flowering wheat head. All of the defects were restored when ΔFgPtc3-8 was complemented with the wild-type FgPTC3 gene. Additionally, the FgPTC3 partially rescued growth defect of a yeast PTC1 deletion mutant under various stress conditions. Ultrastructural and histochemical analyses showed that conidia of ΔFgPtc3-8 contained an unusually high number of large lipid droplets. Furthermore, the mutant accumulated a higher basal level of glycerol than the wild-type progenitor. Quantitative real-time PCR assays showed that basal expression of FgOS2, FgSLT2 and FgMKK1 in the mutant was significantly higher than that in the wild-type strain. Serial analysis of gene expression in ΔFgPtc3-8 revealed that FgPTC3 is associated with various metabolic pathways. In contrast to the FgPTC3 mutant, the deletion mutants of FgPTC1, FgPTC5, FgPTC5R, FgPTC6, FgPTC7 or FgPTC7R did not show aberrant phenotypic features when grown on PDA medium or inoculated on wheat head. These results indicate FgPtc3 is the key PP2C that plays a critical role in a variety of cellular and biological functions, including cell wall integrity, lipid and secondary metabolisms, and virulence in F. graminearum.

  16. Poly (p-phenylendiamine/TiO2) nanocomposite promoted Pt/C catalyst for methanol and ethanol electrooxidation in alkaline medium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rostami, Hussein; Rostami, Abbas Ali; Omrani, Abdollah

    2016-01-01

    In the present study, poly (p-phenylendiamine/titanium dioxide) (PpPDA/TiO 2 ) nanocomposites (NCs) were prepared by in situ polymerization of p-phenylenediamine monomer with of different TiO 2 loading. A facile method was developed to promote the electrocatalytic activity of commercial Pt/C catalyst by ultrasonically mixing Pt/C catalyst and PpPDA/TiO 2 NCs. The PpPDA/TiO 2 NC, Pt/C catalyst and composite catalyst of Pt/C + PpPDA/TiO 2 were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The surface morphology of Pt/C is significantly influenced by the presence of PpPDA/TiO 2 NC as confirmed by SEM observations. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) measurements showed that the PpPDA/TiO 2 NC leads to a significant improvement in the activity and stability of Pt/C for alcohol oxidation especially for ethanol oxidation in alkaline medium. For Pt/C + PpPDA/TiO 2 , the onset potentials shift to negative values by 30 and 160 mV compared to the onset potentials of Pt/C for methanol and ethanol oxidation, respectively. Chronoamperometry (CA) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) results also confirmed that this composite catalyst has superior catalytic performance towards ethanol oxidation compared to the pure Pt/C catalyst.

  17. Ethanol electrooxidation on Pt/C and Pd/C catalysts promoted with oxide

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Xu, Changwei [Department of Chemistry and Institute of Nanochemistry, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632 (China); State Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials and Technologies, School of Physics and Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275 (China); Shen, Pei kang [State Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials and Technologies, School of Physics and Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275 (China); Liu, Yingliang [Department of Chemistry and Institute of Nanochemistry, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632 (China)

    2007-02-10

    This research aims to investigate Pd-based catalysts as a replacement for Pt-based catalysts for ethanol electrooxidation in alkaline media. The results show that Pd/C has a higher catalytic activity and better steady-state behaviour for ethanol oxidation than that of Pt/C. The effect of the addition of CeO{sub 2} and NiO to the Pt/C and Pd/C electrocatalysts on ethanol oxidation is also studied in alkaline media. The electrocatalysts with a weight ratio of noble metal (Pt, Pd) to CeO{sub 2} of 2:1 and a noble metal to NiO ration 6:1 show the highest catalytic activity for ethanol oxidation. The oxide promoted Pt/C and Pd/C electrocatalysts show a higher activity than the commercial E-TEK PtRu/C electrocatalyst for ethanol oxidation in alkaline media. (author)

  18. RET/PTC1-Driven Neoplastic Transformation and Proinvasive Phenotype of Human Thyrocytes Involve Met Induction and β-Catenin Nuclear Translocation1

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cassinelli, Giuliana; Favini, Enrica; Degl'Innocenti, Debora; Salvi, Alessandro; De Petro, Giuseppina; Pierotti, Marco A; Zunino, Franco; Borrello, Maria Grazia; Lanzi, Cinzia

    2009-01-01

    Activation of the RET gene by chromosomal rearrangements generating RET/PTC oncogenes is a frequent, early, and causative event in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). We have previously shown that, in human primary thyrocytes, RET/PTC1 induces a transcriptional program including the MET proto-oncogene. In PTCs, β-catenin is frequently mislocated to the cytoplasm nucleus. We investigated the interplay between Ret/ptc1 signaling and Met in regulating the proinvasive phenotype and β-catenin localization in cellular models of human PTC. Here, we show that Met protein is expressed and is constitutively active in human thyrocytes exogenously expressing RET/PTC1 as well as a mutant (Y451F) devoid of the main Ret/ptc1 multidocking site. Both in transformed thyrocytes and in the human PTC cell line TPC-1, Ret/ptc1-Y451-dependent signaling and Met cooperated to promote a proinvasive phenotype. Accordingly, gene/functional silencing of either RET/PTC1 or MET abrogated early branching morphogenesis in TPC-1 cells. The same effect was obtained by blocking the common downstream effector Akt. Y451 of Ret/ptc1 was required to promote proliferation and nuclear translocation of β-catenin, suggesting that these oncogene-driven effects are Met-independent. Pharmacologic inhibition of Ret/ptc1 and Met tyrosine kinases by the multitarget small molecule RPI-1 blocked cell proliferation and invasive ability and dislocated β-catenin from the nucleus. Altogether, these results support that Ret/ptc1 cross talks with Met at transcriptional and signaling levels and promotes β-catenin transcriptional activity to drive thyrocyte neoplastic transformation. Such molecular network, promoting disease initiation and acquisition of a proinvasive phenotype, highlights new options to design multitarget therapeutic strategies for PTCs. PMID:19107227

  19. KONSTRUKSI MUTAN PROTEIN FOSFATASE ptc2D Saccharomyces cerevisiae DENGAN METODE PENGGANTIAN GEN TARGET DENGAN POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION (PCR

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hermansyah

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an excellent model to studi genes function of eukarotic cells such as study of gene encoding protein phosphatase PTC2. Novel phenotypic caused by mutated gene is an important step to study function of gene. In this study constructed mutant of PTC2 gene encoding protein phosphatase. Method that used in this construction was replacement of target gene (PTC2 with auxotroph marker Candida albicans HIS3 by Polymer Chain Reaction (PCR or called by PCR-mediated disruption. Mutant colonies which grew in selective medium SC without histidine were confirmed by PCR amplification. By using 1% Agarose gel electrophoresis the result showed that size of ptc2D::CgHIS3 transformant was 3.52 kb while wild type strain was 2.9 kb, indicated that ptc2D::CgHIS3 has integrated on chromosome V replacing PTC2 wild type.

  20. Interim status report on the revision of ASME PTC 12.1 -- closed feedwater heaters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stellern, J.L.; Hoobler, J.V.; Milton, J.W.; Welch, T.; Kona, C.; Thompson, H.N.; Tsou, J.L.

    1993-01-01

    The ASME Performance Test Code (PTC) 12.1-1978 for the performance testing of feedwater heaters is being revised extensively and updated. The committee anticipates that the final draft of the proposed Code will be ready for industry review in 1993. This Code revision will greatly enhance the usefulness and cost effectiveness of feedwater heater performance testing. This paper has been prepared to report on the progress of the committee and to disseminate information on the nature of the revision. Included in this paper are some of the notable changes intended for the Code. The most extensive change is the calculation method, which is described in step-by-step detail. An approach is also described for using ultrasonic flow techniques to test individual or split-string feedwater heaters, when flow nozzles are not available. Additionally some educational information on the use and limitations of ultrasonic measurement instrumentation is included. Discussion is also included on the required uncertainty analysis. 3 refs., 2 figs., 2 tabs

  1. First-principles calculations of a high-pressure synthesized compound PtC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Linyan; Yu Wen; Jin Changqing

    2005-01-01

    The first-principles density-functional method is used to study the recently high-pressure synthesized compound PtC. It is confirmed by our calculations that platinum carbide has a zinc-blende ground-state phase at zero pressure and that the rock-salt structure is a high-pressure phase. The theoretical transition pressure from zinc-blende to rock-salt structure is determined to be 52 GPa. Furthermore, our calculation shows the possibility that the PtC experimentally synthesized under high pressure conditions might undergo a transition from rock-salt to zinc-blende structure after a pressure quench to ambient conditions

  2. The relationships between phenylthiocarbamide taste perception and smoking, work out habits and susceptibility to depression

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sevgi Durna Daştan

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Phenylthiocarbamide (PTC is known as phenylthiourea and it is an organic compound that has the phenyl ring. Ability to perceive the tastes of PTC chemical is related to the dominance of taste genes. There are a large number of population studies regarding the PTC taste perception and different personal characteristics or disease conditions. The purpose of this study is to reveal and compare the relation between the PTC taste perception and work-out habits, smoking, alcohol consumption and tendency to the depression of people. A total of 2500 adults were volunteered to be included in this study. PTC taste perception was measured by tasting with PTC solution (10 mg/L filtered in a paper. It showed that tasters were significantly more frequent (81.8% than nontasters (18.2% in all population. And in some parameters analyzed in this study, there are significant differences. The taste genetics show up with environmental factors and create the sense of taste, which develops the feeding behaviors. The taste perception resulting from food and beverages diversifies by genetic and environmental effects and the nervous system interprets this perception. This study is enlightening in terms of presenting that the taste perception of people affects their lifestyles and lead them to start and either continue or discontinue some habits.

  3. Genetic variation in the hTAS2R38 taste receptor and brassica vegetable intake

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gorovic, Nela; Afzal, Shoaib; Tjonneland, Anne

    2011-01-01

    The human TAS2R38 receptor is believed to be partly responsible for the ability to taste phenylthiocarbamide (PTC), a bitter compound very similar to the bitter glucosinolates found in brassica vegetables. These vegetables and their active compounds have chemo-protective properties. This study...... investigated the relationship between genetic variation in the hTAS2R38 receptor and the actual consumption of brassica vegetables with the hypothesis that taster status was associated with intake of these vegetables. Furthermore, secondary intake information on alcohol, chocolate, coffee, smoking, BMI...... on their brassica vegetables intake from the upper quartile (>= a parts per thousand yen23 g/day) and the lower quartile (brassicas from a randomly selected sub-cohort of DCH. DNA was analysed for three functional SNPs in the hTAS2R38 gene. The hTAS2R38...

  4. 49 CFR 236.1006 - Equipping locomotives operating in PTC territory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 31, 2015, a train controlled by a locomotive with an onboard PTC apparatus that has failed en route... III railroad, including a tourist or excursion railroad, and controlled by a locomotive not equipped...

  5. Loss of p53 promotes anaplasia and local invasion in ret/PTC1-induced thyroid carcinomas.

    Science.gov (United States)

    La Perle, K M; Jhiang, S M; Capen, C C

    2000-08-01

    Papillary thyroid carcinomas in humans are associated with the ret/PTC oncogene and, following loss of p53 function, may progress to anaplastic carcinomas. Mice with thyroid-targeted expression of ret/PTC1 developed papillary thyroid carcinomas that were minimally invasive and did not metastasize. These mice were crossed with p53-/- mice to investigate whether loss of p53 would promote anaplasia and metastasis of ret/PTC1-induced thyroid tumors. The majority of p53-/- mice died or were euthanized by 17 weeks of age due to the development of thymic lymphomas, soft tissue sarcomas, and testicular teratomas. All ret/PTC1 mice developed thyroid carcinomas, but tumors in p53-/- mice were more anaplastic, larger in diameter, more invasive, and had a higher mitotic index than tumors in p53+/+ and p53+/- mice. Thyroid tumors did not metastasize in any of the experimental p53+/+ and p53+/- mice anaplasia and invasiveness of thyroid carcinomas.

  6. MIR141 expression differentiates Hashimoto Thyroiditis from PTC and benign thyrocytes in Irish archival thyroid tissues

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Emma R Dorris

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available MicroRNAs (miRNAs are small non-coding RNAs approximately 22 nucleotides in length that function as regulators of gene expression. Dysregulation of miRNAs has been associated with initiation and progression of oncogenesis in humans. Our group has previously described a unique miRNA expression signature, including the MIR200 family member MIR141, which can differentiate papillary thyroid cancer (PTC cell lines from a control thyroid cell line. An investigation into the expression of MIR141 in a series of archival thyroid malignancies (n=140; classic PTC, follicular variant PTC, follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC, Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT, or control thyrocytes was performed. Each cohort had a minimum of 20 validated samples surgically excised within the period 1980 - 2009. A subset of the HT and cPTC cohorts (n=3 were also analysed for expression of TGFβR1, a key member of the TGFβ pathway and known target of MIR141. Laser capture microdissection was used to specifically dissect target cells from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded archival tissue. Thyrocyte- and lymphocyte-specific markers (TSHR and LSP1 respectively confirmed the integrity of cell populations in the HT cohort. RNA was extracted and quantitative RT-PCR was performed using comparative CT (ΔΔCT analysis. Statistically significant (p<0.05 differential expression profiles of MIR141 were found between tissue types. HT samples displayed significant downregulation of MIR141 compared to both classic PTC and control thyrocytes. Furthermore, TGFβR1 expression was detected in cPTC samples but not in HT thyrocytes. It is postulated that the down-regulation of this miRNA is due, at least in part, to its involvement in regulating the TGFβ pathway. This pathway is exquisitely involved in T-cell autoimmunity and has previously been linked with HT. In conclusion, HT epithelium can be distinguished from cPTC epithelium and control epithelium based on the relative expression of MIR141.

  7. Studies on preparation and adaptive thermal control performance of novel PTC (positive temperature coefficient) materials with controllable Curie temperatures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cheng, Wen-long; Yuan, Shuai; Song, Jia-liang

    2014-01-01

    PTC (positive temperature coefficient) material is a kind of thermo-sensitive material. In this study, a series of novel PTC materials adapted to thermal control of electron devices are prepared. By adding different low-melting-point blend matrixes into GP (graphite powder)/LDPE (low density polyethylene) composite, the Curie temperatures are adjusted to 9 °C, 25 °C, 34 °C and 41 °C, and the resistance–temperature coefficients are enhanced to 1.57/°C–2.15/°C. These PTC materials remain solid in the temperature region of PTC effect, which makes it possible to be used as heating element to achieve adaptive temperature control. In addition, the adaptive thermal control performances of this kind of materials are investigated both experimentally and theoretically. The result shows that the adaptive effect becomes more significant while the resistance–temperature coefficient increases. A critical heating power defined as the initial heating power which makes the equilibrium temperature reach terminal temperature is presented. The adaptive temperature control will be effective only if the initial power is below this value. The critical heating power is determined by the Curie temperature and resistance–temperature coefficient of PTC materials, and a higher Curie temperature or resistance–temperature coefficient will lead to a larger critical heating power. - Highlights: • A series of novel PTC (positive temperature coefficient) materials were prepared. • The Curie point of PTC material can be adjusted by choosing different blend matrixes. • The resistance–temperature coefficient of PTC materials is enhanced to 2.15/°C. • The material has good adaptive temperature control ability with no auxiliary method. • A mathematical model is established to analyze the performance and applicability

  8. Current status of in-hospital donation coordinators in Japan: nationwide survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Konaka, S; Shimizu, S; Iizawa, M; Ohkawara, H; Kato, O; Ashikari, J; Fukushima, N

    2013-05-01

    When the Japanese Organ Transplantation Act was issued, the Japanese Organ Transplantation Network (JOT) was established in 1997. JOT lists recipients, assesses and manages organ donors, and educates publics and headquarters for organ donations. JOT procurement transplant coordinators (PTC) play roles in obtaining consent from relatives for organ donation, donor evaluation and management, organ recovery management, organ transport, and care of donor families during and after donation. Every prefecture has at least one PTC who is mainly working in public education and hospital development. They also help the JOT PTC at the time of organ procurement. Most prefectures commission hospital staff in the procurement hospital to be an in-hospital PTC (In-Hp PTC), who make their hospital staff aware of organ donation and support organ procurement. Although the Act was revised in 2010 with brain-dead organ donation increased from 13 to 44 cases yearly, the number was still extremely smaller than other developed countries. In these circumstances, In-Hp PTC may play greater roles to increase donation and smooth procurement procedures Our primary aim was to describe the current status of In-Hp PTC in Japan. Between December 15, 2011, and January 31, 2012, we invited 1889 In-Hp PTC to complete a letter survey using a self-designed questionnaire. In all, 56 In-Hp PTC (40%) completed and returned it. The occupation of the respondents was nurse (66%), physician (18%), or other (16%). Although 52% of respondents belonged to the hospital, which was designated for brain-death organ donation by the government, only 46% had any experience with a cadaveric donor. Only 2% were full-time In-Hp PTC. They mainly played a role in preparing their own manual for organ procurement (57%), providing in-hospital lectures (44%) or their own simulation exercise (29%), as well as coordinating donation cases. Although 77% had attended seminar about organ donation provided by JOT or the prefecture PTC

  9. Essential PTC Mathcad Prime 3.0 a guide for new and current users

    CERN Document Server

    Maxfield, Brent

    2013-01-01

    Learn how to use PTC Mathcad Prime 3.0, one of the world's leading tools for technical computing, in the context of engineering, science, and math applications. Quickly harness the power of Mathcad to solve simple and complex problems. Essential PTC Mathcad is perfect for college students and first-time users as well as for experienced Mathcad users who are moving to Prime 3.0. The book introduces the most powerful functions and features of the new Prime 3.0 software and teaches how to apply them to create comprehensive calculations for any quantitative subject. Examples from several fields

  10. Ultrasound assisted PTC catalyzed saponification of vegetable oils using aqueous alkali.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhatkhande, B S; Samant, S D

    1998-03-01

    A few vegetable oils were saponified using aqueous KOH and different PTCs at room temperature in the presence of ultrasound. The extent of saponification was studied using the saponification value as a reference. Optimizations of various parameters such as time, selection of PTC, quantity of PTC, quantity of KOH and quantity of water were carried out using soyabean oil as a sample oil under sonication with stirring. To study the effect of ultrasound, the saponification was also carried out at 35 +/- 2 degrees C under different conditions, namely stirring, sonication, stirring and sonication, and heating at 100 degrees C. It was found that the heterogeneous liquid-liquid phase saponification of different vegetable oils using aq. KOH/CTAB was remarkably accelerated at 35 +/- 2 degrees C in the presence of ultrasound along with stirring.

  11. Swift heavy ion irradiation effects in Pt/C and Ni/C multilayers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gupta, Ajay; Pandita, Suneel; Avasthi, D. K.; Lodha, G. S.; Nandedkar, R. V.

    1998-12-01

    Irradiation effects of 100 MeV Ag ion irradiation on Ni/C and Pt/C multilayers have been studied using X-ray reflectivity measurements. Modifications are observed in both the multilayers at (dE/dx)e values much below the threshold values for Ni and Pt. This effect is attributed to the discontinuous nature of the metal layers. In both the multilayers interfacial roughness increases with irradiation dose. While Ni/C multilayers exhibit large ion-beam induced intermixing, no observable intermixing is observed in the case of Pt/C multilayer. This difference in the behavior of the two systems suggests a significant role for chemically guided defect motion in the mixing process associated with swift heavy ion irradiation.

  12. [Dose-Response Dependences for Frequency of RET/PTC Gene Rearrangements in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma after Irradiation. Simple Pooling Analysis of Molecular Epidemiological Data].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koterov, A N; Ushenkova, L N; Biryukov, A P

    2016-01-01

    On the basis of all possible publications on the theme included in the previously formed base of sources on molecular epidemiology of RET/PTC rearrangements in thyroid papillary carcinoma a pooled analysis ("simple pooling data") on determination of the dose-effect dependences for RET/PTC frequency in radiogenic carcinomas of various irradiated groups was performed. (They are groups subjected to radiotherapeutic exposure, residents near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant (CNPP) and victims of nuclear bombing). The tendency to Pearson linear correlation (r = 0.746; p = 0.148) between the frequency of RET/PTC and the estimated dose on thyroid in the regions affected by the CNPP accident was revealed. But this tendency was recognized to be random owing to abnormally low values of the indicator for the most contaminated Gomel region. The method tentatively called "case-control" showed reliable differences in thyroid dose values for carcinomas with RET/PTC and without those. The versatility of changes was found: the lack of RET/PTC for radiotherapeutic impacts was associated with higher doses, whereas in case of the CNPP accident and for nuclear bombing victims it was the opposite. Probably, in the first case the "cellular cleaning" phenomenon after exposure to very high doses took place. Search of direct Pearson correlations between average/median thyroid doses on groups and RET/PTC frequency in carcinomas of these groups showed a high reliability for the dose-effect dependences- at the continuous dose scale (for RET/PTC in total and RET/PTC1 respectively: r = 0.830; p = 0.002 and r = 0.906; p = 0.0003); while there was no significant correlation received for RET/PTC3. When using the weighting least square regression analysis (proceeding from the number of carcinomas in samples), the specified regularities remained. Attempts to influence the strength of correlation by exception ofthe data of all the samples connected with the accident on the CNPP did not significantly

  13. Taste perception and sensory sensitivity: Relationship to feeding problems in boys with Barth Syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reynolds, Stacey; Kreider, Consuelo M; Meeley, Lauren E; Bendixen, Roxanna M

    2015-03-01

    Feeding problems are common in boys with Barth syndrome and may contribute to the population's propensity for growth delay and muscle weakness. The purpose of this study was to quantify and describe these feeding issues and examine altered taste perception and sensory sensitivity as contributing factors. A cross-sectional, two-group comparison design was used to examine feeding preferences and behaviors, chemical taste perception, and sensory sensitivities in fifty boys with (n=24) and without (n=26) Barth ages 4-17 years. Taste perception was measured using chemical test strips saturated with phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) and sodium benzoate (NaB). Feeding problems were documented by parents using a Food Inventory, while sensory sensitivities were recorded using a Short Sensory Profile. Boys with Barth differed significantly from typical peers with regards to problem feeding behaviors. For boys with Barth, food refusal and food selectivity were identified as being present in 50% the sample, while 70% of had identified problems related to gagging or swallowing foods. About half of all Barth families noted that their child's eating habits did not match the family's and that separate meals were often prepared. As demonstrated in previous research, about 50% of boys with Barth demonstrated probable or definite differences in taste/smell sensitivity, which was significantly higher than controls. On tests of chemical taste perception, boys with Barth were significantly more likely to be supertasters to PTC and non-tasters to NaB. Taster-status did not directly relate to the presence of feeding problems, however, taste/smell sensitivity did significantly relate to food selectivity by type and texture. Results indicate feeding problems in at least 50-70% of boys with Barth syndrome, and suggest that behaviors are often present before 6 months of age. Differences in taste perception may influence dietary choices in boys with Barth, particularly their craving of salty foods

  14. Combined analysis of circulating epithelial cells and serum thyroglobulin for distinguishing disease status of the patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma

    OpenAIRE

    Lin, Hung-Chih; Liou, Miaw-Jene; Hsu, Hsung-Ling; Hsieh, Jason Chia-Hsun; Chen, Yi-An; Tseng, Ching-Ping; Lin, Jen-Der

    2015-01-01

    Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) accounts for about 80% of the cases in thyroid cancer. Routine surveillance by serum thyroglobulin (Tg) and medical imaging is the current practice to monitor disease progression of the patients. Whether enumeration of circulating epithelial cells (CECs) helps to define disease status of PTC patients was investigated. CECs were enriched from the peripheral blood of the healthy control subjects (G1, n = 17) and the patients at disease-free status (G2, n = 26) ...

  15. Modulatory role of phospholipase D in the activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT-3 by thyroid oncogenic kinase RET/PTC

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kim Dong Wook

    2008-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background RET/PTC (rearranged in transformation/papillary thyroid carcinomas gene rearrangements are the most frequent genetic alterations identified in papillary thyroid carcinoma. Although it has been established that RET/PTC kinase plays a crucial role in intracellular signaling pathways that regulate cellular transformation, growth, and proliferation in thyroid epithelial cells, the upstream signaling that leads to the activation of RET/PTC is largely unknown. Based on the observation of high levels of PLD expression in human papillary thyroid cancer tissues, we investigated whether PLD plays a role in the regulating the RET/PTC-induced STAT3 activation. Methods Cancer tissue samples were obtained from papillary thyroid cancer patients (n = 6. The expression level of PLD was examined using immunohistochemistry and western blotting. Direct interaction between RET/PTC and PLD was analyzed by co-immunoprecipitation assay. PLD activity was assessed by measuring the formation of [3H]phosphatidylbutanol, the product of PLD-mediated transphosphatidylation, in the presence of n-butanol. The transcriptional activity of STAT3 was assessed by m67 luciferase reporter assay. Results In human papillary thyroid cancer, the expression levels of PLD2 protein were higher than those in the corresponding paired normal tissues. PLD and RET/PTC could be co-immunoprecipitated from cells where each protein was over-expressed. In addition, the activation of PLD by pervanadate triggered phosphorylation of tyrosine 705 residue on STAT-3, and its phosphorylation was dramatically higher in TPC-1 cells (from papillary carcinoma that have an endogenous RET/PTC1 than in ARO cells (from anaplastic carcinoma without alteration of total STAT-3 expression. Moreover, the RET/PTC-mediated transcriptional activation of STAT-3 was synergistically increased by over-expression of PLD, whereas the PLD activity as a lipid hydrolyzing enzyme was not affected by RET/PTC

  16. Promotion effect of manganese oxide on the electrocatalytic activity of Pt/C for methanol oxidation in acid medium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abdel Hameed, R.M.; Fetohi, Amani E.; Amin, R.S.; El-Khatib, K.M.

    2015-01-01

    Graphical abstract: Physical and electrochemical properties of Pt/C, Pt–MnO_2/C-1 and Pt–MnO_2/C-2 electrocatalysts. - Highlights: • Adding MnO_2 to Pt/C improved the dispersion of Pt nanoparticles. • The existence of MnO_2 improved the kinetics of methanol oxidation reaction. • R_c_t value of Pt–MnO_2/C was about 10 times as low as that at Pt/C. • The removal of CO_a_d_s poisoning species was facilitated at Pt–MnO_2/C. - Abstract: The modification of Pt/C by incorporating metal oxides for electrocatalytic oxidation of methanol has gained major attention because of the efficiency loss during the course of long-time operation. This work describes the preparation of Pt–MnO_2/C electrocatalysts through a chemical route using ethylene glycol or a mixture of ethylene glycol and sodium borohydride as a reducing agent. The crystallite structure and particle size of synthesized electrocatalysts are determined using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The addition of MnO_2 improves the dispersion of Pt nanoparticles. The electrocatalytic activity of Pt–MnO_2/C towards methanol oxidation in H_2SO_4 solution is investigated using cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The onset potential value of methanol oxidation peak is negatively shifted by 169 mV when MnO_2 is introduced to Pt/C. Moreover, the charge transfer resistance value at Pt–MnO_2/C is about 10 times as low as that at Pt/C. Chronoamperometry and chronopotentiometry show that CO tolerance is greatly improved at Pt–MnO_2/C. The increased electrocatalytic activity and enhanced ability to clean platinum surface elect manganese oxide as a suitable promoter for the anode performance in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs).

  17. ASME power test code ptc 4.1 for steam generators; Codigo de pruebas de potencia ASME ptc 4.1 para generadores de vapor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Plauchu Alcantara, Jorge Alberto [Plauchu Consultores, Morelia, Michoacan (Mexico)

    2001-07-01

    This presentation is oriented towards those who in this subject have experience in the design and equipment specification, plant projects, factory and field testing, operation or result analyses. An important fraction of the national energy supply, approximately 13%, is applied to the steam generation in the different aspects of the industrial activity, in the electrical industry of public service and in the commercial and services sector. The development of the national programs of energy efficiency verifies this when dedicating to this use of the energy important projects, some of them with support of the USAID. The measurement of the energy utilization or the efficiency of steam generators (or boilers) is made applying some procedure agreed by the parts and the one of greater acceptance and best known in Mexico and internationally is the ASME Power Test Code PTC 4.1 for Steam Generators. The purpose and formality in the determination of efficiency and of steam generation capacity behavior, thermal basic regime or fulfillment of guarantees, radically changes the exigencies of strict attachment to the PTC 4.1 This definition will determine the importance of the test method selected, the deviations and convened exceptions, the influence of the precision and the measurement errors, the consideration of auxiliary equipment, etc. An interpretation or incorrect application of the Test Code has lead and will lead to results and nonreliable decisions. [Spanish] Esta exposicion se orienta a quienes en este tema cuenta con experiencia en diseno y especificacion de equipo, proyecto de planta, pruebas en fabrica y campo, operacion o analisis de resultados. Una fraccion importante de la oferta nacional de energia, 13% aproximadamente, se aplica a la generacion de vapor en diferentes giros de actividad industrial, en la industria electrica, de servicio publico y en el sector de servicios y comercial. El desarrollo de los programas nacionales de eficiencia energetica comprueba

  18. Synergistic growth inhibition of cancer cells harboring the RET/PTC1 ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Synergistic growth inhibition of cancer cells harboring the RET/PTC1 oncogene by staurosporine and rotenone involves enhanced cell death. ANTÓNIO PEDRO GONÇALVES, ARNALDO VIDEIRA, VALDEMAR MÁXIMO and PAULA SOARES. J. Biosci. 36(4), September 2011, 639-648, © Indian Academy of Sciences.

  19. Development of an operationally efficient PTC braking enforcement algorithm for freight trains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-08-01

    Software algorithms used in positive train control (PTC) systems designed to predict freight train stopping distance and enforce a penalty brake application have been shown to be overly conservative, which can lead to operational inefficiencies by in...

  20. Synthesis and Reactions of Five-Membered Heterocycles Using Phase Transfer Catalyst (PTC Techniques

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ahmed M. El-Sayed

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Phase transfer catalysts (PTCs have been widely used for the synthesis of organic compounds particularly in both liquid-liquid and solid-liquid heterogeneous reaction mixtures. They are known to accelerate reaction rates by facilitating formation of interphase transfer of species and making reactions between reagents in two immiscible phases possible. Application of PTC instead of traditional technologies for industrial processes of organic synthesis provides substantial benefits for the environment. On the basis of numerous reports it is evident that phase-transfer catalysis is the most efficient way for generation and reactions of many active intermediates. In this review we report various uses of PTC in syntheses and reactions of five-membered heterocycles compounds and their multifused rings.

  1. Studies on the effects of EPDM, SR on PTC- of HDPE/CB before and after γ-radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jia Shaojin; Jiang Pingkai; Xiu Qihui; Wang Zongguang; Zhang Zhicheng

    2004-01-01

    High-density-polyethylene (HDPE), Si rubber (SR) and ethylene-density-polyethylene (EPDM) were used as the polymer matrices. A kinds of carbon blacks was used as the conductive filler. The positive temperature coefficient (PTC) intensity of the HDPE/CB, HDPE/EPDM/CB composites flow during extrusion to produced was tested before and after irradiation. Compared to that of HDPE/CB composites, the electrical reproducibility of the irradiated HDPE/EPDM/CB composites of is better. The effects of γ-rays irradiation were also estimated. The results showed that the reproductive of the PTC effect was related to the adhesion between the interface of the polymer matrices and CB particles. These PTC phenomena and their distinctive aspects were described. The explanations were given from the structural characteristics of the blends, CB particles distribution and motion of polymer segments. (authors)

  2. Mediation as Problem-Solving Scene in the Light of PTC

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Viktor Németh

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available Mediation does not only mean a specific procedure or protocol but the related attitude, mindset as well. This perspective gives opportunity to demonstrate the problem in a different way than previously. In the present study, the Participatory Theory of Communication (PTC appears as a framework which makes the communication of participants of the mediation interpretable and transparent.

  3. Low dose irradiation of thyroid cells reveals a unique transcriptomic and epigenetic signature in RET/PTC-positive cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Abou-El-Ardat, Khalil, E-mail: kabouela@sckcen.be [Radiobiology Unit, Molecular and Cellular Biology, GKD Building, Studiecentrum voor Kernenergie - Centre d' Etude de l' Energie Nucleaire (SCK-CEN), Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol (Belgium); Department of Molecular Biotechnology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Universiteit Gent, 9000 Ghent (Belgium); Monsieurs, Pieter [Radiobiology Unit, Molecular and Cellular Biology, GKD Building, Studiecentrum voor Kernenergie - Centre d' Etude de l' Energie Nucleaire (SCK-CEN), Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol (Belgium); Anastasov, Natasa; Atkinson, Mike [Department of Radiation Sciences, Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen, Munich (Germany); Derradji, Hanane [Radiobiology Unit, Molecular and Cellular Biology, GKD Building, Studiecentrum voor Kernenergie - Centre d' Etude de l' Energie Nucleaire (SCK-CEN), Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol (Belgium); De Meyer, Tim [Department of Molecular Biotechnology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Universiteit Gent, 9000 Ghent (Belgium); Department of Applied Mathematics, Biometrics and Process Control, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Universiteit Gent, 9000 Ghent (Belgium); Bekaert, Sofie [Clinical Research Center, Faculty for Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiteit Gent, 185 De Pintelaan, 9000 Ghent (Belgium); Van Criekinge, Wim [Department of Molecular Biotechnology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Universiteit Gent, 9000 Ghent (Belgium); and others

    2012-03-01

    The high doses of radiation received in the wake of the Chernobyl incident and the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have been linked to the increased appearance of thyroid cancer in the children living in the vicinity of the site. However, the data gathered on the effect of low doses of radiation on the thyroid remain limited. We have examined the genome wide transcriptional response of a culture of TPC-1 human cell line of papillary thyroid carcinoma origin with a RET/PTC1 translocation to various doses (0.0625, 0.5, and 4 Gy) of X-rays and compared it to response of thyroids with a RET/PTC3 translocation and against wild-type mouse thyroids irradiated with the same doses using Affymetrix microarrays. We have found considerable overlap at a high dose of 4 Gy in both RET/PTC-positive systems but no common genes at 62.5 mGy. In addition, the response of RET/PTC-positive system at all doses was distinct from the response of wild-type thyroids with both systems signaling down different pathways. Analysis of the response of microRNAs in TPC-1 cells revealed a radiation-responsive signature of microRNAs in addition to dose-responsive microRNAs. Our results point to the fact that a low dose of X-rays seems to have a significant proliferative effect on normal thyroids. This observation should be studied further as opposed to its effect on RET/PTC-positive thyroids which was subtle, anti-proliferative and system-dependent.

  4. Promotion effect of manganese oxide on the electrocatalytic activity of Pt/C for methanol oxidation in acid medium

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Abdel Hameed, R.M., E-mail: randa311eg@yahoo.com [Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza (Egypt); Fetohi, Amani E.; Amin, R.S.; El-Khatib, K.M. [Chemical Engineering Department, National Research Center, Dokki, Giza (Egypt)

    2015-12-30

    Graphical abstract: Physical and electrochemical properties of Pt/C, Pt–MnO{sub 2}/C-1 and Pt–MnO{sub 2}/C-2 electrocatalysts. - Highlights: • Adding MnO{sub 2} to Pt/C improved the dispersion of Pt nanoparticles. • The existence of MnO{sub 2} improved the kinetics of methanol oxidation reaction. • R{sub ct} value of Pt–MnO{sub 2}/C was about 10 times as low as that at Pt/C. • The removal of CO{sub ads} poisoning species was facilitated at Pt–MnO{sub 2}/C. - Abstract: The modification of Pt/C by incorporating metal oxides for electrocatalytic oxidation of methanol has gained major attention because of the efficiency loss during the course of long-time operation. This work describes the preparation of Pt–MnO{sub 2}/C electrocatalysts through a chemical route using ethylene glycol or a mixture of ethylene glycol and sodium borohydride as a reducing agent. The crystallite structure and particle size of synthesized electrocatalysts are determined using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The addition of MnO{sub 2} improves the dispersion of Pt nanoparticles. The electrocatalytic activity of Pt–MnO{sub 2}/C towards methanol oxidation in H{sub 2}SO{sub 4} solution is investigated using cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The onset potential value of methanol oxidation peak is negatively shifted by 169 mV when MnO{sub 2} is introduced to Pt/C. Moreover, the charge transfer resistance value at Pt–MnO{sub 2}/C is about 10 times as low as that at Pt/C. Chronoamperometry and chronopotentiometry show that CO tolerance is greatly improved at Pt–MnO{sub 2}/C. The increased electrocatalytic activity and enhanced ability to clean platinum surface elect manganese oxide as a suitable promoter for the anode performance in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs).

  5. Carbon Corrosion at Pt/C Interface in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Environment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choi, Min Ho; Beam, Won Jin; Park, Chan Jin

    2010-01-01

    This study examined the carbon corrosion at Pt/C interface in proton exchange membrane fuel cell environment. The Pt nano particles were electrodeposited on carbon substrate, and then the corrosion behavior of the carbon electrode was examined. The carbon electrodes with Pt nano electrodeposits exhibited the higher oxidation rate and lower oxidation overpotential compared with that of the electrode without Pt. This phenomenon was more active at 75 .deg. C than 25 .deg. C. In addition, the current transients and the corresponding power spectral density (PSD) of the carbon electrodes with Pt nano electrodeposits were much higher than those of the electrode without Pt. The carbon corrosion at Pt/C interface was highly accelerated by Pt nano electrodeposits. Furthermore, the polarization and power density curves of PEMFC showed degradation in the performance due to a deterioration of cathode catalyst material and Pt dissolution

  6. An automated system for the objective evaluation of human gustatory sensitivity using tongue biopotential recordings.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Danilo Pani

    Full Text Available The goal of this work is to develop an automatic system for the evaluation of the gustatory sensitivity of patients using an electrophysiological recording of the response of bud cells to taste stimuli. In particular, the study aims to evaluate the effectiveness and limitations of supervised classifiers in the discrimination between subjects belonging to the three 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP taster categories (supertasters, medium tasters, and non-tasters, exploiting features extracted from electrophysiological recordings of the tongue. Thirty-nine subjects (equally divided into the three PROP status classes by standard non-objective scaling methods underwent a non-invasive, differential, biopotential recording of their tongues during stimulation with PROP by using a custom-made, flexible, silver electrode. Two different classifiers were trained to recognize up to seven different features extracted from the recorded depolarization signal. The classification results indicate that the identified set of features allows to distinguish between PROP tasters and non-tasters (average accuracy of 80% ± 18% and up to 94% ± 15% when only supertasters and non-tasters are considered, but medium tasters were difficult to identify. However, these apparent classification errors are related to uncertainty in the labeling procedures, which are based on non-objective tests, in which the subjects provided borderline evaluations. Thus, using the proposed method, it is possible, for the first time, to automatically achieve objective PROP taster status identification with high accuracy. The simplicity of the recording technique allows for easy reproduction of the experimental setting; thus the technique can be used in future studies to evaluate other gustatory stimuli. The proposed approach represents the first objective and automatic method to directly measure human gustatory responses and a milestone for physiological taste studies, with applications ranging from

  7. Design criteria for stable Pt/C fuel cell catalysts

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Josef C. Meier

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Platinum and Pt alloy nanoparticles supported on carbon are the state of the art electrocatalysts in proton exchange membrane fuel cells. To develop a better understanding on how material design can influence the degradation processes on the nanoscale, three specific Pt/C catalysts with different structural characteristics were investigated in depth: a conventional Pt/Vulcan catalyst with a particle size of 3–4 nm and two Pt@HGS catalysts with different particle size, 1–2 nm and 3–4 nm. Specifically, Pt@HGS corresponds to platinum nanoparticles incorporated and confined within the pore structure of the nanostructured carbon support, i.e., hollow graphitic spheres (HGS. All three materials are characterized by the same platinum loading, so that the differences in their performance can be correlated to the structural characteristics of each material. The comparison of the activity and stability behavior of the three catalysts, as obtained from thin film rotating disk electrode measurements and identical location electron microscopy, is also extended to commercial materials and used as a basis for a discussion of general fuel cell catalyst design principles. Namely, the effects of particle size, inter-particle distance, certain support characteristics and thermal treatment on the catalyst performance and in particular the catalyst stability are evaluated. Based on our results, a set of design criteria for more stable and active Pt/C and Pt-alloy/C materials is suggested.

  8. Methanol electro-oxidation on Pt/C modified by polyaniline nanofibers for DMFC applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhiani, Mohammad; Rezaei, Behzad; Jalili, Jalal [Department of Chemistry, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan 84156-83111 (Iran)

    2010-09-15

    In the present study, in order to achieve an inexpensive tolerable anode catalyst for direct methanol fuel cell applications, a composite of polyaniline nanofibers and Pt/C nano-particles, identified by PANI/Pt/C, was prepared by in-situ electropolymerization of aniline and trifluoromethane sulfonic acid on glassy carbon. The effect of synthesized PANI nanofibers in methanol electrooxidation reaction was compared by bare Pt/C by different electrochemical methods such as; cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and chronoamperometry. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was also employed to morphological study of the modified catalyst layer. The test results reveal that introduction of PANI nanofibers within catalyst layer improves the catalyst activity in methanol oxidation, hinders and prevents catalyst from more poisoning by intermediate products of methanol oxidation and improves the mechanical properties of the catalyst layer. SEM images also indicate that PANI nanofibers placed between platinum particles and anchor platinum particles and alleviate the Pt migration during methanol electrooxidation. (author)

  9. Use of a Combined SpO2/PtcCO2 Sensor in the Delivery Room

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Costantino Romagnoli

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available Arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2 and partial arterial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO2 are important respiratory parameters in critically ill neonates. A sensor combining a pulse oximeter with the Stow-Severinghaus electrode, required for the measurement of peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2 and transcutaneous partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PtcCO2, respectively, has been recently used in neonatal clinical practice (TOSCA500ÒRadiometer. We evaluated TOSCA usability and reliability in the delivery room (DR, throughout three different periods, on term, late-preterm, and preterm neonates. During the first period (period A, 30 healthy term neonates were simultaneously monitored with both TOSCA and a MASIMO pulse oximeter. During the second period (period B, 10 healthy late-preterm neonates were monitored with both TOSCA and a transcutaneous device measuring PtcCO2 (TINAÒ TCM3, Radiometer. During the third period (period C, 15 preterm neonates were monitored with TOSCA and MASIMO after birth, during stabilization, and during transport to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU. Blood gas analyses were performed to compare transcutaneous and blood gas values. TOSCA resulted easily and safely usable in the DR, allowing reliable noninvasive SaO2 estimation. Since PtcCO2 measurements with TOSCA required at least 10 min to be stable and reliable, this parameter was not useful during the early resuscitation immediately after birth. Moreover, PtcCO2 levels were less precise if compared to the conventional transcutaneous monitoring. However, PtcCO2 measurement by TOSCA was useful as trend-monitoring after stabilization and during transport to NICU.

  10. Prevalence of venous sinus stenosis in Pseudotumor cerebri (PTC using digital subtraction angiography (DSA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohamed Hamdy Ibrahim

    2014-06-01

    Conclusion: Studying the intracranial venous system in patients with PTC is an important step in understanding the pathophysiology of the disease. Detection of venous sinus stenosis opens the way to a novel therapeutic option for refractory patients like venous sinus stenting.

  11. PTC-6 vacuum system: WallWaler trademark Blastrac reg-sign shot blast cleaning system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1998-02-01

    The LTC Americas, Inc. wall decontamination technology consisted of two pneumatic hand-held tools: (1) a roto-peen scaler that used star cutters and (2) a 3-piston hammer with reciprocating bits. The hand-held tools were used in conjunction with the LTC PTC-6 vacuum system which captured dust and debris as the wall decontamination took place. Recommendations for improved worker safety and health during use of the PTC-6 vacuum system with hand-held tools include: (1) keeping all hoses and lines as orderly as possible in compliance with good housekeeping requirements; (2) ergonomic training to include techniques in lifting, bending, stooping, twisting, etc.; (3) use of a clamping system to hold hoses to the vacuum system; (4) a safety line on the air line connections; (5) use of a mechanical lifting system for waste drum removal; and (6) the use of ergonomically designed tools

  12. Differential expression profiling of circulation microRNAs in PTC patients with non-131I and 131I-avid lungs metastases: a pilot study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Qiu, Zhong-Ling; Shen, Chen-Tian; Song, Hong-Jun; Wei, Wei-Jun; Luo, Quan-Yong

    2015-01-01

    Introduction: Loss of the ability to concentrate 131 I is one of the important causes of radioiodine-refractory disease in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). Recent advantages of serum microRNAs (miRNAs) open a new realm of possibilities for noninvasive diagnosis and prognosis of many cancers. The aim of the current study was to identify differential expression profiling of circulation miRNAs in PTC patients with non- 131 I and 131 I-avid lungs metastases. Methods: The expressions of miRNAs were examined using miRNA microarray chip. The most significantly changed miRNAs from microarray were verified by using qRT-PCR. The potential miRNAs regulating target genes and their preliminary biological functions were forecasted by Bioinformatic analysis. Results: Compared to 131 I-avid lung metastases, 13 kinds of significantly differential serum miRNAs including 5 upregulated miRNAs (miR-1249, miR-106a, miR-503, miR-34c-5p, miR-1281) and 8 downregulated miRNAs (miR-1915, miR-2861, miR-3196, miR-500, miR-572, miR-33b, miR-554, miR-18a) in PTC patients with non- 131 I-avid lung metastases were identified. Bioinformatic analysis demonstrated that miR-106a was the core miRNA regulating 193 genes in the network. The results of validation confirmed the up-regulation of miR-106a in non- 131 I-avid lungs metastatic PTC patients. Conclusion: Differentially expressed serum miRNA profiles between PTC patients with non- 131 I and 131 I-avid lungs metastases were analyzed. These findings in our present study could represent new clues for the diagnostic and therapeutic strategy in PTC patients with non- 131 I-avid metastatic disease

  13. Catalytic Liquefaction of Humin Substances from Sugar Biorefineries with Pt/C in 2-Propanol

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wang, Y.; Agarwal, S.; Heeres, H. J.

    The catalytic liquefaction of humins, the solid byproduct from the conversion of C6 sugars (glucose, fructose) to S-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and levulinic acid (LA), using a supported Pt/C catalyst in isopropanol (IPA) as the solvent was investigated. At bench mark conditions (400 degrees C, 7 h,

  14. PTC-6 vacuum system: WallWalker{trademark} and Blastrac{reg_sign} shot blast cleaning system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1998-02-01

    The LTC Americas, Inc. wall decontamination technology consisted of two pneumatic hand-held tools: (1) a roto-peen scaler that used star cutters and (2) a 3-piston hammer with reciprocating bits. The hand-held tools were used in conjunction with the LTC PTC-6 vacuum system which captured dust and debris as the wall decontamination took place. Recommendations for improved worker safety and health during use of the PTC-6 vacuum system with hand-held tools include: (1) keeping all hoses and lines as orderly as possible in compliance with good housekeeping requirements; (2) ergonomic training to include techniques in lifting, bending, stooping, twisting, etc.; (3) use of a clamping system to hold hoses to the vacuum system; (4) a safety line on the air line connections; (5) use of a mechanical lifting system for waste drum removal; and (6) the use of ergonomically designed tools.

  15. Hydrogenation of fructose to 2,5-dimethyltetrahydrofuran using a sulfur poisoned Pt/C catalyst

    Science.gov (United States)

    In order to expand the number of biobased chemicals available, fructose has been hydrogenated to 2,5-dimethyltetrahydrofuran using a sulfided Pt/C catalyst. The reaction was carried out in a stirred reactor at 10.3 MPa H2 and 175°C which allowed a 10% fructose solution to be converted in about 2 h. ...

  16. Evaluation of Pt/C catalyst degradation and H2O2 formation changes under simulated PEM fuel cell condition by a rotating ring-disk electrode

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ono, Kenshiro; Yasuda, Yuki; Sekizawa, Koshi; Takeuchi, Norimitsu; Yoshida, Toshihiko; Sudoh, Masao

    2013-01-01

    Potential cycling tests using 42.2 wt% and 19.1 wt% Pt/C catalysts were conducted by the RRDE technique to evaluate the changes in the electrochemical surface area (ECSA) and H 2 O 2 formation ability of the catalysts. As the typical operating conditions of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), square wave potential cycling (0.7–0.9 V) was applied to the catalysts for 150,000 cycles in an O 2 -saturated 0.1 M HClO 4 electrolyte. During the potential cycling test, electrochemical measurements were carried out to characterize the ECSA, oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity and H 2 O 2 formation. After 150,000 potential cyclings, while the ECSA of the 42.2 wt% Pt/C dropped by 35%, the ECSA loss for the 19.1 wt% Pt/C was 55%. This result implies that the Pt content in the cathode catalyst affects the ECSA loss during the long-term PEMFC operation. Additionally, the H 2 O 2 formation ratio obviously increased with the potential cycling only in the case of the 19.1 wt% Pt/C. In order to verify the H 2 O 2 formation dependence on the ECSA, four types of catalysts, which included different Pt loading amounts (42.2, 28.1, 19.1 and 9.5 wt% Pt/C), were evaluated, and these results explained the relationship between the ECSA decay and H 2 O 2 formation increase in the durability tests

  17. Time integration in the code Zgoubi and external usage of PTC's structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Forest, Etienne; Meot, F.

    2006-06-01

    The purpose of this note is to describe Zgoubi's integrator and to describe some pitfalls for time based integration when used in accelerators. We show why the convergence rate of an integrator can be affected by an improper treatment at the boundary when time is used as the integration variable. We also point out how the code PTC can be used as a container by other tracking engine. This work is not completed as far as incorporation of Zgoubi is concerned. (authors)

  18. Optimization study of using PTC for human body heating dissipation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tiberiu Adrian SALAORU

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available A better knowledge of the human body heat loses mechanisms is important for both diminishing the number of deaths during the surgical procedures of the patients under effect of full anaesthesia and increasing the efficiency of the Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC systems. For these studies it is necessary to manufacture a human body mannequin having its surface temperature maintained on a value close to the real human body temperature. A number of PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient thermistors placed on the entire external surface of the mannequin can be used for this purpose. This paper presents a study of the transient heating regime and the stability of the maintained temperature, performed on these devices.

  19. Rapid in situ synthesis of spherical microflower Pt/C catalyst via spray-drying for high performance fuel cell application

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Balgis, R.; Ogi, T.; Okuyama, K. [Department of Chemical Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Hiroshima University, Higashi Hiroshima, Hiroshima (Japan); Anilkumar, G.M.; Sago, S. [Research and Development Centre, Noritake Co., Ltd., Higashiyama, Miyoshi, Aichi (Japan)

    2012-08-15

    A facile route for the rapid in situ synthesis of platinum nanoparticles on spherical microflower carbon has been developed. An aqueous precursor slurry containing carbon black, polystyrene latex (PSL), polyvinyl alcohol, and platinum salt was spray-dried, followed by calcination to simultaneously reduce platinum salt and to decompose PSL particles. Prepared Pt/C catalyst showed high-performance electrocatalytic activity with excellent durability. The mass activity and specific activity values were 132.26 mA mg{sup -1} Pt and 207.62 {mu}A cm{sup -2} Pt, respectively. This work presents a future direction for the production of high-performance Pt/C catalyst in an industrial scale. (Copyright copyright 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  20. Iodine intake not radiation is the probable major influence on the morphology, aggressiveness and latency of papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTC)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Williams, Dill; Vowler, Sarah; Bogdanova, Tania; Tronko, Nikol; Ito, Masah; Livolsi, Virg; Thomas, Gerry; Demidchik, Evg

    2005-01-01

    Full text: This study set out to investigate whether radiation induced thyroid cancers differ in morphology and aggressiveness from non radiation induced cancers, and whether other factors such as iodine intake are important. Chernobyl-related thyroid carcinomas, almost all PTCs, are reportedly typically morphologically solid, RET-PTC3 positive, and aggressive. We have studied 152 PTCs, 84 Chernobyl related (Chernobyl Tumour Bank), 23 unexposed children from the same area, and 45 from other countries. We quantified morphological changes and invasion, and found no significant differences between age-matched radiation-exposed and unexposed groups from the Chernobyl regions (papillary differentiation 34.3 v 35.2%, invasion 62 v 65 %). Age-matched tumours from Japan, a country with high dietary iodine, showed significantly more well-differentiated papillary architecture (80.8 v 43.3%, p<0.0001) and significantly less invasion (30 v 57 %, p<0.01) than tumours from Chernobyl regions. PTCs from England and Wales, iodine intake intermediate between Japan and the iodine deficient Chernobyl regions, showed intermediate features. We and others have shown that papillary architecture correlates with RET-PTC1 and solid morphology with RET-PTC3; the proportion of RET-PTC3 positive tumours has declined with increasing latency. We have also previously shown that solid morphology in Chernobyl-related PTCs correlates with short latency irrespective of age at exposure. Conclusion: We conclude that in the 19 years since the Chernobyl accident the radiation and non radiation-induced induced papillary carcinomas from the same areas do not differ in morphology and aggressiveness but both differ significantly from tumours from an iodine rich country. We suggest that these features and the surprisingly short latency after Chernobyl compared to other radiation incidents are influenced by the low dietary iodine intake. (author)

  1. Combined analysis of circulating epithelial cells and serum thyroglobulin for distinguishing disease status of the patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Hung-Chih; Liou, Miaw-Jene; Hsu, Hsung-Ling; Hsieh, Jason Chia-Hsun; Chen, Yi-An; Tseng, Ching-Ping; Lin, Jen Der

    2016-03-29

    Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) accounts for about 80% of the cases in thyroid cancer. Routine surveillance by serum thyroglobulin (Tg) and medical imaging is the current practice to monitor disease progression of the patients. Whether enumeration of circulating epithelial cells (CECs) helps to define disease status of PTC patients was investigated. CECs were enriched from the peripheral blood of the healthy control subjects (G1, n = 17) and the patients at disease-free status (G2, n = 26) or with distant metastasis (G3, n = 22). The number of CECs expressing epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) or thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor (TSHR) was determined by immunofluorescence microscopy analyses. The medium number of EpCAM+-CECs was 6 (interquartile range 1-11), 12 (interquartile range 7-16) and 91 (interquartile range 31-206) cells/ml of blood for G1, G2 and G3, respectively. EpCAM+-CEC counts were significantly higher in G3 than in G1 (p interquartile range 3-13), 16 (interquartile range 10-24) and 100 (interquartile range 31-226) cells/ml of blood for G1, G2 and G3, respectively. The TSHR+-CEC counts also distinguished G3 from G1 (p < 0.05) and G2 (p < 0.05). With an appropriate cut off value of CEC count, the disease status for 97.9% (47/48) of the cases was clearly defined. Notably, the metastatic disease for all patients in G3 (22/22) was revealed by combined analysis of serum Tg and CEC. This study implicates that CEC testing can supplement the current standard methods for monitoring disease status of PTC.

  2. pTC Plasmids from Sulfolobus Species in the Geothermal Area of Tengchong, China: Genomic Conservation and Naturally-Occurring Variations as a Result of Transposition by Mobile Genetic Elements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiang, Xiaoyu; Huang, Xiaoxing; Wang, Haina; Huang, Li

    2015-02-12

    Plasmids occur frequently in Archaea. A novel plasmid (denoted pTC1) containing typical conjugation functions has been isolated from Sulfolobus tengchongensis RT8-4, a strain obtained from a hot spring in Tengchong, China, and characterized. The plasmid is a circular double-stranded DNA molecule of 20,417 bp. Among a total of 26 predicted pTC1 ORFs, 23 have homologues in other known Sulfolobus conjugative plasmids (CPs). pTC1 resembles other Sulfolobus CPs in genome architecture, and is most highly conserved in the genomic region encoding conjugation functions. However, attempts to demonstrate experimentally the capacity of the plasmid for conjugational transfer were unsuccessful. A survey revealed that pTC1 and its closely related plasmid variants were widespread in the geothermal area of Tengchong. Variations of the plasmids at the target sites for transposition by an insertion sequence (IS) and a miniature inverted-repeat transposable element (MITE) were readily detected. The IS was efficiently inserted into the pTC1 genome, and the inserted sequence was inactivated and degraded more frequently in an imprecise manner than in a precise manner. These results suggest that the host organism has evolved a strategy to maintain a balance between the insertion and elimination of mobile genetic elements to permit genomic plasticity while inhibiting their fast spreading.

  3. pTC Plasmids from Sulfolobus Species in the Geothermal Area of Tengchong, China: Genomic Conservation and Naturally-Occurring Variations as a Result of Transposition by Mobile Genetic Elements

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaoyu Xiang

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available Plasmids occur frequently in Archaea. A novel plasmid (denoted pTC1 containing typical conjugation functions has been isolated from Sulfolobus tengchongensis RT8-4, a strain obtained from a hot spring in Tengchong, China, and characterized. The plasmid is a circular double-stranded DNA molecule of 20,417 bp. Among a total of 26 predicted pTC1 ORFs, 23 have homologues in other known Sulfolobus conjugative plasmids (CPs. pTC1 resembles other Sulfolobus CPs in genome architecture, and is most highly conserved in the genomic region encoding conjugation functions. However, attempts to demonstrate experimentally the capacity of the plasmid for conjugational transfer were unsuccessful. A survey revealed that pTC1 and its closely related plasmid variants were widespread in the geothermal area of Tengchong. Variations of the plasmids at the target sites for transposition by an insertion sequence (IS and a miniature inverted-repeat transposable element (MITE were readily detected. The IS was efficiently inserted into the pTC1 genome, and the inserted sequence was inactivated and degraded more frequently in an imprecise manner than in a precise manner. These results suggest that the host organism has evolved a strategy to maintain a balance between the insertion and elimination of mobile genetic elements to permit genomic plasticity while inhibiting their fast spreading.

  4. Chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis (CLT) has a positive prognostic value in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) patients: the potential key role of Foxp3+ T lymphocytes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pilli, T; Toti, P; Occhini, R; Castagna, M G; Cantara, S; Caselli, M; Cardinale, S; Barbagli, L; Pacini, F

    2017-12-11

    An impact of chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis (CLT) on papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) outcome has long been advocated but it is still controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of CLT in a retrospective cohort of PTC patients and to characterize the lymphocytic subpopulations and infiltrate (LI). We assessed 375 PTC patients, aged 45.2 ± 16.4 years, and treated with thyroidectomy and radioiodine remnant ablation, with a mean follow-up of 6.28 ± 3.86 years. In a subgroup of patients (n = 81) tissue sections were reviewed for the presence of CLT or lymphocytes associated with tumor in absence of background thyroiditis (TAL); cytotoxic CD8+/regulatory Foxp3+ T lymphocyte (CD8+/Foxp3+) ratio was characterized by immunohistochemistry: a low ratio is suggestive of a less effective anti tumor immune response. Seventy-five/375 patients (20%) had a histological diagnosis of CLT and showed at the last follow-up a significantly better outcome compared to those with no CLT (cure rate: 91.8 versus 76.3%, p = 0.003). LI was characterized in 81 PTC patients (24 with CLT and 57 with TAL): the peri-tumoral CD8+/Foxp3+ ratio was lower in patients not cured at the final evaluation. Our data suggest that concurrent CLT has a protective effect on PTC outcome and that the imbalance between cytotoxic and regulatory T lymphocytes in the peri-tumoral TAL may affect the tumor-specific immune response favoring a more aggressive behavior of cancer.

  5. Metal-insulator transition in Pt-C nanowires grown by focused-ion-beam-induced deposition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fernandez-Pacheco, A.; Ibarra, M. R.; De Teresa, J. M.; Cordoba, R.

    2009-01-01

    We present a study of the transport properties of Pt-C nanowires created by focused-ion-beam (FIB)-induced deposition. By means of the measurement of the resistance while the deposit is being performed, we observe a progressive decrease in the nanowire resistivity with thickness, changing from 10 8 μΩ cm for thickness ∼20 nm to a lowest saturated value of 700 μΩ cm for thickness >150 nm. Spectroscopy analysis indicates that this dependence on thickness is caused by a gradient in the metal-carbon ratio as the deposit is grown. We have fabricated nanowires in different ranges of resistivity and studied their conduction mechanism as a function of temperature. A metal-insulator transition as a function of the nanowire thickness is observed. The results will be discussed in terms of the Mott-Anderson theory for noncrystalline materials. An exponential decrease in the conductance with the electric field is found for the most resistive samples, a phenomenon understood by the theory of hopping in lightly doped semiconductors under strong electric fields. This work explains the important discrepancies found in the literature for Pt-C nanostructures grown by FIB and opens the possibility to tune the transport properties of this material by an appropriate selection of the growth parameters.

  6. Anicteric dilatation of the biliary tree demonstrated by ultrasound 131I rose bengal liver scan and PTC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kapoor, R.; Saha, M.M.; Gupta, A.K.

    1991-01-01

    An uncommon case of gross dilatation of biliary tract, without clinical or biochemical evidence of jaundice, is presented. Dilatation of bile ducts was initially demonstrated on ultrasound and it was subsequently confirmed by 131 I rose bengal liver can, PTC and at surgery. (author). 6 refs., 3 figs

  7. Significant advantages of sulfur-doped graphene in neutral media as electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction comparing with Pt/C

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, Xinxin; Zhang, Jiaona; Huang, Tinglin

    2018-02-01

    Sulfur-doped graphene (SDG) has been found to be an efficient electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction. However, previous studies on the catalytic activity of SDG have been mainly confined to O2-saturated alkaline media which is a typical alkaline fuel cell environment. Air-cathode microbial fuel cells (ACMFCs), as a novel energy conversion and wastewater treatment technology, use the oxygen from air as cathodic reactant in neutral media with low concentration of O2. Thus, it is meaningful to explore the catalytic performance of SDG in such ACMFC environment. The result showed that in ACMFC environment, the peak current density of SDG in CV test was surprisingly 4.5 times higher than that of Pt/C, indicating a much stronger catalytic activity of SDG. Moreover, SDG exhibited a stronger tolerance against the crossover of glucose (a typical anodic fuel in ACMFC) and better stability than Pt/C in neutral media.

  8. Potential relationship between Hashimoto's thyroiditis and BRAF(V600E) mutation status in papillary thyroid cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeng, Rui-Chao; Jin, Lang-Ping; Chen, En-Dong; Dong, Si-Yang; Cai, Ye-Feng; Huang, Guan-Li; Li, Quan; Jin, Chun; Zhang, Xiao-Hua; Wang, Ou-Chen

    2016-04-01

    The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential relationship between Hashimoto's thyroiditis and BRAF(V600E) mutation status in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). A total of 619 patients with PTC who underwent total thyroidectomy with lymph node dissection were enrolled in this study. Univariable and multivariate analyses were used. Hashimoto's thyroiditis was present in 35.9% (222 of 619) of PTCs. Multivariate logistic regressions showed that BRAF(V600E) mutation, sex, extrathyroidal extension, and lymph node metastasis were independent factors for Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Female sex, more frequent extrathyroidal extension, and a higher incidence of lymph node metastasis were significantly associated with PTCs accompanied by BRAF(V600E) mutation without Hashimoto's thyroiditis compared with PTCs accompanied by BRAF(V600E) mutation with Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Hashimoto's thyroiditis was negatively associated with BRAF(V600E) mutation, extrathyroidal extension, and lymph node metastasis. In addition, Hashimoto's thyroiditis was related to less lymph node metastasis and extrathyroidal extension in PTCs with BRAF(V600E) mutation. Therefore, Hashimoto's thyroiditis is a potentially protective factor in PTC. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: E1019-E1025, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  9. Transatlantic Roots of Prostate Cancer Disparities in Black Men: The CaPTC Program | Division of Cancer Prevention

    Science.gov (United States)

    Speaker | "Transatlantic Roots of Prostate Cancer Disparities in Black Men: The CaPTC Program" will be presented by Folakemi Odedina, PhD Professor, Pharmacotherapy & Translational Research and Director, UF Health Cancer Center Cancer Health Disparities at the University of Florida College of Pharmacy in Orlando, FL. Date: March 13, 2018; Time: 11:00am - 12:00pm; Location: NCI

  10. Preference for tap, bottled, and recycled water: Relations to PTC taste sensitivity and personality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harmon, Daniel; Gauvain, Mary; Z Reisz; Arthur, Isaac; Story, S Drew

    2018-02-01

    This study investigated people's preferences for different water sources and factors that predict such preferences using a blind taste test. Water preferences of 143 participants for one name-brand bottled water, one groundwater-sourced tap water, and one indirect potable reuse (IDR) water were assessed. For predictors of water preference, we measured each participant's PTC taste sensitivity and assessed two personality traits (Neuroticism, Openness to Experience). We also explored participants' descriptions of each water source. Results indicate a preference for water treated with Reverse Osmosis (RO) (bottled and IDR water) over groundwater-sourced water, which had higher pH levels and lower concentrations of Ca and HCO 3 - . PTC taste sensitivity did not predict preferences, while Openness to Experience and Neuroticism predicted preference for IDR water. Positive relations between Openness to Experience and preferences for bottled and IDR water were moderated by gender and were stronger among females. Participants described water primarily by its taste and texture. Findings suggest that (1) tap water treated by RO is equally preferable to some bottled water, (2) personality traits may affect water preferences, and (3) prior findings of gender differences in preferences for bottled water may reflect personality characteristics. Efforts to increase acceptance for sustainable water alternatives, such as IDR, may be more successful by assuring consumers about taste and addressing personality traits that encourage or inhibit use. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Ex vivo analysis of root canal cleaning using Endo-PTC associated to NaOCl and different irrigant solutions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrea Kanako Yamazaki

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to assess qualitatively, by means of SEM images, the cleaning of the dentin walls of root canals after chemical-surgical preparation using Endo-PTC cream with 0.5% and 1% sodium hypochlorite and different final irrigating solutions. Seventy-two single-rooted human teeth were divided into eight groups and prepared using Endo-PTC cream with sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl at different concentrations, and irrigated with NaOCl at different concentrations. Final irrigation was performed with either EDTA-T or EDTA-C. The best results were obtained with Group 1, followed by Groups 5, 2, 7, 8, 3, 6 and 4. We can conclude that the use of 0.5% NaOCl during instrumentation and final flush of the root canals was more efficient in cleaning than was 1% sodium hypochlorite. EDTA-T was more efficient in removing smear layer than EDTA-C, and the cervical third presented better cleaning of the root canal walls than did the middle third, which showed cleaner dentin walls than the apical third.

  12. Integrative proteomics and biochemical analyses define Ptc6p as the Saccharomyces cerevisiae pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphatase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Xiao; Niemi, Natalie M; Coon, Joshua J; Pagliarini, David J

    2017-07-14

    The pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) is the primary metabolic checkpoint connecting glycolysis and mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and is important for maintaining cellular and organismal glucose homeostasis. Phosphorylation of the PDC E1 subunit was identified as a key inhibitory modification in bovine tissue ∼50 years ago, and this regulatory process is now known to be conserved throughout evolution. Although Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a pervasive model organism for investigating cellular metabolism and its regulation by signaling processes, the phosphatase(s) responsible for activating the PDC in S. cerevisiae has not been conclusively defined. Here, using comparative mitochondrial phosphoproteomics, analyses of protein-protein interactions by affinity enrichment-mass spectrometry, and in vitro biochemistry, we define Ptc6p as the primary PDC phosphatase in S. cerevisiae Our analyses further suggest additional substrates for related S. cerevisiae phosphatases and describe the overall phosphoproteomic changes that accompany mitochondrial respiratory dysfunction. In summary, our quantitative proteomics and biochemical analyses have identified Ptc6p as the primary-and likely sole- S. cerevisiae PDC phosphatase, closing a key knowledge gap about the regulation of yeast mitochondrial metabolism. Our findings highlight the power of integrative omics and biochemical analyses for annotating the functions of poorly characterized signaling proteins. © 2017 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  13. 49 CFR Appendix F to Part 236 - Minimum Requirements of FRA Directed Independent Third-Party Assessment of PTC System Safety...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ..., national, or international standards. (f) The reviewer shall analyze all Fault Tree Analyses (FTA), Failure... cited by the reviewer; (4) Identification of any documentation or information sought by the reviewer...) Identification of the hardware and software verification and validation procedures for the PTC system's safety...

  14. The expression of Hedgehog genes (Ihh, Dhh) and Hedgehog target genes (Ptc1, Gli1, Coup-TfII) is affected by estrogenic stimuli in the uterus of immature female rats

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Katayama, Seiichi; Ashizawa, Koji; Gohma, Hiroshi; Fukuhara, Tadahiro; Narumi, Kazunori; Tsuzuki, Yasuhiro; Tatemoto, Hideki; Nakada, Tadashi; Nagai, Kenji

    2006-01-01

    The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of estrogen receptor (ER) agonists and an ER antagonist on the expression of Hedgehog genes (Indian hedgehog: Ihh; Desert hedgehog: Dhh) and Hedgehog target genes (Patched 1: Ptc1; glioma-associated oncogene homolog 1: Gli1; chicken ovalbumin upstream promoter transcription factor II: Coup-TfII) in the rat uterus. Immature female rats were administered once with 17α-ethynyl estradiol (EE, an ER agonist), propyl pyrazole triole (PPT, an ERα-selective agonist), diarylpropionitrile (DPN, an ERβ-selective agonist), or ICI 182,780 (an ER antagonist). Expression of mRNA for Ihh, Dhh, and Ptc1 was dose-dependently downregulated by EE in the uterus of immature rats, mediated by ER as confirmed by coadministration of ICI 182,780. The mRNA expression levels of Ptc1, Gli1, and Coup-TfII were simultaneously downregulated during the period in which the mRNA expression levels of Ihh and Dhh were downregulated in the uterus after administration of EE. PPT downregulated the transcription of Ihh, Dhh, Ptc1, Gli1, and Coup-TfII, indicating that expression of these genes was regulated by the ERα-dependent pathway. DPN also downregulated the transcription of Ihh and Dhh, although the effect was weaker than that of PPT, indicating that the regulation of uterine Ihh and Dhh transcription was also affected by the ERβ-dependent pathway. These results suggest that the expression of Hedgehog genes (Ihh, Dhh) and Hedgehog target genes (Ptc1, Gli1, Coup-TfII) is affected by estrogenic stimuli in the uterus of immature female rats

  15. The expression of Hedgehog genes (Ihh, Dhh) and Hedgehog target genes (Ptc1, Gli1, Coup-TfII) is affected by estrogenic stimuli in the uterus of immature female rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Katayama, Seiichi; Ashizawa, Koji; Gohma, Hiroshi; Fukuhara, Tadahiro; Narumi, Kazunori; Tsuzuki, Yasuhiro; Tatemoto, Hideki; Nakada, Tadashi; Nagai, Kenji

    2006-12-15

    The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of estrogen receptor (ER) agonists and an ER antagonist on the expression of Hedgehog genes (Indian hedgehog: Ihh; Desert hedgehog: Dhh) and Hedgehog target genes (Patched 1: Ptc1; glioma-associated oncogene homolog 1: Gli1; chicken ovalbumin upstream promoter transcription factor II: Coup-TfII) in the rat uterus. Immature female rats were administered once with 17alpha-ethynyl estradiol (EE, an ER agonist), propyl pyrazole triole (PPT, an ERalpha-selective agonist), diarylpropionitrile (DPN, an ERbeta-selective agonist), or ICI 182,780 (an ER antagonist). Expression of mRNA for Ihh, Dhh, and Ptc1 was dose-dependently downregulated by EE in the uterus of immature rats, mediated by ER as confirmed by coadministration of ICI 182,780. The mRNA expression levels of Ptc1, Gli1, and Coup-TfII were simultaneously downregulated during the period in which the mRNA expression levels of Ihh and Dhh were downregulated in the uterus after administration of EE. PPT downregulated the transcription of Ihh, Dhh, Ptc1, Gli1, and Coup-TfII, indicating that expression of these genes was regulated by the ERalpha-dependent pathway. DPN also downregulated the transcription of Ihh and Dhh, although the effect was weaker than that of PPT, indicating that the regulation of uterine Ihh and Dhh transcription was also affected by the ERbeta-dependent pathway. These results suggest that the expression of Hedgehog genes (Ihh, Dhh) and Hedgehog target genes (Ptc1, Gli1, Coup-TfII) is affected by estrogenic stimuli in the uterus of immature female rats.

  16. RET/PTC and PAX8/PPARγ chromosomal rearrangements in post-Chernobyl thyroid cancer and their association with I-131 radiation dose and other characteristics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leeman-Neill, Rebecca J.; Brenner, Alina V.; Little, Mark P.; Bogdanova, Tetiana I.; Hatch, Maureen; Zurnadzy, Liudmyla Y.; Mabuchi, Kiyohiko; Tronko, Mykola D.; Nikiforov, Yuri E.

    2012-01-01

    Background Childhood exposure to I-131 from the 1986 Chernobyl accident led to a sharp increase in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) incidence in regions surrounding the reactor. Data concerning the association between genetic mutations in PTCs and individual radiation doses are limited. Methods We performed mutational analysis of 62 PTCs diagnosed in a Ukrainian cohort of patients who were Chernobyl tumors and show different associations for point mutations and chromosomal rearrangements with I-131 dose and other factors. These data support the relationship between chromosomal rearrangements, but not point mutations, and I-131 exposure and point to a possible role of iodine deficiency in generation of RET/PTC rearrangements in these patients. PMID:23436219

  17. The electrocatalytic properties of carbon supported PtRu/C nanoalloys in oxidation of small organic molecules: Comparison with Pt/C catalyst

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lović Jelena D.

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The electrocatalytic activity of carbon supported PtRu/C catalysts, with different composition, toward the electrooxidation of methanol, CO and formic acid were examined in acid and alkaline solution at ambient temperature using thin-film rotating disk electrode (RDE method and compared with activity of Pt/C. The catalysts were characterized by XRD, AFM and STM techniques. XRD pattern revealed that PtRu-1/C catalyst is consisted of two structures e.g. Pt-Ru-fcc and Ru-hcp (the solid solution of Ru in Pt and the small amount of Ru or solid solution of Pt in Ru, as opposed to PtRu-2/C catalyst which is consisted of one structure mostly, Pt-Ru-fcc. According to STM images, PtRu as well as Pt, particles size were between 2 and 6 nm, which is in a good agreement with the mean particles size determined by XRD. To establish the activity and stability of the catalysts potentiodynamic and quasi steady-state measurements were performed. It was found that the activity of Pt and PtRu for CO and methanol oxidation is a strong function of pH of solution. The kinetics are much higher in alkaline than in acid solution and the difference between Pt/C and PtRu/C is much less pronounced in alkaline media. Results presented in this work indicate that activity of PtRu catalysts depends on catalyst composition, e.g. on Pt/Ru atomic ratio, as well as on alloying degree of catalysts. Comparison of CO, methanol and formic acid oxidation on PtRu-2/C, PtRu-1/C and Pt/C catalysts revealed that PtRu-2/C is the most active one. It was shown that the PtRu-2/C catalyst, due to fact that it is consisted of only one phase, with high alloying degree, through the bifunctional mechanism improved by electronic effect, achieve the activity two times higher related to PtRu-1/C in the oxidation of all organic molecules investigated, and about three times higher compared to Pt/C in the oxidation of methanol and CO, and five times higher in formic acid oxidation.

  18. Sensory perception of and salivary protein response to astringency as a function of the 6-n-propylthioural (PROP) bitter-taste phenotype.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Melis, Melania; Yousaf, Neeta Y; Mattes, Mitchell Z; Cabras, Tiziana; Messana, Irene; Crnjar, Roberto; Tomassini Barbarossa, Iole; Tepper, Beverly J

    2017-05-01

    Individual differences in astringency perception are poorly understood. Astringency from tannins stimulates the release of specific classes of salivary proteins. These proteins form complexes with tannins, altering their perceived astringency and reducing their bioavailability. We studied the bitter compound, 6-n-propylthioural (PROP), as a phenotypic marker for variation in astringency perception and salivary protein responses. Seventy-nine subjects classified by PROP taster status rated cranberry juice cocktail (CJC; with added sugar) supplemented with 0, 1.5 or 2.0g/L tannic acid (TA). Saliva for protein analyses was collected at rest, or after stimulation with TA or cranberry juice (CJ; without added sugar). CJC with 1.5g/L tannic acid was found to be less astringent, and was liked more by PROP non-taster males than PROP taster males, consistent with the expectation that non-tasters are less sensitive to astringency. Levels of acidic Proline Rich Proteins (aPRPs) and basic Proline Rich Proteins (bPRPs) decreased after TA, while levels of aPRPs, bPRPs and Cystatins unexpectedly rose after CJ. Increases in bPRPs and Cystatins were only observed in PROP tasters. The PROP phenotype plays a gender-specific, but somewhat limited role in the perceived astringency of tannic-acid supplemented, cranberry juice cocktail. The PROP phenotype (regardless of gender) may also be involved in the release of salivary proteins previously implicated in oral health. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Investigation of the promoting effect of Mn on a Pt/C catalyst for the steam and aqueous phase reforming of glycerol

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bossola, Filippo; Pereira-Hernández, Xavier Isidro; Evangelisti, Claudio; Wang, Yong; Dal Santo, Vladimiro

    2017-05-01

    The catalytic performances in steam reforming (SR) and aqueous phase reforming (APR) of glycerol of a bimetallic Pt-Mn catalyst supported on activated carbon are investigated and correlated with the surface properties of the catalyst. Under SR conditions, Mn showed a significant promoting effect over Pt/C, both in terms of hydrogen production rate and conversion, with a higher selectivity toward the glycerol dehydration products. Upon addition of Mn the amount of strong Lewis acid sites increased, promoting the dehydration of glycerol and favoring the CAO over CAC cleavage at expenses of hydrogen selectivity. Conversely, under APR conditions, a slightly higher hydrogen selectivity and only minimal enhancement in hydrogen production were found, while the products selectivity was comparable to Pt/C. Most of Mn leached into the aqueous media, but the remaining (<5% of the fresh parent sample) might be alloyed with Pt and promote the CO desorption from neighbor Pt sites.

  20. Evaluation of reaction selectivity at various Pt/C electrocatalysts using a porous microelectrode in the presence of methanol and oxygen

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shironita, Sayoko; Zhang, Weiqi; Sakai, Tsukasa; Umeda, Minoru

    2014-01-01

    Pt is most useful metal for various electrochemical reactions as an electrocatalyst. In a direct methanol fuel cell, Pt performs a catalytic activity for both the methanol oxidation reaction and oxygen reduction reaction; therefore, a Pt-based catalyst is used as an anode and a cathode. For the coexistence of methanol and oxygen due to methanol crossover through an electrolyte membrane during the cell operation, the direct methanol fuel cell performance decreases. However, if a higher selective reaction electrocatalyst can be developed, the cell performance will not be suppressed. In this study, the reaction selectivities of seven types of Pt supported on carbon (Pt/C) electrocatalysts were evaluated using a porous microelectrode in the presence of methanol and oxygen. As a result, some Pt/C catalysts showed a methanol oxidation selectivity, while the other catalysts showed an oxygen reduction selectivity. It was found that the percentage of edge-atom in the Pt particle is related to the methanol oxidation selectivity or the oxygen reduction selectivity. Moreover, each current density decreases with the increasing chemical shift in the Pt binding energy

  1. Chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis and BRAF V600E in papillary thyroid carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Seo Ki; Woo, Jung-Woo; Lee, Jun Ho; Park, Inhye; Choe, Jun-Ho; Kim, Jung-Han; Kim, Jee Soo

    2016-01-01

    It has been reported that papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) with chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis (CLT) is less associated with extrathyroidal extension (ETE), advanced tumor stage and lymph node (LN) metastasis. Other studies have suggested that concurrent CLT could antagonize PTC progression, even in BRAF-positive patients. Since the clinical significance of the BRAF mutation has been particularly associated with conventional PTC, the purpose of this study was to determine the clinical significance of CLT according to BRAF mutation status in conventional PTC patients. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 3332 conventional PTC patients who underwent total thyroidectomy with bilateral central neck dissection at the Thyroid Cancer Center of Samsung Medical Center between January 2008 and June 2015. In this study, the prevalence of BRAF mutation was significantly less frequent in conventional PTC patients with CLT (76.9% vs 86.6%). CLT was an independent predictor for low prevalence of ETE in both BRAF-negative (OR=0.662, P=0.023) and BRAF-positive (OR=0.817, P=0.027) conventional PTC patients. In addition, CLT was an independent predictor for low prevalence of CLNM in both BRAF-negative (OR=0.675, P=0.044) and BRAF-positive (OR=0.817, P=0.030) conventional PTC patients. In conclusion, BRAF mutation was significantly less frequent in conventional PTC patients with CLT. However, CLT was an independent predictor for less aggressiveness in conventional PTC patients regardless of BRAF mutation status. © 2016 Society for Endocrinology.

  2. In situ Ru K-edge EXAFS of CO adsorption on a Ru modified Pt/C fuel cell catalyst

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rose, Abigail; Bilsborrow, Robert; King, Colin R.; Ravikumar, M.K.; Qian Yangdong; Wiltshire, Richard J.K.; Crabb, Eleanor M.; Russell, Andrea E.

    2009-01-01

    The Ru-CO bond of CO adsorbed on a Ru modified Pt/C fuel cell catalyst has been directly probed by in situ EXAFS at the Ru K-edge, providing evidence of a CO:metal surface atom ratio greater than 1:1 and that CO is adsorbed at bridging sites associated with Ru atoms at the surface of the catalyst nanoparticles. This result illustrates the limitations of single crystal models as representations of the bonding of adsorbed species at nanoparticle surfaces.

  3. Transatlantic Roots of Prostate Cancer Disparities in Black Men: The CaPTC Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dr. Odedina is Professor in the Colleges of Pharmacy and Medicine at the University of Florida. She is also the PI and Program Director for the NCI-funded (P20 award) Florida Minority Cancer Research & Training (MiCaRT) Center as well as the PI and Founder of the NCI-EGRP supported Prostate Cancer Transatlantic Consortium (CaPTC). She leads the Research Core of the Florida Health Equity Research Institute, a Florida Board of Governors-approved institute. Dr. Odedina’s research program, primarily funded by NIH and Department of Defense, focuses on the predictors of health disparities and cost-effective, community-based behavioral interventions to improve the health of minority populations, especially Black men. She has directed over 30 research projects, including genetic-environmental determinants of prostate cancer disparity studies. Her NCI EGRP-supported consortium, CaPTC, facilitates and supports recruitment and retention of minorities in biomedical research and biobanking for Black men’s research globally. Her contribution to Health Equity in Florida dates back to 1997 and has resulted in multiple accomplishments and recognitions. As far back as 2009, her leadership in health disparities was recognized by the American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacy and the Association of Black Health-System Pharmacists with the Inaugural (1st) Leadership Award for Health Disparities. Due to her extensive experiences in prostate cancer disparity research, she was selected by the US Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs to give the inaugural Dr. Barbara Terry-Koroma Health Disparity Legacy Lecture in 2013. Her efforts in training underrepresented minorities for over two decades was recognized through the INSIGHT Into Diversity 2016 Inspiring Women in STEM Award. Her most recent awards include the Living Legend Award for innovations with health/economic impact from the Africa Clinical Trial Summit in 2017 and the 2017 Williams Award for Innovation in Cancer

  4. Re-examination of the Pt Particle Size Effect on the Oxygen Reduction Reaction for Ultrathin Uniform Pt/C Catalyst Layers without Influence from Nafion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shinozaki, Kazuma; Morimoto, Yu; Pivovar, Bryan S.; Kocha, Shyam S.

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Pt particle size effect on ORR was re-evaluated for Pt/C catalysts. • Nafion-free activity of Pt/C catalysts was evaluated using thin-film RDE methods. • Ultrathin-uniform catalyst layers were employed to obtain accurate activity values. • Specific activity increased steeply from 2 to 10 nm and less steeply at over 10 nm. • Re-evaluated effect agrees with a particle model assuming terrace active sites. - Abstract: The platinum ‘particle size effect’ on the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) has been re-evaluated using commercial Pt/C catalysts (2–10 nm Pt particle) and polycrystalline Pt (poly-Pt) in 0.1 M HClO 4 with a rotating disk electrode method. Nafion-free catalyst layers were employed to obtain specific activities (SA) that were not perturbed (suppressed) by sulfonate anion adsorption/blocking. By using ultrathin uniform catalyst layers, O 2 diffusion limitation was minimized as confirmed from the high SAs of our supported catalysts that were comparable to unsupported sputtered Pt having controlled sizes. The specific activity (SA) steeply increased for the particle sizes in the range ∼2–10 nm (0.8–1.8 mA/cm 2 Pt at 0.9 V vs. RHE) and plateaued over ∼10 nm to 2.7 mA/cm 2 Pt for bulk poly-Pt. On the basis of the activity trend for the range of particle sizes studied, it appears that the effect of carbon support on activity is negligible. The experimental results and the concomitant profile of SA vs. particle size was found to be in an agreement to a truncated octahedral particle model that assumes active terrace sites.

  5. Responsiveness to 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP is associated with salivary levels of two specific basic proline-rich proteins in humans.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tiziana Cabras

    Full Text Available Thiourea tasting can be predictive of individual differences in bitter taste responses, general food preferences and eating behavior, and could be correlated with saliva chemical composition. We investigated the possible relationship between PROP bitter taste responsiveness and the salivary proteome in subjects genotyped for TAS2R38 and gustin gene polymorphisms. Taste perception intensity evoked by PROP and NaCl solutions was measured in sixty-three volunteers (21 males, 42 females, age 25±3 y to establish their PROP taster status, and 24 PROP super-tasters and 21 nontasters were selected to participate in the study. TAS2R38 and gustin gene molecular analysis were performed using PCR techniques. Qualitative and quantitative determination of salivary proteins was performed by HPLC-ESI-MS before and after PROP taste stimulation. PROP super-tastings was strongly associated with the 'taster' variant (PAV haplotype of TAS2R38 and the A allele of rs2274333 polymorphism in the gustin gene and nontasting was associated with the minor alleles at both loci. ANOVA revealed that basal levels of II-2 and Ps-1 proteins, belonging to the basic proline-rich protein (bPRPs family, were significantly higher in PROP super-taster than in nontaster un-stimulated saliva, and that PROP stimulation elicited a rapid increase in the levels of these same proteins only in PROP super-taster saliva. These data show for the first time that responsiveness to PROP is associated with salivary levels of II-2 peptide and Ps-1 protein, which are products of the PRB1 gene. These findings suggest that PRB1, in addition to TAS2R38 and gustin, could contribute to individual differences in thiourea sensitivity, and the expression of the PROP phenotype as a complex genetic trait.

  6. Responsiveness to 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) is associated with salivary levels of two specific basic proline-rich proteins in humans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cabras, Tiziana; Melis, Melania; Castagnola, Massimo; Padiglia, Alessandra; Tepper, Beverly J; Messana, Irene; Tomassini Barbarossa, Iole

    2012-01-01

    Thiourea tasting can be predictive of individual differences in bitter taste responses, general food preferences and eating behavior, and could be correlated with saliva chemical composition. We investigated the possible relationship between PROP bitter taste responsiveness and the salivary proteome in subjects genotyped for TAS2R38 and gustin gene polymorphisms. Taste perception intensity evoked by PROP and NaCl solutions was measured in sixty-three volunteers (21 males, 42 females, age 25±3 y) to establish their PROP taster status, and 24 PROP super-tasters and 21 nontasters were selected to participate in the study. TAS2R38 and gustin gene molecular analysis were performed using PCR techniques. Qualitative and quantitative determination of salivary proteins was performed by HPLC-ESI-MS before and after PROP taste stimulation. PROP super-tastings was strongly associated with the 'taster' variant (PAV haplotype) of TAS2R38 and the A allele of rs2274333 polymorphism in the gustin gene and nontasting was associated with the minor alleles at both loci. ANOVA revealed that basal levels of II-2 and Ps-1 proteins, belonging to the basic proline-rich protein (bPRPs) family, were significantly higher in PROP super-taster than in nontaster un-stimulated saliva, and that PROP stimulation elicited a rapid increase in the levels of these same proteins only in PROP super-taster saliva. These data show for the first time that responsiveness to PROP is associated with salivary levels of II-2 peptide and Ps-1 protein, which are products of the PRB1 gene. These findings suggest that PRB1, in addition to TAS2R38 and gustin, could contribute to individual differences in thiourea sensitivity, and the expression of the PROP phenotype as a complex genetic trait.

  7. Cyclic voltammetric analysis of C 1-C 4 alcohol electrooxidations with Pt/C and Pt-Ru/C microporous electrodes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Choong-Gon; Umeda, Minoru; Uchida, Isamu

    The effect of temperature on methanol, ethanol, 2-propanol, and 2-butanol electrooxidation is investigated with Pt/C and Pt-Ru/C microporous electrodes. Cyclic voltammetry is employed in temperatures ranging from 25 to 80 °C to provide quantitative and qualitative information on the kinetics of alcohol oxidation. Methanol displays the greatest activity atom alcohols. The addition of ruthenium reduces the poisoning effect, although it is ineffective with secondary alcohols. Secondary alcohols undergo a different oxidation mechanism at higher temperatures. Microporous electrodes provide detailed information on alcohol oxidation.

  8. Lipid peroxidation and antioxidants status in human malignant and non-malignant thyroid tumours.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stanley, J A; Neelamohan, R; Suthagar, E; Vengatesh, G; Jayakumar, J; Chandrasekaran, M; Banu, S K; Aruldhas, M M

    2016-06-01

    Thyroid epithelial cells produce moderate amounts of reactive oxygen species that are physiologically required for thyroid hormone synthesis. Nevertheless, when they are produced in excessive amounts, they may become toxic. The present study is aimed to compare the lipid peroxidation (LPO), antioxidant enzymes - superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and non-protein thiols (reduced glutathione (GSH)) in human thyroid tissues with malignant and non-malignant disorders. The study used human thyroid tissues and blood samples from 157 women (147 diseased and 10 normal). Thyroid hormones, oxidative stress markers and antioxidants were estimated by standard methods. LPO significantly increased in most of the papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC: 82.9%) and follicular thyroid adenoma (FTA: 72.9%) tissues, whilst in a majority of nodular goitre (69.2%) and Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT: 73.7%) thyroid tissues, it remained unaltered. GSH increased in PTC (55.3%), remained unaltered in FTA (97.3%) and all other goiter samples studied. SOD increased in PTC (51.1%) and all other malignant thyroid tissues studied. CAT remained unaltered in PTC (95.7%), FTA (97.3%) and all other non-malignant samples (HT, MNG, TMNG) studied. GPx increased in PTC (63.8%), all other malignant thyroid tissues and remained unaltered in many of the FTA (91.9%) tissues and all other non-malignant samples (HT, MNG, TMNG) studied. In the case of non-malignant thyroid tumours, the oxidant-antioxidant balance was undisturbed, whilst in malignant tumours the balance was altered, and the change in r value observed in the LPO and SOD pairs between normal and PTC tissues and also in many pairs with multi-nodular goitre (MNG)/toxic MNG tissues may be used as a marker to differentiate/detect different malignant/non-malignant thyroid tumours. © The Author(s) 2015.

  9. Effect of cationic molecules on the oxygen reduction reaction on fuel cell grade Pt/C (20 wt%) catalyst in potassium hydroxide (aq, 1 mol dm(-3)).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ong, Ai Lien; Inglis, Kenneth K; Whelligan, Daniel K; Murphy, Sam; Varcoe, John R

    2015-05-14

    This study investigates the effect of 1 mmol dm(-3) concentrations of a selection of small cationic molecules on the performance of a fuel cell grade oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalyst (Johnson Matthey HiSPEC 3000, 20 mass% Pt/C) in aqueous KOH (1 mol dm(-3)). The cationic molecules studied include quaternary ammonium (including those based on bicyclic systems) and imidazolium types as well as a phosphonium example: these serve as fully solubilised models for the commonly encountered head-groups in alkaline anion-exchange membranes (AAEM) and anion-exchange ionomers (AEI) that are being developed for application in alkaline polymer electrolyte fuel cells (APEFCs), batteries and electrolysers. Both cyclic and hydrodynamic linear sweep rotating disk electrode voltammetry techniques were used. The resulting voltammograms and subsequently derived data (e.g. apparent electrochemical active surface areas, Tafel plots, and number of [reduction] electrons transferred per O2) were compared. The results show that the imidazolium examples produced the highest level of interference towards the ORR on the Pt/C catalyst under the experimental conditions used.

  10. Propositions on the Optimal Number of Q-Graders and R-Graders

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lucas Louzada Pereira

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Sensory analysis or cup testing has been widely used in the coffee production chain for the validation of final quality. The tasters are responsible for defining the patterns and qualitative profiles of the drink based on the sensorial analysis and according to their gustatory sensibilities, which are often acquired by professional experience. However, the literature has not discussed in detail the relationship between the number of tasters and the consistency of sensorial analysis. Thus, using the bootstrap simulation methodology to estimate the optimum plot size, this study quantifies and proposes a specific number of tasters for the process of sensorial analysis of specialty coffees. The results indicate that the use of 6 tasters is sufficient to conduct sensorial analysis following SCA and BSCA protocol for coffees in the Arabica group, as well as 6 tasters for coil and Conilon coffees. From this number, no gains in precision are observed in the process of sensorial analysis of coffee with addition tasters.

  11. Cyclic voltammetric analysis of C{sub 1}-C{sub 4} alcohol electrooxidations with Pt/C and Pt-Ru/C microporous electrodes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Choong-Gon [Department of Chemical Engineering, Hanbat National University, San 16-1 Dukmyung-dong, Yusong-gu, Daejon (Korea); Umeda, Minoru [Department of Chemistry, Nagaoka University of Technology, Kamitomioka, Nagaoka (Japan); Uchida, Isamu [Department of Applied Chemistry, Tohoku University, Aramaki-aoba, Aoba-ku, Sendai (Japan)

    2006-09-29

    The effect of temperature on methanol, ethanol, 2-propanol, and 2-butanol electrooxidation is investigated with Pt/C and Pt-Ru/C microporous electrodes. Cyclic voltammetry is employed in temperatures ranging from 25 to 80{sup o}C to provide quantitative and qualitative information on the kinetics of alcohol oxidation. Methanol displays the greatest activity atom alcohols. The addition of ruthenium reduces the poisoning effect, although it is ineffective with secondary alcohols. Secondary alcohols undergo a different oxidation mechanism at higher temperatures. Microporous electrodes provide detailed information on alcohol oxidation. (author)

  12. Morphology and Activity Tuning of Cu 3 Pt/C Ordered Intermetallic Nanoparticles by Selective Electrochemical Dealloying

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Deli; Yu, Yingchao; Zhu, Jing; Liu, Sufen; Muller, David A.; Abruña, Héctor D.

    2015-02-11

    Improving the catalytic activity of Pt-based bimetallic nanoparticles is a key challenge in the application of proton-exchange membrane fuel cells. Electrochemical dealloying represents a powerful approach for tuning the surface structure and morphology of these catalyst nanoparticles. We present a comprehensive study of using electrochemical dealloying methods to control the morphology of ordered Cu3Pt/C intermetallic nanoparticles, which could dramatically affect their electrocatalytic activity for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Depending on the electrochemical dealloying conditions, the nanoparticles with Pt-rich core–shell or porous structures were formed. We further demonstrate that the core–shell and porous morphologies can be combined to achieve the highest ORR activity. This strategy provides new guidelines for optimizing nanoparticles synthesis and improving electrocatalytic activity.

  13. Establishment of a non-tumorigenic papillary thyroid cell line (FB-2) carrying the RET/PTC1 rearrangement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Basolo, Fulvio; Giannini, Riccardo; Toniolo, Antonio; Casalone, Rosario; Nikiforova, Marina; Pacini, Furio; Elisei, Rossella; Miccoli, Paolo; Berti, Piero; Faviana, Pinuccia; Fiore, Lisa; Monaco, Carmen; Pierantoni, Giovanna Maria; Fedele, Monica; Nikiforov, Yuri E; Santoro, Massimo; Fusco, Alfredo

    2002-02-10

    A novel human thyroid papillary carcinoma cell line (FB-2) has been established and characterized. FB-2 cells harbor the RET/PTC1 chimeric oncogene in which the RET kinase domain is fused to the H4 gene. FB-2 cells neither formed colonies in semisolid media nor induced tumors after heterotransplant into severe combined immunodeficient mice. However, HMGI(Y), HMGI-C and c-myc genes, which are associated to thyroid cell transformation, were abundantly expressed in FB-2 cells but not in normal thyroid cells. FB-2 cells only partially retained the differentiated thyroid phenotype. In fact, the PAX-8 gene, which codes for a transcriptional factor required for thyroid cell differentiation, was expressed, while thyroglobulin, TSH-receptor and thyroperoxidase genes were not. Moreover, FB-2 cells produced high levels of interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8. Copyright 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  14. Caveolin-1 Expression in Thyroid Neoplasia Spectrum: Comparison of Two Commercial Antibodies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jelena Janković

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available We evaluated caveolin-1 expression in the human thyroid neoplasia spectrum with the aim of examining differences in expression as detected by two anti-caveolin-1 antibodies, and secondly, to investigate the association of caveolin-1 expression levels with aggressive papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC. Immunohistochemical staining using sc894 or AV09019 antibodies revealed that caveolin-1 was generally overexpressed in the PTC group as a whole (classical and follicular variant when compared to peritumoral tissue (PT, while it was not detected in about half of follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC and majority of follicular adenomas (FTA. Caveolin-1 expression decreased in the following order: clPTC, fvPTC, FTC, PT and FTA. The diagnostic accuracy of AV09019 was better than that of sc894 for discriminating: FTA from FTC, FTA or FTC from the follicular variant of PTC, total PTC from nonmalignant tissue, and malignant tumors from nonmalignant tissue. Spearman's analysis revealed positive correlations of caveolin-1 expression and extrathyroidal invasion (p < 0.05 in PTC for both antibodies. Additionally, AV09019 antibody correlated caveolin-1 upregulation with pathological T status.

  15. A Numerical Study on the Light-Weight Design of PTC Heater for an Electric Vehicle Heating System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hyun Sung Kang

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available As the market for electric vehicles grows at a remarkable rate, various models of electric vehicles are currently in development, in parallel to the commercialization of components for diverse types of power supply. Cabin heating and heat management components are essential to electric vehicles. Any design for such components must consider the requirements for heating capacity and power density, which need to reflect both the power source and weight reduction demand of any electric vehicle. In particular, design developments in electric heaters have predominantly focused on experimental values because of structural characteristics of the heater and the variability of heat sources, requiring considerable cost and duration. To meet the ever-changing demands of the market, an improved design process for more efficient models is essential. To improve the efficacy of the design process for electric heaters, this study conducted a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD analysis of an electric heater with specific dimensions by changing design parameters and operating conditions of key components. The CFD analysis modeled heat characteristics through the application of user-defined functions (UDFs to reflect temperature properties of Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC elements, which heat an electric heater. Three analysis models, which included fin as well as PTC elements and applied different spaces between the heat rods, were compared in terms of heating performance. In addition, the heat performance and heat output density of each analysis model was analyzed according to the variation of air flow at the inlet of the radiation section of an electric heater. Model B was selected, and a prototype was fabricated based on the model. The performance of the prototype was evaluated, and the correlation between the analysis results and the experimental ones was identified. The error rate between performance change rates was approximately 4%, which indicated

  16. Relationship between the nutrition status and sensory characteristics of melon fertilized with wine-distillery waste compost

    Science.gov (United States)

    Requejo, María Isabel; Sánchez-Palomo, Eva; González, Miguel Angel; Castellanos, Maria Teresa; Villena, Raquel; Cartagena, Maria Carmen; Ribas, Francisco

    2015-04-01

    The interest in developing sustainable agriculture is becoming more important day by day. A large quantity of wastes from the wine and distillery industry are produced and constitute a serious problem not only environmental but also economic. The use of exhausted grape marc compost as organic amendment is a management option of the fertility of soils. On the other hand, consumers are increasingly concerned about the type, quality and origin of food production. Flavor and aroma are most often the true indicators of shelf-life from the consumer's point of view. The aim of this study was to relate the nutritional status of melon fertilized with exhausted grape marc compost with the sensory profile of fresh-cut fruits. A field experiment was established with three doses of compost (1, 2 and 3 kg per linear meter) and a control. Melons were harvested at maturity and the sensory evaluation was carried out by an expert panel of melon tasters to describe odour, flavour and texture. Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium concentration was determined in the fruits to calculate nutrient absorption. Acknowledgements: This project has been supported by INIA-RTA2010-00110-C03-01

  17. Geographic proximity to coal plants and U.S. public support for extending the Production Tax Credit

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goldfarb, Jillian L.; Buessing, Marric; Kriner, Douglas L.

    2016-01-01

    The Production Tax Credit (PTC) is an important policy instrument through which the federal government promotes renewable energy development in the United States. However, the efficacy of the PTC is hampered by repeated expirations and short-term extensions, and by the general uncertainty surrounding its future status. We examine the factors driving variation in public support for the extension of the PTC using a nationally representative, internet-based survey. Americans living near a coal-fired power plant are significantly more likely to support extending the PTC than are their peers who are more insulated from the externalities of burning coal. The evidence for this dynamic was strongest and most statistically significant among subjects experimentally primed to think about the adverse health effects of burning coal. Raising awareness of the public health ramifications of generating electricity from fossil fuels holds the potential to increase support for renewable energy policies among those living in proximity to coal plants, even in a highly politicized policy debate. - Highlights: • Proximity to coal power plant increases support for Production Tax Credit. • Attitudes toward global warming influence support for PTC. • Raising awareness of health threat increases PTC support if living near coal plant.

  18. Detection of PAX8/PPARG and RET/PTC Rearrangements Is Feasible in Routine Air-Dried Fine Needle Aspiration Smears

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ferraz, Carolina; Rehfeld, Christian; Krogdahl, Annelise

    2012-01-01

    Background: The diagnostic limitations of fine needle aspiration (FNA), like the indeterminate category, can be partially overcome by molecular analysis. As PAX8/PPARG and RET/PTC rearrangements have been detected in follicular thyroid carcinomas (FTCs) and papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTCs......), their detection in FNA smears could improve the FNA diagnosis. To date, these rearrangements have never been analyzed in routine air-dried FNA smears, but only in frozen tissue, formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue, and in fresh FNA material. Fixed routine air-dried FNA samples have hitherto been judged...... as generally not suitable for testing these rearrangements in a clinical setting. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to investigate the feasibility of extracting RNA from routine air-dried FNA smears for the detection of these rearrangements with real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT...

  19. Properties of Pt/C catalyst modified by chemical vapor deposition of Cr as a cathode of phosphoric acid fuel cell

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seo, Sang Joon; Joh, Han-Ik; Kim, Hyun Tae; Moon, Sang Heup

    2006-01-01

    Cr-modified Pt/C catalysts were prepared by the chemical vapour deposition (CVD) of Cr on Pt/C, and their performance as a cathode of phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC) was compared with the case of catalysts containing Cr added by impregnation (IMP). The catalyst prepared by CVD showed a higher activity for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) than one prepared by IMP. There was an optimum amount of Cr that yielded the maximum mass activity of the catalyst because the gain in the intrinsic activity due to the promotional effect of Cr was counterbalanced by the loss of exposed Pt surface area as a result of the Cr introduction. Nevertheless, the activity increase at the optimum amount of Cr was greater for the CVD catalyst than for the IMP catalyst. Also, the optimum amount of Cr to yield the maximum activity was smaller for the former catalyst [Cr/Pt] CVD = 0.6, than for the latter, [Cr/Pt] IMP = 1.0. The enhancement of the Pt catalyst activity by Cr addition is attributed to two factors: changes in the surface Pt-Pt spacing and the electronic modification of the Pt surface. The formation of a Pt-Cr alloy, as confirmed by X-ray diffraction, decreased the lattice parameter of Pt, which was beneficial to the catalyst activity for ORR. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results showed that the binding energies of Pt electrons were shifted to higher energies due to Cr modification. Accordingly, the electron density of Pt was lowered and the Pt-O bond became weak on the Cr-modified catalysts, which was also beneficial to the catalyst activity for ORR. The promotion of oxygen reduction on Cr-modified catalysts was confirmed by measuring the cyclic voltammograms of the catalysts. All the above changes were made more effectively for catalysts prepared by CVD than for those prepared by IMP because the former method allowed Cr to interact more closely with the Pt surface than the latter, which was demonstrated by the characterization of catalysts in this study

  20. Agile machining and inspection thrust area team-on-machine probing / compatibility assessment of Parametric Technology Corporation (PTC) pro/CMM DMIS with Zeiss DMISEngine.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wade, James Rokwel; Tomlinson, Kurt; Bryce, Edwin Anthony

    2008-09-01

    The charter goal of the Agile Machining and Inspection Thrust Area Team is to identify technical requirements, within the nuclear weapons complex (NWC), for Agile Machining and Inspection capabilities. During FY 2008, the team identified Parametric Technology Corporation (PTC) Pro/CMM as a software tool for use in off-line programming of probing routines--used for measurement--for machining and turning centers. The probing routine would be used for in-process verification of part geometry. The same Pro/CMM program used on the machine tool could also be employed for program validation / part verification using a coordinate measuring machine (CMM). Funding was provided to determine the compatibility of the Pro/CMM probing program with CMM software (Zeiss DMISEngine).

  1. [KDy(Hptc3(H3ptc]n·2n(Hbipy·5n(H2O, a Layered Coordination Polymer Containing DyO6N3 Tri-Capped Trigonal Prisms (H3ptc = Pyridine 2,4,6-Tricarboxylic Acid, C8H5NO6; Bipy = 2,2'-Bipyridine, C10H8N2

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shoaib Anwar

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available The synthesis, structure and properties of the bimetallic layered coordination polymer, [KDy(C8H3NO63(C8H5NO6]n·2n(C10H9N2·5n(H2O = [KDy(Hptc3(H3ptc]n·2n(Hbipy·5n(H2O, are described. The Dy3+ ion is coordinated by three O,N,O-tridentate doubly-deprotonated pyridine tri-carboxylate (Hptc ligands to generate a fairly regular DyO6N3 tri-capped trigonal prism, with the N atoms acting as the caps. The potassium ion is coordinated by an O,N,O-tridentate H3ptc molecule as well as monodentate and bidentate Hptc ligands to result in an irregular KNO9 coordination geometry. The ligands bridge the metal-atom nodes into a bimetallic, layered, coordination polymer, which extends as corrugated layers in the (010 plane, with the mono-protonated bipyridine cations and water molecules occupying the inter-layer regions: Unlike related structures, there are no dysprosium–water bonds. Many O–HLO and N–HLO hydrogen bonds consolidate the structure. Characterization and bioactivity data are described. Crystal data: C52H42DyKN8O29, Mr = 1444.54, triclinic,  (No. 2, Z = 2, a = 9.188(2 Å, b = 15.7332(17 Å, c = 19.1664(19 Å, α = 92.797(6°, β = 92.319(7°, γ = 91.273(9°, V = 2764.3(7 Å3, R(F = 0.029, wR(F2 = 0.084.

  2. Influence of thyroid gland status on the thyroglobulin cutoff level in washout fluid from cervical lymph nodes of patients with recurrent/metastatic papillary thyroid cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Jun Ho; Lee, Hyun Chul; Yi, Ha Woo; Kim, Bong Kyun; Bae, Soo Youn; Lee, Se Kyung; Choe, Jun-Ho; Kim, Jung-Han; Kim, Jee Soo

    2016-04-01

    The influence of serum thyroglobulin (Tg) and thyroidectomy status on Tg in fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) washout fluid is unclear. A total of 282 lymph nodes were prospectively subjected to FNAC, fine-needle aspiration (FNA)-Tg measurement, and frozen and permanent biopsies. We evaluated the diagnostic performance of several predetermined FNA-Tg cutoff values for recurrence/metastasis in lymph nodes according to thyroidectomy status. The diagnostic performance of FNA-Tg varied according to thyroidectomy status. The optimized cutoff value of FNA-Tg was 2.2 ng/mL. However, among FNAC-negative lymph nodes, the FNA-Tg cutoff value of 0.9 ng/mL showed better diagnostic performance in patients with a thyroid gland. An FNA-Tg/serum-Tg cutoff ratio of 1 showed the best diagnostic performance in patients without a thyroid gland. Applying the optimal cutoff values of FNA-Tg according to thyroid gland status and serum Tg level facilitates the diagnostic evaluation of neck lymph node recurrences/metastases in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: E1705-E1712, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  3. Break-apart interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization assay in papillary thyroid carcinoma: on the road to optimizing the cut-off level for RET/PTC rearrangements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Colato, Chiara; Vicentini, Caterina; Cantara, Silvia; Pedron, Serena; Brazzarola, Paolo; Marchetti, Ivo; Di Coscio, Giancarlo; Chilosi, Marco; Brunelli, Matteo; Pacini, Furio; Ferdeghini, Marco

    2015-05-01

    Chromosomal rearrangements of the RET proto-oncogene is one of the most common molecular events in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). However, their pathogenic role and clinical significance are still debated. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of RET/PTC rearrangement in a cohort of BRAF WT PTCs by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and to search a reliable cut-off level in order to distinguish clonal or non-clonal RET changes. Forty BRAF WT PTCs were analyzed by FISH for RET rearrangements. As controls, six BRAFV600E mutated PTCs, 13 follicular adenomas (FA), and ten normal thyroid parenchyma were also analyzed. We performed FISH analysis on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue using a commercially available RET break-apart probe. A cut-off level equivalent to 10.2% of aberrant cells was accepted as significant. To validate FISH results, we analyzed the study cohort by qRT-PCR. Split RET signals above the cut-off level were observed in 25% (10/40) of PTCs, harboring a percentage of positive cells ranging from 12 to 50%, and in one spontaneous FA (1/13, 7.7%). Overall, the data obtained by FISH matched well with qRT-PCR results. Challenging findings were observed in five cases showing a frequency of rearrangement very close to the cut-off. FISH approach represents a powerful tool to estimate the ratio between broken and non-broken RET tumor cells. Establishing a precise FISH cut-off may be useful in the interpretation of the presence of RET rearrangement, primarily when this strategy is used for cytological evaluation or for targeted therapy. © 2015 European Society of Endocrinology.

  4. Imaging and Clinical Features of Thyroid Cancer in Children and Adolescents

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Kang Young; Hong, HyunSook; Lee, Eun Hye; Yi, Beom Ha; Lee, Hae Kyung; Lee, Yong Hwa; Koh, Eun Suk

    2011-01-01

    To evaluate clinical and imaging features of pediatric thyroid cancer, including BRAF'V 600E mutation status in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). We evaluated clinical findings including BRAF''6 00E status, ultrasound (US), and CT features of 13 pediatric patients with thyroid cancer. US findings were retrospectively analyzed for location, presence of a nodule, echotexture, echogenicity, calcifications, margin, shape, intranodular vascularity and abnormal lymph nodes. CT characteristics of the lesions, including attenuation, calcification, and measured degree of enhancement, were assessed. The patients included three boys and ten girls with a mean age of 15.5 years (range 6-18 years). No patient was exposed to radiation. Palpable neck mass was the most common presentation. Eleven of 13 patients (84.6%) were diagnosed with PTC, and two (15.4%) had follicular thyroid cancer (FTC). Nine of 13 (69.2%) had high T-staging. BRAF V600E mutations were detected in 30.0% of PTC patients. A diffusely enlarged thyroid with calcifications (n = 2) or nodules (n = 7) was detected on US. All PTC nodules showed malignant US findings and one FTC displayed on indeterminate nodule. Nodules generally showed low attenuation on enhanced CT (n = 11/12). US demonstrated enlarged glands with calcifications or nodules. Diffusely enlarged thyroids with microcalcifications should be evaluated using fine-needle aspiration. A low attenuation nodule was a common finding on enhanced CT.

  5. BRAF mutation is not predictive of long-term outcome in papillary thyroid carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Henke, Lauren E; Pfeifer, John D; Ma, Changquing; Perkins, Stephanie M; DeWees, Todd; El-Mofty, Samir; Moley, Jeffrey F; Nussenbaum, Brian; Haughey, Bruce H; Baranski, Thomas J; Schwarz, Julie K; Grigsby, Perry W

    2015-01-01

    The BRAF mutation occurs commonly in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). Previous investigations of its utility to predict recurrence-free survival (RFS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) have reported conflicting results and its role remains unclear. The purpose of this retrospective study was to determine the incidence of the BRAF mutation and analyze its relationship to clinicopathologic risk factors and long-term outcomes in the largest, single-institution American cohort to date. BRAF mutational status was determined in 508 PTC patients using RFLP analysis. The relationships between BRAF mutation status, patient and tumor characteristics, RFS, and DSS were analyzed. The BRAF mutation was present in 67% of patients. On multivariate analysis, presence of the mutation predicted only for capsular invasion (HR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.1–2.6), cervical lymph node involvement (HR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.1–2.7), and classic papillary histology (HR, 1.8; 95% CI 1.1–2.9). There was no significant relationship between the BRAF mutation and RFS or DSS, an observation that was consistent across univariate, multivariate, and Kaplan–Meier analyses. This is the most extensive study to date in the United States to demonstrate that BRAF mutation is of no predictive value for recurrence or survival in PTC. We found correlations of BRAF status and several clinicopathologic characteristics of high-risk disease, but limited evidence that the mutation correlates with more extensive or aggressive disease. This analysis suggests that BRAF is minimally prognostic in PTC. However, prevalence of the BRAF mutation is 70% in the general population, providing the opportunity for targeted therapy

  6. Electrochemical study of oxygen reduction reaction in Pt/C catalysts synthesized by photo-deposition; Estudio electroquimico de la reaccion de reduccion de oxigeno en catalizadores de Pt/C sintetizados por fotodeposito

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Perez-Galindo, J. A.; Ruiz-Camacho, B.; Valenzuela-Zapata, M. A.; Gonzalez-Huerta, R. G. [IPN, ESIQIE, Mexico, D.F. (Mexico)]. E-mail: rosgonzalez_h@yahoo.com.mx

    2009-09-15

    Fuel batteries are considered one of the principal generators of energy for the immediate future, though their use is limited by their cost and useful lifetime. One of the main components of a fuel battery are electrodes made of a noble metal, such as Pt, dispersed in a support. The interaction between these two components has received a good deal of attention in recent years. It is considered to be responsible for structural growth effects and a decreased dispersion of metal particles on a support, causing the battery to have low overall performance and a reduced useful lifetime. The properties of the support are accentuated in cathode catalysts, where oxygen reduction reactions occur as a result of its operating conditions. Syntheses are currently being investigated to improve the metal-support interaction and thereby increase the lifetime of the fuel battery. This work presents the electrochemical study of nanometric-sized carbon-supported platinum (Pt/C) catalysts synthesized with chemical photo-deposition to determine its catalytic effect and stability for oxygen reduction reaction in an acid medium. C{sub 10}H{sub 14}O{sub 4}Pt (Pt(acac)2) was used as the platinum precursor. The electrochemical study was conducted with cyclic voltamperometry and rotary disc electrode (RDE) techniques, observing that the synthesized catalysts present a behavior similar to that of Pt (E-Tek). The kinetic study showed an open-circuit potential of de 0.96 V with a Tafel slope of 73 mV dec-1, and with a current of 0.1 mA cm-2 the potential is 0.91 V. The authors wish to thank the ICYTDF (project PICS08-37) and the IPN (project SIP-20090433). [Spanish] Las pilas de combustible se perfilan como uno de los principales generadores de energia en un futuro inmediato, pero su utilizacion esta limitada por su costo y tiempo de vida util. Uno de los componentes principales de la pila de combustible son los electrodos integrados por un metal noble, como el Pt, disperso en un soporte. La

  7. Nanostructured electrocatalyst for fuel cells : silica templated synthesis of Pt/C composites.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Stechel, Ellen Beth; Switzer, Elise E.; Fujimoto, Cy H.; Atanassov, Plamen Borissov; Cornelius, Christopher James; Hibbs, Michael R.

    2007-09-01

    Platinum-based electrocatalysts are currently required for state-of-the-art fuel cells and represent a significant portion of the overall fuel cell cost. If fuel cell technology is to become competitive with other energy conversion technologies, improve the utilization of precious metal catalysts is essential. A primary focus of this work is on creating enhanced nanostructured materials which improve precious-metal utilization. The goal is to engineer superior electrocatalytic materials through the synthesis, development and investigation of novel templated open frame structures synthesized in an aerosol-based approach. Bulk templating methods for both Pt/C and Pt-Ru composites are evaluated in this study and are found to be limited due to the fact that the nanostructure is not maintained throughout the entire sample. Therefore, an accurate examination of structural effects was previously impossible. An aerosol-based templating method of synthesizing nanostructured Pt-Ru electrocatalysts has been developed wherein the effects of structure can be related to electrocatalytic performance. The aerosol-based templating method developed in this work is extremely versatile as it can be conveniently modified to synthesize alternative materials for other systems. The synthesis method was able to be extended to nanostructured Pt-Sn for ethanol oxidation in alkaline media. Nanostructured Pt-Sn electrocatalysts were evaluated in a unique approach tailored to electrocatalytic studies in alkaline media. At low temperatures, nanostructured Pt-Sn electrocatalysts were found to have significantly higher ethanol oxidation activity than a comparable nanostructured Pt catalyst. At higher temperatures, the oxygen-containing species contribution likely provided by Sn is insignificant due to a more oxidized Pt surface. The importance of the surface coverage of oxygen-containing species in the reaction mechanism is established in these studies. The investigations in this work present

  8. One-third of an Archivial Series of Papillary Thyroid Cancer (Years 2007–2015 Has Coexistent Chronic Lymphocytic Thyroiditis, Which Is Associated with a More Favorable Tumor-Node-Metastasis Staging

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Antonio Ieni

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The significance and impact of the coexistence of chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis (CLT with thyroid cancer is still debated. To verify the influence of CLT on papillary thyroid cancer (PTC, we retrospectively collected 505 PTC cases and analyzed age at diagnosis, sex, size, lymph node status, and staging. We found that CLT was present in 168 PTC (33.3%. Compared with the 337 patients without CLT (non-CLT, CLT patients were younger (44.42 ± 13.72 vs. 47.21 ± 13.76 years, P = 0.03, had smaller tumors (9.39 ± 6.10 vs. 12 ± 9.71 mm, P = 0.002, and lower rate of lymph node metastases (12.5 vs. 21.96%, P = 0.01, OR = 0.508. Tumor-node-metastasis (TNM staging (T1a through T4 was more favorable for the CLT group compared to the non-CLT group (for instance, T1a = 65.5 vs. 49.8%, T3 = 4.8 vs. 23.4%. This study shows that one in three patients with PTC harbors CLT, which is associated with a more favorable TNM staging, consistently with a favorable outlook of PTC.

  9. Significance of the BRAF mRNA Expression Level in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma: An Analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas Data.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Young Jun Chai

    Full Text Available BRAFV600E is the most common mutation in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC, and it is associated with high-risk prognostic factors. However, the significance of the BRAF mRNA level in PTC remains unknown. We evaluated the significance of BRAF mRNA expression level by analyzing PTC data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA database.Data from 499 patients were downloaded from the TCGA database. After excluding other PTC variants, we selected 353 cases of classic PTC, including 193 cases with BRAFV600E and 160 cases with the wild-type BRAF. mRNA abundances were measured using RNA-Seq with the Expectation Maximization algorithm.The mean BRAF mRNA level was significantly higher in BRAFV600E patients than in patients with wild-type BRAF (197.6 vs. 179.3, p = 0.031. In wild-type BRAF patients, the mean BRAF mRNA level was higher in cases with a tumor > 2 cm than those with a tumor ≤ 2.0 cm (189.4 vs. 163.8, p = 0.046, and was also higher in cases with lymph node metastasis than in those without lymph node metastasis (188.5 vs. 157.9, p = 0.040. Within BRAFV600E patients, higher BRAF mRNA expression was associated with extrathyroidal extension (186.4 vs. 216.4, p = 0.001 and higher T stage (188.1 vs. 210.2, p = 0.016.A higher BRAF mRNA expression level was associated with tumor aggressiveness in classic PTC regardless of BRAF mutational status. Evaluation of BRAF mRNA level may be helpful in prognostic risk stratification of PTC.

  10. Papillary thyroid carcinoma risk factors in the Yunnan plateau of southwestern China

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zeng R

    2016-06-01

    . Conclusion: HT was not an independent risk factor for but was associated with PTC. TRAb is a risk factor for PTC in individuals living in the Yunnan plateau, but not for those in the plains region. Keywords: papillary thyroid carcinoma, risk factors, Yunnan plateau, benign thyroid disease, autoimmune disease status 

  11. Modeling and performance simulation of 100 MW PTC based solar thermal power plant in Udaipur India

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Deepak Bishoyi

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Solar energy is a key renewable energy source and the most abundant energy source on the globe. Solar energy can be converted into electric energy by using two different processes: by means of photovoltaic (PV conversion and the thermodynamic cycles. Concentrated solar power (CSP is viewed as one of the most promising alternatives in the field of solar energy utilization. Lifetime and efficiency of PV system are very less compared to the CSP technology. A 100 MW parabolic trough solar thermal power plant with 6 h of thermal energy storage has been evaluated in terms of design and thermal performance, based on the System Advisor Model (SAM. A location receiving an annual DNI of 2248.17 kW h/m2 in Rajasthan is chosen for the technical feasibility of hypothetical CSP plant. The plant design consists of 194 solar collector loops with each loop comprising of 8 parabolic trough collectors. HITEC solar salt is chosen as an HTF due to its excellent thermodynamic properties. The designed plant can generate annual electricity of 285,288,352 kW h with the plant efficiency of 21%. The proposed design of PTC based solar thermal power plant and its performance analysis encourages further innovation and development of solar thermal power plants in India.

  12. Conductive polymer composites with double percolated architecture of carbon nanoparticles and ceramic microparticles for high heat dissipation and sharp PTC switching

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Droval, G; Feller, J F; Salagnac, P; Glouannec, P

    2008-01-01

    In classical self-limiting heating devices where conductive polymer composites (CPC) are used, one of the main problems to solve is the stability of properties with time. Different strategies are proposed to stabilize the morphologies during the structuring of these heterogeneous materials. Some of them are well known in the use of co-continuous polymer blends or confinement but the interest of this work is to combine different structuring methods such as volume exclusion, adsorption and multiple percolations to achieve original properties. In fact the CPC developed exhibit enhanced heat dissipation and thermal stability (up to 180 °C), independent adjustability of electrical and thermal conductivity, and a sharp and large amplitude PTC effect. These original results were obtained with a co-continuous structure associating a thermally conductive polymer phase (syndiotactic poly(styrene) (sPS) filled with aluminum oxide (Al 2 O 3 ) or boron nitride (BN)) with an electrically conductive polymer phase (high-density poly(ethylene)) (hdPE) filled with carbon nanoparticles (CNP) in appropriate proportions

  13. Impact of metal cations on the electrocatalytic properties of Pt/C nanoparticles at multiple phase interfaces.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Durst, Julien; Chatenet, Marian; Maillard, Frédéric

    2012-10-05

    Proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) use carbon-supported nanoparticles based on platinum and its alloys to accelerate the rate of the sluggish oxygen-reduction reaction (ORR). The most common metals alloyed to Pt include Co, Ni and Cu, and are thermodynamically unstable in the PEMFC environment. Their dissolution yields the formation and redistribution of metal cations (M(y+)) within the membrane electrode assembly (MEA). Metal cations can also contaminate the MEA when metallic bipolar plates are used as current collectors. In each case, the electrical performance of the PEMFC severely decreases, an effect that is commonly attributed to the poisoning of the sulfonic acid groups of the perfluorosulfonated membrane (PEM) and the resulting decrease of the proton transport properties. However, the impact of metal cations on the kinetics of electrochemical reactions involving adsorption/desorption and bond-breaking processes remains poorly understood. In this paper, we use model electrodes to highlight the effect of metal cations on Pt/C nanoparticles coated or not with a perfluorosulfonated ionomer for the CO electrooxidation reaction and the oxygen reduction reaction. We show that metal cations negatively impact the ORR kinetics and the mass-transport resistance of molecular oxygen. However, the specific adsorption of sulfonate groups of the Nafion® ionomer locally modifies the double layer structure and increases the tolerance to metal cations, even in the presence of sulphate ions in the electrolyte. The survey is extended by using an ultramicroelectrode with cavity and a solid state cell (SSC) specifically developed for this study.

  14. A Tale of Two Cancers: Traveling to Treat Pancreatic and Thyroid Cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    White, Michael G; Applewhite, Megan K; Kaplan, Edwin L; Angelos, Peter; Huo, Dezheng; Grogan, Raymon H

    2017-07-01

    Patients diagnosed with a malignancy must decide whether to travel for care at an academic center or receive treatment at a nearby hospital. Here we examine differences in demographics, treatment, and outcomes of those traveling to academic centers for their care vs those not traveling, as well as compare travel for an aggressive vs indolent malignancy. All patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) or pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) undergoing surgical resection and in the National Cancer Database were examined. Travel for care was abstracted from "crowfly" distance between patients' ZIP codes and treatment facility, region, county size, urban/metro/rural status, and facility type. In total, 105,677 patients with PTC and 22,983 patients with PDAC were analyzed. There were no survival differences by travel in the PTC group. Survival was improved for patients with PDAC traveling from urban/rural settings (hazard ratio = 0.89; 95% CI 0.82 to 0.96; p = 0.002). Patients traveling with PDAC were more likely to have a complete resection and lymph node dissection. Those traveling were less likely to receive chemotherapy or radiotherapy (all p traveling with PTC were older, more likely to be male, have Medicare insurance, and had a higher stage of disease (all p traveling for care of their PTC (all p traveling to academic centers for their cancer care. In the case of PTC, this difference in quality did not affect overall survival. In PDAC, however, differences in quality translated to a survival advantage. Copyright © 2017 American College of Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. CXCR4 expression in papillary thyroid carcinoma: induction by nitric oxide and correlation with lymph node metastasis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yasuoka, Hironao; Kodama, Rieko; Hirokawa, Mitsuyoshi; Takamura, Yuuki; Miyauchi, Akira; Sanke, Tokio; Nakamura, Yasushi

    2008-01-01

    Metastasis to regional lymph nodes is a common step in the progression of cancer. Recent evidence suggests that tumor production of CXCR4 promotes lymph node metastasis. Nitric oxide (NO) may also increase metastatic ability in human cancers. Nitrite/nitrate levels and functional CXCR4 expression were assessed in K1 and B-CPAP papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) cells after induction and/or inhibition of NO synthesis. CXCR4 expression was also analyzed in primary human PTC. The relationship between nitrotyrosine levels, which are a biomarker for peroxynitrate formation from NO in vivo, CXCR4 expression, and lymph node status was also analyzed. Production of nitrite/nitrate and functional CXCR4 expression in both cell lines was increased by treatment with the NO donor DETA NONOate. The NOS inhibitor L-NAME eliminated this increase. Positive CXCR4 immunostaining was observed in 60.7% (34/56) of PTCs. CXCR4 expression was significantly correlated with nitrotyrosine levels and lymph node metastasis in human PTC. Our data indicate that NO stimulates CXCR4 expression in vitro. Formation of the NO biomarker nitrotyrosine was also correlated with CXCR4 expression and lymph node metastasis in human PTC. NO may induce lymph node metastasis via CXCR4 induction in papillary thyroid carcinoma

  16. The clinical features of papillary thyroid cancer in Hashimoto’s thyroiditis patients from an area with a high prevalence of Hashimoto’s disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhang Ling

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The goal of this study was to identify the clinicopathological factors of co-existing papillary thyroid cancer (PTC in patients with Hashimoto���s thyroiditis (HT and provide information to aid in the diagnosis of such patients. Methods This study included 6109 patients treated in a university-based tertiary care cancer hospital over a 3-year period. All of the patients were categorised based on their final diagnosis. Several clinicopathological factors, such as age, gender, nodular size, invasive status, central compartment lymph node metastasis (CLNM and serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH level, were compared between the various groups of patients. Results There were 653 patients with a final diagnosis of HT. More PTC was found in those with HT (58.3%; 381 of 653 than those without HT (2416 of 5456; 44.3%; p Conclusion PTC and HT have a close relationship in this region of highly prevalent HT disease. Based on the results of our study, we hypothesise that long-term HT leads to elevated serum TSH, which is the real risk factor for thyroid cancer.

  17. Kickstart VR at Warwick taster sessions

    OpenAIRE

    Allen, Catherine; O'Toole, R. B. (Robert Bernard)

    2017-01-01

    An initial report on VR-enhanced seminars with staff and students. Held over 2 days in May 2017, these workshops provided a diverse group of staff and students at the University of Warwick with a valuable opportunity to experience and think about virtual reality. The VR phenomenon is at the top of its hype cycle (again), with significant breakthroughs having been made in technology and in the design of VR content. However, not many people in higher education have experienced what can be achie...

  18. Hashimoto's thyroiditis predicts outcome in intrathyroidal papillary thyroid cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marotta, Vincenzo; Sciammarella, Concetta; Chiofalo, Maria Grazia; Gambardella, Claudio; Bellevicine, Claudio; Grasso, Marica; Conzo, Giovanni; Docimo, Giovanni; Botti, Gerardo; Losito, Simona; Troncone, Giancarlo; De Palma, Maurizio; Giacomelli, Laura; Pezzullo, Luciano; Colao, Annamaria; Faggiano, Antongiulio

    2017-09-01

    Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) seems to have favourable prognostic impact on papillary thyroid cancer (PTC), but data were obtained analysing all disease stages. Given that HT-related microenvironment involves solely the thyroid, we aimed to assess the relationship between HT, as detected through pathological assessment, and outcome in intrathyroidal PTC. This was a multicentre, retrospective, observational study including 301 PTC with no evidence of extrathyroidal disease. Primary study endpoint was the rate of clinical remission. Auxiliary endpoint was recurrence-free survival (RFS). HT was detected in 42.5% of the cohort and was associated to female gender, smaller tumour size, lower rate of aggressive PTC variants and less frequent post-surgery radio-iodine administration. HT showed relationship with significantly higher rate of clinical remission ( P  < 0.001, OR 4, 95% CI 1.78-8.94). PTCs with concomitant HT had significantly longer RFS, as compared with non-HT tumours ( P  = 0.004). After adjustment for other parameters affecting disease outcome at univariate analysis (age at diagnosis, histology, tumour size and multifocality), prognostic effect of HT remained significant ( P  = 0.006, OR 3.28, 95% CI 1.39-7.72). To verify whether HT could optimise the identification of PTCs with unfavourable outcome, we assessed the accuracy of 'non-HT status' as negative prognostic marker, demonstrating poor capability of identifying patients not maintaining clinical remission until final follow-up (probability of no clinical remission in PTCs without HT: 21.05%, 95% CI 15.20-27.93). In conclusion, our data show that HT represents an independent prognostic parameter in intrathyroidal PTC, but cannot improve prognostic specificity. © 2017 Society for Endocrinology.

  19. A pain in the bud? Implications of cross-modal sensitivity for pain experience.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perkins, Monica; de Bruyne, Marien; Giummarra, Melita J

    2016-11-01

    There is growing evidence that enhanced sensitivity to painful clinical procedures and chronic pain are related to greater sensitivity to other sensory inputs, such as bitter taste. We examined cross-modal sensitivities in two studies. Study 1 assessed associations between bitter taste sensitivity, pain tolerance, and fear of pain in 48 healthy young adults. Participants were classified as non-tasters, tasters and super-tasters using a bitter taste test (6-n-propythiouracil; PROP). The latter group had significantly higher fear of pain (Fear of Pain Questionnaire) than tasters (p=.036, effect size r = .48). There was only a trend for an association between bitter taste intensity ratings and intensity of pain at the point of pain tolerance in a cold pressor test (p=.04). In Study 2, 40 healthy young adults completed the Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile before rating intensity and unpleasantness of innocuous (33 °C), moderate (41 °C), and high intensity (44 °C) thermal pain stimulations. The sensory-sensitivity subscale was positively correlated with both intensity and unpleasantness ratings. Canonical correlation showed that only sensitivity to audition and touch (not taste/smell) were associated with intensity of moderate and high (not innocuous) thermal stimuli. Together these findings suggest that there are cross-modal associations predominantly between sensitivity to exteroceptive inputs (i.e., taste, touch, sound) and the affective dimensions of pain, including noxious heat and intolerable cold pain, in healthy adults. These cross-modal sensitivities may arise due to greater psychological aversion to salient sensations, or from shared neural circuitry for processing disparate sensory modalities.

  20. Papillary thyroid carcinoma: comparison between CT features and pathologic findings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tan Hongna; Gu Yajia; Peng Weijun; Yang Wentao; Huang Dan

    2009-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate the relationship between the CT imaging features and pathologic findings of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC), as well as the CT appearances of Non-papillary thyroid carcinoma(N-PTC). Methods: CT features of 229 PTC, 42 PTMC and 36 N-PTC patients with 264, 57 and 41 lesions respectively were analyzed retrospectively, and comparison was made with the pathologic findings. All data were analyzed by X 2 test. Results: (1) Of PTC lesions, 25.4% (67/264)of the lesions and 2.9% (24/828) of metastatic lymph nodes showed cystic changes. Cyst formation with intracystic high density papillary-like nodules were found in 31.3% (21/67)of the PTC lesions and 37.5% (9/24) of metastatic lymph nodes. The histologic appearances of these tumors demonstrated fibrous tissue forming the wall of cyst, and papillary-like tumor tissue. (2) 75.2% (112/149) of PTC and 33.3% (5/15) of PTMC showed multiple small granular and fine calcifications, and there was statiscally significant difference between the two (P 0.05). However, the degree of enhancement in PTC lesions were less than that of N-PTC, 36.6% (94/257) of PTC and 54.1% (20/37)of N-PTC lesions showed significant enhancement, and there was statistically significant difference (P<0.05). 75.1% of PTC (172/229) and 52.8% of (19/36)N-PTC had cervical lymph node metastases, with a propensity fbr PTC to have more VI region metastatic lymph nodes, 80.8% (139/172)vs 57.9% (11/19), which was statistically significant (both P<0.05). (4)Distant metastases to bone or lung were rare, but N-PTC (5/36) were more likely to produce distant metastases than PTC (5/229), and there was statistically significant difference (P<0.01). Conclusion Multiple, small granular and fine calcifications were found more frequently in PTC than PTMC. Compared with N-PTC, the papillary-like mural nodules of PTC showed less enhancement on post-contrast CT and cervical lymph node metastases were more

  1. Preoperative Cytologic Diagnosis of Warthin-like Variant of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jisup Kim

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Background Warthin-like variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma (WLV-PTC is a relatively rare variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma with favorable prognosis. However, preoperative diagnosis using fine-needle aspiration (FNA specimens is challenging especially with lymphocytic thyroiditis characterized by Hürthle cells and lymphocytic background. To determine a helpful cytological differential point, we compared WLV-PTC FNA findings with conventional papillary thyroid carcinoma with lymphocytic thyroiditis (PTC-LT and conventional papillary thyroid carcinoma without lymphocytic thyroiditis (PTC regarding infiltrating inflammatory cells and their distribution. Preoperative diagnosis or potential for WLV-PTC will be helpful for surgeons to decide the scope of operation. Methods Of the 8,179 patients treated for papillary thyroid carcinoma between January 2007 and December 2012, 16 patients (0.2% were pathologically confirmed as WLV-PTC and four cases were available for cytologic review. For comparison, we randomly selected six PTC-LT cases and five PTC cases during the same period. The number of intratumoral and background lymphocytes, histiocytes, neutrophils, and the presence of giant cells were evaluated and compared using conventional smear and ThinPrep preparations. Results WLV-PTC showed extensive lymphocytic smear with incorporation of thyroid follicular tumor cell clusters and frequent histiocytes. WLV-PTC was associated with higher intratumoral and background lymphocytes and histiocytes compared with PTC-LT or PTC. The difference was more distinct in liquid-based cytology. Conclusions The lymphocytic smear pattern and the number of inflammatory cells of WLV-PTC are different from those of PTC-LT or PTC and will be helpful for the differential diagnosis of WLV-PTC in preoperative FNA.

  2. Sensory analysis of passion fruit cake with chocolate sauce for individuals with phenylketonuria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juliana dos Santos Vilar

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to develop a recipe of passion fruit cake with chocolate syrup for individuals who have phenylketonuria and evaluate its acceptance. The samples were served to 50 untrained tasters and evaluated by the acceptability test using the nine point hedonic scale. Flavor was the most appreciated attribute by 66% of tasters. The cake had a mean of 7,0 corresponding to "liked moderately" in the hedonic scale and 94% of purchase intent. Therefore, the cake was accepted and would be purchased by the majority of participants.

  3. Influence of biological, experiential and psychological factors in wine preference segmentation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pickering, Gary J; Hayes, John E

    2017-06-01

    We sought to determine the influence of selected biological, experiential and psychological variables on self-reported liking and consumption of wine in a sample of 329 Ontario wine consumers. Cluster analysis revealed three distinct groups, representing plausible market segments: wine lovers; dry table wine likers/sweet dislikers; and sweet wine likers/fortified dislikers. These groups differ in level of wine expertise, wine adventurousness, alcohol intake, bitterness from 6- n -propylthiouracil (PROP), and several demographic variables. PROP hypo-tasters ( n =113) and PROP hyper-tasters ( n =112) differed in liking scores for nine of the 11 wine styles [ANCOVA, P (F)branding and marketing strategies.

  4. Correlation of MLH1 and MGMT expression and promoter methylation with genomic instability in patients with thyroid carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Santos, Juliana Carvalho; Bastos, André Uchimura; Cerutti, Janete Maria; Ribeiro, Marcelo Lima

    2013-01-01

    Gene silencing of the repair genes MLH1 and MGMT was shown to be a mechanism underlying the development of microsatellite instability (MSI), a phenotype frequently associated with various human malignancies. Recently, aberrant methylation of MLH1, MGMT and MSI were shown to be associated with mutations in genes such as BRAF, RAS and IDH1 in colon and brain tumours. Little is known about the methylation status of MLH1 and MGMT in thyroid tumours and its association with MSI and mutational status. In a series of 96 thyroid tumours whose mutational profiles of BRAF, IDH1 and NRAS mutations and RET/PTC were previously determined, we investigated MLH1 and MGMT expression and methylation status by qPCR and methylation-specific PCR after bisulphite treatment, respectively. MSI was determined by PCR using seven standard microsatellite markers. Samples with point mutations (BRAF, IDH1 and NRAS) show a decrease in MLH1 expression when compared to negative samples. Additionally, malignant lesions show a higher MSI pattern than benign lesions. The MSI phenotype was also associated with down-regulation of MLH1. The results of this study allow us to conclude that low expression of MLH1 is associated with BRAF V600E mutations, RET/PTC rearrangements and transitions (IDH1 and NRAS) in patients with thyroid carcinoma. In addition, a significant relationship between MSI status and histological subtypes was found

  5. The absence of CD56 expression can differentiate papillary thyroid carcinoma from other thyroid lesions

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    Ioana Golu

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Context: The neural cell adhesion molecule CD56 is an antigen important for the differentiation of the follicular epithelium. Recent studies have reported low or absent expression of CD56 in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC and its presence in normal thyroid tissue, benign thyroid lesions, and most follicular non-PTC tumors. Aim: We wish to estimate the value of CD56 in the differentiation of PTC (including follicular variant-PTC [FV-PTC] from other nontumoral lesions and follicular thyroid neoplasias. Settings and Design: This was a retrospective, case–control study. Subjects and Methods: We analyzed the expression of CD56 in normal thyroid follicular tissue, 15 nonneoplastic thyroid lesions (nodular hyperplasia, Graves' disease, and chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis/Hashimoto, and 38 thyroid follicular cell neoplasms (25 cases of PTC. The immunohistochemical reactions were performed on sections stained with anti-CD56 antibody. Statistical Analysis Used: We used the Chi-square test, values of P< 0.05 being considered statistically significant. Risk analysis was applied on these studied groups, by calculating the odds ratio (OR value. Results: Our results indicated that CD56 immunoexpression had differentiated PTC from benign nonneoplastic lesions (P = 0.002, as well as from follicular neoplasias (P = 0.046. There were no significant differences regarding CD56 expression between FV-PTC and classical PTC (P = 0.436. The immunoexpression of CD56 has differentiated PTC from other thyroid non-PTC lesions (P < 0.001, with 26.4 OR value. Conclusions: CD56 has been proved to be a useful marker in the diagnosis of PTC, including FV-PTC. Its absence can help differentiate FV-PTC from other thyroid nodules with follicular patterns.

  6. Parameters leading to a successful radiographic outcome following surgical treatment for Lenke 2 curves.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koller, Heiko; Meier, Oliver; McClung, Anna; Hitzl, Wolfgang; Mayer, Michael; Sucato, Daniel

    2015-07-01

    In Lenke 2 curves, there are conflicting data when to include the PTC into the fusion. Studies focusing on Lenke 2 curves are scant. The number of patients with significant postoperative shoulder height difference (SHD) or trunk shift (TS) is as high as 30 % indicating further research. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to improve understanding of curve resolution and shoulder balance following surgical correction of Lenke 2 curves as well as the identification of radiographic parameters predicting postoperative curve resolution, shoulder and trunk balance in perspective of inclusion/exclusion of the proximal thoracic curve (PTC). This is a retrospective study of a 158 Lenke 2 curves. Serial radiographs were analyzed for the main thoracic curve (MTC), PTC, and lumbar curve (LC), SHD, clavicle angle (CA), T-1 tilt, deviation of the central sacral vertical line (CSVL) off the C7 plumb line.Patients were stratified whether the PTC was included in the fusion (+PTC group, n = 60) or not (-PTC group, n = 98). Intergroup results were studied. Compensatory mechanisms for SHD were studied in detail. Adding-on distally was defined as an increase of the lowest instrumented vertebra adjacent disc angle (LIVDA) >3°. Stepwise regression analyses were performed to establish predictive radiographic parameters. At follow-up averaging 24 months significant differences between the +PTC and -PTC group existed for the PTC (24° vs 28°, p 5° (27 vs 53 %, p 2 cm) was 9 (6 %): 7 in the -PTC vs 2 in the +PTC group (p = .03). Utilization of compensatory mechanisms (99 vs 83 %, p Statistics showed postoperative SHD improvement in both the +PTC and -PTC groups. There were no significant differences regarding SHD, CA and T1-Tilt between groups. However, only in the -PTC group, a significant change between postoperative and follow-up SHD existed (p = .02). Statistics identified a preoperative 'left shoulder up' (p statistical model only for the -PTC group showed 9 parameters

  7. Levels of oxidative damage and lipid peroxidation in thyroid neoplasia.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Young, Orla

    2012-02-01

    BACKGROUND: This study assessed the presence of oxidative damage and lipid peroxidation in thyroid neoplasia. METHODS: Using tissue microarrays and immunohistochemistry, we assessed levels of DNA damage (8-oxo-dG) and lipid peroxidation (4-HNE) in 71 follicular thyroid adenoma (FTA), 45 papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), and 17 follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC) and matched normal thyroid tissue. RESULTS: Cytoplasmic 8-oxo-dG and 4-HNE expression was significantly higher in FTA, FTC, and PTC tissue compared to matched normal tissue (all p values < .001). Similarly, elevated nuclear levels of 8-oxo-dG were seen in all in FTA, FTC, and PTC tissue compared to matched normal (p values < .07, < .001, < .001, respectively). In contrast, a higher level of 4-HNE expression was detected in normal thyroid tissue compared with matched tumor tissue (p < .001 for all groups). Comparing all 3 groups, 4-HNE levels were higher than 8-oxo-dG levels (p < .001 for all groups) except that cytoplasmic levels of 8-oxo-dG were higher than 4-HNE in all (p < .001). These results were independent of proliferation status. CONCLUSION: High levels of DNA damage and lipid peroxidation in benign and malignant thyroid neoplasia indicates this damage is an early event that may influence disease progression.

  8. Variabilité et amélioration de la technologie traditionnelle de production de la pâte fermentée de maïs au Congo

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    Louembé, D.

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available Variability and Improvement of Maize Fermented Dough Traditional Technology Production in Congo. The poto-poto production proceeding is characterized by the large variability during some production stages, particulary in washing and conservation operations. The washing operation before and after steeping seems to be very important because it influences considerably the sensorial (colour, odour and hygienic qualities of final product. For improving nutritional qualities, germinated seeds utilization has been studied. With respect to biochemistry characteristics, poto-poto made with germinated seeds offers a diminution of lactic acid concentration and an increase of acetic concentration. By contrary, for poto-poto produced from ungerminated seeds, lactic acid concentration increases and that of acetic acid decreases. The two products are acid (pH 3,8 and pH 3,53 because of lactic and acetic presence. The sensorial test makes evident the sensorial differences existing in two types of products. The are two different products with respect to colour, taste, odour and texture. Poto-poto produced with maize germinated seeds is preferred (100% among tasters. It is slightly more sweet (100% among tasters and more sour (40% among tasters than poto-poto produced from ungerminated seeds. The poto-poto solar drying proceeding used allows a better conservation of poto-poto.

  9. Estrogen receptor α induces prosurvival autophagy in papillary thyroid cancer via stimulating reactive oxygen species and extracellular signal regulated kinases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fan, Dahua; Liu, Shirley Y W; van Hasselt, C Andrew; Vlantis, Alexander C; Ng, Enders K W; Zhang, Haitao; Dong, Yujuan; Ng, Siu Kwan; Chu, Ryan; Chan, Amy B W; Du, Jing; Wei, Wei; Liu, Xiaoling; Liu, Zhimin; Xing, Mingzhao; Chen, George G

    2015-04-01

    The incidence of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) shows a predominance in females, with a male:female ratio of 1:3, and none of the known risk factors are associated with gender difference. Increasing evidence indicates a role of estrogen in thyroid tumorigenesis, but the mechanism involved remains largely unknown. This study aimed to assess the contribution of autophagy to estrogen receptor α (ERα)-mediated growth of PTC. The expression of ERα in thyroid tissue of patients with PTC tissues was analyzed. Cell viability, proliferation, and apoptosis were evaluated after chemical and genetic inhibition of autophagy. Autophagy in PTC cell lines BCPAP and BCPAP-ERα was assessed. ERα expression was increased in PTC tissues compared with the adjacent nontumor tissues. Estrogen induced autophagy in an ERα-dependent manner. Autophagy induced by estrogen/ERα is associated with generation of reactive oxygen species, activation of ERK1/2, and the survival/growth of PTC cells. Chemical and genetic inhibition of autophagy dramatically decreased tumor cell survival and promoted apoptosis, confirming the positive role of autophagy in the growth of PTC. ERα contributes to the growth of PTC by enhancing an important prosurvival catabolic process, autophagy, in PTC cells. The inhibition of autophagy promotes apoptosis, implicating a novel strategy for the treatment of ERα-positive PTC.

  10. Application of CD56, P63 and CK19 immunohistochemistry in the diagnosis of papillary carcinoma of the thyroid

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    Alowami Salem

    2008-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Papillary carcinoma of the thyroid (PTC is the commonest thyroid cancer. In the recent decades an obvious increase in the incidence of PTC has occurred. The pathological diagnosis of PTC is usually an easy diagnosis in the majority of cases. However since the introduction of follicular variant of PTC and the wide threshold range in interpretation of the clearly set pathological criteria for diagnosis of PTC, between pathologists including experts, the diagnosis in some cases became quite difficult. Unfortunately some cases are unjustifiably over-called as follicular variant of PTC as a result of the wide inter observable variability between pathologists, including thyroid pathologists. Ancillary studies such as immmunohistochemistry may be helpful, but till now there is no 100% consistent marker(s, that distinct between PTC and other follicular thyroid lesions and tumors. We assessed expression of antibodies against CD56, CK19, P63 and E-Cadherin in PTC and other follicular thyroid lesions and neoplasms. A total of 175 cases were studied. The neoplastic cases included 75 carcinomas (72 papillary, 2 follicular, 1 Hurthle cell and 35 adenomas (32 follicular and 3 Hurthle cell. The non-neoplastic thyroids included 65 cases, (25 nodular hyperplasia, 5 thyrotoxic hyperplasia (Grave's disease, 19 lymphocytic thyroiditis and 6 Hashimoto's thyroiditis. All cases were evaluated by immunohistochemistry for the expression of the above mentioned markers. The markers' patterns and intensities of staining were scored. Positive expression of the markers equal or >10% of the follicular epithelium within the tumor or lesional cells was considered positive. An expression of Our results showed CD56 positive in all the lesions and tumors except for PTC in all cases (100%. CD56 was negative in all PTC cases (100%. CK 19 showed positive expression in PTC accounting for 85% of cases and in 26% of non PTC lesions/tumors. P63 showed selective focal positivity

  11. Tumorigenesis of Papillary Thyroid Cancer Is Not BRAF-Dependent in Patients with Acromegaly

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Hee Kyung; Lee, Ji Shin; Park, Min Ho; Cho, Jin Seong; Yoon, Jee Hee; Kim, Soo Jeong; Kang, Ho-Cheol

    2014-01-01

    Introduction Several studies have reported a high frequency of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) in patients with acromegaly. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and predictors of thyroid cancer in patients with acromegaly and to investigate the frequency of the BRAF V600E mutation in PTC patients with and without acromegaly. Materials and Methods We conducted a retrospective study of 60 patients with acromegaly. Thyroid ultrasonography (US) and US-guided fine needle aspiration were performed on nodules with sonographic features of malignancy. We selected 16 patients with non-acromegalic PTC as a control group. The BRAF V600E mutation was analyzed in paraffin-embedded surgical specimens of PTC by real-time polymerase chain reaction, and tumor specimens from patients with PTC were stained immunohistochemically with an antibody against insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor β (IGF-1Rβ). Results Thyroid cancer was found in 15 (25.0%) patients. No differences in age, sex, initial growth hormone (GH) and IGF-1 percentage of the upper limit of normal values or treatment modalities were observed between patients with and without PTC. Acromegaly was active in 12 of 15 patients at the time of PTC diagnosis; uncontrolled acromegaly had a significantly higher frequency in the PTC group (60%) than in the non-PTC group (28.9%) (p = 0.030). The BRAF V600E mutation was present in only 9.1% (1/11) of PTC patients with acromegaly, although 62.5% (10/16) of control patients with PTC had the mutation (p = 0.007). IGF-1Rβ immunostaining showed moderate-to-strong staining in all malignant PTC cells in patients with and without acromegaly. Significantly less staining for IGF-1Rβ was observed in normal adjacent thyroid tissues of PTC patients with acromegaly compared with those without (p = 0.014). Conclusion The prevalence of PTC in acromegalic patients was high (25%). An uncontrolled hyperactive GH-IGF-1 axis may play a dominant role in the development of

  12. Tumorigenesis of papillary thyroid cancer is not BRAF-dependent in patients with acromegaly.

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    Hee Kyung Kim

    Full Text Available INTRODUCTION: Several studies have reported a high frequency of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC in patients with acromegaly. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and predictors of thyroid cancer in patients with acromegaly and to investigate the frequency of the BRAFV600E mutation in PTC patients with and without acromegaly. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study of 60 patients with acromegaly. Thyroid ultrasonography (US and US-guided fine needle aspiration were performed on nodules with sonographic features of malignancy. We selected 16 patients with non-acromegalic PTC as a control group. The BRAFV600E mutation was analyzed in paraffin-embedded surgical specimens of PTC by real-time polymerase chain reaction, and tumor specimens from patients with PTC were stained immunohistochemically with an antibody against insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor β (IGF-1Rβ. RESULTS: Thyroid cancer was found in 15 (25.0% patients. No differences in age, sex, initial growth hormone (GH and IGF-1 percentage of the upper limit of normal values or treatment modalities were observed between patients with and without PTC. Acromegaly was active in 12 of 15 patients at the time of PTC diagnosis; uncontrolled acromegaly had a significantly higher frequency in the PTC group (60% than in the non-PTC group (28.9% (p = 0.030. The BRAFV600E mutation was present in only 9.1% (1/11 of PTC patients with acromegaly, although 62.5% (10/16 of control patients with PTC had the mutation (p = 0.007. IGF-1Rβ immunostaining showed moderate-to-strong staining in all malignant PTC cells in patients with and without acromegaly. Significantly less staining for IGF-1Rβ was observed in normal adjacent thyroid tissues of PTC patients with acromegaly compared with those without (p = 0.014. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of PTC in acromegalic patients was high (25%. An uncontrolled hyperactive GH-IGF-1 axis may play a dominant role in the

  13. Ultrasonographic imaging of papillary thyroid carcinoma variants

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    Shin, Jung Hee [Dept. of Radiology and Center for Imaging Science, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2017-04-15

    Ultrasonography (US) is routinely used to evaluate thyroid nodules. The US features of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), the most common thyroid malignancy, include hypoechogenicity, spiculated/microlobulated margins, microcalcifications, and a nonparallel orientation. However, many PTC variants have been identified, some of which differ from the classic type of PTC in terms of biological behavior and clinical outcomes. This review describes the US features and clinical implications of the variants of PTC. With the introduction of active surveillance replacing immediate biopsy or surgical treatment of indolent, small PTCs, an understanding of the US characteristics of PTC variants will facilitate the individualized management of patients with PTC.

  14. Low total cortisol correlates closely with low free cortisol in traumatic brain injury and predicts mortality and long-term hypopituitarism

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Hannon, M J

    2011-06-01

    Published data has demonstrated that low 0900h plasma total cortisol (PTC) in the acute phase following traumatic brain injury (TBI) predicts mortality. However, there is concern regarding the use of PTC to evaluate the pituitary-adrenal axis in acutely unwell patients due to potential discrepancies between PTC and plasma free cortisol (PFC) due to variations in corticosteroid binding globulin (CBG). We hypothesised that low PTC would correlate closely with PFC and would predict mortality and long-term hypopituitarism.100 patients (84 men, median age 33, range 18-75) were recruited on admission with TBI (mean GCS+\\/-SD = 8.59+\\/-4.2). Each patient had PTC and CBG measured on days 1, 3, 5, 7, and 10 following TBI. Results were compared with 15 patients admitted to ITU following vascular surgery. A PTC <300nmol\\/L in a patient in ITU was regarded clinically as inappropriately low. PFC was calculated for 25% of TBI samples and all control samples using Coolen\\'s equation (1). TBI patients reattended for dynamic pituitary testing >6 months after TBI.All controls had PTC >500 nmol\\/L on day 1, and >300 nmol on days 3–10. By contrast, 78\\/100 TBI patients had at least one PTC <300 nmol\\/L.TBI patients in the lowest quartile of final PTC measurement had the highest mortality (p=0.0187). PTC correlated closely with PFC in both TBI patients (r=0.99, p<0.0001) and controls (r=0.99, p<0.0001). 32\\/79 (40.5%) of TBI survivors attended for dynamic pituitary testing. The median time to dynamic pituitary testing was 14 months (range 6–24 months). 15\\/32 (46.9%) underwent insulin tolerance testing, 9\\/32 (28.1%) underwent glucagon testing and 8\\/32 (25%) underwent short synacthen testing. 6\\/32 (18.8%) were ACTH deficient, of whom 5\\/6 (83.3%) previously had low PTC. 6\\/32 were GH deficient, all of whom previously had low PTC. One patient was gonadotropin deficient; he previously had low PTC. No patients were TSH or prolactin deficient. Overall, 12\\/32 (37

  15. Papillary thyroid carcinoma with tuberculous cervical lymphadenopathy mimicking metastasis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Iqbal, M; Subhan, A.; Aslam, A.

    2011-01-01

    To determine the frequency of tuberculous cervical lymphadenopathy mimicking metastasis from papillary thyroid cancer. Study Design: Case series. Place and Duration of Study: Surgical Unit-I, Ward-3 of Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi, from March 2005 to March 2010. Methodology: All patients above 12 years of age of either gender diagnosed on investigations as papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) were included in the study. Ultrasound and fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC), neck of solitary thyroid nodules (STN) and cervical lymph nodes were done. Total thyroidectomy and excision biopsy of cervical lymph nodes was performed, histopathological results were recorded and patients were managed accordingly. Results: A total of 55 patients had PTC and 25 had cervical lymphadenopathy. Eighteen patients of PTC with cervical lymphadenopathy were diagnosed after investigations as cases of tuberculous cervical lymphadenopathy (TCL) initially considered as metastasis from PTC; 5 patients had metastasis from PTC. Two patients proved to be of reactive hyperplasia which initially showed tuberculous cervical lymphadenopathy on FNAC. So 80% patients of cervical lymphadenopathy with PTC were due to benign disease and 20% had metastasis in lymph node due to PTC. Conclusion: PTC with cervical lymphadenopathy due to co-existent tuberculosis is common. Metastasis from PTC in lymph nodes were less common than tuberculous lymphodenitis in this study. Tuberculosis should be considered before deciding for neck dissection in cases of PTC. (author)

  16. Verteporfin inhibits papillary thyroid cancer cells proliferation and cell cycle through ERK1/2 signaling pathway

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liao, Tian; Wei, Wen-Jun; Wen, Duo; Hu, Jia-Qian; Wang, Yu; Ma, Ben; Cao, Yi-Min; Xiang, Jun; Guan, Qing; Chen, Jia-Ying; Sun, Guo-Hua; Zhu, Yong-Xue; Li, Duan-Shu; Ji, Qing-Hai

    2018-01-01

    Verteporfin, a FDA approved second-generation photosensitizer, has been demonstrated to have anticancer activity in various tumors, but not including papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). In current pre-clinical pilot study, we investigate the effect of verteporfin on proliferation, apoptosis, cell cycle and tumor growth of PTC. Our results indicate verteporfin attenuates cell proliferation, arrests cell cycle in G2/S phase and induces apoptosis of PTC cells. Moreover, treatment of verteporfin dramatically suppresses tumor growth from PTC cells in xenograft mouse model. We further illustrate that exposure to MEK inhibitor U0126 inactivates phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and MEK in verteporfin-treated PTC cells. These data suggest verteporfin exhibits inhibitory effect on PTC cells proliferation and cell cycle partially via ERK1/2 signalling pathway, which strongly encourages the further application of verteporfin in the treatment against PTC. PMID:29721041

  17. New insight into the transcarbamylase family: the structure of putrescine transcarbamylase, a key catalyst for fermentative utilization of agmatine.

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    Luis Mariano Polo

    Full Text Available Transcarbamylases reversibly transfer a carbamyl group from carbamylphosphate (CP to an amine. Although aspartate transcarbamylase and ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC are well characterized, little was known about putrescine transcarbamylase (PTC, the enzyme that generates CP for ATP production in the fermentative catabolism of agmatine. We demonstrate that PTC (from Enterococcus faecalis, in addition to using putrescine, can utilize L-ornithine as a poor substrate. Crystal structures at 2.5 Å and 2.0 Å resolutions of PTC bound to its respective bisubstrate analog inhibitors for putrescine and ornithine use, N-(phosphonoacetyl-putrescine and δ-N-(phosphonoacetyl-L-ornithine, shed light on PTC preference for putrescine. Except for a highly prominent C-terminal helix that projects away and embraces an adjacent subunit, PTC closely resembles OTCs, suggesting recent divergence of the two enzymes. Since differences between the respective 230 and SMG loops of PTC and OTC appeared to account for the differential preference of these enzymes for putrescine and ornithine, we engineered the 230-loop of PTC to make it to resemble the SMG loop of OTCs, increasing the activity with ornithine and greatly decreasing the activity with putrescine. We also examined the role of the C-terminal helix that appears a constant and exclusive PTC trait. The enzyme lacking this helix remained active but the PTC trimer stability appeared decreased, since some of the enzyme eluted as monomers from a gel filtration column. In addition, truncated PTC tended to aggregate to hexamers, as shown both chromatographically and by X-ray crystallography. Therefore, the extra C-terminal helix plays a dual role: it stabilizes the PTC trimer and, by shielding helix 1 of an adjacent subunit, it prevents the supratrimeric oligomerizations of obscure significance observed with some OTCs. Guided by the structural data we identify signature traits that permit easy and unambiguous annotation

  18. Bioconversion of D-galactose into D-tagatose by expression of L-arabinose isomerase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roh, H J; Kim, P; Park, Y C; Choi, J H

    2000-02-01

    D-Tagatose is a potential bulking agent in food as a non-calorific sweetener. To produce D-tagatose from cheaper resources, plasmids harbouring the L-arabinose isomerase gene (araA) from Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis and Salmonella typhimurium were constructed because L-arabinose isomerase was suggested previously as an enzyme that mediates the bioconversion of galactose into tagatose as well as that of arabinose to ribulose. The constructed plasmids were named pTC101, pTC105 and pTC106, containing araA from E. coli, B. subtilis and S. typhimurium respectively. In the cultures of recombinant E. coli with pTC101, pTC105 and pTC106, tagatose was produced from galactose in 9.9, 7.1 and 6.9% yields respectively. The enzyme extract of E. coli with the plasmid pTC101 also converted galactose into tagatose with a 96.4% yield.

  19. Ultrasonographic Features of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma in Patients with Graves' Disease

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chung, Jin Ook; Cho, Dong Hyeok; Chung, Dong Jin

    2010-01-01

    Background/Aims To characterize ultrasonographic findings in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) combined with Graves' disease. Methods Medical records and ultrasonographic findings of 1,013 patients with Graves' disease and 3,380 patients without Graves' disease were analyzed retrospectively. A diagnosis of PTC was based on a pathologic examination. Results The frequency of hypoechogenicity was lower in patients with PTC and Graves' disease than in patients with PTC alone (p Graves' disease was significantly higher than in those with PTC alone (p Graves' disease was characterized by more ill-defined borders and less frequency of overall calcification, punctate calcification, and heterogeneous echogenicity, although the difference was not statistically significant. Conclusions Our results suggest that patients with Graves' disease more frequently have atypical PTC findings on ultrasonography. PMID:20195406

  20. miR-199a-3p displays tumor suppressor functions in papillary thyroid carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Minna, Emanuela; Romeo, Paola; De Cecco, Loris; Dugo, Matteo; Cassinelli, Giuliana; Pilotti, Silvana; Degl'Innocenti, Debora; Lanzi, Cinzia; Casalini, Patrizia; Pierotti, Marco A; Greco, Angela; Borrello, Maria Grazia

    2014-05-15

    Thyroid cancer incidence is rapidly increasing. Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma (PTC), the most frequent hystotype, usually displays good prognosis, but no effective therapeutic options are available for the fraction of progressive PTC patients. BRAF and RET/PTC are the most frequent driving genetic lesions identified in PTC. We developed two complementary in vitro models based on RET/PTC1 oncogene, starting from the hypothesis that miRNAs modulated by a driving PTC-oncogene are likely to have a role in thyroid neoplastic processes. Through this strategy, we identified a panel of deregulated miRNAs. Among these we focused on miR-199a-3p and showed its under-expression in PTC specimens and cell lines. We demonstrated that miR-199a-3p restoration in PTC cells reduces MET and mTOR protein levels, impairs migration and proliferation and, more interesting, induces lethality through an unusual form of cell death similar to methuosis, caused by macropinocytosis dysregulation. Silencing MET or mTOR, both involved in survival pathways, does not recapitulate miR-199a-3p-induced cell lethality, thus suggesting that the cooperative regulation of multiple gene targets is necessary. Integrated analysis of miR-199a-3p targets unveils interesting networks including HGF and macropinocytosis pathways. Overall our results indicate miR-199a-3p as a tumor suppressor miRNA in PTC.

  1. Cribriform-Morular Variant of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma: Clinical and Pathological Features of 30 Cases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akaishi, Junko; Kondo, Tetsuo; Sugino, Kiminori; Ogimi, Yuna; Masaki, Chie; Hames, Kiyomi Y; Yabuta, Tomonori; Tomoda, Chisato; Suzuki, Akifumi; Matsuzu, Kenichi; Uruno, Takashi; Ohkuwa, Keiko; Kitagawa, Wataru; Nagahama, Mitsuji; Katoh, Ryohei; Ito, Koichi

    2018-04-25

    Cribriform-morular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma (CMV-PTC) is rare; it may occur in cases of familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) or be sporadic. To clarify the clinicopathological features of CMV-PTC, the medical records of these patients were investigated retrospectively. Between 1979 and 2016, a total of 17,062 cases with PTC underwent initial surgery at Ito Hospital. Of these, 30 (0.2%) cases histologically diagnosed with CMV-PTC were reviewed. The patients were all women, with a mean age at the time of surgery of 24 years. Seven (23%) cases were thought to have FAP because they had colonic polyposis or a family history of FAP or APC gene mutation. The remaining 23 (77%) were thought to be sporadic. Multiple tumors were detected in 6 cases, with a solitary tumor in 24. One patient had lung metastasis at diagnosis. Eleven patients underwent total thyroidectomy or subtotal thyroidectomy, and 19 underwent lobectomy. Twenty-six (87%) patients underwent neck lymph node dissection. Three patients had tumor metastasis in central lymph nodes, but these were incidentally detected metastatic classical PTC (cPTC) based on histological examination. In this series, there were no cases of LN metastases of CMV-PTC. During a mean follow-up of 15 years, one patient had new cPTC in the remnant thyroid after initial surgery, and the other patients showed no signs of recurrence. CMV-PTC occurred in young women, their long-term prognosis was excellent. Total thyroidectomy is recommended for FAP-associated CMV-PTC, but modified neck lymph node dissection is not necessary.

  2. Fat intake and energy-balance effects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Westerterp-Plantenga, M S

    2004-12-30

    This paper focuses on the effects of dietary fats or fatty acids on key targets of metabolic intermediates for body-weight control, i.e. satiety, thermogenesis, fat oxidation and body composition. With respect to sensory satiety, it appeared, e.g. that linoleic acid tasters showed a different mechanism for meal termination than non-tasters did. They stopped eating linoleic acid containing food based upon satiety, whereas the non-tasters stopped eating based upon the change in pleasantness of taste. Moreover, in the normal range of body mass index, an inverse relationship was shown between % 'tasters' and BMI. In a high fat diet vs. a low fat high protein high carbohydrate diet, metabolic satiety appeared to be continuously lower and correlated positively to diet-induced energy expenditure. However, with respect to the intermeal interval, satiety appeared to be more sustained following a high fat vs. a high CHO preload, resulting in a lower meal frequency. Covert fat replacement during breakfast by sucrose polyester was successful in combination with dietary restraint, yet overt fat replacement in snacks was successful in the dietary-unrestrained subjects, i.e. those who habitually ate snacks. With respect to fat oxidation, from a respiration-chamber experiment on the effects of diacylglycerol compared (DG) to triacylglycerol (TG) intake, it was concluded that consumption of DG increased fat oxidation and beta-hydroxy-butyrate levels, but did not affect energy metabolism or triacylglycerol level. Parameters of appetite were all lowered by DG compared to TG. With respect to body composition, the effects of 13 weeks CLA supplementation in overweight subjects during weight regain were assessed. Although CLA did not affect %body-weight regain, the regain of fat-free mass was increased by CLA, independently of %body-weight regain and physical activity, and as a consequence resting metabolic rate was increased. At the same time, appetite was reduced and satiety and

  3. Differential expression patterns and clinical significance of estrogen receptor-α and β in papillary thyroid carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huang, Yanhong; Dong, Wenwu; Li, Jing; Zhang, Hao; Shan, Zhongyan; Teng, Weiping

    2014-01-01

    The incidence of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is markedly higher in women than men during the reproductive years. In vitro studies have suggested that estrogen may play an important role in the development and progression of PTC through estrogen receptors (ERs). This study aimed to investigate the expression patterns of the two main ER subtypes, α and β1 (wild-type ERβ), in PTC tissue and their clinical significance. Immunohistochemical staining of thyroid tissue sections was performed to detect ER expression in female patients with PTC (n = 89) and nodular thyroid goiter (NTG; n = 30) using the Elivision™ plus two-step system. The relationships between ER subtype expression and clinicopathological/biological factors were further analyzed. The positive percentage and expression levels of ERα were significantly higher in female PTC patients of reproductive age (18–45 years old; n = 50) than age-matched female NTG patients (n = 30), while ERβ1 exhibited the opposite pattern. There was no difference in ERα or ERβ1 expression between female PTC patients of reproductive age and those of advanced reproductive age (>45 years old; n = 39). In the female PTC patients of reproductive age, ERα expression level was positively correlated with that of Ki-67, while ERβ1 was negatively correlated with mutant P53. Furthermore, more patients with exclusively nuclear ERα expression had extrathyroidal extension (ETE) as compared with those with extranuclear ERα localization. VEGF expression was significantly decreased in female PTC patients of reproductive age with only nuclear ERβ1 expression when compared with those with extranuclear ERβ1 localization. In PTC patients of advanced reproductive age, neither ERα nor ERβ1 expression showed any correlation with that of Ki-67, mutant P53, VEGF, tumor size, TNM stage, ETE, or lymph node metastases. The differential expression patterns of the two ER subtypes between PTC and NTG indicate that ERα may be a useful

  4. Effects of insulin analogs and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists on proliferation and cellular energy metabolism in papillary thyroid cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    He L

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Liang He,1,* Siliang Zhang,2,* Xiaowen Zhang,3 Rui Liu,2 Haixia Guan,2 Hao Zhang1 1Department of Thyroid Surgery, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, 2Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, The Endocrine Institute and The Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Endocrine Diseases, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, 3Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Drum Tower Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China *These authors contributed equally to this work Purpose: This study was aimed to investigate the expressions of the insulin receptor (IR, insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF-1R, and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R in normal thyroid tissue, papillary thyroid cancer (PTC tissues, and PTC cells, and to examine the possible role of insulin analogs and GLP-1R agonists in cell proliferation and energy metabolism in PTC cells.Methods: The expressions of IR, IGF-1R, and GLP-1R in PTC tissues and PTC cell lines were detected by immunohistochemistry and western blotting, respectively. Cell proliferation was evaluated by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. Levels of members of the phosphoinositol-3 kinase/AKT serine/threonine kinase (Akt and mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (Erk signaling pathways were measured by western blotting. Energy metabolism of PTC cell lines was analyzed using a Seahorse Extracellular Flux analyzer.Results: Three receptors could be detected in both PTC tissues and PTC cell lines. Expressions of IGF-1R and GLP-1R were more obvious in PTC than in normal thyroid cells. Neither insulin, four insulin analogs, and two GLP-1R agonists showed significant effects on the proliferation of PTC cells, nor did they influence the levels of Akt/p-Akt and Erk/p-Erk. None of these antidiabetic agents could change the mitochondrial

  5. Racial Differences in Expression Levels of miRNA Machinery-Related Genes, Dicer, Drosha, DGCR8, and AGO2, in Asian Korean Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma and Comparative Validation Using the Cancer Genome Atlas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jaegil Kim

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Aberrant regulation of microRNA (miRNA machinery components is associated with various human cancers, including papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC, which is the most common type of thyroid cancer, and a higher prevalent female malignancy. The purpose of this study is to investigate racial differences in mRNA expression levels of four miRNA machinery components, Dicer, Drosha, DGCR8, and AGO2, and their correlations with clinicopathological characteristics. Forty PTC samples from female Asian Korean PTC patients were enrolled. Using qPCR, we examined mRNA expression levels of the components and next validated our results by comparison with results of female white American in the TCGA PTC project. Interestingly, mRNA expression levels of the selected factors were altered in the TCGA PTC samples. However, only Drosha showed a significantly lower expression level in Asian Korean PTC samples. Furthermore, the mRNA expression levels of the four components showed no association with clinicopathological characteristics in both groups. On the other hand, positive correlations were observed between altered mRNA expression levels of Dicer and Drosha and DGCR8 and Drosha in TCGA PTC samples. These findings collectively revealed that altered mRNA expression levels of miRNA machinery components might be responsible for racial differences in the carcinogenesis of PTC.

  6. Pancreas as Delayed Site of Metastasis from Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mutahir A. Tunio

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction. Follicular variant (FV papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC has aggressive biologic behavior as compared to classic variant (CV of PTC and frequently metastasizes to the lungs and bones. However, metastasis to the pancreas is extremely rare manifestation of FV-PTC. To date, only 9 cases of PTC have been reported in the literature. Pancreatic metastases from PTC usually remain asymptomatic or manifest as repeated abdominal aches. Associated obstructive jaundice is rare. Prognosis is variable with reported median survival from 16 to 46 months. Case Presentation. Herein we present a 67-year-old Saudi woman, who developed pancreatic metastases seven years after total thyroidectomy and neck dissection followed by radioactive iodine ablation (RAI for FV-PTC. Metastasectomy was performed by pancreaticoduodenectomy followed by sorafenib as genetic testing revealed a BRAF V600E mutation. She survived 32 months after the pancreatic metastasis diagnosis. Conclusion. Pancreatic metastases are rare manifestation of FV-PTC and are usually sign of extensive disease and conventional diagnostic tools may remain to reach the diagnosis.

  7. Nano-Pt/C electrocatalysts: synthesis and activity for alcohol oxidation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huong Nguyen, Thi Giang; Anh Pham, Thi Van; Phuong, Thi Xuan; Binh Lam, Thi Xuan; Tran, Van Man; Thoa Nguyen, Thi Phuong

    2013-01-01

    Nano-sized platinum electrocatalysts on a carbon support (Pt/C) have been synthesized by the polyol reduction method under microwave irradiation using ethylene glycol (EG) as the reductant and carbon vulcan XC-72R as the support material. The physical characteristics of the Pt/C materials were analyzed using transmission electron microscopy and Brunauer–Emmet–Teller nitrogen adsorption theory. The glycerol and EG electro-oxidation in alkaline media on the Pt/C catalysts was investigated with cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. The particle size of Pt on carbon was about 3.0 nm. The catalytic activity for the alcohol electro-oxidation of Pt/C materials synthesized in various pH values (7.9–9.5) was found to be significantly higher than that of commercial Pt/C (Aldrich Sigma, 10 wt% Pt/activated carbon). The Pt/C catalyst synthesized in pH 9.5 showed the best electrochemical behavior. At all the synthesized Pt/C electrodes, compared with glycerol, the oxidation rate of EG was about ten times higher. (paper)

  8. Thermal cycling properties of a lead-free positive temperature coefficient thermistor in the Ba0.97(Bi0.5Na0.5)0.03TiO3 system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Hyoung-Seuk; Choi, Soon-Mok; Choi, Duck-Kyun

    2016-01-01

    A Pb-free PTC (positive temperature coefficient thermistor) heater was developed in the Ba0.97(Bi0.5Na0.5)0.03TiO3 system especially for automotive part applications. The reliability was verified by using a thermal cycling test designed on the basis of the result from a quality function deployment (QFD) analysis. We compared the thermal cycling test results from the newly-developed Pb-free PTC heaters with the results from PTC heaters currently on the market, namely, PTC heaters containing Pb. Life prediction and stress-strength relationships were analyzed together with a thermal diffusivity evaluation. We discuss the potential failure mechanisms during the thermal cycling test, focusing on the fact that electrical degradation in PTC materials is closely related to mechanical degradation due to the internal stress in the materials that comes from repeated phase changes. Different grain size distributions on the sintered bulks were considered to a key factor for explaining the different results of the reliability tests between the new Pb-free PTC heaters developed in this study and the commercial PTC heaters containing Pb.

  9. Predictive Modelling of Phase-Transfer Catalyst Systems for Improved and Innovative Design

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Anantpinijwatna, Amata; Hyung Kim, Sun; Sales-Cruz, Mauricio

    2016-01-01

    Phase-transfer catalyst (PTC) systems contain two immiscible liquid phases with a heterogeneous PTC transferring active ion from one phase to the other for converting the reactant to the desired product, and in the process generating the inactive ion. This type of reacting systems is receiving...... increasing attention as a novel organic synthesis option due to its flexible and easier operation, higher production yield, and ability to eliminate expensive solvents, although, not eliminating the use of solvents. New mathematical models of the PTC system, which includes physical and chemical equilibrium......, reaction mechanism and unit operation has been developed. In the developed model, the PTC system is divided into four sub-systems of aqueous-organic solvent partition, inorganic salt in aqueous phase, PTC in aqueous phase, and PTC in aqueous phase. Each subsystem requires an appropriate thermodynamic model...

  10. Impact of tall cell variant histology on predicting relapse and changing the management of papillary thyroid carcinoma patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gunalp, Bengul; Okuyucu, Kursat; Ince, Semra; Ayan, Aslı; Alagoz, Engin

    2017-01-01

    There has been much discussion recently about the risk category of tall cell variant (TVC) histology and its effects on the management of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). We, therefore, undertook a retrospective study to compare stage-matched risk factors and recurrence rates between classical PTC (cPTC) patients and patients with TCV histology. A total of 3128 well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma patients who were treated and followed-up for more than 5 years in our clinic from 1995 to 2016 were included in this study. There were 2783 PTC (89%) patients, 1113 (40%) of them were cPTC and 56 (2%) of them were TCV patients. In all stages, the stage-matched incidence of extrathyroidal extension (ETE), lymphovascular invasion and initial lymph node metastases were significantly higher in TCV patients than in cPTC patients (Papproach and closer follow-up than classical patients.

  11. Noninferior response in BRAF{sup V600E} mutant nonmetastatic papillary thyroid carcinoma to radioiodine therapy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Jiao; Zhao, Teng; Lin, Yansong [Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Beijing (China); Liang, Jun [Peking University International Hospital, Department of Oncology, Beijing (China)

    2016-06-15

    As the most frequent and specific genetic alteration in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), BRAF{sup V600E} has an intimate relationship with more invasive tumour and higher postoperative recurrence risk in PTC patients. We investigate the effect of radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy on the clinical outcome in PTC patients with the BRAF{sup V600E} mutation without distant metastases. This retrospective study included PTC 228 patients without distant metastases who underwent total or near-total thyroidectomy and RAI treatment in our hospital from January 2011 to July 2014. The BRAF{sup V600E} status of the primary lesions was determined and the patients were divided into two groups according to the presence of the mutation. Serological and imaging data were collected at a median follow-up of 2.34 years after RAI administration. Suppressed and stimulated thyroglobulin (Tg), Tg antibody, diagnostic whole-body scintigraphy, and other imaging examinations were used to assess clinical outcome, which was defined as excellent response, indeterminate response, biochemical incomplete response and structural incomplete response. The BRAF{sup V600E} mutation was observed in 153 of the 228 patients (67.1 %). The clinicopathological features did not differ between the BRAF{sup V600E} mutatation and wild-type groups except age at diagnosis (P = 0.000), tumour size (P = 0.023) and TNM stage (P = 0.003). Older age and more advanced TNM stage were prevalent in the BRAF{sup V600E} mutatation group, whereas tumours were slightly larger in the BRAF{sup V600E} wild-type group. The response to RAI therapy was evaluated in both the entire series and the patients with a high recurrence risk, and no significant difference in response was found between the BRAF{sup V600E} mutatation and the wild-type groups (P = 0.881 and P = 0.851, respectively). The clinical response to timely postsurgical RAI therapy is not inferior in BRAF{sup V600E} mutation PTC patients without distant metastases, which

  12. Deleterious ABCA7 mutations and transcript rescue mechanisms in early onset Alzheimer's disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Roeck, Arne; Van den Bossche, Tobi; van der Zee, Julie; Verheijen, Jan; De Coster, Wouter; Van Dongen, Jasper; Dillen, Lubina; Baradaran-Heravi, Yalda; Heeman, Bavo; Sanchez-Valle, Raquel; Lladó, Albert; Nacmias, Benedetta; Sorbi, Sandro; Gelpi, Ellen; Grau-Rivera, Oriol; Gómez-Tortosa, Estrella; Pastor, Pau; Ortega-Cubero, Sara; Pastor, Maria A; Graff, Caroline; Thonberg, Håkan; Benussi, Luisa; Ghidoni, Roberta; Binetti, Giuliano; de Mendonça, Alexandre; Martins, Madalena; Borroni, Barbara; Padovani, Alessandro; Almeida, Maria Rosário; Santana, Isabel; Diehl-Schmid, Janine; Alexopoulos, Panagiotis; Clarimon, Jordi; Lleó, Alberto; Fortea, Juan; Tsolaki, Magda; Koutroumani, Maria; Matěj, Radoslav; Rohan, Zdenek; De Deyn, Peter; Engelborghs, Sebastiaan; Cras, Patrick; Van Broeckhoven, Christine; Sleegers, Kristel

    2017-09-01

    Premature termination codon (PTC) mutations in the ATP-Binding Cassette, Sub-Family A, Member 7 gene (ABCA7) have recently been identified as intermediate-to-high penetrant risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD). High variability, however, is observed in downstream ABCA7 mRNA and protein expression, disease penetrance, and onset age, indicative of unknown modifying factors. Here, we investigated the prevalence and disease penetrance of ABCA7 PTC mutations in a large early onset AD (EOAD)-control cohort, and examined the effect on transcript level with comprehensive third-generation long-read sequencing. We characterized the ABCA7 coding sequence with next-generation sequencing in 928 EOAD patients and 980 matched control individuals. With MetaSKAT rare variant association analysis, we observed a fivefold enrichment (p = 0.0004) of PTC mutations in EOAD patients (3%) versus controls (0.6%). Ten novel PTC mutations were only observed in patients, and PTC mutation carriers in general had an increased familial AD load. In addition, we observed nominal risk reducing trends for three common coding variants. Seven PTC mutations were further analyzed using targeted long-read cDNA sequencing on an Oxford Nanopore MinION platform. PTC-containing transcripts for each investigated PTC mutation were observed at varying proportion (5-41% of the total read count), implying incomplete nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD). Furthermore, we distinguished and phased several previously unknown alternative splicing events (up to 30% of transcripts). In conjunction with PTC mutations, several of these novel ABCA7 isoforms have the potential to rescue deleterious PTC effects. In conclusion, ABCA7 PTC mutations play a substantial role in EOAD, warranting genetic screening of ABCA7 in genetically unexplained patients. Long-read cDNA sequencing revealed both varying degrees of NMD and transcript-modifying events, which may influence ABCA7 dosage, disease severity, and may

  13. Metabolic alteration of urinary steroids in pre- and post-menopausal women, and men with papillary thyroid carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choi, Man Ho; Moon, Ju-Yeon; Cho, Sung-Hee; Chung, Bong Chul; Lee, Eun Jig

    2011-01-01

    To evaluate the metabolic changes in urinary steroids in pre- and post-menopausal women and men with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). Quantitative steroid profiling combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to measure the urinary concentrations of 84 steroids in both pre- (n = 21, age: 36.95 ± 7.19 yr) and post-menopausal female (n = 19, age: 52.79 ± 7.66 yr), and male (n = 16, age: 41.88 ± 8.48 yr) patients with PTC. After comparing the quantitative data of the patients with their corresponding controls (pre-menopause women: n = 24, age: 33.21 ± 10.48 yr, post-menopause women: n = 16, age: 49.67 ± 8.94 yr, male: n = 20, age: 42.75 ± 4.22 yr), the levels of steroids in the patients were normalized to the mean concentration of the controls to exclude gender and menopausal variations. Many urinary steroids were up-regulated in all PTC patients compared to the controls. Among them, the levels of three active androgens, androstenedione, androstenediol and 16α-hydroxy DHEA, were significantly higher in the pre-menopausal women and men with PTC. The corticoid levels were increased slightly in the PTC men, while progestins were not altered in the post-menopausal PTC women. Estrogens were up-regulated in all PTC patients but 2-hydroxyestrone and 2-hydroxy-17β-estradiol were remarkably changed in both pre-menopausal women and men with PTC. For both menopausal and gender differences, the 2-hydroxylation, 4-hydroxylation, 2-methoxylation, and 4-methoxylation of estrogens and 16α-hydroxylation of DHEA were differentiated between pre- and post-menopausal PTC women (P < 0.001). In particular, the metabolic ratio of 2-hydroxyestrone to 2-hydroxy-17β-estradiol, which could reveal the enzyme activity of 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, showed gender differences in PTC patients (P < 1 × 10 -7 ). These results are expected be helpful for better understanding the pathogenic differences in PTC according to gender and menopausal conditions

  14. KSR1 is coordinately regulated with Notch signaling and oxidative phosphorylation in thyroid cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Jandee; Seol, Mi-Youn; Jeong, Seonhyang; Kwon, Hyeong Ju; Lee, Cho Rok; Ku, Cheol Ryong; Kang, Sang-Wook; Jeong, Jong Ju; Shin, Dong Yeob; Nam, Kee-Hyun; Lee, Eun Jig; Chung, Woong Youn; Jo, Young Suk

    2015-04-01

    Kinase suppressor of RAS1 (KSR1) is a scaffold protein implicated in RAS-mediated RAF activation. However, the molecular function of KSR in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is unknown. Thus, this study aimed to characterize the role of KSR1 in patients with PTC. qRT-PCR and immunohistochemistry (IHC) revealed inter-tumor heterogeneities in the expression of KSR1 in PTC tissues. Interestingly, BRAFV600E-positive PTC showed higher KSR1 mRNA expression than BRAFV600E-negative PTC (PCNKSR2 was associated with downregulation of the OxPhos gene set (nominal P<0.0001, FDR q-value <0.0001). In conclusion, KSR1 is coordinately regulated with Notch signaling and OxPhos in PTC, because its scaffold function might be required to sustain the proliferative signaling and metabolic remodeling associated with this type of cancer. © 2015 Society for Endocrinology.

  15. Cytokine production in patients with papillary thyroid cancer and associated autoimmune Hashimoto thyroiditis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zivancevic-Simonovic, Snezana; Mihaljevic, Olgica; Majstorovic, Ivana; Popovic, Suzana; Markovic, Slavica; Milosevic-Djordjevic, Olivera; Jovanovic, Zorica; Mijatovic-Teodorovic, Ljiljana; Mihajlovic, Dusan; Colic, Miodrag

    2015-08-01

    Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT) is the most frequent thyroid autoimmune disease, while papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is one of the most common endocrine malignancies. A few patients with HT also develop PTC. The aim of this study was to analyze cytokine profiles in patients with PTC accompanied with autoimmune HT in comparison with those in patients with PTC alone or HT alone and healthy subjects. Cytokine levels were determined in supernatants obtained from phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-stimulated whole blood cultures in vitro. The concentrations of selected cytokines: Th1-interferon gamma (IFN-γ); Th2-interleukin 4 (IL-4), interleukin 5 (IL-5), interleukin 6 (IL-6), interleukin 10 (IL-10) and interleukin 13 (IL-13); Th9-interleukin 9 (IL-9); and Th17-interleukin 17 (IL-17A) were measured using multiplex cytokine detection systems for human Th1/Th2/Th9/Th17/Th22. We found that PTC patients with HT produced significantly higher concentrations of IL-4, IL-6, IL-9, IL-13 and IFN-γ than PTC patients without HT. In conclusion, autoimmune HT affects the cytokine profile of patients with PTC by stimulating secretion of Th1/Th2/Th9 types of cytokines. Th1/Th2 cytokine ratios in PTC patients with associated autoimmune HT indicate a marked shift toward Th2 immunity.

  16. Powerful Tools for Caregivers, a Group Psychoeducational Skill-Building Intervention for Family Caregivers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniel M. Rosney

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Care providers consistently report negative consequences to their mental health as a direct result of their caregiving responsibilities. Specifically, they describe higher levels of distress, mental health problems, and depressive symptoms compared to their non-caregiving matched controls. Powerful Tools for Caregivers (PTC is a national program that aims to empower caregivers to better care for themselves and enhance their self-efficacy. The purpose of the present study was to determine and quantify the effectiveness of the PTC program through pre/post data analysis. Methods: PTC intervention was evaluated at two questionnaire time points: pre-PTC and post-PTC between June 30, 2004 and Oct 16, 2013. Paired sample t-tests (n=409 were conducted using SPSS Statistics Version 22 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY. Results: PTC increased caregivers who conducted self-care behaviors, who demonstrated self-efficacy, management of depressing emotions and those who used community resources. Conclusion: PTC results in caregivers reporting that they are taking better care of themselves, reacting to their emotions in a healthier manner, gaining more confidence in their caregiving abilities and coping skills, and becoming more knowledgeable about receiving assistance from their community resources.

  17. Coagulation performance and floc characteristics of polytitanium tetrachloride (PTC) compared with titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4) and ferric chloride (FeCl3) in algal turbid water

    KAUST Repository

    Chekli, L.; Eripret, C.; Park, S.H.; Tabatabai, S. Assiyeh Alizadeh; Vronska, O.; Tamburic, B.; Kim, J.H.; Shon, H.K.

    2016-01-01

    Seasonal green algae blooms in freshwaters have raised attention on the need to develop novel effective treatment processes for the removal of algae in water. In the present study, the performance of newly developed polytitanium tetrachloride (PTC) coagulant for the removal of freshwater microalga Chlorella vulgaris has been investigated and compared with titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4) coagulant and the conventional ferric chloride (FeCl3) coagulant. The main benefit of using titanium-based coagulants is that the sludge produced after flocculation may be recycled into a valuable product: titanium dioxide photocatalyst. Both titanium-based coagulants achieved good flocculation over a broader pH range and coagulant dose compared to conventional FeCl3 coagulant. All three coagulants achieved comparable performance in terms of turbidity removal (i.e. turbidity removal efficiency >97%); although TiCl4 performed slightly better at the lower tested dose (i.e. <9 mg/L). Zeta potential measurements indicated that charge neutralisation may not be the sole mechanism involved in the coagulation of algae for all three coagulants. Analysis of the dynamic floc size variation during floc breakage showed no regrowth after floc breakage for the three coagulants. The flocs formed by both Ti-based coagulants were larger than those formed by FeCl3 and also grew at a faster rate. This study indicates that Ti-based coagulants are effective and promising coagulants for algae removal in water.

  18. Coagulation performance and floc characteristics of polytitanium tetrachloride (PTC) compared with titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4) and ferric chloride (FeCl3) in algal turbid water

    KAUST Repository

    Chekli, L.

    2016-11-11

    Seasonal green algae blooms in freshwaters have raised attention on the need to develop novel effective treatment processes for the removal of algae in water. In the present study, the performance of newly developed polytitanium tetrachloride (PTC) coagulant for the removal of freshwater microalga Chlorella vulgaris has been investigated and compared with titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4) coagulant and the conventional ferric chloride (FeCl3) coagulant. The main benefit of using titanium-based coagulants is that the sludge produced after flocculation may be recycled into a valuable product: titanium dioxide photocatalyst. Both titanium-based coagulants achieved good flocculation over a broader pH range and coagulant dose compared to conventional FeCl3 coagulant. All three coagulants achieved comparable performance in terms of turbidity removal (i.e. turbidity removal efficiency >97%); although TiCl4 performed slightly better at the lower tested dose (i.e. <9 mg/L). Zeta potential measurements indicated that charge neutralisation may not be the sole mechanism involved in the coagulation of algae for all three coagulants. Analysis of the dynamic floc size variation during floc breakage showed no regrowth after floc breakage for the three coagulants. The flocs formed by both Ti-based coagulants were larger than those formed by FeCl3 and also grew at a faster rate. This study indicates that Ti-based coagulants are effective and promising coagulants for algae removal in water.

  19. Post-Chernobyl incidence of papillary thyroid cancer among Belgian children less than 15 years of age in April 1986: a 30-year surgical experience.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Michel, Luc A; Donckier, Julian; Rosière, Alain; Fervaille, Caroline; Lemaire, Julien; Bertrand, Claude

    2016-04-01

    We raised the question of a possible relationship in Belgium between the occurrence of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and age of children (Chernobyl nuclear plant accident in April 1986. Referral university centre for endocrine surgery. Thirty-year prospective study of the experience of a surgical team with PTC since the Chernobyl accident, taken out of 2349 patients operated on for any thyroid lesions from April 1986 to April 2015, comparing the incidence of PTC by age groups. Comparison of PTC incidence in patients >15 years (group A) and children Chernobyl and born before April 1986, 2164 were >15 years of age at the time of the nuclear accident (group A) and 175 developed PTC (8.1%) compared to 36 PTC (19.5%) that occurred in 185 children Chernobyl accident. This relationship with age has even been strengthened by the implementation of more sophisticated immunohistochemical biomarkers diagnostic technology since April 2011.

  20. Gene signature of the post-Chernobyl papillary thyroid cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Handkiewicz-Junak, Daria; Swierniak, Michal; Rusinek, Dagmara; Oczko-Wojciechowska, Małgorzata; Dom, Genevieve; Maenhaut, Carine; Unger, Kristian; Detours, Vincent; Bogdanova, Tetiana; Thomas, Geraldine; Likhtarov, Ilya; Jaksik, Roman; Kowalska, Malgorzata; Chmielik, Ewa; Jarzab, Michal; Swierniak, Andrzej; Jarzab, Barbara

    2016-07-01

    Following the nuclear accidents in Chernobyl and later in Fukushima, the nuclear community has been faced with important issues concerning how to search for and diagnose biological consequences of low-dose internal radiation contamination. Although after the Chernobyl accident an increase in childhood papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) was observed, it is still not clear whether the molecular biology of PTCs associated with low-dose radiation exposure differs from that of sporadic PTC. We investigated tissue samples from 65 children/young adults with PTC using DNA microarray (Affymetrix, Human Genome U133 2.0 Plus) with the aim of identifying molecular differences between radiation-induced (exposed to Chernobyl radiation, ECR) and sporadic PTC. All participants were resident in the same region so that confounding factors related to genetics or environment were minimized. There were small but significant differences in the gene expression profiles between ECR and non-ECR PTC (global test, p Chernobyl PTC are associated with previous low-dose radiation exposure.

  1. The Role of miRNA in Papillary Thyroid Cancer in the Context of miRNA Let-7 Family

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ewelina Perdas

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC is the most common endocrine malignancy. RET/PTC rearrangement is the most common genetic modification identified in this category of cancer, increasing proliferation and dedifferentiation by the activation of the RET/PTC-RAS-BRAF-MAPK-ERK signaling pathway. Recently, let-7 miRNA was found to reduce RAS levels, acting as a tumor suppressor gene. Circulating miRNA profiles of the let-7 family may be used as novel noninvasive diagnostic, prognostic, treatment and surveillance markers for PTC.

  2. Papillary thyroid carcinoma: How much should the surgeon read from Fine needle aspiration cytology reports?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Das Dilip

    2010-10-01

    Full Text Available Objective: During routine fine needle aspiration cytodiagnosis of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC, a number of cases are diagnosed as suspicious; or it is suggested that PTC or a neoplasm be ruled out by histopathology. Since these diagnostic labels are likely to put the clinicians in a difficult situation while planning the management, this study aims to find out how much the surgeon should read from these reports. Materials and Methods: The patients were divided into two groups. Group A included 38 cases diagnosed as PTC or suspicious of PTC. Group B included 40 cases in which it was suggested that PTC/a neoplasm to be ruled out and non-neoplastic lesions with one or more cytologic features of PTC. The two groups were compared with clinical, imaging and cytomorphologic features. Results: A significant difference was observed with respect to age between Group A and Group B (P<0.001. The frequency of the following five cytologic features was significantly higher in Group A: papillary formation (P<0.001, psammoma bodies (P=0.054, fine nuclear chromatin (P=0.010, frequent nuclear grooves (P<0.001 and intra-nuclear cytoplasmic inclusion (P<0.001. Three or more of the five cytologic features were also reported in significantly higher number of Group A cases (P<0.001. Majority (81.8% of the cases with subsequent histology in Group A were confirmed as PTC as opposed to 7.7% in Group B (P<0.001. Conclusions: Thus, cases with definitive cytodiagnosis of PTC and suggestive of PTC (Group A should be taken much more seriously by the surgeons as compared to Group B cases.

  3. HABP2 G534E Variant in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma.

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    Jerneja Tomsic

    Full Text Available The main nonmedullary form of thyroid cancer is papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC that accounts for 80-90% of all thyroid malignancies. Only 3-10% of PTC patients have a positive family history of PTC yet the familiality is one of the highest of all cancers as measured by case control studies. A handful of genes have been implicated accounting for a small fraction of this genetic predisposition. It was therefore of considerable interest that a mutation in the HABP2 gene was recently implicated in familial PTC. The present work was undertaken to examine the extent of HABP2 variant involvement in PTC. The HABP2 G534E variant (rs7080536 was genotyped in blood DNA from 179 PTC families (one affected individual per family, 1160 sporadic PTC cases and 1395 controls. RNA expression of HABP2 was tested by qPCR in RNA extracted from tumor and normal thyroid tissue from individuals that are homozygous wild-type or heterozygous for the variant. The variant was found to be present in 6.1% familial cases, 8.0% sporadic cases (2 individuals were homozygous for the variant and 8.7% controls. The variant did not segregate with PTC in one large and 6 smaller families in which it occurred. In keeping with data from the literature and databases the expression of HABP2 was highest in the liver, much lower in 3 other tested tissues (breast, kidney, brain but not found in thyroid. Given these results showing lack of any involvement we suggest that the putative role of variant HABP2 in PTC should be carefully scrutinized.

  4. Genomic evidence of reactive oxygen species elevation in papillary thyroid carcinoma with Hashimoto thyroiditis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yi, Jin Wook; Park, Ji Yeon; Sung, Ji-Youn; Kwak, Sang Hyuk; Yu, Jihan; Chang, Ji Hyun; Kim, Jo-Heon; Ha, Sang Yun; Paik, Eun Kyung; Lee, Woo Seung; Kim, Su-Jin; Lee, Kyu Eun; Kim, Ju Han

    2015-01-01

    Elevated levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been proposed as a risk factor for the development of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) in patients with Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT). However, it has yet to be proven that the total levels of ROS are sufficiently increased to contribute to carcinogenesis. We hypothesized that if the ROS levels were increased in HT, ROS-related genes would also be differently expressed in PTC with HT. To find differentially expressed genes (DEGs) we analyzed data from the Cancer Genomic Atlas, gene expression data from RNA sequencing: 33 from normal thyroid tissue, 232 from PTC without HT, and 60 from PTC with HT. We prepared 402 ROS-related genes from three gene sets by genomic database searching. We also analyzed a public microarray data to validate our results. Thirty-three ROS related genes were up-regulated in PTC with HT, whereas there were only nine genes in PTC without HT (Chi-square p-value < 0.001). Mean log2 fold changes of up-regulated genes was 0.562 in HT group and 0.252 in PTC without HT group (t-test p-value = 0.001). In microarray data analysis, 12 of 32 ROS-related genes showed the same differential expression pattern with statistical significance. In gene ontology analysis, up-regulated ROS-related genes were related with ROS metabolism and apoptosis. Immune function-related and carcinogenesis-related gene sets were enriched only in HT group in Gene Set Enrichment Analysis. Our results suggested that ROS levels may be increased in PTC with HT. Increased levels of ROS may contribute to PTC development in patients with HT.

  5. Nova metodologia para interpretação de dados de análise sensorial de alimentos New methodology for data interpretationof food sensorial analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francisco de A. S. e Silva

    2010-10-01

    Full Text Available Os métodos atualmente utilizados para realização de análise sensorial têm deixado muito a desejar por não traduzir satisfatoriamente os resultados. Diante deste problema, analisou-se a possibilidade de introdução de um fator que medisse o índice de concordância dos provadores sobre determinado aspecto analisado. Para validação deste coeficiente, foi avaliada a concordância entre julgadores na análise sensorial para três diferentes amostras de suco de pinha (Annona squamosa L.: uma constituída apenas do suco de pinha sem leite e duas com diferentes concentrações pinha/leite. Utilizou-se a Análise de Componentes Principais (ACP e também a nova metodologia proposta pelos autores, com base na definição do desvio-padrão, aplicada às frequências absolutas das notas dos julgadores, para cada propriedade sensorial estudada. Com esta metodologia, definiu-se uma relação para o cálculo de uma medida de concordância entre os julgadores, denominada de coeficiente de concordância, a qual pode assumir valores de 0 a 100% e também permite comparações que não são possíveis, utilizando-se da ACP. Por fim, concluiu-se que tal metodologia é mais indicada que a ACP, na avaliação da concordância entre os julgadores na análise sensorial.The methods now used, for accomplishment of sensorial analysis, do not translate the results satisfactorily. Because of this problem, it was analyzed the possibility of introducing a factor that measures the agreement index of the tasters on a particular aspect analyzed. To validate this coefficient, the agreement coefficient among the sensory analysis tasters had been evaluated using three different annona samples; one consisting only of the annona juice (without milk and the other with different concentrations of juice / milk (mass percentage. This evaluation was accomplished by the Analysis of Main Components (ACP and by the new methodology also proposed by the authors, with base in the

  6. HABP2 p.G534E variant in patients with family history of thyroid and breast cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pinheiro, Maisa; Drigo, Sandra Aparecida; Tonhosolo, Renata; Andrade, Sonia C.S.; Marchi, Fabio Albuquerque; Jurisica, Igor; Kowalski, Luiz Paulo; Achatz, Maria Isabel; Rogatto, Silvia Regina

    2017-01-01

    Familial Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma (PTC) has been described as a hereditary predisposition cancer syndrome associated with mutations in candidate genes including HABP2. Two of 20 probands from families with history of PTC and breast carcinoma (BC) were evaluated by whole exome sequencing (WES) revealing HABP2 p.G534E. Sanger sequencing was used to confirm the involvement of this variant in three families (F1: 7 relatives; F2: 3 and F3: 3). The proband and his sister (with no malignant tumor so far) from F1 were homozygous for the variant whereas one relative with PTC from F2 was negative for the variant. Although the proband of the F3 with PTC was HABP2 wild type, three relatives presented the variant. Five of 170 healthy Brazilian individuals with no family history of BC or PTC and three of 50 sporadic PTC presented the p.G534E. These findings suggested no association of this variant with our familial PTC cases. Genes potentially associated with deregulation of the extracellular matrix organization pathway (CTSB, TNXB, COL4A3, COL16A1, COL24A1, COL5A2, NID1, LOXL2, MMP11, TRIM24 and MUSK) and DNA repair function (NBN and MSH2) were detected by WES, suggesting that other cancer-associated genes have pathogenic effects in the risk of familial PTC development. PMID:28402931

  7. MicroRNA-mediated networks underlie immune response regulation in papillary thyroid carcinoma

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Chen-Tsung; Oyang, Yen-Jen; Huang, Hsuan-Cheng; Juan, Hsueh-Fen

    2014-09-01

    Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is a common endocrine malignancy with low death rate but increased incidence and recurrence in recent years. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs with diverse regulatory capacities in eukaryotes and have been frequently implied in human cancer. Despite current progress, however, a panoramic overview concerning miRNA regulatory networks in PTC is still lacking. Here, we analyzed the expression datasets of PTC from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Data Portal and demonstrate for the first time that immune responses are significantly enriched and under specific regulation in the direct miRNA-target network among distinctive PTC variants to different extents. Additionally, considering the unconventional properties of miRNAs, we explore the protein-coding competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) and the modulatory networks in PTC and unexpectedly disclose concerted regulation of immune responses from these networks. Interestingly, miRNAs from these conventional and unconventional networks share general similarities and differences but tend to be disparate as regulatory activities increase, coordinately tuning the immune responses that in part account for PTC tumor biology. Together, our systematic results uncover the intensive regulation of immune responses underlain by miRNA-mediated networks in PTC, opening up new avenues in the management of thyroid cancer.

  8. Kinase Expression and Chromosomal Rearrangements in Papillary Thyroid Cancer Tissues: Investigations at the Molecular and Microscopic Levels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weier, Heinz-Ulrich; Kwan, Johnson; Lu, Chun-Mei; Ito, Yuko; Wang, Mei; Baumgartner, Adolf; Hayward, Simon W.; Weier, Jingly F.; Zitzelsberger, Horst F.

    2009-01-01

    Structural chromosome aberrations are known hallmarks of many solid tumors. In the papillary form of thyroid cancer (PTC), for example, activation of the receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) genes, ret or the neurotrophic tyrosine kinase receptor type I (NTRK1) by intra- or interchromosomal rearrangements have been suggested as a cause of the disease. The 1986 accident at the nuclear power plant in Chernobyl, USSR, led to the uncontrolled release of high levels of radioisotopes. Ten years later, the incidence of childhood papillary thyroid cancer (chPTC) near Chernobyl had risen by two orders of magnitude. Tumors removed from some of these patients showed aberrant expression of the ret RTK gene due to a ret/PTC1 or ret/PTC3 rearrangement involving chromosome 10. However, many cultured chPTC cells show a normal G-banded karyotype and no ret rearrangement. We hypothesize that the 'ret-negative' tumors inappropriately express a different oncogene or have lost function of a tumor suppressor as a result of chromosomal rearrangements, and decided to apply molecular and cytogenetic methods to search for potentially oncogenic chromosomal rearrangements in Chernobyl chPTC cases. Knowledge of the kind of genetic alterations may facilitate the early detection and staging of chPTC as well as provide guidance for therapeutic intervention.

  9. Kinase Expression and Chromosomal Rearrangements in Papillary Thyroid Cancer Tissues: Investigations at the Molecular and Microscopic Levels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Weier, Heinz-Ulrich; Kwan, Johnson; Lu, Chun-Mei; Ito, Yuko; Wang, Mei; Baumgartner, Adolf; Hayward, Simon W.; Weier, Jingly F.; Zitzelsberger, Horst F.

    2009-07-07

    Structural chromosome aberrations are known hallmarks of many solid tumors. In the papillary form of thyroid cancer (PTC), for example, activation of the receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) genes, ret or the neurotrophic tyrosine kinase receptor type I (NTRK1) by intra- or interchromosomal rearrangements have been suggested as a cause of the disease. The 1986 accident at the nuclear power plant in Chernobyl, USSR, led to the uncontrolled release of high levels of radioisotopes. Ten years later, the incidence of childhood papillary thyroid cancer (chPTC) near Chernobyl had risen by two orders of magnitude. Tumors removed from some of these patients showed aberrant expression of the ret RTK gene due to a ret/PTC1 or ret/PTC3 rearrangement involving chromosome 10. However, many cultured chPTC cells show a normal G-banded karyotype and no ret rearrangement. We hypothesize that the 'ret-negative' tumors inappropriately express a different oncogene or have lost function of a tumor suppressor as a result of chromosomal rearrangements, and decided to apply molecular and cytogenetic methods to search for potentially oncogenic chromosomal rearrangements in Chernobyl chPTC cases. Knowledge of the kind of genetic alterations may facilitate the early detection and staging of chPTC as well as provide guidance for therapeutic intervention.

  10. Clinicopathological Characteristics and Prognosis of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma in Naturally Menopausal Women with Various Durations of Premenarche, Reproductive Periods, and Postmenopausal Stages

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xuhang Zhu

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC exhibits a higher incidence in women. Due to various ages at menarche and menopause, estrogen levels vary, which may account for the differences in the occurrence, development, and prognosis of female patients with PTC. Objective. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between various durations in different estrogen levels and PTC and to provide important information to guide clinical management and treatment of this disease. Methods. First, we selected naturally menopausal female study subjects diagnosed with PTC at Zhejiang Cancer Hospital from 2007 to 2012 and then compared the differences in clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis among subjects with various lengths of premenarche, reproductive periods, and postmenopausal stages. Results. We found that all patients showed a significantly higher incidence of tumor multicentricity and intrathyroidal dissemination as the time after menopause increased. Additionally, women with shorter (38 reproductive lives had increased recurrence rates of PTC. Conclusions. In this study, we did not find any relationship of self-reported menarche and menopausal ages with the prognosis of PTC patients. More importantly, natural postmenopausal PTC patients with shorter or longer reproductive life, compared to the normal groups, had a higher rate of cancer recurrence and the patients with these characteristics could be recommended a more aggressive surgical treatment.

  11. BRAFV600E mutation contributes papillary thyroid carcinoma and Hashimoto thyroiditis with resistance to thyroid hormone: A case report and literature review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xing, Wanjia; Liu, Xiaohong; He, Qingqing; Zhang, Zongjing; Jiang, Zhaoshun

    2017-09-01

    Resistance to thyroid hormone (RTH) is a rare autosomal hereditary disorder characterized by increased serum thyroid hormone (TH) levels with unsuppressed or increased thyrotropin concentration. It remains unknown whether the coexistence of RTH with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT) is incidental or whether it possesses a genetic or pathophysiological association. In the present study, a case of RTH with PTC and HT in an 11-year-old Chinese patient was examined and the clinical presentation of RTH with PTC was discussed. In addition, the possible associations between RTH, PTC and HT were determined. HT was confirmed in the patient using an autoimmune assay and thyroid ultrasound. RTH was diagnosed on the basis of clinical manifestations, laboratory information and gene analysis, and PTC was diagnosed according to histological results. Results of BRAF V600E mutation analysis were positive. A literature review of 14 cases of RTH with PTC was included for comparison. The present case report indicates an association of RTH with PTC and HT coexistence in the patient. Close follow-up, histological evaluation and BRAF V600E mutation detection should be performed in each RTH case with HT, since a persistent increase in TSH may be a risk factor for the development of thyroid neoplasm.

  12. Distribution of sensory taste thresholds for phenylthiocarbamide ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The ability to taste Phenylthiocarbamide (PTC), a bitter organic compound has been described as a bimodal autosomal trait in both genetic and anthropological studies. This study is based on the ability of a person to taste PTC. The present study reports the threshold distribution of PTC taste sensitivity among some Muslim ...

  13. Analysis of German Patent Literature

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-08-01

    Terminology (excerpt) S10 Endschalter Übertragungsleitung Taster Alarmmeldung Prozessor Geber Teil- nehmerschaltung Blinken Übertragung Gebers Reed...ist ein) jeden Gebäudebereich:eine eigene Steuereinheit (ist ein) 5:ein Geber (ist ein) Bus:eine Steuereinheit (ist ein) Bus:eine Steuereinheit (ist

  14. Hepatic Tract Plug-Embolisation After Biliary Stenting. Is It Worthwhile?

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dale, Adam P., E-mail: adamdale@doctors.org.uk [Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital, Department of Medical Microbiology (United Kingdom); Khan, Rafeh, E-mail: rafeh.khan@yahoo.com; Mathew, Anup, E-mail: anup.mathew@sth.nhs.uk; Hersey, Naomi O., E-mail: Naomi.Hersey@sth.nhs.uk; Peck, Robert, E-mail: Robert.Peck@sth.nhs.uk; Lee, Frederick, E-mail: fred.lee@sth.nhs.uk [Northern General Hospital, Department of Radiology (United Kingdom); Goode, Stephen D., E-mail: S.Goode@sheffield.ac.uk [Northern General Hospital, Sheffield Vascular Institute (United Kingdom)

    2015-10-15

    PurposePTC and stenting procedures are associated with significant risks including life-threatening haemorrhage, sepsis, renal failure and high mortality rates. PTC tract closure methods are utilised to reduce haemorrhagic complications despite little evidence to support their use. The current study assesses the incidence of haemorrhagic complications following PTC and stenting procedures, both prior to and following the introduction of a dedicated expanding gelatin foam-targeted embolisation liver tract closure technique.Materials and MethodsHaemorrhagic complications were retrospectively identified in patients undergoing PTC procedures both prior to (subgroup 1) and following (subgroup 2) the introduction of a dedicated targeted liver tract closure method between 9/11/2010 and 10/08/2012 in a single tertiary referral centre. Mean blood Hb decrease following PTC was established in subgroups 1 and 2. Kaplan–Meier life-table analysis was performed to compare survival outcomes between subgroups using the log-rank test.ResultsHaemorrhagic complications were significantly reduced following the introduction of the targeted PTC tract closure method [(12 vs. 3 % of subgroups 1 (n = 101) and 2 (n = 92), respectively (p = 0.027)]. Mean blood Hb decrease following PTC was 1.40 versus 0.68 g/dL in subgroups 1 and 2, respectively (p = 0.069). 30-day mortality was 14 and 12 % in subgroups 1 and 2, respectively. 50 % of the entire cohort had died by 174 days post-PTC.ConclusionIntroduction of liver tract embolisation significantly reduced haemorrhagic complications in our patient cohort. Utilisation of this method has the potential to reduce the morbidity and mortality burden associated with post-PTC haemorrhage by preventing bleeding from the liver access tract.

  15. Hepatic Tract Plug-Embolisation After Biliary Stenting. Is It Worthwhile?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dale, Adam P.; Khan, Rafeh; Mathew, Anup; Hersey, Naomi O.; Peck, Robert; Lee, Frederick; Goode, Stephen D.

    2015-01-01

    PurposePTC and stenting procedures are associated with significant risks including life-threatening haemorrhage, sepsis, renal failure and high mortality rates. PTC tract closure methods are utilised to reduce haemorrhagic complications despite little evidence to support their use. The current study assesses the incidence of haemorrhagic complications following PTC and stenting procedures, both prior to and following the introduction of a dedicated expanding gelatin foam-targeted embolisation liver tract closure technique.Materials and MethodsHaemorrhagic complications were retrospectively identified in patients undergoing PTC procedures both prior to (subgroup 1) and following (subgroup 2) the introduction of a dedicated targeted liver tract closure method between 9/11/2010 and 10/08/2012 in a single tertiary referral centre. Mean blood Hb decrease following PTC was established in subgroups 1 and 2. Kaplan–Meier life-table analysis was performed to compare survival outcomes between subgroups using the log-rank test.ResultsHaemorrhagic complications were significantly reduced following the introduction of the targeted PTC tract closure method [(12 vs. 3 % of subgroups 1 (n = 101) and 2 (n = 92), respectively (p = 0.027)]. Mean blood Hb decrease following PTC was 1.40 versus 0.68 g/dL in subgroups 1 and 2, respectively (p = 0.069). 30-day mortality was 14 and 12 % in subgroups 1 and 2, respectively. 50 % of the entire cohort had died by 174 days post-PTC.ConclusionIntroduction of liver tract embolisation significantly reduced haemorrhagic complications in our patient cohort. Utilisation of this method has the potential to reduce the morbidity and mortality burden associated with post-PTC haemorrhage by preventing bleeding from the liver access tract

  16. Selected single-nucleotide polymorphisms in FOXE1, SERPINA5, FTO, EVPL, TICAM1 and SCARB1 are associated with papillary and follicular thyroid cancer risk: replication study in a German population.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sigurdson, Alice J; Brenner, Alina V; Roach, James A; Goudeva, Lilia; Müller, Jörg A; Nerlich, Kai; Reiners, Christoph; Schwab, Robert; Pfeiffer, Liliane; Waldenberger, Melanie; Braganza, Melissa; Xu, Li; Sturgis, Erich M; Yeager, Meredith; Chanock, Stephen J; Pfeiffer, Ruth M; Abend, Michael; Port, Matthias

    2016-07-01

    Several single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been associated with papillary and follicular thyroid cancer (PTC and FTC, respectively) risk, but few have replicated. After analyzing 17525 tag SNPs in 1129 candidate genes, we found associations with PTC risk in SERPINA5, FTO, HEMGN (near FOXE1) and other genes. Here, we report results from a replication effort in a large independent PTC/FTC case-control study conducted in Germany. We evaluated the best tagging SNPs from our previous PTC study and additionally included SNPs in or near FOXE1 and NKX2-1 genes, known susceptibility loci for thyroid cancer. We genotyped 422 PTC and 130 FTC cases and 752 controls recruited from three German clinical centers. We used polytomous logistic regression to simultaneously estimate PTC and FTC associations for 79 SNPs based on log-additive models. We assessed effect modification by body mass index (BMI), gender and age for all SNPs, and selected SNP by SNP interactions. We confirmed associations with PTC and SNPs in FOXE1/HEMGN, SERPINA5 (rs2069974), FTO (rs8047395), EVPL (rs2071194), TICAM1 (rs8120) and SCARB1 (rs11057820) genes. We found associations with SNPs in FOXE1, SERPINA5, FTO, TICAM1 and HSPA6 and FTC. We found two significant interactions between FTO (rs8047395) and BMI (P = 0.0321) and between TICAM1 (rs8120) and FOXE1 (rs10984377) (P = 0.0006). Besides the known associations with FOXE1 SNPs, we confirmed additional PTC SNP associations reported previously. We also found several new associations with FTC risk and noteworthy interactions. We conclude that multiple variants and host factors might interact in complex ways to increase risk of PTC and FTC. Published by Oxford University Press 2016.

  17. Effect of Low Temperature on a 4 W/60 K Pulse-Tube Cryocooler for Cooling HgCdTe Detector

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Ankuo; Liu, Shaoshuai; Wu, Yinong

    2018-04-01

    Temperature is an extremely important parameter for the material of the space-borne infrared detector. To cool an HgCdTe-infrared detector, a Stirling-type pulse-tube cryocooler (PTC) has been developed based on a great deal of numerical simulations, which are performed to investigate the thermodynamic behaviors of the PTC. The effects of different low temperatures are presented to analyze different energy flows, losses, phase shifts, and impedance matching of the PTC at a temperature range of 40-120 K, where woven wire screens are used. Finally, a high-efficiency coaxial PTC has been designed, built, and tested, operating around 60 K after a number of theoretical and experimental studies. The PTC can offer a no-load refrigeration temperature of 40 K with an input electric power of 150 W, and a cooling power of 4 W at 60 K is obtained with Carnot efficiency of 12%. In addition, a comparative study of simulation and experiment has been carried out, and some studies on reject temperatures have been presented for a thorough understanding of the PTC system.

  18. [Different effects of anticancer drugs on two human thyroid cell lines with different stages of differentiation].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yamanaka, T; Hishinuma, A

    1995-01-20

    We established two human thyroid tumor cell lines. One cell line (hPTC) was established from the tissue of a papillary thyroid carcinoma surgically excised from a 27-year-old female patient. The other cell line (hAG) was established from the tissue of an adenomatous goiter excised from a 59-year old female patient. Synthesis of cAMP by hPTC and hAG increased when they were stimulated by TSH. hPTC and hAG continued to divide as a monolayer in a tissue culture for three years and two years, respectively. We assessed the efficacy of anticancer drugs (doxorubicin:ADR, cisplatin:CDDP, nimustine:ACNU, bleomycin:BLM, cyclophosphamide:CPA, aclarubicin:ACR) with resard to hPTC. The hPTC cells were cultured in 24-well plates in the presence of the anticancer drugs for 48 hours, and the cellular DNA of the live cells was measured with diaminobenzoic acid. ADR had the lowest ED50 (0.029 mu g/ml) and the clinical blood concentration was 13.8 times that of the ED50. The clinical blood concentration divided by ED50 for the other anticancer drugs are, in order of higher values, 2.3 for CPA, 1.7 for BLM, 1.2 for CDDP, 0.5 for ACR, and less than 0.1 for ACNU. ADR showed time-independent effects since a 2-hour exposure of ADR to the hPTC cells resulted in the significant reduction of the cellular DNA content of the live cells even after 48 hours. The effects of the other anticancer drugs were time-dependent. We then studied the difference of the effects of ADR on hPTC and hAG. ED50 for hPTC was significantly low (0.035 mu g/ml) compared to that for hAG (0.460 mu g/ml). Since free radical formation is one of the major anticancer mechanisms of ADR the effects of free radicals on ED50's for hPTC and hAG were measured by adding glutathione (GSH), N-acetylcystein (NAC), buthionine sulfoximine (BSO), and alpha-tocopherol (alpha-toco) into the culture media. GSH catches up with free radicals in the extracellular fluid. NAC promotes production of GSH in the cytoplasm, but BSO interferes with

  19. Diagnostic value of CD-10 marker in differentiating of papillary thyroid carcinoma from benign thyroid lesions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mojgan Mokhtari

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Using of CD10 in accordance with clinical and histological features of thyroid lesions could be used as both diagnostic and prognostic tool, which consequently influence the management and their prognosis for survival of patients with thyroid neoplasms especially papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC. The aim of this study was to determine its expression in PTC and different benign thyroid lesions. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive-analytic, cross-sectional study, paraffin-embedded tissues of patients with definitive pathologic diagnosis of different benign thyroid lesions and PTC were retrieved. Immunostained sections of each slides was performed using immunohistochemistry methods and expression of CD10 was compared in two groups of benign thyroid lesions and PTC. Results: From selected cases 134 sections studied in two groups of PTC (n = 67 and benign thyroid lesions (n = 67. CD10 were immunohistochemically positive in 29.9% of PTC cases, but in none of the thyroid benign lesions (0% (P 0.05. Conclusion: The results of the current study indicate that due to the higher expression of CD10 in PTC than benign thyroid lesions it might be used for differentiating mentioned lesions. But for using it as a diagnostic tool further studies with larger sample size and determination of its sensitivity, specificity and cut-off point is necessary.

  20. Thyroid hormone regulates the expression of the sonic hedgehog signaling pathway in the embryonic and adult Mammalian brain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Desouza, Lynette A; Sathanoori, Malini; Kapoor, Richa; Rajadhyaksha, Neha; Gonzalez, Luis E; Kottmann, Andreas H; Tole, Shubha; Vaidya, Vidita A

    2011-05-01

    Thyroid hormone is important for development and plasticity in the immature and adult mammalian brain. Several thyroid hormone-responsive genes are regulated during specific developmental time windows, with relatively few influenced across the lifespan. We provide novel evidence that thyroid hormone regulates expression of the key developmental morphogen sonic hedgehog (Shh), and its coreceptors patched (Ptc) and smoothened (Smo), in the early embryonic and adult forebrain. Maternal hypo- and hyperthyroidism bidirectionally influenced Shh mRNA in embryonic forebrain signaling centers at stages before fetal thyroid hormone synthesis. Further, Smo and Ptc expression were significantly decreased in the forebrain of embryos derived from hypothyroid dams. Adult-onset thyroid hormone perturbations also regulated expression of the Shh pathway bidirectionally, with a significant induction of Shh, Ptc, and Smo after hyperthyroidism and a decline in Smo expression in the hypothyroid brain. Short-term T₃ administration resulted in a significant induction of cortical Shh mRNA expression and also enhanced reporter gene expression in Shh(+/LacZ) mice. Further, acute T₃ treatment of cortical neuronal cultures resulted in a rapid and significant increase in Shh mRNA, suggesting direct effects. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays performed on adult neocortex indicated enhanced histone acetylation at the Shh promoter after acute T₃ administration, providing further support that Shh is a thyroid hormone-responsive gene. Our results indicate that maternal and adult-onset perturbations of euthyroid status cause robust and region-specific changes in the Shh pathway in the embryonic and adult forebrain, implicating Shh as a possible mechanistic link for specific neurodevelopmental effects of thyroid hormone.

  1. Comparison of transcriptomic signature of post-Chernobyl and postradiotherapy thyroid tumors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ory, Catherine; Ugolin, Nicolas; Hofman, Paul; Schlumberger, Martin; Likhtarev, Illya A; Chevillard, Sylvie

    2013-11-01

    We previously identified two highly discriminating and predictive radiation-induced transcriptomic signatures by comparing series of sporadic and postradiotherapy thyroid tumors (322-gene signature), and by reanalyzing a previously published data set of sporadic and post-Chernobyl thyroid tumors (106-gene signature). The aim of the present work was (i) to compare the two signatures in terms of gene expression deregulations and molecular features/pathways, and (ii) to test the capacity of the postradiotherapy signature in classifying the post-Chernobyl series of tumors and reciprocally of the post-Chernobyl signature in classifying the postradiotherapy-induced tumors. We now explored if postradiotherapy and post-Chernobyl papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTC) display common molecular features by comparing molecular pathways deregulated in the two tumor series, and tested the potential of gene subsets of the postradiotherapy signature to classify the post-Chernobyl series (14 sporadic and 12 post-Chernobyl PTC), and reciprocally of gene subsets of the post-Chernobyl signature to classify the postradiotherapy series (15 sporadic and 12 postradiotherapy PTC), by using conventional principal component analysis. We found that the five genes common to the two signatures classified the learning/training tumors (used to search these signatures) of both the postradiotherapy (seven PTC) and the post-Chernobyl (six PTC) thyroid tumor series as compared with the sporadic tumors (seven sporadic PTC in each series). Importantly, these five genes were also effective for classifying independent series of postradiotherapy (five PTC) and post-Chernobyl (six PTC) tumors compared to independent series of sporadic tumors (eight PTC and six PTC respectively; testing tumors). Moreover, part of each postradiotherapy (32 genes) and post-Chernobyl signature (16 genes) cross-classified the respective series of thyroid tumors. Finally, several molecular pathways deregulated in post

  2. Comparison of transcriptomic signature of post-Chernobyl and post radiotherapy thyroid tumors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ory, Catherine; Ugolin, Nicolas; Chevillard, Sylvie; Hofman, Paul; Schlumberger, Martin; Likhtarev, Illya A.

    2013-01-01

    We previously identified two highly discriminating and predictive radiation-induced transcriptomic signatures by comparing series of sporadic and post radiotherapy thyroid tumors (322-gene signature), and by reanalyzing a previously published data set of sporadic and post-Chernobyl thyroid tumors (106-gene signature). The aim of the present work was (i) to compare the two signatures in terms of gene expression de-regulations and molecular features/pathways, and (ii) to test the capacity of the post radiotherapy signature in classifying the post-Chernobyl series of tumors and reciprocally of the post-Chernobyl signature in classifying the post radiotherapy-induced tumors. We now explored if post radiotherapy and post-Chernobyl papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTC) display common molecular features by comparing molecular pathways deregulated in the two tumor series, and tested the potential of gene subsets of the post radiotherapy signature to classify the post-Chernobyl series (14 sporadic and 12 post-Chernobyl PTC), and reciprocally of gene subsets of the post-Chernobyl signature to classify the post radiotherapy series (15 sporadic and 12 post radiotherapy PTC), by using conventional principal component analysis. We found that the five genes common to the two signatures classified the learning/training tumors (used to search these signatures) of both the post radiotherapy (seven PTC) and the post-Chernobyl (six PTC) thyroid tumor series as compared with the sporadic tumors (seven sporadic PTC in each series). Importantly, these five genes were also effective for classifying independent series of post radiotherapy (five PTC) and post-Chernobyl (six PTC) tumors compared to independent series of sporadic tumors (eight PTC and six PTC respectively; testing tumors). Moreover, part of each post radiotherapy (32 genes) and post-Chernobyl signature (16 genes) cross-classified the respective series of thyroid tumors. Finally, several molecular pathways deregulated in post

  3. Au-based/electrochemically etched cavity-microelectrodes as optimal tool for quantitative analyses on finely dispersed electrode materials: Pt/C, IrO2-SnO2 and Ag catalysts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Minguzzi, Alessandro; Locatelli, Cristina; Lugaresi, Ottavio; Vertova, Alberto; Rondinini, Sandra

    2013-01-01

    In this work, we report the preparation and properties of Au-based cavity-microelectrodes. The use of gold as cavity current collector allows obtaining a regular cylindrical recess, whose volume is easily determined with good accuracy and precision. This in turn leads to an improved and much more reliable use of the cavity microelectrode (C-ME) as a tool for the quantitative characterization of finely dispersed materials and for their quantitative rapid screening. The features of Au/C-MEs are well demonstrated by the good linear correlation between the cavity volume (determined by electrochemical methods) and the quantity of charge related to the amount of electroactive powder inserted into the cavity. To prove this point, we adopted two different test systems: Pt/C and an IrO 2 -based material. Finally, we proved the adequacy of Au/C-MEs in the case of Ag particles as electrocatalysts for the hydrodehalogenation of trichloromethane. In this last part, C-ME interestingly appears as a flexible and versatile tool that presents peculiar features: the voltammetric signal can be controlled by either the electron transfer or by mass transport and can be associated to the outer surface or to the whole amount of material inserted into the cavity. This means that C-MEs can be used either as a microdisk of a desired material (that is very useful, especially in scanning electrochemical microscopy) or for precise quantitative studies of the material inserted inside it

  4. miR-449 overexpression inhibits papillary thyroid carcinoma cell growth by targeting RET kinase-β-catenin signaling pathway.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Zongyu; Huang, Xin; Xu, Jinkai; Su, Qinghua; Zhao, Jun; Ma, Jiancang

    2016-10-01

    Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common thyroid cancer and represent approximately 80% of all thyroid cancers. The present study is aimed to investigate the role of microRNA (miR)-449 in the progression of PTC. Our results revealed that miR-449 was underexpressed in the collected PTC specimens compared with non-cancerous PTC tissues. Overexpression of miR-449 induced a cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 phase and inhibited PTC cell growth in vitro. Further studies revealed that RET proto-oncogene (RET) is a novel miR-449 target, due to miR-449 bound directly to its 3'-untranslated region and miR-449 mimic reduced the protein expression of RET. Similar to the effects of miR-449 overexpression, RET downregulation inhibited cell growth, whereas RET overexpression reversed the inhibitive effect of miR-449 mimic. Furthermore, miR-449 overexpression inhibited the nuclear translocation of β-catenin and reduced the expression of several downstream genes, including c-Myc, cyclin D1, T cell-specific transcription factor (TCF) and lymphoid enhancer-binding factor 1 (LEF-1), and inactivated the β-catenin pathway in TPC-1 cells. Moreover, overexpression of β-catenin prevented miR-449-reduced cell cycle arrest and cell viability. In xenograft animal experiments, miR-449 overexpression effectively suppressed the tumor growth of PTC. Taken together, our research indicated that miR-449 functions as an anti-oncogene by targeting RET, and that miR-449 overexpression inhibited the growth of PTC by inactivating the β-catenin pathway. Thus, miR-449 may serve as a potential therapeutic strategy for the treatment of PTC.

  5. Chromosomal Rearrangements in Post-Chernobyl Papillary Thyroid Carcinomas: Evaluation by Spectral Karyotyping and Automated Interphase FISH

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ludwig Hieber

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Structural genomic rearrangements are frequent findings in human cancers. Therefore, papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTCs were investigated for chromosomal aberrations and rearrangements of the RET proto-oncogene. For this purpose, primary cultures from 23 PTC have been established and metaphase preparations were analysed by spectral karyotyping (SKY. In addition, interphase cell preparations of the same cases were investigated by fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH for the presence of RET/PTC rearrangements using RET-specific DNA probes. SKY analysis of PTC revealed structural aberrations of chromosome 11 and several numerical aberrations with frequent loss of chromosomes 20, 21, and 22. FISH analysis for RET/PTC rearrangements showed prevalence of this rearrangement in 72% (16 out of 22 of cases. However, only subpopulations of tumour cells exhibited this rearrangement indicating genetic heterogeneity. The comparison of visual and automated scoring of FISH signals revealed concordant results in 19 out of 22 cases (87% indicating reliable scoring results using the optimised scoring parameter for RET/PTC with the automated Metafer4 system. It can be concluded from this study that genomic rearrangements are frequent in PTC and therefore important events in thyroid carcinogenesis.

  6. Catalytic activity of hydrophobic Pt/C/PTFE catalysts of different PTFE content for hydrogen-water liquid exchange reaction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hu Sheng; Xiao Chengjian; Zhu Zuliang; Luo Shunzhong; Wang Heyi; Luo Yangming; Wang Changbin

    2007-01-01

    10%Pt/C catalysts were prepared by liquid reduction method. PTFE and Pt/ C catalysts were adhered to porous metal and hydrophobic Pt/C/PTFE catalysts were prepared. The structure and size of Pt crystal particles of Pt/C catalysts were analyzed by XRD, and their mean size was 3.1 nm. The dispersion state of Pt/C and PTFE was analyzed by SEM, and they had good dispersion mostly, but PTFE membrane could be observed on local parts of Pt/C/PTFE surface. Because of low hydrophobicity, Pt/C/ PTFE catalysts have low activity when the mass ratio of PTFE and Pt/C is 0.5: 1, and their catalytic activity increases markedly when the ratio is 1:1. When the ratio increases again, more Pt active sites would be covered by PTFE and interior diffusion effect would increase, which result in the decrease of catalytic activity of Pt/C/PTFE. By PTFE pretreatment of porous metal carrier, the activity of Pt/C/PTFE catalysts decreases when the mass ratio of PTFE and Pt/C is 0.5:1, and their activity decreases when the mass ratio is 1:1. (authors)

  7. Effects of Chronic Lymphocytic Thyroiditis on the Clinicopathological Features of Papillary Thyroid Cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Babli, Saleha; Payne, Richard J; Mitmaker, Elliot; Rivera, Juan

    2018-03-01

    The effects of chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis (CLT) on the presentation and outcome of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) have long been a topic of controversy. To evaluate the effect of coexistent CLT on the clinicopathological features of PTC. Retrospective study. All patients with PTC who had been followed by the 2 co-investigators (Juan Rivera and Richard J. Payne) between 2006 and 2011 were included. CLT was present in 35% (166) of the included patients and was associated with a higher proportion of patients with TNM stage I ( p = 0.027) and fewer patients with persistent disease ( p = 0.014) in comparison with the PTC-only group. Analysis of the data based on age (45 years) revealed that in the older group, the presence of CLT was associated with fewer patients with persistent disease ( p = 0.03) and capsular invasion ( p = 0.05). However, in patients CLT was associated with more capsular invasion ( p = 0.003) and extrathyroidal extension ( p = 0.004) compared with the PTC-only group. CLT in patients with PTC was associated with lower-stage disease and less disease persistence in patients >45 years of age. In patients CLT appeared to be associated with unfavorable pathological features.

  8. Genomic copy number analysis of Chernobyl papillary thyroid carcinoma in the Ukrainian–American Cohort

    Science.gov (United States)

    Selmansberger, Martin; Braselmann, Herbert; Hess, Julia; Bogdanova, Tetiana; Abend, Michael; Tronko, Mykola; Brenner, Alina; Zitzelsberger, Horst; Unger, Kristian

    2015-01-01

    One of the major consequences of the 1986 Chernobyl reactor accident was a dramatic increase in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) incidence, predominantly in patients exposed to the radioiodine fallout at young age. The present study is the first on genomic copy number alterations (CNAs) of PTCs of the Ukrainian–American cohort (UkrAm) generated by array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH). Unsupervised hierarchical clustering of CNA profiles revealed a significant enrichment of a subgroup of patients with female gender, long latency (>17 years) and negative lymph node status. Further, we identified single CNAs that were significantly associated with latency, gender, radiation dose and BRAF V600E mutation status. Multivariate analysis revealed no interactions but additive effects of parameters gender, latency and dose on CNAs. The previously identified radiation-associated gain of the chromosomal bands 7q11.22-11.23 was present in 29% of cases. Moreover, comparison of our radiation-associated PTC data set with the TCGA data set on sporadic PTCs revealed altered copy numbers of the tumor driver genes NF2 and CHEK2. Further, we integrated the CNA data with transcriptomic data that were available on a subset of the herein analyzed cohort and did not find statistically significant associations between the two molecular layers. However, applying hierarchical clustering on a ‘BRAF-like/RAS-like’ transcriptome signature split the cases into four groups, one of which containing all BRAF-positive cases validating the signature in an independent data set. PMID:26320103

  9. Stratification of the risk for nuclear medicine in illness coronary stable

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rodriguez, Edgard; Murgueitio, Ramon; Merlano, Sonia

    2000-01-01

    Papillary carcinoma of the thyroid (PTC) is the most prevalent malignancy of the thyroid gland. Although the majority of lesions are sporadic tumors, an established relationship exists between familial adenomatous polyposis and PTC. Moreover, some authors postulate the existence of familial PTC as a distinct entity. Evidence for this is limited, however, they're being few well-characterized descriptions of pedigrees with high prevalence of PTC. In this article three cases of papillary carcinoma of the thyroid are presented who belong to the same family, all of them of the feminine gender, and not affected by the familial adenomatous polyposis syndrome. Some considerations are made about the etiology, diagnosis and prognosis

  10. Influence of biological, experiential and psychological factors in wine preference segmentation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pickering, Gary J; Hayes, John E

    2016-01-01

    Background and Aims We sought to determine the influence of selected biological, experiential and psychological variables on self-reported liking and consumption of wine in a sample of 329 Ontario wine consumers. Methods and Results Cluster analysis revealed three distinct groups, representing plausible market segments: wine lovers; dry table wine likers/sweet dislikers; and sweet wine likers/fortified dislikers. These groups differ in level of wine expertise, wine adventurousness, alcohol intake, bitterness from 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP), and several demographic variables. PROP hypo-tasters (n=113) and PROP hyper-tasters (n=112) differed in liking scores for nine of the 11 wine styles [ANCOVA, P(F)variables examined. Taste phenotype also contributes significantly to variation in wine liking. Significance of the Study Ontario wine consumers fall into one of three wine liking clusters, which differ in experiential, biological, psychological and demographic features that can be targeted through branding and marketing strategies. PMID:28579910

  11. Whole grain gluten-free pastas and flatbreads

    Science.gov (United States)

    Whole grain gluten-free products were formulated and evaluated for acceptance by volunteer tasters. The tastes judged acceptance of whole grain, gluten-free, egg-free pastas for corn 83%, sorghum 79%, brown rice 77% and millet 50%. The acceptance for similar high protein pasta was corn-garbanzo 70...

  12. Clinicopathological and Molecular Histochemical Review of Skull Base Metastasis from Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matsuno, Akira; Murakami, Mineko; Hoya, Katsumi; Yamada, Shoko M.; Miyamoto, Shinya; Yamada, So; Son, Jae-Hyun; Nishido, Hajime; Ide, Fuyuaki; Nagashima, Hiroshi; Sugaya, Mutsumi; Hirohata, Toshio; Mizutani, Akiko; Okinaga, Hiroko; Ishii, Yudo; Tahara, Shigeyuki; Teramoto, Akira; Osamura, R. Yoshiyuki; Yamazaki, Kazuto; Ishida, Yasuo

    2013-01-01

    Skull base metastasis from differentiated thyroid carcinoma including follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC) and papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is a rare clinical entity. Eighteen FTC cases and 10 PTC cases showing skull base metastasis have been reported. The most common symptom of skull base metastasis from FTC and PTC is cranial nerve dysfunction. Bone destruction and local invasion to the surrounding soft tissues are common on radiological imaging. Skull base metastases can be the initial clinical presentation of FTC and PTC in the presence of silent primary sites. The possibility of skull base metastasis from FTC and PTC should be considered in patients with the clinical symptoms of cranial nerve dysfunction and radiological findings of bone destruction. A variety of genetic alterations in thyroid tumors have been identified to have a fundamental role in their tumorigenesis. Molecular histochemical studies are useful for elucidating the histopathological features of thyroid carcinoma. Recent molecular findings may provide novel molecular-based treatment strategies for thyroid carcinoma

  13. Prophylactic central lymph nodes dissection (VI level in papillary thyroid cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pavel Olegovich Rumiantsev

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available Metastatic involvement of central lymph nodes in patients with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC is very common. However, prophylactic central lymph nodes dissection additionally to thyroidectomy does not significantly affect disease-free and overall survival of PTC patients. Meanwhile its routine conduction is tangibly increase postsurgical complications. From efficacy/safety point of view prophylactic central lymph nodes dissection couldn't be recommended as substantiated in all PTC patients.

  14. Pseudotumour cerebri in children: Aetiology, clinical features, and progression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mosquera Gorostidi, A; Iridoy Zulet, M; Azcona Ganuza, G; Gembero Esarte, E; Yoldi Petri, M E; Aguilera Albesa, S

    2017-01-09

    The definition, associated aetiologies, diagnosis, and treatment of idiopathic intracranial hypertension, or pseudotumour cerebri (PTC), are constantly being revised in the paediatric population. Our study included children younger than 15 years old with PTC and attended at a reference hospital in the past 12 years. We analysed the clinical and epidemiological features of our sample and the diagnostic and treatment approaches. PTC was defined as presence of intracranial hypertension (CSF opening pressure>25cmH 2 O) and absence of space-occupying lesions in brain MR images. A total of 12 children with PTC were included; mean age was 10 years and 90% were girls. Weight was normal in all patients. Eighty-two percent of the patients had symptoms: headache (66%), diplopia (8%), and visual loss (8%). All of them displayed papilloedema (17% unilaterally). Lumbar puncture (LP) provided the diagnosis in all cases and 91% showed no relevant MRI findings. A potential cause of PTC was identified in 5 cases: pharmacological treatment in 2 and infection (Mycoplasma pneumoniae [M. pneumoniae]) in 3. Ninety-one per cent of the patients received treatment: 75% underwent several LPs and 42% received acetazolamide and/or prednisone. Outcomes were favourable in all cases. The incidence of PTC was estimated at approximately 1 case per 100 000 children/years, in line with data reported by previous studies. Overweight was not found to be a risk factor for PTC in this population. M. pneumoniae infection may trigger PTC and cause recurrences at later stages. The absence of symptoms seems to be independent from the degree of intracranial hypertension. Acetazolamide treatment is effective in most cases, and it represents a viable alternative to repeated LP. Copyright © 2016 Sociedad Española de Neurología. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  15. Greenhouse gas emissions from production chain of a cigarette manufacturing industry in Pakistan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hussain, Majid; Zaidi, Syed Mujtaba Hasnian; Malik, Riffat Naseem; Sharma, Benktesh Dash

    2014-01-01

    This study quantified greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the Pakistan Tobacco Company (PTC) production using a life cycle approach. The PTC production chain comprises of two phases: agricultural activities (Phase I) and industrial activities (Phase II). Data related to agricultural and industrial activities of PTC production chain were collected through questionnaire survey from tobacco growers and records from PTC manufacturing units. The results showed that total GHG emissions from PTC production chain were 44,965, 42,875, and 43,839 tCO 2 e respectively in 2009, 2010, and 2011. Among the agricultural activities, firewood burning for tobacco curing accounted for about 3117, 3565, and 3264 tCO 2 e, fertilizer application accounted for 754, 3251, and 4761 tCO 2 e in 2009, 2010, and 2011, respectively. Among the industrial activities, fossil fuels consumption in stationary sources accounted for 15,582, 12,733, and 13,203 tCO 2 e, fossil fuels used in mobile sources contributed to 2693, 3038, and 3260 tCO 2 e, and purchased electricity consumed resulted in 15,177, 13,556, and 11,380 tCO 2 e in 2009, 2010, and 2011, respectively. The GHG emissions related to the transportation of raw materials and processed tobacco amounted to 6800, 6301, and 7317 respectively in 2009, 2010, and 2011. GHG emissions from energy use in the industrial activities constituted the largest emissions (i.e., over 80%) of GHG emissions as PTC relies on fossil fuels and fossil fuel based electrical power in industrial processes. The total emissions of carbon footprint (CFP) from PTC production were 0.647 tCO 2 e per million cigarettes produced in 2009, 0.675 tCO 2 e per million cigarettes in 2010 and 0.59 tCO 2 e per million cigarettes in 2011. Potential strategies for GHG emissions reductions for PTC production chain include energy efficiency, reducing reliance on fossil fuels in non-mobile sources, adoption of renewable fuels including solar energy, energy from crop residues, and promotion of

  16. Greenhouse gas emissions from production chain of a cigarette manufacturing industry in Pakistan

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hussain, Majid, E-mail: majid_qau86@yahoo.com [Environmental Biology and Ecotoxicology Laboratory, Department of Environmental Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320 (Pakistan); Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, University of Haripur, Hattar Road, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Haripur 22620 (Pakistan); Zaidi, Syed Mujtaba Hasnian [Leaf Agronomy Manager, Pakistan Tobacco Company, Akora Khattak Factory, P.O. and District Nowshera, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Pakistan); Malik, Riffat Naseem, E-mail: r_n_malik2000@yahoo.co.uk [Environmental Biology and Ecotoxicology Laboratory, Department of Environmental Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320 (Pakistan); Sharma, Benktesh Dash [University of California, Berkeley, California 94720 (United States)

    2014-10-15

    This study quantified greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the Pakistan Tobacco Company (PTC) production using a life cycle approach. The PTC production chain comprises of two phases: agricultural activities (Phase I) and industrial activities (Phase II). Data related to agricultural and industrial activities of PTC production chain were collected through questionnaire survey from tobacco growers and records from PTC manufacturing units. The results showed that total GHG emissions from PTC production chain were 44,965, 42,875, and 43,839 tCO{sub 2}e respectively in 2009, 2010, and 2011. Among the agricultural activities, firewood burning for tobacco curing accounted for about 3117, 3565, and 3264 tCO{sub 2}e, fertilizer application accounted for 754, 3251, and 4761 tCO{sub 2}e in 2009, 2010, and 2011, respectively. Among the industrial activities, fossil fuels consumption in stationary sources accounted for 15,582, 12,733, and 13,203 tCO{sub 2}e, fossil fuels used in mobile sources contributed to 2693, 3038, and 3260 tCO{sub 2}e, and purchased electricity consumed resulted in 15,177, 13,556, and 11,380 tCO{sub 2}e in 2009, 2010, and 2011, respectively. The GHG emissions related to the transportation of raw materials and processed tobacco amounted to 6800, 6301, and 7317 respectively in 2009, 2010, and 2011. GHG emissions from energy use in the industrial activities constituted the largest emissions (i.e., over 80%) of GHG emissions as PTC relies on fossil fuels and fossil fuel based electrical power in industrial processes. The total emissions of carbon footprint (CFP) from PTC production were 0.647 tCO{sub 2}e per million cigarettes produced in 2009, 0.675 tCO{sub 2}e per million cigarettes in 2010 and 0.59 tCO{sub 2}e per million cigarettes in 2011. Potential strategies for GHG emissions reductions for PTC production chain include energy efficiency, reducing reliance on fossil fuels in non-mobile sources, adoption of renewable fuels including solar energy, energy

  17. Potential arms race in the coevolution of primates and angiosperms: brazzein sweet proteins and gorilla taste receptors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guevara, Elaine E; Veilleux, Carrie C; Saltonstall, Kristin; Caccone, Adalgisa; Mundy, Nicholas I; Bradley, Brenda J

    2016-09-01

    We explored whether variation in the sweet taste receptor protein T1R3 in primates could contribute to differences in sweet taste repertoire among species, potentially reflecting coevolution with local plants. Specifically, we examined which primates are likely to be sweet "tasters" of brazzein, a protein found in the fruit of the African plant Pentadiplandra brazzeana that tastes intensely sweet to humans, but provides little energy. Sweet proteins like brazzein are thought to mimic the taste of sugars to entice seed dispersers. We examined the evolution of T1R3 and assessed whether primates are likely "deceived" by such biochemical mimicry. Using published and new sequence data for TAS1R3, we characterized 57 primates and other mammals at the two amino acid sites necessary to taste brazzein to determine which species are tasters. We further used dN/dS-based methods to look for statistical evidence of accelerated evolution in this protein across primate lineages. The taster genotype is shared across most catarrhines, suggesting that most African primates can be "tricked" into eating and dispersing P. brazzeana's seeds for little caloric gain. Western gorillas (Gorilla gorilla), however, exhibit derived mutations at the two brazzein-critical positions, and although fruit is a substantial portion of the western gorilla diet, they have not been observed to eat P. brazzeana. Our analyses of protein evolution found no signature of positive selection on TAS1R3 along the gorilla lineage. We propose that the gorilla-specific mutations at the TAS1R3 locus encoding T1R3 could be a counter-adaptation to the false sweet signal of brazzein. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  18. Selective translational repression of truncated proteins from frameshift mutation-derived mRNAs in tumors.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kwon Tae You

    2007-05-01

    Full Text Available Frameshift and nonsense mutations are common in tumors with microsatellite instability, and mRNAs from these mutated genes have premature termination codons (PTCs. Abnormal mRNAs containing PTCs are normally degraded by the nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD system. However, PTCs located within 50-55 nucleotides of the last exon-exon junction are not recognized by NMD (NMD-irrelevant, and some PTC-containing mRNAs can escape from the NMD system (NMD-escape. We investigated protein expression from NMD-irrelevant and NMD-escape PTC-containing mRNAs by Western blotting and transfection assays. We demonstrated that transfection of NMD-irrelevant PTC-containing genomic DNA of MARCKS generates truncated protein. In contrast, NMD-escape PTC-containing versions of hMSH3 and TGFBR2 generate normal levels of mRNA, but do not generate detectable levels of protein. Transfection of NMD-escape mutant TGFBR2 genomic DNA failed to generate expression of truncated proteins, whereas transfection of wild-type TGFBR2 genomic DNA or mutant PTC-containing TGFBR2 cDNA generated expression of wild-type protein and truncated protein, respectively. Our findings suggest a novel mechanism of gene expression regulation for PTC-containing mRNAs in which the deleterious transcripts are regulated either by NMD or translational repression.

  19. Chromatin-remodeling SWI/SNF complex regulates coenzyme Q6 synthesis and a metabolic shift to respiration in yeast.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Awad, Agape M; Venkataramanan, Srivats; Nag, Anish; Galivanche, Anoop Raj; Bradley, Michelle C; Neves, Lauren T; Douglass, Stephen; Clarke, Catherine F; Johnson, Tracy L

    2017-09-08

    Despite its relatively streamlined genome, there are many important examples of regulated RNA splicing in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Here, we report a role for the chromatin remodeler SWI/SNF in respiration, partially via the regulation of splicing. We find that a nutrient-dependent decrease in Snf2 leads to an increase in splicing of the PTC7 transcript. The spliced PTC7 transcript encodes a mitochondrial phosphatase regulator of biosynthesis of coenzyme Q 6 (ubiquinone or CoQ 6 ) and a mitochondrial redox-active lipid essential for electron and proton transport in respiration. Increased splicing of PTC7 increases CoQ 6 levels. The increase in PTC7 splicing occurs at least in part due to down-regulation of ribosomal protein gene expression, leading to the redistribution of spliceosomes from this abundant class of intron-containing RNAs to otherwise poorly spliced transcripts. In contrast, a protein encoded by the nonspliced isoform of PTC7 represses CoQ 6 biosynthesis. Taken together, these findings uncover a link between Snf2 expression and the splicing of PTC7 and establish a previously unknown role for the SWI/SNF complex in the transition of yeast cells from fermentative to respiratory modes of metabolism. © 2017 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  20. Molecular Testing of Nodules with a Suspicious or Malignant Cytologic Diagnosis in the Setting of Non-Invasive Follicular Thyroid Neoplasm with Papillary-Like Nuclear Features (NIFTP).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strickland, Kyle C; Eszlinger, Markus; Paschke, Ralf; Angell, Trevor E; Alexander, Erik K; Marqusee, Ellen; Nehs, Matthew A; Jo, Vickie Y; Lowe, Alarice; Vivero, Marina; Hollowell, Monica; Qian, Xiaohua; Wieczorek, Tad; French, Christopher A; Teot, Lisa A; Cibas, Edmund S; Lindeman, Neal I; Krane, Jeffrey F; Barletta, Justine A

    2018-03-01

    Non-invasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary-like nuclear features (NIFTP) is an indolent thyroid tumor characterized by frequent RAS mutations and an absence of the BRAF V600E mutation commonly seen in classical papillary thyroid carcinoma (cPTC). The ability to differentiate potential NIFTP/follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma (FVPTC) from cPTC at the time of fine-needle aspiration (FNA) can facilitate conservative management of NIFTP. The aim of the current study was to investigate how molecular testing may add to cytologic assessment in the pre-operative differentiation of potential NIFTP/FVPTC and cPTC. We had previously evaluated cytologists' ability to prospectively distinguish potential NIFTP/FVPTC from cPTC in a cohort of 56 consecutive FNAs diagnosed as malignant or suspicious for malignancy. We utilized this cohort to perform molecular analysis. Detected molecular abnormalities were stratified into two groups: (1) those supporting malignancy and (2) those supporting a diagnosis of potential NIFTP/FVPTC. The cytologists' characterization of cases and the detected molecular alterations were correlated with the final histologic diagnoses. Molecular testing was performed in 52 (93%) of the 56 cases. For the 37 cases cytologists favored to be cPTC, 31 (84%) had a molecular result that supported malignancy (28 BRAF V600E mutations, 2 NTRK1 fusions, 1 AGK-BRAF fusion). For the 8 cases that were favored to be NIFTP/FVPTC by cytologists, 7 (88%) had a molecular result that supported conservative management (1 NRAS mutation, 6 wild-type result). Seven cases were designated as cytomorphologically indeterminate for NIFTP/FVPTC or cPTC, of which 6 (86%) had a molecular result that would have aided in the pre-operative assessment of potential NIFTP/FVPTC or cPTC/malignancy. These included 3 BRAF V600E mutations in nodules that were cPTC on resection, an HRAS mutation, and a wild-type result in the 2 nodules that were NIFTP, and a TERT promoter

  1. Ultrasonographic Features of Papillary Thyroid Carcinomas According to Their Subtypes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hye Jin Baek

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available BackgroundThe ultrasonographic characteristics and difference for various subtypes of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC are still unclear. The aim of this study was to compare the ultrasonographic features of PTC according to its subtype in patients undergoing thyroid surgery.MethodsIn total, 140 patients who underwent preoperative thyroid ultrasonography (US and thyroid surgery between January 2016 and December 2016 were included. The ultrasonographic features and the Korean Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (K-TIRADS category of each thyroid nodule were retrospectively evaluated by a single radiologist, and differences in ultrasonographic features according to the PTC subtype were assessed.ResultsAccording to histopathological analyses, there were 97 classic PTCs (62.2%, 34 follicular variants (21.8%, 5 tall cell variants (3.2%, 2 oncocytic variants (1.3%, 1 Warthin-like variant (0.6%, and 1 diffuse sclerosing variant (0.6%. Most PTCs were classified under K-TIRADS category 5. Among the ultrasonographic features, the nodule margin and the presence of calcification were significantly different among the PTC subtypes. A spiculated/microlobulated margin was the most common type of margin, regardless of the PTC subtype. In particular, all tall cell variants exhibited a spiculated/microlobulated margin. The classic PTC group exhibited the highest prevalence of intranodular calcification, with microcalcification being the most common. The prevalence of multiplicity and nodal metastasis was high in the tall cell variant group.ConclusionThe majority of PTCs in the present study belonged to K-TIRADS category 5, regardless of the subtype. Our findings suggest that ultrasonographic features are not useful for distinguishing PTC subtypes.

  2. Is Primary Hyperparathyroidism a Risk Factor for Papillary Thyroid Cancer? An Exemplar Study and Literature Review

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    Cinamon, Udi

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Introduction Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT is associated with several cancer types, including papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC. Objective To explore further the relation between PHPT and PTC. Methods By considering patients with PHPT as extra-suspicious for PTC, we studied an exemplar group of patients with PHPT with a small (≤1 cm thyroid nodule, which was negative in preoperative cytologic examination. During parathyroidectomy, a frozen section biopsy of the thyroid nodule confirmed PTC, as did the final surgical specimen, revealing that the preoperative cytology was false-negative. Additionally, relevant reports retrieved from the English literature addressing thyroid cancer and hyperparathyroidism were reviewed and processed. Results Four patients with PHPT were studied. Three had a multifocal thyroid disease, and three had neck lymph node metastasis. Processing previous report data supported an association between PHPT and PTC. Although thyroid nodularity among patients with PHPT was similar to the general population, PTC incidence was higher. This was true also for patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism. Conclusions This study emphasized that PHPT should be considered as a noteworthy risk factor for PTC. Fine needle aspiration of a thyroid nodule is the most valuable diagnostic procedure for thyroid cancer. Yet, false-negative results were reported in up to 10% of cases, especially in small, subcentimeter nodules. In line with our data and the literature, patients with PHPT should have both a detailed ultrasound addressing the thyroid and cytology of any thyroid nodule, including small subcentimeter lesions. Moreover, surgical flexibility, allowing intraoperative thyroid nodule sampling, should be considered even for “innocent” nodules.

  3. Mesenchymal stem cell-derived microparticles ameliorate peritubular capillary rarefaction via inhibition of endothelial-mesenchymal transition and decrease tubulointerstitial fibrosis in unilateral ureteral obstruction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Hoon Young; Lee, Hyun Gyu; Kim, Beom Seok; Ahn, Sun Hee; Jung, Ara; Lee, Mirae; Lee, Jung Eun; Kim, Hyung Jong; Ha, Sung Kyu; Park, Hyeong Cheon

    2015-03-11

    Microparticles (MPs) derived from kidney-derived mesenchymal stem cells (KMSCs) have recently been reported to ameliorate rarefaction of peritubular capillaries (PTC) in ischemic kidneys via delivery of proangiogenic effectors. This study aimed to investigate whether KMSC-derived MPs show anti-fibrotic effects by ameliorating endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndoMT) in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) in vitro and by preserving PTC in kidneys with unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) in vivo. MPs isolated from the supernatants of KMSC were co-cultured with HUVEC to assess their in vitro biologic effects on endothelial cells. Mice were treated with MPs via the tail vein after UUO injury to assess their anti-fibrotic and PTC sparing effects. Renal tubulointerstitial damage and inflammatory cell infiltration were examined with Masson's trichrome, F4/80 and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) staining and PTC rarefaction index was determined by CD31 staining. KMSC-derived MPs significantly ameliorated EndoMT and improved in vitro proliferation of TGF-β1 treated HUVEC. In vivo administration of KMSC-derived MPs significantly inhibited EndoMT of PTC endothelial cells and improved PTC rarefaction in UUO kidneys. Furthermore, administration of KMSC-derived MPs inhibited inflammatory cell infiltration as well as tubulointerstitial fibrosis in UUO mice as demonstrated by decreased F4/80 and α-SMA-positive cells and Masson's trichrome staining, respectively. Our results suggest that KMSC-derived MPs ameliorate PTC rarefaction via inhibition of EndoMT and protect against progression of renal damage by inhibiting tubulointerstitial fibrosis.

  4. Enhanced life of proton exchange membrane fuel cell catalysts using perfluorosulfonic acid stabilized carbon support

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cheng Niancai; Mu Shichun; Chen Xiaojing; Lv Haifeng; Pan Mu; Edwards, Peter P.

    2011-01-01

    We report a new and simple solution to increase life of Pt/C catalysts using the proton-conducting polymer (perfluorosulfonic acid, PFSA) stabilized carbon support (denoted these catalysts as Pt/NFC catalysts) as compared to conventional Pt/C catalysts commonly used in PEM fuel cells. A high catalytic activity of the catalyst is observed by both CV (cyclic voltammetry) and ORR (oxygen reduction reaction) measurements. Especially, our own catalysts have a 60% better life as compared to Pt/C under electrochemically accelerated durability test conditions. The loss rate of electrochemical active area (ECA) for Pt/NFC catalysts is only 0.007 m 2 g -1 cycle -1 , compared to a value of 0.011 m 2 g -1 cycle -1 for Pt/C.

  5. IL13Rα2 siRNA inhibited cell proliferation, induced cell apoptosis, and suppressed cell invasion in papillary thyroid carcinoma cells

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    Gu MJ

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Mingjun Gu Department of Endocrinology, Shanghai Gongli Hospital, The Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China Aim: Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC is the most common type of thyroid cancer. Infiltrative growth and metastasis are the two most intractable characteristics of PTC. Interleukin-13 receptor α2 (IL13Rα2 with high affinity for Th2-derived cytokine IL-13 has been reported to be overexpressed in several tumors. In this study, an analysis of IL13Rα2 expression in PTC and matched paracancerous tissues was undertaken, and its biologic functions in PTC were assessed. Methods: IL13Rα2 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF expression were detected by using real-time polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry analyses. Cell proliferation, invasion, apoptosis, and caspase activity were measured with the Cell Counting Kit-8, Transwell, flow cytometry analyses, and biochemistry assay, respectively. Results: Upregulation of IL13Rα2 and VEGF was observed in PTC tissues compared with matched paracancerous tissues. Pearson’s correlation analysis indicated that IL13Rα2 mRNA level in the tested PTC tissues was positively correlated with VEGF mRNA level. Besides, inhibited cell proliferation, induced cell apoptosis, and suppressed cell invasion were detected in IL13Rα2-silenced TPC-1 cells. Increased activity of Caspase 3 and Caspase 9, along with elevated cleaved Caspase 3 and poly (ADP-ribose polymerase indicated the signal pathway of cell apoptosis induced by IL13Rα2 siRNA. In addition, downregulated metastasis- and angiogenesis-related proteins VEGF, VEGFR2, MMP2, and MMP9 indicated the decreased number of invading cells after knockdown of IL13Rα2. Conclusion: The results demonstrate that IL13Rα2 plays an important role in the progress of PTC. IL13Rα2 knockdown in PTC cells inhibited cell proliferation, induced cell apoptosis, and suppressed cell invasion. These data suggest that IL13Rα2

  6. Direct Instruction and Music Literacy: One Approach to Augmenting the Diminishing?

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    Lowe, Geoffrey; Belcher, Steven

    2012-01-01

    One of the many challenges facing music educators is diminishing class time in lower secondary school in the face of the increasingly crowded curriculum and the advent of arts "taster" courses. However, music educators are still expected to be able to produce musically literate students capable of completing high level music courses in…

  7. Tuberculous Lymphadenitis Mimicking Nodal Metastasis in Follicular Variant Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Marc Gregory; Atun, Jenny Maureen

    2016-01-01

    Tuberculous (TB) lymphadenitis can mimic cervical node metastasis from papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) since the distribution and appearance of affected lymph nodes are similar. We present the case of an asymptomatic 50-year-old Filipino who sought consult for a gradually enlarging anterior neck mass and a single palpable cervical lymph node. Preoperative workup suggested a thyroid malignancy with nodal metastasis. He underwent total thyroidectomy with node dissection where histopathology confirmed follicular variant- (FV-) PTC. Lymph node examination, however, revealed TB lymphadenitis, and the patient was given standard antimycobacterial therapy. This is the first documented case in Southeast Asia, a high TB burden region. This is also the first report involving FV-PTC, which has features between those of conventional PTC and follicular thyroid carcinoma. The case suggests that, in endemic areas, TB should be a differential in the etiology of cervical lymphadenopathy in PTC patients. In developed countries, this differential diagnosis is also valuable because of the increasing incidence of HIV and TB coinfection. Proper preoperative evaluation is important and needs to be highlighted in the formulation of local guidelines.

  8. Reaksi Penataan Ulang Sigmatropik Hidrogen [1,3] Secara Termal dan Reaksi Penataan Ulang Prototropik [1,3] yang dikatalisis oleh Katalis Transfer Fase (Ptc , [18]-Crown Ether-6: Semi-Sintesis Vanili dari Eugenol

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    Hendra Wijaya

    2002-04-01

    Full Text Available Semi-synthesis of vanillin from eugenol can be divided into two step reactions namely, isomerization of eugenol intoisoeugenol, and cleavage oxidation of isomerization product into expected reaction product (vanillin. In this work isomerization of eugenol or eugenyl acetate into isoeugenol or isoeugenyl acetate has been done via the following reactions: (1 Sigmatropic hydrogen (1,3 thermalic rearrangement reaction: direct heating of eugenol or eugenyl acetate at 220oC for 8 hours can produce 52.2% of isoeugenol or 65.7% of isoeugenyl acetate (both chemical yields are measured by means nmr-spectrometer, where products are viscose yellow-brownish liquid as mixture of unseparated starting material and isomerization product. (2 Prototropic (1,3 rearrangement catalyzed by phase transfer catalyst (PTC: (18-crown ether-6 at room temperature can be afforded 71.4% of isoeugenol as light yellow liquid (mixture of unseparated starting material and isomerization product. Without any separation of mixture between isomerization product and starting material followed by subsequent cleavage oxidation using KMnO4 as oxidator in neutral condition catalyzed by phase transfer catalyst: (18-crown ether-6 at room temperature for 3 hours can be yielded 16.5-22.9% of vanillin (from the starting material; eugenol or eugenyl acetate. The spectroscopical data of synthetical vanillin is not rather different with the spectroscopical data of authentical natural vanillin.

  9. Clinical features and prognostic factors for survival in patients with poorly differentiated thyroid carcinoma and comparison to the patients with the aggressive variants of papillary thyroid carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jung, Tae-Sik; Kim, Tae-Yong; Kim, Kyung-Won

    2007-01-01

    We performed this study to compare the clinicopathologic features and outcomes between the patients with poorly differentiated thyroid carcinoma (PDTC) and the patients with the aggressive variants of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). To evaluate the prognostic factors for survival of the patients with PDTC, we selected 49 patients with PDTC and 23 patients with the aggressive variants of PTC from three hospitals during the recent 15 years. The five-year survival rate and clinicopathologic features of the patients with PDTC were not different from those of the patients with the aggressive variants of PTC. Univariate analysis revealed the significant poor prognostic factors for survival of the patients with PDTC and the aggressive variants of PTC as follows: an age more than 45 years, a tumor size larger than 4 cm, the presence of tumor invasion to extrathyroidal tissue or the trachea, the presence of cervical lymph node invasion, the presence of distant metastasis, the absence of high-dose radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy, and tumor, nodes and metastasis (TNM) stage II, III and IV. Distant metastasis and high-dose RAI therapy were independent significant predictors for survival of the patients with PDTC and the aggressive variants of PTC on multivariate analysis. However, distant metastasis was the only independent significant predictors for survival of the patients with PDTC excluding patients with the aggressive variants of PTC. (author)

  10. Contribution of immunocytochemical stainings for galectin-3, CD44, and HBME1 to fine-needle aspiration cytology diagnosis of papillary thyroid carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Das, Dilip K; Al-Waheeb, Salah K M; George, Sara S; Haji, Bahiyah I; Mallik, Mrinmay K

    2014-06-01

    In cytology practice some papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) cases have indeterminate diagnoses and overlapping cytological features with benign lesions. This study was undertaken to find out if immunocytochemistry using Galectin-3, CD-44 and HBME-1 could be of help in such situations. Forty-six cases consisting of 22 malignancy (PTC) cases, 7 suspicious of (S/O) PTC, 1 follicular neoplasm, 5 follicular lesion of undetermined significance (FLUS), and 11 benign (colloid goiter) cases diagnosed by FNA were included in this study. Staining reactions were graded in a sliding scale of -, 1+, 2+, 3+, and 4+. In an assessment of 100 cells, each cell with weak, and moderate to strong positive reaction were assigned a score of 1 and 4, respectively. Staining reaction of ≥+2 and scores >100 were considered positive. Frequency of cases with ≥+2 reaction, and scores >100 for each of Galectin-3, CD-44, and HBME-1 were significantly higher in PTC or combined PTC and S/O PTC cases as compared with FLUS and benign cases taken together (P = 0.01744 to 0.00000). When the cases were compared according to histological malignant and benign diagnoses, the difference was also significant in respect of ≥+2 reaction, and scores >100 for Galectin-3 and CD44 (P = 0.04923 to 0.00947); however, there was no significant difference, when these parameters for HBME1 were compared. Galectin 3, CD 44, and to some extent HBME 1 are useful immunocytochemical parameters with potential to support FNAC diagnosis of PTC, especially in situations with difficult differential diagnoses. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  11. Gene signature of the post-Chernobyl papillary thyroid cancer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Handkiewicz-Junak, Daria; Rusinek, Dagmara; Oczko-Wojciechowska, Malgorzata; Kowalska, Malgorzata; Jarzab, Barbara [Maria Sklodowska-Curie Memorial Cancer Center and Institute of Oncology, Gliwice Branch, Department of Nuclear Medicine and Endocrine Oncology, Gliwice (Poland); Swierniak, Michal [Maria Sklodowska-Curie Memorial Cancer Center and Institute of Oncology, Gliwice Branch, Department of Nuclear Medicine and Endocrine Oncology, Gliwice (Poland); Medical University of Warsaw, Genomic Medicine, Department of General, Transplant and Liver Surgery, Warsaw (Poland); Dom, Genevieve; Maenhaut, Carine; Detours, Vincent [Universite libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Institute of Interdisciplinary Research, Bruxelles (Belgium); Unger, Kristian [Imperial College London Hammersmith Hospital, Human Cancer Studies Group, Division of Surgery and Cancer, London (United Kingdom); Helmholtz-Zentrum, Research Unit Radiation Cytogenetics, Munich (Germany); Bogdanova, Tetiana [Institute of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Kiev (Ukraine); Thomas, Geraldine [Imperial College London Hammersmith Hospital, Human Cancer Studies Group, Division of Surgery and Cancer, London (United Kingdom); Likhtarov, Ilya [Academy of Technological Sciences of Ukraine, Radiation Protection Institute, Kiev (Ukraine); Jaksik, Roman [Silesian University of Technology, Systems Engineering Group, Faculty of Automatic Control, Electronics and Informatics, Gliwice (Poland); Chmielik, Ewa [Maria Sklodowska-Curie Memorial Cancer Center and Institute of Oncology, Gliwice Branch, Department of Tumour Pathology, Gliwice (Poland); Jarzab, Michal [Maria Sklodowska-Curie Memorial Cancer Center and Institute of Oncology, Gliwice Branch, IIIrd Department of Radiation Therapy, Gliwice (Poland); Swierniak, Andrzej [Silesian University of Technology, Department of Automatic Control, Gliwice (Poland)

    2016-07-15

    Following the nuclear accidents in Chernobyl and later in Fukushima, the nuclear community has been faced with important issues concerning how to search for and diagnose biological consequences of low-dose internal radiation contamination. Although after the Chernobyl accident an increase in childhood papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) was observed, it is still not clear whether the molecular biology of PTCs associated with low-dose radiation exposure differs from that of sporadic PTC. We investigated tissue samples from 65 children/young adults with PTC using DNA microarray (Affymetrix, Human Genome U133 2.0 Plus) with the aim of identifying molecular differences between radiation-induced (exposed to Chernobyl radiation, ECR) and sporadic PTC. All participants were resident in the same region so that confounding factors related to genetics or environment were minimized. There were small but significant differences in the gene expression profiles between ECR and non-ECR PTC (global test, p < 0.01), with 300 differently expressed probe sets (p < 0.001) corresponding to 239 genes. Multifactorial analysis of variance showed that besides radiation exposure history, the BRAF mutation exhibited independent effects on the PTC expression profile; the histological subset and patient age at diagnosis had negligible effects. Ten genes (PPME1, HDAC11, SOCS7, CIC, THRA, ERBB2, PPP1R9A, HDGF, RAD51AP1, and CDK1) from the 19 investigated with quantitative RT-PCR were confirmed as being associated with radiation exposure in an independent, validation set of samples. Significant, but subtle, differences in gene expression in the post-Chernobyl PTC are associated with previous low-dose radiation exposure. (orig.)

  12. Spread of status value: Rewards and the creation of status characteristics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harkness, Sarah K

    2017-01-01

    Rewards have social significance and are highly esteemed objects, but what does their ownership signify to others? Prior work has demonstrated it may be possible for these rewards to spread their status to those who possess them, such that individuals gain or lose status and influence by virtue of the rewards they display. Yet, is this spread enough to produce entirely new status characteristics by virtue of their association with rewards? I propose a theoretical extension of the spread of status value theory and offer an experimental test considering whether the status value conveyed by rewards spreads to a new, nominal characteristic of those who come to possess these objects. The results indicate that states of a nominal characteristic do gain or lose status value and behavioral influence through their association with differentially valued rewards. Thus, rewards can create new status characteristics with resulting behavioral expectations. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Control of exciton confinement in quantum dot-organic complexes through energetic alignment of interfacial orbitals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frederick, Matthew T; Amin, Victor A; Swenson, Nathaniel K; Ho, Andrew Y; Weiss, Emily A

    2013-01-09

    This paper describes a method to control the quantum confinement, and therefore the energy, of excitonic holes in CdSe QDs through adsorption of the hole-delocalizing ligand phenyldithiocarbamate, PTC, and para substitutions of the phenyl ring of this ligand with electron-donating or -withdrawing groups. These substitutions control hole delocalization in the QDs through the energetic alignment of the highest occupied orbitals of PTC with the highest density-of-states region of the CdSe valence band, to which PTC couples selectively.

  14. Greenhouse gas emissions from production chain of a cigarette manufacturing industry in Pakistan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hussain, Majid; Zaidi, Syed Mujtaba Hasnian; Malik, Riffat Naseem; Sharma, Benktesh Dash

    2014-10-01

    This study quantified greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the Pakistan Tobacco Company (PTC) production using a life cycle approach. The PTC production chain comprises of two phases: agricultural activities (Phase I) and industrial activities (Phase II). Data related to agricultural and industrial activities of PTC production chain were collected through questionnaire survey from tobacco growers and records from PTC manufacturing units. The results showed that total GHG emissions from PTC production chain were 44,965, 42,875, and 43,839 tCO2e respectively in 2009, 2010, and 2011. Among the agricultural activities, firewood burning for tobacco curing accounted for about 3117, 3565, and 3264 tCO2e, fertilizer application accounted for 754, 3251, and 4761 tCO2e in 2009, 2010, and 2011, respectively. Among the industrial activities, fossil fuels consumption in stationary sources accounted for 15,582, 12,733, and 13,203 tCO2e, fossil fuels used in mobile sources contributed to 2693, 3038, and 3260 tCO2e, and purchased electricity consumed resulted in 15,177, 13,556, and 11,380 tCO2e in 2009, 2010, and 2011, respectively. The GHG emissions related to the transportation of raw materials and processed tobacco amounted to 6800, 6301, and 7317 respectively in 2009, 2010, and 2011. GHG emissions from energy use in the industrial activities constituted the largest emissions (i.e., over 80%) of GHG emissions as PTC relies on fossil fuels and fossil fuel based electrical power in industrial processes. The total emissions of carbon footprint (CFP) from PTC production were 0.647 tCO2e per million cigarettes produced in 2009, 0.675 tCO2e per million cigarettes in 2010 and 0.59 tCO2e per million cigarettes in 2011. Potential strategies for GHG emissions reductions for PTC production chain include energy efficiency, reducing reliance on fossil fuels in non-mobile sources, adoption of renewable fuels including solar energy, energy from crop residues, and promotion of organic

  15. POLA KONSUMSI, STATUS KESEHATAN DAN HUBUNGANNYA DENGAN STATUS GIZI DAN PERKEMBANGAN BALITA

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    Engkun Rohimah

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACTThis study was aimed to analyze relationship between patterns of consumption and health status with nutritional status and development of children under five years. The design of this study was cross sectional. Subject in this study were 63 children under five years. Food consumption data was collected using Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ and child development data using Bina Keluarga Balita instruments. The results showed severe wasting and wasting existed in the under three years children but not in preschool. Under three years children had an average growth rate greater than preschool. There is a significant relationship between maternal employment and health caregiving pattern with nutritional status (WHZ (p=0.015, income with nutritional status (HAZ (p=0.009, and disease history within a month with nutritional status (WAZ (p=0.022. Mothers should pay more attention to children’s health caregiving pattern and provide sufficient time for the children.Keywords: consumption, development, health, nutritional statusABSTRAKPenelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis hubungan pola konsumsi dan status kesehatan dengan status gizi dan perkembangan balita. Desain penelitian adalah cross sectional dengan subjek sebanyak 63 balita. Data pola konsumsi diambil menggunakan Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ dan data perkembangan balita diambil menggunakan instrumen Bina Keluarga Balita. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa status gizi sangat kurus dan kurus masih ada pada usia batita tetapi tidak ada di usia prasekolah. Sebagian besar subjek yang berusia batita memiliki rata-rata nilai perkembangan lebih besar dibandingkan subjek yang berusia prasekolah. Terdapat hubungan yang signifikan antara pekerjaan ibu dan pola asuh kesehatan dengan status gizi (BB/TB (p=0,015, pendapatan per kapita dengan status gizi (TB/U (p=0,009, dan riwayat penyakit sebulan dengan status gizi (BB/U (p=0,022. Ibu sebaiknya lebih memperhatikan pola asuh kesehatan anak

  16. Enhanced life of proton exchange membrane fuel cell catalysts using perfluorosulfonic acid stabilized carbon support

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cheng Niancai [State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, Wuhan University of Technology, 430070 (China); Mu Shichun, E-mail: msc@whut.edu.c [State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, Wuhan University of Technology, 430070 (China); Department of Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, OX1 3QR (United Kingdom); Chen Xiaojing; Lv Haifeng; Pan Mu [State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, Wuhan University of Technology, 430070 (China); Edwards, Peter P. [Department of Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, OX1 3QR (United Kingdom)

    2011-02-01

    We report a new and simple solution to increase life of Pt/C catalysts using the proton-conducting polymer (perfluorosulfonic acid, PFSA) stabilized carbon support (denoted these catalysts as Pt/NFC catalysts) as compared to conventional Pt/C catalysts commonly used in PEM fuel cells. A high catalytic activity of the catalyst is observed by both CV (cyclic voltammetry) and ORR (oxygen reduction reaction) measurements. Especially, our own catalysts have a 60% better life as compared to Pt/C under electrochemically accelerated durability test conditions. The loss rate of electrochemical active area (ECA) for Pt/NFC catalysts is only 0.007 m{sup 2} g{sup -1} cycle{sup -1}, compared to a value of 0.011 m{sup 2} g{sup -1} cycle{sup -1} for Pt/C.

  17. Tackling Work Related Stress in a National Health Service Trust

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vick, Donna; Whyatt, Hilary

    2004-01-01

    The challenge of tackling the problem of coping with work related stress in a National Health Service (NHS) Trust was undertaken. Ideas were developed within the context of two different action learning sets and led to actions resulting in a large therapy Taster Session event and the establishment of a centre offering alternative therapies and…

  18. short communication efficient and convenient oxidation of benzyl

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

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    nitronate anion followed by decomposition of the resulting intermediate, ... Phase transfer catalysis (PTC) is a versatile synthetic technique of rate enhancement of a ... By using a PTC process, one can achieve faster reactions, obtain higher.

  19. Commercial cuts and chemical and sensory attributes of meat from crossbred Boer goats fed sunflower cake-based diets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oliveira, Ronaldo Lopes; Palmieri, Adriana Dantas; Carvalho, Silvana Teixeira; Leão, André Gustavo; de Abreu, Claudilene Lima; Ribeiro, Claudio Vaz Di Mambro; Pereira, Elzania Sales; de Carvalho, Gleidson Giordano Pinto; Bezerra, Leilson Rocha

    2015-05-01

    This study aimed to evaluate sunflower cake feed in commercial cut yields and chemical and sensory attributes of goat meat. Thirty-two castrated male goats were distributed in four levels (0, 8, 16 and 24%) of sunflower cake supplementation. The animals were slaughtered and the carcasses were placed in a cold chamber and sectioned into five anatomical regions corresponding to commercial cuts. Samples of the Longissimus lumborum muscle were analyzed for chemical composition and sensory quality. The chemical composition and pH were not affected by the treatments. The smell, taste and 'goatiness' of the aroma and flavor of the meat were also unaffected by the treatments. The appearance, tenderness and juiciness of the meat differed by treatment. The highest level (24%) of sunflower cake increased meat tenderness; however, according to the tasters there was reduced softness, although none of the samples were rejected by the tasters. Sunflower cake can be added to the diet at a level of up to 16% without altering the quantitative and qualitative attributes of the meat. © 2014 Japanese Society of Animal Science.

  20. Deceiving Yourself to Better Deceive High-Status Compared to Equal-Status Others

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hui Jing Lu

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available The arms race between deception and detection is likely to have played out between individuals in different status hierarchies, with low-status individuals more likely to be deceivers and high-status individuals more likely to be detectors than the other way around. Memory and its distortion may be temporarily employed first to keep truthful information away from both self and others and later to retrieve accurate information to benefit the self. Using a dual-retrieval paradigm, we tested the hypothesis that people are likely to deceive themselves to better deceive high- rather than equal-status others. College student participants were explicitly instructed (Study 1 and 2 or induced (Study 3 to deceive either a high-status teacher or an equal-status fellow student. When interacting with the high- but not equal-status target, participants in three studies genuinely remembered fewer previously studied items than they did on a second memory test alone without the deceiving target. The results support the view that self-deception responds to status hierarchy that registers probabilities of deception detection such that people are more likely to self-deceive high- rather than equal-status others.

  1. Prognostic impact of incomplete surgical clearance of radioiodine sensitive local lymph node metastases diagnosed by post-operative {sup 124}I-NaI-PET/CT in patients with papillary thyroid cancer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sabet, Amir; Binse, Ina; Grafe, Hong; Goerges, Rainer; Poeppel, Thorsten D.; Bockisch, Andreas; Rosenbaum-Krumme, Sandra J. [University Duisburg-Essen, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Essen (Germany); Ezziddin, Samer [Saarland University, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Homburg (Germany)

    2016-10-15

    Nodal involvement is an independent risk factor of recurrence in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). Neither the international guidelines nor the recently introduced ongoing risk adaptation concept consider the extent of initial surgical clearance of radioiodine sensitive lymph node metastases in their stratification systems. We investigated the prognostic relevance of incomplete initial surgical clearance in patients with purely lymphogeneous metastatic PTC (pN1 M0) despite successful radioiodine therapy. Accurate assessment of pre-ablative nodal status was attempted using PET/CT studies with both {sup 124}I-NaI and {sup 18}F-FDG along with high-resolution cervical ultrasound. Sixty-five patients with histologically diagnosed lymph node metastases (pN1 M0) were retrospectively analyzed. Patients with iodine-negative lymph node metastases diagnosed by {sup 18}F-FDG PET/CT or distant metastases were excluded from the analysis. The association of disease recurrence with the pre-ablative nodal status, as well as other baseline characteristics, were examined applying nonparametric tests for independent samples and multiple regression analysis. Patients with persistent lymph node metastases in {sup 124}I-NaI PET/CT were further divided according to the additional presence or absence of FDG-uptake in {sup 18}F-FDG PET/CT. Survival analyses were performed using Kaplan-Meier curves and the Cox proportional hazards model for uni- and multivariate analyses to assess the influence of prognostic factors on progression free survival (PFS). Incomplete metastatic lymph node resection captured by {sup 124}I-NaI PET/CT (n = 33) was an independent risk factor for recurrence (61 % vs 25 %, p = 0.006) and shorter PFS (46 months vs not reached, HR 4.0 [95 %-CI, 1.7-9.2], p = 0.001). Ultrasound could detect lymph node metastases only in 19/33 patients (58 %). Among patients with positive nodal status, FDG-avidity of metastatic iodine positive lymph nodes worsened the outcome (16 vs 69

  2. DUSP4/MKP2 overexpression is associated with BRAFV600E mutation and aggressive behavior of papillary thyroid cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ma B

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Ben Ma,1,2,* Rongliang Shi,1–3,* Shuwen Yang,1,2 Li Zhou,1,2 Ning Qu,1,2 Tian Liao,1,2 Yu Wang,1,2 Yulong Wang,1,2 Qinghai Ji1,2 1Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, 2Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, 3Department of General Surgery, Fudan University, Minhang Hospital, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China *These authors contributed equally to this work Abstract: The study was performed to retrospectively analyze the correlation of dual specificity phosphatase 4 (DUSP4 expression with clinicopathological variables and BRAFV600E mutation to better characterize the potential role of DUSP4 as a biomarker in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC. Patients (n=120 who underwent surgery for PTC at Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center (FUSCC were enrolled in this study, and a validation cohort from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA database was identified to confirm the preliminary findings in our study. We investigated DUSP4 expression at the mRNA level in PTC tissues and adjacent normal tissues using real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR. BRAFV600E mutation analysis was also performed in PTC tissues using Sanger sequencing. Initially, we compared PTC tissues with paired normal tissues in DUSP4 expression using Student’s t-test, and then analyzed the correlation of DUSP4 with clinicopathological variables and BRAFV600E mutation in PTC using Mann–Whitney U, Kruskal–Wallis, χ2, and Fisher’s exact tests. Human-derived thyroid cell lines were also used to verify our findings. DUSP4 was significantly overexpressed in PTC tissues compared with the adjacent normal tissues (P<0.001. High DUSP4 expression showed a significant association with lymph node metastasis and extrathyroidal extension in both FUSCC and TCGA cohorts, and DUSP4 overexpression was an independent risk factor for lymph node metastasis in multivariate analysis. Additionally, DUSP4 expression

  3. Utility of shear wave elastography to detect papillary thyroid carcinoma in thyroid nodules: efficacy of the standard deviation elasticity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Hye Jeong; Kwak, Mi Kyung; Choi, In Ho; Jin, So-Young; Park, Hyeong Kyu; Byun, Dong Won; Suh, Kyoil; Yoo, Myung Hi

    2018-02-23

    The aim of this study was to address the role of the elasticity index as a possible predictive marker for detecting papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and quantitatively assess shear wave elastography (SWE) as a tool for differentiating PTC from benign thyroid nodules. One hundred and nineteen patients with thyroid nodules undergoing SWE before ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration and core needle biopsy were analyzed. The mean (EMean), minimum (EMin), maximum (EMax), and standard deviation (ESD) of SWE elasticity indices were measured. Among 105 nodules, 14 were PTC and 91 were benign. The EMean, EMin, and EMax values were significantly higher in PTCs than benign nodules (EMean 37.4 in PTC vs. 23.7 in benign nodules, p = 0.005; EMin 27.9 vs. 17.8, p = 0.034; EMax 46.7 vs. 31.5, p < 0.001). The EMean, EMin, and EMax were significantly associated with PTC with diagnostic odds ratios varying from 6.74 to 9.91, high specificities (86.4%, 86.4%, and 88.1%, respectively), and positive likelihood ratios (4.21, 3.69, and 4.82, respectively). The ESD values were significantly higher in PTC than in benign nodules (6.3 vs. 2.6, p < 0.001). ESD had the highest specificity (96.6%) when applied with a cut-off value of 6.5 kPa. It had a positive likelihood ratio of 14.75 and a diagnostic odds ratio of 28.50. The shear elasticity index of ESD, with higher likelihood ratios for PTC, will probably identify nodules that have a high potential for malignancy. It may help to identify and select malignant nodules, while reducing unnecessary fine needle aspiration and core needle biopsies of benign nodules.

  4. Fluid responsiveness predicted by transcutaneous partial pressure of oxygen in patients with circulatory failure: a prospective study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Jingyuan; Peng, Xiao; Pan, Chun; Cai, Shixia; Zhang, Xiwen; Xue, Ming; Yang, Yi; Qiu, Haibo

    2017-12-01

    Significant effort has been devoted to defining parameters for predicting fluid responsiveness. Our goal was to study the feasibility of predicting fluid responsiveness by transcutaneous partial pressure of oxygen (PtcO 2 ) in the critically ill patients. This was a single-center prospective study conducted in the intensive care unit of a tertiary care teaching hospital. Shock patients who presented with at least one clinical sign of inadequate tissue perfusion, defined as systolic blood pressure 40 mmHg in previously hypertensive patients or the need for vasopressive drugs; urine output 4 mmol/l, for less than 24 h in the absence of a contraindication for fluids were eligible to participate in the study. PtcO 2 was continuously recorded before and during a passive leg raising (PLR) test, and then before and after a 250 ml rapid saline infusion in 10 min. Fluid responsiveness is defined as a change in the stroke volume ≥10% after 250 ml of volume infusion. Thirty-four patients were included, and 14 responded to volume expansion. In the responders, the mean arterial pressure, central venous pressure, cardiac output, stroke volume and PtcO 2 increased significantly, while the heart rate decreased significantly by both PLR and volume expansion. Changes in the stroke volume induced either by PLR or volume expansion were significantly greater in responders than in non-responders. The correlation between the changes in PtcO 2 and stroke volume induced by volume expansion was significant. Volume expansion induced an increase in the PtcO 2 of 14% and PLR induced an increase in PtcO 2 of 13% predicted fluid responsiveness. This study suggested the changes in PtcO 2 induced by volume expansion and a PLR test predicted fluid responsiveness in critically ill patients. Trial registration NCT02083757.

  5. STATUS GIZI DAN STATUS IODIUM PADA BALITA DENGAN SUSPECT DOWN SYNDROME

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hastin Dyah K.

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available Background: Nutritional status is one of the factor that determines the human resources and quality of life. Toddlers are one of vulnerable groups for nutritional problems. One of the nutrition problem in Indonesia is Iodine deficiency disorder. Clinical manifestations are not only endemic goiter and cretins, but also abortion, stillbirth, and congenital abnormalities. Congenital abnormalities are commonly found in areas ofendemic iodine deficiency disorder such as Down Syndrome. Objectives: This study aims to determine the iodine nutrition status of children under jive with Down Syndrome Suspect in endemic areas ofiodine deficiency disorder. Method: This research is descriptive study with cross sectional design. The study was conducted in Magelang district, which is endemic iodine deficiency disorder. Total sample of30 under jive years old with Down Syndrome Suspect. Result: The result showed that the nutritional status of respondents based on the weight/age index was 50% had good nutritional status. According to height/age index as much as 70% are short and very short. Based on weight/height index was 73,3% with normal nutritional status. At least 33% of children with Down Syndrome Suspect accompanied hypothyroidism.  Keywords: Suspect Down Syndrome, Nutritional Status, Iodine Status

  6. [Characteristics associated with pre travel medical consultation in tourists visiting Cuzco, Peru].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mejia, Christian R; Cvetkovic-Vega, Aleksandar; Cruz, Briggite; Cárdenas, Matlin M; Quiñones-Laveriano, Dante M; Rodríguez-Morales, Alfonso J

    2016-02-01

    International tourism is increasing. Preventive Medicine remains important, especially the Pre-Travel Consultation (PTC). To determinate, the characteristics of tourists associated with PTC in tourists at Cuzco, Peru. A cross-sectional, analytical study, a secondary analysis of data from a database generated by survey of foreign tourists who visited Cuzco, in the waiting room of the airport was performed. The main variable was to have had a PTC at the tourist's country of residence, the area of residence was categorized according to health/risk of acquiring infectious diseases as traveler's diarrhea during their stay. These and other variables were analyzed and statistical association with generalized linear models were done. Of the 1827 tourists, 875 (48%) were men, with a median age of 33 years (range 18-88 years); 42% had a PTC. In the multivariate analysis, it was found that a PTC lower frequency was associated with male gender (aPR: 0.84; 95% CI: 0.75-0.94), and a higher frequency was associated with have born (aPR: 1.77; 95% CI: 1.39-2.27) and reside in an area of low risk of acquiring infectious diseases (aPR: 1.95; 95% CI: 1.26-3.00), adjusted for the history of a disease. Sex, region of birth and residence of tourists (as risk of acquiring infectious diseases) are associated with having a PTC. These findings may serve the health and government attending tourists who come to our country.

  7. Primary surgery for differentiated thyroid cancer in the new millennium.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dralle, H; Machens, A

    2012-01-01

    Differentiated thyroid cancers (DTC) are malignancies of follicular cell derivation. Histopathologically and oncologically, DTC fall into two broad tumor categories: papillary (PTC) and follicular thyroid cancer (FTC). These major tumor categories, based on clinical manifestation and biological behavior, are further subdivided into low-risk [papillary microcarcinoma (mPTC); minimally invasive follicular cancer (MIFTC)] and high-risk DTC [PTC>1 cm or metastatic; MIFTC with histopathological angioinvasion; widely invasive FTC (WIFTC)]. Recently, a surgical approach has been adopted that differentiates between low-risk and high-risk DTC. The rationale behind this new concept is to better balance oncologic risk (high vs low) with the surgical morbidity attendant to the procedure (recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy and hypoparathyroidism). This surgical risk is larger with routine total thyroidectomy (TT) and central node dissection (CND) than with less than TT or TT without CND.Whereas TT with CND remains the treatment of choice for high-risk DTC with metastases, the extent of thyroid resection and lymph node dissection can be reduced in low-risk PTC and FTC without demonstrable loss of oncological benefit. In the new millennium, the surgical approach to DTC, especially low-risk PTC and FTC, has undergone considerable change, resulting in less extensive procedures. This risk-adapted strategy relies not only on the skillful histopathologic detection of multifocality in PTC and vascular invasion in MIFTC, but likewise necessitates diligent follow-up to spot and adequately treat local recurrences and distant metastases as they become clinically apparent.

  8. Influence of Phytase Transgenic Corn on the Intestinal Microflora and the Fate of Transgenic DNA and Protein in Digesta and Tissues of Broilers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Sufen; Li, Ang; Zhang, Liyang; Liu, Zhenhua; Luo, Xugang

    2015-01-01

    An experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of phytase transgenic corn (PTC) on intestinal microflora, and the fate of transgenic DNA and protein in the digesta and tissues of broilers. A total of 160 1-day-old Arbor Acres commercial male broilers were randomly assigned to 20 cages (8 chicks per cage) with 10 cages (replicates) for each treatment. Birds were fed with a diet containing either PTC (54.0% during 1–21 days and 61.0% during 22–42 days) or non-transgenic isogenic control corn (CC) for a duration of 42 days. There were no significant differences (P>0.05) between birds fed with the PTC diets and those fed with the CC diets in the quantities of aerobic bacteria, anaerobic bacteria, colibacillus and lactobacilli, or microbial diversities in the contents of ileum and cecum. Transgenic phyA2 DNA was not detected, but phyA2 protein was detected in the digesta of duodenum and jejunum of broilers fed with the PTC diets. Both transgenic phyA2 DNA and protein fragments were not found in the digesta of the ileum and rectum, heart, liver, kidney, and breast or thigh muscles of broilers fed with the PTC diets. It was concluded that PTC had no adverse effect on the quantity and diversity of gut microorganisms; Transgenic phyA2 DNA or protein was rapidly degraded in the intestinal tract and was not transferred to the tissues of broilers. PMID:26599444

  9. The Effects of Hashimoto Thyroiditis on Lymph Node Metastases in Unifocal and Multifocal Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Feng; Shen, Yi Bin; Li, Fu Qiang; Fang, Yun; Hu, Liang; Wu, Yi Jun

    2016-01-01

    Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the risk factors for central and lateral neck lymph node metastases in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and multifocal papillary thyroid carcinoma (MPTC), particularly when associated with Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT). A retrospective analysis of 763 consecutive patients who underwent total thyroidectomy with bilateral central neck dissection in the First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University between October 2011 and October 2014 was conducted. All patients had formal histological diagnoses of HT. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to identify risk factors of neck lymph node metastases. Our study identified 277 PTC patients with HT and showed comparatively low rates of central lymph node metastases (CLNM) compared with the PTC patients without HT (37.2% versus 54.7%, P thyroid peroxidase antibody >140 IU/mL was established as the most sensitive and specific level for the prediction of MPTC based on receiver operating characteristic curve analyses. Thyroid peroxidase antibody, age, tumor size, and multifocality exhibited the ability to predict CLNM in PTC with HT patients with an area under the curve of 81.1% based on a multivariate model. Hashimoto thyroiditis was associated with increased prevalences of multifocality and capsular invasion. In contrast, HT was associated with a reduced risk of CLNM in PTC and MPTC patients, which indicated a potential protective effect. We found that the prognostic prediction model was applicable for predicting multifocality and CLNM in PTC patients with HT. PMID:26871795

  10. The Effects of Hashimoto Thyroiditis on Lymph Node Metastases in Unifocal and Multifocal Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma: A Retrospective Chinese Cohort Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Feng; Shen, Yi Bin; Li, Fu Qiang; Fang, Yun; Hu, Liang; Wu, Yi Jun

    2016-02-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the risk factors for central and lateral neck lymph node metastases in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and multifocal papillary thyroid carcinoma (MPTC), particularly when associated with Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT).A retrospective analysis of 763 consecutive patients who underwent total thyroidectomy with bilateral central neck dissection in the First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University between October 2011 and October 2014 was conducted. All patients had formal histological diagnoses of HT. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to identify risk factors of neck lymph node metastases.Our study identified 277 PTC patients with HT and showed comparatively low rates of central lymph node metastases (CLNM) compared with the PTC patients without HT (37.2% versus 54.7%, P thyroid peroxidase antibody >140 IU/mL was established as the most sensitive and specific level for the prediction of MPTC based on receiver operating characteristic curve analyses. Thyroid peroxidase antibody, age, tumor size, and multifocality exhibited the ability to predict CLNM in PTC with HT patients with an area under the curve of 81.1% based on a multivariate model.Hashimoto thyroiditis was associated with increased prevalences of multifocality and capsular invasion. In contrast, HT was associated with a reduced risk of CLNM in PTC and MPTC patients, which indicated a potential protective effect. We found that the prognostic prediction model was applicable for predicting multifocality and CLNM in PTC patients with HT.

  11. Prognostic value of postoperative stimulated thyroglobulin levels on 131I ablation therapy in papillary thyroid cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gao Zairong; Chang Wei; Cui Kunwei; Chang Guoxiang; Huang Daijuan; Zhang Yongxue

    2009-01-01

    Objective: Stimulated thyroglobulin (Tg) levels postablation was associated with disease recurrence in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of postoperative stimulated Tg level on future Tg positivity after 131 I ablation therapy in PTC. Methods: One hundred and thirty-eight patients (28 men, 110 women; age range 6-70 years, mean age 39.4 years) with PTC were included in this study. All patients underwent total or near-total thyroidectomy, and 102 of these patients had lymphadenectomy. All patients had a documented PTC. 131 I ablation was performed in 3- 4 weeks after thyroidectomy. Sera levels of thyroid hormones (FT 3 , FT 4 ), thyrotropin (TSH), anti-Tg anti-body (TgAb), and Tg were measured before and after 13I ablation. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS 13.0 software, and correlation analysis and t-test were used. Results: Postoperative stimulated Tg lev-el had a significantly positive association with postablation stimulated Tg level (r = 0. 960, P 131 I ablation therapy. Total or near-total thyroidectomy simultaneously conjugated with lymphadenectomy might have a better result in lower postablation stimulated Tg positivity in patients with PTC. (authors)

  12. The relationship between chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis and central neck lymph node metastasis in North American patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jara, Sebastian M; Carson, Kathryn A; Pai, Sara I; Agrawal, Nishant; Richmon, Jeremy D; Prescott, Jason D; Dackiw, Alan; Zeiger, Martha A; Bishop, Justin A; Tufano, Ralph P

    2013-12-01

    Several studies have reported that concurrent chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis (CLT) with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is associated with improved prognosis of the PTC, including decreased lymph node metastasis. We sought to assess the incidence of central nodal metastasis (CNM) in patients with PTC and concurrent CLT. We studied 495 consecutive patients who underwent thyroidectomy with nodal excision for PTC. Pathology reports identified the presence of CLT and the extent of CNM. There were 226 patients (46%) with CLT and 220 (44%) with CNM. Patients with CLT were more often female (88% vs. 71%; P CLT was associated with a 39% decreased odds of CNM after adjusting for age, gender, tumor size, PTC histopathologic subtype, and presence of lymphovascular invasion (odds ratio, 0.61; 95% confidence interval, 0.38-0.99; P = .046). Predicted probability modeling showed that all females with CLT and no suspicious nodal findings on ultrasonography had a 9-11% risk of CNM with pT1a tumors. Female patients of all ages with CLT and small PTCs have the least incidence of CNM. Copyright © 2013 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Distinct positive temperature coefficient effect of polymer-carbon fiber composites evaluated in terms of polymer absorption on fiber surface.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Xi; Zheng, Shaodi; Zheng, Xiaofang; Liu, Zhengying; Yang, Wei; Yang, Mingbo

    2016-03-21

    In this article, the positive temperature coefficient (PTC) effect was studied for high-density polyethylene (HDPE)/carbon fiber (CF) composites. All of the samples showed a significant PTC effect during the heating processes without a negative temperature coefficient (NTC) effect, even at a temperature much higher than the melting point of the polymer matrix. An ever-increasing PTC intensity with increasing thermal cycles was observed in our study that had never been reported in previous research. The absence of a NTC effect resulted from the increased binding force between the matrix and fillers that contributed to the very special structure of CF surface. We incorporated thermal expansion theory and quantum tunneling effects to explain PTC effect. From the SEM micrographs for the HDPE/CF composites before and after the different thermal cycles, we found that the surface of CF was covered with a layer of polymer which resulted in a change in the gap length between CF and HDPE and its distribution. We believed that the gap change induced by polymer absorption on the fiber surface had a great effect on the PTC effect.

  14. Tuberculous Lymphadenitis Mimicking Nodal Metastasis in Follicular Variant Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marc Gregory Yu

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Tuberculous (TB lymphadenitis can mimic cervical node metastasis from papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC since the distribution and appearance of affected lymph nodes are similar. We present the case of an asymptomatic 50-year-old Filipino who sought consult for a gradually enlarging anterior neck mass and a single palpable cervical lymph node. Preoperative workup suggested a thyroid malignancy with nodal metastasis. He underwent total thyroidectomy with node dissection where histopathology confirmed follicular variant- (FV- PTC. Lymph node examination, however, revealed TB lymphadenitis, and the patient was given standard antimycobacterial therapy. This is the first documented case in Southeast Asia, a high TB burden region. This is also the first report involving FV-PTC, which has features between those of conventional PTC and follicular thyroid carcinoma. The case suggests that, in endemic areas, TB should be a differential in the etiology of cervical lymphadenopathy in PTC patients. In developed countries, this differential diagnosis is also valuable because of the increasing incidence of HIV and TB coinfection. Proper preoperative evaluation is important and needs to be highlighted in the formulation of local guidelines.

  15. Heterodox networks

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lala, Purnima; Kumar, Ambuj

    2016-01-01

    It is imperative for the service providers to bring innovation in the network design to meet the exponential growth of mobile subscribers for multi-technology future wireless networks. As a matter of research, studies on providing services to moving subscriber groups aka ‘Place Time Capacity (PTC......)’ have not been considered much in the literature. In this article we present Heterodox networks as an innovative and alternate approach to handle the PTC congestion. We describe two different approaches to combat the PTC congestion where the traditional terrestrial infrastructure fails to provide......-Configurable Intelligent Distributed Antenna System (SCIDAS)’ that overlays intelligence over the conventional DAS architecture and latter is in the form of a swarm of intelligent hovering base stations working in a team to cooperatively resolve the PTC congestion at the Area of Event (AoE). A suitable network...

  16. Current status and future aspects of R&D activities on electro- ceramic components in Japanese industry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takagi, Hiroshi

    2011-05-01

    The oldest pottery in Japan was made 16,500 years ago in Jomon period. On the background of a long history of Japanese ceramics, Murata and other Japanese manufacturers have been developing electro-ceramic materials and manufacturing many kinds of electronic components using them. In 1937, TDK manufactured ferrite cores first in the world. Then, Japanese electro-ceramic industry has led the world on electro-ceramic materials and components until now, especially in the fields of BaTiO3, PZT, PTC thermistor, ZnO varistor and insulating ceramics. From the analysis of the papers reported lately, R&D activities of Japanese manufacturers are understood to cover not only improving properties of electro-ceramics, but also appropriate technologies and basic technologies.

  17. Modeling and design of reacting systems with phase transfer catalysis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Piccolo, Chiara; Hodges, George; Piccione, Patrick M.

    2011-01-01

    Issues related to the design of biphasic (liquid) catalytic reaction operations are discussed. A chemical system involving the reaction of an organic-phase soluble reactant (A) with an aqueous-phase soluble reactant (B) in the presence of phase transfer catalyst (PTC) is modeled and based on it......, some of the design issues related to improved reaction operation are analyzed. Since the solubility of the different forms of the PTC in the organic solvent affects ultimately the catalyst partition coefficients, therefore, the organic solvent plays an important role in the design of PTC-based reacting...

  18. An Estimation of the Risk of Pseudotumor Cerebri among Users of the Levonorgestrel Intrauterine Device

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Valenzuela, Reuben M; Rai, Ruju; Kirk, Brian H

    2017-01-01

    Because of a previous association of pseudotumor cerebri (PTC) with levonorgestrel, we wished to evaluate the use of levonorgestrel-eluting intrauterine devices ("levonorgestrel intrauterine systems", LNG-IUS) in our University of Utah and Rigshospitalet PTC patients. In our retrospective series,...

  19. The population structure of Ukraine in relation to the ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    O.V. Filiptsova

    2015-01-06

    Jan 6, 2015 ... of green tea and red wine, cruciferous glucosinolates and iso- flavones of soy ... consumed alcohol and preferred bitter coffee and tea, there were more PTC ... PTC detected in the young age may be a predictor of a number.

  20. Status epilepticus

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hensiek, AE; Absalom, Anthony

    2006-01-01

    Status epilepticus is defined as epileptic activity that continues for more than 30 minutes as a single seizure or as recurrent seizures without inter-ictal return of consciousness. The seizure activity is usually classified as partial or generalized. Although status epilepticus is an uncommon

  1. Cancer risk and clinicopathological characteristics of thyroid nodules harboring thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor gene mutations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mon, Sann Y; Riedlinger, Gregory; Abbott, Collette E; Seethala, Raja; Ohori, N Paul; Nikiforova, Marina N; Nikiforov, Yuri E; Hodak, Steven P

    2018-05-01

    Thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor (TSHR) gene mutations play a critical role in thyroid cell proliferation and function. They are found in 20%-82% of hyperfunctioning nodules, hyperfunctioning follicular thyroid cancers (FTC), and papillary thyroid cancers (PTC). The diagnostic importance of TSHR mutation testing in fine needle aspiration (FNA) specimens remains unstudied. To examine the association of TSHR mutations with the functional status and surgical outcomes of thyroid nodules, we evaluated 703 consecutive thyroid FNA samples with indeterminate cytology for TSHR mutations using next-generation sequencing. Testing for EZH1 mutations was performed in selected cases. The molecular diagnostic testing was done as part of standard of care treatment, and did not require informed consent. TSHR mutations were detected in 31 (4.4%) nodules and were located in exons 281-640, with codon 486 being the most common. Allelic frequency ranged from 3% to 45%. Of 16 cases (12 benign, 3 FTC, 1 PTC) with surgical correlation, 15 had solitary TSHR mutations and 1 PTC had comutation with BRAF V600E. Hyperthyroidism was confirmed in all 3 FTC (2 overt, 1 subclinical). Of 5 nodules with solitary TSHR mutations detected at high allelic frequency, 3 (60%) were FTC. Those at low allelic frequency (3%-22%) were benign. EZH1 mutations were detected in 2 of 4 TSHR-mutant malignant nodules and neither of 2 benign nodules. We report that TSHR mutations occur in ∼5% thyroid nodules in a large consecutive series with indeterminate cytology. TSHR mutations may be associated with an increased cancer risk when present at high allelic frequency, even when the nodule is hyperfunctioning. Benign nodules were however most strongly correlated with TSHR mutations at low allelic frequency. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  2. STATUS GIZI DAN STATUS KESEHATAN SUKU BADUY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Faisal Anwar

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available 800x600 Normal 0 false false false IN X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";} The objectives of the study were: (1 To analyze the socio-economic and demographic characteristics of Baduy people; (2 To analyze the health status and nutritional status of Baduy people and its influential factors. This research is an explorative and descriptive study on the socio-cultural aspects of food system. The data were collected through a direct interview and discussion with respondents as well as a direct observation at the location of respondents. A sample size of 338 households was drawn from the population. To obtain the data on the cultural aspects, history and  socio aspect of food, in-depth interviews was conducted with 19 key persons. The study was last for 12 months. In Outer Baduy, the factors significantly related to nutritional status are age, number of household size, income, nutritional knowledge, and wife’s ability to read. In Moslem Baduy, only age and income are related to the nutritional status of children. In Moslem Baduy and the Outer Baduy, the correlation between age and W/A or W/H is similar: namely, the higher the age, the lower would the Z-score for the W/A or W/H. The income is significantly correlated to the child nutritional status according to Z-score for W/A with a high correlation coefficient, that is, 0.61. This means that the higher the income, the higher would be the Z-score value for the W/A.  The distribution of adults according to BMI classification in Outer Baduy it shows that 12.7% husbands and 17.6% wives are thin (wasted, while the

  3. Permafrost thaw and wildfire: Equally important drivers of boreal tree cover changes in the Taiga Plains, Canada

    Science.gov (United States)

    Helbig, M.; Pappas, C.; Sonnentag, O.

    2016-02-01

    Boreal forests cover vast areas of the permafrost zones of North America, and changes in their composition and structure can lead to pronounced impacts on the regional and global climate. We partition the variation in regional boreal tree cover changes between 2000 and 2014 across the Taiga Plains, Canada, into its main causes: permafrost thaw, wildfire disturbance, and postfire regrowth. Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer Percent Tree Cover (PTC) data are used in combination with maps of historic fires, and permafrost and drainage characteristics. We find that permafrost thaw is equally important as fire history to explain PTC changes. At the southern margin of the permafrost zone, PTC loss due to permafrost thaw outweighs PTC gain from postfire regrowth. These findings emphasize the importance of permafrost thaw in controlling regional boreal forest changes over the last decade, which may become more pronounced with rising air temperatures and accelerated permafrost thaw.

  4. Reduced Suprathreshold Odor Identification in Patients with Pseudotumor Cerebri: A Non-Randomized Prospective Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dotan, Gad; Cohen, Eyal; Klein, Ainat; Kesler, Anat

    2018-01-01

    Recent evidence suggests that olfaction is impaired in patients with pseudotumor cerebri (PTC). To measure suprathreshold olfactory function by using the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT), assessing its usefulness for routine clinical use. Forty PTC patients underwent USPIT olfactory testing. Twenty-nine out of 40 (73%) PTC patients (36 women, 4 men; mean age 34 years) had reduced suprathreshold smell sensation according to UPSIT scores: 19 (47%) had mild microsmia, 9 (23%) had moderate microsmia, and one (3%) was classified as having severe microsmia. The mean UPSIT score of all patients was 32.4 (95% confidence interval 31.4-33.4). Multivariate regression analysis found that UPSIT scores were not related to disease activity, disease duration, initial intracranial pressure (ICP), or visual function. Many PTC patients have reduced suprathreshold olfactory dysfunction that can be discovered by UPSIT, a rapidly administered smell test, which is suitable for clinical office use.

  5. Management of status epilepticus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pichler, M; Hocker, S

    2017-01-01

    Status epilepticus is a neurologic and medical emergency manifested by prolonged seizure activity or multiple seizures without return to baseline. It is associated with substantial medical cost, morbidity, and mortality. There is a spectrum of severity dependent on the type of seizure, underlying pathology, comorbidities, and appropriate and timely medical management. This chapter discusses the evolving definitions of status epilepticus and multiple patient and clinical factors which influence outcome. The pathophysiology of status epilepticus is reviewed to provide a better understanding of the mechanisms which contribute to status epilepticus, as well as the potential long-term effects. The clinical presentations of different types of status epilepticus in adults are discussed, with emphasis on the hospital course and management of the most dangerous type, generalized convulsive status epilepticus. Strategies for the evaluation and management of status epilepticus are provided based on available evidence from clinical trials and recommendations from the Neurocritical Care Society and the European Federation of Neurological Societies. © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. The establishment and expansion of an innovative centre for rational pharmacotherapy--determinants and challenges.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kardakis, Therese; Tomson, Göran; Wettermark, Björn; Brommels, Mats; Godman, Brian; Bastholm-Rahmner, Pia

    2015-01-01

    The regional Board of Health in Stockholm, Sweden, established the Pharmacotherapy Centre (PTC) to enhance the rational use of medicines. The PTC initiated computerised decision support systems and developed a range of electronic service products to sustain rational prescribing. However, knowledge about which determinants have supported or hindered the sustainability of this type of healthcare organisation is limited. This study aims to identify and explore determinants that support or challenge the development and sustainability of the PTC organisation, as well as investigate the key elements of their implementation efforts. An in-depth interview study among key informants involved in the establishment of the PTC organisation was conducted. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Findings suggest that determinants enabling the development and expansion of this organisation include the presence of innovative characteristics among the PTC leadership and the ability of leaders to nurture visionary innovation in others, as well as the instigation of informal social networks and to identify end-user needs. Challenges included an ambiguous relationship to the pharmaceutical industry, an underestimation of the innovation-system fit and to undertake systematic evaluation of created impact by the organisation. Although prescriber use of electronic service products and adherence to an essential drug list increased over time, it remains difficult to identify methods required for demonstrating patient effects. Whereas some determinants enabled the successful expansion of the PTC organisation, others served to substantially hinder it. The determinants identified can pave the way for systematic investigations into organisational change and development research in the pharmaceutical field. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  7. Empirical Tryout of a New Statistic for Detecting Temporally Inconsistent Responders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kerry, Matthew J

    2018-01-01

    Statistical screening of self-report data is often advised to support the quality of analyzed responses - For example, reduction of insufficient effort responding (IER). One recently introduced index based on Mahalanobis's D for detecting outliers in cross-sectional designs replaces centered scores with difference scores between repeated-measure items: Termed person temporal consistency ( D 2 ptc ). Although the adapted D 2 ptc index demonstrated usefulness in simulation datasets, it has not been applied to empirical data. The current study addresses D 2 ptc 's low uptake by critically appraising its performance across three empirical applications. Independent samples were selected to represent a range of scenarios commonly encountered by organizational researchers. First, in Sample 1, a repeat-measure of future time perspective (FTP) inexperienced working adults (age >40-years; n = 620) indicated that temporal inconsistency was significantly related to respondent age and item reverse-scoring. Second, in repeat-measure of team efficacy aggregations, D 2 ptc successfully detected team-level inconsistency across repeat-performance cycles. Thirdly, the usefulness of the D 2 ptc was examined in an experimental study dataset of subjective life expectancy indicated significantly more stable responding in experimental conditions compared to controls. The empirical findings support D 2 ptc 's flexible and useful application to distinct study designs. Discussion centers on current limitations and further extensions that may be of value to psychologists screening self-report data for strengthening response quality and meaningfulness of inferences from repeated-measures self-reports. Taken together, the findings support the usefulness of the newly devised statistic for detecting IER and other extreme response patterns.

  8. Comparison of arterial blood gas with continuous intra-arterial and transcutaneous PO2 sensors in adult critically ill patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Green, G E; Hassell, K T; Mahutte, C K

    1987-05-01

    We compared the partial pressure of oxygen directly via a continuous intra-arterial probe (PiaO2) and indirectly using a transcutaneous device (PtcO2) with simultaneously obtained arterial blood PaO2. The PiaO2 values were measured using a bipolar oxygen sensor placed through an 18-ga arterial catheter. The PtcO2 values were measured using a transcutaneous O2-CO2 sensor placed on the abdomen. Seven critically ill, hemodynamically stable, ventilator-dependent adult patients were studied. Measurements were obtained at varying concentrations (0.25 to 1.0) of inspired oxygen after a 10-min stabilization. A total of 78 simultaneous values were obtained; by linear regression: PiaO2 = 0.91 PaO2 + 1.39 (r = .98, standard errors of the estimate [SEE] = 18.6); PtcO2 = 0.39 PaO2 + 36.2 (r = .89, SEE = 14.1). To assess these instruments as trend monitors, we compared the changes in simultaneous PaO2, PiaO2, and PtcO2 values; by linear regression: delta PiaO2 = 0.90 delta PaO2 + 3.88 (r = .96, SEE = 27.7); delta PtcO2 = 0.43 delta PaO2 + 5.6 (r = .94, SEE = 15.2). We conclude that, although these instruments correlate highly with the PaO2, the SEE was substantial and therefore may limit their clinical reliability in adults. Any acute or clinically significant change in PiaO2 or PtcO2 should be confirmed with a blood gas PaO2.

  9. How OpenLearn Supports a Business Model for OER

    Science.gov (United States)

    Law, Patrina; Perryman, Leigh-Anne

    2017-01-01

    In 2013, the Open University (OU) in the UK launched a large-scale survey of users of its OpenLearn platform for open educational resources. The survey results revealed that OpenLearn is functioning as a showcase and a taster for the OU, thereby offering informal learners a bridge to formal education. In 2014 and 2015, the OpenLearn survey was…

  10. Neuromuscular blockade for improvement of surgical conditions during laparotomy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Madsen, Matias Vested; Scheppan, Susanne; Kissmeyer, Peter

    2015-01-01

    neuromuscular blockade (NMB), defined as a post-tetanic-count (PTC) of 0-1, paralyses the abdominal wall muscles and the diaphragm. We hypothesised that deep NMB (PTC 0-1) would improve surgical conditions during upper laparotomy as compared to standard NMB with bolus administration. METHODS...

  11. Patients "At Risk'' of Suffering from Persistent Complaints after Mild Traumatic Brain Injury : The Role of Coping, Mood Disorders, and Post-Traumatic Stress

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Scheenen, Myrthe E.; Spikman, Jacoba M.; de Koning, Myrthe E.; van der Horn, Harm J.; Roks, Gerwin; Hageman, Gerard; van der Naalt, Joukje

    2017-01-01

    Although most patients recover fully following mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), a minority (15-25%) of all patients develop persistent post-traumatic complaints (PTC) that interfere with the resumption of previous activities. An early identification of patients who are at risk for PTC is

  12. 78 FR 51078 - Reporting Requirements for Positive Train Control Expenses and Investments

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-08-20

    ...] Reporting Requirements for Positive Train Control Expenses and Investments AGENCY: Surface Transportation... investments and expenses. PTC is an automated system designed to prevent train-to-train collisions and other..., PTC expenditures are incorporated into the R-1 under the category of ``capital investments and...

  13. HUBUNGAN KUALITAS PELAYANAN, STATUS EKONOMI, STATUS PENDIDIKAN TERHADAP LOYALITAS PELANGGAN KARTU SIMPATI Dl SURAKARTA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lailiyani Khoirannisa

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available This study aimed to identify the relationship between service quality, economic status, educational status of Simpati card customers loyalty in Surakarta. The subjects of in this research are the Simpati card customers in Surakarta. Data were collected through questionnaires and analyzed using Multiple Linear Regression. The result of t test statistic tcount  was 6088, P.value (Sig. 0000 and the regression coefficient 0663. It means that there is an influence of quality of service (X on customer loyalty. Test results obtained by t test statistic tcount was 0228; P.value (Sig. 0820 and the regression coefficient 0560. It means that there is no influence of socioeconomic status (X on customer loyalty. Test results obtained by t test statistic tcount equals to -1820; P.value (Sig. 0071, and the regression coefficients is -0759. This indicates that there is no effect of educational Status (X₃ on custumer loyalty. The results of the regression test known value of fcount  equal to 14.118 with a significance value 0.000. This indicates an increase in the quality of service simultaneously together social status and educational status will increase customer loyalty. Results of test regression relations service quality, economic status, status education against customer loyalty card Simpati is as follow: there is a relation between service quality; there is no correlation between economic status and loyalty; there is no correlation between educational status and customer loyalty; and simultaneously, service quality, economic status, and educational status have influence on loyalty of Simpati card customers in Surakarta.

  14. Altered Peptidase Activities in Thyroid Neoplasia and Hyperplasia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gorka Larrinaga

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC, follicular thyroid adenoma (FTA, and thyroid nodular hyperplasia (TNH are the most frequent diseases of the thyroid gland. Previous studies described the involvement of dipeptidyl-peptidase IV (DPPIV/CD26 in the development of thyroid neoplasia and proposed it as an additional tool in the diagnosis/prognosis of these diseases. However, very little is known about the involvement of other peptidases in neoplastic and hyperplastic processes of this gland. Methods. The catalytic activity of 10 peptidases in a series of 30 PTC, 10 FTA, and 14 TNH was measured fluorimetrically in tumour and nontumour adjacent tissues. Results. The activity of DPPIV/CD26 was markedly higher in PTC than in FTA, TNH, and nontumour tissues. Aspartyl aminopeptidase (AspAP, alanyl aminopeptidase (AlaAP, prolyl endopeptidase, pyroglutamyl peptidase I, and aminopeptidase B activities were significantly increased in thyroid neoplasms when compared to nontumour tissues. AspAP and AlaAP activities were also significantly higher in PTC than in FTA and TNH. Conclusions. These data suggest the involvement of DPPIV/CD26 and some cytosolic peptidases in the neoplastic development of PTC and FTA. Further studies will help to define the possible clinical usefulness of AlaAP and AspAP in the diagnosis/prognosis of thyroid neoplasms.

  15. Altered peptidase activities in thyroid neoplasia and hyperplasia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Larrinaga, Gorka; Blanco, Lorena; Errarte, Peio; Beitia, Maider; Sanz, Begoña; Perez, Itxaro; Irazusta, Amaia; Sánchez, Clara E; Santaolalla, Francisco; Andrés, Leire; López, José I

    2013-01-01

    Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), follicular thyroid adenoma (FTA), and thyroid nodular hyperplasia (TNH) are the most frequent diseases of the thyroid gland. Previous studies described the involvement of dipeptidyl-peptidase IV (DPPIV/CD26) in the development of thyroid neoplasia and proposed it as an additional tool in the diagnosis/prognosis of these diseases. However, very little is known about the involvement of other peptidases in neoplastic and hyperplastic processes of this gland. The catalytic activity of 10 peptidases in a series of 30 PTC, 10 FTA, and 14 TNH was measured fluorimetrically in tumour and nontumour adjacent tissues. The activity of DPPIV/CD26 was markedly higher in PTC than in FTA, TNH, and nontumour tissues. Aspartyl aminopeptidase (AspAP), alanyl aminopeptidase (AlaAP), prolyl endopeptidase, pyroglutamyl peptidase I, and aminopeptidase B activities were significantly increased in thyroid neoplasms when compared to nontumour tissues. AspAP and AlaAP activities were also significantly higher in PTC than in FTA and TNH. These data suggest the involvement of DPPIV/CD26 and some cytosolic peptidases in the neoplastic development of PTC and FTA. Further studies will help to define the possible clinical usefulness of AlaAP and AspAP in the diagnosis/prognosis of thyroid neoplasms.

  16. Multifocal fibrosing thyroiditis and its association with papillary thyroid carcinoma using BRAF pyrosequencing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frank, Renee; Baloch, Zubair W; Gentile, Caren; Watt, Christopher D; LiVolsi, Virginia A

    2014-09-01

    Multifocal fibrosing thyroiditis (MFT) is characterized by numerous foci of fibrosis in a stellate configuration with fibroelastotic and fibroblastic centers entrapping epithelial structures. MFT has been proposed as a risk factor for papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) development. We attempted to identify whether MFT showed such molecular changes and could possibly be related to PTC. We identified seven cases of PTC with MFT in our institutional pathology database and personal consult service of one of the authors (VAL) for the years 1999 to 2012. Areas of PTC, MFT, and normal tissue were selected for BRAF analysis. Macro-dissection, DNA extraction and PCR amplification, and pyrosequencing were performed to detect BRAF mutations in codon 600. All of the MFT lesions and normal thyroid tissue were negative for BRAF mutations. Of the seven PTCs analyzed, five (71 %) were negative for BRAF mutations, while two cases were positive. In our study, none of the MFT lesions harbored BRAF mutations, whereas 29 % (two of seven) PTCs in the same gland were positive. Hence, in this small study, we found no evidence that the MFT lesion is a direct precursor to PTC. It is likely an incidental bystander in the process and a reflection of the background thyroiditis.

  17. Service Level Status

    CERN Multimedia

    Lopienski, S

    2007-01-01

    Nowadays, IT departments provide, and people use, computing services of an increasingly heterogeneous nature. There is thus a growing need for a status display that groups these different services and reports status and availability in a uniform way. The Service Level Status (SLS) system addresses these needs by providing a web-based display that dynamically shows availability, basic information and statistics about various IT services, as well as the dependencies between them.

  18. Primary status, complementary status, and organizational survival in the U.S. venture capital industry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bothner, Matthew S; Kim, Young-Kyu; Lee, Wonjae

    2015-07-01

    We introduce a distinction between two kinds of status and examine their effects on the exit rates of organizations investing in the U.S. venture capital industry. Extending past work on status-based competition, we start with a simple baseline: we describe primary status as a network-related signal of an organization's quality in a leadership role, that is, as a function of the degree to which an organization leads others that are themselves well regarded as lead organizations in the context of investment syndicates. Combining Harary's (1959) image of the elite consultant with Goffman's (1956) concept of "capacity-esteem," we then discuss complementary status as an affiliation-based signal of an organization's quality in a supporting role. We measure complementary status as a function of the extent to which an organization is invited into syndicates by well-regarded lead organizations-that is, by those possessing high levels of primary status. Findings show that, conditioning on primary status, complementary status reduces the rate at which venture capital organizations exit the industry. Consistent with the premise that these kinds of status correspond to different roles and market identities, we also find that complementary status attenuates (and ultimately reverses) the otherwise favorable effect of primary status on an organization's life chances. Theoretically and methodologically oriented scope conditions, as well as implications for future research, are discussed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Decoupling social status and status certainty effects on health in macaques: a network approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jessica J. Vandeleest

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Background Although a wealth of literature points to the importance of social factors on health, a detailed understanding of the complex interplay between social and biological systems is lacking. Social status is one aspect of social life that is made up of multiple structural (humans: income, education; animals: mating system, dominance rank and relational components (perceived social status, dominance interactions. In a nonhuman primate model we use novel network techniques to decouple two components of social status, dominance rank (a commonly used measure of social status in animal models and dominance certainty (the relative certainty vs. ambiguity of an individual’s status, allowing for a more complex examination of how social status impacts health. Methods Behavioral observations were conducted on three outdoor captive groups of rhesus macaques (N = 252 subjects. Subjects’ general physical health (diarrhea was assessed twice weekly, and blood was drawn once to assess biomarkers of inflammation (interleukin-6 (IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α, and C-reactive protein (CRP. Results Dominance rank alone did not fully account for the complex way that social status exerted its effect on health. Instead, dominance certainty modified the impact of rank on biomarkers of inflammation. Specifically, high-ranked animals with more ambiguous status relationships had higher levels of inflammation than low-ranked animals, whereas little effect of rank was seen for animals with more certain status relationships. The impact of status on physical health was more straightforward: individuals with more ambiguous status relationships had more frequent diarrhea; there was marginal evidence that high-ranked animals had less frequent diarrhea. Discussion Social status has a complex and multi-faceted impact on individual health. Our work suggests an important role of uncertainty in one’s social status in status-health research. This work also

  20. Preference for High Status Predicts Implicit Outgroup Bias among Children from Low-Status Groups

    Science.gov (United States)

    Newheiser, Anna-Kaisa; Dunham, Yarrow; Merrill, Anna; Hoosain, Leah; Olson, Kristina R.

    2014-01-01

    Whereas members of high-status racial groups show ingroup preference when attitudes are measured implicitly, members of low-status racial groups--both adults and children--typically show no bias, potentially reflecting awareness of the ingroup's low status. We hypothesized that when status differences are especially pronounced, children from…

  1. Higher Status Honesty Is Worth More: The Effect of Social Status on Honesty Evaluation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Philip R. Blue

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Promises are crucial for maintaining trust in social hierarchies. It is well known that not all promises are kept; yet the effect of social status on responses to promises being kept or broken is far from understood, as are the neural processes underlying this effect. Here we manipulated participants’ social status before measuring their investment behavior as Investor in iterated Trust Game (TG. Participants decided how much to invest in their partners, who acted as Trustees in TG, after being informed that their partners of higher or lower social status either promised to return half of the multiplied sum (4 × invested amount, did not promise, or had no opportunity to promise. Event-related potentials (ERPs were recorded when the participants saw the Trustees’ decisions in which the partners always returned half of the time, regardless of the experimental conditions. Trustee decisions to return or not after promising to do so were defined as honesty and dishonesty, respectively. Behaviorally, participants invested more when Trustees promised than when Trustees had no opportunity to promise, and this effect was greater for higher status than lower status Trustees. Neurally, when viewing Trustees’ return decisions, participants’ medial frontal negativity (MFN responses (250–310 ms post onset were more negative when Trustees did not return than when they did return, suggesting that not returning was an expectancy violation. P300 responses were only sensitive to higher status return feedback, and were more positive-going for higher status partner returns than for lower status partner returns, suggesting that higher status returns may have been more rewarding/motivationally significant. Importantly, only participants in low subjective socioeconomic status (SES evidenced an increased P300 effect for higher status than lower status honesty (honesty – dishonesty, suggesting that higher status honesty was especially rewarding

  2. Status kesehatan oral dan asupan zat gizi berhubungan dengan status gizi lansia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Akhdrisa Mura Wijaya

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Central Bureau of Statistics data in 2006, showed that the average life expectancy of the population living in Yogyakarta (DIY was 73 years, and 73.8 years for those living in Sleman. This was higher than the average national life expectancy of 68.5 years. National Health Survey in 2007 showed that the prevalence of oral and dental problems in DIY was 23.6%, while the pulp and periapical tissue diseases in the elderly in Sleman districts was approximately 1704 cases. Hence, it was classified as one of the 10 most prevalent diseases in Public Health Centre. In addition, there were 406 older adults who were underweight. Objectives: To investigate the relationship between oral health status, nutrient intake and nutritional status in older adults. Methods: This study is an observational study with cross sectional design. Subjects were 310 patients aged 60-74 years old in Sleman district. Data obtained by interview, examination of the oral health status, measurement of body weight and arm span. Data were analyzed with Chi-square test. Results: There was a significant association between oral health status and protein intake (RP=2.38; 95%CI:1.42-3.970. Energy, fat and carbohydrates intake were not associated with oral health status (p>0,05. Nutritional status was significantly associated with the intake of the energy (RP=2.98, 95%CI:1.58-5.58, protein (RP=2.44, 95%CI:1,05-5.67, fat (RP=3.68, 95%CI:1.93-7.03 and carbohydrates (RP=4.89, 95%CI:2.54-9.4. However, there were no relationship found between oral health and nutritional status (RP=1.79, 95%CI:0.94-3.43. Conclusion: There was a significant association between oral health status and protein intake. The intake of nutrients (energy, protein, fat, and carbohydrate was significantly associated with nutritional status. However, there was no significant relationship found between oral health and nutritional status in older adults.

  3. [Application of central lymph node dissection to surgical operation for clinical stage n0 papillary thyroid carcinoma].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Wei; Shi, Jun-Yi; Sheng, Yuan; Ll, Li

    2008-03-01

    The treatment for papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) without cervical lymph node metastasis (cN0) is controversial. This study was to explore a suitable method to dissect cervical lymph nodes for stage cN0 PTC patients. Eighty-four stage cN0 PTC patients, diagnosed by B ultrasound or cervical MRI from 2005--2006, were randomly divided into two groups. Thyroidectomy and ipsilateral central lymph node dissection were performed in Group A, while only thyroidectomy was performed in Group B. Each group contained 42 patients. Both groups took thyroxin tablets after operation. An average of 3 lymph nodes were found in each case of Group A, and the lymph node metastasis rate was 47.62%. The occurrence rates of complications were not significantly different between the two groups (P<0.05). Thyroidectomy plus ipsilateral central lymph node dissection is recommended for the treatment of stage cN0 PTC. It can also avoid damage of recurrent laryngeal nerve in re-dissection.

  4. Historically aggressive types of follicular cell-derived thyroid cancer often have radioactive avid distant metastases: a study of 314 patients with distant metastases at a single institution

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tala, H.P.; Rondeau, G.; Fagin, J.A.; Tuttle, R.M. [Endocrinology Division, Department of Medicine, Nuclear Medicine Division, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New-York (United States); Ghossein, R.A. [Pathology Department, Nuclear Medecine Division, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New-York (United States); Grewal, R.K.; Larson, S.M. [Radiology Department, Nuclear Medicine Division, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New-York (United States)

    2012-07-01

    Radioactive iodine (RAI) remains one of the primary treatment options for metastatic, follicular cell derived thyroid cancers. The aim of this study was to determine the likelihood that metastatic lesions arising from one of the aggressive thyroid cancer histologies [tall cell variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma (TCV-PTC), poorly differentiated thyroid carcinoma (PDTC) and Hurthle cell carcinoma (HCC)] would demonstrate sufficient RAI avidity for visualization on RAI scanning and therefore could potentially benefit from RAI therapy. The study shows that in patients selected for RAI scanning or therapy at our center, RAI avid lesions can be identified in more than two thirds of the patients with distant metastases arising in the setting of C-PTC, WD-FTC, FV-PTC, TCV-PTC, or PDTC primary tumors. While RAI avidity on a post-therapy scan does not always correlate with clinically significant tumor killing activity, it is likely that some of these patients with RAI avid metastatic disease did obtain a clinical benefit

  5. Introduction to the polymorphic tracking code Fibre bundles, polymorphic Taylor types and "Exact tracking"

    CERN Document Server

    Schmidt, F; McIntosh, E

    2002-01-01

    This is a description of the basic ideas behind the ``Polymorphic Tracking Code'' or PTC. PTC is truly a ``kick code'' or symplectic integrator in the tradition of TRACYII, SixTrack, and TEAPOT. However it separates correctly the mathematical atlas of charts and the magnets at a structural level by implementing a ``restricted fibre bundle.'' The resulting structures allow backward propagation and recirculation, something not possible in standard tracking codes. Also PTC is polymorphic in handling real (single, double and even quadruple precision) and Taylor series. Therefore it has all the tools associated to the TPSA packages: Lie methods, Normal Forms, Cosy-Infinity capabilities, beam envelopes for radiation, etc., as well as parameter dependence on-the-fly. However PTC is an integrator, and as such, one must, generally, adhere to the Talman ``exactness'' view of modelling. Incidentally, it supports exact sector and rectangular bends as well. Of course, one can certainly bypass its integrator and the user i...

  6. Refractory status epilepticus

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sanjay P Singh

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Refractory status epilepticus is a potentially life-threatening medical emergency. It requires early diagnosis and treatment. There is a lack of consensus upon its semantic definition of whether it is status epilepticus that continues despite treatment with benzodiazepine and one antiepileptic medication (AED, i.e., Lorazepam + phenytoin. Others regard refractory status epilepticus as failure of benzodiazepine and 2 antiepileptic medications, i.e., Lorazepam + phenytoin + phenobarb. Up to 30% patients in SE fail to respond to two antiepileptic drugs (AEDs and 15% continue to have seizure activity despite use of three drugs. Mechanisms that have made the treatment even more challenging are GABA-R that is internalized during status epilepticus and upregulation of multidrug transporter proteins. All patients of refractory status epilepticus require continuous EEG monitoring. There are three main agents used in the treatment of RSE. These include pentobarbital or thiopental, midazolam and propofol. RSE was shown to result in mortality in 35% cases, 39.13% of patients were left with severe neurological deficits, while another 13% had mild neurological deficits.

  7. Refractory status epilepticus

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Sanjay P; Agarwal, Shubhi; Faulkner, M

    2014-01-01

    Refractory status epilepticus is a potentially life-threatening medical emergency. It requires early diagnosis and treatment. There is a lack of consensus upon its semantic definition of whether it is status epilepticus that continues despite treatment with benzodiazepine and one antiepileptic medication (AED), i.e., Lorazepam + phenytoin. Others regard refractory status epilepticus as failure of benzodiazepine and 2 antiepileptic medications, i.e., Lorazepam + phenytoin + phenobarb. Up to 30% patients in SE fail to respond to two antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) and 15% continue to have seizure activity despite use of three drugs. Mechanisms that have made the treatment even more challenging are GABA-R that is internalized during status epilepticus and upregulation of multidrug transporter proteins. All patients of refractory status epilepticus require continuous EEG monitoring. There are three main agents used in the treatment of RSE. These include pentobarbital or thiopental, midazolam and propofol. RSE was shown to result in mortality in 35% cases, 39.13% of patients were left with severe neurological deficits, while another 13% had mild neurological deficits. PMID:24791086

  8. Multivariate approaches for stability control of the olive oil reference materials for sensory analysis - part II: applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Valverde-Som, Lucia; Ruiz-Samblás, Cristina; Rodríguez-García, Francisco P; Cuadros-Rodríguez, Luis

    2018-02-09

    The organoleptic quality of virgin olive oil depends on positive and negative sensory attributes. These attributes are related to volatile organic compounds and phenolic compounds that represent the aroma and taste (flavour) of the virgin olive oil. The flavour is the characteristic that can be measured by a taster panel. However, as for any analytical measuring device, the tasters, individually, and the panel, as a whole, should be harmonized and validated and proper olive oil standards are needed. In the present study, multivariate approaches are put into practice in addition to the rules to build a multivariate control chart from chromatographic volatile fingerprinting and chemometrics. Fingerprinting techniques provide analytical information without identify and quantify the analytes. This methodology is used to monitor the stability of sensory reference materials. The similarity indices have been calculated to build multivariate control chart with two olive oils certified reference materials that have been used as examples to monitor their stabilities. This methodology with chromatographic data could be applied in parallel with the 'panel test' sensory method to reduce the work of sensory analysis. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

  9. Visual loss at presentation in children with pseudotumor cerebri

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rana Al-Senawi

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: To describe visual loss at presentation in children with pseudotumor cerebri (PTC, and discuss mechanisms of visual loss and distinguishing features of pediatric PTC. Materials and Methods: Two children with papilledema and visual complaints were referred for ophthalmic evaluation. Both patients underwent a detailed ophthalmic work-up. Results: Patient 1, an 8-year-old girl, presented with a 2-week history of headache, vomiting, and visual impairment in both eyes. The child had no previous medical history. Patient 2, a 9-year-old boy, experienced sudden loss of vision in both eyes one week prior to presentation, along with severe headache and vomiting. He had undergone a renal transplantation one year back, and his current medications included cyclosporine A (CsA and oral prednisolone. Extensive disc swelling, lipid exudation and retinal thickening in the posterior pole were observed in both patients. Lumbar puncture in both showed elevated cerebrospinal fluid pressure. Both were treated with oral acetazolamide. Patient 1 additionally received intravenous methylprednisolone followed by an oral taper. CsA was stopped in patient 2. PTC and papilledema resolved with above measures in both patients, with partial recovery of visual function. Conclusions: PTC in children may have atypical manifestations. Visual acuity may be compromised acutely due to several factors. Patients with PTC and severe visual loss at presentation mandate an aggressive management approach. Use of intravenous steroids may be considered along with acetazolamide. Despite resolution of PTC, sequelae such as optic atrophy or macular scarring may impede eventual visual recovery. Physicians following patients on CsA need to be aware of the possible neuro-ophthalmic complications of the drug.

  10. Service level status-a new real-time status display for IT services

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lopienski, S [IT Department, FIO group CERN, European Organization for Nuclear Research, 1211 Geneve 23 (Switzerland)], E-mail: Sebastian.Lopienski@cern.ch

    2008-07-15

    Nowadays, IT departments provide, and people use, computing services of an increasingly heterogeneous nature. There is thus a growing need for a status display that groups these different services and reports their status and availability in a uniform way. The Service Level Status (SLS) system addresses these needs by providing a web-based display that dynamically shows availability, basic information and statistics about various IT services, as well as the dependencies between them. This paper first introduces the requirements SLS had to meet, and the main concepts behind it, like service availability and status, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), sub/meta-services, and service dependencies. It then describes the SLS system architecture, and some interesting implementation details, such as the usage of XML Schemas. Since clear visualization of service availability and status is one of the main goals of SLS, emphasis is put on describing the intuitive web-based user interface.

  11. Service level status-a new real-time status display for IT services

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lopienski, S

    2008-01-01

    Nowadays, IT departments provide, and people use, computing services of an increasingly heterogeneous nature. There is thus a growing need for a status display that groups these different services and reports their status and availability in a uniform way. The Service Level Status (SLS) system addresses these needs by providing a web-based display that dynamically shows availability, basic information and statistics about various IT services, as well as the dependencies between them. This paper first introduces the requirements SLS had to meet, and the main concepts behind it, like service availability and status, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), sub/meta-services, and service dependencies. It then describes the SLS system architecture, and some interesting implementation details, such as the usage of XML Schemas. Since clear visualization of service availability and status is one of the main goals of SLS, emphasis is put on describing the intuitive web-based user interface

  12. Ethanol Electrooxidation on Pt with Lanthanum Oxide as Cocatalyst in a DAFC

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T. A. B. Santoro

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Electrocatalytic activity toward ethanol electrooxidation of Pt particles in PtLa/C catalysts with different Pt : La ratios has been studied with different electrochemical and spectroscopic techniques, and the results were compared to those of Pt/C catalyst. Significant enhancement in the electrocatalytic activity has been achieved by depositing the Pt particles with lanthanum oxides/hydroxides using an alcohol reduction method. Compared to Pt/C catalyst, PtLa/C materials exhibit a lower onset potential and a higher electron-transfer rate constant for the investigated reaction. These studies illustrate the possibility of utilizing Pt/C with La oxides/hidroxides as electrocatalyst for direct alcohol fuel cells (DAFCs.

  13. HABP2 p.G534E variant in patients with family history of thyroid and breast cancer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pinheiro, Maísa; Drigo, Sandra Aparecida; Tonhosolo, Renata

    2017-01-01

    Familial Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma (PTC) has been described as a hereditary predisposition cancer syndrome associated with mutations in candidate genes including HABP2. Two of 20 probands from families with history of PTC and breast carcinoma (BC) were evaluated by whole exome sequencing (WES...... familial PTC cases. Genes potentially associated with deregulation of the extracellular matrix organization pathway (CTSB, TNXB, COL4A3, COL16A1, COL24A1, COL5A2, NID1, LOXL2, MMP11, TRIM24 and MUSK) and DNA repair function (NBN and MSH2) were detected by WES, suggesting that other cancer-associated genes...

  14. A paratubal cyst associated with flegmonous appendicitis: A case ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    These masses have been reported in all age groups, beginning from the premenarchial period up to menopause, and are mostly benign. A 14-year-old girl with flegmonous appendicitis diagnosed and treated during the management of PTC is presented. This report shows that PTC and flegmonous appendicitis can be seen ...

  15. Solar fuel production in a novel polymeric electrolyte membrane photoelectrochemical (PEM-PEC) cell with a web of titania nanotube arrays as photoanode and gaseous reactants

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Stoll, T.; Zafeiropoulos, G.; Tsampas, M. N.

    2016-01-01

    A novel photoelectrochemical (PEC) cell design is proposed and investigated for H-2 production with gaseous reactants. The core of the cell is a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) that consists of a TiO2 nanotube arrays photoanode, a Pt/C cathode, a Pt/C reference electrode and a proton conducting

  16. Comparative studies on the diagnostic value of direct and indirect cholangiography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schentke, K.U.; Koehler, K.; Platzbecker, H.

    1979-01-01

    600 patients were examined by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreaticography, in 45 patients intravenous cholangiotomography (ICT) was compared with endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERC), and in 54 patients percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC) was applied. In anicteric patients ICT is recommended for diagnosis, while in cases of obstructive jaundice PTC is more successful than ERC

  17. 75 FR 11988 - Aviation Proceedings, Agreements Filed the Week Ending February 27, 2010

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-03-12

    ... Air Transport Association. Subject: Mail Vote 625--Resolution 010p, TC3 Japan, Korea-South East Asia...: Members of the International Air Transport Association. Subject: PTC COMP Mail Vote 620, Resolution 024d... International Air Transport Association. Subject: PTC COMP Mail Vote 626, Resolution 011a, Mileage Manual Non TC...

  18. Narcissism and the Pursuit of Status.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeigler-Hill, Virgil; Vrabel, Jennifer K; McCabe, Gillian A; Cosby, Cheryl A; Traeder, Caitlin K; Hobbs, Kelsey A; Southard, Ashton C

    2018-04-10

    The purpose of the present studies was to examine the connections that narcissistic admiration and narcissistic rivalry had with various aspects of status. Study 1 examined the associations that narcissism had with the motivation to seek status in a sample of 1,219 community members. Study 2 examined whether narcissism interacted with the status seeking motive to predict how individuals pursued status in a sample of 760 community members and college students. Study 3 used a daily diary approach to examine whether narcissism moderated the associations that daily perceptions of status and affiliation had with state self-esteem in 356 college students. Our results revealed that narcissistic admiration and narcissistic rivalry were somewhat similar in their desire for status but had divergent associations with other aspects of status (e.g., strategies employed to attain status, perceptions of status, reactions to perceived status). The results of the present studies suggest that narcissistic admiration is associated with an agentic orientation to the pursuit of status, whereas narcissistic rivalry is associated with an antagonistic orientation to the pursuit of status. Discussion focuses on the implications of these results for our understanding of the connections between narcissism and status. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  19. Small-Sized Parabolic Trough Collector System for Solar Dehumidification Application: Design, Development, and Potential Assessment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ghulam Qadar Chaudhary

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available The current study presents a numerical and real-time performance analysis of a parabolic trough collector (PTC system designed for solar air-conditioning applications. Initially, a thermodynamic model of PTC is developed using engineering equation solver (EES having a capacity of around 3 kW. Then, an experimental PTC system setup is established with a concentration ratio of 9.93 using evacuated tube receivers. The experimental study is conducted under the climate of Taxila, Pakistan in accordance with ASHRAE 93-1986 standard. Furthermore, PTC system is integrated with a solid desiccant dehumidifier (SDD to study the effect of various operating parameters such as direct solar radiation and inlet fluid temperature and its impact on dehumidification share. The experimental maximum temperature gain is around 5.2°C, with the peak efficiency of 62% on a sunny day. Similarly, maximum thermal energy gain on sunny and cloudy days is 3.07 kW and 2.33 kW, respectively. Afterwards, same comprehensive EES model of PTC with some modifications is used for annual transient analysis in TRNSYS for five different climates of Pakistan. Quetta revealed peak solar insolation of 656 W/m2 and peak thermal energy 1139 MJ with 46% efficiency. The comparison shows good agreement between simulated and experimental results with root mean square error of around 9%.

  20. [Papillary thyroid carcinoma in a child with congenital dyshormonogenetic hypothyroidism. Case report].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Orellana, María José; Fulle, Angelo; Carrillo, Diego; Escobar, Lucía; Ebensperger, Alicia; Martínez, Raúl; Rumié Carmi, Hana

    Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is a rare childhood disease. The development of PTC in dyshormonogenetic congenital hypothyroidism (CH) is infrequent, with very few case reports in literature. To report a case of PTC in a boy with dyshormonogenetic CH without goitre and exposed to ionising radiation. To evaluate relationships between these factors and development of PTC. We present a boy with dyshormonogenetic CH since birth. Early hormonal substitution was initiated, with subsequent normal levels of thyrotropin and thyroid hormones. He has also congenital cardiomyopathy, exposed to interventional treatment with 10 heart catheterisations, and approximately 26 chest X-rays at paediatric doses. A thyroid nodule was found in thyroid echography at the age of 6 years old. Fine needle aspiration biopsy confirmed high probability of thyroid carcinoma (Bethesda 5). The pre-surgical thorax and cerebral scan showed no evidence of metastasis. The patient underwent total thyroidectomy. Pathological examination revealed a 0.5cm papillary thyroid micro-carcinoma in the right lobe, with no evidence of dissemination. Genetic mutations and radiation exposure may play an important role in the development of PTC. There may be common pathways between dyshormonogenetic CH and thyroid carcinoma that need further investigation. Copyright © 2016 Sociedad Chilena de Pediatría. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  1. High-temperature electrochemical characterization of Ru core Pt shell fuel cell catalyst

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bokach, D.; Fuente, J.L.G. de la; Tsypkin, M.; Ochal, P.; Tunold, R.; Sunde, S.; Seland, F. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Sem Saelands veg 12, N-7491 Trondheim (Norway); Endsjoe, I.C. [Washington Mills AS, NO-7300 Orkanger (Norway)

    2011-12-15

    The electrooxidation of methanol was studied at elevated temperature and pressure by cyclic voltammetry and constant potential experiments at real fuel cell electrocatalysts. Ruthenium core and platinum shell nanoparticles were synthesized by a sequential polyol route, and characterized electrochemically by CO stripping at room temperature to quickly confirm the structure of the synthesized core-shell structure as compared to pure commercial Pt/C and Pt-Ru/C alloy catalysts. A significant promotional effect of Pt decorated Ru cores in the methanol oxidation was found at elevated temperatures and rather high-electrode potentials. A negative potential shift of the methanol oxidation peak is observed for the Ru rate at Pt/C core-shell catalyst at moderate temperatures, while a significant shift to positive potentials of the methanol oxidation peak occurs for Pt/C catalysts. The onset potential for methanol oxidation is lowered some 200 mV from room temperature and up to 120 C for all electrocatalysts, indicating that it is the thermal activity of water adsorption that dictates the onset potential. Direct methanol fuel cell experiments showed only small performance differences between Ru rate at Pt/C and Pt/C anode electrocatalysts, suggesting the necessity of render possible the formation of surface oxygen species at lower electrode potentials. (Copyright copyright 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  2. The Effect of Thyroiditis on the Yield of Central Compartment Lymph Nodes in Patients with Papillary Thyroid Cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lai, Victoria; Yen, Tina W F; Rose, Brian T; Fareau, Gilbert G; Misustin, Sarah M; Evans, Douglas B; Wang, Tracy S

    2015-12-01

    In patients who have undergone thyroidectomy and central compartment neck dissection (CCND) for papillary thyroid cancer (PTC), visualization of enlarged lymph nodes may lead to more extensive CCND. This study sought to determine the effect of patient age and the presence of thyroiditis on the number of malignant and total lymph nodes resected in patients who underwent CCND for PTC. This retrospective review examined a prospective database of patients who underwent total thyroidectomy and CCND for PTC between April 2009 and June 2013 and had thyroiditis on the final pathology. The patients were categorized into age groups by decade (18-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, and ≥60 years) and compared with a control group of patients matched by age, gender, and tumor size. Of 74 patients with thyroiditis, 64 (87 %) were women. The median age of the patients was 47.5 years (range 18.2-72.0 years). The patients with thyroiditis had more lymph nodes resected than those without thyroiditis (median 11 vs 7; p thyroiditis and PTC who underwent CCND had more lymph nodes resected but a had lower proportion of metastatic lymph nodes than those without thyroiditis. Given the relatively low yield of malignant cervical lymphadenopathy, a more judicious approach to CCND might be considered, particularly for the youngest and oldest patients with PTC and thyroiditis.

  3. Readthrough of stop codons by use of aminoglycosides in cells from xeroderma pigmentosum group C patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuschal, Christiane; Khan, Sikandar G; Enk, Benedikt; DiGiovanna, John J; Kraemer, Kenneth H

    2015-04-01

    Readthrough of premature termination (stop) codons (PTC) is a new approach to treatment of genetic diseases. We recently reported that readthrough of PTC in cells from some xeroderma pigmentosum complementation group C (XP-C) patients could be achieved with the aminoglycosides geneticin or gentamicin. We found that the response depended on several factors including the PTC sequence, its location within the gene and the aminoglycoside used. Here, we extended these studies to investigate the effects of other aminoglycosides that are already on the market. We reasoned that topical treatment could deliver much higher concentrations of drug to the skin, the therapeutic target, and thus increase the therapeutic effect while reducing renal or ototoxicity in comparison with systemic treatment. Our prior clinical studies indicated that only a few percent of normal XPC expression was associated with mild clinical disease. We found minimal cell toxicity in the XP-C cells with several aminoglycosides. We found increased XPC mRNA expression in PTC-containing XP-C cells with G418, paromomycin, neomycin and kanamycin and increased XPC protein expression with G418. We conclude that in selected patients with XP, topical PTC therapy can be investigated as a method of personalized medicine to alleviate their cutaneous symptoms. Published 2015. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

  4. Evaluation of Pt−Au/MWCNT (Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes) electrocatalyst performance as cathode of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Beltrán-Gastélum, M.; Salazar-Gastélum, M.I.; Félix-Navarro, R.M.; Pérez-Sicairos, S.; Reynoso-Soto, E.A.; Lin, S.W.; Flores-Hernández, J.R.; Romero-Castañón, T.; Albarrán-Sánchez, I.L.; Paraguay-Delgado, F.

    2016-01-01

    A comparative study between Pt−Au/MWCNT and Pt/C (commercial) as cathodic electrocatalyst of H_2/O_2 fuel cell is performed. Pt−Au/MWCNT is synthesized using the reverse microemulsion method and this procedure is scaled-up in order to prepare membrane-electrode assemblies for fuel cells with an active area of 9 cm"2. Those electrocatalysts are characterized by both physicochemical techniques and electrochemical measurements to evaluate their catalytic activity for ORR (Oxygen Reduction Reaction). In the half-cell study, Pt−Au/MWCNT show higher kinetic current density as cathodic electrocatalyst compared with Pt/C. Likewise, in a fuel cell hardware the maximum power density is significantly higher for Pt−Au/MWCNT cathode (625 mW cm"−"2 at 0.426 V) when compared with Pt/C anode (355 mW cm"−"2 at 0.499 V). - Highlights: • Pt−Au/MWCNT was synthesized by reverse microemulsión method. • Pt−Au/MWCNT and Pt/C were characterized by microscopic and spectroscopic techniques. • Both materials were studied as catalysts for ORR by electrochemical techniques. • Catalysts were used to prepare MEA's, the performance in fuel cell was evaluated. • Maximum power densities were 625 mW cm"−"2 for Pt−Au/MWCNT and 355 mW cm"−"2 for Pt/C.

  5. Pengaruh taburia terhadap status anemia dan status gizi balita gizi kurang

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wahyuni Kunayarti

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Background: Micronutrient deficiency seriously contributes to child morbidity and mortality. The need for micronutrient can be fulfilled from food, fortified food, and direct supplementation. Taburia is multivitamin multimineral that is aimed to meet the need for micronutrient of undernourished under-fives and to prevent the increased prevalence of undernourishment. It is necessary efficacy and effectiveness study of Taburia to anemia and nutritional status of undernourished under fives of 24-55 months. Objective: To identify the effect of Taburia supplementation to anemia and nutrition status of under fives at District of Lombok Timur. Method: The study was experimental with prospective cohort study design carried out at District of Lombok Timur, Province of Nusa Tenggara Barat. The subject of the study was undernourished under fives at the area of Nutrition Improvement Community through Empowerment (NICE project. The independent variables were Taburia and biscuits; the dependent variables were anemia and nutrition status; and the external variables were the intake of energy, protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, Fe, and zinc. Data analysis used ANOVA and paired t-test. Results: There was a significant difference in the average level of hemoglobin of the subject after the intervention, either in taburia group, biscuit group, or taburia+biscuit group (p<0.05. There was the difference in average weight after intervention in the three groups (p<0.05. There was no significant difference in the average level of hemoglobin and the average level of weight between biscuit group and Taburia+biscuit group. There was a change in anemia status from anemia to nonanemia; the highest was in Taburia group, i.e. 96%; and better nutrition status at the end of the experiment occurred at Taburia+biscuit group from emaciated to normal (100%. Conclusion: Taburia supplementation could increase anemia status. Micronutrient supplementation was needed to increase nutrition

  6. Design of a CMOS temperature sensor with current output

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kolling, A.; Kölling, Arjan; Bak, Frans; Bergveld, Piet; Seevinck, E.; Seevinck, Evert

    1990-01-01

    In this paper a CMOS temperature-to-current converter is presented of which the output current is the difference between a PTC current and an NTC current. The PTC current is derived from a PTAT cell, while the NTC current is derived from a threshold voltage reference source. It is shown that this

  7. Plug and Play Process Control Applied to a District Heating System

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Knudsen, Torben; Trangbæk, Klaus; Kallesøe, Carsten Skovmose

    2008-01-01

    The general ideas within plug and play process control (PTC) are to initialize and reconfigure control systems just by plug and play. In this paper these ideas are applied to a district heating pressure control problem. First of all this serves as a concrete example of PTC, secondly some of the f...

  8. KEADAAN RUMAH, KEBIASAAN MAKAN, STATUS GIZI, DAN STATUS KESEHATAN BALITA DI KECAMATAN TAMANSARI, KABUPATEN BOGOR

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Desti Sagita Putri

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACTThe general objective of this study was to analyze house condition, eating habits, nutrition nutritional status and health status of underfive children in Tamansari, Bogor. This research is part of the research entitlet “A Multi-Approach Intervention to Empower and Posyandu Nutritional Program to Combat Malnutrition Problem in Rural Areas” was conducted on February 2012 by a cross sectional study design. Subject of this study were 120 mothers and underfive children selected by purposive sampling with criterias (1 family who have underfive children, (2 registered as posyandu participant, (3 willing for interviewed. The primary data was number of family member, income, age, education, occupation, underfive children gender and age, housing conditions, eating habits, nutritional and health status. The analysis was carried out by Structural Equation Modeling (SEM. The house condition had significant effect on nutritional status (pKeywords: eating habits, health status, house condition, nutritional statusABSTRAKTujuan umum penelitian ini adalah untuk menganalisis keadaan rumah, kebiasaan makan, status gizi dan status kesehatan Balita di Tamansari, Bogor. Penelitian ini merupakan bagian dari penelitian yang berjudul adalah “Intervensi Multi-Pendekatan Memberdayakan Posyandu Nutrisi Program untuk Memerangi Masalah Gizi Buruk di Pedesaan” yang dilakukan pada Pebruari 2012 dengan desain studi cross sectional. Subjek dalam penelitian ini berjumlah 120 ibu yang mempunyai anak balita yang dipilih secara purposive dengan kriteria sebagai berikut: (1 memiliki anak balita, (2 terdaftar sebagai pengguna posyandu, (3 bersedia untuk diwawancarai. Data primer yang dikumpulkan meliputi besar keluarga, pendapatan keluarga, usia, pendidikan dan pekerjaan, jenis kelamin dan usia balita, keadaan rumah, kebiasaan makan, status gizi dan kesehatan. Analisis dilakukan dengan Structural Equation Modeling (SEM. Keadaan rumah berpengaruh signifikan terhadap

  9. Oral hygiene status, gingival status, periodontal status, and treatment needs among pregnant and nonpregnant women: A comparative study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Meena Kashetty

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: The gingival and periodontal changes during pregnancy are well known. Gingivitis is the most prevalent oral manifestations associated with pregnancy. The hormonal and vascular changes that accompany pregnancy are known to exaggerate the inflammatory response to the local irritants. Hence, a study was designed to assess oral hygiene status, gingival status, periodontal status, and treatment needs (TNs among pregnant and nonpregnant women. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 120 pregnant and 120 nonpregnant women of 18–44 years age attending the Outpatient Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics in Government Hospital of Belgaum city, Karnataka, India. The study consisted of an interview and oral examination. Type 3 examination was followed. Simplified Oral Hygiene Index (OHI-S, Gingival Index, and Community Periodontal Index and TNs Index were used to assess “oral hygiene status,” “gingival status,” and “periodontal status and TNs,” respectively. Results: The pregnant women showed poor oral hygiene with the mean OHI-S score as 2.68. Gingivitis was prevalent in almost all the pregnant and nonpregnant women. However, it was found more severe in pregnant women with mean gingival score as 1.25. A definite increase in gingivitis was found from Trimester II to Trimester III. The mean number of sextants showing healthy gingiva was significantly (P < 0.01 lower among pregnant women. Conclusions: Pregnant women showed poor oral hygiene, more gingival inflammation, and more periodontal disease as compared to nonpregnant women. The severity of gingivitis increased in Trimester III. Proper oral hygiene practice can prevent these diseases and further complications.

  10. Safety system status monitoring

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lewis, J.R.; Morgenstern, M.H.; Rideout, T.H.; Cowley, P.J.

    1984-03-01

    The Pacific Northwest Laboratory has studied the safety aspects of monitoring the preoperational status of safety systems in nuclear power plants. The goals of the study were to assess for the NRC the effectiveness of current monitoring systems and procedures, to develop near-term guidelines for reducing human errors associated with monitoring safety system status, and to recommend a regulatory position on this issue. A review of safety system status monitoring practices indicated that current systems and procedures do not adequately aid control room operators in monitoring safety system status. This is true even of some systems and procedures installed to meet existing regulatory guidelines (Regulatory Guide 1.47). In consequence, this report suggests acceptance criteria for meeting the functional requirements of an adequate system for monitoring safety system status. Also suggested are near-term guidelines that could reduce the likelihood of human errors in specific, high-priority status monitoring tasks. It is recommended that (1) Regulatory Guide 1.47 be revised to address these acceptance criteria, and (2) the revised Regulatory Guide 1.47 be applied to all plants, including those built since the issuance of the original Regulatory Guide

  11. Safety system status monitoring

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lewis, J.R.; Morgenstern, M.H.; Rideout, T.H.; Cowley, P.J.

    1984-03-01

    The Pacific Northwest Laboratory has studied the safety aspects of monitoring the preoperational status of safety systems in nuclear power plants. The goals of the study were to assess for the NRC the effectiveness of current monitoring systems and procedures, to develop near-term guidelines for reducing human errors associated with monitoring safety system status, and to recommend a regulatory position on this issue. A review of safety system status monitoring practices indicated that current systems and procedures do not adequately aid control room operators in monitoring safety system status. This is true even of some systems and procedures installed to meet existing regulatory guidelines (Regulatory Guide 1.47). In consequence, this report suggests acceptance criteria for meeting the functional requirements of an adequate system for monitoring safety system status. Also suggested are near-term guidelines that could reduce the likelihood of human errors in specific, high-priority status monitoring tasks. It is recommended that (1) Regulatory Guide 1.47 be revised to address these acceptance criteria, and (2) the revised Regulatory Guide 1.47 be applied to all plants, including those built since the issuance of the original Regulatory Guide.

  12. Pediatric Status Epilepticus Management

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abend, Nicholas S; Loddenkemper, Tobias

    2014-01-01

    Purpose of Review This review discusses management of status epilepticus in children including both anticonvulsant medications and overall management approaches. Recent Findings Rapid management of status epilepticus is associated with a greater likelihood of seizure termination and better outcomes, yet data indicate there are often management delays. This review discusses an overall management approach aiming to simultaneously identify and manage underlying precipitant etiologies, administer anticonvulsants in rapid succession until seizures have terminated, and identify and manage systemic complications. An example management pathway is provided. Summary Status epilepticus is a common neurologic emergency in children and requires rapid intervention. Having a predetermined status epilepticus management pathway can expedite management. PMID:25304961

  13. Modeling Treatment Response for Lamin A/C Related Dilated Cardiomyopathy in Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Yee-Ki; Lau, Yee-Man; Cai, Zhu-Jun; Lai, Wing-Hon; Wong, Lai-Yung; Tse, Hung-Fat; Ng, Kwong-Man; Siu, Chung-Wah

    2017-07-28

    Precision medicine is an emerging approach to disease treatment and prevention that takes into account individual variability in the environment, lifestyle, and genetic makeup of patients. Patient-specific human induced pluripotent stem cells hold promise to transform precision medicine into real-life clinical practice. Lamin A/C (LMNA)-related cardiomyopathy is the most common inherited cardiomyopathy in which a substantial proportion of mutations in the LMNA gene are of nonsense mutation. PTC124 induces translational read-through over the premature stop codon and restores production of the full-length proteins from the affected genes. In this study we generated human induced pluripotent stem cells-derived cardiomyocytes from patients who harbored different LMNA mutations (nonsense and frameshift) to evaluate the potential therapeutic effects of PTC124 in LMNA -related cardiomyopathy. We generated human induced pluripotent stem cells lines from 3 patients who carried distinctive mutations (R225X, Q354X, and T518fs) in the LMNA gene. The cardiomyocytes derived from these human induced pluripotent stem cells lines reproduced the pathophysiological hallmarks of LMNA -related cardiomyopathy. Interestingly, PTC124 treatment increased the production of full-length LMNA proteins in only the R225X mutant, not in other mutations. Functional evaluation experiments on the R225X mutant further demonstrated that PTC124 treatment not only reduced nuclear blebbing and electrical stress-induced apoptosis but also improved the excitation-contraction coupling of the affected cardiomyocytes. Using cardiomyocytes derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells carrying different LMNA mutations, we demonstrated that the effect of PTC124 is codon selective. A premature stop codon UGA appeared to be most responsive to PTC124 treatment. © 2017 The Authors. Published on behalf of the American Heart Association, Inc., by Wiley.

  14. Online advertising and marketing claims by providers of proton beam therapy: are they guideline-based?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Corkum, Mark T; Liu, Wei; Palma, David A; Bauman, Glenn S; Dinniwell, Robert E; Warner, Andrew; Mishra, Mark V; Louie, Alexander V

    2018-03-15

    Cancer patients frequently search the Internet for treatment options, and hospital websites are seen as reliable sources of knowledge. Guidelines support the use of proton radiotherapy in specific disease sites or on clinical trials. This study aims to evaluate direct-to-consumer advertising content and claims made by proton therapy centre (PTC) websites worldwide. Operational PTC websites in English were identified through the Particle Therapy Co-Operative Group website. Data abstraction of website content was performed independently by two investigators. Eight international guidelines were consulted to determine guideline-based indications for proton radiotherapy. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to determine the characteristics of PTC websites that indicated proton radiotherapy offered greater disease control or cure rates. Forty-eight PTCs with 46 English websites were identified. 60·9% of PTC websites claimed proton therapy provided improved disease control or cure. U.S. websites listed more indications than international websites (15·5 ± 5·4 vs. 10·4 ± 5·8, p = 0·004). The most common disease sites advertised were prostate (87·0%), head and neck (87·0%) and pediatrics (82·6%), all of which were indicated in least one international guideline. Several disease sites advertised were not present in any consensus guidelines, including pancreatobiliary (52·2%), breast (50·0%), and esophageal (43·5%) cancers. Multivariate analysis found increasing number of disease sites and claiming their centre was a local or regional leader in proton radiotherapy was associated with indicating proton radiotherapy offers greater disease control or cure. Information from PTC websites often differs from recommendations found in international consensus guidelines. As online marketing information may have significant influence on patient decision-making, alignment of such information with accepted guidelines and consensus

  15. A pulse tube cryocooler with a cold reservoir

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, X. B.; Zhang, K. H.; Qiu, L. M.; Gan, Z. H.; Shen, X.; Xiang, S. J.

    2013-02-01

    Phase difference between pressure wave and mass flow is decisive to the cooling capacity of regenerative cryocoolers. Unlike the direct phase shifting using a piston or displacer in conventional Stirling or GM cryocoolers, the pulse tube cyocooler (PTC) indirectly adjusts the cold phase due to the absence of moving parts at the cold end. The present paper proposed and validated theoretically and experimentally a novel configuration of PTC, termed cold reservoir PTC, in which a reservoir together with an adjustable orifice is connected to the cold end of the pulse tube. The impedance from the additional orifice to the cold end helps to increase the mass flow in phase with the pressure wave at the cold end. Theoretical analyses with the linear model for the orifice and double-inlet PTCs indicate that the cooling performance can be improved by introducing the cold reservoir. The preliminary experiments with a home-made single-stage GM PTC further validated the results on the premise of minor opening of the cold-end orifice.

  16. β-Adrenergic Receptors Regulate the Acquisition and Consolidation Phases of Aversive Memory Formation Through Distinct, Temporally Regulated Signaling Pathways.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schiff, Hillary C; Johansen, Joshua P; Hou, Mian; Bush, David E A; Smith, Emily K; Klein, JoAnna E; LeDoux, Joseph E; Sears, Robert M

    2017-03-01

    Memory formation requires the temporal coordination of molecular events and cellular processes following a learned event. During Pavlovian threat (fear) conditioning (PTC), sensory and neuromodulatory inputs converge on post-synaptic neurons within the lateral nucleus of the amygdala (LA). By activating an intracellular cascade of signaling molecules, these G-protein-coupled neuromodulatory receptors are capable of recruiting a diverse profile of plasticity-related proteins. Here we report that norepinephrine, through its actions on β-adrenergic receptors (βARs), modulates aversive memory formation following PTC through two molecularly and temporally distinct signaling mechanisms. Specifically, using behavioral pharmacology and biochemistry in adult rats, we determined that βAR activity during, but not after PTC training initiates the activation of two plasticity-related targets: AMPA receptors (AMPARs) for memory acquisition and short-term memory and extracellular regulated kinase (ERK) for consolidating the learned association into a long-term memory. These findings reveal that βAR activity during, but not following PTC sets in motion cascading molecular events for the acquisition (AMPARs) and subsequent consolidation (ERK) of learned associations.

  17. Mixed Connective Tissue Disease and Papillary Thyroid Cancer: A Case Report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thongpooswan, Supat; Tushabe, Rachel; Song, Jeffrey; Kim, Paul; Abrudescu, Adriana

    2015-08-06

    Mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) is a connective tissue disorder characterized by high titers of distinct antibodies: U1 ribonucleoprotein with clinical features seen in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), dermatomyositis (DM), polymyositis, and scleroderma. The association of SLE and DM with various cancers of the thyroid has been reported in the literature. However, there have been no reports associating MCTD with thyroid cancer. We present a 58-year-old woman diagnosed with MCTD with co-morbid interstitial lung disease that has remained stable for 10 years, who developed papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) 10 years after initial diagnosis. We theorize that: 1) MCTD may have been a primary diagnosis complicated by PTC, or 2) MCTD may have been an initial presentation of paraneoplastic syndrome of silent PTC, because her symptoms of MCTD significantly improved after total thyroidectomy. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report to associate MCTD with PTC. It highlights the importance of maintaining a high index of suspicion for thyroid malignancy in MCTD patients.

  18. The impact of smoking status on the health status of heart failure patients.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Conard, Mark W

    2012-02-01

    Smoking is a major risk factor for the development of heart failure (HF). Yet, little is known about smoking\\'s effects on the health status of established HF patients. HF patients were recruited from outpatient clinics across North America. The Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) was used to assess disease-specific health status. Smoking behaviors were classified as never having smoked, prior smoker, and as having smoked within the past 30 days. Risk-adjusted multivariable regression was used to evaluate the association of smoking status with baseline and 1-year KCCQ overall summary scores. Smoking was not associated with baseline health status. However, a significant effect was observed on 1-year health status among outpatients with HF with current smokers reporting significantly lower KCCQ scores than never smokers or ex-smokers. These findings highlight an additional adverse consequence of smoking in HF patients not previously discussed.

  19. When status is grabbed and when status is granted: Getting ahead in dominance and prestige hierarchies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Waal-Andrews, Wendy; Gregg, Aiden P; Lammers, Joris

    2015-09-01

    What type of behaviour affords status, agentic, or communal? Research to date has yielded inconsistent answers. In particular, the conflict view holds that agentic behaviour permits the imperious to grab status through overt force, whereas the functional view holds that communal behaviour permits the talented to earn status through popular appeal. Here, we synthesize both views by taking into account the moderating role played by group hierarchy. Group hierarchy can range from being dominance based (where status is grabbed) to prestige based (where status is granted). In a field study (Study 1), and a laboratory experiment (Study 2), we demonstrate that in different groups, status can be achieved in different ways. Specifically, agentic behaviour promotes status regardless of hierarchy type, whereas the effect of communal behaviour on status is moderated by hierarchy type: it augments it in more prestige-based hierarchies but diminishes it in more dominance-based hierarchies. © 2014 The British Psychological Society.

  20. Papillary carcinoma thyroid, metastasis to cheek: First ever reported case in literature

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aiffa Aiman

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC metastasis to distant organs is rare and mainly includes lung and bone. Metastasis affecting oral and maxillofacial region is extremely rare. We describe a case of PTC metastasis to cheek. The patient presented with a painless swelling of the left cheek with a history of total thyroidectomy for papillary carcinoma thyroid 5 years back. Cheek metastasis from papillary carcinoma thyroid is extremely rare. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first recorded instance of cheek metastasis from PTC. Common malignancies can metastasize to unusual sites and although infrequent, may be the presenting feature. The successful management of such cases may be achieved by a multidisciplinary approach.

  1. Fighting status inequalities

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Morten Ebbe Juul; Landes, Xavier

    2016-01-01

    Status inequalities seem to play a fairly big role in creating inequalities in health. This article assumes that there can be good reasons to fight status inequalities in order to reduce inequalities in health. It examines whether the neorepublican ideal of non-dominance does a better job as a th...

  2. Adolescent Weight Status

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hjort Kjelldgaard, Heidi; Holstein, Bjørn Evald; Due, Pernille

    2017-01-01

    day) communication with friends through cellphones, SMS messages, or Internet (1.66, 1.03-2.67). In the full population, overweight/obese weight status was associated with not perceiving best friend as a confidant (1.59, 1.11-2.28). No associations were found between weight status and number of close...

  3. Status Epilepticus and Refractory Status Epilepticus Management

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abend, Nicholas S.; Bearden, David; Helbig, Ingo; McGuire, Jennifer; Narula, Sona; Panzer, Jessica A.; Topjian, Alexis; Dlugos, Dennis J.

    2014-01-01

    Status epilepticus (SE) describes persistent or recurring seizures without a return to baseline mental status, and is a common neurologic emergency. SE can occur in the context of epilepsy or may be symptomatic of a wide range of underlying etiologies. The clinician’s aim is to rapidly institute care that simultaneously stabilizes the patient medically, identifies and manages any precipitant conditions, and terminates seizures. Seizure management involves “emergent” treatment with benzodiazepines followed by “urgent” therapy with other anti-seizure medications. If seizures persist then refractory SE is diagnosed and management options include additional anti-seizure medications or infusions of midazolam or pentobarbital. This paper reviews the management of pediatric SE and RSE. PMID:25727508

  4. Relational Aggressive Behaviour: The Contributions of Status Stress and Status Goals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flack, Tove

    2017-01-01

    Relational aggression is a destructive behaviour that increases during adolescence. In order to develop effective interventions aimed to combat relational aggression, there is an urgent need to study what motivates this behaviour. This study investigates the association between status stress, status goals, and relational aggressive behaviour in a…

  5. Association of BRAFV600E Mutation and MicroRNA Expression with Central Lymph Node Metastases in Papillary Thyroid Cancer: A Prospective Study from Four Endocrine Surgery Centers

    OpenAIRE

    Aragon Han, Patricia; Kim, Hyun-seok; Cho, Soonweng; Fazeli, Roghayeh; Najafian, Alireza; Khawaja, Hunain; McAlexander, Melissa; Dy, Benzon; Sorensen, Meredith; Aronova, Anna; Sebo, Thomas J.; Giordano, Thomas J.; Fahey, Thomas J.; Thompson, Geoffrey B.; Gauger, Paul G.

    2016-01-01

    Background: Studies have demonstrated an association of the BRAFV600E mutation and microRNA (miR) expression with aggressive clinicopathologic features in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). Analysis of BRAFV600E mutations with miR expression data may improve perioperative decision making for patients with PTC, specifically in identifying patients harboring central lymph node metastases (CLNM).

  6. Clinical presentation and outcome in patients treated for papillary and follicular carcinoma of the thyroid : patterns in Johannesburg

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vangu, M.D.T.H.W.; Perumal, N.S.; Hersmen, G.; Botha, J.R.

    2004-01-01

    Full text: Purpose: To look at the clinical presentation and treatment outcome of patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and those with follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC) in our institution. Methods: The records of all patients with papillary or follicular thyroid carcinoma seen at our institution were retrieved. Patients were excluded from this study if they underwent thyroid surgery outside a teaching hospital or presented to us more than 6 months post surgery, had deep external beam therapy (DXT) following surgery or a follow up of less than 3 years. This left clinical data and treatment outcomes of 140 patients available for a retrospective review. Results: One hundred and seventeen patients were females and 23 were males (5.1:1) with a median follow up of 10,5 years. The differences noted were as follow: there was a higher incidence of PTC than FTC (2.9:1); patients with PTC were younger at presentation (mean age 40 vs 49); more patients with PTC had metastases (60% vs 40%) and were much younger at presentation as compared to those with FTC (mean age 38 vs 63); at presentation eighty percent of FTC metastases were localized in bones whereas 60% of PTC metastases went to the lungs and 36% were confined to local lymph nodes. Similar pattern was found in those who developed metastases later. A significant percentage of ablation failure (41% vs 59% success rate) after the first high dose (2.96-3.7 GBq) of radioactive iodine (RAI) was noted. The total success rate increased to 80% after the second dose of RAI (3.7- 7.4 GBq). The majority of the patients ablated by the second dose had PTC and most had inadequate initial surgery ranging from unilateral lobectomy (10 patients), subtotal thyroidectomy (10 patients), and bilateral lobar resection (1 ). Conclusion: The predominance of PTC over FCT may indicate the conversion to an iodine repletion state in the country as a whole. Similar studies in other regions seem necessary to support this statement. The high

  7. Physician staffed helicopter emergency medical service dispatch via centralised control or directly by crew - case identification rates and effect on the Sydney paediatric trauma system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garner, Alan A; Lee, Anna; Weatherall, Andrew

    2012-12-18

    Severe paediatric trauma patients benefit from direct transport to dedicated Paediatric Trauma Centres (PTC). Parallel case identification systems utilising paramedics from a centralised dispatch centre versus the crew of a physician staffed Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) allowed comparison of the two systems for case identification rates and subsequent timeliness of direct transfer to a PTC. Paediatric trauma patients over a two year period from the Sydney region with an Injury Severity Score (ISS) > 15 were retrospectively identified from a state wide trauma registry. Overall paediatric trauma system performance was assessed by comparisons of the availability of the physician staffed HEMS for patient characteristics, transport mode (direct versus indirect) and the times required for the patient to arrive at the paediatric trauma centre. The proportion of patients transported directly to a PTC was compared between the times that the HEMS service was available versus the time that it was unavailable to determine if the HEMS system altered the rate of direct transport to a PTC. Analysis of variance was used to compare the identifying systems for various patient characteristics when the HEMS was available. Ninety nine cases met the inclusion criteria, 44 when the HEMS system was operational. Patients identified for physician response by the HEMS system were significantly different to those that were not identified with higher median ISS (25 vs 18, p = 0.011), and shorter times to PTC (67 vs 261mins, p = 0.015) and length of intensive care unit stays (2 vs 0 days, p = 0.045). Of the 44 cases, 21 were not identified, 3 were identified by the paramedic system and 20 were identified by the HEMS system, (P system was available (RR 1.81, 95% CI 1.20-2.73). The median time (minutes) to arrival at the PTC was shorter when HEMS available (HEMS available 92, IQR 50-261 versus HEMS unavailable 296, IQR 84-583, P < 0.01). Physician staffed

  8. Comparison of three optical models and analysis of geometric parameters for parabolic trough solar collectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liang, Hongbo; You, Shijun; Zhang, Huan

    2016-01-01

    A PTC (parabolic trough solar collector) focuses direct solar radiation reflected by the reflector onto a receiver located on its focal line. The solar flux distribution on the absorber is non-uniform generally, thus it needs to carry out optical simulation to analyze the concentrated flux density and optical performance. In this paper, three different optical models based on ray tracing for a PTC were proposed and compared in detail. They were proved to be feasible and reliable in comparison with other literature. Model 1 was based on MCM (Monte Carlo Method). Model 2 initialized photon distribution with FVM (Finite Volume Method), and calculated reflection, transmission, and absorption by means of MCM. Model 3 utilized FVM to determine ray positions initially, while it changed the photon energy by multiplying reflectivity, transmissivity and absorptivity. The runtime and computation effort of Model 3 were approximately 40% and 60% of that of Model 1 in the present work. Moreover, the simulation result of Model 3 was not affected by the algorithm for generating random numbers, however, it needed to take account of suitable grid configurations for different sections of the system. Additionally, effects of varying the geometric parameters for a PTC on optical efficiency were estimated. Effect of offsetting the absorber in width direction of aperture was greater than that in its normal direction at the same offset distance, which was more obvious with offset distance increasing. Furthermore, absorber offset at the opposite direction of tracking error was beneficial for improving optical performance. The larger rim angle (≤90°) was, the less sensitive optical efficiency was to tracking error for the same aperture width of a PTC. In contrast, a larger aperture width was more sensitive to tracking error for a certain rim angle. - Highlights: • Three different optical models for parabolic trough solar collectors were derived. • Their running time, computation

  9. The Clinical Relevance of Psammoma Body and Hashimoto Thyroiditis in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cai, Ye-Feng; Wang, Qing-Xuan; Ni, Chun-Jue; Guo, Gui-Long; Li, Quan; Wang, Ou-Chen; Wu, Liang; Du, Hai-Yan; You, Jie; Zhang, Xiao-Hua

    2015-01-01

    Abstract This study aims to investigate the impact of psammoma body (PB) on papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), and evaluate the association among PB, Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT), and other clinicopathologic characteristics in PTC patients. We conducted a retrospective case-control study involving 1052 PTC patients who underwent total thyroidectomy or lobectomy with lymph node dissection. Psammoma body was observed in 324 out of 1052 PTC (30.8%) patients. Ultrasonographic (US) calcification (P < 0.001), multifocality of the tumor (P = 0.047), lymph node metastasis (LNM) (P < 0.001), HT (P < 0.001), and Primary tumor (T), Regional lymph nodes (N), Distant metastasis (M) staging (P = 0.001) were significantly related to the presence of PB. The presence of PB was significantly associated with US microcalcification (P < 0.001). In the subgroup with HT, compared with the patients without PB, the patients with PB exhibited a higher frequency of central LNM (54.7% vs 32.1%; P < 0.001) and US microcalcification (94.7% vs 38.8%; P < 0.001), as well as smaller tumors (0.9 ± 0.6 vs 1.3 ± 0.9 cm; P < 0.001). In the subgroup without HT, the patients with PB displayed a higher incidence of lateral LNM (25.8% vs 14.6%; P < 0.001), US microcalcification (87.3% vs 52.5%; P < 0.001), and extrathyroidal extension (47.2% vs 34.8%; P = 0.001), as well as larger tumors (1.3 ± 0.9 vs 1.0 ± 0.8 cm; P < 0.001) than without PB. Moreover, in the subgroup with PB, the PTC patients with HT showed a higher LNM (77.9% vs 57.2%; P < 0.001) and a lower frequency of extrathyroidal extension (20.0% vs 47.2%; P < 0.001) than without HT. Psammoma body is a useful predictor of aggressive tumor behavior in PTC patients. HT with PB shows more aggressive behaviors than non-HT with PB in PTC patients. PMID:26554782

  10. The Clinical Relevance of Psammoma Body and Hashimoto Thyroiditis in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma: A Large Case-control Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cai, Ye-Feng; Wang, Qing-Xuan; Ni, Chun-Jue; Guo, Gui-Long; Li, Quan; Wang, Ou-Chen; Wu, Liang; Du, Hai-Yan; You, Jie; Zhang, Xiao-Hua

    2015-11-01

    This study aims to investigate the impact of psammoma body (PB) on papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), and evaluate the association among PB, Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT), and other clinicopathologic characteristics in PTC patients.We conducted a retrospective case-control study involving 1052 PTC patients who underwent total thyroidectomy or lobectomy with lymph node dissection.Psammoma body was observed in 324 out of 1052 PTC (30.8%) patients. Ultrasonographic (US) calcification (P < 0.001), multifocality of the tumor (P = 0.047), lymph node metastasis (LNM) (P < 0.001), HT (P < 0.001), and Primary tumor (T), Regional lymph nodes (N), Distant metastasis (M) staging (P = 0.001) were significantly related to the presence of PB. The presence of PB was significantly associated with US microcalcification (P < 0.001). In the subgroup with HT, compared with the patients without PB, the patients with PB exhibited a higher frequency of central LNM (54.7% vs 32.1%; P < 0.001) and US microcalcification (94.7% vs 38.8%; P < 0.001), as well as smaller tumors (0.9 ± 0.6 vs 1.3 ± 0.9 cm; P < 0.001). In the subgroup without HT, the patients with PB displayed a higher incidence of lateral LNM (25.8% vs 14.6%; P < 0.001), US microcalcification (87.3% vs 52.5%; P < 0.001), and extrathyroidal extension (47.2% vs 34.8%; P = 0.001), as well as larger tumors (1.3 ± 0.9 vs 1.0 ± 0.8 cm; P < 0.001) than without PB. Moreover, in the subgroup with PB, the PTC patients with HT showed a higher LNM (77.9% vs 57.2%; P < 0.001) and a lower frequency of extrathyroidal extension (20.0% vs 47.2%; P < 0.001) than without HT.Psammoma body is a useful predictor of aggressive tumor behavior in PTC patients. HT with PB shows more aggressive behaviors than non-HT with PB in PTC patients.

  11. Effects of nutritional and psychological status of the patients with advanced stomach cancer on physical performance status.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tian, Jun; Chen, Zhen-chun; Hang, Li-Fang

    2009-10-01

    The aim of this study was to assess the associations between coping mode, nutritional status, and psychological status and performance status of the patients with advanced stomach cancer. An epidemiological survey was conducted among 233 patients with advanced stomach cancer in Fujian, China. In-person interviews were performed for the participants with respect to information of psychological status prior to chemotherapy, nutritional status during chemotherapy, and physical performance status after chemotherapy. Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that the level of hemoglobin (HB), level of daily calorie intake, score of Depression Status Inventory (DSI), and score of confrontation subscale of Medical Coping Modes Questionnaire had a significant influence on performance status (P or =40 versus DSI score confrontation versus high score of confrontation, respectively. Depression, low score of "Confrontation", low levels of HB, and low level of daily calorie intake may be the risk factors of poor performance status of the patients with advanced stomach cancer.

  12. Prevalence of the B Type Raf Kinase V600E Mutation in Cytologically Indeterminate Thyroid Nodules: Correlation with Ultrasonographic and Pathologic Features

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Chae Hyun; Choi, Yoon Jung; Choi, Seon Hyeong; Rho, Myong Ho Kook Shin Ho; Chung, Eun Chul [Dept. of Radiology, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Chae, Seoung Wan; Kim, Dong Hoon; Sohn, Jin Hee [Dept. of Radiology, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Yun, Ji Sup [Dept. of Radiology, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2012-01-15

    To study the prevalence of B type Raf kinase (BRAF) mutations, and to evaluate the ultrasonographic and clinicopathological features associated with thyroid cytology of indeterminate nodules. We assessed the presence or absence of BRAF mutation in 44 specimens from patients with cytologically indeterminate thyroid nodules according to two consecutive preoperative fine needle aspiration cytology procedures. In 9 specimens, the test for BRAF mutation was not possible due to scant cellularity. DNA was extracted from the atypical cells and then analyzed for the BRAF V600E mutation by pyrosequencing. The ultrasonographic and clinicopathological features of the patients were characterized according to their mutation status. The BRAF V600E mutation was present in 17 (48.6%) of 35 patients with indeterminate cytology results and in 17 (54.8%) of the 31 patients with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). Twenty two of 35 cytologically indeterminate nodules had calcifications, and among them 14 cases were proven to be positive for BRAF V600E mutations. Extrathyroid extension was significantly more frequent in the presence of the BRAF V600E mutation (p = 0.027), while tumor size, lympho-vascular invasion, or lymph node metastasis were not associated with the mutation. Screening for BRAF V600E mutations in conjunction with cytology may increase the diagnostic accuracy for PTC with indeterminate cytology results.

  13. Prevalence of the B Type Raf Kinase V600E Mutation in Cytologically Indeterminate Thyroid Nodules: Correlation with Ultrasonographic and Pathologic Features

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Chae Hyun; Choi, Yoon Jung; Choi, Seon Hyeong; Rho, Myong Ho Kook Shin Ho; Chung, Eun Chul; Chae, Seoung Wan; Kim, Dong Hoon; Sohn, Jin Hee; Yun, Ji Sup

    2012-01-01

    To study the prevalence of B type Raf kinase (BRAF) mutations, and to evaluate the ultrasonographic and clinicopathological features associated with thyroid cytology of indeterminate nodules. We assessed the presence or absence of BRAF mutation in 44 specimens from patients with cytologically indeterminate thyroid nodules according to two consecutive preoperative fine needle aspiration cytology procedures. In 9 specimens, the test for BRAF mutation was not possible due to scant cellularity. DNA was extracted from the atypical cells and then analyzed for the BRAF V600E mutation by pyrosequencing. The ultrasonographic and clinicopathological features of the patients were characterized according to their mutation status. The BRAF V600E mutation was present in 17 (48.6%) of 35 patients with indeterminate cytology results and in 17 (54.8%) of the 31 patients with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). Twenty two of 35 cytologically indeterminate nodules had calcifications, and among them 14 cases were proven to be positive for BRAF V600E mutations. Extrathyroid extension was significantly more frequent in the presence of the BRAF V600E mutation (p = 0.027), while tumor size, lympho-vascular invasion, or lymph node metastasis were not associated with the mutation. Screening for BRAF V600E mutations in conjunction with cytology may increase the diagnostic accuracy for PTC with indeterminate cytology results.

  14. Women Status and their Discrimination

    OpenAIRE

    PEŠKOVÁ, Pavlína

    2008-01-01

    My work deal with women status and their discrimination. Chapter one contains women status in different historical periods and development of their status to bigger equal with men. There is also written about present feminist trends. Chapter two is about women discrimination. There is about women´ job discrimination, job segregation according to gender and inequality in payment. There is also written about women status at home and unequal duties at home among family mates. Chapter three is ab...

  15. Updates in Refractory Status Epilepticus

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mahulikar, Advait; Suchdev, Kushak; Shah, Aashit

    2018-01-01

    Refractory status epilepticus is defined as persistent seizures despite appropriate use of two intravenous medications, one of which is a benzodiazepine. It can be seen in up to 40% of cases of status epilepticus with an acute symptomatic etiology as the most likely cause. New-onset refractory status epilepticus (NORSE) is a recently coined term for refractory status epilepticus where no apparent cause is found after initial testing. A large proportion of NORSE cases are eventually found to have an autoimmune etiology needing immunomodulatory treatment. Management of refractory status epilepticus involves treatment of an underlying etiology in addition to intravenous anesthetics and antiepileptic drugs. Alternative treatment options including diet therapies, electroconvulsive therapy, and surgical resection in case of a focal lesion should be considered. Short-term and long-term outcomes tend to be poor with significant morbidity and mortality with only one-third of patients reaching baseline neurological status. PMID:29854452

  16. Status Epilepticus and Beyond: A Clinical Review of Status Epilepticus and an Update on Current Management Strategies in Super-refractory Status Epilepticus

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roy Poblete

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Status epilepticus and refractory status epilepticus represent some of the most complex conditions encountered in the neurological intensive care unit. Challenges in management are common as treatment options become limited and prolonged hospital courses are accompanied by complications and worsening patient outcomes. Antiepileptic drug treatments have become increasingly complex. Rational polytherapy should consider the pharmacodynamics and kinetics of medications. When seizures cannot be controlled with medical therapy, alternative treatments, including early surgical evaluation can be considered; however, evidence is limited. This review provides a brief overview of status epilepticus, and a recent update on the management of refractory status epilepticus based on evidence from the literature, evidence-based guidelines, and experiences at our institution.

  17. Molecular cytogenetic characterization of a human thyroid cancercell line

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Weier, Heinz-Ulrich G.; Tuton, Tiffany B.; Ito, Yuko; Chu, LisaW.; Lu, Chung-Mei; Baumgartner, Adolf; Zitzelsberger, Horst F.; Weier,Jingly F.

    2006-01-04

    The incidence of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) increases significantly after exposure of the head and neck region to ionizing radiation, yet we know neither the steps involved in malignant transformation of thyroid epithelium nor the specific carcinogenic mode of action of radiation. Such increased tumor frequency became most evident in children after the 1986 nuclear accident in Chernobyl, Ukraine. In the twelve years following the accident, the average incidence of childhood PTCs (chPTC) increased over one hundred-fold compared to the rate of about 1 tumor incidence per 10{sup 6} children per year prior to 1986. To study the etiology of radiation-induced thyroid cancer, we formed an international consortium to investigate chromosomal changes and altered gene expression in cases of post-Chernobyl chPTC. Our approach is based on karyotyping of primary cultures established from chPTC specimens, establishment of cell lines and studies of genotype-phenotype relationships through high resolution chromosome analysis, DNA/cDNA micro-array studies, and mouse xenografts that test for tumorigenicity. Here, we report the application of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH)-based techniques for the molecular cytogenetic characterization of a highly tumorigenic chPTC cell line, S48TK, and its subclones. Using chromosome 9 rearrangements as an example, we describe a new approach termed ''BAC-FISH'' to rapidly delineate chromosomal breakpoints, an important step towards a better understanding of the formation of translocations and their functional consequences.

  18. The clinicopathologic differences in papillary thyroid carcinoma with or without co-existing chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoon, Yeo-Hoon; Kim, Hak Joon; Lee, Jin Woo; Kim, Jin Man; Koo, Bon Seok

    2012-03-01

    The goal of this study is to determine the clinicopathologic differences in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) with or without chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis (CLT). We reviewed the medical records of 195 consecutive PTC patients who underwent total thyroidectomy and bilateral central lymph node dissection from April 2008 to March 2010. The differences in clinicopathologic factors, such as age, gender, size of primary tumor, perithyroidal invasion, lymphovascular invasion, capsular invasion, and central lymph node (CLN) metastasis, were analyzed in PTC patients with or without CLT. Among 195 patients, 56 (28.7%) had co-existing CLT. Patients with CLT had the following characteristics as compared to patients without CLT: significantly younger, female predominance, smaller tumor size, and lower incidence of capsular invasion (p = 0.038, 0.006, 0.037, and 0.026, respectively). Also, patients with CLT (12.5%) had a significantly lower incidence of CLN metastases than patients without CLT (28.1%; p = 0.025) based on univariate analysis. Moreover, multivariate analysis showed that younger age (p = 0.042, odds ratio = 1.033) and female gender (p = 0.012, odds ratio = 6.865) are independent clinical factors in patients with CLT compared to patients without CLT. CLT was shown to be commonly associated with PTC. Compared to patients with PTC without CLT, patients with CLT were younger with a female predominance, which are the most important and well-known prognostic variables for thyroid cancer mortality.

  19. Treatment of Established Status Epilepticus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Falco-Walter, Jessica J; Bleck, Thomas

    2016-04-25

    Status epilepticus is the most severe form of epilepsy, with a high mortality rate and high health care costs. Status epilepticus is divided into four stages: early, established, refractory, and super-refractory. While initial treatment with benzodiazepines has become standard of care for early status epilepticus, treatment after benzodiazepine failure (established status epilepticus (ESE)) is incompletely studied. Effective treatment of ESE is critical as morbidity and mortality increases dramatically the longer convulsive status epilepticus persists. Phenytoin/fosphenytoin, valproic acid, levetiracetam, phenobarbital, and lacosamide are the most frequently prescribed antiseizure medications for treatment of ESE. To date there are no class 1 data to support pharmacologic recommendations of one agent over another. We review each of these medications, their pharmacology, the scientific evidence in support and against each in the available literature, adverse effects and safety profiles, dosing recommendations, and limitations of the available evidence. We also discuss future directions including the established status epilepticus treatment trial (ESETT). Substantial further research is urgently needed to identify these patients (particularly those with non-convulsive status epilepticus), elucidate the most efficacious antiseizure treatment with head-to-head randomized prospective trials, and determine whether this differs for convulsive vs. non-convulsive ESE.

  20. Correlation of sense of coherence with oral health behaviors, socioeconomic status, and periodontal status.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reddy, Kommuri Sahithi; Doshi, Dolar; Kulkarni, Suhas; Reddy, Bandari Srikanth; Reddy, Madupu Padma

    2016-01-01

    The sense of coherence (SOC) has been suggested to be highly applicable concept in the public health area because a strong SOC is stated to decrease the likelihood of perceiving the social environment as stressful. This reduces the susceptibility to the health-damaging effect of chronic stress by lowering the likelihood of repeated negative emotions to stress perception. The demographic data and general information of subjects' oral health behaviors such as frequency of cleaning teeth, aids used to clean teeth, and dental attendance were recorded in the self-administered questionnaire. The SOC-related data were obtained using the short version of Antonovsky's SOC scale. The periodontal status was recorded based on the modified World Health Organization 1997 pro forma. The total of 780 respondents comprising 269 (34.5%) males and 511 (65.5%) females participated in the study. A significant difference was noted among the subjects for socioeconomic status based on gender ( P = 0.000). The healthy periodontal status (community periodontal index [CPI] code 0) was observed for 67 (24.9%) males and 118 (23.1%) females. The overall SOC showed statistically negative correlation with socioeconomic status scale ( r = -0.287). The CPI and loss of attachment (periodontal status) were significantly and negatively correlated with SOC. The present study concluded that a high level of SOC was associated with good oral health behaviors, periodontal status, and socioeconomic status.

  1. Status and the evaluation of workplace deviance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bowles, Hannah Riley; Gelfand, Michele

    2010-01-01

    Bias in the evaluation of workplace misbehavior is hotly debated in courts and corporations, but it has received little empirical attention. Classic sociological literature suggests that deviance by lower-status actors will be evaluated more harshly than deviance by higher-status actors. However, more recent psychological literature suggests that discrimination in the evaluation of misbehavior may be moderated by the relative status of the evaluator because status influences both rule observance and attitudes toward social hierarchy. In Study 1, the psychological experience of higher status decreased rule observance and increased preferences for social hierarchy, as we theorized. In three subsequent experiments, we tested the hypothesis that higher-status evaluators would be more discriminating in their evaluations of workplace misbehavior, evaluating fellow higher-status deviants more leniently than lower-status deviants. Results supported the hypothesized interactive effect of evaluator status and target status on the evaluation of workplace deviance, when both achieved status characteristics (Studies 2a and 2b) and ascribed status characteristics (i.e., race and gender in Study 3) were manipulated.

  2. [Health status of elderly persons in Korea].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Y H; Kim, M S; Byon, Y S; Won, J S

    1990-12-01

    This Study was done to design and test an instrument to measure the health status of the elderly including physical, psychological and social dimensions. Data collection was done from July 18 to August 17, 1990. Subjects were 412 older persons in Korea. A convenience sample was used but the place of residence was stratified into large, medium and small city and rural areas. Participants located in Sudaemun-Gu, Mapo-Gu, and Kangnam-Gu, Seoul were interviewed by brained nursing students, and those in Chungju, Jonju, Chuncheon, and Jinju by professors of nursing colleges. Rural residents were interviewed by community health practitioners working in Kungsang-Buk-Do, Kyngsang-Nam-Do, Jonla Buk-Do, and Kyung Ki-Do. The tool developed for this study was a structured questionnaire based on previous literature and then tested for reliability and validity. This tool contained 20 physical health status items, 17 mental-emotional health status items and 38 social health status items. Physical health status items clustered in to six factors such as personal hygiene, activity, home management, digestive, sexual, sensory, and climatization functions. Mental-emotional health status items clustered into two factors, mental health and emotional health. Social health status items clustered into seven factors, grandparent, parent, spouse, friend, kinships, group member and religious role functions. Data analysis included percentage, average, S.D., t-test and ANOVA. The results of the analysis were as follows: 1. The tool measuring the health status of the elderly and developed for this research had a relatively high reliability indicated by a Cronbach = 0.97793. 2. Average score of the subjects physical health status was 4,054 in a 5 point likert scale, mental-emotional health status was 3.803, social health status was 2.939 and the total average was 3.521. The social status of the subjects was the lowest and the next was mental-emotional health status; physical health status was the

  3. USCIS My Case Status

    Data.gov (United States)

    Department of Homeland Security — USCIS provide a way for the public who applied for U.S. citizenship to check the status of their application online. To view the status of a case, the application...

  4. Treatment of Established Status Epilepticus

    Science.gov (United States)

    Falco-Walter, Jessica J.; Bleck, Thomas

    2016-01-01

    Status epilepticus is the most severe form of epilepsy, with a high mortality rate and high health care costs. Status epilepticus is divided into four stages: early, established, refractory, and super-refractory. While initial treatment with benzodiazepines has become standard of care for early status epilepticus, treatment after benzodiazepine failure (established status epilepticus (ESE)) is incompletely studied. Effective treatment of ESE is critical as morbidity and mortality increases dramatically the longer convulsive status epilepticus persists. Phenytoin/fosphenytoin, valproic acid, levetiracetam, phenobarbital, and lacosamide are the most frequently prescribed antiseizure medications for treatment of ESE. To date there are no class 1 data to support pharmacologic recommendations of one agent over another. We review each of these medications, their pharmacology, the scientific evidence in support and against each in the available literature, adverse effects and safety profiles, dosing recommendations, and limitations of the available evidence. We also discuss future directions including the established status epilepticus treatment trial (ESETT). Substantial further research is urgently needed to identify these patients (particularly those with non-convulsive status epilepticus), elucidate the most efficacious antiseizure treatment with head-to-head randomized prospective trials, and determine whether this differs for convulsive vs. non-convulsive ESE. PMID:27120626

  5. Extrahepatic bile duct carcinoma treated by intraluminal irradiation with iridium-192 wire. Report of a case

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ikeda, H; Kuroda, T; Uchida, H [Osaka Univ. (Japan). Faculty of Medicine

    1980-08-01

    A 57-year-old male with obstructive jaundice was diagnosed extrahepatic bile duct carcinoma at bifurcation by percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC). He was treated 3,300 rad of external irradiation and then intraluminal irradiation using the Iridium-192 wire by two times with the aid of PTC internal drainage, each was given by the dose of 1,600 rad at 5 mm inside the tumor from the PTC-tube. He had been well for about 1 year and then died because of ascites and cachexia. Autopsy revealed only microscopic tumor cells remaining around the common duct below the cystic junction. It was confirmed that intraluminal irradiation using the Iridium-192 wire was potentially curable and easily applicable to the bile duct carcinoma.

  6. Extrahepatic bile duct carcinoma treated by intraluminal irradiation with iridium-192 wire

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ikeda, Hiro; Kuroda, Tomosumi; Uchida, Hideo

    1980-01-01

    A 57-year-old male with obstructive jaundice was diagnosed extrahepatic bile duct carcinoma at bifurcation by percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC). He was treated 3,300 rad of external irradiation and then intraluminal irradiation using the Iridium-192 wire by two times with the aid of PTC internal drainage, each was given by the dose of 1,600 rad at 5 mm inside the tumor from the PTC-tube. He had been well for about 1 year and then died because of ascites and cachexia. Autopsy revealed only microscopic tumor cells remaining around the common duct below the cystic junction. It was confirmed that intraluminal irradiation using the Iridium-192 wire was potentially curable and easily applicable to the bile duct carcinoma. (author)

  7. Wine consumption habits and consumer preferences between wines aged in barrels or with chips.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pérez-Magariño, Silvia; Ortega-Heras, Miriam; González-Sanjosé, María Luisa

    2011-03-30

    The use of oak wood pieces in winemaking is increasing, but the acceptance of this technique by consumers is unknown. For that reason, the main aim of this study was to measure consumers' opinion of red wines made with this new technique, their acceptance of them and their intention to purchase these wines. A preference ranking test was also carried out. A specific questionnaire was drawn up for this study and 65 frequent red wine consumers tasted four wines, two aged traditionally in barrels and two macerated with chips, and a forced choice preference test was carried out. Fifty-five per cent of respondents said that they would not buy wines made using oak chips, although most respondents would buy these wines if, after tasting them, they were as pleasant and had the same quality as the wines aged traditionally in barrels. Wines obtained with oak wood fragments were not significantly rejected either by consumers who answered the questionnaire or by consumer tasters, which could be due to the large disparity of preferences found among tasters. The results clearly indicate that producers should develop each wine taking into account the specific preferences of each consumer group. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry.

  8. Outcome differences in adolescent blunt severe polytrauma patients managed at pediatric versus adult trauma centers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rogers, Amelia T; Gross, Brian W; Cook, Alan D; Rinehart, Cole D; Lynch, Caitlin A; Bradburn, Eric H; Heinle, Colin C; Jammula, Shreya; Rogers, Frederick B

    2017-12-01

    Previous research suggests adolescent trauma patients can be managed equally effectively at pediatric and adult trauma centers. We sought to determine whether this association would be upheld for adolescent severe polytrauma patients. We hypothesized that no difference in adjusted outcomes would be observed between pediatric trauma centers (PTCs) and adult trauma centers (ATCs) for this population. All severely injured adolescent (aged 12-17 years) polytrauma patients were extracted from the Pennsylvania Trauma Outcomes Study database from 2003 to 2015. Polytrauma was defined as an Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) score ≥3 for two or more AIS-defined body regions. Dead on arrival, transfer, and penetrating trauma patients were excluded from analysis. ATC were defined as adult-only centers, whereas standalone pediatric hospitals and adult centers with pediatric affiliation were considered PTC. Multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression models assessed the adjusted impact of center type on mortality and total complications while controlling for age, shock index, Injury Severity Score, Glasgow Coma Scale motor score, trauma center level, case volume, and injury year. A generalized linear mixed model characterized functional status at discharge (FSD) while controlling for the same variables. A total of 1,606 patients met inclusion criteria (PTC: 868 [54.1%]; ATC: 738 [45.9%]), 139 (8.66%) of which died in-hospital. No significant difference in mortality (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 1.10, 95% CI 0.54-2.24; p = 0.794; area under the receiver operating characteristic: 0.89) was observed between designations in adjusted analysis; however, FSD (AOR: 0.38, 95% CI 0.15-0.97; p = 0.043) was found to be lower and total complication trends higher (AOR: 1.78, 95% CI 0.98-3.32; p = 0.058) at PTC for adolescent polytrauma patients. Contrary to existing literature on adolescent trauma patients, our results suggest patients aged 12-17 presenting with polytrauma may experience

  9. Rethinking status dystonicus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruiz-Lopez, Marta; Fasano, Alfonso

    2017-12-01

    Status dystonicus is a movement disorder emergency that has been a source of controversy in terms of terminology, phenomenology, and management since it was first described in 1982. Here we argue that the current use of the term status dystonicus falls well short of the precision needed for either clinical or academic use. We performed a critical review on this topic, describing possible pathophysiological mechanisms and areas of uncertainties. This review also addresses the problems derived by the extreme clinical heterogeneity of this condition, as the lack of an objective criterion useful for the definition, or the fact that status dystonicus may present not only in the context of a known dystonic syndrome. We propose a new possible definition that includes not only dystonia but also other hyperkinetic movements in the wide range of movement disorders that can be seen during an episode. The new definition keeps the term status dystonicus and highlights the fact that this is a medical emergency based on the impairment of bulbar and/or respiratory function requiring hospital admission as the principal feature. Furthermore, the new definition should not consider as necessary unspecific features as patient's condition at baseline, the distribution of dystonia, occurrence of systemic symptoms such as fever or laboratory findings. We hope that this proposal will stimulate the debate on this subject among our peers, further developing a clinical and pathophysiological understanding of status dystonicus. © 2017 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society. © 2017 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

  10. Innovations, status, and networks

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    P. Wang (Pengfei)

    2016-01-01

    markdownabstractTo obtain and maintain competitive advantage, firms need to implement appropriate innovation strategies (i.e. exploration or exploitation) and acquire status in external networks. In this dissertation, I investigate how innovation strategy, status, and network structure jointly

  11. Topical report review status

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1982-08-01

    A Topical Report Review Status is scheduled to be published semi-annually. The primary purpose of this document is to provide periodic progress reports of on-going topical report reviews, to identify those topical reports for which the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff review has been completed and, to the extent practicable, to provide NRC management with sufficient information regarding the conduct of the topical report program to permit taking whatever actions deemed necessary or appropriate. This document is also intended to be a source of information to NRC Licensing Project Managers and other NRC personnel regarding the status of topical reports which may be referenced in applications for which they have responsibility. This status report is published primarily for internal NRC use in managing the topical report program, but is also used by NRC to advise the industry of report review status

  12. Topical report review status

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1983-01-01

    A Topical Report Review Status is scheduled to be published semi-annually. The primary purpose of this document is to provide periodic progress reports of on-going topical report reviews, to identify those topical reports for which the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff review has been completed and, to the extent practicable, to provide NRC management with sufficient information regarding the conduct of the topical report program to permit taking whatever actions deemed necessary or appropriate. This document is also intended to be a source of information to NRC Licensing Project Managers and other NRC personnel regarding the status of topical reports which may be referenced in applications for which they have responsibility. This status report is published primarily for internal NRC use in managing the topical report program, but is also used by NRC to advise the industry of report review status

  13. Is Subjective Status Influenced by Psychosocial Factors?

    OpenAIRE

    Lundberg, Johanna; Kristenson, Margareta

    2008-01-01

    Objective Associations between subjective status and health are still relatively unexplored. This study aimed at testing whether subjective status is uniquely confounded by psychosocial factors compared to objective status, and what factors that may predict subjective status. Design A cross-sectional analysis of a population-based, random sample of 795 middle-aged men and women from the southeast of Sweden. Questionnaires included subjective status, objective measures of socioeconomic status,...

  14. Sibling Status Effects: Adult Expectations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baskett, Linda Musun

    1985-01-01

    This study attempted to determine what expectations or beliefs adults might hold about a child based on his or her sibling status alone. Ratings on 50 adjective pairs for each of three sibling status types, only, oldest, and youngest child, were assessed in relation to adult expectations, birth order, and parental status of rater. (Author/DST)

  15. The association of employment status and family status with health among women and men in four Nordic countries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roos, E; Lahelma, E; Saastamoinen, P; Elstad, J-I

    2005-01-01

    The Nordic countries have relatively equal employment participation between men and women, but some differences between countries exist in labour market participation. The aim was to examine the association between employment status and health among women and men in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden, and analyse whether this association is modified by marital status and parental status. The data come from nationally representative cross-sectional surveys carried out in Denmark (n = 2,209), Finland (n = 4,604), Norway (n = 1,844) and Sweden (n = 5,360) in 1994-95. Women and men aged 25-49 were included. Employment status was categorized into full-time employed, part-time employed, unemployed, and housewives among women and into employed and unemployed among men. Health was measured by perceived health and limiting longstanding illness. Logistic regression analysis was used, adjusting for age and education. Marital status and parental status were analysed as modifying factors. The non-employed were more likely to report perceived health as below good and limiting longstanding illness than the employed among both women and men. The association between employment status and perceived health remained unchanged when marital status and parental status were adjusted for among all men and Finnish women, but the association was slightly strengthened among Danish and Swedish women, with the housewives becoming more likely to report ill health than employed women. The association between employment status and limiting longstanding illness was slightly strengthened among women, and slightly weakened among Norwegian men when marital and parental status were adjusted for. Non-employment was associated with poorer health in all countries, although there are differences in the employment patterns between the countries. Among women marital status and parental status showed a modest or no influence on the association between employment status and health. Among men there was no

  16. The politics of socioeconomic status: how socioeconomic status may influence political attitudes and engagement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown-Iannuzzi, Jazmin L; Lundberg, Kristjen B; McKee, Stephanie

    2017-12-01

    Socioeconomic status is hypothesized to be one factor informing political attitudes and actions. Presumably, this relationship is rooted in economic self-interest, with individuals preferring policies that would benefit them financially. In addition, these economic policy preferences are assumed to translate into political action. However, the relationships between socioeconomic status and political attitudes and behavior, as well as the psychological mechanisms associated with those relationships, are not straightforward. Here, we briefly review the current state of knowledge on the relationships between socioeconomic status and political attitudes and behavior. Overall, the research suggests that while socioeconomic status informs political attitudes toward economic policies, these attitudes may not correlate with complementary political behavior. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  17. Low-cost small scale parabolic trough collector design for manufacturing and deployment in Africa

    Science.gov (United States)

    Orosz, Matthew; Mathaha, Paul; Tsiu, Anadola; Taele, B. M.; Mabea, Lengeta; Ntee, Marcel; Khakanyo, Makoanyane; Teker, Tamer; Stephens, Jordan; Mueller, Amy

    2016-05-01

    Concentrating Solar Power is expanding its deployment on the African subcontinent, highlighting the importance of efforts to indigenize manufacturing of this technology to increase local content and therefore local economic benefits of these projects. In this study a design for manufacturing (DFM) exercise was conducted to create a locally produced parabolic trough collector (the G4 PTC). All parts were sourced or fabricated at a production facility in Lesotho, and several examples of the design were prototyped and tested with collaborators in the Government of Lesotho's Appropriate Technology Services division and the National University of Lesotho. Optical and thermal performance was simulated and experimentally validated, and pedagogical pre-commercial versions of the PTC have been distributed to higher education partners in Lesotho and Europe. The cost to produce the PTC is 180 USD/m2 for a locally manufactured heat collection element (HCE) capable of sustaining 250C operation at ~65% efficiency. A version with an imported evacuated HCE can operate at 300°C with 70% efficiency. Economically relevant applications for this locally produced PTC include industrial process heat and distributed generation scenarios where cogeneration is required.

  18. Advanced engineering environment collaboration project.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lamph, Jane Ann; Pomplun, Alan R.; Kiba, Grant W.; Dutra, Edward G.; Dankiewicz, Robert J.; Marburger, Scot J.

    2008-12-01

    The Advanced Engineering Environment (AEE) is a model for an engineering design and communications system that will enhance project collaboration throughout the nuclear weapons complex (NWC). Sandia National Laboratories and Parametric Technology Corporation (PTC) worked together on a prototype project to evaluate the suitability of a portion of PTC's Windchill 9.0 suite of data management, design and collaboration tools as the basis for an AEE. The AEE project team implemented Windchill 9.0 development servers in both classified and unclassified domains and used them to test and evaluate the Windchill tool suite relative to the needs of the NWC using weapons project use cases. A primary deliverable was the development of a new real time collaborative desktop design and engineering process using PDMLink (data management tool), Pro/Engineer (mechanical computer aided design tool) and ProductView Lite (visualization tool). Additional project activities included evaluations of PTC's electrical computer aided design, visualization, and engineering calculations applications. This report documents the AEE project work to share information and lessons learned with other NWC sites. It also provides PTC with recommendations for improving their products for NWC applications.

  19. Advanced engineering environment collaboration project

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lamph, Jane Ann; Pomplun, Alan R.; Kiba, Grant W.; Dutra, Edward G.; Dankiewicz, Robert J.; Marburger, Scot J.

    2008-01-01

    The Advanced Engineering Environment (AEE) is a model for an engineering design and communications system that will enhance project collaboration throughout the nuclear weapons complex (NWC). Sandia National Laboratories and Parametric Technology Corporation (PTC) worked together on a prototype project to evaluate the suitability of a portion of PTC's Windchill 9.0 suite of data management, design and collaboration tools as the basis for an AEE. The AEE project team implemented Windchill 9.0 development servers in both classified and unclassified domains and used them to test and evaluate the Windchill tool suite relative to the needs of the NWC using weapons project use cases. A primary deliverable was the development of a new real time collaborative desktop design and engineering process using PDMLink (data management tool), Pro/Engineer (mechanical computer aided design tool) and ProductView Lite (visualization tool). Additional project activities included evaluations of PTC's electrical computer aided design, visualization, and engineering calculations applications. This report documents the AEE project work to share information and lessons learned with other NWC sites. It also provides PTC with recommendations for improving their products for NWC applications

  20. A user-friendly web portal for T-Coffee on supercomputers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Koetsier Jos

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Parallel T-Coffee (PTC was the first parallel implementation of the T-Coffee multiple sequence alignment tool. It is based on MPI and RMA mechanisms. Its purpose is to reduce the execution time of the large-scale sequence alignments. It can be run on distributed memory clusters allowing users to align data sets consisting of hundreds of proteins within a reasonable time. However, most of the potential users of this tool are not familiar with the use of grids or supercomputers. Results In this paper we show how PTC can be easily deployed and controlled on a super computer architecture using a web portal developed using Rapid. Rapid is a tool for efficiently generating standardized portlets for a wide range of applications and the approach described here is generic enough to be applied to other applications, or to deploy PTC on different HPC environments. Conclusions The PTC portal allows users to upload a large number of sequences to be aligned by the parallel version of TC that cannot be aligned by a single machine due to memory and execution time constraints. The web portal provides a user-friendly solution.

  1. FOXP3 expression in papillary thyroid carcinoma with and without Hashimoto's thyroiditis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Murilo Pedreira Neves Junior

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available INTRODUCTION: The forkhead box P3 (FOXP3 plays a role in cell development and control. In the presence of abnormal FOXP3 expression, tumor cells may evade the immunosurveillance of lymphoid cells, the first step for the maintenance of cancer cells in the thyroid tissue. OBJECTIVE: To identify the presence of FOXP3 in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC with and without Hashimoto's Thyroiditis (HT. METHODS: We conducted a series study of cases collected from 2000 to 2008, when 1,438 thyroidectomies were performed. We selected those diagnosed with PTC, comprising 466 cases. 30 patients were randomly selected for purposes of immunohistochemistry with antibodies against FOXP3. RESULT: FOXP3 revealed high positivity for PTC and positive immunostaining was present in 21 (72.4% from all analyzed cases. There was no difference regarding coexistent HT or not. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: In the present study, it was evidenced that the focal or diffuse FOXP3 expression was commonly observed in neoplastic cells from PTC, hence indicating that the assessment of this molecule expression in suspected cases of thyroid cancer may contribute to its diagnosis.

  2. An epistatic interaction between the PAX8 and STK17B genes in papillary thyroid cancer susceptibility.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Iñigo Landa

    Full Text Available Papillary Thyroid Cancer (PTC is a heterogeneous and complex disease; susceptibility to PTC is influenced by the joint effects of multiple common, low-penetrance genes, although relatively few have been identified to date. Here we applied a rigorous combined approach to assess both the individual and epistatic contributions of genetic factors to PTC susceptibility, based on one of the largest series of thyroid cancer cases described to date. In addition to identifying the involvement of TSHR variation in classic PTC, our pioneer study of epistasis revealed a significant interaction between variants in STK17B and PAX8. The interaction was detected by MD-MBR (p = 0.00010 and confirmed by other methods, and then replicated in a second independent series of patients (MD-MBR p = 0.017. Furthermore, we demonstrated an inverse correlation between expression of PAX8 and STK17B in a set of cell lines derived from human thyroid carcinomas. Overall, our work sheds additional light on the genetic basis of thyroid cancer susceptibility, and suggests a new direction for the exploration of the inherited genetic contribution to disease using association studies.

  3. Infant temperament: stability by age, gender, birth order, term status, and socioeconomic status.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bornstein, Marc H; Putnick, Diane L; Gartstein, Maria A; Hahn, Chun-Shin; Auestad, Nancy; O'Connor, Deborah L

    2015-01-01

    Two complementary studies focused on stability of infant temperament across the 1st year and considered infant age, gender, birth order, term status, and socioeconomic status (SES) as moderators. Study 1 consisted of 73 mothers of firstborn term girls and boys queried at 2, 5, and 13 months of age. Study 2 consisted of 335 mothers of infants of different gender, birth order, term status, and SES queried at 6 and 12 months. Consistent positive and negative affectivity factors emerged at all time points across both studies. Infant temperament proved stable and robust across gender, birth order, term status, and SES. Stability coefficients for temperament factors and scales were medium to large for shorter ( 10 months) intervals. Published 2015. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

  4. Application of "magnetic tongue" to the sensory evaluation of extra virgin olive oil

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lauri, Ilaria; Pagano, Bruno; Malmendal, Anders

    2013-01-01

    The perception of odour and flavour of foods is a complicated physiological and psychological process that cannot be explained by simple models. Unfortunately, taste is not objective, but partially subjective and it depends also on the mood of the taster. Generally, sensory analysis is used to de....... We were able to correlate the NMR metabolomic fingerprints of extra-virgin olive oil to the sensory descriptors: tomato, bitter, pungent, rosemary, artichoke, sweet, grassy and leaf....

  5. Heavy flavors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cox, B.; Gilman, F.J.; Gottschalk, T.D.

    1986-11-01

    A range of issues pertaining to heavy flavors at the SSC is examined including heavy flavor production by gluon-gluon fusion and by shower evolution of gluon jets, flavor tagging, reconstruction of Higgs and W bosons, and the study of rare decays and CP violation in the B meson system. A specific detector for doing heavy flavor physics and tuned to this latter study at the SSC, the TASTER, is described. 36 refs., 10 figs

  6. Global micro RNA expression in papillary thyroid carcinomas of young patients exposed to radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Unger, K.; Elmahjoub, A.; Thomas, G.; Bogdanova, T.

    2012-01-01

    One of the main effects of the Chernobyl reactor accident is an increase in childhood papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTC) in the regions that were contaminated with radio-iodine from the fallout. Despite a considerable research effort, molecular profiles have yet to be identified that reliably distinguish between age matched patients with radiation associated and sporadic PTCs. Expression of micro RNAs (miRNA) have recently been studied extensively in many different cancer types. MiRNAs have the potential to provide insights into the network of molecular pathways that are involved in the development of tumorigenesis as they are involved in the regulation of networks of mRNAs. In addition, miRNAs can be studied in formalin-fixed paraffin embedded material, making them ideal for clinical studies. This study was designed specifically to identify differentially expressed miRNAs in patients with childhood PTC that were exposed (n=11) and non-exposed (n=9) to irradiation. The results suggest that in radiation-associated childhood PTC DNA repair processes which are reflected by genes that encode DNA-binding proteins are de-regulated. DNA mutation and double-strand breaks are induced by ionising radiation and subsequent mis-repair and inactivation of tumour suppressor genes and the activation of oncogenes leads to growth and proliferation of the tumour cell. These findings suggest that in addition to the MAP kinase pathway which is known to be a key pathway in PTC, additional pathways such as the Fc epsilon RI signalling, the VEGF pathway and p53 signalling pathway seem to be involved in radiation-associated tumorigenesis of PTC

  7. Global micro RNA expression in papillary thyroid carcinomas of young patients exposed to radiation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Unger, K.; Elmahjoub, A.; Thomas, G. [Human Cancer Studies Group, Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, London (United Kingdom); Bogdanova, T. [Institute of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Academy of Medical Sciences of the Ukraine, Kiew (Ukraine)

    2012-07-01

    One of the main effects of the Chernobyl reactor accident is an increase in childhood papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTC) in the regions that were contaminated with radio-iodine from the fallout. Despite a considerable research effort, molecular profiles have yet to be identified that reliably distinguish between age matched patients with radiation associated and sporadic PTCs. Expression of micro RNAs (miRNA) have recently been studied extensively in many different cancer types. MiRNAs have the potential to provide insights into the network of molecular pathways that are involved in the development of tumorigenesis as they are involved in the regulation of networks of mRNAs. In addition, miRNAs can be studied in formalin-fixed paraffin embedded material, making them ideal for clinical studies. This study was designed specifically to identify differentially expressed miRNAs in patients with childhood PTC that were exposed (n=11) and non-exposed (n=9) to irradiation. The results suggest that in radiation-associated childhood PTC DNA repair processes which are reflected by genes that encode DNA-binding proteins are de-regulated. DNA mutation and double-strand breaks are induced by ionising radiation and subsequent mis-repair and inactivation of tumour suppressor genes and the activation of oncogenes leads to growth and proliferation of the tumour cell. These findings suggest that in addition to the MAP kinase pathway which is known to be a key pathway in PTC, additional pathways such as the Fc epsilon RI signalling, the VEGF pathway and p53 signalling pathway seem to be involved in radiation-associated tumorigenesis of PTC

  8. Follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma: genome-wide appraisal of a controversial entity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wreesmann, Volkert B; Ghossein, Ronald A; Hezel, Michael; Banerjee, Debenranrath; Shaha, Ashok R; Tuttle, R Michael; Shah, Jatin P; Rao, Pulivarthi H; Singh, Bhuvanesh

    2004-08-01

    The majority of thyroid tumors are classified as papillary (papillary thyroid carcinomas; PTCs) or follicular neoplasms (follicular thyroid adenomas and carcinomas; FTA/FTC) based on nuclear features and the cellular growth pattern. However, classification of the follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma (FVPTC) remains an issue of debate. These tumors contain a predominantly follicular growth pattern but display nuclear features and overall clinical behavior consistent with PTC. In this study, we used comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) to compare the global chromosomal aberrations in FVPTC to the PTC of classical variant (classical PTC) and FTA/FTC. In addition, we assessed the presence of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARG) alteration, a genetic event specific to FTA/FTC, using Southern blot and immunohistochemistry analyses. In sharp contrast to the findings in classical PTC (4% of cases), CGH analysis demonstrated that both FVPTC (59% of cases) and FTA/FTC (36% of cases) were commonly characterized by aneuploidy (P = 0.0002). Moreover, the pattern of chromosomal aberrations (gains at chromosome arms 2q, 4q, 5q, 6q, 8q, and 13q and deletions at 1p, 9q, 16q, 17q, 19q, and 22q) in the follicular variant of PTC closely resembled that of FTA/FTC. Aberrations in PPARG were uniquely detected in FVPTC and FTA/FTC. Our findings suggest a stronger relationship between the FVPTC and FTA/FTC than previously appreciated and support further consideration of the current classification of thyroid neoplasms. Copyright 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  9. Association of the Preoperative Neutrophil-to-ymphocyte Count Ratio and Platelet-to-Lymphocyte Count Ratio with Clinicopathological Characteristics in Patients with Papillary Thyroid Cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sang Mi Kim

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available BackgroundSeveral inflammatory biomarkers, especially a high preoperative neutrophil-to-lymphocyte count ratio (NLR and platelet-to-lymphocyte count ratio (PLR, are known to be indicator of poor prognosis in several cancers. However, very few studies have evaluated the significance of the NLR and PLR in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC. We evaluated the association of the preoperative NLR and PLR with clinicopathological characteristics in patients with PTC.MethodsThis study included 1,066 female patients who underwent total thyroidectomy for PTC. Patients were stratified into 4 quartiles by preoperative NLR and PLR. And the combination of preoperative NLR and PLR was calculated on the basis of data obtained value of tertile as follows: patients with both an elevated PLR and an elevated NLR were allocated a score of 2, and patients showing one or neither were allocated a score of 1 or 0, respectively.ResultsThe preoperative NLR and PLR were significantly lower in patients aged ≥45 years and in patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis. The PLR was significantly higher in patients with tumor size >1 cm (P=0.021.When the patients were categorized into the aforementioned four groups, the group with the higher preoperative PLR was found to have a significantly increased incidence of lateral lymph node metastasis (LNM (P=0.018. However, there are no significant association between the combination of preoperative NLR and PLR and prognostic factors in PTC patients.ConclusionThese results suggest that a preoperative high PLR were significant associated with lateral LNM in female patients with PTC.

  10. Quality of life and cosmetic result of single-port access endoscopic thyroidectomy via axillary approach in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Jian-Kang; Ma, Ling; Song, Wen-Hua; Lu, Bang-Yu; Huang, Yu-Bin; Dong, Hui-Ming

    2016-01-01

    Endoscopic thyroidectomy for minimally invasive thyroid surgery has been widely applied in the past decade. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of single-port access transaxillary totally endoscopic thyroidectomy on the postoperative outcomes and functional parameters, including quality of life and cosmetic result in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). Seventy-five patients with PTC who underwent endoscopic thyroidectomy via a single-port access transaxillary approach were included (experimental group). A total of 123 patients with PTC who were subjected to conventional open total thyroidectomy served as the control group. The health-related quality of life and cosmetic and satisfaction outcomes were assessed postoperatively. The mean operation time was significantly increased in the experimental group. The physiological functions and social functions in the two groups were remarkably augmented after 6 months of surgery. However, there was no significant difference in the scores of speech and taste between the two groups at the indicated time of 1 month and 6 months. In addition, the scores for appearance, satisfaction with appearance, role-physical, bodily pain, and general health in the experimental group were better than those in the control group at 1 month and 6 months after surgery. The single-port access transaxillary totally endoscopic thyroidectomy is safe and feasible for the treatment of patients with PTC. The subjects who underwent this technique have a good perception of their general state of health and are likely to participate in social activities. It is worthy of being clinically used for patients with PTC.

  11. Hubungan Status Gizi dengan Status Sosial Ekonomi Keluarga Murid Sekolah Dasar di Daerah Pusat dan Pinggiran Kota Padang Lisbet Rimelfhi Sebataraja,

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lisbet Rimelfhi Sebataraja

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available AbstrakStatus gizi anak secara tidak langsung berkaitan dengan faktor sosial ekonomi keluarga. Jika status sosial ekonomi rendah maka kebutuhan makanan keluarga akan kurang terpenuhi sehingga anak akan memiliki status gizi kurang. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui hubungan status gizi dan status sosial ekonomi keluarga murid SD di pusat dan pinggiran kota Padang. Suatu penelitian analitik secara cross sectional telah dilakukan terhadap 220 orang murid di SDN 08 Alang Lawas sebagai perwakilan SD di pusat kota Padang dan SDN 36 Koto Panjang sebagai perwakilan SD di pinggiran kota Padang. Pengumpulan data dilakukan melalui kuisioner, pengukuran tinggi, dan berat badan anak. Analisa data dilakukan dengan menggunakan uji statistik Chi-Square. Hasil penelitian didapatkan status gizi murid SD di pusat kota dengan tingkat sosial ekonomi baik sebesar 84,2% status gizi baik dan 6% status gizi kurang, sedangkan keluarga dengan tingkat sosial ekonomi rendah didapatkan 15,7% status gizi baik dan 0% status gizi kurang. Pada daerah pinggiran kota dengan status ekonomi baik didapatkan 15,8% status gizi baik dan 64,7% status gizi kurang, sedangkan pada keluarga dengan status ekonomi rendah didapatkan 84,3% status gizi baik dan 100% status gizi kurang. Dari uji Chi-Square didapatkan nilai pearson Chi-Square (x2 = 71.004 lebih besar dari nilai x2 tabel = 7,815 dan nilai probabilitas (p = 0,000 lebih kecil dari nilai probabilitas yang bermakna yaitu p < 0,05 berarti terdapat hubungan yang signifikan antara status gizi dengan status sosial ekonomi keluarga murid SD di pusat dan pinggiran kota Padang. Status gizi anak juga berhubungan dengan tingkat ekonomi keluarga, tingkat pendidikan ayah dan ibu serta jumlah anak dalam keluarga.Kata kunci: Status Gizi, Status Sosial Ekonomi, Pusat Kota, Pinggiran KotaAbstractNutritional status of children is indirectly related to socioeconomic factors. If the low socioeconomic status family meals needs will not

  12. Is self-regard a sociometer or a hierometer? Self-esteem tracks status and inclusion, narcissism tracks status.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mahadevan, Nikhila; Gregg, Aiden P; Sedikides, Constantine

    2018-04-02

    What adaptive function does self-regard serve? Sociometer theory predicts that it positively tracks social inclusion. A new theory, hierometer theory, predicts that it positively tracks social status. We tested both predictions with respect to two types of self-regard: self-esteem and narcissism. Study 1 (N = 940), featuring a cross-sectional design, found that both status and inclusion covaried positively with self-esteem, but that status alone covaried positively with narcissism. These links held independently of gender, age, and the Big Five personality traits. Study 2 (N = 627), a preregistered cross-sectional study, obtained similar results with alternative measures of self-esteem and narcissism. Studies 3-4 featured experimental designs in which status and inclusion were orthogonally manipulated. Study 3 (N = 104) found that both higher status and higher inclusion promoted higher self-esteem, whereas only higher status promoted higher narcissism. Study 4 (N = 259) obtained similar results with alternative measures of self-esteem and narcissism. The findings suggest that self-esteem operates as both sociometer and hierometer, positively tracking both status and inclusion, whereas narcissism operates primarily as a hierometer, positively tracking status. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

  13. Predictors of Sociometric Status for Low Socioeconomic Status Elementary Mainstreamed Students with and without Special Needs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baydik, Berrin; Bakkaloglu, Hatice

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of the present study is to compare the sociometric status of low socioeconomic status elementary school students with and without special needs and investigate the effects of different variables (gender, age, physical appearance, social skills, behavior problems, and academic competence) on students' sociometric status. Elementary…

  14. Physician staffed helicopter emergency medical service dispatch via centralised control or directly by crew – case identification rates and effect on the Sydney paediatric trauma system

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    Garner Alan A

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Severe paediatric trauma patients benefit from direct transport to dedicated Paediatric Trauma Centres (PTC. Parallel case identification systems utilising paramedics from a centralised dispatch centre versus the crew of a physician staffed Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS allowed comparison of the two systems for case identification rates and subsequent timeliness of direct transfer to a PTC. Methods Paediatric trauma patients over a two year period from the Sydney region with an Injury Severity Score (ISS > 15 were retrospectively identified from a state wide trauma registry. Overall paediatric trauma system performance was assessed by comparisons of the availability of the physician staffed HEMS for patient characteristics, transport mode (direct versus indirect and the times required for the patient to arrive at the paediatric trauma centre. The proportion of patients transported directly to a PTC was compared between the times that the HEMS service was available versus the time that it was unavailable to determine if the HEMS system altered the rate of direct transport to a PTC. Analysis of variance was used to compare the identifying systems for various patient characteristics when the HEMS was available. Results Ninety nine cases met the inclusion criteria, 44 when the HEMS system was operational. Patients identified for physician response by the HEMS system were significantly different to those that were not identified with higher median ISS (25 vs 18, p = 0.011, and shorter times to PTC (67 vs 261mins, p = 0.015 and length of intensive care unit stays (2 vs 0 days, p = 0.045. Of the 44 cases, 21 were not identified, 3 were identified by the paramedic system and 20 were identified by the HEMS system, (P  Conclusions Physician staffed HEMS crew dispatch is significantly more likely to identify cases of severe paediatric trauma and is associated with a greater proportion of transports

  15. Pt catalysts on PANI coated WC/C nanocomposites for methanol electro-oxidation and oxygen electro-reduction in DMFC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yaldagard, Maryam; Jahanshahi, Mohsen; Seghatoleslami, Naser

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • In this work nanosized WC/C were successfully coated by PANI. • Pt particles (10.56 nm) were uniformly dispersed on the surface of PANI/WC/C support. • The Pt/PANI/WC/C exhibited higher MOR activity and CO tolerance than Pt/C. • The Pt/PANI/WC/C exhibited higher activity for ORR than Pt/C in RDE experiments. • Pt/PANI/WC/C showed good stability than that of Pt/C in the presence of methanol. - Abstract: In the present study a Pt/PANI/WC/C electrocatalyst was developed to increase the methanol electro-oxidation and oxygen electro-reduction activity and stability of commercial Pt/C electrocatalyst. WC/C was coated with protonated polyaniline (PANI) in situ during the polymerization of aniline. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) results illustrate the presence of PANI in the composite. The conductivity of PANI coated – WC/C has been compared with the conductivity of the corresponding mixtures of WC/C and Vulcan XC-72. X-ray diffraction results showed that Pt particles were dispersed on the support with mean particle size of about 10.56 nm. Transition electron microscopy images showed that the nanosized WC/C were successfully coated by PANI. Based on the electrochemical properties characterized by cyclic voltammetry, CO stripping and rotating disk electrode measurements it was found that the as prepared Pt/PANI/WC/C electrocatalyst exhibited a comparable activity for methanol oxidation reaction and oxygen reduction reaction with respect to the commercial one. A significant reduction in the potential of CO electro-oxidation peak from 0.75 V for Pt/C to 0.52 V for Pt/PANI/WC/C electrocatalyst indicates that an increase in the activity for CO electro-oxidation is achieved by replacing the carbon support by PANI coated WC/C. Chronoamerometry results also showed, in the presence of methanol the Pt/PANI/WC/C electrocatalyst still maintains a higher current density than Pt/WC/C and Pt/C

  16. Pt catalysts on PANI coated WC/C nanocomposites for methanol electro-oxidation and oxygen electro-reduction in DMFC

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yaldagard, Maryam, E-mail: m_yaldagard@yahoo.com [Department of Chemical Engineering, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, P.O. Box 91775-1111 (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Nanotechnology Research Institute, School of Chemical Engineering, Babol University of Technology (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Jahanshahi, Mohsen, E-mail: mjahan@nit.um.ac.ir [Nanotechnology Research Institute, School of Chemical Engineering, Babol University of Technology (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Seghatoleslami, Naser, E-mail: Slami@um.ac.ir [Department of Chemical Engineering, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, P.O. Box 91775-1111 (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

    2014-10-30

    Highlights: • In this work nanosized WC/C were successfully coated by PANI. • Pt particles (10.56 nm) were uniformly dispersed on the surface of PANI/WC/C support. • The Pt/PANI/WC/C exhibited higher MOR activity and CO tolerance than Pt/C. • The Pt/PANI/WC/C exhibited higher activity for ORR than Pt/C in RDE experiments. • Pt/PANI/WC/C showed good stability than that of Pt/C in the presence of methanol. - Abstract: In the present study a Pt/PANI/WC/C electrocatalyst was developed to increase the methanol electro-oxidation and oxygen electro-reduction activity and stability of commercial Pt/C electrocatalyst. WC/C was coated with protonated polyaniline (PANI) in situ during the polymerization of aniline. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) results illustrate the presence of PANI in the composite. The conductivity of PANI coated – WC/C has been compared with the conductivity of the corresponding mixtures of WC/C and Vulcan XC-72. X-ray diffraction results showed that Pt particles were dispersed on the support with mean particle size of about 10.56 nm. Transition electron microscopy images showed that the nanosized WC/C were successfully coated by PANI. Based on the electrochemical properties characterized by cyclic voltammetry, CO stripping and rotating disk electrode measurements it was found that the as prepared Pt/PANI/WC/C electrocatalyst exhibited a comparable activity for methanol oxidation reaction and oxygen reduction reaction with respect to the commercial one. A significant reduction in the potential of CO electro-oxidation peak from 0.75 V for Pt/C to 0.52 V for Pt/PANI/WC/C electrocatalyst indicates that an increase in the activity for CO electro-oxidation is achieved by replacing the carbon support by PANI coated WC/C. Chronoamerometry results also showed, in the presence of methanol the Pt/PANI/WC/C electrocatalyst still maintains a higher current density than Pt/WC/C and Pt/C.

  17. Does papillary thyroid carcinoma have a better prognosis with or without Hashimoto thyroiditis?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kwak, Hee Yong; Chae, Byung Joo; Eom, Yong Hwa; Hong, Young Ran; Seo, Jae Beom; Lee, So Hee; Song, Byung Joo; Jung, Sang Seol; Bae, Ja Seong

    2015-06-01

    It has been reported that the BRAF (V600E) mutation is related to a low frequency of background Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT); however, there are not many factors known to be related to the development of HT. The aim of this study was to determine whether patients with both papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and HT show aggressive features, by investigating the clinicopathological features of HT in patients with PTC. A database of patients with PTC who underwent thyroidectomy between October 2008 and August 2012 was collected and reviewed. All 2464 patients were offered a thyroidectomy, and DNA was extracted from the atypical cells in the surgical specimens for detection of the BRAF (V600E) mutation. Clinical and pathological characteristics were also investigated. Four hundred and fifty-two of 1945 (23.2%) patients were diagnosed with HT, and of these, 119 (72.1%) had a BRAF (V600E) mutation. HT was not significantly associated with the BRAF (V600E) mutation (P < 0.001) and extrathyroidal extensions (P = 0.005) but was associated with a low stage (P = 0.011) and female predominance (P < 0.001). In a subgroup analysis for gender, HT was associated with a low probability of BRAF (V600E) mutations in both genders (P < 0.001 for both females and males). Also, recurrence was significantly associated with HT (OR 0.297, CI 0.099-0.890, P = 0.030), lymph node ratio (OR 2.545, CI 1.092-5.931, P = 0.030), and BRAF (V600E) mutation (OR 2.075, CI 1.021-4.217, P = 0.044). However, there was no relationship with clinicopathological factors or with death. Our results show that HT in patients with PTC is associated with a low probability of BRAF (V600E) mutations. Moreover, HT was correlated with some factors that were associated with less aggressive clinical features and inversely related to recurrence. Therefore, these results may be useful to predict whether PTC concurrent with HT exhibits a better prognosis than PTC alone.

  18. Integrated ligand-receptor bioinformatic and in vitro functional analysis identifies active TGFA/EGFR signaling loop in papillary thyroid carcinomas.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Debora Degl'Innocenti

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTCs, the most frequent thyroid cancer, is usually not life threatening, but may recur or progress to aggressive forms resistant to conventional therapies. A more detailed understanding of the signaling pathways activated in PTCs may help to identify novel therapeutic approaches against these tumors. The aim of this study is to identify signaling pathways activated in PTCs. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We examined coordinated gene expression patterns of ligand/receptor (L/R pairs using the L/R database DRLP-rev1 and five publicly available thyroid cancer datasets of gene expression on a total of 41 paired PTC/normal thyroid tissues. We identified 26 (up and 13 (down L/R pairs coordinately and differentially expressed. The relevance of these L/R pairs was confirmed by performing the same analysis on REarranged during Transfection (RET/PTC1-infected thyrocytes with respect to normal thyrocytes. TGFA/EGFR emerged as one of the most tightly regulated L/R pair. Furthermore, PTC clinical samples analyzed by real-time RT-PCR expressed EGFR transcript levels similar to those of 5 normal thyroid tissues from patients with pathologies other than thyroid cancer, whereas significantly elevated levels of TGFA transcripts were only present in PTCs. Biochemical analysis of PTC cell lines demonstrated the presence of EGFR on the cell membrane and TGFA in conditioned media. Moreover, conditioned medium of the PTC cell line NIM-1 activated EGFR expressed on HeLa cells, culminating in both ERK and AKT phosphorylation. In NIM-1 cells harboring BRAF mutation, TGFA stimulated proliferation, contributing to PI3K/AKT activation independent of MEK/ERK signaling. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: We compiled a reliable list of L/R pairs associated with PTC and validated the biological role of one of the emerged L/R pair, the TGFA/EGFR, in this cancer, in vitro. These data provide a better understanding of the factors involved in the

  19. Impact of public policy uncertainty on renewable energy investment: Wind power and the production tax credit

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barradale, Merrill Jones

    2010-01-01

    It is generally understood that the pattern of repeated expiration and short-term renewal of the federal production tax credit (PTC) causes a boom-bust cycle in wind power plant investment in the US. This on-off pattern is detrimental to the wind industry, since ramp-up and ramp-down costs are high, and players are deterred from making long-term investments. It is often assumed that the severe downturn in investment during 'off' years implies that wind power is unviable without the PTC. This assumption turns out to be unsubstantiated: this paper demonstrates that it is not the absence of the PTC that causes the investment downturn during 'off' years, but rather the uncertainty over its return. Specifically, it is the dynamic of power purchase agreement (PPA) negotiations in the face of PTC renewal uncertainty that drives investment volatility. With contract negotiations prevalent in the renewable energy industry, this finding suggests that reducing uncertainty is a crucial component of effective renewable energy policy. The PTC as currently structured is not the only means, existing or potential, for encouraging wind power investment. Using data from a survey of energy professionals, various policy instruments are compared in terms of their perceived stability for supporting long-term investment. - Research highlights: →The case of wind energy investment in the face of PTC uncertainty provides an important study in how industry structure, and in particular the process of contract negotiations, can amplify the impact of public policy uncertainty on corporate investment. →The finding that contract negotiations in the face of uncertainty are sufficient in themselves to hinder investment implies that the assumption that investment downturns reflect unfavorable economics is unfounded. This assumption falsely discourages interest and investment in wind energy. →Policy stability should be added to the list of criteria explicitly considered in designing policy

  20. Nutritional status and oral status of the elderly with dementia: a 2-year study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sadamori, Shinsuke; Hayashi, Syouji; Fujihara, Isao; Abekura, Hitoshi; Hamada, Taizo; Akagawa, Yasumasa

    2012-06-01

    To determine the relationship between denture wearing and nutritional status in the elderly with dementia. There could be a correlation between nutrition, oral health, dietary habits, patients' satisfaction, and their socio-economic status in the elderly, and the relationship between compromised oral status and nutritional status in the elderly with dementia. A 2-year follow-up study of 63 elderly Japanese women with and without dentures from a nursing home was undertaken to investigate their oral, physical and mental, and nutritional status. Each item for 2006 and 2008 in this study showed no significant difference between 2006 and 2008, except the calories/day. The elderly with dementia without complete dentures during the 2 years of the study only significantly decreased the mean of the calories/day. The calories/day of the elderly with dementia without dentures decreased after 2 years. Denture wearing for the elderly with dementia could be necessary to maintain a satisfactory intake of calories. © 2011 The Gerodontology Society and John Wiley & Sons A/S.

  1. Nonconvulsive status epilepticus disguising as hepatic encephalopathy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jo, Yong Min; Lee, Sung Wook; Han, Sang Young; Baek, Yang Hyun; Ahn, Ji Hye; Choi, Won Jong; Lee, Ji Young; Kim, Sang Ho; Yoon, Byeol A

    2015-04-28

    Nonconvulsive status epilepticus has become an important issue in modern neurology and epileptology. This is based on difficulty in definitively elucidating the condition and its various clinical phenomena and on our inadequate insight into the intrinsic pathophysiological processes. Despite nonconvulsive status epilepticus being a situation that requires immediate treatment, this disorder may not be appreciated as the cause of mental status impairment. Although the pathophysiology of nonconvulsive status epilepticus remains unknown, this disorder is thought to lead to neuronal damage, so its identification and treatment are important. Nonconvulsive status epilepticus should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients with liver cirrhosis presenting an altered mental status. We report a case of a 52-year-old male with liver cirrhosis presenting an altered mental status. He was initially diagnosed with hepatic encephalopathy but ultimately diagnosed with nonconvulsive status epilepticus by electroencephalogram.

  2. Delbruck Prize Award: Insights into HIV Dynamics and Cure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perelson, Alan S.

    A large effort is being made to find a means to cure HIV infection. I will present a dynamical model of a phenomenon called post-treatment control (PTC) or functional cure of HIV-infection in which some patients treated with suppressive antiviral therapy have been taken off of therapy and then spontaneously control HIV infection. The model relies on an immune response and bistability to explain PTC. I will then generalize the model to explicitly include immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies approved for use in cancer to show that one can induce PTC with a limited number of antibody infusions and compare model predictions with experiments in SIV infected macaques given immunotherapy. Lastly, I will argue that quantitative insights derived from models of HIV infection have and will continue to play an important role in medicine.

  3. PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS OF PARABOLIC SOLAR COLLECTOR WATER HEATER SYSTEM FITTED WITH NAIL TWISTED TAPES ABSORBER

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    K. SYED JAFAR

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, the experimental heat transfer, friction loss and thermal performance data for water flowing through the absorber tube fitted with two different twisted tape configurations in parabolic trough collector (PTC are presented. In the present work, a relative experimental study is carried out to investigate the performance of a PTC influenced by heat transfer through fluidabsorber wall mixing mechanism. The major findings of this experiment show that heat transport enhancement in the nail twisted tape collector perform significantly better than plain twisted tapes and also show that the smallest twisted tape ratio enhances the system performance remarkably maximizing the collector efficiency. The results suggest that the twisted tape and nail twisted tape would be a better option for high thermal energy collection in laminar region of the PTC system.

  4. Co-occurrence of papillary thyroid carcinoma and mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma in a patient with long-standing hashimoto thyroiditis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nam, Yoon Jeong; Kim, Bo Hyun; Lee, Seong Keun; Jeon, Yun Kyung; Kim, Sang Soo; Jung, Woo Jin; Kahng, Dong Hwahn; Kim, In Ju

    2013-12-01

    Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is a common affliction of the thyroid gland, accounting for 70% to 80% of all thyroid cancers, whereas mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma of the thyroid gland is uncommon. The simultaneous occurrence of both malignancies is extremely rare. We report the case of a patient with both PTC and MALT lymphoma in the setting of Hashimoto thyroiditis. An 81-year-old female patient was first admitted with goiter and hoarseness, which was attributed to an ultrasonographic thyroid nodule. Subsequent fine-needle aspirate, interpreted as suspicious of papillary thyroid cancer, prompted total thyroidectomy. MALT lymphoma was an incidental postsurgical finding, coexisting with PTC in the setting of Hashimoto thyroiditis. Although the development of MALT lymphoma is very rare, patients with longstanding Hashimoto thyroiditis should undergo careful surveillance for both malignancies.

  5. [Nutritional status and the relationship regarding functional status after stroke].

    Science.gov (United States)

    López Espuela, Fidel; Portilla Cuenca, Juan Carlos; Holguín Mohedas, Marta; Párraga Sánchez, José Manuel; Cordovilla-Guardia, Sergio; Casado Naranjo, Ignacio

    2017-09-14

    To assess the nutritional status (NS) of patients at three months of suffering a stroke, and to establish the relationship between functional recovery and complications in this period. A cross-sectional observational study evaluating the NS of patients older than 65 years at three months of having a stroke. The NS was assessed using the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA). Sociodemographic and anthropometric data, cardiovascular risk factors, as well as functional status (through the Barthel index and the modified Rankin scale) and the presented complications were collected. One hundred and three patients were included, with a medium age of 75.81 (± 6.73). The MNA score was 23.13 points (± 4.47); 8.2% had malnutrition and 38.1% had risk of malnutrition. There were no differences in the NS between women and men (p = 0.076) neither relation of the NS with age. NS deficiency was associated with poorer function (r = 0.608; p nutritional status had a better quality of life (r = 0.506; p < 0.001). It was also associated with poorer socioeconomic status (p = 0.020) and institutionalization (p = 0.004). The risk of malnutrition is common in stroke survivors at the short-term. This NS is associated with a worse functional situation and self-perceived quality of life and with a higher rate of complications. Early detection of the risk of malnutrition is essential in patients who have suffered a stroke.

  6. Association between oral health status and nutritional status in south Brazilian independent-living older people.

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Marchi, Renato José; Hugo, Fernando Neves; Hilgert, Juliana Balbinot; Padilha, Dalva Maria Pereira

    2008-06-01

    Evidence suggests that older people with partial tooth loss and edentulism change their diet and lack specific nutrients, but few studies have assessed whether poor oral status is associated with risk of malnutrition and malnutrition in independent-living older people. We evaluated if poor oral status was associated with risk of malnutrition and malnutrition in this population. A random sample of 471 south Brazilians > or =60 y of age was evaluated. Measurements included a questionnaire to assess sociodemographic, behavioral, general, and oral health data; nutritional status assessment, according to the Mini-Nutritional Assessment (MNA); and oral status assessment, by means of oral examinations assessing the number of teeth and use of dental prostheses. Correlates of risk of malnutrition/malnutrition according to the MNA were assessed by means of multivariate logistic regression. Participants who reported dissatisfaction with their gingival health and edentulous persons wearing only one denture were more likely to be at risk of malnutrition, according to the screening MNA. Dissatisfaction with gingival health was a risk indicator, whereas having one to eight natural teeth was protective against the risk of malnutrition/malnutrition according to the full MNA. In the present study, older people with a compromised oral status had higher odds for risk of malnutrition. The maintenance of a few teeth had a crucial role in increasing the chance of maintaining an adequate nutritional status in the studied population. In cases where edentulism was present, complete dental prosthetic use was associated with better nutritional status.

  7. Status Configurations, Military Service and Higher Education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Lin; Elder, Glen H; Spence, Naomi J

    2012-12-01

    The U.S. Armed Forces offer educational and training benefits as incentives for service. This study investigates the influence of status configurations on military enlistment and their link to greater educational opportunity. Three statuses (socioeconomic status of origin, cognitive ability and academic performance) have particular relevance for life course options. We hypothesize that young men with inconsistent statuses are more likely to enlist than men with consistent status profiles, and that military service improves access to college for certain configurations. Analyses of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) show (1. that several status configurations markedly increased the likelihood of military enlistment and (2. within status configurations, recruits were generally more likely to enroll in higher education than nonveterans, with associate degrees being more likely.

  8. Socioeconomic status, anthropometric status, and psychomotor development of Kenyan children from resource-limited settings: a path-analytic study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abubakar, Amina; Van de Vijver, Fons; Van Baar, Anneloes; Mbonani, Leonard; Kalu, Raphael; Newton, Charles; Holding, Penny

    2008-09-01

    Sub-optimal physical growth has been suggested as a key pathway between the effect of environmental risk and developmental outcome. To determine if anthropometric status mediates the relation between socioeconomic status and psychomotor development of young children in resource-limited settings. A cross-sectional study design was used. A total of 204 (105 girls) children from two resource-limited communities in the Coast Province, Kenya. The mean age of these children was 29 months (SD = 3.43; range: 24-35 months). Psychomotor functioning was assessed using a locally developed and validated measure, the Kilifi Developmental Inventory. A significant association was found between anthropometric status (as measured by weight-for-age, height-for-age, mid-upper arm circumference, and head circumference) and psychomotor functioning and also between socioeconomic status and anthropometric status; no direct effects were found between socioeconomic status and developmental outcome. The models showed that weight, height and to a lesser extent mid-upper arm circumference mediate the relation between socioeconomic status and developmental outcome, while head circumference did not show the same effect. Among children under 3 years living in poverty, anthropometric status shows a clear association with psychomotor development while socioeconomic status may only have an indirect association.

  9. Clinicopathological Features and Prognosis of Papillary Thyroid Microcarcinoma for Surgery and Relationships with the BRAFV600E Mutational Status and Expression of Angiogenic Factors.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chenlei Shi

    Full Text Available To investigate the clinicopathological characteristics of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC for surgery by comparing the difference between PTMC and larger papillary thyroid carcinoma (LPTC.We analyzed the differences in the clinicopathological characteristics, prognosis, B-type RAF kinase (BRAFV600E mutational status and expression of angiogenic factors, including pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF, and hypoxia-inducible factor alpha subunit (HIF-1α, between PTMC and LPTC by retrospectively reviewing the records of 251 patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma, 169 with PTMC, and 82 with LPTC (diameter >1 cm.There were no significant differences in the gender, age, multifocality, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, TNM stage, PEDF protein expression, rate of recurrence, or mean follow-up duration between patients with PTMC or LPTC. The prevalence of extrathyroidal invasion (EI, lymph node metastasis (LNM, and BRAF mutation in patients with PTMC was significantly lower than in patients with LPTC. In addition, in PTMC patients with EI and/or LNM and/or positive BRAF (high-risk PTMC patients, the prevalence of extrathyroidal invasion, Hashimoto's disease, lymph node metastasis, tumor TNM stage, PEDF positive protein expression, the rate of recurrent disease, and the mRNA expression of anti-angiogenic factors was almost as high as in patients with larger PTC, but with no significant difference.Extrathyroid invasion, lymph node metastases, and BRAFV600E mutation were the high risk factors of PTMC. PTMC should be considered for the same treatment strategy as LPTC when any of these factors is found. Particularly, PTMC with BRAFV600E gene mutations needed earlier surgical treatment. In addition, the high cell subtype of PTMC with BRAFV600E gene mutation is recommended for total thyroidectomy in primary surgery to reduce the risk of recurrence.

  10. Associação do status socioeconômico com obesidade Socioeconomic status and obesity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana CarolinaReiff e Vieira

    2008-09-01

    Full Text Available Os estudos nacionais indicam comportamento epidêmico da obesidade, e ênfase tem sido dada sobre os determinantes sociais do excesso de peso. O status socioeconômico tem sido avaliado por ocupação, educação e renda. Vários fatores relacionados à obesidade, como atividade física, consumo alimentar e hábitos familiares sofrem também influência do status socioeconômico. Realizou-se revisão da literatura sobre a associação do status socioeconômico com obesidade e também foram apresentados dados de uma pesquisa de base populacional sobre obesidade em mulheres do município do Rio de Janeiro. A ocorrência da obesidade entre os diferentes níveis de status socioeconômico é influenciada pelo sexo e idade, e são discutidos fatores ambientais que determinam a possibilidade de acesso aos alimentos saudáveis e a oportunidade de prática de atividade física. Por fim, é discutido como os hábitos familiares influenciam nas escolhas dos alimentos e como o status socioeconômico pode modificar esse efeito, bem como a disponibilidade de alimentos e o preço destes, levando a um maior consumo de alimentos de alta densidade energética, fator de risco dietético para obesidade.An epidemic of obesity has been revealed by Brazilian nationwide surveys, and emphasis is being given to socioeconomic status as one of the main determinants of weight gain. Other factors also associated to obesity are influenced by socioeconomic status, such as physical activity, food consumption, and family habits. Socioeconomic status has been evaluated based on occupation, education, and income. A review of the literature on the association between socioeconomic status and obesity has been conducted, and data from a population-based survey regarding obesity among women in the city of Rio de Janeiro were also included. The occurrence of obesity among different levels of socioeconomic status as influenced by sex and age, and environmental factors that determine the

  11. New Thermal Taste Actuation Technology for Future Multisensory Virtual Reality and Internet.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karunanayaka, Kasun; Johari, Nurafiqah; Hariri, Surina; Camelia, Hanis; Bielawski, Kevin Stanley; Cheok, Adrian David

    2018-04-01

    Today's virtual reality (VR) applications such as gaming, multisensory entertainment, remote dining, and online shopping are mainly based on audio, visual, and touch interactions between humans and virtual worlds. Integrating the sense of taste into VR is difficult since humans are dependent on chemical-based taste delivery systems. This paper presents the 'Thermal Taste Machine', a new digital taste actuation technology that can effectively produce and modify thermal taste sensations on the tongue. It modifies the temperature of the surface of the tongue within a short period of time (from 25°C to 40 °C while heating, and from 25°C to 10 °C while cooling). We tested this device on human subjects and described the experience of thermal taste using 20 known (taste and non-taste) sensations. Our results suggested that rapidly heating the tongue produces sweetness, fatty/oiliness, electric taste, warmness, and reduces the sensibility for metallic taste. Similarly, cooling the tongue produced mint taste, pleasantness, and coldness. By conducting another user study on the perceived sweetness of sucrose solutions after the thermal stimulation, we found that heating the tongue significantly enhances the intensity of sweetness for both thermal tasters and non-thermal tasters. Also, we found that faster temperature rises on the tongue produce more intense sweet sensations for thermal tasters. This technology will be useful in two ways: First, it can produce taste sensations without using chemicals for the individuals who are sensitive to thermal taste. Second, the temperature rise of the device can be used as a way to enhance the intensity of sweetness. We believe that this technology can be used to digitally produce and enhance taste sensations in future virtual reality applications. The key novelties of this paper are as follows: 1. Development of a thermal taste actuation technology for stimulating the human taste receptors, 2. Characterization of the thermal taste

  12. Pseudotumor Cerebri Resulting in Empty Sella Syndrome and Multiple Pituitary Hormone Deficiencies

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-09-14

    A 17 year old male was referred to pediatric endocrinology with concerns for stalled puberty in the setting of known PTC. He was diagnosed with PTC...size led to a preliminary laboratory evaluation. This resulted In a referral to pediatric endocrinology for significantly low testosterone and an...studies were reviewed and a partially empty sella was appreciated by a pediatric radiologist on retrospective evaluation (Image 1 ). There were no

  13. Crack-tips enriched platinum-copper superlattice nanoflakes as highly efficient anode electrocatalysts for direct methanol fuel cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Lijun; Yang, Dachi; Chang, Rong; Wang, Chengwen; Zhang, Gaixia; Sun, Shuhui

    2017-07-06

    We have developed "crack-tips" and "superlattice" enriched Pt-Cu nanoflakes (NFs), benefiting from the synergetic effects of "crack-tips" and "superlattice crystals"; the Pt-Cu NFs exhibit 4 times higher mass activity, 6 times higher specific activity and 6 times higher stability than those of the commercial Pt/C catalyst, respectively. Meanwhile, the Pt-Cu NFs show more enhanced CO tolerance than the commercial Pt/C catalyst.

  14. Status Configurations, Military Service and Higher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Lin; Elder, Glen H.; Spence, Naomi J.

    2012-01-01

    The U.S. Armed Forces offer educational and training benefits as incentives for service. This study investigates the influence of status configurations on military enlistment and their link to greater educational opportunity. Three statuses (socioeconomic status of origin, cognitive ability and academic performance) have particular relevance for life course options. We hypothesize that young men with inconsistent statuses are more likely to enlist than men with consistent status profiles, and that military service improves access to college for certain configurations. Analyses of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) show (1. that several status configurations markedly increased the likelihood of military enlistment and (2. within status configurations, recruits were generally more likely to enroll in higher education than nonveterans, with associate degrees being more likely. PMID:24511161

  15. Status Epilepticus in the Emergency Department

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jonathan Lee

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Audience: This simulation can be used for EM learners of any level including medical students, junior residents and senior residents. Introduction: Seizures are the result of abnormal or disorganized cortical electrical activity in the brain. Status epilepticus is a dangerous complication of seizures. In adults and children older than five years old, generalized, convulsive status epilepticus refers to greater than 5 minutes of a continuous seizure OR two or more discrete seizures between which there is incomplete recovery of consciousness As with all emergency situations treatment must occur simultaneously while the physician manages primary assessment and resuscitation and determines the underlying cause. Objectives: At the end of this simulation session, the learner will: 1 Demonstrate the management of status epilepticus 2 Justify when airway intervention is needed for status epilepticus 3 Describe risk factors for status epilepticus 4 Prepare a differential diagnosis for the causes in status epilepticus. Method: This educational session is a high-fidelity simulation.

  16. Morocco: Country Status Report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McFerren, Margaret

    A survey of the status of language usage in Morocco begins with an overview of the distribution and usage of Arabic, the official language, the Berber dialects, and French, an unofficial second language. The continuing high status and widespread use of French despite arabization efforts is discussed. A matrix follows that rates these languages and…

  17. 27 CFR 28.30 - Export status.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Export status. 28.30... Export status. (a) Distilled spirits and wines manufactured, produced, bottled in bottles packed in... such purposes are considered to be exported. Export status is not acquired until application on Form...

  18. Status of voluntary restraint

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Aarts, W. [SWOKA Institute for Strategic Consumer Behaviour, Leiden (Netherlands)

    2000-05-01

    Do people enjoying a higher status, especially those with a higher education, constrain their consumption more than others? In general, higher status and high levels of consumption go hand in hand. But the greater availability of luxury goods has led to a decline in their exclusivity. Since environmental awareness has increased, a countercurrent may be possible. It is possible that certain high status groups, the environmentally aware trendsetters, can now be distinguished by their voluntary restraint rather than by their conspicuous consumption. This hypothesis formed the basis for a sociological doctoral project at the University of Amsterdam. The research was conducted under the umbrella of the National Research Programme on Global Air Pollution and Climate Change.

  19. Role of Glycosidic Aroma Precursors on the odorant profiles of Grenache noir and Syrah Wines from the Rhone valley. Part 2: characterisation of derived compounds

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marie A. Segurel

    2009-12-01

    Significance and impact of study: GC-Olfactometry coupled with GCMS were good techniques to indentify and apreciate the odorants generated from glycoconjugates in the wines of Syrah and Grenache Noir, but in the context of a blend of odors, these techniques showed their limits and did not permit to determine the real impact of a molecule in the global aroma of the wine perceived by the taster. Other methods as additive techniques should be used to complete this study.

  20. Genetic mutations associated with status epilepticus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhatnagar, M; Shorvon, S

    2015-08-01

    This paper reports the results of a preliminary search of the literature aimed at identifying the genetic mutations reported to be strongly associated with status epilepticus. Genetic mutations were selected for inclusion if status epilepticus was specifically mentioned as a consequence of the mutation in standard genetic databases or in a case report or review article. Mutations in 122 genes were identified. The genetic mutations identified were found in only rare conditions (sometimes vanishingly rare) and mostly in infants and young children with multiple other handicaps. Most of the genetic mutations can be subdivided into those associated with cortical dysplasias, inborn errors of metabolism, mitochondrial disease, or epileptic encephalopathies and childhood syndromes. There are no identified 'pure status epilepticus genes'. The range of genes underpinning status epilepticus differs in many ways from the range of genes underpinning epilepsy, which suggests that the processes underpinning status epilepticus differ from those underpinning epilepsy. It has been frequently postulated that status epilepticus is the result of a failure of 'seizure termination mechanisms', but the wide variety of genes affecting very diverse biochemical pathways identified in this survey makes any unitary cause unlikely. The genetic influences in status epilepticus are likely to involve a wide range of mechanisms, some related to development, some to cerebral energy production, some to diverse altered biochemical pathways, some to transmitter and membrane function, and some to defects in networks or systems. The fact that many of the identified genes are involved with cerebral development suggests that status epilepticus might often be a system or network phenomenon. To date, there are very few genes identified which are associated with adult-onset status epilepticus (except in those with preexisting neurological damage), and this is disappointing as the cause of many adult

  1. Conceptions of nuclear threshold status

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Quester, G.H.

    1991-01-01

    This paper reviews some alternative definitions of nuclear threshold status. Each of them is important, and major analytical confusions would result if one sense of the term is mistaken for another. The motives for nations entering into such threshold status are a blend of civilian and military gains, and of national interests versus parochial or bureaucratic interests. A portion of the rationale for threshold status emerges inevitably from the pursuit of economic goals, and another portion is made more attraction by the derives of the domestic political process. Yet the impact on international security cannot be dismissed, especially where conflicts among the states remain real. Among the military or national security motives are basic deterrence, psychological warfare, war-fighting and, more generally, national prestige. In the end, as the threshold phenomenon is assayed for lessons concerning the role of nuclear weapons more generally in international relations and security, one might conclude that threshold status and outright proliferation coverage to a degree in the motives for all of the states involved and in the advantages attained. As this paper has illustrated, nuclear threshold status is more subtle and more ambiguous than outright proliferation, and it takes considerable time to sort out the complexities. Yet the world has now had a substantial amount of time to deal with this ambiguous status, and this may tempt more states to exploit it

  2. Estimativas de parâmetros genéticos e ganho de seleção para produção de frutos em progênies de polinização aberta de pupunheira no estado do Pará, Brasil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    João Tomé de Farias Neto

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available O estudo objetivou estimar parâmetros e valores genéticos para os caracteres número de cachos (NC, peso médio do cacho (PMC e peso total do cacho (PTC aos seis anos, pelo método de modelos mistos (REML/BLUP. O teste de progênies foi estabelecido sob o delineamento de blocos ao acaso com 50 tratamentos (progênies, 10 blocos e uma planta por parcela, no espaçamento de 5 x 5 m, além de uma bordadura externa ao experimento. As estimativas de herdabilidade individual e médias no sentido restrito para PTC (0,213 e 0,360 e NC (0,286 e 0,435, respectivamente, foram de boas magnitudes. O coeficiente de variação genética individual exibiu valores elevados para PTC (19,86 e NC (17,59. A raiz quadrada da herdabilidade ao nível de médias das progênies resulta em acurácia seletiva na ordem de 0,60 para PTC e 0,66 para NC, atestando boa precisão e confiança nos parâmetros genéticos estimados, promovendo segurança na seleção. O potencial da população para fins de melhoramento pode ser observado por meio dos ganhos genéticos para PTC, que oscilaram de 8,3 a 19,9 kg, elevando a nova média populacional para o caráter após um ciclo de seleção, para 40,4 kg, equivalente a 25,8%.

  3. Utility of BRAF V600E mutation detection in cytologically indeterminate thyroid nodules

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rowe Leslie R

    2006-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Fine needle aspiration (FNA is widely utilized for evaluation of patients with thyroid nodules. However, approximately 30% are indeterminate for malignancy. Recently, a mutation in the BRAF gene has been reported to be the most common genetic event in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC. In this retrospective study, we assessed the utility of BRAF V600E mutation detection for refining indeterminate preoperative cytologic diagnoses in patients with PTC. Methods Archival indeterminate thyroid FNAs and corresponding formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE surgical samples with PTC were identified in our patient files. DNA extracted from slide scape lysates and 5 μm FFPE sections were evaluated for the BRAF V600E mutation using LightCycler PCR and fluorescent melting curve analysis (LCPCR. Amplification products that showed deviation from the wild-type genomic DNA melting peak, discordant FNA and FFPE matched pairs, and all benign control samples, underwent direct DNA sequencing. Results A total of 19 indeterminate thyroid FNAs demonstrating PTC on FFPE surgical samples were included in the study. Using BRAF mutation analysis, the preoperative diagnosis of PTC was confirmed in 3/19 (15.8% FNA samples that could not be conclusively diagnosed on cytology alone. However, 9/19 (47.4% FFPE tissue samples were positive for the V600E mutation. Of the discordant pairs, 5/6 FNAs contained less than 50% tumor cells. Conclusion When used with indeterminate FNA samples, BRAF mutation analysis may be a useful adjunct technique for confirming the diagnosis of malignancy in an otherwise equivocal case. However, overall tumor cell content of some archival FNA smear slides is a limiting factor for mutation detection.

  4. Distribution of genes for parathyroid hormone (PTH)-related peptide, Indian hedgehog, PTH receptor and patched in the process of experimental spondylosis in mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakase, Takanobu; Ariga, Kenta; Meng, Wenxiang; Iwasaki, Motoki; Tomita, Tetsuya; Myoui, Akira; Yonenobu, Kazuo; Yoshikawa, Hideki

    2002-07-01

    Little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying the process of spondylosis. The authors determined the extent of genetic localization of major regulators of chondrogenesis such as Indian hedgehog (Ihh) and parathyroid hormone (PTH)-related peptide (PTHrP) and their receptors during the development of spondylosis in their previously established experimental mouse model. Experimental spondylosis was induced in 5-week-old ICR mice. The cervical spines were chronologically harvested, and histological sections were prepared. Messenger (m) RNA for PTHrP, Ihh, PTH receptor (PTHR; a receptor for PTHrP), patched (Ptc; a receptor for Ihh), bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-6, and collagen type X (COL10; a marker for mature chondrocyte) was localized in the tissue sections by performing in situ hybridization. In the early stage, mRNA for COL10, Ihh, and BMP-6 was absent; however, mRNA for PTHrP, PTHR, and Ptc was detected in the anterior margin of the cervical discs. In the late stage, evidence of COL10 mRNA began to be detected, and transcripts for Ihh, PTHrP, and BMP-6 were localized in hypertrophic chondrocytes adjacent to the bone-forming area in osteophyte. Messenger RNA for Ptc and PTHR continued to localize at this stage. In control mice, expression of these genes was absent. The localization of PTHrP, Ihh, BMP-6, and the receptors PTHR and Ptc demonstrated in the present experimental model indicates the possible involvement of molecular signaling by PTHrP (through the PTHR), Ihh (through the Ptc), and BMP-6 in the regulation of chondrocyte maturation leading to endochondral ossification in spondylosis.

  5. Regulation of proximal tubular epithelial cell CD44-mediated binding and internalisation of hyaluronan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, Stuart George; Ito, Takafumi; Phillips, Aled Owain

    2003-09-01

    Increased expression of the connective tissue polysaccharide hyaluronan (HA) in the renal corticointerstitium is associated with progressive renal fibrosis. Numerous studies have demonstrated involvement proximal tubular epithelial cells in the fibrotic process and in the current study we have characterised their expression of the HA receptor, CD44, and examined changes in CD44 expression and function in response to either IL-1beta or glucose. Characterisation of CD44 splice variant expression was carried out in primary cultures of human proximal tubular cells (PTC) and HK2 cells. Binding and internalisation HA was examined by addition of exogenous of fluorescein-HA (fl-HA), and expression of CD44 examined by immunoblot analysis and flow cytometry. Alteration in "functional" CD44 was determined by immunoprecipitation of CD44 following stimulation in the presence of fl-HA. PTC, both primary culture and the PTC cell line, HK2, express at least 5 CD44 splice variants, the expression of which are not altered by addition of either IL-1beta or 25mM D-glucose. Addition of either stimulus increased cell surface binding and internalisation of fl-HA and increased expression of functionally active CD44. Increased binding and internalisation of fl-HA, was blocked by anti-CD44 antibody, and by the inhibition of O-glycosylation. The data demonstrate that stimuli inducing PTC HA synthesis also regulate PTC-HA interactions. Furthermore increased HA binding and internalisation is the result of post-translational modification of CD44 by O-glycosylation, rather than by alteration in expression of CD44 at the cell surface, or by alternate use of CD44 splice variants.

  6. The impact of Production Tax Credits on the profitable production of electricity from wind in the U.S

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xi Lu; Tchou, Jeremy; McElroy, Michael B.; Nielsen, Chris P.

    2011-01-01

    A spatial financial model using wind data derived from assimilated meteorological condition was developed to investigate the profitability and competitiveness of onshore wind power in the contiguous U.S. It considers not only the resulting estimated capacity factors for hypothetical wind farms but also the geographically differentiated costs of local grid connection. The levelized cost of wind-generated electricity for the contiguous U.S. is evaluated assuming subsidy levels from the Production Tax Credit (PTC) varying from 0 to 4 cents /kWh under three cost scenarios: a reference case, a high cost case, and a low cost case. The analysis indicates that in the reference scenario, current PTC subsidies of 2.1 cents /kWh are at a critical level in determining the competitiveness of wind-generated electricity compared to conventional power generation in local power market. Results from this study suggest that the potential for profitable wind power with the current PTC subsidy amounts to more than seven times existing demand for electricity in the entire U.S. Understanding the challenges involved in scaling up wind energy requires further study of the external costs associated with improvement of the backbone transmission network and integration into the power grid of the variable electricity generated from wind. - Highlights: → Wind power competitiveness is driven by meteorology and proximity to the grid. → We spatially model U.S. onshore wind under ranges of subsidies and costs. → Wind power is competitive at a PTC subsidy of 2.1 cents/kWh. → Under current PTC levels, profitable wind potential far exceeds U.S. power demand.

  7. Performance evaluation of power transmission coils for powering endoscopic wireless capsules.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Basar, Md Rubel; Ahmad, Mohd Yazed; Cho, Jongman; Ibrahim, Fatimah

    2015-01-01

    This paper presents an analysis of H-field generated by a simple solenoid, pair of solenoids, pair of double-layer solenoids, segmented-solenoid, and Helmholtz power transmission coils (PTCs) to power an endoscopic wireless capsule (WC). The H-fields were computed using finite element analysis based on partial differential equations. Three parameters were considered in the analysis: i) the maximum level of H-field (Hmax) to which the patient's body would be exposed, ii) the minimum level of H-field (Hmin) effective for power transmission, and iii) uniformity of H-field. We validated our analysis by comparing the computed data with data measured from a fabricated Helmholtz PTC. This analysis disclosed that at the same excitation power, all the PTCs are able to transfer same amount of minimum usable power since they generated almost equal value of Hmin. The level of electromagnetic exposure and power transfer stability across all the PTCs would vary significantly which is mainly due to the different level of Hmax and H-field uniformity. The segmented solenoid PTC would cause the lowest exposure and this PTC can transfer the maximum amount of power. The Helmholtz PTC would be able to transfer the most stable power with a moderate level of exposure.

  8. Madumycin II inhibits peptide bond formation by forcing the peptidyl transferase center into an inactive state

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Osterman, Ilya A.; Khabibullina, Nelli F.; Komarova, Ekaterina S.; Kasatsky, Pavel; Kartsev, Victor G.; Bogdanov, Alexey A.; Dontsova, Olga A.; Konevega, Andrey L.; Sergiev, Petr V.; Polikanov, Yury S. (InterBioScreen); (UIC); (MSU-Russia); (Kurchatov)

    2017-05-13

    The emergence of multi-drug resistant bacteria is limiting the effectiveness of commonly used antibiotics, which spurs a renewed interest in revisiting older and poorly studied drugs. Streptogramins A is a class of protein synthesis inhibitors that target the peptidyl transferase center (PTC) on the large subunit of the ribosome. In this work, we have revealed the mode of action of the PTC inhibitor madumycin II, an alanine-containing streptogramin A antibiotic, in the context of a functional 70S ribosome containing tRNA substrates. Madumycin II inhibits the ribosome prior to the first cycle of peptide bond formation. It allows binding of the tRNAs to the ribosomal A and P sites, but prevents correct positioning of their CCA-ends into the PTC thus making peptide bond formation impossible. We also revealed a previously unseen drug-induced rearrangement of nucleotides U2506 and U2585 of the 23S rRNA resulting in the formation of the U2506•G2583 wobble pair that was attributed to a catalytically inactive state of the PTC. The structural and biochemical data reported here expand our knowledge on the fundamental mechanisms by which peptidyl transferase inhibitors modulate the catalytic activity of the ribosome.

  9. Clinical implications of the BRAF mutation in papillary thyroid carcinoma and chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Woon Won; Ha, Tae Kwun; Bae, Sung Kwon

    2018-01-09

    The purpose of this study was to examine the possible prognostics and clinicopathologic characteristics underlying the BRAFV600E mutation and papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) coexisting or in absence of chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis (CLT). This study was conducted on 172 patients who had undergone total thyroidectomy or unilateral total thyroidectomy for PTC; the patients were then examined for the BRAFV600E mutation using specimens obtained after their surgery from January 2013 to August 2015. BRAF mutations were found in 130 of 172 patients (75.6%). CLT was present in 27.9% of patients (48/172). The incidence of the BRAFV600E mutation was significantly increased in the group with no CLT (P = 0.001). The findings of the multivariate analysis pertaining to the coexistence of CLT and PTC showed no significant correlation other than the BRAFV600E mutation. No significant difference was noted in the clinicopathologic factors between the two groups based on the coexistence of CLT in univariate and multivariate analyses. The BRAFV600E mutation is less frequent in PTC coexisting with CLT presumably because CLT and the BRAFV600E mutation operate independently in the formation and progression of thyroid cancer.

  10. Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis And Cancer: A Review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rita Hajj Boutros

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Background: No consensus exists on the association between Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT and cancer. To resolve this controversy, this review aimed to evaluate the relationship between the two conditions. Methods: Using Pub-Med database, we searched studies relevant to the topic focusing on the association between HT and Papillary Thyroid Cancer (PTC, as well as the association between HT and Primary Thyroid Lymphoma (PTL. Findings: Both HT and PTC are common worldwide, and the two conditions may be closely related. However, the relationship remains controversial. Some studies found that PTC coexisted with HT 2.8-fold more frequently, with variable prevalence ranging from 0.5 to 30%. In contrast to surgical and pathological series that suggested a positive correlation between the two diseases and even a cause-and-effect relationship, the other studies evaluating fine-needle aspirate specimens did not find a statistically significant correlation. On the other hand, the relationship between PTL and HT appears well established. Conclusion: The existing data provide inconsistent evidence favoring a causal relationship between HT and PTC. Prospective studies are needed to further elucidate the relationship. However patients with HT are at risk for PTL. Therefore careful observation and follow-up of HT patients is recommended.

  11. Performance enhancement in vanadium redox flow battery using platinum-based electrocatalyst synthesized by polyol process

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jeong, Sanghyun; Kim, Sunhoe; Kwon, Yongchai

    2013-01-01

    Sluggish reaction rate of [VO] 2+ /[VO 2 ] + redox couple is an obstacle to be addressed in vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB). To improve the slow reaction rate, Pt/C catalyst synthesized by polyol method is suggested. Its catalytic activity, reaction reversibility and charge–discharge performance are evaluated by half cell and single cell tests, while its crystal structure, particle size and particle distribution are measured by XRD and TEM. The XRD and TEM measurements show the polyol Pt/C catalyst has larger electrochemically active surface (EAS) area and smaller particle size than commercial Pt/C catalyst. When catalytic activities of all the catalysts are estimated, the Pt-included catalysts demonstrate high peak current ratio, small peak potential difference and high electron transfer rate constant, confirming that their catalytic activity and reaction reversibility are excellent. In charge–discharge performance tests, the catalysts indicate high efficiencies as well as low overpotential and internal resistance. Excellent performances of the Pt-included catalysts are attributed to positively charged Pts that serve as active sites for activating [VO] 2+ /[VO 2 ] + reaction. Indeed, adoption of the Pt-included catalysts, especially, use of the polyol Pt/C consisting of uniform and small particles helps improve performance of VRFB

  12. Malignant pleural effusion from papillary thyroid carcinoma diagnosed by pleural effusion cytology: A case report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kosmas, Konstantinos; Tsonou, Anna; Mitropoulou, Georgia; Salemi, Eufrosyni; Kazi, Danai; Theofanopoulou, Ageliki

    2018-02-01

    Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is by far the most common thyroid malignancy (over 85%) of all the thyroid cancers. It has excellent prognosis and 10-year survival rate in most of the cases (95%). Most of the tumors are indolent and do not recur or metastasize after removal. However, widespread metastases to lung, skeleton, central nervous system and, occasionally, other organs may be observed. In rare instances, this disease may metastasize to the pleura and manifest as a malignant pleural effusion (MPE) and portend poor prognosis. This article reports the cytomorphologic and immunocytochemical findings of a female patient with a symptomatic pleural effusion resulting from PTC metastatic to the pleura. Pleural fluid cytology revealed abundant papillary clusters with relatively nuclear pleomorphism, intranuclear cytoplasmic inclusions and nuclear grooves, small and distinct nucleoli as well as small discrete vacuoles. Psammoma bodies were not seen. Immunocytochemical staining was positive for TGB, EMA, Ber-EP4, CK19, and negative for TTF-1. Metastasis of PTC to pleural fluid is extremely rare and diagnosing the disease by cytology is challenging and requires medical expertise as well as knowledge of clinical context and immunocytochemical staining. Additionally, a cytologic diagnosis of MPE due to PTC provides important treatment information and plays an important role in prognosis. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  13. Association between nutritional status and subjective health status in chronically ill children attending special schools.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Joosten, Koen; van der Velde, Kelly; Joosten, Pieter; Rutten, Hans; Hulst, Jessie; Dulfer, Karolijn

    2016-04-01

    In hospitalized children with a chronic disease, malnutrition was associated with a lower subjective health status. In outpatient children with a chronic disease attending special schools, this association has never been studied. The aim of this study was to assess the association between nutritional status and subjective health status in chronically ill children attending special schools. Overall, 642 children, median age 9.8 years (IQR 7.7-11.5), 60 % male, 72 % Caucasian, were included in this prospective study in nine special schools for chronically ill children in the Netherlands. Overall malnutrition was assessed as: acute malnutrition (nutritional risk-screening tool STRONGkids. Subjective health status was assessed with EQ-5D. Overall, 16 % of the children had overall malnutrition: 3 % acute and 13 % chronic malnutrition. Nurses reported 'some/severe problems' on the health status dimensions mobility (15 %), self-care (17 %), usual activities (19 %), pain/discomfort (22 %), and anxiety/depression (22 %) in chronically ill children. Their mean visual analogue scale score (VAS) was 73.0 (SD 11.1). Malnutrition, medication usage, and younger age explained 38 % of the variance of the VAS score. The presence of overall malnutrition in chronically ill children attending special schools was associated with lower subjective health status, especially in younger children and in those with chronic medication usage. Therefore, it is important to develop and use profile-screening tools to identify these children.

  14. Active Probing Feedback based Self Configurable Intelligent Distributed Antenna System

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kumar, Ambuj

    collectively as Place Time Coverage & Capacity (PTC2). The dissertation proves through the concept of the PTC2 that the network performance can severely be degraded by the excessive and unrealistic site demands, the network management inefficiency, and the consequence of the accumulation of subscribers...... challenge through a viable solution that is based on injecting intelligence and services in parallel layers through a Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) network. This approach would enable the remote sites to acquire intelligence and a resource pool at the same time, thereby managing the network dynamics...... promptly and aptly to absorb the PTC2 wobble. An Active Probing Management System (APMS) is proposed as a supporting architecture, to assist the intelligent system to keep a check on the variations at each and every site by either deploying the additional antenna or by utilising the service antenna...

  15. Management of Status Epilepticus in Children

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Douglas M.; McGinnis, Emily L.; Walleigh, Diana J.; Abend, Nicholas S.

    2016-01-01

    Status epilepticus is a common pediatric neurological emergency. Management includes prompt administration of appropriately selected anti-seizure medications, identification and treatment of seizure precipitant(s), as well as identification and management of associated systemic complications. This review discusses the definitions, classification, epidemiology and management of status epilepticus and refractory status epilepticus in children. PMID:27089373

  16. (PTC) taste sensitivity, ABO and Rhesus factor

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Chibuisi G. Alimba

    diseases [11], thyroid disorders, gastrointestinal ulcers and sus- ceptibility to ... forensic pathology. It has also been ... haemolysate from venous blood of the subjects was placed ..... Phenylthiocarbamide taste sensitivity in chronic peptic ulcer.

  17. Prevalence and gene frequencies of phenylthiocarbamide (PTC ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Chibuisi G. Alimba

    , ABO and Rhesus factor (Rh) blood groups, and haemoglobin variants among a Nigerian population. Chibuisi G. Alimba *, Khalid O. Adekoya. 1. , Bola O. Oboh. 2. Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos, ...

  18. Reducing status quo bias in choice experiments

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bonnichsen, Ole; Ladenburg, Jacob

    In stated preference literature, the tendency to choose the alternative representing the status quo situation seems to exceed real life status quo effects. Accordingly, status quo bias can be a problem. In Choice Experiments, status quo bias is found to be strongly correlated with protest attitudes...... toward the cost attribute. If economic values are to be elicited, this problem is difficult to remedy. In a split sample framework we test a novel ex-ante entreaty aimed specifically at the cost attribute and find that it effectively reduces status quo bias and improves the internal validity...

  19. Management of Status Epilepticus in Children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Douglas M. Smith

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Status epilepticus is a common pediatric neurological emergency. Management includes prompt administration of appropriately selected anti-seizure medications, identification and treatment of seizure precipitant(s, as well as identification and management of associated systemic complications. This review discusses the definitions, classification, epidemiology and management of status epilepticus and refractory status epilepticus in children.

  20. Health status among elderly Hungarians and Americans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buss, T F; Beres, C; Hofstetter, C R; Pomidor, A

    1994-07-01

    Selected health status data for elderly populations from similar industrial cities-Youngstown, Ohio, USA, and Debrecen, Hungary-were compared. Because of their impoverished health care system, unregulated heavily industrialized society, and unhealthful life-styles Hungarians were hypothesized to have poorer health status than Americans, even after taking into account demographic mediating factors. The study provides a health status baseline for elderly Hungarians shortly after communism's fall in 1989-1990 and shows how great a gap exists between Hungarian health status and that in the West. Hungarians were in much poorer health as measured by functional status, symptomatology, medical condition, depression, and subjective health status. Distinctions persisted when controlling for gender, age, and education. Poverty-level (and income) did not explain health status differences. The paper concludes that Hungary should pay more attention to health promotion, prevention, and primary care, as well as to reforming patient management in hospitals, nursing homes, and home care programs.

  1. What effects performance status of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: stage of tumor versus underlying liver status

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sarwar, S.; Tarique, S.

    2015-01-01

    Objective: To identify variables associated with poor performance status of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients and to compare impact of stage of liver disease and that of hepatoma on functional status of patient. Patients and Methods: We included 254 confirmed cases of liver cancer in a crosssectional analytical study carried out at Doctors Hospital Lahore. Patient's clinical, biochemical and radiological variables were correlated with Karnofsky's performance status (KPS) using pearson correlation. Model for End stage Liver Disease (MELD) and Cancer of Liver Italian Program (CLIP) were evaluated for predicting performance status using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve. Results: Mean age of patients was 56.69 (±10.34) and male to female ratio was 2.47: 1 (181/73). On KPS evaluation 84 (33.1%) patients scored between 80-100, 147 (57.9%) had score of 50-70 while in 23 (9.1%) KPS score was between 0-40. Variables associated with poor performance status were bilirubin> 3mg/dl (p value 0.00), albumin< 2.5 g/dl (p value 0.00), creatinine > 1.2mg/dl (p 0.00), prothrombin time> 16seconds (p value 0.00), size of tumor >7cm (p value 0.02), tumor involving > 50% of liver mass (p value 0.00) and vascular invasion (p value 0.00). Both stage of liver disease as determined by MELD and stage of liver cancer as per CLIP scores had strong correlation (p value 0.00) with poor performance status of patient. Area under ROC curve was 0.764 for MELD score and 0.785 for CLIP score. Conclusion: Performance status of liver cancer patients is affected by both stage of liver disease and that of liver tumor. Patients with MELD score above 16 and CLIP score above 4 have poor performance status. (author)

  2. Large block test status report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wilder, D.G.; Lin, W.; Blair, S.C.

    1997-01-01

    This report is intended to serve as a status report, which essentially transmits the data that have been collected to date on the Large Block Test (LBT). The analyses of data will be performed during FY98, and then a complete report will be prepared. This status report includes introductory material that is not needed merely to transmit data but is available at this time and therefore included. As such, this status report will serve as the template for the future report, and the information is thus preserved

  3. Status of solar neutrino experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Beier, E.W.; Davis, R. Jr.; Kim, S.B.; Jelley, N.

    1990-01-01

    A summary of the status of four solar neutrino experiments is presented. The Homestake 37 Cl data are presented and the possible time dependence of the data is addressed. Data from 1040 days of operation of the Kamiokande II detector are presented next. The status of the 71 Ga experiment in the Baksan Neutrino Observatory, which has operated for a short time, is discussed. The summary concludes with a discussion of the status of the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory, which has been under construction since the beginning of 1990. 7 refs., 6 figs

  4. Materialism, status consumption, and consumer independence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goldsmith, Ronald Earl; Clark, Ronald A

    2012-01-01

    Materialism influences many people. We focus on two aspects of this influence: reactions to prestige products and to the influence of others. A study of 187 U.S. student consumers shows that materialism is positively related to buying products that confer status. In contrast, materialism is negatively related to consumer independence, an enduring tendency to pay minimal attention to the prescribed norms of other consumers and to make product and brand decisions according to personal preferences. Consuming products for status is also negatively related to consumer independence. Moreover, the association between materialism and consumer independence is completely mediated by consuming for status. Materialism urges consumers to be status conscious so that they follow social norms in purchasing, but seeking status through goods is avoided by less materialistic, independent consumers. A second study (n = 258) also using student consumers confirmed these results.

  5. Sensorial evaluation of irradiated mangoes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Broisler, Paula Olhe; Cruz, Juliana Nunes da; Sabato, Susy Frey

    2007-01-01

    Mango (Mangifera indica L.) is a tropical fruit of great economical relevance in the world, mainly for tropical countries like Brazil. It consists in the second tropical fruit more important grown in the world. On the other hand it is a very perishable fruit and its delivery to distant points is restricted due to short shelf life at environmental temperature. Food irradiation process is applied to fruits for their preservation, once it promotes disinfestation and even maturation retard, among other mechanisms. The Brazilian legislation permits the food irradiation and does not restrict the doses to be delivered. In order to verify eventual changes, sensorial evaluation is very important to study how irradiation affects the quality of the fruit and its acceptability. Mangoes were irradiated in a Cobalto-60 source, from the Radiation Technology Center, CTR, of IPEN/CNEN-SP at doses 0,5 kGy e 0,75 kGy. The sensorial evaluation was measured through Acceptance Test where irradiated samples were offered together with control sample to the tasters who answered their perception through hedonic scale. The parameters Color, Odor, Flavor and Texture were analyzed. Statistical analysis showed that only Odor parameter was different from control (sample irradiated at 0.5 kGy). Few tasters indicated that irradiated mangoes had fewer odors in relation to non-irradiated samples. (author)

  6. Sensorial evaluation of irradiated mangoes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Broisler, Paula Olhe; Cruz, Juliana Nunes da; Sabato, Susy Frey [Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNEN-SP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)]. E-mails: paulabroisler@hotmail.com; juliananc@ig.com.br; sfsabato@ipen.br

    2007-07-01

    Mango (Mangifera indica L.) is a tropical fruit of great economical relevance in the world, mainly for tropical countries like Brazil. It consists in the second tropical fruit more important grown in the world. On the other hand it is a very perishable fruit and its delivery to distant points is restricted due to short shelf life at environmental temperature. Food irradiation process is applied to fruits for their preservation, once it promotes disinfestation and even maturation retard, among other mechanisms. The Brazilian legislation permits the food irradiation and does not restrict the doses to be delivered. In order to verify eventual changes, sensorial evaluation is very important to study how irradiation affects the quality of the fruit and its acceptability. Mangoes were irradiated in a Cobalto-60 source, from the Radiation Technology Center, CTR, of IPEN/CNEN-SP at doses 0,5 kGy e 0,75 kGy. The sensorial evaluation was measured through Acceptance Test where irradiated samples were offered together with control sample to the tasters who answered their perception through hedonic scale. The parameters Color, Odor, Flavor and Texture were analyzed. Statistical analysis showed that only Odor parameter was different from control (sample irradiated at 0.5 kGy). Few tasters indicated that irradiated mangoes had fewer odors in relation to non-irradiated samples. (author)

  7. Sweet taste receptor gene variation and aspartame taste in primates and other species.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Xia; Bachmanov, Alexander A; Maehashi, Kenji; Li, Weihua; Lim, Raymond; Brand, Joseph G; Beauchamp, Gary K; Reed, Danielle R; Thai, Chloe; Floriano, Wely B

    2011-06-01

    Aspartame is a sweetener added to foods and beverages as a low-calorie sugar replacement. Unlike sugars, which are apparently perceived as sweet and desirable by a range of mammals, the ability to taste aspartame varies, with humans, apes, and Old World monkeys perceiving aspartame as sweet but not other primate species. To investigate whether the ability to perceive the sweetness of aspartame correlates with variations in the DNA sequence of the genes encoding sweet taste receptor proteins, T1R2 and T1R3, we sequenced these genes in 9 aspartame taster and nontaster primate species. We then compared these sequences with sequences of their orthologs in 4 other nontasters species. We identified 9 variant sites in the gene encoding T1R2 and 32 variant sites in the gene encoding T1R3 that distinguish aspartame tasters and nontasters. Molecular docking of aspartame to computer-generated models of the T1R2 + T1R3 receptor dimer suggests that species variation at a secondary, allosteric binding site in the T1R2 protein is the most likely origin of differences in perception of the sweetness of aspartame. These results identified a previously unknown site of aspartame interaction with the sweet receptor and suggest that the ability to taste aspartame might have developed during evolution to exploit a specialized food niche.

  8. Status ketersediaan makanan dan status gizi ibu sebagai faktor risiko kegemukan pada anak prasekolah

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yunita Indah Prasetyaningrum

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Background: Childhood obesity is a strong predictor of adult obesity incidence and can increase risk factors for getting chronic diseases. The causes of obesity are multifactor, determined by genetic and food environment changes. Risk factors believed to be the cause of obesity are home food availability status and maternal obesity. Objective: To analyze the risk of home food availability status and maternal obesity to obesity in preschool children aged 3-5 years.  Method: This study was a matched case-control study. The case of this study was obese preschool children (Z-score WHZ > 2 SD and control of this study was non-obese preschool children (Z-score WHZ -2 ≤ SD ≤ 2. Control group was taken by an age and gender matching with the case group. Based on the nutritional status screening result of 53 early childhood education (ECD schools on 13 sub-districts in Kota Yogyakarta, there were 101 obese children and 101 non-obese children. Those schools were chosen by cluster sampling method and PPS (Probability Proportional to Size. Besides, information about home food availability status and maternal obesity was collected using questionnaire. The data were analyzed using McNemar test and conditional logistic regression.  Results: Home food availability status (OR = 1.85; p=0.03; 95% CI=1.08-3.16 and maternal obesity (OR=2.5; p=0.003; 95% CI=1.37-4.55 were the most dominant risk factor related to the incidence of obesity in preschool children aged 3-5 years. Conclusion: Home food availability status and maternal obesity significantly increase the risk for getting obese in preschool children aged 3-5 years.

  9. Status Epilepticus

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seinfeld, Syndi; Goodkin, Howard P.; Shinnar, Shlomo

    2016-01-01

    Although the majority of seizures are brief and cause no long-term consequences, a subset is sufficiently prolonged that long-term consequences can result. These very prolonged seizures are termed “status epilepticus” (SE) and are considered a neurological emergency. The clinical presentation of SE can be diverse. SE can occur at any age but most commonly occurs in the very young and the very old. There are numerous studies on SE in animals in which the pathophysiology, medication responses, and pathology can be rigorously studied in a controlled fashion. Human data are consistent with the animal data. In particular, febrile status epilepticus (FSE), a form of SE common in young children, is associated with injury to the hippocampus and subsequent temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) in both animals and humans. PMID:26931807

  10. Adolescents' selective visual attention for high-status peers: the role of perceiver status and gender.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lansu, Tessa A M; Cillessen, Antonius H N; Karremans, Johan C

    2014-01-01

    Previous research has shown that adolescents' attention for a peer is determined by the peer's status. This study examined how it is also determined by the status of the perceiving adolescent, and the gender of both parties involved (perceiver and perceived). Participants were 122 early adolescents (M age = 11.0 years) who completed sociometric measures and eye-tracking recordings of visual fixations at pictures of high-status (popular) and low-status (unpopular) classmates. Automatic attention (first-gaze preference) and controlled attention (total gaze time) were measured. Target popularity was associated with both measures of attention. These associations were further moderated by perceiver popularity and perceiver and target gender. Popular adolescents attracted attention especially from other popular adolescents. Popular boys attracted attention especially from girls. © 2013 The Authors. Child Development © 2013 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

  11. Fukushima Daiichi Status Report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2012-01-01

    The IAEA issues regular status reports to the public on the current status of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, including information on environmental radiation monitoring, the status of workers, and current conditions on-site at the plant. The information cited in this report is compiled from official Japanese sources, including the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA), the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) through the Japanese Permanent Mission in Vienna and the Cabinet's Office of the Prime Minister. Information is also provided by the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the operator of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

  12. Achieving professional status: Australian podiatrists' perceptions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borthwick, Alan M; Nancarrow, Susan A; Vernon, Wesley; Walker, Jeremy

    2009-02-13

    This paper explores the notion of professional status from the perspective of a sample of Australian podiatrists; how it is experienced, what factors are felt to affect it, and how these are considered to influence professional standing within an evolving healthcare system. Underpinning sociological theory is deployed in order to inform and contextualise the study. Data were drawn from a series of in-depth semi-structured interviews (n = 21) and focus groups (n = 9) with podiatrists from across four of Australia's eastern states (Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Australian Capital Territory), resulting in a total of 76 participants. Semi-structured interview schedules sought to explore podiatrist perspectives on a range of features related to professional status within podiatry in Australia. Central to the retention and enhancement of status was felt to be the development of specialist roles and the maintenance of control over key task domains. Key distinctions in private and public sector environments, and in rural and urban settings, were noted and found to reflect differing contexts for status development. Marketing was considered important to image enhancement, as was the cache attached to the status of the universities providing graduate education. Perceived determinants of professional status broadly matched those identified in the wider sociological literature, most notably credentialism, client status, content and context of work (such as specialisation) and an ideological basis for persuading audiences to acknowledge professional status. In an environment of demographic and workforce change, and the resultant policy demands for healthcare service re-design, enhanced opportunities for specialisation appear evident. Under the current model of professionalism, both role flexibility and uniqueness may prove important.

  13. Achieving professional status: Australian podiatrists' perceptions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vernon Wesley

    2009-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background This paper explores the notion of professional status from the perspective of a sample of Australian podiatrists; how it is experienced, what factors are felt to affect it, and how these are considered to influence professional standing within an evolving healthcare system. Underpinning sociological theory is deployed in order to inform and contextualise the study. Methods Data were drawn from a series of in-depth semi-structured interviews (n = 21 and focus groups (n = 9 with podiatrists from across four of Australia's eastern states (Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Australian Capital Territory, resulting in a total of 76 participants. Semi-structured interview schedules sought to explore podiatrist perspectives on a range of features related to professional status within podiatry in Australia. Results Central to the retention and enhancement of status was felt to be the development of specialist roles and the maintenance of control over key task domains. Key distinctions in private and public sector environments, and in rural and urban settings, were noted and found to reflect differing contexts for status development. Marketing was considered important to image enhancement, as was the cache attached to the status of the universities providing graduate education. Conclusion Perceived determinants of professional status broadly matched those identified in the wider sociological literature, most notably credentialism, client status, content and context of work (such as specialisation and an ideological basis for persuading audiences to acknowledge professional status. In an environment of demographic and workforce change, and the resultant policy demands for healthcare service re-design, enhanced opportunities for specialisation appear evident. Under the current model of professionalism, both role flexibility and uniqueness may prove important.

  14. Challenges to code status discussions for pediatric patients.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Katherine E Kruse

    Full Text Available In the context of serious or life-limiting illness, pediatric patients and their families are faced with difficult decisions surrounding appropriate resuscitation efforts in the event of a cardiopulmonary arrest. Code status orders are one way to inform end-of-life medical decision making. The objectives of this study are to evaluate the extent to which pediatric providers have knowledge of code status options and explore the association of provider role with (1 knowledge of code status options, (2 perception of timing of code status discussions, (3 perception of family receptivity to code status discussions, and (4 comfort carrying out code status discussions.Nurses, trainees (residents and fellows, and attending physicians from pediatric units where code status discussions typically occur completed a short survey questionnaire regarding their knowledge of code status options and perceptions surrounding code status discussions.Single center, quaternary care children's hospital.203 nurses, 31 trainees, and 29 attending physicians in 4 high-acuity pediatric units responded to the survey (N = 263, 90% response rate. Based on an objective knowledge measure, providers demonstrate poor understanding of available code status options, with only 22% of providers able to enumerate more than two of four available code status options. In contrast, provider groups self-report high levels of familiarity with available code status options, with attending physicians reporting significantly higher levels than nurses and trainees (p = 0.0125. Nurses and attending physicians show significantly different perception of code status discussion timing, with majority of nurses (63.4% perceiving discussions as occurring "too late" or "much too late" and majority of attending physicians (55.6% perceiving the timing as "about right" (p<0.0001. Attending physicians report significantly higher comfort having code status discussions with families than do nurses or trainees

  15. The social status of aggressive students across contexts: the role of classroom status hierarchy, academic achievement, and grade.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garandeau, Claire F; Ahn, Hai-Jeong; Rodkin, Philip C

    2011-11-01

    This study tested the effects of 5 classroom contextual features on the social status (perceived popularity and social preference) that peers accord to aggressive students in late elementary school, including classroom peer status hierarchy (whether within-classroom differences in popularity are large or small), classroom academic level, and grade level as the main predictors of interest as well as classroom aggression and ethnic composition as controls. Multilevel analyses were conducted on an ethnically diverse sample of 968 fourth- and fifth-graders from 46 classrooms in 9 schools. Associations between aggression and status varied greatly from one classroom to another. Aggressive students were more popular and better liked in classrooms with higher levels of peer status hierarchy. Aggressive students had higher social status in Grade 5 than in Grade 4 and lower social preference in classrooms of higher academic level. Classroom aggression and ethnic composition did not moderate aggression-status associations. Limitations and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

  16. Relationship of Nutritional Status with Oral Health Status in Visual Impairment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Patcharaphol Samnieng

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available To analyze the relationship of nutritional status with oral health status among visual impairment. The subjects were 146 elderly people (70 males and 76 females aged 20-72 years (mean 48.8±6.2 years, Phitsanulok, Thailand. Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA questionnaires were administered. Oral examinations investigated the number of present teeth, DMFT and Functional Tooth Units (FTUs. According to the MNA score, 44.5% of subjects were categorized as normal nutrition, 47.3% as questionable, and 8.2 % as malnutrition. The mean numbers of present teeth and FTUs were 17.8±6.9 and 6.9±3.2, respectively. Subjects with malnutrition had lower numbers of present teeth (10.7±1.4 and FTUs (4.3±1.7 than those with normal nutrition (20.2±0.7 and 12.3±0.5 (p≤0.05. Nutritional status of visual impaired Thai was associated with mean numbers of present teeth and FTUs. Keeping many natural teeth or having appropriate numbers of FTUs by replacing missing teeth with dentures would prevention malnutrition.

  17. Emergency Surgery for Refractory Status Epilepticus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Botre, Abhijeet; Udani, Vrajesh; Desai, Neelu; Jagadish, Spoorthy; Sankhe, Milind

    2017-08-15

    Management of refractory status epilepticus in children is extremely challenging. Two children with medically refractory status epilepticus, both of whom had lesional pathology on MRI and concordant data on EEG and PET scan. Emergency hemispherotomy performed in both patients. A complete, sustained seizure freedom obtained postoperatively. Emergency surgery is a treatment option in selected cases of drug refractory status epilepticus with lesional pathology and concordant data.

  18. Fukushima Daiichi Status Report. 28 June 2012

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2012-01-01

    The IAEA issues regular status reports to the public on the current status of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, including information on environmental radiation monitoring, the status of workers, and current conditions on-site at the plant.

  19. Cyclin D1 in well differentiated thyroid tumour of uncertain malignant potential.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lamba Saini, Monika; Weynand, Birgit; Rahier, Jacques; Mourad, Michel; Hamoir, Marc; Marbaix, Etienne

    2015-04-18

    Encapsulated follicular tumours with equivocal papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) type nuclear features continue to remain a challenge despite the recent attempts to classify these borderline lesions. The term 'well differentiated tumour of uncertain malignant potential (WDT-UMP)' was introduced to classify these tumours. The present study aimed to evaluate the role of a cell cycle regulator like cyclin D1 in these tumours along with assessment of other well established PTC markers like galectin-3, HBME-1, CK19. Thirteen cases of metastatic PTC, papillary microcarcinoma and follicular variant of PTC (FVPTC) were identified from a histological review of 510 cases. In addition, 13 cases of a subset of follicular adenomatoid nodules with focal areas showing nuclear features characteristic of PTC, identified as WDT-UMP, were also analyzed. Immunohistochemical analysis of galectin-3, HBME-1, CK19 and the proliferation markers Ki67 and cyclin D1 was performed. Lesions were analyzed for cyclin D1 gene amplification by fluorescent in-situ hybridization. All WDT-UMP lesions showed immunolabelling of cyclin D1, Ki67; 11/ 13 cases showed immunolabelling of CK19; 10/13 cases showed immunolabelling of HBME-1 and 4/13 cases showed immunolabelling of galectin-3. Surrounding benign adenomatoid areas showed no to faint focal staining in all thirteen cases of cyclin D1, HBME-1 and galectin-3. A low rate of cyclin D1 gene amplification was identified in a significant proportion of cells in the WDT-UMP lesions as compared to surrounding benign adenomatoid areas. Increased expression of cyclin D1 and amplification of its gene along with immunolabelling of HBME-1 in WDT-UMP lesions showing cytological features of papillary thyroid carcinoma within follicular adenomatoid nodules suggest that these areas could correspond to a precursor lesion of follicular variant of PTC. Overexpression of cyclin D1, associated with the amplification of the gene suggests that these WDT-UMP lesions are an

  20. Expanded progenitor populations, vitreo-retinal abnormalities, and Müller glial reactivity in the zebrafish leprechaun/patched2 retina

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bibliowicz Jonathan

    2009-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The roles of the Hedgehog (Hh pathway in controlling vertebrate retinal development have been studied extensively; however, species- and context-dependent findings have provided differing conclusions. Hh signaling has been shown to control both population size and cell cycle kinetics of proliferating retinal progenitors, and to modulate differentiation within the retina by regulating the timing of cell cycle exit. While cell cycle exit has in turn been shown to control cell fate decisions within the retina, a direct role for the Hh pathway in retinal cell fate decisions has yet to be established in vivo. Results To gain further insight into Hh pathway function in the retina, we have analyzed retinal development in leprechaun/patched2 mutant zebrafish. While lep/ptc2 mutants possessed more cells in their retinas, all cell types, except for Müller glia, were present at identical ratios as those observed in wild-type siblings. lep/ptc2 mutants possessed a localized upregulation of GFAP, a marker for 'reactive' glia, as well as morphological abnormalities at the vitreo-retinal interface, where Müller glial endfeet terminate. In addition, analysis of the over-proliferation phenotype at the ciliary marginal zone (CMZ revealed that the number of proliferating progenitors, but not the rate of proliferation, was increased in lep/ptc2 mutants. Conclusion Our results indicate that Patched2-dependent Hh signaling does not likely play an integral role in neuronal cell fate decisions in the zebrafish retina. ptc2 deficiency in zebrafish results in defects at the vitreo-retinal interface and Müller glial reactivity. These phenotypes are similar to the ocular abnormalities observed in human patients suffering from Basal Cell Naevus Syndrome (BCNS, a disorder that has been linked to mutations in the human PTCH gene (the orthologue of the zebrafish ptc2, and point to the utility of the lep/ptc2 mutant line as a model for the study of BCNS

  1. Anxiety, Depression, and Functional Status Are the Best Predictors of Health Status Patients With Heart Failure

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    DeJong, Marla

    2004-01-01

    .... Therefore, health status is an increasingly important concept in the management of HF. In fact, most symptomatic patients are more concerned about their everyday health status than the length of their life...

  2. Stock Status

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — These data inform the public of the most recent stock status for all stocks (FSSI and non-FSSI) in the fishery management unit contained in a fishery managment plan....

  3. Assessment of Mental Status.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Finney, Glen R; Minagar, Alireza; Heilman, Kenneth M

    2016-02-01

    Assessing the mental status of patients with a neurobehavioral disorder is a critical element in the diagnosis and treatment of these patients. This assessment should always be performed after the patient's history it taken and a general physical as well as a neurologic examination is completed. The mental status examination commences with observing the patient's appearance and level of consciousness. The examiner should also pay attention to patient's social behavior, emotional state and mood. There are 3 major means of assessing a patient's mental status. One type attempts to determine if the patient is demented and the severity of the dementia as it pertains to their ability to perform activities of daily living as well as instrumental activities. A second type of assessment utilizes what may be termed as "screening tests" or "omnibus tests". These brief tests are performed independent of the patient's history and examination. The two most frequently used screening tests are the Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). The third means of assessing a patient's mental status is by using specific neuropsychological tests that focus on specific domains of cognition, such as frontal executive functions, attention, episodic verbal and visuospatial memory, declarative knowledge such as language (speech, reading and writing) and arithmetical, as well as visuospatial and perceptual abilities. These neurobehavioral, neuropsychiatric and neuropsychological assessments of patients with a cognitive decline and behavioral abnormalities should often be accompanied by laboratory tests, and neuroimaging that can help determine the underlying pathologic process so that effective therapeutic and management approaches can be provided. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. [Birth weight and later nutritional status, cognitive development and job status: a critical revision].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Villegas, S; Ivanovic, R; Pérez, H; Almagià, A; Urrutia, M S; Rodríguez, M del P; Larrain, C; Ivanovic, D

    2009-12-01

    The impact of prenatal nutritional status, assessed through birth weight (BW) and their effects in the short, medium and long-term on nutritional status, cognitive development and job status in the adult life, has been a problem of interest for several researchers; as regards, some of these report a positive and significant association between these variables and others do not find any relation. Children with insufficient, low or very low BW despite the early more deteriorate nutritional status should present higher risk for brain maturation, failure cognitive development and lowered head circumference which implies both lowered brain volume and intellectual development. In the short and medium-term, this situation damages the learning process at school-age, while in the long-term this might condition the quality of jobs. At present, the body of knowledge pinpoints that findings related to these associations is not conclusive verifying a great controversy in these matters. This review article has the purpose of analyzing the current evidence, in order to stimulate research about to these aspects which are relevant for child development and their future life.

  5. The association between status and cohesion in sport teams.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jacob, C S; Carron, A V

    1998-02-01

    The main objective of this study was to establish the relationship between perceptions of status attributes and cohesion and status ranking and cohesion. A secondary aim was to determine whether age (operationalized by scholastic levels) or culture serves as a moderator in the relationship between either status attributes or status ranking and cohesion. Another secondary aim was to determine if differences are present in the importance attached by athletes to status attributes. Canadian and Indian athletes were tested. Although perceptions of the importance of status attributes and cohesiveness were related, the effect size was small (Green, 1991); perceptions of status ranking and cohesiveness were not related. Neither scholastic level nor culture served as a moderator in the association between either status attributes or status rank and cohesion. The importance that athletes attach to status attributes is similar between scholastic levels and across cultures. The results are discussed in terms of the role of status in sport teams.

  6. Proximal Tubule Cell Hypothesis for Cardiorenal Syndrome in Diabetes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Akihiko Saito

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD is remarkably high among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD, even in the early microalbuminuric stages with normal glomerular filtration rates. Proximal tubule cells (PTCs mediate metabolism and urinary excretion of vasculotoxic substances via apical and basolateral receptors and transporters. These cells also retrieve vasculoprotective substances from circulation or synthesize them for release into the circulation. PTCs are also involved in the uptake of sodium and phosphate, which are critical for hemodynamic regulation and maintaining the mineral balance, respectively. Dysregulation of PTC functions in CKD is likely to be associated with the development of CVD and is linked to the progression to end-stage renal disease. In particular, PTC dysfunction occurs early in diabetic nephropathy, a leading cause of CKD. It is therefore important to elucidate the mechanisms of PTC dysfunction to develop therapeutic strategies for treating cardiorenal syndrome in diabetes.

  7. Diagnostic value of percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography judged by personal experience of 58 patients

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nagasue, N.; Inokuchi, K.

    1979-01-01

    During the last seven years percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC) using a fine needle was performed in 58 patients. The biliary tract was visualised and opacified in the 52 patients with dilated biliary ducts. The correct diagnoses were made in 51 of them. In six patients with a non-dilated biliary system, successful PTC was carried out with the correct diagnoses in four of them. There were four non-fatal complications; two septic reactions, one haemobilia, and one subcapsular haematoma, but all were controlled by conservative treatment alone. The PTC with a fine needle is an accurate, useful and safe procedure of choice for the diagnosis of obstructive jaundice and jaundice of obscure origin. It is useful in distinguishing hepatocellular jaundice from obstructive jaundice thus preventing an unnecessary operation. Failure to visualise the biliary tract by an experienced hand strongly indicates that the jaundice is not-obstructive. (author)

  8. Body imaging in the differential diagnosis of jaundice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuno, Nobuyoshi; Endo, Tokiko; Kasugai, Tatsuzo

    1981-01-01

    Forty-five jaundiced patients with confirmed pancreatico-biliary diseases were studied to determine the value of body imaging in the differential diagnosis of jaundice. In this study, body imaging included five tests, which were US, CT, ERCP, PTC and RI. The results indicate that each to these five tests is useful and highly accurate in differentiating between obstructive and nonobstructive jaundice (about 90%). The site of obstruction was delineated in 91.3%, 90.9%, 82.5%, 66.7% and 50% by PTC, ERCP, CT, US and RI, respectively. ERCP, PTC, CT, US and RI helped determine the etiology of jaundice in 79.5%, 65.2%, 57.5%, 50% and 0%, respectively. ERCP and US were highly accurate in establishing the diagnosis of resectable pancreatico-biliary cancer with obstructive jaundice. On the basis of these results, we propose a diagnostic approach to obstructive jaundice as in Table 5. (author)

  9. Papillary carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shah, D.H.; Samuel, A.M.

    1999-01-01

    Papillary carcinoma of the thyroid (PTC) constitutes a major proportion of all thyroid cancers and is generally believed to be a slow growing tumor with an indolent course. The diagnosis of PTC often makes the physician overly optimistic and complacent and yet this tumor can be aggressive in a subset of patients leading to death in a few months. The fundamental but subtle differences underlying the extremes in biologic behaviour of this complex and fascinating tumor remain poorly understood. Although there is a general agreement among the investigators regarding prognostic factors, controversy exists about the management of the disease. There is divided opinion with respect to the type and extent of surgery and the need for radioiodine (1 31 I) treatment in case of PTC. The experiences at Radiation Medicine Centre (RMC) of 1904 cases of differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) registered during the period 1963-1990 are reviewed

  10. Design and Implementation of PLC-Based Automatic Sun tracking System for Parabolic Trough Solar Concentrator

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wang Jinping

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available A sun-tracking system for parabolic trough solar concentrators (PTCs is a control system used to orient the concentrator toward the sun always, so that the maximum energy can be collected. The work presented here is a design and development of PLC based sun tracking control system for PTC. Sun tracking control system consists of a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC and a single axis hydraulic drives tracking control system. Hydraulic drives and the necessary tracking angle algorithm have been designed and developed to perform the technical tasks. A PLC unit was employed to control and monitor the mechanical movement of the PTC and to collect and store data related to the tracking angle of PTC. It is found that the tracking error of the system is less than 0.6°. Field experience shows that tracking algorithm act stable and reliable and suit for PTCs.

  11. Painful tic convulsif syndrome due to vertebrobasilar dolichoectasia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Puneet Mittal

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Combined clinical presentation of hemifacial spasm and ipsilateral trigeminal neuralgia is also known as painful tic convulsif (PTC. It is a rare condition and the most common cause is vascular compression. Vertebrobasilar dolichoectasia (VBD is characterized by dilated and tortuous vertebral and basilar arteries. VBD is an uncommon and rarely reported cause of PTC. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI, due to its inherent excellent contrast resolution, is an excellent modality for demonstrating the nerve compression by dilated and tortuous vessels seen in this condition. For this purpose, 3D MRI sequences are especially useful like constructive interference in steady state (CISS and MR angiography. Both of these have been reported to be helpful in the diagnosis of this condition. We report a case of PTC in which we were able to document facial and trigeminal nerve compression by VBD on MRI, using CISS and time-of-flight MR angiography.

  12. Temperature dependence of CO desorption kinetics at a novel Pt-on-Au/C PEM fuel cell anode

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pitois, A.; Pilenga, A.; Pfrang, A.

    2010-01-01

    techniques. The temperature dependence of the CO desorption process on this system has been investigated using isotopic exchange experiments. The CO desorption kinetics have been studied as a function of temperature and flow rate. Desorption rate constants have been measured for a temperature range between...... degrees C. The dependence in temperature of the desorption rate constants for the novel Pt-on-Au/C system is however much lower than that observed for the Pt/C system. This suggests that the nature of the substrate has a significant influence on the catalyst surface properties. It shows that, in surface...... 25 and 150 degrees C. These desorption rate constants have been compared with the benchmarking desorption rate data obtained for the commercial Pt/C catalyst under similar experimental conditions. A comparable desorption rate constant for the Pt-on-Au/C and Pt/C systems has been obtained at 25...

  13. Photo-Crosslinking of Pendent Uracil Units Provides Supramolecular Hole Injection/Transport Conducting Polymers for Highly Efficient Light-Emitting Diodes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hsi-Kang Shih

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available A new process for modifying a polymeric material for use as a hole injection transport layer in organic light-emitting diodes has been studied, which is through 2π + 2π photodimerization of a DNA-mimetic π-conjugated poly(triphenylamine-carbazole presenting pendent uracil groups (PTC-U under 1 h of UV irradiation. Multilayer florescence OLED (Organic light-emitting diodes device with the PTC-U-1hr as a hole injection/transport layer (ITO (Indium tin oxide/HITL (hole-injection/transport layer (15 nm/N,N'-di(1-naphthyl- N,N'-diphenyl-(1,1'-biphenyl-4,4'-diamine (NPB (15 nm/Tris-(8-hydroxyquinoline aluminum (Alq3 (60 nm/LiF (1 nm/Al (100 nm is fabricated, a remarkable improvement in performance (Qmax (external quantum efficiency = 2.65%, Bmax (maximum brightness = 56,704 cd/m2, and LE (luminance efficiencymax = 8.9 cd/A relative to the control PTC-U (Qmax = 2.40%, Bmax = 40,490 cd/m2, and LEmax = 8.0 cd/A. Multilayer phosphorescence OLED device with the PTC-U-1hr as a hole injection/transport layer (ITO/HITL (15 nm/Ir(ppy3:PVK (40 nm/BCP (10nm/Alq3 (40 nm/LiF (1 nm/Al (100 nm is fabricated by successive spin-coating processes, a remarkable improvement in performance (Qmax = 9.68%, Bmax = 41,466 cd/m2, and LEmax = 36.6 cd/A relative to the control PTC-U (Qmax = 8.35%, Bmax = 34,978 cd/m2, and LEmax = 30.8 cd/A and the commercial product (poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene:polystyrenesulfonate PEDOT:PSS (Qmax = 4.29%, Bmax = 15,678 cd/m2, and LEmax = 16.2 cd/A has been achieved.

  14. A Probabilistic and Highly Efficient Topology Control Algorithm for Underwater Cooperating AUV Networks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Ning; Cürüklü, Baran; Bastos, Joaquim; Sucasas, Victor; Fernandez, Jose Antonio Sanchez; Rodriguez, Jonathan

    2017-05-04

    The aim of the Smart and Networking Underwater Robots in Cooperation Meshes (SWARMs) project is to make autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), remote operated vehicles (ROVs) and unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) more accessible and useful. To achieve cooperation and communication between different AUVs, these must be able to exchange messages, so an efficient and reliable communication network is necessary for SWARMs. In order to provide an efficient and reliable communication network for mission execution, one of the important and necessary issues is the topology control of the network of AUVs that are cooperating underwater. However, due to the specific properties of an underwater AUV cooperation network, such as the high mobility of AUVs, large transmission delays, low bandwidth, etc., the traditional topology control algorithms primarily designed for terrestrial wireless sensor networks cannot be used directly in the underwater environment. Moreover, these algorithms, in which the nodes adjust their transmission power once the current transmission power does not equal an optimal one, are costly in an underwater cooperating AUV network. Considering these facts, in this paper, we propose a Probabilistic Topology Control (PTC) algorithm for an underwater cooperating AUV network. In PTC, when the transmission power of an AUV is not equal to the optimal transmission power, then whether the transmission power needs to be adjusted or not will be determined based on the AUV's parameters. Each AUV determines their own transmission power adjustment probability based on the parameter deviations. The larger the deviation, the higher the transmission power adjustment probability is, and vice versa. For evaluating the performance of PTC, we combine the PTC algorithm with the Fuzzy logic Topology Control (FTC) algorithm and compare the performance of these two algorithms. The simulation results have demonstrated that the PTC is efficient at reducing the transmission power

  15. A Probabilistic and Highly Efficient Topology Control Algorithm for Underwater Cooperating AUV Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ning Li

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available The aim of the Smart and Networking Underwater Robots in Cooperation Meshes (SWARMs project is to make autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs, remote operated vehicles (ROVs and unmanned surface vehicles (USVs more accessible and useful. To achieve cooperation and communication between different AUVs, these must be able to exchange messages, so an efficient and reliable communication network is necessary for SWARMs. In order to provide an efficient and reliable communication network for mission execution, one of the important and necessary issues is the topology control of the network of AUVs that are cooperating underwater. However, due to the specific properties of an underwater AUV cooperation network, such as the high mobility of AUVs, large transmission delays, low bandwidth, etc., the traditional topology control algorithms primarily designed for terrestrial wireless sensor networks cannot be used directly in the underwater environment. Moreover, these algorithms, in which the nodes adjust their transmission power once the current transmission power does not equal an optimal one, are costly in an underwater cooperating AUV network. Considering these facts, in this paper, we propose a Probabilistic Topology Control (PTC algorithm for an underwater cooperating AUV network. In PTC, when the transmission power of an AUV is not equal to the optimal transmission power, then whether the transmission power needs to be adjusted or not will be determined based on the AUV’s parameters. Each AUV determines their own transmission power adjustment probability based on the parameter deviations. The larger the deviation, the higher the transmission power adjustment probability is, and vice versa. For evaluating the performance of PTC, we combine the PTC algorithm with the Fuzzy logic Topology Control (FTC algorithm and compare the performance of these two algorithms. The simulation results have demonstrated that the PTC is efficient at reducing the

  16. One-pot solvothermal synthesis of ordered intermetallic Pt{sub 2}In{sub 3} as stable and efficient electrocatalyst towards direct alcohol fuel cell application

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jana, Rajkumar; Peter, Sebastian C., E-mail: sebastiancp@jncasr.ac.in

    2016-10-15

    Ordered intermetallic Pt{sub 2}In{sub 3} nanoparticles have been synthesized by superhydride reduction of K{sub 2}PtCl{sub 4} and InCl{sub 3}.xH{sub 2}O precursors using facile, one-pot solvothermal method. We report surfactant free solvothermal synthesis of a novel ordered Pt{sub 2}In{sub 3} intermetallic nanoparticles for the first time. The structure and morphology of the catalyst has been confirmed by powder X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectrometry and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The electrocatalytic properties of the catalysts have been investigated by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. The as prepared Pt{sub 2}In{sub 3} catalyst exhibit far superior electrocatalytic activity and stability towards alcohol oxidation over commercial Pt/C. The specific activity of as synthesized catalyst was found to be ~3.2 and ~2.3 times higher than commercial Pt/C for methanol and ethanol oxidation, respectively. This improved activity and durability of the Pt{sub 2}In{sub 3} nanoparticles can make the catalyst an ideal catalyst candidate for direct alcohol fuel cell. - Graphical abstract: The ordered structure of Pt{sub 2}In{sub 3} nanoparticles synthesized by solvothermal method has confirmed through XRD and TEM. Cyclic voltametry and chronoamperometry showed improved catalytic activity and stability compared to commercial Pt/C. - Highlights: • Ordered Pt{sub 2}In{sub 3} nanoparticles were synthesized by solvothermal method. • Electrooxidation of alcohols on Pt{sub 2}In{sub 3} catalyst was investigated in acidic medium. • Pt{sub 2}In{sub 3} catalyst has superior catalytic activity compared to commercial Pt/C. • Pt{sub 2}In{sub 3} catalyst exhibited much higher stability than commercial Pt/C.

  17. Correlation between Food Intake and Health Status with the Nutritional Status of School Children Age 9-11 in Semarang City

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aiman Farag Mohammed Ali

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Malnutrition, a major risk factor for a number of infectious diseases, including acute upper respiratory tract infections (AURTI, is common in developing countries. Nutritional status is an important index of the quality of life. Objectives:To analyze the correlation between food intake and health status to nutritional status of 9-11 years old children in Semarang. The study was a correlation study carried among school children in Semarang aged 9-11 years old. Data are presented in the descriptive analyses and Spearman correlation. Overall, food intake (energy and protein of 9-11 years old children in Semarang is normal with ≥ 90% RDA, health status of them was satisfactory (very low AURTI incidence,and their nutritional status were mostly normal. There was a correlation between energy intake with nutritional status with indicators BMI, and z-score of W/A and H/A, but there was no correlation between protein intake and AURTI with nutritional status. Energy and food intake of the children correlate with all nutritional status being studied. It should be suggested to parents to implement balanced diet, to avoid the development of obesity among elementary school children through nutrition education to prevent malnutrition as well as obesity.How to CiteAli, A. F. M., Muis, S. F., & Suhartono, S. (2016. Correlation between Food Intake and Health Status with The Nutritional Status of School Children Age 9-11 in Semarang City. Biosaintifika: Journal of Biology & Biology Education, 8(3, 249-256. 

  18. Status seminar `98: Solar-supported district heating with seasonal heat storage. Status report `98; Status-Seminar `98: Solarunterstuetzte Nahwaermeversorgung - Saisonale Waermespeicherung. Statusbericht `98

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1998-12-31

    This status report refers to the BMBF (Federal Ministry for Education, Science, Research and Technology) status seminar: Solar-assisted district heat supply - seasonal heat storage that took place in Neckarsulm on 19th and 20th May. 1998. The report contains the reference papers and the status reports of all projects supported under the Ministry`s SOLARTHERMIE programme that have already been finished or are still running. (orig.) [Deutsch] Der vorliegende Statusbericht wird anlaesslich des BMBF-Statusseminars: Solarunterstuetzte Nahwaermeversorgung - Saisonale Waermespeicherung am 19. und 20. Mai 1998 in Neckarsulm herausgegeben. Der Bericht enthaelt neben den Tagungsbeitraegen auch die Sachstandsberichte aller Projekte, die zu diesem Thema in den letzten Jahren von BMBF in dem Programm SOLARTHERMIE-2000 bereits abgeschlossen wurden oder z.Zt. gefoerdert werden. (orig.)

  19. Adolescents' selective visual attention for high-status peers: The role of perceiver status and gender

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Lansu, T.A.M.; Cillessen, A.H.N.; Karremans, J.C.T.M.

    2014-01-01

    Previous research has shown that adolescents' attention for a peer is determined by the peer's status. This study examined how it is also determined by the status of the perceiving adolescent, and the gender of both parties involved (perceiver and perceived). Participants were 122 early adolescents

  20. Parental social status and intrasexual competitiveness among adolescents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buunk, Abraham P; Stulp, Gert; Ormel, Johan

    2014-11-17

    A study among 1,881 adolescents (52.3% girls) with a mean age of 19.1 years examined the effects of parental social status upon intrasexual competitiveness. Whereas females were consistently more intrasexually competitive the higher the socio-economic status of their parents, males with parents of the lowest socio-economic status tended to be more intrasexually competitive than those with parents of medium socio-economic status, and nearly as intrasexually competitive as those with parents of high socio-economic status. Only among adolescents with parents of low socio-economic status were males more intrasexually competitive than females. Among males and females, higher levels of intrasexual competitiveness were related to a higher family income, to a higher occupational status of the father as well as of the mother, and to a higher educational level of the mother. Only among females were higher levels of intrasexual competitiveness associated with a higher educational level of the father. Males whose fathers had only elementary education had a relatively high level of intrasexual competitiveness. The results are discussed in the context of the multifaceted nature of human status, and the potential relevance of intrasexual competitiveness for individuals of high versus low social status.

  1. Total antioxidant/oxidant status in meningism and meningitis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aycicek, Ali; Iscan, Akin; Erel, Ozcan; Akcali, Mustafa; Selek, Sahbettin

    2006-12-01

    The objective of this study was to investigate the antioxidant/oxidant status of serum and cerebrospinal fluid in children with meningismus and acute bacterial meningitis. Twenty-three children (age range, 0.75 to 9 years) with fever and meningeal signs that required analysis of the cerebrospinal fluid, but no cytologic or biochemical evidence of meningitis in their serum and cerebrospinal fluid, constituted the meningismus group. Thirty-one children (age range, 0.5 to 10 years) with acute bacterial meningitis constituted the meningitis group. Twenty-nine healthy children (age range, 0.5 to 11 years) were recruited as control subjects. Antioxidant status (ascorbic acid, albumin, thiol, uric acid, total bilirubin, total antioxidant capacity, catalase and ceruloplasmin concentrations) and oxidant status (lipid hydroperoxide and total oxidant status) were measured. The serum antioxidant status was lower, and oxidant status levels higher in both meningitis and meningismus subjects than in the control children (P antioxidant status was lower, and serum oxidant status was higher in children in the meningismus and meningitis groups, whereas cerebrospinal fluid oxidant status was higher in the meningismus group than in the meningitis group.

  2. Less Common Etiologies of Status Epilepticus

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bleck, Thomas P

    2010-01-01

    Status epilepticus is treated as a neurologic emergency and only later are the potential etiologies assessed. While sometimes the cause for status epilepticus is apparent (e.g., antiepileptic drug withdrawal), all too often it is not identified, even after extensive diagnostic testing has been performed. With emphasis on the less-common etiologies, this review will cover various probable and known causes of status epilepticus among adults, children, and those patients with refractory epilepsy. PMID:20231917

  3. Does Status Inconsistency Matter for Marital Quality?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gong, Min

    2007-01-01

    This study tests status inconsistency theory by examining the associations between wives' and husbands' relative statuses--that is, earnings, work-time, occupational, and educational inconsistencies--and marital quality and global happiness. The author asks three questions: (a) Is status inconsistency associated with marital quality and overall…

  4. Status Configurations, Military Service and Higher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Lin; Elder, Glen H., Jr.; Spence, Naomi J.

    2012-01-01

    The U.S. Armed Forces offer educational and training benefits as incentives for service. This study investigates the influence of status configurations on military enlistment and their link to greater educational opportunity. Three statuses (socioeconomic status of origin, cognitive ability and academic performance) have particular relevance for…

  5. Press touch code: A finger press based screen size independent authentication scheme for smart devices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ranak, M S A Noman; Azad, Saiful; Nor, Nur Nadiah Hanim Binti Mohd; Zamli, Kamal Z

    2017-01-01

    Due to recent advancements and appealing applications, the purchase rate of smart devices is increasing at a higher rate. Parallely, the security related threats and attacks are also increasing at a greater ratio on these devices. As a result, a considerable number of attacks have been noted in the recent past. To resist these attacks, many password-based authentication schemes are proposed. However, most of these schemes are not screen size independent; whereas, smart devices come in different sizes. Specifically, they are not suitable for miniature smart devices due to the small screen size and/or lack of full sized keyboards. In this paper, we propose a new screen size independent password-based authentication scheme, which also offers an affordable defense against shoulder surfing, brute force, and smudge attacks. In the proposed scheme, the Press Touch (PT)-a.k.a., Force Touch in Apple's MacBook, Apple Watch, ZTE's Axon 7 phone; 3D Touch in iPhone 6 and 7; and so on-is transformed into a new type of code, named Press Touch Code (PTC). We design and implement three variants of it, namely mono-PTC, multi-PTC, and multi-PTC with Grid, on the Android Operating System. An in-lab experiment and a comprehensive survey have been conducted on 105 participants to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.

  6. Core/shell AgNi/PtAgNi nanoparticles as methanol-tolerant oxygen reduction electrocatalysts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, Dengfeng; Cheng, Daojian

    2015-01-01

    A core/shell AgNi/PtAgNi nanoparticle (NP) was synthesized via a new seed-mediated growth method in organic solvent medium. The as-synthesized AgNi/PtAgNiNP exhibits an AgNi core coated with PtAgNi shell, which was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), ultraviolet–visible absorption spectroscopy and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). The AgNi/PtAgNiNPs/C catalyst possesses higher oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity and better durability compared with the commercial Pt/C catalyst. It is found that the ORR polarization curve of the AgNi/PtAgNiNPs/C catalyst shows an onset potential of 0.91 V vs. RHE, which is superior to the commercial Pt/C (0.88 V vs. RHE). In addition, the AgNi/PtAgNiNPs/C catalyst shows much better durability than the commercial Pt/C catalyst. More interestingly, the AgNi/PtAgNiNPs/C catalyst displays much higher methanol tolerance than the commercial Pt/C catalyst in 0.1 M KOH solution in the presence of 0.5 M methanol. Our results show that core/shell AgNi/PtAgNiNPs possess selective activity for ORR even in the presence of methanol, showing potential application as methanol-tolerant cathode catalysts in direct methanol fuel cells.

  7. Characterization of a surface modified carbon cryogel and a carbon supported Pt catalyst

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    BILJANA M. BABIĆ

    2007-08-01

    Full Text Available A carbon cryogel, synthesized by carbonization of a resorcinol/formaldehyde cryogel and oxidized in nitric acid, was used as catalyst support for Pt nano-particles. The Pt/C catalyst was prepared by a modified polyol synthesis method in an ethylene glycol (EG solution. Characterization by nitrogen adsorption showed that the carbon cryogel support and the Pt/C catalyst were mesoporous materials with high specific surface areas (SBET > 400 m2 g-1 and large mesoporous volumes. X-Ray diffraction of the catalyst demonstrated the successful reduction of the Pt precursor to metallic form. TEM Images of the Pt/C catalyst and Pt particle size distribution showed that the mean Pt particle size was about 3.3 nm. Cyclic voltammetry (CV experiments at various scan rates (from 2 to 200 mV s-1 were performed in 0.5 mol dm-3 HClO4 solution. The large capacitance of the oxidized carbon cryogel electrode, which arises from a combination of the double-layer capacitance and pseudocapacitance, associated with the participation of surface redox-type reactions was demonstrated. For the oxidized carbon cryogel, the total specific capacitance determined by 1/C vs. ν0.5 extrapolation method was found to be 386 F g-1. The hydrogen oxidation reaction at the investigated Pt/C catalyst proceeded as an electrochemically reversible, two-electron direct discharge reaction.

  8. Nanocomposite for methanol oxidation: synthesis and characterization of cubic Pt nanoparticles on graphene sheets

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tung-Yuan Yung, Jer-Yeu Lee and Ling-Kang Liu

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available We present our recent results on Pt nanoparticles on graphene sheets (Pt-NPs/G, a nanocomposite prepared with microwave assistance in ionic liquid 2-hydroxyethanaminiumformate. Preparation of Pt-NPs/G was achieved without the addition of extra reductant such as hydrazine or ethylene glycol. The Pt nanoparticles on graphene have a cubic-like shape (about 60 wt% Pt loading, Pt-NPs/G and the particle size is 6 ± 3 nm from transmission electron microscopy results. Electrochemical cyclic voltammetry studies in 0.5 M aqueous H2SO4 were performed using Pt-NPs/G and separately, for comparison, using a commercially available electrocatalyst (60 wt% Pt loading, Pt/C. The electrochemical surface ratio of Pt-NPs/G to Pt/C is 0.745. The results of a methanol oxidation reaction (MOR in 0.5 M aqueous H2SO4 + 1.0 M methanol for the two samples are presented. The MOR results show that the ratios of the current density of oxidation (If to the current density of reduction (Ib are 3.49 (Pt-NPs/G and 1.37 (Pt/C, respectively, with a preference by 2.55 times favoring Pt-NPs/G. That is, the tolerance CO poisoning of Pt-NPs/G is better than that of commercial Pt/C.

  9. Press touch code: A finger press based screen size independent authentication scheme for smart devices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ranak, M. S. A. Noman; Nor, Nur Nadiah Hanim Binti Mohd; Zamli, Kamal Z.

    2017-01-01

    Due to recent advancements and appealing applications, the purchase rate of smart devices is increasing at a higher rate. Parallely, the security related threats and attacks are also increasing at a greater ratio on these devices. As a result, a considerable number of attacks have been noted in the recent past. To resist these attacks, many password-based authentication schemes are proposed. However, most of these schemes are not screen size independent; whereas, smart devices come in different sizes. Specifically, they are not suitable for miniature smart devices due to the small screen size and/or lack of full sized keyboards. In this paper, we propose a new screen size independent password-based authentication scheme, which also offers an affordable defense against shoulder surfing, brute force, and smudge attacks. In the proposed scheme, the Press Touch (PT)—a.k.a., Force Touch in Apple’s MacBook, Apple Watch, ZTE’s Axon 7 phone; 3D Touch in iPhone 6 and 7; and so on—is transformed into a new type of code, named Press Touch Code (PTC). We design and implement three variants of it, namely mono-PTC, multi-PTC, and multi-PTC with Grid, on the Android Operating System. An in-lab experiment and a comprehensive survey have been conducted on 105 participants to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme. PMID:29084262

  10. Is there any association between Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and thyroid cancer? A retrospective data analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daysi Maria de Alcântara-Jones

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Objective: To evaluate the association between Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT and papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC. Materials and Methods: The patients were evaluated by ultrasonography-guided fine needle aspiration cytology. Typical cytopathological aspects and/or classical histopathological findings were taken into consideration in the diagnosis of HT, and only histopathological results were considered in the diagnosis of PTC. Results: Among 1,049 patients with multi- or uninodular goiter (903 women and 146 men, 173 (16.5% had cytopathological features of thyroiditis. Thirty-three (67.4% out of the 49 operated patients had PTC, 9 (27.3% of them with histopathological features of HT. Five (31.3% out of the 16 patients with non-malignant disease also had HT. In the groups with HT, PTC, and PCT+HT, the female prevalence rate was 100%, 91.6%, and 77.8%, respectively. Mean age was 41.5, 43.3, and 48.5 years, respectively. No association was observed between the two diseases in the present study where HT occurred in 31.1% of the benign cases and in 27.3% of malignant cases (p = 0.8. Conclusion: In spite of the absence of association between HT and PCT, the possibility of malignancy in HT should always be considered because of the coexistence of the two diseases already reported in the literature.

  11. Relative quantification of PIK3CA gene expression level in fine-needle aspiration biopsy thyroid specimens collected from patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma and non-toxic goitre by real-time RT-PCR

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wojciechowska-Durczyńska Katarzyna

    2010-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Recent studies have shown that the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K signaling pathway is important regulator of many cellular events, including apoptosis, proliferation and motility. PI3K pathway alterations (PIK3CA gene mutations and/or amplification have been observed in various human tumours. In the majority of diagnosed cases, mutations are localized in one of the three "hot spots" in the gene, responsible for coding catalytic subunit α of class I PI3K (PIK3CA. Mutations and amplification of PIK3CA gene are characteristic for thyroid cancer, as well. Methods The aim of our study was to examine a gene expression level of PIK3CA in fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB thyroid specimens in two types of thyroid lesions, papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC and non-toxic goitre (NTG. Following conventional cytological examination, 42 thyroid FNAB specimens, received from patients with PTC (n = 20 and NTG (n = 22, were quantitatively evaluated regarding PIK3CA expression level by real-time PCR in the ABI PRISM® 7500 Sequence Detection System. Results Significantly higher expression level (RQ of PIK3CA in PTC group has been noted in comparison with NTG group (p Conclusion These observations may suggest role of PIK3CA alterations in PTC carcinogenesis.

  12. Septin 7 immunoexpression in papillary thyroid carcinoma: a preliminary study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Igci, Yusuf Ziya; Erkilic, Suna; Arslan, Ahmet

    2014-07-01

    Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common type among thyroid cancers. The diagnosis of PTC may be challenging when follicular variant (FVPTC) of this disease is present due to the resemblance of nuclear properties of the classical type (CVPTC). However, making use of ancillary molecular markers in the diagnosis of PTC may help. In our study, we aimed to evaluate the SEPT7 protein expression in PTC. A total of 55 paraffin block tissue samples comprising encapsulated FVPTC (FVPTC(e), n=25), and CVPTC (n=15), and benign hyperfunctioning thyroid nodules (HypN, n=15) were used in this study. Nuclear, cytoplasmic, and overall (total) SEPT7 protein expression levels were determined by using immunohistochemistry. Nuclear, cytoplasmic, and overall SEPT7 expressions (p=0.02, p=0.001, p=0.002, respectively) were significantly lower in FVPTC(e) tissues when compared to HypN. In CVPTC group, nuclear expression was significantly lower (p=0.004) while overall and cytoplasmic expressions were not changed (p>0.05). In HypN group, highest nuclear (mean=2.73), cytoplasmic (mean=2.86), and overall (mean=2.86) expression scores were detected. Significantly lower SEPT7 expression in all expressional categories in FVPTC(e) group may be a sign of different molecular signature in this type of tissue. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  13. Maximum Exergetic Efficiency Operation of a Solar Powered H2O-LiBr Absorption Cooling System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Camelia Stanciu

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available A solar driven cooling system consisting of a single effect H2O-LiBr absorbtion cooling module (ACS, a parabolic trough collector (PTC, and a storage tank (ST module is analyzed during one full day operation. The pressurized water is used to transfer heat from PTC to ST and to feed the ACS desorber. The system is constrained to operate at the maximum ACS exergetic efficiency, under a time dependent cooling load computed on 15 July for a one storey house located near Bucharest, Romania. To set up the solar assembly, two commercial PTCs were selected, namely PT1-IST and PTC 1800 Solitem, and a single unit ST was initially considered. The mathematical model, relying on the energy balance equations, was coded under Engineering Equation Solver (EES environment. The solar data were obtained from the Meteonorm database. The numerical simulations proved that the system cannot cover the imposed cooling load all day long, due to the large variation of water temperature inside the ST. By splitting the ST into two units, the results revealed that the PT1-IST collector only drives the ACS between 9 am and 4:30 pm, while the PTC 1800 one covers the entire cooling period (9 am–6 pm for optimum ST capacities of 90 kg/90 kg and 90 kg/140 kg, respectively.

  14. Press touch code: A finger press based screen size independent authentication scheme for smart devices.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M S A Noman Ranak

    Full Text Available Due to recent advancements and appealing applications, the purchase rate of smart devices is increasing at a higher rate. Parallely, the security related threats and attacks are also increasing at a greater ratio on these devices. As a result, a considerable number of attacks have been noted in the recent past. To resist these attacks, many password-based authentication schemes are proposed. However, most of these schemes are not screen size independent; whereas, smart devices come in different sizes. Specifically, they are not suitable for miniature smart devices due to the small screen size and/or lack of full sized keyboards. In this paper, we propose a new screen size independent password-based authentication scheme, which also offers an affordable defense against shoulder surfing, brute force, and smudge attacks. In the proposed scheme, the Press Touch (PT-a.k.a., Force Touch in Apple's MacBook, Apple Watch, ZTE's Axon 7 phone; 3D Touch in iPhone 6 and 7; and so on-is transformed into a new type of code, named Press Touch Code (PTC. We design and implement three variants of it, namely mono-PTC, multi-PTC, and multi-PTC with Grid, on the Android Operating System. An in-lab experiment and a comprehensive survey have been conducted on 105 participants to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.

  15. Renewables 2014. Global status report 2014

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sawin, Janet L.; Sverrisson, Freyr; Chawla, Kanika; Lins, Christine; Adib, Rana; Hullin, Martin; Leitner, Sarah; Mazzaccaro, Stefano; Murdock, Hannah; Williamson, Laura E.; Wright, Glen; McCrone, Angus; Musolino, Evan; Mastny, Lisa; Lily Riahi; Sims, Ralph; Jonathan Skeen; Sverrisson, Freyr; Martinot, Eric

    2014-01-01

    The Renewables Global Status Report provides a comprehensive and timely overview of renewable energy market, industry, investment, and policy developments worldwide. It enables policy-makers, industry, investors, and civil society to make informed decisions. The report covers recent developments, current status, and key trends; by design, it does not provide analysis or forecast. The Renewables Global Status Report relies on up-to-date renewable energy data, provided by an international network of more than 500 contributors, researchers, and authors

  16. Resource utilization for observation-status stays at children's hospitals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fieldston, Evan S; Shah, Samir S; Hall, Matthew; Hain, Paul D; Alpern, Elizabeth R; Del Beccaro, Mark A; Harding, John; Macy, Michelle L

    2013-06-01

    Observation status, in contrast to inpatient status, is a billing designation for hospital payment. Observation-status stays are presumed to be shorter and less resource-intensive, but utilization for pediatric observation-status stays has not been studied. The goal of this study was to describe resource utilization characteristics for patients in observation and inpatient status in a national cohort of hospitalized children in the Pediatric Health Information System. This study was a retrospective cohort from 2010 of observation- and inpatient-status stays of ≤2 days; all children were admitted from the emergency department. Costs were analyzed and described. Comparison between costs adjusting for age, severity, and length of stay were conducted by using random-effect mixed models to account for clustering of patients within hospitals. Observation status was assigned to 67 230 (33.3%) discharges, but its use varied across hospitals (2%-45%). Observation-status stays had total median costs of $2559, including room costs and $678 excluding room costs. Twenty-five diagnoses accounted for 74% of stays in observation status, 4 of which were used for detailed analyses: asthma (n = 6352), viral gastroenteritis (n = 4043), bronchiolitis (n = 3537), and seizure (n = 3289). On average, after risk adjustment, observation-status stays cost $260 less than inpatient-status stays for these select 4 diagnoses. Large overlaps in costs were demonstrated for both types of stay. Variability in use of observation status with large overlap in costs and potential lower reimbursement compared with inpatient status calls into question the utility of segmenting patients according to billing status and highlights a financial risk for institutions with a high volume of pediatric patients in observation status.

  17. 38 CFR 21.198 - “Discontinued” status.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... discontinued status following assignment to interrupted status as provided in § 21.197 for reasons including... acceptable reason for his or her failure to do so following assignment to interrupted status, the veteran's... staff are unable to estimate an approximate date by which the veteran will be able to begin or return to...

  18. 49 CFR 1152.37 - Financial status reports.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 49 Transportation 8 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Financial status reports. 1152.37 Section 1152.37... Financial status reports. Within 30 days after the end of each quarter of the subsidy year, each carrier... Report for each line operated under subsidy. Such Financial Status Report shall be in the form prescribed...

  19. Low social status decreases the neural salience of unfairness

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jie eHu

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Social hierarchy exists in almost all social species and affects everything from resource allocation to the development of intelligence. Previous studies showed that status within a social hierarchy influences the perceived fairness of income allocation. However, the effect of one’s social status on economic decisions is far from clear, as are the neural processes underlying these decisions. In this study, we dynamically manipulated participants’ social status and analyzed their behavior as recipients in the ultimatum game, during which event-related potentials (ERPs were recorded. Behavioral results showed that acceptance rates for offers increased with the fairness level of offers. Importantly, participants were less likely to accept unfair offers when they were endowed with high status than with low status. In addition, cues indicating low status elicited a more positive P2 than cues indicating high status in an earlier time window (170 – 240 ms, and cues indicating high status elicited a more negative N400 than did cues indicating low status in a later time window (350 – 520 ms. During the actual reception of offers, the late positivity potential (LPP, 400 – 700 ms for unfair offers was more positive in the high status condition than in the low status condition, suggesting a decreased arousal for unfair offers during low status. These findings suggest a strong role of social status in modulating individual behavioral and neural responses to fairness.

  20. Long-term selenium status in humans

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baskett, C.K.; Spate, V.L.; Mason, M.M.; Nichols, T.A.; Williams, A.; Dubman, I.M.; Gudino, A.; Denison, J.; Morris, J.S.

    2001-01-01

    The association of sub-optimal selenium status with increased risk factors for some cancers has been reported in two recent epidemiological studies. In both studies the same threshold in selenium status was observed, below which, cancer incidence increased. To assess the use of nails as a biologic monitor to measure the long-term selenium status, an eight-year longitudinal study was undertaken with a group of 11 adult subjects, 5 women and 6 men. Selenium has been measured by instrumental neutron activation analysis. Differences between fingernails and toenails with be discussed. In addition, the results will be discussed in the context of the long-term stability of the nail monitor to measure selenium status during those periods when selenium determinants are static; and the changes that occur as a result of selenium supplementation. (author)

  1. Status inconsistency in groups : How discrepancies between instrumental and expressive status result in symptoms of stress

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van de Brake, Hendrik; Grow, André; Dijkstra, Jan Kornelis

    This study examines whether a mismatch between the positions that individuals hold in different status hierarchies results in symptoms of stress. Prior research has focused on inconsistencies between socioeconomic status dimensions (e.g., education and income) and did not find a significant relation

  2. 39 CFR 3060.22 - Financial status report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 39 Postal Service 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Financial status report. 3060.22 Section 3060.22... THEORETICAL COMPETITIVE PRODUCTS ENTERPRISE § 3060.22 Financial status report. The Postal Service shall file a Financial Status Report in the form and content of Table 2, below. Table 2—Annual Summary of Competitive...

  3. HUBUNGAN ANTARA ANEMI DAN STATUS BESI DENGAN STATUS IMUNITAS PADA ANAK YANG MENDAPAT VAKSINASI CAMPAK

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Susi Suwarti Suwardi

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ANEMIA AND IRON STATUS WITH IMMUNE STATUS OF CHILDREN VACCINATED WITH MEASLES VACCINE.Background: Anemia, especially caused by iron deficiency, is one of several health problems in Indonesian children below 5 years of age. That condition seems appear in young children whose food is lack of iron. When those children are going to be vaccinated, how will the result be?.Objective: We sought to determine the relationship between anemia and iron with immune status of children who have got measles vaccine.Method: The study was conducted in village of Bantarjaya district of Bogor, from June 1997 to February 1998 in 86 children above 9 months old who received measles vaccines in local Post Integrated Service (Posyandu. Before intervention, data on physical examination, weight, height, hemoglobin, hematocrit serum ferritin, free erythrocyte protoporphyrin (FEP and measle immunoglobin G were obtained from all Subjects. Information on morbidity, socioeconomic, environment and food consumption also were recorded. After intervention or six mouths later, the same data were collected again.Results: Subjects were divided into two group; (1 anemic group (Hb<11 g/dl consisting of 46 subjects (53,5% and (2 non anemic group (Hb>11 g/dl with 40 subjects (45,5%. The study revealed that 27,9% subjects have iron deficiency and 43,0% suffered from iron deficiency anemia. Six months after vaccination, the level of measles IgG was increased in 87,4% subjects. The measle IgG level of the non anemic group was increased significantly, but was not significant for the anemic group.Conclusions: There were no relationship between iron status and immune status but however anemic condition influenced the level of measles IgG.Key Words: iron status, anemia, immunoglobulin G.

  4. Risky business: When humor increases and decreases status.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bitterly, T Bradford; Brooks, Alison Wood; Schweitzer, Maurice E

    2017-03-01

    Across 8 experiments, we demonstrate that humor can influence status, but attempting to use humor is risky. The successful use of humor can increase status in both new and existing relationships, but unsuccessful humor attempts (e.g., inappropriate jokes) can harm status. The relationship between the successful use of humor and status is mediated by perceptions of confidence and competence. The successful use of humor signals confidence and competence, which in turn increases the joke teller's status. Interestingly, telling both appropriate and inappropriate jokes, regardless of the outcome, signals confidence. Although signaling confidence typically increases status and power, telling inappropriate jokes signals low competence and the combined effect of high confidence and low competence harms status. Rather than conceptualizing humor as a frivolous or ancillary behavior, we argue that humor plays a fundamental role in shaping interpersonal perceptions and hierarchies within groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

  5. STATUS REPORT

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    First page Back Continue Last page Graphics. STATUS REPORT. Raman scattering observed – 90, 135, 180 degrees and back scattering. Traditionally specific angle dependence to learn about polarization response. Learn molecular information from the surface or materials just below the surface (upto 12 mm depth) ...

  6. Development of Mo recycle technique from generator materials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tanimoto, Masataka; Kurosawa, Makoto; Kimura, Akihiro; Nishikata, Kaori; Tsuchiya, Kunihiko [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Oarai Research and Development Center, Oarai, Ibaraki (Japan); Kakei, Sadanori; Yoshinaga, Hideo [Taiyo Koko Corp., Ako Laboratory, Ako, Hyogo (Japan)

    2012-03-15

    The domestic {sup 99}Mo production by the (n,{gamma}) method is proposed in JMTR because of low amount of radioactive wastes and easy {sup 99}Mo/{sup 99m}Tc production process. For the development of domestic production, it is necessary to use the enriched {sup 98}MoO{sub 3}, which is very expensive, for high specific activity of {sup 99}Mo. A large amount of used PZC/PTC embraced {sup 98}Mo is also generated after the decay of {sup 99}Mo. JAEA and Taiyo Koko is proposed to recover molybdenum from the used PZC/PTC for an effective use of resources and reduction of radioactive wastes. Preliminary experiments of Mo recycling with un-irradiated MoO{sub 3} were carried out by the elution and sublimation methods. From the results, Mo recovery rate from the PZC/PTC was more than 95% by two kinds of methods. The prospects are bright for Mo recycle and reduction of radioactive wastes using these methods. (author)

  7. Ultra-fine Pt nanoparticles on graphene aerogel as a porous electrode with high stability for microfluidic methanol fuel cell

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kwok, Y. H.; Tsang, Alpha C. H.; Wang, Yifei; Leung, Dennis Y. C.

    2017-05-01

    Platinum-decorated graphene aerogel as a porous electrode for flow-through direct methanol microfluidic fuel cell is introduced. Ultra-fine platinum nanoparticles with size ranged from diameter 1.5 nm-3 nm are evenly anchored on the graphene nanosheets without agglomeration. The electrode is characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Catalytic activity is confirmed by cyclic voltammetry. The electroactive surface area and catalytic activity of platinum on graphene oxide (Pt/GO) are much larger than commercial platinum on carbon black (Pt/C). A counterflow microfluidic fuel cell is designed for contrasting the cell performance between flow-over type and flow-through type electrodes using Pt/C on carbon paper and Pt/GO, respectively. The Pt/GO electrode shows 358% increment in specific power compared with Pt/C anode. Apart from catalytic activity, the effect of porous electrode conductivity to cell performance is also studied. The conductivity of the porous electrode should be further enhanced to achieve higher cell performance.

  8. Negligible degradation upon in situ voltage cycling of a PEMFC using an electrospun niobium-doped tin oxide supported Pt cathode.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Savych, Iuliia; Subianto, Surya; Nabil, Yannick; Cavaliere, Sara; Jones, Deborah; Rozière, Jacques

    2015-07-14

    Novel platinum-catalysed, corrosion-resistant, loose-tube-structured electrocatalysts for proton exchange membrane fuel cells have been obtained using single-needle electrospinning associated with a microwave-assisted polyol method. Monodisperse platinum particles supported on Nb-SnO2 demonstrated higher electrochemical stability than conventional Pt/C electrodes during ex situ potential cycling and comparable activity in the oxygen reduction reaction. In situ fuel cell operation under accelerated stress test conditions of a membrane electrode assembly elaborated using a Pt/C anode and Pt/Nb-SnO2 cathode confirmed that the voltage loss is significantly lower for the novel cathode than for an MEA prepared using conventional Pt/C supported electrocatalysts. Furthermore, the Nb-SnO2 stabilised the supported platinum nanoparticles against dissolution, migration and reprecipitation in the membrane. Pt/Nb-SnO2 loose-tubes constitute a mitigation strategy for two known degradation mechanisms in PEMFC: corrosion of the carbon support at the cathode, and dissolution of Pt at high cell voltages.

  9. Integrated Genomic Characterization of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agrawal, Nishant; Akbani, Rehan; Aksoy, B. Arman; Ally, Adrian; Arachchi, Harindra; Asa, Sylvia L.; Auman, J. Todd; Balasundaram, Miruna; Balu, Saianand; Baylin, Stephen B.; Behera, Madhusmita; Bernard, Brady; Beroukhim, Rameen; Bishop, Justin A.; Black, Aaron D.; Bodenheimer, Tom; Boice, Lori; Bootwalla, Moiz S.; Bowen, Jay; Bowlby, Reanne; Bristow, Christopher A.; Brookens, Robin; Brooks, Denise; Bryant, Robert; Buda, Elizabeth; Butterfield, Yaron S.N.; Carling, Tobias; Carlsen, Rebecca; Carter, Scott L.; Carty, Sally E.; Chan, Timothy A.; Chen, Amy Y.; Cherniack, Andrew D.; Cheung, Dorothy; Chin, Lynda; Cho, Juok; Chu, Andy; Chuah, Eric; Cibulskis, Kristian; Ciriello, Giovanni; Clarke, Amanda; Clayman, Gary L.; Cope, Leslie; Copland, John; Covington, Kyle; Danilova, Ludmila; Davidsen, Tanja; Demchok, John A.; DiCara, Daniel; Dhalla, Noreen; Dhir, Rajiv; Dookran, Sheliann S.; Dresdner, Gideon; Eldridge, Jonathan; Eley, Greg; El-Naggar, Adel K.; Eng, Stephanie; Fagin, James A.; Fennell, Timothy; Ferris, Robert L.; Fisher, Sheila; Frazer, Scott; Frick, Jessica; Gabriel, Stacey B.; Ganly, Ian; Gao, Jianjiong; Garraway, Levi A.; Gastier-Foster, Julie M.; Getz, Gad; Gehlenborg, Nils; Ghossein, Ronald; Gibbs, Richard A.; Giordano, Thomas J.; Gomez-Hernandez, Karen; Grimsby, Jonna; Gross, Benjamin; Guin, Ranabir; Hadjipanayis, Angela; Harper, Hollie A.; Hayes, D. Neil; Heiman, David I.; Herman, James G.; Hoadley, Katherine A.; Hofree, Matan; Holt, Robert A.; Hoyle, Alan P.; Huang, Franklin W.; Huang, Mei; Hutter, Carolyn M.; Ideker, Trey; Iype, Lisa; Jacobsen, Anders; Jefferys, Stuart R.; Jones, Corbin D.; Jones, Steven J.M.; Kasaian, Katayoon; Kebebew, Electron; Khuri, Fadlo R.; Kim, Jaegil; Kramer, Roger; Kreisberg, Richard; Kucherlapati, Raju; Kwiatkowski, David J.; Ladanyi, Marc; Lai, Phillip H.; Laird, Peter W.; Lander, Eric; Lawrence, Michael S.; Lee, Darlene; Lee, Eunjung; Lee, Semin; Lee, William; Leraas, Kristen M.; Lichtenberg, Tara M.; Lichtenstein, Lee; Lin, Pei; Ling, Shiyun; Liu, Jinze; Liu, Wenbin; Liu, Yingchun; LiVolsi, Virginia A.; Lu, Yiling; Ma, Yussanne; Mahadeshwar, Harshad S.; Marra, Marco A.; Mayo, Michael; McFadden, David G.; Meng, Shaowu; Meyerson, Matthew; Mieczkowski, Piotr A.; Miller, Michael; Mills, Gordon; Moore, Richard A.; Mose, Lisle E.; Mungall, Andrew J.; Murray, Bradley A.; Nikiforov, Yuri E.; Noble, Michael S.; Ojesina, Akinyemi I.; Owonikoko, Taofeek K.; Ozenberger, Bradley A.; Pantazi, Angeliki; Parfenov, Michael; Park, Peter J.; Parker, Joel S.; Paull, Evan O.; Pedamallu, Chandra Sekhar; Perou, Charles M.; Prins, Jan F.; Protopopov, Alexei; Ramalingam, Suresh S.; Ramirez, Nilsa C.; Ramirez, Ricardo; Raphael, Benjamin J.; Rathmell, W. Kimryn; Ren, Xiaojia; Reynolds, Sheila M.; Rheinbay, Esther; Ringel, Matthew D.; Rivera, Michael; Roach, Jeffrey; Robertson, A. Gordon; Rosenberg, Mara W.; Rosenthall, Matthew; Sadeghi, Sara; Saksena, Gordon; Sander, Chris; Santoso, Netty; Schein, Jacqueline E.; Schultz, Nikolaus; Schumacher, Steven E.; Seethala, Raja R.; Seidman, Jonathan; Senbabaoglu, Yasin; Seth, Sahil; Sharpe, Samantha; Mills Shaw, Kenna R.; Shen, John P.; Shen, Ronglai; Sherman, Steven; Sheth, Margi; Shi, Yan; Shmulevich, Ilya; Sica, Gabriel L.; Simons, Janae V.; Sipahimalani, Payal; Smallridge, Robert C.; Sofia, Heidi J.; Soloway, Matthew G.; Song, Xingzhi; Sougnez, Carrie; Stewart, Chip; Stojanov, Petar; Stuart, Joshua M.; Tabak, Barbara; Tam, Angela; Tan, Donghui; Tang, Jiabin; Tarnuzzer, Roy; Taylor, Barry S.; Thiessen, Nina; Thorne, Leigh; Thorsson, Vésteinn; Tuttle, R. Michael; Umbricht, Christopher B.; Van Den Berg, David J.; Vandin, Fabio; Veluvolu, Umadevi; Verhaak, Roel G.W.; Vinco, Michelle; Voet, Doug; Walter, Vonn; Wang, Zhining; Waring, Scot; Weinberger, Paul M.; Weinstein, John N.; Weisenberger, Daniel J.; Wheeler, David; Wilkerson, Matthew D.; Wilson, Jocelyn; Williams, Michelle; Winer, Daniel A.; Wise, Lisa; Wu, Junyuan; Xi, Liu; Xu, Andrew W.; Yang, Liming; Yang, Lixing; Zack, Travis I.; Zeiger, Martha A.; Zeng, Dong; Zenklusen, Jean Claude; Zhao, Ni; Zhang, Hailei; Zhang, Jianhua; Zhang, Jiashan (Julia); Zhang, Wei; Zmuda, Erik; Zou., Lihua

    2014-01-01

    Summary Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common type of thyroid cancer. Here, we describe the genomic landscape of 496 PTCs. We observed a low frequency of somatic alterations (relative to other carcinomas) and extended the set of known PTC driver alterations to include EIF1AX, PPM1D and CHEK2 and diverse gene fusions. These discoveries reduced the fraction of PTC cases with unknown oncogenic driver from 25% to 3.5%. Combined analyses of genomic variants, gene expression, and methylation demonstrated that different driver groups lead to different pathologies with distinct signaling and differentiation characteristics. Similarly, we identified distinct molecular subgroups of BRAF-mutant tumors and multidimensional analyses highlighted a potential involvement of oncomiRs in less-differentiated subgroups. Our results propose a reclassification of thyroid cancers into molecular subtypes that better reflect their underlying signaling and differentiation properties, which has the potential to improve their pathological classification and better inform the management of the disease. PMID:25417114

  10. Concepts for a low-vibration and cryogen-free tabletop dilution refrigerator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uhlig, Kurt

    2017-10-01

    The purpose of this article is to describe several concepts of how to cool a modern tabletop dilution refrigerator (DR) with a cryogen-free pulse tube cryocooler (PTC). Tabletop DRs have come more and more into the focus of scientists, recently, because they offer easy access to the mixing chamber mounting plate from all directions and because of their very short cooldown times. However, these milli-Kelvin coolers are precooled with LHe which makes their handling inconvenient and often expensive. In the paper it is explained how a cryocooler can be directly coupled to a DR unit making the use of LHe superfluous. Furthermore, concepts are discussed where a tabletop DR is cooled by a remote PTC; PTC and DR are mounted in separate vacuum containers which are connected by a stainless steel bellows tube. This kind of apparatus would offer an extremely low level of vibration at the mixing chamber mounting plate.

  11. A Nanopore-Structured Nitrogen-Doped Biocarbon Electrocatalyst for Oxygen Reduction from Two-Step Carbonization of Lemna minor Biomass

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Chaozhong; Li, Zhongbin; Niu, Lidan; Liao, Wenli; Sun, Lingtao; Wen, Bixia; Nie, Yunqing; Cheng, Jing; Chen, Changguo

    2016-05-01

    So far, the development of highly active and stable carbon-based electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) to replace commercial Pt/C catalyst is a hot topic. In this study, a new nanoporous nitrogen-doped carbon material was facilely designed by two-step pyrolysis of the renewable Lemna minor enriched in crude protein under a nitrogen atmosphere. Electrochemical measurements show that the onset potential for ORR on this carbon material is around 0.93 V (versus reversible hydrogen electrode), slightly lower than that on the Pt/C catalyst, but its cycling stability is higher compared to the Pt/C catalyst in an alkaline medium. Besides, the ORR at this catalyst approaches to a four-electron transfer pathway. The obtained ORR performance can be basically attributed to the formation of high contents of pyridinic and graphitic nitrogen atoms inside this catalyst. Thus, this work opens up the path in the ORR catalysis for the design of nitrogen-doped carbon materials utilizing aquatic plants as starting precursors.

  12. Video-Assisted Thyroidectomy for Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Celestino Pio Lombardi

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. The results of video-assisted thyroidectomy (VAT were evaluated in a large series of patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC, especially in terms of completeness of the surgical resection and short-to-medium term recurrence. Methods. The medical records of all patients who underwent video-assisted thyroidectomy for PTC between June 1998 and May 2009 were reviewed. Results. Three hundred fifty-nine patients were included. One hundred twenty-six patients underwent concomitant central neck node removal. Final histology showed 285 pT1, 26 pT2, and 48 pT3 PTC. Lymph node metastases were found in 27 cases. Follow-up was completed in 315 patients. Mean postoperative serum thyroglobulin level off levothyroxine was 5.4 ng/mL. Post operative ultrasonography showed no residual thyroid tissue in all the patients. Mean post-operative 131I uptake was 1.7%. One patient developed lateral neck recurrence. No other recurrence was observed.

  13. Influence of deep neuromuscular block on the surgeonś assessment of surgical conditions during laparotomy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Madsen, M V; Scheppan, S; Mørk, E

    2017-01-01

    Background: During laparotomy, surgeons may experience difficult surgical conditions if the patient's abdominal wall or diaphragm is tense. Deep neuromuscular block (NMB), defined as a post-tetanic-count (PTC) between 0-1, paralyses the abdominal wall muscles and the diaphragm. We hypothesized th...... time, occurrence of wound infection, and wound dehiscence were found. Conclusions: Deep NMB compared with standard NMB resulted in better subjective ratings of surgical conditions during laparotomy.......Background: During laparotomy, surgeons may experience difficult surgical conditions if the patient's abdominal wall or diaphragm is tense. Deep neuromuscular block (NMB), defined as a post-tetanic-count (PTC) between 0-1, paralyses the abdominal wall muscles and the diaphragm. We hypothesized...... that deep NMB (PTC 0-1) would improve subjective ratings of surgical conditions during upper laparotomy as compared with standard NMB. Methods: This was a double blinded, randomized study. A total of 128 patients undergoing elective upper laparotomy were randomized to either continuous deep NMB (infusion...

  14. Genetic Alterations in Hungarian Patients with Papillary Thyroid Cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tobiás, Bálint; Halászlaki, Csaba; Balla, Bernadett; Kósa, János P; Árvai, Kristóf; Horváth, Péter; Takács, István; Nagy, Zsolt; Horváth, Evelin; Horányi, János; Járay, Balázs; Székely, Eszter; Székely, Tamás; Győri, Gabriella; Putz, Zsuzsanna; Dank, Magdolna; Valkusz, Zsuzsanna; Vasas, Béla; Iványi, Béla; Lakatos, Péter

    2016-01-01

    The incidence of thyroid cancers is increasing worldwide. Some somatic oncogene mutations (BRAF, NRAS, HRAS, KRAS) as well as gene translocations (RET/PTC, PAX8/PPAR-gamma) have been associated with the development of thyroid cancer. In our study, we analyzed these genetic alterations in 394 thyroid tissue samples (197 papillary carcinomas and 197 healthy). The somatic mutations and translocations were detected by Light Cycler melting method and Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction techniques, respectively. In tumorous samples, 86 BRAF (44.2%), 5 NRAS (3.1%), 2 HRAS (1.0%) and 1 KRAS (0.5%) mutations were found, as well as 9 RET/PTC1 (4.6%) and 1 RET/PTC3 (0.5%) translocations. No genetic alteration was seen in the non tumorous control thyroid tissues. No correlation was detected between the genetic variants and the pathological subtypes of papillary cancer as well as the severity of the disease. Our results are only partly concordant with the data found in the literature.

  15. Recherches sur les marqueurs moléculaires de l’arôme de « fruits cuits » des raisins et des vins rouges issus des cépages Merlot et Cabernet-Sauvignon : Approches sensorielle, analytique et agronomique

    OpenAIRE

    Allamy , Lucile

    2015-01-01

    In the 2000s, aromas of dried fruits, referring to prune, fig or cooked peach are found more and more often in Bordeaux red wines. The markers responsible for these aromas related to the grape maturity are unknown. Firstly, we show that these shades, which were rarely encountered in wines from an appellation named A in this study, are now part of the distinctive aromas of these wines. However, the tasters that assimilate these characteristics to the distinctive aromas and the type of the appe...

  16. New Service Status Board

    CERN Multimedia

    2013-01-01

    On Monday 14 October, the Service Status Board for GS and IT will change. The new Status Board will be integrated with the CERN Service Portal and with the CERN Service Catalogue.   As of today, the SSB will display “Service Incidents”, “Planned Interventions” and “Service Changes”. References valid from 14 October: CERN SSB at https://cern.ch/ssb Computing SSB (previously IT SSB) at https://cern.ch/itssb   Nicole Cremel, IT and GS Service Management Support

  17. SIS - Status Determination

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Status Determination dataset within the Species Information System (SIS) contains information related to overfishing, overfished, and approaching overfished...

  18. The influence of status on satisfaction with relative rewards

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Albrecht, Konstanze; Essen, Emma von; Falk, Armin

    2014-01-01

    This study investigates how induced relative status affects satisfaction with different relative payoffs. We find that participants with lower status are more satisfied with disadvantageous payoff inequalities than equal or higher status participants. In contrast, when receiving an advantageous...... payoff, status does not affect satisfaction. Our findings suggest that relative social status has important implications for the acceptance of income inequalities....

  19. The influence of status on satisfaction with relative rewards

    Science.gov (United States)

    Albrecht, Konstanze; von Essen, Emma; Fliessbach, Klaus; Falk, Armin

    2013-01-01

    This study investigates how induced relative status affects satisfaction with different relative payoffs. We find that participants with lower status are more satisfied with disadvantageous payoff inequalities than equal or higher status participants. In contrast, when receiving an advantageous payoff, status does not affect satisfaction. Our findings suggest that relative social status has important implications for the acceptance of income inequalities. PMID:24198802

  20. Nonconvulsive status epilepticus after electroconvulsive therapy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Povlsen, Uffe Juul; Wildschiødtz, Gordon; Høgenhaven, Hans

    2003-01-01

    SUMMARY: We describe three cases of nonconvulsive status epilepticus induced by electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Nonconvulsive status epilepticus is an important differential diagnosis in patients who develop prolonged confusion after ECT. The present cases exemplify the difficulty in defining...