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Sample records for survival rate log-rank

  1. Adaptive designs for the one-sample log-rank test.

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    Schmidt, Rene; Faldum, Andreas; Kwiecien, Robert

    2017-09-22

    Traditional designs in phase IIa cancer trials are single-arm designs with a binary outcome, for example, tumor response. In some settings, however, a time-to-event endpoint might appear more appropriate, particularly in the presence of loss to follow-up. Then the one-sample log-rank test might be the method of choice. It allows to compare the survival curve of the patients under treatment to a prespecified reference survival curve. The reference curve usually represents the expected survival under standard of the care. In this work, convergence of the one-sample log-rank statistic to Brownian motion is proven using Rebolledo's martingale central limit theorem while accounting for staggered entry times of the patients. On this basis, a confirmatory adaptive one-sample log-rank test is proposed where provision is made for data dependent sample size reassessment. The focus is to apply the inverse normal method. This is done in two different directions. The first strategy exploits the independent increments property of the one-sample log-rank statistic. The second strategy is based on the patient-wise separation principle. It is shown by simulation that the proposed adaptive test might help to rescue an underpowered trial and at the same time lowers the average sample number (ASN) under the null hypothesis as compared to a single-stage fixed sample design. © 2017, The International Biometric Society.

  2. LogDet Rank Minimization with Application to Subspace Clustering

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    Zhao Kang

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Low-rank matrix is desired in many machine learning and computer vision problems. Most of the recent studies use the nuclear norm as a convex surrogate of the rank operator. However, all singular values are simply added together by the nuclear norm, and thus the rank may not be well approximated in practical problems. In this paper, we propose using a log-determinant (LogDet function as a smooth and closer, though nonconvex, approximation to rank for obtaining a low-rank representation in subspace clustering. Augmented Lagrange multipliers strategy is applied to iteratively optimize the LogDet-based nonconvex objective function on potentially large-scale data. By making use of the angular information of principal directions of the resultant low-rank representation, an affinity graph matrix is constructed for spectral clustering. Experimental results on motion segmentation and face clustering data demonstrate that the proposed method often outperforms state-of-the-art subspace clustering algorithms.

  3. Prognostic Factors for Survival in Patients with Gastric Cancer using a Random Survival Forest

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    Adham, Davoud; Abbasgholizadeh, Nategh; Abazari, Malek

    2017-01-01

    Background: Gastric cancer is the fifth most common cancer and the third top cause of cancer related death with about 1 million new cases and 700,000 deaths in 2012. The aim of this investigation was to identify important factors for outcome using a random survival forest (RSF) approach. Materials and Methods: Data were collected from 128 gastric cancer patients through a historical cohort study in Hamedan-Iran from 2007 to 2013. The event under consideration was death due to gastric cancer. The random survival forest model in R software was applied to determine the key factors affecting survival. Four split criteria were used to determine importance of the variables in the model including log-rank, conversation?? of events, log-rank score, and randomization. Efficiency of the model was confirmed in terms of Harrell’s concordance index. Results: The mean age of diagnosis was 63 ±12.57 and mean and median survival times were 15.2 (95%CI: 13.3, 17.0) and 12.3 (95%CI: 11.0, 13.4) months, respectively. The one-year, two-year, and three-year rates for survival were 51%, 13%, and 5%, respectively. Each RSF approach showed a slightly different ranking order. Very important covariates in nearly all the 4 RSF approaches were metastatic status, age at diagnosis and tumor size. The performance of each RSF approach was in the range of 0.29-0.32 and the best error rate was obtained by the log-rank splitting rule; second, third, and fourth ranks were log-rank score, conservation of events, and the random splitting rule, respectively. Conclusion: Low survival rate of gastric cancer patients is an indication of absence of a screening program for early diagnosis of the disease. Timely diagnosis in early phases increases survival and decreases mortality. Creative Commons Attribution License

  4. [Survival rate for breast cancer in Rabat (Morocco) 2005-2008].

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    Mechita, Nada Bennani; Tazi, Mohammed Adnane; Er-Raki, Abdelouahed; Mrabet, Mustapha; Saadi, Asma; Benjaafar, Noureddine; Razine, Rachid

    2016-01-01

    Breast cancer is a public health problem in Morocco. This study aims to estimate the survival rate for patients with breast cancer living in Rabat. We conducted a prognostic study of female patients with breast cancer diagnosed during 2005-2008, living in Rabat and whose data were recorded in the Rabat Cancer Registry. The date of inclusion in this study corresponded with the date on which cancer was histologically confirmed. Survival rate was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and the comparison between the different classes of a variable was made using the log rank test. The study of factors associated with survival was performed using the Cox model. During the study period 628 cases of breast cancer were collected. Mortality rate was 19.9%. Overall 1-year survival rate was 97.1%, 89.2% at 3 years and 80.6% at 5 years. In multivariate analysis, breast cancer survival was statistically lower in patients over 70 years of age (p <0.001) with large tumor size (p < 0.001), advanced-stage adenopathies (p = 0.007), metastases (p < 0.001) and not using hormone therapy (p = 0.002). Large tumor size and metastases are poor prognostic factors in breast cancer, hence the need to strengthen screening programs.

  5. Permutational distribution of the log-rank statistic under random censorship with applications to carcinogenicity assays.

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    Heimann, G; Neuhaus, G

    1998-03-01

    In the random censorship model, the log-rank test is often used for comparing a control group with different dose groups. If the number of tumors is small, so-called exact methods are often applied for computing critical values from a permutational distribution. Two of these exact methods are discussed and shown to be incorrect. The correct permutational distribution is derived and studied with respect to its behavior under unequal censoring in the light of recent results proving that the permutational version and the unconditional version of the log-rank test are asymptotically equivalent even under unequal censoring. The log-rank test is studied by simulations of a realistic scenario from a bioassay with small numbers of tumors.

  6. Complete hazard ranking to analyze right-censored data: An ALS survival study.

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    Huang, Zhengnan; Zhang, Hongjiu; Boss, Jonathan; Goutman, Stephen A; Mukherjee, Bhramar; Dinov, Ivo D; Guan, Yuanfang

    2017-12-01

    Survival analysis represents an important outcome measure in clinical research and clinical trials; further, survival ranking may offer additional advantages in clinical trials. In this study, we developed GuanRank, a non-parametric ranking-based technique to transform patients' survival data into a linear space of hazard ranks. The transformation enables the utilization of machine learning base-learners including Gaussian process regression, Lasso, and random forest on survival data. The method was submitted to the DREAM Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Stratification Challenge. Ranked first place, the model gave more accurate ranking predictions on the PRO-ACT ALS dataset in comparison to Cox proportional hazard model. By utilizing right-censored data in its training process, the method demonstrated its state-of-the-art predictive power in ALS survival ranking. Its feature selection identified multiple important factors, some of which conflicts with previous studies.

  7. Complete hazard ranking to analyze right-censored data: An ALS survival study.

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    Zhengnan Huang

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Survival analysis represents an important outcome measure in clinical research and clinical trials; further, survival ranking may offer additional advantages in clinical trials. In this study, we developed GuanRank, a non-parametric ranking-based technique to transform patients' survival data into a linear space of hazard ranks. The transformation enables the utilization of machine learning base-learners including Gaussian process regression, Lasso, and random forest on survival data. The method was submitted to the DREAM Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS Stratification Challenge. Ranked first place, the model gave more accurate ranking predictions on the PRO-ACT ALS dataset in comparison to Cox proportional hazard model. By utilizing right-censored data in its training process, the method demonstrated its state-of-the-art predictive power in ALS survival ranking. Its feature selection identified multiple important factors, some of which conflicts with previous studies.

  8. Heart Rate Recovery After 6-Min Walk Test Predicts Survival in Patients With Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

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    Swigris, Jeffrey J.; Swick, Jeff; Wamboldt, Frederick S.; Sprunger, David; du Bois, Roland; Fischer, Aryeh; Cosgrove, Gregory P.; Frankel, Stephen K.; Fernandez-Perez, Evans R.; Kervitsky, Dolly; Brown, Kevin K.

    2009-01-01

    Background: In patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), our objectives were to identify predictors of abnormal heart rate recovery (HRR) at 1 min after completion of a 6-min walk test (6MWT) [HRR1] and 2 min after completion of a 6MWT (HRR2), and to determine whether abnormal HRR predicts mortality. Methods: From 2003 to 2008, we identified IPF patients who had been evaluated at our center (n = 76) with a pulmonary physiologic examination and the 6MWT. We used logistic regression to identify predictors of abnormal HRR, the product-limit method to compare survival in the sample stratified on HRR, and Cox proportional hazards analysis to estimate the prognostic capability of abnormal HRR. Results: Cutoff values were 13 beats for abnormal HRR1 and 22 beats for HRR2. In a multivariable model, predictors of abnormal HRR1 were diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (odds ratio [OR], 0.4 per 10% predicted; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.2 to 0.7; p = 0.003), change in heart rate from baseline to maximum (OR, 0.9; 95% CI, 0.8 to 0.97; p = 0.01), and having a right ventricular systolic pressure > 35 mm Hg as determined by transthoracic echocardiogram (OR, 12.7; 95% CI, 2.0 to 79.7; p = 0.01). Subjects with an abnormal HRR had significantly worse survival than subjects with a normal HRR (for HRR1, p = 0.0007 [log-rank test]; for HRR2, p = 0.03 [log-rank test]); these results held for the subgroup of 30 subjects without resting pulmonary hypertension (HRR1, p = 0.04 [log-rank test]). Among several candidate variables, abnormal HRR1 appeared to be the most potent predictor of mortality (hazard ratio, 5.2; 95% CI, 1.8 to 15.2; p = 0.004). Conclusion: Abnormal HRR after 6MWT predicts mortality in IPF patients. Research is needed to confirm these findings prospectively and to examine the mechanisms of HRR in IPF patients. PMID:19395579

  9. One year Survival Rate of Ketac Molar versus Vitro Molar for Occlusoproximal ART Restorations: a RCT

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    PACHECO Anna Luisa de Brito

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Good survival rates for single-surface Atraumatic Restorative Treatment (ART restorations have been reported, while multi-surface ART restorations have not shown similar results. The aim of this study was to evaluate the survival rate of occluso-proximal ART restorations using two different filling materials: Ketac Molar EasyMix (3M ESPE and Vitro Molar (DFL. A total of 117 primary molars with occluso-proximal caries lesions were selected in 4 to 8 years old children in Barueri city, Brazil. Only one tooth was selected per child. The subjetcs were randomly allocated in two groups according to the filling material. All treatments were performed following the ART premises and all restorations were evaluated after 2, 6 and 12 months. Restoration survival was evaluated using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Log-rank test, while Cox regression analysis was used for testing association with clinical factors (α = 5%. There was no difference in survival rate between the materials tested, (HR = 1.60, CI = 0.98–2.62, p = 0.058. The overall survival rate of restorations was 42.74% and the survival rate per group was Ketac Molar = 50,8% and Vitro Molar G2 = 34.5%. Cox regression test showed no association between the analyzed clinical variables and the success of the restorations. After 12 months evaluation, no difference in the survival rate of ART occluso-proximal restorations was found between tested materials.

  10. Comparing survival curves using rank tests

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    Albers, Willem/Wim

    1990-01-01

    Survival times of patients can be compared using rank tests in various experimental setups, including the two-sample case and the case of paired data. Attention is focussed on two frequently occurring complications in medical applications: censoring and tail alternatives. A review is given of the

  11. Breast cancer survival rate according to data of cancer registry and death registry systems in Bushehr province, 2001-2013

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    Zahra Rampisheh

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Background: Breast cancer is the most common female cancer worldwide. Survival rate of breast cancer, especially as an indicator of the successful implementation of screening, diagnosis and treatment programs, has been at the center of attention of public health experts Material and Methods: In a survival study, the records of breast cancer cases in cancer registry system of Bushehr Province were extracted during 2001, March to 2013, September. These records were linked and matched with records of death registry system. After determining patients, status regarding being alive or dead, survival analysis was done. Life table, Kaplan-Mayer analysis, log rank and Breslow tests were used for computing and comparing survival rates. Results: In 300 recorded breast cancer cases, mean and standard deviation of age was 51.26±13.87. Survival rates were 95, 88, 78, 73 and 68 percent since the first year through the fifth year, respectively. Mean survival was 87.20 months (95% CI= 81.28- 93.12. There was no significant difference in mean survival regarding age and different geographical areas. Conclusion: Although survival rates of registered breast cancer patients in Bushehr Province are similar to other provinces, they are far from those of developed countries. This situation demands more extensive efforts regarding public education and improving the process of diagnosis, treatment and care of patients especially during first two years after diagnosis.

  12. Modeling nest survival of cavity-nesting birds in relation to postfire salvage logging

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    Vicki Saab; Robin E. Russell; Jay Rotella; Jonathan G. Dudley

    2011-01-01

    Salvage logging practices in recently burned forests often have direct effects on species associated with dead trees, particularly cavity-nesting birds. As such, evaluation of postfire management practices on nest survival rates of cavity nesters is necessary for determining conservation strategies. We monitored 1,797 nests of 6 cavity-nesting bird species: Lewis'...

  13. Predictors of survival in surgically treated patients of spinal metastasis

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    Pravin Padalkar

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: The spinal metastasis occurs in up to 40% of cancer patient. We compared the Tokuhashi and Tomita scoring systems, two commonly used scoring systems for prognosis in spinal metastases. We also assessed the different variables separately with respect to their value in predicting postsurgical life expectancy. Finally, we suggest criteria for selecting patients for surgery based on the postoperative survival pattern. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 102 patients who had been operated for metastatic disease of the spine. Predictive scoring was done according to the scoring systems proposed by Tokuhashi and Tomita. Overall survival was assessed using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Using the log rank test and Cox regression model we assessed the value of the individual components of each scoring system for predicting survival in these patients. Result: The factors that were most significantly associated with survival were the general condition score (Karnofsky Performance Scale (P=.000, log rank test, metastasis to internal organs (P=.0002 log rank test, and number of extraspinal bone metastases (P=.0058. Type of primary tumor was not found to be significantly associated with survival according to the revised Tokuhashi scoring system (P=.9131, log rank test. Stepwise logistic regression revealed that the Tomita score correlated more closely with survival than the Tokuhashi score. Conclusion: The patient′s performance status, extent of visceral metastasis, and extent of bone metastases are significant predictors of survival in patients with metastatic disease. Both revised Tokuhashi and Tomita scores were significantly correlated with survival. A revised Tokuhashi score of 7 or more and a Tomita score of 6 or less indicated >50% chance of surviving 6 months postoperatively. We recommend that the Tomita score be used for prognostication in patients who are contemplating surgery, as it is simpler to score and has a higher

  14. Chronic consequences of acute injuries: worse survival after discharge.

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    Shafi, Shahid; Renfro, Lindsay A; Barnes, Sunni; Rayan, Nadine; Gentilello, Larry M; Fleming, Neil; Ballard, David

    2012-09-01

    The Trauma Quality Improvement Program uses inhospital mortality to measure quality of care, which assumes patients who survive injury are not likely to suffer higher mortality after discharge. We hypothesized that survival rates in trauma patients who survive to discharge remain stable afterward. Patients treated at an urban Level I trauma center (2006-2008) were linked with the Social Security Administration Death Master File. Survival rates were measured at 30, 90, and 180 days and 1 and 2 years from injury among two groups of trauma patients who survived to discharge: major trauma (Abbreviated Injury Scale score ≥ 3 injuries, n = 2,238) and minor trauma (Abbreviated Injury Scale score ≤ 2 injuries, n = 1,171). Control groups matched to each trauma group by age and sex were simulated from the US general population using annual survival probabilities from census data. Kaplan-Meier and log-rank analyses conditional upon survival to each time point were used to determine changes in risk of mortality after discharge. Cox proportional hazards models with left truncation at the time of discharge were used to determine independent predictors of mortality after discharge. The survival rate in trauma patients with major injuries was 92% at 30 days posttrauma and declined to 84% by 3 years (p > 0.05 compared with general population). Minor trauma patients experienced a survival rate similar to the general population. Age and injury severity were the only independent predictors of long-term mortality given survival to discharge. Log-rank tests conditional on survival to each time point showed that mortality risk in patients with major injuries remained significantly higher than the general population for up to 6 months after injury. The survival rate of trauma patients with major injuries remains significantly lower than survival for minor trauma patients and the general population for several months postdischarge. Surveillance for early identification and treatment of

  15. Support vector methods for survival analysis: a comparison between ranking and regression approaches.

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    Van Belle, Vanya; Pelckmans, Kristiaan; Van Huffel, Sabine; Suykens, Johan A K

    2011-10-01

    To compare and evaluate ranking, regression and combined machine learning approaches for the analysis of survival data. The literature describes two approaches based on support vector machines to deal with censored observations. In the first approach the key idea is to rephrase the task as a ranking problem via the concordance index, a problem which can be solved efficiently in a context of structural risk minimization and convex optimization techniques. In a second approach, one uses a regression approach, dealing with censoring by means of inequality constraints. The goal of this paper is then twofold: (i) introducing a new model combining the ranking and regression strategy, which retains the link with existing survival models such as the proportional hazards model via transformation models; and (ii) comparison of the three techniques on 6 clinical and 3 high-dimensional datasets and discussing the relevance of these techniques over classical approaches fur survival data. We compare svm-based survival models based on ranking constraints, based on regression constraints and models based on both ranking and regression constraints. The performance of the models is compared by means of three different measures: (i) the concordance index, measuring the model's discriminating ability; (ii) the logrank test statistic, indicating whether patients with a prognostic index lower than the median prognostic index have a significant different survival than patients with a prognostic index higher than the median; and (iii) the hazard ratio after normalization to restrict the prognostic index between 0 and 1. Our results indicate a significantly better performance for models including regression constraints above models only based on ranking constraints. This work gives empirical evidence that svm-based models using regression constraints perform significantly better than svm-based models based on ranking constraints. Our experiments show a comparable performance for methods

  16. Survival rates and predictors of survival among colorectal cancer patients in a Malaysian tertiary hospital.

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    Magaji, Bello Arkilla; Moy, Foong Ming; Roslani, April Camilla; Law, Chee Wei

    2017-05-18

    Colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed malignancy and the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death globally. It is the second most common cancer among both males and females in Malaysia. The economic burden of colorectal cancer is likely to increase over time owing to its current trend and aging population. Cancer survival analysis is an essential indicator for early detection and improvement in cancer treatment. However, there was a scarcity of studies concerning survival of colorectal cancer patients as well as its predictors. Therefore, we aimed to determine the 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rates, compare survival rates among ethnic groups and determine the predictors of survival among colorectal cancer patients. This was an ambidirectional cohort study conducted at the University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. All Malaysian citizens or permanent residents with histologically confirmed diagnosis of colorectal cancer seen at UMMC from 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2010 were included in the study. Demographic and clinical characteristics were extracted from the medical records. Patients were followed-up until death or censored at the end of the study (31st December 2010). Censored patients' vital status (whether alive or dead) were cross checked with the National Registration Department. Survival analyses at 1-, 3- and 5-year intervals were performed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Log-rank test was used to compare the survival rates, while Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was carried out to determine the predictors of 5-year colorectal cancer survival. Among 1212 patients, the median survival for colorectal, colon and rectal cancers were 42.0, 42.0 and 41.0 months respectively; while the 1-, 3-, and 5-year relative survival rates ranged from 73.8 to 76.0%, 52.1 to 53.7% and 40.4 to 45.4% respectively. The Chinese patients had the lowest 5-year survival compared to Malay and Indian patients. Based on the 814

  17. Survival Rate of Dental Implants in Patients with History of Periodontal Disease: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

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    Correia, Francisco; Gouveia, Sónia; Felino, António Campos; Costa, Ana Lemos; Almeida, Ricardo Faria

    To evaluate the differences between the survival rates of implants placed in patients with no history of periodontal disease (NP) and in patients with a history of chronic periodontal disease (CP). A retrospective cohort study was conducted in which all consenting patients treated with dental implants in a private clinic in Oporto, Portugal, from November 2, 2002 through February 11, 2011 were included. All patients were treated consecutively by the same experimental operator. This study aimed to analyze how the primary outcomes (presence of disease, time of placement, and time of loading) and the secondary outcomes (severity-generalized periodontitis, brand, implant length, prosthesis type, prosthesis metal-ceramic extension) influence the survival rate of dental implants. The survival analysis was performed through the Kaplan-Meier method, and the equality of survival distributions for all groups was tested with the log-rank test with a significance level of .05 for all comparisons. The sample consisted of 202 patients (47% NP and 53% CP) and 689 implants (31% NP and 69% CP). The survival rate in the NP and CP groups showed no statistically significant differences (95.8% versus 93.1%; P ≥ .05). Implants were lost before loading in 54.9% of the cases. The majority of the implants were lost in the first year and stabilized after the second year. Survival rates in the NP and CP patients showed no statistically significant differences when comparing the following factors: subclassification of the disease, implant brands, implant length (short/standard), type of prosthesis, extension of the prosthesis metal-ceramic, and time of placement and loading (P ≥ .05). This work disclosed no statistically significant differences in terms of survival rates when compared with the control group. Placing implants in patients with a history of periodontal disease appears to be viable and safe.

  18. Determining factors behind the PageRank log-log plot

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Volkovich, Y.; Litvak, Nelli; Donato, D.

    We study the relation between PageRank and other parameters of information networks such as in-degree, out-degree, and the fraction of dangling nodes. We model this relation through a stochastic equation inspired by the original definition of PageRank. Further, we use the theory of regular variation

  19. Perioperative Blood Transfusion as a Significant Predictor of Biochemical Recurrence and Survival after Radical Prostatectomy in Patients with Prostate Cancer.

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    Jung Kwon Kim

    Full Text Available There have been conflicting reports regarding the association of perioperative blood transfusion (PBT with oncologic outcomes including recurrence rates and survival outcomes in prostate cancer. We aimed to evaluate whether perioperative blood transfusion (PBT affects biochemical recurrence-free survival (BRFS, cancer-specific survival (CSS, and overall survival (OS following radical prostatectomy (RP for patients with prostate cancer.A total of 2,713 patients who underwent RP for clinically localized prostate cancer between 1993 and 2014 were retrospectively analyzed. We performed a comparative analysis based on receipt of transfusion (PBT group vs. no-PBT group and transfusion type (autologous PBT vs. allogeneic PBT. Univariate and multivariate Cox-proportional hazard regression analysis were performed to evaluate variables associated with BRFS, CSS, and OS. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate survival estimates for BRFS, CSS, and OS, and log-rank test was used to conduct comparisons between the groups.The number of patients who received PBT was 440 (16.5%. Among these patients, 350 (79.5% received allogeneic transfusion and the other 90 (20.5% received autologous transfusion. In a multivariate analysis, allogeneic PBT was found to be statistically significant predictors of BRFS, CSS, and OS; conversely, autologous PBT was not. The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed significantly decreased 5-year BRFS (79.2% vs. 70.1%, log-rank, p = 0.001, CSS (98.5% vs. 96.7%, log-rank, p = 0.012, and OS (95.5% vs. 90.6%, log-rank, p < 0.001 in the allogeneic PBT group compared to the no-allogeneic PBT group. In the autologous PBT group, however, none of these were statistically significant compared to the no-autologous PBT group.We found that allogeneic PBT was significantly associated with decreased BRFS, CSS, and OS. This provides further support for the immunomodulation hypothesis for allogeneic PBT.

  20. Has prenatal screening influenced the prevalence of comorbidities associated with Down syndrome and subsequent survival rates?

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    Halliday, Jane; Collins, Veronica; Riley, Merilyn; Youssef, Danielle; Muggli, Evelyne

    2009-01-01

    With this study we aimed to compare survival rates for children with Down syndrome in 2 time periods, 1 before prenatal screening (1988-1990) and 1 contemporaneous with screening (1998-2000), and to examine the frequency of comorbidities and their influence on survival rates. Record-linkage was performed between the population-based Victorian Birth Defects Register and records of deaths in children up to 15 years of age collected under the auspice of the Consultative Council on Obstetric and Pediatric Mortality and Morbidity. Cases of Down syndrome were coded according to the presence or absence of comorbidities by using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision classification of birth defects. Kaplan-Meier survival functions and log rank tests for equality of survival distributions were performed. Of infants liveborn with Down syndrome in 1998-2000, 90% survived to 5 years of age, compared with 86% in the earlier cohort. With fetal deaths excluded, the proportion of isolated Down syndrome cases in the earlier cohort was 48.7% compared with 46.1% in the most recent cohort. In 1988-1990 there was at least 1 cardiac defect in 41.1% of cases and in 45.4% in 1998-2000. There was significant variation in survival rates for the different comorbidity groupings in the 1988-1990 cohort, but this was not so evident in the 1998-2000 cohort. Survival of children with Down syndrome continues to improve, and there is an overall survival figure of 90% to at least 5 years of age. It is clear from this study that prenatal screening technologies are not differentially ascertaining fetuses with Down syndrome and additional defects, because there has been no proportional increase in births of isolated cases with Down syndrome.

  1. Statistical inference methods for two crossing survival curves: a comparison of methods.

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    Li, Huimin; Han, Dong; Hou, Yawen; Chen, Huilin; Chen, Zheng

    2015-01-01

    A common problem that is encountered in medical applications is the overall homogeneity of survival distributions when two survival curves cross each other. A survey demonstrated that under this condition, which was an obvious violation of the assumption of proportional hazard rates, the log-rank test was still used in 70% of studies. Several statistical methods have been proposed to solve this problem. However, in many applications, it is difficult to specify the types of survival differences and choose an appropriate method prior to analysis. Thus, we conducted an extensive series of Monte Carlo simulations to investigate the power and type I error rate of these procedures under various patterns of crossing survival curves with different censoring rates and distribution parameters. Our objective was to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of tests in different situations and for various censoring rates and to recommend an appropriate test that will not fail for a wide range of applications. Simulation studies demonstrated that adaptive Neyman's smooth tests and the two-stage procedure offer higher power and greater stability than other methods when the survival distributions cross at early, middle or late times. Even for proportional hazards, both methods maintain acceptable power compared with the log-rank test. In terms of the type I error rate, Renyi and Cramér-von Mises tests are relatively conservative, whereas the statistics of the Lin-Xu test exhibit apparent inflation as the censoring rate increases. Other tests produce results close to the nominal 0.05 level. In conclusion, adaptive Neyman's smooth tests and the two-stage procedure are found to be the most stable and feasible approaches for a variety of situations and censoring rates. Therefore, they are applicable to a wider spectrum of alternatives compared with other tests.

  2. In silico sampling reveals the effect of clustering and shows that the log-normal rank abundance curve is an artefact

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Neuteboom, J.H.; Struik, P.C.

    2005-01-01

    The impact of clustering on rank abundance, species-individual (S-N)and species-area curves was investigated using a computer programme for in silico sampling. In a rank abundance curve the abundances of species are plotted on log-scale against species sequence. In an S-N curve the number of species

  3. Ten-year survival rates of teeth adjacent to treated and untreated posterior bounded edentulous spaces.

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    Aquilino, S A; Shugars, D A; Bader, J D; White, B A

    2001-05-01

    Failure to replace a single missing posterior tooth may lead to a variety of dental problems, which may ultimately result in tooth loss. However, little is known about the fate of the adjacent teeth if a missing posterior tooth is not replaced. This retrospective study evaluated the survival of teeth adjacent to treated and untreated posterior bounded edentulous spaces. Data were obtained from electronic treatment records from the Kaiser Permanente Dental Care Program, Portland, Ore. A final sample of 317 patients who met the study inclusion criteria was identified. Each bounded edentulous space was placed in 1 of 3 treatment categories: untreated, restored with a fixed partial denture, or restored with a removable partial denture. Subsequent treatment and the status of the teeth adjacent to the bounded edentulous space were followed through December 1999. Ten-year Kaplan-Meier survival estimates were generated for each treatment group, and differences in survival were evaluated with the log-rank chi-square test (alpha=.05). There was a significant difference in survival among the 3 treatment categories (P=.005). Spaces restored with a fixed partial denture had longer 10-year survival estimates (92%) than those that remained untreated (81%). Spaces restored with a removable partial denture had the poorest 10-year survival rate (56%). Under the conditions and selection bias associated with this retrospective study, the survival of teeth adjacent to a single posterior edentulous space was negatively associated with removable partial denture placement compared with no treatment or the use of a fixed partial denture.

  4. Graft survival rate of renal transplantation during a period of 10 years in Iran

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    Fatemeh Shahbazi

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Kidney transplantation is a preferred treatment for many patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD and is far more profitable than hemodialysis. Analyzing renal transplantation data can help to evaluate the effectiveness of transplantation interventions. The aim of this study was to determine the organ survival rate after kidney transplantation during a period of 10 years (March 2001-March 2011 among transplanted patients in Arak, Markazi Province, Iran. Materials and Methods: In this historical cohort study, all recipients of kidney transplantation from Arak, Markazi Province, Iran who had medical records in Valiasr Hospital and "charity for kidney patients" of Arak, Markazi Province, Iran during a period of 10 years from March 2001 to March 2011 were included. Data collected by using checklists were completed from patients′ hospital records. Kaplan-Meier method was used to determine the graft cumulative survival rate, log-rank test to compare survival curves in subgroups, and Cox regression model to define the hazard ratio and for ruling out the intervening factors. Statistical analysis was conducted by Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS 20 and Stata 11. Results: Mean duration of follow-up was 55.43 ± 42.02 months. By using the Kaplan-Meier method, the cumulative probability of graft survival at 1, 3, 5, 7, and 10 years was 99.1, 97.7, 94.3, 85.7, and 62.1%, respectively. The number of dialysis by controlling the effect of other variables had a significant association with the risk of graft failure [hazard ratios and 95% confidence interval (CI: 1.47 (1.02-2.13]. Conclusion: This study showed that the graft survival rate was satisfactory in this community and was similar to the results of single-center studies in the world. Dialysis time after transplantation was a significant predictor of survival in the recipients of kidney transplantation that should be considered.

  5. Who's #1? The Science of Rating and Ranking

    CERN Document Server

    Langville, Amy N

    2012-01-01

    A website's ranking on Google can spell the difference between success and failure for a new business. NCAA football ratings determine which schools get to play for the big money in postseason bowl games. Product ratings influence everything from the clothes we wear to the movies we select on Netflix. Ratings and rankings are everywhere, but how exactly do they work? Who's #1? offers an engaging and accessible account of how scientific rating and ranking methods are created and applied to a variety of uses. Amy Langville and Carl Meyer provide the first comprehensive overview of the mathemat

  6. Facial morphology predicts male fitness and rank but not survival in Second World War Finnish soldiers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Loehr, John; O'Hara, Robert B

    2013-08-23

    We investigated fitness, military rank and survival of facial phenotypes in large-scale warfare using 795 Finnish soldiers who fought in the Winter War (1939-1940). We measured facial width-to-height ratio-a trait known to predict aggressive behaviour in males-and assessed whether facial morphology could predict survival, lifetime reproductive success (LRS) and social status. We found no difference in survival along the phenotypic gradient, however, wider-faced individuals had greater LRS, but achieved a lower military rank.

  7. A Comparative Study of Survival Rate in High Grade Glioma Tumors Being Treated by Radiotherapy Alone Versus Chemoradiation With Nitrosourea.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Houshyari, Mohammad; Hajalikhani, Farzaneh; Rakhsha, Afshin; Hajian, Parastoo

    2015-03-25

    In adults, malignant glioma (high-grade glioma) is one of the most common brain tumors. In spite of different types of treatment, the outcome is still not likely to be favorable. The aim of this study was to determine the difference between survival rate in adult patients with high grade glioma treated by radiotherapy only and those treated by a combination of radiotherapy and nitrosurea-based chemotherapy. This study was conducted using the records of 48 patients with grade 3 or 4 of glial brain tumor referred to the radiation-oncology ward of Shohada-e-Tajrish Hospital in Tehran, Iran from 2005 to 2012. The patients had undergone radiotherapy alone or adjuvant chemoradiation with nitrosourea. The median survival of patients after receiving the different types of treatment were evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier method and the log -rank exam. Data were analyzed using univariate analysis for median survival regarding to the patients' age, gender, extent of surgery, Karnofsky performance status (KPS) with the Kaplan-Meier method, and the log-rank exam. We used the Cox-model for multivariate analysis. Records of 48 patients were studied (34 men and 14 women). The mean survival were 18 months for men and 15.2 months for women (P=0.05). Around 58% (28 patients) were more than 50 years old, and 42% (20 patients) were less than 50, and mean survival for the two age groups were 13 and 20 months, respectively (P<0.001). Then, the patients were divided into three groups according to the extent of surgery, i.e., excisional biopsy (11 patients), stereotactic biopsy (22 patients), and resection (15 patients), and the mean survival for the three groups were 14.7, 17.3, and 18.8 months, respectively. There was no significant statistical difference for mean survival between the three groups (P=0.23). The KPS was greater than 70% in 23 patients and less than 70% in 21 patients, and the mean survival for the former and latter groups were 17.6 and 16 months, respectively (P=0

  8. Cross-validation and Peeling Strategies for Survival Bump Hunting using Recursive Peeling Methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dazard, Jean-Eudes; Choe, Michael; LeBlanc, Michael; Rao, J. Sunil

    2015-01-01

    We introduce a framework to build a survival/risk bump hunting model with a censored time-to-event response. Our Survival Bump Hunting (SBH) method is based on a recursive peeling procedure that uses a specific survival peeling criterion derived from non/semi-parametric statistics such as the hazards-ratio, the log-rank test or the Nelson--Aalen estimator. To optimize the tuning parameter of the model and validate it, we introduce an objective function based on survival or prediction-error statistics, such as the log-rank test and the concordance error rate. We also describe two alternative cross-validation techniques adapted to the joint task of decision-rule making by recursive peeling and survival estimation. Numerical analyses show the importance of replicated cross-validation and the differences between criteria and techniques in both low and high-dimensional settings. Although several non-parametric survival models exist, none addresses the problem of directly identifying local extrema. We show how SBH efficiently estimates extreme survival/risk subgroups unlike other models. This provides an insight into the behavior of commonly used models and suggests alternatives to be adopted in practice. Finally, our SBH framework was applied to a clinical dataset. In it, we identified subsets of patients characterized by clinical and demographic covariates with a distinct extreme survival outcome, for which tailored medical interventions could be made. An R package PRIMsrc (Patient Rule Induction Method in Survival, Regression and Classification settings) is available on CRAN (Comprehensive R Archive Network) and GitHub. PMID:27034730

  9. Analysis of log rate noise in Ontario's CANDU reactors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hinds, H.W. [Dynamic Simulation and Analysis Corp., Deep River, Ontario (Canada); Banica, C.; Arguner, D. [Ontario Power Generation, Ajax, Ontario (Canada); Scharfenberg, R. [Bruce Power, Tiverton, Ontario (Canada)

    2007-07-01

    In the fall of 2003, the operators noticed that in the recently-refurbished Bruce A Shutdown System no. 1 (SDS1) the noise level in Log Rate signals were much larger than before. At the request of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), all Canadian CANDU reactors took action to characterize their Log Rate noise. Staff of the Inspection and Maintenance Services division of Ontario Power Generation (OPG) has collected high-speed high-accuracy noise data from nearly all 16 Ontario reactors, either as part of routine measurements before planned outages or as a dedicated noise recording. This paper gives the results of examining a suitable subset of this data, with respect to the characteristics and possible causes of Log Rate noise. The reactor and instrumentation design is different at each station: the locations of the moderator injection nozzles, the location of the ion chambers for each system, and the design of the Log Rate amplifiers. It was found that the Log noise (source of Log Rate noise) was much larger for those ion chambers in the path of the moderator injection nozzles, compared to those which were not in the path. This 'extra' Log noise would then be either attenuated or amplified depending on the transfer function (time constants) of the Log Rate amplifier. It was also observed that most of the Log and Log Rate noise is independent of any other signal measured. Although all CANDU reactors in Ontario have Log and Log Rate noise, the Bruce A SDS1 system has the largest amount of Log Rate noise, because (a) its SDS1 (and RRS) ion chambers are at the top of the reactor in the path of the moderator injection nozzles, and (b) its SDS1 Log Rate amplifiers have the smallest time constants. (author)

  10. Survival analysis of dialysis patients in selected hospitals of lahore city

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ahmad, Z.; Shahzad, I.

    2015-01-01

    There are several reasons which are directly or indirectly relate to affect the survival time of End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) patients. This study was done to analyse the survival rate of ESRD patients in Lahore city, and to evaluate the influence of various risk factors and prognostic factors on survival of these patients. Methods: A sample of 40 patients was taken from the Jinnah Hospital Lahore and Lahore General Hospital by using the convenience sampling technique. The Log Rank Test was used to determine the significant difference between the categories of qualitative variables of ESRD patients. Multivariate Cox Regression Analysis was used to analyse the effect of different clinical and socio-economic variables on the survival time of these patients. Results: Different qualitative variables like: age, marital status, BMI, comorbid factors, diabetes type, gender, income level, place, risk factor like diabetes, ischemic heart disease, hypertension and Hepatitis status were analysed on the basis of Log Rank Test. While age and comorbid factors were found to be statistically significant which showed that the distribution of age and comorbid factors were different. By using the Cox Regression analysis the coefficient of Mass, serum albumin and family history of diabetes were found to be significant. Conclusions: There were some of the factors which had been taken for the analysis came out less or more significant in patients of ESRD. So it was concluded that mostly clinical factors which were Mass of the Patient, Serum Albumin and Family History of Diabetes made significant contribution towards the survival status of patients. (author)

  11. Limnology of nine small lakes, Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska, and the survival and growth rates of rainbow trout

    Science.gov (United States)

    Woods, P.F.

    1985-01-01

    The survival and growth rates of rainbow trout (Salmo gairdnieri) were concurrently measured with selected limnological characteristics in nine small (surface area Gasterosteus aculeatus) also influenced survival of rainbow trout but their effects were overshadowed by winterkill. Predictive capability was also reduced because of inconsistencies in rankings generated by each of the four limnological variables chosen as indicators of potential biological productivity. A lake ranked low in productivity by one variable was commonly ranked high in productivity by another variable. The survivability of rainbow trout stocked in lakes such as these nine may be a more important indicator of potential biomass production than are indicators of lake fertility. Assessments of a lake 's susceptibility to winterkill and the degree of competition with threespine stickleback are suggested as important topics for additional research. (Author 's abstract)

  12. Volume of high-risk intratumoral subregions at multi-parametric MR imaging predicts overall survival and complements molecular analysis of glioblastoma

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cui, Yi; Li, Ruijiang [Stanford University, Department of Radiation Oncology, Palo Alto, CA (United States); Hokkaido University, Global Station for Quantum Medical Science and Engineering, Global Institution for Collaborative Research and Education, Hokkaido (Japan); Ren, Shangjie [Tianjin University, School of Electrical Engineering and Automation, Tianjin Shi (China); Tha, Khin Khin; Shirato, Hiroki [Hokkaido University, Global Station for Quantum Medical Science and Engineering, Global Institution for Collaborative Research and Education, Hokkaido (Japan); Hokkaido University, Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Hokkaido (Japan); Wu, Jia [Stanford University, Department of Radiation Oncology, Palo Alto, CA (United States)

    2017-09-15

    To develop and validate a volume-based, quantitative imaging marker by integrating multi-parametric MR images for predicting glioblastoma survival, and to investigate its relationship and synergy with molecular characteristics. We retrospectively analysed 108 patients with primary glioblastoma. The discovery cohort consisted of 62 patients from the cancer genome atlas (TCGA). Another 46 patients comprising 30 from TCGA and 16 internally were used for independent validation. Based on integrated analyses of T1-weighted contrast-enhanced (T1-c) and diffusion-weighted MR images, we identified an intratumoral subregion with both high T1-c and low ADC, and accordingly defined a high-risk volume (HRV). We evaluated its prognostic value and biological significance with genomic data. On both discovery and validation cohorts, HRV predicted overall survival (OS) (concordance index: 0.642 and 0.653, P < 0.001 and P = 0.038, respectively). HRV stratified patients within the proneural molecular subtype (log-rank P = 0.040, hazard ratio = 2.787). We observed different OS among patients depending on their MGMT methylation status and HRV (log-rank P = 0.011). Patients with unmethylated MGMT and high HRV had significantly shorter survival (median survival: 9.3 vs. 18.4 months, log-rank P = 0.002). Volume of the high-risk intratumoral subregion identified on multi-parametric MRI predicts glioblastoma survival, and may provide complementary value to genomic information. (orig.)

  13. Evaluation of the Weibull and log normal distribution functions as survival models of Escherichia coli under isothermal and non isothermal conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aragao, Glaucia M F; Corradini, Maria G; Normand, Mark D; Peleg, Micha

    2007-11-01

    Published survival curves of Escherichia coli in two growth media, with and without the presence of salt, at various temperatures and in a Greek eggplant salad having various levels of essential oil, all had a characteristic downward concavity when plotted on semi logarithmic coordinates. Some also exhibited what appeared as a 'shoulder' of considerable length. Regardless of whether a shoulder was noticed, the survival pattern could be considered as a manifestation of an underlying unimodal distribution of the cells' death times. Mathematically, the data could be described equally well by the Weibull and log normal distribution functions, which had similar modes, means, standard deviations and coefficients of skewness. When plotted in their probability density function (PDF) form, the curves also appeared very similar visually. This enabled us to quantify and compare the effect of temperature or essential oil concentration on the organism's survival in terms of these temporal distributions' characteristics. Increased lethality was generally expressed in a shorter mean and mode, a smaller standard deviation and increased overall symmetry as judged by the distributions' degree of skewness. The 'shoulder', as expected, simply indicated that the distribution's standard deviation was much smaller than its mode. Rate models based on the two distribution functions could be used to predict non isothermal survival patterns. They were derived on the assumption that the momentary inactivation rate is the isothermal rate at the momentary temperature at a time that corresponds to the momentary survival ratio. In this application, however, the Weibullian model with a fixed power was not only simpler and more convenient mathematically than the one based on the log normal distribution, but it also provided more accurate estimates of the dynamic inactivation patterns.

  14. Rank Dynamics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gershenson, Carlos

    Studies of rank distributions have been popular for decades, especially since the work of Zipf. For example, if we rank words of a given language by use frequency (most used word in English is 'the', rank 1; second most common word is 'of', rank 2), the distribution can be approximated roughly with a power law. The same applies for cities (most populated city in a country ranks first), earthquakes, metabolism, the Internet, and dozens of other phenomena. We recently proposed ``rank diversity'' to measure how ranks change in time, using the Google Books Ngram dataset. Studying six languages between 1800 and 2009, we found that the rank diversity curves of languages are universal, adjusted with a sigmoid on log-normal scale. We are studying several other datasets (sports, economies, social systems, urban systems, earthquakes, artificial life). Rank diversity seems to be universal, independently of the shape of the rank distribution. I will present our work in progress towards a general description of the features of rank change in time, along with simple models which reproduce it

  15. Ten-year survival and complication rates of lithium-disilicate (Empress 2) tooth-supported crowns, implant-supported crowns, and fixed dental prostheses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teichmann, Maren; Göckler, Fabian; Weber, Volker; Yildirim, Murat; Wolfart, Stefan; Edelhoff, Daniel

    2017-01-01

    To prospectively evaluate the clinical long-term outcome of tooth-supported crowns (SCs), implant-supported crowns (ISCs), and fixed dental prostheses (FDPs) made of a lithium-disilicate glass-ceramic framework material (IPS Empress 2). Between 1997 and 1999, a total of 184 restorations (106 SCs, 32 ISCs, 33 FDPs, and 13 diverse restorations) were placed in 73 patients. Kaplan-Meier estimation was applied for survival and chipping-free rates. Inter-group comparison of both rates was realized by a log rank test and a 2×2 contingency table. Also, SCs and FDPs were compared regarding adhesive vs. conventional cementation, and anterior vs. posterior positioning, for impact on survival. Due to 14 dropouts (34 restorations) and reasonable exclusion of 19 other restorations, the final dataset included: i) 87 SCs [37 patients, mean observation time 11.4 (±3.8)years]; ii) 17 ISCs [12 patients, mean observation time 13.3 (±2.3)years; and iii) 27 FDPs [19 patients, mean observation time 8.9 (±5.4)years]. The 10-year survival rate/chipping-free rate for SCs were 86.1%/83.4%, for ISCs 93.8%/94.1%, and for FDPs were 51.9%/90.8%. Both ISCs and SCs had a significantly higher survival than FDPs (ISCs vs. FDPs: both tests p=0.001; SCs vs. FDPs: p=0.001 and p=0.005). Differences in the chipping-free rates did not reach significance. Also, neither the cementation mode nor positioning of the restoration had an impact on survival. SCs had a slightly lower outcome than can generally be expected from single crowns. In contrast, ICSs had a favorable outcome and the FDPs predominantly failed. The practitioner's choice of dental materials is based (at best) on long-term experience. The present 10-year results are based on comprehensive data analyses and show the high potential of lithium-disilicate as a reliable material, especially for single-unit restoration. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Rank-based testing of equal survivorship based on cross-sectional survival data with or without prospective follow-up.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chan, Kwun Chuen Gary; Qin, Jing

    2015-10-01

    Existing linear rank statistics cannot be applied to cross-sectional survival data without follow-up since all subjects are essentially censored. However, partial survival information are available from backward recurrence times and are frequently collected from health surveys without prospective follow-up. Under length-biased sampling, a class of linear rank statistics is proposed based only on backward recurrence times without any prospective follow-up. When follow-up data are available, the proposed rank statistic and a conventional rank statistic that utilizes follow-up information from the same sample are shown to be asymptotically independent. We discuss four ways to combine these two statistics when follow-up is present. Simulations show that all combined statistics have substantially improved power compared with conventional rank statistics, and a Mantel-Haenszel test performed the best among the proposal statistics. The method is applied to a cross-sectional health survey without follow-up and a study of Alzheimer's disease with prospective follow-up. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  17. Convergent RANK- and c-Met-mediated signaling components predict survival of patients with prostate cancer: an interracial comparative study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Peizhen; Chung, Leland W K; Berel, Dror; Frierson, Henry F; Yang, Hua; Liu, Chunyan; Wang, Ruoxiang; Li, Qinlong; Rogatko, Andre; Zhau, Haiyen E

    2013-01-01

    We reported (PLoS One 6 (12):e28670, 2011) that the activation of c-Met signaling in RANKL-overexpressing bone metastatic LNCaP cell and xenograft models increased expression of RANK, RANKL, c-Met, and phosphorylated c-Met, and mediated downstream signaling. We confirmed the significance of the RANK-mediated signaling network in castration resistant clinical human prostate cancer (PC) tissues. In this report, we used a multispectral quantum dot labeling technique to label six RANK and c-Met convergent signaling pathway mediators simultaneously in formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) tissue specimens, quantify the intensity of each expression at the sub-cellular level, and investigated their potential utility as predictors of patient survival in Caucasian-American, African-American and Chinese men. We found that RANKL and neuropilin-1 (NRP-1) expression predicts survival of Caucasian-Americans with PC. A Gleason score ≥ 8 combined with nuclear p-c-Met expression predicts survival in African-American PC patients. Neuropilin-1, p-NF-κB p65 and VEGF are predictors for the overall survival of Chinese men with PC. These results collectively support interracial differences in cell signaling networks that can predict the survival of PC patients.

  18. Influence of Body Mass Index on Tumor Pathology and Survival in Uterine Cancer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bjerrum Kristensen, Anne; Hare-Bruun, Helle; Høgdall, Claus Kim

    2017-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the influence of body mass index (BMI) on endometrial tumor pathology, stage and complication rate and to identify individual prognostic factors, such as BMI, in types I and II endometrial cancer. DESIGN: Register study included all Danish women who underwent surgery...... I and II endometrial cancer were retrieved. Kaplan-Meier plot was used to illustrate differences in survival in relation to BMI. Log-rank test was used to demonstrate difference between the curves. Cox regression hazard model was used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) of the effect of BMI on overall...

  19. Patients with brain metastases from gastrointestinal tract cancer treated with whole brain radiation therapy:Prognostic factors and survival

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Susanne Bartelt; Felix Momm; Christian Weissenberger; Johannes Lutterbach

    2004-01-01

    AIM: To identify the prognostic factors with regard to survival for patients with brain metastasis from primary tumors of the gastrointestinal tract.METHODS: Nine hundred and sixteen patients with brain metastases, treated with whole brain radiation therapy (WBRT) between January 1985 and December 2000 at the Department of Radiation Oncology, University Hospital Freiburg, were analyzed retrospectively.RESULTS: Fifty-seven patients presented with a primary tumor of the gastrointestinal tract (esophagus: n = 0, stomach:n = 10, colorectal: n = 47). Twenty-six patients had a solitary brain metastasis, 31 patients presented with multiple brain metastases. Surgical resection was performed in 25 patients.WBRTwas applied with daily fractions of 2 Gray (Gy) or 3 Gy to a total dose of 50 Gy or 30 Gy, respectively. The interval between diagnoses of the primary tumors and brain metastases was 22.6 mo vs8.0 mo for patients with primary tumors of the colon/rectum vs other primary tumors,respectively (P<0.01, log-rank). Median overall survival for all patients with brain metastases (n = 916) was 3.4 mo and 3.2 mo for patients with gastrointestinal neoplasms.Patients with gastrointestinal primary tumors presented significantly more often with a solitary brain metastasis than patients with other primary tumors (P<0.05, log-rank). In patients with gastrointestinal neoplasms (n = 57), the median overall survival was 5.8 mo for patients with solitary brain metastasis vs 2.7 mo for patients with multiple brain metastases (P<0.01, log-rank). The median overall survival for patients with a Karnofsky performance status (KPS) ≥70was 5.5 mo vs2.1 mo for patients with KPS <70 (P<0.01,log-rank). At multivariate analysis (Cox Model) the performance status and the number of brain metastases were identified as independent prognostic factors for overall survival.CONCLUSION: Brain metastases occur late in the course of gastrointestinal tumors. Pretherapeutic variables like KPS and the

  20. Effects of cutting date, outdoor storage conditions, and splitting on survival of Agrilus planipennis (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) in firewood logs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petrice, Toby R; Haack, Robert A

    2006-06-01

    The emerald ash borer Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) is an exotic pest of ash (Fraxinus spp.) in North America. We conducted studies in Michigan to evaluate how different tree cutting dates, outdoor storage conditions, and splitting affected A. planipennis survival in firewood logs. In 2002-2003, we cut logs from A. planipennis-infested ash trees each month, from July to October, and stored half of the logs in shade and half in full sun. In 2003-2004, we tested logs cut July-December; stored in sun versus shade; tarped versus untarped; and whole logs versus split logs. For both years, A. planipennis successfully emerged the summer after cutting from logs that represented all treatments and all cutting dates tested. Adult emergence density was significantly lower in logs cut in July and August. In 2003-2004, A. planipennis adult length was significantly shorter, and percentage of mortality was significantly higher for logs cut in August compared with later months. Emergence density was significantly lower for split logs compared with whole logs for all cutting months except for December. There was no significant difference in adult emergence density between logs stored in full sun versus shade in 2002-2003. In 2003-2004, untarped logs in full sun or shade had significantly lower adult emergence densities than tarped logs in the sun or shade. In conclusion, emergence, survival, and size of A. planipennis was significantly reduced if logs were cut early during larval development (July or August); splitting logs and storing them untarped in full sun or shade further reduced adult emergence. No treatment was 100% effective in preventing adult emergence.

  1. Comparison of hypertabastic survival model with other unimodal hazard rate functions using a goodness-of-fit test.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tahir, M Ramzan; Tran, Quang X; Nikulin, Mikhail S

    2017-05-30

    We studied the problem of testing a hypothesized distribution in survival regression models when the data is right censored and survival times are influenced by covariates. A modified chi-squared type test, known as Nikulin-Rao-Robson statistic, is applied for the comparison of accelerated failure time models. This statistic is used to test the goodness-of-fit for hypertabastic survival model and four other unimodal hazard rate functions. The results of simulation study showed that the hypertabastic distribution can be used as an alternative to log-logistic and log-normal distribution. In statistical modeling, because of its flexible shape of hazard functions, this distribution can also be used as a competitor of Birnbaum-Saunders and inverse Gaussian distributions. The results for the real data application are shown. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  2. Convergent RANK- and c-Met-mediated signaling components predict survival of patients with prostate cancer: an interracial comparative study.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peizhen Hu

    Full Text Available We reported (PLoS One 6 (12:e28670, 2011 that the activation of c-Met signaling in RANKL-overexpressing bone metastatic LNCaP cell and xenograft models increased expression of RANK, RANKL, c-Met, and phosphorylated c-Met, and mediated downstream signaling. We confirmed the significance of the RANK-mediated signaling network in castration resistant clinical human prostate cancer (PC tissues. In this report, we used a multispectral quantum dot labeling technique to label six RANK and c-Met convergent signaling pathway mediators simultaneously in formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE tissue specimens, quantify the intensity of each expression at the sub-cellular level, and investigated their potential utility as predictors of patient survival in Caucasian-American, African-American and Chinese men. We found that RANKL and neuropilin-1 (NRP-1 expression predicts survival of Caucasian-Americans with PC. A Gleason score ≥ 8 combined with nuclear p-c-Met expression predicts survival in African-American PC patients. Neuropilin-1, p-NF-κB p65 and VEGF are predictors for the overall survival of Chinese men with PC. These results collectively support interracial differences in cell signaling networks that can predict the survival of PC patients.

  3. Clinical performance of ART restorations in primary teeth: a survival analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Faccin, Elise Sasso; Ferreira, Simone Helena; Kramer, Paulo Floriani; Ardenghi, Thiago Machado; Feldens, Carlos Alberto

    2009-01-01

    To assess the survival of Atraumatic Restorative Treatment (ART) restorations in primary teeth performed in a dental clinical setting. One hundred and five single-surface ART restorations placed in 56 preschool children (mean age 31 months) were included. Final-year dental students performed the restorations using standard ART procedures with hand instruments. A resin-modified glass ionomer cement (Vitremer 3M/ESPE) was used as a restorative material. Performances of the restorations were assessed directly by the ART evaluation criteria. Follow-up period ranged from 6 to 48 months. Survival estimates for restoration longevity were evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Log-rank test (P ART restorations were 89%, 85% and 72% in 6 to 11, 12 to 24 and 25 to 48 months of evaluation respectively. Differences in success rates among demographic and clinical characteristics were not statistically significant. High survivals rates of the ART restorations found in this study seem to indicate the reliability of this approach as an appropriate treatment option for primary teeth in a clinical setting.

  4. Adult survival and population growth rate in Colorado big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus)

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Shea, T.J.; Ellison, L.E.; Stanley, T.R.

    2011-01-01

    We studied adult survival and population growth at multiple maternity colonies of big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) in Fort Collins, Colorado. We investigated hypotheses about survival using information-theoretic methods and mark-recapture analyses based on passive detection of adult females tagged with passive integrated transponders. We constructed a 3-stage life-history matrix model to estimate population growth rate (??) and assessed the relative importance of adult survival and other life-history parameters to population growth through elasticity and sensitivity analysis. Annual adult survival at 5 maternity colonies monitored from 2001 to 2005 was estimated at 0.79 (95% confidence interval [95% CI] = 0.77-0.82). Adult survival varied by year and roost, with low survival during an extreme drought year, a finding with negative implications for bat populations because of the likelihood of increasing drought in western North America due to global climate change. Adult survival during winter was higher than in summer, and mean life expectancies calculated from survival estimates were lower than maximum longevity records. We modeled adult survival with recruitment parameter estimates from the same population. The study population was growing (?? = 1.096; 95% CI = 1.057-1.135). Adult survival was the most important demographic parameter for population growth. Growth clearly had the highest elasticity to adult survival, followed by juvenile survival and adult fecundity (approximately equivalent in rank). Elasticity was lowest for fecundity of yearlings. The relative importances of the various life-history parameters for population growth rate are similar to those of large mammals. ?? 2011 American Society of Mammalogists.

  5. Primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma: Clinical features, prognostic factors and survival with RCHOP in Arab patients in the PET scan era.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al Shemmari, Salem; Sankaranarayanan, Sreedharan P; Krishnan, Yamini

    2014-07-01

    PMBCL is a distinct type of nonhodgkins lymphoma with specific clinicopathological features. To clarify clinical features, treatment alternatives and outcomes, we evaluated 28 Arab patients treated with chemotherapy or radiotherapy between 2006 and 2011. PMBCL lymphoma patients identified according to WHO classification and treated at KCCC between 2006 and 2011 were included in this study. Demographic and clinical data are presented as means or medians. Overall survival was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Survival rates were compared using the log-rank test. A P lymphoma entity seen in the young with good survival. The role of PET scan for response evaluation and the type of consolidation therapy needs to be further clarified.

  6. Advanced digital counting rate meter for gamma ray logging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kannan, S.; Meenakshi Sundari, A.; Rai, A.K.

    2013-01-01

    A compact, hand held controller based Advanced Digital Count Rate Meter (ADCRM) as a replacement of bulky Count Rate (analog) Meters (SBL-2A) was designed, developed and fabricated to carry out Gamma-Ray borehole logging with Geiger Muller (GM) tubes and Scintillation (SC) detectors. In the hardware the functionality of analog meter simulation, digital counting of gamma events and auto reference adjustment to use different length of armour cable winches were implemented. The in-built software evaluates grade in ppm and at the end of logging, the reports are prepared automatically. ADCRM was developed in-house to assist the uranium mineral exploration in AMD. (author)

  7. Disparities in cervical cancer survival among Asian American women

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nghiem, Van T.; Davies, Kalatu R.; Chan, Wenyaw; Mulla, Zuber D.; Cantor, Scott B.

    2015-01-01

    Purpose We compared overall survival and influencing factors between Asian American women as a whole and by subgroup with white women with cervical cancer. Methods Cervical cancer data were from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry; socioeconomic information was from the Area Health Resource File. We used standard tests to compare characteristics between groups; the Kaplan-Meier method with log-rank test to assess overall survival and compare it between groups; and Cox proportional hazards models to determine the effect of race and other covariates on overall survival (with/without age-stratification). Results Being 3.3 years older than white women at diagnosis (pAsian American women were more likely to be in a spousal relationship, had more progressive disease, and were better off socioeconomically. Women of Filipino, Japanese, and Korean origin had similar clinical characteristics compared with white women. Asian American women had higher 36- and 60-month survival rates (p=0.004 and p=0.013, respectively), higher overall survival rates (p=0.049), and longer overall survival durations after adjusting for age and other covariates (hazard ratio=0.77, 95% confidence interval: 0.68–0.86). Overall survival differed across age strata between the two racial groups. With the exception of women of Japanese or Korean origin, Asian American women grouped by geographic origin had better overall survival than white women. Conclusions Although Asian American women, except those of Japanese or Korean origin, had better overall survival than white women, their older age at cervical cancer diagnosis suggests that they have less access to screening programs. PMID:26552330

  8. Disparities in cervical cancer survival among Asian-American women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nghiem, Van T; Davies, Kalatu R; Chan, Wenyaw; Mulla, Zuber D; Cantor, Scott B

    2016-01-01

    We compared overall survival and influencing factors between Asian-American women as a whole and by subgroup with white women with cervical cancer. Cervical cancer data were from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry; socioeconomic information was from the Area Health Resource File. We used standard tests to compare characteristics between groups; the Kaplan-Meier method with log-rank test to assess overall survival and compare it between groups; and Cox proportional hazards models to determine the effect of race and other covariates on overall survival (with and/or without age stratification). Being 3.3 years older than white women at diagnosis (P Asian-American women were more likely to be in a spousal relationship, had more progressive disease, and were better off socioeconomically. Women of Filipino, Japanese, and Korean origin had similar clinical characteristics compared to white women. Asian-American women had higher 36- and 60-month survival rates (P = .004 and P = .013, respectively), higher overall survival rates (P = .049), and longer overall survival durations after adjusting for age and other covariates (hazard ratio = 0.77, 95% confidence interval: 0.68-0.86). Overall survival differed across age strata between the two racial groups. With the exception of women of Japanese or Korean origin, Asian-American women grouped by geographic origin had better overall survival than white women. Although Asian-American women, except those of Japanese or Korean origin, had better overall survival than white women, their older age at cervical cancer diagnosis suggests that they have less access to screening programs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Biostatistics series module 9: Survival analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Avijit Hazra

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Survival analysis is concerned with “time to event“ data. Conventionally, it dealt with cancer death as the event in question, but it can handle any event occurring over a time frame, and this need not be always adverse in nature. When the outcome of a study is the time to an event, it is often not possible to wait until the event in question has happened to all the subjects, for example, until all are dead. In addition, subjects may leave the study prematurely. Such situations lead to what is called censored observations as complete information is not available for these subjects. The data set is thus an assemblage of times to the event in question and times after which no more information on the individual is available. Survival analysis methods are the only techniques capable of handling censored observations without treating them as missing data. They also make no assumption regarding normal distribution of time to event data. Descriptive methods for exploring survival times in a sample include life table and Kaplan–Meier techniques as well as various kinds of distribution fitting as advanced modeling techniques. The Kaplan–Meier cumulative survival probability over time plot has become the signature plot for biomedical survival analysis. Several techniques are available for comparing the survival experience in two or more groups – the log-rank test is popularly used. This test can also be used to produce an odds ratio as an estimate of risk of the event in the test group; this is called hazard ratio (HR. Limitations of the traditional log-rank test have led to various modifications and enhancements. Finally, survival analysis offers different regression models for estimating the impact of multiple predictors on survival. Cox's proportional hazard model is the most general of the regression methods that allows the hazard function to be modeled on a set of explanatory variables without making restrictive assumptions concerning the

  10. Measuring Vocational Preferences: Ranking versus Categorical Rating Procedures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carifio, James

    1978-01-01

    Describes a study to compare the relative validities of ranking v categorical rating procedures for obtaining student vocational preference data in exploratory program assignment situations. Students indicated their vocational program preferences from career clusters, and the frequency of wrong assignments made by each method was analyzed. (MF)

  11. Survival Analysis and its Associated Factors of Beta Thalassemia Major in Hamadan Province

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    Reza Zamani

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available Background: There currently is a lack of knowledge about the long-term survival of patients with beta thalassemia (BT, particularly in regions with low incidence of the disease. The aim of the present study was to determine the survival rate of the patients with BT major and the factors associated with the survival time. Methods: This retrospective cohort study was performed in Hamadan province, located in the west of Iran. The study included patients that referred to the provincial hospitals during 16 year period from 1997 to 2013. The follow up of each subject was calculated from the date of birth to the date of death. Demographic and clinical data were extracted from patients’ medical records using a checklist. Statistical analysis included the Kaplan-Meier method to analyze survivals, log-rank to compare curves between groups, and Cox regression for multivariate prognostic analysis. Results: A total of 133 patients with BT major were enrolled, 54.9% of whom were male and 66.2% were urban. The 10-, 20- and 30-year survival rate for all patients were 98.3%, 88.4% and 80.5%, respectively. Based on hazard ratio (HR, we found that accompanied diseases (P=0.01, blood type (P=0.03 and residency status (P=0.01 were significant predictors for the survival time of patients. Conclusion: The survival rate of BT patients has improved. Future researches such as prospective designs are required for the estimation of survival rate and to find other prognostic factors, which have reliable sources of data.

  12. Classification of rank 2 cluster varieties

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mandel, Travis

    We classify rank 2 cluster varieties (those whose corresponding skew-form has rank 2) according to the deformation type of a generic fiber U of their X-spaces, as defined by Fock and Goncharov. Our approach is based on the work of Gross, Hacking, and Keel for cluster varieties and log Calabi...

  13. Effects of Context and Relative Rank on Mate Choice and Affiliation Ratings

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P. Lynne Honey

    2009-07-01

    Full Text Available Female dominance has not often been studied as a factor in mate choice and other social interactions. When it has been examined, there have been a number of conflicting findings. The present study was designed to clarify interpretations of a study conducted by Brown and Lewis (2004 that found that men prefer subordinate women in a workplace context. We presented participants with information about the relative rank of physically attractive targets, in two very different contexts (work-related and recreational. We found that the context in which rank cues are presented has an impact on affiliation ratings, but that cues of rank do not affect mate choice ratings. Future studies of effects of dominance must take into account the context in which they are presented, and recognize that rank may not be a sufficient indicator of dominance for the purpose of mate choice by both men and women.

  14. Prognostic nutritional index is associated with survival after total gastrectomy for patients with gastric cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ishizuka, Mitsuru; Oyama, Yusuke; Abe, Akihito; Tago, Kazuma; Tanaka, Genki; Kubota, Keiichi

    2014-08-01

    To investigate the influence of clinical characteristics including nutritional markers on postoperative survival in patients undergoing total gastrectomy (TG) for gastric cancer (GC). One hundred fifty-four patients were enrolled. Uni- and multivariate analyses using the Cox proportional hazard model were performed to explore the most valuable clinical characteristic that was associated with postoperative survival. Multivariate analysis using twelve clinical characteristics selected from univariate analyses revealed that age (≤ 72/>72), carcinoembryonic antigen (≤ 20/>20) (ng/ml), white blood cell count (≤ 9.5/>9.5) (× 10(3)/mm(3)), prognostic nutritional index (PNI) (≤ 45/>45) and lymph node metastasis (negative/positive) were associated with postoperative survival. Kaplan-Meier analysis and log-rank test showed that patients with higher PNI (>45) had a higher postoperative survival rate than those with lower PNI (≤ 45) (p<0.001). PNI is associated with postoperative survival of patients undergoing TG for GC and is able to divide such patients into two independent groups before surgery. Copyright© 2014 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. John G. Delinassios), All rights reserved.

  15. Measurement of temporal regional cerebral perfusion with single-photon emission tomography predicts rate of decline in language function and survival in early Alzheimer's disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Claus, J.J.; Walstra, G.J.M.; Hijdra, A.; Gool, W.A. van; Royen, E.A. van; Verbeeten, B. Jr.

    1999-01-01

    We determined the relationship between regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) measured with single-photon emission tomography (SPET) and decline in cognitive function and survival in Alzheimer's disease. In a prospective follow-up study, 69 consecutively referred patients with early probable Alzheimer's disease (NINCDS/ADRDA criteria) underwent SPET performed at the time of initial diagnosis using technetium-99m-labelled hexamethylpropylene amine oxime. Neuropsychological function was assessed at baseline and after 6 months and survival data were available on all patients, extending to 5.5 years of follow-up. Lower left temporal (P<0.01) and lower left parietal (P<0.01) rCBF were statistically significantly related to decline in language function after 6 months. The association between left temporal rCBF and survival was also statistically significant (P<0.05) using Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. Performing analysis with quartiles of the distribution, we found a threshold effect for low left temporal rCBF (rCBF<73.7%, P<0.01) and high risk of mortality. In this lowest quartile, median survival time was 2.7 years (follow-up to 5.2 years), compared with 4.4 years in the other quartiles (follow-up to 5.5 years). Kaplan-Meier survival curves showed statistically significant (P<0.05, log rank test) survival curves for the lowest versus other quartiles of left temporal rCBF. All results were unaffected by adjustment for age, sex, dementia severity, duration of symptoms, education and ratings of local cortical atrophy. We conclude that left temporal rCBF predicts decline in language function and survival in patients with early probable Alzheimer's disease, with a threshold effect of low rCBF and high risk of mortality. (orig.)

  16. Descemet Stripping Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty for Failed Penetrating Keratoplasty: Influence of the Graft-Host Junction on the Graft Survival Rate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Omoto, Takashi; Sakisaka, Toshihiro; Toyono, Tetsuya; Yoshida, Junko; Shirakawa, Rika; Miyai, Takashi; Yamagami, Satoru; Usui, Tomohiko

    2018-04-01

    To investigate the clinical results of Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) for failed penetrating keratoplasty (PK) and the influence of the graft-host junction (GHJ) on the graft survival rate. Data were retrospectively collected on patient demographics, visual outcomes, complications, and graft survival rate for 17 eyes of 16 patients who underwent DSAEK for failed PK. The graft survival rate was compared between the eyes when divided into a bump group and a well-aligned group according to the shape of the GHJ detected on anterior segment optical coherence tomography. The most common indication for initial PK was bullous keratopathy after glaucoma surgery (35.3%). Seven eyes (41.2%) were classified into the bump group and 10 eyes (58.8%) into the well-aligned group. The mean best-ever documented visual acuity (BDVA) after DSAEK was 0.33 logMAR. Postoperatively, almost 70% of eyes achieved a BDVA that was within 0.2 logMAR of their preoperative BDVA. Graft detachment occurred in 29.4% of eyes and primary graft failure in 17.6%. All primary failures occurred in the bump group. The cumulative graft survival rate was 82.3% at 1 year, 73.2% at 2 years, and 58.6% at 3 years. Graft failure was more likely in eyes in the bump group than in those in the well-aligned group (P = 0.037, Wilcoxon test). DSAEK for failed PK had a favorable outcome in this study. However, the GHJ should be assessed carefully before performing the procedure.

  17. TENSOR DECOMPOSITIONS AND SPARSE LOG-LINEAR MODELS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johndrow, James E.; Bhattacharya, Anirban; Dunson, David B.

    2017-01-01

    Contingency table analysis routinely relies on log-linear models, with latent structure analysis providing a common alternative. Latent structure models lead to a reduced rank tensor factorization of the probability mass function for multivariate categorical data, while log-linear models achieve dimensionality reduction through sparsity. Little is known about the relationship between these notions of dimensionality reduction in the two paradigms. We derive several results relating the support of a log-linear model to nonnegative ranks of the associated probability tensor. Motivated by these findings, we propose a new collapsed Tucker class of tensor decompositions, which bridge existing PARAFAC and Tucker decompositions, providing a more flexible framework for parsimoniously characterizing multivariate categorical data. Taking a Bayesian approach to inference, we illustrate empirical advantages of the new decompositions. PMID:29332971

  18. Comparison of colorectal and gastric cancer: Survival and prognostic factors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moghimi-Dehkordi, Bijan; Safaee, Azadeh; Zali, Mohammad R

    2009-01-01

    Gastric and colorectal cancers are the most common gastrointestinal malignancies in Iran. We aim to compare the survival rates and prognostic factors between these two cancers. We studied 1873 patients with either gastric or colorectal cancer who were registered in one referral cancer registry center in Tehran, Iran. All patients were followed from their time of diagnosis until December 2006 (as failure time). Survival curves were calculated according to the Kaplan-Meier Method and compared by the Log-rank test. Multivariate analysis of prognostic factors was carried out using the Cox proportional hazard model. Of 1873 patients, there were 746 with gastric cancer and 1138 with colorectal cancer. According to the Kaplan-Meier method 1, 3, 5, and 7-year survival rates were 71.2, 37.8, 25.3, and 19.5%, respectively, in gastric cancer patients and 91.1, 73.1, 61, and 54.9%, respectively, in patients with colorectal cancer. Also, univariate analysis showed that age at diagnosis, sex, grade of tumor, and distant metastasis were of prognostic significance in both cancers ( P < 0.0001). However, in multivariate analysis, only distant metastasis in colorectal cancer and age at diagnosis, grade of tumor, and distant metastasis in colorectal cancer were identified as independent prognostic factors influencing survival. According to our findings, survival is significantly related to histological differentiation of tumor and distant metastasis in colorectal cancer patients and only to distant metastasis in gastric cancer patients. (author)

  19. Evaluation of Survival Time of Tooth Color Dental Materials in Primary Anterior Teeth

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Behjat-Al-Molook Ajami

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: In restorative dentistry, selecting the proper material is an important factor for clinical success. The objective of this study was clinical evaluation of survival time of three tooth color materials in primary anterior teeth. Methods: In this interventional clinical trial study, 94 deciduous anterior teeth (36 teeth in boys, 58 teeth in girls belonging to 3-5 year old children in Pediatric Department of Mashhad Faculty of Dentistry, Iran were selected. Selective dental materials included compoglass, glass-ionomer Fuji II LC, and composite resin. The data were analyzed with Kaplan–Meyer and Log rank test. Results: compoglass had the highest survival time in comparison with composite and glass-ionomer. Nine months retention rate for teeth restored with compoglass, composite resin and glass-ionomer were estimated: 95%, 21%, and 12.5%, respectively. Conclusion: Compoglass can be a suitable material for anterior primary teeth restoration

  20. Evaluation of Survival Time of Tooth Color Dental Materials in Primary Anterior Teeth

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Taraneh Movahhed

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: In restorative dentistry, selecting the proper material is an important factor for clinical success. The objective of this study was clinical evaluation of survival time of three tooth color materials in primary anterior teeth. Methods: In this interventional clinical trial study, 94 deciduous anterior teeth (36 teeth in boys, 58 teeth in girls belonging to 3-5 year old children in Pediatric Department of Mashhad Faculty of Dentistry, Iran were selected. Selective dental materials included compoglass, glass-ionomer Fuji II LC, and composite resin. The data were analyzed with Kaplan–Meyer and Log rank test. Results: compoglass had the highest survival time in comparison with composite and glass-ionomer. Nine months retention rate for teeth restored with compoglass, composite resin and glass-ionomer were estimated: 95%, 21%, and 12.5%, respectively. Conclusion: Compoglass can be a suitable material for anterior primary teeth restoration.

  1. Measurement of temporal regional cerebral perfusion with single-photon emission tomography predicts rate of decline in language function and survival in early Alzheimer`s disease

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Claus, J.J.; Walstra, G.J.M.; Hijdra, A.; Gool, W.A. van [Department of Neurology, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Royen, E.A. van [Department of Nuclear Medicine, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam (Netherlands); Verbeeten, B. Jr. [Department of Radiology, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam (Netherlands)

    1999-03-01

    We determined the relationship between regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) measured with single-photon emission tomography (SPET) and decline in cognitive function and survival in Alzheimer`s disease. In a prospective follow-up study, 69 consecutively referred patients with early probable Alzheimer`s disease (NINCDS/ADRDA criteria) underwent SPET performed at the time of initial diagnosis using technetium-99m-labelled hexamethylpropylene amine oxime. Neuropsychological function was assessed at baseline and after 6 months and survival data were available on all patients, extending to 5.5 years of follow-up. Lower left temporal (P<0.01) and lower left parietal (P<0.01) rCBF were statistically significantly related to decline in language function after 6 months. The association between left temporal rCBF and survival was also statistically significant (P<0.05) using Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. Performing analysis with quartiles of the distribution, we found a threshold effect for low left temporal rCBF (rCBF<73.7%, P<0.01) and high risk of mortality. In this lowest quartile, median survival time was 2.7 years (follow-up to 5.2 years), compared with 4.4 years in the other quartiles (follow-up to 5.5 years). Kaplan-Meier survival curves showed statistically significant (P<0.05, log rank test) survival curves for the lowest versus other quartiles of left temporal rCBF. All results were unaffected by adjustment for age, sex, dementia severity, duration of symptoms, education and ratings of local cortical atrophy. We conclude that left temporal rCBF predicts decline in language function and survival in patients with early probable Alzheimer`s disease, with a threshold effect of low rCBF and high risk of mortality. (orig.) With 3 figs., 3 tabs., 44 refs.

  2. Simultaneous use of mark-recapture and radiotelemetry to estimate survival, movement, and capture rates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Powell, L.A.; Conroy, M.J.; Hines, J.E.; Nichols, J.D.; Krementz, D.G.

    2000-01-01

    Biologists often estimate separate survival and movement rates from radio-telemetry and mark-recapture data from the same study population. We describe a method for combining these data types in a single model to obtain joint, potentially less biased estimates of survival and movement that use all available data. We furnish an example using wood thrushes (Hylocichla mustelina) captured at the Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge in central Georgia in 1996. The model structure allows estimation of survival and capture probabilities, as well as estimation of movements away from and into the study area. In addition, the model structure provides many possibilities for hypothesis testing. Using the combined model structure, we estimated that wood thrush weekly survival was 0.989 ? 0.007 ( ?SE). Survival rates of banded and radio-marked individuals were not different (alpha hat [S_radioed, ~ S_banded]=log [S hat _radioed/ S hat _banded]=0.0239 ? 0.0435). Fidelity rates (weekly probability of remaining in a stratum) did not differ between geographic strata (psi hat=0.911 ? 0.020; alpha hat [psi11, psi22]=0.0161 ? 0.047), and recapture rates ( = 0.097 ? 0.016) banded and radio-marked individuals were not different (alpha hat [p_radioed, p_banded]=0.145 ? 0.655). Combining these data types in a common model resulted in more precise estimates of movement and recapture rates than separate estimation, but ability to detect stratum or mark-specific differences in parameters was week. We conducted simulation trials to investigate the effects of varying study designs on parameter accuracy and statistical power to detect important differences. Parameter accuracy was high (relative bias [RBIAS] inference from this model, study designs should seek a minimum of 25 animals of each marking type observed (marked or observed via telemetry) in each time period and geographic stratum.

  3. Enhancing tumor apparent diffusion coefficient histogram skewness stratifies the postoperative survival in recurrent glioblastoma multiforme patients undergoing salvage surgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zolal, Amir; Juratli, Tareq A; Linn, Jennifer; Podlesek, Dino; Sitoci Ficici, Kerim Hakan; Kitzler, Hagen H; Schackert, Gabriele; Sobottka, Stephan B; Rieger, Bernhard; Krex, Dietmar

    2016-05-01

    Objective To determine the value of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) histogram parameters for the prediction of individual survival in patients undergoing surgery for recurrent glioblastoma (GBM) in a retrospective cohort study. Methods Thirty-one patients who underwent surgery for first recurrence of a known GBM between 2008 and 2012 were included. The following parameters were collected: age, sex, enhancing tumor size, mean ADC, median ADC, ADC skewness, ADC kurtosis and fifth percentile of the ADC histogram, initial progression free survival (PFS), extent of second resection and further adjuvant treatment. The association of these parameters with survival and PFS after second surgery was analyzed using log-rank test and Cox regression. Results Using log-rank test, ADC histogram skewness of the enhancing tumor was significantly associated with both survival (p = 0.001) and PFS after second surgery (p = 0.005). Further parameters associated with prolonged survival after second surgery were: gross total resection at second surgery (p = 0.026), tumor size (0.040) and third surgery (p = 0.003). In the multivariate Cox analysis, ADC histogram skewness was shown to be an independent prognostic factor for survival after second surgery. Conclusion ADC histogram skewness of the enhancing lesion, enhancing lesion size, third surgery, as well as gross total resection have been shown to be associated with survival following the second surgery. ADC histogram skewness was an independent prognostic factor for survival in the multivariate analysis.

  4. Prognostic factors associated with the survival of oral and pharyngeal carcinoma in Taiwan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Ping-Ho; Tu, Hung-Pin; Ko, Ying-Chin; Shieh, Tien-Yu; Ho, Pei-Shan; Tsai, Chi-Cheng; Yang, Yi-Hsin; Lin, Ying-Chu; Ko, Min-Shan; Tsai, Pei-Chien; Chiang, Shang-Lun

    2007-01-01

    In Taiwan, a distinct ethnic group variation in incidence and mortality rates has been suggested for most carcinomas. Our aim is to identify the role of prognostic factors associated with the survival of oral and pharyngeal carcinoma in Taiwan. Taiwan Cancer Registry records of 9039 subjects diagnosed with oral and pharyngeal carcinoma were analyzed. The population was divided into three ethnic groups by residence, which were Taiwanese aborigines, Hakka and Hokkien communities. Five-year survival rates were estimated by Kaplan-Meier methods. Ethnic curves differed significantly by log-rank test; therefore separate models for Taiwanese aborigines, Hakka and Hokkien were carried out. The Cox multivariate proportional hazards model was used to examine the role of prognostic factors on ethnic survival. The five-year survival rates of oral and pharyngeal carcinoma were significantly poorer for Hokkien community (53.9%) and Taiwanese aborigines community (58.1%) compared with Hakka community (60.5%). The adjusted hazard ratio of Taiwanese aborigines versus Hakka was 1.07 (95%CI, 0.86–1.33) for oral and pharyngeal carcinoma mortality, and 1.16 (95%CI, 1.01–1.33) for Hokkien versus Hakka. Males had significantly poor prognosis than females. Subjects with tongue and/or mouth carcinoma presented the worst prognosis, whereas lip carcinoma had the best prognosis. Subjects with verrucous carcinoma had better survival than squamous cell carcinoma. Prognosis was the worst in elderly subjects, and subjects who underwent surgery had the highest survival rate. Our study presented that predictive variables in oral and pharyngeal carcinoma survival have been: ethnic groups, period of diagnosis, gender, diagnostic age, anatomic site, morphologic type, and therapy

  5. CASAS: Cancer Survival Analysis Suite, a web based application.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rupji, Manali; Zhang, Xinyan; Kowalski, Jeanne

    2017-01-01

    We present CASAS, a shiny R based tool for interactive survival analysis and visualization of results. The tool provides a web-based one stop shop to perform the following types of survival analysis:  quantile, landmark and competing risks, in addition to standard survival analysis.  The interface makes it easy to perform such survival analyses and obtain results using the interactive Kaplan-Meier and cumulative incidence plots.  Univariate analysis can be performed on one or several user specified variable(s) simultaneously, the results of which are displayed in a single table that includes log rank p-values and hazard ratios along with their significance. For several quantile survival analyses from multiple cancer types, a single summary grid is constructed. The CASAS package has been implemented in R and is available via http://shinygispa.winship.emory.edu/CASAS/. The developmental repository is available at https://github.com/manalirupji/CASAS/.

  6. External and intraoperative radiotherapy for resectable and unresectable pancreatic cancer: analysis of survival rates and complications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nishimura, Yasumasa; Hosotani, Ryo; Shibamoto, Yuta; Kokubo, Masaki; Kanamori, Shuichi; Sasai, Keisuke; Hiraoka, Masahiro; Ohshio, Gakuji; Imamura, Masayuki; Takahashi, Masaji; Abe, Mitsuyuki

    1997-01-01

    Purpose: Clinical results of intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) and/or external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) for both resectable and unresectable pancreatic cancer were analyzed. Methods and Materials: Between 1980 and 1995, 332 patients with pancreatic cancer were treated with surgery and/or radiation therapy (RT). Of the 332 patients, 157 patients were treated with surgical resection of pancreatic tumor, and the remaining 175 patients had unresectable pancreatic tumors. Among the 157 patients with resected pancreatic cancer, 62 patients were not treated with RT, while 40 patients were treated with EBRT alone (mean RT dose; 46.3 Gy) and 55 patients with IORT (25.2 Gy) ± EBRT (44.0 Gy). On the other hand, among the 175 patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer, 58 patients were not treated with RT, 46 patients were treated with EBRT alone (39.2 Gy), and the remaining 71 patients with IORT (29.3 Gy) ± EBRT (41.2 Gy). Results: For 87 patients with curative resection, the median survival times (MSTs) of the no-RT, the EBRT, and the IORT ± EBRT groups were 10.4, 13.0, and 15.5 months, respectively, without significant difference. For 70 patients with non curative resection, the MSTs of the no-RT, the EBRT, and the IORT ± EBRT groups were 5.3, 8.7, and 6.5 months, respectively. When the EBRT and the IORT ± EBRT groups were combined, the survival rate was significantly higher than that of the no RT group for non curatively resected pancreatic cancers (log rank test; p = 0.028). The 2-year survival probability of the IORT ± EBRT group (16%) was higher than that of the EBRT group (0%). For unresectable pancreatic cancer, the MSTs of 52 patients without distant metastases were 6.7 months for palliative surgery alone, 7.6 months for EBRT alone, and 8.2 months for IORT ± EBRT. The survival curve of the IORT ± EBRT group was significantly better than that of the no-RT group (p 2 years) were obtained by IORT ± EBRT for non curatively resected and unresectable pancreatic

  7. Atrial fibrillation and survival in colorectal cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Justin Timothy A

    2004-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Survival in colorectal cancer may correlate with the degree of systemic inflammatory response to the tumour. Atrial fibrillation may be regarded as an inflammatory complication. We aimed to determine if atrial fibrillation is a prognostic factor in colorectal cancer. Patients and methods A prospective colorectal cancer patient database was cross-referenced with the hospital clinical-coding database to identify patients who had underwent colorectal cancer surgery and were in atrial fibrillation pre- or postoperatively. Results A total of 175 patients underwent surgery for colorectal cancer over a two-year period. Of these, 13 patients had atrial fibrillation pre- or postoperatively. Atrial fibrillation correlated with worse two-year survival (p = 0.04; log-rank test. However, in a Cox regression analysis, atrial fibrillation was not significantly associated with survival. Conclusion The presence or development of atrial fibrillation in patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer is associated with worse overall survival, however it was not found to be an independent factor in multivariate analysis.

  8. Beyond reduced-impact logging: silvicultural treatments to increase growth rates of tropical trees

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Peña-Claros, M.; Fredericksen, T.S.; Alarcón, A.; Blate, G.M.; Choque, U.; Leaño, C.; Licona, J.C.; Mostacedo, B.; Pariona, W.; Villegas, Z.; Putz, F.E.

    2008-01-01

    Use of reduced-impact logging (RIL) techniques has repeatedly been shown to reduce damage caused by logging. Unfortunately, these techniques do not necessarily ameliorate the low growth rates of many commercial species or otherwise assure recovery of the initial volume harvested during the next

  9. Cross-Validation of Survival Bump Hunting by Recursive Peeling Methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dazard, Jean-Eudes; Choe, Michael; LeBlanc, Michael; Rao, J Sunil

    2014-08-01

    We introduce a survival/risk bump hunting framework to build a bump hunting model with a possibly censored time-to-event type of response and to validate model estimates. First, we describe the use of adequate survival peeling criteria to build a survival/risk bump hunting model based on recursive peeling methods. Our method called "Patient Recursive Survival Peeling" is a rule-induction method that makes use of specific peeling criteria such as hazard ratio or log-rank statistics. Second, to validate our model estimates and improve survival prediction accuracy, we describe a resampling-based validation technique specifically designed for the joint task of decision rule making by recursive peeling (i.e. decision-box) and survival estimation. This alternative technique, called "combined" cross-validation is done by combining test samples over the cross-validation loops, a design allowing for bump hunting by recursive peeling in a survival setting. We provide empirical results showing the importance of cross-validation and replication.

  10. A genetic polymorphism in TOX3 is associated with survival of gastric cancer in a Chinese population.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaojing Zhang

    Full Text Available PURPOSE: Recently, genetic polymorphism (rs3803662C>T in TOX3 was reported to induce the risk of breast cancer. In this study, we hypothesized that rs3803662 could influence gastric cancer survival outcomes. METHODS: With multiplex SNaPshot method, we genotyped TOX3 rs3803662 in 880 gastric patients with surgical resection. The association between genotype and survival outcomes was performed by the Kaplan-Meier method, Cox regression analysis models and the log-rank test. RESULTS: There was no association in the analyses of rs3803662 and survival of gastric cancer. However, the stratified analysis by histology showed that rs3803662 CT/TT genotype was associated with a significantly better survival for diffuse-type gastric cancer (log-rank p = 0.030, hazard ratio [HR]  = 0.67, 95% confidence interval [CI]  = 0.46-0.96, than the CC genotype. In addition, this favorable effect was especially obvious among gastric cancer patients with tumor size >5 cm, T3 and T4 depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis, no drinking, no distant metastasis, no chemotherapy and gastric cardia cancer. CONCLUSIONS: TOX3 rs3803662 might play an important role in the prognostic outcome and treatment of gastric cancer, especially perhaps further help in explaining the reduced risk of death associated with diffuse-type gastric cancer.

  11. Predicting the Rate of River Bank Erosion Caused by Large Wood Log

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, N.; Rutherfurd, I.; Ghisalberti, M.

    2016-12-01

    When a single tree falls into a river channel, flow is deflected and accelerated between the tree roots and the bank face, increasing shear stress and scouring the bank. The scallop shaped erosion increases the diversity of the channel morphology, but also causes concern for adjacent landholders. Concern about increased bank erosion is one of the main reasons for large wood to still be removed from channels in SE Australia. Further, the hydraulic effect of many logs in the channel can reduce overall bank erosion rates. Although both phenomena have been described before, this research develops a hydraulic model that estimates their magnitude, and tests and calibrates this model with flume and field measurements, with logs with various configurations and sizes. Specifically, the model estimates the change in excess shear stress on the bank associated . The model addresses the effect of the log angle, distance from bank, and log size and flow condition by solving the mass continuity and energy conservation between the cross section at the approaching flow and contracted flow. Then, we evaluate our model against flume experiment preformed with semi-realistic log models to represent logs in different sizes and decay stages by comparing the measured and simulated velocity increase in the gap between the log and the bank. The log angle, distance from bank, and flow condition are systemically varied for each log model during the experiment. Final, the calibrated model is compared with the field data collected in anabranching channels of Murray River in SE Australia where there are abundant instream logs and regulated and consistent high flow for irrigation. Preliminary results suggest that a log can significantly increase the shear stress on the bank, especially when it positions perpendicular to the flow. The shear stress increases with the log angle in a rising curve (The log angle is the angle between log trunk and flow direction. 0o means log is parallel to flow with

  12. Prevalence and severity of hepatopulmonary syndrome and its influence on survival in cirrhotic patients evaluated for liver transplantation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pascasio, J M; Grilo, I; López-Pardo, F J; Ortega-Ruiz, F; Tirado, J L; Sousa, J M; Rodriguez-Puras, M J; Ferrer, M T; Sayago, M; Gómez-Bravo, M A; Grilo, A

    2014-06-01

    The prevalence of hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) and its influence on survival before and after liver transplantation (LT) remain controversial. Additionally, the chronology of post-LT reversibility is unclear. This study prospectively analyzed 316 patients with cirrhosis who were evaluated for LT in 2002-2007; 177 underwent LT at a single reference hospital. HPS was defined by a partial pressure of arterial oxygen (PaO2 ) position and positive contrast echocardiography. The prevalence of HPS was 25.6% (81/316 patients), and most patients (92.6%) had mild or moderate HPS. High Child-Pugh scores and the presence of ascites were independently associated with HPS. Patients with and without HPS did not significantly differ in LT waiting list survival (mean 34.6 months vs. 41.6 months, respectively; log-rank, p = 0.13) or post-LT survival (mean 45 months vs. 47.6 months, respectively; log-rank, p = 0.62). HPS was reversed in all cases within 1 year after LT. One-fourth of the patients with cirrhosis who were evaluated for LT had HPS (mostly mild to moderate); the presence of HPS did not affect LT waiting list survival. HPS was always reversed after LT, and patient prognosis did not worsen. © Copyright 2014 The American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons.

  13. Primary localization and tumor thickness as prognostic factors of survival in patients with mucosal melanoma.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tarun Mehra

    Full Text Available Data on survival with mucosal melanoma and on prognostic factors of are scarce. It is still unclear if the disease course allows for mucosal melanoma to be treated as primary cutaneous melanoma or if differences in overall survival patterns require adapted therapeutic approaches. Furthermore, this investigation is the first to present 10-year survival rates for mucosal melanomas of different anatomical localizations.116 cases from Sep 10 1984 until Feb 15 2011 retrieved from the Comprehensive Cancer Center and of the Central Register of the German Dermatologic Society databases in Tübingen were included in our analysis. We recorded anatomical location and tumor thickness, and estimated overall survival at 2, 5 and 10 years and the mean overall survival time. Survival times were analyzed with the Kaplan-Meier method. The log-rank test was used to compare survival times by localizations and by T-stages.We found a median overall survival time of 80.9 months, with an overall 2-year survival of 71.7%, 5-year survival of 55.8% and 10-year survival of 38.3%. The 10-year survival rates for patients with T1, T2, T3 or T4 stage tumors were 100.0%, 77.9%, 66.3% and 10.6% respectively. 10-year survival of patients with melanomas of the vulva was 64.5% in comparison to 22.3% of patients with non-vulva mucosal melanomas.Survival times differed significantly between patients with melanomas of the vulva compared to the rest (p = 0.0006. It also depends on T-stage at the time of diagnosis (p < 0.0001.

  14. Survival rates of birds of tropical and temperate forests: will the dogma survive?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karr, J.R.; Nichols, J.D.; Klimkiewicz, M.K.; Brawn, J.D.

    1990-01-01

    Survival rates of tropical forest birds are widely assumed to be high relative to the survival rates of temperate forest birds. Much life-history theory is based on this assumption despite the lack of empirical data to support it. We provide the first detailed comparison of survival rates of tropical and temperate forest birds based on extensive data bases and modern capture-recapture models. We find no support for the conventional wisdom. Because clutch size is only one component of reproductive rate, the frequently assumed, simple association between clutch size and adult survival rates should not necessarily be expected. Our results emphasize the need to consider components of fecundity in addition to clutch size when comparing the life histories of tropical and temperate birds and suggest similar considerations in the development of vertebrate life-history theory.

  15. A Comparative Study of Cox Regression vs. Log-Logistic ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Colorectal cancer is common and lethal disease with different incidence rate in different parts of the world which is taken into account as the third cause of cancer-related deaths. In the present study, using non-parametric Cox model and parametric Log-logistic model, factors influencing survival of patients with colorectal ...

  16. Sparing Sphincters and Laparoscopic Resection Improve Survival by Optimizing the Circumferential Resection Margin in Rectal Cancer Patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keskin, Metin; Bayraktar, Adem; Sivirikoz, Emre; Yegen, Gülcin; Karip, Bora; Saglam, Esra; Bulut, Mehmet Türker; Balik, Emre

    2016-02-01

    The goal of rectal cancer treatment is to minimize the local recurrence rate and extend the disease-free survival period and survival. For this aim, obtainment of negative circumferential radial margin (CRM) plays an important role. This study evaluated predictive factors for positive CRM status and its effect on patient survival in mid- and distal rectal tumors.Patients who underwent curative resection for rectal cancer were included. The main factors were demographic data, tumor location, surgical technique, neoadjuvant therapy, tumor diameter, tumor depth, lymph node metastasis, mesorectal integrity, CRM, the rate of local recurrence, distant metastasis, and overall and disease-free survival. Statistical analyses were performed by using the Chi-squared test, Fisher exact test, Student t test, Mann-Whitney U test and the Mantel-Cox log-rank sum test.A total of 420 patients were included, 232 (55%) of whom were male. We observed no significant differences in patient characteristics or surgical treatment between the patients who had positive CRM and who had negative CRM, but a higher positive CRM rate was observed in patients undergone abdominoperineal resection (APR) (P CRM status. Logistic regression analysis revealed that APR (P CRM status. Moreover, positive CRM was associated with decreased 5-year overall and disease-free survival (P = 0.002 and P = 0.004, respectively).This large single-institution series demonstrated that APR and open resection were independent predictive factors for positive CRM status in rectal cancer. Positive CRM independently decreased the 5-year overall and disease-free survival rates.

  17. Stereotactic radiosurgery improves the survival in patients with solitary brain metastasis: a reasonable alternative to surgery

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kwan, H. Cho; Hall, Walter A.; Lee, Andrew K.; Gerbi, Bruce J.; Higgins, Patrick D.; Nussbaum, Eric S.; Chung, K.K. Lee; Bohen, Marva; Clark, H. Brent

    1996-01-01

    Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) in patients with solitary brain metastasis from extracranial primary cancer and to compare the outcome with that of external whole brain irradiation with or without surgical resection. Materials and Methods: Between September 1970 and November, 1995, 231 patients with solitary brain metastasis were treated at the Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Minnesota Hospital. One hundred twenty six patients (56%) were treated with external whole brain irradiation (WBI) only (Group 1), seventy three (32%) underwent surgical resection prior to WBI (Group 2) and thirty two (14%) underwent stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) with WBI (Group 3). Lung (38%) was the most common site of primary cancer, followed by breast (15%), unknown primary (12%), gastro-intestinal tract (10%), skin (malignant melanoma: 9%), kidney (renal cell carcinoma: 8%) and others (9%). The median dose to the whole brain was 3750 cGy in 15 fractions (ranges from 2000 cGy to 5000 cGy). The median radiosurgical dose of 17.5 Gy (range, 12-40 Gy) was delivered to the 40%-90% isodose line encompassing the target. Eighteen patients were treated with SRS for recurrent or persistent disease following WBI and 14 patients received SRS as a boost in conjunction with WBI. Actuarial survival was calculated from the date of treatment according to the Kaplan-Meier method and statistical significance was assessed with the log-rank test. Results: The actuarial median survivals were 3.8 months for Group 1 (ranges from 1 to 84 months), 10.5 months for Group 2 (ranges from 1 to 125 months) and 9.8 months for Group 3 (ranges from 1 to 36 months). The survivals at one and two years were 19% and 6% for Group 1, 47% and 19% for Group 2, and 44% and 21% for Group 3, respectively. The survival advantage of Groups 2 or 3 over Group 1 was statistically significant (p < 0.0001 by log-rank test). There was no survival advantage of surgery (Group 2) over SRS

  18. Impact of retropharyngeal adenopathy on distant control and survival in HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer treated with chemoradiotherapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Samuels, Stuart E.; Vainshtein, Jeffrey; Spector, Matthew E.; Ibrahim, Mohannad; McHugh, Jonathan B.; Tao, Yebin; Schipper, Matthew; Worden, Francis; Eisbruch, Avraham

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: Retropharyngeal adenopathy (RPA) is poor prognostic factor in head and neck (HN) cancer. However, the prognostic significance of RPA in Human Papillomavirus-related (HPV+) oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) is unknown. Patients and methods: 185 patients with HPV + OPC were assessed. Pre-therapy images reviewed by a HN radiologist to determine presence of RPA. Doses to the RPAs were determined from treatment plans. Outcomes analyzed using Kaplan–Meier method, log-rank tests, and correlations determined using Spearman’s rank analyses. Results: 29 (16%) of the HPV + patients had RPA. At median follow-up 49 months, 5-year overall survival (OS), failure-free survival (FFS) and distant failure-free survival (DFFS) were 57% vs. 81% (P = 0.02), 63% vs 80% (P = 0.015) and 70% vs 91% (P = 0.002) for patients with/without RPA, respectively. No differences observed in local/ regional control rates, exceeding 90% in both groups, and No RPA recurrences were observed. In multivariable analysis, stages T4 or N3, and RPA, were independently, statistically significantly associated with both OS and distant failure, while N2c, age, disease site, and smoking status, were not. Conclusion: RPA in HPV + OPC is an independent prognostic factor for distant failure, translating into worse OS. Patients with RPA may not be suitable candidates for trials of systemic treatment de-escalation

  19. Nesting success and survival rates of suburban Olive Thrushes ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Reproductive rate, clutch size, nesting success and survival rate of dependent fledglings were estimated from breeding records in the Eastern Cape. These data were used to estimate survival rate of independent fledglings. The estimated adult survival rate in this region was high and the clutch size was small, compared to ...

  20. Interpretation of horizontal well production logs: influence of logging tool

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ozkan, E. [Colorado School of Mines, Boulder, CO (United States); Sarica, C. [Pennsylvania State Univ., College Park, PA (United States); Haci, M. [Drilling Measurements, Inc (United States)

    1998-12-31

    The influence of a production-logging tool on wellbore flow rate and pressure measurements was investigated, focusing on the disturbence caused by the production-logging tool and the coiled tubing on the original flow conditions in the wellbore. The investigation was carried out using an analytical model and single-phase liquid flow was assumed. Results showed that the production-logging tool influenced the measurements as shown by the deviation of the original flow-rate, pressure profiles and low-conductivity wellbores. High production rates increase the effect of the production-logging tool. Recovering or inferring the original flow conditions in the wellbore from the production-logging data is a very complex process which cannot be solved easily. For this reason, the conditions under which the information obtained by production-logging is meaningful is of considerable practical interest. 7 refs., 2 tabs., 15 figs.

  1. On the rigidity of rank gradient in a group of intermediate growth

    OpenAIRE

    Grigorchuk, Rostislav; Kravchenko, Rostyslav

    2018-01-01

    We introduce and investigate the rigidity property of rank gradient in the case of the group $\\mathcal G$ of intermediate growth constructed by the first author. We show that $\\mathcal G$ is normally $(f,g)$-RG rigid where $f(n)=\\log(n)$ and $g(n) =\\log(\\log(n)).$

  2. Overall Survival Benefit From Postoperative Radiation Therapy for Organ-Confined, Margin-Positive Prostate Cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dillman, Robert O.; Hafer, Russell; Cox, Craig; McClure, Stephanie E.

    2011-01-01

    Purpose: Radical prostatectomy for invasive prostate cancer is associated with positive margin rates in 10% to 50% of resected specimens. Postoperative radiation therapy may benefit patients who have organ-confined prostate cancer with positive margins. Methods and Materials: We performed a retrospective analysis to examine whether adjunctive radiation therapy enhanced long-term survival for prostate cancer patients who underwent prostatectomy for localized prostate cancer but with positive margins. We used the Hoag Cancer Center database to identify patients diagnosed with invasive prostate cancer. Relative and overall survival rates were calculated. Results: Among 1,474 patients diagnosed with localized invasive prostate cancer during the years 1990 to 2006 and undergoing prostatectomy, 113 (7.7%) were identified who had positive margins and did not have local extension of disease, positive lymph nodes, or distant metastases. A total of 17 patients received adjunctive radiation therapy (Group A), whereas 96 did not (Group B; 3 received hormonal therapy). Both groups had a median age of 64 years and median follow-up of 7.5 years. In Group A, no patients have died as of last follow-up, but in Group B, 18 have died. Estimated 10-year and 15-year overall survival rates were both 100% for Group A compared with 85% and 57% respectively for Group B (p 2 = 0.050, log rank). Relative 10- and 15 year survival rates were both 100% for Group A compared with 100% and 79% respectively for Group B. Conclusions: This retrospective analysis suggests that prostate cancer patients with localized disease but positive margins do derive a survival benefit from adjuvant radiation therapy.

  3. Investigation of Prognostic Factors and Survival without Recurrence in Patients with Breast Cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ahmad Abdollahi

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: One of the major consequences of breast cancer is the recurrence of the disease. The objective of present study was to estimate the 7-year survival without recurrence as well as the effective prognostic factors in recurrence. Materials and Methods: This historical cohort survival analysis was conducted on 1329 patients diagnosed with breast cancer in Motahari Breast Clinic, Shiraz, Iran between 2004 and 2011. We estimated the rate of survival without recurrence through the Kaplan–Meier method and the difference between the survival curves was investigated using the log-rank test. Furthermore, Cox regression model was used to model the effective factors in local recurrence as well as metastasis. Results: The mean age of the patients was 54.8 ± 11.4 years. Estrogen receptor positive, progesterone receptor positive, and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 positive were observed in 70.6%, 66.6%, and 34.4% of the cases, respectively. The mean of the follow-up period was 3.7 ± 1.8 years in all patients. The results of the Kaplan–Meier method revealed 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year rate of survival without recurrence as 96.4%, 78.4%, 66.3%, and 54.8%, respectively. There was a significant relationship between survival without recurrence and histology grade (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.66, P = 0.009, neural invasion (HR = 1.74, P = 0.006, and progesterone receptors (HR = 0.69, P = 0.031. Conclusion: In this study, the rate of survival without recurrence in breast cancer was 54.8%. Among factors, histology grade and neural involvement at the time of diagnosis increased the chance of recurrence and progesterone receptors caused a longer interval between diagnosis and recurrence.

  4. Aplicación y técnicas del análisis de supervivencia en las investigaciones clínicas Application and techniques of survival analysis in clinical research

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anissa Gramatges Ortiz

    2002-08-01

    Full Text Available Se realizó una actualización sobre el análisis de supervivencia en las investigaciones clínicas. Se expusieron algunos de los conceptos más generales sobre este tipo de análisis y las características de los tiempos de supervivencia.Se abordan temas relacionados con los diferentes métodos que facilitan la estimación de las probabilidades de supervivencia para uno o más grupos de individuos, con la ejemplificación del cálculo de las probabilidades para el método de Kaplan-Meier. Se destaca la comparación de la supervivencia de varios grupos atendiendo a distintos factores que los diferencian, así como también se enuncian algunas de las pruebas estadísticas que nos posibilitan la comparación, como son la prueba log rank y la Breslow, como alternativa de esta cuando se evidencia una divergencia del azar proporcional, es decir, cuando las curvas de supe DE SUPERVI rvivencia se cruzanconcepts of this type of analyses and the characteristics of survival times were presented. Aspects related with the different methods facilitating the estimation of survival probabilities for one or more groups of subjects, including the example of calculation of Kaplan Meier method´s probabilities were dealt with . The survival rates of several groups were compared, taking into consideration various factors that differentiate them. Some of the statistical tests making the comparison possible such as log rank test, and the Breslow test as an alternative of the former when there is a proportional random divergence, that is, when survival curves cross were stated

  5. Adiabatic quantum algorithm for search engine ranking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garnerone, Silvano; Zanardi, Paolo; Lidar, Daniel A

    2012-06-08

    We propose an adiabatic quantum algorithm for generating a quantum pure state encoding of the PageRank vector, the most widely used tool in ranking the relative importance of internet pages. We present extensive numerical simulations which provide evidence that this algorithm can prepare the quantum PageRank state in a time which, on average, scales polylogarithmically in the number of web pages. We argue that the main topological feature of the underlying web graph allowing for such a scaling is the out-degree distribution. The top-ranked log(n) entries of the quantum PageRank state can then be estimated with a polynomial quantum speed-up. Moreover, the quantum PageRank state can be used in "q-sampling" protocols for testing properties of distributions, which require exponentially fewer measurements than all classical schemes designed for the same task. This can be used to decide whether to run a classical update of the PageRank.

  6. Survival pathological prognosis factors in breast cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gonzalez-Longoria Boada, Lourdes B.

    2012-01-01

    A descriptive and longitudinal study of 273 women with breast cancer belonging to Granma province was carried out from 2003 to 2004, in order to analyze the survival of this female population, reason why the method of Kaplan Meier was used for the calculation of the mentioned variable and the Log Rank test was used for the comparison of curves. Patients with higher survival at 5 years were those who had tumors of 2 cm or less (87.5%), histological grade I (90.3%), nuclear grade I (88.3%), as well as the absence of vascular, lymphatic or lymph node invasion (with 80.6; 74.9 and 6.1% respectively). Also, tumor size, histological and nuclear grade, nodal status, as well as lymphatic and vascular invasion constituted prognosis factors, which favored the individualization of therapeutic behaviors

  7. EGFR and AKT1 overexpression are mutually exclusive and associated with a poor survival in resected gastric adenocarcinomas.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petrini, Iacopo; Lencioni, Monica; Vasile, Enrico; Fornaro, Lorenzo; Belluomini, Lorenzo; Pasquini, Giulia; Ginocchi, Laura; Caparello, Chiara; Musettini, Gianna; Vivaldi, Caterina; Caponi, Sara; Ricci, Sergio; Proietti, Agenese; Fontanini, Gabriella; Naccarato, Antonio Giuseppe; Nardini, Vincenzo; Santi, Stefano; Falcone, Alfredo

    2018-02-14

    The evaluation of molecular targets in gastric cancer has demonstrated the predictive role of HER2 amplification for trastuzumab treatment in metastatic gastric cancer. Besides HER2, other molecular targets are under evaluation in metastatic gastric tumors. However, very little is known about their role in resected tumors. We evaluated the expression of HER2, EGFR, MET, AKT1 and phospho-mTOR in resected stage II-III adenocarcinomas. Ninety-two patients with resected stomach (63%) or gastro-esophageal adenocarcinomas (27%) were evaluated. Antibodies anti-HER2, EGFR, MET, AKT1 and phospho-mTOR were used for immunostaining of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded slides. Using FISH, HER2 amplification was evaluated in cases with an intermediate (+2) staining. EGFR overexpression (11%) was a poor prognostic factor for overall survival (3-year OS: 47% vs 77%; Log-Rank p= 0.033). MET overexpression (36%) was associated with a trend for a worse survival (3-year OS: 65% vs 77%; Log-Rank p= 0.084). HER2 amplification/overexpression and mTOR hyper-phosphorylation were observed in 13% and 48% of tumors, respectively. AKT1 overexpression (8%) was not a prognostic factor by itself (p= 0.234). AKT1 and EGFR overexpression was mutually exclusive and patients with EGFR or AKT1 overexpression experienced a poor prognosis (3-year OS: 52% vs. 79%, Log-Rank p= 0.005). EGFR is confirmed a poor prognostic factor in resected gastric cancers. We firstly describe a mutually exclusive overexpression of EGFR and AKT1 with potential prognostic implications, suggesting the relevance of this pathway for the growth of gastric cancers.

  8. Survival after Radiofrequency Ablation in 122 Patients with Inoperable Colorectal Lung Metastases

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gillams, Alice, E-mail: alliesorting@gmail.com [The London Clinic, Radiology Department (United Kingdom); Khan, Zahid [Countess of Chester Hospital (United Kingdom); Osborn, Peter [Queen Alexandra Hospital (United Kingdom); Lees, William [University College London Medical School (United Kingdom)

    2013-06-15

    Purpose. To analyze the factors associated with favorable survival in patients with inoperable colorectal lung metastases treated with percutaneous image-guided radiofrequency ablation. Methods. Between 2002 and 2011, a total of 398 metastases were ablated in 122 patients (87 male, median age 68 years, range 29-90 years) at 256 procedures. Percutaneous CT-guided cool-tip radiofrequency ablation was performed under sedation/general anesthesia. Maximum tumor size, number of tumors ablated, number of procedures, concurrent/prior liver ablation, previous liver or lung resection, systemic chemotherapy, disease-free interval from primary resection to lung metastasis, and survival from first ablation were recorded prospectively. Kaplan-Meier analysis was performed, and factors were compared by log rank test. Results. The initial number of metastases ablated was 2.3 (range 1-8); the total number was 3.3 (range 1-15). The maximum tumor diameter was 1.7 (range 0.5-4) cm, and the number of procedures was 2 (range 1-10). The major complication rate was 3.9 %. Overall median and 3-year survival rate were 41 months and 57 %. Survival was better in patients with smaller tumors-a median of 51 months, with 3-year survival of 64 % for tumors 2 cm or smaller versus 31 months and 44 % for tumors 2.1-4 cm (p = 0.08). The number of metastases ablated and whether the tumors were unilateral or bilateral did not affect survival. The presence of treated liver metastases, systemic chemotherapy, or prior lung resection did not affect survival. Conclusion. Three-year survival of 57 % in patients with inoperable colorectal lung metastases is better than would be expected with chemotherapy alone. Patients with inoperable but small-volume colorectal lung metastases should be referred for ablation.

  9. Survival, persistence, and regeneration of the reindeer lichens, Cladina stellaris, C. rangiferina, and C. mitis following clearcut logging and forest fire in northwestern Ontario

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elizabeth T. Webb

    1998-03-01

    Full Text Available The responses of the reindeer lichens (Cladina stellaris, C. rangiferina, and C. mitis to logging and fire were compared in lichen-rich forest stands in northwestern Ontario. In the summer of 1992, reindeer lichen cover, in total and by species, was visually estimated and detailed notes were taken on reindeer lichen conditions, modes of reproduction, and substrate use on 34 undisturbed, burned, or logged sites. While virtually no reindeer lichens survived forest fire, much of the reindeer lichen cover remained after logging. Reindeer lichen cover increased with time since fire. Total reindeer lichen cover was not correlated with time since logging. Fragment growth was found to be an important mode of reproduction on logged sites, and occurred with greater frequency on logged sites than on burned sites. Colonization of organic substrates by reindeer lichens was observed on both logged and burned sites.

  10. Parathyroid carcinoma survival: improvements in the era of intact parathyroid hormone monitoring?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Steve R. Martinez

    2013-02-01

    Full Text Available The intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH assay is a critical test in the diagnosis and management of PTH-mediated hypercalcemia, including parathyroid carcinoma (PCa. We hypothesized that the survival of patients diagnosed with PCa has improved since adoption of the iPTH assay into clinical practice. We identified all confirmed cases of PCa within the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database from 1973 to 2006. Patients were categorized into two eras based upon introduction of the iPTH assay: 1973 to 1997 (era I and 1997 to 2006 (era II, when the iPTH assay was in standard use. We estimated overall survival (OS and disease-specific survival (DSS using the Kaplan-Meier method, with differences among survival curves assessed via log rank. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models compared the survival rates between treatment eras while controlling for patient age, sex, race/ethnicity, tumor size, nodal status, extent of disease, and type of surgery. Multivariate models included patients undergoing potentially curative surgery and excluded those with dis- tant metastases. Risks of overall and disease-specific mortality were reported as hazard ratios with 95% confidence intervals. Study criteria were met by 370 patients. Median survival was 15.6 years. Five-year rates of OS and DSS were 78% and 88% for era I and 82% and 96% for era II. On multivariate analysis, age, black race, and unknown extent of disease predicted an increased risk of death from any cause. Treatment era did not predict OS. No factor predicted PCa-specific mortality. In multivariate analysis, neither OS nor DSS have improved in the current era that utilizes iPTH for the detection and management of PCa.

  11. International Ranking of Infant Mortality Rates: Taiwan Compared with European Countries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fu-Wen Liang

    2016-08-01

    Conclusion: The ranking of Taiwan was similar (11th vs. 12th according the two definitions. However, after consideration of the confidence interval, only six countries (Sweden, Finland, Czech Republic, Belgium, Austria, and Germany had infant mortality rates statistically significantly lower than those of Taiwan in 2004.

  12. Hyper-local, directions-based ranking of places

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Venetis, Petros; Gonzalez, Hector; Jensen, Christian S.

    2011-01-01

    they are numerous and contain precise locations. Specifically, the paper proposes a framework that takes a user location and a collection of near-by places as arguments, producing a ranking of the places. The framework enables a range of aspects of directions queries to be exploited for the ranking of places......, including the frequency with which places have been referred to in directions queries. Next, the paper proposes an algorithm and accompanying data structures capable of ranking places in response to hyper-local web queries. Finally, an empirical study with very large directions query logs offers insight...... into the potential of directions queries for the ranking of places and suggests that the proposed algorithm is suitable for use in real web search engines....

  13. Additional androgen deprivation makes the difference. Biochemical recurrence-free survival in prostate cancer patients after HDR brachytherapy and external beam radiotherapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schiffmann, Jonas; Tennstedt, Pierre; Beyer, Burkhard; Boehm, Katharina; Tilki, Derya; Salomon, Georg; Graefen, Markus; Lesmana, Hans; Platz, Volker; Petersen, Cordula; Kruell, Andreas; Schwarz, Rudolf

    2015-01-01

    The role of additional androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) in prostate cancer (PCa) patients treated with combined HDR brachytherapy (HDR-BT) and external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) is still unknown. Consecutive PCa patients classified as D'Amico intermediate and high-risk who underwent HDR-BT and EBRT treatment ± ADT at our institution between January 1999 and February 2009 were assessed. Multivariable Cox regression models predicting biochemical recurrence (BCR) were performed. BCR-free survival was assessed with Kaplan-Meier analyses. Overall, 392 patients were assessable. Of these, 221 (56.4 %) underwent trimodality (HDR-BT and EBRT and ADT) and 171 (43.6 %) bimodality (HDR-BT and EBRT) treatment. Additional ADT administration reduced the risk of BCR (HR: 0.4, 95 % CI: 0.3-0.7, p < 0.001). D'Amico high-risk patients had superior BCR-free survival when additional ADT was administered (log-rank p < 0.001). No significant difference for BCR-free survival was recorded when additional ADT was administered to D'Amico intermediate-risk patients (log-rank p = 0.2). Additional ADT administration improves biochemical control in D'Amico high-risk patients when HDR-BT and EBRT are combined. Physicians should consider the oncological benefit of ADT administration for these patients during the decision-making process. (orig.) [de

  14. Survival Rate of Limb Replantation in Different Age Groups.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tatebe, Masahiro; Urata, Shiro; Tanaka, Kenji; Kurahashi, Toshikazu; Takeda, Shinsuke; Hirata, Hitoshi

    2017-08-01

    Revascularization of damaged limbs/digits is technically feasible, but indications for surgical replantation remain controversial. The authors analyzed the survival rate of upper limb amputations and the associated factors in different age groups. They grouped 371 limb/digit amputees (average age, 44 years; range, 2-85 years) treated in their hospital during the past 10 years into three groups based on age (young, ≤ 15 years, n  = 12; adult, 16-64 years, n  = 302; elderly, ≥ 65 years, n  = 57) and analyzed their injury type (extent of injury and stump status), operation method, presence of medical complications (Charlson comorbidity index), and survival rate. There were 168 replantations, and the overall replantation survival rate was 93%. The Charlson comorbidity index of the replantation patients was 0 in 124 cases; 1 in 32; 2 in 9; and 3 in 3, but it did not show any significant difference in survival rate after replantation. Eight elderly patients (14%) did not opt for replantation. Younger patients tended to undergo replantation, but they had lower success rates due to their severe injury status. The results of this study show that the survival rate of replantation in elderly patients is equal to that in adults. Stump evaluation is important for survival, but the presence of medical complications is not associated with the overall survival rate.

  15. Access, Rank, and Select in Grammar-compressed Strings

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Belazzougui, Djamal; Cording, Patrick Hagge; Puglisi, Simon J.

    2015-01-01

    Given a string S of length N on a fixed alphabet of σ symbols, a grammar compressor produces a context-free grammar G of size n that generates S and only S. In this paper we describe data structures to support the following operations on a grammar-compressed string: access(S,i,j) (return substring...... consecutive symbols from S. Alternatively, we can achieve \\O(logτN+m/logσN) query time using \\O(nτlogτ(N/n)logN) bits of space, matching a lower bound stated by Verbin and Yu for strings where N is polynomially related to n when τ = log ε N. For rank and select we describe data structures of size \\O...

  16. The impact of lymph vascular space invasion on recurrence and survival in patients with early stage endometrial cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Loizzi, V; Cormio, G; Lorusso, M; Latorre, D; Falagario, M; Demitri, P; Scardigno, D; Selvaggi, L E

    2014-05-01

    The aim of this study was to determine impact of lymph vascular space involvement (LVSI) on recurrence and survival in early stage of endometrial cancer. From 1991 through 2010, all endometrial cancer patients at University Hospital of Bari, Italy were identified. The Log-rank test and Kaplan-Meyer methods were used for time-to-event analysis to evaluate the effects of on lymph vascular space involvement recurrence rate and survival time. Of the 560 endometrial cancer patients, 525 underwent primary surgery. Of those, 399 had early stage disease. Three hundred and forty women were not found to have LVSI, whereas 59 were found to have lymph vascular space involvement. Forty-nine (12%) patients developed a recurrence and 20 of them showed lymph vascular space involvement. The statistical analysis demonstrated that LVSI was strongly associated with a poor survival (P < 0.0001). Lymph vascular space involvement is associated with a high risk of recurrence and poor overall survival in early stage of endometrial cancer; therefore, the clinical decision to decide whether or not a patient with early stage endometrial cancer should receive adjuvant therapy should be included the evaluation of lymph vascular space involvement. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  17. Edge Contrast of the FLAIR Hyperintense Region Predicts Survival in Patients with High-Grade Gliomas following Treatment with Bevacizumab.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bahrami, N; Piccioni, D; Karunamuni, R; Chang, Y-H; White, N; Delfanti, R; Seibert, T M; Hattangadi-Gluth, J A; Dale, A; Farid, N; McDonald, C R

    2018-04-05

    Treatment with bevacizumab is standard of care for recurrent high-grade gliomas; however, monitoring response to treatment following bevacizumab remains a challenge. The purpose of this study was to determine whether quantifying the sharpness of the fluid-attenuated inversion recovery hyperintense border using a measure derived from texture analysis-edge contrast-improves the evaluation of response to bevacizumab in patients with high-grade gliomas. MRIs were evaluated in 33 patients with high-grade gliomas before and after the initiation of bevacizumab. Volumes of interest within the FLAIR hyperintense region were segmented. Edge contrast magnitude for each VOI was extracted using gradients of the 3D FLAIR images. Cox proportional hazards models were generated to determine the relationship between edge contrast and progression-free survival/overall survival using age and the extent of surgical resection as covariates. After bevacizumab, lower edge contrast of the FLAIR hyperintense region was associated with poorer progression-free survival ( P = .009) and overall survival ( P = .022) among patients with high-grade gliomas. Kaplan-Meier curves revealed that edge contrast cutoff significantly stratified patients for both progression-free survival (log-rank χ 2 = 8.3, P = .003) and overall survival (log-rank χ 2 = 5.5, P = .019). Texture analysis using edge contrast of the FLAIR hyperintense region may be an important predictive indicator in patients with high-grade gliomas following treatment with bevacizumab. Specifically, low FLAIR edge contrast may partially reflect areas of early tumor infiltration. This study adds to a growing body of literature proposing that quantifying features may be important for determining outcomes in patients with high-grade gliomas. © 2018 by American Journal of Neuroradiology.

  18. Long-term survival outcomes in patients with surgically treated oropharyngeal cancer and defined human papilloma virus status.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dale, O T; Sood, S; Shah, K A; Han, C; Rapozo, D; Mehanna, H; Winter, S C

    2016-11-01

    This study investigated long-term survival outcomes in surgically treated oropharyngeal cancer patients with known human papilloma virus status. A case note review was performed of all patients undergoing primary surgery for oropharyngeal cancer in a single centre over a 10-year period. Human papilloma virus status was determined via dual modality testing. Associations between clinicopathological variables and survival were identified using a log-rank test. Of the 107 cases in the study, 40 per cent (n = 41) were human papilloma virus positive. The positive and negative predictive values of p16 immunohistochemistry for human papilloma virus status were 57 per cent and 100 per cent, respectively. At a mean follow up of 59.5 months, 5-year overall and disease-specific survival estimates were 78 per cent and 69 per cent, respectively. Human papilloma virus status (p = 0.014), smoking status (p = 0.021) and tumour stage (p = 0.03) were significant prognostic indicators. The long-term survival rates in surgically treated oropharyngeal cancer patients were comparable to other studies. Variables including human papilloma virus status and tumour stage were associated with survival in patients treated with primary surgery; however, nodal stage and presence of extracapsular spread were non-prognostic.

  19. Risk factors affecting survival in heart transplant patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Almenar, L; Cardo, M L; Martínez-Dolz, L; García-Palomar, C; Rueda, J; Zorio, E; Arnau, M A; Osa, A; Palencia, M

    2005-11-01

    Certain cardiovascular risk factors have been linked to morbidity and mortality in heart transplant (HT) patients. The sum of various risk factors may have a large cumulative negative effect, leading to a substantially worse prognosis and the need to consider whether HT is contraindicated. The objective of this study was to determine whether the risk factors usually available prior to HT result in an excess mortality in our setting that contraindicates transplantation. Consecutive patients who underwent heart transplantation from November 1987 to January 2004 were included. Heart-lung transplants, retransplants, and pediatric transplants were excluded. Of the 384 patients, 89% were men. Mean age was 52 years (range, 12 to 67). Underlying disease included ischemic heart disease (52%), idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (36%), valvular disease (8%), and other (4%). Variables considered risk factors were obesity (BMI >25), dyslipidemia, hypertension, prior thoracic surgery, diabetes, and history of ischemic heart disease. Survival curves by number of risk factors using Kaplan-Meier and log-rank for comparison of curves. Overall patient survival at 1, 5, 10, and 13 years was 76%, 68%, 54%, and 47%, respectively. Survival at 10 years, if fewer than two risk factors were present, was 69%; 59% if two or three factors were present; and 37% if more than three associated risk factors were present (P = .04). The presence of certain risk factors in patients undergoing HT resulted in lower survival rates. The combination of various risk factors clearly worsened outcomes. However, we do not believe this should be an absolute contraindication for transplantation.

  20. SibRank: Signed bipartite network analysis for neighbor-based collaborative ranking

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shams, Bita; Haratizadeh, Saman

    2016-09-01

    Collaborative ranking is an emerging field of recommender systems that utilizes users' preference data rather than rating values. Unfortunately, neighbor-based collaborative ranking has gained little attention despite its more flexibility and justifiability. This paper proposes a novel framework, called SibRank that seeks to improve the state of the art neighbor-based collaborative ranking methods. SibRank represents users' preferences as a signed bipartite network, and finds similar users, through a novel personalized ranking algorithm in signed networks.

  1. Six-month bracket failure rate with a flowable composite: A split-mouth randomized controlled trial

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sindhuja Krishnan

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION: The use of flowable composites as an orthodontic bonding adhesive merits great attention because of their adequate bond strength, ease of clinical handling and reduced number of steps in bonding. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this Randomized Controlled Trial was to comparatively evaluate over a 6-month period the bond failure rate of a flowable composite (Heliosit Orthodontic, Ivoclar Vivadent AG, Schaan and a conventional orthodontic bonding adhesive (Transbond XT, 3M Unitek. METHODS: 53 consecutive patients (23 males and 30 females who fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria were included in the study. A total of 891 brackets were analyzed, where 444 brackets were bonded using Heliosit Orthodontic and 447 brackets were bonded using Transbond XT. The survival rates of brackets were estimated with the Kaplan-Meier analysis. Bracket survival distributions for bonding adhesives, tooth location and dental arch were compared with the log-rank test. RESULTS: The failure rates of the Transbond XT and the Heliosit Orthodontic groups were 8.1% and 6% respectively. No significant differences in the survival rates were observed between them (p= 0.242. There was no statistically significant difference in the bond failure rates when the clinical performance of the maxillary versus the mandibular arches and the anterior versus the posterior segments were compared. CONCLUSIONS: Both systems had clinically acceptable bond failure rates and are adequate for orthodontic bonding needs.

  2. Logging production rates in young-growth, mixed-conifer stands in north central California

    Science.gov (United States)

    Philip M. McDonald

    1972-01-01

    To quantify production rates for small trees, this study examined the components of log-making and tractor yarding at the Challenge Experimental Forest, Yuba County, California. Rates were calculated over a range of 12 to 40 inches d.b.h. The rate for incense-cedar was lowest; for ponderosa pine it was intermediate; and for Douglas-fir, white fir, and sugar pine...

  3. Post-treatment changes of tumour perfusion parameters can help to predict survival in patients with high-grade astrocytoma

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sanz-Requena, Roberto; Marti-Bonmati, Luis [Hospital Quironsalud Valencia, Radiology Department, Valencia (Spain); Hospital Universitari i Politecnic La Fe, Grupo de Investigacion Biomedica en Imagen, Valencia (Spain); Revert-Ventura, Antonio J.; Salame-Gamarra, Fares [Hospital de Manises, Radiology Department, Manises (Spain); Garcia-Marti, Gracian [Hospital Quironsalud Valencia, Radiology Department, Valencia (Spain); Hospital Universitari i Politecnic La Fe, Grupo de Investigacion Biomedica en Imagen, Valencia (Spain); CIBER-SAM, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid (Spain); Perez-Girbes, Alexandre [Hospital Universitari i Politecnic La Fe, Grupo de Investigacion Biomedica en Imagen, Valencia (Spain); Molla-Olmos, Enrique [Hospital La Ribera, Radiology Department, Alzira (Spain)

    2017-08-15

    Vascular characteristics of tumour and peritumoral volumes of high-grade gliomas change with treatment. This work evaluates the variations of T2*-weighted perfusion parameters as overall survival (OS) predictors. Forty-five patients with histologically confirmed high-grade astrocytoma (8 grade III and 37 grade IV) were included. All patients underwent pre- and post-treatment T2*-weighted contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Tumour, peritumoral and control volumes were segmented. Relative variations of cerebral blood flow (CBF), cerebral blood volume (CBV), mean transit time (MTT), K{sup trans-T2*}, k{sub ep-T2*}, v{sub e-T2*} and v{sub p-T2*} were calculated. Differences regarding tumour grade and surgical resection extension were evaluated with ANOVA tests. For each parameter, two groups were defined by non-supervised clusterisation. Survival analysis were performed on these groups. For the tumour region, the 90th percentile increase or stagnation of CBV was associated with shorter survival, while a decrease related to longer survival (393 ± 189 vs 594 ± 294 days; log-rank p = 0.019; Cox hazard-ratio, 2.31; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.12-4.74). K{sup trans-T2*} showed similar results (414 ± 177 vs 553 ± 312 days; log-rank p = 0.037; hazard-ratio, 2.19; 95% CI, 1.03-4.65). The peritumoral area values showed no relationship with OS. Post-treatment variations of the highest CBV and K{sup trans-T2*} values in the tumour volume are predictive factors of OS in patients with high-grade gliomas. (orig.)

  4. rpsftm: An R Package for Rank Preserving Structural Failure Time Models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allison, Annabel; White, Ian R; Bond, Simon

    2017-12-04

    Treatment switching in a randomised controlled trial occurs when participants change from their randomised treatment to the other trial treatment during the study. Failure to account for treatment switching in the analysis (i.e. by performing a standard intention-to-treat analysis) can lead to biased estimates of treatment efficacy. The rank preserving structural failure time model (RPSFTM) is a method used to adjust for treatment switching in trials with survival outcomes. The RPSFTM is due to Robins and Tsiatis (1991) and has been developed by White et al. (1997, 1999). The method is randomisation based and uses only the randomised treatment group, observed event times, and treatment history in order to estimate a causal treatment effect. The treatment effect, ψ , is estimated by balancing counter-factual event times (that would be observed if no treatment were received) between treatment groups. G-estimation is used to find the value of ψ such that a test statistic Z ( ψ ) = 0. This is usually the test statistic used in the intention-to-treat analysis, for example, the log rank test statistic. We present an R package that implements the method of rpsftm.

  5. Swan-neck versus straight peritoneal dialysis catheter: Long-term effect on patient and method survival.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Filiopoulos, V; Biblaki, D; Takouli, L; Dounavis, A; Hadjiyannakos, D; Vlassopoulos, D

    2016-09-01

    Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is limited mainly by a higher technique failure rate as compared to hemodialysis (HD), catheter malfunction being an important reason. Intra- and extra-peritoneal catheter configuration may be associated with mechanical and infectious complications affecting method survival. We report our experience with two extra-peritoneal catheter configurations: the straight and the swan-neck (SN) catheters. A total of 85 consecutive patients, 58 males and 27 females were included in the study. Among them, 26 were diabetics; 52 were treated with automated PD (APD) and 33 with continuous ambulatory PD (CAPD). Straight catheters were used in 38 patients (straight group) and SN catheters in 47 patients (SN group). Straight catheters were mostly used in the first 6-year period while SN catheters in the last 6-year period. The baseline demographics were similar between the two groups. A significantly higher frequency of APD use was observed in SN group. Technique survival was better with SN versus straight (log-rank test, P = 0.01) while patient and catheter survival were similar. A better technique survival is noted in our group of patients with SN catheters. An additional factor could be the significantly higher frequency of APD use in this group. Changes in PD solutions' composition could also contribute to improvement in technique survival. The outcome for patients and catheter types used was similar.

  6. [Determinants of survival in HIV patients receiving antiretroviral therapy in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akilimali, P Z; Mutombo, P B; Kayembe, P K; Kaba, D K; Mapatano, M A

    2014-06-01

    The study aimed to identify factors associated with the survival of patients receiving antiretroviral therapy. A historic cohort of HIV patients from two major hospitals in Goma (Democratic Republic of Congo) was followed from 2004 to 2012. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to describe the probability of survival as a function of time since inclusion into the cohort. The log-rank test was used to compare survival curves based on determinants. The Cox regression model identified the determinants of survival since treatment induction. The median follow-up time was 3.56 years (IQR=2.22-5.39). The mortality rate was 40 deaths per 1000 person-years. Male gender (RR: 2.56; 95 %CI 1.66-4.83), advanced clinical stage (RR: 2.12; 95 %CI 1.15-3.90), low CD4 count (CD4 < 50) (RR: 2.05; 95 %CI : 1.22-3.45), anemia (RR: 3.95; 95 %CI 2.60-6.01), chemoprophylaxis with cotrimoxazole (RR: 4.29, 95 % CI 2.69-6.86) and period of treatment initiation (2010-2011) (RR: 3.34; 95 %CI 1.24-8.98) were statistically associated with short survival. Initiation of treatment at an early stage of the disease with use of less toxic molecules and an increased surveillance especially of male patients are recommended to reduce mortality. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  7. Everolimus plus exemestane in postmenopausal patients with HR(+) breast cancer: BOLERO-2 final progression-free survival analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yardley, Denise A; Noguchi, Shinzaburo; Pritchard, Kathleen I; Burris, Howard A; Baselga, José; Gnant, Michael; Hortobagyi, Gabriel N; Campone, Mario; Pistilli, Barbara; Piccart, Martine; Melichar, Bohuslav; Petrakova, Katarina; Arena, Francis P; Erdkamp, Frans; Harb, Wael A; Feng, Wentao; Cahana, Ayelet; Taran, Tetiana; Lebwohl, David; Rugo, Hope S

    2013-10-01

    Effective treatments for hormone-receptor-positive (HR(+)) breast cancer (BC) following relapse/progression on nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitor (NSAI) therapy are needed. Initial Breast Cancer Trials of OraL EveROlimus-2 (BOLERO-2) trial data demonstrated that everolimus and exemestane significantly prolonged progression-free survival (PFS) versus placebo plus exemestane alone in this patient population. BOLERO-2 is a phase 3, double-blind, randomized, international trial comparing everolimus (10 mg/day) plus exemestane (25 mg/day) versus placebo plus exemestane in postmenopausal women with HR(+) advanced BC with recurrence/progression during or after NSAIs. The primary endpoint was PFS by local investigator review, and was confirmed by independent central radiology review. Overall survival, response rate, and clinical benefit rate were secondary endpoints. Final study results with median 18-month follow-up show that median PFS remained significantly longer with everolimus plus exemestane versus placebo plus exemestane [investigator review: 7.8 versus 3.2 months, respectively; hazard ratio = 0.45 (95% confidence interval 0.38-0.54); log-rank P NSAIs. These results further support the use of everolimus plus exemestane in this patient population. ClinicalTrials.gov #NCT00863655.

  8. Two-year survival of Ahmed valve implantation in the first 2 years of life with and without intraoperative mitomycin-C.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al-Mobarak, Faisal; Khan, Arif O

    2009-10-01

    To evaluate the effect of intraoperative mitomycin-C (MMC) on polypropylene Ahmed glaucoma valve (AGV) survival 2 years after implantation during the first 2 years of life. Retrospective institutional comparative series (1995-2005). Thirty-one eyes of 27 patients (23 unilateral, 4 bilateral; 16 boys, 11 girls) undergoing AGV implantation at a mean age of 11.1 months (standard deviation [SD], 5.46), all of which had 2 years of regular postoperative follow-up. MMC was applied intraoperatively in those cases in the area of AGV implantation in 16 (52%) and was not applied in 15 (48%). In some eyes, MMC was applied intraoperatively in cases done by the surgeons who routinely used MMC for all AGV implantation in young children. Failure was defined as intraocular pressure (IOP) > 22 mmHg with or without glaucoma medications, the need for an additional procedure for IOP control, or the occurrence of significant complications (e.g., endophthalmitis, retinal detachment, persistent hypotony [IOP < 5 mmHg]). Survival was the absence of failure. Failure or significant complications as defined. Mean survival for the non-MMC eyes (22.15 months; standard error [SE], 1.93) was significantly longer than survival for the MMC eyes (16.25 months; SE, 2.17) by the log-rank test (P = 0.025). The difference in cumulative survival at 2 years was also significantly different by log-rank test (P = 0.001): 80.0% (SE 10.3) and 31.3% (SE 11.6), respectively. Rather than improved survival, intraoperative use of MMC was associated with shorter survival 2 years after AGV implantation during the first 2 years of life. We speculate that MMC-induced tissue death can stimulate a reactive fibrosis around the AGV in very young eyes.

  9. Dose-rate dependent stochastic effects in radiation cell-survival models

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sachs, R.K.; Hlatky, L.R.

    1990-01-01

    When cells are subjected to ionizing radiation the specific energy rate (microscopic analog of dose-rate) varies from cell to cell. Within one cell, this rate fluctuates during the course of time; a crossing of a sensitive cellular site by a high energy charged particle produces many ionizations almost simultaneously, but during the interval between events no ionizations occur. In any cell-survival model one can incorporate the effect of such fluctuations without changing the basic biological assumptions. Using stochastic differential equations and Monte Carlo methods to take into account stochastic effects we calculated the dose-survival rfelationships in a number of current cell survival models. Some of the models assume quadratic misrepair; others assume saturable repair enzyme systems. It was found that a significant effect of random fluctuations is to decrease the theoretically predicted amount of dose-rate sparing. In the limit of low dose-rates neglecting the stochastic nature of specific energy rates often leads to qualitatively misleading results by overestimating the surviving fraction drastically. In the opposite limit of acute irradiation, analyzing the fluctuations in rates merely amounts to analyzing fluctuations in total specific energy via the usual microdosimetric specific energy distribution function, and neglecting fluctuations usually underestimates the surviving fraction. The Monte Carlo methods interpolate systematically between the low dose-rate and high dose-rate limits. As in other approaches, the slope of the survival curve at low dose-rates is virtually independent of dose and equals the initial slope of the survival curve for acute radiation. (orig.)

  10. Survival analysis for predictive factors of delay vaccination in Iranian children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abolfazl Mohammadbeigi

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Today, beside immunization coverage the age appropriate vaccination is another helpful index in public health. Evidences have shown that high immunization coverage rates do not necessarily imply age-appropriate vaccination status. The current study aimed to show the predictive factors of delayed vaccination by survival models. Methods: A historical cohort study conducted on 3610 children aged between 24 and 47 months who was living in the suburbs of five big cities of Iran. Time of delay in vaccination of first dose of mumps-measles-rubella (MMR was calculated from date of vaccination minus age appropriate time according to vaccine card. Kaplan-Maier and Log rank tests were used for comparison the median of delay time. For controlling of confounding variables, multivariate cox model was used and hazard ratio with 95% confidence interval (95% was reported. Results: The mean ± standard deviation and median interquartile range of delay time was 38.34 ± 73.1 and 16 (11-31 days in delayed group. The Log rank test showed that city of living, nationality, parents′ education, and birth order are related with prolonged delay time in MMR vaccination (P 0.05. Cox regression showed that city of living, mother education, and nationality are the most predictive factors of delay time duration in MMR vaccination. Conclusions: Delay time duration of vaccination increased by faring from capital to the east south. Moreover, concentration of foreign immigrants in big cities and low level of mother education are the most predictors of delayed vaccination. Educational intervention should focus on immigrants and mothers with low education level.

  11. Biological legacies buffer local species extinction after logging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rudolphi, Jörgen; Jönsson, Mari T; Gustafsson, Lena; Bugmann, H

    2014-02-01

    Clearcutting has been identified as a main threat to forest biodiversity. In the last few decades, alternatives to clearcutting have gained much interest. Living and dead trees are often retained after harvest to serve as structural legacies to mitigate negative effects of forestry. However, this practice is widely employed without information from systematic before-after control-impact studies to assess the processes involved in species responses after clearcutting with retention. We performed a large-scale survey of the occurrence of logging-sensitive and red-listed bryophytes and lichens before and after clearcutting with the retention approach. A methodology was adopted that, for the first time in studies on retention approaches, enabled monitoring of location-specific substrates. We used uncut stands as controls to assess the variables affecting the survival of species after a major disturbance. In total, 12 bryophyte species and 27 lichen species were analysed. All were classified as sensitive to logging, and most species are also currently red-listed. We found that living and dead trees retained after final harvest acted as refugia in which logging-sensitive species were able to survive for 3 to 7 years after logging. Depending on type of retention and organism group, between 35% and 92% of the species occurrences persisted on retained structures. Most species observed outside retention trees or patches disappeared. Larger pre-harvest population sizes of bryophytes on dead wood increased the survival probability of the species and hence buffered the negative effects of logging. Synthesis and applications . Careful spatial planning of retention structures is required to fully embrace the habitats of logging-sensitive species. Bryophytes and lichens persisted to a higher degree in retention patches compared to solitary trees or in the clearcut area. Retaining groups of trees in logged areas will help to sustain populations of species over the clearcut phase

  12. Does the patient's inherent rating tendency influence reported satisfaction scores and affect division ranking?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Francis, Patricia; Agoritsas, Thomas; Chopard, Pierre; Perneger, Thomas

    2016-04-01

    To determine the impact of adjusting for rating tendency (RT) on patient satisfaction scores in a large teaching hospital and to assess the impact of adjustment on the ranking of divisions. Cross-sectional survey. Large 2200-bed university teaching hospital. All adult patients hospitalized during a 1-month period in one of 20 medical divisions. None. Patient experience of care measured by the Picker Patient Experience questionnaire and RT scores. Problem scores were weakly but significantly associated with RT. Division ranking was slightly modified in RT adjusted models. Division ranking changed substantially in case-mix adjusted models. Adjusting patient self-reported problem scores for RT did impact ranking of divisions, although marginally. Further studies are needed to determine the impact of RT when comparing different institutions, particularly across inter-cultural settings, where the difference in RT may be more substantial. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press in association with the International Society for Quality in Health Care; all rights reserved.

  13. Long-term results of interventional treatment of large unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC): significant survival benefit from combined transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI) compared to TACE monotherapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lubienski, A.; Bitsch, R.G.; Grenacher, L.; Kauffmann, G.W.; Schemmer, P.; Duex, M.

    2004-01-01

    Purpose: A retrospective analysis of long-term efficacy of combined transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI) and TACE monotherapy was conducted in patients with large, non-resectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods and Materials: Fifty patients with large, unresectable HCC lesions underwent selective TACE. Liver cirrhosis was present in 42 patients, due to alcohol abuse (n = 22) and viral infection (n = 17). In three patients, the underlying cause for liver cirrhosis remained unclear. Child A cirrhosis was found in 22 and Child B cirrhosis in 20 patients. Repeated and combined TACE and PEI were performed in 22 patients and repeated TACE monotherapy was performed in 28 patients. Survival and complication rates were determined and compared. Results: The 6-, 12-, 24- and 36-month survival rates were 61%, 21%, 4%, and 4% for TACE monotherapy and 77%, 55%, 39% and 22% for combined TACE and PEI (Kaplan-Meier method). The kind of treatment significantly affected the survival rate (p=0.002 log-rank test). Severe side effects were present in two patients of the monotherapy group and in three patients of the combination therapy group. (orig.)

  14. Early survival and height growth of Douglas-fir and lodgepole pine seedlings and variations in site factors following treatment of logging residues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    W. Lopushlnsky; D. Zabowskl; T.D. Anderson

    1992-01-01

    Logging residues were broadcast burned, piled and burned, removed, or left in place after clearcutting in a high-elevation subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa (Hook.) Nutt.) lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud.) forest in north-central Washington. Survival, height growth and foliar nutrient content of planted Douglas-fir...

  15. Brachytherapy Boost Utilization and Survival in Unfavorable-risk Prostate Cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Skyler B; Lester-Coll, Nataniel H; Kelly, Jacqueline R; Kann, Benjamin H; Yu, James B; Nath, Sameer K

    2017-11-01

    There are limited comparative survival data for prostate cancer (PCa) patients managed with a low-dose rate brachytherapy (LDR-B) boost and dose-escalated external-beam radiotherapy (DE-EBRT) alone. To compare overall survival (OS) for men with unfavorable PCa between LDR-B and DE-EBRT groups. Using the National Cancer Data Base, we identified men with unfavorable PCa treated between 2004 and 2012 with androgen suppression (AS) and either EBRT followed by LDR-B or DE-EBRT (75.6-86.4Gy). Treatment selection was evaluated using logistic regression and annual percentage proportions. OS was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method, log-rank test, Cox proportional hazards, and propensity score matching. We identified 25038 men between 2004 and 2012, during which LDR-B boost utilization decreased from 29% to 14%. LDR-B was associated with better OS on univariate (7-yr OS: 82% vs 73%; pLDR-B boost (HR 0.74, 95% CI 0.66-0.89). The OS benefit of LDR-B boost persisted when limited to men aged LDR-B boost utilization declined and was associated with better OS compared to DE-EBRT alone. LDR-B boost is probably the ideal treatment option for men with unfavorable PCa, pending long-term results of randomized trials. We compared radiotherapy utilization and survival for prostate cancer (PCa) patients using a national database. We found that low-dose rate brachytherapy (LDR-B) boost, a method being used less frequently, was associated with better overall survival when compared to dose-escalated external-beam radiotherapy alone for men with unfavorable PCa. Randomized trials are needed to confirm that LDR-B boost is the ideal treatment. Copyright © 2017 European Association of Urology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Nonsurgical factors of digital replantation and survival rate A metaanalysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Huawei Yu

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this metaanalysis was to evaluate the association between nonsurgical factors and survival rate of digital replantation. A computer search of MEDLINE, OVID, EMBASE and CNKI databases was conducted to identify literatures for digital replantation, with the keywords of "digit," "finger" and "replantation" from their inception to June 10, 2014. Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, data were extracted independently by two authors using piloted forms. Review Manager 5.2 software was used for data analysis. The effect of some nonsurgical factors (gender, age, amputated finger, injury mechanisms, ischemia time and the way of preservation on the survival rate of digital replantation was assessed. The metaanalysis result suggested that gender and ischemia time had no significant influence on the survival rate of amputation replantation. However, the survival rate of digital replantation of adults was significantly higher than that of children. The guillotine injury of a finger was easier to replant successfully than the crush and avulsion. The little finger was more difficult for replantation than thumb. Survival rate of fingers stored in low temperature was higher than that in common temperature. The present metaanalysis suggested that age, injury mechanism, amputated finger and the way of preservation were significantly associated with the survival rate of digital replantation.

  17. Conservative neck dissection in oral cancer patients: A 5 years retrospective study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wan Mahadzir Wan Mustafa

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available The impact of ablative oral cancer surgery was studied, with reference to recurrence and nodal metastasis,  survival probability and prognostic indicators and to determine if ethnicity influences the survival of patients. Patients who underwent major ablative surgery of the head and neck region with neck dissection were identified and assessed. Those with stage I-IV oral and oropharyngeal malignancies necessitating resection with or without radiotherapy from 2004 to 2009 were included in this study. All individuals had a pre-operative assessment and post operative assessment. Survival distributions were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier curves. Eighty seven patients (males: 38%; females: 62% were included in this study, with an age range of 21-85 years. Some 78% underwent neck dissections while 63% had surgery and radiotherapy. Nodal and primary site recurrence was 5.7% and 20.5%. The median survival time was 57 months. One year Overall Survival (OS rate was 72.7% and three year overall survival rate 61.5%. The log-rank test showed a significant difference of survival between Malay and Chinese patients (Bonferroni correction p=0.033. Recurrence-Free Survival (RFS analysis revealed that 25% of the patients have reached the event of recurrence at 46 months. The three year survival rate was 76.1%. In the RFS analysis, the log-rank test showed a significant difference in the event of recurrence and nodal metastasis (p<0.001. Conservative neck effectively controls neck metastases. Ethnicity influence  survival.

  18. EFFECT OF POST-LOGGING SILVICULTURAL TREATMENT ON GROWTH RATES OF RESIDUAL STAND IN A TROPICAL FOREST

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Haruni Krisnawati

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available Post-logging silvicultural treatments are generally performed to improve yields of the remaining tree species by increasing their growth rate. In this study the effects of silvicultural treatment on the growth rates of commercial (dipterocarps and non-dipterocarps as well as non- commercial tree species in a tropical forest in West Kalimantan were examined and were compared to a control treatment. Silvicultural treatment applied was liberation of future crop trees from lianas and neighbouring competing trees. Treatments were applied to six plots of 80 m x 80 m each. The plots comprised 64 quadrats of 10 m x 10 m to allow better control of measurements. The treatment and control plots were established 6 years after logging. Effects were measured 2,4 and 7 years after treatment application. In all obser vation periods, the growth rates increased with silvicultural treatment. Overall, commercial dipterocarps, commercial non-dipterocarps and non-commercial tree species groups differed in response to silvicultural treatment. The growth rates of commercial tree species in plots that received silvicultural treatment were 62–97% higher than in the control plots. For non-commercial tree species, the increase of growth rates was 20–58%, compared to the control plots. These results indicate that the application of silvicultural treatments after logging could help improve the growth of the residual stands. These provide quantitative information that silvicultural treatments in logged-over forest should be considered as a viable management option and may guide the choice of cutting cycle.

  19. Low-dose-rate brachytherapy for the treatment of localised prostate cancer in men with a high risk of disease relapse.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laing, Robert; Uribe, Jennifer; Uribe-Lewis, Santiago; Money-Kyrle, Julian; Perna, Carla; Chintzoglou, Stylianos; Khaksar, Sara; Langley, Stephen E M

    2018-04-01

    To report clinical outcomes of 125 I low-dose-rate prostate brachytherapy (LDR-PB) as monotherapy or combined with androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) and/or external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) in high-risk localised prostate cancer. Analysis of clinical outcomes from a prospective cohort of patients treated with LDR-PB alone or combined treatment in a single institution. Men with a high risk of disease relapse were identified by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) criteria or by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) criteria. Relapse-free survival (RFS), overall survival (OS), prostate cancer-specific survival (PCSS), and metastases-free survival (MFS), were analysed together with patient-reported symptom scores and physician-reported adverse events. The NICE and NCCN criteria identified 267 and 202 high-risk patients, respectively. NICE-defined patients had significantly lower pre-treatment PSA levels, Gleason scores LDR-PB monotherapy. At 9 years after implantation RFS was 89% and 87% in the NICE and NCCN groups, respectively (log-rank P = 0.637), and OS 93% and 94%, respectively (log-rank P = 0.481). All of the survival estimates were similar between LDR-PB monotherapy and combined therapies. Cox proportional hazards regression confirmed RFS was similar between the treatment types. Treatment-related toxicity was also similar between the treatment methods. LDR-PB is effective at controlling localised prostate cancer in patients with a high risk of disease relapse. As the present study was not randomised, it is not possible to define those patients who need the addition of ADT and/or EBRT. However, the NICE criteria appear suitable to define treatment options where patients could benefit from LDR-PB as monotherapy or combined treatment. This choice should be discussed with the patient taking into account comorbidities and presence of multiple high-risk factors. © 2018 The Authors BJU International © 2018 BJU International

  20. A versatile curve-fit model for linear to deeply concave rank abundance curves

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Neuteboom, J.H.; Struik, P.C.

    2005-01-01

    A new, flexible curve-fit model for linear to concave rank abundance curves was conceptualized and validated using observational data. The model links the geometric-series model and log-series model and can also fit deeply concave rank abundance curves. The model is based ¿ in an unconventional way

  1. Correlation between the CT manifestations and post-operative survival time in patients with thymic epithelial tumor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen Juan; Tan Ye; Wang Xiangyang; Du Jun; Pan Jishu; Wei Jiahu

    2011-01-01

    Objective: To describe the CT manifestations of thymic epithelial tumor and explore the correlation between CT findings and post-operative tumor-related survival time. Methods: Ninety-one patients who underwent CT scan before operation were reviewed retrospectively. All cases had operation and were classified according to the WHO classification. The size, contour, shape, density and enhancement of the tumors on CT were assessed. Presence of mediastinal lymphadenopathy, great vessel invasion, metastasis to the lung or plural, myasthenia gravis (MG) were also analyzed. The survival rate was obtained using, the Kaplan-Meier method. The Cox model was applied to determine the factors affecting the tumor-related survivals. Chi square test was used to analyze the relationship between CT findings and WHO classification. Results: Two patients were excluded because of dying of myocardial infarction and colon cancer. The total 5-year survival rate was 84.3% (n=75). Eighty-nine patients had total 91 tumors. Tumors with diameter larger than 5 cm, lobular contour, heterogenous density, and presence of great vessel invasion, mediastinal lymphadenopathy, and metastasis were adverse factors which could significantly affect the survival time. Five-year survival rates of these factors were 72.7%, 77.3%, 76.7%, 73.8%, 30.0%, and 68.8%, respectively. Presence of MG was a favorable factor which also significantly affected the survival time (P 0.05). The result of the Cox multivariate analysis was consistent with that of the Log-rank test. For different WHO classification, there were significant different among the size or contour of the tumors, presence of great vessel invasion, mediastinal lymphadenopathy, and metastasis (χ 2 value were 6.598, 5.737, 18.307, 8.465, and 15.608, respectively P<0.05). Conclusions: CT findings may be served as predictors of clinical prognosis of the thymic epithelial tumors. Adverse factors for survival time are the size of the tumors and presence of

  2. Adjuvant brachytherapy removes survival disadvantage of local disease extension in stage IIIC endometrial cancer: a SEER registry analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rossi, Peter J; Jani, Ashesh B; Horowitz, Ira R; Johnstone, Peter A S

    2008-01-01

    To assess the role of radiotherapy (RT) in women with Stage IIIC endometrial cancer. The 17-registry Survival, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database was searched for patients with lymph node-positive non-Stage IV epithelial endometrial cancer diagnosed and treated between 1988 and 1998. Two subgroups were identified: those with organ-confined Stage IIIC endometrial cancer and those with Stage IIIC endometrial cancer with direct extension of the primary tumor. RT was coded as external beam RT (EBRT) or brachytherapy (BT). Observed survival (OS) was reported with a minimum of 5 years of follow-up; the survival curves were compared using the log-rank test. The therapy data revealed 611 women with Stage IIIC endometrial cancer during this period. Of these women, 51% were treated with adjuvant EBRT, 21% with EBRT and BT, and 28% with no additional RT (NAT). Of the 611 patients, 293 had organ-confined Stage IIIC endometrial cancer and 318 patients had Stage IIIC endometrial cancer with direct extension of the primary tumor. The 5-year OS rate for all patients was 40% with NAT, 56% after EBRT, and 64% after EBRT/BT. Adjuvant RT improved survival compared with NAT (p primary tumor was present, the addition of BT to EBRT was even more beneficial.

  3. Microsatellite instability is associated with reduced disease specific survival in stage III colon cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohan, H M; Ryan, E; Balasubramanian, I; Kennelly, R; Geraghty, R; Sclafani, F; Fennelly, D; McDermott, R; Ryan, E J; O'Donoghue, D; Hyland, J M P; Martin, S T; O'Connell, P R; Gibbons, D; Winter, Des; Sheahan, K

    2016-11-01

    Up to 15% of colorectal cancers exhibit microsatellite instability (MSI), where errors in replication go unchecked due to defects in the mismatch repair system. This study aimed to determine survival in a large single-centre series of 1250 consecutive colorectal cancers subjected to universal MSI testing. Clinical and pathological features of patients with colorectal cancer identified on prospectively maintained colorectal and pathology databases at St. Vincent's University Hospital from 2004 to May 2012 were examined. Mismatch repair (MMR) status was determined by immunohistochemistry. Kaplan-Meier curves, the log-rank test and Cox regression were used to associate survival with clinical and pathological characteristics. Of the 1250 colorectal cancers in the study period, 11% exhibited MSI (n = 138). Patients with MSI tumours had significantly lower rates of lymph node and distant metastases (MSI N+ rate: 24.8% compared with MSS N+ rate: 46.2%, p colon cancer. However, patients with Stage III MSI colon cancers had a worse DSS than those with MSS tumours. Stage III MSI tumours exhibited higher rates of lymphovascular invasion and perineural invasion than Stage I/II MSI tumours. MSI is associated with a reduced risk of nodal and distant metastases, with an improved DSS in Stage I/II colon cancer. However, when MSI tumours progress to Stage III these patients had worse outcomes and pathological features. New strategies for this cohort of patients may be required to improve outcomes. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  4. A combined QSAR and partial order ranking approach to risk assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carlsen, L

    2006-04-01

    QSAR generated data appear as an attractive alternative to experimental data as foreseen in the proposed new chemicals legislation REACH. A preliminary risk assessment for the aquatic environment can be based on few factors, i.e. the octanol-water partition coefficient (Kow), the vapour pressure (VP) and the potential biodegradability of the compound in combination with the predicted no-effect concentration (PNEC) and the actual tonnage in which the substance is produced. Application of partial order ranking, allowing simultaneous inclusion of several parameters leads to a mutual prioritisation of the investigated substances, the prioritisation possibly being further analysed through the concept of linear extensions and average ranks. The ranking uses endpoint values (log Kow and log VP) derived from strictly linear 'noise-deficient' QSAR models as input parameters. Biodegradation estimates were adopted from the BioWin module of the EPI Suite. The population growth impairment of Tetrahymena pyriformis was used as a surrogate for fish lethality.

  5. The impact of autonomic dysfunction on survival in patients with dementia with Lewy bodies and Parkinson's disease with dementia.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kajsa Stubendorff

    Full Text Available INTRODUCTION: Autonomic dysfunction is a well-known feature in neurodegenerative dementias, especially common in α-synucleinopathies like dementia with Lewy bodies and Parkinson's disease with dementia. The most common symptoms are orthostatic hypotension, incontinence and constipation, but its relevance in clinical practice is poorly understood. There are no earlier studies addressing the influence of autonomic dysfunction on clinical course and survival. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of the three most common features of autonomic dysfunction and analyze how it affects survival. METHODS: Thirty patients with dementia with Lewy bodies and Parkinson's disease with dementia were included in this prospective, longitudinal follow-up study. Presence of incontinence and constipation was recorded at baseline. Blood pressure was measured at baseline, after 3 months and after 6 months according to standardized procedures, with 5 measurements during 10 minutes after rising. Orthostatic hypotension was defined using consensus definitions and persistent orthostatic hypotension was defined as 5 or more measurements with orthostatic hypotension. Difference in survival was analyzed 36 months after baseline. RESULTS: There was a high frequency of persistent orthostatic blood pressure (50%, constipation (30% and incontinence (30%. Patients with persistent orthostatic hypotension had a significantly shorter survival compared to those with no or non-persistent orthostatic hypotension (Log rank x(2 = 4.47, p = 0.034. Patients with constipation and/or urinary incontinence, in addition to persistent orthostatic hypotension, had a poorer prognosis compared to those with isolated persistent orthostatic hypotension or no orthostatic hypotension (Log rank x(2 = 6.370, p = 0.041. DISCUSSION: According to our findings, the identification of autonomic dysfunction seems to be of great importance in clinical practice, not only to

  6. In vitro chemo-sensitivity assay guided chemotherapy is associated with prolonged overall survival in cancer patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Udelnow, Andrej; Schönfęlder, Manfred; Würl, Peter; Halloul, Zuhir; Meyer, Frank; Lippert, Hans; Mroczkowski, Paweł

    2013-06-01

    The overall survival (OS) of patients suffering From various tumour entities was correlated with the results of in vitro-chemosensitivity assay (CSA) of the in vivo applied drugs. Tumour specimen (n=611) were dissected in 514 patients and incubated for primary tumour cell culture. The histocytological regression assay was performed 5 days after adding chemotherapeutic substances to the cell cultures. n=329 patients undergoing chemotherapy were included in the in vitro/in vivo associations. OS was assessed and in vitro response groups compared using survival analysis. Furthermore Cox-regression analysis was performed on OS including CSA, age, TNM classification and treatment course. The growth rate of the primary was 73-96% depending on tumour entity. The in-vitro response rate varied with histology and drugs (e.g. 8-18% for methotrexate and 33-83% for epirubicine). OS was significantly prolonged for patients treated with in vitro effective drugs compared to empiric therapy (log-rank-test, p=0.0435). Cox-regression revealed that application of in vitro effective drugs, residual tumour and postoperative radiotherapy determined the death risk independently. When patients were treated with drugs effective in our CSA, OS was significantly prolonged compared to empiric therapy. CSA guided chemotherapy should be compared to empiric treatment by a prospective randomized trial.

  7. Survival from skin cancer and its associated factors in Kurdistan province of Iran.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahmadi, Galavizh; Asadi-Lari, Mohsen; Amani, Saeid; Solaymani-Dodaran, Masoud

    2015-01-01

    We explored survival of skin cancer and its determinants in Kurdistan province of Iran. In a retrospective cohort design, we identified all registered skin cancer patients in Kurdistan Cancer Registry from year 2000 to 2009. Information on time and cause of death were obtained from Registrar's office and information on type, stage and anatomic locations were extracted from patients' hospital records. Additional demographic information was collected via a telephone interview. We calculated the 3 and 5 years survival. Survival experiences in different groups were compared using log rank test. Cox proportional hazard model was built and hazard ratios and their 95% confidence intervals were calculated. Of a total of 1353, contact information for 667 patients were available, all of which were followed up. 472 telephone interviews were conducted. Mean follow-up time was 34 months. We identified 78 deaths in this group of patients and 44 of them were because of skin cancer. After controlling for confounding, tumour type, anatomical location, and diseases stage remained significantly associated with survival. Hazard ratios for death because of squamous cell carcinoma was 74.5 (95%CI: 4.8-1146) and for melanoma was 24.4 (95%CI: 1.3-485) compared with basal cell carcinomas. Hazard ratio for tumours in stage 4 was 16.7 (95%CI: 1.8-156.6) and for stage 3 was 16.8 (95%CI: 1.07-260) compared with stage 1 and 2. Tumour stage is independently associated with survival. Relatively low survival rates suggest delayed diagnosis. Increasing public awareness through media about the warning signs of skin cancers could increase the chance of survival in these patients.

  8. La competitividad logística en Latinoamérica: índice logístico vs. propuesta metodológica

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marco Alberto Valenzo Jiménez

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Este artículo muestra la situación actual de la competitividad logística en los países latinoamericanos, tomando como base el informe denominado “Connecting to Compite” (Trade Logistics in the Global Economy, 2007 del Banco Mundial. Este informe muestra el ranking de las posiciones que tienen los países latinoamericanos en materia de logística y en el cual se analizan las variables —aduanas, infraestructura, embarques internacionales, competencia logística, trazabilidad y seguimiento, costos logísticos domésticos y tiempo de entrega— que contiene la metodología utilizada por el Banco Mundial. La plataforma de estudio de este artículo parte del índice de competitividad logística, que, mediante la aplicación de la metodología “Valenzo – Martínez” permite analizar la base de datos de una manera más profunda, y da como resultado una escala de competitividad logística que nos muestra el nivel general de la competitividad logística en Latinoamérica, así como también el nivel de competitividad por variable, para, de esta manera, permitir una fácil interpretación de los resultados.

  9. Optimizing Earth Data Search Ranking using Deep Learning and Real-time User Behaviour

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Y.; Yang, C. P.; Armstrong, E. M.; Huang, T.; Moroni, D. F.; McGibbney, L. J.; Greguska, F. R., III

    2017-12-01

    Finding Earth science data has been a challenging problem given both the quantity of data available and the heterogeneity of the data across a wide variety of domains. Current search engines in most geospatial data portals tend to induce end users to focus on one single data characteristic dimension (e.g., term frequency-inverse document frequency (TF-IDF) score, popularity, release date, etc.). This approach largely fails to take account of users' multidimensional preferences for geospatial data, and hence may likely result in a less than optimal user experience in discovering the most applicable dataset out of a vast range of available datasets. With users interacting with search engines, sufficient information is already hidden in the log files. Compared with explicit feedback data, information that can be derived/extracted from log files is virtually free and substantially more timely. In this dissertation, I propose an online deep learning framework that can quickly update the learning function based on real-time user clickstream data. The contributions of this framework include 1) a log processor that can ingest, process and create training data from web logs in a real-time manner; 2) a query understanding module to better interpret users' search intent using web log processing results and metadata; 3) a feature extractor that identifies ranking features representing users' multidimensional interests of geospatial data; and 4) a deep learning based ranking algorithm that can be trained incrementally using user behavior data. The search ranking results will be evaluated using precision at K and normalized discounted cumulative gain (NDCG).

  10. Impact of periodontal maintenance on tooth survival in patients with removable partial dentures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tada, Sayaka; Allen, Patrick Finbarr; Ikebe, Kazunori; Matsuda, Ken-ichi; Maeda, Yoshinobu

    2015-01-01

    Removable partial dentures (RPDs) may have a negative impact on oral health and have the potential to cause further tooth loss, especially of abutment teeth. However, no evidence indicates the effective interval of regular periodontal maintenance after RPD provision. This practice-based cohort study aimed to examine the impact of regular periodontal maintenance visits on survival of RPD abutment teeth. One hundred and ninety-two patients had been previously provided with 304 new clasp-retained RPDs at Osaka University Dental Hospital, Japan. Using the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test, 1094 abutments were analysed to illustrate survival curves and to compare each curve. According to the frequency of periodontal maintenance, study samples were divided into three groups; every 3-6 months (3-6M) group, 1-year (1Y) group and no-maintenance (NM) group. Seven-year cumulative survival rates were 83.7% (3-6M), 75.5% (1Y) and 71.9% (NM) respectively. Survival of abutment teeth in the 3-6M group was significantly better than both 1Y (p = 0.005) and NM (p < 0.001) groups. These longitudinal clinical data indicates that periodontal maintenance at least once in 6 months had the most favourable outcome. Frequent periodontal maintenance after RPD provision could be effective in preventing further tooth loss. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  11. Improved overall survival after early recurrence of lung cancer following the introduction of CT-based follow-up for patients initially treated with curative intent by (chemo)radiotherapy (CRT)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Niels-Chr. G.; Laursen, Christian B.; Jeppesen, Stefan S.

    2017-01-01

    years after the introduction of CT-based follow-up. The difference between the periods is statistically significant (p = 0.009, log rank test).View this table:Conclusion: The CT-based follow-up program has most likely contributed to the improved survival as the survival difference between the periods......Background: After introduction in July 2010 of follow-up by contrast enhanced CT of thorax and upper abdomen every 3 months for two years and then every 6 months for three years we found improved survival after early recurrence in patients initially treated by surgery (Eur Respir J 2015; 46 suppl...

  12. ROLE OF PARENTERAL NUTRITION IN ONCOLOGIC PATIENTS WITH INTESTINAL OCCLUSION AND PERITONEAL CARCINOMATOSIS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aría Guerra, Eva; Cortés-Salgado, Alfonso; Mateo-Lobo, Raquel; Nattero, Lía; Riveiro, Javier; Vega-Piñero, Belén; Valbuena, Beatriz; Carabaña, Fátima; Carrero, Carmen; Grande, Enrique; Carrato, Alfredo; Botella-Carretero, José Ignacio

    2015-09-01

    the precise role of parenteral nutrition in the management of oncologic patients with intestinal occlusion is not well defined yet. We aimed to identify the effects of parenteral nutrition in these patients regarding prognosis. 55 patients with intestinal occlusion and peritoneal carcinomatosis were included. Parenteral nutrition aimed at 20-35 kcal/Kg/day, and 1.0 g/kg/day of amino-acids. Weight, body mass index, type of tumor, type of chemotherapy, and ECOG among others were recorded and analyzed. 69.1% of the patients had gastrointestinal tumors, 18.2% gynecologic and 12.7% others. Age was 60 ± 13y, baseline ECOG 1.5 ± 0.5 and body mass index 21.6 ± 4.3. Malnutrition was present in 85%. Survival from the start of parenteral nutrition was not significant when considering baseline ECOG (log rank = 0.593, p = 0.743), previous lines of chemotherapy (log rank = 2.117, p = 0.548), baseline BMI (log rank = 2.686, p = 0.261), or type of tumor (log rank = 2.066, p = 0.356). Survival in patients who received home parenteral nutrition after hospital discharge was higher than those who stayed in-hospital (log rank = 7.090, p = 0.008). Survival in patients who started chemotherapy during or after parenteral nutrition was higher than those who did not so (log rank = 17.316, p Parenteral nutrition in patients with advanced cancer and intestinal occlusion is safe, and in tho se who respond to chemotherapy, further administration of home parenteral nutrition together with chemotherapy may enhance prolonged survival. Copyright AULA MEDICA EDICIONES 2014. Published by AULA MEDICA. All rights reserved.

  13. Temozolomide during radiotherapy of glioblastoma multiforme. Daily administration improves survival

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nachbichler, Silke Birgit; Schupp, Gabi; Ballhausen, Hendrik; Niyazi, Maximilian; Belka, Claus [LMU Munich, Department of Radiation Oncology, Munich (Germany)

    2017-11-15

    Temozolomide-(TMZ)-based chemoradiotherapy defines the current gold standard for the treatment of newly diagnosed glioblastoma. Data regarding the influence of TMZ dose density during chemoradiotherapy are currently not available. We retrospectively compared outcomes in patients receiving no TMZ, TMZ during radiotherapy on radiotherapy days only, and TMZ constantly 7 days a week. From 2002-2012, a total of 432 patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma received radiotherapy in our department: 118 patients had radiotherapy alone, 210 had chemoradiotherapy with TMZ (75 mg/m{sup 2}) daily (7/7), and 104 with TMZ only on radiotherapy days (5/7). Radiotherapy was applied to a total dose of 60 Gy. Median survival after radiotherapy alone was 9.1 months, compared to 12.6 months with 5/7-TMZ and to 15.7 months with 7/7-TMZ. The 1-year survival rates were 33, 52, and 64%, respectively. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed a significant improvement of TMZ-7/7 vs. 5/7 (p = 0.01 by the log-rank test), while 5/7-TMZ was still superior to no TMZ at all (p = 0.02). Multivariate Cox regression showed a significant influence of TMZ regimen (p = 0.009) on hazard rate (+58% between groups) even in the presence of confounding factors age, sex, resection status, and radiotherapy dose concept. Our results confirm the findings of the EORTC/NCIC trial. It seems that also a reduced TMZ scheme can at first prolong the survival of glioblastoma patients, but not as much as the daily administration. (orig.) [German] Eine Temozolomid-(TMZ-)basierte Radiochemotherapie ist der gegenwaertige Goldstandard in der Behandlung von neu diagnostizierten Glioblastomen. Daten bezueglich des Einflusses der TMZ-Dosisdichte waehrend der Radiochemotherapie sind derzeit nicht vorhanden. Wir haben retrospektiv die Ergebnisse von Patienten verglichen, die entweder kein TMZ, TMZ zur Strahlentherapie nur an Bestrahlungstagen oder TMZ konstant 7 Tage/Woche erhalten hatten. Von 2002-2012 bekamen insgesamt 432 Patienten mit

  14. A survival analysis of GBM patients in the West of Scotland pre- and post-introduction of the Stupp regime.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teo, Mario; Martin, Sean; Owusu-Agyemang, Kevin; Nowicki, Stefan; Clark, Brian; Mackinnon, Mairi; Stewart, Willie; Paul, James; St George, Jerome

    2014-06-01

    It is now accepted that the concomitant administration of temozolomide with radiotherapy (Stupp regime), in the treatment of patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), significantly improves survival and this practice has been adopted locally since 2004. However, survival outcomes in cancer can vary in different population groups, and outcomes can be affected by a number of local factors including socioeconomic status. In the West of Scotland, we have one of the worse socioeconomic status and overall health record for a western European country. With the ongoing reorganisation and rationalisation in the National Health Service, the addition of prolonged courses of chemotherapy to patients' management significantly adds to the financial burden of a cash stripped NHS. A survival analysis in patients with GBM was therefore performed, comparing outcomes of pre- and post-introduction of the Stupp regime, to justify the current practice. Prospectively collected clinical data were analysed in 105 consecutive patients receiving concurrent chemoradiotherapy (Stupp regime) following surgical treatment of GBM between December 2004 and February 2009. This was compared to those of 106 consecutive GBM patients who had radical radiotherapy (pre-Stupp regime) post-surgery between January 2001 and February 2006. The median overall survival for the post-Stupp cohort was 15.3 months (range, 2.83-50.5 months), with 1-year and 2-year overall survival rates of 65.7% and 19%, respectively. This was in comparison with the median overall pre-Stupp survival of 10.7 months, with 1-year and 2-year survival rates of 42.6% and 12%, respectively (log-rank test, p GBM patients in the West of Scotland.

  15. Prognostic relevance of cytochrome C oxidase in primary glioblastoma multiforme.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Corinne E Griguer

    Full Text Available Patients with primary glioblastoma multiforme (GBM have one of the lowest overall survival rates among cancer patients, and reliable biomarkers are necessary to predict patient outcome. Cytochrome c oxidase (CcO promotes the switch from glycolytic to OXPHOS metabolism, and increased CcO activity in tumors has been associated with tumor progression after chemotherapy failure. Thus, we investigated the relationship between tumor CcO activity and the survival of patients diagnosed with primary GBM. A total of 84 patients with grade IV glioma were evaluated in this retrospective cohort study. Cumulative survival was calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method and analyzed by the log-rank test, and univariate and multivariate analyses were performed with the Cox regression model. Mitochondrial CcO activity was determined by spectrophotometrically measuring the oxidation of cytochrome c. High CcO activity was detected in a subset of glioma tumors (∼30%, and was an independent prognostic factor for shorter progression-free survival and overall survival [P = 0.0087 by the log-rank test, hazard ratio = 3.57 for progression-free survival; P<0.001 by the log-rank test, hazard ratio = 10.75 for overall survival]. The median survival time for patients with low tumor CcO activity was 14.3 months, compared with 6.3 months for patients with high tumor CcO activity. High CcO activity occurs in a significant subset of high-grade glioma patients and is an independent predictor of poor outcome. Thus, CcO activity may serve as a useful molecular marker for the categorization and targeted therapy of GBMs.

  16. Selective logging: do rates of forest turnover in stems, species composition and functional traits decrease with time since disturbance? - A 45 year perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Osazuwa-Peters, Oyomoare L; Jiménez, Iván; Oberle, Brad; Chapman, Colin A; Zanne, Amy E

    2015-12-01

    Selective logging, the targeted harvesting of timber trees in a single cutting cycle, is globally rising in extent and intensity. Short-term impacts of selective logging on tropical forests have been widely investigated, but long-term effects on temporal dynamics of forest structure and composition are largely unknown. Understanding these long-term dynamics will help determine whether tropical forests are resilient to selective logging and inform choices between competing demands of anthropogenic use versus conservation of tropical forests. Forest dynamics can be studied within the framework of succession theory, which predicts that temporal turnover rates should decline with time since disturbance. Here, we investigated the temporal dynamics of a tropical forest in Kibale National Park, Uganda over 45 years following selective logging. We estimated turnover rates in stems, species composition, and functional traits (wood density and diameter at breast height), using observations from four censuses in 1989, 1999, 2006, and 2013, of stems ≥ 10 cm diameter within 17 unlogged and 9 logged 200 × 10 m vegetation plots. We used null models to account for interdependencies among turnover rates in stems, species composition, and functional traits. We tested predictions that turnover rates should be higher and decrease with increasing time since the selective logging event in logged forest, but should be less temporally variable in unlogged forest. Overall, we found higher turnover rates in logged forest for all three attributes, but turnover rates did not decline through time in logged forest and was not less temporally variable in unlogged forest. These results indicate that successional models that assume recovery to pre-disturbance conditions are inadequate for predicting the effects of selective logging on the dynamics of the tropical forest in Kibale. Selective logging resulted in persistently higher turnover rates, which may compromise the carbon storage capacity

  17. SURVIVAL RATES IN ORAL CANCER PATIENTS – A 10-YEAR RETROSPECTIVE STUDY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Konstantin Tonchev

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Oral cancer is the eighth most common cancer worldwide and presents a serious health problem in countries with higher alcohol consumption and smoking. The aim of the present study was to analyze the survival rates of patients with oral cancer diagnosed at a single center in Bulgaria. The clinical records of patients with oral cancer admitted to the Clinic of Maxillofacial surgery, University Hospital “St. George”, Plovdiv, Bulgaria, from 2004 till 2013 were reviewed. Additional information about follow-up was obtained from the Regional Complex Oncological Centre (RCOC. Data about patient and tumor characteristics – age, sex, site of cancer, stage, degree of differentiation and survival rates were analyzed. The overall 5-year survival rate was 36% while the disease-specific survival rate was 45%. The highest chance for survival was for upper lip (66% while the lowest was for retromolar trigone (0%. Overall survival rate depended also on the stage and grade of differentiation of the tumor. The study confirmed that oral cancer remains serious problem in terms of risk factors, delayed diagnosis, and overall survival rates.

  18. When Patients Customize Nursing Home Ratings, Choices And Rankings Differ From The Government's Version.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mukamel, Dana B; Amin, Alpesh; Weimer, David L; Sharit, Joseph; Ladd, Heather; Sorkin, Dara H

    2016-04-01

    Report cards currently published by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) offer composite (summary) quality measures based on a five-star ratings system, such as the one featured on the Nursing Home Compare website. These ratings are "one size fits all patients" measures. Nursing Home Compare Plus is an alternative that allows patients and their families to create their own composite scores based on their own preferences and medical needs. We present data from 146 patients who were discharged from the hospital to nursing homes who used Nursing Home Compare Plus. We found that the individual patient-constructed composites differed from CMS's five-star ratings composite. Patients differed from each other and from CMS in the number of performance measures they chose to include in their composite and in their weighting of each performance measure. When comparing Nursing Home Compare Plus to Medicare's five-star ratings, we found only minimal agreement on ranking of nursing homes. We conclude that patients might benefit if current report cards are modified to include an option for personalized ranking. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

  19. Fates of trees damaged by logging in Amazonian Bolivia

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Shenkin, A.; Bolker, B.; Peña Claros, M.; Licona, J.C.; Putz, F.E.

    2015-01-01

    Estimation of carbon losses from trees felled and incidentally-killed during selective logging of tropical forests is relatively straightforward and well-documented, but less is known about the fates of collaterally-damaged trees that initially survive. Tree response to logging damage is an

  20. How Many Alternatives Can Be Ranked? A Comparison of the Paired Comparison and Ranking Methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ock, Minsu; Yi, Nari; Ahn, Jeonghoon; Jo, Min-Woo

    2016-01-01

    To determine the feasibility of converting ranking data into paired comparison (PC) data and suggest the number of alternatives that can be ranked by comparing a PC and a ranking method. Using a total of 222 health states, a household survey was conducted in a sample of 300 individuals from the general population. Each respondent performed a PC 15 times and a ranking method 6 times (two attempts of ranking three, four, and five health states, respectively). The health states of the PC and the ranking method were constructed to overlap each other. We converted the ranked data into PC data and examined the consistency of the response rate. Applying probit regression, we obtained the predicted probability of each method. Pearson correlation coefficients were determined between the predicted probabilities of those methods. The mean absolute error was also assessed between the observed and the predicted values. The overall consistency of the response rate was 82.8%. The Pearson correlation coefficients were 0.789, 0.852, and 0.893 for ranking three, four, and five health states, respectively. The lowest mean absolute error was 0.082 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.074-0.090) in ranking five health states, followed by 0.123 (95% CI 0.111-0.135) in ranking four health states and 0.126 (95% CI 0.113-0.138) in ranking three health states. After empirically examining the consistency of the response rate between a PC and a ranking method, we suggest that using five alternatives in the ranking method may be superior to using three or four alternatives. Copyright © 2016 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Survival and maturation rates of the African rodent Mastomys natalensis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sluydts, Vincent; Crespin, Laurent; Davis, Stephen

    2008-01-01

    the model fit. On the other hand we showed that maturation rates were correlated negatively with density the previous month and positively to cumulative rainfall over the past three months. Survival estimates of both adults and subadults varied seasonally, with higher estimates during the increase phase......Survival and maturation rates of female Mastomys natalensis were analysed based on a ten-year onthly capture-recapture data set. We investigated whether direct and delayed density dependent and independent (rainfall) variables accounted for the considerable variation in demographic traits....... It was estimated that seasonal and annual covariates accounted for respectively 29 and 26% of the total variation in maturation rates and respectively 17 and 11% of the variation in survival rates. Explaining the between-year differences in maturation rates with annual past rainfall or density did not improve...

  2. Long-term trends and survival analysis of esophageal and gastric cancer in Yangzhong, 1991-2013.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhaolai Hua

    Full Text Available To describe the long-term trends of the incidence, mortality and survival of upper digestive tract cancers in a high-risk area of China.We extracted esophageal and gastric cancer cases diagnosed from 1991 to 2013 through the Yangzhong Cancer Registry and calculated the crude and age-standardized incidence and mortality rates. Cancer trends were calculated using the Joinpoint Regression Program and were reported using the annual percentage change (APC. The cancer-specific survival rates were evaluated and compared between groups using the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test.The age-standardized incidence rate of esophageal cancer declined from 107.06 per 100,000 person-years (male: 118.05 per 100,000 person-years; female: 97.42 per 100,000 person-years in 1991 to 37.04 per 100,000 person-years (male: 46.43 per 100,000 person-years; female: 27.26 per 100,000 person-years in 2013, with an APC of -2.5% (95% confidence interval (CI: -3.4%, -1.5% for males and -4.9% (95% CI:-5.8%, -3.9% for females. The age-standardized incidence rate of gastric cancer was 165.11 per 100,000 person-years (male: 225.39 per 100,000 person-years; female: 113.34 per 100,000 person-years in 1991 and 53.46 per 100,000 person-years (male: 76.51 per 100,000 person-years; female: 32.43 per 100,000 person-years in 2013, with the APC of -3.6% (95% CI: -4.5%, -2.7% for males and -4.8% (95% CI: -5.7%, -3.9% for females. The median survival time was 3.0 years for patients with esophageal or gastric cancer. Cancer cases detected after 2004 had a better prognosis.The age-standardized incidence rates of both esophageal and gastric cancer continuously decreased since 1991 through 2013, whereas the mortality rate remained stable before 2004 and significantly declined following the massive endoscopic screening program initiated in 2004. The survival probability of patients with esophageal and gastric cancer has improved obviously in recent decades.

  3. Chest compression rates and survival following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Idris, Ahamed H; Guffey, Danielle; Pepe, Paul E; Brown, Siobhan P; Brooks, Steven C; Callaway, Clifton W; Christenson, Jim; Davis, Daniel P; Daya, Mohamud R; Gray, Randal; Kudenchuk, Peter J; Larsen, Jonathan; Lin, Steve; Menegazzi, James J; Sheehan, Kellie; Sopko, George; Stiell, Ian; Nichol, Graham; Aufderheide, Tom P

    2015-04-01

    Guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation recommend a chest compression rate of at least 100 compressions/min. A recent clinical study reported optimal return of spontaneous circulation with rates between 100 and 120/min during cardiopulmonary resuscitation for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. However, the relationship between compression rate and survival is still undetermined. Prospective, observational study. Data is from the Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium Prehospital Resuscitation IMpedance threshold device and Early versus Delayed analysis clinical trial. Adults with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest treated by emergency medical service providers. None. Data were abstracted from monitor-defibrillator recordings for the first five minutes of emergency medical service cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Multiple logistic regression assessed odds ratio for survival by compression rate categories (compression fraction and depth, first rhythm, and study site. Compression rate data were available for 10,371 patients; 6,399 also had chest compression fraction and depth data. Age (mean±SD) was 67±16 years. Chest compression rate was 111±19 per minute, compression fraction was 0.70±0.17, and compression depth was 42±12 mm. Circulation was restored in 34%; 9% survived to hospital discharge. After adjustment for covariates without chest compression depth and fraction (n=10,371), a global test found no significant relationship between compression rate and survival (p=0.19). However, after adjustment for covariates including chest compression depth and fraction (n=6,399), the global test found a significant relationship between compression rate and survival (p=0.02), with the reference group (100-119 compressions/min) having the greatest likelihood for survival. After adjustment for chest compression fraction and depth, compression rates between 100 and 120 per minute were associated with greatest survival to hospital discharge.

  4. Prognostic factors and survival in primary malignant astrocytomas of the spinal cord: a population-based analysis from 1973 to 2007.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adams, Hadie; Avendaño, Javier; Raza, Shaan M; Gokaslan, Ziya L; Jallo, George I; Quiñones-Hinojosa, Alfredo

    2012-05-20

    Observational cross-sectional study. Using data from the population-based cancer registries of the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program, we analyzed demographic features, tumor and treatment characteristics, as well as survival rates in patients with primary malignant astrocytomas of the spinal cord (PMASC). PMASC is a rare neoplasm and is considered to carry the same dismal outcome as their cerebral counterparts. Our current knowledge is incomplete, and understanding the epidemiology, diagnosis, and optimal treatment still poses challenges. The SEER data from 1973 to 2007 were reviewed for pathologically confirmed primary anaplastic astrocytomas (AA) and glioblastomas of the spinal cord (C72.0). We compared the clinical features and outcomes of the cohort in uni- and multivariate fashion. Survival was calculated and compared using Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank analysis. Our search criteria retrieved 135 patients diagnosed with PMASC. The median survival for PMASC was 13 months with 1-, 2-, and 5-year survival rates of 51.8%, 32.2%, and 18.7%. Patient diagnosed with AA had a median survival time of 17 months versus 10 months in patients diagnosed with glioblastomas. Adult patients observed markedly prolonged survival compared with the pediatric group, with a 16-month versus 9-month median survival, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed age at diagnosis, pediatric and adult age groups, sex, tumor histology, and extent of resection as significant predictors of survival. Interestingly, outcomes did not significantly change throughout the last decades or by receiving radiotherapy. Outcome for patients diagnosed with PMASC remains poor and presents an ongoing challenge for professionals in the field of neurospinal medicine and surgery. In our analyses of AA, adult patients, males, and patients undergoing radical resections were associated with increased survival. However, incidence of these lesions is low; hence, building strong

  5. Prognostic factors and survival of colorectal cancer in Kurdistan province, Iran

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rasouli, Mohammad Aziz; Moradi, Ghobad; Roshani, Daem; Nikkhoo, Bahram; Ghaderi, Ebrahim; Ghaytasi, Bahman

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Colorectal cancer (CRC) survival varies at individual and geographically level. This population-based study aimed to evaluating various factors affecting the survival rate of CRC patients in Kurdistan province. In a retrospective cohort study, patients diagnosed as CRC were collected through a population-based study from March 1, 2009 to 2014. The data were collected from Kurdistan's Cancer Registry database. Additional information and missing data were collected reference to patients’ homes, medical records, and pathology reports. The CRC survival was calculated from the date of diagnosis to the date of cancer-specific death or the end of follow-up (cutoff date: October 2015). Kaplan–Meier method and log-rank test were used for the univariate analysis of survival in various subgroups. The proportional-hazard model Cox was also used in order to consider the effects of different factors on survival including age at diagnosis, place of residence, marital status, occupation, level of education, smoking, economic status, comorbidity, tumor stage, and tumor grade. A total number of 335 patients affected by CRC were assessed and the results showed that 1- and 5-year survival rate were 87% and 33%, respectively. According to the results of Cox's multivariate analysis, the following factors were significantly related to CRC survival: age at diagnosis (≥65 years old) (HR 2.08, 95% CI: 1.17–3.71), single patients (HR 1.62, 95% CI: 1.10–2.40), job (worker) (HR 2.09, 95% CI: 1.22–3.58), educational level: diploma or below (HR 0.61, 95% CI: 0.39–0.92), wealthy economic status (HR 0.51, 95% CI: 0.31–0.82), tumor grade in poorly differentiated (HR 2.25, 95% CI: 1.37–3.69), and undifferentiated/anaplastic grade (HR 2.90, 95% CI: 1.67–4.98). We found that factors such as low education, inappropriate socioeconomic status, and high tumor grade at the time of disease diagnosis were effective in the poor survival of CRC patients in Kurdistan province; this

  6. [The survival prediction model of advanced gallbladder cancer based on Bayesian network: a multi-institutional study].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tang, Z H; Geng, Z M; Chen, C; Si, S B; Cai, Z Q; Song, T Q; Gong, P; Jiang, L; Qiu, Y H; He, Y; Zhai, W L; Li, S P; Zhang, Y C; Yang, Y

    2018-05-01

    Objective: To investigate the clinical value of Bayesian network in predicting survival of patients with advanced gallbladder cancer(GBC)who underwent curative intent surgery. Methods: The clinical data of patients with advanced GBC who underwent curative intent surgery in 9 institutions from January 2010 to December 2015 were analyzed retrospectively.A median survival time model based on a tree augmented naïve Bayes algorithm was established by Bayesia Lab software.The survival time, number of metastatic lymph nodes(NMLN), T stage, pathological grade, margin, jaundice, liver invasion, age, sex and tumor morphology were included in this model.Confusion matrix, the receiver operating characteristic curve and area under the curve were used to evaluate the accuracy of the model.A priori statistical analysis of these 10 variables and a posterior analysis(survival time as the target variable, the remaining factors as the attribute variables)was performed.The importance rankings of each variable was calculated with the polymorphic Birnbaum importance calculation based on the posterior analysis results.The survival probability forecast table was constructed based on the top 4 prognosis factors. The survival curve was drawn by the Kaplan-Meier method, and differences in survival curves were compared using the Log-rank test. Results: A total of 316 patients were enrolled, including 109 males and 207 females.The ratio of male to female was 1.0∶1.9, the age was (62.0±10.8)years.There was 298 cases(94.3%) R0 resection and 18 cases(5.7%) R1 resection.T staging: 287 cases(90.8%) T3 and 29 cases(9.2%) T4.The median survival time(MST) was 23.77 months, and the 1, 3, 5-year survival rates were 67.4%, 40.8%, 32.0%, respectively.For the Bayesian model, the number of correctly predicted cases was 121(≤23.77 months) and 115(>23.77 months) respectively, leading to a 74.86% accuracy of this model.The prior probability of survival time was 0.503 2(≤23.77 months) and 0.496 8

  7. Diabetes mellitus may affect the long-term survival of hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma patients after liver transplantation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Qing; Deng, Yong-Lin; Liu, Chang; Huang, Li-Hong; Shang, Lei; Chen, Xin-Guo; Wang, Le-Tian; Du, Jin-Zan; Wang, Ying; Wang, Pei-Xiao; Zhang, Hui; Shen, Zhong-Yang

    2016-11-21

    To determine whether diabetes mellitus (DM) affects prognosis/recurrence after liver transplantation (LT) for hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A retrospective study was conducted between January 2000 and August 2013 on 1631 patients with HBV-related HCC who underwent LT with antiviral prophylaxis. Patient data were obtained from the China Liver Transplant Registry (https://www.cltr.org/). To compare the outcomes and tumor recurrence in the HBV-related HCC patients with or without DM, statistical analyses were conducted using χ 2 tests, Mann-Whitney tests, the Kaplan-Meier method, log-rank tests and multivariate step-wise Cox regression analysis. Univariate analysis of 1631 patients who underwent LT found overall 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rates of 79%, 73% and 71% respectively in the DM patients, and 84%, 78% and 76% in the non-DM patients respectively. Overall survival rate differences after LT between the two groups were significant ( P = 0.041), but recurrence-free survival rates were not ( P = 0.096). By stratified analysis, the overall survival rates in DM patients for age > 50 years ( P = 0.002), the presence of vascular invasion ( P = 0.096), tumors ≤ 3 cm ( P = 0.047), two to three tumor nodules ( P = 0.007), Child-Pugh grade B ( P = 0.018), and pre-LT alanine aminotransferase levels between 40 and 80 IU/L ( P = 0.017) were significantly lower than in non-DM patients. Additionally, serum α-fetoprotein level > 2000 ng/mL ( P = 0.052) was associated with a significant survival difference trend between DM and non-DM patients. Multivariate analysis showed that the presence of DM ( P < 0.001, HR = 1.591; 95%CI: 1.239-2.041) was an independent predictor associated with poor survival after LT. HBV-related HCC patients with DM have decreased long-term overall survival and poor LT outcomes. Prevention strategies for HCC patients with DM are recommended.

  8. Does delay in diagnosing colorectal cancer in symptomatic patients affect tumor stage and survival? A population-based observational study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Visser Otto

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Diagnosing colorectal cancer (CRC at an early stage improves survival. To what extent any delay affects outcome once patients are symptomatic is still unclear. Our objectives were to evaluate the association between diagnostic delay and survival in symptomatic patients with early stage CRC and late stage CRC. Methods Prospective population-based observational study evaluating daily clinical practice in Northern Holland. Diagnostic delay was determined through questionnaire-interviews. Dukes' stage was classified into two groups: early stage (Dukes A or B and late stage (Dukes C or D cancer. Patients were followed up for 3.5 years after diagnosis. Results In total, 272 patients were available for analysis. Early stage CRC was present in 136 patients while 136 patients had late stage CRC. The mean total diagnostic delay (SE was 31 (1.5 weeks in all CRC patients. No significant difference was observed in the mean total diagnostic delay in early versus late stage CRC (p = 0.27. In early stage CRC, no difference in survival was observed between patients with total diagnostic delay shorter and longer than the median (Kaplan-Meier, log-rank p = 0.93. In late stage CRC, patients with a diagnostic delay shorter than the median had a shorter survival than patients with a diagnostic delay longer than the median (log-rank p = 0.01. In the multivariate Cox regression model with survival as dependent variable and median delay, age, open access endoscopy, number and type of symptoms as independent variables, the odd's ratio for survival in patients with long delay (>median versus short delay (≤median was 1.8 (95% confidence interval (CI 1.1 to 3.0; p = 0.01. Tumor-site was not associated with patient survival. When separating late stage CRC in Dukes C and Dukes D tumors, a shorter delay was associated with a shorter survival in Dukes D tumors only and not in Dukes C tumors. Conclusion In symptomatic CRC patients, a longer diagnostic and

  9. The log mean heat transfer rate method of heat exchanger considering the influence of heat radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wong, K.-L.; Ke, M.-T.; Ku, S.-S.

    2009-01-01

    The log mean temperature difference (LMTD) method is conventionally used to calculate the total heat transfer rate of heat exchangers. Because the heat radiation equation contains the 4th order exponential of temperature which is very complicate in calculations, thus LMTD method neglects the influence of heat radiation. From the recent investigation of a circular duct in some practical situations, it is found that even in the situation of the temperature difference between outer duct surface and surrounding is low to 1 deg. C, the heat radiation effect can not be ignored in the situations of lower ambient convective heat coefficient and greater surface emissivities. In this investigation, the log mean heat transfer rate (LMHTR) method which considering the influence of heat radiation, is developed to calculate the total heat transfer rate of heat exchangers.

  10. Survival rate of breast cancer patients in Malaysia: a population-based study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abdullah, Nor Aini; Wan Mahiyuddin, Wan Rozita; Muhammad, Nor Asiah; Ali, Zainudin Mohamad; Ibrahim, Lailanor; Ibrahim Tamim, Nor Saleha; Mustafa, Amal Nasir; Kamaluddin, Muhammad Amir

    2013-01-01

    Breast cancer is the most common cancer among Malaysian women. Other than hospital-based results, there are no documented population-based survival rates of Malaysian women for breast cancers. This population- based retrospective cohort study was therefore conducted. Data were obtained from Health Informatics Centre, Ministry of Health Malaysia, National Cancer Registry and National Registration Department for the period from 1st Jan 2000 to 31st December 2005. Cases were captured by ICD-10 and linked to death certificates to identify the status. Only complete data were analysed. Survival time was calculated from the estimated date of diagnosis to the date of death or date of loss to follow-up. Observed survival rates were estimated by Kaplan- Meier method using SPSS Statistical Software version 17. A total of 10,230 complete data sets were analysed. The mean age at diagnosis was 50.6 years old. The overall 5-year survival rate was 49% with median survival time of 68.1 months. Indian women had a higher survival rate of 54% compared to Chinese women (49%) and Malays (45%). The overall 5-year survival rate of breast cancer patient among Malaysian women was still low for the cohort of 2000 to 2005 as compared to survival rates in developed nations. Therefore, it is necessary to enhance the strategies for early detection and intervention.

  11. SURVIVAL RATE PENYANDANG HIPERTENSI DENGAN KONSUMSI NATRIUM RENDAH TERHADAP KEJADIAN STROKE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ekowati Rahajeng

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Stroke is the leading cause of death and disability in the world. Several studies have shown that stroke can be prevented through modifiable risk factors. The adequate treatment of hypertension may reduce the risk of stroke. Lifestyle modification such as reducing salt intake in hypertension management have demonstrated lowering blood pressure, enhancing the effectiveness of antihypertension drugs and also reducing stroke risk. This study aims to verify the survival rate of hypertension with lower sodium intake (<2000 mg per day on the incidence of stroke. The study was conducted through a prospective cohort study (4 years of follow-up in 1082 people with confirmed hypertension. Stroke were confirmed by neurologist. The consumption of sodium, sugar and fat were collected through 24-hour dietary recall. Hypertension survival rate was calculated using Life Table Survival analysis. This study has demonstrated evidence of the higher survival rate of hypertension with low sodium intake on the incidence of stroke, with the difference 2-year survival rate is 3 percent higher and 4-year survival rate is 5 percent higher. Sodium consumption of <2000 mg per day in people with hypertension has prevented a 78 percent incidence of stroke. Therefore, the intervention programs to reduce of the consumption of salt or sodium in Indonesia should be prioritized.

  12. Investigation of survival rate of trees planted in agroforestry and ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Low survival rate of trees planted during annual planting campaigns is often reported in many parts of the country and there is need to understand why and propose adequate solutions to improve survival rate of trees in plantation. The study was conducted in three sectors of Huye District namely Mukura, Tumba and Ngoma ...

  13. Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura in Black People: Impact of Ethnicity on Survival and Genetic Risk Factors.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Suella Martino

    Full Text Available Black people are at increased risk of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP. Whether clinical presentation of TTP in Black patients has specific features is unknown. We assessed here differences in TTP presentation and outcome between Black and White patients. Clinical presentation was comparable between both ethnic groups. However, prognosis differed with a lower death rate in Black patients than in White patients (2.7% versus 11.6%, respectively, P = .04. Ethnicity, increasing age and neurologic involvement were retained as risk factors for death in a multivariable model (P < .05 all. Sixty-day overall survival estimated by the Kaplan-Meier curves and compared with the Log-Rank test confirmed that Black patients had a better survival than White patients (P = .03. Salvage therapies were similarly performed between both groups, suggesting that disease severity was comparable. The comparison of HLA-DRB1*11, -DRB1*04 and -DQB1*03 allele frequencies between Black patients and healthy Black individuals revealed no significant difference. However, the protective allele against TTP, HLA-DRB1*04, was dramatically decreased in Black individuals in comparison with White individuals. Black people with TTP may have a better survival than White patients despite a comparable disease severity. A low natural frequency of HLA-DRB1*04 in Black ethnicity may account for the greater risk of TTP in this population.

  14. Is the rate of metabolic ageing and survival determined by Basal metabolic rate in the zebra finch?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bernt Rønning

    Full Text Available The relationship between energy metabolism and ageing is of great interest because aerobic metabolism is the primary source of reactive oxygen species which is believed to be of major importance in the ageing process. We conducted a longitudinal study on captive zebra finches where we tested the effect of age on basal metabolic rate (BMR, as well as the effect of BMR on the rate of metabolic ageing (decline in BMR with age and survival. Basal metabolic rate declined with age in both sexes after controlling for the effect of body mass, indicating a loss of functionality with age. This loss of functionality could be due to accumulated oxidative damage, believed to increase with increasing metabolic rate, c.f. the free radical theory of ageing. If so, we would expect the rate of metabolic ageing to increase and survival to decrease with increasing BMR. However, we found no effect of BMR on the rate of metabolic ageing. Furthermore, survival was not affected by BMR in the males. In female zebra finches there was a tendency for survival to decrease with increasing BMR, but the effect did not reach significance (P<0.1. Thus, the effect of BMR on the rate of functional deterioration with age, if any, was not strong enough to influence neither the rate of metabolic ageing nor survival in the zebra finches.

  15. Is the rate of metabolic ageing and survival determined by Basal metabolic rate in the zebra finch?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rønning, Bernt; Moe, Børge; Berntsen, Henrik H; Noreen, Elin; Bech, Claus

    2014-01-01

    The relationship between energy metabolism and ageing is of great interest because aerobic metabolism is the primary source of reactive oxygen species which is believed to be of major importance in the ageing process. We conducted a longitudinal study on captive zebra finches where we tested the effect of age on basal metabolic rate (BMR), as well as the effect of BMR on the rate of metabolic ageing (decline in BMR with age) and survival. Basal metabolic rate declined with age in both sexes after controlling for the effect of body mass, indicating a loss of functionality with age. This loss of functionality could be due to accumulated oxidative damage, believed to increase with increasing metabolic rate, c.f. the free radical theory of ageing. If so, we would expect the rate of metabolic ageing to increase and survival to decrease with increasing BMR. However, we found no effect of BMR on the rate of metabolic ageing. Furthermore, survival was not affected by BMR in the males. In female zebra finches there was a tendency for survival to decrease with increasing BMR, but the effect did not reach significance (PBMR on the rate of functional deterioration with age, if any, was not strong enough to influence neither the rate of metabolic ageing nor survival in the zebra finches.

  16. Evidence that a Highway Reduces Apparent Survival Rates of Squirrel Gliders

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sarah C. McCall

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available Roads and traffic are prominent components of most landscapes throughout the world, and their negative effects on the natural environment can extend for hundreds or thousands of meters beyond the road. These effects include mortality of wildlife due to collisions with vehicles, pollution of soil and air, modification of wildlife behavior in response to noise, creation of barriers to wildlife movement, and establishment of dispersal conduits for some plant and animal species. In southeast Australia, much of the remaining habitat for the squirrel glider, Petaurus norfolcensis, is located in narrow strips of Eucalyptus woodland that is adjacent to roads and streams, as well as in small patches of woodland vegetation that is farther from roads. We evaluated the effect of traffic volume on squirrel gliders by estimating apparent annual survival rates of adults along the Hume Freeway and nearby low-traffic-volume roads. We surveyed populations of squirrel gliders by trapping them over 2.5 years, and combined these data with prior information on apparent survival rates in populations located away from freeways to model the ratio of apparent annual survival rates in both site types. The apparent annual survival rate of adult squirrel gliders living along the Hume Freeway was estimated to be approximately 60% lower than for squirrel gliders living near local roads. The cause of the reduced apparent survival rate may be due to higher rates of mortality and/or higher emigration rates adjacent to the Hume Freeway compared with populations near smaller country roads. Management options for population persistence will be influenced by which of these factors is the primary cause of a reduced apparent survival rate.

  17. Survival and mortality among users and non-users of hydroxyurea with sickle cell disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Araujo, Olinda Maria Rodrigues; Ivo, Maria Lúcia; Ferreira Júnior, Marcos Antonio; Pontes, Elenir Rose Jardim Cury; Bispo, Ieda Maria Gonçalves Pacce; de Oliveira, Eveny Cristine Luna

    2015-01-01

    to estimate survival, mortality and cause of death among users or not of hydroxyurea with sickle cell disease. cohort study with retrospective data collection, from 1980 to 2010 of patients receiving inpatient treatment in two Brazilian public hospitals. The survival probability was determined using the Kaplan-Meier estimator, survival calculations (SPSS version 10.0), comparison between survival curves, using the log rank method. The level of significance was p=0.05. of 63 patients, 87% had sickle cell anemia, with 39 using hydroxyurea, with a mean time of use of the drug of 20.0±10.0 years and a mean dose of 17.37±5.4 to 20.94±7.2 mg/kg/day, raising the fetal hemoglobin. In the comparison between those using hydroxyurea and those not, the survival curve was greater among the users (p=0.014). A total of 10 deaths occurred, with a mean age of 28.1 years old, and with Acute Respiratory Failure as the main cause. the survival curve is greater among the users of hydroxyurea. The results indicate the importance of the nurse incorporating therapeutic advances of hydroxyurea in her care actions.

  18. Reporting and methodological quality of survival analysis in articles published in Chinese oncology journals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Xiaoyan; Zhou, Xiaobin; Zhang, Yuan; Sun, Xiao; Liu, Haihua; Zhang, Yingying

    2017-12-01

    Survival analysis methods have gained widespread use in the filed of oncology. For achievement of reliable results, the methodological process and report quality is crucial. This review provides the first examination of methodological characteristics and reporting quality of survival analysis in articles published in leading Chinese oncology journals.To examine methodological and reporting quality of survival analysis, to identify some common deficiencies, to desirable precautions in the analysis, and relate advice for authors, readers, and editors.A total of 242 survival analysis articles were included to be evaluated from 1492 articles published in 4 leading Chinese oncology journals in 2013. Articles were evaluated according to 16 established items for proper use and reporting of survival analysis.The application rates of Kaplan-Meier, life table, log-rank test, Breslow test, and Cox proportional hazards model (Cox model) were 91.74%, 3.72%, 78.51%, 0.41%, and 46.28%, respectively, no article used the parametric method for survival analysis. Multivariate Cox model was conducted in 112 articles (46.28%). Follow-up rates were mentioned in 155 articles (64.05%), of which 4 articles were under 80% and the lowest was 75.25%, 55 articles were100%. The report rates of all types of survival endpoint were lower than 10%. Eleven of 100 articles which reported a loss to follow-up had stated how to treat it in the analysis. One hundred thirty articles (53.72%) did not perform multivariate analysis. One hundred thirty-nine articles (57.44%) did not define the survival time. Violations and omissions of methodological guidelines included no mention of pertinent checks for proportional hazard assumption; no report of testing for interactions and collinearity between independent variables; no report of calculation method of sample size. Thirty-six articles (32.74%) reported the methods of independent variable selection. The above defects could make potentially inaccurate

  19. A fast simulation method for the Log-normal sum distribution using a hazard rate twisting technique

    KAUST Repository

    Rached, Nadhir B.

    2015-06-08

    The probability density function of the sum of Log-normally distributed random variables (RVs) is a well-known challenging problem. For instance, an analytical closed-form expression of the Log-normal sum distribution does not exist and is still an open problem. A crude Monte Carlo (MC) simulation is of course an alternative approach. However, this technique is computationally expensive especially when dealing with rare events (i.e. events with very small probabilities). Importance Sampling (IS) is a method that improves the computational efficiency of MC simulations. In this paper, we develop an efficient IS method for the estimation of the Complementary Cumulative Distribution Function (CCDF) of the sum of independent and not identically distributed Log-normal RVs. This technique is based on constructing a sampling distribution via twisting the hazard rate of the original probability measure. Our main result is that the estimation of the CCDF is asymptotically optimal using the proposed IS hazard rate twisting technique. We also offer some selected simulation results illustrating the considerable computational gain of the IS method compared to the naive MC simulation approach.

  20. A fast simulation method for the Log-normal sum distribution using a hazard rate twisting technique

    KAUST Repository

    Rached, Nadhir B.; Benkhelifa, Fatma; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim; Tempone, Raul

    2015-01-01

    The probability density function of the sum of Log-normally distributed random variables (RVs) is a well-known challenging problem. For instance, an analytical closed-form expression of the Log-normal sum distribution does not exist and is still an open problem. A crude Monte Carlo (MC) simulation is of course an alternative approach. However, this technique is computationally expensive especially when dealing with rare events (i.e. events with very small probabilities). Importance Sampling (IS) is a method that improves the computational efficiency of MC simulations. In this paper, we develop an efficient IS method for the estimation of the Complementary Cumulative Distribution Function (CCDF) of the sum of independent and not identically distributed Log-normal RVs. This technique is based on constructing a sampling distribution via twisting the hazard rate of the original probability measure. Our main result is that the estimation of the CCDF is asymptotically optimal using the proposed IS hazard rate twisting technique. We also offer some selected simulation results illustrating the considerable computational gain of the IS method compared to the naive MC simulation approach.

  1. Repair or Replacement for Isolated Tricuspid Valve Pathology? Insights from a Surgical Analysis on Long-Term Survival

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farag, Mina; Arif, Rawa; Sabashnikov, Anton; Zeriouh, Mohamed; Popov, Aron-Frederik; Ruhparwar, Arjang; Schmack, Bastian; Dohmen, Pascal M.; Szabó, Gábor; Karck, Matthias; Weymann, Alexander

    2017-01-01

    Background Long-term follow-up data concerning isolated tricuspid valve pathology after replacement or reconstruction is limited. Current American Heart Association guidelines equally recommend repair and replacement when surgical intervention is indicated. Our aim was to investigate and compare operative mortality and long-term survival in patients undergoing isolated tricuspid valve repair surgery versus replacement. Material/Methods Between 1995 and 2011, 109 consecutive patients underwent surgical correction of tricuspid valve pathology at our institution for varying structural pathologies. A total of 41 (37.6%) patients underwent tricuspid annuloplasty/repair (TAP) with or without ring implantation, while 68 (62.3%) patients received tricuspid valve replacement (TVR) of whom 36 (53%) were mechanical and 32 (47%) were biological prostheses. Results Early survival at 30 days after surgery was 97.6% in the TAP group and 91.1% in the TVR group. After 6 months, 89.1% in the TAP group and 87.8% in the TVR group were alive. In terms of long-term survival, there was no further mortality observed after one year post surgery in both groups (Log Rank p=0.919, Breslow p=0.834, Tarone-Ware p=0.880) in the Kaplan-Meier Survival analysis. The 1-, 5-, and 8-year survival rates were 85.8% for TAP and 87.8% for TVR group. Conclusions Surgical repair of the tricuspid valve does not show survival benefit when compared to replacement. Hence valve replacement should be considered generously in patients with reasonable suspicion that regurgitation after repair will reoccur. PMID:28236633

  2. RANK rewires energy homeostasis in lung cancer cells and drives primary lung cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rao, Shuan; Sigl, Verena; Wimmer, Reiner Alois; Novatchkova, Maria; Jais, Alexander; Wagner, Gabriel; Handschuh, Stephan; Uribesalgo, Iris; Hagelkruys, Astrid; Kozieradzki, Ivona; Tortola, Luigi; Nitsch, Roberto; Cronin, Shane J; Orthofer, Michael; Branstetter, Daniel; Canon, Jude; Rossi, John; D'Arcangelo, Manolo; Botling, Johan; Micke, Patrick; Fleur, Linnea La; Edlund, Karolina; Bergqvist, Michael; Ekman, Simon; Lendl, Thomas; Popper, Helmut; Takayanagi, Hiroshi; Kenner, Lukas; Hirsch, Fred R; Dougall, William; Penninger, Josef M

    2017-10-15

    Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths. Besides smoking, epidemiological studies have linked female sex hormones to lung cancer in women; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here we report that the receptor activator of nuclear factor-kB (RANK), the key regulator of osteoclastogenesis, is frequently expressed in primary lung tumors, an active RANK pathway correlates with decreased survival, and pharmacologic RANK inhibition reduces tumor growth in patient-derived lung cancer xenografts. Clonal genetic inactivation of KRas G12D in mouse lung epithelial cells markedly impairs the progression of KRas G12D -driven lung cancer, resulting in a significant survival advantage. Mechanistically, RANK rewires energy homeostasis in human and murine lung cancer cells and promotes expansion of lung cancer stem-like cells, which is blocked by inhibiting mitochondrial respiration. Our data also indicate survival differences in KRas G12D -driven lung cancer between male and female mice, and we show that female sex hormones can promote lung cancer progression via the RANK pathway. These data uncover a direct role for RANK in lung cancer and may explain why female sex hormones accelerate lung cancer development. Inhibition of RANK using the approved drug denosumab may be a therapeutic drug candidate for primary lung cancer. © 2017 Rao et al.; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

  3. Selective logging: do rates of forest turnover in stems, species composition and functional traits decrease with time since disturbance? – A 45 year perspective

    Science.gov (United States)

    Osazuwa-Peters, Oyomoare L.; Jiménez, Iván; Oberle, Brad; Chapman, Colin A.; Zanne, Amy E.

    2015-01-01

    Selective logging, the targeted harvesting of timber trees in a single cutting cycle, is globally rising in extent and intensity. Short-term impacts of selective logging on tropical forests have been widely investigated, but long-term effects on temporal dynamics of forest structure and composition are largely unknown. Understanding these long-term dynamics will help determine whether tropical forests are resilient to selective logging and inform choices between competing demands of anthropogenic use versus conservation of tropical forests. Forest dynamics can be studied within the framework of succession theory, which predicts that temporal turnover rates should decline with time since disturbance. Here, we investigated the temporal dynamics of a tropical forest in Kibale National Park, Uganda over 45 years following selective logging. We estimated turnover rates in stems, species composition, and functional traits (wood density and diameter at breast height), using observations from four censuses in 1989, 1999, 2006, and 2013, of stems ≥ 10 cm diameter within 17 unlogged and 9 logged 200 × 10 m vegetation plots. We used null models to account for interdependencies among turnover rates in stems, species composition, and functional traits. We tested predictions that turnover rates should be higher and decrease with increasing time since the selective logging event in logged forest, but should be less temporally variable in unlogged forest. Overall, we found higher turnover rates in logged forest for all three attributes, but turnover rates did not decline through time in logged forest and was not less temporally variable in unlogged forest. These results indicate that successional models that assume recovery to pre-disturbance conditions are inadequate for predicting the effects of selective logging on the dynamics of the tropical forest in Kibale. Selective logging resulted in persistently higher turnover rates, which may compromise the carbon storage capacity

  4. Application of survival analysis methodology to the quantitative analysis of LC-MS proteomics data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tekwe, Carmen D; Carroll, Raymond J; Dabney, Alan R

    2012-08-01

    Protein abundance in quantitative proteomics is often based on observed spectral features derived from liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) or LC-MS/MS experiments. Peak intensities are largely non-normal in distribution. Furthermore, LC-MS-based proteomics data frequently have large proportions of missing peak intensities due to censoring mechanisms on low-abundance spectral features. Recognizing that the observed peak intensities detected with the LC-MS method are all positive, skewed and often left-censored, we propose using survival methodology to carry out differential expression analysis of proteins. Various standard statistical techniques including non-parametric tests such as the Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney rank sum tests, and the parametric survival model and accelerated failure time-model with log-normal, log-logistic and Weibull distributions were used to detect any differentially expressed proteins. The statistical operating characteristics of each method are explored using both real and simulated datasets. Survival methods generally have greater statistical power than standard differential expression methods when the proportion of missing protein level data is 5% or more. In particular, the AFT models we consider consistently achieve greater statistical power than standard testing procedures, with the discrepancy widening with increasing missingness in the proportions. The testing procedures discussed in this article can all be performed using readily available software such as R. The R codes are provided as supplemental materials. ctekwe@stat.tamu.edu.

  5. The Visual Analogue Scale for Rating, Ranking and Paired-Comparison (VAS-RRP): A new technique for psychological measurement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sung, Yao-Ting; Wu, Jeng-Shin

    2018-04-17

    Traditionally, the visual analogue scale (VAS) has been proposed to overcome the limitations of ordinal measures from Likert-type scales. However, the function of VASs to overcome the limitations of response styles to Likert-type scales has not yet been addressed. Previous research using ranking and paired comparisons to compensate for the response styles of Likert-type scales has suffered from limitations, such as that the total score of ipsative measures is a constant that cannot be analyzed by means of many common statistical techniques. In this study we propose a new scale, called the Visual Analogue Scale for Rating, Ranking, and Paired-Comparison (VAS-RRP), which can be used to collect rating, ranking, and paired-comparison data simultaneously, while avoiding the limitations of each of these data collection methods. The characteristics, use, and analytic method of VAS-RRPs, as well as how they overcome the disadvantages of Likert-type scales, ranking, and VASs, are discussed. On the basis of analyses of simulated and empirical data, this study showed that VAS-RRPs improved reliability, response style bias, and parameter recovery. Finally, we have also designed a VAS-RRP Generator for researchers' construction and administration of their own VAS-RRPs.

  6. Establishment of a 12-gene expression signature to predict colon cancer prognosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dalong Sun

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available A robust and accurate gene expression signature is essential to assist oncologists to determine which subset of patients at similar Tumor-Lymph Node-Metastasis (TNM stage has high recurrence risk and could benefit from adjuvant therapies. Here we applied a two-step supervised machine-learning method and established a 12-gene expression signature to precisely predict colon adenocarcinoma (COAD prognosis by using COAD RNA-seq transcriptome data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA. The predictive performance of the 12-gene signature was validated with two independent gene expression microarray datasets: GSE39582 includes 566 COAD cases for the development of six molecular subtypes with distinct clinical, molecular and survival characteristics; GSE17538 is a dataset containing 232 colon cancer patients for the generation of a metastasis gene expression profile to predict recurrence and death in COAD patients. The signature could effectively separate the poor prognosis patients from good prognosis group (disease specific survival (DSS: Kaplan Meier (KM Log Rank p = 0.0034; overall survival (OS: KM Log Rank p = 0.0336 in GSE17538. For patients with proficient mismatch repair system (pMMR in GSE39582, the signature could also effectively distinguish high risk group from low risk group (OS: KM Log Rank p = 0.005; Relapse free survival (RFS: KM Log Rank p = 0.022. Interestingly, advanced stage patients were significantly enriched in high 12-gene score group (Fisher’s exact test p = 0.0003. After stage stratification, the signature could still distinguish poor prognosis patients in GSE17538 from good prognosis within stage II (Log Rank p = 0.01 and stage II & III (Log Rank p = 0.017 in the outcome of DFS. Within stage III or II/III pMMR patients treated with Adjuvant Chemotherapies (ACT and patients with higher 12-gene score showed poorer prognosis (III, OS: KM Log Rank p = 0.046; III & II, OS: KM Log Rank p = 0.041. Among stage II/III pMMR patients

  7. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children and adolescents: prognostic factors and analysis of survival

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lustosa de Sousa, Daniel Willian; de Almeida Ferreira, Francisco Valdeci; Cavalcante Félix, Francisco Helder; de Oliveira Lopes, Marcos Vinicios

    2015-01-01

    Objective To describe the clinical and laboratory features of children and adolescents with acute lymphoblastic leukemia treated at three referral centers in Ceará and evaluate prognostic factors for survival, including age, gender, presenting white blood cell count, immunophenotype, DNA index and early response to treatment. Methods Seventy-six under 19-year-old patients with newly diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukemia treated with the Grupo Brasileiro de Tratamento de Leucemia da Infância – acute lymphoblastic leukemia-93 and -99 protocols between September 2007 and December 2009 were analyzed. The diagnosis was based on cytological, immunophenotypic and cytogenetic criteria. Associations between variables, prognostic factors and response to treatment were analyzed using the chi-square test and Fisher's exact test. Overall and event-free survival were estimated by Kaplan–Meier analysis and compared using the log-rank test. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to identify independent prognostic factors. Results The average age at diagnosis was 6.3 ± 0.5 years and males were predominant (65%). The most frequently observed clinical features were hepatomegaly, splenomegaly and lymphadenopathy. Central nervous system involvement and mediastinal enlargement occurred in 6.6% and 11.8%, respectively. B-acute lymphoblastic leukemia was more common (89.5%) than T-acute lymphoblastic leukemia. A DNA index >1.16 was found in 19% of patients and was associated with favorable prognosis. On Day 8 of induction therapy, 95% of the patients had lymphoblast counts <1000/μL and white blood cell counts <5.0 × 109/L. The remission induction rate was 95%, the induction mortality rate was 2.6% and overall survival was 72%. Conclusion The prognostic factors identified are compatible with the literature. The 5-year overall and event-free survival rates were lower than those reported for developed countries. As shown by the multivariate analysis, age and baseline white

  8. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children and adolescents: prognostic factors and analysis of survival

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniel Willian Lustosa de Sousa

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical and laboratory features of children and adolescents with acute lymphoblastic leukemia treated at three referral centers in Ceará and evaluate prognostic factors for survival, including age, gender, presenting white blood cell count, immunophenotype, DNA index and early response to treatment.METHODS: Seventy-six under 19-year-old patients with newly diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukemia treated with the Grupo Brasileiro de Tratamento de Leucemia da Infância - acute lymphoblastic leukemia-93 and -99 protocols between September 2007 and December 2009 were analyzed. The diagnosis was based on cytological, immunophenotypic and cytogenetic criteria. Associations between variables, prognostic factors and response to treatment were analyzed using the chi-square test and Fisher's exact test. Overall and event-free survival were estimated by Kaplan-Meier analysis and compared using the log-rank test. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to identify independent prognostic factors.RESULTS: The average age at diagnosis was 6.3 ± 0.5 years and males were predominant (65%. The most frequently observed clinical features were hepatomegaly, splenomegaly and lymphadenopathy. Central nervous system involvement and mediastinal enlargement occurred in 6.6% and 11.8%, respectively. B-acute lymphoblastic leukemia was more common (89.5% than T-acute lymphoblastic leukemia. A DNA index >1.16 was found in 19% of patients and was associated with favorable prognosis. On Day 8 of induction therapy, 95% of the patients had lymphoblast counts <1000/µL and white blood cell counts <5.0 Ã- 109/L. The remission induction rate was 95%, the induction mortality rate was 2.6% and overall survival was 72%.CONCLUSION: The prognostic factors identified are compatible with the literature. The 5-year overall and event-free survival rates were lower than those reported for developed countries. As shown by the multivariate analysis, age

  9. Polymorphous low-grade adenocarcinoma: A Danish national study

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Elhakim, Mohammad Talal; Breinholt, Helle; Godballe, Christian

    2016-01-01

    . Histological slides were reviewed and data concerning demographics, tumour site, clinical stage, treatment profiles and follow-up were retrieved. Survival estimates and prognostic factors were evaluated by comparing Kaplan–Meier plots using the Mantel–Haenszel log-rank test. Results Of the 73 patients, 47 (64......%) were female. Median age was 58 years. The most common location was the palate (73%). Median latency was five months. Recurrence was seen in 13% of patients. Overall survival (OS), disease-specific survival (DSS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) rates after 10 years were 73%, 99% and 83%, respectively...

  10. Treatment of malignant biliary occlusion by means of transhepatic percutaneous biliary drainage with insertion of metal stents - results of an 8-year follow-up and analysis of the prognostic parameters; Behandlung der malignen Gallenwegsstenose mittels perkutaner transhepatischer Metallendoprothesenimplantation: 8 Jahres-Ergebnisse und Analyse prognostischer Faktoren

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Alfke, H.; Alfke, B.; Froelich, J.J.; Klose, K.J.; Wagner, H.J. [Klinik fuer Strahlendiagnostik Philipps Univ. Marburg (Germany)

    2003-08-01

    Purpose: To analyze outcome and predictive factors for patient survival and patency rates of unresectable malignant biliary obstruction treated with percutaneous transhepatic insertion of metal stents. Materials and Methods: This is a retroselective analysis of 130 patients treated in one interventional radiological center with data collected from patient records and by telephone interviews. The procedure-related data had been prospectively documented in a computer data base. The Kaplan-Meier analysis was performed for univariate and multivariate comparison of survival and patency rates with the log-rank test used for different tumor types. Predictive factors for survival and 30-day mortality were analyzed by a stepwise logistic regression. Results: Underlying causes of malignant biliary obstructions were cholangiocarcinoma in 50, pancreatic carcinoma in 29, liver metastases in 27, gallbladder carcinoma in 20, and other tumors in 4 patients. The technical success rate was 99%, the complication rate 27% and the 30-day mortality 11%. Primary patency rates (406 days with a median of 207 days) did not differ significantly for different tumor types. The survival rates were significantly (p = 0.03 by log-rank test) better for patients with cholangiocarcinoma than for patients with pancreatic carcinoma and liver metastases. Multiple regression analysis revealed no predictive factor for patient survival and 30-day mortality. Conclusion: Percutaneous transhepatic insertion of metal biliary endoprostheses offers a good initial and long-term relief of jaundice caused by malignant biliary obstruction. Although survival rates for patients with cholangiocarcinoma are better than for other causes of malignant biliary obstruction, a clear predictive factor is lacking for patients undergoing palliative biliary stent insertion. (orig.) [German] Ziel: Ergebnisse der perkutanen transhepatischen Metallendoprothesenimplantation bei malignen Gallenwegsverschluessen zu evaluieren und

  11. The survival rate of self-immolators in Kermanshah Province 2010- 2011

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Farid Najafi

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Background: Self-immolation is one of the most violent methods of suicide, which is spreading in Iran. The highest rate of deaths due to committing suicide and self-immolation in Iran is observed in Kermanshah province. This research was conducted to study the survival rate and the factors that influence survival among the ones who commit self-immolation in Kermanshah province. Methods: In this study, all the cases who did not survive, as well as all the ones who were hospitalized due to self-immolation in Kermanshah province during 2010 and 2011 were examined. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate the survival function, and in order to do the comparisons, Logrank test and Cox Regression were employed using Stata 12 software. Results: The results indicated that during 2010 and 2011, 343 individuals committed self-immolation in Kermanshah Province, while, 288 (84% were women. Also, it was found that 184 (53% did not survive, the mean and median of survival time in those who committed suicide deliberately, were 33±2.6 and 11±2 days respectively. Estimation of survival rate using Logrank test indicated that survival rate had a significant relationship with age, mental disorders, drug addiction, and TBSA (Total Body Surface Area, while it did not suggest a statistically significant relationship with gender, marital status and cause of injury. After multivariate analysis using Cox regression, only two variables of age and TBSA could remain in the model and the other variables were excluded from the model. Conclusion: The death toll due to self-immolation is very high and the mean and median of survival time among the people who committed self-immolation is very low. Therefore, it is recommended that remedial action be performed quickly without wasting time.

  12. Effect of storage temperatures and stresses on the survival of Salmonella spp. in halva.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Osaili, T M; Al-Nabulsi, A A; Nazzal, D S; Shaker, R R

    2017-11-01

    The presence of Salmonella spp. in halva has been associated with foodborne illnesses and product recalls from the markets. This study investigated the effect of environmental stresses on the survival of Salmonella spp. in halva during storage for 12 months at 10 and 25°C (log (N 0 /N) g -1 ). Halva samples were inoculated with a cocktail of four strains of unstressed, desiccation stressed or heat stressed Salmonella (10 6 -10 7  CFU per gram). In general, survival of Salmonella spp. in halva decreased significantly (P ˂ 0·05) as storage time and temperature increased. At the end of halva shelf life at 10°C, the initial populations of unstressed, desiccation stressed or heat stressed Salmonella spp. decreased by 2·7, 2·6 or 2·8 log CFU per gram (reduction rate c. 0·2 log CFU per month), respectively. While at 25°C, the populations decreased 5·2, 6·7 or 6·3 log CFU per gram, respectively (reduction rate c. 0·4-0·5 log CFU per month). The populations of stressed Salmonella spp. in halva samples were not significantly different (P ≥ 0·05) from populations of unstressed cells during storage at 10 and 25°C, except during the last 3 months of storage at 25°C when populations of unstressed cells were higher (P Salmonella spp. to desiccation or heat stress prior product contamination may play a role in Salmonella spp. survival in halva during storage. Contamination of halva (tahini halva) with Salmonella from raw materials or during production was documented. Halva and tahini have been involved in salmonellosis outbreaks in different countries. The study demonstrated enhanced survivability of stressed and unstressed Salmonella spp. in halva over a 12-month storage period at 10 and 25°C with lower log reductions than expected. Exposing Salmonella spp. to desiccation or heat stress prior product contamination may play a role in microbial survival in halva during storage. These findings serve as a model to halva producers to implement control

  13. Comparison of long-term results between laparoscopy-assisted gastrectomy and open gastrectomy with D2 lymph node dissection for advanced gastric cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamabe, Atsushi; Omori, Takeshi; Tanaka, Koji; Nishida, Toshirou

    2012-06-01

    Laparoscopy-assisted gastrectomy (LAG) has been established as a low-invasive surgery for early gastric cancer. However, it remains unknown whether it is applicable also for advanced gastric cancer, mainly because the long-term results of LAG with D2 lymph node dissection for advanced gastric cancer have not been well validated compared with open gastrectomy (OG). A retrospective cohort study was performed to compare LAG and OG with D2 lymph node dissection. For this study, 167 patients (66 LAG and 101 OG patients) who underwent gastrectomy with D2 lymph node dissection for advanced gastric cancer were reviewed. Recurrence-free survival and overall survival time were estimated using Kaplan-Meier curves. Stratified log-rank statistical evaluation was used to compare the difference between the LAG and OG groups stratified by histologic type, pathologic T status, N status, and postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy. The adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to calculate the hazard ratios (HRs) of LAG. The 5-year recurrence-free survival rate was 89.6% in the LAG group and 75.8% in the OG group (nonsignificant difference; stratified log-rank statistic, 3.11; P = 0.0777). The adjusted HR of recurrence for LAG compared with OG was 0.389 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.131-1.151]. The 5-year overall survival rate was 94.4% in the LAG group and 78.5% in the OG group (nonsignificant difference; stratified log-rank statistic, 0.4817; P = 0.4877). The adjusted HR of death for LAG compared with OG was 0.633 (95% CI 0.172-2.325). The findings show that LAG with D2 lymph node dissection is acceptable in terms of long-term results for advanced gastric cancer cases and may be applicable for advanced gastric cancer treatment.

  14. Prognostic factors and survival of colorectal cancer in Kurdistan province, Iran: A population-based study (2009-2014).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rasouli, Mohammad Aziz; Moradi, Ghobad; Roshani, Daem; Nikkhoo, Bahram; Ghaderi, Ebrahim; Ghaytasi, Bahman

    2017-02-01

    Colorectal cancer (CRC) survival varies at individual and geographically level. This population-based study aimed to evaluating various factors affecting the survival rate of CRC patients in Kurdistan province.In a retrospective cohort study, patients diagnosed as CRC were collected through a population-based study from March 1, 2009 to 2014. The data were collected from Kurdistan's Cancer Registry database. Additional information and missing data were collected reference to patients' homes, medical records, and pathology reports. The CRC survival was calculated from the date of diagnosis to the date of cancer-specific death or the end of follow-up (cutoff date: October 2015). Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test were used for the univariate analysis of survival in various subgroups. The proportional-hazard model Cox was also used in order to consider the effects of different factors on survival including age at diagnosis, place of residence, marital status, occupation, level of education, smoking, economic status, comorbidity, tumor stage, and tumor grade.A total number of 335 patients affected by CRC were assessed and the results showed that 1- and 5-year survival rate were 87% and 33%, respectively. According to the results of Cox's multivariate analysis, the following factors were significantly related to CRC survival: age at diagnosis (≥65 years old) (HR 2.08, 95% CI: 1.17-3.71), single patients (HR 1.62, 95% CI: 1.10-2.40), job (worker) (HR 2.09, 95% CI: 1.22-3.58), educational level: diploma or below (HR 0.61, 95% CI: 0.39-0.92), wealthy economic status (HR 0.51, 95% CI: 0.31-0.82), tumor grade in poorly differentiated (HR 2.25, 95% CI: 1.37-3.69), and undifferentiated/anaplastic grade (HR 2.90, 95% CI: 1.67-4.98).We found that factors such as low education, inappropriate socioeconomic status, and high tumor grade at the time of disease diagnosis were effective in the poor survival of CRC patients in Kurdistan province; this, which need more attention.

  15. Choline kinase alpha and hexokinase-2 protein expression in hepatocellular carcinoma: association with survival.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sandi A Kwee

    Full Text Available PURPOSE: Hexokinase-2 (HK2 and more recently choline kinase alpha (CKA expression has been correlated with clinical outcomes in several major cancers. This study examines the protein expression of HK2 and CKA in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC in association with patient survival and other clinicopathologic parameters. METHODS: Immunohistochemical analysis for HK2 and CKA expression was performed on a tissue microarray of 157 HCC tumor samples. Results were analyzed in relation to clinicopathologic data from Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End-Results Program registries. Mortality rates were assessed by Kaplan-Meier estimates and compared using log-rank tests. Predictors of overall survival were assessed using proportional hazards regression. RESULTS: Immunohistochemical expression of HK2 and CKA was detected in 71 (45% and 55 (35% tumor samples, respectively. Differences in tumor HK2 expression were associated with tumor grade (p = 0.008 and cancer stage (p = 0.001, while CKA expression differed significantly only across cancer stage (p = 0.048. Increased mortality was associated with tumor HK2 expression (p = 0.003 as well as CKA expression (p = 0.03 with hazard ratios of 1.86 (95% confidence interval (CI 1.23-2.83 and 1.59 (95% CI 1.04-2.41, respectively. Similar effects on overall survival were noted in a subset analysis of early stage (I and II HCC. Tumor HK2 expression, but not CKA expression, remained a significant predictor of survival in multivariable analyses. CONCLUSION: HK2 and CKA expression may have biologic and prognostic significance in HCC, with tumor HK2 expression being a potential independent predictor of survival.

  16. A gene signature to determine metastatic behavior in thymomas.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yesim Gökmen-Polar

    Full Text Available PURPOSE: Thymoma represents one of the rarest of all malignancies. Stage and completeness of resection have been used to ascertain postoperative therapeutic strategies albeit with limited prognostic accuracy. A molecular classifier would be useful to improve the assessment of metastatic behaviour and optimize patient management. METHODS: qRT-PCR assay for 23 genes (19 test and four reference genes was performed on multi-institutional archival primary thymomas (n = 36. Gene expression levels were used to compute a signature, classifying tumors into classes 1 and 2, corresponding to low or high likelihood for metastases. The signature was validated in an independent multi-institutional cohort of patients (n = 75. RESULTS: A nine-gene signature that can predict metastatic behavior of thymomas was developed and validated. Using radial basis machine modeling in the training set, 5-year and 10-year metastasis-free survival rates were 77% and 26% for predicted low (class 1 and high (class 2 risk of metastasis (P = 0.0047, log-rank, respectively. For the validation set, 5-year metastasis-free survival rates were 97% and 30% for predicted low- and high-risk patients (P = 0.0004, log-rank, respectively. The 5-year metastasis-free survival rates for the validation set were 49% and 41% for Masaoka stages I/II and III/IV (P = 0.0537, log-rank, respectively. In univariate and multivariate Cox models evaluating common prognostic factors for thymoma metastasis, the nine-gene signature was the only independent indicator of metastases (P = 0.036. CONCLUSION: A nine-gene signature was established and validated which predicts the likelihood of metastasis more accurately than traditional staging. This further underscores the biologic determinants of the clinical course of thymoma and may improve patient management.

  17. Prognostic classification index in Iranian colorectal cancer patients: Survival tree analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amal Saki Malehi

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Aims: The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic index for separating homogenous subgroups in colorectal cancer (CRC patients based on clinicopathological characteristics using survival tree analysis. Methods: The current study was conducted at the Research Center of Gastroenterology and Liver Disease, Shahid Beheshti Medical University in Tehran, between January 2004 and January 2009. A total of 739 patients who already have been diagnosed with CRC based on pathologic report were enrolled. The data included demographic and clinical-pathological characteristic of patients. Tree-structured survival analysis based on a recursive partitioning algorithm was implemented to evaluate prognostic factors. The probability curves were calculated according to the Kaplan-Meier method, and the hazard ratio was estimated as an interest effect size. Result: There were 526 males (71.2% of these patients. The mean survival time (from diagnosis time was 42.46± (3.4. Survival tree identified three variables as main prognostic factors and based on their four prognostic subgroups was constructed. The log-rank test showed good separation of survival curves. Patients with Stage I-IIIA and treated with surgery as the first treatment showed low risk (median = 34 months whereas patients with stage IIIB, IV, and more than 68 years have the worse survival outcome (median = 9.5 months. Conclusion: Constructing the prognostic classification index via survival tree can aid the researchers to assess interaction between clinical variables and determining the cumulative effect of these variables on survival outcome.

  18. Changing Survival Rate of Infants Born Before 26 Gestational Weeks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rahman, Asad; Abdellatif, Mohamed; Sharef, Sharef W.; Fazalullah, Muhammad; Al-Senaidi, Khalfan; Khan, Ashfaq A.; Ahmad, Masood; Kripail, Mathew; Abuanza, Mazen; Bataclan, Flordeliza

    2015-01-01

    Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the changing survival rate and morbidities among infants born before 26 gestational weeks at the Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH) in Muscat, Oman. Methods: This retrospective study assessed the mortality and morbidities of all premature infants born alive at 23–26 gestational weeks at SQUH between June 2006 and May 2013. Infants referred to SQUH within 72 hours of birth during this period were also included. Electronic records were reviewed for gestational age, gender, birth weight, maternal age, mode and place of delivery, antenatal steroid administration, morbidity and outcome. The survival rate was calculated and findings were then compared with those of a previous study conducted in the same hospital from 1991 to 1998. Rates of major morbidities were also calculated. Results: A total of 81 infants between 23–26 gestational weeks were admitted to the neonatal unit during the study period. Of these, 58.0% were male and 42.0% were female. Median gestational age was 25 weeks and mean birth weight was 770 ± 150 g. Of the 81 infants, 49 survived. The overall survival rate was 60.5% compared to 41% reported in the previous study. Respiratory distress syndrome (100.0%), retinopathy of prematurity (51.9%), bronchopulmonary dysplasia (34.6%), intraventricular haemorrhage (30.9%) and patent ductus arteriosus (28.4%) were the most common morbidities. Conclusion: The overall survival rate of infants between 23–26 gestational weeks during the study period had significantly improved in comparison to that found at the same hospital from 1991 to 1998. There is a need for the long-term neurodevelopmental follow-up of premature infants. PMID:26357555

  19. Estimating Probability of Default on Peer to Peer Market – Survival Analysis Approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Đurović Andrija

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Arguably a cornerstone of credit risk modelling is the probability of default. This article aims is to search for the evidence of relationship between loan characteristics and probability of default on peer-to-peer (P2P market. In line with that, two loan characteristics are analysed: 1 loan term length and 2 loan purpose. The analysis is conducted using survival analysis approach within the vintage framework. Firstly, 12 months probability of default through the cycle is used to compare riskiness of analysed loan characteristics. Secondly, log-rank test is employed in order to compare complete survival period of cohorts. Findings of the paper suggest that there is clear evidence of relationship between analysed loan characteristics and probability of default. Longer term loans are more risky than the shorter term ones and the least risky loans are those used for credit card payoff.

  20. Disease-free survival after complete mesocolic excision compared with conventional colon cancer surgery

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bertelsen, Claus Anders; Neuenschwander, Anders Ulrich; Jansen, Jens Erik

    2015-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Application of the principles of total mesorectal excision to colon cancer by undertaking complete mesocolic excision (CME) has been proposed to improve oncological outcomes. We aimed to investigate whether implementation of CME improved disease-free survival compared with conventional...... consisted of patients who underwent CME surgery in a centre validated to perform such surgery; the control group consisted of patients undergoing conventional colon resection in three other hospitals. Data were collected from the Danish Colorectal Cancer Group (DCCG) database and medical charts. Patients...... updated by the National Central Office of Civil Registration. FINDINGS: The CME group consisted of 364 patients and the non-CME group consisted of 1031 patients. For all patients, 4-year disease-free survival was 85.8% (95% CI 81.4-90.1) after CME and 75.9% (72.2-79.7) after non-CME surgery (log-rank p=0...

  1. Long-Term Survival of Dialysis Patients with Bacterial Endocarditis Undergoing Valvular Replacement Surgery in the United States

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leither, Maxwell D.; Shroff, Gautam R.; Ding, Shu; Gilbertson, David T.; Herzog, Charles A.

    2013-01-01

    Background Bacterial endocarditis in dialysis patients is associated with high mortality rates. The literature is limited regarding long-term outcomes of valvular replacement surgery and choice of prosthesis in dialysis patients with bacterial endocarditis. Methods and Results Dialysis patients hospitalized for bacterial endocarditis, 2004-2007, were studied retrospectively using data from the US Renal Data System. Long-term survival of patients undergoing valve replacement surgery with tissue or non-tissue valves was compared using the Kaplan-Meier method. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to identify independent predictors of mortality in patients undergoing valvular replacement surgery. During the study period, 11,156 dialysis patients were hospitalized for bacterial endocarditis and 1267 (11.4%) underwent valvular replacement surgery (tissue valve 44.3%, non-tissue valve 55.7%). In the valve replacement cohort, 60% were men, 50% white, 54% aged 45-64 years, and 36% diabetic. Estimated survival with tissue and non-tissue valves, respectively, at 0.5, 1, 2, and 3 years was 59% and 60%, 48% and 50%, 35% and 37%, and 25% and 30% (log rank P = 0.42). Staphylococcus was the predominant organism (66% of identified organisms). Independent predictors of mortality in patients undergoing valve replacement surgery included older age, diabetes as cause of end-stage renal disease, surgery during index hospitalization, staphylococcus as the causative organism, and dysrhythmias as a comorbid condition. Conclusions Valve replacement surgery is appropriate for well-selected dialysis patients with bacterial endocarditis, but is associated with high mortality rates. Survival does not differ with tissue or non-tissue prosthesis. PMID:23785002

  2. Percutaneous radiofrequency ablation for early hepatocellular carcinoma: Risk factors for survival

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kikuchi, Luciana; Menezes, Marcos; Chagas, Aline L; Tani, Claudia M; Alencar, Regiane SSM; Diniz, Marcio A; Alves, Venâncio AF; D’Albuquerque, Luiz Augusto Carneiro; Carrilho, Flair José

    2014-01-01

    AIM: To evaluate outcomes of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) therapy for early hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and identify survival- and recurrence-related factors. METHODS: Consecutive patients diagnosed with early HCC by computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (single nodule of ≤ 5 cm, or multi- (up to 3) nodules of ≤ 3 cm each) and who underwent RFA treatment with curative intent between January 2010 and August 2011 at the Instituto do Câncer do Estado de São Paulo, Brazil were enrolled in the study. RFA of the liver tumors (with 1.0 cm ablative margin) was carried out under CT-fluoro scan and ultrasonic image guidance of the percutaneous ablation probes. Procedure-related complications were recorded. At 1-mo post-RFA and 3-mo intervals thereafter, CT and MRI were performed to assess outcomes of complete response (absence of enhancing tissue at the tumor site) or incomplete response (enhancing tissue remaining at the tumor site). Overall survival and disease-free survival rates were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method and compared by the log rank test or simple Cox regression. The effect of risk factors on survival was assessed by the Cox proportional hazard model. RESULTS: A total of 38 RFA sessions were performed during the study period on 34 patients (age in years: mean, 63 and range, 49-84). The mean follow-up time was 22 mo (range, 1-33). The study population showed predominance of male sex (76%), less severe liver disease (Child-Pugh A, n = 26; Child-Pugh B, n = 8), and single tumor (65%). The maximum tumor diameters ranged from 10 to 50 mm (median, 26 mm). The initial (immediately post-procedure) rate of RFA-induced complete tumor necrosis was 90%. The probability of achieving complete response was significantly greater in patients with a single nodule (vs patients with multi-nodules, P = 0.04). Two patients experienced major complications, including acute pulmonary edema (resolved with intervention) and intestinal perforation

  3. Additional androgen deprivation makes the difference. Biochemical recurrence-free survival in prostate cancer patients after HDR brachytherapy and external beam radiotherapy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schiffmann, Jonas; Tennstedt, Pierre; Beyer, Burkhard; Boehm, Katharina; Tilki, Derya; Salomon, Georg; Graefen, Markus [University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martini-Clinic Prostate Cancer Center, Hamburg (Germany); Lesmana, Hans; Platz, Volker; Petersen, Cordula; Kruell, Andreas; Schwarz, Rudolf [University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Department of Radiation oncology, Hamburg (Germany)

    2015-04-01

    The role of additional androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) in prostate cancer (PCa) patients treated with combined HDR brachytherapy (HDR-BT) and external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) is still unknown. Consecutive PCa patients classified as D'Amico intermediate and high-risk who underwent HDR-BT and EBRT treatment ± ADT at our institution between January 1999 and February 2009 were assessed. Multivariable Cox regression models predicting biochemical recurrence (BCR) were performed. BCR-free survival was assessed with Kaplan-Meier analyses. Overall, 392 patients were assessable. Of these, 221 (56.4 %) underwent trimodality (HDR-BT and EBRT and ADT) and 171 (43.6 %) bimodality (HDR-BT and EBRT) treatment. Additional ADT administration reduced the risk of BCR (HR: 0.4, 95 % CI: 0.3-0.7, p < 0.001). D'Amico high-risk patients had superior BCR-free survival when additional ADT was administered (log-rank p < 0.001). No significant difference for BCR-free survival was recorded when additional ADT was administered to D'Amico intermediate-risk patients (log-rank p = 0.2). Additional ADT administration improves biochemical control in D'Amico high-risk patients when HDR-BT and EBRT are combined. Physicians should consider the oncological benefit of ADT administration for these patients during the decision-making process. (orig.) [German] Der Nutzen einer zusaetzlichen Hormonentzugstherapie (ADT, ''androgen deprivation therapy'') fuer Patienten mit Prostatakarzinom (PCa), welche mit einer Kombination aus HDR-Brachytherapie (HDR-BT) und perkutaner Bestrahlung (EBRT) behandelt werden, ist weiterhin ungeklaert. Fuer diese Studie wurden konsekutive, nach der D'Amico-Risikoklassifizierung in ''intermediate'' und ''high-risk'' eingeteilte Patienten ausgewaehlt, die zwischen Januar 1999 und Februar 2009 in unserem Institut eine kombinierte Therapie aus HDR-BT, EBRT ± ADT erhalten haben. Eine

  4. Overall Survival of Patients with Locally Advanced or Metastatic Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Treated with Nimotuzumab in the Real World.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saumell, Yaimarelis; Sanchez, Lizet; González, Sandra; Ortiz, Ramón; Medina, Edadny; Galán, Yaima; Lage, Agustin

    2017-12-01

    Despite improvements in surgical techniques and treatments introduced into clinical practice, the overall survival of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma remains low. Several epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors are being evaluated in the context of clinical trials, but there is little evidence of effectiveness in real-world conditions. This study aimed at assessing the effectiveness of nimotuzumab combined with onco-specific treatment in Cuban real-life patients with locally advanced or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. A comparative and retrospective effectiveness study was performed. The 93 patients treated with nimotuzumab were matched, with use of propensity score matching, with patients who received a diagnosis of locally advanced or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus in three Cuban provinces reported between 2011 and 2015 to the National Cancer Registry. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate event-time distributions. Log-rank statistics were used for comparisons of overall survival between groups. A two-component mixture model assuming a Weibull distribution was fitted to assess the effect of nimotuzumab on short-term and long-term survival populations. There was an increase in median overall survival in patients treated with nimotuzumab (11.9 months versus 6.5 months without treatment) and an increase in the 1-year survival rate (54.0% versus 21.9% without treatment). The 2-year survival rates were 21.1% for patients treated with nimotuzumab and 0% in the untreated cohort. There were statistically significant differences in survival between groups treated and not treated with nimotuzumab, both in the short-term survival population (6.0 months vs 4.0 months, p = 0.009) and in the long-term survival population (18.0 months vs 11.0 months, p = 0.001). Our study shows that nimotuzumab treatment concurrent with chemoradiotherapy increases the survival of real-world patients with locally advanced

  5. Seasonal survival rates and causes of mortality of Little Owls in Denmark

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thorup, Kasper; Pedersen, Dorthe; Sunde, Peter

    2013-01-01

    Survival rate is an essential component of population dynamics; therefore, identification of variation in mortality rates and the factors that influence them might be of key importance in understanding why populations increase or decrease. In Denmark, the Little Owl Athene noctua, a species...... the causes of current survival rates, we estimated age- and season-specific survival rates and causes of mortality in Danish Little Owls on the basis of ringed birds 1920–2002, radio tagged adult and juveniles 2005–2008 and nest surveys 2006–2008. We estimate that 32 % of all eggs fledge and survive to 2...... the breeding season. In radio-tagged adults and fledged juveniles, accidents in buildings and other human infrastructures were responsible for two-thirds of all fatalities. Anthropogenic habitats currently comprise the nesting and roosting habitats for the last Danish Little Owls. The accidental deaths...

  6. Ambulation and survival following surgery in elderly patients with metastatic epidural spinal cord compression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Itshayek, Eyal; Candanedo, Carlos; Fraifeld, Shifra; Hasharoni, Amir; Kaplan, Leon; Schroeder, Josh E; Cohen, José E

    2017-12-28

    Metastatic epidural spinal cord compression (MESCC) is a disabling consequence of disease progression. Surgery can restore/preserve physical function, improving access to treatments that increase duration of survival; however, advanced patient age may deter oncologists and surgeons from considering surgical management. Evaluate the duration of ambulation and survival in elderly patients following surgical decompression of MESCC. Retrospective file review of a prospective database, under IRB waiver of informed consent, of consecutive patients treated in an academic tertiary care medical center from 8/2008-3/2015. Patients ≥65 years presenting neurological and/or radiological signs of cord compression due to metastatic disease, who underwent surgical decompression. Duration of ambulation and survival. Patients underwent urgent multidisciplinary evaluation and surgery. Ambulation and survival were compared with age, pre- and postoperative neurological (American Spinal Injury Association [ASIA] Impairment Scale [AIS]) and performance status (Karnofsky Performance Status [KPS], and Tokuhashi Score using Kruskal-Wallis and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, Pearson correlation coefficient, Cox regression model, log rank analysis, and Kaplan Meir analysis. 40 patients were included (21 male, 54%; mean age 74 years, range 65-87). Surgery was performed a mean 3.8 days after onset of motor symptoms. Mean duration of ambulation and survival were 474 (range 0-1662) and 525 days (range 11-1662), respectively; 53% of patients (21/40) survived and 43% (17/40) retained ambulation for ≥1 year. There was no significant relationship between survival and ambulation for patients aged 65-69, 70-79, or 80-89, although Kaplan Meier analysis suggested stratification. There was a significant relationship between duration of ambulation and pre- and postoperative AIS (p=0.0342, p=0.0358, respectively) and postoperative KPS (p=0.0221). Tokuhashi score was not significantly related to duration of

  7. Survival and Predictive Factors of Lethality in Hemodyalisis: D/I Polymorphism of The Angiotensin I-Converting Enzyme and of the Angiotensinogen M235T Genes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Alves, Mauro, E-mail: malves@cardiol.br; Silva, Nelson Albuquerque de Souza e; Salis, Lucia Helena Alvares; Pereira, Basilio de Bragança; Godoy, Paulo Henrique; Nascimento, Emília Matos do [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Oliveira, Jose Mario Franco [Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, RJ (Brazil)

    2014-09-15

    End-stage kidney disease patients continue to have markedly increased cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality. Analysis of genetic factors connected with the renin-angiotensin system that influences the survival of the patients with end-stage kidney disease supports the ongoing search for improved outcomes. To assess survival and its association with the polymorphism of renin-angiotensin system genes: angiotensin I-converting enzyme insertion/deletion and angiotensinogen M235T in patients undergoing hemodialysis. Our study was designed to examine the role of renin-angiotensin system genes. It was an observational study. We analyzed 473 chronic hemodialysis patients in four dialysis units in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Survival rates were calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method and the differences between the curves were evaluated by Tarone-Ware, Peto-Prentice, and log rank tests. We also used logistic regression analysis and the multinomial model. A p value ≤ 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. The local medical ethics committee gave their approval to this study. The mean age of patients was 45.8 years old. The overall survival rate was 48% at 11 years. The major causes of death were cardiovascular diseases (34%) and infections (15%). Logistic regression analysis found statistical significance for the following variables: age (p = 0.000038), TT angiotensinogen (p = 0.08261), and family income greater than five times the minimum wage (p = 0.03089), the latter being a protective factor. The survival of hemodialysis patients is likely to be influenced by the TT of the angiotensinogen M235T gene.

  8. Survival and Predictive Factors of Lethality in Hemodyalisis: D/I Polymorphism of The Angiotensin I-Converting Enzyme and of the Angiotensinogen M235T Genes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alves, Mauro; Silva, Nelson Albuquerque de Souza e; Salis, Lucia Helena Alvares; Pereira, Basilio de Bragança; Godoy, Paulo Henrique; Nascimento, Emília Matos do; Oliveira, Jose Mario Franco

    2014-01-01

    End-stage kidney disease patients continue to have markedly increased cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality. Analysis of genetic factors connected with the renin-angiotensin system that influences the survival of the patients with end-stage kidney disease supports the ongoing search for improved outcomes. To assess survival and its association with the polymorphism of renin-angiotensin system genes: angiotensin I-converting enzyme insertion/deletion and angiotensinogen M235T in patients undergoing hemodialysis. Our study was designed to examine the role of renin-angiotensin system genes. It was an observational study. We analyzed 473 chronic hemodialysis patients in four dialysis units in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Survival rates were calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method and the differences between the curves were evaluated by Tarone-Ware, Peto-Prentice, and log rank tests. We also used logistic regression analysis and the multinomial model. A p value ≤ 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. The local medical ethics committee gave their approval to this study. The mean age of patients was 45.8 years old. The overall survival rate was 48% at 11 years. The major causes of death were cardiovascular diseases (34%) and infections (15%). Logistic regression analysis found statistical significance for the following variables: age (p = 0.000038), TT angiotensinogen (p = 0.08261), and family income greater than five times the minimum wage (p = 0.03089), the latter being a protective factor. The survival of hemodialysis patients is likely to be influenced by the TT of the angiotensinogen M235T gene

  9. Geophysical well logging operations and log analysis in Geothermal Well Desert Peak No. B-23-1

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sethi, D.K.; Fertl, W.H.

    1980-03-01

    Geothermal Well Desert Peak No. B-23-1 was logged by Dresser Atlas during April/May 1979 to a total depth of 2939 m (9642 ft). A temperature of 209/sup 0/C (408/sup 0/F) was observed on the maximum thermometer run with one of the logging tools. Borehole tools rated to a maximum temperature of 204.4/sup 0/C (400/sup 0/F) were utilized for logging except for the Densilog tool, which was from the other set of borehole instruments, rated to a still higher temperature, i.e., 260/sup 0/C (500/sup 0/F). The quality of the logs recorded and the environmental effects on the log response have been considered. The log response in the unusual lithologies of igneous and metamorphic formations encountered in this well could be correlated with the drill cutting data. An empirical, statistical log interpretation approach has made it possible to obtain meaningful information on the rocks penetrated. Various crossplots/histograms of the corrected log data have been generated on the computer. These are found to provide good resolution between the lithological units in the rock sequence. The crossplotting techniques and the statistical approach were combined with the drill cutting descriptions in order to arrive at the lithological characteristics. The results of log analysis and recommendations for logging of future wells have been included.

  10. Data logging system upgrade for Indus accelerator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mishra, R.; Merh, B.N.; Agrawal, R.K.; Fatnani, P.; Navathe, C.P.; Pal, S.

    2012-01-01

    An accelerator has various subsystems like Magnet Power Supply, Beam Diagnostics and Vacuum etc. which are required to work in a stable manner to ensure required machine performance. Logging of system parameters at a faster rate plays a crucial role in analysing and understanding machine behaviour. Logging all the machine parameters consistently at the rate of typically more than 1 Hz has been the aim of a recent data logging system upgrade. Nearly ten thousand parameters are being logged at varying intervals of one second to one minute in Indus accelerator complex. The present logging scheme is augmented to log all these parameters at a rate equal to or more than 1 Hz. The database schema is designed according to the data type of the parameter. The data is distributed into historical table and intermediate table which comprises of recent data. Machine control applications read the parameter values from the control system and store them into the text files of finite time duration for each sub-system. The logging application of each sub-system passes these text files to database for bulk insertion. The detail design of database, logging scheme and its architecture is presented in the paper. (author)

  11. Adjuvant Medications That Improve Survival after Locoregional Therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boas, F Edward; Ziv, Etay; Yarmohammadi, Hooman; Brown, Karen T; Erinjeri, Joseph P; Sofocleous, Constantinos T; Harding, James J; Solomon, Stephen B

    2017-07-01

    To determine if outpatient medications taken at the time of liver tumor embolization or ablation affect survival. A retrospective review was done of 2,032 liver tumor embolization, radioembolization, and ablation procedures performed in 1,092 patients from June 2009 to April 2016. Pathology, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) stage (American Joint Committee on Cancer), neuroendocrine tumor (NET) grade, initial locoregional therapy, overall survival after initial locoregional therapy, Child-Pugh score, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, Charlson Comorbidity Index, and outpatient medications taken at the time of locoregional therapy were analyzed for each patient. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were calculated for patients taking 29 medications or medication classes (including prescription and nonprescription medications) for reasons unrelated to their primary cancer diagnosis. Kaplan-Meier curves were compared using the log-rank test. For patients with HCC initially treated with embolization (n = 304 patients), the following medications were associated with improved survival when taken at the time of embolization: beta-blockers (P = .0007), aspirin (P = .0008) and other nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (P = .009), proton pump inhibitors (P = .004), and antivirals for hepatitis B or C (P = .01). For colorectal liver metastases initially treated with ablation (n = 172 patients), beta-blockers were associated with improved survival when taken at the time of ablation (P = .02). Aspirin and beta-blockers are associated with significantly improved survival when taken at the time of embolization for HCC. Aspirin was not associated with survival differences after locoregional therapy for NET or colorectal liver metastases, suggesting an HCC-specific effect. Copyright © 2017 SIR. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Pregnancy outcome of monochorionic twins: does amnionicity matter?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dias, Thiran; Contro, Elena; Thilaganathan, Basky; Khan, Hina; Zanardini, Cristina; Mahsud-Dornan, Samina; Bhide, Amar

    2011-12-01

    To compare the fetal loss rate of monochorionic (MC) twin pregnancies according to their amnionicity. A retrospective review of all MC pregnancy outcomes in a tertiary centre. Pregnancy outcomes were compared for monochorionic monoamniotic (MCMA) versus monochorionic diamniotic (MCDA) pregnancies. 29 MCMA and 117 MCDA twin pregnancies were identified. The overall fetal loss rate was significantly higher in MCMA (23/52, 44.2%) compared to MCDA pregnancies (28/233, 12%, Chi squared = 30.03, p fetal survival rate in MCDA twins were significantly higher than in MCMA twins (Log-rank Chi-squared = 27.9, p fetal losses in some MCMA twins. After exclusion of identifiable causes, the difference in fetal survival was not significant in the two groups (Log-rank chi-squared = 0.373, p = .54). The loss rate for MCMA twins is high and occurs mainly due to discordant congenital abnormality, conjoint twins or twin reversed arterial perfusion (TRAP) sequence. Although the fetal loss rate in MCDA is lower than in MCMA pregnancies, the majority of fetal loss in MCDA pregnancies cannot be predicted at the first scan at presentation. The data of this study questions the widespread policy of a difference in the scheduling of elective delivery for MCMA and MCDA twins.

  13. Pulsed radiation decay logging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mills, W.R. Jr.

    1983-01-01

    There are provided new and improved well logging processes and systems wherein the detection of secondary radiation is accomplished during a plurality of time windows in a manner to accurately characterize the decay rate of the secondary radiation. The system comprises a well logging tool having a primary pulsed radiation source which emits repetitive time-spaced bursts of primary radiation and detector means for detecting secondary radiation resulting from the primary radiation and producing output signals in response to the detected radiation. A plurality of measuring channels are provided, each of which produces a count rate function representative of signals received from the detector means during successive time windows occurring between the primary radiation bursts. The logging system further comprises means responsive to the measuring channels for producing a plurality of functions representative of the ratios of the radiation count rates measured during adjacent pairs of the time windows. Comparator means function to compare the ratio functions and select at least one of the ratio functions to generate a signal representative of the decay rate of the secondary radiation

  14. Socioeconomic Status, Not Race, Is Associated With Reduced Survival in Esophagectomy Patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Erhunmwunsee, Loretta; Gulack, Brian C; Rushing, Christel; Niedzwiecki, Donna; Berry, Mark F; Hartwig, Matthew G

    2017-07-01

    Black patients with esophageal cancer have worse survival than white patients. This study examines this racial disparity in conjunction with socioeconomic status (SES) and explores whether race-based outcome differences exist using a national database. The associations between race and SES with overall survival of patients treated with esophagectomy for stages I to III esophageal cancer between 2003 and 2011 in the National Cancer Data Base were investigated using the Kaplan-Meier method and proportional hazards analyses. Median income by zip code and proportion of the zip code residents without a high school diploma were grouped into income and education quartiles, respectively and used as surrogates for SES. The association between race and overall survival stratified by SES is explored. Of 11,599 esophagectomy patients who met study criteria, 3,503 (30.2%) were in the highest income quartile, 2,847 (24.5%) were in the highest education quartile, and 610 patients (5%) were black. Before adjustment for SES, black patients had worse overall survival than white patients (median survival 23.0 versus 34.7 months, log rank p race was not. Prior studies have suggested that survival of esophageal cancer patients after esophagectomy is associated with race. Our study suggests that race is not significantly related to overall survival when adjusted for other prognostic variables. Socioeconomic status, however, remains significantly related to overall survival in our model. Copyright © 2017 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Application of survival analysis methodology to the quantitative analysis of LC-MS proteomics data

    KAUST Repository

    Tekwe, C. D.

    2012-05-24

    MOTIVATION: Protein abundance in quantitative proteomics is often based on observed spectral features derived from liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) or LC-MS/MS experiments. Peak intensities are largely non-normal in distribution. Furthermore, LC-MS-based proteomics data frequently have large proportions of missing peak intensities due to censoring mechanisms on low-abundance spectral features. Recognizing that the observed peak intensities detected with the LC-MS method are all positive, skewed and often left-censored, we propose using survival methodology to carry out differential expression analysis of proteins. Various standard statistical techniques including non-parametric tests such as the Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney rank sum tests, and the parametric survival model and accelerated failure time-model with log-normal, log-logistic and Weibull distributions were used to detect any differentially expressed proteins. The statistical operating characteristics of each method are explored using both real and simulated datasets. RESULTS: Survival methods generally have greater statistical power than standard differential expression methods when the proportion of missing protein level data is 5% or more. In particular, the AFT models we consider consistently achieve greater statistical power than standard testing procedures, with the discrepancy widening with increasing missingness in the proportions. AVAILABILITY: The testing procedures discussed in this article can all be performed using readily available software such as R. The R codes are provided as supplemental materials. CONTACT: ctekwe@stat.tamu.edu.

  16. Epidemiologic study on survival of chronic myeloid leukemia and Ph(+) acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients with BCR-ABL T315I mutation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nicolini, Franck E; Mauro, Michael J; Martinelli, Giovanni

    2009-01-01

    The BCR-ABL T315I mutation represents a major mechanism of resistance to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). The objectives of this retrospective observational study were to estimate overall and progression-free survival for chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic-phase (CP), accelerated-phase (AP......), or blastic-phase (BP) and Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph)(+) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients with T315I mutation. Medical records of 222 patients from 9 countries were reviewed; data were analyzed using log-rank tests and Cox proportional hazard models. Median age at T315I mutation...

  17. Comparative Study of Inguinal Hernia Repair Rates After Radical Prostatectomy or External Beam Radiotherapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lughezzani, Giovanni; Sun, Maxine; Perrotte, Paul; Alasker, Ahmed; Jeldres, Claudio; Isbarn, Hendrik; Budaeus, Lars; Lattouf, Jean-Baptiste; Valiquette, Luc; Benard, Francois; Saad, Fred; Graefen, Markus; Montorsi, Francesco; Karakiewicz, Pierre I.

    2010-01-01

    Purpose: We tested the hypothesis that patients treated for localized prostate cancer with radical prostatectomy (RP) have a higher risk of requiring an inguinal hernia (IH) repair than their counterparts treated with external beam radiotherapy (EBRT). Methods and Materials: Within the Quebec Health Plan database, we identified 6,422 men treated with RP and 4,685 men treated with EBRT for localized prostate cancer between 1990 and 2000, in addition to 6,933 control patients who underwent a prostate biopsy. From among that population, we identified patients who underwent a unilateral or bilateral hernia repair after either RP or EBRT. Kaplan-Meier plots showed IH repair-free survival rates. Univariable and multivariable Cox regression models tested the predictors of IH repair after RP or EBRT. Covariates consisted of age, year of surgery, and Charlson Comorbidity Index. Results: IH repair-free survival rates at 1, 2, 5, and 10 years were 96.8, 94.3, 90.5, and 86.2% vs. 98.9, 98.0, 95.4, and 92.2%, respectively, in RP vs. EBRT patients (log-rank test, p < 0.001). IH repair-free survival rates in the biopsy population were 98.3, 97.1, 94.9, and 90.2% at the same four time points. In multivariable Cox regression models, RP predisposed to a 2.3-fold higher risk of IH repair than EBRT (p < 0.001). Besides therapy type, patient age (p < 0.001) represented the only other independent predictor of IH repair. Conclusions: RP predisposes to a higher rate of IH repair relative to EBRT. This observation should be considered at informed consent.

  18. Sign rank versus Vapnik-Chervonenkis dimension

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alon, N.; Moran, Sh; Yehudayoff, A.

    2017-12-01

    This work studies the maximum possible sign rank of sign (N × N)-matrices with a given Vapnik-Chervonenkis dimension d. For d=1, this maximum is three. For d=2, this maximum is \\widetilde{\\Theta}(N1/2). For d >2, similar but slightly less accurate statements hold. The lower bounds improve on previous ones by Ben-David et al., and the upper bounds are novel. The lower bounds are obtained by probabilistic constructions, using a theorem of Warren in real algebraic topology. The upper bounds are obtained using a result of Welzl about spanning trees with low stabbing number, and using the moment curve. The upper bound technique is also used to: (i) provide estimates on the number of classes of a given Vapnik-Chervonenkis dimension, and the number of maximum classes of a given Vapnik-Chervonenkis dimension--answering a question of Frankl from 1989, and (ii) design an efficient algorithm that provides an O(N/log(N)) multiplicative approximation for the sign rank. We also observe a general connection between sign rank and spectral gaps which is based on Forster's argument. Consider the adjacency (N × N)-matrix of a Δ-regular graph with a second eigenvalue of absolute value λ and Δ ≤ N/2. We show that the sign rank of the signed version of this matrix is at least Δ/λ. We use this connection to prove the existence of a maximum class C\\subseteq\\{+/- 1\\}^N with Vapnik-Chervonenkis dimension 2 and sign rank \\widetilde{\\Theta}(N1/2). This answers a question of Ben-David et al. regarding the sign rank of large Vapnik-Chervonenkis classes. We also describe limitations of this approach, in the spirit of the Alon-Boppana theorem. We further describe connections to communication complexity, geometry, learning theory, and combinatorics. Bibliography: 69 titles.

  19. Contribution of screening and survival differences to racial disparities in colorectal cancer rates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lansdorp-Vogelaar, Iris; Kuntz, Karen M.; Knudsen, Amy B.; van Ballegooijen, Marjolein; Zauber, Ann G.; Jemal, Ahmedin

    2012-01-01

    Background Considerable disparities exist in colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence and mortality rates between blacks and whites in the US. We estimated how much of these disparities could be explained by differences in CRC screening and stage-specific relative CRC survival. Methods We used the MISCAN-Colon microsimulation model to estimate CRC incidence and mortality rates in blacks aged 50 years and older from 1975 to 2007 assuming they had: 1) the same trends in screening rates as whites instead of observed screening rates (incidence and mortality); and 2) the same trends in stage-specific relative CRC survival rates as whites instead of observed (mortality only); and 3) a combination of both. The racial disparities in CRC incidence and mortality rates attributable to differences in screening and/or stage-specific relative CRC survival were then calculated by comparing rates from these scenarios to the observed black rates. Results Differences in screening account for 42% of disparity in CRC incidence and 19% of disparity in CRC mortality between blacks and whites. 36% of the disparity in CRC mortality could be attributed to differences in stage-specific relative CRC survival. Together screening and survival explained a little over 50% of the disparity in CRC mortality between blacks and whites. Conclusion Differences in screening and relative CRC survival are responsible for a considerable proportion of the observed disparities in CRC incidence and mortality rates between blacks and whites. Impact Enabling blacks to achieve equal access to care as whites could substantially reduce the racial disparities in CRC burden. PMID:22514249

  20. Survival benefits of remote ischemic conditioning in sepsis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Joseph, Bellal; Khalil, Mazhar; Hashmi, Ammar; Hecker, Louise; Kulvatunyou, Narong; Tang, Andrew; Friese, Randall S; Rhee, Peter

    2017-06-01

    Sepsis remains the leading cause of death in the surgical intensive care unit. Prior studies have demonstrated a survival benefit of remote ischemic conditioning (RIC) in many disease states. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of RIC on survival in sepsis in an animal model and to assess alterations in inflammatory biochemical profiles. We hypothesized that RIC alters inflammatory biochemical profiles resulting in decreased mortality in a septic mouse model. Eight to 12 week C57BL/6 mice received intra-peritoneal injection of 12.5-mg/kg lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Septic animals in the experimental group underwent RIC at 0, 2, and 6 h after LPS by surgical exploration and alternate clamping of the femoral artery. Six 4-min cycles of ischemia-reperfusion were performed. Primary outcome was survival at 5-d after LPS injection. Secondary outcome was to assess the following serum cytokine levels: interferon-γ (IFN-γ), interleukin (IL)-10, IL-1β, and tumor necrosis factoralpha (TNFα) at the baseline before LPS injection, 0 hour after LPS injection, and at 2, 4, 24 hours after induction of sepsis (RIC was performed at 2 h after LPS injection). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and log-rank test were used. ANOVA test was used to compare cytokine measurements. We performed experiments on 44 mice: 14 sham and 30 RIC mice (10 at each time point). Overall survival was higher in the experimental group compared to the sham group (57% versus 21%; P = 0.02), with the highest survival rate observed in the 2-hour post-RIC group (70%). On Kaplan-Meier analysis, 2-h post-RIC group had increased survival at 5 days after LPS (P = 0.04) with hazard ratio of 0.3 (95% confidence interval = 0.09-0.98). In the RIC group, serum concentrations of IFN-γ, IL-10, IL-1β, and TNFα peaked at 2 h after LPS and then decreased significantly over 24 hours (P sepsis and has the potential for implementation in the clinical practice. Early implementation of RIC may play an

  1. Survival in Malnourished Older Patients Receiving Post-Discharge Nutritional Support; Long-Term Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neelemaat, F; van Keeken, S; Langius, J A E; de van der Schueren, M A E; Thijs, A; Bosmans, J E

    2017-01-01

    Previous analyses have shown that a post-discharge individualized nutritional intervention had positive effects on body weight, lean body mass, functional limitations and fall incidents in malnourished older patients. However, the impact of this intervention on survival has not yet been studied. The objective of this randomized controlled study was to examine the effect of a post-discharge individualized nutritional intervention on survival in malnourished older patients. Malnourished older patients, aged ≥ 60 years, were randomized during hospitalization to a three-months post-discharge nutritional intervention group (protein and energy enriched diet, oral nutritional supplements, vitamin D3/calcium supplement and telephone counseling by a dietitian) or to a usual care regimen (control group). Survival data were collected 4 years after enrollment. Survival analyses were performed using intention-to-treat analysis by Log-rank tests and Cox regression adjusted for confounders. The study population consisted of 94 men (45%) and 116 women with a mean age of 74.5 (SD 9.5) years. There were no statistically significant differences in baseline characteristics. Survival data was available in 208 out of 210 patients. After 1 and 4 years of follow-up, survival rates were respectively 66% and 29% in the intervention group (n=104) and 73% and 30% in the control group (n=104). There were no statistically significant differences in survival between the two groups 1 year (HR= 0.933, 95% CI=0.675-1.289) and 4 years after enrollment (HR=0.928, 95% CI=0.671-1.283). The current study failed to show an effect of a three-months post-discharge multi-component nutritional intervention in malnourished older patients on long-term survival, despite the positive effects on short-term outcome such as functional limitations and falls.

  2. Severe Obesity Impacts Recurrence-Free Survival of Women with High-Risk Endometrial Cancer: Results of a French Multicenter Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Canlorbe, Geoffroy; Bendifallah, Sofiane; Raimond, Emilie; Graesslin, Olivier; Hudry, Delphine; Coutant, Charles; Touboul, Cyril; Bleu, Géraldine; Collinet, Pierre; Darai, Emile; Ballester, Marcos

    2015-08-01

    Studies focusing on the impact of obesity on survival in endometrial cancer (EC) have reported controversial results and few data exist on the impact of obesity on recurrence rate and recurrence-free survival (RFS). The aim of this study was to assess the impact of obesity on surgical staging and RFS in EC according to the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) risk groups. Data of 729 women with EC who received primary surgical treatment between January 2000 and December 2012 were abstracted from a multicenter database. RFS distributions according to body mass index (BMI) in each ESMO risk group were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Survival was evaluated using the log-rank test, and the Cox proportional hazards model was used to determine influence of multiple variables. Distribution of the 729 women with EC according to BMI was BMI women with a BMI ≥ 35 (72 %) than for those with a BMI obese women in the low-/intermediate-risk groups, but a BMI ≥ 35 was independently correlated to a poorer RFS (hazard ratio 12.5; 95 % confidence interval 3.1-51.3) for women in the high-risk group. Severe obesity negatively impacts RFS in women with high-risk EC, underlining the importance of complete surgical staging and adapted adjuvant therapies in this subgroup of women.

  3. Log-balanced combinatorial sequences

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tomislav Došlic

    2005-01-01

    Full Text Available We consider log-convex sequences that satisfy an additional constraint imposed on their rate of growth. We call such sequences log-balanced. It is shown that all such sequences satisfy a pair of double inequalities. Sufficient conditions for log-balancedness are given for the case when the sequence satisfies a two- (or more- term linear recurrence. It is shown that many combinatorially interesting sequences belong to this class, and, as a consequence, that the above-mentioned double inequalities are valid for all of them.

  4. Rill erosion in burned and salvage logged western montane forests: Effects of logging equipment type, traffic level, and slash treatment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wagenbrenner, J. W.; Robichaud, P. R.; Brown, R. E.

    2016-10-01

    Following wildfires, forest managers often consider salvage logging burned trees to recover monetary value of timber, reduce fuel loads, or to meet other objectives. Relatively little is known about the cumulative hydrologic effects of wildfire and subsequent timber harvest using logging equipment. We used controlled rill experiments in logged and unlogged (control) forests burned at high severity in northern Montana, eastern Washington, and southern British Columbia to quantify rill overland flow and sediment production rates (fluxes) after ground-based salvage logging. We tested different types of logging equipment-feller-bunchers, tracked and wheeled skidders, and wheeled forwarders-as well as traffic levels and the addition of slash to skid trails as a best management practice. Rill experiments were done at each location in the first year after the fire and repeated in subsequent years. Logging was completed in the first or second post-fire year. We found that ground-based logging using heavy equipment compacted soil, reduced soil water repellency, and reduced vegetation cover. Vegetation recovery rates were slower in most logged areas than the controls. Runoff rates were higher in the skidder and forwarder plots than their respective controls in the Montana and Washington sites in the year that logging occurred, and the difference in runoff between the skidder and control plots at the British Columbia site was nearly significant (p = 0.089). Most of the significant increases in runoff in the logged plots persisted for subsequent years. The type of skidder, the addition of slash, and the amount of forwarder traffic did not significantly affect the runoff rates. Across the three sites, rill sediment fluxes were 5-1900% greater in logged plots than the controls in the year of logging, and the increases were significant for all logging treatments except the low use forwarder trails. There was no difference in the first-year sediment fluxes between the feller

  5. Long-term results of interventional treatment of large unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC): significant survival benefit from combined transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI) compared to TACE monotherapy; Langzeitergebnisse der interventionellen Therapie von grossen, inoperablen hepatozellulaeren Karzinomen (HCC): signifikanter Ueberlebensvorteil von transarterieller Chemoembolisation (TACE) und perkutaner Ethanolinjektion (PEI) gegenueber der TACE-Monotherapie

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lubienski, A.; Bitsch, R.G.; Grenacher, L.; Kauffmann, G.W. [Radiologische Universitaetsklinik Heidelberg, Abt. Radiodiagnostik, Heidelberg (Germany); Schemmer, P. [Chirurgische Universitaetsklinik Heidelberg (Germany); Duex, M. [Radiologisches Zentralinstitut Krankenhaus Nordwest Frankfurt (Germany)

    2004-12-01

    Purpose: A retrospective analysis of long-term efficacy of combined transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI) and TACE monotherapy was conducted in patients with large, non-resectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods and Materials: Fifty patients with large, unresectable HCC lesions underwent selective TACE. Liver cirrhosis was present in 42 patients, due to alcohol abuse (n = 22) and viral infection (n = 17). In three patients, the underlying cause for liver cirrhosis remained unclear. Child A cirrhosis was found in 22 and Child B cirrhosis in 20 patients. Repeated and combined TACE and PEI were performed in 22 patients and repeated TACE monotherapy was performed in 28 patients. Survival and complication rates were determined and compared. Results: The 6-, 12-, 24- and 36-month survival rates were 61%, 21%, 4%, and 4% for TACE monotherapy and 77%, 55%, 39% and 22% for combined TACE and PEI (Kaplan-Meier method). The kind of treatment significantly affected the survival rate (p=0.002 log-rank test). Severe side effects were present in two patients of the monotherapy group and in three patients of the combination therapy group. (orig.)

  6. Microaerobic growth and anaerobic survival of Mycobacterium avium, Mycobacterium intracellulare and Mycobacterium scrofulaceum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lewis, Amy Herndon; Falkinham, Joseph O

    2015-03-01

    Representative strains of Mycobacterium avium, Mycobacterium intracellulare and Mycobacterium scrofulaceum (MAIS) grew at equal rates in laboratory medium at 21% (air) and 12% oxygen. Growth in 6% oxygen proceeded at a 1.4-1.8-fold lower rate. Colony formation was the same at 21% (air) and 6% oxygen. The MAIS strains survived rapid shifts from aerobic to anaerobic conditions as measured by two experimental approaches (Falkinham (1996) [1]). MAIS cells grown aerobically to log phase in broth were diluted, spread on agar medium, and incubated anaerobically for up to 20 days at 37°C. Although no colonies formed anaerobically, upon transfer to aerobic conditions, greater than 25% of the colony forming units (CFU) survived after 20 days of anaerobic incubation (Prince et al. (1989) [2]). MAIS cells grown in broth aerobically to log phase were sealed and vigorous agitation led to oxygen depletion (Wayne model). After 12 days anaerobic incubation, M. avium and M. scrofulaceum survival were high (>50%), while M. intracellulare survival was lower (22%). M. avium cells shifted to anaerobiosis in broth had increased levels of glycine dehydrogenase and isocitrate lyase. Growth of MAIS strains at low oxygen levels and their survival following a rapid shift to anaerobiosis is consistent with their presence in environments with fluctuating oxygen levels. Copyright © 2015 Asian African Society for Mycobacteriology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Microaerobic growth and anaerobic survival of Mycobacterium avium, Mycobacterium intracellulare and Mycobacterium scrofulaceum

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amy Herndon Lewis

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Representative strains of Mycobacterium avium, Mycobacterium intracellulare and Mycobacterium scrofulaceum (MAIS grew at equal rates in laboratory medium at 21% (air and 12% oxygen. Growth in 6% oxygen proceeded at a 1.4–1.8-fold lower rate. Colony formation was the same at 21% (air and 6% oxygen. The MAIS strains survived rapid shifts from aerobic to anaerobic conditions as measured by two experimental approaches (Falkinham (1996 [1]. MAIS cells grown aerobically to log phase in broth were diluted, spread on agar medium, and incubated anaerobically for up to 20 days at 37 °C. Although no colonies formed anaerobically, upon transfer to aerobic conditions, greater than 25% of the colony forming units (CFU survived after 20 days of anaerobic incubation (Prince et al. (1989 [2]. MAIS cells grown in broth aerobically to log phase were sealed and vigorous agitation led to oxygen depletion (Wayne model. After 12 days anaerobic incubation, M. avium and M. scrofulaceum survival were high (>50%, while M. intracellulare survival was lower (22%. M. avium cells shifted to anaerobiosis in broth had increased levels of glycine dehydrogenase and isocitrate lyase. Growth of MAIS strains at low oxygen levels and their survival following a rapid shift to anaerobiosis is consistent with their presence in environments with fluctuating oxygen levels.

  8. Survival following salvage abdominoperineal resection for persistent and recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the anus: do these disease categories affect survival?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Severino, N P; Chadi, S A; Rosen, L; Coiro, S; Choman, E; Berho, M; Wexner, S D

    2016-10-01

    This study aimed to investigate the results of salvage abdominoperineal excision (APR) in patients with persistent or recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the anus (SCCA). Patients with anal neoplasia were identified from a prospective database. Patients with invasive SCCA with demonstrated failure of chemoradiation therapy (CRT) who underwent salvage APR for one of three disease categories (persistent,  24 months post-CRT) were included. The primary outcome was overall survival after salvage APR. Tumour size, metastatic lymph nodes (LN), circumferential resection margin positivity (CRM) and neurolymphovascular invasion (NLVI) were correlated with the outcome. Thirty-six patients with a median 3-year overall survival of 46% (median follow-up 24 months) underwent salvage APR due to persistent or recurrent SCCA (14 men, mean age 59 years). Eleven (31%) patients were diagnosed with persistent disease, 17 (47%) with early and 8 (22%) with late recurrence. Two-year overall survival of Stage 0/I/II and III/IV disease was 81.5% and 33.74%, respectively (P = 0.022). Overall disease stage was associated with disease categorization (P = 0.009): patients with persistent disease or early recurrence had a significantly higher disease stage than patients with late recurrence (OR = 20.9 and 17.2). Despite apparently improved survival in patients with late disease recurrence on live table analysis, no significant difference was identified in overall survival when stratified by disease category on log-rank test analysis. Persistent and recurrent disease does not show any significant difference in survival, but patients with late recurrence may have a better prognosis. Colorectal Disease © 2016 The Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland.

  9. LATERAL SURVIVAL: AN OT ACCOUNT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Moira Yip

    2004-12-01

    Full Text Available When laterals are the targets of phonological processes, laterality may or may not survive. In a fixed feature geometry, [lateral] should be lost if its superordinate node is eliminated by either the spreading of a neighbouring node, or by coda neutralization. So if [lateral] is under Coronal (Blevins 1994, it should be lost under Place assimilation, and if [lateral] is under Sonorant Voicing (Rice & Avery 1991 it should be lost by rules that spread voicing. Yet in some languages lateral survives such spreading intact. Facts like these argue against a universal attachment of [lateral] under either Coronal or Sonorant Voicing, and in favour of an account in terms of markedness constraints on feature-co-occurrence (Padgett 2000. The core of an OT account is that IFIDENTLAT is ranked above whatever causes neutralization, such as SHARE-F or *CODAF. laterality will survive. If these rankings are reversed, we derive languages in which laterality is lost. The other significant factor is markedness. High-ranked feature co-occurrence constraints like *LATDORSAL can block spreading from affecting laterals at all.

  10. Inflation of type I error rates by unequal variances associated with parametric, nonparametric, and Rank-Transformation Tests

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Donald W. Zimmerman

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available It is well known that the two-sample Student t test fails to maintain its significance level when the variances of treatment groups are unequal, and, at the same time, sample sizes are unequal. However, introductory textbooks in psychology and education often maintain that the test is robust to variance heterogeneity when sample sizes are equal. The present study discloses that, for a wide variety of non-normal distributions, especially skewed distributions, the Type I error probabilities of both the t test and the Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test are substantially inflated by heterogeneous variances, even when sample sizes are equal. The Type I error rate of the t test performed on ranks replacing the scores (rank-transformed data is inflated in the same way and always corresponds closely to that of the Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test. For many probability densities, the distortion of the significance level is far greater after transformation to ranks and, contrary to known asymptotic properties, the magnitude of the inflation is an increasing function of sample size. Although nonparametric tests of location also can be sensitive to differences in the shape of distributions apart from location, the Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test and rank-transformation tests apparently are influenced mainly by skewness that is accompanied by specious differences in the means of ranks.

  11. Effect of experimental manipulation on survival and recruitment of feral pigs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hanson, L.B.; Mitchell, M.S.; Grand, J.B.; Jolley, D.B.; Sparklin, B.D.; Ditchkoff, S.S.

    2009-01-01

    Lethal removal is commonly used to reduce the density of invasive-species populations, presuming it reduces population growth rate; the actual effect of lethal removal on the vital rates contributing to population growth, however, is rarely tested. We implemented a manipulative experiment of feral pig (Sus scrofa) populations at Fort Benning, Georgia, USA, to assess the demographic effects of harvest intensity. Using markrecapture data, we estimated annual survival, recruitment, and population growth rates of populations in a moderately harvested area and a heavily harvested area for 200406. Population growth rates did not differ between the populations. The top-ranked model for survival included a harvest intensity effect; model-averaged survival was lower for the heavily harvested population than for the moderately harvested population. Increased immigration and reproduction likely compensated for the increased mortality in the heavily harvested population. We conclude that compensatory responses in feral pig recruitment can limit the success of lethal control efforts. ?? 2009 CSIRO.

  12. High-dose-rate versus low-dose-rate brachytherapy in the treatment of cervical cancer: analysis of tumor recurrence - the University of Wisconsin experience

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Petereit, Daniel G.; Sarkaria, Jann N.; Potter, David M.; Schink, Julian C.

    1999-01-01

    Purpose: To retrospectively compare the clinical outcome for cervical cancer patients treated with high-dose-rate (HDR) vs. low-dose-rate (LDR) brachytherapy. Methods and Materials: One hundred ninety-one LDR patients were treated from 1977 to 1988 and compared to 173 HDR patients treated from 1989 to 1996. Patients of similar stage and tumor volumes were treated with identical external beam fractionation schedules. Brachytherapy was given in either 1 or 2 LDR implants for the earlier patient cohort, and 5 HDR implants for the latter cohort. For both patient groups, Point A received a minimum total dose of 80 Gy. The linear-quadratic formula was used to calculate the LDR dose-equivalent contribution to Point A for the HDR treatments. The primary endpoints assessed were survival, pelvic control, relapse-free survival, and distant metastases. Endpoints were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Comparisons between treatment groups were performed using the log-rank test and Cox proportional hazards models. Results: The median follow-up was 65 months (2 to 208 months) in the LDR group and 22 months (1 to 85 months) in the HDR group. For all stages combined there was no difference in survival, pelvic control, relapse-free survival, or distant metastases between LDR and HDR patients. For Stage IB and II HDR patients, the pelvic control rates were 85% and 80% with survival rates of 86% and 65% at 3 years, respectively. In the LDR group, Stage IB and II patients had 91% and 78% pelvic control rates, with 82% and 58% survival rates at 3 years, respectively. No difference was seen in survival or pelvic control for bulky Stage I and II patients combined (> 5 cm). Pelvic control at 3 years was 44% (HDR) versus 75% (LDR) for Stage IIIB patients (p = 0.002). This difference in pelvic control was associated with a lower survival rate in the Stage IIIB HDR versus LDR population (33% versus 58%, p = 0.004). The only major difference, with regard to patient characteristics

  13. The efficacy of postoperative radiotherapy in localized primary soft tissue sarcoma treated with conservative surgery

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhao, Ru-Ping; Yu, Xiao-Li; Zhang, Zhen; Jia, Li-Juan; Feng, Yan; Yang, Zhao-Zhi; Chen, Xing-Xing; Wang, Jian; Ma, Sheng-Lin; Guo, Xiao-Mao

    2016-01-01

    To evaluate the efficacy of postoperative radiotherapy (RT) on local failure-free survival (LFFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients with localized primary soft tissue sarcoma (STS) and to identify prognostic factors. Between January 2000 and July 2010, 220 consecutive patients with localized primary STS, who received conservative surgery with or without postoperative RT, were enrolled in the study. Survival curves were constructed by the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test was used to assess statistical significance. Multivariate analysis was applied to identify the prognostic factors. After a median follow-up of 68 months (range, 5–127 months), the 5-year LFFS, DMFS and OS were 70.0, 78.2 and 71.2 %, respectively. Tumor size, histological subtypes, margin status and postoperative RT were independent predictors for OS. Postoperative RT was associated with a significant reduced local recurrence risk versus surgery alone (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.408, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 0.235–0.707, P = 0.001), with 5-year LFFS of 81.1 and 63.6 %, respectively (log-rank, P = 0.004). The log-rank test showed that postoperative RT had a tendency of improving OS compared with surgery alone, with 5-year OS of 74.8 and 65.0 %, respectively (P = 0.089). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that postoperative RT significantly reduced mortality rate compared with surgery alone (HR = 0.512, 95 % CI 0.296–0.886, p = 0.017), especially in patients with liposarcoma (p = 0.034). Postoperative radiotherapy reduce both local recurrence and STS mortality in patients with localized primary STS. The efficacy of RT on survival warrants further prospective study. The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13014-016-0605-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

  14. A special case of reduced rank models for identification and modelling of time varying effects in survival analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perperoglou, Aris

    2016-12-10

    Flexible survival models are in need when modelling data from long term follow-up studies. In many cases, the assumption of proportionality imposed by a Cox model will not be valid. Instead, a model that can identify time varying effects of fixed covariates can be used. Although there are several approaches that deal with this problem, it is not always straightforward how to choose which covariates should be modelled having time varying effects and which not. At the same time, it is up to the researcher to define appropriate time functions that describe the dynamic pattern of the effects. In this work, we suggest a model that can deal with both fixed and time varying effects and uses simple hypotheses tests to distinguish which covariates do have dynamic effects. The model is an extension of the parsimonious reduced rank model of rank 1. As such, the number of parameters is kept low, and thus, a flexible set of time functions, such as b-splines, can be used. The basic theory is illustrated along with an efficient fitting algorithm. The proposed method is applied to a dataset of breast cancer patients and compared with a multivariate fractional polynomials approach for modelling time-varying effects. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  15. Social Rank, Stress, Fitness, and Life Expectancy in Wild Rabbits

    Science.gov (United States)

    von Holst, Dietrich; Hutzelmeyer, Hans; Kaetzke, Paul; Khaschei, Martin; Schönheiter, Ronald

    Wild rabbits of the two sexes have separate linear rank orders, which are established and maintained by intensive fights. The social rank of individuals strongly influence their fitness: males and females that gain a high social rank, at least at the outset of their second breeding season, have a much higher lifetime fitness than subordinate individuals. This is because of two separate factors: a much higher fecundity and annual reproductive success and a 50% longer reproductive life span. These results are in contrast to the view in evolutionary biology that current reproduction can be increased only at the expense of future survival and/or fecundity. These concepts entail higher physiological costs in high-ranking mammals, which is not supported by our data: In wild rabbits the physiological costs of social positions are caused predominantly by differential psychosocial stress responses that are much lower in high-ranking than in low-ranking individuals.

  16. A Matched Case-Control Study on Open and Endovascular Treatment of Popliteal Artery Aneurysms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dorigo, W; Fargion, A; Masciello, F; Piffaretti, G; Pratesi, G; Giacomelli, E; Pratesi, C

    2018-01-01

    To compare early and late results of open and endovascular management of popliteal artery aneurysm in a retrospective single-center matched case-control study Methods: From 1981 to 2015, 309 consecutive interventions for popliteal artery aneurysm were performed in our institution, in 59 cases with endovascular repair and in 250 cases with open repair. Endovascular repair was preferred in older asymptomatic patients, while open repair was offered more frequently to patients with a thrombosed popliteal artery aneurysm and a poor run-off status. A one-to-one coarsened exact matching on the basis of the baseline demographic, clinical, and anatomical covariates significantly different between the two treatment options was performed and two equivalent groups of 56 endovascular repairs and open repairs were generated. The two groups were compared in terms of perioperative results with χ 2 test and of follow-up outcomes with the Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank test. There were no differences between the two groups in terms of perioperative outcomes. Median duration of follow-up was 38 months. Five-year survival rates were 94% in endovascular repair group and 89.5% in open repair group (p = 0.4, log-rank 0.6). Primary patency rates at 1, 3, and 5 years were 81%, 78%, and 72% in endovascular repair group and 82.5%, 80%, and 64% in open repair group (p = 0.8, log-rank 0.01). Freedom from reintervention at 5 years was 65.5% in endovascular repair group and 76% in open repair group (p = 0.2, log-rank 1.2). Secondary patency at 1, 3, and 5 years was 94%, 86%, and 74% in endovascular repair group, and 94%, 89%, and 71% in open repair group, respectively (p = 0.9, log-rank 0.01). The rates of limb preservation at 5 years were 94% in endovascular repair group and 86.4% in open repair group (p = 0.3, log-rank 0.8). Open repair and endovascular repair of popliteal artery aneurysms provided in this retrospective single-center experience similar perioperative and follow-up results in

  17. Prognostic and survival analysis of 837 Chinese colorectal cancer patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yuan, Ying; Li, Mo-Dan; Hu, Han-Guang; Dong, Cai-Xia; Chen, Jia-Qi; Li, Xiao-Fen; Li, Jing-Jing; Shen, Hong

    2013-05-07

    To develop a prognostic model to predict survival of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). Survival data of 837 CRC patients undergoing surgery between 1996 and 2006 were collected and analyzed by univariate analysis and Cox proportional hazard regression model to reveal the prognostic factors for CRC. All data were recorded using a standard data form and analyzed using SPSS version 18.0 (SPSS, Chicago, IL, United States). Survival curves were calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method. The log rank test was used to assess differences in survival. Univariate hazard ratios and significant and independent predictors of disease-specific survival and were identified by Cox proportional hazard analysis. The stepwise procedure was set to a threshold of 0.05. Statistical significance was defined as P analysis suggested age, preoperative obstruction, serum carcinoembryonic antigen level at diagnosis, status of resection, tumor size, histological grade, pathological type, lymphovascular invasion, invasion of adjacent organs, and tumor node metastasis (TNM) staging were positive prognostic factors (P analysis showed a significant statistical difference in 3-year survival among these groups: LNR1, 73%; LNR2, 55%; and LNR3, 42% (P analysis results showed that histological grade, depth of bowel wall invasion, and number of metastatic lymph nodes were the most important prognostic factors for CRC if we did not consider the interaction of the TNM staging system (P < 0.05). When the TNM staging was taken into account, histological grade lost its statistical significance, while the specific TNM staging system showed a statistically significant difference (P < 0.0001). The overall survival of CRC patients has improved between 1996 and 2006. LNR is a powerful factor for estimating the survival of stage III CRC patients.

  18. Cancer survival for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians: a national study of survival rates and excess mortality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Condon, John R; Zhang, Xiaohua; Baade, Peter; Griffiths, Kalinda; Cunningham, Joan; Roder, David M; Coory, Michael; Jelfs, Paul L; Threlfall, Tim

    2014-01-31

    National cancer survival statistics are available for the total Australian population but not Indigenous Australians, although their cancer mortality rates are known to be higher than those of other Australians. We aimed to validate analysis methods and report cancer survival rates for Indigenous Australians as the basis for regular national reporting. We used national cancer registrations data to calculate all-cancer and site-specific relative survival for Indigenous Australians (compared with non-Indigenous Australians) diagnosed in 2001-2005. Because of limited availability of Indigenous life tables, we validated and used cause-specific survival (rather than relative survival) for proportional hazards regression to analyze time trends and regional variation in all-cancer survival between 1991 and 2005. Survival was lower for Indigenous than non-Indigenous Australians for all cancers combined and for many cancer sites. The excess mortality of Indigenous people with cancer was restricted to the first three years after diagnosis, and greatest in the first year. Survival was lower for rural and remote than urban residents; this disparity was much greater for Indigenous people. Survival improved between 1991 and 2005 for non-Indigenous people (mortality decreased by 28%), but to a much lesser extent for Indigenous people (11%) and only for those in remote areas; cancer survival did not improve for urban Indigenous residents. Cancer survival is lower for Indigenous than other Australians, for all cancers combined and many individual cancer sites, although more accurate recording of Indigenous status by cancer registers is required before the extent of this disadvantage can be known with certainty. Cancer care for Indigenous Australians needs to be considerably improved; cancer diagnosis, treatment, and support services need to be redesigned specifically to be accessible and acceptable to Indigenous people.

  19. KRAS polymorphisms are associated with survival of CRC in Chinese population.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dai, Qiong; Wei, Hui Lian; Huang, Juan; Zhou, Tie Jun; Chai, Li; Yang, Zhi-Hui

    2016-04-01

    rs12245, rs12587, rs9266, rs1137282, rs61764370, and rs712 of KRAS oncogene are characterized in the 3'UTR. The study highlights the important role of these polymorphisms playing in the susceptibility, oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy sensitivity, progression, and prognosis of CRC. Improved multiplex ligation detection reaction (iMLDR) technique is used for genotyping. An unconditional logistic regression model was used to estimate the association of certain polymorphism and CRC risk. The Kaplan-Meier method, log-rank test, and Cox regression model were used to evaluate the effects of polymorphisms on survival analysis. Results demonstrated that TT genotype and T allele of rs712 were associated with the increased risk of CRC; the patients with GG genotype and G allele of rs61764370 had a shorter survival and a higher risk of relapse or metastasis of CRC. Our studies supported the conclusions that rs61764370 and rs712 polymorphisms of the KRAS are functional and it may play an important role in the development of CRC and oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy efficiency and prognosis of CRC.

  20. Metformin Use and Endometrial Cancer Survival

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nevadunsky, Nicole S.; Van Arsdale, Anne; Strickler, Howard D.; Moadel, Alyson; Kaur, Gurpreet; Frimer, Marina; Conroy, Erin; Goldberg, Gary L.; Einstein, Mark H.

    2013-01-01

    Objective Impaired glucose tolerance and diabetes are risk factors for the development of uterine cancer. Although greater progression free survival among diabetic patients with ovarian and breast cancer using metformin have been reported, no studies have assessed the association of metformin use with survival in women with endometrial cancer (EC). Methods We conducted a single-institution retrospective cohort study of all patients treated for uterine cancer from January 1999 through December 2009. Demographic, medical, social, and survival data were abstracted from medical records and the national death registry. Overall survival (OS) was estimated using Kaplan-Meier methods. Cox models were utilized for multivariate analysis. All statistical tests were two-sided. Results Of 985 patients, 114 (12%) had diabetes and were treated with metformin, 136 (14%) were diabetic but did not use metformin, and 735 (74%) had not been diagnosed with diabetes. Greater OS was observed in diabetics with non-endometrioid EC who used metformin than in diabetic cases not using metformin and non-endometrioid EC cases without diabetes (log rank test (p=0.02)). This association remained significant (hazard ratio = 0.54, 95% CI: 0.30–0.97, p<0.04) after adjusting for age, clinical stage, grade, chemotherapy treatment, radiation treatment and presence of hyperlipidemia in multivariate analysis. No association between metformin use and OS in diabetics with endometrioid histology was observed. Conclusion Diabetic EC patients with non-endometrioid tumors who used metformin had lower risk of death than women with EC who did not use metformin. These data suggest that metformin might be useful as adjuvant therapy for non-endometrioid EC. PMID:24189334

  1. Median Survival Time of Endometrial Cancer Patients with Lymphovascular Invasion at the Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Asyikeen, Wan Adnan Wan Nor; Siti-Azrin, Ab Hamid; Jalil, Nur Asyilla Che; Zin, Anani Aila Mat; Othman, Nor Hayati

    2016-11-01

    Endometrial cancer is the most common gynaecologic malignancy among females worldwide. The purpose of this study was to determine the median survival time of endometrial cancer patients at the Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). A list of 121 endometrial cancer cases registered at Hospital USM between 2000 until 2011 was retrospectively reviewed. The survival time of the endometrial cancer patients was estimated by Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Log-rank tests were performed to compare the survival of the patients based on socio-demographics and clinical presentation. Only 108 patients, 87.0%, were included who were of Malay ethnicity. Previous history included menopause in 67.6% of patients and diabetes mellitus in 39.8% of patients; additionally, 63.4% of patients were nulliparous. Tumour staging was as follows: 24.5% stage I, 10.8% stage II, 26.5% stage III and 38.2% stage IV. The overall median survival time of the endometrial cancer patients was 70.20 months (95% confidence interval (CI): 51.79, 88.61). The significant factors were age, the presence of lymphovascular invasion and treatment received. The overall survival of endometrial cancer was low. A prospective study needs to be carried out to discover more effective and accurate tests for the early detection of endometrial cancer.

  2. The Survival of Morse Cone-Connection Implants with Platform Switch.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cassetta, Michele; Di Mambro, Alfonso; Giansanti, Matteo; Brandetti, Giulia

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this prospective clinical study was to evaluate the survival up to 5 years of Morse cone-connection implants with platform switch considering the influence of biologically relevant, anatomical, and stress-related variables. STROBE guidelines were followed. Seven hundred forty-eight implants were inserted in 350 patients. Follow-up visits were scheduled at the time of stagetwo surgery (2 months later) and at 6, 12, 24, 36, and 60 months. All implants were initially loaded with a cemented provisional acrylic restoration. The definitive metal-ceramic restorations were cemented at the 6-month follow-up. Implant cumulative survival rates (CSRs) were calculated using life table actuarial method. Survival data were also analyzed by the log-rank test and Cox regression. The statistical analysis was conducted at the patient level. P ≤ .05 was considered as an indicator of statistical significance. During the follow-up (mean: 40 months; SD: 20.27), 28 patients were considered failed (8%). The CSR and its standard error (SE) was 92% ± 2.17%. Patients with implant-supported single crowns had a CSR of 90%, whereas those with implant-supported fixed dental prostheses had a CSR of 93%. The implant diameter (P = .0399) and implant length (P = .0441) were statistically significant. The probability of failure was almost 75% lower for patients with wide rather than standard implants, 91% lower for patients with long implants, and 69% lower for patients with standard implants compared with short implants. The use of Morse cone-connection implants with platform switch is a safe and reliable treatment method. Stress-related variables influence the risk of failure confirming the importance of biomechanical factors in the longevity of osseointegrated implants; thus, the clinician may obtain better results if attention is paid to these factors.

  3. Life history in male mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx): physical development, dominance rank, and group association.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Setchell, Joanna M; Wickings, E Jean; Knapp, Leslie A

    2006-12-01

    We assess life history from birth to death in male mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx) living in a semifree-ranging colony in Gabon, using data collected for 82 males that attained at least the age of puberty, including 33 that reached adulthood and 25 that died, yielding data for their entire lifespan. We describe patterns of mortality and injuries, dominance rank, group association, growth and stature, and secondary sexual character expression across the male lifespan. We examine relationships among these variables and investigate potential influences on male life history, including differences in the social environment (maternal rank and group demography) and early development, with the aim of identifying characteristics of successful males. Sons of higher-ranking females were more likely to survive to adulthood than sons of low-ranking females. Adolescent males varied consistently in the rate at which they developed, and this variation was related to a male's own dominance rank. Males with fewer peers and sons of higher-ranking and heavier mothers also matured faster. However, maternal variables were not significantly related to dominance rank during adolescence, the age at which males attained adult dominance rank, or whether a male became alpha male. Among adult males, behavior and morphological development were related to a male's own dominance rank, and sons of high-ranking females were larger than sons of low-ranking females. Alpha males were always the most social, and the most brightly colored males, but were not necessarily the largest males present. Finally, alpha male tenure was related to group demography, with larger numbers of rival adult males and maturing adolescent males reducing the time a male spent as alpha male. Tenure did not appear to be related to characteristics of the alpha male himself. 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  4. Solitary plasmacytoma: population-based analysis of survival trends and effect of various treatment modalities in the USA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thumallapally, Nishitha; Meshref, Ahmed; Mousa, Mohammed; Terjanian, Terenig

    2017-01-05

    Solitary plasmacytoma (SP) is a localized neoplastic plasma cell disorder with an annual incidence of less than 450 cases. Given the rarity of this disorder, it is difficult to conduct large-scale population studies. Consequently, very limited information on the disorder is available, making it difficult to estimate the incidence and survival rates. Furthermore, limited information is available on the efficacy of various treatment modalities in relation to primary tumor sites. The data for this retrospective study were drawn from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database, which comprises 18 registries; patient demographics, treatment modalities and survival rates were obtained for those diagnosed with SP from 1998 to 2007. Various prognostic factors were analyzed via Kaplan-Meier analysis and log-rank test, with 5-year relative survival rate defined as the primary outcome of interest. Cox regression analysis was employed in the multivariate analysis. The SEER search from 1998 to 2007 yielded records for 1691 SP patients. The median age at diagnosis was 63 years. The patient cohort was 62.4% male, 37.6% female, 80% Caucasian, 14.6% African American and 5.4% other races. Additionally, 57.8% had osseous plasmacytoma, and 31.9% had extraosseous involvement. Unspecified plasmacytoma was noted in 10.2% of patients. The most common treatment modalities were radiotherapy (RT) (48.8%), followed by combination surgery with RT (21.2%) and surgery alone (11.6%). Univariate analysis of prognostic factors revealed that the survival outcomes were better for younger male patients who received RT with surgery (p multiple myeloma (MM) was noted in 551 patients. Age >60 years was associated with a lower 5-year survival in patients who progressed to MM compared to those who were diagnosed initially with MM (15.1 vs 16.6%). Finally, those who received RT and progressed to MM still had a higher chance of survival than those who were diagnosed with MM initially and

  5. Improving village poultry's survival rate through community-based poultry health management

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sodjinou, Epiphane; Henningsen, Arne; Koudande, Olorounto Delphin

    2012-01-01

    Community-based poultry health management (CBM) is a strategy for village poultry improvement based on the installment of “poultry interest groups” in experimental villages. These groups serve as a channel for the dissemination of village poultry improvement technologies. The use of CBM is due...... to the fact that village poultry farming is practiced in a total or partial scavenging system which gives the impression that all the birds in the village belong to the same flock. Accordingly, actions that target all farmers of the same village may have a larger impact on the village poultry's survival rate...... than actions that target individual producers. The objective of this study is to assess the impact of CBM on the survival rate of village poultry. Based on data collected on 353 poultry keepers, the study shows that CBM significantly improves the survival rate of village poultry. The adoption...

  6. Survival and Predictive Factors of Lethality in Hemodyalisis: D/I Polymorphism of The Angiotensin I-Converting Enzyme and of the Angiotensinogen M235T Genes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mauro Alves

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Background: End-stage kidney disease patients continue to have markedly increased cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality. Analysis of genetic factors connected with the renin-angiotensin system that influences the survival of the patients with end-stage kidney disease supports the ongoing search for improved outcomes. Objective: To assess survival and its association with the polymorphism of renin-angiotensin system genes: angiotensin I-converting enzyme insertion/deletion and angiotensinogen M235T in patients undergoing hemodialysis. Methods: Our study was designed to examine the role of renin-angiotensin system genes. It was an observational study. We analyzed 473 chronic hemodialysis patients in four dialysis units in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Survival rates were calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method and the differences between the curves were evaluated by Tarone-Ware, Peto-Prentice, and log rank tests. We also used logistic regression analysis and the multinomial model. A p value ≤ 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. The local medical ethics committee gave their approval to this study. Results: The mean age of patients was 45.8 years old. The overall survival rate was 48% at 11 years. The major causes of death were cardiovascular diseases (34% and infections (15%. Logistic regression analysis found statistical significance for the following variables: age (p = 0.000038, TT angiotensinogen (p = 0.08261, and family income greater than five times the minimum wage (p = 0.03089, the latter being a protective factor. Conclusions: The survival of hemodialysis patients is likely to be influenced by the TT of the angiotensinogen M235T gene.

  7. Survival rates in bankruptcy systems : overlooking the evidence

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Couwenberg, Oscar

    2001-01-01

    Extensive research on bankruptcy still has not made it possible to end the efficiency discussion concerning the need for a reorganization provision in bankruptcy laws. In this paper, I discuss the pervasiveness of asset sales in bankruptcy procedures and the effect it has on survival rates. Without

  8. Survival in HIV-infected patients after a cancer diagnosis in the cART Era: results of an italian multicenter study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gotti, Daria; Raffetti, Elena; Albini, Laura; Sighinolfi, Laura; Maggiolo, Franco; Di Filippo, Elisa; Ladisa, Nicoletta; Angarano, Gioacchino; Lapadula, Giuseppe; Pan, Angelo; Esposti, Anna Degli; Fabbiani, Massimiliano; Focà, Emanuele; Scalzini, Alfredo; Donato, Francesco; Quiros-Roldan, Eugenia

    2014-01-01

    We studied survival and associated risk factors in an Italian nationwide cohort of HIV-infected individuals after an AIDS-defining cancer (ADC) or non-AIDS-defining cancer (NADC) diagnosis in the modern cART era. Multi-center, retrospective, observational study of HIV patients included in the MASTER Italian Cohort with a cancer diagnosis from January 1998 to September 2012. Malignancies were divided into ADC or NADC on the basis of the Centre for Disease Control-1993 classification. Recurrence of cancer and metastases were excluded. Survivals were estimated according to the Kaplan-Meier method and compared according to the log-rank test. Statistically significant variables at univariate analysis were entered in a multivariate Cox regression model. Eight hundred and sixty-six cancer diagnoses were recorded among 13,388 subjects in the MASTER Database after 1998: 435 (51%) were ADCs and 431 (49%) were NADCs. Survival was more favorable after an ADC diagnosis than a NADC diagnosis (10-year survival: 62.7%±2.9% vs. 46%±4.2%; p = 0.017). Non-Hodgkin lymphoma had lower survival rates than patients with Kaposi sarcoma or cervical cancer (10-year survival: 48.2%±4.3% vs. 72.8%±4.0% vs. 78.5%±9.9%; pcancer showed better survival (10-year survival: 65.1%±14%) than lung cancer (1-year survival: 28%±8.7%), liver cancer (5-year survival: 31.9%±6.4%) or Hodgkin lymphoma (10-year survival: 24.8%±11.2%). Lower CD4+ count and intravenous drug use were significantly associated with decreased survival after ADCs or NADCs diagnosis. Exposure to cART was found to be associated with prolonged survival only in the case of ADCs. cART has improved survival in patients with an ADC diagnosis, whereas the prognosis after a diagnosis of NADCs is poor. Low CD4+ counts and intravenous drug use are risk factors for survival following a diagnosis of ADCs and Hodgkin lymphoma in the NADC group.

  9. Annual survival rates of adult and immature eastern population tundra swans

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nichols, J.D.; Bart, J.; Limpert, R.J.; Sladen, William J. L.; Hines, J.E.

    1992-01-01

    Tundra swans (Cygnus columbianus ) of the eastern population were neckbanded in Maryland, North Carolina, and Alaska from 1966 through 1990. These swans were resighted and recaptured during autumn, winter, and spring, 1966-1990. Although the original motivation for this study involved swan movements, we wanted to use the resulting data to test hypotheses about sources of variation in swan survival rates. Recaptures of legbanded and neckbanded swans permitted us to estimate neckband loss rates, which were found to vary with age and sex of swans, and number of years since initial application. Estimates of annual neckband retention rate ranged from about 0.50 for adult male swans greater than or equal to 2 years after initial neckbanding to > 0.96 for immature swans and adult females the first year following neckbanding. This variation in neckband loss rates prevented the simple correction of survival estimates to account for such loss. Consequently, we developed a series of multinomial models parameterized with survival, sighting, and neckband retention probabilities for use with the recapture and resighting data.

  10. Poor survival in rheumatoid arthritis associated with bronchiectasis: a family-based cohort study.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xavier Puéchal

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Diffuse bronchiectasis (DB may occur in rheumatoid arthritis (RA. CFTR (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator mutations predispose RA patients to DB, but the prognosis of RA-associated DB (RA-DB is unclear. METHODS: We report long-term mortality data from a nationwide family-based association study of patients with RA only, DB only or RA-DB. We assessed mortality as a function of clinical characteristics and CF/CFTR-RD (CFTR-related disorders mutations in 137 subjects from 24 kindreds. Potential risk factors were investigated by Cox proportional-hazard analysis with shared Gaussian random effects to account for within-family correlations. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 11 years after inclusion, 18 patients died, mostly from cardiorespiratory causes. Survival was significantly lower for RA-DB patients than for unaffected relatives and for patients with RA or DB only. RA patients with DB had also a poorer prognosis in terms of survival after RA diagnosis (HR, 8.6; 95% CI, 1.5-48.2; P = 0.014 and from birth (HR, 9.6; 95% CI, 1.1-81.7; P = 0.039. Early onset of DB (HR, 15.4; 95% CI, 2.1-113.2; P = 0.007 and CF/CFTR-RD mutation (HR, 7.2; 95% CI, 1.4-37.1; P = 0.018 were associated with poorer survival in patients with RA-DB. Thus, CF/CFTR-RD mutations in RA patients with early-onset DB defined a subgroup of high-risk patients with higher mortality rates (log-rank test P = 1.28×10(-5. CONCLUSION: DB is associated with poorer survival in patients with RA. Early-onset DB and CFTR mutations are two markers that identify RA patients at a high risk of death, for whom future therapeutic interventions should be designed and evaluated.

  11. The inflammation-based Glasgow Prognostic Score predicts survival in patients with cervical cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Polterauer, Stephan; Grimm, Christoph; Seebacher, Veronika; Rahhal, Jasmin; Tempfer, Clemens; Reinthaller, Alexander; Hefler, Lukas

    2010-08-01

    The Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS) is known to reflect the degree of tumor-associated cachexia and inflammation and is associated with survival in various malignancies. We investigated the value of the GPS in patients with cervical cancer. We included 244 consecutive patients with cervical cancer in our study. The pretherapeutic GPS was calculated as follows: patients with elevated C-reactive protein serum levels (>10 mg/L) and hypoalbuminemia (L) were allocated a score of 2, and patients with 1 or no abnormal value were allocated a score of 1 or 0, respectively. The association between GPS and survival was evaluated by univariate log-rank tests and multivariate Cox regression models. The GPS was correlated with clinicopathologic parameters as shown by performing chi2 tests. In univariate analyses, GPS (P GPS (P = 0.03, P = 0.04), FIGO stage (P = 0.006, P = 0.006), and lymph node involvement (P = 0.003, P = 0.002), but not patients' age (P = 0.5, P = 0.5), histological grade (P = 0.7, P = 0.6), and histological type (P = 0.4, P = 0.6) were associated with disease-free and overall survival, respectively. The GPS was associated with FIGO stage (P GPS can be used as an inflammation-based predictor for survival in patients with cervical cancer.

  12. Logging costs and production rates for the group selection cutting method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Philip M. McDonald

    1965-01-01

    Young-growth, mixed-conifer stands were logged by a group-selection method designed to create openings 30, 60, and 90 feet in diameter. Total costs for felling, limbing, bucking, and skidding on these openings ranged from $7.04 to $7.99 per thousand board feet. Cost differences between openings were not statistically significant. Logging costs for group selection...

  13. Neutron--neutron logging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Allen, L.S.

    1977-01-01

    A borehole logging tool includes a steady-state source of fast neutrons, two epithermal neutron detectors, and two thermal neutron detectors. A count rate meter is connected to each neutron detector. A first ratio detector provides an indication of the porosity of the formation surrounding the borehole by determining the ratio of the outputs of the two count rate meters connected to the two epithermal neutron detectors. A second ratio detector provides an indication of both porosity and macroscopic absorption cross section of the formation surrounding the borehole by determining the ratio of the outputs of the two count rate meters connected to the two thermal neutron detectors. By comparing the signals of the two ratio detectors, oil bearing zones and salt water bearing zones within the formation being logged can be distinguished and the amount of oil saturation can be determined. 6 claims, 2 figures

  14. Dental implant survival rate in well-controlled diabetic patients. A systematic review.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Heber Arbildo

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Background: Dental implants have now become one of the most popular options for replacing a missing tooth. On the other hand, diabetes mellitus is a systemic disease that affects a large part of the population and is generally considered an absolute or relative contraindication to implant therapy. Aim: To determine the survival rate of dental implants in controlled diabetic patients through a systematic review. Material and methods: A systematic search in Pubmed, SciELO and RedALyC databases was performed. The selection criteria were: studies published in the last 10 years, with at least 20 controlled diabetic patients, reporting survival rate and number of implants placed, with follow-up periods equal to or longer than 1 year, including a control group of healthy patients. Methodological quality was analyzed with the follwing scales: Jadad and Downs & Black’s CMQ. Results: Three articles with a follow-up period between 1 and 12 years were analyzed. The overall survival rate of dental implants in diabetic controlled patients was 97.43%. Conclusion: The reviewed literature suggests that survival rate of dental implants in well-controlled diabetic patients is similar to non-diabetic patients.

  15. Survival behavior in the cyclic Lotka-Volterra model with a randomly switching reaction rate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    West, Robert; Mobilia, Mauro; Rucklidge, Alastair M

    2018-02-01

    We study the influence of a randomly switching reproduction-predation rate on the survival behavior of the nonspatial cyclic Lotka-Volterra model, also known as the zero-sum rock-paper-scissors game, used to metaphorically describe the cyclic competition between three species. In large and finite populations, demographic fluctuations (internal noise) drive two species to extinction in a finite time, while the species with the smallest reproduction-predation rate is the most likely to be the surviving one (law of the weakest). Here we model environmental (external) noise by assuming that the reproduction-predation rate of the strongest species (the fastest to reproduce and predate) in a given static environment randomly switches between two values corresponding to more and less favorable external conditions. We study the joint effect of environmental and demographic noise on the species survival probabilities and on the mean extinction time. In particular, we investigate whether the survival probabilities follow the law of the weakest and analyze their dependence on the external noise intensity and switching rate. Remarkably, when, on average, there is a finite number of switches prior to extinction, the survival probability of the predator of the species whose reaction rate switches typically varies nonmonotonically with the external noise intensity (with optimal survival about a critical noise strength). We also outline the relationship with the case where all reaction rates switch on markedly different time scales.

  16. Survival behavior in the cyclic Lotka-Volterra model with a randomly switching reaction rate

    Science.gov (United States)

    West, Robert; Mobilia, Mauro; Rucklidge, Alastair M.

    2018-02-01

    We study the influence of a randomly switching reproduction-predation rate on the survival behavior of the nonspatial cyclic Lotka-Volterra model, also known as the zero-sum rock-paper-scissors game, used to metaphorically describe the cyclic competition between three species. In large and finite populations, demographic fluctuations (internal noise) drive two species to extinction in a finite time, while the species with the smallest reproduction-predation rate is the most likely to be the surviving one (law of the weakest). Here we model environmental (external) noise by assuming that the reproduction-predation rate of the strongest species (the fastest to reproduce and predate) in a given static environment randomly switches between two values corresponding to more and less favorable external conditions. We study the joint effect of environmental and demographic noise on the species survival probabilities and on the mean extinction time. In particular, we investigate whether the survival probabilities follow the law of the weakest and analyze their dependence on the external noise intensity and switching rate. Remarkably, when, on average, there is a finite number of switches prior to extinction, the survival probability of the predator of the species whose reaction rate switches typically varies nonmonotonically with the external noise intensity (with optimal survival about a critical noise strength). We also outline the relationship with the case where all reaction rates switch on markedly different time scales.

  17. Evaluation of the osteoclastogenic process associated with RANK / RANK-L / OPG in odontogenic myxomas

    Science.gov (United States)

    González-Galván, María del Carmen; Mosqueda-Taylor, Adalberto; Bologna-Molina, Ronell; Setien-Olarra, Amaia; Marichalar-Mendia, Xabier; Aguirre-Urizar, José-Manuel

    2018-01-01

    Background Odontogenic myxoma (OM) is a benign intraosseous neoplasm that exhibits local aggressiveness and high recurrence rates. Osteoclastogenesis is an important phenomenon in the tumor growth of maxillary neoplasms. RANK (Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor κappa B) is the signaling receptor of RANK-L (Receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-Β ligand) that activates the osteoclasts. OPG (osteoprotegerin) is a decoy receptor for RANK-L that inhibits pro-osteoclastogenesis. The RANK / RANKL / OPG system participates in the regulation of osteolytic activity under normal conditions, and its alteration has been associated with greater bone destruction, and also with tumor growth. Objectives To analyze the immunohistochemical expression of OPG, RANK and RANK-L proteins in odontogenic myxomas (OMs) and their relationship with the tumor size. Material and Methods Eighteen OMs, 4 small ( 3cm) and 18 dental follicles (DF) that were included as control were studied by means of standard immunohistochemical procedure with RANK, RANKL and OPG antibodies. For the evaluation, 5 fields (40x) of representative areas of OM and DF were selected where the expression of each antibody was determined. Descriptive and comparative statistical analyses were performed with the obtained data. Results There are significant differences in the expression of RANK in OM samples as compared to DF (p = 0.022) and among the OMSs and OMLs (p = 0.032). Also a strong association is recognized in the expression of RANK-L and OPG in OM samples. Conclusions Activation of the RANK / RANK-L / OPG triad seems to be involved in the mechanisms of bone balance and destruction, as well as associated with tumor growth in odontogenic myxomas. Key words:Odontogenic myxoma, dental follicle, RANK, RANK-L, OPG, osteoclastogenesis. PMID:29680857

  18. Self-rated health as a predictor of survival among patients with advanced cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shadbolt, Bruce; Barresi, Jane; Craft, Paul

    2002-05-15

    Evidence is emerging about the strong predictive relationship between self-rated health (SRH) and survival, although there is little evidence on palliative populations where an accurate prediction of survival is valuable. Thus, the relative importance of SRH in predicting the survival of ambulatory patients with advanced cancer was examined. SRH was compared to clinical assessments of performance status, as well as to quality-of-life measures. By use of a prospective cohort design, 181 patients (76% response rate) with advanced cancer were recruited into the study, resurveyed at 18 weeks, and observed to record deaths. The average age of patients was 62 years (SD = 12). The median survival time was 10 months. SRH was the strongest predictor of survival from baseline. Also, a Cox regression comparing changes in SRH over time yielded hazard ratios suggesting the relative risk (RR) of dying was greater for fair ratings at 18 weeks (approximately 3 times) compared with consistent good or better ratings; the RR was even greater (4.2 and 6.2 times) for poor ratings, especially when ratings were poor at baseline and 18 weeks (31 times). Improvement in SRH over time yielded the lowest RR. SRH is valid, reliable, and responsive to change as a predictor of survival of advanced cancer. These qualities suggest that SRH should be considered as an additional tool by oncologists to assess patients. Similarly, health managers could use SRH as an indicator of disease severity in palliative care case mix. Finally, SRH could provide a key to help us understand the human side of disease and its relationship with medicine.

  19. Pricing FX Options in the Heston/CIR Jump-Diffusion Model with Log-Normal and Log-Uniform Jump Amplitudes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rehez Ahlip

    2015-01-01

    model for the exchange rate with log-normal jump amplitudes and the volatility model with log-uniformly distributed jump amplitudes. We assume that the domestic and foreign stochastic interest rates are governed by the CIR dynamics. The instantaneous volatility is correlated with the dynamics of the exchange rate return, whereas the domestic and foreign short-term rates are assumed to be independent of the dynamics of the exchange rate and its volatility. The main result furnishes a semianalytical formula for the price of the foreign exchange European call option.

  20. Long-term Results of the UCSF-LBNL Randomized Trial: Charged Particle With Helium Ion Versus Iodine-125 Plaque Therapy for Choroidal and Ciliary Body Melanoma

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mishra, Kavita K., E-mail: Kavita.mishra@ucsf.edu [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California (United States); Quivey, Jeanne M.; Daftari, Inder K. [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California (United States); Weinberg, Vivian [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California (United States); Cole, Tia B. [The Tumori Foundation, San Francisco, California (United States); Patel, Kishan [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California (United States); Castro, Joseph R.; Phillips, Theodore L. [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California (United States); Char, Devron H. [The Tumori Foundation, San Francisco, California (United States); Department of Ophthalmology, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California (United States); Department of Ophthalmology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California (United States)

    2015-06-01

    Purpose: Relevant clinical data are needed given the increasing national interest in charged particle radiation therapy (CPT) programs. Here we report long-term outcomes from the only randomized, stratified trial comparing CPT with iodine-125 plaque therapy for choroidal and ciliary body melanoma. Methods and Materials: From 1985 to 1991, 184 patients met eligibility criteria and were randomized to receive particle (86 patients) or plaque therapy (98 patients). Patients were stratified by tumor diameter, thickness, distance to disc/fovea, anterior extension, and visual acuity. Tumors close to the optic disc were included. Local tumor control, as well as eye preservation, metastases due to melanoma, and survival were evaluated. Results: Median follow-up times for particle and plaque arm patients were 14.6 years and 12.3 years, respectively (P=.22), and for those alive at last follow-up, 18.5 and 16.5 years, respectively (P=.81). Local control (LC) for particle versus plaque treatment was 100% versus 84% at 5 years, and 98% versus 79% at 12 years, respectively (log rank: P=.0006). If patients with tumors close to the disc (<2 mm) were excluded, CPT still resulted in significantly improved LC: 100% versus 90% at 5 years and 98% versus 86% at 12 years, respectively (log rank: P=.048). Enucleation rate was lower after CPT: 11% versus 22% at 5 years and 17% versus 37% at 12 years, respectively (log rank: P=.01). Using Cox regression model, likelihood ratio test, treatment was the most important predictor of LC (P=.0002) and eye preservation (P=.01). CPT was a significant predictor of prolonged disease-free survival (log rank: P=.001). Conclusions: Particle therapy resulted in significantly improved local control, eye preservation, and disease-free survival as confirmed by long-term outcomes from the only randomized study available to date comparing radiation modalities in choroidal and ciliary body melanoma.

  1. Stadium IB - IIA cervical cancer patient’s survival rate after receiving definitive radiation and radical operation therapy followed by adjuvant radiation therapy along with analysis of factors affecting the patient’s survival rate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruslim, S. K.; Purwoto, G.; Widyahening, I. S.; Ramli, I.

    2017-08-01

    To evaluate the characteristics and overall survival rates of early stage cervical cancer (FIGO IB-IIA) patients who receive definitive radiation therapy and those who are prescribed adjuvant postoperative radiation and to conduct a factors analysis of the variables that affect the overall survival rates in both groups of therapy. The medical records of 85 patients with cervical cancer FIGO stages IB-IIA who were treated at the Department of Radiotherapy of Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital were reviewed and analyzed to determine their overall survival and the factors that affected it between a definitive radiation group and an adjuvant postoperative radiation group. There were 25 patients in the definitive radiation and 60 patients in the adjuvant radiation group. The overall survival rates in the adjuvant radiation group at years one, two, and three were 96.7%, 95%, and 93.3%, respectively. Negative lymph node metastasis had an average association with overall survival (p 12 g/dl was a factor with an average association with the overall survival (p cervical cancer FIGO stage IB-IIA patients who received definitive radiation or adjuvant postoperative radiation. Negative lymph node metastasis had an effect on the overall survival rate in the adjuvant postoperative radiation group, while a preradiation Hb level >12 g/dl tended to affect the overall survival in the definitive radiation group patients.

  2. Survival analysis in patients with metastatic spinal disease: the influence of surgery, histology, clinical and neurologic status

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Matheus Fernandes de Oliveira

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Spine is the most common site for skeletal metastasis in patients with malignancy. Vertebral involvement quantification, neurological status, general health status and primary tumor histology are factors to set surgical planning and therapeutic targets. We evaluated the impact of general clinical and neurological status, histologic type and surgery in survival. Method : The study sample consisted of consecutive patients admitted from July 2010 to January 2013 for treatment. Results : Sixty eight patients were evaluated. 23 were female and 45 were male. Main primary neoplasic sites were: breast, prostate, lung/pleura and linfoproliferative. Thirty three out of 68 received surgical treatment, 2 received percutaneous biopsy and 33 had nonsurgical treatment. Survival : Log Rank curves revealed no statistical significant difference according to histological type, surgical approach and Frankel Score. Karnofsky Score was statistically different. Conclusion : Histological type and clinical status were statistically associated with life expectancy in vertebral metastatic disease.

  3. Survival benefit of TIPS versus serial paracentesis in patients with refractory ascites: a single institution case-control propensity score analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gaba, R.C.; Parvinian, A.; Casadaban, L.C.; Couture, P.M.; Zivin, S.P.; Lakhoo, J.; Minocha, J.; Ray, C.E.; Knuttinen, M.G.; Bui, J.T.

    2015-01-01

    Aim: To compare the impact of covered stent-graft transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) versus serial paracentesis on survival of patients with medically refractory ascites. Materials and methods: In this retrospective study, cirrhotic patients who underwent covered stent-graft TIPS for refractory ascites from 2003–2013 were compared with similar patients who underwent serial paracentesis during 2009–2013. Demographic and liver disease data, Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) scores, and survival outcomes were obtained from hospital electronic medical records and the social security death index. After propensity score weighting to match study group characteristics, survival outcomes were compared using Kaplan–Meier statistics with log-rank analysis. Results: Seventy TIPS (70% men, mean age 55.7 years, mean MELD 15.1) and 80 paracentesis (58% men, mean age 53.5 years, mean MELD 22.5) patients were compared. The TIPS haemodynamic success rate was 100% (mean portosystemic pressure gradient reduction 13 mmHg). Paracentesis patients underwent a mean of 7.9 procedures. After propensity score weighting to balance group features, TIPS patients showed a trend toward enhanced survival compared with paracentesis patients (median survival 1037 versus 262 days, p = 0.074). TIPS conferred a significant increase or trend toward improved survival compared with paracentesis at 1 (66% versus 44%, p = 0.018), 2 (56% versus 38%, p = 0.057), and 3 year (49% versus 32%, p = 0.077) time points. Thirty and 90 day mortality rates were not statistically increased by TIPS. Conclusion: Covered stent-graft TIPS improves intermediate- to long-term survival without significantly increasing short-term mortality of ascites patients, and suggests a greater potential role for TIPS in properly selected ascitic patients when medical management fails. - Highlights: • The survival benefit of TIPS for patients with refractory ascites remains unproven. • A case

  4. A population-based evaluation of the seventh edition of the TNM system for lung cancer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Strand, T-E; Rostad, H; Wentzel-Larsen, T

    2010-01-01

    description of stage IIIB was observed in the seventh edition. Survival rates of T1b and T2a tumours were similar (log rank p = 0.94). The concordance index was 0.68 for both editions, indicating no overall difference in their predictive accuracy. In the seventh edition, 211 (29%) stage IB patients migrated...... and the seventh edition of the TNM system. We compared survival differences adjusting for known prognostic factors. Furthermore, we evaluated the overall predictive ability of both editions using Harrell's concordance index. Survival curves by stage for each of the editions were similar; however, a better...

  5. The Poor Survival among Pulmonary Tuberculosis Patients in Chiapas, Mexico: The Case of Los Altos Region

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nájera-Ortiz, J. C.; Sánchez-Pérez, H. J.; Ochoa-Díaz-López, H.; Leal-Fernández, G.; Navarro-Giné, A.

    2012-01-01

    Objective. To analyse survival in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and factors associated with such survival. Design. Study of a cohort of patients aged over 14 years diagnosed with PTB from January 1, 1998 to July 31, 2005. During 2004–2006 a home visit was made to each patient and, during 2008-2009, they were visited again. During these visits a follow-up interview was administered; when the patient had died, a verbal autopsy was conducted with family members. Statistical analysis consisted of survival tests, Kaplan-Meier log-rank test and Cox regression. Results. Of 305 studied patients, 68 had died due to PTB by the time of the first evaluation, 237 were followed-up for a second evaluation, and 10 of them had died of PTB. According to the Cox regression, age (over 45 years) and treatment duration (under six months) were associated with a poorer survival. When treatment duration was excluded, the association between poorer survival with age persisted, whereas with having been treated via DOTS strategy, was barely significant. Conclusions. In the studied area it is necessary that patients receive a complete treatment scheme, and to give priority to patients aged over 45 years. PMID:22701170

  6. The Poor Survival among Pulmonary Tuberculosis Patients in Chiapas, Mexico: The Case of Los Altos Region

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. C. Nájera-Ortiz

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective. To analyse survival in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB and factors associated with such survival. Design. Study of a cohort of patients aged over 14 years diagnosed with PTB from January 1, 1998 to July 31, 2005. During 2004–2006 a home visit was made to each patient and, during 2008-2009, they were visited again. During these visits a follow-up interview was administered; when the patient had died, a verbal autopsy was conducted with family members. Statistical analysis consisted of survival tests, Kaplan-Meier log-rank test and Cox regression. Results. Of 305 studied patients, 68 had died due to PTB by the time of the first evaluation, 237 were followed-up for a second evaluation, and 10 of them had died of PTB. According to the Cox regression, age (over 45 years and treatment duration (under six months were associated with a poorer survival. When treatment duration was excluded, the association between poorer survival with age persisted, whereas with having been treated via DOTS strategy, was barely significant. Conclusions. In the studied area it is necessary that patients receive a complete treatment scheme, and to give priority to patients aged over 45 years.

  7. Elevated HERV-K Expression in Soft Tissue Sarcoma Is Associated with Worsened Relapse-Free Survival.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Giebler, Maria; Staege, Martin S; Blauschmidt, Sindy; Ohm, Lea I; Kraus, Matthias; Würl, Peter; Taubert, Helge; Greither, Thomas

    2018-01-01

    A wide variety of endogenous retroviral sequences has been demonstrated in the human genome so far, divided into several different families according to the sequence homology to viral strains. While increased expression of human endogenous retrovirus (HERV) elements has already been linked to unfavorable prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma, breast cancer, and ovarian carcinoma yet less is known about the impact of the expression of different HERV elements on sarcomagenesis in general as well as the outcome of soft tissue sarcoma (STS) patients. Therefore, in this study the association between expression of HERV-K and HERV-F and the clinicopathological characteristics in a cohort of STSs as well as the patients' prognosis was evaluated. HERV-K and HERV-F expression was assessed by quantitative real-time PCR in 120 patient specimens. HERV-K and HERV-F expression was significantly correlated ( r S = 0.5; p = 6.4 × 10 -9 ; Spearman's rank bivariate correlation). Also, tumor diameter exhibited a significant negative association to HERV-K and HERV-F expression. Levels of several hypoxia-related RNAs like HIF-1α and miR-210 showed a significant positive correlation with both HERV-K and HERV-F expression. Although in survival analyses no impact of HERV expression on disease-specific survival could be detected, patients with elevated HERV-K expression had a significantly shorter relapse-free survival ( p = 0.014, log-rank analysis). In conclusion, we provide evidence for the first time that the increased expression of HERV-K in tumors is associated with STS patients' prognosis.

  8. Clinical prognostic significance and pro-metastatic activity of RANK/RANKL via the AKT pathway in endometrial cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Jing; Liu, Yao; Wang, Lihua; Sun, Xiao; Wang, Yudong

    2016-02-02

    RANK/RANKL plays a key role in metastasis of certain malignant tumors, which makes it a promising target for developing novel therapeutic strategies for cancer. However, the prognostic value and pro-metastatic activity of RANK in endometrial cancer (EC) remain to be determined. Thus, the present study investigated the effect of RANK on the prognosis of EC patients, as well as the pro-metastatic activity of EC cells. The results indicated that those with high expression of RANK showed decreased overall survival and progression-free survival. Statistical analysis revealed the positive correlations between RANK/RANKL expression and metastasis-related factors. Additionally, RANK/RANKL significantly promoted cell migration/invasion via activating AKT/β-catenin/Snail pathway in vitro. However, RANK/RANKL-induced AKT activation could be suppressed after osteoprotegerin (OPG) treatment. Furthermore, the combination of medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) and RANKL could in turn attenuate the effect of RANKL alone. Similarly, MPA could partially inhibit the RANK-induced metastasis in an orthotopic mouse model via suppressing AKT/β-catenin/Snail pathway. Therefore, therapeutic inhibition of MPA in RANK/RANKL-induced metastasis was mediated by AKT/β-catenin/Snail pathway both in vitro and in vivo, suggesting a potential target of RANK for gene-based therapy for EC.

  9. Ranking oil viscosity in heavy-oil reservoirs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bonnie, R.J.M. [Halliburton Energy Services, Calgary, AB (Canada); Seccombe, J. [BP Alaska, AK (United States)

    2005-11-01

    This paper discussed attempts to identify lower viscosity zones within the Ugnu formation at Milne Point field in Alaska through the use of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) measurements. To date, only 1 well has been completed in the Ugnu, and BP Alaska is now engaged in studies to find ways to commercialize the formation. While geochemical analysis of oil samples extracted from sidewall cores has successfully identified sweet spots, the costs are prohibitive and they are too slow for real-time decision-making. NMR data acquisition offers a more economical, continuous and almost instantaneous alternative. Two wells were logged and analyzed using both logging while drilling (LWD) NMR and wire log (WL)-NMR tools. With the WL-NMR tool, data were collected in continuous passes and in a series of 45 minute stationary points, acquiring both routine T{sub 2} and diffusion editing data to predict oil viscosity. The LWD-NMR tool was set up to acquire T{sub 1} data when drilling. Forward modelling was used to generate NMR T{sub 2} spectra for reservoir parameters. The NMR logs indicate that the technology is a viable non-radioactive porosity measurement alternative. Data quality had high-vertical resolution and spectral resolution and showed good agreement with density-derived porosity. Zones with viscous oil were located and findings were validated by geochemical analyses. Bandwidth limitation was the only obstacle that prevented real time application of the NMR ranking process. 6 refs., 11 figs.

  10. Survival outcome of malignant minor salivary tumors in Pakistani population

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hassan Iqbal

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective: Malignant tumors of minor salivary glands (MSG are rare. Survival outcome in Pakistani population with malignant MSG tumors remains to be defined. The objective of this study was to report the clinical presentation, treatment modalities, and survival outcome of radically treated malignant tumors of MSG in Pakistani population. Materials and Methods: Between April 2003 and March 2011, 45 patients with malignant tumors of MSG were treated at Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital and included in the study. Patient characteristics and treatment modalities were assessed and local, regional, and distant failures determined. Relapse-free (RFS and overall survival (OS was calculated using Kaplan-Meier curves, and log-rank test was used to determine significance. Results: Median age was 40 (17-83 years. Male to female ratio was 1.25:1. Most common site was hard palate in 31 (69% patients. Adenoid cystic carcinoma (51% was the most common histological diagnosis. Nine patients (20% underwent surgery as the only treatment modality, six patients received (13% radiotherapy alone, and 30 patients (67% had surgery followed by adjuvant radiotherapy. Eight patients developed recurrence (four local, two regional, one locoregional, and one distant. The 5-year actuarial overall OS and RFS was 77 and 66%, respectively. Age, T-stage, and treatment modality were significant for RFS, whereas T-stage and treatment modality were significant factors for OS. Conclusion: Surgery as single modality or combined with radiation therapy resulted in acceptable survival in Pakistani population with malignant minor salivary tumors.

  11. It isn't like this on TV: Revisiting CPR survival rates depicted on popular TV shows.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Portanova, Jaclyn; Irvine, Krystle; Yi, Jae Yoon; Enguidanos, Susan

    2015-11-01

    Public perceptions of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can be influenced by the media. Nearly two decades ago, a study found that the rates of survival following CPR were far higher in popular TV shows than actual rates. In recent years, major strides toward enhanced education and communication around life sustaining interventions have been made. This study aimed to reassess the accuracy of CPR portrayed by popular medical TV shows. Additionally, we sought to determine whether these shows depicted discussions of care preferences and referenced advance directives. Three trained research assistants independently coded two leading medical dramas airing between 2010 and 2011, Grey's Anatomy and House. Patient characteristics, CPR survival rates, and goals of care discussions were recorded. CPR was depicted 46 times in the 91 episodes, with a survival rate of 69.6%. Among those immediately surviving following CPR, the majority (71.9%) survived to hospital discharge and 15.6% died before discharge. Advance directive discussions only occurred for two patients, and preferences regarding code status (8.7%), intubation (6.5%) and feeding (4.3%) rarely occurred. Both popular TV shows portrayed CPR as more effective than actual rates. Overall, the shows portrayed an immediate survival rate nearly twice that of actual survival rates. Inaccurate TV portrayal of CPR survival rates may misinform viewers and influence care decisions made during serious illness and at end of life. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Engineering aspects of radiometric logging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huppert, P.

    1982-01-01

    Engineering problems encountered in the development of nuclear borehole logging techniques are discussed. Spectrometric techniques require electronic stability of the equipment. In addition the electronics must be capable of handling high count rates of randomly distributed pulses of fast rise time from the detector and the systems must be designed so that precise calibration is possible under field operating conditions. Components of a logging system are discussed in detail. They include the logging probe (electronics, detector, high voltage supply, preamplifier), electronic instrumentation for data collection and processing and auxiliary equipment

  13. Digital mineral logging system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    West, J.B.

    1980-01-01

    A digital mineral logging system acquires data from a mineral logging tool passing through a borehole and transmits the data uphole to an electronic digital signal processor. A predetermined combination of sensors, including a deviometer, is located in a logging tool for the acquisition of the desired data as the logging tool is raised from the borehole. Sensor data in analog format is converted in the logging tool to a digital format and periodically batch transmitted to the surface at a predetermined sampling rate. An identification code is provided for each mineral logging tool, and the code is transmitted to the surface along with the sensor data. The self-identifying tool code is transmitted to the digital signal processor to identify the code against a stored list of the range of numbers assigned to that type of tool. The data is transmitted up the d-c power lines of the tool by a frequency shift key transmission technique. At the surface, a frequency shift key demodulation unit transmits the decoupled data to an asynchronous receiver interfaced to the electronic digital signal processor. During a recording phase, the signals from the logging tool are read by the electronic digital signal processor and stored for later processing. During a calculating phase, the stored data is processed by the digital signal processor and the results are outputted to a printer or plotter, or both

  14. The expression of FAT1 is associated with overall survival in children with medulloblastoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Jianzhong; Li, Hao

    2017-01-21

    The FAT1 gene is involved in some cancers; however, its role in medulloblastoma is less clear. This study investigated the effects of FAT1 expression on the prognosis of medulloblastoma patients. Whole exome sequencing was undertaken in 40 medulloblastoma patient samples. FAT1 mRNA and protein expression levels in normal and brain tumor tissues were determined by fluorescence quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry, respectively. The association of FAT1 expression with overall survival (OS) was examined by Kaplan-Meier curve analysis with a log-rank test. Following lentiviral-mediated FAT1 knockdown using shRNA in Daoy cells, proliferation, Wnt signaling, and β-catenin protein expression were determined. Eight FAT1 missense mutations were detected in 7 patients. FAT1 mRNA expression in tumors was significantly lower than in adjacent normal tissue (p = 0.043). The OS of patients with high FAT1 protein expression was significantly longer than that of patients with low FAT1 protein expression (median survival time: 24.3 vs 4.8 months, respectively; p = 0.002). shFAT1 cells had significantly higher proliferation rates than shControl cells (p≤0.028). Furthermore, the mRNA expression of LEF1, β-catenin, and cyclin D1 was significantly upregulated in shFAT1-Daoy cells (p≤0.018). Low FAT1 expression was associated with poor prognosis in children with medulloblastoma. Furthermore, FAT1 may act on Wnt signaling pathway to exert its antitumor effect.

  15. Handheld Capillary Blood Lactate Analyzer as an Accessible and Cost-Effective Prognostic Tool for the Assessment of Death and Heart Failure Occurrence during Long-Term Follow-Up

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Grzegorz M. Kubiak

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Impact of tissue lactate accumulation on prognosis after acute myocardial infarction (AMI is biased. The study aimed to assess the prognostic role of lactate concentration (LC in patients with AMI during one year of follow-up. 145 consecutive patients admitted due to AMI were enrolled. The data on the frequency of endpoint occurrence (defined as I, death; II, heart failure (HF; and III, recurrent myocardial infarction (re-MI were collected. The patients were divided into group A (LC below the cut-off value and group B (LC above the cut-off value for the endpoints according to receiver operating characteristic (ROC analysis. The cumulative survival rate was 99% in group I-A and 85% in group I-B (p = 0.0004, log-rank test. The HF-free survival rate was 95% in group II-A and 82% in group II-B (p = 0.0095, log-rank test. The re-MI-free survival rate did not differ between groups. A multivariate Cox analysis showed a statistically significant influence of LC on death [Hazard Ratio (HR: 1.41, 95% Confidence Interval (CI (1.13–1.76, and p = 0.002] and HF [HR: 1.21, 95% CI (1.05–1.4, and p = 0.007] with no impact on re-MI occurrence. LC in capillary blood may be considered a useful prognostic marker of late-onset heart failure and death after AMI.

  16. Unilateral cervical nodal metastasis is an independent prognostic factor for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients undergoing chemoradiotherapy: a retrospective study.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peng Zhang

    Full Text Available To determine the prognostic significance of unilateral cervical lymph nodal metastasis (CLNM in patients with inoperable thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC and to identify significant prognostic factors in these patients.This retrospective study involved 395 patients with inoperable esophageal SCC treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy. The patients were classified into three groups according to their cervical lymph node status: group A, no evidence of CLNM; group B, unilateral CLNM; group C, other distant metastases. Overall survival (OS and progression-free survival (PFS were calculated. Significant prognostic factors were identified using univariate and multivariate analyses.The 3-year OS rates in groups A, B and C were 46.7%, 33.5% and 8.3%, respectively (p<0.001, log-rank test. The corresponding PFS rates were 40.7%, 26.4% and 4.7% (p<0.001, log-rank test. Group B had a similar prognosis to that of group A and better 3-year OS (p = 0.009 and PFS (p = 0.006 rates than those of group C. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that T stage, chemotherapy regimen and cervical lymph node involvement were independent prognostic factors affecting OS and PFS.Compared to other distant metastases, unilateral CLNM is associated with longer OS in esophageal SCC and should be regarded as a regional disease. Sex, T stage, concurrent chemotherapy modality and cervical lymph node involvement are independent predictors of survival in esophageal SCC.

  17. Gene Expression, Bacteria Viability and Survivability Following Spray Drying of Mycobacterium smegmatis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elizabeth Hunter Lauten

    2010-04-01

    Full Text Available We find that Mycobacterium smegmatis survives spray drying and retains cell viability in accelerated temperature stress (40 °C conditions with a success rate that increases with increasing thermal, osmotic, and nutrient-restriction stresses applied to the mycobacterium prior to spray drying. M.smegmatis that are spray dried during log growth phase, where they suffer little or no nutrient-reduction stress, survive for less than 7 days in the dry powder state at accelerated temperature stress conditions, whereas M. smegmatis that are spray dried during stationary phase, where cells do suffer nutrient reduction, survive for up to 14 days. M. smegmatis that are spray dried from stationary phase, subjected to accelerated temperature stress conditions, regrown to stationary phase, spray dried again, and resubmitted to this same process four consecutive times, display, on the fourth spray drying iteration, an approximate ten-fold increase in stability during accelerated temperature stress testing, surviving up to 105 days. Microarray tests revealed significant differences in genetic expression of M. smegmatis between log phase and stationary phase conditions, between naïve (non spray-dried and multiply cycled dried M. smegmatis (in log and stationary phase, and between M. smegmatis in the dry powder state following a single spray drying operation and after four consecutive spray drying operations. These differences, and other phenotypical differences, point to the carotenoid biosynthetic pathway as a probable pathway contributing to bacteria survival in the spray-dried state and suggests strategies for spray drying that may lead to significantly greater room-temperature stability of mycobacteria, including mycobacterium bovis bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG, the current TB vaccine.

  18. Relationship between the Temporal Changes in Positron-Emission-Tomography-Imaging-Based Textural Features and Pathologic Response and Survival in Esophageal Cancer Patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yip, Stephen S F; Coroller, Thibaud P; Sanford, Nina N; Mamon, Harvey; Aerts, Hugo J W L; Berbeco, Ross I

    2016-01-01

    Although change in standardized uptake value (SUV) measures and PET-based textural features during treatment have shown promise in tumor response prediction, it is unclear which quantitative measure is the most predictive. We compared the relationship between PET-based features and pathologic response and overall survival with the SUV measures in esophageal cancer. Fifty-four esophageal cancer patients received PET/CT scans before and after chemoradiotherapy. Of these, 45 patients underwent surgery and were classified into complete, partial, and non-responders to the preoperative chemoradiation. SUVmax and SUVmean, two cooccurrence matrix (Entropy and Homogeneity), two run-length matrix (RLM) (high-gray-run emphasis and Short-run high-gray-run emphasis), and two size-zone matrix (high-gray-zone emphasis and short-zone high-gray emphasis) textures were computed. The relationship between the relative difference of each measure at different treatment time points and the pathologic response and overall survival was assessed using the area under the receiver-operating-characteristic curve (AUC) and Kaplan-Meier statistics, respectively. All Textures, except Homogeneity, were better related to pathologic response than SUVmax and SUVmean. Entropy was found to significantly distinguish non-responders from the complete (AUC = 0.79, p = 1.7 × 10(-4)) and partial (AUC = 0.71, p = 0.01) responders. Non-responders can also be significantly differentiated from partial and complete responders by the change in the run-length and size-zone matrix textures (AUC = 0.71-0.76, p ≤ 0.02). Homogeneity, SUVmax, and SUVmean failed to differentiate between any of the responders (AUC = 0.50-0.57, p ≥ 0.46). However, none of the measures were found to significantly distinguish between complete and partial responders with AUC textures significantly discriminated patients with good and poor survival (log-rank p textures and survival were poorly related

  19. Log-concave Probability Distributions: Theory and Statistical Testing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    An, Mark Yuing

    1996-01-01

    This paper studies the broad class of log-concave probability distributions that arise in economics of uncertainty and information. For univariate, continuous, and log-concave random variables we prove useful properties without imposing the differentiability of density functions. Discrete...... and multivariate distributions are also discussed. We propose simple non-parametric testing procedures for log-concavity. The test statistics are constructed to test one of the two implicati ons of log-concavity: increasing hazard rates and new-is-better-than-used (NBU) property. The test for increasing hazard...... rates are based on normalized spacing of the sample order statistics. The tests for NBU property fall into the category of Hoeffding's U-statistics...

  20. Improving village poultry’s survival rate through community-based poultry health management

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sodjinou, Epiphane; Henningsen, Arne; Koudande, Olorounto D.

    Community-based poultry health management (CBM) is a strategy for village poultry improvement based on the installment of “poultry interest groups” in experimental villages. These groups serve as a channel for the dissemination of village poultry improvement technologies. The use of CBM is due...... to the fact that village poultry farming is practiced in a total or partial scavenging system which gives the impression that all the birds in the village belong to the same flock. Accordingly, actions that target all farmers of the same village may have a larger impact on the village poultry’s survival rate...... than actions that target individual producers. The objective of this study is to assess the impact of CBM on the survival rate of village poultry. Based on data collected on 353 poultry keepers, the study shows that CBM significantly improves the survival rate of village poultry. The adoption...

  1. Outcomes of chronic dialysis in Korean children with respect to survival rates and causes of death

    OpenAIRE

    Chang, Hye Jin; Han, Kyoung Hee; Cho, Min Hyun; Park, Young Seo; Kang, Hee Gyung; Cheong, Hae Il; Ha, Il Soo

    2014-01-01

    Purpose Adult Korean patients on chronic dialysis have a 9-year survival rate of 50%, with cardiovascular problems being the most significant cause of death. The 2011 annual report of the North American Pediatric Renal Trials and Collaborative Studies group reported 3-year survival rates of 93.4% and relatively poorer survival in younger patients. Methods In this study, we have reviewed data from Korean Pediatric Chronic Kidney Disease Registry from 2002 to 2010 to assess survival rates and c...

  2. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy with trastuzumab in HER2-positive breast cancer: pathologic complete response rate, predictive and prognostic factors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    I.P.C. Buzatto

    Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to retrospectively review the pathologic complete response (pCR rate from patients (n=86 with stage II and III HER2-positive breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy at our institution from 2008 to 2013 and to determine possible predictive and prognostic factors. Immunohistochemistry for hormone receptors and Ki-67 was carried out. Clinical and pathological features were analyzed as predictive factors of response to therapy. For survival analysis, we used Kaplan-Meier curves to estimate 5-year survival rates and the log-rank test to compare the curves. The addition of trastuzumab to neoadjuvant chemotherapy significantly improved pCR rate from 4.8 to 46.8%, regardless of the number of preoperative trastuzumab cycles (P=0.0012. Stage II patients achieved a higher response rate compared to stage III (P=0.03. The disease-free and overall survivals were not significantly different between the group of patients that received trastuzumab in the neoadjuvant setting (56.3 and 70% at 5 years, respectively and the group that initiated it post-operatively (75.8 and 88.7% at 5 years, respectively. Axillary pCR post neoadjuvant chemotherapy with trastuzumab was associated with reduced risk of recurrence (HR=0.34; P=0.03 and death (HR=0.21; P=0.02. In conclusion, we confirmed that trastuzumab improves pCR rates and verified that this improvement occurs even with less than four cycles of the drug. Hormone receptors and Ki-67 expressions were not predictive of response in this subset of patients. Axillary pCR clearly denotes prognosis after neoadjuvant target therapy and should be considered to be a marker of resistance, providing an opportunity to investigate new strategies for HER2-positive treatment.

  3. Water application rate and frequency affect seedling survival and ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Adequate amount of water is critical to successful tree nursery operation among resource-constrained smallholder farmers in Africa. Two experiments were undertaken with the objectives of evaluating effects of water application rate and frequency on seedling growth and survival of Persea americana and Vangueria ...

  4. [Treatment outcome, survival and their risk factors among new tuberculosis patients co-infected with HIV during the Ebola outbreak in Conakry].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Camara, A; Sow, M S; Touré, A; Diallo, O H; Kaba, I; Bah, B; Diallo, T H; Diallo, M S; Guilavogui, T; Sow, O Y

    2017-11-01

    Mortality among TB/HIV co-infected patients remains high in Africa. The study aimed to estimate survival and associated factors in a cohort of TB/HIV co-infected patients who started tuberculosis treatment during the Ebola outbreak in Conakry, Guinea. A prospective cohort study was conducted from April 2014 to December 2015. TB patients with HIV co-infection were enrolled at the University Hospital of Conakry. Survival and risk factors were analyzed according to Kaplan-Meier's method, log-rank test and Cox's regression. Data from 573 patients were analyzed. From these, 86 (15.0%) died before the end of treatment, 52% occurring within eight weeks of treatment onset. Survival at 4, 12 and 24 weeks after the beginning of the TB treatment was 92%, 86% and 83%, respectively. Independent risk factors associated with death were in the cell CD4 <200 cells/mm 3 [adjusted hazard ratio (AHR): 2.25; 95% CI (confidence intervals): 1.16-4.37], opportunistic infections other than TB [AHR: 2.89; 95% CI: 1.39-6.02], and comorbidities [AHR: 4.12; 95% CI: 2.10-8.10]. An increase of one unit in hemoglobin [AHR: 0.81; 95% CI: 0.75-0.91] was protective of death. TB/HIV co-infected patients had a higher fatality rate during treatment of tuberculosis. Prevention of opportunistic infections, anemia and proper management of tuberculosis treatment in early comorbidities may improve survival for TB/HIV co-infected patients in restoring immune function. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  5. DDX3X Biomarker Correlates with Poor Survival in Human Gliomas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dueng-Yuan Hueng

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Primary high-grade gliomas possess invasive growth and lead to unfavorable survival outcome. The investigation of biomarkers for prediction of survival outcome in patients with gliomas is important for clinical assessment. The DEAD (Asp-Glu-Ala-Asp box helicase 3, X-linked (DDX3X controls tumor migration, proliferation, and progression. However, the role of DDX3X in defining the pathological grading and survival outcome in patients with human gliomas is not yet clarified. We analyzed the DDX3X gene expression, WHO pathological grading, and overall survival from de-linked data. Further validation was done using quantitative RT-PCR of cDNA from normal brain and glioma, and immunohistochemical (IHC staining of tissue microarray. Statistical analysis of GEO datasets showed that DDX3X mRNA expression demonstrated statistically higher in WHO grade IV (n = 81 than in non-tumor controls (n = 23, p = 1.13 × 10−10. Moreover, DDX3X level was also higher in WHO grade III (n = 19 than in non-tumor controls (p = 2.43 × 10−5. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis showed poor survival in patients with high DDX3X mRNA levels (n = 24 than in those with low DDX3X expression (n = 53 (median survival, 115 vs. 58 weeks, p = 0.0009, by log-rank test, hazard ratio: 0.3507, 95% CI: 0.1893–0.6496. Furthermore, DDX3X mRNA expression and protein production significantly increased in glioma cells compared with normal brain tissue examined by quantitative RT-PCR, and Western blot. IHC staining showed highly staining of high-grade glioma in comparison with normal brain tissue. Taken together, DDX3X expression level positively correlates with WHO pathologic grading and poor survival outcome, indicating that DDX3X is a valuable biomarker in human gliomas.

  6. 38 CFR 3.24 - Improved pension rates-Surviving children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 38 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Improved pension rates-Surviving children. 3.24 Section 3.24 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS ADJUDICATION Pension, Compensation, and Dependency and Indemnity Compensation General § 3.24 Improved pension...

  7. Correlation of chemical evaporation rate with vapor pressure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mackay, Donald; van Wesenbeeck, Ian

    2014-09-02

    A new one-parameter correlation is developed for the evaporation rate (ER) of chemicals as a function of molar mass (M) and vapor pressure (P) that is simpler than existing correlations. It applies only to liquid surfaces that are unaffected by the underlying solid substrate as occurs in the standard ASTM evaporation rate test and to quiescent liquid pools. The relationship has a sounder theoretical basis than previous correlations because ER is correctly correlated with PM rather than P alone. The inclusion of M increases the slope of previous log ER versus log P regressions to a value close to 1.0 and yields a simpler one-parameter correlation, namely, ER (μg m(-1) h(-1)) = 1464P (Pa) × M (g mol(-1)). Applications are discussed for the screening level assessment and ranking of chemicals for evaporation rate, such as pesticides, fumigants, and hydrocarbon carrier fluids used in pesticide formulations, liquid consumer products used indoors, and accidental spills of liquids. The mechanistic significance of the single parameter as a mass-transfer coefficient or velocity is discussed.

  8. Male rank affects reproductive success and offspring performance in bank voles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kruczek, Małgorzata; Zatorska, Magdalena

    2008-07-05

    Laboratory studies reveal that in several rodent species the females prefer dominant males as mating partners. Here we investigate the correlation between males' social rank and their reproductive success. Similar numbers of females mating with relatively more dominant or relatively more subordinate males produced a litter, and parturition took place 19-21 days after mating. Relatively more dominant males tended to sire more pups than did relatively more subordinates, but the mean number of offspring per litter did not differ significantly between the two groups. Significantly more pups fathered by relatively more dominant males survived to weaning than those sired by relatively more subordinate fathers. Dominance had a long-term effect on the reproductive activity of the offspring: their rate of sexual maturation was increased. In pups sired by a relatively more dominant father, the uteruses of females, and the testes and accessory sex glands of males, were significantly heavier than those of offspring born to relatively more subordinate males. Our results suggest that social rank is an important determinant of the reproductive success of bank vole males.

  9. The Rankings Game: Who's Playing Whom?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burness, John F.

    2008-01-01

    This summer, Forbes magazine published its new rankings of "America's Best Colleges," implying that it had developed a methodology that would give the public the information that it needed to choose a college wisely. "U.S. News & World Report," which in 1983 published the first annual ranking, just announced its latest ratings last week--including…

  10. Effects of seed predators of different body size on seed mortality in Bornean logged forest.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hautier, Yann; Saner, Philippe; Philipson, Christopher; Bagchi, Robert; Ong, Robert C; Hector, Andy

    2010-07-19

    The Janzen-Connell hypothesis proposes that seed and seedling enemies play a major role in maintaining high levels of tree diversity in tropical forests. However, human disturbance may alter guilds of seed predators including their body size distribution. These changes have the potential to affect seedling survival in logged forest and may alter forest composition and diversity. We manipulated seed density in plots beneath con- and heterospecific adult trees within a logged forest and excluded vertebrate predators of different body sizes using cages. We show that small and large-bodied predators differed in their effect on con- and heterospecific seedling mortality. In combination small and large-bodied predators dramatically decreased both con- and heterospecific seedling survival. In contrast, when larger-bodied predators were excluded small-bodied predators reduced conspecific seed survival leaving seeds coming from the distant tree of a different species. Our results suggest that seed survival is affected differently by vertebrate predators according to their body size. Therefore, changes in the body size structure of the seed predator community in logged forests may change patterns of seed mortality and potentially affect recruitment and community composition.

  11. Hearing Office Dispositions Per ALJ Per Day Rate Ranking Report

    Data.gov (United States)

    Social Security Administration — A ranking of ODAR hearing offices by the average number of hearings dispositions per ALJ per day. The average shown will be a combined average for all ALJs working...

  12. Error analysis of stochastic gradient descent ranking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Hong; Tang, Yi; Li, Luoqing; Yuan, Yuan; Li, Xuelong; Tang, Yuanyan

    2013-06-01

    Ranking is always an important task in machine learning and information retrieval, e.g., collaborative filtering, recommender systems, drug discovery, etc. A kernel-based stochastic gradient descent algorithm with the least squares loss is proposed for ranking in this paper. The implementation of this algorithm is simple, and an expression of the solution is derived via a sampling operator and an integral operator. An explicit convergence rate for leaning a ranking function is given in terms of the suitable choices of the step size and the regularization parameter. The analysis technique used here is capacity independent and is novel in error analysis of ranking learning. Experimental results on real-world data have shown the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm in ranking tasks, which verifies the theoretical analysis in ranking error.

  13. Comparison of survival rates among different treatment methods of transcatheter hepatic arterial chemoembolization for hepatocellular carcinoma

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shim, Yong Woon; Lee, Jong Tae; Yoo, Hyung Sik; Lee, Do Yun; Jun, Pyoung Jun; Chang, So Yong [Yonsei Univ. College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    1996-06-01

    To compare the survival rates of patients with hepatoma using different methods of transcatheter arterial chemoemblization(THAE). Four hundred and eighty three patients with hepatoma diagnosed by biopsy, serum alpha-fetoprotein, abdominal CT scan, abdominal ultrasonography or hepatic angiography were included, but not all had received surgical treatment. They were divided onto two groups according to Child's classification and into subgroups according to different methods of THAE. Five-tear survival rates among these groups were retrospectively compared. The patients were aged between 24 and 85(mean, 58) ; male to female ratio was 324 : 61 for those who received THAE (369 : 87 when only hepatic angiography was considered.). In the group with more than a single episode of chemoembolization, regardless of Child's classification, a better survival rate compared to the other groups with or without concommitant radiotherapy or without chemoembolization was noted. There was no difference in the survival rate of patients with multiple chemoembolization. moreover, no difference in this rate was observed no matter what chemotherapeutic agents, including Adriamycin, Cis-Diaminedichloroplatinum of I-131-Lipiodol, were used. Amortization by gelfoam in conjuction with Adriamycin resulted in no difference in survival rate regardless of frequency of chemoembolization. An improved survival rate was seen when multiple episodes of chemoembolization were applied, but no difference was seen when there was concomitant application of either gelfoam or radiotherapy. Two different chemotherapeutic agents, Adriamycin and Cis-Diaminedichloroplatinum, were used, but there was no difference between them in their effect on survival rates.

  14. Data on empirically estimated corporate survival rate in Russia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuzmin, Evgeny A

    2018-02-01

    The article presents data on the corporate survival rate in Russia in 1991-2014. The empirical survey was based on a random sample with the average number of non-repeated observations (number of companies) for the survey each year equal to 75,958 (24,236 minimum and 126,953 maximum). The actual limiting mean error ∆ p was 2.24% with 99% integrity. The survey methodology was based on a cross joining of various formal periods in the corporate life cycles (legal and business), which makes it possible to talk about a conventionally active time life of companies' existence with a number of assumptions. The empirical survey values were grouped by Russian regions and industries according to the classifier and consolidated into a single database for analysing the corporate life cycle and their survival rate and searching for deviation dependencies in calculated parameters. Preliminary and incomplete figures were available in the paper entitled "Survival Rate and Lifecycle in Terms of Uncertainty: Review of Companies from Russia and Eastern Europe" (Kuzmin and Guseva, 2016) [3]. The further survey led to filtered processed data with clerical errors excluded. These particular values are available in the article. The survey intended to fill a fact-based gap in various fundamental surveys that involved matters of the corporate life cycle in Russia within the insufficient statistical framework. The data are of interest for an analysis of Russian entrepreneurship, assessment of the market development and incorporation risks in the current business environment. A further heuristic potential is achievable through an ability of forecasted changes in business demography and model building based on the representative data set.

  15. Freudenthal ranks: GHZ versus W

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Borsten, L

    2013-01-01

    The Hilbert space of three-qubit pure states may be identified with a Freudenthal triple system. Every state has an unique Freudenthal rank ranging from 1 to 4, which is determined by a set of automorphism group covariants. It is shown here that the optimal success rates for winning a three-player non-local game, varying over all local strategies, are strictly ordered by the Freudenthal rank of the shared three-qubit resource. (paper)

  16. Ranking online quality and reputation via the user activity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Xiao-Lu; Guo, Qiang; Hou, Lei; Cheng, Can; Liu, Jian-Guo

    2015-10-01

    How to design an accurate algorithm for ranking the object quality and user reputation is of importance for online rating systems. In this paper we present an improved iterative algorithm for online ranking object quality and user reputation in terms of the user degree (IRUA), where the user's reputation is measured by his/her rating vector, the corresponding objects' quality vector and the user degree. The experimental results for the empirical networks show that the AUC values of the IRUA algorithm can reach 0.9065 and 0.8705 in Movielens and Netflix data sets, respectively, which is better than the results generated by the traditional iterative ranking methods. Meanwhile, the results for the synthetic networks indicate that user degree should be considered in real rating systems due to users' rating behaviors. Moreover, we find that enhancing or reducing the influences of the large-degree users could produce more accurate reputation ranking lists.

  17. Tropical forest recovery from logging: a 24 year silvicultural experiment from Central Africa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gourlet-Fleury, Sylvie; Mortier, Frédéric; Fayolle, Adeline; Baya, Fidèle; Ouédraogo, Dakis; Bénédet, Fabrice; Picard, Nicolas

    2013-01-01

    Large areas of African moist forests are being logged in the context of supposedly sustainable management plans. It remains however controversial whether harvesting a few trees per hectare can be maintained in the long term while preserving other forest services as well. We used a unique 24 year silvicultural experiment, encompassing 10 4 ha plots established in the Central African Republic, to assess the effect of disturbance linked to logging (two to nine trees ha⁻¹ greater than or equal to 80 cm DBH) and thinning (11-41 trees ha⁻¹ greater than or equal to 50 cm DBH) on the structure and dynamics of the forest. Before silvicultural treatments, above-ground biomass (AGB) and timber stock (i.e. the volume of commercial trees greater than or equal to 80 cm DBH) in the plots amounted 374.5 ± 58.2 Mg ha⁻¹ and 79.7 ± 45.9 m³ ha⁻¹, respectively. We found that (i) natural control forest was increasing in AGB (2.58 ± 1.73 Mg dry mass ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) and decreasing in timber stock (-0.33 ± 1.57 m³ ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹); (ii) the AGB recovered very quickly after logging and thinning, at a rate proportional to the disturbance intensity (mean recovery after 24 years: 144%). Compared with controls, the gain almost doubled in the logged plots (4.82 ± 1.22 Mg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) and tripled in the logged + thinned plots (8.03 ± 1.41 Mg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹); (iii) the timber stock recovered slowly (mean recovery after 24 years: 41%), at a rate of 0.75 ± 0.51 m³ ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ in the logged plots, and 0.81 ± 0.74 m³ ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ in the logged + thinned plots. Although thinning significantly increased the gain in biomass, it had no effect on the gain in timber stock. However, thinning did foster the growth and survival of small- and medium-sized timber trees and should have a positive effect over the next felling cycle.

  18. Rankings in education: history and critical analysis of rates

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bebenina Ekaterina

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The history of rankings, mechanisms of their appearing and reasons of their popularity are little scrutinized yet although they are widely spread in the modern information flow, they are widely used during the evaluation for organizations of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia and the Russian Academy of Science as key indices.

  19. Survival of Salmonella during Production of Partially Sprouted Pumpkin, Sunflower, and Chia Seeds Dried for Direct Consumption.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keller, Susanne E; Anderson, Nathan M; Wang, Can; Burbick, Stephen J; Hildebrandt, Ian M; Gonsalves, Lauren J; Suehr, Quincy J; Farakos, Sofia M Santillana

    2018-04-01

    Ready-to-eat foods based on dried partially sprouted seeds have been associated with foodborne salmonellosis. Whereas research has focused on the potential for Salmonella initially present in or on seeds to grow and survive during fresh sprout production, little is known about the potential for growth and survival of Salmonella associated with seeds that have been partially sprouted and dried. The goal of this study was to determine the growth of Salmonella during soaking for partial germination of pumpkin, sunflower, and chia seeds and subsequent survival during drying and storage. Pumpkin, sunflower, and chia seeds were inoculated with a four-serotype Salmonella cocktail by the dry transfer method and were soaked in sterile water at 25 or 37°C for 24 h. During the soaking period, Salmonella exhibited growth rates of 0.37 ± 0.26, 0.27 ± 0.12, and 0.45 ± 0.19 log CFU/h at 25°C and 0.94 ± 0.44, 1.04 ± 0.84, and 0.73 ± 0.36 log CFU/h at 37°C for chia, pumpkin, and sunflower seeds, respectively. Soaked seeds were drained and dried at 25, 51, and 60°C. Drying resulted in >5 log CFU/g loss at both 51 and 60°C and ∼3 log CFU/g loss at 25°C on partially sprouted pumpkin and sunflower seeds. There was no decrease in Salmonella during drying of chia seeds at 25°C, and only drying at 60°C provided losses >5 log CFU/g. Dried seeds were stored at 37 and 45°C at 15 and 76% relative humidity (RH) levels. The combination of temperature and RH exerted a stronger effect than either factor alone, such that rates at which Salmonella decreased generally followed this order: 37°C at 15% RH < 45°C at 15% RH < 37°C at 76% RH < 45°C at 76% RH for all seeds tested. Rates differed based on seed type, with chia seeds and chia seed powder having the smallest rate of Salmonella decrease, followed by sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Drying at higher temperatures (50 and 61°C) or storing at elevated temperature and humidity (45°C and 76% RH) resulted in significantly different

  20. Changing Survival Rate of Infants Born Before 26 Gestational Weeks; Single-centre study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Asad Rahman

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the changing survival rate and morbidities among infants born before 26 gestational weeks at the Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH in Muscat, Oman. Methods: This retrospective study assessed the mortality and morbidities of all premature infants born alive at 23–26 gestational weeks at SQUH between June 2006 and May 2013. Infants referred to SQUH within 72 hours of birth during this period were also included. Electronic records were reviewed for gestational age, gender, birth weight, maternal age, mode and place of delivery, antenatal steroid administration, morbidity and outcome. The survival rate was calculated and findings were then compared with those of a previous study conducted in the same hospital from 1991 to 1998. Rates of major morbidities were also calculated. Results: A total of 81 infants between 23–26 gestational weeks were admitted to the neonatal unit during the study period. Of these, 58.0% were male and 42.0% were female. Median gestational age was 25 weeks and mean birth weight was 770 ± 150 g. Of the 81 infants, 49 survived. The overall survival rate was 60.5% compared to 41% reported in the previous study. Respiratory distress syndrome (100.0%, retinopathy of prematurity (51.9%, bronchopulmonary dysplasia (34.6%, intraventricular haemorrhage (30.9% and patent ductus arteriosus (28.4% were the most common morbidities. Conclusion: The overall survival rate of infants between 23–26 gestational weeks during the study period had significantly improved in comparison to that found at the same hospital from 1991 to 1998. There is a need for the long-term neurodevelopmental follow-up of premature infants.

  1. Changing Survival Rate of Infants Born Before 26 Gestational Weeks: Single-centre study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rahman, Asad; Abdellatif, Mohamed; Sharef, Sharef W; Fazalullah, Muhammad; Al-Senaidi, Khalfan; Khan, Ashfaq A; Ahmad, Masood; Kripail, Mathew; Abuanza, Mazen; Bataclan, Flordeliza

    2015-08-01

    This study aimed to evaluate the changing survival rate and morbidities among infants born before 26 gestational weeks at the Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH) in Muscat, Oman. This retrospective study assessed the mortality and morbidities of all premature infants born alive at 23-26 gestational weeks at SQUH between June 2006 and May 2013. Infants referred to SQUH within 72 hours of birth during this period were also included. Electronic records were reviewed for gestational age, gender, birth weight, maternal age, mode and place of delivery, antenatal steroid administration, morbidity and outcome. The survival rate was calculated and findings were then compared with those of a previous study conducted in the same hospital from 1991 to 1998. Rates of major morbidities were also calculated. A total of 81 infants between 23-26 gestational weeks were admitted to the neonatal unit during the study period. Of these, 58.0% were male and 42.0% were female. Median gestational age was 25 weeks and mean birth weight was 770 ± 150 g. Of the 81 infants, 49 survived. The overall survival rate was 60.5% compared to 41% reported in the previous study. Respiratory distress syndrome (100.0%), retinopathy of prematurity (51.9%), bronchopulmonary dysplasia (34.6%), intraventricular haemorrhage (30.9%) and patent ductus arteriosus (28.4%) were the most common morbidities. The overall survival rate of infants between 23-26 gestational weeks during the study period had significantly improved in comparison to that found at the same hospital from 1991 to 1998. There is a need for the long-term neurodevelopmental follow-up of premature infants.

  2. Application of Parallel Hierarchical Matrices and Low-Rank Tensors in Spatial Statistics and Parameter Identification

    KAUST Repository

    Litvinenko, Alexander

    2018-03-12

    Part 1: Parallel H-matrices in spatial statistics 1. Motivation: improve statistical model 2. Tools: Hierarchical matrices 3. Matern covariance function and joint Gaussian likelihood 4. Identification of unknown parameters via maximizing Gaussian log-likelihood 5. Implementation with HLIBPro. Part 2: Low-rank Tucker tensor methods in spatial statistics

  3. Survival in HIV-infected patients after a cancer diagnosis in the cART Era: results of an italian multicenter study.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daria Gotti

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVES: We studied survival and associated risk factors in an Italian nationwide cohort of HIV-infected individuals after an AIDS-defining cancer (ADC or non-AIDS-defining cancer (NADC diagnosis in the modern cART era. METHODS: Multi-center, retrospective, observational study of HIV patients included in the MASTER Italian Cohort with a cancer diagnosis from January 1998 to September 2012. Malignancies were divided into ADC or NADC on the basis of the Centre for Disease Control-1993 classification. Recurrence of cancer and metastases were excluded. Survivals were estimated according to the Kaplan-Meier method and compared according to the log-rank test. Statistically significant variables at univariate analysis were entered in a multivariate Cox regression model. RESULTS: Eight hundred and sixty-six cancer diagnoses were recorded among 13,388 subjects in the MASTER Database after 1998: 435 (51% were ADCs and 431 (49% were NADCs. Survival was more favorable after an ADC diagnosis than a NADC diagnosis (10-year survival: 62.7%±2.9% vs. 46%±4.2%; p = 0.017. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma had lower survival rates than patients with Kaposi sarcoma or cervical cancer (10-year survival: 48.2%±4.3% vs. 72.8%±4.0% vs. 78.5%±9.9%; p<0.001. Regarding NADCs, breast cancer showed better survival (10-year survival: 65.1%±14% than lung cancer (1-year survival: 28%±8.7%, liver cancer (5-year survival: 31.9%±6.4% or Hodgkin lymphoma (10-year survival: 24.8%±11.2%. Lower CD4+ count and intravenous drug use were significantly associated with decreased survival after ADCs or NADCs diagnosis. Exposure to cART was found to be associated with prolonged survival only in the case of ADCs. CONCLUSIONS: cART has improved survival in patients with an ADC diagnosis, whereas the prognosis after a diagnosis of NADCs is poor. Low CD4+ counts and intravenous drug use are risk factors for survival following a diagnosis of ADCs and Hodgkin lymphoma in the NADC group.

  4. Open surgery versus endovascular approach in treatment of extracranial carotid artery aneurysms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ni, Leng; Weng, Huiling; Pu, Zuo; Zheng, Yuehong; Liu, Bao; Ye, Wei; Zeng, Rong; Liu, Changwei

    2018-05-01

    The objective of this study was to investigate and to compare the early and long-term results of open surgery with endovascular intervention in the treatment of extracranial carotid artery aneurysms (ECCAs). A retrospective review of patients diagnosed with ECCAs who underwent open surgical or endovascular treatment from 1997 to 2017 was performed. Clinical characteristics, aneurysm profile, and treatment outcomes were recorded. Early results (open surgery; endovascular repair was performed on 16 patients (33.3%). The 30-day stroke or transient ischemic attack rate was not significantly different between the open group (6.3% [2/32]) and the endovascular group (0% [0/16]; P = .307). Cranial nerve injuries occurred in eight patients in the open group (25%) and in no patient in the endovascular group (0%; P = .029). Median length of stay was significantly longer in the open group than in the endovascular group (20 vs 14 days, respectively; P = .013). Median follow-up was 46 months (range, 0-20 years), and no aneurysm-related death occurred during this period. Overall survival rates at 5 years were 88.7% (standard error [SE], 0.08) in the open group and 91.7% (SE, 0.08) in the endovascular group (P = .319; log-rank, .992). For the same time interval, stroke-free survival rates were 85.2% (SE, 0.10) in the open group and 92.2% (SE, 0.07) in the endovascular group (P = .653; log-rank, .201). One patient (1/28 [3.6%]) in the open group and two patients (2/16 [12.5%]) in the endovascular group underwent endovascular reinterventions because of restenosis during the follow-up period. Reintervention-free survival rates were 90.9% in the open group (SE, 0.09) and 69.2% in the endovascular group (SE, 0.21; P = .082; log-rank, 3.016). In this single-institutional experience, both operative and endovascular interventions for ECCAs provided acceptable early and 5-year results. The endovascular approach had significantly less cranial nerve injury and shorter length of

  5. Effects of non-surgical factors on digital replantation survival rate: a meta-analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Z; Guo, F; Qi, J; Xiang, W; Zhang, J

    2016-02-01

    This study aimed to evaluate the risk factors affecting survival rate of digital replantation by a meta-analysis. A computer retrieval of MEDLINE, OVID, EMBASE, and CNKI databases was conducted to identify citations for digital replantation with digit or finger or thumb or digital or fingertip and replantation as keywords. RevMan 5.2 software was used to calculate the pooled odds ratios. In total, there were 4678 amputated digits in 2641 patients. Gender and ischemia time had no significant influence on the survival rate of amputation replantation (P > 0.05). Age, injured hand, injury type, zone, and the method of preservation the amputated digit significantly influence the survival rate of digital replantation (P < 0.05). Children, right hand, crush, or avulsion and little finger are the risk factors that adversely affect the outcome. Level 5*. © The Author(s) 2015.

  6. Treatment Outcomes for T4 Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zenga, Joseph; Wilson, Michael; Adkins, Douglas R; Gay, Hiram A; Haughey, Bruce H; Kallogjeri, Dorina; Michel, Loren S; Paniello, Randal C; Rich, Jason T; Thorstad, Wade L; Nussenbaum, Brian

    2015-12-01

    Little is known about treatment outcomes for T4 oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC), particularly in the era of human papillomavirus (HPV)-related disease. To evaluate oncologic outcomes for T4 OPSCC treated with primary surgical and nonsurgical therapies. Retrospective cohort study of 131 patients from a single academic hospital, who were treated for T4a or T4b OPSCC (with any N stage and without distant metastatic disease at presentation) between 1998 and 2012 and had a minimum 2-year follow-up (the median follow-up time was 34.6 months). This study was conducted between January 1, 1998, and November 1, 2012. Sixty-nine patients underwent nonsurgical therapy, 47 (68%) of whom had p16-positive tumors. Nonsurgical treatment paradigms included induction chemotherapy followed by chemoradiotherapy (n = 36 [54%]), concurrent chemoradiotherapy (n = 29 [43%]), and induction chemotherapy followed by radiation therapy alone (n = 2 [3%]). Sixty-two patients underwent surgical treatment, 50 (81%) of whom had p16-positive tumors. Fifty-seven surgical patients (92%) received adjuvant therapy. Overall survival (OS) was the primary outcome measure. Secondary outcome measures included disease-specific survival (DSS), disease-free survival (DFS), 2-year gastrostomy and tracheostomy tube rates, and major complication rates. Significant baseline differences between the surgical vs nonsurgical groups included age (mean 59.8 vs 55.4 years [P = .005]), sex (male, 95% vs 84% [P = .04]), body mass index (<18.5 [calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared], 3% vs 16% [P = .02]), and smoking history of 10 or more pack-years (48% vs 77% [P = .003]). For p16-positive patients, Kaplan-Meier estimates of OS, DSS, and DFS were significantly higher for surgically treated patients than for the nonsurgical group (χ(2)(1) = 7.335 for log-rank P = .007, χ(2)(1) = 8.607 for log-rank P = .003, and χ(2)(1) = 7.763 for log-rank P = .005, respectively

  7. Reduced in-hospital survival rates of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest victims with obstructive pulmonary disease

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Blom, M T; Warnier, M J; Bardai, A

    2013-01-01

    ) had comparable survival to ER (75% vs. 78%, OR 0.9 [95% CI: 0.6-1.3]) and to hospital admission (56% vs. 57%, OR 1.0 [0.7-1.4]). However, survival to hospital discharge was significantly lower among OPD patients (21% vs. 33%, OR 0.6 [0.4-0.9]). Multivariate regression analysis among patients who were...... with obstructive pulmonary disease (OPD) have a lower survival rate after OHCA than non-OPD patients. METHODS: We performed a community-based cohort study of 1172 patients with non-traumatic OHCA with ECG-documented VT/VF between 2005 and 2008. We compared survival to emergency room (ER), to hospital admission...... admitted to hospital (OPD: n=100, no OPD: n=561) revealed that OPD was an independent determinant of reduced 30-day survival rate (39% vs. 59%, adjusted OR 0.6 [0.4-1.0, p=0.035]). CONCLUSION: OPD-patients had lower survival rates after OHCA than non-OPD patients. Survival to ER and to hospital admission...

  8. PageRank tracker: from ranking to tracking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gong, Chen; Fu, Keren; Loza, Artur; Wu, Qiang; Liu, Jia; Yang, Jie

    2014-06-01

    Video object tracking is widely used in many real-world applications, and it has been extensively studied for over two decades. However, tracking robustness is still an issue in most existing methods, due to the difficulties with adaptation to environmental or target changes. In order to improve adaptability, this paper formulates the tracking process as a ranking problem, and the PageRank algorithm, which is a well-known webpage ranking algorithm used by Google, is applied. Labeled and unlabeled samples in tracking application are analogous to query webpages and the webpages to be ranked, respectively. Therefore, determining the target is equivalent to finding the unlabeled sample that is the most associated with existing labeled set. We modify the conventional PageRank algorithm in three aspects for tracking application, including graph construction, PageRank vector acquisition and target filtering. Our simulations with the use of various challenging public-domain video sequences reveal that the proposed PageRank tracker outperforms mean-shift tracker, co-tracker, semiboosting and beyond semiboosting trackers in terms of accuracy, robustness and stability.

  9. Ultrafast CT scanning of an oak log for internal defects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Francis G. Wagner; Fred W. Taylor; Douglas S. Ladd; Charles W. McMillin; Fredrick L. Roder

    1989-01-01

    Detecting internal defects in sawlogs and veneer logs with computerized tomographic (CT) scanning is possible, but has been impractical due to the long scanning time required. This research investigated a new scanner able to acquire 34 cross-sectional log scans per second. This scanning rate translates to a linear log feed rate of 85 feet (25.91 m) per minute at one...

  10. Radiation therapy improves survival in rectal small cell cancer - Analysis of Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Modrek, Aram S; Hsu, Howard C; Leichman, Cynthia G; Du, Kevin L

    2015-04-24

    Small cell carcinoma of the rectum is a rare neoplasm with scant literature to guide treatment. We used the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database to investigate the role of radiation therapy in the treatment of this cancer. The SEER database (National Cancer Institute) was queried for locoregional cases of small cell rectal cancer. Years of diagnosis were limited to 1988-2010 (most recent available) to reduce variability in staging criteria or longitudinal changes in surgery and radiation techniques. Two month conditional survival was applied to minimize bias by excluding patients who did not survive long enough to receive cancer-directed therapy. Patient demographics between the RT and No_RT groups were compared using Pearson Chi-Square tests. Overall survival was compared between patients who received radiotherapy (RT, n = 43) and those who did not (No_RT, n = 28) using the Kaplan-Meier method. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards model was used to evaluate important covariates. Median survival was significantly longer for patients who received radiation compared to those who were not treated with radiation; 26 mo vs. 8 mo, respectively (log-rank P = 0.009). We also noted a higher 1-year overall survival rate for those who received radiation (71.1% vs. 37.8%). Unadjusted hazard ratio for death (HR) was 0.495 with the use of radiation (95% CI 0.286-0.858). Among surgery, radiotherapy, sex and age at diagnosis, radiation therapy was the only significant factor for overall survival with a multivariate HR for death of 0.393 (95% CI 0.206-0.750, P = 0.005). Using SEER data, we have identified a significant survival advantage with the use of radiation therapy in the setting of rectal small cell carcinoma. Limitations of the SEER data apply to this study, particularly the lack of information on chemotherapy usage. Our findings strongly support the use of radiation therapy for patients with locoregional small cell rectal cancer.

  11. Ranking adverse drug reactions with crowdsourcing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gottlieb, Assaf; Hoehndorf, Robert; Dumontier, Michel; Altman, Russ B

    2015-03-23

    There is no publicly available resource that provides the relative severity of adverse drug reactions (ADRs). Such a resource would be useful for several applications, including assessment of the risks and benefits of drugs and improvement of patient-centered care. It could also be used to triage predictions of drug adverse events. The intent of the study was to rank ADRs according to severity. We used Internet-based crowdsourcing to rank ADRs according to severity. We assigned 126,512 pairwise comparisons of ADRs to 2589 Amazon Mechanical Turk workers and used these comparisons to rank order 2929 ADRs. There is good correlation (rho=.53) between the mortality rates associated with ADRs and their rank. Our ranking highlights severe drug-ADR predictions, such as cardiovascular ADRs for raloxifene and celecoxib. It also triages genes associated with severe ADRs such as epidermal growth-factor receptor (EGFR), associated with glioblastoma multiforme, and SCN1A, associated with epilepsy. ADR ranking lays a first stepping stone in personalized drug risk assessment. Ranking of ADRs using crowdsourcing may have useful clinical and financial implications, and should be further investigated in the context of health care decision making.

  12. Ranking Adverse Drug Reactions With Crowdsourcing

    KAUST Repository

    Gottlieb, Assaf

    2015-03-23

    Background: There is no publicly available resource that provides the relative severity of adverse drug reactions (ADRs). Such a resource would be useful for several applications, including assessment of the risks and benefits of drugs and improvement of patient-centered care. It could also be used to triage predictions of drug adverse events. Objective: The intent of the study was to rank ADRs according to severity. Methods: We used Internet-based crowdsourcing to rank ADRs according to severity. We assigned 126,512 pairwise comparisons of ADRs to 2589 Amazon Mechanical Turk workers and used these comparisons to rank order 2929 ADRs. Results: There is good correlation (rho=.53) between the mortality rates associated with ADRs and their rank. Our ranking highlights severe drug-ADR predictions, such as cardiovascular ADRs for raloxifene and celecoxib. It also triages genes associated with severe ADRs such as epidermal growth-factor receptor (EGFR), associated with glioblastoma multiforme, and SCN1A, associated with epilepsy. Conclusions: ADR ranking lays a first stepping stone in personalized drug risk assessment. Ranking of ADRs using crowdsourcing may have useful clinical and financial implications, and should be further investigated in the context of health care decision making.

  13. Investigating Rates of Hunting and Survival in Declining European Lapwing Populations.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guillaume Souchay

    Full Text Available Understanding effects of harvest on population dynamics is of major interest, especially for declining species. European lapwing Vanellus vanellus populations increased from the 1960s until the 1980s and declined strongly thereafter. About 400,000 lapwings are harvested annually and it is thus of high conservation relevance to assess whether hunting was a main cause for the observed changes in lapwing population trends. We developed a multi-event cause-specific mortality model which we applied to a long-term ring-recovery data set (1960-2010 of > 360,000 records to estimate survival and cause-specific mortalities. We found no temporal change in survival over the last 50 years for first-year (FY and older birds (after first-year; AFY originating from different ringing areas. Mean survival was high, around 0.60 and 0.80 for FY and AFY individuals, respectively. The proportion of total mortality due to hunting was <0.10 over the study period and the estimated proportion of harvested individuals (kill rate was <0.05 in each year. Our result of constant survival indicates that demographic processes other than survival were responsible for the pronounced change in lapwing population trends in the 1980s. Our findings lend support to the hypothesis that hunting was not a significant contributor to the large-scale decline of lapwing populations. To halt the ongoing decline of European lapwing populations management should focus on life history stages other than survival (e.g. productivity. Further analyses are required to investigate the contribution of other demographic rates to the decline of lapwings and to identify the most efficient conservation actions.

  14. Daily survival rate and habitat characteristics of nests of Wilson's Plover

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zinsser, Elizabeth; Sanders, Felicia J.; Gerard, Patrick D.; Jodice, Patrick G.R.

    2017-01-01

    We assessed habitat characteristics and measured daily survival rate of 72 nests of Charadrius wilsonia (Wilson's Plover) during 2012 and 2013 on South Island and Sand Island on the central coast of South Carolina. At both study areas, nest sites were located at slightly higher elevations (i.e., small platforms of sand) relative to randomly selected nearby unused sites, and nests at each study area also appeared to be situated to enhance crypsis and/or vigilance. Daily survival rate (DSR) of nests ranged from 0.969 to 0.988 among study sites and years, and the probability of nest survival ranged from 0.405 to 0.764. Flooding and predation were the most common causes of nest failure at both sites. At South Island, DSR was most strongly related to maximum tide height, which suggests that flooding and overwash may be common causes of nest loss for Wilson's Plovers at these study sites. The difference in model results between the 2 nearby study sites may be partially due to more-frequent flooding at Sand Island because of some underlying yet unmeasured physiographic feature. Remaining data gaps for the species include regional assessments of nest and chick survival and habitat requirements during chick rearing.

  15. Combination therapy with milrinone and esmolol for heart protection in patients with severe sepsis: a prospective, randomized trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Zenggeng; Wu, Qinghua; Nie, Xiangbi; Guo, Jinghua; Yang, Chunli

    2015-11-01

    As a β-adrenoceptor antagonist (β-blocker), esmolol can reduce cardiac output and the phosphodiesterase III inhibitor milrinone has been shown to improve heart contractility in patients with septic shock. This study was performed to assess the effects of esmolol combined with milrinone in patients with severe sepsis. This prospective randomized study was conducted in patients with severe sepsis in the intensive care unit of the Jiangxi Provincial People's Hospital (Nanchang, Jiangsu, China) between June 2013 and June 2014. Patients were randomly divided into control (C), milrinone (M), and milrinone-esmolol (ME) groups. The primary outcome was the rate of controlling the heart rate (HR) to achieve target levels. Secondary outcomes included the 28-day survival rate and changes in hemodynamic variables, organ function variables, myocardial injury markers, and the serum levels of proinflammatory factors. A total of 90 patients with severe sepsis were included in this study (30 per group). The HR in the ME group was lower than in the M and C groups after 12 h. The rate of successful HR control during the first 96 h was significantly higher in the ME group (60.0 vs. 33.3 % in the M group, vs. 26.7 % in the C group). Also, patients in the ME group had higher 28-day overall survival compared with the M (Log rank statistic = 5.452; P = 0.020) and C groups (Log rank statistic = 10.206; P = 0.001). Additionally, several variables showed significant improvement in the ME group 96 h after treatment compared with the M and C groups (P milrinone and esmolol could improve cardiac function and the 28-day survival rate in patients with severe sepsis.

  16. Environmental and ecological conditions at Arctic breeding sites have limited effects on true survival rates of adult shorebirds

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weiser, Emily L.; Lanctot, Richard B.; Brown, Stephen C.; Gates, H. River; Bentzen, Rebecca L.; Bêty, Joël; Boldenow, Megan L.; English, Willow B.; Franks, Samantha E.; Koloski, Laura; Kwon, Eunbi; Lamarre, Jean-Francois; Lank, David B.; Liebezeit, Joseph R.; McKinnon, Laura; Nol, Erica; Rausch, Jennie; Saalfeld, Sarah T.; Senner, Nathan R.; Ward, David H.; Woodard, Paul F.; Sandercock, Brett K.

    2018-01-01

    Many Arctic shorebird populations are declining, and quantifying adult survival and the effects of anthropogenic factors is a crucial step toward a better understanding of population dynamics. We used a recently developed, spatially explicit Cormack–Jolly–Seber model in a Bayesian framework to obtain broad-scale estimates of true annual survival rates for 6 species of shorebirds at 9 breeding sites across the North American Arctic in 2010–2014. We tested for effects of environmental and ecological variables, study site, nest fate, and sex on annual survival rates of each species in the spatially explicit framework, which allowed us to distinguish between effects of variables on site fidelity versus true survival. Our spatially explicit analysis produced estimates of true survival rates that were substantially higher than previously published estimates of apparent survival for most species, ranging from S = 0.72 to 0.98 across 5 species. However, survival was lower for the arcticolasubspecies of Dunlin (Calidris alpina arcticola; S = 0.54), our only study taxon that migrates through the East Asian–Australasian Flyway. Like other species that use that flyway, arcticola Dunlin could be experiencing unsustainably low survival rates as a result of loss of migratory stopover habitat. Survival rates of our study species were not affected by timing of snowmelt or summer temperature, and only 2 species showed minor variation among study sites. Furthermore, although previous reproductive success, predator abundance, and the availability of alternative prey each affected survival of one species, no factors broadly affected survival across species. Overall, our findings of few effects of environmental or ecological variables suggest that annual survival rates of adult shorebirds are generally robust to conditions at Arctic breeding sites. Instead, conditions at migratory stopovers or overwintering sites might be driving adult survival rates and should be the

  17. Molecular Signature for Lymphatic Invasion Associated with Survival of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paik, E Sun; Choi, Hyun Jin; Kim, Tae-Joong; Lee, Jeong-Won; Kim, Byoung-Gie; Bae, Duk-Soo; Choi, Chel Hun

    2018-04-01

    We aimed to develop molecular classifier that can predict lymphatic invasion and their clinical significance in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) patients. We analyzed gene expression (mRNA, methylated DNA) in data from The Cancer Genome Atlas. To identify molecular signatures for lymphatic invasion, we found differentially expressed genes. The performance of classifier was validated by receiver operating characteristics analysis, logistic regression, linear discriminant analysis (LDA), and support vector machine (SVM). We assessed prognostic role of classifier using random survival forest (RSF) model and pathway deregulation score (PDS). For external validation,we analyzed microarray data from 26 EOC samples of Samsung Medical Center and curatedOvarianData database. We identified 21 mRNAs, and seven methylated DNAs from primary EOC tissues that predicted lymphatic invasion and created prognostic models. The classifier predicted lymphatic invasion well, which was validated by logistic regression, LDA, and SVM algorithm (C-index of 0.90, 0.71, and 0.74 for mRNA and C-index of 0.64, 0.68, and 0.69 for DNA methylation). Using RSF model, incorporating molecular data with clinical variables improved prediction of progression-free survival compared with using only clinical variables (p < 0.001 and p=0.008). Similarly, PDS enabled us to classify patients into high-risk and low-risk group, which resulted in survival difference in mRNA profiles (log-rank p-value=0.011). In external validation, gene signature was well correlated with prediction of lymphatic invasion and patients' survival. Molecular signature model predicting lymphatic invasion was well performed and also associated with survival of EOC patients.

  18. Real-life 10-year retention rate of first-line anti-TNF drugs for inflammatory arthritides in adult- and juvenile-onset populations: similarities and differences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Favalli, Ennio Giulio; Pontikaki, Irene; Becciolini, Andrea; Biggioggero, Martina; Ughi, Nicola; Romano, Micol; Crotti, Chiara; Gattinara, Maurizio; Gerloni, Valeria; Marchesoni, Antonio; Meroni, Pier Luigi

    2017-08-01

    The aim of this study is to retrospectively analyze 10-year drug survival of first-line TNF inhibitor (TNFi) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) patients, comparing withdrawal rates and discontinuation pattern between adult- and juvenile-onset populations. RA, AS, PsA, and JIA patients treated with infliximab, etanercept, or adalimumab as first TNFi between 1999 and 2015 were extracted from a local registry. Drug survival up to 10-year follow-up was evaluated by the Kaplan-Meier method and compared according to age (adult vs juvenile onset), TNFi agent, and discontinuation reason by a stratified log-rank test. Three hundred sixty JIA (205 etanercept, 66 adalimumab, and 89 infliximab) and 951 (607 RA, 188 AS, and 156 PsA) adult patients (464 infliximab, 262 adalimumab, and 225 etanercept) were included. After exclusion of systemic-onset JIA (18.5%), overall 10-year retention rate was 31.8%, with no difference between adult- and juvenile-onset patients (32.1 and 30.2%, respectively; HR 0.938 [95% CI 0.782-1.125]). Etanercept showed the highest drug survival in adult-onset population (p adult population (29.75%) with a significantly higher risk of discontinuation than in juvenile-onset subgroup (HR 1.390 [95% CI 1.060-1.824]). Serious infections and malignancies caused TNFi withdrawal only in adult whereas gastrointestinal, neuropsychiatric, and ocular complications quite only in juvenile patients. Despite a similar 10-year drug survival, adult- and juvenile-onset subpopulations showed a significantly different pattern of TNFi reasons for discontinuation.

  19. Survival rate in nasopharyngeal carcinoma improved by high caseload volume: a nationwide population-based study in Taiwan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Ching-Chih; Hung, Shih-Kai; Huang, Tze-Ta; Lee, Moon-Sing; Su, Yu-Chieh; Chou, Pesus; Hsiao, Shih-Hsuan; Chiou, Wen-Yen; Lin, Hon-Yi; Chien, Sou-Hsin

    2011-01-01

    Positive correlation between caseload and outcome has previously been validated for several procedures and cancer treatments. However, there is no information linking caseload and outcome of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treatment. We used nationwide population-based data to examine the association between physician case volume and survival rates of patients with NPC. Between 1998 and 2000, a total of 1225 patients were identified from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. Survival analysis, the Cox proportional hazards model, and propensity score were used to assess the relationship between 10-year survival rates and physician caseloads. As the caseload of individual physicians increased, unadjusted 10-year survival rates increased (p < 0.001). Using a Cox proportional hazard model, patients with NPC treated by high-volume physicians (caseload ≥ 35) had better survival rates (p = 0.001) after adjusting for comorbidities, hospital, and treatment modality. When analyzed by propensity score, the adjusted 10-year survival rate differed significantly between patients treated by high-volume physicians and patients treated by low/medium-volume physicians (75% vs. 61%; p < 0.001). Our data confirm a positive volume-outcome relationship for NPC. After adjusting for differences in the case mix, our analysis found treatment of NPC by high-volume physicians improved 10-year survival rate

  20. Assessment of predictors of response and long-term survival of patients with neuroendocrine tumour treated with peptide receptor chemoradionuclide therapy (PRCRT)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kong, G.; Thompson, M.; Johnston, V.; Eu, P. [Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Centre for Cancer Imaging, East Melbourne, VIC (Australia); Collins, M.; Herschtal, A. [Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Department of Biostatistics and Clinical Trials, Melbourne, VIC (Australia); Hofman, M.S.; Hicks, Rodney J. [Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Centre for Cancer Imaging, East Melbourne, VIC (Australia); The University of Melbourne, Department of Medicine, Melbourne, VIC (Australia); Michael, M. [The University of Melbourne, Department of Medicine, Melbourne, VIC (Australia); Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Division of Cancer Medicine, Neuroendocrine Tumour Unit, Melbourne, VIC (Australia)

    2014-10-15

    To review the response and outcomes of {sup 177}Lu-DOTA-octreotate chemoradionuclide therapy (LuTate PRCRT) in patients with neuroendocrine tumour (NET) expressing high levels of somatostatin receptors with uncontrolled symptoms or disease progression. A total of 68 patients (39 men; 17 - 76 years of age) who had completed an induction course of at least three cycles of LuTate PRCRT between January 2006 and June 2010 were reviewed. Ten patients were treated for uncontrolled symptoms and 58 had disease progression despite conventional treatment. The majority had four induction LuTate cycles (median treatment duration 5 months and cumulative activity 31 GBq), and 63 patients had concomitant 5-FU radiosensitizing infusional chemotherapy. Factors predicting overall survival were assessed using the log-rank test and Cox proportional hazards regression. Of those treated for uncontrolled symptoms, 70 % received benefit maintained for at least 6 months after treatment. Among patients with progressive disease 68 % showed stabilization or regression on CT, 67 % on molecular imaging and 56 % biochemically up to 12 months after treatment; 32 patients died. Overall survival rates at 2 and 5 year were 72.1 % and 52.1 %, respectively. Median overall survival was not estimable at a median follow-up of 60 months (range 5 - 86 months). Nonpancreatic primary sites, dominant liver metastases, lesion size <5 cm and the use of 5-FU chemotherapy were statistically significantly associated with objective response. A disseminated pattern and a high disease burden (whole-body retention index) were associated with an increased risk of death. Objective biochemical, molecular imaging and CT responses were all associated with longer overall survival. A high proportion of patients with progressive NET or uncontrolled symptoms received therapeutic benefit from LuTate with concomitant 5-FU chemotherapy. The achievement of objective biochemical, molecular or CT responses within 12 months was

  1. Annual survival rate estimate of satellite transmitter–marked eastern population greater sandhill cranes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fronczak, David L.; Andersen, David E.; Hanna, Everett E.; Cooper, Thomas R.

    2015-01-01

    Several surveys have documented the increasing population size and geographic distribution of Eastern Population greater sandhill cranes Grus canadensis tabida since the 1960s. Sport hunting of this population of sandhill cranes started in 2012 following the provisions of the Eastern Population Sandhill Crane Management Plan. However, there are currently no published estimates of Eastern Population sandhill crane survival rate that can be used to inform harvest management. As part of two studies of Eastern Population sandhill crane migration, we deployed solar-powered global positioning system platform transmitting terminals on Eastern Population sandhill cranes (n  =  42) at key concentration areas from 2009 to 2012. We estimated an annual survival rate for Eastern Population sandhill cranes from data resulting from monitoring these cranes by using the known-fates model in the MARK program. Estimated annual survival rate for adult Eastern Population sandhill cranes was 0.950 (95% confidence interval  =  0.885–0.979) during December 2009–August 2014. All fatalities (n  =  5) occurred after spring migration in late spring and early summer. We were unable to determine cause of death for crane fatalities in our study. Our survival rate estimate will be useful when combined with other population parameters such as the population index derived from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service fall survey, harvest, and recruitment rates to assess the effects of harvest on population size and trend and evaluate the effectiveness of management strategies.

  2. Perioperative and mid-term oncologic outcomes of robotic assisted radical cystectomy with totally intracorporeal neobladder: Results of a propensity score matched comparison with open cohort from a single-centre series.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simone, Giuseppe; Tuderti, Gabriele; Misuraca, Leonardo; Anceschi, Umberto; Ferriero, Mariaconsiglia; Minisola, Francesco; Guaglianone, Salvatore; Gallucci, Michele

    2018-04-17

    In this study, we compared perioperative and oncologic outcomes of patients treated with either open or robot-assisted radical cystectomy and intracorporeal neobladder at a tertiary care center. The institutional prospective bladder cancer database was queried for "cystectomy with curative intent" and "neobladder". All patients underwent robot-assisted radical cystectomy and intracorporeal neobladder or open radical cystectomy and orthotopic neobladder for high-grade non-muscle invasive bladder cancer or muscle invasive bladder cancer with a follow-up length ≥2 years were included. A 1:1 propensity score matching analysis was used. Kaplan-Meier method was performed to compare oncologic outcomes of selected cohorts. Survival rates were computed at 1,2,3 and 4 years after surgery and the log rank test was applied to assess statistical significance between the matched groups. Overall, 363 patients (299 open and 64 robotic) were included. Open radical cystectomy patients were more frequently male (p = 0.08), with higher pT stages (p = 0.003), lower incidence of urothelial histologies (p = 0.05) and lesser adoption of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (open radical cystectomy cases (all p ≥ 0.22). Open cohort showed a higher rate of perioperative overall complications (91.3% vs 42.2%, p 0.001). At Kaplan-Meier analysis robotic and open cohorts displayed comparable disease-free survival (log-rank p = 0.746), cancer-specific survival (p = 0.753) and overall-survival rates (p = 0.909). Robot-assisted radical cystectomy and intracorporeal neobladder provides comparable oncologic outcomes of open radical cystectomy and orthotopic neobladder at intermediate term survival analysis. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd, BASO ~ The Association for Cancer Surgery, and the European Society of Surgical Oncology. All rights reserved.

  3. MiR-34b is associated with clinical outcome in triple-negative breast cancer patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Svoboda Marek

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Breast cancer is the most common malignancy with the highest incidence rates among women worldwide. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC represents the major phenotype of basal-like molecular subtype of breast cancer, characterized by higher incidence in young women and a very poor prognosis. MicroRNAs (miRNAs are small non-coding RNAs playing significant role in the pathogenesis of many cancers including breast cancer. Therefore, miRNAs are also potential prognostic and/or predictive biomarkers in triple-negative breast cancer patients. Methods Thirty-nine TNBC patients with available formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE tissues were enrolled in the study. MiR-34a, miR-34b, and miR-34c were analyzed using qRT-PCR and correlated to clinico-pathological features of TNBC patients. Results Expression levels of miR-34b significantly correlate with disease free survival (DFS (p = 0.0020, log-rank test and overall survival (OS (p = 0.0008, log-rank test of TNBC patients. No other significant associations between miR-34a, miR-34b, and miR-34c with available clinical pathological data were observed. Conclusions MiR-34b expression negatively correlates with disease free survival and overall survival in TNBC patients. Thus, miR-34b may present a new promising prognostic biomarker in TNBC patients, but independent validations are necessary.

  4. Acute myeloid leukemia: survival analysisof patients at a university hospital of Paraná

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sergio Lunardon Padilha

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the prognostic factors correlated with survival of patients with acute myeloid leukemia at the Hospital de Clínicas, Universidade Federal do Paraná between 2003 and 2009, as well as to investigate the clinical and epidemiological profile. Methods: The overall survival and disease-free survival were statistically evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier method, the log-rank test and multivariate evaluation by Cox regression analysis. Results: The study population was predominantly younger than 60 years old (81,6%, had intermediate cytogenetic risk (40.8%, in first complete remission after induction chemotherapy (46.9%, with a white blood count at diagnosis of less than 30 × 109 /L (57.1% and de novo acute myeloid leukemia (62.2%. Survival curves showed that better prognosis was related to age below 60 years (median:12,4 months; p-value = 0,2227; Odds Ratio = 0,6676, good pro- gnostic cytogenetic markers (median: 97.7 months; p-value = 0.0037; Odds Ratio = 0.4239 and white blood cell count at diagnosis of less than 30 × 109 /L (median survival: 23.6 months; p- value = 0.0001; Odds Ratio = 0.3651. Regarding the French-American-British subgroups, the median overall survival was 23.5 months for M0, M1 and M2, 97.7 months for M3 and 7.4 months for M4, M5, M6, and M7 (p-value = 0.0288. Conclusion: Prognostic factors strongly influenced patient survival, as well as guided treat- ment. Moreover, these factors were consistent with the available literature adjusted for the population in question.

  5. Prophylactic Anticonvulsants in patients with brain tumour

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Forsyth, P.A.; Weaver, S.; Fulton, D.

    2003-01-01

    We conducted a clinical trial to determine if prophylactic anticonvulsants in brain tumour patients (without prior seizures) reduced seizure frequency. We stopped accrual at 100 patients on the basis of the interim analysis. One hundred newly diagnosed brain tumour patients received anticonvulsants (AC Group) or not (No AC Group) in this prospective randomized unblinded study. Sixty patients had metastatic, and 40 had primary brain tumours. Forty-six (46%) patients were randomized to the AC Group and 54 (54%) to the No AC Group. Median follow-up was 5.44 months (range 0.13 -30.1 months). Seizures occurred in 26 (26%) patients, eleven in the AC Group and 15 in the No AC Group. Seizure-free survivals were not different; at three months 87% of the AC Group and 90% of the No AC Group were seizure-free (log rank test, p=0.98). Seventy patients died (unrelated to seizures) and survival rates were equivalent in both groups (median survival = 6.8 months versus 5.6 months, respectively; log rank test, p=0.50). We then terminated accrual at 100 patients because seizure and survival rates were much lower than expected; we would need ≥900 patients to have a suitably powered study. These data should be used by individuals contemplating a clinical trial to determine if prophylactic anticonvulsants are effective in subsets of brain tumour patients (e.g. only anaplastic astrocytomas). When taken together with the results of a similar randomized trial, prophylactic anticonvulsants are unlikely to be effective or useful in brain tumour patients who have not had a seizure. (author)

  6. Prophylactic Anticonvulsants in patients with brain tumour

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Forsyth, P.A. [Depts. of Oncology and Clinical Neurosciences, Univ. of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta (Canada); Tom Baker Cancer Centre, Calgary, Alberta (Canada); Weaver, S. [Depts. of Neurology and Medicine, Albany Medical College, Albany, New York (United States); Fulton, D. [Dept. of Radiation Oncology, Cross Cancer Institute and Dept. of Medicine/Neurology, Univ. of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta (Canada)

    2003-05-01

    We conducted a clinical trial to determine if prophylactic anticonvulsants in brain tumour patients (without prior seizures) reduced seizure frequency. We stopped accrual at 100 patients on the basis of the interim analysis. One hundred newly diagnosed brain tumour patients received anticonvulsants (AC Group) or not (No AC Group) in this prospective randomized unblinded study. Sixty patients had metastatic, and 40 had primary brain tumours. Forty-six (46%) patients were randomized to the AC Group and 54 (54%) to the No AC Group. Median follow-up was 5.44 months (range 0.13 -30.1 months). Seizures occurred in 26 (26%) patients, eleven in the AC Group and 15 in the No AC Group. Seizure-free survivals were not different; at three months 87% of the AC Group and 90% of the No AC Group were seizure-free (log rank test, p=0.98). Seventy patients died (unrelated to seizures) and survival rates were equivalent in both groups (median survival = 6.8 months versus 5.6 months, respectively; log rank test, p=0.50). We then terminated accrual at 100 patients because seizure and survival rates were much lower than expected; we would need {>=}900 patients to have a suitably powered study. These data should be used by individuals contemplating a clinical trial to determine if prophylactic anticonvulsants are effective in subsets of brain tumour patients (e.g. only anaplastic astrocytomas). When taken together with the results of a similar randomized trial, prophylactic anticonvulsants are unlikely to be effective or useful in brain tumour patients who have not had a seizure. (author)

  7. Low local recurrence rate without postmastectomy radiation in node-negative breast cancer patients with tumors 5 cm and larger

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Floyd, Scott R.; Buchholz, Thomas A.; Haffty, Bruce G.; Goldberg, Saveli; Niemierko, Andrzej; Raad, Rita Abi; Oswald, Mary J.; Sullivan, Timothy; Strom, Eric A.; Powell, Simon N.; Katz, Angela; Taghian, Alphonse G.

    2006-01-01

    Purpose: To assess the need for adjuvant radiotherapy following mastectomy for patients with node-negative breast tumors 5 cm or larger. Methods and Materials: Between 1981 and 2002, a total of 70 patients with node-negative breast cancer and tumors 5 cm or larger were treated with mastectomy and adjuvant systemic therapies but without radiotherapy at three institutions. We retrospectively assessed rates and risk factors for locoregional failure (LRF), overall survival (OS), and disease-free survival (DFS) in these patients. Results: With a median follow-up of 85 months, the 5-year actuarial LRF rate was 7.6% (95% confidence interval, 3%-16%). LRF was primarily in the chest wall (4/5 local failures), and lymphatic-vascular invasion (LVI) was statistically significantly associated with LRF risk by the log-rank test (p = 0.017) and in Cox proportional hazards analysis (p 0.038). The 5-year OS and DFS rates were 83% and 86% respectively. LVI was also significantly associated with OS and DFS in both univariate and multivariate analysis. Conclusions: This series demonstrates a low LRF rate of 7.6% among breast cancer patients with node-negative tumors 5 cm and larger after mastectomy and adjuvant systemic therapy. Our data indicate that further adjuvant radiation therapy to increase local control may not be indicated by tumor size alone in the absence of positive lymph nodes. LVI was significantly associated with LRF in our series, indicating that patients with this risk factor require careful consideration with regard to further local therapy

  8. Increasing Winter Maximal Metabolic Rate Improves Intrawinter Survival in Small Birds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petit, Magali; Clavijo-Baquet, Sabrina; Vézina, François

    Small resident bird species living at northern latitudes increase their metabolism in winter, and this is widely assumed to improve their chances of survival. However, the relationship between winter metabolic performance and survival has yet to be demonstrated. Using capture-mark-recapture, we followed a population of free-living black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) over 3 yr and evaluated their survival probability within and among winters. We also measured the size-independent body mass (M s ), hematocrit (Hct), basal metabolic rate (BMR), and maximal thermogenic capacity (Msum) and investigated how these parameters influenced survival within and among winters. Results showed that survival probability was high and constant both within (0.92) and among (0.96) winters. They also showed that while M s , Hct, and BMR had no significant influence, survival was positively related to Msum-following a sigmoid relationship-within but not among winter. Birds expressing an Msum below 1.26 W (i.e., similar to summer levels) had a winter. Our data therefore suggest that black-capped chickadees that are either too slow or unable to adjust their phenotype from summer to winter have little chances of survival and thus that seasonal upregulation of metabolic performance is highly beneficial. This study is the first to document in an avian system the relationship between thermogenic capacity and winter survival, a proxy of fitness.

  9. Relationships between nurse- and physician-to-population ratios and state health rankings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bigbee, Jeri L

    2008-01-01

    To evaluate the relationship between nurse-to-population ratios and population health, as indicated by state health ranking, and to compare the findings with physician-to-population ratios. Secondary analysis correlational design. The sample consisted of all 50 states in the United States. Data sources included the United Health Foundation's 2006 state health rankings, the 2004 National Sample Survey for Registered Nurses, and the U.S. Health Workforce Profile from the New York Center for Health Workforce Studies. Significant relationships between nurse-to-population ratio and overall state health ranking (rho=-.446, p tf?>=.001) and 11 of the 18 components of that ranking were found. Significant components included motor vehicle death rate, high school graduation rate, violent crime rate, infectious disease rate, percentage of children in poverty, percentage of uninsured residents, immunization rate, adequacy of prenatal care, number of poor mental health days, number of poor physical health days, and premature death rate, with higher nurse-to-population ratios associated with higher health rankings. Specialty (public health and school) nurse-to-population ratios were not as strongly related to state health ranking. Physician-to-population ratios were also significantly related to state health ranking, but were associated with different components than nurses. These findings suggest that greater nurses per capita may be uniquely associated with healthier communities; however, further multivariate research is needed.

  10. Dose-rate effects on mammalian cells exposed to ionizing radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mitchell, J.B.

    1978-01-01

    The effect of irradiation on the life cycle and on cell survival was studied for a range of different dose rates. Log phase, plateau phase and synchronized cultures of different mammalian cells were used. Cell cycle redistribution during the radiation exposure was found to be a very important factor in determining the overall dose-rate effect for log phase and synchronized cells. In fact, cell cycle redistribution during the exposure, in some instances, resulted in a lower dose rate being more effective in cell killing per unit dose than a higher dose rate. For plateau phase cultures, where cell cycle times are greatly lengthened, the effects of redistribution in regard to cell killing was virtually eliminated. Both fed and unfed plateau phase cultures exhibited a dose-rate effect, but it was found that below dose rates of 154 rad/h there is no further loss in effectiveness

  11. High RAB25 expression is associated with good clinical outcome in patients with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Téllez-Gabriel, Marta; Arroyo-Solera, Irene; León, Xavier; Gallardo, Alberto; López, Montserrat; Céspedes, Maria V; Casanova, Isolda; López-Pousa, Antonio; Quer, Miquel; Mangues, Maria A; Barnadas, Agustí; Mangues, Ramón; Pavón, Miguel A

    2013-01-01

    Currently there are no molecular markers able to predict clinical outcome in locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). In a previous microarray study, RAB25 was identified as a potential prognostic marker. The aim of this study was to analyze the association between RAB25 expression and clinical outcome in patients with locally advanced HNSCC treated with standard therapy. In a retrospective immunohistochemical study (n = 97), we observed that RAB25-negative tumors had lower survival (log-rank, P = 0.01) than patients bearing positive tumors. In an independent prospective mRNA study (n = 117), low RAB25 mRNA expression was associated with poor prognosis. Using classification and regression tree analysis (CART) we established two groups of patients according to their RAB25 mRNA level and their risk of death. Low mRNA level was associated with poor local recurrence-free (log-rank, P = 0.005), progression-free (log-rank, P = 0.002) and cancer-specific (log-rank, P < 0.001) survival. Multivariate Cox model analysis showed that low expression of RAB25 was an independent poor prognostic factor for survival (hazard ratio: 3.84, 95% confidence interval: 1.93–7.62, P < 0.001). Patients whose tumors showed high RAB25 expression had a low probability of death after treatment. We also found lower RAB25 expression in tumors than in normal tissue (Mann–Whitney U, P < 0.001). Moreover, overexpression of RAB25 in the UM-SCC-74B HNSCC cell line increased cisplatin sensitivity, and reduced cell migration and invasion. Our findings support a tumor suppressor role for RAB25 in HNSCC and its potential use to identify locally advanced patients with a high probability of survival after genotoxic treatment

  12. Hypoxia imaging of uterine cervix carcinoma with (18)F-FETNIM PET/CT.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vercellino, Laetitia; Groheux, David; Thoury, Anne; Delord, Marc; Schlageter, Marie-Hélène; Delpech, Yann; Barré, Emmanuelle; Baruch-Hennequin, Valérie; Tylski, Perrine; Homyrda, Laurence; Walker, Francine; Barranger, Emmanuel; Hindié, Elif

    2012-11-01

    Our aims were to assess the feasibility of imaging hypoxia in cervical carcinoma with (18)F-fluoroerythronitroimidazole ((18)F-FETNIM) and to compare (18)F-FETNIM uptake with metabolic uptake of (18)F-FDG. We included 16 patients with cervical carcinoma. After imaging with FDG, (18)F-FETNIM PET/CT was performed and tumor-to-muscle (T/M) ratio uptake was assessed. (18)F- FETNIM uptake was correlated to FDG uptake and osteopontin (OPN), a marker of hypoxia, and patients' outcomes. All tumors were detected by (18)F-FDG PET. (18)F-FETNIM T/M ratios ranged from 1.3 to 5.4. There was no significant correlation between (18)F-FETNIM and (18)F-FDG uptake. High (18)F-FETNIM uptake (T/M > 3.2) was associated with reduced progression-free survival (log-rank = 0.002) and overall survival (log-rank = 0.02). Osteopontin ranged from 39 to 662 μg/L (median, 102.5 μg/L). Patients with OPN greater than 144 μg/L had reduced progression-free survival compared with those with OPN less than 144 μg/L (log-rank = 0.03). We found no significant correlation between (18)F-FETNIM uptake and OPN blood levels. Our preliminary results showed that a high uptake of (18)F-FETNIM was associated with a worse progression-free and overall survival.

  13. An Alternative Approach to Non-Log-Linear Thermal Microbial Inactivation: Modelling the Number of Log Cycles Reduction with Respect to Temperature

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vasilis Panagiotis Valdramidis

    2005-01-01

    Full Text Available A mathematical approach incorporating the shoulder effect during the quantification of microbial heat inactivation is being developed based on »the number of log cycles of reduction « concept. Hereto, the heat resistance of Escherichia coli K12 in BHI broth has been quantitatively determined in a generic and accurate way by defining the time t for x log reductions in the microbial population, i.e. txD, as a function of the treatment temperature T. Survival data of the examined microorganism are collected in a range of temperatures between 52–60.6 °C. Shoulder length Sl and specific inactivation rate kmax are derived from a mathematical expression that describes a non-log-linear behaviour. The temperature dependencies of Sl and kmax are used for structuring the txD(T function. Estimation of the txD(T parameters through a global identification procedure permits reliable predictions of the time to achieve a pre-decided microbial reduction. One of the parameters of the txD(T function is proposed as »the reference minimum temperature for inactivation«. For the case study considered, a value of 51.80 °C (with a standard error, SE, of 3.47 was identified. Finally, the time to achieve commercial sterilization and pasteurization for the product at hand, i.e. BHI broth, was found to be 11.70 s (SE=5.22, and 5.10 min (SE=1.22, respectively. Accounting for the uncertainty (based on the 90 % confidence intervals, CI a fail-safe treatment of these two processes takes 20.36 s and 7.12 min, respectively.

  14. Breast cancer survival rates among Seventh-day Adventists and non-Seventh-day Adventists.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zollinger, T W; Phillips, R L; Kuzma, J W

    1984-04-01

    Survival rates were compared among 282 Seventh-day Adventists and 1675 other white female cancer cases following diagnosis during the 30-year period, 1946 to 1976, at two California hospitals owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The Adventist women had a more favorable 5-year relative survival pattern than the other women (69.7% vs. 62.9%) as well as a higher probability of not dying of breast cancer. The differences, however, were no longer significant when stage at diagnosis was taken into account. It seems likely that the lower breast cancer death rates reported among Seventh-day Adventist women as compared with the general population result in part from better survival patterns due to earlier diagnosis and treatment.

  15. Improved analysis of bacterial CGH data beyond the log-ratio paradigm

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aakra Ågot

    2009-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Existing methods for analyzing bacterial CGH data from two-color arrays are based on log-ratios only, a paradigm inherited from expression studies. We propose an alternative approach, where microarray signals are used in a different way and sequence identity is predicted using a supervised learning approach. Results A data set containing 32 hybridizations of sequenced versus sequenced genomes have been used to test and compare methods. A ROC-analysis has been performed to illustrate the ability to rank probes with respect to Present/Absent calls. Classification into Present and Absent is compared with that of a gaussian mixture model. Conclusion The results indicate our proposed method is an improvement of existing methods with respect to ranking and classification of probes, especially for multi-genome arrays.

  16. [Analysis of clinicopathologic and survival characteristics in patients with right-or left-sided colon cancer].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Junjie; Zhou, Zhixiang; Liang, Jianwei; Zhou, Haitao; Wang, Zheng; Zhang, Xingmao; Zeng, Weigen

    2015-07-28

    This study aimed to clarify the clinical and histological parameters, and survival difference between right- and left-sided colon cancer. We retrospectively analyzed the medical records (2006.1-2009.12) of 1 088 consecutive colon cancer patients who received surgery at our hospital. Right- and left-sided colon cancers were compared regarding the clinical and histological parameters. The survival analysis was performed by the Kaplan-Meier method, and the log-rank test was used to determine the statistical significance of differences. Right-sided colon cancer was associated with older age, a more advanced state, and poorly differentiated and undifferentiated adenocarcinoma (25.2% vs 13.2%), mucinous adenocarcinoma (33.5% vs 17.3%) and vascular invasion (9.9% vs 3.9%) were more commonly seen in right-sided colon cancer compared with right-sided colon cancer, and all these differences were statistically significant. Median overall survival was right, 67 months; and left, 68 months. The five-years overall survival of right- and left-sided colon cancer was I/II stage, 91.4% vs 88.6% (P = 0.819); III stage, 66.1% vs 75.4% (P = 0.010); and IV stage, 27.8% vs 38.5% (P = 0.020) respectively. Right- and left-sided colon cancers are significantly different regarding clinical and histological parameters. Right-sided colon cancers in stage III and IV have a worse prognosis.

  17. Determination of subjective similarity for pairs of masses and pairs of clustered microcalcifications on mammograms: Comparison of similarity ranking scores and absolute similarity ratings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Muramatsu, Chisako; Li Qiang; Schmidt, Robert A.; Shiraishi, Junji; Suzuki, Kenji; Newstead, Gillian M.; Doi, Kunio

    2007-01-01

    The presentation of images that are similar to that of an unknown lesion seen on a mammogram may be helpful for radiologists to correctly diagnose that lesion. For similar images to be useful, they must be quite similar from the radiologists' point of view. We have been trying to quantify the radiologists' impression of similarity for pairs of lesions and to establish a ''gold standard'' for development and evaluation of a computerized scheme for selecting such similar images. However, it is considered difficult to reliably and accurately determine similarity ratings, because they are subjective. In this study, we compared the subjective similarities obtained by two different methods, an absolute rating method and a 2-alternative forced-choice (2AFC) method, to demonstrate that reliable similarity ratings can be determined by the responses of a group of radiologists. The absolute similarity ratings were previously obtained for pairs of masses and pairs of microcalcifications from five and nine radiologists, respectively. In this study, similarity ranking scores for eight pairs of masses and eight pairs of microcalcifications were determined by use of the 2AFC method. In the first session, the eight pairs of masses and eight pairs of microcalcifications were grouped and compared separately for determining the similarity ranking scores. In the second session, another similarity ranking score was determined by use of mixed pairs, i.e., by comparison of the similarity of a mass pair with that of a calcification pair. Four pairs of masses and four pairs of microcalcifications were grouped together to create two sets of eight pairs. The average absolute similarity ratings and the average similarity ranking scores showed very good correlations in the first study (Pearson's correlation coefficients: 0.94 and 0.98 for masses and microcalcifications, respectively). Moreover, in the second study, the correlations between the absolute ratings and the ranking scores were also

  18. Nuclear TK1 expression is an independent prognostic factor for survival in pre-malignant and malignant lesions of the cervix

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Gang; He, Cheng; Li, Ling; Lin, An; Zheng, Xiongwei; He, Ellen; Skog, Sven

    2013-01-01

    Thymidine kinase 1 (TK1) is a proliferation biomarker that has been found useful for prognostication in cancer patients. Here we investigate for the first time the use of TK1 expression as a prognostic factor for patients with premalignant and malignant lesions of the uterine cervix. TK1 expression was determined by immunohistochemistry in cervical lesions (cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), n = 216; invasive cervical carcinoma, n = 84). TK1 and Ki-67 expressions and pathological/FIGO stages and age were correlated with 5-year survival by Kaplan-Meier, log rank and COX hazard uni- and multivariate analyses. TK1 labeling index (LI) was significantly correlated with CIN grades and invasive cervical carcinoma stages, while TK1 labeling intensity was only correlated to CIN grades. TK1 LI was significantly higher compared with Ki-67 LI. TK1 LI correlated significantly to 5-year survival in patients with invasive cervical carcinoma, particularly nuclear TK1 LI. In a multivariate analysis, nuclear TK1 expression was independent prognostic factor in patients with in situ/invasive cervical carcinoma or in invasive cervical carcinoma alone. Interestingly, in invasive cervical carcinoma patients with advanced tumors, nuclear TK1 expression could identify patients with significantly better survival rates (80%), while Ki-67 could not. Nuclear TK1 expression in early grade CIN predicts risk for progression to malignancy. Nuclear TK1 expression is also a prognostic factor for treatment outcome, particularly in patients with advanced cervical carcinomas. Nuclear TK1 expression is more useful than Ki-67 and pathological/FIGO stages

  19. A Ranking Method for Evaluating Constructed Responses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Attali, Yigal

    2014-01-01

    This article presents a comparative judgment approach for holistically scored constructed response tasks. In this approach, the grader rank orders (rather than rate) the quality of a small set of responses. A prior automated evaluation of responses guides both set formation and scaling of rankings. Sets are formed to have similar prior scores and…

  20. Prognostic value of alcohol dehydrogenase mRNA expression in gastric cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Erna; Wei, Haotang; Liao, Xiwen; Xu, Yang; Li, Shu; Zeng, Xiaoyun

    2018-04-01

    Previous studies have reported that alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) isoenzymes possess diagnostic value in gastric cancer (GC). However, the prognostic value of ADH isoenzymes in GC remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to identify the prognostic value of ADH genes in patients with GC. The prognostic value of ADH genes was investigated in patients with GC using the Kaplan-Meier plotter tool. Kaplan-Meier plots were used to assess the difference between groups of patients with GC with different prognoses. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used to assess the relative risk of GC survival. Overall, 593 patients with GC and 7 ADH genes were included in the survival analysis. High expression of ADH 1A (class 1), α polypeptide ( ADH1A; log-rank P=0.043; HR=0.79; 95% CI: 0.64-0.99), ADH 1B (class 1), β polypeptide ( ADH1B ; log-rank P=1.9×10 -05 ; HR=0.65; 95% CI: 0.53-0.79) and ADH 5 (class III), χ polypeptide ( ADH5 ; log-rank P=0.0011; HR=0.73; 95% CI: 0.6-0.88) resulted in a significantly decreased risk of mortality in all patients with GC compared with patients with low expression of those genes. Furthermore, protective effects may additionally be observed in patients with intestinal-type GC with high expression of ADH1B (log-rank P=0.031; HR=0.64; 95% CI: 0.43-0.96) and patients with diffuse-type GC with high expression of ADH1A (log-rank P=0.014; HR=0.51; 95% CI: 0.3-0.88), ADH1B (log-rank P=0.04; HR=0.53; 95% CI: 0.29-0.98), ADH 4 (class II), π polypeptide (log-rank P=0.033; HR=0.58; 95% CI: 0.35-0.96) and ADH 6 (class V) (log-rank P=0.037; HR=0.59; 95% CI: 0.35-0.97) resulting in a significantly decreased risk of mortality compared with patients with low expression of those genes. In contrast, patients with diffuse-type GC with high expression of ADH5 (log-rank P=0.044; HR=1.66; 95% CI: 1.01-2.74) were significantly correlated with a poor prognosis. The results of the present study suggest that ADH1A and ADH1B may be potential

  1. Generalization Performance of Regularized Ranking With Multiscale Kernels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Yicong; Chen, Hong; Lan, Rushi; Pan, Zhibin

    2016-05-01

    The regularized kernel method for the ranking problem has attracted increasing attentions in machine learning. The previous regularized ranking algorithms are usually based on reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces with a single kernel. In this paper, we go beyond this framework by investigating the generalization performance of the regularized ranking with multiscale kernels. A novel ranking algorithm with multiscale kernels is proposed and its representer theorem is proved. We establish the upper bound of the generalization error in terms of the complexity of hypothesis spaces. It shows that the multiscale ranking algorithm can achieve satisfactory learning rates under mild conditions. Experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method for drug discovery and recommendation tasks.

  2. Outcome predictors in the management of intramedullary classic ependymoma: An integrative survival analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yinqing; Cai, Ranze; Wang, Rui; Wang, Chunhua; Chen, Chunmei

    2018-06-01

    This is a retrospective study.The aim of this study was to illustrate the survival outcomes of patients with classic ependymoma (CE) and identify potential prognostic factors.CE is the most common category of spinal ependymomas, but few published studies have discussed predictors of the survival outcome.A Boolean search of the PubMed, Embase, and OVID databases was conducted by 2 investigators independently. The objects were intramedullary grade II ependymoma according to 2007 WHO classification. Univariate Kaplan-Meier analysis and Log-Rank tests were performed to identify variables associated with progression-free survival (PFS) or overall survival (OS). Multivariate Cox regression was performed to assess hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). Statistical analysis was performed by SPSS version 23.0 (IBM Corp.) with statistical significance defined as P analysis showed that patients who had undergone total resection (TR) had better PFS and OS than those with subtotal resection (STR) and biopsy (P = .002, P = .004, respectively). Within either univariate or multivariate analysis (P = .000, P = .07, respectively), histological type was an independent prognostic factor for PFS of CE [papillary type: HR 0.002, 95% CI (0.000-0.073), P = .001, tanycytic type: HR 0.010, 95% CI (0.000-0.218), P = .003].It was the first integrative analysis of CE to elucidate the correlation between kinds of factors and prognostic outcomes. Definite histological type and safely TR were foundation of CE's management. 4.

  3. Egg Hatch Rate and Nymphal Survival of the Bed Bug (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) After Exposure to Insecticide Sprays.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hinson, K R; Benson, E P; Zungoli, P A; Bridges, W C; Ellis, B R

    2016-12-01

    Few studies have addressed the efficacy of insecticides used against eggs and first-instar nymphs of the bed bug, Cimex lectularius L. (Hemiptera: Cimicidae). Insect eggs are often resistant to insecticides; therefore, information on which products are effective is important. We evaluated the efficacy of four commonly used insecticide sprays applied directly to bed bug eggs. We also evaluated the efficacy of these insecticides to first-instar nymphs exposed to residuals resulting from directly spraying eggs. Temprid SC (beta-cyfluthrin, imidacloprid) was the most effective insecticide at preventing egg hatch (13% hatch rate) for pyrethroid-resistant, field-strain (Jersey City) bed bugs compared with a control (water [99% hatch rate]), Bedlam (MGK-264, sumithrin [84% hatch rate]), Demand CS (lambda-cyhalothrin [91% hatch rate]), and Phantom SC (chlorfenapyr [95% hatch rate]). Demand CS and Temprid SC were most effective at preventing egg hatch (0%) for an insecticide-susceptible (Harold Harlan) strain, followed by Bedlam (28%). Phantom SC produced a hatch rate similar to the control (97% and 96%, respectively). Harold Harlan-strain nymphs showed 100% survival for the control but 0% survival for Bedlam and Phantom SC. Jersey City-strain nymphs showed 100% survival for the control, 99% survival for Bedlam, 0% survival for Demand CS, 4% survival for Phantom SC, and 38% survival for Temprid SC. Demand CS was less effective at preventing hatch (91% hatch rate) of Jersey City-strain nymphs but was the only product to kill all nymphs (0% survival). One of the least effective products for preventing Jersey City-strain egg hatch (Phantom SC, 95% hatch rate) was the second most effective at killing nymphs, leaving only six of 141 alive. These findings indicate that survival of directly sprayed eggs and residually exposed, first-instar nymphs varies by strain, life stage, and product used. © The Authors 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological

  4. Artists’ Survival Rate

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bille, Trine; Jensen, Søren

    2017-01-01

    The literature of cultural economics generally finds that an artistic education has no significant impact on artists’ income and careers in the arts. In our research, we have readdressed this question by looking at the artists’ survival in the arts occupations. The results show that an artistic...... education has a significant impact on artists’ careers in the arts and we find important industry differences....

  5. Survival rate in nasopharyngeal carcinoma improved by high caseload volume: a nationwide population-based study in Taiwan

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chou Pesus

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Positive correlation between caseload and outcome has previously been validated for several procedures and cancer treatments. However, there is no information linking caseload and outcome of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC treatment. We used nationwide population-based data to examine the association between physician case volume and survival rates of patients with NPC. Methods Between 1998 and 2000, a total of 1225 patients were identified from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. Survival analysis, the Cox proportional hazards model, and propensity score were used to assess the relationship between 10-year survival rates and physician caseloads. Results As the caseload of individual physicians increased, unadjusted 10-year survival rates increased (p p = 0.001 after adjusting for comorbidities, hospital, and treatment modality. When analyzed by propensity score, the adjusted 10-year survival rate differed significantly between patients treated by high-volume physicians and patients treated by low/medium-volume physicians (75% vs. 61%; p Conclusions Our data confirm a positive volume-outcome relationship for NPC. After adjusting for differences in the case mix, our analysis found treatment of NPC by high-volume physicians improved 10-year survival rate.

  6. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE PROANGIOGENIC ROLE OF EG-VEGF, CLINICOPATHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND SURVIVAL IN TUMORAL OVARY.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lozneanu, Ludmila; Avădănei, Roxana; Cîmpean, Anca Maria; Giuşcă, Simona Eliza; Amălinei, Cornelia; Căruntu, Irina-Draga

    2015-01-01

    To prove the presence of EG-VEGF in tumor ovary and to analyze its involvement in the ovarian carcinogenesis, as promoter of angiogenesis, in relationship with the clinicopathological prognostic factors and survival. The study group comprises tumor tissue specimens from 50 cases of surgically treated ovarian cancer that were immunohistochemically investigated. A scoring system based on the percentage of positive cells and the intensity of staining was applied for the semiquantitative assessment of EG-VEGF, as negative or positive. Statistics involved χ2 test, and Kaplan-Meier and log-rank test. EG-VEGF was positive in 35 cases (70%) and negative in 15 cases (30%). Our data confirmed the predominance of EG-VEGF positivity in the serous subiype as compared to endometrioid and clear cell subtypes, and its absence in mucinous subtype. Moreover, we demonstrated that EG-VEGF is overexpressed mainly in high-grade ovarian carcinomas (type II) than in low-grade ones. Significant differences were registered between the EG-VEGF positive or negative expression and tumor stage and histological subtypes, respectively. Survival analysis showed no differences in patient's survival and EG-VEGF positive and negative cases. The analysis of EG-VEGF expression in ovarian tumors points out the relationship between the enhanced potential for tumor angiogenesis and the tumor aggressivity.

  7. Marital status and survival of patients with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma: a population-based study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, Xiao; Zhang, Ting-Ting; Hu, Wei-Ping; Ji, Qing-Hai

    2017-04-25

    The relationship between marital status and oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) survival has not been explored. The objective of our study was to evaluate the impact of marital status on OCSCC survival and investigate the potential mechanisms. Married patients had better 5-year cancer-specific survival (CSS) (66.7% vs 54.9%) and 5-year overall survival (OS) (56.0% vs 41.1%). In multivariate Cox regression models, unmarried patients also showed higher mortality risk for both CSS (Hazard Ratio [HR]: 1.260, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.187-1.339, P married patients were more likely to be diagnosed at earlier stage (P Married patients still demonstrated better prognosis in the 1:1 matched group analysis (CSS: 62.9% vs 60.8%, OS: 52.3% vs 46.5%). 11022 eligible OCSCC patients were identified from Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database, including 5902 married and 5120 unmarried individuals. Kaplan-Meier analysis, Log-rank test and Cox proportional hazards regression model were used to analyze survival and mortality risk. Influence of marital status on stage, age at diagnosis and selection of treatment was determined by binomial and multinomial logistic regression. Propensity score matching method was adopted to perform a 1:1 matched cohort. Marriage has an independently protective effect on OCSCC survival. Earlier diagnosis and more sufficient treatment are possible explanations. Besides, even after 1:1 matching, survival advantage of married group still exists, indicating that spousal support from other aspects may also play an important role.

  8. On the relationship between tumour growth rate and survival in non-small cell lung cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hitesh B. Mistry

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available A recurrent question within oncology drug development is predicting phase III outcome for a new treatment using early clinical data. One approach to tackle this problem has been to derive metrics from mathematical models that describe tumour size dynamics termed re-growth rate and time to tumour re-growth. They have shown to be strong predictors of overall survival in numerous studies but there is debate about how these metrics are derived and if they are more predictive than empirical end-points. This work explores the issues raised in using model-derived metric as predictors for survival analyses. Re-growth rate and time to tumour re-growth were calculated for three large clinical studies by forward and reverse alignment. The latter involves re-aligning patients to their time of progression. Hence, it accounts for the time taken to estimate re-growth rate and time to tumour re-growth but also assesses if these predictors correlate to survival from the time of progression. I found that neither re-growth rate nor time to tumour re-growth correlated to survival using reverse alignment. This suggests that the dynamics of tumours up until disease progression has no relationship to survival post progression. For prediction of a phase III trial I found the metrics performed no better than empirical end-points. These results highlight that care must be taken when relating dynamics of tumour imaging to survival and that bench-marking new approaches to existing ones is essential.

  9. Carbonic anhydrase IX and response to postmastectomy radiotherapy in high-risk breast cancer: a subgroup analysis of the DBCG82 b and c trials

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kyndi, M.; Sorensen, F.B.; Alsner, J.

    2008-01-01

    -points were loco-regional recurrence, distant metastases, disease-specific survival and overall survival. Statistical analyses included kappa statistics, chi(2) or exact tests, Kaplan-Meier probability plots, Log-rank test and Cox regression analyses. Results CA IX was assessable in 945 cores. The percentage...

  10. On the dimension of subspaces with bounded Schmidt rank

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cubitt, Toby; Montanaro, Ashley; Winter, Andreas

    2008-01-01

    We consider the question of how large a subspace of a given bipartite quantum system can be when the subspace contains only highly entangled states. This is motivated in part by results of Hayden et al. [e-print arXiv:quant-ph/0407049; Commun. Math. Phys., 265, 95 (2006)], which show that in large dxd-dimensional systems there exist random subspaces of dimension almost d 2 , all of whose states have entropy of entanglement at least log d-O(1). It is also a generalization of results on the dimension of completely entangled subspaces, which have connections with the construction of unextendible product bases. Here we take as entanglement measure the Schmidt rank, and determine, for every pair of local dimensions d A and d B , and every r, the largest dimension of a subspace consisting only of entangled states of Schmidt rank r or larger. This exact answer is a significant improvement on the best bounds that can be obtained using the random subspace techniques in Hayden et al. We also determine the converse: the largest dimension of a subspace with an upper bound on the Schmidt rank. Finally, we discuss the question of subspaces containing only states with Schmidt equal to r

  11. Socially selected ornaments and fitness: Signals of fighting ability in paper wasps are positively associated with survival, reproductive success, and rank.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tibbetts, Elizabeth A; Forrest, Taylor; Vernier, Cassondra; Jinn, Judy; Madagame, Andrew

    2015-11-01

    Many animals have ornaments that mediate choice and competition in social and sexual contexts. Individuals with elaborate sexual ornaments typically have higher fitness than those with less elaborate ornaments, but less is known about whether socially selected ornaments are associated with fitness. Here, we test the relationship between fitness and facial patterns that are a socially selected signal of fighting ability in Polistes dominula wasps. We found wasps that signal higher fighting ability have larger nests, are more likely to survive harsh winters, and obtain higher dominance rank than wasps that signal lower fighting ability. In comparison, body weight was not associated with fitness. Larger wasps were dominant over smaller wasps, but showed no difference in nest size or survival. Overall, the positive relationship between wasp facial patterns and fitness indicates that receivers can obtain diverse information about a signaler's phenotypic quality by paying attention to socially selected ornaments. Therefore, there are surprisingly strong parallels between the information conveyed by socially and sexually selected signals. Similar fitness relationships in social and sexually selected signals may be one reason it can be difficult to distinguish the role of social versus sexual selection in ornament evolution. © 2015 The Author(s). Evolution © 2015 The Society for the Study of Evolution.

  12. Where Do Bone-Targeted Agents RANK in Breast Cancer Treatment?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roger von Moos

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available Breast cancer cells preferentially metastasise to the skeleton, owing, in part, to the fertile environment provided by bone. Increased bone turnover releases growth factors that promote tumour cell growth. In turn, tumour cells release factors that stimulate further bone turnover, resulting in a vicious cycle of metastasis growth and bone destruction. The RANK-RANK ligand (RANKL pathway plays a key role in this cycle, and inhibition of RANKL using the fully-human monoclonal antibody denosumab, has demonstrated efficacy in delaying skeletal complications associated with bone metastases in three phase 3 trials. Preclinical studies suggest that the RANKL pathway also plays a role in breast cancer tumourigenesis and migration to bone. In a subgroup analysis of the negative Adjuvant Zoledronic Acid to Reduce Recurrence (AZURE trial, the bisphosphonate zoledronic acid showed potential for improving survival in patients who were postmenopausal; however, a prospective study in this patient population is required to validate this observation. Ongoing trials are examining whether adjuvant blockade of the RANKL pathway using denosumab can prevent disease recurrence in patients with high-risk breast cancer. These are building on analogous studies that have shown that denosumab improves bone metastasis-free survival in prostate cancer and suggested that it confers an overall survival benefit in non-small-cell lung cancer.

  13. High survival rates and associated factors among ebola virus disease patients hospitalized at donka national hospital, conakry, Guinea.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qureshi, Adnan I; Chughtai, Morad; Bah, Elhadj Ibrahima; Barry, Moumié; Béavogui, Kézély; Loua, Tokpagnan Oscar; Malik, Ahmed A

    2015-02-01

    Anecdotal reports suggesting that survival rates among hospitalized patients with Ebola virus disease in Guinea are higher than the 29.2% rate observed in the current epidemic in West Africa. Survival after symptom onset was determined using Kaplan Meier survival methods among patients with confirmed Ebola virus disease treated in Conakry, Guinea from March 25, 2014, to August 5, 2014. We analyzed the relationship between survival and patient factors, including demographics and clinical features. Of the 70 patients analyzed [mean age ± standard deviation (SD), 34 ± 14.1; 44 were men], 42 were discharged alive with a survival rate among hospitalized patients of 60% (95% confidence interval, 41.5-78.5%). The survival rate was 28 (71.8%) among 39 patients under 34 years of age, and 14 (46.7%) among 30 patients aged 35 years or greater (p = 0.034). The rates of myalgia (3 of 42 versus 7 of 28, p = 0.036) and hiccups (1 of 42 versus 5 of 28, p = 0.023) were significantly lower among patients who survived. Our results provide insights into a cohort of hospitalized patients with Ebola virus disease in whom survival is prominently higher than seen in other cohorts of hospitalized patients.

  14. Advanced gastric adenocarcinoma. Influence of preoperative radiation therapy on toxicity and long-term survival rates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Malzoni, Carlos Eduardo

    1996-01-01

    The surgical treatment of gastric cancer has better long-term survival rates when performed in patients with early gastric cancer. Worse results are obtained in treatment of advanced gastric cancer. Most patients in west centers are treated in advanced stages. A great number of them go through a surgical treatment unable by itself to cure them. the frequent local recurrence caused by failure of the surgical treatment has been keeping poor survival rates in patients with advanced gastric cancer for decades. The desire of improving survival is the reason of the use of adjuvant therapies. This paper achieved the retrospective study of the influence of preoperative radiation therapy (2000 cGy) in long-term survival rates (120 months) of patients with advanced gastric cancer on stages IIIa, IIIb and IV. The possible injuries caused in the liver and kidney were observed also as well as first group was treated by surgical and radiation therapies and the second received surgical treatment only. There was no statistical difference between the two groups when sex, age, race, occurrence of other diseases, nutritional assessment, TNM stage, occurrence of obstruction or bleeding caused by tumor, surgical procedure and hepatic and renal function were considered. Survival rates and changes on hepatic and renal function were statistically compared. The results showed a statistic improvement on the long-term survival rates of stage IIIa patients treated by preoperative radiation therapy. No statistic difference was observed on hepatic or renal function between the groups. No adverse influence of radiation therapy method was detected by the used parameters. There was no statistical difference between the two groups when immediate surgical complications were considered. (author)

  15. Borehole logging system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Allen, L.S.

    1988-01-01

    A radioactive borehole logging tool employs an epithermal neutron detector having a neutron counter surrounded by an inner thermal neutron filter and an outer thermal neutron filter. Located between the inner and outer filters is a neutron moderating material for extending the lifetime of epithermal neutrons to enhance the counting rate of such epithermal neutrons by the neutron counter

  16. Diversifying customer review rankings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krestel, Ralf; Dokoohaki, Nima

    2015-06-01

    E-commerce Web sites owe much of their popularity to consumer reviews accompanying product descriptions. On-line customers spend hours and hours going through heaps of textual reviews to decide which products to buy. At the same time, each popular product has thousands of user-generated reviews, making it impossible for a buyer to read everything. Current approaches to display reviews to users or recommend an individual review for a product are based on the recency or helpfulness of each review. In this paper, we present a framework to rank product reviews by optimizing the coverage of the ranking with respect to sentiment or aspects, or by summarizing all reviews with the top-K reviews in the ranking. To accomplish this, we make use of the assigned star rating for a product as an indicator for a review's sentiment polarity and compare bag-of-words (language model) with topic models (latent Dirichlet allocation) as a mean to represent aspects. Our evaluation on manually annotated review data from a commercial review Web site demonstrates the effectiveness of our approach, outperforming plain recency ranking by 30% and obtaining best results by combining language and topic model representations. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. PageRank and rank-reversal dependence on the damping factor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Son, S.-W.; Christensen, C.; Grassberger, P.; Paczuski, M.

    2012-12-01

    PageRank (PR) is an algorithm originally developed by Google to evaluate the importance of web pages. Considering how deeply rooted Google's PR algorithm is to gathering relevant information or to the success of modern businesses, the question of rank stability and choice of the damping factor (a parameter in the algorithm) is clearly important. We investigate PR as a function of the damping factor d on a network obtained from a domain of the World Wide Web, finding that rank reversal happens frequently over a broad range of PR (and of d). We use three different correlation measures, Pearson, Spearman, and Kendall, to study rank reversal as d changes, and we show that the correlation of PR vectors drops rapidly as d changes from its frequently cited value, d0=0.85. Rank reversal is also observed by measuring the Spearman and Kendall rank correlation, which evaluate relative ranks rather than absolute PR. Rank reversal happens not only in directed networks containing rank sinks but also in a single strongly connected component, which by definition does not contain any sinks. We relate rank reversals to rank pockets and bottlenecks in the directed network structure. For the network studied, the relative rank is more stable by our measures around d=0.65 than at d=d0.

  18. PageRank and rank-reversal dependence on the damping factor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Son, S-W; Christensen, C; Grassberger, P; Paczuski, M

    2012-12-01

    PageRank (PR) is an algorithm originally developed by Google to evaluate the importance of web pages. Considering how deeply rooted Google's PR algorithm is to gathering relevant information or to the success of modern businesses, the question of rank stability and choice of the damping factor (a parameter in the algorithm) is clearly important. We investigate PR as a function of the damping factor d on a network obtained from a domain of the World Wide Web, finding that rank reversal happens frequently over a broad range of PR (and of d). We use three different correlation measures, Pearson, Spearman, and Kendall, to study rank reversal as d changes, and we show that the correlation of PR vectors drops rapidly as d changes from its frequently cited value, d_{0}=0.85. Rank reversal is also observed by measuring the Spearman and Kendall rank correlation, which evaluate relative ranks rather than absolute PR. Rank reversal happens not only in directed networks containing rank sinks but also in a single strongly connected component, which by definition does not contain any sinks. We relate rank reversals to rank pockets and bottlenecks in the directed network structure. For the network studied, the relative rank is more stable by our measures around d=0.65 than at d=d_{0}.

  19. P wave dispersion and maximum P wave duration are independently associated with rapid renal function decline.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Su, Ho-Ming; Tsai, Wei-Chung; Lin, Tsung-Hsien; Hsu, Po-Chao; Lee, Wen-Hsien; Lin, Ming-Yen; Chen, Szu-Chia; Lee, Chee-Siong; Voon, Wen-Chol; Lai, Wen-Ter; Sheu, Sheng-Hsiung

    2012-01-01

    The P wave parameters measured by 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) are commonly used as noninvasive tools to assess for left atrial enlargement. There are limited studies to evaluate whether P wave parameters are independently associated with decline in renal function. Accordingly, the aim of this study is to assess whether P wave parameters are independently associated with progression to renal end point of ≥25% decline in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). This longitudinal study included 166 patients. The renal end point was defined as ≥25% decline in eGFR. We measured two ECG P wave parameters corrected by heart rate, i.e. corrected P wave dispersion (PWdisperC) and corrected P wave maximum duration (PWdurMaxC). Heart function and structure were measured from echocardiography. Clinical data, P wave parameters, and echocardiographic measurements were compared and analyzed. Forty-three patients (25.9%) reached renal end point. Kaplan-Meier curves for renal end point-free survival showed PWdisperC > median (63.0 ms) (log-rank P = 0.004) and PWdurMaxC > median (117.9 ms) (log-rank Pfunction decline.

  20. Survival rate and prognostic factors of conventional osteosarcoma in Northern Thailand: A series from Chiang Mai University Hospital.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pruksakorn, Dumnoensun; Phanphaisarn, Areerak; Arpornchayanon, Olarn; Uttamo, Nantawat; Leerapun, Taninnit; Settakorn, Jongkolnee

    2015-12-01

    Osteosarcoma is a common and aggressive primary malignant bone tumor occurring in children and adolescents. It is one of the most aggressive human cancers and the most common cause of cancer-associated limb loss. As treatment in Thailand has produced a lower survival rate than in developed countries; therefore, this study identified survival rate and the poor prognostic factors of osteosarcoma in Northern Thailand. The retrospective cases of osteosarcoma, diagnosis between 1 January 1996 and 31 December 2013, were evaluated. Five and ten year overall survival rates were analyzed using time-to-event analysis. Potential prognostic factors were identified by multivariate regression analysis. There were 208 newly diagnosed osteosarcomas during that period, and 144 cases met the criteria for analysis. The majority of the osteosarcoma cases (78.5%) were aged 0-24 years. The overall 5- and 10-year survival rates were 37.9% and 33.6%, respectively. Presence of metastasis at initial examination, delayed and against treatment co-operation, and axial skeletal location were identified as independent prognostic factors for survival, with hazard ratios of 4.3, 2.5 and 3.8, and 3.1, respectively. This osteosarcoma cohort had a relatively poor overall survival rate. The prognostic factors identified would play a critical role in modifying survival rates of osteosarcoma patients; as rapid disease recognition, a better treatment counselling, as well as improving of chemotherapeutic regimens were found to be important in improving the overall survival rate in Thailand. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Method and apparatus for logging inclined earth boreholes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Youmans, A.H.

    1981-01-01

    An improved technique is provided for comparing the velocity of an elongated well logging instrument traversing an inclined earth borehole with the playout velocity of the well logging cable at the earth's surface to control both the cable hoist drum rotation and the rate of movement of the subsurface instrument and thus insure cable playout is in equilibrium with the logging instrument movement. Method and apparatus are described for detecting any reduction in movement of the logging instrument through the borehole and for reducing the velocity of the logging cable playout in response thereto by reducing drum rotation. Further, when the velocity of cable playout slows to a preselected value, a monitoring circuit generates control signals which actuate a means of power attached to or integral with the logging instrument which, upon initiation, apply a force to move the logging instrument upward or downward within the borehole

  2. Probability distribution of atmospheric pollutants: comparison among four methods for the determination of the log-normal distribution parameters; La distribuzione di probabilita` degli inquinanti atmosferici: confronto tra quattro metodi per la determinazione dei parametri della distribuzione log-normale

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bellasio, R [Enviroware s.r.l., Agrate Brianza, Milan (Italy). Centro Direzionale Colleoni; Lanzani, G; Ripamonti, M; Valore, M [Amministrazione Provinciale, Como (Italy)

    1998-04-01

    This work illustrates the possibility to interpolate the measured concentrations of CO, NO, NO{sub 2}, O{sub 3}, SO{sub 2} during one year (1995) at the 13 stations of the air quality monitoring station network of the Provinces of Como and Lecco (Italy) by means of a log-normal distribution. Particular attention was given in choosing the method for the determination of the log-normal distribution parameters among four possible methods: I natural, II percentiles, III moments, IV maximum likelihood. In order to evaluate the goodness of fit a ranking procedure was carried out over the values of four indices: absolute deviation, weighted absolute deviation, Kolmogorov-Smirnov index and Cramer-von Mises-Smirnov index. The capability of the log-normal distribution to fit the measured data is then discussed as a function of the pollutant and of the monitoring station. Finally an example of application is given: the effect of an emission reduction strategy in Lombardy Region (the so called `bollino blu`) is evaluated using a log-normal distribution. [Italiano] In questo lavoro si discute la possibilita` di interpolare le concentrazioni misurate di CO, NO, NO{sub 2}, O{sub 3}, SO{sub 2} durante un anno solare (il 1995) nelle 13 stazioni della Rete di Rilevamento della qualita` dell`aria delle Provincie di Como e di Lecco mediante una funzione log-normale. In particolare si discute quale metodo e` meglio usare per l`individuazione dei 2 parametri caratteristici della log-normale, tra 4 teoreticamente possibili: I naturale, II dei percentili, III dei momenti, IV della massima verosimiglianza. Per valutare i risultati ottenuti si usano: la deviazione assoluta, la deviazione pesata, il parametro di Kolmogorov-Smirnov e quello di Cramer-von Mises-Smirnov effettuando un ranking tra i metodi in funzione degli inquinanti e della stazione di misura. Ancora in funzione degli inquinanti e delle diverse stazioni di misura si discute poi la capacita` della funzione log-normale di

  3. Does tumour location influence postoperative long-term survival in patients with oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, Hui; Zhang, Kun; Niu, Zhong-Xi; Wang, Wen-Ping; Gao, Qiang; Chen, Long-Qi

    2015-08-01

    The seventh edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging system introduced tumour location for the first time as an determinant of stage grouping in pathological T2N0M0 and T3N0M0 (pT2-3N0M0) oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). However, the new modification remains controversial. The objective of this study was to investigate the correlation between tumour location and postoperative long-term survival in patients with OSCC in China. The clinicopathological data and over 10 years of follow-up results from a large cohort of 988 patients with OSCC undergoing radical-intent oesophagectomy from 1984 to 1995 without preoperative and postoperative chemoradiotherapy were reviewed, in which 632 patients were staged as pT2-3N0M0. Tumour location was redefined according to the seventh edition of the AJCC staging system. Survival was calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method; univariate log-rank and multivariate Cox proportional hazard models were used to further determine the impact of tumour location on long-term survival. Univariate analysis showed that OSCC tumour location was closely associated with long-term survival for the entire cohort of 988 patients (odds ratio [OR]: 0.82; 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 0.67-0.99; P = 0.049), and for pT2-3N0M0 patients (OR: 0.63; 95% CI: 0.48-0.84; P = 0.001). The median survival times for patients with pT2-3N0M0 OSCC in the upper, middle and lower third of the oesophagus were 38.1, 46.6 and 66.0 months, respectively, with corresponding 5-year survival rates of 40.0, 51.8 and 66.2%, respectively. Overall survival rates among three categories of patients according to tumour location in the pT2-3N0M0 patients were statistically different (P = 0.004). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that tumour location was a significant independent predictor of long-term survival for pT2-3N0M0 patients (OR: 0.53; 95% CI: 0.42-0.67; P = 0.0001), but not for the entire cohort of 988 patients (OR: 0.99; 95% CI: 0.79-1.23; P

  4. LogScope

    Science.gov (United States)

    Havelund, Klaus; Smith, Margaret H.; Barringer, Howard; Groce, Alex

    2012-01-01

    LogScope is a software package for analyzing log files. The intended use is for offline post-processing of such logs, after the execution of the system under test. LogScope can, however, in principle, also be used to monitor systems online during their execution. Logs are checked against requirements formulated as monitors expressed in a rule-based specification language. This language has similarities to a state machine language, but is more expressive, for example, in its handling of data parameters. The specification language is user friendly, simple, and yet expressive enough for many practical scenarios. The LogScope software was initially developed to specifically assist in testing JPL s Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) flight software, but it is very generic in nature and can be applied to any application that produces some form of logging information (which almost any software does).

  5. Epidemiological Data and Survival Rate of Removable Partial Dentures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moreno, Amália; Haddad, Marcela Filié; Rocha, Eduardo Passos; Assunção, Wirley Gonçalves; Filho, Humberto Gennari; Santos, Emerson Gomes Dos; Sonego, Mariana Vilela; Santos, Daniela Micheline Dos

    2016-01-01

    Introduction The use of removable partial denture (RPD) is considered as low-cost and common treatment option to rehabilitate edentulous areas. Aim This study aimed to investigate the epidemiological data of patients rehabilitated with removable partial denture (RPD) in order to assess treatment survival rate and failures. Materials and Methods Epidemiological data and medical records of patients treated with RPD between 2007 and 2012 at the RPD discipline of a Brazilian University (Aracatuba Dental School- UNESP) were evaluated as well as dental records of patients who underwent RPD treatments (fabrication or repairs) between 2000 and 2010. Factors such as gender, age, presence of systemic disease, main complaint, edentulous arch, period and cause of denture replacement and the prosthesis characteristics were recorded. The chi-square test was used to assess the differences between the variables and the Kaplan Meyer to assess the survival of the RPDs evaluated. Results A total of 324 maxillary RPD and 432 mandibular RPD were fabricated. Most of the patients were women aging 41 to 60-year-old. The number of mandibular RPD Kennedy class I (26%) was statistically higher for the maxillary arch (p<.05). There was no association between main complaint to gender or the presence of systemic disease. The lingual plate was the most common major connector used in the mandible (32%). The main reason for altering the design of replaced RPDs were changes during treatment plan. Conclusion The number of patients who require RPD is large; most of RPDs are Kennedy Class I. A good treatment plan is very important for achieving a positive treatment outcome, and it is strictly related to the survival rate. PMID:27437367

  6. Predicting survival time in noncurative patients with advanced cancer: a prospective study in China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cui, Jing; Zhou, Lingjun; Wee, B; Shen, Fengping; Ma, Xiuqiang; Zhao, Jijun

    2014-05-01

    Accurate prediction of prognosis for cancer patients is important for good clinical decision making in therapeutic and care strategies. The application of prognostic tools and indicators could improve prediction accuracy. This study aimed to develop a new prognostic scale to predict survival time of advanced cancer patients in China. We prospectively collected items that we anticipated might influence survival time of advanced cancer patients. Participants were recruited from 12 hospitals in Shanghai, China. We collected data including demographic information, clinical symptoms and signs, and biochemical test results. Log-rank tests, Cox regression, and linear regression were performed to develop a prognostic scale. Three hundred twenty patients with advanced cancer were recruited. Fourteen prognostic factors were included in the prognostic scale: Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS) score, pain, ascites, hydrothorax, edema, delirium, cachexia, white blood cell (WBC) count, hemoglobin, sodium, total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) values. The score was calculated by summing the partial scores, ranging from 0 to 30. When using the cutoff points of 7-day, 30-day, 90-day, and 180-day survival time, the scores were calculated as 12, 10, 8, and 6, respectively. We propose a new prognostic scale including KPS, pain, ascites, hydrothorax, edema, delirium, cachexia, WBC count, hemoglobin, sodium, total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, AST, and ALP values, which may help guide physicians in predicting the likely survival time of cancer patients more accurately. More studies are needed to validate this scale in the future.

  7. Adjuvant chemotherapy is associated with improved survival in patients with stage II colon cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Casadaban, Leigh; Rauscher, Garth; Aklilu, Mebea; Villenes, Dana; Freels, Sally; Maker, Ajay V

    2016-11-15

    The role of adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with stage II colon cancer remains to be elucidated and its use varies between patients and institutions. Currently, clinical guidelines suggest discussing adjuvant chemotherapy for patients with high-risk stage II disease in the absence of conclusive randomized controlled trial data. To further investigate this relationship, the objective of the current study was to determine whether an association exists between overall survival (OS) and adjuvant chemotherapy in patients stratified by age and pathological risk features. Data from the National Cancer Data Base were analyzed for demographics, tumor characteristics, management, and survival of patients with stage II colon cancer who were diagnosed from 1998 to 2006 with survival information through 2011. Pearson Chi-square tests and binary logistic regression were used to analyze disease and demographic data. Survival analysis was performed with the log-rank test and Cox proportional hazards regression modeling. Propensity score weighting was used to match cohorts. Among 153,110 patients with stage II colon cancer, predictors of receiving chemotherapy included age clinically relevant OS was associated with the receipt of adjuvant chemotherapy in all patient subgroups regardless of high-risk tumor pathologic features (poor or undifferentiated histology, colon cancer evaluated to date, improved OS was found to be associated with adjuvant chemotherapy regardless of treatment regimen, patient age, or high-risk pathologic risk features. Cancer 2016;122:3277-3287. © 2016 American Cancer Society. © 2016 American Cancer Society.

  8. Impact of T and N substage on survival and disease relapse in adjuvant rectal cancer: a pooled analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gunderson, Leonard L.; Sargent, Daniel J.; Tepper, Joel E.; O'Connell, Michael J.; Allmer, Cristine; Smalley, Steven R.; Martenson, James A.; Haller, Daniel G.; Mayer, Robert J.; Rich, Tyvin A.; Ajani, Jaffer A.; Macdonald, John S.; Goldberg, Richard M.

    2002-01-01

    Purpose: To determine the rates of survival and disease control by TNM and MAC stage in three randomized North American rectal adjuvant studies. Materials and Methods: Data were merged from 2551 eligible patients on NCCTG 79-47-51 (n=200), NCCTG 86-47-51 (n=656), and INT 114 (n=1695). All patients received postoperative radiation, and 96% were randomized to receive concomitant and maintenance chemotherapy. Five-year follow-up was available in 94% of patients and 7-yr follow-up in 84%. Kaplan-Meier curves were used to estimate the distribution of overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS), and p values were derived using the log-rank test. Time to local and distant relapse was estimated using cumulative incidence methodology. Analyses were adjusted for treatment effect using Cox proportional hazards models. Results: OS and DFS were dependent on both TN stage and NT stage (N substage within T stage and T substage within N stage). Even among N2 patients (4 or more LN+), T stage influenced 5-yr OS (T1-2, 69%; T3, 48%; T4, 38%). Three risk groups of patients were defined: (1) intermediate: T3N0, T1-2N1; (2) moderately high: T4N0, T1-2N2, T3N1; and (3) high: T3N2, T4N1, T4N2. For Group 1, 5-yr OS was 74% and 81%, and 5-yr DFS was 66% and 74%. For Group 2, 5-yr OS ranged from 61% to 69%, and for Group 3, OS ranged from 33% to 48%. Cumulative incidence rates of local relapse and distant metastases revealed similar differences by TN and NT stage, as seen in the survival analyses. Conclusion: Patients with a single high-risk factor of either extension beyond the rectal wall (T3N0) or nodal involvement (T1-2N1) have improved OS, DFS, and disease control when compared to those with both high risk factors. Different treatment strategies may be indicated for intermediate- (T3N0, T1-2N1) vs. moderately high or high-risk patients in view of differential survival and rates of relapse. For future trial design, it may be preferable to perform separate studies, or a planned

  9. Yttrium-90 Radioembolization for Unresectable Standard-chemorefractory Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma: Survival, Efficacy, and Safety Study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rafi, Shoaib; Piduru, Sarat M. [Emory University School of Medicine, Division of Interventional Radiology and Image Guided Medicine, Department of Radiology (United States); El-Rayes, Bassel; Kauh, John S. [Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology (United States); Kooby, David A.; Sarmiento, Juan M. [Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Surgical Oncology in Surgery (United States); Kim, Hyun S., E-mail: kevin.kim@emory.edu [Emory University School of Medicine, Division of Interventional Radiology and Image Guided Medicine, Department of Radiology (United States)

    2013-04-15

    To assess the overall survival, efficacy, and safety of radioembolization with yttrium-90 (Y90) for unresectable standard-chemorefractory intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC). Patients with unresectable standard-chemorefractory ICC treated with Y90 were studied. Survival was calculated from the date of first Y90 procedure. Tumor response was assessed with the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors criteria on follow-up computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging scans. National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria (NCI CTCAE), version 3, were used for complications. Statistical analysis was performed by the Kaplan-Meier estimator by the log rank test. Nineteen patients underwent a total of 24 resin-based Y90 treatments. Median survival from the time of diagnosis and first Y90 procedure was 752 {+-} 193 [95 % confidence interval (CI) 374-1130] and 345 {+-} 128 (95 % CI 95-595) days, respectively. Median survival with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status 1 (n = 15) and ECOG performance status 2 (n = 4) was 450 {+-} 190 (95 % CI 78-822) and 345 {+-} 227 (95 % CI 0-790) days, respectively (p = .214). Patients with extrahepatic metastasis (n = 11) had a median survival of 404 {+-} 309 (95 % CI 0-1010) days versus 345 {+-} 117 (95 % CI 115-575) days for patients without metastasis (n = 8) (p = .491). No mortality was reported within 30 days from first Y90 radioembolization. One patient developed grade 3 thrombocytopenia as assessed by NCI CTCAE. Fatigue and transient abdominal pain were observed in 4 (21 %) and 6 (32 %) patients, respectively. Y90 radioembolization is effective for unresectable standard-chemorefractory ICC.

  10. Ranking structures and rank-rank correlations of countries: The FIFA and UEFA cases

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ausloos, Marcel; Cloots, Rudi; Gadomski, Adam; Vitanov, Nikolay K.

    2014-04-01

    Ranking of agents competing with each other in complex systems may lead to paradoxes according to the pre-chosen different measures. A discussion is presented on such rank-rank, similar or not, correlations based on the case of European countries ranked by UEFA and FIFA from different soccer competitions. The first question to be answered is whether an empirical and simple law is obtained for such (self-) organizations of complex sociological systems with such different measuring schemes. It is found that the power law form is not the best description contrary to many modern expectations. The stretched exponential is much more adequate. Moreover, it is found that the measuring rules lead to some inner structures in both cases.

  11. Tensor rank of the tripartite state |W>xn

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yu Nengkun; Guo Cheng; Duan Runyao; Chitambar, Eric

    2010-01-01

    Tensor rank refers to the number of product states needed to express a given multipartite quantum state. Its nonadditivity as an entanglement measure has recently been observed. In this Brief Report, we estimate the tensor rank of multiple copies of the tripartite state |W>=(1/√(3))(|100>+|010>+|001>). Both an upper bound and a lower bound of this rank are derived. In particular, it is proven that the rank of |W> x 2 is 7, thus resolving a previously open problem. Some implications of this result are discussed in terms of transformation rates between |W> xn and multiple copies of the state |GHZ>=(1/√(2))(|000>+|111>).

  12. Effects of combined radiation-burn injury on survival rate of allogeneic skin grafts and immune reaction in rats

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ran Xinze; Yan Yongtang; Cheng Tianmin; Li Yuan; Wei Shuqing

    1996-01-01

    The effects of combined radiation-burn injury on survival rate of allogeneic skin grafts and immune reaction were studied in rats with combined injury of 3-8 Gy 60 Co γ-ray irradiation plus 15% total body surface area full thickness burn induced by exposure to a 5 kw bromotungsten lamp. The allogeneic skin was transplanted 24 hours after injury. It was found that all the skin grafts failed to survive in 10 days and the immune reaction significantly increased in the early stage of burn injury. But the immune reaction was obviously suppressed by the combined radiation-burn injury. The survival rates of skin grafts were 20% and 30% in the combined injury of burn plus 3 and 4 Gy irradiation respectively. When the radiation doses increased to 5,6 and 8 Gy, the survival rates elevated to 69%, 88% and 100% respectively (in the group of 8 Gy, bone marrow transplantation was conducted before receiving skin graft). At day 30 post-transplantation the survival rates were still 36%, 42% and 100% respectively. Compared with burn group, there was a significant difference in survival rate when the radiation doses were higher than 5 Gy. These results indicate that the survival rate of the allogeneic skin graft increases concurrently with the increase in radiation dose and decreases with the elapse of the post-transplantation time

  13. Androgen Suppression Combined with Elective Nodal and Dose Escalated Radiation Therapy (the ASCENDE-RT Trial): An Analysis of Survival Endpoints for a Randomized Trial Comparing a Low-Dose-Rate Brachytherapy Boost to a Dose-Escalated External Beam Boost for High- and Intermediate-risk Prostate Cancer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Morris, W. James, E-mail: jmorris@bccancer.bc.ca [Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada); BC Cancer Agency–Vancouver Centre, Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada); Tyldesley, Scott [Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada); BC Cancer Agency–Vancouver Centre, Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada); Rodda, Sree [Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada); Halperin, Ross [Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada); BC Cancer Agency–Centre for the Southern Interior, Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada); Pai, Howard [Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada); BC Cancer Agency–Vancouver Island Centre, Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada); McKenzie, Michael; Duncan, Graeme [Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada); BC Cancer Agency–Vancouver Centre, Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada); Morton, Gerard [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Toronto, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario (Canada); Hamm, Jeremy [Department of Population Oncology, BC Cancer Agency, Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada); Murray, Nevin [BC Cancer Agency–Vancouver Centre, Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada); Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada)

    2017-06-01

    Purpose: To report the primary endpoint of biochemical progression-free survival (b-PFS) and secondary survival endpoints from ASCENDE-RT, a randomized trial comparing 2 methods of dose escalation for intermediate- and high-risk prostate cancer. Methods and Materials: ASCENDE-RT enrolled 398 men, with a median age of 68 years; 69% (n=276) had high-risk disease. After stratification by risk group, the subjects were randomized to a standard arm with 12 months of androgen deprivation therapy, pelvic irradiation to 46 Gy, followed by a dose-escalated external beam radiation therapy (DE-EBRT) boost to 78 Gy, or an experimental arm that substituted a low-dose-rate prostate brachytherapy (LDR-PB) boost. Of the 398 trial subjects, 200 were assigned to DE-EBRT boost and 198 to LDR-PB boost. The median follow-up was 6.5 years. Results: In an intent-to-treat analysis, men randomized to DE-EBRT were twice as likely to experience biochemical failure (multivariable analysis [MVA] hazard ratio [HR] 2.04; P=.004). The 5-, 7-, and 9-year Kaplan-Meier b-PFS estimates were 89%, 86%, and 83% for the LDR-PB boost versus 84%, 75%, and 62% for the DE-EBRT boost (log-rank P<.001). The LDR-PB boost benefited both intermediate- and high-risk patients. Because the b-PFS curves for the treatment arms diverge sharply after 4 years, the relative advantage of the LDR-PB should increase with longer follow-up. On MVA, the only variables correlated with reduced overall survival were age (MVA HR 1.06/y; P=.004) and biochemical failure (MVA HR 6.30; P<.001). Although biochemical failure was associated with increased mortality and randomization to DE-EBRT doubled the rate of biochemical failure, no significant overall survival difference was observed between the treatment arms (MVA HR 1.13; P=.62). Conclusions: Compared with 78 Gy EBRT, men randomized to the LDR-PB boost were twice as likely to be free of biochemical failure at a median follow-up of 6.5 years.

  14. Effects of non-implantation factors on survival rate of microbe irradiated by low-energy N+

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang Tianyou; Chen Linhai; Qin Guangyong; Li Zongwei; Su Mingjie; Wang Yanping; Chang Shenghe; Huo Yuping; Li Zongyi

    2006-01-01

    The effects of non-implantation factors, such as drying, vacuum and the staying time of the E.coli LE392 culture, on survival rate of E.coli LE392 were studied when E.coli LE392 was irradiated by the low-energy N + . The results show that the survival rate of E.coli LE392 does not reduce steadily all the time but rapidly drops sometime during drying. The survival rate of E.coli LE392 declines sharply as the samples are placed in vacuum, then falls in distinctively with increasing of time. the tolerance of E.coli LE392 towards vacuum increasingly strengthens when the E.coli LE392 culture is placed at room temperature. Preparing the culture in batchs can ensure the consistency of the irradiated samples and avoid errors caused by the inconsistent samples. When the non-implantation factors are controlled, E.coli is implanted by 30 kev N + of 1 x 10 14 cm -2 and 3 x 10 15 cm -2 , respectively. And the results show no difference in the E.coli's survival rates between batchs at the same dose. (authors)

  15. Dose-rate effects in plateau-phase cultures of S3 HeLa and V79 cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mitchell, J.B.; Bedford, J.S.; Bailey, S.M.

    1979-01-01

    Dose-rate effects on cell survival were studied for log-, fed plateau-, and unfed plateau-phase cultures of V79 and S3 HeLa cells. For log-phase cultures, repair, cell-cycle redistribution, and cell division during exposure can contribute to the overall dose-rate effect, but their relative contributions are difficult to determine. With plateau-phase cultures, the cell-cycle times are greatly lengthened, for those cells that are in cycle. Hence, the contribution to the overall dose-rate effect of cell-cycle redistribution and cell division during the exposure could be minimized using plateau-phase cultures. With respect to the acute dose-survival curves, there was a clear loss in effectiveness when the dose rate was lowered to 154 rad/hr for both fed and unfed plateau-phase HeLa and V79 cells. There was no further reduction in effectiveness per unit dose, however, when the dose rate was reduced to 55 rad/hr. Since there was virtually no cell division or cell-cycle redistribution, it may be that a limit to the repair-dependent dose-rate effect at 37 0 C has been reached at a dose rate of 154 rad/hr

  16. Bridging Locoregional Therapy Prolongs Survival in Patients Listed for Liver Transplant with Hepatocellular Carcinoma

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Xing, Minzhi [Yale School of Medicine, Interventional Radiology, Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging (United States); Sakaria, Sonali [Emory University School of Medicine, Division of Digestive Diseases, Department of Medicine (United States); Dhanasekaran, Renumathy [Stanford University School of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology (United States); Parekh, Samir; Spivey, James [Emory University School of Medicine, Division of Digestive Diseases, Department of Medicine (United States); Knechtle, Stuart J. [Duke University School of Medicine, Division of Transplant Surgery, Department of Surgery (United States); Zhang, Di [University of Pittsburgh, Department of Biostatistics, Graduate School of Public Health (United States); Kim, Hyun S., E-mail: kevin.kim@yale.edu [Yale School of Medicine, Interventional Radiology, Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging (United States)

    2017-03-15

    Background and AimsTo evaluate the long-term survival benefit of bridging locoregional therapy (LRT) prior to orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) within Milan criteria.MethodsOur transplant center registry was studied for all HCC patients within the Milan criteria who were listed for OLT from 1998 to 2013. Baseline clinical characteristics and median overall survival (OS) were calculated and stratified by LRT, OLT status, and wait times. Survival analysis was conducted using Kaplan–Meier estimation and log-rank test.ResultsOf 265 listed, 205 underwent OLT (mean follow-up 7.6 years). Of 205, 111 received bridging LRT (A), and 94 did not (B). Both were similar in demographics and tumor characteristics (p > 0.05). Median OS from HCC for A/B were 86.4 vs. 68.9 months (p = 0.01). Median OS from OLT for A/B were 74.6 vs. 63.6 months (p = 0.03). On multivariate analysis, independent predictors for survival from HCC were bridging LRT (p = 0.002) and high wait time (p = 0.008); independent predictors for survival from OLT were bridging LRT (p = 0.005) and high wait time (p = 0.005). Of 60 who were listed but did not undergo transplant, 44 received LRT (C) and 16 received best supportive care (D). Median OS from HCC for C/D were 37.1 vs. 24.8 months (p = 0.03).ConclusionsBridging LRT and high wait times were independent positive prognostic factors for survival from HCC diagnosis and OLT.

  17. Bridging Locoregional Therapy Prolongs Survival in Patients Listed for Liver Transplant with Hepatocellular Carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xing, Minzhi; Sakaria, Sonali; Dhanasekaran, Renumathy; Parekh, Samir; Spivey, James; Knechtle, Stuart J.; Zhang, Di; Kim, Hyun S.

    2017-01-01

    Background and AimsTo evaluate the long-term survival benefit of bridging locoregional therapy (LRT) prior to orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) within Milan criteria.MethodsOur transplant center registry was studied for all HCC patients within the Milan criteria who were listed for OLT from 1998 to 2013. Baseline clinical characteristics and median overall survival (OS) were calculated and stratified by LRT, OLT status, and wait times. Survival analysis was conducted using Kaplan–Meier estimation and log-rank test.ResultsOf 265 listed, 205 underwent OLT (mean follow-up 7.6 years). Of 205, 111 received bridging LRT (A), and 94 did not (B). Both were similar in demographics and tumor characteristics (p > 0.05). Median OS from HCC for A/B were 86.4 vs. 68.9 months (p = 0.01). Median OS from OLT for A/B were 74.6 vs. 63.6 months (p = 0.03). On multivariate analysis, independent predictors for survival from HCC were bridging LRT (p = 0.002) and high wait time (p = 0.008); independent predictors for survival from OLT were bridging LRT (p = 0.005) and high wait time (p = 0.005). Of 60 who were listed but did not undergo transplant, 44 received LRT (C) and 16 received best supportive care (D). Median OS from HCC for C/D were 37.1 vs. 24.8 months (p = 0.03).ConclusionsBridging LRT and high wait times were independent positive prognostic factors for survival from HCC diagnosis and OLT.

  18. Polymorphisms in the RANK/RANKL Genes and Their Effect on Bone Specific Prognosis in Breast Cancer Patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexander Hein

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The receptor activator of NF-κB (RANK pathway is involved in bone health as well as breast cancer (BC pathogenesis and progression. Whereas the therapeutic implication of this pathway is established for the treatment of osteoporosis and bone metastases, the application in adjuvant BC is currently investigated. As genetic variants in this pathway have been described to influence bone health, aim of this study was the prognostic relevance of genetic variants in RANK and RANKL. Single nucleotide polymorphisms in RANK(L (rs1054016/rs1805034/rs35211496 were genotyped and analyzed with regard to bone metastasis-free survival (BMFS, disease-free survival, and overall survival for a retrospective cohort of 1251 patients. Cox proportional hazard models were built to examine the prognostic influence in addition to commonly established prognostic factors. The SNP rs1054016 seems to influence BMFS. Patients with two minor alleles had a more favorable prognosis than patients with at least one common allele (HR 0.37 (95% CI: 0.17, 0.84, whereas other outcome parameters remained unaffected. rs1805034 and rs35211496 had no prognostic relevance. The effect of rs1054016(RANKL adds to the evidence that the RANK pathway plays a role in BC pathogenesis and progression with respect to BMFS, emphasizing the connection between BC and bone health.

  19. Dynamic Planar Convex Hull with Optimal Query Time and O(log n · log log n ) Update Time

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Brodal, Gerth Stølting; Jakob, Riko

    2000-01-01

    The dynamic maintenance of the convex hull of a set of points in the plane is one of the most important problems in computational geometry. We present a data structure supporting point insertions in amortized O(log n · log log log n) time, point deletions in amortized O(log n · log log n) time......, and various queries about the convex hull in optimal O(log n) worst-case time. The data structure requires O(n) space. Applications of the new dynamic convex hull data structure are improved deterministic algorithms for the k-level problem and the red-blue segment intersection problem where all red and all...

  20. Social determinants of health and 5-year survival of colorectal cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heidarnia, Mohammad Ali; Monfared, Esmat Davoudi; Akbari, Mohammad Esmail; Yavari, Parvin; Amanpour, Farzaneh; Mohseni, Maryam

    2013-01-01

    Early in the 21st century, cancers are the second cause of death worldwide. Colon cancer is third most common cancer and one of the few amenable to early diagnosis and treatment. Evaluation of factors affecting this cancer is important to increase survival time. Some of these factors affecting all diseases including cancer are social determinants of health. According to the importance of this disease and relation with these factors, this study was conducted to assess the relationship between social determinants of health and colon cancer survival. This was a cross-sectional, descriptive study for patients with colon cancer registered in the Cancer Research Center of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Science, from April 2005 to November 2006, performed using questionnaires filled by telephone interview with patients (if patients had died, with family members). Data was analyzed with SPSS software (version 19) for descriptive analysis and STATA software for survival analysis including log rank test and three step Cox Proportional Hazard regression. Five hundred fifty nine patients with ages ranging from 23 to 88 years with mean ± standard deviation of 63 ± 11.8 years were included in the study. The five year survival was 68.3%( 387 patients were alive and 172 patients were dead by the end of the study). The Cox proportional hazard regression showed 5-year survival was related to age (HR=0.53, p=0.042 for>50 years versusmanual versus non manual jobs), region of residency (HR=3.49, p=0.018 for west versus south regions), parents in childhood (HR=2.87, p=0.012 for having both parents versus not having), anatomical cancer location (HR=2.16, psurvival of colon cancer and it may be better to consider these factors in addition to developing cancer treatment and to focus on these determinants of health in long-time planning.

  1. Converging or Crossing Curves: Untie the Gordian Knot or Cut it? Appropriate Statistics for Non-Proportional Hazards in Decitabine DACO-016 Study (AML).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tomeczkowski, Jörg; Lange, Ansgar; Güntert, Andreas; Thilakarathne, Pushpike; Diels, Joris; Xiu, Liang; De Porre, Peter; Tapprich, Christoph

    2015-09-01

    Among patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the DACO-016 randomized study showed reduction in mortality for decitabine [Dacogen(®) (DAC), Eisai Inc., Woodcliff Lake, NJ, USA] compared with treatment choice (TC): at primary analysis the hazard ratio (HR) was 0.85 (95% confidence interval 0.69-1.04; stratified log-rank P = 0.108). With two interim analyses, two-sided alpha was adjusted to 0.0462. With 1-year additional follow-up the HR reached 0.82 (nominal P = 0.0373). These data resulted in approval of DAC in the European Union, though not in the United States. Though pre-specified, the log-rank test could be considered not optimal to assess the observed survival difference because of the non-proportional hazard nature of the survival curves. We applied the Wilcoxon test as a sensitivity analysis. Patients were randomized to DAC (N = 242) or TC (N = 243). One-hundred and eight (44.4%) patients in the TC arm and 91 (37.6%) patients in the DAC arm selectively crossed over to subsequent disease modifying therapies at progression, which might impact the survival beyond the median with resultant converging curves (and disproportional hazards). The stratified Wilcoxon test showed a significant improvement in median (CI 95%) overall survival with DAC [7.7 (6.2; 9.2) months] versus TC [5.0 (4.3; 6.3) months; P = 0.0458]. Wilcoxon test indicated significant increase in survival for DAC versus TC compared to log-rank test. Janssen-Cilag GmbH.

  2. Over-expression of Eph and ephrin genes in advanced ovarian cancer: ephrin gene expression correlates with shortened survival

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lincoln Douglas

    2006-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Increased expression of Eph receptor tyrosine kinases and their ephrin ligands has been implicated in tumor progression in a number of malignancies. This report describes aberrant expression of these genes in ovarian cancer, the commonest cause of death amongst gynaecological malignancies. Methods Eph and ephrin expression was determined using quantitative real time RT-PCR. Correlation of gene expression was measured using Spearman's rho statistic. Survival was analysed using log-rank analysis and (was visualised by Kaplan-Meier survival curves. Results Greater than 10 fold over-expression of EphA1 and a more modest over-expression of EphA2 were observed in partially overlapping subsets of tumors. Over-expression of EphA1 strongly correlated (r = 0.801; p Conclusion These data imply that increased levels of ephrins A1 and A5 in the presence of high expression of Ephs A1 and A2 lead to a more aggressive tumor phenotype. The known functions of Eph/ephrin signalling in cell de-adhesion and movement may explain the observed correlation of ephrin expression with poor prognosis.

  3. A risk index for multicriterial selection of a logging system with low environmental impact

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Horodnic, Sergiu Andrei, E-mail: horodnic@usv.ro

    2015-02-15

    Setting up the working stages in forest operations is conditioned by environmental protection and forest health requirements. This paper exposes a method for improving the decision-making process by choosing the most environmentally effective logging systems according to terrain configuration and stand characteristics. Such a methodology for selecting machines or logging systems accounting for environment, safety as well as economics, becomes mandatory in the context of sustainable management of forest with multiple functions. Based on analytic hierarchy process analysis the following classification of the environmental performance for four considered alternatives was obtained: skyline system (42.43%), forwarder system (20.22%), skidder system (19.92%) and horse logging system (17.43%). Further, an environmental risk matrix for the most important 28 risk factors specific to any work equipment used in forest operations was produced. In the end, a multicriterial analysis generated a risk index RI ranging between 1.0 and 3.5, which could help choosing the optimal combination of logging system and logging equipment with low environmental impact. In order to demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed approach, a simple application in specific conditions of a harvesting site is presented. - Highlights: • We propose a decision-making algorithm to select eco-friendly logging systems. • Analytic hierarchy process was applied for ranking 4 types of logging systems. • An environmental risk matrix with 28 risk factors in forest operations was made up.

  4. A risk index for multicriterial selection of a logging system with low environmental impact

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Horodnic, Sergiu Andrei

    2015-01-01

    Setting up the working stages in forest operations is conditioned by environmental protection and forest health requirements. This paper exposes a method for improving the decision-making process by choosing the most environmentally effective logging systems according to terrain configuration and stand characteristics. Such a methodology for selecting machines or logging systems accounting for environment, safety as well as economics, becomes mandatory in the context of sustainable management of forest with multiple functions. Based on analytic hierarchy process analysis the following classification of the environmental performance for four considered alternatives was obtained: skyline system (42.43%), forwarder system (20.22%), skidder system (19.92%) and horse logging system (17.43%). Further, an environmental risk matrix for the most important 28 risk factors specific to any work equipment used in forest operations was produced. In the end, a multicriterial analysis generated a risk index RI ranging between 1.0 and 3.5, which could help choosing the optimal combination of logging system and logging equipment with low environmental impact. In order to demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed approach, a simple application in specific conditions of a harvesting site is presented. - Highlights: • We propose a decision-making algorithm to select eco-friendly logging systems. • Analytic hierarchy process was applied for ranking 4 types of logging systems. • An environmental risk matrix with 28 risk factors in forest operations was made up

  5. Exploring location influences on firm survival rates using parametric duration models

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Manzato, G.G.; Arentze, T.A.; Timmermans, H.J.P.; Ettema, D.F.; Timmermans, H.J.P.; Vries, de B.

    2010-01-01

    Using parametric duration models applied to an office firm dataset, we carried out an exploratory study about the location influences on firm survival rates. Amongst the variables included, we found that accessibility to infrastructure supply, regional effects, demographic and economic aspects, and

  6. Exploring location influences on firm survival rates using parametric duration models

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Manzato, G.G.; Arentze, T.A.; Timmermans, H.J.P.; Ettema, D.F.

    2011-01-01

    Using parametric duration models applied to an office firm dataset, we carried out an exploratory study about the location influences on firm survival rates. Amongst the variables included, we found that accessibility to infrastructure supply, regional effects, demographic and economic aspects, and

  7. Invasive micropapillary carcinoma of the breast has a better long-term survival than invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast in spite of its aggressive clinical presentations: a comparison based on large population database and case-control analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Hongliang; Wu, Kejin; Wang, Maoli; Wang, Fuwen; Zhang, Mingdi; Zhang, Peng

    2017-12-01

    There are controversies in the comparison of overall survival between invasive micropapillary carcinoma of the breast (IMPC) and invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC). The objective of this study was to compare the long-term survival outcome between non-metastatic IMPC and IDC. The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database was searched to identify women with non-metastatic IMPC and IDC diagnosed between 2001 and 2013. Comparisons of patient and tumor characteristics were performed using Pearson's chi-square. The propensity score matching method was applied with each IMPC matched to one IDC. Breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS) and overall survival (OS) were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier product limit method and compared across groups using the log-rank statistic. Multivariate analysis was performed through Cox models. IMPC was presented with aggressive clinical presentations such as larger tumor, more positive lymph nodes, and more advanced stage compared with IDC. A higher rate of estrogen receptor (ER)/progesterone receptor (PR) positivity was also observed in IMPC. With a median follow-up of 64 months, IMPC had a better BCSS (P = 0.031) and OS (P = 0.012) compared with IDC. In a case-control analysis IMPC was still an independent favorable prognostic factor for BCSS (HR = 0.410, P analysis, IMPC always showed a better survival outcome compared with IDC except in AJCC stage I and histologic grade I disease. IMPC has a better long-term survival outcome compared with IDC in spite of its highly aggressive clinical presentation. © 2017 The Authors. Cancer Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  8. Dose rate effects on survival of two insect species which commonly infest stored corn

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Adem, E.; Uribe, R.M.; Watters, F.L.

    1979-01-01

    A study of the dose rate effects on survival of two species of insects which commonly infest commercial maize in Mexico was undertaken using 60 Co γ radiation and 1.0 MeV electrons, to determine whether an optimum dose rate exists for the irradiation of grain infested with these insects. Experiments have shown that the effectiveness of γ and electron irradiation were not influenced by dose rates from 10 to 120 Gy/min for 60 Co and 35 to 300 Gy/min for electrons when the insects were irradiated at 2500 Gy. Survival curves for each species are presented for both types of radiation. (author)

  9. Development of a digital log ratemeter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Domienikan, Claudio; Brito, Andreia; Toledo, Fabio de; Zahn, Guilherme S.

    2011-01-01

    A compact log ratemeter that measures and displays an average count rate through a microcomputer is presented. This ratemeter was developed to be used to monitor a laboratory of production of radioactive samples and also for teaching purposes. The main features are log measurement range from .1 to 1.000 counts/sec and adjustable level alarm. The electronic circuit uses a Geiger tube LND7224, and the processed signal is applied to a National Instruments Multifunction I/O USB-6008 connected to a PC through USB input. A program developed in LabView allows storage of data and real-time observation of the rate of radiation evolution. This ratemeter was designed and constructed in the IPEN-CNEN/SP. (author)

  10. The effect of chemical weapons incineration on the survival rates of Red-tailed Tropicbirds

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schreiber, E.A.; Schenk, G.A.; Doherty, P.F.

    2001-01-01

    In 1992, the Johnston Atoll Chemical Agent Disposal System (JACADS) began incinerating U.S. chemical weapons stockpiles on Johnston Atoll (Pacific Ocean) where about 500,000 seabirds breed, including Red-tailed Tropicbirds (Phaethon rubricauda). We hypothesized that survival rates of birds were lower in those nesting downwind of the incinerator smokestack compared to those upwind, and that birds might move away from the area. From 1992 - 2000 we monitored survival and movements between areas upwind and downwind from the JACADS facility. We used a multi-strata mark recapture approach to model survival, probability of recapture and movement. Probability of recapture was significantly higher for birds in downwind areas (owing to greater recapture effort) and thus was an important 'nuisance' parameter to take into account in modeling. We found no differences in survival between birds nesting upwind ( 0.8588) and downwind (0.8550). There was no consistent difference in movement rates between upwind or downwind areas from year to year: differences found may be attributed to differing vegetation growth and human activities between the areas. Our results suggest that JACADS has had no documentable influence on the survival and year to year movement of Red-tailed Tropicbirds.

  11. Decreased survival in patients with carcinoma of axillary tail versus upper outer quadrant breast cancers: a SEER population-based study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gou ZC

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Zong-Chao Gou,1,2,* Xi-Yu Liu,1,2,* Yi Xiao,1,2 Shen Zhao,1,2 Yi-Zhou Jiang,1,2 Zhi-Ming Shao1–3 1Department of Breast Surgery, Cancer Institute, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 3Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China *These authors contributed equally to this work Background: Carcinoma of the axillary tail of Spence (CATS is a poorly studied type of breast cancer. The clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic features of CATS are unclear. Methods: Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database, we identified 149,026 patients diagnosed with upper outer quadrant breast cancer (UOBC (n=146,343 or CATS (n=2,683. The median follow-up was 88 months. The primary and secondary outcomes were breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS and overall survival. The survival outcomes of UOBC and CATS were compared using competing risks analysis, log-rank test, Cox proportional hazards regression model, and propensity score matching method. Multivariate logistic regression was utilized to present the relationship between CATS and lymph node (LN metastasis. Results: CATS presented a higher grade, higher negative hormone receptor rate, and more positive nodal metastasis. The 10-year BCSS rate was worse for CATS than for UOBC (85.1% vs 87.3%, P=0.001. The multivariate Cox analysis showed a higher hazard ratio (HR for CATS over UOBC (BCSS: HR =1.20, P=0.001; overall survival: HR =1.11, P=0.019. The difference in the BCSS was also observed in a 1:1 matched cohort (BCSS P=0.019. A subgroup analysis revealed the inferior outcomes of CATS in the metastatic LN subgroup and the hormone receptor-negative subgroup. The multivariate logistic regression indicated that CATS is an independent contributing factor to LN metastasis. Conclusion: CATS

  12. Does accelerometer feedback on high-quality chest compression improve survival rate? An in-hospital cardiac arrest simulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jung, Min Hee; Oh, Je Hyeok; Kim, Chan Woong; Kim, Sung Eun; Lee, Dong Hoon; Chang, Wen Joen

    2015-08-01

    We investigated whether visual feedback from an accelerometer device facilitated high-quality chest compressions during an in-hospital cardiac arrest simulation using a manikin. Thirty health care providers participated in an in-hospital cardiac arrest simulation with 1 minute of continuous chest compressions. Chest compressions were performed on a manikin lying on a bed according to visual feedback from an accelerometer feedback device. The manikin and accelerometer recorded chest compression data simultaneously. The simulated patient was deemed to have survived when the chest compression data satisfied all of the preset high-quality chest compression criteria (depth ≥51 mm, rate >100 per minute, and ≥95% full recoil). Survival rates were calculated from the feedback device and manikin data. The survival rate according to the feedback device data was 80%; however, the manikin data indicated a significantly lower survival rate (46.7%; P = .015). The difference between the accelerometer and manikin survival rates was not significant for participants with a body mass index greater than or equal to 20 kg/m(2) (93.3 vs 73.3%, respectively; P = .330); however, the difference in survival rate was significant in participants with body mass index less than 20 kg/m(2) (66.7 vs 20.0%, respectively; P = .025). The use of accelerometer feedback devices to facilitate high-quality chest compression may not be appropriate for lightweight rescuers because of the potential for compression depth overestimation. Clinical Research Information Service (KCT0001449). Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Associations between advanced cancer patients' survival and family caregiver presence and burden.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dionne-Odom, J Nicholas; Hull, Jay G; Martin, Michelle Y; Lyons, Kathleen Doyle; Prescott, Anna T; Tosteson, Tor; Li, Zhongze; Akyar, Imatullah; Raju, Dheeraj; Bakitas, Marie A

    2016-05-01

    We conducted a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of an early palliative care intervention (ENABLE: Educate, Nurture, Advise, Before Life Ends) for persons with advanced cancer and their family caregivers. Not all patient participants had a caregiver coparticipant; hence, we explored whether there were relationships between patient survival, having an enrolled caregiver, and caregiver outcomes prior to death. One hundred and twenty-three patient-caregiver dyads and 84 patients without a caregiver coparticipant participated in the ENABLE early versus delayed (12 weeks later) RCT. We collected caregiver quality-of-life (QOL), depression, and burden (objective, stress, and demand) measures every 6 weeks for 24 weeks and every 3 months thereafter until the patient's death or study completion. We conducted survival analyses using log-rank and Cox proportional hazards models. Patients with a caregiver coparticipant had significantly shorter survival (Wald = 4.31, HR = 1.52, CI: 1.02-2.25, P = 0.04). After including caregiver status, marital status (married/unmarried), their interaction, and relevant covariates, caregiver status (Wald = 6.25, HR = 2.62, CI: 1.23-5.59, P = 0.01), being married (Wald = 8.79, HR = 2.92, CI: 1.44-5.91, P = 0.003), and their interaction (Wald = 5.18, HR = 0.35, CI: 0.14-0.87, P = 0.02) were significant predictors of lower patient survival. Lower survival in patients with a caregiver was significantly related to higher caregiver demand burden (Wald = 4.87, CI: 1.01-1.20, P = 0.03) but not caregiver QOL, depression, and objective and stress burden. Advanced cancer patients with caregivers enrolled in a clinical trial had lower survival than patients without caregivers; however, this mortality risk was mostly attributable to higher survival by unmarried patients without caregivers. Higher caregiver demand burden was also associated with decreased patient survival. © 2016 The Authors. Cancer Medicine published by

  14. Hardwood log grades and lumber grade yields for factory lumber logs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leland F. Hanks; Glenn L. Gammon; Robert L. Brisbin; Everette D. Rast

    1980-01-01

    The USDA Forest Service Standard Grades for Hardwood Factory Lumber Logs are described, and lumber grade yields for 16 species and 2 species groups are presented by log grade and log diameter. The grades enable foresters, log buyers, and log sellers to select and grade those log suitable for conversion into standard factory grade lumber. By using the apropriate lumber...

  15. Cointegration rank testing under conditional heteroskedasticity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cavaliere, Giuseppe; Rahbek, Anders Christian; Taylor, Robert M.

    2010-01-01

    We analyze the properties of the conventional Gaussian-based cointegrating rank tests of Johansen (1996, Likelihood-Based Inference in Cointegrated Vector Autoregressive Models) in the case where the vector of series under test is driven by globally stationary, conditionally heteroskedastic......, relative to tests based on the asymptotic critical values or the i.i.d. bootstrap, the wild bootstrap rank tests perform very well in small samples under a variety of conditionally heteroskedastic innovation processes. An empirical application to the term structure of interest rates is given....

  16. Grid-based lattice summation of electrostatic potentials by assembled rank-structured tensor approximation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khoromskaia, Venera; Khoromskij, Boris N.

    2014-12-01

    Our recent method for low-rank tensor representation of sums of the arbitrarily positioned electrostatic potentials discretized on a 3D Cartesian grid reduces the 3D tensor summation to operations involving only 1D vectors however retaining the linear complexity scaling in the number of potentials. Here, we introduce and study a novel tensor approach for fast and accurate assembled summation of a large number of lattice-allocated potentials represented on 3D N × N × N grid with the computational requirements only weakly dependent on the number of summed potentials. It is based on the assembled low-rank canonical tensor representations of the collected potentials using pointwise sums of shifted canonical vectors representing the single generating function, say the Newton kernel. For a sum of electrostatic potentials over L × L × L lattice embedded in a box the required storage scales linearly in the 1D grid-size, O(N) , while the numerical cost is estimated by O(NL) . For periodic boundary conditions, the storage demand remains proportional to the 1D grid-size of a unit cell, n = N / L, while the numerical cost reduces to O(N) , that outperforms the FFT-based Ewald-type summation algorithms of complexity O(N3 log N) . The complexity in the grid parameter N can be reduced even to the logarithmic scale O(log N) by using data-sparse representation of canonical N-vectors via the quantics tensor approximation. For justification, we prove an upper bound on the quantics ranks for the canonical vectors in the overall lattice sum. The presented approach is beneficial in applications which require further functional calculus with the lattice potential, say, scalar product with a function, integration or differentiation, which can be performed easily in tensor arithmetics on large 3D grids with 1D cost. Numerical tests illustrate the performance of the tensor summation method and confirm the estimated bounds on the tensor ranks.

  17. Perioperative survival rates after surgery for diaphragmatic hernia in dogs and cats: 92 cases (1990-2002).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gibson, Thomas W G; Brisson, Brigitte A; Sears, William

    2005-07-01

    To determine the survival rates of dogs and cats that underwent surgical treatment for traumatic diaphragmatic hernia within 24 hours of admission and determine whether timing of surgery affected perioperative survival rate. Retrospective study. 63 dogs and 29 cats treated surgically for traumatic diaphragmatic hernia. Medical records were reviewed to evaluate associations between perioperative survival rates and variables including timing of surgery in relation to admission and acute versus chronic diaphragmatic hernia. Among the 92 animals, 82 (89.1%) were discharged alive after surgery. Sixty-four (69.6%) patients received surgical intervention within 12 hours of admission, and 84 (91.3%) received surgical intervention within 24 hours of admission. Median time from admission to discharge was 4 days (2 to 33 days). Data for acute cases (68 dogs and cats) were analyzed separately. Sixty-three (92.6%) patients with acute diaphragmatic hernia received surgical intervention within 24 hours of admission to the hospital, and 59 (93.7%) of these patients were discharged alive. Twenty-nine (42.6%) patients with acute diaphragmatic hernia received surgical intervention within 24 hours of trauma, and 26 of 29 (89.7%) patients were discharged alive. An overall acute and chronic perioperative survival rate of 89.7% was observed in dogs and cats that received surgical intervention within 24 hours of admission. Results in 68 dogs and cats that underwent surgery within 24 hours of admission suggested that early surgical intervention for acute diaphragmatic hernia was associated with good perioperative survival rates.

  18. Impact of INTERMACS Profile on Clinical Outcomes for Patients Supported With the Total Artificial Heart.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shah, Keyur B; Thanavaro, Kristin L; Tang, Daniel G; Quader, Mohammed A; Mankad, Anit K; Tchoukina, Inna; Thacker, Leroy R; Smallfield, Melissa C; Katlaps, Gundars; Hess, Michael L; Cooke, Richard H; Kasirajan, Vigneshwar

    2016-11-01

    Insufficient data delineate outcomes for Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support (INTERMACS) profile 1 patients with the total artificial heart (TAH). We studied 66 consecutive patients implanted with the TAH at our institution from 2006 through 2012 and compared outcome by INTERMACS profile. INTERMACS profiles were adjudicated retrospectively by a reviewer blinded to clinical outcomes. Survival after TAH implantation at 6 and 12 months was 76% and 71%, respectively. INTERMACS profile 1 patients had decreased 6-month survival on the device compared with those in profiles 2-4 (74% vs 95%, log rank: P = .015). For the 50 patients surviving to heart transplantation, the 1-year posttransplant survival was 82%. There was no difference in 1-year survival when comparing patients in the INTERMACS 1 profile with less severe profiles (79% vs 84%; log rank test P = .7; hazard ratio [confidence interval] 1.3 [0.3-4.8]). Patients implanted with the TAH as INTERMACS profile 1 had reduced survival to transplantation compared with less sick profiles. INTERMACS profile at the time of TAH implantation did not affect 1-year survival after heart transplantation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Ranking nodes in growing networks: When PageRank fails.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mariani, Manuel Sebastian; Medo, Matúš; Zhang, Yi-Cheng

    2015-11-10

    PageRank is arguably the most popular ranking algorithm which is being applied in real systems ranging from information to biological and infrastructure networks. Despite its outstanding popularity and broad use in different areas of science, the relation between the algorithm's efficacy and properties of the network on which it acts has not yet been fully understood. We study here PageRank's performance on a network model supported by real data, and show that realistic temporal effects make PageRank fail in individuating the most valuable nodes for a broad range of model parameters. Results on real data are in qualitative agreement with our model-based findings. This failure of PageRank reveals that the static approach to information filtering is inappropriate for a broad class of growing systems, and suggest that time-dependent algorithms that are based on the temporal linking patterns of these systems are needed to better rank the nodes.

  20. Reduced Rank Regression

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Johansen, Søren

    2008-01-01

    The reduced rank regression model is a multivariate regression model with a coefficient matrix with reduced rank. The reduced rank regression algorithm is an estimation procedure, which estimates the reduced rank regression model. It is related to canonical correlations and involves calculating...

  1. estimated glomerular filtration rate and risk of survival in acute stroke

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    2014-03-03

    Mar 3, 2014 ... ESTIMATED GLOMERULAR FILTRATION RATE AND RISK OF SURVIVAL IN ACUTE STROKE. E. I. Okaka, MBBS, FWACP, F. A. Imarhiagbe, MBChB, FMCP, F. E. Odiase, MBBS, FMCP, O. C. A. Okoye, MBBS, FWACP,. Department of Medicine, University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, Nigeria.

  2. Logging Concessions Enable Illegal Logging Crisis in the Peruvian Amazon

    OpenAIRE

    Finer, Matt; Jenkins, Clinton N.; Sky, Melissa A. Blue; Pine, Justin

    2014-01-01

    The Peruvian Amazon is an important arena in global efforts to promote sustainable logging in the tropics. Despite recent efforts to achieve sustainability, such as provisions in the US?Peru Trade Promotion Agreement, illegal logging continues to plague the region. We present evidence that Peru's legal logging concession system is enabling the widespread illegal logging via the regulatory documents designed to ensure sustainable logging. Analyzing official government data, we found that 68.3%...

  3. Influence of complete administration of adjuvant chemotherapy cycles on overall and disease-free survival in locally advanced rectal cancer: post hoc analysis of a randomized, multicenter, non-inferiority, phase 3 trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sandra-Petrescu, Flavius; Herrle, Florian; Burkholder, Iris; Kienle, Peter; Hofheinz, Ralf-Dieter

    2018-04-03

    A randomized trial demonstrated that capecitabine is at least as effective as fluorouracil in the adjuvant treatment of patients with locally advanced rectal cancer. However, not all patients receive all planned cycles of chemotherapy. Therefore it is of interest how complete or partial administration of chemotherapy influences oncological outcome. A post hoc analysis of a trial with 401 randomized patients, nine being excluded because of missing data, was performed. 392 patients (197 - capecitabine, 195 - fluorouracil) could be analyzed regarding the number of administered adjuvant chemotherapy cycles. In the subgroup of 361 patients with an overall survival of at least six months, five-year overall and disease-free survival were analyzed in respect to completion (complete vs. incomplete) of chemotherapy cycles. Survival rates and curves were calculated and compared using the log-rank test. The effect of completion of chemotherapy was adjusted for relevant confounding factors. Two hundred fifty-one (64.0%) of analyzed patients received all postoperative scheduled cycles. Five-year overall survival was significantly better in these patients compared to the incomplete group (76.0 vs. 60.6%, p cycles. Five-year overall survival was also significantly better than in the incomplete group (76.0 vs. 66.4%, p = 0.0073). Five-year disease free survival was numerically better (64.9 vs. 58.7%, p = 0.0646; HR [not all cycles vs. all cycles] = 1.42 95% CI: [0.98, 2.07]). Cox regression models show a non-significant better OS (p = 0.061) and DFS (p = 0.083), if chemotherapy cycles were administered completely. Complete administration of chemotherapy cycles was associated with improved five-year overall and disease-free survival in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer.

  4. RankProdIt: A web-interactive Rank Products analysis tool

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laing Emma

    2010-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The first objective of a DNA microarray experiment is typically to generate a list of genes or probes that are found to be differentially expressed or represented (in the case of comparative genomic hybridizations and/or copy number variation between two conditions or strains. Rank Products analysis comprises a robust algorithm for deriving such lists from microarray experiments that comprise small numbers of replicates, for example, less than the number required for the commonly used t-test. Currently, users wishing to apply Rank Products analysis to their own microarray data sets have been restricted to the use of command line-based software which can limit its usage within the biological community. Findings Here we have developed a web interface to existing Rank Products analysis tools allowing users to quickly process their data in an intuitive and step-wise manner to obtain the respective Rank Product or Rank Sum, probability of false prediction and p-values in a downloadable file. Conclusions The online interactive Rank Products analysis tool RankProdIt, for analysis of any data set containing measurements for multiple replicated conditions, is available at: http://strep-microarray.sbs.surrey.ac.uk/RankProducts

  5. RankExplorer: Visualization of Ranking Changes in Large Time Series Data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, Conglei; Cui, Weiwei; Liu, Shixia; Xu, Panpan; Chen, Wei; Qu, Huamin

    2012-12-01

    For many applications involving time series data, people are often interested in the changes of item values over time as well as their ranking changes. For example, people search many words via search engines like Google and Bing every day. Analysts are interested in both the absolute searching number for each word as well as their relative rankings. Both sets of statistics may change over time. For very large time series data with thousands of items, how to visually present ranking changes is an interesting challenge. In this paper, we propose RankExplorer, a novel visualization method based on ThemeRiver to reveal the ranking changes. Our method consists of four major components: 1) a segmentation method which partitions a large set of time series curves into a manageable number of ranking categories; 2) an extended ThemeRiver view with embedded color bars and changing glyphs to show the evolution of aggregation values related to each ranking category over time as well as the content changes in each ranking category; 3) a trend curve to show the degree of ranking changes over time; 4) rich user interactions to support interactive exploration of ranking changes. We have applied our method to some real time series data and the case studies demonstrate that our method can reveal the underlying patterns related to ranking changes which might otherwise be obscured in traditional visualizations.

  6. Application of the BAR score as a predictor of short- and long-term survival in liver transplantation patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Campos Junior, Ivan Dias; Stucchi, Raquel Silveira Bello; Udo, Elisabete Yoko; Boin, Ilka de Fátima Santana Ferreira

    2015-01-01

    The balance of risk (BAR) is a prediction system after liver transplantation. To assess the BAR system, a retrospective observational study was performed in 402 patients who had transplant surgery between 1997 and 2012. The BAR score was computed for each patient. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis with the Hosmer-Lemeshow test was used to calculate sensitivity, specificity, and model calibration. The cutoff value with the best Youden index was selected. Statistical analysis employed the Kaplan-Meier method (log-rank test) for survival, the Mann-Whitney test for group comparison, and multiple logistic regression analysis. 3-month survival was 46% for BAR ≥ 11 and 77% for BAR BAR ≥ 11 and 69% for BAR BAR ≥ 11 [odds ratio (OR) 3.08; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.75-5.42; p = 0.001] and intrasurgical use of packed red blood cells (RBC) above 6 units (OR 4.49; 95% CI 2.73-7.39; p = 0.001). For survival BAR ≥ 11 (OR 2.94; 95% CI 1.67-5.16; p = 0.001) and RBC >6 units (OR 2.99; 95% CI 1.92-4.64; p = 0.001). Our study contributes to the incorporation of the BAR system into Brazilian transplantation centers.

  7. Adjuvant Chemotherapy Seemed Not to Have Survival Benefit in Rectal Cancer Patients with ypTis-2N0 After Preoperative Radiotherapy and Surgery from a Population-Based Propensity Score Analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Xiang; Li, Ya-Qi; Li, Qing-Guo; Ma, Yan-Lei; Peng, Jun-Jie; Cai, San-Jun

    2018-04-19

    Adjuvant chemotherapy is currently offered routinely, as standard, after radical resection for patients with rectal cancer receiving neo-adjuvant chemoradiation. However, the efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with ypTis-2N0M0 has not been documented to the same extent, and the survival benefit remained controversial. The purpose of this work was to determine the role of chemotherapy in patients with ypTis-2N0M0 classification. Data were obtained from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database ( n  = 4,217). A propensity score model was utilized to balance baseline covariates. Of the 4,217 included patients, 335 with ypTis-2N0M0 did not receive adjuvant chemotherapy. There were comparable cancer-specific survivals (CSS) between those undergoing adjuvant chemotherapy or not (log-rank test = 0.136, p  = .712) in the overall sample. After propensity score matching, the cancer-specific survival did not differ between the chemotherapy and observation groups (log-rank test = 0.089, p  = .765). Additionally, the Cox model did not demonstrate adjuvant chemotherapy as the prognostic factor, with hazard ratio = 0.95 (95% confidence interval 0.69-1.32) for CSS. Furthermore, the 10-year cumulative CSS was 78.7% and 79.4% between the chemotherapy and observation groups, indicating no significance, and no impact of adjuvant chemotherapy on survival was observed in different subgroups stratified by T stage, histological grade, histology, lymph nodes, and tumor size. Patients with ypTis-2N0 rectal cancer did not benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy after preoperative radiology and radical surgery in this cohort study. These results provided new insight into the routine use of adjuvant chemotherapy for patients with rectal cancer with completed neo-adjuvant radiotherapy and curative surgery. Inconsistent recommendations for patients with rectal cancer receiving neo-adjuvant chemoradiation are offered by clinical guidelines. Adjuvant

  8. A nonparametric approach to medical survival data: Uncertainty in the context of risk in mortality analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Janurová, Kateřina; Briš, Radim

    2014-01-01

    Medical survival right-censored data of about 850 patients are evaluated to analyze the uncertainty related to the risk of mortality on one hand and compare two basic surgery techniques in the context of risk of mortality on the other hand. Colorectal data come from patients who underwent colectomy in the University Hospital of Ostrava. Two basic surgery operating techniques are used for the colectomy: either traditional (open) or minimally invasive (laparoscopic). Basic question arising at the colectomy operation is, which type of operation to choose to guarantee longer overall survival time. Two non-parametric approaches have been used to quantify probability of mortality with uncertainties. In fact, complement of the probability to one, i.e. survival function with corresponding confidence levels is calculated and evaluated. First approach considers standard nonparametric estimators resulting from both the Kaplan–Meier estimator of survival function in connection with Greenwood's formula and the Nelson–Aalen estimator of cumulative hazard function including confidence interval for survival function as well. The second innovative approach, represented by Nonparametric Predictive Inference (NPI), uses lower and upper probabilities for quantifying uncertainty and provides a model of predictive survival function instead of the population survival function. The traditional log-rank test on one hand and the nonparametric predictive comparison of two groups of lifetime data on the other hand have been compared to evaluate risk of mortality in the context of mentioned surgery techniques. The size of the difference between two groups of lifetime data has been considered and analyzed as well. Both nonparametric approaches led to the same conclusion, that the minimally invasive operating technique guarantees the patient significantly longer survival time in comparison with the traditional operating technique

  9. Pathway Relevance Ranking for Tumor Samples through Network-Based Data Integration.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lieven P C Verbeke

    Full Text Available The study of cancer, a highly heterogeneous disease with different causes and clinical outcomes, requires a multi-angle approach and the collection of large multi-omics datasets that, ideally, should be analyzed simultaneously. We present a new pathway relevance ranking method that is able to prioritize pathways according to the information contained in any combination of tumor related omics datasets. Key to the method is the conversion of all available data into a single comprehensive network representation containing not only genes but also individual patient samples. Additionally, all data are linked through a network of previously identified molecular interactions. We demonstrate the performance of the new method by applying it to breast and ovarian cancer datasets from The Cancer Genome Atlas. By integrating gene expression, copy number, mutation and methylation data, the method's potential to identify key pathways involved in breast cancer development shared by different molecular subtypes is illustrated. Interestingly, certain pathways were ranked equally important for different subtypes, even when the underlying (epi-genetic disturbances were diverse. Next to prioritizing universally high-scoring pathways, the pathway ranking method was able to identify subtype-specific pathways. Often the score of a pathway could not be motivated by a single mutation, copy number or methylation alteration, but rather by a combination of genetic and epi-genetic disturbances, stressing the need for a network-based data integration approach. The analysis of ovarian tumors, as a function of survival-based subtypes, demonstrated the method's ability to correctly identify key pathways, irrespective of tumor subtype. A differential analysis of survival-based subtypes revealed several pathways with higher importance for the bad-outcome patient group than for the good-outcome patient group. Many of the pathways exhibiting higher importance for the bad

  10. Longevity of anterior resin-bonded bridges: survival rates of two tooth preparation designs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abuzar, M; Locke, J; Burt, G; Clausen, G; Escobar, K

    2018-04-16

    Significant developments have occurred in the design of resin-bonded bridges (RBB) over the past two decades. They are commonly used as an alternative treatment option for a single missing tooth. The longevity of these bridges needs to be further investigated to evaluate long-term outcomes for this option to remain relevant. A cohort of patients who received anterior resin-bonded bridges (ARBB) over two decades was studied retrospectively. Longevity of 206 ARBB was assessed using Kaplan-Meier probability estimates. The two modified tooth preparation designs investigated were: (A) mesial and distal vertical grooves only; and (B) one proximal groove adjacent to the pontic and two palatal grooves. Age and gender of the patient cohort were also recorded. Overall survival rate of ARBB was 98% at 5 years, 97.2% at 10 years, and 95.1% from 12 years till 21 years. Survival curves showed minor differences when compared for the two designs, age groups and gender of ARBB recipients. Differences in the proportion of surviving bridges for design A (95.96%) and design B (98.13%) were not statistically significant (Fisher's exact test). Anterior RBB with described tooth preparation designs demonstrate a high survival rate. © 2018 Australian Dental Association.

  11. Effect of donor age on long-term survival following cardiac transplantation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Topkara, Veli K; Cheema, Faisal H; Kesavaramanujam, Satish; Mercando, Michelle L; Forster, Catherine S; Argenziano, Michael; Esrig, Barry C; Oz, Mehmet C; Naka, Yoshifumi

    2006-01-01

    The current shortage of donor hearts has forced the criteria of organ procurement to be extended, leading to increased use of older donor hearts to bridge the gap between demand and availability. Our objective was to analyze the effect of donor age on outcomes after cardiac transplantation. We retrospectively studied 864 patients who underwent cardiac transplantation at New York Presbyterian Hospital - Columbia University between 1992 and 2002. Patients were divided into two groups; donor age or =40 years (Group B, n = 264). Characteristics including gender, body mass index, and cytomegalovirus (CMV) status were significantly different between the two donor age groups. Race, CMV status, toxoplasmosis status, left ventricular assist device prior to transplant, diabetes mellitus, and retransplantation were similar in both the recipient groups, while age, gender, and BMI were different. Early mortality was lower in Group A, 5%, versus 9.5% in Group B. Multivariate analysis revealed recipient female gender (odd ratio (OR) = 1.71), retransplantation (OR = 1.63), and increased donor age (OR = 1.02) as significant predictors of poor survival in the recipient population. Actuarial survival at 1 year (86.7% vs 81%), 5 years (75% vs 65%), and 10 years (56% vs 42%) was significantly different as well with a log rank p = 0.002. These findings suggest that increased donor age is an independent predictor of long-term survival. However, the shortage of organs makes it difficult to follow strict guidelines when placing hearts; therefore, decisions need to be made on a relative basis.

  12. http Log Analysis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bøving, Kristian Billeskov; Simonsen, Jesper

    2004-01-01

    This article documents how log analysis can inform qualitative studies concerning the usage of web-based information systems (WIS). No prior research has used http log files as data to study collaboration between multiple users in organisational settings. We investigate how to perform http log...... analysis; what http log analysis says about the nature of collaborative WIS use; and how results from http log analysis may support other data collection methods such as surveys, interviews, and observation. The analysis of log files initially lends itself to research designs, which serve to test...... hypotheses using a quantitative methodology. We show that http log analysis can also be valuable in qualitative research such as case studies. The results from http log analysis can be triangulated with other data sources and for example serve as a means of supporting the interpretation of interview data...

  13. Survival rate of Saccharomyces boulardii adapted to a functional freeze-dried yoghurt, related to processing, storage and digestion by experimental Wistar rats

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eunice Tranquilino-Rodriguez

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Background: Saccharomycesboulardiiis a probiotic clinically effective inthe prevention and treatment of antibiotic induced diarrheain both children and adults, Clostridium difficile infections, inflammatory bowel disease, and other gastrointestinal disorders. However, the microorganisms need to survive the gastrointestinal transit and arrive to their action site alive in order to exert their beneficial effects. Microencapsulation is an alternative to improve the viability of probiotic in foods which can also survive in the gastrointestinal conditions. Freeze--drying is a method of dehydration that does not affect nutrients and bioactive compounds,such as probiotics contained in foods.All of them will increase the survival rate of S.boulardii.Purpose of this study:This study focused on formulae freeze-dried yogurt containing inulin, vegetable palm oil,and S.boulardii, both asfree cells and in microencapsulated form.Also,the effect of ampicillin associated S.boulardii. Methods. Yogurts were given to an “in vivo” digestion process, using male Wistar rats.The survival of S. boulardiiwas subsequently evaluated in colon and feces.For this study, six treatmentsof four of rats were used:i control rats ii rats fed with yogurt containing S. boulardiias free cells, iii rats fed with yogurt containing S. boulardiiinmicro-encapsulated form, iv control rats fed with penicillin,v rats fed with ampicillin plus yogurtcontaining S. boulardiias free cells, and vi rats fed with penicillin plus yogurt containing S. boulardiiin micro-encapsulated form. Results:The study demonstrated it was feasible to freeze-drythe S. boulardiiand incorporate it into a yogurtmade with skim milk,inulin, and unsaturated vegetable oil.The freeze-drying process not affected thesurvival of the S. boulardii(p<0.05. Microencapsulation increased the survival of S. boulardii on 1.77-Log CFU/g, and the presence of S. boulardii was only detected in colon and fecesof those rats which

  14. Activity of coals of different rank to ozone

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vladimir Kaminskii

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Coals of different rank were studied in order to characterize their activity to ozone decomposition and changes of their properties at interaction with ozone. Effects of coal rank on their reactivity to ozone were described by means of kinetic modeling. To this end, a model was proposed for evaluation of kinetic parameters describing coals activity to ozone. This model considers a case when coals surface properties change during interaction with ozone (deactivation processes. Two types of active sites (zones at the surface that are able to decompose ozone were introduced in the model differing by their deactivation rates. Activity of sites that are being deactivated at relatively higher rate increases with rank from 2400 1/min for lignite to 4000 1/min for anthracite. Such dependence is related to increase of micropores share in coals structure that grows from lignites to anthracites. Parameter characterizing initial total activity of coals to ozone decomposition also depends on rank by linear trend and vary between 2.40 for lignites up to 4.98 for anthracite. The proposed model could further be used in studies of coals oxidation processes and tendency to destruction under the weathering and oxidation conditions.

  15. Survival of Escherichia coli on Lettuce under Field Conditions Encountered in the Northeastern United States.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weller, Daniel L; Kovac, Jasna; Roof, Sherry; Kent, David J; Tokman, Jeffrey I; Kowalcyk, Barbara; Oryang, David; Ivanek, Renata; Aceituno, Anna; Sroka, Christopher; Wiedmann, Martin

    2017-07-01

    Although wildlife intrusion and untreated manure have been associated with microbial contamination of produce, relatively few studies have examined the survival of Escherichia coli on produce under field conditions following contamination (e.g., via splash from wildlife feces). This experimental study was performed to estimate the die-off rate of E. coli on preharvest lettuce following contamination with a fecal slurry. During August 2015, field-grown lettuce was inoculated via pipette with a fecal slurry that was spiked with a three-strain cocktail of rifampin-resistant nonpathogenic E. coli. Ten lettuce heads were harvested at each of 13 time points following inoculation (0, 2.5, 5, and 24 h after inoculation and every 24 h thereafter until day 10). The most probable number (MPN) of E. coli on each lettuce head was determined, and die-off rates were estimated. The relationship between sample time and the log MPN of E. coli per head was modeled using a segmented linear model. This model had a breakpoint at 106 h (95% confidence interval = 69, 142 h) after inoculation, with a daily decrease of 0.70 and 0.19 log MPN for 0 to 106 h and 106 to 240 h following inoculation, respectively. These findings are consistent with die-off rates obtained in similar studies that assessed E. coli survival on produce following irrigation. Overall, these findings provide die-off rates for E. coli on lettuce that can be used in future quantitative risk assessments.

  16. Survival in patients with oral and maxillofacial diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Janet Ofelia Guevara-Canales

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to determine the survival and prognostic factors of patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL of the oral cavity and maxillofacial region. Retrospectively, the clinical records of patients with a primary diagnosis of DLBCL of the oral cavity and maxillofacial region treated at the A.C. Camargo Hospital for Cancer, São Paulo, Brazil, between January 1980 and December 2005 were evaluated to determine (A overall survival (OS at 2 and 5 years and the individual survival percentage for each possible prognostic factor by means of the actuarial technique (also known as mortality tables, and the Kaplan Meier product limit method (which provided the survival value curves for each possible prognostic factor; (B prognostic factors subject to univariate evaluation with the log-rank test (also known as Mantel-Cox, and multivariate analysis with Cox's regression model (all the variables together. The data were considered significant at p ≤ 0.05. From 1980 to 2005, 3513 new cases of lymphomas were treated, of which 151 (4.3% occurred in the oral cavity and maxillofacial region. Of these 151 lesions, 48 were diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, with 64% for OS at 2 years and 45% for OS at 5 years. Of the variables studied as possible prognostic factors, multivariate analysis found the following variables have statistically significant values: age (p = 0.042, clinical stage (p = 0.007 and performance status (p = 0.031. These data suggest that patients have a higher risk of mortality if they are older, at a later clinical stage, and have a higher performance status.

  17. Survival Rate and Associated Factors of Childhood Leukemia in Iran: A Systematic Review and Meta Analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yousef Veisani

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Context Resent reviews have shown that about 18% of all child cancers are leukemia. Track of the survival rate can help researchers improve quality of life of patients through improving screening or discovery of better treatments. Objectives This review aimed at estimating the 5-year survival rates and associated factors of childhood leukemia in Iran. Data Sources We carried out a systematic review through search of relevant studies published in English (PubMed, Scopus, Google scholar, and ISI and Persian databases (Magiran, Medlib, SID, and Iran Medex. Study Selection The study included all epidemiologic studies that estimated survival rate in children with leukemia in Iran during years 2002 to 2015, and a standardized manner was used for extraction of information. Data Extraction The entire text or summary of all searched articles was extracted and then, related articles were selected, and irrelevant ones were excluded. Fixed and random effects models were calculated by the STATA using standard meta-analysis methods. Heterogeneity was assessed by I² statistics. Results The overall 5-year survival rate in patients with childhood leukemia in Iran was 0.65 (95% CI, 0.62 to 0.67, 10 studies, in the acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL subtype was 71.0% (95% CI: 68.0 to 74.0, and in the acute myeloid leukemia (AML subtype was 46.0%. Results of the meta analysis showed significant poor survival with relapse (heart rate (HR 1.59, 95% confidence interval (CI 1.27 to 1.98 and white blood count (WBC counts ≥ 50,000 (HR 2.92, 95% CI 1.23 to 4.60. Conclusions The results showed that 5-year survival rates in patients with AML were lower than patients with ALL. The results of this meta analysis strongly support the need for future research, action, and guidance for clinicians to improve health-related quality of life and outcomes for children with leukemia.

  18. PageRank as a method to rank biomedical literature by importance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yates, Elliot J; Dixon, Louise C

    2015-01-01

    Optimal ranking of literature importance is vital in overcoming article overload. Existing ranking methods are typically based on raw citation counts, giving a sum of 'inbound' links with no consideration of citation importance. PageRank, an algorithm originally developed for ranking webpages at the search engine, Google, could potentially be adapted to bibliometrics to quantify the relative importance weightings of a citation network. This article seeks to validate such an approach on the freely available, PubMed Central open access subset (PMC-OAS) of biomedical literature. On-demand cloud computing infrastructure was used to extract a citation network from over 600,000 full-text PMC-OAS articles. PageRanks and citation counts were calculated for each node in this network. PageRank is highly correlated with citation count (R = 0.905, P PageRank can be trivially computed on commodity cluster hardware and is linearly correlated with citation count. Given its putative benefits in quantifying relative importance, we suggest it may enrich the citation network, thereby overcoming the existing inadequacy of citation counts alone. We thus suggest PageRank as a feasible supplement to, or replacement of, existing bibliometric ranking methods.

  19. MNS16A minisatellite genotypes in relation to risk of glioma and meningioma and to glioblastoma outcome

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersson, U.; Osterman, P.; Sjostrom, S.

    2009-01-01

    was analysed using Kaplan-Meier estimates and equality of survival distributions using the log-rank test and Cox proportional hazard ratios. The MNS16A genotype was not associated with risk of occurrence of glioma, glioblastoma (GBM) or meningioma. For GBM there were median survivals of 15.3, 11.0 and 10...

  20. Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) larvae that survive sublethal doses of nucleopolyhedrovirus exhibit high metabolic rates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bouwer, Gustav; Nardini, Luisa; Duncan, Frances D

    2009-04-01

    To determine the effect of sublethal doses of Helicoverpa armigera single nucleocapsid nucleopolyhedrovirus (HearSNPV) on the metabolic rate of H. armigera, the respiration rates of third instar H. armigera larvae inoculated with sublethal doses of HearSNPV were evaluated. Respiration rates, measured as the rate of CO(2) production (VCO(2)), were recorded daily using closed-system respirometry. By 4 days post-inoculation (dpi), the metabolic rates of LD(25) or LD(75) survivors were significantly higher than that of uninoculated controls. When dose data were pooled, the VCO(2) values of larvae that survived inoculation (0.0288mlh(-1)), the uninoculated controls (0.0250mlh(-1)), and the larvae that did not survive inoculation (0.0199mlh(-1)) differed significantly from one another. At 4dpi, the VCO(2) of the uninoculated controls were significantly lower than the VCO(2) of inoculation survivors, but significantly higher than the VCO(2) of inoculation non-survivors. Inoculation survivors may have had high metabolic rates due to a combination of viral replication, organ damage, and an energy-intensive induced cellular immune response. The high 4dpi metabolic rate of inoculation survivors may reflect an effective immune response and may be seen as the metabolic signature of larvae that are in the process of surviving inoculation with HearSNPV.

  1. The effect of adjuvant radiation on survival in early stage clear cell ovarian carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hogen, Liat; Thomas, Gillian; Bernardini, Marcus; Bassiouny, Dina; Brar, Harinder; Gien, Lilian T; Rosen, Barry; Le, Lisa; Vicus, Danielle

    2016-11-01

    To assess the impact of adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) on survival in patients with stage I and II ovarian clear cell carcinoma (OCCC). Data collection and analysis of stage I and II OCCC patients treated at two tertiary centers in Toronto, between 1995 and 2014, was performed. Descriptive statistics and Kaplan-Meier survival probability estimates were completed. The log-rank test was used to compare survival curves. 163 patients were eligible. 44 (27%) patients were treated with adjuvant RT: 37 of them received adjuvant chemotherapy (CT), and 7 had RT only. In the no-RT group, there were 119 patients: 83 patients received adjuvant CT and 36 had no adjuvant treatment. The 10year progression free survival (PFS) was 65% for patients treated with RT, and 59% no-RT patients. There were a total of 41 (25%) recurrences in the cohort: 12 (27.2%) patients in RT group and 29 (24.3%) in the no-RT group. On multivariable analysis, adjuvant RT was not significantly associated with an increased PFS (0.85 (0.44-1.63) p=0.63) or overall survival (OS) (0.84 (0.39-1.82) p=0.66). In the subset of 59 patients defined as high-risk: stage IC with positive cytology and/or surface involvement and stage II: RT was not found to be associated with a better PFS (HR 1.18 (95% CI: 0.55-2.54) or O S(HR 1.04 (95% CI: 0.40-2.69)). Adjuvant RT was not found to be associated with a survival benefit in patients with stage I and II ovarian clear cell carcinoma or in a high risk subset of patients including stage IC cytology positive/surface involvement and stage II patients. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Impacts of logging on density-dependent predation of dipterocarp seeds in a South East Asian rainforest.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bagchi, Robert; Philipson, Christopher D; Slade, Eleanor M; Hector, Andy; Phillips, Sam; Villanueva, Jerome F; Lewis, Owen T; Lyal, Christopher H C; Nilus, Reuben; Madran, Adzley; Scholes, Julie D; Press, Malcolm C

    2011-11-27

    Much of the forest remaining in South East Asia has been selectively logged. The processes promoting species coexistence may be the key to the recovery and maintenance of diversity in these forests. One such process is the Janzen-Connell mechanism, where specialized natural enemies such as seed predators maintain diversity by inhibiting regeneration near conspecifics. In Neotropical forests, anthropogenic disturbance can disrupt the Janzen-Connell mechanism, but similar data are unavailable for South East Asia. We investigated the effects of conspecific density (two spatial scales) and distance from fruiting trees on seed and seedling survival of the canopy tree Parashorea malaanonan in unlogged and logged forests in Sabah, Malaysia. The production of mature seeds was higher in unlogged forest, perhaps because high adult densities facilitate pollination or satiate pre-dispersal predators. In both forest types, post-dispersal survival was reduced by small-scale (1 m(2)) conspecific density, but not by proximity to the nearest fruiting tree. Large-scale conspecific density (seeds per fruiting tree) reduced predation, probably by satiating predators. Higher seed production in unlogged forest, in combination with slightly higher survival, meant that recruitment was almost entirely limited to unlogged forest. Thus, while logging might not affect the Janzen-Connell mechanism at this site, it may influence the recruitment of particular species.

  3. Log quality enhancement: A systematic assessment of logging company wellsite performance and log quality

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Farnan, R.A.; Mc Hattie, C.M.

    1984-01-01

    To improve the monitoring of logging company performance, computer programs were developed to assess information en masse from log quality check lists completed on wellsite by the service company engineer and Phillips representative. A study of all logging jobs performed by different service companies for Phillips in Oklahoma (panhandle excepted) during 1982 enabled several pertinent and beneficial interpretations to be made. Company A provided the best tool and crew service. Company B incurred an excessive amount of lost time related to tool failure, in particular the neutron-density tool combination. Company C, although used only three times, incurred no lost time. With a reasonable data base valid conclusions were made pertaining, for example, to repeated tool malfunctions. The actual logs were then assessed for quality

  4. Survival and Complication Rate of Radiation Therapy in Stage I and II Carcinoma of uterine Cervix

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ma, Sun Young; Cho, Heung Lea; Sohn, Seung Chang

    1995-01-01

    Purpose : To analyze survival rate and late rectal and bladder complication for patients with stage with stage I and II carcinoma of uterine cervix treated by radiation alone or combined with chemotherapy. Materials and Methods : Between November 1984 and December 1993, 127 patients with stage I and II carcinoma of uterine cervix treated by radiation alone or combined therapy of radiation and chemotherapy. Retrospective analysis for survival rate was carried out on eligible 107 patients and review for complication was possible in 91 patients. The median follow-up was 47 months (range 3-118) and the median age of patients was 56 years (range 31-76). 26 patients were stage IB by FIGO classification. 40 were stage IIA and 41 were stage IIB. 86 cases were treated by radiation alone and 21 were treated by radiation and chemotherapy. 101 patients were treated with intracavitary radiation therapy (ICRT), of these, 80 were received low dose rate (LDR) ICRT and 21 were received high dose rate (HDR) ICRT. Of the patients who received LDR ICRT, 63 were treated by 1 intracavitary insertion and 17 were underwent 2 insertions. And we evaluated the external radiation dose and midline shield. Results : Acturial survival rate at 5 years was 92% for stage IB, 75% for stage IIA, 53% for stage IIB and 69% in all patients. Grade 1 rectal complications were developed in 20 cases(22%), grade 2 were in 22 cases (24%), 22 cases (24%) of grade 1 urinary complications and 17 cases (19%) of grade 2 urinary complications were observed But no patients had severe complications that needed surgical management or admission care. Maximum bladder dose for the group of patients with urinary complications was higher than that for the patients without urinary complications(7608cGy v 6960cGy, p<0.01). Maximum rectal dose for the group of patients with rectal complications was higher than that for the patients without urinary complications (7041cGy v 6269cGy, p<0.01). While there was no significant

  5. Nutrition support can bring survival benefit to high nutrition risk gastric cancer patients who received chemotherapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qiu, Miaozhen; Zhou, Yi-xin; Jin, Yin; Wang, Zi-xian; Wei, Xiao-li; Han, Hong-yu; Ye, Wen-feng; Zhou, Zhi-wei; Zhang, Dong-sheng; Wang, Feng-hua; Li, Yu-hong; Yang, Da-jun; Xu, Rui-hua

    2015-07-01

    The aim of our study is firstly to evaluate the prevalence and prognostic value of nutrition risk in gastric cancer patients and secondly to explore whether the nutrition support can prolong the survival of advanced gastric cancer patients. It contained two study periods. In the first period, we prospectively evaluated the nutritional risk of gastric adenocarcinoma patients from 2009 to 2011 using the method of European Nutritional Risk Screening (NRS) 2002. The Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test were used to evaluate the prognostic value of high nutrition risk. The second period was between 2012 and 2013. We prospectively gave the nutrition support to stage IV gastric cancer patients whose NRS is ≥3. There were 830 patients in the first period, 50.7% patients with a NRS ≥ 3. Patients with NRS ≥ 3 presented a significantly higher percentage of stage IV diseases, elevated values of C-reactive protein, and hypoproteinemia. The median survival was significantly higher in NRS nutrition support. The median survival was 14.3 and 9.6 months for patients with and without NRS shift, respectively, P = 0.001. NRS ≥ 3 was an independent adverse prognostic factor in gastric cancer patients. For stage IV patients whose NRS ≥ 3, the nutrition support might be helpful to improve the prognosis.

  6. Primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma: Clinical features, prognostic factors and survival with RCHOP in Arab patients in the PET scan era

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Salem Al Shemmari

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective: PMBCL is a distinct type of nonhodgkins lymphoma with specific clinicopathological features. To clarify clinical features, treatment alternatives and outcomes, we evaluated 28 Arab patients treated with chemotherapy or radiotherapy between 2006 and 2011. Patients and Methods: PMBCL lymphoma patients identified according to WHO classification and treated at KCCC between 2006 and 2011 were included in this study. Demographic and clinical data are presented as means or medians. Overall survival was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Survival rates were compared using the log-rank test. A P < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: The median age of the patients was 31 years and the male to female ratio was 2:1. Majority of the patients (75% presented with stage I/II disease. Most had features of local extension like pleural effusion (18% and SVCO (39%. Only 11% of the patients had bone marrow involvement at presentation. 96% of the patients required biopsy from the mediastinal mass either by image guided core biopsy (75% or by surgical biopsy. Most patients were treated by RCHOP and involved field radiotherapy. Patients with positive PET scan after RCHOP chemotherapy received salvage chemotherapy and BEAM autologous marrow transplant. The five year OS for the entire group was 85% while the PFS was 73%. Patients who had PET scan for response evaluation had better OS [P = 0.013] and PFS [P = 0.039] when compared with those patients who received only radiotherapy based on CT scan evaluation. Conclusion: PMBCL is a specific lymphoma entity seen in the young with good survival. The role of PET scan for response evaluation and the type of consolidation therapy needs to be further clarified

  7. Natural exopolysaccharides enhance survival of lactic acid bacteria in frozen dairy desserts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hong, S H; Marshall, R T

    2001-06-01

    Viable lactic acid-producing bacteria in frozen dairy desserts can be a source of beta-galactosidase for persons who absorb lactose insufficiently. However, freezing kills many of the cells, causing loss of enzymatic activity. Cultures selected for high beta-galactosidase activities and high survival rates in the presence of bile were examined for survivability during freezing in reduced-fat ice cream. Encapsulated S. thermophilus strains survived better than their nonencapsulated mutants in reduced-fat ice cream after freezing and frozen storage at -29 degrees C for 16 d (28 vs. 19%). However, a small nonencapsulated strain of Lactobacillus delbrueckii sp. bulgaricus survived better than the large encapsulated strain in reduced-fat ice cream. Factors that improved survival of encapsulated S. thermophilus 1068 in ice cream were 1) harvest of cells in the late-log phase of growth at 37 degrees C rather than at 40, 42.5, or 45 degrees C; 2) overrun at 50% rather than 100%; and 3) storage at -17 degrees C rather than -23 or -29 degrees C. Survival of strain ST1068 was unaffected by 1) neutralization of acid during growth or 2) substitution of nitrogen for air in building overrun.

  8. Long-term outcomes of patients with breast cancer after nipple-sparing mastectomy/skin-sparing mastectomy followed by immediate transverse rectus abdominis musculocutaneous flap reconstruction: Comparison with conventional mastectomy in a single center study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Sae Byul; Lee, Jong Won; Kim, Hee Jeong; Ko, Beom Seok; Son, Byung Ho; Eom, Jin Sup; Lee, Taik Jong; Ahn, Sei-Hyun

    2018-05-01

    To evaluate the oncological outcomes of patients with breast cancer after nipple-sparing mastectomy (NSM)/skin-sparing mastectomy (SSM), followed by immediate reconstruction, as compared to conventional mastectomy (CM).SSM/NSM has been increasingly used to treat women with breast cancer who wish to preserve the overlying breast skin, but concern exist regarding its oncological safety due to the potential for residual breast tissue. We report our experience performing SSM/NSM for breast cancer treatment compared to CM with a long follow-up period.All consecutive patients who underwent mastectomy for breast cancer at Asan Medical Center between January 1993 and December 2008 were identified by retrospective medical chart review. The patients who underwent NSM/SSM, followed by immediate breast reconstruction with a pedicled transverse rectus abdominis musculocutaneous flap (TRAM), were compared to the patients who underwent CM in terms of breast-cancer specific survival (BCSS) rate, distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) rate, and local recurrence (LR) rate.During the study period, 6028 patients underwent mastectomy for breast cancer. Of these, 1032 and 4996 underwent NSM/SSM with TRAM and CM, respectively. Their median follow-up durations were 94.4 (range, 8.1-220.2) and 110.8 (range, 6.1-262.0) months, respectively. Their 5 year BCSS rates were 95.4% and 88.1%, respectively (log-rank, P < .001). Their 5 year DMFS rates were 93.0% and 85.6%, respectively (log-rank, P < .001).Relative to CM, NSM/SSM, followed by immediate breast reconstruction, may be a viable and oncologically safe surgical treatment in selected patients with breast cancer.

  9. Anti-PD-1 Blockade and Stereotactic Radiation Produce Long-Term Survival in Mice With Intracranial Gliomas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zeng, Jing; See, Alfred P.; Phallen, Jillian; Jackson, Christopher M.; Belcaid, Zineb; Ruzevick, Jacob; Durham, Nicholas; Meyer, Christian; Harris, Timothy J.; Albesiano, Emilia; Pradilla, Gustavo; Ford, Eric; Wong, John; Hammers, Hans-Joerg; Mathios, Dimitris; Tyler, Betty; Brem, Henry; Tran, Phuoc T.; Pardoll, Drew; Drake, Charles G.

    2013-01-01

    Purpose: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common primary brain tumor in adults, and radiation is one of the main treatment modalities. However, cure rates remain low despite best available therapies. Immunotherapy is a promising modality that could work synergistically with radiation, which has been shown to increase antigen presentation and promote a proinflammatory tumor microenvironment. Programmed-death-1 (PD-1) is a surface receptor expressed on activated and exhausted T cells, which mediate T cell inhibition upon binding with its ligand PD-L1, expressed on many tumor types including human GBMs. We tested the combination of anti-PD-1 immunotherapy with stereotactic radiosurgery in a mouse orthotopic GBM model. Methods and Materials: We performed intracranial implantation of mouse glioma cell line GL261 transfected with luciferase into C57BL/6 mice. Mice were stratified into 4 treatment groups: (1) control; (2) radiation only; (3) anti-PD-1 antibody only; and (4) radiation plus anti-PD-1 antibody. Overall survival was quantified. The mice were killed on day 21 after implantation to assess immunologic parameters in the brain/tumor, cervical lymph nodes, and spleen. Results: Improved survival was demonstrated with combination anti-PD-1 therapy plus radiation compared with either modality alone: median survival was 25 days in the control arm, 27 days in the anti-PD-1 antibody arm, 28 days in the radiation arm, and 53 days in the radiation plus anti-PD-1 therapy arm (P<.05 by log-rank Mantle-Cox). Long-term survival was seen only in the combined treatment arm, with a fraction (15%-40%) of animals alive at day 180+ after treatment. Immunologic data on day 21 after implantation showed increased tumor infiltration by cytotoxic T cells (CD8+/interferon-γ+/tumor necrosis factor-α+) and decreased regulatory T cells (CD4+/FOXP3) in the combined treatment group compared with the single modality arms. Conclusions: The combination of PD-1 blockade and localized

  10. Anti-PD-1 Blockade and Stereotactic Radiation Produce Long-Term Survival in Mice With Intracranial Gliomas

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zeng, Jing [Department of Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Sciences, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutes, Baltimore, Maryland (United States); See, Alfred P.; Phallen, Jillian; Jackson, Christopher M.; Belcaid, Zineb; Ruzevick, Jacob [Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutes, Baltimore, Maryland (United States); Durham, Nicholas [Department of Immunology, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutes, Baltimore, Maryland (United States); Meyer, Christian [Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutes, Baltimore, Maryland (United States); Harris, Timothy J. [Department of Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Sciences, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutes, Baltimore, Maryland (United States); Albesiano, Emilia; Pradilla, Gustavo [Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutes, Baltimore, Maryland (United States); Ford, Eric; Wong, John [Department of Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Sciences, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutes, Baltimore, Maryland (United States); Hammers, Hans-Joerg [Department of Immunology, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutes, Baltimore, Maryland (United States); Mathios, Dimitris; Tyler, Betty; Brem, Henry [Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutes, Baltimore, Maryland (United States); Tran, Phuoc T. [Department of Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Sciences, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutes, Baltimore, Maryland (United States); Pardoll, Drew; Drake, Charles G. [Department of Immunology, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutes, Baltimore, Maryland (United States); and others

    2013-06-01

    Purpose: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common primary brain tumor in adults, and radiation is one of the main treatment modalities. However, cure rates remain low despite best available therapies. Immunotherapy is a promising modality that could work synergistically with radiation, which has been shown to increase antigen presentation and promote a proinflammatory tumor microenvironment. Programmed-death-1 (PD-1) is a surface receptor expressed on activated and exhausted T cells, which mediate T cell inhibition upon binding with its ligand PD-L1, expressed on many tumor types including human GBMs. We tested the combination of anti-PD-1 immunotherapy with stereotactic radiosurgery in a mouse orthotopic GBM model. Methods and Materials: We performed intracranial implantation of mouse glioma cell line GL261 transfected with luciferase into C57BL/6 mice. Mice were stratified into 4 treatment groups: (1) control; (2) radiation only; (3) anti-PD-1 antibody only; and (4) radiation plus anti-PD-1 antibody. Overall survival was quantified. The mice were killed on day 21 after implantation to assess immunologic parameters in the brain/tumor, cervical lymph nodes, and spleen. Results: Improved survival was demonstrated with combination anti-PD-1 therapy plus radiation compared with either modality alone: median survival was 25 days in the control arm, 27 days in the anti-PD-1 antibody arm, 28 days in the radiation arm, and 53 days in the radiation plus anti-PD-1 therapy arm (P<.05 by log-rank Mantle-Cox). Long-term survival was seen only in the combined treatment arm, with a fraction (15%-40%) of animals alive at day 180+ after treatment. Immunologic data on day 21 after implantation showed increased tumor infiltration by cytotoxic T cells (CD8+/interferon-γ+/tumor necrosis factor-α+) and decreased regulatory T cells (CD4+/FOXP3) in the combined treatment group compared with the single modality arms. Conclusions: The combination of PD-1 blockade and localized

  11. Randomized comparison of two Internet-supported fertility-awareness-based methods of family planning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fehring, Richard J; Schneider, Mary; Raviele, Kathleen; Rodriguez, Dana; Pruszynski, Jessica

    2013-07-01

    The aim was to compare the efficacy and acceptability of two Internet-supported fertility-awareness-based methods of family planning. Six hundred and sixty-seven women and their male partners were randomized into either an electronic hormonal fertility monitor (EHFM) group or a cervical mucus monitoring (CMM) group. Both groups utilized a Web site with instructions, charts and support. Acceptability was assessed online at 1, 3 and 6 months. Pregnancy rates were determined by survival analysis. The EHFM participants (N=197) had a total pregnancy rate of 7 per 100 users over 12 months of use compared with 18.5 for the CMM group (N=164). The log rank survival test showed a significant difference (pincreased significantly over time (pusers had an increase in acceptability over time. Results are tempered by the high dropout rate. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Anti-Inflammatory (IL-10 Levels and Affects the Survival of Prostate Carcinoma Patients: An Explorative Study in North Indian Population

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shailendra Dwivedi

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective. Inflammation is an important hallmark of all cancers and net inflammatory response is determined by a delicate balance between pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, which may be affected by tobacco exposure, so the present study was designed to explore the effect of various modes of tobacco exposure on interleukin-12 (IL-12 and interleukin-10 (IL-10 inflammatory cytokine levels and survival in prostate carcinoma (PCa patients. Methods. 285 cancer patients and equal controls with 94 BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia were recruited; baseline levels of serum IL-12 and IL-10 were measured and analyzed in various tobacco exposed groups by appropriate statistical tool. Five-year survivals of patients were analyzed by Log-rank (Mantel-Cox test (graph pad version 5. Results. The expression of serum proinflammatory (IL-12 and anti-inflammatory (IL-10 cytokines was correlated with tobacco exposed group as smokers, chewers, and alcohol users have shown significantly higher levels (P<0.001 with significantly lower median survivals (27.1 months, standard error = 2.86, and 95% CI: 21.4–32.62; than nonusers. Stages III and IV of tobacco addicted patients have also shown significantly increased levels of IL-12 and IL-10. Conclusions. IL-12 and IL-10 seem to be affected by various modes of tobacco exposure and inflammation also affects median survival of cancer patients.

  13. Log N-log S in inconclusive

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klebesadel, R. W.; Fenimore, E. E.; Laros, J.

    1983-01-01

    The log N-log S data acquired by the Pioneer Venus Orbiter Gamma Burst Detector (PVO) are presented and compared to similar data from the Soviet KONUS experiment. Although the PVO data are consistent with and suggestive of a -3/2 power law distribution, the results are not adequate at this state of observations to differentiate between a -3/2 and a -1 power law slope.

  14. NM23 protein expression in colorectal carcinoma using TMA (tissue microarray: association with metastases and survival

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Levindo Alves de Oliveira

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available CONTEXT: NM23, a metastasis suppressor gene, may be associated with prognosis in patients with colorectal carcinoma. OBJECTIVE: To analyze NM23 expression and its association with the presence of lymph node and liver metastases and survival in patients operated on for colorectal carcinoma. METHODS: One hundred thirty patients operated on for colorectal carcinoma were investigated. Tissue microarray blocks containing neoplastic tissue and tumor-adjacent non-neoplastic mucosa were obtained and analyzed by immunohistochemical staining using a monoclonal anti-NM23 antibody. Immunohistochemical expression was assessed using a semiquantitative scoring method, counting the percentage of stained cells. The results were compared regarding morphological and histological characteristics of the colorectal carcinoma, presence of lymph node and liver metastases, tumor staging, and patient survival. Statistical analysis was performed using the Mann-Whitney test, the Kruskal-Wallis test and Fisher's exact test. Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method and the log-rank test. RESULTS: NM23 expression was higher in colorectal carcinoma tissue than in adjacent non-neoplastic mucosa (P<0.0001. NM23 protein expression did not correlate with degree of cell differentiation (P = 0.57, vascular invasion (P = 0.85, lymphatic invasion (P = 0.41, perineural infiltration (P = 0.46, staging (P = 0.19, lymph node metastases (P = 0.08, or liver metastases (P = 0.59. Disease-free survival showed significant association (P = 0.01 with the intensity of NM23 protein immunohistochemical expression in colorectal carcinoma tissue, whereas overall survival showed no association with NM23 protein expression (P = 0.13. CONCLUSIONS: NM23 protein expression was higher in neoplastic colorectal carcinoma tissue than in adjacent non-neoplastic mucosa, showing no correlation with morphological aspects, presence of lymph node or liver metastases, colorectal carcinoma

  15. RANK and RANK ligand expression in primary human osteosarcoma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniel Branstetter

    2015-09-01

    Our results demonstrate RANKL expression was observed in the tumor element in 68% of human OS using IHC. However, the staining intensity was relatively low and only 37% (29/79 of samples exhibited≥10% RANKL positive tumor cells. RANK expression was not observed in OS tumor cells. In contrast, RANK expression was clearly observed in other cells within OS samples, including the myeloid osteoclast precursor compartment, osteoclasts and in giant osteoclast cells. The intensity and frequency of RANKL and RANK staining in OS samples were substantially less than that observed in GCTB samples. The observation that RANKL is expressed in OS cells themselves suggests that these tumors may mediate an osteoclastic response, and anti-RANKL therapy may potentially be protective against bone pathologies in OS. However, the absence of RANK expression in primary human OS cells suggests that any autocrine RANKL/RANK signaling in human OS tumor cells is not operative, and anti-RANKL therapy would not directly affect the tumor.

  16. Ranking nodes in growing networks: When PageRank fails

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mariani, Manuel Sebastian; Medo, Matúš; Zhang, Yi-Cheng

    2015-11-01

    PageRank is arguably the most popular ranking algorithm which is being applied in real systems ranging from information to biological and infrastructure networks. Despite its outstanding popularity and broad use in different areas of science, the relation between the algorithm’s efficacy and properties of the network on which it acts has not yet been fully understood. We study here PageRank’s performance on a network model supported by real data, and show that realistic temporal effects make PageRank fail in individuating the most valuable nodes for a broad range of model parameters. Results on real data are in qualitative agreement with our model-based findings. This failure of PageRank reveals that the static approach to information filtering is inappropriate for a broad class of growing systems, and suggest that time-dependent algorithms that are based on the temporal linking patterns of these systems are needed to better rank the nodes.

  17. Encyclopedia of well logging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Desbrandes, R.

    1985-01-01

    The 16 chapters of this book aim to provide students, trainees and engineers with a manual covering all well-logging measurements ranging from drilling to productions, from oil to minerals going by way of geothermal energy. Each chapter is a summary but a bibliography is given at the end of each chapter. Well-logging during drilling, wireline logging equipment and techniques, petroleum logging, data processing of borehole data, interpretation of well-logging, sampling tools, completion and production logging, logging in relief wells to kill off uncontrolled blowouts, techniques for high temperature geothermal energy, small-scale mining and hydrology, logging with oil-base mud and finally recommended logging programs are all topics covered. There is one chapter on nuclear well-logging which is indexed separately. (UK)

  18. Ranking independent timber investments by alternative investment criteria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas J. Mills; Gary E. Dixon

    1982-01-01

    A sample of 231 independent timber investments were ranked by internal rate of return, present net worth per acre and the benefit cost ratio—the last two discounted by 3, 6.4. 7.5. and 10 percent—to determine if the different criteria had a practical influence on timber investment ranking. The samples in this study were drawn from a group of timber investments...

  19. RANK/RANK-Ligand/OPG: Ein neuer Therapieansatz in der Osteoporosebehandlung

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Preisinger E

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available Die Erforschung der Kopplungsmechanismen zur Osteoklastogenese, Knochenresorption und Remodellierung eröffnete neue mögliche Therapieansätze in der Behandlung der Osteoporose. Eine Schlüsselrolle beim Knochenabbau spielt der RANK- ("receptor activator of nuclear factor (NF- κB"- Ligand (RANKL. Durch die Bindung von RANKL an den Rezeptor RANK wird die Knochenresorption eingeleitet. OPG (Osteoprotegerin sowie der für den klinischen Gebrauch entwickelte humane monoklonale Antikörper (IgG2 Denosumab blockieren die Bindung von RANK-Ligand an RANK und verhindern den Knochenabbau.

  20. Exploration of location influences on firm survival rates using parametric duration models

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Manzato, G.G.; Arentze, T.A.; Timmermans, H.J.P.; Ettema, D.F.

    2011-01-01

    This study explored the influences of location on business firm survival rates with the use of parametric duration models applied to a data set. Of the variables included, those found to be the most significant were accessibility to infrastructure supply, regional effects, demographic and economic

  1. Impact of Symptomatic Metastatic Spinal Cord Compression on Survival of Patients with Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    da Silva, Gustavo Telles; Bergmann, Anke; Thuler, Luiz Claudio Santos

    2017-12-01

    Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is one of the most common primary tumor sites among patients with metastatic spinal cord compression (MSCC). This disorder is related to neurologic dysfunction and can reduce the quality of life, but the association between MSCC and death is unclear. The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of the occurrence of symptomatic MSCC on overall survival of patients with NSCLC. A cohort study was carried out involving 1112 patients with NSCLC who were enrolled between 2006 and 2014 in a single cancer center. Clinical and sociodemographic data were extracted from the physical and electronic records. Survival analysis of patients with NSCLC was conducted using the Kaplan-Meier method. A log-rank test was used to assess differences between survival curves. Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were carried out to quantify the relationship between the independent variable (MSCC) and the outcome (overall survival). During the study period, the incidence of MSCC was 4.1%. Patients who presented with MSCC were 1.43 times more likely to die than were those with no history of MSCC (hazard ratio, 1.43; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03-2.00; P = 0.031). The median survival time was 8.04 months (95% CI, 6.13-9.96) for those who presented MSCC and 11.95 months (95% CI, 10.80-13.11) for those who did not presented MSCC during the course of disease (P = 0.002). MSCC is an important and independent predictor of NSCLC worse survival. This effect was not influenced by sociodemographic and clinical factors. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Improved treatment results in high-risk pediatric acute myeloid leukemia patients after intensification with high-dose cytarabine and mitoxantrone: results of Study Acute Myeloid Leukemia-Berlin-Frankfurt-Münster 93.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Creutzig, U; Ritter, J; Zimmermann, M; Reinhardt, D; Hermann, J; Berthold, F; Henze, G; Jürgens, H; Kabisch, H; Havers, W; Reiter, A; Kluba, U; Niggli, F; Gadner, H

    2001-05-15

    To improve outcome in high-risk patients, high-dose cytarabine and mitoxantrone (HAM) was introduced into the treatment of children with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) in study AML-BFM 93. Patients were randomized to HAM as either the second or third therapy block, for the purpose of evaluation of efficacy and toxicity. A total of 471 children with de novo AML were entered onto the trial; 161 were at standard risk and 310 were at high risk. After the randomized induction (daunorubicin v idarubicin), further therapy, with the exception of HAM, was identical in the two risk groups and also comparable to that in study Acute Myeloid Leukemia-Berlin-Frankfurt-Münster (AML-BFM) 87. Overall, 387 (82%) of 471 patients achieved complete remission, and 5-year survival, event-free survival (EFS), and disease-free survival rates were 60%, 51%, and 62%, respectively. Idarubicin induction resulted in a significantly better blast cell reduction in the bone marrow on day 15. Estimated survival and probability of EFS were superior in study AML-BFM 93 compared with study AML-BFM 87 (P =.01, log-rank test). This improvement, however, was restricted to the 310 high-risk patients (remission rate and probability of 5-year EFS in study AML-BFM 93 v study AML-BFM 87: 78% v 68%, P =.007; and 44% v 31%, P =.01, log-rank test). Probability of 5-year EFS among standard-risk patients in study AML-BFM 93 was similar to that in study AML-BFM 87 (65% v 63%, P = not significant). Whether HAM was placed as the second or third therapy block was of minor importance. However, patients who received the less intensive daunorubicin treatment during induction benefited from early HAM. Improved treatment results in children with high-risk AML in study AML-BFM 93 must be attributed mainly to the introduction of HAM.

  3. Impact of CD133 positive stem cell proportion on survival in patients with glioblastoma multiforme

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kase, Marju; Minajeva, Ave; Niinepuu, Kristi; Kase, Sandra; Vardja, Markus; Asser, Toomas; Jaal, Jana

    2013-01-01

    The aim of the study was to assess the impact of CD133-positive (CD133+) cancer stem cell proportions on treatment results of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) patients. Patients with GBM (n = 42) received postoperative radiotherapy (± chemotherapy). Surgically excised GBM tissue sections were immunohistochemically examined for CD133 expression. The proportions of CD133+ GBM cells were determined (%). The proportion of CD133+ GBM stem cells was established by 2 independent researchers whose results were in good accordance (R = 0.8, p < 0.01). Additionally, CD133 expression levels were correlated with patients overall survival. The proportion of CD133+ cells varied between patients, being from 0.5% to 82%. Mean and median proportions of CD133+ cells of the entire study group were 33% ± 24% (mean ± SD) and 28%, respectively. Clinical data do not support the association between higher proportion of stem cells and the aggressiveness of GBM. Median survival time of the study group was 10.0 months (95% CI 9.0–11.0). The survival time clearly depended on the proportion of CD133+ cells (log rank test, p = 0.02). Median survival times for patients with low (< median) and high (≥ median) proportion of CD133+ cells were 9.0 months (95% CI 7.6–10.5) and 12.0 months (95% CI 9.3–14.7), respectively. In multivariate analysis, the proportion of CD133+ cells emerged as a significant independent predictor for longer overall survival (HR 2.0, 95% CI 1.0–3.8, p = 0.04). In patients with higher stem cell proportion, significantly longer survival times after postoperative radiotherapy were achieved. Underlying reasons and possible higher sensitivity of GBM stem cells to fractionated radio-therapy should be clarified in further studies

  4. Temperature, larval diet, and density effects on development rate and survival of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jannelle Couret

    Full Text Available Many environmental factors, biotic and abiotic interact to influence organismal development. Given the importance of Aedes aegypti as a vector of human pathogens including dengue and yellow fever, understanding the impact of environmental factors such as temperature, resource availability, and intraspecific competition during development is critical for population control purposes. Despite known associations between developmental traits and factors of diet and density, temperature has been considered the primary driver of development rate and survival. To determine the relative importance of these critical factors, wide gradients of conditions must be considered. We hypothesize that 1 diet and density, as well as temperature influence the variation in development rate and survival, 2 that these factors interact, and this interaction is also necessary to understand variation in developmental traits. Temperature, diet, density, and their two-way interactions are significant factors in explaining development rate variation of the larval stages of Ae. aegypti mosquitoes. These factors as well as two and three-way interactions are significantly associated with the development rate from hatch to emergence. Temperature, but not diet or density, significantly impacted juvenile mortality. Development time was heteroskedastic with the highest variation occurring at the extremes of diet and density conditions. All three factors significantly impacted survival curves of experimental larvae that died during development. Complex interactions may contribute to variation in development rate. To better predict variation in development rate and survival in Ae. aegypti, factors of resource availability and intraspecific density must be considered in addition, but never to the exclusion of temperature.

  5. Effect of Lactobacillus plantarum isolated from digestive tract of wild shrimp on growth and survival of white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) challenged with Vibrio harveyi.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kongnum, Khanitta; Hongpattarakere, Tipparat

    2012-01-01

    Two hundred and two strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from digestive tracts of cultivated and wild adult shrimp, including Litopenaeus vannamei, Metapenaeus brevicornis and Penaeus merguiensis were selected based on their antibacterial activity against Vibrio harveyi. LAB strain of MRO3.12 exhibiting highest reduction of V. harveyi was identified as Lactobacillus plantarum MRO3.12 based on the nucleotide sequence of its 16S rDNA, which showed 99% (780/786 bp) homology to L. plantarum strain L5 (GenBank accession number DQ 239698.1). Co-cultivation of V. harveyi and L. plantarum MRO3.12 showed complete reduction of V. harveyi at 24 h under aerobic and anaerobic conditions, whereas L. plantarum increased from 5.29 to 9.47 log CFU ml(-1). After 6-week feeding trial with L. plantarum supplemented diet, white shrimp (L. vannamei) exhibited significant differences (p < 0.05) in relative growth rate (% RGR), feed conversion ratio (FCR) and survival compared to the control group fed with non-supplemented diet. LAB-fed group showed 98.89% survival, whereas only 68.89% survival was observed in the control group. LAB from the digestive tract of probiotic-fed shrimp showed higher level of 5.0 ± 0.14 log CFU/g than the non-supplemented ones (3.34 ± 0.21 log CFU/g). However, total bacterial and non-fermenting vibrios counts decreased in shrimps fed on L. plantarum. Ten days after infection with V. harveyi (5.3-5.5 log CFU ml(-1)), significant survival (p < 0.05) of 77% was observed in LAB supplemented shrimp, while only 67% survival was observed in the control. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Effect of Bacillus subtilis on the growth and survival rate of shrimp ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The effect ofBacillus subtilis, isolated from digestive tract of Macrobrachium rosenbergii was investigated on growth and survival rate of Litopenaeus vannamei during 60 days of culture. Sixteen aquaria with four replicates were used for treatments and controls. Treatment groups were consisted of Bacillus subtilis, isolated ...

  7. Daily nest survival rates of Gunnison Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus minimus): assessing local- and landscape-scale drivers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stanley, Thomas R.; Aldridge, Cameron L.; Joanne Saher,; Theresa Childers,

    2015-01-01

    The Gunnison Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus minimus) is a species of conservation concern and is a candidate for listing under the U.S. Endangered Species Act because of substantial declines in populations from historic levels. It is thought that loss, fragmentation, and deterioration of sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) habitat have contributed to the decline and isolation of this species into seven geographically distinct subpopulations. Nest survival is known to be a primary driver of demography of Greater Sage-Grouse (C. urophasianus), but no unbiased estimates of daily nest survival rates (hereafter nest survival) exist for Gunnison Sage-Grouse or published studies identifying factors that influence nest survival. We estimated nest survival of Gunnison Sage-Grouse for the western portion of Colorado's Gunnison Basin subpopulation, and assessed the effects and relative importance of local- and landscape-scale habitat characteristics on nest survival. Our top performing model was one that allowed variation in nest survival among areas, suggesting a larger landscape-area effect. Overall nest success during a 38-day nesting period (egg-laying plus incubation) was 50% (daily survival rate; SE  =  0.982 [0.003]), which is higher than previous estimates for Gunnison Sage-Grouse and generally higher than published for the closely related Greater Sage-Grouse. We did not find strong evidence that local-scale habitat variables were better predictors of nest survival than landscape-scale predictors, nor did we find strong evidence that any of the habitat variables we measured were good predictors of nest survival. Nest success of Gunnison Sage-Grouse in the western portion of the Gunnison Basin was higher than previously believed.

  8. Competency-based residency training and the web log: modeling practice-based learning and enhancing medical knowledge

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Matthew F. Hollon

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Background: By using web-based tools in medical education, there are opportunities to innovatively teach important principles from the general competencies of graduate medical education. Objectives: Postulating that faculty transparency in learning from uncertainties in clinical work could help residents to incorporate the principles of practice-based learning and improvement (PBLI in their professional development, faculty in this community-based residency program modeled the steps of PBLI on a weekly basis through the use of a web log. Method: The program confidentially surveyed residents before and after this project about actions consistent with PBLI and knowledge acquired through reading the web log. Results: The frequency that residents encountered clinical situations where they felt uncertain declined over the course of the 24 weeks of the project from a mean frequency of uncertainty of 36% to 28% (Wilcoxon signed rank test, p=0.008; however, the frequency with which residents sought answers when faced with uncertainty did not change (Wilcoxon signed rank test, p=0.39, remaining high at approximately 80%. Residents answered a mean of 52% of knowledge questions correct when tested prior to faculty posts to the blog, rising to a mean of 65% of questions correct when tested at the end of the project (paired t-test, p=0.001. Conclusions: Faculty role modeling of PBLI behaviors and posting clinical questions and answers to a web log led to modest improvements in medical knowledge but did not alter behavior that was already taking place frequently among residents.

  9. Decision support using anesthesia information management system records and accreditation council for graduate medical education case logs for resident operating room assignments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wanderer, Jonathan P; Charnin, Jonathan; Driscoll, William D; Bailin, Michael T; Baker, Keith

    2013-08-01

    Our goal in this study was to develop decision support systems for resident operating room (OR) assignments using anesthesia information management system (AIMS) records and Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) case logs and evaluate the implementations. We developed 2 Web-based systems: an ACGME case-log visualization tool, and Residents Helping in Navigating OR Scheduling (Rhinos), an interactive system that solicits OR assignment requests from residents and creates resident profiles. Resident profiles are snapshots of the cases and procedures each resident has done and were derived from AIMS records and ACGME case logs. A Rhinos pilot was performed for 6 weeks on 2 clinical services. One hundred sixty-five requests were entered and used in OR assignment decisions by a single attending anesthesiologist. Each request consisted of a rank ordered list of up to 3 ORs. Residents had access to detailed information about these cases including surgeon and patient name, age, procedure type, and admission status. Success rates at matching resident requests were determined by comparing requests with AIMS records. Of the 165 requests, 87 first-choice matches (52.7%), 27 second-choice matches (16.4%), and 8 third-choice matches (4.8%) were made. Forty-three requests were unmatched (26.1%). Thirty-nine first-choice requests overlapped (23.6%). Full implementation followed on 8 clinical services for 8 weeks. Seven hundred fifty-four requests were reviewed by 15 attending anesthesiologists, with 339 first-choice matches (45.0%), 122 second-choice matches (16.2%), 55 third-choice matches (7.3%), and 238 unmatched (31.5%). There were 279 overlapping first-choice requests (37.0%). The overall combined match success rate was 69.4%. Separately, we developed an ACGME case-log visualization tool that allows individual resident experiences to be compared against case minimums as well as resident peer groups. We conclude that it is feasible to use ACGME case-log

  10. Survival-related profile, pathways, and transcription factors in ovarian cancer.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anne P G Crijns

    2009-02-01

    versus 41 mo, respectively; permutation p-value of log-rank statistic = 0.015 and maintained its independent prognostic value in multivariate analysis. Genes that composed the overall survival profile were also able to discriminate between the two risk groups in the independent dataset. In our dataset 17/167 pathways and 13/111 transcription factors were associated with overall survival, of which 16 and 12, respectively, were confirmed in the independent dataset. CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides new clues to genes, pathways, and transcription factors that contribute to the clinical outcome of serous ovarian cancer and might be exploited in designing new treatment strategies.

  11. Analysis of RIA standard curve by log-logistic and cubic log-logit models

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamada, Hideo; Kuroda, Akira; Yatabe, Tami; Inaba, Taeko; Chiba, Kazuo

    1981-01-01

    In order to improve goodness-of-fit in RIA standard analysis, programs for computing log-logistic and cubic log-logit were written in BASIC using personal computer P-6060 (Olivetti). Iterative least square method of Taylor series was applied for non-linear estimation of logistic and log-logistic. Hear ''log-logistic'' represents Y = (a - d)/(1 + (log(X)/c)sup(b)) + d As weights either 1, 1/var(Y) or 1/σ 2 were used in logistic or log-logistic and either Y 2 (1 - Y) 2 , Y 2 (1 - Y) 2 /var(Y), or Y 2 (1 - Y) 2 /σ 2 were used in quadratic or cubic log-logit. The term var(Y) represents squares of pure error and σ 2 represents estimated variance calculated using a following equation log(σ 2 + 1) = log(A) + J log(y). As indicators for goodness-of-fit, MSL/S sub(e)sup(2), CMD% and WRV (see text) were used. Better regression was obtained in case of alpha-fetoprotein by log-logistic than by logistic. Cortisol standard curve was much better fitted with cubic log-logit than quadratic log-logit. Predicted precision of AFP standard curve was below 5% in log-logistic in stead of 8% in logistic analysis. Predicted precision obtained using cubic log-logit was about five times lower than that with quadratic log-logit. Importance of selecting good models in RIA data processing was stressed in conjunction with intrinsic precision of radioimmunoassay system indicated by predicted precision. (author)

  12. Toxicity of mercury (Hg on survival and growth rate, hemato- and histopathological parameters ofOreochromis niloticus

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kukuh Nirmala

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available Heavy metals are serious pollutants of the aquatic environment because of their environmental persistence and ability to be accumulated by aquatic organisms. Oreochromis niloticus exposed to 0, 0.16, 0.5, and 1.0 ppm Hg for 30 days. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of mercury in water on survival rate, growth rates, hematological, and histological parameters of Oreochromis niloticus. This study was conducted from Mei to June 2009. The experimental design was arranged in completely randomized design with four treatments and three replications. Stock density was 8 fish/aquarium with mean initial body weight was 15.70±1.13 g. Growth and survival rates of test fish were decreased with increasing the Hg concentration. Red blood cell (RBC count, haematocrit content, and haemoglobin content decreased when compared to the control. The number of white blood cells (WBC increased in mercuric treated fish. The results are statistically significant at p<0.05 level. Keywords:mercury, survival and growth rate, hematology, histopathology, Oreochromis niloticus

  13. Surgery for left ventricular aneurysm: early and late survival after simple linear repair and endoventricular patch plasty.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lundblad, Runar; Abdelnoor, Michel; Svennevig, Jan Ludvig

    2004-09-01

    Simple linear resection and endoventricular patch plasty are alternative techniques to repair postinfarction left ventricular aneurysm. The aim of the study was to compare these 2 methods with regard to early mortality and long-term survival. We retrospectively reviewed 159 patients undergoing operations between 1989 and 2003. The epidemiologic design was of an exposed (simple linear repair, n = 74) versus nonexposed (endoventricular patch plasty, n = 85) cohort with 2 endpoints: early mortality and long-term survival. The crude effect of aneurysm repair technique versus endpoint was estimated by odds ratio, rate ratio, or relative risk and their 95% confidence intervals. Stratification analysis by using the Mantel-Haenszel method was done to quantify confounders and pinpoint effect modifiers. Adjustment for multiconfounders was performed by using logistic regression and Cox regression analysis. Survival curves were analyzed with the Breslow test and the log-rank test. Early mortality was 8.2% for all patients, 13.5% after linear repair and 3.5% after endoventricular patch plasty. When adjusted for multiconfounders, the risk of early mortality was significantly higher after simple linear repair than after endoventricular patch plasty (odds ratio, 4.4; 95% confidence interval, 1.1-17.8). Mean follow-up was 5.8 +/- 3.8 years (range, 0-14.0 years). Overall 5-year cumulative survival was 78%, 70.1% after linear repair and 91.4% after endoventricular patch plasty. The risk of total mortality was significantly higher after linear repair than after endoventricular patch plasty when controlled for multiconfounders (relative risk, 4.5; 95% confidence interval, 2.0-9.7). Linear repair dominated early in the series and patch plasty dominated later, giving a possible learning-curve bias in favor of patch plasty that could not be adjusted for in the regression analysis. Postinfarction left ventricular aneurysm can be repaired with satisfactory early and late results. Surgical

  14. Data logging and online reconstruction in H1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fuhrmann, P.; Gerhards, R.; Kruener-Marquis, U.; Olsson, J.E.; Szkutnik, Z.

    1994-01-01

    In spring 1992, the H1 detector at the HERA electron proton collider at DESY came into operation. The high bunch crossing rate and, correspondingly, the large data volumes are placing demanding requirements on the data logging and event reconstruction. Both tasks are performed on an SGI Challenge series computer. This note reviews the development and the experience with the data logging and online reconstruction in H1

  15. Salmonella survival during thermal dehydration of fresh garlic and storage of dehydrated garlic products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Hongmei; Qi, Yan; Wang, Lei; Zhang, Shaokang; Deng, Xiangyu

    2017-12-18

    Salmonella survival was characterized and modeled during thermal dehydration of fresh garlic and storage of dehydrated garlic products. In our experiments that simulated commercial dehydration processing at 80±5°C, moderate level of Salmonella contamination (4-5logCFU/g) on fresh garlic was reduced below the enumeration limit (1.7logCFU/g) after 4.5h of dehydration and not detectable by culture enrichment after 7h. With high level of contamination (7-8logCFU/g), the Salmonella population persisted at 3.6logCFU/g after 8h of processing. By increasing the dehydration temperature to 90±5°C, the moderate and high levels of initial Salmonella load on fresh garlic dropped below the enumeration limit after 1.5 and 3.75h of processing and became undetectable by culture enrichment after 2.5 and 6h, respectively. During the storage of dried garlic products, Salmonella was not able to grow under all tested combinations of temperature (25 and 35°C) and water activity (0.56-0.98) levels, suggesting active inhibition. Storage temperature played a primary role in determining Salmonella survival on dehydrated garlic flakes. Under a typical storage condition at 25°C and ambient relative humidity, Salmonella could persist over months with the population gradually declining (4.3 log reduction over 88days). Granular size of dehydrated garlic had an impact on Salmonella survival, with better survival of the pathogen observed in bigger granules. At the early stage of dehydrated garlic storage (until 7days), rising water activity appeared to initially promote but then inhibited Salmonella survival, resulting in a water activity threshold at 0.73 where Salmonella displayed strongest persistence. However, this phenomenon was less apparent during extended storage (after 14days). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. The "U.S. News" Rankings Roll On

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoover, Eric

    2007-01-01

    As usual, "U.S. News & World Report's" annual college rankings offered a heavy dose of deja vu when they arrived last August. In this article, the author discusses the response rate to the magazine's controversial reputational survey. The overall response rate plunged to its lowest level ever, a possible sign that organized criticism of the…

  17. Retrospective analysis of survival rates and marginal bone loss on short implants in the mandible.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Draenert, Florian G; Sagheb, Keyvan; Baumgardt, Katharina; Kämmerer, Peer W

    2012-09-01

    Short implants have become an interesting alternative to bone augmentation in dental implantology. Design of shorter implants and longer surveillance times are a current research issue. The goal of this study was to show the survival rates of short implants below 9 mm in the partly edentulous mandibular premolar and molar regions with fixed prosthetics. Marginal vertical and 2D bone loss was evaluated additionally. Different implant designs are orientationally evaluated. A total of 247 dental implants with fixed prosthetics (crowns and bridges) in the premolar and molar region of the mandible were evaluated; 47 implants were 9 mm or shorter. Patient data were evaluated to acquire implant survival rates, implant diameter, gender and age. Panoramic X-rays were analysed for marginal bone loss. Average surveillance time was 1327 days. Cumulative survival rate (CSR) of short implants was 98% (1 implants lost) compared to 94% in the longer implants group without significance. Thirty-five of the short implants were Astratech (0 losses) and 12 were Camlog Screw Line Promote Plus (1 loss). Early vertical and two-dimensional marginal bone loss was not significantly different in short and regular length implant group with an average of 0.6 mm and 0.7 mm(2) in short implants over the observation period. Within the limitations of this study, we conclude that short implants with a length of 9 mm or less have equal survival rates compared with longer implants over the observation period of 1-3 years. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

  18. Survival of probiotic lactobacilli in acidic environments is enhanced in the presence of metabolizable sugars.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Corcoran, B M; Stanton, C; Fitzgerald, G F; Ross, R P

    2005-06-01

    Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG is an industrially significant probiotic strain with proven health benefits. In this study, the effect of glucose on L. rhamnosus GG survival was analyzed in simulated gastric juice at pH 2.0. It was found that the presence of 19.4 mM glucose resulted in up to 6-log10-enhanced survival following 90 min of exposure. Further work with dilute HCl confirmed that glucose was the sole component responsible. Comparative analysis with other Lactobacillus strains revealed that enhanced survival was apparent in all strains, but at different pH values. The presence of glucose at concentrations from 1 to 19.4 mM enhanced L. rhamnosus GG survival from 6.4 to 8 log10 CFU ml(-1) in simulated gastric juice. The mechanisms behind the protective effect of glucose were investigated. Addition of N',N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide to simulated gastric juice caused survival to collapse, which was indicative of a prominent role in inhibition of F0F1-ATPase. Further work with neomycin-resistant mutants that exhibited 38% to 48% of the F0F1-ATPase activity of the parent confirmed this, as the survival in the presence of glucose of these mutants decreased 3 x 10(6)-fold compared with the survival of the wild type (which had a viability of 8.02 log10 CFU ml(-1)). L. rhamnosus GG survival in acidic conditions occurred only in the presence of sugars that it could metabolize efficiently. To confirm the involvement of glycolysis in the glucose effect, iodoacetic acid was used to inhibit glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) activity. The reduction in GAPDH activity caused survival to decrease by 8.30 log10 CFU ml(-1) in the presence of glucose. The data indicate that glucose provides ATP to F0F1-ATPase via glycolysis, enabling proton exclusion and thereby enhancing survival during gastric transit.

  19. Determining factors behind the pagerank log-log plot

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Volkovich, Y.; Litvak, Nelli; Donato, Debora; Bonato, Anthony; Chung, Fan R.K.

    2007-01-01

    We study the relation between PageRank and other parameters of information networks such as in-degree, out-degree, and the fraction of dangling nodes. We model this relation through a stochastic equation inspired by the original definition of PageRank. Further, we use the theory of regular variation

  20. Research of Subgraph Estimation Page Rank Algorithm for Web Page Rank

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    LI Lan-yin

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available The traditional PageRank algorithm can not efficiently perform large data Webpage scheduling problem. This paper proposes an accelerated algorithm named topK-Rank,which is based on PageRank on the MapReduce platform. It can find top k nodes efficiently for a given graph without sacrificing accuracy. In order to identify top k nodes,topK-Rank algorithm prunes unnecessary nodes and edges in each iteration to dynamically construct subgraphs,and iteratively estimates lower/upper bounds of PageRank scores through subgraphs. Theoretical analysis shows that this method guarantees result exactness. Experiments show that topK-Rank algorithm can find k nodes much faster than the existing approaches.

  1. Global environmental ratings as an instrument of environmental policies: what factors determine the rank of Russia?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alekseeva, Nina; Arshinova, Marina; Milanova, Elena

    2017-04-01

    Systems of global environmental rankings have emerged as a result of the escalating need for revealing the trends of ecological development for the world and for certain countries and regions. Both the environmental indicators and indexes and the ratings made on their basis are important for the assessment and forecast of the ecological situation in order to tackle the global and regional problems of sustainable development and help to translate the research findings into policy developments. Data sources for the global environmental ratings are most often the statistical information accumulated in databases of the international organizations (World Bank, World Resources Institute, FAO, WHO, etc.) These data are highly reliable and well-comparable that makes the ratings very objective. There are also good examples of using data of sociological polls, information from social networks, etc. The global environmental ratings are produced by the international organizations (World Bank, World Resources Institute, the UN Environment Program), non-governmental associations (WWF, Climate Action Network Europe (CAN-E), Germanwatch Nord-Süd-Initiative, Friends of the Earth, World Development Movement), research structures (scientific centers of the Yale and Colombian universities, the Oak-Ridge National Laboratory, the New Economic Foundation), and also individual experts, news agencies, etc. Thematic (sectoral) ratings cover various spheres from availability of resources and anthropogenic impact on environment components to nature protection policies and perception of environmental problems. The environmental indicators cover all parameters important for understanding the current ecological situation and the trajectories of its development (the DPSIR model, i.e. drivers, pressures, state, impact and response). Complex (integral) ratings are based on environmental indexes which are combined measurement tools using a complex of aggregated indicators based on a wide range of

  2. GRP78 Protein Expression as Prognostic Values in Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy and Laparoscopic Surgery for Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Hee Yeon; Jung, Ji-Han; Cho, Hyun-Min; Kim, Sung Hwan; Lee, Kang-Moon; Kim, Hyung-Jin; Lee, Jong Hoon; Shim, Byoung Yong

    2015-10-01

    We investigated the relationships between biomarkers related to endoplasmic reticulum stress proteins (glucose-regulated protein of molecular mass 78 [GRP78] and Cripto-1 [teratocarcinoma-derived growth factor 1 protein]), pathologic response, and prognosis in locally advanced rectal cancer. All clinical stage II and III rectal cancer patients received 50.4 Gy over 5.5 weeks, plus 5-fluorouracil (400 mg/m(2)/day) and leucovorin (20 mg/m(2)/day) bolus on days 1 to 5 and 29 to 33, and surgery was performed at 7 to 10 weeks after completion of all therapies. Expression of GRP78 and Cripto-1 proteins was determined by immunohistochemistry and was assessed in 101 patients with rectal cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT). High expression of GRP78 and Cripto-1 proteins was observed in 86 patients (85.1%) and 49 patients (48.5%), respectively. Low expression of GRP78 protein was associated with a significantly high rate of down staging (80.0% vs. 52.3%, respectively; p=0.046) and a significantly low rate of recurrence (0% vs. 33.7%, respectively; p=0.008) compared with high expression of GRP78 protein. Mean recurrence-free survival according to GRP78 expression could not be estimated because the low expression group did not develop recurrence events but showed a significant correlation with time to recurrence, based on the log rank method (p=0.007). GRP78 also showed correlation with overall survival, based on the log rank method (p=0.045). GRP78 expression is a predictive and prognostic factor for down staging, recurrence, and survival in rectal cancer patients treated with 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin neoadjuvant CRT.

  3. Survival and reproductive rate of mites in relation to resistance of their barn swallow hosts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Møller, A P

    2000-08-01

    Parasite resistance may act via a number of different mechanisms that regulate or control the survival and the reproductive rate of parasites. Observations and experiments were used to test for effects of host resistance on parasite survival and rate of reproduction. Natural levels of infestation of barn swallow Hirundo rustica nests by the tropical fowl mite Ornithonyssus bursa were positively related to brood size, inversely related to the length of the outermost tail feathers of male nest owners (a secondary sexual character) and affected by time of reproduction by the host. A mite inoculation experiment, in which 50 adult mites were introduced into nests during the laying period of the host, was used to test for differential survival and reproduction of mites as a function of host resistance. The relationship between survival and reproduction of parasites, male tail length and host resistance was investigated. There was a negative relationship between mite numbers per nest after fledging of nestlings and male tail length. This relationship was mainly caused by a reduction in the number of mites in the first and second nymph stage with increasing tail length of male hosts, implying a reduction in rate of reproduction of mites. The proportion of mites that had recently fed was inversely related to tail length of male hosts. The proportion of nymph stages was positively related to the proportion of mites that had recently had a blood meal. Parasite resistance of barn swallows to the tropical fowl mite thus appeared to act through increased mortality rate of adult and nymph stages of mites, and through reduced reproductive rates of mites on resistant hosts. This is the first study demonstating a direct relationship between fitness components of a parasite and the expression of a secondary sexual character of a host.

  4. SENSORY EVALUATION AND SURVIVAL OF PROBIOTICS IN MODIFIED BANANA FLOUR YOGHURT DURING STORAGE [Evaluasi Sensori dan Sintasan Probiotik dalam Yoghurt Tepung Pisang Modifikasi selama Penyimpanan

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Widaningrum3

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Modified uli banana flour (MUBF rich in resistant starch as prebiotic source was formulated in yoghurt making to substitute skim milk at various concentrations i.e. 40, 50, 60, and 70%. Yoghurts were prepared using Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus as the starter cultures. The objective of this study was to determine the maximum MUBF concentration to produce yoghurt with good sensory quality and good number of surviving probiotics (Bifidobacterium bifidum and Lactobacillus plantarum BSL in non-pasteurized and pasteurized (90ºC, 30 minutes MUBF yoghurt during 4 week of storage at 10ºC. Hedonic rating and ranking test on yoghurt attributes (aroma, taste, consistency, texture, color and overall preference performed by 35 untrained panelists showed that yoghurt produced with 70% MUBF substitution achieved good preferences in all of the attributes ranging from neutral to like. The pH value of the product decreased with increase in MUBF concentration. In addition, titratable acidity (TA, expressed as % lactic acid, increased. Survival of both probiotics in 70% MUBF yoghurt either in the pasteurized synbiotic or non-pasteurized yoghurts were still relatively high at week 4. The yoghurt still contains 108 CFU/ml of lactic acid bacteria, although this was a log decrease from the initial count. Therefore, the MUBF yoghurt was promising as synbiotic yoghurt based on the probiotic counts throughout 4 week of storage, which was higher than the minimum level recommended (106 CFU/ml to provide the beneficial effect.

  5. Impact on survival of warfarin in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension receiving subcutaneous treprostinil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ascha, Mona; Zhou, Xuan; Rao, Youlan; Minai, Omar A; Tonelli, Adriano R

    2017-10-01

    Anticoagulation is a common treatment modality in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Further studies are needed to appropriately assess the risk/benefit ratio of anticoagulation, particularly in PAH patients receiving PAH-specific therapies. We use observational long-term data on PAH patients treated with subcutaneous (SQ) treprostinil from a large open-label study. Patients were followed for up to 4 years. The use of warfarin and bleeding events were recorded. At total of 860 patients (age [mean±SD] 46±15 years, 76% female, 83% Caucasian, 49% idiopathic PAH, and 76% New York Heart Association [NYHA] functional class III) were included. All patients received SQ treprostinil (15% also other pulmonary hypertension [PH]-therapies) and 590 (69%) received warfarin during the study. The proportions of women, African American, and idiopathic pulmonary hypertension (IPAH) patients were higher in the group receiving warfarin. A higher proportion of patients with congenital heart disease and portopulmonary hypertension did not receive warfarin. There were no differences in unadjusted long-term survival between PAH patients receiving warfarin or not (log-rank test, P value=.69), even when only considering idiopathic PAH (P=.32). In addition, no difference was found in adjusted long-term survival both in PAH (P=.84) and idiopathic PAH patients (P=.44) based on the use of warfarin. Furthermore, no survival difference based on the use of warfarin were noted between propensity score-matched PAH patients (P=.37). Long-term anticoagulation with warfarin was not associated with any significant effect on survival in PAH or idiopathic PAH patients treated with SQ treprostinil. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  6. Intraoperative radiotherapy combined with resection for pancreatic cancer. Analysis of survival rates and prognostic factors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuga, Hirotaka; Nishihara, Kazuyoshi; Matsunaga, Hiroaki; Suehara, Nobuhiro; Abe, Yuji; Ihara, Takaaki; Iwashita, Toshimitsu; Mitsuyama, Shoshu

    2006-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) combined with surgical resection. Subjects were consecutive 69 patients with pancreatic cancer treated with surgery alone (n=31) or surgical resection combined with IORT (n=38) in a 13 year period between 1991 and 2003. We evaluated the effects of IORT against local recurrence of cancer and patients' survival, retrospectively. Furthermore, clinicopathological factors affecting the 5-year survival rate in the two groups were comparatively investigated. The IORT group showed a significantly lower local recurrence rate of cancer than that in the surgery alone group (7.8% and 22.6%, respectively; p<0.05). The 5-year survival probability in the IORT group was significantly higher than that in the surgery alone group (29.9% and 3.4%, respectively; p<0.05). According to the Japanese classification of pancreatic cancer, cancers located in the pancreas body or tail, no local residual cancer post operative procedure (R0), low grade local cancer progression (t1, 2), and low grade intrapancreatic neural invasion (ne0, 1) were significantly better prognostic factors in the IORT group than those in the surgery alone group. There were no significant differences between the both groups in the 5-year survival rate in terms of the sex of the patients, cancer of the pancreas head, histological type, more than R1, the presence of lymph node involvement, ne2-3, and clinical stages. IORT is a useful intraoperative adjuvant therapy for pancreatic cancer, when the curative resection is achieved. Our data have suggested that IORT suppresses the local recurrence of cancer and provides the significant survival benefit for those patients. (author)

  7. Survival rates in the Czech Republic of introduced plants known as wool aliens

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Pyšek, Petr

    2005-01-01

    Roč. 7, - (2005), s. 567-576 ISSN 1387-3547 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA526/00/1443 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60050516 Keywords : wool aliens * survival rate * naturalization Subject RIV: EF - Botanics

  8. Publication rates following pancreas meetings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Timmer, A; Blum, T; Lankisch, P G

    2001-08-01

    Publication rates and determinants of publication were studied based on abstracts presented at pancreatic meetings. All abstracts presented at the 1994 and 1995 annual meetings of the European Pancreatic Club (EPC) and the American Pancreatic Association (APA) were followed up by searching MEDLINE. Publication rates were compared using log-rank tests and multiple logistic regression. The prestige of the publishing journals was compared using Kruskal-Wallis tests on scientific impact factors (SIF). Overall, 340 abstracts were presented at the EPC, and 254 were presented at the APA. Of these, 203 (59.7%, EPC) and 138 (54.3%, APA) were later published in peer-reviewed journals. Publication rates did not differ by study type or country region of origin. In addition, median SIFs were similar by conference (APA vs. EPC) and research type (basic science vs. clinical studies) (overall, 1.7). However, North American and North/West European articles were published in higher impact journals as compared with those from other countries. Publication rates and median journal SIFs in pancreas research are similar to those reported from other medical specialty meetings. There is no difference by conference, type of research, or origin (North American vs. European).

  9. Association Between Change in Body Mass Index, Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale Scores, and Survival Among Persons With Parkinson Disease: Secondary Analysis of Longitudinal Data From NINDS Exploratory Trials in Parkinson Disease Long-term Study 1.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wills, Anne-Marie A; Pérez, Adriana; Wang, Jue; Su, Xiao; Morgan, John; Rajan, Suja S; Leehey, Maureen A; Pontone, Gregory M; Chou, Kelvin L; Umeh, Chizoba; Mari, Zoltan; Boyd, James

    2016-03-01

    found that the weight-loss group's mean (SE) motor UPDRS score increased by 1.48 (0.28) (P < .001) more points per visit than the weight-stable group's mean (SE) motor UPDRS score. The weight-gain group's mean (SE) motor UPDRS score decreased by -0.51 (0.24) (P = .03) points per visit, relative to the weight-stable group. While there was an unadjusted difference in survival between the 3 BMI trajectory groups (log-rank P < .001), this was not significant after adjusting for covariates. Change in BMI was inversely associated with change in motor and total UPDRS scores in the NET-PD LS-1. Change in BMI was not associated with survival; however, these results were limited by the low number of deaths in the NET-PD LS-1. clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00449865.

  10. Prognostic factors for survival in patients with colorectal liver metastases: experience of a single brazilian cancer center

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Héber Salvador de Castro Ribeiro

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available CONTEXT: Liver metastases are a common event in the clinical outcome of patients with colorectal cancer and account for 2/3 of deaths from this disease. There is considerable controversy among the data in the literature regarding the results of surgical treatment and prognostic factors of survival, and no analysis have been done in a large cohort of patients in Brazil. OBJECTIVES: To characterize the results of surgical treatment of patients with colorectal liver metastases, and to establish prognostic factors of survival in a Brazilian population. METHOD: This was a retrospective study of patients undergoing liver resection for colorectal metastases in a tertiary cancer hospital from 1998 to 2009. We analyzed epidemiologic variables and the clinical characteristics of primary tumors, metastatic disease and its treatment, surgical procedures and follow-up, and survival results. Survival analyzes were done by the Kaplan-Meier method and the log-rank test was applied to determine the influence of variables on overall and disease-free survival. All variables associated with survival with P<0.20 in univariate analysis, were included in multivariate analysis using a Cox proportional hazard regression model. RESULTS: During the period analyzed, 209 procedures were performed on 170 patients. Postope-rative mortality in 90 days was 2.9% and 5-year overall survival was 64.9%. Its independent prognostic factors were the presence of extrahepatic disease at diagnosis of liver metastases, bilateral nodules and the occurrence of major complications after liver surgery. The estimated 5-year disease-free survival was 39.1% and its prognostic factors included R1 resection, extrahepatic disease, bilateral nodules, lymph node involvement in the primary tumor and primary tumors located in the rectum. CONCLUSION: Liver resection for colorectal metastases is safe and effective and the analysis of prognostic factors of survival in a large cohort of Brazilian patients

  11. Impact of Pretreatment Tumor Growth Rate on Outcome of Early-Stage Lung Cancer Treated With Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Atallah, Soha; Cho, B.C. John; Allibhai, Zishan; Taremi, Mojgan; Giuliani, Meredith [Radiation Medicine Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, Ontario (Canada); Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario (Canada); Le, Lisa W. [Department of Biostatistics, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, Ontario (Canada); Brade, Anthony; Sun, Alexander; Bezjak, Andrea [Radiation Medicine Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, Ontario (Canada); Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario (Canada); Hope, Andrew J., E-mail: andrew.hope@rmp.uhn.on.ca [Radiation Medicine Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, Ontario (Canada); Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario (Canada)

    2014-07-01

    Purpose: To determine the influence of pretreatment tumor growth rate on outcomes in patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). Methods and Materials: A review was conducted on 160 patients with T1-T2N0M0 NSCLC treated with SBRT at single institution. The patient's demographic and clinical data, time interval (t) between diagnostic and planning computed tomography (CT), vital status, disease status, and cause of death were extracted from a prospectively kept database. Differences in gross tumor volume between diagnostic CT (GTV1) and planning CT (GTV2) were recorded, and growth rate was calculated by use of specific growth rate (SGR). Kaplan-Meier curves were constructed for overall survival (OS). Differences between groups were compared with a log-rank test. Multivariate analyses were performed by use of the Cox proportional hazard model with SGR and other relevant clinical factors. Cumulative incidence was calculated for local, regional, and distant failures by use of the competing risk approach and was compared with Gray's test. Results: The median time interval between diagnostic and planning CT was 82 days. The patients were divided into 2 groups, and the median SGR was used as a cut-off. The median survival times were 38.6 and 27.7 months for the low and high SGR groups, respectively (P=.03). Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (P=.01), sex (P=.04), SGR (P=.03), and GTV2 (P=.002) were predictive for OS in multivariable Cox regression analysis and, except sex, were similarly predictive for failure-free survival (FFS). The 3-year cumulative incidences of regional failure were 19.2% and 6.0% for the high and low SGR groups, respectively (P=.047). Conclusion: High SGR was correlated with both poorer OS and FFS in patients with early-stage NSCLC treated with SBRT. If validated, this measurement may be useful in identifying patients most likely to benefit from

  12. Effect of clearcutting operations on the survival rate of a small mammal.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martín A H Escobar

    Full Text Available Clearcutting is a common timber harvesting technique that represents a significant and abrupt change in habitat conditions for wildlife living in industrial forests. Most research on this type of impact has focused on comparing populations or communities in mature forests/plantations and the resulting clearcut stands. However, this approach does not separate the effect of changes in habitat attributes from direct mortality produced by the intensive use of heavy machinery required for cutting down trees and dragging them to a road. Because knowing the fate of individuals after a disturbance is important for modelling landscape-scale population dynamics in industrial forests, we conducted a study in South-Central Chile to understand the short-term response to clearcutting operations of the long-haired Akodont (Abrothrix longipillis, a forest specialist mouse. Between 2009 and 2013 we radiotracked a total of 51 adult male Akodonts, before, during and after the clearcutting of the pine plantations in which they lived. A minimum of 52.4% of the individuals died as a direct cause of the timbering operations, being crushed by vehicles or logs during logging operations. Our observations suggest that, instead of fleeing the area, the response of long-haired Akodonts to the approaching machinery is to hide under the forest litter or in burrows, which exposes them to a serious risk of death. The real mortality rate associated to clearcutting may be higher than that estimated by us because of some methodological biases (i.e. individuals with crushed radiotransmitters not recorded and the fact that additional mortality sources may affect the population in the weeks following logging operations (e.g., higher exposure to predation, effects of site preparation for the new plantation, etc.

  13. VaRank: a simple and powerful tool for ranking genetic variants

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Véronique Geoffroy

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Background. Most genetic disorders are caused by single nucleotide variations (SNVs or small insertion/deletions (indels. High throughput sequencing has broadened the catalogue of human variation, including common polymorphisms, rare variations or disease causing mutations. However, identifying one variation among hundreds or thousands of others is still a complex task for biologists, geneticists and clinicians.Results. We have developed VaRank, a command-line tool for the ranking of genetic variants detected by high-throughput sequencing. VaRank scores and prioritizes variants annotated either by Alamut Batch or SnpEff. A barcode allows users to quickly view the presence/absence of variants (with homozygote/heterozygote status in analyzed samples. VaRank supports the commonly used VCF input format for variants analysis thus allowing it to be easily integrated into NGS bioinformatics analysis pipelines. VaRank has been successfully applied to disease-gene identification as well as to molecular diagnostics setup for several hundred patients.Conclusions. VaRank is implemented in Tcl/Tk, a scripting language which is platform-independent but has been tested only on Unix environment. The source code is available under the GNU GPL, and together with sample data and detailed documentation can be downloaded from http://www.lbgi.fr/VaRank/.

  14. Survival of V79 cells after low doses of X-rays

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Watts, M.E.; Fowler, J.F.; Hodgkiss, R.J.; Jones, N.R.

    1984-01-01

    Doses of X-rays of the order 1-3 Gy are used in clinical multifraction regimes. Reduction in oxygen enhancement ratios (OER) and sensitizer enhancement ratios have been reported for CHO cells. The errors in determining low levels of cell kill are largely influenced by sampling and dilution errors. The authors have aimed to reduce these errors by increasing the sample size and reducing dilutions. To further assess the uncertainties involved in these experiments the data were pooled from three independent series of experiments. Asynchronous log phase Chinese hamster lung fibroblast cells have been irradiated attached to glass Petri dishes in Eagle's MEM + 10% fcs at a dose rate of 0.61 Gy min/sup -1/ under air + 5% CO/sub 2/ or nitrogen + 5% CO/sub 2/ at 18 0 C. Survival in the range 10/sup -1/ to 5 x 10/sup -3/ surviving fraction (SF) was identical at 0.61 Gy min/sup -1/ and 3.93 Gy min/sup -1/. Many previous experiments have given an OER = 3.1 at 10/sup -2/-10/sup -3/ survival. Least squares fit to the linear quadratic function log S = -(αD + βD/sup 2/) gave an OER≅3.2 at SF = 10/sup -2/. Below 6 Gy air dose (>0.2 SF) OER was reduced, but was still ≅ 2.4 at 2 Gy. The linear quadratic function gave an OER for a ≅ 1.5 (the limiting low-dose OER) and √β≅3.2

  15. Generalized localization for the double trigonometric Fourier series and the Walsh-Fourier series of functions in L log +L log + log +L

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bloshanskaya, S K; Bloshanskii, I L; Roslova, T Y

    1998-01-01

    For an arbitrary open set Ω subset of I 2 =[0,1) 2 and an arbitrary function f element of L log + L log + log + L(I 2 ) such that f=0 on Ω the double Fourier series of f with respect to the trigonometric system Ψ=E and the Walsh-Paley system Ψ=W is shown to converge to zero (over rectangles) almost everywhere on Ω. Thus, it is proved that generalized localization almost everywhere holds on arbitrary open subsets of the square I 2 for the double trigonometric Fourier series and the Walsh-Fourier series of functions in the class L log + L log + log + L (in the case of summation over rectangles). It is also established that such localization breaks down on arbitrary sets that are not dense in I 2 , in the classes Φ Ψ (L)(I 2 ) for the orthonormal system Ψ=E and an arbitrary function such that Φ E (u)=o(u log + log + u) as u→∞ or for Φ W (u)=u( log + log + u) 1-ε , 0<ε<1

  16. Sparse structure regularized ranking

    KAUST Repository

    Wang, Jim Jing-Yan

    2014-04-17

    Learning ranking scores is critical for the multimedia database retrieval problem. In this paper, we propose a novel ranking score learning algorithm by exploring the sparse structure and using it to regularize ranking scores. To explore the sparse structure, we assume that each multimedia object could be represented as a sparse linear combination of all other objects, and combination coefficients are regarded as a similarity measure between objects and used to regularize their ranking scores. Moreover, we propose to learn the sparse combination coefficients and the ranking scores simultaneously. A unified objective function is constructed with regard to both the combination coefficients and the ranking scores, and is optimized by an iterative algorithm. Experiments on two multimedia database retrieval data sets demonstrate the significant improvements of the propose algorithm over state-of-the-art ranking score learning algorithms.

  17. Bayesian Analysis of the Survival Function and Failure Rate of Weibull Distribution with Censored Data

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chris Bambey Guure

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The survival function of the Weibull distribution determines the probability that a unit or an individual will survive beyond a certain specified time while the failure rate is the rate at which a randomly selected individual known to be alive at time will die at time (. The classical approach for estimating the survival function and the failure rate is the maximum likelihood method. In this study, we strive to determine the best method, by comparing the classical maximum likelihood against the Bayesian estimators using an informative prior and a proposed data-dependent prior known as generalised noninformative prior. The Bayesian estimation is considered under three loss functions. Due to the complexity in dealing with the integrals using the Bayesian estimator, Lindley’s approximation procedure is employed to reduce the ratio of the integrals. For the purpose of comparison, the mean squared error (MSE and the absolute bias are obtained. This study is conducted via simulation by utilising different sample sizes. We observed from the study that the generalised prior we assumed performed better than the others under linear exponential loss function with respect to MSE and under general entropy loss function with respect to absolute bias.

  18. Patient-prosthesis mismatch after transapical aortic valve implantation: incidence and impact on survival.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kukucka, Marian; Pasic, Miralem; Dreysse, Stephan; Mladenow, Alexander; Habazettl, Helmut; Hetzer, Roland; Unbehaun, Axel

    2013-02-01

    Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has become an important therapeutic option for high-risk patients with severe aortic valve stenosis. Patient-prosthesis mismatch (P-PM) is an important determinant of morbidity and mortality after open aortic valve replacement. The objective of our study was to evaluate P-PM incidence and its impact on survival in a large cohort of patients treated with TAVI. We retrospectively analyzed transesophageal echocardiographic data of 278 consecutive patients (Society of Thoracic Surgeons score 18.5 ± 15.3, age 80 ± 8 years) who underwent transapical TAVI with Edwards Sapien valves between April 2008 and March 2011. Effective orifice area was calculated using the continuity equation and indexed with body surface area (iEOA). P-PM was stratified as severe (iEOA < 0.65 cm(2)/cm(2)) and moderate (iEOA, 0.65-0.85 cm(2)/m(2)). Midterm survival (up to 30 months) was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank tests. There was no P-PM in 181 (65.1%) patients; moderate P-PM was found in 76 (27.3%) patients and severe P-PM in 21 (7.6%). Thirty-day survival was 96.0%, 97.3%, and 90.5%. The 3-month survival was 91%, 90%, and 66%, respectively (P = .0013). Combination of severe P-PM with peak pressure gradients greater than 10 mm Hg further reduced the 3-month survival to 48%. Additionally, mean survival time in patients with an ejection fraction less than 50% was significantly shorter than in patients with an ejection fraction greater than 50% (20.8 ± 1.5 vs 24.1 ± 0.8 months; P = .027). P-PM is found in patients undergoing transapical TAVI. Severe mismatch is accompanied by high early mortality, especially when combined with increased pressure gradients. Copyright © 2013 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Simple prognostic model for patients with advanced cancer based on performance status.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jang, Raymond W; Caraiscos, Valerie B; Swami, Nadia; Banerjee, Subrata; Mak, Ernie; Kaya, Ebru; Rodin, Gary; Bryson, John; Ridley, Julia Z; Le, Lisa W; Zimmermann, Camilla

    2014-09-01

    Providing survival estimates is important for decision making in oncology care. The purpose of this study was to provide survival estimates for outpatients with advanced cancer, using the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG), Palliative Performance Scale (PPS), and Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) scales, and to compare their ability to predict survival. ECOG, PPS, and KPS were completed by physicians for each new patient attending the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre outpatient Oncology Palliative Care Clinic (OPCC) from April 2007 to February 2010. Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method. The log-rank test for trend was employed to test for differences in survival curves for each level of performance status (PS), and the concordance index (C-statistic) was used to test the predictive discriminatory ability of each PS measure. Measures were completed for 1,655 patients. PS delineated survival well for all three scales according to the log-rank test for trend (P statistic was similar for all three scales and ranged from 0.63 to 0.64. We present a simple tool that uses PS alone to prognosticate in advanced cancer, and has similar discriminatory ability to more complex models. Copyright © 2014 by American Society of Clinical Oncology.

  20. Survival of feral cats, Felis catus (Carnivora: Felidae), on Mauna Kea, Hawai'i, based on tooth cementum lines

    Science.gov (United States)

    Danner, Raymond M.; Farmer, Chris; Hess, Steven C.; Stephens, Robert M.; Banko, Paul C.

    2010-01-01

    Feral cats (Felis catus) have spread throughout anthropogenic and insular environments of the world. They now threaten many species of native wildlife with chronic depredation. Knowledge of feral cat population dynamics is necessary to understand their ecological effects and to develop effective control strategies. However, there are few studies worldwide regarding annual or lifetime survival rates in remote systems, and none on Pacific islands. We constructed the age distribution and estimated survival of feral cats in a remote area of Hawai'i Island using cementum lines present in lower canine teeth. Our data suggest annual cementum line formation. A log-linear model estimated annual survival ≥ 1 yr of age to be 0.647. Relatively high survival coupled with high reproductive output allows individual cats to affect native wildlife for many years and cat populations to rebound quickly after control efforts.

  1. The effect of retraining of nurses on cardiopulmonary resuscitationsuccess rate and short-term and long-term survival in patients revived

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dahi M

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available Background and Objective: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR is performed in order to restore the functioning of two most important body organs the heart and brain. The present study was performed to investigate the effect of retraining of nurses on CPR success rate and short-term and long-term CPR survival. Materials and Method: The study population of the present quasi-experimental study consisted of all nurses of Taleghani Hospital affiliated with Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran, in 2011. The study subjects (n = 400 were selected using convenience and purposive sampling method. The patient survival rate during the first 24 hours (short-term survival and discharge from the hospital (long-term survival after CPR were reported. Then, the study subjects, in groups of 20, participated in CPR training courses. Short-term (24 hours and long-term (discharge from hospital in good mental status survival subsequent to CPR were reevaluated and compared with pre-training results. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 20, and t-test and chi-square test. Results: Retraining promoted CPR success rates. This increase in the short-term success rate was not significant, but the increase in long-term success rate was statistically significant (P = 0.007. Conclusion: Periodic retraining of nurses may improve CPR success rate particularly long-term survival or discharge from hospital. Therefore, further studies on long-term success of CPR considering confounding factors are recommended

  2. Low-rank coal research

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Weber, G. F.; Laudal, D. L.

    1989-01-01

    This work is a compilation of reports on ongoing research at the University of North Dakota. Topics include: Control Technology and Coal Preparation Research (SO{sub x}/NO{sub x} control, waste management), Advanced Research and Technology Development (turbine combustion phenomena, combustion inorganic transformation, coal/char reactivity, liquefaction reactivity of low-rank coals, gasification ash and slag characterization, fine particulate emissions), Combustion Research (fluidized bed combustion, beneficiation of low-rank coals, combustion characterization of low-rank coal fuels, diesel utilization of low-rank coals), Liquefaction Research (low-rank coal direct liquefaction), and Gasification Research (hydrogen production from low-rank coals, advanced wastewater treatment, mild gasification, color and residual COD removal from Synfuel wastewaters, Great Plains Gasification Plant, gasifier optimization).

  3. Contribution of screening and survival differences to racial disparities in colorectal cancer rates

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    I. Lansdorp-Vogelaar (Iris); K.M. Kuntz (Karen); A.B. Knudsen (Amy); M. van Ballegooijen (Marjolein); A. Zauber (Ann); A. Jemal (Ahmedin)

    2012-01-01

    textabstractBackground: Considerable disparities exist in colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence and mortality rates between blacks and whites in the United States. We estimated how much of these disparities could be explained by differences in CRC screening and stage-specific relative CRC survival.

  4. 38 CFR 3.10 - Dependency and indemnity compensation rate for a surviving spouse.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 38 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Dependency and indemnity... OF VETERANS AFFAIRS ADJUDICATION Pension, Compensation, and Dependency and Indemnity Compensation General § 3.10 Dependency and indemnity compensation rate for a surviving spouse. (a) General...

  5. Five-Year Survival of 20,946 Unicondylar Knee Replacements and Patient Risk Factors for Failure: An Analysis of German Insurance Data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jeschke, Elke; Gehrke, Thorsten; Günster, Christian; Hassenpflug, Joachim; Malzahn, Jürgen; Niethard, Fritz Uwe; Schräder, Peter; Zacher, Josef; Halder, Andreas

    2016-10-19

    Improvements in implant design and surgical technique of unicondylar knee arthroplasty have led to reduced revision rates, but patient selection seems to be crucial for success of such arthroplasties. The purpose of the present study was to analyze the 5-year implant survival rate of unicondylar knee replacements in Germany and to identify patient factors associated with an increased risk of revision, including >30 comorbid conditions. Using nationwide billing data of the largest German health-care insurance for inpatient hospital treatment, we identified patients who underwent unicondylar knee arthroplasty between 2006 and 2012. Kaplan-Meier survival curves with revision as the end point and log-rank tests were used to evaluate 5-year implant survival. A multivariable Cox regression model was used to determine factors associated with revision. The risk factors of age, sex, diagnosis, comorbidities, type of implant fixation, and hospital volume were analyzed. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated. During the study period, a total of 20,946 unicondylar knee arthroplasties were included. The number of unicondylar knee arthroplasties per year increased during the study period from 2,527 in 2006 to 4,036 in 2012. The median patient age was 64 years (interquartile range, 56 to 72 years), and 60.4% of patients were female. During the time evaluated, the 1-year revision rate decreased from 14.3% in 2006 to 8.7% in 2011. The 5-year survival rate was 87.8% (95% CI, 87.3% to 88.3%). Significant risk factors (p 74 years was used as the reference); female sex (HR, 1.18 [95% CI, 1.07 to 1.29]); complicated diabetes (HR, 1.47 [95% CI, 1.03 to 2.12]); depression (HR, 1.29 [95% CI, 1.06 to 1.57]); obesity, defined as a body mass index of ≥30 kg/m 2 (HR, 1.13 [95% CI, 1.02 to 1.26]); and low-volume hospitals, denoted as an annual hospital volume of ≤10 cases (HR, 1.60 [95% CI, 1.39 to 1.84]), 11 to 20 cases (HR, 1.47 [95% CI, 1.27 to 1

  6. Borehole logging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Olsen, H.

    1995-01-01

    Numerous ground water investigations have been accomplished by means of borehole logging. Borehole logging can be applied to establish new water recovery wells, to control the existing water producing wells and source areas and to estimate ground water quality. (EG)

  7. The Preoperative Controlling Nutritional Status Score Predicts Survival After Curative Surgery in Patients with Pathological Stage I Non-small Cell Lung Cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shoji, Fumihiro; Haratake, Naoki; Akamine, Takaki; Takamori, Shinkichi; Katsura, Masakazu; Takada, Kazuki; Toyokawa, Gouji; Okamoto, Tatsuro; Maehara, Yoshihiko

    2017-02-01

    The prognostic Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) score is used to evaluate immuno-nutritional conditions and is a predictive factor of postoperative survival in patients with digestive tract cancer. We retrospectively analyzed clinicopathological features of patients with pathological stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) to identify predictors or prognostic factors of postoperative survival and to investigate the role of preoperative CONUT score in predicting survival. We selected 138 consecutive patients with pathological stage I NSCLC treated from August 2005 to August 2010. We measured their preoperative CONUT score in uni- and multivariate Cox regression analyses of postoperative survival. A high CONUT score was positively associated with preoperative serum carcinoembryonic antigen level (p=0.0100) and postoperative recurrence (p=0.0767). In multivariate analysis, the preoperative CONUT score [relative risk (RR)=6.058; 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.068-113.941; p=0.0407), increasing age (RR=7.858; 95% CI=2.034-36.185; p=0.0029), and pleural invasion (RR=36.615; 95% CI=5.900-362.620; pcancer-specific survival (CS), and overall survival (OS), the group with high CONUT score had a significantly shorter RFS, CS, and OS than did the low-CONUT score group by log-rank test (p=0.0458, p=0.0104 and p=0.0096, respectively). The preoperative CONUT score is both a predictive and prognostic factor in patients with pathological stage I NSCLC. This immuno-nutritional score can indicate patients at high risk of postoperative recurrence and death. Copyright© 2017, International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.

  8. Well log characterization of natural gas-hydrates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Collett, Timothy S.; Lee, Myung W.

    2012-01-01

    In the last 25 years there have been significant advancements in the use of well-logging tools to acquire detailed information on the occurrence of gas hydrates in nature: whereas wireline electrical resistivity and acoustic logs were formerly used to identify gas-hydrate occurrences in wells drilled in Arctic permafrost environments, more advanced wireline and logging-while-drilling (LWD) tools are now routinely used to examine the petrophysical nature of gas-hydrate reservoirs and the distribution and concentration of gas hydrates within various complex reservoir systems. Resistivity- and acoustic-logging tools are the most widely used for estimating the gas-hydrate content (i.e., reservoir saturations) in various sediment types and geologic settings. Recent integrated sediment coring and well-log studies have confirmed that electrical-resistivity and acoustic-velocity data can yield accurate gas-hydrate saturations in sediment grain-supported (isotropic) systems such as sand reservoirs, but more advanced log-analysis models are required to characterize gas hydrate in fractured (anisotropic) reservoir systems. New well-logging tools designed to make directionally oriented acoustic and propagation-resistivity log measurements provide the data needed to analyze the acoustic and electrical anisotropic properties of both highly interbedded and fracture-dominated gas-hydrate reservoirs. Advancements in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) logging and wireline formation testing (WFT) also allow for the characterization of gas hydrate at the pore scale. Integrated NMR and formation testing studies from northern Canada and Alaska have yielded valuable insight into how gas hydrates are physically distributed in sediments and the occurrence and nature of pore fluids(i.e., free water along with clay- and capillary-bound water) in gas-hydrate-bearing reservoirs. Information on the distribution of gas hydrate at the pore scale has provided invaluable insight on the mechanisms

  9. Impacts of Bokashi on survival and growth rates of Pinus pseudostrobus in community reforestation projects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jaramillo-López, P F; Ramírez, M I; Pérez-Salicrup, D R

    2015-03-01

    Community-based small-scale reforestation practices have been proposed as an alternative to low-efficiency massive reforestations conducted by external agents. These latter conventional reforestations are often carried out in soils that have been seriously degraded and this has indirectly contributed to the introduction of non-native species and/or acceptance of very low seedling survival rates. Bokashi is a fermented soil organic amendment that can be made from almost any available agricultural byproduct, and its beneficial effects in agriculture have been reported in various contexts. Here, we report the results of a community-based small-scale experimental reforestation where the provenance of pine seedlings (local and commercial) and the use of Bokashi as a soil amendment were evaluated. Bokashi was prepared locally by members of a small rural community in central Mexico. Almost two years after the establishment of the trial, survival rates for the unamended and amended local trees were 97-100% while survival of the commercial trees from unamended and amended treatments were 87-93%. Consistently through time, local and commercial seedlings planted in Bokashi-amended soils were significantly taller (x̅ = 152 cm) than those planted in unamended soils (̅x = 86 cm). An unplanned infection by Cronartium quercuum in the first year of the experiment was considered as a covariable. Infected seedlings showed malformations but this did not affect survival and growth rates. Bokashi amendment seems as an inexpensive, locally viable technology to increase seedling survival and growth and to help recover deforested areas where soils have been degraded. This allows local stakeholders to see more rapid results while helping them to maintain their interest in conservation activities. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Logging Concessions Enable Illegal Logging Crisis in the Peruvian Amazon

    Science.gov (United States)

    Finer, Matt; Jenkins, Clinton N.; Sky, Melissa A. Blue; Pine, Justin

    2014-04-01

    The Peruvian Amazon is an important arena in global efforts to promote sustainable logging in the tropics. Despite recent efforts to achieve sustainability, such as provisions in the US-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement, illegal logging continues to plague the region. We present evidence that Peru's legal logging concession system is enabling the widespread illegal logging via the regulatory documents designed to ensure sustainable logging. Analyzing official government data, we found that 68.3% of all concessions supervised by authorities were suspected of major violations. Of the 609 total concessions, nearly 30% have been cancelled for violations and we expect this percentage to increase as investigations continue. Moreover, the nature of the violations indicate that the permits associated with legal concessions are used to harvest trees in unauthorized areas, thus threatening all forested areas. Many of the violations pertain to the illegal extraction of CITES-listed timber species outside authorized areas. These findings highlight the need for additional reforms.

  11. Logging concessions enable illegal logging crisis in the Peruvian Amazon.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Finer, Matt; Jenkins, Clinton N; Sky, Melissa A Blue; Pine, Justin

    2014-04-17

    The Peruvian Amazon is an important arena in global efforts to promote sustainable logging in the tropics. Despite recent efforts to achieve sustainability, such as provisions in the US-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement, illegal logging continues to plague the region. We present evidence that Peru's legal logging concession system is enabling the widespread illegal logging via the regulatory documents designed to ensure sustainable logging. Analyzing official government data, we found that 68.3% of all concessions supervised by authorities were suspected of major violations. Of the 609 total concessions, nearly 30% have been cancelled for violations and we expect this percentage to increase as investigations continue. Moreover, the nature of the violations indicate that the permits associated with legal concessions are used to harvest trees in unauthorized areas, thus threatening all forested areas. Many of the violations pertain to the illegal extraction of CITES-listed timber species outside authorized areas. These findings highlight the need for additional reforms.

  12. Prolonged Elevated Heart Rate and 90-Day Survival in Acutely Ill Patients: Data From the MIMIC-III Database.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sandfort, Veit; Johnson, Alistair E W; Kunz, Lauren M; Vargas, Jose D; Rosing, Douglas R

    2018-01-01

    We sought to evaluate the association of prolonged elevated heart rate (peHR) with survival in acutely ill patients. We used a large observational intensive care unit (ICU) database (Multiparameter Intelligent Monitoring in Intensive Care III [MIMIC-III]), where frequent heart rate measurements were available. The peHR was defined as a heart rate >100 beats/min in 11 of 12 consecutive hours. The outcome was survival status at 90 days. We collected heart rates, disease severity (simplified acute physiology scores [SAPS II]), comorbidities (Charlson scores), and International Classification of Diseases (ICD) diagnosis information in 31 513 patients from the MIMIC-III ICU database. Propensity score (PS) methods followed by inverse probability weighting based on the PS was used to balance the 2 groups (the presence/absence of peHR). Multivariable weighted logistic regression was used to assess for association of peHR with the outcome survival at 90 days adjusting for additional covariates. The mean age was 64 years, and the most frequent main disease category was circulatory disease (41%). The mean SAPS II score was 35, and the mean Charlson comorbidity score was 2.3. Overall survival of the cohort at 90 days was 82%. Adjusted logistic regression showed a significantly increased risk of death within 90 days in patients with an episode of peHR ( P < .001; odds ratio for death 1.79; confidence interval, 1.69-1.88). This finding was independent of median heart rate. We found a significant association of peHR with decreased survival in a large and heterogenous cohort of ICU patients.

  13. ParSel: Parallel Selection of Micro-RNAs for Survival Classification in Cancers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sinha, Debajyoti; Sengupta, Debarka; Bandyopadhyay, Sanghamitra

    2017-07-01

    It is known that tumor micro-RNAs (miRNA) can define patient survival and treatment response. We present a framework to identify miRNAs which are predictive of cancer survival. The framework attempts to rank the miRNAs by exploring their collaborative role in gene regulation. Our approach tests a significantly large number of combinatorial cases leveraging parallel computation. We carefully avoided parametric assumptions involved in evaluations of miRNA expressions but used rigorous statistical computation to assign an importance score to a miRNA. Experimental results on three cancer types namely, KIRC, OV and GBM verify that the top ranked miRNAs obtained using the proposed framework produce better classification accuracy as compared to some best practice variable selection methods. Some of these top ranked miRNA are also known to be associated with related diseases. © 2017 Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  14. Analysis of Survival Rates Following Primary Surgery of 178 Consecutive Patients with Oral Cancer in a Large District General Hospital.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stathopoulos, Panagiotis; Smith, William P

    2017-06-01

    The aim of this study is to present the survival rates in patients treated for oral cancer with primary surgery in a large district general hospital. We discuss the influence of the most significant prognostic factors on survival and compare our results with larger centres specializing in the management of oral cancer. All patients diagnosed with oral cancer from 1995 to 2006 and were treated in the Department had their details entered prospectively onto a computerized database. Demographic details of patients, type of treatment, pathological stage of tumor (TNM), local and regional recurrence rate, overall survival, disease specific survival and incidence of involved margins were recorded and calculated. Of the 178 patients, 96 (54 %) were alive and free of oral cancer 5 years after surgery. Forty-four patients died of oral cancer (24.7 %) but 38 (21.3 %) died of other causes. The overall survival rate after primary surgery in relation to stage was: I 84 %, II 71 %, III 36 % and IV 28 %. As almost half of our patients presented with advanced cancer and had discouraging survival rates, we emphasize the need for early recognition of the disease. Advanced disease signifies difficulty in obtaining clear margins which actually indicates a higher recurrence rate. 25 % of our patients died of oral cancer within 5 years of surgery which highlights the poor prognosis that recurrence carries after treatment. Effective educational campaign with purpose to raise oral cancer awareness and earlier referral may result in improvement of survival.

  15. Low dose rate brachytherapy (LDR-BT) as monotherapy for early stage prostate cancer in Italy: practice and outcome analysis in a series of 2237 patients from 11 institutions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fellin, Giovanni; Mirri, Maria A; Santoro, Luigi; Jereczek-Fossa, Barbara A; Divan, Claudio; Mussari, Salvatore; Ziglio, Francesco; La Face, Beniamino; Barbera, Fernando; Buglione, Michela; Bandera, Laura; Ghedi, Barbara; Di Muzio, Nadia G; Losa, Andrea; Mangili, Paola; Nava, Luciano; Chiarlone, Renato; Ciscognetti, Nunzia; Gastaldi, Emilio; Cattani, Federica; Spoto, Ruggero; Vavassori, Andrea; Giglioli, Francesca R; Guarneri, Alessia; Cerboneschi, Valentina; Mignogna, Marcello; Paoluzzi, Mauro; Ravaglia, Valentina; Chiumento, Costanza; Clemente, Stefania; Fusco, Vincenzo; Santini, Roberto; Stefanacci, Marco; Mangiacotti, Francesco P; Martini, Marco; Palloni, Tiziana; Schinaia, Giuseppe; Lazzari, Grazia; Silvano, Giovanni; Magrini, Stefano; Ricardi, Umberto; Santoni, Riccardo; Orecchia, Roberto

    2016-09-01

    Low-dose-rate brachytherapy (LDR-BT) in localized prostate cancer is available since 15 years in Italy. We realized the first national multicentre and multidisciplinary data collection to evaluate LDR-BT practice, given as monotherapy, and outcome in terms of biochemical failure. Between May 1998 and December 2011, 2237 patients with early-stage prostate cancer from 11 Italian community and academic hospitals were treated with iodine-125 ((125)I) or palladium-103 LDR-BT as monotherapy and followed up for at least 2 years. (125)I seeds were implanted in 97.7% of the patients: the mean dose received by 90% of target volume was 145 Gy; the mean target volume receiving 100% of prescribed dose (V100) was 91.1%. Biochemical failure-free survival (BFFS), disease-specific survival (DSS) and overall survival (OS) were estimated using Kaplan-Meier method. Log-rank test and multivariable Cox regression were used to evaluate the relationship of covariates with outcomes. Median follow-up time was 65 months. 5- and 7-year DSS, OS and BFFS were 99 and 98%, 94 and 89%, and 92 and 88%, respectively. At multivariate analysis, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network score (p LDR-BT. This first multicentre Italian report confirms LDR-BT as an excellent curative modality for low-/intermediate-risk prostate cancer. Multidisciplinary teams may help to select adequately patients to be treated with brachytherapy, with a direct impact on the implant quality and, possibly, on outcome.

  16. Implant and prosthodontic survival rates with implant fixed complete dental prostheses in the edentulous mandible after at least 5 years: a systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Papaspyridakos, Panos; Mokti, Muizzaddin; Chen, Chun-Jung; Benic, Goran I; Gallucci, German O; Chronopoulos, Vasilios

    2014-10-01

    The treatment of mandibular edentulism with implant fixed complete dental prostheses (IFCDPs) is a routinely used treatment option. The study aims to report the implant and prosthodontic survival rates associated with IFCDPs for the edentulous mandible after an observation period of a minimum 5 years. An electronic MEDLINE/PubMED search was conducted to identify randomized controlled clinical trials and prospective studies with IFCDPs for the edentulous mandible. Clinical studies with at least 5-year follow-up were selected. Pooled data were statistically analyzed and cumulative implant- and prosthesis survival rates were calculated by meta-analysis, regression, and chi-square statistics. Implant-related and prosthesis-related factors were identified and their impact on survival rates was assessed. Seventeen prospective studies, including 501 patients and 2,827 implants, were selected for meta-analysis. The majority of the implants (88.5% of all placed implants) had been placed in the interforaminal area. Cumulative implant survival rates for rough surface ranged from 98.42% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 97.98-98.86) (5 years) to 96.86% (95% CI: 96.00-97.73) (10 years); smooth surface implant survival rates ranged from 98.93% (95% CI: 98.38-99.49) (5 years) to 97.88% (95% CI: 96.78-98.98) (10 years). The prosthodontic survival rates for 1-piece IFCDPs ranged from 98.61% (95% CI: 97.80-99.43) (5 years) to 97.25% (95% CI: 95.66-98.86) (10 years). Treatment with mandibular IFCDPs yields high implant and prosthodontic survival rates (more than 96% after 10 years). Rough surface implants exhibited cumulative survival rates similar to the smooth surface ones (p > .05) in the edentulous mandible. The number of supporting implants and the antero-posterior implant distribution had no influence (p > .05) on the implant survival rate. The prosthetic design and veneering material, the retention type, and the loading protocol (delayed, early, and immediate) had no

  17. How to Rank Journals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bradshaw, Corey J A; Brook, Barry W

    2016-01-01

    There are now many methods available to assess the relative citation performance of peer-reviewed journals. Regardless of their individual faults and advantages, citation-based metrics are used by researchers to maximize the citation potential of their articles, and by employers to rank academic track records. The absolute value of any particular index is arguably meaningless unless compared to other journals, and different metrics result in divergent rankings. To provide a simple yet more objective way to rank journals within and among disciplines, we developed a κ-resampled composite journal rank incorporating five popular citation indices: Impact Factor, Immediacy Index, Source-Normalized Impact Per Paper, SCImago Journal Rank and Google 5-year h-index; this approach provides an index of relative rank uncertainty. We applied the approach to six sample sets of scientific journals from Ecology (n = 100 journals), Medicine (n = 100), Multidisciplinary (n = 50); Ecology + Multidisciplinary (n = 25), Obstetrics & Gynaecology (n = 25) and Marine Biology & Fisheries (n = 25). We then cross-compared the κ-resampled ranking for the Ecology + Multidisciplinary journal set to the results of a survey of 188 publishing ecologists who were asked to rank the same journals, and found a 0.68-0.84 Spearman's ρ correlation between the two rankings datasets. Our composite index approach therefore approximates relative journal reputation, at least for that discipline. Agglomerative and divisive clustering and multi-dimensional scaling techniques applied to the Ecology + Multidisciplinary journal set identified specific clusters of similarly ranked journals, with only Nature & Science separating out from the others. When comparing a selection of journals within or among disciplines, we recommend collecting multiple citation-based metrics for a sample of relevant and realistic journals to calculate the composite rankings and their relative uncertainty windows.

  18. Assessment of survival rates compared according to the Tamai and Yamano classifications in fingertip replantations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dadaci, Mehmet; Ince, Bilsev; Altuntas, Zeynep; Bitik, Ozan; Kamburoglu, Haldun Onuralp; Uzun, Hakan

    2016-01-01

    The fingertip is the most frequently injured and amputated segment of the hand. There are controversies about defining clear indications for microsurgical replantation. Many classification systems have been proposed to solve this problem. No previous study has simultaneously correlated different classification systems with replant survival rate. The aim of the study is to compare the outcomes of fingertip replantations according to Tamai and Yamano classifications. 34 consecutive patients who underwent fingertip replantation between 2007 and 2014 were retrospectively reviewed with respect to the Tamai and Yamano classifications. The medical charts from record room were reviewed. The mean age of the patients was 36.2 years. There were 30 men and 4 women. All the injuries were complete amputations. Of the 34 fingertip amputations, 19 were in Tamai zone 2 and 15 were in Tamai zone 1. When all the amputations were grouped in reference to the Yamano classification, 6 were type 1 guillotine, 8 were type 2 crush and 20 were type 3 crush avulsions. Of the 34 fingertips, 26 (76.4%) survived. Ten (66.6%) of 15 digits replanted in Tamai zone 1 and 16 (84.2%) of 19 digits replanted in Tamai zone 2 survived. There were no replantation failures in Yamano type 1 injuries (100%) and only two failed in Yamano type 2 (75%). Replantation was successful in 14 of 20 Yamano type 3 injuries, but six failed (70%). The percentage of success rates was the least in the hybridized groups of Tamai zone 1-Yamano type 2 and Tamai zone 1-Yamano type 3. Although clinically distinct, the survival rates between the groups were not statistically significantly different. The level and mechanism of injury play a decisive role in the success of fingertip replantation. Success rate increases in proximal fingertip amputations without crush injury.

  19. Assessment of survival rates compared according to the Tamai and Yamano classifications in fingertip replantations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mehmet Dadaci

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: The fingertip is the most frequently injured and amputated segment of the hand. There are controversies about defining clear indications for microsurgical replantation. Many classification systems have been proposed to solve this problem. No previous study has simultaneously correlated different classification systems with replant survival rate. The aim of the study is to compare the outcomes of fingertip replantations according to Tamai and Yamano classifications. Materials and Methods: 34 consecutive patients who underwent fingertip replantation between 2007 and 2014 were retrospectively reviewed with respect to the Tamai and Yamano classifications. The medical charts from record room were reviewed. The mean age of the patients was 36.2 years. There were 30 men and 4 women. All the injuries were complete amputations. Of the 34 fingertip amputations, 19 were in Tamai zone 2 and 15 were in Tamai zone 1. When all the amputations were grouped in reference to the Yamano classification, 6 were type 1 guillotine, 8 were type 2 crush and 20 were type 3 crush avulsions. Results: Of the 34 fingertips, 26 (76.4% survived. Ten (66.6% of 15 digits replanted in Tamai zone 1 and 16 (84.2% of 19 digits replanted in Tamai zone 2 survived. There were no replantation failures in Yamano type 1 injuries (100% and only two failed in Yamano type 2 (75%. Replantation was successful in 14 of 20 Yamano type 3 injuries, but six failed (70%. The percentage of success rates was the least in the hybridized groups of Tamai zone 1-Yamano type 2 and Tamai zone 1-Yamano type 3. Although clinically distinct, the survival rates between the groups were not statistically significantly different. Conclusions: The level and mechanism of injury play a decisive role in the success of fingertip replantation. Success rate increases in proximal fingertip amputations without crush injury.

  20. High resolution gamma spectroscopy well logging system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Giles, J.R.; Dooley, K.J.

    1997-01-01

    A Gamma Spectroscopy Logging System (GSLS) has been developed to study sub-surface radionuclide contamination. The absolute counting efficiencies of the GSLS detectors were determined using cylindrical reference sources. More complex borehole geometries were modeled using commercially available shielding software and correction factors were developed based on relative gamma-ray fluence rates. Examination of varying porosity and moisture content showed that as porosity increases, and as the formation saturation ratio decreases, relative gamma-ray fluence rates increase linearly for all energies. Correction factors for iron and water cylindrical shields were found to agree well with correction factors determined during previous studies allowing for the development of correction factors for type-304 stainless steel and low-carbon steel casings. Regression analyses of correction factor data produced equations for determining correction factors applicable to spectral gamma-ray well logs acquired under non-standard borehole conditions

  1. Reintroduction of the highly endangered mollusk Patella ferruginea Gmelin, 1791 in an MPA: A novel approach to achieve high survival rates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zarrouk, Anis; Romdhane, Mohamed Salah; Espinosa, Free

    2018-03-01

    Patella ferruginea is the most endangered marine invertebrate of western Mediterranean rocky shores. After a study of one of its most important populations in the Zembra Archipelago National Park (Tunisia), a new protocol for the translocation of the species (size: 4-8 cm) was adopted. The first translocation was made in June 2014 in the same archipelago, where 94 specimens were moved from Zembretta to Zembra Island and marked (62 protected by cages, 20 with no cages and 60 as controls). The second translocation was performed in August 2014 (110 specimens) from Zembra to La Galite Island (185 km away). High mortality was registered during transport. The remaining individuals (39) were marked and placed in cages on the rocky shores of Galite Island, then monitored until November 2015. Growth and survival rates were measured in both translocated and control populations. The highest mortality rates were observed during the initial three days after translocation, especially for individuals with no cage protection. After a 697-day survey on Zembra Island, survival rates of 58%, 25% and 85% were observed for cage, no-cage and control populations, respectively. After a 457-day survey on La Galite Island, the survival rate was 18%. Limpets>6 cm in size had the highest survival rate among Zembra-translocated populations, whereas translocated limpets of 4-6 cm in size showed the highest survival rate in La Galite. The growth rates for both translocated populations were higher than the rate observed for controls. Our translocation experiment shows the importance of cage protection and initial limpet size for survival.

  2. Association of oestrogen receptor beta 2 (ERβ2/ERβcx) with outcome of adjuvant endocrine treatment for primary breast cancer – a retrospective study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vinayagam, Raman; Sibson, D Ross; Holcombe, Christopher; Aachi, Vijay; Davies, Michael PA

    2007-01-01

    Oestrogen receptor beta (ERβ) modulates ERα activity; wild type ERβ (ERβ1) and its splice variants may therefore impact on hormone responsiveness of breast cancer. ERβ2/ERβcx acts as a dominant negative inhibitor of ERα and expression of ERβ2 mRNA has been proposed as a candidate marker for outcome in primary breast cancer following adjuvant endocrine therapy. We therefore now assess ERβ2 protein by immunostaining and mRNA by quantitative RT-PCR in relation to treatment outcome. ERβ2-specific immunostaining was quantified in 141 primary breast cancer cases receiving adjuvant endocrine therapy, but no neoadjuvant therapy or adjuvant chemotherapy. The expression of mRNA for ERβ2/ERβcx was measured in 100 cases by quantitative RT-PCR. Statistical analysis of breast cancer relapse and breast cancer survival was performed using Kaplan Meier log-rank tests and Cox's univariate and multivariate survival analysis. High ERβ2 immunostaining (Allred score >5) and high ERβ2 mRNA levels were independently associated with significantly better outcome across the whole cohort, including both ERα positive and negative cases (Log-Rank P < 0.05). However, only ERβ2 mRNA levels were significantly associated with better outcome in the ERα + subgroup (Log-Rank P = 0.01) and this was independent of grade, size, nodal status and progesterone receptor status (Cox hazard ratio 0.31 P = 0.02 for relapse; 0.17 P = 0.01 for survival). High ERβ2 mRNA was also associated with better outcome in node negative cases (Log Rank P < 0.001). ERβ2 protein levels were greater in ERα positive cases (T-test P = 0.00001), possibly explaining the association with better outcome. Levels of ERβ2 protein did not correlate ERβ2 mRNA levels, but 34% of cases had both high mRNA and protein and had a significantly better outcome (Log-Rank relapse P < 0.005). High ERβ2 protein levels were associated with ERα expression. Although most cases with high ERβ2 mRNA had strong ERβ2

  3. Improved Metastasis- and Disease-Free Survival With Preoperative Sequential Short-Course Radiation Therapy and FOLFOX Chemotherapy for Rectal Cancer Compared With Neoadjuvant Long-Course Chemoradiotherapy: Results of a Matched Pair Analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Markovina, Stephanie; Youssef, Fady; Roy, Amit; Aggarwal, Sonya; Khwaja, Shariq; DeWees, Todd; Tan, Benjamin; Hunt, Steven; Myerson, Robert J; Chang, Daniel T; Parikh, Parag J; Olsen, Jeffrey R

    2017-10-01

    To compare treatment and toxicity outcomes between a phase 2 institutional trial of near total neoadjuvant therapy (nTNT) for locally advanced rectal cancer and a similar historical control cohort treated at Washington University in St. Louis with the current US standard of care, defined as neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NCRT), total mesorectal excision (TME), and adjuvant FOLFOX chemotherapy; to expand the comparison to an additional institution, patients treated with similar NCRT at Stanford University were included. Sixty-nine patients with cT3-4N0-2M0 rectal adenocarcinoma enrolled on the Washington University in St. Louis phase 2 study of nTNT were included for analysis. Patients treated at the same institution with conventional NCRT and adjuvant FOLFOX were matched for exact cTNM stage. Forty-one patients treated with NCRT at Stanford University were included in a second analysis. Kaplan-Meier analysis with log-rank test was used to compare local control, distant metastasis-free survival, disease-free survival, and overall survival. Median follow-up was 49 and 54 months for nTNT and NCRT, respectively. Pathologic complete response and T-downstaging rates were 28% versus 16% (P=.21) and 75% versus 41% (P<.001) in the nTNT and NCRT cohorts, respectively. Three-year disease-free survival (85% vs 68%, P=.032) was significantly better in the nTNT group. Actuarial 3-year local control (92% vs 96%, P=.36) and overall survival (96% vs 88%, P=.67) were similar. The Stanford cohort had significantly lower clinical stage. After controlling for clinical stage, age, tumor location, institution, and number of chemotherapy cycles, nTNT treatment remained significantly associated with lower risk of recurrence (P=.006). Patients treated with nTNT had higher T-downstaging and superior distant metastasis-free survival and disease-free survival compared with conventional NCRT when matched for tumor location and exact cTNM stage. Near total neoadjuvant therapy remained a

  4. Fontan fenestration closure and event-free survival.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Imielski, Bartlomiej R; Woods, Ronald K; Mussatto, Kathleen A; Cao, Yumei; Simpson, Pippa M; Tweddell, James S

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the association of open and closed Fontan fenestration status with event-free survival. All patients who underwent a fenestrated Fontan procedure at our institution from January 1994 through June 2007 were reviewed. Patient information was obtained from the medical records. The patients were assigned to 1 of 2 study groups, open or closed, according to their most recent fenestration status. Clinically relevant morbid events were tabulated, and Kaplan-Meier event analysis was used to create event-free probability curves with log-rank comparisons. A total of 161 patients were classified as open and 51 as closed. The median interval to an event was 1.1 years (interquartile range, 0.1-3.3 years) after the Fontan procedure. The median interval to closure was 1.2 years (interquartile range, 0.7-3.3 years). The median interval to an event was 1.5 years (interquartile range, 0.1-4.6 years) in the closed group and 1.1 years (interquartile range, 0.1-3.3 years) in the open group. Event-free probability analysis revealed no significant difference between the 2 groups (P = .15). The median follow-up arterial oxygen saturation was greater in the closed group (96.0%; interquartile range, 94.0%-97.0%) than in the open group (91.0%; interquartile range, 86.0%-95.0%; P < .0001). Fenestration closure was associated with greater arterial oxygen saturation but not greater event-free survival. The interval to an event was slightly less than the interval to fenestration closure, suggesting potential merit in the evaluation of earlier fenestration closure. Adoption of specific fenestration management guidelines might help improve the overall outcomes and enhance the quality of future studies. Copyright © 2013 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Implementing a novel movement-based approach to inferring parturition and neonate caribou calf survival.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maegwin Bonar

    Full Text Available In ungulates, parturition is correlated with a reduction in movement rate. With advances in movement-based technologies comes an opportunity to develop new techniques to assess reproduction in wild ungulates that are less invasive and reduce biases. DeMars et al. (2013, Ecology and Evolution 3:4149-4160 proposed two promising new methods (individual- and population-based; the DeMars model that use GPS inter-fix step length of adult female caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou to infer parturition and neonate survival. Our objective was to apply the DeMars model to caribou populations that may violate model assumptions for retrospective analysis of parturition and calf survival. We extended the use of the DeMars model after assigning parturition and calf mortality status by examining herd-wide distributions of parturition date, calf mortality date, and survival. We used the DeMars model to estimate parturition and calf mortality events and compared them with the known parturition and calf mortality events from collared adult females (n = 19. We also used the DeMars model to estimate parturition and calf mortality events for collared female caribou with unknown parturition and calf mortality events (n = 43 and instead derived herd-wide estimates of calf survival as well as distributions of parturition and calf mortality dates and compared them to herd-wide estimates generated from calves fitted with VHF collars (n = 134. For our data, the individual-based method was effective at predicting calf mortality, but was not effective at predicting parturition. The population-based method was more effective at predicting parturition but was not effective at predicting calf mortality. At the herd-level, the predicted distributions of parturition date from both methods differed from each other and from the distribution derived from the parturition dates of VHF-collared calves (log-ranked test: χ2 = 40.5, df = 2, p < 0.01. The predicted distributions of calf

  6. The influence of disturbance events on survival and dispersal rates of Florida box turtles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dodd, C.K.; Ozgul, A.; Oli, M.K.

    2006-01-01

    Disturbances have the potential to cause long-term effects to ecosystem structure and function, and they may affect individual species in different ways. Long-lived vertebrates such as turtles may be at risk from such events, inasmuch as their life histories preclude rapid recovery should extensive mortality occur. We applied capture–mark–recapture models to assess disturbance effects on a population of Florida box turtles (Terrapene carolina bauri) on Egmont Key, Florida, USA. Near the midpoint of the study, a series of physical disturbances affected the island, from salt water overwash associated with several tropical storms to extensive removal of nonindigenous vegetation. These disturbances allowed us to examine demographic responses of the turtle population and to determine if they affected dispersal throughout the island. Adult survival rates did not vary significantly either between sexes or among years of the study. Survival rates did not vary significantly between juvenile and adult turtles, or among years of the study. Furthermore, neither adult nor juvenile survival rates differed significantly between pre- and post-disturbance. However, dispersal rates varied significantly among the four major study sites, and dispersal rates were higher during the pre-disturbance sampling periods compared to post-disturbance. Our results suggest few long-term effects on the demography of the turtle population. Florida box turtles responded to tropical storms and vegetation control by moving to favorable habitats minimally affected by the disturbances and remaining there. As long as turtles and perhaps other long-lived vertebrates can disperse to non-disturbed habitat, and high levels of mortality do not occur in a population, a long life span may allow them to wait out the impact of disturbance with potentially little effect on long-term population processes.

  7. Practical test set-up and method for determining the response characteristics of a log rate channel over 6 decades

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kemp, J.

    1996-01-01

    A test method was developed using modern, readily available instrumentation to produce an exponentially rising signal over 6 1/2 decades. The method includes validation and calibration tests. It was used to simulate the current signal that would be produced from an ion chamber during a hypothetical loss of Regulation event for a reactor from a shutdown state. This simulation scenario was then used to test the log rate channel of the new ion chamber amplifiers for the NRU research reactor second trip system upgrade. (author)

  8. Primate Innovation: Sex, Age and Social Rank

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Reader, S.M.; Laland, K.N.

    2001-01-01

    Analysis of an exhaustive survey of primate behavior collated from the published literature revealed significant variation in rates of innovation among individuals of different sex, age and social rank. We searched approximately 1,000 articles in four primatology journals, together with other

  9. TH-AB-201-12: Using Machine Log-Files for Treatment Planning and Delivery QA

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Stanhope, C [Beaumont Health System, Royal Oak MI and Wayne State University, Detroit, MI (United States); Liang, J; Drake, D; Yan, D [Beaumont Health System, Royal Oak, MI (United States)

    2016-06-15

    Purpose: To determine the segment reduction and dose resolution necessary for machine log-files to effectively replace current phantom-based patient-specific quality assurance, while minimizing computational cost. Methods: Elekta’s Log File Convertor R3.2 records linac delivery parameters (dose rate, gantry angle, leaf position) every 40ms. Five VMAT plans [4 H&N, 1 Pulsed Brain] comprised of 2 arcs each were delivered on the ArcCHECK phantom. Log-files were reconstructed in Pinnacle on the phantom geometry using 1/2/3/4° control point spacing and 2/3/4mm dose grid resolution. Reconstruction effectiveness was quantified by comparing 2%/2mm gamma passing rates of the original and log-file plans. Modulation complexity scores (MCS) were calculated for each beam to correlate reconstruction accuracy and beam modulation. Percent error in absolute dose for each plan-pair combination (log-file vs. ArcCHECK, original vs. ArcCHECK, log-file vs. original) was calculated for each arc and every diode greater than 10% of the maximum measured dose (per beam). Comparing standard deviations of the three plan-pair distributions, relative noise of the ArcCHECK and log-file systems was elucidated. Results: The original plans exhibit a mean passing rate of 95.1±1.3%. The eight more modulated H&N arcs [MCS=0.088±0.014] and two less modulated brain arcs [MCS=0.291±0.004] yielded log-file pass rates most similar to the original plan when using 1°/2mm [0.05%±1.3% lower] and 2°/3mm [0.35±0.64% higher] log-file reconstructions respectively. Log-file and original plans displayed percent diode dose errors 4.29±6.27% and 3.61±6.57% higher than measurement. Excluding the phantom eliminates diode miscalibration and setup errors; log-file dose errors were 0.72±3.06% higher than the original plans – significantly less noisy. Conclusion: For log-file reconstructed VMAT arcs, 1° control point spacing and 2mm dose resolution is recommended, however, less modulated arcs may allow less

  10. Effect of low-energy coherent radiation with lambda=6328 A on the survival rate of Saccharomyces cerevisial of strain 14

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abramova, N.V.

    1978-01-01

    The effect of the continuous monochromatic coherent laser radiation on the survival rate of Saccharomyces cerevisiae of strain 14 is studied. The effect of laser radiation is judged by the change in the survival rate of the yeast culture before and after the irradiation. The decrease of the number of the yeast cells in the initial moments of the irradiation was observed as a result of the laser irradiation. Then the rapid decrease of the number of cells with time changes into their constant number. It is established that the low-energy coherent radiation decreases the survival rate by 30-40%

  11. Similar long-term overall and disease-free survival after conventional and extralevator abdominoperineal excision

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Klein, Mads; Colov, Emilie Palmgren; Gögenur, Ismail

    2016-01-01

    , respectively, (log-rank p = 0.59)). In Cox regression, the type of procedure did not affect DFS or OS. Factors of importance for DFS included increasing age, ypN-positive disease and neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy. Factors of importance for OS included increasing age, circumferential resection margin (CRM...

  12. Causal inference for long-term survival in randomised trials with treatment switching: Should re-censoring be applied when estimating counterfactual survival times?

    OpenAIRE

    Latimer, N.R.; White, I.R.; Abrams, K.R.; Sieburt, U.

    2017-01-01

    Treatment switching often has a crucial impact on estimates of effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of new oncology treatments. Rank preserving structural failure time models (RPSFTM) and two-stage estimation (TSE) methods estimate ‘counterfactual’ (i.e. had there been no switching) survival times and incorporate re-censoring to guard against informative censoring in the counterfactual dataset. However, re-censoring causes a loss of longer term survival information which is problematic when e...

  13. Demographic trade-offs in a neutral model explain death-rate--abundance-rank relationship.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Kui; Zhang, Da-Yong; He, Fangliang

    2009-01-01

    The neutral theory of biodiversity has been criticized for its neglect of species differences. Yet it is much less heeded that S. P. Hubbell's definition of neutrality allows species to differ in their birth and death rates as long as they have an equal per capita fitness. Using the lottery model of competition we find that fitness equalization through birth-death trade-offs can make species coexist longer than expected for demographically identical species, whereas the probability of monodominance for a species under zero-sum neutral dynamics is equal to its initial relative abundance. Furthermore, if newly arising species in a community survive preferentially they are more likely to slip through the quagmire of rareness, thus creating a strong selective bias favoring their community membership. On the other hand, high-mortality species, once having gained a footing in the community, are more likely to become abundant due to their compensatory high birth rates. This unexpected result explains why a positive association between species abundance and per capita death rate can be seen in tropical-forest communities. An explicit incorporation of interspecific trade-offs between birth and death into the neutral theory increases the theory's realism as well as its predictive power.

  14. Short-term survival and mortality rates in a retrospective study of colic in 1588 Danish horses

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christophersen, Mogens Teken; Dupont, Nana Hee; Berg-Sørensen, Kristina S.

    2014-01-01

    Background: Outcomes of colic treatment are of great interest to clinicians, horse owners and insurers. One commonly used criterion of success is the overall short-term survival rate. This is used as to compare treatments and to measure quality of veterinary care, but may be biased by demographic...... the countries, which may bias the outcomes. This study indicates that qualitative interview studies on owners ’ attitudes towards animal suffering and euthanasia need to be conducted. Our opinion is that survival rates are not valid as sole indicators of quality of care in colic treatment due to selection bias...

  15. Survival, fidelity, and recovery rates of white-winged doves in Texas

    KAUST Repository

    Collier, Bret A.

    2012-03-12

    Management of migratory birds at the national level has historically relied on regulatory boundaries for definition of harvest restrictions and estimation of demographic parameters. Most species of migratory game birds are not expanding their ranges, so migratory corridors are approximately fixed. White-winged doves (Zenaida asiatica), however, have undergone significant variation in population structure with marked range expansion occurring in Texas, and range contraction in Arizona, during the last 30 years. Because >85% of white-winged dove harvest in the United States (approx. 1.3 million annually) now occurs in Texas, information on vital rates of expanding white-winged dove populations is necessary for informed management. We used band recovery and mark-recapture data to investigate variation in survival and harvest across 3 geographic strata for white-winged doves banded in the pre-hunting season in Texas during 2007-2010. We banded 60,742 white-winged doves, recovered 2,458 bands via harvest reporting, and recaptured 455 known-age birds between 2007 and 2010. The best supporting model found some evidence for geographic differences in survival rates among strata (A-C) in both hatch-year (juvenile; A = 0.205 [SE = 0.0476], B = 0.213 [SE = 0.0278], C = 0.364 [SE = 0.0254]) and after-hatch year (adult; A = 0.483 [SE = 0.0775], B = 0.465 [SE = 0.0366], C = 0.538 [SE = 0.251]) birds. White-winged doves had a low probability of moving among strata (0.009) or being recaptured (0.002) across all strata. Harvest recovery rates were concordant with estimates for other dove species, but were variable across geographic strata. Based on our results, harvest management strategies for white-winged doves in Texas and elsewhere should consider differences in population vital rates among geographic strata. © 2012 The Wildlife Society.

  16. Elevated Serum IL-17 Expression at Cessation Associated with Graves’ Disease Relapse

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jianhui Li

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. Antithyroid drug (ATD treatment occupies the cornerstone therapeutic modality of Graves’ disease (GD with a high relapse rate after discontinuation. This study aimed to assess potential risk factors for GD relapse especially serum interleukin-17 (IL-17 expression. Methods. Consecutive newly diagnosed GD patients who were scheduled to undergo ATD therapy from May 2011 to May 2014 were prospectively enrolled. Risk factors for GD relapse were analyzed by univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard analyses. The association between serum IL-17 expression at cessation and GD relapse was analyzed with relapse-free survival (RFS by the Kaplan–Meier survival analysis and log-rank test. Results. Of the 117 patients, 72 (61.5% maintained a remission for 12 months after ATD withdrawal and 45 (38.5% demonstrated GD relapse. The final multivariate Cox analysis indicated elevated IL-17 expression at cessation to be an independent risk factor for GD relapse within 12 months after ATD withdrawal (HR: 3.04, 95% CI: 1.14–7.67, p=0.021. Patients with higher expressions of IL-17 (≥median value at cessation demonstrated a significantly higher RFS than those with lower levels by the Kaplan–Meier analysis and log-rank test (p=0.028. Conclusions. This present study indicated elevated serum IL-17 expression at cessation to be a predictor for GD relapse within 12 months.

  17. Sparse structure regularized ranking

    KAUST Repository

    Wang, Jim Jing-Yan; Sun, Yijun; Gao, Xin

    2014-01-01

    Learning ranking scores is critical for the multimedia database retrieval problem. In this paper, we propose a novel ranking score learning algorithm by exploring the sparse structure and using it to regularize ranking scores. To explore the sparse

  18. Additive survival least square support vector machines: A simulation study and its application to cervical cancer prediction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khotimah, Chusnul; Purnami, Santi Wulan; Prastyo, Dedy Dwi; Chosuvivatwong, Virasakdi; Sriplung, Hutcha

    2017-11-01

    Support Vector Machines (SVMs) has been widely applied for prediction in many fields. Recently, SVM is also developed for survival analysis. In this study, Additive Survival Least Square SVM (A-SURLSSVM) approach is used to analyze cervical cancer dataset and its performance is compared with the Cox model as a benchmark. The comparison is evaluated based on the prognostic index produced: concordance index (c-index), log rank, and hazard ratio. The higher prognostic index represents the better performance of the corresponding methods. This work also applied feature selection to choose important features using backward elimination technique based on the c-index criterion. The cervical cancer dataset consists of 172 patients. The empirical results show that nine out of the twelve features: age at marriage, age of first getting menstruation, age, parity, type of treatment, history of family planning, stadium, long-time of menstruation, and anemia status are selected as relevant features that affect the survival time of cervical cancer patients. In addition, the performance of the proposed method is evaluated through a simulation study with the different number of features and censoring percentages. Two out of three performance measures (c-index and hazard ratio) obtained from A-SURLSSVM consistently yield better results than the ones obtained from Cox model when it is applied on both simulated and cervical cancer data. Moreover, the simulation study showed that A-SURLSSVM performs better when the percentage of censoring data is small.

  19. A method for studying post-fledging survival rates using data from ringing recoveries

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Thomson, D.L.; Baillie, S.R.; Peach, W.J.

    1999-01-01

    We present a method for studying post-fledging survival rates from data on national ringing recoveries. The approach extends the classical two-age-class models of Brownie et al. (1985) to include a third age-class of birds ringed as nestlings. The models can incorporate age-class-specific and

  20. Optimal sizing for SAPIEN 3 transcatheter aortic valve replacement in patients with or without left ventricular outflow tract calcification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maeno, Yoshio; Abramowitz, Yigal; Jilaihawi, Hasan; Israr, Sharjeel; Yoon, Sunghan; Sharma, Rahul P; Kazuno, Yoshio; Kawamori, Hiroyuki; Miyasaka, Masaki; Rami, Tanya; Mangat, Geeteshwar; Takahashi, Nobuyuki; Okuyama, Kazuaki; Kashif, Mohammad; Chakravarty, Tarun; Nakamura, Mamoo; Cheng, Wen; Makkar, Raj R

    2017-04-07

    The impact of left ventricular outflow tract calcification (LVOT-CA) on SAPIEN 3 transcatheter aortic valve replacement (S3-TAVR) is not well understood. The aims of the present study were to determine optimal device sizing for S3-TAVR in patients with or without LVOT-CA and to evaluate the influence of residual paravalvular leak (PVL) on survival after S3-TAVR in these patients. This study analysed 280 patients (LVOT-CA=144, no LVOT-CA=136) undergoing S3-TAVR. Optimal annular area sizing was defined as % annular area sizing related to lower rates of ≥mild PVL. Annular area sizing was determined as follows: (prosthesis area/CT annulus area-1)×100. Overall, ≥mild PVL was present in 25.7%. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis for prediction of ≥mild PVL in patients with LVOT-CA showed that 7.2% annular area sizing was identified as the optimal threshold (area under the curve [AUC] 0.71). Conversely, annular area sizing for no LVOT-CA appeared unrelated to PVL (AUC 0.58). Aortic annular injury was seen in four patients (average 15.5% annular area oversizing), three of whom had LVOT-CA. Although there was no difference in one-year survival between patients with ≥mild PVL and without PVL (log-rank p=0.91), subgroup analysis demonstrated that patients with ≥moderate LVOT-CA who had ≥mild PVL had lower survival compared to patients with ≥mild PVL and none or mild LVOT-CA (log-rank p=0.010). In the setting of LVOT-CA, an optimally sized S3 valve is required to reduce PVL and to increase survival following TAVR.