Medicine by Alexandros G.Sfakianakis,Anapafseos 5 Agios Nikolaos,Crete 72100,Greece,tel :00302841026182 & 00306932607174
Τετάρτη 7 Δεκεμβρίου 2016
Glucagon Like Peptide-1 receptor expression on human eosinophils and its regulation of eosinophil activation
Abstract
Background
Glucagon Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) and its receptor are part of the incretin family of hormones the regulate glucose metabolism. GLP-1 also has immune modulatory roles.
Objectives
To measure the expression of the GLP-1 receptor (GLP-1R) on eosinophils and neutrophils in normal and asthmatic subjects and evaluate effects of a GLP-1 analog on eosinophil function.
Methods
Peripheral blood samples were taken from 10 normal and 10 allergic asthmatic subjects. GLP-1R expression was measured on eosinophils and neutrophils. Subsequently, the asthmatic subjects underwent allergen and diluent inhalation challenges and GLP-1R expression was measured. Purified eosinophils, collected from mild asthmatic subjects, were stimulated with LPS and a GLP-1 analog to evaluate eosinophil cell activation markers CD11b and CD69 and cytokine (IL-4, IL-5, IL-8 and IL-13) production.
Results
GLP-1R is expressed on human eosinophils and neutrophils. Eosinophil, but not neutrophil, expression of GLP-1R is significantly higher in normal controls compared to allergic asthmatics. The expression of GLP-1R did not change on either eosinophils or neutrophils following allergen challenge. A GLP-1 analog significantly decreased the expression of eosinophil surface activation markers following LPS stimulation and decreased eosinophil production of IL-4, IL-8 and IL-13, but not IL-5.
Conclusion & Clinical Relevance
GLP-1R is expressed on human eosinophils and neutrophils. A GLP-1 analog attenuates LPS-stimulated eosinophil activation. GLP-1 agonists may have additional adjunctive indications in treating persons with concomitant Type 2 diabetes mellitus and asthma.
This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Comparison of intelligence quotients of first- and second-generation deaf children with cochlear implants
Source:International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology, Volume 92
Author(s): K. Amraei, S. Amirsalari, M. Ajalloueyan
Hearing impairment is a common type of sensory loss in children. Studies indicate that children with hearing impairment are deficient in social, cognitive and communication skills. This study compared the intelligence quotients of first- and second-generation deaf children with cochlear implants. This research is causal-comparative. All 15 deaf children investigated had deaf parents and were selected from Baqiyatallah Cochlear Implant Center. The 15 children with cochlear implants were paired with similar children with hearing parents using purposive sampling. The findings show that the Hotelling trace of multivariate analysis of variance (F = 6.78, p < 0.01, ηP2 = 0.73) was significant. The tests of between-subjects effects for second-generation children was significantly higher than for first-generation children for all intelligence scales except knowledge. It can be assumed that second-generation children joined their family in the use of sign language as the primary experience before a cochlear implant. The use of sign language before cochlear implants is recommended.
http://ift.tt/2h8skAT
HEPATIC EPITHELIOID HEMANGIO-ENDOTHELIOMA AND ADULT LIVER TRANSPLANTATION: PROPOSAL FOR A PROGNOSTIC SCORE BASED ON THE ANALYSIS OF THE ELTR-ELITA REGISTRY.
http://ift.tt/2h8yxu8
Impact of skeletal muscle mass index, intramuscular adipose tissue content, and visceral to subcutaneous adipose tissue area ratio on early mortality of living donor liver transplantation.
http://ift.tt/2gdvrI5
Donor genotype and intragraft expression of CYP3A5 reflect the response to steroid treatment during acute renal allograft rejection.
http://ift.tt/2h8rsd9
CGH Continues Building Partnership with the Commonwealth of Independent States at World Cancer Congress
During the recent World Cancer Congress, the National Cancer Institute Center for Global Health (NCI CGH) staff had the opportunity to follow up with several partners in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The long-term relationships with CIS countries have recently been reinvigorated following the Central Asia Leadership Forum (CALF) that was co-sponsored by NCI CGH and the Uzbekistan National Cancer Center in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in October 2015. During the CALF, teams from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan focused on specific cancer control actions needed in their respective countries. Cancer registries and palliative care were common areas of interest. Each country team left the session with an action plan that would lead to the development and eventual implementation of a National Cancer Control Plan (NCCP). One year following the CALF, three countries (Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan) have finalized their NCCPs.
In two of these countries, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, collaborations have grown to a sufficient level to necessitate formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to outline ongoing areas of collaboration between NCI CGH and Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan institutions, respectively.
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Pressurized Wideband Acoustic Stapedial Reflex Thresholds: Normal Development and Relationships to Auditory Function in Infants
Abstract
This study analyzed effects of pressurization on wideband acoustic stapedial-muscle reflex (ASR) tests in infants cared for in normal newborn (NN) and neonatal intensive care units (NICU). Effects of hearing-screening outcomes on ASR threshold measurements were also evaluated, and a subsequent longitudinal study established normative threshold ranges over the first year after birth. An initial experiment compared thresholds in newborns measured at ambient pressure in the ear canal and at the tympanometric peak pressure. ASR thresholds for broadband noise were higher for ears that did not pass newborn hearing screening and ASR threshold was 14 dB higher for real-ear compared to coupler conditions. Effects of pressurization were significant for ears that passed screening; thus, ASR testing in infants should be conducted at tympanometric peak pressure. ASR threshold was significantly higher for ears that referred on transient evoked otoacoustic emissions and Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) screening tests and also for ears with conductive and sensorineural hearing loss diagnosed by ABR. Developmental ASR changes were significant over the first year for both normal and NICU infants. Wideband pressurized ASR thresholds are a clinically relevant measure of newborn hearing screening and diagnostic outcomes.
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Cellular Immunotherapy Targets a Common Human Cancer Mutation
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Transfer of the bone morphogenetic protein 4 gene into rat periodontal ligament by in vivo electroporation
Publication date: February 2017
Source:Archives of Oral Biology, Volume 74
Author(s): Shinobu Tsuchiya, Mirei Chiba, Koshi N. Kishimoto, Harukazu Nakamura, Masahiro Tsuchiya, Haruhide Hayashi
ObjectiveRegulation of alveolar bone metabolism is required in clinical dentistry. The aim of the present study was to establish a method for gene transfer into the periodontal ligament (PDL) by in vivo electroporation with a plasmid vector and to investigate the effects of BMP-4 transfer into the PDL.DesignPlasmids containing mouse BMP-4 cDNA (pCAGGS-BMP4) were transfected into cultured rat PDL cells by in vitro electroporation, and BMP-4 production and secretion were detected by immunocytochemistry and western blotting. Next, pCAGGS-BMP4 was injected into the PDL of rats, and electroporation was performed in vivo, using original paired-needle electrodes. BMP-4 expression was examined by immunohistochemical staining 3, 7, 14, 21, and 28days after electroporation. Control groups were injected with pCAGGS by electroporation, injected with pCAGGS-BMP4 without electroporation, or subjected to neither injection nor electroporation.ResultsIn vitro-transfected rat PDL cells exhibited production and secretion of the mature-form BMP-4. After in vivo electroporation of pCAGGS-BMP4, site-specific BMP-4 expression peaked on day 3, gradually decreased until day 14, and was absent by day 21. We observed no unfavorable effects such as inflammation, degeneration, or necrosis.ConclusionsGene transfer by electroporation with plasmid DNA vectors has several advantages over other methods, including the non-viral vector, non-immunogenic effects, site-specific expression, simplicity, cost-effectiveness, and limited histological side effects. Our results indicate that the method is useful for gene therapy targeting the periodontal tissue, which regulates alveolar bone remodeling.
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On the dynamics of stochastic elementary cellular automata
In this paper the dynamics of stochastic elementary cellular automata (SECAs) is investigated and compared to that of their deterministic counterparts. We observe that moving away from the determinism in von Neumann's original design impacts CA dynamics to such an extent that sensitive dependence on initial conditions might get lost abruptly, or also the other way around, might arise suddenly. As such, the behavior in a deterministic setting can be unrepresentative for the dynamics one gets in a stochastic setting. In the case of SECAs, it turns out that the involved probabilities should be understood as bifurcation parameters steering the nature of such SECAs, i.e. whether or not they are unstable.
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Exact and efficient top-K inference for multi-target prediction by querying separable linear relational models
Many complex multi-target prediction problems that concern large target spaces are characterised by a need for efficient prediction strategies that avoid the computation of predictions for all targets explicitly. Examples of such problems emerge in several subfields of machine learning, such as collaborative filtering, multi-label classification, dyadic prediction and biological network inference. In this article we analyse efficient and exact algorithms for computing the top-K predictions in the above problem settings, using a general class of models that we refer to as separable linear relational models. We show how to use those inference algorithms, which are modifications of well-known information retrieval methods, in a variety of machine learning settings. Furthermore, we study the possibility of scoring items incompletely, while still retaining an exact top-K retrieval. Experimental results in several application domains reveal that the so-called threshold algorithm is very scalable, performing often many orders of magnitude more efficiently than the naive approach.
http://ift.tt/2h20IdQ
Evaluation of secondary school student's knowledge about biotechnology during six years of (biology) education
The objective of this study was to analyze students' knowledge about biotechnology and genetics in three different age groups, to map their progress, and to evaluate the related Flemish biology curriculum. Biotechnology and genetic engineering are rapidly evolving domains in science and currently have a major impact on our daily lives. Therefore science education is expected to promote scientific literacy in students to develop active citizenship by including new technological advances in science curricula. When graduating from secondary school, students should be able to make informed decisions, e.g., about genetically modified organisms (GMOs). It is acknowledged that European citizens' attitude toward GMOs is rather negative, especially toward GM food crops. Importantly, literature suggests that the knowledge on GM food is an important determinant of people's perception of risks and benefits, which in turn has an influence on their attitude towards GMOs. Beside the scientific component, also the social aspects of controversial subjects like GMOs should be discussed in class to provide students with a broad knowledge base. A large-scale cross-sectional study was set up in 2013 to evaluate the advancements in knowledge on biotechnology and GMO-related topics of secondary school students in Flanders, the Dutch speaking part of Belgium. Important scientific research on GMOs has been done in this region, but still no GM crops are commercially grown. Objective (or measured) and subjective (or perceived) knowledge tests as well as the Food Neophobia scale (FNS, "fear" to try new foods) were presented to three different age groups. Hundred twenty-six different schools across Flanders participated in this study. The results are based on data from 4002 secondary school students from the second, fourth and sixth year. The latter helps to identify possible cross-sectional changes over time. The students' objective knowledge score was measured with true/false statements and test items related to popular misconceptions about biotechnology. Before students actually study biotechnology in school, they already absorbed related information from their environment; e.g., via the media or via family. This information is often incorrect, incomplete or emotional and results in misconceptions. The results invoke a clear discussion. Students' objective knowledge levels were poor and only gradually improve over time. Their subjective knowledge score was average but seems to evolve in such a way they e.g., are more capable to explain what GMOs are. Their FNS score indicated they are neither afraid nor eager to try food they are not familiar with. The FNS score significantly decreased over time. The research findings suggest that many misconceptions about genetics and biotechnology are hardly tackled by education. Students lack important knowledge when graduating secondary school, which makes it difficult to develop a clear understanding of biotechnology in society. Teachers should help students to improve and apply their knowledge to their daily lives and help them to participate in the ongoing socio-scientific debate about GMOs in our food.
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Fibroepithelial polyp of external auditory canal
Source:European Annals of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Diseases
Author(s): P. Thomas, P. Rai, R. Meena
http://ift.tt/2hhqlXu
The current overuse and misuse of meta-analyses on sublingual immunotherapy: the case of grass pollen allergy.
Purpose of review: Meta-analysis provides the highest level of evidence-based efficacy of a medical treatment or intervention. Allergen immunotherapy in its two forms of subcutaneous immunotherapy and sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) is an effective treatment of respiratory allergy as shown by meta-analyses, but in recent years there has been an overflow of meta-analyses on SLIT, with contrasting results that may generate confusion among physicians. Recent findings: It can be observed that flaws are often present in meta-analyses including: incorrect selection of trials, inappropriate use of evaluation parameters for the analysis, and unsuitable analyses. For instance, it is clear that a meta-analysis of several small studies does not predict the results of a single large study that remains the gold standard to assess the efficacy and safety of a treatment. To assess the interest of the matter, we calculated the number of citations of meta-analyses on SLIT efficacy in the 10 years after the first publication in 2005 and detected a continuous decrease in citations. Summary: Today, the appropriateness of a meta-analysis should be carefully evaluated, taking into account that a meta-analysis uses a statistical approach to combine the results from multiple small studies to increase power, to improve estimates of the size of the effect, and/or to resolve uncertainty when reports disagree. Editors and reviewers of medical journals should consider that to judge a meta-analysis requires a high level of expertise that is obvious in reviewers belonging to the Cochrane organization. Copyright (C) 2016 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
http://ift.tt/2g9qyzU
http://ift.tt/2g9qyzU
Fluoroscopic Guidance Increases the Incidence of Thoracic Epidural Catheter Placement Within the Epidural Space: A Randomized Trial.
Background and Objectives: Thoracic epidural analgesia can reduce postoperative pain and cardiopulmonary morbidity, but it is associated with a high rate of clinical failure. Up to 50% of clinical failure is thought to be related to technical insertion. In this study, patients undergoing thoracic surgery were randomized to one of two catheter insertion techniques: fluoroscopically guided or conventional loss of resistance with saline/air. Our primary aim was to examine whether fluoroscopic guidance could increase the incidence of correct catheter placement and improve postoperative analgesia. Our secondary aim was to assess the potential impact of correct epidural catheter positioning on length of stay in the postanesthesia care unit and total hospital length of stay. Methods: This randomized clinical trial was conducted at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center over 25 months (January 2012 to February 2014). Patients (N = 100) undergoing thoracic surgery were randomized to fluoroscopic guidance (n = 47) or to loss of resistance with saline/air (n = 53). Patients were followed for the primary outcomes of 24-hour morphine use, 24-hour numeric pain scores, and the incidence of epidural catheter positioning within the epidural space. Postanesthesia care unit and total hospital lengths of stay were evaluated as secondary outcome measurements and compared for patients with correct epidural catheter positioning and those without correct epidural catheter positioning. Results: One hundred patients were included in an intention-to-treat analysis. Numeric pain scores and 24-hour morphine consumption were no different between groups. Fluoroscopic guidance was associated with an increased incidence of epidural catheter placement within the epidural space compared with loss of resistance with air/saline [fluoroscopic guidance, epidural in 98% (46/47) versus loss of resistance with saline/air, epidural in 74% (39/53)]. There was a significant increase in correct catheter positioning with (odds ratio, 21.07; 95% confidence interval, 2.07-214.38; P = 0.010) or without (odds ratio, 16.15; 95% confidence interval, 2.03-128.47; P = 0.009) adjustment for potentially confounding variables. In an adjusted analysis, correctly positioned thoracic epidural catheters were associated with shorter postanesthesia care unit (5.87 +/- 5.39 hours vs 4.30 +/- 1.171 hours; P = 0.044) and total hospital length of stay (5.77 +/- 4.94 days vs 4.93 +/- 2.79 days; P = 0.031). Conclusions: Fluoroscopic guidance increases the incidence of epidural catheter positioning within the epidural space and may reduce postanesthesia care unit and hospital lengths of stay. Future work should validate the effectiveness of this approach. This clinical trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02678039). Copyright (C) 2016 by American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine.
http://ift.tt/2g9MkyE
http://ift.tt/2g9MkyE
The Neurological Safety of an Epidurally Administered Lipo-PGE1 Agonist in Rats.
Background and Objective: Liposomal prostaglandin E1 (Lipo-PGE1) can inhibit platelet aggregation and vasodilatation and has been found to be therapeutic in ischemia and spinal diseases including stenosis. However, the neurologic safety of epidural administration of lipo-PGE1 requires further study. We investigated the neurotoxicity of epidurally administered lipo-PGE1 agonist in rats. Methods: Twenty-seven rats were randomly divided into three groups: Epidural isotonic sodium chloride solution administration (negative control, group N, n = 9); epidural lipo-PGE1 agonist (group L, n = 9); and epidural alcohol (positive control, group A, n = 9). A single 3-mL injection of lipo-PGE1 agonist (0.3 mL, 0.15 [mu]g/kg), 40% ethanol, or isotonic sodium chloride solution was administered. Neurologic assessments were performed 3, 7, and 21 days after the injection. Histopathologic data were evaluated by one pathologist via light microscopy. Results: All rats in groups N and L, except one rat in group L, demonstrated normal response to neurologic assessments. Histopathologic findings showed no evidence of degenerative myelopathy, chromatolysis, or myelin loss in group N or L at any time point. However, all rats in group A revealed sensory and motor deficits as well as histopathologic abnormalities. Conclusion: Liposomal prostaglandin E1 agonist did not cause any apparent neurologic abnormalities in the spinal cord or dorsal root ganglion, suggesting it is neurologically safe for epidural injection in this species. Additional mammalian study is warranted. Copyright (C) 2016 by American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine.
http://ift.tt/2h5v2qV
http://ift.tt/2h5v2qV
A Prospective Randomized Comparative Trial of Targeted Steroid Injection Via Epidural Catheter Versus Standard C7-T1 Interlaminar Approach for the Treatment of Unilateral Cervical Radicular Pain.
Background and Objectives: No study has compared cervical interlaminar epidural steroid injection (CIESI) with epidural catheter advancement to the side and level of pathology versus standard C7-T1 CIESI. This study investigated whether cervical radicular pain is more effectively treated by CIESI with a targeted epidural catheter versus a standard C7-T1 approach. Methods: Prospective, randomized, single-blinded trial. Primary outcome: Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) pain at 1 month. Secondary outcomes: Oswestry Neck Disability Index (ONDI), Pain Disability Index (PDI), McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ), Patient Global Impression of Change (PGIC), daily morphine equivalents (DME), and Medication Quantification Scale (MQS) III scores. Results: Seventy-six participants with a median age of 48 years (IQR, 40-56 years), 59% female, with C4 (n = 2), C5 (n = 27), or C6 (n = 47) radicular pain were enrolled. At 1 month in the catheter and no catheter groups, respectively: 26 (72%, 95% confidence interval [CI], 57%-87%) and 23 (60%; 95% CI, 45%-75%) participants reported 50% or greater NRS reduction; 24 (67%; 95% CI, 52%-84%) and 23 (58%; 95% CI, 42%-73%) participants reported 30% or greater ONDI reduction. There were no group differences in median NRS, ONDI, PDI, MPQ, PGIC, DME, or MQSIII scores (P > 0.05). Intergroup differences were not observed at any follow-up interval. Conclusions: This trial showed no significant difference in clinical outcomes with CIESI using a targeted epidural catheter compared to a standard C7-T1 approach for the treatment of unilateral cervical radicular pain at the C5 or C6 level. Both techniques were associated with clinically meaningful improvement across outcome domains of pain, function, disability, and medication use. These effects persisted to 6-month follow-up. The study was registered at Clinical Trials.gov (NCT02095197). Copyright (C) 2016 by American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine.
http://ift.tt/2g9zi49
http://ift.tt/2g9zi49
Anatomic and Ultrasonographic Evaluation of the Knee Sensory Innervation: A Cadaveric Study to Determine Anatomic Targets in the Treatment of Chronic Knee Pain.
Background and Objectives: Osteoarthrosis is a main cause of knee pain in the elderly. Pain associated with this condition is often refractory to conservative treatment. Total knee replacement may be the best option for severe pathologies; however, the occurrence of a chronic pain state after knee replacement has been well documented in the literature. The previous descriptions of the genicular nerves have been considered somewhat inaccurate. This innervation is complex and exhibits significant interindividual variability. A precise description of these nerves will increase our knowledge on different patterns and targets, to guide treatment and improve outcomes. The objective of this study was to determine sensory innervation patterns of the knee joint and correlate them with dynamic visualization via ultrasound imaging. Methods: Systematic cadaveric dissections were performed to determine different patterns of sensory innervation of the knee followed by ultrasonographic correlation. A short-axis ultrasound view of the nerves was used to inject India ink at several points along their course to facilitate the anatomic dissection and confirm their location among adjacent structures. Results: The visualized structures were the following: infrapatellar branch of the saphenous nerve, the branches to vastus medialis, intermedius, and lateralis muscles; obturator nerve; and lateral retinacular and recurrent peroneal nerves. Conclusions: We conclude that reproducible correlations showing the sensory innervations for the knee are linked to muscular structures. However, high variability among individuals makes it difficult to predict their paths. Our systematic approach, using direct visualization via ultrasound, allows a more accurate placement of the needle for therapeutic purposes. Copyright (C) 2016 by American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine.
http://ift.tt/2gS9KN1
http://ift.tt/2gS9KN1
Comparison of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, surface plasmon resonance and biolayer interferometry for screening of deoxynivalenol in wheat and wheat dust
A sample preparation method was developed for the screening of deoxynivalenol (DON) in wheat and wheat dust. Extraction was carried out with water and was successful due to the polar character of DON. For detection, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was compared to the sensor-based techniques of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and biolayer interferometry (BLI) in terms of sensitivity, affinity and matrix effect. The matrix effects from wheat and wheat dust using SPR were too high to further use this screenings method. The preferred ELISA and BLI methods were validated according to the criteria established in Commission Regulation 519/2014/EC and Commission Decision 2002/657/EC. A small survey was executed on 16 wheat lots and their corresponding dust samples using the validated ELISA method. A linear correlation (r = 0.889) was found for the DON concentration in dust versus the DON concentration in wheat (LOD wheat: 233 g/kg, LOD wheat dust: 458 g/kg).
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Virtue language in historical scholarship: the cases of Georg Waitz, Gabriel Monod and Henri Pirenne
Historians of historiography have recently adopted the language of epistemic virtues' to refer to character traits believed to be conducive to good historical scholarship. While epistemic virtues' is a modern philosophical concept, virtues such as objectivity', meticulousness' and carefulness' historically also served as actors' categories. Especially in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, historians frequently used virtue language to describe what it took to be a good', reliable' or professional' scholar. Based on three European case studiesthe German historian Georg Waitz (1813-86), his French pupil Gabriel Monod (1844-1912) and the Belgian historian Henri Pirenne (1862-1935)this article argues that such virtues cannot neatly be classified as epistemic' ones. For what is characteristic about virtue language in historical scholarship around 1900 is an overlap or entanglement of epistemic, moral and political connotations. The virtues embodied by, or attributed to, Waitz, Monod and Pirenne were almost invariably aimed at epistemic, moral and political goods at once, though not always to the same degrees. Consequently, if epistemic virtues' is going to be a helpful category, it must not be interpreted in a strong sense (only epistemic'), but in a weak one (epistemic' as one layer of meaning among others).
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Spatial variation in preservation of late prehistoric barrows in the Low Countries explained by differences in soil formation, degradation processes and land use history
This study follows a multi-scalar interdisciplinary approach to reconstruct formation processes influencing the preservation of barrows. The southern Netherlands and northern / central Belgium were selected as pilot area. We arrive at three regional »sketches« signalling the most significant processes, which may serve as preludes for further modelling. Barrows in the cover sand areas of the Dutch and Belgian Campine region (sketch 1) are mainly affected by podzolisation, bioturbation, erosion and reclamations. Erosion is the most common soil formation process documented in the central Belgian loess belt (sketch 2). Finally, Belgian Sandy Flanders (sketch 3) witnessed very intense, prolonged tillage from the Middle Ages onwards, which led to the destruction of all barrows.
http://ift.tt/2gSc7iA
The current overuse and misuse of meta-analyses on sublingual immunotherapy: the case of grass pollen allergy.
Purpose of review: Meta-analysis provides the highest level of evidence-based efficacy of a medical treatment or intervention. Allergen immunotherapy in its two forms of subcutaneous immunotherapy and sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) is an effective treatment of respiratory allergy as shown by meta-analyses, but in recent years there has been an overflow of meta-analyses on SLIT, with contrasting results that may generate confusion among physicians. Recent findings: It can be observed that flaws are often present in meta-analyses including: incorrect selection of trials, inappropriate use of evaluation parameters for the analysis, and unsuitable analyses. For instance, it is clear that a meta-analysis of several small studies does not predict the results of a single large study that remains the gold standard to assess the efficacy and safety of a treatment. To assess the interest of the matter, we calculated the number of citations of meta-analyses on SLIT efficacy in the 10 years after the first publication in 2005 and detected a continuous decrease in citations. Summary: Today, the appropriateness of a meta-analysis should be carefully evaluated, taking into account that a meta-analysis uses a statistical approach to combine the results from multiple small studies to increase power, to improve estimates of the size of the effect, and/or to resolve uncertainty when reports disagree. Editors and reviewers of medical journals should consider that to judge a meta-analysis requires a high level of expertise that is obvious in reviewers belonging to the Cochrane organization. Copyright (C) 2016 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
http://ift.tt/2g9qyzU
http://ift.tt/2g9qyzU
Aryl hydrocarbon bioaccessibility to small mammals from Arctic plants using in vitro techniques
Through their diet, herbivores inhabiting contaminated sites may be chronically exposed to a variety of aryl hydrocarbons (e.g., dioxins and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons [PAHs]). However, little is known about how differences in morphology and physiology among plant species alter the environmental accumulation of aryl hydrocarbons or their release and subsequent activity in the gastrointestinal tract of herbivores after ingestion. In the present study, the activity of aryl hydrocarbons during digestion was examined using six Arctic plant species growing in impacted and reference sites near Inuvik, Northwest Territories, Canada. The plant species studied were black spruce (Picea mariana), labrador tea (Ledum groenlandicum), bog birch (Betula glandulosa), green alder (Alnus crispa), water sedge (Carex aquatilis), and little-tree willow (Salix arbusculoides). Plants were digested using a simulator of the upper digestive tract, and aryl hydrocarbon release was evaluated using an aryl hydrocarbon-receptor assay. Bioaccessible aryl hydrocarbon activity varied among the plant species tested. The species with the greatest activity was green alder, and the species with the least activity was black spruce. Further investigation revealed that digested plant extracts may antagonize the aryl hydrocarbon receptor and prevent bioactivation of the aryl compound benzo[a]pyrene. Thus, PAH risk from the ingestion of vegetation varies among plant species and may depend on antagonists present in the vegetation.
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Update on nonmalignant lesions of the inferior turbinate.
Purpose of review: The inferior turbinates are routinely examined by otolaryngologists on anterior rhinoscopy and nasal endoscopy. Most lesions of the inferior turbinate are benign but can often be confused with malignancy. This review highlights the broad differential of nonmalignant lesions of the inferior turbinates and their management. Recent findings: A variety of infectious, inflammatory, neoplastic, and vascular lesions may affect the inferior turbinates. The most common nonmalignant lesions of the sinonasal region are nasal polyps, inverted papillomas, hemangiomas, and angiofibromas. Early lesions are often asymptomatic and discovered incidentally on routine examination. As these lesions grow they present with nonspecific signs that can be seen in benign, malignant, and infectious etiologies. The most common signs and symptoms are nasal obstruction, rhinorrhea, epistaxis, sinusitis, and hyposmia. Most nonmalignant lesions have characteristic appearances but definitive diagnosis is achieved with biopsy or culture. If the lesions are small the biopsy itself is often curative. Summary: Lesions of the inferior turbinates are rarely isolated to these structures alone. Careful examination can noninvasively assist in early diagnosis of extensive lesions. Once malignancy and processes such as invasive fungal sinusitis or inverted papillomas have been ruled out, treatment of these lesions is ordinarily noncomplicated and definitive. Copyright (C) 2016 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
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http://ift.tt/2hfND3P
Acoustic Neuroma Mimicking Orofacial Pain: A Unique Case Report
Acoustic neuroma (AN), also called vestibular schwannoma, is a tumor composed of Schwann cells that most frequently involve the vestibular division of the VII cranial nerve. The most common symptoms include orofacial pain, facial paralysis, trigeminal neuralgia, tinnitus, hearing loss, and imbalance that result from compression of cranial nerves V–IX. Symptoms of acoustic neuromas can mimic and present as temporomandibular disorder. Therefore, a thorough medical and dental history, radiographic evaluation, and properly conducted diagnostic testing are essential in differentiating odontogenic pain from pain that is nonodontogenic in nature. This article reports a rare case of a young pregnant female patient diagnosed with an acoustic neuroma located in the cerebellopontine angle that was originally treated for musculoskeletal temporomandibular joint disorder.
http://ift.tt/2gRUcsn
Nematodes enhance plant growth and nutrient uptake under C and N-rich conditions
The role of soil fauna in crucial ecosystem services such as nutrient cycling remains poorly quantified, mainly because of the overly reductionistic approach adopted in most experimental studies. Given that increasing nitrogen inputs in various ecosystems influence the structure and functioning of soil microbes and the activity of fauna, we aimed to quantify the role of the entire soil nematode community in nutrient mineralization in an experimental set-up emulating nutrient-rich field conditions and accounting for crucial interactions amongst the soil microbial communities and plants. To this end, we reconstructed a complex soil foodweb in mesocosms that comprised largely undisturbed native microflora and the entire nematode community added into defaunated soil, planted with Lolium perenne as a model plant, and amended with fresh grass-clover residues. We determined N and P availability and plant uptake, plant biomass and abundance and structure of the microbial and nematode communities during a three-month incubation. The presence of nematodes significantly increased plant biomass production (+9%), net N (+25%) and net P (+23%) availability compared to their absence, demonstrating that nematodes link below- and above-ground processes, primarily through increasing nutrient availability. The experimental set-up presented allows to realistically quantify the crucial ecosystem services provided by the soil biota.
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Lung regeneration: steps toward clinical implementation and use.
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SSA-ME Detection of cancer driver genes using mutual exclusivity by small subnetwork analysis
Because of its clonal evolution a tumor rarely contains multiple genomic alterations in the same pathway as disrupting the pathway by one gene often is sufficient to confer the complete fitness advantage. As a result, many cancer driver genes display mutual exclusivity across tumors. However, searching for mutually exclusive gene sets requires analyzing all possible combinations of genes, leading to a problem which is typically too computationally complex to be solved without a stringent a priori filtering, restricting the mutations included in the analysis. To overcome this problem, we present SSA-ME, a network-based method to detect cancer driver genes based on independently scoring small subnetworks for mutual exclusivity using a reinforced learning approach. Because of the algorithmic efficiency, no stringent upfront filtering is required. Analysis of TCGA cancer datasets illustrates the added value of SSA-ME: well-known recurrently mutated but also rarely mutated drivers are prioritized. We show that using mutual exclusivity to detect cancer driver genes is complementary to state-of-the art approaches. This framework, in which a large number of small subnetworks are being analyzed in order to solve a computationally complex problem (SSA), can be generically applied to any problem in which local neighborhoods in a network hold useful information.
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Maize fortification: update on organoleptic studies of various types of maize flours and cooked maize porridges
In flour fortification, a premix containing micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) is added in low dosages to wheat flour or maize meal. It is of uppermost importance that the premix does not cause any changes in the sensory properties of the finished products. In this presentation, the impact of fortificants on the sensory properties of maize meal porridge is discussed.
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