Showing papers by "Autonomous University of Barcelona published in 2007"
TL;DR: It is proposed that temperament can and should be studied within an evolutionary ecology framework and provided a terminology that could be used as a working tool for ecological studies of temperament, which includes five major temperament trait categories: shyness‐boldness, exploration‐avoidance, activity, sociability and aggressiveness.
Abstract: Temperament describes the idea that individual behavioural differences are repeatable over time and across situations. This common phenomenon covers numerous traits, such as aggressiveness, avoidance of novelty, willingness to take risks, exploration, and sociality. The study of temperament is central to animal psychology, behavioural genetics, pharmacology, and animal husbandry, but relatively few studies have examined the ecology and evolution of temperament traits. This situation is surprising, given that temperament is likely to exert an important influence on many aspects of animal ecology and evolution, and that individual variation in temperament appears to be pervasive amongst animal species. Possible explanations for this neglect of temperament include a perceived irrelevance, an insufficient understanding of the link between temperament traits and fitness, and a lack of coherence in terminology with similar traits often given different names, or different traits given the same name. We propose that temperament can and should be studied within an evolutionary ecology framework and provide a terminology that could be used as a working tool for ecological studies of temperament. Our terminology includes five major temperament trait categories: shyness-boldness, exploration-avoidance, activity, sociability and aggressiveness. This terminology does not make inferences regarding underlying dispositions or psychological processes, which may have restrained ecologists and evolutionary biologists from working on these traits. We present extensive literature reviews that demonstrate that temperament traits are heritable, and linked to fitness and to several other traits of importance to ecology and evolution. Furthermore, we describe ecologically relevant measurement methods and point to several ecological and evolutionary topics that would benefit from considering temperament, such as phenotypic plasticity, conservation biology, population sampling, and invasion biology.
2,860 citations
TL;DR: These genome sequences augment the formidable genetic tools that have made Drosophila melanogaster a pre-eminent model for animal genetics, and will further catalyse fundamental research on mechanisms of development, cell biology, genetics, disease, neurobiology, behaviour, physiology and evolution.
Abstract: Comparative analysis of multiple genomes in a phylogenetic framework dramatically improves the precision and sensitivity of evolutionary inference, producing more robust results than single-genome analyses can provide. The genomes of 12 Drosophila species, ten of which are presented here for the first time (sechellia, simulans, yakuba, erecta, ananassae, persimilis, willistoni, mojavensis, virilis and grimshawi), illustrate how rates and patterns of sequence divergence across taxa can illuminate evolutionary processes on a genomic scale. These genome sequences augment the formidable genetic tools that have made Drosophila melanogaster a pre-eminent model for animal genetics, and will further catalyse fundamental research on mechanisms of development, cell biology, genetics, disease, neurobiology, behaviour, physiology and evolution. Despite remarkable similarities among these Drosophila species, we identified many putatively non-neutral changes in protein-coding genes, non-coding RNA genes, and cis-regulatory regions. These may prove to underlie differences in the ecology and behaviour of these diverse species.
2,057 citations
TL;DR: These data confirm that intravenous alteplase is safe and effective in routine clinical use when used within 3 h of stroke onset, even by centres with little previous experience of thrombolytic therapy for acute stroke.
1,861 citations
TL;DR: The Fifth International Workshop-Conference on Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) was held in Chicago, IL, 11-13 November 2005 under the sponsorship of the American Diabetes Association as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: The Fifth International Workshop-Conference on Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) was held in Chicago, IL, 11–13 November 2005 under the sponsorship of the American Diabetes Association. The meeting provided a forum for review of new information concerning GDM in the areas of pathophysiology, epidemiology, perinatal outcome, long-range implications for mother and her offspring, and management strategies. New information and recommendations related to each of these major topics are summarized in the report that follows.
The issues regarding strategies and criteria for the detection and diagnosis of GDM were not reviewed or discussed in detail, since it is anticipated that the Hyperglycemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcome (HAPO) study will provide data in mid-2007 that will foster the development of criteria for the diagnosis of GDM that are based on perinatal outcomes. Thus, for the interim, the participants of the Fifth International Workshop-Conference on GDM endorsed a motion to continue use of the definition, classification criteria, and strategies for detection and diagnosis of GDM that were recommended at the Fourth Workshop-Conference. Those guidelines are reproduced (with minor modifications) in this article in appendix Tables 1 and 2.
The invited lectures, topical discussions, and posters presented at the conference and the invited manuscripts that appear in this issue of Diabetes Care served as the basis for the following summary and recommendations.
### Pathophysiology
#### General considerations.
Current diagnostic criteria assign the diagnosis of GDM to women with glucose levels in the upper ∼5–10% of the population distribution. The hyperglycemia varies in severity from glucose concentrations that would be diagnostic of diabetes outside of pregnancy to concentrations that are asymptomatic and only slightly above normal, but associated with some increased risk of fetal morbidity.
Like all forms of hyperglycemia, GDM is characterized by insulin levels that are insufficient to meet insulin demands. The causes of pancreatic β-cell dysfunction that …
1,619 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors review recent developments in the physics of ultracold atomic and molecular gases in optical lattices and show how these systems may be employed as quantum simulators to answer some challenging open questions of condensed matter, and even high energy physics.
Abstract: We review recent developments in the physics of ultracold atomic and molecular gases in optical lattices. Such systems are nearly perfect realisations of various kinds of Hubbard models, and as such may very well serve to mimic condensed matter phenomena. We show how these systems may be employed as quantum simulators to answer some challenging open questions of condensed matter, and even high energy physics. After a short presentation of the models and the methods of treatment of such systems, we discuss in detail, which challenges of condensed matter physics can be addressed with (i) disordered ultracold lattice gases, (ii) frustrated ultracold gases, (iii) spinor lattice gases, (iv) lattice gases in “artificial” magnetic fields, and, last but not least, (v) quantum information processing in lattice gases. For completeness, also some recent progress related to the above topics with trapped cold gases will be discussed. Motto: There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your...
1,535 citations
TL;DR: This review not only offers an overview of trends in the area of pathogen detection but it also describes main techniques, traditional methods, and recent developments in the field of pathogenic bacteria biosensors.
1,334 citations
TL;DR: The use of sirolimus-eluting stents does not have a significant effect on overall long-term survival and survival free of myocardial infarction, as compared with bare-metal stents, but there is a sustained reduction in the need for reintervention after the use.
Abstract: The overall risk of death (hazard ratio, 1.03; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.80 to 1.30) and the combined risk of death or myocardial infarction (hazard ratio, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.81 to 1.16) were not significantly different for patients receiving sirolimus-eluting stents versus bare-metal stents. There was a significant reduction in the combined risk of death, myocardial infarction, or reintervention (hazard ratio, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.34 to 0.54) associated with the use of sirolimus-eluting stents. There was no significant difference in the overall risk of stent thrombosis with sirolimuseluting stents versus bare-metal stents (hazard ratio, 1.09; 95% CI, 0.64 to 1.86). However, there was evidence of a slight increase in the risk of stent thrombosis associated with sirolimus-eluting stents after the first year. Conclusions The use of sirolimus-eluting stents does not have a significant effect on overall long-term survival and survival free of myocardial infarction, as compared with bare-metal stents. There is a sustained reduction in the need for reintervention after the use of sirolimus-eluting stents. The risk of stent thrombosis is at least as great as that seen with bare-metal stents.
1,038 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors developed a simple description of models where electroweak symmetry breaking is triggered by a light composite Higgs, which emerges from a strongly-interacting sector as a pseudo-Goldstone boson.
Abstract: We develop a simple description of models where electroweak symmetry breaking is triggered by a light composite Higgs, which emerges from a strongly-interacting sector as a pseudo-Goldstone boson. Two parameters broadly characterize these models: mρ, the mass scale of the new resonances and gρ, their coupling. An effective low-energy Lagrangian approach proves to be useful for LHC and ILC phenomenology below the scale mρ. We identify two classes of operators: those that are genuinely sensitive to the new strong force and those that are sensitive to the spectrum of the resonances only. Phenomenological prospects for the LHC and the ILC include the study of high-energy longitudinal vector boson scattering, strong double-Higgs production and anomalous Higgs couplings. We finally discuss the possibility that the top quark could also be a composite object of the strong sector.
1,015 citations
TL;DR: The algorithm is shown to identify a series of protein fragments involved in the aggregation of disease-related proteins and to predict the effect of genetic mutations on their deposition propensities, which shall facilitate the identification of possible therapeutic targets for anti-depositional strategies in conformational diseases.
Abstract: Protein aggregation correlates with the development of several debilitating human disorders of growing incidence, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. On the biotechnological side, protein production is often hampered by the accumulation of recombinant proteins into aggregates. Thus, the development of methods to anticipate the aggregation properties of polypeptides is receiving increasing attention. AGGRESCAN is a web-based software for the prediction of aggregation-prone segments in protein sequences, the analysis of the effect of mutations on protein aggregation propensities and the comparison of the aggregation properties of different proteins or protein sets. AGGRESCAN is based on an aggregation-propensity scale for natural amino acids derived from in vivo experiments and on the assumption that short and specific sequence stretches modulate protein aggregation. The algorithm is shown to identify a series of protein fragments involved in the aggregation of disease-related proteins and to predict the effect of genetic mutations on their deposition propensities. It also provides new insights into the differential aggregation properties displayed by globular proteins, natively unfolded polypeptides, amyloidogenic proteins and proteins found in bacterial inclusion bodies. By identifying aggregation-prone segments in proteins, AGGRESCAN http://bioinf.uab.es/aggrescan/
shall facilitate (i) the identification of possible therapeutic targets for anti-depositional strategies in conformational diseases and (ii) the anticipation of aggregation phenomena during storage or recombinant production of bioactive polypeptides or polypeptide sets.
844 citations
TL;DR: Breast tumors that express p95HER2 are resistant to trastuzumab and may require alternative or additional anti-HER2-targeting strategies, and women with HER2-overexpressing breast cancers that express this receptor should be responsive to these agents.
Abstract: Background Women with HER2-overexpressing breast cancers have poor prognosis, and many are resistant to the HER2 monoclonal antibody trastuzumab. A subgroup of HER2-overexpressing tumors also express p95HER2, an amino terminally truncated receptor that has kinase activity. Because p95HER2 cannot bind to trastuzumab but should be responsive to the HER2 tyrosine kinase inhibitor lapatinib, we compared the sensitivity of tumors expressing p95HER2 and tumors expressing the full-length HER2 receptor to these agents. Methods MCF-7 and T47D breast cancer cells were stably transfected with either full-length HER2 or p95HER2. We studied the effects of trastuzumab and lapatinib on receptor signaling, cell proliferation, and the growth of xenograft tumors. A paraffin-based immunofluorescence assay was developed to study the association between p95HER2 expression and sensitivity to trastuzumab in patients with advanced breast cancer. All statistical tests were two-sided. Results Treatment of p95HER2-expressing cells with lapatinib inhibited p95HER2 phosphorylation, reduced downstream phosphorylation of Akt and mitogen-activated protein kinases, inhibited cell growth (MCF-7p95HER2 clones, lapatinib versus control, mean growth inhibition = 57.6% versus 22.6%, difference = 35%, 95% confidence interval [Cl] = 22.5% to 47.3%; P<.001; T47Dp95HER2 clones, lapatinib versus control, mean growth inhibition = 36.8% versus 20%, difference = 16.8%, 95% Cl = 11.3% to 22.3%, P<.001), and inhibited growth of MCF-7p95HER2 xenograft tumors (lapatinib versus control, mean = 288.8 versus 435 mm 3 , difference = 146.2 mm 3 , Cl = 73.8 to 218.5 mm 3 , P =.002). By contrast, treatment with trastuzumab had no effect on any of these parameters. Of 46 patients with metastatic breast cancer who were treated with trastuzumab, only one of nine patients (11.1%) expressing p95HER2 responded to trastuzumab (with a partial response), whereas 19 of the 37 patients (51.4%) with tumors expressing full-length HER2 achieved either a complete (five patients) or a partial (14 patients) response (P=.029). Conclusions Breast tumors that express p95HER2 are resistant to trastuzumab and may require alternative or additional anti-HER2-targeting strategies.
792 citations
TL;DR: An important direction for ongoing research is the development of therapeutic strategies that enhance axonal regeneration, promote selective target reinnervation, but are also able to modulate central nervous system reorganization, amplifying those positive adaptive changes that help to improve functional recovery but also diminishing undesirable consequences.
TL;DR: Because plant extracts may act at different levels in the carbohydrate and protein degradation pathways, their careful selection and combination may provide a useful tool to manipulate rumen microbial fermentation effectively.
TL;DR: Non-plantar foot ulcers were more common than plantar ulcers, especially in patients with severe disease, and serious comorbidity increased significantly with increasing severity of foot disease.
Abstract: Large clinical studies describing the typical clinical presentation of diabetic foot ulcers are limited and most studies were performed in single centres with the possibility of selection of specific subgroups. The aim of this study was to investigate the characteristics of diabetic patients with a foot ulcer in 14 European hospitals in ten countries. The study population included 1,229 consecutive patients presenting with a new foot ulcer between 1 September 2003 and 1 October 2004. Standardised data on patient characteristics, as well as foot and ulcer characteristics, were obtained. Foot disease was categorised into four stages according to the presence or absence of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and infection: A: PAD -, infection -; B: PAD -, infection +; C: PAD +, infection -; D: PAD +, infection +. PAD was diagnosed in 49% of the subjects, infection in 58%. The majority of ulcers (52%) were located on the non-plantar surface of the foot. With regard to severity, 24% had stage A, 27% had stage B, 18% had stage C and 31% had stage D foot disease. Patients in the latter group had a distinct profile: they were older, had more non-plantar ulcers, greater tissue loss and more serious comorbidity. According to our results in this European cohort, the severity of diabetic foot ulcers at presentation is greater than previously reported, as one-third had both PAD and infection. Non-plantar foot ulcers were more common than plantar ulcers, especially in patients with severe disease, and serious comorbidity increased significantly with increasing severity of foot disease. Further research is needed to obtain insight into the clinical outcome of these patients.
TL;DR: What has been learned about the dynamic nature of the structure and mechanism of GPCR activation is reviewed, primarily focusing on spectroscopic studies of purified human beta2 adrenergic receptor.
TL;DR: The majority of patients with acute type A acute aortic dissection present with aorti diameters <5.5 cm and thus do not fall within current guidelines for elective aneurysm surgery, and methods other than size measurement of the ascending aorta are needed to identify patients at risk for dissection.
Abstract: Background— Studies of aortic aneurysm patients have shown that the risk of rupture increases with aortic size. However, few studies of acute aortic dissection patients and aortic size exist. We used data from our registry of acute aortic dissection patients to better understand the relationship between aortic diameter and type A dissection. Methods and Results— We examined 591 type A dissection patients enrolled in the International Registry of Acute Aortic Dissection between 1996 and 2005 (mean age, 60.8 years). Maximum aortic diameters averaged 5.3 cm; 349 (59%) patients had aortic diameters <5.5 cm and 229 (40%) patients had aortic diameters <5.0 cm. Independent predictors of dissection at smaller diameters (<5.5 cm) included a history of hypertension (odds ratio, 2.17; 95% confidence interval, 1.03 to 4.57; P=0.04), radiating pain (odds ratio, 2.08; 95% confidence interval, 1.08 to 4.0; P=0.03), and increasing age (odds ratio, 1.03; 95% confidence interval, 1.00 to 1.05; P=0.03). Marfan syndrome pati...
TL;DR: Prerecombinant tissue plasminogen activator, systolic blood pressure, glucose, and Thrombolysis in Brain Ischemia flow grade at the occlusion site were the negative independent predictors for complete recanalization in the final model.
Abstract: Background and Purpose— The objective of this study was to examine clinical outcomes and recanalization rates in a multicenter cohort of stroke patients receiving intravenous tissue plasminogen activator by site of occlusion localized with bedside transcranial Doppler. Angiographic studies with intraarterial thrombolysis suggest more proximal occlusions carry greater thrombus burden and benefit less from local therapy. Methods— Using validated transcranial Doppler criteria for specific arterial occlusion (Thrombolysis in Brain Ischemia flow grades), we compared the rate of dramatic recovery (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score ≤2 at 24 hours) and favorable outcomes at 3 months (modified Rankin Scale ≤1) for each occlusion site. We determined the likelihood of recanalization at various occlusion sites and its predictors. Then, stepwise logistic regression was used to determine predictors of complete recanalization. Results— Three hundred thirty-five patients had a mean age 69±13 years and 48.5...
TL;DR: Large differences have been found across species, breeds and individuals, which reflect the contribution of genetic factors and environmental influences, especially during development, in HPA axis functioning.
TL;DR: In this article, a class of composite Higgs models arising from a warped extra dimension that can satisfy all the electroweak precision tests in a significant portion of their parameter space is presented. But their mass is not known.
Abstract: We present a class of composite Higgs models arising from a warped extra dimension that can satisfy all the electroweak precision tests in a significant portion of their parameter space. A custodial symmetry plays a crucial role in keeping the largest corrections to the electroweak observables below their experimental limits. In these models the heaviness of the top quark is not only essential to trigger the electroweak symmetry breaking, but it also implies that the lowest top resonance and its custodial partners, the custodians, are significantly lighter than the other resonances. These custodians are the trademark of these scenarios. They are exotic colored fermions of electromagnetic charges $5/3$, $2/3$, and $\ensuremath{-}1/3$, with masses predicted roughly in the range 500--1500 GeV. We discuss their production and detection at the CERN LHC.
TL;DR: The MAGIC telescope was used to observe the blazar Markarian 501 (Mrk 501) at energies above 100 GeV from May through July 2005 as mentioned in this paper, and the high sensitivity of the instrument enabled the determination of the flux and spectrum of the source on a night-by-night basis.
Abstract: The blazar Markarian 501 (Mrk 501) was observed at energies above 100 GeV with the MAGIC telescope from May through July 2005. The high sensitivity of the instrument enabled the determination of the flux and spectrum of the source on a night-by-night basis. Throughout our observational campaign, the flux from Mrk 501 was found to vary by an order of magnitude, and to be correlated with spectral changes. Intra-night flux variability with flux-doubling times down to 2 minutes was also observed. The strength of variability increased with the energy of the {gamma}-ray photons. The energy spectra were found to harden significantly with increasing flux, and a spectral peak clearly showed up during very active states. The position of the spectral peak seems to be correlated with the source luminosity.
TL;DR: In this paper, three determinant factors in decomposition patterns of soil organic matter (SOM): temperature, water and carbon (C) inputs were studied. But the authors focused on the role of the above-defined environmental factors on the variability of soil C dynamics.
Abstract: This experiment was designed to study three determinant factors in decomposition patterns of soil organic matter (SOM): temperature, water and carbon (C) inputs. The study combined field measurements with soil lab incubations and ends with a modelling framework based on the results obtained. Soil respiration was periodically measured at an oak savanna woodland and a ponderosa pine plantation. Intact soils cores were collected at both ecosystems, including soils with most labile C burnt off, soils with some labile C gone and soils with fresh inputs of labile C. Two treatments, dry-field condition and field capacity, were applied to an incubation that lasted 111 days. Short-term temperature changes were applied to the soils periodically to quantify temperature responses. This was done to prevent confounding results associated with different pools of C that would result by exposing treatments chronically to different temperature regimes. This paper discusses the role of the above-defined environmental factors on the variability of soil C dynamics. At the seasonal scale, temperature and water were, respectively, the main limiting factors controlling soil CO2 efflux for the ponderosa pine and the oak savanna ecosystems. Spatial and seasonal variations in plant activity (root respiration and exudates production) exerted a strong influence over the seasonal and spatial variation of soil metabolic activity. Mean residence times of bulk SOM were significantly lower at the Nitrogen (N)-rich deciduous savanna than at the N-limited evergreen dominated pine ecosystem. At shorter time scales (daily), SOM decomposition was controlled primarily by temperature during wet periods and by the combined effect of water and temperature during dry periods. Secondary control was provided by the presence/absence of plant derived C inputs (exudation). Further analyses of SOM decomposition suggest that factors such as changes in the decomposer community, stress-induced changes in the metabolic activity of decomposers or SOM stabilization patterns remain unresolved, but should also be considered in future SOM decomposition studies. Observations and confounding factors associated with SOM decomposition patterns and its temperature sensitivity are summarized in the modeling framework.
TL;DR: The problem of discriminating two different quantum states in the setting of asymptotically many copies is considered, and the minimal probability of error is determined, leading to the identification of the quantum Chernoff bound, thereby solving a long-standing open problem.
Abstract: We consider the problem of discriminating two different quantum states in the setting of asymptotically many copies, and determine the minimal probability of error. This leads to the identification of the quantum Chernoff bound, thereby solving a long-standing open problem. The bound reduces to the classical Chernoff bound when the quantum states under consideration commute. The quantum Chernoff bound is the natural symmetric distance measure between quantum states because of its clear operational meaning and because it does not seem to share some of the undesirable features of other distance measures.
TL;DR: Mutational analysis and mass spectrometry reveal that DJ-1 is an atypical peroxiredoxin-like peroxidase that scavenges H2O2 through oxidation of Cys-106.
Abstract: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative movement disorder. Whereas the majority of PD cases are sporadic, rare genetic defects have been linked to this prevalent movement disorder. Mutations in DJ-1 are associated with autosomal recessive early-onset PD. The exact biochemical function of DJ-1 has remained elusive. Here we report the generation of DJ-1 knockout (KO) mice by targeted deletion of exon 2 and exon 3. There is no observable degeneration of the central dopaminergic pathways, and the mice are anatomically and behaviorally similar to WT mice. Fluorescent Amplex red measurements of H(2)O(2) indicate that isolated mitochondria from young and old DJ-1 KO mice have a 2-fold increase in H(2)O(2). DJ-1 KO mice of 2-3 months of age have a 60% reduction in mitochondrial aconitase activity without compromising other mitochondrial processes. At an early age there are no differences in antioxidant enzymes, but in older mice there is an up-regulation of mitochondrial manganese superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase and a 2-fold increase in mitochondrial glutathione peroxidase activity. Mutational analysis and mass spectrometry reveal that DJ-1 is an atypical peroxiredoxin-like peroxidase that scavenges H(2)O(2) through oxidation of Cys-106. In vivo there is an increase of DJ-1 oxidized at Cys-106 after 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6 tetrahydropyridine intoxication of WT mice. Taken together these data indicate that the DJ-1 KO mice have a deficit in scavenging mitochondrial H(2)O(2) due to the physiological function of DJ-1 as an atypical peroxiredoxin-like peroxidase.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors compared three cases of payments for water-related environmental services (PES) in Central America, in terms of socioeconomic background, opportunity costs of forest conservation and stakeholders' perceptions of the conditions of water resources and other issues.
TL;DR: The use of composite end points in cardiovascular trials is frequently complicated by large gradients in importance to patients and in magnitude of the effect of treatment across component end points.
Abstract: Objective To explore the extent to which components of composite end points in randomised controlled trials vary in importance to patients, the frequency of events in the more and less important components, and the extent of variability in the relative risk reductions across components. Design Systematic review of randomised controlled trials. Data sources Cardiovascular randomised controlled trials published in the Lancet, Annals of Internal Medicine , Circulation , European Heart Journal, JAMA , and New England Journal of Medicine , from 1 January 2002 to 30 June 2003. Component end points of composite end points were categorised according to importance to patients as fatal, critical, major, moderate, or minor. Results Of 114 identified randomised controlled trials that included a composite end point of importance to patients, 68% (n=77) reported complete component data for the primary composite end point; almost all (98%; n=112) primary composite end points included a fatal end point. Of 84 composite end points for which component data were available, 54% (n=45) showed large or moderate gradients in both importance to patients and magnitude of effect across components. When analysed by categories of importance to patients, the most important components were associated with lower event rates in the control group (medians of 3.3-3.7% for fatal, critical, and major outcomes; 12.3% for moderate outcomes; and 8.0% for minor outcomes). Components of greater importance to patients were associated with smaller treatment effects than less important ones (relative risk reduction of 8% for death and 33% for components of minor importance to patients). Conclusion The use of composite end points in cardiovascular trials is frequently complicated by large gradients in importance to patients and in magnitude of the effect of treatment across component end points. Higher event rates and larger treatment effects associated with less important components may result in misleading impressions of the impact of treatment.
St. Agnes Hospital1, University of North Dakota2, MedStar Washington Hospital Center3, Wake Forest University4, University of Maryland, Baltimore5, University of Pittsburgh6, Sharp HealthCare7, Autonomous University of Barcelona8, Kaiser Permanente9, St George's Hospital10, Louisiana State University in Shreveport11, Institut Gustave Roussy12, Creighton University13, University of Lyon14, Complutense University of Madrid15, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center16, Mercy Medical Center (Baltimore, Maryland)17, Charité18, Rutgers University19, Roswell Park Cancer Institute20, University of South Florida21, Baylor University22, Johns Hopkins University23, Uppsala University24, University of Washington25, University of Louisville26, Christiana Care Health System27, National Institutes of Health28, University of Regensburg29, Mount Sinai St. Luke's and Mount Sinai Roosevelt30, Maine Medical Center31, Miami Valley Hospital32, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center33, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research34, Netherlands Cancer Institute35, University of Iowa36, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev37
TL;DR: Cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy in the management of peritoneal surface malignancies of colonic origin : a consensus statement.
Abstract: Cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy in the management of peritoneal surface malignancies of colonic origin : a consensus statement
TL;DR: Although they may be uncommon on a percentage basis, given the vast predominance of RCC in adults compared with children, adult Xp11 translocation RCC may well outnumber their pediatric counterparts.
Abstract: The recently recognized Xp11 translocation renal cell carcinomas (RCCs), all of which bear gene fusions involving the TFE3 transcription factor gene, comprise at least one-third of pediatric RCC. Only rare adult cases have been reported, without detailed pathologic analysis. We identified and analyzed 28 Xp11 translocation RCC in patients over the age of 20 years. All cases were confirmed by TFE3 immunohistochemistry, a sensitive and specific marker of neoplasms with TFE3 gene fusions, which can be applied to archival material. Three cases were also confirmed genetically. Patients ranged from ages 22 to 78 years, with a strong female predominance (F:M=22:6). These cancers tended to present at advanced stage; 14 of 28 presented at stage 4, whereas lymph nodes were involved by metastatic carcinoma in 11 of 13 cases in which they were resected. Previously not described and distinctive clinical presentations included dense tumor calcifications such that the tumor mimicked renal lithiasis, and obstruction of the renal pelvis promoting extensive obscuring xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis. Previously unreported morphologic variants included tumor giant cells, fascicles of spindle cells, and a biphasic appearance that simulated the RCC characterized by a t(6;11)(p21;q12) chromosome translocation. One case harbored a novel variant translocation, t(X;3)(p11;q23). Five of 6 patients with 1 or more years of follow-up developed hematogenous metastases, with 2 dying within 1 year of diagnosis. Xp11 translocation RCC can occur in adults, and may be aggressive cancers that require morphologic distinction from clear cell and papillary RCC. Although they may be uncommon on a percentage basis, given the vast predominance of RCC in adults compared with children, adult Xp11 translocation RCC may well outnumber their pediatric counterparts.
TL;DR: The developed label and method is versatile, offers enhanced performances, and can be easily extended to other protein detection schemes as well as in DNA analysis.
Abstract: A novel double-codified nanolabel (DC-AuNP) based on gold nanoparticle (AuNP) modified with anti-human IgG peroxidase (HRP)-conjugated antibody is reported. It represents a simple assay that allows enhanced spectrophotometric and electrochemical detection of antigen human IgG as a model protein. The method takes advantage of two properties of the DC-AuNP label: first, the HRP label activity toward the OPD chromogen that can be related to the analyte concentration and measured spectrophotometrically; second, the intrinsic electrochemical properties of the gold nanoparticle labels that being proportional to the protein concentration can be directly quantified by stripping voltammetry. Beside these two main direct determinations of human IgG, a secondary indirect detection was also applicable to this system, exploiting the high molar absorptivity of gold colloids, by which, the color intensity of their solution was proportional to the concentration of the antigen used in the assay. Paramagnetic beads were used as supporting material to immobilize the sandwich-type immunocomplexes resulting in incubation and washing times shorter than those typically needed in classical ELISA tests by means of a rapid magnetic separation of the unbound components. A built-in magnet graphite-epoxy-composite electrode allowed a sensibly enhanced adsorption and electrochemical quantification of the specifically captured AuNPs. The used DC-AuNP label showed an excellent specificity/selectivity, as a matter of fact using a different antigen (goat IgG) a minimal nonspecific electrochemical or spectrophotometric signal was measured. The detection limits for this novel double-codified nanoparticle-based assay were 52 and 260 pg of human IgG/mL for the spectrophotometric (HRP-based) and electrochemical (AuNP-based) detections, respectively, much lower than those typically achieved by ELISA tests. The developed label and method is versatile, offers enhanced performances, and can be easily extended to other protein detection schemes as well as in DNA analysis.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors analyzed a variety of biological traits in peripheral blood of operationally tolerant liver recipients in an attempt to define a multiparameter 'fingerprint' of tolerance.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigate the equity implications of marketing ecosystem services in protected areas and rural communities, and demonstrate that procedural fairness diverges strongly when initiatives are implemented in protected area or in rural communities.
Abstract: This paper investigates the equity implications of marketing ecosystem services in protected areas and rural communities. We use a three-tiered equity framework to analyse four distinct efforts to commercialise watershed recharge and carbon dioxide fixation by forests in Meso-America. We show that project development and participation are strongly mediated by organisational networks, as well as existing rights of access over land and forest resources. We demonstrate that procedural fairness diverges strongly when initiatives are implemented in protected areas or in rural communities. While in the former reserve managers and intermediaries concentrate all decision-making power, initiatives working with rural communities are able to integrate more significantly service providers in management decisions. Marketing ecosystem services in protected areas contributes to reduce expenditure rates for protected area management, but also results in less equitable outcomes, as rural communities and forest resource users become excluded from receiving sustained development benefits. When ecosystem services are commercialised by rural farmers, payments do not cover opportunity costs but act as a significant incentive for participation in most cases. Ecosystem service providers also benefit from complementary project activities, such as forest management training and agricultural extension support. We argue that limited economic impact and existing inequities in decision-making and outcomes can be explained by problems of institutional design, in particular the inability of markets and payments for ecosystem services to account for context-related factors, such as property rights.
TL;DR: The prevalence of a cluster of cardiovascular risk factors relates to background exposure to a mixture of POPs, several of which are also related to the prevalence of diabetes.
Abstract: We recently reported associations of some persistent organic pollutants (POPs) with both prevalence of type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance in a US population with background exposure to POPs. Restricted to non-diabetic participants, we now investigate the relationship between POPs and the metabolic syndrome, a prediabetic state. Cross-sectional associations were investigated in 721 non-diabetic participants aged ≥20 years. Nineteen POPs in five subclasses were selected because they were detectable in ≥60% of participants. Among five POPs subclasses, organochlorine (OC) pesticides were most strongly and consistently associated with metabolic syndrome: adjusted odds ratios (ORs) of 1.0, 1.5, 2.3 and 5.3 across OC pesticide quartiles (p for trend <0.01). Dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were also positively associated with adjusted ORs of 1.0, 1.1, 2.2 and 2.1 (p for trend = 0.01). However, non-dioxin-like PCBs showed an inverted U-shaped association with adjusted ORs of 1.0, 1.3, 1.8 and 1.0 (p for quadratic term <0.01). Associations of specific POPs varied across five components of the metabolic syndrome. OC pesticides were positively and significantly associated with four of the five components, especially elevated triacylglycerol and high fasting glucose, but not high blood pressure. PCBs were significantly associated with waist circumference, triacylglycerol and impaired fasting glucose. Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans showed small but significant associations only with high blood pressure. This study suggests that the prevalence of a cluster of cardiovascular risk factors relates to background exposure to a mixture of POPs, several of which are also related to the prevalence of diabetes. POPs associated differentially with different components of the metabolic syndrome.