Abstract Objective To identify the risk factors for catheter migration and demonstrate possible mechanisms of this migration. Design Retrospective study. Setting Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, a ...tertiary medical centre in Taiwan. Patients Patients who underwent implantation of intravenous ports via the superior vena cava (SVC). Interventions Procedures involving catheter placement and re-intervention for catheter migration. Main outcome measures The anatomic location of the catheter tip was confirmed by plain chest X-rays (postero-anterior view). From these plain radiographs, the distance (in cm) between the carina and catheter tip and the angle (in degrees) between the locking nut and catheter were measured. Methods A total of 1542 procedures related to intravenous port implantation were retrospectively reviewed but only procedures involving implantation via the SVC were included in the analysis. The study group was composed of 31 interventions because of catheter migration, while the control group consisted of 1475 implantation and re-intervention procedures except those involving catheter migrations. Results Shallow catheter-tip location ( p < 0.0001) and the presence of lung cancer ( p = 0.006) were risk factors for catheter migration. Conclusions Shallow catheter-tip location and the presence of lung cancer are risk factors for catheter migration. Strategies that ensure low catheter-tip location and avoid increased thoracic pressure may be useful preventive measures.
Background Previous reports have indicated that statins could prevent bone loss in ovariectomized (OVX) rats and increase the expressions of osteogenic genes in cultured osteoblasts. In this study, ...we hypothesized that simvastatin might increase osteoblast number and protein expressions of osteogenic markers localized in bones in concomitance with the prevention of bone loss in OVX rats.
Materials and methods Fifty‐four 3‐month‐old OVX and sham‐operated (SHAM) female Sprague–Dawley rats were used. Simvastatin (10–20 mg kg−1 day−1) was administrated orally for 6 weeks. Trabecular volume, osteoblast number and osteogenic proteins including BMP2, collagen type I and osteocalcin on bone sections obtained from lumbar vertebral body, distal femur and proximal tibia were measured.
Results The results showed that SHAM rats had significantly less trabecular bone volume and osteoblast number than that of OVX rats 6 weeks after operation. Oral simvastatin treatment (10–20 mg kg−1 day−1) increased bone volume and osteoblast number in the distal femurs, proximal tibiae and vertebrae of OVX rats. Furthermore, the osteoblastic cells with immuno‐stained BMP2, collagen type I and osteocalcin in vertebral bones were significantly increased by simvastatin treatment (20 mg kg−1 day−1) in OVX rats.
Conclusions This study demonstrates that simvastatin enhances the production of osteogenic proteins in bone and this effect may contribute to the prevention of bone loss in OVX rats.
BACKGROUND
To the authors' knowledge, outcomes and prognostic tools have yet to be clearly defined in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) who are treated with immuno‐oncology (IO) ...checkpoint inhibitors (programmed death‐ligand 1 PD‐L1 inhibitors). In the current study, the authors aimed to establish IO efficacy benchmarks in patients with mRCC and update patient outcomes in each International Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium (IMDC) prognostic class.
METHODS
A retrospective analysis was performed using the IMDC database with data from 38 centers. It included patients with mRCC who were treated with ≥1 line of IO. Overall response rates (ORRs), duration of treatment (DOT), and overall survival (OS) were calculated. Patients were stratified using IMDC prognostic factors.
RESULTS
A total of 687 patients (90% with clear cell and 10% with non‐clear cell) were included. The ORR was 27% in evaluable patients (461 patients). In patients treated with first‐line nivolumab and ipilimumab (49 patients), the combination of PD‐L1 inhibitor and vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitor (72 patients), and PD‐L1 inhibitor (51 patients), the ORR was 31%, 39%, and 40%, respectively, and the median DOT was 8.3 months, 14.7 months, and 8.3 months, respectively. The ORR for second‐line, third‐line, and fourth‐line nivolumab was 22%, 24%, and 26%, respectively. The median DOT was 5.7 months, 6.2 months, and 8.3 months, respectively, in the second‐line, third‐line, and fourth‐line settings. When segregated into IMDC favorable‐risk, intermediate‐risk, and poor‐risk groups, the median OS rates for the first‐line, second‐line, third‐line, and fourth‐line treatment settings were not reached (NR), NR, and NR, respectively (P = .163); NR, 26.7 months, and 7.4 months, respectively (P < 0. 0001); 36.1 months, 28.2 months, and 11.1 months, respectively (P = .016); and NR, NR, and 6.7 months, respectively (P = .047).
CONCLUSIONS
The ORR was not found to deteriorate from the first‐line to the fourth‐line of IO therapy. In the second line through fourth line, the IMDC criteria appropriately stratified patients into favorable‐risk, intermediate‐risk, and poor‐risk groups for OS.
The overall response rate to checkpoint inhibitors does not deteriorate when checkpoint inhibitors are used from the first‐line to fourth‐line of therapy for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma. In the second‐line, third‐line, and fourth‐line treatment settings, the International Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium criteria appear to appropriately stratify patients into favorable‐risk, intermediate‐risk, and poor‐risk groups for overall survival.
This study further evaluated the
and
anti-
activities and potential underlying mechanism of patchouli alcohol (PA), a tricyclic sesquiterpene. In the
assay, the capacities of PA to inhibit and kill
...were tested on three standard strains at different pH values and on 12 clinical isolates. The effects of PA on
adhesion (and its
,
, and
genes), motility (and its
and
genes), ultrastructure, and flagellation were investigated. Moreover, the
resistance to and postantibiotic effect (PAE) of PA were determined. Furthermore, the
effects of PA on
eradication and gastritis were examined. Results showed that MICs of PA against three standard strains (pH 5.3 to 9) and 12 clinical isolates were 25 to 75 and 12.5 to 50 μg/ml, respectively. The killing kinetics of PA were time and concentration dependent, and its minimal bactericidal concentrations (MBCs) were 25 to 75 μg/ml. In addition,
adhesion, motility, ultrastructure, and flagellation were significantly suppressed. PA also remarkably inhibited the expression of adhesion genes (
and
) and motility genes (
and
). Furthermore, PA treatment caused a longer PAE and less bacterial resistance than clarithromycin and metronidazole. The
study showed that PA can effectively eradicate
, inhibit gastritis, and suppress the expression of inflammatory mediators (COX-2, interleukin 1β, tumor necrosis factor alpha, and inducible nitric oxide synthase iNOS). In conclusion, PA can efficiently kill
, interfere with its infection process, and attenuate gastritis with less bacterial resistance, making it a potential candidate for new drug development.
Summary
We assessed the incidence of hip fracture and second hip fractures in Taiwan from 2001 to 2012. Age-standardized incidence rates decreased after 2005. However, mortality rate after first hip ...fracture was substantial compared to second hip fracture rate in a competing risk model.
Introduction
The aim of the study is to assess the incidence rates (IRs) of hip fractures, including changes in trends and medical costs, and second hip fractures in the Taiwanese population.
Methods
The number of hip fractures and the associated medical costs were obtained from the annual report of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taiwan, for individuals ≥50 years of age. The data of population at risk were retrieved from annual population reports from the Ministry of the Interior, Taiwan. The incidence of second hip fractures was evaluated from the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan for insured individuals aged ≥50 years from 2001 to 2011 with follow-up until 2013 using a competing risk model.
Results
The IR for the entire population increased from 332.7 to 336.5 per 100,000 person-years during 2001–2005 and decreased thereafter. This secular change was driven by a decrease in hip fractures for both men and women. The 10-year cumulative incidence rate of second hip fracture was 11.2% (95% CI 11.0–11.5%) in women and 7.9% (95% CI 7.6–8.1%) in men. Adjusted by consumer price index (CPI), the costs of hospitalization due to hip fracture increased from NTD 1.17 billion in 2001 to NTD 1.43 billion in 2012. However, the CPI-adjusted costs of each admission decreased from NTD 74944 in 2001 to NTD 65791 in 2012.
Conclusions
Since 2006, the IR of hip fractures has been declining in Taiwan. The 10-year cumulative IR of mortality is substantial for individuals who with first hip fracture.
Kinetic analysis of conformational changes of proteins at interfaces is crucial for understanding many biological processes at membrane surfaces. In this study, we demonstrate that surface-selective ...sum frequency generation (SFG) spectroscopy can be used to investigate kinetics of conformational changes of proteins at interfaces. We focus on an intrinsically disordered protein, human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP) that is known to misfold into the β-sheet structure upon interaction with membranes. Using the ssp polarization setting (s-polarized SFG, s-polarized visible, and p-polarized infrared), we observe changes in the amide I spectra of hIAPP at the air/water interface after addition of dipalmitoylphosphoglycerol (DPPG) that correspond to the lipid-induced changes in secondary structures. We also used the chiral-sensitive psp polarization setting to obtain amide I spectra and observed a gradual buildup of the chiral structures that display the vibrational characteristics of parallel β-sheets. We speculate that the second-order chiral-optical response at the antisymmetric stretch frequency of parallel β-sheet at 1622 cm−1 could be a highly characteristic optical property of the β-sheet aggregates not only for hIAPP, but possibly also for other amyloid proteins. Analyzing the achiral and chiral amide I spectra, we conclude that DPPG induces the misfolding of hIAPP from α-helical and random-coil structures to the parallel β-sheet structure at the air/water interface. We propose that SFG could complement existing techniques in obtaining kinetic and structural information for probing structures and functions of proteins at interfaces.
Study of galvanized Sn-finished Ag surface Wu, C. Y.; Fu, K. L.; Lin, Y. X. ...
Journal of materials science. Materials in electronics,
07/2021, Letnik:
32, Številka:
14
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Typically, Sn cannot be finished on Ni and Ag surfaces via the immersion process. In this work, through galvanic reaction, immersion Sn finish was processed on an immersion Ag finish coexisting with ...a Ni surface. Herein, the detailed mechanism of the reduction of Sn
2+
ions on the immersion Ag surface through galvanic reaction is reported. Through transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis, the uncommon Ag
4
Sn phase, instead of the common Ag
3
Sn phase, was confirmed to form during the Sn immersion of the Ag immersion layer. The Ag
4
Sn phase was found to form between the Ag grains in the immersion Sn layer. The mixed Ag/Ag
4
Sn structure in the immersion Sn layer can be explained by the galvanic reaction. The preferred formation of the Ag
4
Sn during the Sn immersion of the Ag immersion layer is discussed from the viewpoint of thermodynamics. The changes in the Gibbs free energy of the formation of the Ag
3
Sn and Ag
4
Sn phases were calculated as − 3.67 and − 8.89 kJ/mol, respectively. This confirms that the Ag
4
Sn phase is the favorable phase formed in the immersion Sn over the immersion Ag layer.
ABSTRACT
Fast transitions between different types of power density spectra (PDS) happening over time-scales of several tens of seconds are rare phenomena in black hole X-ray binaries. In this paper, ...we report a broad-band spectral-timing analysis of the fast transitions observed in the 2021 outburst of GX 339−4 using NICER and Insight-HXMT observations. We observe transitions between band-limited noise-dominated PDS and type-B quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs), and their rapid appearance or disappearance. We also make a detailed comparison between the fast transitions in GX 339−4 with those seen in MAXI J1820+070 and MAXI J1348−630. By comparing the spectra of the periods with and without type-B QPOs, we find that the spectral ratios above 10 keV are nearly constant or slightly decreasing, and the values are different between sources. Below 10 keV, the flux change of the Comptonization component is inversely proportional to the flux change of the thermal component, suggesting that the appearance of type-B QPOs is associated with a redistribution of the accretion power between the disc and the Comptonizing emission region. The spectral ratios between the periods with type-B QPO and those with broad-band noise are significantly different from that with type-B QPO and without type-B QPO, where the ratios (type-B QPO/broad-band noise) show a maximum at around 4 keV and then decrease gradually towards high energies. Finally, we discuss the possible change of the geometry of the inner accretion flow and/or jet during the transitions.
Based on two summer spatio-temporal data sets obtained from the northern South China Sea shelf and basin, this study reveals contrasting relationships among bacterial production (BP), dissolved ...organic (DOC) and primary production (PP) in the transition zone from the neritic to the oceanic regions. Inside the mid-shelf (bottom depth <100 m), where inorganic nutrient supplies from river discharge and internal waves were potentially abundant, BP, DOC and PP were positively intercorrelated, whereas these three measurements became uncorrelated in the oligotrophic outer shelf and slope. We suggest that the availability of limiting minerals could affect the couplings/decouplings between the source (i.e. phytoplankton) and sink (i.e. bacteria) of organic carbon, and thus DOC dynamics. DOC turnover times were homogeneously low (37–60 days) inside the mid-shelf area and then increased significantly to values >100 days in the outer shelf, indicating that riverine (Pearl River) DOC might be more labile. The actual mechanism for this is unknown, but might relate to higher inorganic nutrient supply from river/terrestrial sources. The positive correlation of the BP / PP ratios vs. phosphate (and nitrate) concentrations in the inner shelf implies that if anthropogenic mineral loading keeps increasing in the foreseeable future, the near-shore zone may become more heterotrophic, rendering the system a stronger source of CO2.
The Rare-RI Ring (R3) is a recently commissioned cyclotronlike storage ring mass spectrometer dedicated to mass measurements of exotic nuclei far from stability at Radioactive Isotope Beam Factory ...(RIBF) in RIKEN. The first application of mass measurement using the R3 mass spectrometer at RIBF is reported. Rare isotopes produced at RIBF-^{127}Sn, ^{126}In, ^{125}Cd, ^{124}Ag, ^{123}Pd-were injected in R3. Masses of ^{126}In, ^{125}Cd, and ^{123}Pd were measured whereby the mass uncertainty of ^{123}Pd was improved. This is the first reported measurement with a new storage ring mass spectrometry technique realized at a heavy-ion cyclotron and employing individual injection of the preidentified rare nuclei. The latter is essential for the future mass measurements of the rarest isotopes produced at RIBF. The impact of the new ^{123}Pd result on the solar r-process abundances in a neutron star merger event is investigated by performing reaction network calculations of 20 trajectories with varying electron fraction Y_{e}. It is found that the neutron capture cross section on ^{123}Pd increases by a factor of 2.2 and β-delayed neutron emission probability, P_{1 n}, of ^{123}Rh increases by 14%. The neutron capture cross section on ^{122}Pd decreases by a factor of 2.6 leading to pileup of material at A=122, thus reproducing the trend of the solar r-process abundances. The trend of the two-neutron separation energies (S_{2n}) was investigated for the Pd isotopic chain. The new mass measurement with improved uncertainty excludes large changes of the S_{2n} value at N=77. Such large increase of the S_{2n} values before N=82 was proposed as an alternative to the quenching of the N=82 shell gap to reproduce r-process abundances in the mass region of A=112-124.
PDF
