An optical resonator using an intracavity adaptive mirror with three concentric rings of controlling electrodes, which produc low loss and large beamwidth super-Gaussian output of order 4, 6, 8, is ...analyzed. An inverse propagation method is used to determine the appropriate shape of the adaptive mirror. The mirror reproduces the shape with minimal RMS error by combining weights of experimentally measured response functions of the mirror sample. The voltages applied to each mirror electrode are calculated. Practical design parameters such as construction of an adaptive mirror, Fresnel numbers, and geometric factor are discussed.
The most effective method for the screening and monitoring of optic pathway gliomas in children with neurofibromatosis type 1 remains a dilemma. Children less than 6 years of age are the group at ...highest risk for the development of optic pathway gliomas. Although an annual ophthalmologic examination currently is recommended as the most efficient method to screen for optic pathway gliomas, this method is often unreliable and inaccurate in young children. Magnetic resonance imaging remains the most sensitive test; however, cost and the need for sedation or general anaesthetic preclude its use as a routine screening test. We previously have recommended visual-evoked potentials (VEPs) as a possible alternative or aid in the assessment of optic pathway gliomas in this group of patients. The aims of this study were to ascertain the sensitivity of VEPs in detecting optic pathway gliomas and to determine whether VEPs are useful in monitoring the progress of optic pathway gliomas. This study provides further evidence of the sensitivity of VEPs in detecting optic pathway gliomas. In addition, VEPs may provide additional useful information concerning the progression of optic pathway gliomas once they have been detected.
This study aimed to conduct a systematic review to sum up evidence of the associations between different aspects of night shift work and female breast cancer using a dose–response meta-analysis ...approach.
We systematicly searched all cohort and case–control studies published in English on MEDLINE, Embase, PSYCInfo, APC Journal Club and Global Health, from January 1971 to May 2013. We extracted effect measures (relative risk, RR; odd ratio, OR; or hazard ratio, HR) from individual studies to generate pooled results using meta-analysis approaches. A log-linear dose–response regression model was used to evaluate the relationship between various indicators of exposure to night shift work and breast cancer risk. Downs and Black scale was applied to assess the methodological quality of included studies.
Ten studies were included in the meta-analysis. A pooled adjusted relative risk for the association between ‘ever exposed to night shift work’ and breast cancer was 1.19 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.05–1.35. Further meta-analyses on dose–response relationship showed that every 5-year increase of exposure to night shift work would correspondingly enhance the risk of breast cancer of the female by 3% (pooled RR = 1.03, 95% CI 1.01–1.05; Pheterogeneity < 0.001). Our meta-analysis also suggested that an increase in 500-night shifts would result in a 13% (RR = 1.13, 95% CI 1.07–1.21; Pheterogeneity = 0.06) increase in breast cancer risk.
This systematic review updated the evidence that a positive dose–response relationship is likely to present for breast cancer with increasing years of employment and cumulative shifts involved in the work.
Construction of linear ring codes for 6 PSK Chang-Jia Chen; Tai-Yi Chen; Loeliger, H.-A.
IEEE transactions on information theory,
03/1994, Letnik:
40, Številka:
2
Journal Article
Recenzirano
The algebraic construction of linear codes over Zm for m-PSK is considered for the case that m is the product of two distinct primes. By means of the Chinese remainder theorem (CRT), such codes can ...be constructed from linear codes over the corresponding prime fields. It is shown that, for given component codes, the CRT composition yields PSK codes that are at least as good, and often much better, than the codes obtained from the standard coset coding technique. A lower bound on the minimum Euclidean distance of 6 PSK codes is derived that is based on the Hamming weight distribution of the component codes.< >
Enterovirus 71 (EV71) caused a large outbreak in Taiwan in 1998 with 78 deaths, and smaller outbreaks recurred in 2000 and 2001. The outbreak was recognized because of a large number of hand, foot, ...and mouth disease cases and the rapid deaths of children with the disease. Virologic and pathologic studies indicated that EV71 was the most important agent related to severe and fatal cases and that a neurogenic inflammatory response was involved in the pathogenesis of cardiopulmonary collapse resulting from fulminant EV71 infection. Seroepidemiologic study suggested that EV71 had circulated for at least 16 years and that the accumulation of susceptible hosts might have triggered the 1998 outbreak. However, a change in EV71 neurovirulence and host genetic susceptibility may also have affected the clinical outcome. The Taiwan outbreak shows that worldwide attention should be paid to such outbreaks, new antiviral drugs should be developed, and that vaccination of children under 5 years of age may be warranted.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, ODKLJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
To investigate different cells behaviors and genotoxicity, which were driven by specific microenvironments, three patterned surfaces (pillars, wide grooves and narrow grooves) and one smooth surface ...were prepared by template-based technique. Vinculin is a membrane-cytoskeletal protein in focal adhesion plaques and associates with cell–cell and cell–matrix junctions, which can promote cell adhesion and spreading. The immunofluorescence staining of vinculin revealed that the narrow grooves patterned substrate was favorable for L929 cell adhesion. For cell multiplication, the narrow grooves surface was fitted for the proliferation of L929, L02 and MSC cells, the pillars surface was only in favor of L929 cells to proliferate during 7days of cell cultivation. Cell genetic toxicity was evaluated by cellular micronuclei test (MNT). The results indicated that topological surfaces were more suitable for L929 cells to proliferate and maintain the stability of genome. On the contrary, the narrow grooves surface induced higher micronuclei ratio of L02 and MSC cells than other surfaces. With the comprehensive results of cell multiplication and MNT, it was concluded that the wide grooves surface was best fitted for L02 cells to proliferate and have less DNA damages, and the smooth surface was optimum for the research of MSC cells in vitro.
•Different cells behaviors on microstructure surfaces were discussed in this paper.•The expression of cell protein of Vinculin was studied in this research.•Cellular micronuclei test was applied to evaluate cells' genotoxicity.•Cell genotoxicity was first studied in the research field of topological surfaces.
Background: Cyclin D1 protein plays an important part in regulating the progress of the cell during the G 1 phase of the cell cycle. It has been suggested that G870A polymorphism at the exon4/intron4 ...splicing region of the CCND1
gene may play a role in tumorigenesis and invasiveness. Patients and Methods: A case-control study was performed to test the
association between G870A polymorphisms in the CCND1 gene and breast cancer risk and cancer progression. For this purpose,
38 patients with breast cancer and 64 healthy women controls were included in the study. The CCND1 G870A polymorphisms in
our study groups were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) using peripheral
blood samples. Results: A significant difference was found in the distribution of the GG, AG and AA genotypes between the
patient group and the control group (p=0.021). A lower risk (οdds ratio 0.435, 95% confidence interval 0.223-0.846) was found
to be associated with heterozygote AG individuals when compared with homozygote allele carriers in breast cancer. The cyclin
D1 A870G genotype was associated with capsular invasion (p=0.02). Conclusion: The risk of breast cancer development and prognosis
may be associated with genetic variation in the CCND1 genotype, which may be used as a biomarker for further studies.
Previous studies of encapsulated Staphylococcus aureus have shown that the opsonins of normal, nonimmune human serum (complement factor C3 and IgG) bind beneath the capsule, i.e., on the cell wall, ...and when bound at this site these opsonins are not effective in promoting phagocytosis of the bacteria by polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN). In this investigation immune antibody was added to human serum to effect opsonization of encapsulated S. aureus. Opsonization was assessed by quantitating the uptake of 3H-labeled staphylococci by human PMN, and the amount of C3 fixation to bacteria was measured in a quantitative fluorescent immunoassay. Low levels of immune antibody (IgG) effectively opsonized encapsulated S. aureus when added to fresh but not to heated serum; phagocytosis of the staphylococci was mediated via pronase-sensitive membrane receptors (presumably C3b receptors) of PMN. Experiments with C2-, C3-, or C5-deficient human sera revealed that C3 was required for opsonization and that activation of C3 was mediated via the alternative complement pathway. Encapsulated S. aureus bound significantly less C3 than unencapsulated strains in diluted normal serum; addition of immune antibody, however, increased C3 fixation 4.7-fold (p less than 0.005). Immunoelectron microscopy localized C3 throughout the capsule as well as on the staphylococcal cell wall when bacteria had been opsonized in human serum with immune antibody. Without immune antibody, C3 binding was restricted to the cell wall. At approximately 10-fold higher levels of immune antibody, opsonization and phagocytosis of encapsulated S. aureus was independent of complement and pronase-sensitive receptors on PMN. These studies show that, in addition to immune antibody, the alternative pathway of complement plays an important role in the opsonization of encapsulated S. aureus strains and suggest that complement may be crucial to the in vivo clearance of these organisms.
Metastable (β and γ) and stable (α) MnS crystallites were synthesized by solvothermal reaction in various solvents at 190−200 °C. In tetrahydrofuran and benzene, the metastable MnS crystallites can ...be obtained. In water, ammonia liquor, ethylenediamine, α-MnS, which is converted from the metastable phase, would be obtained. The low solubility of MnS is the crucial reason to stabilize the metastable phase with good yield. The metastable MnS crystallites were characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The metastable γ-MnS crystallites with rodlike morphology were found, and a unique “methane-like” four-branched rod cluster was characterized. The blue shift of the absorption edge indicates the quantum size effect of metastable MnS nanocrystallites.
Summary
Effects of anti-osteoporosis medications such as anti-resorptive and anabolic agents on healing of osteoporotic spinal fracture were retrospectively investigated. The use of anabolic agent ...significantly enhanced fracture healing, reduced progressive collapse, and presented good pain relief. These findings suggest that proper selection of medication could improve initial management of acute osteoporotic spinal fractures (OSFs).
Introduction
Although anti-osteoporosis medications have beneficial effects on prevention of osteoporotic spinal fractures (OSFs), few studies have compared effects of medications on fracture healing following OSFs. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to elucidate the effects of different anti-osteoporosis medications on radiological and clinical outcomes after acute OSFs.
Methods
A total of 132 patients diagnosed with acute OSFs were enrolled and allocated into three groups group I (
n
= 39, no anti-osteoporosis medication), group II (
n
= 66, bisphosphonate), and group III (
n
= 27, parathyroid hormone (PTH). Radiological parameters including magnetic resonance (MR) classification, occurrence of intravertebral cleft (IVC), and clinical outcomes such as numerical rating scale (NRS) and Oswestry disability index were assessed. Risk analyses for IVC and progressive collapse were done along the related factors and medication type.
Results
IVC sign was observed in 30 patients. The rate of IVC sign was lower in group III (7.4%) than that in group I (20.5%) or group II (30.3%), although the difference was not statistically significant. Moreover, the degree of NRS improvement was better in group III than that in group I or group II (5.7 vs. 3.1 vs. 3.5,
p
< 0.001). On multiple regression analysis, mid-portion type fracture in MR classification was a significant risk factor for progressive OSFs. The use of PTH showed significant lower incidences of occurrence of IVC (odds ratio (OR) = 0.160) and increase in height loss (OR = 0.325).
Conclusions
Different anti-osteoporosis medications presented different clinical and radiological results after acute OSFs. The use of anabolic agent significantly enhanced fracture healing, reduced progressive collapse, and presented better clinical outcomes. Proper selection of medication might improve initial management of acute OSFs.
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