Peripheral blood-derived inflammation-based scores such as the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) have recently been proposed as prognostic markers in solid ...tumours. Although evidence to support these markers as unfavourable prognostic factors is more compelling in gastrointestinal cancers, very little is known of their impact on breast cancer. We investigated the association between the NLR and PLR, and overall survival after breast cancer.
Data from the University of Malaya Medical Centre Breast Cancer Registry was used. Of 2059 consecutive patients diagnosed from 2000 to 2008, we included 1435 patients with an available pre-treatment differential blood count (∼70%). Patients were stratified into quintiles of the NLR/PLR. Multivariable Cox regression was used to determine the independent prognostic significances of the NLR/PLR.
Compared with the first quintile of the NLR, women in quintile 5 were younger, had bigger tumours, nodal involvement, distant metastases and higher tumour grades. Higher NLR quintiles were significantly associated with poorer survival with a 5-year relative survival ratio (RSR) of 76.4% (95% CI: 69.6-82.1%) in quintile 1, 79.4% (95% CI: 74.4-83.7%) in quintile 2, 72.1% (95% CI: 66.3-77.3%) in quintile 3, 65.6% (95% CI: 59.8-70.8%) in quintile 4 and 51.1% (95% CI: 43.3-58.5%) in quintile 5. Following adjustment for demography, tumour characteristics, treatment and the PLR, the adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for quintile 5 vs quintile 1 was 1.50 (95% CI: 1.08-1.63); Ptrend=0.004. Results were unchanged when the NLR was analysed as a dichotomous variable using different cutoff points. Although patients in PLR quintile 5 had lower survival than in quintile 1 (5-year RSR: 53.2% (95% CI: 46.9-59.2%) vs 77.0% (95% CI: 70.9-82.2%)), this association was not significant after multivariable adjustment. However, a PLR >185 was significantly associated with poorer survival; adjusted HR: 1.25 (95% CI: 1.04-1.52).
Both the NLR and PLR are independently associated with an increased risk of mortality in breast cancer. Their added value in the prognostication of breast cancer in clinical practice warrants investigation.
Abstract Riboflavin (RF) is an essential water-soluble vitamin with unique biological and physicochemical properties such as transporterspecific cell internalization, implication in redox reactions, ...fluorescence and photosensitizing. Due to these features RF attracted researchers in various fields from targeted drug delivery and tissue engineering to optoelectronics and biosensors. In this review we will give a brief reminder of RF chemistry, its optical, photosensitizing properties, RF transporter systems and its role in pathologies. We will point a special attention on the recent findings concerning RF applications in nanotechnologies such as RF functionalized nanoparticles, polymers, biomolecules, carbon nanotubes, hydrogels and implants for tissue engineering.
Introduction
Street working children are often poor, deprived of love and care, and lack supervision by responsible adults. The Kurdistan region of Iraq has experienced war conflicts for decades. ...Many families have been displaced and their children forced into the streets. However, little is known about mental health among the street working children in this region.
Objectives
To explore mental health and trauma among street working boys in Duhok.
Methods
A cross sectional study was conducted on street working boys (n=100), eight to 16 years old in Duhok. A control group of age-matched school boys (n=100) were recruited. The Child Behaviour Checklist 6-18 was used for assessment of the children’s competences and behavioural problems. Mental disorders were assessed by using the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescence. Experienced trauma was assessed by the Harvard-Uppsala Trauma Questionnaire for Children.
Results
Sixty-one percent of the street working boys had at least one psychiatric disorder (57 % anxiety disorders). Street working boys reported more traumatic events than school boys, 96% vs 64% (X²= 32, p < 0.001), the largest effect size was found for torture (OR 28.4) and the smallest effect size for maltreatment or assault (OR 2.7). Also, they reported higher levels of internalising symptoms, T-score 59.4 (8.2). There was a significantly increased risk of more externalising symptoms with increasing working hours, OR 2.90 95% CI 1.02; 8.29.
Conclusions
Internalizing symptoms, anxiety disorders and trauma were more common in street working boys compared to school boys. More working hours increased the risk for more externalising symptoms.
Disclosure
No significant relationships.
Ge-doped silica fibre (GDSF) thermoluminescence dosimeters (TLD) are non-hygroscopic spatially high-resolution radiation sensors with demonstrated potential for radiotherapy dosimetry applications. ...The INTRABEAM® system with spherical applicators, one of a number of recent electronic brachytherapy sources designed for intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT), presents a representative challenging dosimetry situation, with a low keV photon beam and a desired rapid dose-rate fall-off close-up to the applicator surface. In this study, using the INTRABEAM® system, investigations were made into the potential application of GDSF TLDs for in vivo IORT dosimetry. The GDSFs were calibrated over the respective dose- and depth-range 1 to 20 Gy and 3 to 45 mm from the x-ray probe. The effect of different sizes of spherical applicator on TL response of the fibres was also investigated. The results show the GDSF TLDs to be applicable for IORT dose assessment, with the important incorporated correction for beam quality effects using different spherical applicator sizes. The total uncertainty in use of this type of GDSF for dosimetry has been found to range between 9.5% to 12.4%. Subsequent in vivo measurement of skin dose for three breast patients undergoing IORT were performed, the measured doses being below the tolerance level for acute radiation toxicity.
A simple and contactless intensity modulated displacement sensor is proposed and demonstrated for sensing uric acid concentration. For a concentration change of uric acid from 0 ppm to 500 ppm, two ...peak voltages are obtained from the displacement curve correspond to the highest reflectivity of each concentration. Those peak light intensities increase linearly with the concentration due to the increase of the refractive index of the uric acid solution. This implies that the higher concentration of uric acid tends to detect a stronger signal. The measured sensitivities are obtained at 0.0015 V/ppm and 0.0016 V/ppm for the first peak voltage and second peak voltage respectively. The result showed the percentage of similarity for the first peak to the second peak is almost 94% and the linearity more than 97% for both peak voltages is obtained suggested the consistency of the sensor system. The stability and simplicity of the contactless sensor offer a good and valuable opportunity for many applications especially in the hazardous chemical, pharmaceutical, process control and diagnostic sectors.
This paper presents a novel low-cost and simple phase-current reconstruction algorithm for three-phase induction motor (IM) under direct torque control (DTC) using the information obtained from only ...one shunt resistor (in series with low-side switches in a conventional three-phase inverter). The aim is to develop a low-cost high-performance IM drive. The proposed algorithm is robust and very simple. It uses the dc current to reconstruct the stator currents needed to estimate the motor flux and the electromagnetic torque. A theoretical concept is developed, the modified look-up table is presented, and current-access tables are designed and used in the phase-current reconstruction. The limitations are also studied and presented.
Abstract
In Malaysia, COVID-19 were first detected as imported cases on 25 January and as local infection on 4 February 2020. A surge of positive cases ensued by March 2020 which led to a series of ...countrywide containment and mitigation measures known as Movement Control Order (MCO). We study the direct effects of MCO on the course of epidemic by analyzing the cumulative and daily infection cases of COVID-19 up to 31 December 2020 in Malaysia and its states using piecewise linear regression and segment neighborhoods algorithm of change-point analysis, respectively. Through piecewise regression on nationwide cases, MCO were likely to almost flatten the epidemic curve in just one month after it was first initiated. While for stateswise cases, the average length of series of concave downward is six months before it turn to concave upward, indicating the period of which deceleration of new cases can be expected. However, the starting of this wave of COVID-19 can be relatively vary for three months in different states and federal territories. Together with change-point analysis on daily cases, the statewise epidemic phases could be subdivided into two to four regimes, whereby the majority of phase transitions fall in April and last quarter of 2020. Overall, the statistical modelling shows that the immediate effect of MCO appears to be effective.
Background
The study aimed to determine the association between body mass index (BMI)‐for‐age and health‐related quality of life (HRQOL) among high school students in Tehran.
Methods
A total of 465 ...high school students (227 girls and 238 boys) and their parents were participated in this cross‐sectional study. Body weight and height of the students were measured. For assessing HRQOL, both adolescent self‐report and parent proxy‐report of the Persian version of Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL™4.0) questionnaire were completed by adolescents and their parents respectively.
Results
The prevalence of overweight and obesity (38.5%) was higher than severe thinness and thinness (2.8%). Mean of adolescent self‐reported and parent proxy‐reported HRQOL total score were 80.26 ± 12.07 and 81.30 ± 14.08 respectively. In terms of HRQOL subscale scores, the highest subscale score of HRQOL was reported in social functioning (87.27 ± 14.40) and the lowest score was reported in emotional functioning (69.83 ± 18.69). Based on adolescent self‐report, adolescent boys had significantly higher mean score for total and all subscale scores of HRQOL compared with girls (P < 0.05). BMI‐for‐age was inversely correlated to adolescent self‐reported HRQOL total score (r = −0.25, P < 0.05). Based on adolescents self‐report, HRQOL total score was significantly different by body weight status (F = 16.16, P < 0.05). Normal weight adolescents had significantly higher HRQOL total score compared with overweight (mean difference: 7.32; P < 0.05) and obese adolescents (mean difference: 9.10, P < 0.05). The HRQOL total score was not significantly different between normal weight and underweight adolescents (mean difference: 1.65, P = 0.96). However, based on parent proxy‐reports, HRQOL total score was not significantly different by body weight status (F = 2.64, P = 0.059).
Conclusion
More than one‐third of adolescents were overweight and obese. BMI‐for‐age was inversely correlated to adolescent self‐reported HRQOL. Based on adolescents' perspective, overweight and obese adolescents had poorer HRQOL compared with normal weight adolescents. Intervention studies are needed to improve the HRQOL of overweight and obese adolescents in Tehran.
Breast cancer survival prediction can have an extreme effect on selection of best treatment protocols. Many approaches such as statistical or machine learning models have been employed to predict the ...survival prospects of patients, but newer algorithms such as deep learning can be tested with the aim of improving the models and prediction accuracy. In this study, we used machine learning and deep learning approaches to predict breast cancer survival in 4,902 patient records from the University of Malaya Medical Centre Breast Cancer Registry. The results indicated that the multilayer perceptron (MLP), random forest (RF) and decision tree (DT) classifiers could predict survivorship, respectively, with 88.2 %, 83.3 % and 82.5 % accuracy in the tested samples. Support vector machine (SVM) came out to be lower with 80.5 %. In this study, tumour size turned out to be the most important feature for breast cancer survivability prediction. Both deep learning and machine learning methods produce desirable prediction accuracy, but other factors such as parameter configurations and data transformations affect the accuracy of the predictive model.
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