Background
SARC-F is recommended as a sarcopenia screening tool and comprised of five assessment items: strength, assistance walking, rising from a chair, climbing stairs, and falls.
Objective
The ...purpose of this study was to assess whether the SARC-F questionnaire in elderly patients with hip fractures was a valid screening tool for sarcopenia by comparison of the results with criteria from the Europe, Asia, and international working groups.
Measurements
115 men and woman with hip fractures were assessed. The SARC-F self-reported questionnaire scores range from 0 to 10 and a score ≥ 4 defines sarcopenia. These survey questions were used to calculate the SARC-F score. Measurements, including appendicular muscle mass, were taken using dual-energy X-ray and grip strength using a dynamometer. Classification using the SARC-F score was compared using the consensus panel criteria from the international, European, and Asian sarcopenia working groups. The performance of all four methods was compared by examining the predictive ability using a ROC curve.
Results
A total of 115 subjects were included and the sarcopenia prevalence rate (SARC-F score ≥ 4) was 63.5 percent. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value PPV with the EWGSOP-2 criteria in Older People as the reference standard were 95.35 %, 56.94 %, 56.94%, 95.35%, and 71.3%, respectively. In addition, we found similar results for sensitivity and specificity as studies using the EWGSOP and AWGS criteria.
Conclusions
The SARC-F questionnaire is a useful screening tool for elderly patients with hip fractures. This finding supports the recommendation of SARC-F as a screening tool for sarcopenia from the EWGSOP2.
A transparent heater is produced from single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) with a high thermal conductivity. A transparent conducting SWCNT film is fabricated on glass or polymer substrates by ...using a vacuum infiltration method. SWCNT films with a transparency of 65–97 % and a sheet resistance of 230–3500 Ω square–1 are demonstated. These films are good candidates for many applications that require transparent film heaters.
Ion irradiation experiments and atomistic simulations were used to demonstrate that irradiation-induced lattice swelling in a complex oxide, Lu2Ti2O7, is due initially to the formation of cation ...antisite defects. X-ray diffraction revealed that cation antisite formation correlates directly with lattice swelling and indicates that the volume per antisite pair is approximately 12 Å3. First principles calculations revealed that lattice swelling is best explained by cation antisite defects. Temperature accelerated dynamics simulations indicate that cation Frenkel defects are metastable and decay to form antisite defects.
Abstract
Ferroic materials are well known to exhibit heterogeneity in the form of domain walls. Understanding the properties of these boundaries is crucial for controlling functionality with external ...stimuli and for realizing their potential for ultra-low power memory and logic devices as well as novel computing architectures. In this work, we employ synchrotron-based near-field infrared nano-spectroscopy to reveal the vibrational properties of ferroelastic (90
$^{\circ }$$
∘
ferroelectric) domain walls in the hybrid improper ferroelectric Ca
$_{3}$$
3
Ti
$_{2}$$
2
O
$_{7}$$
7
. By locally mapping the Ti-O stretching and Ti-O-Ti bending modes, we reveal how structural order parameters rotate across a wall. Thus, we link observed near-field amplitude changes to underlying structural modulations and test ferroelectric switching models against real space measurements of local structure. This initiative opens the door to broadband infrared nano-imaging of heterogeneity in ferroics.
Many procedures in modern clinical medicine rely on the use of electronic implants in treating conditions that range from acute coronary events to traumatic injury. However, standard permanent ...electronic hardware acts as a nidus for infection: bacteria form biofilms along percutaneous wires, or seed haematogenously, with the potential to migrate within the body and to provoke immune-mediated pathological tissue reactions. The associated surgical retrieval procedures, meanwhile, subject patients to the distress associated with re-operation and expose them to additional complications. Here, we report materials, device architectures, integration strategies, and in vivo demonstrations in rats of implantable, multifunctional silicon sensors for the brain, for which all of the constituent materials naturally resorb via hydrolysis and/or metabolic action, eliminating the need for extraction. Continuous monitoring of intracranial pressure and temperature illustrates functionality essential to the treatment of traumatic brain injury; the measurement performance of our resorbable devices compares favourably with that of non-resorbable clinical standards. In our experiments, insulated percutaneous wires connect to an externally mounted, miniaturized wireless potentiostat for data transmission. In a separate set-up, we connect a sensor to an implanted (but only partially resorbable) data-communication system, proving the principle that there is no need for any percutaneous wiring. The devices can be adapted to sense fluid flow, motion, pH or thermal characteristics, in formats that are compatible with the body's abdomen and extremities, as well as the deep brain, suggesting that the sensors might meet many needs in clinical medicine.
No report has been published on the use of DSC MR imaging, DCE MR imaging, and DWI parameters in combination to create a prognostic prediction model in glioblastoma patients. The aim of this study ...was to develop a machine learning-based model to find preoperative multiparametric MR imaging parameters associated with prognosis in patients with glioblastoma. Normalized CBV, volume transfer constant, and ADC of the nonenhancing T2 high-signal-intensity lesions were evaluated using K-means clustering.
A total of 142 patients with glioblastoma who underwent preoperative MR imaging and total resection were included in this retrospective study. From the normalized CBV, volume transfer constant, and ADC maps, the parametric data were sorted using the K-means clustering method. Patients were divided into training and test sets (ratio, 1:1), and the optimal number of clusters was determined using receiver operating characteristic analysis. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and log-rank tests were performed to identify potential parametric predictors. A multivariate Cox proportional hazard model was conducted to adjust for clinical predictors.
The nonenhancing T2 high-signal-intensity lesions were divided into 6 clusters. The cluster (class 4) with the relatively low normalized CBV and volume transfer constant value and the lowest ADC values was most associated with predicting glioblastoma prognosis. The optimal cutoff of the class 4 volume fraction of nonenhancing T2 high-signal-intensity lesions predicting 1-year progression-free survival was 9.70%, below which the cutoff was associated with longer progression-free survival. Two Kaplan-Meier curves based on the cutoff value showed a statistically significant difference (
= .037). When we adjusted for all clinical predictors, the cluster with the relatively low normalized CBV and volume transfer constant values and the lowest ADC value was an independent prognostic marker (hazard ratio, 3.04;
= .048). The multivariate Cox proportional hazard model showed a concordance index of 0.699 for progression-free survival.
Our model showed that nonenhancing T2 high-signal-intensity lesions with the relatively low normalized CBV, low volume transfer constant values, and the lowest ADC values could serve as useful prognostic imaging markers for predicting survival outcomes in patients with glioblastoma.
EGFR mutations and ALK translocation are considered mutually exclusive. We found that a portion of NSCLCs have EGFR and ALK co-alteration. When using sensitive assays for EGFR, the rate of ...co-alteration increased up to 15.4% of ALK-positive cases. These patients were sensitive to ALK inhibitors, but not to gefitinib. The clinical relevance of finding co-alteration with sensitive methods was discussed.
Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation and anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) translocation are considered mutually exclusive in nonsmall-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, sporadic cases having concomitant EGFR and ALK alterations have been reported. The present study aimed to assess the prevalence of NSCLCs with concomitant EGFR and ALK alterations using mutation detection methods with different sensitivity and to propose an effective diagnostic and therapeutic strategy.
A total of 1458 cases of lung cancer were screened for EGFR and ALK alterations by direct sequencing and flourescence in situ hybridization (FISH), respectively. For the 91 patients identified as having an ALK translocation, peptide nucleic acid (PNA)-clamping real-time PCR, targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS), and mutant-enriched NGS assays were carried out to detect EGFR mutation.
EGFR mutations and ALK translocations were observed in 42.4% (612/1445) and 6.3% (91/1445) of NSCLCs by direct sequencing and FISH, respectively. Concomitant EGFR and ALK alterations were detected in four cases, which accounted for 4.4% (4/91) of ALK-translocated NSCLCs. Additional analyses for EGFR using PNA real-time PCR and ultra-deep sequencing by NGS, mutant-enriched NGS increased the detection rate of concomitant EGFR and ALK alterations to 8.8% (8/91), 12.1% (11/91), and 15.4% (14/91) of ALK-translocated NSCLCs, respectively. Of the 14 patients, 3 who were treated with gefitinib showed poor response to gefitinib with stable disease in one and progressive disease in two patients. However, eight patients who received ALK inhibitor (crizotinib or ceritinib) showed good response, with response rate of 87.5% (7/8 with partial response) and durable progression-free survival.
A portion of NSCLC patients have concomitant EGFR and ALK alterations and the frequency of co-alteration detection increases when sensitive detection methods for EGFR mutation are applied. ALK inhibitors appear to be effective for patients with co-alterations.
Summary
Background Giant congenital melanocytic naevi (GCMN) are known risk factors for the development of melanoma. However, melanoma risk among Asians is rarely evaluated.
Objectives To evaluate ...the clinical characteristics and risk of melanoma development from GCMN in Koreans, we performed a nationwide retrospective cohort study in Korea. GCMN were defined as those comprising ≥ 5% body surface area in children or measuring ≥ 20 cm in adults.
Methods In total, 131 patients with GCMN were enrolled, with a mean age of 10·3 years (range: birth–70 years).
Results The posterior trunk was the most common site (67, 51·1%), followed by lateral trunk, anterior trunk, legs, both anterior and posterior trunk, buttocks, and arms. Satellite naevi were present in 69 cases (52·7%), and axial areas were more commonly involved in patients with satellite naevi than in those without satellite lesions. Atypical features such as rete ridge elongation and bridges were seen, and, among these, pagetoid spread and ballooning cell changes were more common in patients < 4 years old. Proliferative nodules were found in three cases. Melanomas had developed in three of 131 patients (2·3%; a 6‐year‐old girl, a 14‐year‐old girl and a 70‐year‐old man), and the incidence rate was 990 per 100 000 person‐years. Melanomas in these three patients consisted of two cutaneous melanomas and one extracutaneous meningeal melanoma.
Conclusions We should be aware of melanoma development from GCMN, and lifelong follow‐up is required due to the risk of melanoma arising in GCMN.
p53, the most commonly mutated tumor suppressor gene in human cancers, is a master regulator of apoptosis in many types of cells. Recently, protein phosphatase-1 (PP1) has emerged as a key ...phosphatase of p53, which modulates the interaction of p53 with its regulatory protein mouse double minute 2 (MDM2) and transcriptional activity. In the present study, we demonstrate the potential role of PP1 nuclear targeting subunit (PNUTS) in regulating the phosphorylation and apoptotic activities of p53. Hypoxia significantly increased mRNA and protein expression of PNUTS in various cell lines concomitantly with increases in p53. Promoter analysis confirmed the presence of hypoxia response elements in the promoter region of the PNUTS gene, which respond to hypoxia and forced expression of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha. Overexpression of PNUTS markedly increased cell death in response to hypoxia, with increased expression of Bax, an apoptosis-related gene induced by p53. Consistently, PNUTS increased the nuclear localization, phosphorylation, and transcriptional activity of p53 as well as the ubiquitin-dependent proteosomal degradation of MDM2. However, the W401A mutant form of PNUTS, which is incapable of binding to PP1, failed to induce these events. Taken together, our findings suggest that PNUTS may play an important role in controlling cell death in response to cellular stresses such as hypoxia through the post-translational modification of p53 and MDM2.
Background
Psychological aspect and quality of life should be considered in treating patients with psoriasis.
Objective
We sought to ascertain which clinical characteristics including presence of ...exposed lesions are associated with impairment of health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with psoriasis.
Methods
The EPI‐PSODE study was a nationwide, multicenter, cross‐sectional study conducted in Korea that included 1260 adult patients with psoriasis. In addition to clinical characteristics including presence of exposed lesions, data were collected using the Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA) Screening and Evaluation (PASE), Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), MOS 36‐Item Short‐Form Health Survey (SF‐36), Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire Psoriasis (WPAI: PSO) and Medication Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ).
Results
Patients with a DLQI score > 5 (n = 990) were younger, had an earlier onset of psoriasis, scored higher on the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI), had higher body surface area (BSA) and had higher PASE scores than patients with DLQI ≤ 5 (n = 266). The group of patients with exposed lesions (n = 871) were younger and male predominance, earlier onset of psoriasis, longer disease duration, higher PASI/BSA score and a higher proportion with drinking and smoking history each than the group of patients without exposed lesions (n = 389). Presence of exposed lesions negatively influenced DLQI, 36‐Item Short‐Form Health Survey (SF‐36) (mental component), presenteeism, total work productivity impairment and total activity impairment in the WPAI: PSO. In multiple regression model, PASI score was the only variable which was significantly associated with all HRQoL measures. Presence of exposed lesions was a significant factor affecting DLQI and SF‐36 (mental).
Conclusion
The presence of exposed lesions has a negative impact on quality of life, mental health and work productivity. Therefore, effective treatments are particularly needed for psoriasis patients with exposed lesions.
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