IntroductionPrioritising control of occupationally-related cancers should be evidence based. We have estimated the current burden of cancer in Great Britain attributable to occupation for IARC group ...1 and 2A carcinogens.MethodsWe calculated attributable fractions and numbers for mortality/incidence using risk estimates from published literature and national data sources to estimate proportions exposed.ResultsCancer deaths attributable to occupation in 2005 are 5.3% (8023) (men: 8.2% (6366); women 2.3% (1657)). Attributable incidence estimates are 13694 (4.0%) cancer registrations (men: 10074 (5.7%); women 3620 (2.1%)). Occupational attributable fractions are over 2% for mesothelioma, sinonasal, lung, nasopharynx, breast, non-melanoma skin, bladder, oesophagus, soft tissue sarcoma and stomach cancers. Asbestos, shift work, mineral oils, solar radiation, silica, diesel engine exhaust, coal tars and pitches, occupation as a painter or welder, dioxins, environmental tobacco smoke, radon, tetrachloroethylene, arsenic and strong inorganic mists each contribute 100+ registrations. Industries/occupations with over 200 cancer registrations include construction, women's shift work, metal working, personal/household services, mining, land transport, printing/publishing, retail/hotels/restaurants, public administration/defence, farming and several manufacturing sectors.ConclusionsThis study is the first detailed cancer burden study using all IARC 1 and 2A carcinogens and quantifying the contribution of individual industry sectors. Our methodology provides a basis for adaptation for use in other countries and global occupational burden estimation and for extension to include social and economic impact evaluation. The results highlight specific carcinogenic agents and the occupational circumstances and industrial areas where exposures to these agents occurs, facilitating prioritisation of risk reduction strategies.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are ∼22 nucleotide RNAs that negatively regulate the expression of protein-coding genes. In a present model of miRNA function in animals, miRNAs that form imperfect duplexes with ...their targets inhibit protein expression without affecting mRNA levels. Here, we report that in C. elegans, regulation by the let-7 miRNA results in degradation of its lin-41 target mRNA, despite the fact that its 3′UTR regulatory sequences can only partially base-pair with the miRNA. Furthermore, lin-14 and lin-28 are targets of the lin-4 miRNA, and we show that the mRNA levels for these protein-coding genes significantly decrease in response to lin-4 expression. This study reveals that mRNAs containing partial miRNA complementary sites can be targeted for degradation in vivo, raising the possibility that regulation at the level of mRNA stability may be more common than previously appreciated for the miRNA pathway.
Objective To describe epidemiologic features of sports-related genitourinary (GU) injuries and determine patient cohorts and particular sporting activities associated with increased GU injury risk. ...Materials and Methods The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, a data set validated to provide a probability sample of injury-related US emergency department (ED) presentations, was analyzed to characterize GU injuries between 2002 and 2010. A total of 13,851 observations were analyzed to derive national estimates. Results Between 2002 and 2010, an estimated 137,525 individuals (95% confidence interval, 104,490-170,620) presented to US EDs with GU injuries sustained during sporting activities. Nearly three-quarters of injuries occurred in the pediatric population. The most common product involved was a bicycle, representing approximately one-third of injuries in both adult and pediatric populations. Injuries related to team sports such as football, baseball or softball, basketball, and soccer were also common, particularly among boys where they represented a combined third of all injuries. Eighty-nine percent of all patients were evaluated and treated in the ED without inpatient admission. The large majority of injuries involved the external genitalia (60%), and significant injuries of paired GU organs (kidneys and testicles) requiring inpatient admission were rare (8.5%). Conclusion Sports-related GU injuries are most commonly sustained during the use of a bicycle. However, there are other associated activities with identifiable high-risk cohorts, products, and situations. Consumers, practitioners, and injury-prevention experts can use our epidemiologic data to prioritize and develop strategies aimed at the prevention and limitation of such injuries, particularly when counseling at-risk cohorts, such as those with solitary kidneys or testicles.
Abstract The placement of guide-wires and catheters to gain access to the upper urinary tract can induce undesirable stresses on tissues. Previous studies have characterized the performance of wires ...and catheters by evaluating their physical properties such as stiffness and friction coefficient. However, the results of these studies do not directly quantify the wire's effects on tissues. Furthermore, the individual physical properties of wires and catheters investigated in previous studies cannot be simply summed up to characterize the behavior of an entire wire/catheter ensemble. This paper presents an objective method for testing guide-wires and catheters that estimates the forces applied by these instruments to anatomical structures during urological procedures. Our model utilizes a computer-controlled test stand that simulates a urological environment by including a tortuous path and a stone obstruction. Experimental results using this model show significant promise in reflecting the performance of guide-wires and catheters measuring the stress exerted upon relevant anatomical structures. Furthermore, due to the modularity of the approach, the model can be easily reconfigured to simulate environments relevant to other medical fields.
Objective To describe the demographics and mechanism of genitourinary (GU) injuries related to pubic hair grooming in patients who present to U.S. emergency departments (EDs). Materials and Methods ...The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System contains prospectively collected data from patients who present to EDs with consumer product-related injuries. The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System is a stratified probability sample, validated to provide national estimates of all patients who present to U.S. EDs with an injury. We reviewed the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System to identify incidents of GU injury related to pubic hair grooming for 2002-2010. The variables reviewed included age, race, gender, injury type, location (organ) of injury, hospital disposition, and grooming product. Results From 2002 to 2010, an observed 335 actual ED visits for GU injury related to grooming products provided an estimated 11,704 incidents (95% confidence interval 8430-15,004). The number of incidents increased fivefold during that period, amounting to an estimated increase of 247 incidents annually (95% confidence interval 110-384, P = .001). Of the cohort, 56.7% were women. The mean age was 30.8 years (95% confidence interval 28.8-32.9). Shaving razors were implicated in 83% of the injuries. Laceration was the most common type of injury (36.6%). The most common site of injury was the external female genitalia (36.0%). Most injuries (97.3%) were treated within the ED, with subsequent patient discharge. Conclusion Most GU injuries that result from the use of grooming products are minor and involve the use of razors. The demographics of patients with GU injuries from grooming products largely paralleled observations about cultural grooming trends in the United States.
For impulse radio ultrawideband communications an ldquoantenna plus generatorrdquo system is co-designed and an on chip generator is integrated into the antenna. This approach does away with the need ...for intermediate transmission lines conventionally placed between an RF device/generator and an antenna and therefore eliminates the need for a balun, prevents excitation of the common-mode currents and allows the device to be mounted directly on the antenna. The antenna and generator are designed taking into account both impedance matching and the generator's influence on the antenna's radiation properties. The suggested approach is verified experimentally at a scaled up version of the antenna.
We present the case of a 24-year-old immunocompromised man with an intratesticular abscess. The patient presented with one week of left scrotal pain and swelling. Workup included scrotal ...ultrasonography which revealed a large fluid collection within the tunica albuginea of the left testis. Surgical exploration of the left testis evacuated a significant amount of purulent fluid. The residual viable testicular parenchyma was salvaged. Intraoperative cultures grew Morganella morganii. Follow-up ultrasonography showed resolution of the testicular fluid collection, and the patient was discharged home with oral antibiotics. Intratesticular abscesses are a rare clinical entity which often result in orchiectomy.
The highly interdisciplinary field of bioinformatics has emerged as a powerful modern science. There has been a great demand for undergraduate- and graduate-level trained bioinformaticists in the ...industry as well in the academia. In order to address the needs for trained bioinformaticists, its curriculum must be offered at the undergraduate level, especially at four-year colleges, where a majority of the United States gets its education. There are many challenges in developing an undergraduate-level bioinformatics program that needs to be carefully designed as a well-integrated and cohesive interdisciplinary curriculum that prepares the students for a wide variety of career options. This article describes the challenges of establishing a highly interdisciplinary undergraduate major, the development of an undergraduate bioinformatics degree program at Ramapo College of New Jersey, and lessons learned in the last 10 years during its management.
Zeins, the seed storage proteins of maize, are a group of alcoholsoiuble polypeptides of different molecular masses that share a similar amino acid composition but vary in their sulfur amino acid ...composition. They are synthesized on the rough endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in the endosperm and are stored in ER-derived protein bodies. Our goal is to balance the amino acid composition of the methionine-deficient forage legumes by expressing the sulfur amino acid-rich 15-kD zeins in their leaves. However, it is crucial to know whether this protein would be stable in nonseed tissues of transgenic plants. The major focus of this paper is to compare the accumulation pattern of the 15-kD zein protein with a vacuolar targeted seed protein, beta-phaseolin, in nonseed tissues and to determine the basis for its stability/instability. We have introduced the 15-kD zein and bean beta-phaseolin-coding sequences behind the 35S cauliflower mosaic virus promoter into tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) and analyzed the protein's accumulation pattern in different tissues. Our results demonstrate that the 15-kD seed protein is stable not only in seeds but in all nonseed tissues tested, whereas the beta-phaseolin protein accumulated only in mid- and postmaturation seeds. Interestingly, zein accumulates in novel protein bodies both in the seeds and in nonseed tissues. We attribute the instability of the beta-phaseolin protein in nonseed tissues to the fact that it is targeted to protease-rich vacuoles. The stability of the 1 5-kD zein could be attributed to its retention in the ER or to the protease-resistant nature of the protein
Purpose We describe the epidemiological features of pediatric genitourinary injuries, and determine the products and events that may predict an increased risk of genitourinary injury during ...childhood. Materials and Methods The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System was queried to identify children 18 years or younger who sustained genitourinary injuries and presented to emergency departments in the United States between 2002 and 2010. Demographics and injury characteristics of these children were analyzed. Analyses were performed with adjustments for sample weighting and the stratified survey design. All data are reported as national estimates along with 95% confidence intervals. Results Based on 10,286 actual cases, an estimated 252,392 children (95% CI 205,579–299,194) sustained genitourinary injuries during the 9-year study period. Children 4 to 7 years old were most frequently injured (36.8% of all injuries), followed by those 8 to 11 years old (20.6%). Girls comprised 55% of the injured children. The yearly incidence of genitourinary injuries was stable across the period studied. The most commonly injured organs were female external genitalia (37.7%), penises (21.6%) and testicles (12%). Genitourinary injuries were most commonly associated with sporting and exercise equipment (35.7%), furniture (15.5%) and clothing items (11.9%). Of the patients 91% were treated at the emergency department and discharged home. Conclusions Genitourinary injuries in children result in approximately 28,000 emergency department visits yearly. Efforts should be made to decrease the risk of genitourinary injuries in children by promoting the use of protective gear and safer product selection for those at greatest risk for injury.
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