Non-linear bias measurements require a great level of control of potential systematic effects in galaxy redshift surveys. Our goal is to demonstrate the viability of using Counts-in-Cells (CiC), a ...statistical measure of the galaxy distribution, as a competitive method to determine linear and higher-order galaxy bias and assess clustering systematics. We measure the galaxy bias by comparing the first four moments of the galaxy density distribution with those of the dark matter distribution. We use data from the MICE simulation to evaluate the performance of this method, and subsequently perform measurements on the public Science Verification (SV) data from the Dark Energy Survey (DES). We find that the linear bias obtained with CiC is consistent with measurements of the bias performed using galaxy-galaxy clustering, galaxy-galaxy lensing, CMB lensing, and shear+clustering measurements. Furthermore, we compute the projected (2D) non-linear bias using the expansion \(\delta_{g} = \sum_{k=0}^{3} (b_{k}/k!) \delta^{k}\), finding a non-zero value for \(b_2\) at the \(3\sigma\) level. We also check a non-local bias model and show that the linear bias measurements are robust to the addition of new parameters. We compare our 2D results to the 3D prediction and find compatibility in the large scale regime (\(>30\) Mpc \(h^{-1}\))
Formestane is a new aromatase inhibitor used as second-line endocrine treatment for postmenopausal women with advanced breast cancer. The most frequent side effects are local reactions. Here we ...report the development of immune thrombocytopenia coinciding with administration of this drug.
The Mini-Mental State (MMS) is a brief structured test of cognitive function. The purpose of this study was to adapt and normalise MMS for the Spanish population. The test was administered to 450 ...subjects (253 control volunteers, 86 mild memory/cognitive impairment without dementia subjects — CIWD and 111 Alzheimer's Disease patients — AD). A cross-sectional statistical study in a population stratified by age and education was conducted. A more accurate diagnosis is provided by scores that have been adjusted for age and level of education. The recommended cut-off in our study was 24/25 (non-demented above 24). The adaptation and normalisation of MMS provides the Spanish population with a highly valuable screening tool.
Abstract Background The use of expanded criteria donor (ECD) kidneys has increased the overall availability of renal transplants. This study assessed the use of sirolimus in patients receiving ...Argentina-ECD kidneys. Methods This observational, open-label, 1-arm, prospective, longitudinal pilot study was conducted at 8 transplant centers in Argentina. Adults receiving kidney transplants (without pancreas) from ECDs were eligible if they were converted to sirolimus 1 to 36 months' posttransplantation, with sirolimus becoming base therapy within 1 month after conversion. Patients were followed up for 1 year. Outcomes included reasons for conversion, acute rejection, patient and graft survival, graft status, and safety. Results The intention-to-treat population included 52 patients (mean age, 48.7 years). Calcineurin inhibitor nephropathy (40%) and chronic allograft nephropathy (25%) were the most frequent reasons for conversion. Two acute rejections occurred during follow-up, but no patients experienced graft loss. One patient died during follow-up, and 3 patients died within 1 month of the last sirolimus dose. Levels of serum creatinine and creatinine clearance remained stable from baseline to week 52/53. Mean proteinuria measured in a subset of patients was 0.2 ± 0.2 g/24 hours before conversion and increased to 0.6 ± 1.2 g/24 hours at week 24/25 and 0.5 ± 0.6 g/24 hours at week 52/53. Adverse events were consistent with those in previous conversion trials; the most common were infections and infestations (54%). Conclusions This pilot study illustrates the potential benefits of sirolimus in recipients of ECD kidneys in Argentina. Larger, randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm these findings and to clarify the long-term benefits of sirolimus in this patient population.
Summary Objectives To compare clinical and microbiological characteristics, treatment and outcomes of MRSA bacteraemia among elderly and younger patients. Material and methods Prospective study ...conducted at 21 Spanish hospitals including patients with MRSA bacteraemia diagnosed between June/2008 and December/2009. Episodes diagnosed in patients aged 75 or more years old (≥75) were compared with the rest of them (<75). Results Out of 579 episodes of MRSA bacteraemia, 231 (39.9%) occurred in patients ≥75. Comorbidity was significantly higher in older patients (Charlson score ≥4: 52.8 vs. 44%; p = .037) as was the severity of the underlying disease (McCabe ≥1: 61.9 vs. 43.4%; p < .001). In this group the acquisition was more frequently health-care related (43.3 vs. 33.9%, p = .023), mostly from long-term care centers (12.1 vs. 3.7%, p < .001). An unknown focus was more frequent among ≥75 (19.9 vs. 13.8%; p = .050) while severity at presentation was similar between groups (Pitt score ≥3: 31.2 vs. 27.6%; p = .352). The prevalence of vancomycin resistant isolates was similar between groups, as was the appropriateness of empirical antibiotic therapy. Early (EM) and overall mortality (OM) were significantly more frequent in the ≥75 group (EM: 12.1 vs. 6%; p = .010 OM: 42.9 vs. 23%; p < .001). In multivariate analysis age ≥75 was an independent risk factor for overall mortality (aOR: 2.47, CI: 1.63–3.74; p < .001). Conclusion MRSA bacteraemia was frequent in patients aged ≥75 of our cohort. This group had higher comorbidity rates and the source of infection was more likely to be unknown. Although no differences were seen in severity or adequacy of empiric therapy, elderly patients showed a higher overall mortality.
•Traditional academic reward system and mechanisms for research funding create “valley of death” for research prototypes by valuing novelty over robustness and reproducibility.•The US-based National ...Alliance for Medical Image Computing (NA-MIC) was formed in 2004 to address this problem by creating robust tools that enable reproducible science.•NA-MIC transformed 3D Slicer, a research prototype for medical image processing, into a professionally maintained, robust, and extensible software platform for translational research that is downloaded over a thousand times a week by researchers worldwide.•A key ingredient in the success of NA-MIC is the strong sense of belonging to the community and a shared ownership of outcomes. This has been fostered through a semi-annual “NA-MIC Project Week” hackathon series that has run continuously since 2005.
The National Alliance for Medical Image Computing (NA-MIC) was launched in 2004 with the goal of investigating and developing an open source software infrastructure for the extraction of information and knowledge from medical images using computational methods. Several leading research and engineering groups participated in this effort that was funded by the US National Institutes of Health through a variety of infrastructure grants. This effort transformed 3D Slicer from an internal, Boston-based, academic research software application into a professionally maintained, robust, open source platform with an international leadership and developer and user communities. Critical improvements to the widely used underlying open source libraries and tools—VTK, ITK, CMake, CDash, DCMTK—were an additional consequence of this effort. This project has contributed to close to a thousand peer-reviewed publications and a growing portfolio of US and international funded efforts expanding the use of these tools in new medical computing applications every year. In this editorial, we discuss what we believe are gaps in the way medical image computing is pursued today; how a well-executed research platform can enable discovery, innovation and reproducible science (“Open Science”); and how our quest to build such a software platform has evolved into a productive and rewarding social engineering exercise in building an open-access community with a shared vision.
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Sulfated polysaccharides exhibit many biological properties such as antiviral and anticoagulant activities. Herein, we report the antiviral activity of sulfated galactans extracted from the red ...seaweed
Bostrychia montagnei against herpes simplex virus types 1 (strain F and the thymidine kinase-deficient strains Field and B2006) and 2 (strain G). Two crude extracts obtained with cold and hot water as well as some fractions obtained by anion exchange chromatography, inhibited significantly the replication of the different strains of herpesviruses as determined by plaque reduction assays. The inhibitory effect of the compounds studied here took place only when they were added during the adsorption period. They were found to be highly selective antiviral substances, causing no impairment of Vero cell viability. Furthermore, they had no direct inactivating effect on virions by incubation in a virucidal assay. The antiviral activity could be correlated with the molecular weight and sulfate content of the polysaccharides. Although sulfated polysaccharides are generally endowed with anticoagulant properties, the results of the activated partial thromboplastin time and the thrombine time assays indicated that the natural sulfated polysaccharides from
Bostrychia montagnei have very low anticoagulant activity, confirming that there is no relation between the antiviral and anticoagulant properties.
Plant defensins are small cysteine-rich peptides that inhibit the growth of a broad range of microbes. In this article, we describe NmDef02, a novel cDNA encoding a putative defensin isolated from ...Nicotiana megalosiphon upon inoculation with the tobacco blue mould pathogen Peronospora hyoscyami f.sp. tabacina. NmDef02 was heterologously expressed in the yeast Pichia pastoris, and the purified recombinant protein was found to display antimicrobial activity in vitro against important plant pathogens. Constitutive expression of NmDef02 gene in transgenic tobacco and potato plants enhanced resistance against various plant microbial pathogens, including the oomycete Phytophthora infestans, causal agent of the economically important potato late blight disease, under greenhouse and field conditions.
Ustekinumab is an effective therapy for adult Crohn's disease (CD), but data in paediatric CD patients are scarce. The aim of the study was to describe the real-life effectiveness and safety of ...ustekinumab in paediatric CD. This is a multicentre review of children with Crohn's disease treated with ustekinumab. The aim of our study was to describe the effectiveness and safety of ustekinumab in paediatric real-life practice. This is a study of the Paediatric IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) Porto group of ESPGHAN. Corticosteroid (CS)- and exclusive enteral nutrition (EEN)-free remission, defined as weighted Paediatric Crohn's Disease Activity Index (wPCDAI) < 12.5, and physician global assessment (PGA) were determined at weeks 12 and 52. A total of 101 children were included at a median age of 15.4 years (IQR 12.7-17.2) with a median follow-up of 7.4 months (IQR 5.6-11.8). Ninety-nine percent had received prior anti-TNF, 63% ≥ 2 anti-TNFα therapies and 22% vedolizumab. Baseline median wPCDAI was 39 (IQR 25-57.5) (71 (70%) patients with moderate-severe activity). Weeks 12 and 52 CS- and EEN-free remission were both 40.5%. Clinical response at week 6, iv induction route and older age at onset of ustekinumab treatment were predictive factors associated with clinical remission at week 12. Seven minor adverse events probably related to ustekinumab were reported. One patient died from an unrelated cause. Conclusion: Our results suggest that ustekinumab is effective and safe in children with chronically active or refractory CD. What is Known: • Ustekinumab is an effective therapy for adult moderate to severe Crohn's disease (CD). • Off-label use of ustekinumab in children is increasing especially in anti-TNF refractory CD. What is New: • Is the largest cohort of real-world use of ustekinumab in paediatric CD to date. • Clinical response at week 6, iv induction and older age at onset of ustekinumab were predictive factors associated with clinical response at week 12.
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