Surface functionalization of multiwalled carbon nanotubes is carried out by acid treatment followed by reaction with multifunctional silane, 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane. The chemical interaction of ...silane with the oxidized nanotube surface is confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) studies also indicate the presence of silane on the surface of the carbon nanotubes. X-ray diffraction reveals the change in the crystalline phases due to surface functionalization. Raman spectroscopy of the acid treated CNT further corroborates the formation of surface defects due to the introduction of carboxyl groups. Thermogravimetric analysis of the functionalized CNT exhibits a multiple peaks in the temperature range of 200–650
°C that corresponds to the degradation of chemically grafted aminosilane on the CNT surface. The influence of silane functionalized carbon nanotubes on the rheometric and mechanical properties of natural rubber vulcanizates is investigated. Rheometric properties like scorch time and optimum cure time increases. Modulus and tensile strength increase due to higher polymer-filler interaction between the carbon nanotube and NR vulcanizates.
Background: Although recent studies suggest high accuracy of breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in predicting residual tumor extent after neo-adjuvant systemic treatment (NST), its use is still ...controversial. In this study, we aimed to identify predictive factors of MRI accuracy after NST to determine a subgroup of patients in whom the use of MRI provides best additional benefit. Materials and methods: Clinicopathologic and molecular profiles of breast cancer patients were investigated and their relationships with MRI accuracy were analyzed. Results: From January 2006 to February 2008, 195 patients received NST and preoperative MRI. In overall, MRI predicted residual tumor extent with higher accuracy than ultrasonography. Triple-negative (TN) tumors showed highest correlation between MRI-measured and pathologic tumor size (r = 0.781) when compared with other subtypes. Multivariate analysis showed age and HER2 expression status as independent factors predicting MRI accuracy. When patients were classified based on their age and HER2 status, relatively older patients (>45) with HER2-negative tumors showed highest MRI accuracy. This finding was further validated using an independent cohort of 63 consecutive patients. Conclusion: Age and HER2 status independently affected MRI accuracy after NST. This observation may guide more tailored approach in using MRI in breast cancer patients undergoing NST.
Background and purpose
Disappointing outcomes from clinical trials involving amyloid‐modifying therapies for Alzheimer's disease (AD) have prompted more focus on the concept of early‐stage (E) ...amnestic mild cognitive impairment (E‐aMCI). However, limited evidence suggests that E‐aMCI may represent aMCI at a very early stage of AD. Furthermore, the nature of the progression of E‐aMCI to late‐stage aMCI (L‐aMCI) remains unclear. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to characterize patterns of cortical thinning in both E‐aMCI and L‐aMCI patients.
Methods
Cortical thicknesses were measured in 190 patients with aMCI and 147 subjects with normal cognition. In accordance with memory test scores involving delayed recall items, aMCI patients were divided into two subgroups, containing 73 E‐aMCI subjects with milder memory impairment scores between −1.5 standard deviation (SD) and −1.0 SD compared with age‐ and education‐matched norms and 117 L‐aMCI subjects with more severe memory impairment (scores lower than −1.5 SD).
Results
Compared with controls, the E‐aMCI group exhibited cortical thinning in the left medial temporal and insular regions, whereas the L‐aMCI group showed cortical thinning in widespread regions, including the bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal, anterior and medial temporal, and temporo‐parietal association cortices, and the precuneus. When the two aMCI groups were directly compared, the L‐aMCI group showed greater cortical thinning in the right superior prefrontal, medial temporal, posterior cingulate and lateral parietal cortices.
Conclusion
Our findings suggest that E‐aMCI might represent an early symptomatic stage of AD. Furthermore, L‐aMCI might resemble AD more closely than E‐aMCI, in terms of the topography of cortical thinning.
This study investigated the clinical characteristics of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and compared the DKA characteristics between patients treated with and without SGLT2 inhibitors.
Data were ...collected from patients aged ≥ 18 years admitted for DKA at nine centres in Korea between September 2014 and April 2017. The electronic medical records of these subjects were retrospectively reviewed. Based on their history of medications taken before admission, subjects were classified as either users or non-users of SGLT2 inhibitors and their clinical characteristics of DKA were compared.
During the study, the main subtype of DKA episodes (n = 523) was identified as type 2 diabetes (51%). Average hospitalization duration was 11 days, and average intensive care unit (ICU) time was 2.5 days. The in-hospital mortality rate was 3%, but no users of SGLT2 inhibitors died during DKA treatment. In patients taking SGLT2 inhibitors (n = 15), DKA manifested at 124 days, on average, after starting the inhibitors (range: 7–380 days). Also, SGLT2 inhibitors users had significantly lower plasma glucose levels (413 mg/dL) compared with non-users (554 mg/dL), and longer ICU stays (4 vs. 2 days; P = 0.019).
In this report of recent data on the clinical features of DKA in Korea, patients using SGLT2 inhibitors needed longer treatment in ICUs compared with non-users and had lower levels of blood glucose, whereas DKA associated with SGLT2 inhibitors was rare.
In this study, we aimed to identify demographic and clinical variables that correlate with perceived information provision among cancer patients and determine the association of information provision ...with decisional conflict (DC).
We enrolled a total of 625 patients with cancer from two Korean hospitals in 2012. We used the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) quality-of-life questionnaire (QLQ-INFO26) to assess patients' perception of the information received from their doctors and the Decisional Conflict Scale (DCS) to assess DC. To identify predictive sociodemographic and clinical variables for adequate information provision, backward selective logistic regression analyses were conducted. In addition, adjusted multivariate logistic regression analyses were carried out to identify clinically meaningful differences of perceived level of information subscales associated with high DC.
More than half of patients with cancer showed insufficient satisfaction with medical information about disease (56%), treatment (73%), other services (83%), and global score (80%). In multiple logistic regression analyses, lower income and education, female, unmarried status, type of cancer with good prognosis, and early stage of treatment process were associated with patients' perception of inadequate information provision. In addition, Information about the medical tests with high DCS values clarity adjusted odds ratio (aOR), 0.54; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.30–0.97 and support (aOR, 0.53; 95% CI 0.33–0.85) showed negative significance. For inadequate information perception about treatments and other services, all 5 DCS scales (uncertainty, informed, values clarity, support, and effective decision) were negatively related. Global score of inadequate information provision also showed negative association with high DCS effective decision (aOR, 0.43; 95% CI 0.26–0.71) and DCS uncertainty (aOR, 0.46; 95% CI 0.27–0.77).
This study found that inadequate levels of perceived information correlated with several demographic and clinical characteristics. In addition, sufficient perceived information levels may be related to low levels of DC.
Nomograms are statistics-based tools that provide the overall probability of a specific outcome. In our previous study, we developed a nomogram that predicts recurrence of early gastric cancer (EGC) ...after curative resection. We carried out this study to externally validate our EGC nomogram.
The EGC nomogram was established from a retrospective EGC database that included 2923 consecutive patients. This nomogram was independently externally validated for a cohort of 1058 consecutive patients. For the EGC nomogram validation, we assessed both discrimination and calibration.
Within the follow-up period (median 37 months), a total of 11 patients (1.1%) experienced recurrence. The concordance index (c-index) was 0.7 (P = 0.02) and the result of the overall C index was 0.82 P = 0.006, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.59–1.00. The goodness of fit test showed that the EGC nomogram had significantly good fit for 1- and 2-year survival intervals (P = 0.998 and 0.879, respectively). The actual and predicted survival outcomes showed good agreement, suggesting that the survival predictions from the nomogram are well calibrated externally.
A preexisting nomogram for predicting disease-free survival (DFS) of EGC after surgery was externally validated. The nomogram is useful for accurate and individual prediction of DFS, patient prognostication, counseling, and follow-up planning.
Abstract Background Thrombocytosis has been associated with malignancies and poor prognostic implications in cancer patients. In the present study the prognostic significance of pretreatment platelet ...(PLT) level was assessed with regard to recurrence and survival in patients with primary gastric adenocarcinoma. Methods The authors reviewed the prospective data of 1593 gastric cancer patients who received curative gastrectomy with extended lymphadenectomy. The correlations of PLT level with recurrence and overall survival were evaluated by both univariate and multivariate analyses. Results Thrombocytosis (≥40 × 104 /μL), present in 6.4% of the patients prior to curative surgery, was more frequently associated with advanced T and N classification, larger tumor size, anemia, and leukocytosis ( p < 0.05). In patients with pretreatment thrombocytosis compared to those without it, five-year survival rate was worse (56.9% vs. 65.5%; p = 0.043), and recurrence rate was higher mainly due to the frequent hematogenous spread (51.0% vs. 34.5%; p < 0.001). Furthermore, risk of blood-borne metastasis was almost three-fold higher in patients with pretreatment thrombocytosis (Odds ratio 2.83 95% CI 1.67–4.77, p < 0.001). Conclusions Pretreatment thrombocytosis correlated significantly with poor prognosis and can be used as an independent predictor of recurrence by blood-borne metastasis in gastric cancer.
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