Several neurological conditions have been reported to be associated with peripheral or central deficits of olfactory system. In recent years particular emphasis has been placed on the early and ...severe olfactory impairment in Parkinson's disease (PD), in which limited neuropathological studies have revealed a marked dopaminergic deficit in the olfactory tubercles. Moreover, indirect evidence suggests that dysfunction of the dopaminergic pathways from mesencephalon to the piriform cortex may play a role in olfactory impairment in PD. A large number of clinical studies have reported that olfactory loss in idiopathic PD is bilateral, present in hemiparkinsonism, unrelated to the stage or clinical subtype of the disease, and independent of antiparkinsonian medication. In addition, major olfactory alterations have been reported in familial PD and dementia with Lewy bodies but not in progressive supranuclear palsy and essential tremor. These findings might stimulate further research targeted to determine the biological substrate of dissimilar olfactory performances in these movement disorders. The present review summarizes standardized procedures for the assessment of olfactory acuity (detection threshold), identification (multiple choice odor naming), discrimination (differentiation between similar/dissimilar odorants), and memory (recognition of a substance previously smelled). Specific suggestions concerning the psychometric and neuropsychological evaluation of PD patients are provided.
A dysregulation of the nerve growth factor (NGF)-mediated control of prostate cell growth is associated with the malignant progression of prostate epithelial cells. Exogenous NGF induced in prostate ...cancer (PCa) cell lines DU145 and PC3 the expression of p75
NGFR, accompanied by a reduction of the cell malignancy. The aim of this study was to analyze the profile of NGF-regulated genes the PCa cell line DU145 by using the cDNA microarray technique.
NGF treatment of DU145 cells decreased the expression of 52 known genes, while the expression of 40 known genes was increased. NGF treatment of the DU145 cell line modified the expression profile of clusters of genes involved in invasion and metastasis, in cell proliferation and apoptosis, inflammation, cell metabolism and transcriptional activity. Interestingly, NGF induced the same pattern of gene modifications in both PCa cell lines. Data presented here may help to identify gene/proteins that dispose to PCa progression and to assess future markers that could allow the development of new clinic diagnostic and therapeutical approaches.
Lung cancer retains the leading position in cancer-related deaths in the western countries. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) comprises more than 80% of lung cancers, and complete surgical resection ...of primary tumors in early-stage disease is the only potentially curative treatment. One area of intense research on early-stage NSCLC is the identification of molecular markers to complement TNM staging to fully assess the prognosis of patients and to define innovative strategies. Numerous prognostic factors have been identified in patients with early-stage NSCLC that might enable classification of such patients into different subsets corresponding to different risks of recurrence following complete resection. Most of the markers are proteins that can be detected by immunohistochemistry assays based on the antigen–antibody reaction.
The present review aims at providing a panorama on classical as well as new prognostic markers. Of special interest are some molecular factors, already or currently tested from a prognostic point of view, that might also become good candidates for predicting treatment efficacy.
This overview reports published data about the interaction between physical activity and sport during and after cancer on one hand and improvement in psychological parameters, survival and biological ...mechanisms underlying this effect on the other hand. Practising physical activity and sport during cancer modifies parameters assessing fatigue and quality of life and reduces symptoms of depression. An association also exists between the practise of physical activity and sport and overall and cancer-specific survivals, especially after breast cancer, colon cancer and prostate cancer. These benefits seem to be mediated by a modification of circulating levels of estrogens, insulin, IGF-1 and by a decrease in insulin-resistance, by alterations in the secretion of adipokines, and by a reduction in chronic inflammation through decreased levels of cytokines. There exist some obstacles to the practise of physical activity. These obstacles are mainly related to a fear of pain induced by physical activity and to overweight. These programmes of physical activity and sport cannot be offered to all patients since there are several contra-indications, with some being present since the initial visit and others appearing during cancer management either due to disease progression or related to iatrogenic effects. Whereas benefits from physical activity and sport among cancer patients seem obvious, there are still several pending clinical and biological issues.
The purpose of this research was to examine LGBTQ-inclusive strategies used by practicing music educators in the United States. Participants (N = 300) in a nonprobabilistic sample completed a survey ...inquiring as to their comfort using LGBTQ-inclusive strategies in a school music class, their perceptions of barriers to LGBTQ inclusion, and whether they had received training related to LGBTQ issues. Self-identified heterosexual respondents were requested to complete an additional set of questions to determine their attitudes toward lesbians and gay men. Additional questions were used to capture demographic data including (1) years of teaching experience, (2) school and community types, and (3) racial, ethnic, gender, and sexual identity. Results revealed that respondents self-identifying as heterosexual generally held positive attitudes toward lesbians and gay men. Results suggest that music teacher participants in this study were aware of heterosexist language in their learning environments and likely to discourage this type of classroom behavior. Overall, respondents appeared not to be worried about the various stakeholders (administrators, parents, and colleagues) in their educational environment. The majority of music teachers surveyed indicated that they received no pre-service training (91.3%, n = 274) and no in-service training (87.3%, n = 262) relevant to LGBTQ inclusion. Respondents who had received in-service training, however, were more comfortable discussing LGTBQ issues in their classrooms and promoting LGBTQ awareness in their schools. Findings from this study suggest that in-service professional development related to LGBTQ issues may increase the use of LGBTQ-inclusive strategies used in music classrooms.
Endometrial stromal sarcoma (ESS) is a rare neoplasm, mainly observed in premenopausal women. We describe two women 44 and 34 years old at the time ESS diagnosis, who developed lung metastases 3 and ...6 years, respectively, after initial treatment: hysterectomy without (case 1) or with oophorectomy (case 2), followed by hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for the latter. Their estrogen (ER) and progesterone receptors (PR) were analyzed biochemically in metastatic lung tissue, yielding respective concentrations of ER 242 and 184, and PR 910 and 100 fmol/mg of cytosol protein. Both patients started treatment with the aromatase inhibitor aminoglutethimide (500 mg qid) after surgery for the first patient and after stopping HRT for the second. Under aromatase-inhibitor therapy, both patients achieved a complete response, patient 1 remains disease- free with 14+ years of follow-up, and patient 2 with 7+ years. Our data suggest that an aromatase inhibitor may be an effective treatment for ESS. Furthermore, routine ER and PR analyses could be useful to predict the response to hormonal therapy in ESS.
ABSTRACT The Catania Astrophysical Observatory Spectropolarimeter (CAOS) is a white-pupil cross-dispersed échelle spectrograph with a spectral resolution of up to R = 55,000 in the 375-1100 nm range ...in a single exposure, with complete coverage up to 856 nm. CAOS is linked to the 36-inch telescope, at Mount Etna Observatory, with a couple of 100 m optical fibers and it achieves a signal-to-noise ratio better than 60 for a V = 10 mag star in one hour. CAOS is thermally stabilized in temperature within a 0.01 K rms, so that radial velocities are measured with a precision better than 100 m s−1 from a single spectral line. Linear and circular spectropolarimetric observations are possible by means of a Savart plate working in series with a half-wave and a quarter-wave retarder plate in the 376-850 nm range. As is usual for high-resolution spectropolarimeters, CAOS is suitable to measure all Stokes parameters across spectral lines and it cannot measure the absolute degree of polarization. Observations of unpolarized standard stars show that instrumental polarization is generally zero at 550 nm and can increase up to 3% at the other wavelengths. Since polarized and unpolarized standard stars are useless, we suggest a method to calibrate a high-resolution spectropolarimeter on the basis of the polarimetric properties of spectral lines formed in the presence of a magnetic field. As applied to CAOS, observations of magnetic chemically peculiar stars of the main sequence show that the cross-talk from linear to circular polarization is smaller than 0.4% and that conversion from circular to linear is less than 2.7%. Strength and wavelength dependences of cross-talk can be entirely ascribed, via numerical simulations, to the incorrect retardance of achromatic wave plates.
X-shooter is the first 2nd generation instrument of the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT). It is a very efficient, single-target, intermediate-resolution spectrograph that was installed at the ...Cassegrain focus of UT2 in 2009. The instrument covers, in a single exposure, the spectral range from 300 to 2500 nm. It is designed to maximize the sensitivity in this spectral range through dichroic splitting in three arms with optimized optics, coatings, dispersive elements and detectors. It operates at intermediate spectral resolution (R ~ 4000−17 000, depending on wavelength and slit width) with fixed échelle spectral format (prism cross-dispersers) in the three arms. It includes a 1.8″ × 4″ integral field unit as an alternative to the 11′′ long slits. A dedicated data reduction package delivers fully calibrated two-dimensional and extracted spectra over the full wavelength range. We describe the main characteristics of the instrument and present its performance as measured during commissioning, science verification and the first months of science operations.
Abstract Background Duodenal GISTs represent 3–5% of all GISTs with limited understanding of patient outcomes. We conducted a retrospective analysis of primary localized duodenal GISTs. Methods ...Patients were identified via a survey from 16 FSG centers ( n = 105), and a group of 9 patients enrolled in the BFR14 trial. Data were collected from the original database and patient files, in agreement with French legislation. Results 114 patients were included, with a median age of 57. Tumors originated mainly in D2 (33%), or D3 (24%), with a median size of 5 cm. 109 patients had resection of the primary tumor; with a Local Resection (LR, n = 82), a pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD, n = 23), and data were missing for 4 patients. Resections were R0 ( n = 87, 79%), R1 ( n = 8, 7%), R2 ( n = 6). Tumor characteristics were: KIT+ ( n = 104), CD34+ ( n = 58). Miettinen risk was low ( n = 43), and high ( n = 52). Imatinib was administered preoperatively ( n = 11) and post-operatively ( n = 20). With a median follow-up of 36 months (2–250), 98 patients are alive, and 33 relapsed. The 5-year OS and EFS rates are 86.5% and 54.5%. EFS was similar for patients in the LR and the PD groups ( P > 0.05 ). In multivariate analysis, ECOG PS, and CD34 expression are independent prognostic factors on OS. Miettinen risk and spindle cell type are independent predictive factors for relapse. Conclusions Patients with resected duodenal GIST have a reasonably favorable prognosis. This study favors a preservation of pancreas when there are no anatomical constraints. LR exhibit similar survival and smaller morbidity then PD.
PDF
