Interplay among immune activation and cancer pathogenesis provides the framework for a novel subspecialty known as immunooncology. In the rapidly evolving field of immunooncology, understanding the ...tumor-specific immune response enhances understanding of cancer resistance. This review highlights the fundamentals of incorporating precision medicine to discover new immune biomarkers and predictive signatures. Using a personalized approach may have a significant, positive impact on the use of oncolytics to better guide safer and more effective therapies.
Present paper deals with the composition and modelling of compact dense astrophysical bodies under the framework of
f
(
R
)
gravity. The model is employed on various observed strange stars viz., SMC ...X-1, SAX J1808.4-3658, Swift J1818.0-1607, PSR J1614-2230 and PSR J0348+0432. Upon setting the appropriate value of dimensionless coupling parameter
λ
, the physical parameters such as the density, the radial and tangential pressures were obtained. Mass-Radius relation without presuming any equation of state is capable enough to accommodate all strange stars nearly having solar mass up to 2.5. The physical viability of the model is examined for all the aforementioned stars and it is found that all the regularity and stability conditions are satisfied.
Ultra-high-energy (UHE) cosmic neutrinos interacting with the Moon’s regolith generate particle showers that emit Askaryan radiation. This radiation can be observed from the Earth using ground-based ...radio telescopes like LOFAR. We simulate the effective detection aperture for UHE neutrinos hitting the Moon. Under the same assumptions, results from this work are in good agreement with previous analytic parameterizations and Monte Carlo codes. The dependence of the effective detection aperture on the observing parameters, such as observing frequency and minimum detection threshold, and lunar characteristics like surface topography have been studied. Using a Monte Carlo simulation, we find that the detectable neutrino energy threshold is lowered when we include a realistic treatment of the inelasticity, transmission coefficient, and surface roughness. Lunar surface roughness at large scales enhances the total aperture for higher observation frequencies (
ν
≥
1
GHz
) but has no significant effect on the LOFAR aperture. However, roughness at scales small compared to the wavelength reduces the aperture at all frequencies.
Intravenous salbutamol is commonly used to treat children with severe asthma unresponsive to inhaled β2-agonist therapy. However, in this setting, there is little clinical trial data demonstrating ...its effectiveness. Additionally, there are significant concerns that intravenous salbutamol-dosing recommendations for children with acute asthma are excessive, and unnecessarily raise the potential for adverse reactions, such as lactic acidosis and tachycardia which, by increasing respiratory workload, exacerbate respiratory failure. Here, we review salbutamol clinical pharmacology and toxicology, evidence relating to its use in acute asthma and highlight gaps in the evidence base.
ABSTRACT
Purpose
Systemic exposure to parabens in the neonatal population, in particular propyl-parabens (PPB), remains a concern. Blood concentrations and kinetics of methyl-parabens (MPB) and PPB ...were therefore determined in neonates receiving medicines containing these excipients.
Methods
A multi-centre, non-interventional, observational study of excipient-kinetics in neonates. ‘Dried Blood Spot’ samples were collected opportunistically at the same time as routine samples and the observations modelled using a non-linear mixed effects approach.
Results
A total of 841 blood MPB and PPB concentration data were available for evaluation from 181 pre- and term-neonates. Quantifiable blood concentrations of MPB and PPB were observed in 99% and 49% of patients, and 55% and 25% of all concentrations were above limit of detection (10 ng/ml), respectively. Only MPB data was amenable to modelling. Oral bioavailability was influenced by type of formulation and disposition was best described by a two compartment model with clearance (CL) influenced by post natal age (PNA); CL
PNA<21 days
0.57 versus CL
PNA>21days
0.88 L/h.
Conclusions
Daily repeated administration of parabens containing medicines can result in prolonged systemic exposure to the parent compound in neonates. Animal toxicology studies of PPB that specifically address the neonatal period are required before a permitted daily exposure for this age group can be established.
Background: Antimicrobial resistance is a growing problem in H. pylori treatment. The study was intended to evaluate the prevalence of resistance amongst 80 H.pylori isolates cultured from biopsy ...taken during routine endoscopies in 2008-2011. Materials and Methods: 855 gastro duodenal biopsies were collected and cultured on H.pylori selective medium (containing Brucella agar and Columbia agar (Hi media), with Skirrow’s supplement (antibiotic supplement) and 7% human blood cells). H.pylori was isolated from 80 specimens. The antimicrobial susceptibility of H.pylori isolates was carried out by the Kirby Bauer technique against metronidazole (5 µg), clarithromycin (15 µg), ciprofloxacin (5 µg), amoxicillin (10 µg), tetracycline (30 µg), erythromycin (15 µg), levofloxacin (5 µg), and furazolidone (50 µg) (Sigma- Aldrich, MO). Results: 83.8% isolates were resistant to metronidazole, 58.8% were resistant to Clarithromycin 72.5% were resistant to Amoxicillin, 50% to Ciprofloxacin and 53.8% to tetracycline. furazolidone, erythromycin and Levofloxacin showed only 13.8% resistance to H.pylori. Multi drug resistance with metronidazole+ clarithromycin+ tetracycline was 85%. For all the drugs Antimicrobial resistance rate was found higher in males compare to females. Metronidazole and amoxicillin resistance was found noteworthy in patients with duodenal ulcer (p = 0.018), gastritis (P = 0.00), and in reflux esophagitis (P = 0.00). clarithromycin and tetracycline resistance was suggestively linked with duodenitis (P = 0.018), while furazolidone, erythromycin and levofloxacin showed excellent sensitivity in patients with duodenitis (P value- 0.018), gastritis (P= 0.00) and reflux esophagitis (P = 0.00). Resistance with metronidazole (P = 0.481), clarithromycin (P= 0.261), amoxicillin (P = 0.276), tetracycline (P = 0.356), ciprofloxacin (P = 0.164) was not correlated well with Age-group and Gender of the patients. Conclusion: A very high percentage of patients were infected with metronidazole and clarithromycin resistant strains. The use of antibiotics for other indications seems to be the major risk factor for the development of primary resistance. High incidence should alarm the gastroenterologist while prescribing the eradication regimen.
We present an updated cosmic-ray mass composition analysis in the energy range 1016.8 to 1018.3 eV from 334 air showers measured with the LOFAR radio telescope and selected for minimal bias. In ...this energy range, the origin of cosmic rays is expected to shift from galactic to extragalactic sources. The analysis is based on an improved method to infer the depth of the maximum Xmax of extensive air showers from radio measurements and air shower simulations. We show results of the average and standard deviation of Xmax versus primary energy and analyze the Xmax dataset at the distribution level to estimate the cosmic ray mass composition. Our approach uses an unbinned maximum likelihood analysis, making use of existing parametrizations of the Xmax distributions per element. The analysis has been repeated for three main models of hadronic interactions. Results are consistent with a significant light-mass fraction, at best fit 23% to 39% protons plus helium, depending on the choice of hadronic interaction model. The fraction of the intermediate-mass nuclei dominates. This confirms earlier results from LOFAR, with systematic uncertainties on Xmax now lowered to 7 to 9 g / cm2. We find agreement in mass composition compared to results from Pierre Auger Observatory, within statistical and systematic uncertainties. However, in line with earlier LOFAR results, we find a slightly lower average Xmax. The values are in tension with those found at Pierre Auger Observatory but agree with results from other cosmic ray observatories based in the northern hemisphere.
In the present work, we report fabrication and characterization of a low-cost MEMS based piezoresistive micro-force sensor with SU-8 tip using laboratory made silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate. To ...prepare SOI wafer, silicon film (0.8µm thick) was deposited on an oxidized silicon wafer using RF magnetron sputtering technique. The films were deposited in argon (Ar) ambient without external substrate heating. The material characteristics of the sputtered deposited silicon film and silicon film annealed at different temperatures (400–1050°C) were studied using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The residual stress of the films was measured as a function of annealing temperature. The stress of the as-deposited films was observed to be compressive and annealing the film above 1050°C resulted in a tensile stress. The stress of the film decreased gradually with increase in annealing temperature. The fabricated cantilevers were 130μm in length, 40μm wide and 1.0μm thick. A series of force–displacement curves were obtained using fabricated microcantilever with commercial AFM setup and the data were analyzed to get the spring constant and the sensitivity of the fabricated microcantilever. The measured spring constant and sensitivity of the sensor was 0.1488N/m and 2.7mV/N. The microcantilever force sensor was integrated with an electronic module that detects the change in resistance of the sensor with respect to the applied force and displays it on the computer screen.