Currently available serum biomarkers are insufficiently reliable to distinguish patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) from healthy individuals. Metabonomics, the study of metabolic processes ...in biologic systems, is based on the use of super(1)H-NMR spectroscopy and multivariate statistics for biochemical data generation and interpretation and may provide a characteristic fingerprint in disease. In an effort to examine the utility of the metabonomic approach for discriminating sera from women with EOC from healthy controls, we performed super(1)H-NMR spectroscopic analysis on preoperative serum specimens obtained from 38 patients with EOC, 12 patients with benign ovarian cysts and 53 healthy women. After data reduction, we applied both unsupervised Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and supervised Soft Independent Modeling of Class Analogy (SIMCA) for pattern recognition. The sensitivity and specificity tradeoffs were summarized for each variable using the area under the receiver- operating characteristic (ROC) curve. In addition, we analyzed the regions of NMR spectra that most strongly influence separation of sera of EOC patients from healthy controls. PCA analysis allowed correct separation of all serum specimens from 38 patients with EOC (100%) from all of the 21 premenopausal normal samples (100%) and from all the sera from patients with benign ovarian disease (100%). In addition, it was possible to correctly separate 37 of 38 (97.4%) cancer specimens from 31 of 32 (97%) postmenopausal control sera. SIMCA analysis using the Cooman's plot demonstrated that sera classes from patients with EOC, benign ovarian cysts and the postmenopausal healthy controls did not share multivariate space, providing validation for the class separation. ROC analysis indicated that the sera from patients with and without disease could be identified with 100% sensitivity and specificity at the super(1)H-NMR regions 2.77 parts per million (ppm) and 2.04 ppm from the origin (AUC of ROC curve = 1.0). In addition, the regression coefficients most influential for the EOC samples compared to postmenopausal controls lie around delta 3.7 ppm (due mainly to sugar hydrogens). Other loadings most influential for the EOC samples lie around delta 2.25 ppm and delta 1.18 ppm. These findings indicate that super(1)H-NMR metabonomic analysis of serum achieves complete separation of EOC patients from healthy controls. The metabonomic approach deserves further evaluation as a potential novel strategy for the early detection of epithelial ovarian cancer.
Labor Effects on the Unskilled Labor Market Derrick, Frederick W.; Scott, Charles E.; Hutson, Thomas
The American Economist (New York, N.Y. 1960),
10/2004, Letnik:
48, Številka:
2
Journal Article
Recenzirano
This paper provides the first analytical estimates of the impact of prison labor on the market for non-prison, unskilled labor. Estimates of the impact of prison labor on employment and wages of ...non-prison employees are derived using a supply and demand model similar to that used in the immigration literature, and generally accepted estimates of the aggregate demand and supply elasticities. Our results suggest minimal impact, given the current level of prison employment, and even with a significant expansion to twenty five percent of all prisoners.
New York City women (321) enrolled during 1986–1993 in an observational cohort study were analyzed retrospectively to determine the effectiveness of antenatal zidovudine in reducing perinatal ...transmission of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) in women with various CD4+ lymphocyte counts <200, 200–499, > 499/µL). When CD4+ lymphocyte level was controlled for, women prescribed zidovudine during pregnancy were less likely to transmit HIV-1 to their infants (adjusted odds ratio, 0.36; 95% confidence interval, 0.14–0.92). There was no conclusive evidence that efficacy of zidovudine depended on CD4+ lymphocyte level, suggesting that women with severe CD4+ cell depression, who are at highest risk of transmitting HIV-1, may also benefit from zidovudine. Antenatal zidovudine treatment alone may substantially lower the risk of perinatal HIV-1 transmission. These data are consistent with the results of AIDS Clinical Trial Group protocol 076 and suggest that a substantial portion of zidovudine's protective effect may occur when used during the antenatal period.
Prison Labor Effects on the Unskilled Labor Market Derrick, Frederick W.; Scott, Charles E.; Hutson, Thomas
The American Economist (New York, N.Y. 1960),
09/2004, Letnik:
48, Številka:
2
Journal Article
Recenzirano
This paper provides the first analytical estimates of the impact of prison labor on the market for non-prison, unskilled labor. Estimates of the impact of prison labor on employment and wages of ...non-prison employees are derived using a supply and demand model similar to that used in the immigration literature, and generally accepted estimates of the aggregate demand and supply elasticities. Our results suggest minimal impact, given the current level of prison employment, and even with a significant expansion to twenty five percent of all prisoners.
De‐Solv‐It for Hot Paving Asphalt Burn: Case Report Tsou, Thomas J.; Hutson, H. Range; Bear, Michael ...
Academic emergency medicine,
January 1996, 1996-Jan, 1996-01-00, Letnik:
3, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Summary
Removal of tar or paving asphalt from skin specifically to evaluate underlying burn injuries and to facilitate their treatment can be a difficult problem. We report the successful use of ...De‐Solv‐It Multi‐Use solvent for cutaneous removal of adherent asphalt cement. This product should be considered for ED use. Controlled trials of this agent and further evaluation of any cutaneous or mucous membrane toxicity should be undertaken to further validate our experience.
A new rod-shaped endospore-forming bacterium is described, which was isolated from the hindgut of the termite Reticulitermes santonensis (Feytaud). The isolate stains Gram negative and its DNA has a ...guanine-plus-cytosine content of 35 mol%. Despite the Gram-staining reaction, both biochemical and physiological features place the isolate in the genus Bacillus and indicate a phenotypic resemblance to the Bacillus firmus-lentus group of species. On the basis of comparative 16S rRNA analysis and some phenotypic features the isolate clearly represents a new species for which the name Bacillus oleronius is proposed. The type strain is Bacillus oleronius Rt 10 (DSM 9356).
Changes in tissue levels of sorbitol, myo-inositol, and Na+-K+-ATPase enzyme activity have been implicated in the development of diabetic complications in animal models of the disease and in humans. ...The ability of the aldose reductase inhibitor sorbinil to reverse the hyperglycemia-induced changes in these lenticular metabolite and enzyme-activity levels in the streptozocin-induced diabetic rat was examined to determine what, if any, relationship exists between these changes. Two weeks of untreated diabetes did not change ouabain-inhibitable ATPase enzyme activity assayed in lens homogenates but did result in a decrease in the Na+-K+-ATPase transport activity as measured by 86Rb uptake in the intact lens. This was accompanied by a 100-fold increase in the levels of sorbitol and significant decreases in the levels of myo-inositol, ATP, and glutathione in the lens. Whereas all of these changes could be reversed by sorbinil treatment, the dose required for restoration of the depleted myo-inositol level (ED50 greater than 20 mg.kg-1.day-1) was much higher than the dose required to reverse the other changes (ED50 range 2-5 mg.kg-1.day-1). These results suggest that the restoration of lenticular Na+ -K+ -ATPase activity is not secondary to a normalization of myo-inositol levels and may provide evidence that the two parameters are not strictly associated in diabetic tissues.
Differences in newborn outcome measures for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1-infected and HIV-1-exposed but uninfected infants have been found in several studies, but not in others. Eighty-four ...infected and 248 uninfected children born to HIV-1-seropositive mothers followed prospectively in a multicenter, perinatal HIV-1 transmission cohort study were compared for differences in maternal demographics, health status, and newborn outcome measures, including delivery complications, physical examination findings, neonatal complications, and laboratory results.
Mothers of HIV-1-infected infants were more likely than those of uninfected infants to have acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) diagnosed through 2 weeks postpartum (21% vs 11%, P = .04); the transmission rate for the 38 women with AIDs was 37% compared with 22% for the 245 women without AIDS. Two of 27 (7%) women receiving zidovudine during pregnancy had infected infants compared with 73 (27%) of 275 women who did not receive zidovudine (P = .033). Mean gestational age was significantly lower among HIV-1-infected (37 weeks) than among uninfected infants (38 weeks; P < .001). Infected infants had significantly higher rates of prematurity (gestational age less than 37 weeks) (33% vs 19%, P = .01) and extreme prematurity (gestational age less than 34 weeks) (18% vs 6%, P = .001) than uninfected infants. Infection was associated with lower birth weight (2533 g vs 2862 g, P < .001) and smaller head circumference (32.0 cm vs 33.1 cm, P = .001). HIV-1-infected infants were significantly more likely to be small for gestational age (26% vs 16%, P = .04) and low birth weight (less than 2500 g) (45% vs 29%, P = .006) than infants who were uninfected. Twenty-two (26%) HIV-1-infected children died during a median follow-up of 27.6 months (range 1.9 to 98.3 months). Prematurity was predictive of survival: by Kaplan-Meier, an estimated 55% (95% confidence interval, 31% to 72%) of preterm infected children survived to 24 months compared with 84% (95% confidence interval, 70% to 92%) of full-term infected children (P = .005).
Infants born to women with AIDS are at higher risk for HIV-1 infection than are infants born to HIV-1-infected women with AIDS not yet diagnosed. Women receiving zidovudine appear less likely to transmit HIV-1 to their infants. Significantly higher rates of prematurity and intrauterine growth retardation were found among HIV-1-infected infants than among those in the uninfected, HIV-1-exposed control group. Prematurity was associated with shortened survival in HIV-1-infected infants. Measures of intrauterine growth and gestation appear to be important predictors of HIV-1 infection status for seropositive infants and of prognosis for the infected infant.
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