Danielsengarner4579
Heteropyxis natalensis Harv. is a native South African tree used in traditional medicine among Venda and Zulu communities. In this study, micromorphological investigations using light and scanning electron microscopy identified long, tapered non-glandular trichomes on the abaxial and adaxial surfaces of the leaves. The total number of trichomes appeared to be greater on emergent leaves and decreased as leaves matured. In addition, schizolysigenous secretory cavities and druse crystals were found within the leaves. Swollen subdermal secretory cavities were also distributed in the midrib of the leaves. Transmission electron microscopy confirmed the presence of nuclei, plastids, mitochondria, vesicles, rough endoplasmic reticulum cisternae and Golgi bodies in the secretory epithelia of these cavities. Various histochemical tests revealed the presence of alkaloids, phenolics, lipids, proteins, essential oils, resin acids and trace amounts of unesterified pectins and polysaccharides in the leaves. This study provides new findings and contributes to the existing research regarding H. natalensis with respect to the micromorphology, ultrastructure and histochemical composition of this species.In this study, we investigated the effect of the Positive Behavior Skills (PBS) program on students' attendance and academic learning. We used propensity score matching and growth modeling to compare PBS and non-PBS schools on (a) English language art (ELA), (b) mathematics, and (c) attendance. PBS schools had statistically significantly higher annual growth rate in attendance than the matched non-PBS schools, with PBS schools growing 0.38% points higher. Due to the word limit, the results for the other two school outcomes (ELA, mathematics) were not presented. Implications of the study were discussed given the nature of PBS program and general context of the literature.
Several spine instrumentation techniques have been introduced to correct inter-segmental alignment, or provide long-term stability. Whilst pedicle screws are considered the intervention of reference, we hypothesize that the week hold of osteoporotic bone, might be a clinical indicator for an alternative surgical approach.
To put this to the test, a non-linear Finite Element model, of a ligamentous lumbosacral spine, was employed to examine a stabilization spanning over L3-L5. Two different immobilization techniques (a Pedicle Screw System and Laminar Hook Fusion) are compared as to their biomechanical response during 7.5Nm flexion, lateral flexion and torsion, while considering a 280N follower load. Fifteen analyses performed in total, simulating patients of healthy and osteoporotic Bone Mineral Density.
Range of Motion was significantly reduced after instrumentation for both implant systems. This trend was more pronounced in the Pedicle Screw models, which were stressed to a higher degree. To evaluate implant loosening risk, we introduce the consideration of strain energy patterns around the screw tract. The notably higher intensity of these, for the osteoporotic model, taken into consideration with the weaker strength of the tissue and inconsistencies in the stress allocation between implant and bone, affirmed an increased risk for loosening of the Pedicle Screws in osteoporotic patients.
The analysis provided refined insight as to the treatment of osteoporotic patients as well as to their postoperative care, as restriction of specific movements (e.g. through bracing), could significantly restrict the stress values in the bone-implant interface and thus, reduce implant failure.
The analysis provided refined insight as to the treatment of osteoporotic patients as well as to their postoperative care, as restriction of specific movements (e.g. through bracing), could significantly restrict the stress values in the bone-implant interface and thus, reduce implant failure.
Acute compartment syndrome in the lower leg is a painful condition characterized by an increase in intracompartmental pressure. To prevent misdiagnosis and delay in the recognition of the condition, which can lead to severe complications, continuous monitoring of intracompartmental pressure for at least 24h. from the onset of initial symptoms has been recommended. The purpose of the current study was to establish shear wave elastography as a potential imaging biomarker for the observed increase in pressure in four compartments of the lower leg.
Eighteen healthy participants (9 males) without any injury in their leg muscles were recruited for the study after internal review board approval. Subjects were instructed to sit on a table and pressures at 60, 90, and 120mmHg were applied using a pressure cuff placed above the proximal pole of the patella. Shear wave elastography-measured stiffness outcomes at baseline (0mmHg) and at each cuff pressure level were obtained from the tibialis anterior, the peroneus longs, gastrocnemius medialis, and tibialis posterior muscles, as well as the tibial nerve.
Spearman's rank correlation coefficient showed strong correlations between shear wave elastography-measured stiffness from all four muscles and cuff pressure levels (r>0.80, P<0.05). Stiffness from the tibial nerve was also significantly correlated with cuff pressure levels (r>0.99, P<0.05).
Shear wave elastography imaging of lower leg muscles and nerve can be useful to non-invasively monitor intracompartmental pressure in patients suspected of acute compartment syndrome.
Shear wave elastography imaging of lower leg muscles and nerve can be useful to non-invasively monitor intracompartmental pressure in patients suspected of acute compartment syndrome.
Wearable technologies have added completely new and fast emerging tools to the popular field of personal gadgets. Aside from being fashionable and equipped with advanced hardware technologies such as communication modules and networking, wearable devices have the potential to fuel artificial intelligence (AI) methods with a wide range of valuable data.
Various AI techniques such as supervised, unsupervised, semi-supervised and reinforcement learning (RL) have already been used to carry out various tasks. This paper reviews the recent applications of wearables that have leveraged AI to achieve their objectives.
Particular example applications of supervised and unsupervised learning for medical diagnosis are reviewed. Moreover, examples combining the internet of things, wearables, and RL are reviewed. Application examples of wearables will be also presented for specific domains such as medical, industrial, and sport. Medical applications include fitness, movement disorder, mental health, etc. Industrial applications include employee performance improvement with the aid of wearables. Sport applications are all about providing better user experience during workout sessions or professional gameplays.
The most important challenges regarding design and development of wearable devices and the computation burden of using AI methods are presented. Finally, future challenges and opportunities for wearable devices are presented.
The most important challenges regarding design and development of wearable devices and the computation burden of using AI methods are presented. Finally, future challenges and opportunities for wearable devices are presented.
Breast cancer may present genomic alterations leading to homologous recombination deficiency (HRD). PARP inhibitors have proven their efficacy in patients with HER2-negative (HER2-) metastatic breast cancer (mBC) harbouring germline (g) BRCA1/2 mutations in 3 phases III trials. The single-arm phase II RUBY trial included 42 patients, 40 of whom received at least one dose of rucaparib. RUBY study assessed the efficacy of rucaparib in HER2-mBC with either high genomic loss of heterozygosity (LOH) score or non-germline BRCA1/2 mutation.
The primary objective was the clinical benefit rate (CBR), and the study was powered to see 20% CBR using a 2-stage Simon design.
The primary-end point was not reached with a CBR of 13.5%. Two LOH-high patients, without somatic BRCA1/2 mutation, presented a complete and durable response (12 and28.5months). Whole-genome analysis was performed on 24 samples, including 5 patients whopresented a clinical benefit from rucaparib. HRDetect tended to be associated with response to rucaparib, without reaching statistical significance (median HRDetect responders versus non-responders 0.465 versus 0.040; p=0.2135). Finally, 220 of 711 patients with mBC screened for LOH upstream from RUBY presented a high LOH score associated with a higher likelihood of death (hazard ratio=1.39; 95% CI 1.11-1.75; p=0.005).
Our data suggest that a small subset of patients with high LOH scores without germline BRCA1/2 mutation could derive benefit from PARP inhibitors. However, the RUBY study underlines the need to develop additional biomarkers to identify selectively potential responders.
Our data suggest that a small subset of patients with high LOH scores without germline BRCA1/2 mutation could derive benefit from PARP inhibitors. However, the RUBY study underlines the need to develop additional biomarkers to identify selectively potential responders.Cabazitaxel (CTX) is an anti-neoplastic agent of second-generation taxane derivatives, characterized by very low water solubility. The currently marketed formulation of CTX contains high concentrations of surfactant and ethanol, which causes severe hypersensitivity reactions in patients. To deal with aforementioned side effects, our previous study attempted to develop the prodrugs of CTX with dextran. Here our approach differs through synthesizing folate containing prodrug and also investigating cytotoxicity and pharmacokinetics parameters obtained with dextran and dextran-folate nanoconjugates versus free CTX. MCF-7 with medium folate receptor expression and MDA-MB-231 as high folate receptor expression cell lines were selected for cytotoxicity assay. Pharmacokinetics properties were studied by injecting prodrugs and CTX to Wistar rats, analyzing serum and selected tissue samples and the obtained results were sibjected to data modeling study. The size of synthesized prodrugs was mostly less than 90 nm. Folate conjugates provided higher toxicity in comparison with dextran conjugates on both cell lines. In vivo non-compartmental pharmacokinetics analysis revealed enhanced area under the curve (about 3-5 fold for different samples) and longer half-life (approximately 1.3-1.8 fold higher) which led to increased serum residence time of prodrugs in comparison to free CTX. Tissue accumulation data showed that liver was the major organ with high accumulation of CTX. The accumulation of folate conjugates was remarkably higher than dextran samples (p less then 0.05 in samples of 2, 10 and 24 h). Data modeling by Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Hierarchical Cluster models showed a significant difference between pharmacokinetics properties of CTX and prodrugs. In summary, prodrugs seem to be proper and promising CTX delivery systems as substitution for the current market formulation.
To evaluate the utility of the use of iterative cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) for machine log file-based dose verification during volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) for prostate cancer patients.
All CBCT acquisition data were used to reconstruct images with the Feldkamp-Davis-Kress algorithm (FDK-CBCT) and the novel iterative algorithm (iCBCT). The Hounsfield unit (HU)-electron density curves for CBCT images were created using the Advanced Electron Density Phantom. The I'mRT and anthropomorphic phantoms were irradiated with VMAT after CBCT registration. Subsequently, fourteen prostate cancer patients received VMAT after CBCT registration. Machine log files and both CBCT images were exported to the PerFRACTION software, and a 3D patient dose was reconstructed. Mean dose for planning target volume (PTV), the bladder, and rectum and the 3D gamma analysis were evaluated.
For the phantom studies, the variation of HU values was observed at the central position surrounding the bones in FDK-CBCT. see more There were almost no changes in the difference of doses at the isocenter between measurement and reconstructed dose for planning CT (pCT), FDK-CBCT, and iCBCT.
