Converting a breast cancer microarray signature into a high-throughput diagnostic test

BACKGROUND: A 70-gene tumor expression profile was established as a powerful predictor of disease outcome in young breast cancer patients. This profile, however, was generated on microarrays containing 25,000 60-mer oligonucleotides that are not designed for processing of many samples on a routine basis. RESULTS: To facilitate its use in a diagnostic setting, the 70-gene prognosis profile was translated into a customized microarray (MammaPrint) containing a reduced set of 1,900 probes suitable for high throughput processing. RNA of 162 patient samples from two previous studies was subjected to hybridization to this custom array to validate the prognostic value. Classification results obtained from the original analysis were then compared to those generated using the algorithms based on the custom microarray and showed an extremely high correlation of prognosis prediction between the original data and those generated using the custom mini-array (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: In this report we demonstrate for the first time that microarray technology can be used as a reliable diagnostic tool. The data clearly demonstrate the reproducibility and robustness of the small custom-made microarray. The array is therefore an excellent tool to predict outcome of disease in breast cancer patients

Using Solar-sail Induced Dynamics to Increase the Warning Time for Solar Storms Heading Towards Earth

This paper investigates the use of solar-sail technology to increase the warning time for Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) heading towards Earth. In addition, this research will build upon the current understanding of using solar-sail dynamics with regards to CME detection by providing insights into the problem characteristics. The warning time is proportional to the distance from the Earth to the spacecraft detecting the CME: a current warning time of 30 to 60 minutes is achieved by satellites at or near the Sun-Earth L1 point. By considering the actual shape of a CME, the continuous solar-sail acceleration from the solar sail can be used to find a periodic trajectory that travels further upstream of the CME-axis, thereby increasing the warning time with respect to current missions. Finding a periodic solar-sail trajectory can be regarded as an optimal control problem, which requires a near-feasible initial guess trajectory. the latter is found by generating heteroclinic connections between artificial equilibrium points in the vicinity of the sub-L1 and sub-L5 point through the use of a grid search and a genetic algorithm. The optimal control problem is solved with a direct pseudospectral method, resulting in four representative trajectories, each having specific (dis)advantages. The performance impact due to (the uncertainty of) non-ideal sail properties, change in lightness number, and variation in CME size are investigated. Ultimately, the most optimal trajectory increases the average and maximum warning time by a factor 20 and 30 with respect to current missions at L1, respectively, with a 90\% probability that the spacecraft detects the CME.Aerospace Engineerin

Ruimtelijke kwaliteit van kringlooplandbouw : definities en perspectieven door verschillende actoren

The aim of this report is to operationalize the so far ill-defined concept ‘spatial quality’ in the context of circular agricultural landscapes. A literature study resulted in a spatial quality framework consisting of 16 spatial quality aspects for agricultural landscapes: historicity, regional character, diversity, coherence, degree of openness, naturalness, cues of care, seasonality, non-visual sensory experience, profitability, recreational opportunities, local economy, biodiversity, abiotic quality, circularity and sustainability. The importance of these aspects according to different types of actors (farmers, recreationists, local inhabitants and experts) is assessed by means of a survey. Based on the survey the aspects abiotic quality, biodiversity, profitability and sustainability are considered the most important aspects to determine spatial quality of circular agriculture, but the importance attached to most spatial quality aspects varies between actor types: farmers value 14 spatial quality aspects differently than other actors, while differences are smaller between other actor types. In order to better take the interests of different actor types into account, we recommend their involvement in the formulation and evaluation of area specific spatial quality goals. To this end, the spatial quality framework can provide a basis for a shared language regarding the concept ‘spatial quality’

Plain radiography in children with spoke wheel injury: A retrospective cohort study

Bicycle spoke injury (BSI) mostly occurs in children as a result of entrapment of the leg in the bicycle spokes. No guideline or protocol exists that defines what type of radiography is indicated to diagnose or rule out a fracture commonly associated with these injuries. The aim of this study was (1) to evaluate the type of radiographs that are obtained in children with BSI, (2) to assess in which anatomical regions fractures occur and (3) to evaluate on which radiographs a fracture can be detected in children with BSI. A retrospective cohort study was performed in paediatric patients presenting at the Emergency Department (ED) of a university hospital with a paediatric surgery department between June 2008 and December 2013. In 99 of the 320 children (31.4%) evaluated with radiography following BSI a fracture was diagnosed. In almost two third of the patients (63%) radiographic imaging of two or more anatomical regions was performed. In 98 children (99%) the fracture was located at the distal tibia or fibula. All fractures were diagnosed on a radiograph of the ankle or lower leg (including the ankle region). No fractures of the foot were diagnosed. We suggest that in children with a clinical suspicion of a fracture at the ankle region, in which no fracture is seen at the radiograph of the ankle, no additional radiographs are necessar

Adherence to the guidelines of paediatric cervical spine clearance in a level I trauma centre: A single centre experience

International guidelines define if and what type of radiography is advised in children to clear the cervical spine (C-spine). However, adherence to these guidelines has never been evaluated in a paediatric population. Therefore, we wanted to assess the adherence to the guidelines for C-spine clearance in a level-one trauma centre. We retrospectively included all children, presented at the ED between January 2006 and December 2013, in whom radiographic imaging of the C-spine was obtained following blunt trauma. Primary outcome was the adherence to the international guidelines with regard to (1) if the indication for radiographic imaging was correct and (2) if the type of radiographic imaging was correct. Included were 573 patients; 336 boys (58.7%). Median age was 11 years (IQR 5.25-15). The indication for radiographic imaging was correct in all cases. The type of primary imaging modality was concordant with the guidelines in 99,7%. In 41% of the cases supplementary radiographs were made. The most common supplementary view was the odontoid. In 15% an incomplete set of radiographs was obtained. The adherence to the international guidelines when to obtain radiographic imaging was 100%. However, in a large proportion of patients (56%), not the recommended number of radiographs was obtaine