SAT0631 Inter-observer and intra-observer reliability of the omeract ultrasonographic (US) criteria for the diagnosis of calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease (CPPD) at the metacarpal-phalangeal (MCP), wrist, acromion-clavicular (AC) and hip joints

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Experiences from the implementation and use of multimedia synchronization mechanisms

This paper presents experiences from the implementation of Multimedia Synchronization Mechanisms related to the support of the many-to-one inter-media synchronization and describes the proposed Synchronization Architecture and its Design Objectives. The main goal of the communication system in the proposed architecture is to maintain the asynchrony levels between the media streams belonging in a Synchronization Group between the levels specified by the Multimedia Application. This is achieved through appropriate Synchronization Primitives related to the management and monitoring of the synchronization. The paper emphasizes on the implementation issues and problems, and the solutions adopted, concluding to the first experiences from the use of the synchronization

Longitudinal predictive ability of mapping models: Examining post-intervention EQ-5D utilities derived from baseline MHAQ data in rheumatoid arthritis patients

Objectives: The purpose of this methodological study was to to provide insight into the under-addressed issue of the longitudinal predictive ability of mapping models. Post-intervention predicted and reported utilities were compared, and the effect of disease severity on the observed differences was examined. Methods: A cohort of 120 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients (60.0% female, mean age 59.0) embarking on therapy with biological agents completed the Modified Health Assessment Questionnaire (MHAQ) and the EQ-5D at baseline, and at 3, 6 and 12 months post-intervention. OLS regression produced a mapping equation to estimate post-intervention EQ-5D utilities from baseline MHAQ data. Predicted and reported utilities were compared with t test, and the prediction error was modeled, using fixed effects, in terms of covariates such as age, gender, time, disease duration, treatment, RF, DAS28 score, predicted and reported EQ-5D. Results: The OLS model (RMSE = 0.207, R 2 = 45.2%) consistently underestimated future utilities, with a mean prediction error of 6.5%. Mean absolute differences between reported and predicted EQ-5D utilities at 3, 6 and 12 months exceeded the typically reported MID of the EQ-5D (0.03). According to the fixed-effects model, time, lower predicted EQ-5D and higher DAS28 scores had a significant impact on prediction errors, which appeared increasingly negative for lower reported EQ-5D scores, i.e.; predicted utilities tended to be lower than reported ones in more severe health states. Conclusions: This study builds upon existing research having demonstrated the potential usefulness of mapping disease-specific instruments onto utility measures. The specific issue of longitudinal validity is addressed, as mapping models derived from baseline patients need to be validated on post-therapy samples. The underestimation of post-treatment utilities in the present study, at least in more severe patients, warrants further research before it is prudent to conduct cost-utility analyses in the context of RA by means of the MHAQ alone. © 2012 Springer-Verlag

Curcumin and Radiotherapy Exert Synergistic Anti-Glioma Effect In Vitro

Curcumin, a bioactive polyphenol, is known to have anticancer properties. In this study, the effectiveness of curcumin pretreatment as a strategy for radio-sensitizing glioblastoma cell lines was explored. For this, U87 and T98 cells were treated with curcumin, exposed to 2 Gy or 4 Gy of irradiation, and the combined effect was compared to the antiproliferative effect of each agent when given individually. Cell viability and proliferation were evaluated with the trypan blue exclusion assay and the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The synergistic effects of the combination treatment were analyzed with CompuSyn software. To examine how the co-treatment affected different phases of cell-cycle progression, a cell-cycle analysis via flow cytometry was performed. Treatment with curcumin and radiation significantly reduced cell viability in both U87 and T98 cell lines. The combination treatment arrested both cell lines at the G2/M phase to a higher extent than radiation or curcumin treatment alone. The synergistic effect of curcumin when combined with temozolomide resulted in increased tumor cell death. Our results demonstrate for the first time that low doses of curcumin and irradiation exhibit a strong synergistic anti-proliferative effect on glioblastoma cells in vitro. Therefore, this combination may represent an innovative and promising strategy for the treatment of glioblastoma, and further studies are needed to fully understand the molecular mechanism underlying this effect