Psychosoziale Belastungen von Krebspatienten und Bedarf an psychosozialer Versorgung

In Deutschland erkranken jährlich rund 450.000 Menschen neu an Krebs. Nach Einschätzung der Deutschen Krebshilfe benötigt etwa jeder dritte Krebspatient professionelle psychische Unterstützung. Vor diesem Hintergrund wurde im August 2007 eine Studie an 265 Krebspatienten durchgeführt, die die konkreten psychosozialen Belastungen und den Bedarf an psychosozialer Unterstützung erfasst. Im Vergleich zur Normbevölkerung zeigten sie dabei stärkere Ausprägungen primär der psychischen Syndrome Angst, Depression und Somatisierung. Den Patienten waren dabei vor allem ein hoher Informationsaustausch, eine aktive Einbeziehung in das Behandlungskonzept, eine professionelle Grundhaltung sowie eine gute Kooperation der verschiedenen Berufsgruppen wichtig. Als Hauptanlässe bzw. -themen der psychoonkologischen Interventionen wurden insgesamt eine Verbesserung der Verarbeitungs- und Bewältigungsstrategien sowie eine Bearbeitung der oben beschriebenen reaktiven oder manifesten Syndrome benannt.<br

Alzheimer’s disease and retinal neurodegeneration share a consistent stress response of the neurovascular unit

Background: The pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterized by neuronal injury, activation of microglia and astrocytes, deposition of amyloid-beta and secondary vessel degeneration. In the polycystic kidney disease (PKD) rat model, we observed neuronal injury, microglial activation and vasoregression. We speculated that this neuroretinal degeneration shares important pathogenetic steps with AD. Therefore, we determined the activation of astrocytes and the accumulation of amyloid-beta in PKD retinae. Methods: Immunohistochemistry of PKD retinae for vimentin, carboxymethyllysin, beta-Amyloid 1-42, High-Mobility-Group-Protein B1 and amyloid protein precursor was performed. Results: Adjunct to astrocyte activation, accumulation of beta-Amyloid 1-42 and High-Mobility-Group-Protein B1 in astrocytes and around vessels of the superficial network was found in PKD retinae prior to the onset of vasoregression. Amyloid precursor protein was localized adjacent to the outer segment of photoreceptors in PKD and control rats. The parallel appearance of AD-related peptides indicates an alarmine based response to photoreceptor degeneration and secondary vasoregression. Conclusion: The model has broad overlap with AD and may be suitable to study beneficial pharmacological concepts. Copyright (c) 2012 S. Karger AG, Base

Moving Beyond the Colors: The Full Life-Cycle Emissions of Hydrogen Production Pathways for California

There is growing interest in the use of hydrogen as a transportation fuel but the environmental benefits of using hydrogen depend critically on how it is produced and distributed. Leading alternatives to using fossil natural gas to make hydrogen through the conventional method of steam methane reforming include using electrolyzers to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, and the use of biogas as an alternative feedstock to fossil natural gas. This report examines the latest carbon intensity (CI) estimates for these and various other hydrogen production processes, adding important nuances to the general “colors of hydrogen” scheme that has been used in recent years. CI values for hydrogen production can vary widely both within and across hydrogen production pathways. The lowest CI pathways use biomass or biogas as a feedstock, and solar or wind power. The report also analyses jobs creation from new hydrogen production facilities and shows that these benefits can be significant for large-scale facilities based on either future biomass/biogas-to-hydrogen or solar-hydrogen production technologies. Recommendations include setting stricter goals for the state’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) program to continue to reduce the carbon footprint of California’s transportation fuels

Evaluating markers of epithelial-mesenchymal transition to identify cancer patients at risk for metastatic disease

Most cancer deaths are due to metastases. Markers of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) measured in primary tumor cancer cells could be helpful to assess patient risk of metastatic disease, even among those otherwise diagnosed with local disease. Previous studies of EMT markers and patient outcomes used inconsistent methods and did not compare the clinical impact of different expression cut points for the same marker. Using digital image analysis, we measured the EMT markers Snail and E-cadherin in primary tumor specimens from 190 subjects in tissue microarrays from a population-based prospective cohort of colorectal cancer patients and estimated their associations with time-to-death. After measuring continuous marker expression data, we performed a systematic search for the cut point for each marker with the best model fit between dichotomous marker expression and time-to-death. We also assessed the potential clinical impact of different cut points for the same marker. After dichotomizing expression status at the statistically-optimal cut point, we found that Snail expression was not associated with time-to-death. When measured as a weighted average of tumor cores, low E-cadherin expression was associated with a greater risk of dying within 5 years of surgery than high expression (risk difference = 33 %, 95 % confidence interval 3–62 %). Identifying a clinically-optimal cut point for an EMT marker requires trade-offs between strength and precision of the association with patient outcomes, as well as consideration of the number of patients whose treatments might change based on using the marker at a given cut point

Mechanical weakening of a mudrock seal by reaction with CO2-charged fluids

The long-term interaction of CO2-charged fluids with low permeability cap rocks is important for seal integrity assessment. To address this potential risk, we studied long-term geomechanical changes in a reservoir seal due to fluid-rock interactions with CO2-charged fluids, focusing on a natural CO2 analogue near Green River, Utah, USA. The observed chemo-mechanical changes are on the millimeter scale, which required small-scale petrophysical, mineralogical, and micromechanical analyses. Results showed that over the 7 cm thick reaction front, the low permeability cap rock underwent mechanical weakening, as indicated by indentation tests. This weakening is inferred to be due to dissolution of dolomite and hematite, with the former leading to porosity increase, as shown by small-angle neutron scattering, while the latter likely led to loss of electrostatic forces between the clay particles. This resulted in loss of cohesion, compaction, and formation of bedding-parallel fractures. Microfracturing occurred in situ, as evidenced by fractures infilled with pyrite and gypsum. This study demonstrates that mechanical weakening of cap rocks might occur, but only over time scales of ∼100,000 yr and over small distances. Considering the thickness of cap rocks above CO2 storage reservoirs, we do not anticipate a considerable threat of losing containment integrity over time scales of hundreds to thousands of years as a result of these small-scale fluid-rock interactions

Is Cholesterol Sulfate Deficiency a Common Factor in Preeclampsia, Autism, and Pernicious Anemia?

In a recent paper, we proposed that a contributing factor in autism is a deficiency in cholesterol sulfate supply. In this paper, we investigate a link between preeclampsia and subsequent autism in the child, and we hypothesize that both conditions can be attributed to a severe depletion of cholesterol sulfate. Through studies on the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) database, we demonstrate a strong statistical relationship among the signs and symptoms associated with autism and those associated with preeclampsia, pernicious anemia, and serious adverse reactions to vaccines. We show that VAERS reports associated with symptoms typical of pernicious anemia produce both a set of symptoms that are highly correlated with preeclampsia and another set highly correlated with autism. We explain this observation via an argument that, in a severe reaction, the cascade of events subsequent to vaccination reflects a profuse production of nitric oxide (NO) and consequential destruction of both red blood cells (RBCs) and cobalamin. This may explain the diverse signs and symptoms associated with both preeclampsia and severe vaccine adverse reactions. We argue that excess NO synthesis, induced by the aluminum and antigen in vaccines, results in hemolysis of RBCs, which allows hemoglobin to scavenge the excess NO, converting it to nitrate. The NO is also scavenged by cobalamin, leading to its inactivation and contributing to subsequent pernicious anemia. Finally, we demonstrate that severe adverse reactions to vaccines can be associated with life-threatening conditions related to the heart and brain, as well as stillbirth, when the vaccine is administered to a woman in the third-trimester of pregnancy, as demonstrated by statistical analysis of the Gardasil records

City of Stone Mountain

Students from the Spring 2008 Preservation Planning class compiled and presented these design guidelines to the City of Stone Mountain. The design guidelines were meant to be used as a blueprint for rehabilitation or alteration of historic buildings and new construction. The guidelines present recommended and discouraged courses of action within the historic district. Three character groups are defined, commercial Main Street, a residential area centered on East and West Mountain streets, and Shermantown.https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/history_heritagepreservation/1040/thumbnail.jp