Expression of pyrimidine nucleoside phosphorylase mRNA plays an important role in the prognosis of patients with oesophageal cancer

To clarify the significance of the expression of pyrimidine nucleoside phosphorylase (PyNPase) mRNA as a predictive factor for the prognosis of patients with oesophageal carcinoma, the PyNPase mRNA in the tumours and normal tissues from 55 resected cases of oesophageal carcinoma was examined by a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). As a result, a positive correlation was observed between the tumour/normal (T/N) ratio of the expression of PyNPase mRNA by RT-PCR and that of the enzyme activity of PyNPase based on the findings of an enzyme linked immunosolvent assay (r = 0.594, P = 0.009). The T/N ratio of the expression of PyNPase mRNA was significantly higher in the cases with lymph vessel invasion (P = 0.013), lymph node metastasis (P = 0.0016), and an advanced stage of the disease (P = 0.021) than those without these factors. The patients with a higher T/N ratio of PyNPase mRNA showed significantly worse prognosis than those with a lower T/N ratio (P = 0.023 with log-rank tests). A multivariate analysis for the cumulative survival rates revealed that a high T/N ratio of the expression of PyNPase mRNA was independently related to a poor prognosis. These findings suggested that the determination of PyNPase mRNA by RT-PCR thus appears to be a new useful parameter for identifying both a poor prognosis and a highly malignant potential of oesophageal carcinoma. © 1999 Cancer Research Campaig

Efficacy and safety of extracranial vein angioplasty in multiple sclerosis: A randomized clinical trial

Importance: Chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) is characterized by restricted venous outflow from the brain and spinal cord. Whether this condition is associated with multiple sclerosis (MS) and whether venous percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) is beneficial in persons with MS and CCSVI is controversial. Objective: To determine the efficacy and safety of venous PTA in patients with MS and CCSVI. Design, Setting, and Participants: We analyzed 177 patients with relapsing-remitting MS; 62 were ineligible, including 47 (26.6%) who did not have CCSVI on color Doppler ultrasonography screening. A total of 115 patients were recruited in the study timeframe. All patients underwent a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled, parallel-group trial in 6MS centers in Italy. The trial began in August 2012 and concluded in March 2016; data were analyzed from April 2016 to September 2016. The analysis was intention to treat. Interventions: Patients were randomly allocated (2:1) to either venous PTA or catheter venography without venous angioplasty (sham). Main Outcomes and Measures: Two primary end pointswere assessed at 12 months: (1) a composite functional measure (ie, walking control, balance, manual dexterity, postvoid residual urine volume, and visual acuity) and (2) a measure of new combined brain lesions on magnetic resonance imaging, including the proportion of lesion-free patients. Combined lesions included T1 gadolinium-enhancing lesions plus new or enlarged T2 lesions. Results: Of the included 115 patients with relapsing-remitting MS, 76 were allocated to the PTA group (45 female [59%]; mean [SD] age, 40.0 [10.3] years) and 39 to the sham group (29 female [74%]; mean [SD] age, 37.5 [10.6] years); 112 (97.4%) completed follow-up. No serious adverse events occurred. Flow restoration was achieved in 38 of 71 patients (54%) in the PTA group. The functional composite measure did not differ between the PTA and sham groups (41.7%vs 48.7%; odds ratio, 0.75; 95%CI, 0.34-1.68; P = .49). The mean (SD) number of combined lesions on magnetic resonance imaging at 6 to 12 months were 0.47 (1.19) in the PTA group vs 1.27 (2.65) in the sham group (mean ratio, 0.37; 95%CI, 0.15-0.91; P = .03: adjusted P = .09) and were 1.40 (4.21) in the PTA group vs 1.95 (3.73) in the sham group at 0 to 12 months (mean ratio, 0.72; 95%CI, 0.32-1.63; P = .45; adjusted P = .45). At follow-up after 6 to 12 months, 58 of 70 patients (83%) in the PTA group and 22 of 33 (67%) in the sham group were free of new lesions on magnetic resonance imaging (odds ratio, 2.64; 95%CI, 1.11-6.28; P = .03; adjusted P = .09). At 0 to 12 months, 46 of 73 patients (63.0%) in the PTA group and 18 of 37 (49%) in the sham group were free of new lesions on magnetic resonance imaging (odds ratio, 1.80; 95%CI, 0.81-4.01; P = .15; adjusted P = .30). Conclusion and Relevance: Venous PTA has proven to be a safe but largely ineffective technique; the treatment cannot be recommended in patients with MS

Current clinical applications of spectral tissue Doppler echocardiography (E/E' ratio) as a noninvasive surrogate for left ventricular diastolic pressures in the diagnosis of heart failure with preserved left ventricular systolic function

Congestive heart failure with preserved left ventricular systolic function has emerged as a growing epidemic medical syndrome in developed countries, which is characterized by high morbidity and mortality rates. Rapid and accurate diagnosis of this condition is essential for optimizing the therapeutic management. The diagnosis of congestive heart failure is challenging in patients presenting without obvious left ventricular systolic dysfunction and additional diagnostic information is most commonly required in this setting. Comprehensive Doppler echocardiography is the single most useful diagnostic test recommended by the ESC and ACC/AHA guidelines for assessing left ventricular ejection fraction and cardiac abnormalities in patients with suspected congestive heart failure, and non-invasively determined basal or exercise-induced pulmonary capillary hypertension is likely to become a hallmark of congestive heart failure in symptomatic patients with preserved left ventricular systolic function. The present review will focus on the current clinical applications of spectral tissue Doppler echocardiography used as a reliable noninvasive surrogate for left ventricular diastolic pressures at rest as well as during exercise in the diagnosis of heart failure with preserved left ventricular systolic function. Chronic congestive heart failure, a disease of exercise, and acute heart failure syndromes are characterized by specific pathophysiologic and diagnostic issues, and these two clinical presentations will be discussed separately

Shear behaviour of brick-mortar interface in CFRP retrofitted or repaired masonry

There are many unreinforced masonry buildings all over the world. Many of them are located in seismic zones and are, therefore, susceptible to lateral forces caused by earthquakes. The transmission of these forces to the foundations is made through load bearing walls and depends on the shear strength and stiffness of masonry. In plane shear strength of load bearing masonry walls depends on many factors like the bricks and mortar strength and the way the wall is constructed. It is mainly due to shear strength of the brick-mortar interface given by the adhesion and by the friction caused by normal compression loads. Under severe seismic loads the ultimate strength capacity of the interface is achieved and the structure collapses. The results of an experimental program performed to study the shear behaviour of CFRP retrofitted and repaired masonry are presented in this paper. Increase of strength, ductility and stiffness due to the addition of CFRP laminas is specially analyzed. Specimens formed by three bricks and two mortar joints without reinforcement, retrofitted and repaired with CFRP laminas were tested under quasi-static and cyclic load. Additionally, the numerical study of the same specimens is presented. The specimens were modelled with 2D and 3D finite elements programs. Orthotropic plasticity models were used for bricks and mortar, including brick-mortar interfaces and CFRP laminas. Experimental results were used to calibrate the parameters of the material models and a numerical tool for the mechanical analysis of retrofitted or repaired masonry panels was developed. A parametric numerical study was also carried out with these numerical models in order to obtain the optimal dimensions and orientation of the reinforcing bands.Fil: Luccioni, Bibiana Maria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Tecnología. Instituto de Estructuras "Ing. Arturo M. Guzmán"; ArgentinaFil: Rougier, Viviana C.. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional. Facultad Regional Concepción del Uruguay; Argentin

Numerical analysis of fibre reinforced polymer retrofitted masonry panels

The numerical analysis of the in-plane mechanical behaviour of unreinforced and carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) retrofitted masonry walls, using a coupled damaged-plasticity model, is presented in this paper. The comparison of numerical and experimental results shows the model ability to simulate the inplane behaviour of masonry elements retrofitted with CFRP. Numerical analyses are carried out to verify the efficiency of the reinforcement with CFRP. Finally, the in-plane behaviour of real scale retrofitted walls is reproduced.Fil: Luccioni, Bibiana Maria. Universidad Nacional de Tucuman. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Tecnologia. Instituto de Estructuras "Ing. Arturo M. Guzman"; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Rougier, Viviana C.. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional. Facultad Regional Concepción del Uruguay; Argentin

Probabilistic Assessment of liquefaction over large areas

Since the 1964 Niigata, Japan, earthquake, damages attributed to earthquake induced liquefaction phenomena have cost society hundreds of millions U.S. dollars. Most procedures developed so far predict the potential for earthquake induced liquefaction at the “point” or over the small area, where the soil strength is evaluated. This paper describes a technique to estimate the probability of earthquake induced liquefaction over arbitrary large areas. The proposed technique may be of special interest to both large corporation and insurance company risk management departments, which are looking at estimating earthquake damages over a large area. The area of interest is meshed forming a grid of individual cells, for which the probability of liquefaction is estimated. The probability of liquefaction for a given percentage of the total area is then computed as a system reliability problem

Evolution du cerveau et création de la conscience : A la recherche de la vraie nature de l'homme

369 p., fig., ref. bib. : 25 p.Sir John Eccles est l'un des plus grands neurologues du XXesiècle. Il a contribué de façon décisive à l'accroissement de nos connaissances concernant notre cerveau. Ses travaux ont débouché sur la découverte des processus chimiques responsables de la propagation de l'influx nerveux -découverte qui lui a valu le prix Nobel de médecine en 1964. Alors qu'il n'y a eu jusqu'ici que très peu de tentatives pour décrire l'évolution des différentes zones du cerveau depuis les pongidés jusqu'à l'homme, Sir John Eccles nous présente la reconstitution la plus détaillée possible, en fonction de nos connaissances actuelles, de cette étape essentielle de nos origines. Il nous montre comment se sont développées les structures neuronales nécessaires pour permettre la bipédie, le langage, l'expression des émotions, l'apprentissage. En parcourant diverses séries de faits neurophysiologiques et paléontologiques, nous accédons à une vision interdisciplinaire de la genèse de l'espèce humaine. L'auteur aborde ensuite la question de la nature de la conscience humaine, et développe à ce sujet une hypothèse révolutionnaire. Selon lui, les découvertes neurologiques récentes ne s'opposent pas, loin de là, à l'existence d'une conscience indépendante du cerveau. Seulement, celle-ci ne serait pas, comme dans l'ancienne vision dualiste, totalement séparée du corps, elle interviendrait sur les constituants des synapses du cerveau pour influencer les événements en cours. La physique quantique nous montre que de telles influences peuvent exister sans violer les lois connues de la matière et de l'énergie. La description de ce modèle de la conscience constitue la deuxième grande originalité de cet ouvrage qui s'achève sur les conclusions philosophiques que l'on peut tirer de la validité d'un tel modèle