117 research outputs found
The results of arthroscopic anterior stabilisation of the shoulder using the bioknotless anchor system
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Shoulder instability is a common condition, particularly affecting a young, active population. Open capsulolabral repair is effective in the majority of cases, however arthroscopic techniques, particularly using suture anchors, are being used with increasing success.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>15 patients with shoulder instability were operated on by a single surgeon (VK) using BioKnotless anchors (DePuy Mitek, Raynham, MA). The average length of follow-up was 21 months (17 to 31) with none lost to follow-up. Constant scores in both arms, patient satisfaction, activity levels and recurrence of instability was recorded.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>80% of patients were satisfied with their surgery. 1 patient suffered a further dislocation and another had recurrent symptomatic instability. The average constant score returned to 84% of that measured in the opposite (unaffected) shoulder. There were no specific post-operative complications encountered.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In terms of recurrence of symptoms, our results show success rates comparable to other methods of shoulder stabilisation. This technique is safe and surgeons familiar with shoulder arthroscopy will not encounter a steep learning curve. Shoulder function at approximately 2 years post repair was good or excellent in the majority of patients and it was observed that patient satisfaction was correlated more with return to usual activities than recurrence of symptoms.</p
Metastatic breast carcinoma mimicking a sebaceous gland neoplasm: a case report
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Breast cancer is common in women and its metastases involve the skin in approximately one quarter of patients. Accordingly, metastatic breast cancer shown to be cutaneous through histology must be distinguished from a wide variety of other neoplasms as well as the diverse morphologic variants of breast cancer itself.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We report the case of a 61-year-old Caucasian woman with cutaneous metastases of a bilateral ductal breast carcinoma that in histopathological examination mimicked an adnexal neoplasm with sebaceous differentiation.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Against the background of metastatic breast carcinoma, dermatopathological considerations of sebaceous differentiation of skin lesions are presented and discussed focusing on the rare differential diagnosis of sebaceous carcinoma of the breast.</p
Stochastic analysis of the GAL genetic switch in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: Modeling and experiments reveal hierarchy in glucose repression
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Transcriptional regulation involves protein-DNA and protein-protein interactions. Protein-DNA interactions involve reactants that are present in low concentrations, leading to stochastic behavior. In addition, multiple regulatory mechanisms are typically involved in transcriptional regulation. In the <it>GAL </it>regulatory system of <it>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</it>, the inhibition of glucose is accomplished through two regulatory mechanisms: one through the transcriptional repressor Mig1p, and the other through regulating the amount of transcriptional activator Gal4p. However, the impact of stochasticity in gene expression and hierarchy in regulatory mechanisms on the phenotypic level is not clearly understood.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We address the question of quantifying the effect of stochasticity inherent in these regulatory mechanisms on the performance of various genes under the regulation of Mig1p and Gal4p using a dynamic stochastic model. The stochastic analysis reveals the importance of both the mechanisms of regulation for tight expression of genes in the <it>GAL </it>network. The mechanism involving Gal4p is the dominant mechanism, yielding low variability in the expression of <it>GAL </it>genes. The mechanism involving Mig1p is necessary to maintain the switch-like response of certain <it>GAL </it>genes. The number of binding sites for Mig1p and Gal4p further influences the expression of the genes, with extra binding sites lowering the variability of expression. Our experiments involving growth on various substrates show that the trends predicted in mean expression and its variability are transmitted to the phenotypic level.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The mechanisms involved in the transcriptional regulation and their variability set up a hierarchy in the phenotypic response to growth on various substrates. Structural motifs, such as the number of binding sites and the mechanism of regulation, determine the level of stochasticity and eventually, the phenotypic response.</p
Modeling Initiation of Ewing Sarcoma in Human Neural Crest Cells
Ewing sarcoma family tumors (ESFT) are aggressive bone and soft tissue tumors that express EWS-ETS fusion genes as driver mutations. Although the histogenesis of ESFT is controversial, mesenchymal (MSC) and/or neural crest (NCSC) stem cells have been implicated as cells of origin. For the current study we evaluated the consequences of EWS-FLI1 expression in human embryonic stem cell-derived NCSC (hNCSC). Ectopic expression of EWS-FLI1 in undifferentiated hNCSC and their neuro-mesenchymal stem cell (hNC-MSC) progeny was readily tolerated and led to altered expression of both well established as well as novel EWS-FLI1 target genes. Importantly, whole genome expression profiling studies revealed that the molecular signature of established ESFT is more similar to hNCSC than any other normal tissue, including MSC, indicating that maintenance or reactivation of the NCSC program is a feature of ESFT pathogenesis. Consistent with this hypothesis, EWS-FLI1 induced hNCSC genes as well as the polycomb proteins BMI-1 and EZH2 in hNC-MSC. In addition, up-regulation of BMI-1 was associated with avoidance of cellular senescence and reversible silencing of p16. Together these studies confirm that, unlike terminally differentiated cells but consistent with bone marrow-derived MSC, NCSC tolerate expression of EWS-FLI1 and ectopic expression of the oncogene initiates transition to an ESFT-like state. In addition, to our knowledge this is the first demonstration that EWS-FLI1-mediated induction of BMI-1 and epigenetic silencing of p16 might be critical early initiating events in ESFT tumorigenesis
Advances in estrogen receptor biology: prospects for improvements in targeted breast cancer therapy
Estrogen receptor (ER) has a crucial role in normal breast development and is expressed in the most common breast cancer subtypes. Importantly, its expression is very highly predictive for response to endocrine therapy. Current endocrine therapies for ER-positive breast cancers target ER function at multiple levels. These include targeting the level of estrogen, blocking estrogen action at the ER, and decreasing ER levels. However, the ultimate effectiveness of therapy is limited by either intrinsic or acquired resistance. Identifying the factors and pathways responsible for sensitivity and resistance remains a challenge in improving the treatment of breast cancer. With a better understanding of coordinated action of ER, its coregulatory factors, and the influence of other intracellular signaling cascades, improvements in breast cancer therapy are emerging
Hydrostatic-pressure dependence of Raman-active optical phonons in Nd:Mg:LiNbO3
In this work, we report the frequency variation of Raman phonon modes of a doped Nd:Mg:LiNbO3 crystal under high hydrostatic pressure up to 6.5 GPa. Whereas most of the phonon modes are not affected by doping, showing the same pressure dependence of their frequency as for undoped LiNbO3, there are three exceptions: The A1(TO)2, the A1(TO)3 and the E(TO)4 phonons. These modes exhibit a considerably different pressure coefficient, which is mainly attributed to the influence of Mg ions occupying Nb-sites in the lithium niobate matrix.Fil: Tejerina, Matías Rubén. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico la Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Opticas (i); ArgentinaFil: Pereira Da Silva, K.. Universidade Estadual Do Ceara; Brasil. Institut de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona; EspañaFil: Goñi, A. R.. Institut de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona; España. Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avancats; EspañaFil: Torchia, Gustavo Adrian. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico la Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Opticas (i); Argentin
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