Gold Coating of Respiratory Cilia for Scanning Electron Microscopy

The optimal thickness of gold coating of cilia for scanning electron microscopy was studied using respiratory mucosa obtained from pigs. We tested 8 different coating times, from 10 seconds to 4 minutes, which resulted in gold layer thicknesses varying from 16 ± 1 nm to 100 ± 3 nm. The thickness of the gold layer with a coating time of 60 seconds and voltage of 2.5 kV was 43 ± 5 nm. This thickness of gold layer gave good image quality without causing any electric charging. With thinner gold films, the amount of electric charging increased. When the coating time was longer, the gold layer was thicker but image quality did not improve. The thicknesses of the gold layers were measured using transmission electron microscopy (TEM)

The growth pattern and microvasculature of pancreatic tumours induced with cultured carcinoma cells

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most frustrating problems in gastroenterological surgery, since there is little we can do to improve the survival of patients with current treatment strategies. If one is to elucidate factors related to carcinogenesis, tumour biology, diagnostics and new treatment modalities of this malignant disease, then it is essential to develop a suitable animal model. In the present study we investigated rat pancreatic tumour growth after intrapancreatic injection of cultured pancreatic carcinoma cells (DSL-6A/C1), originally derived from an azaserine-induced tumour, as well as the features of tumour microcirculation using the microangiography technique. After intrapancreatic inoculation, tumours were detected in 64% of animals. A 1 cm3tumour volume was reached within 20 weeks after inoculation. The tumours were ductal adenocarcinomas. Larger tumours showed invasive growth and spreading into the surrounding tissues, mainly into spleen and peritoneum. Microangiography revealed that the pancreatic tumours had an irregular and scanty vessel network and there were avascular areas in the center of the tumour. The area between normal pancreas and the induced tumour had dense vascularization. Intrapancreatic tumour induction with cultured pancreatic carcinoma cells produced a solid and uniformly growing tumour in Lewis rats and it thus provides a possible model for pancreatic cancer studies. © 2000 Cancer Research Campaig

Colonic Involvement in a Patient with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia

Various gastrointestinal infiltrations have been described in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). Here, we report a 69-year-old man with CLL and anaemia in whom the macroscopic finding of colonoscopy was normal, but the histological specimens revealed lymphocytic leukemia in ileum and in colon. If a CLL patient has any symptoms suggesting a possible GI manifestation of the haematologic disease or anaemia not explained by bone marrow infiltration or hemolysis, the diagnostic evaluation should include endoscopies with adequate biopsies

The SOS Pilot Study: a RCT of routine oxygen supplementation early after acute stroke—effect on recovery of neurological function at one week

Mild hypoxia is common after stroke and associated with poor long-term outcome. Oxygen supplementation could prevent hypoxia and improve recovery. A previous study of routine oxygen supplementation showed no significant benefit at 7 and 12 months. This pilot study reports the effects of routine oxygen supplementation for 72 hours on oxygen saturation and neurological outcomes at 1 week after a stroke

A nationwide real-world study on dynamic ustekinumab dosing and concomitant medication use among Crohn's disease patients in Finland

Background Real-world evidence to support optimal ustekinumab dosing for refractory Crohn's disease (CD) patients remains limited. Data from a retrospective nationwide chart review study was utilized to explore ustekinumab dosing dynamics and optimization, identify possible clinical predictors of dose intensification, and to evaluate ustekinumab trough concentrations (TCs) and concomitant medication use in Finland. Methods Information gathered from17 Finnish hospitals included clinical chart data from 155 adult CD patients who received intravenous ustekinumab induction during 2017-2018. Data on ustekinumab dosing and TCs, concomitant corticosteroid and immunosuppressant use, and antiustekinumab antibodies were analyzed in a two-year follow-up, subject to availability. Results Among 140 patients onustekinumab maintenance therapy, dose optimization was required in 55(39%) of the patients, and 41/47 dose-intensified patients (87%) persisted on ustekinumab. At baseline, dose-intensified patient group had significantly higher C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, and at week 16, significantly lower ustekinumab TCs than in patients without dose intensification. Irrespective of dose optimization, a statistically significant reduction in the use of corticosteroids was observed at both 16 weeks and one year, coupled with an increased proportion of patients on ustekinumab monotherapy. Antiustekinumab antibodies were undetectable in all 28 samples from 25 patients collected throughout the study period. Conclusions Nearly a third of all CD patients on ustekinumab maintenance therapy, with a history of treatment-refractory and long-standing disease, required dose intensification. These patients persisted on ustekinumab and had significant reduction of corticosteroid use. Increased baseline CRP was identified as the sole indicator of dose intensification.Peer reviewe

Mistreatment of university students most common during medical studies

BACKGROUND: This study concerns the occurrence of various forms of mistreatment by staff and fellow students experienced by students in the Faculty of Medicine and the other four faculties of the University of Oulu, Finland. METHODS: A questionnaire with 51 questions on various forms of physical and psychological mistreatment was distributed to 665 students (451 females) after lectures or examinations and filled in and returned. The results were analysed by gender and faculty. The differences between the males and females were assessed statistically using a test for the equality of two proportions. An exact two-sided P value was calculated using a mid-P approach to Fisher's exact test (the null hypothesis being that there is no difference between the two proportions). RESULTS: About half of the students answering the questionnaire had experienced some form of mistreatment by staff during their university studies, most commonly humiliation and contempt (40%), negative or disparaging remarks (34%), yelling and shouting (23%), sexual harassment and other forms of gender-based mistreatment (17%) and tasks assigned as punishment (13%). The students in the Faculty of Medicine reported every form of mistreatment more commonly than those in the Faculties of Humanities, Education, Science and Technology. Experiences of mistreatment varied, but clear messages regarding its patterns were to be found in each faculty. Female students reported more instances of mistreatment than males and were more disturbed by them. Professors, lecturers and other staff in particular mistreated female students more than they mistreated males. About half of the respondents reported some form of mistreatment by their fellow students. CONCLUSION: Students in the Faculty of Medicine reported the greatest amount of mistreatment. If a faculty mistreats its students, its success in the main tasks of universities, research, teaching and learning, will be threatened. The results challenge university teachers, especially in faculties of medicine, to evaluate their ability to create a safe environment conducive to learning

Maternal Use of Antibiotics, Hospitalisation for Infection during Pregnancy, and Risk of Childhood Epilepsy: A Population-Based Cohort Study

BACKGROUND: Maternal infection during pregnancy may be a risk factor for epilepsy in offspring. Use of antibiotics is a valid marker of infection. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: To examine the relationship between maternal infection during pregnancy and risk of childhood epilepsy we conducted a historical cohort study of singletons born in northern Denmark from 1998 through 2008 who survived ≥29 days. We used population-based medical databases to ascertain maternal use of antibiotics or hospital contacts with infection during pregnancy, as well as first-time hospital contacts with a diagnosis of epilepsy among offspring. We compared incidence rates (IR) of epilepsy among children of mothers with and without infection during pregnancy. We examined the outcome according to trimester of exposure, type of antibiotic, and total number of prescriptions, using Poisson regression to estimate incidence rate ratios (IRRs) while adjusting for covariates. Among 191,383 children in the cohort, 948 (0.5%) were hospitalised or had an outpatient visit for epilepsy during follow-up, yielding an IR of 91 per 100 000 person-years (PY). The five-year cumulative incidence of epilepsy was 4.5 per 1000 children. Among children exposed prenatally to maternal infection, the IR was 117 per 100,000 PY, with an adjusted IRR of 1.40 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.22-1.61), compared with unexposed children. The association was unaffected by trimester of exposure, antibiotic type, or prescription count. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Prenatal exposure to maternal infection is associated with an increased risk of epilepsy in childhood. The similarity of estimates across types of antibiotics suggests that processes common to all infections underlie this outcome, rather than specific pathogens or drugs

Variation in population levels of sedentary time in European children and adolescents according to cross-European studies: a systematic literature review within DEDIPAC

peer-reviewedBackground: A high amount of sedentary time has been proposed as a risk factor for various health outcomes in adults. While the evidence is less clear in children and adolescents, monitoring sedentary time is important to understand the prevalence rates and how this behaviour varies over time and by place. This systematic literature review aims to provide an overview of existing cross-European studies on sedentary time in children (0-12y) and adolescents (13-18y), to describe the variation in population levels of sedentary time, and to discuss the impact of assessment methods. Methods: Six literature databases were searched (PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, SportDiscus and OpenGrey), followed by backward- and forward tracking and searching authors’ and experts’ literature databases. Included articles were observational studies reporting on levels of sedentary time in the general population of children and/or adolescents in at least two European countries. Population levels were reported separately for children and adolescents. Data were reviewed, extracted and assessed by two researchers, with disagreements being resolved by a third researcher. The review protocol is published under registration number CRD42014013379 in the PROSPERO database. Forty-two eligible articles were identified, most were cross-sectional (n = 38). The number of included European countries per article ranged from 2 to 36. Levels of sedentary time were observed to be higher in East-European countries compared to the rest of Europe. There was a large variation in assessment methods and reported outcome variables. The majority of articles used a child-specific questionnaire (60 %). Other methods included accelerometers, parental questionnaires or interviews and ecological momentary assessment tools. Television time was reported as outcome variable in 57 % of included articles (ranging from a mean value of 1 h to 2.7 h in children and 1.3 h to 4.4 h in adolescents), total sedentary time in 24 % (ranging from a mean value of 192 min to 552 min in children and from 268 min to 506 min in adolescents). A substantial number of published studies report on levels of sedentary time in children and adolescents across European countries, but there was a large variation in assessment methods. Questionnaires (child specific) were used most often, but they mostly measured specific screen-based activities and did not assess total sedentary time. There is a need for harmonisation and standardisation of objective and subjective methods to assess sedentary time in children and adolescents to enable comparison across countries

Self-Assemblage and Quorum in the Earthworm Eisenia fetida (Oligochaete, Lumbricidae)

Despite their ubiquity and ecological significance in temperate ecosystems, the behavioural ecology of earthworms is not well described. This study examines the mechanisms that govern aggregation behaviour specially the tendency of individuals to leave or join groups in the compost earthworm Eisenia fetida, a species with considerable economic importance, especially in waste management applications. Through behavioural assays combined with mathematical modelling, we provide the first evidence of self-assembled social structures in earthworms and describe key mechanisms involved in cluster formation. We found that the probability of an individual joining a group increased with group size, while the probability of leaving decreased. Moreover, attraction to groups located at a distance was observed, suggesting a role for volatile cues in cluster formation. The size of earthworm clusters appears to be a key factor determining the stability of the group. These findings enhance our understanding of intra-specific interactions in earthworms and have potential implications for extraction and collection of earthworms in vermicomposting processes