The relationship between the systemic inflammatory response and survival in patients with transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder

The relationship between tumour stage, grade, elevated C-reactive protein concentration (<10/>10 mg l−1), adjuvant therapy and survival was examined in patients with biopsy proven bladder cancer (n=105). On multivariate analysis stage (HR 3.37, 95% CI 1.37–8.29, P=0.008), grade (HR 2.01, 95% CI 1.14–3.57, P=0.017) and preoperative C-reactive protein (HR 3.31, 95% CI 1.09–10.09, P=0.035) were independently associated with cancer-specific survival

Identification and validation of novel biomarkers and therapeutics for pulpitis using connectivity mapping

Aim: To create an irreversible pulpitis gene signature from microarray data of healthy and inflamed dental pulps, followed by a bioinformatics approach using connectivity mapping to identify therapeutic compounds that could potentially treat pulpitis. // Methodology: The Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, an international public repository of genomics data sets, was searched for human microarray datasets assessing pulpitis. An irreversible pulpitis gene expression signature was generated by differential expression analysis. The statistically significant connectivity map (ssCMap) method was used to identify compounds with a highly correlating gene expression pattern. qPCR was used to validate novel pulpitis genes. An ex vivo pulpitis model was used to test the effects of the compounds identified, and the level of inflammatory cytokines was measured with qPCR, ELISA and multiplex array. Means were compared using the t-test or ANOVA with the level of significance set at p ≤ .05. // Results: Pulpitis gene signatures were created using differential gene expression analysis at cutoff points p = .0001 and .000018. Top upregulated genes were selected as potential pulpitis biomarkers. Among these, IL8, IL6 and MMP9 were previously identified as pulpitis biomarkers. Novel upregulated genes, chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 21 (CCL21), metallothionein 1H (MT1H) and aquaporin 9 (AQP9) were validated in the pulp tissue of teeth clinically diagnosed with irreversible pulpitis using qPCR. ssCMap analysis identified fluvastatin (Statin) and dequalinium chloride (Quaternary ammonium) as compounds with the strongest correlation to the gene signatures (p = .0001). Fluvastatin reduced IL8, IL6, CCL21, AQP9 (p < .001) and MMP9 (p < .05) in the ex vivo pulpitis model, while dequalinium chloride reduced AQP9 (p < .001) but had no significant effect on the other biomarkers. // Conclusions: AQP9, MT1H and CCL21 were identified and validated as novel biomarkers for pulpitis. Fluvastatin and dequalinium chloride identified by the ssCMap as potential therapeutics for pulpitis reduced selected pulpitis biomarkers in an ex vivo pulpitis model. In vivo testing of these licenced drugs is warranted

Statistical properties of the dark matter haloes of dwarf galaxies and correlations with the environment

According to the now strongly supported concordance $\Lambda$CDM model, galaxies may be grossly described as a luminous component embedded in a dark matter halo. The density profile of these mass dominating haloes may be determined by N - body simulations which mimic the evolution of the tiny initial density perturbations during the process leading to the structures we observe today. Unfortunately, when the effect of baryons is taken into account, the situation gets much more complicated due to the difficulties in simulating their physics. As a consequence, a definitive prediction of how dark matter haloes should presently look like is still missing. We revisit here this issue from an observational point of view devoting our attention to dwarf galaxies. Being likely dark matter dominated, these systems are ideal candidates to investigate the present day halo density profiles and check whether dark matter related quantities correlate with the stellar ones or the environment. By fitting a large sample of well measured rotation curves, we infer constraints on both halo structural parameters (such as the logarithmic slope of the density profile and its concentration) and derived quantities (e.g., the mass fraction and the Newtonian acceleration) which could then be used to constrain galaxy formation scenarios. Moreover, we investigate whether the halo properties correlates with the environment the galaxy lives in thus offering a new tool to deepen our understanding of galaxy formation.Comment: 14 pages, 8 tables, 5 figures, accepted for publication on MNRA

Influence of Solute Charge and Hydrophobicity on Partitioning and Diffusion in a Genetically Engineered Silk-Elastin-Like Protein Polymer Hydrogel

The influence of solute hydrophobicity and charge on partitioning and diffusion in physically crosslinked networks of a genetically engineered SELP polymer was investigated. A series of fluorescent dyes were used to assess the impact of solute charge and hydrophobicity on release behavior. The mechanism of solute release from the SELP hydrogel appeared to vary as a function of dye hydrophobicity. The extent of FITC attachment to amine-terminated G4 dendrimers influenced SELP hydrogel partitioning more than dendrimer diffusion properties. Results suggest the possibility of controlling solute release from SELP hydrogels by modifying the hydrophobicity and surface charge of drugs and drug/polymer conjugates as well as the possibility of “designing-in” solute-specific interactions.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78240/1/1235_ftp.pd

Incorporation of calcium in glasses: a key to understand the vitrification of sewage sludge

The quantity of sewage sludge generated daily by wastewater treatment plants represents a major environmental problem and a financial burden for plant operators. Valorization strategies focusing on reusing sewage sludge as a raw material are currently developed. Vitrification can help us reduce the volume of waste and binds the components in the structure of chemically stable glasses and glass‐ceramics. In this study, the vitrification of sewage sludge inside a basaltic rock has been simulated by producing glasses and a glass‐ceramic from basalt enriched in calcium that lie between the stability fields of pyroxene and melilite in the system CaO‐MgO‐SiO2‐Al2O3. CaO addition causes the oxidation of the melt at above the liquidus, increases the crystallization temperature, decreases the melting temperature and improves the microhardness of the glasses Glass‐ceramic processes improves the properties of the Ca‐doped basalt glass. The microhardness of the glass (8.2 GPa) and the glass‐ceramic (8.6 GPa) and leaching tests (in the ppb range) place both the glass and the glass‐ceramics at the high end of the mechanical properties and chemical resistance of ceramic tiles for the building industry

Engagement and Action for Health: The Contribution of Leaders’ Collaborative Skills to Partnership Success

A multi-site evaluation (survey) of five Kellogg-funded Community Partnerships (CPs) in South Africa was undertaken to explore the relationship between leadership skills and a range of 30 operational, functional and organisational factors deemed critical to successful CPs. The CPs were collaborative academic-health service-community efforts aimed at health professions education reforms. The level of agreement to eleven dichotomous (‘Yes/No’) leadership skills items was used to compute two measures of members’ appreciation of their CPs’ leadership. The associations between these measures and 30 CPs factors were explored, and the partnership factors that leadership skills explained were assessed after controlling. Respondents who perceived the leadership of their CPs favourably had more positive ratings across 30 other partnership factors than those who rated leadership skills less favourably, and were more likely to report a positive cost/ benefit ratio. In addition, respondents who viewed their CPs’ leadership positively also rated the operational understanding, the communication mechanisms, as well as the rules and procedures of the CPs more favourably. Leadership skills explained between 20% and 7% of the variance of 10 partnership factors. The influence of leaders’ skills in effective health-focussed partnerships is much broader than previously conceptualised

Primordial magnetic fields at preheating

Using lattice techniques we investigate the generation of long range cosmological magnetic fields during a cold electroweak transition. We will show how magnetic fields arise, during bubble collisions, in the form of magnetic strings. We conjecture that these magnetic strings originate from the alignment of magnetic dipoles associated with EW sphaleron-like configurations. We also discuss the early thermalisation of photons and the turbulent behaviour of the scalar fields after tachyonic preheating.Comment: 7 pages. Talk presented at Lattice200

Spin-up of low mass classical bulges in barred galaxies

Secular evolution is one of the key routes through which galaxies evolve along the Hubble sequence. Not only the disk undergoes morphological and kinematic changes, but also a preexisting classical bulge may be dynamically changed by the secular processes driven primarily by the bar. We study the influence of a growing bar on the dynamical evolution of a low mass classical bulge such as might be present in galaxies like the Milky Way. Using self-consistent high resolution {\it N}-body simulations, we study how an initially isotropic non-rotating small classical bulge absorbs angular momentum emitted by the bar. The basic mechanism of this angular momentum exchange is through resonances and a considerable fraction of the angular momentum is channeled through Lagrange point (-1:1) and ILR (2:1) orbits. In the phase of rapid dynamical growth, also retrograde non-resonant orbits absorb significant angular momentum. As a result of this angular momentum gain, the initially non-rotating classical bulge transforms into a fast rotating, radially anisotropic and triaxial object, embedded in the similarly fast rotating boxy bulge formed from the disk. Towards the end of the evolution, the classical bulge develops cylindrical rotation. By that time, its inner regions host a "classical bulge-bar" whose distinct kinematics could serve as direct observational evidence for the secular evolution in the galaxy. Some implications of these results are discussed briefly.Comment: 15 pages, 16 figures, accepted for publication by MNRA

Search For Trapped Antihydrogen

We present the results of an experiment to search for trapped antihydrogen atoms with the ALPHA antihydrogen trap at the CERN Antiproton Decelerator. Sensitive diagnostics of the temperatures, sizes, and densities of the trapped antiproton and positron plasmas have been developed, which in turn permitted development of techniques to precisely and reproducibly control the initial experimental parameters. The use of a position-sensitive annihilation vertex detector, together with the capability of controllably quenching the superconducting magnetic minimum trap, enabled us to carry out a high-sensitivity and low-background search for trapped synthesised antihydrogen atoms. We aim to identify the annihilations of antihydrogen atoms held for at least 130 ms in the trap before being released over ~30 ms. After a three-week experimental run in 2009 involving mixing of 10^7 antiprotons with 1.3 10^9 positrons to produce 6 10^5 antihydrogen atoms, we have identified six antiproton annihilation events that are consistent with the release of trapped antihydrogen. The cosmic ray background, estimated to contribute 0.14 counts, is incompatible with this observation at a significance of 5.6 sigma. Extensive simulations predict that an alternative source of annihilations, the escape of mirror-trapped antiprotons, is highly unlikely, though this possibility has not yet been ruled out experimentally.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figure

Superconductivity in the YIr2Si2 and LaIr2Si2 Polymorphs

We report on existence of superconductivity in YIr2Si2 and LaIr2Si2 compounds in relation to crystal structure. The two compounds crystallize in two structural polymorphs, both tetragonal. The high temperature polymorph (HTP) adopts the CaBe2Ge2-structure type (space group P4/nmm) while the low temperature polymorph (LTP) is of the ThCr2Si2 type (I4/mmm). By studying polycrystals prepared by arc melting we have observed that the rapidly cooled samples retain the HTP even at room temperature (RT) and below. Annealing such samples at 900C followed by slow cooling to RT provides the LTP. Both, the HTP and LTP were subsequently studied with respect to magnetism and superconductivity by electrical resistivity, magnetization, AC susceptibility and specific heat measurements. The HTP and LTP of both compounds respectively, behave as Pauli paramagnets. Superconductivity has been found exclusively in the HTP of both compounds below Tsc (= 2.52 K in YIr2Si2 and 1.24 K in LaIr2Si2). The relations of magnetism and superconductivity with the electronic and crystal structure are discussed with comparing experimental data with the results of first principles electronic structure calculations