COLOR III: a multicentre randomised clinical trial comparing transanal TME versus laparoscopic TME for mid and low rectal cancer

Total mesorectal excision (TME) is an essential component of surgical management of rectal cancer. Both open and laparoscopic TME have been proven to be oncologically safe. However, it remains a challenge to achieve complete TME with clear circumferential resections margin (CRM) with the conventional transabdominal approach, particularly in mid and low rectal tumours. Transanal TME (TaTME) was developed to improve oncological and functional outcomes of patients with mid and low rectal cancer.An international, multicentre, superiority, randomised trial was designed to compare TaTME and conventional laparoscopic TME as the surgical treatment of mid and low rectal carcinomas. The primary endpoint is involved CRM. Secondary endpoints include completeness of mesorectum, residual mesorectum, morbidity and mortality, local recurrence, disease-free and overall survival, percentage of sphincter-saving procedures, functional outcome and quality of life. A Quality Assurance Protocol including centralised MRI review, histopathology re-evaluation, standardisation of surgical techniques, and monitoring and assessment of surgical quality will be conducted.The difference in involvement of CRM between the two treatment strategies is thought to be in favour of the TaTME. TaTME is therefore expected to be superior to laparoscopic TME in terms of oncological outcomes in case of mid and low rectal carcinomas

The concept of quality of life in dementia in the different stages of the disease

In order to conceptually define quality of life (QOL) in dementia, the literature on QOL in the elderly population, in chronic disease and in dementia was studied. Dementia is a progressive, age-related, chronic condition and to avoid omissions within the dementia-specific concept of QOL, a broad orientation was the preferred approach in this literature study. Adaptation is a major outcome in studies investigating interventions aimed at improving QOL in chronic conditions, but to date, it has not been used in the definition of QOL. It is argued that adaptation is an important indication of QOL in people with chronic diseases and therefore also in dementia. Some crucial issues in assessing dementia-related QOL that are relevant to clarify the continuing debate on whether QOL, particularly in dementia, can be measured at all, are discussed. Then the following conceptual definition is offered: dementia-specific QOL is the multidimensional evaluation of the person-environment system of the individual, in terms of adaptation to the perceived consequences of the dementi

Isolation and function of a human endothelial cell C1q receptor

It has been shown previously that cultured human venous and arterial endothelial cells (EC) bind C1q in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Cultured human endothelial cells express an average number of 5.2 × 105 binding sites/cell. In the present study the putative receptor for C1q (C1qR) was isolated from the membranes of 1–5 × 109 human umbilical cord EC by affinity chromatography on C1q–Sepharose. During isolation, C1qR was detected by its capacity to inhibit the lysis of EAC1q in C1q-deficient serum. The eluate from C1q–Sepharose was concentrated, dialysed and subjected to QAE-A50 chromatography and subsequently to gel filtration on HPLC–TSK 3000. C1qR filtered at an apparent molecular weight of 60 kDa. Purified C1qR exhibited an apparent molecular weight of 55–62 kDa in the unreduced state and a molecular weight of 64–68 kDa in reduced form. Two IgM monoclonal antibodies (mAb) D3 and D5 were raised following immunization of mice with purified receptor preparations. Both monoclonal antibodies increased the binding of 125I-C1q to endothelial cells but F(ab')2 anti-C1qR mAb inhibited the binding of a125I-C1q to EC in a dosedependent manner. The D3 mAb recognized a band of 54–60 kDa in Western blots of membranes of human EC and polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Previously, the authors showed that C1q induces the binding of IgM-containing immune complexes to EC. Therefore, it was hypothesized that during a primary immune response generation of IgM-IC may occur, resulting in binding and activation of C1, dissociation of activated C1 by C1 inhibitor and subsequent interaction of IgM-IC bearing C1q with EC–C1qR

Creative Urban Methods for the Datafied City

Dataf ied and smart cities produce some challenges for inclusive, resilient, and sustainable urban futures. How can creative methods contribute to thinking and designing ways to imagine and co-create dataf ied cit-ies with and for participatory citizenship and values for inclusion and sustainability? This question is central to the agenda of the research group [urban interfaces] and their collaboration in interdicisplinary and transdisciplinary partnerships. Working with and around the concepts of participation, criticality and imagination, the group brings cultural inquiry into dataf ied cities together with a methodological inquiry into creative urban methods. In the following, we sketch this agenda and approach and some recent examples of what such creative methods may yield

osl-dynamics, a toolbox for modeling fast dynamic brain activity

Neural activity contains rich spatiotemporal structure that corresponds to cognition. This includes oscillatory bursting and dynamic activity that span across networks of brain regions, all of which can occur on timescales of tens of milliseconds. While these processes can be accessed through brain recordings and imaging, modeling them presents methodological challenges due to their fast and transient nature. Furthermore, the exact timing and duration of interesting cognitive events are often a priori unknown. Here, we present the OHBA Software Library Dynamics Toolbox (osl-dynamics), a Python-based package that can identify and describe recurrent dynamics in functional neuroimaging data on timescales as fast as tens of milliseconds. At its core are machine learning generative models that are able to adapt to the data and learn the timing, as well as the spatial and spectral characteristics, of brain activity with few assumptions. osl-dynamics incorporates state-of-the-art approaches that can be, and have been, used to elucidate brain dynamics in a wide range of data types, including magneto/electroencephalography, functional magnetic resonance imaging, invasive local field potential recordings, and electrocorticography. It also provides novel summary measures of brain dynamics that can be used to inform our understanding of cognition, behavior, and disease. We hope osl-dynamics will further our understanding of brain function, through its ability to enhance the modeling of fast dynamic processes

Controversing Datafication through Media Architectures

In this chapter, we discuss a speculative and participatory “media architecture” installation that engages people with the potential impacts of data through speculative future images of the datafied city. The installation was originally conceived as a physical combination of digital media technologies and architectural form—a “media architecture”—that was to be situated in a particular urban setting. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, it was produced and tested for an online workshop. It is centered on “design frictions” (Forlano and Mathew, 2014) and processes of controversing (Baibarac-Duignan and de Lange, 2021). Instead of smoothing out tensions through “neutral” data visualizations, controversing centers on opening avenues for meaningful participation around frictions and controversies that arise from the datafication of urban life. The installation represents an instance of how processes of controversing may unfold through digital interfaces. Here, we explore its performative potential to “interface” abstract dimensions of datafication, “translate” them into collective issues of concern, and spark imagination around (un)desirable datafied urban futures

Smc5/6: a link between DNA repair and unidirectional replication?

Of the three structural maintenance of chromosome (SMC) complexes, two directly regulate chromosome dynamics. The third, Smc5/6, functions mainly in homologous recombination and in completing DNA replication. The literature suggests that Smc5/6 coordinates DNA repair, in part through post-translational modification of uncharacterized target proteins that can dictate their subcellular localization, and that Smc5/6 also functions to establish DNA-damage-dependent cohesion. A nucleolar-specific Smc5/6 function has been proposed because Smc5/6 yeast mutants display penetrant phenotypes of ribosomal DNA (rDNA) instability. rDNA repeats are replicated unidirectionally. Here, we propose that unidirectional replication, combined with global Smc5/6 functions, can explain the apparent rDNA specificity

Accuracy and repeatability of wrist joint angles in boxing using an electromagnetic tracking system

© 2019, The Author(s). The hand-wrist region is reported as the most common injury site in boxing. Boxers are at risk due to the amount of wrist motions when impacting training equipment or their opponents, yet we know relatively little about these motions. This paper describes a new method for quantifying wrist motion in boxing using an electromagnetic tracking system. Surrogate testing procedure utilising a polyamide hand and forearm shape, and in vivo testing procedure utilising 29 elite boxers, were used to assess the accuracy and repeatability of the system. 2D kinematic analysis was used to calculate wrist angles using photogrammetry, whilst the data from the electromagnetic tracking system was processed with visual 3D software. The electromagnetic tracking system agreed with the video-based system (paired t tests) in both the surrogate ( 0.9). In the punch testing, for both repeated jab and hook shots, the electromagnetic tracking system showed good reliability (ICCs > 0.8) and substantial reliability (ICCs > 0.6) for flexion–extension and radial-ulnar deviation angles, respectively. The results indicate that wrist kinematics during punching activities can be measured using an electromagnetic tracking system

Cardiac biomarkers of prognostic importance in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Background: Ischemic heart disease is common in COPD and associated with worse prognosis. This study aimed to investigate the presence and prognostic impact of biomarkers of myocardial injury and ischemia among individuals with COPD and normal lung function, respectively. Methods: In 2002–04, all individuals with airway obstruction (FEV1/VC < 0.70, n = 993) were identified from population-based cohorts, together with age and sex-matched non-obstructive referents. At re-examination in 2005, spirometry, Minnesota-coded ECG and analyses of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (hs-cTnI) were performed in individuals with COPD (n = 601) and those with normal lung function (n = 755). Deaths were recorded until December 31st, 2010. Results: Hs-cTnI concentrations were above the risk stratification threshold of ≥5 ng/L in 31.1 and 24.9% of those with COPD and normal lung function, respectively. Ischemic ECG abnormalities were present in 14.8 and 13.4%, while 7.7 and 6.6% had both elevated hs-cTnI concentrations and ischemic ECG abnormalities. The 5-year cumulative mortality was higher in those with COPD than those with normal lung function (13.6% vs. 7.7%, p < 0.001). Among individuals with COPD, elevated hs-cTnI both independently and in combination with ischemic ECG abnormalities were associated with an increased risk for death (adjusted hazard ratio [HR]; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.72; 1.46–5.07 and 4.54; 2.25–9.13, respectively). Similar associations were observed also among individuals with COPD without reported ischemic heart disease. Conclusions: In this study, elevated hs-cTnI concentrations in combination with myocardial ischemia on the electrocardiogram were associated with a more than four-fold increased risk for death in a population-based COPD-cohort, independent of disease severity

PGA: power calculator for case-control genetic association analyses

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Statistical power calculations inform the design and interpretation of genetic association studies, but few programs are tailored to case-control studies of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in unrelated subjects.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We have developed the "Power for Genetic Association analyses" (PGA) package which comprises algorithms and graphical user interfaces for sample size and minimum detectable risk calculations using SNP or haplotype effects under different genetic models and study constrains. The software accounts for linkage disequilibrium and statistical multiple comparisons. The results are presented in graphs or tables and can be printed or exported in standard file formats.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>PGA is user friendly software that can facilitate decision making for association studies of candidate genes, fine-mapping studies, and whole-genome scans. Stand-alone executable files and a Matlab toolbox are available for download at: <url>http://dceg.cancer.gov/bb/tools/pga</url></p