Biomarkers in Thyroid Tumor Research: New Diagnostic Tools and Potential Targets of Molecular-Based Therapy

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Thyroid cancer and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use: a pooled analysis of patients older than 40 years of age

Background: Cyclooxygenase (COX-2) has been associated with tumor growth and metastasis in several cancers, including thyroid cancer. For this reason, several investigators have studied COX-2 inhibitors in preclinical models of thyroid cancer and found antineoplastic effects. Thus, the primary aim of this study was to assess if the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is associated with a reduced incidence of thyroid cancer. A second aim of the study was to determine additional risk or protective factors for thyroid cancer. Methods: Three large prospective population-based studies (the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study; the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial; and the U.S. Radiologic Technologists Study) were pooled to investigate the association between self-reported frequency of aspirin and nonaspirin NSAID use one year prior to baseline (no use, ≤2/week, >2–6/week, and ≥7/week) and subsequent risk of thyroid cancer. A Cox regression proportional hazard model was used to estimate aggregated hazard ratios (HR) adjusted for cohort, sex, race/ethnicity, weight, smoking status, and alcohol intake. Results: There were 388,577 participants in the pooled cohort, with 481 cases of thyroid cancer. No significant risk reduction was observed with regular use of nonaspirin NSAIDs (HR = 1.14 [confidence interval (CI) 0.84–1.55]), and/or regular use of aspirin (HR = 1.06 [CI 0.82–1.39]). The multivariate regression analysis confirmed as previously reported in the literature that female sex, obesity class I (body mass index [BMI] = 30–34.99 kg/m(2)), and obesity class II (BMI = 35–35.99 kg/m(2)) were independently associated with an increased thyroid cancer risk. Current smoking status and moderate and excessive alcohol use were also confirmed as independent risk factors associated with a reduced thyroid cancer risk. Conclusions: Neither nonaspirin NSAIDs nor aspirin use is associated with a reduced risk of thyroid cancer. Women and obesity are associated with an increased risk of thyroid cancer, whereas smoking and alcohol use are associated with decreased risk of thyroid cancer

Operational model of the athos undulator beamline

Athos, the new Soft X-ray beamline of SwissFEL, operates 16 Apple X undulators and 15 compact chicanes to implement novel lasing schemes. With the data available after the end of the magnetic measurement campaign (middle 2020), a self-consistent set of equations will be used to summarize all the relevant properties of those devices to start their commissioning. The analytic approach planned will be discussed in great detail and tested with the preliminary experimental data available. Finally, the accuracy of this approach will be evaluated and critically compared to the requirements of the new FEL beamline.peer-reviewe

Advanced operational models of the apple X undulator

Athos is a new soft X-ray beamline at SwissFEL, where the Apple X type undulators will be equipped. These devices are flexible to produce light in different polarization modes. An adequate magnetic field model is required for the operation of undulator. The undulator deflection parameter K and its gradient are calculated starting from the Fourier series of the magnetic field. In the classical parallel and anti-parallel operational modes - respectively elliptical and linear modes, the variation of the magnetic field as well as its parameters are evaluated by computer modeling. The results are compared to the magnetic measurements of the first Apple X prototype.peer-reviewe

Design and development of an automatic tool changer for an articulated robot arm

In the creative industries, the length of time between the ideation stage and the making of physical objects is decreasing due to the use of CAD/CAM systems and adicitive manufacturing. Natural anisotropic materials, such as solid wood can also be transformed using CAD/CAM systems, but only with subtractive processes such as machining with CNC routers. Whilst some 3 axis CNC routing machines are affordable to buy and widely available, more flexible 5 axis routing machines still present themselves as a too big investment for small companies. Small refurbished articulated robots can be a cheaper alternative but they require a light end-effector. This paper presents a new lightweight tool changer that converts a small 3kg payload 6 DOF robot into a robot apprentice able to machine wood and similar soft materials

Does Familial Non-Medullary Thyroid Cancer Adversely Affect Survival?

Background: Familial non-medullary thyroid cancer (FNMTC) is associated with a higher rate of multifocality and a higher recurrence rate than sporadic thyroid cancer. However, the effect of FNMTC on life expectancy is unknown. Material and Methods: Using data from our FNMTC database, we calculated life expectancy and survival rates after diagnosis of FNMTC and compared the results with the rates for unaffected family members and for the standard US population. Overall life expectancy and survival rates were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. We compared patients from families with 2 affected members with patients from families with ≥3 affected members. We also compared patients diagnosed in a known familial setting (index cases and subsequent cases) with patients diagnosed before the familial setting was recognized. Results: There were 139 affected patients with 757 unaffected family members. The mean age at diagnosis was 40.8 ± 13.9 years and the mean follow-up time was 9.4 ± 11.7 years. Ten patients died of thyroid cancer during follow-up. The life expectancy of patients with FNMTC was similar to that of their unaffected family members. Survival was significantly shorter for patients with 3 or more affected family members, for patients diagnosed before the familial setting was recognized, and for patients with anaplastic cancer. Conclusions: Our results suggest that FNMTC may be more aggressive than sporadic thyroid cancer, particularly in families with 3 or more affected members. However, when recognized and treated appropriately, it does not significantly shorten the overall life expectancy of the affected patient

Demonstration and Comparison of Operation of Photomultiplier Tubes at Liquid Argon Temperature

Liquified noble gases are widely used as a target in direct Dark Matter searches. Signals from scintillation in the liquid, following energy deposition from the recoil nuclei scattered by Dark Matter particles (e.g. WIMPs), should be recorded down to very low energies by photosensors suitably designed to operate at cryogenic temperatures. Liquid Argon based detectors for Dark Matter searches currently implement photo multiplier tubes for signal read-out. In the last few years PMTs with photocathodes operating down to liquid Argon temperatures (87 K) have been specially developed with increasing Quantum Efficiency characteristics. The most recent of these, Hamamatsu Photonics Mod. R11065 with peak QE up to about 35%, has been extensively tested within the R&D program of the WArP Collaboration. During these testes the Hamamatsu PMTs showed superb performance and allowed obtaining a light yield around 7 phel/keVee in a Liquid Argon detector with a photocathodic coverage in the 12% range, sufficient for detection of events down to few keVee of energy deposition. This shows that this new type of PMT is suited for experimental applications, in particular for new direct Dark Matter searches with LAr-based experiments