HeadStrong: Concussion Reduction Using Biomimicry

The objective of this project is to address the concern of traumatic brain injuries, which include concussions, by designing a product to better protect the head from damage upon impact. Concussions impact the quality of life for those who suffer one (or many), both in the short-term and long-term phases of their life. Current protective equipment on the market fall short of addressing the urgent need for higher quality and reliable headwear to reduce brain injury. Recently, high tech solutions for football helmets are under development, due to the public exposure of the risks and long-term disabilities that can evolve from concussions in contact activities. It is encouraging to see efforts being made to reduce concussions, and my hope is that these solutions be put into practice as soon as possible to minimize this problem. My project aims to address the issue of concussions through a unique avenue. Although I respect the use of technology to monitor, record, and analyze data, I felt that a solution exists that could use an organic approach to reducing brain injuries. The goal was to design, develop, and manufacture a product that could offer an improvement to the existing headwear for impact sports, as well as all other applications which experience head trauma during activities. My approach, as described throughout the rest of this paper, relies on biomimetic influences, physical analysis, material research, and manufacturing methods to achieve a viable solution desperately needed to protect the mental well-being of our society, both near term and in the future. Ultimately, the deliverable for this project will be the documentation of my research and findings, as well as a complete prototype showcasing the materials and design that evolved from the development process. The prototype is a physical, tangible object representing the crucial aspects of head protection uncovered through my studies of medicine, nature, athletics, and physics

Risk of chronic kidney disease after cancer nephrectomy.

The incidence of early stage renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is increasing and observational studies have shown equivalent oncological outcomes of partial versus radical nephrectomy for stage I tumours. Population studies suggest that compared with radical nephrectomy, partial nephrectomy is associated with decreased mortality and a lower rate of postoperative decline in kidney function. However, rates of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in patients who have undergone nephrectomy might be higher than in the general population. The risks of new-onset or accelerated CKD and worsened survival after nephrectomy might be linked, as kidney insufficiency is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and mortality. Nephron-sparing approaches have, therefore, been proposed as the standard of care for patients with type 1a tumours and as a viable option for those with type 1b tumours. However, prospective data on the incidence of de novo and accelerated CKD after cancer nephrectomy is lacking, and the only randomized trial to date was closed prematurely. Intrinsic abnormalities in non-neoplastic kidney parenchyma and comorbid conditions (including diabetes mellitus and hypertension) might increase the risks of CKD and RCC. More research is needed to better understand the risk of CKD post-nephrectomy, to develop and validate predictive scores for risk-stratification, and to optimize patient management

Computed tomography guided radio-frequency ablation of osteoid osteomas in atypical locations

Purpose: Percutaneous radio-frequency ablation is a minimally invasive treatment option for osteoid osteomas. The ablation process is straightforward in the more common locations like the femur/tibia. Surgery has historically been the gold standard, but is currently used in lesions, that may not be effectively and safely ablated, i.e. close to skin/nerve. Radio-frequency ablation can still be used in such cases along with additional techniques/strategies to protect the sensitive structures and hence improve the outcomes. The authors describe their experience with four challenging osteoid osteoma ablation cases. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed radio-frequency ablations of four osteoid osteomas in rather atypical locations, the protective techniques/strategies employed, the adequacy and safety of the radio-frequency ablation with the use of these techniques. Results: All patients had complete resolution of pain with no recurrence in the follow-up period. No complications were reported. Conclusion: RFA has been proven to be an effective and safe option for treatment of OOs in the common locations. It is generally recommended to have a 1 cm safety margin between the RF probe and any critical structures in the vicinity. However, with OOs in atypical locations this may not be always possible and hence additional techniques may be needed to ensure protection of the surrounding sensitive structures and also allow for effective ablation

The lyase activity of the DNA repair protein β - polymerase protects from DNA-damage-induced cytotoxicity

Small DNA lesions such as oxidized or alkylated bases are repaired by the base excision repair (BER) pathway. BER includes removal of the damaged base by a lesion-specific DNA glycosylase, strand scission by apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease, DNA resynthesis and ligation. BER may be further subdivided into DNA β-polymerase (β-pol)-dependent single-nucleotide repair and β-pol-dependent or -independent long patch repair subpathways. Two important enzymatic steps in mammalian single-nucleotide BER are contributed by β-pol: DNA resynthesis of the repair patch and lyase removal of 5'-deoxyribose phosphate (dRP). Fibroblasts from β-pol null mice are hypersensitive to monofunctional DNA-methylating agents, resulting in increases in chromosomal damage, apoptosis and necrotic cell death. Here we show that only the dRP lyase activity of β-pol is required to reverse methylating agent hypersensitivity in β-pol null cells. These results indicate that removal of the dRP group is a pivotal step in BER in vivo. Persistence of the dRP moiety in DNA results in the hypersensitivity phenotype of β-pol null cells and may signal downstream events such as apoptosis and necrotic cell death

Metastasectomy, intralesional resection, or stabilization only in the treatment of bone metastases from renal cell carcinoma

The mainstay of treatment for bone metastases from renal cell carcinoma is surgery. We assessed if there was a difference in local recurrence, reoperation, and survival between patients who underwent metastasectomy, intralesional curettage, or stabilization only for renal cell carcinoma metastasis to the appendicular skeleton, and if there was a difference in these outcomes based on margin status. This retrospective study included 183 patients; 48% underwent metastasectomy (n = 88, margins: 64 negative; 20 positive; 4 unclear), 30% intralesional curettage (n = 54), and 22% stabilization only (n = 41). The recurrence rate differed and was highest after stabilization only (39%), followed by intralesional curettage (22%), and metastasectomy (12%) (P = 0.003). However, we found no difference in reoperation rate (P = 0.847). Survival was better in patients who underwent metastasectomy (P = 0.020). The recurrence rate was lower in patients who had a negative margin (5%) as compared to those with a positive margin (26%) (P < 0.001). However, we found no difference in reoperation rate (P = 0.97). Negative margins showed better survival (P < 0.001). Our findings emphasize the importance of obtaining negative margins in patients with a good life expectancy, as lower recurrence rate can be attained at a not significant additional risk for reoperation, with a potential impact on survival. J. Surg. Oncol. 2016;114:237-245. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc