Knee contact forces are not altered in early knee osteoarthritis.

OBJECTIVE: This study calculated knee contact forces (KCF) and its relations with knee external knee adduction moments (KAM) and/or flexion moments (KFM) during the stance phase of gait in patients with early osteoarthritis (OA), classified based on early joint degeneration on Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). We aimed at assessing if altered KCF are already present in early structural degeneration. DESIGN: Three-dimensional motion and ground reaction force data in 59 subjects with medial compartment knee OA (N=23 established OA, N=16 early OA, N=20 controls) were used as input for a musculoskeletal model. KAM and KFM, and KCF were estimated using OpenSim software. RESULTS: No significant differences were found between controls and subjects with early OA. In early OA patients, KAM significantly explained 69% of the variance associated with the first peaks KCF but only KFM contributed to the second peaks KCF. The multiple correlation, combining KAM and KFM, showed to be higher. However, only 20% of the variance of second peak KCF was explained by both moments in established OA. CONCLUSION: KCF are not increased in patients with early OA, suggesting that knee joint overload is more a consequence of further joint degeneration in more advanced stages of OA. Additionally, our results clearly show that KAM is not sufficient to predict joint loading at the end of the stance, where KFM contributes substantially to the loading, especially in early OA

A second generation cervico-vaginal lavage device shows similar performance as its preceding version with respect to DNA yield and HPV DNA results

Contains fulltext : 118480.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)BACKGROUND: Attendance rates of cervical screening programs can be increased by offering HPV self-sampling to non-attendees. Acceptability, DNA yield, lavage volumes and choice of hrHPV test can influence effectiveness of the self-sampling procedures and could therefore play a role in recruiting non-attendees. To increase user-friendliness, a frequently used lavage sampler was modified. In this study, we compared this second generation lavage device with the first generation device within similar birth cohorts. METHODS: Within a large self-sampling cohort-study among non-responders of the Dutch cervical screening program, a subset of 2,644 women received a second generation self-sampling lavage device, while 11,977 women, matched for age and ZIP-code, received the first generation model. The second generation device was different in shape, color, lavage volume, and packaging, in comparison to its first generation model. The Cochran's test was used to compare both devices for hrHPV positivity rate and response rate. To correct for possible heterogeneity between age and ZIP codes in both groups the Breslow-Day test of homogeneity was used. A T-test was utilized to compare DNA yields of the obtained material in both groups. RESULTS: Median DNA yields were 90.4 mug/ml (95% CI 83.2-97.5) and 91.1 mug/ml (95% CI 77.8-104.4, p= 0.726) and hrHPV positivity rates were 8.2% and 6.9% (p= 0.419) per sample self-collected by the second - and the first generation of the device (p= 0.726), respectively. In addition, response rates were comparable for the two models (35.4% versus 34.4%, p= 0.654). CONCLUSIONS: Replacing the first generation self-sampling device by an ergonomically improved, second generation device resulted in equal DNA yields, comparable hrHPV positivity rates and similar response rates. Therefore, it can be concluded that the clinical performance of the first and second generation models are similar. Moreover, participation of non-attendees in cervical cancer screening is probably not predominantly determined by the type of self-collection device

Volume 78, Number 11, December 5, 1958

Background: Social support, acknowledged as a protective factor against diseases, produces positive results in the prognosis of cancer patients. Objective: There is no relevant studies on perceived social support and factors related to Turkish cancer patients. Hence, the present study aimed to determine the demographic characteristics that affect the perceived social support in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy in Turkey. Patients and Methods: This study was designed as a descriptive cross-sectional study. The sample included 423 adult cancer patients who admitted to the Outpatient Chemotherapy Unit of three hospitals in Turkey between March 2014 and August 2014. The data were collected through Demographic Characteristics Form and Cancer-Specific Social Support Scale (CPSSS). Results: Patients were between 19 and 85 years of age with a mean 51.75 years. Almost half of them (40.7%) were primary school graduates, 53.2% were female, 84.6% were married and 85.8% had children. It was found that the patients generally received a high score (127.86 17.44) from the CPSSS scale. The highest scores were obtained on the Confidence Support sub dimension. It was revealed that women and married patients needed more confidence support and general social support (P < 0.05). Social support perceived by primary school graduates was statistically significant to a great extent (P < 0.05). In spite of the difference between the patients with metastasis and their perceived social support grade averages (P 0.05), it was seen that patients with multiple children utilized more confidence support and general social support in social support reception (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The study showed that study participants received a high amount of social support. Age, gender, marital status, number of children, and educational status were determined to affect perceived social support. It is recommended to support the patients who do not receive sufficient social.C1 [Ozbayir, T.; Koze, B. S.] Ege Univ, Fac Nursing, Dept Surg Nursing, Izmir, Turkey.[Gok, F.] Pamukkale Univ, Dept Surg Nursing, Hlth Sci Fac, Denizli, Turkey.[Arican, S.] Univ Hlth Sci, Izmir Bozyaka Educ & Res Hosp, Izmir, Turkey.[Uslu, Y.] Acibadem Univ, Fac Hlth Sci, Dept Nursing, Istanbul, Turkey

Review of the Palaearctic species of Ismaridae Thomson, 1858 (Hymenoptera: Diaprioidea)

This is an open access article, available to all readers online, published under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/. The attached file is the published version of the article

Comprehensive Mutation Analysis of the RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK Pathway in Paediatric Leukaemia and Significant Inferences

Objectives: Leukaemia is the most common cancer among paediatric population accounting for about 30% of paediatric cancer. As it's known, germ line mutations increase the risk of development of haematopoietic malignancy in childhood and deregulation of the Rat Sarcoma Viral Proto-Oncogene/Raf-1 Proto-Oncogene/Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases/Extracellular Regulated Kinases (RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK) pathway is often caused by somatic mutations in the genes coding proteins of KRAS, NRAS, FLT3, PTPN11 and BRAF. However, mutations in this pathway in paediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) have not been thoroughly investigated, yet. Methods: Specific exons of 7 significant genes which were frequently mutated in the RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK pathway were determined inclusively by DNA sequence analysis in 27 children with leukaemia. PolyPhen-2 and SNAP tools were used to verify and estimate the determined changes. Also, evolutionary conservation analysis was performed. Results: Seven changes out of 22 changes were identified for the first time in this study. ERK2 p.P319S (18.5%) mutation and KRAS splice site mutation (3.7%) were predicted to be pathogenic. ERK2 p.P319S mutations was found to be pathogenic and at the critical point on the aminoacid which is evalutionary conserved. Although the frequency of mutations in ERK2 is very low in cancers (0.88%), the frequency of ERK2 p.P319S missense change was detected in our study at a significant rate such as 18.5%. Conclusion: There is limited knowledge about ERK inhibitors in leukaemia. The low frequency of ERK gene compared to KRAS and NRAS genes does not make ERK mutations less important. Our findings indicate the importance of this pathway mutations in paediatric ALL and associated with high risk leukaemia group characteristics. Hence, it can be evaluated as a signalisation pathway to target pharmacologically.Scientific Research Projects of Nigde Omer Halisdemir University (BAP) [SSB 2018/11-BAGEP]This work was supported by grants from the Scientific Research Projects of Nigde Omer Halisdemir University (BAP; Project no SSB 2018/11-BAGEP)