Overall survival after resection for colon cancer in a national cohort study was adversely affected by TNM stage, lymph node ratio, gender, and old age

Background A national surveillance program of colon cancer treatment was introduced in 2007. We examined prognostic factors for colon cancer operated in 2000 with an aim of improving survival in the new program and a special focus on the merit of lymph node yield. Methods A cohort of 269 patients, 152 women (56.5%), with a mean age of 71 years, was operated for colon cancer in 2000 at three teaching hospitals and followed up for 7 years. Results Overall 5-year survival was 58.0%, and overall hospital mortality was 5.2%, with 4.5% in elective cases and 12.5% after urgent surgery. In only 41.1% of the specimens were 12 or more lymph nodes retrieved, but this did not affect survival in the combined cohort, although one of the hospitals achieved a significantly better result with a harvest of 12 or more lymph nodes. In a multivariate analysis, old age, gender, a high lymph node ratio (LNR) at stage III, and tumor–node–metastasis stage were adverse factors for survival. Conclusions The operative mortality was high and should be reassessed. The lymph node count did not have a significant impact on outcome overall, whereas the LNR proved significant for stage III. A prospective protocol using overall lymph node yield as a surrogate measure for more radical surgery, nevertheless, seems warranted to improve the lymph node harvest according to international recommendations

Lesiones hepáticas en un neonato con alergia alimentaria: a propósito de un caso

El hallazgo de lesiones de forma incidental en ocasiones lleva a que los profesionales consideren realizar procedimientos invasivos excesivos. La alergia a proteína de leche de vaca tiene un amplio espectro de manifestaciones clínicas, predominando el compromiso del tubo digestivo, y se han descrito la presencia de manifestaciones hepáticas acompañantes. Se describe un caso de una paciente neonata que presentó una serie de lesiones que fueron interpretadas en un primer momento como complejos de Von Meyenburg con eventual resolución de las mismas.Incidentally found liver lesions sometimes leads professionals to consider performing excessive invasive procedures. Allergy to cow’s milk protein has a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations, predominantly the involvement of the digestive tract, and the association with liver lesions has been described. We describe a patient who presented a series of lesions that were initially interpreted as Von Meyenburg complexes with eventual spontaneous resolution of the lesions

Genetic evidence for endolithic microbial life colonizing basaltic glass/seawater interfaces

The majority of the Earth's shallow crust is composed of basalt that erupted on the seafloor and was subsequently altered by chemical exchange with seawater. One aspect of this alteration is the replacement of glass by secondary minerals, including clays. Petrographic thin sections from ODP Holes 504B and 896A revealed characteristic patterns of pitting (channels) at the interface of fresh basalt glass and secondary clay. Fluorescent dyes that bind specifically to nucleic acids (Hoechst 33342, PO-PRO-3, and Sytol 11) were used to examine thin sections for evidence of cellular life. Independent experiments with the three dyes indicated the presence of particulate nucleic acids at the interface of altered and unaltered glass, particularly at the distal tips of channels. Organic material was extracted from crushed basalts from Holes 504B and 896A and examined for the presence of microbial DNA by a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. This technique detects specific ribosomal RNA genes that are present in all cellular life-forms. The PCR assays demonstrated the presence of prokaryotic genomic DNA in the rock extracts. Among the geochemical reactions that could provide energy for biological processes are the oxidation of iron, manganese, and sulfur. Electron microprobe analyses of areas of glass that appear to be affected by microbial action have low iron relative to the fresh glass. Also, elements that are consistent with the presence of cellular life, phosphate and potassium, were elevated in the channels (P is 0.02 wt% in glass and up to 1.4 wt% in channels and K is 0.01 wt% in glass and up to 2.0 wt% in channels). These data raise the possibility that chemical transformations of basalt on the seafloor are mediated by microorganisms

Microbial activity in the alteration of glass from pillow lavas from hole 896a

Within the altered parts of the glass rim of pillow lavas of Hole 896A, at depths at least 432 m below seafloor (237 m below the top of volcanic basement), microbes have been identified. This is indicated by the size and shapes of alteration textures and verified by the presence of DNA and extreme accumulation of K₂O. This demonstrates the existence of a volcanic subterranean biosphere. The microbially processed parts of the glass show wide scatter with respect to all major elements, which may be attributed to active cells. Compared to the host basaltic glass, CaO and Na₂O are invariably depleted, as are SiO₂ and MgO generally. A1₂O₃, FeO(t), and TiO₂ show either depletion or enrichment, K₂O is invariably enriched, and P₂O₅ may be enriched. Microbes living on, and causing dissolution of, basaltic glass may accommodate elements released from it within the cells, and thus function as individual element reservoirs. Microbes may also produce precipitates or water-soluble compounds. Hence, the microbial alteration of basaltic glass, which comprises a substantial volume of the volcanic component of the oceanic crust and an enormous surface area, may have a significant bearing on the mechanism for chemical exchange between oceanic crust and ocean water

Advantages of doubly polished thin sections for the study of microfossils in volcanic rock

Doubly polished thin sections, originally prepared for fluid inclusion studies, present great advantages in the study of microfossils in volcanic rocks. Better visibility and light conditions, variation in thickness of the thin sections and the possibility to combine fluid inclusion studies with microfossil studies lead to a wide range of advantages over ordinary thin sections. This includes the study of morphology, internal microstructures, colonies, association with the substrate that microfossils are attached to and geological and environmental context in which the microfossil once lived. When meeting the criteria of microfossil recognition the advantages of doubly polished thin sections are substantial and can be crucial in distinguishing between biogenic microfossils and abiotically formed abiomorphs

Data report : major-element chemistry of Hole 896a glass

Ocean Drilling Program Hole 896A (1°13.01'N, 83°43.39'W) is in 3440 m of water east of the Galapagos Platform in the equatorial eastern Pacific Ocean. At this site in 5.9 Ma crust, basement rocks were recovered over the depth range of 195.1 meters below seafloor (mbsf) to 469 mbsf. These rocks are mostly pillow lavas, but massive flows, breccias and dikes are also present. Many of the lavas and flows have quenched glass on their exteriors, and breccias commonly contain glass. Glass was analyzed by electron microprobe in six laboratories as part of shore-based studies of the rocks. These analyses are collected here so that all the chemical analyses are available in one publication. The analyses are interpreted in individual publications elsewhere in this volume

Impact of hip arthroplasty registers on orthopaedic practice and perspectives for the future

Total hip arthroplasty (THA) registers are established in several countries to collect data aiming to improve the results after THA. Monitoring of adverse outcomes after THA has focused mainly on revision surgery, but patient-reported outcomes have also been investigated.Several surgery-related factors influencing the survival of the THA have been thoroughly investigated and have changed clinical practice. These factors include surgical approach, specific implants, the size of the components, type of fixation and different bone cements.Register data have been used to examine the risk of venous thromboembolism and bleeding after THA. These investigations have resulted in shorter duration of thromboprophylaxis and a reduced frequency of blood transfusion.Registers may provide specific information to surgeons on the outcome of all THAs that they have performed with a detailed analysis of revisions rates and reasons for the revisions.A number of other stakeholders can use register data to provide benchmarks. The National Joint Registry for England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man supplies data to the Orthopaedic Device Evaluation Panel (ODEP), which provides benchmarks at 3, 5, 7, 10, and 13 years graded from A*, A, B and C.Future perspectives: National registers have to play a major role in documenting the quality of THA in order to describe best practice and report implant outliers. The registers have to be used for research and post-market surveillance and register data may be a source for intelligent decision tools

Cognitive predictors of shallow-orthography spelling speed and accuracy in 6th grade children

Spelling accuracy and time course was investigated in a sample of 100 Norwegian 6th grade students completing a standardized spelling-to-dictation task. Students responded by keyboard with accurate recordings of response-onset latency (RT) and inter-keypress interval (IKI). We determined effects of a number of child-level cognitive ability factors, and of word-level factors—particularly the location within the word of a spelling challenge (e.g., letter doubling), if present. Spelling accuracy was predicted by word reading (word split) performance, non-word spelling accuracy, keyboard key-finding speed and short-term memory span. Word reading performance predicted accuracy just for words with spelling challenges. For correctly spelled words, RT was predicted by non-word spelling response time and by speed on a key-finding task, and mean IKI by non-verbal cognitive ability, word reading, non-word spelling response time, and key-finding speed. Compared to words with no challenge, mean IKI was shorter for words with an initial challenge and longer for words with a mid-word challenge. These findings suggest that spelling is not fully planned when typing commences, a hypothesis that is confirmed by the fact that IKI immediately before within word challenges were reliably longer than elsewhere within the same word. Taken together our findings imply that routine classroom spelling tests better capture student competence if they focus not only on accuracy but also on production time course