682 research outputs found
Incidence of congenital pyloric stenosis in birth series
Conflicting reports of the incidence of congenital hypertrophic pyloric stenosis have incriminated genetic factors and the first birth position. A survey of 55 cases in families with completed birth series was made. Random distributions of cases within birth series were found for the primary University of Michigan data and for data from three secondary sources. Reconsideration is suggested regarding factors influencing incidence, types of data and methods of analysis used in previous work.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/34003/1/0000276.pd
Enhanced Engraftment of a Very Low-Dose Cord Blood Unit in an Adult Haemopoietic Transplant by Addition of Six Mismatched Viable Cord Units
The report describes the feasibility of the addition of multiple viable HLA-mismatched unrelated cord blood units, to a low cell number matched unrelated cord, to assist clinical engraftment. An ablative stem cell transplant was performed in an adult with relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), using a single HLA-matched cord blood unit (mononuclear cell dose 0.8 × 107), supported by six mismatched cord blood units (one unit per 10 kg recipient weight). No adverse reaction occurred following the infusion of mismatched units and engraftment of the suboptimal-dose matched unit occurred rapidly, with no molecular evidence of engraftment of mismatched cords. Early molecular remission of ALL was demonstrated using a novel PCR for a mitochondrial DNA mutation in the leukaemic clone. The cell dose of the matched cord was well below that recommended to engraft a 70 kg recipient. We suggest that a factor or factors in the mismatched cords enhanced/supported engraftment of the matched cord
Clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of endobronchial and endoscopic ultrasound relative to surgical staging in potentially resectable lung cancer: results from the ASTER randomised controlled trial
Copyright @ Queen’s Printer and Controller of HMSO 2012. This work was produced by Sharples et al. under the terms of a commissioning contract issued by the Secretary of State for Health.Objective: To assess the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of endosonography (followed by surgical staging if endosonography was negative), compared with standard surgical staging alone, in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who are otherwise candidates for surgery with curative intent. Design: A prospective, international, open-label, randomised controlled study, with a trialbased economic analysis. Setting: Four centres: Ghent University Hospital, Belgium; Leuven University Hospitals,Belgium; Leiden University Medical Centre, the Netherlands; and Papworth Hospital, UK.
Participants: Inclusion criteria: known/suspected NSCLC, with suspected mediastinal lymph node involvement; otherwise eligible for surgery with curative intent; clinically fit for
endosonography and surgery; and no evidence of metastatic disease. Exclusion criteria: previous lung cancer treatment; concurrent malignancy; uncorrected coagulopathy; and not suitable for surgical staging.
Interventions: Study patients were randomised to either surgical staging alone (n = 118) or
endosonography followed by surgical staging if endosonography was negative (n = 123).
Endosonography diagnostic strategy used endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration combined with endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration, followed by surgical
staging if these tests were negative. Patients with no evidence of mediastinal metastases or tumour invasion were referred for surgery with curative intent. If evidence of malignancy was found, patients were referred for chemoradiotherapy.
Main outcome measures: The main clinical outcomes were sensitivity (positive diagnostic test/nodal involvement during any diagnostic test or thoracotomy) and negative predictive value (NPV) of each diagnostic strategy for the detection of N2/N3 metastases, unnecessary thoracotomy and complication rates. The primary economic outcome was cost–utility of the endosonography strategy compared with surgical staging alone, up to 6 months after randomisation, from a UK NHS perspective.
Results: Clinical and resource-use data were available for all 241 patients, and complete utilities were available for 144. Sensitivity for detecting N2/N3 metastases was 79% [41/52; 95% confidence interval (CI) 66% to 88%] for the surgical arm compared with 94% (62/66; 95% CI 85% to 98%) for the endosonography strategy (p = 0.02). Corresponding NPVs were 86% (66/77; 95% CI 76% to 92%) and 93% (57/61; 95% CI 84% to 97%; p = 0.26). There were 21/118 (18%) unnecessary thoracotomies in the surgical arm compared with 9/123 (7%) in the endosonography arm (p = 0.02). Complications occurred in 7/118 (6%) in the surgical arm and 6/123 (5%) in the endosonography arm (p = 0.78): one pneumothorax related to endosonography and 12 complications related to surgical staging. Patients in the endosonography arm had greater EQ-5D (European Quality of Life-5 Dimensions) utility at the end of staging (0.117; 95% CI 0.042 to 0.192; p = 0.003). There were no other significant differences in utility. The main difference in resource use was the number of thoracotomies: 66% patients in the surgical arm compared with 53% in the endosonography arm.
Resource use was similar between the groups in all other items. The 6-month cost of the
endosonography strategy was £9713 (95% CI £7209 to £13,307) per patient versus £10,459 (£7732 to £13,890) for the surgical arm, mean difference £746 (95% CI –£756 to £2494). The mean difference in quality-adjusted life-year was 0.015 (95% CI –0.023 to 0.052) in favour of endosonography, so this strategy was cheaper and more effective.
Conclusions: Endosonography (followed by surgical staging if negative) had higher sensitivity and NPVs, resulted in fewer unnecessary thoracotomies and better quality of life during staging, and was slightly more effective and less expensive than surgical staging alone. Future work could investigate the need for confirmatory mediastinoscopy following negative endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) and endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA), the diagnostic accuracy of EUS-FNA or EBUS-TBNA separately and the delivery of both EUSFNA or EBUS-TBNA by suitably trained chest physicians.This project was funded by the NIHR Health Technology Assessment programm
Lifespan theorem for constrained surface diffusion flows
We consider closed immersed hypersurfaces in and evolving by
a class of constrained surface diffusion flows. Our result, similar to earlier
results for the Willmore flow, gives both a positive lower bound on the time
for which a smooth solution exists, and a small upper bound on a power of the
total curvature during this time. By phrasing the theorem in terms of the
concentration of curvature in the initial surface, our result holds for very
general initial data and has applications to further development in asymptotic
analysis for these flows.Comment: 29 pages. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with
arXiv:1201.657
A consideration of the challenges involved in supervising international masters students
This paper explores the challenges facing supervisors of international postgraduate students at the dissertation stage of the masters programme. The central problems of time pressure, language difficulties, a lack of critical analysis and a prevalence of personal problems among international students are discussed. This paper makes recommendations for the improvement of language and critical thinking skills, and questions the future policy of language requirements at HE for international Masters students
Stellar Populations in the Galactic Center
We discuss the stellar content of the Galactic Center, and in particular,
recent estimates of the star formation rate (SFR). We discuss pros and cons of
the different stellar tracers and focus our attention on the SFR based on the
three classical Cepheids recently discovered in the Galactic Center. We also
discuss stellar populations in field and cluster stars and present some
preliminary results based on near-infrared photometry of a field centered on
the young massive cluster Arches. We also provide a new estimate of the true
distance modulus to the Galactic Center and we found
14.490.02(standard)0.10(systematic) mag (7.91 kpc).
Current estimate agrees quite well with similar photometric and kinematic
distance determinations available in the literature. We also discuss the
metallicity gradient of the thin disk and the sharp change in the slope when
moving across the edge of the inner disk, the Galactic Bar and the Galactic
Center. The difference becomes even more compelling if we take into account
that metal abundances are based on young stellar tracers (classical Cepheids,
Red Supergiants, Luminous Blue Variables). Finally, we briefly outline the
possible mechanisms that might account for current empirical evidence.Comment: To be published in the Astrophysics and Space Science Proceeding
A crossover randomised controlled trial of oral mandibular advancement devices for obstructive sleep apnoea-hypopnoea (TOMADO)
Rationale Mandibular advancement devices (MADs)
are used to treat obstructive sleep apnoea-hypopnoea
syndrome (OSAHS) but evidence is lacking regarding
their clinical and cost-effectiveness in less severe disease.
Objectives To compare clinical- and cost-effectiveness
of a range of MADs against no treatment in mild to
moderate OSAHS.
Measurements and methods This open-label,
randomised, controlled, crossover trial was undertaken at
a UK sleep centre. Adults with Apnoea-Hypopnoea Index
(AHI) 5–<30/h and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) score
≥9 underwent 6 weeks of treatment with three nonadjustable
MADs: self-moulded (SleepPro 1; SP1);
semi-bespoke (SleepPro 2; SP2); fully-bespoke MAD
(bMAD); and 4 weeks no treatment. Primary outcome
was AHI scored by a polysomnographer blinded to
treatment. Secondary outcomes included ESS, quality of
life, resource use and cost.
Main results 90 patients were randomised and 83
were analysed. All devices reduced AHI compared with
no treatment by 26% (95% CI 11% to 38%, p=0.001)
for SP1, 33% (95% CI 24% to 41%) for SP2 and 36%
(95% CI 24% to 45%, p<0.001) for bMAD. ESS was
1.51 (95% CI 0.73 to 2.29, p<0.001, SP1) to 2.37
(95% CI 1.53 to 3.22, p<0.001, bMAD) lower than no
treatment (p<0.001 for all). Compliance was lower for
SP1, which was the least preferred treatment at trial exit.
All devices were cost-effective compared with no
treatment at a ÂŁ20 000/quality-adjusted life year (QALY)
threshold. SP2 was the most cost-effective up to
ÂŁ39 800/QALY.
Conclusions Non-adjustable MADs achieve clinically
important improvements in mild to moderate OSAHS and
are cost-effective
On the possibility of magneto-structural correlations: detailed studies of di-nickel carboxylate complexes
A series of water-bridged dinickel complexes of the general formula [Ni<sub>2</sub>(ÎĽ<sub>2</sub>-OH<sub>2</sub>)(ÎĽ2-
O<sub>2</sub>C<sup>t</sup>Bu)<sub>2</sub>(O<sub>2</sub>C<sup>t</sup>Bu)2(L)(L0)] (L = HO<sub>2</sub>C<sup>t</sup>Bu, L0 = HO<sub>2</sub>C<sup>t</sup>Bu (1), pyridine (2),
3-methylpyridine (4); L = L0 = pyridine (3), 3-methylpyridine (5)) has been synthesized
and structurally characterized by X-ray crystallography. The magnetic properties
have been probed by magnetometry and EPR spectroscopy, and detailed measurements
show that the axial zero-field splitting, D, of the nickel(ii) ions is on the same order as
the isotropic exchange interaction, J, between the nickel sites. The isotropic exchange
interaction can be related to the angle between the nickel centers and the bridging
water molecule, while the magnitude of D can be related to the coordination sphere at
the nickel sites
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