Peri-prostatic fat volume measurement as a predictive tool for castration resistance in advanced prostate cancer

Background: Obesity and aggressive prostate cancer (PC) may be linked, but how local peri-prostatic fat relates to tumour response following androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is unknown. Objective: To test if peri-prostatic fat volume (PPFV) predicts tumour response to ADT. Design, setting, and participants: We performed a retrospective study on consecutive patients receiving primary ADT. From staging pelvic magnetic resonance imaging scans, the PPFV was quantified with OsirixX 6.5 imaging software. Statistical (univariate and multivariate) analysis were performed using R Version 3.2.1. Results and limitations: Of 224 consecutive patients, 61 with advanced (≥T3 or N1 or M1) disease had (3-mm high resolution axial sections) pelvic magnetic resonance imaging scan before ADT. Median age = 75 yr; median PPFV = 24.8 cm3 (range, 7.4–139.4 cm3). PPFV was significantly higher in patients who developed castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC; n = 31), with a median of 37.9 cm3 compared with 16.1 cm3 (p < 0.0001, Wilcoxon rank sum test) in patients who showed sustained response to ADT (n = 30). Multivariate analysis using Cox proportional hazards models were performed controlling for known predictors of CRPC. PPFV was shown to be independent of all included factors, and the most significant predictor of time to CRPC. Using our multivariate model consisting of all known factors prior to ADT, PPFV significantly improved the area under the curve of the multivariate models receiver operating characteristic analysis. The main study limitation is a relatively small cohort to account for multiple variables, necessitating a future large-scale prospective analysis of PPFV in advanced PC. Conclusions: PPFV quantification in patients with advanced PC predicts tumour response to ADT

Self-piercing riveting - a review

Self-Piercing Riveting (SPR) is a cold mechanical joining process used to join two or more sheets of materials by driving a semitubular rivet piercing through the top sheet or the top and middle sheets and subsequently lock into the bottom sheet under the guidance of a suitable die. SPR was originated half century ago, but it only had significant progress in the last 25 years due to the requirement of joining lightweight materials, such as aluminium alloy structures, aluminium-steel structures and other mixed material structures, from the automotive industry. Compared with other conventional joining methods, SPR has a lot of advantages including no predrilled holes required, no fume, no spark and low noise, no surface treatment required, ability to join multilayer materials and mixed materials, and ability to produce joint with high static and fatigue strengths etc. This publication reviews research investigations that have been conducted in the area of self-piercing riveting. The process is described and the effects of the process parameters are discussed. Mechanical properties including static strength, fatigue and crash behaviour are reviewed. Corrosion behaviour is also addressed, while reliable methods for accurate behaviour prediction, process monitoring and non-destructive testing have been identified as the main challenges

Assessment of Knowledge and Prevalence of Risk Factors of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome among Undergraduate Women: A Cross-Sectional Study

Purpose: The study aims to assess the knowledge & prevalence of risk factors of polycystic ovarian syndrome among undergraduate women. Methods: This is a 6-month community program-based cross-sectional prospective study carried out in 4 selected degree colleges of Kalaburagi. The students were enrolled in the study considering the study criteria and required data were collected. The knowledge of the participant was assessed by using PCOS knowledge assessment questionnaires. Results: A total of 275 female participants of age 18-25 from 4 selected degree colleges of different quadrants of Kalaburagi were enrolled. The percentage of knowledge score in the pre-test was 42.16% and in the post-test was 80.76%. Self-assessment for risk factors of PCOS reveals that the highest 171 subjects (62.2%) were unpredictable to PCOS whereas 11 (4.0%) were at high risk of getting PCOS. The study reveals that there was a statistically very highly significant difference in mean knowledge score in faculty of study and diet (P<0.001). Conclusions: The study concluded that participants had poor knowledge regarding polycystic ovarian syndrome. It is important to educate adolescent girls and young adults regarding PCOS and to be encouraged to follow a healthy lifestyle

Burden of Persistent Vomiting With Cannabis Use Disorder: Report From 55,549 Hospitalizations in the United States

Background With increase in incidence rate of persistent vomiting (PV) in the post-legalization period it is important to understand adverse effects of cannabis use and its relationship with PV. Objective We investigated the relationship between cannabis use disorder (CUD) and PV-related hospitalization. Methods A Nationwide Inpatient Sample was analyzed from 2010 to 2014 for patients (aged 15–54 y) with a primary diagnosis of PV (N = 55,549), and a comparison was made between patients with the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Edition classification of CUD versus non-CUD cohorts. We used logistic regression to study the odds ratio between CUD and PV. Results The number of PV-related hospitalizations with CUD had a significantly increased trend (P < 0.001), with a 286% increase over 5 years. A higher proportion of these patients with CUD were younger (15–24 y), female, and African American/Hispanic. In regression analysis, cannabis was associated with a seven-fold higher odds (95% confidence interval: 6.931–7.260) of PV-related hospitalization. Conclusions This study found that CUD was independently associated with a 609% increased likelihood of PV-related hospitalization, and this association persisted even after adjusting for known risk factors and other substances

Arrhythmia-related Hospitalization and Comorbid Cannabis Use Disorder: Trend Analysis in US Hospitals (2010-2014)

Objective To study the trends of arrhythmia hospitalizations with cannabis use disorders (CUDs) in terms of demographic characteristics and inpatient outcomes. Methods We used the nationwide inpatient sample (NIS) data during the post-legalization period (2010-2014) and included 570,556 arrhythmia inpatients (age, 15-54 years), and 14,426 inpatients had comorbid CUD (2.53%). We used the linear-by-linear association test and independent-sample T-test for assessing the change in hospital outcomes in inpatients with CUD. Results Arrhythmia hospitalizations with CUD increased by 31% (2010-2014). This increasing trend was seen in adults (45-54 years, P < 0.001) and was predominant in males (77.6%). Hypertension (40.6%), hyperlipidemia (17.6%), and obesity (15%) were prevalent medical comorbidities with variable trends over the five years. Among substance use disorders, tobacco (50.9%), and alcohol (31.4%) were major comorbidities with a variable trend (P = 0.003 for each). There was a 71.4% increase in the inpatient mortality rate between 2010 (0.7%) and 2014 (1.2%). The mean length of stay was three days, and the total hospitalization charges have been increasing (P < 0.001), averaging $35,812 per hospital admission. Conclusion Chronic cannabis use or abuse worsens hospitalization outcomes in arrhythmic patients, and more clinical studies are needed to study the causal association between these conditions due to the rising mortality risk