Quality of Life and Health Status Among Prostate Cancer Survivors and Noncancer Population Controls

Objective: To examine whether quality of life (QOL), health status, and the relationships between them varied by having a prostate cancer history. This study helps to inform the interface between aging-related health decline and the survival state among older men with prostate cancer, which is an important yet understudied public health issue. Methods: Hierarchical linear models were used to analyze the cross-sectional data from the nationally representative population-based Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. Using propensity score matching, survivors (respondents with prostate cancer history) and controls (respondents without a history of any cancer) (N=193 pairs) were matched based on seven socio-demographic and health-related factors. QOL was measured using the mental and physical component scores of the SF12. Health status included comorbidities, activities of daily living (ADL), instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), and depressed mood. Results: In bivariate analyses, survivors reported worse physical (42,72 vs 45.45 respectively, p=.0040) and mental QOL (51.59 vs 53.73 respectively, p=0.0295) and more comorbidities (3.25 vs 2.78 respectively, p=0.0139) than controls. In multivariate analyses, for both survivors and controls, better physical QOL was associated with fewer comorbidities (p<0.0001), no need help with ADL (p=0.0011) and IADL (p=0.0162), and less depressed mood (p<0.0001); better mental QOL was associated with no need help with IADL (p=.0005) and less depressed mood (p<0.0001). Conclusions: QOL of older men is affected by physical, functional, and psychological factors rather than by prostate cancer history. Clinicians need to attend to aging-related health issues when providing care for prostate cancer survivors to improve QOL

Quiver Bundles and Wall Crossing for Chains

Holomorphic chains on a Riemann surface arise naturally as fixed points of the natural C*-action on the moduli space of Higgs bundles. In this paper we associate a new quiver bundle to the Hom-complex of two chains, and prove that stability of the chains implies stability of this new quiver bundle. Our approach uses the Hitchin-Kobayashi correspondence for quiver bundles. Moreover, we use our result to give a new proof of a key lemma on chains (due to \'Alvarez-C\'onsul, Garc\'ia-Prada and Schmitt), which has been important in the study of Higgs bundle moduli; this proof relies on stability and thus avoids the direct use of the chain vortex equations

Combining electron-accepting phthalocyanines and nanorod-like CuO electrodes for p-type dye-sensitized solar cells

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Angewandte Chemie - International Edition 54.26 (2015): 7688-7692, which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/anie.201501550]. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-ArchivingA route is reported for the synthesis of two electron-accepting phthalocyanines featuring linkers with different lengths as sensitizers for p-type dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Importantly, our devices based on novel nanorod-like CuO photocathodes showed high efficiencies of up to 0.191%: the highest value reported to date for CuO-based DSSCs. The longer the better: Novel electron-accepting zinc phthalocyanines with different linker lengths performed well in combination with nanorod-like CuO electrodes in p-type dye-sensitized solar cells. A particularly high efficiency of 0.191% was observed with a photosensitizer containing a carboxyethynyl anchor (see picture; R is a branched alkyl group)The authors thank the German Science Council (DFG) for the financial support in the framework of the Cluster of Engineering of Advanced Materials (EAM), the MINECO Spain (CTQ2014- 52869/BQU), the Comunidad de Madrid Spain (FOTOCARBON, S2013/MIT-2841), and the European Union within the FP7-ENERGY-2012-1 nr. 309194-2, GLOBALSO

Optimised phase disposition pulse-width modulation strategy for hybrid-clamped multilevel inverters using switching state sequences

This study describes an optimised modulation strategy based on switching state sequences for the hybrid-clamped multilevel converter. Two key control variables defined as 'phase shift angle' and 'switching state change' for a five-level hybrid-clamped inverter are proposed to improve all switches' operation, and by changing their values, different control methods can be obtained for modulation optimisation purposes. Two example methods can solve the voltage imbalance problem of the dc-link capacitors and furthermore avoid two switches' simultaneous switching transitions and improve the inverter's performance as compared with the traditional phase disposition pulse-width modulation strategy. A 6 kW prototype inverter is developed and a range of simulation and experiments are carried out for validation. It is found that simulation and experimental results are in a good agreement and the proposed modulation strategy is verified in terms of low-order harmonic reduction

Spontaneous Sinus Conversion of Permanent Atrial Fibrillation During Treatment of Hyperkalemia

Hyperkalemia is a common adverse effect of treatment for heart failure and is associated with high mortality and morbidity. The cardiac manifestations of hyperkalemia include various electrocardiogram changes. We describe a case of a 74-year-old woman with heart failure and permanent atrial fibrillation who reverted to normal sinus rhythm during recovery from hyperkalemia

TAVR in Older Adults: Moving Toward a Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment and Away From Chronological Age

Calcific aortic stenosis can be considered a model for geriatric cardiovascular conditions due to a confluence of factors. The remarkable technological development of transcatheter aortic valve replacement was studied initially on older adult populations with prohibitive or high-risk for surgical valve replacement. Through these trials, the cardiovascular community has recognized that stratification of these chronologically older adults can be improved incrementally by invoking the concept of frailty and other geriatric risks. Given the complexity of the aging process, stratification by chronological age should only be the initial step but is no longer sufficient to optimally quantify cardiovascular and noncardiovascular risk. In this review, we employ a geriatric cardiology lens to focus on the diagnosis and the comprehensive management of aortic stenosis in older adults to enhance shared decision-making with patients and their families and optimize patient-centered outcomes. Finally, we highlight knowledge gaps that are critical for future areas of study

Obesity and post-operative cognitive dysfunction: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Post-operative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) occurs frequently after surgery, and is related to dementia and premature death. Obesity increases the risk of late-life cognitive impairment, but little is known about its role in POCD. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies on the association between obesity and risk of POCD. Methods: PubMed and the Cochrane Library were systematically searched. Studies were included if they had prospective designs, reported on human adults undergoing surgery, if cognitive function was measured pre- and post-surgery, if obesity, body mass index (BMI) and/or body weight were ascertained, and if associations with POCD were reported as relative risks or odds ratios. Underweight, weight loss, and post-operative delirium were not considered. Results: Inclusion criteria were met by six articles. Samples totaled 1432 older patients (mean age ≥62 years) who were followed up for 24 hours to twelve months after surgery. Analysis of studies with obesity defined as a categorical measure found a non-significantly higher risk of POCD among persons with BMI > 30 kg/m2 versus ≤30 kg/m2 (RR 1.27; 95% CI 0.95, 1.70; p = 0.10). No such associations were found for studies that analyzed BMI or body weight continuously as predictors of POCD (RR 0.98 per kg/m2; 95% CI 0.93, 1.03, p = 0.45; RR 0.99 per kg; 95% CI 0.89, 1.09; p = 0.83, respectively). Conclusions: Few studies have addressed the topic, and the results of these studies provide only limited support for an increased risk of POCD in patients who are obese. Further large-scale, prospective investigations are necessary for clarification

Autophagy in Innate Recognition of Pathogens and Adaptive Immunity

Autophagy is a specialized cellular pathway involved in maintaining homeostasis by degrading long-lived cellular proteins and organelles. Recent studies have demonstrated that autophagy is utilized by immune systems to protect host cells from invading pathogens and regulate uncontrolled immune responses. During pathogen recognition, induction of autophagy by pattern recognition receptors leads to the promotion or inhibition of consequent signaling pathways. Furthermore, autophagy plays a role in the delivery of pathogen signatures in order to promote the recognition thereof by pattern recognition receptors. In addition to innate recognition, autophagy has been shown to facilitate MHC class II presentation of intracellular antigens to activate CD4 T cells. In this review, we describe the roles of autophagy in innate recognition of pathogens and adaptive immunity, such as antigen presentation, as well as the clinical relevance of autophagy in the treatment of human diseases