Thrombotic side-effects of lower limb venography The use of heparin-saline flush

In a prospective study of 256 postoperative patients, bilateral lower limb venography was performed using meglumine iothalamate followed by heparin-saline flushing of the deep veins, and the complications of the procedure were assessed. No patient developed clinical evidence of deep-vein thrombosis after the venogram. In 117 patients fibrinogen uptake was performed 24 hours after the venogram. A new positive area on the uptake scan developed in 3 patients (2,6%). Local swelling or haematoma at the injection site occurred in 15 patients (5,9%), cellulitis in 2 (0,8%) and minor contrast reactions in 6 (2,3%). There were no major reactions and no procedure-related mortality. The reasons for the wide variation in the reported incidence of post-venogram thrombosis are considered and the importance of heparin-saline flushing of the deep veins to prevent this complication is discussed

Gaia, White Dwarfs, and the Age of the Galaxy

The Milky Way is composed of four major stellar populations: the thin disk, thick disk, bulge, and halo. At present, we do not know the age of any of these populations to better than one or two billion years. This lack of knowledge keeps us from answering fundamental questions about the Galaxy: When did the thin disk, thick disk, and halo form? Did they form over an extended period, and if so, how long? Was star formation continuous across these populations or instead occur in distinct episodes? The Gaia satellite is providing precise trigonometric parallaxes for a plethora of white dwarfs in each of these populations. We combine these parallaxes (and hence, distances) with photometry and analyze them using a modeling technique that relies on Bayesian statistics. This allows us to derive precise ages for individual white dwarfs and determine the age distribution and star formation history for each of the constituents of our Galaxy. Here we will present current progress in this endeavor, with emphasis on the ages of individual white dwarfs in the Hyades. Measuring the ages of individual white dwarfs in well-studied clusters provides proof of concept for our technique, as well exploration of any systematic offsets caused from timescales from main sequence models, as well as the initial-final mass relation

Toward an internally consistent astronomical distance scale

Accurate astronomical distance determination is crucial for all fields in astrophysics, from Galactic to cosmological scales. Despite, or perhaps because of, significant efforts to determine accurate distances, using a wide range of methods, tracers, and techniques, an internally consistent astronomical distance framework has not yet been established. We review current efforts to homogenize the Local Group's distance framework, with particular emphasis on the potential of RR Lyrae stars as distance indicators, and attempt to extend this in an internally consistent manner to cosmological distances. Calibration based on Type Ia supernovae and distance determinations based on gravitational lensing represent particularly promising approaches. We provide a positive outlook to improvements to the status quo expected from future surveys, missions, and facilities. Astronomical distance determination has clearly reached maturity and near-consistency.Comment: Review article, 59 pages (4 figures); Space Science Reviews, in press (chapter 8 of a special collection resulting from the May 2016 ISSI-BJ workshop on Astronomical Distance Determination in the Space Age

Comparison of survival after surgical or medical treatment in dogs with a congenital portosystemic shunt

Objective—To compare survival of dogs with a congenital portosystemic shunt (CPSS) that received medical or surgical treatment. Design—Prospective cohort study. Animals—126 client-owned dogs with a single CPSS. Procedures—Dogs were examined at 1 of 3 referral clinics, and a single CPSS was diagnosed in each. Dogs received medical or surgical treatment without regard to signalment, clinical signs, or results of hematologic or biochemical analysis. Survival data were analyzed via a Cox regression model. Results—During a median follow-up period of 579 days, 18 of 126 dogs died as a result of CPSS. Dogs treated via surgical intervention survived significantly longer than did those treated medically. Hazard ratio for medical versus surgical treatment of CPSS (for the treatment-only model) was 2.9 (95% confidence interval, 1.1 to 7.2). Age at CPSS diagnosis did not affect survival. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Both medical and surgical treatment can be used to achieve long-term survival of dogs with CPSS, although results of statistical analysis supported the widely held belief that surgery is preferable to medical treatment. However, the study population consisted of dogs at referral clinics, which suggested that efficacy of medical treatment may have been underestimated. Although surgical intervention was associated with a better chance of long-term survival, medical management provided an acceptable first-line option. Age at examination did not affect survival, which implied that early surgical intervention was not essential. Dogs with CPSS that do not achieve acceptable resolution with medical treatment can subsequently be treated surgically

Gaia, White Dwarfs, and the Age of the Galaxy

The Milky Way is composed of four major stellar populations: the thin disk, thick disk, bulge, and halo. At present, we do not know the age of any of these populations to better than one or two billion years. This lack of knowledge keeps us from answering fundamental questions about the Galaxy: When did the thin disk, thick disk, and halo form? Did they form over an extended period, and if so, how long? Was star formation continuous across these populations or instead occur in distinct episodes? The Gaia satellite is providing precise trigonometric parallaxes for a plethora of white dwarfs in each of these populations. We combine these parallaxes (and hence, distances) with photometry and analyze them using a modeling technique that relies on Bayesian statistics. This allows us to derive precise ages for individual white dwarfs and determine the age distribution and star formation history for each of the constituents of our Galaxy. Here we will present current progress in this endeavor, with emphasis on the ages of individual white dwarfs in the Hyades. Measuring the ages of individual white dwarfs in well-studied clusters provides proof of concept for our technique, as well exploration of any systematic offsets caused from timescales from main sequence models, as well as the initial-final mass relation

Abstract 2452: Dysregulated expression of the human long noncoding RNAGHSROSmay influence prostate cancer progression and resistance to docetaxe

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play key regulatory roles in cancer progression and are novel therapeutic targets. We recently discovered the lncRNA gene, GHSROS (GHSR opposite strand), on the antisense DNA strand of the ghrelin receptor gene (GHSR). Here, we studied the expression and function of GHSROS in prostate cancer. Interrogation of microarray and RNA-seq data sets revealed that (similar to other lncRNA oncogenes) GHSROS is actively transcribed, although expressed at very low levels in cancer cell lines and tissues. By quantitative RT-PCR we demonstrate that GHSROS is highly expressed in a subset of high-grade prostate cancers (~11.4%). Moreover, the lncRNA is upregulated in high Gleason-score prostate tumors in two clinical data sets. Forced GHSROS overexpression significantly increased in vitro cell proliferation and migration of PC3, DU145, and LNCaP prostate cancer cell lines (P ≤ 0.05, Student's t-test). Increased cell proliferation observed in GHSROS-overexpressing prostate cancer cell lines was recapitulated in PC3, DU145, and LNCaP prostate cancer xenografts in NOD/SCID mice. Cell survival was significantly increased in GHSROS-overexpressing LNCaP cells treated with the cytotoxic drug docetaxel (P ≤ 0.05, Student's t-test). Docetaxel treatment also increased GHSROS expression in native LNCaP and PC3 cells in a dose-dependent manner (P ≤ 0.05, Student's t-test). These data suggest that GHSROS mediates tumor survival and resistance to docetaxel. To identify fundamental drivers of the observed tumorigenic phenotype of GHSROS-overexpressing cell lines, high-throughput RNA-seq data from in vitro cultured PC3 cells and LNCaP xenografts were examined. A quarter of the genes differentially expressed by GHSROS-overexpressing PC3 cells were also differentially expressed by GHSROS-overexpressing LNCaP xenografts. These 101 genes include several transcription factors with established roles in prostate cancer (including the androgen receptor) and genes associated with metastasis and poor prognosis. Finally, we developed two distinct antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) targeting GHSROS, achieving >60% knockdown, and their function was assessed in vitro. ASO inhibition of GHSROS expression reciprocally regulated cell growth and migration and the expression of a range of genes. These ASOs are currently being assessed in preclinical animal models. Our findings suggest that the long noncoding RNA GHSROS reprograms prostate cancer cells toward a more aggressive phenotype and that the lncRNA represents a promising therapeutic target