Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Associated Clinical Features in Latino and Caucasian Patients from a Single Center.

INTRODUCTION AND AIM:Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of liver cancer in adults and has seen a rapid increase in incidence in the United States. Racial and ethnic differences in HCC incidence have been observed, with Latinos showing the greatest increase over the past four decades, highlighting a concerning health disparity. The goal of the present study was to compare the clinical features at the time of diagnosis of HCC in Latino and Caucasian patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS:We retrospectively screened a total of 556 charts of Latino and Caucasian patients with HCC. RESULTS:The mean age of HCC diagnosis was not significantly different between Latinos and Caucasians, but Latinos presented with higher body mass index (BMI). Rates of hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia were similar in the two groups. The most common etiology of liver disease was alcohol drinking in Latinos, and chronic hepatitis C in Caucasian patients. Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) was the associated diagnosis in 8.6% of Latinos and 4.7% of Caucasians. Interestingly, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels at time of diagnosis were higher in Latino patients compared to Caucasians, but this difference was evident only in male patients. Multifocal HCC was slightly more frequent in Latinos, but the two groups had similar cancerous vascular invasion. Latino patients also presented with higher rates of both ascites and hepatic encephalopathy. CONCLUSION:Latino and Caucasian patients with HCC present with a different profile of etiologies, but cancer features appear to be more severe in Latinos

Environment Energy Assessment of Trips (EEAT): An updated approach to assess the environmental impacts of urban mobility, The case of Lille Region

This paper deals with sustainable mobility in an urban context. We investigate the assessment of the impacts of the evolution of travel behaviour (travelled distance and modal choice) in terms of energy consumption and greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions at the local level. Indeed, today, the control of exhausts generated by the mobility within the urban areas is at the core of the environmental policies and the stabilisation of GHG emissions is one of the main goals of 'sustainable development'. To face this challenge in the transport sector, the national government and local authorities need a better understanding of the link between urban development choices, the operation of the different modes of transport systems, and residents and non residents' attitude, and mobility patterns at the local level.MOBILITE ; ZONE URBAINE ; POLLUTION ATMOSPHERIQUE ; ENERGIE ; CONSOMMATION DE CARBURANT

Understanding and Combating Investment Fraud

Investment fraud is a significant problem in America. Estimates vary, but a conservative one is that about 10 percent of the investors will be victimized by investment fraud at some point in their lives. Further, many baby boomers are entering retirement with significant assets, and enforcement actions by financial regulators indicate that investors can be vulnerable to fraud at key ‘wealth events’ in their lives, such as when they face a decision about what to do with money arising from the sale of a house, an inheritance, or an IRA rollover. Protecting these assets—for baby boomers and younger generations who face key wealth events—will be important to ensure the financial well-being and retirement security of millions of Americans. This chapter reviews the dynamics of investment fraud victimization, explains how fraudsters use social influence tactics to defraud their victims, and describes current investor protection efforts

The Effects of Caffeine on Maximal Anaerobic Exercise

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Comparing The Effect Of Overspeed Training On NCAA Division III Lacrosse Athletes

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The Validity of Biometric Feedback from Popular Activity Monitors

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Feedup, feedback, and feedforward in curve mid-air 3D gestures

Issuing a mid-air gesture in a three-dimensional space intrinsically suffers for the lack of explicit direct representation of the gesture with which guidance and feedback can be offered. To address this challenge, we decompose the feedback problem into three components: feedup to constantly represent the goal of the gestural task, feedback to respond to what the end user already did related to the initial goal, and feedforward to modify the representation towards the ultimate goal before terminating the gesture production. We exemplify these three components with case studies representing three levels of complexity of Curve Mid-Air 3D Gestures produced in three environments

The Reliability of an Isokinetic Dynamometer and Force Gauge in Measuring Core Strength

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The Caffeine Dose Response in Habitual Consumers Performing a Maximal Anaerobic Test

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