Comments on 'Least squares restoration of multichannel images'

In this correspondence, we give the correct matrix formulation arising from the constrained optimization of the least squares restoration of multichannel images in the above paper.published_or_final_versio

Breast reconstruction with transverse rectus abdominis musculocutaneous (TRAM) flap in young women with breast cancer

Since its introduction in 1982, the transverse rectus nbdominis musculocutaneous (TRAM) flop has become the standard for autogenous breast reconstruction. However, it has serious potential complications. In this article, the 10 TRAM flaps performed at Princess Margaret Hospital from December 1993 to September 1994 for young women with breast carcinoma were evaluated to assess the safety and complications of this technique. Majority of the patients were satisfied with the cosmetic outcome.published_or_final_versio

Long-term data on sirolimus treatment in lupus nephritis patients

Poster Session: New therapies and therapeutic targets – SLE: abstract no. 109published_or_final_versio

Pre-emptive treatment for asymptomatic serological reactivation in lupus nephritis patients – impact on clinical flare rate and renal function

P16 Poster Session: SLE Epidemiology and risk factors: abstract no. 428published_or_final_versio

Combining functional and linkage disequilibrium information in the selection of tag SNPs

Summary: We have developed an online program, WCLUSTAG, for tag SNP selection that allows the user to specify variable tagging thresholds for different SNPs. Tag SNPs are selected such that a SNP with user-specified tagging threshold C will have a minimum R2 of C with at least one tag SNP. This flexible feature is useful for researchers who wish to prioritize genomic regions or SNPs in an association study. © 2007 Oxford University Press.postprin

Competing risks analysis for neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio as a predictor of diabetic retinopathy incidence in the Scottish population

Background Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a major sight-threatening microvascular complication in individuals with diabetes. Systemic inflammation combined with oxidative stress is thought to capture most of the complexities involved in the pathology of diabetic retinopathy. A high level of neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is an indicator of abnormal immune system activity. Current estimates of the association of NLR with diabetes and its complications are almost entirely derived from cross-sectional studies, suggesting that the nature of the reported association may be more diagnostic than prognostic. Therefore, in the present study, we examined the utility of NLR as a biomarker to predict the incidence of DR in the Scottish population. Methods The incidence of DR was defined as the time to the first diagnosis of R1 or above grade in the Scottish retinopathy grading scheme from type 2 diabetes diagnosis. The effect of NLR and its interactions were explored using a competing risks survival model adjusting for other risk factors and accounting for deaths. The Fine and Gray subdistribution hazard model (FGR) was used to predict the effect of NLR on the incidence of DR. Results We analysed data from 23,531 individuals with complete covariate information. At 10 years, 8416 (35.8%) had developed DR and 2989 (12.7%) were lost to competing events (death) without developing DR and 12,126 individuals did not have DR. The median (interquartile range) level of NLR was 2.04 (1.5 to 2.7). The optimal NLR cut-off value to predict retinopathy incidence was 3.04. After accounting for competing risks at 10 years, the cumulative incidence of DR and deaths without DR were 50.7% and 21.9%, respectively. NLR was associated with incident DR in both Cause-specific hazard (CSH = 1.63; 95% CI: 1.28–2.07) and FGR models the subdistribution hazard (sHR = 2.24; 95% CI: 1.70–2.94). Both age and HbA1c were found to modulate the association between NLR and the risk of DR. Conclusions The current study suggests that NLR has a promising potential to predict DR incidence in the Scottish population, especially in individuals less than 65 years and in those with well-controlled glycaemic status

The Carbon Savings and Health Co-Benefits from the Introduction of Mass Rapid Transit System in Greater Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

SCK and JHH: Research was funded by the United Nations University- International Institute for Global Health and the National University of Malaysia under the project codes of UNU-IIGH 80814 and FF-2014-400, respectively. MT and JW: The work was undertaken by the Centre for Diet and Activity Research (CEDAR), a UKCRC Public Health Research Centre of Excellence. Funding from the British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK, Economic and Social Research Council, Medical Research Council, the National Institute for Health Research, and the Wellcome Trust (MR/K023187/1), under the auspices of the UK Clinical Research Collaboration, is gratefully acknowledged

The electric dipole response of 76^{76}Se above 4 MeV

The dipole response of $^{76}_{34}$Se in the energy range 4 to 9 MeV has been analyzed using a $(\vec\gamma,{\gamma}')$ polarized photon scattering technique, performed at the High Intensity $\gamma$-Ray Source facility, to complement previous work performed using unpolarized photons. The results of this work offer both an enhanced sensitivity scan of the dipole response and an unambiguous determination of the parities of the observed J=1 states. The dipole response is found to be dominated by $E1$ excitations, and can reasonably be attributed to a pygmy dipole resonance. Evidence is presented to suggest that a significant amount of directly unobserved excitation strength is present in the region, due to unobserved branching transitions in the decays of resonantly excited states. The dipole response of the region is underestimated when considering only ground state decay branches. We investigate the electric dipole response theoretically, performing calculations in a 3D cartesian-basis time-dependent Skyrme-Hartree-Fock framework.Comment: 20 pages, 18 figures, to be submitted to PR

A cluster randomized trial to assess the impact of clinical pathways for patients with stroke: rationale and design of the Clinical Pathways for Effective and Appropriate Care Study [NCT00673491]

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Patients with stroke should have access to a continuum of care from organized stroke units in the acute phase, to appropriate rehabilitation and secondary prevention measures. Moreover to improve the outcomes for acute stroke patients from an organizational perspective, the use of multidisciplinary teams and the delivery of continuous stroke education both to the professionals and to the public, and the implementation of evidence-based stroke care are recommended. Clinical pathways are complex interventions that can be used for this purpose. However in stroke care the use of clinical pathways remains questionable because little prospective controlled data has demonstrated their effectiveness. The purpose of this study is to determine whether clinical pathways could improve the quality of the care provided to the patients affected by stroke in hospital and through the continuum of the care.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Two-arm, cluster-randomized trial with hospitals and rehabilitation long-term care facilities as randomization units. 14 units will be randomized either to arm 1 (clinical pathway) or to arm 2 (no intervention, usual care). The sample will include 238 in each group, this gives a power of 80%, at 5% significance level. The primary outcome measure is 30-days mortality. The impact of the clinical pathways along the continuum of care will also be analyzed by comparing the length of hospital stay, the hospital re-admissions rates, the institutionalization rates after hospital discharge, the patients' dependency levels, and complication rates. The quality of the care provided to the patients will be assessed by monitoring the use of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures during hospital stay and rehabilitation, and by the use of key quality indicators at discharge. The implementation of organized care will be also evaluated.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The management of patients affected by stroke involves the expertise of several professionals, which can result in poor coordination or inefficiencies in patient treatment, and clinical pathways can significantly improve the outcomes of these patients. It is proposed that this study will test a new hypothesis and provide evidence of how clinical pathways can work.</p> <p>Trial Registration</p> <p>ClinicalTrials.gov ID [NCT00673491]</p