462 research outputs found

    Sentinel lymph node biopsies in early stage oral and oropharyngeal carcinoma : a retrospective single-centre experience

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    The aim of this retrospective study was to analyse a consecutive series of patients with oral and oropharyngeal carcinoma who had had sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) at our hospital during 2008-2017. A total of 70 patients with clinically and radiologically confirmed primary oral (n = 67) or oropharyngeal (n = 3) carcinoma, with no signs of metastatic lymph nodes preoperatively (clinically N0) were included. Patients' clinical and personal data, characteristics of the tumours, sentinel lymph node (SLN) status and outcomes were recorded. Eight patients had invaded SLN. Two patients with clear sentinel lymph node biopsies had recurrences in the cervical lymph nodes with no new primary tumour as origin. The negative predictive value (NPV) and sensitivity for SLNB were 97% and 80%, respectively. The depth of invasion was an individual predictor for cervical lymph node metastasis (p = 0.043). Single photo emission computed tomography (SPECT) detected fewer SLN in patients with invaded lymph nodes than in patients with clear lymph nodes (p = 0.018). Our data support the use of SLNB as a minimally invasive method for staging the cervical lymph nodes among patients with cN0 oral and oropharyngeal carcinoma. Our results further confirm that greater depth of invasion is associated with cervical lymph node metastases. (c) 2020 The British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

    Interaction between parental psychosis and early motor development and the risk of schizophrenia in a general population birth cohort.

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    BACKGROUND: Delayed motor development in infancy and family history of psychosis are both associated with increased risk of schizophrenia, but their interaction is largely unstudied. AIM: To investigate the association of the age of achieving motor milestones and parental psychosis and their interaction in respect to risk of schizophrenia. METHODS: We used data from the general population-based prospective Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 (n=10,283). Developmental information of the cohort members was gathered during regular visits to Finnish child welfare clinics. Several registers were used to determine the diagnosis of schizophrenia among the cohort members and psychosis among the parents. Altogether 152 (1.5%) individuals had schizophrenia by the age of 46 years, with 23 (15.1%) of them having a parent with psychosis. Cox regression analysis was used in analyses. RESULTS: Parental psychosis was associated (P<0.05) with later achievement of holding the head up, grabbing an object, and walking without support. In the parental psychosis group, the risk for schizophrenia was increased if holding the head up (hazard ratio [HR]: 2.46; degrees of freedom [df]=1; 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 1.07-5.66) and touching the thumb with the index finger (HR: 1.84; df=1; 95% CI: 1.11-3.06) was later. In the group without parental psychosis, a delay in the following milestones increased the risk of schizophrenia: standing without support and walking without support. Parental psychosis had an interaction with delayed touching thumb with index finger (HR: 1.87; df=1; 95% CI: 1.08-3.25) when risk of schizophrenia was investigated. CONCLUSIONS: Parental psychosis was associated with achieving motor milestones later in infancy, particularly the milestones that appear early in a child's life. Parental psychosis and touching the thumb with the index finger had a significant interaction on risk of schizophrenia. Genetic risk for psychosis may interact with delayed development to raise future risk of schizophrenia, or delayed development may be a marker of other risk processes that interact with genetic liability to cause later schizophrenia.This study was supported by grants from the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, Northern Finland Health Care Support Foundation, Sigrid Jusélius Foundation, and the Signe and Ane Gyllenberg Foundation, Finland. NFBC 1966 received financial support from the Academy of Finland (104781, 120315, 129269, 1114194, 24300796, 268336, 278286), Center of Excellence in Complex Disease Genetics and SALVE, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland, Biocenter of Oulu, Finland, University of Oulu, Finland (75617, 24002054, 2400692), Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (50459, 50691, 50842, 2749, 2465), NHLBI grant 5R01HL087679-02 through the STAMPEED program (1RL1MH083268-01), NIH/NIMH (5R01MH63706:02), ENGAGE project and grant agreement HEALTH-F4-2007-(201413), EU FP7 EurHEALTHAgeing (277849), EU FP7 EurHealth Epi-Migrant (279143), European Regional Development Fund 537/2010 (24300936) and the Medical Research Council, UK (G0500539, G0600705, G1002319, PrevMetSyn/SALVE).This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Elsevier via http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.eurpsy.2015.04.00

    Vaikean aivovamman saaneen asiakkaan interaktiivinen neuropsykologinen etäohjaus

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    Tutkimuksessa käsiteltävän Invalidiliiton avomuotoisen etäkuntoutus-projektin tarkoituksena oli kehittää aivovamman saaneiden asiakkaiden avomuotoista kuntoutusta etäterapiana ja etäkuntoutuksena. Interaktiivisen neuropsykologisen etäohjauksen tavoitteena oli hankkeen pilottivaiheesta saatujen havaintojen jälkeen simuloida neuropsykologinen face-fo-face-yksilökuntoutustilanne etäohjausjärjestelmää hyödyntäen ja toteuttaa asiakkaan neuropsykologiset yksilökäynnit etälaitteen kautta. Tässä tutkimuksessa käsitellään yhtä asiakastapausta. Kuntoutuksen menetelminä käytettiin neuropsykologisella kuntoutusohjelmalla tapahtunutta tietokoneavusteista kuntoutusta, supportiivista ohjausta ja aivovamman neuropsykologisia jälkioireita ja niiden ilmenemistä koskevaa psykoedukaatiota. Interaktiivinen neuropsykologinen etäohjaus osoittautui hyödylliseksi toimintatavaksi myös vaikea-asteisesta aivovammasta kärsivällä asiakkaalla, kun neuropsykologisen oirekuvan erityispiirteet huomioitiin ohjaustilanteissa ja kun asiakkaan kanssa samassa fyysisessä tilassa oli käytettävissä ohjaava avustaja. Asiakkaan neuropsykologisessa oirekuvassa todettiin edistymisestä huolimatta edelleen merkittävät häiriöt. Tämä tutkimus on tiettävästi ensimmäinen, jossa on simuloitu face-to-face-neuropsykologinen yksilöohjausjakso vaikeavammaisella asiakkaalla etäohjausjärjestelmän kautta ja saatu havaintoja tieteellisesti tutkittuun neuropsykologiseen tietoon perustuvan kognitiivisen, tietokoneavusteisen kuntoutusmenetelmän toimivuudesta interaktiivisessa neuropsykologisessa etäohjauksessa. Abstract Interactive neuropsychological telerehabilitation of a client with severe TBI The aim of a telerehabilitation project of Finnish Association of people with physical disabilities (FPD) was to develop telerehabilitation of traumatic brain injury (TBI) clients in the area of teletherapy and telerehabilitation. In the present study the objective was to simulate face-to-face neuropsychological rehabilitation sessions via an Internet-based videoconferencing telerehabilitation system on the ground of the experiences observed during the pilot phase of the project. The client was a 35-year-old male with severe TBI as a result of a high energy accident occurred in May 2012. He participated in 12 neuropsychological telerehabilitation sessions at a frequency of a 60 minute session weekly including 5 sessions during the pilot phase of the project and 7 sessions during the face-to-face simulation sessions. The procedures included computer-based rehabilitation of cognitive functions, supportive guidance and psychoeducation of neuropsychological consequences of TBI. Interactive neuropsychological telerehabilitation of the client with severe TBI proved to be a useful procedure when the specific features of the client`s neuropsychological outcome after TBI were taken into account and there was an assistant worker in the same physical environment of the client. Nevertheless, in spite of the progress the degree of neuropsychological disorders was still severe. This is presumably the first study to report the observations of simulated face-to-face neuropsychological sessions via an Internet-based videoconferencing telerehabilitation system with evidence-based computer-assisted training of cognitive functions for the client with severe TBI. Keywords: interactive neuropsychological telerehabilitation, traumatic brain injury, computer-based rehabilitation of cognitive functions, single-case stud

    Oxidative Spin-Spray-Assembled Coordinative Multilayers as Platforms for Capacitive Films

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    The spin-spray-assisted layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly technique was used to prepare coordinative oxidative multilayers from Ce(IV), inorganic polyphosphate (PP), and graphene oxide (GO). The films consist of successive tetralayers and have a general structure (PP/Ce/GO/Ce)(n). Such oxidative multilayers have been shown to be a general platform for the electrodeless generation of conducting polymer and melanin-type films. Although the incorporation of GO enhances the film growth, the conventional dip LbL method is very time consuming. We show that the spin-spray method reduces the time required to grow thick multilayers by the order of magnitude and the film growth is linear from the beginning, which implies a stratified structure. We have deposited poly(3,4-ethylenedioxothiophene), PEDOT, on the oxidative multilayers and studied these redox-active films as models for melanin-type capacitive layers for supercapacitors to be used in biodegradable electronics, both before and after the electrochemical reduction of GO to rGO. The amount of oxidant and PEDOT scales linearly with the film thickness, and the charge transfer kinetics is not mass transfer-limited, especially after the reduction of GO. The areal capacitance of the films grows linearly with the film thickness, reaching a value of ca. 1.6 mF cm(-2) with 20 tetralayers, and the specific volumetric (per film volume) and mass (per mass of PEDOT) capacitances are ca. 130 F cm(-3) and 65 F g(-1), respectively. 5,6-Dihydroxyindole can also be polymerized to a redox-active melanin-type film on these oxidative multilayers, with even higher areal capacitance values

    Epigenome-450K-wide methylation signatures of active cigarette smoking : The Young Finns Study

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    Smoking as a major risk factor for morbidity affects numerous regulatory systems of the human body including DNA methylation. Most of the previous studies with genome-wide methylation data are based on conventional association analysis and earliest threshold-based gene set analysis that lacks sensitivity to be able to reveal all the relevant effects of smoking. The aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of active smoking on DNA methylation at three biological levels: 5'-C-phosphate-G-3' (CpG) sites, genes and functionally related genes (gene sets). Gene set analysis was done with mGSZ, a modern threshold-free method previously developed by us that utilizes all the genes in the experiment and their differential methylation scores. Application of such method in DNA methylation study is novel. Epigenome-wide methylation levels were profiled from Young Finns Study (YFS) participants' whole blood from 2011 follow-up using Illumina Infinium Hu-manMethylation450 BeadChips. We identified three novel smoking related CpG sites and replicated 57 of the previously identified ones. We found that smoking is associated with hypomethylation in shore (genomic regions 0-2 kilobases from CpG island). We identified smoking related methylation changes in 13 gene sets with false discovery rate (FDR)Peer reviewe

    Understanding variability in root zone storage capacity in boreal regions

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    The root zone storage capacity (Sr) of vegetation is an important parameter in the hydrological behaviour of a catchment. Traditionally, Sr is derived from soil and vegetation data. However, more recently a new method has been developed that uses climate data to estimate Sr based on the assumption that vegetation adapts its root zone storage capacity to overcome dry periods. This method also enables one to take into account temporal variability of derived Sr values resulting from changes in climate or land cover. The current study applies this new method in 64 catchments in Finland to investigate the reasons for variability in Sr in boreal regions. Relations were assessed between climate-derived Sr values and climate variables (precipitation-potential evaporation rate, mean annual temperature, max snow water equivalent, snow-off date), detailed vegetation characteristics (leaf cover, tree length, root biomass), and vegetation types. The results show that in particular the phase difference between snow-off date and onset of potential evaporation has a large influence on the derived Sr values. Further to this it is found that (non-)coincidence of snow melt and potential evaporation could cause a division between catchments with a high and a low Sr value. It is concluded that the climate-derived root zone storage capacity leads to plausible Sr values in boreal areas and that, apart from climate variables, catchment vegetation characteristics can also be directly linked to the derived Sr values. As the climate-derived Sr enables incorporating climatic and vegetation conditions in a hydrological parameter, it could be beneficial to assess the effects of changing climate and environmental conditions in boreal regions.</p

    Polydopamine Nanoparticles Prepared Using Redox-Active Transition Metals

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    Autoxidation of dopamine to polydopamine by dissolved oxygen is a slow process that requires highly alkaline conditions. Polydopamine can be formed rapidly also in mildly acidic and neutral solutions by using redox-active transition-metal ions. We present a comparative study of polydopamine nanoparticles formed by autoxidation and aerobic or anaerobic oxidation in the presence of Ce(IV), Fe(III), Cu(II), and Mn(VII). The UV-vis spectra of the purified nanoparticles are similar, and dopaminechrome is an early intermediate species. At low pH, Cu(II) requires the presence of oxygen and chloride ions to produce polydopamine at a reasonable rate. The changes in dispersibility and surface charge take place at around pH 4, which indicates the presence of ionizable groups, especially carboxylic acids, on their surface. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy shows the presence of three different classes of carbons, and the carbonyl/carboxylate carbons amount to 5-15 atom %. The N 1s spectra show the presence of protonated free amino groups, suggesting that these groups may interact with the pi-electrons of the intact aromatic dihydroxyindole moieties, especially in the metal-induced samples. The autoxidized and Mn(VII)-induced samples do not contain metals, but the metal content is 1-2 atom % in samples prepared with Ce(IV) or Cu(II), and ca. 20 atom % in polydopamine prepared in the presence of Fe(III). These differences in the metal content can be explained by the oxidation and complexation properties of the metals using the general model developed. In addition, the nitrogen content is lower in the metal-induced samples. All of the metal oxidants studied can be used to rapidly prepare polydopamine at room temperature, but the possible influence of the metal content and nitrogen loss should be taken into account

    Lifetime antipsychotic medication and cognitive performance in schizophrenia at age 43 years in a general population birth cohort

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    This naturalistic study analysed the association between cumulative lifetime antipsychotic dose and cognition in schizophrenia after an average of 16.5 years of illness. Sixty participants with schizophrenia and 191 controls from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 were assessed at age 43 years with a neurocognitive test battery. Cumulative lifetime antipsychotic dose-years were collected from medical records and interviews. The association between antipsychotic dose-years and a cognitive composite score based on principal component analysis was analysed using linear regression. Higher lifetime antipsychotic dose-years were significantly associated with poorer cognitive composite score, when adjusted for gender, onset age and lifetime hospital treatment days. The effects of typical and atypical antipsychotics did not differ. This is the first report of an association between cumulative lifetime antipsychotic dose and global cognition in midlife schizophrenia. Based on these data, higher lifetime antipsychotic dose-years may be associated with poorer cognitive performance at age 43 years. Potential biases related to the naturalistic design may partly explain the results; nonetheless, it is possible that large antipsychotic doses harm cognition in schizophrenia in the long-term.Peer reviewe

    Contribution of flow conditions and sand addition on hyporheic zone exchange in gravel beds

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    We conducted a series of tracer test experiments in 12 outdoor semi-natural flumes to assess the effects of variable flow conditions and sand addition on hyporheic zone conditions in gravel beds, mimicking conditions in headwater streams under sediment pressure. Two tracer methods were applied in each experiment: 2–5 tracer-pulse tests were conducted in all flumes and pulses were monitored at three distances downstream of the flume inlet (0 m, 5 m and 10 m, at bed surface), and in pipes installed into the gravel bed at 5 m and 10 m distances. The tracer breakthrough curves (total of 120 tracer injections) were then analysed with a one-dimensional solute transport model (OTIS) and compared with data from the gravel pipes in point-dilution pulse tests. Sand addition had a strong negative effect on horizontal fluxes (qh), whereas the fraction of the median travel time due to transient storage (F200) was determined more by flow conditions. These results suggest that even small additions of sand can modify the hyporheic zone exchange in gravel beds, thus making headwater streams with low sediment transport capacity particularly vulnerable to sediments transported into the stream from catchment land use activities
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