Laparoscopic Sacropexy: A Retrospective Analysis of the Subjective Outcome in 310 Cases

Background and Objective. The aim of this study was to assess the subjective outcome following laparoscopic sacropexy. Methods. We performed a retrospective cohort study among women treated for descensus with laparoscopic sacropexy between January 2000 and December 2007. 310 patients received questionnaires during followup assessing major pre- and postoperative symptoms and overall satisfaction. Results. 214 (69%) patients responded to the questionnaire. Mean followup was 24.5 months. The number of patients with back or lower abdominal pain, foreign body sensation in the vagina and prolapse-related symptoms, urinary symptoms, vaginal and bladder infections, and the need for pessary usage decreased significantly postsurgically. Bowel symptoms increased slightly but not significantly. Two years after surgery, nearly 2 thirds of the women were satisfied or very satisfied with the outcome. Conclusion. Laparoscopic sacropexy is an effective treatment of descensus, with favorable or satisfactory subjective outcomes

Novel Calicivirus Identified in Rabbits, Michigan, USA

This virus is distinct from rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus

Comparative evaluation of the treatment efficacy of suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA) and paclitaxel in ovarian cancer cell lines and primary ovarian cancer cells from patients

BACKGROUND: In most patients with ovarian cancer, diagnosis occurs after the tumour has disseminated beyond the ovaries. In these cases, post-surgical taxane/platinum combination chemotherapy is the "gold standard". However, most of the patients experience disease relapse and eventually die due to the emergence of chemotherapy resistance. Histone deacetylase inhibitors are novel anticancer agents that hold promise to improve patient outcome. METHODS: We compared a prototypic histone deacetylase inhibitor, suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA), and paclitaxel for their treatment efficacy in ovarian cancer cell lines and in primary patient-derived ovarian cancer cells. The primary cancer cells were isolated from malignant ascites collected from five patients with stage III ovarian carcinomas. Cytotoxic activities were evaluated by Alamar Blue assay and by caspase-3 activation. The ability of SAHA to kill drug-resistant 2780AD cells was also assessed. RESULTS: By employing the cell lines OVCAR-3, SK-OV-3, and A2780, we established SAHA at concentrations of 1 to 20 μM to be as efficient in inducing cell death as paclitaxel at concentrations of 3 to 300 nM. Consequently, we treated the patient-derived cancer cells with these doses of the drugs. All five isolates were sensitive to SAHA, with cell killing ranging from 21% to 63% after a 72-h exposure to 20 μM SAHA, while four of them were resistant to paclitaxel (i.e., <10% cell death at 300 nM paclitaxel for 72 hours). Likewise, treatment with SAHA led to an increase in caspase-3 activity in all five isolates, whereas treatment with paclitaxel had no effect on caspase-3 activity in three of them. 2780AD cells were responsive to SAHA but resistant to paclitaxel. CONCLUSION: These ex vivo findings raise the possibility that SAHA may prove effective in the treatment of paclitaxel-resistant ovarian cancer in vivo

Impact of a workplace 'sit less, move more' program on efficiency-related outcomes of office employees.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have examined the impact of 'sit less, move more' interventions on workplace performance. This study assessed the short and mid-term impacts of and patterns of change within, a 19-week workplace web-based intervention (Walk@WorkSpain; W@WS; 2010-11) on employees´ presenteeism, mental well-being and lost work performance. METHODS: A site randomised control trial recruited employees at six Spanish university campuses (n = 264; 42 ± 10 years; 171 female), assigned by worksite and campus to an Intervention (IG; used W@WS; n = 129; 87 female) or an active Comparison group (A-CG; pedometer, paper diary and self-reported sitting time; n = 135; 84 female). A linear mixed model assessed changes between the baseline, ramping (8 weeks), maintenance (11 weeks) and follow-up (two months) phases for the IG versus A-CG on (i) % of lost work productivity (Work Limitations Questionnaire; WLQ); (ii) three scales for presenteeism (WLQ) assessing difficulty meeting scheduling demands (Time), performing cognitive and inter-personal tasks (Mental-Interpersonal) and decrements in meeting the quantity, quality and timeliness of completed work (Output); and (iii) mental well-being (Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale). T-tests assessed differences between groups for changes on the main outcomes. In the IG, a multivariate logistic regression model identified patterns of response according to baseline socio-demographic variables, physical activity and sitting time. RESULTS: There was a significant 2 (group) × 2 (program time points) interaction for the Time (F [3]=8.69, p = 0.005), Mental-Interpersonal (F [3]=10.01, p = 0.0185), Output scales for presenteeism (F [3]=8.56, p = 0.0357), and for % of lost work performance (F [3]=10.31, p = 0.0161). Presenteeism and lost performance rose significantly in both groups across all study time points; after baseline performance was consistently better in the IG than in the A-CG. Better performance was linked to employees being more active (Time, p = 0.041) and younger (Mental-interpersonal, p = 0.057; Output, p = 0.017). Higher total sitting time during nonworking days (Mental-interpersonal, p = 0.019) and lower sitting time during workdays (WLQ Index, p = 0.013) also improved performance. CONCLUSION: Versus an active comparison condition, a 'sit less, move more` workplace intervention effectively reduced an array of markers of lost workday productivity. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT02960750 ; Date of registration: 07/11/2016

Impacts of land use change to short rotation forestry for bioenergy on soil greenhouse gas emissions and soil carbon

Short Rotation Forestry (SRF) for bioenergy could be used to meet biomass requirements and contribute to achieving renewable energy targets. As an important source of biomass it is important to gain an understanding of the implications of large-scale application of SRF on the soil-atmosphere greenhouse gas (GHG) exchange. This study examined the effects of land use change (LUC) from grassland to SRF on soil fluxes of methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2), and the important drivers in action. Examining soils from a range of sites across the UK, CO2 emission potentials were reduced under SRF with differences between coniferous and broadleaved transitions; these changes were found to be related to changes in soil pH and microbial biomass. However, there were limited effects of SRF tree species type on CH4 and N2O fluxes. A detailed study at an experimental SRF site over 16 months demonstrated a reduction in CH4 and net CO2 emissions from soils under SRF and revealed intriguing temporal dynamics of N2O under Sitka spruce and common alder. A significant proportion of the variation in soil N2O fluxes was attributed to differences between tree species, water table depth, spatial effects, and their interactions. The effects of microtopography (ridges, troughs, flats), and its interactions with water table depth on soil GHG fluxes under different tree species was tested using mesocosm cores collected in the field. Microtopography did not significantly affect soil GHG fluxes but trends suggested that considering this spatial factor in sampling regimes could be important. N2O fluxes from Sitka spruce soils did not respond to water table depth manipulation in the laboratory suggesting that they may also be determined by tree-driven nitrogen (N) availability, with other research showing N deposition to be higher in coniferous plantations. An N addition experiment lead to increased N2O emissions with greatest relative response in the Sitka spruce soils. Overall, LUC from rough grassland to SRF resulted in a reduction in soil CH4 emissions, increased N2O emissions and a reduction or no change in net CO2 emissions. These changes in emissions were influenced both directly and indirectly by tree species type with Sitka spruce having the greatest effect on N2O in particular, thus highlighting the importance of considering soil N2O emissions in any life cycle analysis or GHG budgets of LUC to SRF for bioenergy. This research can help inform decisions around SRF tree species selection in future large-scale bioenergy planting