The effect of prestigious CEOs on strategic and operational risk-taking

Longitudinal data from the US cellular telecoms industry between 1991 and 2009 suggest that high prestige CEOs take higher risks in capital expenditures, and less risk with R&D expenditures. No relationship was found with M&A expenditures. This suggests that CEOs only use their prestige to affect operational or internal investments

Voltage-gated Na+ Channel Activity Increases Colon Cancer Transcriptional Activity and Invasion Via Persistent MAPK Signaling

Functional expression of voltage-gated Na+ channels (VGSCs) has been demonstrated in multiple cancer cell types where channel activity induces invasive activity. The signaling mechanisms by which VGSCs promote oncogenesis remain poorly understood. We explored the signal transduction process critical to VGSC-mediated invasion on the basis of reports linking channel activity to gene expression changes in excitable cells. Coincidentally, many genes transcriptionally regulated by the SCN5A isoform in colon cancer have an over-representation of cis-acting sites for transcription factors phosphorylated by ERK1/2 MAPK. We hypothesized that VGSC activity promotes MAPK activation to induce transcriptional changes in invasion-related genes. Using pharmacological inhibitors/activators and siRNA-mediated gene knockdowns, we correlated channel activity with Rap1-dependent persistent MAPK activation in the SW620 human colon cancer cell line. We further demonstrated that VGSC activity induces downstream changes in invasion-related gene expression via a PKA/ERK/c-JUN/ELK-1/ETS-1 transcriptional pathway. This is the first study illustrating a molecular mechanism linking functional activity of VGSCs to transcriptional activation of invasion-related genes

The Burden of Revision Sinonasal Surgery in the UK – Data from the Chronic Rhinosinusitis Epidemiology Study (CRES); a cross sectional study

Objectives/Hypothesis The aim of this study was to investigate the surgical revision rate in patients with Chronic Rhinosinusitis (CRS) in the UK CRS Epidemiology Study (CRES). Previous evidence from national Sinonasal Audit showed that 1459 CRS patients demonstrated a surgical revision rate 19.1% at 5 years, with highest rates seen in those with polyps (20.6%). Setting Thirty secondary care centres around the UK. Participants A total of 221 controls and 1249 patients with CRS were recruited to the study including those with polyps (CRSwNPs), without polyps (CRSsNPs) and with allergic fungal rhinosinusitis (AFRS). Interventions Self-administered questionnaire. Primary outcome measure The need for previous sinonasal surgery. Results A total of 651 patients with CRSwNPs, 553 with CRSsNPs and 45 with AFRS were included. A total of 396 (57%) of patients with CRSwNPs/AFRS reported having undergone previous endoscopic nasal polypectomy (ENP), of which 182 of the 396 (46%) reported having received more than one operation. The mean number of previous surgeries per patient in the revision group was 3.3 (range 2 to 30) and a mean duration of time of 10 years since the last procedure. The average length of time since their first operation up to inclusion in the study was 15.5 years (range 0-74). Only 27.9% of all patients reporting a prior ENP had received concurrent endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) (n=102). For comparison, surgical rates in patients with CRSsNPs were significantly lower; 13% of cases specifically reported ESS and of those only 30% reported multiple procedures (chi-squared p < 0.001). Conclusions This study demonstrated there is a high burden of both primary and revision surgery in patients with CRS, worst in those with AFRS and least in those with CRSsNPs. The burden of revision surgery appears unchanged in the decade since the Sinonasal Audit

A completely automated high inoculation density fed batch process that accommodates clonal diversity and routinely doubles space time yield as compared to low inoculation density processes

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Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis Overestimates Fat-Free Mass in Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Treatment

Background: Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) is commonly used to assess fat-free mass (FFM) and fat mass (FM) in breast cancer patients. However, because of the prevalence of overweight, obesity and variable hydration status in these patients, assumptions for existing prediction equations developed in healthy adults may be violated, resulting in inaccurate body composition assessment. Methods:We measured whole-body FFM using single-frequency BIA (50 kHz) and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in 48 patients undergoing treatment for breast cancer.We applied raw BIA data to 18 previously published FFM prediction equations (FFMBIA) and compared these estimates to DXA (FFMDXA; reference method). Results: On average, patients were 52 ± 10 (mean ± SD) years of age and overweight (body mass index: 27.5 ± 5.5 kg/m2; body fat by DXA: 40.1% ± 6.6%). Relative to DXA, BIA overestimated FFM by 4.1 ± 3.4 kg (FFMDXA: 42.0 ± 5.9 kg; FFMBIA: 46.1 ± 3.4 kg). Individual equation-generated predictions of FFMBIA ranged from 39.6 ± 6.7 to 52.2 ± 5.6 kg, with 16 equations overestimating and 2 equations underestimating FFMBIA compared with FFMDXA. Based on equivalence testing, no equation-generated estimates were equivalent to DXA. Conclusion: Compared with DXA, BIA overestimated FFM in breast cancer patients during treatment. Although several equations performed better than others, none produced values that aligned closely with DXA. Caution should be used when interpreting BIA measurements in this clinical population, and future studies should develop prediction equations specific to breast cancer patients. (Nutr Clin Pract. 2019;00:1–12)Financial disclosure: This work was funded by a Canadian Institutes of Health Research grant, an Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation Early Researcher Award, and the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (all to M. Mourtzakis)

The NEOWISE-Discovered Comet Population and the CO+CO_2 production rates

The 163 comets observed during the WISE/NEOWISE prime mission represent the largest infrared survey to date of comets, providing constraints on dust, nucleus size, and CO + CO_2 production. We present detailed analyses of the WISE/NEOWISE comet discoveries, and discuss observations of the active comets showing 4.6 μm band excess. We find a possible relation between dust and CO + CO_2 production, as well as possible differences in the sizes of long and short period comet nuclei