Lorentzian Wormholes in the Friedman-Robertson-Walker Universe

The metric of some Lorentzian wormholes in the background of the FRW universe is obtained. It is shown that for a de Sitter space-time the new solution is supported by Phantom Energy. The wave equation for a scalar field in such backgrounds is separable. The form of the potential for the Schr\"{o}dinger type one dimensional wave equation is found.Comment: 7 page

B2B unfair trade practices and EU competition law

cited By 0EU competition law appears to interpret fairness in B2B trade relations as "equal opportunities to trade" for market actors. A positive and pragmatic inquiry into the relevant regulations, cases and doctrines support that approach. This contribution suggests a new definition for these practices under EU competition law. Accordingly, any trade practice representing supremacy in bargaining power - usually dominance - and distorting the equal opportunity to trade of one or more trading partners could be conceived as unfair trade practices (UTPs) under EU competition law. Thus, these practices restrict competition according to EU competition law. Indeed, the EU Commission, Parliament and many Member States have emphasized the restrictive effects of UTPs even when practised by non-dominant undertakings. UTPs could include all kinds of trade practices toward trading partners, regardless of the industry and environment in which they occur, whether online or offline. This definition can also relieve competition lawyers from inefficient exploitative/exclusionary abusive conduct divisions.© 2018 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.Peer reviewe

Notch receptor expression in human brain arteriovenous malformations

The roles of the Notch pathway proteins in normal adult vascular physiology and the pathogenesis of brain arteriovenous malformations are not well-understood. Notch 1 and 4 have been detected in human and mutant mice vascular malformations respectively. Although mutations in the human Notch 3 gene caused a genetic form of vascular stroke and dementia, its role in arteriovenous malformations development has been unknown. In this study, we performed immunohistochemistry screening on tissue microarrays containing eight surgically resected human brain arteriovenous malformations and 10 control surgical epilepsy samples. The tissue microarrays were evaluated for Notch 1-4 expression. We have found that compared to normal brain vascular tissue Notch-3 was dramatically increased in brain arteriovenous malformations. Similarly, Notch 4 labelling was also increased in vascular malformations and was confirmed by western blot analysis. Notch 2 was not detectable in any of the human vessels analysed. Using both immunohistochemistry on microarrays and western blot analysis, we have found that Notch-1 expression was detectable in control vessels, and discovered a significant decrease of Notch 1 expression in vascular malformations. We have demonstrated that Notch 3 and 4, and not Notch 1, were highly increased in human arteriovenous malformations. Our findings suggested that Notch 4, and more importantly, Notch 3, may play a role in the development and pathobiology of human arteriovenous malformations

First-in-man evaluation of 124I-PGN650: A PET tracer for detecting phosphatidylserine as a biomarker of the solid tumor microenvironment

Purpose: PGN650 is a F(ab′) 2 antibody fragment that targets phosphatidylserine (PS), a marker normally absent that becomes exposed on tumor cells and tumor vasculature in response to oxidative stress and increases in response to therapy. PGN650 was labeled with 124 I to create a positron emission tomography (PET) agent as an in vivo biomarker for tumor microenvironment and response to therapy. In this phase 0 study, we evaluated the pharmacokinetics, safety, radiation dosimetry, and tumor targeting of this tracer in a cohort of patients with cancer. Methods: Eleven patients with known solid tumors received approximately 140 MBq (3.8 mCi) 124 I-PGN650 intravenously and underwent positron emission tomography–computed tomography (PET/CT) approximately 1 hour, 3 hours, and either 24 hours or 48 hours later to establish tracer kinetics for the purpose of calculating radiation dosimetry (from integration of the organ time-activity curves and OLINDA/EXM using the adult male and female models). Results: Known tumor foci demonstrated mildly increased uptake, with the highest activity at the latest imaging time. There were no unexpected adverse events. The liver was the organ receiving the highest radiation dose (0.77 mGy/MBq); the effective dose was 0.41 mSv/MBq. Conclusion: Although 124 I-PGN650 is safe for human PET imaging, the tumor targeting with this agent in patients was less than previously observed in animal studies

Survey of unsafe acts and its influencing factors in metal smelting industry workers in Kashan in 2016

Background and aims: The previous studies has shown high incidence of accidents and occupational injuries in metal smelting industry because of the nature of the processes. It was also found that more than 70 percent of the accidents occur due to workers' unsafe behaviors. The aim of this study was to investigate and analysis of workers' unsafe acts in metal smelting industry in Kashan in 2016. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 178 Metal smelting Industry Workers. Workers' unsafe behaviors were determined by observation method using Tarannt checklist. Demographic data were collected by Self-made questionnaire. Data were analyzed using chi-square-test, t-test, ANOVA and linear regression by SPSS16 software. Results: 43.23 percent out of Workers' behaviors was unsafe. The most of the unsafe behaviors was Non-use of personal protective equipment and the least of them was indiscretion. The significant differences were observed between unsafe behaviors and age, education level, smoking, work stations and safety and health training (p<0.05). Conclusion: The study showed high prevalence of unsafe acts in metal smelting industry. The most of workers 'unsafe acts was related to lack of use of personal protective equipment. Producing and distributing high-quality personal protective equipment, encouraging the use of these devices and specialized training courses in the field, can reduce workers' unsafe acts and occupational accidents effectively

Early Metabolic Flare in Squamous Cell Carcinoma after Chemotherapy is a Marker of Treatment Sensitivity In Vitro

PURPOSE: Early metabolic response with a decrease in glucose demand after cytotoxic treatment has been reported to precede tumor volume shrinkage. However, preclinical studies report of a very early rise in metabolism, a flare, following treatment. To elucidate these observations, we performed an experimental study on early metabolic response with sequential analysis of metabolic changes. METHODS: Three squamous cell carcinoma cell lines and one nontumorigenic cell line were exposed to cisplatin. The uptake of the fluorescent glucose analogue 2-NBDG was examined at days 1-6 using fluorescence microscopy. The relation between 2-NBDG-uptake and cell survival was evaluated. RESULTS: The tumor cells exhibited a high uptake of 2-NBDG, whereas the uptake in the nonmalignant cells was low. The more cisplatin sensitive cell lines exhibited a more pronounced metabolic flare than the less sensitive cell line. CONCLUSION: A metabolic flare was a very early sign of treatment response and potentially it could be used as an early marker of treatment sensitivity

Dose escalation to high-risk sub-volumes based on non-invasive imaging of hypoxia and glycolytic activity in canine solid tumors:a feasibility study

INTRODUCTION: Glycolytic activity and hypoxia are associated with poor prognosis and radiation resistance. Including both the tumor uptake of 2-deoxy-2-[(18) F]-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) and the proposed hypoxia tracer copper(II)diacetyl-bis(N(4))-methylsemithio-carbazone (Cu-ATSM) in targeted therapy planning may therefore lead to improved tumor control. In this study we analyzed the overlap between sub-volumes of FDG and hypoxia assessed by the uptake of (64)Cu-ATSM in canine solid tumors, and evaluated the possibilities for dose redistribution within the gross tumor volume (GTV). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) scans of five spontaneous canine solid tumors were included. FDG-PET/CT was obtained at day 1, (64)Cu-ATSM at day 2 and 3 (3 and 24 h pi.). GTV was delineated and CT images were co-registered. Sub-volumes for 3 h and 24 h (64)Cu-ATSM (Cu3 and Cu24) were defined by a threshold based method. FDG sub-volumes were delineated at 40% (FDG40) and 50% (FDG50) of SUV(max). The size of sub-volumes, intersection and biological target volume (BTV) were measured in a treatment planning software. By varying the average dose prescription to the tumor from 66 to 85 Gy, the possible dose boost (D( B )) was calculated for the three scenarios that the optimal target for the boost was one, the union or the intersection of the FDG and (64)Cu-ATSM sub-volumes. RESULTS: The potential boost volumes represented a fairly large fraction of the total GTV: Cu3 49.8% (26.8-72.5%), Cu24 28.1% (2.4-54.3%), FDG40 45.2% (10.1-75.2%), and FDG50 32.5% (2.6-68.1%). A BTV including the union (∪) of Cu3 and FDG would involve boosting to a larger fraction of the GTV, in the case of Cu3∪FDG40 63.5% (51.8-83.8) and Cu3∪FDG50 48.1% (43.7-80.8). The union allowed only a very limited D( B ) whereas the intersection allowed a substantial dose escalation. CONCLUSIONS: FDG and (64)Cu-ATSM sub-volumes were only partly overlapping, suggesting that the tracers offer complementing information on tumor physiology. Targeting the combined PET positive volume (BTV) for dose escalation within the GTV results in a limited D( B ). This suggests a more refined dose redistribution based on a weighted combination of the PET tracers in order to obtain an improved tumor control

Imaging tumour hypoxia with positron emission tomography.

Hypoxia, a hallmark of most solid tumours, is a negative prognostic factor due to its association with an aggressive tumour phenotype and therapeutic resistance. Given its prominent role in oncology, accurate detection of hypoxia is important, as it impacts on prognosis and could influence treatment planning. A variety of approaches have been explored over the years for detecting and monitoring changes in hypoxia in tumours, including biological markers and noninvasive imaging techniques. Positron emission tomography (PET) is the preferred method for imaging tumour hypoxia due to its high specificity and sensitivity to probe physiological processes in vivo, as well as the ability to provide information about intracellular oxygenation levels. This review provides an overview of imaging hypoxia with PET, with an emphasis on the advantages and limitations of the currently available hypoxia radiotracers.Cancer Research UK (CRUK) funded the National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) PET Research Working party to organise a meeting to discuss imaging cancer with hypoxia tracers and Positron Emission Tomography. IF was funded by CRUK and is also supported by the Chief Scientific Office. ALH is supported by CRUK and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. RM is funded by NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre.This is the accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Nature Publishing at http://www.nature.com/bjc/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/bjc2014610a.html