Role of magnetic resonance spectroscopy in grading of gliomas- a tertiary care centre study

Background: Grading of gliomas is important for the determination of appropriate treatment strategies. MR spectroscopy has found increasing utility in grading of gliomas.Methods: MR spectroscopic imaging was done for the referred patients to obtain Cho/NAA and Cho/Cr ratios. After analyzing histopathology reports, gliomas were classified into low grade and high grade. Histologically proven 54 low grade and 54 high grade gliomas were included in the study. The mean and standard deviation of these variables were obtained and compared between two groups.  ROC curve analyses were performed in order to identify the optimal cut-off value for metabolite ratios for prediction purposes of high grade versus low grade gliomas.Results: The mean and SD of Cho/NAA ratio in low grade glioma was 1.93±1.19. The mean and SD of Cho /NAA ratio in high grade glioma was 3.16±1.73 was significantly higher. The optimal cut-off for differentiating low grade and high grade gliomas was 2.15 with a sensitivity of 74.07% and specificity of 66.67%. The mean and SD of CHO/Cr in low grade glioma was 2.05±0.76. The mean and SD of Cho/NAA in high grade glioma was 2.87±1.65 was significantly higher. The optimal cut-off for differentiating low grade and high grade gliomas was 1.98 with a sensitivity of 64.8% and specificity of 64.1%.Conclusions: MR spectroscopy imaging plays a pivotal role in prediction of glioma grade preoperatively and helps in deciding appropriate treatment strategies

Prevalence of fatty liver disease in children with obesity- a diagnostic study based on its ultrasound appearance

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is an asymptomatic involvement of the liver, can progress to chronic liver disease and must be identified at an early stage for good prognosis. The implementation of the appropriate therapeutic interventions is determinant of the attempts to treat it. For that purpose, early diagnosis and staging of the disease is essential. It seems that diagnostic imaging should be a first-line tool for the staging and monitoring pediatric NAFLD/NASH for appropriate interventions to be implanted in a timely way. This study evaluated the prevalence of fatty liver in relation with body mass index (BMI) by means of ultrasound in children of age group 6-15 years.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 83 children aged 6 to 15 years, were selected randomly. The participants were examined by a pediatrician. Liver ultrasound was performed for all children and grade of fatty liver was determined.Results: There was a significant correlation between grade of fatty liver with BMI, our study showed a strong association between BMI and prevalence of fatty liver on ultrasound.Conclusions: According to the study hypothesis, based on BMI, the degree of NAFLD in children were predictable. Ultrasound of liver in grading of fatty liver is one of the assessments methods of fatty liver but it is not a diagnostic method; it is useful for prevention to reduce BMI

Iodopentafluorobenzene: Electronic state spectroscopy by high resolution vacuum ultraviolet photoabsorption and photoelectron spectroscopy

The electronic transitions of iodopentafluorobenzene (C6F5I) have been investigated experimentally for the first time by high-resolution photoabsorption spectroscopy in the energy range 3.6 – 10.7 eV. The character of the valence excited states has been discussed taking into account calculations available in the literature. The ionisation energies of the molecule in its electronic ground state have been measured by high-resolution He(I) photoelectron spectroscopy. The energies of the ionic bands are shifted by about 0.5 eV compared to the earliest literature values but they agree with the most recently published measurements. All the spectra presented in this paper represent highest resolution measurements of their kind for iodopentafluorobenzene. The absolute photoabsorption cross sections have been used to model photolysis rates and residence times in the terrestrial atmosphere

Matrix-Bound PAI-1 Supports Cell Blebbing via RhoA/ROCK1 Signaling

The microenvironment of a tumor can influence both the morphology and the behavior of cancer cells which, in turn, can rapidly adapt to environmental changes. Increasing evidence points to the involvement of amoeboid cell migration and thus of cell blebbing in the metastatic process; however, the cues that promote amoeboid cell behavior in physiological and pathological conditions have not yet been clearly identified. Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor type-1 (PAI-1) is found in high amount in the microenvironment of aggressive tumors and is considered as an independent marker of bad prognosis. Here we show by immunoblotting, activity assay and immunofluorescence that, in SW620 human colorectal cancer cells, matrix-associated PAI-1 plays a role in the cell behavior needed for amoeboid migration by maintaining cell blebbing, localizing PDK1 and ROCK1 at the cell membrane and maintaining the RhoA/ROCK1/MLC-P pathway activation. The results obtained by modeling PAI-1 deposition around tumors indicate that matrix-bound PAI-1 is heterogeneously distributed at the tumor periphery and that, at certain spots, the elevated concentrations of matrix-bound PAI-1 needed for cancer cells to undergo the mesenchymal-amoeboid transition can be observed. Matrix-bound PAI-1, as a matricellular protein, could thus represent one of the physiopathological requirements to support metastatic formation

Invited Review Meeting Report: SMART Timing-Principles of Single Molecule Techniques Course at the University of Michigan 2014

ABSTRACT: Four days after the announcement of the 2014 Nobe

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Correction to: Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake