Insulinoma bij de hond, deel 2: een retrospectieve studie van 23 gevallen (2002-2008)

Twenty-three dogs with insulinoma were included in this retrospective study. These tumors were mostly found in middle-aged to old dogs, weighing over 25 kg. The most important symptoms were weakness, seizures and collapse. The mean duration of clinical signs before referral was 5 months. Interestingly, the onset of clinical signs was reported more frequently during the summer months. Paired serum glucose and insulin concentrations were measured in all dogs. Fructosamine concentrations were measured in more than one third of the cases, all showing levels lower than normal (258 mu mol/l). In 50% of the dogs, abdominal ultrasound detected signs of an insulinoma, but only in one third of the cases nodules were visible. Scintigraphy, with the radiopharmaceutical drug Indium-111 pentetreotide, was performed in 6 dogs, with a detection rate of 83%. Electrophysiological examination of 3 dogs confirmed the clinical signs of an insulinoma-associated polyneuropathy. Histopathological examination of 5 dogs demonstrated the presence of an insulinoma. In one third of the dogs metastases were present at the time of diagnosis. The mean survival time after diagnosis was 10,3 months. There was no significant difference in survival between the medicinally and surgically treated group. However, it is difficult to make a definitive conclusion, because of the low number of surgically treated dogs

Bell inequality test with entanglement between an atom and a coherent state in a cavity

We study Bell inequality tests with entanglement between a coherent-state field in a cavity and a two-level atom. In order to detect the cavity field for such a test, photon on/off measurements and photon number parity measurements, respectively, are investigated. When photon on/off measurements are used, at least 50% of detec- tion efficiency is required to demonstrate violation of the Bell inequality. Photon number parity measurements for the cavity field can be effectively performed using ancillary atoms and an atomic detector, which leads to large degrees of Bell violations up to Cirel'son's bound. We also analyze decoherence effects in both field and atomic modes and discuss conditions required to perform a Bell inequality test free from the locality loophole.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figure

Information elaboration and coopetition : participation in the replacement of legacy systems

Legacy information system (LIS) replacement pro-jects are increasingly complex. Consequently, they require cooperation to integrate different functional knowledge to support organizational business processes. However, cooperation on cross-functional LIS replacement project teams face inherent competition for scarce resources and conflicting functional interests. The common assertion is to reduce or eliminate this competition. We suggest that the potential benefits of competition complement the known benefits of cooperation. Thus, this study explores the extent to which different configurations of simultaneous competition and cooperation (i.e., coopetition) enhance decision-making processes in the context of LIS replacement. Information elaboration theory guides decision-making in the coopetition–performance relationship. We propose a model that relates different patterns of coopetition, based on a two continua approach, to three information elaboration techniques and their impact on system design quality. We test the model using a survey administered to 161 pairs of matched IT executives and managerial leaders knowledgeable about LIS replacement. Analysis indicates that cooperation-centric coopetition (strong cooperation with some competition) best enhances decision-making processes and improves system design quality.http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/RecentIssue.jsp?punumber=17hj2023Informatic

MASCC/ISOO expert opinion on the management of oral problems in patients with advanced cancer

Purpose: The Palliative Care Study Group in conjunction with the Oral Care Study Group of the Multinational Association for Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) formed a sub-group to develop evidence-based guidance on the management of common oral problems in patients with advanced cancer. Methods: This guidance was developed in accordance with the MASCC Guidelines Policy. A search strategy for Medline was developed, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were explored for relevant reviews and trials, respectively. Guidance was categorised by the level of evidence, and “category of guideline” (i.e., “recommendation”, “suggestion” or “no guideline possible”). Results: Twelve generic suggestions (level of evidence – 5), three problem-specific recommendations and 14 problem-specific suggestions were generated. The generic suggestions relate to oral hygiene measures, assessment of problems, principles of management, re-assessment of problems and the role of dental/oral medicine professionals. Conclusions: This guidance provides a framework for the management of common oral problems in patients with advanced cancer, although every patient requires individualised management

Adapting research-tested computerized tailored interventions for broader dissemination and implementation

This paper focuses on the process for adapting existing legacy computerized tailored intervention (CTI) programs and implications for future development of CTI to ensure that interventions can be disseminated and implemented in different settings. A significant amount of work is required to adapt existing CTI for new research applications and public health interventions. Most new CTI are still developed from scratch, with minimal re-use of software or message content, even when there are considerable overlaps in functionality. This is largely a function of the substantial technical, organizational, and content-based barriers to adapting and disseminating CTI. CTI developers should thus consider dissemination and re-use early in the design phase of their systems. This is not intended to be a step-by-step guide on how to adopt or disseminate research-tested CTI, but rather a discussion that highlights issues to be considered for adapting and disseminating evidence-based CTI

The logic of the future in quantum theory

According to quantum mechanics, statements about the future made by sentient beings like us are, in general, neither true nor false; they must satisfy a many-valued logic. I propose that the truth value of such a statement should be identified with the probability that the event it describes will occur. After reviewing the history of related ideas in logic, I argue that it gives an understanding of probability which is particularly satisfactory for use in quantum mechanics. I construct a lattice of future-tense propositions, with truth values in the interval $[0,1]$, and derive logical properties of these truth values given by the usual quantum-mechanical formula for the probability of a history

The Second Transmembrane Domain of P2X7 Contributes to Dilated Pore Formation

Activation of the purinergic receptor P2X7 leads to the cellular permeability of low molecular weight cations. To determine which domains of P2X7 are necessary for this permeability, we exchanged either the C-terminus or portions of the second transmembrane domain (TM2) with those in P2X1 or P2X4. Replacement of the C-terminus of P2X7 with either P2X1 or P2X4 prevented surface expression of the chimeric receptor. Similarly, chimeric P2X7 containing TM2 from P2X1 or P2X4 had reduced surface expression and no permeability to cationic dyes. Exchanging the N-terminal 10 residues or C-terminal 14 residues of the P2X7 TM2 with the corresponding region of P2X1 TM2 partially restored surface expression and limited pore permeability. To further probe TM2 structure, we replaced single residues in P2X7 TM2 with those in P2X1 or P2X4. We identified multiple substitutions that drastically changed pore permeability without altering surface expression. Three substitutions (Q332P, Y336T, and Y343L) individually reduced pore formation as indicated by decreased dye uptake and also reduced membrane blebbing in response to ATP exposure. Three others substitutions, V335T, S342G, and S342A each enhanced dye uptake, membrane blebbing and cell death. Our results demonstrate a critical role for the TM2 domain of P2X7 in receptor function, and provide a structural basis for differences between purinergic receptors. © 2013 Sun et al

An RxLR effector from phytophthora infestans prevents re-localisation of two plant NAC transcription factors from the endoplasmic reticulum to the nucleus

The plant immune system is activated following the perception of exposed, essential and invariant microbial molecules that are recognised as non-self. A major component of plant immunity is the transcriptional induction of genes involved in a wide array of defence responses. In turn, adapted pathogens deliver effector proteins that act either inside or outside plant cells to manipulate host processes, often through their direct action on plant protein targets. To date, few effectors have been shown to directly manipulate transcriptional regulators of plant defence. Moreover, little is known generally about the modes of action of effectors from filamentous (fungal and oomycete) plant pathogens. We describe an effector, called Pi03192, from the late blight pathogen Phytophthora infestans, which interacts with a pair of host transcription factors at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) inside plant cells. We show that these transcription factors are released from the ER to enter the nucleus, following pathogen perception, and are important in restricting disease. Pi03192 prevents the plant transcription factors from accumulating in the host nucleus, revealing a novel means of enhancing host susceptibility

p53 Interacts with RNA Polymerase II through Its Core Domain and Impairs Pol II Processivity In Vivo

The tumor suppressor p53 principally functions as a gene-specific transcription factor. p53 triggers a variety of anti-proliferative programs by activating or repressing the transcription of effector genes in response to genotoxic stress. To date, much effort has been placed on understanding p53's ability to affect transcription in the context of its DNA-binding activity. How p53 regulates transcriptional output independent of DNA binding is less well understood. Here we provide evidence that human p53 can physically interact with the large subunit of RNA polymerase II (Pol II) both in in vitro interaction assays and in whole cell extracts, and that this interaction is mediated (at least in part) through p53's core DNA-binding domain and the Ser5-phosphorylated CTD of Pol II. Ectopic expression of p53, combined with mutations in transcription elongation factors or exposure to drugs that inhibit Pol II elongation, elicit sickness or lethality in yeast cells. These phenotypes are suppressed by oncogenic point mutations within p53's core domain. The growth phenotypes raise the possibility that p53 impairs Pol II elongation. Consistent with this, a p53-dependent increase in Pol II density is seen at constitutively expressed genes without a concomitant increase in transcript accumulation. Additionally, p53-expressing yeast strains exhibit reduced transcriptional processivity at an episomal reporter gene; this inhibitory activity is abolished by a core domain point mutation. Our results suggest a novel mechanism by which p53 can regulate gene transcription, and a new biological function for its core domain that is susceptible to inactivation by oncogenic point mutations