Evaluation of the ADVIA (R) Centaur (TM) TSH-3 assay

An analytical evaluation of the thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH-3) assay on the Sayer ADVIA(R) Centaur(TM) immunoassay system was performed. General analytical requirements (linearity, resistance to typical interferences, absence of a carry-over effect) were fulfilled and reproducibility was satisfactory. Inter-assay coefficient of variation (CV) of a human serum pool with a concentration of 0.014 mU/l was 22.3%; at concentrations between 0.26 and 83 mU/l CV was below 6%. Method comparison study demonstrated close agreement of TSH results compared to those obtained with the Roche Elecsys(R) 2010 TSH assay (ADVIA Centaur = 1.08 x Elecsys - 0.18 mU/l; r = 0.987; n = 324). Handling and practicability of the ADVIA Centaur system proved to be convenient with a very high sample throughput. We conclude that the ADVIA Centaur TSH-3 assay meets requirements for clinical use

Collision metastasis from prostate adenocarcinoma and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma to a lung nodule

Introduction Prostate cancer and pancreatic cancer are often complex pathologies that affect millions of patients worldwide. However, the incidence of a distant collision metastasis of both malignancies remains a rare and often poorly documented incidence. Case presentation A 75-year-old male patient with past history of prostate cancer on maximal androgen blockade was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer for which he underwent radical surgical resection of pancreas with curative intent. A metastatic lung nodule was noted on surveillance CT imaging and, subsequently, biopsied. A diagnosis of collision metastasis from two distinct primary malignancies was histopathologically confirmed following immunohistochemical evaluation. Conclusion We report the first case of collision metastasis of prostate and pancreatic adenocarcinomata to a lung nodule to the best of our knowledge

CRIMINALIZING PRIMARY COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT IN SINGAPORE: WHO ARE THE REAL ONLINE CULPRITS

It is axiomatic in the international copyright arena for the law to impose criminal liability on secondary acts of copyright infringement. Such acts of infringement (which may also attract civil liability) typically entail the commercial exploitation of infringing copies of copyright material by unlicensed vendors. Take, for example, the ubiquitous street vendor in Bangkok’s hugely-popular Patpong district who, on a daily basis, hawks pirated CDs and DVDs to throngs of foreign tourists. Although street scenes such as these are fairly commonplace and representative of the livelihoods of numerous other unlicensed vendors the world over, the law clearly frowns upon such practices and, for some time now, has imposed penal sanctions on these secondary infringers of copyright.1 The use of the criminal law under such circumstances to aid in the effective enforcement of intellectual property rights is understandable, because the sale of each unauthorised copy of music, film or software will, correspondingly, deprive the relevant copyright owner of the economic benefits of a legitimate transaction. Yet the fact remains that many of these so-called copyright pirates have continued to operate under the present legal environment simply because of high consumer demand; there is, after all, a sizeable global market for illegitimate products of intellectual property. The irony, of course, is this: that whilst it is a criminal offence to trade in illegitimate copies of copyright material, it is – at least under copyright law – not a crime nor an actionable civil wrong to purchase or acquire such copies for private and domestic use.2 However, in light of the rapid advancements in computer, digital and Internet technologies, consumers and other end-users have begun to take things into their own hands. Instead of purchasing illegitimate copies of copyright material from the street vendor, they now discover that it is far more efficient and cost-effective to acquire digital copies for themselves in the privacy of their own rooms from certain Internet websites or through peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing networks. They may further decide to share these digital copies with others in the Internet or P2P file-sharing community. In the process, however, they inadvertently expose themselves to civil action for having committed primary acts of copyright infringement, and, in Singapore at least, they may also face criminal prosecution if primary infringers like themselves are found guilty of wilful infringements of copyright. Against this backdrop, the authors will, in this paper, examine the newly introduced criminal provisions in Singapore’s copyright legislation which target primary acts of copyright infringement and will consider, in particular, the consequences of prosecuting offenders pursuant to these provisions in the context of a number of hypothetical scenarios involving acts of infringement committed on the Internet. These Internet-based scenarios are particularly relevant and timely in the present discussion in light of recent reports in the local media concerning – (1) the various measures taken by the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (and other local agencies) to encourage all companies and businesses to use legal or licensed software in the conduct of their day-to-day business; as well as (2) the recent arrest and prosecution of two individuals in Singapore for allegedly distributing unauthorised music files via an Internet chat program.3 This paper therefore aims to offer an academic perspective of the various types of online activity which, in the authors’ view, will likely attract criminal liability under the new provisions (as well as those which ought not to)

Perceptions and attitudes towards dementia among university students in Malaysia.

BACKGROUND: One of the major challenges worldwide is the stigma associated with dementia. There is limited dementia awareness within Malaysian communities, including levels of confusion regarding the differences between dementia and the usual ageing progress, which can lead to delays in support seeking. The need for additional training and education for healthcare professionals has been highlighted. The present study aimed to evaluate the benefits of a one-hour dementia education session (Dementia Detectives workshop) for pharmacy and medicine undergraduate students at a Malaysian university. METHODS: Participants attended the workshop and completed pre- (Time 1) and post-workshop (Time 2) questionnaires consisting of validated measures exploring attitudes towards dementia and older people more broadly. RESULTS: A total of 97 students were recruited. Attitudes towards people with dementia showed significant positive changes between Time 1 and Time 2, whereas no differences were found for attitudes towards older people. CONCLUSIONS: As medical and pharmacy students develop theoretical knowledge, practical skills and professional attitudes during their undergraduate studies, it is important for students to also learn about the humanistic side of diseases and conditions through workshops such as the one presented here. Further research should now be conducted to consider how Dementia Detectives can be delivered to non-healthcare students and what the barriers and facilitators to wider delivery are

Characterization of food product innovation practices with reference to functional food product development in Singapore

Functional foods, being one of the major food categories of the global health and wellness market, are becoming a major focus of new product development (NPD) in the food industry. The development of functional foods is more complex than traditional food New Product Development (NPD), calling for a concerted effort from researchers and NPD experts to explore and understand the functional food product development (FFPD) process in more detail.  The current research in this field has reported that there is a need to evolve from a traditional NPD approach, towards an integrative and innovative approach involving cooperative networks and techniques of commercialization. However, there is little practical evidence on how much progress has been made to date.  Therefore, this research was designed to investigate the food product innovation process of food manufacturing in the Asia-Pacific region (Singapore) with reference to functional foods development. Results report on a comparative account of NPD practices between registered Singapore food companies that are doing some sort of functional food development (Group 1) and those that are not (Group 2). A significant difference (P<0.05) in the aims and mode of NPD between Group 1 and Group was observed. Further it was observed that food companies in Group 1 have significantly (P<0.05) more diverse external collaborations with broad aims to collaborate, in comparison with food companies in Group 2.  This is a positive step toward developing an external resource base, which is essential in developing functional foods. This attitude should be encouraged in future innovation polices as being critical to value-added food product innovations in Singapore.  Apart from these differences, food companies are still pursuing a traditional NPD approach (independent and closed NPD); with loose Intellectual Property protection practices irrespective of type of innovation activity. There is a need to create awareness among the stakeholders about the factors needed for developing unique and inimitable resources, and dynamic capabilities in food manufacturing

Validation of a fornix depth measurer: a putative tool for the assessment of progressive cicatrising conjunctivitis

Background/aims Documentation of conjunctival forniceal foreshortening in cases of progressive cicatrising conjunctivitis (PCC) is important in ascertaining disease stage and progression. Lower fornix shortening is often documented subjectively or semi-objectively, whereas upper forniceal obliteration is seldom quantified. Although tools such as fornix depth measurers (FDMs) have been described, their designs limit upper fornix measurement. The purpose of this study was to custom-design a FDM to evaluate the upper fornix and to assess variability in gauging fornix depth. \ud \ud Methods A polymethylmethacrylate FDM was constructed using industry-standard jewellery computer software and machinery. Two observers undertook a prospective independent evaluation of central lower fornix depth in a heterogeneous cohort of patients with clinically normal and abnormal conjunctival fornices both subjectively and by using the FDM (in mm). Upper central fornix depth was also measured. Agreement was assessed using Bland–Altman plots. \ud \ud Results Fifty-one eyes were evaluated. There was 100% intraobserver agreement to within 1 mm for each observer for lower fornix measurement. The mean difference in fornix depth loss using the FDM between observer 1 and 2 was 1.19%, with 95% confidence of agreement (±2SD) of −15% to +20%. In total, 86% (44/51) of measurements taken by the two observers agreed to within 10% of total lower fornix depth (ie, ±1 mm) versus only 63% (32/51) of the subjective measurements. Mean upper fornix difference was 0.57 mm, with 95% confidence of agreement of between −2 and + 3 mm. \ud \ud Conclusions This custom-designed FDM is well tolerated by patients and shows low intraobserver and interobserver variability. This enables repeatable and reproducible measurement of upper and lower fornix depths, facilitating improved rates of detection and better monitoring of progression of conjunctival scarring

Women’s Opinion about Women’s Rights regarding Family Planning in Hegarmanah Village, Jatinangor Subdistrict, West Java in 2013

Background: Universal Declaration of Human Rights stated that all mankind have equal right and dignity. Both woman and man have rights regarding family planning. It is often assumed that in developing country, women do not consider their rights in family planning decision making process. This study was carried out to determine the opinion of women regarding women’s rights in family planning.Methods: A descriptive study was carried out to 99 respondents during the period of August to October 2013, in Hegarmanah village, Jatinangor subdistrict. The inclusion criteria were women aged 15–49 years old, able to speak Bahasa Indonesia, and agreed to participate. Variables for this study were the opinions of the respondents regarding woman’s rights in family planning which were represented in 12 questions. Collected data were presented as percentages shown in tables.Results: Most of the respondents stated that they had the rights in family planning decision making, including choosing contraceptive methods, number of children, and spacing of each child. However, all of  the respondents agreed that men should be involved in it. More than half of the respondents stated that they asked opinion from family member regarding family planning especially their mothers. Cultural norms did not influence the family planning decision making. However, religion influenced the family planning decision making.Conclusions: Majority of the women in Hegarmanah village have the role to make decision on family planning by considering the opinions of their spouses, other family members, friends and their religions. DOI: 10.15850/amj.v2n3.52

HoloCam: A subsea holographic camera for recording marine organisms and particles

The HoloCam system is a major component of a multi-national multi-discipline project known as HoloMar (funded by the European Commission under the MAST III initiative). The project is concerned with the development of pulsed laser holography to analyse and monitor the populations of living organisms and inanimate particles within the world's oceans. We describe here the development, construction and evaluation of a prototype underwater camera, the purpose of which is to record marine organisms and particles, in-situ. Recording using holography provides several advantages over conventional sampling methods in that it allows non-intrusive, non-destructive, high-resolution imaging of large volumes (up to 10^5 cm^3) in three dimensions. The camera incorporates both in-line and off-axis holographic techniques, which allows particles from a few micrometres to tens of centimetres to be captured. In tandem with development of the HoloCam, a dedicated holographic replay system and an automated data extraction and image processing facility are being developed. These will allow, optimisation of the images recorded by the camera, identification of species and particle concentration plotting