INTERCONNECTION BETWEEN MIXED-HANDEDNESS, DIGIT RATIOS AND HAND AND FOOT MINOR ANOMALIES IN PREDICTING SCHIZOPHRENIA

Background: According to the neurodevelopmental theory, brain structuring early markers could be seen in different body parts as minor physical anomalies. Alongside minor physical anomalies, handedness and index to ring finger ratio are brain development indicators, specifically brain lateralization. Studies are consentient about the association of these findings with schizophrenia, though there is inconsistency about individual anatomical regions\u27 contribution. We proposed that handedness in combination with morphological indicators of early brain development could be sensitive and specific in predicting schizophrenia status. Subjects and methods: Within the list for the assessment of schizophrenia patients and normal controls of the Caucasian race were seven categorical minor physical anomalies of hand and feet, handedness, and index to ring finger ratio. In this cross-sectional study the examinees were recruited from January 2012 to December 2015. Results: Forced-entry binary logistic regression model correctly classified 86.5% of patients and 99.2% of the comparison subjects with a 92.8% overall accuracy. Mixed-handedness, hyperconvex fingernails, big gap between 1st and 2nd toe, and partial syndactyly of 2nd and 3rd toe made a significant independent contribution to the patient-control prediction group status. Furthermore, these items showed a significant correlation with the predictors of the head from the previous study. Conclusion: Briefly, the limb components, assessed independently of other body regions, proved to be worthy as schizophrenia predictors

SiC/GaN power semiconductor devices: a theoretical comparison and experimental evaluation under different switching conditions

The conduction and switching losses of SiC and GaN power transistors are compared in this paper. Voltage rating of commercial GaN power transistors is less than 650V while that of SiC power transistors is less than 1200V. The paper begins with a theoretical analysis that examines how the characteristics of a 1200V SiC-MOSFET change if device design is re-optimised for 600V blocking voltage. Afterwards, a range of commercial devices (1200V SiC-JFET, 1200V SiC-MOSFET, 650V SiC-MOSFET and 650V GaN-HEMT) with the same current rating are characterised experimentally and their conduction losses, inter-electrode capacitances and switching energy Esw are compared, where it is shown that GaN-HEMT has smaller ON-state resistance, inter-electrode capacitance values and Esw than SiC devices. Finally, in order to reduce device Esw, a zero voltage switching circuit is used to evaluate all the devices, where device only produces turn-OFF switching losses and it is shown that GaN-HEMT has less switching losses than SiC device in this soft switching mode. It is also shown in the paper that 1200V SiC-MOSFET has smaller conduction and switching losses than 650V SiC-MOSFET

Iscador Qu inhibits doxorubicin-induced senescence of MCF7 cells

Chemotherapy in patients with inoperable or advanced breast cancer inevitably results in low-dose exposure of tumor-cell subset and senescence. Metabolically active senescent cells secrete multiple tumor promoting factors making their elimination a therapeutic priority. Viscum album is one of the most widely used alternative anti-cancer medicines facilitating chemotherapy tolerance of breast cancer patients. The aim of this study was to model and investigate how Viscum album extracts execute additive anti-tumor activity with low-dose Dox using ER + MCF7 breast cancer cells. We report that cotreatment of MCF7 with Viscum album and Dox abrogates G2/M cycle arrest replacing senescence with intrinsic apoptotic program. Mechanistically, this switch was associated with down-regulation of p21, p53/p73 as well as Erk1/2 and p38 activation. Our findings, therefore, identify a novel mechanistic axis of additive antitumor activity of Viscum album and low dose-Dox. In conclusion, ER + breast cancer patients may benefit from addition of Viscum album to low-dose Dox chemotherapy due to suppression of cancer cell senescence and induction of apoptosis

Reperfusion therapy for ST elevation acute myocardial infarction 2010/2011: current status in 37 ESC countries

Aims Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) is the preferred reperfusion therapy in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). We conducted this study to evaluate the contemporary status on the use and type of reperfusion therapy in patients admitted with STEMI in the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) member countries. Methods and results A cross-sectional descriptive study based on aggregated country-level data on the use of reperfusion therapy in patients admitted with STEMI during 2010 or 2011. Thirty-seven ESC countries were able to provide data from existing national or regional registries. In countries where no such registries exist, data were based on best expert estimates. Data were collected on the use of STEMI reperfusion treatment and mortality, the numbers of cardiologists, and the availability of PPCI facilities in each country. Our survey provides a brief data summary of the degree of variation in reperfusion therapy across Europe. The number of PPCI procedures varied between countries, ranging from 23 to 884 per million inhabitants. Primary percutaneous coronary intervention and thrombolysis were the dominant reperfusion strategy in 33 and 4 countries, respectively. The mean population served by a single PPCI centre with a 24-h service 7 days a week ranged from 31 300 inhabitants per centre to 6 533 000 inhabitants per centre. Twenty-seven of the total 37 countries participated in a former survey from 2007, and major increases in PPCI utilization were observed in 13 of these countries. Conclusion Large variations in reperfusion treatment are still present across Europe. Countries in Eastern and Southern Europe reported that a substantial number of STEMI patients are not receiving any reperfusion therapy. Implementation of the best reperfusion therapy as recommended in the guidelines should be encourage

A Buck-Boost Converter Modified to Utilize 600V GaN Power Devices in a PV Application Requiring 1200V Devices

This paper presents a buck-boost converter which is modified to utilize new 600 V gallium nitride (GaN) power semiconductor devices in an application requiring 1200 V devices. The presented buck-boost converter is used as a part of a dc/dc stage in an all-GaN photovoltaic (PV) inverter and it provides a negative voltage for the 3-level neutral-point-clamped (NPC) PWM inverter which is connected to the utility grid. Since in this application the transistor and the diode of the buck-boost converter need to block the sum of the PV string voltage (which is normally in the range from 150 to 350 V) and the dc bus voltage (which is in the order of 400 V), the 1200 V devices or series connection of 600 V devices need to be employed. Currently, 1200 V GaN power semiconductor devices are not commercially available. Therefore, the standard buck-boost converter is modified to enable the use of 600 V GaN devices in this particular application. Based on the proposed converter topology, a PSpice simulation model and a 600 W converter prototype were developed. Both simulation and experimental results show successful operation of the converter

Electrophoretic deposition and thermal treatment of boehmite coatings on titanium

An aqueous boehmite sol was prepared by the peptization of Al(OH)3. The electrophoretic deposition of boehmite coatings on titanium from the aqueous sol was performed at a constant voltage (from 1.0 to 10 V) and for a constant deposition time (from 10 to 30 min). Increasing the applied voltage and deposition time increased the mass of the boehmite coating. It was shown that boehmite coatings of maximum thickness, low porosity and good adhesion can be formed at lower deposition voltages and longer deposition times. The boehmite powder, obtained by drying the prepared aqueous sol, and the boehmite coatings were thermally treated at 1000 °C and 1300 °C with a holding period of 1 h at the maximum temperature. X-Ray diffraction analysis of the thermally treated samples confirmed the existence of g-Al2O3 and a-Al2O3 phases, respectively, while scanning electron microscopy revealed the graininess of the structure of the a-Al2O3 coatings treated at 1300 °C, indicating a significantly lower sintering temperature of the boehmite coating obtained by electrophoretic deposition