219 research outputs found
Supporting Inclusive Design of Mobile Devices with a Context Model
The aim of inclusive product design is to successfully integrate a broad range of diverse human factors in the product development process with the intention of making products accessible to and usable by the largest possible group of users. However, the main barriers for adopting inclusive product design include technical complexity, lack of time, lack of knowledge and techniques, and lack of guidelines. Although manufacturers of consumer products are nowadays more likely to invest efforts in user studies, consumer products in general only nominally fulfill, if at all, the accessibility requirements of as many users as they potentially could. The main reason is that any user-centered design prototyping or testing aiming to incorporate real user input, is often done at a rather late stage of the product development process. Thus, the more progressed a product design has evolved - the more time-consuming and costly it will be to alter the design. This is increasingly the case for contemporary mobile devices such as mobile phones or remote controls
Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio as an indicative of diabetic control level in type 2 diabetes mellitus
Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus is associated with chronic low
grade inflammation. One of the novel inflammatory markers is hemogram
derived neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR). Objective: We aimed to
compare NLR levels of diabetic subjects and healthy controls and to
observe possible correlation between NLR and HbA1c. Methods: Medical
data of type 2 diabetic subjects admitted to out-patient clinics of our
institution between April to July in 2017 were obtained from database
and retrospectively analyzed. Control group was chosen from healthy
subjects who visited our institution for a routine check-up.
Anthropometric measures, laboratory data, including, HbA1c, NLR were
recorded. Results: Median NLR of the type 2 DM group 2.44 (1.9) was
significantly elevated when compared to healthy controls (1.5 (0.9),
(p<0.001). In addition, a Pearson\u2019s correlation test revealed
that NLR was strongly correlated with age (r=0.26, p=0.008), fasting
plasma glucose (r=0.38, p<0.001), and HbA1c (r=0.49, p<0.001).
Conclusion: Elevated NLR in otherwise healthy subjects may be
indicative of underlying impaired glucose metabolism and moreover, NLR
should be used as a marker of diabetic control level in addition to
HbA1c in type 2 diabetic subjects. DOI:
https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ahs.v19i1.35 Cite as: Duman TT, Aktas G,
Atak BM, Kocak MZ, Erkus E, H S. Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio as an
indicative of diabetic control level in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Afri
Health Sci. 2019;19(1). 1602-1606.
https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ahs.v19i1.3
Visual masking and the dynamics of human perception, cognition, and consciousness A century of progress, a contemporary synthesis, and future directions
The 1990s, the “decade of the brain,” witnessed major advances in the study of
visual perception, cognition, and consciousness. Impressive techniques in
neurophysiology, neuroanatomy, neuropsychology, electrophysiology, psychophysics
and brain-imaging were developed to address how the nervous system transforms
and represents visual inputs. Many of these advances have dealt with the
steady-state properties of processing. To complement this “steady-state
approach,” more recent research emphasized the importance of dynamic aspects of
visual processing. Visual masking has been a paradigm of choice for more than a
century when it comes to the study of dynamic vision. A recent workshop
(http://lpsy.epfl.ch/VMworkshop/), held in Delmenhorst, Germany,
brought together an international group of researchers to present
state-of-the-art research on dynamic visual processing with a focus on visual
masking. This special issue presents peer-reviewed contributions by the workshop
participants and provides a contemporary synthesis of how visual masking can
inform the dynamics of human perception, cognition, and consciousness
Primary osteosarcoma of the urinary bladder following cyclophosphamide therapy for systemic lupus erythematosus: a case report
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>The association of systemic lupus erythematosus with malignancies is an uncommon occurrence. We present the case of an osteosarcoma of the urinary bladder developing in a patient with a prolonged history of active systemic lupus erythematosus. This is a previously unreported association. Primary osteosarcoma is an extremely rare disease in the urinary bladder.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 24-year-old Caucasian woman with a 13-year history of systemic lupus erythematosus, who had been treated with high dose immunosuppressive agents, presented with pain and hematuria. A deeply invasive high-grade tumor was detected in the urinary bladder and the patient underwent radical surgery. A diagnosis of osteosarcoma was made based on the characteristic histology.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Predisposing factors for primary sarcomas in the urinary bladder are mostly unknown; however, in our case, long-term administration of immunosuppressive agents, as well as long standing systemic lupus erythematosus, may both be of significance.</p
Endoscopic sinus surgery for maxillary sinus mucoceles
BACKGROUND: Maxillary sinus mucoceles are relatively rare among all paranasal sinus mucoceles. With the introduction of endoscopic sinus surgical techniques, rhinologic surgeons prefer transnasal endoscopic management of sinus mucoceles. The aim of this study is to describe the clinical presentation of maxillary sinus mucoceles and to establish the efficacy of endoscopic management of sinus mucoceles. METHODS: Between 2003 and 2005, 14 patients underwent endoscopic sinus surgery for maxillary sinus mucocele. The presenting sign and symptoms, radiological findings, surgical management and need for revision surgery were reviewed. RESULTS: There were eight males and six females with an age range of 14 to 65. Ten patients complained of nasal obstruction, five of nasal drainage, five of cheek pressure or pain and one of proptosis of the eye and cheek swelling. The maxillary sinus and ipsilateral ethmoid sinus involvement on computed tomographic studies was seen in 4 patients. Four patients had history of endoscopic ethmoidectomy surgery for ethmoid sinusitis and one had Caldwell-Luc operation in the past. Ethmoidectomy with middle meatal antrostomy and marsupialization of the mucocele was performed in all patients. Postoperative follow-up ranged between 8 to 48 months. All patients had a patent middle meatal antrostomy and healthy maxillary sinus mucosa. No patients need revision surgery. CONCLUSION: The most common causes of mucoceles are chronic infection, allergic sinonasal disease, trauma and previous surgery. In 64% of the patients of our study cause remains uncertain. Endoscopic sinus surgery is an effective treatment for maxillary sinus mucoceles with a favorable long-term outcome
A theory of moving form perception: Synergy between masking, perceptual grouping, and motion computation in retinotopic and non-retinotopic representations
Because object and self-motion are ubiquitous in natural viewing conditions,
understanding how the human visual system achieves a relatively clear perception
for moving objects is a fundamental problem in visual perception. Several
studies have shown that the visible persistence of a briefly presented
stationary stimulus is approximately 120 ms under normal viewing conditions.
Based on this duration of visible persistence, we would expect moving objects to
appear highly blurred. However, in human vision, objects in motion typically
appear relatively sharp and clear. We suggest that clarity of form in dynamic
viewing is achieved by a synergy between masking, perceptual grouping, and
motion computation across retinotopic and non-retinotopic representations. We
also argue that dissociations observed in masking are essential to create and
maintain this synergy
Targeted high-throughput sequencing for genetic diagnostics of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis
Background: Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a rapid-onset, potentially fatal hyperinflammatory syndrome. A prompt molecular diagnosis is crucial for appropriate clinical management. Here, we validated and prospectively evaluated a targeted high-throughput sequencing approach for HLH diagnostics. Methods: A high-throughput sequencing strategy of 12 genes linked to HLH was validated in 13 patients with previously identified HLH-associated mutations and prospectively evaluated in 58 HLH patients. Moreover, 2504 healthy individuals from the 1000 Genomes project were analyzed in silico for variants in the same genes. Results: Analyses revealed a mutation detection sensitivity of 97.3 %, an average coverage per gene of 98.0 %, and adequate coverage over 98.6 % of sites previously reported as mutated in these genes. In the prospective cohort, we achieved a diagnosis in 22 out of 58 patients (38 %). Genetically undiagnosed HLH patients had a later age at onset and manifested higher frequencies of known secondary HLH triggers. Rare, putatively pathogenic monoallelic variants were identified in nine patients. However, such monoallelic variants were not enriched compared with healthy individuals. Conclusions: We have established a comprehensive high-throughput platform for genetic screening of patients with HLH. Almost all cases with reduced natural killer cell function received a diagnosis, but the majority of the prospective cases remain genetically unexplained, highlighting genetic heterogeneity and environmental impact within HLH. Moreover, in silico analyses of the genetic variation affecting HLH-related genes in the general population suggest caution with respect to interpreting causality between monoallelic mutations and HLH. A complete understanding of the genetic susceptibility to HLH thus requires further in-depth investigations, including genome sequencing and detailed immunological characterization.Peer reviewe
EuroFlow Standardized Approach to Diagnostic Immunopheneotyping of Severe PID in Newborns and Young Children
The EuroFlow PID consortium developed a set of flow cytometry tests for evaluation of patients with suspicion of primary immunodeficiency (PID). In this technical report we evaluate the performance of the SCID-RTE tube that explores the presence of recent thymic emigrants (RTE) together with T-cell activation status and maturation stages and discuss its applicability in the context of the broader EuroFlow PID flow cytometry testing algorithm for diagnostic orientation of PID of the lymphoid system. We have analyzed peripheral blood cells of 26 patients diagnosed between birth and 2 years of age with a genetically defined primary immunodeficiency disorder: 1
The Ability to Generate Senescent Progeny as a Mechanism Underlying Breast Cancer Cell Heterogeneity
Background Breast cancer is a remarkably heterogeneous disease. Luminal, basal-like, "normal-like", and ERBB2+ subgroups were identified and were shown to have different prognoses. The mechanisms underlying this heterogeneity are poorly understood. In our study, we explored the role of cellular differentiation and senescence as a potential cause of heterogeneity. Methodology/Principal Findings A panel of breast cancer cell lines, isogenic clones, and breast tumors were used. Based on their ability to generate senescent progeny under low-density clonogenic conditions, we classified breast cancer cell lines as senescent cell progenitor (SCP) and immortal cell progenitor (ICP) subtypes. All SCP cell lines expressed estrogen receptor (ER). Loss of ER expression combined with the accumulation of p21Cip1 correlated with senescence in these cell lines. p21Cip1 knockdown, estrogen-mediated ER activation or ectopic ER overexpression protected cells against senescence. In contrast, tamoxifen triggered a robust senescence response. As ER expression has been linked to luminal differentiation, we compared the differentiation status of SCP and ICP cell lines using stem/progenitor, luminal, and myoepithelial markers. The SCP cells produced CD24+ or ER+ luminal-like and ASMA+ myoepithelial-like progeny, in addition to CD44+ stem/progenitor-like cells. In contrast, ICP cell lines acted as differentiation-defective stem/progenitor cells. Some ICP cell lines generated only CD44+/CD24-/ER-/ASMA- progenitor/stem-like cells, and others also produced CD24+/ER- luminal-like, but not ASMA+ myoepithelial-like cells. Furthermore, gene expression profiles clustered SCP cell lines with luminal A and "normal-like" tumors, and ICP cell lines with luminal B and basal-like tumors. The ICP cells displayed higher tumorigenicity in immunodeficient mice. Conclusions/Significance Luminal A and "normal-like" breast cancer cell lines were able to generate luminal-like and myoepithelial-like progeny undergoing senescence arrest. In contrast, luminal B/basal-like cell lines acted as stem/progenitor cells with defective differentiation capacities. Our findings suggest that the malignancy of breast tumors is directly correlated with stem/progenitor phenotypes and poor differentiation potential. © 2010 Mumcuoglu et al
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