EXPLORING LIPID-BASED DRUG DELIVERY IN CANCER THERAPY VIA LIPOSOMAL FORMULATIONS

In many countries across the world, cancer is a leading cause of death. Cancer is the biggest cause of death worldwide, with approximately 10 million fatalities expected in 2020, accounting for nearly one in every six deaths. Mutations in ~300 human genes can unleash cell division, potentially leading to cancer. The effectiveness of existing conventional therapies for a number of cancers is, however, inefficient in terms of safety and efficacy. Medication systems based on lipid can be configured to treat tumors passively with increasing safety by reducing toxicity and increasing efficacy by target drug delivery. Lipid-based drug dosage form is the new identified technological design to overcome problems such as water-soluble solubility and bioavailability. A wide range of product specifications determined by indication of disease, route of administration, price evaluation, safety, toxicity, and efficiency could be customized to lipid formulations. This analysis explores the current state of lipid drug delivery studies, including the production of cancer liposomes, different cancer-focused strategies, and liposomal formulation of numerous anti-cancer drugs

Orthopedic management of the extremities in patients with Morquio A syndrome.

BackgroundMusculoskeletal involvement in Morquio A syndrome (mucopolysaccharidosis IVA; MPS IVA) contributes significantly to morbidity and mortality. While the spinal manifestations of the disorder have received considerable attention in the literature, there have been few reported studies to date to guide the management of the orthopedic problems associated with the lower and upper extremities.PurposeThe objective was to develop recommendations for the management of the extremities in patients with Morquio A syndrome.MethodsA group of specialists in orthopedics, pediatrics and genetics with experience in the management of Morquio A patients convened to review and discuss current clinical practices and to develop preliminary recommendations. Evidence from the literature was retrieved. Recommendations were further refined until consensus was reached.Results and conclusionsThis present article provides a detailed review and discussion of the lower and upper extremity deformities in Morquio A syndrome and presents recommendations for the assessment and treatment of these complications. Key issues, including the importance of early diagnosis and the implications of medical therapy, are also addressed. The recommendations herein represent an attempt to develop a uniform and practical approach to managing patients with Morquio A syndrome and improving their outcomes

TINA manual landmarking tool: software for the precise digitization of 3D landmarks

Background: Interest in the placing of landmarks and subsequent morphometric analyses of shape for 3D data has increased with the increasing accessibility of computed tomography (CT) scanners. However, current computer programs for this task suffer from various practical drawbacks. We present here a free software tool that overcomes many of these problems. Results: The TINA Manual Landmarking Tool was developed for the digitization of 3D data sets. It enables the generation of a modifiable 3D volume rendering display plus matching orthogonal 2D cross-sections from DICOM files. The object can be rotated and axes defined and fixed. Predefined lists of landmarks can be loaded and the landmarks identified within any of the representations. Output files are stored in various established formats, depending on the preferred evaluation software. Conclusions: The software tool presented here provides several options facilitating the placing of landmarks on 3D objects, including volume rendering from DICOM files, definition and fixation of meaningful axes, easy import, placement, control, and export of landmarks, and handling of large datasets. The TINA Manual Landmark Tool runs under Linux and can be obtained for free from http://www.tina-vision.net/tarballs/

Quantitative shape analysis with weighted covariance estimates for increased statistical efficiency

BACKGROUND: The introduction and statistical formalisation of landmark-based methods for analysing biological shape has made a major impact on comparative morphometric analyses. However, a satisfactory solution for including information from 2D/3D shapes represented by ‘semi-landmarks’ alongside well-defined landmarks into the analyses is still missing. Also, there has not been an integration of a statistical treatment of measurement error in the current approaches. RESULTS: We propose a procedure based upon the description of landmarks with measurement covariance, which extends statistical linear modelling processes to semi-landmarks for further analysis. Our formulation is based upon a self consistent approach to the construction of likelihood-based parameter estimation and includes corrections for parameter bias, induced by the degrees of freedom within the linear model. The method has been implemented and tested on measurements from 2D fly wing, 2D mouse mandible and 3D mouse skull data. We use these data to explore possible advantages and disadvantages over the use of standard Procrustes/PCA analysis via a combination of Monte-Carlo studies and quantitative statistical tests. In the process we show how appropriate weighting provides not only greater stability but also more efficient use of the available landmark data. The set of new landmarks generated in our procedure (‘ghost points’) can then be used in any further downstream statistical analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Our approach provides a consistent way of including different forms of landmarks into an analysis and reduces instabilities due to poorly defined points. Our results suggest that the method has the potential to be utilised for the analysis of 2D/3D data, and in particular, for the inclusion of information from surfaces represented by multiple landmark points

Advances in Multidetector CT Diagnosis of Pediatric Pulmonary Thromboembolism

Although pediatric pulmonary thromboembolism is historically believed to be rare with relatively little information available in the medical literature regarding its imaging evaluation, it is more common than previously thought. Thus, it is imperative for radiologists to be aware of the most recent advances in its imaging information, particularly multidetector computed tomography (MDCT), the imaging modality of choice in the pediatric population. The overarching goal of this article is to review the most recent updates on MDCT diagnosis of pediatric pulmonary thromboembolism

Bioarchaeology and burial practices at Capela de Nossa Senhora da Victória (Rio Maior, Portugal)

A team of archaeologists discovered numerous human remains during three seasons of excavations and architectural analysis at Capela de Nossa Senhora da Victória (Our Lady of Victory Chapel) in Rio Maior, Portugal between 1987 and 1989. The earliest excavation in 1987-88 occurred both inside of the standing chapel and outside along the south wall. These initial excavations, directed by Oliveira, Martins, and Pereira, uncovered the foundations of a medieval manor house and a few bones identified as human remains (Oliveira et al., 1989). As Figure 1 illustrates, in 1989 more extensive excavations in front of the Chapel uncovered a small cemetery containing at least seven burials and an ossuary (Oliveira et al., 1990). This report focuses on the osteological analysis of skeletal remains recovered from the excavations at Capela de Nossa Senhora da Victória