Influence of primary and secondary prevention indications on anxiety about the implantable cardioverter-defibrillator

AbstractBackgroundImplantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) have been established for primary and secondary prevention of fatal arrhythmias. However, little is known about the influence of ICD indications on quality of life (QOL) and psychological disturbances. This study aimed to examine whether there were differences in QOL and psychological distress in patients that have an ICD for primary or secondary prevention of fatal arrhythmias.MethodsA multicenter survey of 179 consecutive outpatients (29.1% primary prevention) with ICD implantations completed the Short Form-8 (SF-8), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and Worries about ICD (WAICD).ResultsPatients with an ICD for primary prevention had a higher trait anxiety score and worries about ICD score than patients with an ICD for secondary prevention (41.7±12.4 vs. 34.7±12.3, p=0.001 and 39.6±18.0 vs. 30.0±18.9, p=0.002, respectively), even after adjusting for demographic and clinical characteristics. In multivariable analysis of variance, primary prevention ICD recipients reported a poorer QOL on the vitality subscale of the SF-8.ConclusionsIn our study population, which mostly consisted of New York Heart Association (NYHA) class I and II subjects, primary prevention ICD recipients were more prone to experience worries about their ICD, anxiety, and a poorer QOL compared to secondary prevention ICD recipients. In clinical practice, primary prevention ICD patients should be closely monitored. If warranted, they should be offered psychological intervention, as anxiety and low QOL were predictors of mortality

A new cancer diagnostic system based on a CDK profiling technology

AbstractA series of molecular pathological investigations of the molecules that stimulate the cyclin dependent kinases (CDK1, 2, 4, and 6) have led to enormous accumulation of knowledge of the clinical significance of these molecules for cancer diagnosis. However, the molecules have yet to be applied to clinical cancer diagnosis, as there is no available technology for application of the knowledge in a clinical setting. We hypothesized that the direct measurement of CDK activities and expressions (CDK profiling) might produce clinically relevant values for the diagnosis. This study investigated the clinical relevance of CDK profiling in gastrointestinal carcinoma tissues by using originally developed expression and activity analysis methods. We have established novel methods and an apparatus for analyzing the expression and activities of the CDK molecules in lysate of tumor tissue in a clinical setting, and examined 30 surgically dissected gastrointestinal carcinomas and corresponding normal mucosal specimens. We demonstrate here that remarkably elevated CDK2 activity is evident in more than 70% of carcinoma tissues. Moreover, a G1-CDK activity profiling accurately mirrored the differences in proliferation between tumor and normal colonic tissues. Our results suggest that CDK profiling is a potent molecular–clinical approach to complement the conventional pathological diagnosis, and to further assist in the individualized medications

DEP-On-Go for Simultaneous Sensing of Multiple Heavy Metals Pollutants in Environmental Samples

We describe a simple and affordable “Disposable electrode printed (DEP)-On-Go” sensing platform for the rapid on-site monitoring of trace heavy metal pollutants in environmental samples for early warning by developing a mobile electrochemical device composed of palm-sized potentiostat and disposable unmodified screen-printed electrode chips. We present the analytical performance of our device for the sensitive detection of major heavy metal ions, namely, mercury, cadmium, lead, arsenic, zinc, and copper with detection limits of 1.5, 2.6, 4.0, 5.0, 14.4, and, 15.5 μg·L−1, respectively. Importantly, the utility of this device is extended to detect multiple heavy metals simultaneously with well-defined voltammograms and similar sensitivity. Finally, “DEP-On-Go” was successfully applied to detect heavy metals in real environmental samples from groundwater, tap water, house dust, soil, and industry-processed rice and noodle foods. We evaluated the efficiency of this system with a linear correlation through inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, and the results suggested that this system can be reliable for on-site screening purposes. On-field applications using real samples of groundwater for drinking in the northern parts of India support the easy-to-detect, low-cost (<1 USD), rapid (within 5 min), and reliable detection limit (ppb levels) performance of our device for the on-site detection and monitoring of multiple heavy metals in resource-limited settings

Prognostic value of FoxP3 and CTLA-4 expression in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND:Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes include tumor-reactive lymphocytes and regulatory T-cells. However, the prognostic value of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remains unclear. METHODS:We used immunohistochemistry to evaluate the presence of tumor-infiltrating FoxP3⁺ T-cells and CTLA-4⁺ cells in four distinct histological compartments (tumor parenchyma and stroma at the tumor center, and parenchyma and stroma at the invasive front) and assessed the association between the prevalence of these cells and the histopathological status of 137 patients with OSCC. RESULTS:Five-year overall survival, disease-specific survival, and recurrence-free survival were favorable in patients with high numbers of FoxP3⁺ T-cells in the parenchyma of the invasive front. Recurrence-free survival and metastasis-free survival were decreased in patients with high numbers of CTLA-4⁺ cells in the parenchyma of the invasive front. CONCLUSIONS:The presence of FoxP3⁺ T-cells in the parenchyma of the invasive front may be a useful prognostic factor. Our results indicate that FoxP3⁺ T-cells may exert site-specific anti-tumor effects but may not play an immunosuppressive role in OSCC. In addition, our results suggest that CTLA-4+ cells suppress the function of FoxP3+ T-cells and promote anti-tumor immunity in OSCC

Prognostic value of HLA classⅠexpression in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma

本研究では，口腔扁平上皮癌におけるHLA class Ⅰの発現について免疫組織化学染色により評価し,予後予測因子としての有用性について検討した．その結果，口腔扁平上皮癌において腫瘍浸潤先端部のHLA class Ⅰの発現レベルは有用な予後予測因子となり得ることが明らかとなり，免疫逃避機構の解明だけでなく，今後のより有効な免疫療法の開発につながるものと考えられた

Management of Residual Hearing with Cartilage Conduction Hearing Aid after Lateral Temporal Bone Resection: Our Institutional Experience

Background: There is no guideline for hearing compensation after temporal bone resection. This study aimed to retrospectively analyze surgical cases with reconstruction for hearing preservation after temporal bone malignancy resection and propose a new alternative to compensate for hearing loss. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 30 patients who underwent lateral temporal bone surgery for temporal bone malignancy at our institution and examined their hearing abilities after surgery. Result: The hearing outcomes of patients with an external auditory meatus reconstruction varied widely. The mean postoperative air–bone gap at 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kHz ranged from 22.5 dB to 71.25 dB. On the other hand, the average difference between the aided sound field thresholds with cartilage conduction hearing aid and bone conduction thresholds at 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kHz ranged from −3.75 to 41.25. More closely located auricular cartilage and temporal bone resulted in smaller differences between the aided sound field and bone conduction thresholds. Conclusions: There is still room for improvement of surgical techniques for reconstruction of the auditory meatus to preserve hearing after temporal bone resection. The cartilage conduction hearing aid may provide non-invasive postoperative hearing compensation after lateral temporal bone resection