Experimental validation of specificity of the squamous cell carcinoma antigen-immunoglobulin M (SCCA-IgM) assay in patients with cirrhosis

Background: Squamous cell carcinoma antigen-immunoglobulin M (SCCA-IgM) is a useful biomarker for the risk of development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with cirrhosis due to its progressive increase associated to HCC evolution. In patients with cirrhosis, other assays have been affected by interfering reactivities of IgM. In this study, the analytical specificity of the SCCA-IgM assay was assessed by evaluating SCCA-IgM measurement dependence on different capture phases, and by measuring the recovery of SCCA-IgM reactivity following serum fractionation. Methods: Serum samples from 82 patients with cirrhosis were analyzed. SCCA-IgM was measured using the reference test (Hepa-IC, Xeptagen, Italy) that is based on rabbit oligoclonal anti-squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCCA) and a dedicated ELISA with a mouse monoclonal anti-SCCA as the capture antibody. Results: SCCA-IgM concentrations measured with the reference assay (median value=87 AU/mL) were higher than those measured with the mouse monoclonal test (median value=78 AU/mL). However, the differences in the SCCA-IgM distribution were not statistically significant (p>0.05). When SCCA-IgM concentrations measured with both tests were compared, a linear correlation was found (r=0.77, p<0.05). Fractionation of the most reactive sera by gel-filtration chromatography showed that total recovery of SCCA-IgM reactivity was seen only in the fractions corresponding to components with a molecular weight higher than IgM and SCCA (>2000 kDa) with both tests. Conclusions: The equivalence of both SCCA-IgM assays and the absence of reactivity not related to immune complexes support the analytical specificity of SCCA-IgM measurements. The results validate the assessment of SCCA-IgM for prognostic purposes in patients with cirrhosis. Clin Chem Lab Med 2010;48:217–23.Peer Reviewe

Central Pathology Review in SENTIX, a Prospective Observational International Study on Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy in Patients with Early-Stage Cervical Cancer (ENGOT-CX2)

The quality of pathological assessment is crucial for the safety of patients with cervical cancer if pelvic lymph node dissection is to be replaced by sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy. Central pathology review of SLN pathological ultrastaging was conducted in the prospective SENTIX/European Network of Gynaecological Oncological Trial (ENGOT)-CX2 study. All specimens from at least two patients per site were submitted for the central review. For cases with major or critical deviations, the sites were requested to submit all samples from all additional patients for second-round assessment. From the group of 300 patients, samples from 83 cases from 37 sites were reviewed in the first round. Minor, major, critical, and no deviations were identified in 28%, 19%, 14%, and 39% of cases, respectively. Samples from 26 patients were submitted for the second-round review, with only two major deviations found. In conclusion, a high rate of major or critical deviations was identified in the first round of the central pathology review (28% of samples). This reflects a substantial heterogeneity in current practice, despite trial protocol requirements. The importance of the central review conducted prospectively at the early phase of the trial is demonstrated by a substantial improvement of SLN ultrastaging quality in the second-round review

PESFOR-W: Improving the design and environmental effectiveness of woodlands for water Payments for Ecosystem Services

ABSTRACT: The EU Water Framework Directive aims to ensure restoration of Europe?s water bodies to ?good ecological status? by 2027. Many Member States will struggle to meet this target, with around half of EU river catchments currently reporting below standard water quality. Diffuse pollution from agriculture represents a major pressure, affecting over 90% of river basins. Accumulating evidence shows that recent improvements to agricultural practices are benefiting water quality but in many cases will be insufficient to achieve WFD objectives. There is growing support for land use change to help bridge the gap, with a particular focus on targeted tree planting to intercept and reduce the delivery of diffuse pollutants to water. This form of integrated catchment management offers multiple benefits to society but a significant cost to landowners and managers. New economic instruments, in combination with spatial targeting, need to be developed to ensure cost effective solutions - including tree planting for water benefits - are realised. Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) are flexible, incentive-based mechanisms that could play an important role in promoting land use change to deliver water quality targets. The PESFOR-W COST Action will consolidate learning from existing woodlands for water PES schemes in Europe and help standardize approaches to evaluating the environmental effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of woodland measures. It will also create a European network through which PES schemes can be facilitated, extended and improved, for example by incorporating other ecosystem services linking with aims of the wider forestscarbon policy nexus

DIMENSIONAL VERIFICATION AND QUALITY CONTROL OF IMPLANTS PRODUCED BY ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING

<p>Purpose: Development of computer technology and alternative manufacturing methods in form of additive manufacturing leads to the manufacture of products with complex shapes. In the field of medicine they include, inter alia, custom-made implants manufactured for a particular patient, such as cranial implants, maxillofacial implants, etc. With regard to the fact that such implants are inserted into a patient’s body, it is necessary to perform the verification, including the shape and dimensional verification. The article deals with the application of the industrial computer tomography within the process of inspection and verification of selected custom-made implant types.Methodology/Approach: The Department of Biomedical Engineering and Measurement performs the verification of medicinal products manufactured by the additive manufacturing technologies from the Ti-6Al-4V (Grade 5) titanium alloy, using the coordinate measuring machine Carl Zeiss Contura G2 and the industrial computed tomography machine Carl Zeiss Metrotom 1500. These equipment fulfil the requirements for the identification and evaluation of dimensions of both, the external and the internal structures. Findings: The article presents the possibilities of the computed tomography utilisation in the inspection of individual implant manufacture using the additive manufacturing technologies. The results indicate that with the adjustment of appropriate input parameters (alignment), this technology is appropriate for the analysis of shape deviations, when compared with the CAD model.Research Limitation/implication: With the increasing distance of measured object from X-ray source, the machine’s resolution function decreases. Decreasing of resolution has a minor impact on the measured dimensions (relatively high tolerances), but has a significant impact on the evaluation of porosity and inclusions. Originality/Value of paper: Currently, the verification of a manufactured implant  can be carried out using 3D scanners and the industrial computed tomography. The use of 3D scanners is appropriate for the shape inspection, for example the shape of an implant’s outer surface. The computed tomography is the only method for evaluation of shape deviations, defectoscopy and dimensional analysis in one measurement.</p

MEASURING SYSTEMATIC RISK OF UNQUOTED AGRICULTURAL FARMS

In this paper we estimate systematic risk of the Slovak unquoted agricultural farms – agricultural cooperatives and companies, in the period of 2009-2012. An alternative Markowitz portfolio theory approach was applied. As a measure of the systematic risk, we used return on equity (ROE). Based on the dataset of 996 farms over years 2009-2012, the Slovak farm average ROE reached 0.048% and systematic risk 3%. The Slovak agricultural farms displayed low profitability. The average ROE was higher and systematic risk indicator was lower for agricultural companies than for agricultural production cooperatives. Thus the agricultural companies could be more attractive for investors

Differences in ability of selected amaranth cultivars to accumulate risky metals / Zróżnicowana zdolność wybranych odmian szarłatu (Amaranhtus) do pobierania i akumulacji metali ciężkich z gleb

Celem przeprowadzonych badań było porównanie stopnia akumulacji metali ciężkich (mogących stanowić ryzyko dla zdrowia ludzi) przez nasiona i biomasę pięciu wybranych odmian uprawnych szarłatu (Golden Giant, Rawa, Annapurna, Oscar Blanco, Koniz). Celem pracy była także ocena zależności pobierania metali ciężkich: gleba-roślina. Stwierdzono, że badane gleby były zanieczyszczone Cd i Pb, których zawartość przekraczała odpowiednio 40% i 10% zawartości wyjściowej oznaczonej w ekstrakcie wody królewskiej i NH4NO. W nasionach Szarłatu wszystkich badanych odmian zawartość Cd i Pb przekraczały dozwolone zawartości tych pierwiastków odpowiednio o 60--100% i 25--200%. W częściach nadziemnych szarłatu zawartość badanych metali była średnio 0,17-12,25 krotnie wyższa niż w nasionach badanych roślin. Na podstawie otrzymanych wyników stwierdzono, że nasiona oraz liście szarłatu wykorzystywane na cele żywnościowe mogą stanowić zagrożenie dla zdrowia konsumentów, wynikające z wysokich zawartości Cd i Pb. Szarłat posiadając dużą zdolność akumulacji Cd i Pb, poprzez wytwarzanie obfitej biomasy roślinnej może być wykorzystany w celu fitoremediacji gleb. Wyniki potwierdziły zdolność do akumulacji metali ciężkich przez różne odmiany szarłatu nawet z terenów uznawanych za niezanieczyszczon

Differences in ability of selected amaranth cultivars to accumulate risky metals / Zróżnicowana zdolność wybranych odmian szarłatu (Amaranhtus) do pobierania i akumulacji metali ciężkich z gleb

Celem przeprowadzonych badań było porównanie stopnia akumulacji metali ciężkich (mogących stanowić ryzyko dla zdrowia ludzi) przez nasiona i biomasę pięciu wybranych odmian uprawnych szarłatu (Golden Giant, Rawa, Annapurna, Oscar Blanco, Koniz). Celem pracy była także ocena zależności pobierania metali ciężkich: gleba-roślina. Stwierdzono, że badane gleby były zanieczyszczone Cd i Pb, których zawartość przekraczała odpowiednio 40% i 10% zawartości wyjściowej oznaczonej w ekstrakcie wody królewskiej i NH4NO. W nasionach Szarłatu wszystkich badanych odmian zawartość Cd i Pb przekraczały dozwolone zawartości tych pierwiastków odpowiednio o 60--100% i 25--200%. W częściach nadziemnych szarłatu zawartość badanych metali była średnio 0,17-12,25 krotnie wyższa niż w nasionach badanych roślin. Na podstawie otrzymanych wyników stwierdzono, że nasiona oraz liście szarłatu wykorzystywane na cele żywnościowe mogą stanowić zagrożenie dla zdrowia konsumentów, wynikające z wysokich zawartości Cd i Pb. Szarłat posiadając dużą zdolność akumulacji Cd i Pb, poprzez wytwarzanie obfitej biomasy roślinnej może być wykorzystany w celu fitoremediacji gleb. Wyniki potwierdziły zdolność do akumulacji metali ciężkich przez różne odmiany szarłatu nawet z terenów uznawanych za niezanieczyszczon

Size and shape matter! A multiscale molecular simulation approach to polymer nanocomposites

Multiscale molecular modelling (MsM) techniques are applied in many fields of material science, but it is particularly important in the polymer field, due to the wide range of phenomena occurring at different scales which influence the ultimate properties of the materials. In this context, MsM plays a crucial role in the design of new materials whose properties are influenced by the structure at the nanoscale. In this work we present the application of a multiscale molecular modelling procedure to characterize a different set of polymer-based nanocomposites (PNCs) obtained with full/partial dispersion of different nanofillers in different polymeric matrices. This approach relies on a step-by step message-passing technique from atomistic to mesoscale to finite element level, and the calculated results are compared to available experimental evidence. In detail, 13 PNC systems have been studied by different molecular modelling methods, such as atomistic molecular mechanics and molecular dynamics, mesoscale dissipative particles dynamics, and macroscale finite element methods, and their mechanical, thermal and barrier properties have been predicted in agreement with the available experimental data

Size and shape matter! a multiscale molecular simulation approach to polymer nanocomposites

Multiscale molecular modelling (MsM) techniques are applied in many fields of material science, but it is particularly important in the polymer field, due to the wide range of phenomena occurring at different scales which influence the ultimate properties of the materials. In this context, MsM plays a crucial role in the design of new materials whose properties are influenced by the structure at the nanoscale. In this work we present the application of a multiscale molecular modelling procedure to characterize a different set of polymer-based nanocomposites (PNCs) obtained with full/partial dispersion of different nanofillers in different polymeric matrices. This approach relies on a step-by step message-passing technique from atomistic to mesoscale to finite element level, and the calculated results are compared to available experimental evidence. In detail, 13 PNC systems have been studied by different molecular modelling methods, such as atomistic molecular mechanics and molecular dynamics, mesoscale dissipative particles dynamics, and macroscale finite element methods, and their mechanical, thermal and barrier properties have been predicted in agreement with the available experimental data.All authors gratefully acknowledge the generous financial support to their work received in the framework of the 6th European Commission Framework Program Integrated Project "MultiHybrids'' (grant 026685-2IP). DRN also wishes to acknowledge the financial support from CONACYT Mexico (grant no. 146624)