BRIP-1 germline mutation and its role in colon cancer: presentation of two case reports and review of literature.

BackgroundHereditary colon cancer is characterized by the inheritance of an abnormal gene mutation which predisposes to malignancy. Recent advances in genomic medicine have identified mutations in "novel" genes as conferring an increased risk of colorectal cancer. Mutations in the BRIP1 gene (BRCA1 Interacting Protein C- terminal helicase 1) are known to increase the risk of ovarian and breast cancers, but this genes association with colon cancer has not been previously reported.Case presentationWe describe two patients with colon cancer whose tumor tissue were found to harbor BRIP1 mutations on analysis by next-generation sequencing. These patients were confirmed by analysis of lymphocytes to carry the mutation in the germline as well.ConclusionsThese case reports highlight a previously unreported association of BRIP1 germline mutations with colon cancer predisposition

A pH Sensor for Non-Invasive Detection and Monitoring of pH Changes During Implant-Associated Infection Using X-ray Excited Luminescence Chemical Imaging

Implant-associated infection is a leading cause of fixation failures and these infections are resistant to antibiotics especially after mature biofilms have been established on the implant surface. These infections can also be challenging to detect, especially at early stages or during antibiotic treatment, due to lack of symptoms and specific tests to detect localized infection. Low pH is believed to be associated with infection as bacteria and inflammatory responses can cause a pH drop in the affected area. Detecting changes in pH on the implant surface can provide a better understanding and help to detect, treat and monitor such infections more effectively thereby reducing the need for revision surgeries. We developed a novel X-ray Excited Luminescence Chemical Imaging (XELCI) technique to measure surface specific chemical concentrations with sub-millimeter spatial resolution. A focused X-ray beam (~0.3 mm) passes through tissue and irradiates scintillators coated on an orthopedic implant; these scintillators generate visible and near infrared light which is partially absorbed by a pH indicator film (e.g., bromocresol green or bromothymol blue pH dye encapsulated in a PEG hydrogel) altering the luminescence spectrum in a pH-dependent manner. Images are acquired by scanning the beam point-by-point and measuring the spectrum at each point. We developed, synthesized and tested pH indicator films and measured the signal intensity, noise level, and knife-edge spatial resolution through varying thicknesses of chicken breast tissue and through 11 mm of human cadaveric tissue in a tibial fixation specimen. For example, we observed a knife-edge (80/20) spatial resolution of ~0.5 mm through up to 1 cm of tissue and an average pH noise level of 0.25 ±0.05 pH units. We also implanted the pH sensor in rabbits to image pH during infection. The in vivo studies found that the sensors continued to function well for the 11-day experiments. During infection, the pH did not significantly drop compared to uninfected implants on opposite legs (\u3c0.5 pH unit change). For sensors that were initially acidic and infected, the pH neutralized in time, and this neutralization could be delayed by enclosing the implant in cavity with a 1 mm aperture to slow perfusion and diffusion. These studies show applicability provide useful insight into the pH changes that occur on implant surface during infection and can have important implications for antibiotic treatments. Future directions include improving the collection efficiency, adding an X-ray chopper to measure background signal and luminescence lifetime, scanning scintillator nanoparticles in three dimensions for tomography, detecting additional analytes, and studying pH changes on the device surface during infection followed by antibiotic treatment in animal models and to develop a model for pH changes during osteomyelitis

Law Done Backwards: The Tightening Of Civil And Loosening Of Criminal Protections

This article shows how protections for civil defendants arguably exceed protections for criminal defendants, and considers some constitutional and practical implications of this ongoing shift

Sugar and water in Pakistan

Following the release of a government report on the trade of sugar in Pakistan and its links to corruption, Uzair Sattar (Research Intern, Wilson Center, Washington D.C.) argues how the report’s almost-complete exclusion of water showcases negligence towards Pakistan’s existential water crisis

Fabrication and characterization of silicon nitride thin film planar waveguides produced by RF magnetron sputtering technique

Silicon nitride based planar waveguides play an important role in biosensing applications. Conventional fabrication of silicon nitride waveguides utilizes the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technologies. Silicon nitride waveguide abrication through magnetron sputtering is still unexplored and a few literatures are available only on microelectronic and optoelectronic applications. In current study, the silicon nitride thin film planar waveguides were fabricated on SiO2 coated silicon substrates by RF magnetron sputtering technique. Sputtering power, sputtering pressure and target to substrate distance was varied from 100 to 300 W, 5 to 15 mTorr and 8 to 14 cm respectively to investigate the influence of sputtering parameters on film properties. The deposited films were characterized with FESEM, AFM and surface profile to observe the surface morphology. The structure and composition of deposited thin films were characterized with XRD and EDX spectroscopy techniques respectively. Optical properties such as refractive index and optical transmission were investigated through spectral reflectance and UV-VIS spectroscopy techniques respectively. After a detailed analysis, suitable sputtering parameters were selected as sputtering power 300 W, sputtering pressure 5 mTorr and target to substrate distance 14 cm to fabricate the asymmetric planar waveguide. The purpose of this fabrication was to investigate the optical propagation and to measure the propagation loss using prism coupling technique. The optical properties and thickness was determined first using spectroscopic ellipsometry technique. The thickness of waveguide was intended to greater than 400 nm as a requirement of prism coupling technique. The fabricated waveguide demonstrated a successful propagation of light at wavelength, λ = 448 nm and 633 nm. The estimated loss at 633 nm was 20 – 25 db/cm. This study supports the possibility of producing silicon nitride thin film planar waveguides by RF magnetron sputtering techniqu

Vehicular Wireless Communication Standards: Challenges and Comparison

Autonomous vehicles (AVs) are the future of mobility. Safe and reliable AVs are required for widespread adoption by a community which is only possible if these AVs can communicate with each other & with other entities in a highly efficient way. AVs require ultra-reliable communications for safety-critical applications to ensure safe driving. Existing vehicular communication standards, i.e., IEEE 802.11p (DSRC), ITS-G5, & LTE, etc., do not meet the requirements of high throughput, ultra-high reliability, and ultra-low latency along with other issues. To address these challenges, IEEE 802.11bd & 5G NR-V2X standards provide more efficient and reliable communication, however, these standards are in the developing stage. Existing literature generally discusses the features of these standards only and does not discuss the drawbacks. Similarly, existing literature does not discuss the comparison between these standards or discusses a comparison between any two standards only. However, this work comprehensively describes different issues/challenges faced by these standards. This work also comprehensively provides a comparison among these standards along with their salient features. The work also describes spectrum management issues comprehensively, i.e., interoperability issues, co-existence with Wi-Fi, etc. The work also describes different other issues comprehensively along with recommendations. The work describes that 802.11bd and 5G NR are the two potential future standards for efficient vehicle communications; however, these standards must be able to provide backward compatibility, interoperability, and co-existence with current and previous standards