Oestrogen-Binding Components in Human Renal Cell Carcinoma

Peer Reviewe

Nonequilibrium properties of strongly correlated artificial atoms - a Green's functions approach

A nonequilibrium Green's functions (NEGF) approach for spatially inhomogeneous, strongly correlated artificial atoms is presented and applied to compute the time-dependent properties while starting from a (correlated) initial few-electron state at finite temperatures. In the regime of moderate to strong coupling, we consider the Kohn mode of a three-electron system in a parabolic confinement excited by a short pulsed classical laser field treated in dipole approximation. In particular, we numerically confirm that this mode is preserved within a conserving (e.g. Hartree-Fock or second Born) theory

Role of material properties and mesostructure on dynamic deformation and shear instability in Al-W granular composites

Dynamic experiments with Al-W granular/porous composites revealed qualitatively different behavior with respect to shear localization depending on bonding between Al particles. Two-dimensional numerical modeling was used to explore the mesomechanics of the large strain dynamic deformation in Al-W granular/porous composites and explain the experimentally observed differences in shear localization between composites with various mesostructures. Specifically, the bonding between the Al particles, the porosity, the roles of the relative particle sizes of Al and W, the arrangements of the W particles, and the material properties of Al were investigated using numerical calculations. It was demonstrated in simulations that the bonding between the "soft" Al particles facilitated shear localization as seen in the experiments. Numerical calculations and experiments revealed that the mechanism of the shear localization in granular composites is mainly due to the local high strain flow of "soft" Al around the "rigid" W particles causing localized damage accumulation and subsequent growth of the meso/macro shear bands/cracks. The "rigid" W particles were the major geometrical factor determining the initiation and propagation of "kinked" shear bands in the matrix of "soft" Al particles, leaving some areas free of extensive plastic deformation as observed in experiments and numerical calculations.Comment: 10 pages, 14 figures, submitted to Journal of Applied Physic

Multiconfigurational time-dependent Hartree-Fock calculations for photoionization of one-dimensional Helium

The multiconfigurational time-dependent Hartree-Fock equations are discussed and solved for a one-dimensional model of the Helium atom. Results for the ground state energy and two-particle density as well as the absorption spectrum are presented and compared to direct solutions of the time-dependent Schroedinger equation.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, 1 tabl

Requirement for specific gravity and creatinine adjustments for urinary steroids and luteinizing hormone concentrations in adolescents

Objectives: Urinary hormone concentrations are often adjusted to correct for hydration status. We aimed to determine whether first morning void urine hormones in growing adolescents require adjustments and, if so, whether urinary creatinine or specific gravity (SG) are better adjustments. Design and Methods: The study population was adolescents aged 10.1 to 14.3 years initially who provided fasting morning blood samples at 0 and 12 months (n=343) and first morning urine every three months (n=644). Unadjusted, creatinine and SG-adjusted hormonal concentrations were compared by Deming regression and Bland-Altman analysis and grouped according to self-rated Tanner stage or chronological age. F-ratios for self-rated Tanner stages and age groups were used to compare unadjusted and adjusted hormonal changes in growing young adolescents. Correlations of paired serum and urinary hormonal concentration of unadjusted and creatinine and SG adjusted were also compared. Results: Fasting first morning void hormone concentrations correlated well and were unbiased between unadjusted or adjusted by either creatinine or SG. Urine creatinine concentration increases with Tanner stages, age and male gender whereas, urine SG was not influenced by Tanner stage, age or gender. Adjustment by creatinine or SG of urinary luteinizing hormone, estradiol, testosterone, dihydrotestosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone concentrations did not improve correlation with paired serum concentrations. Conclusions: Urine steroid and LH concentrations in first morning void samples of adolescents are not significantly influenced by hydration status and may not require adjustments; however, if desired, both creatinine and SG adjustments are equally suitable

Louse-borne relapsing fever (Borrelia recurrentis) diagnosed in 15 refugees from northeast Africa: epidemiology and preventive control measures, Bavaria, Germany, July to October 2015

We report 15 imported louse-borne relapsing fever (LBRF) cases in refugees in Bavaria, Germany. One patient died. Epidemiological findings confirmed that all were young males from the Horn of Africa (12 from Somalia), who had similar migration routes converging in Sudan continuing through Libya and Italy. The majority likely acquired their infection during migration. Healthcare workers should be aware of LBRF in refugees passing through north Africa to ensure correct treatment and preventive measures.</jats:p

Outcomes for Pressure Ulcer Trials (OUTPUTs) project: review and classification of outcomes reported in pressure ulcer prevention research

In order to overcome inconsistencies in the reporting of outcomes in clinical trials, core outcome sets (COSs) have been developed in many clinical areas and the awareness of this concept is growing steadily. The Outcomes for Pressure Ulcer Trials (OUTPUTs) project aims to improve the quality of evidence from pressure ulcer prevention trials by developing a COS. As an initial step in the COS process we aimed to identify and classify both outcomes and concepts that represent potential outcomes for future trials that have been reported in pressure ulcer prevention research. A review was conducted in 12 major databases covering the literature indexed until 2016. Outcomes and relevant concepts reported in primary studies and/or reviews on pressure ulcer prevention in adult patients were extracted as presented in the articles, and afterwards inductively grouped into outcome domains. The domains were then categorized according to the outcome domain taxonomy recently proposed by the COMET group. In total 332 studies were included and 68 outcome domains were identified, covering multiple aspects of pressure ulcer prevention. Pressure ulcer occurrence was reported in 71% of all included studies, representing the most frequent outcome, followed by costs (22% of all studies) and acceptability of intervention and comfort (18% of all studies). A plethora of different outcomes are applied in pressure ulcer prevention research and substantial variations in definitions and reporting of similar outcomes were observed. A COS for pressure ulcer prevention trials is needed to overcome the noncomparability of outcomes

Lesion-symptom mapping corroborates lateralization of verbal and nonverbal memory processes and identifies distributed brain networks responsible for memory dysfunction

Memory disorders are a common consequence of cerebrovascular accident (CVA). However, uncertainties remain about the exact anatomical correlates of memory impairment and the material-specific lateralization of memory function in the brain. We used lesion-symptom mapping (LSM) in patients with first-time CVA to identify which brain structures are pivotal for verbal and nonverbal memory and to re-examine whether verbal and nonverbal memory functions are lateralized processes in the brain. The cognitive performance of a relatively large cohort of 114 patients in five classic episodic memory tests was analysed with factor analysis. Two factors were extracted that distinguished the verbal and nonverbal components of these memory tests, and their scores were subsequently tested for anatomical correlates by combining univariate and multivariate LSM. LSM analysis revealed for the verbal factor exclusively left-hemispheric insular, subcortical and adjacent white matter regions and for the nonverbal factor exclusively right-hemispheric temporal, occipital, insular, subcortical and adjacent white matter structures. These results corroborate the long-standing hypothesis of a material-specific lateralization of memory function in the brain and confirm a robust association between right temporal lobe lesions and nonverbal memory dysfunction. The right-hemispheric correlates for the nonverbal aspects of episodic memory include not only classic memory structures in the medial temporal lobe but also a more distributed network that includes cortical and subcortical structures also known for implicit memory processes

Sperm DNA methylation mediates the association of male age on reproductive outcomes among couples undergoing infertility treatment

Parental age at time of offspring conception is increasing in developed countries. Advanced male age is associated with decreased reproductive success and increased risk of adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes in offspring. Mechanisms for these male age effects remain unclear, but changes in sperm DNA methylation over time is one potential explanation. We assessed genome-wide methylation of sperm DNA from 47 semen samples collected from male participants of couples seeking infertility treatment. We report that higher male age was associated with lower likelihood of fertilization and live birth, and poor embryo development (p \u3c 0.05). Furthermore, our multivariable linear models showed male age was associated with alterations in sperm methylation at 1698 CpGs and 1146 regions (q \u3c 0.05), which were associated with \u3e 750 genes enriched in embryonic development, behavior and neurodevelopment among others. High dimensional mediation analyses identified four genes (DEFB126, TPI1P3, PLCH2 and DLGAP2) with age-related sperm differential methylation that accounted for 64% (95% CI 0.42–0.86%; p \u3c 0.05) of the effect of male age on lower fertilization rate. Our findings from this modest IVF population provide evidence for sperm methylation as a mechanism of age-induced poor reproductive outcomes and identifies possible candidate genes for mediating these effects