High-Definition Optical Coherence Tomography for the in vivo Detection of Demodex Mites

Background: Demodex mites are involved in different skin diseases and are commonly detected by skin scrape tests or superficial biopsies. A new high-definition optical coherence tomography (HD-OCT) with high lateral and axial resolution in a horizontal (en-face) and vertical (slice) imaging mode might offer the possibility of noninvasive and fast in vivo examination of demodex mites. Methods: Twenty patients with demodex-related skin diseases and 20 age- and gender-matched healthy controls were examined by HD-OCT. Mites per follicle and follicles per field of view were counted and compared to skin scrape tests. Results: HD-OCT images depicted mites in the en-face mode as bright round dots in groups of 3-5 mites per hair follicle. In the patients with demodex-related disease, a mean number of 3.4 mites per follicle were detected with a mean number of 2.9 infested follicles per area of view compared to a mean of 0.6 mites in 0.4 infested follicles in the controls. The skin scrape tests were negative in 21% of the patients. Conclusion: The innovative HD-OCT enables fast and noninvasive in vivo recognition of demodex mites and might become a useful tool in the diagnosis and treatment monitoring of demodex-related skin diseases. Copyright (C) 2012 S. Karger AG, Base

Prosociality in business: a human empowerment framework

This study introduces a human empowerment framework to better understand why some businesses are more socially oriented than others in their policies and activities. Building on Welzel’s theory of emancipation, we argue that human empowerment—comprised of four components: action resources, emancipative values, social movement activity, and civic entitlements—enables, motivates, and entitles individuals to pursue social goals for their businesses. Using a sample of over 15,000 entrepreneurs from 43 countries, we report strong empirical evidence for two ecological effects of the framework components on prosociality. We find that human empowerment (1) lifts entrepreneurs’ willingness to choose a social orientation for their business, and (2) reinforces the gender effect on prosociality in business activity. We discuss the human empowerment framework’s added value in understanding how modernization processes fully leverage the potential of social business activities for societies

Capecitabine plus oxaliplatin as first-line treatment in patients with advanced biliary system adenocarcinoma: a prospective multicentre phase II trial

This prospective multicentre phase II study characterises the toxicity and activity of first-line capecitabine and oxaliplatin combination therapy (CAPOX) in advanced biliary system adenocarcinomas. Patients received oxaliplatin (130 mg m−2, day 1) plus capecitabine (1000 mg m−2 b.i.d., days 1–14) every 3 weeks. Patients were stratified prospectively into two groups based on location of the primary (gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) or extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ECC) versus intrahepatic mass-forming type cholangiocarcinoma (ICC)). Sixty-five patients were evaluable. The response rate in 47 patients with GBC/ECC was 27% (4% complete responses), and in 23 patients (49%) stable disease (SD) was encountered. In 18 patients with ICC, we observed no objective responses, but 6 patients (33%) had SD. Median survival was 12.8 months (95% CI, 10.0–15.6) for patients with GBC or ECC (GBC: 8.2 months; 95% CI, 4.3–11.7; ECC: 16.8 months; 95% CI, 12.7–20.5), and 5.2 months (95% CI, 0.6–9.8) for ICC patients. In both cohorts, therapy was well tolerated. The most common grade 3–4 toxicity was peripheral sensory neuropathy (11 patients). Our data suggest that the CAPOX regimen is a well-tolerated and active treatment option for advanced ECC and GBC but might produce poorer results for ICC