Factors related to employment in childhood cancer survivors in Japan: A preliminary study

PurposePrevious research has revealed vocational and academic difficulties in childhood cancer survivors, and explored impact of survivors' medical history and physical function on vocational and academic status. However, we often encounter survivors with similar diagnoses and late effects but different academic or employment statuses. This raises the question of what affects academic attainment and employment other than treatment or late effects. This study aimed to explore factors associated with childhood cancer survivors' employment status and academic achievement.MethodsComprehensive health check-up and questionnaire survey were conducted for 69 survivors who were over the age of 18 and participated in St. Luke's Lifetime cohort study. We obtained survivors' biological function using comprehensive health check-up, neurocognitive states, quality of life, transition readiness, and family function. We conducted univariate analysis (Mann–Whitney U tests or chi-square tests) to compare the differences between the regular workers/students and non-regular workers/unemployed groups. The variables with p-values <0.1 were used as independent variables multivariate logistic regression to explore predictors of employment status and academic attainment.ResultsResult of the univariate analysis, intelligence quotient, SF-8 PCS, transition readiness, family function were used for multivariate logistic regression as independent variables. The stepwise likelihood method was conducted; intelligence quotient (odds ratio [OR] = 1.100; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.015–1.193; p = 0.021), transition readiness (OR = 0.612; 95% CI 0.396–0.974; p = 0.038), and family function (OR = 2.337; 95% CI 1.175–4.645; p = 0.015) were found to be associated with survivors' regular workers/students in the final regression model.ConclusionLong-term follow-up of pediatric cancer survivors requires the provision of total care, which supports physical, psychological, and social functions to improve health, readiness for transition to self-management, and family functioning

Infection risk in hemodialysis patient

Chronic care patients undergoing hemodialysis for treatment of end-stage renal failure experience higher rates of bloodstream-associated infection due to the patients' compromised immune system and management of the bloodstream through catheters. Staphylococcus species are a common cause of hemodialysis catheter-related bloodstream infections. We investigated environmental bacterial contamination of dialysis wards and contamination of hemodialysis devices to determine the source of bacteria for these infections. All bacterial samples were collected by the swab method and the agarose stamp method. And which bacterium were identified by BBL CRYSTAL Kit or 16s rRNA sequences. In our data, bacterial cell number of hemodialysis device was lower than environment of patient surrounds. But Staphylococcus spp. were found predominantly on the hemodialysis device (46.8%), especially on areas frequently touched by healthcare-workers (such as Touch screen). Among Staphylococcus spp., Staphylococcus epidermidis was most frequently observed (42.1% of Staphylococcus spp.), and more surprising, 48.2% of the Staphylococcus spp. indicated high resistance for methicillin. Our finding suggests that hemodialysis device highly contaminated with bloodstream infection associated bacteria. This study can be used as a source to assess the risk of contamination-related infection and to develop the cleaning system for the better prevention for bloodstream infections in patients with hemodialysis

DsTau: Study of tau neutrino production with 400 GeV protons from the CERN-SPS

In the DsTau experiment at the CERN SPS, an independent and direct way to measure tau neutrino production following high energy proton interactions was proposed. As the main source of tau neutrinos is a decay of Ds mesons, produced in proton-nucleus interactions, the project aims at measuring a differential cross section of this reaction. The experimental method is based on a use of high resolution emulsion detectors for effective registration of events with short lived particle decays. Here we present the motivation of the study, details of the experimental technique, and the first results of the analysis of the data collected during test runs, which prove feasibility of the full scale study of the process in future

High-resolution label-free 3D mapping of extracellular pH of single living cells

Abstract: Dynamic mapping of extracellular pH (pHe) at the single-cell level is critical for understanding the role of H+ in cellular and subcellular processes, with particular importance in cancer. While several pHe sensing techniques have been developed, accessing this information at the single-cell level requires improvement in sensitivity, spatial and temporal resolution. We report on a zwitterionic label-free pH nanoprobe that addresses these long-standing challenges. The probe has a sensitivity > 0.01 units, 2 ms response time, and 50 nm spatial resolution. The platform was integrated into a double-barrel nanoprobe combining pH sensing with feedback-controlled distance dependance via Scanning Ion Conductance Microscopy. This allows for the simultaneous 3D topographical imaging and pHe monitoring of living cancer cells. These classes of nanoprobes were used for real-time high spatiotemporal resolution pHe mapping at the subcellular level and revealed tumour heterogeneity of the peri-cellular environments of melanoma and breast cancer cells

25th annual computational neuroscience meeting: CNS-2016

The same neuron may play different functional roles in the neural circuits to which it belongs. For example, neurons in the Tritonia pedal ganglia may participate in variable phases of the swim motor rhythms [1]. While such neuronal functional variability is likely to play a major role the delivery of the functionality of neural systems, it is difficult to study it in most nervous systems. We work on the pyloric rhythm network of the crustacean stomatogastric ganglion (STG) [2]. Typically network models of the STG treat neurons of the same functional type as a single model neuron (e.g. PD neurons), assuming the same conductance parameters for these neurons and implying their synchronous firing [3, 4]. However, simultaneous recording of PD neurons shows differences between the timings of spikes of these neurons. This may indicate functional variability of these neurons. Here we modelled separately the two PD neurons of the STG in a multi-neuron model of the pyloric network. Our neuron models comply with known correlations between conductance parameters of ionic currents. Our results reproduce the experimental finding of increasing spike time distance between spikes originating from the two model PD neurons during their synchronised burst phase. The PD neuron with the larger calcium conductance generates its spikes before the other PD neuron. Larger potassium conductance values in the follower neuron imply longer delays between spikes, see Fig. 17.Neuromodulators change the conductance parameters of neurons and maintain the ratios of these parameters [5]. Our results show that such changes may shift the individual contribution of two PD neurons to the PD-phase of the pyloric rhythm altering their functionality within this rhythm. Our work paves the way towards an accessible experimental and computational framework for the analysis of the mechanisms and impact of functional variability of neurons within the neural circuits to which they belong

Tristan Corbière: o sujeito poético e a busca por uma identidade

Ce travail a pour objectif de caractériser l’oeuvre Les amours jaunes, de Tristan Corbière, a partir de théories sur la modernité esthétique fin de siècle. Les mouvements qui enchaînent les questionnements de base pour la formation de la pensée identitaire du sujet poétique moderne, comme le Romantisme, le Décadentisme et le Symbolisme ont été abordés à mesure qu’ils concouraient pour la compréhension des textes corbiériens. Nous avons cherché à étudier les motifs récurrent et le langage courant qui montrent la préoccupation de repenser le rôle du genre lyrique en tant que progrès matériel accentué, et ces questionnements par rapport à la poésie assument une connotation plus individualiste et finissent par reveler une inquiétude relativement à la conception du sujet lyrique elle-même. Le nihilisme caractéristique de l’époque ne cache pas la possibilité d’établir une raison d’existence à travers l’art, car le dilettantisme et l’esthétisme revèlent une nouvelle acception de l’identité, ordinaire au XXe siècle, mais qui avait été pensée depuis le siècle antérieur. La quête d’une identité s’oppose à l’impossibilité de la formulation des vérités uniques, ainsi le sujet poétique moderne garde toujours avec une allure fragmentaire, quand même perceptible à travers ses textesO presente trabalho tem por objetivo caracterizar a obra Les amours jaunes, de Tristan Corbière, a partir de teorias sobre a modernidade estética fin de siècle. Os movimentos que encerram em si os questionamentos basilares para a formação do pensamento identitário do sujeito poético moderno, como Romantismo, Decadentismo e Simbolismo foram abordados à medida que contribuíam para a compreensão dos textos corbierianos. Buscamos estudar os motivos recorrentes e a linguagem coloquial que demonstram uma preocupação em repensar o papel da lírica em tempos de acentuado progresso material. Esses questionamentos com relação à poesia assumem uma conotação mais individualizante e terminam por revelar uma inquietação quanto à própria concepção do sujeito lírico. O niilismo característico da época não esconde a possibilidade de estabelecer uma razão de existência através da arte, e assim, o diletantismo e o esteticismo revelam uma nova acepção de identidade, comum no século XX, mas que vinha sendo pensada desde o século anterior. A busca por uma identidade contrapõe-se à inviabilidade do estabelecimento de verdades unas, logo, o sujeito poético moderno permance sempre com um aspecto fragmentário, entretanto, perceptível através de seus textosCoordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES