Diagnostic accuracy of autofluorescence-Raman spectroscopy for surgical margin assessment during Mohs micrographic surgery of basal cell carcinoma

Autofluorescence (AF)-Raman spectroscopy has been shown to identify residual basal cell carcinoma (BCC) on frozen skin specimens and fresh skin specimens immediately after excision by Mohs surgery. This first diagnostic test of accuracy of AF-Raman on 130 full-face Mohs tissue layers (130 patients) shows that with improvement in tissue processing, the AF-Raman instrument is viable technique for intra-operative assessment of surgical margins

The Trypanosoma cruzi Satellite DNA OligoC-TesT and Trypanosoma cruzi Kinetoplast DNA OligoC-TesT for Diagnosis of Chagas Disease: A Multi-cohort Comparative Evaluation Study

Background:The Trypanosoma cruzi satellite DNA (satDNA) OligoC-TesT is a standardised PCR format for diagnosis of Chagas disease. The sensitivity of the test is lower for discrete typing unit (DTU) TcI than for TcII-VI and the test has not been evaluated in chronic Chagas disease patients.Methodology/Principal Findings:We developed a new prototype of the OligoC-TesT based on kinetoplast DNA (kDNA) detection. We evaluated the satDNA and kDNA OligoC-TesTs in a multi-cohort study with 187 chronic Chagas patients and 88 healthy endemic controls recruited in Argentina, Chile and Spain and 26 diseased non-endemic controls from D.R. Congo and Sudan. All specimens were tested in duplicate. The overall specificity in the controls was 99.1% (95% CI 95.2%-99.8%) for the satDNA OligoC-TesT and 97.4% (95% CI 92.6%-99.1%) for the kDNA OligoC-TesT. The overall sensitivity in the patients was 67.9% (95% CI 60.9%-74.2%) for the satDNA OligoC-TesT and 79.1% (95% CI 72.8%-84.4%) for the kDNA OligoC-Test.Conclusions/Significance:Specificities of the two T. cruzi OligoC-TesT prototypes are high on non-endemic and endemic controls. Sensitivities are moderate but significantly (p = 0.0004) higher for the kDNA OligoC-TesT compared to the satDNA OligoC-TesT. © 2014 De Winne et al.European Commission Seventh Framework ProgrammePeer Reviewe

Configurations of Business Founder Resources, Strategy and Environment Determining New Venture Performance

status: publishe

Configurations of business founder resources, strategy, and environment determining new venture performance

International audienceWe advance a configurational perspective that assumes a new venture’s performance, operationalized as profitability in this study, is determined by interdependencies among its founder(s)’s resources (i.e., human, social, and financial capital), its strategy, and environmental munificence. Using Rule Ensembles, a semiparametric set-theoretic method, we conduct an abductive investigation using a sample of 853 new ventures. The Rule Ensembles technique identifies five multivariate interdependencies (rules) that enhance new venture profitability and two that reduce it. Indicators of business founder resources are involved in all of the seven model rules. Four configurational rules, including a strategy and/or environmental component, equally emerge

Evaluation of the volatile composition and sensory properties of five species of microalgae

Due to their high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids, antioxidants and proteins, microalgae hold a lot of potential for nutritional applications. When integrating microalgae in foodstuffs, the aroma is an important aspect to consider. In this study the aroma properties of microalgae were studied by correlating data on the volatile composition with sensory evaluations. Four species of marine microalgae (Botryococcus braunii, Rhodomonas, Tetraselmis species and Nannochloropsis oculata) and one fresh water microalgae (Chlorella vulgaris) were investigated. Multivariate data processing revealed that microalgal samples having a seafood-like odor character contain high levels of sulfuric compounds (dimethyl disulfide, dimethyl trisulfide and methional), diketones, and -ionone and -ionone. Fresh green, fruity flavors were linked with typical aldehydes such as 2,4-alkadienals and 2,4,6-alkatrienals. The presence of these compounds in fresh microalgae pastes is explained by aroma formation mechanisms such as enzymatic lipid oxidation, enzymatic and chemical degradation of dimethylsulphoniopropionate (generating dimethyl sulfide), phenylalanine (generating benzaldehyde), and carotenoids (generating ionones).status: publishe