Chain conditions and weak topologies

AbstractWe study conditions on Banach spaces close to separability. We say that a topological space is pcc if every point-finite family of open subsets of the space is countable. For a Banach space E, we say that E is weakly pcc if E, equipped with the weak topology, is pcc, and we also consider a weaker property: we say that E is half-pcc if every point-finite family consisting of half-spaces of E is countable. We show that E is half-pcc if, and only if, every bounded linear map E→c0(ω1) has separable range. We exhibit a variety of mild conditions which imply separability of a half-pcc Banach space. For a Banach space C(K), we also consider the pcc-property of the topology of pointwise convergence, and we note that the space Cp(K) may be pcc even when C(K) fails to be weakly pcc. We note that this does not happen when K is scattered, and we provide the following example:–There exists a non-metrizable scattered compact Hausdorff space K with C(K) weakly pcc

The effect of manually facilitated flexion of the thoracic spine on the interspinous space among horses with impinging dorsal spinous processes of the thoracic vertebrae

Impinging dorsal spinous processes (IDSP) are typically diagnosed and graded using radiography, during which the effect of the horses' thoracolumbar posture on the interspinous spaces is not commonly considered. Posture can be altered from a spontaneous, relatively extended, or lordotic, position by manual facilitation of thoracic flexion ('thoracic lift'). This study aimed to ascertain if the thoracic vertebral interspinous space distances were increased by using facilitated thoracic flexion to alter the posture in horses diagnosed with IDSP. Seven horses of mixed breed and sex, median age 9.1 years (interquartile range, 7.2-12.4 years), with a diagnosis of thoracic IDSP with no history of spinal surgery, were included in the study. Two sets of radiographs were obtained. The initial set was taken in the horses' spontaneous posture and the second in the manually facilitated flexed posture. Each image was anonymised allowing blinded measurement of the interspinous spaces. Analysis was performed using Hodges-Lehmann median differences estimates. An increase in the median interspinous space distance was achieved after manual facilitation of thoracic flexion at every thoracic intervertebral space (5th-18th thoracic [T] vertebra). The greatest median increase was seen between T7-T8 and T12-T13 (3.1 mm and 3.0 mm, respec-tively) whereas the lowest median increase was seen between T17-T18 (0.7 mm). In this study, thoracic inter-spinous space distances could be increased by using manual facilitation to alter the thoracic posture in horses with IDSP, which could affect grading and decision making.Peer reviewe

Ranking of physiotherapeutic evaluation methods as outcome measures of stifle functionality in dogs

BACKGROUND: Various physiotherapeutic evaluation methods are used to assess the functionality of dogs with stifle problems. Neither validity nor sensitivity of these methods has been investigated. This study aimed to determine the most valid and sensitive physiotherapeutic evaluation methods for assessing functional capacity in hind limbs of dogs with stifle problems and to serve as a basis for developing an indexed test for these dogs. A group of 43 dogs with unilateral surgically treated cranial cruciate ligament deficiency and osteoarthritic findings was used to test different physiotherapeutic evaluation methods. Twenty-one healthy dogs served as the control group and were used to determine normal variation in static weight bearing and range of motion. The protocol consisted of 14 different evaluation methods: visual evaluation of lameness, visual evaluation of diagonal movement, visual evaluation of functional active range of motion and difference in thrust of hind limbs via functional tests (sit-to-move and lie-to-move), movement in stairs, evaluation of hind limb muscle atrophy, manual evaluation of hind limb static weight bearing, quantitative measurement of static weight bearing of hind limbs with bathroom scales, and passive range of motion of hind limb stifle (flexion and extension) and tarsal (flexion and extension) joints using a universal goniometer. The results were compared with those from an orthopaedic examination, force plate analysis, radiographic evaluation, and a conclusive assessment. Congruity of the methods was assessed with a combination of three statistical approaches (Fisher’s exact test and two differently calculated proportions of agreeing observations), and the components were ranked from best to worst. Sensitivities of all of the physiotherapeutic evaluation methods against each standard were calculated. RESULTS: Evaluation of asymmetry in a sitting and lying position, assessment of muscle atrophy, manual and measured static weight bearing, and measurement of stifle passive range of motion were the most valid and sensitive physiotherapeutic evaluation methods. CONCLUSIONS: Ranking of the various physiotherapeutic evaluation methods was accomplished. Several of these methods can be considered valid and sensitive when examining the functionality of dogs with stifle problems

The interaction of cadmium and selenium in horse kidney cortex in relation to histopathological changes

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Developing a testing battery for measuring dogs' stifle functionality : the Finnish Canine Stifle Index (FCSI)

This study aimed at developing a quantitative testing battery for dogs' stifle functionality, as, unlike in human medicine, currently none is available in the veterinary field. Forty-three dogs with surgically treated unilateral cranial cruciate ligament rupture and 21 dogs with no known musculoskeletal problems were included. Eight previously studied tests: compensation in sitting and lying positions, symmetry of thrust in hindlimbs when rising from lying and sitting, static weight bearing, stifle flexion and extension and muscle mass symmetry, were summed into the Finnish Canine Stifle Index (FCSI). Sensitivities and specificities of the dichotomised FCSI score were calculated against orthopaedic examination, radiological and force platform analysis and a conclusive assessment (combination of previous). One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA)was used to evaluate FCSI score differences between the groups. Cronbach's alpha for internal consistency was calculated. The range of the index score was 0-263, with a proposed cut-off value of 60 between 'adequate' and 'compromised' functional performance. In comparison to the conclusive assessment, the sensitivity and specificity of the FCSI were 90 per cent and 90.5 per cent, respectively. Cronbach's alpha for internal reliability of the FCSI score was 0.727. An estimate of the surgically treated and control dogs' FCSI scores were 105 (95 per cent CI 93 to 116) and 20 (95 per cent CI 4 to 37), respectively. The difference between the groups was significant (PPeer reviewe

Implant survival of the most common cemented total hip devices from the Nordic Arthroplasty Register Association database

Background and purpose According to previous Nordic Arthroplasty Register Association (NARA) data, the 10-year implant survival of cemented total hip arthroplasties (THAs) is 94% in patients aged 65-74 and 96% in patients aged 75 or more. Here we report a brand-level comparison of cemented THA based on the NARA database, which has not been done previously.Patients and methods We determined the rate of implant survival of the 9 most common cemented THAs in the NARA database. We used Kaplan-Meier analysis with 95% CI to study implant survival at 10 and 15 years, and Cox multiple regression to assess survival and hazard ratios (HRs), with revision for any reason as endpoint and with adjustment for age, sex, diagnosis, and femoral head material.Results Spectron EF THA (89.9% (CI: 89.3-90.5)) and Elite THA (89.8% (CI: 89.0-90.6)) had the lowest 10-year survivorship. Lubinus (95.7% survival, CI: 95.5-95.9), MS 30 (96.6%, CI: 95.8-97.4), and C-stem THA (95.8%, CI: 94.8-96.8) had a 10-year survivorship of at least 95%. Lubinus (revision risk (RR)=0.77, CI: 0.73-0.81), Muller (RR =0.83, CI: 0.70-0.99), MS-30 (RR =0.73, CI: 0.63-0.86), C-stem (RR =0.70, CI: 0.55-0.90), and Exeter Duration THA (RR =0.84, CI: 0.77-0.90) had a lower risk of revision than Charnley THA, the reference implant.Interpretation The Spectron EF THA and the Elite THA had a lower implant survival than the Charnley, Exeter, and Lubinus THAs. Implant survival of the Muller, MS 30, CPT, and C-stem THAs was above the acceptable limit for 10-year survival

Integration of DNA Copy Number Alterations and Transcriptional Expression Analysis in Human Gastric Cancer

Background: Genomic instability with frequent DNA copy number alterations is one of the key hallmarks of carcinogenesis. The chromosomal regions with frequent DNA copy number gain and loss in human gastric cancer are still poorly defined. It remains unknown how the DNA copy number variations contributes to the changes of gene expression profiles, especially on the global level. Principal Findings: We analyzed DNA copy number alterations in 64 human gastric cancer samples and 8 gastric cancer cell lines using bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) arrays based comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH). Statistical analysis was applied to correlate previously published gene expression data obtained from cDNA microarrays with corresponding DNA copy number variation data to identify candidate oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. We found that gastric cancer samples showed recurrent DNA copy number variations, including gains at 5p, 8q, 20p, 20q, and losses at 4q, 9p, 18q, 21q. The most frequent regions of amplification were 20q12 (7/72), 20q12-20q13.1 (12/72), 20q13.1-20q13.2 (11/72) and 20q13.2-20q13.3 (6/72). The most frequent deleted region was 9p21 (8/72). Correlating gene expression array data with aCGH identified 321 candidate oncogenes, which were overexpressed and showed frequent DNA copy number gains; and 12 candidate tumor suppressor genes which were down-regulated and showed frequent DNA copy number losses in human gastric cancers. Three networks of significantly expressed genes in gastric cancer samples were identified by ingenuity pathway analysis. Conclusions: This study provides insight into DNA copy number variations and their contribution to altered gene expression profiles during human gastric cancer development. It provides novel candidate driver oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes for human gastric cancer, useful pathway maps for the future understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of this malignancy, and the construction of new therapeutic targets. © 2012 Fan et al.published_or_final_versio

Deep sequencing of gastric carcinoma reveals somatic mutations relevant to personalized medicine

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Globally, gastric cancer is the second most common cause of cancer-related death, with the majority of the health burden borne by economically less-developed countries.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Here, we report a genetic characterization of 50 gastric adenocarcinoma samples, using affymetrix SNP arrays and Illumina mRNA expression arrays as well as Illumina sequencing of the coding regions of 384 genes belonging to various pathways known to be altered in other cancers.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Genetic alterations were observed in the WNT, Hedgehog, cell cycle, DNA damage and epithelial-to-mesenchymal-transition pathways.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The data suggests targeted therapies approved or in clinical development for gastric carcinoma would be of benefit to ~22% of the patients studied. In addition, the novel mutations detected here, are likely to influence clinical response and suggest new targets for drug discovery.</p

Carbon dioxide reduction in the building life cycle: a critical review

The construction industry is known to be a major contributor to environmental pressures due to its high energy consumption and carbon dioxide generation. The growing amount of carbon dioxide emissions over buildings’ life cycles has prompted academics and professionals to initiate various studies relating to this problem. Researchers have been exploring carbon dioxide reduction methods for each phase of the building life cycle – from planning and design, materials production, materials distribution and construction process, maintenance and renovation, deconstruction and disposal, to the material reuse and recycle phase. This paper aims to present the state of the art in carbon dioxide reduction studies relating to the construction industry. Studies of carbon dioxide reduction throughout the building life cycle are reviewed and discussed, including those relating to green building design, innovative low carbon dioxide materials, green construction methods, energy efficiency schemes, life cycle energy analysis, construction waste management, reuse and recycling of materials and the cradle-to-cradle concept. The review provides building practitioners and researchers with a better understanding of carbon dioxide reduction potential and approaches worldwide. Opportunities for carbon dioxide reduction can thereby be maximised over the building life cycle by creating environmentally benign designs and using low carbon dioxide materials