Full-thickness eyelid lesions in sarcoidosis

published_or_final_versio

Survey of the rate of PSA testing in general practice

The use of prostate specific antigen (PSA) test could have a large impact on the incidence of prostate cancer in the UK. Over a period of 1 year (1999), 3.5% out of 160 015 men aged > 45 on a GP database, who had no previous record of prostate cancer, had a PSA test. Of the tested men, 21.3% had a PSA > 4 ng/ml. Future data need to distinguish between men with and without symptoms. © 2001 Cancer Research Campaign http://www.bjcancer.co

A Fuzzy Inference System Based Asphalt Surface Deterioration Prediction Model Due to Combined Interaction of Dynamic Loading-Water-Pavement

The authors acknowledge that paper 19-01095 was peer-reviewed by TRB and presented at the 98th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C., January 2019 (session: 1626 Current Research Related to Asphalt Surface Mixtures)

A comprehensive introduction to the theory of word-representable graphs

Letters x and y alternate in a word w if after deleting in w all letters but the copies of x and y we either obtain a word xyxy⋯ (of even or odd length) or a word yxyx⋯  (of even or odd length). A graph G=(V,E) is word-representable if and only if there exists a word w over the alphabet V such that letters x and y alternate in w if and only if xy ∈ E.   Word-representable graphs generalize several important classes of graphs such as circle graphs, 3-colorable graphs and comparability graphs. This paper offers a comprehensive introduction to the theory of word-representable graphs including the most recent developments in the area

Intestinal, extra-intestinal and systemic sequelae of Toxoplasma gondii induced acute ileitis in mice harboring a human gut microbiota

Background Within seven days following peroral high dose infection with Toxoplasma gondii susceptible conventionally colonized mice develop acute ileitis due to an underlying T helper cell (Th) -1 type immunopathology. We here addressed whether mice harboring a human intestinal microbiota developed intestinal, extra-intestinal and systemic sequelae upon ileitis induction. Methodology/Principal findings Secondary abiotic mice were generated by broad- spectrum antibiotic treatment and associated with a complex human intestinal microbiota following peroral fecal microbiota transplantation. Within three weeks the human microbiota had stably established in the murine intestinal tract as assessed by quantitative cultural and culture-independent (i.e. molecular 16S rRNA based) methods. At day 7 post infection (p.i.) with 50 cysts of T. gondii strain ME49 by gavage human microbiota associated (hma) mice displayed severe clinical, macroscopic and microscopic sequelae indicating acute ileitis. In diseased hma mice increased numbers of innate and adaptive immune cells within the ileal mucosa and lamina propria and elevated intestinal secretion of pro-inflammatory mediators including IFN-γ, IL-12 and nitric oxide could be observed at day 7 p.i. Ileitis development was accompanied by substantial shifts in intestinal microbiota composition of hma mice characterized by elevated total bacterial loads and increased numbers of intestinal Gram-negative commensals such as enterobacteria and Bacteroides / Prevotella species overgrowing the small and large intestinal lumen. Furthermore, viable bacteria translocated from the inflamed ileum to extra- intestinal including systemic compartments. Notably, pro-inflammatory immune responses were not restricted to the intestinal tract as indicated by increased pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion in extra-intestinal (i.e. liver and kidney) and systemic compartments including spleen and serum. Conclusion/Significance With respect to the intestinal microbiota composition “humanized” mice display acute ileitis following peroral high dose T. gondii infection. Thus, hma mice constitute a suitable model to further dissect the interactions between pathogens, human microbiota and vertebrate host immunity during acute intestinal inflammation

Libyan cochlear implant programme: achievements, difficulties, and future goals

Cochlear implantation has become established worldwide as a safe and effective method of auditory rehabilitation of selected severely and profound deaf children and adults. Over 100,000 patients have received cochlear implants worldwide with the paediatric population proving to be the main beneficiaries. The Libyan cochlear implant programme was set up in 2004. Data relating to the patients who received cochlear implantation at Tripoli Medical Centre between October 2007 and February 2010 were analysed. Implant operations were performed on 37 patients. All patients received Med-El SONATATI100 devices. Thirty-four (91.9%) of these patients were children, whilst three (8.1%) were adults. Combined, congenital hearing loss (56.8%) and perinatal/neonatal (29.7%) were the two main aetiological factors in children. Seventeen patients (45.9%) had a positive family history of deafness. Sixteen patients (43.2%) were born to blood-related parents. The overall rate of minor and major complications was 16.2%, which is comparable to previous studies

Tracking the British agricultural revolution through the isotopic analysis of dated parchment.

This is the final version. Available from Nature Research via the DOI in this record. Data availability: All data generated in this study are presented in the article and Supplementary Information file.Between the sixteenth and nineteenth century, British agriculture underwent a 'revolutionary' transformation. Yet despite over a century of research and the recognised centrality of agricultural developments to industrialisation and population growth, the character or chronology of any 'revolution' during this period remains contentious. Enquiry has been hampered by the fragmented and locally specific nature of historic accounts and the broad dating of early-modern zooarchaeological assemblages. To address this, we conducted stable isotope analysis on 658 legal documents written on sheepskin parchment; a unique biological resource that records the day, month and year of use (AD 1499 to 1969). We find these provide a high temporal resolution analysis of changing agricultural practices and episodes of disease. Most significantly, they suggest that if an 'Agricultural Revolution' occurred in livestock management, it did so from the mid-nineteenth century, in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars.Natural Environment Research CouncilEuropean Research CouncilAHRC White Rose College of Arts and Humanities Doctoral Training PartnershipDanish National Research Foundatio

Factors Influencing Physicians’ Screening Behavior for Liver Cancer Among High-risk Patients

BACKGROUND: Little is known about physicians’ screening patterns for liver cancer despite its rising incidence. OBJECTIVE: Describe physician factors associated with liver cancer screening. DESIGN: Mailed survey. PARTICIPANTS: Physicians practicing in family practice, internal medicine, gastroenterology, or nephrology in 3 northern California counties in 2004. MEASUREMENTS: Sociodemographic and practice measures, liver cancer knowledge, attitudes, and self-reported screening behaviors. RESULTS: The response rate was 61.8% (N = 459). Gastroenterologists (100%) were more likely than Internists (88.4%), family practitioners (84.2%), or nephrologists (75.0%) to screen for liver cancer in high-risk patients (p = 0.016). In multivariate analysis, screeners were more likely than nonscreeners to think that screening for liver cancer reduced mortality (odds ratio [OR] 1.60, CI 1.09–2.34) and that not screening was a malpractice risk (OR 1.88, CI 1.29–2.75). Screeners were more likely than nonscreeners to order any screening test if it was a quality of care measure (OR 4.39, CI 1.79–10.81). CONCLUSIONS: Despite debate about screening efficacy, many physicians screen for liver cancer. Their screening behavior is influenced by malpractice and quality control concerns. More research is needed to develop better screening tests for liver cancer, to evaluate their effectiveness, and to understand how physicians behave when there is insufficient evidence

The role of the right temporoparietal junction in perceptual conflict: detection or resolution?

The right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ) is a polysensory cortical area that plays a key role in perception and awareness. Neuroimaging evidence shows activation of rTPJ in intersensory and sensorimotor conflict situations, but it remains unclear whether this activity reflects detection or resolution of such conflicts. To address this question, we manipulated the relationship between touch and vision using the so-called mirror-box illusion. Participants' hands lay on either side of a mirror, which occluded their left hand and reflected their right hand, but created the illusion that they were looking directly at their left hand. The experimenter simultaneously touched either the middle (D3) or the ring finger (D4) of each hand. Participants judged, which finger was touched on their occluded left hand. The visual stimulus corresponding to the touch on the right hand was therefore either congruent (same finger as touch) or incongruent (different finger from touch) with the task-relevant touch on the left hand. Single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was delivered to the rTPJ immediately after touch. Accuracy in localizing the left touch was worse for D4 than for D3, particularly when visual stimulation was incongruent. However, following TMS, accuracy improved selectively for D4 in incongruent trials, suggesting that the effects of the conflicting visual information were reduced. These findings suggest a role of rTPJ in detecting, rather than resolving, intersensory conflict