Ten year review of melanoma with regression

Melanoma with regression is seen in 10-35% of cutaneous melanomas. We retrospectively reviewed our experience with these unusual melanomas

A physical model for PDZ-domain/peptide interactions

The PDZ domain is an interaction motif that recognizes and binds the C-terminal peptides of target proteins. PDZ domains are ubiquitous in nature and help assemble multiprotein complexes that control cellular organization and signaling cascades. We present an optimized energy function to predict the binding free energy (ΔΔG) of PDZ domain/peptide interactions computationally. Geometry-optimized models of PDZ domain/peptide interfaces were built using Rosetta, and protein and peptide side chain and backbone degrees of freedom are minimized simultaneously. Using leave-one-out cross-validation, Rosetta’s energy function is adjusted to reproduce experimentally determined ΔΔG values with a correlation coefficient of 0.66 and a standard deviation of 0.79 kcal mol−1. The energy function places an increased weight on hydrogen bonding interactions when compared to a previously developed method to analyze protein/protein interactions. Binding free enthalpies (ΔΔH) and entropies (ΔS) are predicted with reduced accuracies of R = 0.60 and R = 0.17, respectively. The computational method improves prediction of PDZ domain specificity from sequence and allows design of novel PDZ domain/peptide interactions

Battery Train Fire Risk on a Steel Warehouse Structure

Lithium ion battery fire hazard has been well-documented in a variety of applications. Recently, battery train technology has been introduced as a clean energy concept for railway. In the case of heavy locomotives such as trains, the massive collection of battery stacks required to meet energy demands may pose a significant hazard. The objective of this paper is to review the risk evaluation processes for train fires and investigate the propagation of lithium ion battery fire to a neighboring steel warehouse structure at a rail repair shop through a case study. The methodology of the analyses conducted include a Monte Carlo-based dynamic modeling of fire propagation potentials, an expert-based fire impact analysis, and a finite element (FE) nonlinear fire analysis on the structural frame. The case study is presented as a demonstration of a holistic fire risk analysis for the lithium ion battery fire and results indicate that significant battery fire mitigations strategies should be considered

Utilization of Western Medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine Services by Physicians and Their Relatives: The Role of Training Background

Despite extensive efforts to improve the attitude and practice of physicians with respect to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), the role of training background on physician's own utilization of mainstream Western medicine (WM) and CAM remains unclear. We aimed to compare personal utilizations of WM and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) among doctors trained in WM only, TCM only or both. A retrospective population-based study was conducted using the 2004 Taiwan's National Health Insurance data. A total of 103 879 doctors and their relatives and 2 623 658 other adults with equivalent socioeconomic status were analyzed. Ambulatory care utilization of WM and TCM services was compared using the following three measures: probability of any use, number of visits and total annual expenditure. Doctors who were trained in Western medicine only (WMDs) had the highest WM use, followed by doctors who were trained in both (WMD-CMDs), while Chinese medicine-trained doctors (CMDs) had the lowest use. For TCM use, a reverse pattern was observed. Similar patterns were found among doctors' relatives. Compared with other adults with equivalent socioeconomic status, both the CMDs and WMD-CMDs had a greater use of TCM services. For WM, although the WMDs' probability and frequency of usage were similar to other adults, they incurred considerably higher expenditure. The use of WM and TCM by doctors and their relatives was significantly associated with the training background of the doctors. This highlights the importance of how increasing knowledge and understanding of other medical discipline may influence a practitioner's care-providing behaviors

Case Report Markedly Improved Glycemic Control in Poorly Controlled Type 2 Diabetes following Direct Acting Antiviral Treatment of Genotype 1 Hepatitis C

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is often associated with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Successful HCV treatment may improve glycemic control and potentially induce remission of T2DM. We report a case of an obese 52-year-old woman with mixed genotype 1a/1b HCV infection with compensated cirrhosis and a 10-year history of poorly controlled T2DM on insulin therapy. Following successful therapy with sofosbuvir, simeprevir, and ribavirin, her insulin requirements decreased and her glycosylated hemoglobin (HgA1c) normalized despite weight gain. This case suggests an association between HCV and T2DM and the potential for significant improvement in glycemic control with eradication of HCV

Feminism and a View of Conservative Gender Roles among Young Working Women in Malaysia

People are often influenced by norms and ideologies, including the concepts of feminism and conservative gender roles. With perceptions evolving constantly, we intend to investigate the subject of feminism and the view of young working women in Malaysia with regards to conservative gender roles. Studies on the subject have been scarce or minimal so far, hence understanding the general population’s perception will allow us to better measure public awareness on the topic of our research. The demographic of participants in this study specifically encompasses working women, between the ages of eighteen and forty years old. The participants were recruited through virtual mediums, namely WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram. They were then asked to participate in a semi-structured interview to aid in the collection of detailed data which was then analysed through the process of transcription and coding for recurring themes. The study suggests that young working women in Malaysia are more in tune with feminism than originally anticipated due to digital platforms. Among the inequalities faced in the workforce, the most cited are equal and fair pay. Family upbringing, tradition and culture were often cited as shaping the general evolution of gender roles. Research can be done on feminism, gender roles and their implications on the LGBT community as a whole

The North American Consortium for the Study of Endâ Stage Liver Diseaseâ Acuteâ onâ Chronic Liver Failure Score Accurately Predicts Survival: An External Validation Using a National Cohort

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/153715/1/lt25696_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/153715/2/lt25696.pd

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and postmenopausal breast cancer: An evaluation of effect measure modification by body mass index and weight change

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have been linked to breast cancer in many, but not all, previous studies. PAHs are lipophilic and stored in fat tissue, which we hypothesized may result in constant low-dose exposure to these carcinogens. No previous studies have evaluated whether obesity modifies associations between multiple measures of PAHs and breast cancer incidence

Study protocol of the intense physical activity and cognition study: The effect of high-intensity exercise training on cognitive function in older adults

Introduction: Inconsistent results from previous studies of exercise and cognitive function suggest that rigorously designed randomized controlled trials are urgently needed. Here, we describe the design of the Intense Physical Activity and Cognition (IPAC) study, which will assess the impact of a 6-month high-intensity exercise intervention on cognitive function and biomarkers of dementia risk, compared with a 6-month moderate-intensity exercise intervention and control group (no study-related exercise). Methods: One-hundred and five cognitively healthy men and women aged between 60 and 80 years are randomized into a high-intensity exercise, moderate-intensity exercise, or control group. Individuals randomized to an exercise intervention undertake 6 months of cycle-based exercise twice a week, at 50 minutes per session. All participants undergo comprehensive neuropsychological testing, blood sampling, brain magnetic resonance imaging, fitness testing, and a body composition scan at baseline, 6 months (immediately after intervention), and 18 months (12 months after intervention). Discussion: The IPAC study takes a multidisciplinary approach to investigating the role of exercise in maintaining a healthy brain throughout aging. Rigorous monitoring of exertion and adherence throughout the intervention, combined with repeated measures of fitness, is vital in ensuring an optimum exercise dose is reached. Results from the IPAC study will be used to inform a large-scale multicentre randomized controlled trial, with the ultimate aim of pinpointing the frequency, duration, and intensity of exercise that provides the most benefit to the brain, in terms of enhancing cognitive function and reducing dementia risk in older adults

Physical Mapping and Refinement of the Painted Turtle Genome (Chrysemys picta) Inform Amniote Genome Evolution and Challenge Turtle-Bird Chromosomal Conservation

Comparative genomics continues illuminating amniote genome evolution, but for many lineages our understanding remains incomplete. Here, we refine the assembly (CPI 3.0.3 NCBI AHGY00000000.2) and develop a cytogenetic map of the painted turtle (Chrysemys picta—CPI) genome, the first in turtles and in vertebrates with temperature-dependent sex determination. A comparison of turtle genomes with those of chicken, selected nonavian reptiles, and human revealed shared and novel genomic features, such as numerous chromosomal rearrangements. The largest conserved syntenic blocks between birds and turtles exist in four macrochromosomes, whereas rearrangements were evident in these and other chromosomes, disproving that turtles and birds retain fully conserved macrochromosomes for greater than 300 Myr. C-banding revealed large heterochromatic blocks in the centromeric region of only few chromosomes. The nucleolar-organizing region (NOR) mapped to a single CPI microchromosome, whereas in some turtles and lizards the NOR maps to nonhomologous sex-chromosomes, thus revealing independent translocations of the NOR in various reptilian lineages. There was no evidence for recent chromosomal fusions as interstitial telomeric-DNA was absent. Some repeat elements (CR1-like, Gypsy) were enriched in the centromeres of five chromosomes, whereas others were widespread in the CPI genome. Bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clones were hybridized to 18 of the 25 CPI chromosomes and anchored to a G-banded ideogram. Several CPI sex-determining genes mapped to five chromosomes, and homology was detected between yet other CPI autosomes and the globally nonhomologous sex chromosomes of chicken, other turtles, and squamates, underscoring the independent evolution of vertebrate sex-determining mechanisms