793 research outputs found
Expression of Cancer/Testis genes in ductal carcinoma in situ and benign lesions of the breast.
Cancer/testis (CT) genes represent a unique class of genes, which are expressed by germ cells, normally silenced in somatic cells, but activated in various cancers. CT proteins can elicit spontaneous immune responses in cancer patients and this feature makes them attractive targets for immunotherapy-based approaches. We have previously reported that CTs are relatively commonly expressed in estrogen receptor (ER) negative, high risk carcinomas. In this study, we examined the expression of selected CT genes in ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) and benign proliferative lesions of the breast. ER negative DCIS were found to be associated with significant CT gene expression together with HER2 positivity and a marked stromal immune response
Influence of Superabsorbent Polymers on Properties of High-Performance Concrete with Active Supplementary Cementitious Materials of Nigeria
Concrete of strengths classes ≥ C55/67 referred to as high strength or highperformance
concrete (HSC/HPC) are noted to be generally of low water/binder
(W/B), made from binary or ternary cements with silica fume (SF) being a necessary
constituent, and often requiring internal curing. Non-availability and high cost of SF in
most sub-Saharan Africa like Nigeria however makes HSC/HPC production in this
region very difficult and hence the continued search for alternative supplementary
cementitious materials (SCM) with good performance properties as constituents of
ternary/binary cements in HPC. This study thereby examines the strength properties of
metastable calcined clay (MCC) based HPC cured internally with superabsorbent
polymer (SAP) 0.2–0.3% (by weight of binder (bwob)). HPC mixtures of varied MCC and
Rice husk ash (RHA) contents containing two SAP grain sizes labelled (SP1 ˂ 300 μm
and SP2 ˂ 600 μm) were cast in 100 mm cubes and cured for varying ages (7, 14, 28 and
56 days) before testing. The hardened specimens were subjected to compressive
strength and water absorption tests at the varied curing ages for the performance
assessment of the binder types and SAP grain sizes in HPC with age. This study
revealed the possibility of achieving Class 1 HPC (50–75 N/mm2) utilizing industry
manufactured calcined clay and locally produced RHA in Nigeria. The compressive
strength of HPCs increased as the curing age increases for both SCM type, SAP contents
and grain sizes. RHA based HPCs however showed better strength performance at the early ages than the MCC based. SAP addition in MCC based HPCs led to slight decrease
in compressive strength as the SAP contents increased while the RHA based HPCs on
the other hand, revealed slight increase in compressive strength with increase in SAP
contents
Cyclic behaviour of stone and brick masonry under uniaxial compressive loading
An experimental research concerning the uniaxial compressive behaviour of stone and brick specimens, as well as masonry prisms, is presented. Local sandstone and clay brick materials were used in order to obtain results representative with respect to local constructions. Aiming at a comprehensive material description, a set of displacementcontrolled
experiments were carried out, both under monotonic and cyclic compressive loading. The procedure adopted for testing is described and the results are discussed, namely material brittleness, intrinsic variability, energy dissipation and stiffness degradation.Dans cet article une recherche expérimentale
à propos du comportement en compression uniaxial de spécimens de pierre et de la brique, aussi bien que prismes de maçonnerie, est présenté. Grès et brique de l’argile locale ont été utilisés pour obtenir des résultats représentatifs en ce qui concerne les constructions locales. Avec l’objective de obtenir une description matérielle complète, un ensemble de tests contrôlé par déplacement a été emporté, sous chargement de compression monotonic et cyclique. La procédure adoptée pour tester est décrite et les résultats sont discutés, nommément la fragilité matérielle, variabilité intrinsèque des matériaux, dissipation d’énergie et déchéance de la raideur
A rigorous analytical model for shrinkage cracking of reinforced concrete
published_or_final_versio
Cloud computing mobile application for remote monitoring of Bell's palsy
Mobile applications provide the healthcare industry with a means of connecting with patients in their own home utilizing their own personal mobile devices such as tablets and phones. This allows therapists to monitor the progress of people under their care from a remote location and all with the added benefit that patients are familiar with their own mobile devices; thereby reducing the time required to train patients with the new technology. There is also the added benefit to the health service that there is no additional cost required to purchase devices for use. The Facial Remote Activity Monitoring Eyewear (FRAME) mobile application and web service framework has been designed to work on the IOS and android platforms, the two most commonly used today. Results: The system utilizes secure cloud based data storage to collect, analyse and store data, this allows for near real time, secure access remotely by therapists to monitor their patients and intervene when required. The underlying framework has been designed to be secure, anonymous and flexible to ensure compliance with the data protection act and the latest General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR); this new standard came into effect in April 2018 and replaces the Data Protection Act in the UK and Europe
Comparative Study of Superabsorbent Polymers and Pre‐soaked Pumice as Internal Curing Agents in Rice Husk Ash Based High‐Performance Concrete
Utilisation of superabsorbent polymers (SAP) and pre‐soaked lightweight aggregates (LWA) as internal
curing (IC) agents for the mitigation of autogenous shrinkage and micro‐cracking of high strength/highperformance
concrete (HSC/HPC) have been well researched and documented in literature. Rice husk
ash (RHA) on the other hand has been adjudged to be of good pozzolanic activity and a possible
alternative to silica fume (SF) in low water/binder (W/B) concrete production. An experimental
comparative study was conducted in the current work to assess the effectiveness of the two known ICagents
on rice husk ash (RHA) based HPC. HPC mixtures of fc,cube28=60 MPa minimum target strength
produced and internally cured with 0.3% content of SAP by weight of binder (bwob) and varied content
of pre‐soaked pumice (5 to 10% in steps of 2.5%) by weight of coarse aggregate (bwocg) were cast using
100 mm cubes samples. Thereafter, the samples were cured for 7, 14, 28 and 56 days by water
immersion before subjecting them to compressive strength test. The results showed 0.2% bwob SAP
HPC (SHPC1) to be the best performed internally cured HPC at the early ages with similar long‐term
strength values as 5 and 7.5% bwocg saturated pumiced HPC (PHPC1&2). The study thereby
recommends SAP content of 0.2% bwob and saturated pumice content up to 7.5% bwocg for use as ICagent
in HPC
Breastfeeding and maternal cardiovascular risk factors and outcomes:A systematic review
There is growing evidence that breastfeeding has short- and long-term cardiovascular health benefits for mothers. The objectives of this systematic review were to examine the association between breastfeeding and maternal cardiovascular risk factors and outcomes that have not previously been synthesized systematically, including metabolic syndrome, hypertension and cardiovascular disease.This systematic review meets PRISMA guidelines. The MEDLINE, EMBASE and CINAHL databases were systematically searched for relevant publications of any study design from the earliest publication date to March 2016. The reference lists from selected articles were reviewed, and forward and backward referencing were conducted. The methodological quality of reviewed articles was appraised using validated checklists. Twenty-one studies meeting the inclusion criteria examined the association between self-reported breastfeeding and one or more of the following outcomes: metabolic syndrome/metabolic risk factors (n = 10), inflammatory markers/adipokines (n = 2), hypertension (n = 7), subclinical cardiovascular disease (n = 2), prevalence/incidence of cardiovascular disease (n = 3) and cardiovascular disease mortality (n = 2). Overall, 19 studies (10 cross-sectional/retrospective, 9 prospective) reported significant protective effects of breastfeeding, nine studies (3 cross-sectional/retrospective, 5 prospective, 1 cluster randomized controlled trial) reported non-significant findings and none reported detrimental effects of breastfeeding. In most studies reporting significant associations, breastfeeding remained associated with both short- and long-term maternal cardiovascular health risk factors/outcomes, even after covariate adjustment. Findings from several studies suggested that the effects of breastfeeding may diminish with age and a dose-response association between breastfeeding and several metabolic risk factors. However, further longitudinal studies, including studies that measure exclusive breastfeeding, are needed to confirm these findings.The evidence from this review suggests that breastfeeding is associated with cardiovascular health benefits. However, results should be interpreted with caution as the evidence gathered for each individual outcome was limited by the small number of observational studies. Additional prospective studies are needed.CRD42016047766
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor prescribing before, during and after pregnancy:a population-based study in six European regions
Objective To explore the prescribing patterns of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) before, during and after pregnancy in six European population-based databases. Design Descriptive drug utilisation study. Setting Six electronic healthcare databases in Denmark, the Netherlands, Italy (Emilia Romagna/Tuscany), Wales and the rest of the UK. Population All women with a pregnancy ending in a live or stillbirth starting and ending between 2004 and 2010. Methods A common protocol was implemented across databases to identify SSRI prescriptions issued (UK) or dispensed (non-UK) in the year before, during or in the year following pregnancy. Main outcome measures The percentage of deliveries in which the woman received an SSRI prescription in the year before, during or in the year following pregnancy. We also compared the choice of SSRIs and changes in prescribing over the study period. Results In total, 721 632 women and 862 943 deliveries were identified. In the year preceding pregnancy, the prevalence of SSRI prescribing was highest in Wales [9.6%; 95% confidence interval (CI95), 9.4-9.8%] and lowest in Emilia Romagna (3.3%; CI95, 3.2-3.4%). During pregnancy, SSRI prescribing had dropped to between 1.2% (CI95, 1.1-1.3%) in Emilia Romagna and 4.5% (CI95, 4.3-4.6%) in Wales. The higher UK pre-pregnancy prescribing rates resulted in higher first trimester exposures. After pregnancy, SSRI prescribing increased most rapidly in the UK. Paroxetine was more commonly prescribed in the Netherlands and Italian regions than in Denmark and the UK. Conclusions The higher SSRI prescribing rates in the UK, compared with other European regions, raise questions about differences in the prevalence and severity of depression and its management in pregnancy across Europe. Keywords Drug utilisation, electronic health records, pregnancy, serotonin uptake inhibitors
Rare Bilateral Nasopalatine Duct Cysts: A Case Report
The nasopalatine duct cyst (NPDC) is the most common of the non-odontogenic cyst of the jaws. This cysts are usually central or unilateral with no prevalence of side occurrence. The NPDC is the most frequent developmental, nonodontogenic cyst of the jaws. This cyst originates from epithelial remnants from the nasopalatine duct. The cells could be activated spontaneously during life, or are eventually stimulated by the irritating action of various agents (infection, etc.). Generally, patients present without clinical signs and symptoms. Therefore, the tentative diagnosis "nasopalatine duct cyst" is often based on a coincidental radiological finding on a routine panoramic view or occlusal radiograph. The definite diagnosis should be based on clinical, radiological and above all histopathologic findings. The therapy of nasopalatine duct cysts consists of an enucleation of the cystic tissue, only in rare cases a marsupialization needs to be performed. This report describes the appearance and treatment of a rare case of bilateral nasopalatine duct cyst
- …