New discoveries at Woolsey Mound, MC118, northern Gulf of Mexico

Woolsey Mound, a 1km-diameter carbonate-gas hydrate complex in the northern Gulf of Mexico, is the site of the Gulf’s only seafloor monitoring station-observatory in its only research reserve, Mississippi Canyon 118. Active venting, outcropping hydrate, and a thriving chemosynthetic community recommend the site for study. Since 2005, the Gulf of Mexico Hydrates Research Consortium has been conducting multidisciplinary studies to 1. Characterize the site, 2. Establish a facility for real-time monitoring-observing of gas hydrates in a natural setting, 3. Study the effects of gas hydrates on seafloor stability, 4. Establish fluid migration routes and estimates of fluid-flux at the site, 5. Establish the interrelationships between the organisms at the vent site and the association-dissociation of hydrates. A variety of novel geological, geophysical, geochemical and biological studies has been designed and conducted, some in survey mode, others in monitoring mode. Geophysical studies involving merging multiple seismic data acquisition systems accompanied by the application of custom processing techniques verify communication of surface features with deep structures. Supporting geological data derive from innovative recovery techniques. Geochemical sensors, used experimentally in survey mode, including aboard an AUV, double as monitoring devices. A suite of pore-fluid sampling devices has returned data that capture change at the site in daily increments; using only noise as an energy source, hydrophones have returned daily fluctuations in physical properties. Ever-expanding capabilities of a custom-ROV have been determined by research needs. Processing of new as well as conventional data via unconventional means has resulted in the discovery of new features…..vents, faults, benthic fauna…..and modification of others including pockmarks, hydrate outcrops, vent activity, and water-column chemical plumes. Though real-time monitoring awaits communications and power link to land, periodic data-collection reveals a carbonate-hydrate mound, part of an immensely complex hydrocarbon system

Genetic modulation of the Let-7 microRNA binding to KRAS 3'-untranslated region and survival of metastatic colorectal cancer patients treated with salvage cetuximab-irinotecan

There is increasing evidence that the Let-7 microRNA (miRNA) exerts an effect as a tumor suppressor by targeting the KRAS mRNA. The Let-7 complementary site (LCS6) T>G variant in the KRAS 3'-untranslated region weakens Let-7 binding. We analyzed whether the LCS6 variant may be clinically relevant to patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (MCRC) treated with anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) therapy. LCS6 genotypes and KRAS/BRAF mutations were determined in the tumor DNA of 134 patients with MCRC who underwent salvage cetuximab-irinotecan therapy. There were 34 G-allele (T/G+G/G) carriers (25%) and 100 T/T genotype carriers (75%). G-allele carriers were significantly more frequent in the KRAS mutation group than in patients with KRAS wild type (P=0.004). In the 121 patients without BRAF V600E mutation, overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) times were compared between carriers of the LCS6 G-allele genotypes and carriers of the wild-type T/T genotype. LCS6 G-allele carriers showed worse OS (P=0.001) and PFS (P=0.004) than T/T genotype carriers (confirmed in the multivariate model including the KRAS status). In the exploratory analysis of the 55 unresponsive patients with KRAS mutation, LCS6 G-allele carriers showed adverse OS and PFS times. These findings deserve additional investigations as they may open novel perspectives for the treatment of patients with MCRC

The effectiveness of miniscrews in the three-dimensional control of a palatal impacted canine: "Canine Only" approach. Case report

Treatment time and mechanics required to solve palatally impacted canines are usually challenging. Different biomechanics and protocol approaches are available, and among these, the use of skeletal anchorage as reactive unit can be noteworthy. The purpose of this article is to show a treatment of a palatally impacted canine by the means of a double miniscrew and cantilever system only. Two miniscrews with bracket heads were applied in a 16 years old patient; different cantilevers were used to solve the impaction and bring the canine in the right position. Results: the impacted canine was successfully moved into proper position with good three-dimensional control. Both miniscrews worked successfully as anchorage for the entire treatment. The palatally impacted canine was successfully treated utilizing two miniscrews and cantilever approach

Reference charts for fetal corpus callosum length: a prospective cross-sectional study of 2950 fetuses.

Objectives-The purpose of this study was to establish reference charts for fetal corpus callosum length in a convenience sample. Methods-A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted at the Artemisia Fetal-Maternal Medical Center between December 2008 and January 2012. Among 16,975 fetal biometric measurements between 19 weeks and 37 weeks 6 days' gestation, 3438 measurements of the corpus callosum (20.3%) were available. After excluding 488 measurements (14.2%), a total of 2950 fetuses (85.8%) were considered and analyzed only once. Parametric and nonparametric quantile regression models were used for the statistical analysis. To evaluate the robustness of the proposed reference charts with respect to various distributional assumptions on the sonographic measurements at hand, we compared the gestational age (GA)-specific reference curves produced by the statistical methods used. Results-The mean corpus callosum length was 26.18 mm (SD, 4.5 mm; 95% confidence interval, 26.01-26.34 mm). The linear regression equation expressing the length of the corpus callosum as a function of GA was length (mm) = 11.17 + 1.62 x GA. The correlation between the dimension and gestation was expressed by the coefficient r = 0.83. Normal mean lengths according the parametric and nonparametric methods were defined for each week of gestation. Conclusions-This work provides new quantile-based reference charts for corpus callosum length measurements that maybe useful for diagnosis of congenital corpus callosum anomalies in fetal life

Impact of mucinous histology on prognosis for patients with radically resected stage Dukes B2 and C colon cancer: preliminary results

none11noneV.Catalano; F.Loupakis; R.Bisonni; U.Torresi; D.Santini; R.R.Silva; L.Giustini; A.Falcone; S.D’Emidio; M.Rocchi; F.GrazianoV., Catalano; F., Loupakis; R., Bisonni; U., Torresi; D., Santini; R. R., Silva; L., Giustini; A., Falcone; S., D’Emidio; Rocchi, MARCO BRUNO LUIGI; F., Grazian

Prognosis of mucinous histology for patients with radically resected stage II and III colon cancer

Previous studies investigating the prognostic role of mucinous histology of colorectal cancer produced conflicting results. This retrospective analysis was carried out in order to explore whether mucinous adenocarcinoma (MC) is associated with a comparatively worse prognosis than that of nonmucinous adenocarcinoma (NMC) for patients undergoing curative resection for stage II and III colon cancer. This study involved 1025 unselected patients who underwent curative surgery for sporadic colon cancer and follow-up procedures at six different oncology departments. MCs accounted for 17.4% (n=178) of tumours. Patients with MC had 5- and 8-year overall survival rates of 78.6% and 68.8%, respectively, compared with 72.3% and 63.8%, respectively, for patients with nonmucinous tumours. Multivariate analysis using the Cox proportional hazards model showed that the clinically significant prognostic factors were stage of disease and adjuvant chemotherapy. No statistically significant interaction between mucinous histology and adjuvant chemotherapy was found. For patients with stage II and III colon cancer who underwent curative surgery, mucinous histology has no significant correlation with prognosis compared with NMC. This retrospective analysis suggests a comparable benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy for MC compared with NMC