Overview of Current Drugs and Molecules in Development for Spinal Muscular Atrophy Therapy

The full text of this article can be found here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40265-018-0868-

Parametric Oscillations of a Thermal Field During Explosive Crystallization of Amorphous Films

Изучены тепловые процессы, происходящие при взрывной кристаллизации аморфных пленок, напыленных на подложку. Представлены результаты численного моделирования параметрических колебаний теплового поля в системе «фазовая граница – подложка». Рассмотрены стационарный и волновой режимы возбуждения горячих центров кристаллизации в аморфной фазе. Расчеты выполнены для аморфной пленки германия. Установлены основные физические факторы, определяющие амплитудно-частотные свойства данного процесса: толщина пленки, температура подложки и скорость фазовой границы кристаллизации. Указаны примеры возникновения резонансных ситуаций. Рассмотрены колебания параметрической системы, которая испытывает внешнее воздействие в режиме биений. Для этой системы по-строен трехмерный фазовый портрет, демонстрирующий ее динамические свойства. При наличии спектра частот структура фазовых траекторий в основном аналогична варианту колебаний на одной частоте.The thermal processes occurring during explosive crystallization of amorphous films deposited on a substrate are studied. The results of numerical modeling of parametric oscillations of a thermal field in the “phase boundary – substrate” system are presented. The stationary and wave modes of hot crystallization centers in the amorphous phase are considered. The calculations are performed for an amorphous germanium film. The main physical factors determining the amplitude and frequency properties of this process are established: film thickness, substrate temperature, and crystallization phase boundary rate. Examples of the resonant situation occurrence are indicated. The parametric system oscillations, which has external influence in the beating mode, are considered. A three-dimensional phase portrait is constructed for this system, demonstrating its dynamic properties. In the presence of a frequency spectrum, the structure of phase trace is basically similar to the variant of oscillations at one frequency

European Association of Nuclear Medicine Focus 5: Consensus on Molecular Imaging and Theranostics in Prostate Cancer.

Background: In prostate cancer (PCa), questions remain on indications for prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positron emission tomography (PET) imaging and PSMA radioligand therapy, integration of advanced imaging in nomogram-based decision-making, dosimetry, and development of new theranostic applications. Objective: We aimed to critically review developments in molecular hybrid imaging and systemic radioligand therapy, to reach a multidisciplinary consensus on the current state of the art in PCa. Design, setting, and participants: The results of a systematic literature search informed a two-round Delphi process with a panel of 28 PCa experts in medical or radiation oncology, urology, radiology, medical physics, and nuclear medicine. The results were discussed and ratified in a consensus meeting. Outcome measurements and statistical analysis: Forty-eight statements were scored on a Likert agreement scale and six as ranking options. Agreement statements were analysed using the RAND appropriateness method. Ranking statements were analysed using weighted summed scores. Results and limitations: After two Delphi rounds, there was consensus on 42/48 (87.5%) of the statements. The expert panel recommends PSMA PET to be used for staging the majority of patients with unfavourable intermediate and high risk, and for restaging of suspected recurrent PCa. There was consensus that oligometastatic disease should be defined as up to five metastases, even using advanced imaging modalities. The group agreed that [177Lu]Lu-PSMA should not be administered only after progression to cabazitaxel and that [223Ra]RaCl2 remains a valid therapeutic option in bone-only metastatic castration-resistant PCa. Uncertainty remains on various topics, including the need for concordant findings on both [18F]FDG and PSMA PET prior to [177Lu]Lu-PSMA therapy. Conclusions: There was a high proportion of agreement among a panel of experts on the use of molecular imaging and theranostics in PCa. Although consensus statements cannot replace high-certainty evidence, these can aid in the interpretation and dissemination of best practice from centres of excellence to the wider clinical community. Patient summary: There are situations when dealing with prostate cancer (PCa) where both the doctors who diagnose and track the disease development and response to treatment, and those who give treatments are unsure about what the best course of action is. Examples include what methods they should use to obtain images of the cancer and what to do when the cancer has returned or spread. We reviewed published research studies and provided a summary to a panel of experts in imaging and treating PCa. We also used the research summary to develop a questionnaire whereby we asked the experts to state whether or not they agreed with a list of statements. We used these results to provide guidance to other health care professionals on how best to image men with PCa and what treatments to give, when, and in what order, based on the information the images provide

Egypt - Bread and Revolution

Since ancient times, from the times of the pharaohs, wheat or an ancestor of its, and barley also, were the basis of the Egyptians' nutrition. The ancient Egyptians not only did have cultivated wheat, but they knew how to process and convert it into bread. The recipe of manufactured Egyptian bread has remained almost unchanged for thousands of years. The only question is if the ancient Egyptians were using an unleavened dough or a leavened one. Nowadays the ordinary Egyptian bread „Aish Masri” or „Aish Baladi” is made with dry yeast. Bread plays a central role in the diet of Egyptians - is consumed in the morning, at noon and evening, sometimes without accompany another dish, in very poor families. More than 40 percent of Egypt's 90 million people live on just 2 dolars a day. Bread, Aish, is rooted in the word „life”, „livelihood”, „sustenance”. Bread, for the ordinary Egyptian, means life. The Egyptian government has provided heavily subsidized bread for decades as a way to guarantee social peace. In 1977 Bread Riots occurred throughout Egypt, when the World Bank asked President Sadat not to grant subsidies for basic foodstuffs. When Egyptians took to the streets in 2011, their claims were „bread, freedom, social justice”. The first slogan of the Revolution was „bread”. The production of bread relies on massive imports of grain - Egypt is the largest importer of wheat in the world Today Egyptian bread is black and poor quality. The quality bread is 8 times more expensive in stores than the one sold on the street. Bread is a mirror of their standard of living. The paper aims to reveal how the bread shapes the relations between people and power in Egypt