1,265 research outputs found
The multidisciplinary management of rectal cancer
Rectal cancer treatment has evolved during the past 40 years with the use of a standardized surgical technique for tumour resection: total mesorectal excision. A dramatic reduction in local recurrence rates and improved survival outcomes have been achieved as consequences of a better understanding of the surgical oncology of rectal cancer, and the advent of adjuvant and neoadjuvant treatments to compliment surgery have paved the way for a multidisciplinary approach to disease management. Further improvements in imaging techniques and the ability to identify prognostic factors such as tumour regression, extramural venous invasion and threatened margins have introduced the concept of decision-making based on preoperative staging information. Modern treatment strategies are underpinned by accurate high-resolution imaging guiding both neoadjuvant therapy and precision surgery, followed by meticulous pathological scrutiny identifying the important prognostic factors for adjuvant chemotherapy. Included in these strategies are organ-sparing approaches and watch-and-wait strategies in selected patients. These pathways rely on the close working of interlinked disciplines within a multidisciplinary team. Such multidisciplinary forums are becoming standard in the treatment of rectal cancer across the UK, Europe and, more recently, the USA. This Review examines the essential components of modern-day management of rectal cancer through a multidisciplinary team approach, providing information that is essential for any practising colorectal surgeon to guide the best patient care
AFIP-7 Irradiation Summary Report
The Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) Full size plate I
Socially-mediated arousal and contagion within domestic chick broods
Emotional contagion – an underpinning valenced feature of empathy – is made up of simpler, potentially dissociable social processes which can include socially-mediated arousal and behavioural/physiological contagion. Previous studies of emotional contagion have often conflated these processes rather than examining their independent contribution to empathic response. We measured socially-mediated arousal and contagion in 9-week old domestic chicks (n = 19 broods), who were unrelated but raised together from hatching. Pairs of observer chicks were exposed to two conditions in a counterbalanced order: air puff to conspecifics (AP) (during which an air puff was applied to three conspecifics at 30 s intervals) and control with noise of air puff (C) (during which the air puff was directed away from the apparatus at 30 s intervals). Behaviour and surface eye temperature of subjects and observers were measured throughout a 10-min pre-treatment and 10-min treatment period. Subjects and observers responded to AP with increased freezing, and reduced preening and ground pecking. Subjects and observers also showed reduced surface eye temperature - indicative of stress-induced hyperthermia. Subject-Observer behaviour was highly correlated within broods during both C and AP conditions, but with higher overall synchrony during AP. We demonstrate the co-occurrence of socially-mediated behavioural and physiological arousal and contagion; component features of emotional contagion
Living biointerfaces based on non-pathogenic bacteria to direct cell differentiation
Genetically modified Lactococcus lactis, non-pathogenic bacteria expressing the FNIII7-10 fibronectin fragment as a protein membrane have been used to create a living biointerface between synthetic materials and mammalian cells. This FNIII7-10 fragment comprises the RGD and PHSRN sequences of fibronectin to bind α5β1 integrins and triggers signalling for cell adhesion, spreading and differentiation. We used L. lactis strain to colonize material surfaces and produce stable biofilms presenting the FNIII7-10 fragment readily available to cells. Biofilm density is easily tunable and remains stable for several days. Murine C2C12 myoblasts seeded over mature biofilms undergo bipolar alignment and form differentiated myotubes, a process triggered by the FNIII7-10 fragment. This biointerface based on living bacteria can be further modified to express any desired biochemical signal, establishing a new paradigm in biomaterial surface functionalisation for biomedical applications
Local mean-field study of capillary condensation in silica aerogels
We apply local mean-field (i.e. density functional) theory to a lattice model
of a fluid in contact with a dilute, disordered gel network. The gel structure
is described by a diffusion-limited cluster aggregation model. We focus on the
influence of porosity on both the hysteretic and the equilibrium behavior of
the fluid as one varies the chemical potential at low temperature. We show that
the shape of the hysteresis loop changes from smooth to rectangular as the
porosity increases and that this change is associated to disorder-induced
out-of-equilibrium phase transitions that differ on adsorption and on
desorption. Our results provide insight in the behavior of He in silica
aerogels.Comment: 19 figure
Current controversies in TNM for the radiological staging of rectal cancer and how to deal with them: results of a global online survey and multidisciplinary expert consensus
Objectives: To identify the main problem areas in the applicability of the current TNM staging system (8th ed.) for the radiological staging and reporting of rectal cancer and provide practice recommendations on how to handle them. Methods: A global case-based online survey was conducted including 41 image-based rectal cancer cases focusing on various items included in the TNM system. Cases reaching < 80% agreement among survey respondents were identified as problem areas and discussed among an international expert panel, including 5 radiologists, 6 colorectal surgeons, 4 radiation oncologists, and 3 pathologists. Results: Three hundred twenty-one respondents (from 32 countries) completed the survey. Sixteen problem areas were identified, related to cT staging in low-rectal cancers, definitions for cT4b and cM1a disease, definitions for mesorectal fascia (MRF) involvement, evaluation of lymph nodes versus tumor deposits, and staging of lateral lymph nodes. The expert panel recommended strategies on how to handle these, including advice on cT-stage categorization in case of involvement of different layers of the anal canal, specifications on which structures to include in the definition of cT4b disease, how to define MRF involvement by the primary tumor and other tumor-bearing structures, how to differentiate and report lymph nodes and tumor deposits on MRI, and how to anatomically localize and stage lateral lymph nodes. Conclusions: The recommendations derived from this global survey and expert panel discussion may serve as a practice guide and support tool for radiologists (and other clinicians) involved in the staging of rectal cancer and may contribute to improved consistency in radiological staging and reporting. Key Points: • Via a case-based online survey (incl. 321 respondents from 32 countries), we identified 16 problem areas related to the applicability of the TNM staging system for the radiological staging and reporting of rectal cancer. • A multidisciplinary panel of experts recommended strategies on how to handle these problem areas, including advice on cT-stage categorization in case of involvement of different layers of the anal canal, specifications on which structures to include in the definition of cT4b disease, how to define mesorectal fascia involvement by the primary tumor and other tumor-bearing structures, how to differentiate and report lymph nodes and tumor deposits on MRI, and how to anatomically localize and stage lateral lymph nodes. • These recommendations may serve as a practice guide and support tool for radiologists (and other clinicians) involved in the staging of rectal cancer and may contribute to improved consistency in radiological staging and reporting
Out-of-equilibrium physics in driven dissipative coupled resonator arrays
Coupled resonator arrays have been shown to exhibit interesting many- body
physics including Mott and Fractional Hall states of photons. One of the main
differences between these photonic quantum simulators and their cold atoms
coun- terparts is in the dissipative nature of their photonic excitations. The
natural equi- librium state is where there are no photons left in the cavity.
Pumping the system with external drives is therefore necessary to compensate
for the losses and realise non-trivial states. The external driving here can
easily be tuned to be incoherent, coherent or fully quantum, opening the road
for exploration of many body regimes beyond the reach of other approaches. In
this chapter, we review some of the physics arising in driven dissipative
coupled resonator arrays including photon fermionisa- tion, crystallisation, as
well as photonic quantum Hall physics out of equilibrium. We start by briefly
describing possible experimental candidates to realise coupled resonator arrays
along with the two theoretical models that capture their physics, the
Jaynes-Cummings-Hubbard and Bose-Hubbard Hamiltonians. A brief review of the
analytical and sophisticated numerical methods required to tackle these systems
is included.Comment: Chapter that appeared in "Quantum Simulations with Photons and
Polaritons: Merging Quantum Optics with Condensed Matter Physics" edited by
D.G.Angelakis, Quantum Science and Technology Series, Springer 201
Advances in Microfluidics and Lab-on-a-Chip Technologies
Advances in molecular biology are enabling rapid and efficient analyses for
effective intervention in domains such as biology research, infectious disease
management, food safety, and biodefense. The emergence of microfluidics and
nanotechnologies has enabled both new capabilities and instrument sizes
practical for point-of-care. It has also introduced new functionality, enhanced
sensitivity, and reduced the time and cost involved in conventional molecular
diagnostic techniques. This chapter reviews the application of microfluidics
for molecular diagnostics methods such as nucleic acid amplification,
next-generation sequencing, high resolution melting analysis, cytogenetics,
protein detection and analysis, and cell sorting. We also review microfluidic
sample preparation platforms applied to molecular diagnostics and targeted to
sample-in, answer-out capabilities
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