Computer simulations to investigate the causes of T-wave notching.

Drugs that cause strong hERG potassium channel block (e.g., dofetilide, quinidine) cause T-wave notching.

Experimental Data and Geometric Analysis Repository-EDGAR.

Introduction: The "Experimental Data and Geometric Analysis Repository", or EDGAR is an Internet-based archive of curated data that are freely distributed to the international research community for the application and validation of electrocardiographic imaging (ECGI) techniques. The EDGAR project is a collaborative effort by the Consortium for ECG Imaging (CEI, ecg-imaging.org), and focused on two specific aims.

Evaluation of a pharmacy service helping patients to get a good start in taking their new medications for chronic diseases.

Background: Getting a good start in taking new medications for a chronic disease constitutes a crucial step in the establishment of continuous medical treatment. Patients in this phase report problems such as concerns about their new medication, side effects and practical problems, all contributing to the risk of non-adherence. Counseling at the pharmacy counter may not be structured appropriately to address issues of potential non-adherence to new medication.

Comparative genomics of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melonis reveals the secreted protein recognized by the Fom-2 resistance gene in melon.

Development of resistant crops is the most effective way to control plant diseases to safeguard food and feed production. Disease resistance is commonly based on resistance genes, which generally mediate the recognition of small proteins secreted by invading pathogens. These proteins secreted by pathogens are called 'avirulence' proteins.

The effect of EUSOMA certification on quality of breast cancer care.

Aim Of The Study: The European Society of Breast Cancer Specialists (EUSOMA) has fostered a voluntary certification process for breast units to establish minimum standards and ensure specialist multidisciplinary care. In the present study we assess the impact of EUSOMA certification for all breast units for which sufficient information was available before and after certification.

Materials And Methods: For 22 EUSOMA certified breast units data of 30,444 patients could be extracted from the EUSOMA database on the evolution of QI's before and after certification.

A cross-sectional, multicentre, epidemiological study on human papillomavirus (HPV) type distribution in adult women diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer in Belgium.

Objective: Despite an advanced national cervical cancer screening and vaccination programme cervical cancer is still the third most frequent diagnosed gynaecological tumour in Belgium. The goal of this study is to present the Belgian data of a cross-sectional, multicentre, epidemiological study on human papillomavirus (HPV) type distribution in adult women diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer (ICC) conducted in 12 European countries.

Material And Methods: Centres in four major Belgian cities (Antwerp, Brussels, Ghent and Liège) participated in this study.

Decreased expression of ABAT and STC2 hallmarks ER-positive inflammatory breast cancer and endocrine therapy resistance in advanced disease.

Background: Patients with Estrogen Receptor α-positive (ER+) Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) are less responsive to endocrine therapy compared with ER+ non-IBC (nIBC) patients. The study of ER+ IBC samples might reveal biomarkers for endocrine resistant breast cancer.

Materials & Methods: Gene expression profiles of ER+ samples from 201 patients were explored for genes that discriminated between IBC and nIBC.

Current view on ductal carcinoma in situ and importance of the margin thresholds: A review.

Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is a heterogeneous group of diseases that differ in biology and clinical behaviour. Until 1980, DCIS represented less than 1% of all breast cancer cases. With the increased utilization of mammography, DCIS now accounts for 15% to 25% of newly diagnosed breast cancer cases.

The socio-economical impact of intravenous (IV) versus subcutaneous (SC) administration of trastuzumab: future prospectives.

Trastuzumab was the first targeted therapy for HER2 positive breast cancer. It has become the standard of care for HER2 positive metastatic breast cancer since 2000 and in the adjuvant setting since 2006. Adjuvant it is given for a year and in patients with metastatic disease until progression.

Cumulus cell-expressed type I interferons induce cumulus expansion in mice.

Ovulation resembles the inflammatory response. The purpose of the present study was to examine the expression and role of type I interferons (IFNs) Ifnalpha and Ifnbeta in mouse ovaries during the process of ovulation. An in vivo injection of equine chorionic gonadotropin (CG)-human CG (hCG) stimulated Ifnalpha and Ifnbeta mRNA in cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) within 6 h.

Sensitivity of CIPS-computed PVC location to measurement errors in ECG electrode position: the need for the 3D camera.

Background: The Cardiac Isochrone Positioning System (CIPS) is a non-invasive method able to localize the origins of PVCs, VT and WPW from the 12 lead ECG. The CIPS model integrates a standard 12-lead ECG with an MRI derived model of the heart, lungs, and torso in order to compute the precise electrical origin of a PVC from within the myocardium. To make these calculations, CIPS uses virtually represented ECG electrode positions.

Entamoeba histolytica acetyl-CoA synthetase: biomarker of acute amoebic liver abscess.

Objective: To characterize the Entamoeba histolytica (E. histolytica) antigen(s) recognized by moribound amoebic liver abscess hamsters.

Methods: Crude soluble antigen of E.

New Additions to the Toolkit for Forward/Inverse Problems in Electrocardiography within the SCIRun Problem Solving Environment.

Cardiac electrical imaging often requires the examination of different forward and inverse problem formulations based on mathematical and numerical approximations of the underlying source and the intervening volume conductor that can generate the associated voltages on the surface of the body. If the goal is to recover the source on the heart from body surface potentials, the solution strategy must include numerical techniques that can incorporate appropriate constraints and recover useful solutions, even though the problem is badly posed. Creating complete software solutions to such problems is a daunting undertaking.

Impact of genetic variability and treatment-related factors on outcome in early breast cancer patients receiving (neo-) adjuvant chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil, epirubicin and cyclophosphamide, and docetaxel.

To assess the impact of patient-related factors, including genetic variability in genes involved in the metabolism of chemotherapeutic agents, on breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS) and recurrence-free interval (RFI). We selected early breast cancer patients treated between 2000 and 2010 with 4-6 cycles of (neo-)adjuvant 5-fluorouracil, epirubicin, and cyclophosphamide (FEC) or 3 cycles FEC followed by 3 cycles docetaxel. Tumor stage/subtype; febrile neutropenia and patient-related factors such as selected single nucleotide polymorphisms and baseline laboratory parameters were evaluated.

Higher TNF-α, IGF-1, and Leptin Levels are Found in Tasters than Non-Tasters.

Taste perception is controlled by taste cells that are present in the tongue that produce and secrete various metabolic hormones. Recent studies have demonstrated that taste receptors in tongue, gut, and pancreas are associated with local hormone secretion. The aim of this study was to determine whether there is a link between taste sensitivity and levels of circulating metabolic hormones in humans and whether taste sensitivity is potentially related to peripheral metabolic regulation.

Genomic profiling of inflammatory breast cancer: a review.

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a rare but aggressive form of breast cancer. Despite efforts in the past decade to delineate the molecular biology of IBC by applying high-throughput molecular profiling technologies to clinical samples, IBC remains insufficiently characterized. The reasons for that include limited sizes of the study population, heterogeneity with respect to the composition of the IBC and non-IBC control groups and technological differences across studies.

Electrocardiographic imaging-based recognition of possible induced bundle branch blocks during transcatheter aortic valve implantations.

Aims: Conventional electrocardiogram (ECG)-based diagnosis of left bundle branch block (LBBB) in patients with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is ambiguous. Left ventricular hypertrophy is often seen in patients with severe aortic stenosis in which a transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) frequently results in a LBBB due to the mechanical interaction of the artificial valve and the conduction system. In this feasibility study, we propose and evaluate the sensitivity of a new electrocardiographic imaging tool; the cardiac isochrone positioning system (CIPS), visualizing the cardiac activation to detect interventricular conduction patterns pre- and post-TAVI.

Safe and effective use of medicines for patients with type 2 diabetes - A randomized controlled trial of two interventions delivered by local pharmacies.

Background: Poor management of chronic medical treatments may result in severe health consequences for patients as well as costs for society. Non-adherence is common among patients with type 2 diabetes. Interventions by community pharmacists may assist in improving adherence and consequently health outcomes for patients with type 2 diabetes.

Prediction of non-sentinel lymph node involvement in breast cancer patients with a positive sentinel lymph node.

Completion axillary lymph node dissection (cALND) is the golden standard if breast cancer involves the sentinel lymph node (SLN). However, most non-sentinel lymph nodes (NSLN) are not involved, cALND has a considerable complication rate and does not improve outcome. We here present and validate our predictive model for positive NSLNs in the cALND if the SLN is positive.

Identifying model inaccuracies and solution uncertainties in noninvasive activation-based imaging of cardiac excitation using convex relaxation.

Noninvasive imaging of cardiac electrical function has begun to move towards clinical adoption. Here, we consider one common formulation of the problem, in which the goal is to estimate the spatial distribution of electrical activation times during a cardiac cycle. We address the challenge of understanding the robustness and uncertainty of solutions to this formulation.

A core invasiveness gene signature reflects epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition but not metastatic potential in breast cancer cell lines and tissue samples.

Introduction: Metastases remain the primary cause of cancer-related death. The acquisition of invasive tumour cell behaviour is thought to be a cornerstone of the metastatic cascade. Therefore, gene signatures related to invasiveness could aid in stratifying patients according to their prognostic profile.

Detection and prognostic significance of circulating tumour cells in patients with metastatic breast cancer according to immunohistochemical subtypes.

Background: The enumeration of circulating tumour cells (CTCs) with the EpCAM-based CellSearch system has prognostic significance in patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). The aim of this study was to explore potential differences in the detection and prognostic significance of CTCs in MBC according to immunohistochemical subtypes of breast cancer.

Methods: CellSearch CTC counts were obtained from 154 MBC patients before first-line systemic treatment between November 2007 and August 2012.