An α7 nicotinic and GABA receptor-mediated pathway controls acetylcholine release in the tripartite neuromuscular junction.

Terminal Schwann cells (TSCs) are capable of regulating acetylcholine (ACh) release at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ). We have identified GABA as a gliotransmitter at mouse NMJs. When ACh activates α7 nicotinic ACh receptor (nAChRs) on TSCs, GABA is released and activates GABA receptors on the nerve terminal that subsequently reduce ACh release.

Isolated continent cystostomy on neurologic native bladder: Functional results.

Introduction: Continent cutaneous urinary diversion (CCUD) is proposed to patients suffering from chronic neurologic retention and undergoing intermittent self-catheterization (ISC). In case of neurogenic detrusor overactivity (NDO), augmentation enterocystoplasty is often required. The aim was to identify the prevalence of urinary stomal and/or urethral leakage in patients who had not undergone enlargement.

Ablation rates with Holmium:YAG and Thulium Fiber Laser: Influence of the stone phantom homogeneity. An in vitro study.

Objectives: The lithotripsy efficiency (LE) in vitro study requires artificial or human stone samples (AS, HS). With the development of dusting lithotripsy, less ex vivo HS are available. We aimed to compare Thulium Fiber Laser (TFL) and Holmium:YAG (Ho:YAG)'s LE and define the most accurate LE parameter.

Unsupervised classification of plethysmography signals with advanced visual representations.

Ventilation is a simple physiological function that ensures the vital supply of oxygen and the elimination of CO. The recording of the airflow through the nostrils of a mouse over time makes it possible to calculate the position of critical points, based on the shape of the signals, to compute the respiratory frequency and the volume of air exchanged. These descriptors only account for a part of the dynamics of respiratory exchanges.

Unsupervised study of plethysmography signals through DTW clustering.

The study of plethysmography time series is crucial to better understand the breathing behavior of mice, in particular the influence of neurotoxins on the respiratory system. Current approaches rely on a few respiratory descriptors computed on individual breathing cycles that fail to account for the variety of breathing habits and their evolution with time. In this paper we introduce a new procedure for the automatic analysis of plethysmography signals.

[How quickly can a complex stone be treated in percutaneous mini-nephrolithotomy?].

Objectives: Knowing the treatment's time of a complex stone is important for operating programming. It depends on the installation time, renal access time and the rate of fragmentation. The main objective of the study is to calculate the processing speed of complex stones by the percutaneous mini-nephrolithotomy (mini-NLPC) technique.

Laser Fiber Displacement Velocity during Tm-Fiber and Ho:YAG Laser Lithotripsy: Introducing the Concept of Optimal Displacement Velocity.

Background: Endocorporeal laser lithotripsy (EL) during flexible ureteroscopy (URS-f) often uses "dusting" settings with "painting" technique. The displacement velocity of the laser fiber (LF) at the stone surface remains unknown and could improve EL's ablation rates. This in vitro study aimed to define the optimal displacement velocity (ODV) for both holmium:yttrium-aluminium-garnet (Ho:YAG) and thulium fiber laser (Tm-Fiber).

Assessment of Factors Involved in Laser Fiber Degradation with Thulium Fiber Laser.

To assess the effect of various factors on laser fiber tip degradation with the thulium fiber laser (Tm-fiber): fiber stripping, adjustable laser settings (energy, frequency, peak power), and stone density. Two hundred seventy-three micrometer fibers were used with a 50W Tm-fiber. First, we assessed the evolution of power transmission with stripped and unstripped fibers submerged in saline.

Comparison of Holmium:YAG and Thulium Fiber Lasers on Soft Tissue: An Study.

To assess the fiber-tissue interaction through ablation, coagulation, and carbonization characteristics of the Ho:YAG laser and super pulsed thulium fiber laser (TFL) in a nonperfused porcine kidney model. To assess the degradation of laser fibers during soft tissue treatment. A 50 W TFL generator was compared with a 120 W Ho:YAG laser.

Scalable Stamp Printing and Fabrication of Hemiwicking Surfaces.

Hemiwicking is a process where a fluid wets a patterned surface beyond its normal wetting length due to a combination of capillary action and imbibition. This wetting phenomenon is important in many technical fields ranging from physiology to aerospace engineering. Currently, several different techniques exist for fabricating hemiwicking structures.

Simultaneous reflectometry and interferometry for measuring thin-film thickness and curvature.

A coupled reflectometer-interferometer apparatus is described for thin-film thickness and curvature characterization in the three-phase contact line region of evaporating fluids. Validation reflectometry studies are provided for Au, Ge, and Si substrates and thin-film coatings of SiO and hydrogel/Ti/SiO. For interferometry, liquid/air and solid/air interferences are studied, where the solid/air samples consisted of glass/air/glass wedges, cylindrical lenses, and molded polydimethylsiloxane lenses.

ANXIOLYTIC - LIKE PROPERTIES OF IN MICE.

Background: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the anxiolytic properties of the decoction of stem bark of in mice. The decoction of is used in traditional medicine in Cameroon to treat diseases like anxiety disorders, fever, infantile convulsions and malaria.

Materials And Methods: Stress induced hyperthermia, elevated plus maze, open field and hole-board tests were used.

Synthesis and Antineoplastic Evaluation of Mitochondrial Complex II (Succinate Dehydrogenase) Inhibitors Derived from Atpenin A5.

Mitochondrial complex II (CII) is an emerging target for numerous human diseases. Sixteen analogues of the CII inhibitor natural product atpenin A5 were prepared to evaluate the structure-activity relationship of the C5 pyridine side chain. The side chain ketone moiety was determined to be pharmacophoric, engendering a bioactive conformation.

Observation of reversible, rapid changes in drug susceptibility of hypoxic tumor cells in a microfluidic device.

Hypoxia is a major stimulus for increased drug resistance and for survival of tumor cells. Work from our group and others has shown that hypoxia increases resistance to anti-cancer compounds, radiation, and other damage-pathway cytotoxic agents. In this work we utilize a microfluidic culture system capable of rapid switching of local oxygen concentrations to determine changes in drug resistance in prostate cancer cells.

Detection of apoptosis using fluorescent probes.

Apoptosis plays a major role in both healthy and diseased cells. The analysis of apoptosis can take advantage of multiple cellular markers, enabling the process to be studied at different time points. In this chapter, several apoptosis assay protocols are provided.

Microfluidic antibody arrays for simultaneous cell separation and stimulus.

A microfluidic chip containing stamped antibody arrays was developed for simultaneous cell separation and drug testing. Poly(dimethyl siloxane) (PDMS) stamping was used to deposit antibodies in a microfluidic channel, forming discrete cell-capture regions on the surface. Cell mixtures were then introduced, resulting in the separation of cells when specific antibodies were used.

Anatomy of liver arteries for interventional radiology.

The availability of intra-arterial hepatic therapies (radio and/or chemo-embolisation, intra-arterial hepatic chemotherapy) has convinced radiologists to perfect their knowledge of the anatomy of the liver arteries. These sometimes, complex procedures most often require selective arterial catheterization. Knowledge of the different arteries in the liver and the peripheral organs is therefore essential to optimize the procedure and avoid eventual complications.

Liver segmentation: practical tips.

The liver segmentation system, described by Couinaud, is based on the identification of the three hepatic veins and the plane passing by the portal vein bifurcation. Nowadays, Couinaud's description is the most widely used classification since it is better suited for surgery and more accurate for the localisation and monitoring of intra-parenchymal lesions. Knowledge of the anatomy of the portal and venous system is therefore essential, as is knowledge of the variants resulting from changes occurring during the embryological development of the vitelline and umbilical veins.

Phase I study of pemetrexed and cisplatin with concurrent high-dose thoracic radiation after induction chemotherapy in patients with unresectable locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Purpose: This is a phase I, escalating-dose trial targeting exclusively patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), investigating pemetrexed and fixed-dose cisplatin concurrently administered with high-dose radiotherapy (RT) after induction chemotherapy (CT). Primary objective was to determine the maximum tolerated dose and recommended phase II dose of pemetrexed.

Patients And Materials: Patients with unresected stage III NSCLC, planned V20 ≤ 35%, and FEV ≥ 1.

Phase I study with dose escalation of gemcitabine and cisplatin in combination with ifosfamide (GIP) in patients with non-small-cell lung carcinoma.

Gemcitabine (G) and cisplatin (P) are active reference agents in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Ifosfamide (I) has also been approved for NSCLC treatment. This phase I trial aimed to determine the dose-limiting toxicity (DLT), maximum tolerated dose [maximum tolerated dosage (MTD)], and recommended dose (RD) of a GIP combination in patients with advanced/metastatic NSCLC.

Final results of the 94-01 French Head and Neck Oncology and Radiotherapy Group randomized trial comparing radiotherapy alone with concomitant radiochemotherapy in advanced-stage oropharynx carcinoma.

Purpose: We report the 5-year survival and late toxicity results of a randomized clinical trial, which showed a 3-year improvement in overall survival and locoregional control of stage III or IV oropharynx carcinoma, using concomitant radiochemotherapy (arm B), compared with standard radiotherapy (arm A).

Patients And Methods: A total of 226 patients were entered onto a phase III multicenter randomized trial comparing radiotherapy alone (70 Gy in 35 fractions; arm A) with concomitant radiochemotherapy (70 Gy in 35 fractions with three cycles of a 4-day regimen comprising carboplatin and fluorouracil; arm B). Prognostic factors were evaluated by univariate and multivariate analysis.

Late toxicity results of the GORTEC 94-01 randomized trial comparing radiotherapy with concomitant radiochemotherapy for advanced-stage oropharynx carcinoma: comparison of LENT/SOMA, RTOG/EORTC, and NCI-CTC scoring systems.

Purpose: To prospectively assess 5-year late toxicity in patients treated by concomitant radiochemotherapy for locally advanced oropharynx carcinoma using three different toxicity scales.

Methods And Materials: A total of 226 patients were entered in a Phase III multicenter, randomized trial comparing radiotherapy alone (70 Gy in 35 fractions: Arm A) with concomitant radiochemotherapy (70 Gy in 35 fractions with three cycles of a 4-day regimen containing carboplatin and 5-fluorouracil: Arm B). Five living patients, free of local or distant recurrences, could not be evaluated for late toxicity.

[Stage III and IV cancers of the oropharynx: results of a randomized study of Gortec comparing radiotherapy alone with concomitant chemotherapy].

The aim of the study was to test whether the addition of three cycles of chemotherapy during standard radiation therapy would improve disease-free survival in patients with stages III and IV oropharynx carcinoma. A total of 226 patients have been entered in a phase III multicentric randomized trial comparing radiotherapy alone (arm A) to radiotherapy with concomitant chemotherapy (arm B). Radiotherapy was identical in the two arms, delivering, with conventional fractionation, 70 Gy in 35 fractions.