Targeting metastasis-initiating cancer stem cells in gastric cancer with leukaemia inhibitory factor.

Gastric cancer's (GC) bad prognosis is usually associated with metastatic spread. Invasive cancer stem cells (CSC) are considered to be the seed of GC metastasis and not all CSCs are able to initiate metastasis. Targeting these aggressive metastasis-initiating CSC (MIC) is thus vital.

High Pressure (HP) in Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) Processes: Application to the Polycrystalline Diamond.

High-Pressure (HP) technology allows new possibilities of processing by Spark Plasma Synthesis (SPS). This process is mainly involved in the sintering process and for bonding, growing and reaction. High-Pressure tools combined with SPS is applied for processing polycrystalline diamond without binder (binderless PCD) in this current work.

Urinary protein to creatinine ratio during the first month of life in very preterm infants-a prospective cohort study (PROTIPREMA).

Background: Preterm infants have physiological proteinuria and values of urine protein to creatinine ratio (UPr/Cr) are higher compared to full-term infants during the first week of life. Few investigations explored the changes of proteinuria in very preterm infants (VPI, ≤ 31 weeks of gestation) older than a week, and it is unclear whether high and persistent proteinuria is associated with kidney injury in this population. This study aimed to (1) observe the changes of UPr/Cr during the first month of life in VPI and (2) describe clinical and biological variables associated with the changes of UPr/Cr.

A Review of Binderless Polycrystalline Diamonds: Focus on the High-Pressure-High-Temperature Sintering Process.

Nowadays, synthetic diamonds are easy to fabricate industrially, and a wide range of methods were developed during the last century. Among them, the high-pressure-high-temperature (HP-HT) process is the most used to prepare diamond compacts for cutting or drilling applications. However, these diamond compacts contain binder, limiting their mechanical and optical properties and their substantial uses.

School life satisfaction and peer connectedness of intellectually gifted adolescents in France: Is there a labeling effect?

Intellectual giftedness is commonly associated with a high level of intellectual functioning, an identification process whereby individuals are labeled as gifted, and adjustments in schools such as grade skipping. During adolescence, all these factors are prone to reduce peer connectedness and school life satisfaction. The aim of the present study was to disentangle the effects of these factors in a sample of 492 sixth and 10th graders.

When the progresses in neonatology lead to severe congenital nephron deficit: is there a pilot in the NICU?

Advances in the care of neonates to the extreme limits of viability have increased the risk of severe comorbidities in surviving preemies. The respiratory and the neurodevelopmental consequences of premature birth and/or intra-uterine growth retardation have been well described. Because of the usual clinical silence of the kidney, the long-term renal consequences of low birth weight have not been as well studied.

Using a cochlear implant processor as contralateral routing of signals device in unilateral cochlear implant recipients.

Purpose: In unilateral cochlear implant (CI) recipients, a contralateral routing of signals (CROS) device enables to receive auditory information from the unaided side. This study investigates the feasibility as well as subjective and objective benefits of using a CI processor as a CROS device in unilateral CI recipients.

Methods: This is a single-center, prospective cohort study.

Use of diuretics in the neonatal period.

The use of diuretics is extremely frequent in sick neonates, the more so in very premature newborn infants. The use of diuretics in patients whose kidney function is immature necessitates a thorough knowledge of renal developmental physiology and pathophysiology. This review presents the basic aspects of body fluid homeostasis in the neonate, discusses the development of kidney function, and describes the mechanisms involved in electrolyte and water reabsorption along the nephron.

Gestational anaemia and severe acute maternal morbidity: a population-based study.

Anaemia is frequently diagnosed during pregnancy. However, there are few data regarding its incidence, and the association with severe maternal morbidity remains uncertain and potentially biased in high-resource countries. The purpose of this study was to explore the association between gestational anaemia and severe acute maternal morbidity during and after delivery.

Anxiety disorders in children with high intellectual potential.

Background: Several studies have reported anxiety disorders in children with high intellectual potential (HIP). However, there are discrepant results possibly as a result of methodological biases (different/absent definitions of HIP, small sample sizes, non-validated/adapted/specific tools for assessing anxiety and a single observational source).

Aims: To examine more thoroughly the relationships between HIP and anxiety in large samples of children using clear definitions of HIP, different observational sources and specific assessments of anxiety.

Maturation of glomerular filtration rate in neonates and infants: an overview.

Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) increases progressively throughout fetal life, matures rapidly after birth according to gestational and post-menstrual age, and reaches adult values by 1-year post-natal age. GFR is considered the best marker of kidney function, and in clinical practice, estimated GFR is useful to anticipate complications, establish prognosis, and facilitate treatment decisions. This review article summarizes the maturation of glomerular filtration and the factors and conditions that modulate and impair developing glomerular filtration, and discusses the techniques available to assess GFR in neonates and infants.

Repurposing Dihydropyridines for Treatment of Infection.

Antibiotic resistance is a major cause of the increasing failures in the current eradication therapies against . In this scenario, repurposing drugs could be a valuable strategy to fast-track novel antimicrobial agents. In the present study, we analyzed the inhibitory capability of 1,4-dihydropyridine (DHP) antihypertensive drugs on the essential function of the response regulator HsrA and investigated both the in vitro antimicrobial activities and the in vivo efficacy of DHP treatments against .

Round window and promontory movements during bone conduction with different middle ear conditions in Thiel embalmed specimens.

Background: Thiel conservation is mainly based on a watery solution of salts. We have shown that bone conduction (BC) evokes motion in normal middle ears of Thiel embalmed specimens that is comparable to the motion for other cadaveric models.

Aims/objectives: We evaluated whether promontory and round window (RW) motion identifies differences in BC transmission for different middle ear conditions.

Mobile Internet Telephony Improves Speech Intelligibility and Quality for Cochlear Implant Recipients.

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the benefit of mobile Voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) over conventional mobile phone calls (Global System for Mobile Communications, GSM) on speech intelligibility and quality for cochlear implant (CI) recipients.

Study Design: Cross-sectional, prospective.

Setting: Tertiary referral center.

Tympanic membrane surface motions in forward and reverse middle ear transmissions.

Characterization of Tympanic Membrane (TM) surface motions with forward and reverse stimulation is important to understanding how the TM transduces acoustical and mechanical energy in both directions. In this paper, stroboscopic opto-electronic holography is used to quantify motions of the entire TM surface induced by forward sound and reverse mechanical stimulation in human cadaveric ears from 0.25 to 18.

Renal aspects of metabolic acid-base disorders in neonates.

Acid-base homeostasis is one of the most tightly regulated systems in the body. Maintaining the acid-base balance is particularly challenging for preterm infants and growing neonates. The kidney, which represents the crucial ultimate line of defense against disturbances of acid-base balance, undergoes a complex maturation process during the transition from a fetal to an extra-uterine environment.

Preterm Birth: Long Term Cardiovascular and Renal Consequences.

Background: Cardiovascular and chronic kidney diseases are a part of noncommunicable chronic diseases, the leading causes of premature death worldwide. They are recognized as having early origins through altered developmental programming, due to adverse environmental conditions during development. Preterm birth is such an adverse factor.

Influence of Telecommunication Modality, Internet Transmission Quality, and Accessories on Speech Perception in Cochlear Implant Users.

Background: Telecommunication is limited or even impossible for more than one-thirds of all cochlear implant (CI) users.

Objective: We sought therefore to study the impact of voice quality on speech perception with voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) under real and adverse network conditions.

Methods: Telephone speech perception was assessed in 19 CI users (15-69 years, average 42 years), using the German HSM (Hochmair-Schulz-Moser) sentence test comparing Skype and conventional telephone (public switched telephone networks, PSTN) transmission using a personal computer (PC) and a digital enhanced cordless telecommunications (DECT) telephone dual device.

Synthesis of Bulk BC8 Silicon Allotrope by Direct Transformation and Reduced-Pressure Chemical Pathways.

Phase-pure samples of a metastable allotrope of silicon, Si-III or BC8, were synthesized by direct elemental transformation at 14 GPa and ∼900 K and also at significantly reduced pressure in the Na-Si system at 9.5 GPa by quenching from high temperatures ∼1000 K. Pure sintered polycrystalline ingots with dimensions ranging from 0.

Acute Renal Failure in the Neonate.

Acute renal failure (ARF) is a common disorder in high-risk neonates. ARF may be oliguric or nonoliguric, the latter having a better prognosis. Risk factors for ARF include prematurity, respiratory and vascular disorders, heart failure, congenital uropathies, and the use of nephrotoxic drugs.

Novel Bone-Anchored Vascular Access on the Mastoid for Hemodialysis: Concept and Preclinical Trials.

Goal: We present the development of a bone-anchored port for the painless long-term hemodialytic treatment of patients with renal failure. This port is implanted behind the ear.

Methods: The port was developed based on knowledge obtained from long-term experience with implantable hearing devices, which are firmly anchored to the bone behind the ear.

The large volume press facility at ID06 beamline of the European synchrotron radiation facility as a High Pressure-High Temperature deformation apparatus.

We report here the newly developed deformation setup offered by the 20MN (2000T) multi-anvil press newly installed at sector 7 of the European synchrotron radiation facility, on the ID06 beamline. The press is a Deformation-DIA (D-DIA) type apparatus, and different sets of primary anvils can be used for deformation experiments, from 6 mm to 3 mm truncations, according to the target pressure needed. Pressure and temperature calibrations and gradients show that the central zone of the assemblies is stable.

[A new bone anchored hemodialysis access].

When classic arteriovenous fistulas or grafts fail, dialysis patients have a vital requirement for a catheter to ensure vascular access. Permanent central venous catheters penetrate the cervical and thoracic soft tissues and the skin without rigid fixation. The infection rate for such devices is high, often requiring explantation.