MerQuaCo: a computational tool for quality control in image-based spatial transcriptomics.

Image-based spatial transcriptomics platforms are powerful tools often used to identify cell populations and describe gene expression in intact tissue. Spatial experiments return large, high-dimension datasets and several open-source software packages are available to facilitate analysis and visualization. Spatial results are typically imperfect.

Intraprosthetic Dislocation of Dual-Mobility Total Hip Arthroplasty: The Unforeseen Complication.

Total hip arthroplasty (THA) is one of the most successful and widely accepted orthopedic procedures. Instability after THA is one of the most significant postoperative complications. Dual-mobility THA components were introduced in 1974 to overcome the risk of instability by increasing the jump distance.

Integration of technology-based outcome measures in clinical trials of Parkinson and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Introduction: We sought to review the landscape of past, present, and future use of technology-based outcome measures (TOMs) in clinical trials of neurodegenerative disorders.

Methods: We systematically reviewed PubMed and ClinicalTrials.gov for published and ongoing clinical trials in neurodegenerative disorders employing TOMs.

MicroRNA mimicry blocks pulmonary fibrosis.

Over the last decade, great enthusiasm has evolved for microRNA (miRNA) therapeutics. Part of the excitement stems from the fact that a miRNA often regulates numerous related mRNAs. As such, modulation of a single miRNA allows for parallel regulation of multiple genes involved in a particular disease.

Plasma microRNAs serve as biomarkers of therapeutic efficacy and disease progression in hypertension-induced heart failure.

Aims: Recent studies have shown that microRNAs (miRNAs), besides being potent regulators of gene expression, can additionally serve as circulating biomarkers of disease. The aim of this study is to determine if plasma miRNAs can be used as indicators of disease progression or therapeutic efficacy in hypertension-induced heart disease.

Methods And Results: In order to define circulating miRNAs that change during hypertension-induced heart failure and that respond to therapeutic treatment, we performed miRNA arrays on plasma RNA from hypertensive rats that show signs of heart failure.

Spontaneous relocation of a posterior dislocation of mobile bearing in a medial unicompartmental knee replacement.

We describe a case of spontaneous relocation of a posterior dislocation of the mobile bearing in a medial unicompartmental knee replacement, prior to surgical intervention. We are unaware of any similar cases in the published literature. This paper highlights some clinical issues around this type of dislocation.

Inhibition of miR-15 protects against cardiac ischemic injury.

Rationale: Myocardial infarction (MI) is a leading cause of death worldwide. Because endogenous cardiac repair mechanisms are not sufficient for meaningful tissue regeneration, MI results in loss of cardiac tissue and detrimental remodeling events. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression in a sequence dependent manner.

Therapeutic inhibition of miR-208a improves cardiac function and survival during heart failure.

Background: Diastolic dysfunction in response to hypertrophy is a major clinical syndrome with few therapeutic options. MicroRNAs act as negative regulators of gene expression by inhibiting translation or promoting degradation of target mRNAs. Previously, we reported that genetic deletion of the cardiac-specific miR-208a prevents pathological cardiac remodeling and upregulation of Myh7 in response to pressure overload.

Aerosol delivery of liposomal formulated paclitaxel and vitamin E analog reduces murine mammary tumor burden and metastases.

Paclitaxel is a chemotherapeutic agent used for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer. 2,5,7,8-Tetramethyl-2R-(4R, 8R-12-trimethyltridecyl) chroman-6-yloxyacetic acid (alpha-TEA) is an analog of vitamin E that inhibits primary tumor growth and the incidence of lymphatic and pulmonary metastases in preclinical animal models. Here, the efficacy of sequential treatment with paclitaxel and alpha-TEA was tested in the BALB/c syngeneic 66cl-4-GFP mammary cancer model.

Apparent autosomal dominant keratoconus in a large Australian pedigree accounted for by digenic inheritance of two novel loci.

Keratoconus is a debilitating ocular disease characterised by progressive asymmetrical thinning of the cornea, the clear covering at the front of the eye. The resulting protrusion of the cornea results in severe refractive error, in the most severe cases requiring corneal grafting. It is a complex disease with a genetic component.

Shrinkage of locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancers in response to induction chemotherapy: implications for radiotherapy treatment planning.

Purpose: To quantify the impact that changes in tumor volume after induction chemotherapy have on radiotherapy treatment planning for locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer.

Methods And Materials: An analysis of coregistered pre- and postchemotherapy tumor volumes in a Phase II study of induction chemotherapy delivered before radical radiotherapy.

Results: Using the Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors measurement, 35% of patients had a partial response and 62% had stable disease after chemotherapy.

The efficacy of a nurse-led preoperative cataract assessment and postoperative care clinic.

Objective: To describe the implementation of a nurse-led preoperative cataract assessment and postoperative care clinic and to assess the safety, efficacy and outcomes.

Design, Setting And Participants: A prospective study involving 185 public patients (221 eyes) referred to the Department of Ophthalmology at Flinders Medical Centre for cataract surgery. The study was conducted between February 2003 and August 2004.

A 12-week study comparing moclobemide and sertraline in the treatment of outpatients with atypical depression.

One hundred and ninety-seven outpatients with atypical depression [Atypical Depression Diagnostic Scale (ADDS) score=4] were randomized to 12 weeks of double-blind treatment with sertraline or moclobemide in a multicentre, parallel-group clinical trial. Patients were started on either 50 mg/day sertraline or 300 mg/day moclobemide. If the therapeutic response was not satisfactory after 4 weeks, the dose could be increased to either 100 mg/day sertraline or 450 mg/day moclobemide.

Necrotising fasciitis as a complication of botulinum toxin injection.

Purpose: To highlight the need for early diagnosis and treatment of the rare condition of necrotising fasciitis as a complication of botulinum toxin injection, and to illustrate that injections in immunocompromised patients carry a rare but serious risk.

Results And Methods: A case report is presented of an 80-year-old woman suffering from blepharospasm and chronic myeloid leukaemia, who developed necrotising fasciitis 3 days after a botulinum toxin injection.

Conclusions: Chronic debilitating processes such as diabetes, alcoholism and polymyositis have been suggested as predisposing factors in the development of necrotising fasciitis.

Tardive dyskinesia: a review.

Objective: To review recent research findings on tardive dyskinesia (TD) with relevance to clinical practice.

Method: TD is a syndrome of involuntary movements that can occur in association with chronic neuroleptic use. It is of unknown pathophysiology.

Talbot effect and Cornu's spiral.

Cornu's spiral is used in the testing and extension of a recent explanation of the Talbot effect, which occurs in the Fresnel domain. The results confirm all parts tested. They also indicate that each band of a Talbot plane is controlled primarily by light from only a few slits of the grating, contrary to earlier assumptions.

Talbot effect reinterpreted: reply to comment.

This Technical Note is a reply to the comment concerning our paper on the Talbot effect reinterpreted by P. Szwaykowski [Appl. Opt.

Talbot plane patterns: grating images or interference effects?

It has been widely said that with the Talbot effect a grating makes images of itself unaided. However, the effect as produced by simple amplitude gratings was recently redefined in terms of interference-pattern visibility or contrast instead of self-imaging. Then, by starting with a pair of slits instead of the usual infinite grating, a new and more general description of the effect was developed.

Talbot effect reinterpreted.

Pattern generation in Talbot planes has generally been interpreted in terms of image formation, the repetitive slits are said to make repetitive images of themselves. In this context, Fourier optics developments have correctly predicted the positions of some but not all of the Talbot planes. Now, wave-optics methods are used to obtain general expressions for the positions of all known Talbot planes and the lateral positions of the diffraction fringes within them.

Phenytoin dosage predictions in paediatric patients.

Phenytoin dosing in paediatric patients is complicated both by alterations in patient requirements due to growth and maturation changes and by the capacity-limited characteristics of phenytoin metabolism. This study examines 2 pharmacokinetic methods to adjust phenytoin dosage based on a single dosing-rate/steady-state serum phenytoin concentration pair. A Bayesian forecaster and a fixed parameter [rate of metabolism (Vmax)] method were examined with previously published sets of a priori parameter estimates.

Light propagation in moderately dense particle systems: a reexamination of the Kubelka-Munk theory.

A numerical method (NM) is developed to characterize radiative transfer in a moderately dense particle population, i.e., a suspension of concentration of <1-10% by volume.

Hunger perceptions and satiety responses among normal-weight bulimics and normals to a high-calorie, carbohydrate-rich food.

The hunger perceptions and satiety responses to a high-calorie, carbohydrate-rich food among 10 normal-weight females who met the DSM-III criteria for bulimia were compared with 10 normal-weight females who denied a current or past history of eating or weight disorders. As indicated by self-report responses on the Hunger-Satiety Questionnaire, bulimics did not differ from the normals in their perceptions of hunger sensations. Differences, however, were detected in the responses following eating.

A components analysis of biofeedback in the treatment of fecal incontinence.

Fecal incontinence is a socially disabling symptom for which rectosphincteric biofeedback has been reported to be dramatically effective. The most commonly employed biofeedback procedure incorporates three separate and potentially effective components: exercise of the external sphincter muscle, training in discrimination of rectal sensations, and training synchrony of the internal and external sphincter responses. This paper reports the results of single case experiments employed with eight incontinent patients to examine the contributions of each of these components.