Use of 3-Dimensional Printing to Create Patient-Specific Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Models for Preoperative Planning.

Fenestrated endovascular aortic repair (FEVAR) stent grafting is a minimally invasive procedure and an alternative to open surgical repair for abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, particularly with unideal neck anatomy. Planning and implementing a custom FEVAR graft is complicated, requiring advanced training and years of practice. As such, a method for creating a patient-specific, to-scale, cost-effective, 3-dimensional abdominal aortic aneurysm model for use in preoperative planning is presented.

Functional and educational outcomes after treatment for intracranial arteriovenous malformations in children.

Background: Arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) in the pediatric population are rare, yet they form the most frequent cause of hemorrhagic stroke in children. Compared to adults, children have been suggested to have beneficial neurological outcomes. However, few studies have focused on other variables than neurological outcomes.

Freeing Chinese Abused Women From Stereotype: A Pretest-Posttest Comparison Study on Group Intervention in Refuge Centers.

Objective: The efficacy of heal-change group (HCG) intervention-brief trauma-recovery group intervention applying a gender-specific cognitive behavioral approach-for Chinese-abused women in refuge centers was examined in a pretest-posttest comparison study.

Methods: A total of 100 women at three refuge centers in Hong Kong participated. Among them, 50 women from two centers joined the HCG and 50 women from the remaining center participated in a comparison mutual support group.

An Isolated Molecule of Iron(II) Phthalocyanin Exhibits Quintet Ground-State: A Nexus between Theory and Experiment.

Iron(II) phthalocyanine (FePc) is an important member of the phthalocyanines family with potential applications in the fields of electrocatalysis, magnetic switching, electrochemical sensing, and phototheranostics. Despite the importance of electronic properties of FePc in these applications, a reliable determination of its ground-state is still challenging. Here we present combined state of the art computational methods and experimental approaches, that is, Mössbauer spectroscopy and Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID) magnetic measurements to identify the ground state of FePc.

Enhanced uptake of potassium or glycine betaine or export of cyclic-di-AMP restores osmoresistance in a high cyclic-di-AMP Lactococcus lactis mutant.

The broadly conserved bacterial signalling molecule cyclic-di-adenosine monophosphate (c-di-AMP) controls osmoresistance via its regulation of potassium (K+) and compatible solute uptake. High levels of c-di-AMP resulting from inactivation of c-di-AMP phosphodiesterase activity leads to poor growth of bacteria under high osmotic conditions. To better understand how bacteria can adjust in response to excessive c-di-AMP levels and to identify signals that feed into the c-di-AMP network, we characterised genes identified in a screen for osmoresistant suppressor mutants of the high c-di-AMP Lactococcus ΔgdpP strain.

From Exposure to Family Violence During Childhood to Depression in Adulthood: A Path Analysis on the Mediating Effects of Intimate Partner Violence.

Literature shows a link between adverse childhood experiences and subsequent depression, but there is a lack of concrete evidence on whether victimization of intimate partner violence (IPV) in adulthood plays significant roles in that link. This study aimed to test the mediating effect of adulthood IPV victimization in the associations between exposure to family violence in childhood and adulthood depression. Exposure to family violence in childhood was operationalized as one's experiences of child abuse and witnessing parental IPV in childhood.

Cognitive Impairment and Glycemic Control in Elderly Patients Under Health-Care Case Management.

We aim to test whether the association between glucose control and cognitive function still holds true in elderly patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) and Alzheimer disease (AD) under health-care case management. We enrolled 100 patients with DM (mean age: 74.6 years; male: 49%) and 102 patients with AD (mean age: 77.

Hemodialysis Arteriovenous Fistula and Graft Stenoses: Randomized Trial Comparing Drug-eluting Balloon Angioplasty with Conventional Angioplasty.

Purpose To compare lesion primary patency and restenosis rates between drug-eluting balloon (DEB) percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) and conventional balloon PTA (cPTA) in the treatment of arteriovenous fistula (AVF) and arteriovenous graft (AVG) stenosis. Materials and Methods In this prospective study, 119 participants (mean age, 59.2 years; 79 men, 40 women) with failing AVFs (n = 98) or AVGs (n = 21) were randomly assigned to undergo either DEB PTA (n = 59) or cPTA (n = 60) from January 2012 to May 2013.

Non-covalent control of spin-state in metal-organic complex by positioning on N-doped graphene.

Nitrogen doping of graphene significantly affects its chemical properties, which is particularly important in molecular sensing and electrocatalysis applications. However, detailed insight into interaction between N-dopant and molecules at the atomic scale is currently lacking. Here we demonstrate control over the spin state of a single iron(II) phthalocyanine molecule by its positioning on N-doped graphene.

Inhibiting the integrated stress response pathway prevents aberrant chondrocyte differentiation thereby alleviating chondrodysplasia.

The integrated stress response (ISR) is activated by diverse forms of cellular stress, including endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, and is associated with diseases. However, the molecular mechanism(s) whereby the ISR impacts on differentiation is incompletely understood. Here, we exploited a mouse model of Metaphyseal Chondrodysplasia type Schmid (MCDS) to provide insight into the impact of the ISR on cell fate.

Continuous positive airway pressure for obstructive sleep apnoea does not improve asthma control.

Background And Objective: Unrecognized obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) may lead to poor asthma control despite optimal therapy. We assessed asthma control, airway responsiveness, daytime sleepiness and health status at baseline and 3 months after continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment among asthma patients with nocturnal symptoms and OSAS.

Methods: Patients with nocturnal asthma symptoms despite receiving at least moderate-dose inhaled corticosteroid and long-acting bronchodilators underwent a home sleep study using 'Embletta' portable diagnostic system.

Utility of GeneXpert in analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage samples from patients with suspected tuberculosis in an intermediate-burden setting.

Objectives: To explore the clinical role of GeneXpert in managing pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) in an intermediate burden city.

Methods: Sputum acid-fast-bacilli (AFB) smear negative patients underwent bronchoscopy for bronchial alveolar lavage (BAL). Fluids collected were examined for AFB smear, TB culture, TB polymerase chain reaction (PCR) (Cobas Taqman) and for GeneXpert.

Revitalizing the drug pipeline: AntibioticDB, an open access database to aid antibacterial research and development.

The current state of antibiotic discovery, research and development is insufficient to respond to the need for new treatments for drug-resistant bacterial infections. The process has changed over the last decade, with most new agents that are in Phases 1-3, or recently approved, having been discovered in small- and medium-sized enterprises or academia. These agents have then been licensed or sold to large companies for further development with the goal of taking them to market.

Search for Tensor, Vector, and Scalar Polarizations in the Stochastic Gravitational-Wave Background.

The detection of gravitational waves with Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo has enabled novel tests of general relativity, including direct study of the polarization of gravitational waves. While general relativity allows for only two tensor gravitational-wave polarizations, general metric theories can additionally predict two vector and two scalar polarizations. The polarization of gravitational waves is encoded in the spectral shape of the stochastic gravitational-wave background, formed by the superposition of cosmological and individually unresolved astrophysical sources.

Image Fusion and 3-Dimensional Roadmapping in Endovascular Surgery.

Practitioners of endovascular surgery have historically used 2-dimensional (2D) intraoperative fluoroscopic imaging, with intravascular contrast opacification, to treat complex 3-dimensional (3D) pathology. Recently, major technical developments in intraoperative imaging have made image fusion techniques possible, the creation of a 3D patient-specific vascular roadmap based on preoperative imaging which aligns with intraoperative fluoroscopy, with many potential benefits. First, a 3D model is segmented from preoperative imaging, typically a computed tomography scan.

BET 2: Blood biomarkers as an alternative to imaging in diagnosing acute ischaemic stroke.

A short-cut review was carried out to establish the diagnostic accuracy of blood biomarkers as an alternative to imaging for the diagnosis of ischaemic stroke. Nine studies were directly relevant to the question. The author, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes, results and study weaknesses of these papers are tabulated.

Medical Comorbidity in Alzheimer's Disease: A Nested Case-Control Study.

Background: Little is known about the distribution of medical comorbidities in Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Objective: We aimed to describe the comorbidity pattern of AD in a nested case-control study.

Methods: Incident AD cases were identified by International Classification of Diseases codes in a random sample of 2 million individuals in Taiwan National Health Insurance program during 2001-2011.

High-throughput detection of RNA processing in bacteria.

Background: Understanding the RNA processing of an organism's transcriptome is an essential but challenging step in understanding its biology. Here we investigate with unprecedented detail the transcriptome of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1, a medically important and innately multi-drug resistant bacterium. We systematically mapped RNA cleavage and dephosphorylation sites that result in 5'-monophosphate terminated RNA (pRNA) using monophosphate RNA-Seq (pRNA-Seq).

GW170817: Implications for the Stochastic Gravitational-Wave Background from Compact Binary Coalescences.

The LIGO Scientific and Virgo Collaborations have announced the event GW170817, the first detection of gravitational waves from the coalescence of two neutron stars. The merger rate of binary neutron stars estimated from this event suggests that distant, unresolvable binary neutron stars create a significant astrophysical stochastic gravitational-wave background. The binary neutron star component will add to the contribution from binary black holes, increasing the amplitude of the total astrophysical background relative to previous expectations.

SIRveNIB: Selective Internal Radiation Therapy Versus Sorafenib in Asia-Pacific Patients With Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Purpose Selective internal radiation therapy or radioembolization (RE) shows efficacy in unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) limited to the liver. This study compared the safety and efficacy of RE and sorafenib in patients with locally advanced HCC. Patients and Methods SIRveNIB (selective internal radiation therapy v sorafenib), an open-label, investigator-initiated, phase III trial, compared yttrium-90 (Y) resin microspheres RE with sorafenib 800 mg/d in patients with locally advanced HCC in a two-tailed study designed for superiority/detriment.

The RNA-binding Protein MEX3B Mediates Resistance to Cancer Immunotherapy by Downregulating HLA-A Expression.

Cancer immunotherapy has shown promising clinical outcomes in many patients. However, some patients still fail to respond, and new strategies are needed to overcome resistance. The purpose of this study was to identify novel genes and understand the mechanisms that confer resistance to cancer immunotherapy.

IRAK1 Augments Cancer Stemness and Drug Resistance via the AP-1/AKR1B10 Signaling Cascade in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Frequent relapse and drug resistance in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) can be attributed to the existence of tumor-initiating cells (TIC) within the tumor bulk. Therefore, targeting liver TICs may improve the prognosis of these patients. From transcriptome sequencing of 16 pairs of clinical HCC samples, we report that interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase 1 (IRAK1) in the TLR/IRAK pathway is significantly upregulated in HCC.

Cripto-1 contributes to stemness in hepatocellular carcinoma by stabilizing Dishevelled-3 and activating Wnt/β-catenin pathway.

Identification and characterization of functional molecular targets conferring stemness properties in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) offers crucial insights to overcome the major hurdles of tumor recurrence, metastasis and chemoresistance in clinical management. In the current study, we investigated the significance of Cripto-1 in contributing to HCC stemness. Cripto-1 was upregulated in the sorafenib-resistant clones derived from HCC cell lines and patient-derived xenograft that we previously developed, suggesting an association between Cripto-1 and stemness.