Does predator management enhance survival of reintroduced black-footed ferrets?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Breck, Stewart W.; Biggins, Dean E.; Livieri, Travis M.; Matchett, Marc R.; Kopcso, Valerie

2006-01-01

Predation on black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes) is a potential problem at reintroduction sites, causing up to 95 percent of the documented mortality of ferrets. Strategies to reduce mortality due to predation can focus on preconditioning ferrets prior to reintroduction and/or managing predators of ferrets. Biologists have tried three general strategies to control predators at reintroduction sites: (1) selective removal of individual predators, (2) nonselective removal of coyotes (Canis latrans), and (3) electric fences to exclude coyotes from release sites. We conducted a post hoc review of data from releases during 1994–2003 at 11 sites in South Dakota and Montana to address whether or not predator management has benefited reintroduced black-footed ferrets. Limited evidence indicates that (1) individual great horned owls (Bubo virginianus) can cause significant ferret mortality and that identifying and removing these individuals can be beneficial, (2) lethal control of coyotes may have inverse effects on ferret survival, and (3) electric fencing does not enhance short- or long-term survival of reintroduced ferrets. The data are confounded by a variety of factors, making conclusions tenuous. Well designed studies are needed to properly address the effectiveness of predator management for enhancing ferret survival.

Acute Sleep Deprivation Enhances Post-Infection Sleep and Promotes Survival during Bacterial Infection in Drosophila

PubMed Central

Kuo, Tzu-Hsing; Williams, Julie A.

2014-01-01

Study Objectives: Sleep is known to increase as an acute response to infection. However, the function of this behavioral response in host defense is not well understood. To address this problem, we evaluated the effect of acute sleep deprivation on post-infection sleep and immune function in Drosophila. Setting: Laboratory. Participants: Drosophila melanogaster. Methods and Results: Flies were subjected to sleep deprivation before (early DEP) or after (late DEP) bacterial infection. Relative to a non-deprived control, flies subjected to early DEP had enhanced sleep after infection as well as increased bacterial clearance and survival outcome. Flies subjected to late DEP experienced enhanced sleep following the deprivation period, and showed a modest improvement in survival outcome. Continuous DEP (early and late DEP) throughout infection also enhanced sleep later during infection and improved survival. However, improved survival in flies subjected to late or continuous DEP did not occur until after flies had experienced sleep. During infection, both early and late DEP enhanced NFκB transcriptional activity as measured by a luciferase reporter (κB-luc) in living flies. Early DEP also increased NFκB activity prior to infection. Flies that were deficient in expression of either the Relish or Dif NFκB transcription factors showed normal responses to early DEP. However, the effect of early DEP on post-infection sleep and survival was abolished in double mutants, which indicates that Relish and Dif have redundant roles in this process. Conclusions: Acute sleep deprivation elevated NFκB-dependent activity, increased post-infection sleep, and improved survival during bacterial infection. Citation: Kuo TH, Williams JA. Acute sleep deprivation enhances post-infection sleep and promotes survival during bacterial infection in Drosophila. SLEEP 2014;37(5):859-869. PMID:24790264

Enhancement of Neoangiogenesis and Follicle Survival by Sphingosine-1-Phosphate in Human Ovarian Tissue Xenotransplants

PubMed Central

Oktay, Kutluk

2011-01-01

Ovarian transplantation is one of the key approaches to restoring fertility in women who became menopausal as a result of cancer treatments. A major limitation of human ovarian transplants is massive follicular loss during revascularization. Here we investigated whether sphingosine-1-phosphate or its receptor agonists could enhance neoangiogenesis and follicle survival in ovarian transplants in a xenograft model. Human ovarian tissue xenografts in severe-combined-immunodeficient mice were treated with sphingosine-1-phosphate, its analogs, or vehicle for 1–10 days. We found that sphingosine-1-phosphate treatment increased vascular density in ovarian transplants significantly whereas FTY720 and SEW2871 had the opposite effect. In addition, sphingosine-1-phosphate accelerated the angiogenic process compared to vehicle-treated controls. Furthermore, sphingosine-1-phosphate treatment was associated with a significant proliferation of ovarian stromal cell as well as reduced necrosis and tissue hypoxia compared to the vehicle-treated controls. This resulted in a significantly lower percentage of apoptotic follicles in sphingosine-1-phosphate-treated transplants. We conclude that while sphingosine-1-phosphate promotes neoangiogenesis in ovarian transplants and reduces ischemic reperfusion injury, sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor agonists appear to functionally antagonize this process. Sphingosine-1-phosphate holds great promise to clinically enhance the survival and longevity of human autologous ovarian transplants. PMID:21559342

50 CFR 17.62 - Permits for scientific purposes or for the enhancement of propagation or survival.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... purposes or enhancing the propagation or survival of the species; and (B) The planned disposition of such... scientific purposes or enhancing the propagation or survival of the species; and (iv) If the activities would... the reproductive potential of the species where the taking will occur. (v) If the activities would...

Mucin can enhance growth, biofilm formation, and survival of Streptococcus mutans.

PubMed

Mothey, Deepa; Buttaro, Bettina A; Piggot, Patrick J

2014-01-01

Streptococcus mutans is a member of the dental plaque and is the primary causative agent of dental caries. It can survive extended periods of starvation, which may occur in different niches within the oral cavity. We have found that mucin compensated for the absence of amino acids to promote exponential growth and biofilm formation of S. mutans in minimal medium supplemented with glucose and sucrose, respectively. Mucin extended survival in conditions where there was no net growth provided the operon encoding the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex was intact. Mucin extended survival in conditions of amino acid sufficiency provided the tagatose pathway for galactose utilization was intact, suggesting that S. mutans can scavenge sufficient galactose from mucin to enhance survival, although not to serve as a primary carbon and energy source. The results suggest that mucin has a metabolic role in promoting survival of S. mutans. © 2013 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. All rights reserved.

Acute sleep deprivation enhances post-infection sleep and promotes survival during bacterial infection in Drosophila.

PubMed

Kuo, Tzu-Hsing; Williams, Julie A

2014-05-01

Sleep is known to increase as an acute response to infection. However, the function of this behavioral response in host defense is not well understood. To address this problem, we evaluated the effect of acute sleep deprivation on post-infection sleep and immune function in Drosophila. Laboratory. Drosophila melanogaster. Flies were subjected to sleep deprivation before (early DEP) or after (late DEP) bacterial infection. Relative to a non-deprived control, flies subjected to early DEP had enhanced sleep after infection as well as increased bacterial clearance and survival outcome. Flies subjected to late DEP experienced enhanced sleep following the deprivation period, and showed a modest improvement in survival outcome. Continuous DEP (early and late DEP) throughout infection also enhanced sleep later during infection and improved survival. However, improved survival in flies subjected to late or continuous DEP did not occur until after flies had experienced sleep. During infection, both early and late DEP enhanced NFκB transcriptional activity as measured by a luciferase reporter (κB-luc) in living flies. Early DEP also increased NFκB activity prior to infection. Flies that were deficient in expression of either the Relish or Dif NFκB transcription factors showed normal responses to early DEP. However, the effect of early DEP on post-infection sleep and survival was abolished in double mutants, which indicates that Relish and Dif have redundant roles in this process. Acute sleep deprivation elevated NFκB-dependent activity, increased post-infection sleep, and improved survival during bacterial infection.

EASEPort NPWT System to Enhance Skin Graft Survival--A Simple Assembly.

PubMed

Prasetyono, Theddeus O H; Rini, Irena Sakura; Wibisono, Cindy

2015-03-01

Skin graft has been known to be prone to failure. This study was aimed to make a simplification of the negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT), which follows EASEPort (effective, affordable, safe, easily handled, and portable) concept to support the take of skin graft. The design of the EASEPort-NPWT was then made and technically verified. Thereafter, an animal experimental study comparing the EASEPort-NPWT to the classic tie-over technique on skin graft over exudative wound was conducted. The EASEPort-NPWT was verified to be able to yield and sustain the subatmospheric pressure needed. In the animal study, the treatment group showed better skin graft survival rate (97.55 ± 11.18% take) than the control group (54.88 ± 19.73%) on day-7. Histopathology examination showed good quality of the skin structures taken from the treatment group, which was better than the structures of the skin in the control group. In summary, this study has been able to fulfill its objective to create a device following EASEPort concept. Subsequently, the EASEPort-NPWT was able to enhance skin graft survival rate in exudative wound.

Does colour polymorphism enhance survival of prey populations?

PubMed Central

Wennersten, Lena; Forsman, Anders

2009-01-01

That colour polymorphism may protect prey populations from predation is an old but rarely tested hypothesis. We examine whether colour polymorphic populations of prey exposed to avian predators in an ecologically valid visual context were exposed to increased extinction risk compared with monomorphic populations. We made 2976 artificial pastry prey, resembling Lepidoptera larvae, in four different colours and presented them in 124 monomorphic and 124 tetramorphic populations on tree trunks and branches such that they would be exposed to predation by free-living birds, and monitored their ‘survival’. Among monomorphic populations, there was a significant effect of prey coloration on survival, confirming that coloration influenced susceptibility to visually oriented predators. Survival of polymorphic populations was inferior to that of monomorphic green populations, but did not differ significantly from monomorphic brown, yellow or red populations. Differences in survival within polymorphic populations paralleled those seen among monomorphic populations; the red morph most frequently went extinct first and the green morph most frequently survived the longest. Our findings do not support the traditional protective polymorphism hypothesis and are in conflict with those of earlier studies. As a possible explanation to our findings, we offer a competing ‘giveaway cue’ hypothesis: that polymorphic populations may include one morph that attracts the attention of predators and that polymorphic populations therefore may suffer increased predation compared with some monomorphic populations. PMID:19324729

Can the combination of laparoscopy and enhanced recovery improve long-term survival after elective colorectal cancer surgery?

PubMed

Curtis, N J; Taylor, M; Fraser, L; Salib, E; Noble, E; Hipkiss, R; Allison, A S; Dalton, R; Ockrim, J B; Francis, Nader K

2018-02-01

Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) programmes and laparoscopic techniques both provide short-term benefits to patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery. ERAS protocol compliance may improve long-term survival in those undergoing open colorectal resection but as laparoscopic data has not been reported. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the impact of the combination of laparoscopy and ERAS management on 5-year overall survival. A dedicated prospectively populated colorectal cancer surgery database was reviewed. Patient inclusion criteria were biopsy-proven colorectal adenocarcinoma, undergoing elective surgery undertaken with curative intent. All patients were managed within an established ERAS programme and routinely followed up for 5 years. Overall survival was measured using the log-rank Kaplan-Meier method at 5 years. Eight hundred fifty-four patients met the inclusion criteria. Four hundred eighty-one (56%) cases were laparoscopic with 98 patients (20%) requiring conversion. There were no differences in patient or tumour demographics between the surgical groups. Median ERAS protocol compliance was 93% (range 53-100%). Five-year overall survival was superior in laparoscopic cases compared with that of converted and open surgery (78 vs 68 vs 70%, respectively, p < 0.007). An open approach (HR 1.55, 95%CI 1.16-2.06, p = 0.002) and delayed hospital discharge (> 7 days, HR 1.5, 95%CI 1.13-1.9, p = 0.003) were the only modifiable risk factors associated with poor survival. The use of a laparoscopic approach with enhanced recovery after surgery management appears to have long-term survival benefits following colorectal cancer resection.

Early survival factor deprivation in the olfactory epithelium enhances activity-driven survival

PubMed Central

François, Adrien; Laziz, Iman; Rimbaud, Stéphanie; Grebert, Denise; Durieux, Didier; Pajot-Augy, Edith; Meunier, Nicolas

2013-01-01

The neuronal olfactory epithelium undergoes permanent renewal because of environmental aggression. This renewal is partly regulated by factors modulating the level of neuronal apoptosis. Among them, we had previously characterized endothelin as neuroprotective. In this study, we explored the effect of cell survival factor deprivation in the olfactory epithelium by intranasal delivery of endothelin receptors antagonists to rat pups. This treatment induced an overall increase of apoptosis in the olfactory epithelium. The responses to odorants recorded by electroolfactogram were decreased in treated animal, a result consistent with a loss of olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs). However, the treated animal performed better in an olfactory orientation test based on maternal odor compared to non-treated littermates. This improved performance could be due to activity-dependent neuronal survival of OSNs in the context of increased apoptosis level. In order to demonstrate it, we odorized pups with octanal, a known ligand for the rI7 olfactory receptor (Olr226). We quantified the number of OSN expressing rI7 by RT-qPCR and whole mount in situ hybridization. While this number was reduced by the survival factor removal treatment, this reduction was abolished by the presence of its ligand. This improved survival was optimal for low concentration of odorant and was specific for rI7-expressing OSNs. Meanwhile, the number of rI7-expressing OSNs was not affected by the odorization in non-treated littermates; showing that the activity-dependant survival of OSNs did not affect the OSN population during the 10 days of odorization in control conditions. Overall, our study shows that when apoptosis is promoted in the olfactory mucosa, the activity-dependent neuronal plasticity allows faster tuning of the olfactory sensory neuron population toward detection of environmental odorants. PMID:24399931

PERSPECTIVE: Electrical activity enhances neuronal survival and regeneration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Corredor, Raul G.; Goldberg, Jeffrey L.

2009-10-01

The failure of regeneration in the central nervous system (CNS) remains an enormous scientific and clinical challenge. After injury or in degenerative diseases, neurons in the adult mammalian CNS fail to regrow their axons and reconnect with their normal targets, and furthermore the neurons frequently die and are not normally replaced. While significant progress has been made in understanding the molecular basis for this lack of regenerative ability, a second approach has gained momentum: replacing lost neurons or lost connections with artificial electrical circuits that interface with the nervous system. In the visual system, gene therapy-based 'optogenetics' prostheses represent a competing technology. Now, the two approaches are converging, as recent data suggest that electrical activity itself, via the molecular signaling pathways such activity stimulates, is sufficient to induce neuronal survival and regeneration, particularly in retinal ganglion cells. Here, we review these data, discuss the effects of electrical activity on neurons' molecular signaling pathways and propose specific mechanisms by which exogenous electrical activity may be acting to enhance survival and regeneration.

Enhancing tumor apparent diffusion coefficient histogram skewness stratifies the postoperative survival in recurrent glioblastoma multiforme patients undergoing salvage surgery.

PubMed

Zolal, Amir; Juratli, Tareq A; Linn, Jennifer; Podlesek, Dino; Sitoci Ficici, Kerim Hakan; Kitzler, Hagen H; Schackert, Gabriele; Sobottka, Stephan B; Rieger, Bernhard; Krex, Dietmar

2016-05-01

Objective To determine the value of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) histogram parameters for the prediction of individual survival in patients undergoing surgery for recurrent glioblastoma (GBM) in a retrospective cohort study. Methods Thirty-one patients who underwent surgery for first recurrence of a known GBM between 2008 and 2012 were included. The following parameters were collected: age, sex, enhancing tumor size, mean ADC, median ADC, ADC skewness, ADC kurtosis and fifth percentile of the ADC histogram, initial progression free survival (PFS), extent of second resection and further adjuvant treatment. The association of these parameters with survival and PFS after second surgery was analyzed using log-rank test and Cox regression. Results Using log-rank test, ADC histogram skewness of the enhancing tumor was significantly associated with both survival (p = 0.001) and PFS after second surgery (p = 0.005). Further parameters associated with prolonged survival after second surgery were: gross total resection at second surgery (p = 0.026), tumor size (0.040) and third surgery (p = 0.003). In the multivariate Cox analysis, ADC histogram skewness was shown to be an independent prognostic factor for survival after second surgery. Conclusion ADC histogram skewness of the enhancing lesion, enhancing lesion size, third surgery, as well as gross total resection have been shown to be associated with survival following the second surgery. ADC histogram skewness was an independent prognostic factor for survival in the multivariate analysis.

Sodium Nitroprusside Enhanced Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Improves Short Term Survival in a Porcine Model of Ischemic Refractory Ventricular Fibrillation

PubMed Central

Yannopoulos, Demetris; Bartos, Jason A.; George, Stephen A.; Sideris, George; Voicu, Sebastian; Oestreich, Brett; Matsuura, Timothy; Shekar, Kadambari; Rees, Jennifer; Aufderheide, Tom P.

2017-01-01

Introduction Sodium nitroprusside (SNP) enhanced CPR (SNPeCPR) demonstrates increased vital organ blood flow and survival in multiple porcine models. We developed a new, coronary occlusion/ischemia model of prolonged resuscitation, mimicking the majority of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests presenting with shockable rhythms. Hypothesis SNPeCPR will increase short term (4-hour) survival compared to standard 2015 Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) guidelines in an ischemic refractory ventricular fibrillation (VF), prolonged CPR model. Methods Sixteen anesthetized pigs had the ostial left anterior descending artery occluded leading to ischemic VF arrest. VF was untreated for 5 minutes. Basic life support was performed for 10 minutes. At minute 10 (EMS arrival), animals received either SNPeCPR (n=8) or standard ACLS (n=8). Defibrillation (200J) occurred every 3 minutes. CPR continued for a total of 45 minutes, then the balloon was deflated simulating revascularization. CPR continued until return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) or a total of 60 minutes, if unsuccessful. SNPeCPR animals received 2 mg of SNP at minute 10 followed by 1 mg every 5 minutes until ROSC. Standard ACLS animals received 0.5 mg epinephrine every 5 minutes until ROSC. Primary endpoints were ROSC and 4-hour survival. Results All SNPeCPR animals (8/8) achieved sustained ROSC versus 2/8 standard ACLS animals within one hour of resuscitation (p=0.04). The 4-hour survival was significantly improved with SNPeCPR compared to standard ACLS, 7/8 versus 1/8 respectively, p=0.0019. Conclusion SNPeCPR significantly improved ROSC and 4-hour survival compared with standard ACLS CPR in a porcine model of prolonged ischemic, refractory VF cardiac arrest. PMID:27771299

Sodium nitroprusside enhanced cardiopulmonary resuscitation improves short term survival in a porcine model of ischemic refractory ventricular fibrillation.

PubMed

Yannopoulos, Demetris; Bartos, Jason A; George, Stephen A; Sideris, George; Voicu, Sebastian; Oestreich, Brett; Matsuura, Timothy; Shekar, Kadambari; Rees, Jennifer; Aufderheide, Tom P

2017-01-01

Sodium nitroprusside (SNP) enhanced CPR (SNPeCPR) demonstrates increased vital organ blood flow and survival in multiple porcine models. We developed a new, coronary occlusion/ischemia model of prolonged resuscitation, mimicking the majority of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests presenting with shockable rhythms. SNPeCPR will increase short term (4-h) survival compared to standard 2015 Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) guidelines in an ischemic refractory ventricular fibrillation (VF), prolonged CPR model. Sixteen anesthetized pigs had the ostial left anterior descending artery occluded leading to ischemic VF arrest. VF was untreated for 5min. Basic life support was performed for 10min. At minute 10 (EMS arrival), animals received either SNPeCPR (n=8) or standard ACLS (n=8). Defibrillation (200J) occurred every 3min. CPR continued for a total of 45min, then the balloon was deflated simulating revascularization. CPR continued until return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) or a total of 60min, if unsuccessful. SNPeCPR animals received 2mg of SNP at minute 10 followed by 1mg every 5min until ROSC. Standard ACLS animals received 0.5mg epinephrine every 5min until ROSC. Primary endpoints were ROSC and 4-h survival. All SNPeCPR animals (8/8) achieved sustained ROSC versus 2/8 standard ACLS animals within one hour of resuscitation (p=0.04). The 4-h survival was significantly improved with SNPeCPR compared to standard ACLS, 7/8 versus 1/8 respectively, p=0.0019. SNPeCPR significantly improved ROSC and 4-h survival compared with standard ACLS CPR in a porcine model of prolonged ischemic, refractory VF cardiac arrest. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

76 FR 29005 - Endangered Plants and Wildlife; Receipt of Applications for Enhancement of Survival Permits

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-19

... conjunction with life history studies for the purpose of enhancing its survival. Public Comments We are... National Park, Hawaii Island, Hawaii, in conjunction with genetic research for the purpose of enhancing its... (Chasiempis sandwichensis ibidis) on Oahu Island, Hawaii, in conjunction with life history studies for the...

Survival Processing Enhances Visual Search Efficiency.

PubMed

Cho, Kit W

2018-05-01

Words rated for their survival relevance are remembered better than when rated using other well-known memory mnemonics. This finding, which is known as the survival advantage effect and has been replicated in many studies, suggests that our memory systems are molded by natural selection pressures. In two experiments, the present study used a visual search task to examine whether there is likewise a survival advantage for our visual systems. Participants rated words for their survival relevance or for their pleasantness before locating that object's picture in a search array with 8 or 16 objects. Although there was no difference in search times among the two rating scenarios when set size was 8, survival processing reduced visual search times when set size was 16. These findings reflect a search efficiency effect and suggest that similar to our memory systems, our visual systems are also tuned toward self-preservation.

Comparable effects of low-intensity electromagnetic irradiation at the frequency of 51.8 and 53 GHz and antibiotic ceftazidime on Lactobacillus acidophilus growth and survival.

PubMed

Soghomonyan, Diana; Trchounian, Armen

2013-01-01

The effects of low-intensity electromagnetic irradiation (EMI) with the frequencies of 51.8 and 53 GHz on Lactobacillus acidophilus growth and survival were revealed. These effects were compared with antibacterial effects of antibiotic ceftazidime. Decrease in bacterial growth rate by EMI was comparable with the inhibitory effect of ceftazidime (minimal inhibitory concentration-16 μM) and no enhanced action was observed with combined effects of EMI and the antibiotic. However, EMI-enhanced antibiotic inhibitory effect on bacterial survival. The kinetics of the bacterial suspension oxidation-reduction potential up to 24 h of the growth was changed by EMI and ceftazidime. The changes were more strongly expressed by combined effects of EMI and antibiotic especially up to 12 h. Moreover, EMI did not change overall energy (glucose)-dependent H(+) efflux across the membrane but it increased N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCCD)-inhibited H(+) efflux. In contrast, this EMI in combination with ceftazidime decreased DCCD-sensitive H(+) efflux. Low-intensity EMI had inhibitory effect on L. acidophilus bacterial growth and survival. The effect on bacterial survival was more significant in the combination with ceftazidime. The H(+)-translocating F 0 F 1-ATPase, for which DCCD is specific inhibitor, might be a target for EMI and ceftazidime. The revealed bactericide effects on L. acidophilus can be applied in biotechnology, food producing and safety technology.

Genetic modification of embryonic stem cells with VEGF enhances cell survival and improves cardiac function.

PubMed

Xie, Xiaoyan; Cao, Feng; Sheikh, Ahmad Y; Li, Zongjin; Connolly, Andrew J; Pei, Xuetao; Li, Ren-Ke; Robbins, Robert C; Wu, Joseph C

2007-01-01

Cardiac stem cell therapy remains hampered by acute donor cell death posttransplantation and the lack of reliable methods for tracking cell survival in vivo. We hypothesize that cells transfected with inducible vascular endothelial growth factor 165 (VEGF(165)) can improve their survival as monitored by novel molecular imaging techniques. Mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells were transfected with an inducible, bidirectional tetracycline (Bi-Tet) promoter driving VEGF(165) and renilla luciferase (Rluc). Addition of doxycycline induced Bi-Tet expression of VEGF(165) and Rluc significantly compared to baseline (p<0.05). Expression of VEGF(165) enhanced ES cell proliferation and inhibited apoptosis as determined by Annexin-V staining. For noninvasive imaging, ES cells were transduced with a double fusion (DF) reporter gene consisting of firefly luciferase and enhanced green fluorescence protein (Fluc-eGFP). There was a robust correlation between cell number and Fluc activity (R(2)=0.99). Analysis by immunostaining, histology, and RT-PCR confirmed that expression of Bi-Tet and DF systems did not affect ES cell self-renewal or pluripotency. ES cells were differentiated into beating embryoid bodies expressing cardiac markers such as troponin, Nkx2.5, and beta-MHC. Afterward, 5 x 10(5) cells obtained from these beating embryoid bodies or saline were injected into the myocardium of SV129 mice (n=36) following ligation of the left anterior descending (LAD) artery. Bioluminescence imaging (BLI) and echocardiography showed that VEGF(165) induction led to significant improvements in both transplanted cell survival and cardiac function (p<0.05). This is the first study to demonstrate imaging of embryonic stem cell-mediated gene therapy targeting cardiovascular disease. With further validation, this platform may have broad applications for current basic research and further clinical studies.

Human umbilical-cord-blood mononucleated cells enhance the survival of lethally irradiated mice: dosage and the window of time.

PubMed

Kovalenko, Olga A; Azzam, Edouard I; Ende, Norman

2013-11-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the window of time and dose of human umbilical-cord-blood (HUCB) mononucleated cells necessary for successful treatment of radiation injury in mice. Female A/J mice (27-30 weeks old) were exposed to an absorbed dose of 9-10 Gy of (137)Cs γ-rays delivered acutely to the whole body. They were treated either with 1 × 10(8) or 2 × 10(8) HUCB mononucleated cells at 24-52 h after the irradiation. The antibiotic Levaquin was applied 4 h postirradiation. The increased dose of cord-blood cells resulted in enhanced survival. The enhancement of survival in animals that received 2 × 10(8) HUCB mononucleated cells relative to irradiated but untreated animals was highly significant (P < 0.01). Compared with earlier studies, the increased dose of HUCB mononucleated cells, coupled with early use of an antibiotic, extended the window of time for effective treatment of severe radiation injury from 4 to 24-52 h after exposure.

Early enhanced local neutrophil recruitment in peritonitis-induced sepsis improves bacterial clearance and survival.

PubMed

Craciun, Florin L; Schuller, Elizabeth R; Remick, Daniel G

2010-12-01

Neutrophils are critical for the rapid eradication of bacterial pathogens, but they also contribute to the development of multiple organ failure in sepsis. We hypothesized that increasing early recruitment of neutrophils to the focus of infection will increase bacterial clearance and improve survival. Sepsis was induced in mice, using cecal ligation and puncture (CLP); blood samples were collected at 6 and 24 h; and survival was followed for 28 d. In separate experiments, peritoneal bacteria and inflammatory cells were measured. Septic mice predicted to die based on IL-6 levels (Die-P) had higher concentrations of CXCL1 and CXCL2 in the peritoneum and plasma compared with those predicted to live (Live-P). At 6 h, Live-P and Die-P had equivalent numbers of peritoneal neutrophils and bacteria. In Die-P mice the number of peritoneal bacteria increased between 6 and 24 h post-CLP, whereas in Live-P it decreased. The i.p. injection of CXCL1 and CXCL2 in naive mice resulted in local neutrophil recruitment. When given immediately after CLP, CXC chemokines increased peritoneal neutrophil recruitment at 6 h after CLP. This early increase in neutrophils induced by exogenous chemokines resulted in significantly fewer peritoneal bacteria by 24 h [CFU (log) = 6.04 versus 4.99 for vehicle versus chemokine treatment; p < 0.05]. Chemokine treatment significantly improved survival at both 5 d (40 versus 72%) and 28 d (27 versus 52%; p < 0.02 vehicle versus chemokines). These data demonstrate that early, local treatment with CXC chemokines enhances neutrophil recruitment and clearance of bacteria as well as improves survival in the CLP model of sepsis.

Proapoptotic protein Bim attenuates estrogen-enhanced survival in lymphangioleiomyomatosis

PubMed Central

Li, Chenggang; Li, Na; Liu, Xiaolei; Zhang, Erik Y.; Sun, Yang; Masuda, Kouhei; Li, Jing; Sun, Julia; Morrison, Tasha; Li, Xiangke; Chen, Yuanguang; Wang, Jiang; Karim, Nagla A.; Zhang, Yi; Blenis, John; Reginato, Mauricio J.; Henske, Elizabeth P.; Yu, Jane J.

2016-01-01

Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a progressive lung disease that primarily affects young women. Genetic evidence suggests that LAM cells bearing TSC2 mutations migrate to the lungs, proliferate, and cause cystic remodeling. The female predominance indicates that estrogen plays a critical role in LAM pathogenesis, and we have proposed that estrogen promotes LAM cell metastasis by inhibition of anoikis. We report here that estrogen increased LAM patient–derived cells’ resistance to anoikis in vitro, accompanied by decreased accumulation of the proapoptotic protein Bim, an activator of anoikis. The resistance to anoikis was reversed by the proteasome inhibitor, bortezomib. Treatment of LAM patient–derived cells with estrogen plus bortezomib promoted anoikis compared with estrogen alone. Depletion of Bim by siRNA in TSC2-deficient cells resulted in anoikis resistance. Treatment of mice with bortezomib reduced estrogen-promoted lung colonization of TSC2-deficient cells. Importantly, molecular depletion of Bim by siRNA in Tsc2-deficient cells increased lung colonization in a mouse model. Collectively, these data indicate that Bim plays a key role in estrogen-enhanced survival of LAM patient–derived cells under detached conditions that occur with dissemination. Thus, targeting Bim may be a plausible future treatment strategy in patients with LAM. PMID:27882343

Comparing Temperature Effects on E. Coli, Salmonella, and Enterococcus Survival in Surface Waters

EPA Science Inventory

The objective of this study was to compare dependency of survival rates on temperature for indicator organisms E. coli and Enterococcus and the pathogen Salmonella in surface waters. A database of 86 survival datasets from peer-reviewed papers on inactivation of E. coli, Salmonel...

Can seed-caching enhance seedling survival of Indian ricegrass (Achnatherum hymenoides) through intraspecific facilitation?

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Positive interactions among individual plants (facilitation) may often enhance seedling survival in stressful environments. Many granivorous small mammal species cache groups of seeds for future consumption in shallowly buried scatterhoards, and seeds of many plant species germinate and establish ag...

Comparative survival and growth of Atlantic salmon from egg stocking and fry releases

USGS Publications Warehouse

Johnson, James H.

2004-01-01

First summer survival and subsequent growth of Atlantic salmon Salmo salar planted as eggs and fry in a tributary of Cayuga Lake, New York, were examined for 3 years. Atlantic salmon were planted in December 1999-2001 in 20 Whitlock-Vibert (W-V) egg incubators, each containing 300 eyed eggs. The following May, 500 fin-clipped Atlantic salmon fry were released in the same stream section. In autumn, a backpack electroshocker was used to capture fry to assess survival and growth. Mean survival was significantly greater for fry (27.9%) than eggs (0.8%). In autumn, mean length was significantly greater for Atlantic salmon released as fry (90.1 mm) than those planted as eggs (76.2 mm), probably owing to accelerated growth in the hatchery caused by warmer water temperatures (i.e., hatchery, 9.4A?C; stream, 5.1A?C). Releasing Atlantic salmon fry in May was nearly 11 times more costly in terms of hatchery effort than was releasing eggs in December. Although the survival of Atlantic salmon eggs in W-V incubators was low, when considering production costs, the use of egg plantings may warrant consideration under certain restoration or enhancement situations.

Adaptive Memory: Survival Processing Enhances Retention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nairne, James S.; Thompson, Sarah R.; Pandeirada, Josefa N. S.

2007-01-01

The authors investigated the idea that memory systems might have evolved to help us remember fitness-relevant information--specifically, information relevant to survival. In 4 incidental learning experiments, people were asked to rate common nouns for their survival relevance (e.g., in securing food, water, or protection from predators); in…

Can Survival Processing Enhance Story Memory? Testing the Generalizability of the Adaptive Memory Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seamon, John G.; Bohn, Justin M.; Coddington, Inslee E.; Ebling, Maritza C.; Grund, Ethan M.; Haring, Catherine T.; Jang, Sue-Jung; Kim, Daniel; Liong, Christopher; Paley, Frances M.; Pang, Luke K.; Siddique, Ashik H.

2012-01-01

Research from the adaptive memory framework shows that thinking about words in terms of their survival value in an incidental learning task enhances their free recall relative to other semantic encoding strategies and intentional learning (Nairne, Pandeirada, & Thompson, 2008). We found similar results. When participants used incidental…

Adaptive memory: the comparative value of survival processing.

PubMed

Nairne, James S; Pandeirada, Josefa N S; Thompson, Sarah R

2008-02-01

We recently proposed that human memory systems are "tuned" to remember information that is processed for survival, perhaps as a result of fitness advantages accrued in the ancestral past. This proposal was supported by experiments in which participants showed superior memory when words were rated for survival relevance, at least relative to when words received other forms of deep processing. The current experiments tested the mettle of survival memory by pitting survival processing against conditions that are universally accepted as producing excellent retention, including conditions in which participants rated words for imagery, pleasantness, and self-reference; participants also generated words, studied words with the intention of learning them, or rated words for relevance to a contextually rich (but non-survival-related) scenario. Survival processing yielded the best retention, which suggests that it may be one of the best encoding procedures yet discovered in the memory field.

Intermittent individual housing increases survival of newly proliferated cells.

PubMed

Aberg, Elin; Pham, Therese M; Zwart, Mieke; Baumans, Vera; Brené, Stefan

2005-09-08

In this study, we analyzed how intermittent individual housing with or without a running wheel influenced corticosterone levels and survival of newly proliferated cells in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. Female Balb/c mice, in standard or enhanced housing, were divided into groups that were individually housed with or without running wheels on every second day. Intermittent individual housing without, but not with, running wheels increased survival of proliferated cells in the dentate gyrus as compared with continuous group housing in standard or enhanced conditions. Thus, changes in housing conditions on every second day can, under certain circumstances, have an impact on the survival of newly proliferated cells in the dentate gyrus.

Glioblastoma: Vascular Habitats Detected at Preoperative Dynamic Susceptibility-weighted Contrast-enhanced Perfusion MR Imaging Predict Survival.

PubMed

Juan-Albarracín, Javier; Fuster-Garcia, Elies; Pérez-Girbés, Alexandre; Aparici-Robles, Fernando; Alberich-Bayarri, Ángel; Revert-Ventura, Antonio; Martí-Bonmatí, Luis; García-Gómez, Juan M

2018-06-01

Purpose To determine if preoperative vascular heterogeneity of glioblastoma is predictive of overall survival of patients undergoing standard-of-care treatment by using an unsupervised multiparametric perfusion-based habitat-discovery algorithm. Materials and Methods Preoperative magnetic resonance (MR) imaging including dynamic susceptibility-weighted contrast material-enhanced perfusion studies in 50 consecutive patients with glioblastoma were retrieved. Perfusion parameters of glioblastoma were analyzed and used to automatically draw four reproducible habitats that describe the tumor vascular heterogeneity: high-angiogenic and low-angiogenic regions of the enhancing tumor, potentially tumor-infiltrated peripheral edema, and vasogenic edema. Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazard analyses were conducted to assess the prognostic potential of the hemodynamic tissue signature to predict patient survival. Results Cox regression analysis yielded a significant correlation between patients' survival and maximum relative cerebral blood volume (rCBV max ) and maximum relative cerebral blood flow (rCBF max ) in high-angiogenic and low-angiogenic habitats (P < .01, false discovery rate-corrected P < .05). Moreover, rCBF max in the potentially tumor-infiltrated peripheral edema habitat was also significantly correlated (P < .05, false discovery rate-corrected P < .05). Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated significant differences between the observed survival of populations divided according to the median of the rCBV max or rCBF max at the high-angiogenic and low-angiogenic habitats (log-rank test P < .05, false discovery rate-corrected P < .05), with an average survival increase of 230 days. Conclusion Preoperative perfusion heterogeneity contains relevant information about overall survival in patients who undergo standard-of-care treatment. The hemodynamic tissue signature method automatically describes this heterogeneity, providing a set of vascular habitats with high

Survival of Kidney Retransplant Compared With First Kidney Transplant: A Report From Southern Iran.

PubMed

Roozbeh, Jamshid; Malekmakan, Leila; Monavarian, Mehri; Daneshian, Arghavan; Karimi, Zeynab

2016-11-18

Kidney retransplant is increasingly performed, but patient survival is controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of patients with second kidney grafts and compare survival rates of recipients with first and second kidney transplant procedures. This was a retrospective study analyzing records from the Shiraz University of Medical Sciences transplant ward. Survival rates of retrans?lanted patients were compared with a randomly selected group of first kidney recipients. Factors related to retransplant survival were evaluated. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 16.0, and P < .05 was consi?ered as significant. This study included 200 patients with first kidney transplants and 68 patients with kidney retransplants. We found that 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year graft survival rates were 91.9%, 87.2% ,86.3%, and 86.3% among retransplanted patients versus 98.3%, 95.4%, 90.2%, and 88.7% among the first transplant group (P = .130). Hospital stay duration after transplant, kidney rejection rate during hospitalization, delayed graft function, and creatinine levels at discharge were significantly associated with survival in retransplanted patients (P < .05). Kidney retransplants can yield desirable outcomes and is the treatment of choice in patients who have lost their graft. Careful screening for risk factors should be consider for obtaining better results in second kidney transplant procedures.

Polyandry promotes enhanced offspring survival in decorated crickets.

PubMed

Ivy, Tracie M; Sakaluk, Scott K

2005-01-01

Although female multiple mating is ubiquitous in insects, its adaptive significance remains poorly understood. Benefits to multiple mating can accrue via direct material benefits, indirect genetic benefits, or both. We investigated the effects of multiple mating in the decorated cricket, Gryllodes sigillatus, by simultaneously varying the number of times that females mated and the number of different males with which they mated, measuring aspects of female fecundity and elements of offspring performance and viability. Multiple matings resulted in enhanced female fitness relative to single matings when females mated with different partners, but not when females mated repeatedly with the same male. Specifically, polyandrous females produced significantly more offspring surviving to reproductive maturity than did monogamous females mating once or mating repeatedly with the same male. These results suggest that the benefit females gain from multiple mating is influenced primarily by genetic and not material benefits.

Spatial refugia mediate juvenile coral survival during coral-predator interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gallagher, Clare; Doropoulos, Christopher

2017-03-01

Coral recruitment and juvenile growth are essential processes for coral population maintenance and recovery. A growing body of research has evaluated the influence of reef microstructure on coral settlement and post-settlement survival, showing that physical refugia enhance recruitment. These studies have evaluated coral recruit morality from competition with macroalgae and indirect predation by grazing organisms, but the impact of direct predation by corallivorous piscine species on juvenile corals and how this interacts with reef microstructure is relatively unknown. This study examined whether refugia provided by micro-crevices enhance juvenile coral survival from corallivory. Juvenile corals from two different functional groups, the slow-growing massive Porites lobata and fast-growing branching Pocillopora damicornis, with average nubbin sizes of 1.4 cm × 0.3 cm and 0.5 cm × 1.0 cm (diameter × height), respectively, were attached to experimental tiles using small (1.44 cm3) and large (8.0 cm3) crevice sizes and were monitored for 29 d on a forereef in Palau. Full crevices (four sided) enhanced coral survival compared to exposed microhabitats in both coral taxa, but crevice size did not alter survival rates. Corallivores targeted recruits within crevices regardless of crevice size; dominant predators included small triggerfish (Balistidae), butterflyfish ( Chaetodon), and wrasse ( Cheilinus). Overall, Pocillopora suffered much higher rates of mortality than Porites. All Pocillopora were consumed by day 8 of the experiment, but mortality was significantly delayed in full crevices compared to exposed and partial crevice (three sided) microhabitats. In contrast, Por. lobata located in all microhabitats survived the entire experiment up to 29 d, with high survival in full (>90%) and partial crevices (70%), but only 28% survival in exposed microhabitats. These findings show the importance of crevices as spatial refugia from predators for juvenile corals and

Modelling Comparative Efficacy of Drugs with Different Survival Profiles: Ipilimumab, Vemurafenib and Dacarbazine in Advanced Melanoma.

PubMed

Lee, D; Porter, J; Hertel, N; Hatswell, A J; Briggs, A

2016-08-01

In the absence of head-to-head data, a common method for modelling comparative survival for cost-effectiveness analysis is estimating hazard ratios from trial publications. This assumes that the hazards of mortality are proportional between treatments and that outcomes are not polluted by subsequent therapy use. Newer techniques that compare treatments where the proportional hazards assumption is violated and adjust for use of subsequent therapies often require patient-level data, which are rarely available for all treatments. The objective of this study was to provide a comparison of overall survival data for ipilimumab, vemurafenib and dacarbazine using data from three trials lacking a common comparator arm and confounded by the use of subsequent treatment. We compared three estimated overall survival curves for vemurafenib and the difference compared to ipilimumab and dacarbazine. We performed a naïve comparison and adjusted it for heterogeneity between the ipilimumab and vemurafenib trials, including differences in prognostic characteristics and subsequent therapy using a published hazard function for the impact of prognostic characteristics in melanoma and trial data on the impact of second-line use of ipilimumab. The mean incremental life-years gained for patients receiving ipilimumab compared with vemurafenib were 0.34 (95 % confidence interval [CI] -0.24 to 0.84) using the naïve comparison and 0.51 (95 % CI -0.08 to 0.99) using the covariate-adjusted survival curve. The analyses estimated the comparative efficacy of ipilimumab and vemurafenib in the absence of head-to-head patient-level data for all trials and proportional hazards in overall survival.

Overexpression of Gremlin1 in Mesenchymal Stem Cells Improves Hindlimb Ischemia in Mice by Enhancing Cell Survival.

PubMed

Xiang, Qiuling; Hong, Dongxi; Liao, Yan; Cao, Yong; Liu, Muyun; Pang, Jun; Zhou, Junjie; Wang, Guang; Yang, Renhao; Wang, Maosheng; Xiang, Andy Peng

2017-05-01

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a promising cell resource for the treatment of ischemic diseases, partially through paracrine effects. One of the major obstacles of MSC treatment is the poor survival rate and low efficiency of transplanted stem cells due to ischemic or inflammatory environments. Gremlin1 (GREM1), a regulator of growth, differentiation and development, has been identified as a novel proangiogenic factor. However, the role and mechanism of GREM1 in MSCs remains unclear. Therefore, we assessed the putative beneficial effects of GREM1 on MSC-based therapy for hindlimb ischemia. The lentiviral vector, EF1a-GREM1, was constructed using the Multisite Gateway System and used to transduce MSCs. In vitro studies demonstrated increased survival of GREM1-MSCs exposed to H 2 O 2 , which is consistent with the activation of caspase-3. Conditional medium from GREM1-MSCs (GREM1-MSC-CM) increased the anti-apoptotic effects of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), and this effect was attenuated by treatment with the PI3K/Akt pathway inhibitor LY294002. MSCs modified with GREM1 could significantly increase blood perfusion of the ischemic hindlimb in vivo in a mouse model, which was correlated to improved MSC survival. This study demonstrates that overexpression of GREM1 in MSCs have greater therapeutic effects against ischemia compared with wild-type MSCs by enhancing the survival of MSCs and ECs, which may provide new tools for studies investigating the treatment of ischemic diseases. J. Cell. Physiol. 232: 996-1007, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Enhanced malignant transformation is accompanied by increased survival recovery after ionizing radiation in Chinese hamster embryo fibroblasts

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Boothman, D.A.

Transformed Chinese hamster embryo fibroblasts (CHEF), which gradually increase in tumor-forming ability in nude mice, were isolated from normal diploid CHEF/18 cells. Transformed CHEF cells (i.e., T30-4 > 21-2M3 > 21-2 > normal CHEF/18) showed gradual increases in potentially lethal damage (PLD) survival recovery. {beta}-Lapachone and camptothecin, modulators of topoisomerase I (Topo I) activity, not only prevented survival recovery in normal as well as in tumor cells, but enhanced unscheduled DNA synthesis. These seemingly conflicting results are due to the fact that Topo I activity can be modulated by inhibitors to convert single-stranded DNA lesions into double-stranded breaks. Increases inmore » unscheduled DNA synthesis may result from a continual supply of free ends, on which DNA repair processes may act. Altering Topo I activity with modulators appears to increase X-ray lethality via a DNA lesion modification suicide pathway. Cells down-regulate Topo I immediately after ionizing radiation to prevent Topo I-mediated lesion modification and to enhance survival recovery. 16 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab.« less

Lower kidney allograft survival in African-Americans compared to Hispanic-Americans with lupus.

PubMed

Gonzalez-Suarez, M L; Contreras, G

2017-10-01

Background and objective African-Americans and Hispanic-Americans with lupus are the two most common minority groups who receive kidney transplants in the USA. It is unknown if African-Americans and Hispanic-Americans with lupus have similar outcomes after kidney transplantation. In this study, we assessed whether African-Americans compared to Hispanic-Americans have worse kidney allograft survival after risk factors of rejection and other prognostic factors were matched between both groups. Methods Out of 1816 African-Americans and 901 Hispanic-Americans with lupus, who received kidney transplants between 1987 and 2006 and had complete records in the UNOS program, 478 pairs were matched in 16 baseline predictors and follow-up time employing a predicted probability of group membership. The primary outcome was kidney allograft survival. Main secondary outcomes were rejection, allograft failure attributed to rejection, and mortality. Results Matched pairs were predominantly women (81%) with the mean age of 36 years. 96% were on dialysis before transplantation. 89% of recipients received kidneys from deceased donors and 15.5% from expanded criteria donors. 12% of recipients had zero HLA mismatch. African-Americans compared to Hispanic-Americans had lower cumulative allograft survival during 12-year follow-up ( p < 0.001). African-Americans compared to Hispanic-Americans had higher rates of rejection (10.4 vs 6.73 events/100 patients-years; p = 0.0002) and allograft failure attributed to rejection (6.31 vs 3.99; p = 0.0023). However, African-Americans and Hispanic-Americans had similar mortality rates (2.71 vs 2.31; p = 0.4269). Conclusions African-Americans compared to Hispanic-Americans with lupus had lower kidney allograft survival when recognized risk factors of rejection were matched between groups.

Five-Year Graft Survival Comparing Descemet Stripping Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty and Penetrating Keratoplasty.

PubMed

Ang, Marcus; Soh, Yuqiang; Htoon, Hla Myint; Mehta, Jodhbir S; Tan, Donald

2016-08-01

To compare 5-year graft survival after Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) and penetrating keratoplasty (PK) in Asian eyes. Prospective, nested, cohort study. Consecutive patients who underwent DSAEK (423 eyes) or PK (405 eyes) for Fuchs' endothelial dystrophy (FED) or bullous keratopathy (BK). Clinical data and donor and recipient characteristics were recorded from our prospective cohort from the Singapore Corneal Transplant Registry. All surgeries were performed by the corneal surgeons at our center, which included cases performed or partially performed by corneal fellows in training under direct supervision. Five-year cumulative graft survival. Overall mean age was 67.8±9.8 years, and 50.1% of patients were men. There were no significant differences in age (P = 0.261) or gender (P = 0.78) between PK and DSAEK groups in our predominantly Chinese (76.6%) Asian cohort, with more BK compared with FED (68.1% vs. 31.9%; P < 0.001). Overall 5-year graft survival was superior for DSAEK compared with PK (79.4% vs. 66.5%; P < 0.001, log-rank test). Median 5-year percent endothelial cell density loss was significantly greater in PK compared with DSAEK (60.9% vs. 48.7%; P = 0.007). Cox regression analysis revealed that BK was a significant factor associated with graft failure (hazard ratio [HR], 3.30; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.05-5.33; P < 0.001), and PK was more likely to fail compared with endothelial keratoplasty (HR, 1.61; 95% CI, 1.08-2.41; P = 0.02) adjusting for confounders such as recipient age, gender, and donor factors. Five-year cumulative incidence of complications such as graft rejection (P < 0.001), epitheliopathy (P < 0.001), suture-related corneal infections (P < 0.001), and wound dehiscence (P = 0.002) were greater in the PK group compared with the DSAEK group. In Asian eyes from the same study cohort with standardized surgical and postoperative regimes, 5-year graft survival was superior for DSAEK compared with

Pretreatment Evaluation of Microcirculation by Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging Predicts Survival in Primary Rectal Cancer Patients

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

DeVries, Alexander Friedrich; Piringer, Gudrun, E-mail: gudrun.piringer@hotmail.com; Kremser, Christian

2014-12-01

Purpose: To investigate the prognostic value of the perfusion index (PI), a microcirculatory parameter estimated from dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI), which integrates information on both flow and permeability, to predict overall survival and disease-free survival in patients with primary rectal cancer. Methods and Materials: A total of 83 patients with stage cT3 rectal cancer requiring neoadjuvant chemoradiation were investigated with DCE-MRI before start of therapy. Contrast-enhanced dynamic T{sub 1} mapping was obtained, and a simple data analysis strategy based on the calculation of the maximum slope of the tissue concentration–time curve divided by the maximum of the arterial inputmore » function was used as a measure of tumor microcirculation (PI), which integrates information on both flow and permeability. Results: In 39 patients (47.0%), T downstaging (ypT0-2) was observed. During a mean (±SD) follow-up period of 71 ± 29 months, 58 patients (69.9%) survived, and disease-free survival was achieved in 45 patients (54.2%). The mean PI (PImean) averaged over the group of nonresponders was significantly higher than for responders. Additionally, higher PImean in age- and gender-adjusted analyses was strongly predictive of therapy nonresponse. Most importantly, PImean strongly and significantly predicted disease-free survival (unadjusted hazard ratio [HR], 1.85 [ 95% confidence interval, 1.35-2.54; P<.001)]; HR adjusted for age and sex, 1.81 [1.30-2.51]; P<.001) as well as overall survival (unadjusted HR 1.42 [1.02-1.99], P=.040; HR adjusted for age and sex, 1.43 [1.03-1.98]; P=.034). Conclusions: This analysis identifies PImean as a novel biomarker that is predictive for therapy response, disease-free survival, and overall survival in patients with primary locally advanced rectal cancer.« less

Transplantation of Human Neural Progenitor Cells Expressing IGF-1 Enhances Retinal Ganglion Cell Survival

PubMed Central

Guo, Caiwei; Sun, Yu; Liao, Tiffany; Beattie, Ursula; López, Francisco J.; Chen, Dong Feng; Lashkari, Kameran

2015-01-01

We have previously characterized human neuronal progenitor cells (hNP) that can adopt a retinal ganglion cell (RGC)-like morphology within the RGC and nerve fiber layers of the retina. In an effort to determine whether hNPs could be used a candidate cells for targeted delivery of neurotrophic factors (NTFs), we evaluated whether hNPs transfected with an vector that expresses IGF-1 in the form of a fusion protein with tdTomato (TD), would increase RGC survival in vitro and confer neuroprotective effects in a mouse model of glaucoma. RGCs co-cultured with hNPIGF-TD cells displayed enhanced survival, and increased neurite extension and branching as compared to hNPTD or untransfected hNP cells. Application of various IGF-1 signaling blockers or IGF-1 receptor antagonists abrogated these effects. In vivo, using a model of glaucoma we showed that IOP elevation led to reductions in retinal RGC count. In this model, evaluation of retinal flatmounts and optic nerve cross sections indicated that only hNPIGF-TD cells effectively reduced RGC death and showed a trend to improve optic nerve axonal loss. RT-PCR analysis of retina lysates over time showed that the neurotrophic effects of IGF-1 were also attributed to down-regulation of inflammatory and to some extent, angiogenic pathways. This study shows that neuronal progenitor cells that hone into the RGC and nerve fiber layers may be used as vehicles for local production and delivery of a desired NTF. Transplantation of hNPIGF-TD cells improves RGC survival in vitro and protects against RGC loss in a rodent model of glaucoma. Our findings have provided experimental evidence and form the basis for applying cell-based strategies for local delivery of NTFs into the retina. Application of cell-based delivery may be extended to other disease conditions beyond glaucoma. PMID:25923430

76 FR 33336 - Endangered Plants and Wildlife; Receipt of Application for Enhancement of Survival Permit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-08

... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS-R1-ES-2011-N106; 10120-1113-0000-F5] Endangered Plants and Wildlife; Receipt of Application for Enhancement of Survival Permit AGENCY: Fish and..., the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), invite the public to comment on applications for permits...

Survival Outcomes in Split Compared to Whole Liver Transplantation.

PubMed

Yoon, Kyung Chul; Song, Sanghee; Jwa, Eun-Kyoung; Lee, Sanghoon; Kim, Jong Man; Kim, Ok-Kyoung; Hong, Suk Kyun; Yi, Nam-Joon; Lee, Kwang-Woong; Kim, Myoung Soo; Hwang, Shin; Suh, Kyung-Suk; Lee, Suk-Koo

2018-05-10

Split liver transplantation (SLT) should be cautiously considered because the right tri-sectional (RTS) graft can be a marginal graft in adult recipients. Herein, we analyzed the outcomes of RTS-SLT in Korea, where > 75% of adult liver transplantations are performed by living donor liver transplantation. Among 2,462 patients who underwent deceased donor liver transplantations (DDLT) from 2005 to 2014, we retrospectively reviewed 86 adult patients (3.4%) who received a RTS graft (RTS-SLT group). The outcomes of the RTS-SLT group were compared to those of 303 recipients of whole liver (WL-DDLT group). Recipients' age, laboratory Model for End-Stage-Liver Disease (L-MELD) score, ischemic time, and donor recipient weight ratio (DRWR) were not different between the two groups (P >0.05). However, malignancy was uncommon (4.7 vs. 36.3%), and donor was younger (25.2 vs. 42.7 years) in the RST-SLT group than in the WL-DDLT group (P <0.05). The technical complication rates and the 5-year graft survival rates (89.0 vs. 92.8%) were not different between the two groups (P >0.05). The 5-year overall survival rate (OS) (63.1%) and graft-failure-free survival rate (63.1%) of the RTS-SLT group were worse than that of the WL-DDLT group (79.3% and 79.3%) (P <0.05). The factors affecting graft survival rates were not definite. However, the factors affecting OS in the RTS-SLT group were L-MELD score >30 and DRWR ≤1.0. In the subgroup analysis, OS was not different between the two groups if the DRWR was >1.0, regardless of the L-MELD score (P >0.05). In conclusion, sufficient volume of the graft estimated from DRWR-matching could lead to better outcomes of adult SLTs with a RTS graft, even in patients with high L-MELD scores. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. © 2018 by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

Intensive Hemodialysis Associates with Improved Survival Compared with Conventional Hemodialysis

PubMed Central

Lindsay, Robert M.; Cuerden, Meaghan S.; Garg, Amit X.; Port, Friedrich; Austin, Peter C.; Moist, Louise M.; Pierratos, Andreas; Chan, Christopher T.; Zimmerman, Deborah; Lockridge, Robert S.; Couchoud, Cécile; Chazot, Charles; Ofsthun, Norma; Levin, Adeera; Copland, Michael; Courtney, Mark; Steele, Andrew; McFarlane, Philip A.; Geary, Denis F.; Pauly, Robert P.; Komenda, Paul; Suri, Rita S.

2012-01-01

Patients undergoing conventional maintenance hemodialysis typically receive three sessions per week, each lasting 2.5–5.5 hours. Recently, the use of more intensive hemodialysis (>5.5 hours, three to seven times per week) has increased, but the effects of these regimens on survival are uncertain. We conducted a retrospective cohort study to examine whether intensive hemodialysis associates with better survival than conventional hemodialysis. We identified 420 patients in the International Quotidian Dialysis Registry who received intensive home hemodialysis in France, the United States, and Canada between January 2000 and August 2010. We matched 338 of these patients to 1388 patients in the Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study who received in-center conventional hemodialysis during the same time period by country, ESRD duration, and propensity score. The intensive hemodialysis group received a mean (SD) 4.8 (1.1) sessions per week with a mean treatment time of 7.4 (0.87) hours per session; the conventional group received three sessions per week with a mean treatment time of 3.9 (0.32) hours per session. During 3008 patient-years of follow-up, 45 (13%) of 338 patients receiving intensive hemodialysis died compared with 293 (21%) of 1388 patients receiving conventional hemodialysis (6.1 versus 10.5 deaths per 100 person-years; hazard ratio, 0.55 [95% confidence interval, 0.34–0.87]). The strength and direction of the observed association between intensive hemodialysis and improved survival were consistent across all prespecified subgroups and sensitivity analyses. In conclusion, there is a strong association between intensive home hemodialysis and improved survival, but whether this relationship is causal remains unknown. PMID:22362910

Cooking frequency may enhance survival in Taiwanese elderly.

PubMed

Chen, Rosalind Chia-Yu; Lee, Meei-Shyuan; Chang, Yu-Hung; Wahlqvist, Mark L

2012-07-01

To investigate the association between cooking behaviour and long-term survival among elderly Taiwanese. Cohort study. The duration of follow-up was the interval between the date of interview and the date of death or 31 December 2008, when censored for survivors. Information used included demographics, socio-economic status, health behaviours, cooking frequencies, physical function, cognitive function, nutrition knowledge awareness, eating out habits and food and nutrient intakes. These data were linked to death records. Cox proportional-hazards models were used to evaluate cooking frequency on death from 1999 to 2008 with related covariate adjustments. Elderly Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan, 1999-2000. Nationally representative free-living elderly people aged ≥65 years (n 1888). During a 10-year follow-up, 695 participants died. Those who cooked most frequently were younger, women, unmarried, less educated, non-drinkers of alcohol, non-smokers, without chewing difficulty, had spouse as dinner companion, normal cognition, who walked or shopped more than twice weekly, who ate less meat and more vegetables. Highly frequent cooking (>5 times/week, compared with never) predicted survival (hazard ratio (HR) = 0·47; 95 % CI, 0·36, 0·61); with adjustment for physical function, cognitive function, nutrition knowledge awareness and other covariates, HR was 0·59 (95 % CI, 0·41, 0·86). Women benefited more from cooking more frequently than did men, with decreased HR, 51 % v. 24 %, when most was compared with least. A 2-year delay in the assessment of survivorship led to similar findings. Cooking behaviour favourably predicts survivorship. Highly frequent cooking may favour women more than men.

Mast Cells and IgE can Enhance Survival During Innate and Acquired Host Responses to Venoms*

PubMed Central

GALLI, STEPHEN J.; STARKL, PHILIPP; MARICHAL, THOMAS; TSAI, MINDY

2017-01-01

Mast cells and immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies are thought to promote health by contributing to host responses to certain parasites, but other beneficial functions have remained obscure. Venoms provoke innate inflammatory responses and pathology reflecting the activities of the contained toxins. Venoms also can induce allergic sensitization and development of venom-specific IgE antibodies, which can predispose some subjects to exhibit anaphylaxis upon subsequent exposure to the relevant venom. We found that innate functions of mast cells, including degradation of venom toxins by mast cell–derived proteases, enhanced survival in mice injected with venoms from the honeybee, two species of scorpion, three species of poisonous snakes, or the Gila monster. We also found that mice injected with sub-lethal amounts of honeybee or Russell’s viper venom exhibited enhanced survival after subsequent challenge with potentially lethal amounts of that venom, and that IgE antibodies, FcεRI, and probably mast cells contributed to such acquired resistance. PMID:28790503

Overall Survival and Updated Results for Sunitinib Compared With Interferon Alfa in Patients With Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma

PubMed Central

Motzer, Robert J.; Hutson, Thomas E.; Tomczak, Piotr; Michaelson, M. Dror; Bukowski, Ronald M.; Oudard, Stéphane; Negrier, Sylvie; Szczylik, Cezary; Pili, Roberto; Bjarnason, Georg A.; Garcia-del-Muro, Xavier; Sosman, Jeffrey A.; Solska, Ewa; Wilding, George; Thompson, John A.; Kim, Sindy T.; Chen, Isan; Huang, Xin; Figlin, Robert A.

2009-01-01

Purpose A randomized, phase III trial demonstrated superiority of sunitinib over interferon alfa (IFN-α) in progression-free survival (primary end point) as first-line treatment for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Final survival analyses and updated results are reported. Patients and Methods Seven hundred fifty treatment-naïve patients with metastatic clear cell RCC were randomly assigned to sunitinib 50 mg orally once daily on a 4 weeks on, 2 weeks off dosing schedule or to IFN-α 9 MU subcutaneously thrice weekly. Overall survival was compared by two-sided log-rank and Wilcoxon tests. Progression-free survival, response, and safety end points were assessed with updated follow-up. Results Median overall survival was greater in the sunitinib group than in the IFN-α group (26.4 v 21.8 months, respectively; hazard ratio [HR] = 0.821; 95% CI, 0.673 to 1.001; P = .051) per the primary analysis of unstratified log-rank test (P = .013 per unstratified Wilcoxon test). By stratified log-rank test, the HR was 0.818 (95% CI, 0.669 to 0.999; P = .049). Within the IFN-α group, 33% of patients received sunitinib, and 32% received other vascular endothelial growth factor–signaling inhibitors after discontinuation from the trial. Median progression-free survival was 11 months for sunitinib compared with 5 months for IFN-α (P < .001). Objective response rate was 47% for sunitinib compared with 12% for IFN-α (P < .001). The most commonly reported sunitinib-related grade 3 adverse events included hypertension (12%), fatigue (11%), diarrhea (9%), and hand-foot syndrome (9%). Conclusion Sunitinib demonstrates longer overall survival compared with IFN-α plus improvement in response and progression-free survival in the first-line treatment of patients with metastatic RCC. The overall survival highlights an improved prognosis in patients with RCC in the era of targeted therapy. PMID:19487381

Chitinase Induction Prior to Caspofungin Treatment of Experimental Invasive Aspergillosis in Neutropenic Rats Does Not Enhance Survival.

PubMed

Refos, Jeannine M; Vonk, Alieke G; Ten Kate, Marian T; Verbrugh, Henri A; Bakker-Woudenberg, Irma A J M; van de Sande, Wendy W J

2018-01-01

Host chitinases, chitotriosidase and acidic mammalian chitinase (AMCase), improved the antifungal activity of caspofungin (CAS) against Aspergillus fumigatus in vitro These chitinases are not constitutively expressed in the lung. Here, we investigated whether chitosan derivatives were able to induce chitinase activity in the lungs of neutropenic rats and, if so, whether these chitinases were able to prolong survival of rats with invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) or of rats with IPA and treated with CAS. An oligosaccharide-lactate chitosan (OLC) derivative was instilled in the left lung of neutropenic rats to induce chitotriosidase and AMCase activities. Rats instilled with OLC or with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) were subsequently infected with A. fumigatus and then treated with suboptimal doses of CAS. Survival, histopathology, and galactomannan indexes were determined. Instillation of OLC resulted in chitotriosidase and AMCase activities. However, instillation of OLC did not prolong rat survival when rats were subsequently challenged with A. fumigatus In 5 of 7 rats instilled with OLC, the fungal foci in the lungs were smaller than those in rats instilled with PBS. Instillation of OLC did not significantly enhance the survival of neutropenic rats challenged with A. fumigatus and treated with a suboptimal dosage of CAS. Chitotriosidase and AMCase activities can be induced with OLC, but the presence of active chitinases in the lung did not prevent the development of IPA or significantly enhance the therapeutic outcome of CAS treatment. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.

Creatine Enhances Mitochondrial-Mediated Oligodendrocyte Survival After Demyelinating Injury.

PubMed

Chamberlain, Kelly A; Chapey, Kristen S; Nanescu, Sonia E; Huang, Jeffrey K

2017-02-08

Chronic oligodendrocyte loss, which occurs in the demyelinating disorder multiple sclerosis (MS), contributes to axonal dysfunction and neurodegeneration. Current therapies are able to reduce MS severity, but do not prevent transition into the progressive phase of the disease, which is characterized by chronic neurodegeneration. Therefore, pharmacological compounds that promote oligodendrocyte survival could be beneficial for neuroprotection in MS. Here, we investigated the role of creatine, an organic acid involved in adenosine triphosphate (ATP) buffering, in oligodendrocyte function. We found that creatine increased mitochondrial ATP production directly in oligodendrocyte lineage cell cultures and exerted robust protection on oligodendrocytes by preventing cell death in both naive and lipopolysaccharide-treated mixed glia. Moreover, lysolecithin-mediated demyelination in mice deficient in the creatine-synthesizing enzyme guanidinoacetate-methyltransferase ( Gamt ) did not affect oligodendrocyte precursor cell recruitment, but resulted in exacerbated apoptosis of regenerated oligodendrocytes in central nervous system (CNS) lesions. Remarkably, creatine administration into Gamt -deficient and wild-type mice with demyelinating injury reduced oligodendrocyte apoptosis, thereby increasing oligodendrocyte density and myelin basic protein staining in CNS lesions. We found that creatine did not affect the recruitment of macrophages/microglia into lesions, suggesting that creatine affects oligodendrocyte survival independently of inflammation. Together, our results demonstrate a novel function for creatine in promoting oligodendrocyte viability during CNS remyelination. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT We report that creatine enhances oligodendrocyte mitochondrial function and protects against caspase-dependent oligodendrocyte apoptosis during CNS remyelination. This work has important implications for the development of therapeutic targets for diseases characterized by

Creatine Enhances Mitochondrial-Mediated Oligodendrocyte Survival After Demyelinating Injury

PubMed Central

Nanescu, Sonia E.

2017-01-01

Chronic oligodendrocyte loss, which occurs in the demyelinating disorder multiple sclerosis (MS), contributes to axonal dysfunction and neurodegeneration. Current therapies are able to reduce MS severity, but do not prevent transition into the progressive phase of the disease, which is characterized by chronic neurodegeneration. Therefore, pharmacological compounds that promote oligodendrocyte survival could be beneficial for neuroprotection in MS. Here, we investigated the role of creatine, an organic acid involved in adenosine triphosphate (ATP) buffering, in oligodendrocyte function. We found that creatine increased mitochondrial ATP production directly in oligodendrocyte lineage cell cultures and exerted robust protection on oligodendrocytes by preventing cell death in both naive and lipopolysaccharide-treated mixed glia. Moreover, lysolecithin-mediated demyelination in mice deficient in the creatine-synthesizing enzyme guanidinoacetate-methyltransferase (Gamt) did not affect oligodendrocyte precursor cell recruitment, but resulted in exacerbated apoptosis of regenerated oligodendrocytes in central nervous system (CNS) lesions. Remarkably, creatine administration into Gamt-deficient and wild-type mice with demyelinating injury reduced oligodendrocyte apoptosis, thereby increasing oligodendrocyte density and myelin basic protein staining in CNS lesions. We found that creatine did not affect the recruitment of macrophages/microglia into lesions, suggesting that creatine affects oligodendrocyte survival independently of inflammation. Together, our results demonstrate a novel function for creatine in promoting oligodendrocyte viability during CNS remyelination. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT We report that creatine enhances oligodendrocyte mitochondrial function and protects against caspase-dependent oligodendrocyte apoptosis during CNS remyelination. This work has important implications for the development of therapeutic targets for diseases characterized by

Estimation of brood and nest survival: Comparative methods in the presence of heterogeneity

USGS Publications Warehouse

Manly, Bryan F.J.; Schmutz, Joel A.

2001-01-01

The Mayfield method has been widely used for estimating survival of nests and young animals, especially when data are collected at irregular observation intervals. However, this method assumes survival is constant throughout the study period, which often ignores biologically relevant variation and may lead to biased survival estimates. We examined the bias and accuracy of 1 modification to the Mayfield method that allows for temporal variation in survival, and we developed and similarly tested 2 additional methods. One of these 2 new methods is simply an iterative extension of Klett and Johnson's method, which we refer to as the Iterative Mayfield method and bears similarity to Kaplan-Meier methods. The other method uses maximum likelihood techniques for estimation and is best applied to survival of animals in groups or families, rather than as independent individuals. We also examined how robust these estimators are to heterogeneity in the data, which can arise from such sources as dependent survival probabilities among siblings, inherent differences among families, and adoption. Testing of estimator performance with respect to bias, accuracy, and heterogeneity was done using simulations that mimicked a study of survival of emperor goose (Chen canagica) goslings. Assuming constant survival for inappropriately long periods of time or use of Klett and Johnson's methods resulted in large bias or poor accuracy (often >5% bias or root mean square error) compared to our Iterative Mayfield or maximum likelihood methods. Overall, estimator performance was slightly better with our Iterative Mayfield than our maximum likelihood method, but the maximum likelihood method provides a more rigorous framework for testing covariates and explicity models a heterogeneity factor. We demonstrated use of all estimators with data from emperor goose goslings. We advocate that future studies use the new methods outlined here rather than the traditional Mayfield method or its previous

Survival in commercially insured multiple sclerosis patients and comparator subjects in the U.S.

PubMed

Kaufman, D W; Reshef, S; Golub, H L; Peucker, M; Corwin, M J; Goodin, D S; Knappertz, V; Pleimes, D; Cutter, G

2014-05-01

Compare survival in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) from a U.S. commercial health insurance database with a matched cohort of non-MS subjects. 30,402 MS patients and 89,818 non-MS subjects (comparators) in the OptumInsight Research (OIR) database from 1996 to 2009 were included. An MS diagnosis required at least 3 consecutive months of database reporting, with two or more ICD-9 codes of 340 at least 30 days apart, or the combination of 1 ICD-9-340 code and at least 1 MS disease-modifying treatment (DMT) code. Comparators required the absence of ICD-9-340 and DMT codes throughout database reporting. Up to three comparators were matched to each patient for: age in the year of the first relevant code (index year - at least 3 months of reporting in that year were required); sex; region of residence in the index year. Deaths were ascertained from the National Death Index and the Social Security Administration Death Master File. Subjects not identified as deceased were assumed to be alive through the end of 2009. Annual mortality rates were 899/100,000 among MS patients and 446/100,000 among comparators. Standardized mortality ratios compared to the U.S. population were 1.70 and 0.80, respectively. Kaplan-Meier analysis yielded a median survival from birth that was 6 years lower among MS patients than among comparators. The results show, for the first time in a U.S. population, a survival disadvantage for contemporary MS patients compared to non-MS subjects from the same healthcare system. The 6-year decrement in lifespan parallels a recent report from British Columbia. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cryptic female choice enhances fertilization success and embryo survival in chinook salmon.

PubMed

Rosengrave, Patrice; Montgomerie, Robert; Gemmell, Neil

2016-03-30

In this study, we investigated two potentially important intersexual postcopulatory gametic interactions in a population of chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha): (i) the effect of female ovarian fluid (OF) on the behaviour of spermatozoa during fertilization and (ii) the effects of multilocus heterozygosity (MLH) (as an index of male quality) and female-male genetic relatedness on sperm behaviour and male fertilization success when there is sperm competition in the presence of that OF. To do this, we conducted a series of in vitro competitive fertilization experiments and found that, when ejaculates from two males are competing for access to a single female's unfertilized eggs, fertilization success was significantly biased towards the male whose sperm swam fastest in the female's OF. Embryo survival--a measure of fitness--was also positively correlated with both sperm swimming speed in OF and male MLH, providing novel evidence that cryptic female choice is adaptive for the female, enhancing the early survival of her offspring and potentially influencing her fitness. © 2016 The Author(s).

Adipose-derived stromal cells enhance auditory neuron survival in an animal model of sensory hearing loss.

PubMed

Schendzielorz, Philipp; Vollmer, Maike; Rak, Kristen; Wiegner, Armin; Nada, Nashwa; Radeloff, Katrin; Hagen, Rudolf; Radeloff, Andreas

2017-10-01

A cochlear implant (CI) is an electronic prosthesis that can partially restore speech perception capabilities. Optimum information transfer from the cochlea to the central auditory system requires a proper functioning auditory nerve (AN) that is electrically stimulated by the device. In deafness, the lack of neurotrophic support, normally provided by the sensory cells of the inner ear, however, leads to gradual degeneration of auditory neurons with undesirable consequences for CI performance. We evaluated the potential of adipose-derived stromal cells (ASCs) that are known to produce neurotrophic factors to prevent neural degeneration in sensory hearing loss. For this, co-cultures of ASCs with auditory neurons have been studied, and autologous ASC transplantation has been performed in a guinea pig model of gentamicin-induced sensory hearing loss. In vitro ASCs were neuroprotective and considerably increased the neuritogenesis of auditory neurons. In vivo transplantation of ASCs into the scala tympani resulted in an enhanced survival of auditory neurons. Specifically, peripheral AN processes that are assumed to be the optimal activation site for CI stimulation and that are particularly vulnerable to hair cell loss showed a significantly higher survival rate in ASC-treated ears. ASC transplantation into the inner ear may restore neurotrophic support in sensory hearing loss and may help to improve CI performance by enhanced AN survival. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Cellular Therapy. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Improved Survival After the Ross Procedure Compared With Mechanical Aortic Valve Replacement.

PubMed

Buratto, Edward; Shi, William Y; Wynne, Rochelle; Poh, Chin L; Larobina, Marco; O'Keefe, Michael; Goldblatt, John; Tatoulis, James; Skillington, Peter D

2018-03-27

It is unclear whether the Ross procedure offers superior survival compared with mechanical aortic valve replacement (AVR). This study evaluated experience and compared long-term survival between the Ross procedure and mechanical AVR. Between 1992 and 2016, a total of 392 Ross procedures were performed. These were compared with 1,928 isolated mechanical AVRs performed during the same time period as identified using the University of Melbourne and Australia and New Zealand Society of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgeons' Cardiac Surgery Databases. Only patients between 18 and 65 years of age were included. Propensity-score matching was performed for risk adjustment. Ross procedure patients were younger, and had fewer cardiovascular risk factors. The Ross procedure was associated with longer cardiopulmonary bypass and aortic cross-clamp times. Thirty-day mortality was similar (Ross, 0.3%; mechanical, 0.8%; p = 0.5). Ross procedure patients experienced superior unadjusted long-term survival at 20 years (Ross, 95%; mechanical, 68%; p < 0.001). Multivariable analysis showed the Ross procedure to be associated with a reduced risk of late mortality (hazard ratio: 0.34; 95% confidence internal: 0.17 to 0.67; p < 0.001). Among 275 propensity-score matched pairs, Ross procedure patients had superior survival at 20 years (Ross, 94%; mechanical, 84%; p = 0.018). In this Australian, propensity-score matched study, the Ross procedure was associated with better long-term survival compared with mechanical AVR. In younger patients, with a long life expectancy, the Ross procedure should be considered in centers with sufficient expertise. Crown Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Survival analysis: comparing peritoneal dialysis and hemodialysis in Taiwan.

PubMed

Huang, Chiu-Ching; Cheng, Kuang-Fu; Wu, Hong-Dar Isaac

2008-06-01

Comparisons of survival in patients on peritoneal dialysis (PD) and on hemodialysis (HD) have been conducted in many Western countries, but publications on this subject in Asian populations are scarce. The present study estimated the survival and the relative mortality hazard for HD and PD patients in Taiwan. Incident end-stage renal disease patients reported to the Taiwan Renal Registry during 1995 - 2002 were included in the study. Patients had to be 20 years of age or older and had to have survived for the first 90 days on dialysis. A total of 45,820 incident HD and 2,809 incident PD patients formed the study population. Patients on PD were treated mainly with traditional glucose-based solutions. Using an intent-to-treat analysis, the Cox proportional hazards (CPH) model was applied to identify the factors that predict survival by treatment modality. Subgroup analyses were conducted by stratifying patients according to sex, comorbidity, age, and diabetes status. Kaplan-Meier estimates were used to explore the survival of HD and PD patients. Adjustments were implemented using the CPH model. The overall 1-year, 2-year, 3-year, 5-year and 10-year survival rates for PD patients were 89.8%, 77.6%, 67.6%, 55.5%, and 35% respectively. The equivalent survival rates for HD patients were 87.5%, 76.6%, 68.1%, 54.3%, and 33.8%. The differences were not statistically significant (p = 0.125). The CPH analysis stratified by diabetes status and age revealed that PD patients 55 years of age or younger and nondiabetic had a lower mortality ratio (MR) of 0.94. But the MR increased to 1.31 for nondiabetic patients older than 55. The MR for PD versus HD further increased to 1.72 for diabetic patients 55 years of age or younger, and to 1.99 for diabetic patients older than 55. After adjusting for both demographic and clinical case-mix differences, PD and HD patients were observed to have similar long-term survival. Subgroup analyses revealed that, among diabetic patients and patients

Cryotop vitrification as compared to conventional slow freezing for human embryos at the cleavage stage: survival and outcomes.

PubMed

Lin, Tseng-Kai; Su, Jin-Tsung; Lee, Fa-Kung; Lin, Yu-Ru; Lo, Hsiao-Ching

2010-09-01

This study was conducted to compare the efficacy of cryotop vitrification of human cleavage-stage embryos to that of conventional slow freezing of these embryos with respect to survival. A second objective was to compare the two cryopreservation techniques with respect to outcomes for a cohort of women. Cleavage-stage embryos from 102 patients were cryopreserved either by vitrification (57 patients) or by traditional slow freezing (45 patients). After thawing, rates of embryo survival, implantation, and clinical pregnancy were determined. Survival of embryos was significantly higher with the vitrification procedure as compared to traditional slow freezing [287/298 (96.3%) vs. 294/446 (65.9%); p < 0.05). Rates of implantation and clinical pregnancy were also significantly higher using vitrification procedure as compared to the slow freezing procedure (24.3% vs. 7.1% and 35.6% vs. 15.6% respectively, p < 0.05). As compared to conventional slow freezing, cryopreservation of human cleavage-stage embryo using vitrification results in higher rates of embryo survival, implantation, and clinical pregnancy. Vitrification therefore represents the superior cryopreservation technique for cleavage-stage embryos. Copyright © 2010 Taiwan Association of Obstetric & Gynecology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Benefits of prescribed flows for salmon smolt survival enhancement vary longitudinally in a highly managed river system

USGS Publications Warehouse

Courter, Ian; Garrison, Thomas; Kock, Tobias J.; Perry, Russell W.; Child, David; Hubble, Joel

2016-01-01

The influence of streamflow on survival of emigrating juvenile Pacific salmonids Oncorhynchus spp. (smolts) is a major concern for water managers throughout the northeast Pacific Rim. However, few studies have quantified flow effects on smolt survival, and available information does not indicate a consistent flow–survival relationship within the typical range of flows under management control. In the Yakima Basin, Washington, the potential effects of streamflow alterations on smolt survival have been debated for over 20 years. Using a series of controlled flow releases from upper basin reservoirs and radiotelemetry, we quantified the relationship between flow and yearling Chinook salmon smolt survival in the 208 km reach between Roza Dam and the Yakima River mouth. A multistate mark–recapture model accounted for weekly variation in flow conditions experienced by tagged fish in four discrete river segments. Smolt survival was significantly associated with streamflow in the Roza Reach [river kilometre (rkm) 208–189] and marginally associated with streamflow in the Sunnyside Reach (rkm 169–77). However, smolt survival was not significantly associated with flow in the Naches and Prosser Reaches (rkm 189–169 and rkm 77–3). This discrepancy indicates potential differences in underlying flow-related survival mechanisms, such as predation or passage impediments. Our results clarify trade-offs between flow augmentation for fisheries enhancement and other beneficial uses, and our study design provides a framework for resolving uncertainties about streamflow effects on migratory fish survival in other river systems. 

T11TS immunotherapy repairs PI3K-AKT signaling in T-cells: Clues toward enhanced T-cell survival in rat glioma model.

PubMed

Chaudhuri, Suhnrita; Singh, Manoj K; Bhattacharya, Debanjan; Datta, Ankur; Hazra, Iman; Mondal, Somnath; Faruk Sk Md, Omar; Ronsard, Larance; Ghosh, Tushar K; Chaudhuri, Swapna

2018-02-01

Malignant glioma is the most fatal of astrocytic lineage tumors despite therapeutic advances. Onset and progression of gliomas is accompanied by severe debilitation of T-cell defense and T-cell survival. One of the chief contributors to T-cell survival downstream of activation is the PI3K-AKT pathway. Our prior studies showed that the novel immunotherapeutic molecule T11-target structure (T11TS) blocks T-cell apoptosis in glioma. We also showed activation of immunological synapse components and calcineurin-NFAT pathway following T11TS immunotherapy of glioma-bearing rats. This lead to investigations whether such T-cell activation upon T11TS therapy translates into activation of downstream PI3K/AKT signals which may be related to observed blockade of T-cell apoptosis. For the purpose, we assessed by flowcytometry and immunoblotting, expressions of PI3K, PDK1, AKT, p-AKT, and PTEN in splenic T-cells of normal, experimentally-induced glioma-bearing rats and glioma-bearing rats receiving first, second and third doses of T11TS. We also determined comparative nuclear translocation of NF-κB across groups. We found significant increases in T-cell expressions of PDK1, PI3K, and p-AKT in T11TS-treated animal groups compared to sharp downregulations in glioma. AKT levels remained unchanged across groups. PTEN levels declined sharply after T11TS immunotherapy. T11TS also caused enhanced NF-κB translocation to the T-cell nucleus compared to glioma group. Results showed heightened activation of the PI3K-AKT pathway in glioma-bearing rats following T11TS immunotherapy. These results illustrate the novel role of T11TS immunotherapy in ameliorating the PI3K pathway in T-cells in glioma-bearing animals to enhance T-cell survival, according greater defense against glioma. The study thus has far-reaching clinical outcomes. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

EDD enhances cell survival and cisplatin resistance and is a therapeutic target for epithelial ovarian cancer

PubMed Central

Bradley, Amber; Zheng, Hui; Eblen, Scott T.

2014-01-01

The E3 ubiquitin ligase EDD is overexpressed in recurrent, platinum-resistant ovarian cancers, suggesting a role in tumor survival and/or platinum resistance. EDD knockdown by small interfering RNA (siRNA) induced apoptosis in A2780ip2, OVCAR5 and ES-2 ovarian cancer cells, correlating with loss of the prosurvival protein myeloid cell leukemia sequence 1 (Mcl-1) through a glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta-independent mechanism. SiRNA to EDD or Mcl-1 induced comparable levels of apoptosis in A2780ip2 and ES-2 cells. Stable overexpression of Mcl-1 protected cells from apoptosis following EDD knockdown, accompanied by a loss of endogenous, but not exogenous, Mcl-1 protein, suggesting that EDD regulated Mcl-1 synthesis. Indeed, EDD knockdown induced a 1.87-fold decrease in Mcl-1 messenger RNA and EDD transfection enhanced murine Mcl-1 promoter-driven luciferase expression 5-fold. To separate EDD survival and potential cisplatin resistance functions, we generated EDD shRNA stable cell lines that could survive initial EDD knockdown and showed that these cells were 4- to 21-fold more sensitive to cisplatin. Moreover, transient EDD overexpression in COS-7 cells was sufficient to promote cisplatin resistance 2.4-fold, dependent upon its E3 ligase activity. In vivo, mouse intraperitoneal ES-2 and A2780ip2 xenograft experiments showed that mice treated with EDD siRNA by nanoliposomal delivery [1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phophatidylcholine (DOPC)] and cisplatin had significantly less tumor burden than those treated with control siRNA/DOPC alone (ES-2, 77.9% reduction, P = 0.004; A2780ip2, 75.9% reduction, P = 0.042) or control siRNA/DOPC with cisplatin in ES-2 (64.4% reduction, P = 0.035), with a trend in A2780ip2 (60.3% reduction, P = 0.168). These results identify EDD as a dual regulator of cell survival and cisplatin resistance and suggest that EDD is a therapeutic target for ovarian cancer. PMID:24379240

Enhancing hatch rate and survival in laboratory-reared hybrid Devils Hole Pupfish through application of antibiotics to eggs and larvae

USGS Publications Warehouse

Feuerbacher, Olin; Bonar, Scott A.; Barrett, Paul J.

2017-01-01

We evaluated the effectiveness of four antibiotics in enhancing the hatch rate, larval survival, and adult survival of hybrid Devils Hole Pupfish Cyprinodon diabolis (hybridized with Ash Meadows Amargosa Pupfish C. nevadensis mionectes). Cephalexin (CEX; concentration = 6.6 mg/L of water), chloramphenicol (CAM; 50 mg/L), erythromycin (ERY; 12.5 mg/L), and trimethoprim sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX; 25 mg/L) were applied as a constant bath either to incubating eggs or to larvae that hatched from untreated eggs. Hatch rate was roughly doubled by incubation in the presence of CAM (68% hatch) and TMP-SMX (66%) relative to the control (28%). Cephalexin and ERY conferred no benefit upon the hatch rate. Among fry that hatched from treated eggs, there was no increase in 15-d larval survival. However, fish that hatched from eggs treated with CAM, ERY, and TMP-SMX demonstrated enhanced survival at 360 d (51.2, 38.4, and 43.6%, respectively) and at 540 d (22.6, 6.8, and 20.2%, respectively); the untreated control had no survivors to those time points. All groups of eggs treated with antibiotics showed reductions in bacterial colony-forming units (CFUs) at 24 h posttreatment. At 120 h posttreatment, CEX-treated eggs had CFU counts similar to those of the control, whereas the TMP-SMX-treated eggs had the lowest CFU counts. Eggs treated with CAM and ERY had similar CFU counts, which were significantly reduced from the control counts. Larvae that were treated with CAM and TMP-SMX within 12 h posthatch showed enhanced 15-d survival (74% and 72%, respectively) in comparison with the control (56%). For pupfish rearing efforts in which antibiotic use is appropriate, CAM and TMP-SMX appear to provide the greatest benefit, particularly when applied to incubating eggs rather than to hatched larvae.

Oxygenated drinking water enhances immune activity in broiler chicks and increases survivability against Salmonella Gallinarum in experimentally infected broiler chicks.

PubMed

Jung, Bock-Gie; Lee, Jin-A; Nam, Kyoung-Woo; Lee, Bong-Joo

2012-03-01

It has been suggested that drinking oxygenated water may improve oxygen availability, which may increase vitality and improving immune activity. The present study evaluated the immune enhancing effects of oxygenated drinking water in broiler chicks and demonstrated the protective efficacy of oxygenated drinking water against Salmonella Gallinarum in experimentally infected broiler chicks. Continuous drinking of oxygenated water markedly increased serum lysozyme activity, peripheral blood mononuclear cell proliferation and the CD4(+)/CD8(+) splenocyte ratio in broiler chicks. In the chicks experimentally infected with S. Gallinarum, oxygenated drinking water alleviated symptoms and increased survival. These findings suggest that oxygenated drinking water enhances immune activity in broiler chicks, and increases survivability against S. Gallinarum in experimentally infected broiler chicks.

Convection enhanced delivery of panobinostat (LBH589)-loaded pluronic nano-micelles prolongs survival in the F98 rat glioma model

PubMed Central

Singleton, WG; Collins, AM; Bienemann, AS; Killick-Cole, CL; Haynes, HR; Asby, DJ; Butts, CP; Wyatt, MJ; Barua, NU; Gill, SS

2017-01-01

Background The pan-histone deacetylase inhibitor panobinostat is a potential therapy for malignant glioma, but it is water insoluble and does not cross the blood–brain barrier when administered systemically. In this article, we describe the in vitro and in vivo efficacy of a novel water-soluble nano-micellar formulation of panobinostat designed for administration by convection enhanced delivery (CED). Materials and methods The in vitro efficacy of panobinostat-loaded nano-micelles against rat F98, human U87-MG and M059K glioma cells and against patient-derived glioma stem cells was measured using a cell viability assay. Nano-micelle distribution in rat brain was analyzed following acute CED using rhodamine-labeled nano-micelles, and toxicity was assayed using immunofluorescent microscopy and synaptophysin enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. We compared the survival of the bioluminescent syngenic F98/Fischer344 rat glioblastoma model treated by acute CED of panobinostat-loaded nano-micelles with that of untreated and vehicle-only-treated controls. Results Nano-micellar panobinostat is cytotoxic to rat and human glioma cells in vitro in a dose-dependent manner following short-time exposure to drug. Fluorescent rhodamine-labelled nano-micelles distribute with a volume of infusion/volume of distribution (Vi/Vd) ratio of four and five respectively after administration by CED. Administration was not associated with any toxicity when compared to controls. CED of panobinostat-loaded nano-micelles was associated with significantly improved survival when compared to controls (n=8 per group; log-rank test, P<0.001). One hundred percent of treated animals survived the 60-day experimental period and had tumour response on post-mortem histological examination. Conclusion CED of nano-micellar panobinostat represents a potential novel therapeutic option for malignant glioma and warrants translation into the clinic. PMID:28260886

Convection enhanced delivery of panobinostat (LBH589)-loaded pluronic nano-micelles prolongs survival in the F98 rat glioma model.

PubMed

Singleton, W G; Collins, A M; Bienemann, A S; Killick-Cole, C L; Haynes, H R; Asby, D J; Butts, C P; Wyatt, M J; Barua, N U; Gill, S S

2017-01-01

The pan-histone deacetylase inhibitor panobinostat is a potential therapy for malignant glioma, but it is water insoluble and does not cross the blood-brain barrier when administered systemically. In this article, we describe the in vitro and in vivo efficacy of a novel water-soluble nano-micellar formulation of panobinostat designed for administration by convection enhanced delivery (CED). The in vitro efficacy of panobinostat-loaded nano-micelles against rat F98, human U87-MG and M059K glioma cells and against patient-derived glioma stem cells was measured using a cell viability assay. Nano-micelle distribution in rat brain was analyzed following acute CED using rhodamine-labeled nano-micelles, and toxicity was assayed using immunofluorescent microscopy and synaptophysin enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. We compared the survival of the bioluminescent syngenic F98/Fischer344 rat glioblastoma model treated by acute CED of panobinostat-loaded nano-micelles with that of untreated and vehicle-only-treated controls. Nano-micellar panobinostat is cytotoxic to rat and human glioma cells in vitro in a dose-dependent manner following short-time exposure to drug. Fluorescent rhodamine-labelled nano-micelles distribute with a volume of infusion/volume of distribution (Vi/Vd) ratio of four and five respectively after administration by CED. Administration was not associated with any toxicity when compared to controls. CED of panobinostat-loaded nano-micelles was associated with significantly improved survival when compared to controls (n=8 per group; log-rank test, P <0.001). One hundred percent of treated animals survived the 60-day experimental period and had tumour response on post-mortem histological examination. CED of nano-micellar panobinostat represents a potential novel therapeutic option for malignant glioma and warrants translation into the clinic.

Interaction of Erp Protein of Mycobacterium tuberculosis with Rv2212 Enhances Intracellular Survival of Mycobacterium smegmatis.

PubMed

Ganaie, Arsheed Ahmad; Trivedi, Garima; Kaur, Amanpreet; Jha, Sidharth Shankar; Anand, Shashi; Rana, Vibhuti; Singh, Amit; Kumar, Shekhar; Sharma, Charu

2016-10-15

The Mycobacterium tuberculosis exported repetitive protein (RvErp) is a crucial virulence-associated factor as determined by its role in the survival and multiplication of mycobacteria in cultured macrophages and in vivo Although attempts have been made to understand the function of Erp protein, its exact role in Mycobacterium pathogenesis is still elusive. One way to determine this is by searching for novel interactions of RvErp. Using a yeast two-hybrid assay, an adenylyl cyclase (AC), Rv2212, was found to interact with RvErp. The interaction between RvErp and Rv2212 is direct and occurs at the endogenous level. The Erp protein of Mycobacterium smegmatis (MSMEG_6405, or MsErp) interacts neither with Rv2212 nor with Ms_4279, the M. smegmatis homologue of Rv2212. Deletion mutants of Rv2212 revealed its adenylyl cyclase domain to be responsible for the interaction. RvErp enhances Rv2212-mediated cyclic AMP (cAMP) production. Also, the biological significance of the interaction between RvErp and Rv2212 was demonstrated by the enhanced survival of M. smegmatis within THP-1 macrophages. Taken together, these studies address a novel mechanism by which Erp executes its function. RvErp is one of the important virulence factors of M. tuberculosis This study describes a novel function of RvErp protein of M. tuberculosis by identifying Rv2212 as its interacting protein. Rv2212 is an adenylyl cyclase (AC) and produces cAMP, one of the prime second messengers that regulate the intracellular survival of mycobacteria. Therefore, the significance of investigating novel interactions of RvErp is paramount in unraveling the mechanisms governing the intracellular survival of mycobacteria. Copyright © 2016, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Trehalose Dimycolate Enhances Survival of Fission Neutron-Irradiated Mice and Klebsiella pneumoniae-Challenged Irradiated Mice

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-01-01

SR90-5 Trehalose Dimycolate Enhances Survival of Fission Neutron-Irradiated Mice and Kiebsiella pneumoniae-Challenged Irradiated Mice 1’ 2 D. (. M...doses kines and immunomodulators of nonspecific resistance to of fission neutron radiation is increased when trehalose dimycol- infection might have... trehalose day before exposure to radiation. TDM in an emulsion of squa- dimycolate (TDM) have been shown to be effective in in- lene. Tween 80, and saline

Survival After Neoadjuvant and Adjuvant Treatments Compared to Surgery Alone for Resectable Esophageal Carcinoma: A Network Meta-analysis.

PubMed

Pasquali, Sandro; Yim, Guang; Vohra, Ravinder S; Mocellin, Simone; Nyanhongo, Donald; Marriott, Paul; Geh, Ju Ian; Griffiths, Ewen A

2017-03-01

This network meta-analysis compared overall survival after neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy (CT), radiotherapy (RT), or combinations of both (chemoradiotherapy, CRT) or surgery alone to identify the most effective approach. The optimal treatment for resectable esophageal cancer is unknown. A search for randomized controlled trials reporting on neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapies was conducted. Using a network meta-analysis, treatments were ranked based on their effectiveness for improving survival. In 33 eligible randomized controlled trials, 6072 patients were randomized to receive either surgery alone (N = 2459) or neoadjuvant CT (N = 1332), RT (N = 58), and CRT (N = 1196) followed by surgery or surgery followed by adjuvant CT (N = 542), RT (N = 383), and CRT (N = 102). Twenty-one comparisons were generated. Neoadjuvant CRT followed by surgery compared with surgery alone was the only treatment to significantly improve survival [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.77, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.68-0.87]. When trials were grouped considering neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapies and surgery alone, neoadjuvant therapies combined with surgery compared with surgery alone showed a survival advantage (HR = 0.83, 95% CI 0.76-0.90), whereas surgery along with adjuvant therapies showed no significant survival advantage (HR = 0.87, 95% CI 0.67-1.14). A subgroup analysis of neoadjuvant therapies showed a superior effectiveness of neoadjuvant CRT and surgery compared with surgery alone (HR = 0.77, 95% CI 0.68-0.87). This network meta-analysis showed neoadjuvant CRT followed by surgery to be the most effective strategy in improving survival of resectable esophageal cancer. Resources should be focused on developing the most effective neoadjuvant CRT regimens for both adenocarcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas of the esophagus.

Biofilms Formed by Gram-Negative Bacteria Undergo Increased Lipid A Palmitoylation, Enhancing In Vivo Survival

PubMed Central

Chalabaev, Sabina; Chauhan, Ashwini; Novikov, Alexey; Iyer, Pavithra; Szczesny, Magdalena; Beloin, Christophe; Caroff, Martine

2014-01-01

ABSTRACT Bacterial biofilm communities are associated with profound physiological changes that lead to novel properties compared to the properties of individual (planktonic) bacteria. The study of biofilm-associated phenotypes is an essential step toward control of deleterious effects of pathogenic biofilms. Here we investigated lipopolysaccharide (LPS) structural modifications in Escherichia coli biofilm bacteria, and we showed that all tested commensal and pathogenic E. coli biofilm bacteria display LPS modifications corresponding to an increased level of incorporation of palmitate acyl chain (palmitoylation) into lipid A compared to planktonic bacteria. Genetic analysis showed that lipid A palmitoylation in biofilms is mediated by the PagP enzyme, which is regulated by the histone-like protein repressor H-NS and the SlyA regulator. While lipid A palmitoylation does not influence bacterial adhesion, it weakens inflammatory response and enhances resistance to some antimicrobial peptides. Moreover, we showed that lipid A palmitoylation increases in vivo survival of biofilm bacteria in a clinically relevant model of catheter infection, potentially contributing to biofilm tolerance to host immune defenses. The widespread occurrence of increased lipid A palmitoylation in biofilms formed by all tested bacteria suggests that it constitutes a new biofilm-associated phenotype in Gram-negative bacteria. PMID:25139899

77 FR 40628 - Draft Safe Harbor Agreement and Application for an Enhancement of Survival Permit for the Tres...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-10

...-FF02ENEH00] Draft Safe Harbor Agreement and Application for an Enhancement of Survival Permit for the Tres... permit application and the associated draft Safe Harbor Agreement (SHA). DATES: Comment Period: To ensure... . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under a Safe Harbor Agreement, participating property owners voluntarily undertake...

Par3L enhances colorectal cancer cell survival by inhibiting Lkb1/AMPK signaling pathway

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, Taiyuan; Liu, Dongning; Lei, Xiong

Partitioning defective 3-like protein (Par3L) is a recently identified cell polarity protein that plays an important role in mammary stem cell maintenance. Previously, we showed that high expression of Par3L is associated with poor survival in malignant colorectal cancer (CRC), but the underlying mechanism remained unknown. To this end, we established a Par3L knockout colorectal cancer cell line using the CRISPR/Cas system. Interestingly, reduced proliferation, enhanced cell death and caspase-3 activation were observed in Par3L knockout (KO) cells as compared with wildtype (WT) cells. Consistent with previous studies, we showed that Par3L interacts with a tumor suppressor protein liver kinasemore » B1 (Lkb1). Moreover, Par3L depletion resulted in abnormal activation of Lkb1/AMPK signaling cascade. Knockdown of Lkb1 in these cells could significantly reduce AMPK activity and partially rescue cell death caused by Par3L knockdown. Furthermore, we showed that Par3L KO cells were more sensitive to chemotherapies and irradiation. Together, these results suggest that Par3L is essential for colorectal cancer cell survival by inhibiting Lkb1/AMPK signaling pathway, and is a putative therapeutic target for CRC. - Highlights: • Par3L knockout using the CRISPR/Cas system induces apoptosis in colorectal cancer cells. • Par3L interacts with Lkb1 and regulates the activity of AMPK signaling cascade. • Par3L knockout cells are more sensitive to treatment of different chemotherapy drugs and irradiation.« less

Gestational age specific neonatal survival in the State of Qatar (2003-2008) - a comparative study with international benchmarks.

PubMed

Rahman, Sajjad; Salameh, Khalil; Al-Rifai, Hilal; Masoud, Ahmed; Lutfi, Samawal; Salama, Husam; Abdoh, Ghassan; Omar, Fahmi; Bener, Abdulbari

2011-09-01

To analyze and compare the current gestational age specific neonatal survival rates between Qatar and international benchmarks. An analytical comparative study. Women's Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar, from 2003-2008. Six year's (2003-2008) gestational age specific neonatal mortality data was stratified for each completed week of gestation at birth from 24 weeks till term. The data from World Health Statistics by WHO (2010), Vermont Oxford Network (VON, 2007) and National Statistics United Kingdom (2006) were used as international benchmarks for comparative analysis. A total of 82,002 babies were born during the study period. Qatar's neonatal mortality rate (NMR) dropped from 6/1000 in 2003 to 4.3/1000 in 2008 (p < 0.05). The overall and gestational age specific neonatal mortality rates of Qatar were comparable with international benchmarks. The survival of < 27 weeks and term babies was better in Qatar (p=0.01 and p < 0.001 respectively) as compared to VON. The survival of > 32 weeks babies was better in UK (p=0.01) as compared to Qatar. The relative risk (RR) of death decreased with increasing gestational age (p < 0.0001). Preterm babies (45%) followed by lethal chromosomal and congenital anomalies (26.5%) were the two leading causes of neonatal deaths in Qatar. The current total and gestational age specific neonatal survival rates in the State of Qatar are comparable with international benchmarks. In Qatar, persistently high rates of low birth weight and lethal chromosomal and congenital anomalies significantly contribute towards neonatal mortality.

Adoptive cell transfer after chemotherapy enhances survival in patients with resectable HNSCC.

PubMed

Jiang, Pan; Zhang, Yan; J Archibald, Steve; Wang, Hua

2015-09-01

The aims of this study were to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy and to determine the immune factors for treatment success in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) treated with chemotherapy followed by adoptive cell transfer (ACT). A total of 43 HNSCC patients who received radical resection and chemotherapy were analysed in this study. Twenty-one of the patients were repeatedly treated with ACT after chemotherapy (ACT group), and the other twenty-two patients without ACT treatment were included as part of the control group. To investigate the immunological differences underlying these observations, we expanded and profiled improving cytokine-induced killer cells (iCIK) from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) with the timed addition of RetroNectin, OKT3 mAb, IFN γ and IL-2. The median of progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in the ACT group were significantly higher as compared to the control group (56 vs. 40; 58 vs. 45 months). In iCIK culture, there was a significant reduction in CD3+CD4+ T-cell proliferation and cytokines (IL-2, TNF) production from patients who received chemotherapy compared to patients without chemotherapy. Intra-arterial infusion of iCIK, in coordination with chemotherapy, considerably rescued iCIK culture from the suppression of systemic immunity induced by chemotherapy and induced tumour regression. Altogether, these findings suggest that ACT is an effective neo-adjuvant therapy for rescuing systemic immune suppression and improving survival time in patients with HNSCC. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Zcchc11 Uridylates Mature miRNAs to Enhance Neonatal IGF-1 Expression, Growth, and Survival

PubMed Central

Kozlowski, Elyse; Matsuura, Kori Y.; Ferrari, Joseph D.; Morris, Samantha A.; Powers, John T.; Daley, George Q.; Quinton, Lee J.; Mizgerd, Joseph P.

2012-01-01

The Zcchc11 enzyme is implicated in microRNA (miRNA) regulation. It can uridylate let-7 precursors to decrease quantities of the mature miRNA in embryonic stem cell lines, suggested to mediate stem cell maintenance. It can uridylate mature miR-26 to relieve silencing activity without impacting miRNA content in cancer cell lines, suggested to mediate cytokine and growth factor expression. Broader roles of Zcchc11 in shaping or remodeling the miRNome or in directing biological or physiological processes remain entirely speculative. We generated Zcchc11-deficient mice to address these knowledge gaps. Zcchc11 deficiency had no impact on embryogenesis or fetal development, but it significantly decreased survival and growth immediately following birth, indicating a role for this enzyme in early postnatal fitness. Deep sequencing of small RNAs from neonatal livers revealed roles of this enzyme in miRNA sequence diversity. Zcchc11 deficiency diminished the lengths and terminal uridine frequencies for diverse mature miRNAs, but it had no influence on the quantities of any miRNAs. The expression of IGF-1, a liver-derived protein essential to early growth and survival, was enhanced by Zcchc11 expression in vitro, and miRNA silencing of IGF-1 was alleviated by uridylation events observed to be Zcchc11-dependent in the neonatal liver. In neonatal mice, Zcchc11 deficiency significantly decreased IGF-1 mRNA in the liver and IGF-1 protein in the blood. We conclude that the Zcchc11-mediated terminal uridylation of mature miRNAs is pervasive and physiologically significant, especially important in the neonatal period for fostering IGF-1 expression and enhancing postnatal growth and survival. We propose that the miRNA 3′ terminus is a regulatory node upon which multiple enzymes converge to direct silencing activity and tune gene expression. PMID:23209448

Anodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Enhances Survival and Integration of Dopaminergic Cell Transplants in a Rat Parkinson Model

PubMed Central

Winkler, Christian; Reis, Janine; Hoffmann, Nadin; Gellner, Anne-Kathrin; Münkel, Christian; Curado, Marco Rocha

2017-01-01

Abstract Restorative therapy concepts, such as cell based therapies aim to restitute impaired neurotransmission in neurodegenerative diseases. New strategies to enhance grafted cell survival and integration are still needed to improve functional recovery. Anodal direct current stimulation (DCS) promotes neuronal activity and secretion of the trophic factor BDNF in the motor cortex. Transcranial DCS applied to the motor cortex transiently improves motor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients. In this proof-of-concept study, we combine cell based therapy and noninvasive neuromodulation to assess whether neurotrophic support via transcranial DCS would enhance the restitution of striatal neurotransmission by fetal dopaminergic transplants in a rat Parkinson model. Transcranial DCS was applied daily for 20 min on 14 consecutive days following striatal transplantation of fetal ventral mesencephalic (fVM) cells derived from transgenic rat embryos ubiquitously expressing GFP. Anodal but not cathodal transcranial DCS significantly enhanced graft survival and dopaminergic reinnervation of the surrounding striatal tissue relative to sham stimulation. Behavioral recovery was more pronounced following anodal transcranial DCS, and behavioral effects correlated with the degree of striatal innervation. Our results suggest anodal transcranial DCS may help advance cell-based restorative therapies in neurodegenerative diseases. In particular, such an assistive approach may be beneficial for the already established cell transplantation therapy in PD. PMID:28966974

Anodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Enhances Survival and Integration of Dopaminergic Cell Transplants in a Rat Parkinson Model.

PubMed

Winkler, Christian; Reis, Janine; Hoffmann, Nadin; Gellner, Anne-Kathrin; Münkel, Christian; Curado, Marco Rocha; Furlanetti, Luciano; Garcia, Joanna; Döbrössy, Máté D; Fritsch, Brita

2017-01-01

Restorative therapy concepts, such as cell based therapies aim to restitute impaired neurotransmission in neurodegenerative diseases. New strategies to enhance grafted cell survival and integration are still needed to improve functional recovery. Anodal direct current stimulation (DCS) promotes neuronal activity and secretion of the trophic factor BDNF in the motor cortex. Transcranial DCS applied to the motor cortex transiently improves motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. In this proof-of-concept study, we combine cell based therapy and noninvasive neuromodulation to assess whether neurotrophic support via transcranial DCS would enhance the restitution of striatal neurotransmission by fetal dopaminergic transplants in a rat Parkinson model. Transcranial DCS was applied daily for 20 min on 14 consecutive days following striatal transplantation of fetal ventral mesencephalic (fVM) cells derived from transgenic rat embryos ubiquitously expressing GFP. Anodal but not cathodal transcranial DCS significantly enhanced graft survival and dopaminergic reinnervation of the surrounding striatal tissue relative to sham stimulation. Behavioral recovery was more pronounced following anodal transcranial DCS, and behavioral effects correlated with the degree of striatal innervation. Our results suggest anodal transcranial DCS may help advance cell-based restorative therapies in neurodegenerative diseases. In particular, such an assistive approach may be beneficial for the already established cell transplantation therapy in PD.

Coenzyme Q10 protects neural stem cells against hypoxia by enhancing survival signals.

PubMed

Park, Jinse; Park, Hyun-Hee; Choi, Hojin; Kim, Young Seo; Yu, Hyun-Jeung; Lee, Kyu-Yong; Lee, Young Joo; Kim, Seung Hyun; Koh, Seong-Ho

2012-10-10

Recanalization and secondary prevention are the main therapeutic strategies for acute ischemic stroke. Neuroprotective therapies have also been investigated despite unsuccessful clinical results. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), which is an essential cofactor for electron transport in mitochondria, is known to have an antioxidant effect. We investigated the protective effects of CoQ10 against hypoxia in neural stem cells (NSCs). We measured cell viability and levels of intracellular signaling proteins after treatment with several concentrations of CoQ10 under hypoxia-reperfusion. CoQ10 protected NSCs against hypoxia-reperfusion in a concentration-dependent manner by reducing growth inhibition and inhibiting free radical formation. It increased the expression of a number of survival-related proteins such as phosphorylated Akt (pAkt), phosphorylated glycogen synthase kinase 3-β (pGSK3-β), and B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) in NSCs injured by hypoxia-reperfusion and reduced the expression of death-related proteins such as cleaved caspase-3. We conclude that CoQ10 has effects against hypoxia-reperfusion induced damage to NSCs by enhancing survival signals and decreasing death signals. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Survival of the Fittest: How Bacterial Pathogens Utilize Bile To Enhance Infection

PubMed Central

Sistrunk, Jeticia R.; Nickerson, Kourtney P.; Chanin, Rachael B.; Rasko, David A.

2016-01-01

SUMMARY Bacterial pathogens have coevolved with humans in order to efficiently infect, replicate within, and be transmitted to new hosts to ensure survival and a continual infection cycle. For enteric pathogens, the ability to adapt to numerous host factors under the harsh conditions of the gastrointestinal tract is critical for establishing infection. One such host factor readily encountered by enteric bacteria is bile, an innately antimicrobial detergent-like compound essential for digestion and nutrient absorption. Not only have enteric pathogens evolved to resist the bactericidal conditions of bile, but these bacteria also utilize bile as a signal to enhance virulence regulation for efficient infection. This review provides a comprehensive and up-to-date analysis of bile-related research with enteric pathogens. From common responses to the unique expression of specific virulence factors, each pathogen has overcome significant challenges to establish infection in the gastrointestinal tract. Utilization of bile as a signal to modulate virulence factor expression has led to important insights for our understanding of virulence mechanisms for many pathogens. Further research on enteric pathogens exposed to this in vivo signal will benefit therapeutic and vaccine development and ultimately enhance our success at combating such elite pathogens. PMID:27464994

Survival rates among Seventh Day Adventists compared with the general population in Poland.

PubMed

Jedrychowski, W; Tobiasz-Adamczyk, B; Olma, A; Gradzikiewicz, P

1985-01-01

The purpose of the work was to test the hypothesis that the survival rate is higher among the Seventh Day Adventists (SDA) than in the general population of Poland, because of the strictly respected customs adhered to by members of this church community, such as abstinence from smoking and from alcohol. The data on life expectancy in the SDA community covered a total of 236 members of this denomination in Kraków (86 males and 150 females). The survival probability rates were estimated by the life table method, for both men and women separately, and were subsequently compared with the corresponding parameters of the Polish Life Tables. Over a period of 10 years, in which these data were studied, there were 11 deaths in males and 24 deaths in females. Mean age at death was 71.9 years among men and 75.1 among women. The survival curves traced over the age groups of both sexes of SDA members were fairly similar, but they were markedly higher than in the general population of Poland. In the general population the survival rates for people over 40 years old were higher in females than in males, whereas no corresponding sex differences in rates concerning SDA members were observed. The greater benefit in life expectancy is gained in the SDA group in comparison with men in the general population. This is attributable to their abstinence from very harmful habits, otherwise more widespread in this sex group.

Ovarian cancer survival population differences: a "high resolution study" comparing Philippine residents, and Filipino-Americans and Caucasians living in the US.

PubMed

Redaniel, Maria Theresa M; Laudico, Adriano; Mirasol-Lumague, Maria Rica; Gondos, Adam; Uy, Gemma Leonora; Toral, Jean Ann; Benavides, Doris; Brenner, Hermann

2009-09-24

In contrast to most other forms of cancer, data from some developing and developed countries show surprisingly similar survival rates for ovarian cancer. We aimed to compare ovarian cancer survival in Philippine residents, Filipino-Americans and Caucasians living in the US, using a high resolution approach, taking potential differences in prognostic factors into account. Using databases from the SEER 13 and from the Manila and Rizal Cancer Registries, age-adjusted five-year absolute and relative survival estimates were computed using the period analysis method and compared between Filipino-American ovarian cancer patients with cancer patients from the Philippines and Caucasians in the US. Cox proportional hazards modelling was used to determine factors affecting survival differences. Despite more favorable distribution of age and cancer morphology and similar stage distribution, 5-year absolute and relative survival were lower in Philippine residents (Absolute survival, AS, 44%, Standard Error, SE, 2.9 and Relative survival, RS, 49.7%, SE, 3.7) than in Filipino-Americans (AS, 51.3%, SE, 3.1 and RS, 54.1%, SE, 3.4). After adjustment for these and additional covariates, strong excess risk of death for Philippine residents was found (Relative Risk, RR, 2.45, 95% confidence interval, 95% CI, 1.99-3.01). In contrast, no significant differences were found between Filipino-Americans and Caucasians living in the US. Multivariate analyses disclosed strong survival disadvantages of Philippine residents compared to Filipino-American patients, for which differences in access to health care might have played an important role. Survival is no worse among Filipino-Americans than among Caucasians living in the US.

Is Genetic Background Important in Lung Cancer Survival?

PubMed Central

Lindström, Linda S.; Hall, Per; Hartman, Mikael; Wiklund, Fredrik; Czene, Kamila

2009-01-01

Background In lung cancer, a patient's survival is poor with a wide variation in survival within the stage of disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the familial concordance in lung cancer survival by means of analyses of pairs with different degrees of familial relationships. Methods Our population-based Swedish family database included three million families and over 58 100 lung cancer patients. We modelled the proband (parent, sibling, spouse) survival utilizing a multivariate proportional hazard (Cox) model adjusting for possible confounders of survival. Subsequently, the survival in proband's relative (child, sibling, spouse) was analysed with a Cox model. Findings By use of Cox modelling with 5 years follow-up, we noted a decreased hazard ratio for death in children with good parental survival (Hazard Ratio [HR] = 0.71, 95% CI = 0.51 to 0.99), compared to those with poor parental survival. Also for siblings, a very strong protective effect was seen (HR = 0.14, 95% CI = 0.030 to 0.65). Finally, in spouses no correlation in survival was found. Interpretation Our findings suggest that genetic factors are important in lung cancer survival. In a clinical setting, information on prognosis in a relative may be vital in foreseeing the survival in an individual newly diagnosed with lung cancer. Future molecular studies enhancing the understanding of the underlying mechanisms and pathways are needed. PMID:19478952

Technology-Enhanced Consultation in Counselling: A Comparative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Astramovich, Randall L.; Jones, W. Paul; Coker, J. Kelly

2004-01-01

Two quasi-experimental studies comparing technology-enhanced counselling consultation were conducted with a sample of 147 students enrolled in an undergraduate counselling and consultation course for elementary and secondary teachers. Study 1 (N = 76) compared the effectiveness of counselling consultation using telephone, text chat, or text chat…

Mid-term survival analysis of closed wedge high tibial osteotomy: A comparative study of computer-assisted and conventional techniques.

PubMed

Bae, Dae Kyung; Song, Sang Jun; Kim, Kang Il; Hur, Dong; Jeong, Ho Yeon

2016-03-01

The purpose of the present study was to compare the clinical and radiographic results and survival rates between computer-assisted and conventional closing wedge high tibial osteotomies (HTOs). Data from a consecutive cohort comprised of 75 computer-assisted HTOs and 75 conventional HTOs were retrospectively reviewed. The Knee Society knee and function scores, Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) score and femorotibial angle (FTA) were compared between the two groups. Survival rates were also compared with procedure failure. The knee and function scores at one year postoperatively were slightly better in the computer-assisted group than those in conventional group (90.1 vs. 86.1) (82.0 vs. 76.0). The HSS scores at one year postoperatively were slightly better for the computer-assisted HTOs than those of conventional HTOs (89.5 vs. 81.8). The inlier of the postoperative FTA was wider in the computer-assisted group than that in the conventional HTO group (88.0% vs. 58.7%), and mean postoperative FTA was greater in the computer-assisted group that in the conventional HTO group (valgus 9.0° vs. valgus 7.6°, p<0.001). The five- and 10-year survival rates were 97.1% and 89.6%, respectively. No difference was detected in nine-year survival rates (p=0.369) between the two groups, although the clinical and radiographic results were better in the computer-assisted group that those in the conventional HTO group. Mid-term survival rates did not differ between computer-assisted and conventional HTOs. A comparative analysis of longer-term survival rate is required to demonstrate the long-term benefit of computer-assisted HTO. III. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparative genet survival after fire in woody Mediterranean species.

PubMed

López-Soria, Luis; Castell, Carles

1992-10-01

Using data from three fires in northeastern Spain, we tested a condition necessary to support the idea that fire has been a factor in the evolution of the resprouting habit: populations of all resprouting species within a community should show high levels of genet survival after fires and show a low coefficient of variation. Species with high mean survival values were:Quercus ilex L.,Phillyrea latifolia L., andViburnum tinus L., with 88, 86 and 83% survival respectively; these groups had resprouts emerging from rootcrowns. Then followedArbutus unedo L. (75%),Pistacia lentiscus L. (73%),Erica arborea L. (77%),Erica multiflora L. (57%) andJuniperus oxycedrus L. (55%). This last group had resprouts from lignotubers or burls. These two groups also differed in the variability around the mean: the first showed a lower coefficient of variation, 6-12, and the second ranged from 19 to 26. Slope exposure had no significant influence on the process of resprouting, but soil depth did, with precipitation as a covariate. In the shallow soil category, the difference in genet survival between southern and northern exposures was 14% (71% vs. 57%); while the difference in the deep soil category was low, 5% (87% vs. 82%). There was no significant interaction. The component of variance for soils was larger than that for species-specific effects; substantial overlap of the within-species variance indicated that species responded as if they were a single hypothetical population, in which most of the variation in chances of survival was due to the soil conditions. The possession of the resprouting habit did not ensure a high performance. Hence, we find weak support for fire as a factor in the evolution of the resprouting habit.

Quantitative T2 mapping of recurrent glioblastoma under bevacizumab improves monitoring for non-enhancing tumor progression and predicts overall survival

PubMed Central

Hattingen, Elke; Jurcoane, Alina; Daneshvar, Keivan; Pilatus, Ulrich; Mittelbronn, Michel; Steinbach, Joachim P.; Bähr, Oliver

2013-01-01

Background Anti-angiogenic treatment in recurrent glioblastoma patients suppresses contrast enhancement and reduces vasogenic edema while non-enhancing tumor progression is common. Thus, the importance of T2-weighted imaging is increasing. We therefore quantified T2 relaxation times, which are the basis for the image contrast on T2-weighted images. Methods Conventional and quantitative MRI procedures were performed on 18 patients with recurrent glioblastoma before treatment with bevacizumab and every 8 weeks thereafter until further tumor progression. We segmented the tumor on conventional MRI into 3 subvolumes: enhancing tumor, non-enhancing tumor, and edema. Using coregistered quantitative maps, we followed changes in T2 relaxation time in each subvolume. Moreover, we generated differential T2 maps by a voxelwise subtraction using the first T2 map under bevacizumab as reference. Results Visually segmented areas of tumor and edema did not differ in T2 relaxation times. Non-enhancing tumor volume did not decrease after commencement of bevacizumab treatment but strikingly increased at progression. Differential T2 maps clearly showed non-enhancing tumor progression in previously normal brain. T2 relaxation times decreased under bevacizumab without re-increasing at tumor progression. A decrease of <26 ms in the enhancing tumor following exposure to bevacizumab was associated with longer overall survival. Conclusions Combining quantitative MRI and tumor segmentation improves monitoring of glioblastoma patients under bevacizumab. The degree of change in T2 relaxation time under bevacizumab may be an early response parameter predictive of overall survival. The sustained decrease in T2 relaxation times toward values of healthy tissue masks progressive tumor on conventional T2-weighted images. Therefore, quantitative T2 relaxation times may detect non-enhancing progression better than conventional T2-weighted imaging. PMID:23925453

Complete resection of contrast-enhancing tumor volume is associated with improved survival in recurrent glioblastoma—results from the DIRECTOR trial

PubMed Central

Suchorska, Bogdana; Weller, Michael; Tabatabai, Ghazaleh; Senft, Christian; Hau, Peter; Sabel, Michael C.; Herrlinger, Ulrich; Ketter, Ralf; Schlegel, Uwe; Marosi, Christine; Reifenberger, Guido; Wick, Wolfgang; Tonn, Jörg C.; Wirsching, Hans-Georg

2016-01-01

Background The role of reoperation for recurrent glioblastoma (GBM) remains unclear. Prospective studies are lacking. Here, we studied the association of clinical outcome with extent of resection upon surgery for recurrent GBM in the patient cohort of DIRECTOR, a prospective randomized multicenter trial comparing 2 dose-intensified temozolomide regimens at recurrence of GBM. Methods We analyzed prospectively collected clinical and imaging data from the DIRECTOR cohort (N = 105). Volumetric analysis was performed on gadolinium contrast-enhanced MRI as well as fluid attenuated inversion recovery/T2 MRI and correlated with PFS after initial progression (PFS2) and post-recurrence survival (PRS). Quality of life was monitored by the EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-BN20 questionnaires at 8-week intervals. Results Seventy-one patients received surgery at first recurrence. Prognostic factors, including age, MGMT promoter methylation, and Karnofsky performance score, were balanced between patients with and without reoperation. Outcome in patients with versus without surgery at recurrence was similar for PFS2 (2.0 mo vs 1.9 mo, P = .360) and PRS (11.4 mo vs 9.8 mo, P = .633). Among reoperated patients, post-surgery imaging was available in 59 cases. In these patients, complete resection of contrast-enhancing tumor (N = 40) versus residual detection of contrast enhancement (N = 19) was associated with improved PRS (12.9 mo [95% CI: 11.5–18.2] vs 6.5 mo [95% CI: 3.6–9.9], P < .001) and better quality of life. Incomplete tumor resection was associated with inferior PRS compared with patients who did not undergo surgery (6.5 vs 9.8 mo, P = .052). Quality of life was similar in these 2 groups. Conclusion Surgery at first recurrence of GBM improves outcome if complete resection of contrast-enhancing tumor is achieved. PMID:26823503

Host plant associated enhancement of immunity and survival in virus infected caterpillars.

PubMed

Smilanich, Angela M; Langus, Tara C; Doan, Lydia; Dyer, Lee A; Harrison, Joshua G; Hsueh, Jennifer; Teglas, Mike B

2018-01-01

Understanding the interaction between host plant chemistry, the immune response, and insect pathogens can shed light on host plant use by insect herbivores. In this study, we focused on how interactions between the insect immune response and plant secondary metabolites affect the response to a viral pathogen. Based upon prior research, we asked whether the buckeye caterpillar, Junonia coenia (Nymphalidae), which specializes on plants containing iridoid glycosides (IGs), is less able to resist the pathogenic effects of a densovirus infection when feeding on plants with high concentrations of IGs. In a fully factorial design, individuals were randomly assigned to three treatments, each of which had two levels: (1) exposed to the densovirus versus control, (2) placed on a plant species with high concentrations of IGs (Plantago lanceolata, Plantaginaceae) versus low concentrations of IGs (P. major), and (3) control versus surface sterilized to exclude surface microbes that may contribute to viral resistance. We measured phenoloxidase (PO) activity, hemocyte counts, and gut bacterial diversity (16S ribosomal RNA) during the fourth larval instar, as well as development time, pupal weight, and survival to adult. Individuals infected with the virus were immune-suppressed (as measured by PO response and hemocyte count) and developed significantly faster than virus-free individuals. Contrary to our predictions,mortality was significantly less for virus challengedindividuals reared on the high IG plant compared to the low IG plant.This suggests that plant secondary metabolites can influence survival from viral infection and may be associated with activation of PO. Removing egg microbes did not affect the immune response or survival of the larvae. In summary, these results suggest that plant secondary metabolites are important for survival against a viral pathogen. Even though the PO response was better on the high IG plant, the extent to which this result contributes to

Comparative Effectiveness of Cancer Control and Survival After Robot Assisted versus Open Radical Prostatectomy

PubMed Central

Hu, Jim H.; O’Malley, Padraic; Chughtai, Bilal; Isaacs, Abby; Mao, Jialin; Wright, Jason D.; Hershman, Dawn; Sedrakyan, Art

2017-01-01

Introduction Robot-assisted surgery has been rapidly adopted in the U.S. for prostate cancer (PCa). Its adoption has been driven by market forces and patient preference, and debate continues regarding whether it offers improved outcomes to justify higher cost relative to open surgery. We examined comparative effectiveness of robot assisted (RARP) versus open radical prostatectomy (ORP) in cancer control and survival in a nationally representative population. Materials and Methods Population based observational cohort study of PCa patients undergoing RARP and ORP during 2003–2012 captured in Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare linked database. Propensity score matching and time to event analysis was used to compare all-cause mortality, prostate cancer-specific mortality and use of additional treatment following surgery. Results 6,430 RARP and 9,161 ORP performed during 2003–2012 were identified. RARP increased in use from 13.6% to 72.6% in 2003–2004 to 72.6% in 2011–2012. After median follow-up of 6.5 years (IQR 5.2–7.9), RARP was associated with equivalent risk of all-cause mortality (Hazard Ratio [HR] 0.85, [0.72–1.01]) and similar cancer-specific mortality (HR 0.85, [0.50–1.43]) versus ORP. RARP was also associated with less use of additional treatment (HR 0.78, [0. 70–0.86]). Conclusions RARP has comparable intermediate cancer control, as evidenced by less use of additional postoperative cancer therapies and equivalent cancer-specific and overall survival. Longer-term follow-up is needed to assess for differences in PCa-specific survival, which was similar during intermediate follow-up. Our findings have significant quality and cost implications and provide reassurance regarding the adoption of more expensive technology in absence of randomized controlled trials. PMID:27720782

An Incident Cohort Study Comparing Survival on Home Hemodialysis and Peritoneal Dialysis (Australia and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplantation Registry)

PubMed Central

Nadeau-Fredette, Annie-Claire; Hawley, Carmel M.; Pascoe, Elaine M.; Chan, Christopher T.; Clayton, Philip A.; Polkinghorne, Kevan R.; Boudville, Neil; Leblanc, Martine

2015-01-01

Background and objectives Home dialysis is often recognized as a first-choice therapy for patients initiating dialysis. However, studies comparing clinical outcomes between peritoneal dialysis and home hemodialysis have been very limited. Design, setting, participants, & measurements This Australia and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplantation Registry study assessed all Australian and New Zealand adult patients receiving home dialysis on day 90 after initiation of RRT between 2000 and 2012. The primary outcome was overall survival. The secondary outcomes were on-treatment survival, patient and technique survival, and death-censored technique survival. All results were adjusted with three prespecified models: multivariable Cox proportional hazards model (main model), propensity score quintile–stratified model, and propensity score–matched model. Results The study included 10,710 patients on incident peritoneal dialysis and 706 patients on incident home hemodialysis. Treatment with home hemodialysis was associated with better patient survival than treatment with peritoneal dialysis (5-year survival: 85% versus 44%, respectively; log-rank P<0.001). Using multivariable Cox proportional hazards analysis, home hemodialysis was associated with superior patient survival (hazard ratio for overall death, 0.47; 95% confidence interval, 0.38 to 0.59) as well as better on-treatment survival (hazard ratio for on-treatment death, 0.34; 95% confidence interval, 0.26 to 0.45), composite patient and technique survival (hazard ratio for death or technique failure, 0.34; 95% confidence interval, 0.29 to 0.40), and death-censored technique survival (hazard ratio for technique failure, 0.34; 95% confidence interval, 0.28 to 0.41). Similar results were obtained with the propensity score models as well as sensitivity analyses using competing risks models and different definitions for technique failure and lag period after modality switch, during which events were attributed to the

A realistic appraisal of methods to enhance desiccation tolerance of entomopathogenic nematodes.

PubMed

Perry, Roland N; Ehlers, Ralf-Udo; Glazer, Itamar

2012-06-01

Understanding the desiccation survival attributes of infective juveniles of entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN) of the genera Steinernema and Heterorhabditis, is central to evaluating the reality of enhancing the shelf-life and field persistence of commercial formulations. Early work on the structural and physiological aspects of desiccation survival focused on the role of the molted cuticle in controlling the rate of water loss and the importance of energy reserves, particularly neutral lipids. The accumulation of trehalose was also found to enhance desiccation survival. Isolation of natural populations that can survive harsh environments, such as deserts, indicated that some populations have enhanced abilities to survive desiccation. However, survival abilities of EPN are limited compared with those of some species of plant-parasitic nematodes inhabiting aerial parts of plants. Research on EPN stress tolerance has expanded on two main lines: i) to select strains of species, currently in use commercially, which have increased tolerance to environmental extremes; and ii) to utilize molecular information, including expressed sequence tags and genome sequence data, to determine the underlying genetic factors that control longevity and stress tolerance of EPN. However, given the inherent limitations of EPN survival ability, it is likely that improved formulation will be the major factor to enhance EPN longevity and, perhaps, increase the range of applications.

Long-term survival of beta thalassemia major patients treated with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation compared with survival with conventional treatment.

PubMed

Caocci, Giovanni; Orofino, Maria Grazia; Vacca, Adriana; Piroddi, Antonio; Piras, Eugenia; Addari, Maria Carmen; Caria, Rossella; Pilia, Maria Paola; Origa, Raffaella; Moi, Paolo; La Nasa, Giorgio

2017-12-01

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in thalassemia remains a challenge. We reported a single-centre case-control study of a large cohort of 516 children and adult patients treated with HSCT or blood transfusion support and iron chelation therapy; 258 patients (median age 12, range 1-45) underwent sibling (67%) or unrelated (33%) HSCT; 97 patients were adults (age ≥ 16 years). The median follow-up after HSCT was 11 years (range 1-30). The conditioning regimen was busulfan (80.6%) or treosulfan-based (19.4%). A cohort of 258 age-sex matched conventionally treated (CT) patients was randomly selected. In transplanted patients the 30-year overall survival (OS) and thalassemia-free survival (TFS) were 82.6 ± 2.7% and 77.8 ± 2.9%, compared to the OS of 85.3 ± 2.7% in CT patients (P = NS); The incidence of grade II-IV acute and chronic graft versus host disease (GvHD) was 23.6% and 12.9% respectively. The probability of rejection was 6.9%. Transplant-related mortality (TRM) (13.8%) was similar to the probability of dying of cardiovascular events in CT patients (12.2%). High-risk Pesaro score (class 3) was associated with lower OS (OR = 1.99, 95% C.I.=1.31-3.03) and TFS (OR = 1.54, 95% C.I.=1.12-2.12). In adult patients, the 23-years OS and TFS after HSCT were 70 ± 5% and 67.3 ± 5%, compared to 71.2 ± 5% of OS in CT (P = NS). Finally, treosulfan was associated with lower risk of acute GvHD (P = .004; OR = 0.28, 95% C.I.=0.12-0.67). In conclusion, the 30-year survival rate of ex-thalassemia patients after HSCT was similar to that expected in CT thalassemia patients, with the vast majority of HSCT survivors cured from thalassemia. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Two-step transplantation with adipose tissue-derived stem cells increases follicle survival by enhancing vascularization in xenografted frozen-thawed human ovarian tissue.

PubMed

Manavella, D D; Cacciottola, L; Pommé, S; Desmet, C M; Jordan, B F; Donnez, J; Amorim, C A; Dolmans, M M

2018-06-01

compared to the OT group on Day 7 (P = 0.028). Total CD34-positive vessel area on Day 7 was greater in the Fi/ASCs+OT group than in any other group (vs non-grafted group: P = 0.0014; vs OT group: P = 0.013; vs Fi+OT group: P = 0.018). Primordial follicle survival rates after grafting were higher in the Fi/ASCs+OT group than in the OT (P = 0.0059) or Fi+OT groups (P = 0.0307). TUNEL-positive follicle percentages after grafting were significantly lower in the Fi/ASCs+OT group than in any other grafted tissue (vs OT group: P = 0.045; vs Fi+OT group: P = 0.0268). Percentages of Ki-67-positive primordial follicles were significantly higher in all grafted groups compared to non-grafted tissue controls (P < 0.01). As demonstrated by our results, the proposed two-step ovarian tissue transplantation procedure using ASCs enhances vascularization in the early post-grafting period, leading to increased follicle survival rates and decreased apoptosis. However, mechanisms involved in the proangiogenic behavior of ASCs remain to be elucidated. Our results suggest that the proposed transplantation procedure with ASCs is a promising step towards potentially solving the problem of massive follicle loss after ovarian tissue grafting. This study was supported by grants from the Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique de Belgique (FNRS-PDR Convention T.0077.14, grant Télévie No. 7.6515.16 F to DDM and grant 5/4/150/5 awarded to MMD and CAA is research associate, FRS-FNRS), Fonds Spéciaux de Recherche, Fondation St Luc, and Foundation Against Cancer, and donations from the Ferrero family.

Steroidal and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory medications can improve photoreceptor survival after laser retinal photocoagulation.

PubMed

Brown, Jeremiah; Hacker, Henry; Schuschereba, Steven T; Zwick, Harry; Lund, David J; Stuck, Bruce E

2007-10-01

To determine whether methylprednisolone or indomethacin can enhance photoreceptor survival after laser retinal injury in an animal model. Experimental study. Twenty rhesus monkeys. Twenty rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) received a grid of argon green (514.5 nm, 10 ms) laser lesions in the macula of the right eye and a grid of neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Nd:YAG; 1064 nm, 10 ns) lesions in the macula of the left eye, followed by randomization to 2 weeks of treatment in 1 of 4 treatment groups: high-dose methylprednisolone, moderate-dose methylprednisolone, indomethacin, or control. The lesions were assessed at day 1, day 14, 2 months, and 4 months. The authors were masked to the treatment group. This report discusses the histologic results of ocular tissue harvested at 4 months. The number of surviving photoreceptor cell nuclei within each lesion was compared with the number of photoreceptor nuclei in surrounding unaffected retina. The proportion of surviving photoreceptor nuclei was compared between each treatment group. Argon retinal lesions in the high-dose steroid treatment group and the indomethacin treatment group demonstrated improved photoreceptor survival compared with the control group (P = 0.004). Hemorrhagic Nd:YAG lesions demonstrated improved survivability with indomethacin treatment compared with controls (P = 0.003). In nonhemorrhagic Nd:YAG laser retinal lesions, the lesions treated with moderate-dose steroids demonstrated improved photoreceptor survival compared with the control group (P = 0.004). Based on histologic samples of retinal laser lesions 4 months after injury, treatment with indomethacin resulted in improved photoreceptor survival in argon laser lesions and hemorrhagic Nd:YAG laser lesions. Treatment with systemic methylprednisolone demonstrated improved photoreceptor survival in argon retinal lesions and in nonhemorrhagic Nd:YAG lesions.

Retinoic acid-loaded polymeric nanoparticles enhance vascular regulation of neural stem cell survival and differentiation after ischaemia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferreira, R.; Fonseca, M. C.; Santos, T.; Sargento-Freitas, J.; Tjeng, R.; Paiva, F.; Castelo-Branco, M.; Ferreira, L. S.; Bernardino, L.

2016-04-01

Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide. However, current therapies only reach a small percentage of patients and may cause serious side effects. We propose the therapeutic use of retinoic acid-loaded nanoparticles (RA-NP) to safely and efficiently repair the ischaemic brain by creating a favourable pro-angiogenic environment that enhances neurogenesis and neuronal restitution. Our data showed that RA-NP enhanced endothelial cell proliferation and tubule network formation and protected against ischaemia-induced death. To evaluate the effect of RA-NP on vascular regulation of neural stem cell (NSC) survival and differentiation, endothelial cell-conditioned media (EC-CM) were collected. EC-CM from healthy RA-NP-treated cells reduced NSC death and promoted proliferation while EC-CM from ischaemic RA-NP-treated cells decreased cell death, increased proliferation and neuronal differentiation. In parallel, human endothelial progenitor cells (hEPC), which are part of the endogenous repair response to vascular injury, were collected from ischaemic stroke patients. hEPC treated with RA-NP had significantly higher proliferation, which further highlights the therapeutic potential of this formulation. To conclude, RA-NP protected endothelial cells from ischaemic death and stimulated the release of pro-survival, proliferation-stimulating factors and differentiation cues for NSC. RA-NP were shown to be up to 83-fold more efficient than free RA and to enhance hEPC proliferation. These data serve as a stepping stone to use RA-NP as vasculotrophic and neurogenic agents for vascular disorders and neurodegenerative diseases with compromised vasculature.

Chitosan inactivates spoilage yeasts but enhances survival of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in apple juice.

PubMed

Kiskó, G; Sharp, R; Roller, S

2005-01-01

To develop new measures for controlling both spoilage and pathogenic micro-organisms in unpasteurized apple juice using chitosan. Micro-organisms were isolated and identified from apple juice treated or untreated with chitosan using enrichment, selective media, microscopy, substrate assimilation patterns and ribosomal DNA profiling. Chitosan (0.05-0.1%) delayed spoilage by yeasts at 25 degrees C for up to 12 days but the effect was species specific: Kloeckera apiculata and Metschnikowia pulcherrima were inactivated but Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pichia spp. multiplied slowly. In challenge experiments at 25 degrees C, total yeast counts were 3-5 log CFU ml(-1) lower in chitosan-treated juices than in the controls for 4 days but the survival of Escherichia coli O157:H7 was extended from 1 to 2 days; at 4 degrees C, chitosan reduced the yeast counts by 2-3 log CFU ml(-1) for up to 10 days but survival of the pathogen was prolonged from 3 to 5 days. The survival of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium was unaffected by chitosan at either temperature. The addition of chitosan to apple juice delayed spoilage by yeasts but enhanced the survival of E. coli O157:H7. The results suggest that the use of chitosan in the treatment of fruit juices may potentially lead to an increased risk of food poisoning from E. coli O157:H7.

Timely disclosure of progress in long-term cancer survival: the boomerang method substantially improved estimates in a comparative study.

PubMed

Brenner, Hermann; Jansen, Lina

2016-02-01

Monitoring cancer survival is a key task of cancer registries, but timely disclosure of progress in long-term survival remains a challenge. We introduce and evaluate a novel method, denoted "boomerang method," for deriving more up-to-date estimates of long-term survival. We applied three established methods (cohort, complete, and period analysis) and the boomerang method to derive up-to-date 10-year relative survival of patients diagnosed with common solid cancers and hematological malignancies in the United States. Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results 9 database, we compared the most up-to-date age-specific estimates that might have been obtained with the database including patients diagnosed up to 2001 with 10-year survival later observed for patients diagnosed in 1997-2001. For cancers with little or no increase in survival over time, the various estimates of 10-year relative survival potentially available by the end of 2001 were generally rather similar. For malignancies with strongly increasing survival over time, including breast and prostate cancer and all hematological malignancies, the boomerang method provided estimates that were closest to later observed 10-year relative survival in 23 of the 34 groups assessed. The boomerang method can substantially improve up-to-dateness of long-term cancer survival estimates in times of ongoing improvement in prognosis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Breast feeding, nutritional state, and child survival in rural Bangladesh

PubMed Central

Briend, André; Wojtyniak, Bogdan; Rowland, Michael G M

1988-01-01

The effect of breast feeding on nutritional state, morbidity, and child survival was examined prospectively in a community in rural Bangladesh. Every month for six months health workers inquired about breast feeding and illness and measured arm circumference in an average of 4612 children aged 12-36 months. Data from children who died within one month of a visit were compared with those from children who survived. Roughly one third of the deaths in the age range 18-36 months were attributable to absence of breast feeding. Within this age range protection conferred by breast feeding was independent of age but was evident only in severely malnourished children. In communities with a high prevalence of malnutrition breast feeding may substantially enhance child survival up to 3 years of age. PMID:3129058

Stimulated hemopoiesis and enhanced survival following glucan treatment in sublethally and lethally irradiated mice

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Patchen, M.L.; MacVittie, T.J.

1985-01-01

Hemopoietic effects of the reticuloendothelial agent glucan were assayed in normal mice and in mice hemopoietically depleted by exposure to /sup 60/Co radiation. In normal mice, glucan administration increased the content of bone marrow and splenic transplantable pluripotent hemopoietic stem cells (CFU-2), committed granulocyte-macrophage progenitor cells (GM-CFC), and pure macrophage progenitor cells (M-CFC). Erythroid progenitor cells (CFU-e) were increased only in the spleen. In sublethally irradiated mice (650 rads), glucan increased the number of endogeneous pluripotent hemopoietic stem cells (E-CFU) when administered either before or after irradiation. The most pronounced effects were observed when glucan was administered 1 day before,more » 1 h before, or 1 h after irradiation. In addition, the administration of glucan before lethal irradiation (900 rads) enhanced survival. The most significant results were seen when glucan was administered 1 day prior to irradiation. The possibility of using agents such as glucan to enhance hemopoietic reconstitution and prevent septicemia following chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy is discussed.« less

Human cytomegalovirus immediate early protein 2 enhances myocardin-mediated survival of rat aortic smooth muscle cells.

PubMed

Liao, Xing-Hua; Dong, Xiumei; Wu, Chenyu; Wang, Tao; Liu, Fenyong; Zhou, Jun; Zhang, Tong-Cun

2014-11-04

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) may increase the incidence of restenosis and predispose to atherosclerosis. The lesions of restenosis and atherosclerosis often contain smooth muscle cells (SMCs) with high rates of proliferation and apoptosis. One of the immediate early (IE) gene products of HCMV-IE2 affects transcriptional activities of some cellular factors in SMCs, including myocardin. In this study, we studied the effects of IE2 and myocardin on PI3K pathway inducer wortmannin induced apoptosis in rat aortic SMCs. We show that the transcriptional activity of myocardin on Mcl-1 promoter is enhanced by co-expression of HCMV IE2 in rat aortic SMCs; and the expressions of mRNA and protein of antiapoptotic genes-Mcl-1 and Bcl-2 are upregulated by IE2 alone and co-transfection of myocardin and IE2, but decreased by myocardin-specific shRNA in rat aortic SMCs. We further demonstrate that co-expression of myocardin and HCMV IE2 declines apoptotic cell numbers and caspase-3 activities induced by serum starvation plus wortmannin in rat aortic SMCs. The results suggest that HCMV IE2 enhances myocardin-mediated survival of rat aortic SMCs under serum deprivation and PI3-kinase inhibition, partly via activation of Mcl-1's antiapoptosis effect. Our study connects HCMV IE2 to myocardin-induced transcriptional program for rat aortic SMCs survival and proliferation, involving in HCMV related restenosis and atherosclerosis. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Gottingen minipig is a model of the hematopoietic acute radiation syndrome: G-CSF stimulates hematopoiesis and enhances survival from lethal total-body gamma-irradiation

PubMed Central

Moroni, Maria; Ngudiankama, Barbara F.; Christensen, Christine; Olsen, Cara H.; Owens, Rossitsa; Lombardini, Eric D.; Holt, Rebecca K.; Whitnall, Mark H.

2013-01-01

Purpose We are characterizing the Gottingen minipig as an additional large animal model for advanced drug testing for the Acute Radiation Syndrome (ARS), to enhance discovery and development of novel radiation countermeasures. Among the advantages provided by this model, the similarities to human hematological parameters and dynamics of cell loss/recovery following irradiation provide a convenient means to compare efficacy of drugs known to affect bone marrow cellularity and hematopoiesis. Methods and Materials Male Gottingen minipigs, 4–5 months old and weighing 9–11 kg were used for this study. We tested the standard off-label treatment for ARS, rhG-CSF (Neupogen®, 10 μg/kg/day for 17 days), at the estimated LD70/30 total-body gamma-irradiation (TBI) radiation dose for the hematopoietic syndrome, starting 24 hours after irradiation. Results Results indicate G-CSF enhanced survival, stimulated recovery from neutropenia, and induced mobilization of hematopoietic progenitor cells. In addition, administration of G-CSF resulted in maturation of monocytes/macrophages. Conclusion These results support continuing efforts toward validation of the minipig as a large animal model for advanced testing of radiation countermeasures and characterization of the pathophysiology of ARS, and suggest that the efficacy of G-CSF in improving survival after total body irradiation may involve mechanisms other than increasing numbers of circulating granulocytes. PMID:23845847

Comparative Effectiveness of Cancer Control and Survival after Robot-Assisted versus Open Radical Prostatectomy.

PubMed

Hu, Jim C; O'Malley, Padraic; Chughtai, Bilal; Isaacs, Abby; Mao, Jialin; Wright, Jason D; Hershman, Dawn; Sedrakyan, Art

2017-01-01

Robot-assisted surgery has been rapidly adopted in the U.S. for prostate cancer. Its adoption has been driven by market forces and patient preference, and debate continues regarding whether it offers improved outcomes to justify the higher cost relative to open surgery. We examined the comparative effectiveness of robot-assisted vs open radical prostatectomy in cancer control and survival in a nationally representative population. This population based observational cohort study of patients with prostate cancer undergoing robot-assisted radical prostatectomy and open radical prostatectomy during 2003 to 2012 used data captured in the SEER (Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results)-Medicare linked database. Propensity score matching and time to event analysis were used to compare all cause mortality, prostate cancer specific mortality and use of additional treatment after surgery. A total of 6,430 robot-assisted radical prostatectomies and 9,161 open radical prostatectomies performed during 2003 to 2012 were identified. The use of robot-assisted radical prostatectomy increased from 13.6% in 2003 to 2004 to 72.6% in 2011 to 2012. After a median followup of 6.5 years (IQR 5.2-7.9) robot-assisted radical prostatectomy was associated with an equivalent risk of all cause mortality (HR 0.85, 0.72-1.01) and similar cancer specific mortality (HR 0.85, 0.50-1.43) vs open radical prostatectomy. Robot-assisted radical prostatectomy was also associated with less use of additional treatment (HR 0.78, 0.70-0.86). Robot-assisted radical prostatectomy has comparable intermediate cancer control as evidenced by less use of additional postoperative cancer therapies and equivalent cancer specific and overall survival. Longer term followup is needed to assess for differences in prostate cancer specific survival, which was similar during intermediate followup. Our findings have significant quality and cost implications, and provide reassurance regarding the adoption of more

Long-term survival based on pathologic response to neoadjuvant therapy in esophageal cancer.

PubMed

Tiesi, Gregory; Park, Wungki; Gunder, Meredith; Rubio, Gustavo; Berger, Michael; Ardalan, Bach; Livingstone, Alan; Franceschi, Dido

2017-08-01

Neoadjuvant treatment is standard for locally advanced esophageal cancer. However, whether the addition of radiation to neoadjuvant regimen improves survival remains unclear. The aim of this study was to compare survival in locally advanced esophageal cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy versus chemoradiation. A prospectively maintained database of esophagectomies (1999-2012) was analyzed. We identified 297 patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer that underwent either neoadjuvant chemotherapy (n = 231) or chemoradiation (n = 66) followed by esophagectomy. Pretreatment and pathologic staging were compared to assess response. Overall survival was recorded. Most patients in the chemotherapy and chemoradiation groups had pretreatment stage III disease (66.7% versus 65.2%; P = 0.44). Median follow-up was 79.3 and 64.9 mo for chemotherapy and chemoradiation cohorts, respectively. Complete response rate was higher in chemoradiation than chemotherapy groups (30.3% versus 13.8%; P < 0.001). Overall survival was similar between complete responders in both groups (median not reached versus 121.1 mo; chemotherapy versus chemoradiation). However, partial responders in the chemotherapy cohort had improved median survival (147.2 mo) versus those in the chemoradiation cohort (83.7 mo, P < 0.03). Within the chemotherapy-only group, partial responders had improved survival compared with nonresponders (P = 0.041); however, there was no difference in survival between partial and complete responders (P = 0.36). In patients undergoing esophagectomy for locally advanced esophageal cancer, neoadjuvant chemotherapy was associated with an equivalent overall survival, when compared with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. Adding neoadjuvant radiation may enhance complete response rates but does not appear to be associated with improved survival. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Modular survivable satellite support

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wagner, R. E.

The development of a highly mobile, survivable satellite system from the Transportable Mobile Ground Station (T/MGS) is proposed. The addition of advanced capabilities to the T/MGS such as telemetry processing equipment, and the flexibility of a modularly designed system are examined. The need to increase survivability and mobility while reducing life cycle costs is discussed. A modular survivable satellite support system which consists of a 40-foot van, a diesel tractor, and a multimedia communications subsystem is described. The use of planar and phased arrays to improve transportability and new materials and structural designs to enhance hardness are discussed. Diagrams of the system are provided.

Survival in HIV-positive transplant recipients compared with transplant candidates and with HIV-negative controls

PubMed Central

Roland, Michelle E.; Barin, Burc; Huprikar, Shirish; Murphy, Barbara; Hanto, Douglas W.; Blumberg, Emily; Olthoff, Kim; Simon, David; Hardy, William D.; Beatty, George; Stock, Peter G.

2016-01-01

Objectives To evaluate the impact of liver and kidney transplantation on survival in HIV-positive transplant candidates and compare outcomes between HIV-positive and negative recipients. Design Observational cohort of HIV-positive transplant candidates and recipients and secondary analysis comparing study recipients to HIV-negative national registry controls. Methods We fit proportional hazards models to assess transplantation impact on mortality among recipients and candidates. We compared time to graft failure and death with HIV-negative controls in unmatched, demographic-matched, and risk-adjusted models. Results There were 17 (11.3%) and 46 (36.8%) deaths among kidney and liver recipients during a median follow-up of 4.0 and 3.5 years, respectively. Transplantation was associated with survival benefit for HIV-infected liver recipients with model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) greater than or equal 15 [hazard ratio (HR) 0.1; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.05, 0.01; P <0.0001], but not for MELD less than 15 (HR 0.7; 95% CI 0.3, 1.8; P =0.43) or for kidney recipients (HR 0.6; 95% CI 0.3, 1.4; P =0.23). In HIV-positive kidney recipients, unmatched and risk-matched analyses indicated a marginally significant HR for graft loss [1.3 (P =0.07) and HR 1.4 (P =0.052)]; no significant increase in risk of death was observed. All models demonstrated a higher relative hazard of graft loss or death in HIV-positive liver recipients; the absolute difference in the proportion of deaths was 6.7% in the risk-matched analysis. Conclusion Kidney transplantation should be standard of care for well managed HIV-positive patients. Liver transplant in candidates with high MELD confers survival benefit; transplant is a viable option in selected candidates. The increased mortality risk compared with HIV-negative recipients was modest. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.Gov; NCT00074386; http://clinicaltrials.gov/. PMID:26765937

Effect of smokeless tobacco and tobacco-related chemical carcinogens on survival of ultraviolet light-inactivated herpes simplex virus

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dokko, H.; Min, P.S.; Cherrick, H.M.

1991-04-01

Low doses of ultraviolet (UV) light, x-rays, photodynamic treatment, or aflatoxins increase the survival of UV-irradiated virus in cells. This effect is postulated to occur by enhancement of the error-prone cellular repair function, which could also be associated with oncogenic cell transformation. The present study was designed to investigate whether treatment of green monkey kidney cells with water extract of snuff (snuff extract), benzo(a)pyrene, nicotine, or tobacco-specific N'-nitrosamines would result in enhanced survival of UV-irradiated herpes simplex virus (HSV). Exposure of the cells with snuff extract, benzo(a)pyrene, N'-nitrosonornicotine, or 4-(N-methyl-N'-nitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone resulted in an enhancement of survival of UV-irradiated HSV typemore » 1 compared with the control whereas exposure of the cells with nicotine did not. These data indicate that the water-extractable component of snuff and tobacco-related chemical carcinogens increase the cellular repair mechanism and provides for increased survival of UV-irradiated HSV.« less

LONG-TERM PRECONDITIONING OF PLANTLETS: A PRACTICAL METHOD FOR ENHANCING SURVIVAL OF PINEAPPLE (Ananas comosus Merr.) SHOOT TIPS CRYOPRESERVED USING VITRIFICATION.

PubMed

Hu, W H; Liu, S F; Liaw, S I

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to develop an efficient cryopreservation protocol for pineapple (Ananas comosus Merr.) shoot tips. The optimal state of pineapple plantlets was investigated by using sucrose preconditioning to enhance survival after cryostorage. To achieve a suitable state of plantlets before cryopreservation, 0.2 M to 0.4 M sucrose concentrations combined with short- (0-7 days), medium- (15-30 days), and long-term (75-150 days) preconditioning periods were compared. The highest survival (100 %) was achieved using the following procedure: intact plantlets underwent long-term preconditioning with 0.2 M sucrose for 135 days, dissected shoot tips were treated with a loading solution containing 2.0 M glycerol + 0.4 M sucrose for 60 min at 25 degree and the shoot tips were dehydrated in PVS2 for 2h at 0 degree C before being plunged in liquid nitrogen. Rewarming was conducted in a water-bath for 30 s at 40 degree C and PVS2 was replaced with a 1.2 M sucrose solution for 30 min at 25 degree C. The shoot tips were transferred on semisolid medium and left in the dark for 1 week, then in dim light for 3 weeks.

Young breast cancer patients who develop distant metastasis after surgery have better survival outcomes compared with elderly counterparts.

PubMed

Wang, Jingjing; Wang, Jiayu; Li, Qing; Zhang, Pin; Yuan, Peng; Ma, Fei; Luo, Yang; Cai, Ruigang; Fan, Ying; Chen, Shanshan; Li, Qiao; Xu, Binghe

2017-07-04

To investigate the recurrence pattern and subsequent survival outcomes in young breast cancer population, 483 young patients (≤ 35) and 739 elderly patients (≥ 65), who received mastectomy or breast-conserving surgery from 2008 to 2012, were included in this study. The young population presented with a higher rate of pathologic tumor stage (P < 0.001), positive pathologic lymph node (P < 0.001), grade III tumors (P < 0.001), and lymphovascular invasion (P < 0.001). With a median follow-up of 56.5 months, young patients had a significantly lower 5-year disease-free survival (73.7% vs 83.4%, P = 0.001), while no difference in 5-year overall survival was observed (91.7% vs 91.7%, P = 0.721). The 5-year cumulative incidences of locoregional relapse (8.9% vs 4.3%, P = 0.009) and distant metastasis (18.8% vs 9.5%, P < 0.001) were significantly higher in the young population. However, for patients with distant metastasis, the survival outcomes were significantly better in the young patients (5-year overall survival since diagnosis: 60.0% vs 47.3%, P = 0.025; 5-year overall survival after recurrence: 31.0% vs 24.3%, P = 0.001). Young breast cancer patients present with more aggressive clinicopathological features and have poor prognosis compared with elderly. But young patients with distant metastasis might have better survival outcomes.

Enhancement of CD4(+) T cell response and survival via coexpressed OX40/OX40L in Graves' disease.

PubMed

Wang, Qin; Shi, Bi-Min; Xie, Fang; Fu, Zhao-Yang; Chen, Yong-Jing; An, Jing-Nan; Ma, Yu; Liu, Cui-Ping; Zhang, Xue-Kun; Zhang, Xue-Guang

2016-07-15

OX40/OX40L pathway plays a very important role in the antigen priming T cells and effector T cells. In the present study, we aimed to examine the involvement of OX40/OX40L pathway in the activation of autoreactive T cells in patients with Grave's disease (GD). We found that OX40 and OX40L were constitutively coexpressed on peripheral CD4(+) T cells from GD patients using flow cytometry analysis. The levels of OX40 and OX40L coexpression on CD4(+) T cells were shown to be correlated with TRAbs. Cell proliferation assay showed that blocking OX40/OX40L signal inhibited T cell proliferation and survival, which suggested that OX40/OX40L could enhance CD4(+) T cell proliferation and maintain their long-term survival in GD by self-enhancing loop of T cell activation independent of APCs. Confocal microscopy and coimmunoprecipitation analysis further revealed that OX40 and OX40L formed a functional complex, which may facilitate signal transduction from OX40L to OX40 and contribute to the pathogenesis of GD. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reduced-intensity allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation combined with imatinib has comparable event-free survival and overall survival to long-term imatinib treatment in young patients with chronic myeloid leukemia.

PubMed

Zhao, Yanmin; Wang, Jiasheng; Luo, Yi; Shi, Jimin; Zheng, Weiyan; Tan, Yamin; Cai, Zhen; Huang, He

2017-08-01

The relative merits of reduced intensity hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (RIST) for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in the first chronic phase (CP) in imatinib era have not been evaluated. The study was designed to compare the outcomes of combination therapy of RIST plus imatinib (RIST + IM) vs. imatinib (IM) alone for young patients with early CP (ECP) and late CP (LCP). Of the patients, 130 were non-randomly assigned to treatment with IM alone (n = 88) or RIST + IM (n = 42). The 10-year overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) were comparable between RIST + IM and IM groups. LCP, high Sokal score, and no complete cytogenetic response at 3 months were adverse prognostic factors for survival, but only the time from diagnosis to IM was an independent predictor after multivariate analysis. For ECP, IM was similar to RIST + IM, with 10-year EFS rates of 77.2 vs. 81.6% (p = 0.876) and OS rates of 93.8 vs. 87.9% (p = 0.102), respectively. For LCP, both treatments resulted in similar survival, but more patients in the imatinib group experienced events (10-year EFS 40.8 vs. 66.7%, p = 0.047). The patients with higher EBMT risk scores had an inferior survival than those with lower scores (69.2 vs. 92.9%, p = 0.04). We concluded that RIST + IM was comparable to IM in terms of OS and EFS. However, RIST + IM was more affordable than IM alone in a 10-year scale. Thus, RIST + IM could be considered as an alternative treatment option, especially when the patients have low EBMT risk scores and demand a definite cure for CML.

Comparing survival outcomes of gross total resection and subtotal resection with radiotherapy for craniopharyngioma: a meta-analysis.

PubMed

Wang, Guoqing; Zhang, Xiaoyang; Feng, Mengzhao; Guo, Fuyou

2018-06-01

Recent studies suggest that subtotal resection (STR) followed by radiation therapy (RT) is an appealing alternative to gross total resection (GTR) for craniopharyngioma, but it remains controversial. We conducted a meta-analysis to determine whether GTR is superior to STR with RT for craniopharyngioma. A systematic search was performed for articles published until October 2017 in the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Central databases. The endpoints of interest are overall survival and progression-free survival. Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using a fixed or random-effects model. The data were analyzed using Review Manager 5.3 software. A total of 744 patients (seven cohort studies) were enrolled for analyses. There were no significant differences between the GTR and STR with RT groups when the authors compared the pooled HRs at the end of the follow-up period. Overall survival (pooled HR = 0.76, 95% CI: 0.46-1.25, P = 0.28) and progression-free survival (pooled HR = 1.52, 95% CI: 0.42-5.44, P = 0.52) were similar between the two groups. The current meta-analysis suggests that GTR and STR with RT have the similar survival outcomes for craniopharyngioma. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

AAV2-mediated gene transfer of GDNF to the striatum of MPTP monkeys enhances the survival and outgrowth of co-implanted fetal dopamine neurons

PubMed Central

Elsworth, JD; Redmond, DE; Leranth, C; Bjugstad, KB; Sladek, JR; Collier, TJ; Foti, SB; Samulski, RJ; Vives, KP; Roth, RH

2009-01-01

Neural transplantation offers the potential of treating Parkinson’s disease by grafting fetal dopamine neurons to depleted regions of the brain. However, clinical studies of neural grafting in Parkinson’s disease have produced only modest improvements. One of the main reasons for this is the low survival rate of transplanted neurons. The inadequate supply of critical neurotrophic factors in the adult brain is likely to be a major cause of early cell death and restricted outgrowth of fetal grafts placed into the mature striatum. Glial derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) is a potent neurotrophic factor that is crucial to the survival, outgrowth and maintenance of dopamine neurons, and so is a candidate for protecting grafted fetal dopamine neurons in the adult brain. We found that implantation of adeno-associated virus type 2 encoding GDNF (AAV2-GDNF) in the normal monkey caudate nucleus induced over-expression of GDNF that persisted for at least 6 months after injection. In a 6-month within-animal controlled study, AAV2-GDNF enhanced the survival of fetal dopamine neurons by 4-fold, and increased the outgrowth of grafted fetal dopamine neurons by almost 3-fold in the caudate nucleus of MPTP-treated monkeys, compared with control grafts in the other caudate nucleus. Thus, the addition of GDNF gene therapy to neural transplantation may be a useful strategy to improve treatment for Parkinson’s disease. PMID:18346734

Cryptic female choice enhances fertilization success and embryo survival in chinook salmon

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

In this study, we investigated two potentially important intersexual postcopulatory gametic interactions in a population of chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha): (i) the effect of female ovarian fluid (OF) on the behaviour of spermatozoa during fertilization and (ii) the effects of multilocus heterozygosity (MLH) (as an index of male quality) and female–male genetic relatedness on sperm behaviour and male fertilization success when there is sperm competition in the presence of that OF. To do this, we conducted a series of in vitro competitive fertilization experiments and found that, when ejaculates from two males are competing for access to a single female's unfertilized eggs, fertilization success was significantly biased towards the male whose sperm swam fastest in the female's OF. Embryo survival—a measure of fitness—was also positively correlated with both sperm swimming speed in OF and male MLH, providing novel evidence that cryptic female choice is adaptive for the female, enhancing the early survival of her offspring and potentially influencing her fitness. PMID:27009221

Autophagy induction enhances TDP43 turnover and survival in neuronal ALS models

PubMed Central

Barmada, Sami J.; Serio, Andrea; Arjun, Arpana; Bilican, Bilada; Daub, Aaron; Ando, D. Michael; Tsvetkov, Andrey; Pleiss, Michael; Li, Xingli; Peisach, Daniel; Shaw, Christopher; Chandran, Siddharthan; Finkbeiner, Steven

2014-01-01

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) have distinct clinical features but a common pathology—cytoplasmic inclusions rich in TDP43. Rare TDP43 mutations cause ALS or FTD, but abnormal TDP43 levels and localization may cause disease even if TDP43 lacks a mutation. Here we showed that individual neurons vary in their ability to clear TDP43 and are exquisitely sensitive to TDP43 levels. To measure TDP43 clearance, we developed and validated a single-cell optical method that overcomes the confounding effects of aggregation and toxicity, and discovered that pathogenic mutations significantly shorten TDP43 half-life. Novel compounds that stimulate autophagy improved TDP43 clearance and localization, and enhanced survival in primary murine neurons and in human stem cell–derived neurons and astrocytes harboring mutant TDP43. These findings indicate that the levels and localization of TDP43 critically determine neurotoxicity and show that autophagy induction mitigates neurodegeneration by acting directly on TDP43 clearance. PMID:24974230

Comparative Survival of Patients With Anal Adenocarcinoma, Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Anus, and Rectal Adenocarcinoma.

PubMed

Franklin, Robert A; Giri, Smith; Valasareddy, Poojitha; Lands, Lindsey T; Martin, Mike G

2016-03-01

Anal adenocarcinoma (AA) represents 5% to 10% of anal cancer. Little is known about its natural history and prognosis. Using population-based data, we defined the outcomes of AA relative to other anorectal malignancies. We analyzed the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results 18 database to identify patients ≥ 18 years old with AA, squamous cell carcinoma of the anus (SCCA), and rectal adenocarcinoma (RA) diagnosed between 1990 and 2011. Median overall survival (OS), 1-year, 3-year, 5-year, and 10-year OS were computed using actuarial methods. The log rank test was used to estimate the difference between Kaplan-Meier survival curves. A Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to adjust the effects of other covariates on survival, including age, year diagnosed, sex, stage, surgery, and radiation. Of 57,369 cases, 0.8% (n = 462) were patients with AA, 87.8% (n = 50,382) were patients with RA, and 11.4% (n = 6525) were patients with SCCA. The median age for AA was 69 years (range, 20-96 years), 66 years (range, 18-103 years) for RA, and 66 years (range, 14-104 years) for SCCA. The median OS was significantly lower for AA (33 months), compared with SCCA (118 months) and RA (68 months) (P < .01). In multivariate analysis, AA had a worse prognosis compared with SCCA (hazard ratio [HR], 0.66; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.59-0.75; P < .01) and RA (HR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.61-0.77; P < .01), after adjusting for age, sex, race, stage, grade, radiation, and surgery. There was a strong trend for improved survival among patients who received radical surgery (HR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.51-1.00; P = .05). AA confers a significantly worse prognosis than SCCA and RA. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Equivalent survival after nipple-sparing compared to non-nipple-sparing mastectomy: data from California, 1988-2013.

PubMed

Kurian, Allison W; Canchola, Alison J; Gomez, Scarlett L; Clarke, Christina A

2016-11-01

Nipple-sparing mastectomy, which may improve cosmesis, body image, and sexual function in comparison to non-nipple-sparing mastectomy, is increasingly used to treat early-stage breast cancer; however, long-term survival data are lacking. We evaluated survival after nipple-sparing mastectomy versus non-nipple-sparing mastectomy in a population-based cancer registry. We conducted an observational study using the California Cancer Registry, considering all stage 0-III breast cancers diagnosed in California from 1988 to 2013. We compared breast cancer-specific and overall survival time after nipple-sparing versus non-nipple-sparing mastectomy, using multivariable analysis. Among 157,592 stage 0-III female breast cancer patients treated with unilateral mastectomy from 1988-2013, 993 (0.6 %) were reported as having nipple-sparing and 156,599 (99.4 %) non-nipple-sparing mastectomies; median follow-up was 7.9 years. The proportion of mastectomies that were nipple-sparing increased over time (1988, 0.2 %; 2013, 5.1 %) and with neighborhood socioeconomic status, and decreased with age and stage. On multivariable analysis, nipple-sparing mastectomy was associated with a lower risk of breast cancer-specific mortality compared to non-nipple-sparing mastectomy [hazard ratio (HR) 0.71, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.51-0.98]. However, when restricting to diagnoses 1996 or later and adjusting for a larger set of covariates, risk was attenuated (HR 0.86, 95 % CI 0.52-1.42). Among California breast cancer patients diagnosed from 1988-2013, nipple-sparing mastectomy was not associated with worse survival than non-nipple-sparing mastectomy. These results may inform the decisions of patients and doctors deliberating between these surgical approaches for breast cancer treatment.

Dying to remember, remembering to survive: mortality salience and survival processing.

PubMed

Burns, Daniel J; Hart, Joshua; Kramer, Melanie E; Burns, Amy D

2014-01-01

Processing items for their relevance to survival improves recall for those items relative to numerous other deep processing encoding techniques. Perhaps related, placing individuals in a mortality salient state has also been shown to enhance retention of items encoded after the morality salience manipulation (e.g., in a pleasantness rating task), a phenomenon we dubbed the "dying-to-remember" (DTR) effect. The experiments reported here further explored the effect and tested the possibility that the DTR effect is related to survival processing. Experiment 1 replicated the effect using different encoding tasks, demonstrating that the effect is not dependent on the pleasantness task. In Experiment 2 the DTR effect was associated with increases in item-specific processing, not relational processing, according to several indices. Experiment 3 replicated the main results of Experiment 2, and tested the effects of mortality salience and survival processing within the same experiment. The DTR effect and its associated difference in item-specific processing were completely eliminated when the encoding task required survival processing. These results are consistent with the interpretation that the mechanisms responsible for survival processing and DTR effects are overlapping.

Pulmonary Physical Therapy Techniques to Enhance Survival in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Macpherson, Chelsea E; Bassile, Clare C

2016-07-01

Respiratory insufficiency is the primary cause of morbidity and mortality in individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Although mechanical interventions are effective in prolonging survival through respiratory support, pulmonary physical therapy interventions are being investigated. The purpose of this systematic review was to examine the effectiveness of pulmonary physical therapy interventions across the progressive stages of ALS. Six databases were searched for articles from inception to December 2014 investigating pulmonary physical therapy interventions in the ALS population. The search strategy followed Cochrane Collaboration guidelines with replication per database. Effect sizes (ES) were calculated for primary outcome measures: forced vital capacity (FVC) and peak cough expiratory flow (PCEF). Seven studies met inclusion criteria. Four studies used control groups whereas the remainder used repeated measures. With the exception of diaphragmatic breathing, pulmonary physical therapy interventions were effective in improving multiple respiratory outcome measures in this population. Inspiratory muscle training (IMT) was shown to prolong respiratory muscle strength with a strong effect size (ES = 1.48) for FVC. In addition, mean length of survival increased by 12 months. Lung volume recruitment training (LVRT) strongly enhanced immediate cough efficacy with improved FVC (ES = 1.02) and PCEF (ES = 1.82). Manually assisted cough (MAC) only improved PCEF by a small amount (ES = 0.15, bulbar ALS; ES = 0.16, classical ALS groups). Specific pulmonary physical therapy interventions (IMT, LVRT, and MAC) have effectiveness in improving respiratory outcome measures and increasing survival. These should be routinely incorporated into the comprehensive management of individuals with ALS. More rigorous methodological investigations should be performed to replicate these findings.Video abstract available with brief technique demonstration of IMT and LVRT (see

Feline Calicivirus, Murine Norovirus, Porcine Sapovirus, and Tulane Virus Survival on Postharvest Lettuce.

PubMed

Esseili, Malak A; Saif, Linda J; Farkas, Tibor; Wang, Qiuhong

2015-08-01

Human norovirus (HuNoV) is the leading cause of foodborne illnesses, with an increasing number of outbreaks associated with leafy greens. Because HuNoV cannot be routinely cultured, culturable feline calicivirus (FCV), murine norovirus (MNV), porcine sapovirus (SaV), and Tulane virus (TV) have been used as surrogates. These viruses are generated in different cell lines as infected cell lysates, which may differentially affect their stability. Our objective was to uniformly compare the survival of these viruses on postharvest lettuce while evaluating the effects of cell lysates on their survival. Viruses were semipurified from cell lysates by ultrafiltration or ultracentrifugation followed by resuspension in sterile water. Virus survival was examined before and after semipurification: in suspension at room temperature (RT) until day 28 and on lettuce leaves stored at RT for 3 days or at 4°C for 7 and 14 days. In suspension, both methods significantly enhanced the survival of all viruses. On lettuce, the survival of MNV in cell lysates was similar to that in water, under all storage conditions. In contrast, the survival of FCV, SaV, and TV was differentially enhanced, under different storage conditions, by removing cell lysates. Following semipurification, viruses showed similar persistence to each other on lettuce stored under all conditions, with the exception of ultracentrifugation-purified FCV, which showed a higher inactivation rate than MNV at 4°C for 14 days. In conclusion, the presence of cell lysates in viral suspensions underestimated the survivability of these surrogate viruses, while viral semipurification revealed similar survivabilities on postharvest lettuce leaves. Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Enhancing Aircraft Survivability - A Vulnerability Perspective. Volume I

DTIC Science & Technology

1997-10-21

37 Mr. Kevin R. Crosthwaite Director, Survivability/Vulnerability Information Analysis Center (SURVIAC) Wright-Patterson AFB...340 W"E "W*TE "-y N... T SUE,--* WAER FIGURE 4. WIDE CABIN BODY RESULTS/SAVE SYSTEM/MODERATE WIND 302 12-9 210 .............. tos -to. " 0 3253 GPM -00

Loss of Cbl–PI3K Interaction Enhances Osteoclast Survival due to p21-Ras Mediated PI3K Activation Independent of Cbl-b

PubMed Central

Adapala, Naga Suresh; Barbe, Mary F.; Tsygankov, Alexander Y.; Lorenzo, Joseph A.; Sanjay, Archana

2015-01-01

Cbl family proteins, Cbl and Cbl-b, are E3 ubiquitin ligases and adaptor proteins, which play important roles in bone-resorbing osteoclasts. Loss of Cbl in mice decreases osteoclast migration, resulting in delayed bone development where as absence of Cbl-b decreases bone volume due to hyper-resorptive osteoclasts. A major structural difference between Cbl and Cbl-b is tyrosine 737 (in YEAM motif) only on Cbl, which upon phosphorylation interacts with the p85 subunit of phosphatidylinositol-3 Kinase (PI3K). In contrast to Cbl−/− and Cbl-b−/−, mice lacking Cbl–PI3K interaction due to a Y737F (tyrosine to phenylalanine, YF) mutation showed enhanced osteoclast survival, but defective bone resorption. To investigate whether Cbl–PI3K interaction contributes to distinct roles of Cbl and Cbl-b in osteoclasts, mice bearing CblY737F mutation in the Cbl-b−/− background (YF/YF;Cbl-b−/−) were generated. The differentiation and survival were augmented similarly in YF/YF and YF/YF;Cbl-b−/− osteoclasts, associated with enhanced PI3K signaling suggesting an exclusive role of Cbl–PI3K interaction, independent of Cbl-b. In addition to PI3K, the small GTPase Ras also regulates osteoclast survival. In the absence of Cbl–PI3K interaction, increased Ras GTPase activity and Ras–PI3K binding were observed and inhibition of Ras activation attenuated PI3K mediated osteoclast survival. In contrast to differentiation and survival, increased osteoclast activity observed in Cbl-b−/− mice persisted even after introduction of the resorption-defective YF mutation in YF/YF;Cbl-b−/− mice. Hence, Cbl and Cbl-b play mutually exclusive roles in osteoclasts. Whereas Cbl–PI3K interaction regulates differentiation and survival, bone resorption is predominantly regulated by Cbl-b in osteoclasts. PMID:24470255

Loss of Cbl-PI3K interaction enhances osteoclast survival due to p21-Ras mediated PI3K activation independent of Cbl-b.

PubMed

Adapala, Naga Suresh; Barbe, Mary F; Tsygankov, Alexander Y; Lorenzo, Joseph A; Sanjay, Archana

2014-07-01

Cbl family proteins, Cbl and Cbl-b, are E3 ubiquitin ligases and adaptor proteins, which play important roles in bone-resorbing osteoclasts. Loss of Cbl in mice decreases osteoclast migration, resulting in delayed bone development where as absence of Cbl-b decreases bone volume due to hyper-resorptive osteoclasts. A major structural difference between Cbl and Cbl-b is tyrosine 737 (in YEAM motif) only on Cbl, which upon phosphorylation interacts with the p85 subunit of phosphatidylinositol-3 Kinase (PI3K). In contrast to Cbl(-/-) and Cbl-b(-/-) , mice lacking Cbl-PI3K interaction due to a Y737F (tyrosine to phenylalanine, YF) mutation showed enhanced osteoclast survival, but defective bone resorption. To investigate whether Cbl-PI3K interaction contributes to distinct roles of Cbl and Cbl-b in osteoclasts, mice bearing CblY737F mutation in the Cbl-b(-/-) background (YF/YF;Cbl-b(-/-) ) were generated. The differentiation and survival were augmented similarly in YF/YF and YF/YF;Cbl-b(-/-) osteoclasts, associated with enhanced PI3K signaling suggesting an exclusive role of Cbl-PI3K interaction, independent of Cbl-b. In addition to PI3K, the small GTPase Ras also regulates osteoclast survival. In the absence of Cbl-PI3K interaction, increased Ras GTPase activity and Ras-PI3K binding were observed and inhibition of Ras activation attenuated PI3K mediated osteoclast survival. In contrast to differentiation and survival, increased osteoclast activity observed in Cbl-b(-/-) mice persisted even after introduction of the resorption-defective YF mutation in YF/YF;Cbl-b(-/-) mice. Hence, Cbl and Cbl-b play mutually exclusive roles in osteoclasts. Whereas Cbl-PI3K interaction regulates differentiation and survival, bone resorption is predominantly regulated by Cbl-b in osteoclasts. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Equivalent survival following liver transplantation in patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis compared with patients with other liver diseases.

PubMed

Kennedy, Christopher; Redden, David; Gray, Stephen; Eckhoff, Devin; Massoud, Omar; McGuire, Brendan; Alkurdi, Basem; Bloomer, Joseph; DuBay, Derek A

2012-09-01

Orthotopic liver transplantation (LT) in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is increasing in parallel with the obesity epidemic. This study retrospectively reviewed the clinical outcomes of LTs in NASH (n = 129) and non-NASH (n = 775) aetiologies carried out at a single centre between 1999 and 2009. Rates of 1-, 3- and 5-year overall survival in NASH (90%, 88% and 85%, respectively) were comparable with those in non-NASH (92%, 86% and 80%, respectively) patients. Mortality within 4 months of LT was twice as high in NASH as in non-NASH patients (8.5% vs. 4.2%; P = 0.04). Compared with non-NASH patients, post-LT mortality in NASH patients was more commonly caused by infectious (38% vs. 26%; P < 0.05) or cardiac (19% vs. 7%; P < 0.05) aetiologies. Five-year survival was lower in NASH patients with a high-risk phenotype (age >60 years, body mass index >30 kg/m(2), with hypertension and diabetes) than in NASH patients without these characteristics (72% vs. 87%; P = 0.02). Subgroup analyses revealed that 5-year overall survival in NASH was equivalent to that in Laennec's cirrhosis (85% vs. 80%; P 0.87), but lower than that in cirrhosis of cryptogenic aetiology (85% vs. 96%; P = 0.04). Orthotopic LT in NASH was associated with increased early postoperative mortality, but 1-, 3- and 5-year overall survival rates were equivalent to those in non-NASH patients. © 2012 International Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association.

Natural exopolysaccharides enhance survival of lactic acid bacteria in frozen dairy desserts.

PubMed

Hong, S H; Marshall, R T

2001-06-01

Viable lactic acid-producing bacteria in frozen dairy desserts can be a source of beta-galactosidase for persons who absorb lactose insufficiently. However, freezing kills many of the cells, causing loss of enzymatic activity. Cultures selected for high beta-galactosidase activities and high survival rates in the presence of bile were examined for survivability during freezing in reduced-fat ice cream. Encapsulated S. thermophilus strains survived better than their nonencapsulated mutants in reduced-fat ice cream after freezing and frozen storage at -29 degrees C for 16 d (28 vs. 19%). However, a small nonencapsulated strain of Lactobacillus delbrueckii sp. bulgaricus survived better than the large encapsulated strain in reduced-fat ice cream. Factors that improved survival of encapsulated S. thermophilus 1068 in ice cream were 1) harvest of cells in the late-log phase of growth at 37 degrees C rather than at 40, 42.5, or 45 degrees C; 2) overrun at 50% rather than 100%; and 3) storage at -17 degrees C rather than -23 or -29 degrees C. Survival of strain ST1068 was unaffected by 1) neutralization of acid during growth or 2) substitution of nitrogen for air in building overrun.

Guanabenz promotes neuronal survival via enhancement of ATF4 and parkin expression in models of Parkinson disease.

PubMed

Sun, Xiaotian; Aimé, Pascaline; Dai, David; Ramalingam, Nagendran; Crary, John F; Burke, Robert E; Greene, Lloyd A; Levy, Oren A

2018-05-01

Reduced function of parkin appears to be a central pathogenic event in Parkinson disease (PD). Increasing parkin levels enhances survival in models of PD-related neuronal death and is a promising therapeutic objective. Previously, we demonstrated that the transcription factor ATF4 promotes survival in response to PD-mimetic stressors by maintaining parkin levels. ATF4 translation is up-regulated by phosphorylation of the translation initiation factor eIF2α. The small molecule guanabenz enhances eIF2α phosphorylation by blocking the function of GADD34, a regulatory protein that promotes eIF2α dephosphorylation. We tested the hypothesis that guanabenz, by inhibiting GADD34 and consequently increasing eIF2α phosphorylation and elevating ATF4, would improve survival in models of PD by up-regulating parkin. We found that GADD34 is strongly induced by 6-OHDA, and that GADD34 localization is dramatically altered in dopaminergic substantia nigra neurons in PD cases. We further demonstrated that guanabenz attenuates 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) induced cell death of differentiated PC12 cells and primary ventral midbrain dopaminergic neurons in culture, and of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra of mice. In culture models, guanabenz also increases eIF2α phosphorylation and ATF4 and parkin levels in response to 6-OHDA. Furthermore, if either ATF4 or parkin is silenced, then the protective effect of guanabenz is lost. We also found similar results in a distinct model of neuronal death: primary cultures of cortical neurons treated with the topoisomerase I inhibitor camptothecin, in which guanabenz limited camptothecin-induced neuronal death in an ATF4- and parkin-dependent manner. In summary, our data suggest that guanabenz and other GADD34 inhibitors could be used as therapeutic agents to boost parkin levels and thereby slow neurodegeneration in PD and other neurodegenerative conditions. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Location of subventricular zone recurrence and its radiation dose predicts survival in patients with glioblastoma.

PubMed

Weinberg, Brent D; Boreta, Lauren; Braunstein, Steve; Cha, Soonmee

2018-07-01

Glioblastomas are aggressive brain tumors that frequently recur in the subventricular zone (SVZ) despite maximal treatment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate imaging patterns of subventricular progression and impact of recurrent subventricular tumor involvement and radiation dose to patient outcome. Retrospective review of 50 patients diagnosed with glioblastoma and treated with surgery, radiation, and concurrent temozolomide from January 2012 to June 2013 was performed. Tumors were classified based on location, size, and cortical and subventricular zone involvement. Survival was compared based on recurrence type, distance from the initial enhancing tumor (local ≤ 2 cm, distant > 2 cm), and the radiation dose at the recurrence site. Progression of enhancing subventricular tumor was common at both local (58%) and distant (42%) sites. Median survival was better after local SVZ recurrence than distant SVZ recurrence (8.7 vs. 4.3 months, p = 0.04). Radiation doses at local SVZ recurrence sites recurrence averaged 57.0 ± 4.0 Gy compared to 44.7 ± 6.7 Gy at distant SVZ recurrence sites (p = 0.008). Distant subventricular progression at a site receiving ≤ 45 Gy predicted worse subsequent survival (p = 0.05). Glioblastomas frequently recurred in the subventricular zone, and patient survival was worse when enhancing tumor occurred at sites that received lower radiation doses. This recurrent disease may represent disease undertreated at the time of diagnosis, and further study is needed to determine if improved treatment strategies, such as including the subventricular zone in radiation fields, could improve clinical outcomes.

Double lung transplants have significantly improved survival compared with single lung transplants in high lung allocation score patients.

PubMed

Black, Matthew C; Trivedi, Jaimin; Schumer, Erin M; Bousamra, Michael; van Berkel, Victor

2014-11-01

Historically, double lung transplantation survival rates are higher than those of single lung transplantation, but in critically ill patients a single lung transplant, with less associated operative morbidity, could afford a better outcome. This article evaluates how survival is affected in patients who have a high lung allocation score (LAS) and receive a single versus a double lung transplant. The UNOS Thoracic Transplant Database for lung transplants from January 2005 to June 2012 was used for analysis. Propensity matching was used to minimize differences between the high and low LAS groups and between single and double lung transplants in the high LAS group. Within this database, there were 8,778 patients, of whom 8,050 had an LAS less than 75 and 728 had an LAS greater than or equal to 75. Kaplan-Meier survival curves stratified by high and low LAS, and by single versus double lung transplants, showed a marked decrease in survival (p<0.001) in those with a high LAS who received a single lung transplant when compared with those with a high LAS who received a double lung transplant. This was a much greater difference in survival than was present in the low LAS patient population. Despite a higher operative morbidity, patients who had a high LAS did substantially better in terms of survival if two lungs were transplanted rather than only one, with a larger difference in survival than for patients with a lower LAS. Copyright © 2014 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Bumblebee family lineage survival is enhanced in high-quality landscapes.

PubMed

Carvell, Claire; Bourke, Andrew F G; Dreier, Stephanie; Freeman, Stephen N; Hulmes, Sarah; Jordan, William C; Redhead, John W; Sumner, Seirian; Wang, Jinliang; Heard, Matthew S

2017-03-23

Insect pollinators such as bumblebees (Bombus spp.) are in global decline. A major cause of this decline is habitat loss due to agricultural intensification. A range of global and national initiatives aimed at restoring pollinator habitats and populations have been developed. However, the success of these initiatives depends critically upon understanding how landscape change affects key population-level parameters, such as survival between lifecycle stages, in target species. This knowledge is lacking for bumblebees, because of the difficulty of systematically finding and monitoring colonies in the wild. We used a combination of habitat manipulation, land-use and habitat surveys, molecular genetics and demographic and spatial modelling to analyse between-year survival of family lineages in field populations of three bumblebee species. Here we show that the survival of family lineages from the summer worker to the spring queen stage in the following year increases significantly with the proportion of high-value foraging habitat, including spring floral resources, within 250-1,000 m of the natal colony. This provides evidence for a positive impact of habitat quality on survival and persistence between successive colony cycle stages in bumblebee populations. These findings also support the idea that conservation interventions that increase floral resources at a landscape scale and throughout the season have positive effects on wild pollinators in agricultural landscapes.

The Gottingen minipig is a model of the hematopoietic acute radiation syndrome: G-colony stimulating factor stimulates hematopoiesis and enhances survival from lethal total-body γ-irradiation.

PubMed

Moroni, Maria; Ngudiankama, Barbara F; Christensen, Christine; Olsen, Cara H; Owens, Rossitsa; Lombardini, Eric D; Holt, Rebecca K; Whitnall, Mark H

2013-08-01

We are characterizing the Gottingen minipig as an additional large animal model for advanced drug testing for the acute radiation syndrome (ARS) to enhance the discovery and development of novel radiation countermeasures. Among the advantages provided by this model, the similarities to human hematologic parameters and dynamics of cell loss/recovery after irradiation provide a convenient means to compare the efficacy of drugs known to affect bone marrow cellularity and hematopoiesis. Male Gottingen minipigs, 4 to 5 months old and weighing 9 to 11 kg, were used for this study. We tested the standard off-label treatment for ARS, rhG-CSF (Neupogen, 10 μg/kg/day for 17 days), at the estimated LD70/30 total-body γ-irradiation (TBI) radiation dose for the hematopoietic syndrome, starting 24 hours after irradiation. The results indicated that granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) enhanced survival, stimulated recovery from neutropenia, and induced mobilization of hematopoietic progenitor cells. In addition, the administration of G-CSF resulted in maturation of monocytes/macrophages. These results support continuing efforts toward validation of the minipig as a large animal model for advanced testing of radiation countermeasures and characterization of the pathophysiology of ARS, and they suggest that the efficacy of G-CSF in improving survival after total body irradiation may involve mechanisms other than increasing the numbers of circulating granulocytes. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Nativity status and oral cancer survival in the United States: implications for dental clinical practice.

PubMed

Agaku, Israel T; Adisa, Akinyele O

2014-04-01

Nativity status is a major determinant of health and healthcare access in the United States. This study compared oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) survival between US-born and foreign-born patients. Data were obtained from the 1988-2008 Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database. A Cox proportional hazards multivariate model was used to assess the eff ect of birthplace on OSCC survival, adjusting for other sociodemographic and clinical covariates. US-born patients had a higher median survival time (19.3 years; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 18.6-19.7) compared to foreign-born patients (10.7 years; 95% CI: 10.1-11.3). After adjusting for other factors, being born in the US conferred a modest protective eff ect from OSCC mortality (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.93, 95% CI: 0.87- 0.99). Other factors that conferred better survival included involvement of paired structures (HR = 0.65; 95% CI: 0.58- 0.74), lip involvement rather than tongue lesions (HR = 0.76; 95% CI: 0.71-0.82), and receipt of either surgery (HR = 0.89; 95% CI: 0.84-0.94) or radiation therapy (HR = 0.92; 95% CI: 0.87-0.97). US-born patients had significantly better OSCC survival compared to their foreign-born counterparts. This underscores the need for enhanced and sustained efforts to improve access to healthcare among immigrant populations. In addition, oral health professionals such as general dentists, oral pathologists, and oral surgeons providing care to immigrant patients should ensure that reasonable efforts are made to communicate effectively with patients with language barriers, especially in high-stake conditions such as cancer. This may help increase such patients' awareness of treatment provided and the critical issues regarding cancer care, resulting in enhanced treatment outcome.

Validation of post-operative residual contrast enhancing tumor volume as an independent prognostic factor for overall survival in newly diagnosed glioblastoma.

PubMed

Ellingson, Benjamin M; Abrey, Lauren E; Nelson, Sarah J; Kaufmann, Timothy J; Garcia, Josep; Chinot, Olivier; Saran, Frank; Nishikawa, Ryo; Henriksson, Roger; Mason, Warren P; Wick, Wolfgang; Butowski, Nicholas; Ligon, Keith L; Gerstner, Elizabeth R; Colman, Howard; de Groot, John; Chang, Susan; Mellinghoff, Ingo; Young, Robert J; Alexander, Brian M; Colen, Rivka; Taylor, Jennie W; Arrillaga-Romany, Isabel; Mehta, Arnav; Huang, Raymond Y; Pope, Whitney B; Reardon, David; Batchelor, Tracy; Prados, Michael; Galanis, Evanthia; Wen, Patrick Y; Cloughesy, Timothy F

2018-04-05

In the current study, we pooled imaging data in newly diagnosed GBM patients from international multicenter clinical trials, single institution databases, and multicenter clinical trial consortiums to identify the relationship between post-operative residual enhancing tumor volume and overall survival (OS). Data from 1,511 newly diagnosed GBM patients from 5 data sources were included in the current study: 1) a single institution database from UCLA (N=398; Discovery); 2) patients from the Ben and Cathy Ivy Foundation for Early Phase Clinical Trials Network Radiogenomics Database (N=262 from 8 centers; Confirmation); 3) the chemoradiation placebo arm from an international phase III trial (AVAglio; N=394 from 120 locations in 23 countries; Validation); 4) the experimental arm from AVAglio examining chemoradiation plus bevacizumab (N=404 from 120 locations in 23 countries; Exploratory Set 1); and 5) an Alliance (N0874) Phase I/II trial of vorinostat plus chemoradiation (N=53; Exploratory Set 2). Post-surgical, residual enhancing disease was quantified using T1 subtraction maps. Multivariate Cox regression models were used to determine influence of clinical variables, MGMT status, and residual tumor volume on OS. A log-linear relationship was observed between post-operative, residual enhancing tumor volume and OS in newly diagnosed GBM treated with standard chemoradiation. Post-operative tumor volume is a prognostic factor for OS (P<0.01), regardless of therapy, age, and MGMT promoter methylation status. Post-surgical, residual contrast-enhancing disease significantly negatively influences survival in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma treated with chemoradiation with or without concomitant experimental therapy.

Comparing the survival rate of juvenile Chinook salmon migrating through hydropower systems using injectable and surgical acoustic transmitters

PubMed Central

Deng, Z. D.; Martinez, J. J.; Li, H.; Harnish, R. A.; Woodley, C. M.; Hughes, J. A.; Li, X.; Fu, T.; Lu, J.; McMichael, G. A.; Weiland, M. A.; Eppard, M. B.; Skalski, J. R.; Townsend, R. L.

2017-01-01

Acoustic telemetry is one of the primary technologies for studying the behavior and survival of fishes throughout the world. The size and performance of the transmitter are key limiting factors. The newly developed injectable transmitter is the first acoustic transmitter that can be implanted via injection instead of surgery. A two-part field study was conducted to evaluate the performance of the injectable transmitter and its effect on the survival of implanted fish. The injectable transmitter performed well and similarly to the proceeding generation of commercially-available JSATS transmitters tested concurrently. Snake River subyearling Chinook salmon smolts implanted with the injectable transmitter had a higher survival probability from release to each of eleven downstream detection arrays, because reach-specific survival estimates were significantly higher for the injectable group in three of the eleven reaches examined. Overall, the injectable group had a 0.263 (SE = 0.017) survival probability over the entire 500 km study area compared to 0.199 (0.012) for the surgically implanted group. The reduction in size and ability to implant the new transmitter via injection has reduced the tag or tagging effect bias associated with studying small fishes. The information gathered with this new technology is helping to evaluate the impacts of dams on fishes. PMID:28220850

Comparing the survival rate of juvenile Chinook salmon migrating through hydropower systems using injectable and surgical acoustic transmitters.

PubMed

Deng, Z D; Martinez, J J; Li, H; Harnish, R A; Woodley, C M; Hughes, J A; Li, X; Fu, T; Lu, J; McMichael, G A; Weiland, M A; Eppard, M B; Skalski, J R; Townsend, R L

2017-02-21

Acoustic telemetry is one of the primary technologies for studying the behavior and survival of fishes throughout the world. The size and performance of the transmitter are key limiting factors. The newly developed injectable transmitter is the first acoustic transmitter that can be implanted via injection instead of surgery. A two-part field study was conducted to evaluate the performance of the injectable transmitter and its effect on the survival of implanted fish. The injectable transmitter performed well and similarly to the proceeding generation of commercially-available JSATS transmitters tested concurrently. Snake River subyearling Chinook salmon smolts implanted with the injectable transmitter had a higher survival probability from release to each of eleven downstream detection arrays, because reach-specific survival estimates were significantly higher for the injectable group in three of the eleven reaches examined. Overall, the injectable group had a 0.263 (SE = 0.017) survival probability over the entire 500 km study area compared to 0.199 (0.012) for the surgically implanted group. The reduction in size and ability to implant the new transmitter via injection has reduced the tag or tagging effect bias associated with studying small fishes. The information gathered with this new technology is helping to evaluate the impacts of dams on fishes.

Comparing the survival rate of juvenile Chinook salmon migrating through hydropower systems using injectable and surgical acoustic transmitters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, Z. D.; Martinez, J. J.; Li, H.; Harnish, R. A.; Woodley, C. M.; Hughes, J. A.; Li, X.; Fu, T.; Lu, J.; McMichael, G. A.; Weiland, M. A.; Eppard, M. B.; Skalski, J. R.; Townsend, R. L.

2017-02-01

Acoustic telemetry is one of the primary technologies for studying the behavior and survival of fishes throughout the world. The size and performance of the transmitter are key limiting factors. The newly developed injectable transmitter is the first acoustic transmitter that can be implanted via injection instead of surgery. A two-part field study was conducted to evaluate the performance of the injectable transmitter and its effect on the survival of implanted fish. The injectable transmitter performed well and similarly to the proceeding generation of commercially-available JSATS transmitters tested concurrently. Snake River subyearling Chinook salmon smolts implanted with the injectable transmitter had a higher survival probability from release to each of eleven downstream detection arrays, because reach-specific survival estimates were significantly higher for the injectable group in three of the eleven reaches examined. Overall, the injectable group had a 0.263 (SE = 0.017) survival probability over the entire 500 km study area compared to 0.199 (0.012) for the surgically implanted group. The reduction in size and ability to implant the new transmitter via injection has reduced the tag or tagging effect bias associated with studying small fishes. The information gathered with this new technology is helping to evaluate the impacts of dams on fishes.

Comparative Effect of Heat Shock on Survival of O157:H7 and Non-O157 Shiga Toxigenic Escherichia coli and Salmonella in Lean Beef with or without Moisture-Enhancing Ingredients.

PubMed

Vasan, Akhila; Ingham, Steven C; Ingham, Barbara H

2017-06-01

Thermal tolerance of pathogenic bacteria has been shown to increase after exposure to sublethal elevated temperatures, or heat shock. We evaluated the effect of heat shock at 48°C on thermal tolerance (D 55°C ) of cocktails of O157 and non-O157 Shiga toxigenic Escherichia coli (STEC) and Salmonella in lean ground beef with or without moisture-enhancing ingredients. Beef was moisture enhanced to 110% (w) with a 5% NaCl-2.5% sodium tripolyphosphate (w/w) brine. Meat, with or without added brine, was inoculated (∼10 8 CFU/g) and heat shocked at 48°C for 0, 5, or 30 min, followed by isothermal heating at 55°C. Inoculated control samples were unenhanced and were not subject to heat shock. From the linear portion of the log CFU per gram surviving cells over time plots, D 55°C -values (minutes) were calculated. D 55°C was 20.43, 28.78, and 21.15 min for O157, non-O157, and Salmonella controls, respectively. Overall, heat shock significantly increased D 55°C , regardless of pathogen (P < 0.05). After 30 min of heat shock, D 55°C increased 89 and 160% for O157 STEC, 32 and 49% for non-O157 STEC, and 29 and 57% for Salmonella, in unenhanced and enhanced samples, respectively, relative to the pathogen control. D 55°C for Salmonella was the same or significantly less than for O157 and non-O157 STEC, regardless of heat shock, and was significantly less than for O157 and non-O157 STEC in all trials with moisture-enhanced meat (P < 0.05). Moisture-enhancing ingredients significantly increased D 55°C , regardless of pathogen (P < 0.05). We suggest that thermal processes validated against Salmonella may not prove effective against STEC in all cases and that regulators of the beef industry should focus attention on STEC in nonintact moisture-enhanced beef products.

Comparative cardiopulmonary effects of particulate matter- and ozone-enhanced smog atmospheres in mice

EPA Science Inventory

This study was conducted to compare the cardiac effects of particulate matter (PM)-enhanced and ozone(O3)-enhanced smog atmospheres in mice. We hypothesized that O3-enhanced smog would cause greater cardiac dysfunction than PM-enhanced smog due to the higher concentrations of irr...

Enhancement of islet engraftment and achievement of long-term islet allograft survival by Toll-like receptor 4 blockade.

PubMed

Giovannoni, Laurianne; Muller, Yannick D; Lacotte, Stéphanie; Parnaud, Géraldine; Borot, Sophie; Meier, Raphaël P H; Lavallard, Vanessa; Bédat, Benoît; Toso, Christian; Daubeuf, Bruno; Elson, Greg; Shang, Limin; Morel, Philippe; Kosco-Vilbois, Marie; Bosco, Domenico; Berney, Thierry

2015-01-01

Toll-like receptors are key players in sterile inflammation phenomena and can link the innate and adaptive immune systems by enhancing graft immunogenicity. They are also considered mediators of types 1 and 2 diabetes development. The aim of the present study was to assess the role of Toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4) in mediating the inflammatory and immune responses to pancreatic islets, thereby promoting inflammatory destruction and immune rejection of islet grafts. Experiments were conducted in murine and human in vitro systems and in vivo murine islet transplant models, using species-specific anti-TLR4 monoclonal antibodies. In vitro, mixed lymphocyte-islet reaction experiments were performed to assess T-cell activation and proliferation. In vivo, both a syngeneic (B6-to-B6) marginal mass islet transplant model to assess the impact of TLR4 blockade on islet engraftment and an allogeneic (DBA1-to-B6) model were used. In vitro TLR4 blockade decreased lipopolysaccharide-mediated β-cell apoptosis and T-cell activation and proliferation against allogeneic islets. In vivo, TLR4 blockade resulted in significantly better syngeneic marginal mass islet engraftment and in indefinite allogeneic islet graft survival. Tolerance was not observed because donor-specific skin graft rechallenge in nonrejecting animals resulted in rejection of both skin and islets, but without accelerated rejection as compared to naive animals. Taken together, our data indicate that TLR4 blockade leads to a significant improvement of syngeneic islet engraftment and of allogeneic islet graft survival. A mechanism of graft accommodation with concurrent inhibition of donor-specific immune memory is likely to be involved.

Squamous Cancers of the Rectum Demonstrate Poorer Survival and Increased Need for Salvage Surgery Compared With Squamous Cancers of the Anus.

PubMed

Kulaylat, Audrey S; Hollenbeak, Christopher S; Stewart, David B

2017-09-01

Squamous cell cancers of the anus are rare GI malignancies for which neoadjuvant chemoradiation is the first-line treatment for nonmetastatic disease. Squamous cancers of the rectum are far less common, and it is unclear to what degree chemoradiotherapy improves their outcomes. The purpose of this study was to compare stage-specific survival for anal and rectal squamous cancers stratified by treatment approach. This was a retrospective cohort study. The study was conducted at Commission on Cancer designated hospitals. Patients (2006-2012) identified in the National Cancer Database with pretreatment clinical stage I to III cancers who underwent chemoradiotherapy, with and without subsequent salvage surgical resection (low anterior resection or abdominoperineal resection), ≥12 weeks after chemoradiotherapy were included in the study. Overall survival and the need for salvage surgery were measured. Anal cancers (n = 11,224) typically presented with stage II (45.7%) or III (36.3%) disease, whereas rectal cancer stages (n = 1049) were more evenly distributed (p < 0.001). More patients with rectal cancer underwent low anterior or abdominoperineal resections 12 weeks or later after chemoradiotherapy versus those undergoing abdominoperineal resection for anal cancer (3.8% versus 1.2%; p < 0.001). Stage I and II rectal cancer was associated with poorer survival compared with anal cancer (stage I, p = 0.017; stage II, p < 0.001); survival was similar for stage III disease. Salvage surgery for anal cancer was associated with worse survival for stage I to III cancers; salvage surgery did not significantly affect survival for rectal cancer. This was a retrospective study without cancer-specific survival measures. Squamous rectal cancers are associated with significantly worse survival than squamous cancers of the anus for clinical stage I and II disease. Despite both cancers exhibiting squamous histology, rectal cancers may be less radiosensitive than anal cancers, as

Collagen esterification enhances the function and survival of pancreatic β cells in 2D and 3D culture systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ko, Jae Hyung; Kim, Yang Hee; Asan Institute for Life Science, 388-1 Pungnap-2 Dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul

Collagen, one of the most important components of the extracellular matrix (ECM), may play a role in the survival of pancreatic islet cells. In addition, chemical modifications that change the collagen charge profile to a net positive charge by esterification have been shown to increase the adhesion and proliferation of various cell types. The purpose of this study was to characterize and compare the effects of native collagen (NC) and esterified collagen (EC) on β cell function and survival. After isolation by the collagenase digestion technique, rat islets were cultured with NC and EC in 2 dimensional (2D) and 3more » dimensional (3D) environments for a long-term duration in vitro. The cells were assessed for islet adhesion, morphology, viability, glucose-induced insulin secretion, and mRNA expression of glucose metabolism-related genes, and visualized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Islet cells attached tightly in the NC group, but islet cell viability was similar in both the NC and EC groups. Glucose-stimulated insulin secretion was higher in the EC group than in the NC group in both 2D and 3D culture. Furthermore, the mRNA expression levels of glucokinase in the EC group were higher than those in the NC group and were associated with glucose metabolism and insulin secretion. Finally, SEM observation confirmed that islets had more intact component cells on EC sponges than on NC sponges. These results indicate that modification of collagen may offer opportunities to improve function and viability of islet cells. - Highlights: • We changed the collagen charge profile to a net positive charge by esterification. • Islets cultured on esterified collagen improved survival in both 2D and 3D culture. • Islets cultured on esterified collagen enhanced glucose-stimulated insulin release. • High levels of glucokinase mRNA may be associated with increased insulin release.« less

Clay mineral type effect on bacterial enteropathogen survival in soil.

PubMed

Brennan, Fiona P; Moynihan, Emma; Griffiths, Bryan S; Hillier, Stephen; Owen, Jason; Pendlowski, Helen; Avery, Lisa M

2014-01-15

Enteropathogens released into the environment can represent a serious risk to public health. Soil clay content has long been known to have an important effect on enteropathogen survival in soil, generally enhancing survival. However, clay mineral composition in soils varies, and different clay minerals have specific physiochemical properties that would be expected to impact differentially on survival. This work investigated the effect of clay materials, with a predominance of a particular mineral type (montmorillonite, kaolinite, or illite), on the survival in soil microcosms over 96 days of Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella Dublin, and Escherichia coli O157. Clay mineral addition was found to alter a number of physicochemical parameters in soil, including cation exchange capacity and surface area, and this was specific to the mineral type. Clay mineral addition enhanced enteropathogen survival in soil. The type of clay mineral was found to differentially affect enteropathogen survival and the effect was enteropathogen-specific. © 2013.

MRI breast screening in high-risk women: cancer detection and survival analysis.

PubMed

Evans, D Gareth; Gareth, Evans D; Kesavan, Nisha; Nisha, Kesavan; Lim, Yit; Yit, Lim; Gadde, Soujanye; Soujanye, Gadde; Hurley, Emma; Emma, Hurley; Massat, Nathalie J; Maxwell, Anthony J; Ingham, Sarah; Sarah, Ingham; Eeles, Rosalind; Rosalind, Eeles; Leach, Martin O; Howell, Anthony; Anthony, Howell; Duffy, Stephen W; Stephen, Duffy

2014-06-01

Women with a genetic predisposition to breast cancer tend to develop the disease at a younger age with denser breasts making mammography screening less effective. The introduction of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for familial breast cancer screening programs in recent years was intended to improve outcomes in these women. We aimed to assess whether introduction of MRI surveillance improves 5- and 10-year survival of high-risk women and determine the accuracy of MRI breast cancer detection compared with mammography-only or no enhanced surveillance and compare size and pathology of cancers detected in women screened with MRI + mammography and mammography only. We used data from two prospective studies where asymptomatic women with a very high breast cancer risk were screened by either mammography alone or with MRI also compared with BRCA1/2 carriers with no intensive surveillance. 63 cancers were detected in women receiving MRI + mammography and 76 in women receiving mammography only. Sensitivity of MRI + mammography was 93 % with 63 % specificity. Fewer cancers detected on MRI were lymph node positive compared to mammography/no additional screening. There were no differences in 10-year survival between the MRI + mammography and mammography-only groups, but survival was significantly higher in the MRI-screened group (95.3 %) compared to no intensive screening (73.7 %; p = 0.002). There were no deaths among the 21 BRCA2 carriers receiving MRI. There appears to be benefit from screening with MRI, particularly in BRCA2 carriers. Extended follow-up of larger numbers of high-risk women is required to assess long-term survival.

Over-expression of the Arabidopsis proton-pyrophosphatase AVP1 enhances transplant survival, root mass, and fruit development under limiting phosphorus conditions

PubMed Central

Yang, Haibing; Zhang, Xiao; Gaxiola, Roberto A.; Xu, Guohua; Peer, Wendy Ann; Murphy, Angus S.

2014-01-01

Phosphorus (P), an element required for plant growth, fruit set, fruit development, and fruit ripening, can be deficient or unavailable in agricultural soils. Previously, it was shown that over-expression of a proton-pyrophosphatase gene AVP1/AVP1D (AVP1DOX) in Arabidopsis, rice, and tomato resulted in the enhancement of root branching and overall mass with the result of increased mineral P acquisition. However, although AVP1 over-expression also increased shoot biomass in Arabidopsis, this effect was not observed in tomato under phosphate-sufficient conditions. AVP1DOX tomato plants exhibited increased rootward auxin transport and root acidification compared with control plants. AVP1DOX tomato plants were analysed in detail under limiting P conditions in greenhouse and field trials. AVP1DOX plants produced 25% (P=0.001) more marketable ripened fruit per plant under P-deficient conditions compared with the controls. Further, under low phosphate conditions, AVP1DOX plants displayed increased phosphate transport from leaf (source) to fruit (sink) compared to controls. AVP1DOX plants also showed an 11% increase in transplant survival (P<0.01) in both greenhouse and field trials compared with the control plants. These results suggest that selection of tomato cultivars for increased proton pyrophosphatase gene expression could be useful when selecting for cultivars to be grown on marginal soils. PMID:24723407

Phenazine redox cycling enhances anaerobic survival in Pseudomonas aeruginosa by facilitating generation of ATP and a proton-motive force

PubMed Central

Glasser, Nathaniel R.; Kern, Suzanne E.

2014-01-01

Summary While many studies have explored the growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, comparatively few have focused on its survival. Previously, we reported that endogenous phenazines support the anaerobic survival of P. aeruginosa, yet the physiological mechanism underpinning survival was unknown. Here, we demonstrate that phenazine redox cycling enables P. aeruginosa to oxidize glucose and pyruvate into acetate, which promotes survival by coupling acetate and ATP synthesis through the activity of acetate kinase. By measuring intracellular NAD(H) and ATP concentrations, we show that survival is correlated with ATP synthesis, which is tightly coupled to redox homeostasis during pyruvate fermentation but not during arginine fermentation. We also show that ATP hydrolysis is required to generate a proton-motive force using the ATP synthase complex during fermentation. Together, our results suggest that phenazines enable maintenance of the proton-motive force by promoting redox homeostasis and ATP synthesis. This work demonstrates the more general principle that extracellular redox-active molecules, such as phenazines, can broaden the metabolic versatility of microorganisms by facilitating energy generation. PMID:24612454

Combined application of BDNF to the eye and brain enhances ganglion cell survival and function in the cat after optic nerve injury.

PubMed

Weber, Arthur J; Viswanáthan, Suresh; Ramanathan, Chidambaram; Harman, Christine D

2010-01-01

To determine whether application of BDNF to the eye and brain provides a greater level of neuroprotection after optic nerve injury than treatment of the eye alone. Retinal ganglion cell survival and pattern electroretinographic responses were compared in normal cat eyes and in eyes that received (1) a mild nerve crush and no treatment, (2) a single intravitreal injection of BDNF at the time of the nerve injury, or (3) intravitreal treatment combined with 1 to 2 weeks of continuous delivery of BDNF to the visual cortex, bilaterally. Relative to no treatment, administration of BDNF to the eye alone resulted in a significant increase in ganglion cell survival at both 1 and 2 weeks after nerve crush (1 week, 79% vs. 55%; 2 weeks, 60% vs. 31%). Combined treatment of the eye and visual cortex resulted in a modest additional increase (17%) in ganglion cell survival in the 1-week eyes, a further significant increase (55%) in the 2-week eyes, and ganglion cell survival levels for both that were comparable to normal (92%-93% survival). Pattern ERG responses for all the treated eyes were comparable to normal at 1 week after injury; however, at 2 weeks, only the responses of eyes receiving the combined BDNF treatment remained so. Although treatment of the eye alone with BDNF has a significant impact on ganglion cell survival after optic nerve injury, combined treatment of the eye and brain may represent an even more effective approach and should be considered in the development of future optic neuropathy-related neuroprotection strategies.

Surviving helicopter crashes at sea: a review of studies of underwater egress from helicopters.

PubMed

Ryack, B L; Luria, S M; Smith, P F

1986-06-01

The problem of escaping from a submerged helicopter is discussed. The effectiveness of illuminated escape hatches in facilitating escape has been demonstrated. The relative advantages of different types of lights are compared. Escape training, illuminating the emergency exits, and providing breathing devices should greatly enhance the chances of survival in a helicopter crash at sea.

Enhanced cell survival and paracrine effects of mesenchymal stem cells overexpressing hepatocyte growth factor promote cardioprotection in myocardial infarction

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhao, Liyan; Liu, Xiaolin; Zhang, Yuelin

Poor cell survival post transplantation compromises the therapeutic benefits of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in myocardial infarction (MI). Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is an important cytokine for angiogenesis, anti-inflammation and anti-apoptosis. This study aimed to evaluate the cardioprotective effects of MSCs overexpressing HGF in a mouse model of MI. The apoptosis of umbilical cord-derived MSCs (UC-MSCs) and HGF-UC-MSCs under normoxic and hypoxic conditions was detected. The conditioned medium (CdM) of UC-MSCs and HGF-UC-MSCs under a hypoxic condition was harvested and its protective effect on neonatal cardiomyocytes (NCMs) exposed to a hypoxic challenge was examined. UC-MSCs and HGF-UC-MSCs were transplanted intomore » the peri-infarct region in mice following MI and heart function assessed 4 weeks post transplantation. The apoptosis of HGF-UC-MSCs under hypoxic conditions was markedly decreased compared with that of UC-MSCs. NCMs treated with HGF-UC-MSC hypoxic CdM (HGF-UC-MSCs-hy-CdM) exhibited less cell apoptosis in response to hypoxic challenge than those treated with UC-MSC hypoxic CdM (UC-MSCs-hy-CdM). HGF-UC-MSCs-hy-CdM released the inhibited p-Akt and lowered the enhanced ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 induced by hypoxia in the NCMs. HGF-UC-MSCs-hy-CdM expressed higher levels of HGF, EGF, bFGF and VEGF than UC-MSCs-hy-CdM. Transplantation of HGF-UC-MSCs or UC-MSCs greatly improved heart function in the mouse model of MI. Compared with UC-MSCs, transplantation of HGF-UC-MSCs was associated with less cardiomyocyte apoptosis, enhanced angiogenesis and increased proliferation of cardiomyocytes. This study may provide a novel therapeutic strategy for MSC-based therapy in cardiovascular disease.« less

Human platelet lysate improves human cord blood derived ECFC survival and vasculogenesis in three dimensional (3D) collagen matrices

PubMed Central

Kim, Hyojin; Prasain, Nutan; Vemula, Sasidhar; Ferkowicz, Michael J.; Yoshimoto, Momoko; Voytik-Harbin, Sherry L.; Yoder, Mervin C.

2015-01-01

Human cord blood (CB) is enriched in circulating endothelial colony forming cells (ECFC) that display high proliferative potential and in vivo vessel forming ability. Since diminished ECFC survival is known to dampen the vasculogenic response in vivo, we tested how long implanted ECFC survive and generate vessels in three-dimensional (3D) type I collagen matrices in vitro and in vivo. We hypothesized that human platelet lysate (HPL) would promote cell survival and enhance vasculogenesis in the 3D collagen matrices. We report that the percentage of ECFC co-cultured with HPL that were alive was significantly enhanced on days 1 and 3 post- matrix formation, compared to ECFC alone containing matrices. Also, co-culture of ECFC with HPL displayed significantly more vasculogenic activity compared to ECFC alone and expressed significantly more pro-survival molecules (pAkt, p-Bad and Bcl-xL) in the 3D collagen matrices in vitro. Treatment with Akt1 inhibitor (A-674563), Akt2 inhibitor (CCT128930) and Bcl-xL inhibitor (ABT-263/Navitoclax) significantly decreased the cell survival and vasculogenesis of ECFC co-cultured with or without HPL and implicated activation of the Akt1 pathway as the critical mediator of the HPL effect on ECFC in vitro. A significantly greater average vessel number and total vascular area of human CD31+ vessels were present in implants containing ECFC and HPL, compared to the ECFC alone implants in vivo. We conclude that implantation of ECFC with HPL in vivo promotes vasculogenesis and augments blood vessel formation via diminishing apoptosis of the implanted ECFC. PMID:26122935

Oral cancer/endothelial cell fusion experiences nuclear fusion and acquisition of enhanced survival potential.

PubMed

Song, Kai; Song, Yong; Zhao, Xiao-Ping; Shen, Hui; Wang, Meng; Yan, Ting-Lin; Liu, Ke; Shang, Zheng-Jun

2014-10-15

Most previous studies have linked cancer-macrophage fusion with tumor progression and metastasis. However, the characteristics of hybrid cells derived from oral cancer and endothelial cells and their involvement in cancer remained unknown. Double-immunofluorescent staining and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) were performed to confirm spontaneous cell fusion between eGFP-labeled human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and RFP-labeled SCC9, and to detect the expression of vementin and cytokeratin 18 in the hybrids. The property of chemo-resistance of such hybrids was examined by TUNEL assay. The hybrid cells in xenografted tumor were identified by FISH and GFP/RFP dual-immunofluoresence staining. We showed that SCC9 cells spontaneously fused with cocultured endothelial cells, and the resultant hybrid cells maintained the division and proliferation activity after re-plating and thawing. Such hybrids expressed markers of both parental cells and became more resistant to chemotherapeutic drug cisplatin as compared to the parental SCC9 cells. Our in vivo data indicated that the hybrid cells contributed to tumor composition by using of immunostaining and FISH analysis, even though the hybrid cells and SCC9 cells were mixed with 1:10,000, according to the FACS data. Our study suggested that the fusion events between oral cancer and endothelial cells undergo nuclear fusion and acquire a new property of drug resistance and consequently enhanced survival potential. These experimental findings provide further supportive evidence for the theory that cell fusion is involved in cancer progression. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Emmental Cheese Environment Enhances Propionibacterium freudenreichii Stress Tolerance

PubMed Central

Gagnaire, Valérie; Jardin, Julien; Rabah, Houem; Briard-Bion, Valérie; Jan, Gwénaël

2015-01-01

Dairy propionibacteria are actinomycetales found in various fermented food products. The main species, Propionibacterium freudenreichii, is generally recognized as safe and used both as probiotic and as cheese starter. Its probiotic efficacy tightly depends on its tolerance towards digestive stresses, which can be largely modulated by the ingested delivery vehicle. Indeed, tolerance of this bacterium is enhanced when it is consumed within a fermented dairy product, compared to a dried probiotic preparation. We investigated both stress tolerance and protein neosynthesis upon growth in i) chemically defined or ii) aqueous phase of Emmental cheeses. Although the same final population level was reached in both media, a slower growth and an enhanced survival of CIRM BIA 1 strain of P. freudenreichii subsp. shermanii was observed in Emmental juice, compared to chemically defined medium. This was accompanied by differences in substrates used and products released as well as overexpression of various early stress adaptation proteins in Emmental juice, compared to chemically defined medium, implied in protein folding, in aspartate catabolism, in biosynthesis of valine, leucine and isoleucine, in pyruvate metabolism in citrate cycle, in the propionate metabolism, as well as in oxidoreductases. All these changes led to a higher digestive stress tolerance after growth in Emmental juice. Mechanisms of stress adaptation were induced in this environment, in accordance with enhanced survival. This opens perspectives for the use of hard and semi-hard cheeses as delivery vehicle for probiotics with enhanced efficacy. PMID:26275229

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor enhances protection by anti-K1 capsular IgM antibody in murine Escherichia coli sepsis.

PubMed

Hustinx, W; Benaissa-Trouw, B; Van Kessel, K; Kuenen, J; Tavares, L; Kraaijeveld, K; Verhoef, J; Hoepelman, A

1997-12-01

Combined prophylactic treatment with recombinant murine granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) and a suboptimal dose of anti-K1 capsular IgM monoclonal antibody (MAb) significantly enhanced survival in an experimental mouse Escherichia coli O7:K1 peritonitis model compared with untreated animals (67% vs. 11% survival; P < 0.001) and with either treatment alone (67 vs. 29% and 27% survival, respectively; P < 0.01), which suggests synergism between these agents. Enhanced survival by combined treatment was associated with increased neutrophil counts in blood and peritoneal lavage fluid, lower systemic and higher levels of local tumour necrosis factor (TNF) and lower bacterial counts in blood cultures. Mouse neutrophils treated with G-CSF but not infected with E. coli showed enhanced phagocytic and respiratory burst capacity, down-regulation of L-selectin receptors and enhanced expression of Fc RII-III receptors but not of complement receptors.

Long-Term Survival Prediction for Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: Validation of the ASCERT Model Compared With The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Predicted Risk of Mortality.

PubMed

Lancaster, Timothy S; Schill, Matthew R; Greenberg, Jason W; Ruaengsri, Chawannuch; Schuessler, Richard B; Lawton, Jennifer S; Maniar, Hersh S; Pasque, Michael K; Moon, Marc R; Damiano, Ralph J; Melby, Spencer J

2018-05-01

The recently developed American College of Cardiology Foundation-Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) Collaboration on the Comparative Effectiveness of Revascularization Strategy (ASCERT) Long-Term Survival Probability Calculator is a valuable addition to existing short-term risk-prediction tools for cardiac surgical procedures but has yet to be externally validated. Institutional data of 654 patients aged 65 years or older undergoing isolated coronary artery bypass grafting between 2005 and 2010 were reviewed. Predicted survival probabilities were calculated using the ASCERT model. Survival data were collected using the Social Security Death Index and institutional medical records. Model calibration and discrimination were assessed for the overall sample and for risk-stratified subgroups based on (1) ASCERT 7-year survival probability and (2) the predicted risk of mortality (PROM) from the STS Short-Term Risk Calculator. Logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate additional perioperative variables contributing to death. Overall survival was 92.1% (569 of 597) at 1 year and 50.5% (164 of 325) at 7 years. Calibration assessment found no significant differences between predicted and actual survival curves for the overall sample or for the risk-stratified subgroups, whether stratified by predicted 7-year survival or by PROM. Discriminative performance was comparable between the ASCERT and PROM models for 7-year survival prediction (p < 0.001 for both; C-statistic = 0.815 for ASCERT and 0.781 for PROM). Prolonged ventilation, stroke, and hospital length of stay were also predictive of long-term death. The ASCERT survival probability calculator was externally validated for prediction of long-term survival after coronary artery bypass grafting in all risk groups. The widely used STS PROM performed comparably as a predictor of long-term survival. Both tools provide important information for preoperative decision making and patient counseling about potential

Growth and survival at chiller temperatures of Arcobacter butzleri.

PubMed

Kjeldgaard, Jette; Jørgensen, Kirsten; Ingmer, Hanne

2009-05-31

Arcobacter butzleri is prevalent on chicken products. Arcobacter spp. are generally isolated in only low numbers from the chicken gut, so chicken carcasses may be contaminated by A. butzleri that proliferate in the slaughterhouse environment. To address this issue, we examined the behaviour of A. butzleri ATCC 49616 and newly isolated A. butzleri strains under conditions likely to prevail in the slaughterhouse environment using a chicken meat juice medium (CMJ). CMJ supported growth of A. butzleri at 15 degrees C, the recognised minimal growth temperature of this organism, and at 10 degrees C. At 5 degrees C, CMJ enhanced survival of A. butzleri as compared with survival in Brain Heart Infusion with less than a one log reduction after 77 days incubation. Lastly, we examined the ability of A. butzleri to form biofilms and found that the organism produces biofilm at temperatures ranging from 5 to 37 degrees C. Given the ability to survive, multiply and form biofilm under chilled conditions A. butzleri appears well suited for establishment in food processing and slaughterhouse environments.

Adaptive memory: the survival scenario enhances item-specific processing relative to a moving scenario.

PubMed

Burns, Daniel J; Hart, Joshua; Griffith, Samantha E; Burns, Amy D

2013-01-01

Nairne, Thompson, and Pandeirada (2007) found that retention of words rated for their relevance to survival is superior to that of words encoded under numerous other deep processing conditions. They suggested that our memory systems might have evolved to confer an advantage for survival-relevant information. Burns, Burns, and Hwang (2011) suggested a two-process explanation of the proximate mechanisms responsible for the survival advantage. Whereas most control tasks encourage only one type of processing, the survival task encourages both item-specific and relational processing. They found that when control tasks encouraged both types of processing, the survival processing advantage was eliminated. However, none of their control conditions included non-survival scenarios (e.g., moving, vacation, etc.), so it is not clear how this two-process explanation would explain the survival advantage when scenarios are used as control conditions. The present experiments replicated the finding that the survival scenario improves recall relative to a moving scenario in both a between-lists and within-list design and also provided evidence that this difference was accompanied by an item-specific processing difference, not a difference in relational processing. The implications of these results for several existing accounts of the survival processing effect are discussed.

Death certificate only proportions should be age adjusted in studies comparing cancer survival across populations and over time.

PubMed

Brenner, Hermann; Castro, Felipe A; Eberle, Andrea; Emrich, Katharina; Holleczek, Bernd; Katalinic, Alexander; Jansen, Lina

2016-01-01

The proportion of cases notified by death certificate only (DCO) is a commonly used data quality indicator in studies comparing cancer survival across regions and over time. We aimed to assess dependence of DCO proportions on the age structure of cancer patients. Using data from a national cancer survival study in Germany, we determined age specific and overall (crude) DCO proportions for 24 common forms of cancer. We then derived overall (crude) DCO proportions expected in case of shifts of the age distribution of the cancer populations by 5 and 10 years, respectively, assuming age specific DCO proportions to remain constant. Median DCO proportions across the 24 cancers were 2.4, 3.7, 5.5, 8.5 and 23.9% in age groups 15-44, 45-54, 55-64, 65-74, and 75+, respectively. A decrease of ages by 5 and 10 years resulted in decreases of cancer specific crude DCO proportions ranging from 0.4 to 4.8 and from 0.7 to 8.6 percent units, respectively. Conversely, an increase of ages by 5 and 10 years led to increases of cancer specific crude DCO proportions ranging from 0.8 to 4.8 and from 1.8 to 9.6 percent units, respectively. These changes were of similar magnitude (but in opposite direction) as changes in crude 5-year relative survival resulting from the same shifts in age distribution. The age structure of cancer patient populations has a substantial impact on DCO proportions. DCO proportions should therefore be age adjusted in comparative studies on cancer survival across regions and over time. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Gottingen Minipig Is a Model of the Hematopoietic Acute Radiation Syndrome: G-Colony Stimulating Factor Stimulates Hematopoiesis and Enhances Survival From Lethal Total-Body γ-Irradiation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Moroni, Maria, E-mail: maria.moroni@usuhs.edu; Ngudiankama, Barbara F.; Christensen, Christine

Purpose: We are characterizing the Gottingen minipig as an additional large animal model for advanced drug testing for the acute radiation syndrome (ARS) to enhance the discovery and development of novel radiation countermeasures. Among the advantages provided by this model, the similarities to human hematologic parameters and dynamics of cell loss/recovery after irradiation provide a convenient means to compare the efficacy of drugs known to affect bone marrow cellularity and hematopoiesis. Methods and Materials: Male Gottingen minipigs, 4 to 5 months old and weighing 9 to 11 kg, were used for this study. We tested the standard off-label treatment formore » ARS, rhG-CSF (Neupogen, 10 μg/kg/day for 17 days), at the estimated LD70/30 total-body γ-irradiation (TBI) radiation dose for the hematopoietic syndrome, starting 24 hours after irradiation. Results: The results indicated that granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) enhanced survival, stimulated recovery from neutropenia, and induced mobilization of hematopoietic progenitor cells. In addition, the administration of G-CSF resulted in maturation of monocytes/macrophages. Conclusions: These results support continuing efforts toward validation of the minipig as a large animal model for advanced testing of radiation countermeasures and characterization of the pathophysiology of ARS, and they suggest that the efficacy of G-CSF in improving survival after total body irradiation may involve mechanisms other than increasing the numbers of circulating granulocytes.« less

Comparing two correlated C indices with right-censored survival outcome: a one-shot nonparametric approach

PubMed Central

Kang, Le; Chen, Weijie; Petrick, Nicholas A.; Gallas, Brandon D.

2014-01-01

The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) is often used as a summary index of the diagnostic ability in evaluating biomarkers when the clinical outcome (truth) is binary. When the clinical outcome is right-censored survival time, the C index, motivated as an extension of AUC, has been proposed by Harrell as a measure of concordance between a predictive biomarker and the right-censored survival outcome. In this work, we investigate methods for statistical comparison of two diagnostic or predictive systems, of which they could either be two biomarkers or two fixed algorithms, in terms of their C indices. We adopt a U-statistics based C estimator that is asymptotically normal and develop a nonparametric analytical approach to estimate the variance of the C estimator and the covariance of two C estimators. A z-score test is then constructed to compare the two C indices. We validate our one-shot nonparametric method via simulation studies in terms of the type I error rate and power. We also compare our one-shot method with resampling methods including the jackknife and the bootstrap. Simulation results show that the proposed one-shot method provides almost unbiased variance estimations and has satisfactory type I error control and power. Finally, we illustrate the use of the proposed method with an example from the Framingham Heart Study. PMID:25399736

Streptococcus mutans autolysin AtlA is a fibronectin-binding protein and contributes to bacterial survival in the bloodstream and virulence for infective endocarditis.

PubMed

Jung, Chiau-Jing; Zheng, Quan-Hau; Shieh, Ya-Hsiung; Lin, Chi-Shuan; Chia, Jean-San

2009-11-01

Streptococcus mutans, a commensal of the human oral cavity, can survive in the bloodstream and cause infective endocarditis (IE). However, the virulence factors associated with this manifestation of disease are not known. Here, we demonstrate that AtlA, an autolysin of S. mutans is a newly identified fibronectin (Fn) binding protein and contributes to bacterial resistance to phagocytosis and survival in the bloodstream. Interestingly, prior exposure to plasma at low concentrations was sufficient to enhance bacterial survival in the circulation. Calcium ions at physiological plasma concentrations induced maturation of AtlA from the 104-90 kDa isoform resulting in increased Fn binding and resistance to phagocytosis. An isogenic mutant strain defective in AtlA expression exhibited reduced survival and virulence when tested in a rat model of IE compared with the wild-type and complemented strains. The data presented suggest that plasma components utilized by S. mutans enhanced survival in the circulation and AtlA is a virulence factor associated with infective endocarditis.

Evaluating the use of enhanced oak seedlings for increased survival and growth: first-year survival

Treesearch

Joshua L. Moree; Andrew W. Ezell; John D. Hodges; Andrew J. Londo; K. David Godwin

2010-01-01

Oaks (Quercus spp.) are very important in the southern landscape for timber production and wildlife habitat. More landowners are attempting to establish oak plantations as the demand for wood products and wildlife habitat continues to increase. These attempts are not always successful with early growth and survival becoming major concerns. In this...

Comparative reproductive biology of sympatric species: Nest and chick survival of American avocets and black-necked stilts

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ackerman, Joshua T.; Herzog, Mark P.; Takekawa, John Y.; Hartman, Christopher A.

2014-01-01

Identifying differences in reproductive success rates of closely related and sympatrically breeding species can be useful for understanding limitations to population growth. We simultaneously examined the reproductive ecology of American avocets Recurvirostra americana and black-necked stilts Himantopus mexicanus using 1274 monitored nests and 240 radio-marked chicks in San Francisco Bay, California. Although there were 1.8 times more avocet nests than stilt nests, stilts nonetheless fledged 3.3 times more chicks. Greater production by stilts than avocets was the result of greater chick survival from hatching to fledging (avocet: 6%; stilt: 40%), and not because of differences in clutch size (avocet: 3.84; stilt: 3.77), nest survival (avocet: 44%; stilt: 35%), or egg hatching success (avocet: 90%; stilt: 92%). We reviewed the literature and confirmed that nest survival and hatching success are generally similar when avocets and stilts breed sympatrically. In addition to species, chick survival was strongly influenced by age, site, and year. In particular, daily survival rates increased rapidly with chick age, with 70% of mortalities occurring ≤ 1 week after hatch. California gulls Larus californicus caused 55% of avocet, but only 15% of stilt, chick deaths. Differential use of micro-habitats likely reduced stilt chick’s vulnerability to gull predation, particularly during the first week after hatch, because stilts nested in vegetation 2.7 times more often than avocets and vegetation height was 65% taller at stilt nests compared with avocet nests. Our results demonstrate that two co-occurring and closely related species with similar life history strategies can differ markedly in reproductive success, and simultaneous studies of such species can identify differences that limit productivity.

Geminin deficiency enhances survival in a murine medulloblastoma model by inducing apoptosis of preneoplastic granule neuron precursors

PubMed Central

Sankar, Savita; Patterson, Ethan; Lewis, Emily M.; Waller, Laura E.; Tong, Caili; Dearborn, Joshua; Wozniak, David; Rubin, Joshua B.; Kroll, Kristen L.

2017-01-01

Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant brain cancer of childhood. Further understanding of tumorigenic mechanisms may define new therapeutic targets. Geminin maintains genome fidelity by controlling re-initiation of DNA replication within a cell cycle. In some contexts, Geminin inhibition induces cancer-selective cell cycle arrest and apoptosis and/or sensitizes cancer cells to Topoisomerase IIα inhibitors such as etoposide, which is used in combination chemotherapies for medulloblastoma. However, Geminin's potential role in medulloblastoma tumorigenesis remained undefined. Here, we found that Geminin is highly expressed in human and mouse medulloblastomas and in murine granule neuron precursor (GNP) cells during cerebellar development. Conditional Geminin loss significantly enhanced survival in the SmoA1 mouse medulloblastoma model. Geminin loss in this model also reduced numbers of preneoplastic GNPs persisting at one postnatal month, while at two postnatal weeks these cells exhibited an elevated DNA damage response and apoptosis. Geminin knockdown likewise impaired human medulloblastoma cell growth, activating G2 checkpoint and DNA damage response pathways, triggering spontaneous apoptosis, and enhancing G2 accumulation of cells in response to etoposide treatment. Together, these data suggest preneoplastic and cancer cell-selective roles for Geminin in medulloblastoma, and suggest that targeting Geminin may impair tumor growth and enhance responsiveness to Topoisomerase IIα-directed chemotherapies. PMID:29234490

Superior long-term survival for fixed bearing compared with mobile bearing in ligament-balanced total knee arthroplasty.

PubMed

Heesterbeek, P J C; van Houten, A H; Klenk, J S; Eijer, H; Christen, B; Wymenga, A B; Schuster, A J

2018-05-01

Only few long-term data on ligament-balanced cruciate-retaining total knee arthroplasty (CR TKA) are currently available. Either a mobile- or fixed-bearing insert can be chosen, which showed good mid-term outcome and few complications and revisions. This multi-centre retrospective cross-sectional cohort study investigated the 12-year results of primary TKA using a balancing gap technique and compared survival and clinical outcome between fixed and mobile inserts. In this retrospective cross-sectional cohort study, 557 cases of three clinics (2 Swiss, 1 Dutch) operated between 1998 and 2003 with the first series of a TKA implanted with a balanced gap technique (433 (77.7%) fixed, 124 (22.3%) mobile (anterior-posterior gliding (7-9 mm) and rotational (15°) degrees of freedom) inserts) were included for survival analysis (Kaplan-Meier, by insert type). At the 12-year follow-up (FU) examination of 189 cases, range of motion, knee society score (KSS), numeric rating scale (NRS) for pain and satisfaction were determined and radiographs were evaluated by median tests, by insert type. Of 521 cases available for analysis, 28 (5.4%; 11 fixed, 17 mobile bearing) were revised. Mean cumulative survival after 12.4 years was 97.0% (95% CI 94.7-98.4) for fixed bearings and 85.4% (95% CI 77.5-90.7) after 12.2 years for mobile bearings, p < 0.0001. Patients' mean age at 11.0 years FU (n = 189) was 78.0 (range 54.5-97.3) years. Mean total KSS was 157.8 (24-200) points, and mean passive flexion was 114° (45-150); no clinical score differed significantly between fixed and mobile bearings. This study showed a superior survival for fixed bearing compared with mobile bearing in a CR TKA using a ligament-balanced technique after more than 12 years. Clinical outcomes are excellent to good after long-term follow-up, and similar for fixed and mobile bearing. Therapeutic studies-retrospective cohort study, Level III.

Survival rates and predictors of survival among colorectal cancer patients in a Malaysian tertiary hospital.

PubMed

Magaji, Bello Arkilla; Moy, Foong Ming; Roslani, April Camilla; Law, Chee Wei

2017-05-18

Colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed malignancy and the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death globally. It is the second most common cancer among both males and females in Malaysia. The economic burden of colorectal cancer is likely to increase over time owing to its current trend and aging population. Cancer survival analysis is an essential indicator for early detection and improvement in cancer treatment. However, there was a scarcity of studies concerning survival of colorectal cancer patients as well as its predictors. Therefore, we aimed to determine the 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rates, compare survival rates among ethnic groups and determine the predictors of survival among colorectal cancer patients. This was an ambidirectional cohort study conducted at the University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. All Malaysian citizens or permanent residents with histologically confirmed diagnosis of colorectal cancer seen at UMMC from 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2010 were included in the study. Demographic and clinical characteristics were extracted from the medical records. Patients were followed-up until death or censored at the end of the study (31st December 2010). Censored patients' vital status (whether alive or dead) were cross checked with the National Registration Department. Survival analyses at 1-, 3- and 5-year intervals were performed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Log-rank test was used to compare the survival rates, while Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was carried out to determine the predictors of 5-year colorectal cancer survival. Among 1212 patients, the median survival for colorectal, colon and rectal cancers were 42.0, 42.0 and 41.0 months respectively; while the 1-, 3-, and 5-year relative survival rates ranged from 73.8 to 76.0%, 52.1 to 53.7% and 40.4 to 45.4% respectively. The Chinese patients had the lowest 5-year survival compared to Malay and Indian patients. Based on the 814

The use of landscape fabric and supplemental irrigation to enhance survival and growth of woody perennials planted on reclaimed surface mine lands

Treesearch

R .C. Musselman; F. W. Smith; W. D. Shepperd; L. A. Asherin; B. W. Gee

2009-01-01

A study was initiated to determine the effectiveness of landscape fabric and supplemental irrigation in survival and growth of woody perennials planted on reclaimed surface coal mine lands. The study compared growth and survival of nursery grown potted aspen and serviceberry planted with or without landscape fabric, and with or without biweekly supplemental irrigation...

Does renal ageing affect survival?

PubMed

Razzaque, M Shawkat

2007-10-01

The effects of ageing on progressive deterioration of renal function, both in human and experimental animals, are described elsewhere, but the effect of renal damage on overall survival and longevity is not yet clearly established. The wild-type animals of various genetic backgrounds, fed with regular diet, overtime develop severe age-associated nephropathy, that include but not limited to inflammatory cell infiltration, glomerulosclerosis, and tubulointerstitial fibrosis. Such renal damage significantly reduces their survival. Reducing renal damage, either by caloric restriction or by suppressing growth hormone (GH)/insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) activity could significantly enhance the longevity of these animals. Available survival studies using experimental animals clearly suggest that kidney pathology is one of the important non-neoplastic lesions that could affect overall survival, and that restoration of renal function by preventing kidney damage could significantly extend longevity. Careful long-term studies are needed to determine the human relevance of these experimental studies.

Depression and Liver Transplant Survival.

PubMed

Meller, William; Welle, Nicole; Sutley, Kristen; Thurber, Steven

Patients who underwent liver transplantation and experienced clinical depression have heretofore evinced lower survival rates when compared to nondepressed counterparts. To investigate the hypothesis that transplant patients who seek and obtain medical treatment for depression would circumvent the prior reduced survival findings. A total of 765 patients with liver transplants were scrutinized for complications following transplantation. Further, 104 patients experienced posttransplant depression as manifested by diagnosis and treatment by medical personnel. Survival analyses were conducted comparing hazard and survival curves for these selected individuals and the remainder of transplant patients. Contrary to prior data and consistent with the aforementioned hypothesis, median survival durations, survival curves, and hazard functions (controlling for age and prolonged posttransplant survival for the depressed patients were better. The improved survival for the depressed patients may simply be related to an amelioration of depressed symptoms via antidepressant medications. However, this interpretation would only be congruent with reduced hazard, not elevated survival, beyond the norm (median) for other transplant participants. Assuming the reliability and generalization of our findings, perhaps a reasonable and compelling interpretation is that combined with the effectiveness of antidepressant medications, the seeking and receiving treatment for depression is a type of proxy measure of a more global pattern of adherence to recommended posttransplant medical regimens. Copyright © 2017 The Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Human platelet lysate improves human cord blood derived ECFC survival and vasculogenesis in three dimensional (3D) collagen matrices.

PubMed

Kim, Hyojin; Prasain, Nutan; Vemula, Sasidhar; Ferkowicz, Michael J; Yoshimoto, Momoko; Voytik-Harbin, Sherry L; Yoder, Mervin C

2015-09-01

Human cord blood (CB) is enriched in circulating endothelial colony forming cells (ECFCs) that display high proliferative potential and in vivo vessel forming ability. Since diminished ECFC survival is known to dampen the vasculogenic response in vivo, we tested how long implanted ECFC survive and generate vessels in three-dimensional (3D) type I collagen matrices in vitro and in vivo. We hypothesized that human platelet lysate (HPL) would promote cell survival and enhance vasculogenesis in the 3D collagen matrices. We report that the percentage of ECFC co-cultured with HPL that were alive was significantly enhanced on days 1 and 3 post-matrix formation, compared to ECFC alone containing matrices. Also, co-culture of ECFC with HPL displayed significantly more vasculogenic activity compared to ECFC alone and expressed significantly more pro-survival molecules (pAkt, p-Bad and Bcl-xL) in the 3D collagen matrices in vitro. Treatment with Akt1 inhibitor (A-674563), Akt2 inhibitor (CCT128930) and Bcl-xL inhibitor (ABT-263/Navitoclax) significantly decreased the cell survival and vasculogenesis of ECFC co-cultured with or without HPL and implicated activation of the Akt1 pathway as the critical mediator of the HPL effect on ECFC in vitro. A significantly greater average vessel number and total vascular area of human CD31(+) vessels were present in implants containing ECFC and HPL, compared to the ECFC alone implants in vivo. We conclude that implantation of ECFC with HPL in vivo promotes vasculogenesis and augments blood vessel formation via diminishing apoptosis of the implanted ECFC. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Fibroblast growth factor receptor 4 (FGFR4) and fibroblast growth factor 19 (FGF19) autocrine enhance breast cancer cells survival.

PubMed

Tiong, Kai Hung; Tan, Boon Shing; Choo, Heng Lungh; Chung, Felicia Fei-Lei; Hii, Ling-Wei; Tan, Si Hoey; Khor, Nelson Tze Woei; Wong, Shew Fung; See, Sze-Jia; Tan, Yuen-Fen; Rosli, Rozita; Cheong, Soon-Keng; Leong, Chee-Onn

2016-09-06

Basal-like breast cancer is an aggressive tumor subtype with poor prognosis. The discovery of underlying mechanisms mediating tumor cell survival, and the development of novel agents to target these pathways, is a priority for patients with basal-like breast cancer. From a functional screen to identify key drivers of basal-like breast cancer cell growth, we identified fibroblast growth factor receptor 4 (FGFR4) as a potential mediator of cell survival. We found that FGFR4 mediates cancer cell survival predominantly via activation of PI3K/AKT. Importantly, a subset of basal-like breast cancer cells also secrete fibroblast growth factor 19 (FGF19), a canonical ligand specific for FGFR4. siRNA-mediated silencing of FGF19 or neutralization of extracellular FGF19 by anti-FGF19 antibody (1A6) decreases AKT phosphorylation, suppresses cancer cell growth and enhances doxorubicin sensitivity only in the FGFR4+/FGF19+ breast cancer cells. Consistently, FGFR4/FGF19 co-expression was also observed in 82 out of 287 (28.6%) primary breast tumors, and their expression is strongly associated with AKT phosphorylation, Ki-67 staining, higher tumor stage and basal-like phenotype. In summary, our results demonstrated the presence of an FGFR4/FGF19 autocrine signaling that mediates the survival of a subset of basal-like breast cancer cells and suggest that inactivation of this autocrine loop may potentially serve as a novel therapeutic intervention for future treatment of breast cancers.

Psychologic Intervention Improves Survival for Breast Cancer Patients

PubMed Central

Andersen, Barbara L.; Yang, Hae-Chung; Farrar, William B.; Golden-Kreutz, Deanna M.; Emery, Charles F.; Thornton, Lisa M.; Young, Donn C.; Carson, William E.

2009-01-01

BACKGROUND The question of whether stress poses a risk for cancer progression has been difficult to answer. A randomized clinical trial tested the hypothesis that cancer patients coping with their recent diagnosis but receiving a psychologic intervention would have improved survival compared with patients who were only assessed. METHODS A total of 227 patients who were surgically treated for regional breast cancer participated. Before beginning adjuvant cancer therapies, patients were assessed with psychologic and behavioral measures and had a health evaluation, and a 60-mL blood sample was drawn. Patients were randomized to Psychologic Intervention plus assessment or Assessment only study arms. The intervention was psychologist led; conducted in small groups; and included strategies to reduce stress, improve mood, alter health behaviors, and maintain adherence to cancer treatment and care. Earlier articles demonstrated that, compared with the Assessment arm, the Intervention arm improved across all of the latter secondary outcomes. Immunity was also enhanced. RESULTS After a median of 11 years of follow-up, disease recurrence was reported to occur in 62 of 212 (29%) women and death was reported for 54 of 227 (24%) women. Using Cox proportional hazards analysis, multivariate comparison of survival was conducted. As predicted, patients in the Intervention arm were found to have a reduced risk of breast cancer recurrence (hazards ratio [HR] of 0.55; P=.034) and death from breast cancer (HR of 0.44; P=.016) compared with patients in the Assessment only arm. Follow-up analyses also demonstrated that Intervention patients had a reduced risk of death from all causes (HR of 0.51; P=.028). CONCLUSIONS Psychologic interventions as delivered and studied here can improve survival. PMID:19016270

Comparing the survival rate of juvenile Chinook salmon migrating through hydropower systems using injectable and surgical acoustic transmitters

DOE PAGES

Deng, Zhiqun D.; Martinez, J. J.; Li, H.; ...

2017-02-21

Acoustic telemetry is one of the primary technologies for studying the behavior and survival of fishes throughout the world. The size and performance of the transmitters is still the key limiting factor despite that considerable effort has been expended to understand the biological effects of implantation of acoustic transmitters in yearling and subyearling Chinook salmon. The newly developed injectable transmitter is the first active acoustic tag that can be implanted via injection instead of surgery. It also lasts more than four times longer than the commercially-available transmitters. A two-part field study was conducted to evaluate the performance of the injectablemore » transmitter and its effect on the survival of implanted fish. The injectable transmitter performed well and similarly to the other commercially-available transmitters tested. Snake River subyearling Chinook salmon smolts implanted with the injectable tag had a higher survival probability from release to each of 11 downstream detection arrays than concurrent releases of fish surgically implanted with commercially-available tags. In addition, reach-specific survival estimates were significantly higher for the injectable group in three of the eleven reaches examined. Overall, the injectable group had a 0.263 (SE = 0.017) survival probability over the entire 500 km study area compared to 0.199 (0.012) for the surgically implanted group. The differences in survival may have been caused by warm water temperatures and higher rates of infection experienced by the surgically implanted group due to the presence of sutures acting as an attachment site for pathogens. The reduction in size and ability to implant the new transmitter via injection has further reduced the tag or tagging effect bias associated with studying small fishes. As a result, the information gathered with this new technology is helping minimize the impact of dams on fish, leading to more environmentally sustainable energy systems.« less

Comparing the survival rate of juvenile Chinook salmon migrating through hydropower systems using injectable and surgical acoustic transmitters

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Deng, Zhiqun D.; Martinez, J. J.; Li, H.

Acoustic telemetry is one of the primary technologies for studying the behavior and survival of fishes throughout the world. The size and performance of the transmitters is still the key limiting factor despite that considerable effort has been expended to understand the biological effects of implantation of acoustic transmitters in yearling and subyearling Chinook salmon. The newly developed injectable transmitter is the first active acoustic tag that can be implanted via injection instead of surgery. It also lasts more than four times longer than the commercially-available transmitters. A two-part field study was conducted to evaluate the performance of the injectablemore » transmitter and its effect on the survival of implanted fish. The injectable transmitter performed well and similarly to the other commercially-available transmitters tested. Snake River subyearling Chinook salmon smolts implanted with the injectable tag had a higher survival probability from release to each of 11 downstream detection arrays than concurrent releases of fish surgically implanted with commercially-available tags. In addition, reach-specific survival estimates were significantly higher for the injectable group in three of the eleven reaches examined. Overall, the injectable group had a 0.263 (SE = 0.017) survival probability over the entire 500 km study area compared to 0.199 (0.012) for the surgically implanted group. The differences in survival may have been caused by warm water temperatures and higher rates of infection experienced by the surgically implanted group due to the presence of sutures acting as an attachment site for pathogens. The reduction in size and ability to implant the new transmitter via injection has further reduced the tag or tagging effect bias associated with studying small fishes. As a result, the information gathered with this new technology is helping minimize the impact of dams on fish, leading to more environmentally sustainable energy systems.« less

Intravenous versus intramuscular cobinamide compared to intravenous saline (control) in the treatment of acute, survivable, hydrogen sulfide toxicity in swine (Sus Scrofa).

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-11-09

FWH20140070A, “Intravenous versus intramuscular // compared to intravenous saline ( control ) in the treatment of acute, survivable, hydrogen sulfide toxicity... control ) in the treatment of acute, survivable, hydrogen sulfide toxicity in swine (Sus Scrofa). 4. Principal Investigator (PI): Name Rank Date...remainder of the study. Animals were treated with IV HOC, IV Cobinamide or control (no treatment) 1 minute post apnea. There were no significant

Breast cancer characteristics at diagnosis and survival among Arab-American women compared to European- and African-American women

PubMed Central

Alford, Sharon Hensley; Schwartz, Kendra; Soliman, Amr; Johnson, Christine Cole; Gruber, Stephen B.; Merajver, Sofia D.

2009-01-01

Background Data from Arab world studies suggest that Arab women may experience a more aggressive breast cancer phenotype. To investigate this finding, we focused on one of the largest settlements of Arabs and Iraqi Christians (Chaldeans) in the US, metropolitan Detroit- a SEER reporting site since 1973. Materials and Methods We identified a cohort of primary breast cancer cases diagnosed 1973–2003. Using a validated name algorithm, women were identified as being of Arab/Chaldean descent if they had an Arab last or maiden name. We compared characteristics at diagnosis (age, grade, histology, SEER stage, and marker status) and overall survival between Arab-, European-, and African-Americans. Results The cohort included 1,652 (2%) women of Arab descent, 13,855 (18%) African-American women, and 63,615 (80%) European-American. There were statistically significant differences between the racial groups for all characteristics at diagnosis. Survival analyses overall and for each SEER stage showed that Arab-American women had the best survival, followed by European-American women. African-American women had the poorest overall survival and were 1.37 (95% confidence interval: 1.23–1.52) times more likely to be diagnosed with an aggressive tumor (adjusting for age, grade, marker status, and year of diagnosis). Conclusion Overall, Arab-American women have a distribution of breast cancer histology similar to European-American women. In contrast, the stage, age, and hormone receptor status at diagnosis among Arab-Americans was more similar to African-American women. However, Arab-American women have a better overall survival than even European-American women. PMID:18415013

Breast cancer characteristics at diagnosis and survival among Arab-American women compared to European- and African-American women.

PubMed

Hensley Alford, Sharon; Schwartz, Kendra; Soliman, Amr; Johnson, Christine Cole; Gruber, Stephen B; Merajver, Sofia D

2009-03-01

Data from Arab world studies suggest that Arab women may experience a more aggressive breast cancer phenotype. To investigate this finding, we focused on one of the largest settlements of Arabs and Iraqi Christians (Chaldeans) in the US, metropolitan Detroit- a SEER reporting site since 1973. We identified a cohort of primary breast cancer cases diagnosed 1973-2003. Using a validated name algorithm, women were identified as being of Arab/Chaldean descent if they had an Arab last or maiden name. We compared characteristics at diagnosis (age, grade, histology, SEER stage, and marker status) and overall survival between Arab-, European-, and African-Americans. The cohort included 1,652 (2%) women of Arab descent, 13,855 (18%) African-American women, and 63,615 (80%) European-American women. There were statistically significant differences between the racial groups for all characteristics at diagnosis. Survival analyses overall and for each SEER stage showed that Arab-American women had the best survival, followed by European-American women. African-American women had the poorest overall survival and were 1.37 (95% confidence interval: 1.23-1.52) times more likely to be diagnosed with an aggressive tumor (adjusting for age, grade, marker status, and year of diagnosis). Overall, Arab-American women have a distribution of breast cancer histology similar to European-American women. In contrast, the stage, age, and hormone receptor status at diagnosis among Arab-Americans was more similar to African-American women. However, Arab-American women have a better overall survival than even European-American women.

Doxycycline Enhances Survival and Self-Renewal of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

PubMed Central

Chang, Mi-Yoon; Rhee, Yong-Hee; Yi, Sang-Hoon; Lee, Su-Jae; Kim, Rae-Kwon; Kim, Hyongbum; Park, Chang-Hwan; Lee, Sang-Hun

2014-01-01

Summary We here report that doxycycline, an antibacterial agent, exerts dramatic effects on human embryonic stem and induced pluripotent stem cells (hESC/iPSCs) survival and self-renewal. The survival-promoting effect was also manifest in cultures of neural stem cells (NSCs) derived from hESC/iPSCs. These doxycycline effects are not associated with its antibacterial action, but mediated by direct activation of a PI3K-AKT intracellular signal. These findings indicate doxycycline as a useful supplement for stem cell cultures, facilitating their growth and maintenance. PMID:25254347

Comparing two correlated C indices with right-censored survival outcome: a one-shot nonparametric approach.

PubMed

Kang, Le; Chen, Weijie; Petrick, Nicholas A; Gallas, Brandon D

2015-02-20

The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve is often used as a summary index of the diagnostic ability in evaluating biomarkers when the clinical outcome (truth) is binary. When the clinical outcome is right-censored survival time, the C index, motivated as an extension of area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, has been proposed by Harrell as a measure of concordance between a predictive biomarker and the right-censored survival outcome. In this work, we investigate methods for statistical comparison of two diagnostic or predictive systems, of which they could either be two biomarkers or two fixed algorithms, in terms of their C indices. We adopt a U-statistics-based C estimator that is asymptotically normal and develop a nonparametric analytical approach to estimate the variance of the C estimator and the covariance of two C estimators. A z-score test is then constructed to compare the two C indices. We validate our one-shot nonparametric method via simulation studies in terms of the type I error rate and power. We also compare our one-shot method with resampling methods including the jackknife and the bootstrap. Simulation results show that the proposed one-shot method provides almost unbiased variance estimations and has satisfactory type I error control and power. Finally, we illustrate the use of the proposed method with an example from the Framingham Heart Study. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Dusp5 negatively regulates IL-33-mediated eosinophil survival and function

PubMed Central

Holmes, Derek A; Yeh, Jung-Hua; Yan, Donghong; Xu, Min; Chan, Andrew C

2015-01-01

Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation controls diverse cellular functions including cellular survival, proliferation, and apoptosis. Tuning of MAPK activation is counter-regulated by a family of dual-specificity phosphatases (DUSPs). IL-33 is a recently described cytokine that initiates Th2 immune responses through binding to a heterodimeric IL-33Rα (ST2L)/IL-1α accessory protein (IL-1RAcP) receptor that coordinates activation of ERK and NF-κB pathways. We demonstrate here that DUSP5 is expressed in eosinophils, is upregulated following IL-33 stimulation and regulates IL-33 signaling. Dusp5−/− mice have prolonged eosinophil survival and enhanced eosinophil effector functions following infection with the helminth Nippostrongylus brasiliensis. IL-33-activated Dusp5−/− eosinophils exhibit increased cellular ERK1/2 activation and BCL-XL expression that results in enhanced eosinophil survival. In addition, Dusp5−/− eosinophils demonstrate enhanced IL-33-mediated activation and effector functions. Together, these data support a role for DUSP5 as a novel negative regulator of IL-33-dependent eosinophil function and survival. PMID:25398911

Improved survival in cystic fibrosis patients diagnosed by newborn screening compared to a historical cohort from the same centre.

PubMed

Dijk, F Nicole; McKay, Karen; Barzi, Federica; Gaskin, Kevin J; Fitzgerald, Dominic A

2011-12-01

Newborn screening (NBS) for cystic fibrosis (CF) is associated with improved early nutritional outcomes and improved spirometry in children. The aim of this study was to determine whether early diagnosis and treatment of CF with NBS in New South Wales in 1981 led to better clinical outcomes and survival into early adulthood. Retrospective observational study comprising two original cohorts born in the 3 years before ('non-screened cohort', n=57) and after ('screened'; n=60) the introduction of NBS. Patient records were assessed at transfer from paediatric to adult care by age 19 years and survival was documented to age 25 years. Non-screened patients (n=38) when compared with screened patients (n=41) had a higher rate and lower age of Pseudomonas aeruginosa acquisition at age 18 years (p ≤ 0.01). Height, weight and body mass index (BMI) z scores (all p<0.01) and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV(1))% were better in the screened group (n=41) (difference: 16.7 ± 6.4%; p=0.01) compared to non-screened (n=38) subjects on transfer to adult care. Each 1% increase in FEV(1)% was associated with a 3% (95% CI 1% to 5%; p=0.001) decrease in risk of death and each 1.0 kg/m(2) increase in BMI contributed to a 44% (95% CI 31% to 55%; p<0.001) decrease in risk of death. This accumulated in a significant survival difference at age 25 years (25 vs 13 deaths or lung transplants; p=0.01). NBS for CF leads to better lung function, nutritional status and improved survival in screened patients in early adulthood.

Survivability of Psychrobacter cryohalolentis K5 Under Simulated Martian Surface Conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, David J.; Schuerger, Andrew C.; Davidson, Mark M.; Pacala, Stephen W.; Bakermans, Corien; Onstott, Tullis

2008-01-01

Spacecraft launched to Mars can retain viable terrestrial microorganisms on board that may survive the interplanetary transit. Such biota might compromise the search for life beyond Earth if capable of propagating on Mars. The current study explored the survivability of Psychrobacter cryohalolentis K5, a psychrotolerant microorganism obtained from a Siberian permafrost cryopeg, under simulated martian surface conditions of high ultraviolet irradiation, high desiccation, low temperature, and low atmospheric pressure. First, a desiccation experiment compared the survival of P. cryohalolentis cells embedded, or not embedded, within a medium/salt matrix (MSM) maintained at 25 degrees C for 24 hr within a laminar flow hood. Results indicate that the presence of the MSM enhanced survival of the bacterial cells by 1 to 3 orders of magnitude. Second, tests were conducted in a Mars Simulation Chamber to determine the UV tolerance of the microorganism. No viable vegetative cells of P. cryohalolentis were detected after 8 hr of exposure to Mars-normal conditions of 4.55 W/m(2) UVC irradiation (200-280 nm), -12.5 degrees C, 7.1 mbar, and a Mars gas mix composed of CO2 (95.3%), N2 (2.7%), Ar (1.6%), O2 (0.2%), and H(2)O (0.03%). Third, an experiment was conducted within the Mars chamber in which total atmospheric opacities were simulated at tau = 0.1 (dust-free CO2 atmosphere at 7.1 mbar), 0.5 (normal clear sky with 0.4 = dust opacity and 0.1 = CO2-only opacity), and 3.5 (global dust storm) to determine the survivability of P. cryohalolentis to partially shielded UVC radiation. The survivability of the bacterium increased with the level of UVC attenuation, though population levels still declined several orders of magnitude compared to UVC-absent controls over an 8 hr exposure period.

Survivability of Psychrobacter cryohalolentis K5 Under Simulated Martian Surface Conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, David J.; Schuerger, Andrew C.; Davidson, Mark M.; Pacala, Stephen W.; Bakermans, Corien; Onstott, Tullis C.

2009-03-01

Spacecraft launched to Mars can retain viable terrestrial microorganisms on board that may survive the interplanetary transit. Such biota might compromise the search for life beyond Earth if capable of propagating on Mars. The current study explored the survivability of Psychrobacter cryohalolentis K5, a psychrotolerant microorganism obtained from a Siberian permafrost cryopeg, under simulated martian surface conditions of high ultraviolet irradiation, high desiccation, low temperature, and low atmospheric pressure. First, a desiccation experiment compared the survival of P. cryohalolentis cells embedded, or not embedded, within a medium/salt matrix (MSM) maintained at 25°C for 24 h within a laminar flow hood. Results indicate that the presence of the MSM enhanced survival of the bacterial cells by 1 to 3 orders of magnitude. Second, tests were conducted in a Mars Simulation Chamber to determine the UV tolerance of the microorganism. No viable vegetative cells of P. cryohalolentis were detected after 8 h of exposure to Mars-normal conditions of 4.55 W/m2 UVC irradiation (200-280 nm), -12.5°C, 7.1 mbar, and a Mars gas mix composed of CO2 (95.3%), N2 (2.7%), Ar (1.6%), O2 (0.2%), and H2O (0.03%). Third, an experiment was conducted within the Mars chamber in which total atmospheric opacities were simulated at τ = 0.1 (dust-free CO2 atmosphere at 7.1 mbar), 0.5 (normal clear sky with 0.4 = dust opacity and 0.1 = CO2-only opacity), and 3.5 (global dust storm) to determine the survivability of P. cryohalolentis to partially shielded UVC radiation. The survivability of the bacterium increased with the level of UVC attenuation, though population levels still declined several orders of magnitude compared to UVC-absent controls over an 8 h exposure period.

The impact of environmental conditions on Campylobacter jejuni survival in broiler faeces and litter.

PubMed

Smith, Shaun; Meade, Joseph; Gibbons, James; McGill, Kevina; Bolton, Declan; Whyte, Paul

2016-01-01

Campylobacter jejuni is the leading bacterial food-borne pathogen within the European Union, and poultry meat is an important vehicle for its transmission to humans. However, there is limited knowledge about how this organism persists in broiler litter and faeces. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of a number of environmental parameters, such as temperature, humidity, and oxygen, on Campylobacter survival in both broiler litter and faeces. Used litter was collected from a Campylobacter-negative broiler house after final depopulation and fresh faeces were collected from transport crates. Samples were confirmed as Campylobacter negative according to modified ISO methods for veterinary samples. Both sample matrices were inoculated with 9 log10 CFU/ml C. jejuni and incubated under high (≥85%) and low (≤70%) relative humidity conditions at three different temperatures (20°C, 25°C, and 30°C) under both aerobic and microaerophilic atmospheres. Inoculated litter samples were then tested for Campylobacter concentrations at time zero and every 2 hours for 12 hours, while faecal samples were examined at time zero and every 24 hours for 120 hours. A two-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance was used to compare mean Campylobacter concentrations in samples under the various temperature, humidity, and atmospheric conditions. C. jejuni survived significantly longer (P≤0.01) in faeces, with a minimum survival time of 48 hours, compared with 4 hours in used broiler litter. C. jejuni survival was significantly enhanced at 20°C in all environmental conditions in both sample matrices tested compared with survival at 25°C and 30°C. In general, survival was greater in microaerophilic compared with aerobic conditions in both sample matrices. Humidity, at the levels examined, did not appear to significantly impact C. jejuni survival in any sample matrix. The persistence of Campylobacter in broiler litter and faeces under various environmental conditions has

Ethnicity and health care in cervical cancer survival: comparisons between a Filipino resident population, Filipino-Americans, and Caucasians.

PubMed

Redaniel, Maria Theresa; Laudico, Adriano; Mirasol-Lumague, Maria Rica; Gondos, Adam; Uy, Gemma Leonora; Toral, Jean Ann; Benavides, Doris; Brenner, Hermann

2009-08-01

Few studies have assessed and compared cervical cancer survival between developed and developing countries, or between ethnic groups within a country. Fewer still have addressed how much of the international or interracial survival differences can be attributed to ethnicity or health care. To determine the role of ethnicity and health care, 5-year survival of patients with cervical cancer was compared between patients in the Philippines and Filipino-Americans, who have the same ethnicity, and between Filipino-Americans and Caucasians, who have the same health care system. Cervical cancer databases from the Manila and Rizal Cancer Registries and Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results 13 were used. Age-adjusted 5-year survival estimates were computed and compared between the three patient groups. Using Cox proportional hazards modeling, potential determinants of survival differences were examined. Overall 5-year relative survival was similar in Filipino-Americans (68.8%) and Caucasians (66.6%), but was lower for Philippine residents (42.9%). Although late stage at diagnosis explained a large proportion of the survival differences between Philippine residents and Filipino-Americans, excess mortality prevailed after adjustment for stage, age, and morphology in multivariate analysis [relative risk (RR), 2.07; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.68-2.55]. Excess mortality decreased, but persisted, when treatments were included in the multivariate models (RR, 1.78; 95% CI, 1.41-2.23). A moderate, marginally significant excess mortality was found among Caucasians compared with Filipino-Americans (adjusted RR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.01-1.47). The differences in cervical cancer survival between patients in the Philippines and in the United States highlight the importance of enhanced health care and access to diagnostic and treatment facilities in the Philippines.

GM-CSF production by glioblastoma cells has a functional role in eosinophil survival, activation and growth factor production for enhanced tumor cell proliferation

PubMed Central

Curran, Colleen S.; Evans, Michael D.; Bertics, Paul J.

2011-01-01

Medicinal interventions of limited efficacy are currently available for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most common and lethal primary brain tumor in adults. The eosinophil is a pivotal immune cell in the pathobiology of atopic disease that is also found to accumulate in certain tumor tissues. Inverse associations between atopy and GBM risk suggest that the eosinophil may play a functional role in certain tumor immune responses. To assess the potential interactions between eosinophils and GBM, human primary blood eosinophils were cultured with two separate human GBM-derived cell lines (A172, U87-MG) or conditioned media generated in the presence or absence of TNF-α. Results revealed differential eosinophil adhesion and increased survival in response to co-culture with GBM cell lines. Eosinophil responses to GBM cell line-conditioned media included increased survival, activation, CD11b expression and S100A9 release. Addition of GM-CSF neutralizing antibodies to GBM cell cultures or conditioned media reduced eosinophil adhesion, survival and activation, linking tumor cell-derived GM-CSF to the functions of eosinophils in the tumor microenvironment. Dexamethasone, which has been reported to inhibit eosinophil recruitment and shrink GBM lesions on contrast enhanced scans, reduced the production of tumor cell-derived GM-CSF. Furthermore, culture of GBM cells in eosinophil-conditioned media increased tumor cell viability, and generation of eosinophil-conditioned media in the presence of GM-CSF enhanced the effect. These data support the idea of a paracrine loop between GM-CSF producing tumors and eosinophil-derived growth factors in tumor promotion/progression. PMID:21705618

Nearby grandmother enhances calf survival and reproduction in Asian elephants

PubMed Central

Lahdenperä, Mirkka; Mar, Khyne U.; Lummaa, Virpi

2016-01-01

Usually animals reproduce into old age, but a few species such as humans and killer whales can live decades after their last reproduction. The grandmother hypothesis proposes that such life-history evolved through older females switching to invest in their existing (grand)offspring, thereby increasing their inclusive fitness and selection for post-reproductive lifespan. However, positive grandmother effects are also found in non-menopausal taxa, but evidence of their associated fitness effects is rare and only a few tests of the hypothesis in such species exist. Here we investigate the grandmother effects in Asian elephants. Using a multigenerational demographic dataset on semi-captive elephants in Myanmar, we found that grandcalves from young mothers (<20 years) had 8 times lower mortality risk if the grandmother resided with her grandcalf compared to grandmothers residing elsewhere. Resident grandmothers also decreased their daughters’ inter-birth intervals by one year. In contrast to the hypothesis predictions, the grandmother’s own reproductive status did not modify such grandmother benefits. That elephant grandmothers increased their inclusive fitness by enhancing their daughter’s reproductive rate and success irrespective of their own reproductive status suggests that fitness-enhancing grandmaternal effects are widespread, and challenge the view that grandmother effects alone select for menopause coupled with long post-reproductive lifespan. PMID:27282468

Nearby grandmother enhances calf survival and reproduction in Asian elephants.

PubMed

Lahdenperä, Mirkka; Mar, Khyne U; Lummaa, Virpi

2016-06-10

Usually animals reproduce into old age, but a few species such as humans and killer whales can live decades after their last reproduction. The grandmother hypothesis proposes that such life-history evolved through older females switching to invest in their existing (grand)offspring, thereby increasing their inclusive fitness and selection for post-reproductive lifespan. However, positive grandmother effects are also found in non-menopausal taxa, but evidence of their associated fitness effects is rare and only a few tests of the hypothesis in such species exist. Here we investigate the grandmother effects in Asian elephants. Using a multigenerational demographic dataset on semi-captive elephants in Myanmar, we found that grandcalves from young mothers (<20 years) had 8 times lower mortality risk if the grandmother resided with her grandcalf compared to grandmothers residing elsewhere. Resident grandmothers also decreased their daughters' inter-birth intervals by one year. In contrast to the hypothesis predictions, the grandmother's own reproductive status did not modify such grandmother benefits. That elephant grandmothers increased their inclusive fitness by enhancing their daughter's reproductive rate and success irrespective of their own reproductive status suggests that fitness-enhancing grandmaternal effects are widespread, and challenge the view that grandmother effects alone select for menopause coupled with long post-reproductive lifespan.

Transarterial chemoembolization for early stage hepatocellular carcinoma decrease local tumor control and overall survival compared to radiofrequency ablation

PubMed Central

Hocquelet, Arnaud; Seror, Olivier; Blanc, Jean-Frédéric; Frulio, Nora; Salut, Cécile; Nault, Jean-Charles; Hervé Trillaud

2017-01-01

Background & Aims To compare treatment failure and survival associated with ultrasound-guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and trans-arterial chemoembolization (TACE) for early-stage HCC in Child-Pugh A cirrhosis patients. Methods 122 cirrhotic patients (RFA: 61; TACE: 61) were well matched according to cirrhosis severity; tumor size and serum alpha-fetoprotein. TACE was performed in case of inconspicuous nodule on US or nodule with “at risk location”. Treatment failure was defined as local tumor progression (LTP) and primary treatment failure (failing to obtain complete response after two treatment session). Treatment failure and overall survival (OS) were compared after coarsened exact matching. Cox proportional model to assess independent predictive factors was performed. Results No significant difference was seen for baseline characteristics between the two groups. Mean tumor size was 3cm in both group with 41% HCC>3cm. Treatment failure rates after TACE was 42.6% (14 primary treatment failures and 12 LTP) and 9.8% after RFA (no primary treatment failure and 6 LTP) P < 0.001. TACE was the only predictive factor of treatment failure (Hazard ratio: 5.573). The 4-years OS after RFA and TACE were 54.1% and 31.5% (P = 0.042), respectively. Conclusion For Child-Pugh A patients with early-stage HCC, alternative treatment as supra-selective TACE to RFA regarded as too challenging using common US guidance decrease significantly the local tumor control and overall survival. Efforts to improve feasibility of RFA especially for inconspicuous target have to be made. PMID:27793027

The in vitro preconditioning of myoblasts to enhance subsequent survival in an in vivo tissue engineering chamber model.

PubMed

Tilkorn, Daniel J; Davies, E Michele; Keramidaris, Effie; Dingle, Aaron M; Gerrand, Yi-Wen; Taylor, Caroline J; Han, Xiao Lian; Palmer, Jason A; Penington, Anthony J; Mitchell, Christina A; Morrison, Wayne A; Dusting, Gregory J; Mitchell, Geraldine M

2012-05-01

The effects of in vitro preconditioning protocols on the ultimate survival of myoblasts implanted in an in vivo tissue engineering chamber were examined. In vitro testing: L6 myoblasts were preconditioned by heat (42 °C; 1.5 h); hypoxia (<8% O(2); 1.5 h); or nitric oxide donors: S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP, 200 μM, 1.5 h) or 1-[N-(2-aminoethyl)-N-(2-aminoethyl)amino]-diazen-1-ium-1,2-diolate (DETA-NONOate, 500 μM, 7 h). Following a rest phase preconditioned cells were exposed to 24 h hypoxia, and demonstrated minimal overall cell loss, whilst controls (not preconditioned, but exposed to 24 h hypoxia) demonstrated a 44% cell loss. Phosphoimmunoblot analysis of pro-survival signaling pathways revealed significant activation of serine threonine kinase Akt with DETA-NONOate (p < 0.01) and heat preconditioning (p < 0.05). DETA-NONOate also activated ERK 1/2 signaling (p < 0.05). In vivo implantation: 100,000 preconditioned (heat, hypoxia, or DETA-NONOate) myoblasts were implanted in SCID mouse tissue engineering chambers. 100,000 (not preconditioned) myoblasts were implanted in control chambers. At 3 weeks, morphometric assessment of surviving myoblasts indicated myoblast percent volume (p = 0.012) and myoblasts/mm(2) (p = 0.0005) overall significantly increased in preconditioned myoblast chambers compared to control, with DETA-NONOate-preconditioned myoblasts demonstrating the greatest increase in survival (p = 0.007 and p = 0.001 respectively). DETA-NONOate therefore has potential therapeutic benefits to significantly improve survival of transplanted cells. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Oral cancer/endothelial cell fusion experiences nuclear fusion and acquisition of enhanced survival potential

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Song, Kai; The State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Basic Science of Stomatology; Song, Yong

Most previous studies have linked cancer–macrophage fusion with tumor progression and metastasis. However, the characteristics of hybrid cells derived from oral cancer and endothelial cells and their involvement in cancer remained unknown. Double-immunofluorescent staining and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) were performed to confirm spontaneous cell fusion between eGFP-labeled human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and RFP-labeled SCC9, and to detect the expression of vementin and cytokeratin 18 in the hybrids. The property of chemo-resistance of such hybrids was examined by TUNEL assay. The hybrid cells in xenografted tumor were identified by FISH and GFP/RFP dual-immunofluoresence staining. We showed thatmore » SCC9 cells spontaneously fused with cocultured endothelial cells, and the resultant hybrid cells maintained the division and proliferation activity after re-plating and thawing. Such hybrids expressed markers of both parental cells and became more resistant to chemotherapeutic drug cisplatin as compared to the parental SCC9 cells. Our in vivo data indicated that the hybrid cells contributed to tumor composition by using of immunostaining and FISH analysis, even though the hybrid cells and SCC9 cells were mixed with 1:10,000, according to the FACS data. Our study suggested that the fusion events between oral cancer and endothelial cells undergo nuclear fusion and acquire a new property of drug resistance and consequently enhanced survival potential. These experimental findings provide further supportive evidence for the theory that cell fusion is involved in cancer progression. - Highlights: • The fusion events between oral cancer and endothelial cells undergo nuclear fusion. • The resulting hybrid cells acquire a new property of drug resistance. • The resulting hybrid cells express the markers of both parental cells (i.e. vimentin and cytokeratin 18). • The hybrid cells contribute to tumor repopulation in vivo.« less

A comparative, descriptive study of systemic factors and survival in elderly patients with sacral pressure ulcers.

PubMed

Jaul, Efraim; Menczel, Jacob

2015-03-01

Sacral pressure ulcers (PUs) are a serious complication in frail elderly patients. Thin tissue in the sacral area, low body mass index, and anatomical location contribute to the development of sacral PUs. A comparative, descriptive study was conducted to identify patient systemic factors associated with sacral PUs and to compare survival time in patients with and without PU. All consecutive patients with PUs (n = 77) and without sacral PUs (n = 53) admitted to the skilled nursing department of a geriatric hospital in Jerusalem, Israel between July 1, 2008 and December 31, 2011 were eligible to participate. Charts of previously admitted patients were abstracted and patients were prospectively followed until discharge, death, or the end of the study. Patient demographics, comorbidities, nutritional status, physical and cognitive function (measured using the Reisberg's Functional Assessment Staging Tool [FAST], Stages of Dementia of Alzheimer Scale, and the Glasgow Coma Scale), PU status, number of courses of antibiotic treatment during admission, length of hospitalization, and mortality were compared between patients admitted with and without a sacral PU using descriptive and univariate statistics. Logistic regression models were used to estimate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for sacral PU versus without PU by study covariate. The association between sacral PU and survival time was assessed using Kaplan-Meier models. Patients with a sacral PU were significantly older (average age 81.60 ±10.78 versus 77.06±11.19 years old, P = 0.02) and had a higher prevalence of dementia (70% versus 30%, P = 0.007), Parkinson's disease (92.3% versus 7.7%, P = 0.03), and anemia (67.7% versus 32.3%, P = 0.06) than patients admitted without a PU. Patients with a sacral PU also had a lower body mass index (23.1 versus 25.4, P = 0.04), and lower hemoglobin (10.54 versus 11.11, P = 0.03), albumin (26.2 versus 29.7, P = 0.002), and total protein levels (61.3 versus

Soymilk residue (okara) as a natural immobilization carrier for Lactobacillus plantarum cells enhances soymilk fermentation, glucosidic isoflavone bioconversion, and cell survival under simulated gastric and intestinal conditions

PubMed Central

Xiudong, Xia; Ying, Wang; Xiaoli, Liu; Ying, Li

2016-01-01

Cell immobilization is an alternative to microencapsulation for the maintenance of cells in a liquid medium. However, artificial immobilization carriers are expensive and pose a high safety risk. Okara, a food-grade byproduct from soymilk production, is rich in prebiotics. Lactobacilli could provide health enhancing effects to the host. This study aimed to evaluate the potential of okara as a natural immobilizer for L. plantarum 70810 cells. The study also aimed to evaluate the effects of okara-immobilized L. plantarum 70810 cells (IL) on soymilk fermentation, glucosidic isoflavone bioconversion, and cell resistance to simulated gastric and intestinal stresses. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to show cells adherence to the surface of okara. Lactic acid, acetic acid and isoflavone analyses in unfermented and fermented soymilk were performed by HPLC with UV detection. Viability and growth kinetics of immobilized and free L. plantarum 70810 cells (FL) were followed during soymilk fermentation. Moreover, changes in pH, titrable acidity and viscosity were measured by conventional methods. For in vitro testing of simulated gastrointestinal resistance, fermented soymilk was inoculated with FL or IL and an aliquot incubated into acidic MRS broth which was conveniently prepared to simulate gastric, pancreatic juices and bile salts. Survival to simulated gastric and intestinal stresses was evaluated by plate count of colony forming units on MRS agar. SEM revealed that the lactobacilli cells attached and bound to the surface of okara. Compared with FL, IL exhibited a significantly higher specific growth rate, shorter lag phase of growth, higher productions of lactic and acetic acids, a faster decrease in pH and increase in titrable acidity, and a higher soymilk viscosity. Similarly, IL in soymilk showed higher productions of daizein and genistein compared with the control. Compared with FL, IL showed reinforced resistance to simulatedgastric and intestinal

Soymilk residue (okara) as a natural immobilization carrier for Lactobacillus plantarum cells enhances soymilk fermentation, glucosidic isoflavone bioconversion, and cell survival under simulated gastric and intestinal conditions.

PubMed

Xiudong, Xia; Ying, Wang; Xiaoli, Liu; Ying, Li; Jianzhong, Zhou

2016-01-01

Cell immobilization is an alternative to microencapsulation for the maintenance of cells in a liquid medium. However, artificial immobilization carriers are expensive and pose a high safety risk. Okara, a food-grade byproduct from soymilk production, is rich in prebiotics. Lactobacilli could provide health enhancing effects to the host. This study aimed to evaluate the potential of okara as a natural immobilizer for L. plantarum 70810 cells. The study also aimed to evaluate the effects of okara-immobilized L. plantarum 70810 cells (IL) on soymilk fermentation, glucosidic isoflavone bioconversion, and cell resistance to simulated gastric and intestinal stresses. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to show cells adherence to the surface of okara. Lactic acid, acetic acid and isoflavone analyses in unfermented and fermented soymilk were performed by HPLC with UV detection. Viability and growth kinetics of immobilized and free L. plantarum 70810 cells (FL) were followed during soymilk fermentation. Moreover, changes in pH, titrable acidity and viscosity were measured by conventional methods. For in vitro testing of simulated gastrointestinal resistance, fermented soymilk was inoculated with FL or IL and an aliquot incubated into acidic MRS broth which was conveniently prepared to simulate gastric, pancreatic juices and bile salts. Survival to simulated gastric and intestinal stresses was evaluated by plate count of colony forming units on MRS agar. SEM revealed that the lactobacilli cells attached and bound to the surface of okara. Compared with FL, IL exhibited a significantly higher specific growth rate, shorter lag phase of growth, higher productions of lactic and acetic acids, a faster decrease in pH and increase in titrable acidity, and a higher soymilk viscosity. Similarly, IL in soymilk showed higher productions of daizein and genistein compared with the control. Compared with FL, IL showed reinforced resistance to simulatedgastric and intestinal

Survival and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes among Periviable Infants.

PubMed

Younge, Noelle; Goldstein, Ricki F; Bann, Carla M; Hintz, Susan R; Patel, Ravi M; Smith, P Brian; Bell, Edward F; Rysavy, Matthew A; Duncan, Andrea F; Vohr, Betty R; Das, Abhik; Goldberg, Ronald N; Higgins, Rosemary D; Cotten, C Michael

2017-02-16

Data reported during the past 5 years indicate that rates of survival have increased among infants born at the borderline of viability, but less is known about how increased rates of survival among these infants relate to early childhood neurodevelopmental outcomes. We compared survival and neurodevelopmental outcomes among infants born at 22 to 24 weeks of gestation, as assessed at 18 to 22 months of corrected age, across three consecutive birth-year epochs (2000-2003 [epoch 1], 2004-2007 [epoch 2], and 2008-2011 [epoch 3]). The infants were born at 11 centers that participated in the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network. The primary outcome measure was a three-level outcome - survival without neurodevelopmental impairment, survival with neurodevelopmental impairment, or death. After accounting for differences in infant characteristics, including birth center, we used multinomial generalized logit models to compare the relative risk of survival without neurodevelopmental impairment, survival with neurodevelopmental impairment, and death. Data on the primary outcome were available for 4274 of 4458 infants (96%) born at the 11 centers. The percentage of infants who survived increased from 30% (424 of 1391 infants) in epoch 1 to 36% (487 of 1348 infants) in epoch 3 (P<0.001). The percentage of infants who survived without neurodevelopmental impairment increased from 16% (217 of 1391) in epoch 1 to 20% (276 of 1348) in epoch 3 (P=0.001), whereas the percentage of infants who survived with neurodevelopmental impairment did not change significantly (15% [207 of 1391] in epoch 1 and 16% [211 of 1348] in epoch 3, P=0.29). After adjustment for changes in the baseline characteristics of the infants over time, both the rate of survival with neurodevelopmental impairment (as compared with death) and the rate of survival without neurodevelopmental impairment (as compared with death) increased over time (adjusted relative risks, 1

Temperature Influences on Diapause Induction and Survival in the Boll Weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

PubMed Central

Suh, Charles P-C

2017-01-01

Abstract The boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis grandis Boheman (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), has been the most important pest of cotton (Gossypium spp.) wherever it occurs. Although eradication programs in the United States have reduced the range of this pest, the weevil remains an intractable problem in subtropical Texas, Mexico, and much of South America. A key to managing the weevil in the subtropics and tropics might lie in better understanding its diapause and overwintering survival in regions characterized by relatively high late-season temperatures. We examined the temporal patterns of acquisition of diapause characters at 18.3, 23.9, and 29.4°C, and the effects of temperature during the diapause-induction period on subsequent host-free survival at 23.9°C. Occurrence of the diapause characters generally increased with weevil age at all temperatures but appeared more rapidly at higher temperatures. Acquisition of the diapause characters tended to occur slightly earlier in female weevils compared with the male weevils. Despite the slower development of diapause characters at lower temperatures, when adult weevils were fed under low temperatures, subsequent host-free survival was enhanced. These results are consistent with reports of increased weevil survival with delayed entry into overwintering. Our findings also suggest that the potential host-free survival facilitated by diapause occurring in subtropical or tropical production regions may be reduced compared with dormancy developing in southern temperate regions. This reduced survival potential emphasizes the importance of a maximized host-free season and suggests that the late-season diapause spray intervals should be short enough to ensure that the number of dormant weevils developing in late-season cotton is minimized.

SG2NA enhances cancer cell survival by stabilizing DJ-1 and thus activating Akt

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tanti, Goutam Kumar, E-mail: goutamjnu@hotmail.com; Pandey, Shweta; Goswami, Shyamal K.

2015-08-07

SG2NA in association with striatin and zinedin forms a striatin family of WD-40 repeat proteins. This family of proteins functions as scaffold in different signal transduction pathways. They also act as a regulatory subunit of protein phosphatase 2A. We have shown that SG2NA which evolved first in the metazoan evolution among the striatin family members expresses different isoforms generated out of alternative splicing. We have also shown that SG2NA protects cells from oxidative stress by recruiting DJ-1 and Akt to mitochondria and membrane in the post-mitotic neuronal cells. DJ-1 is both cancer and Parkinson's disease related protein. In the presentmore » study we have shown that SG2NA protects DJ-1 from proteasomal degradation in cancer cells. Hence, downregulation of SG2NA reduces DJ-1/Akt colocalization in cancer cells resulting in the reduction of anchorage dependent and independent growth. Thus SG2NA enhances cancer cell survival. Reactive oxygen species enhances SG2NA, DJ-1 and Akt trimerization. Removal of the reactive oxygen species by N-acetyl-cysteine thus reduces cancer cell growth. - Highlights: • Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play potential role in cancer cell proliferation. • It enhances the association between DJ-1 and Akt mediated by SG2NA. • In cancer cells SG2NA stabilizes DJ-1 by inhibiting it from proteosomal degradation. • DJ-1 then activates Akt and cancer cells get their property of enhanced proliferation by sustained activation of Akt. • Further study on this field could lead to new target for cancer therapy.« less

Comparative evaluation of three heat transfer enhancement strategies in a grooved channel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herman, C.; Kang, E.

Results of a comparative evaluation of three heat transfer enhancement strategies for forced convection cooling of a parallel plate channel populated with heated blocks, representing electronic components mounted on printed circuit boards, are reported. Heat transfer in the reference geometry, the asymmetrically heated parallel plate channel, is compared with that for the basic grooved channel, and the same geometry enhanced by cylinders and vanes placed above the downstream edge of each heated block. In addition to conventional heat transfer and pressure drop measurements, holographic interferometry combined with high-speed cinematography was used to visualize the unsteady temperature fields in the self-sustained oscillatory flow. The locations of increased heat transfer within one channel periodicity depend on the enhancement technique applied, and were identified by analyzing the unsteady temperature distributions visualized by holographic interferometry. This approach allowed gaining insight into the mechanisms responsible for heat transfer enhancement. Experiments were conducted at moderate flow velocities in the laminar, transitional and turbulent flow regimes. Reynolds numbers were varied in the range Re=200-6500, corresponding to flow velocities from 0.076 to 2.36m/s. Flow oscillations were first observed between Re=1050 and 1320 for the basic grooved channel, and around Re=350 and 450 for the grooved channels equipped with cylinders and vanes, respectively. At Reynolds numbers above the onset of oscillations and in the transitional flow regime, heat transfer rates in the investigated grooved channels exceeded the performance of the reference geometry, the asymmetrically heated parallel plate channel. Heat transfer in the grooved channels enhanced with cylinders and vanes showed an increase by a factor of 1.2-1.8 and 1.5-3.5, respectively, when compared to data obtained for the basic grooved channel; however, the accompanying pressure drop penalties also

OASIS 2: online application for survival analysis 2 with features for the analysis of maximal lifespan and healthspan in aging research.

PubMed

Han, Seong Kyu; Lee, Dongyeop; Lee, Heetak; Kim, Donghyo; Son, Heehwa G; Yang, Jae-Seong; Lee, Seung-Jae V; Kim, Sanguk

2016-08-30

Online application for survival analysis (OASIS) has served as a popular and convenient platform for the statistical analysis of various survival data, particularly in the field of aging research. With the recent advances in the fields of aging research that deal with complex survival data, we noticed a need for updates to the current version of OASIS. Here, we report OASIS 2 (http://sbi.postech.ac.kr/oasis2), which provides extended statistical tools for survival data and an enhanced user interface. In particular, OASIS 2 enables the statistical comparison of maximal lifespans, which is potentially useful for determining key factors that limit the lifespan of a population. Furthermore, OASIS 2 provides statistical and graphical tools that compare values in different conditions and times. That feature is useful for comparing age-associated changes in physiological activities, which can be used as indicators of "healthspan." We believe that OASIS 2 will serve as a standard platform for survival analysis with advanced and user-friendly statistical tools for experimental biologists in the field of aging research.

Survival of sheep demi-embryos in vivo and in vitro.

PubMed

Shelton, J N; Szell, A

1988-01-01

Sheep embryos (morulae and blastocysts) were bisected either by microscalpel or by microneedle after dissolving the zona pellucida with acidified Tyrode's solution. Fourteen and 11 cryopreserved demi-embryos failed to develop when transferred to recipients or placed in culture, respectively. When fresh demi-embryos were cultured in Dulbecco's phosphate buffered saline (DPBS) plus fetal calf serum (FCS) or Whitten's medium, the survival rate was 26% compared to 68% for whole embryos (P<0.01), and there was a suggestion that the presence of a zona pellucida was beneficial to survival. When two demi-embryos each within a zona pellucida were transferred into each of 10 ewes, six of them lambed to produce a total of eight lambs, including two sets of identical twins. Of 10 ewes receiving two demi-embryos without zonae pellucidae, three lambed to produce a total of four lambs, including one set of identical twins. Of 10 ewes that each received two whole embryos, 10 lambed to produce a total of 16 lambs. There was a suggestion that the zona pellucida might enhance the survival of demi-morulae but not demi-blastocysts.

Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty 3-year graft and endothelial cell survival compared with penetrating keratoplasty

PubMed Central

Price, Marianne O.; Gorovoy, Mark; Price, Francis W.; Benetz, Beth A.; Menegay, Harry J.; Lass, Jonathan H.

2012-01-01

Purpose To assess 3-year outcomes of Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) in comparison with penetrating keratoplasty (PKP) from the Cornea Donor Study (CDS). Design Prospective, multicenter, nonrandomized clinical trial. Participants A total of 173 subjects undergoing DSAEK for a moderate risk condition (principally Fuchs’ dystrophy or pseudophakic corneal edema) compared with 1101 subjects undergoing PKP from the CDS. Methods The DSAEK procedures were performed by two experienced surgeons using the same donor and similar recipient criteria as for the CDS PKP procedures, performed by 68 surgeons. Graft success was assessed by Kaplan Meier survival analysis. Central endothelial cell density (ECD) was determined from baseline donor and postoperative central endothelial images by the reading center used in the CDS Specular Microscopy Ancillary Study. Main Outcome Measures Graft clarity and endothelial cell density Results The donor and recipient demographics were comparable in the DSAEK and PKP groups, except the proportion of Fuchs’ dystrophy cases was higher in the DSAEK cohort. The 3-year survival rate did not differ significantly between DSAEK and PKP procedures performed for either Fuchs’ dystrophy (96% for both, P=0.81) or non-Fuchs cases (86% vs. 84%, respectively, P=0.41). Principal causes of graft failure/regraft within 3 years after DSAEK and PKP were immunologic graft rejection (0.6% vs. 3.1%), endothelial decompensation in the absence of documented rejection (1.7% vs 2.1%), unsatisfactory visual or refractive outcome (1.7% vs. 0.5%), and infection (0% vs. 1.1%), respectively. The 3-year predicted probability of a rejection episode was 9% with DSAEK vs. 20% with PKP (P=0.0005). The median 3-year cell loss for DSAEK and PKP was 46% and 51%, respectively (P=0.33) in Fuchs’s dystrophy cases, and 59% and 61%, respectively (P=0.70), in the non-Fuchs’ cases. At 3 years, use of a smaller DSAEK insertion incision was associated

Family network size and survival across the lifespan of female macaques

PubMed Central

Ruiz-Lambides, A.; Platt, M. L.

2017-01-01

Two decades of research suggest social relationships have a common evolutionary basis in humans and other gregarious mammals. Critical to the support of this idea is growing evidence that mortality is influenced by social integration, but when these effects emerge and how long they last is mostly unknown. Here, we report in adult female macaques that the impact of number of close adult female relatives, a proxy for social integration, on survival is not experienced uniformly across the life course; prime-aged females with a greater number of relatives had better survival outcomes compared with prime-aged females with fewer relatives, whereas no such effect was found in older females. Group size and dominance rank did not influence this result. Older females were less frequent targets of aggression, suggesting enhanced experience navigating the social landscape may obviate the need for social relationships in old age. Only one study of humans has found age-based dependency in the association between social integration and survival. Using the largest dataset for any non-human animal to date, our study extends support for the idea that sociality promotes survival and suggests strategies employed across the life course change along with experience of the social world. PMID:28515205

Evaluating and Comparing Interventions Designed to Enhance Math Fact Accuracy and Fluency: Cover, Copy, and Compare versus Taped Problems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Poncy, Brian C.; Skinner, Christopher H.; Jaspers, Kathryn E.

2007-01-01

An adapted alternating treatments design was used to evaluate and compare the effects of two procedures designed to enhance math fact accuracy and fluency in an elementary student with low cognitive functioning. Results showed that although the cover, copy, compare (CCC) and the taped problems (TP) procedures both increased the student's math fact…

A Comparative Study on Multifactor Dimensionality Reduction Methods for Detecting Gene-Gene Interactions with the Survival Phenotype

PubMed Central

Lee, Seungyeoun; Kim, Yongkang; Kwon, Min-Seok; Park, Taesung

2015-01-01

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have extensively analyzed single SNP effects on a wide variety of common and complex diseases and found many genetic variants associated with diseases. However, there is still a large portion of the genetic variants left unexplained. This missing heritability problem might be due to the analytical strategy that limits analyses to only single SNPs. One of possible approaches to the missing heritability problem is to consider identifying multi-SNP effects or gene-gene interactions. The multifactor dimensionality reduction method has been widely used to detect gene-gene interactions based on the constructive induction by classifying high-dimensional genotype combinations into one-dimensional variable with two attributes of high risk and low risk for the case-control study. Many modifications of MDR have been proposed and also extended to the survival phenotype. In this study, we propose several extensions of MDR for the survival phenotype and compare the proposed extensions with earlier MDR through comprehensive simulation studies. PMID:26339630

The Interplay Between Predation, Competition, and Nutrient Levels Influences the Survival of Escherichia coli in Aquatic Environments.

PubMed

Wanjugi, P; Fox, G A; Harwood, V J

2016-10-01

Nutrient levels, competition from autochthonous microorganisms, and protozoan predation may all influence survival of fecal microorganisms as they transition from the gastrointestinal tract to aquatic habitats. Although Escherichia coli is an important indicator of waterborne pathogens, the effects of environmental stressors on its survival in aquatic environments remain poorly understood. We manipulated organic nutrient, predation, and competition levels in outdoor microcosms containing natural river water, sediments, and microbial populations to determine their relative contribution to E. coli survival. The activities of predator (protozoa) and competitor (indigenous bacteria) populations were inhibited by adding cycloheximide or kanamycin. We developed a statistical model of E. coli density over time that fits with the data under all experimental conditions. Predation and competition had significant negative effects on E. coli survival, while higher nutrient levels increased survival. Among the main effects, predation accounted for the greatest variation (40 %) compared with nutrients (25 %) or competition (15 %). The highest nutrient level mitigated the effect of predation on E. coli survival. Thus, elevated organic nutrients may disproportionately enhance the survival of E. coli, and potentially that of other enteric bacteria, in aquatic habitats.

Survival probabilities at spherical frontiers.

PubMed

Lavrentovich, Maxim O; Nelson, David R

2015-06-01

Motivated by tumor growth and spatial population genetics, we study the interplay between evolutionary and spatial dynamics at the surfaces of three-dimensional, spherical range expansions. We consider range expansion radii that grow with an arbitrary power-law in time: R(t) = R0(1 + t/t(∗))Θ, where Θ is a growth exponent, R0 is the initial radius, and t(∗) is a characteristic time for the growth, to be affected by the inflating geometry. We vary the parameters t(∗) and Θ to capture a variety of possible growth regimes. Guided by recent results for two-dimensional inflating range expansions, we identify key dimensionless parameters that describe the survival probability of a mutant cell with a small selective advantage arising at the population frontier. Using analytical techniques, we calculate this probability for arbitrary Θ. We compare our results to simulations of linearly inflating expansions (Θ = 1 spherical Fisher-Kolmogorov-Petrovsky-Piscunov waves) and treadmilling populations (Θ = 0, with cells in the interior removed by apoptosis or a similar process). We find that mutations at linearly inflating fronts have survival probabilities enhanced by factors of 100 or more relative to mutations at treadmilling population frontiers. We also discuss the special properties of "marginally inflating" (Θ = 1/2) expansions. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Female fecundity and offspring survival are not increased through sexual cannibalism in the spider Larinioides sclopetarius.

PubMed

Deventer, S A; Herberstein, M E; Mayntz, D; O'Hanlon, J C; Schneider, J M

2017-12-01

Many hypotheses explaining the evolution and maintenance of sexual cannibalism incorporate the nutritional aspect of the consumption of males. Most studies have focused on a fecundity advantage through consumption of a male; however, recent studies have raised the intriguing possibility that consumption of a male may also affect offspring quality. In particular, recent studies suggest prolonged survival for offspring from sexually cannibalistic females. Here, we measured the protein and lipid content of males compared to insect prey (crickets), quantified female nutrient intake of both prey types and finally assessed how sexual cannibalism affects female fecundity and spiderling quality in the orb-web spider Larinioides sclopetarius. We found no evidence that sexual cannibalism increased fecundity when compared to a female control group fed a cricket. Contrary to previous studies, spiderlings from females fed a male showed reduced survival under food deprivation compared to spiderlings from the control group. Offspring from females fed a male also tended to begin web construction sooner. The low lipid content of males compared to crickets may have reduced offspring survival duration. Whether additional proteins obtained through consumption of a male translate to enhanced silk production in offspring requires further investigation. © 2017 European Society For Evolutionary Biology. Journal of Evolutionary Biology © 2017 European Society For Evolutionary Biology.

Dietary administration of the commercially available probiotics enhanced the survival, growth, and innate immune responses in Mori (Cirrhinus mrigala) in a natural earthen polyculture system.

PubMed

Ullah, Amin; Zuberi, Amina; Ahmad, Muhammad; Bashir Shah, Aqsa; Younus, Naima; Ullah, Sami; Khattak, Muhammad Nasir Khan

2018-01-01

The use of probiotics is considered effective for survival, growth and enhanced immune response in aquaculture. In the current study, effects of commercially available probiotic (Magic Plus) was investigated on survival, growth and immune response of Mori (Cirrhinus mrigala) in a polyculture system. The experiment was conducted for 90 days on 1200 fingerlings in two groups i.e. control and probiotic supplemented groups each having 600 fingerlings. Control group was fed with 35% protein basal diet without any supplements and the other group was supplemented with commercially available probiotic at the rate of (10 12  CFU kg -1 diet). After 90 days, probiotic supplemented group was characterized with significant increase (p < 0.05) in growth parameters like, total weight, total length, %weight gain, specific growth rate and survival growth rate. Immunological indices like, lysozyme activity, white blood cells, total plasma protein level and immunoglobulin (IgM) of supplemented group were also significantly (p < 0.05) enhanced. Moreover, digestive enzymes i.e. cellulase, protease and amylase were also found to be significantly (p < 0.05) hyper-active in probiotic supplemented groups. Haematological parameters like, RBCs, Hb, Hct, MCH and MCHC were also significantly (p < 0.05) increased. Thus, the current study strongly suggests that a commercially available probiotic Magic plus may serve as a healthy and immunostimulating feed additive in C. mrigala culture. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sterilization of tumor-positive lymph nodes of esophageal cancer by neo-adjuvant treatment is associated with worse survival compared to tumor-negative lymph nodes treated with surgery first.

PubMed

Mantziari, Styliani; Allemann, Pierre; Winiker, Michael; Sempoux, Christine; Demartines, Nicolas; Schäfer, Markus

2017-09-01

Lymph node (LN) involvement by esophageal cancer is associated with compromised long-term prognosis. This study assessed whether LN downstaging by neoadjuvant treatment (NAT) might offer a survival benefit compared to patients with a priori negative LN. Patients undergoing esophagectomy for cancer between 2005 and 2014 were screened for inclusion. Group 1 included cN0 patients confirmed as pN0 who were treated with surgery first, whereas group 2 included patients initially cN+ and down-staged to ypN0 after NAT. Survival analysis was performed with the Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression methods. Fifty-seven patients were included in our study, 24 in group 1 and 33 in group 2. Group 2 patients had more locally advanced lesions compared to a priori negative patients, and despite complete LN sterilization by NAT they still had worse long-term survival. Overall 3-year survival was 86.8% for a priori LN negative versus 63.3% for downstaged patients (P = 0.013), while disease-free survival was 79.6% and 57.9%, respectively (P = 0.021). Tumor recurrence was also earlier and more disseminated for the down-staged group. Downstaged LN, despite the systemic effect of NAT, still inherit an increased risk for early tumor recurrence and worse long-term survival compared to a priori negative LN. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Exogenous cytokine modulation or neutralization of interleukin-10 enhance survival in lipopolysaccharide-hyporesponsive C3H/HeJ mice with Klebsiella infection

PubMed Central

Wang, M-J; Jeng, K-C G; Ping, L-I

1999-01-01

Klebsiella pneumoniae has been isolated from liver abscesses in patients with leukaemia or diabetes. The resistance of Klebsiella infection in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-hyporesponsive mice is unclear. Female C3H/HeJ and C3H/HeN mice, 6–8 weeks old, were intraperitoneally (i.p.) injected with K. pneumoniae. The results showed that C3H/HeJ mice were 24 times more susceptible [lethal dose 50% (LD50) 250 colony-forming units] than C3H/HeN mice to K. pneumoniae infection. C3H/HeJ mice, uninfected or infected with K. pneumoniae, had higher liver interleukin (IL)-10 levels and IL-10 mRNA levels than C3H/HeN mice. Previously, pretreatment with IL-1β and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) protected C3H/HeJ mice from lethal bacterial infection. Therefore the effects of pretreatment with IL-1β and TNF-α or antimurine IL-10 antibody i.p. 1 hr before this infection in both strains of C3H mice were examined. Pretreatment with TNF-α or anti-IL-10 antibody enhanced the survival of both strains of mice. TNF-α, in combination with IL-1β, enhanced the survival and bacterial clearance better than single pretreatment in C3H/HeJ mice. Anti-IL-10 antibody increased bacterial clearance and significantly reduced liver cytokine mRNA levels in C3H/HeJ mice more than it did in the controls during infection. These results indicate that exogenous cytokine modulation or neutralization of IL-10 enhance the resistance of LD50 infection in C3H/HeJ mice. PMID:10469238

A docking study of enhanced intracellular survival protein from Mycobacterium tuberculosis with human DUSP16/MKP-7.

PubMed

Yoon, Hye Jin; Kim, Kyoung Hoon; Yang, Jin Kuk; Suh, Se Won; Kim, Hyunsik; Jang, Soonmin

2013-11-01

The intracellular pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) causes tuberculosis, and one of its secreted effector proteins, called enhanced intracellular survival (Eis) protein, enhances its survival in macrophages. Mtb Eis activates JNK-specific dual-specificity protein phosphatase 16 (DUSP16)/mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase-7 (MKP-7) through the acetylation on Lys55, thus inactivating JNK by dephosphorylation. Based on the recently reported crystal structure of Mtb Eis, a docking model for the binding of Mtb Eis to DUSP16/MKP-7 was generated. In the docking model, the substrate helix containing Lys55 of DUSP16/MKP-7 fits nicely into the active-site cleft of Mtb Eis; the twisted β-sheet of Eis domain II embraces the substrate helix from one side. Most importantly, the side-chain of Lys55 is inserted toward acetyl-CoA and the resulting distance is 4.6 Å between the NZ atom of Lys55 and the carbonyl carbon of the acetyl group in acetyl-CoA. The binding of Mtb Eis and DUSP16/MKP-7 is maintained by strong electrostatic interactions. The active-site cleft of Mtb Eis has a negatively charged surface formed by Asp25, Glu138, Asp286, Glu395 and the terminal carboxylic group of Phe396. In contrast, DUSP16/MKP-7 contains five basic residues, Lys52, Lys55, Arg56, Arg57 and Lys62, which point toward the negatively charged surface of the active-site pocket of Mtb Eis. Thus, the current docking model suggests that the binding of DUSP16/MKP-7 to Mtb Eis should be established by charge complementarity in addition to a very favorable geometric arrangement. The suggested mode of binding requires the dissociation of the hexameric Mtb Eis into dimers or monomers. This study may be useful for future studies aiming to develop inhibitors of Mtb Eis as a new anti-tuberculosis drug candidate.

Postfledging survival of European starlings

USGS Publications Warehouse

Krementz, D.G.; Nichols, J.D.; Hines, J.E.

1989-01-01

We tested the hypotheses that mass at fledging and fledge date within the breeding season affect postfledging survival in European Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris). Nestlings were weighed on day 18 after hatch and tagged with individually identifiable patagial tags. Fledge date was recorded. Marked fledglings were resighted during weekly two-day intensive observation periods for 9 weeks postfledging. Post-fledging survival and sighting probabilities were estimated for each of four groups (early or late fledging by heavy or light fledging mass). Body mass was related to post-fledging survival for birds that fledged early. Results were not clear-cut for relative fledge date, although there was weak evidence that this also influenced survival. Highest survival probability estimates occurred in the EARLY-HEAVY group, while the lowest survival estimate occurred in the LATE-LIGHT group. Sighting probabilities differed significantly among groups, emphasizing the need to estimate and compare survival using models which explicitly incorporate sighting probabilities.

An Enriched Environment Promotes Shelter-Seeking Behaviour and Survival of Hatchery-Produced Juvenile European Lobster (Homarus gammarus)

PubMed Central

Aspaas, Stian; Grefsrud, Ellen Sofie; Fernö, Anders; Jensen, Knut Helge; Trengereid, Henrik; Agnalt, Ann-Lisbeth

2016-01-01

The high loss of newly released hatchery-reared European lobster (Homarus gammarus) juveniles for stock enhancement is believed to be the result of maladaptive anti-predator behaviour connected to deprived stimuli in the hatchery environment. Our objective was to learn if an enriched hatchery environment enhances shelter-seeking behaviour and survival. In the “naïve” treatment, the juveniles were raised in single compartments without substrate and shelter whereas juveniles in the “exposed” treatment experienced substrate, shelter and interactions with conspecifics. Three experiments with increasing complexity were conducted. Few differences in shelter-seeking behaviour were found between treatments when one naïve or one exposed juvenile were observed alone. When observing interactions between one naïve and one exposed juvenile competing for shelter, naïve juveniles more often initiated the first aggressive encounter. The third experiment was set up to simulate a release for stock enhancement. Naïve and exposed juveniles were introduced to a semi-natural environment including substrate, a limited number of shelters and interactions with conspecifics. Shelter occupancy was recorded three times during a period of 35 days. Exposed juveniles occupied more shelters, grew larger and had higher survival compared with naïve juveniles. Our results demonstrate that experience of environmental complexity and social interactions increase shelter-seeking ability and survival in hatchery reared lobster juveniles. PMID:27560932

An Enriched Environment Promotes Shelter-Seeking Behaviour and Survival of Hatchery-Produced Juvenile European Lobster (Homarus gammarus).

PubMed

Aspaas, Stian; Grefsrud, Ellen Sofie; Fernö, Anders; Jensen, Knut Helge; Trengereid, Henrik; Agnalt, Ann-Lisbeth

2016-01-01

The high loss of newly released hatchery-reared European lobster (Homarus gammarus) juveniles for stock enhancement is believed to be the result of maladaptive anti-predator behaviour connected to deprived stimuli in the hatchery environment. Our objective was to learn if an enriched hatchery environment enhances shelter-seeking behaviour and survival. In the "naïve" treatment, the juveniles were raised in single compartments without substrate and shelter whereas juveniles in the "exposed" treatment experienced substrate, shelter and interactions with conspecifics. Three experiments with increasing complexity were conducted. Few differences in shelter-seeking behaviour were found between treatments when one naïve or one exposed juvenile were observed alone. When observing interactions between one naïve and one exposed juvenile competing for shelter, naïve juveniles more often initiated the first aggressive encounter. The third experiment was set up to simulate a release for stock enhancement. Naïve and exposed juveniles were introduced to a semi-natural environment including substrate, a limited number of shelters and interactions with conspecifics. Shelter occupancy was recorded three times during a period of 35 days. Exposed juveniles occupied more shelters, grew larger and had higher survival compared with naïve juveniles. Our results demonstrate that experience of environmental complexity and social interactions increase shelter-seeking ability and survival in hatchery reared lobster juveniles.

Ultrasound-based follow-up does not increase survival in early-stage melanoma patients: A comparative cohort study.

PubMed

Ribero, S; Podlipnik, S; Osella-Abate, S; Sportoletti-Baduel, E; Manubens, E; Barreiro, A; Caliendo, V; Chavez-Bourgeois, M; Carrera, C; Cassoni, P; Malvehy, J; Fierro, M T; Puig, S

2017-11-01

Different protocols have been used to follow up melanoma patients in stage I-II. However, there is no consensus on the complementary tests that should be requested or the appropriate intervals between visits. Our aim is to compare an ultrasound-based follow-up with a clinical follow-up. Analysis of two prospectively collected cohorts of melanoma patients in stage IB-IIA from two tertiary referral centres in Barcelona (clinical-based follow-up [C-FU]) and Turin (ultrasound-based follow-up [US-FU]). Kaplan-Meier curves were used to evaluate distant metastases-free survival (DMFS), disease-free interval (DFI), nodal metastases-free survival (NMFS) and melanoma-specific survival (MSS). A total of 1149 patients in the American Joint Committee on Cancer stage IB and IIA were included in this study, of which 554 subjects (48%) were enrolled for a C-FU, and 595 patients (52%) received a protocolised US-FU. The median age was 53.8 years (interquartile range [IQR] 41.5-65.2) with a median follow-up time of 4.14 years (IQR 1.2-7.6). During follow-up, 69 patients (12.5%) in C-FU and 72 patients (12.1%) in US-FU developed disease progression. Median time to relapse for the first metastatic site was 2.11 years (IQR 1.14-4.04) for skin metastases, 1.32 (IQR 0.57-3.29) for lymph node metastases and 2.84 (IQR 1.32-4.60) for distant metastases. The pattern of progression and the total proportion of metastases were not significantly different (P = .44) in the two centres. No difference in DFI, DMFS, NMFS and MSS was found between the two cohorts. Ultrasound-based follow-up does not increase the survival of melanoma patients in stage IB-IIA. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Survival and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes among Periviable Infants

PubMed Central

Younge, Noelle; Goldstein, Ricki F.; Bann, Carla M.; Hintz, Susan R.; Patel, Ravi M.; Smith, P. Brian; Bell, Edward F.; Rysavy, Matthew A.; Duncan, Andrea F.; Vohr, Betty R.; Das, Abhik; Goldberg, Ronald N.; Higgins, Rosemary D.; Cotten, C. Michael

2017-01-01

BACKGROUND Data reported during the past 5 years indicate that rates of survival have increased among infants born at the borderline of viability, but less is known about how increased rates of survival among these infants relate to early childhood neurodevelopmental outcomes. METHODS We compared survival and neurodevelopmental outcomes among infants born at 22 to 24 weeks of gestation, as assessed at 18 to 22 months of corrected age, across three consecutive birth-year epochs (2000–2003 [epoch 1], 2004–2007 [epoch 2], and 2008–2011 [epoch 3]). The infants were born at 11 centers that participated in the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network. The primary outcome measure was a three-level outcome — survival without neurodevelopmental impairment, survival with neurodevelopmental impairment, or death. After accounting for differences in infant characteristics, including birth center, we used multinomial generalized logit models to compare the relative risk of survival without neurodevelopmental impairment, survival with neurodevelopmental impairment, and death. RESULTS Data on the primary outcome were available for 4274 of 4458 infants (96%) born at the 11 centers. The percentage of infants who survived increased from 30% (424 of 1391 infants) in epoch 1 to 36% (487 of 1348 infants) in epoch 3 (P<0.001). The percentage of infants who survived without neurodevelopmental impairment increased from 16% (217 of 1391) in epoch 1 to 20% (276 of 1348) in epoch 3 (P = 0.001), whereas the percentage of infants who survived with neurodevelopmental impairment did not change significantly (15% [207 of 1391] in epoch 1 and 16% [211 of 1348] in epoch 3, P = 0.29). After adjustment for changes in the baseline characteristics of the infants over time, both the rate of survival with neurodevelopmental impairment (as compared with death) and the rate of survival without neurodevelopmental impairment (as compared with death) increased

Differences in Survival With Surgery and Postoperative Radiotherapy Compared With Definitive Chemoradiotherapy for Oral Cavity Cancer: A National Cancer Database Analysis.

PubMed

Spiotto, Michael T; Jefferson, Gina; Wenig, Barry; Markiewicz, Michael; Weichselbaum, Ralph R; Koshy, Matthew

2017-07-01

Because locally advanced oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) is often treated with surgery followed by postoperative radiotherapy (S+PORT), the effectiveness of organ preservation with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT) remains unclear. To compare the differences in survival between patients with locally advanced OCSCC treated with S+PORT or CRT. Using the National Cancer Database, this study compared 6900 patients with stage III to IVA OCSCC treated with S+PORT and CRT from 2004 through 2012 at academic and community-based cancer clinics. Comparisons were made using Kaplan-Meier methods and Cox proportional hazards regression models using the entire cohort and a propensity score-matched cohort of 2286 patients. Overall survival (OS). Of the 6900 study patients, 4809 received S+PORT (3080 male [64.0%] and 1792 [36.0%] female) and 2091 received CRT (1453 male [69.5%] and 638 [30.5%] female). Median follow-up for the entire group was 23.0 months overall but was shorter for patients receiving CRT (17.3-month) vs S+PORT (25.6 months). Patients receiving CRT were more likely to be older than 60 years, treated before 2007, live within 10 miles of the treating facility, treated at nonacademic centers, have more comorbidities, have T3 to T4a tumors, and have N2a to N2c nodal disease. Propensity score matching identified cohorts of patients with similar clinical variables. S+PORT was associated with improved survival among all patients (3-year OS: 53.9% for S+PORT vs 37.8% for CRT; difference = 16.1%; 95% CI, 13.6%-18.6%) and in the propensity score-matched cohort (3-year OS: 51.8% for S+PORT vs 39.3% for CRT; difference = 11.9%; 95% CI, 7.8%-16.0%). S+PORT was associated with improved survival among patients with T3 to T4a tumors (3-year OS: 49.7% for S+PORT vs 36.0% for CRT; difference = 16.1%; 95% CI, 13.6%-18.6%) but was not associated with improved survival among patients with T1 to T2 tumors (3-year OS: 59.1% for S+PORT vs 53.5% for CRT

Heat-killed Lactobacillus spp. cells enhance survivals of Caenorhabditis elegans against Salmonella and Yersinia infections.

PubMed

Lee, J; Choe, J; Kim, J; Oh, S; Park, S; Kim, S; Kim, Y

2015-12-01

This study examined the effect of feeding heat-killed Lactobacillus cells on the survival of Caenorhabditis elegans nematodes after Salmonella Typhimurium and Yersinia enterocolitica infection. The feeding of heat-killed Lactobacillus plantarum 133 (LP133) and Lactobacillus fermentum 21 (LP21) cells to nematodes was shown to significantly increase the survival rate as well as stimulate the expression of pmk-1 gene that key factor for C. elegans immunity upon infection compared with control nematodes that were only fed Escherichia coli OP50 (OP50) cells. These results suggest that heat-killed LP133 and LF21 cells exert preventive or protective effects against the Gram-negative bacteria Salm. Typhimurium and Y. enterocolitica. To better understand the mechanisms underlying the LF21-mediated and LP133-mediated protection against bacterial infection in nematodes, transcriptional profiling was performed for each experimental group. These experiments showed that genes related to energy generation and ageing, regulators of insulin/IGF-1-like signalling, DAF genes, oxidation and reduction processes, the defence response and/or the innate immune response, and neurological processes were upregulated in nematodes that had been fed heat-killed Lactobacillus cells compared with nematodes that had been fed E. coli cells. In this study, the feeding of heat-killed Lactobacillus bacteria to Caenorhabditis elegans nematodes was shown to decrease infection by Gram-negative bacteria and increase the host lifespan. C. elegans has a small, well-organized genome and is an excellent in vivo model organism; thus, these results will potentially shed light on important Lactobacillus-host interactions. © 2015 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

Breast cancer survival in New Zealand women.

PubMed

Campbell, Ian D; Scott, Nina; Seneviratne, Sanjeewa; Kollias, James; Walters, David; Taylor, Corey; Webster, Fleur; Zorbas, Helen; Roder, David M

2015-01-01

The Quality Audit (BQA) of Breast Surgeons of Australia and New Zealand includes a broad range of data and is the largest New Zealand (NZ) breast cancer (BC) database outside the NZ Cancer Registry. We used BQA data to compare BC survival by ethnicity, deprivation, remoteness, clinical characteristic and case load. BQA and death data were linked using the National Health Index. Disease-specific survival for invasive cases was benchmarked against Australian BQA data and NZ population-based survivals. Validity was explored by comparison with expected survival by risk factor. Compared with 93% for Australian audit cases, 5-year survival was 90% for NZ audit cases overall, 87% for Maori, 84% for Pacific and 91% for other. BC survival in NZ appears lower than in Australia, with inequities by ethnicity. Differences may be due to access, timeliness and quality of health services, patient risk profiles, BQA coverage and death-record methodology. © 2014 Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.

Coconut oil protects cortical neurons from amyloid beta toxicity by enhancing signaling of cell survival pathways.

PubMed

Nafar, F; Clarke, J P; Mearow, K M

2017-05-01

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that has links with other conditions that can often be modified by dietary and life-style interventions. In particular, coconut oil has received attention as having potentially having benefits in lessening the cognitive deficits associated with Alzheimer's disease. In a recent report, we showed that neuron survival in cultures co-treated with coconut oil and Aβ was rescued compared to cultures exposed only to Aβ. Here we investigated treatment with Aβ for 1, 6 or 24 h followed by addition of coconut oil for a further 24 h, or treatment with coconut oil for 24 h followed by Aβ exposure for various periods. Neuronal survival and several cellular parameters (cleaved caspase 3, synaptophysin labeling and ROS) were assessed. In addition, the influence of these treatments on relevant signaling pathways was investigated with Western blotting. In terms of the treatment timing, our data indicated that coconut oil rescues cells pre-exposed to Aβ for 1 or 6 h, but is less effective when the pre-exposure has been 24 h. However, pretreatment with coconut oil prior to Aβ exposure showed the best outcomes. Treatment with octanoic or lauric acid also provided protection against Aβ, but was not as effective as the complete oil. The coconut oil treatment reduced the number of cells with cleaved caspase and ROS labeling, as well as rescuing the loss of synaptophysin labeling observed with Aβ treatment. Treatment with coconut oil, as well as octanoic, decanoic and lauric acids, resulted in a modest increase in ketone bodies compared to controls. The biochemical data suggest that Akt and ERK activation may contribute to the survival promoting influence of coconut oil. This was supported by observations that a PI3-Kinase inhibitor blocked the rescue effect of CoOil on Aβ amyloid toxicity. Further studies into the mechanisms of action of coconut oil and its constituent medium chain fatty acids are warranted

Fledgling survival increases with development time and adult survival across north and south temperate zones

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lloyd, Penn; Martin, Thomas E.

2016-01-01

Slow life histories are characterized by high adult survival and few offspring, which are thought to allow increased investment per offspring to increase juvenile survival. Consistent with this pattern, south temperate zone birds are commonly longer-lived and have fewer young than north temperate zone species. However, comparative analyses of juvenile survival, including during the first few weeks of the post-fledging period when most juvenile mortality occurs, are largely lacking. We combined our measurements of fledgling survival for eight passerines in South Africa with estimates from published studies of 57 north and south temperate zone songbird species to test three predictions: (1) fledgling survival increases with length of development time in the nest; (2) fledgling survival increases with adult survival and reduced brood size controlled for development time; and (3) south temperate zone species, with their higher adult survival and smaller brood sizes, exhibit higher fledgling survival than north temperate zone species controlled for development time. We found that fledgling survival was higher among south temperate zone species and generally increased with development time and adult survival within and between latitudinal regions. Clutch size did not explain additional variation, but was confounded with adult survival. Given the importance of age-specific mortality to life history evolution, understanding the causes of these geographical patterns of mortality is important.

Cell cycle inhibitor, p19INK4d, promotes cell survival and decreases chromosomal aberrations after genotoxic insult due to enhanced DNA repair.

PubMed

Scassa, María E; Marazita, Mariela C; Ceruti, Julieta M; Carcagno, Abel L; Sirkin, Pablo F; González-Cid, Marcela; Pignataro, Omar P; Cánepa, Eduardo T

2007-05-01

Genome integrity and cell proliferation and survival are regulated by an intricate network of pathways that includes cell cycle checkpoints, DNA repair and recombination, and programmed cell death. It makes sense that there should be a coordinated regulation of these different processes, but the components of such mechanisms remain unknown. In this report, we demonstrate that p19INK4d expression enhances cell survival under genotoxic conditions. By using p19INK4d-overexpressing clones, we demonstrated that p19INK4d expression correlates with the cellular resistance to UV treatment with increased DNA repair activity against UV-induced lesions. On the contrary, cells transfected with p19INK4d antisense cDNA show reduced ability to repair DNA damage and increased sensitivity to genotoxic insult when compared with their p19INK4d-overexpressing counterparts. Consistent with these findings, our studies also show that p19INK4d-overexpressing cells present not only a minor accumulation of UV-induced chromosomal aberrations but a lower frequency of spontaneous chromosome abnormalities than p19INK4d-antisense cells. Lastly, we suggest that p19INK4d effects are dissociated from its role as CDK4/6 inhibitor. The results presented herein support a crucial role for p19INK4d in regulating genomic stability and overall cell viability under conditions of genotoxic stress. We propose that p19INK4d would belong to a protein network that would integrate DNA repair, apoptotic and checkpoint mechanisms in order to maintain the genomic integrity.

Dialysis modality and survival: Done to death.

PubMed

Trinh, Emilie; Chan, Christopher T; Perl, Jeffrey

2018-03-14

The debate surrounding whether peritoneal dialysis or hemodialysis is associated with differential survival continues as the numerous comparative studies over the past 3 decades have yielded conflicting results. Findings have also evolved over time in the setting of changing patient characteristics, advances in dialytic technologies, and the use of more robust statistical and epidemiologic approaches. Here, we will critically review the body of evidence, both historical and contemporary, comparing survival across dialysis modalities. Significant limitations of the observational nature of the current literature will be highlighted given that no adequately powered randomized controlled trials exist. Given the lack of consistency and limitations of current studies, coupled with the poor survival across both modalities, we can likely conclude that survival comparisons between both modalities do not appreciably differ. Hence, the choice of dialysis modality should not be dictated by survival comparisons, but rather be based on an individualized and informed decision making that places patient preference and lifestyle considerations at the forefront, while integrating medical factors and availability of resources and support. The emphasis of future research should move beyond survival outcomes when comparing dialysis modalities, and instead be redirected to patient-endorsed and patient-reported outcomes. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 Promotes Human Mesenchymal Stem Cell Survival and Resultant Bone Formation When Entrapped in Photocrosslinked Alginate Hydrogels.

PubMed

Ho, Steve S; Vollmer, Nina L; Refaat, Motasem I; Jeon, Oju; Alsberg, Eben; Lee, Mark A; Leach, J Kent

2016-10-01

There is a substantial need to prolong cell persistence and enhance functionality in situ to enhance cell-based tissue repair. Bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) is often used at high concentrations for osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) but can induce apoptosis. Biomaterials facilitate the delivery of lower doses of BMP-2, reducing side effects and localizing materials at target sites. Photocrosslinked alginate hydrogels (PAHs) can deliver osteogenic materials to irregular-sized bone defects, providing improved control over material degradation compared to ionically cross-linked hydrogels. It is hypothesized that the delivery of MSCs and BMP-2 from a PAH increases cell persistence by reducing apoptosis, while promoting osteogenic differentiation and enhancing bone formation compared to MSCs in PAHs without BMP-2. BMP-2 significantly decreases apoptosis and enhances survival of photoencapsulated MSCs, while simultaneously promoting osteogenic differentiation in vitro. Bioluminescence imaging reveals increased MSC survival when implanted in BMP-2 PAHs. Bone defects treated with MSCs in BMP-2 PAHs demonstrate 100% union as early as 8 weeks and significantly higher bone volumes at 12 weeks, while defects with MSC-entrapped PAHs alone do not fully bridge. This study demonstrates that transplantation of MSCs with BMP-2 in PAHs achieves robust bone healing, providing a promising platform for bone repair. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Narrower grid structure of artificial reef enhances initial survival of in situ settled coral.

PubMed

Suzuki, Go; Kai, Sayaka; Yamashita, Hiroshi; Suzuki, Kiyoshi; Iehisa, Yukihiro; Hayashibara, Takeshi

2011-12-01

The initial factors that cause a decline in the survival of in situ settled corals remain poorly understood. In this study, we demonstrated through field experiments that the design of artificial grid plates may influence the initial survival of Acropora corals, with narrower grids being the most effective. In fact, grid plates with a 2.5-cm mesh presented the highest recorded survival rate (14%) at 6 months after settlement (representing approximately 50 corals per 0.25 m(2) of plate). This is the first study where such high survival rates, matching those of cultures under aquarium conditions, were obtained in the field without using additional protective measures, such as guard nets against fish grazing after seeding. Therefore, our results provide a foundation for establishing new and effective coral restoration techniques for larval seeding, in parallel to clarifying the details of the early life stages of reef-building corals. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Convection-enhanced delivery of a synthetic retinoid Am80, loaded into polymeric micelles, prolongs the survival of rats bearing intracranial glioblastoma xenografts.

PubMed

Yokosawa, Michiko; Sonoda, Yukihiko; Sugiyama, Shin-ichiro; Saito, Ryuta; Yamashita, Yoji; Nishihara, Masamichi; Satoh, Taku; Kumabe, Toshihiro; Yokoyama, Masayuki; Tominaga, Teiji

2010-08-01

Prognosis for the patients with glioblastoma, the most common malignant brain tumor, remains dismal. A major barrier to progress in treatment of glioblastoma is the relative inaccessibility of tumors to chemotherapeutic agents. Convection-enhanced delivery (CED) is a direct intracranial drug infusion technique to deliver chemotherapeutic agents to the central nervous system, circumventing the blood-brain barrier and reducing systemic side effects. CED can provide wider distribution of infused agents compared to simple diffusion. We have reported that CED of a polymeric micelle carrier system could yield a clinically relevant distribution of encapsulated agents in the rat brain. Our aim was to evaluate the efficacy of CED of polymeric micellar Am80, a synthetic agonist with high affinity to nuclear retinoic acid receptor, in a rat model of glioblastoma xenografts. We also used systemic administration of temozolomide, a DNA-alkylating agent, which has been established as the standard of care for newly diagnosed malignant glioma. U87MG human glioma cells were injected into the cerebral hemisphere of nude rats. Rats bearing U87MG xenografts were treated with CED of micellar Am80 (2.4 mg/m(2)) on day 7 after tumor implantation. Temozolomide (200 mg/m(2)/day) was intraperitoneally administered daily for 5 days, starting on day 7 after tumor implantation. CED of micellar Am80 provided significantly longer survival than the control. The combination of CED of micellar Am80 and systemic administration of temozolomide provided significantly longer survival than single treatment. In conclusion, temozolomide combined with CED of micellar Am80 may be a promising method for the treatment of malignant gliomas.

Early Changes in Tumor Perfusion from T1-Weighted Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced MRI following Neural Stem Cell-Mediated Therapy of Recurrent High-Grade Glioma Correlate with Overall Survival

PubMed Central

Sahoo, Prativa; Frankel, Paul; Ressler, Julie; Gutova, Margarita; Annala, Alexander J.; Portnow, Jana; Aboody, Karen S.

2018-01-01

Background The aim of this study was to correlate T1-weighted dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI- (DCE-MRI-) derived perfusion parameters with overall survival of recurrent high-grade glioma patients who received neural stem cell- (NSC-) mediated enzyme/prodrug gene therapy. Methods A total of 12 patients were included in this retrospective study. All patients were enrolled in a first-in-human study (NCT01172964) of NSC-mediated therapy for recurrent high-grade glioma. DCE-MRI data from all patients were collected and analyzed at three time points: MRI#1—day 1 postsurgery/treatment, MRI#2— day 7 ± 3 posttreatment, and MRI#3—one-month follow-up. Plasma volume (V p), permeability (K tr), and leakage (λ tr) perfusion parameters were calculated by fitting a pharmacokinetic model to the DCE-MRI data. The contrast-enhancing (CE) volume was measured from the last dynamic phase acquired in the DCE sequence. Perfusion parameters and CE at each MRI time point were recorded along with their relative change between MRI#2 and MRI#3 (Δ32). Cox regression was used to analyze patient survival. Results At MRI#1 and at MRI#3, none of the parameters showed a significant correlation with overall survival (OS). However, at MRI#2, CE and λ tr were significantly associated with OS (p < 0.05). The relative λ tr and V p from timepoint 2 to timepoint 3 (Δ32 λ tr and Δ32 V p) were each associated with a higher hazard ratio (p < 0.05). All parameters were highly correlated, resulting in a multivariate model for OS including only CE at MRI#2 and Δ32 V p, with an R 2 of 0.89. Conclusion The change in perfusion parameter values from 1 week to 1 month following NSC-mediated therapy combined with contrast-enhancing volume may be a useful biomarker to predict overall survival in patients with recurrent high-grade glioma. PMID:29731779

Early Changes in Tumor Perfusion from T1-Weighted Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced MRI following Neural Stem Cell-Mediated Therapy of Recurrent High-Grade Glioma Correlate with Overall Survival.

PubMed

Sahoo, Prativa; Frankel, Paul; Ressler, Julie; Gutova, Margarita; Annala, Alexander J; Badie, Behnam; Portnow, Jana; Aboody, Karen S; D'Apuzzo, Massimo; Rockne, Russell C

2018-01-01

The aim of this study was to correlate T1-weighted dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI- (DCE-MRI-) derived perfusion parameters with overall survival of recurrent high-grade glioma patients who received neural stem cell- (NSC-) mediated enzyme/prodrug gene therapy. A total of 12 patients were included in this retrospective study. All patients were enrolled in a first-in-human study (NCT01172964) of NSC-mediated therapy for recurrent high-grade glioma. DCE-MRI data from all patients were collected and analyzed at three time points: MRI#1-day 1 postsurgery/treatment, MRI#2- day 7 ± 3 posttreatment, and MRI#3-one-month follow-up. Plasma volume ( V p ), permeability ( K tr ), and leakage ( λ tr ) perfusion parameters were calculated by fitting a pharmacokinetic model to the DCE-MRI data. The contrast-enhancing (CE) volume was measured from the last dynamic phase acquired in the DCE sequence. Perfusion parameters and CE at each MRI time point were recorded along with their relative change between MRI#2 and MRI#3 (Δ 32 ). Cox regression was used to analyze patient survival. At MRI#1 and at MRI#3, none of the parameters showed a significant correlation with overall survival (OS). However, at MRI#2, CE and λ tr were significantly associated with OS ( p < 0.05). The relative λ tr and V p from timepoint 2 to timepoint 3 (Δ 32 λ tr and Δ 32 V p ) were each associated with a higher hazard ratio ( p < 0.05). All parameters were highly correlated, resulting in a multivariate model for OS including only CE at MRI#2 and Δ 32 V p , with an R 2 of 0.89. The change in perfusion parameter values from 1 week to 1 month following NSC-mediated therapy combined with contrast-enhancing volume may be a useful biomarker to predict overall survival in patients with recurrent high-grade glioma.

Challenges in the estimation of Net SURvival: The CENSUR working survival group.

PubMed

Giorgi, R

2016-10-01

Net survival, the survival probability that would be observed, in a hypothetical world, where the cancer of interest would be the only possible cause of death, is a key indicator in population-based cancer studies. Accounting for mortality due to other causes, it allows cross-country comparisons or trends analysis and provides a useful indicator for public health decision-making. The objective of this study was to show how the creation and formalization of a network comprising established research teams, which already had substantial and complementary experience in both cancer survival analysis and methodological development, make it possible to meet challenges and thus provide more adequate tools, to improve the quality and the comparability of cancer survival data, and to promote methodological transfers in areas of emerging interest. The Challenges in the Estimation of Net SURvival (CENSUR) working survival group is composed of international researchers highly skilled in biostatistics, methodology, and epidemiology, from different research organizations in France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Slovenia, and Canada, and involved in French (FRANCIM) and European (EUROCARE) cancer registry networks. The expected advantages are an interdisciplinary, international, synergistic network capable of addressing problems in public health, for decision-makers at different levels; tools for those in charge of net survival analyses; a common methodology that makes unbiased cross-national comparisons of cancer survival feasible; transfer of methods for net survival estimations to other specific applications (clinical research, occupational epidemiology); and dissemination of results during an international training course. The formalization of the international CENSUR working survival group was motivated by a need felt by scientists conducting population-based cancer research to discuss, develop, and monitor implementation of a common methodology to analyze net survival in order

Adaptive Memory: Survival Processing Increases Both True and False Memory in Adults and Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Otgaar, Henry; Smeets, Tom

2010-01-01

Research has shown that processing information in a survival context can enhance the information's memorability. The current study examined whether survival processing can also decrease the susceptibility to false memories and whether the survival advantage can be found in children. In Experiment 1, adults rated semantically related words in a…

Leishmania donovani chaperonin 10 regulates parasite internalization and intracellular survival in human macrophages.

PubMed

Colineau, Lucie; Clos, Joachim; Moon, Kyung-Mee; Foster, Leonard J; Reiner, Neil E

2017-06-01

Protozoa of the genus Leishmania infect macrophages in their mammalian hosts causing a spectrum of diseases known as the leishmaniases. The search for leishmania effectors that support macrophage infection is a focus of significant interest. One such candidate is leishmania chaperonin 10 (CPN10) which is secreted in exosomes and may have immunosuppressive properties. Here, we report for the first time that leishmania CPN10 localizes to the cytosol of infected macrophages. Next, we generated two genetically modified strains of Leishmania donovani (Ld): one strain overexpressing CPN10 (CPN10+++) and the second, a CPN10 single allele knockdown (CPN10+/-), as the null mutant was lethal. When compared with the wild-type (WT) parental strain, CPN10+/- Ld showed higher infection rates and parasite loads in human macrophages after 24 h of infection. Conversely, CPN10+++ Ld was associated with lower initial infection rates. This unexpected apparent gain-of-function for the knockdown could have been explained either by enhanced parasite internalization or by enhanced intracellular survival. Paradoxically, we found that CPN10+/- leishmania were more readily internalized than WT Ld, but also displayed significantly impaired intracellular survival. This suggests that leishmania CPN10 negatively regulates the rate of parasite uptake by macrophages while being required for intracellular survival. Finally, quantitative proteomics identified an array of leishmania proteins whose expression was positively regulated by CPN10. In contrast, many macrophage proteins involved in innate immunity were negatively regulated by CPN10. Taken together, these findings identify leishmania CPN10 as a novel effector with broad based effects on macrophage cell regulation and parasite survival.

Comparative survival study of glial cells and cells composing walls of blood vessels in crustacean ventral nerve cord after photodynamic treatment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kolosov, Mikhail S.; Shubina, Elena

2015-03-01

Photodynamic therapy is a prospective treatment modality of brain cancers. It is of importance to have information about relative survival rate of different cell types in nerve tissue during photodynamic treatment. Particularly, for development of sparing strategy of the photodynamic therapy of brain tumors, which pursuits both total elimination of malignant cells, which are usually of glial origin, and, at the same time, preservation of normal blood circulation as well as normal glial cells in the brain. The aim of this work was to carry out comparative survival study of glial cells and cells composing walls of blood vessels after photodynamic treatment, using simple model object - ventral nerve cord of crustacean.

Aluminum carboxymethyl cellulose-rice bran microcapsules: enhancing survival of Lactobacillus reuteri KUB-AC5.

PubMed

Chitprasert, Pakamon; Sudsai, Polin; Rodklongtan, Akkaratch

2012-09-01

This research aimed to enhance the survival of Lactobacillus reuteri KUB-AC5 from heat conditioning by using microencapsulation with aluminum carboxymethyl cellulose-rice bran (AlCMC-RB) composites of different weight ratios of 1:0, 1:1, and 1:1.5. The cell/polymer suspension was crosslinked with aluminum chloride at different agitation speeds of 1200, 1500, and 2100 rpm. The AlCMC microcapsules had significantly higher encapsulation efficiency, but lower microcapsule yield than the AlCMC-RB microcapsules (p≤0.05). Scanning electron microscopy revealed the complexation between AlCMC and RB. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed hydrogen bondings between AlCMC, RB, and cells. The AlCMC-RB microcapsules had significantly lower aluminum ion and moisture contents than the AlCMC ones. After heat exposure, the viability of non-encapsulated and microencapsulated cells in the AlCMC matrix dramatically declined, while that of microencapsulated cells in the AlCMC-RB matrix was about 8 log CFU/g. The results showed the promising potential of the AlCMC-RB composite microcapsules for the protection of probiotics against heat. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Racial Disparities in Survival Among Injured Drivers

PubMed Central

Haskins, Amy E.; Clark, David E.; Travis, Lori L.

2013-01-01

Prior studies on racial and ethnic disparities in survival after motor vehicle crashes have examined only population-based death rates or have been restricted to hospitalized patients. In the current study, we examined 3 components of crash survival by race/ethnicity: survival overall, survival to reach a hospital, and survival among those hospitalized. Nine years of data (from 2000 through 2008) from the National Automotive Sampling System Crashworthiness Data System were used to examine white non-Hispanic, black non-Hispanic, and Hispanic drivers aged ≥15 years with serious injuries (injury severity scores of ≥9). By using multivariable logistic regression, we found that a driver's race/ethnicity was not significantly associated with overall survival after being injured in a crash (for blacks, odds ratio (OR) = 0.69, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.36, 1.32; for Hispanics, OR = 1.00, 95% CI: 0.59, 1.72), and blacks and Hispanics were equally likely to survive to be treated at a hospital compared with whites (for blacks, OR = 1.00, 95% CI: 0.52, 1.93; for Hispanics, OR = 1.13, 95% CI: 0.71, 1.79). However, among patients who were treated at a hospital, blacks were 50% less likely to survive 30 days compared with whites (OR = 0.50, 95% CI: 0.33, 0.76). The disparity in survival after serious traffic injuries among blacks appears to occur after hospitalization, not in prehospital survival. PMID:23371352

Likelihood of Incomplete Kidney Tumor Ablation with Radio Frequency Energy: Degree of Enhancement Matters.

PubMed

Lay, Aaron H; Stewart, Jeremy; Canvasser, Noah E; Cadeddu, Jeffrey A; Gahan, Jeffrey C

2016-07-01

Larger size and clear cell histopathology are associated with worse outcomes for malignant renal tumors treated with radio frequency ablation. We hypothesize that greater tumor enhancement may be a risk factor for radio frequency ablation failure due to increased vascularity. A retrospective review of patients who underwent radio frequency ablation for renal tumors with contrast enhanced imaging available was performed. The change in Hounsfield units (HU) of the tumor from the noncontrast phase to the contrast enhanced arterial phase was calculated. Radio frequency ablation failure rates for biopsy confirmed malignant tumors were compared using the chi-squared test. Multivariate logistic analysis was performed to assess predictive variables for radio frequency ablation failure. Disease-free survival was calculated using Kaplan-Meier analysis. A total of 99 patients with biopsy confirmed malignant renal tumors and contrast enhanced imaging were identified. The incomplete ablation rate was significantly lower for tumors with enhancement less than 60 vs 60 HU or greater (0.0% vs 14.6%, p=0.005). On multivariate logistic regression analysis tumor enhancement 60 HU or greater (OR 1.14, p=0.008) remained a significant predictor of incomplete initial ablation. The 5-year disease-free survival for size less than 3 cm was 100% vs 69.2% for size 3 cm or greater (p <0.01), while 5-year disease-free survival for HU change less than 60 was 100% vs 92.4% for HU change 60 or greater (p=0.24). Biopsy confirmed malignant renal tumors, which exhibit a change in enhancement of 60 HU or greater, experience a higher rate of incomplete initial tumor ablation than tumors with enhancement less than 60 HU. Size 3 cm or greater portends worse 5-year disease-free survival after radio frequency ablation. The degree of enhancement should be considered when counseling patients before radio frequency ablation. Copyright © 2016 American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc

Quantifying the changes in survival inequality for Indigenous people diagnosed with cancer in Queensland, Australia.

PubMed

Baade, Peter D; Dasgupta, Paramita; Dickman, Paul W; Cramb, Susanna; Williamson, John D; Condon, John R; Garvey, Gail

2016-08-01

The survival inequality faced by Indigenous Australians after a cancer diagnosis is well documented; what is less understood is whether this inequality has changed over time and what this means in terms of the impact a cancer diagnosis has on Indigenous people. Survival information for all patients identified as either Indigenous (n=3168) or non-Indigenous (n=211,615) and diagnosed in Queensland between 1997 and 2012 were obtained from the Queensland Cancer Registry, with mortality followed up to 31st December, 2013. Flexible parametric survival models were used to quantify changes in the cause-specific survival inequalities and the number of lives that might be saved if these inequalities were removed. Among Indigenous cancer patients, the 5-year cause-specific survival (adjusted by age, sex and broad cancer type) increased from 52.9% in 1997-2006 to 58.6% in 2007-2012, while it improved from 61.0% to 64.9% among non-Indigenous patients. This meant that the adjusted 5-year comparative survival ratio (Indigenous: non-Indigenous) increased from 0.87 [0.83-0.88] to 0.89 [0.87-0.93], with similar improvements in the 1-year comparative survival. Using a simulated cohort corresponding to the number and age-distribution of Indigenous people diagnosed with cancer in Queensland each year (n=300), based on the 1997-2006 cohort mortality rates, 35 of the 170 deaths due to cancer (21%) expected within five years of diagnosis were due to the Indigenous: non-Indigenous survival inequality. This percentage was similar when applying 2007-2012 cohort mortality rates (19%; 27 out of 140 deaths). Indigenous people diagnosed with cancer still face a poorer survival outlook than their non-Indigenous counterparts, particularly in the first year after diagnosis. The improving survival outcomes among both Indigenous and non-Indigenous cancer patients, and the decreasing absolute impact of the Indigenous survival disadvantage, should provide increased motivation to continue and enhance

MicroRNA-124 expression counteracts pro-survival stress responses in glioblastoma.

PubMed

Mucaj, V; Lee, S S; Skuli, N; Giannoukos, D N; Qiu, B; Eisinger-Mathason, T S K; Nakazawa, M S; Shay, J E S; Gopal, P P; Venneti, S; Lal, P; Minn, A J; Simon, M C; Mathew, L K

2015-04-23

Glioblastomas are aggressive adult brain tumors, characterized by inadequately organized vasculature and consequent nutrient and oxygen (O2)-depleted areas. Adaptation to low nutrients and hypoxia supports glioblastoma cell survival, progression and therapeutic resistance. However, specific mechanisms promoting cellular survival under nutrient and O2 deprivation remain incompletely understood. Here, we show that miR-124 expression is negatively correlated with a hypoxic gene signature in glioblastoma patient samples, suggesting that low miR-124 levels contribute to pro-survival adaptive pathways in this disease. As miR-124 expression is repressed in various cancer types (including glioblastoma), we quantified miR-124 abundance in normoxic and hypoxic regions in glioblastoma patient tissue, and investigated whether ectopic miR-124 expression compromises cell survival during tumor ischemia. Our results indicate that miR-124 levels are further diminished in hypoxic/ischemic regions within individual glioblastoma patient samples, compared with regions replete in O2 and nutrients. Importantly, we also show that increased miR-124 expression affects the ability of tumor cells to survive under O2 and/or nutrient deprivation. Moreover, miR-124 re-expression increases cell death in vivo and enhances the survival of mice bearing intracranial xenograft tumors. miR-124 exerts this phenotype in part by directly regulating TEAD1, MAPK14/p38α and SERP1, factors involved in cell proliferation and survival under stress. Simultaneous suppression of these miR-124 targets results in similar levels of cell death as caused by miR-124 restoration. Importantly, we further demonstrate that SERP1 reintroduction reverses the hypoxic cell death elicited by miR-124, indicating the importance of SERP1 in promoting tumor cell survival. In support of our experimental data, we observed a significant correlation between high SERP1 levels and poor patient outcome in glioblastoma patients

MicroRNA-124 expression counteracts pro-survival stress responses in glioblastoma

PubMed Central

Mucaj, Vera; Lee, Samuel S.; Skuli, Nicolas; Giannoukos, Dionysios N.; Qiu, Bo; Eisinger-Mathason, T.S. Karin; Nakazawa, Michael S.; Shay, Jessica E.S.; Gopal, Pallavi P.; Venneti, Sriram; Lal, Priti; Minn, Andy J.; Simon, M. Celeste; Mathew, Lijoy K.

2014-01-01

Glioblastomas are aggressive adult brain tumors, characterized by inadequately organized vasculature and consequent nutrient and oxygen (O2)-depleted areas. Adaptation to low nutrients and hypoxia supports glioblastoma cell survival, progression, and therapeutic resistance. However, specific mechanisms promoting cellular survival under nutrient and O2 deprivation remain incompletely understood. Here, we show that miR-124 expression is negatively correlated with a hypoxic gene signature in glioblastoma patient samples, suggesting that low miR-124 levels contribute to pro-survival adaptive pathways in this disease. Since miR-124 expression is repressed in various cancers (including glioblastoma), we quantified miR-124 abundance in normoxic and hypoxic regions in glioblastoma patient tissue, and investigated whether ectopic miR-124 expression compromises cell survival, during tumor ischemia. Our results indicate that miR-124 levels are further diminished in hypoxic/ischemic regions within individual glioblastoma patient samples, compared to regions replete in O2 and nutrients. Importantly, we also show that increased miR-124 expression affects the ability of tumor cells to survive under O2 and/or nutrient deprivation. Moreover, miR-124 re-expression increases cell death in vivo, and enhances the survival of mice bearing intracranial xenograft tumors. miR-124 exerts this phenotype in part by directly regulating TEAD1, MAPK14/p38α and SERP1, factors involved in cell proliferation and survival under stress. Simultaneous suppression of these miR-124 targets results in similar levels of cell death as caused by miR-124 restoration. Importantly, we further demonstrate that SERP1 re-introduction reverses the hypoxic cell death elicited by miR-124, indicating the importance of SERP1 in promoting tumor cell survival. In support of our experimental data, we observed a significant correlation between high SERP1 levels and poor patient outcome in glioblastoma patients

Impact of resilience enhancing programs on youth surviving the Beslan school siege

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate a resilience-enhancing program for youth (mean age = 13.32 years) from Beslan, North Ossetia, in the Russian Federation. The program, offered in the summer of 2006, combined recreation, sport, and psychosocial rehabilitation activities for 94 participants, 46 of who were taken hostage in the 2004 school tragedy and experienced those events first hand. Self-reported resilience, as measured by the CD-RISC, was compared within subjects at the study baseline and at two follow-up assessments: immediately after the program and 6 months later. We also compared changes in resilience levels across groups that differed in their traumatic experiences. The results indicate a significant intra-participant mean increase in resilience at both follow-up assessments, and greater self-reported improvements in resilience processes for participants who experienced more trauma events. PMID:20412559

Survival rates of birds of tropical and temperate forests: will the dogma survive?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Karr, J.R.; Nichols, J.D.; Klimkiewicz, M.K.; Brawn, J.D.

1990-01-01

Survival rates of tropical forest birds are widely assumed to be high relative to the survival rates of temperate forest birds. Much life-history theory is based on this assumption despite the lack of empirical data to support it. We provide the first detailed comparison of survival rates of tropical and temperate forest birds based on extensive data bases and modern capture-recapture models. We find no support for the conventional wisdom. Because clutch size is only one component of reproductive rate, the frequently assumed, simple association between clutch size and adult survival rates should not necessarily be expected. Our results emphasize the need to consider components of fecundity in addition to clutch size when comparing the life histories of tropical and temperate birds and suggest similar considerations in the development of vertebrate life-history theory.

A thin polymer membrane, nano-suit, enhancing survival across the continuum between air and high vacuum

PubMed Central

Takaku, Yasuharu; Suzuki, Hiroshi; Ohta, Isao; Ishii, Daisuke; Muranaka, Yoshinori; Shimomura, Masatsugu; Hariyama, Takahiko

2013-01-01

Most multicellular organisms can only survive under atmospheric pressure. The reduced pressure of a high vacuum usually leads to rapid dehydration and death. Here we show that a simple surface modification can render multicellular organisms strongly tolerant to high vacuum. Animals that collapsed under high vacuum continued to move following exposure of their natural extracellular surface layer (or that of an artificial coat-like polysorbitan monolaurate) to an electron beam or plasma ionization (i.e., conditions known to enhance polymer formation). Transmission electron microscopic observations revealed the existence of a thin polymerized extra layer on the surface of the animal. The layer acts as a flexible “nano-suit” barrier to the passage of gases and liquids and thus protects the organism. Furthermore, the biocompatible molecule, the component of the nano-suit, was fabricated into a “biomimetic” free-standing membrane. This concept will allow biology-related fields especially to use these membranes for several applications. PMID:23589878

Zinc supplementation leads to immune modulation and improved survival in a juvenile model of murine sepsis.

PubMed

Ganatra, Hammad A; Varisco, Brian M; Harmon, Kelli; Lahni, Patrick; Opoka, Amy; Wong, Hector R

2017-01-01

Children with severe sepsis are known to have altered zinc homeostasis and decreased circulating zinc levels, suggesting a role for zinc supplementation to improve outcomes. We tested the hypothesis that zinc supplementation would improve survival in a juvenile model of polymicrobial sepsis. Juvenile (13-14-d-old) C57BL/6 mice were treated with 10 mg/kg of zinc via i.p. injections (or vehicle) for 3 d prior to induction of polymicrobial sepsis via i.p. cecal slurry injections. Survival after sepsis was followed for 3 d, and bacterial clearance, ex vivo phagocytosis, systemic inflammatory markers and neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation were quantified. We found a significant survival benefit and decreased bacterial burden among zinc supplemented mice when compared with the control group. Zinc supplementation also resulted in enhanced phagocytic activity, greater neutrophil recruitment in the peritoneal cavity and NET formation, suggesting a possible mechanism for improved bacterial clearance and survival. We also noted decreased serum cytokine levels and decreased myeloperoxidase activity in lung tissue following zinc supplementation, suggesting attenuation of the systemic inflammatory response. In conclusion, zinc supplementation improves bacterial clearance, and hence survival, in juvenile mice with polymicrobial sepsis.

Tumor Surface Regularity at MR Imaging Predicts Survival and Response to Surgery in Patients with Glioblastoma.

PubMed

Pérez-Beteta, Julián; Molina-García, David; Ortiz-Alhambra, José A; Fernández-Romero, Antonio; Luque, Belén; Arregui, Elena; Calvo, Manuel; Borrás, José M; Meléndez, Bárbara; Rodríguez de Lope, Ángel; Moreno de la Presa, Raquel; Iglesias Bayo, Lidia; Barcia, Juan A; Martino, Juan; Velásquez, Carlos; Asenjo, Beatriz; Benavides, Manuel; Herruzo, Ismael; Revert, Antonio; Arana, Estanislao; Pérez-García, Víctor M

2018-07-01

Purpose To evaluate the prognostic and predictive value of surface-derived imaging biomarkers obtained from contrast material-enhanced volumetric T1-weighted pretreatment magnetic resonance (MR) imaging sequences in patients with glioblastoma multiforme. Materials and Methods A discovery cohort from five local institutions (165 patients; mean age, 62 years ± 12 [standard deviation]; 43% women and 57% men) and an independent validation cohort (51 patients; mean age, 60 years ± 12; 39% women and 61% men) from The Cancer Imaging Archive with volumetric T1-weighted pretreatment contrast-enhanced MR imaging sequences were included in the study. Clinical variables such as age, treatment, and survival were collected. After tumor segmentation and image processing, tumor surface regularity, measuring how much the tumor surface deviates from a sphere of the same volume, was obtained. Kaplan-Meier, Cox proportional hazards, correlations, and concordance indexes were used to compare variables and patient subgroups. Results Surface regularity was a powerful predictor of survival in the discovery (P = .005, hazard ratio [HR] = 1.61) and validation groups (P = .05, HR = 1.84). Multivariate analysis selected age and surface regularity as significant variables in a combined prognostic model (P < .001, HR = 3.05). The model achieved concordance indexes of 0.76 and 0.74 for the discovery and validation cohorts, respectively. Tumor surface regularity was a predictor of survival for patients who underwent complete resection (P = .01, HR = 1.90). Tumors with irregular surfaces did not benefit from total over subtotal resections (P = .57, HR = 1.17), but those with regular surfaces did (P = .004, HR = 2.07). Conclusion The surface regularity obtained from high-resolution contrast-enhanced pretreatment volumetric T1-weighted MR images is a predictor of survival in patients with glioblastoma. It may help in classifying patients for surgery. © RSNA, 2018 Online supplemental material is

Tumor Surface Regularity at MR Imaging Predicts Survival and Response to Surgery in Patients with Glioblastoma.

PubMed

Pérez-Beteta, Julián; Molina-García, David; Ortiz-Alhambra, José A; Fernández-Romero, Antonio; Luque, Belén; Arregui, Elena; Calvo, Manuel; Borrás, José M; Meléndez, Bárbara; Rodríguez de Lope, Ángel; Moreno de la Presa, Raquel; Iglesias Bayo, Lidia; Barcia, Juan A; Martino, Juan; Velásquez, Carlos; Asenjo, Beatriz; Benavides, Manuel; Herruzo, Ismael; Revert, Antonio; Arana, Estanislao; Pérez-García, Víctor M

2018-04-03

Purpose To evaluate the prognostic and predictive value of surface-derived imaging biomarkers obtained from contrast material-enhanced volumetric T1-weighted pretreatment magnetic resonance (MR) imaging sequences in patients with glioblastoma multiforme. Materials and Methods A discovery cohort from five local institutions (165 patients; mean age, 62 years ± 12 [standard deviation]; 43% women and 57% men) and an independent validation cohort (51 patients; mean age, 60 years ± 12; 39% women and 61% men) from The Cancer Imaging Archive with volumetric T1-weighted pretreatment contrast-enhanced MR imaging sequences were included in the study. Clinical variables such as age, treatment, and survival were collected. After tumor segmentation and image processing, tumor surface regularity, measuring how much the tumor surface deviates from a sphere of the same volume, was obtained. Kaplan-Meier, Cox proportional hazards, correlations, and concordance indexes were used to compare variables and patient subgroups. Results Surface regularity was a powerful predictor of survival in the discovery (P = .005, hazard ratio [HR] = 1.61) and validation groups (P = .05, HR = 1.84). Multivariate analysis selected age and surface regularity as significant variables in a combined prognostic model (P < .001, HR = 3.05). The model achieved concordance indexes of 0.76 and 0.74 for the discovery and validation cohorts, respectively. Tumor surface regularity was a predictor of survival for patients who underwent complete resection (P = .01, HR = 1.90). Tumors with irregular surfaces did not benefit from total over subtotal resections (P = .57, HR = 1.17), but those with regular surfaces did (P = .004, HR = 2.07). Conclusion The surface regularity obtained from high-resolution contrast-enhanced pretreatment volumetric T1-weighted MR images is a predictor of survival in patients with glioblastoma. It may help in classifying patients for surgery. © RSNA, 2018 Online supplemental material is

Neoadjuvant chemoradiation and surgery improves survival outcomes compared with definitive chemoradiation in the treatment of stage IIIA N2 non-small-cell lung cancer.

PubMed

Darling, Gail E; Li, Fei; Patsios, Demetris; Massey, Christine; Wallis, Adam G; Coate, Linda; Keshavjee, Shaf; Pierre, Andrew; De Perrot, Marc; Yasufuku, Kazuhiro; Cypel, Marcelo; Waddell, Tom

2015-11-01

The objective of this study was to compare survival in patients with stage IIIA (N2) non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with definitive chemoradiation (CRT) or surgery plus neoadjuvant chemoradiation or chemotherapy (CRTS). A retrospective analysis of 242 patients with stage IIIA (N2) NSCLC treated with curative intent between 1997 and 2007, identified 215 patients with surgically resectable disease. Overall survival outcomes were analysed using the Kaplan-Meier plots, log-rank tests and Cox proportional hazards models adjusting for age, gender, histology, smoking history and performance status. Recurrences were compared using competing risks methods, including the proportional subdistribution hazards regression model. CRTS was used to treat 104 patients and CRT in 111. Comparing CRTS with CRT patients, median age was 60 vs 62, 50 (48%) vs 69 (62%) were male and 65 (62.5%) vs 60 (54%) had adenocarcinoma. Of CRTS patients, 83 (80%) had a lobectomy. CRTS patients compared with CRT patients had decreased risk of recurrence at any site [hazard ratio (HR) = 0. 46, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.32-0.64 P < 0.0001], local recurrence (HR = 0.50, 95% CI: 0.29-0.87, P = 0.013), loco--regional recurrence (HR = 0.51, 95% CI: 0.33-0.78, P = 0.002) and death (HR: 0.45, 95% CI: 0.33-0.62, P < 0.0001) with a median survival of 4.2 years vs 1.7 years). Risk of distant recurrence was also reduced in the surgical group (HR: 0.57; 95% CI: 0.38-0.87, P = 0.017). Treatment-related mortality was low in both cohorts. For patients with surgically resectable stage IIIA (N2) NSCLC, neoadjuvant therapy plus surgery reduces loco-regional and distant recurrence and improves survival. Treatment-related mortality was not significantly increased compared with the patients treated with CRT alone. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.

Comparative study of conventional US, contrast enhanced US and enhanced MR for the follow-up of prostatic radiofrequency ablation.

PubMed

Feng, Chao; Hu, Bin; Hu, Bing; Chen, Lei; Li, Jia; Huang, Jin

2017-06-01

The aim of the present study was to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of different imaging methods during follow-up of prostatic radiofrequency ablation. Prostatic radiofrequency ablation (RFA) was performed in 20 healthy beagle dogs. Various imaging examinations were used to monitor the results of RFA, including conventional ultrasound (US), contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and enhanced magnetic resonance (MR). Imaging exams were performed at five phases: Immediately following RFA, one week later, one month later, three months later and six months later. The morphology for each imaging test and histological results were recorded and compared in each phase. Based on the actual results from autopsy, the accuracy of those imaging exams was evaluated. The canine prostate gland demonstrated typical coagulative necrosis immediately following RFA. The lesion would develop into stable cyst if no other complications occurred within the six-month follow-up. Regarding the RFA lesion volume measurement and the reflection of pathological changes, conventional US was not able to accurately measure the volume of RFA lesion and missed many more details concerning the RFA-treated area than CEUS and MR during the three months. The results from CEUS exhibited comparable accuracy to those from enhanced MR at each phase. However, there were no significant differences in the results from US, CEUS and MR at six months, which may contribute to the complete formation of lesion cyst. In the early phase, conventional US was not sufficient for evaluating the efficacy of RFA. Enhanced US and MR provided clear images and accurate information. However, CEUS has the advantage of being more economical, using more convenient equipment and faster scanning, thus identifying it as the more feasible choice. Furthermore, no notable advantages were observed among any image examinations in the long-term follow-up.

Hes-1 SUMOylation by protein inhibitor of activated STAT1 enhances the suppressing effect of Hes-1 on GADD45α expression to increase cell survival

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Hairy and Enhancer of split 1 (Hes-1) is a transcriptional repressor that plays an important role in neuronal differentiation and development, but post-translational modifications of Hes-1 are much less known. In the present study, we aimed to investigate whether Hes-1 could be SUMO-modified and identify the candidate SUMO acceptors on Hes-1. We also wished to examine the role of the SUMO E3 ligase protein inhibitor of activated STAT1 (PIAS1) in SUMOylation of Hes-1 and the molecular mechanism of Hes-1 SUMOylation. Further, we aimed to identify the molecular target of Hes-1 and examine how Hes-1 SUMOylation affects its molecular target to affect cell survival. Results In this study, by using HEK293T cells, we have found that Hes-1 could be SUMO-modified and Hes-1 SUMOylation was greatly enhanced by the SUMO E3 ligase PIAS1 at Lys8, Lys27 and Lys39. Furthermore, Hes-1 SUMOylation stabilized the Hes-1 protein and increased the transcriptional suppressing activity of Hes-1 on growth arrest and DNA damage-inducible protein alpha (GADD45α) expression. Overexpression of GADD45α increased, whereas knockdown of GADD45αα expression decreased cell apoptosis. In addition, H2O2 treatment increased the association between PIAS1 and Hes-1 and enhanced the SUMOylation of Hes-1 for endogenous protection. Overexpression of Hes-1 decreased H2O2-induced cell death, but this effect was blocked by transfection of the Hes-1 triple sumo-mutant (Hes-1 3KR). Overexpression of PIAS1 further facilitated the anti-apoptotic effect of Hes-1. Moreover, Hes-1 SUMOylation was independent of Hes-1 phosphorylation and vice versa. Conclusions The present results revealed, for the first time, that Hes-1 could be SUMO-modified by PIAS1 and GADD45α is a novel target of Hes-1. Further, Hes-1 SUMOylation mediates cell survival through enhanced suppression of GADD45α expression. These results revealed a novel role of Hes-1 in addition to its involvement in Notch signaling. They also

Social Familiarity Reduces Reaction Times and Enhances Survival of Group-Living Predatory Mites under the Risk of Predation

PubMed Central

Strodl, Markus Andreas; Schausberger, Peter

2012-01-01

Background Social familiarity, which is based on the ability to recognise familiar conspecific individuals following prior association, may affect all major life activities of group-living animals such as foraging, reproduction and anti-predator behaviours. A scarcely experimentally tested explanation why social familiarity is beneficial for group-living animals is provided by limited attention theory. Limited attention theory postulates that focusing on a given task, such as inspection and assessment of unfamiliar group members, has cognitive and associated physiological and behavioural costs with respect to the attention paid to other tasks, such as anti-predator vigilance and response. Accordingly, we hypothesised that social familiarity enhances the anti-predator success of group-living predatory mites, Phytoseiulus persimilis, confronted with an intraguild predator, the predatory mite Amblyseius andersoni. Methodology/Principal Findings We videotaped and analysed the response of two P. persimilis larvae, held in familiar or unfamiliar pairs, to attacks by a gravid A. andersoni female, using the behavioural analyses software EthoVision Pro®. Familiar larvae were more frequently close together, reacted more quickly to predator attacks, survived more predator encounters and survived longer than unfamiliar larvae. Significance In line with the predictions of limited attention theory, we suggest that social familiarity improves anti-predator behaviours because it allows prey to shift attention to other tasks rather than group member assessment. PMID:22927997

Comparative Study of Antenna Elements for TDRSS Enhanced Multiple Access System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kory, Carol L.; Lambert, Kevin; Acosta, Roberto; Nessel, James

2006-01-01

We compare three antennas, which are candidates for the TDRSS-Continuation enhanced MA array antenna elements. Measured and simulated data show very good agreement for all antenna elements. All of the antennas meet the specifications with the exception of the SBA isolation. However, improvements can likely be made with further design efforts.

Seaweeds and plastic debris can influence the survival of faecal indicator organisms in beach environments.

PubMed

Quilliam, Richard S; Jamieson, Julie; Oliver, David M

2014-07-15

The revised Bathing Water Directive (rBWD) introduces more stringent standards for microbial water quality and promotes more pro-active management of the beach environment through the production of a bathing water profile (BWP). The aim of this study was to determine whether living seaweeds in the littoral zone are colonised by faecal indicator organisms (FIOs), and to quantify the survival dynamics of waterborne Escherichia coli in microcosms containing senescing seaweeds. Living seaweed (Fucus spiralis) was not associated with FIO colonisation, although could be providing a protected environment in the underlying sand. Senescing seaweeds enhanced waterborne E. coli survival compared to plastic debris, with the brown seaweed Laminaria saccharina facilitating greater E. coli persistence than either Chondrus crispus or Ulva lactuca. This has important implications for FIO survival on bathing beaches as the majority of beach-cast biomass is composed of brown seaweeds, which could support significant levels of FIOs. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Percutaneous radiofrequency ablation for early hepatocellular carcinoma: Risk factors for survival

PubMed Central

Kikuchi, Luciana; Menezes, Marcos; Chagas, Aline L; Tani, Claudia M; Alencar, Regiane SSM; Diniz, Marcio A; Alves, Venâncio AF; D’Albuquerque, Luiz Augusto Carneiro; Carrilho, Flair José

2014-01-01

AIM: To evaluate outcomes of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) therapy for early hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and identify survival- and recurrence-related factors. METHODS: Consecutive patients diagnosed with early HCC by computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (single nodule of ≤ 5 cm, or multi- (up to 3) nodules of ≤ 3 cm each) and who underwent RFA treatment with curative intent between January 2010 and August 2011 at the Instituto do Câncer do Estado de São Paulo, Brazil were enrolled in the study. RFA of the liver tumors (with 1.0 cm ablative margin) was carried out under CT-fluoro scan and ultrasonic image guidance of the percutaneous ablation probes. Procedure-related complications were recorded. At 1-mo post-RFA and 3-mo intervals thereafter, CT and MRI were performed to assess outcomes of complete response (absence of enhancing tissue at the tumor site) or incomplete response (enhancing tissue remaining at the tumor site). Overall survival and disease-free survival rates were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method and compared by the log rank test or simple Cox regression. The effect of risk factors on survival was assessed by the Cox proportional hazard model. RESULTS: A total of 38 RFA sessions were performed during the study period on 34 patients (age in years: mean, 63 and range, 49-84). The mean follow-up time was 22 mo (range, 1-33). The study population showed predominance of male sex (76%), less severe liver disease (Child-Pugh A, n = 26; Child-Pugh B, n = 8), and single tumor (65%). The maximum tumor diameters ranged from 10 to 50 mm (median, 26 mm). The initial (immediately post-procedure) rate of RFA-induced complete tumor necrosis was 90%. The probability of achieving complete response was significantly greater in patients with a single nodule (vs patients with multi-nodules, P = 0.04). Two patients experienced major complications, including acute pulmonary edema (resolved with intervention) and intestinal perforation

Enhancing neonatal survival: what can we do today?

PubMed

Daga, S; Daga, A; Mhatre, S; Ghane, V

2016-08-01

Neonatal deaths account for 44% of the world's under-5 child mortality. Over half of all neonatal deaths globally occur in preterm babies. Therefore, improving care of a preterm baby is particularly important to reduce under-5 mortality. The objective of this study was to spell out components of care of preterm/low birth weight babies at first level health facility and at first referral unit (FRU) in low resource settings. We have analyzed weight-wise survivals at two hospitals attached to medical colleges, J.J. Hospital, Mumbai and General Hospital, Talegaon, and at Rural Hospital, Dahanu. There were three-tier interventions: (i) warmth+ feeding and antibiotics, (ii) improved care at birth plus increased oxygen availability and (iii) use of dopamine. J.J. Hospital went through all these stages one after another; General Hospital had all three going simultaneously. The Rural Hospital had a 1+2. During 1978 to 1984, J.J. Hospital saved 50 to 55% very low birth weight (VLBW) babies by providing warmth, feeding and antibiotics. This percentage increased to 56 to 58%, when adequate oxygen and good care at birth was available (1984 to 1989). For babies in the moderately low birth weight category (MLBW), 1500 to 2000 g at birth, the corresponding figures were 56 to 58% and 84 to 86%. The same interventions led to statistically significant decline in MLBW and VLBW categories at General Hospital, Talegaon (2010 to 2013). The Rural Hospital, Dahanu (1987 to 1992) achieved better survival rates in VLBW (61.5%) and MLBW (92.5%) categories with identical interventions and less staff. On the basis of our results, we suggest that in resource-limited settings, the first level health facility may be able to look after short-stay babies that weigh more than 1500 g and that have no respiratory distress. The FRU may look after MLBW babies, with or without respiratory distress, and VLBW babies without respiratory distress by giving special care.

Smolt Monitoring Program Comparative Survival Rate Study (CSS); Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Annual Report 2001-2002.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jonasson, Brian; Carmichael, Richard

2003-05-01

We PIT-tagged juvenile spring chinook salmon reared at Lookingglass Hatchery in October 2001 as part of the Comparative Survival Rate Study (CSS) for migratory year (MY) 2002. We tagged 20,998 Imnaha stock spring chinook salmon, and after mortality and tag loss, we allowed the remaining 20,920 fish to leave the acclimation pond at our Imnaha River satellite facility beginning 21 March 2002 to begin their seaward migration. The fish remaining in the pond were forced out on 17 April 2002. We tagged 20,973 Catherine Creek stock captive brood progeny spring chinook salmon, and after mortality and tag loss, we allowedmore » the remaining 20,796 fish to leave the acclimation ponds at our Catherine Creek satellite facility beginning 1 April 2001 to begin their seaward migration. The fish remaining in the ponds were forced out on 15 April 2001. We estimated survival rates, from release to Lower Granite Dam in MY 2002, for three stocks of hatchery spring chinook salmon tagged at Lookingglass Hatchery to determine their relative migration performance. Imnaha River stock and Lostine River stock survival rates were similar and were higher than the survival rate of Catherine Creek stock. We PIT-tagged 20,950 BY 2001 Imnaha River stock and 20,820 BY 2001 Catherine Creek stock captive brood progeny in October 2002 as part of the CSS for MY 2003. At the time the fish were transferred from Lookingglass Hatchery to the acclimation site, the rates of mortality and tag loss for Imnaha River stock were 0.14% and 0.06%, respectively. Catherine Creek stock, during the same period, had rates of mortality and tag loss of 0.57% and 0.31%, respectively. There was slightly elevated mortality, primarily from BKD, in one raceway of Catherine Creek stock at Lookingglass Hatchery for BY 2001.« less

PEGylated G-CSF (BBT-015), GM-CSF (BBT-007), and IL-11 (BBT-059) analogs enhance survival and hematopoietic cell recovery in a mouse model of the hematopoietic syndrome of the acute radiation syndrome.

PubMed

Plett, Paul Artur; Chua, Hui Lin; Sampson, Carol H; Katz, Barry P; Fam, Christine M; Anderson, Lana J; Cox, George N; Orschell, Christie M

2014-01-01

Hematopoietic growth factors (HGF) are recommended therapy for high dose radiation exposure, but unfavorable administration schedules requiring early and repeat dosing limit the logistical ease with which they can be used. In this report, using a previously described murine model of H-ARS, survival efficacy and effect on hematopoietic recovery of unique PEGylated HGF were investigated. The PEGylated-HGFs possess longer half-lives and more potent hematopoietic properties than corresponding non-PEGylated-HGFs. C57BL/6 mice underwent single dose lethal irradiation (7.76-8.72 Gy, Cs, 0.62-1.02 Gy min) and were treated with various dosing regimens of 0.1, 0.3, and 1.0 mg kg of analogs of human PEG-G-CSF, murine PEG-GM-CSF, or human PEG-IL-11. Mice were administered one of the HGF analogs at 24-28 h post irradiation, and in some studies, additional doses given every other day (beginning with the 24-28 h dose) for a total of three or nine doses. Thirty-day (30 d) survival was significantly increased with only one dose of 0.3 mg kg of PEG-G-CSF and PEG-IL-11 or three doses of 0.3 mg kg of PEG-GM-CSF (p ≤ 0.006). Enhanced survival correlated with consistently and significantly enhanced WBC, NE, RBC, and PLT recovery for PEG-G- and PEG-GM-CSF, and enhanced RBC and PLT recovery for PEG-IL-11 (p ≤ 0.05). Longer administration schedules or higher doses did not provide a significant additional survival benefit over the shorter, lower dose, schedules. These data demonstrate the efficacy of BBT's PEG-HGF to provide significantly increased survival with fewer injections and lower drug doses, which may have significant economic and logistical value in the aftermath of a radiation event.

A Comparative Study of Defibrillator Leads at a Large-Volume Implanting Hospital: Results From the Pacemaker and Implantable Defibrillator Leads Survival Study ("PAIDLESS").

PubMed

Cohen, Todd J; Asheld, Wilbur J; Germano, Joseph; Islam, Shahidul; Patel, Dhimesh

2015-06-01

The purpose of the study was to examine survival in the implantable defibrillator subset of implanted leads at a large-volume implanting hospital. Implantable lead survival has been the subject of many multicenter studies over the past decade. Fewer large implanting volume single-hospital studies have examined defibrillator lead failure as it relates to patient survival and lead construction. This investigator-initiated retrospective study examined defibrillator lead failure in those who underwent implantation of a defibrillator between February 1, 1996 and December 31, 2011. Lead failure was defined as: failure to capture/sense, abnormal pacing and/or defibrillator impedance, visual insulation defect or lead fracture, extracardiac stimulation, cardiac perforation, tricuspid valve entrapment, lead tip fracture and/or lead dislodgment. Patient characteristics, implant approach, lead manufacturers, lead models, recalled status, patient mortality, and core lead design elements were compared using methods that include Kaplan Meier analysis, univariate and multivariable Cox regression models. A total of 4078 defibrillator leads were implanted in 3802 patients (74% male; n = 2812) with a mean age of 70 ± 13 years at Winthrop University Hospital. Lead manufacturers included: Medtronic: [n = 1834; 801 recalled]; St. Jude Medical: [n = 1707; 703 recalled]; Boston Scientific: [n = 537; 0 recalled]. Kaplan-Meier analysis adjusted for multiple comparisons revealed that both Boston Scientific's and St. Jude Medical's leads had better survival than Medtronic's leads (P<.001 and P=.01, respectively). Lead survival was comparable between Boston Scientific and St. Jude Medical (P=.80). A total of 153 leads failed (3.5% of all leads) during the study. There were 99 lead failures from Medtronic (5.4% failure rate); 56 were recalled Sprint Fidelis leads. There were 36 lead failures from St. Jude (2.1% failure rate); 20 were recalled Riata or Riata ST leads. There were 18 lead

Interleukin-9 enhances interleukin-5 receptor expression, differentiation, and survival of human eosinophils.

PubMed

Gounni, A S; Gregory, B; Nutku, E; Aris, F; Latifa, K; Minshall, E; North, J; Tavernier, J; Levit, R; Nicolaides, N; Robinson, D; Hamid, Q

2000-09-15

Interleukin-9 (IL-9) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of allergic disorders. To examine the interaction between IL-9 and eosinophils, we evaluated mature peripheral blood eosinophils for their expression of the specific alpha-subunit of the IL-9 receptor (IL-9R-alpha). The expression of IL-9R-alpha by human eosinophils was detected at the messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein levels by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), flow cytometry, and immunocytochemical analysis, respectively. Functional analyses demonstrated that recombinant human (rh)IL-9 inhibited in vitro peripheral blood human eosinophil apoptosis in a concentration-dependent manner. We then examined the role of IL-9 in eosinophil differentiation using the human cord blood CD34(+) cells and human promyelocytic leukemia cells (HL-60). The addition of IL-9 to CD34(+) cells cultured in IL-3 and IL-5 enhanced eosinophil development, and IL-9 alone induced the expression of IL-5R-alpha. IL-9 also up-regulated the IL-5R-alpha chain cell surface expression during terminal eosinophil differentiation of the HL-60 cell line. Our findings suggest that IL-9 may potentiate in vivo eosinophil function by increasing their survival and IL-5-mediated differentiation and maturation. Taken together, these results suggest a mechanism by which IL-9 potentiates airway and tissue eosinophilia.

l-Arginine Uptake by Cationic Amino Acid Transporter Promotes Intra-Macrophage Survival of Leishmania donovani by Enhancing Arginase-Mediated Polyamine Synthesis

PubMed Central

Mandal, Abhishek; Das, Sushmita; Kumar, Ajay; Roy, Saptarshi; Verma, Sudha; Ghosh, Ayan Kumar; Singh, Ruby; Abhishek, Kumar; Saini, Savita; Sardar, Abul Hasan; Purkait, Bidyut; Kumar, Ashish; Mandal, Chitra; Das, Pradeep

2017-01-01

The survival of intracellular protozoan parasite, Leishmania donovani, the causative agent of Indian visceral leishmaniasis (VL), depends on the activation status of macrophages. l-Arginine, a semi-essential amino acid plays a crucial regulatory role for activation of macrophages. However, the role of l-arginine transport in VL still remains elusive. In this study, we demonstrated that intra-macrophage survival of L. donovani depends on the availability of extracellular l-arginine. Infection of THP-1-derived macrophage/human monocyte-derived macrophage (hMDM) with Leishmania, resulted in upregulation of l-arginine transport. While investigating the involvement of the transporters, we observed that Leishmania survival was greatly impaired when the transporters were blocked either using inhibitor or siRNA-mediated downregulation. CAT-2 was found to be the main isoform associated with l-arginine transport in L. donovani-infected macrophages. l-arginine availability and its transport regulated the host arginase in Leishmania infection. Arginase and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression were reciprocally regulated when assayed using specific inhibitors and siRNA-mediated downregulation. Interestingly, induction of iNOS expression and nitric oxide production were observed in case of inhibition of arginase in infected macrophages. Furthermore, inhibition of l-arginine transport as well as arginase resulted in decreased polyamine production, limiting parasite survival inside macrophages. l-arginine availability and transport regulated Th1/Th2 cytokine levels in case of Leishmania infection. Upregulation of l-arginine transport, induction of host arginase, and enhanced polyamine production were correlated with increased level of IL-10 and decreased level of IL-12 and TNF-α in L. donovani-infected macrophages. Our findings provide clear evidence for targeting the metabolism of l-arginine and l-arginine-metabolizing enzymes as an important therapeutic and

Survival of hatchery-reared lake trout stocked near shore and off shore in Lake Ontario

USGS Publications Warehouse

Elrod, Joseph H.

1997-01-01

Establishing a stock of mature, hatchery-reared fish is necessary to restore a self-sustaining population of lake trout Salvelinus namaycush in Lake Ontario. Stocking fish off shore rather than near shore to reduce predation on these fish by large lake trout or piscivorous birds may enhance survival of hatchery-reared fish and accelerate establishment of a population of adults. Results of an earlier study did not support routinely stocking fish off shore by helicopter in Lake Ontario, but stresses associated with helicopter stocking suggested another method of transporting fish off shore might enhance survival. I conducted this study to determine whether stocking lake trout off shore by barge would enhance first-year survival. Two lots of yearling lake trout were stocked at each of four locations in Lake Ontario in May 1992. One lot was stocked from shore, and an identical lot was transported by barge 3.4–10.4 km off shore of nearshore locations and stocked in water 46–52 m deep. Fish were recovered during trawl, gillnet, and creel surveys in 1992–1996. First-year survival of lake trout stocked off shore tended to be better than that of fish stocked near shore. Predation by double-crested cormorantsPhalacrocorax auritus likely affected survival of fish stocked near shore at two locations, 7 and 37 km, respectively, from a nesting colony of 5,443 pairs of double-crested cormorants. Predation by large lake trout remains a viable hypothesis, which explains, at least partially, lower survival of lake trout stocked near shore at two other locations. Stocking lake trout off shore of traditional nearshore stocking sites likely will enhance first-year survival of hatchery-reared fish and promote accumulation of an adult population, especially for those occassions where nearshore stocking locations are near nesting colonies of double-crested cormorants.

Disparities in cervical cancer survival among Asian American women

PubMed Central

Nghiem, Van T.; Davies, Kalatu R.; Chan, Wenyaw; Mulla, Zuber D.; Cantor, Scott B.

2015-01-01

Purpose We compared overall survival and influencing factors between Asian American women as a whole and by subgroup with white women with cervical cancer. Methods Cervical cancer data were from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry; socioeconomic information was from the Area Health Resource File. We used standard tests to compare characteristics between groups; the Kaplan-Meier method with log-rank test to assess overall survival and compare it between groups; and Cox proportional hazards models to determine the effect of race and other covariates on overall survival (with/without age-stratification). Results Being 3.3 years older than white women at diagnosis (p<0.001), Asian American women were more likely to be in a spousal relationship, had more progressive disease, and were better off socioeconomically. Women of Filipino, Japanese, and Korean origin had similar clinical characteristics compared with white women. Asian American women had higher 36- and 60-month survival rates (p=0.004 and p=0.013, respectively), higher overall survival rates (p=0.049), and longer overall survival durations after adjusting for age and other covariates (hazard ratio=0.77, 95% confidence interval: 0.68–0.86). Overall survival differed across age strata between the two racial groups. With the exception of women of Japanese or Korean origin, Asian American women grouped by geographic origin had better overall survival than white women. Conclusions Although Asian American women, except those of Japanese or Korean origin, had better overall survival than white women, their older age at cervical cancer diagnosis suggests that they have less access to screening programs. PMID:26552330

Disparities in cervical cancer survival among Asian-American women.

PubMed

Nghiem, Van T; Davies, Kalatu R; Chan, Wenyaw; Mulla, Zuber D; Cantor, Scott B

2016-01-01

We compared overall survival and influencing factors between Asian-American women as a whole and by subgroup with white women with cervical cancer. Cervical cancer data were from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry; socioeconomic information was from the Area Health Resource File. We used standard tests to compare characteristics between groups; the Kaplan-Meier method with log-rank test to assess overall survival and compare it between groups; and Cox proportional hazards models to determine the effect of race and other covariates on overall survival (with and/or without age stratification). Being 3.3 years older than white women at diagnosis (P < .001), Asian-American women were more likely to be in a spousal relationship, had more progressive disease, and were better off socioeconomically. Women of Filipino, Japanese, and Korean origin had similar clinical characteristics compared to white women. Asian-American women had higher 36- and 60-month survival rates (P = .004 and P = .013, respectively), higher overall survival rates (P = .049), and longer overall survival durations after adjusting for age and other covariates (hazard ratio = 0.77, 95% confidence interval: 0.68-0.86). Overall survival differed across age strata between the two racial groups. With the exception of women of Japanese or Korean origin, Asian-American women grouped by geographic origin had better overall survival than white women. Although Asian-American women, except those of Japanese or Korean origin, had better overall survival than white women, their older age at cervical cancer diagnosis suggests that they have less access to screening programs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Shorter survival in adolescent and young adult patients, compared to adult patients, with stage IV colorectal cancer in Japan.

PubMed

Shida, Dai; Ahiko, Yuka; Tanabe, Taro; Yoshida, Takefumi; Tsukamoto, Shunsuke; Ochiai, Hiroki; Takashima, Atsuo; Boku, Narikazu; Kanemitsu, Yukihide

2018-03-27

The incidence of colorectal cancer in adolescent and young adult patients is increasing. However, survival and clinical features of young patients, especially those with stage IV disease, relative to adult patients remain unclear. This retrospective single-institution cohort study was conducted at a tertiary care cancer center. Subjects were 861 consecutive patients who were diagnosed with stage IV colorectal cancer at the age of 15 to 74 years and who were referred to the division of surgery or gastrointestinal oncology at the National Cancer Center Hospital from 1999 to 2013. Overall survival (OS) was investigated and clinicopathological variables were analyzed for prognostic significance. Of these, 66 (8%) were adolescent and young adult patients and 795 (92%) were adult patients. Median survival time was 13.6 months in adolescent and young adult patients and 22.4 months in adult patients, and 5-year OS rates were 17.3% and 20.3%, respectively, indicating significant worse prognosis of adolescent and young adult patients (p = 0.042). However, age itself was not an independent factor associated with prognosis by multivariate analysis. When compared with adult patients, adolescent and young adult patients consisted of higher proportion of the patients who did not undergo resection of primary tumor, which was an independent factor associated with poor prognosis in multivariate analysis. In patients who did not undergo resection (n = 349), OS of adolescent and young adult patients were significantly worse (p = 0.033). Prognoses were worse in adolescent and young adult patients with stage IV colorectal cancer compared to adult patients in Japan, due to a higher proportion of patients who did not undergo resection with more advanced and severe disease, but not due to age itself.

Low survival rates of Swan Geese (Anser cygnoides) estimated from neck-collar resighting and telemetry

USGS Publications Warehouse

Choi, Chang-Yong; Lee, Ki-Sup; Poyarkov, Nikolay D.; Park, Jin-Young; Lee, Hansoo; Takekawa, John Y.; Smith, Lacy M.; Ely, Craig R.; Wang, Xin; Cao, Lei; Fox, Anthony D.; Goroshko, Oleg; Batbayar, Nyambayar; Prosser, Diann J.; Xiao, Xiangming

2016-01-01

Waterbird survival rates are a key component of demographic modeling used for effective conservation of long-lived threatened species. The Swan Goose (Anser cygnoides) is globally threatened and the most vulnerable goose species endemic to East Asia due to its small and rapidly declining population. To address a current knowledge gap in demographic parameters of the Swan Goose, available datasets were compiled from neck-collar resighting and telemetry studies, and two different models were used to estimate their survival rates. Results of a mark-resighting model using 15 years of neck-collar data (2001–2015) provided age-dependent survival rates and season-dependent encounter rates with a constant neck-collar retention rate. Annual survival rate was 0.638 (95% CI: 0.378–0.803) for adults and 0.122 (95% CI: 0.028–0.286) for first-year juveniles. Known-fate models were applied to the single season of telemetry data (autumn 2014) and estimated a mean annual survival rate of 0.408 (95% CI: 0.152–0.670) with higher but non-significant differences for adults (0.477) vs. juveniles (0.306). Our findings indicate that Swan Goose survival rates are comparable to the lowest rates reported for European or North American goose species. Poor survival may be a key demographic parameter contributing to their declining trend. Quantitative threat assessments and associated conservation measures, such as restricting hunting, may be a key step to mitigate for their low survival rates and maintain or enhance their population.

Improved graft mesenchymal stem cell survival in ischemic heart with a hypoxia-regulated heme oxygenase-1 vector.

PubMed

Tang, Yao Liang; Tang, Yi; Zhang, Y Clare; Qian, Keping; Shen, Leping; Phillips, M Ian

2005-10-04

The goal of this study was to modify mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) cells with a hypoxia-regulated heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) plasmid to enhance the survival of MSCs in acute myocardial infarction (MI) heart. Although stem cells are being tested clinically for cardiac repair, graft cells die in the ischemic heart because of the effects of hypoxia/reoxygenation, inflammatory cytokines, and proapoptotic factors. Heme oxygenase-1 is a key component in inhibiting most of these factors. Mesenchymal stem cells from bone marrow were transfected with either HO-1 or LacZ plasmids. Cell apoptosis was assayed in vitro after hypoxia-reoxygen treatment. In vivo, 1 x 10(6) of male MSC(HO-1), MSC(LacZ), MSCs, or medium was injected into mouse hearts 1 h after MI (n = 16/group). Cell survival was assessed in a gender-mismatched transplantation model. Apoptosis, left ventricular remodeling, and cardiac function were tested in a gender-matched model. In the ischemic myocardium, the MSC(HO-1) group had greater expression of HO-1 and a 2-fold reduction in the number of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate in situ nick end labeling-positive cells compared with the MSC(LacZ) group. At seven days after implantation, the survival MSC(HO-1) was five-fold greater than the MSC(LacZ) group; MSC(HO-1) also attenuated left ventricular remodeling and enhanced the functional recovery of infarcted hearts two weeks after MI. A hypoxia-regulated HO-1 vector modification of MSCs enhances the tolerance of engrafted MSCs to hypoxia-reoxygen injury in vitro and improves their viability in ischemic hearts. This demonstration is the first showing that a physiologically inducible vector expressing of HO-1 genes improves the survival of stem cells in myocardial ischemia.

Comparative Study of Survival following Videothoracoscopic Lobectomy Procedures for Lung Cancer: Single- versus Multiple-port Approaches.

PubMed

Borro, José M; Regueiro, Francisco; Pértega, Sonia; Constenla, Manuel; Pita, Salvador

2017-04-01

Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery has become the technique of choice in the early stages of lung cancer in many centers although there is no evidence that all of the surgical approaches achieve the same long-term survival. We carried out a retrospective review of 276 VATS lobectomies performed in our department, analyzing age, sex, comorbidities, current smoker, FEV1 and FCV, surgical approach, TNM and pathological stage, histologic type, neoadjuvant or coadjuvant chemotherapy, relapse and metastasis time, with the main aim of evaluating the survival rate and disease-free time, especially with regard to the two/three versus single port approach. The one/four year global survival rate was 88.1 and 67.6% respectively. Bivariate analysis found that the variables associated with survival are comorbidity, histological type, stage, surgical approach and need for chemotherapy. When we independently analyzed the surgical approach, we found a lower survival rate in the single-port group vs. the two/three-port group (VATS). Stratifying by tumoral stage (stage I) and by tumor size (T2) survival was significantly lower for patients with single-port group in comparison to VATS approach. In the multivariate analysis, single-port group is associated with a higher risk of death (HR=1.78). In analyzing disease-free survival, differences were found in both cases in favor of two/three port VATS: p=.093 for local relapses and p=.091 for the development of metastasis. These results challenge the use of the single port technique in malignant lung pathologies, suggesting the need for clinical trials in order to identify the role this technique may have in lung cancer surgery. Copyright © 2016 SEPAR. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

AIAA Survivability Technical Committee Draft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shipman, Jim; Williamson, Joel

1997-01-01

A relatively new area of interest in aerospace systems survivability is the growing threat of spacecraft penetration by orbital debris. Orbital debris, or "space junk", is composed of the man-made remnants of non-functioning spacecraft still orbiting the Earth. NASA estimates that there are currently over 100,000 orbital debris particles 1 centimeter in diameter or larger that cannot be tracked by existing radar, with the population growing at approximately 4% per year in low earth orbits. With an average velocity of over 8.7 km/sec, these projectiles can penetrate and disable many vulnerable spacecraft systems. Since the likelihood of spacecraft penetration increases with spacecraft surface area, large spacecraft (such as the International Space Station) and communication satellite fleets (such as Iridium) have begun to adopt survivability enhancement strategies similar to those employed by combat aircraft. Collision avoidance maneuvers are commonly practiced by the Space Shuttle and are planned by the International Space Station to decrease their susceptibility to impact by trackable orbital debris; likewise, improved shielding, internal equipment placement, and improved crew operations following penetration can reduce the vulnerability of spacecraft to loss following orbital debris impact. Computer simulations such as the Manned Spacecraft and Crew Survivability (MSCSurv) program at the NASA-Marshall Space Flight Center have recently been developed to quantify and reduce the likelihood of crew or spacecraft loss following orbital debris penetration. The AIAA Survivability Technical Committee is working to enable the transfer of military-developed survivability technologies to help the aerospace industry cope with this growing threat.

Comparative study of LDR (Manchester system) and HDR image-guided conformal brachytherapy of cervical cancer: patterns of failure, late complications, and survival.

PubMed

Narayan, Kailash; van Dyk, Sylvia; Bernshaw, David; Rajasooriyar, Chrishanthi; Kondalsamy-Chennakesavan, Srinivas

2009-08-01

To compare patterns of failure, late toxicities, and survival in locally advanced cervical cancer patients treated by either low-dose-rate (LDR) or conformal high-dose-rate (HDRc) brachytherapy as a part of curative radiotherapy. A retrospective comparative study of 217 advanced cervix cancer patients was conducted; 90 of these patients received LDR and 127 received HDRc brachytherapy. All patients were staged using International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) rules, had pretreatment magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and were treated with concurrent cisplatin chemoradiotherapy. Both groups matched for FIGO stage, MRI tumor volume, and uterine invasion status. Local and pelvic failures were similar 12-13% and 14% both in both groups. Abdominal and systemic failures in LDR group were 21% and 24%, whereas corresponding failures in HDRc group were 20% and 24%. Sixty-eight percent (87/127) of patients treated by HDRc remained asymptomatic, whereas 42% (38/90) of patients were asymptomatic from the bowel and bladder symptoms after treatment with LDR. The 5-year OS rate was 60% (SE = 4%). The 5-year failure-free survival rate was 55% (SE = 3%). There was no significant difference between the groups. Image-guided HDRc planning led to a large decrease in late radiation effects in patients treated by HDRc. Patterns of failure and survival were similar in patients treated either by LDR or HDRc.

Transient enhancement of proliferation of neural progenitors and impairment of their long-term survival in p25 transgenic mice

PubMed Central

Dong, Fengping; Shu, Tianzhi; Zhou, Ying; Tsai, Li-Huei; Mao, Yingwei

2016-01-01

Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (CDK5) regulates important neuronal functions via p35. p35 undergoes cleavage in response to neuronal activity and neurotoxic conditions to release its subunit p25. Although p25 has been implicated in various neurodegenerative diseases, the mechanisms by which p25 mediates neurodegenerative impairment have not been fully elucidated. We aimed to determine the role of p25-mediated neurodegeneration on neurogenesis in an inducible transgenic mouse line overexpressing p25 (p25 TG) in the forebrain. Adult neuronal progenitor cells (NPCs) were labeled with BrdU in vivo, which were significantly increased in numbers in the subventricular zone, the hippocampus, and the cortex of p25 TG mice. Consistently, more mitotic cells were observed in p25 TG mice than in controls, even in the cortex and the CA1, which are not neurogenic regions. BrdU-positive cells were negative for GFAP or γ-H2AX, suggesting that they are not astrocytes or dying cells. Neurospheres derived from the dentate gyrus and the cortex were significantly increased in p25 TG mice and can be differentiated into astrocytes and neurons. However, p25 TG decreased the long-term survival of proliferating NPCs and severely impaired adult neurogenesis. A Transwell co-culture system was used to assess the influence of p25-expressing primary neurons on adult NPCs. Co-culture with p25-expressing neurons downregulated Ki67 expression and upregulated cleaved caspase-3, indicating that the paracrine signaling in cell-cell communication is essential for NPC survival and proliferation. Moreover, increased CDK5 activity impairs Wnt activation. This study demonstrates that hyperactivation of p25 may temporarily enhance NPC proliferation, but impair their long-term survival. PMID:27283769

Transient enhancement of proliferation of neural progenitors and impairment of their long-term survival in p25 transgenic mice.

PubMed

Zou, Donghua; Zhou, Yijing; Liu, Long; Dong, Fengping; Shu, Tianzhi; Zhou, Ying; Tsai, Li-Huei; Mao, Yingwei

2016-06-28

Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (CDK5) regulates important neuronal functions via p35. p35 undergoes cleavage in response to neuronal activity and neurotoxic conditions to release its subunit p25. Although p25 has been implicated in various neurodegenerative diseases, the mechanisms by which p25 mediates neurodegenerative impairment have not been fully elucidated. We aimed to determine the role of p25-mediated neurodegeneration on neurogenesis in an inducible transgenic mouse line overexpressing p25 (p25 TG) in the forebrain. Adult neuronal progenitor cells (NPCs) were labeled with BrdU in vivo, which were significantly increased in numbers in the subventricular zone, the hippocampus, and the cortex of p25 TG mice. Consistently, more mitotic cells were observed in p25 TG mice than in controls, even in the cortex and the CA1, which are not neurogenic regions. BrdU-positive cells were negative for GFAP or γ-H2AX, suggesting that they are not astrocytes or dying cells. Neurospheres derived from the dentate gyrus and the cortex were significantly increased in p25 TG mice and can be differentiated into astrocytes and neurons. However, p25 TG decreased the long-term survival of proliferating NPCs and severely impaired adult neurogenesis. A Transwell co-culture system was used to assess the influence of p25-expressing primary neurons on adult NPCs. Co-culture with p25-expressing neurons downregulated Ki67 expression and upregulated cleaved caspase-3, indicating that the paracrine signaling in cell-cell communication is essential for NPC survival and proliferation. Moreover, increased CDK5 activity impairs Wnt activation. This study demonstrates that hyperactivation of p25 may temporarily enhance NPC proliferation, but impair their long-term survival.

Enhancing the child survival agenda to promote, protect, and support early child development.

PubMed

Jensen, Sarah K G; Bouhouch, Raschida R; Walson, Judd L; Daelmans, Bernadette; Bahl, Rajiv; Darmstadt, Gary L; Dua, Tarun

2015-08-01

High rates of child mortality and lost developmental potential in children under 5 years of age remain important challenges and drivers of inequity in the developing world. Substantive progress has been made toward Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 4 to improve child survival, but as we move into the post-2015 sustainable development agenda, much more work is needed to ensure that all children can realize their full and holistic physical, cognitive, psychological, and socio-emotional development potential. This article presents child survival and development as a continuous and multifaceted process and suggests that a life-course perspective of child development should be at the core of future policy making, programming, and research. We suggest that increased attention to child development, beyond child survival, is key to operationalize the sustainable development goals (SDGs), address inequities, build on the demographic dividend, and maximize gains in human potential. An important step toward implementation will be to increase integration of existing interventions for child survival and child development. Integrated interventions have numerous potential benefits, including optimization of resource use, potential additive impacts across multiple domains of health and development, and opportunity to realize a more holistic approach to client-centered care. However, a notable challenge to integration is the continued division between the health sector and other sectors that support child development. Despite these barriers, empirical evidence is available to suggest that successful multisectoral coordination is feasible and leads to improved short- and long-term outcomes in human, social, and economic development. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Systemic administration of bevacizumab prolongs survival in an in vivo model of platinum pre-treated ovarian cancer

PubMed Central

REIN, DANIEL T.; VOLKMER, ANNE KATHRIN; VOLKMER, JENS; BEYER, INES M.; JANNI, WOLFGANG; FLEISCH, MARKUS C.; WELTER, ANNE KATHRIN; BAUERSCHLAG, DIRK; SCHÖNDORF, THOMAS; BREIDENBACH, MARTINA

2012-01-01

Ovarian cancer patients often suffer from malignant ascites and pleural effusion. Apart from worsening the outcome, this condition frequently impairs the quality of life in patients who are already distressed by ovarian cancer. This study investigated whether single intraperitoneal administration of the anti-VEGF antibody bevacizumab is capable of reducing the ascites-related body surface and prolonging survival. The study was performed in an orthotopic murine model of peritoneal disseminated platin-resistant ovarian cancer. Mice were treated with bevacizumab and/or paclitaxel or buffer (control). Reduction of body surface and increased survival rates were assessed as therapeutic success. Survival of mice in all treatment groups was significantly enhanced when compared to the non-treatment control group. The combination of paclitaxel plus bevacizumab significantly improved body surface as well as overall survival in comparison to a treatment with only one of the drugs. Treatment of malignant effusion with a single dose of bevacizumab as an intraperitoneal application, with or without cytostatic co-medication, may be a powerful alternative to systemic treatment. PMID:22740945

Survival and reproduction of radio-marked adult spotted owls.

Treesearch

C.C. Foster; E.D. Forsman; E.C. Meslow; G.S. Miller; J.A. Reid; F.F. Wagner; A.B. Carey; J.B. Lint

1992-01-01

We compared survival, reproduction, and body mass of radio-marked and non radio-marked spotted owls (Strix occidentalis) to determine if backpack radios influenced reproduction or survival. In most study areas and years, there were no differences (P > 0.05) in survival of males and females or in survival of radio-marked versus banded owls. There...

What affects local community hospitals' survival in turbulent times?

PubMed

Chiang, Hung-Che; Wang, Shiow-Ing

2015-06-01

Hospital closures became a prevalent phenomenon in Taiwan after the implementation of a national health insurance program. A wide range of causes contributes to the viability of hospitals, but little is known about the situation under universal coverage health systems. The purpose of present study is to recognize the factors that may contribute to hospital survival under the universal coverage health system. This is a retrospective case-control study. Local community hospitals that contracted with the Bureau of National Health Insurance in 1998 and remained open during the period 1998-2011 are the designated cases. Controls are local community hospitals that closed during the same period. Using longitudinal representative health claim data, 209 local community hospitals that closed during 1998-2011 were compared with 165 that remained open. Variables related to institutional characteristics, degree of competition, characteristics of patients and financial performance were analyzed by logistic regression models. Hospitals' survival was positively related to specialty hospital, the number of respiratory care beds, the physician to population ratio, the number of clinics in the same region, a highly competitive market and the occupancy rate of elderly patients in the hospital. Teaching hospitals, investor-owned hospitals, the provision of obstetrics services or home care, and the number of medical centers or other local community hospitals may jeopardize the chance of survival. Factors-enhanced local hospitals to survive under the universal coverage health system have been identified. Hospital managers could manipulate these findings and adapt strategies for subsistence. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press in association with the International Society for Quality in Health Care; all rights reserved.

Comparing the case mix and survival of women receiving breast cancer care from one private provider with other London women with breast cancer: pilot data exchange and analyses.

PubMed

Davies, Elizabeth A; Coupland, Victoria H; Dixon, Steve; Mokbel, Kefah; Jack, Ruth H

2016-07-07

Data from providers of private cancer care are not yet formally included in English cancer registration data. This study aimed to test the exchange of breast cancer data from one Hospital Corporation of America International (HCAI) hospital in London with the cancer registration system and assess the suitability of these data for comparative analyses of case mix and adjusted survival. Data on 199 London women receiving 'only HCAI care', 278 women receiving 'some HCAI care' (HCAI and other services), and 31,234 other London women diagnosed between 2005 and 2011 could be identified and compared. Overall survival was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and Cox regression was used to adjust for age, socioeconomic deprivation, year of diagnosis, stage of disease and recorded treatment. Women receiving 'only HCAI care' were younger, lived in areas of higher affluence (47.8 % vs 27.6 %) and appeared less likely to be recorded as having screen-detected (2.5 % vs 25.0 %) disease than other London women. Women receiving 'some HCAI care' were more similar to 'HCAI only' women. Although HCAI stage of disease data completeness improved during the study period, this was less complete overall than cancer registration data and limited the comparative survival analyses. An apparent survival advantage for 'HCAI only' women compared with other London women (hazard ratio 0.48, 95 % confidence interval (CI): 0.32-0.74) was attenuated and no longer statistically significant after adjustment (0.79, 95 % CI: 0.51-1.21). Women receiving 'some HCAI care' appeared to have higher survival (hazard ratio 0.24, 95 % CI 0.14-0.41) which was attenuated to 0.48 (95 % CI: 0.28-0.80) in the fully adjusted model. Exchange of data between the private cancer sector and the English cancer registration service can identify patients who receive all or some private care. The better survival of women receiving only or some HCAI breast cancer care appears to be at least partly explained by

Hotspots of aberrant enhancer activity punctuate the colorectal cancer epigenome

PubMed Central

Cohen, Andrea J.; Saiakhova, Alina; Corradin, Olivia; Luppino, Jennifer M.; Lovrenert, Katreya; Bartels, Cynthia F.; Morrow, James J.; Mack, Stephen C.; Dhillon, Gursimran; Beard, Lydia; Myeroff, Lois; Kalady, Matthew F.; Willis, Joseph; Bradner, James E.; Keri, Ruth A.; Berger, Nathan A.; Pruett-Miller, Shondra M.; Markowitz, Sanford D.; Scacheri, Peter C.

2017-01-01

In addition to mutations in genes, aberrant enhancer element activity at non-coding regions of the genome is a key driver of tumorigenesis. Here, we perform epigenomic enhancer profiling of a cohort of more than forty genetically diverse human colorectal cancer (CRC) specimens. Using normal colonic crypt epithelium as a comparator, we identify enhancers with recurrently gained or lost activity across CRC specimens. Of the enhancers highly recurrently activated in CRC, most are constituents of super enhancers, are occupied by AP-1 and cohesin complex members, and originate from primed chromatin. Many activate known oncogenes, and CRC growth can be mitigated through pharmacologic inhibition or genome editing of these loci. Nearly half of all GWAS CRC risk loci co-localize to recurrently activated enhancers. These findings indicate that the CRC epigenome is defined by highly recurrent epigenetic alterations at enhancers which activate a common, aberrant transcriptional programme critical for CRC growth and survival. PMID:28169291

Diminished Disease-Free Survival After Lobectomy: Screening Implications.

PubMed

Reich, Jerome M; Kim, Jong S; Asaph, James W

2015-09-01

The aim of this study was to estimate the effect of lobectomy on life expectancy in healthy smokers and consider the implications for lung cancer screening. In a retrospective cohort study that provided a minimum of 15 years of follow-up, we analyzed lung cancer survival, all-cause survival, and fatality (1-survival) of 261 persons with stage I non-small-cell lung cancer who underwent lobectomy at Portland Providence Medical Center between 1978 and 1994. We: (1) compared 5-year disease-free fatality (non-lung-cancer fatality) with lung cancer fatality; and (2) based on actuarial data that demonstrated life expectancy equivalence of the healthiest smokers (whom we assumed would be comparable with subjects judged eligible for lobectomy) in the US population, we compared their long-term, disease-free survival (our primary end point) with actuarial expectations by computing the Kaplan-Meier survival function of the differences between lifetimes since surgery in disease-free persons versus matched, expected remaining lifetimes in the US population. (1) Five-year disease-free fatality (16.1%) was 58% as high as 5-year lung cancer fatality (27.6%); (2) disease-free survival was reduced by 6.9-years (95% confidence interval, 5.5-8.3), 41% of actuarial life expectancy (17 years). The divergence from expected survival took place largely after 6 years of follow-up. Lobectomy materially diminishes long-term disease-free survival in the healthiest smokers--persons judged healthy enough to tolerate major surgery and to have sufficient pulmonary reserve to sustain loss of one-fifth of their lung tissue. In screened populations, diminished survival in overdiagnosed persons will offset, to an undetermined extent, the mortality benefit imparted by preemption of advanced lung cancer. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effect of interleukins on the proliferation and survival of B cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia cells.

PubMed Central

Mainou-Fowler, T; Copplestone, J A; Prentice, A G

1995-01-01

AIMS--To investigate the effects of interleukin (IL) 1, 2, 4, and 5 on the proliferation and survival of peripheral blood B cells from patients with B chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (B-CLL) and compare them with the effects on normal peripheral blood B cells. METHODS--The proliferation and survival of pokeweed mitogen (PWM) activated B cells from B-CLL (n = 12) and normal peripheral blood (n = 5) were studied in vitro in response to IL-1, IL-2 IL-4, and IL-5. Survival of cells in cultures with or without added interleukins was studied by microscopic examination of cells and DNA agarose gel electrophoresis. RESULTS--Proliferation was observed in both B-CLL and normal peripheral blood cells on culture with IL-2 alone and also in some, but not all, B-CLL and normal peripheral blood cells with IL-1 and IL-4. However, there was greater variability in B-CLL cell responses than in normal peripheral blood cells. Il-5 did not affect normal peripheral blood cell proliferation but it increased proliferation in two B-CLL cases. Synergistic effects of these cytokines were not detected. IL-4 inhibited normal peripheral blood and B-CLL cell proliferation after the addition of IL-2. Inhibition of B-CLL cell responses to IL-2 was also observed with IL-5 and Il-1. Survival of B-CLL cells in cultures was enhanced with IL-4 not by an increase in proliferation but by reduced apoptosis. No such effect was seen in normal peripheral blood cells. IL-2 had a less noticeable antiapoptotic effect; IL-5 enhanced apoptosis in B-CLL cells. CONCLUSIONS--B-CLL and normal peripheral blood cells proliferated equally well in response to IL-2. IL-4 had a much lower effect on B-CLL cell proliferation, but had noticeable antiapoptotic activity. IL-5 enhanced cell death by apoptosis. Images PMID:7629299

Early post-operative magnetic resonance imaging in glioblastoma: correlation among radiological findings and overall survival in 60 patients.

PubMed

Majós, Carles; Cos, Mònica; Castañer, Sara; Gil, Miguel; Plans, Gerard; Lucas, Anna; Bruna, Jordi; Aguilera, Carles

2016-04-01

To evaluate early post-operative magnetic resonance (EPMR) as a prognostic tool after resection of glioblastoma. Sixty EPMR examinations were evaluated for perioperative infarct, tumour growth between diagnosis and EPMR, contrast enhancement pattern, and extent of resection (EOR). The EOR was approached with the subjective evaluation of radiologists and by quantifying volumes. These parameters were tested as predictors of survival using the Kaplan-Meier method. Contrast enhancement was found in 59 patients (59/60; 98 %). Showing a thin-linear pattern of enhancement was the most favourable finding. Patients with this pattern survived longer than patients with thick-linear (median overall survival (OS) thin-linear=609 days; thick-linear=432 days; P = .023) or nodular (median OS = 318 days; P = .001) enhancements. The subjective evaluation of the EOR performed better than its quantification. Patients survived longer when resection was total (median OS total resection=609 days; subtotal=371 days; P = .001). When resection was subtotal, patients survived longer if it was superior to 95 % (median OS resection superior to 95 %=559 days; inferior to 95 %=256 days; P = .034). EPMR provides valuable prognostic information after surgical resection of glioblastomas. A thin-linear pattern of contrast enhancement is the most favourable finding. Further prognostic stratification may be obtained by assessing the EOR. • Some kind of contrast enhancement may be found in most EPMR examinations. • Thin-linear enhancements in the EPMR may be considered benign findings. • The EOR evaluated in the EPMR may stratify prognostic groups of patients. • The subjective evaluation of the EOR performs slightly better than its quantification.

A comparative study of generalized linear mixed modelling and artificial neural network approach for the joint modelling of survival and incidence of Dengue patients in Sri Lanka

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hapugoda, J. C.; Sooriyarachchi, M. R.

2017-09-01

Survival time of patients with a disease and the incidence of that particular disease (count) is frequently observed in medical studies with the data of a clustered nature. In many cases, though, the survival times and the count can be correlated in a way that, diseases that occur rarely could have shorter survival times or vice versa. Due to this fact, joint modelling of these two variables will provide interesting and certainly improved results than modelling these separately. Authors have previously proposed a methodology using Generalized Linear Mixed Models (GLMM) by joining the Discrete Time Hazard model with the Poisson Regression model to jointly model survival and count model. As Aritificial Neural Network (ANN) has become a most powerful computational tool to model complex non-linear systems, it was proposed to develop a new joint model of survival and count of Dengue patients of Sri Lanka by using that approach. Thus, the objective of this study is to develop a model using ANN approach and compare the results with the previously developed GLMM model. As the response variables are continuous in nature, Generalized Regression Neural Network (GRNN) approach was adopted to model the data. To compare the model fit, measures such as root mean square error (RMSE), absolute mean error (AME) and correlation coefficient (R) were used. The measures indicate the GRNN model fits the data better than the GLMM model.

Region of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Latency-Associated Transcript Sufficient for Wild-Type Spontaneous Reactivation Promotes Cell Survival in Tissue Culture

PubMed Central

Inman, Melissa; Perng, Guey-Chuen; Henderson, Gail; Ghiasi, Homayon; Nesburn, Anthony B.; Wechsler, Steven L.; Jones, Clinton

2001-01-01

The latency-associated transcript (LAT) is the only abundant herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) transcript expressed during latency. In the rabbit eye model, LAT null mutants do not reactivate efficiently from latency. We recently demonstrated that the LAT null mutant dLAT2903 induces increased levels of apoptosis in trigeminal ganglia of infected rabbits compared to LAT+ strains (G.-C. Perng, C. Jones, J. Ciacci-Zarella, M. Stone, G. Henderson, A. Yokht, S. M. Slanina, F. M. Hoffman, H. Ghiasi, A. B. Nesburn, and C. S. Wechsler, Science 287:1500–1503, 2000).The same study also demonstrated that a plasmid expressing LAT nucleotides 301 to 2659 enhanced cell survival of transfected cells after induction of apoptosis. Consequently, we hypothesized that LAT enhances spontaneous reactivation in part, because it promotes survival of infected neurons. Here we report on the ability of plasmids expressing different portions of the 5′ end of LAT to promote cell survival after induction of apoptosis. A plasmid expressing the first 1.5 kb of LAT (LAT nucleotides 1 to 1499) promoted cell survival in neuro-2A (mouse neuronal) and CV-1 (monkey fibroblast) cells. A plasmid expressing just the first 811 nucleotides of LAT promoted cell survival less efficiently. Plasmids expressing the first 661 nucleotides or less of LAT did not promote cell survival. We previously showed that a mutant expressing just the first 1.5 kb of LAT has wild-type spontaneous reactivation in rabbits, and a mutant expressing just the first 811 nucleotides of LAT has a reactivation frequency higher than that of dLAT2903 but lower than that of wild-type virus. In addition, mutants reported here for the first time, expressing just the first 661 or 76 nucleotides of LAT, had spontaneous reactivation indistinguishable from that of the LAT null mutant dLAT2903. In summary, these studies provide evidence that there is a functional relationship between the ability of LAT to promote cell survival and its

DNA double strand break (DSB) induction and cell survival in iodine-enhanced computed tomography (CT)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Streitmatter, Seth W.; Stewart, Robert D.; Jenkins, Peter A.; Jevremovic, Tatjana

2017-08-01

A multi-scale Monte Carlo model is proposed to assess the dosimetric and biological impact of iodine-based contrast agents commonly used in computed tomography. As presented, the model integrates the general purpose MCNP6 code system for larger-scale radiation transport and dose assessment with the Monte Carlo damage simulation to determine the sub-cellular characteristics and spatial distribution of initial DNA damage. The repair-misrepair-fixation model is then used to relate DNA double strand break (DSB) induction to reproductive cell death. Comparisons of measured and modeled changes in reproductive cell survival for ultrasoft characteristic k-shell x-rays (0.25-4.55 keV) up to orthovoltage (200-500 kVp) x-rays indicate that the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) for DSB induction is within a few percent of the RBE for cell survival. Because of the very short range of secondary electrons produced by low energy x-ray interactions with contrast agents, the concentration and subcellular distribution of iodine within and near cellular targets have a significant impact on the estimated absorbed dose and number of DSB produced in the cell nucleus. For some plausible models of the cell-level distribution of contrast agent, the model predicts an increase in RBE-weighted dose (RWD) for the endpoint of DSB induction of 1.22-1.40 for a 5-10 mg ml-1 iodine concentration in blood compared to an RWD increase of 1.07  ±  0.19 from a recent clinical trial. The modeled RWD of 2.58  ±  0.03 is also in good agreement with the measured RWD of 2.3  ±  0.5 for an iodine concentration of 50 mg ml-1 relative to no iodine. The good agreement between modeled and measured DSB and cell survival estimates provides some confidence that the presented model can be used to accurately assess biological dose for other concentrations of the same or different contrast agents.

Beta-1,3-1,6-glucan modulate the non-specific immune response to enhance the survival in the Vibrio alginolyticus infection of Taiwan abalone (Haliotis diversicolor supertexta).

PubMed

Wu, Yu-Sheng; Tseng, Tzu-Yu; Nan, Fan-Hua

2016-07-01

This research aims to investigate the non-specific immune response of Taiwan abalone (Haliotis diversicolor supertexta) which was treated with the beta-1,3-1,6-glucan to be observed in the survival impact after the Vibrio alginolyticus infection. The non-specific immune and physiological response of superoxide anion radical (O2(-)), phenoloxidase (PO), phagocytic index (PI), phagocytic rate (PR) and lucigenin-chemiluminescence for reactive oxygen intermediates (ROIs) were enhanced via in-vitro experiment. In the in-vivo experiment, the observed data presented that the haemolymph lysate supernatant (HLS), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutamate oxalacetate transaminase (GOT) and glutamate pyruvate transaminase (GPT) were not significant enhanced, but the total haemocyte count (THC), O2(-), PO, phagocytic index (PI), phagocytic ratio (PR) and other parameters of immune were significantly promoted after treated with beta-1,3-1,6-glucan. In the challenge experiment, the survival rates of abalone in the 40 and 80 μl/ml groups of beta-1,3-1,6-glucan were observed from 6.67% up to 33.33% and 36.67% after injection with Vibrio alginolyticus, respectively. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Two Novel Functions of Hyaluronidase from Streptococcus agalactiae Are Enhanced Intracellular Survival and Inhibition of Proinflammatory Cytokine Expression

PubMed Central

Wang, Zhaofei; Guo, Changming; Xu, Yannan; Liu, Guangjin; Lu, Chengping

2014-01-01

Streptococcus agalactiae is the causative agent of septicemia and meningitis in fish. Previous studies have shown that hyaluronidase (Hyl) is an important virulence factor in many Gram-positive bacteria. To investigate the role of S. agalactiae Hyl during interaction with macrophages, we inactivated the gene encoding extracellular hyaluronidase, hylB, in a clinical Hyl+ isolate. The isogenic hylb mutant (Δhylb) displayed reduced survival in macrophages compared to the wild type and stimulated a significantly higher release of proinflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), than the wild type in macrophages as well as in mice. Furthermore, only Hyl+ strains could grow utilizing hyaluronic acid (HA) as the sole carbon source, suggesting that Hyl permits the organism to utilize host HA as an energy source. Fifty percent lethal dose (LD50) determinations in zebrafish demonstrated that the hylb mutant was highly attenuated relative to the wild-type strain. Experimental infection of BALB/c mice revealed that bacterial loads in the blood, spleen, and brain at 16 h postinfection were significantly reduced in the ΔhylB mutant compared to those in wild-type-infected mice. In conclusion, hyaluronidase has a strong influence on the intracellular survival of S. agalactiae and proinflammatory cytokine expression, suggesting that it plays a key role in S. agalactiae pathogenicity. PMID:24711564

Two novel functions of hyaluronidase from Streptococcus agalactiae are enhanced intracellular survival and inhibition of proinflammatory cytokine expression.

PubMed

Wang, Zhaofei; Guo, Changming; Xu, Yannan; Liu, Guangjin; Lu, Chengping; Liu, Yongjie

2014-06-01

Streptococcus agalactiae is the causative agent of septicemia and meningitis in fish. Previous studies have shown that hyaluronidase (Hyl) is an important virulence factor in many Gram-positive bacteria. To investigate the role of S. agalactiae Hyl during interaction with macrophages, we inactivated the gene encoding extracellular hyaluronidase, hylB, in a clinical Hyl(+) isolate. The isogenic hylb mutant (Δhylb) displayed reduced survival in macrophages compared to the wild type and stimulated a significantly higher release of proinflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), than the wild type in macrophages as well as in mice. Furthermore, only Hyl(+) strains could grow utilizing hyaluronic acid (HA) as the sole carbon source, suggesting that Hyl permits the organism to utilize host HA as an energy source. Fifty percent lethal dose (LD50) determinations in zebrafish demonstrated that the hylb mutant was highly attenuated relative to the wild-type strain. Experimental infection of BALB/c mice revealed that bacterial loads in the blood, spleen, and brain at 16 h postinfection were significantly reduced in the ΔhylB mutant compared to those in wild-type-infected mice. In conclusion, hyaluronidase has a strong influence on the intracellular survival of S. agalactiae and proinflammatory cytokine expression, suggesting that it plays a key role in S. agalactiae pathogenicity.

Dactylorhiza maculata, Platanthera bifolia and Listera ovata survive N application under P limitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hejcman, Michal; Schellberg, Jürgen; Pavlů, Vilém

2010-11-01

Increased nutrient availability is generally believed to be harmful for terrestrial orchids. However, no information is available on whether grassland orchids survive decades-long calcium (Ca), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) application. We took advantage of sampling in one of the oldest long-term experiments in the world, the Rengen Grassland Experiment (RGE), which was established in Germany in 1941 on low-productive Violion caninae grassland, and we monitored orchids from 2005 to 2009. Dactylorhiza maculata, Platanthera bifolia and Listera ovata survived decades-long application of Ca and CaN fertilizer, but not CaN together with P. Cover of D. maculata was highest in areas of Ca treatment. The number of flowers per plant of L. ovata was significantly higher in the CaN treatment compared with the control indicating that enhanced N availability stimulated its growth. Long-term N application (NH 4NO 3 at an annual rate of 100 kg N ha -1) was not fatal to the studied orchids if not accompanied by P application. It is more likely that enhanced N availability can cause loss of studied orchids only where the availability of P in soil is high enough to enable the growth of productive species that can better compete for light on eutrophic soils.

Signals of large scale climate drivers, hatchery enhancement, and marine factors in Yukon River Chinook salmon survival revealed with a Bayesian life history model.

PubMed

Cunningham, Curry J; Westley, Peter A H; Adkison, Milo D

2018-05-18

Understanding how species might respond to climate change involves disentangling the influence of co-occurring environmental factors on population dynamics, and is especially problematic for migratory species like Pacific salmon that move between ecosystems. To date, debate surrounding the causes of recent declines in Yukon River Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) abundance has centered on whether factors in freshwater or marine environments control variation in survival, and how these populations at the northern extremity of the species range will respond to climate change. To estimate the effect of factors in marine and freshwater environments on Chinook salmon survival, we constructed a stage-structured assessment model that incorporates the best available data, estimates incidental marine bycatch mortality in trawl fisheries, and uses Bayesian model selection methods to quantify support for alternative hypotheses. Models fitted to two index populations of Yukon River Chinook salmon indicate that processes in the nearshore and marine environments are the most important determinants of survival. Specifically, survival declines when ice leaves the Yukon River later in the spring, increases with wintertime temperature in the Bering Sea, and declines with the abundance of globally enhanced salmon species consistent with competition at sea. In addition, we found support for density-dependent survival limitations in freshwater but not marine portions of the life cycle, increasing average survival with ocean age, and age-specific selectivity of bycatch mortality in the Bering Sea. This study underscores the utility of flexible estimation models capable of fitting multiple data types and evaluating mortality from both natural and anthropogenic sources in multiple habitats. Overall, these analyses suggest that mortality at sea is the primary driver of population dynamics, yet under a warming climate Chinook salmon populations at the northern extent of the species

Comparative Study Of Image Enhancement Algorithms For Digital And Film Mammography

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Delgado-Gonzalez, A.; Sanmiguel, R. E.

2008-08-11

Here we discuss the application of edge enhancement algorithms on images obtained with a Mammography System which has a Selenium Detector and on the other hand, on images obtained from digitized film mammography. Comparative analysis of such images includes the study of technical aspects of image acquisition, storage, compression and display. A protocol for a local database has been created as a result of this study.

Is Survival for Patients with Resectable Lung Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Comparable to Those with Resectable Liver Disease? Results from the South Australian Metastatic Colorectal Registry.

PubMed

Patel, Dainik; Townsend, Amanda R; Karapetis, Christos; Beeke, Carol; Padbury, Rob; Roy, Amitesh; Maddern, Guy; Roder, David; Price, Timothy J

2016-10-01

Hepatic resection for colorectal (CRC) metastasis is considered a standard of care. Resection of metastasis isolated to lung also is considered potentially curable, although there is still some variation in recommendations. We explore outcomes for patients undergoing lung resection for mCRC, with the liver resection group as the comparator. South Australian (SA) metastatic CRC registry data were analysed to assess patient characteristics and survival outcomes for patients suitable for lung or liver resection. A total of 3241 patients are registered on the database to December 2014. One hundred two (3.1 %) patients were able to undergo a lung resection compared with 420 (12.9 %) who had a liver resection. Of the lung resection patients, 62 (61 %) presented with lung disease only, 21 % initially presented with liver disease only, 11 % had both lung and liver, and 7 % had brain or pelvic disease resection. Of these patients, 79 % went straight to surgery without any neoadjuvant treatment and 34 % had lung resection as the only intervention. Chemotherapy for metastatic disease was given more often to liver resection patients: 76.9 versus 53.9 %, p = 0.17. Median overall survival is 5.6 years for liver resection and has not been reached for lung resection (hazard ratio 0.82, 95 % confidence interval 0.54-1.24, p = 0.33). Lung resection was undertaken in 3.1 % of patients with mCRC in our registry. These data provide further support for long-term survival after lung resection in mCRC, survival that is at least comparable to those who undergo resection for liver metastasis in mCRC.

Rat epidermal keratinocyte organotypic culture (ROC) compared to human cadaver skin: the effect of skin permeation enhancers.

PubMed

Pappinen, Sari; Tikkinen, Sanna; Pasonen-Seppänen, Sanna; Murtomäki, Lasse; Suhonen, Marjukka; Urtti, Arto

2007-03-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate the response of the rat epidermal keratinocyte organotypic culture (ROC) to permeation enhancers, and to compare these responses to those in human cadaver skin. Different concentrations of two mixtures for enhancing permeation were investigated, sodium dodecyl sulfate:phenyl piperazine and methyl pyrrolidone:dodecyl pyridinium chloride, using skin impedance spectroscopy and two experimental compounds, the lipophilic corticosterone and the hydrophilic sucrose. The chemical irritation effects of the formulations were evaluated based on leakage of lactate dehydrogenase enzyme (LDH) and cellular morphological perturbation. This study provides evidence for direct correlations of permeation/permeation, impedance/impedance and permation/impedance between the culture model and human skin. The only exception was the enhancer induced permeation of sucrose which was 1-40-fold higher in ROC compared to human skin, reflecting the more disordered lipid organization in stratum corneum and consequently the greater number of polar pathways. LDH leakage and cellular morphology indicated that it was possible to differentiate between safe permeation enhancers from irritating agents. This is not only the first study to have compared the enhancer effects on a cultured skin model with human skin, but also it has demonstrated enhancer induced irritation using an artificial skin model.

Comparative Survival Rates of Human-Derived Probiotic Lactobacillus paracasei and L. salivarius Strains during Heat Treatment and Spray Drying

PubMed Central

Gardiner, G. E.; O'Sullivan, E.; Kelly, J.; Auty, M. A. E.; Fitzgerald, G. F.; Collins, J. K.; Ross, R. P.; Stanton, C.

2000-01-01

Spray drying of skim milk was evaluated as a means of preserving Lactobacillus paracasei NFBC 338 and Lactobacillus salivarius UCC 118, which are human-derived strains with probiotic potential. Our initial experiments revealed that NFBC 338 is considerably more heat resistant in 20% (wt/vol) skim milk than UCC 118 is; the comparable decimal reduction times were 11.1 and 1.1 min, respectively, at 59°C. An air outlet temperature of 80 to 85°C was optimal for spray drying; these conditions resulted in powders with moisture contents of 4.1 to 4.2% and viable counts of 3.2 × 109 CFU/g for NFBC 338 and 5.2 × 107 CFU/g for UCC 118. Thus, L. paracasei NFBC 338 survived better than L. salivarius UCC 118 during spray drying; similar results were obtained when we used confocal scanning laser microscopy and LIVE/DEAD BacLight viability staining. In addition, confocal scanning laser microscopy revealed that the probiotic lactobacilli were located primarily in the powder particles. Although both spray-dried cultures appeared to be stressed, as shown by increased sensitivity to NaCl, bacteriocin production by UCC 118 was not affected by the process, nor was the activity of the bacteriocin peptide. The level of survival of NFBC 338 remained constant at ∼1 × 109 CFU/g during 2 months of powder storage at 4°C, while a decline in the level of survival of approximately 1 log (from 7.2 × 107 to 9.5 × 106 CFU/g) was observed for UCC 118 stored under the same conditions. However, survival of both Lactobacillus strains during powder storage was inversely related to the storage temperature. Our data demonstrate that spray drying may be a cost-effective way to produce large quantities of some probiotic cultures. PMID:10831444

Survival times in dogs with presumptive intracranial gliomas treated with oral lomustine: A comparative retrospective study (2008-2017).

PubMed

Moirano, S J; Dewey, C W; Wright, K Z; Cohen, P W

2018-05-24

Intracranial gliomas are a common malignancy in dogs, and are associated with a poor prognosis due to their aggressive nature and a lack of clinically effective treatments. The efficacies of various treatment modalities for canine brain tumours have been previously described, though little data exist on the use of cytotoxic chemotherapy. A comparative retrospective study, including 40 cases from 5 northeastern US veterinary hospitals, from 2008 to 2017, was conducted. Variables analysed in this study with relation to overall survival and prognostic significance included: age, sex, clinical signs, clinical sign duration, tumour location and treatment protocol used. Dogs with presumptive intracranial gliomas treated with lomustine chemotherapy lived longer (median, 138 days) than those treated exclusively with symptomatic care (median, 35 days; P = .0026 log-rank, 0.0138 Wilcoxon). Additionally, a duration of clinical signs ≥16 days prior to diagnosis (median, 109 days) was associated with a longer survival than a duration <16 days prior (median, 25 days; P = .0100 log-rank, 0.0322 Wilcoxon). Lomustine-associated side effects included neutropenia in 46% of dogs, anaemia in 15% and thrombocytopenia in 15%. Potential renal and hepatotoxicity based on increased BUN and/or creatinine and ALT values were reported in 15% and 50% of dogs, respectively. This study provides evidence that lomustine therapy may be effective in prolonging survival in dogs with intracranial gliomas and should be considered as a potential treatment option. Although lomustine-related toxicities are fairly common, they are rarely life threatening and often do not result in discontinuation of therapy. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Swietenia macrophylla extract promotes the ability of Caenorhabditis elegans to survive Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection.

PubMed

Dharmalingam, Komalavali; Tan, Boon-Khai; Mahmud, Muhd Zulkarnain; Sedek, Saiedatul Akmal Mohamed; Majid, Mohamed Isa Abdul; Kuah, Meng-Kiat; Sulaiman, Shaida Fariza; Ooi, Kheng Leong; Khan, Nurzalina Abdul Karim; Muhammad, Tengku Sifzizul Tengku; Tan, Man-Wah; Shu-Chien, Alexander Chong

2012-01-31

Swietenia macrophylla or commonly known as big leaf mahogany, has been traditionally used as an antibacterial and antifungal agent. The unwanted problem of antibiotic resistance in many bacterial species advocates the need for the discovery of the new anti-infective drugs. Here, we investigated the anti-infective properties of Swietenia macrophylla with an assay involving lethal infection of Caenorhabditis elegans with the opportunistic human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Using a slow killing assay, Caenorhabditis elegans was challenged with an infective strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA14). The ability of Swietenia macrophylla seed ethyl acetate extract to promote the survival of infected worms was assessed by comparing the percentage of survival between extract treated and non-treated worm populations. The effect of Swietenia macrophylla towards PA14 growth, Caenorhabditis elegans feeding rate and degree of PA14 colonization in the worm gut was also evaluated. Lastly, using a fluorescent transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans strain and real time PCR, the effect of Swietenia macrophylla on the expression of lys-7, an immune response gene was also investigated. Our results demonstrate the ability of Swietenia macrophylla seed ethyl acetate extract in rescuing Caenorhabditis elegans from fatal PA14 infection. Consequently, we showed that the extract promotes the survival without exhibiting any bactericidal effect or perturbation of Caenorhabditis elegans feeding rate. We also showed that Swietenia macrophylla was able to restore the initially repressed lys-7 level in PA14 infected Caenorhabditis elegans. Swietenia macrophylla extract is able to enhance the ability of Caenorhabditis elegans to survive PA14 infection without directly killing the pathogen. We further showed that the extract boosted the expression of a gene pivotal for innate immunity in Caenorhabditis elegans. Collectively, these findings strongly suggest the presence of compounds within Swietenia

Racial disparities in advanced stage colorectal cancer survival

PubMed Central

Wallace, Kristin; Hill, Elizabeth G.; Lewin, David N.; Williamson, Grace; Oppenheimer, Stephanie; Ford, Marvella E.; Wargovich, Michael J.; Berger, Franklin G.; Bolick, Susan W.; Thomas, Melanie B.; Alberg, Anthony J.

2013-01-01

Purpose African Americans (AA) have a higher incidence and lower survival from colorectal cancer (CRC) compared to European Americans (EA). In the present study, statewide, population-based data from South Carolina Central Cancer Registry (SCCCR) is used to investigate the relationship between race and age on advanced stage CRC survival. Methods The study population was comprised of 3865 advanced pathologically documented colon and rectal adenocarcinoma cases diagnosed between 01 January 1996 and 31 December 2006: 2673 (69%) EA and 1192 (31%) AA. Kaplan-Meier methods were used to generate median survival time and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) by race, age, and gender. Factors associated with survival were evaluated by fitting Cox proportional hazards (CPH) regression models to generate Hazard Ratios (HR) and 95% CI. Results We observed a significant interaction between race and age on CRC survival (p = 0.04). Among younger patients (< 50 years), AA race was associated with a 1.34 (95% CI 1.06-1.71) higher risk of death compared to EA. Among older patients, we observed a modest increase risk of death among AA men compared to EA (HR 1.16 (95% CI 1.01-1.32) but no difference by race among women (HR 0.94 (95% CI 0.82-1.08)). Moreover, we observed that the disparity in survival has worsened over the past 15 years. Conclusions Future studies that integrate clinical, molecular, and treatment-related data are needed for advancing understanding of the racial disparity in CRC survival, especially for those < 50 years old. PMID:23296454

IL-15 signaling promotes adoptive effector T-cell survival and memory formation in irradiation-induced lymphopenia.

PubMed

Xu, Aizhang; Bhanumathy, Kalpana Kalyanasundaram; Wu, Jie; Ye, Zhenmin; Freywald, Andrew; Leary, Scot C; Li, Rongxiu; Xiang, Jim

2016-01-01

Lymphopenia promotes naïve T-cell homeostatic proliferation and adoptive effector T-cell survival and memory formation. IL-7 plays a critical role in homeostatic proliferation, survival and memory formation of naïve T-cells in lymphopenia, and its underlying molecular mechanism has also been well studied. However, the mechanism for adoptively transferred effector T-cell survival and memory formation is not fully understood. Here, we transferred in vitro-activated transgenic OT-I CD8(+) effector T-cells into irradiation (600 rads)-induced lymphopenic C57BL/6, IL-7 knockout (KO) and IL-15 KO mice, and investigated the survival and memory formation of transferred T-cells in lymphopenia. We demonstrate that transferred T-cells prolong their survival and enhance their memory in lymphopenic mice, in a manner that depends on IL-15 signaling, but not IL-7. We determine that in vitro stimulation of naïve or effector T-cells with IL-7 and IL-15 reduces IL-7Rα, and increases and/or maintains IL-15Rβ expression, respectively. Consistent with these findings, the expression of IL-7Rα and IL-15Rβ is down- and up-regulated, respectively, in vivo on transferred T-cells in an early phase post T-cell transfer in lymphopenia. We further show that in vitro IL-15 restimulation-induced memory T-cells (compared to IL-2 restimulation-induced effector T-cells) and in vivo transferred T-cells in irradiated IL-15-sufficient C57BL/6 mice (compared to IL-15-deficient IL-15 KO mice) have increased mitochondrial content, but less NADH and lower mitochondrial potential (ΔΨm), and demonstrate greater phosphorylation of signal transducers and activators of transcription-5 (STAT5) and Unc-51-like kinase-1 (ULK1), and higher expression of B-cell leukemia/lymphoma-2 (Bcl2) and memory-, autophagy- and mitochondrial biogenesis-related molecules. Irradiation-induced lymphopenia promotes effector T-cell survival via IL-15 signaling the STAT5/Bcl2 pathway, enhances T-cell memory formation via IL

5-AED enhances survival of irradiated mice in a G-CSF-dependent manner, stimulates innate immune cell function, reduces radiation-induced DNA damage and induces genes that modulate cell cycle progression and apoptosis

PubMed Central

Grace, Marcy B.; Singh, Vijay K.; Rhee, Juong G.; Jackson, William E.; Kao, Tzu-Cheg; Whitnall, Mark H.

2012-01-01

The steroid androst-5-ene-3ß,17ß-diol (5-androstenediol, 5-AED) elevates circulating granulocytes and platelets in animals and humans, and enhances survival during the acute radiation syndrome (ARS) in mice and non-human primates. 5-AED promotes survival of irradiated human hematopoietic progenitors in vitro through induction of Nuclear Factor-κB (NFκB)-dependent Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor (G-CSF) expression, and causes elevations of circulating G-CSF and interleukin-6 (IL-6). However, the in vivo cellular and molecular effects of 5-AED are not well understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanisms of action of 5-AED administered subcutaneously (s.c.) to mice 24 h before total body γ- or X-irradiation (TBI). We used neutralizing antibodies, flow cytometric functional assays of circulating innate immune cells, analysis of expression of genes related to cell cycle progression, DNA repair and apoptosis, and assessment of DNA strand breaks with halo-comet assays. Neutralization experiments indicated endogenous G-CSF but not IL-6 was involved in survival enhancement by 5-AED. In keeping with known effects of G-CSF on the innate immune system, s.c. 5-AED stimulated phagocytosis in circulating granulocytes and oxidative burst in monocytes. 5-AED induced expression of both bax and bcl-2 in irradiated animals. Cdkn1a and ddb1, but not gadd45a expression, were upregulated by 5-AED in irradiated mice. S.c. 5-AED administration caused decreased DNA strand breaks in splenocytes from irradiated mice. Our results suggest 5-AED survival enhancement is G-CSF-dependent, and that it stimulates innate immune cell function and reduces radiation-induced DNA damage via induction of genes that modulate cell cycle progression and apoptosis. PMID:22843381

5-AED enhances survival of irradiated mice in a G-CSF-dependent manner, stimulates innate immune cell function, reduces radiation-induced DNA damage and induces genes that modulate cell cycle progression and apoptosis.

PubMed

Grace, Marcy B; Singh, Vijay K; Rhee, Juong G; Jackson, William E; Kao, Tzu-Cheg; Whitnall, Mark H

2012-11-01

The steroid androst-5-ene-3ß,17ß-diol (5-androstenediol, 5-AED) elevates circulating granulocytes and platelets in animals and humans, and enhances survival during the acute radiation syndrome (ARS) in mice and non-human primates. 5-AED promotes survival of irradiated human hematopoietic progenitors in vitro through induction of Nuclear Factor-κB (NFκB)-dependent Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor (G-CSF) expression, and causes elevations of circulating G-CSF and interleukin-6 (IL-6). However, the in vivo cellular and molecular effects of 5-AED are not well understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanisms of action of 5-AED administered subcutaneously (s.c.) to mice 24 h before total body γ- or X-irradiation (TBI). We used neutralizing antibodies, flow cytometric functional assays of circulating innate immune cells, analysis of expression of genes related to cell cycle progression, DNA repair and apoptosis, and assessment of DNA strand breaks with halo-comet assays. Neutralization experiments indicated endogenous G-CSF but not IL-6 was involved in survival enhancement by 5-AED. In keeping with known effects of G-CSF on the innate immune system, s.c. 5-AED stimulated phagocytosis in circulating granulocytes and oxidative burst in monocytes. 5-AED induced expression of both bax and bcl-2 in irradiated animals. Cdkn1a and ddb1, but not gadd45a expression, were upregulated by 5-AED in irradiated mice. S.c. 5-AED administration caused decreased DNA strand breaks in splenocytes from irradiated mice. Our results suggest 5-AED survival enhancement is G-CSF-dependent, and that it stimulates innate immune cell function and reduces radiation-induced DNA damage via induction of genes that modulate cell cycle progression and apoptosis.

Clinical and multiple gene expression variables in survival analysis of breast cancer: Analysis with the hypertabastic survival model

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background We explore the benefits of applying a new proportional hazard model to analyze survival of breast cancer patients. As a parametric model, the hypertabastic survival model offers a closer fit to experimental data than Cox regression, and furthermore provides explicit survival and hazard functions which can be used as additional tools in the survival analysis. In addition, one of our main concerns is utilization of multiple gene expression variables. Our analysis treats the important issue of interaction of different gene signatures in the survival analysis. Methods The hypertabastic proportional hazards model was applied in survival analysis of breast cancer patients. This model was compared, using statistical measures of goodness of fit, with models based on the semi-parametric Cox proportional hazards model and the parametric log-logistic and Weibull models. The explicit functions for hazard and survival were then used to analyze the dynamic behavior of hazard and survival functions. Results The hypertabastic model provided the best fit among all the models considered. Use of multiple gene expression variables also provided a considerable improvement in the goodness of fit of the model, as compared to use of only one. By utilizing the explicit survival and hazard functions provided by the model, we were able to determine the magnitude of the maximum rate of increase in hazard, and the maximum rate of decrease in survival, as well as the times when these occurred. We explore the influence of each gene expression variable on these extrema. Furthermore, in the cases of continuous gene expression variables, represented by a measure of correlation, we were able to investigate the dynamics with respect to changes in gene expression. Conclusions We observed that use of three different gene signatures in the model provided a greater combined effect and allowed us to assess the relative importance of each in determination of outcome in this data set. These

Migration confers winter survival benefits in a partially migratory songbird

PubMed Central

Zúñiga, Daniel; Gager, Yann; Kokko, Hanna; Fudickar, Adam Michael; Schmidt, Andreas; Naef-Daenzer, Beat; Wikelski, Martin

2017-01-01

To evolve and to be maintained, seasonal migration, despite its risks, has to yield fitness benefits compared with year-round residency. Empirical data supporting this prediction have remained elusive in the bird literature. To test fitness related benefits of migration, we studied a partial migratory population of European blackbirds (Turdus merula) over 7 years. Using a combination of capture-mark-recapture and radio telemetry, we compared survival probabilities between migrants and residents estimated by multi-event survival models, showing that migrant blackbirds had 16% higher probability to survive the winter compared to residents. A subsequent modelling exercise revealed that residents should have 61.25% higher breeding success than migrants, to outweigh the survival costs of residency. Our results support theoretical models that migration should confer survival benefits to evolve, and thus provide empirical evidence to understand the evolution and maintenance of migration. PMID:29157357

Comparing the Survival Rate of Mangrove Clam, Polymesoda (Geloina) spp. (Solander 1876) Through Field Experiments in Mangrove Forests of Iriomote Island.

PubMed

Washitani, Yasuko; Hayakawa, Reiko; Li, Meihua; Shibata, Shozo

2017-06-01

Polymesoda spp., which represent bivalves in the mangrove ecosystem, inhabit the mangrove forests of the Indo-Pacific region. They tend not to be broadly distributed across zones within the mangrove forest, but are instead typically encountered in the mesozone. We conducted field rearing experiments on four plots which were set across a mangrove forest along the Urauchi River of Iriomote Island, from the seaward to landward sides, over a period of 10 months. We compared the survival rates of clams at these plots with different environment for four months. Salinity was also measured during the study period, and we established a correlation between survival rate and change in salinity of each plot. The survival rate of the plot in the mesozone was 90%, that of two plots which were positioned in the seaward zone of the mesozone was 40%, and that of the plot on the landward side was 0%. In plot 4, the ambient water of the bivalves was fresh water. The salinity of the seaward zone changed rapidly in one day, or the salinity of the ambient water surrounding the bivalves was high for a long period of time. In Plot 3, salinity change was gradual, and the average salinity was lower than in Plots 1 and 2. This study indicates that salinity level affects bivalve survival rate and that area similar the mesozone, where gradual salinity change and average salinity were neither too high nor too low, are suitable for these species.

Minoxidil 2% lotion for eyebrow enhancement: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, spilt-face comparative study.

PubMed

Lee, Saridpong; Tanglertsampan, Chuchai; Tanchotikul, Mingkwan; Worapunpong, Nigun

2014-02-01

Topical minoxidil has been successfully used to treat androgenetic alopecia. It can also be applied to enhance eyebrows. However, there is no study comparing minoxidil lotion with placebo for eyebrow enhancement. In this trial, we determined the efficacy and safety of minoxidil 2% lotion for eyebrow enhancement compared with placebo. Forty patients were randomized for minoxidil on the eyebrow on one side of the face and placebo on the other. Efficacy was evaluated by global photographic assessment, eyebrow diameter, eyebrow count and subject's satisfaction. Side-effects were also evaluated. Thirty-nine patients (97.5%) completed the study. After 16 weeks, the minoxidil group achieved significantly better results in all measured outcomes compared to the placebo group. Side-effects were minor and did not preclude patients from continuing the study. Our study suggests that minoxidil 2% lotion is a safe and effective treatment for eyebrow hypotrichosis. © 2014 Japanese Dermatological Association.

Comparing gold nano-particle enhanced radiotherapy with protons, megavoltage photons and kilovoltage photons: a Monte Carlo simulation.

PubMed

Lin, Yuting; McMahon, Stephen J; Scarpelli, Matthew; Paganetti, Harald; Schuemann, Jan

2014-12-21

Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) have shown potential to be used as a radiosensitizer for radiation therapy. Despite extensive research activity to study GNP radiosensitization using photon beams, only a few studies have been carried out using proton beams. In this work Monte Carlo simulations were used to assess the dose enhancement of GNPs for proton therapy. The enhancement effect was compared between a clinical proton spectrum, a clinical 6 MV photon spectrum, and a kilovoltage photon source similar to those used in many radiobiology lab settings. We showed that the mechanism by which GNPs can lead to dose enhancements in radiation therapy differs when comparing photon and proton radiation. The GNP dose enhancement using protons can be up to 14 and is independent of proton energy, while the dose enhancement is highly dependent on the photon energy used. For the same amount of energy absorbed in the GNP, interactions with protons, kVp photons and MV photons produce similar doses within several nanometers of the GNP surface, and differences are below 15% for the first 10 nm. However, secondary electrons produced by kilovoltage photons have the longest range in water as compared to protons and MV photons, e.g. they cause a dose enhancement 20 times higher than the one caused by protons 10 μm away from the GNP surface. We conclude that GNPs have the potential to enhance radiation therapy depending on the type of radiation source. Proton therapy can be enhanced significantly only if the GNPs are in close proximity to the biological target.

Proposal and validation of a new model to estimate survival for hepatocellular carcinoma patients.

PubMed

Liu, Po-Hong; Hsu, Chia-Yang; Hsia, Cheng-Yuan; Lee, Yun-Hsuan; Huang, Yi-Hsiang; Su, Chien-Wei; Lee, Fa-Yauh; Lin, Han-Chieh; Huo, Teh-Ia

2016-08-01

The survival of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients is heterogeneous. We aim to develop and validate a simple prognostic model to estimate survival for HCC patients (MESH score). A total of 3182 patients were randomised into derivation and validation cohort. Multivariate analysis was used to identify independent predictors of survival in the derivation cohort. The validation cohort was employed to examine the prognostic capabilities. The MESH score allocated 1 point for each of the following parameters: large tumour (beyond Milan criteria), presence of vascular invasion or metastasis, Child-Turcotte-Pugh score ≥6, performance status ≥2, serum alpha-fetoprotein level ≥20 ng/ml, and serum alkaline phosphatase ≥200 IU/L, with a maximal of 6 points. In the validation cohort, significant survival differences were found across all MESH scores from 0 to 6 (all p < 0.01). The MESH system was associated with the highest homogeneity and lowest corrected Akaike information criterion compared with Barcelona Clínic Liver Cancer, Hong Kong Liver Cancer (HKLC), Cancer of the Liver Italian Program, Taipei Integrated Scoring and model to estimate survival in ambulatory HCC Patients systems. The prognostic accuracy of the MESH scores remained constant in patients with hepatitis B- or hepatitis C-related HCC. The MESH score can also discriminate survival for patients from early to advanced stages of HCC. This newly proposed simple and accurate survival model provides enhanced prognostic accuracy for HCC. The MESH system is a useful supplement to the BCLC and HKLC classification schemes in refining treatment strategies. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Is Reading Impairment Associated with Enhanced Holistic Processing in Comparative Visual Search?

PubMed

Wang, Jiahui; Schneps, Matthew H; Antonenko, Pavlo D; Chen, Chen; Pomplun, Marc

2016-11-01

This study explores a proposition that individuals with dyslexia develop enhanced peripheral vision to process visual-spatial information holistically. Participants included 18 individuals diagnosed with dyslexia and 18 who were not. The experiment used a comparative visual search design consisting of two blocks of 72 trials. Each trial presented two halves of the display each comprising three kinds of shapes in three colours to be compared side-by-side. Participants performed a conjunctive search to ascertain whether the two halves were identical. In the first block, participants were provided no instruction regarding the visual-spatial processing strategy they were to employ. In the second block, participants were instructed to use a holistic processing strategy-to defocus their attention and perform the comparison by examining the whole screen at once. The results did not support the hypothesis associating dyslexia with talents for holistic visual processing. Using holistic processing strategy, both groups scored lower in accuracy and reacted faster, compared to the first block. Impaired readers consistently reacted more slowly and did not exhibit enhanced accuracy. Given the extant evidence of strengths for holistic visual processing in impaired readers, these findings are important because they suggest such strengths may be task dependent. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Estimation of Survival Probabilities for Use in Cost-effectiveness Analyses: A Comparison of a Multi-state Modeling Survival Analysis Approach with Partitioned Survival and Markov Decision-Analytic Modeling

PubMed Central

Williams, Claire; Lewsey, James D.; Mackay, Daniel F.; Briggs, Andrew H.

2016-01-01

Modeling of clinical-effectiveness in a cost-effectiveness analysis typically involves some form of partitioned survival or Markov decision-analytic modeling. The health states progression-free, progression and death and the transitions between them are frequently of interest. With partitioned survival, progression is not modeled directly as a state; instead, time in that state is derived from the difference in area between the overall survival and the progression-free survival curves. With Markov decision-analytic modeling, a priori assumptions are often made with regard to the transitions rather than using the individual patient data directly to model them. This article compares a multi-state modeling survival regression approach to these two common methods. As a case study, we use a trial comparing rituximab in combination with fludarabine and cyclophosphamide v. fludarabine and cyclophosphamide alone for the first-line treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia. We calculated mean Life Years and QALYs that involved extrapolation of survival outcomes in the trial. We adapted an existing multi-state modeling approach to incorporate parametric distributions for transition hazards, to allow extrapolation. The comparison showed that, due to the different assumptions used in the different approaches, a discrepancy in results was evident. The partitioned survival and Markov decision-analytic modeling deemed the treatment cost-effective with ICERs of just over £16,000 and £13,000, respectively. However, the results with the multi-state modeling were less conclusive, with an ICER of just over £29,000. This work has illustrated that it is imperative to check whether assumptions are realistic, as different model choices can influence clinical and cost-effectiveness results. PMID:27698003

Estimation of Survival Probabilities for Use in Cost-effectiveness Analyses: A Comparison of a Multi-state Modeling Survival Analysis Approach with Partitioned Survival and Markov Decision-Analytic Modeling.

PubMed

Williams, Claire; Lewsey, James D; Mackay, Daniel F; Briggs, Andrew H

2017-05-01

Modeling of clinical-effectiveness in a cost-effectiveness analysis typically involves some form of partitioned survival or Markov decision-analytic modeling. The health states progression-free, progression and death and the transitions between them are frequently of interest. With partitioned survival, progression is not modeled directly as a state; instead, time in that state is derived from the difference in area between the overall survival and the progression-free survival curves. With Markov decision-analytic modeling, a priori assumptions are often made with regard to the transitions rather than using the individual patient data directly to model them. This article compares a multi-state modeling survival regression approach to these two common methods. As a case study, we use a trial comparing rituximab in combination with fludarabine and cyclophosphamide v. fludarabine and cyclophosphamide alone for the first-line treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia. We calculated mean Life Years and QALYs that involved extrapolation of survival outcomes in the trial. We adapted an existing multi-state modeling approach to incorporate parametric distributions for transition hazards, to allow extrapolation. The comparison showed that, due to the different assumptions used in the different approaches, a discrepancy in results was evident. The partitioned survival and Markov decision-analytic modeling deemed the treatment cost-effective with ICERs of just over £16,000 and £13,000, respectively. However, the results with the multi-state modeling were less conclusive, with an ICER of just over £29,000. This work has illustrated that it is imperative to check whether assumptions are realistic, as different model choices can influence clinical and cost-effectiveness results.

Antimicrobial Treatment Improves Mycobacterial Survival in Nonpermissive Growth Conditions

PubMed Central

Turapov, Obolbek; Waddell, Simon J.; Burke, Bernard; Glenn, Sarah; Sarybaeva, Asel A.; Tudo, Griselda; Labesse, Gilles; Young, Danielle I.; Young, Michael; Andrew, Peter W.; Butcher, Philip D.; Cohen-Gonsaud, Martin

2014-01-01

Antimicrobials targeting cell wall biosynthesis are generally considered inactive against nonreplicating bacteria. Paradoxically, we found that under nonpermissive growth conditions, exposure of Mycobacterium bovis BCG bacilli to such antimicrobials enhanced their survival. We identified a transcriptional regulator, RaaS (for regulator of antimicrobial-assisted survival), encoded by bcg1279 (rv1219c) as being responsible for the observed phenomenon. Induction of this transcriptional regulator resulted in reduced expression of specific ATP-dependent efflux pumps and promoted long-term survival of mycobacteria, while its deletion accelerated bacterial death under nonpermissive growth conditions in vitro and during macrophage or mouse infection. These findings have implications for the design of antimicrobial drug combination therapies for persistent infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis. PMID:24590482

ALK5 inhibition maintains islet endothelial cell survival but does not enhance islet graft revascularisation or function.

PubMed

King, A J F; Clarkin, C E; Austin, A L F; Ajram, L; Dhunna, J K; Jamil, M O; Ditta, S I; Ibrahim, S; Raza, Z; Jones, P M

2015-01-01

Islet transplantation is a potential treatment for Type 1 diabetes but long term graft function is suboptimal. The rich supply of intraislet endothelial cells diminishes rapidly after islet isolation and culture, which affects the revascularisation rate of islets after transplantation. The ALK5 pathway inhibits endothelial cell proliferation and thus inhibiting ALK5 is a potential target for improving endothelial cell survival. The aim of the study was to establish whether ALK5 inhibition prevents the loss of intraislet endothelial cells during islet culture and thus improves the functional survival of transplanted islets by enhancing their subsequent revascularisation after implantation. Islets were cultured for 48 h in the absence or presence of 2 different ALK inhibitors: SB-431542 or A-83-01. Their vascular density after culture was analysed using immunohistochemistry. Islets pre-cultured with the ALK5 inhibitors were implanted into streptozotocin-diabetic mice for either 3 or 7 days and blood glucose concentrations were monitored and vascular densities of the grafts were analysed. Islets cultured with ALK5 inhibitors had higher vascular densities than control-cultured islets. Three days after implantation, endothelial cell numbers in islet grafts were minimal, irrespective of treatment during culture. Seven days after implantation, endothelial cells were evident within the islet grafts but there was no difference between control-cultured islets and islets pre-treated with an ALK5 inhibitor. Blood glucose concentrations were no different between the treatment groups. In conclusion, inhibition of ALK5 improved intraislet endothelial cell numbers after islet culture, but this effect was lost in the early post-transplantation period. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

siRNA targeting decoy receptor 3 enhances the sensitivity of gastric carcinoma cells to 5-fluorouracil.

PubMed

Xu, Xiao-Tao; Tao, Ze-Zhang; Song, Qi-Bin; Yao, Yi; Ruan, Peng

2012-09-01

In order to investigate the effects of RNA interference of decoy receptor 3 (DcR3) on the sensitivity of gastric cancer cells to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and the relevant mechanisms, siRNA against DcR3 was transfected into the gastric cancer cell line AGS. AGS cells were treated with different doses of 5-FU or for different time periods. The sensitivity of AGS cells to 5-FU was determined. The cell survival rate was detected by MTT assay. The apoptotic rate was determined by DAPI staining, and the expression of related proteins were detected by western blot analysis. The results showed that the cell survival rate was significanlty decreased in the knockdown group compared to the control group at different doses of 5-FU (P<0.01). After different time periods of treatment with 5-FU, the cell survival rate in the knockdown group was significantly decreased compared to the control group, respectively (P<0.01). The apoptotic rate of AGS cells in the knockdown group was increased along with the increasing dose of siRNA. The siRNA against DcR3 enhanced the expression of Fas, FasL, caspase-3 and caspase-8. In conclusion, knockdown of DcR3 by RNA interference enhances apoptosis and inhibits the growth of gastric cancer cells. Downregulation of DcR3 enhances the sensitivity of gastric cancer cells to 5-FU and increased the expression of Fas, FasL and caspase-3/8.

Viral vector-mediated downregulation of RhoA increases survival and axonal regeneration of retinal ganglion cells

PubMed Central

Koch, Jan Christoph; Tönges, Lars; Michel, Uwe; Bähr, Mathias; Lingor, Paul

2014-01-01

The Rho/ROCK pathway is a promising therapeutic target in neurodegenerative and neurotraumatic diseases. Pharmacological inhibition of various pathway members has been shown to promote neuronal regeneration and survival. However, because pharmacological inhibitors are inherently limited in their specificity, shRNA-mediated approaches can add more information on the function of each single kinase involved. Thus, we generated adeno-associated viral vectors (AAV) to specifically downregulate Ras homologous member A (RhoA) via shRNA. We found that specific knockdown of RhoA promoted neurite outgrowth of retinal ganglion cells (RGC) grown on the inhibitory substrate chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan (CSPG) as well as neurite regeneration of primary midbrain neurons (PMN) after scratch lesion. In the rat optic nerve crush (ONC) model in vivo, downregulation of RhoA significantly enhanced axonal regeneration compared to control. Moreover, survival of RGC transduced with AAV expressing RhoA-shRNA was substantially increased at 2 weeks after optic nerve axotomy. Compared to previous data using pharmacological inhibitors to target RhoA, its upstream regulator Nogo or its main downstream target ROCK, the specific effects of RhoA downregulation shown here were most pronounced in regard to promoting RGC survival but neurite outgrowth and axonal regeneration were also increased significantly. Taken together, we show here that specific knockdown of RhoA substantially increases neuronal survival after optic nerve axotomy and modestly increases neurite outgrowth in vitro and axonal regeneration after optic nerve crush. PMID:25249936

Use of Systemic Rosmarinus Officinalis to Enhance the Survival of Random-Pattern Skin Flaps

PubMed Central

İnce, Bilsev; Bilgen, Fatma; Gündeşlioğlu, Ayşe Özlem; Dadacı, Mehmet; Kozacıoğlu, Sümeyye

2016-01-01

Background Skin flaps are commonly used in soft-tissue reconstruction; however, necrosis can be a frequent complication. Several systemic and local agents have been used in attempts to improve skin flap survival, but none that can prevent flap necrosis have been identified. Aims This study aims to determine whether the use of systemic Rosmarinus officinalis (R. officinalis) extract can prevent flap necrosis and improve skin flap recovery. Study Design Animal experimentation. Methods Thirty-five Wistar albino rats were divided in five groups. A rectangular random-pattern flaps measuring 8×2 cm was elevated from the back of each rat. Group I was the control group. In Group II, 0.2 ml of R. officinalis oil was given orally 2h before surgery. R. officinalis oil was then applied orally twice a day for a week. In Group III, R. officinalis oil was given orally twice a day for one week before surgery. At the end of the week, 0.2 mL of R. officinalis oil was given orally 2 h before surgery. In Group IV, 0.2 mL of R. officinalis oil was injected subcutaneously 2 h before surgery. After the surgery, 0.2 mL R. officinalis oil was injected subcutaneously twice a day for one week. In Group V, 0.2 mL R. officinalis oil was injected subcutaneously twice a day for one week prior to surgery. At the end of the week, one last 0.2 mL R. officinalis oil injection was administered subcutaneously 2 h before surgery. After the surgery, 0.2 mL R. officinalis oil was injected subcutaneously twice a day for one week. Results The mean percentage of viable surface area was significantly greater (p<0.05) in Groups II, III, IV, and V as compared to Group I. Mean vessel diameter was significantly greater (p<0.05) in Groups II, III, IV, and V as compared to Group I. Conclusion We have determined that, in addition to its anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects, R. officinalis has vasodilatory effects that contribute to increased skin flap survival. PMID:27994918

Survival of parents and siblings of supercentenarians.

PubMed

Perls, Thomas; Kohler, Iliana V; Andersen, Stacy; Schoenhofen, Emily; Pennington, JaeMi; Young, Robert; Terry, Dellara; Elo, Irma T

2007-09-01

Given previous evidence of familial predisposition for longevity, we hypothesized that siblings and parents of supercentenarians (age >or= 110 years) were predisposed to survival to very old age and that, relative to their birth cohorts, their relative survival probabilities (RSPs) are even higher than what has been observed for the siblings of centenarians. Mean age at death conditional upon survival to ages 20 and 50 and survival probabilities from ages 20 and 50 to higher ages were determined for 50 male and 56 female siblings and 54 parents of 29 supercentenarians. These estimates were contrasted with comparable estimates based on birth cohort-specific mortality experience for the United States and Sweden. Conditional on survival to age 20 years, mean age at death of supercentenarians' siblings was approximately 81 years for men and women. Compared with respective Swedish and U.S. birth cohorts, these estimates were 17%-20% (12-14 years) higher for the brothers and 11%-14% (8-10 years) higher for the sisters. Sisters had a 2.9 times greater probability and brothers had a 4.3 times greater probability of survival from age 20 to age 90. Mothers of supercentenarians had a 5.8 times greater probability of surviving from age 50 to age 90. Fathers also experienced an increased survival probability from age 50 to age 90 of 2.7, but it failed to attain statistical significance. The RSPs of siblings and mothers of supercentenarians revealed a substantial survival advantage and were most pronounced at the oldest ages. The RSP to age 90 for siblings of supercentenarians was approximately the same as that reported for siblings of centenarians. It is possible that greater RSPs are observed for reaching even higher ages such as 100 years, but a larger sample of supercentenarians and their siblings and parents is needed to investigate this possibility.

Apparent diffusion coefficient histogram metrics correlate with survival in diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma: a report from the Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium

PubMed Central

Poussaint, Tina Young; Vajapeyam, Sridhar; Ricci, Kelsey I.; Panigrahy, Ashok; Kocak, Mehmet; Kun, Larry E.; Boyett, James M.; Pollack, Ian F.; Fouladi, Maryam

2016-01-01

Background Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) is associated with poor survival regardless of therapy. We used volumetric apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) histogram metrics to determine associations with progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) at baseline and after radiation therapy (RT). Methods Baseline and post-RT quantitative ADC histograms were generated from fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) images and enhancement regions of interest. Metrics assessed included number of peaks (ie, unimodal or bimodal), mean and median ADC, standard deviation, mode, skewness, and kurtosis. Results Based on FLAIR images, the majority of tumors had unimodal peaks with significantly shorter average survival. Pre-RT FLAIR mean, mode, and median values were significantly associated with decreased risk of progression; higher pre-RT ADC values had longer PFS on average. Pre-RT FLAIR skewness and standard deviation were significantly associated with increased risk of progression; higher pre-RT FLAIR skewness and standard deviation had shorter PFS. Nonenhancing tumors at baseline showed higher ADC FLAIR mean values, lower kurtosis, and higher PFS. For enhancing tumors at baseline, bimodal enhancement histograms had much worse PFS and OS than unimodal cases and significantly lower mean peak values. Enhancement in tumors only after RT led to significantly shorter PFS and OS than in patients with baseline or no baseline enhancement. Conclusions ADC histogram metrics in DIPG demonstrate significant correlations between diffusion metrics and survival, with lower diffusion values (increased cellularity), increased skewness, and enhancement associated with shorter survival, requiring future investigations in large DIPG clinical trials. PMID:26487690

Ciprofloxacin Enhances Stress Erythropoiesis in Spleen and Increases Survival after Whole-Body Irradiation Combined with Skin-Wound Trauma

PubMed Central

Fukumoto, Risaku; Burns, True M.; Kiang, Juliann G.

2014-01-01

Severe hematopoietic loss is one of the major therapeutic targets after radiation-combined injury (CI), a kind of injury resulting from radiation exposure combined with other traumas. In this study, we tested the use of ciprofloxacin (CIP) as a treatment, because of recently reported immunomodulatory effects against CI that may improve hematopoiesis. The CIP regimen was a daily, oral dose for 3 weeks, with the first dose 2 h after CI. CIP treatment improved 30-day survival in mice at 80% compared to 35% for untreated controls. Study of early changes in hematological parameters identified CI-induced progressive anemia by 10 days that CIP significantly ameliorated. CI induced erythropoietin (EPO) mRNA in kidney and protein in kidney and serum; CIP stimulated EPO mRNA expression. In spleens of CI mice, CIP induced bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4) in macrophages with EPO receptors. Splenocytes from CIP-treated CI mice formed CD71+ colony-forming unit-erythroid significantly better than those from controls. Thus, CIP-mediated BMP4-dependent stress erythropoiesis may play a role in improving survival after CI. PMID:24587369

Can auger planting improve survival of Douglas-fir seedlings? Res

Treesearch

Richard E. Miller

1969-01-01

Survival and apparent vigor of Douglas-fir seedlings were compared after: (1) hoe planting of root-trimmed seedlings; (2) as above plus manual site preparation; (3) auger planting of untrimmed seedlings. After two growing seasons, surviving with method (3) but not (2) was significantly greater than survival with method (1). After the third season, survival...

Seasonal cues induce phenotypic plasticity of Drosophila suzukii to enhance winter survival.

PubMed

Shearer, Peter W; West, Jessica D; Walton, Vaughn M; Brown, Preston H; Svetec, Nicolas; Chiu, Joanna C

2016-03-22

As global climate change and exponential human population growth intensifies pressure on agricultural systems, the need to effectively manage invasive insect pests is becoming increasingly important to global food security. Drosophila suzukii is an invasive pest that drastically expanded its global range in a very short time since 2008, spreading to most areas in North America and many countries in Europe and South America. Preliminary ecological modeling predicted a more restricted distribution and, for this reason, the invasion of D. suzukii to northern temperate regions is especially unexpected. Investigating D. suzukii phenology and seasonal adaptations can lead to a better understanding of the mechanisms through which insects express phenotypic plasticity, which likely enables invasive species to successfully colonize a wide range of environments. We describe seasonal phenotypic plasticity in field populations of D. suzukii. Specifically, we observed a trend of higher proportions of flies with the winter morph phenotype, characterized by darker pigmentation and longer wing length, as summer progresses to winter. A laboratory-simulated winter photoperiod and temperature (12:12 L:D and 10 °C) were sufficient to induce the winter morph phenotype in D. suzukii. This winter morph is associated with increased survival at 1 °C when compared to the summer morph, thus explaining the ability of D. suzukii to survive cold winters. We then used RNA sequencing to identify gene expression differences underlying seasonal differences in D. suzukii physiology. Winter morph gene expression is consistent with known mechanisms of cold-hardening such as adjustments to ion transport and up-regulation of carbohydrate metabolism. In addition, transcripts involved in oogenesis and DNA replication were down-regulated in the winter morph, providing the first molecular evidence of a reproductive diapause in D. suzukii. To date, D. suzukii cold resistance studies suggest that this

Intravenous versus intramuscular cobinamide compared to intravenous saline (control) in the treatment of acute, survivable, mitochondrial toxins in swine (Sus Scrofa): a pilot study

DTIC Science & Technology

2018-04-10

Type of Research: Animal Research 3. Title: Intravenous versus intramuscular cobinamide compared to intravenous saline ( control ) in the treatment...the hyperkalemia under control and in our upcoming protocol we feel we will finally be able to induce apnea with the toxin and calcium channel...intramuscular cobinamide compared to intravenous saline ( control ) in the treatment of acute, survivable, mitochondrial toxins in swine (Sus Scrofa): a pilot

The pyrrolo-1,5-benzoxazepine, PBOX-15, enhances TRAIL-induced apoptosis by upregulation of DR5 and downregulation of core cell survival proteins in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia cells

PubMed Central

NATHWANI, SEEMA-MARIA; GREENE, LISA M.; BUTINI, STEFANIA; CAMPIANI, GIUSEPPE; WILLIAMS, D. CLIVE; SAMALI, AFSHIN; SZEGEZDI, EVA; ZISTERER, DANIELA M.

2016-01-01

Apoptotic defects are frequently associated with poor outcome in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) hence there is an ongoing demand for novel strategies that counteract apoptotic resistance. The death ligand TRAIL (tumour necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand) and its selective tumour receptor system has attracted exceptional clinical interest. However, many malignancies including ALL are resistant to TRAIL monotherapy. Tumour resistance can be overcome by drug combination therapy. TRAIL and its agonist antibodies are currently undergoing phase II clinical trials with established chemotherapeutics. Herein, we present promising therapeutic benefits in combining TRAIL with the selective anti-leukaemic agents, the pyrrolo-1,5-benzoxazepines (PBOXs) for the treatment of ALL. PBOX-15 synergistically enhanced apoptosis induced by TRAIL and a DR5-selective TRAIL variant in ALL-derived cells. PBOX-15 enhanced TRAIL-induced apoptosis by dual activation of extrinsic and intrinsic apoptotic pathways. The specific caspase-8 inhibitor, Z-IETD-FMK, identified the extrinsic pathway as the principal mode of apoptosis. We demonstrate that PBOX-15 can enhance TRAIL-induced apoptosis by upregulation of DR5, reduction of cellular mitochondrial potential, activation of the caspase cascade and downregulation of PI3K/Akt, c-FLIP, Mcl-1 and IAP survival pathways. Of note, the PI3K pathway inhibitor LY-294002 significantly enhanced the apoptotic potential of TRAIL and PBOX-15 validating the importance of Akt downregulation in the TRAIL/PBOX-15 synergistic combination. Considering the lack of cytotoxicity to normal cells and ability to downregulate several survival pathways, PBOX-15 may represent an effective agent for use in combination with TRAIL for the treatment of ALL. PMID:27176505

Racial disparities in advanced-stage colorectal cancer survival.

PubMed

Wallace, Kristin; Hill, Elizabeth G; Lewin, David N; Williamson, Grace; Oppenheimer, Stephanie; Ford, Marvella E; Wargovich, Michael J; Berger, Franklin G; Bolick, Susan W; Thomas, Melanie B; Alberg, Anthony J

2013-03-01

African-Americans (AA) have a higher incidence of and lower survival from colorectal cancer (CRC) compared with European Americans (EA). In the present study, statewide, population-based data from South Carolina Central Cancer Registry are used to investigate the relationship between race and age on advanced-stage CRC survival. The study population was comprised of 3,865 advanced pathologically documented colon and rectal adenocarcinoma cases diagnosed between 01 January 1996 and 31 December 2006: 2,673 (69 %) EA and 1,192 (31 %) AA. Kaplan-Meier methods were used to generate median survival time and corresponding 95 % confidence intervals (CI) by race, age, and gender. Factors associated with survival were evaluated by fitting Cox proportional hazards regression models to generate hazard ratios (HR) and 95 % CI. We observed a significant interaction between race and age on CRC survival (p = 0.04). Among younger patients (<50 years), AA race was associated with a 1.34 times (95 % CI 1.06-1.71) higher risk of death compared with EA. Among older patients, we observed a modest increase in risk of death among AA men compared with EA [HR 1.16 (95 % CI 1.01-1.32)] but no difference by race between women [HR 0.94 (95 % CI 0.82-1.08)]. Moreover, we observed that the disparity in survival has worsened over the past 15 years. Future studies that integrate clinical, molecular, and treatment-related data are needed for advancing understanding of the racial disparity in CRC survival, especially for those <50 years old.

Enhanced mutagenesis parallels enhanced reactivation of herpes virus in a human cell line.

PubMed Central

Lytle, C D; Knott, D C

1982-01-01

U.v. irradiation of human NB-E cells results in enhanced mutagenesis and enhanced reactivation of u.v.-irradiated H-1 virus grown in those cells ( Cornelis et al., 1982). This paper reports a similar study using herpes simplex virus (HSV) in NB-E cells. The mutation frequency of HSV (resistance of virus plaque formation to 40 micrograms/ml iododeoxycytidine ) increased approximately linearly with exposure of the virus to u.v. radiation. HSV grown in unirradiated cells gave a slope of 1.8 X 10(-5)m2/J, with 3.2 X 10(-5)m2/J for HSV grown in cells irradiated (3 J/m2) 24 h before infection. There was no evidence for mutagenesis of unirradiated virus by irradiated cells, as seen with H-1 virus. Enhanced reactivation of irradiated HSV in parallel cultures increased virus survival, manifested as a change in slope of the final component of the two-component survival curve from a D0 of 27 J/m2 in unirradiated cells to 45 J/m2 in irradiated cells. Thus, enhanced mutagenesis and enhanced reactivation occurred for irradiated HSV in NB-E cells. The difference in the enhanced mutagenesis of HSV (dependent on damaged DNA sites) and of H-1 virus (primarily independent of damaged DNA sites) is discussed in terms of differences in DNA polymerases. PMID:6329698

Probabilistic Survivability Versus Time Modeling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Joyner, James J., Sr.

2016-01-01

This presentation documents Kennedy Space Center's Independent Assessment work completed on three assessments for the Ground Systems Development and Operations (GSDO) Program to assist the Chief Safety and Mission Assurance Officer during key programmatic reviews and provided the GSDO Program with analyses of how egress time affects the likelihood of astronaut and ground worker survival during an emergency. For each assessment, a team developed probability distributions for hazard scenarios to address statistical uncertainty, resulting in survivability plots over time. The first assessment developed a mathematical model of probabilistic survivability versus time to reach a safe location using an ideal Emergency Egress System at Launch Complex 39B (LC-39B); the second used the first model to evaluate and compare various egress systems under consideration at LC-39B. The third used a modified LC-39B model to determine if a specific hazard decreased survivability more rapidly than other events during flight hardware processing in Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building.

Desiccation of adhering and biofilm Listeria monocytogenes on stainless steel: Survival and transfer to salmon products.

PubMed

Hansen, Lisbeth Truelstrup; Vogel, Birte Fonnesbech

2011-03-15

The foodborne bacterial pathogen, Listeria monocytogenes, commonly contaminates foods during processing, where the microorganisms are potentially subjected to low relative humidity (RH) conditions for extended periods of time. The objective of this study was to examine survival during desiccation (43% RH and 15 °C) of biofilm L. monocytogenes N53-1 cells on stainless steel coupons and to assess subsequent transfer to salmon products. Formation of static biofilm (2 days at 100% RH and 15 °C) prior to desiccation for 23 days significantly (P<0.05) improved survival of cells desiccated in initial low salt concentrations (0.5%) compared to the survival for non-biofilm cells also desiccated in low salt, indicating the protective effect of the biofilm matrix. Osmoadaptation of cells in 5% NaCl before formation of the static biofilm significantly (P<0.05) increased long-term desiccation survival (49 days) irrespectively of the initial salt levels (0.5% and 5% NaCl). The efficiency of transfer (EOT) of desiccated biofilm cells was significantly (P<0.05) lower than EOTs for desiccated non-biofilm bacteria, however, as biofilm formation enhanced desiccation survival more bacteria were still transferred to smoked and fresh salmon. In conclusion, the current work shows the protective effect of biofilm formation, salt and osmoadaptation on the desiccation survival of L. monocytogenes, which in turn increases the potential for cross-contamination during food processing. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Conditional survival of all primary brain tumor patients by age, behavior, and histology.

PubMed

Porter, Kimberly R; McCarthy, Bridget J; Berbaum, Michael L; Davis, Faith G

2011-01-01

Survival statistics commonly reflect survival from the time of diagnosis but do not take into account survival already achieved after a diagnosis. The objective of this study was to provide conditional survival estimates for brain tumor patients as a more accurate measure of survival for those who have already survived for a specified amount of time after diagnosis. Data on primary malignant and nonmalignant brain tumor cases diagnosed from 1985-2005 from selected SEER state cancer registries were obtained. Relative survival up to 15 years postdiagnosis and varying relative conditional survival rates were computed using the life-table method. The overall 1-year relative survival estimate derived from time of diagnosis was 67.8% compared to the 6-month relative conditional survival rate of 85.7% for 6-month survivors (the probability of surviving to 1 year given survival to 6 months). The 10-year overall relative survival rate was 49.5% from time of diagnosis compared to the 8-year relative conditional survival rate of 79.2% for 2-year survivors. Conditional survival estimates and standard survival estimates varied by histology, behavior, and age at diagnosis. The 5-year relative survival estimate derived from time of diagnosis for glioblastoma was 3.6% compared to the 3-year relative conditional survival rate of 36.4% for 2-year survivors. For most nonmalignant tumors, the difference between relative survival and the corresponding conditional survival estimates were minimal. Older age groups had greater numeric gains in survival but lower conditional survival estimates than other age groups. Similar findings were seen for other conditional survival intervals. Conditional survival is a useful disease surveillance measure for clinicians and brain tumor survivors to provide them with better 'real-time' estimates and hope. Copyright © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel.

A preliminary randomized clinical trial comparing diode laser and scalpel periosteal incision during implant surgery: impact on postoperative morbidity and implant survival.

PubMed

Shahnaz, Aysan; Jamali, Raika; Mohammadi, Farnush; Khorsand, Afshin; Moslemi, Neda; Fekrazad, Reza

2018-01-01

The aim of this preliminary randomized clinical trial was to compare: (1) post-operative morbidity after application of laser or scalpel incision for flap advancement during implant surgery and bone grafting and (2) implant survival rate following flap advancement with laser or scalpel incision after 6 months of loading. Eighteen patients who were scheduled for dental implant placement and simultaneous bone grafting were randomly assigned to test or control groups. Diode laser (810 nm, 2 W, pulse interval 200 μs; pulse length 100 μs, 400-μm initiated fiber tip), or scalpel (control) was used to sever the periosteum to create a tension-free flap. Visual analogue scale (VAS) pain score, rate of nonsteroid anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) consumption, intensity of swelling, and ecchymosis were measured for the six postsurgical days. Six months after loading, implant survival was assessed. VAS pain score (during the first four postoperative days), rate of NSAID consumption (during the first three postoperative days), and intensity of swelling (during the first five postoperative days) were significantly lower in the test group compared to the control group (All P values < 0.05). One patient in the control group experienced ecchymosis. All implants were successful in function. Application of laser for performing periosteal releasing incision reduced the incidence and severity of postoperative morbidity of the patients undergone implant surgery in conjunction with bone augmentation procedure. We did not find any detrimental effect of laser incision on the implant survival within 6 months of loading.

A comparative study on preprocessing techniques in diabetic retinopathy retinal images: illumination correction and contrast enhancement.

PubMed

Rasta, Seyed Hossein; Partovi, Mahsa Eisazadeh; Seyedarabi, Hadi; Javadzadeh, Alireza

2015-01-01

To investigate the effect of preprocessing techniques including contrast enhancement and illumination correction on retinal image quality, a comparative study was carried out. We studied and implemented a few illumination correction and contrast enhancement techniques on color retinal images to find out the best technique for optimum image enhancement. To compare and choose the best illumination correction technique we analyzed the corrected red and green components of color retinal images statistically and visually. The two contrast enhancement techniques were analyzed using a vessel segmentation algorithm by calculating the sensitivity and specificity. The statistical evaluation of the illumination correction techniques were carried out by calculating the coefficients of variation. The dividing method using the median filter to estimate background illumination showed the lowest Coefficients of variations in the red component. The quotient and homomorphic filtering methods after the dividing method presented good results based on their low Coefficients of variations. The contrast limited adaptive histogram equalization increased the sensitivity of the vessel segmentation algorithm up to 5% in the same amount of accuracy. The contrast limited adaptive histogram equalization technique has a higher sensitivity than the polynomial transformation operator as a contrast enhancement technique for vessel segmentation. Three techniques including the dividing method using the median filter to estimate background, quotient based and homomorphic filtering were found as the effective illumination correction techniques based on a statistical evaluation. Applying the local contrast enhancement technique, such as CLAHE, for fundus images presented good potentials in enhancing the vasculature segmentation.

Geographic disparities in colorectal cancer survival

PubMed Central

Henry, Kevin A; Niu, Xiaoling; Boscoe, Francis P

2009-01-01

Background Examining geographic variation in cancer patient survival can help identify important prognostic factors that are linked by geography and generate hypotheses about the underlying causes of survival disparities. In this study, we apply a recently developed spatial scan statistic method, designed for time-to-event data, to determine whether colorectal cancer (CRC) patient survival varies by place of residence after adjusting survival times for several prognostic factors. Methods Using data from a population-based, statewide cancer registry, we examined a cohort of 25,040 men and women from New Jersey who were newly diagnosed with local or regional stage colorectal cancer from 1996 through 2003 and followed to the end of 2006. Survival times were adjusted for significant prognostic factors (sex, age, stage at diagnosis, race/ethnicity and census tract socioeconomic deprivation) and evaluated using a spatial scan statistic to identify places where CRC survival was significantly longer or shorter than the statewide experience. Results Age, sex and stage adjusted survival times revealed several areas in the northern part of the state where CRC survival was significantly different than expected. The shortest and longest survival areas had an adjusted 5-year survival rate of 73.1% (95% CI 71.5, 74.9) and 88.3% (95% CI 85.4, 91.3) respectively, compared with the state average of 80.0% (95% CI 79.4, 80.5). Analysis of survival times adjusted for age, sex and stage as well as race/ethnicity and area socioeconomic deprivation attenuated the risk of death from CRC in several areas, but survival disparities persisted. Conclusion The results suggest that in areas where additional adjustments for race/ethnicity and area socioeconomic deprivation changed the geographic survival patterns and reduced the risk of death from CRC, the adjustment factors may be contributing causes of the disparities. Further studies should focus on specific and modifiable individual and

Vortex survival in 3D self-gravitating accretion discs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Min-Kai; Pierens, Arnaud

2018-07-01

Large-scale, dust-trapping vortices may account for observations of asymmetric protoplanetary discs. Disc vortices are also potential sites for accelerated planetesimal formation by concentrating dust grains. However, in 3D discs vortices are subject to destructive `elliptic instabilities', which reduces their viability as dust traps. The survival of vortices in 3D accretion discs is thus an important issue to address. In this work, we perform shearing box simulations to show that disc self-gravity enhances the survival of 3D vortices, even when self-gravity is weak in the classic sense (e.g. with a Toomre Q ≃ 5). We find a 3D self-gravitating vortex can grow on secular time-scales in spite of the elliptic instability. The vortex aspect ratio decreases as it strengthens, which feeds the elliptic instability. The result is a 3D vortex with a turbulent core that persists for ˜103 orbits. We find when gravitational and hydrodynamic stresses become comparable, the vortex may undergo episodic bursts, which we interpret as an interaction between elliptic and gravitational instabilities. We estimate the distribution of dust particles in self-gravitating, turbulent vortices. Our results suggest large-scale vortices in protoplanetary discs are more easily observed at large radii.

Vortex survival in 3D self-gravitating accretion discs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Min-Kai; Pierens, Arnaud

2018-04-01

Large-scale, dust-trapping vortices may account for observations of asymmetric protoplanetary discs. Disc vortices are also potential sites for accelerated planetesimal formation by concentrating dust grains. However, in 3D discs vortices are subject to destructive `elliptic instabilities', which reduces their viability as dust traps. The survival of vortices in 3D accretion discs is thus an important issue to address. In this work, we perform shearing box simulations to show that disc self-gravity enhances the survival of 3D vortices, even when self-gravity is weak in the classic sense (e.g. with a Toomre Q ≃ 5). We find a 3D, self-gravitating vortex can grow on secular timescales in spite of the elliptic instability. The vortex aspect-ratio decreases as it strengthens, which feeds the elliptic instability. The result is a 3D vortex with a turbulent core that persists for ˜103 orbits. We find when gravitational and hydrodynamic stresses become comparable, the vortex may undergo episodic bursts, which we interpret as interaction between elliptic and gravitational instabilities. We estimate the distribution of dust particles in self-gravitating, turbulent vortices. Our results suggest large-scale vortices in protoplanetary discs are more easily observed at large radii.

Prognostic significance of contrast-enhanced CT attenuation value in extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

PubMed

Asayama, Yoshiki; Nishie, Akihiro; Ishigami, Kousei; Ushijima, Yasuhiro; Takayama, Yukihisa; Okamoto, Daisuke; Fujita, Nobuhiro; Ohtsuka, Takao; Yoshizumi, Tomoharu; Aishima, Shinichi; Oda, Yoshinao; Honda, Hiroshi

2017-06-01

To determine whether washout characteristics of dynamic contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) could predict survival in patients with extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (EHC). This study collected 46 resected cases. All cases were examined by dynamic contrast study on multidetector-row CT. Region-of-interest measurements were obtained at the non-enhanced, portal venous phase and delayed phase in the tumour and were used to calculate the washout ratio as follows: [(attenuation value at portal venous phase CT - attenuation value at delayed enhanced CT)/(attenuation value at portal venous phase CT - attenuation value at unenhanced CT)] × 100. On the basis of the median washout ratio, we classified the cases into two groups, a high-washout group and low-washout group. Associations between overall survival and various factors including washout rates were analysed. The median washout ratio was 29.4 %. Univariate analysis revealed that a lower washout ratio, venous invasion, lymphatic permeation and lymph node metastasis were associated with shorter survival. Multivariate analysis identified the lower washout ratio as an independent prognostic factor (hazard ratio, 3.768; p value, 0.027). The washout ratio obtained from the contrast-enhanced CT may be a useful imaging biomarker for the prediction of survival of patients with EHC. • Dynamic contrast study can evaluate the aggressiveness of extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. • A lower washout ratio was an independent prognostic factor for overall survival. • CT can predict survival and inform decisions on surgical options or chemotherapy.

Arsenic transformation predisposes human skin keratinocytes to UV-induced DNA damage yet enhances their survival apparently by diminishing oxidant response

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sun Yang; Kojima, Chikara; Chignell, Colin

2011-09-15

Inorganic arsenic and UV, both human skin carcinogens, may act together as skin co-carcinogens. We find human skin keratinocytes (HaCaT cells) are malignantly transformed by low-level arsenite (100 nM, 30 weeks; termed As-TM cells) and with transformation concurrently undergo full adaptation to arsenic toxicity involving reduced apoptosis and oxidative stress response to high arsenite concentrations. Oxidative DNA damage (ODD) is a possible mechanism in arsenic carcinogenesis and a hallmark of UV-induced skin cancer. In the current work, inorganic arsenite exposure (100 nM) did not induce ODD during the 30 weeks required for malignant transformation. Although acute UV-treatment (UVA, 25 J/cm{supmore » 2}) increased ODD in passage-matched control cells, once transformed by arsenic to As-TM cells, acute UV actually further increased ODD (> 50%). Despite enhanced ODD, As-TM cells were resistant to UV-induced apoptosis. The response of apoptotic factors and oxidative stress genes was strongly mitigated in As-TM cells after UV exposure including increased Bcl2/Bax ratio and reduced Caspase-3, Nrf2, and Keap1 expression. Several Nrf2-related genes (HO-1, GCLs, SOD) showed diminished responses in As-TM cells after UV exposure consistent with reduced oxidant stress response. UV-exposed As-TM cells showed increased expression of cyclin D1 (proliferation gene) and decreased p16 (tumor suppressor). UV exposure enhanced the malignant phenotype of As-TM cells. Thus, the co-carcinogenicity between UV and arsenic in skin cancer might involve adaptation to chronic arsenic exposure generally mitigating the oxidative stress response, allowing apoptotic by-pass after UV and enhanced cell survival even in the face of increased UV-induced oxidative stress and increased ODD. - Highlights: > Arsenic transformation adapted to UV-induced apoptosis. > Arsenic transformation diminished oxidant response. > Arsenic transformation enhanced UV-induced DNA damage.« less

Irinotecan in second-line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer: improved survival and cost-effect compared with infusional 5-FU.

PubMed

Iveson, T J; Hickish, T; Schmitt, C; Van Cutsem, E

1999-12-01

In a recent multicentre, randomised, controlled, open-label study (Rougier and colleagues, Lancet 1998, 352, 1407-1412), irinotecan significantly increased survival without any deterioration in quality of life compared with best-estimated infusional 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) therapy in the setting of second-line treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer. The aim of the cost-effectiveness analysis reported here was to compare the economic implications, from a U.K. perspective, of replacing 5-FU therapy [either as a single agent (Lokich regimen, B2) or in combination with folinic acid (de Gramont regimen, B1, or AIO regimen, B3)] with irinotecan as second-line therapy for metastatic colorectal cancer. Resource utilisation data collected prospectively during the study, supplemented by both a questionnaire to investigators and local expert clinical opinion, were used as a basis for estimating cumulative drug dosage, chemotherapy administration and treatment of complications. Drug acquisition costs were derived from the British National Formulary (March 1998), and unit costs for clinical consultation and services were derived from relevant 1996/1997 cost databases. Although cumulative drug acquisition costs per patient were higher with irinotecan than with infusional 5-FU therapy, these were at least partially offset by lower cumulative costs per patient associated with administration of therapy and treatment of complications in the irinotecan arm than in the 5-FU arm. Based on the incremental costs per life year gained (LYG), irinotecan was considered to be cost-effective by commonly accepted criteria compared with either the B1 or B2 regimens. Irinotecan was cost-saving compared with the B3 regimen (that is significant survival gain and a reduction in costs). Thus, not only is there strong evidence for the use of irinotecan as standard second-line therapy in metastatic colorectal cancer,but the results of this prospective economic evaluation have shown that irinotecan

Aircraft Survivability: Rotorcraft Survivability. Summer 2010

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-01-01

Loading of the shafts was conducted using two techniques. The first tech- nique applied a torsion load up to the design limit load after the article...show the ballistic impact and impact damage. Figure 11 shows a 45-degree shaft failure, a common failure type, when loaded to design limit after...SUMMER 2010 ROTORCRAFT Survivability STUDY ON ROTORCRAFT SURVIVABILITY V-22 INTEGRATED SURVIVABILITY DESIGN CH-53K HEAVY LIFT HELICOPTER 9 20 25

Effect of semolina-jaggery diet on survival and development of Drosophila melanogaster.

PubMed

Chattopadhyay, Debarati; James, Joel; Roy, Debasish; Sen, Soumadeep; Chatterjee, Rishita; Thirumurugan, Kavitha

2015-01-01

Drosophila melanogaster is an ideal model organism for developmental studies. This study tests the potential of semolina-jaggery (SJ) diet as a new formulation for bulk rearing of flies. Semolina and jaggery are organic products obtained from wheat endosperm and cane sugar, respectively. Semolina is a rich source of carbohydrates and protein. Jaggery has a high content of dietary sugars. Moreover, preparation of semolina jaggery diet is cost-effective and easy. Thus, the current study aimed to compare survival and developmental parameters of flies fed the SJ diet to flies fed the standard cornmeal-sugar-yeast (CSY) diet. SJ diet enhanced survival of flies without affecting fecundity; male flies showed increased resistance to starvation. A higher number of flies emerged at F2 and F3 generation when fed the SJ diet than when fed the control CSY diet. SJ diet did not increase fly body weight and lipid percentage. Therefore, SJ diet can be used for bulk rearing of healthy flies at par with the standard cornmeal-sugar-yeast diet.

Effect of semolina-jaggery diet on survival and development of Drosophila melanogaster

PubMed Central

Chattopadhyay, Debarati; James, Joel; Roy, Debasish; Sen, Soumadeep; Chatterjee, Rishita; Thirumurugan, Kavitha

2015-01-01

Drosophila melanogaster is an ideal model organism for developmental studies. This study tests the potential of semolina-jaggery (SJ) diet as a new formulation for bulk rearing of flies. Semolina and jaggery are organic products obtained from wheat endosperm and cane sugar, respectively. Semolina is a rich source of carbohydrates and protein. Jaggery has a high content of dietary sugars. Moreover, preparation of semolina jaggery diet is cost-effective and easy. Thus, the current study aimed to compare survival and developmental parameters of flies fed the SJ diet to flies fed the standard cornmeal-sugar-yeast (CSY) diet. SJ diet enhanced survival of flies without affecting fecundity; male flies showed increased resistance to starvation. A higher number of flies emerged at F2 and F3 generation when fed the SJ diet than when fed the control CSY diet. SJ diet did not increase fly body weight and lipid percentage. Therefore, SJ diet can be used for bulk rearing of healthy flies at par with the standard cornmeal-sugar-yeast diet. PMID:26252611

Survival of Parents and Siblings of Supercentenarians

PubMed Central

Perls, Thomas; Kohler, Iliana V.; Andersen, Stacy; Schoenhofen, Emily; Pennington, JaeMi; Young, Robert; Terry, Dellara; Elo, Irma T.

2011-01-01

Background Given previous evidence of familial predisposition for longevity, we hypothesized that siblings and parents of supercentenarians (age ≥ 110 years) were predisposed to survival to very old age and that, relative to their birth cohorts, their relative survival probabilities (RSPs) are even higher than what has been observed for the siblings of centenarians. Methods Mean age at death conditional upon survival to ages 20 and 50 and survival probabilities from ages 20 and 50 to higher ages were determined for 50 male and 56 female siblings and 54 parents of 29 supercentenarians. These estimates were contrasted with comparable estimates based on birth cohort-specific mortality experience for the United States and Sweden. Results Conditional on survival to age 20 years, mean age at death of supercentenarians’ siblings was ~81 years for men and women. Compared with respective Swedish and U.S. birth cohorts, these estimates were 17%–20% (12–14 years) higher for the brothers and 11%–14% (8–10 years) higher for the sisters. Sisters had a 2.9 times greater probability and brothers had a 4.3 times greater probability of survival from age 20 to age 90. Mothers of supercentenarians had a 5.8 times greater probability of surviving from age 50 to age 90. Fathers also experienced an increased survival probability from age 50 to age 90 of 2.7, but it failed to attain statistical significance. Conclusions The RSPs of siblings and mothers of supercentenarians revealed a substantial survival advantage and were most pronounced at the oldest ages. The RSP to age 90 for siblings of supercentenarians was approximately the same as that reported for siblings of centenarians. It is possible that greater RSPs are observed for reaching even higher ages such as 100 years, but a larger sample of supercentenarians and their siblings and parents is needed to investigate this possibility. PMID:17895443

Racial differences in colorectal cancer survival in the Detroit Metropolitan Area.

PubMed

Yan, Ben; Noone, Anne-Michelle; Yee, Cecilia; Banerjee, Mousumi; Schwartz, Kendra; Simon, Michael S

2009-08-15

Colorectal carcinoma is the second most common cause of cancer death with African Americans having lower survival compared with White Americans. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of demographics, clinical factors, and socioeconomic status (SES) on racial disparities in colorectal cancer survival in the Detroit Metropolitan Area. The study population included 9078 individuals with primary invasive colorectal cancer identified between 1988 and 1992 through the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program. Demographics, clinical information, and survival were obtained through SEER. SES was categorized using occupation, educational level, and poverty status at the census tract level. Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Cox proportional hazards regression were used to compare overall survival by race. African Americans were more likely to be diagnosed with stage IV disease (P < .001), and to reside within poor census tracts (P < .001) compared with White Americans. Unadjusted analysis showed that African Americans had a significantly higher risk of death compared with their White American counterparts (hazards ratio [HR], 1.13; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.07-1.20). After adjusting for age, marital status, sex, SES group, TNM stage, and treatment, race was no longer significantly associated with overall survival (HR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.92-1.09). Similar results were seen with colorectal cancer-specific survival. Racial disparities in colorectal cancer survival dissipate after adjusting for other demographic and clinical factors. These results can potentially affect medical guidelines regarding screening and treatment, and possibly influence public health policies that can have a positive impact on equalizing racial differences in access to care.

Exopolysaccharides favor the survival of Erwinia amylovora under copper stress through different strategies.

PubMed

Ordax, Mónica; Marco-Noales, Ester; López, María M; Biosca, Elena G

2010-09-01

Erwinia amylovora causes fire blight, a destructive disease of rosaceous plants very difficult to control. We demonstrated that copper, employed to control plant diseases, induces the "viable-but-nonculturable" (VBNC) state in E. amylovora. Moreover, it was previously reported that copper increases production of its main exopolysaccharide (EPS), amylovoran. In this work, the copper-complexing ability of amylovoran and levan, other major EPS of E. amylovora, was demonstrated. Following this, EPS-deficient mutants were used to determine the role of these EPSs in survival of this bacterium in AB mineral medium with copper, compared to their wild type strain and AB without copper. Total, viable and culturable counts of all strains were monitored for six months. With copper, a larger fraction of the viable population of EPS mutants entered into the VBNC state, and earlier than their wild type strain, showing the contribution of both EPSs to long-term survival in a culturable state. Further, we demonstrated that both EPSs can be used as carbon source by E. amylovora under deprivation conditions. Overall, these previously unreported functions of amylovoran and levan provide survival advantages for E. amylovora, which could contribute to its enhanced persistence in nature. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Glow discharge plasma pretreatment enhances osteoclast differentiation and survival on titanium plates.

PubMed

Kawai, Hiroyuki; Shibata, Yo; Miyazaki, Takashi

2004-05-01

Despite the fact that several reports have demonstrated osteoclast activity on various bioactive ceramics, osteoclast functions on surface-modified titanium have not come under focus. This study aimed to examine whether the increasing surface energy of glow discharge plasma (GDP) involved in protein adhesion containing the RGD (Arg-Gly-Asp) sequence affects osteoclast responses on titanium plates. We examined osteoclast differentiation and survival rates on titanium plates with and without GDP. The amounts of osteoclasts on titanium plates were not increased by GDP after 1 week. However, osteoclast differentiation was greatly activated by GDP pretreatment, as tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase synthesis significantly increased on the titanium plates with GDP. Additionally, since the presence of osteoclasts was detected only on the titanium plates with GDP, even after 4h cultivation in a coculture test, the osteoclasts survival rate was increased by GDP pretreatment. As osteoclast responses were affected even on surface modified metallic materials, we concluded that novel approaches are needed not only for osteoclastic resorption on ceramic materials but also for osteoclast responses on surface-modified metallic materials.

Comparative survival analysis of Deinococcus radiodurans and the haloarchaea Natrialba magadii and Haloferax volcanii exposed to vacuum ultraviolet irradiation.

PubMed

Abrevaya, Ximena C; Paulino-Lima, Ivan G; Galante, Douglas; Rodrigues, Fabio; Mauas, Pablo J D; Cortón, Eduardo; Lage, Claudia de Alencar Santos

2011-12-01

The haloarchaea Natrialba magadii and Haloferax volcanii, as well as the radiation-resistant bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans, were exposed to vacuum UV (VUV) radiation at the Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory. Cell monolayers (containing 10(5) to 10(6) cells per sample) were prepared over polycarbonate filters and irradiated under high vacuum (10(-5) Pa) with polychromatic synchrotron radiation. N. magadii was remarkably resistant to high vacuum with a survival fraction of (3.77±0.76)×10(-2), which was larger than that of D. radiodurans (1.13±0.23)×10(-2). The survival fraction of the haloarchaea H. volcanii, of (3.60±1.80)×10(-4), was much smaller. Radiation resistance profiles were similar between the haloarchaea and D. radiodurans for fluences up to 150 J m(-2). For fluences larger than 150 J m(-2), there was a significant decrease in the survival of haloarchaea, and in particular H. volcanii did not survive. Survival for D. radiodurans was 1% after exposure to the higher VUV fluence (1350 J m(-2)), while N. magadii had a survival lower than 0.1%. Such survival fractions are discussed regarding the possibility of interplanetary transfer of viable microorganisms and the possible existence of microbial life in extraterrestrial salty environments such as the planet Mars and Jupiter's moon Europa. This is the first work to report survival of haloarchaea under simulated interplanetary conditions.

Metabolome strategy against Edwardsiella tarda infection through glucose-enhanced metabolic modulation in tilapias.

PubMed

Peng, Bo; Ma, Yan-Mei; Zhang, Jian-Ying; Li, Hui

2015-08-01

Edwardsiella tarda causes fish disease and great economic loss. However, metabolic strategy against the pathogen remains unexplored. In the present study, GC-MS based metabolomics was used to investigate the metabolic profile from tilapias infected by sublethal dose of E. tarda. The metabolic differences between the dying group and survival group allow the identification of key pathways and crucial metabolites during infections. More importantly, those metabolites may modulate the survival-related metabolome to enhance the anti-infective ability. Our data showed that tilapias generated two different strategies, survival-metabolome and death-metabolome, to encounter EIB202 infection, leading to differential outputs of the survival and dying. Glucose was the most crucial biomarker, which was upregulated and downregulated in the survival and dying groups, respectively. Exogenous glucose by injection or oral administration enhanced hosts' ability against EIB202 infection and increased the chances of survival. These findings highlight that host mounts the metabolic strategy to cope with bacterial infection, from which crucial biomarkers may be identified to enhance the metabolic strategy. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Two-step grafting significantly enhances the survival of foetal dopaminergic transplants and induces graft-derived vascularisation in a 6-OHDA model of Parkinson's disease.

PubMed

Büchele, Fabian; Döbrössy, Máté; Hackl, Christina; Jiang, Wei; Papazoglou, Anna; Nikkhah, Guido

2014-08-01

Following transplantation of foetal primary dopamine (DA)-rich tissue for neurorestaurative treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD), only 5-10% of the functionally relevant DAergic cells survive both in experimental models and in clinical studies. The current work tested how a two-step grafting protocol could have a positive impact on graft survival. DAergic tissue is divided in two portions and grafted in two separate sessions into the same target area within a defined time interval. We hypothesized that the first graft creates a "DAergic" microenvironment or "nest" similar to the perinatal substantia nigra that stimulates and protects the second graft. 6-OHDA-lesioned rats were sequentially transplanted with wild-type (GFP-, first graft) and transgenic (GFP+, second graft) DAergic cells in time interims of 2, 5 or 9days. Each group was further divided into two sub-groups receiving either 200k (low cell number groups: 2dL, 5dL, 9dL) or 400k cells (high cell number groups: 2dH, 5dH, 9dH) as first graft. During the second transplantation, all groups received the same amount of 200k GFP+ cells. Controls received either low or high cell numbers in one single session (standard protocol). Drug-induced rotations, at 2 and 6weeks after grafting, showed significant improvement compared to the baseline lesion levels without significant differences between the groups. Rats were sacrificed 8weeks after transplantation for post-mortem histological assessment. Both two-step groups with the time interval of 2days (2dL and 2dH) showed a significantly higher survival of DAergic cells compared to their respective standard control group (2dL, +137%; 2dH, +47%). Interposing longer intervals of 5 or 9days resulted in the loss of statistical significance, neutralising the beneficial two-step grafting effect. Furthermore, the transplants in the 2dL and 2dH groups had higher graft volume and DA-fibre-density values compared to all other two-step groups. They also showed intense growth of

Survival of infectious Poliovirus-1 in river water compared to the persistence of somatic coliphages, thermotolerant coliforms and Poliovirus-1 genome.

PubMed

Skraber, S; Gassilloud, B; Schwartzbrod, L; Gantzer, C

2004-07-01

The microbiological quality of water is currently assessed by search for fecal bacteria indicators. There is, however, a body of knowledge demonstrating that bacterial indicators are less resistant to environmental factors than human pathogenic viruses and therefore underestimate the viral risk. As river water is often used as a resource for drinking water production, it is particularly important to obtain a valid estimation of the health hazard, including specific viral risk. This work was conducted to compare the survival of infectious Poliovirus-1 used as a pathogenic virus model to the persistence of, on the one hand, thermotolerant coliforms commonly used as indicators and on the other hand, to somatic coliphages and Poliovirus-1 genome considered as potential indicators. We studied the behavior of infectious Poliovirus-1 and the three (potential) indicators of viral contamination in river water at three different temperatures (4 degrees C,18 degrees C and 25 degrees C). This experiment was performed twice with river water sampled at two different periods, once in winter and once in summer. Our results showed that the survival of thermotolerant coliforms can be 1.5-fold lower than infectious Poliovirus-1. In contrast, under all our experimental conditions, somatic coliphages and Poliovirus-1 genome persisted longer than infectious Poliovirus-1, surviving, respectively, 2-6-fold and about 2-fold longer than infectious Poliovirus-1. According to our results exclusively based on survival capacity, somatic coliphages and viral genome, unlike thermotolerant coliforms appear to be better indicators of viral contamination in river water. Moreover, the disappearance of viral genome is well-correlated to that one of infectious virus irrespective of the conditions tested.

A Comparative Study on Preprocessing Techniques in Diabetic Retinopathy Retinal Images: Illumination Correction and Contrast Enhancement

PubMed Central

Rasta, Seyed Hossein; Partovi, Mahsa Eisazadeh; Seyedarabi, Hadi; Javadzadeh, Alireza

2015-01-01

To investigate the effect of preprocessing techniques including contrast enhancement and illumination correction on retinal image quality, a comparative study was carried out. We studied and implemented a few illumination correction and contrast enhancement techniques on color retinal images to find out the best technique for optimum image enhancement. To compare and choose the best illumination correction technique we analyzed the corrected red and green components of color retinal images statistically and visually. The two contrast enhancement techniques were analyzed using a vessel segmentation algorithm by calculating the sensitivity and specificity. The statistical evaluation of the illumination correction techniques were carried out by calculating the coefficients of variation. The dividing method using the median filter to estimate background illumination showed the lowest Coefficients of variations in the red component. The quotient and homomorphic filtering methods after the dividing method presented good results based on their low Coefficients of variations. The contrast limited adaptive histogram equalization increased the sensitivity of the vessel segmentation algorithm up to 5% in the same amount of accuracy. The contrast limited adaptive histogram equalization technique has a higher sensitivity than the polynomial transformation operator as a contrast enhancement technique for vessel segmentation. Three techniques including the dividing method using the median filter to estimate background, quotient based and homomorphic filtering were found as the effective illumination correction techniques based on a statistical evaluation. Applying the local contrast enhancement technique, such as CLAHE, for fundus images presented good potentials in enhancing the vasculature segmentation. PMID:25709940

Comparison of cancer survival in New Zealand and Australia, 2006-2010.

PubMed

Aye, Phyu S; Elwood, J Mark; Stevanovic, Vladimir

2014-12-19

Previous studies have shown substantially higher mortality rates from cancer in New Zealand compared to Australia, but these studies have not included data on patient survival. This study compares the survival of cancer patients diagnosed in 2006-10 in the whole populations of New Zealand and Australia. Identical period survival methods were used to calculate relative survival ratios for all cancers combined, and for 18 cancers each accounting for more than 50 deaths per year in New Zealand, from 1 to 10 years from diagnosis. Cancer survival was lower in New Zealand, with 5-year relative survival being 4.2% lower in women, and 3.8% lower in men for all cancers combined. Of 18 cancers, 14 showed lower survival in New Zealand; the exceptions, with similar survival in each country, being melanoma, myeloma, mesothelioma, and cervical cancer. For most cancers, the differences in survival were maximum at 1 year after diagnosis, becoming smaller later; however, for breast cancer, the survival difference increased with time after diagnosis. The lower survival in New Zealand, and the higher mortality rates shown earlier, suggest that further improvements in recognition, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer in New Zealand should be possible. As the survival differences are seen soon after diagnosis, issues of early management in primary care and time intervals to diagnosis and treatment may be particularly important.

Mesenchymal stem cells with overexpression of midkine enhance cell survival and attenuate cardiac dysfunction in a rat model of myocardial infarction.

PubMed

Zhao, Shu-Li; Zhang, Yao-Jun; Li, Ming-Hui; Zhang, Xin-Lei; Chen, Shao-Liang

2014-03-17

Elevated midkine (MK) expression may contribute to ventricular remodeling and ameliorate cardiac dysfunction after myocardial infarction (MI). Ex vivo modification of signaling mechanisms in mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) with MK overexpression may improve the efficacy of cell-based therapy. This study sought to assess the safety and efficacy of MSCs with MK overexpression transplantation in a rat model of MI. A pLenO-DCE vector lentivirus encoding MK was constructed and infected in MSCs. MSC migration activity and cytoprotection was examined in hypoxia-induced H9C2 cells using transwell insert in vitro. Rats were randomized into five groups: sham, MI plus injection of phosphate buffered saline (PBS), MSCs, MSCs-green fluorescent protein (MSCs-GFP) and MSCs-MK, respectively. Survival rates were compared among groups using log-rank test and left ventricular function was measured by echocardiography at baseline, 4, 8 and 12 weeks. Overexpression of MK partially prevented hypoxia-induced MSC apoptosis and exerted MSC cytoprotection to anoxia induced H9C2 cells. The underlying mechanisms may be associated with the increased mRNA and protein levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), transformation growth factor-β (TGF-β), insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and stromal cell-derived factor 1 (SDF-1a) in MSCs-MK compared with isolated MSCs and MSCs-GFP. Consistent with the qPCR results, the culture supernatant of MSCs-MK had more SDF-1a (9.23 ng/ml), VEGF (8.34 ng/ml) and TGF-β1 (17.88 ng/ml) expression. In vivo, a greater proportion of cell survival was observed in the MSCs-MK group than in the MSCs-GFP group. Moreover, MSCs-MK administration was related to a significant improvement of cardiac function compared with other control groups at 12 weeks. Therapies employing MSCs with MK overexpression may represent an effective treatment for improving cardiac dysfunction and survival rate after MI.

Mesenchymal stem cells with overexpression of midkine enhance cell survival and attenuate cardiac dysfunction in a rat model of myocardial infarction

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Introduction Elevated midkine (MK) expression may contribute to ventricular remodeling and ameliorate cardiac dysfunction after myocardial infarction (MI). Ex vivo modification of signaling mechanisms in mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) with MK overexpression may improve the efficacy of cell-based therapy. This study sought to assess the safety and efficacy of MSCs with MK overexpression transplantation in a rat model of MI. Methods A pLenO-DCE vector lentivirus encoding MK was constructed and infected in MSCs. MSC migration activity and cytoprotection was examined in hypoxia-induced H9C2 cells using transwell insert in vitro. Rats were randomized into five groups: sham, MI plus injection of phosphate buffered saline (PBS), MSCs, MSCs-green fluorescent protein (MSCs-GFP) and MSCs-MK, respectively. Survival rates were compared among groups using log-rank test and left ventricular function was measured by echocardiography at baseline, 4, 8 and 12 weeks. Results Overexpression of MK partially prevented hypoxia-induced MSC apoptosis and exerted MSC cytoprotection to anoxia induced H9C2 cells. The underlying mechanisms may be associated with the increased mRNA and protein levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), transformation growth factor-β (TGF-β), insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and stromal cell-derived factor 1 (SDF-1a) in MSCs-MK compared with isolated MSCs and MSCs-GFP. Consistent with the qPCR results, the culture supernatant of MSCs-MK had more SDF-1a (9.23 ng/ml), VEGF (8.34 ng/ml) and TGF-β1 (17.88 ng/ml) expression. In vivo, a greater proportion of cell survival was observed in the MSCs-MK group than in the MSCs-GFP group. Moreover, MSCs-MK administration was related to a significant improvement of cardiac function compared with other control groups at 12 weeks. Conclusions Therapies employing MSCs with MK overexpression may represent an effective treatment for improving cardiac dysfunction and survival rate after MI. PMID:24635859

Superior survival of ex vivo cultured human reticulocytes following transfusion into mice.

PubMed

Kupzig, Sabine; Parsons, Stephen F; Curnow, Elinor; Anstee, David J; Blair, Allison

2017-03-01

The generation of cultured red blood cells from stem cell sources may fill an unmet clinical need for transfusion-dependent patients, particularly in countries that lack a sufficient and safe blood supply. Cultured red blood cells were generated from human CD34 + cells from adult peripheral blood or cord blood by ex vivo expansion, and a comprehensive in vivo survival comparison with standard red cell concentrates was undertaken. Significant amplification (>10 5 -fold) was achieved using CD34 + cells from both cord blood and peripheral blood, generating high yields of enucleated cultured red blood cells. Following transfusion, higher levels of cultured red cells could be detected in the murine circulation compared to standard adult red cells. The proportions of cultured blood cells from cord or peripheral blood sources remained high 24 hours post-transfusion (82±5% and 78±9%, respectively), while standard adult blood cells declined rapidly to only 49±9% by this time. In addition, the survival time of cultured blood cells in mice was longer than that of standard adult red cells. A paired comparison of cultured blood cells and standard adult red blood cells from the same donor confirmed the enhanced in vivo survival capacity of the cultured cells. The study herein represents the first demonstration that ex vivo generated cultured red blood cells survive longer than donor red cells using an in vivo model that more closely mimics clinical transfusion. Cultured red blood cells may offer advantages for transfusion-dependent patients by reducing the number of transfusions required. Copyright© Ferrata Storti Foundation.

Patients double-seropositive for ANCA and anti-GBM antibodies have varied renal survival, frequency of relapse, and outcomes compared to single-seropositive patients.

PubMed

McAdoo, Stephen P; Tanna, Anisha; Hrušková, Zdenka; Holm, Lisa; Weiner, Maria; Arulkumaran, Nishkantha; Kang, Amy; Satrapová, Veronika; Levy, Jeremy; Ohlsson, Sophie; Tesar, Vladimir; Segelmark, Mårten; Pusey, Charles D

2017-09-01

Co-presentation with both ANCA and anti-GBM antibodies is thought to be relatively rare. Current studies of such 'double-positive' cases report small numbers and variable outcomes. To study this further we retrospectively analyzed clinical features and long-term outcomes of a large cohort of 568 contemporary patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis, 41 patients with anti-GBM disease, and 37 double-positive patients with ANCA and anti-GBM disease from four European centers. Double-positive patients shared characteristics of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), such as older age distribution and longer symptom duration before diagnosis, and features of anti-GBM disease, such as severe renal disease and high frequency of lung hemorrhage at presentation. Despite having more evidence of chronic injury on renal biopsy compared to patients with anti-GBM disease, double-positive patients had a greater tendency to recover from being dialysis-dependent after treatment and had intermediate long-term renal survival compared to the single-positive patients. However, overall patient survival was similar in all three groups. Predictors of poor patient survival included advanced age, severe renal failure, and lung hemorrhage at presentation. No single-positive anti-GBM patients experienced disease relapse, whereas approximately half of surviving patients with AAV and double-positive patients had recurrent disease during a median follow-up of 4.8 years. Thus, double-positive patients have a truly hybrid disease phenotype, requiring aggressive early treatment for anti-GBM disease, and careful long-term follow-up and consideration for maintenance immunosuppression for AAV. Since double-positivity appears common, further work is required to define the underlying mechanisms of this association and define optimum treatment strategies. Copyright © 2017 International Society of Nephrology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Temperature mediated moose survival in Northeastern Minnesota

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lenarz, M.S.; Nelson, M.E.; Schrage, M.W.; Edwards, A.J.

2009-01-01

The earth is in the midst of a pronounced warming trend and temperatures in Minnesota, USA, as elsewhere, are projected to increase. Northern Minnesota represents the southern edge to the circumpolar distribution of moose (Alces alces), a species intolerant of heat. Moose increase their metabolic rate to regulate their core body temperature as temperatures rise. We hypothesized that moose survival rates would be a function of the frequency and magnitude that ambient temperatures exceeded the upper critical temperature of moose. We compared annual and seasonal moose survival in northeastern Minnesota between 2002 and 2008 with a temperature metric. We found that models based on January temperatures above the critical threshold were inversely correlated with subsequent survival and explained >78 of variability in spring, fall, and annual survival. Models based on late-spring temperatures also explained a high proportion of survival during the subsequent fall. A model based on warm-season temperatures was important in explaining survival during the subsequent winter. Our analyses suggest that temperatures may have a cumulative influence on survival. We expect that continuation or acceleration of current climate trends will result in decreased survival, a decrease in moose density, and ultimately, a retreat of moose northward from their current distribution.

Urea loading enhances freezing survival and postfreeze recovery in a terrestrially hibernating frog.

PubMed

Costanzo, Jon P; Lee, Richard E

2008-09-01

We tested the hypothesis that urea, an osmolyte accumulated early in hibernation, functions as a cryoprotectant in the freeze-tolerant wood frog, Rana sylvatica. Relative to saline-treated, normouremic (10 micromol ml(-1)) frogs, individuals rendered hyperuremic (70 micromol ml(-1)) by administration of an aqueous urea solution exhibited significantly higher survival (100% versus 64%) following freezing at -4 degrees C, a potentially lethal temperature. Hyperuremic frogs also had lower plasma levels of intracellular proteins (lactate dehydrogenase, creatine kinase, hemoglobin), which presumably escaped from damaged cells, and more quickly recovered neurobehavioral functions following thawing. Experimental freezing-thawing did not alter tissue urea concentrations, but did elevate glucose levels in the blood and organs of all frogs. When measured 24 h after thawing commenced, glucose concentrations were markedly higher in urea-loaded frogs as compared to saline-treated ones, possibly because elevated urea retarded glucose clearance. Like other low-molecular-mass cryoprotectants, urea colligatively reduces both the amount of ice forming within the body and the osmotic dehydration of cells. In addition, by virtue of certain non-colligative properties, it may bestow additional protection from freeze-thaw damage not afforded by glucose.

Survival of juvenile black brant during brood rearing

USGS Publications Warehouse

Flint, Paul L.; Sedinger, James S.; Pollock, Kenneth H.

1995-01-01

Survival of young is an important and poorly understood component of waterfowl productivity. We estimated survival of black brant (Branta bernicla nigricans) goslings during summers 1987-89 on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska, to determine timing and magnitude of gosling mortality and to compare methods of estimating gosling survival. Eighty-two percent of radio-tagged adult females (n = 61) fledged ≥1 gosling (brood success). We estimated survival of goslings within broods by 3 methods: (1) changes in mean brood size through time, (2) observation of goslings associated with marked adults, and (3) age ratios of brant captured in banding drives. Estimates of gosling survival within successful broods averaged 81% and ranged from 66 to 92%. Combining brood success and gosling survival within successful broods yielded estimates of overall gosling survival that averaged 68%, ranging from 79% in 1987 to 56% in 1989. Eighty-two percent of gosling mortality occurred in the first 15 days. Estimates of survival on the basis of age ratios of birds captured in banding drives are biased low. Our estimates of average gosling survival are higher than reported for other species of geese.

ATF5 regulates β-cell survival during stress.

PubMed

Juliana, Christine A; Yang, Juxiang; Rozo, Andrea V; Good, Austin; Groff, David N; Wang, Shu-Zong; Green, Michael R; Stoffers, Doris A

2017-02-07

The stress response and cell survival are necessary for normal pancreatic β-cell function, glucose homeostasis, and prevention of diabetes. The homeodomain transcription factor and human diabetes gene pancreas/duodenum homeobox protein 1 (Pdx1) regulates β-cell survival and endoplasmic reticulum stress susceptibility, in part through direct regulation of activating transcription factor 4 (Atf4). Here we show that Atf5, a close but less-studied relative of Atf4, is also a target of Pdx1 and is critical for β-cell survival under stress conditions. Pdx1 deficiency led to decreased Atf5 transcript, and primary islet ChIP-sequencing localized PDX1 to the Atf5 promoter, implicating Atf5 as a PDX1 target. Atf5 expression was stress inducible and enriched in β cells. Importantly, Atf5 deficiency decreased survival under stress conditions. Loss-of-function and chromatin occupancy experiments positioned Atf5 downstream of and parallel to Atf4 in the regulation of eIF4E-binding protein 1 (4ebp1), a mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway component that inhibits protein translation. Accordingly, Atf5 deficiency attenuated stress suppression of global translation, likely enhancing the susceptibility of β cells to stress-induced apoptosis. Thus, we identify ATF5 as a member of the transcriptional network governing pancreatic β-cell survival during stress.

ATF5 regulates β-cell survival during stress

PubMed Central

Juliana, Christine A.; Yang, Juxiang; Rozo, Andrea V.; Good, Austin; Groff, David N.; Wang, Shu-Zong; Stoffers, Doris A.

2017-01-01

The stress response and cell survival are necessary for normal pancreatic β-cell function, glucose homeostasis, and prevention of diabetes. The homeodomain transcription factor and human diabetes gene pancreas/duodenum homeobox protein 1 (Pdx1) regulates β-cell survival and endoplasmic reticulum stress susceptibility, in part through direct regulation of activating transcription factor 4 (Atf4). Here we show that Atf5, a close but less-studied relative of Atf4, is also a target of Pdx1 and is critical for β-cell survival under stress conditions. Pdx1 deficiency led to decreased Atf5 transcript, and primary islet ChIP-sequencing localized PDX1 to the Atf5 promoter, implicating Atf5 as a PDX1 target. Atf5 expression was stress inducible and enriched in β cells. Importantly, Atf5 deficiency decreased survival under stress conditions. Loss-of-function and chromatin occupancy experiments positioned Atf5 downstream of and parallel to Atf4 in the regulation of eIF4E-binding protein 1 (4ebp1), a mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway component that inhibits protein translation. Accordingly, Atf5 deficiency attenuated stress suppression of global translation, likely enhancing the susceptibility of β cells to stress-induced apoptosis. Thus, we identify ATF5 as a member of the transcriptional network governing pancreatic β-cell survival during stress. PMID:28115692

Landscape‐level patterns in fawn survival across North America

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gingery, Tess M.; Diefenbach, Duane R.; Wallingford, Bret D.; Rosenberry, Christopher S.

2018-01-01

A landscape‐level meta‐analysis approach to examining early survival of ungulates may elucidate patterns in survival not evident from individual studies. Despite numerous efforts, the relationship between fawn survival and habitat characteristics remains unclear and there has been no attempt to examine trends in survival across landscape types with adequate replication. In 2015–2016, we radiomarked 98 white‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) fawns in 2 study areas in Pennsylvania. By using a meta‐analysis approach, we compared fawn survival estimates from across North America using published data from 29 populations in 16 states to identify patterns in survival and cause‐specific mortality related to landscape characteristics, predator communities, and deer population density. We modeled fawn survival relative to percentage of agricultural land cover and deer density. Estimated average survival to 3–6 months of age was 0.414 ± 0.062 (SE) in contiguous forest landscapes (no agriculture) and for every 10% increase in land area in agriculture, fawn survival increased 0.049 ± 0.014. We classified cause‐specific mortality as human‐caused, natural (excluding predation), and predation according to agriculturally dominated, forested, and mixed (i.e., both agricultural and forest cover) landscapes. Predation was the greatest source of mortality in all landscapes. Landscapes with mixed forest and agricultural cover had greater proportions and rates of human‐caused mortalities, and lower proportions and rates of mortality due to predators, when compared to forested landscapes. Proportion and rate of natural deaths did not differ among landscapes. We failed to detect any relationship between fawn survival and deer density. The results highlight the need to consider multiple spatial scales when accounting for factors that influence fawn survival. Furthermore, variation in mortality sources and rates among landscapes indicate the potential for

Reduced survival for uncemented compared to cemented total hip arthroplasty after operatively treated acetabular fractures.

PubMed

Clarke-Jenssen, John; Westberg, Marianne; Røise, Olav; Storeggen, Stein Arne Øvre; Bere, Tone; Silberg, Ingunn; Madsen, Jan Erik

2017-11-01

Post traumatic arthritis and avascular necrosis of the femoral head are common complications after operatively treated acetabular fractures. This may cause severe disabilities for the patient, necessitating a total hip arthroplasty. Even though an arthroplasty may provide good symptomatic relief, the long-term results are more uncertain and no consensus exists according to preferred prosthetic designs. With this cohort study, we aimed to investigate the medium to long term arthroplasty survival and clinical results of total hip arthroplasty after operatively treated acetabular fractures. We included 52 patients treated with a secondary total hip arthroplasty at a median of 2.4 (0.1-14.1) years after an operatively treated acetabular fracture. The median age was 54 (11-82) years. Cemented arthroplasty was used for 33 patients, 10 patients had an uncemented arthroplasty and 9 patients received a hybrid arthroplasty. Average follow up was 8.0 (SD 5.0) years. Ten-year revision free arthroplasty survival was 79%. Uncemented arthroplasties had a significantly worse 10-year survival of 57%. Arthroplasties performed at a centre without a pelvic fracture service also had a significantly worse 10-years survival of 51%. Cox regression showed similar results with an 8-fold increase in risk of revision for both uncemented arthroplasties and operations performed at a non-pelvic trauma centre. Total hip arthroplasty secondary to an operatively treated acetabular fracture provides good symptomatic relief. These patients are, however, complex cases and are probably best treated at specialist centres with both pelvic trauma surgeons and arthroplasty surgeons proficient in complex revisions present. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Myocilin Regulates Cell Proliferation and Survival*

PubMed Central

Joe, Myung Kuk; Kwon, Heung Sun; Cojocaru, Radu; Tomarev, Stanislav I.

2014-01-01

Myocilin, a causative gene for open angle glaucoma, encodes a secreted glycoprotein with poorly understood functions. To gain insight into its functions, we produced a stably transfected HEK293 cell line expressing myocilin under an inducible promoter and compared gene expression profiles between myocilin-expressing and vector control cell lines by a microarray analysis. A significant fraction of differentially expressed genes in myocilin-expressing cells was associated with cell growth and cell death, suggesting that myocilin may have a role in the regulation of cell growth and survival. Increased proliferation of myocilin-expressing cells was demonstrated by the WST-1 proliferation assay, direct cell counting, and immunostaining with antibodies against Ki-67, a cellular proliferation marker. Myocilin-containing conditioned medium also increased proliferation of unmodified HEK293 cells. Myocilin-expressing cells were more resistant to serum starvation-induced apoptosis than control cells. TUNEL-positive apoptotic cells were dramatically decreased, and two apoptotic marker proteins, cleaved caspase 7 and cleaved poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, were significantly reduced in myocilin-expressing cells as compared with control cells under apoptotic conditions. In addition, myocilin-deficient mesenchymal stem cells exhibited reduced proliferation and enhanced susceptibility to serum starvation-induced apoptosis as compared with wild-type mesenchymal stem cells. Phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and its upstream kinases, c-Raf and MEK, was increased in myocilin-expressing cells compared with control cells. Elevated phosphorylation of ERK1/2 was also observed in the trabecular meshwork of transgenic mice expressing 6-fold higher levels of myocilin when compared with their wild-type littermates. These results suggest that myocilin promotes cell proliferation and resistance to apoptosis via the ERK1/2 MAPK signaling pathway. PMID:24563482

Enhanced angiogenic effect of adipose-derived stromal cell spheroid with low-level light therapy in hindlimb ischemia mice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, In-Su; Ahn, Jin-Chul; Chung, Phil-Sang

2014-02-01

Adipose-derived stromal cells (ASCs) are attractive cell source for tissue engineering. However, one obstacle to this approach is that the transplanted ASC population can decline rapidly in the recipient tissue. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) on transplanted human ASCs (hASCs) spheroid in a hindlimb ischemia animal model. LLLT, hASCs spheroid and hASCs spheroid transplantation with LLLT (spheroid + LLLT) were applied to the ischemic hindlimbs in athymic mice. The survival, differentiation and secretion of vascular endothelial growth (VEGF) of spheroid ASCs were evaluated by immunohistochemistry. The spheroid + LLLT group enhanced the tissue regeneration, including angiogenesis, compared with other groups. The spheroid contributed tissue regeneration via differentiation and secretion of growth factors. In the spheroid + LLLT group, the survival of spheroid hASCs was increased by the decreased apoptosis of spheroid hASCs in the ischemic hindlimb. The secretion of growth factors was stimulated in the spheroid + LLLT group compared with the ASCs group and spheroid group. These data suggest that LLLT is an effective biostimulator of spheroid hASCs in tissue regeneration that enhances the survival of ASCs and stimulates the secretion of growth factors in the ischemic hindlimb.

Improved Metastasis- and Disease-Free Survival With Preoperative Sequential Short-Course Radiation Therapy and FOLFOX Chemotherapy for Rectal Cancer Compared With Neoadjuvant Long-Course Chemoradiotherapy: Results of a Matched Pair Analysis.

PubMed

Markovina, Stephanie; Youssef, Fady; Roy, Amit; Aggarwal, Sonya; Khwaja, Shariq; DeWees, Todd; Tan, Benjamin; Hunt, Steven; Myerson, Robert J; Chang, Daniel T; Parikh, Parag J; Olsen, Jeffrey R

2017-10-01

To compare treatment and toxicity outcomes between a phase 2 institutional trial of near total neoadjuvant therapy (nTNT) for locally advanced rectal cancer and a similar historical control cohort treated at Washington University in St. Louis with the current US standard of care, defined as neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NCRT), total mesorectal excision (TME), and adjuvant FOLFOX chemotherapy; to expand the comparison to an additional institution, patients treated with similar NCRT at Stanford University were included. Sixty-nine patients with cT3-4N0-2M0 rectal adenocarcinoma enrolled on the Washington University in St. Louis phase 2 study of nTNT were included for analysis. Patients treated at the same institution with conventional NCRT and adjuvant FOLFOX were matched for exact cTNM stage. Forty-one patients treated with NCRT at Stanford University were included in a second analysis. Kaplan-Meier analysis with log-rank test was used to compare local control, distant metastasis-free survival, disease-free survival, and overall survival. Median follow-up was 49 and 54 months for nTNT and NCRT, respectively. Pathologic complete response and T-downstaging rates were 28% versus 16% (P=.21) and 75% versus 41% (P<.001) in the nTNT and NCRT cohorts, respectively. Three-year disease-free survival (85% vs 68%, P=.032) was significantly better in the nTNT group. Actuarial 3-year local control (92% vs 96%, P=.36) and overall survival (96% vs 88%, P=.67) were similar. The Stanford cohort had significantly lower clinical stage. After controlling for clinical stage, age, tumor location, institution, and number of chemotherapy cycles, nTNT treatment remained significantly associated with lower risk of recurrence (P=.006). Patients treated with nTNT had higher T-downstaging and superior distant metastasis-free survival and disease-free survival compared with conventional NCRT when matched for tumor location and exact cTNM stage. Near total neoadjuvant therapy remained a

Survival in Norwegian BRCA1 mutation carriers with breast cancer.

PubMed

Hagen, Anne Irene; Tretli, Steinar; Maehle, Lovise; Apold, Jaran; Vedå, Nina; Møller, Pål

2009-04-14

Several studies of survival in women with BRCA1 mutations have shown either reduced survival or no difference compared to controls. Programmes for early detection and treatment of inherited breast cancer, have failed to demonstrate a significant improvement in survival in BRCA1 mutation carriers.One hundred and sixty-seven women with disease-associated germline BRCA1 mutations and breast cancer from 1980 to 2001 were identified. Tumour characteristics, treatment given and survival were recorded. A control group comprising three hundred and four women matched for age, time of diagnosis and stage were used to compare survival.BRCA1 mutation carriers were found to have a poorer prognosis, which could be explained by neither the mode of surgical treatment nor the use of adjuvant chemotherapy. BRCA1 mutation carriers with node negative breast cancer had worse overall survival than controls.Our findings confirm the serious prognosis of BRCA1-associated breast cancer even when diagnosed at an early stage, and that type of treatment does not influence prognosis.

Survival in Norwegian BRCA1 mutation carriers with breast cancer

PubMed Central

Hagen, Anne Irene; Tretli, Steinar; Mæhle, Lovise; Apold, Jaran; Vedå, Nina; Møller, Pål

2009-01-01

Several studies of survival in women with BRCA1 mutations have shown either reduced survival or no difference compared to controls. Programmes for early detection and treatment of inherited breast cancer, have failed to demonstrate a significant improvement in survival in BRCA1 mutation carriers. One hundred and sixty-seven women with disease-associated germline BRCA1 mutations and breast cancer from 1980 to 2001 were identified. Tumour characteristics, treatment given and survival were recorded. A control group comprising three hundred and four women matched for age, time of diagnosis and stage were used to compare survival. BRCA1 mutation carriers were found to have a poorer prognosis, which could be explained by neither the mode of surgical treatment nor the use of adjuvant chemotherapy. BRCA1 mutation carriers with node negative breast cancer had worse overall survival than controls. Our findings confirm the serious prognosis of BRCA1-associated breast cancer even when diagnosed at an early stage, and that type of treatment does not influence prognosis. PMID:19366445

Human T-lymphotropic virus type-1 p30 alters cell cycle G2 regulation of T lymphocytes to enhance cell survival

PubMed Central

Datta, Antara; Silverman, Lee; Phipps, Andrew J; Hiraragi, Hajime; Ratner, Lee; Lairmore, Michael D

2007-01-01

Background Human T-lymphotropic virus type-1 (HTLV-1) causes adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma and is linked to a number of lymphocyte-mediated disorders. HTLV-1 contains both regulatory and accessory genes in four pX open reading frames. pX ORF-II encodes two proteins, p13 and p30, whose roles are still being defined in the virus life cycle and in HTLV-1 virus-host cell interactions. Proviral clones of HTLV-1 with pX ORF-II mutations diminish the ability of the virus to maintain viral loads in vivo. p30 expressed exogenously differentially modulates CREB and Tax-responsive element-mediated transcription through its interaction with CREB-binding protein/p300 and while acting as a repressor of many genes including Tax, in part by blocking tax/rex RNA nuclear export, selectively enhances key gene pathways involved in T-cell signaling/activation. Results Herein, we analyzed the role of p30 in cell cycle regulation. Jurkat T-cells transduced with a p30 expressing lentivirus vector accumulated in the G2-M phase of cell cycle. We then analyzed key proteins involved in G2-M checkpoint activation. p30 expression in Jurkat T-cells resulted in an increase in phosphorylation at serine 216 of nuclear cell division cycle 25C (Cdc25C), had enhanced checkpoint kinase 1 (Chk1) serine 345 phosphorylation, reduced expression of polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1), diminished phosphorylation of PLK1 at tyrosine 210 and reduced phosphorylation of Cdc25C at serine 198. Finally, primary human lymphocyte derived cell lines immortalized by a HTLV-1 proviral clone defective in p30 expression were more susceptible to camptothecin induced apoptosis. Collectively these data are consistent with a cell survival role of p30 against genotoxic insults to HTLV-1 infected lymphocytes. Conclusion Collectively, our data are the first to indicate that HTLV-1 p30 expression results in activation of the G2-M cell cycle checkpoint, events that would promote early viral spread and T-cell survival. PMID:17634129

Fertility, survival, and conformation of Montbéliarde × Holstein and Viking Red × Holstein crossbred cows compared with pure Holstein cows during first lactation in 8 commercial dairy herds.

PubMed

Hazel, A R; Heins, B J; Hansen, L B

2017-11-01

Montbéliarde (MO) × Holstein (HO) and Viking Red (VR) × HO crossbred cows were compared with pure HO cows in 8 large, high-performance dairy herds in Minnesota. All cows calved for the first time from December 2010 to April 2014. Fertility and survival traits were calculated from records of insemination, pregnancy diagnosis, calving, and disposal that were recorded via management software. Body condition score and conformation were subjectively scored once during early lactation by trained evaluators. The analysis of survival to 60 d in milk included 536 MO × HO, 560 VR × HO, and 1,033 HO cows during first lactation. Cows analyzed for other fertility, survival, and conformation traits had up to 13% fewer cows available for analysis. The first service conception rate of the crossbred cows (both types combined) increased 7%, as did the conception rate across the first 5 inseminations, compared with the HO cows during first lactation. Furthermore, the combined crossbred cows (2.11 ± 0.05) had fewer times bred than HO cows (2.30 ± 0.05) and 10 fewer d open compared with their HO herdmates. Across the 8 herds, breed groups did not differ for survival to 60 d in milk; however, the superior fertility of the crossbred cows allowed an increased proportion of the combined crossbreds (71 ± 1.5%) to calve a second time within 14 mo compared with the HO cows (63 ± 1.5%). For survival to second calving, the combined crossbred cows had 4% superior survival compared with the HO cows. The MO × HO and VR × HO crossbred cows both had increased body condition score (+0.50 ± 0.02 and +0.25 ± 0.02, respectively) but shorter stature and less body depth than HO cows. The MO × HO cows had less set to the hock and a steeper foot angle than the HO cows, and the VR × HO cows had more set to the hock with a similar foot angle to the HO cows. The combined crossbred cows had less udder clearance from the hock than HO cows, more width between both front and rear teats, and longer

Extremophile extracts and enhancement techniques show promise for the development of a live vaccine against Flavobacterium columnare

USGS Publications Warehouse

Powell, D.B.; Palm, R.C.; MacKenzie, A.P.; Winton, J.R.

2009-01-01

The effects of temperature, ionic strength, and new cryopreservatives derived from polar ice bacteria were investigated to help accelerate the development of economical, live attenuated vaccines for aquaculture. Extracts of the extremophile Gelidibacter algens functioned very well as part of a lyophilization cryoprotectant formulation in a 15-week storage trial. The bacterial extract and trehalose additives resulted in significantly higher colony counts of columnaris bacteria (Flavobacterium columnare) compared to nonfat milk or physiological saline at all time points measured. The bacterial extract combined with trehalose appeared to enhance the relative efficiency of recovery and growth potential of columnaris in flask culture compared to saline, nonfat milk, or trehalose-only controls. Pre-lyophilization temperature treatments significantly affected F. columnare survival following rehydration. A 30-min exposure at 0 ??C resulted in a 10-fold increase in bacterial survival following rehydration compared to mid-range temperature treatments. The brief 30 and 35 ??C pre-lyophilization exposures appeared to be detrimental to the rehydration survival of the bacteria. The survival of F. columnare through the lyophilization process was also strongly affected by changes in ionic strength of the bacterial suspension. Changes in rehydration constituents were also found to be important in promoting increased survival and growth. As the sodium chloride concentration increased, the viability of rehydrated F. columnare decreased. ?? 2009 Elsevier Inc.

Surgery Increases Survival in Patients With Gastrinoma

PubMed Central

Norton, Jeffrey A.; Fraker, Douglas L.; Alexander, H R.; Gibril, Fathia; Liewehr, David J.; Venzon, David J.; Jensen, Robert T.

2006-01-01

Objective: To determine whether the routine use of surgical exploration for gastrinoma resection/cure in 160 patients with Zollinger-Ellison syndrome (ZES) altered survival compared with 35 ZES patients who did not undergo surgery. Summary Background Data: The role of routine surgical exploration for resection/cure in patients with ZES has been controversial since the original description of this disease in 1955. This controversy continues today, not only because medical therapy for acid hypersecretion is so effective, but also in large part because no studies have shown an effect of tumor resection on survival. Methods: Long-term follow-up of 160 ZES patients who underwent routine surgery for gastrinoma/resection/cure was compared with 35 patients who had similar disease but did not undergo surgery for a variety of reasons. All patients had preoperative CT, MRI, ultrasound; if unclear, angiography and somatostatin receptor scintigraphy since 1994 to determine resectability. At surgery, all had the same standard ZES operation. All patients were evaluated yearly with imaging studies and disease activity studies. Results: The 35 nonsurgical patients did not differ from the 160 operated in clinical, laboratory, or tumor imaging results. The 2 groups did not differ in follow-up time since initial evaluation (range, 11.8–12 years). At surgery, 94% had a tumor removed, 51% were cured immediately, and 41% at last follow-up. Significantly more unoperated patients developed liver metastases (29% vs. 5%, P = 0.0002), died of any cause (54 vs. 21%, P = 0.0002), or died a disease-related death (23 vs. 1%, P < 0.00001). Survival plots showed operated patients had a better disease-related survival (P = 0.0012); however, there was no difference in non-disease-related survival. Fifteen-year disease-related survival was 98% for operated and 74% for unoperated (P = 0.0002). Conclusions: These results demonstrate that routine surgical exploration increases survival in patients with

Recombination enhances HIV-1 envelope diversity by facilitating the survival of latent genomic fragments in the plasma virus population

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Immonen, Taina T.; Conway, Jessica M.; Romero-Severson, Ethan O.

HIV-1 is subject to immune pressure exerted by the host, giving variants that escape the immune response an advantage. Virus released from activated latent cells competes against variants that have continually evolved and adapted to host immune pressure. Nevertheless, there is increasing evidence that virus displaying a signal of latency survives in patient plasma despite having reduced fitness due to long-term immune memory. We investigated the survival of virus with latent envelope genomic fragments by simulating within-host HIV-1 sequence evolution and the cycling of viral lineages in and out of the latent reservoir. Our model incorporates a detailed mutation processmore » including nucleotide substitution, recombination, latent reservoir dynamics, diversifying selection pressure driven by the immune response, and purifying selection pressure asserted by deleterious mutations. We evaluated the ability of our model to capture sequence evolution in vivo by comparing our simulated sequences to HIV-1 envelope sequence data from 16 HIV-infected untreated patients. Empirical sequence divergence and diversity measures were qualitatively and quantitatively similar to those of our simulated HIV-1 populations, suggesting that our model invokes realistic trends of HIV-1 genetic evolution. Moreover, reconstructed phylogenies of simulated and patient HIV-1 populations showed similar topological structures. Our simulation results suggest that recombination is a key mechanism facilitating the persistence of virus with latent envelope genomic fragments in the productively infected cell population. Recombination increased the survival probability of latent virus forms approximately 13-fold. Prevalence of virus with latent fragments in productively infected cells was observed in only 2% of simulations when we ignored recombination, while the proportion increased to 27% of simulations when we allowed recombination. We also found that the selection pressures exerted by different

Recombination enhances HIV-1 envelope diversity by facilitating the survival of latent genomic fragments in the plasma virus population

DOE PAGES

Immonen, Taina T.; Conway, Jessica M.; Romero-Severson, Ethan O.; ...

2015-12-22

HIV-1 is subject to immune pressure exerted by the host, giving variants that escape the immune response an advantage. Virus released from activated latent cells competes against variants that have continually evolved and adapted to host immune pressure. Nevertheless, there is increasing evidence that virus displaying a signal of latency survives in patient plasma despite having reduced fitness due to long-term immune memory. We investigated the survival of virus with latent envelope genomic fragments by simulating within-host HIV-1 sequence evolution and the cycling of viral lineages in and out of the latent reservoir. Our model incorporates a detailed mutation processmore » including nucleotide substitution, recombination, latent reservoir dynamics, diversifying selection pressure driven by the immune response, and purifying selection pressure asserted by deleterious mutations. We evaluated the ability of our model to capture sequence evolution in vivo by comparing our simulated sequences to HIV-1 envelope sequence data from 16 HIV-infected untreated patients. Empirical sequence divergence and diversity measures were qualitatively and quantitatively similar to those of our simulated HIV-1 populations, suggesting that our model invokes realistic trends of HIV-1 genetic evolution. Moreover, reconstructed phylogenies of simulated and patient HIV-1 populations showed similar topological structures. Our simulation results suggest that recombination is a key mechanism facilitating the persistence of virus with latent envelope genomic fragments in the productively infected cell population. Recombination increased the survival probability of latent virus forms approximately 13-fold. Prevalence of virus with latent fragments in productively infected cells was observed in only 2% of simulations when we ignored recombination, while the proportion increased to 27% of simulations when we allowed recombination. We also found that the selection pressures exerted by different

Energy optimization in gold nanoparticle enhanced radiation therapy.

PubMed

Sung, Wonmo; Schuemann, Jan

2018-06-25

Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) have been demonstrated as radiation dose enhancing agents. Kilovoltage external photon beams have been shown to yield the largest enhancement due to the high interaction probability with gold. While orthovoltage irradiations are feasible and promising, they suffer from a reduced tissue penetrating power. This study quantifies the effect of varying photon beam energies on various beam arrangements, body, tumor, and cellular GNP uptake geometries. Cell survival was modeled based on our previously developed GNP-local effect model with radial doses calculated using the TOPAS-nBio Monte Carlo code. Cell survival curves calculated for tumor sites with GNPs were used to calculate the relative biological effectiveness (RBE)-weighted dose. In order to evaluate the plan quality, the ratio of the mean dose between the tumor and normal tissue for 50-250 kVp beams with GNPs was compared to the standard of care using 6 MV photon beams without GNPs for breast and brain tumors. For breast using a single photon beam, kV  +  GNP was found to yield up to 2.73 times higher mean RBE-weighted dose to the tumor than two tangential megavoltage beams while delivering the same dose to healthy tissue. For irradiation of brain tumors using multiple photon beams, the GNP dose enhancement was found to be effective for energies above 50 keV. A small tumor at shallow depths was found to be the most effective treatment conditions for GNP enhanced radiation therapy. GNP uptake distributions in the cell (with or without nuclear uptake) and the beam arrangement were found to be important factors in determining the optimal photon beam energy.

Survival of radio-marked mallard ducklings in northeastern California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mauser, D.M.; Jarvis, R.L.; Gilmer, D.S.

1994-01-01

Estimates of duckling survival are necessary to accurately assess recruitment of mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), yet few reliable estimates exist. During 1988-90, we estimated survival rates for 127 radio-marked mallard ducklings from 64 broods on Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge, California. In 1988, we restricted the survival estimate to the first 10 days post-hatch (S = 0.18, SE = 0.07). Survival from hatching to 50 days was 0.37 (SE = 0.09) in 1989 and 0.34 (SE = 0.07) in 1990. Total brood loss differed among years (P < 0.05); 81.2% in 1988 (n = 16), 36.8% in 1989 (n = 19), and 37.5% in 1990 (n = 24). Ninety-three percent of mortality occurred during the first 10 days of life. We detected no differences in the proportion of radio-marked ducklings fledged from early-hatched versus late-hatched nests (P = 0.74). During 1989-90, 16 females appeared to lose their entire brood; however, 3 radio-marked ducklings from 2 of these broods were fledged by other brood hens. Of 29 radio-marked ducklings that reached 44 days of life, 6 (20.7%) joined other broods. Habitat enhancement is the key to improving duckling survival because the large number of predator species that consume ducklings makes predator control difficult.

Human Mesenchymal Stem Cell Spheroids in Fibrin Hydrogels Exhibit Improved Cell Survival and Potential for Bone Healing

PubMed Central

Murphy, Kaitlin C.; Fang, Sophia Y.; Leach, J. Kent

2014-01-01

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) have great therapeutic potential for the repair of nonhealing bone defects due to their proliferative capacity, multilineage potential, trophic factor secretion, and lack of immunogenicity. However, a major barrier to the translation of cell-based therapies into clinical practice is ensuring their survival and function upon implantation into the defect site. We hypothesized that forming MSC into more physiologic 3-dimensional spheroids, rather than employing dissociated cells from 2-dimensional monolayer culture, would enhance their survival when exposed to a harsh microenvironment while maintaining their osteogenic potential. MSC spheroids were formed using the hanging drop method with increasing cell numbers. Compared to larger spheroids, the smallest spheroids which contained 15,000 cells exhibited increased metabolic activity, reduced apoptosis, and the most uniform distribution of proliferating cells. Spheroids were then entrapped in fibrin gels and cultured in serum-free media and 1% oxygen. Compared to identical numbers of dissociated MSC in fibrin gels, spheroids exhibited significantly reduced apoptosis and secreted up to 100-fold more VEGF. We also observed that fibrin gels containing spheroids and those containing an equivalent number of dissociated cells exhibited similar expression levels of early and late markers of osteogenic differentiation. These data demonstrate that MSC spheroids exhibit greater resistance to apoptosis and enhanced proangiogenic potential, while maintaining similar osteogenic potential to dissociated MSC entrapped in a clinically relevant biomaterial, supporting the use of MSC spheroids in cell-based approaches to bone repair. PMID:24781147

Serum thymidine kinase 1 levels predict cancer-free survival following neoadjuvant, surgical and adjuvant treatment of patients with locally advanced breast cancer

PubMed Central

CHEN, FEIYU; TANG, LILI; XIA, TING; HE, ELLEN; HU, GUOZHU; LI, YUAN; ZHANG, MING; ZHOU, JI; ERIKSSON, STAFFAN; SKOG, SVEN

2013-01-01

In this study, the use of serum thymidine kinase 1 protein (STK1p) concentration for the prognosis of the overall survival of patients with locally advanced breast cancer (n=51) following routine treatment (neoadjuvant treatment, surgery and chemotherapy) was investigated. The patients were followed up for 44 months and the STK1p values were determined by a high-sensitivity enhanced chemiluminescence (ECL) dot blot assay. The variables investigated in relation to metastasis and survival were STK1p, clinical stage, tumor size and age, by the Kaplan-Meier method, the log-rank test and Cox uni- and multivariate analyses. Patients with high STK1p values (≥2.0 pM) 3–6 months after surgery exhibited a positive correlation to clinical stage, tumor size, occurrence of metastasis and survival. The hazard risk for the development of metastatic disease and mortality among breast cancer patients was 11–12 times higher in patients with high compared to those with low STK1p values (<2.0 pM). Notably, patients with stage III/IV disease and low STK1p values exhibited statistically significantly improved survival compared to patients with high STK1p values. A multivariate Cox analysis demonstrated that the STK1p levels 6 months after surgery was the only independent prognostic factor for metastasis and survival. In conclusion, STK1p is a prognostic marker in patients with locally advanced breast cancer and it may help identify a subgroup of stage III/IV patients with improved cancer-free survival expectancy, enabling personalized treatment. PMID:24649267

Pre-treatment plasma proteomic markers associated with survival in oesophageal cancer.

PubMed

Kelly, P; Paulin, F; Lamont, D; Baker, L; Clearly, S; Exon, D; Thompson, A

2012-02-28

The incidence of oesophageal adenocarcinoma is increasing worldwide but survival remains poor. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy can improve survival, but prognostic and predictive biomarkers are required. This study built upon preclinical approaches to identify prognostic plasma proteomic markers in oesophageal cancer. Plasma samples collected before and during the treatment of oesophageal cancer and non-cancer controls were analysed by surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight (SELDI-TOF) mass spectroscopy (MS). Protein peaks were identified by MS in tryptic digests of purified fractions. Associations between peak intensities obtained in the spectra and clinical endpoints (survival, disease-free survival) were tested by univariate (Fisher's exact test) and multivariate analysis (binary logistic regression). Plasma protein peaks were identified that differed significantly (P<0.05, ANOVA) between the oesophageal cancer and control groups at baseline. Three peaks, confirmed as apolipoprotein A-I, serum amyloid A and transthyretin, in baseline (pre-treatment) samples were associated by univariate and multivariate analysis with disease-free survival and overall survival. Plasma proteins can be detected prior to treatment for oesophageal cancer that are associated with outcome and merit testing as prognostic and predictive markers of response to guide chemotherapy in oesophageal cancer.

Survival potential of Phytophthora infestans sporangia in relation to meteorological factors

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Assessment of meteorological factors coupled with sporangia survival curves may enhance effective management of potato late blight, caused by Phytophthora infestans. We utilized a non-parametric density estimation approach to evaluate the cumulative probability of occurrence of temperature and relat...

Survival after initial diagnosis of Alzheimer disease.

PubMed

Larson, Eric B; Shadlen, Marie-Florence; Wang, Li; McCormick, Wayne C; Bowen, James D; Teri, Linda; Kukull, Walter A

2004-04-06

Alzheimer disease is an increasingly common condition in older people. Knowledge of life expectancy after the diagnosis of Alzheimer disease and of associations of patient characteristics with survival may help planning for future care. To investigate the course of Alzheimer disease after initial diagnosis and examine associations hypothesized to correlate with survival among community-dwelling patients with Alzheimer disease. Prospective observational study. An Alzheimer disease patient registry from a base population of 23 000 persons age 60 years and older in the Group Health Cooperative, Seattle, Washington. 521 newly recognized persons with Alzheimer disease enrolled from 1987 to 1996 in an Alzheimer disease patient registry. Baseline measurements included patient demographic features, Mini-Mental State Examination score, Blessed Dementia Rating Scale score, duration since reported onset of symptoms, associated symptoms, comorbid conditions, and selected signs. Survival was the outcome of interest. The median survival from initial diagnosis was 4.2 years for men and 5.7 years for women with Alzheimer disease. Men had poorer survival across all age groups compared with females. Survival was decreased in all age groups compared with the life expectancy of the U.S. population. Predictors of mortality based on proportional hazards models included a baseline Mini-Mental State Examination score of 17 or less, baseline Blessed Dementia Rating Scale score of 5.0 or greater, presence of frontal lobe release signs, presence of extrapyramidal signs, gait disturbance, history of falls, congestive heart failure, ischemic heart disease, and diabetes at baseline. The base population, although typical of the surrounding Seattle community, may not be representative of other, more diverse populations. In this sample of community-dwelling elderly persons who received a diagnosis of Alzheimer disease, survival duration was shorter than predicted on the basis of U.S. population

Seasonal survival of adult female mottled ducks

USGS Publications Warehouse

Moon, Jena A.; Haukos, David A.; Conway, Warren C.

2017-01-01

The mottled duck (Anas fulgivula) is a non-migratory duck dependent on coastal habitats to meet all of its life cycle requirements in the Western Gulf Coast (WGC) of Texas and Louisiana, USA. This population of mottled ducks has experienced a moderate decline during the past 2 decades. Adult survival has been identified as an important factor influencing population demography. Previous work based on band-recovery data has provided only annual estimates of survival. We assessed seasonal patterns of female mottled duck survival from 2009 to 2012 using individuals marked with satellite platform transmitter terminals (PTTs). We used temperature and movement sensors within each PTT to indicate potential mortality events. We estimated cumulative weekly survival and ranked factors influential in patterns of mortality using known-fate modeling in Program MARK. Models included 4 predictors: week; hunting and non-hunting periods; biological periods defined as breeding, brooding, molt, and pairing; and mass at time of capture. Models containing hunt periods, during and outside the mottled duck season, comprised essentially 100% of model weights where both legal and illegal harvest had a negative influence on mottled duck survival. Survival rates were low during 2009–2011 (12–38% annual rate of survival), when compared with the long-term banding average of 53% annual survival. During 2011, survival of female mottled ducks was the lowest annual rate (12%) ever documented and coincided with extreme drought. Management actions maximizing the availability of wetlands and associated upland habitats during hunting seasons and drought conditions may increase adult female mottled duck survival.

Cancer survival for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians: a national study of survival rates and excess mortality.

PubMed

Condon, John R; Zhang, Xiaohua; Baade, Peter; Griffiths, Kalinda; Cunningham, Joan; Roder, David M; Coory, Michael; Jelfs, Paul L; Threlfall, Tim

2014-01-31

National cancer survival statistics are available for the total Australian population but not Indigenous Australians, although their cancer mortality rates are known to be higher than those of other Australians. We aimed to validate analysis methods and report cancer survival rates for Indigenous Australians as the basis for regular national reporting. We used national cancer registrations data to calculate all-cancer and site-specific relative survival for Indigenous Australians (compared with non-Indigenous Australians) diagnosed in 2001-2005. Because of limited availability of Indigenous life tables, we validated and used cause-specific survival (rather than relative survival) for proportional hazards regression to analyze time trends and regional variation in all-cancer survival between 1991 and 2005. Survival was lower for Indigenous than non-Indigenous Australians for all cancers combined and for many cancer sites. The excess mortality of Indigenous people with cancer was restricted to the first three years after diagnosis, and greatest in the first year. Survival was lower for rural and remote than urban residents; this disparity was much greater for Indigenous people. Survival improved between 1991 and 2005 for non-Indigenous people (mortality decreased by 28%), but to a much lesser extent for Indigenous people (11%) and only for those in remote areas; cancer survival did not improve for urban Indigenous residents. Cancer survival is lower for Indigenous than other Australians, for all cancers combined and many individual cancer sites, although more accurate recording of Indigenous status by cancer registers is required before the extent of this disadvantage can be known with certainty. Cancer care for Indigenous Australians needs to be considerably improved; cancer diagnosis, treatment, and support services need to be redesigned specifically to be accessible and acceptable to Indigenous people.

Primary surgery results in no survival benefit compared to primary radiation for oropharyngeal cancer patients stratified by high-risk human papilloma virus status.

PubMed

Lybak, Stein; Ljøkjel, Borghild; Haave, Hilde; Karlsdottir, Àsa; Vintermyr, Olav K; Aarstad, Hans Jørgen

2017-01-01

We changed the primary oropharynx squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) treatment recommendation from primary radiation therapy (RT) to tumor surgery and neck dissection, followed by RT around the year 2000 with apparently improved survival. However, high-risk human papilloma virus (hr-HPV)-16-caused OPSCCs have increased during this period. Furthermore, hr-HPV+ OPSCC carry a better prognosis than hr-HPV-negative patients. We have, therefore, evaluated the 5-year survival in the period from 1992 to 1999 versus 2000 to 2008 stratified by hr-HPV tumor infection status. Ninety-six OPSCC patients were treated from 1992 to 1999 compared with 136 patients from 2000 to 2008. The 5-year disease-specific survival (DDS) and overall survival (OS) were recorded, while the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) scores were obtained from some of the cured patients. Thirty-eight (40 %) in the first period and 86 OPSCCs (63 %) in the second period were hr-HPV+. In the first period, 16 versus 62 patients in the last period were treated by neck dissection, primary tumor surgery, and RT. DSS among all the hr-HPV-negative patients in the first period was 51 versus 55 % in the second period, and the corresponding OS was 33 versus 31 %, respectively. The DSS among all the hr-HPV+ patients was 78 % in the first period versus 77 % in the second period, while the OS was 71 versus 69 %, respectively. The HRQoL scores among successfully treated patients were worse following surgery, plus RT than RT only. The hr-HPV-adjusted 5-year survival in OPSCC patients was similar between the two time periods. A decreased HRQoL was associated with surgical therapy, which indicates that hr-HPV+ OPSCC patients may be treated by primary RT followed by major surgery only if RT treatment fails.

CXCR4 engagement promotes dendritic cell survival and maturation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kabashima, Kenji; Sugita, Kazunari; Shiraishi, Noriko

2007-10-05

It has been reported that human monocyte derived-dendritic cells (DCs) express CXCR4, responsible for chemotaxis to CXCL12. However, it remains unknown whether CXCR4 is involved in other functions of DCs. Initially, we found that CXCR4 was expressed on bone marrow-derived DCs (BMDCs). The addition of specific CXCR4 antagonist, 4-F-Benzoyl-TN14003, to the culture of mouse BMDCs decreased their number, especially the mature subset of them. The similar effect was found on the number of Langerhans cells (LCs) but not keratinocytes among epidermal cell suspensions. Since LCs are incapable of proliferating in vitro, these results indicate that CXCR4 engagement is important formore » not only maturation but also survival of DCs. Consistently, the dinitrobenzene sulfonic acid-induced, antigen-specific in vitro proliferation of previously sensitized lymph node cells was enhanced by CXCL12, and suppressed by CXCR4 antagonist. These findings suggest that CXCL12-CXCR4 engagement enhances DC maturation and survival to initiate acquired immune response.« less

Bronchoalveolar carcinoma: clinical, radiologic, and pathologic factors and survival.

PubMed

Okubo, K; Mark, E J; Flieder, D; Wain, J C; Wright, C D; Moncure, A C; Grillo, H C; Mathisen, D J

1999-10-01

The principal feature of bronchoalveolar carcinoma is that it spreads along airways or aerogenously with multifocality, but many issues are unresolved. We studied 119 patients with pathologically confirmed bronchoalveolar carcinoma. Symptoms, smoking status, radiologic findings, the size of tumor, operative procedures, and complications were reviewed. We studied the pathologic features: presence or absence of aerogenous spread, patterns of growth, cell type, nuclear grade, mitosis, rate of bronchoalveolar carcinoma in adenocarcinoma, and lymphocyte infiltration. The correlation among clinical, radiologic, and pathologic findings was examined, and the factors affecting survival were analyzed. Symptomatic patients had more infiltrative radiographic features, and asymptomatic patients tended to have more mass-like features (P <.0001). Tumors with radiographically infiltrating lesions tended to have mucinous histologic features (P =.006). Tumors with mass lesions by radiograph tended to have nonmucinous and sclerosing histologic features (P =.003). Aerogenous spread was seen in 94% of specimens. The presence of a variety of cell types suggested multiple clonal origin. The overall survival in those patients undergoing resection was 69.1% at 5 years and 56.5% at 10 years. The significant factors affecting survival were radiologic presence of a mass or infiltrate, pathologic findings of the presence of sclerosis, association with a scar, the rate of bronchoalveolar carcinoma in adenocarcinoma, lymphocyte infiltration grade, nodal involvement, and status of complete resection. Mitosis or nuclear grade of tumor cells did not correlate with survival. Bronchoalveolar carcinoma showed good overall survival with appropriate surgical procedures. Certain radiologic or pathologic findings correlated with survival. These findings may enhance the ability to predict long-term survival.

Mitochondrial complex II is a source of the reserve respiratory capacity that is regulated by metabolic sensors and promotes cell survival.

PubMed

Pfleger, J; He, M; Abdellatif, M

2015-07-30

The survival of a cell depends on its ability to meet its energy requirements. We hypothesized that the mitochondrial reserve respiratory capacity (RRC) of a cell is a critical component of its bioenergetics that can be utilized during an increase in energy demand, thereby, enhancing viability. Our goal was to identify the elements that regulate and contribute to the development of RRC and its involvement in cell survival. The results show that activation of metabolic sensors, including pyruvate dehydrogenase and AMP-dependent kinase, increases cardiac myocyte RRC via a Sirt3-dependent mechanism. Notably, we identified mitochondrial complex II (cII) as a target of these metabolic sensors and the main source of RRC. Moreover, we show that RRC, via cII, correlates with enhanced cell survival after hypoxia. Thus, for the first time, we show that metabolic sensors via Sirt3 maximize the cellular RRC through activating cII, which enhances cell survival after hypoxia.

Multidimensional poverty and child survival in India.

PubMed

Mohanty, Sanjay K

2011-01-01

Though the concept of multidimensional poverty has been acknowledged cutting across the disciplines (among economists, public health professionals, development thinkers, social scientists, policy makers and international organizations) and included in the development agenda, its measurement and application are still limited. OBJECTIVES AND METHODOLOGY: Using unit data from the National Family and Health Survey 3, India, this paper measures poverty in multidimensional space and examine the linkages of multidimensional poverty with child survival. The multidimensional poverty is measured in the dimension of knowledge, health and wealth and the child survival is measured with respect to infant mortality and under-five mortality. Descriptive statistics, principal component analyses and the life table methods are used in the analyses. The estimates of multidimensional poverty are robust and the inter-state differentials are large. While infant mortality rate and under-five mortality rate are disproportionately higher among the abject poor compared to the non-poor, there are no significant differences in child survival among educationally, economically and health poor at the national level. State pattern in child survival among the education, economical and health poor are mixed. Use of multidimensional poverty measures help to identify abject poor who are unlikely to come out of poverty trap. The child survival is significantly lower among abject poor compared to moderate poor and non-poor. We urge to popularize the concept of multiple deprivations in research and program so as to reduce poverty and inequality in the population.

Multidimensional Poverty and Child Survival in India

PubMed Central

Mohanty, Sanjay K.

2011-01-01

Background Though the concept of multidimensional poverty has been acknowledged cutting across the disciplines (among economists, public health professionals, development thinkers, social scientists, policy makers and international organizations) and included in the development agenda, its measurement and application are still limited. Objectives and Methodology Using unit data from the National Family and Health Survey 3, India, this paper measures poverty in multidimensional space and examine the linkages of multidimensional poverty with child survival. The multidimensional poverty is measured in the dimension of knowledge, health and wealth and the child survival is measured with respect to infant mortality and under-five mortality. Descriptive statistics, principal component analyses and the life table methods are used in the analyses. Results The estimates of multidimensional poverty are robust and the inter-state differentials are large. While infant mortality rate and under-five mortality rate are disproportionately higher among the abject poor compared to the non-poor, there are no significant differences in child survival among educationally, economically and health poor at the national level. State pattern in child survival among the education, economical and health poor are mixed. Conclusion Use of multidimensional poverty measures help to identify abject poor who are unlikely to come out of poverty trap. The child survival is significantly lower among abject poor compared to moderate poor and non-poor. We urge to popularize the concept of multiple deprivations in research and program so as to reduce poverty and inequality in the population. PMID:22046384

Enhanced angiogenic effect of adipose-derived stromal cell spheroid with low-level light therapy in hind limb ischemia mice.

PubMed

Park, In-Su; Chung, Phil-Sang; Ahn, Jin Chul

2014-11-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) on transplanted human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hASCs) spheroid in a hind limb ischemia animal model. LLLT, hASCs spheroid and hASCs spheroid transplantation with LLLT (spheroid + LLLT) were applied to the ischemic hind limbs in athymic mice. The survival, differentiation and secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF), and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) of the spheroid ASCs were evaluated by immunohistochemistry and western blots. Spheroid + LLLT group had enhanced the tissue regeneration, including angiogenesis, compared with the ASC group. The spheroid ASCs contributed to tissue regeneration via differentiation and secretion of growth factors. In the spheroid + LLLT group, the survival of spheroid hASCs increased with a concomitant decrease in apoptosis of spheroid hASCs in the ischemic hind limb. The secretion of growth factors was stimulated in the spheroid + LLLT group compared with the ASCs and spheroid group. These data suggested that LLLT is an effective biostimulator of spheroid hASCs in tissue regeneration that enhanced the survival of ASCs and stimulated the secretion of growth factors in the ischemic hind limb. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Background level of risk and the survival of predator-naive prey: can neophobia compensate for predator naivety in juvenile coral reef fishes?

PubMed

Ferrari, Maud C O; McCormick, Mark I; Meekan, Mark G; Chivers, Douglas P

2015-01-22

Neophobia--the generalized fear response to novel stimuli--provides the first potential strategy that predator-naive prey may use to survive initial predator encounters. This phenotype appears to be highly plastic and present in individuals experiencing high-risk environments, but rarer in those experiencing low-risk environments. Despite the appeal of this strategy as a 'solution' for prey naivety, we lack evidence that this strategy provides any fitness benefit to prey. Here, we compare the relative effect of environmental risk (high versus low) and predator-recognition training (predator-naive versus predator-experienced individuals) on the survival of juvenile fish in the wild. We found that juveniles raised in high-risk conditions survived better than those raised in low-risk conditions, providing the first empirical evidence that environmental risk, in the absence of any predator-specific information, affects the way naive prey survive in a novel environment. Both risk level and experience affected survival; however, the two factors did not interact, indicating that the information provided by both factors did not interfere or enhance each other. From a mechanistic viewpoint, this indicates that the combination of the two factors may increase the intensity, and hence efficacy, of prey evasion strategies, or that both factors provide qualitatively separate benefits that would result in an additive survival success.

Working Hard and Making Do: Surviving in Small Town America.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelson, Margaret K.; Smith, Joan

This book reports on the effects of economic restructuring on the livelihood of working families in a rural Vermont county. Specifically, a study investigated family strategies to ensure and enhance daily survival including gainful employment (informal and formal), moonlighting, self-provisioning efforts, and non-monetary exchanges with other…

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest surveillance --- Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival (CARES), United States, October 1, 2005--December 31, 2010.

PubMed

McNally, Bryan; Robb, Rachel; Mehta, Monica; Vellano, Kimberly; Valderrama, Amy L; Yoon, Paula W; Sasson, Comilla; Crouch, Allison; Perez, Amanda Bray; Merritt, Robert; Kellermann, Arthur

2011-07-29

Each year, approximately 300,000 persons in the United States experience an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA); approximately 92% of persons who experience an OHCA event die. An OHCA is defined as cessation of cardiac mechanical activity that occurs outside of the hospital setting and is confirmed by the absence of signs of circulation. Whereas an OHCA can occur from noncardiac causes (i.e., trauma, drowning, overdose, asphyxia, electrocution, primary respiratory arrests, and other noncardiac etiologies), the majority (70%--85%) of such events have a cardiac cause. The majority of persons who experience an OHCA event, irrespective of etiology, do not receive bystander-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or other timely interventions that are known to improve the likelihood of survival to hospital discharge (e.g., defibrillation). Because nearly half of cardiac arrest events are witnessed, efforts to increase survival rates should focus on timely and effective delivery of interventions by bystanders and emergency medical services (EMS) personnel. This is the first report to provide summary data from an OHCA surveillance registry in the United States. This report summarizes surveillance data collected during October 1, 2005-- December 31, 2010. In 2004, CDC established the Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival (CARES) in collaboration with the Department of Emergency Medicine at the Emory University School of Medicine. This registry evaluates only OHCA events of presumed cardiac etiology that involve persons who received resuscitative efforts, including CPR or defibrillation. Participating sites collect data from three sources that define the continuum of emergency cardiac care: 911 dispatch centers, EMS providers, and receiving hospitals. OHCA is defined in CARES as a cardiac arrest that occurred in the prehospital setting, had a presumed cardiac etiology, and involved a person who received resuscitative efforts, including CPR or defibrillation

Estimation of age- and stage-specific Catalan breast cancer survival functions using US and Catalan survival data

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

Background During the last part of the 1990s the chance of surviving breast cancer increased. Changes in survival functions reflect a mixture of effects. Both, the introduction of adjuvant treatments and early screening with mammography played a role in the decline in mortality. Evaluating the contribution of these interventions using mathematical models requires survival functions before and after their introduction. Furthermore, required survival functions may be different by age groups and are related to disease stage at diagnosis. Sometimes detailed information is not available, as was the case for the region of Catalonia (Spain). Then one may derive the functions using information from other geographical areas. This work presents the methodology used to estimate age- and stage-specific Catalan breast cancer survival functions from scarce Catalan survival data by adapting the age- and stage-specific US functions. Methods Cubic splines were used to smooth data and obtain continuous hazard rate functions. After, we fitted a Poisson model to derive hazard ratios. The model included time as a covariate. Then the hazard ratios were applied to US survival functions detailed by age and stage to obtain Catalan estimations. Results We started estimating the hazard ratios for Catalonia versus the USA before and after the introduction of screening. The hazard ratios were then multiplied by the age- and stage-specific breast cancer hazard rates from the USA to obtain the Catalan hazard rates. We also compared breast cancer survival in Catalonia and the USA in two time periods, before cancer control interventions (USA 1975–79, Catalonia 1980–89) and after (USA and Catalonia 1990–2001). Survival in Catalonia in the 1980–89 period was worse than in the USA during 1975–79, but the differences disappeared in 1990–2001. Conclusion Our results suggest that access to better treatments and quality of care contributed to large improvements in survival in Catalonia. On

Volatile Anesthetics Improve Survival after Cecal Ligation and Puncture

PubMed Central

Herrmann, Inge K.; Castellon, Maricela; Schwartz, David E.; Hasler, Melanie; Urner, Martin; Hu, Guochang; Minshall, Richard D.; Beck-Schimmer, Beatrice

2016-01-01

Background Sepsis remains a leading cause of death in intensive care units. There is growing evidence that volatile anesthetics have beneficial immunomodulatory effects on complex inflammation-mediated conditions. The authors investigated the effect of volatile anesthetics on the overall survival of mice in a sepsis model of cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). Methods Mice (N = 12 per treatment group) were exposed to anesthetic concentrations of desflurane, isoflurane, and sevoflurane either during induction of sepsis or when the mice showed pronounced symptoms of inflammation. Overall survival, as well as organ function and inflammation was compared with the CLP group without intervention. Results With desflurane and sevoflurane conditioning (1.2 minimal alveolar concentration for 2 h immediately after induction of CLP) overall survival was improved to 58% and 83%, respectively, compared with 17% in the untreated CLP group. Isoflurane did not significantly affect outcome. Application of sevoflurane 24 h after sepsis induction significantly improved overall survival to 66%. Conclusions Administration of the volatile anesthetics desflurane and sevoflurane reduced CLP-induced mortality. Anesthesia may be a critical confounder when comparing study data where different anesthesia protocols were used. PMID:23867232

Hypoxia-Targeting Drug Evofosfamide (TH-302) Enhances Sunitinib Activity in Neuroblastoma Xenograft Models.

PubMed

Kumar, Sushil; Sun, Jessica D; Zhang, Libo; Mokhtari, Reza Bayat; Wu, Bing; Meng, Fanying; Liu, Qian; Bhupathi, Deepthi; Wang, Yan; Yeger, Herman; Hart, Charles; Baruchel, Sylvain

2018-05-23

Antiangiogenic therapy has shown promising results in preclinical and clinical trials. However, tumor cells acquire resistance to this therapy by gaining ability to survive and proliferate under hypoxia induced by antiangiogenic therapy. Combining antiangiogenic therapy with hypoxia-activated prodrugs can overcome this limitation. Here, we have tested the combination of antiangiogenic drug sunitinib in combination with hypoxia-activated prodrug evofosfamide in neuroblastoma. In vitro, neuroblastoma cell line SK-N-BE(2) was 40-folds sensitive to evofosfamide under hypoxia compared to normoxia. In IV metastatic model, evofosfamide significantly increased mice survival compared to the vehicle (P=.02). In SK-N-BE(2) subcutaneous xenograft model, we tested two different treatment regimens using 30 mg/kg sunitinib and 50 mg/kg evofosfamide. Here, sunitinib therapy when started along with evofosfamide treatment showed higher efficacy compared to single agents in subcutaneous SK-N-BE(2) xenograft model, whereas sunitinib when started 7 days after evofosfamide treatment did not have any advantage compared to treatment with either single agent. Immunofluorescence of tumor sections revealed higher number of apoptotic cells and hypoxic areas compared to either single agent when both treatments were started together. Treatment with 80 mg/kg sunitinib with 50 mg/kg evofosfamide was significantly superior to single agents in both xenograft and metastatic models. This study confirms the preclinical efficacy of sunitinib and evofosfamide in murine models of aggressive neuroblastoma. Sunitinib enhances the efficacy of evofosfamide by increasing hypoxic areas, and evofosfamide targets hypoxic tumor cells. Consequently, each drug enhances the activity of the other. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Understanding the role of mHealth and other media interventions for behavior change to enhance child survival and development in low- and middle-income countries: an evidence review.

PubMed

Higgs, Elizabeth S; Goldberg, Allison B; Labrique, Alain B; Cook, Stephanie H; Schmid, Carina; Cole, Charlotte F; Obregón, Rafael A

2014-01-01

Given the high morbidity and mortality among children in low- and middle-income countries as a result of preventable causes, the U.S. government and the United Nations Children's Fund convened an Evidence Summit on Enhancing Child Survival and Development in Lower- and Middle-Income Countries by Achieving Population-Level Behavior Change on June 3-4, 2013, in Washington, D.C. This article summarizes evidence for technological advances associated with population-level behavior changes necessary to advance child survival and healthy development in children under 5 years of age in low- and middle-income countries. After a rigorous evidence selection process, the authors assessed science, technology, and innovation papers that used mHealth, social/transmedia, multiplatform media, health literacy, and devices for behavior changes supporting child survival and development. Because of an insufficient number of studies on health literacy and devices that supported causal attribution of interventions to outcomes, the review focused on mHealth, social/transmedia, and multiplatform media. Overall, this review found that some mHealth interventions have sufficient evidence to make topic-specific recommendations for broader implementation, scaling, and next research steps (e.g., adherence to HIV/AIDS antiretroviral therapy, uptake and demand of maternal health service, and compliance with malaria treatment guidelines). While some media evidence demonstrates effectiveness in changing cognitive abilities, knowledge, and attitudes, evidence is minimal on behavioral endpoints linked to child survival. Population level behavior change is necessary to end preventable child deaths. Donors and low- and middle-income countries are encouraged to implement recommendations for informing practice, policy, and research decisions to fully maximize the impact potential of mHealth and multimedia for child survival and development.

Understanding the Role of mHealth and Other Media Interventions for Behavior Change to Enhance Child Survival and Development in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: An Evidence Review

PubMed Central

Higgs, Elizabeth S.; Goldberg, Allison B.; Labrique, Alain B.; Cook, Stephanie H.; Schmid, Carina; Cole, Charlotte F.; Obregón, Rafael A.

2014-01-01

Given the high morbidity and mortality among children in low- and middle-income countries as a result of preventable causes, the U.S. government and the United Nations Children's Fund convened an Evidence Summit on Enhancing Child Survival and Development in Lower- and Middle-Income Countries by Achieving Population-Level Behavior Change on June 3–4, 2013, in Washington, D.C. This article summarizes evidence for technological advances associated with population-level behavior changes necessary to advance child survival and healthy development in children under 5 years of age in low- and middle-income countries. After a rigorous evidence selection process, the authors assessed science, technology, and innovation papers that used mHealth, social/transmedia, multiplatform media, health literacy, and devices for behavior changes supporting child survival and development. Because of an insufficient number of studies on health literacy and devices that supported causal attribution of interventions to outcomes, the review focused on mHealth, social/transmedia, and multiplatform media. Overall, this review found that some mHealth interventions have sufficient evidence to make topic-specific recommendations for broader implementation, scaling, and next research steps (e.g., adherence to HIV/AIDS antiretroviral therapy, uptake and demand of maternal health service, and compliance with malaria treatment guidelines). While some media evidence demonstrates effectiveness in changing cognitive abilities, knowledge, and attitudes, evidence is minimal on behavioral endpoints linked to child survival. Population level behavior change is necessary to end preventable child deaths. Donors and low- and middle-income countries are encouraged to implement recommendations for informing practice, policy, and research decisions to fully maximize the impact potential of mHealth and multimedia for child survival and development. PMID:25207452

Probabilistic Survivability Versus Time Modeling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Joyner, James J., Sr.

2015-01-01

This technical paper documents Kennedy Space Centers Independent Assessment team work completed on three assessments for the Ground Systems Development and Operations (GSDO) Program to assist the Chief Safety and Mission Assurance Officer (CSO) and GSDO management during key programmatic reviews. The assessments provided the GSDO Program with an analysis of how egress time affects the likelihood of astronaut and worker survival during an emergency. For each assessment, the team developed probability distributions for hazard scenarios to address statistical uncertainty, resulting in survivability plots over time. The first assessment developed a mathematical model of probabilistic survivability versus time to reach a safe location using an ideal Emergency Egress System at Launch Complex 39B (LC-39B); the second used the first model to evaluate and compare various egress systems under consideration at LC-39B. The third used a modified LC-39B model to determine if a specific hazard decreased survivability more rapidly than other events during flight hardware processing in Kennedys Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB).Based on the composite survivability versus time graphs from the first two assessments, there was a soft knee in the Figure of Merit graphs at eight minutes (ten minutes after egress ordered). Thus, the graphs illustrated to the decision makers that the final emergency egress design selected should have the capability of transporting the flight crew from the top of LC 39B to a safe location in eight minutes or less. Results for the third assessment were dominated by hazards that were classified as instantaneous in nature (e.g. stacking mishaps) and therefore had no effect on survivability vs time to egress the VAB. VAB emergency scenarios that degraded over time (e.g. fire) produced survivability vs time graphs that were line with aerospace industry norms.

Comparative Survival Study (CSS) of PIT-Tagged Spring/Summer Chinook and Summer Steelhead : 2008 Annual Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Comparative Survival Study Oversight Committee and Fish Passage Center

2008-12-02

The Comparative Survival Study (CSS; BPA Project 199602000) began in 1996 with the objective of establishing a long term dataset of the survival rate of annual generations of salmon from their outmigration as smolts to their return to freshwater as adults to spawn (smolt-to-adult return rate; SAR). The study was implemented with the express need to address the question whether collecting juvenile fish at dams and transporting them downstream in barges and trucks and releasing them downstream of Bonneville Dam was compensating for the effect of the Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS) on survival of Snake Basin spring/summer Chinookmore » salmon migrating through the hydrosystem. The Completion of this annual report for the CSS signifies the 12th outmigration year of hatchery spring/summer Chinook salmon marked with Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tags as part of the CSS and the 9th complete brood year return as adults of those PIT-tagged fish (report covers adult returns from 1997-2006 hatchery Chinook juvenile migrations). In addition, the CSS has provided PIT-tags to on-going tagging operations for wild Chinook since 2002 (report covers adult returns from 1994-2006 wild Chinook juvenile migrations). The CSS tags wild steelhead on the lower Clearwater River and utilized wild and hatchery steelhead from other tagging operations in evaluations of transportation (report covers adult returns from 1997-2005 wild and hatchery steelhead migrations). The primary purpose of this report is to update the time series of smolt-to-adult survival rate data and related parameters with additional years of data since the completion of the CSS 10-yr retrospective analysis report (Schaller et al 2007). The 10-yr report provided a synthesis of the results from this ongoing study, the analytical approaches employed, and the evolving improvements incorporated into the study as reported in CSS annual progress reports. This current report specifically addresses the

Exosomes Derived from Squamous Head and Neck Cancer Promote Cell Survival after Ionizing Radiation

PubMed Central

Mutschelknaus, Lisa; Peters, Carsten; Winkler, Klaudia; Yentrapalli, Ramesh; Heider, Theresa; Atkinson, Michael John; Moertl, Simone

2016-01-01

Exosomes are nanometer-sized extracellular vesicles that are believed to function as intercellular communicators. Here, we report that exosomes are able to modify the radiation response of the head and neck cancer cell lines BHY and FaDu. Exosomes were isolated from the conditioned medium of irradiated as well as non-irradiated head and neck cancer cells by serial centrifugation. Quantification using NanoSight technology indicated an increased exosome release from irradiated compared to non-irradiated cells 24 hours after treatment. To test whether the released exosomes influence the radiation response of other cells the exosomes were transferred to non-irradiated and irradiated recipient cells. We found an enhanced uptake of exosomes isolated from both irradiated and non-irradiated cells by irradiated recipient cells compared to non-irradiated recipient cells. Functional analyses by exosome transfer indicated that all exosomes (from non-irradiated and irradiated donor cells) increase the proliferation of non-irradiated recipient cells and the survival of irradiated recipient cells. The survival-promoting effects are more pronounced when exosomes isolated from irradiated compared to non-irradiated donor cells are transferred. A possible mechanism for the increased survival after irradiation could be the increase in DNA double-strand break repair monitored at 6, 8 and 10 h after the transfer of exosomes isolated from irradiated cells. This is abrogated by the destabilization of the exosomes. Our results demonstrate that radiation influences both the abundance and action of exosomes on recipient cells. Exosomes transmit prosurvival effects by promoting the proliferation and radioresistance of head and neck cancer cells. Taken together, this study indicates a functional role of exosomes in the response of tumor cells to radiation exposure within a therapeutic dose range and encourages that exosomes are useful objects of study for a better understanding of tumor

Presenting symptoms and long-term survival in head and neck cancer.

PubMed

Douglas, C M; Ingarfield, K; McMahon, A D; Savage, S A; Conway, D I; MacKenzie, K

2018-06-01

To assess how type and number of symptoms are related to survival in patients with head and neck cancer. Patients were followed up for over 10 years from the Scottish Audit of Head and Neck Cancer (national cohort of head and neck cancer patients in Scotland 1999-2001). September 2013, cohort was linked to national mortality data. First, second and third presenting symptoms were recorded at diagnosis. National prospective audit-Scotland. A subset of 1589 patients, from the original cohort of 1895, who had cancer arising from one of the four main subsites; larynx, oropharynx, oral cavity and hypopharynx. Median survival in relation to patients' presenting symptoms. A total of 1146 (72%) males and 443 (28%) females, mean age at diagnosis 64 years (13-95). There was a significant difference in survival in relation to the number of the patient's presenting symptoms; one symptom had a median survival of 5.3 years compared with 1.1 years for three symptoms. Patients who presented with weight loss had a median survival of 0.8 years, compared to 4.2 years if they did not (P < .001). Patients who presented with hoarseness had a median survival of 5.9 years compared to 2.6 years without (P < .001). There was no significant difference in long-term survival for patients who presented with an ulcer, compared to those that did not (P = .105). This study highlights the importance of patients' presenting symptoms, giving valuable information in highlighting appropriate "red flag" symptoms and subsequent treatment planning and prognosis. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The SaeRS Two-Component System Controls Survival of Staphylococcus aureus in Human Blood through Regulation of Coagulase

PubMed Central

Guo, Haiyong; Hall, Jeffrey W.; Yang, Junshu; Ji, Yinduo

2017-01-01

The SaeRS two-component system plays important roles in regulation of key virulence factors and pathogenicity. In this study, however, we found that the deletion mutation of saeRS enhanced bacterial survival in human blood, whereas complementation of the mutant with SaeRS returned survival to wild-type levels. Moreover, these phenomena were observed in different MRSA genetic background isolates, including HA-MRSA WCUH29, CA-MRSA 923, and MW2. To elucidate which gene(s) regulated by SaeRS contribute to the effect, we conducted a series of complementation studies with selected known SaeRS target genes in trans. We found coagulase complementation abolished the enhanced survival of the SaeRS mutant in human blood. The coa and saeRS deletion mutants exhibited a similar survival phenotype in blood. Intriguingly, heterologous expression of coagulase decreased survival of S. epidermidis in human blood. Further, the addition of recombinant coagulase to blood significantly decreased the survival of S. aureus. Further, analysis revealed staphylococcal resistance to killing by hydrogen peroxide was partially dependent on the presence or absence of coagulase. Furthermore, complementation with coagulase, but not SaeRS, returned saeRS/coa double mutant survival in blood to wild-type levels. These data indicate SaeRS modulates bacterial survival in blood in coagulase-dependent manner. Our results provide new insights into the role of staphylococcal SaeRS and coagulase on bacterial survival in human blood. PMID:28611950

Survival Regression Modeling Strategies in CVD Prediction.

PubMed

Barkhordari, Mahnaz; Padyab, Mojgan; Sardarinia, Mahsa; Hadaegh, Farzad; Azizi, Fereidoun; Bozorgmanesh, Mohammadreza

2016-04-01

A fundamental part of prevention is prediction. Potential predictors are the sine qua non of prediction models. However, whether incorporating novel predictors to prediction models could be directly translated to added predictive value remains an area of dispute. The difference between the predictive power of a predictive model with (enhanced model) and without (baseline model) a certain predictor is generally regarded as an indicator of the predictive value added by that predictor. Indices such as discrimination and calibration have long been used in this regard. Recently, the use of added predictive value has been suggested while comparing the predictive performances of the predictive models with and without novel biomarkers. User-friendly statistical software capable of implementing novel statistical procedures is conspicuously lacking. This shortcoming has restricted implementation of such novel model assessment methods. We aimed to construct Stata commands to help researchers obtain the aforementioned statistical indices. We have written Stata commands that are intended to help researchers obtain the following. 1, Nam-D'Agostino X 2 goodness of fit test; 2, Cut point-free and cut point-based net reclassification improvement index (NRI), relative absolute integrated discriminatory improvement index (IDI), and survival-based regression analyses. We applied the commands to real data on women participating in the Tehran lipid and glucose study (TLGS) to examine if information relating to a family history of premature cardiovascular disease (CVD), waist circumference, and fasting plasma glucose can improve predictive performance of Framingham's general CVD risk algorithm. The command is adpredsurv for survival models. Herein we have described the Stata package "adpredsurv" for calculation of the Nam-D'Agostino X 2 goodness of fit test as well as cut point-free and cut point-based NRI, relative and absolute IDI, and survival-based regression analyses. We hope this

Aerosolized liposomes with dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine enhance pulmonary absorption of encapsulated insulin compared with co-administered insulin.

PubMed

Chono, Sumio; Togami, Kohei; Itagaki, Shirou

2017-11-01

We have previously shown that aerosolized liposomes with dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine (DPPC) enhance the pulmonary absorption of encapsulated insulin. In this study, we aimed to compare insulin encapsulated into the liposomes versus co-administration of empty liposomes and unencapsulated free insulin, where the DPCC liposomes would serve as absorption enhancer. The present study provides the useful information for development of noninvasive treatment of diabetes. Co-administration of empty DPPC liposomes and unencapsulated free insulin was investigated in vivo to assess the potential enhancement in protein pulmonary absorption. Co-administration was compared to DPPC liposomes encapsulating insulin, and free insulin. DPPC liposomes enhanced the pulmonary absorption of unencapsulated free insulin; however, the enhancing effect was lower than that of the DPPC liposomes encapsulating insulin. The mechanism of the pulmonary absorption of unencapsulated free insulin by DPPC liposomes involved the opening of epithelial cell space in alveolar mucosa, and not mucosal cell damage, similar to that of the DPPC liposomes encapsulating insulin. In an in vitro stability test, insulin in the alveolar mucus layer that covers epithelial cells was stable. These findings suggest that, although unencapsulated free insulin spreads throughout the alveolar mucus layer, the concentration of insulin released near the absorption surface is increased by the encapsulation of insulin into DPPC liposomes and the absorption efficiency is also increased. We revealed that the encapsulation of insulin into DPPC liposomes is more effective for pulmonary insulin absorption than co-administration of DPPC liposomes and unencapsulated free insulin.

Columbia Crew Survival Investigation Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2009-01-01

NASA commissioned the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) to conduct a thorough review of both the technical and the organizational causes of the loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia and her crew on February 1, 2003. The accident investigation that followed determined that a large piece of insulating foam from Columbia s external tank (ET) had come off during ascent and struck the leading edge of the left wing, causing critical damage. The damage was undetected during the mission. The CAIB's findings and recommendations were published in 2003 and are available on the web at http://caib.nasa.gov/. NASA responded to the CAIB findings and recommendations with the Space Shuttle Return to Flight Implementation Plan. Significant enhancements were made to NASA's organizational structure, technical rigor, and understanding of the flight environment. The ET was redesigned to reduce foam shedding and eliminate critical debris. In 2005, NASA succeeded in returning the space shuttle to flight. In 2010, the space shuttle will complete its mission of assembling the International Space Station and will be retired to make way for the next generation of human space flight vehicles: the Constellation Program. The Space Shuttle Program recognized the importance of capturing the lessons learned from the loss of Columbia and her crew to benefit future human exploration, particularly future vehicle design. The program commissioned the Spacecraft Crew Survival Integrated Investigation Team (SCSIIT). The SCSIIT was asked to perform a comprehensive analysis of the accident, focusing on factors and events affecting crew survival, and to develop recommendations for improving crew survival for all future human space flight vehicles. To do this, the SCSIIT investigated all elements of crew survival, including the design features, equipment, training, and procedures intended to protect the crew. This report documents the SCSIIT findings, conclusions, and recommendations.

Climate drives adaptive genetic responses associated with survival in big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Chaney, Lindsay; Richardson, Bryce A.; Germino, Matthew J.

2017-01-01

A genecological approach was used to explore genetic variation for survival in Artemisia tridentata(big sagebrush). Artemisia tridentata is a widespread and foundational shrub species in western North America. This species has become extremely fragmented, to the detriment of dependent wildlife, and efforts to restore it are now a land management priority. Common-garden experiments were established at three sites with seedlings from 55 source-populations. Populations included each of the three predominant subspecies, and cytotype variations. Survival was monitored for 5 years to assess differences in survival between gardens and populations. We found evidence of adaptive genetic variation for survival. Survival within gardens differed by source-population and a substantial proportion of this variation was explained by seed climate of origin. Plants from areas with the coldest winters had the highest levels of survival, while populations from warmer and drier sites had the lowest levels of survival. Survival was lowest, 36%, in the garden that was prone to the lowest minimum temperatures. These results suggest the importance of climatic driven genetic differences and their effect on survival. Understanding how genetic variation is arrayed across the landscape, and its association with climate can greatly enhance the success of restoration and conservation.

True survival benefit of lung transplantation for cystic fibrosis patients: the Zurich experience.

PubMed

Hofer, Markus; Benden, Christian; Inci, Ilhan; Schmid, Christoph; Irani, Sarosh; Speich, Rudolf; Weder, Walter; Boehler, Annette

2009-04-01

Lung transplantation is the ultimate therapy for end-stage cystic fibrosis (CF) lung disease; however, the debate continues as to whether lung transplantation improves survival. We report post-transplant outcome in CF at our institution by comparing 5-year post-transplant survival with a calculated 5-year survival without lung transplantation, using a predictive 5-year survivorship model, and describe pre-transplant parameters influencing transplant outcome. CF patients undergoing lung transplantation at our center were included (1992 to 2007). Survival rates were calculated and compared, and univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used for statistical assessment. Eighty transplants were performed in CF patients, 11 (13.8%) of whom were children. Mean age at transplant was 26.2 years (95% confidence interval: 24.4 to 28.0). The Liou raw score at transplant was -20 (95% confidence interval: -16 to -24), resulting in an estimated 5-year survival without transplantation of 33 +/- 14%, compared with a 5-year post-transplant survival of 68.2 +/- 5.6%. Further improvement was noted in the recent transplant era (since 2000), with a 5-year survival of 72.7 +/- 7.3%. Univariate analysis revealed that later year of transplant and diagnosis of diabetes influenced survival positively. Pediatric age had no negative impact. In the multivariate analysis, only diabetes influenced survival, in a positive manner. Lung transplantation performed at centers having experience with the procedure can offer a true survival benefit to patients with end-stage CF lung disease.

Ultrasound ablation enhances drug accumulation and survival in mammary carcinoma models.

PubMed

Wong, Andrew W; Fite, Brett Z; Liu, Yu; Kheirolomoom, Azadeh; Seo, Jai W; Watson, Katherine D; Mahakian, Lisa M; Tam, Sarah M; Zhang, Hua; Foiret, Josquin; Borowsky, Alexander D; Ferrara, Katherine W

2016-01-01

Magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) facilitates noninvasive image-guided conformal thermal therapy of cancer. Yet in many scenarios, the sensitive tissues surrounding the tumor constrain the margins of ablation; therefore, augmentation of MRgFUS with chemotherapy may be required to destroy remaining tumor. Here, we used 64Cu-PET-CT, MRI, autoradiography, and fluorescence imaging to track the kinetics of long-circulating liposomes in immunocompetent mammary carcinoma-bearing FVB/n and BALB/c mice. We observed a 5-fold and 50-fold enhancement of liposome and drug concentration, respectively, within MRgFUS thermal ablation-treated tumors along with dense accumulation within the surrounding tissue rim. Ultrasound-enhanced drug accumulation was rapid and durable and greatly increased total tumor drug exposure over time. In addition, we found that the small molecule gadoteridol accumulates around and within ablated tissue. We further demonstrated that dilated vasculature, loss of vascular integrity resulting in extravasation of blood cells, stromal inflammation, and loss of cell-cell adhesion and tissue architecture all contribute to the enhanced accumulation of the liposomes and small molecule probe. The locally enhanced liposome accumulation was preserved even after a multiweek protocol of doxorubicin-loaded liposomes and partial ablation. Finally, by supplementing ablation with concurrent liposomal drug therapy, a complete and durable response was obtained using protocols for which a sub-mm rim of tumor remained after ablation.

Ultrasound ablation enhances drug accumulation and survival in mammary carcinoma models

PubMed Central

Wong, Andrew W.; Fite, Brett Z.; Liu, Yu; Kheirolomoom, Azadeh; Seo, Jai W.; Watson, Katherine D.; Mahakian, Lisa M.; Tam, Sarah M.; Zhang, Hua; Foiret, Josquin; Borowsky, Alexander D.; Ferrara, Katherine W.

2015-01-01

Magnetic resonance–guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) facilitates noninvasive image-guided conformal thermal therapy of cancer. Yet in many scenarios, the sensitive tissues surrounding the tumor constrain the margins of ablation; therefore, augmentation of MRgFUS with chemotherapy may be required to destroy remaining tumor. Here, we used 64Cu-PET-CT, MRI, autoradiography, and fluorescence imaging to track the kinetics of long-circulating liposomes in immunocompetent mammary carcinoma–bearing FVB/n and BALB/c mice. We observed a 5-fold and 50-fold enhancement of liposome and drug concentration, respectively, within MRgFUS thermal ablation–treated tumors along with dense accumulation within the surrounding tissue rim. Ultrasound-enhanced drug accumulation was rapid and durable and greatly increased total tumor drug exposure over time. In addition, we found that the small molecule gadoteridol accumulates around and within ablated tissue. We further demonstrated that dilated vasculature, loss of vascular integrity resulting in extravasation of blood cells, stromal inflammation, and loss of cell-cell adhesion and tissue architecture all contribute to the enhanced accumulation of the liposomes and small molecule probe. The locally enhanced liposome accumulation was preserved even after a multiweek protocol of doxorubicin-loaded liposomes and partial ablation. Finally, by supplementing ablation with concurrent liposomal drug therapy, a complete and durable response was obtained using protocols for which a sub-mm rim of tumor remained after ablation. PMID:26595815

Adaptive memory: young children show enhanced retention of fitness-related information.

PubMed

Aslan, Alp; Bäuml, Karl-Heinz T

2012-01-01

Evolutionary psychologists propose that human cognition evolved through natural selection to solve adaptive problems related to survival and reproduction, with its ultimate function being the enhancement of reproductive fitness. Following this proposal and the evolutionary-developmental view that ancestral selection pressures operated not only on reproductive adults, but also on pre-reproductive children, the present study examined whether young children show superior memory for information that is processed in terms of its survival value. In two experiments, we found such survival processing to enhance retention in 4- to 10-year-old children, relative to various control conditions that also required deep, meaningful processing but were not related to survival. These results suggest that, already in very young children, survival processing is a special and extraordinarily effective form of memory encoding. The results support the functional-evolutionary proposal that young children's memory is "tuned" to process and retain fitness-related information. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Health check-ups and family screening allow detection of hereditary hemochromatosis with less advanced liver fibrosis and survival comparable with the general population.

PubMed