Tumor involving the chest wall is a common clinical event, and if there are no distant metastases, complete resection of tumor and involved chest wall can give excellent results. The aim of this study is to report experience with chest wall resection and reconstruction (CWRR) for 12 patients who suffered ...

With a greater understanding of tumor biology, novel molecular-targeted strategies that block cancer progression pathways have been evaluated as a new therapeutic approach for treating non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs), such as gefitinib and erlotinib, show favorable response to EGFR mutant lung cancer ...

Vandetanib is a once-daily oral multi-target inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor, epidermal growth factor receptor, and rearranged during transfection (RET) tyrosine kinases. The current study aimed to evaluate the effect and safety of vandetanib administered in refractory advanced lung adenocarcinoma patients. Five patients who accepted chemotherapy and Tarceva ...

The third generation single-agent drug has been recommended as a first-line chemotherapy for elderly patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The aim of the current radomized trial is to compare the clinical efficacy and toxicities of single-agent paclitaxel liposome versus paclitaxel liposome plus oxaliplatin as a first-line chemotherapy ...

Video-assisted thoracoscopy is widely used in diagnosis and treatment of solitary pulmonary nodule (SPN). However, localization of the nodule during surgery is occasionally difficult. The purpose of the current research is to evaluate the localization technique during diagnosis and treatment of SPN with video-assistant thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). Three-dimensional computed tomography ...

18F-FDG PET/CT has several shortcomings in discriminating between lung carcinoma and pulmonary benign lesions. The aims of the present study is to explore the value of extra-lung lesions on 18F-FDG PET/CT image in the diagnosis of lung cancer. A total of 126 suspected lung cancer patients underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT scan. ...

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare tumor with increasing incidence, and its early diagnoses and early treatments are difficult. The aim of the current study is to investigate the clinical features, diagnoses, and treatments of MPM, and provide reference for clinical use. A total of 45 MPM patients admitted ...

It has been proven that the insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1R) gene is an important regulator of many aspects of growth, differentiation, and development. The insulin-like growth factor 2 receptor (IGF-2R) gene is a negative mediator for carcinogenesis. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship of ...

Pemetrexed in combination with platinum or a single-agent has been approved for the first- and second-line treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the role of pemetrexed therapy in the third-line and beyond treatment of NSCLC has yet to be generally accepted. The present retrospective study reports the efficacy ...

It has been proven that volumetric measurements could detect subtle changes in small pulmonary nodules in serial CT scans, and thus may play an important role in the follow-up of indeterminate pulmonary nodules and in differentiating malignant nodules from benign nodules. The current study aims to evaluate the effects of ...

Ectopic pregnancy occurs when a fertilized ovum implants on any tissue other than the endometrial lining of the uterus. Approximately 1%-2% of pregnancies in the United States are ectopic; however, these pregnancies account for 3%-4% of pregnancy-related deaths. The ectopic pregnancy mortality ratio in the United States decreased from 1.15 ...

On October 19, 2011, Public Health - Seattle & King County was contacted regarding a woman who had experienced acute gastroenteritis after dining at a local restaurant with friends. Staff members interviewed the diners and confirmed that three of the seven in the party had consumed a raw oyster dish. ...

Drug overdose death rates have increased steadily in the United States since 1979. In 2008, a total of 36,450 drug overdose deaths (i.e., unintentional, intentional [suicide or homicide], or undetermined intent) were reported, with prescription opioid analgesics (e.g., oxycodone, hydrocodone, and methadone), cocaine, and heroin the drugs most commonly involved . ...

Early termination of prolonged seizures with intravenous administration of benzodiazepines improves outcomes. For faster and more reliable administration, paramedics increasingly use an intramuscular route. This double-blind, randomized, noninferiority trial compared the efficacy of intramuscular midazolam with that of intravenous lorazepam for children and adults in status epilepticus treated by paramedics. ...

Dilated cardiomyopathy and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy arise from mutations in many genes. TTN, the gene encoding the sarcomere protein titin, has been insufficiently analyzed for cardiomyopathy mutations because of its enormous size. We analyzed TTN in 312 subjects with dilated cardiomyopathy, 231 subjects with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and 249 controls by using ...

The mechanisms of paraneoplastic thrombocytosis in ovarian cancer and the role that platelets play in abetting cancer growth are unclear. We analyzed clinical data on 619 patients with epithelial ovarian cancer to test associations between platelet counts and disease outcome. Human samples and mouse models of epithelial ovarian cancer were ...

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) is the central regulator of gonadotropins, which stimulate gonadal function. Hypothalamic neurons that produce kisspeptin and neurokinin B stimulate GnRH release. Inactivating mutations in the genes encoding the human kisspeptin receptor (KISS1R, formerly called GPR54), neurokinin B (TAC3), and the neurokinin B receptor (TACR3) result in pubertal ...

Patients receiving chemotherapy for cancer are at increased risk for venous thromboembolism. Limited data support the clinical benefit of antithrombotic prophylaxis. In this double-blind, multicenter trial, we evaluated the efficacy and safety of the ultra-low-molecular-weight heparin semuloparin for prevention of venous thromboembolism in patients receiving chemotherapy for cancer. Patients with ...

Chordoma is the most common primary malignant tumor of the spine. It is extremely rare and has been studied primarily in single-institution case series. Using data from a large, population-based cancer registry, we designed the present study to examine the outcome for patients with chordoma and to determine relevant prognostic ...

Recent advances in diagnosis and instrumentation have facilitated the arthroscopic treatment of hip pathology. However, little has been reported on trends in the utilization of hip arthroscopy. The purpose of this study was to examine changes in the use of hip arthroscopy as reflected in the American Board of Orthopaedic ...

Acute respiratory distress syndrome manifests as rapidly progressive dyspnea, tachypnea, and hypoxemia. Diagnostic criteria include acute onset, profound hypoxemia, bilateral pulmonary infiltrates, and the absence of left atrial hypertension. Acute respiratory distress syndrome is believed to occur when a pulmonary or extrapulmonary insult causes the release of inflammatory mediators, promoting ...

STUDY DESIGN.: Retrospective observational study utilizing prospectively collected population-based data. OBJECTIVE.: To describe the epidemiology and demographics of all patients with traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) treated at a single institution, which represents the sole referral center and specialized SCI unit for a population of 4 million people. SUMMARY OF ...

Vitamin D is associated with decreased cardiovascular-related morbidity and mortality, possibly by modifying cardiac structure and function, yet firm evidence for either remains lacking. To determine the effects of an active vitamin D compound, paricalcitol, on left ventricular mass over 48 weeks in patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate ...

In clinical practice, differentiation of COPD and asthma is difficult. A case report of an asthma patient with a drifter type of asthma imitating COPD is presented. In this context differences and similarities of both diseases are high-lighted. The definitions of asthma and COPD in international guidelines leave some space ...

An ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament, often presenting asymptomatically, can cause a symptomatic myelopathy after trauma. Keeping this entity in mind in daily clinical routine will help in making the correct diagnosis and in administering the corresponding therapy.

Anterior tibial tendon transfer is a common procedure for treatment of clubfoot recurrence. Fixation of the tendon usually includes passing the tendon through the lateral cuneiform. Drilling the bone and passing sutures through the plantar aspect of the foot may cause neurovascular damage. Anterior tibial tendon transfer was performed through ...

Procalcitonin is a biomarker for estimating the likelihood of a bacterial infection. Procalcitonin-guided antibiotic therapy can reduce antibiotic overuse in respiratory tract infections. The differential diagnosis of water-electrolyte imbalances is challenging. Copeptin is co-secreted with arginine vasopressin (AVP) and is a reliable surrogate of plasma AVP. Copeptin may become a ...

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between walking ability, as determined with use of the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS), and the outcome of hip adductor surgery used to prevent hip displacement in children with cerebral palsy. We performed a retrospective review of the records ...

Evidence to support antibiotic treatment for acute rhinosinusitis is limited, yet antibiotics are commonly used. To determine the incremental effect of amoxicillin treatment over symptomatic treatments for adults with clinically diagnosed acute rhinosinusitis. A randomized, placebo-controlled trial of adults with uncomplicated, acute rhinosinusitis were recruited from 10 community practices in ...

Many papers have been published recently on the subject of pseudotumors surrounding metal-on-metal hip resurfacing and replacement prostheses. These pseudotumors are sterile, inflammatory lesions within the periprosthetic tissues and have been variously termed masses, cysts, bursae, collections, or aseptic lymphocyte-dominated vasculitis-associated lesions (ALVAL). The prevalence of pseudotumors in patients with ...

A large proportion of metal-on-metal hip arthroplasty failures are due to unexplained pain. The mechanism of failure has been thought to be associated with factors that increase material loss, including specific design features and surgical positioning of components. However, recent evidence suggests that there is not a simple dose-response relationship. ...

Ultrasound in addition to endoscopy and radiological methods has become widely accepted for diagnosis and evaluation of therapeutic success of gastrointestinal diseases. In addition to the lumen and more importantly the wall (layering) and the surroundings of the gastrointestinal tract functional processes (peristalsis, bloodflow) can be analysed as well. The ...

The discovery of microRNAs (miRNAs) almost two decades ago established a new paradigm of gene regulation. During the past ten years these tiny non-coding RNAs have been linked to virtually all known physiological and pathological processes, including cancer. In the same way as certain key protein-coding genes, miRNAs can be ...

Short-term exposure to high levels of air pollution may trigger myocardial infarction (MI), but this association remains unclear. To assess and quantify the association between short-term exposure to major air pollutants (ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and particulate matter ≤10 μm [PM(10)] and ≤2.5 μm [PM(2.5)] in diameter) ...

Acute low back pain is one of the most common reasons for adults to see a family physician. Although most patients recover quickly with minimal treatment, proper evaluation is imperative to identify rare cases of serious underlying pathology. Certain red flags should prompt aggressive treatment or referral to a spine ...

During the past century, graduate medical education funding has evolved in response to the increasing specialization of modern medicine as well as the need for federal funding to effectively sustain specialty training. This article reviews historical and current funding methods for graduate medical education and examines current funding using Massachusetts ...

Varying concentrations of blood components in platelet-rich plasma preparations may contribute to the variable results seen in recently published clinical studies. The purposes of this investigation were (1) to quantify the level of platelets, growth factors, red blood cells, and white blood cells in so-called one-step (clinically used commercial devices) ...

Hirsutism is excess terminal hair that commonly appears in a male pattern in women. Although hirsutism is generally associated with hyperandrogenemia, one-half of women with mild symptoms have normal androgen levels. The most common cause of hirsutism is polycystic ovary syndrome, accounting for three out of every four cases. Many ...

Sparse data exist on the combined associations between physical activity and sedentary time with cardiometabolic risk factors in healthy children. To examine the independent and combined associations between objectively measured time in moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary time with cardiometabolic risk factors. Pooled data from 14 studies ...

Surgical site infection after spine surgery is a well-known complication that can result in poor outcomes, arthrodesis-site nonunion, and neurological injury. We hypothesized that a higher surgical invasiveness score will increase the risk for surgical site infection following spine surgery. Data were examined from patients undergoing any type of spinal ...

η Carinae is one of the most massive binary stars in the Milky Way. It became the second-brightest star in our sky during its mid-nineteenth-century 'Great Eruption', but then faded from view (with only naked-eye estimates of brightness). Its eruption is unique in that it exceeded the Eddington luminosity limit for ...

The etiology of elbow flexion contracture in children with brachial plexus birth palsy remains unclear. We hypothesized that the long head of the biceps brachii muscle assists with shoulder stabilization in children with brachial plexus birth palsy and that overactivity of the long head during elbow and shoulder activity is ...

Changes to the conformation of coding and non-coding RNAs form the basis of elements of genetic regulation and provide an important source of complexity, which drives many of the fundamental processes of life. Although the structure of RNA is highly flexible, the underlying dynamics of RNA are robust and are ...

The self-templating conformations of yeast prion proteins act as epigenetic elements of inheritance. Yeast prions might provide a mechanism for generating heritable phenotypic diversity that promotes survival in fluctuating environments and the evolution of new traits. However, this hypothesis is highly controversial. Prions that create new traits have not been ...

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate musculoskeletal knowledge among graduating medical students and physician assistant students with use of a National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) examination. We hypothesized that there would be no difference in scores between the two groups. In addition, we looked for relationships ...

Short diffusion paths and high specific interfacial areas in microstructured devices can increase mass transfer rates and thus accelerate multiphase reactions. This effect can be intensified by the application of ultrasound. Herein, we report on the design and testing of a novel versatile setup for a continuous ultrasound-supported multiphase process ...

A general procedure for the 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPO)-mediated electrooxidation of primary and secondary alcohols modified for application in a microfluidic electrolytic cell is described. The electrocatalytic system utilises a buffered aqueous tert-butanol reaction medium, which operates effectively without the requirement for additional electrolyte, providing a mild protocol for the oxidation of ...

Editorial: Flow chemistry has now found its way into research and development, not only in academic institutions, but also in industry. This special issue of ChemSusChem is dedicated to flow chemistry, and the contributions showcase the diverse state-of-the-art of flow methodology in chemistry and the potential it certainly holds for ...

Rocking chair enzyme: Chemical reducing agents (sodium dithionite) or bioglycerol (as H and e(-) -donor under irradiation in the presence of ZnS-A as photocatalyst) are able to back-convert NADP(+) into NADPH, which is used as e(-) -donor in the enzymatic reduction of CO(2) into CH(3) OH. In doing so, the ...

This article explores race relations and racism within the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community of Toronto, Ontario, from the perspective of seven gay/queer social service providers of color. Social constructions of race, race relations, and racism were placed at the centre of analysis. Employing interpretive phenomenological analysis, ...