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Shoe modifications are suggested to reduce the risks of injuries and improve sports performance in basketball. This review aimed to critically evaluate the effect of different basketball shoe modifications on biomechanical changes in basketball movements. Searches of four major databases for biomechanics studies which evaluated footwear construction/material in basketball yielded 442 records. After duplicates were removed and exclusion/inclusion criteria applied to the titles and abstracts, 20 articles remained for further quality assessment. Two reviewers independently confirmed 17 articles (n = 340 participants), with 95.5% of agreement between judgements, which were included for review. The results were categorised based on the following shoe modifications: (a) cushioning, (b) midsole hardness, (c) collar height, (d) outsole traction component, (e) forefoot bending stiffness and (f) shoe mass that influence lower limb biomechanics. The included articles revealed that 1) better shoe cushioning or softer midsole is related to better impact attenuation in passive/unanticipated situations, 2) high shoe collars are effective to improve ankle stability in jumping and cutting tasks, 3) increased shoe traction and forefoot bending stiffness can improve basketball jump, sprint and/or cut performances and 4) lighter shoe mass results in better jump and/or cut performances when the shoe mass is known. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common and treatable endocrine dysfunction in fertile women. The pathophysiology of PCOS involves primary defects in the hypothalamic-pituitary axis, insulin secretion and action, and ovarian function. Studies show 20-40 percent of female first-degree relatives of women with PCOS also have the syndrome. Genetic studies have identified a link between PCOS and disordered insulin metabolism and hyperinsulinemia.PCOS is characterized by hyperandrogenism, irregular ovulatory cycle and metabolic derangement, including glucose intolerance and hyperinsulinemia. Hyperandrogenism is a clinical hallmark of PCOS.In women with PCOS, Ovulation problems are usually the primary cause of infertility. PCOS is the most common cause of anovulatory infertility; ~ 90-95% of women seeking treatment for infertility have PCOS. PCOS may cause higher risk for infertility, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and endometrial cancer. The most common symptoms are irregular period, weight gain, acne, and excessive facial and body hair. PCOS has no cure but there are multiple treatments that can reduce symptoms. Life style modification includingdiet and exercise, have shown a positive influence on women with PCOS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) represents a significant and rising burden of disease, with rapidly evolving treatment modalities. The role of cytoreductive nephrectomy (CN) is controversial in this setting. As such, London Cancer has pursued a multidisciplinary team (MDT) approach when assessing suitability for surgery. Methods: A retrospective analysis of treatment-naive synchronous mRCC patients, managed via a renal-specialist MDT, was conducted between January 2015 and December 2018. An MDT selection algorithm for CN—using the International Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium score (IMDC), performance status and metastatic disease burden—was developed. Results: 87 treatment-naive synchronous mRCC patients received either CN (n = 18), Systemic therapy (ST) alone (n = 43) or Best supportive care (BSC) (n = 26). Progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were assessed. 51% and 39% were IMDC intermediate and poor risk. Median PFS was 28.6 months and 4.5 months in the CN group and ST alone group, respectively, Hazard Ratio for death was 3.63 [(95% CI 1.68–7.83) p < 0.05]. OS remains immature for the CN group, but a median OS of 12.8 months was observed in the ST group and 5.0 months for BSC. 1-year OS rate for CN, ST and BSC groups was 77.8%, 55.8% and 23.10%, respectively. Conclusion: These findings describe outcomes of an unselected series of patients treated via an MDT-driven, protocolised treatment pathway. MDT pathway-based decision making may improve patient selection for CN. Further research is needed to evaluate the role of CN amongst a growing landscape of treatment strategies, including immune checkpoint inhibitors and combination therapies. Patient summary: Multi-disciplinary team, pathway-based treatment strategy may improve patient selection for cytoreductive nephrectomy in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immediate‐early genes (IEGs) exhibit a rapid, transient transcription response to neuronal activation. Fluorescently labeled mRNA transcripts appear as bright intranuclear transcription foci (INF), which have been used as an all‐or‐nothing indicator of recent neuronal activity; however, it would be useful to know whether INF fluorescence can be used effectively to assess relative activations within a neural population. We quantified the Homer1a (H1a) response of hippocampal neurons to systematically varied numbers of exposures to the same places by inducing male Long‐Evans rats to run laps around a track. Previous studies reveal relatively stable firing rates across laps on a familiar track. A strong linear trend (r2 > 0.9) in INF intensity was observed between 1 and 25 laps, after which INF intensity declined as a consequence of dispersion related to the greater elapsed time. When the integrated fluorescence of the entire nucleus was considered instead, the linear relationship extended to 50 laps. However, there was only an approximate doubling of H1a detected for this 50‐fold variation in total spiking. Thus, the intranuclear H1a RNA fluorescent signal does provide a relative measure of how many times a set of neurons was activated over a ~10 min period, but the dynamic range and hence signal‐to‐noise ratios are poor. This low dynamic range may reflect previously reported reductions in the IEG response during repeated episodes of behavior over longer time scales. It remains to be determined how well the H1a signal reflects relative firing rates within a population of neurons in response to a single, discrete behavioral event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 5f1→6d1 absorption spectrum of 231Pa4+ diluted in a single crystal of Cs2ZrCl6 has been measured at 4.2 K. Three bands corresponding to the 6d(Γ8g, Γ7g, and Γ’8g ) levels are assigned. Extensive vibronic structure has been observed for the lowest 5f→6d transition and this structure is compared to that recently reported for the 6d1→5f1 emission spectra in the same system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emission spectra from the parity-allowed electronic transitions between the lowest crystal field level of the 6d1 configuration to all the electronic levels of the 5f1 configuration of Pa4+ diluted into single crystals of Cs2ZrCl6 at 4.2 K show highly structured vibronic sidebands. Vibronic progressions are seen along the 310 cm-1 totally symmetric stretch of the PaCl2-6 complex. Most vibronic peaks correspond to even parity vibrations of the PaCl2-6 complex or the host lattice. Additionally, electronic Raman scattering was observed between the two lowest crystal field levels of the 5f1 configuration by exciting with an argon ion laser in near resonance with the lowest level of the 6d1 configuration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monte Carlo evaluation of resampling-based tests is often conducted in statistical analysis. However, this procedure is generally computationally intensive. The pooling resampling-based method has been developed to reduce the computational burden but the validity of the method has not been studied before. In this article, we first investigate the asymptotic properties of the pooling resampling-based method and then propose a novel Monte Carlo evaluation procedure namely the n-times pooling resampling-based method. Theorems as well as simulations show that the proposed method can give smaller or comparable root mean squared errors and bias with much less computing time, thus can be strongly recommended especially for evaluating highly computationally intensive hypothesis testing procedures in genetic epidemiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article considers sample size determination for jointly testing a cause-specific hazard and the all-cause hazard for competing risks data. The cause-specific hazard and the all-cause hazard jointly characterize important study end points such as the disease-specific survival and overall survival, which are commonly used as coprimary end points in clinical trials. Specifically, we derive sample size calculation methods for 2-group comparisons based on an asymptotic chi-square joint test and a maximum joint test of the aforementioned quantities, taking into account censoring due to lost to follow-up as well as staggered entry and administrative censoring. We illustrate the application of the proposed methods using the Die Deutsche Diabetes Dialyse Studies clinical trial. An R package "powerCompRisk" has been developed and made available at the CRAN R library. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Department of Clinical Research, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom We collected data on 1054 children admitted to Ebola Holding Units in Sierra Leone and describe outcomes of 697/1054 children testing negative for Ebola virus disease (EVD) and accompanying caregivers. Case-fatality was 9%; 3/630 (0.5%) children discharged testing negative were readmitted EVD-positive. Nosocomial EVD transmission risk may be lower than feared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the effects of body mass and shoe midsole hardness on kinetic and perceptual variables during the performance of three basketball movements: (1) the first and landing steps of layup, (2) shot-blocking landing and (3) drop landing. Thirty male basketball players, assigned into “heavy” (n = 15, mass 82.7 ± 4.3 kg) or “light” (n = 15, mass 63.1 ± 2.8 kg) groups, performed five trials of each movement in three identical shoes of varying midsole hardness (soft, medium, hard). Vertical ground reaction force (VGRF) during landing was sampled using multiple wooden-top force plates. Perceptual responses on five variables (forefoot cushioning, rearfoot cushioning, forefoot stability, rearfoot stability and overall comfort) were rated after each movement condition using a 150-mm Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). A mixed factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA) (Body Mass × Shoe) was applied to all kinetic and perceptual variables. During the first step of the layup, the loading rate associated with rearfoot contact was 40.7% higher in the “heavy” than “light” groups (P = .014) and 12.4% higher in hard compared with soft shoes (P = .011). Forefoot peak VGRF in a soft shoe was higher (P = .011) than in a hard shoe during shot-block landing. Both “heavy” and “light” groups preferred softer to harder shoes. Overall, body mass had little effect on kinetic or perceptual variables. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: Widmark formula suggests estimating blood alcohol concentration level (BAC) on a given amount of alcohol administrated with knowledge of subject’s body weight and sex. The idea has been referenced extensively in forensic science with application in drink driving prosecution. A sample of Chinese subjects was collected in the drinking experiment, and in this study we mainly focus on the verification of the validity of Widmark formula on Chinese male population. A promising result is obtained where the extrapolated BAC measurement is directly proportional to the amount of alcohol administrated, and inversely to the subject’s body weight. The results noted in the general linear model is further supported by the nonlinear regression analysis and a concordant argument reaches by deploying the concept to the BAC level attained at peak. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In anticipation of future studies, we examined the pharmacokinetics profile of erythropoietin (EPO) in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Cardiac surgical patients were enrolled into one of six groups: four cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) groups [placebo ( n = 6), 250 IU/kg EPO ( n = 3), 500 IU/kg EPO ( n = 3), and 500 IU/kg EPO, two doses ( n = 6)] and two off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) groups [placebo ( n = 3) and 500 IU/kg EPO ( n = 3)]. The EPO was administered prior to anesthesia and 10 min after CPB (if required). Blood samples for serum EPO were collected at baseline, 10 min after dosing, 5 min after sternotomy, during CPB or the equivalent for OPCAB (5, 15, 45, 60 min), and post-CPB (5, 15, 45, and 60 min, 6, 12 and 24 h, and daily until day 5). Endogenous EPO increased within 24 h of surgery in the placebo group and remained elevated. There was approximately a 40% decrease in serum EPO concentration at the initiation of CPB due to an increase in circulatory blood volume. There were no differences in apparent volume of distribution in the plasma (Vc) (42.2 ± 9.9, 39.8 ± 6.3, 42.3 ± 14.0 mL/kg), clearance (CL) (4.63 ± 1.14, 3.44 ± 0.68, 4.27 ± 0.52 mL h/kg), and t½ (16.4 ± 8.0 16.9 ± 10.6, 22.4 ± 9.3 h) between the CPB treatment groups. The pharmacokinetic profile of EPO in the OPCAB group was similar to that for the CPB groups: Vc = 39.3 ± 7.0 mL/kg, CL = 4.98 ± 0.17 mL h/kg and t½ = 17.1 ± 18.1 h. CPB had no apparent effect on the pharmacokinetics of EPO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor is presented which discusses a correlation between two p values under the likehood-ratio test and an exact test for the Hardy Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) cases using the tail strength.

Abstract: In this paper, we focus on single-index models for longitudinal data. We propose a procedure to estimate the single-index component and the unknown link function based on the combination of the penalized splines and quadratic inference functions. It is shown that the proposed estimation method has good asymptotic properties. We also evaluate the finite sample performance of the proposed method via Monte Carlo simulation studies. Furthermore, the proposed method is illustrated in the analysis of a real data set. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In many medical and health studies, high-dimensional data are often encountered. Principal component analysis (PCA) is a commonly used technique to reduce such data to a few components that includes most of the information provided by the original data. However, PCA is known to be very sensitive to some abnormal observations. Therefore, it is essential to assess such sensitivity in PCA. In this paper, the assessments of local influence based on generalized influence function are developed under the case-weights and additive perturbation schemes, along with a discussion of the perturbation scheme and the generalized influence function approach. When perturbing different variables of the data, it is noted that the directions of the largest joint local influence for the eigenvalues are all the same. Moreover, these directions are completely determined by the score values of the observations, to which an approximate cut-off point is given. The proposed methods are applied to analyse a set of haematology study data for illustration. Results add new insights in finding influential observations in the studied data set. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a multiscale method for simulating solids with moving dislocations. Away from atomistic subdomains where the atomistic dynamics are fully resolved, a dislocation is represented by a localized jump profile, superposed on a defect-free field. We assign a thin relay zone around an atomistic subdomain to detect the dislocation profile and its propagation speed at a selected relay time. The detection technique utilizes a lattice time history integral treatment. After the relay, an atomistic computation is performed only for the defect-free field. The method allows one to effectively absorb the fine scale fluctuations and the dynamic dislocations at the interface between the atomistic and continuum domains. In the surrounding region, a coarse grid computation is adequate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Statistics plays an important role in evaluating the evidential weight of forensic DNA. In this paper, general statistical principles for forensic DNA analysis are presented. We introduce the theory and methods for the statistical assessment in kinship determination and DNA mixture evaluation. In particular, analytical formulas for testing for biological relationship among three individuals and for assessing the DNA mixture evidence in the case of multiple subdivided ethnic groups are developed. Two user-friendly computer programs are demonstrated to exhibit their wide applicability in tackling with complex kinship/paternity and mixture problems. The EasyDNA program can solve a complicated paternity case in 1 min. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In this article we consider robust generalized estimating equations for the analysis of semiparametric generalized partial linear models (GPLMs) for longitudinal data or clustered data in general. We approximate the nonparametric function in the GPLM by a regression spline, and use bounded scores and leverage-based weights in the estimating equation to achieve robustness against outliers. We show that the regression spline approach avoids some of the intricacies associated with the profile-kernel method, and that robust estimation and inference can be carried out operationally as if a generalized linear model were used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Case–control studies compare marker-allele distributions in affected and unaffected individuals, and significant results may be due to linkage but can also simply reflect population structure. To test for linkage after obtaining a significant case–control finding, within-family analysis can be performed. In a transmission/disequilibrium test (TDT), genotypes of cases are compared to those of their parents to explore whether a specific allele, or marker, at a locus of interest is transmitted to a greater degree than Mendelian inheritance would warrant. For multiallelic markers, several authors have proposed extensions to the TDT. In this article, we propose a TDT test, utilizing the available information of a case–control study in the grouping of alleles for multiallelic markers, and thereby increase the statistical power of a TDT test with a small sample size.European Journal of Human Genetics (2005) 13, 1007–1012. doi:10.1038/sj.ejhg.5201453; published online 15 June 2005 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immunological tolerance is one of the fundamental concepts of the immune system. During the past decade, CD4+CD25+-regulatory T cells have emerged as key players in the development of tolerance to autoantigens as well as to foreign antigens. Still many questions remain illusive regarding the basic properties of CD4+CD25+-regulatory T cells. This review aims to recapitulate some of the current understandings about the phenotype, function and clinical relevance of murine and human CD4+CD25+-regulatory T cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is of considerable interest to test for heteroscedasticity in statistical studies. In this paper, we investigate such a problem under the framework of a semiparametric mixed model. A score test is proposed for the hypothesis that all the variance components are zero. We establish the asymptotic property of the test, and examine its performance in a simulation study. The test is illustrated with the analysis of a longitudinal study of measurements of serum creatinine. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells suppress proliferation and cytokine production by human T cells both to self-antigens and exogenous antigens. Absence of these cells in human newborns leads to multiple autoimmune and inflammatory disorders together with elevated IgE levels. However, their role in human allergic disease is still unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the capacity of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells to suppress proliferation and cytokine production outside and during birch-pollen season in birch-allergic patients relative to non-allergic controls. CD4+ cells were obtained from blood of 13 birch-allergic patients and six non-allergic controls outside pollen season and from 10 birch-allergic patients and 10 non-allergic controls during birch-pollen season. CD25+ and CD25− fractions were purified with magnetic beads and cell fractions, alone or together in various ratios, were cultured with antigen-presenting cells and birch-pollen extract or anti-CD3 antibody. Proliferation and levels of IFN-γ, IL-13, IL-5 and IL-10 were measured by thymidin incorporation and ELISA, respectively. Numbers of CD25+ cells were analysed by flow cytometry. CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells from both allergics and non-allergics potently suppressed T cell proliferation to birch allergen both outside and during birch-pollen season. However, during season CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells from allergic patients but not from non-allergic controls were defective in down-regulating birch pollen induced IL-13 and IL-5 production, while their capacity to suppress IFN-γ production was retained. In contrast, outside pollen season the regulatory cells of both allergics and non-allergic controls were able to inhibit T-helper 2 cytokine production. This is the first study to show differential suppression of Th1 and Th2 cytokines, with CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells from birch-pollen-allergic patients being unable to down-regulate Th2, but not Th1 responses during birch-pollen season. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study the statistical interpretation of forensic DNA mixtures with related contributors in subdivided populations. Compact general formulae for match probabilities are obtained for two situations: a relative of one tested person is an unknown contributor of a DNA mixture; and two related unknowns are contributors. The effect of kinship and population structure is illustrated using a real case example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

X-ray absorption data were collected and analyzed to characterize the manganese environments in borosilicate glass formulations to be used for immobilization of nuclear wastes. Mn can become a significant constituent in some radioactive wastes, because of the use of Mn-compounds in waste pretreatment processes. Sixteen borosilicate glasses were investigated, which were synthesized to simulate the Mn environments in the anticipated waste glasses, where MnO concentrations range from 0.4 to 13.6 wt%. The X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) for all glasses investigated indicate that most of the manganese within these samples is divalent. The extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) analysis results for the glasses show average Mn–O distances near 2.07 A˚, coordination numbers between 4.3 and 5.2, and large first-shell Debye–Waller factors. The EXAFS findings indicate that Mn2+ in borosilicate glass is most likely within a distribution of environments that include 4- and 5-coordinated sites. EXAFS data and fitting results also show that the average manganese environments in these glasses are statistically invariant with respect to composition as well as to synthesis conditions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Four computer programs are developed for easy calculations of likelihood ratios (LRs) for paternity testing and kinship determinations. The programs are constructed based on the concepts of Bayes Theorem, conditional probability and pedigree analysis. Computer enumeration is used for handling the calculations. The programs have wide applicability, and users can save and check the results easily. The programs employ the distinctive pull-down manual, making them very easy to use. In this paper, we explain the theory and describe various features of the software. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The effect of population subdivision on the determination of kinship of any two persons is investigated in this paper. Expressions of the joint genotype probabilities and likelihood ratios on kinship testing are reported. Two real cases are analysed using the Hong Kong Chinese population data and the Spanish data. Various kinds of relationships are investigated for illustration. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

X-ray absorption spectra were collected and analyzed to characterize the strontium environments in borosilicate glass formulations developed for the immobilization of nuclear wastes. Sr can become a major constituent in some radioactive wastes because of the use of Sr-compounds in waste pretreatment processes. Data are presented for 13 borosilicate glasses that are used to simulate the anticipated waste glass compositions, where SrO concentrations range from approximately 2 to 30 wt%. The XANES data are statistically identical for all glasses investigated, and indicate divalent strontium. The EXAFS data for both crystalline standards and glasses appear to provide information only about the inner four to six coordinating oxygens that surround Sr. The data and analyses for all glasses show that the inner coordination environments around Sr have average Sr–O distances near 2.53 A˚, which are statistically invariant with respect to glass composition and to various synthesis conditions. Sr–O distances determined for the glasses are within the shorter end of the range of individual Sr–O distances in the SrCO3 and haradaite (SrVSi2O7) crystalline standards. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A flux-splitting algorithm based on the Godunov numerical scheme developed for the solution of the one-dimensional non-Fourier heat conduction equation by Yeung and Lam [1] is extended for the investigation of thermal wave propagation in rectangular media. The derivation of the solution method and the stability criteria are presented in detail. Physical problems subjected to various boundary conditions (e.g., first, second, and third kinds) can be studied with the numerical scheme. A comparison of the exact solution with the one calculated by the proposed procedure is presented to confirm the validity of the numerical procedure. The numerical scheme is applicable for the study of short-pulse heating in advanced materials, microstructures, thin films, semiconductor devices, and superconductors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

States of severely impaired consciousness (SIC) are characterized by cognitive and motor limitations. This case report describes a 45-year-old female with impaired consciousness who began to 'walk'. She initially presented to the hospital unresponsive and was subsequently diagnosed with metabolic encephalopathy due to severe hypoglycaemia. Traditional indices of consciousness indicated a low level of responsiveness; however, during physical therapy, she displayed reciprocal walking movements when lifted to a standing position by two therapists. Despite her ability to walk increased distances during and after neurorehabilitation, she was unable to consistently demonstrate responses indicative of higher levels of consciousness. This case illustrates the challenge of rating patients with limited behavioural repertoire using established measures of impaired consciousness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some new diagnostic measures in discriminant analysis are proposed. They can be expressed in terms of two fundamental influence statistics in discriminant analysis: di² and ψi. A theorem on the asymptotic distributions of the fundamental statistics is derived. Based on the theorem, the proposed measures can be shown to be asymptotically distributed as functions of independent chi-squared and standard normal random variables. Critical values and expected quantiles of the measures can then be constructed. Hence influential observations are detected using Q-Q plots and significance tests. Two measures have analogous forms in regression. The theorem is also useful for getting the asymptotic distributions of existing measures that are functions of di² and ψi. A comparison of the diagnostics in linear discriminant analysis, linear regression, and linear logistic regression (discriminant) analysis is made. Although discriminant coefficients can be determined under a regression model, regression diagnostic measures are shown to be inappropriate for detecting influential observations in linear discriminant analysis. The temptation of applying regression diagnostic measures in linear discriminant analysis must be resisted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an electoral system where each voter is allowed to select up to two candidates in a double-seat constituency, the combination of votes forms a special kind of contingency table. The usual hypothesis of complete independence of the voter shares for the candidates is of interest, but it is shown to be almost unattainable. The correlation coefficient of the voter shares is constructed. It is shown to be equivalent to Pearson's phi coefficient. The limitations of the coefficient are discussed. It is found that the use of conditional probabilities gives a better understanding of the dependence of the voter shares under the system considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective: Maternal folate deficiency is associated with neural tube defects (NTDs), the most common congenital birth defect at Maternity Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal. NTDs can be prevented with periconceptional folic acid supplementation (FAS). This study was performed to assess the awareness of FAS among women of reproductive age in Kathmandu. Methods: A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to 400 randomly selected patients aged 15 to 45years visiting Kathmandu Model Hospital from May to July 2011, seeking any awareness of FAS, knowledge of its impact on fetal development and knowledge of the appropriate time of supplementation. Results: Forty percent (95% CI 35.1–45.0) of women had heard about FAS, 16.3% (95% CI 12.8–20.2) knew that folate affects fetal health and 5.0% (95% CI 3.1–7.6) knew that it should be taken pre-pregnancy. Level of education was strongly associated with awareness (multivariate Odds Ratio for lowest vs. highest level of education: 0.29, 95% CI 0.15–0.56). Conclusions: Knowledge of FAS is very low among women of childbearing age in Kathmandu. Inclusion of FAS information in health awareness programs is recommended. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The temperature-dependent material property effects, including the thermal conductivity, Seebeck coefficient, and electrical resistivity, on the thermoelectric element (TE) temperature profiles are assessed in this study. The nonlinear partial differential equation governing energy transport within a one-dimensional TE is solved using a finite difference method. The solution of the TE temperature field is obtained by solving the resulting finite difference equation in the form of a third-order polynomial. The effects of key variables on the cooling process are discussed using a practical example. Results indicate that internal constrictive resistance and Joule heat generation can be reduced with conical elements when compared to conventional free-standing elements. The cooling efficiency can be improved by incorporating a temporarily transient current pulse before it reaches a steady-state condition. This additional transient cooling and steady-state recovery time strongly depend on the magnitude of the current pulsed, duration, and pulse shape, as well as material properties. Strategies for cooling are investigated in this study; the knowledge gained from this study can be utilized by engineers in the thermoelectric industry for design optimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The surgical management of renal stones 10–30 mm is usually performed with percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) and retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS). Standard form of percutaneous nephrolithotomy has paved the way for miniaturized PCNL in many centres. We wanted to evaluate the efficacy, safety and the cost-effectiveness of ultramini-percutaneous nephrolithotomy (UMP) versus RIRS in the treatment of renal stones with stone burden 10–30 mm. Patients with renal stone burden 10–30 mm were prospectively randomized into either UMP or RIRS. The demographic data, stone characteristic, operative time and cost of the equipment were recorded. The stone free status, analgesic requirement, deterioration of the renal function and hemoglobin and the postoperative complications as per Clavein–Dindo grade were recorded. One hundred and fifty patients met inclusion criteria. Out of these 98 underwent UMP and 46 RIRS. Six withdrew the consent before the procedure. Mean stone size was comparable in either of the groups. Mean laser time and stone extraction time was significantly less for UMP compared to RIRS (41.17 min versus 73.58 min p < 0.0001). Mean consumable costs in the UMP group were considerably less at US$45.73 compared to the RIRS group at $423.11 (p < 0.0001). The stone free rates at 1 month of follow-up were 100% for UMP group and 73% for RIRS group. There were insignificant changes to mean hemoglobin and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in all patients and the average length of the stay was similar in both the groups. The postoperative complications revealed Grade I and II rate of 10% in the UMP group and 35% in the RIRS group, respectively. We concluded that UMP to be safe, effective and more economical to the RIRS for renal stones up to 3 cm in size. Trial registered with ISRCTN registry ID ISRCTN20935105, Retrospective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DNA profiling is currently the most widely used method for parentage verification, although many forms of it have limitations of some sort. In this paper, a general formula is derived to depict a simple relationship between the probability that a random man and the probably that a male relative of the child, other than the child's father, is excluded from paternity, when the phenotype of the child's mother is unavailable. With this, the possible limitations of a finite set of STR loci in excluding close relatives of the child from paternity are illustrated. Genetically, among the commonly encountered biologic relationships, to exclude a full sibling of the child from paternity if they pose themselves as father and child remains the most difficult. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

EasyDNA is a family of four computer programs developed for handling paternity and kinship determinations, and statistical calculations for (a) alleged fathers, (b) alleged fathers but without DNA typing, (c) incest cases, and (d) missing persons. These programs have been named EasyPA, EasyPAnt, EasyIN, and EasyMISS, respectively. The programs have wide applicability, and users can save results for checking and/or reporting purposes. The programs employ the distinctive pull-down manual, making them very user-friendly. In this paper, we are going to demonstrate the programs using a missing person example. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The power of excluding a random man from paternity in a structured population for genetic tests for each of the with-mother and no-mother cases is considered. The situation in which a paternal relative of the child is to be excluded from paternity in such a population is also addressed. A simple relationship is found to hold between the power of excluding a random man from paternity and that of excluding a paternal relative of the child. Population allele frequency data for 12 STR loci in the Hong Kong Chinese are used to show numerically the effect of population structure on the exclusion probabilities. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Although anti-disialoganglioside (GD2) antibodies are successfully used for neuroblastoma therapy, a third of patients with neuroblastoma experience treatment failure or serious toxicity. Various strategies have been employed in the clinic to improve antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC), such as the addition of interleukin (IL)-2 to enhance natural killer (NK) cell function, adoptive transfer of allogeneic NK cells to exploit immune surveillance, and retinoid-induced differentiation therapy. Nevertheless, these mechanisms are not fully understood. We developed a quantitative assay to test ADCC induced by the anti-GD2 antibody Hu14.18K322A in nine neuroblastoma cell lines and dissociated cells from orthotopic patient-derived xenografts (O-PDXs) in culture. IL-2 improved ADCC against neuroblastoma cells, and differentiation with all-trans retinoic acid stabilized GD2 expression on tumor cells and enhanced ADCC as well. Degranulation was highest in licensed NK cells that expressed CD158b (P < 0.001) and harbored a killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) mismatch against the tumor-specific human leukocyte antigen (HLA; P = 0.016). In conclusion, IL-2 is an important component of immunotherapy because it can improve the cytolytic function of NK cells against neuroblastoma cells and could lower the antibody dose required for efficacy, thereby reducing toxicity. The effect of IL-2 may vary among individuals and a biomarker would be useful to predict ADCC following IL-2 activation. Sub-populations of NK cells may have different levels of activity dependent on their licensing status, KIR expression, and HLA-KIR interaction. Better understanding of HLA-KIR interactions and the molecular changes following retinoid-induced differentiation is necessary to delineate their role in ADCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There have been studies on how the asymptotic efficiency of a nonparametric function estimator depends on the handling of the within-cluster correlation when nonparametric regression models are used on longitudinal or cluster data. In particular, methods based on smoothing splines and local polynomial kernels exhibit different behaviour. We show that the generalized estimation equations based on weighted least squares regression splines for the nonparametric function have an interesting property: the asymptotic bias of the estimator does not depend on the working correlation matrix, but the asymptotic variance, and therefore the mean squared error, is minimized when the true correlation structure is specified. This property of the asymptotic bias distinguishes regression splines from smoothing splines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a medical image of bird-mite infestation in a woman and her husband. The couple found papular lesions over their finger webs, groins, buttocks, and axillae. Mites were found on their skin. These mites were found to be Ornithonyssus bursa, or bloodsucking bird mites. The couple applied crotamiton to their lesions. The pruritus improved. It is suggested that potential avian sources of mites should be considered when scabies-like illness occurs in humans in spring or summer.

Simple Summary: Relapsed or refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma remains a difficult treatment challenge. Despite responses with the checkpoint inhibitors nivolumab and pembrolizumab, patients eventually progress. Combining other treatments with checkpoint inhibitors may provide more frequent and durable responses in this setting. We conducted a phase II study in relapsed or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma combining nivolumab with the Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitor ibrutinib. Although we did not find an increase in the response rate of this combination compared to that previously reported, responses tended to be durable even in patients who progressed on nivolumab therapy prior to enrollment. Larger studies combining Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitors with checkpoint blockade are warranted, especially in patients who had progressed previously on checkpoint inhibitor therapy. Background: Relapsed or refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) remains a difficult treatment challenge. Although checkpoint inhibitors (CPI) have provided clinical benefit for these patients, responses are generally not durable, and progression eventually occurs. Discovering combination therapies which maximize the immune response of CPI therapy may overcome this limitation. We hypothesized that adding ibrutinib to nivolumab will lead to deeper and more durable responses in cHL by promoting a more favorable immune microenvironment leading to enhanced T-cell-mediated anti-lymphoma responses. Methods: We conducted a single arm, phase II clinical trial testing the efficacy of nivolumab in combination with ibrutinib in patients ≥18 years of age with histologically confirmed cHL who had received at least one prior line of therapy. Prior treatment with CPIs was allowed. Ibrutinib was administered at 560 mg daily until progression in combination with nivolumab 3 mg/kg IV every 3 weeks for up to 16 cycles. The primary objective was complete response rate (CRR) assessed per Lugano criteria. Secondary objectives included overall response rate (ORR), safety, progression free survival (PFS), and duration of response (DoR). Results: A total of 17 patients from two academic centers were enrolled. The median age of all patients was 40 (range 20–84). The median number of prior lines of treatment was five (range 1–8), including 10 patients (58.8%) who had progressed on prior nivolumab therapy. Most treatment related events were mild (

Strain sensing technology using fibre Bragg grating (FBG) sensors is an attractive capability for aerospace structural health monitoring (SHM) and assessment because they offer resistance to harsh environments, low maintenance, and potential for high density and high strain sensing. The development of FBG inscription techniques through the fibre polymer coating using infrared (IR) lasers has overcome the mechanical weaknesses introduced by removal of the fibre coating, which is typically required for conventional UV laser inscription of FBGs. Type I and Type II femtosecond gratings are fabricated using through-coating inscription techniques, but the higher laser energy used for Type II gratings damages the glass fibre core, impacting mechanical performance. This paper investigates the fatigue performance of Type I and Type II through-coating FBG sensors with different fibre geometries and photosensitisation approaches to evaluate their overall reliability and durability, with a view to assess their performance for potential use in civil and defence SHM applications. The fatigue performance of FBG sensors was assessed under high-strain and high-frequency mechanical loading conditions by using a custom-designed electro-dynamically actuated loading assembly. In addition, pre- and post-fatigue microscopic analyses and high-resolution reflection spectrum characterisation were conducted to investigate the failure regions of the fibres and the effect of fatigue loading on reflection spectrum features. As expected, Type I gratings had a significantly higher fatigue life compared to Type II gratings. However, Type II gratings performed significantly better than conventional UV laser-inscribed FBGs and electrical foil strain gauges. Type II gratings withstand higher temperatures, and are therefore more suitable for application in harsh environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In thyroidectomy, little has been reported on the differential recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) palsy rates between the left and right sides. Even less is known about the potential differences causing these differential rates. This study reports the left versus right RLN palsy rates of total thyroidectomy cases in a single institution, relating them to the comparative stiffness of the left and right porcine RLNs. Computed stress modelling was also used to estimate the differential levels of tension within each RLN. Methods: For the comparison of the left and right RLN palsy rates, 1926 cases of total thyroidectomy (between 2007 and 2013) from the Monash University Endocrine Surgery Unit were included. Stiffness of porcine RLNs was experimentally determined by measuring nerve extension against incremental increase in load. Additionally, the tension of intraoperatively stretched RLNs was estimated by computer modelling. Results: The left RLN had a palsy rate of 0.9% (18/1926), which was significantly lower (P = 0.025) than the right RLN palsy rate of 1.8% (34/1926). The left porcine RLN was 22% stiffer than the right RLN (P = 0.004). The stress modelling estimated that at the apex of the artificial RLN genu during anteromedial rotation of the thyroid lobe, the right RLN experiences twice the tension experienced by the left RLN. Conclusion: The stiffer left RLN and the higher tension generated in the right RLN during thyroidectomy may jointly contribute to the higher right RLN palsy rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]