Search

Background: The medial collateral ligament (MCL) is frequently involved in injuries around the knee but is uncommonly treated surgically. There are various techniques to reconstruct the medial side of the knee, which have varying outcomes. Purpose/hypothesis: The purpose of the present systematic review and meta-analysis is to describe the clinical results of surgical management of acute and chronic isolated grade III MCL injury using various functional scores, such as IKDC, Lysholm, and VAS, and to ascertain complication rates associated with these interventions. Methods: A systematic review was performed according to the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines, and two independent authors (L.F and A.M) conducted a comprehensive search across multiple databases (PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus). They reviewed each article’s title and abstract for studies available until April 2024. The search terms used were “((MCL) OR (Medial collateral ligament)) AND (injuries) AND (treatment)”. The full texts of the studies were evaluated when eligibility could not be assessed from the title and abstract. Results: The pooled proportion (percentage) of complications from the three studies reporting data on surgery for the MCL acute stage was 15.3% with 95% CI [6.1% to 24.6%]. No complications were reported in studies reporting surgery in the chronic stage. Marked resolution of pain was observed with the mean VAS Score for pain at the final follow-up after surgery for MCL injury in the acute stage was 0.4 with 95% CI [-0.04 to 0.84]. The mean IKDC score at the final follow-up in the three studies reporting data on surgery for the MCL in the acute stage was 79.39 with 95% CI [67.96 to 90.82], and in the chronic stage, was 85 with 95% CI [83.02 to 86.98]. The mean Lysholm Score at the final follow-up after surgery for MCL injury in the chronic stage was 83.04 with 95% CI [75.24 to 94.84], and in the acute stage was 95 with 95% CI [91.76 to 98.24]. Conclusion: This systematic review found that functional outcomes regarding IKDC and LYSHOLM scores were comparable for surgeries performed in acute and chronic MCL tears. There was a marginally increased risk of complication in surgeries performed for acute MCL tears. Compared to the acute phase, a marked resolution of pain was observed at the final follow-up after surgery for MCL injury. Study Design: Systematic review; level of evidence, 4..

Experimentation plays an important role in ceramic science and engineering, which involves the design of new products, development of new manufacturing processes, and also the optimization of processing. In this work, a cautionary note on the inadvertent use of split-plot designs was presented to understand the processing of mullite-based ceramics from kaolin waste. Samples were obtained by solid-state reactive sintering of kaolin waste following a 22× 2 full factorial split-plot design. The influence of firing temperature, time and applied pressing pressure on the physical properties was evaluated. The structural and microstructural analyses of fired samples were evaluated by X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). Kaolin waste processed ceramics at 1400 ºC consist of elongated mullite crystals uniformly embedded into a glassy phase and minor amounts of quartz. Statistical models were constructed for open porosity and density at 1% level of significance. The estimated P-values indicate that the coefficients associated with the applied pressing pressure and its interaction with firing temperature and time (γand δ1) were statistically significant for open porosity and density. The higher applied pressing pressure leads to lower open porosity. The densification process was influenced by different sintering mechanisms depending on temperature (solid phase sintering vs. liquid phase sintering). The lack of harmony between the planning and the execution of the experiment does not allow the testing of the main effects of firing temperature, time and the interaction between them (β1, β2and β3). Understanding the proper way to plan, execute and analyze experiments are of urgent interest in the field of ceramic processing, and that is the key message of this paper.

For over 25 years, the ACM International Conference on Supporting Group Work (GROUP) has been and will continue to be the premier venue for research on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work, Human--Computer Interaction, Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, and Socio-Technical Studies. The three papers in this special issue demonstrate GROUP's continued commitment to diverse research approaches, emerging technologies, and collaborative work. We hope you enjoy these papers and, like us, look forward to another 25 years of GROUP.

Identificar as complicações clínicas e cirúrgicas associadas ao uso de torniquete na artroplastia total de joelho em pacientes com ou sem calcificação da artéria poplítea.

Background: Insulin resistance is a pathological condition characterized by the failure of target cells to uptake and metabolize glucose in response to insulin. In particular, the elevated concentrations of glucose, insulin and free insulin growth factor-1, which result from insulin resistance, may generate a pro-inflammatory and protumorigenic state. These alterations may underlie the increased risk to develop various types of cancer as well as the worse cancer prognosis observed in obese and diabetic patients. MicroRNAs are short molecules of noncoding endogenous RNA, which are involved in several physio-pathological conditions like glucose homeostasis, lipid metabolism, insulin signaling and resistance. MicroRNAs play also a crucial role in tumorigenesis, acting as oncomirs or tumor suppressors depending on the cell context. Methods: Here, we recapitulate the role of certain microRNAs that are associated with both insulin resistance and cancer, and discuss their potential to be considered as therapeutic targets. Results: Several studies have highlighted the action of diverse microRNAs in the aforementioned disorders. For instance, three microRNA clusters namely miR-103/107, miR-221/222 and miR-29 have been found to be upregulated in insulin resistance and certain types of cancer. These microRNAs have been shown to target genes like PTEN, Dicer and caveolins that are largely involved in important processes relevant to both insulin resistance and cancer. Conclusion: Certain microRNAs may represent potential drug targets common to both insulin resistance and cancer. In particular, the inhibition of miR-103/107, miR-221/222 and miR-29 may be taken into account in novel pharmacological approaches aiming to treat these two disorders.

Conditions and pathways for transforming ocean conflicts require an understanding of the wide range of perspectives and values from all relevant stakeholders. In such cases, participatory assessment of conflicts can lead to knowledge co-production and collective learning. In this approach, the different views and the relevance assigned to conflicts are described by the involved stakeholders. In this paper, we aim to present a participatory assessment of conflicts involving small-scale fishing communities of São Paulo coastline, southeastern Brazil from the perspective of the multiple actors involved with the marine-coastal ecosystems of the region. The conflicts were assessed through an online survey and virtual participatory workshops. The survey was used to assess the conflicts related to the fishing activities in the territory. Participatory workshops were carried out to validate and complement the conflict assessment by the online survey and to establish a ranking of the most important conflicts by different stakeholders. A total of 132 conflicts were systematized into 12 categories, and the most relevant were as follows: legislation and surveillance, large-scale enterprises in coastal areas, pollution, fishing regulation, and fisheries management and planning. We argue that a collaborative identification of conflicts has the potential to refine and validate different interpretations and to foster social learning among the stakeholders that is essential to promote sustainability in the territory. This participatory process seeks to increase the social legitimacy for future marine spatial planning processes and to contribute with a novel process of coproducing transformative knowledge action.

The SafeNeighborhood approach combines data from multiple sources with collective intelligence. It merges mobile, ambient, and AI technologies with old-fashioned neighborhood ties to create safe outdoor spaces for the elderly. We're exploring AAL techniques in outdoor environments to increase the elderly's independence without them having to interact with technology. Current research in outdoor monitoring relies solely on sensor data.4 Our approach, which we call SafeNeigborhood (SN), crowdsources people in the neighborhood to revise the computer's inferences from contextual and sensor data. So, SN brings the community together to provide a safer environment for the elderly.

A gain-scheduled proportional-integral-derivative controller is proposed for the closed-loop dosing of propofol in anesthesia (with the bispectral index as a controlled variable). In particular, it is shown that a different tuning of the parameters should be used during the infusion and maintenance phases. Further, the role of the noise filter is investigated.

Meetings take up a large amount of time, especially at the upper managerial levels. To help meetings progress smoothly and reach desired goals, meeting facilitators are frequently called in. Facilitators have at their disposal a number of techniques, including thinkLets. Through the use of thinkLets, facilitators can plan the meeting beforehand, deciding which activities to perform at each point. However, even with the use of thinkLets, designing a meeting is not an easy task, in particular for novice facilitators. A number of considerations must be made when selecting activities and designing the meeting dynamics. In this paper, the authors discuss this problem and present a framework and a system to assist the design of meetings, electronic or otherwise, using thinkLets and compatibility rules. The framework implements rules to help facilitators select and link thinkLets together in and orderly fashion, designing the meeting in the process.

The action exerted by estrogens in normal and neoplastic tissues is mainly mediated by the classical estrogen receptors (ER) and ER. However, recent studies have also indicated that GPR30/GPER mediates rapid effects induced by estrogens through ERK activation and gene transcription. Moreover, GPER overexpression was associated with an aggressive phenotype of estrogen-sensitive tumors, suggesting that the regulation of GPER may be involved in cancer progression. In this context, an EGFR-dependent up-regulation of GPER expression was shown in both ER-negative and positive cancer cells, providing additional evidence that estrogen and growth factor signaling cooperate in the amplification of mitogenic stimuli in different cell lines. In addition, the physical interaction between either GPER and EGFR or GPER and ER generated a multi-protein complex, further supporting the functional cross-talk elicited by these receptors in the progression of estrogen-sensitive tumors. Numerous studies have evidenced that the EGFR-mediated transduction pathway contributes to the tamoxifen resistance in patients with breast cancer. As the 4-hydroxytamoxifen binds to and activates GPER, the EGFR-dependent GPER induction observed in tamoxifen-resistant breast cancer cells might be included among the mechanisms involved in the tamoxifen failure in breast malignancy. Surprisingly, an important hallmark of cancer growth, resistance to chemotherapy and decreased survival of patients, such as hypoxia, was demonstrated to regulate GPER expression in breast tumor cells and even in cardiomyocytes. Hence, GPER regulation may be included in the mechanisms leading to the adaptation to hypoxia in cancer and in the cardiovascular system.

Having the right information at the right time is crucial to make decisions during emergency response. To fulfill this requirement, emergency management systems must provide emergency managers with knowledge management and visualization tools. The goal is twofold: on one hand, to organize knowledge coming from different sources, mainly the emergency response plans (the formal knowledge) and the information extracted from the emergency development (the contextual knowledge), and on the other hand, to enable effective access to information. Formal and contextual knowledge sets are mostly disjoint; however, there are cases in which a formal knowledge piece may be updated with some contextual information, constituting composite knowledge. In this paper, the authors extend a knowledge framework with the notion of composite knowledge, and use spatial hypertext to visualize this type of knowledge. The authors illustrate the proposal with a case study on accessing to information during an emergency response in an underground transportation system.

Recent research has noted that individuals engage in multiple collaborations simultaneously and have difficulties managing these different contexts. Studies indicate that awareness of others’ activities plays an important part in collaboration. Proximity also has a strong effect on collaboration, as maintaining awareness of peers becomes harder in distributed environments. Many awareness systems have been proposed to deliver information on peers’ activities or status, which usually either require extensive configuration by the user or disseminate information regardless of users’ interests. With the increase in information available, systems must be sensitive to users’ attention foci, minimizing interruptions, and helping focus and providing information according to current tasks. We have been investigating ways to determine awareness foci through e-mail-based user interaction analysis. Our goal is to be able to draw inferences as to whom and about what a user is collaborating, enabling a system to automatically distribute awareness information and adapt itself according to users’ needs without much configuration.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate quality of life in patients submitted to radical prostatectomy, by correlating the results of the post-operative condition with follow-up data at 6 and 12 months.Materials and Methods. Between october 2004 and december 2005, 68 patients - mean age 68 (range 49–76) - treated with radical retropubic prostatectomy for localized prostate cancer (T2a, T2b, No, Mo) were consecutively enrolled onto the study. All patients underwent sexual as well as urinary incontinence rehabilitation, showing good compliance. We evaluated quality of life before prostatectomy (T0), 6 (T1) and 12 (T2) months after surgery through the Short Form 36 questionnaire, for which an analysis of variance for repeated measures was carried out. Patients were interviewed by our department psychologist regarding urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction. All patients were disease-free at the time of evaluation.Results. No significant differences were observed between physical and mental health indices. Conversely, a significant improvement (p<0.001) was seen in all SF-36-questionnaire 8 scales, comparing preoperative T0 values with T1 and T2 values. Of the 68 patients, 53 (78%) no longer needed pads at the T2 follow-up, while 15 (22%) reported using 3–4 pads/day A significant worsening of the sexual function (maintenance of erection) was observed in 51 (75%) patients, who had reported having normal sexual activity preoperatively (T0). On the other hand, 17 (25%) patients reported having an adequate erection to engage in sexual intercourse.Conclusions. Despite the differences observed in physical and mental health scores during the three periods evaluated (T0, T1 and T2), overall quality of life does not appear to have been greatly compromised by surgery. At T2 follow-up, in fact, all 68 patients reported to be satisfied with having undergone radical prostatectomy because of its benefits in terms of survival and its limited effects on their quality of life. (Urologia 2007; 74: 22–9)

The higher incidence of thyroid carcinoma (TC) in women during reproductive years compared with men and the increased risk associated with the therapeutic use of estrogens have suggested a pathogenetic role exerted by these steroids in the development of TC. In the present study, we evaluated the potential of 17beta-estradiol (E2), genistein (G), and 4-hydroxyta-moxifen (OHT) to regulate the expression of diverse estrogen target genes and the proliferation of human WRO, FRO, and ARO thyroid carcinoma cells, which were used as a model system. We have ascertained that ARO cells are devoid of estrogen receptors (ERs), whereas both WRO and FRO cells express a single variant of ERalpha that was neither transactivated, modulated, nor translocated into the nucleus upon treatment with ligands. However, E2, G, and OHT were able either to induce the transcriptional activity of c-fos promoter constructs, including those lacking the estrogen-responsive elements, or to increase c-fos, cyclin A, and D1 expression. It is noteworthy that we have demonstrated that the G protein-coupled receptor 30 (GPR30) and the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway mediate both the up-regulation of c-fos and the growth response to E2, G, and OHT in TC cells studied, because these stimulatory effects were prevented by silencing GPR30 and using the MEK inhibitor 2'-amino-3'-methoxyflavone (PD 98059). Our findings provide new insight into the molecular mechanisms through which estrogens may induce the progression of TC.

Previous epidemiological reports have suggested that red wine intake is associated with beneficial health effects due to the ability of certain phytochemical components to exert estrogen-like activity. It has been also documented that estrogens induce the proliferation of hormone-dependent breast cancer cells by binding to and transactivating estrogen receptor (ER) α, which in turn interacts with responsive DNA sequences located within the promoter region of target genes. In order to provide further insight into the positive association between wine consumption and the incidence of breast carcinoma in postmenopausal women, we have evaluated the estrogenic properties of two abundant wine-derived compounds, named piceatannol (PIC) and myricetin (MYR), using as model systems the hormone-sensitive MCF7 and the endocrine-independent SKBR3 breast cancer cells. On the basis of our experimental evidence PIC and MYR may contribute to the estrogenicity of red wine since: (1) they transactivate endogenous ERα; (2) they activate the agonist-dependent activation function (AF) 2 of ERα and ERβ in the context of the Gal4 chimeric proteins; (3) they rapidly induce the nuclear immunodetection of ERα; (4) they regulate the expression of diverse estrogen target genes; (5) they compete with 17β-estradiol for binding to ERα and ERβ; and – as a biological counterpart of the aforementioned abilities – (6) they exert stimulatory effects on the proliferation of MCF7 cells. Hence, the estrogenic activity of PIC and MYR might be considered at least as a potential factor in the association of red wine intake and breast tumors, particularly in postmenopausal women.

High affinity estrogen receptors (ERs) mediate estrogen action in male reproductive tissues. The objective of the present study was the immunolocalization of estrogen receptor a and estrogen receptor ß in immature and mature testes of pig, a species in which the role of estrogens on gonadal function is scarcely known. Testes from 3 and 18 month-old pigs were investigated. Immunohistochemistry was performed on paraffin embedded-tissues using both mouse anti-human monoclonal IgG ERa and IgG ERß 1 isoform. Western blot analysis demonstrated antibody specificity. ERa staining was not observed in immature testes, but it was detected in spermatogonia, spermatocytes and in the most Leydig cells of mature testes. ERß immunoreactivity was observed in spermatogonia and Leydig cells of immature gonads, while it was clearly detected in spermatogonia and in spermatocytes of adult pig testes. The differential ERa/ERß expression in germ and somatic cells of the gonads suggest a role of estrogens in function and in development of pig testis. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

The role of oestrogens in the development of prostate cancer is poorly understood. However, a large body of evidence has suggested that oestrogenic hormones may be involved in prostatic malignancy. The localization of oestrogen receptor β (ERβ) in the secretory epithelium of the human prostate has raised the intriguing possibility that the action of oestrogen could be mediated, at least in part, by this receptor during the process of carcinogenesis. Hence, specific interference with oestrogen-activated and ERβ-mediated transcriptional activity could open new issues in the endocrine manipulation of prostate tumours. In the present study, we provide new insights into the role of ERβ in the context of an androgen-responsive prostate cancer cell line such as LNCaP, which was used as a model system together with steroid receptor negative HeLa cells. ERβ and the mutated androgen receptor (AR) T877A did not discriminate between oestrogen- or androgen-induced transactivation, whereas ERβ and AR transcriptional activity were inhibited only by the respective hormone antagonists ICI 182,780 and casodex. Furthermore, the nuclear localization of ERβ evaluated by immunocytochemistry confirmed the promiscuous response to hormones in addition to the specific inhibitory action of antagonists. Interestingly, ICI 182,780 and an ERβ antisense expression vector repressed the growth effects of both 17β-oestradiol and 5α-dihydrotestosterone, suggesting that ERβ has a key role in the proliferation induced by these steroids in LNCaP prostate cancer cells. Thus our findings implicate ERβ as a potential target for the treatment of prostate tumours.

The role of oestrogens in the development of prostate cancer is poorly understood. However, a large body of evidence has suggested that oestrogenic hormones may be involved in prostatic malignancy. The localization of oestrogen receptor beta (ERbeta) in the secretory epithelium of the human prostate has raised the intriguing possibility that the action of oestrogen could be mediated, at least in part, by this receptor during the process of carcinogenesis. Hence, specific interference with oestrogen-activated and ERbeta-mediated transcriptional activity could open new issues in the endocrine manipulation of prostate tumours. In the present study, we provide new insights into the role of ERbeta in the context of an androgen-responsive prostate cancer cell line such as LNCaP, which was used as a model system together with steroid receptor negative HeLa cells. ERbeta and the mutated androgen receptor (AR) T877A did not discriminate between oestrogen- or androgen-induced transactivation, whereas ERbeta and AR transcriptional activity were inhibited only by the respective hormone antagonists ICI 182,780 and casodex. Furthermore, the nuclear localization of ERbeta evaluated by immunocytochemistry confirmed the promiscuous response to hormones in addition to the specific inhibitory action of antagonists. Interestingly, ICI 182,780 and an ERbeta antisense expression vector repressed the growth effects of both 17beta-oestradiol and 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone, suggesting that ERbeta has a key role in the proliferation induced by these steroids in LNCaP prostate cancer cells. Thus our findings implicate ERbeta as a potential target for the treatment of prostate tumours.

Environmental contamination with a variety of industrial products has been associated with developmental and reproductive abnormalities in wildlife species. Increasing evidence has suggested that bisphenol A (BPA) and 4-nonylphenol (NPH), two major endocrine-disrupting chemicals, might be responsible for adverse effects on humans as a consequence of ubiquitous use together with potential oestrogen-like activity. To provide insight into the oestrogen-like nature of BPA and NPH, their ability to activate a reporter gene construct via an oestrogen response element in the hormone-dependent breast cancer cell lines MCF7 and T47D was ascertained. Both compounds transactivated the endogenous oestrogen receptor (ER) α in a direct fashion since the anti-oestrogen 4-hydroxytamoxifen abolished the response. In addition, using steroid-receptor-negative HeLa cells engineered to express ERα and ERβ and the hormone-binding domains of both ERα and ERβ, BPA and NPH confirmed the direct transcriptional activity. Interestingly these properties were supported in MCF7 cells by the ability to autoregulate ERα expression as well as to induce its nuclear compartmentalization. We therefore evaluated by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction the expression of oestrogen-controlled genes such as cathepsin D and TFF1 (formerly pS2), which were increased by both chemicals tested. The agonistic effects exhibited in all assays performed prompted the evaluation of a more complex biological response such as the proliferation of MCF7 and T47D cells. The same concentration of xenoestrogens eliciting substantial transcriptional activity significantly stimulated the proliferation of both breast cancer cell lines, although with a reduced effectiveness with respect to the natural hormone 17β-oestradiol. The results indicate that the biological action of environmental oestrogen such as BPA and NPH should be taken into account for the potential impact on human disease-like hormone-dependent breast cancer. However, further studies are needed to clarify their bioavailability and metabolism as well as whether compound mixtures could produce noticeable effects by synergistic activity.

Abstract: Xenoestrogens are chemically distinct industrial products potentially able to disrupt the endocrine system by mimicking the action of endogenous steroid hormones. Among such compounds, the ubiquitous environmental contaminants bisphenol A (BPA) and 4-nonylphenol (NPH) may promote adverse effects in humans triggering estrogenic signals in target tissues. Following a research program on human exposure to endocrine disruptors, we found contamination of fresh food by BPA and NPH. More important, these contaminants were found to display estrogen-like activity using as a model system the estrogen-dependent MCF7 breast cancer cells (MCF7wt); its variant named MCF7SH, which is hormone-independent but still ERα-positive, and the steroid receptor-negative human cervical carcinoma HeLa cells. In transfection experiments BPA and NPH activated in a direct manner the endogenous ERα in MCF7 wt and MCF7SH cells, as the antiestrogen hydroxytamoxifen was able to reverse both responses. Moreover, only the hormone-binding domains of ERα and ERβ expressed by chimeric proteins in HeLa cells were sufficient to elicit the transcriptional activity upon BPA and NPH treatments. Transfecting the same cell line with ERα mutants, both contaminants triggered an estrogen-like response. These transactivation properties were interestingly supported in MCF7wt cells by the autoregulation of ERα which was assessed by RT-PCR for the mRNA evaluation and by immunoblotting and immunocytochemistry for the determination of protein levels. The ability of BPA and NPH to modulate gene expression was further confirmed by the upregulation of an estrogen target gene like pS2. As a biological counterpart, concentrations of xenoestrogens eliciting transcriptional activity were able to stimulate the proliferation of MCF7wt and MCFSH cells. Only NPH at a dose likely too high to be of any physiological relevance induced a severe cytotoxicity in an ERα-independent manner as ascertained in HeLa cells. The estrogenic effects of such industrial agents together with an increasing widespread human exposure should be taken into account for the potential influence also on hormone-dependent breast cancer disease.

We evaluated the incidence of peritumoral satellite lesions in nephron sparing surgery and examined whether these findings have a negative effect on cancer specific survival and on the percent of local recurrence.

High consumption of soybean products, such as phytoestrogens, has been hypothesized to contribute to a reduced incidence of prostate cancer in Southeast Asian people, although there have been inconsistent results among studies. Human LNCaP cells, extensively used as a model for androgen-dependent prostate tumor, express the androgen receptor (AR) mutant T877A promiscuously transactivated by estrogens and other ligands, which may further facilitate cancer progression. Here, for the first time to our knowledge, we demonstrate that genistein and quercetin, two phytoestrogens abundantly present in soybeans, activate either the AR mutant T877A in LNCaP or in transfected Chinese hamster ovary cells. This observation is supported by their capability to induce AR accumulation in the nuclear compartment of LNCaP together with mRNA down-regulation of the androgen target genes AR and PAP, and PSA up-regulation. Of interest, at concentrations eliciting transcriptional activity, both genistein and quercetin stimulate LNCaP cell growth, whereas at high levels, they become cytotoxic independently of AR expression, as ascertained in steroid receptor-negative Hela cells. The results of our study provide evidence that phytoestrogens may regulate several signaling processes in LNCaP cells; however, further studies are needed to assess their potential capability to restrain prostate tumor progression.

High consumption of soybean products, such as phytoestrogens, has been hypothesized to contribute to a reduced incidence of prostate cancer in Southeast Asian people, although there have been inconsistent results among studies. Human LNCaP cells, extensively used as a model for androgen-dependent prostate tumor, express the androgen receptor (AR) mutant T877A promiscuously transactivated by estrogens and other ligands, which may further facilitate cancer progression. Here, for the first time to our knowledge, we demonstrate that genistein and quercetin, two phytoestrogens abundantly present in soybeans, activate either the AR mutant T877A in LNCaP or in transfected Chinese hamster ovary cells. This observation is supported by their capability to induce AR accumulation in the nuclear compartment of LNCaP together with mRNA down-regulation of the androgen target genes AR and PAP, and PSA up-regulation. Of interest, at concentrations eliciting transcriptional activity, both genistein and quercetin stimulate LNCaP cell growth, whereas at high levels, they become cytotoxic independently of AR expression, as ascertained in steroid receptor-negative Hela cells. The results of our study provide evidence that phytoestrogens may regulate several signaling processes in LNCaP cells; however, further studies are needed to assess their potential capability to restrain prostate tumor progression.

WITH the advent of total cardiopulmonary bypass and open heart surgery, cardiac lesions heretofore impossible to correct have been successfully treated. In this category are included intracardiac thrombi which by their size or position cause obstruction to the flow of blood through the cardiac chambers. We have recently observed five patients with intracardiac obstructing thrombi. An analysis of these patients and a review of those reported in the literature indicate that there are sufficient clues in many cases to warrant making the diagnosis clinically. REPORT OF CASES CASE 1 (LEFT VENTRICULAR MASS THROMBUS).. —A 65-year-old man was admitted to the Veterans Administration Hospital, Philadelphia, with signs and symptoms of congestive heart failure refractory to digitalis and diuretics. There was no history of chest pain, syncope, vertigo, or edema.Physical examination revealed cardiac enlargement to the anterior axillary line in the sixth intercostal space, a left ventricular thrust, a grade 3/6

Adenosine triphosphate and related compounds inhibit hemolysis in the acid and acid-thrombin tests of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria. The mechanism of action is related to the capability of such agents to chelate a heavy metal (Mg) which is essential for these in vitrohemolytic tests.The chelating property of these nucleotides rather than their high free energy, as usually presumed, may also explain their inhibitory action in other in vitrohemolytic systems.We thank Dr. Daniel Turner for his technical advice, and Mrs. Alma Staffin and Miss Shirley Wilcher for their technical assistance.

Myxomas are the most common benign cardiac neoplasms in adults. The vast majority of cardiac myxomas arise from the left atrium near the fossa ovalis of the intra-atrial septum. There have been reports of myxomas arising from the ventricles accounting for about 5% of cases. In our literature review, we have found 55 reported cases of myxomas originating from the mitral valve reported in the adult population dating back to 1871. The majority of these cases presented with embolic complications or syncope. We present an incidental mitral valve myxoma which we excised in efforts to prevent debilitating complications.

Bioprosthetic aortic valve degeneration may present as acute, severe aortic regurgitation and cardiogenic shock. Such patients may be unsuitable for emergency valve replacement surgery due to excessive risk of operative mortality but could be treatable with transfemoral valve-in-valve transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). There is a paucity of data regarding the feasibility of valve-in-valve TAVI in patients presenting with cardiogenic shock due to acute aortic insufficiency from stentless bioprosthetic valve degeneration. We present one such case, highlighting the unique aspects of valve-in-valve TAVI for this challenging patient subset.

In this paper we propose an inversion-based methodology for the computation of a feedforward action for the propofol intravenous administration during the induction of hypnosis in general anesthesia. In particular, the typical initial bolus is substituted with a command signal that is obtained by predefining a desired output and by applying an input–output inversion procedure. The robustness of the method has been tested by considering a set of patients with different model parameters, which is representative of a large population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]