Evaluation of location and dimensions of lingual foramina using limited cone-beam computed tomography

To assess retrospectively the frequency and location of mandibular lingual foramina and their bony canals with limited cone-beam computed tomography.

Estimating the Size of the Homeless Population in Budapest

Since 1990, the issue of homelessness has become increasingly important in Hungary as a result of economic and structural changes. Various suggestions as to how the problem may be solved have always been preceded by the question "How many homeless people are there?" and there is still no official consensus as to the answer. Counting of the homeless is particularly difficult because of the bias in the initial sampling frame due to two factors that characterise this population: the definition of homelessness, and its 'hidden' nature. David aimed to estimate the size of the homeless population of Budapest by using two non-standard sampling methods: snowball sampling and the capture-recapture method. Her calculations are based on three data sets: one snowball data set and two independent list data sets. These estimators, supported by other statistical data, suggest that in 1999 there were about 8000-10000 homeless people in Budapest.

Magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasonography and histology of the suspensory ligament origin: a comparative study of normal anatomy of warmblood horses

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: The diagnosis of lameness caused by proximal metacarpal and metatarsal pain can be challenging. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) offers the possibility for further diagnosis but there have been no studies on the normal MRI appearance of the origin of the suspensory ligament (OSL) in conjunction with ultrasonography and histology. OBJECTIVES: To describe the MRI appearance of the OSL in fore- and hindlimbs of sound horses and compare it to the ultrasonographic and histological appearance. The findings can be used as reference values to recognise pathology in the OSL. METHODS: The OSL in the fore- and hindlimbs of 6 sound horses was examined by ultrasonography prior to death, and MRI and histology post mortem. Qualitative evaluation and morphometry of the OSL were performed and results of all modalities compared. RESULTS: Muscular tissue, artefacts, variable SL size and shape complicated ultrasonographic interpretation. In MRI and histology the forelimb OSL consisted of 2 portions, the lateral being significantly thicker than medial. The hindlimb SL had a single large area of origin. In fore- and hindlimbs, the amount of muscular tissue was significantly larger laterally than medially. Overall SL measurements using MRI were significantly higher than using histology and ultrasonography and histological higher than ultrasonographic measurements. Morphologically, there was a good correlation between MRI and histology. CONCLUSIONS: MRI provides more detailed information than ultrasonography regarding muscle fibre detection and OSL dimension and correlates morphologically well with histology. Therefore, ultrasonographic results should be regarded with caution. POTENTIAL RELEVANCE: MRI may be a diagnostic aid when other modalities fail to identify clearly the cause of proximal metacarpal and metatarsal pain; and may improve selection of adequate therapy and prognosis for injuries in this region.

PEGylation and multimerization of the anti-p185HER-2 single chain Fv fragment 4D5: effects on tumor targeting

A major goal in antibody design for cancer therapy is to tailor the pharmacokinetic properties of the molecule according to specific treatment requirements. Key parameters determining the pharmacokinetics of therapeutic antibodies are target specificity, affinity, stability, and size. Using the p185HER-2 (HER-2)-specific scFv 4D5 as model system, we analyzed how changes in molecular weight and valency independently affect antigen binding and tumor localization. By employing multimerization and PEGylation, four different antibody formats were generated and compared with the scFv 4D5. First, dimeric and tetrameric miniantibodies were constructed by fusion of self-associating, disulfide-linked peptides to the scFv 4D5. Second, we attached a 20-kDa PEG moiety to the monovalent scFv and to the divalent miniantibody at the respective C terminus. In all formats, serum stability and full binding reactivity of the scFv 4D5 were retained. Functional affinity, however, did change. An avidity increase was achieved by multimerization, whereas PEGylation resulted in a 5-fold decreased affinity. Nevertheless, the PEGylated monomer showed an 8.5-fold, and the PEGylated dimer even a 14.5-fold higher tumor accumulation than the corresponding scFv, 48 h post-injection, because of a significantly longer serum half-life. In comparison, the non-PEGylated bivalent and tetravalent miniantibodies showed only a moderate increase in tumor localization compared with the scFv, which correlated with the degree of multimerization. However, these non-PEGylated formats resulted in higher tumor-to-blood ratios. Both multimerization and PEGylation represent thus useful strategies to tailor the pharmacokinetic properties of therapeutic antibodies and their combined use can additively improve tumor targeting.

[Intraoral lipoma in the region of the mental nerve--report of a case and review of the literature]

The intraoral lipoma is a benign, slowly growing, painless soft tissue neoplasia, which can cause esthetic or functional problems for the patient, depending on its size. All parts of the body can be affected, whereas the oral cavity is rarely involved. Clinically, the tumour often exhibits an exophytic growth pattern, a soft consistency, a broad base connected to the underlying tissue, and frequently has a reddish-yellowish colour. Instead of a superficial mucosal involvement, a deep localization in the soft tissues is also possible. Depending on the localization of the tumour, the diagnosis and the resulting therapy can turn out to be a challenge for the clinician. A clear differentiation to malign neoplasias of the fat tissues and other soft tissue expansions is essential. The following case report presents a female patient who is affected by a lipoma in the proximity of the mental nerve. The diagnostic work-up and resulting therapy including a review of the current literature are presented and discussed.

Radiographic technique and anatomy of the equine sacroiliac region

Radiography is part of evaluating horses with poor performance and pelvic limb lameness; however, the radiographic appearance of the sacroiliac region is poorly described. The goal of the present study was to describe the use of a simple technique to obtain radiographs of the sacroiliac region in the anesthetized horse and to describe the radiographic appearance of this region. Seventy-nine horses underwent radiography of the pelvis under general anesthesia in dorsal recumbency. During a 5s exposure time the horse was actively ventilated to blur the abdominal viscera, which allowed assessment of individual bone structures in 77 horses. A large variation in the shape of the sacral wings, their articulation with the transverse processes of L6, and the relation of the sacrum to the ilium were observed. Females had significantly narrower width of the sacral wings. Broad sacral wings and bony proliferations at the caudal aspect were commonly observed features and their size was highly correlated with gender. In males, caudal osteophytes were significantly larger than in females. Five horses had transitional or hemitransitional vertebrae. Radiography with the ventilation-induced blurring technique is a simple approach that results in diagnostic quality radiographs and delineation of the highly variable bone structures of the sacroiliac region.

A pain assessment scale for population-based studies: Development and validation of the Pain Module of the Standard Evaluation Questionnaire

The objectives of this study were to develop and validate a tool for assessing pain in population-based observational studies and to develop three subscales for back/neck, upper extremity and lower extremity pain. Based on a literature review, items were extracted from validated questionnaires and reviewed by an expert panel. The initial questionnaire consisted of a pain manikin and 34 items relating to (i) intensity of pain in different body regions (7 items), (ii) pain during activities of daily living (18 items) and (iii) various pain modalities (9 items). Psychometric validation of the initial questionnaire was performed in a random sample of the German-speaking Swiss population. Analyses included tests for reliability, correlation analysis, principal components factor analysis, tests for internal consistency and validity. Overall, 16,634 of 23,763 eligible individuals participated (70%). Test-retest reliability coefficients ranged from 0.32 to 0.97, but only three coefficients were below 0.60. Subscales were constructed combining four items for each of the subscales. Item-total coefficients ranged from 0.76 to 0.86 and Cronbach's alpha were 0.75 or higher for all subscales. Correlation coefficients between subscales and three validated instruments (WOMAC, SPADI and Oswestry) ranged from 0.62 to 0.79. The final Pain Standard Evaluation Questionnaire (SEQ Pain) included 28 items and the pain manikin and accounted for the multidimensionality of pain by assessing pain location and intensity, pain during activity, triggers and time of onset of pain and frequency of pain medication. It was found to be reliable and valid for the assessment of pain in population-based observational studies.

Prognostic factors in lymph node metastases of prostatic cancer patients: the size of the metastases but not extranodal extension independently predicts survival

AIMS: To analyse tumour characteristics and the prognostic significance of prostatic cancers with extranodal extension of lymph node metastases (ENE) in 102 node-positive, hormone treatment-naive patients undergoing radical prostatectomy and extended lymphadenectomy. METHODS AND RESULTS: The median number of nodes examined per patient was 21 (range 9-68), and the median follow-up time was 92 months (range 12-191). ENE was observed in 71 patients (70%). They had significantly more, larger and less differentiated nodal metastases, paralleled by significantly larger primary tumours at more advanced stages and with higher Gleason scores than patients without ENE. ENE defined a subgroup with significantly decreased biochemical recurrence-free (P = 0.038) and overall survival (P = 0.037). In multivariate analyses the diameter of the largest metastasis and Gleason score of the primary tumour were independent predictors of survival. CONCLUSIONS: ENE in prostatic cancer is an indicator lesion for advanced/aggressive tumours with poor outcome. However, the strong correlation with larger metastases suggests that ENE may result from their size, which was the only independent risk factor in the metastasizing component. Consequently, histopathological reports should specify the true indicator of poor survival in the lymphadenectomy specimens, which is the size of the largest metastasis in each patient.

Cognitive functioning, behavior, and quality of life after stroke in childhood

Rationale: To provide a better understanding of cognitive functioning, motor outcome, behavior and quality of life after childhood stroke and to study the relationship between variables expected to influence rehabilitation and outcome (age at stroke, time elapsed since stroke, lateralization, location and size of lesion). Methods: Children who suffered from stroke between birth and their eighteenth year of life underwent an assessment consisting of cognitive tests (WISC-III, WAIS-R, K-ABC, TAP, Rey-Figure, German Version of the CVLT) and questionnaires (Conner's Scales, KIDSCREEN). Results: Twenty-one patients after stroke in childhood (15 males, mean 11;11 years, SD 4;3, range 6;10-21;2) participated in the study. Mean Intelligence Quotients (IQ) were situated within the normal range (mean Full Scale IQ 96.5, range IQ 79-129). However, significantly more patients showed deficits in various cognitive domains than expected from a healthy population (Performance IQ p = .000; Digit Span p = .000, Arithmetic's p = .007, Divided Attention p = .028, Alertness p = .002). Verbal IQ was significantly better than Performance IQ in 13 of 17 patients, independent of the hemispheric side of lesion. Symptoms of ADHD occurred more often in the patients' sample than in a healthy population (learning difficulties/inattention p = .000; impulsivity/hyperactivity p = .006; psychosomatics p = .006). Certain aspects of quality of life were reduced (autonomy p = .003; parents' relation p = .003; social acceptance p = .037). Three patients had a right-sided hemiparesis, mean values of motor functions of the other patients were slightly impaired (sequential finger movements p = .000, hand alternation p = .001, foot tapping p = .043). In patients without hemiparesis, there was no relation between the lateralization of lesion and motor outcome. Lesion that occurred in the midst of childhood (5-10 years) led to better cognitive outcome than lesion in the very early (0-5 years) or late childhood (10-18 years). Other variables such as presence of seizure, elapsed time since stroke and size of lesion had a small to no impact on prognosis. Conclusion: Moderate cognitive and motor deficits, behavioral problems, and impairment in some aspects of quality of life frequently remain after stroke in childhood. Visuospatial functions are more often reduced than verbal functions, independent of the hemispheric side of lesion. This indicates a functional superiority of verbal skills compared to visuospatial skills in the process of recovery after brain injury. Compared to the cognitive outcome following stroke in adults, cognitive sequelae after childhood stroke do indicate neither the lateralization nor the location of the lesion focus. Age at stroke seems to be the only determining factor influencing cognitive outcome.

Mineralogy and Genesis of the Vermiculite Deposits at Libby, Montana

The problem considered in this report is one of the mineralogy and mode of formation of the extremely pure, large bodies of vermiculite. Mineralogically the ultrabasic intrusive, with which the economic mineral is associated, presents an array of rather unusual minerals. The determination of these minerals, their associations, and the sequence of alteration that lead to the formation of the vermiculite bodies, constitutes the problem.

Optimizing the size of the area surveyed for monitoring a Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) population in the Swiss Alps by means of photographic capture-recapture

We studied the influence of surveyed area size on density estimates by means of camera-trapping in a low-density felid population (1-2 individuals/100 km(2) ). We applied non-spatial capture-recapture (CR) and spatial CR (SCR) models for Eurasian lynx during winter 2005/2006 in the northwestern Swiss Alps by sampling an area divided into 5 nested plots ranging from 65 to 760 km(2) . CR model density estimates (95% CI) for models M0 and Mh decreased from 2.61 (1.55-3.68) and 3.6 (1.62-5.57) independent lynx/100 km(2) , respectively, in the smallest to 1.20 (1.04-1.35) and 1.26 (0.89-1.63) independent lynx/100 km(2) , respectively, in the largest area surveyed. SCR model density estimates also decreased with increasing sampling area but not significantly. High individual range overlaps in relatively small areas (the edge effect) is the most plausible reason for this positive bias in the CR models. Our results confirm that SCR models are much more robust to changes in trap array size than CR models, thus avoiding overestimation of density in smaller areas. However, when a study is concerned with monitoring population changes, large spatial efforts (area surveyed ≥760 km(2) ) are required to obtain reliable and precise density estimates with these population densities and recapture rates.

Developmental Changes in the Structure and Composition of the Postsynaptic Density

The development of the brain and its underlying circuitry is dependent on the formation of trillions of chemical synapses, which are highly specialized contacts that regulate the flow of information from one neuron to the next. It is through these synaptic connections that neurons wire together into networks capable of performing specific tasks, and activity-dependent changes in their structural and physiological state is one way that the brain is thought to adapt and store information. At the ultrastructural level, developmental and activity-dependent changes in the size and shape of dendritic spines have been well documented, and it is widely believed that structural changes in spines are a hallmark sign of synapse maturation and alteration of synaptic physiology. While changes in spine structure have been studied extensively, changes in one of its most prominent components, the postsynaptic density (PSD), have largely evaded observation. The PSD is a protein-rich organelle on the cytoplasmic side of the postsynaptic membrane, where it sits in direct opposition to the presynaptic terminal. The PSD functions both to cluster neurotransmitter receptors at the cell surface as well as organize the intracellular signaling molecules responsible for transducing extracellular signals to the postsynaptic cell. Much is known about the chemical composition of the PSD, but the structural arrangement of its molecular components is not well documented. Adding to the difficulty of understanding such a complex mass of protein machinery is the fact that its protein composition is known to change in response to synaptic activity, meaning that its structure is plastic and no two PSDs are identical. Here, immuno-gold labeling and electron tomography of PSDs isolated throughout development was used to track changes in both the structure and molecular composition of the PSD. State-of-the-art cryo-electron tomography was used to study the fine structure of the PSD during development, and provides an unprecedented glimpse into its molecular architecture in an un-fixed, unstained and hydrated state. Through this analysis, large structural and compositional changes are apparent and suggest a model by which the PSD is first assembled as a mesh-like lattice of proteins that function as support for the later recruitment of various PSD components. Spatial analysis of the recruitment of proteins into the PSD demonstrated that its assembly has an underlying order.

Delineation of a novel genetic region at 5q11 harboring tumor suppressor gene(s) and identification of the telomeric DNA as a marker for human prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer mortality in American men. The distinction between those cases of prostate cancer destined to progress rapidly to lethal metastatic disease and those with little likelihood of causing morbidity and mortality is a major goal of current research. Some type of diagnostic method is urgently needed to identify which histological prostate cancers have completed the progression to a stage that will produce a life-threatening disease, thus requiring immediate therapeutic intervention. The objectives of this dissertation are to delineate a novel genetic region harboring tumor suppressor gene(s) and to identify a marker for prostate tumorigenesis. I first established an in vitro cell model system from a human prostate epithelial cells derived from tissue fragments surrounding a prostate tumor in a patient with prostatic adenocarcinoma. Since chromosome 5 abnormality was present in early, middle and late passages of this cell model system, I examined long-term established prostate cancer cell lines for this chromosome abnormality. The results implicated the region surrounding marker D5S2068 as the locus of interest for further experimentation and location of a tumor suppressor gene in human prostate cancer. ^ Cancer is a group of complex genetic diseases with uncontrolled cell; division and prostate cancer is no exception. I determined if telomeric DNA, and telomerase activity, alone or together, could serve as biomarkers of prostate tumorigenesis. I studied three newly established human prostate cancer cell lines and three fibroblast cell cultures derived from prostate tissues. In conclusion, my data reveal that in the presence of telomerase activity, telomeric repeats are maintained at a certain optimal length, and analysis of telomeric DNA variations might serve as early diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for prostate cancer. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)^

The geomorphology and morphometry of the banded terrain in Hellas basin, Mars

Hellas basin is a large impact basin situated in the southern highlands of Mars. The north-western part of the basin has the lowest elevation (-7.5 km) on the planet and contains a possibly unique terrain type, which we informally call “banded terrain”. The banded terrain is made up of smooth-looking banded deposits that display signs of viscous behavior and a paucity of superimposed impact craters. In this study, we use newly acquired high spatial resolution images from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) in addition to existing datasets to characterize the geomorphology, the morphometry and the architecture of the banded terrain. The banded terrain is generally confined to the NW edge of the Alpheus Colles plateau. The individual bands are ~3–15 km-long, ~0.3 km-wide and are separated by narrow inter-band depressions, which are ~65 m-wide and ~10 m-deep. The bands display several morphologies that vary from linear to concentric forms. Morphometric analysis reveals that the slopes along a given linear or lobate band ranges from 0.5° to 15° (average~6°), whereas the concentric bands are located on flatter terrain (average slope~2–3°). Crater-size frequency analysis yields an Amazonian-Hesperian boundary crater retention age for the terrain (~3 Gyr), which together, with the presence of very few degraded craters, either implies a recent emplacement, resurfacing, or intense erosion. The apparent sensitivity to local topography and preference for concentrating in localized depressions is compatible with deformation as a viscous fluid. In addition, the bands display clear signs of degradation and slumping at their margins along with a suite of other features that include fractured mounds, polygonal cracks at variable size-scales, and knobby/hummocky textures. Together, these features suggest an ice-rich composition for at least the upper layers of the terrain, which is currently being heavily modified through loss of ice and intense weathering, possibly by wind.

Molecular cloning, expression analysis and assignment of the porcine tumor necrosis factor superfamily member 10 gene (TNFSF10) to SSC13q34-->q36 by fluorescence in situ hybridization and radiation hybrid mapping

We have cloned the complete coding region of the porcine TNFSF10 gene. The porcine TNFSF10 cDNA has an ORF of 870 nucleotides and shares 85% identity with human TNFSF10, and 75% and 72% identity with rat and mouse Tnfsf10 coding sequences, respectively. The deduced porcine TNFSF10 protein consists of 289 amino acids with the calculated molecular mass of 33.5 kDa and a predicted pI of 8.15. The amino acid sequence similarities correspond to 86, 72 and 70% when compared with human, rat and mouse sequences, respectively. Northern blot analysis detected TNFSF10-specific transcripts (approximately 1.7 kb) in various organs of a 10-week-old pig, suggesting ubiquitous expression. Real-time RT-PCR studies of various organs from fetal (days 73 and 98) and postnatal stages (two weeks, eight months) demonstrated developmental and tissue-specific regulation of TNFSF10 mRNA abundance. The chromosomal location of the porcine TNFSF10 gene was determined by FISH of a specific BAC clone to metaphase chromosomes. This TNFSF10 BAC clone has been assigned to SSC13q34-->q36. Additionally, the localization of the TNFSF10 gene was verified by RH mapping on the porcine IMpRH panel.