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At least 1,333 records · Page 74Linked to original sources
PubMed2006

The diagnostic value of multiplanar reconstruction on MDCT colonography for the preoperative staging of colorectal cancer.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether multiplanar reconstruction (MPR) images can improve the accuracy of MDCT-based colorectal cancer preoperative staging by receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Fifty-five patients with colorectal cancer underwent contrast-enhanced CT colonography using an 8- or 16-row scanner. Two separate interval reviews of the axial MDCT datasets with/without MPR images (coronal and sagittal) were performed independently by two radiologists blinded to both the colonoscopic and histopathologic results. At each review session, the radiologists were asked to determine the colorectal cancer TNM stage within the context of differentiating < or =T3 from T4, N0 from > or =N1 and M0 from M1 using a five-point confidence scale. The radiologists' performance for staging the colorectal cancer using axial CT datasets with/without MPR images was evaluated using ROC analysis. Sensitivities, specificities and interobserver agreement were assessed. When MPR images were added, significant improvement was achieved by both radiologists for differentiating N0 from > or =N1 in terms of both A(Z) (0.651 to 0.769; 0.573 to 0.713) and specificity (26.7 to 69.2%; 23.1 to 76.9%) (P<0.05). For T staging, ROC analysis failed to show a significant improvement in terms of differentiating < or =T3 from T4 for either radiologist (P>0.05), but a significant improvement in the specificity (70 to 90%; 80 to 92%) was achieved by one radiologist (P<0.05). In terms of the M staging, a significant improvement in the Az (0.844 to 0.996) was observed for the combined interpretation of the axial and MPR images by one radiologist (P<0.05). Furthermore, substantial or almost perfect interobserver agreement was achieved for all TNM stagings for the combined interpretations (kappa=0.641-0.866), whereas only fair to substantial agreement was achieved for the axial images alone (kappa=0.337-0.707). In conclusion, the combined interpretation of the axial and MPR MDCT images significantly improved the local staging of colorectal cancer compared with assessments based on axial images alone.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Multidetector CT (64 Slices) of the liver: examination techniques.

Sixty-four-row MDCT, although developed primarily for cardiac imaging, has the potential to have a great impact on liver imaging as well. Liver-imaging protocols with sub-millimeter collimation improve longitudinal spatial resolution, making the acquired dataset a real isotropic volume perfectly designed for optimal three-dimensional rendering and accurate organ and lesion volumetry. The 64-row detector array offers a wide volumetric coverage (up to 40 mm), suitable not only for shortening scanning time and improving spatial resolution, but also for including a large volume per single rotation, particularly useful for accurate CT perfusion studies. In order to take full benefit from the enormous performance offered by new 64-row MDCT scanners, imaging protocols need to be redesigned. Due to the extremely short scanning window, contrast agent injection should be performed at high flow rate and followed by saline bolus chaser; the use of highly concentrated contrast media might be useful. Timing should be accurately calculated either by a test bolus or, better, by using an automatic bolus-detection technique. Radiation exposure is kept under control, using automatic device-modulating dose delivery according to the patient's anatomy. Finally, the evaluation of acquired volumetric datasets needs the extensive use of a dedicated workstation, with software with sophisticated rendering capabilities.

Artifacts↗
PubMed2006

A longitudinal and cross-sectional analysis of total body oxygen store development in nursing harbor seals (Phoca vitulina).

This study compared the efficacy of longitudinal and cross-sectional sampling regimes for detecting developmental changes in total body oxygen (TBO(2)) stores that accompany behavioral development in free-ranging harbor seal pups. TBO(2) stores were estimated for pup (n = 146) and adult female (n = 20) harbor seals. Age related changes were compared between pups captured repeatedly during the lactation period (longitudinal dataset) and a second group of pups handled only once (cross-sectional dataset). At each handling, hematocrit, hemoglobin, red blood cell count, total plasma volume, blood volume, muscle myoglobin concentration, and blood and muscle oxygen stores were determined. Comparisons across age categories revealed newborn blood oxygen stores were initially elevated, declined to low values by early lactation, and increased through post-weaning. Muscle oxygen stores remained low and constant throughout lactation and only increased significantly post-weaning. Overall TBO(2)stores increased 17% during lactation, and weaned pups had TBO(2)stores that were 55% as large as those of adults. Thus, significant increases in TBO(2) stores must occur after weaning, as pups begin to forage independently. Results from the two sampling schemes did not differ, indicating that the logistically simpler cross-sectional design can be used to monitor physiological development in harbor seals.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Second-generation real-time three-dimensional echocardiography. Finally on its way into clinical cardiology?

Three-dimensional (3D) echocardiographic imaging has been introduced as a tool to improve the assessment of both morphologic and functional parameters of the cardiovascular system. In the past, data acquisition was limited due to time-consuming sequential acquisition of multiple triggered 2D image planes from 10-60 heart cycles using transesophageal rotational, transthoracic rotational or transthoracic freehand approaches. Recent improvements in the size of matrix array probes and in computing power of modern ultrasound equipment have significantly increased both spatial and temporal resolution of "second-generation" real-time 3D scanners. Although the superiority of 3D echocardiography in the determination of ventricular volume, ventricular mass or valvular orifice area had already been demonstrated in the late 1990s, widespread use in clinical cardiology was limited on account of difficulties in acquisition and post-processing. Clinical use of modern 3D echocardiography is boosted by the marked reduction in acquisition time and the unique possibility of on-line rendering on the ultrasound system. The ability to visualize a virtual 3D surface in real time-although limited to a sector size of about 30 degrees-offers new insights into cardiac pathomorpholgy even in patients with arrhythmias and may in realtime 3D-contrast flow analysis. Analysis of wide-angle 3D datasets (90 by 90 degree pyramidal shape) is possible by combining the 3D information of several [4-7] consecutive heart cycles. 3D datasets including the complete left ventricle provide comprehensive information on ventricular and mitral valve morphology and function. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of regional wall motion at rest and during stress become possible. Combination with 3D color Doppler data allows additional assessment of valvular function as well as determination of flow in the left ventricular outflow tract and across septal defects. The integration and future quantification of these new parameters together with on-line review allows new insights into cardiac function, morphology and synchrony that offer great potentials in the evaluation of right and left ventricular global and regional function, diagnosis of small areas of ischemia, congenital and valvular heart disease and effects of biventricular pacing in dilated heart asynchrony.

Echocardiography, Doppler, Color↗
PubMed2000

Oral phenoxymethylpenicillin treatment during pregnancy. Results of a population-based Hungarian case-control study.

The objective of the study was to examine the human teratogenic potential of oral penicillin V: phenoxymethylpenicillin treatment during pregnancy in the large population-based dataset of the Hungarian Case-Control Surveillance of Congenital Abnormalities, 1980-1996. The dataset included 22,865 pregnant women who had fetuses or newborns with congenital abnormalities and 38,151 matched pregnant women who had newborn infants without any congenital abnormality (population control group). Of 22,865 case pregnant women, 173 (0.8%) had phenoxymethylpenicillin treatments, while of 38,151 population controls, 218 (0.6) were treated by this penicillin V (crude OR 1.3 with 95% CI: 1.1-1.6). This difference was explained mainly by recall bias and confounders because adjusted OR for medically documented phenoxymethylpenicillin treatments did not show difference during the second-third months of gestation, i.e. in the critical period for most major congenital abnormalities in case-matched control pairs. Thus, treatment with oral phenoxymethylpenicillin during pregnancy presents very little if any teratogenic risk to the fetus.

Abnormalities, Drug-Induced↗
PubMed2026

Integrative TWAS and multi-omics analyses prioritize HSPE1 as a candidate risk gene for bipolar disorder with immune cell-specific regulatory evidence.

BACKGROUND: Bipolar disorder (BD) is a severe psychiatric disorder associated with substantial disability. Although genome-wide association studies have identified multiple BD-associated loci, the underlying genes and mechanisms remain incompletely understood. METHODS: We integrated a European-ancestry BD genome-wide association dataset with cross-tissue and tissue-specific transcriptome-wide association studies (TWAS) and complementary gene-based analysis. Candidate genes were further evaluated using differential expression analysis, consensus clustering, immune infiltration analysis, machine learning, summary-data-based Mendelian randomization, Mendelian randomization using single-cell expression quantitative trait locus data, single-nucleus transcriptomics, phenome-wide association analysis, and virtual screening. RESULTS: The integrative analyses prioritized 37 candidate genes. Peripheral-blood differential-expression analysis identified 14 genes that remained significant after FDR correction, and their expression profiles separated BD samples into two expression-defined clusters. Machine-learning analysis selected UNC50, LMAN2L, LYG2, HSPE1, and KANSL3 for an exploratory classification nomogram. SMR associated genetically predicted higher HSPE1 expression with increased BD risk in two blood eQTL datasets. Cell-type-specific analyses indicated HSPE1-related associations in T-cell and natural killer cell subsets, while single-nucleus analysis descriptively showed higher HSPE1 expression in medial thalamic T cells from BD samples. PheWAS identified no genome-wide significant associations for HSPE1, whereas virtual screening identified candidate compounds with favorable predicted docking scores against the HSPE1 structure. CONCLUSION: This integrative multi-omics study identified HSPE1 as a candidate BD risk gene with immune-cell-related regulatory evidence, providing insight into BD pathogenesis and supporting functional validation.

Humans↗
PubMed2003

Fitting the two-stage model of carcinogenesis to nested case-control data on the Colorado Plateau uranium miners: dependence on data assumptions.

This paper investigates some problems with the Colorado Plateau uranium miners cohort when fitting the mechanistic model of carcinogenesis of Moolgavkar et al. (MVK model) to nested case-control data for lung cancers. The influence of data for hard rock mining and work histories on the model fitting is examined and found to be highly influential. The question of selecting the most appropriate number of controls per case is also considered. Analyses were carried out assuming that the hard rock mining exposure occurred prior to all other work histories and that miners received no exposure between work histories. The use of less than 15 controls per case was found to seriously restrict the quality of fit of the models. The best fitting, most reliable model contained linear effects of radon exposure on the first mutation rate, the rate of differentiation, and the rate of death of the intermediate cells. An effect of smoking on the growth of the intermediate cells was also included in the model. It is concluded that owing to the complexity of the MVK model and the limited amount of information in this dataset, the reliability of the Colorado Plateau dataset for fitting this type of model, particularly in a case-control format, is questionable.

Case-Control Studies↗
PubMed1998

4D confocal microscopy of Dictyostelium discoideum morphogenesis and its presentation on the Internet.

Methods to present three-dimensional (3D) and time series of 3D datasets (4D) are demonstrated using the recent advances in confocal microscopy and computer visualization. The process of cell sorting during tip formation in the slime mould Dictyostelium discoideum is examined as an example by in vivo confocal microscopy of spectrally different green fluorescent protein (GFP) variants as reporters of cell-type specific gene expression. Also, cell sorting of the co-aggregating slime mould species D. discoideum and D. mucoroides is observed using a GFP variant and a spectrally distinguishable fluorescent vital stain. The confocal data are handled as 3D and 4D datasets, their processing and the advantages of different methods of visualization are discussed step by step. Selected sequences of the experiments can be viewed on the Internet, giving a much better impression of the complex cellular movements during Dictyostelium morphogenesis than printed photographs.

Animals↗
PubMed2026

ACE2 and Parkinsonism&#x2011;related bone metabolic alterations: signaling pathways and hub gene analysis.

Clinical co-occurrence of Parkinson's disease (PD) and age-related bone loss in elderly patients has garnered increasing attention, yet its molecular mechanisms remain incompletely elucidated. This study used an 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced PD model in Ace2-/y mice to investigate the regulatory mechanisms of bone-brain axis-related genes and signaling pathways. Behavioral tests assessed motor and non-motor symptoms. Immunohistochemistry, Western blot, and histopathological staining analyzed dopaminergic neuron activity, microglial activation, and bone metabolic abnormalities. GEO dataset transcriptomics and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) identified key hub genes, with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves evaluating their diagnostic value in public single-disease transcriptome data. MPTP significantly exacerbated motor dysfunction and depression-like behaviors; Ace2 deletion lowered total Wnt, &#x3b2;-catenin, BMP and IGF-1 protein abundance alongside reduced phosphorylation ratios of their downstream kinases in brain and bone, while upregulating RANKL/RANK/OPG-associated inflammatory mediators, accompanied by elevated total &#x3b1;-synuclein, Casp3 and Bax protein levels. The parallel reduction of these signaling proteins only suggests potential perturbation of related cascades; WGCNA identified 10 hub genes (e.g., DNM1, OCRL, OPA1), whose dysregulation was linked to synaptic dysfunction and inflammation. ROC analysis based on single-disease datasets showed high diagnostic accuracy for PD and `osteoporosis (OP) (AUC: 0.683-0.981), with core genes influencing synaptic, MAPK, Rap1, and Ras pathways. These preclinical findings indicate that Ace2 deficiency is associated with concurrent pathological abnormalities in the brain and transient bone metabolic disturbance under short-term MPTP treatment in growing young male mice; coordinated dysregulation of shared signaling pathways was observed in the two tissues, consistent with a potential bone-brain axis pathological phenotype, though causal bidirectional tissue cross-talk cannot be confirmed in the current experimental design, providing candidate targets that warrant further validation.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Homogeneity and distinctiveness of Polish paternal lineages revealed by Y chromosome microsatellite haplotype analysis.

Different regional populations from Poland were studied in order to assess the genetic heterogeneity within Poland, investigate the genetic relationships with other European populations and provide a population-specific reference database for anthropological and forensic studies. Nine Y-chromosomal microsatellites were analysed in a total of 919 unrelated males from six regions of Poland and in 1,273 male individuals from nine other European populations. AMOVA revealed that all of the molecular variation in the Polish dataset is due to variation within populations, and no variation was detected among populations of different regions of Poland. However, in the non-Polish European dataset 9.3% ( P<0.0001) of the total variation was due to differences among populations. Consequently, differences in R(ST)-values between all possible pairs of Polish populations were not statistically significant, whereas significant differences were observed in nearly all comparisons of Polish and non-Polish European populations. Phylogenetic analyses demonstrated tight clustering of Polish populations separated from non-Polish groups. Population clustering based on Y-STR haplotypes generally correlates well with the geography and history of the region. Thus, our data are consistent with the assumption of homogeneity of present-day paternal lineages within Poland and their distinctiveness from other parts of Europe, at least in respect to their Y-STR haplotypes. Electronic supplementary material to this paper can be obtained by using the Springer LINK server located at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00439-002-0728-0.

Alleles↗
PubMed2003

The leaf size-twig size spectrum and its relationship to other important spectra of variation among species.

There is a spectrum from species with narrow, frequently branched twigs carrying small leaves and other appendages, to species with thick twigs carrying large leaves and appendages. Here we investigate the allometry of this spectrum and its relationship to two other important spectra of ecological variation between species, the seed mass-seed output spectrum and the specific leaf area-leaf lifespan spectrum. Our main dataset covered 33 woody dicotyledonous species in sclerophyll fire-prone vegetation on low nutrient soil at 1,200 mm annual rainfall near Sydney, Australia. These were phylogenetically selected to contribute 32 evolutionary divergences. Two smaller datasets, from 390 mm annual rainfall, were also examined to assess generality of cross-species patterns. There was two to three orders of magnitude variation in twig cross-sectional area, individual leaf size and total leaf area supported on a twig across the study species. As expected, species with thicker twigs had larger leaves and branched less often than species with thin twigs. Total leaf area supported on a twig was mainly driven by leaf size rather than by the number of leaves. Total leaf area was strongly correlated with twig cross-section area, both across present-day species and across evolutionary divergences. The common log-log slope of 1.45 was significantly steeper than 1. Thus on average, species with tenfold larger leaves supported about threefold more leaf area per twig cross-section, which must have considerable implications for other aspects of water relations. Species at the low rainfall site on loamy sand supported about half as much leaf area, at a given twig cross-section, as species at the low rainfall site on light clay, or at the high rainfall site. Within sites, leaf and twig size were positively correlated with seed mass, and negatively correlated with specific leaf area. Identifying and understanding leading spectra of ecological variation among species is an important challenge for plant ecology. The seed mass-seed output and specific leaf area-leaf lifespan spectra are each underpinned by a single, comprehensible trade-off and their consequences are fairly well understood. The leaf-size-twig-size spectrum has obvious consequences for the texture of canopies, but we are only just beginning to understand the costs and benefits of large versus small leaf and twig size.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed2005

Tree allometry and improved estimation of carbon stocks and balance in tropical forests.

Tropical forests hold large stores of carbon, yet uncertainty remains regarding their quantitative contribution to the global carbon cycle. One approach to quantifying carbon biomass stores consists in inferring changes from long-term forest inventory plots. Regression models are used to convert inventory data into an estimate of aboveground biomass (AGB). We provide a critical reassessment of the quality and the robustness of these models across tropical forest types, using a large dataset of 2,410 trees >or= 5 cm diameter, directly harvested in 27 study sites across the tropics. Proportional relationships between aboveground biomass and the product of wood density, trunk cross-sectional area, and total height are constructed. We also develop a regression model involving wood density and stem diameter only. Our models were tested for secondary and old-growth forests, for dry, moist and wet forests, for lowland and montane forests, and for mangrove forests. The most important predictors of AGB of a tree were, in decreasing order of importance, its trunk diameter, wood specific gravity, total height, and forest type (dry, moist, or wet). Overestimates prevailed, giving a bias of 0.5-6.5% when errors were averaged across all stands. Our regression models can be used reliably to predict aboveground tree biomass across a broad range of tropical forests. Because they are based on an unprecedented dataset, these models should improve the quality of tropical biomass estimates, and bring consensus about the contribution of the tropical forest biome and tropical deforestation to the global carbon cycle.

Biomass↗
PubMed2005

Niche overlap estimates based on quantitative functional traits: a new family of non-parametric indices.

The concept of niche overlap appears in studies of the mechanisms of the maintenance of species diversity, in searches for assembly rules, and in estimation of within-community species redundancy. For plant traits measured on a continuous scale, existing indices are inadequate because they split the scale into a number of categories thus losing information. An index is easy to construct if we assume a normal distribution for each trait within a species, but this assumption is rarely true. We extend and apply an index, NO(K), which is based on kernel density functions, and can therefore work with distributions of any shape without prior assumptions. For cases where the ecologist wishes to downweight traits that are inter-correlated, we offer a variant that does this: NO(Kw). From either of these indices, an index of the mean niche overlap in a community can be calculated: NO(K,community) and NO(Kw,community). For all these indices, the variance can be calculated and formulae for this are given. To give examples of the new indices in use, we apply them to a coastal fish dataset and a sand-dune plant dataset. The former exhibits considerable non-normality, emphasising the need for kernel-based indices. Accordingly, there was a considerable difference in index values, with those for an index based on a normal distribution being significantly higher than those from an index which, being based on kernel fitting, is not biased by an assumption for the distribution. The NO(K) values were ecologically consistent for the fish species concerned, varying from 0.02 to 0.53. The sand-dune plant data also showed a wide range of overlap values. Interestingly, the least overlap was between two graminoids, which would have been placed in the same functional group in the coarse classification often used in functional-type/ecosystem-function work.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Understanding community structure: a data-driven multivariate approach.

Habitat is known to influence community structure yet, because these effects are complex, elucidating these relationships has proven difficult. Multiple aspects of vegetation architecture or plant species composition, for example, may simultaneously affect animal communities and their constituent species. Many traditional statistical approaches (e.g., regression) have difficulty in handling large numbers of collinear variables. On the other hand, multivariate methods, such as ordination, are well suited to handle these large datasets, but they have primarily been used in ecology as descriptive techniques, and less frequently as a data reduction tool for predictor variables in regression. Here, I employ a multivariate approach for variable reduction of both the predictor and response variables to investigate the influences of vegetation architecture and plant species on community composition in spiders using multiple regression. This allows retention of the information in the original dataset while producing statistically tractable variables for use in further analyses. I used nonmetric multidimensional scaling to reduce the number of variables for predictor (habitat architecture and plant species) and response (spider species) data matrices, and used these new variables in multiple regression analyses. These axes can be interpreted based on their correlations with the original variables, allowing for recovery of biologically meaningful information from regressions. Consequently, the important variables are determined by the data themselves, rather than by a priori assumptions of the researcher. Contrary to expectations based on previous work in spiders and other animals, plant species composition explained more variation in spider communities than did habitat architecture, and was also a stronger predictor of other community structure variables (overall abundance, species richness, and species diversity). I discuss possible ecological explanations for these results, and the advantages of the proposed method.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Neutropenic event risk and impaired chemotherapy delivery in six European audits of breast cancer treatment.

GOALS OF WORK: The aims of this study were to assess chemotherapy treatment characteristics, neutropenic event (NE) occurrence and related risk factors in breast cancer patients in Western Europe. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Six retrospective audits of breast cancer chemotherapy were combined into a dataset of 2,860 individuals. NEs were defined as neutropenia-related hospitalisation, dose reduction > or = 15% or dose delay > or = 7 days. Summation dose intensity (SDI) was calculated to compare different types of chemotherapy regimens on a single scale. Risk factors of NE occurrence and of low relative dose intensity (RDI) < or = 85% were identified by multiple logistic regression. MAIN RESULTS: Patient populations were comparable between audits. Until 1998, cyclophosphamide, methotrexate and fluorouracil regimens were most frequently used, but thereafter, anthracycline-based regimens were most common. NEs occurred in 20% of the patients and low RDI in 16%. NE occurrence predicted low RDI and was associated with higher age, bigger body surface area, lower body mass index, regimen type, more chemotherapy cycles planned, normal to high SDI, concomitant radiotherapy and year of treatment. First cycle NE occurrence predicted NEs from cycle 2 onwards. A risk score using age, SDI, number of planned chemotherapy cycles and concomitant radiotherapy differentiated patients with increasing NE risk (9-37%). An alternative score version not using concomitant radiotherapy performed moderately less well. CONCLUSIONS: NEs occurred frequently in this combined dataset and they affected treatment delivery. Identifying patients at high NE risk enables targeted prophylaxis and may avoid dose limitations.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Normative data and trends in quality of life from the Lung Cancer Symptom Scale (LCSS).

Normative data and trends for a disease- and site-specific quality of life (QL) instrument for individuals with lung cancer, the Lung Cancer Symptom Scale (LCSS), are presented to facilitate the user's interpretation of test scores. Data for patients enrolled in two large, identical, randomized trials of a new combination chemotherapy regimen for patients with stages III and IV non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were combined into one dataset (n = 673). For these patients with a Karnofsky performance status (KPS) of 60-100%, QL had been prospectively measured at baseline, day 29 and every 6 weeks thereafter. Descriptive statistics for the LCSS are presented for three time points (baseline, day 29 and day 71) and for specific demographic and disease-related characteristics (age, gender, race, performance status and stage of disease) to provide expected values and their variability during chemotherapy. Data from a small dataset of 63 NSCLC inpatients with KPS scores of 20-50% are also presented for a comparison sample of supportive care for inpatients and hospice patients. For the 673 NSCLC patients at baseline there were no significant differences in QL by age, gender, or race. Major presenting lung cancer symptoms at baseline for this combined sample were dyspnea 87%, cough 86%, pain 81%, loss of appetite 75%, and hemoptysis 41%. Of these patients, 81% had three or more presenting symptoms at baseline (2% had no symptoms; 5%, one symptom; 12%, two symptoms; 18%, three symptoms; 27%, four symptoms; and 36%, five symptoms). The mean LCSS baseline score (best = 0; worst = 100) was 26.56 (SD 16.10). The mean scores for day 29 and day 71 were 25.46 (SD 16.52) and 25.30 (SD 16.93), respectively, but follow-up assessments on progressers were not obtained. Stage III patients had a mean LCSS score of 23.7 (SD 15.1), whereas stage IV patients reported a mean LCSS score of 27.3 (SD 16.3). The mean LCSS score for the group with KPS 60-70% was 34.8 (SD 15.5), and that for the group with KPS 80-100% was 23.3 (SD 15.1). The mean LCSS score for the lower performance group, with KPS scores of 20-50% at baseline, was 46.85 (SD 17.65).

Adult↗
PubMed2002

A European spine registry.

New joint replacement registries are being widely implemented across national and international organizations. The need for a continuous long-term post-market surveillance of implants has been recognized, and has become increasingly important to ensure the quality of prosthetic components. Registry data with large case numbers represent an acceptable alternative to controlled randomized clinical trials, which are often difficult to conduct in orthopedic surgery. The variety of implants and procedures in spinal surgery not only induces the same need for long-term monitoring of post-surgical product performance as in the joint replacement subspecialties, but also renders essential the establishment of a comprehensive spine registry for all major pathologies and interventions. In cooperation with the M.E. Müller Institute for Evaluative Research in Orthopedic Surgery (MEM-CED) at the University of Berne, Switzerland, the Spine Society of Europe (SSE) has launched Spine Tango: the first modular and multilevel European online registry for spinal surgery. Within Spine Tango, the major challenge in registry design and structure is the definition of and agreement upon a core set of questions as a common European dataset. Additional questions for national or individual interest can also be dynamically added to the core dataset. An automated implant tracking system has also been setup, which allows highly precise product documentation without additional work for clinical staff members.

Europe↗
PubMed2004

A whole genome perspective on the phylogeny of the plant virus family Tombusviridae.

Most current classifications of viruses are based on single gene analysis of capsid protein or polymerase. The comparison of entire genomes is a more balanced approach that should provide a more complete picture of relatedness. We have used a singular value decomposition (SVD)-based analysis to generate phylogenetic trees using whole genome protein sequences from a family of single-stranded RNA plant viruses. Our dataset includes the 26 species of the family Tombusviridae, 25 of which have complete genome sequences cataloged in GenBank. The resulting phylogenetic tree agrees well with current taxonomic classifications, but with significant exceptions. One previously unassigned virus within this family, Maize necrotic streak virus, is definitively placed within the genus Tombusvirus by this analysis. In addition, the analysis defines two distinct subsets within the genus Necrovirus. Future datasets will be expanded to include other icosahedral positive strand RNA plant viruses, and then perhaps all positive strand RNA plant viruses.

Amino Acid Sequence↗