Characteristics and predictors associated with cancer-related fatigue among solid and liquid tumors

PURPOSE

Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a devastating complication with limited recognized clinical risk factors. We examined characteristics among solid and liquid cancers utilizing Machine learning (ML) approaches for predicting CRF.

METHODS

We utilized 2017 National Inpatient Sample database and employed generalized linear models to assess the association between CRF and the outcome of burden of illness among hospitalized solid and non-solid tumors patients. And further applied lasso, ridge and Random Forest (RF) for building our linear and non-linear ML models.

RESULTS

The 2017 database included 196,330 prostate (PCa), 66,385 leukemia (Leuk), 107,245 multiple myeloma (MM), and 41,185 cancers of lip, oral cavity and pharynx (CLOP) patients, and among them, there were 225, 140, 125 and 115 CRF patients, respectively. CRF was associated with a higher burden of illness among Leuk and MM, and higher mortality among PCa. For the PCa patients, both the test and the training data had best areas under the ROC curve [AUC = 0.91 (test) vs. 0.90 (train)] for both lasso and ridge ML. For the CLOP, this was 0.86 and 0.79 for ridge; 0.87 and 0.84 for lasso; 0.82 for both test and train for RF and for the Leuk cohort, 0.81 (test) and 0.76 (train) for both ridge and lasso.

CONCLUSION

This study provided an effective platform to assess potential risks and outcomes of CRF in patients hospitalized for the management of solid and non-solid tumors. Our study showed ML methods performed well in predicting the CRF among solid and liquid tumors.

Fabrication and characterization of chicken feather keratin/polysaccharides blended polymer coated nonwoven dressing materials for wound healing applications

In this research work, three kinds of nonwoven wound dressings were developed from chicken feather keratin (CFK-NW), keratin‑sodium alginate (CFK-SA-NW) and keratin-chitosan (CFK-CS-NW) and characterized using FTIR and SEM. The physical characteristics such as air permeability, thickness and areal density test results revealed the suitability of fabricated materials for wound dressing applications. CFK-SA-NW and CFK-CS-NW indicated a positive antibacterial effect against Gram's positive Staphylococcus aureus and Gram's negative Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli bacteria with the zone of inhibition enhanced over >2.0 cm. Moreover, the biomedical potentials of dressing materials has been investigated by cell viability and cytotoxicity tests. Further, the wound healing ability was demonstrated using in vivo model (Albino Wistar rat). The fabricated materials exhibited good support for cell viability and a strong cytocompatibility. Furthermore, the hundred percent wound healing ability of CFK-CS-NW, CFK-SA-NW, CFK-NW and untreated control rats was observed at 15, 17, 21 and 23 days, respectively, Moreover, the wound healing potential of CFK-CS-NW and CFK-SA-NW was found to be better than that of CFK-NW and control group of rats. The outcome of the present study discloses the prospective applications of the developed materials as wound dressing biomaterial.

Percutaneous ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration of portal vein thrombi as a diagnostic and staging technique for hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Detection of portal vein tumor invasion in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is important in determining therapy and prognosis. Patients with portal vein thrombus (PVT) due to tumor are considered to have advanced disease and are only offered palliative therapy. Therefore, every possible attempt should be made to accurately differentiate benign from malignant PVT.

METHODS

In this study, 20 patients presenting to the out-patient department with a PVT and a diagnosis/diagnostic suspicion of HCC were subjected to FNAC of PVT. Clinical, cytological, and histopathological data for these patients were analyzed.

RESULTS

The patients had a median age of 58 years, with majority being cirrhotic (80%) and males (80%). Thirteen patients had a prior radiological diagnosis of HCC at the time of FNAC. In three patients without any mass on imaging, FNAC made the initial diagnosis and staged the disease simultaneously. 50% of the thrombi were limited to 1st-order portal vein branches (vp3). Sixteen of the aspirates were positive for malignancy with 50% of the tumors being moderately differentiated. On histologic follow-up, three of the patients with negative aspirates had bland thrombi in their portal veins. No complications resulted from the procedure.

CONCLUSIONS

FNAC of PVT is a simple, safe, effective, well-tolerated, and economical method for staging of patients with HCC. When used as the initial diagnostic procedure, in selected patients, it can provide the diagnosis and staging information simultaneously.

Multispecies coexistence of trees in tropical forests: spatial signals of topographic niche differentiation increase with environmental heterogeneity

Neutral and niche theories give contrasting explanations for the maintenance of tropical tree species diversity. Both have some empirical support, but methods to disentangle their effects have not yet been developed. We applied a statistical measure of spatial structure to data from 14 large tropical forest plots to test a prediction of niche theory that is incompatible with neutral theory: that species in heterogeneous environments should separate out in space according to their niche preferences. We chose plots across a range of topographic heterogeneity, and tested whether pairwise spatial associations among species were more variable in more heterogeneous sites. We found strong support for this prediction, based on a strong positive relationship between variance in the spatial structure of species pairs and topographic heterogeneity across sites. We interpret this pattern as evidence of pervasive niche differentiation, which increases in importance with increasing environmental heterogeneity.

Vocalizations of wild Asian elephants (Elephas maximus): structural classification and social context

Elephants use vocalizations for both long and short distance communication. Whereas the acoustic repertoire of the African elephant (Loxodonta africana) has been extensively studied in its savannah habitat, very little is known about the structure and social context of the vocalizations of the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), which is mostly found in forests. In this study, the vocal repertoire of wild Asian elephants in southern India was examined. The calls could be classified into four mutually exclusive categories, namely, trumpets, chirps, roars, and rumbles, based on quantitative analyses of their spectral and temporal features. One of the call types, the rumble, exhibited high structural diversity, particularly in the direction and extent of frequency modulation of calls. Juveniles produced three of the four call types, including trumpets, roars, and rumbles, in the context of play and distress. Adults produced trumpets and roars in the context of disturbance, aggression, and play. Chirps were typically produced in situations of confusion and alarm. Rumbles were used for contact calling within and among herds, by matriarchs to assemble the herd, in close-range social interactions, and during disturbance and aggression. Spectral and temporal features of the four call types were similar between Asian and African elephants.

Patterns of tree growth in relation to environmental variability in the tropical dry deciduous forest at Mudumalai, southern India

Tree diameter growth is sensitive to environmental fluctuations and tropical dry forests experience high seasonal and inter-annual environmental variation. Tree growth rates in a large permanent plot at Mudumalai, southern India, were examined for the influences of rainfall and three intrinsic factors (size, species and growth form) during three 4-year intervals over the period 1988-2000. Most trees had lowest growth during the second interval when rainfall was lowest, and skewness and kurtosis of growth distributions were reduced during this interval. Tree diameter generally explained less than 10% of growth variation and had less influence on growth than species identity or time interval. Intraspecific variation was high, yet species identity accounted for up to 16% of growth variation in the community. There were no consistent differences between canopy and understory tree growth rates; however, a few subgroups of species may potentially represent canopy and understory growth guilds. Environmentally-induced temporal variations in growth generally did not reduce the odds of subsequent survival. Growth rates appear to be strongly influenced by species identity and environmental variability in the Mudumalai dry forest. Understanding and predicting vegetation dynamics in the dry tropics thus also requires information on temporal variability in local climate.

Behavioural and chemical confirmation of the preovulatory pheromone, (Z)-7-dodecenyl acetate, in wild Asian elephants: its relationship to musth

Mammalian breeding strategies vary depending on particular social contexts and sensory systems emphasized in various species. Among sexually dimorphic non-territorial Asian elephants, Elephas maximus, a multiplex olfactory chemical signaling system has been implicated in ensuring effective reproduction. This study explores how, using chemosensory mechanisms, widely roaming, wild male elephants locate periovulatory females in matriarchal-led female family units and precisely assess their ovulatory status. In this species, the dual obstacles of separately living sexes and infrequent oestrus are overcome by lengthy female cycles. During an extended preovulatory period captive females release increasing concentrations of the urinary pheromone (Z)-7-dodecenyl acetate, timed to reach a maximum just before ovulation. The current field studies combined chemical identification and quantification of female urinary (Z)-7-dodecenyl acetate with behavioural observations, monitoring the frequencies of chemosensory responses and premating behaviours by various categories of males. The results suggest the temporal extension of the preovulatory period effectively provides a synchrony between sexes for successful reproduction. Male elephants undergo a two-decade-long maturation process that involves physical, sexual, social, and physiological maturation. Males older than 30 years are generally large, sexually active, socially adept and capable of sustaining long periods of musth, during which they release secretions distinctive of adult musth. These older adult males in musth demonstrated significantly more chemosensory responses and premating behaviours than their younger or nonmusth counterparts; they apparently are more skilled at detecting the precise ovulatory status of females. Male–male interactions are affected by size, age, and musth; the winners gain greater access to females, as indicated by the high incidence of mate guarding. The Asian elephant shares some breeding tactics common to other mammals including some primates (e.g. orangutans) and whales, while the musth parameter adds a unique feature. Fusion–fission events are influenced by elephant reproductive strategies, as roving males join female groups while tracking preovulatory pheromone concentrations.

Mammalian breeding strategies vary depending on particular social contexts and sensory systems emphasized in various species. Among sexually dimorphic non-territorial Asian elephants,

Elephas maximus

, a multiplex olfactory chemical signaling system has been implicated in ensuring effective reproduction. This study explores how, using chemosensory mechanisms, widely roaming, wild male elephants locate periovulatory females in matriarchal-led female family units and precisely assess their ovulatory status. In this species, the dual obstacles of separately living sexes and infrequent oestrus are overcome by lengthy female cycles. During an extended preovulatory period captive females release increasing concentrations of the urinary pheromone (

Z

)-7-dodecenyl acetate, timed to reach a maximum just before ovulation. The current field studies combined chemical identification and quantification of female urinary (

Z

)-7-dodecenyl acetate with behavioural observations, monitoring the frequencies of chemosensory responses and premating behaviours by various categories of males. The results suggest the temporal extension of the preovulatory period effectively provides a synchrony between sexes for successful reproduction. Male elephants undergo a two-decade-long maturation process that involves physical, sexual, social, and physiological maturation. Males older than 30 years are generally large, sexually active, socially adept and capable of sustaining long periods of musth, during which they release secretions distinctive of adult musth. These older adult males in musth demonstrated significantly more chemosensory responses and premating behaviours than their younger or nonmusth counterparts; they apparently are more skilled at detecting the precise ovulatory status of females. Male–male interactions are affected by size, age, and musth; the winners gain greater access to females, as indicated by the high incidence of mate guarding. The Asian elephant shares some breeding tactics common to other mammals including some primates (e.g. orangutans) and whales, while the musth parameter adds a unique feature. Fusion–fission events are influenced by elephant reproductive strategies, as roving males join female groups while tracking preovulatory pheromone concentrations.

Population differentiation within and among Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) populations in southern India

Southern India, one of the last strongholds of the endangered Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), harbours about one-fifth of the global population. We present here the first population genetic study of free-ranging Asian elephants, examining within- and among-population differentiation by analysing mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and nuclear microsatellite DNA differentiation across the Nilgiris-Eastern Ghats, Anamalai, and Periyar elephant reserves of southern India. Low mtDNA diversity and 'normal' microsatellite diversity were observed. Surprisingly, the Nilgiri population, which is the world's single largest Asian elephant population, had only one mtDNA haplotype and lower microsatellite diversity than the two other smaller populations examined. There was almost no mtDNA or microsatellite differentiation among localities within the Nilgiris, an area of about 15,000 km2. This suggests extensive gene flow in the past, which is compatible with the home ranges of several hundred square kilometres of elephants in southern India. Conversely, the Nilgiri population is genetically distinct at both mitochondrial and microsatellite markers from the two more southerly populations, Anamalai and Periyar, which in turn are not genetically differentiated from each other. The more southerly populations are separated from the Nilgiris by only a 40-km-wide stretch across a gap in the Western Ghats mountain range. These results variably indicate the importance of population bottlenecks, social organization, and biogeographic barriers in shaping the distribution of genetic variation among Asian elephant populations in southern India.

The effect of some ecological factors on the intestinal parasite loads of the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) in southern India

Some ecological factors that might potentially influence intestinal parasite loads in the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus Linn.) were investigated in the Nilgiris, southern India. Fresh dung samples from identified animals were analysed, and the number of eggs/g of dung used as an index of parasite load. Comparisons across seasons and habitats revealed that parasite loads were significantly higher during the dry season than the wet season, but were not different between the dry-deciduous and dry-thorn forests in either season. After accounting for the effect of age on body condition, there was no correlation between body condition, assessed visually using morphological criteria, and parasite load in either season. Individuals of different elephant herds were not characterized by distinct parasite communities in either season. When intra-individual variation was examined, samples collected from the same individual within a day differed significantly in egg densities, while the temporal variation over several weeks or months (within a season) was much less. Egg densities within dung piles were uniform, enabling a simpler collection method henceforth.

Predicting species diversity in tropical forests

A fundamental question in ecology is how many species occur within a given area. Despite the complexity and diversity of different ecosystems, there exists a surprisingly simple, approximate answer: the number of species is proportional to the size of the area raised to some exponent. The exponent often turns out to be roughly 1/4. This power law can be derived from assumptions about the relative abundances of species or from notions of self-similarity. Here we analyze the largest existing data set of location-mapped species: over one million, individually identified trees from five tropical forests on three continents. Although the power law is a reasonable, zeroth-order approximation of our data, we find consistent deviations from it on all spatial scales. Furthermore, tropical forests are not self-similar at areas Collapse

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Affiliation(s)

J B Plotkin Institute for Advanced Study and Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA
M D Potts
D W Yu
S Bunyavejchewin
R Condit
R Foster
S Hubbell
J LaFrankie
N Manokaran
L H Seng
R Sukumar
M A Nowak
P S Ashton

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Spatial patterns in the distribution of tropical tree species

Fully mapped tree census plots of large area, 25 to 52 hectares, have now been completed at six different sites in tropical forests, including dry deciduous to wet evergreen forest on two continents. One of the main goals of these plots has been to evaluate spatial patterns in tropical tree populations. Here the degree of aggregation in the distribution of 1768 tree species is examined based on the average density of conspecific trees in circular neighborhoods around each tree. When all individuals larger than 1 centimeter in stem diameter were included, nearly every species was more aggregated than a random distribution. Considering only larger trees (>/= 10 centimeters in diameter), the pattern persisted, with most species being more aggregated than random. Rare species were more aggregated than common species. All six forests were very similar in all the particulars of these results.

Can ERCP contrast agents cause pseudomicrolithiasis? Their effect on the final outcome of bile analysis in patients with suspected microlithiasis

BACKGROUND

Microlithiasis has been implicated in the etiology of idiopathic pancreatitis and biliary-type pain in patients with intact gallbladders. Contrast injection at endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is used to confirm access into the bile duct and bile is also aspirated to look for microlithiasis. It is not known whether contrast agents contain crystals that could mimic true microlithiasis.

METHODS

Four mL of 2 contrast agents (Hypaque and Omnipaque) were examined after centrifugation under polarizing microscopy. In the second part of the study, bile aspirated during ERCP with contrast injection was examined for microlithiasis and contrast pseudomicrolithiasis.

RESULTS

Contrast agents exhibited pseudomicrolithiasis that mimicked calcium bilirubinate granules. Pathologists participating in the study were not aware of contrast pseudomicrolithiasis. Nine of twelve (75%) patients would have been reported as having microlithiasis and would possibly have undergone an unnecessary cholecystectomy.

CONCLUSION

When bile collected during ERCP is to be examined for microlithiasis, it should be collected without contamination by a contrast agent. If this is not possible, pathologists should be aware that contrast can cause pseudomicrolithiasis.

Application of computational fluid dynamics techniques to blood pumps

Present-day computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques can be used to analyze the behavior of fluid flow in a variety of pumps. CFD can be a powerful tool during the design stage for rapid virtual prototyping of different designs, analyzing performance parameters, and making design improvements. Computational flow solutions provide information such as the location and size of stagnation zones and the local shear rate. These parameters can be correlated to the extent of hemolysis and thrombus formation and are critical to the success of a blood pump. CFD-ACE, an advanced commercial CFD code developed by CFD Research Corporation, has been applied to fluid flows in rotary machines, such as axial flow pumps and inducers. Preprocessing and postprocessing tools for efficient grid generation and advanced graphical flow visualization are integrated seamlessly with CFD-ACE. The code has structured multiblock grid capability, non-Newtonian fluid treatment, a variety of turbulence models, and an Eulerian-Langrangian particle tracking model. CFD-ACE has been used successfully to study the flow characteristics in an axial flow blood pump. An unstructured flow solver that greatly automates the process of grid generation and speeds up the flow simulation is under development.

Parasite abundance and diversity in mammals: correlates with host ecology

Fecally dispersed parasites of 12 wild mammal species in Mudumalai Sanctuary, southern India, were studied. Fecal propagule densities and parasite diversity measures were correlated with host ecological variables. Host species with higher predatory pressure had lower parasite loads and parasite diversity. Host body weight, home range, population density, gregariousness, and diet did not show predicted effects on parasite loads. Measures of alpha diversity were positively correlated with parasite abundance and were negatively correlated with beta diversity. Based on these data, hypotheses regarding determinants of parasite community are discussed.

Direct estimation of absolute glomerular filtration rate from dynamic renal scintigraphy using gamma camera

Absolute glomerular filtration rate (GFR), which can serve as a useful parameter of renal function, is not applied in clinical practice due to various technical constraints. We estimated GFR in 20 subjects (10 controls, 10 patients) by two different techniques simultaneously with a single intravenous injection of TC99m DTPA. The GFR results obtained by a conventional plasma clearance technique were compared with that of a simpler, scintigraphic technique which does not require any blood or urine sample, and these were found to correlate significantly (r = 0.75, p less than 0.001). The linear relationship between the fraction of the dose injected taken up by the kidneys during the parenchymal phase of the dynamic imaging study and the overall plasma clearance was also found to be significant (r = 0.932, p less than 0.001) our study shows that reliable estimation of absolute GFR is possible from the routine dynamic renal scinti-scanning procedure using the gamma camera - computer system, and hence might prove applicable in clinical practice.

Otogenic brain abscess in childhood

Brain abscesses are quite rare complications of middle ear infections. Although temporal lobe abscesses are more common than cerebellar abscesses, the converse was found to be true in our series of 10 cases. Eight cases of cerebellar abscess and 2 cases of temporal lobe abscess in the paediatric age group were reported including 4 cases of latent brain abscesses which manifested themselves after mastoidectomy for middle ear infection. Brain abscess is by far the most serious of otogenic complications.

The characterization of a sodium-dependent high affinity choline uptake system unassociated with acetylcholine biosynthesis

The cardiac ganglion of the horseshoe crab, Limulus polyphemus, was incubated in Chao's solution containing 0.01 microM [3H]choline at room temperature (25 +/- 2 degrees C) and the ganglion readily accumulated the radiolabel. The ganglion uptake of [3H]choline was linear over 60 min. Kinetic analysis revealed dual choline uptake systems within the cardiac ganglion, a high affinity uptake system (Km = 2.2 microM, Vmax = 0.16 pmoles/mg/min) and a low affinity system (Km = 92.3 microM, Vmax = 3.08 pmoles/mg/min). The high affinity uptake system was sodium-dependent and inhibited by micromolar concentrations of hemicholinium-3. A 15 min pre-exposure of the ganglion to Chao's solution containing 90 mM potassium stimulated a significant increase in choline uptake. There was no detectable synthesis of [3H]acetylcholine from the [3H]choline taken up by the cardiac ganglion. The major portion of the extractable label appeared in a fraction which co-electrophoresed with phosphorylcholine. These results suggest that the sodium-dependent high affinity [3H]choline uptake system of the cardiac ganglion subserves a specific requirement for choline which is unrelated to a cholinergic function.