Oregon study: 59 Percent Of College Students Are Food Insecure

59 Percent Of College Students Are Food Insecure: Study

By Samantha Goodwin | Jan 28, 2014


Some of the reasons behind this could be a combination of rising college costs, more low-income and first-generation students attending college, and changing demographic trends.

"For past generations, students living on a lean budget might have just considered it part of the college experience, a transitory thing," said Megan Patton-López, lead author of the study with Oregon's Benton County Health Department. "But rising costs of education are now affecting more people. And for many of these students who are coming from low-income families and attending college for the first time, this may be a continuation of food insecurity they've known before. It becomes a way of life, and they don't have as many resources to help them out."

The disturbing parallels between pre-WWI and today

What Can 1914 Tell Us About 2014? The disturbing parallels between pre-WWI and today 

 

BY RICHARD J. EVANS

 "Perhaps the most striking difference between the world in 1914 and that of 2014 lies, in a way that would have surprised our ancestors of a century ago, in the greater power of religion today to disrupt the inter­national order. Whatever the First World War was about, it was a determinedly secular conflict. Only in the Ottoman empire, and the Balkans, perhaps, did religion play a role, yet even the Armenian genocide was justified by the Turks mainly in ethnic and security terms. The leading combatants in the First World War were pursuing decidedly secular interests."

 

PLoS One. 2014 Jan 21;9(1):e85935. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0085935. eCollection 2014.

MSLN Gene Silencing Has an Anti-Malignant Effect on Cell Lines Overexpressing Mesothelin Deriving from Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma.

Melaiu O¹, Stebbing J², Lombardo Y², Bracci E¹, Uehara N³, Bonotti A⁴, Cristaudo A⁴, Foddis R⁴, Mutti L⁵, Barale R¹, Gemignani F¹, Giamas G², Landi S¹.

Author information

• ¹Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
• ²Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
• ³Second Department of Pathology, Kansai Medical University, Moriguchi-Shi, Osaka, Japan.
• ⁴Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Orthopedics and Traumatology, Occupational Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
• ⁵Laboratory of Clinical Oncology, Vercelli National Health Trust, Vercelli, Italy.

Abstract

Genes involved in the carcinogenetic mechanisms underlying malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) are still poorly characterized. So far, mesothelin (MSLN) has aroused the most interest. It encodes for a membrane glycoprotein, frequently over-expressed in various malignancies such as MPM, and ovarian and pancreatic cancers. It has been proposed as a diagnostic and immunotherapeutic target with promising results. However, an alternative therapeutic approach seems to rise, whereby synthetic molecules, such as antisense oligonucleotides, could be used to inhibit MSLN activity. To date, such a gene-level inhibition has been attempted in two studies only, both on pancreatic and ovarian carcinoma cell lines, with the use of silencing RNA approaches. With regard to MPM, only one cell line (H2373) has been employed to study the effects of MSLN depletion. Indeed, the knowledge on the role of MSLN in MPM needs expanding. Accordingly, we investigated the expression of MSLN in a panel of three MPM cell lines, i.e. NCI-H28, Mero-14, and IstMes2; one non-MPM cell line was used as reference (Met5A). MSLN knock-down experiments on MSLN-overexpressing cells were also performed through silencing RNA (siRNA) to verify whether previous findings could be generalized to a different set of cell cultures. In agreement with previous studies, transient MSLN-silencing caused decreased proliferation rate and reduced invasive capacity and sphere formation in MSLN-overexpressing Mero-14 cells. Moreover, MSLN-siRNA combined with cisplatin, triggered a marked increase in apoptosis and a decrease in proliferation as compared to cells treated with each agent alone, thereby suggesting a sensitizing effect of siRNA towards cisplatin. In summary, our findings confirm that MSLN should be considered a key molecular target for novel gene-based targeted therapies of cancer.

Sci Rep. 2013 Dec 19;3:3557. doi: 10.1038/srep03557.

Male courtship vibrations delay predatory behaviour in female spiders.

Wignall AE, Herberstein ME.

Author information

• Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia.

Abstract

During courtship, individuals transfer information about identity, mating status and quality. However, male web-building spiders face a significant problem: how to begin courting female spiders without being mistaken for prey? Male Argiope spiders generate distinctive courtship vibrations (shudders) when entering a female's web. We tested whether courtship shudders delay female predatory behaviour, even when live prey is present in the web. We presented a live cricket to females during playbacks of shudder vibrations, or white noise, and compared female responses to a control in which we presented a live cricket with no playback vibrations. Females were much slower to respond to crickets during playback of shudder vibrations. Shudder vibrations also delayed female predatory behaviour in a related spider species, showing that these vibrations do not simply function for species identity. These results suggest that male web-building spiders employ a phylogenetically conserved vibratory signal to ameliorate the risk of pre-copulatory cannibalism.

Preventing severe respiratory syncytial virus disease: passive, active immunization and new antivirals

Arch Dis Child. 2014 Jan 24. doi: 10.1136/archdischild-2013-303764. [Epub ahead of print]

Preventing severe respiratory syncytial virus disease: passive, active immunisation and new antivirals.

Murray J, Saxena S, Sharland M.

Author information

• Department of Primary Care and Public Health, Imperial College London, , London, UK.

Abstract

In most high-income countries palivizumab prophylaxis is considered safe, efficacious and cost-effective for preventing respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) hospital admissions among specific subgroups of infants born preterm, with chronic lung disease or with congenital heart disease. Virtually all babies acquire RSV during infancy and previously healthy babies are not eligible to receive palivizumab. Emerging evidence suggests some benefit of palivizumab use in reducing recurrent wheeze among infants born preterm. Better longitudinal studies are needed to examine its clinical and cost-effectiveness on recurrent and chronic respiratory illness and associated healthcare burden on resources in the community and hospitals. Since 99% of child deaths attributed to RSV occur in resource poor countries where expensive prophylaxis is not available or affordable, palivizumab has limited potential to impact on the current global burden of RSV lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI). A range of candidate vaccines for active immunisation against RSV are now in clinical trials. Two promising new antivirals are also currently in phase I/II trials to test their effectiveness in preventing severe RSV LRTI. These agents may be effective in preventing severe disease and phase III studies are in development. In the absence of effective active immunisation against RSV infection, population level approaches to prevent severe RSV LRTI should continue to focus on reducing prenatal and environmental risk factors including prematurity, smoking and improving hygiene practices.

J Hist Behav Sci. 2014 Jan;50(1):1-36. doi: 10.1002/jhbs.21642. Epub 2013 Dec 6.

In dogs we trust? Intersubjectivity, response-able relations, and the making of mine detector dogs.

Kirk RG.

Abstract

The utility of the dog as a mine detector has divided the mine clearance community since dogs were first used for this purpose during the Second World War. This paper adopts a historical perspective to investigate how, why, and to what consequence, the use of minedogs remains contested despite decades of research into their abilities. It explores the changing factors that have made it possible to think that dogs could, or could not, serve as reliable detectors of landmines over time. Beginning with an analysis of the wartime context that shaped the creation of minedogs, the paper then examines two contemporaneous investigations undertaken in the 1950s. The first, a British investigation pursued by the anatomist Solly Zuckerman, concluded that dogs could never be the mine hunter's best friend. The second, an American study led by the parapsychologist J. B. Rhine, suggested dogs were potentially useful for mine clearance. Drawing on literature from science studies and the emerging subdiscipline of "animal studies," it is argued that cross-species intersubjectivity played a significant role in determining these different positions. The conceptual landscapes of Zuckerman and Rhine's disciplinary backgrounds are shown to have produced distinct approaches to managing cross-species relations, thus explaining how diverse opinions on minedog can coexist. In conclusion, it is shown that the way one structures relationships between humans and animals has profound impact on the knowledge and labor subsequently produced, a process that cannot be separated from ethical consequence.

"...and let him know that I would take over his job when I was old enough."

Math Biosci Eng. 2013 Oct-Dec;10(5-6):xxix-xxxvii. doi: 10.3934/mbe.2013.10.xxix.

From rockstar researcher to selfless mentor: a daughter's perspective.

Castillo-Garsow M.

Author information

• American Studies and African American Studies, Graduate Affiliate, Ethnicity, Race and Migration Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, United States. mcg258@nyu.edu.

Abstract

Carlos Castillo-Chavez's tenure at Cornell University with Simon Levine, also marks the beginning of my life as his daughter. I was nine months old when I arrived to Ithaca, and my recollections of my father in elementary school and middle school were of him furiously writing equations at his desk, or outside on the chalk board in our shed, or on napkins, notepads or anything he could get his hands on at restaurants; but more likely than not, away. When I was young, my father was becoming the researcher that today makes him a three-time Presidential honoree, a member of Barak Obama's Presidential Committee on the National Medal of Science, and of course, the purpose of this volume. Even in those early days, he was away a lot--either traveling to conferences or increasingly as an invited lecturer, or at the office. Of course, I was still (and am) a daddy's little girl, bonded forever by a shared obsession with the same movies (The Godfather, My Name is Nobody, The Man from Snowy River); the same TV shows (Law and Order); and all things sports related, but I also knew that my father was a very busy man and his time was limited. So I would watch him work, often with my own little extra homework he would give me to keep me entertained, peck him on the check and let him know that I would take over his job when I was old enough.

Lancet Respir Med. 2014 Jan;2(1):73-82. doi: 10.1016/S2213-2600(13)70162-0. Epub 2013 Aug 23.

Respiratory infections in patients with cystic fibrosis undergoing lung transplantation.

Lobo LJ1, Noone PG2.

Author information

• 1Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA.
• 2Pulmonary Division, Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA. Electronic address: pnoone@med.unc.edu.

Abstract

Cystic fibrosis is an inherited disease characterised by chronic respiratory infections associated with bronchiectasis. Lung transplantation has helped to extend the lives of patients with cystic fibrosis who have advanced lung disease. However, persistent, recurrent, and newly acquired infections can be problematic. Classic cystic fibrosis-associated organisms, such as Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, are generally manageable post-transplantation, and are associated with favourable outcomes. Burkholderia cenocepacia poses particular challenges, although other Burkholderia species are less problematic. Despite concerns about non-tuberculous mycobacteria, especially Mycobacterium abscessus, post-transplantation survival has not been definitively shown to be less than average in patients with these infections. Fungal species can be prevalent before and after transplantation and are associated with high morbidity, so should be treated aggressively. Appropriate viral screening and antiviral prophylaxis are necessary to prevent infection with and reactivation of Epstein-Barr virus and cytomegalovirus and their associated complications. Awareness of drug pharmacokinetics and interactions in cystic fibrosis is crucial to prevent toxic effects and subtherapeutic or supratherapeutic drug dosing. With the large range of potential infectious organisms in patients with cystic fibrosis, infection control in hospital and outpatient settings is important. Despite its complexity, lung transplantation in the cystic fibrosis population is safe, with good outcomes if the clinician is aware of all the potential pathogens and remains vigilant by means of surveillance and proactive treatment.

"The entire "COX-2 debacle" is reminiscent of past events with NSAIDs."

Pain Med. 2013 Dec;14 Suppl 1:S29-34. doi: 10.1111/pme.12252.

COX-2 Inhibition: What We Learned-A Controversial Update on Safety Data.

Katz JA.

Author information

• Department of Anesthesiology, Section of Pain Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Abstract

IMPORTANCE:

Cyclooxygenase type 2 (COX-2)-selective nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (c2sNSAIDs) have been scrutinized relative to the less costly nonselective NSAIDs (nsNSAIDs). The conclusions reached were not always consistent with the data, and best treatment choices for patients were not always recommended.

OBJECTIVE:

The data that were used to criticize the c2sNSAIDs are reexamined in a controversial light, demonstrating that the presence of reverse bias was often, but not always, present.

EVIDENCE REVIEW:

A review of both Pubmed and news media articles relating to nsNSAIDs and c2sNSAIDs was conducted. References were selected on the basis of relevance to the controversies.

FINDINGS:

The initial claims for the c2sNSAIDs of reduced gastrointestinal (GI) injury and preservation of platelet function were soon dwarfed by concerns regarding increased cardiovascular (CV) risk with publication of the Vioxx Gastrointestinal Outcomes Research trial for rofecoxib. Initial prothrombotic theories had a poor basis for explaining these concerns and have since largely been replaced with more credible explanations, including blood pressure elevations known to occur with all NSAIDs. Between data suggesting increased CV risk and under political pressure and public outcry, rofecoxib was withdrawn from the market in 2004. Soon, all c2sNSAIDs were under scrutiny. The Food and Drug Administration has since grouped all NSAIDs, whether c2sNSAID or nsNSAID, into one class with similar warnings regarding skin, CV, renal, and GI side effects.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE:

The entire "COX-2 debacle" is reminiscent of past events with NSAIDs. Amid this public, media, and political hysteria, it is not clear if we will see any more NSAIDs (selective or otherwise) approved in the near future.

Sci Rep. 2014 Jan 21;4:3784. doi: 10.1038/srep03784.

To each according to its degree: the meritocracy and topocracy of embedded markets.

Borondo J1, Borondo F2, Rodriguez-Sickert C3, Hidalgo CA4.

Author information

• 11] Macro Connections, The MIT Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA [2] Grupo de Sistemas Complejos and Departamento de Física y Mecánica, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, ETSI Agrónomos, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
• 21] Macro Connections, The MIT Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA [2] Instituto de Ciencias Matemáticas (ICMAT), Cantoblanco, 28049-Madrid, Spain [3] Departamento de Química, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, 28049-Madrid, Spain.
• 3Centro de Investigación en Complejidad Social, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile.
• 4Macro Connections, The MIT Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA.

Abstract

A system is said to be meritocratic if the compensation and power available to individuals is determined by their abilities and merits. A system is topocratic if the compensation and power available to an individual is determined primarily by her position in a network. Here we introduce a model that is perfectly meritocratic for fully connected networks but that becomes topocratic for sparse networks-like the ones in society. In the model, individuals produce and sell content, but also distribute the content produced by others when they belong to the shortest path connecting a buyer and a seller. The production and distribution of content defines two channels of compensation: a meritocratic channel, where individuals are compensated for the content they produce, and a topocratic channel, where individual compensation is based on the number of shortest paths that go through them in the network. We solve the model analytically and show that the distribution of payoffs is meritocratic only if the average degree of the nodes is larger than a root of the total number of nodes. We conclude that, in the light of this model, the sparsity and structure of networks represents a fundamental constraint to the meritocracy of societies.

Health Place. 2013 Dec 25;26C:161-170. doi: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2013.12.012. [Epub ahead of print]

Online social networking sites-a novel setting for health promotion?

Loss J1, Lindacher V2, Curbach J2.

Author information

• 1Medical Sociology, University of Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauss-Allee 11, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany. Electronic address: julika.loss@ukr.de.
• 2Medical Sociology, University of Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauss-Allee 11, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany.

Abstract

Among adolescents, online social networking sites (SNS) such as Facebook are popular platforms for social interaction and may therefore be considered as 'novel settings' that could be exploited for health promotion. In this article, we examine the relevant definitions in health promotion and literature in order to analyze whether key characteristics of 'settings for health promotion' and the socio-ecological settings approach can be transferred to SNS. As many of our daily activities have shifted to cyberspace, we argue that online social interaction may gain more importance than geographic closeness for defining a 'setting'. While exposition to positive references to risk behavior by peers may render the SNS environment detrimental to health, SNS may allow people to create their own content and therefore foster participation. However, those health promotion projects delivered on SNS up until today solely relied on health education directed at end users. It remains unclear how health promotion on SNS can meet other requirements of the settings approach (e.g. building partnerships, changing the environment). As yet, one should be cautious in terming SNS a 'setting'.

"The fact that artists are now minted by universities..."

Permission to Fail

MFAs aren’t a problem: it’s artists’ being content with what they know.

Barry Schwabsky 

January 21, 2014  

"The fact that artists are now minted by universities (and degree-granting art schools modeled on the university) may have done wonders for their social standing, but it’s also been a source of worry to many critics and artists, who think something of great value might be lost by the professionalization of the artist."

Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther. 2014 Jan 23. [Epub ahead of print]

Tuberculosis screening and isoniazid preventive therapy implementation: a Brazilian experience.

Swaminathan S, Chandrasekaran P.

Author information

• Department of Clinical Research, National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis, Chetput, Chennai 600 031, TN, India.

Abstract

Evaluation of: Durovni B, Saraceni V, Moulton LH, et al. Effect of improved tuberculosis screening and isoniazid preventive therapy on incidence of tuberculosis and death in patients with HIV in clinics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: a stepped wedge, cluster-randomised trial. Lancet Infect Dis 2013;13(10):852-8 Tuberculosis Preventive therapy has been used since the 1960s for both mass treatment of populations and for targeted therapy to high-risk groups such as children. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends the use of Isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT) as one of the strategies to reduce the TB burden among people living with HIV infection. However, its uptake in countries with high TB burden has been poor. One of the main barriers to its widespread implementation is concerns around the ruling out of active TB. WHO, in its revised guidelines on IPT, recommends the use of a symptom-based algorithm for TB screening. The randomized clinical trial evaluated here explores the effect of an intervention, in the form of training the clinic staff to screen for TB, use of tuberculin skin test and IPT to treat latent TB infection, and assess its effect on rates of TB and death in HIV infected.

From Tbilisi St Med U: Promoting health in Georgia

Glob Health Promot. 2014 Jan 23. [Epub ahead of print]

Promoting health in Georgia.

Raminashvili D, Bakhturidze G, Zarnadze I, Peikrishvili N, Bull T.

Author information

• 1.Tbilisi State Medical University, Tbilisi, Georgia.

Abstract

This paper discusses the public health situation in Georgia. In 1991 Georgia became an independent republic following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The armed conflict with Russia in 2008 and political unrest in recent years has presented the Georgian population and politicians with a demanding situation. As part of the WHO European Region, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) including Georgia is on the unfortunate side of a European health divide, with low male life expectancy and high under-five mortality. There is also a high degree of economic inequality in the population. We first look at the main players and the current strategies in public health work. Next we discuss this on the background of health promotion principles and recent international developments in knowledge and policy recommendations in the field of health promotion. Finally we point to some of the major public health challenges that Georgia faces. We conclude that the Georgian focus on reducing risk behaviours and improving access to quality health care is worthy of praise, but that this is not sufficient to solve the current public health challenges. Strategies for working across sectors with social determinants of health should be built into Georgian health thinking and policies. A health promotion work force should be developed. International developments such as the Commission on Social Determinants of Health (CSDH) report, the 'Health 2020' framework and the HP Core Competencies project all provide useful input to future development of healthy public policies in Georgia.

Oncology. 2014 Jan 21;86(2):109-116. [Epub ahead of print]

Clinical Significance of Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition-Associated Markers in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma.

Iwanami T, Uramoto H, Nakagawa M, Shimokawa H, Yamada S, Kohno K, Tanaka F.

Author information

• Second Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu, Japan.

Abstract

Epithelioid tumors with aggressive behavior have been reported; however, the epithelioid type of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) has a less aggressive behavior. Few studies have evaluated the prognostic value of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers in MPM. We hypothesized that mesenchymal characteristics might predominate in the tumors. Tumor specimens were collected from 33 consecutive patients. We analyzed the EMT expression levels in tumor samples by an immunohistochemical analysis. Positive expression of E-cadherin, γ-catenin, vimentin, fibronectin, Twist and YB-1 was observed in 25, 14, 21, 1, 19 and 18 patients, respectively. No significant association between these markers and the clinicopathological characteristics was found. γ-Catenin demonstrated a trend towards decreased expression in sarcomatoid tumors compared to epithelioid tumors. On the other hand, a trend was noted towards higher expression of vimentin, Twist and YB-1 in sarcomatoid tumors. The survival curves demonstrated that the patients with negative γ-catenin and positive Twist staining had a tendency to have a worse prognosis. Although the individual proteins might not significantly affect the progression of MPM, the combination of γ-catenin and Twist staining can predict the prognosis of patients with MPM. 

Genome Announc. 2014 Jan 23;2(1). pii: e01232-13. doi: 10.1128/genomeA.01232-13.

Complete Genome Sequence of Highly Adherent Pseudomonas aeruginosa Small-Colony Variant SCV20265.

Eckweiler D, Bunk B, Spröer C, Overmann J, Häussler S.

Author information

• Department of Molecular Bacteriology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany.

Abstract

The evolution of small-colony variants within Pseudomonas aeruginosa populations chronically infecting the cystic fibrosis lung is one example of the emergence of adapted subpopulations. Here, we present the complete genome sequence of the autoaggregative and hyperpiliated P. aeruginosa small-colony variant SCV20265, which was isolated from a cystic fibrosis (CF) patient.

Is Life Better After Motor Cortex Stimulation for Pain Control?

Pain Physician. 2014 Jan-Feb;17(1):53-62.

Is Life Better After Motor Cortex Stimulation for Pain Control? Results at Long-Term and their Prediction by Preoperative rTMS.

Andre-Obadia N, Mertens P, Lelekov-Boissard T, Afif A, Magnin M, Garcia-Larrea L.

Author information

• Neurophysiology & Epilepsy Unit, Neurological Hospital P. Wertheimer, Hospices Civils de Lyon, France; Inserm U 1028, NeuroPain team, Neuroscience Research Center of Lyon (CRNL), Lyon-1 University, France.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

A positive effect of motor cortex stimulation (MCS) (defined as subjective estimations of pain relief ≥ 30%) has been reported in 55 - 64% of patients. Repetitive magnetic cortical stimulation (rTMS) is considered a predictor of MCS effect. These figures are, however, mostly based on subjective reports of pain intensity, and have not been confirmed in the long-term.

OBJECTIVES:

This study assessed long-term pain relief (2 - 9 years) after epidural motor cortex stimulation and its pre-operative prediction by rTMS, using both intensity and Quality of Life (QoL) scales.

STUDY DESIGN:

Analysis of the long-term evolution of pain patients treated by epidural motor cortex stimulation, and predictive value of preoperative response to rTMS.

SETTING:

University Neurological Hospital Pain Center.

METHODS:

Patients: Twenty patients suffering chronic pharmaco-resistant neuropathic pain. Intervention: All patients received first randomized sham vs. active 20Hz-rTMS, before being submitted to MCS surgery. Measurement: Postoperative pain relief was evaluated at 6 months and then up to 9 years post-MCS (average 6.1 ± 2.6 y) using (i) pain numerical rating scores (NRS); (ii) a combined assessment (CPA) including NRS, drug intake, and subjective quality of life; and (iii) a short questionnaire (HowRu) exploring discomfort, distress, disability, and dependence.

RESULTS:

Pain scores were significantly reduced by active (but not sham) rTMS and by subsequent MCS. Ten out of 20 patients kept a long-term benefit from MCS, both on raw pain scores and on CPA. The CPA results were strictly comparable when obtained by the surgeon or by a third-party on telephonic survey (r = 0.9). CPA scores following rTMS and long-term MCS were significantly associated (Fisher P = 0.02), with 90% positive predictive value and 67% negative predictive value of preoperative rTMS over long-term MCS results. On the HowRu questionnaire, long-term MCS-related improvement concerned "discomfort" (physical pain) and "dependence" (autonomy for daily activities), whereas "disability" (work, home, and leisure activities) and "distress" (anxiety, stress, depression) did not significantly improve.

LIMITATIONS:

Limited cohort of patients with inhomogeneous pain etiology. Subjectivity of the reported items by the patient after a variable and long delay after surgery. Predictive evaluation based on a single rTMS session compared to chronic MCS.

CONCLUSIONS:

Half of the patients still retain a significant benefit after 2 - 9 years of continuous MCS, and this can be reasonably predicted by preoperative rTMS. Adding drug intake and QoL estimates to raw pain scores allows a more realistic assessment of long-term benefits and enhance the rTMS predictive value. The aims of this study and its design were approved by the local ethics committee (University Hospitals St Etienne and Lyon, France).

"...the mosaic of ethical diversity."

Int J Family Med. 2013;2013:587541. Epub 2013 Dec 12.

Ethical Diversity and the Role of Conscience in Clinical Medicine.

Genuis SJ1, Lipp C2.

Author information

• 1University of Alberta, 2935-66 Street, Edmonton, AB, Canada T6K 4C1.
• 2University of British Columbia, 2329 W Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z4.

Abstract

In a climate of plurality about the concept of what is "good," one of the most daunting challenges facing contemporary medicine is the provision of medical care within the mosaic of ethical diversity. Juxtaposed with escalating scientific knowledge and clinical prowess has been the concomitant erosion of unity of thought in medical ethics. With innumerable technologies now available in the armamentarium of healthcare, combined with escalating realities of financial constraints, cultural differences, moral divergence, and ideological divides among stakeholders, medical professionals and their patients are increasingly faced with ethical quandaries when making medical decisions. Amidst the plurality of values, ethical collision arises when the values of individual health professionals are dissonant with the expressed requests of patients, the common practice amongst colleagues, or the directives from regulatory and political authorities. In addition, concern is increasing among some medical practitioners due to mounting attempts by certain groups to curtail freedom of independent conscience-by preventing medical professionals from doing what to them is apparently good, or by compelling practitioners to do what they, in conscience, deem to be evil. This paper and the case study presented will explore issues related to freedom of conscience and consider practical approaches to ethical collision in clinical medicine.

N Engl J Med. 2014 Jan 22. [Epub ahead of print]

Choosing Wisely - The Politics and Economics of Labeling Low-Value Services.

Morden NE, Colla CH, Sequist TD, Rosenthal MB.

Author information

• From the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice (N.E.M., C.H.C.), the Department of Community and Family Medicine, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth (N.E.M), and the Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (N.E.M., C.H.C.) - all in Lebanon, NH; and the Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School (T.D.S.), the Division of General Internal Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital (T.D.S.), Partners Healthcare System (T.D.S.), and the Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard School of Public Health (M.B.R.) - all in Boston.

Abstract

With its Choosing Wisely campaign, the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Foundation boldly invited professional societies to own their role as "stewards of finite health care resources."1 Beginning in 2009, the National Physicians Alliance, funded by the ABIM Foundation, guided volunteers from three primary care specialties through the development of "Top Five" lists - specialty-specific enumerations of five achievable practice changes to improve patient health through better treatment choices, reduced risks and, where possible, reduced costs.2 In April 2012, the effort was expanded and launched as the Choosing Wisely campaign, with lists from nine specialty societies and a patient-education . . .

Blood Purif. 2014;37 Suppl 1:2-4. doi: 10.1159/000356828. Epub 2014 Jan 20.

State of the art in the clinical treatment of endotoxic shock.

Artigas A, Piccinni P.

Author information

• Critical Care Center, Sabadell Hospital, CIBER Enfermedades Respiratorias, Corporació Sanitària Universitària Parc Taulí, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Sabadell, Spain.

Abstract

Sepsis is a major health problem and remains an important cause of death worldwide. The failure to convert advances in our understanding of the biologic features of sepsis into effective new therapies questions the current approach to the development of sepsis drugs, and suggests a need for newer and better clinical trial design. Blood purification for sepsis is a promising therapeutic strategy to improve survival and reduce organ failure in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock. 

Just how good a comedian was Jonathan Winters?

http://biggeekdad.com/2013/04/jonathan-winters-stick/#.UXfWSphGZzg.email

(HT: MC)

Saturday Night. Time for Economics 101

ROUND ONE


ROUND TWO

An after hours peek inside the Art Institute of Chicago

Art Institute's world-famous pieces take on a different character after hours

January 24, 2014|Story and photos by Chris Walker | Tribune photographer

The museum falls asleep slowly, with galleries darkened one by one. But at midnight it's lights out at the Art Institute of Chicago, and that's when things gets creepy.

"I hear things," says Jerry Zollicoffer, the museum's protection services manager. "Most of the time it's just the building settling."

Most of the time.

Sci Rep. 2014 Jan 23;4:3793. doi: 10.1038/srep03793.

HIF-1-mediated metabolic reprogramming reduces ROS levels and facilitates the metastatic colonization of cancers in lungs.

Zhao T1, Zhu Y2, Morinibu A3, Kobayashi M3, Shinomiya K3, Itasaka S4, Yoshimura M4, Guo G5, Hiraoka M4, Harada H3.

Author information

• 11] Group of Radiation and Tumor Biology, Department of Radiation Oncology and Image-applied Therapy, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine. 54 Shogoin Kawahara-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan [2] Group of Radiation and Tumor Biology, Career-Path Promotion Unit for Young Life Scientists, Kyoto University. Yoshida Konoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan [3] Department of Radiation Medicine, Fourth Military Medical University. 17 Changle West Road, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710032, China.
• 21] Group of Radiation and Tumor Biology, Department of Radiation Oncology and Image-applied Therapy, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine. 54 Shogoin Kawahara-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan [2] Group of Radiation and Tumor Biology, Career-Path Promotion Unit for Young Life Scientists, Kyoto University. Yoshida Konoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan [3] Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University. No.1 Friendship Road, Yuanjiagang, Yuzhong District, Chongqing 400016, China.
• 31] Group of Radiation and Tumor Biology, Department of Radiation Oncology and Image-applied Therapy, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine. 54 Shogoin Kawahara-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan [2] Group of Radiation and Tumor Biology, Career-Path Promotion Unit for Young Life Scientists, Kyoto University. Yoshida Konoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan.
• 4Group of Radiation and Tumor Biology, Department of Radiation Oncology and Image-applied Therapy, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine. 54 Shogoin Kawahara-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan.
• 5Department of Radiation Medicine, Fourth Military Medical University. 17 Changle West Road, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710032, China.

Abstract

Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) has been associated with distant tumor metastasis; however, its function in multiple metastatic processes has not yet been fully elucidated. In the present study, we demonstrated that cancer cells transiently upregulated HIF-1 activity during their metastatic colonization after extravasation in the lungs in hypoxia-independent and reactive oxygen species (ROS)-dependent manners. Transient activation induced the expression of lactate dehydrogenase A and phosphorylation of the E1α subunit of pyruvate dehydrogenase, which indicated the reprogramming of glucose metabolic pathways from mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation to anaerobic glycolysis and lactic acid fermentation. The administration of the HIF-1 inhibitor, YC-1, inhibited this reprogramming, increased intratumoral ROS levels, and eventually suppressed the formation of metastatic lung tumors. These results indicate that HIF-1-mediated metabolic reprogramming is responsible for the survival of metastatic cancers during their colonization in lungs by reducing cytotoxic ROS levels; therefore, its blockade by HIF-1-inhibitors is a rational strategy to prevent tumor metastasis.