Bipolar disorder research 2.0: Web technologies for research capacity and knowledge translation.

RATIONALE, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: Current Web technologies offer bipolar disorder (BD) researchers many untapped opportunities for conducting research and for promoting knowledge exchange. In the present paper, we document our experiences with a variety of Web 2.0 technologies in the context of an international BD research network: The Collaborative RESearch Team to Study psychosocial issues in BD (CREST.BD). METHODS: Three technologies were used as tools for enabling research within CREST.BD and for encouraging the dissemination of the results of our research: (1) the crestbd.ca website, (2) social networking tools (ie, Facebook, Twitter), and (3) several sorts of file sharing (ie YouTube, FileShare). For each Web technology, we collected quantitative assessments of their effectiveness (in reach, exposure, and engagement) over a 6-year timeframe (2010-2016). RESULTS: In general, many of our strategies were deemed successful for promoting knowledge exchange and other network goals. We discuss how we applied our Web analytics to inform adaptations and refinements of our Web 2.0 platforms to maximise knowledge exchange with people with BD, their supporters, and health care providers. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude with some general recommendations for other mental health researchers and research networks interested in pursuing Web 2.0 strategies.

Validity and reliability of an estimated daily intake scale for fat.

The reliability and validity of an Estimated Daily Intake Scale for Fat (EDIS-F) used to measure daily intake of fat in a participant's diet was tested. A Cronbach's alpha was used to determine the reliability of the EDIS-F. To determine the validity of this scale, scores on this scale were correlated with known factors related to daily intake of fat (e.g., ratings of liking for a high fat food and the body mass index score of participants). A 13-item EDIS-F was shown to be reliable, and scores on the EDIS-F significantly correlated with ratings of liking for a high fat cream cheese cracker and BMI, but not with gender, consistent with the assertion that this scale measures daily intake of fat. Implications for using this scale are discussed.

Condom use and hip hop culture: the case of urban young men in New York City.

OBJECTIVES: We explored how young men's perceptions of and participation in hip hop culture--urban social and artistic expressions, such as clothing style, breakdancing, graffiti, and rap music--and how contextual factors of the hip hop scene may be associated with their condom use, condom-use self-efficacy, and sense of community. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 95 African American and Latino men aged 15 to 25 years as part of a 4-year ethnographic study in New York City. RESULTS: Differences in young men's perceptions of and levels of affiliation with hip hop culture were not statistically associated with differences in their sense of community or condom-use self-efficacy. Frequency of participation in the hip hop nightclub scene was the strongest factor negatively associated with condom use. CONCLUSIONS: Popular discourses on young men's health risks often blame youths' cultures such as the hip hop culture for increased risk practices but do not critically examine how risk emerges in urban young men's lives and what aspects of youths' culture can be protective. Further research needs to focus on contextual factors of risk such as the role of hip hop nightlife on increased HIV risk.

Pilot study of combination transcriptional modulation therapy with sodium phenylbutyrate and 5-azacytidine in patients with acute myeloid leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome.

Epigenetic mechanisms underlying tumorigenesis have recently received much attention as potential therapeutic targets of human cancer. We designed a pilot study to target DNA methylation and histone deacetylation through the sequential administration of 5-azacytidine followed by sodium phenylbutyrate (PB) in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Ten evaluable patients (eight AML, two MDS) were treated with seven consecutive daily subcutaneous injections of 5-azacytidine at 75 mg/m2 followed by 5 days of sodium PB given intravenously at a dose of 200 mg/kg. Five patients (50%) were able to achieve a beneficial clinical response (partial remission or stable disease). One patient with MDS proceeded to allogeneic stem cell transplantation and is alive without evidence of disease 39 months later. The combination regimen was well tolerated with common toxicities of injection site skin reaction (90% of the patients) from 5-azacytidine, and somnolence/fatigue from the sodium PB infusion (80% of the patients). Correlative laboratory studies demonstrated the consistent reacetylation of histone H4, although no relationship with the clinical response could be demonstrated. Results from this pilot study demonstrate that a combination approach targeting different mechanisms of transcriptional modulation is clinically feasible with acceptable toxicity and measurable biologic and clinical outcomes.

Prostatic neuroendocrine tumor in multiple endocrine neoplasia Type 2B.

We report the unusual occurrence of a neuroendocrine prostatic tumor in two young males with multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) 2B. Immunohistochemistry of the tumor markers may help differentiate a primary neuroendocrine prostate tumor from the metastasis of a medullary thyroid carcinoma of poor prognosis. MEN 2B hallmarks (i.e. plasma thyrocalcitonin and urinary metanephrines) may be systematically investigated in neuroendocrine tumors of the prostate, and conversely prostate examination may be performed in the periodic screening of MEN 2B male patients.

[Chondromas and low-grade chondrosarcomas of the larynx: a case report]. / Chondromes et chondrosarcomes de bas grade du larynx. A propos d'un cas.

OBJECTIVE: We report a case of cricoid chondroma, underlining the difficulty in establishing a precise differential diagnosis between chondroma and low-grade chondrosarcoma of the larynx. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A 48-year-old woman developed inspiratory dyspnea. The final diagnosis was cricoid chondroma. We reviewed our case and data in the literature on these cartilaginous tumors. RESULTS: The patient was treated with conservative surgery. At 18 months follow-up, no recurrence has been detected. DISCUSSION: These tumors are rarely found in an ENT location and have similar histological features. According to many authors, the clinical course alone enables a distinction between chondroma and low-grade chondrosarcoma. Surgical treatment is indicated and provides good phonatory function in the vast majority of the cases.

Synchronous pulmonary adenocarcinoma and extranodal marginal zone/low-grade B-cell lymphoma of MALT type.

A case of synchronous adenocarcinoma of lung and extranodal marginal zone/low-grade B-cell lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) is reported. Primary pulmonary non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is relatively rare, however, the majority of these lesions are low-grade B-cell lymphomas of MALT. After the stomach, the lung is the second most common location for such latter lesions. Lung adenocarcinoma in selected countries is fast becoming the leading form of non small-cell lung carcinoma. To our knowledge, this synchronous occurrence in the lung has not been previously reported. Such associations have been primarily limited to gastric lesions where an association with Helicobacter pylori infection has been identified. This case report highlights the importance of adjunctive diagnostic investigations such as molecular techniques in conclusive analysis of synchronous cases such as ours.

Leukocytosis and the retinoic acid syndrome in patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia treated with arsenic trioxide.

PURPOSE: Arsenic trioxide, like all-trans-retinoic acid (RA), induces differentiation of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) cells in vivo. Treatment of APL patients with all-trans RA is commonly associated with leukocytosis, and approximately 50% of patients develop the RA syndrome. We reviewed our clinical experience with arsenic trioxide to determine the incidence of these two phenomena. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty-six patients with relapsed or refractory APL were treated with arsenic trioxide for remission induction at daily doses that ranged from 0.06 to 0.17 mg/kg. RESULTS: Twenty-three patients (88%) achieved complete remission. Leukocytosis was observed in 15 patients (58%). The median baseline leukocyte count for patients with leukocytosis was 3,900 cells/microL (range, 1,200 to 72,300 cells/microL), which was higher than that for patients who did not develop leukocytosis (2,100 cells/microL; range, 500 to 5,400 cells/microL; P =.01). No other cytotoxic therapy was administered, and the leukocytosis resolved in all cases. The RA syndrome was observed in eight patients (31%). Patients who developed leukocytosis were significantly more likely to develop the RA syndrome (P <.001), and no patient without a peak leukocyte count greater than 10,000 cells/microL developed the syndrome. Among the patients with leukocytosis, there was no observed relation between the leukocyte peak and the probability of developing the syndrome (P =.37). CONCLUSION: Induction therapy of APL with all-trans RA and arsenic trioxide is associated with leukocytosis and the RA syndrome. These clinical effects seem to be intrinsically related to the biologic responsiveness and the differentiation process induced by these new agents.

In vitro effects of desflurane, sevoflurane, isoflurane, and halothane in isolated human right atria.

BACKGROUND: Direct myocardial effects of volatile anesthetics have been studied in various animal species in vitro. This study evaluated the effects of equianesthetic concentrations of desflurane, sevoflurane, isoflurane, and halothane on contractile parameters of isolated human atria in vitro. METHODS: Human right atrial trabeculae, obtained from patients undergoing coronary bypass surgery, were studied in an oxygenated (95% O2-5% CO2) Tyrode's modified solution ([Ca2+]o = 2.0 mM, 30 degrees C, stimulation frequency 0.5 Hz). The effects of equianesthetic concentrations (0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, and 2.5 minimum alveolar concentration [MAC]) of desflurane, sevoflurane, isoflurane, and halothane on inotropic and lusitropic parameters of isometric twitches were measured. RESULTS: Isoflurane, sevoflurane, and desflurane induced a moderate concentration-dependent decrease in active isometric force, which was significantly lower than that induced by halothane. In the presence of adrenoceptor blockade, the desflurane-induced decrease in peak of the positive force derivative and time to peak force became comparable to those induced by isoflurane. Halothane induced a concentration-dependent decrease in time to half-relaxation and a contraction-relaxation coupling parameter significantly greater than those induced by isoflurane, sevoflurane and desflurane. CONCLUSIONS: In isolated human atrial myocardium, desflurane, sevoflurane, and isoflurane induced a moderate concentration-dependent negative inotropic effect. The effect of desflurane on time to peak force and peak of the positive force derivative could be related to intramyocardial catecholamine release. At clinically relevant concentrations, desflurane, sevoflurane, and isoflurane did not modify isometric relaxation.

An efficient three steps preparative purification of penicillin acylase from Escherichia coli cells.

A new and efficient safe system for the purification of the penicillin acylase from Escherichia coli G271 is presented. It was found that after a selective precipitation with ammnonium sulphate, followed by two chromatographic steps (anion exchange followed by adsorption on hydroxyapatite support), the enzyme was enriched 98 times with a 100% activity recovery. An original way has also been used to study the chromatographic separation of the protein mixture in three major categories on DEAE resin, by an analysis of the concentrations of the different species in the breakthrough curve obtained from a complete saturation of the column.