Alendronate and risk of lower limb ischemic vascular events: a population-based cohort study.

UNLABELLED: While alendronate inhibits atherosclerosis experimentally, its effect on lower limb ischemia risk is unknown. Our results suggest that alendronate reduces the risk of lower limb ischemic vascular events requiring surgical interventions, including amputation. Our results are relevant for patients at risk of lower limb ischemia undergoing fragility fracture treatment. INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to determine the association between alendronate therapy and the risk of lower limb ischemic vascular events (i.e., bypass surgery, endovascular stenting, and major lower limb amputation for lower limb ischemia). METHODS: We used a nationwide population-based cohort of patients aged over 50 years diagnosed with a vertebral or hip fracture between January 1999 and June 2010. We compared the risk of lower limb ischemic vascular events between patients undergoing treatment with alendronate (n = 3,731) and an age- and sex-matched comparison group (n = 7,462) over 5 years of follow-up. Hazard ratios (HR) were estimated using Cox proportional regression analysis with adjustment for treatment status, comorbidities, and other variables. RESULTS: Ten patients (0.3 %) in the alendronate treatment group had a lower limb ischemic vascular event compared with 51 patients (0.7 %) in the comparison group. The incidence of lower limb ischemic vascular events was 8.4 (95 % CI, 4.0-15.5) per 10,000 person-years in the alendronate group and 21.8 (95 % CI, 16.2-28.7) per 10,000 person-years in the comparison group. The risk of a lower limb ischemic vascular event in the alendronate treatment group was lower (adjusted HR, 0.41; 95 % CI, 0.21-0.82). CONCLUSION: Alendronate treatment was associated with a reduced risk of lower limb ischemic vascular events among hip or vertebral fragility fracture patients.

Mode calculations in asymmetrically aberrated laser resonators using the Huygens-Fresnel kernel formulation.

A theoretical framework is presented for calculating three-dimensional resonator modes of both stable and unstable laser resonators. The resonant modes of an optical resonator are computed using a kernel formulation of the resonator round-trip Huygens-Fresnel diffraction integral. To substantiate the validity of this method, both stable and unstable resonator mode results are presented. The predicted lowest loss and higher order modes of a semi-confocal stable resonator are in agreement with the analytic formulation. Higher order modes are determined for an asymmetrically aberrated confocal unstable resonator, whose lowest loss unaberrated mode is consistent with published results. The three-dimensional kernel method provides a means to evaluate multi-mode configurations with two-dimensional aberrations that cannot be decomposed into one-dimensional representations.

Stimulation of cells derived from nifedipine-induced gingival overgrowth with Porphyromonas gingivalis, lipopolysaccharide, and interleukin-1beta.

The purpose of this study was to clarify the main contributory factor of nifedipine-induced gingival overgrowth either by Porphyromonas gingivalis lipopolysaccharide (Pg-LPS) or interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta). Human gingival fibroblasts from healthy tissues and nifedipine-induced gingival overgrowth tissues were stimulated with nifedipine, IL-1beta, Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (Ec-LPS), and Pg-LPS, and the gene expressions were analyzed by RT-PCR. Analysis of the data showed no strong evidence of a synergistic effect of nifedipine and Pg-LPS on IL-6, connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), and type 1 collagen gene expression of either healthy cells or nifedipine-induced gingival overgrowth cells. Among the three stimulants--IL-1beta, Pg-LPS, and Ec-LPS--androgen receptor and IL-6 gene expressions in both the healthy and nifedipine-induced gingival overgrowth groups were strongly up-regulated by the presence of IL-1beta only. Furthermore, the responses to IL-1beta in the nifedipine-induced gingival overgrowth group were stronger than those of the healthy group. It can be concluded that IL-1beta is an important mediator responsible for the higher IL-6 and androgen receptor expression of nifedipine-induced gingival overgrowth cells.

Monolithic microfabricated valves and pumps by multilayer soft lithography.

Soft lithography is an alternative to silicon-based micromachining that uses replica molding of nontraditional elastomeric materials to fabricate stamps and microfluidic channels. We describe here an extension to the soft lithography paradigm, multilayer soft lithography, with which devices consisting of multiple layers may be fabricated from soft materials. We used this technique to build active microfluidic systems containing on-off valves, switching valves, and pumps entirely out of elastomer. The softness of these materials allows the device areas to be reduced by more than two orders of magnitude compared with silicon-based devices. The other advantages of soft lithography, such as rapid prototyping, ease of fabrication, and biocompatibility, are retained.

A microfabricated device for sizing and sorting DNA molecules.

We have demonstrated a microfabricated single-molecule DNA sizing device. This device does not depend on mobility to measure molecule size, is 100 times faster than pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, and has a resolution that improves with increasing DNA length. It also requires a million times less sample than pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and has comparable resolution for large molecules. Here we describe the fabrication and use of the single-molecule DNA sizing device for sizing and sorting DNA restriction digests and ladders spanning 2-200 kbp.

Evaluation of high density DRAMs as a nuclear radiation detector.

The research is based on the nuclear radiation induced soft error phenomenon associated with dynamic random access memory devices (DRAMs). Samples of 256 kbit and 1 Mbit decapped DRAMs from several manufactures were exposed to standard alpha sources and showed a linear response with an intrinsic detection efficiency approaching 10%. Sensitivity studies were performed to evaluate the effects of DRAM operating voltage, refresh frequency and the data pattern stored prior to irradiation. The associated mechanism of soft error phenomenon is discussed. Samples were also exposed to gamma rays up to 10(5) rad to examine the total dose effect. The annealing phenomenon after gamma exposure is also presented.

A microcomputer-based whole-body counter for personnel routine monitoring.

The paper describes a cost-effective NaI(Tl) whole-body counter developed for routine examinations of worker intakes at an isotope production facility. Signal processing, data analysis and system operation are microcomputer-controlled for minimum human interactions. The pulse height analyzer is developed as an microcomputer add-on card for easy manipulation. The scheme for radionuclide analysis is aimed for fast running according to a knowledge base established from background samples and phantom experiments in conjunction with a multivariate regression analysis. Long-term stability and calibration with standards and in vivo measurements are reported.