Molecular signatures that can be transferred across different omics platforms.

MOTIVATION: Molecular signatures for treatment recommendations are well researched. Still it is challenging to apply them to data generated by different protocols or technical platforms. RESULTS: We analyzed paired data for the same tumors (Burkitt lymphoma, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma) and features that had been generated by different experimental protocols and analytical platforms including the nanoString nCounter and Affymetrix Gene Chip transcriptomics as well as the SWATH and SRM proteomics platforms. A statistical model that assumes independent sample and feature effects accounted for 69-94% of technical variability. We analyzed how variability is propagated through linear signatures possibly affecting predictions and treatment recommendations. Linear signatures with feature weights adding to zero were substantially more robust than unbalanced signatures. They yielded consistent predictions across data from different platforms, both for transcriptomics and proteomics data. Similarly stable were their predictions across data from fresh frozen and matching formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded human tumor tissue. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: The R-package 'zeroSum' can be downloaded at https://github.com/rehbergT/zeroSum . Complete data and R codes necessary to reproduce all our results can be received from the authors upon request. CONTACT: rainer.spang@ur.de.

Analytical model for THz emissions induced by laser-gas interaction.

We develop a one-dimensional model of THz emissions induced by laser-driven, time-asymmetric ionization and current oscillations in a hydrogen gas. Our model highlights complex scalings of the THz fields with respect to the laser and gas parameters, in particular, a non-monotonic behavior against the laser parameters. Analytical expressions of the transmitted and reflected fields are presented, explaining the THz spectra observed in particle-in-cell and forward-pulse propagation codes. The backward-propagating THz wave is mainly driven by the electron current oscillations at the plasma frequency, and its resulting spectrum operates below the plasma frequency. The transmitted THz wave is emitted from both plasma current oscillations and photo-ionization. Their respective signal presents a contribution below and around the plasma frequency, plus a contribution at higher frequencies associated to the photo-induced current. The interplay between these two mechanisms relies on the ratio between the propagation length and the plasma skin depth.

Spatiotemporal group ICA applied to fMRI datasets.

Exploratory data analysis techniques such as independent component analysis (ICA) do not depend on a priori hypotheses and are able to detect unknown, yet structured spatiotemporal processes in neuroimaging data. We present fMRI data of two different subject-groups (young and old), which performed a modified Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). Spatiotemporal ICA and SPM-generated brain maps of the subject data are compared. For the group analysis a singular value decomposition approach was used. Spatiotemporal ICA reveals a frontoparietal network being activated while subjects performed different variants of the WCST. Contrary to the SPM analysis, ICA analysis revealed significant differences between young and old subjects as well as significant within-group differences.While young subjects showed with increasing task demands (A>>B>>C) increasing activation of the right lateral prefrontal cortex and of the medial orbito-frontal cortex, old subjects showed no such gradient in activation pattern and appeared to be more distributed.

[Conservative therapy adapted to findings of superficial chronic venous ulcers]. / Konservative befundadaptierte Therapie von superinfizierten chronischen venös bedingten Ulcera cruris.

A successful treatment of venous ulcers represents a special clinical challenge. The following conservative wound management of a high-risk patient presents an alternative to primary surgical treatment. A patient of 79 years in reduced general state with multiple underlying concomitant diseases is hospitalized with superinfected, necrotic and painful ulcers. Due to the severe morbidity of the patient the regular therapy of the underlying venous insufficiency consisting of stripping of great saphenous vein and ligation of perforator veins, is contraindicated. After interdisciplinary discussion conservative therapy is carried on. The conservative therapy includes initial local debridement, moist wound-healing dressings, compression therapy, systemic antibiotic and analgesic therapy, completed by stabilization of patient's general state. In regular intervals a photographic documentation of the wound is carried out. The period of treatment and observation is 63 days. Due to conservative wound management a clear improvement of the wound condition and of the patient's general state is observed. The period needed for change of wound dressing can be reduced from 2 hours to 30 minutes. The painscore is reduced from 8/10 to 4/10 as well as the analgesic need. The photographic documentation shows a clear progress of healing within 9 weeks. Under antibiotic therapy and conservative wound management the increased inflammation parameters are declining. By choosing a conservative therapeutical regime adapted to clinical findings superinfected, chronic venous ulcers are turned into a stable condition.

[Histologic and anatomic correlation of the infraorbital region]. / Corrélation histologique et anatomique de la région infra-orbitaire.

The infra-orbital area has not been well studied although it represents an interesting area in plastic surgery because of its implication in malarplasty reduction or transplantation for facial tissue repair. This work comprises an anatomic dissection layer by layer and a histologic study describing the various structures of this area. It was performed on 10 heads taken from cadavers (mean age 70 years old). The anatomic and histologic study found four layers: a subcutaneous fat layer, a muscular layer, a deep fat layer and a deep muscular layer. The superficial fat layer constitutes the convexity of the cheek and can be removed in plastic surgery reduction or reconstituted after atrophy following nasolabial musculo cutaneous flaps.

What is the prevalence of health-related searches on the World Wide Web? Qualitative and quantitative analysis of search engine queries on the internet.

While health information is often said to be the most sought after information on the web, empirical data on the actual frequency of health-related searches on the web are missing. In the present study we aimed to determine the prevalence of health-related searches on the web by analyzing search terms entered by people into popular search engines. We also made some preliminary attempts in qualitatively describing and classifying these searches. Occasional difficulties in determining what constitutes a "health-related" search led us to propose and validate a simple method to automatically classify a search string as "health-related". This method is based on determining the proportion of pages on the web containing the search string and the word "health", as a proportion of the total number of pages with the search string alone. Using human codings as gold standard we plotted a ROC curve and determined empirically that if this "co-occurance rate" is larger than 35%, the search string can be said to be health-related (sensitivity: 85.2%, specificity 80.4%). The results of our "human" codings of search queries determined that about 4.5% of all searches are "health-related". We estimate that globally a minimum of 6.75 Million health-related searches are being conducted on the web every day, which is roughly the same number of searches that have been conducted on the NLM Medlars system in 1996 in a full year.