Overall and disease-specific survival of sinonasal adenoid cystic carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

This meta-analysis aims to investigate the outcome of sinonasal adenoid cystic carcinoma (snAdCC). We followed PRISMA guidelines and included studies reporting 5-year overall survival (OS) rates for snAdCC. Eligible studies were identified through a literature search and assessed using JBI critical appraisal checklist. A total of 17 studies were included comprising 2259 patients (mean age: 58.1 years, 52.7% female, 47.3% male). The meta-analysis demonstrated that the 5-year OS, 10-year OS, and 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) were 68%, 40%, and 47.2%, respectively. Descriptive statistics on study level showed high rates of locally advanced tumor stages at diagnosis: 23% cT3, 53% cT4, 3.4% N+, and 4.2% M+. 29.7% of the tumors were in the nasal cavity, 67.6% in the paranasal sinuses. The maxillary, ethmoid, sphenoid, and frontal sinus were affected in 50.9%, 7.2%, 4%, and 0.5%, of cases. A combination of surgery and radiotherapy was used in 45.4% of the patients and 19.3% of patients received surgery only. In conclusion, these findings emphasize the significance of thorough surveillance for individuals with snAdCC to identify any potential recurrence or progression of the disease.

Surgical capping of superior semicircular canal dehiscence.

Surgical plugging and resurfacing are well established treatments of superior semicircular canal dehiscence, while capping with hydroxyapatite cement has been little discussed in literature. The aim of this study was to prove the efficacy of the capping technique. Charts of patients diagnosed with superior semicircular canal dehiscence were reviewed retrospectively. All patients answered the dizziness handicap inventory, a survey analyzing the impact of their symptoms on their quality of life. Capping of the dehiscent canal was performed via the middle fossa approach in all cases. Ten out of 22 patients diagnosed with superior semicircular canal dehiscence were treated with surgical capping, nine of which were included in this study. No major perioperative complications occurred. In 8 out of 9 (89%) patients, capping led to a satisfying reduction of the main symptoms. One patient underwent revision surgery 1 year after the initial intervention. Scores in the dizziness handicap inventory were lower in the surgically treated group than in the non-surgically treated group, but results were not statistically significant (P = 0.45). Overall, capping is a safe and efficient alternative to plugging and resurfacing of superior semicircular canal dehiscence.

Corn ethanol production, food exports, and indirect land use change.

The approximately 100 million tonne per year increase in the use of corn to produce ethanol in the U.S. over the past 10 years, and projections of greater future use, have raised concerns that reduced exports of corn (and other agricultural products) and higher commodity prices would lead to land-use changes and, consequently, negative environmental impacts in other countries. The concerns have been driven by agricultural and trade models, which project that large-scale corn ethanol production leads to substantial decreases in food exports, increases in food prices, and greater deforestation globally. Over the past decade, the increased use of corn for ethanol has been largely matched by the increased corn harvest attributable mainly to increased yields. U.S. exports of corn, wheat, soybeans, pork, chicken, and beef either increased or remained unchanged. Exports of distillers' dry grains (DDG, a coproduct of ethanol production and a valuable animal feed) increased by more than an order of magnitude to 9 million tonnes in 2010. Increased biofuel production may lead to intensification (higher yields) and extensification (more land) of agricultural activities. Intensification and extensification have opposite impacts on land use change. We highlight the lack of information concerning the magnitude of intensification effects and the associated large uncertainties in assessments of the indirect land use change associated with corn ethanol.

Low-CO(2) electricity and hydrogen: a help or hindrance for electric and hydrogen vehicles?

The title question was addressed using an energy model that accounts for projected global energy use in all sectors (transportation, heat, and power) of the global economy. Global CO(2) emissions were constrained to achieve stabilization at 400-550 ppm by 2100 at the lowest total system cost (equivalent to perfect CO(2) cap-and-trade regime). For future scenarios where vehicle technology costs were sufficiently competitive to advantage either hydrogen or electric vehicles, increased availability of low-cost, low-CO(2) electricity/hydrogen delayed (but did not prevent) the use of electric/hydrogen-powered vehicles in the model. This occurs when low-CO(2) electricity/hydrogen provides more cost-effective CO(2) mitigation opportunities in the heat and power energy sectors than in transportation. Connections between the sectors leading to this counterintuitive result need consideration in policy and technology planning.

Outcome of computer-assisted surgery in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the complication rates and outcome of computer-assisted versus non-computer-assisted functional endoscopic sinus surgery. METHODS: We reviewed retrospectively the medical records of 276 patients who had undergone sinus surgery for chronic rhinosinusitis with (n = 108) or without (n = 168) computer assistance, from 1996 to 2004, to determine the incidence of complications and need for revision surgery. RESULTS: The incidence of complications was 6.5 per cent in the computer-assisted group and 6.0 per cent in the non-computer-assisted group (p = 1.00). In the computer-assisted group, 9.2 per cent needed revision surgery, compared with 10.7 per cent in the non-assisted group (p = 0.84). CONCLUSIONS: Although our study found no significant difference in complications or revision rates, computer-assisted surgery serves as an important orientation aid during functional endoscopic sinus surgery.

Fuel and vehicle technology choices for passenger vehicles in achieving stringent CO2 targets: connections between transportation and other energy sectors.

The regionalized Global Energy Transition (GET-R 6.0) model has been modified to include a detailed description of light-duty vehicle options and used to investigate the potential impact of carbon capture and storage (CCS) and concentrating solar power (CSP) on cost-effective fuel/vehicle technologies in a carbon-constrained world. Total CO2 emissions were constrained to achieve stabilization at 400-550 ppm, by 2100, at lowesttotal system cost The dominantfuel/vehicle technologies varied significantly depending on CO2 constraint future cost of vehicle technologies, and availability of CCS and CSP. For many cases, no one technology dominated on a global scale. CCS provides relatively inexpensive low-CO2 electricity and heatwhich prolongs the use of traditional ICEVs. CSP displaces fossil fuel derived electricity, prolongs the use of traditional ICEVs, and promotes electrification of passenger vehicles. In all cases considered, CCS and CSP availability had a major impact on the lowest cost fuel/vehicle technologies, and alternative fuels are needed in response to expected dwindling oil and natural gas supply potential by the end of the century.

Design and startup of a membrane-biological-reactor system at a Ford-engine plant for treating oily wastewater.

A wastewater-treatment facility at Ford (Dearborn, Michigan) was recently upgraded from chemical de-emulsification to ultrafiltration (UF) followed by a membrane-biological reactor (MBR). This paper describes the design, startup, and initial operational performance of the facility. Primary findings are as follows: (1) the MBR proved resilient; (2) the MBR removed approximately 90% of chemical-oxygen demand (COD) after primary UF; (3) the removal of total Kjeldahl nitrogen by MBR appeared to be more sensitive to operating conditions than COD removal; (4) nitrification and denitrification were established in one month; (5) the MBR removed oil and grease and phenolics to below detection levels consistently, in contrast to widely fluctuating concentrations in the past; (6) permeate fluxes of the primary and MBR UF were adversely affected by inadvertent use of a silicone-based defoamer; and (7) zinc concentrations in the effluent increased, which might have been a result of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid used in membrane washing solutions and/or might have been within typical concentration ranges.

Literature review--efficacy of various disinfectants against Legionella in water systems.

There have been reported outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease at hospitals and industrial facilities, which prompted the development of various preventive measures. For example, Ford has been developing and implementing such a measure at its facilities worldwide to provide technical guidance for controlling Legionella in water systems. One of the key issues for implementing the measure is the selection of a disinfectant(s) and optimum conditions for its use. Therefore, available publications on various disinfectants and disinfection processes used for the inactivation of Legionella bacteria were reviewed. Two disinfection methods were reviewed: chemical and thermal. For chemical methods, disinfectants used were metal ions (copper and silver), oxidizing agents (halogen containing compounds [chlorine, bromine, iodine, chlorine dioxide, chloramines, and halogenated hydantoins], ozone, and hydrogen peroxide), non-oxidizing agents (heterocyclic ketones, guanidines, thiocarbamates, aldehydes, amines, thiocyanates, organo-tin compounds, halogenated amides, and halogenated glycols), and UV light. In general, oxidizing disinfectants were found to be more effective than non-oxidizing ones. Among oxidizing agents, chlorine is known to be effective and widely used. Among non-oxidizing agents, 2,2-dibromo-3-nitropropionamide appears to be the most effective followed by glutaraldehyde. Isothiazolin (known as Kathon), polyhexamethylene biguanide, and 2-bromo-2-nitropropionamide (known as Bronopol) were found to be less effective than glutaraldehyde. Thermal disinfection is effective at > 60 degrees C (140 degrees F).

Factors controlling the rate of DDE dechlorination to DDMU in Palos Verdes margin sediments under anaerobic conditions.

Marine sediments off the coast of the Palos Verdes Peninsula in California have been designated a Superfund site primarily because of the presence of DDE [1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethene]. For decades, it was believed that DDE was not microbially transformed, but anaerobic bacteria in the Palos Verdes sediments reductively dechlorinate DDEto DDMU [1-chloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethene], which is also found in the sediments. The effects of electron donor to sulfate ratio, available carbon, sampling sites, sediment depth, and temperature on the rate and extent of DDE dechlorination in anaerobic Palos Verdes sediment microcosms were investigated. Dechlorination rates varied, depending on the site and depth from which the sediments were collected, but DDE dechlorination occurred with sediments from all locations studied. Sulfate and low temperatures slowed dechlorination, but in the presence of sulfate and at in situ temperature, the dechlorination rates observed in the microcosms agree well with the observed rate of DDE disappearance from the Palos Verdes margin sediments.

Effects of adaptation of vestibulo-ocular reflex function on manual target localization.

The goal of the present study was to determine if adaptive modulation of vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) function is associated with commensurate alterations in manual target localization. To measure the effects of adapted VOR on manual responses we developed the Vestibular-Contingent Pointing Test (VCP). In the VCP test, subjects pointed to a remembered target following passive whole body rotation in the dark. In the first experiment, subjects performed VCP before and after wearing 0.5X minifying lenses that adaptively attenuate horizontal VOR gain. Results showed that adaptive reduction in horizontal VOR gain was accompanied by a commensurate change in VCP performance. In the second experiment, bilaterally labyrinthine deficient (LD) subjects were tested to confirm that vestibular cues were central to the spatial coding of both eye and hand movements during VCP. LD subjects performed significantly worse than normal subjects. These results demonstrate that adaptive change in VOR can lead to alterations in manual target localization.

Differential regulation of peptide alpha-amidation by dexamethasone and disulfiram.

alpha-Amidation is essential for the function of many peptides in intercellular communication. This C-terminal modification is mediated in a two-step process by the hydroxylase and lyase activities of the bifunctional enzyme, peptidylglycine alpha-amidating monooxygenase (PAM). The first step, catalyzed by peptidylglycine-alpha-hydroxylating monooxygenase (PHM; EC 1.14.17. 3), is rate limiting in the process, and therefore subject to regulation. Dexamethasone and disulfiram (tetraethylthiuram disulfide; Antabuse) were used as in vivo treatments to study the regulation of PHM expression and activity in cardiac atrium. Our findings show that both dexamethasone and disulfiram treatment increase the activity of PHM in atrial tissue but that they do so by distinctly different mechanisms. Dexamethasone elevated tissue levels of PAM mRNA and protein concurrently, suggesting that glucocorticoids regulate PAM expression at the level of gene transcription. In contrast, disulfiram treatment, which depletes stores of alpha-amidated peptides, increased the specific activity of PHM without affecting the level of PAM expression. The catalytic efficiency of PHM was enhanced by raising the Vmax of the enzyme. Importantly, this increase in Vmax was retained through purification to homogeneity, indicating that either a covalent modification or a stable conformational change had occurred in the protein. These novel findings demonstrate that the rate-limiting enzyme in the bioactivation of peptide messengers is differentially regulated by transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms in vivo. It is proposed that regulation of PHM's expression and catalytic efficiency serve as coordinated physiologic mechanisms for maintaining appropriate levels of alpha-amidating activity under changing conditions in vivo.

Captopril inhibits peptidylglycine- alpha-hydroxylating monooxygenase: implications for therapeutic effects.

The therapeutic actions of captopril are facilitated by its sulfhydryl moiety which interacts with the metal (Zn2+) prosthetic groups of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE; EC 3.4.15.1). This study focused on captopril as an inhibitor of another metal-dependent (Cu2+) enzyme, peptidylglycine-alpha-hydroxylating monooxygenase (PHM; EC 1.14.17.3). PHM is rate limiting in alpha-amidation, a COOH-terminal modification that bioactivates several pressor peptides. Captopril inhibited PHM in vitro in a dose-dependent manner with an IC50 of approximately 100 micromol/l. This inhibition was partially reversed by increased concentrations of Cu2+. Structurally similar nonsulfhydryl ACE inhibitors did not affect the activity of PHM. The present findings indicate that the therapeutic effectiveness of captopril may result from actions on a range of metalloenzymes including ACE and PHM.

Reductive dechlorination of DDE to DDMU in marine sediment microcosms.

DDT is reductively dechlorinated to DDD and dehydrochlorinated to DDE; it has been thought that DDE is not degraded further in the environment. Laboratory experiments with DDE-containing marine sediments showed that DDE is dechlorinated to DDMU in both methanogenic and sulfidogenic microcosms and that DDD is dehydrochlorinated to DDMU three orders of magnitude more slowly. Thus, DDD does not appear to be an important precursor of the DDMU found in these sediments. These results imply that remediation decisions and risk assessments based on the recalcitrance of DDE in marine and estuarine sediments should be reevaluated.

The alpha subunit of type II Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase is highly conserved in Drosophila.

A monoclonal antibody against rat brain type II Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (CaM kinase) precipitates three proteins from Drosophila heads with apparent molecular weights similar to those of the subunits of the rat brain kinase. Fly heads also contain a CaM kinase activity that becomes partially independent of Ca2+ after autophosphorylation, as does the rat brain kinase. We have isolated a Drosophila cDNA encoding an amino acid sequence that is 77% identical to the sequence of the rat alpha subunit. All known autophosphorylation sites are conserved, including the site that controls Ca(2+)-independent activity. The gene encoding the cDNA is located between 102E and F on the fourth chromosome. The protein product of this gene is expressed at much higher levels in the fly head than in the body. Thus, both the amino acid sequence and the tissue specificity of the mammalian kinase are highly conserved in Drosophila.