Differential expression of acidic and basic fibroblast growth factors in benign prostatic hyperplasia identified by immunohistochemistry

OBJECTIVES: Transitional cell carcinomas of upper urinary tract (uttTCC) constitute 5% to 6% of all urothelial tumors. Ureteropyeloscopy has become the standard for clinical evaluation of uutTCC. Moreover, endoscopic treatments have been advocated as a conservative approach for low grade tumors or patients with intermediate grade tumors whose renal function is compromised. Therefore, grading has become the most predictive variable in defining therapeutic approach. In addition to morphologic evaluation, a series of biologic markers may be used to increase the accuracy of grading such as DNA analysis and p53 protein expression. In this study, we have evaluated these markers by means of cell image analysis with the SAMBA 400 system. METHODS: Thirteen cases of uttTCC were studied with cytologic smear, cell block, and histologic confirmation. DNA analysis was performed on cytologic smear. Immunostaining was performed on cell blocks. A grade was assigned on the basis of DNA evaluation and p53 expression quantitation. These grades were combined for each case and compared with the initial cytologic grading and the final histologic grading. RESULTS: Cytology alone diagnosed TCC in all but 1 case that was diagnosed atypical. Discrepancies were found in primary grading: cytologic grading concurred with histologic grading in 6 of the 13 cases. CONCLUSIONS: These results, although in a limited but selected number of cases, show the potential of computerized evaluation of biologic markers as parameters for a more objective grading of tumors.     

Nature and nurture, danger and delight: urban women's experiences of the natural world

In this paper, we address a research lacuna in the area of human experience of, and interaction with, nature. We focus on women in an urbanized setting, exploring their actual and desired experiences of the natural world, using Singapore as a case study. Our intention is to contribute to both the evolving theoretical and empirical discussions on this subject. Based on data collected from focus group discussions and household questionnaires, we conclude that women's relationships with nature in Singapore are underscored by a strong inclination towards nurturing: teaching, tending and caring, in a way that is not as apparent in men's relationships with nature. Women's relationships with nature may also be conceptualized in terms of 'danger' and 'delight', a fine balance between ambivalent experiences of fear and enjoyment. In comparing results based on the Singapore context with those in Britain, sources of enjoyment appear to be similar, but the different social situations have resulted in different sources of fear. We conclude by putting forward some recommendations for planning and designing green areas that may enhance women's use and enjoyment of nature areas.     

A study of the use of concept selection methods from inside a company

Design methods have been studied by researchers for decades. Academia considers their impact on industry to be insufficient. The objective of this research is to understand the use and impact of design methods in the context of a specific company, Volvo Car Corporation (VCC), by describing the behaviour of engineers in relation to methods, to assist in the future development of design methods and tools. We mainly concentrate on concept selection methods because of their relevance in this company. The data presented is the result of qualitative research carried out during 4 years at VCC, where the authors were located as researchers. The research shows that many methods are employed besides those with an academic name, that some in-company methods used contain improvements to methods researched by academia, that some modifications to academic methods lead to unreliable results, and that there is a lack of objectivity in method modification. For these reasons, the authors suggest further research on understanding the principles of successful and unreliable modification of concept selection methods.     

Singapore’s changing spaces

This paper interrogates the socio-spatial environment that is emerging in Singapore with its development of a globalised economy. Using the case studies of two of the city’s dichotomised spaces - the spectacular downtown and gentrified heartland - the paper seeks to examine the resulting spatial reconfigurations, challenges and unintended consequences. While the common assertion is that state-led planning is effective at the macro level, at the micro level against the accelerated change and emergence of the multi-layered package of spaces of globalisation, the planning of the city is no longer limited to physical planning. Like many emergent economies of the global south, the challenge of how to expand emerging sectors, support Singapore’s economic aspirations and meet social objectives remains.     

Role of nuclear medicine in liver transplantation

Orthotopic liver transplantation is now a very well-established technique for treating patients with end-stage liver disease. Since 1967, more than 26,000 liver transplants have been performed, including 15,000 in the United States. The overall 1-year survival rate is approximately 80% and 5-year survival is 70%. Nuclear imaging plays an important role in the management of liver transplant recipients before and after liver transplantation. The evaluation of candidates potentially includes liver-spleen scan for liver volume, multiple gated acquisition scan, adenosine or stress thallium study, bone scan, and quantitative ventilation perfusion scan for hepatopulmonary syndrome. In the post-transplant phase, the deconvolution analysis (which corrects for the problem of recirculation) is a promising tool for diagnosing rejection, although its role in the transplant population has to be established. A variety of nuclear medicine techniques are helpful in the postoperative diagnosis of biliary complications. By performing a semiquantitative analysis to discriminate hepatocyte dysfunction from biliary disease and measuring hepatocyte extraction fraction by deconvolution analysis and excretion, (T1/2 values measured by the nonlinear list squares technique) have been very promising.     

Similarity, convergence, and relationship satisfaction in dating and married couples.

The current work investigates how personality and interpersonal processes combine to predict change in relationship quality. Measures of personality and emotion similarity were collected during laboratory interactions from a cross-sectional sample of dating couples (Study 1) and a 1-year longitudinal study of newlywed married couples (Study 2). Results showed that emotion similarity mediated the association between personality similarity and relationship quality (Studies 1 and 2) and that emotion convergence mediated the association between personality convergence and relationship satisfaction (Study 2). These results indicate that similarity and convergence in personality may benefit relationships by promoting similarity and convergence in partners' shared emotional experiences. Findings also lend support to models that integrate partners' enduring traits and couples' adaptive processes as antecedents of relationship outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Refined theory for the analysis of laminated orthotropic structures

A new higher-order theory for the analysis of laminated orthotropic plates and shells subject to both mechanical and thermal loads is developed. Using the variational approach the system of governing differential equations and corresponding boundary conditions are derived. Two refined models of the stress and strain state are considered, their application and accuracy are discussed. The analytical solution is obtained for plates and shells with the Navier boundary conditions on the side surfaces. The results of calculations are given and compared with an exact three-dimensional solution available in the literature. The influence of the laminated structure upon the exactness of results and the characteristics of stress–strain state is studied and discussed.     

Investigating the Social Dimensions of Transport Disadvantage—I. Towards New Concepts and Methods

This article is the first of two papers that engage critically and productively with the relationship between the socio-economic transformations of cities, the differentiation of vulnerable groups within urban space and the distribution of transport services. This article undertakes a comprehensive review of the major conceptual and methodological approaches by which scholars and policy researchers have sought to address the connection between social disadvantage and access to transport. The article critically assesses the relative merits of various spatial analytical methodologies in illuminating social-transport links. The study finds that there is a need for greater sophistication in the use of analytical methods in transport research as well as an imperative for greater sensitivity to social differentiation within urban areas and relative to infrastructure and services. The article concludes by developing a method for combining spatial social and transport service data that is then deployed in the empirical case study reported in the second paper.