Late onset peripheral seronegative spondyloarthropathy: report of two additional cases

Two more cases of late onset peripheral seronegative spondyloarthropathy (SpA) are reported. Like the patients reported by Dubost and Sauvezie, they had extensive pitting edema of the lower limbs, constitutional symptoms, elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate and minimal involvement of the axial skeleton with marked signs of diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperstosis.     

Twin-image suppression in digital in-line holography based on wave-front filtering

Pattern Analysis and Applications - Digital holography is an imaging process able to recreate three-dimensional representations of objects from recording pattern interference among distinct waves....     

Learning a color distance metric for region-based image segmentation

In this paper we describe an experiment where we studied empirically the application of a learned distance metric to be used as discrimination function for an established color image segmentation algorithm. For this purpose we chose the Mumford–Shah energy functional and the Mahalanobis distance metric. The objective was to test our approach in an objective and quantifiable way on this specific algorithm employing this particular distance model, without making generalization claims. The empirical validation of the results was performed in two experiments: one applying the resulting segmentation method on a subset of the Berkeley Image Database, an exemplar image set possessing ground-truths and validating the results against the ground-truths using two well-known inter-cluster validation methods, namely, the Rand and BGM indexes, and another experiment using images of the same context divided into training and testing set, where the distance metric is learned from the training set and then applied to segment all the images. The obtained results suggest that the use of the specified learned distance metric provides better and more robust segmentations, even if no other modification of the segmentation algorithm is performed.     

Multiplexed-Based Assessment of DNA Damage Response to Chemotherapies Using Cell Imaging Cytometry

The current methods for measuring the DNA damage response (DDR) are relatively labor-intensive and usually based on Western blotting, flow cytometry, and/or confocal immunofluorescence analyses. They require many cells and are often limited to the assessment of a single or few proteins. Here, we used the Celigo^® image cytometer to evaluate the cell response to DNA-damaging agents based on a panel of biomarkers associated with the main DDR signaling pathways. We investigated the cytostatic or/and the cytotoxic effects of these drugs using simultaneous propidium iodide and calcein-AM staining. We also describe new dedicated multiplexed protocols to investigate the qualitative (phosphorylation) or the quantitative changes of eleven DDR markers (H2AX, DNA-PKcs, ATR, ATM, CHK1, CHK2, 53BP1, NBS1, RAD51, P53, P21). The results of our study clearly show the advantage of using this methodology because the multiplexed-based evaluation of these markers can be performed in a single experiment using the standard 384-well plate format. The analyses of multiple DDR markers together with the cell cycle status provide valuable insights into the mechanism of action of investigational drugs that induce DNA damage in a time- and cost-effective manner due to the low amounts of antibodies and reagents required.     

Potent and Selective Non‐hydroxamate Histone Deacetylase 8 Inhibitors

Specific inhibition of histone deacetylase 8 (HDAC8) has been suggested as a promising option for the treatment of neuroblastoma and T‐cell malignancies. A novel class of highly potent and selective HDAC8 inhibitors with a pyrimido[1,2‐c][1,3]benzothiazin‐6‐imine scaffold was studied that is completely different from the traditional concept of HDAC inhibitors comprising a zinc binding group (ZBG), in most cases a hydroxamate group, a spacer, and a capping group that may interact with the surface of the target protein. Although lacking a ZBG, some of the new compounds were shown to have outstanding potency against HDAC8 in the single‐digit nanomolar range. The pyrimido[1,2‐c][1,3]benzothiazin‐6‐imines also inhibited the growth of solid and hematological tumor cells. The small size and beneficial physicochemical properties of the novel HDAC inhibitor class underline the high degree of drug likeness. This and the broad structure–activity relationship suggest great potential for the further development of compounds with the pyrimido[1,2‐c][1,3]benzothiazin‐6‐imine scaffold into innovative and highly effective therapeutic drugs against cancer.     

Intra and interindividual variations of pelvic mobility in normal adult walk

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: Pelvis motion appears as a main human gait component, it is linked to the lower limb joints and to the spine. Current devices, especially the opto-electronical systems, allow quantitative and tri-dimensional gait studies. The purpose of this study was to quantify the pelvic motion individual variability in a sample of healthy subjects. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study based on a 18 volunters sample. There were 14 men and 4 women, ranged in age from 25 to 37 years. A clinical examination and a AP radiograph of pelvis allowed to include healthy subjects. We used the three-dimensional analysis VICON system with five cameras. Nine records were performed for each subject during a free-speed walking. These nine records were distributed on three different days. RESULTS: The step length medianes varied from 1100 to 1600 mm with a significantly (p < 0.05) regression between the step length, the walking speed and the subjects height. Vertical pelvic oscillations varied in this sample from 25 to 60 mm and linked with step length and walking speed. Pelvic rotation around the vertical axis varied from 1.5 to 15 degrees. We did not found regression between this pelvic rotation and the length step. It seems there are three types of pelvic rotation around the vertical axis. At the beginning of the stance phase, in type I, the pelvis is in the transversal plane whereas in the type II, it appears with the maximal rotation. In type III, the value of pelvic rotation is very low. The successive lateral inclinations of pelvic described a complex motion which varied from 1.5 to 9 degrees. The rotation of shoulders around the vertical axis varied from 4 degrees to 13 degrees and the successive inclinations varied from 3.25 degrees to 12 degrees. We did not found any regression between the pelvic and shoulders motion values. DISCUSSION: This study showed that the pelvis motion varied considerably from one subject to another. These variations induce different ways of walking with various consequences on the hip joint and the spine. We suppose that these variations could take a part in etiology of some diseases as hip arthritis or in total hip arthroplasty failure, especially in cup wearing.     

Severe urinary bladder involvement in systemic sclerosis. Case report and review of the literature

Lower urinary tract involvement is an uncommon manifestation of systemic sclerosis; however, it may represent a troublesome disturbance affecting the quality of life in systemic sclerosis patients. Here we report the case of a middle-aged woman with a 5-year history of systemic sclerosis, who developed severe and progressive urinary bladder sclerosis. This report is particularly interesting because of the severity of the bladder involvement, which required surgical treatment.     

Cask and plug handling system design in port cell

The ITER maintenance strategy relies partly on the remote transfer of components from vacuum vessel to hot cells. This function will be fulfilled by transfer cask systems.This paper describes the recent design progresses on interfaces in order to increase components handling feasibility by implementing continuous guiding features that avoid cantilevered loads on the in-cask tractor. Also the design has progressed in order to allow generic docking of the casks.When the cask is connected to the port, it becomes part of the machine first confinement boundary, thus it must provide tightness continuity. This high level safety function was one of the main concerns of a finite element analysis study that has been performed to assess the behavior of the whole system. Numerical analysis methodology and results are explained and shown in order to highlight how it has reinforced the knowledge of the system.