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Background Adenosquamous carcinoma of the pancreas is rare. Our understanding of the disease and its prognosis comes mainly from small retrospective studies. Methods Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database (1988 to 2007), we identified patients with adenosquamous carcinoma (N=415) or adenocarcinoma (N=45,693) of the pancreas. The demographics, tumor characteristics, resection status, and survival were compared between the groups. Results Compared to patients with adenocarcinoma, patients with adenosquamous carcinoma were more likely to have disease located in the pancreatic body and tail (44.6% vs 53.5%, P<0.0001). While the stage distribution was similar between the two groups, adenosquamous carcinomas were more likely to be poorly differentiated (71% vs 45%, P<0.0001), node positive (53% vs. 47%, P<0.0001), and larger (5.7 vs. 4.3 cm, P<0.0001). For locoregional disease, resection increased over time from 26% in 1988 to 56% in 2007. The overall 2-year survival was 11% in both groups. Following resection, patients with adenosquamous carcinoma had worse 2-year survival (29% vs. 36%, P<0.0001). Resection was the strongest independent predictor of survival for patients with locoregional pancreatic adenosquamous carcinoma (HR 2.35, 95% CI=1.47-3.76). Conclusions This is the first population-based study to evaluate outcomes in adenosquamous carcinoma of the pancreas. When compared to pancreatic adenocarcinoma, adenosquamous carcinoma was more likely to occur in the pancreatic tail, be poorly differentiated, larger, and node positive. The long-term survival following surgical resection is significantly worse for adenosquamous cancers; however, patients with adenosquamous carcinoma can still benefit from surgical resection, which is the strongest predictor of survival.

Two types of ionic modification approaches (i.e., sulfonation and triethylamination) were applied with the aid of dual‐layer hollow fiber technology in this work to fine tune the pore size and pore size distribution, introduce the electrostatic interaction, and reduce membrane fouling for long‐term high‐performance protein separation. A binary protein mixture comprising bovine serum albumin (BSA) and hemoglobin (Hb) was separated in this work. The sulfonated fiber exhibits an improved BSA/Hb separation factor at pH = 6.8 compared with as‐spun fibers but at the expense of BSA sieving coefficient. On the other hand, the triethylaminated fiber reveals the best and most durable separation performance at pH = 4.8. Its BSA/Hb separation factor is maintained above 80 for 4 days and maximum BSA sieving coefficient reaches 33%. Therefore, this study documents that an intelligent combination of both size‐exclusion and electrostatic interaction can synergistically enhance protein separation performance in both purity and concentration. © 2008 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2009

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine if there are significant relationships between lead concentrations in children's hair and height, sitting height, and estimated leg length. Methods: We analyzed three samples collected at different times: 1998, 2002, 2007. The total sample consisted of 825 children between 11 and 14 years of age living in different municipalities of Sardinia (Italy). Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (1998), inductively coupled plasma atomic absorption spectrometry (2002), and inductively coupled mass spectrometry (2007) were used to measure the lead concentration in hair (PbH). Some AAS measurements were also performed on the 1998 and 2007 samples to check the reliability of the data. Results: The mean PbH is much higher in 1998 (5.84 μg/g) than in 2002 (1.49 μg/g) and 2007 (0.78 μg/g). Multivariate regression analysis of the three samples, controlling for age and sex, indicates a subclinical impact of lead on growth that differs according to the mean lead concentration in the hair. In fact, for 1998, the relationships between all three anthropometric variables and logPbH are significantly negative. For 2002, there are significant negative associations between height and estimated leg length and logPbH but not between sitting height and logPbH. For 2007, there are not significant associations between logPbH and anthropometric variables. Conclusions: Our results support the use of hair lead levels as a biomarker to assess the impact of subclinical lead on the physical growth of children, especially when the study area presents medium and/or high levels of lead pollution. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

The polymer nanocomposite samples have been prepared by solution embedding of CdS nanoparticles in polyurethane (PU). The structural properties have been studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). SEM and AFM images represent the dispersion of CdS nanoparticles in a polymer matrix. The permittivity of nanocomposite samples increases with temperature due to formation of new dipoles or accumulation of charge carriers in a nanoparticle‐‐polymer interface. The increase in permittivity with temperature can be attributed to the heat‐assisted dipole moment. Furthermore, it has been observed that permittivity is the function of nanoparticle concentration, temperature, and frequency. The high concentration of nanoparticles lowers permittivity with frequency. The positive and negative tangential loss has been observed in PU‐‐CdS nanocomposite samples. The negative loss phenomenon could be understood in terms of a local space charge separation. The phase transition of PU and PU‐‐CdS nanocomposites has been studied by using a thermally stimulated discharge current technique. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Adv Polym Techn 32: E274–E286, 2013; View this article online at http://wileyonlinelibrary.com. DOI 10.1002/adv.21273

Background: Late percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of a totally occluded infarct‐related artery (IRA) in stable patients is currently not recommended based on the lack of clear clinical benefits in randomized controlled trials. We sought to perform a systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials comparing PCI with optimal medical therapy in patients with IRA occlusion more than 12 hr after onset of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), focusing on left ventricular function and remodeling. Methods and Results: PubMed, CENTRAL, and mRCT were searched for eligible studies. Studies were included in the analysis if they were randomized controlled trials comparing conservative medical management with PCI performed at least 12 hr after the onset of symptoms of AMI, and data on left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) at baseline and follow‐up were available. Studies were excluded if randomization occurred less than 12 hr after symptom onset, or if patients were hemodynamically unstable. Change in LVEF was the primary outcome of interest, with changes in left ventricular end‐diastolic volume index (LVEDVI) and end‐systolic volume index (LVESVI) analyzed as secondary endpoints. We retrieved five studies in which baseline and follow up LVEF data were available enrolling a total of 648 patients: 342 patients randomized to PCI and 306 to medical treatment. There was a statistically significant difference in LVEF changes over time favoring PCI (+3.1%, 95% CI +1.0 to +5.2, P = 0.0004). In addition, there were statistically significant differences changes in both LVEDVI (−5.1 ml in favor of PCI, 95% CI of −9.4 to −0.8, P = 0.020) and LVESVI (−5.3 ml in favor in PCI, 95% CI of −8.3 to −2.4, P = 0.0005). Conclusions: This meta‐analysis suggests that late revascularization of an occluded IRA may improve left ventricular systolic function and remodeling, supporting the “open artery hypothesis.” The reason why these changes have not resulted in clinical benefits in large clinical trials is subject to debate. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.