Prognostic and Diagnostic Value of Spontaneous Tumor-Related Antibodies

There is an urgent need for earlier diagnosis of malignancies and more stringent monitoring of relapses after antitumor therapy. In addition, new prognostic markers are needed for risk stratification and design of individualized cancer therapies. New diagnostic and prognostic parameters should overcome the impairments of current standards in a cost-effective manner. Serological approaches measuring spontaneous antibody responses against tumor-associated antigens could be of use as diagnostic and prognostic markers and could also be employed to evaluate response to therapy in cancer patients. Autoantibodies have been suggested to be of frequent and specific occurrence in patients with malignancies and to correlate with clinical parameters. Screening the relevant literature on this topic, we suggest that the analysis of single antibody specificities is unlikely to provide sufficient diagnostic and prognostic accuracy. The combined analysis of autoantibodies targeting different antigens, however, may reach high sensitivity and specificity. In addition, screening cancer patients for autoantibodies might identify subgroups with high relapse risk and a worse prognosis. Larger prospective trials should be initiated to identify sets of tumor-associated autoantibodies suited for the use in diagnostic algorithms for cancer detection and followup.

Download Full-text

EEG in Dementing Disorders

10.1093/med/9780190228484.003.0016 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Claudio Babiloni ◽

Claudio Del Percio ◽

Ana Buján

Keyword(s):

Relevant Literature ◽

Lewy Body Disease ◽

Therapy Response ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Diagnostic Value ◽

Disease Evolution ◽

Eyes Closed ◽

Immunodeficiency Virus ◽

Jakob Disease ◽

Dementing Disorders

This chapter reviews the most relevant literature on qualitative and quantitative abnormalities in resting-state eyes-closed electroencephalographic (rsEEG) rhythms recorded in patients with dementing disorders due to Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal lobar degeneration, vascular disease, Parkinson’s disease, Lewy body disease, human immunodeficiency virus infection, and prion disease, mainly Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease. This condition of quiet wakefulness is the most used in clinical practice, as it involves a simple, innocuous, quick, noninvasive, and cost-effective procedure that can be repeated many times without effects of stress, learning, or habituation. While rsEEG has a limited diagnostic value (not reflecting peculiar pathophysiological processes directly), delta, theta, and alpha rhythms might be promising candidates as “topographical markers” for the prognosis and monitoring of disease evolution and therapy response, at least for the most diffuse dementing disorders. More research is needed before those topographical biomarkers can be proposed for routine clinical applications.

Download Full-text

The search for learning community in learner paced distance education: Or, 'Having your cake and eating it, too!'

Australasian Journal of Educational Technology ◽

10.14742/ajet.1336 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 21 (2) ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Terry Anderson ◽

David Annand ◽

Norine Wark

Keyword(s):

Distance Education ◽

Learning Community ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

Online Survey ◽

Relevant Literature ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Regular Group ◽

Effective Manner ◽

Learning Programs ◽

The University

<span>University distance and e-learning programs generally follow one of two models. Most dual mode institutions and some open universities follow a model of cohort learning. Students start and terminate each course at the same time, and proceed at the same pace. This model allows for occasional or regular group based activities. The second model, referred to as learner paced, is based on increased student independence. Students may start their courses at many points during the year, and complete these at their own pace, depending on the learner's circumstances and interests. It is much more challenging to integrate group based activities in this learner paced model. This study is situated in a university that supports continuous intake and learner pacing in its undergraduate programs. Athabasca University is investigating the feasibility and effectiveness of adding collaborative and cooperative learning activities to this model. The report summarises a study of learner interactions in the context of learner paced courses delivered by the University. Following a review of relevant literature, the study reports on interviews with Athabasca University faculty and external distance education experts, describes results from an online survey of undergraduate students, and documents how these findings may be operationalised at the University. An extensible model of community based learning support is proposed to utilise new social computing capabilities of the web, and to permit learner-learner interaction in a scaleable and cost effective manner, while retaining learner pacing.</span>

Download Full-text

D-Dimers, Thrombin Antithrombin III Complexes and Prothrombin Fragments 1 + 2: Diagnostic value in Clinically Suspected Deep Vein Thrombosis

Thrombosis and Haemostasis ◽

10.1055/s-0038-1647449 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 65 (01) ◽

pp. 028-032 ◽

Cited By ~ 105

Author(s):

B Boneu ◽

G Bes ◽

H Pelzer ◽

P Sié ◽

H Boccalon

Keyword(s):

Deep Vein Thrombosis ◽

Antithrombin Iii ◽

High Sensitivity ◽

Diagnostic Value ◽

Predictive Values ◽

Vein Thrombosis ◽

High Negative Predictive Value ◽

Deep Vein ◽

D Dimer ◽

Mercury Strain Gauge

SummaryThis study was performed to determine the accuracy of D-Dimer fibrin derivatives, thrombin-antithrombin III (TAT) complexes and prothrombin fragments 1 + 2 (F 1 + 2) determinations for the diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis (DVT). One hundred and sixteen consecutive patients referred to the angiology unit of our hospital for a clinically suspected DVT were investigated. They were submitted to mercury strain gauge plethysmography and to ultrasonic duplex scanning examination; in cases of inconclusive results or of proximal DVT (n = 35), an ascending phlebography was performed. After these investigations were completed, the diagnosis of DVT was confirmed in 34 and excluded in 82. One half of the patients were already under anticoagulant therapy at the time of investigation. The 3 biological markers were assayed using commercially available ELISA techniques and the D-Dimer was also assayed with a fast latex method. The normal distribution of these markers was established in 40 healthy blood donors. The most accurate assay for the diagnosis of DVT was the D-Dimer ELISA which had both a high sensitivity (94%) and a high negative predictive value (95%). The D-Dirner latex, TAT complexes and F 1 + 2 were far less sensitive and provided negative predictive values which ranged between 78 and 85%. In spite of positive and significant correlations between the levels of ihe 3 markers, their association did not improve their overall accuracy for detecting D\/L Therefore, with the exception of the D-Dimer ELISA, these markers were of little value for the diagnosis of DVT in this specific population.

Download Full-text

Strategic planning in grassland farming: Principles andapplications

Proceedings of the New Zealand Grassland Association ◽

10.33584/jnzg.1997.59.2241 ◽

1997 ◽

pp. 191-197

Author(s):

W.J. Parker ◽

N.M. Shadbolt ◽

D.I. Gray

Keyword(s):

Strategic Planning ◽

Performance Indicators ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Key Performance Indicators ◽

Strategic Plans ◽

Effective Manner ◽

Farm Business ◽

Pastoral Farming ◽

Financial Environment

Three levels of planning can be distinguished in grassland farming: strategic, tactical and operational. The purpose of strategic planning is to achieve a sustainable long-term fit of the farm business with its physical, social and financial environment. In pastoral farming, this essentially means developing plans that maximise and best match pasture growth with animal demand, while generating sufficient income to maintain or enhance farm resources and improvements, and attain personal and financial goals. Strategic plans relate to the whole farm business and are focused on the means to achieve future needs. They should be routinely (at least annually) reviewed and monitored for effectiveness through key performance indicators (e.g., Economic Farm Surplus) that enable progress toward goals to be measured in a timely and cost-effective manner. Failure to link strategy with control is likely to result in unfulfilled plans. Keywords: management, performance

Download Full-text

Gentamicin: can we use this agent in a more cost effective manner to improve outcomes?

10.26226/morressier.56d5ba2ed462b80296c9524e ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Farnaz Dave

Keyword(s):

Cost Effective ◽

Effective Manner

Download Full-text

Novel Regeneration Approach for Creating Reusable FO-SPR Probes with NTA Surface Chemistry

Nanomaterials ◽

10.3390/nano11010186 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 186

Author(s):

Jia-Huan Qu ◽

Karen Leirs ◽

Remei Escudero ◽

Žiga Strmšek ◽

Roman Jerala ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Surface Chemistry ◽

Fluorescent Protein ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Nitrilotriacetic Acid ◽

Antibody Fragments ◽

Rapid Screening ◽

Red Fluorescent Protein ◽

Effective Manner ◽

Surface Regeneration ◽

Sensitivity Specificity

To date, surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensors have been exploited in numerous different contexts while continuously pushing boundaries in terms of improved sensitivity, specificity, portability and reusability. The latter has attracted attention as a viable alternative to disposable biosensors, also offering prospects for rapid screening of biomolecules or biomolecular interactions. In this context here, we developed an approach to successfully regenerate a fiber-optic (FO)-SPR surface when utilizing cobalt (II)-nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) surface chemistry. To achieve this, we tested multiple regeneration conditions that can disrupt the NTA chelate on a surface fully saturated with His6-tagged antibody fragments (scFv-33H1F7) over ten regeneration cycles. The best surface regeneration was obtained when combining 100 mM EDTA, 500 mM imidazole and 0.5% SDS at pH 8.0 for 1 min with shaking at 150 rpm followed by washing with 0.5 M NaOH for 3 min. The true versatility of the established approach was proven by regenerating the NTA surface for ten cycles with three other model system bioreceptors, different in their size and structure: His6-tagged SARS-CoV-2 spike fragment (receptor binding domain, RBD), a red fluorescent protein (RFP) and protein origami carrying 4 RFPs (Tet12SN-RRRR). Enabling the removal of His6-tagged bioreceptors from NTA surfaces in a fast and cost-effective manner can have broad applications, spanning from the development of biosensors and various biopharmaceutical analyses to the synthesis of novel biomaterials.

Download Full-text

ECG Scoring for the Evaluation of Therapy-Naïve Cancer Patients to Predict Cardiotoxicity

Cancers ◽

10.3390/cancers13061197 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (6) ◽

pp. 1197

Author(s):

Julia Pohl ◽

Raluca-Ileana Mincu ◽

Simone M. Mrotzek ◽

Reza Wakili ◽

Amir A. Mahabadi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High Risk ◽

Cancer Patients ◽

Left Ventricular ◽

Cardiac Biomarkers ◽

Cancer Therapies ◽

University Hospitals ◽

Anti Cancer ◽

Risk Patients ◽

Qrs Duration ◽

Ecg Score

Objective: To evaluate a new electrocardiographic (ECG) score reflecting domains of electrical and structural alterations in therapy-naïve cancer patients to assess their risk of cardiotoxicity. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of 134 therapy-naïve consecutive cancer patients in our two university hospitals concerning four ECG score parameters: Contiguous Q-waves, markers of left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy, QRS duration and JTc prolongation. Cardiotoxicity was assessed after a short-term follow-up (up to 12 months). Results: Of all the patients (n = 25), 19% reached 0 points, 50% (n = 67) reached 1 point, 25% (n = 33) reached 2 points, 5% (n = 7) reached 3 points and 0.7% reached 4 or 5 points (n = 1 respectively). The incidence of cardiotoxicity (n = 28 [21%]) increased with the ECG score, with 0 points at 0%, 1 point 7.5%, 2 points 55%, 3 points 71% and ≥3 points 50%. In the ROC (Receiver operating curves) analysis, the best cut-off for predicting cardiotoxicity was an ECG score of ≥2 points (sensitivity 82%, specificity 82%, AUC 0.84, 95% CI 0.77–0.92, p < 0.0001) which was then defined as a high-risk score. High-risk patients did not differ concerning their age, LV ejection fraction, classical cardiovascular risk factors or cardiac biomarkers compared to those with a low-risk ECG score. Conclusion: ECG scoring prior to the start of anti-cancer therapies may help to identify therapy-naïve cancer patients at a higher risk for the development of cardiotoxicity.

Download Full-text

Multiplexed detection of SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory infections in high throughput by SARSeq

Nature Communications ◽

10.1038/s41467-021-22664-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Ramesh Yelagandula ◽

◽

Aleksandr Bykov ◽

Alexander Vogt ◽

Robert Heinen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Influenza A ◽

Respiratory Infections ◽

High Sensitivity ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Massively Parallel ◽

Rt Pcr ◽

Viral Spread ◽

Saliva Analysis ◽

Double Blinded ◽

Generation Sequencing

AbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the need for massively-parallel, cost-effective tests monitoring viral spread. Here we present SARSeq, saliva analysis by RNA sequencing, a method to detect SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses on tens of thousands of samples in parallel. SARSeq relies on next generation sequencing of multiple amplicons generated in a multiplexed RT-PCR reaction. Two-dimensional, unique dual indexing, using four indices per sample, enables unambiguous and scalable assignment of reads to individual samples. We calibrate SARSeq on SARS-CoV-2 synthetic RNA, virions, and hundreds of human samples of various types. Robustness and sensitivity were virtually identical to quantitative RT-PCR. Double-blinded benchmarking to gold standard quantitative-RT-PCR performed by human diagnostics laboratories confirms this high sensitivity. SARSeq can be used to detect Influenza A and B viruses and human rhinovirus in parallel, and can be expanded for detection of other pathogens. Thus, SARSeq is ideally suited for differential diagnostic of infections during a pandemic.

Download Full-text

A two-stage amplified PZT sensor for monitoring lung and heart sounds in discharged pneumonia patients

Microsystems & Nanoengineering ◽

10.1038/s41378-021-00274-x ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Hongbin Chen ◽

Shuai Yu ◽

Haiyang Liu ◽

Jie Liu ◽

Yongguang Xiao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High Sensitivity ◽

Cost Effective ◽

High Ratio ◽

Heart Sounds ◽

Two Stage ◽

Diagnosis And Prognosis ◽

Sensor Device ◽

Cost Effective Alternative ◽

A Charge ◽

Highly Sensitive Detection

AbstractAssessment of lung and heart states is of critical importance for patients with pneumonia. In this study, we present a small-sized and ultrasensitive accelerometer for continuous monitoring of lung and heart sounds to evaluate the lung and heart states of patients. Based on two-stage amplification, which consists of an asymmetric gapped cantilever and a charge amplifier, our accelerometer exhibited an extremely high ratio of sensitivity to noise compared with conventional structures. Our sensor achieves a high sensitivity of 9.2 V/g at frequencies less than 1000 Hz, making it suitable to use to monitor weak physiological signals, including heart and lung sounds. For the first time, lung injury, heart injury, and both lung and heart injuries in discharged pneumonia patients were revealed by our sensor device. Our sound sensor also successfully tracked the recovery course of the discharged pneumonia patients. Over time, the lung and heart states of the patients gradually improved after discharge. Our observations were in good agreement with clinical reports. Compared with conventional medical instruments, our sensor device provides rapid and highly sensitive detection of lung and heart sounds, which greatly helps in the evaluation of lung and heart states of pneumonia patients. This sensor provides a cost-effective alternative approach to the diagnosis and prognosis of pneumonia and has the potential for clinical and home-use health monitoring.

Download Full-text