Life-at-it-is

The mole vole (Ellobius talpinus (Pallas), Rodentia) is the object of interest for cytogenetics, ecology and gerontology research, peculiarly because of partial similarity of this animal to the unique long-living rodent, mole rat. In this work, the mole vole has been found to have very specific spectrum of tumors and non-tumor pathologies which vastly differs from pathological lesions spectrum in mole rat, laboratory mouse, rat and hamster. Mole voles had relatively small tumor incidence (9% totally in the observed population and 16% in animals dead after the achievement of the first tumor development age) and long minimal span of tumor latency (549 days) that is why this species could be categorized as cancer-resistant in compare to laboratory rodents (mice, rats, hamsters)...

BACKGROUND: Patients with advanced cancer after radio- and/or chemotherapy are increasingly commonly hospitalised in cardiology units due to coexisting cardiovascular diseases (CVD). A rational assessment of mortality risk is an important part of patient preparation for invasive cardiac procedures. One disadvantage of cardiac risk scores is the fact that malignancies are not taken into account. At present, accurate estimation of life expectancy is possible in up to 20% of patients with an advanced malignancy...

Lung cancer is the leading cause of death due to malignancy. Although lung cancer mortality has been decreasing in recent years, it remains substantially higher than other causes of cancer death. Median survival for patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer, defined as lung cancer involving regional lymph nodes, is estimated to be approximately 10 to 17 months, and median survival for patients with metastatic disease is only 6 to 9 months. In addition, patients with advanced lung cancer often experience debilitating symptoms and poor quality of life...

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether postoperative quality of life (QOL) for composite aortic root replacement patients differs according to whether it is based on the use of mechanical valves or bioprosthetic valves. METHODS: The study included 146 consecutive patients who underwent composite aortic root replacement at our institution from January 2010 to April 2014 with bioprosthetic (34.9%, n = 51) and mechanical (65.1%, n = 95) valves. Patient-perceived QOL was measured by administering the Short Form (SF)-36v2 Health Survey and a series of supplemental questions to further evaluate valve-specific differences...

INTRODUCTION: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is widely used to improve quality of life in movement disorders (MD) and psychiatric diseases. Even though the ability to have children has a big impact on patients' life, only a few studies describe the role of DBS in pregnancy. OBJECTIVE: To describe risks and management of women treated by DBS for disabling MD or psychiatric diseases during pregnancy and delivery. METHODS: We report a retrospective case series of women, followed in two DBS centers, who became pregnant and went on to give birth to a child while suffering from disabling MD or psychiatric diseases [Parkinson's disease, dystonia, Tourette's syndrome (TS), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)] treated by DBS...

Human development is a bidirectional, person-context relational process, but scarce evidence is available about the relation between the individual variability across the life-span and the neighborhood ecological assets. Therefore, it is important that research focus not only on personal characteristics but on ecological assets as well. This way this study aims to analyze the association between neighborhood ecological assets categorized into four dimensions: human, physical or institutional, social or collective activity, accessibility, and the individual functioning...

INTRODUCTION: Head and neck cancers account for about 6% of all malignant tumors. Head and neck cancers are responsible for about 650,000 new cases and approximately 260,000 deaths in the world annually. About 50% of patients fail to achieve cure or relapse of cancer occurs despite intensive combined treatment. A small number of patients is eligible for re-treatment, and for most of them symptomatic treatment is used. Photodynamic therapy(PDT) may be an alternative these patients. PDT improves the quality of life in patients who are at the stage of the disease recognized as incurable according to present knowledge...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Urinary incontinence (UI) is a common disorder that affects women of various ages and impacts all aspects of life. Our aim was to evaluate the non-invasive erbium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Er:YAG) laser that exploits its thermal effect and has been used in reconstructive and rejuvenation surgery as a potential treatment strategy for stress UI (SUI) and mixed UI (MUI). STUDY DESIGN/MATERIALS AND METHODS: We included 175 women (aged 49.7 ± 10 years) with newly diagnosed SUI (66% of women) and MUI (34%), respectively...

OBJECTIVE: Male patients with the X-linked IGSF1 deficiency syndrome are characterized by central hypothyroidism, delayed pubertal testosterone rise, adult macroorchidism, variable prolactin deficiency and occasionally transient partial growth hormone deficiency. Thyroid hormone plays a vital role in brain development and functioning, and while most patients receive adequate replacement therapy starting shortly after birth, it is unknown whether this syndrome is accompanied by long-term impaired cognitive functioning...

We aimed to assess the extent to which core members of the head and neck multidisciplinary team (MDT) use data on health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and their familiarity with specific HRQoL outcomes for different groups of patients with cancer of the head and neck. We surveyed members of the head and neck MDT in the Merseyside Regional Head and Neck Cancer Centre (consultants, clinical nurse specialists, and allied health professionals) about their views on patient-reported outcomes for 8 common clinical situations after treatment for cancer...

BACKGROUND: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating disease of the CNS occurring in young adults and even in children in 5% of cases. Lower quality of life (QoL) and cognitive impairment (CI) (40-54%) have been reported in early-onset MS (EO-MS) patients. OBJECTIVE: To assess QoL and cognitive function in EO-MS and their relationship, also considering demographic and clinical variables. METHODS: Paediatric Quality of life inventory Version 4...

BACKGROUND: Health of migrants is known to be above-average in the beginning of the migration trajectory. At the same time reports from non-government organisations (NGOs) suggest that undocumented migrants in Germany tend to present late and in poor health at healthcare facilities. In this paper, we explore the health status of undocumented migrants with a mixed method approach including complementary qualitative and quantitative datasets. METHODS: Undocumented migrants attending a NGO based in Hamburg, Germany, were asked to fill in the SF-12v2, a standardized questionnaire measuring health-related quality of life (HRQOL)...

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate changes in health related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with metastatic head and neck (H&N) cancer randomized to receive metronomic (methotrexate and celecoxib) or cisplatin chemotherapy. METHODS: Patients older than 18 years, with a Karnofsky Performance score of ≥70, and diagnosed with metastatic, locally advanced inoperable or recurrent head and neck (H&N) cancer not amenable to surgery or radiation were randomized (1:1) to receive metronomic or cisplatin chemotherapy...

In everyday life, we can often identify when an object has been subjected to some kind of transformation that alters its shape. For example, we can usually tell whether a can has been crushed, or a cookie has been bitten. Conversely, our ability to recognize objects is often robust across such shape transformations: we can still identify the can even though it has been dented. This ability to determine and discount the causal history of objects suggests the visual system may partially decompose the observed shape of an object into original (untransformed) elements plus the transformations that were applied to it...

Is forgetting mostly a positive force in human life? On the surface, this seems to not be the case, and people often associate memory loss with frustration in their everyday lives. Yet, forgetting does not have exclusively negative consequences; it also serves valuable, indeed vital, functions. In this article, I review and reflect on evidence from various areas of research, and I argue that forgetting serves at least three broad purposes. First, it is part of emotion regulation, and it promotes subjective well-being by limiting access to negative memories and by reducing unpleasant affect...

BACKGROUND: With the number of young people with medical complexity increasing, an increasing number must navigate the transition to adulthood. This transition, in part, involves a situational transition in which young people and their families must access new services in the adult system. OBJECTIVES: To explore how societal ideologies, communities, and organizations represent the foundation of barriers to access to services. RESEARCH DESIGN: The discussion in this paper, framed within a social justice perspective, outlines barriers to access to services at the societal and community levels including societal ideologies, differences in philosophies of care in pediatric and adult care, physical environments, and availability of services...

The present work was aimed at characterizing the regional vascularization of the oviduct in the pig to ascertain whether the number of terminal mesosalpingeal arterioles supplying the isthmus and ampulla is influenced by reproductive maturity and state of the estrous cycle. The total number of terminal arterioles (NTA) in the mesosalpinx was quantified under a stereomicroscope in latex injected ex-vivo reproductive tracts from pre-pubertal (n = 10) and mature sows (n = 34), the latter allocated into three phases of the estrous cycle: follicular (n = 12); early luteal (n = 11); and late luteal (n = 11)...

Sarcopenia is a major contributor to the loss of independence and deteriorating quality of life in elderly individuals, it manifests as a decline in skeletal muscle mass and strength beyond the age of 65. Muscle fibre atrophy is a major contributor to sarcopenia and the most severely atrophic fibres are commonly found in elderly muscles to have permanently lost their motor nerve input. By contrast with elderly fibres, when fibres in young animals lose their motor input they normally mount a response to induce restoration of nerve contact, and this is mediated in part by upregulated expression of the nerve cell adhesion molecule (NCAM)...

INTRODUCTION: The preschool years provide a unique window of opportunity to intervene on obesity-related lifestyle risk factors during the formative years of a child's life. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of a preschool-based obesity prevention effectiveness trial at 1-year follow-up. DESIGN: RCT. SETTINGS/PARTICIPANTS: Primarily African American children (aged 3-5 years, N=618) attending Head Start preschool programs administered by Chicago Public Schools...

INTRODUCTION: Injury Severity Score (ISS) and GCS can be retrospective markers of injury severity, but if used by clinicians to decide on the treatment of acutely brain-injured casualties at the point of injury may potentially limit interventions on people who may ultimately survive with good functional outcomes. METHODS: ISS/GCS and long-term outcomes were reviewed by assessing all UK military neurorehabilitation patients with an operational/combat brain injury treated over 4 years (February 2008-July 2012) at Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre (Headley Court)...