1,568 research outputs found
Transport as a new avenue for CV prevention in city dwellers: how to kill two birds with one stone?
No full textNeven, A (reprint author), Hasselt Univ, Transportat Res Inst IMOB, B-3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium.
[email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]
Architect Neven Šegvić – Theoretical Works
Get PDFAutor članka bavi se istraživanjem opusa arhitekta Nevena Šegvića. U trijadi njegova djela – teorijski rad, projektantski rad, pedagoški rad – tekst obrađuje problematiku prvog segmenta. Analizom evidentiranih bibliografskih jedinica autor sagledava vrijednost pojedinačnoga djela unutar duktusa cjelokupnoga znanstveno-publicističkog djela. Verifikacijom i valorizacijom izlučnih radova te uspostavom stratifikacije elaborira se teza o postojanju pet problemsko-razvojnih faza teorijskog opusa arhitekta Nevena Šegvića.Within his work on the oeuvre of the architect Neven Šegvić, the author focuses in this paper on Šegvić’s theoretical work, as one of the three main subject areas of his career, the others being architectural design and teaching. The analysis of Šegvić’s bibliography provides a basis for a critical evaluation of each particular work and its positioning within the entire theoretical oeuvre. The analysis is followed by a stratification in which the author identifies five discrete development phases in Neven Šegvić’s theoretical work
Stratification of Neven Šegvić’s Architecture
Get PDFAutor članka bavi se istraživanjem opusa arhitekta Nevena Šegvića. U trijadi njegova djela – arhitektonski rad, teorijski rad, pedagoški rad – tekst obrađuje problematiku samo prvog segmenta. Primjenom kronološkoga kriterija očitavanja kataloga autor sagledava vrijednost pojedinačnoga djela unutar duktusa cjelovitoga stvaralačkog opusa. Verifikacijom i valorizacijom radova te uspostavom stratifikacije elaborira se teza o postojanju pet problemsko- -razvojnih faza arhitektonskog opusa Nevena Šegvića.This article is a study of Neven Šegvić’s architecture focusing on his architectural achievements as one of the three main subject areas of his work (along with his theory and teaching). The author evaluates each work within the entire collection through a chronological study of catalogues. Through the analysis and assessment of Šegvić’s works and stratification, the author elaborates his thesis of five development stages in Šegvić’s architectural career
PHONOLOGICAL LINGUISTIC FEATURES OF UNPUBLISHED POEMS OF THE YOUNG CHAKAVIAN POET AND CHANSONNIER NEVEN BARAC
Get PDFU radu se donosi pregled fonoloških jezičnih značajki neobjavljenih pjesama mladoga vinodolskog pjesnika i šansonijera Nevena Barca. Njegove su pjesme pisane na griškome idiomu koji pripada srednjočakavskomu ili ikavsko-ekavskomu čakavskom dijalektu. S jedne smo se strane u jezičnome proučavanju služili njegovom neobjavljenom zbirkom pjesama, a s druge strane do danas objavljenim dijalektološkim opisima govora Grižana te vlastitim zapažanjima s terena. Jezična je analiza potvdila da je mladi autor u jeziku pjesama ostao dosljedan svojemu mjesnom govoru.This paper provides an overview of the phonological linguistic features of the unreleased songs by the young poet and chansonnier Neven Barac. His poems are written in the Grižane idiom that belongs to the Chakavian ikavian-ekavian dialect. Linguistic analysis has confirmed that the young author has remained consistent to his local idiom linguistic features in the language of the songs
Age-related microRNAs in older breast cancer patients: biomarker potential and evolution during adjuvant chemotherapy
No full textAbstract Background MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are important regulators of cellular function and have been associated with both aging and cancer, but the impact of chemotherapy on age-related miRNAs has barely been studied. Our aim was to examine whether chemotherapy accelerates the aging process in elderly breast cancer patients using miRNA expression profiling. Methods We monitored age-related miRNAs in blood of women, aged 70 or older, receiving adjuvant chemotherapy (docetaxel and cyclophosphamide, TC) for invasive breast cancer (chemo group, CTG, n = 46). A control group of older breast cancer patients without chemotherapy was included for comparison (control group, CG, n = 43). All patients underwent geriatric assessment at inclusion (T0), after 3 months (T1) and 1 year (T2). Moreover, we analysed the serum expression of nine age-related miRNAs (miR-20a, miR-30b, miR-34a, miR-106b, miR-191, miR-301a, miR-320b, miR-374a, miR-378a) at each timepoint. Results Except for miR-106b, which behaved slightly different in CTG compared to CG, all miRNAs showed moderate fluctuations during the study course with no significant differences between groups. Several age-related miRNAs correlated with clinical frailty (miR-106b, miR-191, miR-301a, miR-320b, miR-374a), as well as with other biomarkers of aging, particularly Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 (MCP-1) (miR-106b, miR-301a, miR-374a-5p, miR-378a-3p). Moreover, based on their ‘aging miRNA’ profiles, patients clustered into two distinct groups exhibiting significantly different results for several biological/clinical aging parameters. Conclusions These results further corroborate our earlier report, stating that adjuvant TC chemotherapy does not significantly boost aging progression in elderly breast cancer patients. Our findings also endorsed specific age-related miRNAs as promising aging/frailty biomarkers in oncogeriatric populations. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT00849758. Registered on 20 February 2009. This clinical trial was registered prospectively
Plasma Iron Levels at Early Breast Cancer Diagnosis Are Associated With Development of Secondary Metastases: A Single-Center Retrospective Cohort Study
No full textBackground: Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women and the leading cause of cancer-related death. Although most early-stage patients are cured, 20% to 30% develop metastases, significantly reducing survival rates. Recent research highlights the role of iron in cancer progression, although its full impact on breast cancer metastasis is not yet fully understood.Objectives: The aim of this study is to investigate the association between plasma iron levels at diagnosis of early-stage breast cancer and the risk of developing metastatic disease.Design: Retrospective single-center study.Methods: Patients with stage I to III breast cancer, diagnosed between 2007 and 2017, and with serum iron, transferrin saturation, and ferritin values available within 1.5 months before or after diagnosis were included. Cox proportional hazard models were applied to determine the association between iron levels and risk of metastasis.Results: In total, 1113 patients were included, 10% of them developed distant metastasis over a median follow-up period of 7 years. In multivariable analysis adjusting for age, stage, and subtype, transferrin saturation and serum iron were significantly associated with an increased risk of breast cancer metastasis. For each 10% increment of transferrin saturation at baseline, there was a 19% increase in metastatic risk (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.19; 95% confidence interval [CI] = [1.02-1.38]). Similarly, a serum iron increment of 10 mu g/dL led to a 6% increase in risk (HR = 1.06; 95% CI = [1.01-1.12]). Ferritin was found not to be associated with metastatic risk (HR = 0.99; 95% CI = [0.98, 1.01]). There was no significant association with metastatic site or breast cancer subtype when adjusting for age and stage.Conclusion: Elevated transferrin saturation and serum iron at early breast cancer diagnosis are associated with increased risk for metastatic disease but not with location of metastases or breast cancer subtype. Further research is needed to understand the underlying mechanisms and to explore the potential of iron-targeted therapies.The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: SMF acknowledges KU Leuven C1 funding and funding from the ERC under Proof of Concept grant agreement no. 101112780—MetaIron. All other authors declare that no funds, grants, or other support was received during the preparation of this article
Elevated CA 15.3 in Newly Diagnosed Breast Cancer: A Retrospective Study
No full textPURPOSE: To examine the relationship between baseline elevated CA 15.3 (>30 kU/L) and the prevalence of primary or secondary metastatic disease in breast cancer. METHODS: We performed a retrospective, single-center cohort study on patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer and baseline CA 15.3> 30 kU/L, diagnosed between 2000-2015. Information on tumor characteristics, pre-treatment CA 15.3, staging results, treatment approach, disease recurrence and death were collected from individual medical files. For every tumor subtype, the optimal cut-off value of CA 15.3 for determining primary metastatic disease is determined. RESULTS: Eight hundred ninety-four patients with baseline CA15.3 > 30 kU/L were included of which 38% were diagnosed with primary metastatic disease while 15% subsequently developed secondary metastatic disease, with a median follow-up of 74 months. LuminalHER2 tumors had the highest proportion of primary metastatic disease (48%), Triple Negative tumors had the highest proportion of secondary metastatic disease (24%) (p=0.008). A higher CA 15.3 value corresponds to higher risk of both primary and secondary metastatic disease (p30 kU/L, 38% presents with primary metastatic disease and 15% develops secondary metastatic disease, with a median follow-up of 74 months. Our results can help clinicians to identify patients at risk of primary or secondary metastatic disease via information on tumor subtype and baseline CA 15.3.sponsorship: This trial was approved by the Research Ethics Committee UZ/KU Leuven (reference number MP012727) , in compliance with the principles of the Helsinki Declaration. The authors would like to thank C. Remmerie for her contri- bution in collecting the data, dr. S.Han and K. Vantornout for adding information on pregnancy to our data and the Belgian Cancer Registry for providing data on breast cancer mortality rates in Belgium. (MP012727)status: Publishe
Biological ageing and frailty markers in breast cancer patients
No full textOlder cancer patients are a highly heterogeneous population in terms of global health and physiological reserves, and it is often difficult to determine the best treatment. Moreover, clinical tools currently used to assess global health require dedicated time and lack a standardized end score. Circulating markers of biological age and/or fitness could complement or partially substitute the existing screening tools. In this study we explored the relationship of potential ageing/frailty biomarkers with age and clinical frailty. On a population of 82 young and 162 older non-metastatic breast cancer patients, we measured mean leukocyte telomere length and plasma levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), regulated upon activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES), monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1), insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). We also developed a new tool to summarize clinical frailty, designated Leuven Oncogeriatric Frailty Score (LOFS), by integrating GA results in a single, semi-continuous score. LOFS' median score was 8, on a scale from 0=frail to 10=fit. IL-6 levels were associated with chronological age in both groups and with clinical frailty in older breast cancer patients, whereas telomere length, IGF-1 and MCP-1 only correlated with age. Plasma IL-6 should be further explored as frailty biomarker in cancer patients.sponsorship: Hans Wildiers is senior clinical investigator supported by the Fund for Scientific Research Flanders (FWO-Vlaanderen)..' Barbara Brouwers is a recipient of a grant from the 'Vlaamse Liga tegen Kanker' (VLK). (Fund for Scientific Research Flanders (FWO-Vlaanderen), 'Vlaamse Liga tegen Kanker' (VLK))status: Publishe
Protection and Retrieval of Encrypted Multimedia Content: When Cryptography Meets Signal Processing
No full textThe processing and encryption of multimedia content are generally considered sequential and independent operations. In certain multimedia content processing scenarios, it is, however, desirable to carry out processing directly on encrypted signals. The field of secure signal processing poses significant challenges for both signal processing and cryptography research; only few ready-to-go fully integrated solutions are available. This study first concisely summarizes cryptographic primitives used in existing solutions to processing of encrypted signals, and discusses implications of the security requirements on these solutions. The study then continues to describe two domains in which secure signal processing has been taken up as a challenge, namely, analysis and retrieval of multimedia content, as well as multimedia content protection. In each domain, state-of-the-art algorithms are described. Finally, the study discusses the challenges and open issues in the field of secure signal processing.Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Scienc
Household financial assets in the process of development
Get PDFSystematic information on household financial asset holdings in developing countries is very sparse. The author reviews some available data and current policy debates. Although financial asset holdings by households are highly concentrated, deeper financial systems are correlated with improved income distribution. For low-income countries, the relevant question for poor households is not how much financial assets they have, but whether they have any access to financial products at all. Building on and synthesizing disparate data collection efforts by others, the author produces new estimates of access percentages for over 150 countries. Across countries access is negatively correlated with poverty rates, but the correlation is not a robust one: thus the supposed anti-poverty potential of financial access remains econometrically elusive. Despite policy focus on the value of credit instruments, it is deposit products that tend to be the first to be used as prosperity increases, before more sophisticated savings products and borrowing.Economic Theory&Research,Banks&Banking Reform,Investment and Investment Climate,Financial Intermediation,Settlement of Investment Disputes
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