A multi-resolution textural approach to diagnostic neuropathology reporting

Journal of Neuro-Oncology - We present a computer aided diagnostic workflow focusing on two diagnostic branch points in neuropathology (intraoperative consultation and p53 status in tumor biopsy...     

Letting the dying die

Abstract

I first saw St. Rose's Home on one of those sudden summer days that New York City occasionally has in the middle of spring: humid and stuffy. At a distance of several blocks, I did not know exactly what to think or expect, bordered as St. Rose's is by project housing and the East River, and in front by a typically overworn New York City park. That day there was a softball game being played on the diamond, and its sounds echoed from building to building. Although the outward aspect of the Home seemed clean and pleasant in contrast to its surroundings, I had visions of its internal structure twisted by the disease that it tried to palliate: terminal cancer.     

A Volitional Help Sheet to Reduce Alcohol Consumption in the General Population: A Field Experiment

Volitional help sheets (VHS) have been shown to be effective in changing health behavior, but not yet alcohol consumption in a general population. The aim of the present research was to test the ability of VHS to reduce alcohol consumption against an active control condition, a ??standard?? self-generated implementation intention condition, and forming a single implementation intention using the VHS. Sixty-nine participants were randomly allocated to one of four conditions: active control, VHS: single implementation intention, VHS: multiple implementation intentions and self-generated implementation intention. The main outcome measure was alcohol intake, assessed using a version of the timeline follow-back technique. Subsequent alcohol consumption decreased by more than 0.5 standard units (8 grams) per day in each of the experimental conditions (ps?<?0.05), but increased marginally (0.05 units/day) in the active control condition. There were no significant differences in cognition or behavior between the three experimental conditions. The findings support the efficacy of a new VHS to reduce alcohol consumption. Further research is needed to identify alternative means by which people may form implementation intentions.     

Prevalence of HOXB13 mutation in a population of Ashkenazi Jewish men treated for prostate cancer

We performed a retrospective analysis of germline DNA samples from Ashkenazi Jewish men and a comparison group of non-Ashkenazi men treated for prostate cancer at our institution to determine the prevalence of HOXB13 G84E mutation in prostate cancer patients of Ashkenazi Jewish heritage, an ethnic group common to the New York City area. Patients were genotyped for G84E using a TaqMan assay (Applied Biosystems). Positive cases were confirmed using Sanger sequencing. Median age at prostate cancer diagnosis was 68 years for 889 Ashkenazi Jewish patients, 64 years for 920 non-Ashkenazi Jewish patients. The median follow up was 9 years for Ashkenazi Jewish patients and 8.8 years for non-Ashkenazi Jewish patients. Only 4 patients were found to be heterozygous carriers of G84E. They were all of non-Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry and were diagnosed at 70, 66, 78, and 49 years of age. Two of them presented with high-risk prostate cancer. The prevalence of G84E in the non-Ashkenazi sample was 0.4 %. HOXB13 G84E mutation was not observed in prostate cancer patients of Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry treated at our institution. Screening for G84E, therefore, may be unnecessary in Ashkenazi Jewish men if these results are validated by other studies.