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Background Improved survival after childhood cancer has shifted the focus to health-related quality of life (HRQL)—an understudied problem, especially among adolescents. Procedure We assessed HRQL among adolescents utilizing a validated self-report tool, the Minneapolis-Manchester Quality of Life (MMQL) Adolescent Form, consisting of 46 items comprising seven domains: physical, cognitive, psychological and social functioning, body image, intimate relations, and outlook on life, and computed an overall QoL score. The MMQL Adolescent Form was administered to 226 adolescent survivors of childhood cancer a median of 7.8 years from diagnosis (off therapy—median age: 16.2 years), 136 adolescent cancer patients undergoing therapy (on therapy—median age: 16.4 years), and 134 healthy adolescents (controls—median age: 15.5 years). Primary diagnoses included leukemia (46%), lymphoma (26%), brain tumors (5%), and other solid tumors (23%). Results Compared to healthy controls, on-therapy patients were at increased risk for reporting poor overall QoL [Odds Ratio (OR) = 3.3, P = 0.002)] and poor physical functioning (OR = 11.8, P

Summary We have created transgenicArabidopsisplants in which a gene encoding the cell-autonomous diphtheria toxin A chain (DT-A) was expressed under the control of theLEAFY (LFY)promoter. This promoter is active both in emerging leaf primordia and young flowers, with the highest activity in flowers. The majority ofLFY::DT-Aplants had normal vegetative development but lacked flowers, demonstrating that relatively widespread activity of a promoter does not exclude its possible use for ablating selected tissues, as long as differences in activity levels between different tissues are significant. We also found that flowers were replaced by empty bracts inLFY::DT-Aplants, suggesting that flower-derived signals normally suppress bract development inArabidopsis.

Applications of a 3D printing process are presented. This process integrates liquid-state printed components and interconnects with IC chips in all three dimensions, various orientations, and multiple printing layers to deliver personalized system-level functionalities. As an example application, a form-fitting glove is demonstrated with embedded programmable heater, temperature sensor, and the associated control electronics for thermotherapeutic treatment.