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Abstract Background To correlate the metabolic changes with size changes for tumor response by concomitant PET-CT evaluation of lung cancers after radiotherapy. Methods 36 patients were studied pre- and post-radiotherapy with18FDG PET-CT scans at a median interval of 71 days. All of the patients were followed clinically and radiographically after a mean period of 342 days for assessment of local control or failure rates. Change in size (sum of maximum orthogonal diameters) was correlated with that of maximum standard uptake value (SUV) of the primary lung cancer before and after conventional radiotherapy. Results There was a significant reduction in both SUV and size of the primary cancer after radiotherapy (p < 0.00005). Among the 20 surviving patients, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy using PET (SUV) were 94%, 50%, 90% respectively and the corresponding values using and CT (size criteria) were 67%, 50%, and 65% respectively. The metabolic change (SUV) was highly correlated with the change in size by a quadratic function. In addition, the mean percentage metabolic change was significantly larger than that of size change (62.3 ± 32.7% vs 47.1 ± 26.1% respectively, p = 0.03) Conclusion Correlating and incorporating metabolic change by PET into size change by concomitant CT is more sensitive in assessing therapeutic response than CT alone.

This study investigated the psychological processes underlying interview faking, and that link personality to interview faking. In a sample of 198 recent interviewees, surveyed across three time points, we examined the mediating role of three constructs from the theory of planned behavior (TPB; i.e., attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control) in explaining the relationship between the traits of Honesty–Humility and Conscientiousness and one form of interview faking (i.e., extensive image creation). Results indicated that all three TPB constructs correlated with interview faking, although only attitudes and subjective norms predicted faking incrementally. Attitudes and norms mediated the relationships between Honesty–Humility and Conscientiousness and interview faking. This study provides insight into interview faking, and the link between personality and interview faking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Evaluations of multicenter clinical trials are needed to determine the effectiveness of care in routine implant therapy in clinical practice. Materials and Methods: Ninety-two clinicians in 75 clinics in 13 countries recruited five subjects per clinic who were in need of a minimum of two dental implants to restore a partially edentulous quadrant and were followed for a minimum of 1 year after loading. A centralized Internet-based case report form was developed to coordinate data recording. Data entry was done by each clinic, with follow-up source verification. Results: The study recruited 549 subjects in 101 clinics with 1,893 implants placed. Three hundred forty subjects completed the 1-year recall (gender distribution of 56% female, 44% male; mean age of 57 years with a range of 18 to 84 years). In all, 1,246 dental implants were followed; a majority of subjects had two to four implants. Twenty-eight percent of subjects received osseous grafting prior to or coincident with implant placement. In the maxilla, 779 (63%) implants were placed, 256 in the anterior and 523 in the posterior; in the mandible, 467 implants were placed, 85 in the anterior and 382 in the posterior arch. The median edentulous period prior to implant placement was 24 months (range, 0 to 480 months); 46% of all patients received implants within 12 months of tooth loss. At 1 year after prosthesis insertion, 15 subjects had lost a total of 17 implants, for a cumulative implant survival rate of 98.6%. Chi-square and Fisher exact tests indicated a higher risk of implant loss at sites with advanced resorption and for wider-diameter implants (5-mm tapered body). There was no statistical relationship with implant loss relative to implant length or anatomic location within the oral cavity. Conclusions: The outcomes support the need for ongoing involvement of clinicians in routine practice assessments of patient-based outcomes of implant therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visual search studies typically assume the availability of precise target information to guide search, often a picture of the exact target. However, search targets in the real world are often defined categorically and with varying degrees of visual specificity. In five target preview conditions we manipulated the availability of target visual information in a search task for common real-world objects. Previews were: a picture of the target, an abstract textual description of the target, a precise textual description, an abstract + colour textual description, or a precise + colour textual description. Guidance generally increased as information was added to the target preview. We conclude that the information used for search guidance need not be limited to a picture of the target. Although generally less precise, to the extent that visual information can be extracted from a target label and loaded into working memory, this information too can be used to guide search.

To what extent do employees' personality traits shape their perceptions of job and life satisfaction? To answer this question, we conducted the largest meta-analysis on the topic to date, summarizing a total of 12,682 correlations among combinations of personality, job satisfaction and life satisfaction. We also sought to refine previous meta-analytic estimates by comparing the effects of personality facets to broad trait domains, while controlling for commensurability of personality measures. The results showed that the Big Five personality traits accounted for about 10% of the variance in job satisfaction, which in turn accounted for 13% of the variance in life satisfaction. Compared with the broad trait domains, personality facets typically accounted for twice as much variance in life satisfaction, with only a minor increase for job satisfaction, which contradicts the typical bandwidth–fidelity heuristic. The results also provided support for a trickle-down or top-down effect, where dispositions affect perceptions of life satisfaction, which then influenced the more specific subdomain of job satisfaction. The results have important implications for researchers and practitioners, suggesting that information is lost when personality facets are overlooked, and that educational and workplace interventions could enhance perceptions of satisfaction for those prone to lower levels of subjective well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article shows the advocacy of dentist Joseph M. Schmidt for the Astra Tech Impant System EV from Dentsply Sirona. It discusses the restorative options offered by the system including single-tooth to full-arch/all-on X and use in conjunction with Atlantis patient-specific abutments. Advantages of system include short, narrow and profile implants for limited vertical bone, tight spaces and sloped ridges and a biological design driven for bone maintenance and soft-tissue stability.

Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein enzyme which has been linked to malignant transformation in human cells. Telomerase activity is increased in the vast majority of human tumors, making its gene product the first molecule common to all human tumors. The generation of endogenously processed telomerase peptides bound to Class IMHC molecules could therefore target cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) to tumors of different origins. This could advance vaccine therapy against cancer provided that precursor CTL recognizing telomerase peptides in normal adults and cancer patients can be expanded through immunization. We demonstrate here that the majority of normal individuals and patients with prostate cancer immunized in vitro against two HLA-A2.1 restricted peptides from telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTRT) develop hTRT-specific CTL This suggests the existence of precursor CTL for hTRT in the repertoire of normal individuals and in cancer patients. Most importantly, the CTL of cancer patients specifically lysed a variety of HLA-[A2.sup.+] cancer cell lines, demonstrating immunological recognition of endogenously processed hTRT peptides. Moreover, in vivo immunization of HLA-A2.1 transgenic mice generated a specific CTL response against both hTRT peptides. Based on the induction of CTL responses in vitro and in vivo, and the susceptibility to lysis of tumor cells of various origins by hTRT CTL, we suggest that hTRT could serve as a universal cancer vaccine for humans.