OBJECTIVE To evaluate the functional characteristics of swallowing and to analyze the parameters of dysphagia in head and neck cancer patients after concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). METHODS The medical records of 32 patients with head and neck cancer who were referred for a videofluoroscopic swallowing study from January 2012 to May 2015 were retrospectively reviewed. The patients were al...

We describe how a constructive PC-based driver assessment part-task trainer (PTT) can be integrated into driver training. The PTT, developed through research with law enforcement agencies, gathers data on drivers' scanning and divided-attention skills and also measures the tendency toward tunnel vision under stress. The user sits in front of a computer monitor and interacts with the system thro...

Photothermal therapy (PTT) is widely regarded as a promising technology for cancer treatment. Gold nanorods (GNRs), as excellent PTT agent candidates, have shown high-performance photothermal conversion ability under laser irradiation, yet two major obstacles to their clinical application are the lack of selective accumulation in the target site following systemic administration and the greatly...

We report a case of brodifacoum (superwarfarin) intoxication of unknown etiology presenting as hemoperitoneum after fluconazole administration for one week before the onset of symptoms. The initial prothrombin time (PT) and partial thromboplastin time (PTT) were markedly prolonged, although a mixing study with normal plasma showed that the corrected PT and PTT were in the normal range. Vitamin ...

To meet the ultimate goal of cancer therapy, which is treating not only the primary tumor but also preventing metastatic cancer, the concept of combining immunotherapy with photothermal therapy (PTT) is gaining great interest. Here, we studied the new material, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) coated copper sulfide nanoparticles (LPS-CuS), for the immuno-photothermal therapy. We evaluated the effect of...

Combination of photodynamic therapy (PDT) with photothermal therapy (PTT) has achieved significantly improved therapeutic efficacy compared to a single phototherapy modality. However, most nanomaterials used for combined PDT/PTT are made of non-biodegradable materials (e.g., gold nanorods, carbon nanotubes, and graphenes) and may remain intact in the body for long time, raising concerns over th...

Copper sulfide nanoparticles (CuS NPs) have been reported as a single-compartment theranostic nanosystem to visualize and treat tumors simultaneously. However, few studies have investigated the in vivo tumor-targeted delivery of this class of nanoparticles. In this study, we introduced a tumor-specific targeting ligand, folic acid (FA), onto the surface of CuS NPs as a model system to demonstra...

In the last decade, cuffless blood pressure measurement technology has been widely studied because it could be applied to a wearable apparatus. Electrocardiography (ECG), photo-plethysmography (PPG), and phonocardiography are always used to detect the pulse transit time (PTT) because the changed tendencies of the PTT and blood pressure have a negative relationship. In this study, the PPG signal...

The plasmonic gold nanoparticles are promising candidates for photothermal therapy (PTT) application. The optical properties of various gold nanoparticles have been widely investigated for PTT application in the first near-infrared (NIR) window (650-950 nm). However, few studies have been reported on the nanoparticles employed in the second NIR window (1000-1350 nm) where light penetrates deepe...

Abstract Background For adolescents, preventing a premature training termination (PTT) and withdrawal from education after PTT is an important societal task. While studies reveal that early-risk factors such as low educational background or selected personality constructs are relevant for predicting PTT, less known about subsequent trajectories the determine them. Methods Using data German Nati...