The aortic specimens
were submitted to histomorphometric and biomechanical studies, including measurement of failure strain (ie, extensibility), failure stress (ie, strength), and peak elastic modulus (ie, stiffness).
Results: Wall elastin, but not collagen content, decreased in aneurysmal specimens, displaying lower wall thickness and failure strain, higher peak elastic modulus, and equal failure stress than control specimens BI-D1870 concentration in the majority of regions and directions. Similar differences were noted in pooled data from all regions. Regional variations in mechanical parameters were mostly found in longitudinally oriented tissue. Circumferential specimens showed higher failure stress and peak elastic modulus but equal failure strain than longitudinal specimens.
Conclusions: Our findings contradict previous studies on ascending thoracic and abdominal aortic aneurysms, suggesting that the former might not cause weakening but rather only stiffening and reduction in tissue extensibility and elastin content. Marked heterogeneity
was evident in healthy and aneurysmal aortas. The present data offer insight into the pathogenesis of aneurysm dissection. Information on directional and regional variations is pertinent because dissections develop circumferentially and bulging preferentially occurs in the anterior region.”
“Background
The effect of screening with prostate-specific-antigen (PSA) testing and digital rectal examination on the rate of Bcl-2 inhibitor death from prostate cancer
is unknown. This is the SC79 cost first report from the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial on prostate-cancer mortality.
Methods
From 1993 through 2001, we randomly assigned 76,693 men at 10 U. S. study centers to receive either annual screening (38,343 subjects) or usual care as the control (38,350 subjects). Men in the screening group were offered annual PSA testing for 6 years and digital rectal examination for 4 years. The subjects and health care providers received the results and decided on the type of follow-up evaluation. Usual care sometimes included screening, as some organizations have recommended. The numbers of all cancers and deaths and causes of death were ascertained.
Results
In the screening group, rates of compliance were 85% for PSA testing and 86% for digital rectal examination. Rates of screening in the control group increased from 40% in the first year to 52% in the sixth year for PSA testing and ranged from 41 to 46% for digital rectal examination. After 7 years of follow-up, the incidence of prostate cancer per 10,000 person-years was 116 (2820 cancers) in the screening group and 95 (2322 cancers) in the control group (rate ratio, 1.22; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.16 to 1.29). The incidence of death per 10,000 person-years was 2.0 (50 deaths) in the screening group and 1.