Plos One
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A constitutively active RAS protein in the absence of stimulation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is the result of mutations in KRAS and NRAS genes. Mutations in the KRAS exon 2 and outside exon 2 have been found to predict the resistance to anti-EGFR monoclonal therapy. A substantial proportion of metastatic colorectal cancer cases (mCRC) exhibit RAS mutations outside KRAS exon 2, particularly in KRAS exon 3 and 4 and NRAS exons 2 and 3. No data about RAS mutations outside KRAS exon 2 are available for Jordanian patients with mCRC. We aim to study the molecular spectrum, frequency, and distribution pattern of KRAS and NRAS mutations in Jordanian patients with mCRC. ⋯ The frequency of NRAS and KRAS mutations outside of exon 2 appears to be higher in Jordanian patients in comparison with patients from western countries. KRAS mutations outside of exon 2 should be tested routinely to identify patients who should not be treated with anti-EGFR antibodies.
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A previously published pilot study assessed energy expenditure (EE) of participants with overweight and obesity after they were switched from a baseline high-carbohydrate diet (BD) to an isocaloric low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet (KD). EE measured using metabolic chambers increased transiently by what was considered a relatively small extent after the switch to the KD, whereas EE measured using doubly labeled water (EEDLW) increased to a greater degree after the response in the chambers had waned. Using a publicly available dataset, we examined the effect of housing conditions on the magnitude of the increase in EEDLW after the switch to the KD and the role of physical activity in that response. ⋯ Switching from the BD to the KD substantially increased EEDLW, but apparently only on days subjects were living in the ward outside the metabolic chamber. Increased physical activity as measured by accelerometry did not appear to account for this effect.
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The purpose of this study was to present and compare pain between adult males with Duchenne (DMD), Becker's (BMD), Limb-Girdle (LGMD) Facioscapulohumeral (FSHD) forms of Muscular Dystrophy (MD), and healthy controls (CTRL), using three different methods of assessment. ⋯ Using a single pain value (VAS), increased pain was reported by adults with MD compared to CTRL, with no clear differences between different MD groups, suggesting pain is symptomatic of MD. The use of the generalised body map approach, and to an even greater extent the localised body map approach, identified specific areas of frequent pain relevant to each individual condition. These results indicate that whist the commonly used generalised approach can be used to identify broad anatomical regions, the localised approach provides a more comprehensive understanding of pain, reflective of clinical assessment, and should be utilised in future research.
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[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0182892.].
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The relation between brain functional connectivity of patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) and the degree of disability remains unclear. ⋯ These results demonstrate a correlation between disability according to the EDSS and neuronal reorganization using the rs-fMRI graph methodology. The conservation of a normal global topological structure despite local modifications in functional connectivity seems to show brain plasticity in response to the disability.