8, P < 0.05) in comparison with ambulatory patients. A preoperative major curve magnitude of >= 60 degrees (P < 0.01) was the most accurate indicator for an increased risk for a major complication.

Conclusion. Nonambulatory status and a preoperative curve magnitude (>= 60 degrees) are directly associated with an increased risk for major

complications and indirectly associated with increased length of stay. As such, we recommend operative intervention in neuromuscular scoliosis before curve progression to >= 60 degrees. Level of Evidence. Level III.”
“Background and aim: This study aims to analyse the risk of cardiovascular events in a local cohort of patients with type 2 diabetes, and to evaluate the prognostic accuracy of four algorithms used to estimate cardiovascular risk: the Framingham study, United Kingdom Prospective BEZ235 ic50 Diabetes Study (UKPDS), Riskard study and Progetto Cuore.

Method and results: We analysed clinical charts of the Diabetes Clinics of Modena for the period 1991-95. Patients in the age range of 35-65 with type 2 diabetes and no previous cardiovascular disease were eligible. The incidence of new cardiovascular disease was compared with estimated rates deriving from the different functions. A stratification

was obtained in subgroups at different cardiovascular risk, allowing comparison Gamma-secretase inhibitor between the algorithms. A GSK1120212 price total of 1532 patients were eligible; women presented a worse cardiovascular risk profile. An absolute 10-year rate of cardiovascular events of 14.9% was observed. Comparing patients with events with event-free subjects, we found significant differences in systolic blood pressure, age at visit, smoking, high-density

lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol, duration of diabetes, glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) and co-morbidities. Comparing the estimated risk rate according to the different functions, Italian algorithms were more consistent with observed data; however, Progetto Cuore and Riskard show underestimation of events when applied to females.

Conclusions: Estimation of cardiovascular risk is dependent on the algorithm adopted and on the baseline risk of the reference cohort. Functions designed for a specific population, including risk variables peculiar for diabetes, should be adopted to increase the performance of such functions which is clearly unsatisfactory at present. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.”
“Quantitative models of cis-regulatory activity have the potential to improve our mechanistic understanding of transcriptional regulation. However, the few models available today have been based on simplistic assumptions about the sequences being modeled, or heuristic approximations of the underlying regulatory mechanisms.