This paper uses a case study of a multi-disciplinary colorectal cancer team in health care to explain how a model of performance measures can lead to debate and action in Soft System Methodology (SSM). This study gives a greater emphasis and role to the performance measures than currently given in typical SSM studies. Currently the concept of performance measurement in SSM is in the form of a s...

OBJECTIVE Cardiac subsarcolemmal (SSM) and interfibrillar (IFM) mitochondrial subpopulations possess distinct biochemical properties and differ with respect to their protein and lipid compositions, capacities for respiration and protein synthesis, and sensitivity to metabolic challenge, yet their responsiveness to mitochondrially active cardioprotective therapeutics has not been characterized. ...

Years ago a debate arose as to whether two functionally different mitochondrial subpopulations, subsarcolemmal mitochondria (SSM) and interfibrillar mitochondria (IFM), exist in heart muscle. Nowadays potential differences are often ignored. Presumably, SSM are providing ATP for basic cell function, whereas IFM provide energy for the contractile apparatus. We speculated that two distinguishable...

The 2008 World Health Organization (WHO) proposal recognizes 2 provisional indolent systemic mastocytosis (ISM) subvariants: smoldering systemic mastocytosis (SSM) and isolated bone marrow (BM) mastocytosis (BMM).1 SSM is characterized by a high burden of mast cells (MCs; Table 1), whereas BMM is defined by BM involvement without concurrent skin involvement or presence of multiorgan visceral le...

Interleukin 3 (IL-3) activity was demonstrated when inguinal lymph node cells obtained from Bacillus Calmette-Guérin-sensitized mice (BCG-ILNC) were stimulated in vitro with SSM, an immunomodulator extracted from Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The IL-3 activity was first detected on Day 1 in culture fluids of BCG-ILNC stimulated with SSM, reached a peak on Day 3, and then gradually decreased. The ...

Introduction: Using computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance (MR) images to construct 3D knee models has been widely used in biomedical engineering research. Statistical shape modeling (SSM) method is an alternative way to provide a fast, cost-efficient, and subject-specific knee modeling technique. Further, 3D models can be used with a Dual-Fluoroscopic Imaging System (DFIS) to study joi...

Aim: To provide an up-to-date review of the literature on skin-sparing mastectomy (SSM) for breast cancer (BC). The article also reviews the oncological safety, effects of radiotherapy (RT) on immediate breast reconstruction (IBR), the indications for preserving the nipple-areola complex (NAC) and the emerging role of allogenic grafts as adjuncts to implant in IBR. Methods: Review of the Englis...

Slipped-strand mispairing (SSM) has not been identified as a mechanism of phase variation in Escherichia coli. Using a reporter gene, we show that sequences that cause phase variation by SSM in Haemophilus influenzae also lead to phase variation when introduced onto the chromosome of E. coli, and the frequencies of switching are in the biologically relevant range. Thus, the absence of SSM-media...

AIM To review evidence concerning the oncological safety of performing skin-sparing mastectomy (SSM) for invasive breast cancer and ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). Furthermore, the evidence concerning RT in relation to SSM and the possibility of nipple preservation was considered. METHODS Literature review facilitated by Medline and PubMed databases. FINDINGS Despite the lack of randomised...

OBJECTIVES An important measure for the diagnosis and monitoring of knee osteoarthritis is the minimum joint space width (mJSW). This requires accurate alignment of the x-ray beam with the tibial plateau, which may not be accomplished in practice. We investigate the feasibility of a new mJSW measurement method from stereo radiographs using 3D statistical shape models (SSM) and evaluate its sens...