Abstract in english Background: Toxic epidemial necrolysis (TEN) is an acute adverse drug reaction, that has an unpredictableprogression and a 30% mortality. The incidence of TEN in the general population is approximately 0.4 to 1.2 cases/million/year. It is characterized pathologically by keratinocyte apoptosis which leads to epidemial detachment. Keratinocyte apoptosis is triggered by activation of the Fas-FasL, pathway and could be prevented by the use of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) (more) . Aim: To report the experience with the use of IVIG in TEN. Material and methods: Retrospective study of 15 patients with a diagnosis of Stevens-Johnson/TEN overlap (SJS/TEN) or TEN, that received a total dose of 23 ± 0.6 mg/kg ofIVIG over aperiod of 3 to 4 days. The infusión was initiated during thefirst 24 hours after diagnosis and was associated with standard care for burn victims. Steroids were avoided if the patient was not in chronic steroidal therapy. Results: Allpatients responded to IVIG in a lapse of 46.4 ± 14.2 hours from the beginning of infusión. Eighty percent of patients survived, but one developed acute renal failure due to IVIG, and another became blind due to corneal opacities, a complication of TEN. Those who survived were discharged after a lapse of 19-8 ± 6.6 days from the beginning ofthe disease. Conclusions: Despite the lack of blind, multicentric and randomized triáis, we agree with some international studies that TVIG is beneficial as a treatment for SSJ/NETand TEN .

Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN, Lyell's syndrome) are now considered to be distinct clinical entities within a spectrum of adverse cutaneous drug reactions of increasing severity based on their surface of skin detachment. Within this spectrum, SJS which can be considered as a minor form of TEN is characterized by less than 10% body surface area of skin detachment, and an average reported mortality of 1—5%, whereas TEN is characterized by more than 30% skin detachment, and an average reported mortality 25—35%. Both SJS and TEN are characterized morphologically by the rapid onset of keratinocyte cell death by apoptosis, a process that results in the separation of the epidermis from the dermis. Recent evidence is supportive of a role for inflammatory cytokines and the death receptor Fas and its ligand FasL in the pathogenesis of keratinocyte apoptosis during TEN. This Fas-mediated keratinocyte apoptosis that is the last step culminating in epidermal detachment in TEN can be inhibited in vitro by antagonistic monoclonal antibodies to Fas, and by intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG) which have been shown to contain natural anti-Fas antibodies. Consequently, over the last few years, numerous case reports and 9 non-controlled clinical studies containing 10 or more patients have analyzed the therapeutic effect of IVIG in TEN. Taken together, although each study has its potential biases, 7 of 9 such studies point towards a benefit of IVIG used at doses greater than 2 g/kg on the mortality associated with TEN. These studies should serve as the basis for designing an appropriate prospective trial or for conducting a metaanalysis in the near future, in order to determine the therapeutic efficacy of IVIG in TEN.   

We describe our experience and outcome with the 'Proximal first dorsal metacarpal artery free flap'. Ten consecutive cases utilizing the proximal first dorsal metacarpal artery free flap for complex digital defects were studied. Surgical technique, patient demographics, and flap outcome data were collected. Patient satisfaction was analysed using a questionnaire. All defects healed successfully with no loss of free flaps. The short-pedicle proximal first dorsal metacarpal artery free flap enables primary closure of the donor site up to 2 cm of width (in nine of the ten donor sites). The flap is a reliable and versatile alternative in selected cases of complex digital injuries. PMID:23151351

Ten patients with SSPE were surveyed during the last 4 years from the viewpoint of clinical safety for use of ribavirin therapy. Although effectiveness varied among cases, they were all treated safely with intraventricular ribavirin. This study suggests that treatment is safe and well-tolerated. PMID:13129596

Faculty development programs are critical to the implementation and support of curriculum innovation. In this case study, the authors present lessons learned from ten years of experience in faculty development programs created to support innovation in technology enhanced learning. Stages of curriculum innovation are matched to stages of faculty development, and important lessons for success as well as current challenges are delineated and discussed.

The use of trampolines at home has increased during the past ten years, and consequently there has been a dramatic increase in the number of children presenting with injuries associated with their use. The case study in this article highlights an unusual injury that was related to a child jumping on a trampoline. PMID:19485243

Factor VIII-related antigen is a recognised marker of endothelial cells. A brief immunocytochemical study of its distribution in follicular carcinoma of the thyroid and its value in the recognition of vascular invasion by this tumour has been carried out. Ten cases of follicular carcinoma of the thy...

Ten years after a school-based hepatitis B immunization program was implemented, we conducted a study to assess the impact of the program, vaccine failures, risk factors and the number of cases potentially preventable by the addition of an infant vaccination program. The preteen vaccination program is highly effective. An infant immunization program would bring additional benefits. PMID:16567995

This study presents, ten cases of european towns which realized a policy in favor of the bicycle development. With the incitation to the displacement on foot and the public transportation, it is a good and efficient way of environmental quality. For each case, the following points are presented: global policy of the local government, technical aspects and organization, economic, environmental aspects and behavior, future orientations and contacts. (A.L.B.)

In Tarzia, Int. Comm. in Heat and Mass Transfer, 25 (1998), 139-147, explicit formulas for the simultaneous determination of unknown thermal coefficients of a semi-infinite material through a phase-change process with temperature-dependent thermal conductivity were obtained. Moreover, ten different cases were studied: four cases of free boundary problems (i.e. Stefan-like problems) and six cases of moving boundary problems (i.e. inverse Stefan-like problems).The goal of this paper is to obtain a numerical sensitivity analysis of the mentioned ten cases for the simultaneous determination of unknown thermal coefficients and to determine the coefficients which are more sensitive with respect to the given parameters. We show numerical result for the aluminum.

This document aims at identifying and presenting some significant actions carried out in several European cities for the development of bicycle as a solution to traffic blocking and to air and noise pollution. The description of such experiments allows to evaluate the policies implemented, their impact on the urban road traffic, on the environment (air pollution and noise abatement), and on the reduction of energy consumptions. The document analyzes also the reactions and behaviour of users. Ten case-forms complete the study and describe the experience of ten different European cities in this domain. (J.S.)

This study points to the controversy over the anti-depressant efficacy of tricyclic antidepressant drugs (TAD) and emphasize their cardiotoxicity. The number of lethal poisoning cases--from the Swiss federal statistics on the cause of death--amounted to 54 for the period from 1967 to 1976. Ten of these 54 cases occurred in children who had ingested the drug accidentally; the remaining cases concerned adults who took an overdose of the drug intentionally. In addition, the authors reviewed the forensic medical examinations performed on 11 cases of unexpected death due to lethal poisoning with TAD. Our data indicated that fatality can follow drug intake quite rapidly. Autoptical and histological findings were not specific. To confirm a poisoning diagnosis, levels of TAD and their metabolites were therefore determined in nine cases in various organ tissues and body fluids. Poisoning was due to imipramine (3 cases), opipramol (2 cases), dibenzepine (3 cases), and amitriptyline (3 cases). PMID:7467869

Purpose To explore the effects of reflexology on pain and other symptoms in women with fibromyalgia syndrome [FM]. Methods Multiple case study method as developed by Stake was used to investigate the effects of reflexology on six cases of women with FM which were given ten sessions of weekly reflexology. Data were collected with observation, interviews and diary and then analyzed within cases and across cases. Results Reflexology affected the symptom of pain in multiple areas such as head, neck and arms. Pain started to isolate and decrease. Conclusion Reflexology may be helpful to decrease fibromyalgia symptoms. Qualitative research methods and individually tailored interventions are important when researching complementary and alternative therapies.

Objective: Given decisions to implement a gender perspective in medical education, this study investigated gender perspective in written cases used at a Swedish medical school. Method: All course organizers on terms 5-11 were asked to submit the case descriptions used in 2005. The 257 cases collected were subjected to content analysis focussing on sex of author and patient; whether there were any guidelines for tutors; and whether the case touched on biological sex differences, psychosocial and gender aspects. Results: The majority of cases were written by male teachers. The proportions of male and female patients were equal. There were instructions for tutors in 20% of the cases. Sex differences were mentioned in 7% of cases. Psychosocial data were meager. Ten cases (4%) contained gender ...

A Swedish mutual support group for young problem gamblers is described and discussed. During the study period, 116 weekly meetings occurred, usually involving six to ten participants; in total, 69 problem gamblers (66 male and three female), aged 17-25, and 23 partners and friends attended the meetings. Half the gamblers had problems with Internet poker, one fifth with electronic gambling machines, and the rest with other forms of gambling and computer gaming. Nearly half the problem gamblers participated in under five mutual support meetings, while just over a third attended ten or more meetings. Gambling problems ceased or lessened among most participants in ten or more meetings. In some cases, attending just one or a few meetings had a positive impact on the problems. This mutual support group provides relatively effective help to adolescents and young adults with gambling problems, offering a valuable alternative and complement to professional treatment.

The purpose of this study was to aid the US Department of Energy in developing materials to assist state regulatory authorities and nonregulated utilities in determining whether or not to implement lifeline rates. In accordance with this objective, case studies of ten implemented and ten rejected lifeline-rate programs were conducted. The initiation and implementation of these programs are described in detail and their actual or anticipated impact on conservation, efficiency, and equity are assessed. The findings of the study are reported in three volumes. The first volume provides general overview and cross-program comparisons of the social and economic context of lifeline, governmental process, and impact assessment. Volume 2 describes the case studies of the 10 implemented programs and Volume 3 describes the 10 non-implemented lifeline proposals. The programs were selected so that in each of these groups at least one program would have the following eligibility requirements: all residential users; elderly low-income residential users; and elderly residential users. (MCW)

Iodine concentrations of enteral nutrition (EN) formulae available in Japan are very low and long-term total EN (TEN) might result in hypothyroidism due to iodine deficiency (HID). Our aim of this study was to determine the degree of iodine deficiency (ID) and need for iodine supplementation (IS) in patients with severe motor and intellectual disabilities (SMID) on long-term TEN. Thyroid function including urinary iodine concentration (UIC) was monitored, and powdered kelp was provided as a source of iodine supplement. Thirty-five SMID on TEN participated in our study. UIC less than 100 ?g /L, representing ID, were detected in 97 % of them. Their TSH ranged from 0.5 to 90 ?IU/mL. IS using powdered kelp raised their UIC to the normal range. Thyroid function also recovered in the five hypothyroidism cases, which were diagnosed as HID, was also detected. In Japan, there must be many cases with ID associated with long term TEN. We also discuss the regulation of thyroid function in the iodine deficient state. PMID:22673532

AbstractObjective Congenital megalourethra is a rare urogenital malformation characterized by dilation and elongation of the penile urethra associated with absence or hypoplasia of the corpora spongiosa and cavernosa. Postnatal complications include voiding and erectile dysfunction as well as renal insufficiency and pulmonary hypoplasia. To date, only a few prenatally diagnosed cases have been reported. We report on 10 cases diagnosed prenatally and their postnatal/autopsy findings. Methods The study involved retrospective chart review of all cases diagnosed antenatally in three tertiary care centers over 5 years. Antenatal ultrasound images and medical records from obstetrics, genetics, urology and nephrology were reviewed. Results Ten fetuses with megalourethra were identified at a media...

Abstract Objective: Fine needle aspiration (FNA) diagnosis of salivary gland neoplasms with epithelial/myoepithelial cells but rare or no stroma is usually difficult. Our aim was to study the cytomorphology of this cohort of FNA cases and evaluate the clinical follow-up. Study Design: The diagnostic terminology for this group of aspirates was `favor an epithelial/myoepithelial neoplasm of the salivary gland'. The cytologic smears of 32 such cases were retrieved and showed cellular smears with bland-appearing or mildly atypical epithelial and myoepithelial cells without typical chondromyxoid stroma seen in pleomorphic adenoma (PA). Results: Twenty of the 32 cases had histologic follow-up. Ten of these 20 cases were PAs, including 8 cellular PAs. Two cases were basal cell adenomas, 1 case my...

Introduction and hypothesis Two-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of posterior vaginal prolapse has been studied. However, the three-dimensional (3-D) mechanisms causing such prolapse remain poorly understood. This discovery project was undertaken to identify the different 3-D characteristics of models of rectocele-type posterior vaginal prolapse (PVPR) in women. Methods Ten women with (cases) and ten without (controls) PVPR were selected from an ongoing case-control study. Supine, multiplanar MR imaging was performed at rest and maximal Valsalva. Three-dimensional reconstructions of the posterior vaginal wall and pelvic bones were created using 3D Slicer v. 3.4.1. In each slice the posterior vaginal wall and perineal skin were outlined to the anterior margin of the external ana...

In this retrospective study, 28 cases of Ewing's sarcoma are reviewed for the onset of metastasis. Bone scans demonstrated bone metastasis in three out of 28 patients at presentation. Of the 22 patients free of metastases at presentation, ten subsequently developed bone metastases. In six of these patients, the bone scan was the earliest demonstrator of metastatic disease. Bone scans are recommended at presentation and periodically during follow-up. PMID:7356729

The purpose of the research reported in this book is to examine the role that environmental regulations have played to date in influencing industrial fuel-use decisions, with special attention to the opportunities for increased use of coal. Ten case studies and numerous interviews suggest that environmental requirements have played a small role in industrial fuel-use decision making. It refutes the myth that the Clean Air Act effectively precludes the use of coal and the conflicting myth that industrial use of coal will expand rapidly. Two appendices describe major air-quality programs affecting industrial fuel choice and summarize the case studies. 54 references, 1 figure, 19 tables.

This introduction to musculoskeletal imaging is a further volume in the Learning Imaging series. Written in a user-friendly format, it takes into account that musculoskeletal radiology is a subspecialty which has widely expanded its scope and imaging capabilities with the advent of ultrasound, MRI, multidetector CT, and PET. The book is divided into ten sections covering: infection and arthritis, tumors, tendons and muscles, bone marrow, spine, shoulder, elbow, hand and wrist, hip and pelvis, knee, and ankle and foot. Each chapter is presented with an introduction and ten case studies with illustrations and comments from anatomical, physiopathological and radiological standpoints along with bibliographic recommendations. Learning Imaging is a unique case-based series for those in professional education in general and for physicians in particular. (orig.)

Abstract in spanish Objetivo: Revisar qué efectos fisiológicos tiene la aplicación de la técnica de estimulación nerviosa eléctrica transcutánea (TENS) sobre los pacientes, de modo que pueda servir de orientación para su correcta aplicación en la práctica clínica. La técnica TENS consiste en la aplicación de corriente eléctrica pulsada, tradicionalmente empleada con finalidad analgésica. A la hora de su utilización, los diferentes parámetros de programación del TENS deben a (more) justarse teniendo en cuenta que las diferentes posibilidades de programación van a activar diferentes mecanismos fisiológicos. En los últimos tiempos, se han venido realizando importantes estudios con animales y en sujetos sanos, con el fin de dilucidar qué efectos fisiológicos son los que se producen en el organismo al aplicarse TENS. Material y métodos: Se llevó a cabo una revisión exhaustiva de la literatura científica publicada sobre la utilización de la técnica TENS y sus efectos fisiológicos. Los estudios relevantes fueron identificados a través de una búsqueda en las diversas bases de datos, así como de libros de referencia en la materia, procedentes de la Biblioteca de la Universidad CEU-Cardenal Herrera de Valencia. Resultados: Se localizaron 97 referencias que cumplieron con los criterios de inclusión. Conclusiones: El TENS produce su efecto analgésico por la activación de las aferencias de los tejidos profundos por estimulación de las fibras aferentes primarias de gran diámetro A?. Los mecanismos de acción fisiológicos del TENS de alta y baja frecuencia son distintos, aunque ambos se producen a nivel periférico, espinal y supraespinal, y se basan primordialmente en la activación de distintos receptores opioides. Con la combinación de parámetros adecuada, el TENS reduce el dolor desde el primer minuto de aplicación. Respecto a la duración del efecto analgésico tras una sesión de tratamiento, se ha demostrado la importancia de emplear intensidades elevadas para conseguir una mayor duración del efecto postsesión. La aplicación repetida diariamente de TENS con los mismos parámetros produce el desarrollo de tolerancia. Aunque se ha especulado respecto a un efecto vascular de la aplicación de TENS, éste sólo tiene efecto sobre la circulación periférica aplicado a una intensidad suficiente para conseguir contracciones musculares importantes; en todo caso, el efecto es local sobre la zona de aplicación. La aplicación de TENS puede influir positivamente en la actividad muscular de pacientes con déficits motores en accidentes cerebrovasculares y otros desórdenes neurológicos. Abstract in english Purpose: To analyze the physiological effects of the application of the transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) technique on patients, to provide guidance for successful implementation in clinical practice. TENS technique involves the application of a pulsed electric current, traditionally used for pain control. Different TENS programming parameters should be adjusted, taking into account that the different programming options will activate various physiologica (more) l mechanisms. Extensive studies in animals and in healthy subjects have been conducted recently, in order to elucidate the physiological effects produced in the body when TENS is applied. Material and methods: We conducted a comprehensive review of published scientific literature on the use of the TENS technique and its physiological effects. Relevant trials were identified through a search of various databases and reference books on the subject, from the Library of the CEU-Cardenal Herrera University of Valencia. Results: We found 97 references that met the inclusion criteria. Conclusions: TENS produces its analgesic effect by activation of afferents of deep tissues by stimulation of primary A? large diameter afferent fibers. The physiological mechanisms of action of TENS at low and high frequency are different, although both occur at peripheral, spinal and supraspinal level, and are based primarily on the activation of different opioid receptors. With the proper combination of parameters, TENS reduces pain from the first minute of application. Regarding the duration of analgesic effect after a treatment session, it is known the importance of using higher intensities for greater duration of post-session effect. The daily repeated application of TENS with the same parameters will lead to the development of tolerance. Although there has been speculation about a vascular effect of the application of TENS, it only has an effect on peripheral circulation when applied at intensity sufficient to achieve significant muscle contractions; in any case the effect is reduced in the area of application. The application of TENS can positively influence muscle activity in patients with motor deficits in stroke and other neurological disorders.

1 In 20 patients suffering from mild hypertension (WHO classification I-II) the effect on vigilance was studied under double-blind conditions. Ten patients were given guanfacine 2 mg daily and ten others a placebo preparation.

Objective: To assess by stereology the placental structure in type 1 (T1DM) and type 2 (T2DM) diabetic pregnancies compared to normal non-diabetic (ND) controls. Study design: Prospective case control study. Placentae were sampled in a systematic random fashion. Stereological analysis was performed using a computerised stereology programme (Image Pro 6.2, Media Cybernetics, Inc, Silver Spring MD, USA). Participants were matched for gender of infant and mode of delivery. Main outcome measures: Volume, length and surface area of placental components; clinical outcome. Results: Ten ND, eight T2DM and ten T1DM women consented to the study. There was no difference between the groups regarding maternal age, neonatal birth weight, or placental weight. On stereological examination, terminal villou...

Objectives.-To investigate clinical psychologists- accounts of their use of psychological case formulation in multidisciplinary teamwork. Design.-A qualitative study using inductive thematic analysis. Methods.-Ten clinical psychologists working in community and inpatient adult mental health services who identified themselves as using formulation in their multidisciplinary team work participated in semi-structured interviews. Results.-Psychological hypotheses were described as shared mostly through informal means such as chipping in ideas during a team discussion rather than through explicit means such as staff training or case presentations that usually only took place once participants had spent time developing their role within the team. Service context and staff's prior experience were ...

CT scans of 164 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma were studied, and abdominal lymph node metastases were detected in 13 cases. Most of these lymph node metastases occured in periportal, peripancreatic and paraaortic lymph nodes. Ten instances of each these metastases were identified by CT. Six of the patients had metastases in all three sites. In 9 of 13 cases, lymph node metastases were demonstrated by angiography and various degrees of contrast material stain were seen. Lymph node metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma is apt to be hypervascular. Most of hepatocellular carcinoma with lymph node metastasis showed infiltrative growth, and tumor thrombosis in the portal vein was commonly complicated.

Summary Heck JE, Ritz B, Hung RJ, Hashibe M, Boffetta P. The epidemiology of neuroblastoma: a review. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2008. Neuroblastoma is the most common tumour in children less than 1 year of age. The goal of this review was to summarise the existing epidemiological research on risk factors for neuroblastoma. A comprehensive search of the literature was undertaken using PubMed for epidemiological studies on neuroblastoma risk factors. We ascertained 47 articles which examined the risk factors. Ten studies employed population-based case-control designs; six were hospital-based case-control studies; two were cohort studies; and five employed ecological designs. Studies ranged in size from 42 to 538 cases. Three studies showed evidence of an increased risk of disease...

Background The present study was aimed to evaluate the role and safety of surgical lung biopsies (SLB) in patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) in China. Methods A retrospective analysis of 418 patients with ILD undergoing SLB from Chinese literature and the data of our hospital during the past ten years was performed. Results A total of 418 cases underwent SLB, including open lung biopsy (OLB) in 229 cases and video-assisted thoracoscopic lung biopsy (VATLB) in 189 cases. SLB yielded a specific diagnosis for 88.0% cases, and unclassifiable idiopathic interstitial pneumonia diagnosis was seen in 9.1% cases. The total postoperative complication rate was 12.0% and mortality rate was 1.9%. The diagnostic yield, post-operative complication rate, and mortality rate between VATLB and OLB had no significant difference. Conclusion SLB is a very useful and relatively safe procedure for diagnosis of ILD.   

ABSTRACT To help define the biological functions of nonessential genes of Francisella novicida, we measured the growth of arrayed members of a comprehensive transposon mutant library under a variety of nutrition and stress conditions. Mutant phenotypes were identified for 37% of the genes, corresponding to ten carbon source utilization pathways, nine amino acid- and nucleotide-biosynthetic pathways, ten intrinsic antibiotic resistance traits, and six other stress resistance traits. The greatest surprise of the analysis was the large number of genotype-phenotype relationships that were not predictable from studies of Escherichia coli and other model species. The study identified candidate genes for a missing glycolysis function (phosphofructokinase), an unusual proline-biosynthetic pathway, parallel outer membrane lipid asymmetry maintenance systems, and novel antibiotic resistance functions. The analysis provides an evaluation of annotation predictions, identifies cases in which fundamental processes differ from those in model species, and helps create an empirical foundation for understanding virulence and other complex processes.

Three studies were conducted to examine the effects of individual differences and language differences on children's understanding of teen quantities (11 ? n ? 19) as counted cardinal tens and ones (embedded-ten cardinal understanding). At age 4, most Chinese children, using named-ten number words (...

The first year's operation of the Small Grants Program at a national scale was evaluated. The purpose of this management evaluation is to provide the headquarters Office of Inventions and Small Scale Technology and the ten regional program managers with findings and recommendations which will be useful to more effectively administer in the future. These conclusions are based on responses to a questionnaire from 197 program participants as well as personal interviews and telephone conversations with roughly half of the respondents. This report presents a compilation of case studies of projects which were funded during FY 78 and FY 79. These case studies focus on code issues (e.g., building, zoning, planning) that grantees may have dealt with. Possible problems that may have been encountered and resolution actions that grantees may have taken were researched. The results are presented in the form of a brief discussion of code issues followed by the case studies of relevant projects. The technological areas of interest are: Utility interconnection case studies, grants in which electric power is produced by small scale wind and hydroelectric facilities and for which interconnection with a utility grid is possible; Biomass case studies, grants involving composting and small scale methane production; and Geothermal case studies, grants in which either groundwater or the earth's thermal energy is used as a source for heating and cooling. Each case study provides a brief overview of a grantee's project including its objective, description, and benefits.

Ten salts were each dissolved in water and the solutions mixed with equal volumes of one of six hydrocarbons and one of ten monohydric alcohols. The resulting multiphase mixtures were examined for the number of coexisting liquid phases and, in some cases, for the partitioning of alcohol among them. Several unusual patterns of phase behavior have been observed. For example, increasing concentrations of sodium chloride induce the widely observed 232 pattern of phase behavior in equal-volume mixtures of n-propyl alcohol, octane, and brine. However, with lithium chloride, calcium chloride, or magnesium chloride, the induced pattern is 2323. All of the patterns observed in the alcohol-hydrocarbon-brine systems chosen for this study can be summarized by two basic quaternary phase diagrams. It is conjectured that any three- or four-component system exhibiting three liquid phases in equilibrium can be described in terms of these two basic phase diagrams.

Gamma-ray burst remnants become trans-relativistic typically in days to tens of days, and they enter the deep Newtonian phase in tens of days to months, during which the majority of shock-accelerated electrons will no longer be highly relativistic. However, a small portion of electrons are still accelerated to ultra-relativistic speeds and capable of emitting synchrotron radiation. The distribution function for electrons is re-derived here so that synchrotron emission from these relativistic electrons can be calculated. Based on the revised model, optical afterglows from both isotropic fireballs and highly collimated jets are studied numerically, and compared to analytical results. In the beamed cases, it is found that, in addition to the steepening due to the edge effect and the lateral expansion effect, the light curves are universally characterized by a flattening during the deep Newtonian phase.

The Langley Research Center has undertaken a technology development activity to provide a capability, the mission oriented terminal area simulation (MOTAS), wherein terminal area and aircraft systems studies can be performed. An experiment was conducted to evaluate state-of-the-art voice recognition technology and specifically, the Threshold 600 voice recognition system to serve as an aircraft control input device for the MOTAS pseudo pilot station function. The results of the experiment using ten subjects showed a recognition error of 3.67 percent for a 48-word vocabulary tested against a programmed vocabulary of 103 words. After the ten subjects retrained the Threshold 600 system for the words which were misrecognized or rejected, the recognition error decreased to 1.96 percent. The rejection rates for both cases were less than 0.70 percent. Based on the results of the experiment, voice recognition technology and specifically the Threshold 600 voice recognition system were chosen to fulfill this MOTAS function.

Abstract Purpose: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of double peel using triamcinolone acetonide (TA) and trypan blue (TB) in removing epiretinal tissues in vitrectomy for myopic macular hole with retinal detachment (MHRD). Methods: Prospective interventional case control study. Patients with myopic MHRD underwent vitrectomy with TA assisted adherent cortical vitreous (ACV) removal followed by TB assisted internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling and gas tamponade. The results were compared with historical control group without the use of any vital dye or TA. Results: Ten eyes of 10 study cases were compared with nine eyes of nine control cases. Mean axial length was 28.3 1.4 mm and 29.6 2.4 mm and mean follow up period was 15 months and 42 months for the study group and the control group...

The objective of this study was to explore whether the time at which sex education was provided had any impact on reported cases of unintended pregnancies. A cross-sectional survey of secondary school students and their teachers was conducted using self-administered questionnaires. The participants were 1,234 students aged 14-17 years and 46 teachers in 5 secondary schools in South Eastern Nigeria. The outcome measures were reported pregnancies within the last 3 years by type of school and class level; class level at the time of receiving sex education at school; and age at the time of receiving sex education at home. In all schools, sex education was provided at all the junior and senior secondary school levels (JSS and SSS, respectively). Overall, reported cases of unintended pregnancies were highest among the junior students. In the private schools, four in ten teachers reported pregnancies among JSS 3 students. Almost four in ten teachers in public schools reported pregnancies among JSS 2 students. Of all the students, about three in ten reported pregnancies among JSS 2 and 3 students respectively. At home, sex education was provided at the mean age of 16 years (SD ± 2.2). All participants cited financial need and marital promise as major predisposing factors. About four in ten students did not use contraceptives during their first sexual experience. This study highlights the need to introduce sex education much earlier, possibly before the JSS levels. At home, sex education may have greater impact if provided before the age of 14 years. Efforts should be made to address the factors predisposing to teenage pregnancy. PMID:20924781

We study the instanton calculus for N=4 super Yang-Mills theory in ten-dimensional \\Omega-background with the R-symmetry Wilson line gauge field. From the ADHM construction of instantons in the background, we obtain the deformed instanton effective action. For a certain case we get the effective action of N=2^* theory in the Omega-background. We also study the low-energy effective D(-1)-brane action for the D3/D(-1)-brane system in the R-R 3-form field strength backgrounds and find that the action agrees with the instanton effective action in the Omega-background.

Purpose Several reports indicate a complexity in glycosyltransferase activities which lead to several tumor associated carbohydrate structures in gastric carcinoma. The present study was aimed to identify the carbohydrate associated transferases which exhibit the most marked and consistent change of activity in gastric tumorigenesis. Methods We examined the levels of fucosyl, ?-galactosyl-, ?-N-acetylgalactosaminyl, sialyl- and glycan:sulfotransferase activities, which generate the outer ends of oligosaccharide chains in tumorous and adjacent normal gastric tissues of the same patient in ten gastric carcinoma cases by using well defined specific synthetic acceptors utilized in our several earlier published studies as referenced in the text (e.g. Chandrasekaran et al. in J Biol Chem 279:100...

A case-control study of non-melanoma skin cancer was conducted in two companies of the American rubber manufacturing industry. The study goal was to examine the association of basal and squamous cell carcinoma with seven raw materials: carbon black, dustless, extender, and lubricating oils, waxes, solvents, and the rubber stock itself. Study members were white males belonging to predefined cohorts of rubber workers. Cases were identified from hospital pathology department records. Each case was matched with four controls of the same company, and year of birth and hire (+/- one year). Company A provided 31 cases (22 squamous cell carcinoma cases) and 118 controls. Company B provided 55 cases (43 squamous cell cases) and 216 controls. Exposure was estimated using employee personnel records. In Company A, squamous cell carcinoma was associated with rubber stock, lubricating oils, and non-polycyclic chemicals. Ten years of moderate rubber stock exposure multiplied the existing relative risk by 2.96 (95% CL: 1.06-8.23). Exposure to non-polycyclic chemicals carried a relative risk of 5.5 (1.28-23.48). These chemicals are used as accelerators, antioxidants, and antiozonants. Disease was negatively associated with extender oil exposure. In Company B, jobs with heat exposure (milling, extruding, and curing) were associated with disease. Using a second control group, matched on year of birth, there was no convincing evidence that cases had longer employment duration than controls. This does not suggest an overall skin cancer risk among rubber workers.

Purpose To study the incidence, characteristics, and results of retinal detachment (RD) after cataract surgery with a capsule complication. Setting Ten ophthalmic surgery departments in Sweden. Methods In this case-control study, data on cataract surgery cases with a capsule complication (study group) or with no complication (control group) in 2003 were extracted from the Swedish National Cataract Register. Patients with RD during a 3-year follow-up were identified. Results The study group comprised 324 patients and the control group, 331 patients. Retinal detachment occurred in 13 study group patients, for a 3-year incidence of 4.0%. In the control group, 1 patient (0.3%) had RD. Multivariate analysis showed an adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 14.8 for RD after capsule complication (95% confid...

A ten-year series of 142 homicidal fatalities caused by sharp force injury was studied with the aim to systematize information inherent in the characteristics of the victim and the pattern of injuries. The population of victims consisted of 112 males (79%) and 30 females (21%); among perpetrators, 125 (88%) were males. Among victims as well as among perpetrators, persons of non-Swedish origin were overrepresented in relation to their share of the nonselected population. In 82 cases (58%), one or two wounds had been inflicted; in 23 cases (16%), ten or more wounds. In the latter group, eleven victims but no perpetrators were female. In the majority of cases victim and perpetrator were known to each other, and in instances of multiple wounding, a close relationship between the two was clearly more common than in the group of one- to two-wound fatalities. Tests for blood alcohol were positive in 86 of 116 victims (74%), the majority being in elimination phase. Furthermore, 96 of 120 perpetrators (80%) had positive tests or were known to be drunk at the time of the killing. In multiple wound fatalities, alcohol inebriation was less common both among victims and perpetrators. In these cases, the two persons involved were usually closely related or intimately known to each other, and in the absence of psychiatric disorder in the assailant, the motive was of a passionate type. PMID:3711828

Primary immunodeficiency diseases (PIDs) are rare but include severe conditions found predominantly in children, Most PIDs have cutaneous manifestations that may be important as early diagnostic features. The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency and nature of cutaneous alterations associated with PIDs. This article is a cross-sectional study at the department of allergy and clinical immunology of children's medical center conducted between December 5, 2001 and April 20, 2002. The subjects included pediatric patients with a diagnosis of PID and dermatological diagnoses were made by a dermatologist. Two hundred and ten patients were studied They consisted of 68 cases of humoral deficiency, 22 cases of cellular and combined deficiencies, 57 cases of phagocytic defects and 63 cases of other PIDs. In 67 cases (31.8%) the cutaneous alterations preceded and were the basis for clinical immunological diagnosis. Overall cutaneous alterations were infections in 99 cases and eczematous dermatitis in 27 cases. Our findings support the results of other studies that most PIDs have cutaneous features which being their typical aspects are highly suggestive for the diagnosis of PIDs. PMID:17237563

Abstract in english In Brazil, syphilis is still a great problem of public health. Serological test is essential for syphilis diagnosis and the current trend is the use of recombinant antigen in the treponemal tests, due to its confirmed higher sensibility and specificity. The purpose of the present study was to analyze the profile of anti-Tp47 antibodies in patients with positive serology for syphilis. One hundred positive sera samples were analyzed by Western Blot (WB) technique, using the (more) recombinant antigen (rTp47). Ten of them did not present antibodies against the fraction rTp47, the results were confirmed by WB using native T. pallidum antigen. All ten samples had antibodies against the fractions Tp17 and Tp15 and presented low reactivity in VDRL, negative results or title below than 1:4. Considering that VDRL is used for therapeutic monitoring due to seroreversion of nontreponemal antibodies in response to the treatment, and that some studies reported loss of treponemal antibodies after treatment, we could speculate if these ten samples are cases of serological memory from patients previously treated for syphilis. In addition, although several features state the Tp47 fraction as one of the major antigenic components, based on our results we point out to the importance of including other antigenic proteins such as Tp17 and Tp15 in addition to Tp47 in tests for serological screening of syphilis.

We reviewed ten patients with resected thymic carcinoma. The mean age was 55.0 years, ranging from 36 to 71 years, with five males and five females. The histological types were squamous cell carcinoma in 9 cases, and squamous cell carcinoma combined with small cell carcinoma in one case. One of the 10 patients was in stage I, 7 were in stage III, one was in stage IVa, and one was in stage IVb. Eight of the ten patients underwent complete resection, and induction chemotherapy was performed in one of the 8 cases, while induction chemoradiotherapy was performed in two of the 8 cases. Postoperative radiotherapy was performed in all cases (20-50 Gy). In recurrence cases, operation was positively performed for resectable cases. The five-year and ten-year survival rates were 78.7%, 52.5%, respectively. We expect that patients with thymic carcinoma can be cured completely or survive for long periods with multimodal therapy and resection of recurrences. (author)

The problem in this case study can be described as a multi-dimensional surface fit to a given set of data. The data are sales figures in MWH/H for a hydro-thermal power generation system. The data are incomplete and not totally reliable. A model with ten fuzzy rules fits the data with a total error of 19%; with twenty-six rules the error would be 0%. The model is used in the long term planning concerning operating costs. It is further intended as a short term decision support for operators when negotiating power interchange contracts

It is proposed herein that columns included in the unconformity between Mercedes (Upper Cretaceous) and Asencio (Lower Eocene) formations of Uruguay, forming ''caves'' known since the XIX century, are large ferruginized palaeorhizospheres. Diagnostic characters are concentric internal structure, radiating secondary prolongations, preservation of original lamination, trace fossils, and other attributes of the original deposit. In contrast with rhizoliths, which originated as root casts or by roots and their peritrophic zones, palaeorhizospheres are originated from peritrophic zones to a few tens of centimeters in the soil surrounding the roots. In many cases, like those presented herein, rhizoliths are not preserved inside the palaeorhizospheres. Specimens were studied in 6 localities from ...

We study the continuous time random walk theory from financial tick data of the yen-dollar exchange rate transacted at the Japanese financial market. The dynamical behavior of returns and volatilities in this case is particularly treated at the long-time limit. We find that the volatility for prices shows a power-law with anomalous scaling exponent k = 0.96 (one minute) and 0.86 (ten minutes), and that our behavior occurs in the subdiffusive process. Our result presented will be compared with that of recent numerical calculations.

Evolutionally conserved quantity that specifies folding nuclei is pursued by a case study for a small protein (PDB code: 1ten). First it is demonstrated that the sequences of amino acids at folding nuclei are not conserved. Then 3D (3-dimensional) information of the structure is considered and it is found that a 3D hydrophobicity profile is essential to specify the folding nuclei and evolutionally conserved. This profile is maintained by the interaction, including entropic effect, among amino acids realized in the native state structure. Experimentally observed phi-value is correlated to this 3D hydrophobicity profile after taking into account the effect of the contact distance in amino-acid sequence.

Beh?et's disease (BD) is an idiopathic multisystem disorder. Involvement of CNS occurs in 4?48% of cases. This study was designed to evaluate the prevalence of subclinical neuropsychiatric affection in asymptomatic Egyptian BD patients using psychometric tests and brain imaging with single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), also to assess possibly associated clinical predictive variables. Twenty-five BD patients without overt CNS involvement and ten healthy controls matched for age, education, and sex completed a comprehensive neuropsychological battery including Hamilton scales for anxiety and depression and Wechsler memory scale?revised. Disease activity was assessed using Beh?et's Disease Current Activity Form (BDCAF). SPECT was done for al...

This is a handbook covering ten principles for packaged software implementations that project managers, business owners, and IT developers should pay attention to. The book also has practical real-world coverage including a sample agenda for conducting business solution modeling, customer case studies, and a road map to implement guiding principles. This book is aimed at enterprise architects, development leads, project managers, business systems analysts, business systems owners, and anyone who wants to implement packaged software effectively. If you are a customer looking to implement COTS s

We present the results of a study of an argon gas proportional scintillation counter instrumented with a CsI-coated microstrip plate placed in the argon envelope. Although the measured light amplification gain and the photoelectron collection efficiency are 70% and 30-40% higher than those obtained in a similar xenon detector, the charge gain achieved in argon for the avalanches produced by the photoelectrons at the microstrip anodes is a factor of ten lower than in xenon. In both cases, these gains are limited by optical positive feedback. The energy resolution achieved for 5.9 keV X-rays was 14.8% compared to 12% in xenon.

Superplasticity and the evolution of the superplastic forming (SPF) manufacturing process is a classic aerospace development case study, having come from the materials test laboratories to the aircraft production lines in a relatively short period of time. The purpose of this paper is to take a quick look back at the history of the SPF process at Boeing, the current state-of-the-art in SPF design and a glimpse into the future direction that superplasticity is expected to take us in over the next five to ten years. (orig.)

Previous models of turnover by IT professionals consider job satisfaction as a key indicator. One common model considers whether an organization matches the internal anchors of IT employees to provisions in the work place. This pattern is often broken by other considerations that disturb the relationship between job satisfaction and intent to seek employment elsewhere. Such disturbances present a problem in planning and are not globally considered in research models. A qualitative study of ten cases yields new insight into the disturbances that break the pattern leading to a more general model of turnover.

Examination of visual fields using standard achromatic automated perimetry (SAP) is essential for glaucoma management. However, as many as 35-50% of retinal ganglion cells can be lost before a visual field defect is detected. Previous studies have indicated that examination of the short-wavelength (blue) sensitive color system may be able to detect early functional loss in glaucoma. Moreover, it has been reported to detect glaucomatous visual field loss as many as 5 years earlier than SAP. We describe the case of a patient who demonstrated visual field defects on short-wavelength automated perimetry (SWAP) ten years prior to developing visual field defects in SAP. PMID:15590553

We investigated the temporal and spatial dynamics, as well as the seasonal occurrence of measles in Ondo state, Nigeria, to better understand the role of the thermal environment in the occurrence of the childhood killer disease measles, which ranks among the top ten leading causes of child deaths worldwide. The linkages between measles and atmospheric environmental factors were examined by correlating human-biometeorological parameters in the study area with reported clinical cases of measles for the period 1998â??2008. We also applied stepwise regression analysis in order to determine the human-biometeorological parameters that lead to statistical changes in reported clinical cases of measles. We found that high reported cases of measles are associated with the least populated areas, wher...

The ten technologies chosen for case history development are: sonic sootblowing in boilers, boiler operation on oil-water emulsified fuel, energy efficient motors, computerized control of excess air for boilers, boiler control and load allocation, driving of waste-activated sludge by multiple effect evaporation, pre-drying of hog fuel, lime kiln computerization, heat wheel for process heat recovery, and organic Rankine bottoming cycle for thermomechanical pulping heat recovery. For each case study, there is given: the company name, employee contact, plant summary, a description of the energy consuming process and of the energy-saving action, an assessment of energy savings, and the decision process leading to the adoption of the measure. A data summary for discounted cash flow analysis is tabulated for each case. (LEW)

We analyzed 143 cases of skull base surgery collected from the eight institutions of the Study Group supported by the Grant-in-Aid for Cancer Research from the Ministry of Health and Welfare of Japan. Histologically, the most common type was squamous cell carcinoma (n = 78), which was followed by olfactory neuroblastoma (n = 16) and adenoid cystic carcinoma (n = 16). The most frequent surgical approach was frontal craniotomy (n = 66), followed by front-temporal craniotomy (n = 54) and infratemporal fossa approach (n = 8). For repair of dura matter, fascia lata was used in 37 cases. galeopericranial flap in 35 and temporal muscle fascia in 16. The 5-year survival rate by Kaplan-Meier method of nose and paranasal sinus carcinoma (n = 119) was 48%. As for histological classification, the survival rates were both 65%) in adenoid cystic carcinoma (n = 12) and bone soft tissue malignancy (n = 10), 62% in olfactory neuroblastoma (n = 16), 46% in squamous cell carcinoma (n = 62) and 33% in adenocarcinoma (n = 11). All the three cases of malignant melanoma died within 1 year, so we considered skull base surgery to be contraindicated for this disease. Complications were observed in 62 out of the 143 cases (43%); local infection was most frequent in 29 cases. liquorrhea in 18, abscess in 16, necrosis of the flap and meningitis in ten cases, DIC in four, rupture of the internal carotid artery in two and cerebral thrombosis in one. Death caused directly by surgery was in ten cases (7%). It is important that a multi-center registry be maintained to have a large enough database for comparison of results, and prognosis for each histological entity and further define the role of multidisciplinary treatment. PMID:11683348

Recently it has been suggested that global warming and a decrease in mean wind speeds over most land masses are related. Decreases in near surface wind speeds have been reported by previous investigators looking at records with time spans of 15 to 30 years. This study focuses on United States (US) surface stations that have little or no location change since the late 1940s or the 1950s--a time range of up to 58 years. Data were selected from 62 stations (24 of which had not changed location) and separated into ten groups for analysis. The group's annual averages of temperature, wind speed, and percentage of Pasquill-Gifford (PG) stability categories were fitted with linear least squares regression lines. The results showed that the temperatures have increased for eight of the ten groups as expected. Wind speeds have decreased for nine of the ten groups. The mean slope of the wind speed trend lines for stations within the coterminous US was -0.77 m s{sup -1} per century. The percentage frequency of occurrence for the neutral (D) PG stability category decreased, while that for the unstable (B) and the stable (F) categories increased in almost all cases except for the group of stations located in Alaska.

Data sourcesMedline and the Igaku Chuo Zasshi (Japanese) databases, the reference list of identified studies and personal reprint collections of authors were searched.Study selectionRandomised controlled trials (RCT), controlled clinical trials (CCT) and case series conducted in permanent teeth were included.Data extraction and synthesisTwo independent reviewers extracted the data using specially designed forms. A qualitative synthesis is presented.ResultsTen English and three Japanese studies were finally included (two RCTs, five CCTs and six case series).ConclusionsFrom this review, stepwise excavation can be concluded as effective for pulp preservation in extremely deep caries where there are no clinical symptoms of irreversible pulpitis. Calcium hydroxide and other materials, such as a...

This study employed a case study design (Yin, Case study research, design and methods, 2009) to investigate the processes used by 5th graders to design and develop computer games within the context of their environmental science unit, using the theoretical framework of constructionism. Ten fifth graders designed computer games using Scratch software. The results showed students were able to design functional games, following a learning-by-design process of planning, designing, testing, and sharing. Observations revealed that game design led to opportunities for informal knowledge building and sharing among students. This, in turn, encouraged students to test and improve their designs. The findings support the conclusion that elementary students can develop programming concepts and create c...

Pregnancy in women with mechanical prosthetic heart valves carried an increased risk of thromboembolic complications due to changes in haemostasis. Prosthetic valve thrombosis is a serious complication resulting in high mortality. Ten patients from 20 to 38 years of age had 12 thromboses of mechanical heart prostheses during pregnancy. The prosthesis was mitral in 8 cases and aortic in 4 cases. The prosthesis was a ball valve in 1 case, a tilting disc in 3 cases and bi-leaflet in 8 cases. Initial emergency treatment was surgical in 3 cases and medical in 9 cases (thrombolysis in 7 cases and simple heparin therapy in 2 cases). Secondary surgery was carried out in one patient after failure of heparin therapy. There was one death in the surgical group (4 cases, 25%) and 30% foetal mortality in the surviving women. In the thrombolysis group (7 cases), two women died (28%) after failure of treatment. Both patients had mitral valve prostheses and were in cardiogenic shock. Three women, of the other 5 thrombolysed cases, were able to complete their pregnancies and had healthy babies with no foetal mortality. No per-thrombolytic embolic complications were observed. However, there was one severe bleeding complication which was successfully managed by surgical drainage. Finally, a global success rate of 75% (9 out of 12 patients) and a mortality of 30% (3 maternal deaths in the 10 patients--all with mitral valve protheses) were observed irrespective of the therapeutic protocol used. Thrombosis is the most life-threatening complication for women with prosthetic heart valve during pregnancy. Emergency surgery for valve replacement or thrombectomy is the commonest treatment. Trombolysis is classically limited by the risk of haemorrhagic and thromboembolic complications reported in the literature. In this study, thrombolysis was effective in the 71% of cases with a low risk of haemorrhagic complications. PMID:15182073

An effective business model is a tremendously valuable asset to a company, and business model innovation is becoming more and more important, under pressure of increasing and globalizing competition and enabled by, especially, information technology development. Business model innovation is a huge challenge, both theoretically and practically. Although many managers are very eager to consider more disruptive changes to their business model, they do not usually quite know how to articulate their existing or desired business model and, even less so, understand the possibilities, or rather the processes, available for innovating it. One of the steps towards developing more theoretical insight and practical guidelines is the identification of types and, based on that, the development of a typology of business model innovations. Ten retrospective case studies of business model innovation processes undertaken by two industrial companies provide the empirical basis for this paper. We analyzed the characteristics of the business model innovation cases, and their success rates. The results of the ten cases suggest that there are many possibilities for innovating a company’s business model. We conclude the paper by proposing a more detailed business model innovation typology.

Corneal ulcer is a devastating corneal disease which is potentially sight-threatening and conventionally is treated by topical antibiotics and in some cases with more invasive procedures such as keratoplasty. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of corneal collagen cross-linking in resistant corneal ulcers. Ten patients with resistant infectious corneal ulcers who had not responded properly to maximal treatment with topical and subconjunctival antibiotics were enrolled in the study and underwent classic corneal collagen cross-linking with riboflavin and UV-A under sterile conditions in the operating room and were followed up regularly. The result was healing and scar formation with improvement of vision in all patients except for two who underwent enucleation and tectonic penetrating keratoplasty. Corneal collagen cross-linking is a viable therapeutic option for treatment of corneal ulcers and can be used as an adjuvant for conventional treatment in resistant cases. PMID:23015020

Operational agility has increasingly become essential for survival and prosperity for contemporary organizations. Given its significant role in a turbulent business environment, this concept has garnered considerable research attention over the past ten years. However, due to the complex nature of operational agility, how to achieve this important organizaitonal capability is still not clearly understood. Thus the present study attempts to open this black box through examing a case study of Haier, the largest household appliances producer in China. The findings of this case highlight the significant role played by IT leveraging competence in achieving operational agility. It shows that IT leveraging competence helps enhance firm's ability to process information in a turbulent business envi...

Nonprofit organizations (NPOs) are facing increasing demands to become more efficient and effective, especially given increasing financial cutbacks, the rising demand for services and the push toward performance-related management. Human resource management (HRM) is claimed to play an important role in coping with these challenges. Yet, within the field of nonprofit management, little is known about the configuration of HR architectures in NPOs, let alone their impact on performance. To bridge this gap, we conduct an exploratory multiple case study in ten health and social services NPOs. The case study data indicates a shift toward a dominant strategic orientation in the configuration of HRM. Our article makes a central contribution by uncovering a third way in which NPOs seek a specific c...

Increasing breast cancer rates among young women (<40 years old) have been reported by the population-based cancer registries in Brazil. A case series study was carried out in Rio de Janeiro aiming to obtain epidemiological information allowing the generation of hypotheses to be further evaluated in analytical studies. One hundred and ten women 20-35 years old diagnosed with breast cancer were interviewed to determine the role environment plays in patients cased upon residential location. A comprehensive questionnaire including personal information (medical and lifestyle antecedents, reproductive history, family history of cancer, chemical and radiation exposure) was employed, and the obtained data were further compared with data provided by controls (women without cancer). An uncondi...

The UK-China Near Zero Emissions Coal project was officially launched on 20th November 2007 in Beijing and will run until June 2009. The objectives of the project are to: Enable knowledge transfer between Chinese and UK parties (academic, industrial and other)Model the future energy requirements of China, taking CCS technology into account.Produce case studies of potential carbon dioxide capture technologies.Build capacity in China for evaluation of storage potential for CO2 and perform first stage characterisations for selection of sites suitable for CO2 storage.Develop a technical and policy level roadmap for CCS. The capture and transport theme in the NZEC project has fourteen Chinese and overseas partners undertaking ten different capture plant case studies and an overview of CO2 trans...

Conservative surgery with adjuvant chemotherapy has made the preservation of fertility even in patient with advanced disease. The increase in cure rate has shifted to research for the long term menstrual reproductive and gynecologic outcome in these patients. The current study is retrospective for 25 cases of ovarian malignant germ cell tumor from January 2006 to January 2011, at El Hussian and Sayed Galal University Hospitals. The uterus and contralateral ovary were retained to preserve ovarian function with or without chemotherapy, followed up for two years. The mean age of most patients ranged from 15-28 years (average 21.5 years). According to International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics, the histological subtypes were ten dysgerminoma (40%). Five immature teratoma (20%), three endodermal sinus tumor (12%), four mixed germ cell tumor (16%) three embryonic cell tumours (12%). Stage I: tumors 15 cases (60%), Stage II: tumors one case (4%), Stage III tumors 6 cases (24%), Stage IV tumors 3 cases (12%). Adjuvant chemotherapy was administered to 15 cases 60% and followed up for two years. There were two recurrences, one died at 7th day postoperative of massive pulmonary embolism with past history of D.V.T, five healthy live births in the chemotherapy group without birth defects, and one infertility case 4%. PMID:22435165

We determined current perception thresholds (CPT) for arm and mental foramen areas for quantitative evaluations of the effectiveness of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) treatment at acupoints. This study of the relationship between frequency and time of stimulation had demonstrated TENS-induced sensory inhibition. Eleven subjects (6 male and 5 female) volunteered to be administered TENS for sessions of varying duration (5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes) and stimulation frequencies (2 Hz and 100 Hz) at the Hegu (LI4) acupoint. We assessed CPTs for the left arm and mental foramen areas before and after TENS at the Hegu (LI4) acupoint of the left hand. Neurometer CPT was used to evaluate perception thresholds at the homolateral mental foramen and arm. The application of low-frequency and high-frequency TENS on the Hegu (LI4) and Quchi (LI11) acupoints raised the perception threshold of the left mental foramen. We assessed the relationship between these effects and TENS stimulation frequencies and treatment duration. We found that applying TENS to the Hegu (LI4) and Quchi (LI11) acupoints increased CPT values in the mental foramen area. Low-frequency TENS inhibited slow pain response, while high-frequency TENS inhibited both fast and slow pain response. The effects of TENS showed greater frequency dependence than time dependence.   

We have developed a new algorithm called kinetic scintigraphy (KS) able to pursue the evolution of endocardial contour during a cardiac cycle based on tomographic cross sections obtained at different phases of cycle by means of colored inter-zones. Twenty patients beneficiary by an in-effort myocardial scintigraphy or subject to dipyridamole (SS) and suspected of ischemic cardiopathy were studied at rest by {sup 99m}Tc-MYOVIEW synchronized to the ECG. The KS reproduces the global and segmentary kinetic estimated by echography (E) or gamma-angiography (GAC). In 15 cases the KS showed additional anomalies, a hypokinesia (10 cases), a hypokinesia associated to a tardive kinesia (3 cases), and a tardive-kinesia (2 cases). For 13 patients the SS made evident an ischemia in the same territory. In 4 patients the KS shows no anomaly while the SS finds a myocardial ischemia. Ten patients were subject to a coronarography: 9 presented significant coronary stenoses. In 8 cases the KS and the SS showed an anomaly in a corresponding territory. In one case only the stress scintigraphy occurred positive. In conclusion, the KS reveals additional anomalies as compared with the anomalies of segmentary kinetic, thus unveiling an at-rest systolic hypoperfusion corresponding to a scintigraphic ischemia. This examination of at-rest perfusion allows a mixed study of both perfusion and contraction

Aim Mortality from malignant middle cerebral artery infarction (MMCAI) approaches 80% in adult series. Although decompressive craniectomy decreases mortality and leads to an acceptable outcome in selected adult patients, there are few data on MMCAI in children with stroke. This study evaluated the frequency of MMCAI and the use of decompressive craniectomy in children. Method We retrospectively reviewed cases of MMCAI from five pediatric tertiary care centers. Results Ten children (two females, eight males; median age 9y 10mo, range 22mo 14y) had MMCAI, with a median Glasgow Coma Scale score of 6 (range 3 9). MMCAI represented fewer than 2% of cases of pediatric arterial ischemic stroke. Three patients who did not undergo decompression, all of whom had monitoring of intracranial pressure, ...

The increasing incidence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Gram-negative infections necessitates the use of neglected antibiotics such as colistin, even in the paediatric field. The objective of this review was to evaluate the available clinical evidence regarding the effectiveness and safety of systemic colistin in children without cystic fibrosis (CF). Relevant articles were identified from PubMed, Cochrane and Scopus databases. Ten case series and fifteen case reports, including a total of 370 children, were eligible for inclusion in this systematic review. Only 17 of the children were included in studies published after 1977. A total of 326 children received colistin for the treatment of infections and 44 for surgical prophylaxis or prophylaxis of infections in burns patients. Regarding the...

Introduction: Ertapenem could be used to treat urinary tract infections (UTI) caused by ESBL producing enterobacteriacae (ESBL-E) and administered subcutaneously. Method: The authors made a retrospective study on adult patients treated with ertapenem administered intravenously or subcutaneously for UTI caused by ESBL-E, between May 2009 and August 2011 at the Chambery hospital, France. Results: Twenty-five patients were treated (13 cases of prostatitis, ten of pyelonephritis, two of cystitis) mostly caused by Escherichia coli (24 cases). Subcutaneous injections were administered to 20 patients and 23 were treated through outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy (OPAT). All patients were cured at the end of the ertapenem therapy. Urine samples collected during treatment for 12 patients were...

Device structures based on thick and thin SiC epitaxial films have been studied as detectors of alpha particles and weak ionization radiation (x ray and UV quanta), respectively. In the first case relatively no transistor effect is observed and the signal is formed similarly to that in a diode structure. The possibility of alpha particle spectrometry in spite of slow carrier transport via diffusion has been demonstrated. In the second case, the signal value of the transistor-like detector on applied voltage is investigated. Different modes are used: single alpha-particle detection and induced-current recording from fluxes of x ray and optical (UV) quanta. A superlinear rise in the resulting signal is observed with increasing voltage. The signal is amplified by a factor of several tens with respect to the value chosen for normalization. A description in terms of the phototriode model gives acceptable values for the main parameters: base width, diffusion length of electrons, and space charge of ionized impurities.

To investigate the retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) changes after an acute attack of phacomorphic angle closure. This prospective study involved ten cases of phacomorphic angle closure that underwent cataract extraction and intraocular lens insertion after intraocular pressure lowering. Apart from visual acuity and intraocular pressure (IOP), RNFL thickness and vertical cup disc ratio (VCDR) were measured by optical coherence tomography (OCT) at 3-9 months post attack. Humphrey visual field assessment was performed at 9 months post attack. All cases had mean phacomorphic duration of  0.2. Patients with closure are likely to have reasonable postoperative vision. An acute episode of phacomorphic angle closure can trigger an accelerated RNFL thinning despite normal IOP and open angles, most noticeable in the superior and inferior quadrants, occurring between 3 and 9 months post attack. Glaucomatous optic neuropathy in the attack eye was evident by OCT but not by visual field assessment at the same time interval. PMID:22847248

We study the evolution of the coupling in SU(2) gauge field theory with $N_f=4$, 6 and 10 fundamental fermion flavours on the lattice. These values are chosen close to the expected edges of the conformal window, where the theory possesses an infrared fixed point. We use improved Wilson-clover action, and measure the coupling in the Schr\\"odinger functional scheme. At four flavours we observe that the couping grows towards the infrared, implying QCD-like behaviour, whereas at ten flavours the results are compatible with a Banks-Zaks type infrared fixed point. The six flavour case remains inconclusive: the evolution of the coupling is seen to become slower at the infrared, but the accuracy of the results falls short from fully resolving the fate of the coupling. We also measure the mass anomalous dimension for the $N_f=6$ case.

Understanding the properties of the hot corona is important for studying the accretion disks in black hole X-ray binary systems. Using the Monte-Carlo technique to simulate the inverse Compton scattering between photons emitted from the cold disk and electrons in the hot corona, we have produced two table models in the $XSPEC$ format for the spherical corona case and the disk-like (slab) corona case. All parameters in our table models are physical properties of the system and can be derived from data fitting directly. Applying the models to broad-band spectra of the black hole candidate XTE J2012+381 observed with BeppoSAX, we estimated the size of the corona and the inner radius of the disk. The size of the corona in this system is several tens of gravitational radius, and the substantial increase of the inner disk radius during the transit from hard-state to soft-state is not found.

We examined ten cases of extrapulmonary lymphangioleiomyoma/lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM; all patients female; median age 46.5?years) for immunohistochemical labeling with a monoclonal antibody against podoplanin (D2-40), which is specific for lymphatic endothelial lining. We found positive staining in thin-wall branching vessels reflecting the lymphatic nature of tumor vessels in all cases tested. In contrast, perivascular (HMB-45 positive) myoid cells were not detected by D2-40. The D2-40 labeling confirms the current concept of lymphangiogenic origin of the tumor vessels in LAM. In addition, this study makes a further contribution to the immunohistochemical mapping of this antibody in vascular tumors. Finally, the use of this commercially available antibody provides an additional help ...

To investigate the retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) changes after an acute attack of phacomorphic angle closure. This prospective study involved ten cases of phacomorphic angle closure that underwent cataract extraction and intraocular lens insertion after intraocular pressure lowering. Apart from visual acuity and intraocular pressure (IOP), RNFL thickness and vertical cup disc ratio (VCDR) were measured by optical coherence tomography (OCT) at 3?9?months post attack. Humphrey visual field assessment was performed at 9?months post attack. All cases had mean phacomorphic duration of <5?days. Postoperatively, best correct Snellen visual acuity was 0.4???0.2 and IOP at 9?months was 11.0???3.1?mmHg. There was no difference in VCDR and RNFL between the attack and contralateral eye at 3?months ...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the surgical outcomes and to determine indicators of the necessity of surgical intervention. Twelve consecutive patients harboring symptomatic sacral perineural cysts were treated between 1995 and 2003. All patients were assessed for neurological deficits and pain by neurological examination. Magnetic resonance of imaging, computerized tomography, and myelography were performed to detect signs of delayed filling of the cysts. We performed a release of the valve and imbrication of the sacral cysts with laminectomies in 8 cases or recapping laminectomies in 4 cases. After surgery, symptoms improved in 10 (83%) of 12 patients, with an average follow-up of 27 months. Ten patients had sacral perineural cysts with signs of positive filling defect. Two (17%) of 12 patients experienced no significant improvement. In one of these patients, the filling defect was negative. In conclusion, a positive filling defect may become an indicator of good treatment outcomes. PMID:16508691

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to provide a methodological guidance for the practical use of the axiomatic designed production module template presented in a former publication. The objective is to accelerate the design process and increase the quality of results in the design of lean production systems. Design/methodology/approach - Two case studies based on practical cases were presented to different test teams. A first test cycle helped to improve the user friendliness of the axiomatic designed tree of functional requirements and design parameters. The second test cycle served to prove the practicability of the template, comparing the teams' results with the realized solution. Findings - Based on the teams' feedbacks, ten "easy-to-use" steps for the systematic design of lean pro...

Introduction It can be difficult to differentiate simple bone cysts (SBCs) from true cysts in the jaw when these lesions appear unilocular. The present study reports the MR imaging of subjects with SBCs and describes the diagnostic value of the MRI findings. Materials and methods Ten subjects with SBCs in the jaw were examined using MRI. T1- and T2-weighted images (T1WI, T2WI) were obtained, and contrast-enhanced images and dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) were acquired. Results In all cases, the contrast-enhanced T1WI acquired approximately 6 minutes after the administration of Gd-DTPA showed marked enhancement of the margin and slight enhancement of the inner part of the cyst cavity. In all cases, the time–signal intensity (SI) curves show a gradual increase in the SI until...

In the framework of the SAVE program, the European Commission brings financial assistance to the creation of local or regional agencies of energy control in municipalities and regions. The main criteria are the impacts on the energy demand, the reinforcement of the economic and social cohesion, the environmental quality and the contribution to the economic development and the employment creation. In this document, realized by Energie-Cites, the Ademe objective is to present a state of the art of french local agencies. Ten agencies are presented as case study. Each case deals with the following topics: the main context of the action which details the energy and the environmental policy of the municipality, the creation and the description of the agency, the implemented actions and the perspectives. (A.L.B.)

Purpose The aim of this study was to explore the diagnostic performance of multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) in characterising pancreatic metastases. Materials and methods CT examinations of 17 patients affected by pancreatic metastases were retrospectively reviewed. The primary malignancy was renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in eight cases, uterine leiomyosarcoma in two, lung carcinoma in four and breast carcinoma in three. CT images were assessed for lesion number, size and morphology. Results Pancreatic lesions were solitary in seven cases and multiple in ten. Lesion size ranged between 8 and 40 mm. Metastases from RCC were hyperattenuating in the arterial phase, metastases from breast cancer and lung cancer were hypoattenuating and metastases from uterine leiomyosarcoma were inhomogen...

Non-utility groups participate in a myriad of activities--initiated by themselves and others--aimed at influencing the policies and actions of utilities and their regulators related to Integrated Resource Planning (IRP) and Demand-Side Management (DSM). Some of these activities are not directed toward a particular regulatory body or utility but are designed to influence public knowledge and acceptance of IRP and DSM. Other activities involve interaction with a particular utility or regulatory body. The traditional forum for this interaction is an adversarial debate (i.e., litigation or regulatory intervention) over the merits of a utility`s plan or proposed action. However, an increasingly common forum is one in which non-utility groups and utilities cooperatively develop plans, policies, and/or programs. Arrangements of this type are referred to in this report as ``interactive efforts``. This report presents the findings derived from ten case studies of energy efficiency advocacy groups (EEAG) activities to influence the use of cost-effective DSM and to promote IRP; nine of these ten cases involve some form of interactive effort and all of them also include other EEAG activities. The goal of this research is not to measure the success of individual activities of the various groups, but to glean from a collective examination of their activities an understanding of the efficacy of various types of interactive efforts and other EEAG activities and of the contextual and procedural factors that influence their outcomes.

Abstract in portuguese FUNDAMENTOS: O câncer de pele é o mais frequente tipo de câncer humano e mostra aumento de sua incidência. Em muitos casos, antes do surgimento do carcinoma, instala-se uma lesão precursora, ceratose actínica, podendo evoluir para carcinoma espinocelular. Estudos buscam determinar os parâmetros com significado prognóstico na predição daqueles tumores que terão comportamento mais agressivo. OBJETIVO: Avaliar a expressão dos marcadores de proliferação celular (more) (PCNA, Ki-67) e apoptose (p53, Bcl-2), em portadores de carcinoma espinocelular e ceratose actínica. MÉTODO: Foram estudadas amostras de 30 pacientes: sendo dez portadores do carcinoma espinocelular; dez de ceratose actínica e dez indivíduos livres de lesões submetidos à blefaroplastia. RESULTADOS: A proteína p53 foi expressa em todos os casos estudados, embora apresentassem padrões quantitativos diferentes. O Bcl-2 foi expresso em baixa intensidade. Em seis casos de ceratose actínica, nas peles de blefaroplastia, e negativo nos casos de carcinoma espinocelular. O PCNA exibiu expressão intensa, em todas as amostras. O Ki-67 apresentou expressão variável, nos casos de carcinoma e de ceratose, e negativo na pele de pálpebra. CONCLUSÃO: A expressão do Ki-67 e a não-expressão de Bcl-2, no grupo CEC, indica intensificação da atividade proliferativa. Ao passo que, a maior expressão de p53 e Bcl-2, no grupo CA, sugere imortalização celular. Abstract in english BACKGROUND: Skin cancer is the most frequent type of human cancer and has shown an increase in its incidence. In many cases, before the onset of the carcinoma, there might be a precursor lesion - actinic keratosis, which can develop into squamous cell carcinoma. Studies have been carried out in order to etermine the parameters that have prognostic significance in predicting those tumors which have more aggressive behavior. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the expression of markers (more) of cell proliferation (PCNA, Ki-67) and apoptosis (p53,Bcl-2) in patients with squamous cell carcinoma and actinic keratosis. METHOD: We studied samples from 30 patients, ten patients of squamous cell carcinoma, ten with actinic keratosis and ten lesion-free samples from blepharoplasty. RESULTS: p53 protein was expressed in all cases with different quantitative patterns. Bcl-2 was expressed at low intensity in six cases of actinic keratosis in the skin from blepharoplasty and negative in cases of squamous cell carcinoma. PCNA showed intense expression in all samples. Ki-67 showed variable expression in cases of keratosis and carcinoma and negative in the skin from the eyelid. CONCLUSION: The high expression of Ki-67 associated with low expression of Bcl-2 indicates proliferation in the carcinoma group. Thus, expression of p53 and Bcl-2 in patients with actinic keratosis indicates cell immortalization.

Computer-assisted dynamic renal studies were performed on a group of 14 mongrel dogs before and after the induction of unilateral renal artery stenosis. Ninety-second technetium-99m diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid ((/sup 99m/Tc)DTPA), 15-min (/sup 99m/Tc)DTPA, and 30-min iodine-131 orthoiodohippurate ((/sup 131/I)hippuran) time-activity curves were analyzed and correlated with reduction of renal blood flow as measured by electromagnetic flow probe and PAH clearance techniques. For blood flow reductions greater than 33%, the (/sup 99m/Tc)DTPA studies were judged diagnostic of unilateral renal artery stenosis in all cases, whereas the (/sup 131/I)hippuran time-activity curves were indicative of stenosis in only six of ten studies. Thus, in this model we find the computer-assisted 90-sec (/sup 99m/Tc)DTPA renal flow study to be superior to conventional (/sup 131/I)hippuran renography in the diagnosis of moderate-to-serve unilateral renal artery stenosis.

The angiotensin-1-converting enzyme (ACE) gene has been suggested to be involved in the development of metabolic syndrome (MetS). However, results have been inconsistent. In this study, a meta-analysis was performed to investigate the association between ACE insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism and MetS. Published literature from PubMed, EMBASE, and ISI Web of Science databases was searched for eligible publications. All studies assessing the association between ACE I/D polymorphism and MetS were included. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using a fixed- or random-effects model. Ten studies (1939 cases/2845 controls) for ACE I/D polymorphism were included in this meta-analysis. Most of the studies were performed in whites. The ACE I/...

Abstract in portuguese A estimulação elétrica nervosa transcutânea (TENS) é um recurso não-farmacológico já consagrado na modulação de dores agudas e crônicas. O objetivo deste estudo foi verificar o efeito da TENS convencional e na modalidade TENS-acupuntura na dor induzida pelo frio. Trinta indivíduos saudáveis com idade entre 18 e 40 anos foram distribuídos ao acaso em três grupos: placebo, TENS convencional e TENS-acupuntura. Foi utilizado um protocolo de indução de dor pel (more) o frio composto por seis ciclos: dois pré-tratamento, dois durante e dois após o tratamento. A TENS foi aplicada por 20 minutos por dois canais, sendo a modalidade convencional, no nível sensorial, na freqüência de 80 Hz e a modalidade acupuntura, no nível motor, a 4 Hz. Foram medidos limiar de dor, tolerância à dor e intensidade da dor. Não foi encontrada diferença estatisticamente significante nos valores medidos durante a após o tratamento quando comparados aos dos ciclos pré-tratamento, em todas as variáveis. Nas duas modalidades estudadas pois, a TENS, nos parâmetros de aplicação utilizados, não modificou a dor induzida por frio, sugerindo-se novos estudos com maior tempo de aplicação da TENS e diferentes modelos de dor experimental. Abstract in english Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is a non-pharmacological method already established in the modulation of acute and chronic pain. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of conventional TENS and acupuncture-like TENS on cold-induced pain. Thirty healthy subjects aged 18 to 40 years old were randomized into in three groups: placebo, conventional TENS, and acupuncture-like TENS. A cold-induced pain protocol was used, in six cycles (two pre-treat (more) ment, two during, and two after treatment); TENS was applied for 20 minutes through 2 channels, the conventional modality at sensory level at 80 Hz, and the acupuncture modality at motor level at 4 Hz. Variables analysed were pain threshold, tolerance to pain, and pain intensity. No statistically significant differences were found in any variable between post and pre-treatment measures in all groups. Hence neither conventional or acupuncture-like TENS had any effect on cold-induced pain. Further studies are suggested, with different experimental pain models, and with longer time of TENS application.

To review a series of cases of incidental carcinomas (IC), analyzing the readings that had been considered negative in previous studies. To describe the radiological images that most often go undetected. To compare the tumor sizes and stages associated with false negatives and true negatives. to assess the influence of breast density, age ant other factors on the occurrent of false negatives. We selected 2671 IC and subjected the previous mammographies to blind readings by three radiologists. For their reading, 117 of these cases were mixed in with randomly chosen normal mammographies, in a ratio of 1 to 3. A total of 77 cases (28.8%) of fase negatives were detected: 25 by three radiologists, 21 by two and 31 by one. The remaining 190 studies (71.6%) were considered to be true negatives. The rate of detection was greater among the 150 cases rad directly (32%) than in the 117 cases mixed with normal mammographies (24.7%). The radiological image that most frequently went undetected was asymmetry, although it varied depending on the unit used to film the studies. Among the factors leading to error in the readings, we point out the existence of ten cases studied with additional projections that were considered normal and 11 cases in which the lesions remained unchanged after two years of follow-up. Breast density and age had some influence but did not appear to be determinant. We found no statistically significant differences between false and true negatives in terms of stage, size and lymph node involvement, although the proportion of in situ lesions is somewhat lower among false negative. The study of false negatives is a necessary parameter for quality control and reading self-evaluation. the incidence of false negatives depends on the characteristics of the screening program. The objectives of tumor stage and size continue to be fulfilled, despite a later diagnosis in the false negative group. (Author)

Primary malignant tumors of the trachea are rare, the most prevalent histologies beeing squamous cell and adenoid cystic carcinoma. A review of the literature revealed only ten cases of primary tracheal or bronchial non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. We describe a case in which tracheal involvement of bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma, a subtype of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, occurred.

Benign fibrous histiocytoma is an extremely rare spinal tumor with ten reported cases in the literature. Benign fibrous histiocytoma constitutes a diagnostic challenge because it shares common clinical symptoms, radiological characteristics, and histological features with other benign lesions involving the spine. We present a case of benign fibrous histiocytoma of the lumbar spine and discuss its differential diagnosis and management. (orig.)

Abstract in portuguese JUSTIFICATIVA E OBJETIVOS: A eletroestimulação nervosa transcutânea (TENS) e a crioterapia são recursos fisioterapêuticos aplicados isoladamente, uma vez que existe a possibilidade de interação entre a TENS e a crioterapia caso sejam utilizadas associadas. O objetivo desse estudo foi avaliar a efetividade analgésica da associação TENS e crioterapia isoladas e associadas no alívio da lombalgia crônica. MÉTODO: Trata-se de ensaio clínico envolvendo 6 pacientes (more) com dor lombar crônica, divididas em 3 grupos: crioterapia, TENS, e associação crioterapia e TENS. A técnica analgésica foi aplicada pelo tempo de 20 minutos, durante 5 dias, com 1 sessão por dia. Todas as pacientes foram submetidas à cinesioterapia convencional com alongamento de isquiostibiais, quadrado lombar e iliopsoas, com o objetivo de aumentar a aderência ao tratamento. A crioterapia foi feita com bolsa de gelo moído, e a modalidade de TENS foi a burst, com o aparelho Physiotonus TENS/FES 3050, da marca BIOSET, com trens de pulsos de 2 Hz, frequência individual de pulsos de 100 Hz e duração de pulso de 150 µs. A intensidade da dor foi avaliada pela escala analógica visual antes e após a realização de cada sessão. RESULTADOS: Quanto a intensidade da dor, no grupo crioterapia, as medianas dos escores iniciais e finais foram 5,5 e 4, respectivamente, e nos grupos TENS e TENS associado à crioterapia as medianas foram 5 e 3, respectivamente. Quanto ao grau de alívio, 100% referiram alívio bom no grupo TENS, e nos grupos crioterapia e TENS associado à crioterapia 50% referiram alívio bom e 50% alívio muito bom. CONCLUSÃO: Apesar da terapia combinada não ter apresentado nenhuma melhora significativa em relação às modalidades de terapias isoladas, as três modalidades analgésicas utilizadas neste estudo foram eficazes em aliviar a dor lombar crônica das pacientes e nos grupos em que foi utilizado a crioterapia o grau de satisfação das pacientes foi maior do que as do grupo em que foi usada apenas a TENS. Abstract in english BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) and cryotherapy are physical therapy resources individually used, since there is the possibility of interaction between TENS and cryotherapy if they are associated. This study aimed at evaluating the analgesic effectiveness of the association or not of TENS and cryotherapy to relieve chronic low back pain. METHOD: Clinical trial involving six chronic low back pain patients distributed in three g (more) roups: cryotherapy, TENS, and the association of both techniques. Analgesia was induced for 20 minutes during 5 days, with one session per day. All patients were submitted to conventional kinesiotherapy with ischiotibial, lumbar square and iliopsoas elongation, aiming at increasing adherence to treatment. Cryotherapy was applied with crushed ice bag and TENS was in burst with Physiotonus TENS/FES 3050 equipment of the BIOSET brand, with pulse trains of 2 Hz, individual pulse frequencies of 100 Hz and pulse duration of 150 µs. Pain intensity was evaluated by the visual analog scale before and after each session. RESULTS: With regard to pain intensity in the cryotherapy group, initial and final medians were 5.5 and 4, respectively. For the TENS and TENS associated to cryotherapy groups they were 5 and 3, respectively. With regard to pain relief, 100% have referred good relief in the TENS group; in cryotherapy and TENS associated to cryotherapy groups 50% have referred good relief and 50% very good relief. CONCLUSION: Although the combined therapy has caused no significant improvement as compared to isolated therapies the three analgesic modalities used in this study were effective to relieve chronic low back pain. Satisfaction was higher in the cryotherapy group as compared to the TENS group.

In this study, we examined intertester reliability of dynamic and static balance using the Chattecx Dynamic Balance System. Ten female and two male subjects were randomly assigned to two testers and completed ten, 10-second preprogrammed double- and single-leg test conditions. Balance was measured a...

The purpose of the Personal Environmental Risk Factor Study (PERFS) pilot project was to develop methodologies and a questionnaire for a future population-based case-control study to investigate the role of selected environmental exposures in breast cancer development. Identification of etiologically relevant exposures during a period of potential vulnerability proximate to disease onset offers the possibility of clinical disease prevention even when disease initiation may have already occurred many years earlier. Certain personal environmental agents or combinations of agents may influence disease promotion. Therefore, this pilot study focused on exposures that occurred during the ten-year period prior to diagnosis for cases and the last ten years for controls, rather than more historic exposures. For this pilot study, they used a community-based research approach. In the collaborative efforts, community members participated with academic researchers in all phases of the research, including research question identification, study design, development of research tools, development of the human subjects protocol, and report writing. Community member inclusion was based upon the concept that community participation could improve the relevance of scientific studies and ultimate success of the research by encouraging an ongoing dialogue between community members and academic representatives. Early activities of this project focused on the collection of input from the community regarding the possible role of environmental factors in the incidence of breast cancer in Marin County. The intent was to inform the scientists of community concerns, enhance the research team's understanding of the community being studied, and provide interested community members with a better understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of traditional research methods through active participation in the research process.

Abstract Objective The aim of this study was to systematically review all published evidence to determine the efficacy and safety of injectable bulking agents for passive faecal incontinence (FI) in adults. Method Electronic searches were performed for MEDLINE, EMBASE, ISI Web of Knowledge and other relevant databases. Hand searching of relevant conference proceedings was undertaken. Studies were considered if they met the predefined inclusion criteria of more than ten adult patients and receiving an injectable bulking agent for passive FI with a validated means of assessing preoperative and postoperative incontinence. Results Thirteen case series studies and one randomized placebo-controlled trial (RCT) were included with a total of 420 patients. Two completed RCTs with placebo control we...

Previous studies show that the tuberculosis and smallpox vaccine protect against melanoma because of sequence homologies they have with the melanoma antigen, HERV-K-MEL. The yellow fever 17D (YF 17D) vaccine is thought to have this property, so there is a possibility that the YF17D vaccine is able to protect against melanoma. This nested case-control study used the Defense Medical Surveillance System to assess the association between the YF17D vaccine and risk of malignant melanoma in active members of the United States military. Although point estimates hinted at a protective effect, none of the values reached a significant level. Therefore, this study concluded that in the ten year period following vaccination there is no association between the yellow fever 17D vaccine and risk of malignant melanoma in active members of the US armed forces. PMID:22561488

In the last ten years, historical fiction picturebooks have won numerous children's literature awards and have assumed a prominent role in the literacy landscape of elementary and middle school classrooms. Whether read in read-alouds, study groups, as a focus of genre study, or as a supplement to the social studies curriculum, historical fiction picturebooks are a ubiquitous feature of elementary classrooms. What is problematic is the central focus in elementary reading education on teaching the strategies and skills necessary for understanding written text. When this is the case, the visual images and design features of the text are often overlooked, and readers' construction of meaning with textual features (printed words) is privileged. This article highlights how purposeful instruction in visual and design systems of meaning of historical fiction picturebooks moved readers beyond literal elements of the texts and images, encouraged readers to construct meanings from a variety of perspectives, and created spaces for critical reading and inquiry. (Contains 4 figures.)

Summary Background Intrauterine device (IUD) use has been shown to reduce the risk of endometrial cancer, but little is known about its association with cervical cancer risk. We assessed whether IUD use affects cervical human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and the risk of developing cervical cancer. Methods We did a pooled analysis of individual data from two large studies by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and Institut Catala dOncologia research programme on HPV and cervical cancer; one study included data from ten case-control studies of cervical cancer done in eight countries, and the other included data from 16 HPV prevalence surveys of women from the general population in 14 countries. 2205 women with cervical cancer and 2214 matched control women without cervical canc...

Purpose Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is the most potent stimulator of angiogenesis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of serum VEGF as a diagnostic, predictive and prognostic marker in Ewing?s sarcoma. Methods Patients with histopathologically proven diagnosis of Ewing?s sarcoma without prior chemotherapy or radiotherapy were invited to take part in the study. Pre-chemotherapy, post-chemotherapy and post-surgery blood samples were collected for analysis of serum VEGF levels. Blood samples from ten sex- and age-matched healthy volunteers were collected for estimation of VEGF levels to act as control. Human VEGF Elisa kit (Bender Medsystem, Austria) was used to assess the serum VEGF levels. Results A total of nine cases of Ewing?s sarcoma were included in the study....

This paper presents an assessment of the 3B42 research version rainfall product from NASA?s Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA). The study provides new results of TMPA data accuracy in urban areas and highlights trends associated with the climatological indicators of temperature and relative humidity in cities. Ten years (1998-2007) of TMPA data were analyzed for three case study cities in the United States (Houston, Atlanta, and Las Vegas) and one in Korea (Cheongju), representing semi-arid to humid climates. At each location, an urbanized river basin and non-urbanized river basin were selected and comparisons between TMPA and rain gage observations were made for recorded storm events in the study period, the largest storm events by total dept...

Abstract in spanish El presente artículo analiza y concluye sobre la viabilidad de pronósticos hidrológicos de niveles diarios, semanales y decadales en 20 estaciones hidrológicas de la red de monitoreo hidrometeorológico que soporta al Servicio de Alertas del Instituto de Hidrología, Meteorología y Estudios Ambientales - Ideam en Colombia (http://www.ideam.gov.co). Esta viabilidad se determina a través de un conjunto de criterios de desempeño ortogonales y para el presente estudio (more) recomienda la aplicación de combinaciones lineales adaptativamente óptimas (CLAO) como operador viable para la configuración de un sistema de pronóstico hidrológico en tiempo real de niveles diarios, semanales y decadales. En conclusión, se muestra que los pronósticos de niveles diarios, semanales y decadales tienen una viabilidad de pronóstico satisfactoria para el 70% de los casos estudiados. Abstract in english This paper analyses the feasibility of forecasting daily, weekly and ten-day water-levels at 20 hydrological stations forming part of the monitoring network supporting the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies? (IDEAM) Alert Service in Colombia (http://www.ideam.gov.co). Such viability was determined by a set of orthogonal performance criteria and implementing optimally adaptive linear combinations (OALC) was recommended for this study as a viable (more) operator for configuring a real-time hydrological forecast system. It is shown that the forecast for daily, weekly and ten-day levels had satisfactory viability for 70% of the cases studied.

Abstract OBJECTIVE: Placental villous maturation is maximal in the third trimester with an abundance of terminal villi. Delayed villous maturation (DVM) of the placenta is associated with chromosomal abnormalities, gestational diabetes and an adverse outcome. The aim of this study was to compare quantitative assessment of vasculo-syncytial membranes in cases of liveborn infants, perinatal deaths and controls. METHODS: Cases were selected as following: (1). liveborn infants with a qualitative diagnosis of DVM (n=15); (2). controls matched for gestational age whose placentas did not have DVM (n = 15); (3) stillbirths (SB) / neonatal deaths (NND) showing DVM (n=13); and (4) stillbirths from autopsies where DVM was felt to be the cause of death (COD) (n=12). Vasculo-syncytial membranes (VSM) were counted in ten terminal villi in each of ten consecutive high power fields on three slides. Data analysis was carried out using SPSS. RESULTS: Liveborn cases with DVM showed statistically significantly less VSM than controls (mean 1.01 vs. 2.42, p <0.0001). The SB / NND group also showed significantly less VSM than the control group (mean 0.46 vs. 2.42, p<0.0001) and less than the liveborn DVM group (mean 0.46 vs. 1.01, p=0.001). The COD group was significantly different to the control group (mean 0.42 vs. 2.42, p<0.0001) and the liveborn DVM group (mean 0.42 vs. 1.01, p<0.0001) but not significantly different to the SB / NND group. CONCLUSION: There is a quantitative reduction in vasculo-syncytial membranes in cases of DVM compared to controls. PMID:23137099

In Sweden and Norway separate case-control studies of pregnancy outcome for the period 1973-1981 among female workers in the plastics industry were carried out with similar design. Employment records were obtained from companies producing and/or processing plastics and these were matched with the national medical birth and malformation registers. Within the cohorts of pregnancies during which the mother held employment in a plastics industry (1.397 in the Swedish and 288 in the Norwegian study), cases of stillbirths or infant deaths, selected malformations, or low birthweight (less than 2,000 g) were identified. For each case two controls from the same source were individually matched with regard to date of birth, age of mother, and parity. Exposure data concerning the 44 Swedish and ten Norwegian triplets were obtained from the employers. An increased odds ratio was found for processing of polyvinylchloride (PVC) plastics (95% CI Sweden 1.0-5.1; total material 1.1-4.5). However, processing of cold plastics yielded a higher odds ratio than processing of heated plastics. No increased odds ratio was found for processing of styrene or polyurethane plastics. Since not all of the plastics industries in the two countries participated in the studies and the number of cases was small, the result must be interpreted with caution.

Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are life-threatening adverse reactions, which could be induced by a variety of drugs. It was proposed that human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-restricted presentation of antigens (drugs or their metabolites) to T lymphocytes initiates the immune reactions of SJS/TEN. However, the genetic susceptibility and the exact pathogenesis were not clear until the recent studies. We first identified that HLA-B*1502 is strongly associated with carbamazepine (CBZ)-induced SJS/TEN and HLA-B*5801 with allopurinol-SJS/TEN in Han Chinese. The same associations had been validated across different human populations. For the downstream danger signals, Fas-Fas ligand (FasL) and perforin/granzyme B had been advocated as cytotoxic mediators for keratinocyte death in SJS/TEN. However, expression levels of these cytotoxic proteins from the skin lesions were too low to explain the distinct and extensive epidermal necrosis. Our recent study identified that the granulysin, a cytotoxic protein released from cytotoxic T cells or natural killer (NK) cells, is a key mediator for disseminated keratinocyte death in SJS/TEN. This article aims to provide an overview of both of the genomic and immunologic perspectives of SJS/TEN. These studies give us a better understanding of the immune mechanisms, biomarkers for disease prevention and early diagnosis, as well as providing the therapeutic targets for the treatments of SJS/TEN.   

To determine changes in the signal intensity of intracerebral hemorrhagic lesions according to the time interval, between the onset of symptoms and MR imaging in the T1-weighted (T1W1), T2-weighted (T2W1) and diffusion-weighted modes. Thirty-four patients with hemorrhagic stroke who underwent DWI and conventional MRI were involved in this study. Hemorrhagic phase was determined according to the time interval between the onset of symptoms and MR scanning, and was as follows: acute (3 days or less); eight patients); early subacute (7 days or less); ten patients; late subacute (4 weeks or less); seven patients; early chronic (3 months or less): four patients); and late chronic (more than 3 months); five patients. Using a 1.5T MR imager and the single-shot echo-planar imaging technique, T1-weighted, fast spin-echo T2-weighted, and diffusion-weighted were obtained. In all cases qualitative signal intensity (SI) at the center of a lesion was recorded, and the ratio between this and normal brain parenchyma was calculated. SI at the center of a lesion was found to be iso or high/high/high (T1WI/T2WI/DWI) in five of eight acute-phase cases (interval of 24 hours or less) and low/low/low in the remaining three (interval of 72 hours or less). Other signal intensities were as follows: early subacute phase: high/low/low (all ten cases); late subacute phase: high/high/high (all seven cases); early chronic phase: high/high/high (all four cases); late chronic phase: (low/high/low (all five cases). Mean SIRs were as follows: in the five acute-phase cases in which SI was iso or high: 1.42{+-}0.78/2.58{+-}0.84/1.35{+-}0.08(T1WI/T2WI/DWI); in the remaining three acute-phase cases:0.94{+-}0.18/0.63{+-}0.16/0.27{+-}0.10; in the early subacute phase, 1.35{+-}0.01/0.97{+-}0.21/0.86{+-}0.22 in early subacute phase, 1.58{+-}0.04/1.54{+-}0.09/1.44{+-}0.14; in the early chronic phase: 1.26{+-}0.11/1.06{+-}0.14/0.97{+-}0.12; and in the late chronic phase: 0.65{+-}2.23/1.51{+-}0.12/0.23{+-}0.18. The DWI findings of intracerebral hemorrhage reflect the findings of T2WI. When interpreting the DWI findings in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage, an understanding of the temporal evolution of this is very helpful.

Basic studies were carried out to apply frozen allogeneic nerve grafts in dogs after wide-ranging defects of the brachial plexus due to surgical resection of tumor. In this study, morphological variations in branching patterns of the brachial plexus were examined in ten beagle dogs, to evaluate whether the brachial plexus might represent a useful source of allogeneic nerve grafts. Spatial relationships between the axillary lymph node, which had the possibility of carcinomatous metastasis, and the musculocutaneous (MC) nerve, which was important for the function of the forelimbs, were also investigated. In all ten cases examined, the brachial plexus received ventral roots from the fifth cervical nerve to the first thoracic nerve. No significant variation in the branching pattern was found in any nerve except the phrenic, MC and dorsal thoracic nerves. Four communicating branches were observed and had some morphological variations which might be negligible for nerve grafting. Considering previous physiological and anatomical reports, the most important nerve to be reunited in graft operations for functional recovery is the radial nerve. The MC nerve and median or ulnar nerve should also be considered as possibilities for reuniting. Distances between the axillary lymph nodes and the MC nerve ranged from 11.2 mm to 21 mm (mean ± SD: 16.1 ± 2.3 mm). In conclusion, it was suggested that morphological variations in the brachial plexus were technically acceptable to apply allogeneic nerve grafts at least in beagle dogs.   

Purpose. To compare treatment outcome (survival rate, condition of hard and soft peri-implant tissues) and prosthodontic maintenance requirements of two versus three narrow-diameter bone level implants with Locator attachments supporting mandibular overdentures. Materials and Methods. Twenty completely edentulous patients with atrophic mandibles were treated. Ten patients (Group A) were treated with overdentures supported by two narrow (3.3-mm diameter) implants (Straumann AG, Basel, Switzerland) and ten patients (Group B) were treated with overdentures supported by three narrow implants. Locator (Zest Anchors, USA) attachments were used for prosthetic anchorage. Standardized clinical and radiographic parameters (survival rate, plaque index, calculus index, gingival index, bleeding index, probing depth and marginal bone loss) were evaluated at the time of the completion of the prosthetic treatment (baseline) and after 6, 12 and 24 months of functional loading. Prosthodontic maintenance requirements were also scored. Results. Only one implant was lost (Group B) during the healing period. There were no significant differences with regards to any of the studied clinical and radiographic parameters between the two groups (P > 0.05). Few prosthetic complications were recorded. Conclusions. No need to insert more than two narrow-diameter bone level implants with Locator attachments in cases of atrophic mandible to support an overdenture, however, long-term prospective studies are required to support this notion. PMID:9586478

Many CFD grid generation systems are in use nationally, but few comparative studies have been performed to quantify their relative merits. A study was undertaken to systematically evaluate and select the best CFD grid generation codes available. Detailed evaluation criteria were established as the basis for the evaluation conducted. Descriptions of thirty-four separate criteria, grouped into eight general categories are provided. Benchmark test cases, developed to test basic features of selected codes, are described in detail. Scoring guidelines were generated to establish standards for measuring code capabilities, ensuring uniformity of ratings, and minimizing personal bias among the three code evaluators. Ten candidate codes were identified from government, industry, universities, and commercial software companies. A three phase evaluation was conducted. In Phase 1, ten codes identified were screened through conversations with code authors and other industry experts. Seven codes were carried forward into a Phase 2 evaluation in which all codes were scored according to the predefined criteria. Two codes emerged as being significantly better than the others: RAGGS and GRIDGEN. Finally, these two codes were carried forward into a Phase 3 evaluation in which complex 3-D multizone grids were generated to verify capability.

Abstract? Following amputation, 50% to 90% of individuals experience phantom and/or stump pain. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) may prove to be a useful adjunct analgesic intervention, although a recent systematic review was unable to judge effectiveness owing to lack of quality evidence. The aim of this pilot study was to gather data on the effect of TENS on phantom pain and stump pain at rest and on movement. Ten individuals with a transtibial amputation and persistent moderate-to-severe phantom and/or stump pain were recruited. Inclusion criteria was a baseline pain score of ?3 using 0 to 10 numerical rating scale (NRS). TENS was applied for 60?minutes to generate a strong but comfortable TENS sensation at the site of stump pain or projected into the site of phantom pain. Outcomes at rest and on movement before and during TENS at 30?minutes and 60?minutes were changes in the intensities of pain, nonpainful phantom sensation, and prosthesis embodiment. Mean (SD) pain intensity scores were reduced by 1.8 (1.6) at rest (P?electrodes over transected afferent nerves. Nonpainful phantom sensations and prosthesis embodiment remained unchanged. This study has demonstrated that TENS has potential for reducing phantom pain and stump pain at rest and on movement. Projecting TENS sensation into the phantom limb might facilitate perceptual embodiment of prosthetic limbs. The findings support the delivery of a feasibility trial. PMID:22935086

Preterm newborn infants may suffer laryngeal injuries after multiple intubations and long-term mechanical ventilation. Former studies have focused on acute laryngeal injuries diagnosed by endoscopy, performed within the neonatal period. This retrospective case-control study aims to investigate the prevalence and clinical risk factors for voice disorders in former very low-birth-weight (< 1,500 g) infants (VLBW) at 1-year follow-up examinations. We screened former VLBW infants for presence of dysphonia at the corrected age of 1 year and compared cases with unaffected infants matched by birth weight and gestational age. Of the 843 former VLBW infants, admitted from January 1998 to May 2006, 18 subjects had persistent dysphonia. All cases had a birth weight below 1,000 g. Surgical ligation of a ductus arteriosus had been performed in ten infants. Duration of ventilation and number of intubations were not different between cases and controls, but a documented difficult intubation was a predictor of subsequent dysphonia. The rate of dysphonia at 1 year of life was 6.6% among formerly ventilated infants with birth weights <1,000 g (extremely low-birth-weight infants). Persistent dysphonia has to be added to the list of specific long-term consequences of extremely immature birth and given attention at follow-up examinations. PMID:20927535

The purpose of this study is to compare the usefulness of ultrasonography in follow up evaluation after the Ilizarov procedure with that of plain radiography. We analyzed ultrasound findings in twelve patients who had undergone the Ilizarov procedure, and retrospectively compared the results with the findings of plain radiography. The procedure was performed due to post-traumatic limb deformity or non-union (nine of twelve patients), congenital pseudoarthrosis (one case), sequelae of poliomyelitis (one case), and short stature (one case). The patients` mean age was 29 years; eleven of twelve were male. Ten of twelve procedures were performed on the tibia and two on the femur. After 7-10 days, distraction was initiated at a rate of 0.25 mm four times a day. Ultrasonography was performed with a 5-10 MHz linear or convex transducer; new bone formation was defined as dotted or linear echogenic foci within a hypoechoic distraction gap. Initial ultrasonographic examination was performed 2-4 weeks after distraction, and the results were compared with those of plain radiography. Color doppler imaging was performed in three cases. After the Ilizarov bone lengthening procedure, ultrasound appears to be useful for follow-up examination. New bone formation, as well as complications, can be detected earlier; it can indicate whether ultrasound-guided interventional procedure is required, and if combined with color doppler study, is able to detect the periosteal blood supply. Further evaluation of the clinical significance of preserved periosteal blood supply seems however, to be needed. (author). 18 refs., 4 figs.

Our study was a case?control cross-sectional study that was conducted on 20 children and adolescents suffering from type 1 diabetes mellitus and ten healthy non-diabetic children and adolescents serving as controls. The mean age of patients was 10.95?years. Oral sugar tolerance tests using glucose, sucrose and honey and measurement of fasting and postprandial serum C-peptide levels were done for all subjects in three separate sittings. The glycemic index (GI) and the peak incremental index (PII) were then calculated for each subject. Honey, compared to sucrose, had lower GI and PII in both patients (P?P?

The aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) and alcohol dehydrogenase 2 (ADH2) genes have been implicated in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the results have been inconsistent. In this study, we performed a meta-analysis to clarify the associations between polymorphisms of ALDH2 and ADH2 genes and HCC. Published literatures from PubMed and Embase were retrieved. Pooled odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated using fixed- or random-effects model. Ten studies including 1,231 HCC cases and 1,849 controls were included in the meta-analysis of the association between ALDH2 polymorphism and HCC risk. The results indicated that ALDH2 polymorphism was not significantly associated with risk of HCC (homogeneous co-dominant model: OR?=?0.99, 95% CI 0.72?1...

The structure and dynamics of potential vorticity (PV) anomalies generated by convective storms is investigated both theoretically and in a numerical case study. Linear theory suggests that if the storm-induced heating is on a sufficiently small scale relative to the Rossby radius of deformation and the environment contains moderate vertical wind shear of order 1 m/s/km, then the dominant mode of PV is a horizontally oriented dipole. The horizontal dipoles are typically of larger magnitude e.g., 10 PVU than the vertical dipoles that have been studied extensively throughout the literature. Furthermore, the horizontal PV dipoles are realised almost entirely as relative vorticity anomalies on a time scale of order tens of minutes after the heating. The analysis of horizontal PV dipoles offers a new perspective on vorticity dynamics of individual convective cells, implying that moist processes play a role in the maintenance of small scale vortices in the storm environment.

Genetic variations in glutathione S-transferase P1 (GSTP1) gene have been suggested to be involved in the development of cancer. However, the results from the studies regarding the association between GSTP1 Ile105Val polymorphism and lung cancer risk in the Chinese population have been inconsistent. Thus, we conducted a meta-analysis to investigate the association. Published literature from PubMed, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, Chinese Wanfang Data, and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure databases were searched for eligible publications. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95?% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using random or fixed effect model. Ten studies (1,506 cases/1,714 controls) were included in the meta-analysis. The results suggested that GSTP1 Ile105Val polym...

Summary Background The genetic cause of intellectual disability in most patients is unclear because of the absence of morphological clues, information about the position of such genes, and suitable screening methods. Our aim was to identify de-novo variants in individuals with sporadic non-syndromic intellectual disability. Methods In this study, we enrolled children with intellectual disability and their parents from ten centres in Germany and Switzerland. We compared exome sequences between patients and their parents to identify de-novo variants. 20 children and their parents from the KORA Augsburg Diabetes Family Study were investigated as controls. Findings We enrolled 51 participants from the German Mental Retardation Network. 45 (88%) participants in the case group and 14 (70%) in th...

Background and ObjectivesAblative fractional resurfacing shows promise for skin resurfacing and tightening and also to improve treatment of epidermal and dermal pigmentary disorders. This study aimed at determining any correlation between epidermal ablation and effects on the dermis when using an Er:YAG laser in ablative fractional resurfacing mode.Materials and MethodsTen female subjects participated in the study, mean age 52 years, Skin phototypes: 1 Fitzpatrick type II; 8 type III and 1 type IV. The degree of wrinkles (Glogau scale II or III) was similar in all cases. The laser used was the Pixel Er:YAG system (Alma Laser, Israel) which delivers the laser beam via a hand-piece equipped with a beam splitter to divide the 2,940 nm beam into various microbeams of 850 m in diameter in an 11...

The objective is to develop a non-invasive automatic method for detection of epileptic seizures with motor manifestations. Ten healthy subjects who simulated seizures and one patient participated in the study. Surface electromyography (sEMG) and motion sensor features were extracted as energy measures of reconstructed sub-bands from the discrete wavelet transformation (DWT) and the wavelet packet transformation (WPT). Based on the extracted features all data segments were classified using a support vector machine (SVM) algorithm as simulated seizure or normal activity. A case study of the seizure from the patient showed that the simulated seizures were visually similar to the epileptic one. The multi-modal intelligent seizure acquisition (MISA) system showed high sensitivity, short detection latency and low false detection rate. The results showed superiority of the multi- modal detection system compared to the uni-modal one. The presented system has a promising potential for seizure detection based on multi-modal data.

We present the results of a systematic numerical study of the onset of mass transfer in double degenerate binary systems and its impact on the subsequent evolution. All investigated systems belong to the regime of direct impact, unstable mass transfer. In all of the investigated cases, even those considered unstable by conventional stability analysis, we find a long-lived mass transfer phase continuing for as many as several dozen orbital periods. This settles a recent debate sparked by a discrepancy between earlier SPH calculations that showed disruptions after a few orbital periods and newer grid-based studies in which mass transfer continued for tens of orbits. As we show that these binaries can survive at small separation for hundreds of orbital periods, their associated gravitational wave signal should be included when calculating the gravitational wave foreground (although expected to below LISA's sensitivity at these high frequencies). We also show that the inclusion of the entropy increase associated ...

In the present work, a promising formulation of an inhaled powder based on tobramycin-loaded microparticles has been reported. Biodegradable microparticles with controlled diameters in the range of 1-5 ?m and narrow size distribution were synthesized by Flow Focusing® technology. Particles production was planned and optimized with the aid of a well-established mathematic model. Close agreements between theoretical an experimental sizes were obtained. To deliver a high payload of tobramycin to the lungs, the influence of surfactant concentration, polymer-drug ratio and initial drug concentration were investigated. For chosen formulations, drug delivery profiles were also studied. In some cases, it was found a controlled drug delivery for more than ten days, which could represent an important advance in the treatment of chronic lung infections. Other particles factors affecting deposit of an aerosol in the lung were also studied, such as surface charge and density. PMID:22571192

A study was conducted to analyse market-regulated heavy metals (lead, mercury and cadmium), organochlorine pesticides and total polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in samples of 38 farmed fish comprising Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) (20 samples) and African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) (18 samples) from ten selected fish farms in Uganda. The goal of this case study was to understand the safety of aquaculture products from Sub-Saharan Africa. Lead was detected in all the 38 samples (maximum = 1.08 mg kg-1 (dry weight)), mercury in 31 out of 38 samples (maximum = 0.35 mg kg-1 (dry weight)), and cadmium in two samples (maximum = 0.03 mg kg-1 (dry weight)). Total levels of PCBs were below the limit of detection of 0.02 mg kg-1 (wet weight) in all the samples. Traces of 4,4'-dichloro-diphe...

This paper introduces a semi-automatic computer algorithm designed to detect rip current channels in video imagery. As a case study, this method is applied to 3.3years of video data from an embayed beach to demonstrate the link between antecedent surf zone morphology, wave energy and up/down transitions in beach state. An objective measure of rip channel change was developed to define six significant rip reconfiguration events and relate these events to wave energy. Over the period of study no complete resets of the nearshore morphology occurred. The analysis indicates that direct correlation of rip patterns with the instantaneous wave conditions is not a useful way to demonstrate how rips and waves interact. The average wave energy over a period of ten days, combined with storm duration w...

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia in humans and is characterized by chaotic electrical activity of the atria. It affects one in ten individuals over the age of 80 years, causes significant morbidity and is an independent predictor of mortality. Recent studies have provided evidence of a genetic contribution to AF. Mutations in potassium-channel genes have been associated with familial AF but account for only a small fraction of all cases of AF. We have performed a genome-wide association scan, followed by replication studies in three populations of European descent and a Chinese population from Hong Kong and find a strong association between two sequence variants on chromosome 4q25 and AF. Here we show that about 35% of individuals of European descent...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the predictability of using the inferior medial canthus as a stable external reference point for establishment of the vertical dimension in maxillary orthognathic surgery. Ten consecutive patients with skeletal Class II malocclusion and open bite who underwent orthognathic reconstructive surgery were included in the study. Prediction tracings were completed preoperatively and superimposed on an immediate postoperative lateral cephalometric radiograph. In 7 patients, the vertical positioning of the maxillary incisal edge on the immediate postoperative lateral cephalometric radiograph showed no difference from the superimposed preoperative prediction tracing. One patient showed 1 mm difference and 2 patients showed 2 mm difference from the preoperative prediction tracings. All cases resulted in acceptable maxillary incisal exposure relative to upper lip stomion. It is concluded that the inferior medial canthus can be used as a reproducible external vertical reference for orthognathic surgery when the technique described herein is used. PMID:11307188

ABSTRACT Objectives. This study is a case series that was designed to provide data on the efficacy and the incidence and duration of adverse effects of flupirtine in the treatment of cancer-related neuropathic pain. Design. This was an 8-day, open-label study of palliative care patients with neuropathic pain despite maximal opioid treatment. They received an initial dose of flupirtine 100 mg orally four times daily (QID) that could be titrated. Efficacy measures included: a neuropathic pain discriminant score; scales measuring average pain and quality of life activities; and a score of percentage pain relief. Results. Ten patients were recruited. Only one patient was withdrawn because of side effects. Several pain measurements were used. All patients were able to participate in these measu...

The Department of Homeland Security National Cyber Security Division supported development of a small set of security ideals as a framework to establish measurable control systems security. Based on these ideals, a draft set of proposed technical metrics was developed to allow control systems owner-operators to track improvements or degradations in their individual control systems security posture. The technical metrics development effort included review and evaluation of over thirty metrics-related documents. On the bases of complexity, ambiguity, or misleading and distorting effects the metrics identified during the reviews were determined to be weaker than necessary to aid defense against the myriad threats posed by cyber-terrorism to human safety, as well as to economic prosperity. Using the results of our metrics review and the set of security ideals as a starting point for metrics development, we identified thirteen potential technical metrics - with at least one metric supporting each ideal. Two case study applications of the ideals and thirteen metrics to control systems were then performed to establish potential difficulties in applying both the ideals and the metrics. The case studies resulted in no changes to the ideals, and only a few deletions and refinements to the thirteen potential metrics. This led to a final proposed set of ten core technical metrics. To further validate the security ideals, the modifications made to the original thirteen potential metrics, and the final proposed set of ten core metrics, seven separate control systems security assessments performed over the past three years were reviewed for findings and recommended mitigations. These findings and mitigations were then mapped to the security ideals and metrics to assess gaps in their coverage. The mappings indicated that there are no gaps in the security ideals and that the ten core technical metrics provide significant coverage of standard security issues with 87% coverage. Based on the two case studies and evaluation of the seven assessments, the security ideals demonstrated their value in guiding security thinking. Further, the final set of core technical metrics has been demonstrated to be both usable in the control system environment and provide significant coverage of standard security issues.

The lung involvement in the various types of colagenosis has been widely described in the literature. However, the study of lung perfusion utilizing radionuclides has been only mentioned in a few papers. With the intention of ascertaining the importance of the lung perfusion scanning in colagenosis, ten cases were studied, seven of which were females and three males, with the following pathologies: 4 rheumatoid arthritis, 4 systemic lupus eritematosous, 1 scleroderma and 1 scleroderma plus dermatomyositis. The ages of the patients varied from 20 to 73 years, and the duration of the disease from 1 month to 39 years. The lung scanning showed perfusion defects in 100% of the cases, not related with the type of colagenosis, duration of the disease, sex or age. On the other hand, the X rays study showed alterations in only 2 patients (20% of the cases). The ventilatory and respiratory functions were tested on 7 patients showing alteration (mixed pattern with predominance of the restrictive factor) in only one (14.3%), while the other patients were normal (85.7%). The importance of the lung perfusion scanning study in all patients with collagen vascular diseases is emphasized.

A retrospective study of 96 cases of temporomandibular joint dislocation was undertaken. Patients' ages ranged from 9 to 85 years (mean+/-SD, 35.3+/-17.4 years) and peak incidence was at 20-29 years. Mean duration was 7.9 weeks (range, 1h to 3 years). Acute, chronic and recurrent dislocations were seen in 46 (47.9%), 29 (30.2%) and 21 (21.9%) patients, respectively. Males dominated in all three categories but this was not statistically significant (P = 0.8). Excessive mouth opening while yawning (44 cases) was the commonest cause of dislocation, followed by road traffic accidents (13 cases). Ten patients (10.4%) had an underlying systemic disease, the commonest being epilepsy (four cases); those with acute dislocation recorded the highest incidence of underlying illness. Bilateral anterior (86 cases) dislocations were the most frequent. Of the 96 patients, 89 (92.7%) were available for treatment. Manual reduction with or without anaesthesia proved effective for 38/45 acute, 5/24 chronic and 14/20 recurrent cases. Chronic dislocations were treated mainly by surgical osteotomy (13/24). Vertical subsigmoid and oblique ramus osteotomies were the commonest surgical techniques recorded. Treatment was satisfactory for all patients surgically handled except for one case of anterior open bite postoperatively. This study has shown that excessive mouth opening while yawning is the commonest cause of temporomandibular joint dislocation in Nigerians, and conservative approaches to management remain quite effective irrespective of the duration and clinical subtype. The best choice of surgical technique should be determined by proper clinical evaluation and the need to avoid or minimize postoperative morbidity. PMID:16053868

We present a case where a patient is diagnosed with a traumatic right-sided diaphragmatic rupture ten years after the trauma, after eight incidences of pneumothorax and two thoracoscopic operations. Ten years before the current case, the female patient was the victim of a blunt thoraco-abdominal trauma. In the following years, she had recurrent right-sided pneumothorax and no effect of thoracoscopic surgery. In connection with the third thoracoscopic operation, a right-sided diaphragm lesion was discovered. We believe that part of the syndrome catamenial pneumothorax, where air is thought to pass through the cervix, could explain her condition. PMID:21867660

Ten cases of dermatitis in a fine organic chemicals plant are reported. These cases were all due to exposure to chemical compounds with reactive bromine or chlorine atoms. This type of chemical is always extremely irritant, but evidence is put forward to suggest that these cases were the result of allergic sensitization. Chemicals with reactive halogen atoms should always be handled with extreme care and patch testing should be approached with caution.

We conducted a rigorous test of tropical tree seedling microhabitat differentiation by examining microhabitat associations, survival and growth of established seedlings of ten tropical tree species representing a four-factor gradient in seed size. Eight microhabitat variables describing soil and light conditions were measured directly adjacent to each of 588 seedlings within twelve 10x100 m belt transects at Paracou, French Guiana, and at 264 reference points along the transects. From these measurements, we defined three principal components describing soil richness, soil softness and canopy openness. Six of ten species (in 9 of 30 total cases) were distributed non-randomly with respect to microhabitat along at least one principal component. However, few species demonstrated clear microhabitat specialization. All shifts in distribution relative to reference points were in the same direction (richer, softer soil). Furthermore, of 135 pairwise comparisons among the species, only 7 were significantly different. More than three-fourths of all seedlings (75.3%) survived over the 2-year monitoring period, but survival rates varied widely among species. In no case was the probability of survival influenced by any microhabitat parameter. Relative height growth rates for the seedlings over 2 years varied from -0.031 cm cm(-1) year(-1) (Dicorynia guianensis, Caesalpiniaceae) to 0.088 cm cm(-1) year(-1) (Virola michelii, Myristicaceae). In only 4 of 30 cases was height growth significantly associated with one of the three principal components. Because the conditions in this study were designed to maximize the chance of finding microhabitat differentiation among a group of species differing greatly in life history traits, the lack of microhabitat specialization it uncovered suggests that microhabitat partitioning among tropical tree species at the established seedling stage is unlikely to contribute greatly to coexistence among these species. PMID:15309615

BACKGROUND: The visual prognosis of submacular hemorrhages caused by a retinal arterial macroaneurysm (RAM) is poor if left untreated. The use of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) has frequently been reported to displace submacular hemorrhages from the foveal area in patients with age-related macular degeneration. This study aims to investigate the results of displacement of recent-onset submacular hemorrhages due to RAM. METHODS: Institutional retrospective interventional case series of 12 patients with macular hemorrhage due to RAM, who underwent pars plana vitrectomy (PPV); followed in 11 by submacular injection of rtPA and gas tamponade. The main outcome measures were displacement of the hemorrhage, complication rate, and visual acuity at 1 month after surgery and at the last follow-up visit. RESULTS: One month after surgery, the hemorrhage had been successfully displaced in ten out of 11 patients. In these ten patients, visual acuity (VA) increased by a mean of 1.2 logMAR at 1 month after surgery. At the last follow-up visit, the mean increase was 1.5 logMAR. Complications consisted of a vitreous hemorrhage and hyphema, retinal detachment, a new submacular hemorrhage, and vitreous hemorrhage after argon laser retinal photocoagulation of the RAM. CONCLUSIONS: PPV with submacular rtPA and gas injection may successfully displace a recently developed submacular hemorrhage in patients with RAM, with a marked improvement in VA that is likely to be greater than if left untreated. PMID:22865261

The barium enema (BE) examination in the elderly is often an unsatisfactory investigation. Recent papers have proposed computed tomography (CT) as an alternative method of investigation. They have used a variety of preparation techniques prior to the CT study such as bowel preparation, rectal air insufflation, tap water enemas and intravenous contrast medium. We wished to devise a minimal preparation, minimal supervision technique that could realistically replace the standard BE. One hundred and eighteen elderly patients admitted with symptoms referable to the large bowel had an unenhanced CT following oral contrast medium commenced the previous evening, followed at an interval by a BE performed to a standard technique. Both techniques congruently gave negative reports in 66 (68.8%) individuals. Ten tumours were confidently diagnosed on CT. One annular tumour of the sigmoid colon and one case of colitis were diagnosed on BE only and the severity of a diverticular stricture was underestimated on CT. CT raised the possibility of lesions in 3 (3.1%) patients where the BE was negative. Ten (8.5%) patients had significant abnormalities identified outside the colon using CT. Seven (5.9%) barium enemas were abandoned or severely limited. Minimal preparation, minimal supervision CT is a practical alternative to BE in the frail elderly patient. Radiologists and referring clinicians should be aware that occasionally lesions will not be identified on CT but CT has the advantage that other significant pathology unrelated to the colon may be detected. PMID:9867272

Anaesthesia of the external ear canal (external acoustic meatus) is usually performed by blocking both the great and internal auricular nerves by regional infiltration. However, exact landmarks for blocking the internal auricular nerve to accomplish effective anaesthesia have not been described yet. In this study, detailed anatomical dissection of the equine external ear canal and its nerve supply was carried out on fifteen cadaver heads. Tissue samples of the dissected nerves were taken from two cadaver heads processed and were evaluated microscopically. Prior to the dissection, the region of interest was evaluated ultrasonographically, and injection of a local anaesthetic was simulated with an injection of methylene blue on ten cadaver heads. The tympanic membranes of three cadaver heads were obtained by microdissection and processed for microscopic evaluation. The entrance point of the internal auricular nerve, which is a branch of the facial nerve, into the ear canal is formed by the styloid process of the auricular cartilage. Using ultrasound, the styloid process presented as a thin hyperechoic line 2.17-2.97 cm deep, based on the skin surface. Landmarks for performing a complete and reliable anaesthesia of the external ear canal were established, and the simulated anaesthesia with methylene blue injection was evaluated as successful in all ten cases. Additionally, the histological composition of the equine tympanic membrane is described and illustrated. PMID:22432970

The angiotensin-1-converting enzyme (ACE) gene has been suggested to be involved in the development of metabolic syndrome (MetS). However, results have been inconsistent. In this study, a meta-analysis was performed to investigate the association between ACE insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism and MetS. Published literature from PubMed, EMBASE, and ISI Web of Science databases was searched for eligible publications. All studies assessing the association between ACE I/D polymorphism and MetS were included. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using a fixed- or random-effects model. Ten studies (1939 cases/2845 controls) for ACE I/D polymorphism were included in this meta-analysis. Most of the studies were performed in whites. The ACE I/D polymorphism was associated with an increased OR of MetS under a dominant model (DD + ID vs II: OR = 1.39; 95% CI, 1.22-1.60; P < .001). Using this model, similar results were found among studies using different ethnic populations, studies using different MetS definitions, and studies with more than 100 cases. This meta-analysis indicated that the D allele of the ACE gene, known to be related to higher levels of angiotensinogen, is associated with an increased OR of MetS. However, given the limited sample size, this association warrants further investigation. PMID:22209668

To determine whether CT angiography can predict the parent artery of an anterior communicating aneurysm on the basis of characteristics of the aneurysm and precommunication anterior cerebral artery. Eighteen patients with anterior communication aneurysm were studied prospectively using CT angiography and conventional angiography. The parent artery of an aneurysm was predicted by evaluating aneurysm neck location, direction of aneurysm projection, and size of the precommunicating anterior cerebral artery, as seen on CT angiography. A somatom Plus-4 spiral CT scanner was used and shaded-surface display three-dimensional images were constructed. Aneurysm neck was located near the parent artery in 12 cases(66.7%), and aneurysm projection was against the parent artery in 11 cases(61.1%). The parent artery of the anterior cerebral artery was larger in 15 cases(83.3%), including ten cases of hypoplasia or agenesis of the contralateral anterior cerebral artery. In 17 of 18 aneurysms(94.4%) the parent artery seen on DSA was correctly predicted by CT angiography. The parent artery of an anterior communicating aneurysm can be predicted by evaluating aneurysm neck location, direction of aneurysm projection, and precommunicating anterior cerebral artery, as seen on CT angiography.

In Report 1 of this series, we described that, in the cultured cells of skin tissues, chromosomal aberrations seemingly induced by A-bomb exposure were observed in Nagasaki A-bomb survivors, especially in those proximally exposed, and some of these cells with chromosomal aberrations formed clones. Based on these findings, we suspected that the incidence of skin cancer in A-bomb survivors might have increased. In this study, we tried to clarify the incidence of skin cancer among Nagasaki A-bomb survivors using the data of a total of 66,276 A-bomb survivors recorded at the Scientific Data Center of the Atomic Bomb Disaster, Nagasaki University School of Medicine. One hundred and ten cases of skin cancer were collected from the three major hospitals in Nagasaki City and were statistically analyzed in respect to the estimated distance from the hypocenter. The results were as follows: A high correlation was observed between the incidence of skin cancer and exposure distance in the analysis of all 110 cases and of the 50 male cases (p<0.01). However, no such correlation was observed in a separate analysis of the 60 female cases. (author).

The aim of this study was to identify the classic autopsy signs of drowning in post-mortem multislice computed tomography (MSCT). Therefore, the post-mortem pre-autopsy MSCT- findings of ten drowning cases were correlated with autopsy and statistically compared with the post-mortem MSCT of 20 non-drowning cases. Fluid in the airways was present in all drowning cases. Central aspiration in either the trachea or the main bronchi was usually observed. Consecutive bronchospasm caused emphysema aquosum. Sixty percent of drowning cases showed a mosaic pattern of the lung parenchyma due to regions of hypo- and hyperperfused lung areas of aspiration. The resorption of fresh water in the lung resulted in hypodensity of the blood representing haemodilution and possible heart failure. Swallowed water distended the stomach and duodenum; and inflow of water filled the paranasal sinuses (100%). All the typical findings of drowning, except Paltau's spots, were detected using post-mortem MSCT, and a good correlation of MSCT and autopsy was found. The advantage of MSCT was the direct detection of bronchospasm, haemodilution and water in the paranasal sinus, which is rather complicated or impossible at the classical autopsy. (orig.)

Innovation is the key to responding to the future challenges that confront all sectors of society and the economy, and especially in tourism. Within tourism, there are numerous corporations and destinations around the world that are responding to the ecological, social and economic challenges and making the transformation toward sustainability through innovation. This book assembles ten case studies of large and small enterprises and destinations in developed and developing nations that are pursuing innovative practices that will enhance the sustainability of their operations. The chapters in this volume are based on primary and secondary research by the contributing authors and each chapter has been peer reviewed prior to publication. Cross-case analysis (Patton 1990) was also used to provide a framework for comparing and contrasting the different types and contexts of innovation and provide for an integrated overview of the drivers, barriers, processes and networks for innovation. The cases have been prepared for use in research and teaching of innovation, and the analysis and case notes are both designed to facilitate discussion and further investigation of innovation, not only in tourism, but in other economic sectors as well. Being an online publication, it is expected that updates in successive editions of this first book will add further to the description and analysis of innovation for sustainable tourism and hence provide a resource for those seeking to enhance the teaching, research and practice of innovation.

Angioleiomyoma is a rare, benign smooth muscle tumour arising from the tunica media of small veins and arteries and can occur anywhere in the body. The histological appearances are well documented, but there are relatively few descriptions of the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings. A retrospective study of the clinical presentation, MRI appearances and histological findings of ten angioleiomyomas presenting as extremity soft tissue masses. MRI typically demonstrated a well-defined, oval mass located superficial to the fascia with the commonest sites being the hand (three cases) and ankle/foot (five cases). The lesion was isointense to muscle on T1-weighted spin echo images with heterogeneous increased internal T2W/short tau inversion recovery (STIR) signal intensity, which commonly appeared as multiple linear or branching areas of hyperintensity. Enhancement after IV gadolinium ranged from diffuse to heterogeneous. In a single case, central fat signal intensity was seen, while a further case showed marked T2W/STIR hypointensity due to diffuse hyalinisation within the lesion. This is the largest reported MRI series of extremity musculoskeletal angioleiomyoma. Angioleiomyoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of a superficial mass in the hand or foot, particularly when characteristic linear or branching hyperintensity is seen on T2W or STIR images. (orig.)

The anatomy of the hepatic and cystic arteries were investigated in 110 postmortem and cadaveric subjects. The right hepatic artery took origin from the proper hepatic artery (66.3%), the common hepatic artery (18.2%), the superior mesenteric artery (8.2%) or the celiac trunk (7.3%). Ten cases of accessory right hepatic artery originating from the superior mesenteric artery (7 cases), gastroduodenal artery (2 cases) or the left hepatic artery (1 case) were observed. The origin of the left hepatic artery included the proper hepatic artery (71.8%), the common hepatic artery (16.4%), the celiac trunk (10.9%) and the splenic artery (0.9%). The 14 cases of accessory left hepatic arteries originated from the common hepatic artery (5 cases), right hepatic artery (3 cases), gastroduodenal artery (2 cases) or the celiac trunk (4 cases). An extrahepatic branch to the quadrate lobe of the liver, also known as the middle hepatic artery, was observed in 47.3% arising mainly from the right or left hepatic arteries (20% each), the superior mesenteric artery (2.7%) and from the gastroduodenal artery (4.6%). The cystic artery mainly arose from the right hepatic artery (75.5%) but also took origin from the middle hepatic artery (12.7%), gastroduodenal artery (7.3%) or the left hepatic artery (4.5%). When the cystic artery is to the left of the common hepatic artery at its origin (39.1%), it crossed from left to right anterior to the common hepatic duct (28.2%) or posterior to the duct (10.9%). Irrespective of its relationship with the common hepatic duct, the cystic artery passed in the triangle of Calot in 89 cases. There were 11 accessory cystic arteries arising from the right hepatic (6 cases), the middle hepatic (3 cases) or the left hepatic arteries (2 cases). Arterial variations seen in the present study were significantly higher (p variations seen in origin of the right hepatic artery in the female subjects which was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than in the male subjects. The significance of this finding needs further investigation. PMID:11501290

In Mexico almost ten million people speak an indigenous language. Recognizing the pluralistic nature of the nation, the Mexican Constitution mandates bilingual-intercultural education; in reality, however, the school system typically imposes the Spanish language and dominant culture on indigenous children. For these children their academic success comes at the expense of their own language and culture. In this article we share the case study of Yadira, a Mayan girl living in Yucatan, Mexico, whom we met when she was in first grade. Using ethnographic tools we document the different literacy events in which Yadira participates at home and at school, and how these shape her understandings about print. We discuss how Yadira negotiates between two worlds using informal sources of Maya and Spanish to construct meaning from written language. (Contains 2 figures.)

A tourniquet is often used in total knee arthroplasty resulting in improved visualization of structures, reduced intraoperative bleeding and better cementation. The risks include deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. To quantify the case for or against tourniquet use, we carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis of selected randomized controlled trials. Ten studies were included in the meta-analysis. Of the 8 outcomes analyzed (surgery duration; total, intraoperative, and postoperative blood losses; deep vein thrombosis; pulmonary embolism; and minor/major complications), the total and intraoperative blood losses were less using a tourniquet. Minor complications were more common in the tourniquet group. The remaining outcomes showed no difference between the groups. Using a ...

A systematic numerical exploration of the families of asymmetric periodic orbits of the restricted three-body problem when a) the primary bodies are equal and b) for the Earth-Moon mass ratio, is presented. Decades families of asymmetric periodic solutions were found and three of the simplest ones, in the first case, and ten of the second one are illustrated. All of these families consist of periodic orbits which are asymmetric with respect to x-axis while are simple symmetric periodic orbits with respect to y-axis (i.e. the orbit has only one perpendicular intersection at half period with y-axis). Many asymmetric periodic orbits, members of these families, are calculated and plotted. We studied the stability of all the asymmetric periodic orbits we found. These families consist, mainly, o...

Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H MRS) is an optional diagnostic method for potential epilepsy surgery candidates. The aim of this study was to determine the credibility of 1H MRS examination in a group of patients suffering from solitary and sporadic epileptic seizures generated in temporal lobe. We recorded a 100% sensitivity of 1H MRS in a group of ten patients in terms of detection of a pathological process in the temporal lobe. 1H MRS also enabled determination of lateralization of the pathological process in three patients with bilateral epileptiform abnormalities on electroencephalography. Based on these results we suggest new perspectives on 1H MRS as a part of standard diagnostic algorithm for solitary and sporadic temporal lobe epileptic seizures, particularly in cases w...

Infestations of the pink hibiscus mealybug, Maconellicoccus hirsutus (Green), in ornamental trees were already in an advanced state at the time of its discovery in the Imperial Valley of California (USA) in August 1999. Initial studies conducted in 2001?2003 provided encouraging results regarding the capacity of both insecticides to severely reduce, and in some cases completely eliminate infestations from individual trees. In 2004?2005, a total of 50 infested mulberry trees (Morus alba L.) were divided into two groups of 20 trees each treated with either imidacloprid or thiamethoxam, and a third group of ten trees retained as untreated controls. Branch samples collected from all 50 trees from early August through mid-October recorded a substantial reduction in M. hirsutus infestations in a...

Purpose This study was performed to assess the feasibility and possible advantages of bowel sonography after fluid filling of intestinal loops compared with conventional sonography. Materials and methods Forty-five consecutive patients with known or suspected coeliac disease (35 females, ten males; age range 11?65 years) prospectively underwent sonography before and after ingestion of 750 ml of an aqueous solution of polyethylene glycol. Results before and after fluid distension were compared to assess whether luminal filling improved small-bowel visualisation. Results Luminal filling improved visualisation of intestinal features (luminal diameter, mucosal folds, parietal layers) in 77.6% of cases (marked, moderate or mild improvement in 2, 16 and 17 patients; 4.4%, 35.5% and 37.7%), respe...

Background: Benzydamine, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) in use for more than four decades, has been reported to cause photosensitivity. Objectives: To study the results of photopatch testing to benzydamine and the clinical features of the dermatitis during a 3-year period (2006-2008). Patients and methods: During this period, 74 patients with photodermatoses were photopatch tested with an extended baseline series of allergens including benzydamine and in suspicious cases, with drugs that contain it. Test sites were irradiated on D2 with 5 J/cm2 and readings were performed on D2 and D4. Results: Ten patients (six females/four males), aged 21-84 years (mean 64.9) had a positive photopatch test to benzydamine [1-5% petrolatum (pet.) from Bial-Aristegui] and to drugs that conta...

Abstract 1. Completely banning fishing from coral reefs is now accepted to have significant benefits for marine biodiversity and in many cases, fisheries. However, the benefits of regulating fishing on coral reefs, by restricting the methods used, or the total amount of fishing, are less well understood, even though such regulations are much more likely to be supported by fishermen. 2. This study assesses whether banning illegal, destructive fishing methods and reducing the numbers of fishermen visiting from outside an area benefits a coral reef fishery, despite unregulated fishing by local fishermen using non-destructive methods. 3. The abundance, biomass, mean length, and species richness of nine commercially important fish families are compared across ten independent patch reefs inside ...

Rural Ethiopian children, and members of their households, often suffer from common and preventable but debilitating illnesses, such as malaria, parasite infection and worms. Enrolment rates in Ethiopia are high, but school attendance is patchy, children often drop out of school (although they sometimes return), and grade repetition is common. This paper argues that the two phenomena are related: serious illness of children or in children's households constitutes a major, under-analysed and preventable barrier to children's schooling participation. This was demonstrated both in quantitative research, which analysed a 633-child longitudinal sample across 13 rural sites in Ethiopia, and qualitative research, a village case study, including interviews with 24 children and ten caregivers. (Contains 16 tables and 1 figure.)

Loch Leven has been designated as a UK Ramsar Site (1976), a Site of Special Scientific Interest (1985) and a Special Protection Area (2000) due to its importance as a site for overwintering waterfowl. However, no comprehensive assessment of trends in waterfowl at the local versus national scale has been conducted at the site. Coherence between trends in 5-year mean species abundance for Loch Leven and Underhill Indexing Method values for Scotland (or GB in the case of geese) were assessed using principal components analysis for ten study species between 1968 and 2006. Five species showed trends at Loch Leven that were coherent with those at the Scottish scale (Eurasian Teal, Mute Swan, Great Cormorant, Pink-footed and Greylag geese). These species may not respond positively to local scale...

Surprising version-dependent differences are noted in student performance on certain questions in a standardized general chemistry exam. The exam in question has two versions, on which both questions and answers are ordered differently. For the questions suspected of answer-order bias, the performance is better in ten of twelve cases when students see the correct answer earlier in the list of four choices. Expansion of the study to more abundant data for the same exam from the ACS DivCHED Examinations Institute supports the interpretation of these observations as a primacy effect, characteristic of guessing, but with an aversion for the first choice. However, the single problem that shows the greatest disparity between versions in both data sets is one most chemists would view as so simple as to make guessing unnecessary, hence unlikely as an explanation. (Contains 6 notes and 6 figures.)

This issue takes a broad look at the social, political and environmental dimensions of carbon trading and investigates climate mitigation alternatives. It provides a short history of carbon trading and discusses a number of 'lessons unlearned'. Detailed case studies from ten Third World countries - Guatemala, Ecuador, Uganda, Tanzania, Costa Rica, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, South Africa and Brazil - expose the outcomes on the ground of various carbon 'offset' schemes. The book concludes that the 'carbon trading' approach to the problem of rapid climate change is both ineffective and unjust. The bulk of fossil fuels must be left in the ground if climate chaos is to be avoided.Section headings: Introduction: a new fossil fuel crisis; 'Made in the USA': a short history of carbon trading; Lessons unlearned: pollution trading's failures; Offsets: the fossil economy's new arena of conflict; and Ways forward. 77 refs.

Abstract In this case series, ten patients with plaque-type psoriasis were treated with Hypericum perforatum ointment. The hypericum ointment was applied to one side of each patient's body and the vehicle to the opposite side twice daily for 4 weeks in a single blinded manner. Modified psoriasis area severity index (PASI) scores were significantly lowered where the formulated ointment had been applied. In determining PASI scores, three factors, erythema, scaling and thickness, were evaluated; all were significantly lower where the formulated ointment had been applied (P-=-0.01, P-=-0.004, P-=-0.04). Hypericum perforatum ointment applied twice daily may be effective in reducing PASI scores in mild plaque-type psoriasis, however, further larger studies need be conducted to achieve a more con...

Neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) is a hereditary tumor syndrome. The hallmark of NF2 is bilateral vestibular schwannoma. In addition, glioma is one of the diagnostic criteria of NF2. In this retrospective study the clinical presentation and histopathological features of 12 spinal gliomas from NF2 patients were assessed. Ten tumors were previously diagnosed as ependymomas and two as astrocytomas. However, upon re-evaluation both astrocytomas expressed epithelial membrane antigen in a dot-like fashion and in one case it was possible to perform electron microscopy revealing junctional complexes and cilia typical for ependymoma. The findings suggest that NF2-associated spinal gliomas are ependymomas. Based on the fact that NF2-associated gliomas are almost exclusively spinal and that no NF2 mutations have been found in sporadic cerebral gliomas, we suggest that "glioma" in the current diagnostic criteria for NF2 should be specified as "spinal ependymoma". PMID:22394059

Background & AimsPruritus is a disabling complication of cholestatic liver disorders. Its management remains challenging. Ultraviolet B (UVB) phototherapy has been successfully used to treat pruritus in other indications. MethodsThis is an observational case series. The study population consists of 13 patients (10 females, mean age 52years) with pruritus due to different cholestatic liver disorders: PBC (n=4), PSC (n=2), drug-induced (n=3) and persistent cholestasis after liver transplantation (LT) (n=4). Serum alkaline phosphatase levels were: 686+-363m/L and serum bile acids levels: 147+-15mmol/L. In all patients, conventional medical treatment had failed to control pruritus. Perception of pruritus was recorded by the visual analogue scale (VAS). ResultsThe mean follow-up was 3years. Ten...

The objective of the research project. Prognostics for Industrial Machinery Availability. is to generate methods for improving and maintaining the availability of industrial machinery by developing techniques to enable prognosis of the operational condition, failure probability and remaining operating life of the machinery and production lines. The R and D work carried out in the project is based on ten industrial cases selected on the basis of the strategic needs of the industrial partners. The seminar held in December 2004 gave an overview of the project and presented results and studies made during the first project year. These include for example the use of frequency response function in condition monitoring, oil analysis and vibration measurements in crane condition monitoring, wireless data transfer in remote monitoring and maintenance of electric drives, combining multi source measurement data for prognosis, visualization of data by using three dimensional models as a user interface, risk analyses, as well as the special features of grease lubricated components. (orig.)

We calculate profiles of spectral lines from an extended outflow from the compact object (a black hole or a neutron star). We assume that the bulk velocity of the flow increases during a short phase of acceleration and then rapidly decreases forming a failed wind. We also study the wind which is only decelerating. We show that depending on the relative strength of the gravitational redshifting line profiles from such winds may be of several types: distorted P-Cygni (emission and blueshifted absorption); W-shaped (absorption-emission-absorption) and inverted P-Cygni (emission-redshifted absorption). The latter case is expected from accretion flows where the velocity is directed inwards; however, we show that inverted P-Cygni profile can be produced by the failed wind, provided the line is formed within several tens of Schwarzschild radii from the compact object.

An experiment investigating the production of relativistic electrons from the interaction of ultrashort multi-terawatt laser pulses with an underdense plasma is presented. Electrons were accelerated to tens of MeV and the maximum electron energy increased as the plasma density decreased. Simulations have been performed in order to model the experiment. They show a good agreement with the trends observed in the experiment and the spectra of accelerated electrons could be reproduced successfully. The simulations have been used to study the relative contribution of the different acceleration mechanisms: plasma wave acceleration, direct laser acceleration and stochastic heating. The results show that in low density case (1 percent of the critical density) acceleration by laser is dominant mechanism. The simulations at high density also suggest that direct laser acceleration is more efficient that stochastic heating.

We present a new method for numerical propagation through Lyot-style coronagraphs using finite occulting masks. Standard methods for coronagraphic simulations involve Fast Fourier Transforms (FFT) of very large arrays, and computing power is an issue for the design and tolerancing of coronagraphs on segmented Extremely Large Telescopes (ELT) in order to handle both the speed and memory requirements. Our method combines a semi-analytical approach with non-FFT based Fourier transform algorithms. It enables both fast and memory-efficient computations without introducing any additional approximations. Typical speed improvements based on computation costs are of about ten to fifty for propagations from pupil to Lyot plane, with thirty to sixty times less memory needed. Our method makes it possible to perform numerical coronagraphic studies even in the case of ELTs using a contemporary commercial laptop computer, or any standard commercial workstation computer.