Relationship between degree of dyspnoea and health-related quality of life in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gvozdenović Branislav S.

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction Dyspnoea is a characteristic symptom of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, which impairs everyday functioning of patients. Objective The aim of our study was to evaluate the relationship between the degree of dyspnoea of COPD patients and their health-related quality of life. Method We measured the degree of dyspnoea and health-related quality of life in 85 COPD outpatients (46 male; mean age was 58 ± 12 years; mean forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1 was 47.9±18.6% predicted. The degree of dyspnoea was assessed by Baseline Dyspnoea Index (BDI, List of Daily Activities (DAL, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS, Modified MRC Dyspnoea Scale, and Borg Category Scale (BCS. The patients filled two standardized questionnaires for measuring health-related quality of life: the generic one - 15D, and the respiratory specific one - the St George’s Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ. Total 15D and SGRQ scores, as well as the scores for individual domains of SGRQ (symptoms, activity and impact scores for each patient were calculated. In 40 out of 85 patients, the same procedure was repeated at the follow-up, with a mean 4-week interval between the visits. Results There were statistically highly significant correlations (p<0.01 between values of all dyspnoea scale scores evaluated and all the health-related quality of life scores. The highest degree of correlation of both total SGRQ and 15D scores was found for the values of BCS (r=0.731 and -0.776, respectively. A statistically significant correlation between the changes of all SGRQ (but not 15D scores and all dyspnoea score changes (except for MRC were also recorded. Conclusion The degree of dyspnoea of COPD outpatients that could be well-determined by the scales used in our study clearly reflects the impairment of their health-related quality of life as assessed by the instruments used. All of the questionnaires we used in this study have good measurement properties for their

Italian version of Dyspnoea-12: cultural-linguistic validation, quantitative and qualitative content validity study.

Science.gov (United States)

Caruso, Rosario; Arrigoni, Cristina; Groppelli, Katia; Magon, Arianna; Dellafiore, Federica; Pittella, Francesco; Grugnetti, Anna Maria; Chessa, Massimo; Yorke, Janelle

2018-01-16

Dyspnoea-12 is a valid and reliable scale to assess dyspneic symptom, considering its severity, physical and emotional components. However, it is not available in Italian version due to it was not yet translated and validated. For this reason, the aim of this study was to develop an Italian version Dyspnoea-12, providing a cultural and linguistic validation, supported by the quantitative and qualitative content validity. This was a methodological study, divided into two phases: phase one is related to the cultural and linguistic validation, phase two is related to test the quantitative and qualitative content validity. Linguistic validation followed a standardized translation process. Quantitative content validity was assessed computing content validity ratio (CVR) and index (I-CVIs and S-CVI) from expert panellists response. Qualitative content validity was assessed by the narrative analysis on the answers of three open-ended questions to the expert panellists, aimed to investigate the clarity and the pertinence of the Italian items. The translation process found a good agreement in considering clear the items in both the six involved bilingual expert translators and among the ten voluntary involved patients. CVR, I-CVIs and S-CVI were satisfactory for all the translated items. This study has represented a pivotal step to use Dyspnoea-12 amongst Italian patients. Future researches are needed to deeply investigate the Italian version of  Dyspnoea-12 construct validity and its reliability, and to describe how dyspnoea components (i.e. physical and emotional) impact the life of patients with cardiorespiratory diseases.

Rapidly Progressive Quadriplegia and Encephalopathy.

Science.gov (United States)

Wynn, DonRaphael; McCorquodale, Donald; Peters, Angela; Juster-Switlyk, Kelsey; Smith, Gordon; Ansari, Safdar

2016-11-01

A woman aged 77 years was transferred to our neurocritical care unit for evaluation and treatment of rapidly progressive motor weakness and encephalopathy. Examination revealed an ability to follow simple commands only and abnormal movements, including myoclonus, tongue and orofacial dyskinesias, and opsoclonus. Imaging study findings were initially unremarkable, but when repeated, they demonstrated enhancement of the cauda equina nerve roots, trigeminal nerve, and pachymeninges. Cerebrospinal fluid examination revealed mildly elevated white blood cell count and protein levels. Serial electrodiagnostic testing demonstrated a rapidly progressive diffuse sensory motor axonopathy, and electroencephalogram findings progressed from generalized slowing to bilateral periodic lateralized epileptiform discharges. Critical details of her recent history prompted a diagnostic biopsy. Over time, the patient became completely unresponsive with no further abnormal movements and ultimately died. The differential diagnosis, pathological findings, and diagnosis are discussed with a brief review of a well-known yet rare diagnosis.

Prevalence of night-time dyspnoea in COPD and its implications for prognosis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lange, Peter; Marott, Jacob Louis; Vestbo, Jørgen

2014-01-01

forced expiratory volume in 1 s, higher daytime dyspnoea scores (modified Medical Research Council scale) and more wheezing, more often had chronic mucus hypersecretion, ischaemic heart disease and atrial fibrillation, and more often reported stress, nervousness and tiredness. After adjustment for age...

Dysfunction of vocal chords as cause of dyspnoea and sibilance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanabria Rodriguez, Oscar; Bermudez Gomez, Mary; Lobelo, Rafael; Londono Trujillo, Dario; Solarte Rodriguez, Ivan

2001-01-01

From the years 80 have been identified the dysfunction and the paralysis of vocal chords (DPVC), like cause of dyspnoea, sibilance and in many occasions truly critical clinical squares that simulate asthmatic crisis. Patients' reports that have required orotracheal intubations and stay in intensive care, when this illness is presented; they improve in a remarkable way when the correct diagnosis of DPVC settles down. The paper include the presentation of the case and discussion

A semi-quantitative translational pharmacology analysis to understand the relationship between in vitro ENT1 inhibition and the clinical incidence of dyspnoea and bronchospasm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosenbrier Ribeiro, Lyn; Ian Storer, R.

2017-01-01

Adenosine contributes to the pathophysiology of respiratory disease, and adenosine challenge leads to bronchospasm and dyspnoea in patients. The equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1 (ENT1) terminates the action of adenosine by removal from the extracellular environment. Therefore, it is proposed that inhibition of ENT1 in respiratory disease patients leads to increased adenosine concentrations, triggering bronchospasm and dyspnoea. This study aims to assess the translation of in vitro ENT1 inhibition to the clinical incidence of bronchospasm and dyspnoea in respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease and healthy volunteer populations. Four marketed drugs with ENT1 activity were assessed; dipyridamole, ticagrelor, draflazine, cilostazol. For each patient population, the relationship between in vitro ENT1 [ 3 H]-NBTI binding affinity (K i ) and [ 3 H]-adenosine uptake (IC 50 ) to the incidence of: (1) bronchospasm/severe dyspnoea; (2) tolerated dyspnoea and; (3) no adverse effects, was evaluated. A high degree of ENT1 inhibition (≥ 13.3x K i , ≥ 4x IC 50 ) associated with increased incidence of bronchospasm/severe dyspnoea for patients with respiratory disease only, whereas a lower degree of ENT1 inhibition (≥ 0.1x K i , ≥ 0.05x IC 50 ) associated with a tolerable level of dyspnoea in both respiratory and cardiovascular disease patients. ENT1 inhibition had no effect in healthy volunteers. Furthermore, physicochemical properties correlative with ENT1 binding were assessed using a set of 1625 diverse molecules. Binding to ENT1 was relatively promiscuous (22% compounds K i < 1 μM) especially for neutral or basic molecules, and greater incidence tracked with higher lipophilicity (clogP > 5). This study rationalises inclusion of an assessment of ENT1 activity during early safety profiling for programs targeting respiratory disorders. - Highlights: • ENT1 inhibition causes bronchospasm and severe dyspnoea in respiratory patients. • Neutral or basic

A semi-quantitative translational pharmacology analysis to understand the relationship between in vitro ENT1 inhibition and the clinical incidence of dyspnoea and bronchospasm

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rosenbrier Ribeiro, Lyn, E-mail: Lyn.Rosenbrierribeiro@AstraZeneca.com; Ian Storer, R.

2017-02-15

Adenosine contributes to the pathophysiology of respiratory disease, and adenosine challenge leads to bronchospasm and dyspnoea in patients. The equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1 (ENT1) terminates the action of adenosine by removal from the extracellular environment. Therefore, it is proposed that inhibition of ENT1 in respiratory disease patients leads to increased adenosine concentrations, triggering bronchospasm and dyspnoea. This study aims to assess the translation of in vitro ENT1 inhibition to the clinical incidence of bronchospasm and dyspnoea in respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease and healthy volunteer populations. Four marketed drugs with ENT1 activity were assessed; dipyridamole, ticagrelor, draflazine, cilostazol. For each patient population, the relationship between in vitro ENT1 [{sup 3}H]-NBTI binding affinity (K{sub i}) and [{sup 3}H]-adenosine uptake (IC{sub 50}) to the incidence of: (1) bronchospasm/severe dyspnoea; (2) tolerated dyspnoea and; (3) no adverse effects, was evaluated. A high degree of ENT1 inhibition (≥ 13.3x K{sub i}, ≥ 4x IC{sub 50}) associated with increased incidence of bronchospasm/severe dyspnoea for patients with respiratory disease only, whereas a lower degree of ENT1 inhibition (≥ 0.1x K{sub i}, ≥ 0.05x IC{sub 50}) associated with a tolerable level of dyspnoea in both respiratory and cardiovascular disease patients. ENT1 inhibition had no effect in healthy volunteers. Furthermore, physicochemical properties correlative with ENT1 binding were assessed using a set of 1625 diverse molecules. Binding to ENT1 was relatively promiscuous (22% compounds K{sub i} < 1 μM) especially for neutral or basic molecules, and greater incidence tracked with higher lipophilicity (clogP > 5). This study rationalises inclusion of an assessment of ENT1 activity during early safety profiling for programs targeting respiratory disorders. - Highlights: • ENT1 inhibition causes bronchospasm and severe dyspnoea in respiratory

Whole-body vibration as a mode of dyspnoea free physical activity: a community-based proof-of-concept trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Furness, Trentham; Joseph, Corey; Welsh, Liam; Naughton, Geraldine; Lorenzen, Christian

2013-11-11

The potential of whole-body vibration (WBV) as a mode of dyspnoea free physical activity for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is unknown among community-based settings. Furthermore, the acute effects of WBV on people with COPD have not been profiled in community-based settings. The aim of this community-based proof-of-concept trial was to describe acute effects of WBV by profiling subjective and objective responses to physical activity. Seventeen community-dwelling older adults with COPD were recruited to participate in two sessions; WBV and sham WBV (SWBV). Each session consisted of five one-minute bouts interspersed with five one-minute passive rest periods. The gravitational force was ~2.5 g for WBV and ~0.0 g for SWBV. Reliability of baseline dyspnoea, heart rate, and oxygen saturation was first established and then profiled for both sessions. Acute responses to both WBV and SWBV were compared with repeated measures analysis of variance and repeated contrasts. Small changes in dyspnoea and oxygen saturation lacked subjective and clinical meaningfulness. One session of WBV and SWBV significantly increased heart rate (p ≤ 0.02), although there was no difference among WBV and SWBV (p = 0.67). This community-based proof-of-concept trial showed that a session of WBV can be completed with the absence of dyspnoea for people with COPD. Furthermore, there were no meaningful differences among WBV and SWBV for heart rate and oxygen saturation. There is scope for long-term community-based intervention research using WBV given the known effects of WBV on peripheral muscle function and functional independence.

Serum metabolomics of slow vs. rapid motor progression Parkinson's disease: a pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Roede, James R; Uppal, Karan; Park, Youngja; Lee, Kichun; Tran, Vilinh; Walker, Douglas; Strobel, Frederick H; Rhodes, Shannon L; Ritz, Beate; Jones, Dean P

2013-01-01

Progression of Parkinson's disease (PD) is highly variable, indicating that differences between slow and rapid progression forms could provide valuable information for improved early detection and management. Unfortunately, this represents a complex problem due to the heterogeneous nature of humans in regards to demographic characteristics, genetics, diet, environmental exposures and health behaviors. In this pilot study, we employed high resolution mass spectrometry-based metabolic profiling to investigate the metabolic signatures of slow versus rapidly progressing PD present in human serum. Archival serum samples from PD patients obtained within 3 years of disease onset were analyzed via dual chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry, with data extraction by xMSanalyzer and used to predict rapid or slow motor progression of these patients during follow-up. Statistical analyses, such as false discovery rate analysis and partial least squares discriminant analysis, yielded a list of statistically significant metabolic features and further investigation revealed potential biomarkers. In particular, N8-acetyl spermidine was found to be significantly elevated in the rapid progressors compared to both control subjects and slow progressors. Our exploratory data indicate that a fast motor progression disease phenotype can be distinguished early in disease using high resolution mass spectrometry-based metabolic profiling and that altered polyamine metabolism may be a predictive marker of rapidly progressing PD.

Serum metabolomics of slow vs. rapid motor progression Parkinson's disease: a pilot study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

James R Roede

Full Text Available Progression of Parkinson's disease (PD is highly variable, indicating that differences between slow and rapid progression forms could provide valuable information for improved early detection and management. Unfortunately, this represents a complex problem due to the heterogeneous nature of humans in regards to demographic characteristics, genetics, diet, environmental exposures and health behaviors. In this pilot study, we employed high resolution mass spectrometry-based metabolic profiling to investigate the metabolic signatures of slow versus rapidly progressing PD present in human serum. Archival serum samples from PD patients obtained within 3 years of disease onset were analyzed via dual chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry, with data extraction by xMSanalyzer and used to predict rapid or slow motor progression of these patients during follow-up. Statistical analyses, such as false discovery rate analysis and partial least squares discriminant analysis, yielded a list of statistically significant metabolic features and further investigation revealed potential biomarkers. In particular, N8-acetyl spermidine was found to be significantly elevated in the rapid progressors compared to both control subjects and slow progressors. Our exploratory data indicate that a fast motor progression disease phenotype can be distinguished early in disease using high resolution mass spectrometry-based metabolic profiling and that altered polyamine metabolism may be a predictive marker of rapidly progressing PD.

Case of Rapid Progression of Hemiatrophy on the Face: A New Clinical Entity?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hisashi Nomura

2015-01-01

Full Text Available A lot of diseases, including lupus profundus, morphea, lipodystrophy, and Parry-Romberg syndrome, may manifest progressive hemifacial atrophy. These diseases usually progress slowly and rapid progression of atrophy is extremely rare. We report a case of elderly-onset rapid progression of hemifacial atrophy only in three weeks. Our case did not meet variable differential diagnoses. We discuss the clinical character of the patient against the past of literature and suppose it may be a new clinical entity.

Syndromes of rapidly progressive cognitive decline-our experience

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sadanandavalli Retnaswami Chandra

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Dementias are fairly slowly progressive degenerative diseases of brain for which treatment options are very less and carry a lot of burden on family and society. A small percentage of them are rapidly progressive and mostly carry a different course outcome. However, there are no definite criteria other than the time line for these patients. Aims: The aim of this was to identify and categorize the causes and course of rapidly progressive dementias seen in our center. Settings and Design: Patients who presented with rapid deterioration of cognitive functions within weeks to 1 year between 2011 and December 2016 were evaluated. Patients and Methods: All patients underwent all mandatory tests for dementia including brain imaging. Complete vasculitis workup, autoimmune encephalitis profile including Voltage Gated Potassium Channel, N-methyl-D-aspartic acid receptor, glutamic acid-decarboxylase, thyroid-peroxidase antibody, cerebrospinal fluid, and other special tests such as duodenal biopsy and paraneoplastic workup were done based on clinical indications. Results and Conclusions: Out of 144 patients 42 had immune-mediated encephalopathy, 18 had Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, 3 had Vitamin B12 deficiency, 63 had infection with neurocysticercosis, 7 had tuberculosis, 2 had HIV, 1 had herpes simplex encephalitis, 1 had neurosyphilis, 1 Whipples disease, 1 had Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis, 1 had Mass lesion, 3 had Frontotemporal dementia, and 3 had small vessel disease. Good majority of these patients have infective and immune-mediated causes and less number belong to degenerative group. Therefore, caution is needed to look for treatable cause as it carries a different treatment options and outcome.

Frosted branch angiitis associated with rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gupta Amod

2002-01-01

Full Text Available Simultaneous occurrence of frosted branch angiitis and immune-mediated rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis is reported. The two diseases possibly share a common immune mechanism. Patients of frosted branch angiitis should undergo complete systemic evaluation including renal function tests even if the patient is systemically asymptomatic.

New instruments to diagnose acute dyspnoea of cardiogenic origin

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fabrizio Elia

2008-04-01

Full Text Available Acute dyspnoea is a common symptom in the Emergency Room and differential diagnosis between cardiogenic and primitive pulmonary forms is not always straightforward. The main fundamental elements used for differential diagnosis are medical history and physical examination, plus standard chest x-ray. The advantages and limits of radiological evidence are described, in particular its good specificity but poor sensibility, with a possible absence of congestion signs in up to one third of patients with pulmonary capillary wedge pressure higher than 30 mm H2O. In addition, the radiological differences between cardiogenic pulmonary oedema and ARDS type oedema can be slight and difficult to interpret. Emergency Room physicians can now use new techniques. These are considered and described: BNP or NT pro-BNP biomarker assay and transthoracic ultrasound, evaluated in the light of recent literature. B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP is produced by myocardiocytes under stress and rises in cases of decompensated heart failure, which is useful in differential diagnosis between cardiogenic and pulmonary dyspnoea. Low values (< 100 for BNP and < 300 for NT pro-BNP can usually rule out a cardiac origin. High values (> 500 for BNP and > 1000 for Ntpro-BNP, on the contrary, suggest a cardiogenic origin in the absence of septic shock. The limit of this method is the vast grey area of little differential use. Transthoracic ultrasound offers several advantages in that it is relatively easy, quick to learn and conduct and non-invasive. Ultrasound comet-tail images correlate well with interstitial alveolar syndrome and therefore with the presence of extravascular water. Sensitivity and specificity are both high (86.7% and 93%, respectively in diagnosing alveolar-interstitial syndrome. The technique’s main limit is that the presence of extravascular water does not help differential diagnosis between cardiogenic and injury-related pulmonary oedema. Despite being useful

Dyspnoea in-patient with antiphospholipid syndrome; case Presentation and literature revision

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Restrepo, Lucas; Londono, Maria Carlota; Anaya, Juan Manuel

2001-01-01

The antiphospholipid syndrome (AFS) is characterized by vascular thrombosis and/or pregnancy morbidity associated to presence of antiphospholipid antibodies (anticardiolipin and/or lupus anticoagulant), This syndrome may occur alone primary -PAFS-) or in association with systemic lupus erythematosus (secondary -SAFS, Both primary and secondary AFS can be responsible for systemic manifestations other than vascular, among them pulmonary, Here is presented a patient with dyspnoea due to pulmonary hypertension (PHT) and interstitial pulmonary disease (IPD), in whom a diagnostic of SAFS was done, The pulmonary manifestations of the AFS are revised including pulmonary thromboembolism, PHT, IPD, pulmonary hemorrhage, and adult respiratory syndrome with multisystemic failure

Rapidly Progressive Spontaneous Spinal Epidural Abscess

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdurrahman Aycan

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Spinal epidural abscess (SEA is a rare disease which is often rapidly progressive. Delayed diagnosis of SEA may lead to serious complications and the clinical findings of SEA are generally nonspecific. Paraspinal abscess should be considered in the presence of local low back tenderness, redness, and pain with fever, particularly in children. In case of delayed diagnosis and treatment, SEA may spread to the epidural space and may cause neurological deficits. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI remains the method of choice in the diagnosis of SEA. Treatment of SEA often consists of both medical and surgical therapy including drainage with percutaneous entry, corpectomy, and instrumentation.

The additive value of N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide testing at the emergency department in patients with acute dyspnoea.

Science.gov (United States)

van der Burg-de Graauw, N; Cobbaert, C M; Middelhoff, C J F M; Bantje, T A; van Guldener, C

2009-05-01

B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and its inactive counterpart NT-proBNP can help to identify or rule out heart failure in patients presenting with acute dyspnoea. It is not well known whether measurement of these peptides can be omitted in certain patient groups. We conducted a prospective observational study of 221 patients presenting with acute dyspnoea at the emergency department. The attending physicians estimated the probability of heart failure by clinical judgement. NT-proBNP was measured, but not reported. An independent panel made a final diagnosis of all available data including NT-proBNP level and judged whether and how NT-proBNP would have altered patient management. NT-proBNP levels were highest in patients with heart failure, alone or in combination with pulmonary failure. Additive value of NT-proBNP was present in 40 of 221 (18%) of the patients, and it mostly indicated that a more intensive treatment for heart failure would have been needed. Clinical judgement was an independent predictor of additive value of NT-proBNP with a maximum at a clinical probability of heart failure of 36%. NT-proBNP measurement has additive value in a substantial number of patients presenting with acute dyspnoea, but can possibly be omitted in patients with a clinical probability of heart failure of >70%.

[Autopsy case of Lissauer's general paresis with rapidly progressive left hemiparesis].

Science.gov (United States)

Kato, Hiroko; Yoshida, Mari; Ando, Tetsuo; Sugiura, Makoto; Hashizume, Yoshio

2009-06-01

A 48-years-old man presented with slowly progressive bradykinesia, personality change and rapidly progressive left hemiparesis. On admission, he presented dementia, poor judgment, left hemiparesis. MRI revealed a widespread high intensity area in right hemisphere and MRA was almost normal. Serological tests of serum and CSF demonstrated high titers of antibodies to Treponema pallidum. He was treated for syphilis with daily penicillin injections without improvement. He died of sepsis eight months after admission. At autopsy, the brain weighed 1,100 g and the right cerebral hemisphere was atrophic, especially in frontal base, temporal, parietal, angular, and posterior regions covered by thickened, fibrotic leptomeninges. Microscopically, chronic meningoencephalitis was observed. Severe neuronal loss with gliosis was seen in the right cerebral cortices. Scattered rod-shaped microglia and inflammatory cell infiltration were visible in the cerebral parenchyma. The dorsal column of the spinal cord was not involved and meningovascular syphilis was unclear. The distribution of the encephalitic lesions was well correlated with the clinical and neuroradiological findings. This was a rare autopsy case presenting Lissauer's general paresis, clinically manifesting as rapidly progressive stroke-like episode.

Onset of relief of dyspnoea with budesonide/formoterol or salbutamol following methacholine-induced severe bronchoconstriction in adults with asthma: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bantje Theo A

2006-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The long-acting β2-agonist (LABA formoterol has an onset of effect comparable to that of salbutamol. Consequently, the combination of formoterol and budesonide in one inhaler, approved for maintenance use, can potentially be used for reliever therapy. This study compared the onset of relief from induced bronchospasm with a single dose of budesonide/formoterol versus standard salbutamol therapy in patients with asthma. Methods In this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study, 32 patients with asthma underwent a methacholine provocation test leading to a fall in forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1 of ≥30% at enrolment (Visit 1 and three subsequent study visits (Visits 2–4. Immediately after each provocation at Visits 2–4, patients received one of three test treatments: one inhalation of budesonide/formoterol 160/4.5 μg (via Turbuhaler®, two inhalations of salbutamol 100 μg (via a pressurised metered-dose inhaler [pMDI] or placebo. All patients received each of the test treatments in a randomised order, after separate methacholine provocations. The effect of treatment on FEV1 and breathlessness (using the Borg scale was measured at 1, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 minutes after test treatment. Results Following methacholine provocation, Borg score increased from a baseline value of below 0.5 to 3.03, 3.31 and 3.50 before treatment with budesonide/formoterol, salbutamol and placebo, respectively. Budesonide/formoterol and salbutamol reversed methacholine-induced dyspnoea (breathlessness rapidly. At 1 minute after inhalation, statistically significant decreases in Borg score were observed for budesonide/formoterol and salbutamol (p = 0.0233 and p 1 (both active treatments p Conclusion Single doses of budesonide/formoterol and salbutamol both provided rapid relief of dyspnoea and reversal of severe airway obstruction in patients with asthma with experimentally induced bronchoconstriction. The

An Unusual Case of Rapidly Progressive Hyperbilirubinemia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kimberly M. Thornton

2013-01-01

Full Text Available We present an unusual case of hyperbilirubinemia with rapid early progression leading to bilirubin encephalopathy in a term neonate. Despite early recognition and intervention, the total serum bilirubin reached a maximum level of 39 mg/dL at 32 hours of life. Prior to an emergent exchange transfusion, the patient’s diagnostic evaluation was significant for Coombs-negative microangiopathic hemolytic anemia and thrombocytopenia. Further testing revealed a deficiency of ADAMTS13 protein, or von Willebrand factor-cleaving protease, a finding diagnostic of congenital thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, or Upshaw-Schulman syndrome. This rare disease is often misdiagnosed, especially in the newborn period.

Clinicopathological Correlates in a PRNP P102L Mutation Carrier with Rapidly Progressing Parkinsonism-dystonia

Science.gov (United States)

Umeh, Chizoba C.; Kalakoti, Piyush; Greenberg, Michael K; Notari, Silvio; Cohen, Yvonne; Gambetti, Pierluigi; Oblak, Adrian L.; Ghetti, Bernardino; Mari, Zoltan

2015-01-01

Parkinsonism-dystonia is rare in carriers of PRNP P102L mutation. Severity and distribution of prion protein (PrP) deposition may influence the clinical presentation. We present such clinic-pathological correlation in a 56-year-old male with a PRNP P102L mutation associated with a phenotype characterized by rapidly progressing parkinsonism-dystonia. The patient was studied clinically (videotaped exams, brain MRIs); molecular genetically (gene sequence analysis); and neuropathologically (histology, immunohistochemistry) during his 7-month disease course. The patient had parkinsonism, apraxia, aphasia, and dystonia, which progressed rapidly. Molecular genetic analysis revealed PRNP P102L mutation carrier status. Brain MRIs revealed progressive global volume loss and T2/FLAIR hyperintensity in neocortex and basal ganglia. Postmortem examination showed neuronal loss, gliosis, spongiform changes, and PrP deposition in the striatum. PrP immunohistochemistry revealed widespread severe PrP deposition in the thalamus and cerebellar cortex. Based on the neuropathological and molecular-genetic analysis, the rapidly progressing parkinsonism-dystonia correlated with nigrostriatal, thalamic, and cerebellar pathology. PMID:27617269

Rapid progression of gliomatosis cerebri to secondary glioblastoma, factors that affects the progression rate: A case report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Hee Kyung; Yu, In Kyu; Kim, Seung Min; Kim, Joo Heon; Lee, Seung Hoon; Lee, Seung Yeon [Eulji University Hospital, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2017-03-15

Glioblastomas may develop de novo or through progression from low-grade or anaplastic astrocytomas. The term 'primary glioblastoma' refers to a glioblastoma that lacks a precursor lesion and has a clinical history of less than three months. On the other hand, the term 'secondary glioblastoma' indicates that the glioblastoma has progressed from a low-grade tumor after a long latency period and often manifests in younger patients. These subtypes of glioblastoma develop via different genetic pathways, and they differ in prognosis and response to therapy. Thus, differential diagnosis of these subtypes and prediction of the factors that affect the progression from low-grade diffuse astrocytoma to secondary glioblastoma would be clinically very important. We present a rare case of secondary glioblastoma, which developed only three months after the follow up imaging evaluations, with a history of low grade glioma, and present the factors that cause rapid progression.

The accuracy of the general practitioner's sense of alarm when confronted with dyspnoea and/or thoracic pain: protocol for a prospective observational study.

Science.gov (United States)

Barais, Marie; Barraine, Pierre; Scouarnec, Florie; Mauduit, Anne Sophie; Le Floc'h, Bernard; Van Royen, Paul; Liétard, Claire; Stolper, Erik

2015-03-10

Dyspnoea and chest pain are signs shared with multiple pathologies ranging from the benign to life-threatening diseases. Gut feelings such as the sense of alarm and the sense of reassurance are known to play a substantial role in the diagnostic reasoning of general practitioners (GPs). A Gut Feelings Questionnaire (GFQ) has been validated to measure the GP's sense of alarm. A French version of the GFQ is available following a linguistic validation procedure. The aim of the study is to calculate the diagnostic test accuracy of a GP's sense of alarm when confronted with dyspnoea and chest pain. Prospective observational study. Patients aged between 18 and 80 years, consulting their GP for dyspnoea and/or thoracic pain will be considered for enrolment in the study. These GPs will have to complete the questionnaire immediately after the consultation for dyspnoea and/or thoracic pain. The follow-up and the final diagnosis will be collected 4 weeks later by phone contact with the GP or with the patient if their GP has no information. Life-threatening and non-life-threatening diseases have previously been defined according to the pathologies or symptoms in the (ICPC2) International Collegiate Programming Contest classification. Members of the research team, blinded to the actual outcomes shown on the index questionnaire, will judge each case in turn and will, by consensus, classify the expected outcomes as either life-threatening or non-life-threatening diseases. The sensitivity, the specificity, the positive and negative likelihood ratio of the sense of alarm will be calculated from the constructed contingency table. This study was approved by the ethical committee of the University de Bretagne Occidentale. A written informed consent form will be signed and dated by GPs and patients at the beginning of the study. The results will be published in due course. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence

ANCA-GBM dot-blot : Evaluation of an assay in the differential diagnosis of patients presenting with rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rutgers, Abraham; Damoiseaux, Jan; Roozendaal, Caroline; Limburg, Pieter C; Stegeman, Coen A; Tervaert, Jan Willem Cohen

Rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis (RPGN) is characterized by rapid and progressive loss of renal function and the presence of crescentic glomerulonephritis (CGN). Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment is mandatory to prevent death and/or renal failure. We have evaluated an ANCA-GBM dot-blot

[Rapidly progressive puberty in a patient with mosaic Turner syndrome: a case report and literature review].

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, Y; Wei, H; Yu, X; Huang, W; Luo, X P

2017-02-02

Objective: To explore the clinical characteristics of diagnosis and treatment in patients with Turner syndrome and rapidly progressive puberty. Method: A rare case of rapidly progressive puberty in Turner syndrome with a mosaic karyotype of 45, X/46, X, del(X)(p21)(80%/20%)was diagnosed at Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology in January. 2015. Clinical characteristics and the related literature were reviewed. Original papers on precocious puberty or rapidly progressive puberty in Turner syndrome, published until Apr. 2016 were retrieved at PubMed and CNKI databases by the use of the key words "Turner syndrome" , "precocious puberty" and "rapidly progressive puberty" . Result: The patient was born at term with birth weight of 2 450 g and was diagnosed with SGA at 3 years of age for the first evaluating of growth and development. Then recombined human growth hormone (rhGH )was given at 4 years of age due to short stature (heightTurner syndrome is reported. Although short stature and ovarian dysgenesis are common in TS, precocious puberty may occur in TS, which is liable to cause delayed diagnosis and misdiagnosis. Careful examination is recommended for patients with unusual growth pattern, even though girls have normal height in accord with standard growth curve or spontaneous puberty. Evaluation for TS and subsequent investigation should be prompted.

Adult-onset phenylketonuria with rapidly progressive dementia and parkinsonism.

Science.gov (United States)

Tufekcioglu, Zeynep; Cakar, Arman; Bilgic, Basar; Hanagasi, Hasmet; Gurvit, Hakan; Emre, Murat

2016-06-01

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is an autosomal recessive metabolic disorder due to mutations in the phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) gene, which converts phenylalanine (PHE) to tyrosine. Although it is principally a childhood disorder, in rare cases, the first signs of PKU may develop in late adulthood resembling common neurological diseases. Here we report a 59-year-old, previously normal functioning man who was admitted with blurred vision, cognitive problems, and gait difficulty that began 8 months before. He had brisk reflexes and left side dominant parkinsonism. His Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score was 25/30, and neuropsychological evaluation revealed a dysexecutive syndrome with simultanagnosia and constructional apraxia. His Clinical Dementia Rating score (CDR) was 1. Cranial MRI revealed bilateral diffuse hyperintense lesions in parietal and occipital white matter in T2, fluid-attenuated inversion recovery, and diffusion weighted images. Diagnostic workup for rapidly progressive dementias was all normal except PHE level which was found to be highly elevated (1075 μmol/L, normal 39-240 μmol/L) with normal tyrosine level (61.20 μmol/L, normal 35-100 μmol/L). Three months after PHE-restricted diet, his cognitive impairment and signs of parkinsonism significantly improved, with MRI scan unchanged. This case demonstrates that late-onset PKU is a rare, treatable cause of rapidly progressive dementia and parkinsonism with certain constellations such as consanguinity and white matter abnormalities (WMAs) in imaging.

[Outcome of rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis post-streptococcal disease in children].

Science.gov (United States)

Jellouli, Manel; Maghraoui, Sondos; Abidi, Kamel; Hammi, Yosra; Goucha, Rim; Naija, Ouns; Zarrouk, Chokri; Gargah, Tahar

2015-11-01

Rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis is a rare form of postinfectious glomerulonephritis. The aim of this study was to describe the outcome of our patients with severe post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis. This retrospective study was conducted in the department of pediatrics in Charles-Nicolle Hospital during a period of 13 years (1997-2009). Twenty-seven children were identified. The mean age was 8.7 years. All patients presented renal failure at presentation. The mean serum creatinine at presentation was 376.9 μmol/L. Six patients presented nephrotic syndrome. Twenty-six children had renal biopsies. Renal biopsies showed crescents in 24 cases. Eighteen children received pulse dose of corticosteroids (66.6%) and 6 children (22%) received pulse dose of corticosteroids and cyclophosphamide. Eleven patients required dialysis. At last follow-up, 22 patients (81.5%) had normal kidney function, 2 had renal dysfunction and 3 reached end stage renal disease. The only significant determinant for renal survival was the supportive dialysis (P=0.015). Rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis is uncommon. There have been significant advancements in supportive, as well as specific therapy, but the outcome continues to be poor. Copyright © 2015 Association Société de néphrologie. Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.

Development of a definition for Rapid Progression (RP) of renal function in HIV-positive persons

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kamara, David A; Nielsen, Lene Ryom; Ross, Michael

2014-01-01

No consensus exists on how to define abnormally rapid deterioration in renal function (Rapid Progression, RP). We developed an operational definition of RP in HIV-positive persons with baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) >90ml/min/1.73m2 (using Cockcroft Gault) in the Data...

Rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis in adolescents – aetiology and treatment based on case reports

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Beata Banaszak

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis is a disease characterised by an abrupt drop in glomerular filtration rate in a short period of time, which is caused by crescent formation seen in at least 50% of glomeruli. Two cases presented below illustrate rapid progressive glomerulonephritis in adolescents as a disease of heterogeneous aetiology that can develop both in the course of primary glomerulopathies and glomerulopathies secondary to systemic vasculitis. In the first case of an 11-year-old girl, nephritic syndrome with renal failure was accompanied by the presence of anti-myeloperoxidase antibodies in the serum, which in combination with the histopathological picture of the kidneys indicating pauci-immune rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis was the basis for the diagnosis of renal limited vasculitis. In the second case of a 16-year-old boy, an adverse course of acute post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis with features of severe and persistent glomerular filtration impairment was an indication for the verification of the diagnosis and identification of rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis based on a biopsy examination. Prompt diagnosis and inclusion of combined immunosuppressive therapy provided the chance to preserve renal function.

Comprehensive and Methodical: Diagnostic and Management Approaches to Rapidly Progressive Dementia.

Science.gov (United States)

Mahajan, Supriya; Appleby, Brian S

2017-09-30

Purpose of review The sudden emergence of a change in cognitive abilities or behavior is an important symptom that warrants medical evaluation and may represent the early stages of a rapidly progressive dementia (RPD). To correctly ascertain the cause of RPD in a given patient, the clinician must be methodical and knowledgeable about the range of potential causes and must move forward with supportive treatment, and in some cases empiric treatment, based on clinical features alone. Recent findings Significant advances in prion disease biomarkers, the molecular features of rapidly progressive Alzheimer's disease, and new detection of autoimmune limbic encephalitis disease entities have caused a shift in the diagnostic and treatment framework of RPD. Additionally, in the past decade, emerging retrospective data have led to suggested treatments in autoimmune encephalitis that, if instituted early, can protect patients against residual deficits and disease relapse. Summary Here, we provide an integrative clinical and diagnostic treatment approach that is applicable to the various forms of RPD. We have highlighted the clinical features of selected types of RPD that have experienced advances in the last 10-15 years.

Early depletion of proliferating B cells of germinal center in rapidly progressive simian immunodeficiency virus infection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Zhiqiang; Casimiro, Danilo R.; Schleif, William A.; Chen, Minchun; Citron, Michael; Davies, Mary-Ellen; Burns, Janine; Liang, Xiaoping; Fu, Tong-Ming; Handt, Larry; Emini, Emilio A.; Shiver, John W.

2007-01-01

Lack of virus specific antibody response is commonly observed in both HIV-1-infected humans and SIV-infected monkeys with rapid disease progression. However, the mechanisms underlying this important observation still remain unclear. In a titration study of a SIVmac239 viral stock, three out of six animals with viral inoculation rapidly progressed to AIDS within 5 months. Unexpectedly, there was no obvious depletion of CD4 + T cells in both peripheral and lymph node (LN) compartments in these animals. Instead, progressive depletion of proliferating B cells and disruption of the follicular dendritic cell (FDC) network in germinal centers (GC) was evident in the samples collected at as early as 20 days after viral challenge. This coincided with undetectable, or weak and transient, virus-specific antibody responses over the course of infection. In situ hybridization of SIV RNA in the LN samples revealed a high frequency of SIV productively infected cells and large amounts of accumulated viral RNA in the GCs in these animals. Early severe depletion of GC proliferating B cells and disruption of the FDC network may thus result in an inability to mount a virus-specific antibody response in rapid progressors, which has been shown to contribute to accelerated disease progression of SIV infection

Dyspnoea, cyanosis and digital clubbing in a 28-year-old patient as a result of hepatopulmonary syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Zieliński, Michał; Hartleb, Marek; Sitek, Piotr; Ziora, Dariusz

2017-01-01

This paper presents a case of a young patient with cyanosis and digital clubbing, until then an active, sporty person. He sought medical assistance due to the growing dyspnoea and the drop of effort tolerance. Initially the diagnostic process focused on the confirmation of the suspicion of pulmonary fibrosis or another interstitial lung disease as causes of the respiratory failure. Due to the atypical presentation of the symptoms, reaching the final diagnosis of digestive system disease with lung involvement required a more thorough multifaceted diagnostics of a number of systems and organs.

Rapidly Progressive Corticobasal Degeneration Syndrome

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana Herrero Valverde

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Corticobasal syndrome (CBS has a heterogeneous clinical presentation with no specific pathologic substratum. Its accurate diagnosis is a challenge for neurologists; in order to establish CBS definitively, postmortem confirmation is required. Some clinical and radiological features can help to distinguish it from other neurodegenerative conditions, such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD. Clinical Case: A 74-year-old woman presented with language impairment, difficulty in walking and poor attentiveness that had begun 10 days before. Other symptoms, such as asymmetrical extra-pyramidal dysfunction, limb dystonia and ‘alien limb’ phenomena, were established over the next 2 months, with rapid progression. Death occurred 3 months after symptom onset. Laboratory results were normal. Initially, imaging only showed restricted diffusion with bilateral parieto-occipital gyri involvement on DWI-MRI, with unspecific EEG changes. An autopsy was performed. Brain neuropathology confirmed sporadic CJD (sCJD. Conclusions: CBS is a heterogeneous clinical syndrome whose differential diagnosis is extensive. CJD can occasionally present with clinical characteristics resembling CBS. MRI detection of abnormalities in some sequences (FLAIR, DWI, as previously reported, has high diagnostic utility for sCJD diagnosis – especially in early stages – when other tests can still appear normal. Abnormalities on DWI sequencing may not correlate with neuropathological findings, suggesting a functional basis to explain the changes found.

Pre-hospital management of patients with chest pain and/or dyspnoea of cardiac origin. A position paper of the Acute Cardiovascular Care Association (ACCA) of the ESC.

Science.gov (United States)

Beygui, Farzin; Castren, Maaret; Brunetti, Natale Daniele; Rosell-Ortiz, Fernando; Christ, Michael; Zeymer, Uwe; Huber, Kurt; Folke, Fredrik; Svensson, Leif; Bueno, Hector; Van't Hof, Arnoud; Nikolaou, Nikolaos; Nibbe, Lutz; Charpentier, Sandrine; Swahn, Eva; Tubaro, Marco; Goldstein, Patrick

2015-08-27

Chest pain and acute dyspnoea are frequent causes of emergency medical services activation. The pre-hospital management of these conditions is heterogeneous across different regions of the world and Europe, as a consequence of the variety of emergency medical services and absence of specific practical guidelines. This position paper focuses on the practical aspects of the pre-hospital treatment on board and transfer of patients taken in charge by emergency medical services for chest pain and dyspnoea of suspected cardiac aetiology after the initial assessment and diagnostic work-up. The objective of the paper is to provide guidance, based on evidence, where available, or on experts' opinions, for all emergency medical services' health providers involved in the pre-hospital management of acute cardiovascular care. © The European Society of Cardiology 2015.

Tc-99m-bicisate (ECD)-brain-SPECT in rapidly progressive dementia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marienhagen, J.; Eilles, C.; Weingaertner, U.; Blaha, L.; Zerr, I.; Poser, S.

1999-01-01

We present a 61-year-old male patient with progressive dementia. A brain SPECT with Tc-99m-bicisate was performed for confirmation of clinically suspected Alzheimer-dementia. At the time of the SPECT-investigation marked apraxia and aphasia besides severe dementia were present. Electrophysiological as well as anatomical neuroimaging findings showed non-diagnostic alterations. SPECT revealed distinct perfusion defects, which made Alzheimer Dementia unlikely. The further course of the patient was determined by rapidly progressive deterioration with development of akinetic mutism. Thereafter, increased levels of neuron-specific enolase as well as 14-3-3 proteins were found in the cerebro-spinal fluid (CSF). The patient finally died with signs of cerebral decortication. Due to the clinical course and the CSF-findings the patient's final diagnosis was Creutzfeld-Jakob-disease, nevertheless no autopsy was performed. The presented case report underscores the clinical utility of perfusion brain SPECT in the differential diagnosis of dementias. (orig.) [de

Successful autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for a patient with rapidly progressive localized scleroderma.

Science.gov (United States)

Nair, Velu; Sharma, Ajay; Sharma, Sanjeevan; Das, Satyaranjan; Bhakuni, Darshan S; Narayanan, Krishnan; Nair, Vivek; Shankar, Subramanian

2015-03-01

Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) for rapidly progressive disease has not been reported in localized scleroderma. Our patient, a 16-year-old girl had an aggressive variant of localized scleroderma, mixed subtype (linear-generalized) with Parry Romberg syndrome, with no internal organ involvement, that was unresponsive to immunosuppressive therapy and was causing rapid disfigurement. She was administered autologous HSCT in June 2011 and has maintained drug-free remission with excellent functional status at almost 3.5 years of follow-up. © 2015 Asia Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology and Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Severe hyponatraemia with absence of hyperkalaemia in rapidly progressive Addison's disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Thompson, Michael D; Kalmar, Eileen; Bowden, Sasigarn A

2015-05-28

We present a case of rapidly progressing Addison's disease in adrenal crisis with severe hyponatraemia and absence of hyperkalaemia in a 10-year-old girl. She presented with 2 weeks of vomiting, fatigue and weight loss. Her serum electrolytes obtained 1 week prior to presentation were normal, except for mild hyponatraemia at 131 mmol/L, which dropped to 112 mmol/L on admission. She had normal serum potassium, low-serum osmolality, with elevated urine sodium and osmolality, indistinguishable from syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (SIADH). Subsequently, Addison's disease was diagnosed on the basis of gingival hyperpigmentation and undetectable cortisol on adrenocorticotropic hormone stimulation test. She rapidly responded to stress dose hydrocortisone, followed by hydrocortisone and fludrocortisone replacement therapy. The absence of hyperkalaemia in the presence of severe hyponatraemia cannot rule out Addison's disease in children. The mechanism of hypo-osmolar hyponatraemia in primary adrenal insufficiency and clinical clues to differentiate it from SIADH are discussed. 2015 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.

The importance of dyspnoea in the diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease – a descriptive analysis of a stable cohort in Portugal (SAFE Trial

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. Bárbara

Full Text Available Introduction: The aim of this study was to determine patient-perceived characteristics of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD in patients participating in a large trial evaluating tiotropium bromide. Patients and methods: Baseline symptoms were assessed by means of a standardized questionnaire. Patients reported symptoms that led to diagnosis as well as their current most troublesome symptom. Results: Data were obtained from 298 patients, mostly male (95 %, with mean (standard deviation baseline forced expiratory volume in 1 second of 1.1 (0.4 L (40.6 [13.3] % of predicted, mean disease duration of 14.4 (10.1 years and smoking history of 55.1 (25.3 pack-years. Dyspnoea was the most frequently reported symptom leading to COPD diagnosis (55.0 % of patients, followed by cough (33.2 %. Dyspnoea was also the current most troublesome symptom (82.6 %, followed by cough (8.4 %. The presence of dyspnoea or cough was independent of COPD severity. The most commonly reported co-morbidities were cardiovascular disorders (49 % of patients, gastrointestinal disorders (20 % and metabolic disorders (16 %, mainly diabetes mellitus. Conclusions: This analysis confirms the importance of dyspnoea as the most common symptom leading to initial COPD diagnosis and the symptom most troublesome to patients. Co-morbidities are common among COPD patients, and hence spirometric testing is appropriate in a patient who presents with dyspnoea associated with such a condition. Resumo: Introdução: Este estudo teve como objectivo determinar os principais sintomas percepcionados pelos doentes com doença pulmonar obstrutiva crónica (DPOC numa coorte de doentes que participaram num grande ensaio clínico, que avaliou o tiotrópio e que decorreu em Portugal. População e métodos: A caracterização dos sintomas, no momento de avaliação basal dos doentes foi efectuada através do recurso a um questionário padronizado. Os doentes foram

Poorly differentiated ductal adenocarcinoma of the pancreas with rapid progression in a young man.

Science.gov (United States)

Tezuka, Koji; Ishiyama, Tomoharu; Takeshita, Akiko; Matsumoto, Hidekazu; Jingu, Akira; Kikuchi, Jiro; Yamaya, Hideyuki; Ohe, Rintaro; Ishizawa, Tetsuya

2018-04-16

Pancreatic cancer in young adults is very rare. We report a case of young-onset poorly differentiated pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma with rapid progression and poor prognosis in a 31-year-old Japanese man with no obvious family history of malignancy. Preoperative examinations revealed a mass lesion in the body of the pancreas, accompanied by a slightly dilated main pancreatic duct distal to the mass lesion. Pancreatic cancer with acute pancreatitis was suspected because of an elevation of serum pancreatic enzyme and tumor marker, along with imaging findings. Distal pancreatectomy with resection of the common hepatic artery and splenectomy along with lymph node dissection was performed. Microscopically, the tumor was mainly composed of poorly differentiated ductal adenocarcinoma. The postoperative course was uneventful, but the patient had multiple liver metastases 2 months postoperatively, in spite of adjuvant chemotherapy, and died 8 months postoperatively. This case may represent a rare instance of young-onset poorly differentiated ductal adenocarcinoma with rapid progression and may indicate potential risk factors of pancreatic cancer in young adults.

Complicated acute appendicitis presenting as a rapidly progressive soft tissue infection of the abdominal wall: a case report.

Science.gov (United States)

Beerle, Corinne; Gelpke, Hans; Breitenstein, Stefan; Staerkle, Ralph F

2016-12-01

We report a case of a rare complication of acute appendicitis with perforation through the abdominal wall. The case points out that an intraabdominal origin should be considered in patients presenting with rapidly spreading soft tissue infections of the trunk. A 58-year-old European woman presented to our hospital with a 1-week history of severe abdominal pain accompanied by rapidly spreading erythema and emphysema of the lower abdomen. On admission, the patient was in septic shock with leukocytosis and elevation of C-reactive protein. Among other diagnoses, necrotizing fasciitis was suspected. Computed tomography showed a large soft tissue infection with air-fluid levels spreading through the lower abdominal wall. During the operation, we found a perforated appendicitis breaking through the fascia and causing a rapidly progressive soft tissue infection of the abdominal wall. Appendicitis was the origin of the soft tissue infection. The abdominal wall was only secondarily involved. Even though perforated appendicitis as an etiology of a rapidly progressive soft tissue infection of the abdominal wall is very rare, it should be considered in the differential diagnosis of abdominal wall cellulitis. The distinction between rapidly spreading subcutaneous infection with abscess formation and early onset of necrotizing fasciitis is often difficult and can be confirmed only by surgical intervention.

Male patients presenting with rapidly progressive puberty associated with malignant tumors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Soo Jung Kim

2016-03-01

Full Text Available In males, precocious puberty (PP is defined as the development of secondary sexual characteristics before age 9 years. PP is usually idiopathic; though, organic abnormalities including tumors are more frequently found in male patients with PP. However, advanced puberty in male also can be an important clinical manifestation in tumors. We report 2 cases of rapidly progressive puberty in males, each associated with a germ-cell tumor. First, an 11-year-old boy presented with mild fever and weight loss for 1 month. Physical examination revealed a pubertal stage of G3P3 with 10-mL testes. Investigations revealed advanced bone age (16 years with elevated basal luteinizing hormone and testosterone levels. An anterior mediastinal tumor was identified by chest radiography and computed tomography, and elevated α-fetoprotein (AFP and β-human chorionic gonadotropin (β-hCG levels were noted. Histopathologic analysis confirmed a yolk-sac tumor. Second, a 12-year-old boy presented with diplopia, polydipsia, and polyuria for 4 months. Physical examination revealed a pubertal stage of G3P3 with 8-mL testes. Bone age was advanced (16 years and laboratory tests indicated panhypopituitarism with elevated testosterone level. A mixed germ-cell tumor was diagnosed with elevated AFP and β-hCG levels. Of course, these patients also have other symptoms of suspecting tumors, however, rapidly progressive puberty can be the more earlier screening sign of tumors. Therefore, in male patients with accelerated or advanced puberty, malignancy should be considered, with evaluation of tumor markers. In addition, advanced puberty in male should be recognized more widely as a unique sign of neoplasm.

Plasmablastic myeloma presenting as rapidly progressive renal failure in a young adult

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M Srija

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Multiple myeloma (MM is a condition where there is malignant proliferation of plasma cells. There is a strong correlation with age, peaking at 60-70 years. The clinical course in adolescents and young individuals is generally indolent and the survival is longer. We report a case of a 28-year-old male, who was diagnosed to have plasmablastic myeloma, an atypical variant of MM with a poor prognosis, presenting as rapidly progressive renal failure. He was given induction chemotherapy and then underwent autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation.

Rapid Progression of Metastatic Pulmonary Calcification and Alveolar Hemorrhage in a Patient with Chronic Renal Failure and Primary Hyperparathyroidism

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoon, Eun Joo; Kim, Dong Hun; Yoon, Seong Ho; Suk, Eun Ha

2013-01-01

Metastatic pulmonary calcification (MPC) is common in patients with chronic renal failure. The authors experienced a patient with chronic renal failure and primary hyperparathyroidism by parathyroid adenoma accompanied with rapid progressions of MPC and alveolar hemorrhage. Recent chest radiographs, compared with previous chest radiographs, showed rapid accumulation of calcification in both upper lungs. Following up on the high-resolution CT scan after five years demonstrates more increased nodules in size and ground glass opacity. The patient was diagnosed with MPC and alveolar hemorrhage by transbronchial lung biopsy. We assumed rapid progression of MPC and alveolar hemorrhage in underlying chronic renal failures could be a primary hyperparathyroidism which may be caused by parathyroid adenoma detected incidentally. Therefore parathyroid adenoma was treated with ethanol injections. Herein, we have reported on CT findings of MPC with alveolar hemorrhage and reviewed our case along with other articles.

A Case of Pulmonary Hypertension Due to Fistulas Between Multiple Systemic Arteries and the Right Pulmonary Artery in an Adult Discovered for Occulted Dyspnoea.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Ji-Feng; Zhai, Zhen-Guo; Kuang, Tu-Guang; Liu, Min; Ma, Zhan-Hong; Li, Yi-Dan; Yang, Yuan-Hua

2017-08-01

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) can be caused by a fistula between the systemic and pulmonary arteries. Here, we report a case of PH due to multiple fistulas between systemic arteries and the right pulmonary artery where the ventilation/perfusion scan showed no perfusion in the right lung. A 32-year-old male patient was hospitalised for community-acquired pneumonia. After treatment with antibiotics, the pneumonia was alleviated but dyspnoea persisted. Pulmonary hypertension was diagnosed using right heart catheterisation, which detected the mean pulmonary artery pressure as 37mmHg. The anomalies were confirmed by contrast-enhanced CT scan (CT pulmonary angiography), systemic arterial angiography and pulmonary angiography. Following embolisation of the largest fistula, the haemodynamics and oxygen dynamics did not improve, and even worsened to some extent. After supportive therapy including diuretics and oxygen, the patient's dyspnoea, WHO function class and right heart function by transthoracic echocardiography all improved during follow-up. Pulmonary hypertension can be present even when the right lung perfusion is lost. Closure of fistulas by embolisation, when those fistulas act as the proliferating vessels, may be harmful. Copyright © 2017 Australian and New Zealand Society of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgeons (ANZSCTS) and the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSANZ). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Development of a definition for Rapid Progression (RP) of renal function in HIV-positive persons : the D:A:D study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kamara, David A; Ryom, Lene; Ross, Michael; Kirk, Ole; Reiss, Peter; Morlat, Philippe; Moranne, Olivier; Fux, Christoph A; Mocroft, Amanda; Sabin, Caroline; Lundgren, Jens D; Smith, Colette J; Schölvinck, Elisabeth H.

2014-01-01

BACKGROUND: No consensus exists on how to define abnormally rapid deterioration in renal function (Rapid Progression, RP). We developed an operational definition of RP in HIV-positive persons with baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) >90 ml/min/1.73 m2 (using Cockcroft Gault) in the

Development of a definition for Rapid Progression (RP) of renal function in HIV-positive persons: the D:A:D study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kamara, David A.; Ryom, Lene; Ross, Michael; Kirk, Ole; Reiss, Peter; Morlat, Philippe; Moranne, Olivier; Fux, Christoph A.; Mocroft, Amanda; Sabin, Caroline; Lundgren, Jens D.; Smith, Colette J.; Powderly, B.; Shortman, N.; Moecklinghoff, C.; Reilly, G.; Franquet, X.; Ryom, L.; Sabin, C. A.; Kamara, D.; Smith, C.; Phillips, A.; Mocroft, A.; Tverland, J.; Mansfeld, M.; Nielsen, J.; Raben, D.; Lundgren, J. D.; Brandt, R. Salbøl; Rickenbach, M.; Fanti, I.; Krum, E.; Hillebregt, M.; Geffard, S.; Sundström, A.; Prins, J. M.; Kuijpers, T. W.; Scherpbier, H. J.; van der Meer, J. T. M.; Wit, F. W. M. N.; Godfried, M. H.; Nellen, F. J. B.; Lange, J. M. A.; Geerlings, S. E.; van Vugt, M.; Pajkrt, D.; Grijsen, M. L.; Wiersinga, W. J.; Goorhuis, A.; Hovius, J. W. R.

2014-01-01

No consensus exists on how to define abnormally rapid deterioration in renal function (Rapid Progression, RP). We developed an operational definition of RP in HIV-positive persons with baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) >90 ml/min/1.73 m2 (using Cockcroft Gault) in the Data

Development of a definition for Rapid Progression (RP) of renal function in HIV-positive persons: the D:A:D study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kamara, D.A.; Ryom, L.; Ross, M.; Kirk, O.; Reiss, P.; Morlat, P.; Moranne, O.; Fux, C.A.; Mocroft, A.; Sabin, C.; Lundgren, J.D.; Smith, C.J.; Koopmans †, P.P.; Keuter, M.; Ven, A.J.A.M. van der; Hofstede, H.J.M. ter; Dofferhoff, A.S.M.; Warris, A.; Crevel, R. van; et al.,

2014-01-01

BACKGROUND: No consensus exists on how to define abnormally rapid deterioration in renal function (Rapid Progression, RP). We developed an operational definition of RP in HIV-positive persons with baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) >90 ml/min/1.73 m2 (using Cockcroft Gault) in the

Research progress on the pathogenesis of rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder and neurodegenerative diseases

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hai-yang JIANG

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD is a sleep disorder characterized by the disappearance of muscle relaxation and enacting one's dreams during rapid eye movement (REM, with most of the dreams being violent or aggressive. Prevalence of RBD, based on population, is 0.38%-2.01%, but it becomes much higher in patients with neurodegenerative diseases, especially α - synucleinopathies. RBD may herald the emergence of α-synucleinopathies by decades, thus it may be used as an effective early marker of neurodegenerative diseases. In this review, we summarized the progress on the pathogenesis of RBD and its relationship with neurodegenerative diseases. DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1672-6731.2017.10.003

Greater endurance capacity and improved dyspnoea with acute oxygen supplementation in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients without resting hypoxaemia.

Science.gov (United States)

Dowman, Leona M; McDonald, Christine F; Bozinovski, Steven; Vlahos, Ross; Gillies, Rebecca; Pouniotis, Dodie; Hill, Catherine J; Goh, Nicole S L; Holland, Anne E

2017-07-01

Supplemental oxygen is commonly prescribed in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), although its benefits have not been proven. The aims of this study were to investigate the effect of oxygen on oxidative stress, cytokine production, skeletal muscle metabolism and physiological response to exercise in IPF. Eleven participants with IPF received either oxygen, at an FiO 2 of 0.50, or compressed air for 1 h at rest and during a cycle endurance test at 85% of peak work rate. Blood samples collected at rest and during exercise were analysed for markers of oxidative stress, skeletal muscle metabolism and cytokines. The protocol was repeated a week later with the alternate intervention. Compared with air, oxygen did not adversely affect biomarker concentrations at rest and significantly improved endurance time (mean difference = 99 ± 81s, P = 0.002), dyspnoea (-1 ± 1 U, P = 0.02), systolic blood pressure (BP; -11 ± 11 mm Hg, P = 0.006), nadir oxyhaemoglobin saturation (SpO 2 ; 8 ± 6%, P = 0.001), SpO 2 at 2-min (7 ± 6%, P = 0.003) and 5-min isotimes (5 ± 3, P < 0.001) and peak exercise xanthine concentrations (-42 ± 73 µmol/L, P = 0.03). Air significantly increased IL-10 (5 ± 5 pg/mL, P = 0.04) at 2-min isotime. Thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARs), IL-6, TNF-α, creatine kinase, lactate, heart rate and fatigue did not differ between the two interventions at any time point. In patients with IPF, breathing oxygen at FiO 2 of 0.50 at rest seems safe. During exercise, oxygen improves exercise tolerance, alleviates exercise-induced hypoxaemia and reduces dyspnoea. A potential relationship between oxygen administration and improved skeletal muscle metabolism should be explored in future studies. © 2017 Asian Pacific Society of Respirology.

Cyclophosphamide-refractory scleroderma-associated interstitial lung disease: remarkable clinical and radiological response to a single course of rituximab combined with high-dose corticosteroids.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Haroon, Muhammad

2011-10-01

We would like to report our experience of using rituximab in cyclophosphamide refractory, rapidly progressive interstitial lung disease (ILD) in a patient with limited scleroderma. A 40-year-old man presented with 10-week history of inflammatory polyarthritis, which responded to a short course of oral corticosteroids. However, 3 weeks later, he developed new onset of exertional dyspnoea. High-resolution CT of the thorax was suggestive of early ILD. Surgical lung biopsy showed features of fibrotic non-specific interstitial pneumonia. He was diagnosed with scleroderma on the basis of: presence of anticentromere antibodies, Raynaud\\'s phenomenon, pulmonary fibrosis, digital oedema and hypomotility along with a dilated oesophagus. He was treated aggressively with pulse doses of corticosteroids and cyclophosphamide; however, his ILD continued to deteriorate. At this stage, he received rituximab (two pulses of 1 g each), which led to a gradual clinical improvement. Now, 12 months since his rituximab infusion, he walks 2 miles daily without any exertional dyspnoea.

An unusual case of rapidly progressive contractures: Case report and brief review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Subasree R

2008-01-01

Full Text Available An 8-year-old boy, diagnosed as cervical dystonia, was referred to our tertiary center. After a trivial trauma he had developed painful lumps in the axial region, which was followed by restricted movements of neck, shoulder, and abdominal muscles over 4 months. He had kyphoscoliosis, torticollis, rigid abdomen, and multiple muscle contractures. He also had short great toes. A detailed skeletal survey showed calcification in the soft tissues surrounding the shoulder anterior chest wall, thorax, and paraspinal muscles; there was also beaking of vertebrae, which was confirmed by CT thorax. This report showcases the diagnostic challenge posed by myositis ossificans progressiva, which can rarely cause rapidly progressing muscle contractures. A brief review of literature is also presented.

A Simple Diet- and Chemical-Induced Murine NASH Model with Rapid Progression of Steatohepatitis, Fibrosis and Liver Cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsuchida, Takuma; Lee, Youngmin A; Fujiwara, Naoto; Ybanez, Maria; Allen, Brittany; Martins, Sebastiao; Fiel, M Isabel; Goossens, Nicolas; Chou, Hsin-I; Hoshida, Yujin; Friedman, Scott L

2018-03-20

Although the majority of patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) have only steatosis without progression, a sizable fraction develop non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which can lead to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Many established diet-induced mouse models for NASH require 24-52 weeks, which makes testing for drug response costly and time consuming. We have sought to establish a murine NASH model with rapid progression of extensive fibrosis and HCC by using a western diet (WD), which is high-fat, high-fructose and high-cholesterol, combined with low dose weekly intraperitoneal carbon tetrachloride (CCl 4 ), which served as an accelerator. C57BL/6J mice were fed a normal chow diet (ND) ± CCl 4 or WD ± CCl 4 for 12 and 24 weeks. Addition of CCl 4 exacerbated histological features of NASH, fibrosis, and tumor development induced by WD, which resulted in stage 3 fibrosis at 12 weeks and HCC development at 24 weeks. Furthermore, whole liver transcriptomic analysis indicated that dysregulated molecular pathways in WD/CCl 4 mice and immunologic features were closely similar to those of human NASH. Our mouse NASH model exhibits rapid progression of advanced fibrosis and HCC, and mimics histological, immunological and transcriptomic features of human NASH, suggesting that it will be a useful experimental tool for preclinical drug testing. A carefully characterized model has been developed in mice that recapitulates the progressive stages of human fatty liver disease, from simple steatosis, to inflammation, fibrosis and cancer. The functional pathways of gene expression and immune abnormalities in this model closely resemble human disease. The ease and reproducibility of this model makes it ideal to study disease pathogenesis and test new treatments. Copyright © 2018 European Association for the Study of the Liver. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Rapidly progressive polyneuropathy due to dry beriberi in a man: a case report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lekwuwa Godwin

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Introduction We describe a case of rapidly progressive and severely debilitating polyneuropathy in a patient with confirmed hypovitaminosis B1, consistent with dry beriberi. Crucially, this is a treatable condition, although sometimes with incomplete recovery, but it is probably under-recognized yet increasingly common given increasing levels of alcohol abuse in the western world. Case presentation A 49-year-old Caucasian British man presented with progressive weakness of both lower limbs of approximately seven months' duration. He noted difficulty climbing stairs. He also complained of lethargy, and loss of muscle bulk, including his thighs. He had a history of type 2 diabetes mellitus and admitted prior alcohol abuse but denied excessive alcohol intake in the five years prior to presentation. Initial clinical and neurophysiological examinations were consistent with a mild peripheral neuropathy and probable proximal myopathy. However, over the subsequent four months he evolved a marked tetraparesis, with profound sensory disturbance of all limbs. Repeat neurophysiology revealed a widespread polyneuropathy with extensive acute and sub-acute denervation changes in all four limbs, and reduced or absent sensory nerve action potentials. Hypovitaminosis B1 was confirmed (45 nmol/L, reference range 66-200 nmol/L. His rapid clinical deterioration was in keeping with dry beriberi. He was treated with thiamine. Subsequent follow-up revealed slow but significant improvement, such that by 15-16 months from the initial onset of symptoms, and approximately six months after the onset of his marked tetraparesis, he was able to stand independently and was gradually gaining confidence in walking pending a period of in-patient neurorehabilitation. Conclusion A potentially wide differential diagnosis exists for this type of presentation. Confirming hypovitaminosis B1 by requesting the assay prior to vitamin replacement ensures accurate diagnosis and

Peranan Terapi Awal dan Terapi Pemeliharaan pada Rapidly Progressive Periodontitis Type 1

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anita H. Joedo

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Rapidly Progressive Periodontitis (RPP is a severe form of a periodontal disease which starts since a puberty age. The disease if a generalized periodontal destruction without a specific distribution mode: it develops more progressively but does not in accordance to local factors. The first step to the RPP treatment is initial therapy: i.e. DHE, scaling and root planing, and eliminating predisposing local factors and continued with a maintence therapy which will support the success of a surgery later. A study case: a 21-year old RPP woman showed hyperaemia, an abscess, a 10 mm mesial pocket depth, a 5 mm distal pocker depth, a 5 mm buccal pocket depth, a 2nd degree tooth mobility and a 3 mm buccal recession on 25. In the initial therapy she was given an amoxicillin, a metronidazole for killing a supra and subgingival baterial, vitamins B and C, and also a chlorhexidine 0.2% mouth wash for a week. After a week the abscess and the inflammation decreased, but the mobility was still in the same condition and the DHE was still evaluated because of the patient's social factor, the FO was delayed. The next visit was done every 2 monts for a year for maintenance care. The clinical result showed the gingival inflammation and the tooth mobility disappeared. Radiographically, the alveolar bone showed more radiopaque and the lamina dura was seen. In conclusio, the initial and the maintenance therapy was seen to heal the RPP.

Rapidly Progressive Osteoarthritis: a Review of the Clinical and Radiologic Presentation.

Science.gov (United States)

Flemming, Donald J; Gustas-French, Cristy N

2017-07-01

The purpose of this paper is to review the distinct clinical and radiographic features that may lead to prompt diagnosis of rapidly progressive osteoarthritis (RPOA) and thus obviate unnecessary and costly diagnostic workup. RPOA is uncommon but is more frequently seen in practice because of the aging population. RPOA is a destructive arthropathy that occurs most commonly in elderly women but can also be seen in patients that have sustained trauma. The dramatic radiologic manifestations of RPOA can lead to diagnostic confusion with other arthropathies, infection, and osteonecrosis. RPOA was originally described in the hip but may also involve the shoulder. The etiology of RPOA is not well understood, but subchondral fracture probably plays a role in the development of dramatic destruction of the joint that is seen in affected patients. Early diagnosis may reduce the complexity of surgical management. RPOA is an uncommon condition that occurs most frequently in elderly woman or in patients who have sustained trauma. Prompt recognition of the clinical and radiologic features of this arthropathy can reduce unnecessary diagnostic workup and complexity of surgical intervention.

CRF19_cpx is an Evolutionary fit HIV-1 Variant Strongly Associated With Rapid Progression to AIDS in Cuba.

Science.gov (United States)

Kouri, Vivian; Khouri, Ricardo; Alemán, Yoan; Abrahantes, Yeissel; Vercauteren, Jurgen; Pineda-Peña, Andrea-Clemencia; Theys, Kristof; Megens, Sarah; Moutschen, Michel; Pfeifer, Nico; Van Weyenbergh, Johan; Pérez, Ana B; Pérez, Jorge; Pérez, Lissette; Van Laethem, Kristel; Vandamme, Anne-Mieke

2015-03-01

Clinicians reported an increasing trend of rapid progression (RP) (AIDS within 3 years of infection) in Cuba. Recently infected patients were prospectively sampled, 52 RP at AIDS diagnosis (AIDS-RP) and 21 without AIDS in the same time frame (non-AIDS). 22 patients were sampled at AIDS diagnosis (chronic-AIDS) retrospectively assessed as > 3 years infected. Clinical, demographic, virological, epidemiological and immunological data were collected. Pol and env sequences were used for subtyping, transmission cluster analysis, and prediction of resistance, co-receptor use and evolutionary fitness. Host, immunological and viral predictors of RP were explored through data mining. Subtyping revealed 26 subtype B strains, 6 C, 6 CRF18_cpx, 9 CRF19_cpx, 29 BG-recombinants and other subtypes/URFs. All patients infected with CRF19 belonged to the AIDS-RP group. Data mining identified CRF19, oral candidiasis and RANTES levels as the strongest predictors of AIDS-RP. CRF19 was more frequently predicted to use the CXCR4 co-receptor, had higher fitness scores in the protease region, and patients had higher viral load at diagnosis. CRF19 is a recombinant of subtype D (C-part of Gag, PR, RT and nef), subtype A (N-part of Gag, Integrase, Env) and subtype G (Vif, Vpr, Vpu and C-part of Env). Since subtypes D and A have been associated with respectively faster and slower disease progression, our findings might indicate a fit PR driving high viral load, which in combination with co-infections may boost RANTES levels and thus CXCR4 use, potentially explaining the fast progression. We propose that CRF19 is evolutionary very fit and causing rapid progression to AIDS in many newly infected patients in Cuba.

[Living with advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: The impact of dyspnoea on patients and caregivers].

Science.gov (United States)

Costa, Xavier; Gómez-Batiste, Xavier; Pla, Margarida; Martínez-Muñoz, Marisa; Blay, Carles; Vila, Laura

2016-12-01

To understand the experiences of patients and caregivers living with advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the impact of their symptoms and care needs arising from a functional, emotional, and social context. Qualitative study. Phenomenological perspective. Data were collected during 2013-2015. Primary, secondary and intermediate care. Osona (Barcelona). The study included 10 Primary Care patients with advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, their respective 10 caregivers, and 19 primary care professionals, as well as 2 lung specialists, 2 palliative care professionals involved in their care, and one clinical psychologist. Theoretical sampling. Semi-structured and in-depth interviews with patients, caregivers, and professionals (47 interviews). The emergent topics identified in patients and caregivers interviews refer to dyspnoea, the predominant symptom without effective treatment and with a major impact on patients and caregivers lives. A symptom with great functional, emotional and social repercussions to which they need to adapt in order to survive. Beyond pharmacological measures to control respiratory symptoms, proper care of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, requires understanding of suffering, the losses and limitations that it causes in their lives and those of their caregivers. A palliative, holistic and closer approach to their real experiences, together with an empowerment to adapt to debilitating symptoms, could contribute to a better life in the end-stages of the disease. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Rapid progression of mediastinal tumor within a few days: A case report of T cell lymphoblastic lymphoma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ahn, Tae Ran; Lee, Young Kyung; Jun, Hyun Jung; Jung, Eun Ah; Son, Jin Sung [Seoul Medical Center, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2016-05-15

T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma is a highly aggressive tumor derived from lymphocyte of the thymus, which accounts for 2% of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The disease occurs most commonly in adolescent and young adult males. It often results in respiratory emergency because of high proliferation rate. In this case, we confirmed the rapid progression of T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma through the chest CT scan with one week interval. Three days of empirical chemotherapy resulted in substantial reduction of mediastinal mass, pleural thickening and pleural effusion.

[Rapidly progressive compromise of cranial pairs as neurosyphilis manifestation].

Science.gov (United States)

Baccaro, Fernando; Moldes, Sofía; Novelli Poisson, Paola; Arduin, Julieta; Valerga, Mario

2012-01-01

Syphilis remains a common disease throughout the world, being neurosyphilis a relatively common manifestation. A case of a 34 years old male with HIV and neurosyphilis is presented, characterized by a clinical course evidenced by progressive palsy of cranial nerves. This case is unusual and a rare presentation of progressive cranial involvement with swallowing deficit, have found no similar data in the literature.

Immunological Basis for Rapid Progression of Diabetes in Older NOD Mouse Recipients Post BM-HSC Transplantation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nan Wang

Full Text Available Type I diabetes (T1D, mediated by autoreactive T cell destruction of insulin-producing islet beta cells, has been treated with bone marrow-derived hematopoietic stem cell (BM-HSC transplantation. Older non-obese diabetic (NOD mice recipients (3m, at disease-onset stage receiving syngeneic BM-HSC progressed more rapidly to end-stage diabetes post-transplantation than younger recipients (4-6w, at disease-initiation stage. FACS analyses showed a higher percentage and absolute number of regulatory T cells (Treg and lower proportion of proliferating T conventional cells (Tcon in pancreatic lymph nodes from the resistant mice among the younger recipients compared to the rapid progressors among the older recipients. Treg distribution in spleen, mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN, blood and thymus between the two groups was similar. However, the percentage of thymic Tcon and the proliferation of Tcon in MLN and blood were lower in the young resistants. These results suggest recipient age and associated disease stage as a variable to consider in BM-HSC transplantation for treating T1D.

Successful recovery of infective endocarditis-induced rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis by steroid therapy combined with antibiotics: a case report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kikkawa Ryuichi

2004-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The mortality rate among patients with infective endocarditis, especially associated with the presence of complications or coexisting conditions such as renal failure and the use of combined medical and surgical therapy remains still high. Prolonged parenteral administration of a bactericidal antimicrobial agent or combination of agents is usually recommended, however, the optimal therapy for infective endocarditis associated with renal injury is not adequately defined. Case presentation Patient was a 24-years old man who presented to our hospital with fever, fatigue, and rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis. He had a history of ventricular septum defect (VSD. A renal biopsy specimen revealed crescentic glomerulonephritis and echocardiogram revealed VSD with vegetation on the tricuspid valve. Specimens of blood demonstrated Propionibacterium Acnes. The intensive antibiotic therapy with penicillin G was started without clinical improvement of renal function or resolution of fever over the next 7 days. After the short-term treatment of low dose of corticosteroid combined with continuous antibiotics, high fever and renal insufficiency were dramatically improved. Conclusion Although renal function in our case worsened despite therapy with antibiotics, a short-term and low dose of corticosteroid therapy with antibiotics was able to recover renal function and the patient finally underwent tricuspid valve-plasty and VSD closure. We suggest that the patients with rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis associated with infective endocarditis might be treated with a short-term and low dose of corticosteroid successfully.

The diagnostic challenge of pulmonary tumour thrombotic microangiopathy as a presentation for metastatic gastric cancer: a case report and review of the literature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ho, Andrew LK.; Szulakowsi, Patryk; Mohamid, Waria HS.

2015-01-01

Pulmonary tumour thrombotic microangiopathy (PTTM) is a rare complication of metastatic cancer with a distinct histological appearance which presents with dyspnoea and pulmonary arterial hypertension and leads to death in hours to days. It is a challenging diagnosis to make ante mortem, in part due to the rapid clinical decline. Herein, we report a case of a young woman initially felt to have pulmonary sarcoidosis but who then died eight days later from what was found at post mortem to be PTTM. A 41 year old Caucasian woman presented with progressive dyspnoea. Computed tomography of her thorax showed diffuse tiny centrilobular nodules in a tree-in-bud appearance along with small volume mediastinal lymphadenopathy. A presumptive diagnosis of pulmonary sarcoidosis was made; bronchoscopy with transbronchial lung biopsy was arranged to confirm the diagnosis. However, she rapidly deteriorated and died eight days later. Post mortem examination revealed metastatic poorly differentiated gastric adenocarcinoma with PTTM being the final cause of death. This case demonstrates the diagnostic difficulties in such a rare and rapidly fatal oncological complication; a greater awareness amongst clinicians may help make a positive diagnosis in the short window of time available. Little is known about its pathogenesis, and even less about optimal management strategies. We review the literature to demonstrate the clinical characteristics that might provide clues towards an ante mortem diagnosis, and highlight how imatinib may provide the key to treating PTTM. The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12885-015-1467-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Giant solitary fibrous tumour of the pleura: a rare but usually benign intrathoracic neoplasm

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bodtger, Uffe; Pedersen, Jesper Holst; Skov, Birgit Guldhammer

2009-01-01

BACKGROUND: Low forced expiratory volume (FEV(1)) and low performance status usually preclude surgical treatment of lung neoplasms. Earlier case reports have suggested that curative, safe surgery is possible in extrapulmonal intrathoracic neoplasms. METHODS: A case report of an 83-year-old women...... with progressing dyspnoea secondary to a huge left-side neoplasm. RESULTS: Work-up reveal an FEV(1) of 0.4 L, and a giant solitary fibrous tumor of the pleura. The tumor was surgically removed in toto without complications: weighting approximately 3 kg, and benign histology. The patient was without dyspnoea...

Unilaterally and rapidly progressing white matter lesion and elevated cytokines in a patient with Tay-Sachs disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Hayase, Tomomi; Shimizu, Jun; Goto, Tamako; Nozaki, Yasuyuki; Mori, Masato; Takahashi, Naoto; Namba, Eiji; Yamagata, Takanori; Momoi, Mariko Y

2010-03-01

We report the case of a girl with Tay-Sachs disease who had convulsions and deteriorated rapidly after an upper respiratory infection at the age of 11 months. At the age of 16 months, her seizures became intractable and magnetic resonance imaging of the brain showed high signal intensity on T2-weighted images and marked swelling in the white matter and basal nucelei of the right hemisphere. Her seizures and right hemisphere lesion improved with glycerol and dexamethasone treatment. When dexamethasone was discontinued, her symptoms worsened and lesions later appeared in the left hemisphere. Her cerebrospinal fluid showed elevated levels of the cytokines TNF-alpha and IL-5. It is considered that inflammation contributes to disease progression in Tay-Sachs disease.

Microbiological characteristics of subgingival microbiota in adult periodontitis, localized juvenile periodontitis and rapidly progressive periodontitis subjects.

Science.gov (United States)

Nonnenmacher, C; Mutters, R; de Jacoby, L F

2001-04-01

To describe the prevalence of the cultivable subgingival microbiota in periodontal diseases and to draw attention to the polymicrobial nature of periodontic infections. The study population consisted of 95 patients, 51 females and 44 males, aged 14-62 years. Twenty-nine patients exhibited adult periodontitis (AP), six localized juvenile periodontitis (LJP), and 60 rapidly progressive periodontitis (RPP). Two to four pooled bacterial samples were obtained from each patient. Samples were collected with sterile paper points from the deepest periodontal pockets. The samples were cultured under anaerobic and microaerophilic conditions using selective and non-selective media. Isolates were characterized to species level by conventional biochemical tests and by a commercial rapid test system. Prevotella intermedia and Capnocytophaga spp. were the most frequently detected microorganisms in all diagnostic groups. Porphyromonas gingivalis and Peptostreptococcus micros were found more frequently in AP and RPP patients, while Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans and Eikenella corrodens were associated with AP, LJP and RPP patients. The other bacterial species, including Actinomyces spp., Streptococcus spp. and Eubacterium spp., were detected at different levels in the three disease groups. The data show the complexity of the subgingival microbiota associated with different periodontal disease groups, indicating that the detection frequency and levels of recovery of some periodontal pathogens are different in teeth affected by different forms of periodontal disease.

Case report

African Journals Online (AJOL)

abp

2014-05-03

May 3, 2014 ... also linked to breast cancer, leukemia and lymphoma [1]. Pericardial ... of weakness, progressive dyspnoea and chest pain. She was confused ... Paradoxical pulse is an important clinical finding that should direct attention to ...

Acute interstitial pneumonia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cuervo M, Francisco; Carrillo Bayona, Jorge; Ojeda, Paulina

2004-01-01

The paper refers to a 71 year-old patient, to who is diagnosed acute interstitial pneumonia; with square of 20 days of evolution of cough dry emetizant, fever, general uneasiness, migraine, progressive dyspnoea and lost of weight

Case report of a 28-year-old male with the rapid progression of steroid-resistant central nervous system vasculitis diagnosed by a brain biopsy.

Science.gov (United States)

Takahashi, Keigo; Sato, Hideki; Hattori, Hidenori; Takao, Masaki; Takahashi, Shinichi; Suzuki, Norihiro

2017-09-30

A 28-year-old Japanese male without a significant past medical history presented with new-onset generalized clonic seizure and headache. A brain MRI revealed multiple enhanced lesions on both cerebral hemispheres. Laboratory exams showed no evidence of systemic inflammation or auto-immune antibodies such as ANCAs. Despite four courses of high-dose methylprednisolone pulse therapy and five treatments with plasmapheresis, his symptoms worsened and the MRI lesions progressed rapidly. During these treatments, we performed a targeted brain biopsy, that revealed histological findings consistent with a predominant angiitis of parenchymal and subdural small vessels. He was provided with diagnosis of central nervous system vasculitis (CNSV). Subsequent cyclophosphamide pulse therapy enabled a progressive successful improvement of his symptoms. While diagnostic methods for CNSV remain controversial, histological findings are thought to be more useful in obtaining a more definitive diagnosis than findings in image studies, such as MRI and angiography. We suggest that a brain biopsy should be considered during the early period of cases with suspected CNSV and rapid clinical deterioration. We also detected human herpesvirus 7 (HHV-7) using PCR technology in brain biopsy specimens, however the relationship between CNSV and HHV-7 infection is unknow.

HPLC method for rapidly following biodiesel fuel transesterification reaction progress using a core-shell column.

Science.gov (United States)

Allen, Samuel J; Ott, Lisa S

2012-07-01

There are a wide and growing variety of feedstocks for biodiesel fuel. Most commonly, these feedstocks contain triglycerides which are transesterified into the fatty acid alkyl esters (FAAEs) which comprise biodiesel fuel. While the tranesterification reaction itself is simple, monitoring the reaction progress and reaction products is not. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry is useful for assessing the FAAE products, but does not directly address either the tri-, di-, or monoglycerides present from incomplete transesterification or the free fatty acids which may also be present. Analysis of the biodiesel reaction mixture is complicated by the solubility and physical property differences among the components of the tranesterification reaction mixture. In this contribution, we present a simple, rapid HPLC method which allows for monitoring all of the main components in a biodiesel fuel transesterification reaction, with specific emphasis on the ability to monitor the reaction as a function of time. The utilization of a relatively new, core-shell stationary phase for the HPLC column allows for efficient separation of peaks with short elution times, saving both time and solvent.

Combined MYC and P53 defects emerge at medulloblastoma relapse and define rapidly progressive, therapeutically targetable disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Hill, Rebecca M; Kuijper, Sanne; Lindsey, Janet C; Petrie, Kevin; Schwalbe, Ed C; Barker, Karen; Boult, Jessica K R; Williamson, Daniel; Ahmad, Zai; Hallsworth, Albert; Ryan, Sarra L; Poon, Evon; Robinson, Simon P; Ruddle, Ruth; Raynaud, Florence I; Howell, Louise; Kwok, Colin; Joshi, Abhijit; Nicholson, Sarah Leigh; Crosier, Stephen; Ellison, David W; Wharton, Stephen B; Robson, Keith; Michalski, Antony; Hargrave, Darren; Jacques, Thomas S; Pizer, Barry; Bailey, Simon; Swartling, Fredrik J; Weiss, William A; Chesler, Louis; Clifford, Steven C

2015-01-12

We undertook a comprehensive clinical and biological investigation of serial medulloblastoma biopsies obtained at diagnosis and relapse. Combined MYC family amplifications and P53 pathway defects commonly emerged at relapse, and all patients in this group died of rapidly progressive disease postrelapse. To study this interaction, we investigated a transgenic model of MYCN-driven medulloblastoma and found spontaneous development of Trp53 inactivating mutations. Abrogation of p53 function in this model produced aggressive tumors that mimicked characteristics of relapsed human tumors with combined P53-MYC dysfunction. Restoration of p53 activity and genetic and therapeutic suppression of MYCN all reduced tumor growth and prolonged survival. Our findings identify P53-MYC interactions at medulloblastoma relapse as biomarkers of clinically aggressive disease that may be targeted therapeutically. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An unusual presentation and way to diagnose hepatocellular carcinoma.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Novotny, V.M.J.; Hulst, V.P. van der; Wouw, P.A. van der; Blaauwgeers, J.L.; Frissen, P.H.J.

2004-01-01

A 67-year-old man with a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was admitted with acute progression of dyspnoea, productive cough, fever, elevated central venous pressure, oedema and liver enzyme abnormalities. Pneumonia with secondary right-sided congestive heart failure was

Rapidly destructive osteoarthritis of the hip joint: a case series

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

McMurtrie A

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Rapidly destructive arthrosis of the hip is a rare and incompletely understood disorder with scarce literature about variations in natural history within a population. Methods A series of cases from North Wales with rapid progressive joint destruction and extensive subchondral bone loss in the femoral head and acetabulum are presented. Radiographic findings mimicked those of other disorders such as septic arthritis, rheumatoid and seronegative arthritis, primary osteonecrosis with secondary osteoarthritis, or neuropathic osteoarthropathy, but none of the patients had clinical, pathologic, or laboratory evidence of these entities. Results Rapid progression of hip pain and disability was a consistent clinical feature. The average duration of symptoms was 1.4 years. Radiographs obtained at various intervals before surgery (average 14 months in 18 patients documented rapid hip destruction, involvement being unilateral in 13 cases. All patients underwent total hip arthroplasty, and osteoarthritis was confirmed at pathologic examination. Conclusion The authors postulate that these cases represent an uncommon subset of osteoarthritis and regular review, both clinically and radiologically, are required to assess speed of progression and prevent rapid loss of bone stock without the surgeon being aware. These cases are unsuitable for being placed on long waiting list due to technical difficulties in delayed surgery and compromised outcome following surgery.

Rapid Disease Progression With Delay in Treatment of Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohammed, Nasiruddin; Kestin, Larry Llyn; Grills, Inga Siiner; Battu, Madhu; Fitch, Dwight Lamar; Wong, Ching-yee Oliver; Margolis, Jeffrey Harold; Chmielewski, Gary William; Welsh, Robert James

2011-01-01

Purpose: To assess rate of disease progression from diagnosis to initiation of treatment for Stage I-IIIB non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods and Materials: Forty patients with NSCLC underwent at least two sets of computed tomography (CT) and 18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (PET) scans at various time intervals before treatment. Progression was defined as development of any new lymph node involvement, site of disease, or stage change. Results: Median time interval between first and second CT scans was 13.4 weeks, and between first and second PET scans was 9.0 weeks. Median initial primary maximum tumor dimension (MTD) was 3.5 cm (0.6-8.5 cm) with a median standardized uptake value (SUV) of 13.0 (1.7-38.5). The median MTD increased by a median of 1.0 cm (mean, 1.6 cm) between scans for a median relative MTD increase of 35% (mean, 59%). Nineteen patients (48%) progressed between scans. Rate of any progression was 13%, 31%, and 46% at 4, 8, and 16 weeks, respectively. Upstaging occurred in 3%, 13%, and 21% at these intervals. Distant metastasis became evident in 3%, 13%, and 13% after 4, 8, and 16 weeks, respectively. T and N stage were associated with progression, whereas histology, grade, sex, age, and maximum SUV were not. At 3 years, overall survival for Stage III patients with vs. without progression was 18% vs. 67%, p = 0.05. Conclusions: With NSCLC, treatment delay can lead to disease progression. Diagnosis, staging, and treatment initiation should be expedited. After 4-8 weeks of delay, complete restaging should be strongly considered.

The natural history of primary progressive multiple sclerosis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Koch, Marcus; Kingwell, Elaine; Rieckmann, Peter; Tremlett, Helen

2009-01-01

Background: Primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) carries the worst prognosis of the multiple sclerosis (MS) subtypes and is currently untreatable. A previous analysis of the British Columbia MS database challenged the view that disability progression is rapid in PPMS, but identified few

Progressive technologies in furniture design

OpenAIRE

Šebková, Martina

2014-01-01

Šebková, M. Progressive technologies in furniture design. Diploma thesis, Brno, Mendel University in Brno, 2014 Diploma thesis 'Progressive technologies in furniture design' is focused on the use of modern technologies in furniture production. The theoretical part explains the basic terms, technology and material options. It focuses mainly on the production of 3D printed furniture and possibilities of virtual testing, measurements, scanning and rapid prototyping. Practical part of diploma the...

Acute pulmonary toxicity following occupational exposure to a floor stain protector in the building industry in Switzerland.

Science.gov (United States)

Lazor-Blanchet, Catherine; Rusca, Sophie; Vernez, David; Berry, Raymond; Albrecht, Eric; Droz, Pierre-Olivier; Boillat, Marcel-André

2004-05-01

Waterproofing agents are widely applied to leather and textile garments; they are also used as floor stain protectors by professionals. Acute respiratory injury is described in three cases of young healthy adults following occupational inhalation of a new waterproofing formulation containing an acrylate fluoropolymer. Within 1 or 2 h after exposure they developed a rapidly progressive dyspnoea; two of them had hypoxaemia and flu-like reactions. All patients improved with supportive treatment in a few days. The mechanism of toxicity is still under investigation, but experimental data suggest the role of this new acrylate fluoropolymer. Tilers should be warned against spraying floor stain repellents; there is also a need to make consumers aware that the spraying of waterproofing agents in a closed environment and concomitant smoking should be avoided.

A 76-year old man with a torn Freedom SOLO bioprosthesis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wollersheim, Laurens W.; Li, Wilson W.; van der Meulen, Jan; de Mol, Bas A.

2014-01-01

We describe a case of a 76-year old male who presented with progressive dyspnoea. He underwent an aortic valve replacement with a Freedom SOLO bioprosthesis 6 years ago. Transthoracic echocardiography showed a moderate-to-severe leakage of the Freedom SOLO bioprosthesis. During surgical

Relapsing and Progressive Tumefactive Demyelinating Form of Central Nervous System Involvement in a Patient with Progressive Systemic Sclerosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Ho Kyun; Lee, Hui Joong

2013-01-01

White matter hyper intensities (WMHI) on MRI are not rare in patients with progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS). In this presentation, WMHI were developed in both middle cerebellar peduncles and temporal white matter in a patient with PSS, and regressed after medication of high dose steroid. However, new lesions were developed in the subcortices of both precentral gyri, and progressed rapidly to tumefactive hyperintensity on MRI. We report an unusual relapsing and progressive tumefactive demyelinating form of central nervous system involvement in PSS.

Radiological case

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giraldo Estrada, Horacio

2001-01-01

The paper analyze the case of a patient (65 year-old) masculine, who consults for precordial pain associated to dyspnoea, left scapular pain and in the shoulder of the same side, of 3 days of evolution that it has been permanent and progressive. He also refers, loss of weight the last 6 months and dyspnoea of effort of 1 month of evolution. He denies chill, fever, cough or expectoration. The patient presents gastric ulcer tried for 1 year, smoker of 2 packages of daily cigarettes of the 15 to the 40 years; all its life worked in masonry. X-rays of the thorax and Tac, among other analyses were done and the case is discusses

Rapid thermal processing of semiconductors

CERN Document Server

Borisenko, Victor E

1997-01-01

Rapid thermal processing has contributed to the development of single wafer cluster processing tools and other innovations in integrated circuit manufacturing environments Borisenko and Hesketh review theoretical and experimental progress in the field, discussing a wide range of materials, processes, and conditions They thoroughly cover the work of international investigators in the field

Rapidly aggravated Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease: autopsy-proven case

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Seung Hyun; Kang, Hyun Koo; Yu, Hyeon; Lee, Sang Chun [Seoul Veterans Hospital, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2005-11-15

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (DJD) is one of the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, which is mediated by what has been known as 'prion'. It is a rare and fatal progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects the middle and old aged. There are a number of subtypes of CJD, one of which is the sporadic type characterized by rapidly progressing clinical symptoms, including progressive dementia, myoclonic jerk, and pyramidal or extrapyramidal syndrome. Patients usually end up dying within 1 to 2 years of contacting the disease. We report an autopsy-proven case of sporadic CJD with clinical symptoms that progressed within several days, along with dramatic changes on diffusion weighted magnetic resonance images.

Rapidly aggravated Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease: autopsy-proven case

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Seung Hyun; Kang, Hyun Koo; Yu, Hyeon; Lee, Sang Chun

2005-01-01

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (DJD) is one of the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, which is mediated by what has been known as 'prion'. It is a rare and fatal progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects the middle and old aged. There are a number of subtypes of CJD, one of which is the sporadic type characterized by rapidly progressing clinical symptoms, including progressive dementia, myoclonic jerk, and pyramidal or extrapyramidal syndrome. Patients usually end up dying within 1 to 2 years of contacting the disease. We report an autopsy-proven case of sporadic CJD with clinical symptoms that progressed within several days, along with dramatic changes on diffusion weighted magnetic resonance images

An atypical cause of rapidly progressing breast lump with abscess formation: Pure squamous cell carcinoma of the breast.

Science.gov (United States)

Cilekar, Murat; Erkasap, Serdar; Oner, Ulku; Akici, Murat; Ciftci, Evrim; Dizen, Hayrettin; Turel, Serkan; Kavak, Ozgu I; Yilmaz, Sezgin

2015-01-01

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is a rare type of breast malignancy and little is known about long-term outcome. In the present report, the clinical features, histopathologic findings and postoperative course of a patient with squamous cell carcinoma are described. We have treated a 47-years-old woman who admitted for right breast mass without any discharge, bleeding and pain. The tumor was, 3 × 2 × 1.5 cm in size with central abscess formation. The result of surgical biopsy revealed large cell keratinizing type of SCC. The metastatic work-up studies ruled out any other probable sources of primary tumor. The patient was performed modified radical mastectomy and axillary dissection and received two cycles of chemotherapy. Squamous cell carcinoma of the breast (SCCB) is a rare entity and should be considered in patients with rapidly progressing breast mass. It should also be considered in breast lesions with abscess formation. The initial therapeutic approach should be surgical excision after histopathological diagnosis.

Laryngeal paralysis associated with a muscle pseudotumour in a ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

An 18-month-old male entire Bloodhound dog was presented with a six-week history of progressive inspiratory dyspnoea, stridor, dysphonia and exercise intolerance. CT scan performed elsewhere had revealed the presence of an unencapsulated nodular mass (3x1x5 cm) dorsal to the larynx and first tracheal rings.

Uremic Solutes in Chronic Kidney Disease and Their Role in Progression.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jan A J G van den Brand

Full Text Available To date, over 150 possible uremic solutes have been listed, but their role in the progression of CKD is largely unknown. Here, the association between a selected panel of uremic solutes and progression in CKD patients was investigated.Patients from the MASTERPLAN study, a randomized controlled trial in CKD patients with a creatinine clearance between 20 and 70 ml/min per 1.73m2, were selected based on their rate of eGFR decline during the first five years of follow-up. They were categorized as rapid (decline >5 ml/min per year or slow progressors. Concentrations of eleven uremic solutes were obtained at baseline and after one year of follow-up. Logistic regression was used to compare the odds for rapid to slow progression by uremic solute concentrations at baseline. Variability in uremic solute levels was assessed using scatter plots, and limits of variability were calculated.In total, 40 rapidly and 40 slowly progressing patients were included. Uremic solutes were elevated in all patients compared to reference values for healthy persons. The serum levels of uremic solutes were not associated with rapid progression. Moreover, we observed substantial variability in solute levels over time.Elevated concentrations of uremic solutes measured in this study did not explain differences in rate of eGFR decline in CKD patients, possibly due to lack of power as a result of the small sample size, substantial between patient variability, and variability in solute concentrations over time. The etiology of intra-individual variation in uremic solute levels remains to be elucidated.

Uremic Solutes in Chronic Kidney Disease and Their Role in Progression.

Science.gov (United States)

van den Brand, Jan A J G; Mutsaers, Henricus A M; van Zuilen, Arjan D; Blankestijn, Peter J; van den Broek, Petra H; Russel, Frans G M; Masereeuw, Rosalinde; Wetzels, Jack F M

2016-01-01

To date, over 150 possible uremic solutes have been listed, but their role in the progression of CKD is largely unknown. Here, the association between a selected panel of uremic solutes and progression in CKD patients was investigated. Patients from the MASTERPLAN study, a randomized controlled trial in CKD patients with a creatinine clearance between 20 and 70 ml/min per 1.73m2, were selected based on their rate of eGFR decline during the first five years of follow-up. They were categorized as rapid (decline >5 ml/min per year) or slow progressors. Concentrations of eleven uremic solutes were obtained at baseline and after one year of follow-up. Logistic regression was used to compare the odds for rapid to slow progression by uremic solute concentrations at baseline. Variability in uremic solute levels was assessed using scatter plots, and limits of variability were calculated. In total, 40 rapidly and 40 slowly progressing patients were included. Uremic solutes were elevated in all patients compared to reference values for healthy persons. The serum levels of uremic solutes were not associated with rapid progression. Moreover, we observed substantial variability in solute levels over time. Elevated concentrations of uremic solutes measured in this study did not explain differences in rate of eGFR decline in CKD patients, possibly due to lack of power as a result of the small sample size, substantial between patient variability, and variability in solute concentrations over time. The etiology of intra-individual variation in uremic solute levels remains to be elucidated.

Progress on high-performance rapid prototype aluminum mirrors

Science.gov (United States)

Woodard, Kenneth S.; Myrick, Bruce H.

2017-05-01

Near net shape parts can be produced using some very old processes (investment casting) and the relatively new direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) process. These processes have significant advantages for complex blank lightweighting and costs but are not inherently suited for producing high performance mirrors. The DMLS process can provide extremely complex lightweight structures but the high residual stresses left in the material results in unstable mirror figure retention. Although not to the extreme intricacy of DMLS, investment casting can also provide complex lightweight structures at considerably lower costs than DMLS and even conventional wrought mirror blanks but the less than 100% density for casting (and also DMLS) limits finishing quality. This paper will cover the progress that has been made to make both the DMLS and investment casting processes into viable near net shape blank options for high performance aluminum mirrors. Finish and figure results will be presented to show performance commensurate with existing conventional processes.

Direct comparison of mid-regional pro-atrial natriuretic peptide with N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide in the diagnosis of patients with atrial fibrillation and dyspnoea.

Science.gov (United States)

Eckstein, Jens; Potocki, Mihael; Murray, Karsten; Breidthardt, Tobias; Ziller, Ronny; Mosimann, Tamina; Klima, Theresia; Hoeller, Rebeca; Moehring, Berit; Sou, Seoung Mann; Rubini Gimenez, Maria; Morgenthaler, Nils G; Mueller, Christian

2012-10-01

Due to different release mechanisms, mid-regional pro-atrial natriuretic peptide (MR proANP) may be superior to N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT proBNP) in the diagnosis of acute heart failure (AHF) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). We compared MR proANP and NT proBNP for their diagnostic value in patients with AF and sinus rhythm (SR). Prospective cohort study. University hospital, emergency department. 632 consecutive patients presenting with acute dyspnoea. MR proANP and NT proBNP plasma levels were determined. The diagnosis of AHF was adjudicated by two independent cardiologists using all available data. Patients received long-term follow-up. AF was present in 151 patients (24%). MR proANP and NT proBNP levels were significantly higher in the AF group compared with the SR group (385 (258-598) versus 201 (89-375) pmol/l for MR proANP, pvalue for the diagnosis of AHF. The rhythm at presentation has to be taken into account because plasma levels of both peptides are significantly higher in patients with AF compared with SR.

Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy limited to the brain stem

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kastrup, O.; Maschke, M.; Diener, H.C. [Neurologische Universitaetsklinik, University of Essen (Germany); Wanke, I. [Department of Neuroradiology, University of Essen (Germany)

2002-03-01

Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) is a subacute demyelinating slow-virus encephalitis caused by the JC polyomavirus in 2-5% of patients with AIDS. MRI typically shows multiple lesions in the cerebral hemispheres. We present a rare case of rapidly evolving and lethal PML with a severe bulbar syndrome and spastic tetraparesis in a patient with AIDS. MRI showed high-signal lesions on T2-weighted images confined to the brain stem, extending from the medulla oblongata to the midbrain. JC virus polymerase chain reaction in cerebrospinal fluid was positive, and neuropathology showed the findings of PML. This case was also notable because of the rapid progression despite improved immune status with antiretroviral therapy. (orig.)

Connexin 43 astrocytopathy linked to rapidly progressive multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katsuhisa Masaki

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Multiple sclerosis (MS and neuromyelitis optica (NMO occasionally have an extremely aggressive and debilitating disease course; however, its molecular basis is unknown. This study aimed to determine a relationship between connexin (Cx pathology and disease aggressiveness in Asian patients with MS and NMO. METHODS/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Samples included 11 autopsied cases with NMO and NMO spectrum disorder (NMOSD, six with MS, and 20 with other neurological diseases (OND. Methods of analysis included immunohistochemical expression of astrocytic Cx43/Cx30, oligodendrocytic Cx47/Cx32 relative to AQP4 and other astrocytic and oligodendrocytic proteins, extent of demyelination, the vasculocentric deposition of complement and immunoglobulin, and lesion staging by CD68 staining for macrophages. Lesions were classified as actively demyelinating (n=59, chronic active (n=58 and chronic inactive (n=23. Sera from 120 subjects including 30 MS, 30 NMO, 40 OND and 20 healthy controls were examined for anti-Cx43 antibody by cell-based assay. Six NMO/NMOSD and three MS cases showed preferential loss of astrocytic Cx43 beyond the demyelinated areas in actively demyelinating and chronic active lesions, where heterotypic Cx43/Cx47 astrocyte oligodendrocyte gap junctions were extensively lost. Cx43 loss was significantly associated with a rapidly progressive disease course as six of nine cases with Cx43 loss, but none of eight cases without Cx43 loss regardless of disease phenotype, died within two years after disease onset (66.7% vs. 0%, P=0.0090. Overall, five of nine cases with Cx43 loss and none of eight cases without Cx43 loss had distal oligodendrogliopathy characterized by selective myelin associated glycoprotein loss (55.6% vs. 0.0%, P=0.0296. Loss of oligodendrocytic Cx32 and Cx47 expression was observed in most active and chronic lesions from all MS and NMO/NMOSD cases. Cx43-specific antibodies were absent in NMO/NMOSD and MS patients. CONCLUSIONS

Successful resuscitation of hypermagnesaemic asystolic cardiac arrest with the use of early transvenous cardiac pacemaker: a case report

OpenAIRE

Miller, M A; Crystal, C S; Helphenstine, J; Young, S E

2006-01-01

A 63 year old woman presented to the emergency department (ED) with 1 week of progressive dyspnoea, constipation, and generalized weakness. She had undergone spinal fustion surgery 10 days previously, and had a history of chronic renal insufficiency. The patient had been using milk of magnesia and magnesium citrate in unknown amounts to alleviate her constipation over this time frame. During her ED stay she became progressively hypotensive and bradycardic, and despite aggressive resuscitative...

Acute HIV infection with rapid progression to AIDS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcio de Oliveira Silva

Full Text Available Acute HIV infection is rarely recognized as the signs and symptoms are normally unspecific and can persist for days or weeks. The normal HIV course is characterized by a progressive loss of CD4+ cells, which normally leads to severe immunodeficiency after a variable time interval. The mean time from initial infection to development of clinical AIDS is approximately 8-10 years, but it is variable among individuals and depends on a complex interaction between virus and host. Here we describe an extraordinary case of a man who developed Pneumocisits jiroveci pneumonia within one month after sexual exposure to HIV-1, and then presented with 3 consecutive CD4 counts bellow 200 cells/mm³ within 3 months, with no other opportunistic disease. Although antiretroviral therapy (AZT+3TC+ATZ/r was started, with full adherence of the patient, and genotyping indicating no primary antiretroviral resistance mutations, he required more than six months to have a CD4 restoration to levels above 200 cells/mm³ and 10 months to HIV-RNA to become undetectable.

Rapidity resummation for B-meson wave functions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shen Yue-Long

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Transverse-momentum dependent (TMD hadronic wave functions develop light-cone divergences under QCD corrections, which are commonly regularized by the rapidity ζ of gauge vector defining the non-light-like Wilson lines. The yielding rapidity logarithms from infrared enhancement need to be resummed for both hadronic wave functions and short-distance functions, to achieve scheme-independent calculations of physical quantities. We briefly review the recent progress on the rapidity resummation for B-meson wave functions which are the key ingredients of TMD factorization formulae for radiative-leptonic, semi-leptonic and non-leptonic B-meson decays. The crucial observation is that rapidity resummation induces a strong suppression of B-meson wave functions at small light-quark momentum, strengthening the applicability of TMD factorization in exclusive B-meson decays. The phenomenological consequence of rapidity-resummation improved B-meson wave functions is further discussed in the context of B → π transition form factors at large hadronic recoil.

PRO-QUEST: a rapid assessment method based on progressive saturation for quantifying exchange rates using saturation times in CEST.

Science.gov (United States)

Demetriou, Eleni; Tachrount, Mohamed; Zaiss, Moritz; Shmueli, Karin; Golay, Xavier

2018-03-05

To develop a new MRI technique to rapidly measure exchange rates in CEST MRI. A novel pulse sequence for measuring chemical exchange rates through a progressive saturation recovery process, called PRO-QUEST (progressive saturation for quantifying exchange rates using saturation times), has been developed. Using this method, the water magnetization is sampled under non-steady-state conditions, and off-resonance saturation is interleaved with the acquisition of images obtained through a Look-Locker type of acquisition. A complete theoretical framework has been set up, and simple equations to obtain the exchange rates have been derived. A reduction of scan time from 58 to 16 minutes has been obtained using PRO-QUEST versus the standard QUEST. Maps of both T 1 of water and B 1 can simply be obtained by repetition of the sequence without off-resonance saturation pulses. Simulations and calculated exchange rates from experimental data using amino acids such as glutamate, glutamine, taurine, and alanine were compared and found to be in good agreement. The PRO-QUEST sequence was also applied on healthy and infarcted rats after 24 hours, and revealed that imaging specificity to ischemic acidification during stroke was substantially increased relative to standard amide proton transfer-weighted imaging. Because of the reduced scan time and insensitivity to nonchemical exchange factors such as direct water saturation, PRO-QUEST can serve as an excellent alternative for researchers and clinicians interested to map pH changes in vivo. © 2018 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Progressive outer retinal necrosis presenting as cherry red spot.

Science.gov (United States)

Yiu, Glenn; Young, Lucy H

2012-10-01

To report a case of progressive outer retinal necrosis (PORN) presenting as a cherry red spot. Case report. A 53-year-old woman with recently diagnosed HIV and varicella-zoster virus (VZV) aseptic meningitis developed rapid sequential vision loss in both eyes over 2 months. Her exam showed a "cherry red spot" in both maculae with peripheral atrophy and pigmentary changes, consistent with PORN. Due to her late presentation and the rapid progression of her condition, she quickly developed end-stage vision loss in both eyes. PORN should be considered within the differential diagnosis of a "cherry red spot." Immune-deficient patients with a history of herpetic infection who present with visual loss warrant prompt ophthalmological evaluation.

Tracking Clean Energy Progress 2013

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2013-06-01

Tracking Clean Energy Progress 2013 (TCEP 2013) examines progress in the development and deployment of key clean energy technologies. Each technology and sector is tracked against interim 2020 targets in the IEA Energy Technology Perspectives 2012 2°C scenario, which lays out pathways to a sustainable energy system in 2050. Stark message emerge: progress has not been fast enough; large market failures are preventing clean energy solutions from being taken up; considerable energy efficiency remains untapped; policies need to better address the energy system as a whole; and energy-related research, development and demonstration need to accelerate. Alongside these grim conclusions there is positive news. In 2012, hybrid-electric vehicle sales passed the 1 million mark. Solar photovoltaic systems were being installed at a record pace. The costs of most clean energy technologies fell more rapidly than anticipated.

Constriction of juxta-ductal aorta and rapid progression of obstruction in a newborn

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Awasthy, Neeraj; Tomar, Munesh; Radhakrishnan, Sitaraman; Iyer, Krishna Subramoney

2010-01-01

A 13-day-old baby girl presenting with features of congestive cardiac failure was found to have coarctation of the aorta (CoA) and patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) by echocardiography. Doppler spectral display revealed moderate CoA. Echocardiogram, 12 hours later, showed severe juxtaductal aortic coarctation with spontaneous closure of PDA. This case emphasises the need to keep a close watch on the progress of CoA in the neonatal period, even if the duct has narrowed to a small size thus demonstrating the role of constriction of juxtaductal aorta in pathogenesis of coaractation. Closure of even asmall PDA can cause acute progression CoA in the presence of posterior shelf

Chronic Subdural Hematoma development in Accelerated phase of Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia presenting with seizure and rapid progression course with fatal outcome

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raheja Amol

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Occurrence of chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH in leukemia is rare, and most reported cases occurred in relation with acute myeloid leukaemia; however, occurrence is extremely rare in accelerated phase of chronic myelogenous leukaemia (CML. Seizure as presentation of SDH development in CML cases is not reported in literature. Authors report an elderly male, who was diagnosed as CML, accelerated phase of developing SDH. Initially presented to local physician with seizure; urgent CT scan head was advised, but ignored and sensorium rapidly worsened over next day and reported to our emergency department in deeply comatose state, where imaging revealed chronic subdural hematoma with hypoxic brain injury with fatal outcome. Seizure, progressive worsening of headache, vomiting and papilloedema are harbinger of intracranial space occupying lesion and requires CT head in emergency medical department for exclusion, who are receiving treatment of haematological malignancy

The effectiveness of electromagnetic terahertz radiation use in the treatment of patients with rapidly progressive periodontitis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zelenova A.V.

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The aim: to increase the efficiency of treatment of patients with rapidly progressive periodontitis (RPP using electromagnetic radiation at terahertz frequencies of molecular spectrum of radiation and absorption of nitric oxide 150,176-150,664 GHz. Material and methods. The study involved 50 patients with RPP, which according to the method of therapy were divided into 2 groups: group 1 included patients receiving conventional therapy, group 2 consisted of patients who, along with traditional therapy received EHF-therapy device "Orbit" YAKUL.941526.001. The control group consisted of 20 healthy subjects with intact periodontium. For the non-invasive study of tissue blood flow in the periodontal tissue Doppler ultrasound was used MiniMax-Doppler-Phono. The study of the microvasculature of periodontitis has been conducted. To determine the reactivity of microvascular periodontal tissue reflex functional tests on the indirect effect of the cold were performed. Results. Reductions achieved values of periodontal indices, especially important index PMA, a significant increase in the linear blood flow indices, decreased pulse pressure gradient and the index followed appropriate reduction to their cold test. Conclusion. The proposed complex therapy can accelerate the relief of inflammation in the periodontal tissues of the complex, to improve the elastic properties of blood vessels, reduce their tone and restore microcirculation in periodontal tissues.

Caffeine, creatine, GRIN2A and Parkinson's disease progression.

Science.gov (United States)

Simon, David K; Wu, Cai; Tilley, Barbara C; Lohmann, Katja; Klein, Christine; Payami, Haydeh; Wills, Anne-Marie; Aminoff, Michael J; Bainbridge, Jacquelyn; Dewey, Richard; Hauser, Robert A; Schaake, Susen; Schneider, Jay S; Sharma, Saloni; Singer, Carlos; Tanner, Caroline M; Truong, Daniel; Wei, Peng; Wong, Pei Shieen; Yang, Tianzhong

2017-04-15

Caffeine is neuroprotective in animal models of Parkinson's disease (PD) and caffeine intake is inversely associated with the risk of PD. This association may be influenced by the genotype of GRIN2A, which encodes an NMDA-glutamate-receptor subunit. In two placebo-controlled studies, we detected no association of caffeine intake with the rate of clinical progression of PD, except among subjects taking creatine, for whom higher caffeine intake was associated with more rapid progression. We now have analyzed data from 420 subjects for whom DNA samples and caffeine intake data were available from a placebo-controlled study of creatine in PD. The GRIN2A genotype was not associated with the rate of clinical progression of PD in the placebo group. However, there was a 4-way interaction between GRIN2A genotype, caffeine, creatine and the time since baseline. Among subjects in the creatine group with high levels of caffeine intake, but not among those with low caffeine intake, the GRIN2A T allele was associated with more rapid progression (p=0.03). These data indicate that the deleterious interaction between caffeine and creatine with respect to rate of progression of PD is influenced by GRIN2A genotype. This example of a genetic factor interacting with environmental factors illustrates the complexity of gene-environment interactions in the progression of PD. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Poverty Reduction and Shared Prosperity in Moldova : Progress and Prospects

OpenAIRE

World Bank Group

2016-01-01

Moldova has experienced rapid economic growth in the past decade, which has been accompanied by reductions in poverty and good performance in shared prosperity. Nonetheless, Moldova remains one of the poorest countries in Europe and faces challenges in sustaining the progress. The challenges for progress include spatial and cross-group inequalities, particularly because of unequal access t...

Constriction of juxta-ductal aorta and rapid progression of obstruction in a newborn

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Awasthy Neeraj

2010-01-01

Full Text Available A 13-day-old baby girl presenting with features of congestive cardiac failure was found to have coarctation of the aorta (CoA and patent ductus arteriosus (PDA by echocardiography. Doppler spectral display revealed moderate CoA. Echocardiogram, 12 hours later, showed severe juxtaductal aortic coarctation with spontaneous closure of PDA. This case emphasises the need to keep a close watch on the progress of CoA in the neonatal period, even if the duct has narrowed to a small size thus demonstrating the role of constriction of juxtaductal aorta in pathogenesis of coaractation. Closure of even asmall PDA can cause acute progression CoA in the presence of posterior shelf.

Rapid promotion and progression of fibrovascular polyps by inflammation and/or hyperplasia in hamster check pouch: implications for carcinogenesis assay.

Science.gov (United States)

McGaughey, C; Jensen, J L

1983-03-01

Tumor initiation by topical application of 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) followed by topical application of retinyl acetate (RA), ethylphenylpropiolate, or acetic acid in DMSO at inflammatory and hyperplasiogenic dose regimens caused the rapid promotion of fibrovascular polyps with dysplastic epithelium in hamster cheek pouch. Such lesions did not occur in control animals initiated with DMBA followed by application of DMSO only, where inflammation was also minimal. At the dose regimen employed, RA caused obvious cytotoxicity and tissue destruction. With EPP and AA, there was no histological evidence of tissue destruction. At dose regimens resulting in minimal inflammation and no apparent cytotoxicity, RA promoted almost no polyps, but a higher yield of other tumor types. Thus, inflammation and/or hyperplasia apparently exerted a strong polyp-promoting and progressive influence. This and other differences between the tumorigenic responses of hamster-pouch mucosa and mouse skin suggest that the former supplement the latter in carcinogenic risk assessment.

Structural MRI correlates of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis progression.

Science.gov (United States)

Senda, Joe; Atsuta, Naoki; Watanabe, Hirohisa; Bagarinao, Epifanio; Imai, Kazunori; Yokoi, Daichi; Riku, Yuichi; Masuda, Michihito; Nakamura, Ryoichi; Watanabe, Hazuki; Ito, Mizuki; Katsuno, Masahisa; Naganawa, Shinji; Sobue, Gen

2017-11-01

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) presents with varying degrees of brain degeneration that can extend beyond the corticospinal tract (CST). Furthermore, the clinical course and progression of ALS varies widely. Brain degeneration detected using structural MRI could reflect disease progression. On study registration, 3-Tesla volumetric MRI and diffusion tensor imaging scans were obtained at baseline in 38 healthy controls and 67 patients with sporadic ALS. Patients had Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale-Revised (ALSFRS-R) scores of ≥36 and did not have the chromosome 9, open reading frame 72 repeat expansion. Six months later, changes in ALSFRS-R (ΔALSFRS-R) scores were calculated and patients were grouped into three categories, namely, patients with slow progression with ΔALSFRS-R scores ≤3 (n=19), intermediate progression with ΔALSFRS-R scores =4, 5 and 6 (n=36) and rapid progression with ΔALSFRS-R scores ≥7 (n=12). We analysed voxel-based morphometry and tract-based spatial statistics among these subgroups and controls. In comparison with controls, patients with ALS showed grey matter atrophy and decreased fractional anisotropy beyond the motor cortex and CST, especially in the frontotemporal lobes and basal ganglia. Moreover, the degree of change was highly proportional to ΔALSFRS-R at the 6-month assessment. A more rapid disease progression and poorer functional decline were associated with greater involvement of the extra-motor cortex and basal ganglia, suggesting that the spatial extent of brain involvement can be an indicator of the progression in ALS. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Do COPD patients taught pursed lips breathing (PLB) for dyspnoea management continue to use the technique long-term? A mixed methodological study.

Science.gov (United States)

Roberts, S E; Schreuder, F M; Watson, T; Stern, M

2017-12-01

To investigate whether COPD patients taught pursed lips breathing (PLB) for dyspnoea management continue to use the technique long-term and, if so, their experience of this. A mixed methodological approach using semi-structured telephone interviews, a focus group and observation of current PLB technique was used. Qualitative analysis was based on grounded theory. Participants were recruited from the two inner city London (UK) boroughs. A purposive sample of 13 patients with COPD taught PLB 6 to 24 months previously. 11 participants took part in the telephone interviews; focus group participation and observed PLB was 5/11 and 6/11 respectively. A thematic analysis of interviews and focus group; observation of PLB technique. Nine reported on-going use of PLB with 8 reporting definite benefit. Observed technique showed ongoing ability for PLB to reduce RR and increase SpO 2 . Four distinct themes emerged from the data: use of PLB when short of breath due to physical activity (8/9), increased confidence and reduced panic (4/9), use as an exercise (3/9), use at night (3/9). Those that had discontinued PLB had done so because it didn't help (2) and they had forgotten/were too busy to continue. This study found 9 of 13 of patients taught PLB continued with long-term use and 8 of 13 reporting definite benefit from PLB. The role of PLB in increasing patients' confidence in their ability to manage their breathlessness and, use at night, were novel findings. Copyright © 2016 Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Successful Surgical Management of Retinopathy of Prematurity Showing Rapid Progression despite Extensive Retinal Photocoagulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Gadkari, Salil S; Kulkarni, Sucheta R; Kamdar, Rushita R; Deshpande, Madan

2015-01-01

The management of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) can be challenging in preterm babies with a gestational age premature infant presented with "hybrid" zone 1 disease in the right eye and aggressive posterior ROP in the left eye. Both eyes were adequately treated with laser photocoagulation; however, the eyes deteriorated and progressed to stage 4 ROP. Both eyes eventually underwent intravitreal bevacizumab followed by lens sparing vitrectomy with good anatomical and visual outcome. Anticipation of progression despite laser photocoagulation in certain clinical scenarios, frequent follow-up and timely surgical intervention is paramount.

Information Loss from Technological Progress

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Townsend, P D

2014-01-01

Progress in electronics and optics offers faster computers, and rapid communication via the internet that is matched by ever larger and evolving storage systems. Instinctively one assumes that this must be totally beneficial. However advances in software and storage media are progressing in ways which are frequently incompatible with earlier systems and the economics and commercial pressures rarely guarantee total compatibility with earlier systems. Instead, the industries actively choose to force the users to purchase new systems and software. Thus we are moving forward with new technological variants that may have access to only the most recent systems and we will have lost earlier alternatives. The reality is that increased processing speed and storage capacity are matched by an equally rapid decline in the access and survival lifetime of older information. This pattern is not limited to modern electronic systems but is evident throughout history from writing on stone and clay tablets to papyrus and paper. It is equally evident in image systems from painting, through film, to magnetic tapes and digital cameras. In sound recording we have variously progressed from wax discs to vinyl, magnetic tape and CD formats. In each case the need for better definition and greater capacity has forced the earlier systems into oblivion. Indeed proposed interactive music systems could similarly relegate music CDs to specialist collections. The article will track some of the examples and discuss the consequences as well as noting that this information loss is further compounded by developments in language and changes in cultural views of different societies

Information Loss from Technological Progress

Science.gov (United States)

Townsend, P. D.

2014-12-01

Progress in electronics and optics offers faster computers, and rapid communication via the internet that is matched by ever larger and evolving storage systems. Instinctively one assumes that this must be totally beneficial. However advances in software and storage media are progressing in ways which are frequently incompatible with earlier systems and the economics and commercial pressures rarely guarantee total compatibility with earlier systems. Instead, the industries actively choose to force the users to purchase new systems and software. Thus we are moving forward with new technological variants that may have access to only the most recent systems and we will have lost earlier alternatives. The reality is that increased processing speed and storage capacity are matched by an equally rapid decline in the access and survival lifetime of older information. This pattern is not limited to modern electronic systems but is evident throughout history from writing on stone and clay tablets to papyrus and paper. It is equally evident in image systems from painting, through film, to magnetic tapes and digital cameras. In sound recording we have variously progressed from wax discs to vinyl, magnetic tape and CD formats. In each case the need for better definition and greater capacity has forced the earlier systems into oblivion. Indeed proposed interactive music systems could similarly relegate music CDs to specialist collections. The article will track some of the examples and discuss the consequences as well as noting that this information loss is further compounded by developments in language and changes in cultural views of different societies.

Nanomaterial-enabled Rapid Detection of Water Contaminants.

Science.gov (United States)

Mao, Shun; Chang, Jingbo; Zhou, Guihua; Chen, Junhong

2015-10-28

Water contaminants, e.g., inorganic chemicals and microorganisms, are critical metrics for water quality monitoring and have significant impacts on human health and plants/organisms living in water. The scope and focus of this review is nanomaterial-based optical, electronic, and electrochemical sensors for rapid detection of water contaminants, e.g., heavy metals, anions, and bacteria. These contaminants are commonly found in different water systems. The importance of water quality monitoring and control demands significant advancement in the detection of contaminants in water because current sensing technologies for water contaminants have limitations. The advantages of nanomaterial-based sensing technologies are highlighted and recent progress on nanomaterial-based sensors for rapid water contaminant detection is discussed. An outlook for future research into this rapidly growing field is also provided. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Increased common carotid artery wall thickness is associated with rapid progression of asymptomatic carotid stenosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Diomedi, Marina; Scacciatelli, Daria; Misaggi, Giulia; Balestrini, Simona; Balucani, Clotilde; Sallustio, Fabrizio; Di Legge, Silvia; Stanzione, Paolo; Silvestrini, Mauro

2014-01-01

This study aimed to identify clinical and ultrasound imaging predictors of progression of carotid luminal narrowing in subjects with asymptomatic moderate internal carotid artery (ICA) stenosis. A total of 571 subjects with asymptomatic moderate (50-69%) ICA stenoses were enrolled. They underwent ultrasound examination at baseline and after 12 months. Demographics, vascular risk factors, medications, plaque characteristics (surface and echogenicity) and common carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) were collected. At the follow-up examination, any change of ICA stenosis was graded in three categories (i) ≥70% to near occlusion, (ii) near occlusion, and (iii) occlusion. Progression of stenosis was defined as an increase in the stenosis degree by at least one category from baseline to follow-up. At 12 months, progression occurred in 142 subjects (prevalence rate 25%). At the multivariable logistic model, pathological IMT values (considered as binary variable: normal: ≤1 mm vs. pathologic: >1 mm) significantly predicted the risk for plaque progression after adjusting the model for possible confounders (OR 2.28, 95% CI 1.18-4.43, P = .014, multivariable logistic model). Our results confirm the role of carotid wall thickening as a marker of atherosclerosis. Carotid IMT measurement should be considered to implement risk stratification in patients with asymptomatic carotid disease.

Suppression of Rapidly Progressive Mouse Glomerulonephritis with the Non-Steroidal Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonist BR-4628.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Frank Y; Han, Yingjie; Nikolic-Paterson, David J; Kolkhof, Peter; Tesch, Greg H

2015-01-01

Steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs) are effective in the treatment of kidney disease; however, the side effect of hyperkalaemia, particularly in the context of renal impairment, is a major limitation to their clinical use. Recently developed non-steroidal MRAs have distinct characteristics suggesting that they may be superior to steroidal MRAs. Therefore, we explored the benefits of a non-steroidal MRA in a model of rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis. Accelerated anti-glomerular basement membrane (GBM) glomerulonephritis was induced in groups of C57BL/6J mice which received no treatment, vehicle or a non-steroidal MRA (BR-4628, 5mg/kg/bid) from day 0 until being killed on day 15 of disease. Mice were examined for renal injury. Mice with anti-GBM glomerulonephritis which received no treatment or vehicle developed similar disease with severe albuminuria, impaired renal function, glomerular tuft damage and crescents in 40% of glomeruli. In comparison, mice which received BR-4628 displayed similar albuminuria, but had improved renal function, reduced severity of glomerular tuft lesions and a 50% reduction in crescents. The protection seen in BR-4628 treated mice was associated with a marked reduction in glomerular macrophages and T-cells and reduced kidney gene expression of proinflammatory (CCL2, TNF-α, IFN-γ) and profibrotic molecules (collagen I, fibronectin). In addition, treatment with BR-4626 did not cause hyperkalaemia or increase urine Na+/K+ excretion (a marker of tubular dysfunction). The non-steroidal MRA (BR-4628) provided substantial suppression of mouse crescentic glomerulonephritis without causing tubular dysfunction. This finding warrants further investigation of non-steroidal MRAs as a therapy for inflammatory kidney diseases.

Suppression of Rapidly Progressive Mouse Glomerulonephritis with the Non-Steroidal Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonist BR-4628.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Frank Y Ma

Full Text Available Steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs are effective in the treatment of kidney disease; however, the side effect of hyperkalaemia, particularly in the context of renal impairment, is a major limitation to their clinical use. Recently developed non-steroidal MRAs have distinct characteristics suggesting that they may be superior to steroidal MRAs. Therefore, we explored the benefits of a non-steroidal MRA in a model of rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis.Accelerated anti-glomerular basement membrane (GBM glomerulonephritis was induced in groups of C57BL/6J mice which received no treatment, vehicle or a non-steroidal MRA (BR-4628, 5mg/kg/bid from day 0 until being killed on day 15 of disease. Mice were examined for renal injury.Mice with anti-GBM glomerulonephritis which received no treatment or vehicle developed similar disease with severe albuminuria, impaired renal function, glomerular tuft damage and crescents in 40% of glomeruli. In comparison, mice which received BR-4628 displayed similar albuminuria, but had improved renal function, reduced severity of glomerular tuft lesions and a 50% reduction in crescents. The protection seen in BR-4628 treated mice was associated with a marked reduction in glomerular macrophages and T-cells and reduced kidney gene expression of proinflammatory (CCL2, TNF-α, IFN-γ and profibrotic molecules (collagen I, fibronectin. In addition, treatment with BR-4626 did not cause hyperkalaemia or increase urine Na+/K+ excretion (a marker of tubular dysfunction.The non-steroidal MRA (BR-4628 provided substantial suppression of mouse crescentic glomerulonephritis without causing tubular dysfunction. This finding warrants further investigation of non-steroidal MRAs as a therapy for inflammatory kidney diseases.

Pulmonary Lymphangioleiomyomatosis. Presentation of 3 cases and revision of the literature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pedrozo Pupo, John C; Robinson, Eugenia; Gaviria, Alejandro; Ojeda Leon, Paulina; Pacheco, Pedro M

2000-01-01

We present three cases of women with pulmonary Iymphangioleiomyomatosis diagnosis, a 47-year-old woman whose initial manifestation was pneumothorax, a 40-year-old woman with progressive dyspnoea and other a 45-year-old woman with pneumothorax. Lymphangioleiomyomatosis is a rare lung disease that afflicts young women childbearing age and premenopausal. It is characterized pathologically by the proliferation of atypical pulmonary interstitial smooth muscle and by cyst formation. Unknown origin usually leads to progressive deterioration of lung function and eventual death from failure. It occurs in women of reproductive age and people with tuberous sclerosis

DAILY CHANGES OF CENTRAL HEMODYNAMICS IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC HEART FAILURE WITH NIGHT-TIME DYSPNOEA ATTACK

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. A. Dovgolis

2006-01-01

Full Text Available Aim. To study daily changes of central hemodynamics (CHD in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF and the effects of therapy. Materials and methods. 22 patients with ischemic heart disease and CHF of III-IV functional class (FC by NYHA, age 60,5±10,5 were observed. Patients were suffering from night-time dyspnoea attacks and had pulmonary artery occlusion pressure (PAOP 15-20 mm Hg. CHD was monitored invasively before the treatment and after 4 weeks of CHF treatment. Results. According to the cardiac index (CI at admission patients were split into two groups. 9 patients of group-I had CI ≤2,15 l\\min\\m2, and 13 patients of group-II had CI >2,15 l\\min\\m2. In patients of group-I CI increased in 4 weeks of treatment. The treatment caused considerable clinical improvement in all patients. The CHD indexes also improved. Initially evening-night-time peaks of PAOP (р≤0,002, systolic (SBP (р≤0,003, diastolic (DBP (р=0,002 and average (BPa (р=0,0007 blood pressure (BP as well as double multiplication (DM (р≤0,008 were registered in patients of group-I. At the end of treatment only evening-night increase in DBP (р=0,002 and BPa (р≤0,006 were noted. In patients of group-II after 4 weeks of treatment CI decreased or didn’t change. Towards 28-th day of treatment 10 patients had clinical improvements. Only one patient’s FC NYHA increased. At the end of treatment the normalization of CHD was registered totally in group. Initially evening-night-time peaks of PAOP (р≤0,002, SBP (р≤0, 0001, CI (р=0,057 and DM (р=0,084 were registered in patients of group-II. At the end of treatment evening-night-time peaks of PAOP (р≤0,015, SBP (р≤0,044, CI (р≤0,005 and DM (р≤0,044 still remained. Besides, evening-night-time peaks of cardiac output (р≤0,01 and systolic index (р≤0, 06 have added. Conclusion. In patients with CHF with initial CI ≤2,15 l\\min\\m2 treatment results in the normalization of CHD and its daily

Risks of rapid decline renal function in patients with type 2 diabetes

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Yi-Jing; Sheen; Wayne; HH; Sheu

2014-01-01

Progressive rising population of diabetes and related nephropathy, namely, diabetic kidney disease and associated end stage renal disease has become a major global public health issue. Results of observational studies indicate that most diabetic kidney disease progresses over decades; however, certain diabetes patients display a rapid decline in renal function, which may lead to renal failure within months. Although the definition of rapid renal function decline remained speculative, in general,it is defined by the decrease of estimated glomerular filtration rate(e GFR) in absolute rate of loss or percent change. Based on the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes 2012 clinical practice guidelines, a rapid decline in renal function is defined as a sustained declinein e GFR of > 5 m L/min per 1.73 m2 per year. It has been reported that potential factors contributing to a rapid decline in renal function include ethnic/genetic and demographic causes, smoking habits, increased glycated hemoglobin levels, obesity, albuminuria, anemia, low serum magnesium levels, high serum phosphate levels, vitamin D deficiency, elevated systolic blood pressure, pulse pressure, brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity values, retinopathy, and cardiac autonomic neuropathy. This article reviews current literatures in this area and provides insight on the early detection of diabetic subjects who are at risk of a rapid decline in renal function in order to develop a more aggressive approach to renal and cardiovascular protection.

Rapidly Progressive Disseminated Sporotrichosis as the First Presentation of HIV Infection in a Patient with a Very Low CD4 Cell Count.

Science.gov (United States)

de Oliveira-Esteves, Isis Cristine Morávia Ribeiro; Almeida Rosa da Silva, Guilherme; Eyer-Silva, Walter de Araujo; Basílio-de-Oliveira, Rodrigo Panno; de Araujo, Luciana Ferreira; Martins, Carlos José; Neves-Motta, Rogério; Velho Mendes de Azevedo, Marcelo Costa; Signorini, Dario José Hart Pontes; Francisco da Cunha Pinto, Jorge; Moura, Lívia Machado; Laterça, Rafael Jacyntho; Pereira, Diogo Raphael Garcia de Oliveira; do Lago, Isabela Vieira; Raphael de Almeida Ferry, Fernando

2017-01-01

Sporotrichosis is a human and animal disease caused by species of the Sporothrix schenckii complex. It is classically acquired through traumatic inoculation of fungal elements. Most frequently, sporotrichosis presents as a fixed cutaneous or as a lymphocutaneous form. A much smaller number of cases occur as cutaneous disseminated and disseminated forms. These cases require immediate diagnosis and management to reduce morbidity and mortality. We present the case of a 34-year-old male patient in whom the first presentation of HIV infection was a rapidly progressive sporotrichosis with multiple cutaneous lesions, a high fungal burden in tissues, and pulmonary involvement. He had an extremely low CD4 cell count (06/mm 3 ). Treatment with amphotericin B deoxycholate led to complete clinical resolution. Sporotrichosis remains a neglected opportunistic infection among HIV-infected patients in Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, and awareness of this potentially fatal infection is of utmost importance if treatment is not to be delayed and if potentially devastating complications are to be avoided.

Manoeuvring along the edge of breathlessness: an ethnographic case study of two nurses.

Science.gov (United States)

Jellington, Maria Omel; Overgaard, Dorthe; Sørensen, Erik Elgaard

2016-01-01

There appears to be divergence between nurses' and patients' perceptions of dyspnoea onset and on how help should be given. This may affect how nurses understand and assess their patients' anxiety and the severity of dyspnoea, potentially diminishing their chances of relieving patients' dyspnoea. The aim of this study was to explore nurse-patient interaction in situations where patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are experiencing acute or worsened dyspnoea in a hospital setting. An ethnographic study using participant observation of two nurses' interactions with six patients, followed by qualitative in-depth interviews with the nurses. Data were analysed in three steps. First, they were coded for identification of preliminary themes. Second, data were regrouped into preliminary themes for focused analysis which led to formulation of themes and subthemes. Third, hermeneutical principles were used as all data were interpreted from the viewpoint of each theme. Three themes were identified: Manoeuvring along the edge; Dyspnoea within the pattern; and Dyspnoea outside the pattern. They were encompassed by the main finding: Manoeuvring along the edge of breathlessness. The nurses attempted to navigate between implicit and explicit care approaches and to create a sphere for relieving or avoiding further worsening of dyspnoea. Depending on the identified pattern for a particular dyspnoeic episode, nurses attributed different significance to the dyspnoea. Interacting in dyspnoeic situations places nurses in a dilemma: an implicit approach risk, deriving from exclusion of patients and performing hesitantly; or an explicit negotiation risk, where patients are exhausted and removed from focusing and breathing. The dilemma weakens nurses' opportunities to relieve or avoid a worsening of the dyspnoea. Likewise, the divergence between nurses' and patients' assessment of dyspnoea as within or outside the pattern appears to jeopardize the efficiency of care. Our

Nondestructive Evaluation Program: Progress in 1986

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-07-01

The increasing cost of equipment for power generating plants and the potential increases in productivity and safety available through rapidly developing Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) technology led EPRI to initiate a Nondestructive Evaluation Program in 1974. To date, the major focus has been on light water reactor inspection problems; however, increased application to other systems is now under way. This report presents a comprehensive review of the EPRI effort in the NDE area. Most of the report consists of contractor-supplied progress reports on each current project. An organizational plan of the program is presented in overview. In addition, organization from several viewpoints is presented, e.g., in-service inspection operators, R and D personnel, and utility representatives. The report summarizes significant progress made since the previous EPRI Special Report NP-4315-SR was issued in May 1986. Section 1 contains information about the program organization, and the sections that follow contain contractor-supplied progress reports of each current project. The progress reports are grouped by plant components - pipe, pressure vessel, steam generator and boiler tubes, and turbine. In addition, Part 6 is devoted to discussions of technology transfer

Central Blood Pressure and Chronic Kidney Disease Progression

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Debbie L. Cohen

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Hypertension, diabetes, and proteinuria are well-recognized risk factors for progressive kidney function loss. However, despite excellent antihypertensive and antidiabetic drug therapies, which also often lower urinary protein excretion, there remains a significant reservoir of patients with chronic kidney disease who are at high risk for progression to end-stage kidney disease. This has led to the search for less traditional cardiovascular risk factors that will help stratify patients at risk for more rapid kidney disease progression. Among these are noninvasive estimates of vascular structure and function. Arterial stiffness, manifested by the pulse wave velocity in the aorta, has been established in a number of studies as a significant risk factor for kidney disease progression and cardiovascular endpoints. Much less well studied in chronic kidney disease are measures of central arterial pressures. In this paper we cover the physiology behind the generation of the central pulse wave contour and the studies available using these approaches and conclude with some speculations on the rationale for why measurements of central pressure may be informative for the study of chronic kidney disease progression.

Ewing’s Sarcoma Presenting as Pleural Effusion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nuzhat Husain

2011-09-01

Full Text Available  A 20-year-old female presented to the Pulmonary Medicine Department with complaints of fever, left sided chest pain and progressive dyspnoea of four months duration. Radiological examination revealed a mass lesion with massive pleural effusion and rib erosion. Histopathology showed neoplastic cells with scanty cytoplasm, hyperchromatic nuclei and rosette formation suggestive of Ewing sarcoma. The rarity of this tumor and its unusual presentation prompted this report.

Rapid chemical separations

CERN Document Server

Trautmann, N

1976-01-01

A survey is given on the progress of fast chemical separation procedures during the last few years. Fast, discontinuous separation techniques are illustrated by a procedure for niobium. The use of such techniques for the chemical characterization of the heaviest known elements is described. Other rapid separation methods from aqueous solutions are summarized. The application of the high speed liquid chromatography to the separation of chemically similar elements is outlined. The use of the gas jet recoil transport method for nuclear reaction products and its combination with a continuous solvent extraction technique and with a thermochromatographic separation is presented. Different separation methods in the gas phase are briefly discussed and the attachment of a thermochromatographic technique to an on-line mass separator is shown. (45 refs).

ALS patients' regulatory T lymphocytes are dysfunctional, and correlate with disease progression rate and severity.

Science.gov (United States)

Beers, David R; Zhao, Weihua; Wang, Jinghong; Zhang, Xiujun; Wen, Shixiang; Neal, Dan; Thonhoff, Jason R; Alsuliman, Abdullah S; Shpall, Elizabeth J; Rezvani, Katy; Appel, Stanley H

2017-03-09

Neuroinflammation is a pathological hallmark of ALS in both transgenic rodent models and patients, and is characterized by proinflammatory T lymphocytes and activated macrophages/microglia. In ALS mouse models, decreased regulatory T lymphocytes (Tregs) exacerbate the neuroinflammatory process, leading to accelerated motoneuron death and shortened survival; passive transfer of Tregs suppresses the neuroinflammation and prolongs survival. Treg numbers and FOXP3 expression are also decreased in rapidly progressing ALS patients. A key question is whether the marked neuroinflammation in ALS can be attributed to the impaired suppressive function of ALS Tregs in addition to their decreased numbers. To address this question, T lymphocyte proliferation assays were performed. Compared with control Tregs, ALS Tregs were less effective in suppressing responder T lymphocyte proliferation. Although both slowly and rapidly progressing ALS patients had dysfunctional Tregs, the greater the clinically assessed disease burden or the more rapidly progressing the patient, the greater the Treg dysfunction. Epigenetically, the percentage methylation of the Treg-specific demethylated region was greater in ALS Tregs. After in vitro expansion, ALS Tregs regained suppressive abilities to the levels of control Tregs, suggesting that autologous passive transfer of expanded Tregs might offer a novel cellular therapy to slow disease progression.

ALS patients’ regulatory T lymphocytes are dysfunctional, and correlate with disease progression rate and severity

Science.gov (United States)

Beers, David R.; Zhao, Weihua; Wang, Jinghong; Zhang, Xiujun; Wen, Shixiang; Neal, Dan; Thonhoff, Jason R.; Alsuliman, Abdullah S.; Shpall, Elizabeth J.; Rezvani, Katy

2017-01-01

Neuroinflammation is a pathological hallmark of ALS in both transgenic rodent models and patients, and is characterized by proinflammatory T lymphocytes and activated macrophages/microglia. In ALS mouse models, decreased regulatory T lymphocytes (Tregs) exacerbate the neuroinflammatory process, leading to accelerated motoneuron death and shortened survival; passive transfer of Tregs suppresses the neuroinflammation and prolongs survival. Treg numbers and FOXP3 expression are also decreased in rapidly progressing ALS patients. A key question is whether the marked neuroinflammation in ALS can be attributed to the impaired suppressive function of ALS Tregs in addition to their decreased numbers. To address this question, T lymphocyte proliferation assays were performed. Compared with control Tregs, ALS Tregs were less effective in suppressing responder T lymphocyte proliferation. Although both slowly and rapidly progressing ALS patients had dysfunctional Tregs, the greater the clinically assessed disease burden or the more rapidly progressing the patient, the greater the Treg dysfunction. Epigenetically, the percentage methylation of the Treg-specific demethylated region was greater in ALS Tregs. After in vitro expansion, ALS Tregs regained suppressive abilities to the levels of control Tregs, suggesting that autologous passive transfer of expanded Tregs might offer a novel cellular therapy to slow disease progression. PMID:28289705

[The evaluation of nutritional status of stable COPD patients and to investigate the effect of nutritional status on perception of dyspnea, exercise capacity, body composition, hospitalisation and life quality].

Science.gov (United States)

Ayar Karakoç, Gamze; Ernam, Dilek; Aka Aktürk, Ülkü; Öztaş, Selahattin; Oğur, Erhan; Kabadayı, Feyyaz

2016-06-01

Malnutrition is a comorbidity oftenly seen in COPD patients who have progressive chronic inflammation and severity. In this prospective study, we aimed to determine the nutritional status of stable COPD patients and to investigate the impact of nutritional status on perception of dyspnoea, exercise capacity, body composition, hospitalisation and life quality. COPD patients were assessed using previous smoking story, physical examination and irreversible airway obstruction. This study was done with 50 COPD patients older than 65 years of age and 30 control subjects. Exclusion criteria were also the co-existance of malignancies, malabsorbtion, DM, neurological diseases, renal failure and unstable cardiac diseases known to influence the nutritional state. The obstruction degree was evaluated by spirometry, nutritional status was classified by the MNA questionnaire, perception of dyspnoea was assessed by the MMRC scale, exercise capacity was assessed by the 6MWT, life quality was assessed by the CAT scale. Body composition parameters FM, FFM and FMI were analyzed and hospitalisations during 6 months after discharge were recorded. The COPD patients were divided into three groups as without malnutrition (n= 25,%50), under risk of malnutrition (n= 19,%38) and malnourished (n= 6,%12). The COPD severity, MMRC dyspnoea score, CAT score and hospitalisations during 6 months following were higher among the malnourished patients. On the other hand, body mass index, 6MWT results, FM and FFM were lower in malnourished patients. A positive correlation between FFM and 6MWT and a negative correlation between FFM and hospitalisation were observed. MNA is a well-developed questionnaire which evaluates malnutrition in COPD patients. We determined that malnourished COPD patients have higher airway obstruction degree, perception of dyspnoea, CAT score and lower exercise capacity and FFM. FFM is an independent predictor of exercise capacity and rehospitalisation during 6 months.

Progress in research on Tourette syndrome

Science.gov (United States)

Black, Kevin J.; Jankovic, Joseph; Hershey, Tamara; McNaught, Kevin St. P.; Mink, Jonathan W.; Walkup, John

2014-01-01

Tourette syndrome (TS) is a heritable neuropsychiatric disorder commonly complicated by obsessions and compulsions, but defined by frequent unwanted movements (motor tics) and vocalizations (phonic tics) that develop in childhood or adolescence. In recent years, research on TS has progressed rapidly on several fronts. Inspired by the Fifth International Scientific Symposium on Tourette Syndrome, the articles in this special issue review advances in the phenomenology, epidemiology, genetics, pathophysiology, and treatment of TS. PMID:25436182

Progress in molecular precursors for electronic materials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Buhro, W.E. [Washington Univ., St. Louis, MO (United States)

1996-09-01

Molecular-precursor chemistry provides an essential underpinning to all electronic-materials technologies, including photovoltaics and related areas of direct interest to the DOE. Materials synthesis and processing is a rapidly developing field in which advances in molecular precursors are playing a major role. This article surveys selected recent research examples that define the exciting current directions in molecular-precursor science. These directions include growth of increasingly complex structures and stoichiometries, surface-selective growth, kinetic growth of metastable materials, growth of size-controlled quantum dots and quantum-dot arrays, and growth at progressively lower temperatures. Continued progress in molecular-precursor chemistry will afford precise control over the crystal structures, nanostructures, and microstructures of electronic materials.

Around the laboratories: Dubna: Physics results and progress on bubble chamber techniques; Stanford (SLAC): Operation of a very rapid cycling bubble chamber; Daresbury: Photographs of visitors to the Laboratory; Argonne: Charge exchange injection tests into the ZGS in preparation for a proposed Booster

CERN Multimedia

1969-01-01

Around the laboratories: Dubna: Physics results and progress on bubble chamber techniques; Stanford (SLAC): Operation of a very rapid cycling bubble chamber; Daresbury: Photographs of visitors to the Laboratory; Argonne: Charge exchange injection tests into the ZGS in preparation for a proposed Booster

Rapid Spontaneously Resolving Acute Subdural Hematoma

Science.gov (United States)

Gan, Qi; Zhao, Hexiang; Zhang, Hanmei; You, Chao

2017-01-01

Introduction: This study reports a rare patient of a rapid spontaneously resolving acute subdural hematoma. In addition, an analysis of potential clues for the phenomenon is presented with a review of the literature. Patient Presentation: A 1-year-and-2-month-old boy fell from a height of approximately 2 m. The patient was in a superficial coma with a Glasgow Coma Scale of 8 when he was transferred to the authors’ hospital. Computed tomography revealed the presence of an acute subdural hematoma with a midline shift beyond 1 cm. His guardians refused invasive interventions and chose conservative treatment. Repeat imaging after 15 hours showed the evident resolution of the hematoma and midline reversion. Progressive magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated the complete resolution of the hematoma, without redistribution to a remote site. Conclusions: Even though this phenomenon has a low incidence, the probability of a rapid spontaneously resolving acute subdural hematoma should be considered when patients present with the following characteristics: children or elderly individuals suffering from mild to moderate head trauma; stable or rapidly recovered consciousness; and simple acute subdural hematoma with a moderate thickness and a particularly low-density band in computed tomography scans. PMID:28468224

Tracheal Constriction In A Growing Dog

OpenAIRE

DeArmond, Christina; Niimura del Barrio, Maria Chie; Rosati, Tomasso; McAllister, Hester; Ryan, John

2017-01-01

A six-month-old castrated male German Shepherd/Husky cross was presented for investigation of a progressive dyspnoea and regurgitation. A circumferential cervical wound had been identified and closed following debridement by the primary care veterinarian when the dog was three months old. There was an extraluminal tracheal compression on radiographs. Surgical exploration revealed a plastic band tied and embedded in the dorsal musculature of the neck. The band had been increasingly constrictin...

Advances in developing rapid, reliable and portable detection systems for alcohol.

Science.gov (United States)

Thungon, Phurpa Dema; Kakoti, Ankana; Ngashangva, Lightson; Goswami, Pranab

2017-11-15

Development of portable, reliable, sensitive, simple, and inexpensive detection system for alcohol has been an instinctive demand not only in traditional brewing, pharmaceutical, food and clinical industries but also in rapidly growing alcohol based fuel industries. Highly sensitive, selective, and reliable alcohol detections are currently amenable typically through the sophisticated instrument based analyses confined mostly to the state-of-art analytical laboratory facilities. With the growing demand of rapid and reliable alcohol detection systems, an all-round attempt has been made over the past decade encompassing various disciplines from basic and engineering sciences. Of late, the research for developing small-scale portable alcohol detection system has been accelerated with the advent of emerging miniaturization techniques, advanced materials and sensing platforms such as lab-on-chip, lab-on-CD, lab-on-paper etc. With these new inter-disciplinary approaches along with the support from the parallel knowledge growth on rapid detection systems being pursued for various targets, the progress on translating the proof-of-concepts to commercially viable and environment friendly portable alcohol detection systems is gaining pace. Here, we summarize the progress made over the years on the alcohol detection systems, with a focus on recent advancement towards developing portable, simple and efficient alcohol sensors. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Rapid and Automated Determination of Plutonium and Neptunium in Environmental Samples

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Qiao, Jixin

This thesis presents improved analytical methods for rapid and automated determination of plutonium and neptunium in environmental samples using sequential injection (SI) based chromatography and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The progress of methodology development...... and optimization for rapid determination of plutonium in environmental samples using SIextraction chromatography prior to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (Paper III); (3) Development of an SI-chromatographic method for simultaneous determination of plutonium and neptunium in environmental samples...... for rapid and simultaneous determination of plutonium and neptunium within an SI system (Paper VI). The results demonstrate that the developed methods in this study are reliable and efficient for accurate assays of trace levels of plutonium and neptunium as demanded in different situations including...

Nanoscale microstructure effects on hydrogen behavior in rapidly solidified aluminum alloys

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tashlykova-Bushkevich, Iya I. [Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics, Minsk (Belarus)

2015-12-31

The present work summarizes recent progress in the investigation of nanoscale microstructure effects on hydrogen behavior in rapidly solidified aluminum alloys foils produced at exceptionally high cooling rates. We focus here on the potential of modification of hydrogen desorption kinetics in respect to weak and strong trapping sites that could serve as hydrogen sinks in Al materials. It is shown that it is important to elucidate the surface microstructure of the Al alloy foils at the submicrometer scale because rapidly solidified microstructural features affect hydrogen trapping at nanostructured defects. We discuss the profound influence of solute atoms on hydrogen−lattice defect interactions in the alloys. with emphasis on role of vacancies in hydrogen evolution; both rapidly solidified pure Al and conventionally processed aluminum samples are considered.

Advanced and rapidly progressing head and neck cancer: good palliation following intralesional bleomycin.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Quintyne, Keith Ian

2011-09-01

The authors herein report the case of a 61-year-old man undergoing adjuvant therapy for locally advanced laryngeal cancer, who developed parastomal recurrence in his radiation field around his tracheotomy site, while he was undergoing radiation therapy, and compromised the secure placement of his tracheotomy tube and maintenance of his upper airway. MRI restaging and biopsy confirmed recurrence and progressive disease in his mediastinum. He underwent local therapy with intralesional bleomycin with good palliation, and ability to maintain the patency of his upper airway.

Myxoid liposarcoma of the mediastinum: a case report and review of the literature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Escuissato, Dante L.; Adam, Guilherme P.; Gasparetto, Emerson L.; Urban, Linei A.B.D.; Benites Filho, Paulo R.; Sakamoto, Daniele; Marchiori, Edson

2005-01-01

Mediastinal neoplasms of mesenchymal origin are rare, accounting for less than 6% of these tumors. Most of these tumors are liposarcomas, although cystic lesions are uncommon. The authors present a case of a 58-year-old woman with progressively worsening dyspnoea since she was 52-years-old. Laryngeal stridor was auscultable and a chest CT scan showed a cystic lesion in the posterior mediastinum. The tumor was resected and the histological examination revealed myxoid liposarcoma. (author)

An unusual cause of orthopnoea-hashimoto's thyroiditis presenting as bilateral diaphragmatic palsy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N.K. Thulaseedharan, MBBS, MD(General Medicine

2017-01-01

Full Text Available We report a case of 36 yr old male without any comorbidities, who presented with a history of gradually progressive dyspnoea and orthopnoea for 6 months. Physical examination revealed bradycardia, paradoxical respiration suggestive of bilateral diaphragmatic palsy. Fluoroscopy demonstrated the presence of bilateral diaphragmatic paralysis. Etiological work up showed evidence of autoimmune hypothyroidism due to hashimoto's thyroiditis. Other possibilities were ruled out with appropriate tests. He was started on thyroxine and showed symptomatic improvement.

Rapid in situ gamma spectrometric determination of fallout radioactivity in the environment. Progress report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zombori, Peter

1995-01-01

The main aim of the present CRP is to identify the existing analytical methods and develop new ones, if possible, which provide rapid, reliable, and detailed information on the radioactive contamination of the environment after a major nuclear accident. Gamma spectrometry has long been regarded as one of the most applicable radioanalytical techniques but its use for environmental studies requires some further considerations. There are two possible approaches to measure environmental radioactivity: (a) taking samples of the different environmental media and measuring them in a laboratory or (b) taking the spectrometer to the place of interest and making in situ measurements. In the former case sampling is a crucial factor hindering the rapid analysis while the latter case is not always reliable due to the problems and uncertainties of the measurement interpretation. The application of in situ gamma spectrometry for the determination of environmental radioactivity has become increasingly attractive since the advent of the high resolution semiconductor gamma detectors, especially, more recently, portable high purity Ge diodes (HpGe). The applicability of this technique was very well proved after the Chernobyl reactor accident when in situ spectrometry played an important role in the rapid evaluation of the fall-out situation. Our measurements provided information on the amount and composition of the radioactive contamination of the ground surface already in the first hours. These measurements enabled us to predict the time variation of the environmental radioactivity after the stabilization of the situation. The portability of the system was an important factor in performing a rapid and efficient survey in different parts of the country. A serious disadvantage of this method is, however, that it requires some knowledge about the radionuclide distribution in the soil, which is normally determined by tedious and time consuming sample analysis of the different soil

Costs and benefits of flexible workspaces : work in progress in The Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Voordt, Theo

2003-01-01

Due to the rapid progress in information and communication technology, work is becoming more and more independent of time and place. New concepts such as cocon offices (with special attention to both communication and concentration), teleworking, satellite offices, and hotel offices have been

Rapid desensitization induces internalization of antigen-specific IgE on mouse mast cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Oka, Tatsuya; Rios, Eon J; Tsai, Mindy; Kalesnikoff, Janet; Galli, Stephen J

2013-10-01

Rapid desensitization transiently prevents severe allergic reactions, allowing administration of life-saving therapies in previously sensitized patients. However, the mechanisms underlying successful rapid desensitization are not fully understood. We sought to investigate whether the mast cell (MC) is an important target of rapid desensitization in mice sensitized to exhibit IgE-dependent passive systemic anaphylaxis in vivo and to investigate the antigen specificity and underlying mechanisms of rapid desensitization in our mouse model. C57BL/6 mice (in vivo) or primary isolated C57BL/6 mouse peritoneal mast cells (PMCs; in vitro) were passively sensitized with antigen-specific anti-2,4-dinitrophenyl IgE, anti-ovalbumin IgE, or both. MCs were exposed over a short period of time to increasing amounts of antigen (2,4-dinitrophenyl-human serum albumin or ovalbumin) in the presence of extracellular calcium in vitro or by means of intravenous administration to sensitized mice in vivo before challenging the mice with or exposing the PMCs to optimal amounts of specific or irrelevant antigen. Rapidly exposing mice or PMCs to progressively increasing amounts of specific antigen inhibited the development of antigen-induced hypothermia in sensitized mice in vivo and inhibited antigen-induced PMC degranulation and prostaglandin D2 synthesis in vitro. Such MC hyporesponsiveness was induced antigen-specifically and was associated with a significant reduction in antigen-specific IgE levels on MC surfaces. Rapidly exposing MCs to progressively increasing amounts of antigen can both enhance the internalization of antigen-specific IgE on the MC surface and also desensitize these cells in an antigen-specific manner in vivo and in vitro. Copyright © 2013 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Laryngeal rhabdomyoma in a Golden Retriever

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clercx, C.; Desmecht, D.; Michiels, L.; McEntee, K.; Hardy, N.; Henroteaux, M.

1998-01-01

A three-year-old male golden retriever had had progressive dyspnoea, exercise intolerance, stridor, and a modified bark for five months. A mass 2 cm in diameter was present dorsal to the right side of the larynx. Histological examination revealed cross-striations in some elongated cells, consistent with a diagnosis of rhabdomyoma, a diagnosis which was confirmed by positive immunohistochemical staining for myoglobin and desmin. The mass could not be removed without total laryngectomy and a permanent tracheostomy and the dog was euthanased

Risk of progression in macula-on rhegmatogenous retinal detachment.

Science.gov (United States)

Callizo, Josep; Pfeiffer, Sebastian; Lahme, Eva; van Oterendorp, Christian; Khattab, Mohammed; Bemme, Sebastian; Kulanga, Miroslav; Hoerauf, Hans; Feltgen, Nicolas

2017-08-01

To identify factors that may lead to a rapid progression in macula-on rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD), in particular, those that may lead to macular involvement. Observational, prospective, single-center study. Patients referred for surgery due to primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment with the macula on between 2009 and 2013 were included. Relevant factors analyzed included age, time delay until surgery, lens status, myopia, the detachment's location and configuration as well as number, size and type of retinal breaks. Eyes underwent optical coherence tomography to detect macular detachment. A multivariate analysis was performed to investigate the effect of several factors in the progression of retinal detachment. A total of 116 eyes of 116 patients were included. Mean time delay between admission and surgery was 1.8 ± 1.4 days. Progression was observed in 19.8% of the eyes. Of those, 47.8% presented macular detachment. Ten of the 11 (90.9%) eyes presenting progression involving the macula also exhibited a bullous configuration, which was the only parameter that correlated significantly with detachment progression in patients with (p = 0.0036) and without (p = 0.0014) macular involvement. For the first time in a prospective trial, a bullous configuration was found to be a highly significant predictor for progression in macula-on detachments. Our data support prompt surgery in patients diagnosed with bullous macula-on RRD.

Age-Dependent Effects of Topiramate on the Acquisition and the Retention of Rapid Kindling

Science.gov (United States)

Mazarati, Andréy; Shin, Don; Auvin, Stéphane; Sankar, Raman

2008-01-01

Summary Purpose To examine antiepileptogenic, disease-modifying, and anticonvulsant effects of topiramate under conditions of rapid kindling at different stages of development. Methods Afterdischarge threshold (ADT) and duration (ADD) were examined in two-, three-, and five-week old Wistar rats before and after administration of topiramate (200 mg/kg). Animals underwent a rapid kindling protocol (sixty 10 second trains, bipolar 20 Hz square wave pulses delivered every five minutes). The progression of behavioral and electrographic seizures, and responses to test stimulations 24 hours after the protocol were compared between topiramate and vehicle treated control rats. In addition, rats that were previously given vehicle only prior to kindling, were then given topiramate to examine the effect on established kindled seizures. Results In two-week old animals, topiramate affected neither the baseline afterdischarge, nor the progression of kindled seizures. In three-week old rats, topiramate did not modify the baseline afterdischarge, but significantly delayed the occurrence of full motor seizures in response to repeated stimulations. Topiramate treatment of five-week old rats increased baseline ADT, shortened ADD, and delayed the progression of kindled seizures. Twenty four hours after the last kindling stimulation, animals of all ages exhibited a decreased ADT, an increase ADD, and developed behavioral seizures in response to threshold stimulation. Vehicle treated kindled rats that were then given topiramate displayed significantly attenuated behavioral seizures induced by the threshold stimulation. Conclusions Topiramate exhibited age-dependent disease-modifying effects under conditions of rapid kindling, but failed to block epileptogenesis. Topiramate also inhibited kindled seizures with equal efficacy across the three ages. PMID:17319916

Role of Diet and Nutritional Supplements in Parkinson’s Disease Progression

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laurie K. Mischley

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Objectives. The goal of this study is to describe modifiable lifestyle variables associated with reduced rate of Parkinson’s disease (PD progression. Methods. The patient-reported outcomes in PD (PRO-PD were used as the primary outcome measure, and a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ was used to assess dietary intake. In this cross-sectional analysis, regression analysis was performed on baseline data to identify the nutritional and pharmacological interventions associated with the rate of PD progression. All analyses were adjusted for age, gender, and years since diagnosis. Results. 1053 individuals with self-reported idiopathic PD were available for analysis. Foods associated with the reduced rate of PD progression included fresh vegetables, fresh fruit, nuts and seeds, nonfried fish, olive oil, wine, coconut oil, fresh herbs, and spices (P<0.05. Foods associated with more rapid PD progression include canned fruits and vegetables, diet and nondiet soda, fried foods, beef, ice cream, yogurt, and cheese (P<0.05. Nutritional supplements coenzyme Q10 and fish oil were associated with reduced PD progression (P=0.026 and P=0.019, resp., and iron supplementation was associated with faster progression (P=0.022. Discussion. These are the first data to provide evidence that targeted nutrition is associated with the rate of PD progression.

Soluble beta-amyloid precursor protein is related to disease progression in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Petra Steinacker

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Biomarkers of disease progression in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS could support the identification of beneficial drugs in clinical trials. We aimed to test whether soluble fragments of beta-amyloid precursor protein (sAPPα and sAPPß correlated with clinical subtypes of ALS and were of prognostic value. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In a cross-sectional study including patients with ALS (N = 68 with clinical follow-up data over 6 months, Parkinson's disease (PD, N = 20, and age-matched controls (N = 40, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF levels of sAPPα a, sAPPß and neurofilaments (NfH(SMI35 were measured by multiplex assay, Progranulin by ELISA. CSF sAPPα and sAPPß levels were lower in ALS with a rapidly-progressive disease course (p = 0.03, and p = 0.02 and with longer disease duration (p = 0.01 and p = 0.01, respectively. CSF NfH(SMI35 was elevated in ALS compared to PD and controls, with highest concentrations found in patients with rapid disease progression (p<0.01. High CSF NfH(SMI3 was linked to low CSF sAPPα and sAPPß (p = 0.001, and p = 0.007, respectively. The ratios CSF NfH(SMI35/CSF sAPPα,-ß were elevated in patients with fast progression of disease (p = 0.002 each. CSF Progranulin decreased with ongoing disease (p = 0.04. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides new CSF candidate markers associated with progression of disease in ALS. The data suggest that a deficiency of cellular neuroprotective mechanisms (decrease of sAPP is linked to progressive neuro-axonal damage (increase of NfH(SMI35 and to progression of disease.

Current research on progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

DENG Baocheng

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis (PFIC refers to a heterogeneous group of autosomal-recessive disorders. The estimated incidence varies between 1/50,000 and 1/100,000 births. Three types of PFIC have been identified and related to mutations in hepatocellular transport system genes involved in bile formation. PFIC-1, PFIC-2, and PFIC-3 are due to mutations in ATP8B1, ABCB11, and ABCB4 genes involved in bile secretion, respectively. Serum gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase is normal in patients with PFIC-1 and PFIC-2, while it is raised in patients with PFIC3. The main clinical manifestation of PFIC is severe intrahepatic cholestasis. PFIC usually appears in infancy or childhood and rapidly progresses to end-stage liver disease before adulthood. Diagnosis of this disease is based on clinical manifestations, liver function tests, liver ultrasonography, liver histology, and genetic testing. Ursodeoxycholic acid therapy is the initial treatment in all PFIC patients to prevent liver damage. In some PFIC1 and PFIC2 patients, biliary diversion may also relieve pruritus and slow disease progression. However, most PFIC patients are ultimately candidates for liver transplantation.

Progress in ISOL target-ion source systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Koester, U. [Institut Laue Langevin, 6 Rue Jules Horowitz, F-38042 Grenoble Cedex 9 (France); ISOLDE, CERN, CH-1211 Geneve 23 (Switzerland)], E-mail: koester@ill.fr; Arndt, O. [HGF VISTARS and Institut fuer Kernchemie, Johannes-Gutenberg Universitaet Mainz, D-55128 Mainz (Germany); Bouquerel, E.; Fedoseyev, V.N. [ISOLDE, CERN, CH-1211 Geneve 23 (Switzerland); Franberg, H. [ISOLDE, CERN, CH-1211 Geneve 23 (Switzerland); Laboratory for Radio- and Environmental Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institut, CH-5232 Villigen PSI (Switzerland); Joinet, A. [ISOLDE, CERN, CH-1211 Geneve 23 (Switzerland); Centre d' Etude Spatiale des Rayonnements, 9 Av. du Colonel Roche, F-31028 Toulouse Cedex 4 (France); Jost, C. [HGF VISTARS and Institut fuer Kernchemie, Johannes-Gutenberg Universitaet Mainz, D-55128 Mainz (Germany); Kerkines, I.S.K. [Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Department of Chemistry, Zografou 157 71, GR (Greece); Cherry L. Emerson Center for Scientific Computation and Department of Chemistry, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322 (United States); Kirchner, R. [Gesellschaft fuer Schwerionenforschung, Planckstr. 1, D-64291 Darmstadt (Germany)

2008-10-15

The heart of every ISOL (isotope separation on-line) facility is its target and ion source system. Its efficiency, selectivity and rapidity is decisive for the production of intense and pure ion beams of short-lived isotopes. Recent progress in ISOL target and ion source technology is discussed at the examples of radioactive ion beams of exotic zinc and tin isotopes that were purified by isothermal chromatography and molecular sideband separation respectively. An outlook is given to which other elements these purification methods are applicable.

Progress in ISOL target-ion source systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koester, U.; Arndt, O.; Bouquerel, E.; Fedoseyev, V.N.; Franberg, H.; Joinet, A.; Jost, C.; Kerkines, I.S.K.; Kirchner, R.

2008-01-01

The heart of every ISOL (isotope separation on-line) facility is its target and ion source system. Its efficiency, selectivity and rapidity is decisive for the production of intense and pure ion beams of short-lived isotopes. Recent progress in ISOL target and ion source technology is discussed at the examples of radioactive ion beams of exotic zinc and tin isotopes that were purified by isothermal chromatography and molecular sideband separation respectively. An outlook is given to which other elements these purification methods are applicable.

Light ion ignitors for inertial confinement fusion: progress toward proof-of-principle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Quintenz, J.P.; Kuswa, G.W.

1981-01-01

From the inception of the REB effort, it was recognized that light ion beams offered substantial advantages as an ICF driver, and as the pulse power driver program progressed the possibilities of using light ion beams became increasingly evident. Because of the rapid progress made in the available power in these light ion beams, their superior target deposition characteristics, the fact that nonrelativistic ion beams can readily be bunched by a factor of 2 to 4, and the favorable scaling relations leading toward reactor levels, Sandia shifted its ICF emphasis from electrons to ions in 1979. The progress which has been made toward proof-of-principle using light ion ignitors, as well as the remaining problems, will be detailed in this paper

Recent progress in ERCP for biliary and pancreatic diseases

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

MIAO Lin

2014-12-01

Full Text Available In recent years, with the continuous development of endoscopic and interventional techniques, many new devices and methods have been used in clinical practice, and the application of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP in biliary and pancreatic diseases has developed rapidly. This paper reviews and summarizes the recent progress in ERCP among patients with biliary and pancreatic diseases, including those with altered gastrointestinal anatomy, pregnant patients, patients with benign and malignant biliary strictures, and patients with pancreatic pseudocysts, as well as the application of SpyGlass, photodynamic therapy, and radiofrequency ablation, the management of ERCP-related duodenal perforation, and the prevention of post-ERCP pancreatitis. All the progress has made a great contribution to the diagnosis and treatment of biliary and pancreatic diseases.

Progressive outer retinal necrosis: manifestation of human immunodeficiency virus infection.

Science.gov (United States)

Lo, Phey Feng; Lim, Rongxuan; Antonakis, Serafeim N; Almeida, Goncalo C

2015-05-06

We present the case of a 54-year-old man who developed progressive outer retinal necrosis (PORN) as an initial manifestation of HIV infection without any significant risk factors for infection with HIV. PORN is usually found as a manifestation of known AIDS late in the disease. Our patient presented with transient visual loss followed by decrease in visual acuity and facial rash. Subsequent investigation revealed anterior chamber tap positive for varicella zoster virus (VZV), as well as HIV positivity, with an initial CD4 count of 48 cells/µL. Systemic and intravitreal antivirals against VZV, and highly active antiretroviral therapy against HIV were started, which halted further progression of retinal necrosis. This case highlights the importance of suspecting PORN where there is a rapidly progressive retinitis, and also testing the patient for HIV, so appropriate treatment can be started. 2015 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.

[Specificities of the logopenic variant of primary progressive aphasia].

Science.gov (United States)

Magnin, E; Teichmann, M; Martinaud, O; Moreaud, O; Ryff, I; Belliard, S; Pariente, J; Moulin, T; Vandel, P; Démonet, J-F

2015-01-01

The logopenic variant of primary progressive aphasia is a syndrome with neuropsychological and linguistic specificities, including phonological loop impairment for which diagnosis is currently mainly based on the exclusion of the two other variants, semantic and nonfluent/agrammatic primary progressive aphasia. The syndrome may be underdiagnosed due (1) to mild language difficulties during the early stages of the disease or (2) to being mistaken for mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer's disease when the evaluation of episodic memory is based on verbal material and (3) finally, it is not uncommon that the disorders are attributed to psychiatric co-morbidities such as, for example, anxiety. Moreover, compared to other variants of primary progressive aphasia, brain abnormalities are different. The left temporoparietal junction is initially affected. Neuropathology and biomarkers (cerebrospinal fluid, molecular amyloid nuclear imaging) frequently reveal Alzheimer's disease. Consequently this variant of primary progressive aphasia does not fall under the traditional concept of frontotemporal lobar degeneration. These distinctive features highlight the utility of correct diagnosis, classification, and use of biomarkers to show the neuropathological processes underlying logopenic primary progressive aphasia. The logopenic variant of primary progressive aphasia is a specific form of Alzheimer's disease frequently presenting a rapid decline; specific linguistic therapies are needed. Further investigation of this syndrome is needed to refine screening, improve diagnostic criteria and better understand the epidemiology and the biological mechanisms involved. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Juvenile myopia progression, risk factors and interventions.

Science.gov (United States)

Myrowitz, Elliott H

2012-07-01

The development and progression of early onset myopia is actively being investigated. While myopia is often considered a benign condition it should be considered a public health problem for its visual, quality of life, and economic consequences. Nearly half of the visually impaired population in the world has uncorrected refractive errors, with myopia a high percent of that group. Uncorrected visual acuity should be screened for and treated in order to improve academic performance, career opportunities and socio-economic status. Genetic and environmental factors contribute to the onset and progression of myopia. Twin studies have supported genetic factors and research continues to identify myopia genetic loci. While multiple myopia genetic loci have been identified establishing myopia as a common complex disorder, there is not yet a genetic model explaining myopia progression in populations. Environmental factors include near work, education levels, urban compared to rural location, and time spent outdoors. In this field of study where there continues to be etiology controversies, there is recent agreement that children who spend more time outdoors are less likely to become myopic. Worldwide population studies, some completed and some in progress, with a common protocol are gathering both genetic and environmental cohort data of great value. There have been rapid population changes in prevalence rates supporting an environmental influence. Interventions to prevent juvenile myopia progression include pharmacologic agents, glasses and contact lenses. Pharmacological interventions over 1-2 year trials have shown benefits. Peripheral vision defocus has been found to affect the emmetropization process and may be affected by wearing glasses or contacts. Accommodation accuracy also has been implicated in myopia progression. Further research will aim to assess both the role and interaction of environmental influences and genetic factors.

Fatal Metformin Overdose Presenting with Progressive Hyperglycemia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suchard, Jeffrey R

2008-08-01

Full Text Available A 29-year-old man with no history of diabetes ingested over 60 grams of metformin in a suicide attempt. He presented to the emergency department with acute renal insufficiency, severe lactic acidosis, and rapidly-progressive hyperglycemia. The patient’s peak serum glucose level of 707 mg/dL is the highest yet reported in a case of metformin toxicity. Treatment included sodium bicarbonate infusion and hemodialysis, but the patient suffered several cardiac arrests with pulseless electrical activity and ultimately expired 25 hours after the ingestion.

Tc-99m-bicisate (ECD)-brain-SPECT in rapidly progressive dementia; Hirn-SPECT mit Tc-99m-Bicisat (ECD) bei rasch progredientem dementiellen Syndrom

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marienhagen, J.; Eilles, C. [Regensburg Univ. (Germany). Abt. fuer Nuklearmedizin; Weingaertner, U.; Blaha, L. [Bezirkskrankenhaus Mainkofen (Germany). Psychiatrische Klinik; Zerr, I.; Poser, S. [Goettingen Univ. (Germany). Klinik und Poliklinik fuer Neurologie

1999-07-01

We present a 61-year-old male patient with progressive dementia. A brain SPECT with Tc-99m-bicisate was performed for confirmation of clinically suspected Alzheimer-dementia. At the time of the SPECT-investigation marked apraxia and aphasia besides severe dementia were present. Electrophysiological as well as anatomical neuroimaging findings showed non-diagnostic alterations. SPECT revealed distinct perfusion defects, which made Alzheimer Dementia unlikely. The further course of the patient was determined by rapidly progressive deterioration with development of akinetic mutism. Thereafter, increased levels of neuron-specific enolase as well as 14-3-3 proteins were found in the cerebro-spinal fluid (CSF). The patient finally died with signs of cerebral decortication. Due to the clinical course and the CSF-findings the patient's final diagnosis was Creutzfeld-Jakob-disease, nevertheless no autopsy was performed. The presented case report underscores the clinical utility of perfusion brain SPECT in the differential diagnosis of dementias. (orig.) [German] Wir berichten ueber einen 61jaehrigen Patienten mit progredientem dementiellen Syndrom, der unter der Verdachtsdiagnose einer Demenz vom Alzheimer-Typ (DAT) zur Hirn-SPECT-Untersuchung mit TC-99m-Bicisat (ECD) vorgestellt wurde. Zum Untersuchungszeitpunkt bestanden neben dem Vollbild einer Demenz eine ausgepraegte Apraxie und Aphasie bei unspezifischen Veraenderungen im EEG sowie der neuroradiologischen Bildgebung. In der Hirn-SPECT-Untersuchung fanden sich fuer eine DAT untypische ausgedehnte, vorwiegend rechtshemisphaerische Perfusionsstoerungen. Im weiteren Verlauf rasche Progredienz des Krankheitsbildes mit Entwicklung eines akinetischen Mutismus sowie Nachweis erhoehter Werte der neuronspezifischen Enolase und des 14-3-3-Proteins im Liquor. Der Patient verstarb schliesslich unter dem Bild einer Decortication. Aufgrund des klinischen Verlaufs sowie der Liquorbefunde wurde, da eine autoptische Befundsicherung

Extrastriatal monoaminergic dysfunction and enhanced microglial activation in idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stokholm, Morten Gersel; Iranzo, Alex; Østergaard, Karen

2018-01-01

BACKGROUND: The majority of patients diagnosed with idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder (iRBD) progress over time to a Lewy-type α-synucleinopathy such as Parkinson's disease or dementia with Lewy bodies. This in vivo molecular imaging study aimed to investigate if extrastriatal...

Progress in the methods for analyses and measurements of environmental radionuclides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1984-01-01

The tenth seminar on environment of the National Institute of Radiological Sciences was held in Chiba on December 9 and 10, 1982, under the joint auspices with Japan Health Physics Society. The recent progress of the measuring techniques for environmental radiation substances is remarkable. The Japanese data on environmental radiation presented to the UN Scientific Committee on the Effect of Atomic Radiation have obtained very high esteem because the data have been reliable due to the progress of measuring techniques. However, this field is in steady progress and changes rapidly, therefore, this seminar was planned. In this report, the history of the analysis and measurement of environmental radioactivity, the method of sampling and pretreatment operation for such environmental specimens as gaseous radionuclides, atmospheric floating dust, soil, agricultural products, sea water and sea bottom sediment, marine life, foods and living bodies, the progress of chemical separation process, the automation of analysis and measurement, the progress of the analysis of low level nuclides with long half-value period, the manual for the analysis and measurement, the quality of the analysis and measurement and its assurance are described. (Kako, I.)

Rapidly progressive effusive constrictive pericarditis caused by methicillin sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA). samraakhtar@hotmail.com.

Science.gov (United States)

Akhtar, Naveed; Khalid, Ayesha; Ahmed, Waqas; Rasheed, Khalid

2010-04-01

Effusive-constrictive pericarditis is a clinical syndrome characterized by concurrent pericardial effusion and pericardial constriction, where constrictive hemodynamics are persistent after effusion is drained. It may present at any point along the clinical course, from the occurrence of an effusion to the development of chronic pericardial constriction. We refer an unusual case of effusive constrictive pericarditis developing rapidly within days, following purulent pericarditis secondary to chest trauma.

Progress in Rapidly-Tunable External Cavity Quantum Cascade Lasers with a Frequency-Shifted Feedback

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arkadiy Lyakh

2016-04-01

Full Text Available The recent demonstration of external cavity quantum cascade lasers with optical feedback, controlled by an acousto-optic modulator, paves the way to ruggedized infrared laser systems with the capability of tuning the emission wavelength on a microsecond scale. Such systems are of great importance for various critical applications requiring ultra-rapid wavelength tuning, including combustion and explosion diagnostics and standoff detection. In this paper, recent research results on these devices are summarized and the advantages of the new configuration are analyzed in the context of practical applications.

Regulatory polymorphisms in the cyclophilin A gene, PPIA, accelerate progression to AIDS.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ping An

2007-06-01

Full Text Available Human cyclophilin A, or CypA, encoded by the gene peptidyl prolyl isomerase A (PPIA, is incorporated into the HIV type 1 (HIV-1 virion and promotes HIV-1 infectivity by facilitating virus uncoating. We examined the effect of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs and haplotypes within the PPIA gene on HIV-1 infection and disease progression in five HIV-1 longitudinal history cohorts. Kaplan-Meier survival statistics and Cox proportional hazards model were used to assess time to AIDS outcomes. Among eight SNPs tested, two promoter SNPs (SNP3 and SNP4 in perfect linkage disequilibrium were associated with more rapid CD4(+ T-cell loss (relative hazard = 3.7, p = 0.003 in African Americans. Among European Americans, these alleles were also associated with a significant trend to more rapid progression to AIDS in a multi-point categorical analysis (p = 0.005. Both SNPs showed differential nuclear protein-binding efficiencies in a gel shift assay. In addition, one SNP (SNP5 located in the 5' UTR previously shown to be associated with higher ex vivo HIV-1 replication was found to be more frequent in HIV-1-positive individuals than in those highly exposed uninfected individuals. These results implicate regulatory PPIA polymorphisms as a component of genetic susceptibility to HIV-1 infection or disease progression, affirming the important role of PPIA in HIV-1 pathogenesis.

Rapid and large-scale synthesis of Co3O4 octahedron particles with very high catalytic activity, good supercapacitance and unique magnetic property

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Chowdhury, M

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Scarcity of rapid and large scale synthesis of functional materials, hinders the progress from laboratory scale to commercial applications. In this study, we report a rapid and large scale synthesis of Co(Sub3)O(sub4) octahedron micron size (1.3 µm...

A Case Of Unexplained Dyspnoea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bushna Bavumon

2016-01-01

Full Text Available 50 year old female, without any history of significant illness in the past, presented to our emergency department with episodic shortness of breath and generalized weakness of 3 weeks duration, more towards end of the day. She attributes that her symptoms developed following some mental stress. Over 3 weeks she had many emergency visits and was treated as asthma and anxiety disorder. She was even put on psychiatry drugs.

Recent trends in rapid dereplication of natural product extracts：an update

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Fikre Mammo; Milkyas Endale

2015-01-01

Natural products are the prominent sources of drugs to combat various infectious diseases. The rapid progress of multi-resistance and pan-resistant pathogens to various medicines represents today a major challenge. The search for novel natural products requires a quick and efficient approach to distinguish novel compounds from the known ones, a process called dereplication. Dereplication strategy is generic and time-saving, avoids isolation/purification of known compounds, enables an efficient liquid chromatography peak annotation of most of the studied compounds and can be well adapted for plant chemotaxonomy, phytochemical screening and metabolite profiling. In this review, recent developments of hyphenated techniques towards dereplication of active compounds, chemotaxonomy, metabolite profiling and rapid detection of novel compounds in medicinal plant extracts are presented.

Geothermal Progress Monitor: Report No. 14

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1992-12-01

This issue of the Geothermal Progress Monitor, the 14th since its inception in 1980, highlights the anticipated rapid growth in the use of geothermal heat pumps and documents the continued growth in the use of geothermal energy for power generation, both in this country and abroad. In countries with a relatively large demand for new generation capacity, geothermal, if available, is being called on as a preferable alternative to the use of domestic or imported oil. On the other hand, in this country where current demand for new capacity is less, geothermal energy is commonly being put to use in small power generation units operating on the hot water resource.

Large observer variation of clinical assessment of dyspnoeic wheezing children.

Science.gov (United States)

Bekhof, Jolita; Reimink, Roelien; Bartels, Ine-Marije; Eggink, Hendriekje; Brand, Paul L P

2015-07-01

In children with acute dyspnoea, the assessment of severity of dyspnoea and response to treatment is often performed by different professionals, implying that knowledge of the interobserver variation of this clinical assessment is important. To determine intraobserver and interobserver variation in clinical assessment of children with dyspnoea. From September 2009 to September 2010, we recorded a convenience sample of 27 acutely wheezing children (aged 3 months-7 years) in the emergency department of a general teaching hospital in the Netherlands, on video before and after treatment with inhaled bronchodilators. These video recordings were independently assessed by nine observers scoring wheeze, prolonged expiratory phase, retractions, nasal flaring and a general assessment of dyspnoea on a Likert scale (0-10). Assessment was repeated after 2 weeks to evaluate intraobserver variation. We analysed 972 observations. Intraobserver reliability was the highest for supraclavicular retractions (κ 0.84) and moderate-to-substantial for other items (κ 0.49-0.65). Interobserver reliability was considerably worse, with κ3 points) was larger than the minimal important change (meaning that in 69% of observations a clinically important change after treatment cannot be distinguished from measurement error. Intraobserver variation is modest, and interobserver variation is large for most clinical findings in children with dyspnoea. The measurement error induced by this variation is too large to distinguish potentially clinically relevant changes in dyspnoea after treatment in two-thirds of observations. The poor interobserver reliability of clinical dyspnoea assessment in children limits its usefulness in clinical practice and research, and highlights the need to use more objective measurements in these patients. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Republic of Armenia; Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper Progress Report

OpenAIRE

International Monetary Fund

2006-01-01

This paper evaluates Armenia’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) Progress Report covering August 2003–December 2004. The developments in 2003–04 are rather reassuring. The resulting pattern, overall, is more favorable than what was foreseen by the PRSP development scenario. Particularly, the economy grew twice as rapidly as the projected rate, and the government continues to implement a public expenditure policy that is focused on social sectors and infrastructure development. As a resu...

Progression of Dysphagia in Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 6.

Science.gov (United States)

Isono, Chiharu; Hirano, Makito; Sakamoto, Hikaru; Ueno, Shuichi; Kusunoki, Susumu; Nakamura, Yusaku

2017-06-01

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 6 (SCA6), an autosomal dominant triplet repeat disease, predominantly affects the cerebellum with a late onset and generally good prognosis. Dysphagia is commonly associated with the outcomes of neurodegenerative diseases such as SCA6. Although the characteristics of dysphagia have been rarely reported in SCA6, our previous study indicated that dysphagia is generally milder in SCA6 than in SCA3, another inherited ataxia with multisystem involvement. However, abnormalities in the pharyngeal phase in SCA6 were indistinguishable from those in SCA3, with no explainable reason. To determine the reason, we repeatedly performed videofluoroscopic examinations (VF) in 14 patients with SCA6. The results showed that the gross progression of dysphagia was apparently slow, but four patients had progressive dysphagia at an early disease stage; dysphagia began within 10 years from the onset of ataxia and rapidly progressed. A common clinical feature of the four patients was a significantly older age at the onset of ataxia (74.0 vs. 60.3 years), associated with significantly shorter triplet repeats. This finding surprisingly indicated that patients who had shorter repeats and thereby later onset and potentially better prognoses were at risk for dysphagia-associated problems. Ischemic changes, homozygous mutation, and diabetes mellitus as well as aging might have contributed to the observed progressive dysphagia. We found that conventionally monitored somatosensory evoked potentials at least partly reflected progressive dysphagia. Despite the small study group, our findings suggest that clinicians should carefully monitor dysphagia in patients with SCA6 who are older at disease onset (>60 years).

Rapid construction of concrete pressure vessels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Limbert, D.; Weatherseed, D.C.

1989-01-01

This paper opens with a general description of the concrete pressure vessel followed by a more detailed examination of the critical elements of the construction, including choice of methods and plant which were selected to ensure its rapid construction. The pressure vessel construction cannot be treated in isolation, because it is very closely linked with its surrounding structures - namely the reactor hall which surrounds it and the charge hall which tops it, as will be seen in the context of this paper. Rate of progress of construction is not entirely in the civil contractor's hands because so many of the operations affecting the civil works are of a mechanical nature, hence a very close liaison and understanding amongst all contractors concerned was of the utmost importance. (author)

Nucleosynthesis in the early Galaxy: Progress and challenges.

Science.gov (United States)

Montes, Fernando

2015-10-01

Chemical imprints left by the first stars in the oldest stars of the Milky Way gives clues of the stellar nucleosynthesis responsible for the creation of elements heavier than iron. Recent progress in astronomical observations and in the modeling of the chemical evolution of the Galaxy have shown that multiple nucleosynthesis processes may operate at those early times. In this talk I will review some of that evidence along with the important role that nuclear reactions play in those processes. I will focus in progress in our understanding of the rapid neutron capture process (r-process) and in new results on nucleosynthesis in core-collapse supernovae and neutrino-driven winds that produce elements up to silver. I will show some examples of recent nuclear physics measurements addressing the need for better nuclear data and give an outlook of the remaining challenges and future plans to continue those measurements.

Research Progress of Microfluidic Chips Preparation and its Optical Element

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Feng WANG

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Microfluidic technology is the emerging technologies in researching fluid channel and related applications in the micro and nano-scale space. Microfluidic chip is a new miniaturized rapid analysis platform by microfluidic technology, it has many characteristics such as liquid flow control, minimal reagent consumption, rapid analysis, which is widely used in physics, chemistry, biology, and engineering science and other fields, it has strong interdisciplinary. This paper mainly discusses research progress of materials used for microfluidic chips and the devices based on microfluidic technology, including microfluidic chip, microfluidic optical devices, microfluidic laser preparation, microfluidic chip applications, focusing on the quasi-molecular laser processing technology and femtosecond laser processing technology in the microfluidic devices preparation, and make development prospects for it.

A hydrogen fuel cell for rapid, enzyme-catalysed organic synthesis with continuous monitoring.

Science.gov (United States)

Wan, Lei; Megarity, Clare F; Siritanaratkul, Bhavin; Armstrong, Fraser A

2018-01-23

A one-pot fuel cell for specific, enzyme-catalysed organic synthesis, with continuous monitoring of rate and reaction progress, combines an electrode catalysing rapid, reversible and diffusion-controlled interconversion of NADP + and NADPH with a Pt electrode catalysing 2H + /H 2 interconversion. This Communication demonstrates its performance and characteristics using the reductive amination of 2-oxoglutarate as a test system.

Rapid and automated determination of plutonium and neptunium in environmental samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qiao, J.

2011-03-01

This thesis presents improved analytical methods for rapid and automated determination of plutonium and neptunium in environmental samples using sequential injection (SI) based chromatography and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The progress of methodology development in this work consists of 5 subjects stated as follows: 1) Development and optimization of an SI-anion exchange chromatographic method for rapid determination of plutonium in environmental samples in combination of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry detection (Paper II); (2) Methodology development and optimization for rapid determination of plutonium in environmental samples using SI-extraction chromatography prior to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (Paper III); (3) Development of an SI-chromatographic method for simultaneous determination of plutonium and neptunium in environmental samples (Paper IV); (4) Investigation of the suitability and applicability of 242 Pu as a tracer for rapid neptunium determination using anion exchange chromatography in an SI-network coupled with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (Paper V); (5) Exploration of macro-porous anion exchange chromatography for rapid and simultaneous determination of plutonium and neptunium within an SI system (Paper VI). The results demonstrate that the developed methods in this study are reliable and efficient for accurate assays of trace levels of plutonium and neptunium as demanded in different situations including environmental risk monitoring and assessment, emergency preparedness and surveillance of contaminated areas. (Author)

Rapid and automated determination of plutonium and neptunium in environmental samples

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Qiao, J.

2011-03-15

This thesis presents improved analytical methods for rapid and automated determination of plutonium and neptunium in environmental samples using sequential injection (SI) based chromatography and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The progress of methodology development in this work consists of 5 subjects stated as follows: 1) Development and optimization of an SI-anion exchange chromatographic method for rapid determination of plutonium in environmental samples in combination of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry detection (Paper II); (2) Methodology development and optimization for rapid determination of plutonium in environmental samples using SI-extraction chromatography prior to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (Paper III); (3) Development of an SI-chromatographic method for simultaneous determination of plutonium and neptunium in environmental samples (Paper IV); (4) Investigation of the suitability and applicability of 242Pu as a tracer for rapid neptunium determination using anion exchange chromatography in an SI-network coupled with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (Paper V); (5) Exploration of macro-porous anion exchange chromatography for rapid and simultaneous determination of plutonium and neptunium within an SI system (Paper VI). The results demonstrate that the developed methods in this study are reliable and efficient for accurate assays of trace levels of plutonium and neptunium as demanded in different situations including environmental risk monitoring and assessment, emergency preparedness and surveillance of contaminated areas. (Author)

MM1+2C sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease presenting as rapidly progressive nonfluent aphasia.

Science.gov (United States)

Allegri, Ricardo F; Bartoloni, Leonardo; Iturry, Mónica; Romero, Carlos; Begué, Christián; Sevlever, Gustavo; Taratuto, Ana Lía

2014-01-01

We report a 77-year-old man, presenting with progressive aphasia as an initial symptom, who developed severe dementia over the course of 20 months. Frontal cortex PrPSc western blot was type 2 and codon 129 was MM; brain neuropathology showed cortical vacuoles with perivacuolar PrP immunostaining characteristic of MM2C. Cerebellum showed focal coarse, patchy staining in different sections of the molecular layer, diffuse fine punctuate and coarse PrP immunopositive deposits in the granule cell layer, and focal synaptic immunostaining in the molecular layer, suggestive of MM1+2C by histotyping. This clinical presentation has not yet been described in an MM1+2C subtype by histotyping.

Mixing and matching Bevalac programs: Rapid-switching of ions and other operations highlights: Progress report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lothrop, F.; Alonso, J.; Krebs, G.; Miller, R.; Stevenson, R.

1987-03-01

Rapid switching of ion, energy, and beam line has been accomplished on a routine basis; typical transfer time is 1 to 2 minutes in worst case situations. Operational efficiency has been improved by substantial reduction of inter-experiment tune time and improved optics in the external beam area installed in 1985. A comparison of current research efficiency and previous year efficiency is given. It is shown that compatibility and productivity for two simultaneous, independent research programs are not mutually exclusive

Quantitative assessment of smoking-induced emphysema progression in longitudinal CT screening for lung cancer

Science.gov (United States)

Suzuki, H.; Mizuguchi, R.; Matsuhiro, M.; Kawata, Y.; Niki, N.; Nakano, Y.; Ohmatsu, H.; Kusumoto, M.; Tsuchida, T.; Eguchi, K.; Kaneko, M.; Moriyama, N.

2015-03-01

Computed tomography has been used for assessing structural abnormalities associated with emphysema. It is important to develop a robust CT based imaging biomarker that would allow quantification of emphysema progression in early stage. This paper presents effect of smoking on emphysema progression using annual changes of low attenuation volume (LAV) by each lung lobe acquired from low-dose CT images in longitudinal screening for lung cancer. The percentage of LAV (LAV%) was measured after applying CT value threshold method and small noise reduction. Progression of emphysema was assessed by statistical analysis of the annual changes represented by linear regression of LAV%. This method was applied to 215 participants in lung cancer CT screening for five years (18 nonsmokers, 85 past smokers, and 112 current smokers). The results showed that LAV% is useful to classify current smokers with rapid progression of emphysema (0.2%/year, pemphysema in CT screening for lung cancer.

Rapidly Destructive Inflammatory Arthritis of the Hip

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jenny Shu

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Rapidly destructive coxarthrosis (RDC is a rare syndrome that involves aggressive hip joint destruction within 6–12 months of symptom onset with no single diagnostic laboratory, pathological, or radiographic finding. We report an original case of RDC as an initial presentation of seronegative rheumatoid arthritis (RA in a 57-year-old Caucasian woman presenting with 6 months of progressive right groin pain and no preceding trauma or chronic steroid use. Over 5 months, she was unable to ambulate and plain films showed complete resorption of the right femoral head and erosion of the acetabulum. There were inflammatory features seen on computed tomography (CT and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI. She required a right total hip arthroplasty, but arthritis in other joints showed improvement with triple disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARD therapy and almost complete remission with the addition of adalimumab. We contrast our case of RDC as an initial presentation of RA to 8 RDC case reports of patients with established RA. Furthermore, this case highlights the importance of obtaining serial imaging to evaluate a patient with persistent hip symptoms and rapid functional deterioration.

Young woman with a four-year history of epilepsy and progressive focal cortical atrophy — What is the diagnosis?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Pati

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The pathogenesis of disease progression in drug-refractory epilepsy is poorly understood. We report the case of a young woman with a four-year history of epilepsy that progressed rapidly as evidenced by the development of progressive focal cortical atrophy. She underwent biopsy that showed perinatal ischemia and a prominent inflammatory response, including T-cell infiltration and microglial activation. There was no consensus reached on the final diagnosis although the hypothesis of dual pathology (adult variant of Rasmussen's encephalitis and perinatal stroke was considered. The possible role of inflammation in the progression of epilepsy caused by a “static” lesion (perinatal stroke is discussed.

Rapid cognitive decline: not always Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Randall, A; Ellis, R; Hywel, B; Davies, R R; Alusi, S H; Larner, A J

2015-01-01

A patient with rapidly progressive cognitive decline over an approximately four month period was suspected to have sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Features thought to support this diagnosis included psychiatric symptoms (anxiety and depression), visual hallucinations and a visual field defect. However, the finding of papilloedema broadened the differential diagnosis. Although standard brain imaging and electroencephalography had shown only non-specific abnormalities, subsequent cerebral angiography disclosed an intracranial dural arteriovenous fistula. Following embolisation, the patient made a good functional recovery. Intracranial dural arteriovenous fistula merits consideration in any patient with subacute cognitive decline, and should be included in the differential diagnosis of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

Rapid onset aggressive vertebral haemangioma.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheung, Nicholas K; Doorenbosch, Xenia; Christie, John G

2011-03-01

Vertebral haemangiomas are generally benign asymptomatic vascular tumours seen commonly in the adult population. Presentations in paediatric populations are extremely rare, which can result in rapid onset of neurological symptoms. We present a highly unusual case of an aggressive paediatric vertebral haemangioma causing significant cord compression. A 13-year-old boy presented with only 2 weeks duration of progressive gait disturbance, truncal ataxia and loss of bladder control. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the spine revealed a large vascular epidural mass extending between T6 and T8 vertebral bodies. Associated displacement and compression of the spinal cord was present. A highly vascular bony lesion was found during surgery. Histopathology identified this tumour to be a vertebral haemangioma. We present an extremely unusual acute presentation of a paediatric vertebral haemangioma. This study highlights the need for early diagnosis, MRI for investigation and urgent surgical management. © Springer-Verlag 2011

Acute progressive paraplegia in heroin-associated myelopathy.

Science.gov (United States)

Mahoney, Kyle W; Romba, Meghan; Gailloud, Philippe; Izbudak, Izlem; Saylor, Deanna

2018-05-01

As the opioid epidemic continues, understanding manifestations of abuse, including heroin-associated myelopathy remains essential. Here we describe a young man with a past medical history significant for polysubstance abuse who developed acute-onset, rapidly progressive myelopathy after resumption of intravenous heroin use. He had significant spinal cord involvement with findings suggestive of heroin-associated myelopathy. The salient features of this case include diffusion imaging of the spine and spinal angiography supporting a possible vasculopathy as the pathophysiologic mechanism underlying heroin-associated myelopathy. Additionally, CSF studies showed the transition from a neutrophilic pleocytosis to a lymphocytic pleocytosis suggesting an inflammatory component. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Rapid instrumental and separation methods for monitoring radionuclides in food and environmental samples. Progress report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhat, I.S.; Shukla, V.K.; Singh, A.N.; Nair, C.K.G.; Hingorani, S.B.; Dey, N.N.; Jha, S.K.; Rao, D.D.

1995-01-01

surface barrier detector, in close agreement. Presently the liquid scintillation counter is used with discriminator settling adjusted to count Pu alpha pulses and also the output from the liquid scintillator is connected to a 2K MCA to see the alpha spectrum. The unit at present does not have the Pulse Shape Analyser (PSA) unit which is being planned to be incorporated in the system to improve the resolution. The work is in progress for direct extraction to a liquid scintillation cocktail containing extracting reagents like high mol. amine (TIOA) and Di2 ethyl hexyl phosphoric acid and then count by liquid scintillation counting. Solvent extraction using specific reagent and then direct liquid scintillation counting is being investigated as a general rapid method for beta and alpha emitters in environmental samples

Rapidly progressive renal disease as part of Wolfram syndrome in a large inbred Turkish family due to a novel WFS1 mutation (p.Leu511Pro).

Science.gov (United States)

Yuca, Sevil Ari; Rendtorff, Nanna Dahl; Boulahbel, Houda; Lodahl, Marianne; Tranebjærg, Lisbeth; Cesur, Yasar; Dogan, Murat; Yilmaz, Cahide; Akgun, Cihangir; Acikgoz, Mehmet

2012-01-01

Wolfram syndrome, also named "DIDMOAD" (diabetes insipidus, diabetes mellitus, optic atrophy, and deafness), is an inherited association of juvenile-onset diabetes mellitus and optic atrophy as key diagnostic criteria. Renal tract abnormalities and neurodegenerative disorder may occur in the third and fourth decade. The wolframin gene, WFS1, associated with this syndrome, is located on chromosome 4p16.1. Many mutations have been described since the identification of WFS1 as the cause of Wolfram syndrome. We identified a new homozygous WFS1 mutation (c.1532T>C; p.Leu511Pro) causing Wolfram syndrome in a large inbred Turkish family. The patients showed early onset of IDDM, diabetes insipidus, optic atrophy, sensorineural hearing impairment and very rapid progression to renal failure before age 12 in three females. Ectopic expression of the wolframin mutant in HEK cells results in greatly reduced levels of protein expression compared to wild-type wolframin, strongly supporting that this mutation is disease-causing. The mutation showed perfect segregation with disease in the family, characterized by early and severe clinical manifestations. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Stevens-Johnson syndrome progressing to toxic epidermal necrolysis with haloperidol and carbamazepine combination

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ajay Kumar

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Carbamazepine and other anticonvulsants are commoner cause of severe adverse cutaneous drug reactions such as erythema multiforme, toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN, and Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS. We report a case of SJS rapidly progressing to TEN with a combination of haloperidol and carbamazepine in a patient with bipolar affective disorder. The pathophysiological mechanism underlying this reaction is discussed.

Cobalamin C Deficiency Shows a Rapidly Progressing Maculopathy With Severe Photoreceptor and Ganglion Cell Loss

Science.gov (United States)

Bonafede, Lucas; Ficicioglu, Can H.; Serrano, Leona; Han, Grace; Morgan, Jessica I. W.; Mills, Monte D.; Forbes, Brian J.; Davidson, Stefanie L.; Binenbaum, Gil; Kaplan, Paige B.; Nichols, Charles W.; Verloo, Patrick; Leroy, Bart P.; Maguire, Albert M.; Aleman, Tomas S.

2015-01-01

Purpose To describe in detail the retinal structure and function of a group of patients with cobalamin C (cblC) disease. Methods Patients (n = 11, age 4 months to 15 years) with cblC disease (9/11, early onset) diagnosed by newborn screening underwent complete ophthalmic examinations, fundus photography, near-infrared reflectance imaging, and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). Electroretinograms (ERGs) were performed in a subset of patients. Results Patients carried homozygous or compound heterozygote mutations in the methylmalonic aciduria and homocystinuria type C (MMACHC) gene. Late-onset patients had a normal exam. All early-onset patients showed a maculopathy; older subjects had a retina-wide degeneration (n = 4; >7 years of age). In general, retinal changes were first observed before 1 year of age and progressed within months to a well-established maculopathy. Pseudocolobomas were documented in three patients. Measurable visual acuities ranged from 20/200 to 20/540. Nystagmus was present in 8/11 patients; 5/6 patients had normal ERGs; 1/6 had reduced rod-mediated responses. Spectral-domain OCT showed macular thinning, with severe ganglion cell layer (GCL) and outer nuclear layer (ONL) loss. Inner retinal thickening was observed in areas of total GCL/ONL loss. A normal lamination pattern in the peripapillary nasal retina was often seen despite severe central and/or retina-wide disease. Conclusions Patients with early-onset cblC and MMACHC mutations showed an early-onset, unusually fast-progressing maculopathy with severe central ONL and GCL loss. An abnormally thickened inner retina supports a remodeling response to both photoreceptor and ganglion cell degeneration and/or an interference with normal development in early-onset cblC. PMID:26658511

Patient with rapidly evolving neurological disease with neuropathological lesions of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, Lewy body dementia, chronic subcortical vascular encephalopathy and meningothelial meningioma.

Science.gov (United States)

Vita, Maria Gabriella; Tiple, Dorina; Bizzarro, Alessandra; Ladogana, Anna; Colaizzo, Elisa; Capellari, Sabina; Rossi, Marcello; Parchi, Piero; Masullo, Carlo; Pocchiari, Maurizio

2017-04-01

We report a case of rapidly evolving neurological disease in a patient with neuropathological lesions of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), Lewy body dementia (LBD), chronic subcortical vascular encephalopathy and meningothelial meningioma. The coexistence of severe multiple pathologies in a single patient strengthens the need to perform accurate clinical differential diagnoses in rapidly progressive dementias. © 2016 Japanese Society of Neuropathology.

Progressive Stroke-Like Symptoms in a Patient with Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jukka Lyytinen

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD is a rare neurodegenerative disorder in which accumulation of a pathogenic isoform of prion protein (PrPSc induces neuronal damage with distinct pathologic features. The prognosis of sCJD is devastating: rapid clinical decline is followed by death generally within months after onset of symptoms. The classic clinical manifestations of sCJD are rapidly progressing dementia, myoclonus, and ataxia. However, the spectrum of clinical features can vary considerably. We describe a definite, neuropathologically verified sCJD in a 67-year-old woman who initially presented with progressive stroke-like symptoms: left-sided hemiparesis and ataxia within a few days. The initial brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI showed bilateral cortical hyperintensity on diffusion-weighted sequences (DWI resembling multiple ischemic lesions. Despite anticoagulation with low-molecular-weight heparin, the patient deteriorated rapidly, became dysphagic and bedridden with myoclonic jerks on her left side extremities correlating with intermittent high-amplitude epileptiform discharges on electroencephalography (EEG. Basal ganglia hyperintense signal changes in addition to cortical ribboning were seen in DWI images of a follow-up MRI. Repeated EEG recordings showed an evolution to periodic sharp wave complexes. Protein 14-3-3 was positive in her cerebrospinal fluid specimen, in addition to an abnormally high total tau level. In the terminal stage the patient was in an akinetic, mutistic state with deteriorating consciousness. She died 19 days after admission to the hospital. Neuropathologic investigation corroborated the clinical diagnosis of sCJD with spongiform degeneration and immunohistochemical demonstration of the deposition of pathologic PrPSc.

The evolution of primary progressive apraxia of speech.

Science.gov (United States)

Josephs, Keith A; Duffy, Joseph R; Strand, Edythe A; Machulda, Mary M; Senjem, Matthew L; Gunter, Jeffrey L; Schwarz, Christopher G; Reid, Robert I; Spychalla, Anthony J; Lowe, Val J; Jack, Clifford R; Whitwell, Jennifer L

2014-10-01

, compared to controls. Increased rates of brain atrophy over time were observed throughout the premotor cortex, as well as prefrontal cortex, motor cortex, basal ganglia and midbrain, while white matter tract degeneration spread into the splenium of the corpus callosum and motor cortex white matter. Hypometabolism progressed over time in almost all subjects. These findings demonstrate that some subjects with primary progressive apraxia of speech will rapidly evolve and develop a devastating progressive supranuclear palsy-like syndrome ∼ 5 years after onset, perhaps related to progressive involvement of neocortex, basal ganglia and midbrain. These findings help improve our understanding of primary progressive apraxia of speech and provide some important prognostic guidelines. © The Author (2014). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Guarantors of Brain. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Association between Hlaantigens and Progression of HIV Infection in Greek Haemophiliacs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chr. Papasteriades

1993-01-01

Full Text Available The frequencies of HLA antigens in 33 HIV seronegative and in 88 HIV seropositive haemophiliacs, who have been followed for at least 6 years since seroconversion or first HIV positive test. were evaluated in relation to disease susceptibility and disease progression. A high frequency of HLA-A2 and -DR2 antigens and a low frequency of HLA-A9 were found to characterize HIV seropositive patients (p<0.05. Progressors to symptomatic CDC stage IV had a higher frequency of HLA-A9 (p<0.01 and DR3. Rapid decline of CD4+ T cells in these patients was associated with HLA-A9, -DR I and DR3. Our data suggest that HLA antigens may contribute to susceptibility to HIV infection and disease progression in Greek haemophiliacs.

An unusual cause of spontaneous pneumothorax: the Mounier-Kuhn syndrome.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Kent, B D

2011-05-01

We present the case of a 54-year old woman referred to our service with an unusual presentation of an under-diagnosed condition. A life-long non-smoker, she was referred to respiratory services by our emergency department with a left sided pneumothorax, progressive dyspnoea on exertion, and recurrent chest infections. Subsequent investigation yielded findings consistent with Mounier-Kuhn syndrome (Tracheobronchomegaly), a condition characterised by marked dilatation of the proximal airways, recurrent chest infection, and consequent emphysema and bronchiectasis. Although rarely diagnosed, some degree of Mounier-Kuhn syndrome may occur in up to 1 in 500 adults.

An unusual cause of spontaneous pneumothorax: the Mounier-Kuhn syndrome.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Kent, B D

2012-02-01

We present the case of a 54-year old woman referred to our service with an unusual presentation of an under-diagnosed condition. A life-long non-smoker, she was referred to respiratory services by our emergency department with a left sided pneumothorax, progressive dyspnoea on exertion, and recurrent chest infections. Subsequent investigation yielded findings consistent with Mounier-Kuhn syndrome (Tracheobronchomegaly), a condition characterised by marked dilatation of the proximal airways, recurrent chest infection, and consequent emphysema and bronchiectasis. Although rarely diagnosed, some degree of Mounier-Kuhn syndrome may occur in up to 1 in 500 adults.

St Anne's Private Nursing Home, Sonnagh, Charlestown, Mayo.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Kent, B D

2011-05-01

We present the case of a 54-year old woman referred to our service with an unusual presentation of an under-diagnosed condition. A life-long non-smoker, she was referred to respiratory services by our emergency department with a left sided pneumothorax, progressive dyspnoea on exertion, and recurrent chest infections. Subsequent investigation yielded findings consistent with Mounier-Kuhn syndrome (Tracheobronchomegaly), a condition characterised by marked dilatation of the proximal airways, recurrent chest infection, and consequent emphysema and bronchiectasis. Although rarely diagnosed, some degree of Mounier-Kuhn syndrome may occur in up to 1 in 500 adults.

Oxygen therapy for interstitial lung disease: a systematic review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emily C. Bell

2017-02-01

Full Text Available This review aims to establish the impact of oxygen therapy on dyspnoea, health-related quality of life (HRQoL, exercise capacity and mortality in interstitial lung disease (ILD. We included studies that compared oxygen therapy to no oxygen therapy in adults with ILD. No limitations were placed on study design or intervention type. Two reviewers independently evaluated studies for inclusion, assessed risk of bias and extracted data. The primary outcome was dyspnoea. Eight studies evaluated the acute effects of oxygen (n=1509. There was no effect of oxygen therapy on modified Borg dyspnoea score at end exercise (mean difference (MD −0.06 units, 95% CI −0.24–0.13; two studies, n=27. However, effects on exercise outcomes consistently favoured oxygen therapy. One study showed reduction in dyspnoea at rest with oxygen in patients who were acutely unwell (MD visual analogue scale 30 mm versus 48 mm, p<0.05; n=10. Four studies of long-term oxygen therapy (n=2670 had high risk of bias and no inferences could be drawn. This systematic review showed no effects of oxygen therapy on dyspnoea during exercise in ILD, although exercise capacity was increased. Future trials should evaluate whether acute improvements in exercise capacity with oxygen can be translated into improved physical activity and HRQoL.

An automatic measure of progression during colonoscopy correlates to patient experienced pain

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Preisler, Louise; Bulut, Mustafa; Svendsen, Morten Soendergaard

2018-01-01

recordings were used for evaluation. We demonstrated a moderate correlation between CoPS and patient experienced pain, Pearson's r = -0.47 (p ... progression. CoPS deliver a numeric score and a graphic map. A high score expresses a rapid and smooth progression. Aims of study were to explore the correlation between CoPS and patient experienced pain and to identity locations associated with pain. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Patients listed for colonoscopy.......61 Passage of the sigmoid colon, right and left flexures were associated with pain for 51%, 33% and 25% of the patients, respectively. CONCLUSION: A moderate correlation between CoPS and patient experienced pain suggest that CoPS measure inserting skills but might also be a measure of a gentle performance...

Primary pleural leiomyosarcoma with rapid progression and fatal outcome: a case report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rais Ghizlane

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Introduction Leiomyosarcomas are neoplasms of smooth muscles that most commonly arise from the uterus, gastrointestinal tract, or soft tissue. Primary pleural leiomyosarcoma is extremely rare. To the best of our knowledge, only nine cases have been published to date. Because of the rarity of pleural leiomyosarcoma and its similarity (clinical and histological to other pleural neoplasms, particularly sarcomatous mesothelioma, diagnosis is often difficult. Case presentation A 58-year-old North African man was admitted with complaints of dyspnea and chest pain to our hospital. Chest computed tomography revealed right pleural effusion and pleural thickening. A transthoracic needle biopsy yielded a diagnosis of leiomyosarcoma, and tumor cells were strongly and uniformly positive for vimentin, a smooth muscle actin at immunohistochemical analysis. A general examination did not show any metastatic lesions in other areas. One month after diagnosis, the tumor grew rapidly, with pulmonary invasion, and therefore he was treated only by palliative care. He died from respiratory failure one month later. Because no organ of origin of the leiomyosarcoma, other than the pleura, was detected, this case was diagnosed as a primary pleural leiomyosarcoma. Conclusions Although leiomyosarcoma originating from the pleura is rare, this entity is increasingly described. The purpose of presenting this case report is to raise awareness among clinicians to consider this clinical entity as a differential diagnosis when a pleural mass is identified.

Comparative advantage strategy for rapid pollution mitigation in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Yuan

2013-09-03

Due to its sheer size and growth trend, no other country is facing more daunting challenges than China in reducing its pollutant emissions. A critical but inadequately addressed question is how rapidly China could feasibly achieve such mitigation. The stake is high not only about how much worse China's environmental quality could become but also about how the world can prevent catastrophic climate change. Through examining sulfur dioxide (SO2) mitigation in coal-fired power plants and wind energy development for carbon dioxide (CO2) mitigation, this article proposes a comparative advantage strategy for overcoming high barriers to fast pollution mitigation. On the demand side, China could first make progress in the deployment of more pollution control facilities and then improve their operational performance. The resulting low technological market entry barriers could help to build enough industrial capacity to meet the huge demand with prices under control. The strategy in the current practice could be improved to establish not only a large supply industry but also a strong one to enable other countries to move more rapidly in pollution mitigation.

Rapid SAR and GPS Measurements and Models for Hazard Science and Situational Awareness

Science.gov (United States)

Owen, S. E.; Yun, S. H.; Hua, H.; Agram, P. S.; Liu, Z.; Moore, A. W.; Rosen, P. A.; Simons, M.; Webb, F.; Linick, J.; Fielding, E. J.; Lundgren, P.; Sacco, G. F.; Polet, J.; Manipon, G.

2016-12-01

The Advanced Rapid Imaging and Analysis (ARIA) project for Natural Hazards is focused on rapidly generating higher level geodetic imaging products and placing them in the hands of the solid earth science and local, national, and international natural hazard communities by providing science product generation, exploration, and delivery capabilities at an operational level. Space-based geodetic measurement techniques such as Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR), Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS), SAR-based change detection, and image pixel tracking have recently become critical additions to our toolset for understanding and mapping the damage caused by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, and floods. Analyses of these data sets are still largely handcrafted following each event and are not generated rapidly and reliably enough for response to natural disasters or for timely analysis of large data sets. The ARIA project, a joint venture co-sponsored by California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and by NASA through the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), has been capturing the knowledge applied to these responses and building it into an automated infrastructure to generate imaging products in near real-time that can improve situational awareness for disaster response. In addition, the ARIA project is developing the capabilities to provide automated imaging and analysis capabilities necessary to keep up with the imminent increase in raw data from geodetic imaging missions planned for launch by NASA, as well as international space agencies. We will present the progress we have made on automating the analysis of SAR data for hazard monitoring and response using data from Sentinel 1a/b as well as continuous GPS stations. Since the beginning of our project, our team has imaged events and generated response products for events around the world. These response products have enabled many conversations with those in the disaster response community

Structural defects and variations in the HIV-1 nef gene from rapid, slow and non-progressor children.

Science.gov (United States)

Casartelli, Nicoletta; Di Matteo, Gigliola; Argentini, Claudio; Cancrini, Caterina; Bernardi, Stefania; Castelli, Guido; Scarlatti, Gabriella; Plebani, Anna; Rossi, Paolo; Doria, Margherita

2003-06-13

Evaluation of sequence evolution as well as structural defects and mutations of the human immunodeficiency virus-type 1 (HIV-1) nef gene in relation to disease progression in infected children. We examined a large number of nef alleles sequentially derived from perinatally HIV-1-infected children with different rates of disease progression: six non-progressors (NPs), four rapid progressors (RPs), and three slow progressors (SPs). Nef alleles (182 total) were isolated from patients' peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), sequenced and analysed for their evolutionary pattern, frequency of mutations and occurrence of amino acid variations associated with different stages of disease. The evolution rate of the nef gene apparently correlated with CD4+ decline in all progression groups. Evidence for rapid viral turnover and positive selection for changes were found only in two SPs and two RPs respectively. In NPs, a higher proportion of disrupted sequences and mutations at various functional motifs were observed. Furthermore, NP-derived Nef proteins were often changed at residues localized in the folded core domain at cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) epitopes (E(105), K(106), E(110), Y(132), K(164), and R(200)), while other residues outside the core domain are more often changed in RPs (A(43)) and SPs (N(173) and Y(214)). Our results suggest a link between nef gene functions and the progression rate in HIV-1-infected children. Moreover, non-progressor-associated variations in the core domain of Nef, together with the genetic analysis, suggest that nef gene evolution is shaped by an effective immune system in these patients.

Rapid disease progression in human immunodeficiency virus type 1-infected individuals with adverse reactions to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole prophylaxis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Veenstra, J.; Veugelers, P. J.; Keet, I. P.; van der Ven, A. J. A. M.; Miedema, F.; Lange, J. M.; Coutinho, R. A.

1997-01-01

We studied the relation between the occurrence of adverse reactions to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMZ) prophylaxis and the subsequent course of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in a cohort of homosexual men. Adverse reactions to TMP-SMZ were associated with a more rapid

Ubiquitous Health in Korea: Progress, Barriers, and Prospects

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Yountae

2012-01-01

Objectives Korea has one of the most advanced information technology (IT) infrastructures in the world, and the application of IT in health systems is rapidly progressing from computerization to information systems, ubiquitous systems, and smart systems. This study aims to analyze Korean environments in regards to the development of their u-Health industry and propose directions for u-Healthcare services based on this analysis. Methods This paper reviews the background, progress history, and current status of u-Health in Korea, and suggests strategies for the u-Health industry based on an analysis of its barriers and obstacles. Results When u-Health was introduced to Koreans, their policies and approaches focused mainly on environmental factors, yet these efforts have not progressed further to impact the u-Healthcare service industry itself. To develop the u-Healthcare industry, four points need to be considered: the development and support of the practical service model, institutional support, support of core technology and industry, and the institutionalization of health management service. Conclusions Korea is at a strategic point to start building u-Healthcare service delivery models. u-Healthcare is a healthcare service that provides added value through u-Health environments. By identifying critical success factors in u-Healthcare, we can strengthen the u-Health industry and implement policies to coordinate our efforts in the process of value chains to which we belong. PMID:23346474

Infrared colloidal quantum dots for photovoltaics: fundamentals and recent progress

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tang, Jiang [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Toronto, 184 College Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3E4 (Canada); Sargent, Edward H. [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Toronto, 10 King' s College Road, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G4 (Canada)

2011-01-04

Colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) are solution-processed semiconductors of interest in low-cost photovoltaics. Tuning of the bandgap of CQD films via the quantum size effect enables customization of solar cells' absorption profile to match the sun's broad visible- and infrared-containing spectrum reaching the earth. Here we review recent progress in the realization of low-cost, efficient solar cells based on CQDs. We focus in particular on CQD materials and approaches that provide both infrared and visible-wavelength solar power conversion CQD photovoltaics now exceed 5% solar power conversion efficiency, achieved by the introduction of a new architecture, the depleted-heterojunction CQD solar cell, that jointly maximizes current, voltage, and fill factor. CQD solar cells have also seen major progress in materials processing for stability, recently achieving extended operating lifetimes in an air ambient. We summarize progress both in device operation and also in gaining new insights into materials properties and processing - including new electrical contact materials and deposition techniques, as well as CQD synthesis, surface treatments, film-forming technologies - that underpin these rapid advances. (Copyright copyright 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Progress study of the cardiac damage in Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ZHANG Yao

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD is a fatal muscular disease with rapid progression in children. Most patients die of respiratory and circulatory failure before the age of 20 if there is no systematic treatment. Now the heart problem in this disease has become increasingly prominent, and is thought to be closely associated with certain dystrophin exon deletion. We would like to review the epidemiology, relevance of dystrophin, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations and pathological features, as well as early prevention and treatment of DMD.

Progress in Group III nitride semiconductor electronic devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hao Yue; Zhang Jinfeng; Shen Bo; Liu Xinyu

2012-01-01

Recently there has been a rapid domestic development in group III nitride semiconductor electronic materials and devices. This paper reviews the important progress in GaN-based wide bandgap microelectronic materials and devices in the Key Program of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, which focuses on the research of the fundamental physical mechanisms of group III nitride semiconductor electronic materials and devices with the aim to enhance the crystal quality and electric performance of GaN-based electronic materials, develop new GaN heterostructures, and eventually achieve high performance GaN microwave power devices. Some remarkable progresses achieved in the program will be introduced, including those in GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) and metal—oxide—semiconductor high electron mobility transistors (MOSHEMTs) with novel high-k gate insulators, and material growth, defect analysis and material properties of InAlN/GaN heterostructures and HEMT fabrication, and quantum transport and spintronic properties of GaN-based heterostructures, and high-electric-field electron transport properties of GaN material and GaN Gunn devices used in terahertz sources. (invited papers)

Interagency partnering for weed prevention--progress on development of a National Early Detection and Rapid Response System for Invasive Plants in the United States

Science.gov (United States)

Westbrooks, R.; Westbrooks, R.

2011-01-01

Over the past 50 years, experience has shown that interagency groups provide an effective forum for addressing various invasive species issues and challenges on multiple land units. However, more importantly, they can also provide a coordinated framework for early detection, reporting, identification and vouchering, rapid assessment, and rapid response to new and emerging invasive plants in the United States. Interagency collaboration maximizes the use of available expertise, resources, and authority for promoting early detection and rapid response (EDRR) as the preferred management option for addressing new and emerging invasive plants. Currently, an interagency effort is underway to develop a National EDRR System for Invasive Plants in the United States. The proposed system will include structural and informational elements. Structural elements of the system include a network of interagency partner groups to facilitate early detection and rapid response to new invasive plants, including the Federal Interagency Committee for the Management of Noxious and Exotic Weeds (FICMNEW), State Invasive Species Councils, State Early Detection and Rapid Response Coordinating Committees, State Volunteer Detection and Reporting Networks, Invasive Plant Task Forces, and Cooperative Weed Management Areas. Informational elements and products being developed include Regional Invasive Plant Atlases, and EDRR Guidelines for EDRR Volunteer Network Training, Rapid Assessment and Rapid Response, and Criteria for Selection of EDRR Species. System science and technical support elements which are provided by cooperating state and federal scientists, include EDRR guidelines, training curriculum for EDRR volunteers and agency field personnel, plant identification and vouchering, rapid assessments, as well as predictive modeling and ecological range studies for invasive plant species.

Impaired left ventricular systolic function and increased brachial-ankle pulse-wave velocity are independently associated with rapid renal function progression.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Szu-Chia; Lin, Tsung-Hsien; Hsu, Po-Chao; Chang, Jer-Ming; Lee, Chee-Siong; Tsai, Wei-Chung; Su, Ho-Ming; Voon, Wen-Chol; Chen, Hung-Chun

2011-09-01

Heart failure and increased arterial stiffness are associated with declining renal function. Few studies have evaluated the association between left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and brachial-ankle pulse-wave velocity (baPWV) and renal function progression. The aim of this study was to assess whether LVEFfunction was estimated by eGFR slope. The renal end point was defined as ≥25% decline in eGFR. Clinical and echocardiographic parameters were compared and analyzed. After a multivariate analysis, serum hematocrit was positively associated with eGFR slope, and diabetes mellitus, baPWV (P=0.031) and LVEFfunction decline and progression to the renal end point.

Interactive videogame as rehabilitation tool of patients with chronic respiratory diseases: preliminary results of a feasibility study.

Science.gov (United States)

Mazzoleni, Stefano; Montagnani, Giulia; Vagheggini, Guido; Buono, Lorenzo; Moretti, Francesca; Dario, Paolo; Ambrosino, Nicolino

2014-10-01

To evaluate the effectiveness of an interactive videogame (IV) system in addition to a supervised pulmonary rehabilitation programme (PRP) in patients with chronic respiratory diseases. Randomised Controlled Trial comparing standard PRP (20 patients, control group: CG), and PRP + sessions of interactive videogame-aided exercises (20 patients, experimental group: EG). Lung and respiratory muscle function, arterial blood gases, exercise capacity, dyspnoea, health status and health-related quality of life (HRQL) and emotional response were measured before and after PRP. A questionnaire on acceptability of the PRP was administered. Exercise capacity, dyspnoea and HRQL significantly improved in both groups after the PRP, whereas the EG showed a greater improvement in six-minute walk test and transitional dyspnoea index than the CG. No difference in psychological status or acceptability of PRP was observed between the two groups. The addition of IV training was more effective for improving some parameters of exercise tolerance and dyspnoea, although did not result in better psychological status nor it was better accepted than the standard PRP in patients with chronic respiratory diseases. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Surgical treatment of progressive ethmoidal hematoma aided by computed tomography in a foal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Colbourne, C.M.; Rosenstein, D.S.; Steficek, B.A.; Yovich, J.V.; Stick, J.A.

1997-01-01

A progressive ethmoidal hematoma (PEH) was treated successfully in a 4-week-old Belgian filly by surgical removal, using a frontonasal bone flap. The filly had respiratory stridor, epistaxis, and facial enlargement over the left paranasal sinuses, which had progressively increased in size since birth. Computed tomographic images of the head obtained with the foal under general anesthesia were useful in determining the extent and nature of the soft-tissue mass and planning surgical intervention. On the basis of the histologic appearance of the mass, a diagnosis of PEH was made. Twelve months after surgery, the facial appearance was normal and the abnormal appearance of the ethmoid region on endoscopic evaluation was less obvious, with return of the nasal septum to a normal position. Progressive ethmoidal hematoma is uncommon and, to our knowledge, has not been reported in a neonate. Clinical signs of PEH in this foal were atypical because of the rapid enlargement of the mass, extent of facial deformity, and minimal epistaxis and interoperative hemorrhage

Progress In Fresnel-Köhler Concentrators

Science.gov (United States)

Mohedano, Rubén; Cvetković, Aleksandra; Benítez, Pablo; Chaves, Julio; Miñano, Juan C.; Zamora, Pablo; Hernandez, Maikel; Vilaplana, Juan

2011-12-01

The Fresnel Köhler (FK) concentrator was first presented in 2008. Since then, various CPV companies have adopted this technology as base for their future commercial product. The key for this rapid penetration is a mixture of simplicity (the FK is essentially a Fresnel lens concentrator, a technology that dominates the market) and excellent performance: high concentration without giving up large manufacturing/aiming tolerances, enabling high efficiency even at the array level. All these features together have a great potential to lower energy costs. This work shows recent results and progress regarding this device, covering new design features, measurements and tests along with first performance achievements at the array level (pilot 6.5 Kwp plant). The work also discusses the potential impact of the FK enhanced performance on the Levelized Cost Of Electricity (LCOE).

Rapid shallow breathing

Science.gov (United States)

Tachypnea; Breathing - rapid and shallow; Fast shallow breathing; Respiratory rate - rapid and shallow ... Shallow, rapid breathing has many possible medical causes, including: Asthma Blood clot in an artery in the ...

Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma: 91 patients treated by surgery and radiotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Junor, E.J.; Paul, J.; Reed, N.S.

1992-01-01

Ninety-one patients with histologically proven anaplastic carcinoma of the thyroid were referred to the Beatson Oncology Centre between 1961 and 1986. The female:male ratio was 2.4:1 and the median age at presentation was 70 (range 38-92) years. All patients had a thyroid mass at presentation and the most common symptoms were dyspnoea, dyspnagia and dysphonia. Five patients had a total thyroidectomy and 28 partial thyroidectomy. Ninety five per cent of patients received external beam radiotherapy. Results show dyspnoea to be the only symptom strongly influencing survival. Total or partial thyroidectomy is associated with increased survival. This association is most marked for patients presenting without dyspnoea. Eighty per cent of patients responded to radiotherapy. (Author)

Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma: 91 patients treated by surgery and radiotherapy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Junor, E.J.; Paul, J.; Reed, N.S. (Beatson Oncology Centre, Glasgow (United Kingdom))

1992-04-01

Ninety-one patients with histologically proven anaplastic carcinoma of the thyroid were referred to the Beatson Oncology Centre between 1961 and 1986. The female:male ratio was 2.4:1 and the median age at presentation was 70 (range 38-92) years. All patients had a thyroid mass at presentation and the most common symptoms were dyspnoea, dyspnagia and dysphonia. Five patients had a total thyroidectomy and 28 partial thyroidectomy. Ninety five per cent of patients received external beam radiotherapy. Results show dyspnoea to be the only symptom strongly influencing survival. Total or partial thyroidectomy is associated with increased survival. This association is most marked for patients presenting without dyspnoea. Eighty per cent of patients responded to radiotherapy. (Author).

Current Research of the Roles of IL-35 in Tumor Progression

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chongbiao HUANG

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Interleukin(IL-35 is a new member of the interleukin-12 superfamily. Since its first report in 2007, IL-35 rapidly became a research highlight in the field of immunology. Like other IL-12 superfamily members, IL-35 was a heterodimer which was composed of an α chain P35 and a β chain Epstein-Barr virus induced gene 3 (EBI3. Recent research work revealed two distinct roles of IL-35. Firstly, IL-35 is highly expressed in some kinds of inflammatory diseases and autoimmune diseases and plays import roles in the pathogenesis. Secondly, IL-35 is positively expressed in some cancers and plays some roles in the process of tumor progression. Here we demonstrate the structure and the signalling of IL-35. We reviewed the the roles of IL-35 in promoting tumor progression.

Progress of assessment and rehabilitation therapy of cognitive impairment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuan-yuan TAO

2017-07-01

Full Text Available  Cognitive impairment is one of major disorders after brain injury. With the rapid development of rehabilitation medicine in China, more and more attention was focused on it. The methods of assessment and rehabilitation therapy of cognitive impairment are more widely used in clinic. Based on traditional methods of assessment and rehabilitation therapy, driven by the development of computer, Internet and Internet of Things, more and more new methods emerged. This article intends to review the commonly used assessment and rehabilitation therapy of cognitive impairment and their progress. DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1672-6731.2017.05.002

Rapid improvement teams.

Science.gov (United States)

Alemi, F; Moore, S; Headrick, L; Neuhauser, D; Hekelman, F; Kizys, N

1998-03-01

Suggestions, most of which are supported by empirical studies, are provided on how total quality management (TQM) teams can be used to bring about faster organizationwide improvements. Ideas are offered on how to identify the right problem, have rapid meetings, plan rapidly, collect data rapidly, and make rapid whole-system changes. Suggestions for identifying the right problem include (1) postpone benchmarking when problems are obvious, (2) define the problem in terms of customer experience so as not to blame employees nor embed a solution in the problem statement, (3) communicate with the rest of the organization from the start, (4) state the problem from different perspectives, and (5) break large problems into smaller units. Suggestions for having rapid meetings include (1) choose a nonparticipating facilitator to expedite meetings, (2) meet with each team member before the team meeting, (3) postpone evaluation of ideas, and (4) rethink conclusions of a meeting before acting on them. Suggestions for rapid planning include reducing time spent on flowcharting by focusing on the future, not the present. Suggestions for rapid data collection include (1) sample patients for surveys, (2) rely on numerical estimates by process owners, and (3) plan for rapid data collection. Suggestions for rapid organizationwide implementation include (1) change membership on cross-functional teams, (2) get outside perspectives, (3) use unfolding storyboards, and (4) go beyond self-interest to motivate lasting change in the organization. Additional empirical investigations of time saved as a consequence of the strategies provided are needed. If organizations solve their problems rapidly, fewer unresolved problems may remain.

Comprehensive Analysis of Large Sets of Age-Related Physiological Indicators Reveals Rapid Aging around the Age of 55 Years.

Science.gov (United States)

Lixie, Erin; Edgeworth, Jameson; Shamir, Lior

2015-01-01

While many studies show a correlation between chronological age and physiological indicators, the nature of this correlation is not fully understood. To perform a comprehensive analysis of the correlation between chronological age and age-related physiological indicators. Physiological aging scores were deduced using principal component analysis from a large dataset of 1,227 variables measured in a cohort of 4,796 human subjects, and the correlation between the physiological aging scores and chronological age was assessed. Physiological age does not progress linearly or exponentially with chronological age: a more rapid physiological change is observed around the age of 55 years, followed by a mild decline until around the age of 70 years. These findings provide evidence that the progression of physiological age is not linear with that of chronological age, and that periods of mild change in physiological age are separated by periods of more rapid aging. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO as salvage treatment for pulmonary Echinococcus granulosus infection with acute cyst rupture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sören L. Becker

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO has been used successfully for the treatment of patients with respiratory failure due to severe infections. Although rare, parasites can also cause severe pulmonary disease. Tapeworms of the genus Echinococcus give rise to the development of cystic structures in the liver, lungs, and other organs. Acute cyst rupture leads to potentially life-threatening infection, and affected patients may deteriorate rapidly. The case of a young woman from Bulgaria who was admitted to hospital with severe dyspnoea, progressive chest pain, and haemoptysis is described. Computed tomography of the chest was pathognomonic for cystic echinococcosis with acute cyst rupture. Following deterioration on mechanical ventilation, she was cannulated for veno-venous ECMO. The patient’s condition improved considerably, and she was weaned successfully from ECMO and mechanical ventilation. Following lobectomy of the affected left lower lobe, the patient was discharged home in good condition. This appears to be the first report of the successful use of ECMO as salvage treatment for a severe manifestation of a helminthic disease. Due to recent migration to Western Europe, the number of patients presenting with respiratory failure due to pulmonary echinococcosis with cyst rupture is likely to increase. Keywords: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO, Infection, Echinococcosis, Echinococcus granulosus, Hydatid disease, Infection

Symmetrical parahiliar infiltrated, cough and dyspnoea

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giraldo Estrada, Horacio; Escalante, Hector

2004-01-01

It is the case a patient to who is diagnosed symmetrical parahiliar infiltrated; initially she is diagnosed lymphoma Hodgkin, treaty with radiotherapy and chemotherapy, but the X rays of the thorax demonstrated parahiliars and paramediastinals infiltrated

Brain Dopamine Transporter Binding and Glucose Metabolism in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy-Like Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eero Rissanen

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Here, we present a patient with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD who developed initial symptoms mimicking progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP. Before the development of typical CJD symptoms, functional imaging supported a diagnosis of PSP when [123I]-FP-CIT-SPECT showed a defect in striatal dopamine transporter binding, while [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose PET showed cortical hypometabolism suggestive of Lewy body dementia. However, the postmortem neuropathological examination was indicative of CJD only, without tau protein or Lewy body findings. This case demonstrates that CJD should be taken into account in rapidly progressing atypical cases of parkinsonism, even when functional imaging supports a diagnosis of a movement disorder.

Accelerated progression from islet autoimmunity to diabetes is causing the escalating incidence of type 1 diabetes in young children

OpenAIRE

Ziegler, Anette-G.; Pflueger, Maren; Winkler, Christiane; Achenbach, Peter; Akolkar, Beena; Krischer, Jeffrey P.; Bonifacio, Ezio

2011-01-01

The incidence of type 1 diabetes is rising worldwide, particularly in young children. Since type 1 diabetes is preceded by autoimmunity to islet antigens, there must be a consequent increase in the incidence of islet autoimmunity in young children or a more rapid rate of progression to diabetes once islet autoimmunity initiates. This study was to determine whether the incidence of islet autoimmunity or the rate of progression from autoimmunity to diabetes onset has changed over a 20-year peri...

Beta-Zone parapapillary atrophy and the velocity of glaucoma progression.

Science.gov (United States)

Teng, Christopher C; De Moraes, Carlos Gustavo V; Prata, Tiago S; Tello, Celso; Ritch, Robert; Liebmann, Jeffrey M

2010-05-01

Beta-Zone parapapillary atrophy (PPA) occurs more commonly in eyes with glaucoma. Rates of glaucomatous visual field (VF) progression in eyes with and without beta-zone PPA at the time of baseline assessment were compared. Retrospective, comparative study. Two hundred forty-five patients from the New York Glaucoma Progression Study. Subjects with glaucomatous optic neuropathy and repeatable VF loss were assessed for eligibility. Eyes with a Heidelberg Retina Tomograph II (HRT) examination, at least 5 visual field tests after the HRT in either eye, optic disc photographs, and Zone PPA was defined as a region of chorioretinal atrophy with visible sclera and choroidal vessels adjacent to the optic disc. Global rates of VF progression were determined by automated pointwise linear regression analysis. Univariate analysis included age, gender, ethnicity, central corneal thickness (CCT), refractive error, baseline mean deviation, baseline intraocular pressure (IOP), mean IOP, IOP fluctuation, disc area, rim area, rim area-to-disc area ratio, beta-zone PPA area, beta-zone PPA area-to-disc area ratio, and presence or absence of beta-zone PPA. The relationship between beta-zone PPA and the rate and risk of glaucoma progression. Two hundred forty-five eyes of 245 patients (mean age, 69.6+/-12.3 years) were enrolled. The mean follow-up was 4.9+/-1.4 years and the mean number of VFs after HRT was 9.3+/-2.7. beta-Zone PPA was present in 146 eyes (65%). Eyes with beta-zone PPA progressed more rapidly (-0.84+/-0.8 dB/year) than eyes without it (-0.51+/-0.6 dB/year; Pzone PPA (HR, 2.59; P1.5 dB/year; P = 0.08) global rates of progression occurred more commonly in eyes with beta-zone PPA than in eyes without it. Thinner CCT (zone PPA (kappa = 0.13). Eyes with beta-zone PPA are at increased risk for glaucoma progression and warrant close clinical surveillance. Copyright 2010 American Academy of Ophthalmology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Knee Injuries Are Associated with Accelerated Knee Osteoarthritis Progression: Data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative

Science.gov (United States)

Driban, Jeffrey B.; Eaton, Charles B.; Lo, Grace H.; Ward, Robert J.; Lu, Bing; McAlindon, Timothy E.

2014-01-01

Objective We aimed to evaluate if a recent knee injury was associated with accelerated knee osteoarthritis (KOA) progression. Methods In the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI) we studied participants free of KOA on their baseline radiographs (Kellgren-Lawrence [KL]knee that progressed to end-stage KOA (KL Grade 3 or 4) within 48 months, 2) common KOA progression: at least one knee increased in radiographic scoring within 48 months (excluding those defined as accelerated KOA), and 3) no KOA: no change in KL grade in either knee. At baseline, participants were asked if their knees had ever been injured and at each annual visit they were asked about injuries during the prior 12 months. We used multinomial logistic regressions to determine if a new knee injury was associated with the outcome of accelerated KOA or common KOA progression after adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, static knee malalignment, and systolic blood pressure. Results A knee injury during the total observation period was associated with accelerated KOA progression (n=54, odds ratio [OR]=3.14) but not common KOA progression (n=187, OR=1.08). Furthermore, a more recent knee injury (within a year of the outcome) was associated with accelerated (OR=8.46) and common KOA progression (OR=3.12). Conclusion Recent knee injuries are associated with accelerated KOA. Most concerning is that certain injuries may be associated with a rapid cascade towards joint failure in less than one year. PMID:24782446

Diagnostic Cut-Off Levels of Plasma Brain Natriuretic Peptide to Distinguish Left Ventricular Failure in Emergency Setting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hussain, A.; Afridi, F. I.; Lutfi, I. A.

2014-01-01

Objective: To determine the diagnostic cut-off values of brain natriuretic (BNP) peptide to establish left ventricular failure in patients presenting with dyspnoea in emergency department. Study Design: Descriptive study. Place and Duration of Study: Ziauddin University Hospital, Karachi, from July to December 2011. Methodology: BNP estimation was done on Axysm analyzer with kit provided by Abbott diagnostics, while the Doppler echocardiography was done on Toshiba style (UICW-660A) using 2.5 MHz and 5.0 MHz probes. Log transformation was done to normalize the original BNP values. A receiver operating curve was plotted to determine the diagnostic cut-off value of BNP which can be used to distinguish CHF from other causes of dyspnoea. Statistical analysis was performed by SPSS version 17. Results: A total of 92 patients presenting with dyspnoea in the emergency department were studied. There were 38/92 (41.3%) males and 54/92 (58.7%) females, and the average age of the study population was 64 A +- 14.1 years. These patients had BNP levels and Doppler echocardiography done. The average BNP was found to be 1117.78 A +- 1445.74 pg/ml. In log transformation, the average was found to be 2.72 A +- 0.58. BNP value of 531 pg/ml was found to be the cut off to distinguish between cardiogenic and non-cardiogenic causes of dyspnoea. Conclusion: BNP value of 531 pg/ml can distinguish CHF from other conditions as a cause of dyspnoea in emergency. (author)

Creatinine measurements often yielded false estimates of progression in chronic renal failure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walser, M.; Drew, H.H.; LaFrance, N.D.

1988-01-01

In 9 of 22 observation periods (lasting an average of 15 months) in 17 patients with moderate to severe chronic renal failure (GFR 4 to 23 ml/min), rates of progression as estimated from the linear regression on time of 24-hour creatinine clearance (b1) differed significantly from rates of progression as estimated from the regression on time of urinary clearance of 99mTc-DTPA (b2), during all or part of the period of observation. b1 exceeded b2 in four cases and was less than b2 in the other five. Thus there were gradual changes in the fractional tubular secretion of creatinine in individual patients, in both directions. Owing to these changes, measurements of creatinine clearance gave erroneous impressions of the rate or existence of progression during all or a portion of the period of observation in nearly half of these patients. In the 22 studies as a group, using the entire periods of observation, b1 indicated significantly more rapid progression (by 0.18 +/- 0.06 ml/min/month, P less than 0.01) than did b2, and had a significantly greater variance. Measurements of progression based on the rate of change of reciprocal plasma creatinine (multiplied by an average rate of urinary creatinine excretion in each study) were equally misleading, even though less variable. We conclude that sequential creatinine measurements are often misleading as measures of progression and should, when feasible, be replaced by urinary clearance of isotopes in following patients with chronic renal failure

Rapid deterioration of Mooren?s ulcers after conjunctival flap: a review of 2 cases

OpenAIRE

Li, Saiqun; Deng, Yuqing; Du, Caiyuan; Huang, Haixiang; Zhong, Jing; Chen, Ling; Wang, Bowen; Yuan, Jin

2017-01-01

Background Conjunctival flaps are a widely used treatment for numerous corneal ulcers that are caused by microorganismal infections. However, whether it can be performed on immune-mediated corneal ulcers is controversial. Case presentation We present two cases of Mooren?s ulcer that were treated using conjunctival flap in an attempt to prevent further corneal perforation at their local hospital. A rapid acceleration in ulcer progression was observed after a conjunctival flap was applied. Ulti...

Saudi National Assessment of Educational Progress (SNAEP

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdullah Saleh Al Sadaawi

2010-12-01

Full Text Available To provide a universal basic education, Saudi Arabia initially employed a rapid quantitative educational strategy, later developing a qualitative focus to improve standards of education delivery and quality of student outcomes. Despite generous resources provided for education, however, there is no national assessment system to provide statistical evidence on students’ learning outcomes. Educators are querying the curricula and quality of delivery for Saudi education, especially following low student performances on the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS in 2003 and 2007. There is a growing demand for national assessment standards for all key subject areas to monitor students’ learning progress. This study acknowledges extant research on this important topic and offers a strategy of national assessment to guide educational reform.

Tissue Transglutaminase (TG2)-Induced Inflammation in Initiation, Progression, and Pathogenesis of Pancreatic Cancer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mehta, Kapil, E-mail: kmehta@mdanderson.org; Han, Amy [Department of Experimental Therapeutics, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030 (United States); Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX 77030 (United States)

2011-02-25

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is among the deadliest cancers, with a median survival of six months. It is generally believed that infiltrating PC arises through the progression of early grade pancreatic intraepithelial lesions (PanINs). In one model of the disease, the K-ras mutation is an early molecular event during progression of pancreatic cancer; it is followed by the accumulation of additional genetic abnormalities. This model has been supported by animal studies in which activated K-ras and p53 mutations produced metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma in mice. According to this model, oncogenic K-ras induces PanIN formation but fails to promote the invasive stage. However, when these mice are subjected to caerulein treatment, which induces a chronic pancreatitis-like state and inflammatory response, PanINs rapidly progress to invasive carcinoma. These results are consistent with epidemiologic studies showing that patients with chronic pancreatitis have a much higher risk of developing PC. In line with these observations, recent studies have revealed elevated expression of the pro-inflammatory protein tissue transglutaminase (TG2) in early PanINs, and its expression increases even more as the disease progresses. In this review we discuss the implications of increased TG2 expression in initiation, progression, and pathogenesis of pancreatic cancer.

Development of incident progress prediction technologies for nuclear emergency preparedness. Current status and future subjects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshida, Yoshitaka; Yamamoto, Yasunori; Kusunoki, Takayoshi; Kawasaki, Ikuo; Yanagi, Chihiro; Kinoshita, Ikuo; Iwasaki, Yoshito

2014-01-01

Nuclear licensees are required to maintain a prediction system during normal condition for using a nuclear emergency by the Basic Plan for Disaster Prevention of government. With prediction of the incident progress, if the present condition of nuclear power plant is understood appropriately and it grows more serious with keeping the present situation, it is in predicting what kind of situation will be occurred in the near future, choosing the effective countermeasures against the coming threat, and understanding the time available of intervention time. Following the accident on September 30 1999 in the nuclear fuel fabrication facility in Tokai Village of Ibaraki Prefecture, the Institute of Nuclear Safety System started development of incident progress prediction technologies for nuclear emergency preparedness. We have performed technical applications and made improvements in nuclear emergency exercises and verified the developed systems using the observed values of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. As a result, our developed Incident Progress Prediction System was applied to nuclear emergency exercises and we accumulated knowledge and experience by which we improved the system to make predictions more rapidly and more precisely, including for example, the development of a prediction method for leak size of reactor coolant. On the other hand, if a rapidly progressing incident occurs, since end users need simple and quick predictions about the public's protection and evacuation areas, we developed the Radioactive Materials Release, Radiation Dose and Radiological Protection Area Prediction System which changed solving an inverse problem into a forward problem solution. In view of the water-level-decline incident of the spent fuel storage facility at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, the spent fuel storage facility water level and the water temperature evaluation tool were improved. Such incident progress prediction technologies were

Large cross-sectional study of presbycusis reveals rapid progressive decline in auditory temporal acuity.

Science.gov (United States)

Ozmeral, Erol J; Eddins, Ann C; Frisina, D Robert; Eddins, David A

2016-07-01

The auditory system relies on extraordinarily precise timing cues for the accurate perception of speech, music, and object identification. Epidemiological research has documented the age-related progressive decline in hearing sensitivity that is known to be a major health concern for the elderly. Although smaller investigations indicate that auditory temporal processing also declines with age, such measures have not been included in larger studies. Temporal gap detection thresholds (TGDTs; an index of auditory temporal resolution) measured in 1071 listeners (aged 18-98 years) were shown to decline at a minimum rate of 1.05 ms (15%) per decade. Age was a significant predictor of TGDT when controlling for audibility (partial correlation) and when restricting analyses to persons with normal-hearing sensitivity (n = 434). The TGDTs were significantly better for males (3.5 ms; 51%) than females when averaged across the life span. These results highlight the need for indices of temporal processing in diagnostics, as treatment targets, and as factors in models of aging. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Potential of Progressive Construction Systems in Slovakia

Science.gov (United States)

Kozlovska, Maria; Spisakova, Marcela; Mackova, Daniela

2017-10-01

Construction industry is a sector with rapid development. Progressive technologies of construction and new construction materials also called modern methods of construction (MMC) are developed constantly. MMC represent the adoption of construction industrialisation and the use of prefabrication of components in building construction. One of these modern methods is also system Varianthaus, which is based on, insulated concrete forms principle and provides complete production plant for wall, ceiling and roof elements for a high thermal insulation house construction. Another progressive construction system is EcoB, which represents an insulated precast concrete panel based on combination of two layers, insulation and concrete, produced in a factory as a whole. Both modern methods of construction are not yet known and wide-spread in the Slovak construction market. The aim of this paper is focused on demonstration of MMC using potential in Slovakia. MMC potential is proved based on comparison of the selected parameters of construction process - construction costs and construction time. The subject of this study is family house modelled in three material variants - masonry construction (as a representative of traditional methods of construction), Varianthaus and EcoB (as the representatives of modern methods of construction). The results of this study provide the useful information in decision-making process for potential investors of construction.

Progressive skin necrosis of a huge occipital encephalocele

Science.gov (United States)

Andarabi, Yasir; Nejat, Farideh; El-Khashab, Mostafa

2008-01-01

Objects: Progressive skin necrosis of giant occipital encephalocoele is an extremely rare complication found in neonates. Infection and ulceration of the necrosed skin may lead to meningitis or sepsis. We present here a neonate with giant occipital encephalocoele showing progressive necrosis during the first day of his life. Methods: A newborn baby was found to have a huge mass in the occipital region, which was covered by normal pink-purplish skin. During the last hours of the first day of his life, the sac started becoming ulcerated accompanied with a rapid color change in the skin, gradually turning darker and then black. The neonate was taken up for urgent excision and repair of the encephalocele. Two years after the operation, he appears to be well-developed without any neurological problems. Conclusion: Necrosis may have resulted from arterial or venous compromise caused by torsion of the pedicle during delivery or after birth. The high pressure inside the sac associated with the thin skin of the encephalocoele may be another predisposing factor. In view of the risk of ulceration and subsequent infection, urgent surgery of the necrotizing encephalocele is suggested. PMID:19753210

Progressive skin necrosis of a huge occipital encephalocele

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andarabi Yasir

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Objects: Progressive skin necrosis of giant occipital encephalocoele is an extremely rare complication found in neonates. Infection and ulceration of the necrosed skin may lead to meningitis or sepsis. We present here a neonate with giant occipital encephalocoele showing progressive necrosis during the first day of his life. Methods: A newborn baby was found to have a huge mass in the occipital region, which was covered by normal pink-purplish skin. During the last hours of the first day of his life, the sac started becoming ulcerated accompanied with a rapid color change in the skin, gradually turning darker and then black. The neonate was taken up for urgent excision and repair of the encephalocele. Two years after the operation, he appears to be well-developed without any neurological problems. Conclusion: Necrosis may have resulted from arterial or venous compromise caused by torsion of the pedicle during delivery or after birth. The high pressure inside the sac associated with the thin skin of the encephalocoele may be another predisposing factor. In view of the risk of ulceration and subsequent infection, urgent surgery of the necrotizing encephalocele is suggested.

Open Access Forever -- Or Five Years, Whichever Comes First: Progress on Preserving the Digital Scholarly Record

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva

2007-01-01

As the migration of scholarly communication from print to digital continues to progress rapidly, and as Open Access to that research literature and related data becomes more common, the challenges of insuring that the scholarly record remain available over time becomes more urgent. There has been good progress on those challenges in recent years, but many problems remain. The current state of the curation and preservation of digital scholarship over its entire lifecycle will be reviewed, and progress on problems of specific interest to scholarly communication will be examined. The difficulty of curating the digital scholarly record and preserving it for future generations has important implications for the movement to make that record more open and accessible to the world, so this a timely topic for those who are interested in the future of scholarly communication. View Mackensie Smith's biography

Open Access Forever - Or Five Years, Whichever Comes First Progress on Preserving the Digital Scholarly Record

CERN Document Server

CERN. Geneva; Bjørnshauge, Lars

2007-01-01

As the migration of scholarly communication from print to digital continues to progress rapidly, and as Open Access to that research literature and related data becomes more common, the challenges of insuring that the scholarly record remain available over time becomes more urgent. There has been good progress on those challenges in recent years, but many problems remain. The current state of the curation and preservation of digital scholarship over its entire lifecycle will be reviewed, and progress on problems of specific interest to scholarly communication will be examined. The difficulty of curating the digital scholarly record and preserving it for future generations has important implications for the movement to make that record more open and accessible to the world, so this a timely topic for those who are interested in the future of scholarly communication.

Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of MD1003 (high-dose biotin) in the treatment of progressive multiple sclerosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Peyro Saint Paul, Laure; Debruyne, Danièle; Bernard, Delphine; Mock, Donald M; Defer, Gilles L

2016-01-01

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, potentially highly disabling neurological disorder. No disease-modifying treatments are approved in the progressive and not active forms of the disease. High doses of biotin were tested in an open-label pilot study involving 23 patients with progressive MS and reported positive results. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 154 progressive MS patients confirmed the beneficial effect of MD1003 (high-dose biotin) on reversing or stabilizing disability progression, with a good safety profile. It is proposed that MD1003 in progressive MS 1) increases energy production in demyelinated axons and/or 2) enhances myelin synthesis in oligodendrocytes. Biotin is highly bioavailable; absorption and excretion are rapid. The major route of elimination is urinary excretion. A high oral dose of biotin seems generally well tolerated but a few important safety concerns were identified: 1) teratogenicity in one species and 2) interference with some biotin-based laboratory immunoassays. The animal toxicity data are limited at such high doses. Further preclinical studies would be useful to address the mechanism of action of MD1003. Assessment of clinical benefit duration in responders will be also very important to set. Results of randomized, placebo-controlled trial are reassuring and provide hope for the treatment of progressive MS.

Recent progress of neuroimaging studies on sleeping brain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sasaki, Yuka

2012-01-01

Although sleep is a familiar phenomenon, its functions are yet to be elucidated. Understanding these functions of sleep is an important focus area in neuroscience. Electroencephalography (EEG) has been the predominantly used method in human sleep research but does not provide detailed spatial information about brain activation during sleep. To supplement the spatial information provided by this method, researchers have started using a combination of EEG and various advanced neuroimaging techniques that have been recently developed, including positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In this paper, we will review the recent progress in sleep studies, especially studies that have used such advanced neuroimaging techniques. First, we will briefly introduce several neuroimaging techniques available for use in sleep studies. Next, we will review the spatiotemporal brain activation patterns during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, the dynamics of functional connectivity during sleep, and the consolidation of learning and memory during sleep; studies on the neural correlates of dreams, which have not yet been identified, will also be discussed. Lastly, possible directions for future research in this area will be discussed. (author)

[Recent progress of neuroimaging studies on sleeping brain].

Science.gov (United States)

Sasaki, Yuka

2012-06-01

Although sleep is a familiar phenomenon, its functions are yet to be elucidated. Understanding these functions of sleep is an important focus area in neuroscience. Electroencephalography (EEG) has been the predominantly used method in human sleep research but does not provide detailed spatial information about brain activation during sleep. To supplement the spatial information provided by this method, researchers have started using a combination of EEG and various advanced neuroimaging techniques that have been recently developed, including positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In this paper, we will review the recent progress in sleep studies, especially studies that have used such advanced neuroimaging techniques. First, we will briefly introduce several neuroimaging techniques available for use in sleep studies. Next, we will review the spatiotemporal brain activation patterns during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, the dynamics of functional connectivity during sleep, and the consolidation of learning and memory during sleep; studies on the neural correlates of dreams, which have not yet been identified, will also be discussed. Lastly, possible directions for future research in this area will be discussed.

Sex differences in progression to mild cognitive impairment and dementia in Parkinson's disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Cholerton, Brenna; Johnson, Catherine O; Fish, Brian; Quinn, Joseph F; Chung, Kathryn A; Peterson-Hiller, Amie L; Rosenthal, Liana S; Dawson, Ted M; Albert, Marilyn S; Hu, Shu-Ching; Mata, Ignacio F; Leverenz, James B; Poston, Kathleen L; Montine, Thomas J; Zabetian, Cyrus P; Edwards, Karen L

2018-05-01

Identification of factors associated with progression of cognitive symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD) is important for treatment planning, clinical care, and design of future clinical trials. The current study sought to identify whether prediction of cognitive progression is aided by examining baseline cognitive features, and whether this differs according to stage of cognitive disease. Participants with PD in the Pacific Udall Center Clinical Consortium who had longitudinal data available and were nondemented at baseline were included in the study (n = 418). Logistic and Cox regression models were utilized to examine the relationship between cognitive, demographic, and clinical variables with risk and time to progression from no cognitive impairment to mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI) or dementia (PDD), and from PD-MCI to PDD. Processing speed (OR = 1.05, p = 0.009) and working memory (OR = 1.01, p = 0.03) were associated with conversion to PDD among those with PD-MCI at baseline, over and above demographic variables. Conversely, the primary predictive factor in the transition from no cognitive impairment to PD-MCI or PDD was male sex (OR = 4.47, p = 0.004), and males progressed more rapidly than females (p = 0.01). Further, among females with shorter disease duration, progression was slower than for their male counterparts, and poor baseline performance on semantic verbal fluency was associated with shorter time to cognitive impairment in females but not in males. This study provides evidence for sex differences in the progression to cognitive impairment in PD, while specific cognitive features become more important indicators of progression with impending conversion to PDD. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of intensive plasma exchange (PE) in rapidly progressive crescentic glomerulonephritis (RPCGN).

Science.gov (United States)

D'Amico, G; Sinico, R; Fornasieri, A; Ferrario, F; Colasanti, G; Porri, M T; Paracchini, M L; Gibelli, A

1983-07-01

Ten adult patients with RPCGN (crescents in greater than 70% of glomeruli), primary in 6 and associated with systemic diseases in 4, were treated with PE, associated with oral steroids (P) and cyclophosphamide (C) in all cases and with intravenous methylprednisolone pulses (MP) in 7 cases. Four out of ten patients were anuric and needed dialysis treatment at the start of treatment. Therapeutic benefit, i.e. reversal of the trend to further deterioration and substantial improvement of GFR, was achieved in 8 out of 10 patients (80%), including 2 of 4 anuric patients, and in 7 of those (8) who had still active cellular crescents (87.5%). Similar therapeutic benefit had been achieved only in 10% of a comparable population of 10 patients with RPCGN treated before 1980 with P and C, without PE or MP pulses. It is difficult to establish whether the better therapeutic results in the more recently treated group were due to PE or to MP pulses of to both the new approaches, even though the clinical improvement obtained in all the 3 patients treated with PE without concomitant MP suggest a specific beneficial role for PE. RPCGN is a catastrophic illness characterized by progressive deterioration of kidney function, resulting in oliguria and uremia, usually within weeks or months. The most consistent histopathologic finding is the presence of extensive glomerular crescents resulting from proliferation of the extracapillary epithelial cell lining of Bowman's capsule. It is apparent that RPCGN is not a homogeneous entity, clinically, histologically or immunohistologically, but rather a clinicopathologic syndrome, the features of which may be seen in a variety of systemic disorders, including SLE, polyarteritis nodosa, Wegener's granulomatosis, Henoch-Schönlein purpura, cryoglobulinemia, and subacute bacterial endocarditis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Mutations in the nuclear bile acid receptor FXR cause progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis

Science.gov (United States)

Gomez-Ospina, Natalia; Potter, Carol J.; Xiao, Rui; Manickam, Kandamurugu; Kim, Mi-Sun; Kim, Kang Ho; Shneider, Benjamin L.; Picarsic, Jennifer L.; Jacobson, Theodora A.; Zhang, Jing; He, Weimin; Liu, Pengfei; Knisely, A. S.; Finegold, Milton J.; Muzny, Donna M.; Boerwinkle, Eric; Lupski, James R.; Plon, Sharon E.; Gibbs, Richard A.; Eng, Christine M.; Yang, Yaping; Washington, Gabriel C.; Porteus, Matthew H.; Berquist, William E.; Kambham, Neeraja; Singh, Ravinder J.; Xia, Fan; Enns, Gregory M.; Moore, David D.

2016-01-01

Neonatal cholestasis is a potentially life-threatening condition requiring prompt diagnosis. Mutations in several different genes can cause progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis, but known genes cannot account for all familial cases. Here we report four individuals from two unrelated families with neonatal cholestasis and mutations in NR1H4, which encodes the farnesoid X receptor (FXR), a bile acid-activated nuclear hormone receptor that regulates bile acid metabolism. Clinical features of severe, persistent NR1H4-related cholestasis include neonatal onset with rapid progression to end-stage liver disease, vitamin K-independent coagulopathy, low-to-normal serum gamma-glutamyl transferase activity, elevated serum alpha-fetoprotein and undetectable liver bile salt export pump (ABCB11) expression. Our findings demonstrate a pivotal function for FXR in bile acid homeostasis and liver protection. PMID:26888176

Progressive Classification Using Support Vector Machines

Science.gov (United States)

Wagstaff, Kiri; Kocurek, Michael

2009-01-01

An algorithm for progressive classification of data, analogous to progressive rendering of images, makes it possible to compromise between speed and accuracy. This algorithm uses support vector machines (SVMs) to classify data. An SVM is a machine learning algorithm that builds a mathematical model of the desired classification concept by identifying the critical data points, called support vectors. Coarse approximations to the concept require only a few support vectors, while precise, highly accurate models require far more support vectors. Once the model has been constructed, the SVM can be applied to new observations. The cost of classifying a new observation is proportional to the number of support vectors in the model. When computational resources are limited, an SVM of the appropriate complexity can be produced. However, if the constraints are not known when the model is constructed, or if they can change over time, a method for adaptively responding to the current resource constraints is required. This capability is particularly relevant for spacecraft (or any other real-time systems) that perform onboard data analysis. The new algorithm enables the fast, interactive application of an SVM classifier to a new set of data. The classification process achieved by this algorithm is characterized as progressive because a coarse approximation to the true classification is generated rapidly and thereafter iteratively refined. The algorithm uses two SVMs: (1) a fast, approximate one and (2) slow, highly accurate one. New data are initially classified by the fast SVM, producing a baseline approximate classification. For each classified data point, the algorithm calculates a confidence index that indicates the likelihood that it was classified correctly in the first pass. Next, the data points are sorted by their confidence indices and progressively reclassified by the slower, more accurate SVM, starting with the items most likely to be incorrectly classified. The user

Rapid Transfer Alignment of MEMS SINS Based on Adaptive Incremental Kalman Filter.

Science.gov (United States)

Chu, Hairong; Sun, Tingting; Zhang, Baiqiang; Zhang, Hongwei; Chen, Yang

2017-01-14

In airborne MEMS SINS transfer alignment, the error of MEMS IMU is highly environment-dependent and the parameters of the system model are also uncertain, which may lead to large error and bad convergence of the Kalman filter. In order to solve this problem, an improved adaptive incremental Kalman filter (AIKF) algorithm is proposed. First, the model of SINS transfer alignment is defined based on the "Velocity and Attitude" matching method. Then the detailed algorithm progress of AIKF and its recurrence formulas are presented. The performance and calculation amount of AKF and AIKF are also compared. Finally, a simulation test is designed to verify the accuracy and the rapidity of the AIKF algorithm by comparing it with KF and AKF. The results show that the AIKF algorithm has better estimation accuracy and shorter convergence time, especially for the bias of the gyroscope and the accelerometer, which can meet the accuracy and rapidity requirement of transfer alignment.

Rapid Transfer Alignment of MEMS SINS Based on Adaptive Incremental Kalman Filter

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hairong Chu

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In airborne MEMS SINS transfer alignment, the error of MEMS IMU is highly environment-dependent and the parameters of the system model are also uncertain, which may lead to large error and bad convergence of the Kalman filter. In order to solve this problem, an improved adaptive incremental Kalman filter (AIKF algorithm is proposed. First, the model of SINS transfer alignment is defined based on the “Velocity and Attitude” matching method. Then the detailed algorithm progress of AIKF and its recurrence formulas are presented. The performance and calculation amount of AKF and AIKF are also compared. Finally, a simulation test is designed to verify the accuracy and the rapidity of the AIKF algorithm by comparing it with KF and AKF. The results show that the AIKF algorithm has better estimation accuracy and shorter convergence time, especially for the bias of the gyroscope and the accelerometer, which can meet the accuracy and rapidity requirement of transfer alignment.

SU-E-E-02: Dashboard for Tracking Physics Resident Progress

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Becker, SJ [NYU Langone Medical Center, NY, NY (United States)

2014-06-01

Purpose: Design a system to easily and securely track the progress of medical physics residents through their residency. Paper sign-offs while offering a real signature are not easily updated or summarized. A resident or mentor needs to be able to quickly assess what the current assignments are, what are overdue, and whether the resident is on track to complete all the tasks in a timely fashion. An electronic version can accomplish all these goals. Methods: An electronic dashboard was created in excel to not only house the tasks and sign-off but to succinctly summarize the residents progress. The first tab contains the dashboard which displays tables of the progress of the residents in each rotation, their current task, and overdue tasks. It also displays the last meetings with the residents, and timeline of important items, and a burn-down chart of the remaining tasks. This are all tied to the data and current date which auto fills the tables. The second tab contains the data. This is comprised of lists of rotations and their associated tasks along with their due dates. A signature column was also created which is password protected but allows special subset users i.e. mentors to alter without using a password. Results: The dashboard has allowed residents to better track their progress and tells them what they should be working on. It has also allowed the mentors and the program director to rapid assess their progress. Conclusion: The dashboard is successful and has been created to allow easy addition and subtraction of required tasks as the residency evolves. The next step is to create a web app version of the excel sheet with logins.

SU-E-E-02: Dashboard for Tracking Physics Resident Progress

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Becker, SJ

2014-01-01

Purpose: Design a system to easily and securely track the progress of medical physics residents through their residency. Paper sign-offs while offering a real signature are not easily updated or summarized. A resident or mentor needs to be able to quickly assess what the current assignments are, what are overdue, and whether the resident is on track to complete all the tasks in a timely fashion. An electronic version can accomplish all these goals. Methods: An electronic dashboard was created in excel to not only house the tasks and sign-off but to succinctly summarize the residents progress. The first tab contains the dashboard which displays tables of the progress of the residents in each rotation, their current task, and overdue tasks. It also displays the last meetings with the residents, and timeline of important items, and a burn-down chart of the remaining tasks. This are all tied to the data and current date which auto fills the tables. The second tab contains the data. This is comprised of lists of rotations and their associated tasks along with their due dates. A signature column was also created which is password protected but allows special subset users i.e. mentors to alter without using a password. Results: The dashboard has allowed residents to better track their progress and tells them what they should be working on. It has also allowed the mentors and the program director to rapid assess their progress. Conclusion: The dashboard is successful and has been created to allow easy addition and subtraction of required tasks as the residency evolves. The next step is to create a web app version of the excel sheet with logins

IPNS progress report 2001-2006.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marzec, B.

2006-11-27

In August 1981, the proton beam from the rapid cycling synchrotron (RCS) was first delivered to the Intense Pulsed Neutron Source (IPNS) neutron scattering target and now, in June 2006, it is with great joy that we celebrate the impending 25th anniversary of this event. This edition of the IPNS Progress Report will focus on the development and scientific accomplishments of the past 5 years, since our last Progress Report, but with some mention of the 25 years of IPNS experience. It is appropriate at this anniversary date to recall some of the more significant historic events that have led to the present IPNS and discuss some of the plans that will lead to even more successes. Below is a brief chronology that captures some of the developments of IPNS: 8/4/81 - First beam delivered to the neutron scattering target; 6/10/84 - IPNS produced its one billionth neutron pulse; 1/10/85 - Installed world's first solid methane moderator; 6/30/87 - 1000th experiment performed at IPNS; 9/19/87 - IPNS produced its two billionth neutron pulse; 11/20/91 - 2000th experiment performed at IPNS; 4/17/04 - IPNS produced its eight billionth neutron pulse; and 8/19/05 - 7000th experiment performed at IPNS. During the past 5 years, several significant source and instrument developments have taken place. Most of these are discussed in more detail elsewhere in the report, but three of the ones most visible to users are mentioned here.

Genetics of Progressive Supranuclear Palsy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sun Young Im

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP is a neurodegenerative syndrome that is clinically characterized by progressive postural instability, supranuclear gaze palsy, parkinsonism and cognitive decline. Pathologically, diagnosis of PSP is based on characteristic features, such as neurofibrillary tangles, neutrophil threads, tau-positive astrocytes and their processes in basal ganglia and brainstem, and the accumulation of 4 repeat tau protein. PSP is generally recognized as a sporadic disorder; however, understanding of genetic background of PSP has been expanding rapidly. Here we review relevant publications to outline the genetics of PSP. Although only small number of familial PSP cases have been reported, the recognition of familial PSP has been increasing. In some familial cases of clinically probable PSP, PSP pathologies were confirmed based on NINDS neuropathological diagnostic criteria. Several mutations in MAPT, the gene that causes a form of familial frontotemporal lobar degeneration with tauopathy, have been identified in both sporadic and familial PSP cases. The H1 haplotype of MAPT is a risk haplotype for PSP, and within H1, a sub-haplotype (H1c is associated with PSP. A recent genome-wide association study on autopsyproven PSP revealed additional PSP risk alleles in STX6 and EIF2AK3. Several heredodegenerative parkinsonian disorders are referred to as PSP-look-alikes because their clinical phenotype, but not their pathology, mimics PSP. Due to the fast development of genomics and bioinformatics, more genetic factors related to PSP are expected to be discovered. Undoubtedly, these studies will provide a better understanding of the pathogenesis of PSP and clues for developing therapeutic strategies.

Rapid deterioration of Mooren's ulcers after conjunctival flap: a review of 2 cases.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Saiqun; Deng, Yuqing; Du, Caiyuan; Huang, Haixiang; Zhong, Jing; Chen, Ling; Wang, Bowen; Yuan, Jin

2017-06-15

Conjunctival flaps are a widely used treatment for numerous corneal ulcers that are caused by microorganismal infections. However, whether it can be performed on immune-mediated corneal ulcers is controversial. We present two cases of Mooren's ulcer that were treated using conjunctival flap in an attempt to prevent further corneal perforation at their local hospital. A rapid acceleration in ulcer progression was observed after a conjunctival flap was applied. Ultimately, the two patients underwent corneal transplantation, which required the postoperative use of topical immunosuppressants and resulted in a final cure. In the current report, we also discussed this incorrect surgical choice via a review of conventional interventions that are used to treat Mooren's ulcer. These two cases demonstrate that keratoplasty combined with topical immunosuppressants is effective in treating Mooren's ulcer. Application of conjunctival flaps or autografting could promote progression of ulceration in Mooren's ulcers.

Rapid response predicts 12-month post-treatment outcomes in binge-eating disorder: theoretical and clinical implications

Science.gov (United States)

Grilo, C. M.; White, M. A.; Wilson, G. T.; Gueorguieva, R.; Masheb, R. M.

2011-01-01

Background We examined rapid response in obese patients with binge-eating disorder (BED) in a clinical trial testing cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and behavioral weight loss (BWL). Method Altogether, 90 participants were randomly assigned to CBT or BWL. Assessments were performed at baseline, throughout and post-treatment and at 6- and 12-month follow-ups. Rapid response, defined as ≥70% reduction in binge eating by week four, was determined by receiver operating characteristic curves and used to predict outcomes. Results Rapid response characterized 57% of participants (67% of CBT, 47% of BWL) and was unrelated to most baseline variables. Rapid response predicted greater improvements across outcomes but had different prognostic significance and distinct time courses for CBT versus BWL. Patients receiving CBT did comparably well regardless of rapid response in terms of reduced binge eating and eating disorder psychopathology but did not achieve weight loss. Among patients receiving BWL, those without rapid response failed to improve further. However, those with rapid response were significantly more likely to achieve binge-eating remission (62% v. 13%) and greater reductions in binge-eating frequency, eating disorder psychopathology and weight loss. Conclusions Rapid response to treatment in BED has prognostic significance through 12-month follow-up, provides evidence for treatment specificity and has clinical implications for stepped-care treatment models for BED. Rapid responders who receive BWL benefit in terms of both binge eating and short-term weight loss. Collectively, these findings suggest that BWL might be a candidate for initial intervention in stepped-care models with an evaluation of progress after 1 month to identify non-rapid responders who could be advised to consider a switch to a specialized treatment. PMID:21923964

Prehospital care training in a rapidly developing economy: a multi-institutional study.

Science.gov (United States)

Vyas, Dinesh; Hollis, Michael; Abraham, Rohit; Rustagi, Neeti; Chandra, Siddharth; Malhotra, Ajai; Rajpurohit, Vikas; Purohit, Harshada; Pal, Ranabir

2016-06-01

The trauma pandemic is one of the leading causes of death worldwide but especially in rapidly developing economies. Perhaps, a common cause of trauma-related mortality in these settings comes from the rapid expansion of motor vehicle ownership without the corresponding expansion of national prehospital training in developed countries. The resulting road traffic injuries often never make it to the hospital in time for effective treatment, resulting in preventable disability and death. The current article examines the development of a medical first responder training program that has the potential to reduce this unnecessary morbidity and mortality. An intensive training workshop has been differentiated into two progressive tiers: acute trauma training (ATT) and broad trauma training (BTT) protocols. These four-hour and two-day protocols, respectively, allow for the mass education of laypersons-such as police officials, fire brigade, and taxi and/or ambulance drivers-who are most likely to interact first with prehospital victims. Over 750 ATT participants and 168 BTT participants were trained across three Indian educational institutions at Jodhpur and Jaipur. Trainees were given didactic and hands-on education in a series of critical trauma topics, in addition to pretraining and post-training self-assessments to rate clinical confidence across curricular topics. Two-sample t-test statistical analyses were performed to compare pretraining and post-training confidence levels. Program development resulted in recruitment of a variety of career backgrounds for enrollment in both our ATT and BTT workshops. The workshops were run by local physicians from a wide spectrum of medical specialties and previously ATT-trained police officials. Statistically significant improvements in clinical confidence across all curricular topics for ATT and BTT protocols were identified (P developing settings. Program expansion can offer an exponential growth in the training rate of medical

Rapid neo-sex chromosome evolution and incipient speciation in a major forest pest.

Science.gov (United States)

Bracewell, Ryan R; Bentz, Barbara J; Sullivan, Brian T; Good, Jeffrey M

2017-11-17

Genome evolution is predicted to be rapid following the establishment of new (neo) sex chromosomes, but it is not known if neo-sex chromosome evolution plays an important role in speciation. Here we combine extensive crossing experiments with population and functional genomic data to examine neo-XY chromosome evolution and incipient speciation in the mountain pine beetle. We find a broad continuum of intrinsic incompatibilities in hybrid males that increase in strength with geographic distance between reproductively isolated populations. This striking progression of reproductive isolation is coupled with extensive gene specialization, natural selection, and elevated genetic differentiation on both sex chromosomes. Closely related populations isolated by hybrid male sterility also show fixation of alternative neo-Y haplotypes that differ in structure and male-specific gene content. Our results suggest that neo-sex chromosome evolution can drive rapid functional divergence between closely related populations irrespective of ecological drivers of divergence.

Contemporary Visions of Progress in Ecology and Thoughts for the Future

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brian M. Starzomski

2004-06-01

Full Text Available Although ecological research is progressing rapidly, the answers to certain key questions continue to elude us. This paper considers several of the contemporary challenges facing ecology. (1 Terminology is voluminous and often poorly defined, resulting in inefficient communication. (2 The concept of scale affects our inferences about system structure and function, requiring us to continue an almost heuristic investigation of breaks, domains, and integration. New tools that more explicitly incorporate scalar issues will need to be developed for progress to take place in the field of ecology. (3 Increasingly, it is expected that applied questions will be solved in less than a year. This demand for solutions from ecologists often produces short-term and inadequate responses. (4 How can ecologists improve communication between subdisciplines, with undergraduate students, and with the public? How will ecology be done in the future, and by whom? We provide some background to these observations and questions, and offer some potential solutions from the viewpoint of young practicing ecologists.

Progress on development of nuclear power in Japan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

2000-01-01

Since three Laws on the nuclear power were published 45 years has passed. Now, development on nuclear power in Japan is at an emergent state. In Japan, 51 units of commercial nuclear reactors with 44.917 GW are in operation, occupy about 37% of total electric power generation, and is positioned at an essential basic energy source supporting economical society in Japan. However, an accident occurred at Tokai Works of the JCO Co., Ltd., one of the uranium reconversion company, on September 30, 1999, was the first critical accident in Japan, and became the worst case in history on development of nuclear power in Japan, because of forming three heavy radiation disabled persons (One of them was dead) in its operators. This was a big crisis with relation to existence on development of nuclear power in Japan, by which anxiety and distrust of the Japanese against the nuclear power were amplified rapidly. On the other side, for Japan short in energy sources and of a big energy consumption, in order to intend for a long term to carry out energy security, global environmental conservation, and sustainable maintenance of essential growth, it remains to be one of important optional methods to further promote nuclear power generation and to establish nuclear fuel cycle. Here were described on progress on peaceful applications of nuclear power in Japan, progress on the field of nuclear power in Japan (from 1955 to 1999), progress on Tokai nuclear power station, introduction of nuclear power generation and effort on its domestic production. (G.K.)

Deregulation of MiR-34b/Sox2 Predicts Prostate Cancer Progression.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Irene Forno

Full Text Available Most men diagnosed with prostate cancer will have an indolent and curable disease, whereas approximately 15% of these patients will rapidly progress to a castrate-resistant and metastatic stage with high morbidity and mortality. Therefore, the identification of molecular signature(s that detect men at risk of progressing disease remains a pressing and still unmet need for these patients. Here, we used an integrated discovery platform combining prostate cancer cell lines, a Transgenic Adenocarcinoma of the Mouse Prostate (TRAMP model and clinically-annotated human tissue samples to identify loss of expression of microRNA-34b as consistently associated with prostate cancer relapse. Mechanistically, this was associated with epigenetics silencing of the MIR34B/C locus and increased DNA copy number loss, selectively in androgen-dependent prostate cancer. In turn, loss of miR-34b resulted in downstream deregulation and overexpression of the "stemness" marker, Sox2. These findings identify loss of miR-34b as a robust biomarker for prostate cancer progression in androgen-sensitive tumors, and anticipate a potential role of progenitor/stem cell signaling in this stage of disease.

Deregulation of MiR-34b/Sox2 Predicts Prostate Cancer Progression.

Science.gov (United States)

Forno, Irene; Ferrero, Stefano; Russo, Maria Veronica; Gazzano, Giacomo; Giangiobbe, Sara; Montanari, Emanuele; Del Nero, Alberto; Rocco, Bernardo; Albo, Giancarlo; Languino, Lucia R; Altieri, Dario C; Vaira, Valentina; Bosari, Silvano

2015-01-01

Most men diagnosed with prostate cancer will have an indolent and curable disease, whereas approximately 15% of these patients will rapidly progress to a castrate-resistant and metastatic stage with high morbidity and mortality. Therefore, the identification of molecular signature(s) that detect men at risk of progressing disease remains a pressing and still unmet need for these patients. Here, we used an integrated discovery platform combining prostate cancer cell lines, a Transgenic Adenocarcinoma of the Mouse Prostate (TRAMP) model and clinically-annotated human tissue samples to identify loss of expression of microRNA-34b as consistently associated with prostate cancer relapse. Mechanistically, this was associated with epigenetics silencing of the MIR34B/C locus and increased DNA copy number loss, selectively in androgen-dependent prostate cancer. In turn, loss of miR-34b resulted in downstream deregulation and overexpression of the "stemness" marker, Sox2. These findings identify loss of miR-34b as a robust biomarker for prostate cancer progression in androgen-sensitive tumors, and anticipate a potential role of progenitor/stem cell signaling in this stage of disease.

Progress and challenges associated with halal authentication of consumer packaged goods.

Science.gov (United States)

Premanandh, Jagadeesan; Bin Salem, Samara

2017-11-01

Abusive business practices are increasingly evident in consumer packaged goods. Although consumers have the right to protect themselves against such practices, rapid urbanization and industrialization result in greater distances between producers and consumers, raising serious concerns on the supply chain. The operational complexities surrounding halal authentication pose serious challenges on the integrity of consumer packaged goods. This article attempts to address the progress and challenges associated with halal authentication. Advancement and concerns on the application of new, rapid analytical methods for halal authentication are discussed. The significance of zero tolerance policy in consumer packaged foods and its impact on analytical testing are presented. The role of halal assurance systems and their challenges are also considered. In conclusion, consensus on the establishment of one standard approach coupled with a sound traceability system and constant monitoring would certainly improve and ensure halalness of consumer packaged goods. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Rapid response systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Lyons, Patrick G; Edelson, Dana P; Churpek, Matthew M

2018-07-01

Rapid response systems are commonly employed by hospitals to identify and respond to deteriorating patients outside of the intensive care unit. Controversy exists about the benefits of rapid response systems. We aimed to review the current state of the rapid response literature, including evolving aspects of afferent (risk detection) and efferent (intervention) arms, outcome measurement, process improvement, and implementation. Articles written in English and published in PubMed. Rapid response systems are heterogeneous, with important differences among afferent and efferent arms. Clinically meaningful outcomes may include unexpected mortality, in-hospital cardiac arrest, length of stay, cost, and processes of care at end of life. Both positive and negative interventional studies have been published, although the two largest randomized trials involving rapid response systems - the Medical Early Response and Intervention Trial (MERIT) and the Effect of a Pediatric Early Warning System on All-Cause Mortality in Hospitalized Pediatric Patients (EPOCH) trial - did not find a mortality benefit with these systems, albeit with important limitations. Advances in monitoring technologies, risk assessment strategies, and behavioral ergonomics may offer opportunities for improvement. Rapid responses may improve some meaningful outcomes, although these findings remain controversial. These systems may also improve care for patients at the end of life. Rapid response systems are expected to continue evolving with novel developments in monitoring technologies, risk prediction informatics, and work in human factors. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Multiple gingival pregnancy tumors with rapid growth

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wei-Lian Sun

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Pregnancy gingivitis is an acute form of gingivitis that affects pregnant women, with a prevalence of 30%, possibly ranging up to 100%. Sometimes, pregnancy gingivitis shows a tendency toward a localized hyperplasia called gingival pyogenic granuloma. Pregnancy tumor is a benign gingival hyperplasia with the gingiva as the most commonly involved site, but rarely it involves almost the entire gingiva. A 22-year-old woman was referred to our clinic with a chief complaint of gingival swelling that had lasted for 2 days. The lesions progressed rapidly and extensively, and almost all the gingiva was involved a week later. Generalized erythema, edema, hyperplasia, a hemorrhagic tendency, and several typical hemangiomatous masses were noted. Pregnancy was denied by the patient at the first and second visits, but was confirmed 2 weeks after the primary visit. The patient was given oral hygiene instructions. She recovered well, and the mass gradually regressed and had disappeared completely at the end of 12 weeks of pregnancy, without recurrence. The gingival lesions were finally diagnosed as multiple gingival pregnancy tumors. The patient delivered a healthy infant. An extensive and rapid growth of gingival pregnancy tumors during the early first month of pregnancy is a rare occurrence that is not familiar to dentists, gynecologists, and obstetricians. Those practitioners engaged in oral medicine and periodontology, primary care obstetrics, and gynecology should be aware of such gingival lesions to avoid misdiagnosis and overtreatment.

Degeneration of rapid eye movement sleep circuitry underlies rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

McKenna, Dillon; Peever, John

2017-05-01

During healthy rapid eye movement sleep, skeletal muscles are actively forced into a state of motor paralysis. However, in rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder-a relatively common neurological disorder-this natural process is lost. A lack of motor paralysis (atonia) in rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder allows individuals to actively move, which at times can be excessive and violent. At first glance this may sound harmless, but it is not because rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder patients frequently injure themselves or the person they sleep with. It is hypothesized that the degeneration or dysfunction of the brain stem circuits that control rapid eye movement sleep paralysis is an underlying cause of rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder. The link between brain stem degeneration and rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder stems from the fact that rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder precedes, in the majority (∼80%) of cases, the development of synucleinopathies such as Parkinson's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, and multiple system atrophy, which are known to initially cause degeneration in the caudal brain stem structures where rapid eye movement sleep circuits are located. Furthermore, basic science and clinical evidence demonstrate that lesions within the rapid eye movement sleep circuits can induce rapid eye movement sleep-specific motor deficits that are virtually identical to those observed in rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder. This review examines the evidence that rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder is caused by synucleinopathic neurodegeneration of the core brain stem circuits that control healthy rapid eye movement sleep and concludes that rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder is not a separate clinical entity from synucleinopathies but, rather, it is the earliest symptom of these disorders. © 2017 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society. © 2017 International Parkinson and

The progressive tax

OpenAIRE

Estrada, Fernando

2010-01-01

This article describes the argumentative structure of Hayek on the relationship between power to tax and the progressive tax. It is observed throughout its work giving special attention to two works: The Constitution of Liberty (1959) and Law, Legislation and Liberty, vol3; The Political Order of Free People, 1979) Hayek describes one of the arguments most complete information bout SFP progressive tax systems (progressive tax). According to the author the history of the tax progressive system...

Genetic Factors Associated with Risk and Disability Progression of Multiple Sclerosis in Slovak Population

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hanysova Sandra

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Objective: The aim of our study was to determine the relation of particular genetic variants in selected genes (GSTM1, GSTT1 null genotypes; rs1695 GSTP1; rs10735781 EVI5 to the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS development and find out the possible association with disease disability progression rate. Material and methods: Our study included 202 MS patients and 174 healthy control volunteers. MS patients were divided according to disability progression rate to three groups - slowly progressing, mid-rate progressing and rapidly progressing. All DNA samples were isolated from venous blood. Genotyping was performed by PCR-RFLP and multiplex PCR. Results: Our analysis showed that GSTT1 null genotype (OR 0.56; 95%CI 0.33 -0.95; p=0.04 and GSTM1, GSTT1 double null genotype (OR 0.32; 95%CI 0.14 - 0.74; p=0.006 are potentially protective in relation to MS. We observed similar result in GSTT1 null genotype in association with mid-rate progression (OR 0.48; 95%CI 0.24 - 0.97; p=0.05. Frequency of GSTM1 and GSTT1 double null genotype is significantly lower in subgroup of MS patients with progression rate defined as slow (OR 0.22; 95%CI 0.05 - 0.98; p=0.05 and middle (OR 0.33; 95%CI 0.11 - 0.99; p=0.045. We did not show any significant association of genetic changes rs1695 in GSTP1 and rs10735781 in EVI5 with MS or rate of disease progression. Conclusions: Genetic basis of multiple sclerosis is still not fully elucidated. Further research may clarify our results and confirm the value of studied factors for clinical practice.

Prevalence and progression of combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema in asymptomatic smokers: A case-control study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chae, Kum Ju; Jin, Gong Yong; Han, Young Min; Kim, Yong Seek; Chon, Su Bin; Lee, Young Sun [Chonbuk National University Medical School and Hospital, Department of Radiology, Institute of Medical Science, Research Institute of Clinical Medicine, Jeonju, Jeonbuk (Korea, Republic of); Kwon, Keun Sang [Chonbuk National University Medical School, Department of Preventive Medicine, Research Institute of Clinical Medicine, Jeonju, Jeonbuk (Korea, Republic of); Choi, Hye Mi [Chonbuk National University, Department of Statistics and Institute of Applied Statistics, Jeonju, Jeonbuk (Korea, Republic of); Lynch, David [National Jewish Health, Department of Radiology, Denver, CO (United States)

2015-08-15

We aimed to estimate the prevalence of combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema (CPFE) and describe the follow-up CT results of CPFE in asymptomatic smokers. This study was retrospective, and approved by an institutional review board. CT images of 2,016 current or previous male smokers who underwent low-dose chest CT at our healthcare centre were reviewed. Quantitative CT analysis was used to assess the extent of emphysema, and two radiologists visually analyzed the extent of fibrosis. Changes in fibrosis (no change, improvement, or progression) were evaluated on follow-up CT imaging (n = 42). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, multivariate logistic regression and its ROC curve were used for survival and progression analysis. The prevalence of CPFE among asymptomatic male smokers was 3.1 % (63/2,016). The median follow-up period was 50.4 months, and 72.7 % (16/22) of continued smoker had progressing fibrosis on follow-up CT. CPFE progressed more rapidly in continuous smokers than in former smokers (p = 0.002). The 3.5-year follow-up period after initial CPFE diagnosis maximized the sum of sensitivity and specificity of CPFE progression prediction in continuous smokers. The prevalence of CPFE turned out not to be inconsiderable in asymptomatic male smokers, but serial CT follow-up would be helpful in recognizing disease progression. (orig.)

Prevalence and progression of combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema in asymptomatic smokers: A case-control study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chae, Kum Ju; Jin, Gong Yong; Han, Young Min; Kim, Yong Seek; Chon, Su Bin; Lee, Young Sun; Kwon, Keun Sang; Choi, Hye Mi; Lynch, David

2015-01-01

We aimed to estimate the prevalence of combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema (CPFE) and describe the follow-up CT results of CPFE in asymptomatic smokers. This study was retrospective, and approved by an institutional review board. CT images of 2,016 current or previous male smokers who underwent low-dose chest CT at our healthcare centre were reviewed. Quantitative CT analysis was used to assess the extent of emphysema, and two radiologists visually analyzed the extent of fibrosis. Changes in fibrosis (no change, improvement, or progression) were evaluated on follow-up CT imaging (n = 42). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, multivariate logistic regression and its ROC curve were used for survival and progression analysis. The prevalence of CPFE among asymptomatic male smokers was 3.1 % (63/2,016). The median follow-up period was 50.4 months, and 72.7 % (16/22) of continued smoker had progressing fibrosis on follow-up CT. CPFE progressed more rapidly in continuous smokers than in former smokers (p = 0.002). The 3.5-year follow-up period after initial CPFE diagnosis maximized the sum of sensitivity and specificity of CPFE progression prediction in continuous smokers. The prevalence of CPFE turned out not to be inconsiderable in asymptomatic male smokers, but serial CT follow-up would be helpful in recognizing disease progression. (orig.)

New imaging systems in nuclear medicine. Technical progress report, July 1, 1975--March 15, 1976

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brownell, G.L.

1976-01-01

This progress report covers four areas: development of positron instrumentation, development of NUMEDICS computer system and software, application of cyclotron-produced isotopes ( 11 C, 68 Ga, 13 N, 15 O, and 82 Rb), and application of the NUMEDICS computer system in nuclear medicine. The development of transverse section positron imaging has had a significant impact and a positron camera was designed specifically for transverse section imaging of heart and lungs. The computer net (NUMEDICS II) is progressing rapidly in design and software development. Clinical studies have demonstrated the feasibility of measuring cerebral blood flow using a variety of positron emitting radiopharmaceuticals and oxygen utilization using 15 O 2 . Rubidium-82 also appears to be a promising agent for measurement of cerebral blood flow

Recent Progress in Biosensors for Environmental Monitoring: A Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Justino, Celine I L; Duarte, Armando C; Rocha-Santos, Teresa A P

2017-12-15

The environmental monitoring has been one of the priorities at the European and global scale due to the close relationship between the environmental pollution and the human health/socioeconomic development. In this field, the biosensors have been widely employed as cost-effective, fast, in situ, and real-time analytical techniques. The need of portable, rapid, and smart biosensing devices explains the recent development of biosensors with new transduction materials, obtained from nanotechnology, and for multiplexed pollutant detection, involving multidisciplinary experts. This review article provides an update on recent progress in biosensors for the monitoring of air, water, and soil pollutants in real conditions such as pesticides, potentially toxic elements, and small organic molecules including toxins and endocrine disrupting chemicals.

Palliative use of non-invasive ventilation in end-of-life patients with solid tumours: a randomised feasibility trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Nava, Stefano; Ferrer, Miguel; Esquinas, Antonio; Scala, Raffaele; Groff, Paolo; Cosentini, Roberto; Guido, Davide; Lin, Ching-Hsiung; Cuomo, Anna Maria; Grassi, Mario

2013-03-01

Despite best-possible medical management, many patients with end-stage cancer experience breathlessness, especially towards the end of their lives. We assessed the acceptability and effectiveness of non-invasive mechanical ventilation (NIV) versus oxygen therapy in decreasing dyspnoea and the amount of opiates needed. In this randomised feasibility study, we recruited patients from seven centres in Italy, Spain, and Taiwan, who had solid tumours and acute respiratory failure and had a life expectancy of less than 6 months. We randomly allocated patients to receive either NIV (using the Pressure Support mode and scheduled on patients' request and mask comfort) or oxygen therapy (using a Venturi or a reservoir mask). We used a computer-generated sequence for randomisation, stratified on the basis of patients' hypercapnic status (PaCO2 >45 mm Hg or PaCO2 ≤45 mm Hg), and assigned treatment allocation using opaque, sealed envelopes. Patients in both groups were given sufficient subcutaneous morphine to reduce their dyspnoea score by at least one point on the Borg scale. Our primary endpoints were to assess the acceptability of NIV used solely as a palliative measure and to assess its effectiveness in reducing dyspnoea and the amount of opiates needed compared with oxygen therapy. Analysis was done by intention to treat. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00533143. We recruited patients between Jan 15, 2008, and March 9, 2011. Of 234 patients eligible for recruitment, we randomly allocated 200 (85%) to treatment: 99 to NIV and 101 to oxygen. 11 (11%) patients in the NIV group discontinued treatment; no patients in the oxygen group discontinued treatment. Dyspnoea decreased more rapidly in the NIV group compared with the oxygen group (average change in Borg scale -0·58, 95% CI -0·92 to -0·23, p=0·0012), with most benefit seen after the first hour of treatment and in hypercapnic patients. The total dose of morphine during the first 48 h was

What are the visual features underlying rapid object recognition?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sébastien M Crouzet

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Research progress in machine vision has been very significant in recent years. Robust face detection and identification algorithms are already readily available to consumers, and modern computer vision algorithms for generic object recognition are now coping with the richness and complexity of natural visual scenes. Unlike early vision models of object recognition that emphasized the role of figure-ground segmentation and spatial information between parts, recent successful approaches are based on the computation of loose collections of image features without prior segmentation or any explicit encoding of spatial relations. While these models remain simplistic models of visual processing, they suggest that, in principle, bottom-up activation of a loose collection of image features could support the rapid recognition of natural object categories and provide an initial coarse visual representation before more complex visual routines and attentional mechanisms take place. Focusing on biologically-plausible computational models of (bottom-up pre-attentive visual recognition, we review some of the key visual features that have been described in the literature. We discuss the consistency of these feature-based representations with classical theories from visual psychology and test their ability to account for human performance on a rapid object categorization task.

Advancing functional dysconnectivity and atrophy in progressive supranuclear palsy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jesse A. Brown

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Progressive supranuclear palsy syndrome (PSP-S results from neurodegeneration within a network of brainstem, subcortical, frontal and parietal cortical brain regions. It is unclear how network dysfunction progresses and relates to longitudinal atrophy and clinical decline. In this study, we evaluated patients with PSP-S (n = 12 and healthy control subjects (n = 20 at baseline and 6 months later. Subjects underwent structural MRI and task-free functional MRI (tf-fMRI scans and clinical evaluations at both time points. At baseline, voxel based morphometry (VBM revealed that patients with mild-to-moderate clinical symptoms showed structural atrophy in subcortex and brainstem, prefrontal cortex (PFC; supplementary motor area, paracingulate, dorsal and ventral medial PFC, and parietal cortex (precuneus. Tf-fMRI functional connectivity (FC was examined in a rostral midbrain tegmentum (rMT-anchored intrinsic connectivity network that is compromised in PSP-S. In healthy controls, this network contained a medial parietal module, a prefrontal-paralimbic module, and a subcortical-brainstem module. Baseline FC deficits in PSP-S were most severe in rMT network integrative hubs in the prefrontal-paralimbic and subcortical-brainstem modules. Longitudinally, patients with PSP-S had declining intermodular FC between the subcortical-brainstem and parietal modules, while progressive atrophy was observed in subcortical-brainstem regions (midbrain, pallidum and posterior frontal (perirolandic cortex. This suggested that later-stage subcortical-posterior cortical change may follow an earlier-stage subcortical-anterior cortical disease process. Clinically, patients with more severe baseline impairment showed greater subsequent prefrontal-parietal cortical FC declines and posterior frontal atrophy rates, while patients with more rapid longitudinal clinical decline showed coupled prefrontal-paralimbic FC decline. VBM and FC can augment disease monitoring in PSP

Regulation of Tumor Progression by Programmed Necrosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Su Yeon Lee

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Rapidly growing malignant tumors frequently encounter hypoxia and nutrient (e.g., glucose deprivation, which occurs because of insufficient blood supply. This results in necrotic cell death in the core region of solid tumors. Necrotic cells release their cellular cytoplasmic contents into the extracellular space, such as high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1, which is a nonhistone nuclear protein, but acts as a proinflammatory and tumor-promoting cytokine when released by necrotic cells. These released molecules recruit immune and inflammatory cells, which exert tumor-promoting activity by inducing angiogenesis, proliferation, and invasion. Development of a necrotic core in cancer patients is also associated with poor prognosis. Conventionally, necrosis has been thought of as an unregulated process, unlike programmed cell death processes like apoptosis and autophagy. Recently, necrosis has been recognized as a programmed cell death, encompassing processes such as oncosis, necroptosis, and others. Metabolic stress-induced necrosis and its regulatory mechanisms have been poorly investigated until recently. Snail and Dlx-2, EMT-inducing transcription factors, are responsible for metabolic stress-induced necrosis in tumors. Snail and Dlx-2 contribute to tumor progression by promoting necrosis and inducing EMT and oncogenic metabolism. Oncogenic metabolism has been shown to play a role(s in initiating necrosis. Here, we discuss the molecular mechanisms underlying metabolic stress-induced programmed necrosis that promote tumor progression and aggressiveness.

When Progressive Disease Does Not Mean Treatment Failure: Reconsidering the Criteria for Progression

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

Although progression-based endpoints, such as progression-free survival, are often key clinical trial endpoints for anticancer agents, the clinical meaning of “objective progression” is much less certain. As scrutiny of progression-based endpoints in clinical trials increases, it should be remembered that the Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors (RECIST) progression criteria were not developed as a surrogate for survival. Now that progression-free survival has come to be an increasingly important trial endpoint, the criteria that define progression deserve critical evaluation to determine whether alternate definitions of progression might facilitate the development of stronger surrogate endpoints and more meaningful trial results. In this commentary, we review the genesis of the criteria for progression, highlight recent data that question their value as a marker of treatment failure, and advocate for several research strategies that could lay the groundwork for a clinically validated definition of disease progression in solid tumor oncology. PMID:22927506

Neuroprotection in Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis and Progressive Multiple Sclerosis by Cannabis-Based Cannabinoids.

Science.gov (United States)

Pryce, Gareth; Riddall, Dieter R; Selwood, David L; Giovannoni, Gavin; Baker, David

2015-06-01

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the major immune-mediated, demyelinating, neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system. Compounds within cannabis, notably Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) can limit the inappropriate neurotransmissions that cause MS-related problems and medicinal cannabis is now licenced for the treatment of MS symptoms. However, the biology indicates that the endocannabinoid system may offer the potential to control other aspects of disease. Although there is limited evidence that the cannabinoids from cannabis are having significant immunosuppressive activities that will influence relapsing autoimmunity, we and others can experimentally demonstrate that they may limit neurodegeneration that drives progressive disability. Here we show that synthetic cannabidiol can slow down the accumulation of disability from the inflammatory penumbra during relapsing experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in ABH mice, possibly via blockade of voltage-gated sodium channels. In addition, whilst non-sedating doses of Δ9-THC do not inhibit relapsing autoimmunity, they dose-dependently inhibit the accumulation of disability during EAE. They also appear to slow down clinical progression during MS in humans. Although a 3 year, phase III clinical trial did not detect a beneficial effect of oral Δ9-THC in progressive MS, a planned subgroup analysis of people with less disability who progressed more rapidly, demonstrated a significant slowing of progression by oral Δ9-THC compared to placebo. Whilst this may support the experimental and biological evidence for a neuroprotective effect by the endocannabinoid system in MS, it remains to be established whether this will be formally demonstrated in further trials of Δ9-THC/cannabis in progressive MS.

Radiochemistry programme biennial progress report (1986 and 1987)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-01-01

This biennial report covers the calendar years 1986 and 1987. This period has seen significant growth in the research activities of the Radiochemistry Programme and this is reflected in this report. The report is organised subject-wise into sections dealing with Fuel Chemistry and Thermodynamics, Sodium Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry and Instrumentation. The major part of the activities of the Radiochemistry Programme relates to fuel chemistry including thermophysical and thermodynamic properties of fuel materials, chemistry of fuel reprocessing and facilities as well as techniques for post-irradiation studies. Sodium chemistry is a smaller but important R and D activity, which has reached full maturity during the period of this report. Analytical chemistry and instrumentation are essential supporting activities. The rapid progress made over the last two years are reflected in the number of items covered in this report. In order to keep the total length of this report under control, the editors had to restrict the individual activities to one or two pages. Though the details of various studies are not presented here, it is hoped that the report gives an overview of the progress made by the Radiochemistry Programme in the last two years. The list of publications given at the end also reflects the growth in research programmes. (author)

EEG Differences in Two Clinically Similar Rapid Dementias: Voltage-Gated Potassium Channel Complex-Associated Autoimmune Encephalitis and Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Freund, Brin; Probasco, John C; Cervenka, Mackenzie C; Sutter, Raoul; Kaplan, Peter W

2018-05-01

Distinguishing treatable causes for rapidly progressive dementia from those that are incurable is vital. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and voltage-gated potassium channel complex-associated autoimmune encephalitis (VGKC AE) are 2 such conditions with disparate outcomes and response to treatment. To determine the differences in electroencephalography between CJD and VGKC AE, we performed a retrospective review of medical records and examined clinical data, neuroimaging, and electroencephalographs performed in patients admitted for evaluation for rapidly progressive dementia diagnosed with CJD and VGKC AE at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and Bayview Medical Center between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2015. More patients in the VGKC AE group had seizures (12/17) than those with CJD (3/14; P = .008). Serum sodium levels were lower in those with VGKC AE ( P = .001). Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) white blood cell count was higher in VGKC AE ( P = .008). CSF protein 14-3-3 ( P = .018) was more commonly detected in CJD, and tau levels were higher in those with CJD ( P VGKC AE, and electroencephalography can aid in their diagnoses. Performing serial EEGs better delineates these conditions.

National flow cytometry and sorting research resource. Annual progress report, July, 1, 1994--June 30, 1995, Year 12

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jett, J.H.

1995-04-27

Research progress utilizing flow cytometry is described. Topics include: rapid kinetics flow cytometry; characterization of size determinations for small DNA fragments; statistical analysis; energy transfer measurements of molecular confirmation in micelles; and enrichment of Mus spretus chromosomes by dual parameter flow sorting and identification of sorted fractions by fluorescence in-situ hybridization onto G-banded mouse metaphase spreads.

[Real-time PCR in rapid diagnosis of Aeromonas hydrophila necrotizing soft tissue infections].

Science.gov (United States)

Kohayagawa, Yoshitaka; Izumi, Yoko; Ushita, Misuzu; Niinou, Norio; Koshizaki, Masayuki; Yamamori, Yuji; Kaneko, Sakae; Fukushima, Hiroshi

2009-11-01

We report a case of rapidly progressive necrotizing soft tissue infection and sepsis followed by a patient's death. We suspected Vibrio vulnificus infection because the patient's underlying disease was cirrhosis and the course extremely rapid. No microbe had been detected at death. We extracted DNA from a blood culture bottle. SYBR green I real-time PCR was conducted but could not detect V. vulnificus vvh in the DNA sample. Aeromonas hydrophila was cultured and identified in blood and necrotized tissue samples. Real-time PCR was conducted to detect A. hydrophila ahh1, AHCYTOEN and aerA in the DNA sample extracted from the blood culture bottle and an isolated necrotized tissue strain, but only ahh1 was positive. High-mortality in necrotizing soft tissue infections makes it is crucial to quickly detect V. vulnificus and A. hydrophila. We found real-time PCR for vvh, ahh1, AHCYTOEN, and aerA useful in detecting V. vulnificus and A. hydrophila in necrotizing soft tissue infections.

Metabonomics Research Progress on Liver Diseases.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Mengqian; Zhu, Ying; Cong, Qingwei; Wu, Chunyan

2017-01-01

Metabolomics as the new omics technique develops after genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics and has rapid development at present. Liver diseases are worldwide public health problems. In China, chronic hepatitis B and its secondary diseases are the common liver diseases. They can be diagnosed by the combination of history, virology, liver function, and medical imaging. However, some patients seldom have relevant physical examination, so the diagnosis may be delayed. Many other liver diseases, such as drug-induced liver injury (DILI), alcoholic liver disease (ALD) and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and autoimmune liver diseases, still do not have definite diagnostic markers; the diagnosis consists of history, medical imaging, and the relevant score. As a result, the clinical work becomes very complex. So it has broad prospects to explore the specific and sensitive biomarkers of liver diseases with metabolomics. In this paper, there are several summaries which are related to the current research progress and application of metabolomics on biomarkers of liver diseases.

The evidence of benefits of exercise training in interstitial lung disease: a randomised controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Dowman, Leona M; McDonald, Christine F; Hill, Catherine J; Lee, Annemarie L; Barker, Kathryn; Boote, Claire; Glaspole, Ian; Goh, Nicole S L; Southcott, Anne M; Burge, Angela T; Gillies, Rebecca; Martin, Alicia; Holland, Anne E

2017-07-01

Uncertainty exists regarding the clinical relevance of exercise training across the range of interstitial lung diseases (ILDs). To establish the impact of exercise training in patients with ILDs of differing aetiology and severity. 142 participants with ILD (61 idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), 22 asbestosis, 23 connective tissue disease-related ILD (CTD-ILD) and 36 with other aetiologies) were randomised to either 8 weeks of supervised exercise training or usual care. Six-minute walk distance (6MWD), Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire (CRDQ), St George Respiratory Questionnaire IPF-specific version (SGRQ-I) and modified Medical Research Council dyspnoea score were measured at baseline, 9 weeks and 6 months. Exercise training significantly increased 6MWD (25 m, 95% CI 2 to 47 m) and health-related quality of life (CRDQ and SGRQ-I) in people with ILD. Larger improvements in 6MWD, CRDQ, SGRQ-I and dyspnoea occurred in asbestosis and IPF compared with CTD-ILD, but with few significant differences between subgroups. Benefits declined at 6 months except in CTD-ILD. Lower baseline 6MWD and worse baseline symptoms were associated with greater benefit in 6MWD and symptoms following training. Greater gains were seen in those whose exercise prescription was successfully progressed according to the protocol. At 6 months, sustained improvements in 6MWD and symptoms were associated with better baseline lung function and less pulmonary hypertension. Exercise training is effective in patients across the range of ILDs, with clinically meaningful benefits in asbestosis and IPF. Successful exercise progression maximises improvements and sustained treatment effects favour those with milder disease. Results, ACTRN12611000416998. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

How Rapid is Rapid Prototyping? Analysis of ESPADON Programme Results

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ian D. Alston

2003-05-01

Full Text Available New methodologies, engineering processes, and support environments are beginning to emerge for embedded signal processing systems. The main objectives are to enable defence industry to field state-of-the-art products in less time and with lower costs, including retrofits and upgrades, based predominately on commercial off the shelf (COTS components and the model-year concept. One of the cornerstones of the new methodologies is the concept of rapid prototyping. This is the ability to rapidly and seamlessly move from functional design to the architectural design to the implementation, through automatic code generation tools, onto real-time COTS test beds. In this paper, we try to quantify the term “rapid” and provide results, the metrics, from two independent benchmarks, a radar and sonar beamforming application subset. The metrics show that the rapid prototyping process may be sixteen times faster than a conventional process.

Progress Report

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Duer, Karsten

1999-01-01

Progress report describing the work carried out by the Danish participant in the ALTSET project in the period January 1999 to July 1999.......Progress report describing the work carried out by the Danish participant in the ALTSET project in the period January 1999 to July 1999....

Progress Report

Science.gov (United States)

2018-05-16

This report summarizes the annual progress of EPA’s Clean Air Markets Programs such as the Acid Rain Program (ARP) and the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR). EPA systematically collects data on emissions, compliance, and environmental effects, these data are highlighted in our Progress Reports.

The latest progress of TILLING technique and its prospects in irradiation mutation breeding

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Du Yan; Yu Lixia; Liu Qingfang; Zhou Libin; Li Wenjian

2011-01-01

TILLING (Targeting Induced Local Lesions IN Genomes) is a novel, high-throughput and low-cost reverse genetics technique. In recent years, with innovation of the mutation screening techniques, TILLING platform has become more diversified, which makes the operation of TILLING technique more simple and rapid. For this reason, it is widely used in crop breeding research. In this paper, we summarized the latest progress of TILLING technique, meanwhile, we also discussed the prospect of combining irradiation mutation with the high-throughput TILLING technique in mutation breeding. (authors)

Quality of life in Malaysian colorectal cancer patients: a preliminary result.

Science.gov (United States)

Natrah, M S; Ezat, Sharifa W P; Syed, M A; Rizal, A M Mohd; Saperi, S

2012-01-01

Rapidly increasing colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence in Malaysia and the introduction of cutting edge new treatments, which prolong survival, mean that treatment outcome measures meed to be evaluated, including consideration of patient's quality of life (QoL) assessment. There are limited data on QoL in CRC patients, especially in Malaysia. Therefore, this study was performed focusing on cancer stages and age groups. The cross sectional study was conducted from June to September 2011 at three public tertiary hospitals with the EORTC QLQ C-30 questionnaire in addition to face to face interview and review of medical records of 100 respondents. The mean age was 57.3 (SD 11.9) years with 56.0% are males and 44.0% females, 62% of Malay ethnicity, 30% Chinese, 7% Indian and 1% Sikh. Majority were educated up to secondary level (42%) and 90% respondents had CRC stages III and IV. Mean global health status (GHS) score was 79.1 (SD 21.4). Mean scores for functional status (physical, emotional, role, cognitive, social) rangeds between 79.5 (SD 26.6) to 92.2 (SD 13.7). Mean symptom scores (fatigue, pain, nausea/vomiting, constipation, diarrhea, insomnia, dyspnoea, loss of appetite) ranged between 4.00 (SD 8.58) to 20.7 (SD 30.6). Respondents role function significantly deteriorates with increasing stage of the disease (p=0.044). Females had worse symptoms of pain (p=0.022), fatigue (p=0.031) and dyspnoea (p=0.031). Mean insomnia (p=0.006) and diarrhea (p=0.024) demonstrated significant differences between age groups. QOL in CRC patients in this study was comparable to that in other studies done in developed countries. Pain, fatigue and dyspnoea are worse among female CRC patients. Given that functions deteriorates with advanced stage of the disease at diagnosis, a systematic screening programme to detect cases as early as possible is essential nationwide.

Recent progresses in application of functionalized graphene sheets

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

无

2010-01-01

Graphene,a rapidly rising star on the horizon of material science,has a unique two-dimensional nanostructure as well as exceptional mechanical and electronic properties.Despite its short history,graphene has exhibited great potential in various applications.In order to implement the potential applications,functionalization of graphene is necessary to obtain uniform dispersions for good processability.Two kinds are dominant for functionalization such as covalent and non-covalent methods.The former is based on the formation of covalent bonds,and the latter the interaction among molecules.In this review,we summarized briefly the recent progress of functionalized graphene sheets (FGs) in different fields,such as optoelectronic materials,sensors,energy storage materials,catalytic,reinforcing components and so on,and also prospected the development trend of FGs in the future.

A simple method for rapidly processing HEU from weapons returns

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McLean, W. II; Miller, P.E.

1994-01-01

A method based on the use of a high temperature fluidized bed for rapidly oxidizing, homogenizing and down-blending Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) from dismantled nuclear weapons is presented. This technology directly addresses many of the most important issues that inhibit progress in international commerce in HEU; viz., transaction verification, materials accountability, transportation and environmental safety. The equipment used to carry out the oxidation and blending is simple, inexpensive and highly portable. Mobile facilities to be used for point-of-sale blending and analysis of the product material are presented along with a phased implementation plan that addresses the conversion of HEU derived from domestic weapons and related waste streams as well as material from possible foreign sources such as South Africa or the former Soviet Union.

Czech Republic: A rapid transformation of fertility and family behaviour after the collapse of state socialism

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vladimíra Kantorová

2008-07-01

Full Text Available Following the swift demise of the state-socialist regime in 1989, a profound transformation of family and fertility patterns has taken place in the Czech Republic. Family formation has been postponed and period fertility rates have fallen to very low levels, especially among young adults. Unmarried cohabitation has become relatively widespread and marriages have been progressively delayed or even foregone. These rapid shifts in family-related behaviour were primarily driven by a period change and resulted in a sharp discontinuity in cohort patterns of union formation and childbearing. We argue that the rapid change in family-related behaviour after 1990 was driven by a fundamental shift in the constraints and incentives for childbearing, which was conducive to later and more carefully planned family formation. The rapidity of observed changes can be explained as the outcome of a simultaneous occurrence of several factors, especially the expansion of higher education, the emergence of new opportunities competing with family life, increasing job competition, rising economic uncertainty in young adulthood, and changing partnership behaviour.

Disseminated infection with Strongyloides stercoralis in a diabetic patient

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Murali A

2010-01-01

Full Text Available A 58-year-old male diabetic who was operated for carcinoma larynx 4 years back was admitted with exertional dyspnoea and bilateral leg swelling for the past 2 years. Over the last 2 months, there was a progressive worsening of symptoms. Echocardiography done 2 years back showed pericardial effusion. Echo done during the current admission also showed pericardial effusion with preserved left ventricular function; cytological examination of the pericardial fluid showed larvae of Strongyloides stercoralis. He was treated with antinematodal drugs. A follow-up echo done at discharge showed no pericardial effusion and the patient was completely asymptomatic. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of Strongyloides pericardial effusion in a diabetic patient.

[Progressive visual agnosia].

Science.gov (United States)

Sugimoto, Azusa; Futamura, Akinori; Kawamura, Mitsuru

2011-10-01

Progressive visual agnosia was discovered in the 20th century following the discovery of classical non-progressive visual agnosia. In contrast to the classical type, which is caused by cerebral vascular disease or traumatic injury, progressive visual agnosia is a symptom of neurological degeneration. The condition of progressive visual loss, including visual agnosia, and posterior cerebral atrophy was named posterior cortical atrophy (PCA) by Benson et al. (1988). Progressive visual agnosia is also observed in semantic dementia (SD) and other degenerative diseases, but there is a difference in the subtype of visual agnosia associated with these diseases. Lissauer (1890) classified visual agnosia into apperceptive and associative types, and it in most cases, PCA is associated with the apperceptive type. However, SD patients exhibit symptoms of associative visual agnosia before changing to those of semantic memory disorder. Insights into progressive visual agnosia have helped us understand the visual system and discover how we "perceive" the outer world neuronally, with regard to consciousness. Although PCA is a type of atypical dementia, its diagnosis is important to enable patients to live better lives with appropriate functional support.

Left Ventricular Geometry and Blood Pressure as Predictors of Adverse Progression of Fabry Cardiomyopathy.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Johannes Krämer

Full Text Available In spite of several research studies help to describe the heart in Fabry disease (FD, the cardiomyopathy is not entirely understood. In addition, the impact of blood pressure and alterations in geometry have not been systematically evaluated.In 74 FD patients (mean age 36±12 years; 45 females the extent of myocardial fibrosis and its progression were quantified using cardiac magnetic-resonance-imaging with late enhancement technique (LE. Results were compared to standard echocardiography complemented by 2D-speckle-tracking, 3D-sphericity-index (SI and standardized blood pressure measurement. At baseline, no patient received enzyme replacement therapy (ERT. After 51±24 months, a follow-up examination was performed.Systolic blood pressure (SBP was higher in patients with vs. without LE: 123±17 mmHg vs. 115±13 mmHg; P = 0.04. A positive correlation was found between SI and the amount of LE-positive myocardium (r = 0.51; P<0.001 indicating an association of higher SI in more advanced stages of the cardiomyopathy. SI at baseline was positively associated with the increase of LE-positive myocardium during follow-up. The highest SBP (125±19 mmHg and also the highest SI (0.32±0.05 was found in the subgroup with a rapidly increasing LE (ie, ≥0.2% per year; n = 16; P = 0.04. Multivariate logistic regression analysis including SI, SBP, EF, left ventricular volumes, wall thickness and NT-proBNP adjusted for age and sex showed SI as the most powerful parameter to detect rapid progression of LE (AUC = 0.785; P<0.05.LV geometry as assessed by the sphericity index is altered in relation to the stage of the Fabry cardiomyopathy. Although patients with FD are not hypertensive, the SBP has a clear impact on the progression of the cardiomyopathy.

Streptococcal necrotizing fasciitis with toxic shock syndrome and rapid fatal outcome

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kojić Miroslav

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction. Streptococcal necrotizing fasciitis (NF is a serious soft tissue infection with rapid progression of inflammatory process among superficial or deep fascia, systemic host response to infection leading to toxic shock syndrome (TSS, and multiple organ failure. Lethality is high. Case Outline. A 46-year-old male without co-morbidities was admitted to the Emergency Department with redness, swelling and pain on his right lower leg. He became sick two day s ea rlier with m alaise, chills and shivering. On admission he was hypotensive, anuric, with erythematous rash on his face, neck and chest, with acute ren al failure and elevated creatine phosphokinase level. During the next several hours, the changes on his right lower leg rapidly spread to the whole leg, followed by skin destruction and subcutaneo us bleeding, indicating NF. Aggressive antimicrobial, supportive and symptom atic therapy was initiated immediately and on the same evening surgical intervention was performed. Despite these measures, a rapid development of severe TSS, with lethal outcome, occurred in less than 40 hours after the admission. Stre ptococcus pyogenes (group A β-hemolytic Streptococcus was isolated from the throat, skin and tissue obtained duri ng the surgery. Conclusion. Necrotizing fasciitis is a very serious disease with unpre dictable course. For that reason doctors must devote a great deal of a ttention to early, i.e. timely diagnosis of this disease, whose treatment with a multid isciplinary approach is very important.

Descriptive summary of an outbreak of porcine post-weaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS ) in New Zealand.

Science.gov (United States)

Neumann, E J; Dobbinson, S S A; Welch, E B M; Morris, R S

2007-12-01

Investigations were conducted to determine the cause of an acute, multi-farm outbreak of porcine respiratory disease that included diarrhoea and subsequent loss of body condition in affected pigs. A definition for post-weaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS) including both clinical and pathological features, previously developed for the pig industry in New Zealand, was applied to the current outbreak. In addition to self-reporting by owners of affected farms, local veterinarians, disease and epidemiology consultants, and animal health officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) were involved in conducting farm visits and submission of diagnostic specimens. Pathogens known to be endemic in the pig industry in New Zealand as well as likely exotic diseases were excluded as causative agents of the outbreak. Clinical signs including dyspnoea, diarrhoea, and rapid loss of body condition were consistent with the New Zealand case definition for PMWS. Interstitial pneumonia, pulmonary oedema, generalised lymph-node enlargement, and presence of porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) inclusion bodies were consistently identified in affected pigs. Classical swine fever virus (CSFv), Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSv), and Influenza virus were ruled out, using molecular and traditional virological techniques. Spread of the disease between farms was hypothesised to be facilitated by locally migrating flocks of black-backed seagulls. The original source of the disease incursion was not identified. Based on the consistent presence of circovirus-associated lesions in lymphoid tissues in combination with generalised enlargement of lymph nodes, histiocytic interstitial pneumonia, clinical wasting, and poor response to antibiotic therapy, a diagnosis of PMWS was made. PMWS should be considered in the differential diagnoses of sudden onset of respiratory dyspnoea, diarrhoea, and rapid loss of body condition in young pigs in New Zealand pig

Progress of nuclide tracing technique in the study of soil erosion in recent decade

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Gang; Yang Mingyi; Liu Puling; Tian Junliang

2007-01-01

In the last decade nuclide tracing technique has been widely employed in the investigation of soil erosion, which makes the studies of soil erosion into a new and rapid development period. This paper tried to review the recent progress of using 137 Cs, 210 Pb ex , 7 Be, composite tracers and REE-INAA in soil erosion rate, sedimentation rate, sediment source and soil erosion processes study, and also the existing research results. The trends for future development and questions are also discussed. (authors)

A Small Disc Area Is a Risk Factor for Visual Field Loss Progression in Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma: The Glaucoma Stereo Analysis Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Kitaoka, Yasushi; Tanito, Masaki; Yokoyama, Yu; Nitta, Koji; Katai, Maki; Omodaka, Kazuko; Nakazawa, Toru

2018-01-01

The Glaucoma Stereo Analysis Study, a cross-sectional multicenter collaborative study, used a stereo fundus camera (nonmyd WX) to assess various morphological parameters of the optic nerve head (ONH) in glaucoma patients. We compared the associations of each parameter between the visual field loss progression group and no-progression group. The study included 187 eyes of 187 patients with primary open-angle glaucoma or normal-tension glaucoma. We divided the mean deviation (MD) slope values of all patients into the progression group (field progression and patient characteristics or each ONH parameter were analyzed with Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. The MD slope averages in the progression group and no-progression group were -0.58 ± 0.28 dB/year and 0.05 ± 0.26 dB/year, respectively. Among disc parameters, vertical disc width (diameter), disc area, cup area, and cup volume in the progression group were significantly less than those in the no-progression group. Logistic regression analysis revealed a significant association between the visual field progression and disc area (odds ratio 0.49/mm 2 disc area). A smaller disc area may be associated with more rapid glaucomatous visual field progression.

Infrared Colloidal Quantum Dots for Photovoltaics: Fundamentals and Recent Progress

KAUST Repository

Tang, Jiang

2010-09-14

Colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) are solution-processed semiconductors of interest in low-cost photovoltaics. Tuning of the bandgap of CQD films via the quantum size effect enables customization of solar cells\\' absorption profile to match the sun\\'s broad visible- and infrared-containing spectrum reaching the earth. Here we review recent progress in the realization of low-cost, efficient solar cells based on CQDs. We focus in particular on CQD materials and approaches that provide both infrared and visible-wavelength solar power conversion CQD photovoltaics now exceed 5% solar power conversion efficiency, achieved by the introduction of a new architecture, the depleted-heterojunction CQD solar cell, that jointly maximizes current, voltage, and fill factor. CQD solar cells have also seen major progress in materials processing for stability, recently achieving extended operating lifetimes in an air ambient. We summarize progress both in device operation and also in gaining new insights into materials properties and processing - including new electrical contact materials and deposition techniques, as well as CQD synthesis, surface treatments, film-forming technologies - that underpin these rapid advances. Infrared colloidal quantum dots that absorb most of the solar radiation enable potential efficient and low-cost photovoltaic devices. Careful optimization of quantum dot passivation and device configuration leads to solar cells with AM1.5G efficiency as high as 5.1% Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Fatal Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy in a Kidney Transplant Recipient 19 Years After Successful Renal Allograft Transplantation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Carlson, N; Hansen, Jesper Melchior

2014-01-01

in circumstances of extreme immunodeficiency. Development of fulminant PML is rare and treatment options are limited. CASE REPORT: We have presented a case of JCV reactivation resulting in PML 19 years after renal allograft transplantation and after recent conversion of immunosuppressive treatment. One year after...... reaction analysis of the cerebrospinal fluid. Owing to severe renal insufficiency, treatment options were limited to tapering of immunosuppressive treatment in hopes of achieving host clearance of the viral infection. Despite prompt termination of immunosuppressive treatment, the patient suffered rapid...... progressive neurologic decline and death rapidly ensued. CONCLUSION: Development of PML in transplant recipients remains rare. Despite advances in our understanding of JCV infection and PML, treatment options remain limited and prognosis is often poor....

Rapid penetration into granular media visualizing the fundamental physics of rapid earth penetration

CERN Document Server

Iskander, Magued

2015-01-01

Rapid Penetration into Granular Media: Visualizing the Fundamental Physics of Rapid Earth Penetration introduces readers to the variety of methods and techniques used to visualize, observe, and model the rapid penetration of natural and man-made projectiles into earth materials. It provides seasoned practitioners with a standard reference that showcases the topic's most recent developments in research and application. The text compiles the findings of new research developments on the subject, outlines the fundamental physics of rapid penetration into granular media, and assembles a com

Progressive Conversion from B-rep to BSP for Streaming Geometric Modeling.

Science.gov (United States)

Bajaj, Chandrajit; Paoluzzi, Alberto; Scorzelli, Giorgio

2006-01-01

We introduce a novel progressive approach to generate a Binary Space Partition (BSP) tree and a convex cell decomposition for any input triangles boundary representation (B-rep), by utilizing a fast calculation of the surface inertia. We also generate a solid model at progressive levels of detail. This approach relies on a variation of standard BSP tree generation, allowing for labeling cells as in, out and fuzzy, and which permits a comprehensive representation of a solid as the Hasse diagram of a cell complex. Our new algorithm is embedded in a streaming computational framework, using four types of dataflow processes that continuously produce, transform, combine or consume subsets of cells depending on their number or input/output stream. A varied collection of geometric modeling techniques are integrated in this streaming framework, including polygonal, spline, solid and heterogeneous modeling with boundary and decompositive representations, Boolean set operations, Cartesian products and adaptive refinement. The real-time B-rep to BSP streaming results we report in this paper are a large step forward in the ultimate unification of rapid conceptual and detailed shape design methodologies.

Identifying Indicators of Progress in Thermal Spray Research Using Bibliometrics Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Li, R.-T.; Khor, K. A.; Yu, L.-G.

2016-12-01

We investigated the research publications on thermal spray in the period of 1985-2015 using the data from Web of Science, Scopus and SciVal®. Bibliometrics analysis was employed to elucidate the country and institution distribution in various thermal spray research areas and to characterize the trends of topic change and technology progress. Results show that China, USA, Japan, Germany, India and France were the top countries in thermal spray research, and Xi'an Jiaotong University, Universite de Technologie Belfort-Montbeliard, Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, ETH Zurich, National Research Council of Canada, University of Limoges were among the top institutions that had high scholarly research output during 2005-2015. The terms of the titles, keywords and abstracts of the publications were analyzed by the Latent Dirichlet Allocation model and visually mapped using the VOSviewer software to reveal the progress of thermal spray technology. It is found that thermal barrier coating was consistently the main research area in thermal spray, and high-velocity oxy-fuel spray and cold spray developed rapidly in the last 10 years.

Recent Progress on Spherical Torus Research

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ono, Masayuki [PPPL; Kaita, Robert [PPPL

2014-01-01

The spherical torus or spherical tokamak (ST) is a member of the tokamak family with its aspect ratio (A = R0/a) reduced to A ~ 1.5, well below the normal tokamak operating range of A ≥ 2.5. As the aspect ratio is reduced, the ideal tokamak beta β (radio of plasma to magnetic pressure) stability limit increases rapidly, approximately as β ~ 1/A. The plasma current it can sustain for a given edge safety factor q-95 also increases rapidly. Because of the above, as well as the natural elongation κ, which makes its plasma shape appear spherical, the ST configuration can yield exceptionally high tokamak performance in a compact geometry. Due to its compactness and high performance, the ST configuration has various near term applications, including a compact fusion neutron source with low tritium consumption, in addition to its longer term goal of attractive fusion energy power source. Since the start of the two megaampere class ST facilities in 2000, National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) in the US and Mega Ampere Spherical Tokamak (MAST) in UK, active ST research has been conducted worldwide. More than sixteen ST research facilities operating during this period have achieved remarkable advances in all of fusion science areas, involving fundamental fusion energy science as well as innovation. These results suggest exciting future prospects for ST research both near term and longer term. The present paper reviews the scientific progress made by the worldwide ST research community during this new mega-ampere-ST era.

Research Progress on Pesticide Residue Analysis Techniques in Agro-products

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

HE Ze-ying

2016-07-01

Full Text Available There are constant occurrences of acute pesticide poisoning among consumers and pesticide residue violations in agro-products import/export trading. Pesticide residue analysis is the important way to protect the food safety and the interest of import/export enterprises. There has been a rapid development in pesticide residue analysis techniques in recent years. In this review, the research progress in the past five years were discussed in the respects of samples preparation and instrument determination. The application, modification and development of the QuEChERS method in samples preparation and the application of tandem mass spectrometry and high resolution mass spectrometry were reviewed. And the implications for the future of the field were discussed.

A rare case of Weil's disease with alveolar haemorrhage

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abhiram Chakrabarti

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Leptospirosis, a disease of protean manifestations occurs sporadically throughout the year with a peak seasonal incidence during the rainy season mimicking other febrile viral illness. In the rare case, the disease leads to renal and hepatic involvement with hemorrhage which may be associated with multisystem organ dysfunction in form of pulmonary, cardiac and central nervous system, when it is known as Weil's disease. Rarely haemorrhagic manifestations are assosciated. Early diagnosis is important as sometimes the disease may be life threatening. Proper antibiotics results in dramatic improvement. We hereby presented a case that had clinical features of Weil's disease with cough, dyspnoea and haemoptysis. Leptospirosis was detected on ELISA testing. Patient was cured rapidly with antibiotics.

A rare case of Weil's disease with alveolar haemorrhage.

Science.gov (United States)

Chakrabarti, Abhiram; Nandy, Manab; Pal, Dipankar; Mallik, Sudesna

2014-05-01

Leptospirosis, a disease of protean manifestations occurs sporadically throughout the year with a peak seasonal incidence during the rainy season mimicking other febrile viral illness. In the rare case, the disease leads to renal and hepatic involvement with hemorrhage which may be associated with multisystem organ dysfunction in form of pulmonary, cardiac and central nervous system, when it is known as Weil's disease. Rarely haemorrhagic manifestations are assosciated. Early diagnosis is important as sometimes the disease may be life threatening. Proper antibiotics results in dramatic improvement. We hereby presented a case that had clinical features of Weil's disease with cough, dyspnoea and haemoptysis. Leptospirosis was detected on ELISA testing. Patient was cured rapidly with antibiotics.

Progress in video immersion using Panospheric imaging

Science.gov (United States)

Bogner, Stephen L.; Southwell, David T.; Penzes, Steven G.; Brosinsky, Chris A.; Anderson, Ron; Hanna, Doug M.

1998-09-01

Having demonstrated significant technical and marketplace advantages over other modalities for video immersion, PanosphericTM Imaging (PI) continues to evolve rapidly. This paper reports on progress achieved since AeroSense 97. The first practical field deployment of the technology occurred in June-August 1997 during the NASA-CMU 'Atacama Desert Trek' activity, where the Nomad mobile robot was teleoperated via immersive PanosphericTM imagery from a distance of several thousand kilometers. Research using teleoperated vehicles at DRES has also verified the exceptional utility of the PI technology for achieving high levels of situational awareness, operator confidence, and mission effectiveness. Important performance enhancements have been achieved with the completion of the 4th Generation PI DSP-based array processor system. The system is now able to provide dynamic full video-rate generation of spatial and computational transformations, resulting in a programmable and fully interactive immersive video telepresence. A new multi- CCD camera architecture has been created to exploit the bandwidth of this processor, yielding a well-matched PI system with greatly improved resolution. While the initial commercial application for this technology is expected to be video tele- conferencing, it also appears to have excellent potential for application in the 'Immersive Cockpit' concept. Additional progress is reported in the areas of Long Wave Infrared PI Imaging, Stereo PI concepts, PI based Video-Servoing concepts, PI based Video Navigation concepts, and Foveation concepts (to merge localized high-resolution views with immersive views).

Plasma Metabolomics Biosignature According to HIV Stage of Infection, Pace of Disease Progression, Viremia Level and Immunological Response to Treatment.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bruno Scarpellini

Full Text Available We evaluated plasma samples HIV-infected individuals with different phenotypic profile among five HIV-infected elite controllers and five rapid progressors after recent HIV infection and one year later and from 10 individuals subjected to antiretroviral therapy, five of whom were immunological non-responders (INR, before and after one year of antiretroviral treatment compared to 175 samples from HIV-negative patients. A targeted quantitative tandem mass spectrometry metabolomics approach was used in order to determine plasma metabolomics biosignature that may relate to HIV infection, pace of HIV disease progression, and immunological response to treatment.Twenty-five unique metabolites were identified, including five metabolites that could distinguish rapid progressors and INRs at baseline. Severe deregulation in acylcarnitine and sphingomyelin metabolism compatible with mitochondrial deficiencies was observed. β-oxidation and sphingosine-1-phosphate-phosphatase-1 activity were down-regulated, whereas acyl-alkyl-containing phosphatidylcholines and alkylglyceronephosphate synthase levels were elevated in INRs. Evidence that elite controllers harbor an inborn error of metabolism (late-onset multiple acyl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase deficiency [MADD] was detected.Blood-based markers from metabolomics show a very high accuracy of discriminating HIV infection between varieties of controls and have the ability to predict rapid disease progression or poor antiretroviral immunological response. These metabolites can be used as biomarkers of HIV natural evolution or treatment response and provide insight into the mechanisms of the disease.

Plasma Metabolomics Biosignature According to HIV Stage of Infection, Pace of Disease Progression, Viremia Level and Immunological Response to Treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Scarpellini, Bruno; Zanoni, Michelle; Sucupira, Maria Cecilia Araripe; Truong, Hong-Ha M; Janini, Luiz Mario Ramos; Segurado, Ismael Dale Cotrin; Diaz, Ricardo Sobhie

2016-01-01

We evaluated plasma samples HIV-infected individuals with different phenotypic profile among five HIV-infected elite controllers and five rapid progressors after recent HIV infection and one year later and from 10 individuals subjected to antiretroviral therapy, five of whom were immunological non-responders (INR), before and after one year of antiretroviral treatment compared to 175 samples from HIV-negative patients. A targeted quantitative tandem mass spectrometry metabolomics approach was used in order to determine plasma metabolomics biosignature that may relate to HIV infection, pace of HIV disease progression, and immunological response to treatment. Twenty-five unique metabolites were identified, including five metabolites that could distinguish rapid progressors and INRs at baseline. Severe deregulation in acylcarnitine and sphingomyelin metabolism compatible with mitochondrial deficiencies was observed. β-oxidation and sphingosine-1-phosphate-phosphatase-1 activity were down-regulated, whereas acyl-alkyl-containing phosphatidylcholines and alkylglyceronephosphate synthase levels were elevated in INRs. Evidence that elite controllers harbor an inborn error of metabolism (late-onset multiple acyl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase deficiency [MADD]) was detected. Blood-based markers from metabolomics show a very high accuracy of discriminating HIV infection between varieties of controls and have the ability to predict rapid disease progression or poor antiretroviral immunological response. These metabolites can be used as biomarkers of HIV natural evolution or treatment response and provide insight into the mechanisms of the disease.

Engineering monolayer poration for rapid exfoliation of microbial membranes.

Science.gov (United States)

Pyne, Alice; Pfeil, Marc-Philipp; Bennett, Isabel; Ravi, Jascindra; Iavicoli, Patrizia; Lamarre, Baptiste; Roethke, Anita; Ray, Santanu; Jiang, Haibo; Bella, Angelo; Reisinger, Bernd; Yin, Daniel; Little, Benjamin; Muñoz-García, Juan C; Cerasoli, Eleonora; Judge, Peter J; Faruqui, Nilofar; Calzolai, Luigi; Henrion, Andre; Martyna, Glenn J; Grovenor, Chris R M; Crain, Jason; Hoogenboom, Bart W; Watts, Anthony; Ryadnov, Maxim G

2017-02-01

The spread of bacterial resistance to traditional antibiotics continues to stimulate the search for alternative antimicrobial strategies. All forms of life, from bacteria to humans, are postulated to rely on a fundamental host defense mechanism, which exploits the formation of open pores in microbial phospholipid bilayers. Here we predict that transmembrane poration is not necessary for antimicrobial activity and reveal a distinct poration mechanism that targets the outer leaflet of phospholipid bilayers. Using a combination of molecular-scale and real-time imaging, spectroscopy and spectrometry approaches, we introduce a structural motif with a universal insertion mode in reconstituted membranes and live bacteria. We demonstrate that this motif rapidly assembles into monolayer pits that coalesce during progressive membrane exfoliation, leading to bacterial cell death within minutes. The findings offer a new physical basis for designing effective antibiotics.

Psychological functioning in primary progressive versus secondary progressive multiple sclerosis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vleugels, L; Pfennings, L E; Pouwer, F

1998-01-01

Psychological functioning in two types of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients is assessed: primary progressive (PP) and secondary progressive (SP) patients. On the basis of differences in clinical course and underlying pathology we hypothesized that primary progressive patients and secondary...... progressive patients might have different psychological functioning. Seventy patients treated in an MS centre were examined cross-sectionally. Forty had an SP course of MS and 30 a PP course. The 33 male and 37 female patients had a mean age of 48.4 years (SD 11.2) and mean age of onset of MS of 30.7 years...... (SD 11.1). Patients completed questionnaires measuring among others the following aspects of psychological functioning: depression (BDI, SCL-90), anxiety (STAI, SCL-90), agoraphobia (SCL-90), somatic complaints (SCL-90), hostility (SCL-90) and attitude towards handicap (GHAS). Patients with a PP...

Prevalence of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction and exercise-induced laryngeal obstruction in a general adolescent population.

Science.gov (United States)

Johansson, Henrik; Norlander, Katarina; Berglund, Lars; Janson, Christer; Malinovschi, Andrei; Nordvall, Lennart; Nordang, Leif; Emtner, Margareta

2015-01-01

Exercise-induced respiratory symptoms are common among adolescents. Exercise is a known stimulus for transient narrowing of the airways, such as exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) and exercise-induced laryngeal obstruction (EILO). Our aim was to investigate the prevalence of EIB and EILO in a general population of adolescents. In this cross-sectional study, a questionnaire on exercise-induced dyspnoea was sent to all adolescents born in 1997 and 1998 in Uppsala, Sweden (n=3838). A random subsample of 146 adolescents (99 with self-reported exercise-induced dyspnoea and 47 without this condition) underwent standardised treadmill exercise tests for EIB and EILO. The exercise test for EIB was performed while breathing dry air; a positive test was defined as a decrease of ≥10% in FEV1 from baseline. EILO was investigated using continuous laryngoscopy during exercise. The estimated prevalence of EIB and EILO in the total population was 19.2% and 5.7%, respectively. No gender differences were found. In adolescents with exercise-induced dyspnoea, 39.8% had EIB, 6% had EILO and 4.8% had both conditions. In this group, significantly more boys than girls had neither EIB nor EILO (64.7% vs 38.8%; p=0.026). There were no significant differences in body mass index, lung function, diagnosed asthma or medication between the participants with exercise-induced dyspnoea who had or did not have a positive EIB or EILO test result. Both EIB and EILO are common causes of exercise-induced dyspnoea in adolescents. EILO is equally common among girls and boys and can coexist with EIB. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Rapid Prototyping Technologies and their Applications in Prosthodontics, a Review of Literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Torabi, Kianoosh; Farjood, Ehsan; Hamedani, Shahram

2015-03-01

The early computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) systems were relied exclusively on subtractive methods. In recent years, additive methods by employing rapid prototyping (RP) have progressed rapidly in various fields of dentistry as they have the potential to overcome known drawbacks of subtractive techniques such as fit problems. RP techniques have been exploited to build complex 3D models in medicine since the 1990s. RP has recently proposed successful applications in various dental fields, such as fabrication of implant surgical guides, frameworks for fixed and removable partial dentures, wax patterns for the dental prosthesis, zirconia prosthesis and molds for metal castings, and maxillofacial prosthesis and finally, complete dentures. This paper aimed to offer a comprehensive literature review of various RP methods, particularly in dentistry, that are expected to bring many improvements to the field. A search was made through MEDLINE database and Google scholar search engine. The keywords; 'rapid prototyping' and 'dentistry' were searched in title/abstract of publications; limited to 2003 to 2013, concerning past decade. The inclusion criterion was the technical researches that predominately included laboratory procedures. The exclusion criterion was meticulous clinical and excessive technical procedures. A total of 106 articles were retrieved, recited by authors and only 50 met the specified inclusion criteria for this review. Selected articles had used rapid prototyping techniques in various fields in dentistry through different techniques. This review depicted the different laboratory procedures employed in this method and confirmed that RP technique have been substantially feasible in dentistry. With advancement in various RP systems, it is possible to benefit from this technique in different dental practices, particularly in implementing dental prostheses for different applications.

The road to micronutrient biofortification of rice:Progress and prospects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Khurram eBashir

2013-02-01

Full Text Available Biofortification (Increasing the contents of vitamins and minerals through plant breeding or biotechnology of food crops with micronutrient elements has the potential to combat widespread micronutrient deficiencies in humans. Rice (Oryza sativa L. feeds more than half of the world’s population and is used as a staple food in many parts of Asia. As in other plants, micronutrient transport in rice is controlled at several stages, including uptake from soil, transport from root to shoot, careful control of subcellular micronutrient transport, and finally, and most importantly, transport to seeds. To enhance micronutrient accumulation in rice seeds, we need to understand and carefully regulate all of these processes. During the last decade, numerous attempts such as increasing the contents/expression of genes encoding metal chelators (mostly phytosiderophores and metal transporters; overexpressing Fe storage protein ferritin and phytase were successfully undertaken to significantly increase the micronutrient content of rice. However, despite the rapid progress in biofortification of rice, the commercialization of biofortified crops has not yet been achieved. Here, we briefly review the progress in biofortification of rice with micronutrient elements (Fe, Zn and Mn and discuss future prospects to mitigate widespread micronutrient deficiencies in humans.

White sturgeon mitigation and restoration in the Columbia and Snake rivers upstream from Bonneville Dam, Annual Progress Report April 2006 - March 2007. Report C

Science.gov (United States)

Parsley, M.J.; Kofoot, P.

2008-01-01

Describe reproduction and early life history characteristics of white sturgeon populations in the Columbia River between Bonneville and Priest Rapids dams. Define habitat requirements for spawning and rearing white sturgeon and quantify the extent of habitat available in the Columbia River between Bonneville and Priest Rapids dams. Progress updates on young-of-the-year recruitment in Bonneville Reservoir and indices of white sturgeon spawning habitat for 2006 for McNary, John Day, The Dalles, and Bonneville dam tailrace spawning areas.

Acute gouty arthritis and rapidly progressive renal failure as manifestation of multiple myeloma: clinical case description

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O.V. Gudym

2017-08-01

Full Text Available The article describes a clinical case of multiple myeloma in 78-year-old man, its clinical onset was as an acute attack of gout. The patient was admitted to hospital due to the development of the first acute attack of gout. The attack was characterized by polyarthricular joint lesion of the upper and lower extremities, pronounced inflammatory reaction, insufficient response to the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and a high level of hyperuricemia. The serum uric acid concentration ranged from 636 to 712 μmol/l. The study of the synovial fluid of the inflamed knee joint made it possible to reveal uric acid crystals and to confirm the diagnosis of acute gouty arthritis. Simultaneously, the patient had significant renal impairment: creatinine was 574 μmol/l, urea — 39.9 mmol/l, glomerular filtration rate according to CKD-EPI — 8 ml/min. The daily proteinuria was 1.8 g. A retrospective assessment of laboratory parameters allowed to reveal completely normal indicators of renal function 6 months ago. Considering the development of acute gouty arthritis, its polyarticular nature, persistent course, rapid involvement of new joints, high uric acid levels during an acute attack exceeding 600 μmol/l (10 mg/dL, rapid development of renal failure within 6 months until the terminal stage, it was suggested the secondary nature of gout on the background of kidney damage by another pathological process. Further clinical, laboratory and instrumental studies allowed verifying multiple myeloma with renal damage. Bence Jones protein in the urine was not detected, there was also no evidence of hyperproteinemia. However, pain in the spine, ribs and chest was the basis for carrying out an X-ray study of the bones of the skeleton. Changes in the skeleton typical for multiple myeloma have been identified. Myelogram showed a high content of plasma cells (21.1 %, electrophoresis of blood proteins showed a high M-gradient (30.42 %, and a cytochemical

Life-threatening hypokalemia following rapid correction of respiratory acidosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Hammond, Kendra; You, David; Collins, Eileen G; Leehey, David J; Laghi, Franco

2013-01-01

A 56-year-old woman with a history of paraplegia and chronic pain due to neuromyelitis optica (Devic's syndrome) was admitted to a spinal cord injury unit for management of a sacral decubitus ulcer. During the hospitalization, she required emergency transfer to the intensive care unit (ICU) because of progressive deterioration of respiratory muscle function, severe respiratory acidosis, obtundation and hypotension. Upon transfer to the ICU, arterial blood gas revealed severe acute-on-chronic respiratory acidosis (pH 7.00, PCO2 120 mm Hg, PO2 211 mm Hg). The patient was immediately intubated and mechanically ventilated. Intravenous fluid boluses of normal saline (10.5 L in about 24 h) and vasopressors were started with rapid correction of hypotension. In addition, she was given hydrocortisone. Within 40 min of initiation of mechanical ventilation, there was improvement in acute respiratory acidosis. Sixteen hours later, however, the patient developed life-threatening hypokalemia (K(+) of 2.1 mEq/L) and hypomagnesemia (Mg of 1.4 mg/dL). Despite aggressive potassium supplementation, hypokalemia continued to worsen over the next several hours (K(+) of 1.7 mEq/L). Urine studies revealed renal potassium wasting. We reason that the recalcitrant life-threatening hypokalemia was caused by several mechanisms including total body potassium depletion (chronic respiratory acidosis), a shift of potassium from the extracellular to intracellular space (rapid correction of respiratory acidosis with mechanical ventilation), increased sodium delivery to the distal nephron (normal saline resuscitation), hyperaldosteronism (secondary to hypotension plus administration of hydrocortisone) and hypomagnesemia. We conclude that rapid correction of respiratory acidosis, especially in the setting of hypotension, can lead to life-threatening hypokalemia. Serum potassium levels must be monitored closely in these patients, as failure to do so can lead to potentially lethal consequences

Current approaches to the management of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Raghu, Ganesh; Richeldi, Luca

2017-08-01

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive and ultimately fatal lung disease associated with dyspnoea, cough and impaired quality of life. Currently, the aims of patient care are to improve outcomes for patients by slowing the progression of the disease, extending life, and improving quality of life. A prompt, accurate diagnosis is important to enable patients to receive treatment early in the course of the disease and to be considered for lung transplantation. Two anti-fibrotic drugs, nintedanib and pirfenidone, have been shown to reduce decline in lung function in patients with IPF. In addition to pharmacological therapy, optimal management of IPF includes treatment of comorbidities, symptom relief, pulmonary rehabilitation, and palliative care. Patient education is important to enable patients to make decisions about their care and to help them manage their disease and the side-effects of anti-fibrotic drugs. Research continues into new treatments and combinations of treatments that may improve outcomes for patients with this devastating disease. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Progress in neuromorphic photonics

Science.gov (United States)

Ferreira de Lima, Thomas; Shastri, Bhavin J.; Tait, Alexander N.; Nahmias, Mitchell A.; Prucnal, Paul R.

2017-03-01

As society's appetite for information continues to grow, so does our need to process this information with increasing speed and versatility. Many believe that the one-size-fits-all solution of digital electronics is becoming a limiting factor in certain areas such as data links, cognitive radio, and ultrafast control. Analog photonic devices have found relatively simple signal processing niches where electronics can no longer provide sufficient speed and reconfigurability. Recently, the landscape for commercially manufacturable photonic chips has been changing rapidly and now promises to achieve economies of scale previously enjoyed solely by microelectronics. By bridging the mathematical prowess of artificial neural networks to the underlying physics of optoelectronic devices, neuromorphic photonics could breach new domains of information processing demanding significant complexity, low cost, and unmatched speed. In this article, we review the progress in neuromorphic photonics, focusing on photonic integrated devices. The challenges and design rules for optoelectronic instantiation of artificial neurons are presented. The proposed photonic architecture revolves around the processing network node composed of two parts: a nonlinear element and a network interface. We then survey excitable lasers in the recent literature as candidates for the nonlinear node and microring-resonator weight banks as the network interface. Finally, we compare metrics between neuromorphic electronics and neuromorphic photonics and discuss potential applications.

Rapid COJEC versus standard induction therapies for high-risk neuroblastoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Peinemann, Frank; Tushabe, Doreen A; van Dalen, Elvira C; Berthold, Frank

2015-05-19

Neuroblastoma is a rare malignant disease and mainly affects infants and very young children. The tumors mainly develop in the adrenal medullary tissue and an abdominal mass is the most common presentation. The high-risk group is characterized by metastasis and other characteristics that increase the risk for an adverse outcome. In the rapid COJEC induction schedule, higher single doses of selected drugs than standard induction schedules are administered over a substantially shorter treatment period, with shorter intervals between cycles. Shorter intervals and higher doses increase the dose intensity of chemotherapy and might improve survival. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and adverse events of the rapid COJEC induction schedule as compared to standard induction schedules in patients with high-risk neuroblastoma (as defined by the International Neuroblastoma Risk Group (INRG) classification system). Outcomes of interest were complete response, early toxicity and treatment-related mortality as primary endpoints and overall survival, progression- and event-free survival, late non-hematological toxicity, and health-related quality of life as secondary endpoints. We searched the electronic databases CENTRAL (2014, Issue 11), MEDLINE (PubMed), and EMBASE (Ovid) for articles from inception to 11 November 2014. Further searches included trial registries, conference proceedings, and reference lists of recent reviews and relevant articles. We did not apply limits on publication year or languages. Randomized controlled trials evaluating the rapid COJEC induction schedule for high-risk neuroblastoma patients compared to standard induction schedules. Two review authors performed study selection, abstracted data on study and patient characteristics, and assessed risk of bias independently. We resolved differences by discussion or by appeal to a third review author. We performed analyses according to the guidelines of the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic

Characterization of rapid recovery from γ-ray damage in plateau-phase human diploid fibroblasts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malcolm, A.W.; Tomkinson, K.N.; Little, J.B.

1982-01-01

Rapid recovery was investigated in density-inhibited, stationary-phase human diploid cells subcultured to low density at various times after a single dose of radiation. The influence of total dose, postirradiation temperature, and cell-to-cell contact on recovery was examined. The cultures were exposed to 60 Co γ rays at a dose rate of 50 rad per second. When the irradiation and postirradiation temperatures were maintained at 25 or 37 0 C, recovery, as manifested by an enhancement in survival, was similar during the first 30 min, whereas it was reduced at later times in the 25 0 C compared with the 37 0 C cultures. This result suggests the existence of different rapidly and slowly acting components to recovery. No recovery was noted at any time with incubation at 4 0 C. The recovery observed in density-inhibited cultures was consistently greater than that in less dense cultures, suggesting an effect of cell-to-cell contact and cell cycle distribution. Following single doses of 200 to 900 rad, progressive enhancement in relative recovery occurred with increasing doses over a period of 2 to 90 min, illustrating the importance of the relationship of the dose to the rapid recovery process

Tetanus in the equine species: a retrospective study of 31 cases.

Science.gov (United States)

van Galen, G; Delguste, C; Sandersen, C; Verwilghen, D; Grulke, S; Amory, H

2008-06-15

Few studies exist about factors affecting the outcome of horses with tetanus. 31 equids (30 horses and 1 donkey) with a clinical diagnosis of tetanus admitted to the Equine Clinic of the University of Liege between 1991 and 2006. The cases were divided into two groups according to the outcome (survivors and non-survivors). The clinical data of survivors and non-survivors were compared using an ANOVA (continuous data) or a Fisher's test (discrete data). The survival rate was 32%. Most animals were 5 years or younger, and none had been appropriately vaccinated. The non-survivors were significantly younger than the survivors. The development of dyspnoea, recumbency, and the combination of dysphagia, dyspnoea, and recumbency was observed significantly more in the non-survivors than in the survivors. The timing of tetanus antitoxin administration (either immediately after the onset of suggestive signs or after a delay) was not different between the two groups. The time between the occurrence of a wound and the first signs ranged from 2 days to 2 months and was not significantly different between groups. All non-survivors died within 8 days of the first signs. This study suggests that young animals are affected more often and more severely by tetanus than older animals. Dyspnoea, recumbency, and the combination of dysphagia, dyspnoea, and recumbency can be considered as indicators of a poor prognosis in equids suffering from tetanus.

Primary Progressive Aphasia

Science.gov (United States)

... which cause different symptoms. Semantic variant primary progressive aphasia Symptoms include these difficulties: Comprehending spoken or written ... word meanings Naming objects Logopenic variant primary progressive aphasia Symptoms include: Having difficulty retrieving words Frequently pausing ...

Progressive Business

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christiansen, Christian O.

2016-01-01

Guest Post to the Society for U.S. Intellectual History Blog. Brief introduction to the book Progressive Business: An Intellectual History of the Role of Business in American Society, Oxford U.P., 2015.......Guest Post to the Society for U.S. Intellectual History Blog. Brief introduction to the book Progressive Business: An Intellectual History of the Role of Business in American Society, Oxford U.P., 2015....

Herpetic keratitis after corneal collagen cross-linking with riboflavin and ultraviolet-A for progressive keratoconus.

Science.gov (United States)

Yuksel, Nilay; Bilgihan, Kamil; Hondur, Ahmet M

2011-12-01

To describe a case of herpetic keratitis after corneal collagen cross-linking (CXL) with riboflavin and ultraviolet-A for progressive keratoconus. A 31-year-old woman with rapidly progressive keratoconus in the left eye was treated with CXL. Four days postoperatively, a dendritic ulcer developed in the treated eye. The diagnosis was confirmed with polymerase chain reaction analysis of the corneal swab for herpes simplex. The patient had no prior history of herpetic eye disease or cold sores. The keratitis resolved in 10 days with treatment. At 1 month, the visual acuity was stable, but a mild superficial opacity was noted. Herpetic keratitis can be induced by CXL even in patients with no history of previous herpetic eye disease. Early diagnosis and proper treatment can facilitate successful management of this rare but important complication.

Hepatopulmonary syndrome causing severe hypoxaemia

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lyngsøe, Bente Kjær; Andersen, Mette Winther; Eriksen, Jan

2014-01-01

Dyspnoea is a common complaint in patients with chronic liver disease. Hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) is an important cause to be aware of in the setting of liver disease, dyspnoea and hypoxaemia. HPS causes microvascular dilatation, angiogenesis and arteriovenous bypassing. The patients suffer f...... from hypoxaemia in upright position and even during minimal psychical activity. Contrast echocardiography, using micro-bubbles as the contrast, is required to establish the diagnosis. No medical therapy is available, only liver transplantation can cure the disease....

The Impact of Combination Therapy with a-Blockers and 5ARIs on the Progression of BPH.

Science.gov (United States)

Sountoulides, Petros; Gravas, Stavros

2015-01-01

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) can be a progressive disease for some men with significant impact on their quality of life due to worsening of symptoms, risk of acute urinary retention (AUR) and surgery. Certain clinical parameters such as age, prostate volume and PSA are able to predict those patients with BPH-associated LUTS that are at risk of disease progression. These patients will likely benefit most from medical therapy that provides symptom relief while at the same time may prevent disease progression. Studies have shown that a-blockers, although able to rapidly alleviate symptoms, have no effect on prostate volume, risk for AUR and BPH-related surgery. On the other hand 5ARIs have proven their efficacy in reducing prostate size, the risk of AUR and prostate surgery. Therefore combination therapy with an a-blocker and a 5ARI can be the mainstay of treatment for those patients at risk of BPH progression. Patients' perspective and their needs and expectations from treatment are other crucial parameters to consider in order selecting the optimal management of BPH. Therefore physicians should take into consideration the drug properties and also the patients' preferences before deciding on the optimal pharmacological treatment for BPH-associated LUTS.

[Progress in the spectral library based protein identification strategy].

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Derui; Ma, Jie; Xie, Zengyan; Bai, Mingze; Zhu, Yunping; Shu, Kunxian

2018-04-25

Exponential growth of the mass spectrometry (MS) data is exhibited when the mass spectrometry-based proteomics has been developing rapidly. It is a great challenge to develop some quick, accurate and repeatable methods to identify peptides and proteins. Nowadays, the spectral library searching has become a mature strategy for tandem mass spectra based proteins identification in proteomics, which searches the experiment spectra against a collection of confidently identified MS/MS spectra that have been observed previously, and fully utilizes the abundance in the spectrum, peaks from non-canonical fragment ions, and other features. This review provides an overview of the implement of spectral library search strategy, and two key steps, spectral library construction and spectral library searching comprehensively, and discusses the progress and challenge of the library search strategy.

Stabilization of Bilateral Progressive Rheumatoid Corneal Melt with Infliximab

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sheelah F. Antao

2012-01-01

Results. A patient with rheumatoid arthritis presented with bilateral PUK following a 2-month history of ocular discomfort and redness. His systemic prednisolone (PDN and methotrexate (MTX were increased and, despite an initial favorable response, bilateral recurrent corneal perforations ensued. Both eyes underwent cyanoacrylate glue repair, amniotic membrane transplantation (AMT, and penetrating keratoplasty (PKP. Recurrence of the disease and bilateral perforations of the second PKP in both eyes prompted administration of intravenous infliximab immediately after the fourth PKP. The disease activity rapidly settled in both eyes, and at eighteen-month followup, after 12 infliximab infusions, the PUK remains quiescent with no further graft thinning or perforation. Conclusion. Infliximab can be used to arrest the progression of severe bilateral rheumatoid PUK in cases that are refractory to conventional treatment.

White matter lesion progression

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hofer, Edith; Cavalieri, Margherita; Bis, Joshua C

2015-01-01

10 cohorts. To assess the relative contribution of genetic factors to progression of WML, we compared in 7 cohorts risk models including demographics, vascular risk factors plus single-nucleotide polymorphisms that have been shown to be associated cross-sectionally with WML in the current......BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: White matter lesion (WML) progression on magnetic resonance imaging is related to cognitive decline and stroke, but its determinants besides baseline WML burden are largely unknown. Here, we estimated heritability of WML progression, and sought common genetic variants...... associated with WML progression in elderly participants from the Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology (CHARGE) consortium. METHODS: Heritability of WML progression was calculated in the Framingham Heart Study. The genome-wide association study included 7773 elderly participants from...

Progressive Pigmentary Purpura

Science.gov (United States)

... Category: Share: Yes No, Keep Private Progressive Pigmentary Purpura Share | Progressive pigmentary purpura (we will call it PPP) is a group ... conditions ( Schamberg's disease , Lichenoid dermatitis of Gourgerot-Blum, purpura annularis telangiectodes of Majocchi and Lichen aureus). Schamberg's ...

Training of tonal similarity ratings in non-musicians: a "rapid learning" approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Oechslin, Mathias S; Läge, Damian; Vitouch, Oliver

2012-01-01

Although cognitive music psychology has a long tradition of expert-novice comparisons, experimental training studies are rare. Studies on the learning progress of trained novices in hearing harmonic relationships are still largely lacking. This paper presents a simple training concept using the example of tone/triad similarity ratings, demonstrating the gradual progress of non-musicians compared to musical experts: In a feedback-based "rapid learning" paradigm, participants had to decide for single tones and chords whether paired sounds matched each other well. Before and after the training sessions, they provided similarity judgments for a complete set of sound pairs. From these similarity matrices, individual relational sound maps, intended to display mental representations, were calculated by means of non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS), and were compared to an expert model through procrustean transformation. Approximately half of the novices showed substantial learning success, with some participants even reaching the level of professional musicians. Results speak for a fundamental ability to quickly train an understanding of harmony, show inter-individual differences in learning success, and demonstrate the suitability of the scaling method used for learning research in music and other domains. Results are discussed in the context of the "giftedness" debate.

Training of tonal similarity ratings in non-musicians: a rapid learning approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mathias S Oechslin

2012-05-01

Full Text Available Although music psychology has a long tradition of expert-novice comparisons, experimental training studies are rare. Studies on the learning progress of trained novices in hearing harmonic relationships are still largely lacking. This paper presents a simple training concept using the example of tone/triad similarity ratings, demonstrating the gradual progress of non-musicians compared to musical experts: In a feedback-based rapid learning paradigm, participants had to decide for single tones and chords whether paired sounds matched each other well. Before and after the training sessions, they provided similarity judgments for a complete set of sound pairs. From these similarity matrices, individual relational sound maps, aiming to map the mental representations, were calculated by means of non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS, which were compared to an expert model through procrustean transformation. Approximately half of the novices showed substantial learning success, with some participants even reaching the level of professional musicians. Results speak for a fundamental ability to quickly train an understanding of harmony, show inter-individual differences in learning success, and demonstrate the suitability of the scaling method used for music psychological research. Results are discussed in the context of the giftedness debate.

[Syndrome of rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder and nocturia in Parkinson's disease].

Science.gov (United States)

Nodel, M R; Ukraintseva, Yu V; Yakhno, N N

Parasomnia, a syndrome of rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD), is a common non-motor impairment in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). The relationship between RBD with other symptoms of PD affecting night sleep, in particular, nocturia, is understudied. An aim of the study was to determine the symptoms related to night sleep disturbances in PD patients with RBD and assess the dynamics of these disturbances with the disease progression taking into account RBD onset. One hundred and forty patients (72 male and 68 female) with PD without dementia (mean age 61.98±0.79 years, PD stage - 2.35±0.05, duration 5.82±90.65 years) were examined. Motor disorders were assessed with the unified Parkinson's disease rating scale (UPDRS), sleep disturbances and frequent night urinations were evaluated with the Parkinson's Disease Sleep Scale (PDSS). The diagnosis of probable RBD was based on reports of patients or their relatives on the dream-related motor activity and vocalization. Quality-of-life was evaluated with the Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39). Patients were followed up after 2.5 years. Probable RBD was diagnosed in 46.43% of patients, including 30.77%, who developed the syndrome before the manifestation of motor symptoms, 16.92% patients with simultaneous development of RBD and motor symptoms and 52.31% with RBD development >2 years after motor disorders. Patients with RBD differed from those without parasomnia by the higher severity of nocturia. After 2.5 years of follow-up, the severity of disease was greater in patients with RBD assessed by UPDRS, quality-of-life indices, severity of nocturia and episodes of nocturia. The highest frequency of episodes of nocturia was noted in patients with early onset of RBD before the manifestation of motor symptoms. RBD in patients with PD is associated with the rapid progress of nocturia, higher degree of worsening of daily activities and deterioration of quality of life. The relationship between RBD

Progressive geometric algorithms

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Alewijnse, S.P.A.; Bagautdinov, T.M.; de Berg, M.T.; Bouts, Q.W.; ten Brink, Alex P.; Buchin, K.A.; Westenberg, M.A.

2015-01-01

Progressive algorithms are algorithms that, on the way to computing a complete solution to the problem at hand, output intermediate solutions that approximate the complete solution increasingly well. We present a framework for analyzing such algorithms, and develop efficient progressive algorithms

Progressive geometric algorithms

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Alewijnse, S.P.A.; Bagautdinov, T.M.; Berg, de M.T.; Bouts, Q.W.; Brink, ten A.P.; Buchin, K.; Westenberg, M.A.

2014-01-01

Progressive algorithms are algorithms that, on the way to computing a complete solution to the problem at hand, output intermediate solutions that approximate the complete solution increasingly well. We present a framework for analyzing such algorithms, and develop efficient progressive algorithms

Progression of Fatty Muscle Degeneration in Atraumatic Rotator Cuff Tears.

Science.gov (United States)

Hebert-Davies, Jonah; Teefey, Sharlene A; Steger-May, Karen; Chamberlain, Aaron M; Middleton, William; Robinson, Kathryn; Yamaguchi, Ken; Keener, Jay D

2017-05-17

supraspinatus and 1.1 years (range, -1.8 to 8.5 years) for the infraspinatus muscle (p = 0.98). Progression of fatty muscle degeneration is more common in tears that are larger at baseline, enlarge over time, and undergo a larger magnitude of enlargement. Our study findings also suggest that an often rapid progression of muscle degeneration occurs in relation to a clinically relevant increase in tear size in some degenerative cuff tears. Prognostic Level II. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Rapid Prototyping Technologies and their Applications in Prosthodontics, a Review of Literature

Science.gov (United States)

Torabi, Kianoosh; Farjood, Ehsan; Hamedani, Shahram

2015-01-01

The early computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) systems were relied exclusively on subtractive methods. In recent years, additive methods by employing rapid prototyping (RP) have progressed rapidly in various fields of dentistry as they have the potential to overcome known drawbacks of subtractive techniques such as fit problems. RP techniques have been exploited to build complex 3D models in medicine since the 1990s. RP has recently proposed successful applications in various dental fields, such as fabrication of implant surgical guides, frameworks for fixed and removable partial dentures, wax patterns for the dental prosthesis, zirconia prosthesis and molds for metal castings, and maxillofacial prosthesis and finally, complete dentures. This paper aimed to offer a comprehensive literature review of various RP methods, particularly in dentistry, that are expected to bring many improvements to the field. A search was made through MEDLINE database and Google scholar search engine. The keywords; ‘rapid prototyping’ and ‘dentistry’ were searched in title/abstract of publications; limited to 2003 to 2013, concerning past decade. The inclusion criterion was the technical researches that predominately included laboratory procedures. The exclusion criterion was meticulous clinical and excessive technical procedures. A total of 106 articles were retrieved, recited by authors and only 50 met the specified inclusion criteria for this review. Selected articles had used rapid prototyping techniques in various fields in dentistry through different techniques. This review depicted the different laboratory procedures employed in this method and confirmed that RP technique have been substantially feasible in dentistry. With advancement in various RP systems, it is possible to benefit from this technique in different dental practices, particularly in implementing dental prostheses for different applications. PMID:25759851

A Small Disc Area Is a Risk Factor for Visual Field Loss Progression in Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma: The Glaucoma Stereo Analysis Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yasushi Kitaoka

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Purpose. The Glaucoma Stereo Analysis Study, a cross-sectional multicenter collaborative study, used a stereo fundus camera (nonmyd WX to assess various morphological parameters of the optic nerve head (ONH in glaucoma patients. We compared the associations of each parameter between the visual field loss progression group and no-progression group. Methods. The study included 187 eyes of 187 patients with primary open-angle glaucoma or normal-tension glaucoma. We divided the mean deviation (MD slope values of all patients into the progression group (<−0.3 dB/year and no-progression group (≧−0.3 dB/year. ONH morphological parameters were calculated with prototype analysis software. The correlations between glaucomatous visual field progression and patient characteristics or each ONH parameter were analyzed with Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient. Results. The MD slope averages in the progression group and no-progression group were −0.58 ± 0.28 dB/year and 0.05 ± 0.26 dB/year, respectively. Among disc parameters, vertical disc width (diameter, disc area, cup area, and cup volume in the progression group were significantly less than those in the no-progression group. Logistic regression analysis revealed a significant association between the visual field progression and disc area (odds ratio 0.49/mm2 disc area. Conclusion. A smaller disc area may be associated with more rapid glaucomatous visual field progression.

Poverty and progress: choices for the developing world.

Science.gov (United States)

Chenery, H B

1980-06-01

Some development strategists equate progress with economic growth and others consider increased equity in income distribution or a reduction in poverty as indicators of progress. This report examined the empirical relationship between economic growth and income distribution using data derived from a number of recent comparative studies. Various studies supported the Kuznets hypothesis, which states that during the early phases of development income distribution worsens and improves during the later phases. These studies demonstrated that as per capita income increases in poor countries, income distribution worsens until the per capita income reaches the $800 level. After that level is reached, income distribution generally improves. In a study of 11 countries, the relationship, in recent years, between income growth for the rich and for the poor, and income growth for the country as a whole was examined. Of the 11 countries, Taiwan, Yugoslavia, Sri Lanka, Korea, and Costa Rica were ranked as good performers, since more than 30% of the increment in national income was allocated to the poorest 60% of the population. The countries of India, Philippines, Turkey, and Colombia were ranked as intermediate performers since 20-30% of the increment in national income went to the poorest 60%. Poor performance countries were Brazil, Mexico, and Peru. In these countries less than 20% of the income increment was allocated to the poorest 60%. A table provided comparative national income and income distribution data for the 11 countries. These findings did not permit an assessment of different development strategies; however, they did indicate that: 1) some countries, such as Taiwan, Yugoslavia, and Korea, achieved both rapid growth and greater income distribution equity; and that 2) although some countires, such as Sri Lanka, which stressed equity, grew less rapidly than other countries, such as Mexico, which stressed economic growth, the poor fared much better in the former

Final Progress Report: Isotope Identification Algorithm for Rapid and Accurate Determination of Radioisotopes Feasibility Study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rawool-Sullivan, Mohini; Bounds, John Alan; Brumby, Steven P.; Prasad, Lakshman; Sullivan, John P.

2012-01-01

This is the final report of the project titled, 'Isotope Identification Algorithm for Rapid and Accurate Determination of Radioisotopes,' PMIS project number LA10-HUMANID-PD03. The goal of the work was to demonstrate principles of emulating a human analysis approach towards the data collected using radiation isotope identification devices (RIIDs). It summarizes work performed over the FY10 time period. The goal of the work was to demonstrate principles of emulating a human analysis approach towards the data collected using radiation isotope identification devices (RIIDs). Human analysts begin analyzing a spectrum based on features in the spectrum - lines and shapes that are present in a given spectrum. The proposed work was to carry out a feasibility study that will pick out all gamma ray peaks and other features such as Compton edges, bremsstrahlung, presence/absence of shielding and presence of neutrons and escape peaks. Ultimately success of this feasibility study will allow us to collectively explain identified features and form a realistic scenario that produced a given spectrum in the future. We wanted to develop and demonstrate machine learning algorithms that will qualitatively enhance the automated identification capabilities of portable radiological sensors that are currently being used in the field.

Yucca Mountain Project - Argonne National Laboratory annual progress report, FY 1994

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bates, J.K.; Fortner, J.A.; Finn, P.A.; Wronkiewicz, D.J.; Hoh, J.C.; Emery, J.W.; Buck, E.C.; Wolf, S.F.

1995-02-01

This document reports on the work done by the Nuclear Waste Management Section of the Chemical Technology Division (CMT), Argonne National Laboratory, in the period October 1993-September 1994. Studies have been performed to evaluate the performance of nuclear waste glass and spent fuel samples under unsaturated conditions (low volume water contact) that are likely to exist in the Yucca Mountain environment being considered as a potential site for a high-level waste repository. Tests with simulated waste glasses have been in progress for over eight years and demonstrate that actinides from initially fresh glass surfaces will be released as a result of the spallation of reacted glass layers from the surface, as the small volume of water passes over the waste form. Studies are also underway to evaluate the performance of spent fuel samples and unirradiated UO{sub 2} in projected repository conditions. Tests with UO{sub 2} have been ongoing for nine years and show that the oxidation of UO{sub 2} occurs rapidly, and the resulting paragenetic sequence of secondary phases that form on the sample surface is similar to that observed in natural analogues. The reaction of spent fuel samples under conditions similar to those used with UO{sub 2} have been in progress for nearly two years, and the results suggest that spent fuel follows the same reaction progress as UO{sub 2}. The release of individual fission products and transuranic elements was not congruent, with the release being controlled by the formation of small particles or colloids that are suspended in solution and transported away from the waste form. The reaction progress depends on the composition of the spent fuel samples used and, likely, on the composition of the groundwater that contacts the waste form.

Progression of autosomal dominant kidney disease: measurement of the stage transitions of chronic kidney disease

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christopher M Blanchette

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Background: Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD is a progressive genetic disorder characterized by the development of numerous kidney cysts that result in kidney failure. Little is known regarding the key patient characteristics and utilization of healthcare resources for ADPKD patients along the continuum of disease progression. This observational study was designed to describe the characteristics of ADPKD patients and compare them with those of patients with other chronic kidney diseases. Methods: This retrospective cohort study involved patients with a claim for ADPKD or PKD unspecified from 1/1/2000–2/28/2013 and ≥6 months of previous continuous enrollment (baseline within a large database of administrative claims in the USA. A random sample of chronic kidney disease (CKD patients served as comparators. For a subset of ADPKD patients who had only a diagnosis code of unspecified PKD, abstraction of medical records was undertaken to estimate the proportion of patients who had medical chart-confirmed ADPKD. In patients with linked electronic laboratory data, the estimated glomerular filtration rate was calculated via serum creatinine values to determine CKD stage at baseline and during follow-up. Proportions of patients transitioning to another stage and the mean age at transition were calculated. Results: ADPKD patients were, in general, younger and had fewer physician visits, but had more specific comorbidities at observation start compared with CKD patients. ADPKD patients had a longer time in the milder stages and longer duration before recorded transition to a more severe stage compared with CKD patients. Patients with ADPKD at risk of rapid progression had a shorter time-to-end-stage renal disease than patients with CKD and ADPKD patients not at risk, but stage duration was similar between ADPKD patients at risk and those not at risk. Conclusions: These results suggest that distribution of patients by age at transition

Photogrammetry for rapid prototyping: development of noncontact 3D reconstruction technologies

Science.gov (United States)

Knyaz, Vladimir A.

2002-04-01

An important stage of rapid prototyping technology is generating computer 3D model of an object to be reproduced. Wide variety of techniques for 3D model generation exists beginning with manual 3D models generation and finishing with full-automated reverse engineering system. The progress in CCD sensors and computers provides the background for integration of photogrammetry as an accurate 3D data source with CAD/CAM. The paper presents the results of developing photogrammetric methods for non-contact spatial coordinates measurements and generation of computer 3D model of real objects. The technology is based on object convergent images processing for calculating its 3D coordinates and surface reconstruction. The hardware used for spatial coordinates measurements is based on PC as central processing unit and video camera as image acquisition device. The original software for Windows 9X realizes the complete technology of 3D reconstruction for rapid input of geometry data in CAD/CAM systems. Technical characteristics of developed systems are given along with the results of applying for various tasks of 3D reconstruction. The paper describes the techniques used for non-contact measurements and the methods providing metric characteristics of reconstructed 3D model. Also the results of system application for 3D reconstruction of complex industrial objects are presented.

A pediatric case of life-threatening airway obstruction caused by a cervicomediastinal thymic cyst

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Komura, Makoto; Kanamori, Yutaka; Sugiyama, Masahiko; Iwanaka, Tadashi [University of Tokyo Hospital, Department of Pediatric Surgery, Tokyo (Japan); Fukushima, Noriyoshi [University of Tokyo Hospital, Department of Pathology, Tokyo (Japan)

2010-09-15

Most patients with thymic cysts complain of a slowly enlarging, asymptomatic cervical mass. Only 6-10% suffer dysphagia, dyspnoea, stridor, cervical pain or vocal paralysis. In some rare cases sudden onset of severe dyspnoea or asphyxia is the first symptom, especially in neonates and small infants. We report a unique case of a 20-month-old child, who required emergency tracheal intubation due to asphyxia. Cervicomediastinal thymic cyst might need to be included in causes of life-threatening airway obstruction in young children. (orig.)

The safety of dipyridamole myocardial perfusion scintigraphy (MPS) in patients with end-stage chronic airways limitations (CAL)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roman, M.R.; Freeman, A.P.; Angelides, S.

2000-01-01

Full text: Dipyridamole MPS is a well-established investigative technique in the diagnosis and pre-operative risk stratification of patients with possible coronary artery disease. However, there remains a concern of its use in patients with end-stage chronic airways limitations (CAL). Lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) is a recent therapeutic option for such patients. The options for non-invasive pre-operative cardiac assessment in such patients are limited. This study reviewed the safety of dipyridamole use in such a clinical setting. 20 patients (10M, 10F, mean age 64.8 yrs) were evaluated. None had any history of ischaemic heart disease. Dipyridamole was administered intravenously at a dose of 0.05 mg/kg. Six patients remained asymptomatic throughout the procedure, while none experienced any chest pain. Two patients experienced moderate dyspnoea, which was rapidly relieved with aminophylline (100mg IV) during the recovery phase of the study. Two others developed mild dyspnoea; one settled spontaneously, while the other responded promptly to aminophylline. Aminophylline was administered to nine other patients to reverse minor symptoms (headache, flushing sensation). One other patient developed marked hypotension (SBP fell >20mmHg) and bradycardia, but no ECG changes for myocardial ischaemia. He responded well to aminophylline. His myocardial perfusion scan demonstrated extensive reversible myocardial ischaemia. Although the population size was small, dipyridamole appears safe to use in patients with end-stage CAL. Copyright (2000) The Australian and New Zealand Society of Nuclear Medicine Inc

Progression of scoliosis in patients with spastic quadriplegia after the insertion of an intrathecal baclofen pump.

Science.gov (United States)

Ginsburg, Glen M; Lauder, Anthony J

2007-11-15

Medical and radiographic review of 19 consecutive patients with spastic quadriplegia before and after intrathecal baclofen pump insertion with special attention paid to progression of scoliosis. Many orthopedic surgeons who treat spastic quadriplegic patients have noticed a trend of marked scoliosis progression after the administration of intrathecal baclofen (ITB) via subcutaneous pump and catheter. The purpose of this study is to quantify scoliosis progression in this patient population before and after baclofen administration and compare this to published natural history data. The authors had noted rapid progression of scoliosis in spastic quadriplegic patients after intrathecal baclofen pump insertion. This had been noted at other centers, but no significant statistical analysis had been done comparing prepump to postpump scoliosis progression in these patients. To document the magnitude and rate of scoliosis progressions after the placement of an ITB pump, the charts and radiographs of 19 consecutive nonambulatory patients with spastic quadriplegia and an ITB pump were reviewed. To document the rate of scoliosis progression, each patient had at least 2 pre and 2 postpump insertion spinal radiographs made. All radiographs were made with the patients in the supine position without orthoses. A board-certified orthopedic surgeon reviewed these radiographs. Skeletal maturity was assessed using Risser grading. Catheter tip location and rate of baclofen administration were recorded. For 19 patients with complete radiographic data, average Cobb angles were 10.2 degrees before pump insertion and 25 degrees at an average of 20.9 months after pump insertion (P quadriplegia and ITB pump. The authors are now performing spinal fusions for curves that exceed 40 degrees to 50 degrees in the presence of an ITB pump as recommended by previous reviews of scoliosis and accompanying quadriplegia.

A 76-year old man with a torn Freedom SOLO bioprosthesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Wollersheim, Laurens W; Li, Wilson W; van der Meulen, Jan; de Mol, Bas A

2014-01-01

We describe a case of a 76-year old male who presented with progressive dyspnoea. He underwent an aortic valve replacement with a Freedom SOLO bioprosthesis 6 years ago. Transthoracic echocardiography showed a moderate-to-severe leakage of the Freedom SOLO bioprosthesis. During surgical reintervention, a partial tear of the left coronary cusp was seen from the commissure of the right coronary cusp to its base. After radiographic and microscopic examination, no clear cause was found for the failure of this Freedom SOLO bioprosthesis. To our knowledge, this is the third failure of a Freedom SOLO bioprosthesis reported in the literature. When the long-term follow-up of the Freedom SOLO bioprosthesis is available, it has to be compared with other bioprosthesis for long-term durability.

Basaloid Squamous Cell Carcinoma: An Unusual Ball-Valve Laryngeal Obstruction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sien Hui Tan

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Introduction: A rare case of basaloid squamous cell carcinoma (BSCC of the larynx, which has not been previously reported, is described. Case Report: A 60-year-old man was presented to the Otolaryngology Department with progressive dyspnoea and dysphagia to solids for over a period of 1 week. Direct laryngoscopy revealed a tumour at the laryngeal aspect of the epiglottis, which prolapsed into the laryngeal inlet each time the patient inspired. This resulted in an inspiratory stridor despite adequate glottic opening and normal mobility of the vocal cords.   Conclusion:  Therefore, in cases where a ball-valve lesion causes intermittent life-threatening airway obstruction, BSCC of the larynx, though rare, must be considered as a differential diagnosis.

Syndrome of rapid onset end stage renal disease in incident Mayo Clinic chronic hemodialysis patient

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. A. C. Onuigbo

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Despite decades of research, a full understanding of chronic kidney disease (CKD-end stage renal disease (ESRD progression remains elusive. The common consensus is a predictable, linear, progressive and time-dependent decline of CKD to ESRD. Acute kidney injury (AKI on CKD is usually assumed to be transient, with recovery as the expected outcome. AKI-ESRD association in current nephrology literature is blamed on the so-called "residual confounding." We had previously described a relationship between AKI events and rapid onset yet irreversible ESRD happening in a continuum in a high-risk CKD cohort. However, the contribution of the syndrome of rapid onset-ESRD (SORO-ESRD to incident United States ESRD population remained conjectural. In this retrospective analysis, we analyzed serum creatinine trajectories of the last 100 consecutive ESRD patients in 4 Mayo Clinic chronic hemodialysis units to determine the incidence of SORO-ESRD. Excluding 9 patients, 31 (34% patients, including two renal transplant recipients, had SORO-ESRD: 18 males and 13 females age 72 (range 50-92 years. Precipitating AKI followed pneumonia (8, acutely decompensated heart failure (7, pyelonephritis (4, post-operative (5, sepsis (3, contrast-induced nephropathy (2, and others (2. Time to dialysis was shortest following surgical procedures. Concurrent renin angiotensin aldosterone system blockade was higher with SORO-ESRD - 23% versus 5%, P = 0.0113. In conclusion, SORO-ESRD is not uncommon among the incident general US ESRD population. The implications for ESRD care planning, AV-fistula-first programs, general CKD care and any associations with renal ageing/senescence warrant further study.

ERK/CANP rapid signaling mediates 17β-estradiol-induced proliferation of human breast cancer cell line MCF-7 cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Guo-Sheng; Huang, Yan-Gang; Li, Huan; Bi, Shi-Jie; Zhao, Jin-Long

2014-01-01

17β-estradiol (E2) exerts its functions through both genomic and non-genomic signaling pathways. Because E2 is important in breast cancer development, we investigated whether its actions in promoting breast cancer cell proliferation occur through the non-genomic signaling pathway via extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2)/calcium-activated neutral protease (CANP). MCF-7 breast cancer cells were treated with ERKl/2 inhibitor (PD98059) or CANP inhibitor (calpeptin) before exposure to 1×10(-8) M E2. MTT colorimetry and flow cytometry were used to analyze effects on cell proliferation and cell cycle progression, respectively. Expression of phosphorylated-ERK (p-ERK), total ERK, and Capn4 proteins were assessed by Western blotting. Cell proliferation increased in cells treated with E2 for 24 h (P<0.05), and the proportion of cells in G0/G1 was decreased, accompanied by accelerated G1/S. Calpeptin pre-treatment significantly inhibited the E2-induced proliferation of MCF-7 cells (P<0.05), while also ameliorating the effects of E2 on cell cycle progression. Further, expression of p-ERK was rapidly up-regulated (after 10 min) by E2 (P<0.05), an effect that persisted 16 h after E2 exposure but which was significantly inhibited by PD98059 (P<0.05). Finally, expression of Capn4 protein was rapidly up-regulated in E2-exposed cells (P<0.05), but this change was significantly inhibited by PD98059 or calpeptin (P<0.05) pre-treatment. Thus, the rapid, non-genomic ERK/CANP signaling pathway mediates E2-induced proliferation of human breast cancer cells.

Work in Progress: Gender and Politics in Late Elizabethan Progress Entertainments

Science.gov (United States)

Kolkovich, Elizabeth Zeman

2009-01-01

This dissertation analyzes the understudied dramatic genre of Elizabethan progress entertainments, the political ideologies it conveys, and especially the female alliances it enacts. Aristocrats staged these outdoor, episodic pageants on their country estates during Elizabeth I's summer "progress" visits, 1575-1602. While previous scholars…

Geothermal progress monitor. Progress report No. 1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1979-12-01

Progress is reported on the following: electrical uses, direct-heat uses, drilling activities, leases, geothermal loan guarantee program, general activities, and legal, institutional, and regulatory activites. (MHR)

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS): an overview of recent progress and future potential for biomedical applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Rehse, S J; Salimnia, H; Miziolek, A W

2012-02-01

The recent progress made in developing laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has transformed LIBS from an elemental analysis technique to one that can be applied for the reagentless analysis of molecularly complex biological materials or clinical specimens. Rapid advances in the LIBS technology have spawned a growing number of recently published articles in peer-reviewed journals which have consistently demonstrated the capability of LIBS to rapidly detect, biochemically characterize and analyse, and/or accurately identify various biological, biomedical or clinical samples. These analyses are inherently real-time, require no sample preparation, and offer high sensitivity and specificity. This overview of the biomedical applications of LIBS is meant to summarize the research that has been performed to date, as well as to suggest to health care providers several possible specific future applications which, if successfully implemented, would be significantly beneficial to humankind.

Subjective cognitive concerns and neuropsychiatric predictors of progression to the early clinical stages of Alzheimer disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Donovan, Nancy J; Amariglio, Rebecca E; Zoller, Amy S; Rudel, Rebecca K; Gomez-Isla, Teresa; Blacker, Deborah; Hyman, Bradley T; Locascio, Joseph J; Johnson, Keith A; Sperling, Reisa A; Marshall, Gad A; Rentz, Dorene M

2014-12-01

To examine neuropsychiatric and neuropsychological predictors of progression from normal to early clinical stages of Alzheimer disease (AD). From a total sample of 559 older adults from the Massachusetts Alzheimer's Disease Research Center longitudinal cohort, 454 were included in the primary analysis: 283 with clinically normal cognition (CN), 115 with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 56 with subjective cognitive concerns (SCC) but no objective impairment, a proposed transitional group between CN and MCI. Two latent cognitive factors (memory-semantic, attention-executive) and two neuropsychiatric factors (affective, psychotic) were derived from the Alzheimer's Disease Centers' Uniform Data Set neuropsychological battery and Neuropsychiatric Inventory brief questionnaire. Factors were analyzed as predictors of time to progression to a worse diagnosis using a Cox proportional hazards regression model with backward elimination. Covariates included baseline diagnosis, gender, age, education, prior depression, antidepressant medication, symptom duration, and interaction terms. Higher/better memory-semantic factor score predicted lower hazard of progression (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.4 for 1 standard deviation [SD] increase, p factor score predicted higher hazard (HR = 1.3 for one SD increase, p = 0.01). No other predictors were significant in adjusted analyses. Using diagnosis as a sole predictor of transition to MCI, the SCC diagnosis carried a fourfold risk of progression compared with CN (HR = 4.1, p factors as significant predictors of more rapid progression from normal to early stages of cognitive decline and highlight the subgroup of cognitively normal elderly with SCC as those with elevated risk of progression to MCI. Copyright © 2014 American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Progress test utopia.

Science.gov (United States)

van der Vleuten, Cees; Freeman, Adrian; Collares, Carlos Fernando

2018-04-01

This paper discusses the advantages of progress testing. A utopia is described where medical schools would work together to develop and administer progress testing. This would lead to a significant reduction of cost, an increase in the quality of measurement and phenomenal feedback to learner and school. Progress testing would also provide more freedom and resources for more creative in-school assessment. It would be an educationally attractive alternative for the creation of cognitive licensing exams. A utopia is always far away in the future, but by formulating a vision for that future we may engage in discussions on how to get there.

Research progress of III-V laser bonding to Si

Science.gov (United States)

Bo, Ren; Yan, Hou; Yanan, Liang

2016-12-01

The vigorous development of silicon photonics makes a silicon-based light source essential for optoelectronics' integration. Bonding of III-V/Si hybrid laser has developed rapidly in the last ten years. In the tireless efforts of researchers, we are privileged to see these bonding methods, such as direct bonding, medium adhesive bonding and low temperature eutectic bonding. They have been developed and applied to the research and fabrication of III-V/Si hybrid lasers. Some research groups have made remarkable progress. Tanabe Katsuaki of Tokyo University successfully implemented a silicon-based InAs/GaAs quantum dot laser with direct bonding method in 2012. They have bonded the InAs/GaAs quantum dot laser to the silicon substrate and the silicon ridge waveguide, respectively. The threshold current of the device is as low as 200 A/cm2. Stevan Stanković and Sui Shaoshuai successfully produced a variety of hybrid III-V/Si laser with the method of BCB bonding, respectively. BCB has high light transmittance and it can provide high bonding strength. Researchers of Tokyo University and Peking University have realized III-V/Si hybrid lasers with metal bonding method. We describe the progress in the fabrication of III-V/Si hybrid lasers with bonding methods by various research groups in recent years. The advantages and disadvantages of these methods are presented. We also introduce the progress of the growth of III-V epitaxial layer on silicon substrate, which is also a promising method to realize silicon-based light source. I hope that readers can have a general understanding of this field from this article and we can attract more researchers to focus on the study in this field.

Progress with enhancing veterinary surveillance in the United Kingdom.

Science.gov (United States)

Lysons, R E; Gibbens, J C; Smith, L H

2007-01-27

The UK has experienced various animal health events that have had national impact in recent years. In response, a ;Veterinary Surveillance Strategy' (VSS) was published in 2003, with the objective of enhancing and coordinating national veterinary surveillance practice in a way that would enable important animal health events to be detected and assessed more rapidly and reliably. The VSS adopts an integrated UK-wide approach, which includes widespread engagement with interested parties both within government and beyond. It proposes enhancing surveillance through improved collaboration; transparent and defensible prioritisation of government resources to surveillance; deriving better value from existing resources, and assuring quality of the surveillance reports and source data. This article describes progress with implementing the VSS, in particular the methodology for developing a functional network and creating an effective, quality-assured, information management system, RADAR.

Setting a research agenda for progressive multiple sclerosis: the International Collaborative on Progressive MS.

Science.gov (United States)

Fox, Robert J; Thompson, Alan; Baker, David; Baneke, Peer; Brown, Doug; Browne, Paul; Chandraratna, Dhia; Ciccarelli, Olga; Coetzee, Timothy; Comi, Giancarlo; Feinstein, Anthony; Kapoor, Raj; Lee, Karen; Salvetti, Marco; Sharrock, Kersten; Toosy, Ahmed; Zaratin, Paola; Zuidwijk, Kim

2012-11-01

Despite significant progress in the development of therapies for relapsing MS, progressive MS remains comparatively disappointing. Our objective, in this paper, is to review the current challenges in developing therapies for progressive MS and identify key priority areas for research. A collaborative was convened by volunteer and staff leaders from several MS societies with the mission to expedite the development of effective disease-modifying and symptom management therapies for progressive forms of multiple sclerosis. Through a series of scientific and strategic planning meetings, the collaborative identified and developed new perspectives on five key priority areas for research: experimental models, identification and validation of targets and repurposing opportunities, proof-of-concept clinical trial strategies, clinical outcome measures, and symptom management and rehabilitation. Our conclusions, tackling the impediments in developing therapies for progressive MS will require an integrated, multi-disciplinary approach to enable effective translation of research into therapies for progressive MS. Engagement of the MS research community through an international effort is needed to address and fund these research priorities with the ultimate goal of expediting the development of disease-modifying and symptom-relief treatments for progressive MS.

Setting a research agenda for progressive multiple sclerosis: The International Collaborative on Progressive MS

Science.gov (United States)

Thompson, Alan; Baker, David; Baneke, Peer; Brown, Doug; Browne, Paul; Chandraratna, Dhia; Ciccarelli, Olga; Coetzee, Timothy; Comi, Giancarlo; Feinstein, Anthony; Kapoor, Raj; Lee, Karen; Salvetti, Marco; Sharrock, Kersten; Toosy, Ahmed; Zaratin, Paola; Zuidwijk, Kim

2012-01-01

Despite significant progress in the development of therapies for relapsing MS, progressive MS remains comparatively disappointing. Our objective, in this paper, is to review the current challenges in developing therapies for progressive MS and identify key priority areas for research. A collaborative was convened by volunteer and staff leaders from several MS societies with the mission to expedite the development of effective disease-modifying and symptom management therapies for progressive forms of multiple sclerosis. Through a series of scientific and strategic planning meetings, the collaborative identified and developed new perspectives on five key priority areas for research: experimental models, identification and validation of targets and repurposing opportunities, proof-of-concept clinical trial strategies, clinical outcome measures, and symptom management and rehabilitation. Our conclusions, tackling the impediments in developing therapies for progressive MS will require an integrated, multi-disciplinary approach to enable effective translation of research into therapies for progressive MS. Engagement of the MS research community through an international effort is needed to address and fund these research priorities with the ultimate goal of expediting the development of disease-modifying and symptom-relief treatments for progressive MS. PMID:22917690

Effect of brief daily resistance training on rapid force development in painful neck and shoulder muscles

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jay, Kenneth; Schraefel, Mc; Andersen, Christoffer H

2013-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of small daily amounts of progressive resistance training on rapid force development of painful neck/shoulder muscles. METHODS: 198 generally healthy adults with frequent neck/shoulder muscle pain (mean: age 43.1 years, computer use 93% of work time, 88% women......, duration of pain 186 day during the previous year) were randomly allocated to 2- or 12 min of daily progressive resistance training with elastic tubing or to a control group receiving weekly information on general health. A blinded assessor took measures at baseline and at 10-week follow-up; participants.......05) for both training groups. Maximal muscle strength increased only ~5-6% [mean and 95% confidence interval for 2- and 12-min groups to control, respectively: 2.5 Nm (0.05-0.73) and 2.2 Nm (0.01-0.70)]. No significant differences between the 2- and 12-min groups were evident. A weak but significant...

Process Modelling of Rapid Manufacturing Based Mass Customisation System for Fabrication of Custom Foot Orthoses: Review Paper

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saleh Jumani

2013-04-01

Full Text Available The need for custom-made devices, rehabilitation aids and treatments is explicit in the medical sector. Applications of rapid manufacturing techniques based on additive fabrication processes combined with medical digitising technologies can generate high quality solutions in situations where the need for custom-made devices and rehabilitation aids and low-lead times are very important factors. Foot orthoses are medical devices applied in the treatment of biomechanical foot disorders, foot injuries and foot diseases including rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes. The significant challenge in the treatment of foot related diseases is progressing pathological deterioration in the affected sites of the foot which requires quick provision of the orthoses. A process model is developed using the IDEF0 modelling technique in which a rapid manufacturing approach is integrated in the design and fabrication process of custom foot orthoses. The process model will be used in the development of rapid manufacturing based design and fabrication system for mass customisation of foot orthoses. The developed system is aimed at mass scale production of custom foot orthoses with the advantages of reduced cost, reduced lead-time and improved product in terms of increased fit, consistency and accuracy in the final product.

Recent progress in gasoline surrogate fuels

KAUST Repository

Sarathy, Mani; Farooq, Aamir; Kalghatgi, Gautam T.

2017-01-01

Petroleum-derived gasoline is currently the most widely used fuel for transportation propulsion. The design and operation of gasoline fuels is governed by specific physical and chemical kinetic fuel properties. These must be thoroughly understood in order to improve sustainable gasoline fuel technologies in the face of economical, technological, and societal challenges. For this reason, surrogate mixtures are formulated to emulate the thermophysical, thermochemical, and chemical kinetic properties of the real fuel, so that fundamental experiments and predictive simulations can be conducted. Early studies on gasoline combustion typically adopted single component or binary mixtures (n-heptane/isooctane) as surrogates. However, the last decade has seen rapid progress in the formulation and utilization of ternary mixtures (n-heptane/isooctane/toluene), as well as multicomponent mixtures that span the entire carbon number range of gasoline fuels (C4–C10). The increased use of oxygenated fuels (ethanol, butanol, MTBE, etc.) as blending components/additives has also motivated studies on their addition to gasoline fuels. This comprehensive review presents the available experimental and chemical kinetic studies which have been performed to better understand the combustion properties of gasoline fuels and their surrogates. Focus is on the development and use of surrogate fuels that emulate real fuel properties governing the design and operation of engines. A detailed analysis is presented for the various classes of compounds used in formulating gasoline surrogate fuels, including n-paraffins, isoparaffins, olefins, naphthenes, and aromatics. Chemical kinetic models for individual molecules and mixtures of molecules to emulate gasoline surrogate fuels are presented. Despite the recent progress in gasoline surrogate fuel combustion research, there are still major gaps remaining; these are critically discussed, as well as their implications on fuel formulation and engine

Recent progress in gasoline surrogate fuels

KAUST Repository

Sarathy, Mani

2017-12-06

Petroleum-derived gasoline is currently the most widely used fuel for transportation propulsion. The design and operation of gasoline fuels is governed by specific physical and chemical kinetic fuel properties. These must be thoroughly understood in order to improve sustainable gasoline fuel technologies in the face of economical, technological, and societal challenges. For this reason, surrogate mixtures are formulated to emulate the thermophysical, thermochemical, and chemical kinetic properties of the real fuel, so that fundamental experiments and predictive simulations can be conducted. Early studies on gasoline combustion typically adopted single component or binary mixtures (n-heptane/isooctane) as surrogates. However, the last decade has seen rapid progress in the formulation and utilization of ternary mixtures (n-heptane/isooctane/toluene), as well as multicomponent mixtures that span the entire carbon number range of gasoline fuels (C4–C10). The increased use of oxygenated fuels (ethanol, butanol, MTBE, etc.) as blending components/additives has also motivated studies on their addition to gasoline fuels. This comprehensive review presents the available experimental and chemical kinetic studies which have been performed to better understand the combustion properties of gasoline fuels and their surrogates. Focus is on the development and use of surrogate fuels that emulate real fuel properties governing the design and operation of engines. A detailed analysis is presented for the various classes of compounds used in formulating gasoline surrogate fuels, including n-paraffins, isoparaffins, olefins, naphthenes, and aromatics. Chemical kinetic models for individual molecules and mixtures of molecules to emulate gasoline surrogate fuels are presented. Despite the recent progress in gasoline surrogate fuel combustion research, there are still major gaps remaining; these are critically discussed, as well as their implications on fuel formulation and engine

A rapid radioimmunoassay for insulin suitable for testing pancreatic tissue prior to transplantation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Besch, W.; Kohnert, K.-D.; Hahn, H.-J.; Ziegler, M.; Lorenz, D.

1984-01-01

One way of diabetes mellitus treatment is the transplantation of insulin-producing tissue. As islet or pancreas transplantation has made progress, testing of the tissue for its vitality, insulin content and insulin secretory response prior to transplantation became necessary. Apart from problems of rejection of allografted tissue, improvement of the patients metabolic control partly depends on the insulin content of the tissue transplanted. It was the aim of the present work to establish a radioimmunoassay which ensures rapid determination of immunoreactive insulin concentrations (IRI) either intracellularly-stored or released upon stimulation of human pancreas or islet with glucose, and to demonstrate the useful application of this assay for the assessment of transplantable tissue. (Auth.)

Aclidinium bromid forbedrer lungefunktionen og reducerer dyspnø hos patienter med KOL

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ulrik, Charlotte Suppli

2014-01-01

Long-acting bronchodilators are central for treatment of COPD. This short review provides an overview of studies evaluating the efficacy of aclidinium bromide, a long-acting anticholinergic bronchodilator, for the treatment of COPD. Twice-daily dosing of aclidinium leads to clinically important...... improvements in forced expiratory volume in 1 second, health status, use of rescue medication, day-time dyspnoea and exercise tolerance. The available studies also suggest an effect on night-time dyspnoea and exacerbation rate in patients with COPD. Aclidinium seems to have potential for a significant role...

Aclidiniumbromid forbedrer lungefunktion og reducerer åndenød hos patienter med KOL

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ulrik, Charlotte Suppli

2014-01-01

Long-acting bronchodilators are central for treatment of COPD. This short review provides an overview of studies evaluating the efficacy of aclidinium bromide, a long-acting anticholinergic bronchodilator, for the treatment of COPD. Twice-daily dosing of aclidinium leads to clinically important...... improvements in forced expiratory volume in 1 second, health status, use of rescue medication, day-time dyspnoea and exercise tolerance. The available studies also suggest an effect on night-time dyspnoea and exacerbation rate in patients with COPD. Aclidinium seems to have potential for a significant role...

Nyopstået dyspnø med fatal udgang hos en ung, rask kvinde

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lidegaard, Øjvind; Hansen, Nikolaj Friis

2007-01-01

is interpreted as asthma and later for pneumonia due to the increase in CRP (C-reactive protein). Finally, she is admitted to hospital with severe dyspnoea, cyanosis, and un-measurable blood pressure. She is referred immediately to MR scan, but suffers heart arrest in bed. Twenty minutes' attempt at revival...... was in vain. Medicolegal obduction demonstrates severe double pulmonary embolism (saddle embolism). When a young previously healthy woman develops dyspnoea, the possibility of pulmonary embolism should be in mind because timely diagnosis and treatment is crucial for the prognosis. Oral contraceptives should...

Nyopstået dyspnø med fatal udgang hos en ung, rask kvinde

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lidegaard, Øjvind; Hansen, Nikolaj Friis

2007-01-01

is interpreted as asthma and later for pneumonia due to the increase in CRP (C-reactive protein). Finally, she is admitted to hospital with severe dyspnoea, cyanosis, and un-measurable blood pressure. She is referred immediately to MR scan, but suffers heart arrest in bed. Twenty minutes' attempt to revival...... was in vain. Medicolegal obduction demonstrates severe double pulmonary embolism (saddle embolism). When a young previously healthy woman develops dyspnoea, the possibility of pulmonary embolism should be in mind because timely diagnosis and treatment is crucial for the prognosis. Oral contraceptives should...

Manoeuvring along the edge of breathlessness

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jellington, Maria Omel; Overgaard, Dorthe; Sørensen, Erik Elgaard

2016-01-01

Background There appears to be divergence between nurses’ and patients’ perceptions of dyspnoea onset and on how help should be given. This may affect how nurses understand and assess their patients’ anxiety and the severity of dyspnoea, potentially diminishing their chances of relieving patients...... with six patients, followed by qualitative in-depth interviews with the nurses. Data were analysed in three steps. First, they were coded for identification of preliminary themes. Second, data were regrouped into preliminary themes for focused analysis which led to formulation of themes and subthemes...

The Interactions between Insulin and Androgens in Progression to Castrate-Resistant Prostate Cancer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jennifer H. Gunter

2012-01-01

Full Text Available An association between the metabolic syndrome and reduced testosterone levels has been identified, and a specific inverse relationship between insulin and testosterone levels suggests that an important metabolic crosstalk exists between these two hormonal axes; however, the mechanisms by which insulin and androgens may be reciprocally regulated are not well described. Androgen-dependant gene pathways regulate the growth and maintenance of both normal and malignant prostate tissue, and androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT in patients exploits this dependence when used to treat recurrent and metastatic prostate cancer resulting in tumour regression. A major systemic side effect of ADT includes induction of key features of the metabolic syndrome and the consistent feature of hyperinsulinaemia. Recent studies have specifically identified a correlation between elevated insulin and high-grade PCa and more rapid progression to castrate resistant disease. This paper examines the relationship between insulin and androgens in the context of prostate cancer progression. Prostate cancer patients present a promising cohort for the exploration of insulin stabilising agents as adjunct treatments for hormone deprivation or enhancers of chemosensitivity for treatment of advanced prostate cancer.

The Interactions between Insulin and Androgens in Progression to Castrate-Resistant Prostate Cancer

Science.gov (United States)

Gunter, Jennifer H.; Lubik, Amy A.; McKenzie, Ian; Pollak, Michael; Nelson, Colleen C.

2012-01-01

An association between the metabolic syndrome and reduced testosterone levels has been identified, and a specific inverse relationship between insulin and testosterone levels suggests that an important metabolic crosstalk exists between these two hormonal axes; however, the mechanisms by which insulin and androgens may be reciprocally regulated are not well described. Androgen-dependant gene pathways regulate the growth and maintenance of both normal and malignant prostate tissue, and androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) in patients exploits this dependence when used to treat recurrent and metastatic prostate cancer resulting in tumour regression. A major systemic side effect of ADT includes induction of key features of the metabolic syndrome and the consistent feature of hyperinsulinaemia. Recent studies have specifically identified a correlation between elevated insulin and high-grade PCa and more rapid progression to castrate resistant disease. This paper examines the relationship between insulin and androgens in the context of prostate cancer progression. Prostate cancer patients present a promising cohort for the exploration of insulin stabilising agents as adjunct treatments for hormone deprivation or enhancers of chemosensitivity for treatment of advanced prostate cancer. PMID:22548055

Progress Report 1994

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-01-01

This document is the 1994 annual progress report of the CEA-Direction of Waste Management (DGD). It comprises four chapters. The first chapter is a general presentation of radioactive wastes, of the management of liquid effluents, solid wastes, sealed sources, of the relations with the ANDRA (The French Agency for the Management of Radioactive Wastes), and of the research and development studies in progress for the improvement of waste management. The second chapter concerns the spent fuels and their reprocessing, in particular AGR and PWR type reactor fuels, the ''Caramel'' fuel from Osiris reactor and the cover elements from the Rapsodie reactor core. The long time storage of ancient fuels is also discussed. The third chapter concerns the dismantling of decommissioned installations, the actions in progress and the planning of dismantling actions up to the year 2000. Chapter four is devoted to the management of wastes from the Direction of Military Applications (DAM), the actions in progress in the different DAM centers and the cleansing projects at Marcoule plant. (J.S.). 5 figs., 28 tabs., 21 photos., 3 appendix

Rapid Aminoglycoside NP Test for Rapid Detection of Multiple Aminoglycoside Resistance in Enterobacteriaceae.

Science.gov (United States)

Nordmann, Patrice; Jayol, Aurélie; Dobias, Jan; Poirel, Laurent

2017-04-01

The rapid aminoglycoside NP (Nordmann/Poirel) test was developed to rapidly identify multiple aminoglycoside (AG) resistance in Enterobacteriaceae It is based on the detection of the glucose metabolism related to enterobacterial growth in the presence of a defined concentration of amikacin plus gentamicin. Formation of acid metabolites was evidenced by a color change (orange to yellow) of the red phenol pH indicator. The rapid aminoglycoside NP test was evaluated by using bacterial colonies of 18 AG-resistant isolates producing 16S rRNA methylases, 20 AG-resistant isolates expressing AG-modifying enzymes (acetyl-, adenyl-, and phosphotransferases), and 10 isolates susceptible to AG. Its sensitivity and specificity were 100% and 97%, respectively, compared to the broth dilution method, which was taken as the gold standard for determining aminoglycoside resistance. The test is inexpensive, rapid (<2 h), and implementable worldwide. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.

Review on CNC-Rapid Prototyping

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

M Nafis O Z; Nafrizuan M Y; Munira M A; Kartina J

2012-01-01

This article reviewed developments of Computerized Numerical Control (CNC) technology in rapid prototyping process. Rapid prototyping (RP) can be classified into three major groups; subtractive, additive and virtual. CNC rapid prototyping is grouped under the subtractive category which involves material removal from the workpiece that is larger than the final part. Richard Wysk established the use of CNC machines for rapid prototyping using sets of 2½-D tool paths from various orientations about a rotary axis to machine parts without refixturing. Since then, there are few developments on this process mainly aimed to optimized the operation and increase the process capabilities to stand equal with common additive type of RP. These developments include the integration between machining and deposition process (hybrid RP), adoption of RP to the conventional machine and optimization of the CNC rapid prototyping process based on controlled parameters. The article ended by concluding that the CNC rapid prototyping research area has a vast space for improvement as in the conventional machining processes. Further developments and findings will enhance the usage of this method and minimize the limitation of current approach in building a prototype.

Dilepton distributions at backward rapidities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Betemps, M. A.; Ducati, M. B. Gay; Oliveira, E. G. de

2006-01-01

The dilepton production at backward rapidities in pAu and pp collisions at RHIC and LHC energies is investigated in the dipole approach. The results are shown through the nuclear modification ratio R pA considering transverse momentum and rapidity spectra. The dilepton modification ratio presents interesting behavior at the backward rapidities when compared with the already known forward ones, since it is related with the large x kinematical region that is being probed. The rapidity dependence of the nuclear modification ratio in the dilepton production is strongly dependent on the Bjorken x behavior of the nuclear structure function ratio R F 2 =F 2 A /F 2 p . The R pA transverse momentum dependence at backward rapidities is modified due to the large x nuclear effects: at RHIC energies, for instance, the ratio R pA is reduced as p T increases, presenting an opposite behavior when compared with the forward one. It implies that the dilepton production at backward rapidities should carry information of the nuclear effects at large Bjorken x, as well as that it is useful to investigate the p T dependence of the observables in this kinematical regime

White Matter Lesion Progression in LADIS

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schmidt, Reinhold; Berghold, Andrea; Jokinen, Hanna

2012-01-01

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: White matter lesion (WML) progression has been advocated as a surrogate marker in intervention trials on cerebral small vessel disease. We assessed the rate of visually rated WML progression, studied correlations between lesion progression and cognition, and estimated sample...... sizes for clinical trials with pure WML progression vs combined WML progression-cognitive outcomes. METHODS: Those 394 participants of the Leukoaraiosis and Disability Study (LADIS) study with magnetic resonance imaging scanning at baseline and 3-year follow-up were analyzed. WML progression rating...

Dietary sodium modulation of aldosterone activation and renal function during the progression of experimental heart failure.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Wayne L; Borgeson, Daniel D; Grantham, J Aaron; Luchner, Andreas; Redfield, Margaret M; Burnett, John C

2015-02-01

Aldosterone activation is central to the sodium–fluid retention that marks the progression of heart failure (HF). The actions of dietary sodium restriction, a mainstay in HF management, on cardiorenal and neuroendocrine adaptations during the progression of HF are poorly understood. The study aim was to assess the role of dietary sodium during the progression of experimental HF. Experimental HF was produced in a canine model by rapid right ventricular pacing which evolves from early mild HF to overt, severe HF. Dogs were fed one of three diets: (i) high sodium [250 mEq (5.8 g) per day, n =6]; (ii) standard sodium [58 mEq (1.3 g) per day, n =6]; and (iii) sodium restriction [11 mEq (0.25 g) per day, n =6]. During the 38-day study, haemodynamics, renal function, plasma renin activity (PRA), and aldosterone were measured. Changes in haemodynamics at 38 days were similar in all three groups, as were changes in renal function. Aldosterone activation was demonstrated in all three groups; however, dietary sodium restriction, in contrast to high sodium, resulted in early (10 days) activation of PRA and aldosterone. High sodium demonstrated significant suppression of aldosterone activation over the course of HF progression. Excessive dietary sodium restriction particularly in early stage HF results in early aldosterone activation, while normal and excess sodium intake are associated with delayed or suppressed activation. These findings warrant evaluation in humans to determine if dietary sodium manipulation, particularly during early stage HF, may have a significant impact on neuroendocrine disease progression.

Association for Progressive Communication : Institutional ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Monitoring Progress Toward the Information Society : Digital Divide Index. Orbicom's Digital Divide Index is a rigorous statistical tool for benchmarking access to and use of information and communication technologies (ICT), and monitoring progress toward the... View moreMonitoring Progress Toward the Information ...

Progressive outer retinal necrosis (PORN) in AIDS patients: a different appearance of varicella-zoster retinitis.

Science.gov (United States)

Pavesio, C E; Mitchell, S M; Barton, K; Schwartz, S D; Towler, H M; Lightman, S

1995-01-01

Retinal infections caused by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV) have been reported in immunocompetent and immunocompromised individuals. Two cases of a VZV-related retinitis are described with the characteristic features of the recently described progressive outer retinal necrosis (PORN) syndrome. Both patients suffered from the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) with greatly reduced peripheral blood CD4+ T lymphocyte counts, and presented with macular retinitis without vitritis. The disease was bilateral in one case and unilateral in the other. The clinical course was rapidly progressive with widespread retinal involvement and the development of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment with complete loss of vision in the affected eyes despite intensive intravenous antiviral therapy. VZV DNA was identified in vitreous biopsies, by molecular techniques based on the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), in both patients. At present, the use of very high-dose intravenous acyclovir may be the best therapeutic option in these patients for whom the visual prognosis is poor. Intravitreal antiviral drugs could also contribute to the management of these cases.

Bilateral rapidly destructive arthrosis of the hip joint resulting from subchondral fracture with superimposed secondary osteonecrosis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yamamoto, Takuaki; Iwamoto, Yukihide [Kyushu University, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Fukuoka (Japan); Schneider, Robert [Hospital for Special Surgery, Department of Radiology, New York (United States); Bullough, Peter G. [Hospital for Special Surgery, Department of Laboratory Medicine, New York, NY (United States)

2010-02-15

A 57-year-old woman suffered rapid destruction of both hip joints over a 10 months period. At the first visit, her radiographs demonstrated slight joint space narrowing and acetabular cyst formation in both hips. Five months later, joint space narrowing had further progressed, and intra-articular injection of steroid was given in both hips. However, the hip pain gradually became worse. Five months later, both joint spaces had totally disappeared and both femoral heads had undergone massive collapse. At gross examination, both resected femoral heads showed extensive opaque yellow areas consistent with osteonecrosis. Microscopic examination of these areas revealed evidence of both extensive fracture and callus formation, as well as necrosis throughout, indicating that the osteonecrosis observed in this case was a secondary phenomenon superimposed on pre-existing osteoarthritis and subchondral fracture. There were many pseudogranulomatous lesions in the marrow space and necrotic area, where tiny fragments of bone and articular cartilage, surrounded by histiocytes and giant cells, were embedded, such as are typically seen in rapidly destructive arthrosis. No radiologic or morphologic evidence of primary osteonecrosis was noted. This case indicates that at least some cases of rapidly destructive arthritis are the result of subchondral fracture with superimposed secondary osteonecrosis. (orig.)

Bilateral rapidly destructive arthrosis of the hip joint resulting from subchondral fracture with superimposed secondary osteonecrosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamamoto, Takuaki; Iwamoto, Yukihide; Schneider, Robert; Bullough, Peter G.

2010-01-01

A 57-year-old woman suffered rapid destruction of both hip joints over a 10 months period. At the first visit, her radiographs demonstrated slight joint space narrowing and acetabular cyst formation in both hips. Five months later, joint space narrowing had further progressed, and intra-articular injection of steroid was given in both hips. However, the hip pain gradually became worse. Five months later, both joint spaces had totally disappeared and both femoral heads had undergone massive collapse. At gross examination, both resected femoral heads showed extensive opaque yellow areas consistent with osteonecrosis. Microscopic examination of these areas revealed evidence of both extensive fracture and callus formation, as well as necrosis throughout, indicating that the osteonecrosis observed in this case was a secondary phenomenon superimposed on pre-existing osteoarthritis and subchondral fracture. There were many pseudogranulomatous lesions in the marrow space and necrotic area, where tiny fragments of bone and articular cartilage, surrounded by histiocytes and giant cells, were embedded, such as are typically seen in rapidly destructive arthrosis. No radiologic or morphologic evidence of primary osteonecrosis was noted. This case indicates that at least some cases of rapidly destructive arthritis are the result of subchondral fracture with superimposed secondary osteonecrosis. (orig.)

Association of adiponectin, interleukin (IL)-1ra, inducible protein 10, IL-6 and number of islet autoantibodies with progression patterns of type 1 diabetes the first year after diagnosis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kaas, A; Pfleger, Claudia Christina; Hansen, Lene

2010-01-01

The progression of type 1 diabetes after diagnosis is poorly understood. Our aim was to assess the relation of disease progression of juvenile-onset type 1 diabetes, determined by preserved beta cell function the first year after diagnosis, with systemic cytokine concentrations and number...... patients (P = 0·03 and P = 0·006). IL-1ra, IP-10 and IL-6 did not differ between the groups at any time-point. The number of autoantibodies differed significantly between the groups at 1 month (P = 0·04), where rapid progressers had the largest number. There was no difference between the groups in human...

LDL cholesterolemia as a novel risk factor for radiographic progression of rheumatoid arthritis: a single-center prospective study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yune-Jung Park

Full Text Available Dyslipidemia has been implicated in various musculoskeletal diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA. Evidence is emerging that there might be a pathogenic interaction among inflammation, dyslipidemia, and adipokines. We prospectively investigated the association of cumulative lipid levels with radiographic progression of RA. RA patients (n=242 underwent plasma cholesterol assessment at four visits. Disease activity parameters and X-rays of the hands and feet were also serially monitored in these patients. The cumulative inflammatory burden and lipid levels were estimated by time-integrated values. Serum leptin and adiponectin concentrations were determined by ELISA. When patients were divided into three groups according to time-integrated lipid levels, as expected, patients with LDL cholesterol and/or triglyceride levels in the third tertile had persistently higher ESR and CRP levels. In parallel, a more rapid radiographic progression over two years was observed in patients with higher LDL cholesterol and/or triglyceride levels. In multivariate analysis, time-integrated LDL cholesterol was independently associated with radiographic progression. Particularly, the risk of radiographic progression was 5.6-fold in a subgroup with both LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the third tertile. Moreover, LDL cholesterol synergistically increased the adjusted probability of radiographic progression in patients with high serum leptin levels but not in those without. These results demonstrate that LDL cholesterolemia is a novel serum marker that can be used to predict radiographic progression of RA, which seems to be related to circulatory leptin levels. We suggest that personalized and more aggressive anti-rheumatic therapy is required for dyslipidemic subgroups in RA patients.

Rapid charging of nickel-cadmium accumulators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bruck, F

1972-01-01

Four types of charging of gas-tight Ni-Cd accumulators (a) normal; (b) accelerated; (c) rapid; and (d) ultra-rapid are described. For rapid charging, a built-in temperature sensor cuts off charging current at a prescribed point. In ultra-rapid charging, 50% charge can be attained in 3.5 min. and 25% charge within 50 sec. In the second phase of ultra-rapid charging, a surplus of oxygen is released at the positive electrode and a safety valve is provided for pressure reduction. Characteristic curves are given for various rates of charging and some data on discharge rates is also given.

Recent Progress on Flexible and Wearable Supercapacitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Xue, Qi; Sun, Jinfeng; Huang, Yan; Zhu, Minshen; Pei, Zengxia; Li, Hongfei; Wang, Yukun; Li, Na; Zhang, Haiyan; Zhi, Chunyi

2017-12-01

Recently, wearable electronic devices including electrical sensors, flexible displays, and health monitors have received considerable attention and experienced rapid progress. Wearable supercapacitors attract tremendous attention mainly due to their high stability, low cost, fast charging/discharging, and high efficiency; properties that render them value for developing fully flexible devices. In this Concept, the recent achievements and advances made in flexible and wearable supercapacitors are presented, especially highlighting the promising performances of yarn/fiber-shaped and planar supercapacitors. On the basis of their working mechanism, electrode materials including carbon-based materials, metal oxide-based materials, and conductive polymers with an emphasis on the performance-optimization method are introduced. The latest representative techniques and active materials of recently developed supercapacitors with superior performance are summarized. Furthermore, the designs of 1D and 2D electrodes are discussed according to their electrically conductive supporting materials. Finally, conclusions, challenges, and perspective in optimizing and developing the electrochemical performance and function of wearable supercapacitors for their practical utility are addressed. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Seismology of rapidly rotating and solar-like stars

Science.gov (United States)

Reese, Daniel Roy

2018-05-01

A great deal of progress has been made in stellar physics thanks to asteroseismology, the study of pulsating stars. Indeed, asteroseismology is currently the only way to probe the internal structure of stars. The work presented here focuses on some of the theoretical aspects of this domain and addresses two broad categories of stars, namely solar-like pulsators (including red giants), and rapidly rotating pulsating stars. The work on solar-like pulsators focuses on setting up methods for efficiently characterising a large number of stars, in preparation for space missions like TESS and PLATO 2.0. In particular, the AIMS code applies an MCMC algorithm to find stellar properties and a sample of stellar models which fit a set of seismic and classic observational constraints. In order to reduce computation time, this code interpolates within a precalculated grid of models, using a Delaunay tessellation which allows a greater flexibility on the construction of the grid. Using interpolated models based on the outputs from this code or models from other forward modelling codes, it is possible to obtain refined estimates of various stellar properties such as the mean density thanks to inversion methods put together by me and G. Buldgen, my former PhD student. Finally, I show how inversion-type methods can also be used to test more qualitative information such as whether a decreasing rotation profile is compatible with a set of observed rotational splittings and a given reference model. In contrast to solar-like pulsators, the pulsation modes of rapidly rotating stars remain much more difficult to interpret due to the complexity of the numerical calculations needed to calculate such modes, the lack of simple frequency patterns, and the fact that it is difficult to predict mode amplitudes. The work described here therefore focuses on addressing the above difficulties one at a time in the hopes that it will one day be possible to carry out detailed asteroseismology in these

Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in combination with immunoablative protocol in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis: A 10-year follow-up of the first transplanted patient

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Obradović Dragana

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction. Multiple sclerosis (MS is an immunemediated disease of the central nervous system that affects young individuals and leads to severe disability. High dose immunoablation followed by autologous hemopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT has been considered in the last 15 years as potentialy effective therapeutic approach for agressive MS. The most recent long-time follow-up results suggest that AHSCT is not only effective for highly aggressive MS, but for relapsing-remitting MS as well, providing long-term remission, or maybe even cure. We presented a 10- year follow-up of the first MS patient being treated by immunoablation therapy and AHSCT. Case report. A 27-year-old male experienced the first symptoms - intermitent numbness and paresthesia of arms and legs of what was treated for two years by psychiatrist as anxiety disorder. After he developed severe paraparesis he was admitted to the Neurology Clinic and diagnosed with MS. Our patient developed aggressive MS with frequent relapses, rapid disability progression and transition to secondary progressive form 6 years after MS onset [the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS 7.0 Ambulation Index (AI 7]. AHSCT was performed, cyclophosphamide was used for hemopoietic stem cell mobilization and the BEAM protocol was used as conditionig regimen. No major adverse events followed the AHSCT. Neurological impairment improved, EDSS 6.5, AI 6 and during a 10-year followup remained unchanged. Brain MRI follow-up showed the absence of gadolinium enhancing lesions and a mild progression of brain atrophy. Conclusion. The patient with rapidly evolving, aggressive, noninflammatory MS initialy improved and remained stable, without disability progression for 10 years, after AHSCT. This kind of treatment should be considered in aggressive MS, or in disease modifying treatment nonresponsive MS patients, since appropriately timed AHSCT treatment may not only prevent disability progression but reduce

Low Cost Rapid Response Spacecraft, (LCRRS): A Research Project in Low Cost Spacecraft Design and Fabrication in a Rapid Prototyping Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Spremo, Stevan; Bregman, Jesse; Dallara, Christopher D.; Ghassemieh, Shakib M.; Hanratty, James; Jackson, Evan; Kitts, Christopher; Klupar, Pete; Lindsay, Michael; Ignacio, Mas;

R5 strains of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 from rapid progressors lacking X4 strains do not possess X4-type pathogenicity in human thymus

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Berkowitz, R. D.; van't Wout, A. B.; Kootstra, N. A.; Moreno, M. E.; Linquist-Stepps, V. D.; Bare, C.; Stoddart, C. A.; Schuitemaker, H.; McCune, J. M.

1999-01-01

Some individuals infected with only R5 strains of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 progress to AIDS as quickly as individuals harboring X4 strains. We determined that three R5 viruses were much less pathogenic than an X4 virus in SCID-hu Thy/Liv mice, suggesting that R5 virus-mediated rapid

Recent Progress in Optical Biosensors Based on Smartphone Platforms

Science.gov (United States)

Geng, Zhaoxin; Zhang, Xiong; Fan, Zhiyuan; Lv, Xiaoqing; Su, Yue; Chen, Hongda

2017-01-01

With a rapid improvement of smartphone hardware and software, especially complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) cameras, many optical biosensors based on smartphone platforms have been presented, which have pushed the development of the point-of-care testing (POCT). Imaging-based and spectrometry-based detection techniques have been widely explored via different approaches. Combined with the smartphone, imaging-based and spectrometry-based methods are currently used to investigate a wide range of molecular properties in chemical and biological science for biosensing and diagnostics. Imaging techniques based on smartphone-based microscopes are utilized to capture microscale analysts, while spectrometry-based techniques are used to probe reactions or changes of molecules. Here, we critically review the most recent progress in imaging-based and spectrometry-based smartphone-integrated platforms that have been developed for chemical experiments and biological diagnosis. We focus on the analytical performance and the complexity for implementation of the platforms. PMID:29068375

Recent Progress in Optical Biosensors Based on Smartphone Platforms.

Science.gov (United States)

Geng, Zhaoxin; Zhang, Xiong; Fan, Zhiyuan; Lv, Xiaoqing; Su, Yue; Chen, Hongda

2017-10-25

With a rapid improvement of smartphone hardware and software, especially complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) cameras, many optical biosensors based on smartphone platforms have been presented, which have pushed the development of the point-of-care testing (POCT). Imaging-based and spectrometry-based detection techniques have been widely explored via different approaches. Combined with the smartphone, imaging-based and spectrometry-based methods are currently used to investigate a wide range of molecular properties in chemical and biological science for biosensing and diagnostics. Imaging techniques based on smartphone-based microscopes are utilized to capture microscale analysts, while spectrometry-based techniques are used to probe reactions or changes of molecules. Here, we critically review the most recent progress in imaging-based and spectrometry-based smartphone-integrated platforms that have been developed for chemical experiments and biological diagnosis. We focus on the analytical performance and the complexity for implementation of the platforms.

A new rapid kindling variant for induction of cortical epileptogenesis in freely moving rats

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juan Carlos Morales

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Kindling, one of the most used models of experimental epilepsy is based on daily electrical stimulation in several brain structures. Unlike the classic or slow kindling protocols (SK, the rapid kindling types (RK described until now require continuous stimulation at suprathreshold intensities applied directly to the same brain structure used for subsequent electrophysiological and inmunohistochemical studies, usually the hippocampus. However, the cellular changes observed in these rapid protocols, such as astrogliosis and neuronal loss, could be due to experimental manipulation more than to epileptogenesis-related alterations. Here, we developed a new RK protocol in order to generate an improved model of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE which allows gradual progression of the epilepsy as well as obtaining an epileptic hippocampus, thus avoiding direct surgical manipulation and electric stimulation over this structure. This new protocol consists of basolateral amygdala (BLA stimulation with 10 trains of biphasic pulses (10s;50Hz per day with 20 minutes-intervals, during 3 consecutive days, using a subconvulsive and subthreshold intensity, which guarantees tissue integrity. The progression of epileptic activity was evaluated in freely moving rats through EEG recordings from cortex and amygdala, accompanied with synchronized video recordings. Moreover, we assessed the effectiveness of RK protocol and the establishment of epilepsy by evaluating cellular alterations of hippocampal slices from kindled rats. RK protocol induced convulsive states similar to SK protocols but in 3 days, with persistently lowered threshold to seizure induction and epileptogenic-dependent cellular changes in amygdala projection areas. We concluded that this novel RK protocol introduces a new variant of the chronic epileptogenesis models in freely moving rats, which is faster, highly reproducible and causes minimum cell damage with respect to that observed in other experimental

Does a Progressive PIT Stabilize the Economy? A Comparison of Progressive and Flat Taxes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Krajewski Piotr

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The aim of the article is to examine the impact of progressive personal income tax rates and the effectiveness of this tax as an automatic economic stabilizer. The assessment of automatic stabilizers is based on the estimates of tax cyclical components. The study shows that the output elasticity of PIT is higher than one, which means that the analysed tax acts relatively efficiently as an automatic stabilizer. However, it was also observed that the tax progressivity is not the main reason of the effectiveness of a progressive PIT as an automatic stabilizer. The study shows that changes in progressive rates of PIT, contrary to widespread opinions, have little effect on the effectiveness of passive fiscal policy. Personal income tax acts as automatic stabilizer mostly due not to the progressive tax rates, but because of the sensitivity of employment to GDP fluctuations.

Progression og underviserkompetencer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lene Tortzen Bager

2014-03-01

Full Text Available På baggrund af en kvalitativ interviewundersøgelse af undervisere ved Aarhus Universitet lavet i 2012, tematiserer artiklen, hvordan undervisere udvikler deres faglige og pædagogiske kompetencer i forhold til at kunne skabe progression inden for innovation og entreprenørskab forstået enten som didaktik, arbejdsformer i faglige forløb eller som fag på universitetet. I arbejdet med progression er det en udfordring at integrere de nye faglige dimensioner i det kernefaglige felt. Den seneste model for progression inden for innovation og entreprenør-skab siger, at det er den lærendes generelle erfaringsniveau, der er den afgørende progressionsskabende faktor (Progressionsmodellen, Fonden for Entreprenørskab, 2013b. Samtidig skelner international forskning inden for studiekompetenceområdet mellem niveauer, hvor indlejret viden er det mest avancerede kompetenceniveau (Barrie, 2002.Ifølge progressionsmodellen og den nævnte kompetenceforskning er erfaring og dybt integreret læring altså centrale dimensioner i progression. Men hvad er underviserens rolle heri? Underviserens professionelle udviklingsarbejde forekommer at være underbelyst i forhold til, at underviseren er den legitime garant for integrationen af nye faglige dimensioner og for den studerendes kompetenceniveau. Interviewundersøgelsen forholder sig til spørgsmålet om progression gennem de deltagende underviseres beskrivelse af betydningslag i entreprenørskabsbegrebet koblet til de praksisformer i undervisningen, der knytter sig hertil samt et indblik i undervisernes refleksioner over deres kompetenceudviklingsprocesser. Artiklens bidrag til progression er at se underviserens motivation og kompetenceudvikling som forudsætninger herfor.     Based on a qualitative study of five teachers in the Faculty of Arts at Aarhus University that took place during 2012, the article thematizes how teachers develop their professional and educational qualifications in innovation and

Rapid Tooling via Stereolithography

OpenAIRE

Montgomery, Eva

2006-01-01

Approximately three years ago, composite stereolithography (SL) resins were introduced to the marketplace, offering performance features beyond what traditional SL resins could offer. In particular, the high heat deflection temperatures and high stiffness of these highly filled resins have opened the door to several new rapid prototyping (RP) applications, including wind tunnel test modelling and, more recently, rapid tooling.

Rapid deployment intrusion detection system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Graham, R.H.

1997-01-01

A rapidly deployable security system is one that provides intrusion detection, assessment, communications, and annunciation capabilities; is easy to install and configure; can be rapidly deployed, and is reusable. A rapidly deployable intrusion detection system (RADIDS) has many potential applications within the DOE Complex: back-up protection for failed zones in a perimeter intrusion detection and assessment system, intrusion detection and assessment capabilities in temporary locations, protection of assets during Complex reconfiguration, and protection in hazardous locations, protection of assets during Complex reconfiguration, and protection in hazardous locations. Many DOE user-need documents have indicated an interest in a rapidly deployable intrusion detection system. The purpose of the RADIDS project is to design, develop, and implement such a system. 2 figs

Enhanced Sensitivity to Rapid Input Fluctuations by Nonlinear Threshold Dynamics in Neocortical Pyramidal Neurons.

Science.gov (United States)

Mensi, Skander; Hagens, Olivier; Gerstner, Wulfram; Pozzorini, Christian

2016-02-01

The way in which single neurons transform input into output spike trains has fundamental consequences for network coding. Theories and modeling studies based on standard Integrate-and-Fire models implicitly assume that, in response to increasingly strong inputs, neurons modify their coding strategy by progressively reducing their selective sensitivity to rapid input fluctuations. Combining mathematical modeling with in vitro experiments, we demonstrate that, in L5 pyramidal neurons, the firing threshold dynamics adaptively adjust the effective timescale of somatic integration in order to preserve sensitivity to rapid signals over a broad range of input statistics. For that, a new Generalized Integrate-and-Fire model featuring nonlinear firing threshold dynamics and conductance-based adaptation is introduced that outperforms state-of-the-art neuron models in predicting the spiking activity of neurons responding to a variety of in vivo-like fluctuating currents. Our model allows for efficient parameter extraction and can be analytically mapped to a Generalized Linear Model in which both the input filter--describing somatic integration--and the spike-history filter--accounting for spike-frequency adaptation--dynamically adapt to the input statistics, as experimentally observed. Overall, our results provide new insights on the computational role of different biophysical processes known to underlie adaptive coding in single neurons and support previous theoretical findings indicating that the nonlinear dynamics of the firing threshold due to Na+-channel inactivation regulate the sensitivity to rapid input fluctuations.

Serodiagnosis of dengue infection using rapid immunochromatography test in patients with probable dengue infection.

Science.gov (United States)

Kidwai, Aneela Altaf; Jamal, Qaiser; Saher; Mehrunnisa; Farooqi, Faiz-ur-rehman; Saleem-Ullah

2010-11-01

To determine the frequency of seropositive dengue infection using rapid immunochromatographic assay in patients with probable dengue infection as per WHO criteria. A cross-sectional observational study was conducted at Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, Karachi from July 2008 to January 2009. Patients presenting with acute febrile illness, rashes, bleeding tendencies, leucopenia and or thrombocytopenia were evaluated according to WHO criteria for probable dengue infection. Acute phase sera were collected after 5 days of the onset of fever as per WHO criteria. Serology was performed using rapid immunochromatographic (ICT) assay with differential detection of IgM and IgG. A primary dengue infection was defined by a positive IgM band and a negative IgG band whereas secondary infection was defined by a positive IgG band with or without positive IgM band. Among 599 patients who met the WHO criteria for dengue infection, 251(41.9%) were found to be ICT reactive among whom 42 (16.73%) had primary infection. Secondary infection was reported in 209 (83.26%). Acute phase sera of 348 (58.09%) were ICT non reactive. Four patients died because of dengue shock syndrome among which three had secondary infection. Early identification of secondary infection in acute phase sera using rapid ICT is valuable in terms of disease progression and mortality. However in highly suspected cases of dengue infection clinical management should not rely on negative serological results.

Spinal Dural Arteriovenous Fistula (SDAVF in a Patient with Progressive Paraparesia: A Case Report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mehrdokht Mazdeh

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Background: Spinal dural arteriovenous fistula (SDAVF is a known cause of nontraumatic slow progressive araparesia and is frequently overlooked because its clinical features overlap with more common causes of myelopathy and also neuroimaging may be normal. Case Report: A 53 year-old man with developed weakness of both lower limbs had symptoms begun spontaneously 3.5 month before admission and progressed from 1 month ago with bowel and bladder incontinence. The patient's physical examination was normal and neurologic testing revealed lower extremity motor strength of 3/5. Deep tendon reflexes were decreased and superficial abdominal reflexes were absent. Sensation of pinprick and temperature was absent distal to the T4-T5 level. Vibration and proprioception were decreased to the ankle and saddle anesthesia and the patient was non ambulatory. Laboratory routine and specific tests for vitamin B12 level, hepatitis, HIV, HTLV1, 2 were negative. MRI of spine with and without contrast raised the possibility of dural arteriovenous malformation extended from T3 level to conus medullaris which was confirmed by angiography. The patient referred to neurosurgeon for deciding route of treatment. Conclusion: SDAVF can be a significant non traumatic slowly progressive cause of myelopathy. The majority of the affected patients are males older than 50 years of age. Rapid diagnosis in these patients leads to significant improvement.

Cell-free protein synthesis enabled rapid prototyping for metabolic engineering and synthetic biology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lihong Jiang

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Advances in metabolic engineering and synthetic biology have facilitated the manufacturing of many valuable-added compounds and commodity chemicals using microbial cell factories in the past decade. However, due to complexity of cellular metabolism, the optimization of metabolic pathways for maximal production represents a grand challenge and an unavoidable barrier for metabolic engineering. Recently, cell-free protein synthesis system (CFPS has been emerging as an enabling alternative to address challenges in biomanufacturing. This review summarizes the recent progresses of CFPS in rapid prototyping of biosynthetic pathways and genetic circuits (biosensors to speed up design-build-test (DBT cycles of metabolic engineering and synthetic biology. Keywords: Cell-free protein synthesis, Metabolic pathway optimization, Genetic circuits, Metabolic engineering, Synthetic biology

Rapid-onset obesity, hypoventilation, hypothalamic dysfunction, autonomic dysregulation and neuroendocrine tumor syndrome with a homogenous enlargement of the pituitary gland: a case report.

Science.gov (United States)

Aljabban, Lama; Kassab, Lina; Bakoura, Nour Alhuda; Alsalka, Mohammad Fayez; Maksoud, Ismaeil

2016-11-22

Rapid-onset obesity with hypoventilation, hypothalamic dysfunction, and autonomic dysregulation syndrome is a rare pediatric disorder with a variable sequence of clinical presentations, undefined etiology, and high risk of mortality. Our patient presented an unusual course of the disease accompanied by a homogenous mild enlargement of her pituitary gland with an intact pituitary-endocrine axis which, to the best of our knowledge, represents a new finding in rapid-onset obesity with hypoventilation, hypothalamic dysfunction, and autonomic dysregulation syndrome. We present a documented case of a 4 years and 8-month-old Syrian Arabic girl with a distinctive course of signs and symptoms of rapid-onset obesity with hypoventilation, hypothalamic dysfunction, and autonomic dysregulation syndrome accompanied by mature ganglioneuroma in her chest, a homogenous mild enlargement of her pituitary gland, generalized cortical brain atrophy, and seizures. Three months after her first marked symptoms were noted she had a sudden progression of severe respiratory distress that ended with her death. The findings of this case could increase our understanding of the pathogenetic mechanisms of rapid-onset obesity with hypoventilation, hypothalamic dysfunction, and autonomic dysregulation, and place more emphases on pediatricians to consider rapid-onset obesity with hypoventilation, hypothalamic dysfunction, and autonomic dysregulation syndrome whenever early rapid onset of obesity, associated with any malfunction, is observed in children. This knowledge could be lifesaving for children with rapid-onset obesity with hypoventilation, hypothalamic dysfunction, and autonomic dysregulation syndrome.

Understanding stress in the healthy animal - potential paths for progress.

Science.gov (United States)

Romero, L Michael; Platts, Steven H; Schoech, Stephan J; Wada, Haruka; Crespi, Erica; Martin, Lynn B; Buck, C Loren

2015-01-01

Although stress is usually associated with disease, the physiological and behavioral responses to stressors are critical mechanisms of resilience for healthy organisms. A recent workshop comprised of researchers who study healthy humans and both free-living and captive non-human animals identified a number of key roadblocks that are impeding progress in understanding how stress responses integrate into the normal physiology of an animal. These include the lack of: (1) an unambiguous definition of a stress phenotype; (2) a robust biomarker, or suite of biomarkers, to indicate that phenotype; (3) theoretical and quantitative models to predict how humans and other animals will react to stressors; (4) a comprehensive understanding of how individual variability in stress responses arise and (5) an understanding of the transitions between acute and chronic stress responses. Collectively, these deficiencies impair our ability to both assess the physiological status of individuals and develop procedures and techniques to reverse the effects elicited by chronic stress before they become pathological. Workshop participants also identified a number of potential approaches to facilitate progress on these problems. They include: (1) increased use of mathematical models to provide quantitative predictions; (2) use of network theory to expose emergent properties not predicted from traditional approaches; (3) development and deployment of improved sensor technology that will allow long-term, dynamic, non-invasive, multi-factor measurements of suites of stress mediators and (4) the recruitment of scientists with diverse skill sets, such as engineers, bioinformaticians, etc.; and (5) the training of young scientists in the multidisciplinary study of stress. Incorporating these approaches in new research should reinvigorate the study of stress and stimulate progress in understanding both how healthy humans cope with stressors and how other animals, including free-living animals, cope

Demyelination versus remyelination in progressive multiple sclerosis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bramow, Stephan; Frischer, Josa M; Lassmann, Hans

2010-01-01

The causes of incomplete remyelination in progressive multiple sclerosis are unknown, as are the pathological correlates of the different clinical characteristics of patients with primary and secondary progressive disease. We analysed brains and spinal cords from 51 patients with progressive...... multiple sclerosis by planimetry. Thirteen patients with primary progressive disease were compared with 34 with secondary progressive disease. In patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis, we found larger brain plaques, more demyelination in total and higher brain loads of active demyelination...... compared with patients with primary progressive disease. In addition, the brain density of plaques with high-grade inflammation and active demyelination was highest in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis and remained ~18% higher than in primary progressive multiple sclerosis after adjustments...

Giant intrapericardial lipoma: An unusual cause of dyspnoea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sudarshan Kumar Vijay

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The pericardial lipomas are rare benign cardiac tumors. The clinical presentation of these cardiac neoplasms varies according to the site of growth. We describe here a case of massive intrapericardial lipoma leading to severe dyspnea, its diagnostic work up and briefly review the existing literature of this uncommon disorder. The patient underwent successful surgical resection of the tumor with complete alleviation of the symptoms.

Plasmapheresis Responsive Rapid Onset Dementia with Predominantly Frontal Dysfunction in the Context of Hashimoto’s Encephalopathy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dominique Endres

2017-10-01

Full Text Available BackgroundHashimoto’s encephalopathy (HE is a rare immunological neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by increased antithyroid antibodies and mixed neurological and psychiatric symptoms. HE has been previously discussed as a differential diagnosis for rapid progressive dementia. However, most of these patients suffered from additional neurological symptoms, like ataxia or seizures.Case presentationHere, we present the case of a 59-year-old female patient suffering rapid onset dementia with salient frontal executive dysfunction. She developed rapid onset symptoms, including apathy, verbal depletion up to a stuporous state, severe working memory deficits, evidence of primitive reflexes, disturbed Luria’s three-step test, and micturition disorder. Analysis of her cerebrospinal fluid was normal. The serum analyses showed increased antithyroid (antithyroid peroxidase and antithyroglobulin antibodies. In the cerebral magnetic resonance imaging, supratentorial deep and peripheral white matter lesions were found; the electroencephalography showed intermittent slowing, and the [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET depicted medial and superior dorsolateral frontal hypometabolism. Several different psychopharmacological therapeutic approaches with various neuroleptics, antidepressants, and high doses of lorazepam were unsuccessful. Due to the organic alterations, including increased antithyroid antibodies, HE was suspected. Against expectations, treatment with high-dose corticosteroids proved to be ineffective and was associated with worsening symptoms. However, escalated treatment with plasmapheresis over 5 days led to significant improvement in all reported symptoms and in psychometric testing. The neuropsychological improvement was stable over a 6-month follow-up period, and the FDG-PET normalized.ConclusionThis case report reveals that (1 HE can mimic rapid onset dementia with predominantly frontal dysfunction; (2 this

Progress as Compositional Lock-Freedom

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Carbone, Marco; Dardha, Ornela; Montesi, Fabrizio

2014-01-01

A session-based process satisfies the progress property if its sessions never get stuck when it is executed in an adequate context. Previous work studied how to define progress by introducing the notion of catalysers, execution contexts generated from the type of a process. In this paper, we refine...... such definition to capture a more intuitive notion of context adequacy for checking progress. Interestingly, our new catalysers lead to a novel characterisation of progress in terms of the standard notion of lock-freedom. Guided by this discovery, we also develop a conservative extension of catalysers that does...

Satellite in transit metastases in rapidly fatal conjunctival melanoma: implications for angiotropism and extravascular migratory metastasis (description of a murine model for conjunctival melanoma).

Science.gov (United States)

Barnhill, Raymond L; Lemaitre, Stéphanie; Lévy-Gabrielle, Christine; Rodrigues, Manuel; Desjardins, Laurence; Dendale, Rémi; Vincent-Salomon, Anne; Roman-Roman, Sergio; Lugassy, Claire; Cassoux, Nathalie

2016-02-01

Little information is currently available concerning loco-regional metastases such as satellite and in transit metastases and their natural history in conjunctival melanoma as compared to cutaneous melanoma. Angiotropism, a marker of extravascular migration of melanoma cells along vascular channels, often appears responsible for microscopic satellite, satellite and in transit metastases development in cutaneous melanoma. In addition, diffuse tissue microscopic satellites are correlated with widespread melanoma dissemination and death. Herein we report rapid conjunctival melanoma progression and a fatal outcome in four of five patients following recurrence as satellite in transit metastases. Five patients aged 31, 60, 63, 56, and 67 years developed primary conjunctival melanoma, histologically characterised by tumour thicknesses of 4, 4, 1.1, 3, and 2 mm. Two or more conjunctival melanomas manifested ulceration, significant mitotic rates, necrosis, angiotropism, and intralesional transformation. The conjunctival melanoma recurred in a matter of months as one or more discrete satellite in transit lesions in the vicinity of the primary melanoma. Histological examination revealed well-defined micronodules containing atypical melanocytes in the subepithelial connective tissue stroma. All lesions were extravascular and most appeared angiotropic. Four of five patients subsequently developed parotid or other loco-regional nodal disease and rapidly ensuing widespread metastases and death. The time course from diagnosis to the demise of the patients averaged about 13 (range 7-20) months. Our findings suggest that satellite in transit metastases constitute an important new risk marker for possible rapid metastatic disease progression and death in patients with conjunctival melanoma. This finding appears to take on even greater significance if such lesions develop rapidly, i.e., in a matter of weeks or months following diagnosis of primary conjunctival melanoma, and if the

Progression from acute to chronic pancreatitis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nøjgaard, Camilla; Becker, Ulrik; Matzen, Peter

2011-01-01

Objectives: Knowledge of the natural course of acute pancreatitis (AP) and risk of progression to chronic pancreatitis (CP) is limited. The aims were to describe: (1) the incidence of progression from AP to CP, (2) prognostic factors for progression, and (3) the natural course and mortality.......1%) during follow-up; 48.2% developed from alcoholic AP, 47.0% from idiopathic AP, and 4.8% from other causes. The mortality rate for patients with progressive AP was 2.7 times higher than in patients with nonprogressive acute pancreatitis, and 5.3 to 6.5 times higher than in the background population....... In Cox regression analyses corrected for age, only smoking was of significance for the progression from AP to CP. Conclusions: Acute pancreatitis can progress to CP, not only from alcoholic but also from nonalcoholic AP. Smoking was the strongest risk factor associated with progression. The mortality...

Sacred Hearts Nursing Home, Roslea Road, Clones, Monaghan.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Dahab, Taqua

2017-08-01

This case presentation relates to a 53 year old male, cachectic in appearance, who presented with progressively worsening dyspnoea, cough, intermittent haemoptysis and a history of nasal dryness ongoing over five months. The patient had received multiple courses of oral antibiotics for suspected community acquired pneumonia with no significant improvement. He was referred to our Respiratory Department for further evaluation of his symptoms. His HRCT showed right middle lobe consolidation with central cavitations. Furthermore, the transbronchial biopsy had been performed and the cytological examination revealed lipid laden macrophage with interstitial inflammatory changes. With return to the patient over the counter drug history, he described the frequent use of petroleum jelly to alleviate the symptoms of nasal dryness. This is the first report case of exogenous lipoid pneumonia presented with haemoptysis and cavitations in the HRCT.

An unusual case of recurrent chest infections.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Dahab, Taqua

2017-08-01

This case presentation relates to a 53 year old male, cachectic in appearance, who presented with progressively worsening dyspnoea, cough, intermittent haemoptysis and a history of nasal dryness ongoing over five months. The patient had received multiple courses of oral antibiotics for suspected community acquired pneumonia with no significant improvement. He was referred to our Respiratory Department for further evaluation of his symptoms. His HRCT showed right middle lobe consolidation with central cavitations. Furthermore, the transbronchial biopsy had been performed and the cytological examination revealed lipid laden macrophage with interstitial inflammatory changes. With return to the patient over the counter drug history, he described the frequent use of petroleum jelly to alleviate the symptoms of nasal dryness. This is the first report case of exogenous lipoid pneumonia presented with haemoptysis and cavitations in the HRCT.

TGF-β in pancreatic cancer initiation and progression: two sides of the same coin.

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Wei; Tao, Guo-Qing; Zhang, Yu; Cai, Bing; Sun, Jian; Tian, Zhi-Qiang

2017-01-01

Pancreatic cancer is highly lethal malignant tumor with characterised rapid progression, invasiveness and resistance to radiochemotherapy. Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) signaling plays a dual role in both pro-tumorigenic and tumor suppressive of pancreatic cancer, depending on tumor stage and microenvironment. TGF-β signaling components alteration are common in pancreatic cancer, and its leading role in tumor formation and metastases has received increased attention. Many therapies have investigated to target TGF-β signaling in the preclinical and clinical setting. In this review, we highlight the dual roles of TGF-β and touch upon the perspectives on therapeutic target of TGF-β signaling in pancreatic cancer.

Comprehensive expression profiling of tumor cell lines identifies molecular signatures of melanoma progression.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Byungwoo Ryu

2007-07-01

of transcripts are novel. In addition, the transcription factor NF-KB was specifically identified as being a potential "master regulator" of melanoma invasion since NF-KB binding sites were identified as consistent consensus sequences within promoters of progression-associated genes.We conclude that tumor cell lines are a valuable resource for the early identification of gene signatures associated with malignant progression in tumors with significant heterogeneity like melanoma. We further conclude that the development of novel data reduction algorithms for analysis of microarray studies is critical to allow for optimized mining of important, clinically-relevant datasets. It is expected that subsequent validation studies in primary human tissues using such an approach will lead to more rapid translation of such studies to the identification of novel tumor biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

Rapid Refresh (RAP) [13 km

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Rapid Refresh (RAP) numerical weather model took the place of the Rapid Update Cycle (RUC) on May 1, 2012. Run by the National Centers for Environmental...

Rapid Refresh (RAP) [20 km

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Rapid Refresh (RAP) numerical weather model took the place of the Rapid Update Cycle (RUC) on May 1, 2012. Run by the National Centers for Environmental...

Waste management progress report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-06-01

During the Cold War era, when DOE and its predecessor agencies produced nuclear weapons and components, and conducted nuclear research, a variety of wastes were generated (both radioactive and hazardous). DOE now has the task of managing these wastes so that they are not a threat to human health and the environment. This document is the Waste Management Progress Report for the U.S. Department of Energy dated June 1997. This progress report contains a radioactive and hazardous waste inventory and waste management program mission, a section describing progress toward mission completion, mid-year 1997 accomplishments, and the future outlook for waste management

Rapid world modeling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Little, Charles; Jensen, Ken

2002-01-01

Sandia National Laboratories has designed and developed systems capable of large-scale, three-dimensional mapping of unstructured environments in near real time. This mapping technique is called rapid world modeling and has proven invaluable when used by prototype systems consisting of sensory detection devices mounted on mobile platforms. These systems can be deployed into previously unmapped environments and transmit real-time 3-D visual images to operators located remotely. This paper covers a brief history of the rapid world modeling system, its implementation on mobile platforms, and the current state of the technology. Applications to the nuclear power industry are discussed. (author)

JINR rapid communications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-01-01

The present collection of rapid communications from JINR, Dubna, contains seven separate records on relativistic multiparticle processes in the central rapidity region at asymptotically high energies, a new experimental study of charged K→3π decays, pre-Cherenkov radiation as a phenomenon of 'light barrier', stable S=-2 H dibaryon found in Dubna, calculation of Green functions and gluon top in some unambiguous gauges, a method of a fast selection of inelastic nucleus-nucleus collisions for the CMS experiment and the manifestation of jet quenching in differential distributions of the total transverse energy in nucleus-nucleus collisions

JINR rapid communications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-01-01

The present collection of rapid communications from JINR, Dubna, contains seven separate records on invisible Z-boson width and restrictions on next-to-minimal supersymmetric standard model, cosmic test of honeycomb drift chambers, fission of 209 Bi, 232 Th, 235 U, 238 U and 237 Np in a spallation neutron field, rapid screening of spontaneous and radiation-induced structural changes at the vestigial gene of Drosophila melanogaster by polymerase chain reaction, gamma-ray multiplicities in sub-barrier fission of 226 Th and the decay constants of the scalar and pseudoscalar mesons in the quark models with quasilocal interaction

Opportunities for Collaborative Adaptive Management Progress: Integrating Stakeholder Assessments into Progress Measurement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jim Berkley

2013-12-01

There are differences among stakeholders in the indicators they consider as relevant to the assessment of progress. Elucidating these differences can provide useful information about system components and relationships that are important to public support of a CAM program and progress. One of the sources of differences in progress assessments among stakeholders comes from their diverse perceptions about the desired and current states of the social-ecological systems. Stakeholder behavior can be inconsistent between group and individual settings. Individually they may make plans, based on their assessments, that do not conform to the group plan because of their unique interests and preferences. The results of this study need to be further tested. The framework should be used through multiple cycles to determine whether the information gathered with this approach results in additional progress as compared with past approaches. In particular, it would be helpful to test whether gathering such information resulted in a decrease in stakeholders electing to go outside of the CAM process to get their needs met.

Rapid-scan EPR imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Eaton, Sandra S; Shi, Yilin; Woodcock, Lukas; Buchanan, Laura A; McPeak, Joseph; Quine, Richard W; Rinard, George A; Epel, Boris; Halpern, Howard J; Eaton, Gareth R

2017-07-01

In rapid-scan EPR the magnetic field or frequency is repeatedly scanned through the spectrum at rates that are much faster than in conventional continuous wave EPR. The signal is directly-detected with a mixer at the source frequency. Rapid-scan EPR is particularly advantageous when the scan rate through resonance is fast relative to electron spin relaxation rates. In such scans, there may be oscillations on the trailing edge of the spectrum. These oscillations can be removed by mathematical deconvolution to recover the slow-scan absorption spectrum. In cases of inhomogeneous broadening, the oscillations may interfere destructively to the extent that they are not visible. The deconvolution can be used even when it is not required, so spectra can be obtained in which some portions of the spectrum are in the rapid-scan regime and some are not. The technology developed for rapid-scan EPR can be applied generally so long as spectra are obtained in the linear response region. The detection of the full spectrum in each scan, the ability to use higher microwave power without saturation, and the noise filtering inherent in coherent averaging results in substantial improvement in signal-to-noise relative to conventional continuous wave spectroscopy, which is particularly advantageous for low-frequency EPR imaging. This overview describes the principles of rapid-scan EPR and the hardware used to generate the spectra. Examples are provided of its application to imaging of nitroxide radicals, diradicals, and spin-trapped radicals at a Larmor frequency of ca. 250MHz. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Hepatitis B virus surface antigen and anti-hepatitis C virus rapid tests underestimate hepatitis prevalence among HIV-infected patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Hønge, Bl; Jespersen, S; Medina, C; Té, Ds; da Silva, Zj; Ostergaard, L; Laursen, Al; Wejse, C; Krarup, H; Erikstrup, C

2014-10-01

In the case of coinfection with HIV and hepatitis B virus (HBV) and/or hepatitis C virus (HCV), hepatic disease progression is often accelerated, with higher rates of liver cirrhosis and liver-related mortality. We aimed to evaluate the performance of the rapid tests used routinely to detect HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) and anti-HCV among HIV-infected patients in Guinea-Bissau. Blood samples from HIV-infected patients in Guinea-Bissau were stored after testing for HBsAg and anti-HCV with rapid tests. Samples were subsequently re-tested for HBsAg and anti-HCV in Denmark. Two rapid tests were used in Guinea-Bissau: HBsAg Strip Ref 2034 (VEDA.LAB, Alençon, France; sensitivity 62.3%; specificity 99.2%) and HEPA-SCAN (Bhat Bio-Tech, Bangalore, India; sensitivity 57.1%; specificity 99.7%). In the two tests the ability to obtain the correct outcome depended on the antigen and antibody concentrations, respectively. Sex, age, CD4 cell count and antiretroviral therapy status did not differ between false negative and true positive samples in either of the tests. The study is limited by a low number of anti-HCV positive samples. New diagnostic rapid tests should always be evaluated in the setting in which they will be used before implementation. © 2014 British HIV Association.

A review of global progress toward the Millennium Development Goal 1 Hunger Target.

Science.gov (United States)

Fanzo, Jessica C; Pronyk, Paul M

2011-06-01

The hunger component of the first Millennium Development Goal (MDG) aims to reduce the proportion of people who suffer from hunger by half between 1990 and 2015. In low- and middle-income countries, progress has been mixed, with approximately 925 million people hungry and 125 million and 195 million children underweight and stunted, respectively. To assess global progress on the hunger component of MDG1 and evaluate the success of interventions and country programs in reducing undernutrition. We review global progress on the hunger component of MDG1, examining experience from 40 community-based programs as well as national efforts to move interventions to scale drawn from the published and gray literature, alongside personal interviews with representatives of governments and development agencies. Based on this review, most strategies being implemented and scaled are focusing on treatment of malnutrition and rooted within the health sector. While critical, these programs generally address disease-related effects and emphasize the immediate determinants of undernutrition. Other major strategies to tackle undernutrition rely on the production of staple grains within the agriculture sector. These programs address hunger, as opposed to improving the quality of diets within communities. Strategies that adopt multisectoral programming as crucial to address longer-term determinants of undernutrition, such as poverty, gender equality, and functioning food and health systems, remain underdeveloped and under-researched. This review suggests that accelerating progress toward the MDG1 targets is less about the development of novel innovations and new technologies and more about putting what is already known into practice. Success will hinge on linking clear policies with effective delivery systems in working towards an evidence-based and contextually relevant multisectoral package of interventions that can rapidly be taken to scale.

Scientific progress as increasing verisimilitude.

Science.gov (United States)

Niiniluoto, Ilkka

2014-06-01

According to the foundationalist picture, shared by many rationalists and positivist empiricists, science makes cognitive progress by accumulating justified truths. Fallibilists, who point out that complete certainty cannot be achieved in empirical science, can still argue that even successions of false theories may progress toward the truth. This proposal was supported by Karl Popper with his notion of truthlikeness or verisimilitude. Popper's own technical definition failed, but the idea that scientific progress means increasing truthlikeness can be expressed by defining degrees of truthlikeness in terms of similarities between states of affairs. This paper defends the verisimilitude approach against Alexander Bird who argues that the "semantic" definition (in terms of truth or truthlikeness alone) is not sufficient to define progress, but the "epistemic" definition referring to justification and knowledge is more adequate. Here Bird ignores the crucial distinction between real progress and estimated progress, explicated by the difference between absolute (and usually unknown) degrees of truthlikeness and their evidence-relative expected values. Further, it is argued that Bird's idea of returning to the cumulative model of growth requires an implausible trick of transforming past false theories into true ones.

Training of Tonal Similarity Ratings in Non-Musicians: A “Rapid Learning” Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Oechslin, Mathias S.; Läge, Damian; Vitouch, Oliver

2012-01-01

Although cognitive music psychology has a long tradition of expert–novice comparisons, experimental training studies are rare. Studies on the learning progress of trained novices in hearing harmonic relationships are still largely lacking. This paper presents a simple training concept using the example of tone/triad similarity ratings, demonstrating the gradual progress of non-musicians compared to musical experts: In a feedback-based “rapid learning” paradigm, participants had to decide for single tones and chords whether paired sounds matched each other well. Before and after the training sessions, they provided similarity judgments for a complete set of sound pairs. From these similarity matrices, individual relational sound maps, intended to display mental representations, were calculated by means of non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS), and were compared to an expert model through procrustean transformation. Approximately half of the novices showed substantial learning success, with some participants even reaching the level of professional musicians. Results speak for a fundamental ability to quickly train an understanding of harmony, show inter-individual differences in learning success, and demonstrate the suitability of the scaling method used for learning research in music and other domains. Results are discussed in the context of the “giftedness” debate. PMID:22629252

Discovering biological progression underlying microarray samples.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peng Qiu

2011-04-01

Full Text Available In biological systems that undergo processes such as differentiation, a clear concept of progression exists. We present a novel computational approach, called Sample Progression Discovery (SPD, to discover patterns of biological progression underlying microarray gene expression data. SPD assumes that individual samples of a microarray dataset are related by an unknown biological process (i.e., differentiation, development, cell cycle, disease progression, and that each sample represents one unknown point along the progression of that process. SPD aims to organize the samples in a manner that reveals the underlying progression and to simultaneously identify subsets of genes that are responsible for that progression. We demonstrate the performance of SPD on a variety of microarray datasets that were generated by sampling a biological process at different points along its progression, without providing SPD any information of the underlying process. When applied to a cell cycle time series microarray dataset, SPD was not provided any prior knowledge of samples' time order or of which genes are cell-cycle regulated, yet SPD recovered the correct time order and identified many genes that have been associated with the cell cycle. When applied to B-cell differentiation data, SPD recovered the correct order of stages of normal B-cell differentiation and the linkage between preB-ALL tumor cells with their cell origin preB. When applied to mouse embryonic stem cell differentiation data, SPD uncovered a landscape of ESC differentiation into various lineages and genes that represent both generic and lineage specific processes. When applied to a prostate cancer microarray dataset, SPD identified gene modules that reflect a progression consistent with disease stages. SPD may be best viewed as a novel tool for synthesizing biological hypotheses because it provides a likely biological progression underlying a microarray dataset and, perhaps more importantly, the

Rapid energy modeling for existing buildings: Testing the business and environmental potential through an experiment at Autodesk

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Deodhar, Aniruddha; Stewart, Emma; Young, Rahul; Khan, Haider

2010-09-15

Retrofits of existing buildings represent a huge, growing market and an opportunity to achieve some of the most sizable and cost-effective carbon reductions in any sector of the economy. More 'zero energy' and 'carbon neutral' buildings are being conceived daily by combining energy efficiency measures with renewable energy technologies. However, for all the progress, the building industry faces technical and cost challenges in identifying the highest potential retrofit candidates. This presentation investigates one potential solution, a technology driven workflow called rapid energy modeling, to accelerate and scale the process of analyzing performance for existing buildings in prioritizing improvements.

Increased expression of OX40 is associated with progressive disease in patients with HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Saito, Mineki; Tanaka, Reiko; Arishima, Shiho; Matsuzaki, Toshio; Ishihara, Satoshi; Tokashiki, Takashi; Ohya, Yusuke; Takashima, Hiroshi; Umehara, Fujio; Izumo, Shuji; Tanaka, Yuetsu

2013-05-07

OX40 is a member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor family that is expressed primarily on activated CD4+ T cells and promotes the development of effector and memory T cells. Although OX40 has been reported to be a target gene of human T-cell leukemia virus type-1 (HTLV-1) viral transactivator Tax and is overexpressed in vivo in adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) cells, an association between OX40 and HTLV-1-associated inflammatory disorders, such as HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP), has not yet been established. Moreover, because abrogation of OX40 signals ameliorates chronic inflammation in animal models of autoimmune disease, novel monoclonal antibodies against OX40 may offer a potential treatment for HTLV-1-associated diseases such as ATL and HAM/TSP. In this study, we showed that OX40 was specifically expressed in CD4+ T cells naturally infected with HTLV-1 that have the potential to produce pro-inflammatory cytokines along with Tax expression. We also showed that OX40 was overexpressed in spinal cord infiltrating mononuclear cells in a clinically progressive HAM/TSP patient with a short duration of illness. The levels of the soluble form of OX40 (sOX40) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from chronic progressive HAM/TSP patients or from patients with other inflammatory neurological diseases (OINDs) were not different. In contrast, sOX40 levels in the CSF of rapidly progressing HAM/TSP patients were higher than those in the CSF from patients with OINDs, and these patients showed higher sOX40 levels in the CSF than in the plasma. When our newly produced monoclonal antibody against OX40 was added to peripheral blood mononuclear cells in culture, HTLV-1-infected T cells were specifically removed by a mechanism that depends on antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. Our study identified OX40 as a key molecule and biomarker for rapid progression of HAM/TSP. Furthermore, blocking OX40 may have potential in therapeutic intervention for

Recent progress in the development of anode materials for solid oxide fuel cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cowin, Peter I.; Petit, Christophe T.G.; Lan, Rong; Tao, Shanwen [Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G1 1XJ (United Kingdom); Irvine, John T.S. [School of Chemistry, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9ST (United Kingdom)

2011-05-15

The field of research into solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) anode materials has been rapidly moving forward. In the four years since the last in-depth review significant advancements have been made in the reduction of the operating temperature and improvement of the performance of SOFCs. This progress report examines the developments in the field and looks to draw conclusions and inspiration from this research. A brief introduction is given to the field, followed by an overview of the principal previous materials. A detailed analysis of the developments of the last 4 years is given using a selection of the available literature, concentrating on metal-fluorite cermets and perovskite-based materials. This is followed by a consideration of alternate fuels for use in SOFCs and their associated problems and a short discussion on the effect of synthesis method on anode performance. The concluding remarks compile the significant developments in the field along with a consideration of the promise of future research. The recent progress in the development of anode materials for SOFCs based on oxygen ion conducting electrolytes is reviewed. (Copyright copyright 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Physicians’ Progress Notes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bansler, Jørgen; Havn, Erling C.; Mønsted, Troels

2013-01-01

in patient care, they have not dealt specifically with the role, structure, and content of the progress notes. As a consequence, CSCW research has not yet taken fully into account the fact that progress notes are coordinative artifacts of a rather special kind, an open-ended chain of prose texts, written...... sequentially by cooperating physicians for their own use as well as for that of their colleagues. We argue that progress notes are the core of the medical record, in that they marshal and summarize the overwhelming amount of data that is available in the modern hospital environment, and that their narrative...... format is uniquely adequate for the pivotal epistemic aspect of cooperative clinical work: the narrative format enables physicians to not only record ‘facts’ but also—by filtering, interpreting, organizing, and qualifying information—to make sense and act concertedly under conditions of uncertainty...

Progress and challenges to the global waste management system.

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Jagdeep; Laurenti, Rafael; Sinha, Rajib; Frostell, Björn

2014-09-01

Rapid economic growth, urbanization and increasing population have caused (materially intensive) resource consumption to increase, and consequently the release of large amounts of waste to the environment. From a global perspective, current waste and resource management lacks a holistic approach covering the whole chain of product design, raw material extraction, production, consumption, recycling and waste management. In this article, progress and different sustainability challenges facing the global waste management system are presented and discussed. The study leads to the conclusion that the current, rather isolated efforts, in different systems for waste management, waste reduction and resource management are indeed not sufficient in a long term sustainability perspective. In the future, to manage resources and wastes sustainably, waste management requires a more systems-oriented approach that addresses the root causes for the problems. A specific issue to address is the development of improved feedback information (statistics) on how waste generation is linked to consumption. © The Author(s) 2014.

Recent Progress in Optical Biosensors Based on Smartphone Platforms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhaoxin Geng

2017-10-01

Full Text Available With a rapid improvement of smartphone hardware and software, especially complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS cameras, many optical biosensors based on smartphone platforms have been presented, which have pushed the development of the point-of-care testing (POCT. Imaging-based and spectrometry-based detection techniques have been widely explored via different approaches. Combined with the smartphone, imaging-based and spectrometry-based methods are currently used to investigate a wide range of molecular properties in chemical and biological science for biosensing and diagnostics. Imaging techniques based on smartphone-based microscopes are utilized to capture microscale analysts, while spectrometry-based techniques are used to probe reactions or changes of molecules. Here, we critically review the most recent progress in imaging-based and spectrometry-based smartphone-integrated platforms that have been developed for chemical experiments and biological diagnosis. We focus on the analytical performance and the complexity for implementation of the platforms.

Rapid prototyping: een veelbelovende methode

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Haverman, T.M.; Karagozoglu, K.H.; Prins, H.; Schulten, E.A.J.M.; Forouzanfar, T.

2013-01-01

Rapid prototyping is a method which makes it possible to produce a three-dimensional model based on two-dimensional imaging. Various rapid prototyping methods are available for modelling, such as stereolithography, selective laser sintering, direct laser metal sintering, two-photon polymerization,

Achondroplasia: anaesthetic challenges for caesarean section.

Science.gov (United States)

Dubiel, L; Scott, G A; Agaram, R; McGrady, E; Duncan, A; Litchfield, K N

2014-08-01

Pregnancy in women with achondroplasia presents major challenges for anaesthetists and obstetricians. We report the case of a woman with achondroplasia who underwent general anaesthesia for an elective caesarean section. She was 99cm in height and her condition was further complicated by severe kyphoscoliosis and previous back surgery. She was reviewed in the first trimester at the anaesthetic high-risk clinic. A multidisciplinary team was convened to plan her peripartum care. Because of increasing dyspnoea caesarean section was performed at 32weeks of gestation. She received a general anaesthetic using a modified rapid-sequence technique with remifentanil and rocuronium. The intraoperative period was complicated by desaturation and high airway pressures. The woman's postoperative care was complicated by respiratory compromise requiring high dependency care. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Redistribution of hematoma to spinal subdural space as a mechanism for the rapid spontaneous resolution of posttraumatic intracranial acute subdural hematoma: case report.

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, Sui To; Yuen, Ming Keung; Fok, Kam Fuk; Yuen, Shing Chau; Yam, Kwong Yui; Fong, Dawson

2009-01-01

Rapid spontaneous resolution of posttraumatic intracranial ASDH has been reported in the literature since 1986. We report a case to demonstrate that redistribution of hematoma to the spinal subdural space is a mechanism for the rapid spontaneous resolution of posttraumatic intracranial ASDH. A 73-year-old woman with a slipped-and-fell injury had a worst GCS score of 8/15. Computerized tomography of the brain demonstrated a large intracranial ASDH with mass effect. Conservative management was decided because of her poor premorbid general condition. Rapid clinical improvement was observed within 5 hours after the CT. Progress CT of the brain at 45 hours postinjury showed that the size of the intracranial ASDH was markedly diminished. The CT findings apparently demonstrated a caudal distribution of the intracranial ASDH over the tentorium and then into the posterior fossa. To investigate this further, an MRI of the spine was performed, which showed that there was spinal SDH in the cervical and thoracic spine. This is the first report demonstrating that redistribution of posttraumatic intracranial ASDH to the spinal subdural space is one of the mechanisms behind the rapid spontaneous resolution of posttraumatic intracranial ASDH in the acute phase.

Zolpidem in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sandip K. Dash

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, characterized by motor symptoms, postural instability, personality changes, and cognitive impairment. There is no effective treatment for this disorder. Reduced neurotransmission of GABA in the striatum and globus pallidus may contribute to the symptoms of motor and cognitive symptoms seen in PSP. Zolpidem is a GABA agonist of the benzodiazepine subreceptor BZ1. Here a nondiabetic, normotensive case of PSP is (Progressive Supranuclear Palsy described, which showed improvement in swallowing, speech, and gaze paresis after zolpidem therapy and possible mechanism of actions are discussed. However, more trials are needed with large number of patients to confirm the effectiveness of zolpidem in progressive supranuclear palsy.

Progress report 1981

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chalupka, A.; Dirninger, G.

1982-01-01

The progress report describes the scientific work and research results of the institute for radium research and nuclear physics of the Austrian Academy of Sciences for the period of 1981. The progress report covers the subject areas of nuclear theory, nuclear model calculations, experimental nuclear physics and neutron involved reactions, medium energy physics, instrumentation and detectors, evaluation of nuclear data and numerical data processing, dating, applications in medicine, dosimetry and environmental studies. A list of publications of this institute is given. (A.N.)

Progress report 1982

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chalupka, A.; Wild, E.; Dirninger, G.

1983-01-01

The progress report describes the scientific work and research results of the institute for radium research and nuclear physics of the Austrian Academy of Sciences for the period of 1982. The progress report covers the subject areas of nuclear theory, nuclear model calculations, experimental nuclear physics and neutron involved reactions, medium energy physics, instrumentation and detectors, evaluation of nuclear data and numerical data processing, dating, applications in medicine, dosimetry and environmental studies. A list of publications of this institute is given. (A.N.)

Colloidal processing and rapid prototyping of Si{sub 3}N{sub 4}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liwu Wang

1998-12-01

Some progresses have been made in the wet shaping of Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} based on a better understanding of the colloidal behavior of suspensions and by improved pressure casting with porous polystyrene (PS) molds. This work illustrated that the combination of proper colloidal processing and rapid prototyping is an effective way to fabricate high-performance ceramics with complex shapes. In colloidal processing the packing density and microstructure of green bodies can be controlled if the interaction between ceramic particles in suspensions and the conditions under which the suspensions are consolidated are understood. Therefore, detailed studies on the surface chemistry of the Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} powder, the dispersing behavior of Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} suspensions, the influence of dispersants and the mechanism during powder consolidation into complex-shaped green bodies are performed. (orig.)

Progressive glomerulosclerosis and renal failure following perinatal gamma radiation in the beagle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jaenke, R.S.; Phemister, R.D.; Norrdin, R.W.

1980-01-01

The renal effects of whole body irradiation in the perinatal period were studied in the dog. Ninety-three dogs received a single sublethal exposure in the range of 270 to 435 R in either late gestation (55 days postcoitus) or early postnatal life (2 days postpartum) and were sacrificed at 70 days, 2, or 4 years of age. Early renal lesions in 70-day-old irradiated dogs were characterized by arrested glomerular maturation and degeneration resulting in reduced functional renal mass. Mature glomeruli exhibited mesangial proliferation. At 2 and 4 years of age, surviving irradiated dogs exhibited sever renal disease associated with progressive glomerular damage which was characterized by mesangial proliferation and compression of capillary lumina, epithelial degeneration and focal capsular adhesions, and ultimately obliterative glomerulosclerosis. Twenty-one of the 93 irradiated dogs died in renal failure before 4 years of age with advanced glomerulosclerosis. The phatogenesis of this progressive renal lesion may be related to the interaction of three specific factors. These include (1) the effect of direct radiation damage to mature kidney components; (2) the loss of outer cortical nephrons resulting in increased work load of the surviving nephrons; and (3) the effect of compensatory hypertrophy related to the loss of renal parenchyma as the rapid growth rates associated with kidney maturation

Serodiagnosis of dengue infection using rapid immuno chromatography test in patients with probable dengue infection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kidwai, A.A.; Jamal, Q.; Mehrunnisa, S.; Farooqi, F.R.

2010-01-01

Objective: To determine the frequency of seropositive dengue infection using rapid immuno chromatographic assay in patients with probable dengue infection as per WHO criteria. Method: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted at Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, Karachi from July 2008 to January 2009. Patients presenting with acute febrile illness, rashes, bleeding tendencies, leucopenia and or thrombocytopenia were evaluated according to WHO criteria for probable dengue infection. Acute phase sera were collected after 5 days of the onset of fever as per WHO criteria. Serology was performed using rapid immuno chromatographic (ICT) assay with differential detection of IgM and IgG. A primary dengue infection was defined by a positive IgM band and a negative IgG band whereas secondary infection was defined by a positive IgG band with or without positive IgM band. Result: Among 599 patients who met the WHO criteria for dengue infection, 251(41.9%) were found to be ICT reactive among whom 42 (16.73%) had primary infection. Secondary infection was reported in 209 (83.26%). Acute phase sera of 348 (58.09%) were ICT non reactive. Four patients died because of dengue shock syndrome among which three had secondary infection. Conclusion: Early identification of secondary infection in acute phase sera using rapid ICT is valuable in terms of disease progression and mortality. However in highly suspected cases of dengue infection clinical management should not rely on negative serological results. (author)

Geomorphic Response of a Low-Gradient Channel to Modern, Progressive Base-Level Lowering: Nahal HaArava, the Dead Sea

Science.gov (United States)

Dente, Elad; Lensky, Nadav G.; Morin, Efrat; Grodek, Tamir; Sheffer, Nathan A.; Enzel, Yehouda

2017-12-01

The geomorphic response of channels to base-level fall is an important factor in landscape evolution. To better understand the complex interactions between the factors controlling channel evolution in an emerging continental shelf setting, we use an extensive data set (high-resolution digital elevation models, aerial photographs, and Landsat imagery) of a newly incising, perennial segment of Nahal (Wadi) HaArava, Israel. This channel responds to the rapid and progressive lowering of its base-level, the Dead Sea (>30 m in 35 years; 0.5-1.3 m yr-1). Progressively evolving longitudinal profiles, channel width, sinuosity, and knickpoint retreat during the last few decades were documented or reconstructed. The results indicate that even under fast base-level fall, rapid delta progradation on top of the shelf and shelf edge can moderate channel mouth slopes and, therefore, largely inhibit channel incision and knickpoint propagation. This channel elongation stage ends when the delta reaches an extended accommodation within the receiving basin and fails to keep the channel mouth slopes as low as the channel bed slopes. Then, processes of incision, narrowing, and meandering begin to shape the channel and expand upstream. When the down-cutting channel encounters a more resistant stratum within the channel substrate, these processes are restricted to a downstream reach by formation of a retreating vertical knickpoint. When the knickpoint and the channel incise to a level below this stratum, a spatially continuous, diffusion-like evolution characterizes the channel's response and source-to-sink transport can be implemented. These results emphasize the mouth slope and channel substrate resistance as the governing factors over long-term channel evolution, whereas flash floods have only local and short-lived impacts in a confined, continuously incising channel. The documented channel response applies to eustatic base-level fall under steepening basin bathymetry, rapid delta

Progress at LAMPF: Clinton P. Anderson Meson Physics Facility. Progress report, January-June 1981

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Allred, J.C.

1981-09-01

Progress at LAMPF is the semiannual progress report of the MP Division of the Los Alamos National Laboratory. The report includes brief reports on research done at LAMPF by researchers from other institutions and Los Alamos divisions

Progress at LAMPF: Clinton P. Anderson Meson Physics Facility. Progress report, January-June 1981

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Allred, J.C. (ed.)

1981-09-01

Progress at LAMPF is the semiannual progress report of the MP Division of the Los Alamos National Laboratory. The report includes brief reports on research done at LAMPF by researchers from other institutions and Los Alamos divisions.

Earnings progression, human capital and incentives

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Frederiksen, Anders

progression by investigating the effects of on-the-job human capital acquisition, explicit short-run incentives and career concern incentives on earnings progression. The model leads to predictions about the incentive structure and the progression in both cross-sectional and individual earnings which...

Scientific progress despite irreproducibility: A seeming paradox.

Science.gov (United States)

Shiffrin, Richard M; Börner, Katy; Stigler, Stephen M

2018-03-13

It appears paradoxical that science is producing outstanding new results and theories at a rapid rate at the same time that researchers are identifying serious problems in the practice of science that cause many reports to be irreproducible and invalid. Certainly, the practice of science needs to be improved, and scientists are now pursuing this goal. However, in this perspective, we argue that this seeming paradox is not new, has always been part of the way science works, and likely will remain so. We first introduce the paradox. We then review a wide range of challenges that appear to make scientific success difficult. Next, we describe the factors that make science work-in the past, present, and presumably also in the future. We then suggest that remedies for the present practice of science need to be applied selectively so as not to slow progress and illustrate with a few examples. We conclude with arguments that communication of science needs to emphasize not just problems but the enormous successes and benefits that science has brought and is now bringing to all elements of modern society.

Numerology on pion and proton rapidity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gugelot, P.C.

1987-01-01

The pseudo-rapidity of pion jets which were measured for 50 GeV and 150 GeV incident pions and protons on carbon, copper and lead targets is analysed. The shape of the rapidity distribution for a ''fireball'' which emits particles isotropically in its center of mass is a cosh -2 y distribution. It is possible to unfold all measured distributions into three groups which correspond to a low rapidity originating from the target fragmentation, a middle group which is a function of the center of mass of the projectile and target rapidity and a fast group which is due to the projectile. 11 refs., 8 figs. (author)

Comparison of rapid-cycling and non-rapid-cycling bipolar disorder based on prospective mood ratings in 539 outpatients

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kupka, RW; Luckenbaugh, DA; Post, RM; Suppes, T; Altshuler, LL; Keck, PE; Frye, MA; Denicoff, KD; Grunze, H; Leverich, GS; McElroy, SL; Walden, J; Nolen, WA

Objective: To detect risk factors for rapid cycling in bipolar disorder, the authors compared characteristics of rapid-cycling and non-rapid-cycling patients both from a categorical and a dimensional perspective. Method: Outpatients with bipolar I disorder (N = 419), bipolar II disorder (N = 104),

A scoping review of rapid review methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Tricco, Andrea C; Antony, Jesmin; Zarin, Wasifa; Strifler, Lisa; Ghassemi, Marco; Ivory, John; Perrier, Laure; Hutton, Brian; Moher, David; Straus, Sharon E

2015-09-16

Rapid reviews are a form of knowledge synthesis in which components of the systematic review process are simplified or omitted to produce information in a timely manner. Although numerous centers are conducting rapid reviews internationally, few studies have examined the methodological characteristics of rapid reviews. We aimed to examine articles, books, and reports that evaluated, compared, used or described rapid reviews or methods through a scoping review. MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, internet websites of rapid review producers, and reference lists were searched to identify articles for inclusion. Two reviewers independently screened literature search results and abstracted data from included studies. Descriptive analysis was conducted. We included 100 articles plus one companion report that were published between 1997 and 2013. The studies were categorized as 84 application papers, seven development papers, six impact papers, and four comparison papers (one was included in two categories). The rapid reviews were conducted between 1 and 12 months, predominantly in Europe (58 %) and North America (20 %). The included studies failed to report 6 % to 73 % of the specific systematic review steps examined. Fifty unique rapid review methods were identified; 16 methods occurred more than once. Streamlined methods that were used in the 82 rapid reviews included limiting the literature search to published literature (24 %) or one database (2 %), limiting inclusion criteria by date (68 %) or language (49 %), having one person screen and another verify or screen excluded studies (6 %), having one person abstract data and another verify (23 %), not conducting risk of bias/quality appraisal (7 %) or having only one reviewer conduct the quality appraisal (7 %), and presenting results as a narrative summary (78 %). Four case studies were identified that compared the results of rapid reviews to systematic reviews. Three studies found that the conclusions between

Progress at LAMPF: Clinton P. Anderson Meson Physics Facility. Progress report, July-December 1980

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Allred, J.C.

1981-03-01

Progress at LAMPF is the semiannual progress report of the MP Division of the Los Alamos National Laboratory. The report also includes brief reports on research done at LAMPF by researchers from other institutions and Los Alamos divisions

3D Printing of Tissue Engineered Constructs for in vitro Modeling of Disease Progression and Drug Screening

Science.gov (United States)

Vanderburgh, Joseph; Sterling, Julie A.

2016-01-01

2D cell culture and preclinical animal models have traditionally been implemented for investigating the underlying cellular mechanisms of human disease progression. However, the increasing significance of 3D versus 2D cell culture has initiated a new era in cell culture research in which 3D in vitro models are emerging as a bridge between traditional 2D cell culture and in vivo animal models. Additive manufacturing (AM, also known as 3D printing), defined as the layer-by-layer fabrication of parts directed by digital information from a 3D computer-aided design (CAD) file, offers the advantages of simultaneous rapid prototyping and biofunctionalization as well as the precise placement of cells and extracellular matrix with high resolution. In this review, we highlight recent advances in 3D printing of tissue engineered constructs (TECs) that recapitulate the physical and cellular properties of the tissue microenvironment for investigating mechanisms of disease progression and for screening drugs. PMID:27169894

Serum Uric Acid and Progression of Kidney Disease: A Longitudinal Analysis and Mini-Review.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ching-Wei Tsai

Full Text Available Increasing evidence supports the association between hyperuricemia and incident chronic kidney disease (CKD; however, there are conflicting data regarding the role of hyperuricemia in the progression of CKD. This study retrospectively assessed the longitudinal association between uric acid (UA level and CKD progression in a Chinese population lived in Taiwan.Patients with physician diagnosis of hyperuricemia or receiving urate-lowering therapy between 2003 and 2005 were identified in the electronic medical records (EMR of a tertiary medical center and were followed up until December 31, 2011. Patients were divided into four UA categories at the cut-off 6, 8, and 10 mg/dL. CKD progression was estimated by the change of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR in the linear mixed models. Kidney failure was defined as an eGFR less than 15 mL/min/1.73 m2 or requiring renal replacement therapy.A total of 739 patients were analyzed. In the full-adjusted model, patients with a baseline UA level ≥6 mg/dL had greater decline in eGFR ((β = -9.6, 95% CI -16.1, -3.1, comparing to those with a UA level less than 6 mg/dL. When stratifying patients into four UA categories, all three hyperuricemia categories (UA6-8, 8-10, ≥10 mg/dL associated with a greater decline in eGFR over the follow-up period with an increasing dose-response, comparing to the lowest UA category. The risk of progression to renal failure increased 7% (hazard ratio 1.07, 95% CI 1.00, 1.14 for each 1mg/dL increase in baseline UA level. The influences of hyperuricemia on eGFR decline and the risk of kidney failure were more prominent in patients without proteinuria than those with proteinuria.Our study showed a higher uric acid level is associated with a significant rapid decline in eGFR and a higher risk of kidney failure, particularly in patients without proteinuria. Our findings suggest hyperuricemia is a potential modifiable factor of CKD progression.

Progressive taxation, income inequality, and happiness.

Science.gov (United States)

Oishi, Shigehiro; Kushlev, Kostadin; Schimmack, Ulrich

2018-01-01

Income inequality has become one of the more widely debated social issues today. The current article explores the role of progressive taxation in income inequality and happiness. Using historical data in the United States from 1962 to 2014, we found that income inequality was substantially smaller in years when the income tax was more progressive (i.e., a higher tax rate for higher income brackets), even when controlling for variables like stock market performance and unemployment rate. Time lag analyses further showed that higher progressive taxation predicted increasingly lower income inequality up to 5 years later. Data from the General Social Survey (1972-2014; N = 59,599) with U.S. residents (hereafter referred to as "Americans") showed that during years with higher progressive taxation rates, less wealthy Americans-those in the lowest 40% of the income distribution-tended to be happier, whereas the richest 20% were not significantly less happy. Mediational analyses confirmed that the association of progressive taxation with the happiness of less wealthy Americans can be explained by lower income inequality in years with higher progressive taxation. A separate sample of Americans polled online (N = 373) correctly predicted the positive association between progressive taxation and the happiness of poorer Americans but incorrectly expected a strong negative association between progressive taxation and the happiness of richer Americans. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

A review of recent progress in heterogeneous silicon tandem solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Yamaguchi, Masafumi; Lee, Kan-Hua; Araki, Kenji; Kojima, Nobuaki

2018-04-01

Silicon solar cells are the most established solar cell technology and are expected to dominate the market in the near future. As state-of-the-art silicon solar cells are approaching the Shockley-Queisser limit, stacking silicon solar cells with other photovoltaic materials to form multi-junction devices is an obvious pathway to further raise the efficiency. However, many challenges stand in the way of fully realizing the potential of silicon tandem solar cells because heterogeneously integrating silicon with other materials often degrades their qualities. Recently, above or near 30% silicon tandem solar cell has been demonstrated, showing the promise of achieving high-efficiency and low-cost solar cells via silicon tandem. This paper reviews the recent progress of integrating solar cell with other mainstream solar cell materials. The first part of this review focuses on the integration of silicon with III-V semiconductor solar cells, which is a long-researched topic since the emergence of III-V semiconductors. We will describe the main approaches—heteroepitaxy, wafer bonding and mechanical stacking—as well as other novel approaches. The second part introduces the integration of silicon with polycrystalline thin-film solar cells, mainly perovskites on silicon solar cells because of its rapid progress recently. We will also use an analytical model to compare the material qualities of different types of silicon tandem solar cells and project their practical efficiency limits.

Progression in sensing cardiac troponin biomarker charge transductions on semiconducting nanomaterials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fathil, M.F.M., E-mail: faris.fathil@gmail.com [Institute of Nano Electronic Engineering (INEE), Universiti Malaysia Perlis, 01000, Kangar, Perlis (Malaysia); Md Arshad, M.K., E-mail: mohd.khairuddin@unimap.edu.my [Institute of Nano Electronic Engineering (INEE), Universiti Malaysia Perlis, 01000, Kangar, Perlis (Malaysia); School of Microelectronic Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, 01000, Kangar, Perlis (Malaysia); Ruslinda, A.R., E-mail: ruslinda@unimap.edu.my [Institute of Nano Electronic Engineering (INEE), Universiti Malaysia Perlis, 01000, Kangar, Perlis (Malaysia); Nuzaihan, M.N.M., E-mail: m.nuzaihan@unimap.edu.my [Institute of Nano Electronic Engineering (INEE), Universiti Malaysia Perlis, 01000, Kangar, Perlis (Malaysia); Gopinath, Subash C.B., E-mail: subash@unimap.edu.my [Institute of Nano Electronic Engineering (INEE), Universiti Malaysia Perlis, 01000, Kangar, Perlis (Malaysia); School of Bioprocess Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, 02600, Arau, Perlis (Malaysia); Adzhri, R., E-mail: adzhri@gmail.com [Institute of Nano Electronic Engineering (INEE), Universiti Malaysia Perlis, 01000, Kangar, Perlis (Malaysia); Hashim, U., E-mail: uda@unimap.edu.my [Institute of Nano Electronic Engineering (INEE), Universiti Malaysia Perlis, 01000, Kangar, Perlis (Malaysia); School of Microelectronic Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, 01000, Kangar, Perlis (Malaysia)

2016-09-07

A real-time ability to interpret the interaction between targeted biomolecules and the surface of semiconductors (metal transducers) into readable electrical signals, without biomolecular modification involving fluorescence dyes, redox enzymes, and radioactive labels, created by label-free biosensors has been extensively researched. Field-effect transistor (FET)- and capacitor-based biosensors are among the diverse electrical charge biosensing architectures that have drawn much attention for having charge transduction; thus, enabling the early and rapid diagnosis of the appropriate cardiac biomarkers at lower concentrations. These semiconducting material-based transducers are very suitable to be integrated with portable electronic devices for future online collection, transmission, reception, analysis, and reporting. This overview elucidates and clarifies two major electrical label-free systems (FET- and capacitor-based biosensors) with cardiac troponin (cTn) biomarker-mediated charge transduction for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) diagnosis. Advances in these systems are highlighted by their progression in bridging the laboratory and industry; the foremost technologies have made the transition from benchtop to bedside and beyond. - Highlights: • The progression of cardiac troponin detection from past to future are presented. • Electrical label-free biosensors for cardiac troponin are discussed. • The discussion focused on field-effect transistor-and capacitor-based devices. • Surface functionalization, sensitivity, and innovation of devices are highlighted. • They presented high sensitivity and specificity of real-time AMI determination.

The boundaries of mild chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): design of the searching clinical COPD onset (SOON) study.

Science.gov (United States)

Labarca, Gonzalo; Bustamante, Andrea; Valdivia, Gonzalo; Díaz, Rodrigo; Huete, Álvaro; Mac Nab, Paul; Mendoza, Laura; Leppe, Jaime; Lisboa, Carmen; Saldías, Fernando; Díaz, Orlando

2017-08-11

Clinical onset of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the point at which the disease is first identifiable by physicians. It is a poorly defined stage which seems to include both mild spirometric and non-spirometric disease, and could be described as early grade COPD, for practical purposes. While dyspnoea; chronic bronchitis and CT imaging evidence of emphysema and airway disease may be present very early, the lone significance of dyspnoea, the most relevant symptom in COPD in identifying these individuals, has been scarcely assessed.The Searching Clinical COPD Onset (SOON) Study was designed primarily to detect clinical, physiological and structural differences between dyspnoeic and non-dyspnoeic individuals with early grade COPD. It is hypothesised that presence of dyspnoea in early disease may identify a subtype of individuals with reduced exercise capacity, notwithstanding of their spirometry results. In addition, dyspnoeic individuals will share worse quality of life, lower physical activity, greater lung hyperinflation greater emphysema and airway thickness and reduced peripheral muscle mass than their non-dyspnoeic counterpart. SOON is a monocentric study, with a cross sectional design aimed at obtaining representative samples of current or ex-smoker-adults aged ≥45 and ≤80 years. Two hundred and forty participants will be enrolled into four strata, according to normal spirometry or mild spirometric obstruction and presence or not of dyspnoea modified Medical Research Council score ≥1. The primary outcome will be the difference between dyspnoeic and non-dyspnoeic individuals on the 6-min walk test performance, regardless of their spirometry results. To account for the confounding effect of heart failure on dyspnoea, stress echocardiography will be also performed. Secondary outcomes will include clinical (quality of life, physical activity), physiological (exercise testing) and structural characteristics (emphysema, airway disease and

Rapid response learning of brand logo priming: Evidence that brand priming is not dominated by rapid response learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Boehm, Stephan G; Smith, Ciaran; Muench, Niklas; Noble, Kirsty; Atherton, Catherine

2017-08-31

Repetition priming increases the accuracy and speed of responses to repeatedly processed stimuli. Repetition priming can result from two complementary sources: rapid response learning and facilitation within perceptual and conceptual networks. In conceptual classification tasks, rapid response learning dominates priming of object recognition, but it does not dominate priming of person recognition. This suggests that the relative engagement of network facilitation and rapid response learning depends on the stimulus domain. Here, we addressed the importance of the stimulus domain for rapid response learning by investigating priming in another domain, brands. In three experiments, participants performed conceptual decisions for brand logos. Strong priming was present, but it was not dominated by rapid response learning. These findings add further support to the importance of the stimulus domain for the relative importance of network facilitation and rapid response learning, and they indicate that brand priming is more similar to person recognition priming than object recognition priming, perhaps because priming of both brands and persons requires individuation.

Individual moral development and moral progress

OpenAIRE

Schinkel, Anders; de Ruyter, Doret J.

2017-01-01

At first glance, one of the most obvious places to look for moral progress is in individuals, in particular in moral development from childhood to adulthood. In fact, that moral progress is possible is a foundational assumption of moral education. Beyond the general agreement that moral progress is not only possible but even a common feature of human development things become blurry, however. For what do we mean by ‘progress’? And what constitutes moral progress? Does the idea of individual m...

Progressive hypoxia decouples activity and aerobic performance of skate embryos.

Science.gov (United States)

Di Santo, Valentina; Tran, Anna H; Svendsen, Jon C

2016-01-01

Although fish population size is strongly affected by survival during embryonic stages, our understanding of physiological responses to environmental stressors is based primarily on studies of post-hatch fishes. Embryonic responses to acute exposure to changes in abiotic conditions, including increase in hypoxia, could be particularly important in species exhibiting long developmental time, as embryos are unable to select a different environment behaviourally. Given that oxygen is key to metabolic processes in fishes and aquatic hypoxia is becoming more severe and frequent worldwide, organisms are expected to reduce their aerobic performance. Here, we examined the metabolic and behavioural responses of embryos of a benthic elasmobranch fish, the little skate (Leucoraja erinacea), to acute progressive hypoxia, by measuring oxygen consumption and movement (tail-beat) rates inside the egg case. Oxygen consumption rates were not significantly affected by ambient oxygen levels until reaching 45% air saturation (critical oxygen saturation, S crit). Below S crit, oxygen consumption rates declined rapidly, revealing an oxygen conformity response. Surprisingly, we observed a decoupling of aerobic performance and activity, as tail-beat rates increased, rather than matching the declining metabolic rates, at air saturation levels of 55% and below. These results suggest a significantly divergent response at the physiological and behavioural levels. While skate embryos depressed their metabolic rates in response to progressive hypoxia, they increased water circulation inside the egg case, presumably to restore normoxic conditions, until activity ceased abruptly around 9.8% air saturation.

[Effectiveness of an educational program for respiratory rehabilitation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease patients in Primary Care in improving the quality of life, symptoms, and clinical risk].

Science.gov (United States)

Blánquez Moreno, Cristina; Colungo Francia, Cristina; Alvira Balada, M Carme; Kostov, Belchin; González-de Paz, Luis; Sisó-Almirall, Antoni

2017-10-04

To determine the impact of an educational program to improve the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) that contributes to an increase of the quality of life, exercise capacity, level of dyspnoea, and clinical risk. Intervention study without controls. Primary Healthcare Centre. 193 patients with COPD were invited, 73 accepted and 55 participated in the educational program. Respiratory rehabilitation educational program with basic concepts of pulmonary and respiratory pathophysiology, respiratory physiotherapy exercises, practical workshop on the use of the most frequent inhalation devices, understanding of chronic disease and self-care measures in case of exacerbation. The quality of life (the COPD assessment test), exercise tolerance (the Six-Minute Walk Test), rating of perceived exertion (Borg Dyspnoea Score) and clinical risk (BODE index) were assessed by means of validated questionnaires in Spanish. A total of 43 (78.2%) participants completed the program. An improvement in the quality of life by a mean of 3.3 points was observed (95%CI; 1.76-4.84). Just over half (53.5%) of the participants obtained a clinically relevant improvement. Participants also improved their physical exercise capacity at post-intervention by increasing the distance that they walked in 6min by a mean of 20.76m (95%CI; 2.57-38.95). Improvements in the level of dyspnoea and clinical risk were also observed. The educational program shows a statistically significant and clinically relevant improvement in the quality of life, fatigue, symptomatology, exercise capacity, level of dyspnoea, and clinical risk. The program is adaptable to the health care routine of healthcare centres. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Pregnancy-induced progression of keratoconus.

Science.gov (United States)

Bilgihan, Kamil; Hondur, Ahmet; Sul, Sabahattin; Ozturk, Sertac

2011-09-01

To report eyes with keratoconus that progressed during pregnancy. Seven eyes of 4 patients with progression of keratoconus during pregnancy were included in this study. The mean age of patients and the mean follow-up duration were 29.3 years and 39 months, respectively. Progressive keratoconus was documented with changes in refraction, corneal topography, and rigid gas-permeable lens fitting pattern. Patients with accompanying systemic and ocular diseases associated with keratoconus, uncontrolled atopic disease, and eye rubbing were excluded. Mean increase in spherical equivalent refraction and simulated keratometry values were 1.4 ± 1.1 and 1.1 ± 0.8 diopters, respectively. In eyes wearing rigid gas-permeable lenses, increase in corneal apical touch and decrease in the base curve radius of the best-fitting contact lens were observed. Hormonal changes during pregnancy may affect corneal biomechanics negatively, and pregnancy may be a previously unrecognized risk factor for progression of keratoconus. To our knowledge, this is the first study showing pregnancy-induced keratoconus progression in patients with no accompanying disease.

Regression and progression of microalbuminuria in adolescents with childhood onset diabetes mellitus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mi Kyung Son

2015-03-01

Full Text Available PurposeAlthough microalbuminuria is considered as an early marker of nephropathy in diabetic adults, available information in diabetic adolescents is limited. The aim of this study was to investigate prevalence and frequency of regression of microalbuminuria in type 1 (T1DM and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM patients with childhood onset.MethodsOne hundred and nine adolescents (median, 18.9 years; interquartile range (IQR, 16.5-21.0 years with T1DM and 18 T2DM adolescents (median, 17.9 years; IQR, 16.8-18.4 years with repeated measurements of microalbuminuria (first morning urine microalbumin/creatinine ratios were included. The median duration of diabetes was 10.1 (7.8-14.0 years and 5.0 (3.5-5.6 years, respectively, and follow-up period ranged 0.5-7.0 years. Growth parameters, estimated glomerular filtration rate, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c and lipid profiles were obtained after reviewing medical record in each subject.ResultsThe prevalence of microalbuminuria at baseline and evaluation were 21.1% and 17.4% in T1DM, and 44.4% and 38.9% in T2DM. Regression of microalbuminuria was observed in 13 T1DM patients (56.5% and 3 T2DM patients (37.5%, and progression rate was 10.5% and 20% in T1DM and T2DM respectively. In regression T1DM group, HbA1c at baseline and follow-up was lower, and C-peptide at baseline was higher compared to persistent or progression groups. In T2DM, higher triglyceride was observed in persistent group.ConclusionConsiderable regression of microalbuminuria more than progression in diabetes adolescents indicates elevated urinary microalbumin excretion in a single test does not imply irreversible diabetic nephropathy. Careful monitoring and adequate intervention should be emphasized in adolescents with microalbuminuria to prevent rapid progression toward diabetic nephropathy.

Effect of Progressive Muscle Relaxation on the Fatigue and Quality of Life Among Iranian Aging Persons

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali Hassanpour-Dehkordi

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Since the elderly population is increasing rapidly in developing countries which may decrease the physical activity and exercise and in turn could affect the elderly’s quality of life, this study aimed to investigate the effect of progressive muscle relaxation on the elderly’s quality of life in Iran. In a randomized clinical trial, participants were randomly divided into intervention and control groups. For the intervention group, muscular progressive relaxation was run three days per week for three months (totally 36 sessions. In relaxation, a patient contract a group of his/her muscles in each step and relaxes them after five seconds and finally loosens all muscles and takes five deep breaths. Each session lasts for 45 minutes. The instrument of data gathering consisted of questionnaires on individual’s demographic data and quality of life SF-36. After intervention, quality of life increased significantly in the patients undergoing muscular progressive relaxation and fatigue severity decreased significantly in the intervention group compared to prior to intervention. In addition, there was a statistically significant difference in mean score of physical performance, restricted activity after physical problem, energy, socially function, physical pain, overall hygiene, and quality of life between intervention and control groups. By implementing regular and continuous progressive muscle relaxation, quality of life could be increased in different dimensions in the elderly and the context could be provided to age healthily and enjoy higher health and autonomy. Therefore, all of the therapeutic staffs are recommended to implement this plan to promote the elderly’s quality of life.

The Efficient Side of Progressive Income Taxation

OpenAIRE

Corneo, Giacomo

2000-01-01

This paper examines the allocative implications of progressive income taxation when individuals care about their relative income. It shows that tax progressivity might improve efficiency, and the more so in egalitarian economies. Introducing a progressive income tax can yield a Pareto improvement if pre-tax income is evenly distributed. Implementing undistorted choices of working hours requires a progressive tax schedule, and the optimal degree of progressivity decreases with pre-tax income i...

Rapid Response in Psychological Treatments for Binge-Eating Disorder

Science.gov (United States)

Hilbert, Anja; Hildebrandt, Thomas; Agras, W. Stewart; Wilfley, Denise E.; Wilson, G. Terence

2015-01-01

Objective Analysis of short- and long-term effects of rapid response across three different treatments for binge-eating disorder (BED). Method In a randomized clinical study comparing interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT), cognitive-behavioral guided self-help (CBTgsh), and behavioral weight loss (BWL) treatment in 205 adults meeting DSM-IV criteria for BED, the predictive value of rapid response, defined as ≥ 70% reduction in binge-eating by week four, was determined for remission from binge-eating and global eating disorder psychopathology at posttreatment, 6-, 12-, 18-, and 24-month follow-up. Results Rapid responders in CBTgsh, but not in IPT or BWL, showed significantly greater rates of remission from binge-eating than non-rapid responders, which was sustained over the long term. Rapid and non-rapid responders in IPT and rapid responders in CBTgsh showed a greater remission from binge-eating than non-rapid responders in CBTgsh and BWL. Rapid responders in CBTgsh showed greater remission from binge-eating than rapid responders in BWL. Although rapid responders in all treatments had lower global eating disorder psychopathology than non-rapid responders in the short term, rapid responders in CBTgsh and IPT were more improved than those in BWL and non-rapid responders in each treatment. Rapid responders in BWL did not differ from non-rapid responders in CBTgsh and IPT. Conclusions Rapid response is a treatment-specific positive prognostic indicator of sustained remission from binge-eating in CBTgsh. Regarding an evidence-based stepped care model, IPT, equally efficacious for rapid and non-rapid responders, could be investigated as a second-line treatment in case of non-rapid response to first-line CBTgsh. PMID:25867446

Recent progress of seismic research on tall buildings in China Mainland

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Xilin; Jiang, Huanjun

2014-08-01

As a result of rapid economic growth and urbanization in the past two decades, many tall buildings have been constructed in China Mainland, offering researchers and practitioners an excellent opportunity for research and practice in the field of structural engineering. This paper reviews progress by researchers throughout China Mainland on the seismic research of tall buildings, focusing on three major topics that impact the seismic performance of tall buildings. These are: (1) new types of steel-concrete composite structural members such as steel-concrete composite shear walls and columns, (2) earthquake resilient shear wall structures such as shear walls with replaceable structural components, self-centering shear walls and rocking walls, and (3) performance-based seismic design, including seismic performance index, performance level and design method. The paper concludes by presenting future research needs and directions in this field.

Influence of model assumptions about HIV disease progression after initiating or stopping treatment on estimates of infections and deaths averted by scaling up antiretroviral therapy

Science.gov (United States)

Sucharitakul, Kanes; Boily, Marie-Claude; Dimitrov, Dobromir

2018-01-01

Background Many mathematical models have investigated the population-level impact of expanding antiretroviral therapy (ART), using different assumptions about HIV disease progression on ART and among ART dropouts. We evaluated the influence of these assumptions on model projections of the number of infections and deaths prevented by expanded ART. Methods A new dynamic model of HIV transmission among men who have sex with men (MSM) was developed, which incorporated each of four alternative assumptions about disease progression used in previous models: (A) ART slows disease progression; (B) ART halts disease progression; (C) ART reverses disease progression by increasing CD4 count; (D) ART reverses disease progression, but disease progresses rapidly once treatment is stopped. The model was independently calibrated to HIV prevalence and ART coverage data from the United States under each progression assumption in turn. New HIV infections and HIV-related deaths averted over 10 years were compared for fixed ART coverage increases. Results Little absolute difference (ART coverage (varied between 33% and 90%) if ART dropouts reinitiated ART at the same rate as ART-naïve MSM. Larger differences in the predicted fraction of HIV-related deaths averted were observed (up to 15pp). However, if ART dropouts could only reinitiate ART at CD4ART interruption did not affect the fraction of HIV infections averted with expanded ART, unless ART dropouts only re-initiated ART at low CD4 counts. Different disease progression assumptions had a larger influence on the fraction of HIV-related deaths averted with expanded ART. PMID:29554136

APOBEC3G levels predict rates of progression to AIDS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wu Hulin

2007-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background APOBEC3G (hA3G is a newly discovered cellular factor of innate immunity that inhibits HIV replication in vitro. Whether hA3G conferrs protection against HIV in vivo is not known. To investigate the possible anti-HIV activity of hA3G in vivo, we examined hA3G mRNA abundance in primary human cells isolated from either HIV-infected or HIV-uninfected individuals, and found that hA3G mRNA levels follow a hierarchical order of long-term nonprogressors>HIV-uninfected>Progressors; and, hA3G mRNA abundance is correlated with surrogates of HIV disease progression: viral load and CD4 count. Another group later confirmed that HIV-infected subjects have lower hA3G mRNA levels than HIV-uninfected controls, but did not find correlations between hA3G mRNA levels and viral load or CD4 count. These conflicing results indicate that a more comprehensive, conclusive investigation of hA3G expression levels in various patient cohorts is urgently needed. Presentation of the hypothesis For exploring whether hA3G abundance might influence HIV disease progression, we have formulated a hypothesis that inlcudes two parts: a in vivo, the basal hA3G mRNA expression level per PBMC is a constant – with minor physiologic fluctuations – determined by host genetic and epigenetic elements in a healthy individual; and that the basal hA3G mRNA expression levels in a population follow a Normal (or Gaussian distribution; b that although HIV infects randomly, it results in more rapid disease progression in those with lower hA3G mRNA levels, and slower disease progression in those with higher hA3G mRNA levels. Testing the hypothesis This hypothesis could be tested by a straighforward set of experiments to compare the distribution of hA3G mRNA levels in HIV-uninfected healthy individuals and that in HIV-infected, antiretroviral therapy-naïve subjects who are at early and late stages of infection. Implication of the hypothesis Testing this hypothesis will have

Progressive decline in fractional anisotropy on serial DTI examinations of the corpus callosum: a putative marker of disease activity and progression in SPMS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tian, Wei; Zhu, Tong; Zhong, Jianhui; Liu, Xiang [University of Rochester Medical Center, Department of Imaging Sciences, Rochester, NY (United States); Rao, Praveen; Segal, Benjamin M. [University of Michigan, Department of Neurology, Holtom-Garrett Program in Neuroimmunology, Ann Arbor, MI (United States); Ekholm, Sven [University of Rochester Medical Center, Department of Imaging Sciences, Rochester, NY (United States); University of Rochester Medical Center, Division of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, Rochester, NY (United States)

2012-04-15

Clinical trials of secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) is lacking reliable biomarkers or outcome measures that reflect tissue injury incurred within a 1- to 2-year observation period. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is sensitive in detecting acute brain tissue damage. We monitored SPMS patients over 12 months for diffusion changes within the corpus callosum (CC). Bimonthly MRI examinations over a 1-year period were performed on 11 SPMS patients. The protocol included postcontrast T1-weighted images and DTI. Based on the appearance of T1 enhancing lesion(s) during the study period, the patients were divided into enhancing (five patients) and nonenhancing (six patients) groups. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) of the genu, body, and splenium of the CC were measured and temporal changes in mean FA and MD were evaluated for each group as well as between groups. Immunology data from peripheral blood mononuclear cells were also collected on a monthly basis. The enhancing group showed significant, progressive decrease in FA in body (p = 0.012) and splenium (p = 0.033) of CC, and significantly higher lymphotoxin-{beta} levels. No significant FA changes were seen in the nonenhancing group. Moreover, the FA decline in the enhancing group deviated significantly from the nonenhancing group, which remained essentially stable. Although MD increased slightly in both groups, there was no significant difference between the two groups. Based on the MR and immunology findings, the results of our study suggest that DTI undergo more rapid and longitudinal changes in SPMS patients with inflammatory activity. (orig.)

Progressivity of Taxes, Skeweness of Income Distribution and Violations of the Progressive Principle in Income Tax Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edyta Mazurek

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Kakwani and Lambert state the three axioms, which should be respected by an equitable tax system. They also proposed a measurement system to evaluate the violations of the axioms. One of the axioms, axiom 2, formulates the progression principle in income tax systems. Vernizzi and Pellegrino improved the alternative index to evaluate violations concerning the progressive command in a tax system. The main aim of this paper is to compare the two indexes in order to evaluate violations of progressive principle in income tax systém using the real data. We also check how the progressivity of taxes and skewness of income distribution affect the measurement of the progressive principle violation.

RapidIO as a multi-purpose interconnect

Science.gov (United States)

Baymani, Simaolhoda; Alexopoulos, Konstantinos; Valat, Sébastien

2017-10-01

RapidIO (http://rapidio.org/) technology is a packet-switched high-performance fabric, which has been under active development since 1997. Originally meant to be a front side bus, it developed into a system level interconnect which is today used in all 4G/LTE base stations world wide. RapidIO is often used in embedded systems that require high reliability, low latency and scalability in a heterogeneous environment - features that are highly interesting for several use cases, such as data analytics and data acquisition (DAQ) networks. We will present the results of evaluating RapidIO in a data analytics environment, from setup to benchmark. Specifically, we will share the experience of running ROOT and Hadoop on top of RapidIO. To demonstrate the multi-purpose characteristics of RapidIO, we will also present the results of investigating RapidIO as a technology for high-speed DAQ networks using a generic multi-protocol event-building emulation tool. In addition we will present lessons learned from implementing native ports of CERN applications to RapidIO.

Trajectories of depressive symptoms and their relationship to the progression of dementia.

Science.gov (United States)

Barca, Maria Lage; Persson, Karin; Eldholm, Rannveig; Benth, Jūratė Šaltytė; Kersten, Hege; Knapskog, Anne-Brita; Saltvedt, Ingvild; Selbaek, Geir; Engedal, Knut

2017-11-01

The relationship between progression of Alzheimer's disease and depression and its underlying mechanisms has scarcely been studied. A sample of 282 outpatients with Alzheimer's disease (AD; 105 with amnestic AD and 177 with Alzheimer's dementia) from Norway were followed up for an average of two years. Assessment included Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia and Clinical Dementia Rating Scale (CDR) at baseline and follow-up to examine the relationship between AD and depression. Additionally, MRI of the brain, CSF dementia biomarkers and APOE status were assessed at baseline. Progression of dementia was defined as the difference between CDR sum of boxes at follow-up and baseline (CDR-SB change). Trajectories of depressive symptoms on the Cornell Scale were identified using growth mixture modeling. Differences between the trajectories in regard to patients' characteristics were investigated. Three distinct trajectories of depressive symptoms were identified: 231 (82.8%) of the patients had stable low-average scores on the Cornell Scale (Class 1); 11 (3.9%) had high and decreasing scores (Class 2); and 37 (13.3%) had moderate and increasing scores (Class 3). All classes had average probabilities over 80%, and confidence intervals were non-overlapping. The only significant characteristic associated with membership in class 3 was CDR-SB change. Not all patients screened for participation were included in the study, but the included and non-included patients did not differ significantly. Some patients with amnestic MCI might have been misdiagnosed. A more rapid progression of dementia was found in a group of patients with increasing depressive symptoms. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Individual moral development and moral progress

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schinkel, Anders; de Ruyter, Doret J.

At first glance, one of the most obvious places to look for moral progress is in individuals, in particular in moral development from childhood to adulthood. In fact, that moral progress is possible is a foundational assumption of moral education. Beyond the general agreement that moral progress is

Individual Moral Development and Moral Progress

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schinkel, Anders; de Ruyter, Doret J.

2017-01-01

At first glance, one of the most obvious places to look for moral progress is in individuals, in particular in moral development from childhood to adulthood. In fact, that moral progress is possible is a foundational assumption of moral education. Beyond the general agreement that moral progress is

Progressive Taxation and Tax Morale

OpenAIRE

Philipp Doerrenberg; Andreas Peichl

2010-01-01

As the link between tax compliance and tax morale is found to be robust, finding the determinants of tax morale can help to understand and fight tax evasion. In this paper we analyze the effect of progressive taxation on tax morale in a cross-country approach - which has not been investigated before. Our theoretical analysis leads to two testable predictions. First, an individual's tax morale is higher, the more progressive the tax schedule is. Second, the impact of tax progressivity on tax m...

Progress in the clinical development and utilization of vision prostheses: an update

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brandli A

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Alice Brandli, Chi D Luu, Robyn H Guymer, Lauren N Ayton Centre for Eye Research Australia, Department of Surgery (Ophthalmology, The University of Melbourne, Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia Abstract: Vision prostheses, or “bionic eyes”, are implantable medical bionic devices with the potential to restore rudimentary sight to people with profound vision loss or blindness. In the past two decades, this field has rapidly progressed, and there are now two commercially available retinal prostheses in the US and Europe, and a number of next-generation devices in development. This review provides an update on the development of these devices and a discussion on the future directions for the field. Keywords: vision prostheses, bionic eye, vision restoration, blindness, medical bionics, retinitis pigmentosa

Early detection of emphysema progression

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gorbunova, Vladlena; Jacobs, Sander S A M; Lo, Pechin

2010-01-01

Emphysema is one of the most widespread diseases in subjects with smoking history. The gold standard method for estimating the severity of emphysema is a lung function test, such as forced expiratory volume in first second (FEV1). However, several clinical studies showed that chest CT scans offer...... more sensitive estimates of emphysema progression. The standard CT densitometric score of emphysema is the relative area of voxels below a threshold (RA). The RA score is a global measurement and reflects the overall emphysema progression. In this work, we propose a framework for estimation of local...... emphysema progression from longitudinal chest CT scans. First, images are registered to a common system of coordinates and then local image dissimilarities are computed in corresponding anatomical locations. Finally, the obtained dissimilarity representation is converted into a single emphysema progression...

Rapid Prototyping Laboratory

Data.gov (United States)

Federal Laboratory Consortium — The ARDEC Rapid Prototyping (RP) Laboratory was established in December 1992 to provide low cost RP capabilities to the ARDEC engineering community. The Stratasys,...

Recent progress of chiral stationary phases for separation of enantiomers in gas chromatography.

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Sheng-Ming; Yuan, Li-Ming

2017-01-01

Chromatography techniques based on chiral stationary phases are widely used for the separation of enantiomers. In particular, gas chromatography has developed rapidly in recent years due to its merits such as fast analysis speed, lower consumption of stationary phases and analytes, higher column efficiency, making it a better choice for chiral separation in diverse industries. This article summarizes recent progress of novel chiral stationary phases based on cyclofructan derivatives and chiral porous materials including chiral metal-organic frameworks, chiral porous organic frameworks, chiral inorganic mesoporous materials, and chiral porous organic cages in gas chromatography, covering original research papers published since 2010. The chiral recognition properties and mechanisms of separation toward enantiomers are also introduced. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Progress and challenges in the prevention and control of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Cai, Jingjing; Zhang, Xiao-Jing; Li, Hongliang

2018-05-30

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is rapidly becoming the most common liver disease worldwide. Individuals with NAFLD have a high frequency of developing progressive liver disease and metabolism-related comorbidities, which result from of a lack of awareness and poor surveillance of the disease and a paucity of approved and effective therapies. Managing the complications of NAFLD has already begun to place a tremendous burden on health-care systems. Although efforts to identify effective therapies are underway, the lack of validated preclinical NAFLD models that represent the biology and outcomes of human disease remains a major barrier. This review summarizes the characteristics and prevalence of the disease and the status of our understanding of its mechanisms and potential therapeutic targets. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Reverse engineering--rapid prototyping of the skull in forensic trauma analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Kettner, Mattias; Schmidt, Peter; Potente, Stefan; Ramsthaler, Frank; Schrodt, Michael

2011-07-01

Rapid prototyping (RP) comprises a variety of automated manufacturing techniques such as selective laser sintering (SLS), stereolithography, and three-dimensional printing (3DP), which use virtual 3D data sets to fabricate solid forms in a layer-by-layer technique. Despite a growing demand for (virtual) reconstruction models in daily forensic casework, maceration of the skull is frequently assigned to ensure haptic evidence presentation in the courtroom. Owing to the progress in the field of forensic radiology, 3D data sets of relevant cases are usually available to the forensic expert. Here, we present a first application of RP in forensic medicine using computed tomography scans for the fabrication of an SLS skull model in a case of fatal hammer impacts to the head. The report is intended to show that this method fully respects the dignity of the deceased and is consistent with medical ethics but nevertheless provides an excellent 3D impression of anatomical structures and injuries. © 2011 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Unusual progression of herpes simplex encephalitis with basal ganglia and extensive white matter involvement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yasuhiro Manabe

2009-08-01

Full Text Available We report a 51-year old male with herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE showing unusual progression and magnetic resonance (MR findings. The initial neurological manifestation of intractable focal seizure with low-grade fever persisted for three days, and rapidly coma, myoclonic status, and respiratory failure with high-grade fever emerged thereafter. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR result of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF was positive for HSV-1 DNA. In the early stage, MR images (MRI were normal. On subsequent MR diffusion-weighted (DW and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR images, high-intensity areas first appeared in the left frontal cortex, which was purely extra-temporal involvement, and extended into the basal ganglia, then the white matter, which are relatively spared in HSE. Antiviral therapy and immunosuppressive therapy did not suppress the progression of HSE, and finally severe cerebral edema developed into cerebral herniation, which required emergency decompressive craniectomy. Histological examination of a biopsy specimen of the white matter detected perivascular infiltration and destruction of basic structure, which confirmed non specific inflammatory change without obvious edema or demyelination. The present case shows both MR and pathological findings in the white matter in the acute stage of HSE.

Tiber Personal Rapid Transit

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Diego Carlo D'agostino

2011-02-01

Full Text Available The project “Tiber Personal Rapid Transit” have been presented by the author at the Rome City Vision Competition1 2010, an ideas competition, which challenges architects, engineers, designers, students and creatives individuals to develop visionary urban proposals with the intention of stimulating and supporting the contemporary city, in this case Rome. The Tiber PRT proposal tries to answer the competition questions with the definition of a provocative idea: a Personal Rapid transit System on the Tiber river banks. The project is located in the central section of the Tiber river and aims at the renewal of the river banks with the insertion of a Personal Rapid Transit infrastructure. The project area include the riverbank of Tiber from Rome Transtevere RFI station to Piazza del Popolo, an area where main touristic and leisure attractions are located. The intervention area is actually no used by the city users and residents and constitute itself a strong barrier in the heart of the historic city.

RAPID TRANSFER ALIGNMENT USING FEDERATED KALMAN FILTER

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

GUDong-qing; QINYong-yuan; PENGRong; LIXin

2005-01-01

The dimension number of the centralized Kalman filter (CKF) for the rapid transfer alignment (TA) is as high as 21 if the aircraft wing flexure motion is considered in the rapid TA. The 21-dimensional CKF brings the calculation burden on the computer and the difficulty to meet a high filtering updating rate desired by rapid TA. The federated Kalman filter (FKF) for the rapid TA is proposed to solve the dilemma. The structure and the algorithm of the FKF, which can perform parallel computation and has less calculation burden, are designed.The wing flexure motion is modeled, and then the 12-order velocity matching local filter and the 15-order attitud ematching local filter are devised. Simulation results show that the proposed EKE for the rapid TA almost has the same performance as the CKF. Thus the calculation burden of the proposed FKF for the rapid TA is markedly decreased.

Progressive pseudorheumatoid dysplasia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mampaey, S.; De Schepper, A.; Vanhoenacker, F.; Boven, K.; Hul, W. van

2000-01-01

A rare case of progressive pseudorheumatoid dysplasia (PPD) in a 9-year-old girl is presented. Clinically, chronic painless swollen joints, accompanied by progressive motion restriction and progressive walking difficulties, were found. Radiologically, there was enlargement of the epimetaphyseal portions of the large joints, metacarpal heads, and phalanges, and generalized platyspondyly with irregular delineation of the endplates of the vertebral bodies. The radioclinical features at the peripheral joints were originally misdiagnosed as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA), and the structural spinal abnormalities were neglected and interpreted as Scheuermann's disease. However, the absence of active inflammatory parameters argues against JRA, whereas the low age of onset of the irregularities at the vertebral endplates is an argument against the diagnosis of Scheuermann's disease. The combination of the dysplastic abnormalities of the spine, with platyspondyly and Scheuermann-like lesions at an unusually low age of onset, and radiological features mimicking JRA of the peripheral joints, is the clue to the diagnosis of this rare autosomal-recessive disease. This case is the first to document the MRI features of PPD of the spine. (orig.)

Hard diffraction and rapidity gaps

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brandt, A.

1995-09-01

The field of hard diffraction, which studies events with a rapidity gap and a hard scattering, has expanded dramatically recently. A review of new results from CDF, D OE, H1 and ZEUS will be given. These results include diffractive jet production, deep-inelastic scattering in large rapidity gap events, rapidity gaps between high transverse energy jets, and a search for diffractive W-boson production. The combination of these results gives new insight into the exchanged object, believed to be the pomeron. The results axe consistent with factorization and with a hard pomeron that contains both quarks and gluons. There is also evidence for the exchange of a strongly interacting color singlet in high momentum transfer (36 2 ) events

Progression of motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Ruiping Xia; Zhi-Hong Mao

2012-01-01

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a chronic progressive neurodegenerative disease that is clinically manifested by a triad of cardinal motor symptoms - rigidity,bradykinesia and tremor - due to loss of dopaminergic neurons.The motor symptoms of PD become progressively worse as the disease advances.PD is also a heterogeneous disease since rigidity and bradykinesia are the major complaints in some patients whereas tremor is predominant in others.In recent years,many studies have investigated the progression of the hallmark symptoms over time,and the cardinal motor symptoms have different rates of progression,with the disease usually progressing faster in patients with rigidity and bradykinesia than in those with predominant tremor.The current treatment regime of dopamine-replacement therapy improves motor symptoms and alleviates disability.Increasing the dosage of dopaminergic medication is commonly used to combat the worsenirtg symptoms.However,the drug-induced involuntary body movements and motor comphcations can significantly contribute to overall disability.Further,none of the currently-available therapies can slow or halt the disease progression.Significant research efforts have been directed towards developing neuroprotective or disease-modifying agents that are intended to slow the progression.In this article,the most recent clinical studies investigating disease progression and current progress on the development of disease-modifying drug trials are reviewed.

Progressive pseudorheumatoid dysplasia misdiagnosed as ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Progressive pseudorheumatoid dysplasia misdiagnosed as seronegative juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Ozgur Taspinar, Fatih Kelesoglu, Yasar Keskin, Murat Uludag. Abstract. Background: Progressive pseudorheumatoid dysplasia (PPD) is a rare spondylo- epi-metaphyseal dysplasia (SEMD). It can be confused with juvenile ...