Göllnitz–Gordon identities and parity questions

AbstractParity has played a role in partition identities from the beginning. In his recent paper, George Andrews investigated a variety of parity questions in partition identities. At the end of his paper, he then listed 15 open problems. The purpose of this paper is to provide solutions to the first three problems from his list, which are related to the Göllnitz–Gordon identities and their generalizations

Acute Intrathoracic Gastric Volvulus due to Diaphragmatic Hernia: A Rare Emergency Easily Overlooked

Acute intrathoracic gastric volvulus occurs when the stomach undergoes organoaxial torsion in the chest due to either concomitant enlargement of the hiatus or a diaphragmatic hernia. Iatrogenic diaphragmatic hernia can occur after hiatal hernia repair and other surgical procedures, such as nephrectomy, esophagogastrectomy and splenopancreatectomy. We describe a 49-year-old woman who presented to our emergency department with acute moderate epigastric soreness and vomiting. She had undergone extensive gynecologic surgery including splenectomy 1 year before. The chest radiograph obtained in the emergency department demonstrated an elevated gastric air-fluid level in the left lower lung field. An urgent gastroscopy showed twisted structural abnormality of the stomach body. A computed tomography scan demonstrated the distended stomach, located in the left lower hemithorax through a left diaphragmatic defect. Emergent transthoracic repair was performed. Postoperative recovery was uneventful, and the patient did not experience any pain or difficulty with eating

Utilization of a mobile medical van for delivering pediatric care in the bateys of the Dominican Republic

Background Bateys are impoverished areas of housing for migrant Haitian sugar cane workers in the Dominican Republic (DR). In these regions, preventative health care is almost non-existent, public service accessibility is limited, and geographic isolation prevents utilization of care even by those families with resources. Consequently, the development of a viable mobile system is vital to the delivery of acute and preventative health care in this region. Aims This study evaluated an existing mobile medical system. The primary goal was to describe the population served, diseases treated, and resources utilized. A secondary goal was to determine qualitatively an optimal infrastructure for sustainable health care delivery within the bateys. Methods Information on basic demographic data, diagnosis, chronicity of disease, and medications dispensed was collected on all pediatric patients seen in conjunction with an existing mobile medical system over a 3-month period in the DR. Health statistics for the region were collected and interviews were conducted with health care workers (HCWs) and community members on existing and optimal health care infrastructure. Results Five hundred eighty-four pediatric patients were evaluated and treated. Median age was 5 years (range 2 weeks to 20 years), and 53.7% of patients seen were 5 years of age or younger. The mean number of complaints per patient was 2.8 (range 0 to 6). Thirty-six percent (373) of all diagnoses were for acute complaints, and 64% (657) were chronic medical problems. The most common pediatric illnesses diagnosed clinically were gastrointestinal parasitic infection (56.6%), skin/fungal infection (46.2%), upper respiratory tract infections (URIs) (22.8%), previously undiagnosed asthma and allergies (8.2%), and symptomatic anemia (7.2%). Thirty HCWs and community members were interviewed, and all cited the need for similar resources: a community clinic and hospital referral site, health promoters within each community, and the initiation of pediatric training for community HCWs. Conclusion A mobile medical system is a sustainable, efficient mechanism for delivering acute and preventive care in the Haitian bateys of the Dominican Republic. The majority of patients served were 8 years of age or younger with multiple presenting symptoms. A pediatric protocol for identifying the most appropriate drugs and supplies for mobile units in the DR can be created based upon diseases evaluated. Qualitative data from HCWs and community members identified the need for an integrative health care delivery infrastructure and community health promoters versed in pediatric care who can aid in education of batey members and monitor chronic and acute illnesses. We are planning follow-up visits to implement these programs

The Calcitonin and Glucocorticoids Combination: Mechanistic Insights into Their Class-Effect Synergy in Experimental Arthritis

PMCID: PMC3564948This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited

Clinical Observation Study of Massive Blood Transfusion in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Korea

PURPOSE: Massive blood transfusios are uncommon. The goal of this study was to propose an ideal ratio for the blood component of massive hemorrhage treatment after review of five years of massive transfusion practice, in order to have the best possible clinical outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We defined a 'massive transfusion' as receiving 10 or more units of red blood cells in one day. A list of patients receiving a massive transfusion from 2004 to 2008 was generated using the electronic medical records. For each case, we calculated the ratio of blood components and examined its relationship to their survival. RESULTS: Three hundred thirty four patients underwent massive transfusion during the five years of the study. The overall seven-day hospital mortality for massive transfusion patients was 26.1%. Factors independently predictive of survival were a fresh-frozen plasma (FFP)/packed red blood cell (pRBC) ratio ≥ 1.1 with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.96 (1.03-3.70), and elective admission with an OR of 2.6 (1.52-4.40). The receiver operation characteristic (ROC) curve suggest that a 1 : 1 : 1 ratio of pRBCs to FFP to platelets is the best ratio for survival. CONCLUSION: Fixing blood-component ratios during active hemorrhage shows improved outcomes. Thus, the hospital blood bank and physician hypothesized that a fixed blood component ratio would help to reduce mortality and decrease utilization of the overall blood componentope

Metallo-β-Lactamase-Producing Pseudomonas spp. in Korea: High Prevalence of Isolates with VIM-2 Type and Emergence of Isolates with IMP-1 Type

Purpose: Two Korean nationwide studies showed that metallo-beta-lactamases (MBLs)-producing-Pseudomonas spp. are not rare. The aim of this study was to assess the trends of MBL-producing isolates among imipenem-resistant isolates of Pseudomonas spp. Materials and Methods: Imipenem-resistant clinical isolates were collected from 23 hospitals and one commercial laboratory participating in the KONSAR program in 2005. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect MBL genes. Results: Alleles of MBL genes were detected in 10.8% of 415 Pseudomonas aeruginosa and 66.7% of 12 P. putida isolates from 18 of 24 hospitals/laboratory. Among the 14 IMP-1-like and 39 VIM-2-like MBLs, emergence of IMP-6 was detected for the first time. Conclusion: Prevalence of MBL-producing P. aeruginosa has not significantly increased, but IMP-6 emerged in P. aeruginosa

Convergent recombination suppression suggests role of sexual selection in guppy sex chromosome formation.

Sex chromosomes evolve once recombination is halted between a homologous pair of chromosomes. The dominant model of sex chromosome evolution posits that recombination is suppressed between emerging X and Y chromosomes in order to resolve sexual conflict. Here we test this model using whole genome and transcriptome resequencing data in the guppy, a model for sexual selection with many Y-linked colour traits. We show that although the nascent Y chromosome encompasses nearly half of the linkage group, there has been no perceptible degradation of Y chromosome gene content or activity. Using replicate wild populations with differing levels of sexually antagonistic selection for colour, we also show that sexual selection leads to greater expansion of the non-recombining region and increased Y chromosome divergence. These results provide empirical support for longstanding models of sex chromosome catalysis, and suggest an important role for sexual selection and sexual conflict in genome evolution