Ultrasound versus computed tomography scan findings in pediatric blunt abdominal traumas

Objective: We aimed to evaluate the performance of ultrasonography (US) versus computed tomography (CT) scan in detecting intra-abdominal injury among pediatric patients with blunt abdominal trauma. Methods: Pediatric patients aged<18, who were admitted to the emergency department (ED) due to abdominal trauma and underwent both US and CT scan were evaluated retrospectively. Results: A total of 732 pediatric patients were included in this study. Pathology was detected on US of 418 (57.1%) cases, whereas, intra-abdominal pathology was detected in CT scan of 359 (48.7%) cases. The sensitivity of US in detecting pathology (fluid and/or organ injury) was 95.3%, and its specificity was 79.6%. The sensitivity of US in detecting free fluid was 94.9%, and its specificity was 80.5%. In patients with unstable and stable hemodynamic, the sensitivities of US in detection of pathology (fluid and/or organ injury) were 97.6% and 91.6%, and its specificities were 74.3% and 80.9%, respectively. Conclusions: In our study, the sensitivity of US in terms of detecting pathology in pediatrics with blunt abdominal trauma was high, whereas the specificity of US was low

ABNORMALNI TEST OPTEREĆENJA GLUKOZOM I BLAGI GESTACIJSKI DIJABETES

Objective. The status of carbohydrate metabolism of pregnant women with positive glucose challenge test (GCT), but normal oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and their neonates are not defined clearly. Study Design. Pregnant women with normal GCT (n: 120), with abnormal glucose challenge test (AGCT) but normal OGTT (n: 67) and with gestational diabetes (GDM, n: 67) were included into the study. Insulin sensitivity was evaluated by fasting insulin level, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR); quantitative insulin check index (QUICKI) and ISOGTT. Serum insulin and glucose values during OGTT were documented. Perinatal outcome and delivery modalities were compared. Results. Both GDM (31.6±5.9 yrs) and AGCT groups (29.0±4.0 yrs) were older than controls (28.1±4.9 yrs). Body mass index (BMI) was the predominant factor affecting both AGCT and GDM groups (OR: 3.78 and 5.97 respectively). Despite there was no significance between insulin indices; serum glucose and insulin values were similarly different; macrosomic infant and caesarean section rates were higher than controls in both GDM and AGCT groups in favor of gestational diabetics (6.6% vs. 18.9%; p=0.0001 and 20% vs. 27.7% p=0.0001 respectively). Conclusion. Pregnant woman with abnormal glucose challenge test have impaired carbohydrate metabolism as in gestational diabetics with a lesser severe degree.Cilj istraživanja. Stanje metabolizma ugljikohidrata u trudnica s pozitivnim testom probira (glucose challenge test – GCT), a normalnim testom opterećenja glukozom (OGTT) te njihove novorođenčadi, nije jasno definirano. Način istraživanja. U studiju su uključene trudnice s normalnim GCT-om (n: 120), s abnormalnim GCT-om ali normalnim OGTT-om (n:67 te trudnice s gestacijskim dijabetesom (n: 67). Insulinska osjetljivost je vrednovana jutarnjiom vrijednošću insulina, modelom prosudbe homeostaze indeksom rezistencije na inzulin (HOMA-IR), kvantitativnim indeksom provjere insulina (QUICKI) i ISOGTT-om. Vrijednosti serumske glukoze i inzulina su analizirane. Uspoređen je perinatalni ishod i način poroda. Rezultati. Trudnice s GDM (31,6±5,9 godina) i one s AGCT (29,0±4,0 godina) su bile starije dobi od kontrolnih trudnica (28,1±4,9 godina). Indeks tjelesne težine (BMI) je bio presudni čimbenik u skupini s AGCT i GDM (OR: 3,78 odnosno 5,97). Unatoč tome nije bilo značajnosti među inzuilinskim indeksima; serumske vrijednosti glukoze i inzulina su bile slično različite; makrosomna djeca i stopa carskih rezova su u trudnica s AGCT i OGTT bile češće, posebice u trudnica s GDM (6,6% prama 18,9%, p = 0,0001; 20% prama 27,7%, p = 0,0001). Zaključak. Trudnice s abnormalnim testom probira na glukozu (AGCT) imaju poremećaj metabolizma ugljikohidrata kao i trudnice s gestacijskim dijabetesom (GDM), ali u nešto manjoj mjeri

Acute Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding Due to Metastatic Lung Cancer: An Unusual Case

There have been several published reports on metastatic lesions in the stomach, but the number of cases have been limited due to the low frequency of the condition. Metastatic lesions in the stomach are usually asymptomatic. A 55-year-old man with known metastatic lung adenocancer exhibited epigastric pain, hematemesis, and melena. A bleeding, ulcerated gastric metastasis was found and treated with endoscopic therapy and omeprazole

Retinoic Acid Resistance at Late Stages of Human Papillomavirus Type 16-Mediated Transformation of Human Keratinocytes Arises Despite Intact Retinoid Signaling and Is Due to a Loss of Sensitivity to Transforming Growth Factor-β

AbstractIn our in vitro model of human cell carcinogenesis, normal human foreskin keratinocytes (HKc) transfected with human papillomavirus type 16 DNA (HKc/HPV16) progress toward malignancy through several phenotypically defined and reproducible “steps” that include immortalization, growth factor independence (HKc/GFI), differentiation resistance (HKc/DR), and ultimately malignant conversion. While HKc/HPV16 are very sensitive to growth inhibition by all-trans-retinoic acid (RA) at early passages, they lose their sensitivity to RA during progression in culture. However, gel mobility shift assays using the retinoid response elements DR1 and DR5 showed no changes in binding activity of nuclear extracts obtained from HKc/HPV16 at different stages of in vitro progression. Similarly, Western blot analyses for retinoic acid receptor γ-1 and the retinoid X receptors failed to reveal any decreases in the levels of these retinoid receptors throughout progression. In addition, luciferase activity driven by the SV40 promoter with a DR5 enhancer element was activated following RA treatment of HKc/DR that were resistant to growth inhibition by RA. Since RA induces transforming growth factor-β2 (TGF-β2) in normal HKc and HKc/HPV16, we investigated whether this response changed during progression. Again, RA induced TGF-β2 mRNA in early and late passage HKc/HPV16, HKc/GFI, and HKc/DR approximately to the same extent, confirming that the RA signaling pathways remained intact during in vitro progression despite the fact that the cells become resistant to growth inhibition by RA. We then investigated the sensitivity of HKc/HPV16 to growth inhibition by TGF-β. While early passage HKc/HPV16 were as sensitive as normal HKc to growth inhibition by TGF-β1 and TGF-β2, the cells became increasingly resistant to both TGF-β isotypes during in vitro progression. In addition, while both RA and TGF-β produced a decrease in the levels of mRNA for the HPV16 oncogenes E6 and E7 in early passage HKc/HPV16, this effect was also lost at later stages of progression. Finally, blocking anti-TGF-β antibodies partially prevented RA inhibition of growth and E6/E7 expression in early passage HKc/HPV16. Taken together, these data strongly suggest that inhibition of growth and HPV16 early gene expression in HKc/HPV16 by RA is mediated by TGF-β and that a loss of RA sensitivity is linked to TGF-β resistance rather than alterations in RA signaling

Acceptor formation in Mg-doped, indium-rich Ga x In1−xN: evidence for p-type conductivity

We report on the Mg-doped, indium-rich GaxIn1-xN (x 150 K, is determined by the longitudinal-optical phonon scattering together with the thermal regeneration of non-equilibrium minority carriers from traps with an average depth of 103 +/- 15 meV. This value is close to the Mg binding energy in GaInN. The complementary measurements of transient photoluminescence at liquid He temperatures give the e-A0 binding energy of approximately 100 meV. Furthermore, Hall measurements in the Mg-doped material also indicate an activated behaviour with an acceptor binding energy of 108 +/- 20 meV

Povezanost između polimorfizama XRCC1 ARG399GLN i P53 ARG72PRO s rizikom od raka želuca i debeloga crijeva u turskoj populaciji

Gastric cancer is one of the most common cancers of the gastrointestinal system, and its overall fi ve-year survival rate is still 15 % to 20 %, as it can mostly be diagnosed at an advanced stage. On the other hand, although colorectal cancer has a rather good prognosis, mortality is one half that of the incidence. As carcinogenesis is believed to involve reactive radicals that cause DNA adduct formation, impaired repair activity, and weakened tumour suppression, it would help to understand the role of the polymorphisms of nucleotide excision repair enzyme XRCC1 and of tumour suppressor gene p53 in gastric and colorectal cancers. Our study included 94 gastric cancer patients, 96 colorectal cancer patients, and 108 cancer-free individuals as control with the aim to see if there was an association between XRCC1 Arg399Gln and p53 Arg72Pro polymorphisms and cancer susceptibility. DNA was extracted from peripheral blood cells and genotypes were determined using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Polymorphism p53 Arg72Pro was not associated with either gastric or colorectal carcinoma, while XRCC1 Arg399Gln was not associated with the increased risk of colorectal cancer. However, XRCC1 homozygous Gln allele at codon 399 was associated with 2.54 times higher risk of gastric cancer.Rak želuca najčešći je oblik karcinoma probavnoga sustava, a ukupno mu je preživljenje i dalje 15 % do 20 %, budući da se većinom dijagnosticira u poodmakloj fazi razvoja. S druge pak strane, premda rak debeloga crijeva ima prilično dobru prognozu, smrtnost je i dalje 50 %. Vjeruje se da je nastanak karcinoma povezan s reaktivnim radikalima koji uzrokuju stvaranje DNA-adukata, onemogućavaju popravak DNA te slabe supresiju tumora. Stoga bi bilo korisno razumjeti ulogu polimorfi zama gena za enzim XRCC1 koji sudjeluje u popravku isjecanjem nukleotida i tumor-supresorskoga gena p53 u nastanku raka želuca i debeloga crijeva. Naše je ispitivanje obuhvatilo 94 bolesnika s rakom želuca, 96 bolesnika s rakom debeloga crijeva te 108 kontrolnhih ispitanika (koji nisu oboljeli od bilo kojeg oblika raka) s ciljem da se utvrdi povezanost između polimorfi zama XRCC1 Arg399Gln i p53 Arg72Pro i sklonosti nastanku raka. DNA je dobiven iz stanica periferne krvi, a genotip utvrđen s pomoću metode lančane reakcije polimerazom - polimorfi zma restrikcijskih fragmenata na osnovi dužine (PCRRLFP). Polimorfi zam p53 Arg72Pro nije se pokazao povezanim s povećanim rizikom od raka želuca ili debeloga crijeva niti je XRCC1 Arg399Gln bio povezan s povećanim rizikom od raka debeloga crijeva, ali je zato rizik od raka želuca u homozigotnih nositelja ovoga polimorfi zma bio 2,54 puta veći

Mitochondrial physiology

As the knowledge base and importance of mitochondrial physiology to evolution, health and disease expands, the necessity for harmonizing the terminology concerning mitochondrial respiratory states and rates has become increasingly apparent. The chemiosmotic theory establishes the mechanism of energy transformation and coupling in oxidative phosphorylation. The unifying concept of the protonmotive force provides the framework for developing a consistent theoretical foundation of mitochondrial physiology and bioenergetics. We follow the latest SI guidelines and those of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) on terminology in physical chemistry, extended by considerations of open systems and thermodynamics of irreversible processes. The concept-driven constructive terminology incorporates the meaning of each quantity and aligns concepts and symbols with the nomenclature of classical bioenergetics. We endeavour to provide a balanced view of mitochondrial respiratory control and a critical discussion on reporting data of mitochondrial respiration in terms of metabolic flows and fluxes. Uniform standards for evaluation of respiratory states and rates will ultimately contribute to reproducibility between laboratories and thus support the development of data repositories of mitochondrial respiratory function in species, tissues, and cells. Clarity of concept and consistency of nomenclature facilitate effective transdisciplinary communication, education, and ultimately further discovery

Mitochondrial physiology

As the knowledge base and importance of mitochondrial physiology to evolution, health and disease expands, the necessity for harmonizing the terminology concerning mitochondrial respiratory states and rates has become increasingly apparent. The chemiosmotic theory establishes the mechanism of energy transformation and coupling in oxidative phosphorylation. The unifying concept of the protonmotive force provides the framework for developing a consistent theoretical foundation of mitochondrial physiology and bioenergetics. We follow the latest SI guidelines and those of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) on terminology in physical chemistry, extended by considerations of open systems and thermodynamics of irreversible processes. The concept-driven constructive terminology incorporates the meaning of each quantity and aligns concepts and symbols with the nomenclature of classical bioenergetics. We endeavour to provide a balanced view of mitochondrial respiratory control and a critical discussion on reporting data of mitochondrial respiration in terms of metabolic flows and fluxes. Uniform standards for evaluation of respiratory states and rates will ultimately contribute to reproducibility between laboratories and thus support the development of data repositories of mitochondrial respiratory function in species, tissues, and cells. Clarity of concept and consistency of nomenclature facilitate effective transdisciplinary communication, education, and ultimately further discovery

An embedding technique to determine ττ backgrounds in proton-proton collision data

An embedding technique is presented to estimate standard model tau tau backgrounds from data with minimal simulation input. In the data, the muons are removed from reconstructed mu mu events and replaced with simulated tau leptons with the same kinematic properties. In this way, a set of hybrid events is obtained that does not rely on simulation except for the decay of the tau leptons. The challenges in describing the underlying event or the production of associated jets in the simulation are avoided. The technique described in this paper was developed for CMS. Its validation and the inherent uncertainties are also discussed. The demonstration of the performance of the technique is based on a sample of proton-proton collisions collected by CMS in 2017 at root s = 13 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 41.5 fb(-1).Peer reviewe

Search for Physics beyond the Standard Model in Events with Overlapping Photons and Jets

Results are reported from a search for new particles that decay into a photon and two gluons, in events with jets. Novel jet substructure techniques are developed that allow photons to be identified in an environment densely populated with hadrons. The analyzed proton-proton collision data were collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC, in 2016 at root s = 13 TeV, and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb(-1). The spectra of total transverse hadronic energy of candidate events are examined for deviations from the standard model predictions. No statistically significant excess is observed over the expected background. The first cross section limits on new physics processes resulting in such events are set. The results are interpreted as upper limits on the rate of gluino pair production, utilizing a simplified stealth supersymmetry model. The excluded gluino masses extend up to 1.7 TeV, for a neutralino mass of 200 GeV and exceed previous mass constraints set by analyses targeting events with isolated photons.Peer reviewe