Non-perforated peptic ulcer disease: multidetector CT findings, complications, and differential diagnosis

Despite availability of effective therapies, peptic ulcer disease (PUD) remains a major global disease, resulting from a combination of persistent Helicobacter pylori infection and widespread use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Albeit endoscopy definitely represents the mainstay diagnostic technique, patients presenting to emergency departments with unexplained abdominal pain generally undergo multidetector CT as an initial investigation. Although superficial ulcers generally remain inconspicuous, careful multiplanar CT interpretation may allow to detect deep ulcers, secondary mural and extraluminal signs of peptic gastroduodenitis, thereby allowing timely endoscopic verification and appropriate treatment. This pictorial essay aims to provide radiologists with an increased familiarity with CT diagnosis of non-perforated PUD, with emphasis on differential diagnosis. Following an overview of current disease epidemiology and complications, it explains the appropriate CT acquisition and interpretation techniques, and reviews with several examples the cross-sectional findings of uncomplicated PUD. Afterwards, the CT features of PUD complications such as ulcer haemorrhage, gastric outlet obstruction, biliary and pancreatic fistulisation are presented. Teaching points Gastric and duodenal peptic ulcers are increasingly caused by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs Multiplanar CT interpretation allows detecting deep ulcers and secondary signs of gastroduodenitis CT diagnosis of uncomplicated peptic disease relies on direct and indirect signs Currently the commonest complication, haemorrhage may be treated with transarterial embolisation Other uncommon complications include gastric outlet obstruction and biliopancreatic fistulisation

Macroelement Numerical Simulation of the Seismic Response of a Timber-Retrofitted Masonry Pier

In the North-East part of The Netherlands, induced seismicity due to gas extraction is affecting a local building stock consisting mainly of unreinforced masonry (URM) houses not designed for earthquake resistance. Experimental and numerical studies conducted at EUCENTRE, Pavia (Italy), have demonstrated that buildings with URM cavity-walls structural systems are among the most vulnerable existing Dutch construction typologies. A light and reversible retrofit system made of timber frames and oriented-strands boards was then designed and tested to increase the in-plane and out-of-plane capacities of masonry piers and to enhance their connections with the floor diaphragms. The development of modelling approaches able to simulate the influence of the retrofit system is of fundamental importance for future applications to real-case existing buildings and for vulnerability studies on different building stocks. Based on two quasi-static in-plane shear-compression tests on two full-scale masonry piers, one in bare and one in retrofitted configuration, a specific macroelement was calibrated to simulate the bare pier lateral response and the effects of the retrofit on the in-plane flexural and shear capacities. This paper discusses the adopted modelling strategies and the comparison between numerical and experimental results

Application of Hyperspectral Imaging to Underwater Habitat Mapping, Southern Adriatic Sea

Hyperspectral imagers enable the collection of high-resolution spectral images exploitable for the supervised classification of habitats and objects of interest (OOI). Although this is a well-established technology for the study of subaerial environments, Ecotone AS has developed an underwater hyperspectral imager (UHI) system to explore the properties of the seafloor. The aim of the project is to evaluate the potential of this instrument for mapping and monitoring benthic habitats in shallow and deep-water environments. For the first time, we tested this system at two sites in the Southern Adriatic Sea (Mediterranean Sea): the cold-water coral (CWC) habitat in the Bari Canyon and the Coralligenous habitat off Brindisi. We created a spectral library for each site, considering the different substrates and the main OOI reaching, where possible, the lower taxonomic rank. We applied the spectral angle mapper (SAM) supervised classification to map the areal extent of the Coralligenous and to recognize the major CWC habitat-formers. Despite some technical problems, the first results demonstrate the suitability of the UHI camera for habitat mapping and seabed monitoring, through the achievement of quantifiable and repeatable classifications

A new fireworm (Amphinomidae) from the Cretaceous of Lebanon identified from three-dimensionally preserved myoanatomy

© 2015 Parry et al. Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated. The attached file is the published version of the article

Exogenous activation of tumor necrosis factor receptor 2 promotes recovery from sensory and motor disease in a model of multiple sclerosis

Tumor necrosis factor receptor 2 (TNFR2) is a transmembrane receptor that promotes immune modulation and tissue regeneration and is recognized as a potential therapeutic target for multiple sclerosis (MS). However, TNFR2 also contributes to T effector cell function and macrophage-TNFR2 recently was shown to promote disease development in the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model of MS. We here demonstrate that systemic administration of a TNFR2 agonist alleviates peripheral and central inflammation, and reduces demyelination and neurodegeneration, indicating that protective signals induced by TNFR2 exceed potential pathogenic TNFR2-dependent responses. Our behavioral data show that systemic treatment of female EAE mice with a TNFR2 agonist is therapeutic on motor symptoms and promotes long-term recovery from neuropathic pain. Mechanistically, our data indicate that TNFR2 agonist treatment follows a dual mode of action and promotes both suppression of CNS autoimmunity and remyelination. Strategies based on the concept of exogenous activation of TNFR2 therefore hold great promise as a new therapeutic approach to treat motor and sensory disease in MS as well as other inflammatory diseases or neuropathic pain conditions

Toxoplasma and Plasmodium protein kinases: roles in invasion and host cell remodelling

Some apicomplexan parasites have evolved distinct protein kinase families to modulate host cell structure and function. Toxoplasma gondii rhoptry protein kinases and pseudokinases are involved in virulence and modulation of host cell signalling. The proteome of Plasmodium falciparum contains a family of putative kinases called FIKKs, some of which are exported to the host red blood cell and might play a role in erythrocyte remodelling. In this review we will discuss kinases known to be critical for host cell invasion, intracellular growth and egress, focusing on (i) calcium-dependent protein kinases and (ii) the secreted kinases that are unique to Toxoplasma (rhoptry protein kinases and pseudokinases) and Plasmodium (FIKKs)

Una mirada al interior del sistema educativo: los informes de calificaciones en las escuelas secundarias estatales de la provincia de Buenos Aires

La Ley Nacional de Educación (Ley N°26.206/06) define a la educación como un derecho social, al conocimiento como bien público y establece la obligatoriedad del nivel secundario, siendo el Estado quien debe garantizar las condiciones materiales para que todo estudiante ingrese, permanezca y egrese del nivel. Esto implica que desde las instituciones educativas se deben desarrollar propuestas pedagógicas que apunten a acompañar y fortalecer las trayectorias educativas. En ese sentido, desde la Dirección del Nivel Secundario de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, en articulación con la Dirección Provincial de Planeamiento y con equipos de la Facultad de Humanidades, especialmente en el período 2012-2015 , se vienen desarrollando acciones a los fines de mejorar la información disponible, buscando fundamentalmente poder continuar con la profundización de la enseñanza, pudiendo contar en tiempos oportunos, con información relacionada con las calificaciones trimestrales, finales y con diferentes iniciativas institucionales vinculadas con generar mejores estrategias para acompañar las trayectorias educativas de nuestros alumnos. Esta ponencia presenta, en el marco de las tareas arriba enumeradas, los primeros cruces analíticos elaborados a partir del relevamiento sobre calificaciones en la educación secundaria (gestión estatal) de la provincia de Buenos Aires, realizado durante el año 2014 y 2015, desde la DGCyE, correspondiente al ciclo lectivo 2014.Mesa 39: Sociología política de la educación. Políticas educativas, Gestión institucional y el escenario de la educación como derechoFacultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educació

Una mirada al interior del sistema educativo: los informes de calificaciones en las escuelas secundarias estatales de la provincia de Buenos Aires

La Ley Nacional de Educación (Ley N°26.206/06) define a la educación como un derecho social, al conocimiento como bien público y establece la obligatoriedad del nivel secundario, siendo el Estado quien debe garantizar las condiciones materiales para que todo estudiante ingrese, permanezca y egrese del nivel. Esto implica que desde las instituciones educativas se deben desarrollar propuestas pedagógicas que apunten a acompañar y fortalecer las trayectorias educativas. En ese sentido, desde la Dirección del Nivel Secundario de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, en articulación con la Dirección Provincial de Planeamiento y con equipos de la Facultad de Humanidades, especialmente en el período 2012-2015 , se vienen desarrollando acciones a los fines de mejorar la información disponible, buscando fundamentalmente poder continuar con la profundización de la enseñanza, pudiendo contar en tiempos oportunos, con información relacionada con las calificaciones trimestrales, finales y con diferentes iniciativas institucionales vinculadas con generar mejores estrategias para acompañar las trayectorias educativas de nuestros alumnos. Esta ponencia presenta, en el marco de las tareas arriba enumeradas, los primeros cruces analíticos elaborados a partir del relevamiento sobre calificaciones en la educación secundaria (gestión estatal) de la provincia de Buenos Aires, realizado durante el año 2014 y 2015, desde la DGCyE, correspondiente al ciclo lectivo 2014.Mesa 39: Sociología política de la educación. Políticas educativas, Gestión institucional y el escenario de la educación como derechoFacultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educació