Esophagopulmonary fistula causing pulmonary arterial pseudoaneurysms and massive hemoptysis.

An esophagopulmonary fistula (EPF) may occur in patients with esophageal carcinoma and result in pulmonary abscess formation. Lung abscesses may in turn cause pulmonary artery (PA) pseudoaneurysms and life-threatening hemoptysis. We report a 59-year-old man with past medical history of metastatic distal esophageal adenocarcinoma who presented with fever, cough, and massive hemoptysis. Imaging evaluation demonstrated an EPF, associated lung abscess, and PA pseudoaneurysms. The presented case illustrates that embolization of PA pseudoaneurysms to prevent bleeding, and endoscopic esophageal covered stent graft placement to divert esophageal contents from the abscess, may facilitate a favorable outcome

Wound Necrosis and Peripheral Microangiopathy due to Delayed-onset Heparin-induced Thrombocytopenia Following Arterial Bypass Surgery

AbstractIntroductionDelayed-onset heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a rare side effect of heparin. This prothrombotic condition can present its first signs up to three weeks following heparin administration even if heparin use has been stopped.ReportA 54-year-old claudicant patient underwent a suprageniculate limb bypass with heparin administration. Despite bypass patency, our patient developed recurrent wound necrosis and kept complaining of ischemic pain. The patient then developed toe necrosis and underwent leg amputation.ConclusionDelayed-onset HIT is a rare condition that should be looked for and promptly managed in patients with peripheral vasculopathy following heparin administration

Formation of Actin Networks in Microfluidic Concentration Gradients

The physical properties of cytoskeletal networks are contributors in a number of mechanical responses of cells, including cellular deformation and locomotion, and are crucial for the proper action of living cells. Local chemical gradients modulate cytoskeletal functionality including the interactions of the cytoskeleton with other cellular components. Actin is a major constituent of the cytoskeleton. Introducing a microfluidic-based platform, we explored the impact of concentration gradients on the formation and structural properties of actin networks. Microfluidic-controlled flow-free and steady-state experimental conditions allow for the generation of chemical gradients of different profiles, such as linear or step-like. We discovered specific features of actin networks emerging in defined gradients. In particular, we analyzed the effects of spatial conditions on network properties, bending rigidities of network links, and the network elasticity

Rapid Microwave Polymerization of Porous Nanocomposites with Piezoresistive Sensing Function

In this paper, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) nanocomposites with piezoresistive sensing function were fabricated using microwave irradiation. The effects of precuring time on the mechanical and electrical properties of nanocomposites were investigated. The increased viscosity and possible nanofiller re-agglomeration during the precuring process caused decreased microwave absorption, resulting in extended curing times, and decreased porosity and electrical conductivity in the cured nanocomposites. The porosity generated during the microwave-curing process was investigated with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and density measurements. Increased loadings of MWCNTs resulted in shortened curing times and an increased number of small well-dispersed closed-cell pores. The mechanical properties of the synthesized nanocomposites including stress–strain behaviors and Young’s Modulus were examined. Experimental results demonstrated that the synthesized nanocomposites with 2.5 wt. % MWCNTs achieved the highest piezoresistive sensitivity with an average gauge factor of 7.9 at 10% applied strain. The piezoresistive responses of these nanocomposites were characterized under compressive loads at various maximum strains, loading rates, and under viscoelastic stress relaxation conditions. The 2.5 wt. % nanocomposite was successfully used in an application as a skin-attachable compression sensor for human motion detection including squeezing a golf ball.This research received no external funding and The APC was funded by University Libraries Open Access fund. Open Access fees paid for in whole or in part by the University of Oklahoma Libraries.Ye

Midge-stabilized sediment drives the composition of benthic cladoceran communities in Lake Mývatn, Iceland

The importance of environmental disturbances as drivers of ecological communities depends not only on the magnitude of the disturbance, but also on the disturbance-specific sensitivity of the community. Organisms that alter the physical structure of their surroundings can affect the sensitivity of their habitat to environmental disturbance, and may alter the potential for disturbance to shape ecological communities. Such organisms therefore act as ecosystem engineers by indirectly modifying the resources available to other species. The benthos of shallow, eutrophic Lake Mývatn, Iceland, is frequently disturbed by wind events that lead to sediment resuspension. The impact of wind, however, depends on the abundance of midges (Chironomidae) whose larval tubes bind sediment and reduce wind-driven resuspension. Here, we investigate the long-term effect of fluctuations in midge abundance on the benthic cladoceran community using two lake sediment cores representing 30 and 140 years of deposition. In both cores, midge remains show a significant positive correlation with abundance of a large benthic surface-dwelling cladoceran, Eurycercus lamellatus, relative to the abundance of a small within-sediment-dwelling cladoceran, Alona rectangula. To experimentally investigate whether this shift could have been caused by midges acting as ecosystem engineers, we subjected cladoceran communities to sediment resuspension events within mesocosms. We found a significant decrease in abundance of the large epibenthic E. lamellatus relative to the abundance of small infaunal Alona spp. when subjected to disturbance. These findings show that physical alteration of benthic sediment and hence the sensitivity of the sediment to disturbance may explain the community shift in cladocerans observed with fluctuating midge abundance in Lake Mývatn.National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Grant Number: DGE-1256259 LTREB. Grant Number: DEB-1052160Peer Reviewe

First report of Crumillospongia (Demospongea) from the Cambrian of Europe (Murero biota, Spain)

The demosponge genus Crumillospongia, originally described from the Burgess Shale (middle Cambrian of Canada), has only been cited from lower and middle Cambrian localities of North America and China. The taxon is now also described from uppermost lower Cambrian rocks of the Murero Lagerstätte (Zaragoza Province, NE Spain). Crumillospongia mureroensis sp. nov. is a small to medium sized sack-shaped to elongate demosponge characterized by the presence of densely packed pores of three sizes, considerably larger than those in any other species of the genus. The Spanish material represents a link in the chronostratigraphical gap between the Chinese and North American material.Peer reviewe

Investigation Into Radiation-Induced Compaction of Zerodur (trademark)

Zerodur is a low coefficient of thermal expansion glass-ceramic material. This property makes Zerodur an excellent material for high precision optical substrates. Functioning as a high precision optical substrate, a material must be dimensionally stable in the system operating environment. Published data indicate that Zerodur is dimensionally unstable when exposed to large doses of ionizing radiation. The dimensional instability is discussed as an increase in Zerodur density. This increase in density is described as a compaction. Experimental data showing proton-induced compaction of Zerodur is presented. The dependence of compaction on proton dose was determined to be a power law relationship

A Preliminary Survey of Interprofessional Education

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/153603/1/jddj002203372006704tb04096x.pd