A scanning transmission x-ray microscope for materials science spectromicroscopy at the advanced light source

Design and performance of a scanning transmission x-ray microscope (STXM) at the Advanced Light Source is described. This instrument makes use of a high brightness undulator beamline and extends the STXM technique to new areas of research. After 2.5 years of development it is now an operational tool for research in polymer science, environmental chemistry, and magnetic materials. © 1998 American Institute of Physics.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/71051/2/RSINAK-69-8-2964-1.pd

Acute blood pressure elevation associated with biological therapies for cancer: a focus on VEGF signaling pathway inhibitors

6noIntroduction: Treatment with biological agents interfering with mechanisms of angiogenesis, such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling pathway (VSP) inhibitors, was associated with an enhanced risk of acute and severe blood pressure (BP) increase and development of hypertensive emergencies. Areas covered: The present article will review the scientific literature reporting hypertensive emergencies as a complication of biological treatment with VSP inhibitors. Hypertensive emergency is a lifethreatening condition characterized by very high BP values (>180/110 mmHg) associated with acute organ damage. The exact mechanism of action is still incompletely clarified. Endothelial dysfunction following reduced bioavailability of nitric oxide has been hypothesized to play an important role in promoting hypertension and the occurrence of acute organ damage. Expert opinion: Prevention, prompt recognition and treatment of hypertensive emergencies associated with treatment with VSP-inhibitors are essential to reduce the risk of adverse events. Not infrequently, the occurrence of hypertensive emergency led to VSP treatment discontinuation, with potential negative consequences on patient overall survival. The present review aims at providing detailed knowledge for the clinician regarding this specific issue, which could be of high impact in usual clinical practice, given the increasing burden of indications to treatment with biological agents targeted to the VEGF pathway.reservedmixedPucci G.; Milan A.; Paini A.; Salvetti M.; Cerasari A.; Vaudo G.Pucci, G.; Milan, A.; Paini, A.; Salvetti, M.; Cerasari, A.; Vaudo, G

A photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM) study of the effect of surface acoustic waves on catalytic CO oxidation over Pt{110}

A photoemission electron microscope (PEEM) was used to study the influence of surface acoustic waves (SAWs) on the reactive behaviour of adsorbate structures during CO oxidation over Pt{110} at temperatures around 485 K and CO and O2 pressures around 10−5 and 10−4 mbar, respectively. It was found that surface acoustic wave excitation can suppress and reverse the process of CO poisoning of the catalyst, and thus bring the system back into the highly reactive regime. From work function measurements of the CO-covered surface during acoustic excitation it is concluded that the observed effect is due to acoustically induced CO desorption

Life-Threatening Drug-Induced Liver Injury in a Patient with β-Thalassemia Major and Severe Iron Overload on Polypharmacy

A 20-year-old male affected by transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia (β-thal), was prescribed intensive chelation therapy with deferoxamine (DFO) and deferiprone (DFP) because of severe hepatic and cardiac iron overload and β-blocker and warfarin to manage a previous event of atrial fibrillation (AFib) and heart failure. After a few months, he developed critical liver failure, renal tubulopathy and severe electrolyte imbalance. Laboratory and instrumental evaluations were performed to carry out differential diagnosis of acute liver failure and an exclusion diagnosis of drug induced liver injury (DILI) was made. The cholestatic pattern suggested warfarin as the main causative agent and polypharmacy, liver iron overload and heart failure as aggravating factors. Warfarin is a drug commonly prescribed in thalassemia patients who often need polypharmacy for the management of anemia- and iron-related complications. Strict monitoring and multidisciplinary approaches are mandatory to avoid preventable mortality in this fragile population

Life-Threatening Drug-Induced Liver Injury in a Patient with β-Thalassemia Major and Severe Iron Overload on Polypharmacy.

A 20-year-old male affected by transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia (β-thal), was prescribed intensive chelation therapy with deferoxamine (DFO) and deferiprone (DFP) because of severe hepatic and cardiac iron overload and β-blocker and warfarin to manage a previous event of atrial fibrillation (AFib) and heart failure. After a few months, he developed critical liver failure, renal tubulopathy and severe electrolyte imbalance. Laboratory and instrumental evaluations were performed to carry out differential diagnosis of acute liver failure and an exclusion diagnosis of drug induced liver injury (DILI) was made. The cholestatic pattern suggested warfarin as the main causative agent and polypharmacy, liver iron overload and heart failure as aggravating factors. Warfarin is a drug commonly prescribed in thalassemia patients who often need polypharmacy for the management of anemia- and iron-related complications. Strict monitoring and multidisciplinary approaches are mandatory to avoid preventable mortality in this fragile population

Metastatic retroperitoneal tumor from a non-functional neuroendocrine neoplasia of the left ethmoid-nose-orbitary region: case report and short review of literature

Introduction: NeuroEndocrine Neoplasms (NENs) are rare and can originate from any epithelial organ. We describe a very rare case of retroperitoneal metastasis from a non-functioning neuroendocrine tumor of the ethmoid region and focus on the various issues related to NENs, from their nosological classification up to the most recent acquisitions in the diagnostic and therapeutic field. Presentation of case: A woman presented with a mass in the right retroperitoneal area that infiltrated liver and kidney. The anamnestic data showed a previous undifferentiated small cell tumor of the left ethmoid-nasal-orbital region. The mass was removed surgically and the definitive histological examination revealed a non-functioning undifferentiated malignant small cell neoplasm. Discussion: NENs represent a chapter of oncology whose systematization remains difficult. The lack of hormonal syndrome in Biologically Inactive Neuroendocrine Tumors (BINTs) may delay the diagnosis. Clinical manifestations relate to the size and location of the neoplasm. Small cell NeuroEndocrine Carcinoma (NEC) of the ethmoid-nose-orbital region is an extremely rare occurrence and generally the most frequent metastatic localization is represented by the larynx. Conclusion: This case highlights the contradictions typical of NENs and only new scientific acquisitions in the histopathological field can help us in the future. Surgery remains the only possibility of treatment and diagnosis of large masses of inactive NENs. This is the only case in the world of metastasis from NEC of the nose-orbital region in the retroperitoneum

Photoemission electron microscopy studies of Pt/GaP(001) buried interfaces

Using (secondary) photoelectron emission microscopy, we studied the fully formed 80 Angstrom Pt/n-GaP(001) interface with a lateral resolution better than 2 mu m. We probed the chemically etched and sulfur passivated GaP(001) surface by ultraviolet and soft x rays. The radiation source was either a deuterium lamp or the radiation from ELETTRA's U12.5 undulator. Due to their escape depth, the photoemitted secondary electrons carry chemical information of buried interfaces. The use of tunable synchrotron radiation enabled us to obtain chemical contrast by digital subtraction of the microimages taken at photon energies above and below each core-level absorption edge. The microimages revealed lateral changes in photoyield efficiency and chemical composition. The results were confirmed by x-ray photoemission spectromicroscopy measurements performed using A1 K alpha radiation. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics

Laparoscopy-assisted vs open total gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy for advanced gastric cancer: results of a retrospective, multicenter study

The aim of this study was to retrospectively compare the results of laparoscopy-assisted total gastrectomy (LATG) with those of open total gastrectomy (OTG) for advanced gastric cancer. Patients undergoing total gastrectomy for a T4a, N0-3a-b, M0 gastric adenocarcinoma were divided into two groups. Patients in group A (n = 122) underwent LAG, whereas patients in group B (n = 109) underwent OTG. Mean length of follow-up was 39 months. Primary study’s endpoints were postoperative mortality and morbidity, overall late survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). Secondary endpoints were the number of retrieved lymph nodes, operating time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative length of stay (LOS) and the incidence of local recurrence. Twenty-four patients in group A (19.6%) required conversion into OTG. Postoperative mortality was absent in both groups. Postoperative morbidity was 19% in group A and 11% in group B [p = 0.19]. OS was 34% in group A and 42% in group B [p = 0.21]. DFS was 29% in group A and 33% in group B [p = 0.49]. Mean number of retrieved lymph nodes was 29 in group A and 34 in group B [p < 0.01]. Mean intraoperative blood loss was 230 ml in group A and 180 ml in group B [p = 0.02]. Mean postoperative LOS was 9 days in group A and 11 days in group B [p = 0.09]. Local recurrence was 19% in group A and 13% in group B [p = 0.20]. For advanced gastric cancer, OTG favorably compares with LATG

Morphological Effects in the Quantum Yield of Cesium Iodide

We demonstrated that polycrystalline cesium iodide (CsI) on large area Ni/Au coated printed board provides a quantum efficiency (QE) higher by a factor of 2 than the films deposited on the standard Cu/Au printed circuits. This is the most important result of the present systematic study of the QE lateral inhomogeneity for CsI on different substrates. We found a strong correlation between the QE lateral variation and the morphological homogeneity of the films. The QE was measured by UV photoelectron emission microscopy and spatially resolved X-ray photoemission, and the morphology studies were performed by secondary electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and scanning tunneling microscopy