Complete and safe resection of challenging retroperitoneal tumors: anticipation of multi-organ and major vascular resection and use of adjunct procedures.

BackgroundRetroperitoneal tumors are often massive and can involve adjacent organs and/or vital structures, making them difficult to resect. Completeness of resection is within the surgeon's control and critical for long-term survival, particularly for malignant disease. Few studies directly address strategies for complete and safe resection of challenging retroperitoneal tumors.MethodsFifty-six patients representing 63 cases of primary or recurrent retroperitoneal tumor resection between 2004-2009 were identified and a retrospective chart review was performed. Rates of complete resection, use of adjunct procedures, and perioperative complications were recorded.ResultsIn 95% of cases, complete resection was achieved. Fifty-eight percent of these cases required en bloc multi-organ resection, and 8% required major vascular resection. Complete resection rates were higher for primary versus recurrent disease. Adjunct procedures (ureteral stents, femoral nerve monitoring, posterior laminotomy, etc.) were used in 54% of cases. Major postoperative complications occurred in 16% of cases, and one patient died (2% mortality).ConclusionsComplete resection of challenging retroperitoneal tumors is feasible and can be done safely with important pre- and intraoperative considerations in mind

Seal for a rotating member

A face seal assembly is provided having an annular seal body mounted in an axially moveable relationship to a seal support structure. A piston ring is disposed between the annular seal body and the seal support structure forming a secondary seal. A first locator spring, which is an annular wave spring, is disposed between said seal support structure and the piston ring to urge the piston ring in an axial direction. Optionally, a second locator spring, also a wave spring, may be disposed between the piston ring and the seal support structure for urging the piston ring in a radial direction

Carbon Nanotube-Based Nonvolatile Random Access Memory for Molecular Computing

A concept for molecular electronics exploiting carbon nanotubes as both molecular device elements and molecular wires for reading and writing information was developed. Each device element is based on a suspended, crossed nanotube geometry that leads to bistable, electrostatically switchable ON/OFF states. The device elements are naturally addressable in large arrays by the carbon nanotube molecular wires making up the devices. These reversible, bistable device elements could be used to construct nonvolatile random access memory and logic function tables at an integration level approaching 1012 elements per square centimeter and an element operation frequency in excess of 100 gigahertz. The viability of this concept is demonstrated by detailed calculations and by the experimental realization of a reversible, bistable nanotube-based bit

Modeling Flow around Bluff Bodies and Predicting Urban Dispersion Using Large Eddy Simulation

Modeling air pollutant transport and dispersion in urban environments is especially challenging due to complex ground topography. In this study, we describe a large eddy simulation (LES) tool including a new dynamic subgrid closure and boundary treatment to model urban dispersion problems. The numerical model is developed, validated, and extended to a realistic urban layout. In such applications fairly coarse grids must be used in which each building can be represented using relatively few grid-points only. By carrying out LES of flow around a square cylinder and of flow over surface-mounted cubes, the coarsest resolution required to resolve the bluff body’s cross section while still producing meaningful results is established. Specifically, we perform grid refinement studies showing that at least 6-8 grid points across the bluff body are required for reasonable results. The performance of several subgrid models is also compared. Although effects of the subgrid models on the mean flow are found to be small, dynamic Lagrangian models give a physically more realistic subgridscale (SGS) viscosity field. When scale-dependence is taken into consideration, these models lead to more realistic resolved fluctuating velocities and spectra. These results set the minimum grid resolution and subgrid model requirements needed to apply LES in simulations of neutral atmospheric boundary layer flow and scalar transport over a realistic urban geometry. The results also illustrate the advantages of LES over traditional modeling approaches, particularly its ability to take into account the complex boundary details and the unsteady nature of atmospheric boundary layer flow. Thus LES can be used to evaluate probabilities of extreme events (such as probabilities of exceeding threshold pollutant concentrations). Some comments about computer resources required for LES are also included

Study of CP violation in D->VV decay at BESIII

In this paper, we intend to study the problem of CP violation in $D$ meson by $D\to VV$ decay mode in which the T violating triple-product correlation is examined. That would undoubtedly be another excellent probe of New Physics beyond Standard Model. For the neutral $D$, we focus on direct CP violation without considering $D^0-\bar D^0$ oscillation. Experimentally, by a full angular analysis one may obtain such CP violating signals, and particularly it is worth mentioning that the upcoming large $D$ data samples at BES-III in Beijing will provide a great opportunity to perform it.Comment: 5 pages, 2 tables and 1 figure, version to appear in Phys. Lett.

A Digital Atlas of the Dog Brain

There is a long history and a growing interest in the canine as a subject of study in neuroscience research and in translational neurology. In the last few years, anatomical and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies of awake and anesthetized dogs have been reported. Such efforts can be enhanced by a population atlas of canine brain anatomy to implement group analyses. Here we present a canine brain atlas derived as the diffeomorphic average of a population of fifteen mesaticephalic dogs. The atlas includes: 1) A brain template derived from in-vivo, T1-weighted imaging at 1 mm isotropic resolution at 3 Tesla (with and without the soft tissues of the head); 2) A co-registered, high-resolution (0.33 mm isotropic) template created from imaging of ex-vivo brains at 7 Tesla; 3) A surface representation of the gray matter/white matter boundary of the high-resolution atlas (including labeling of gyral and sulcal features). The properties of the atlas are considered in relation to historical nomenclature and the evolutionary taxonomy of the Canini tribe. The atlas is available for download (https://cfn.upenn.edu/aguirre/wiki/public:data_plosone_2012_datta)

Association of molecular senescence markers in late-life depression with clinical characteristics and treatment outcome

Importance: Many older adults with depression do not experience remission with antidepressant treatment, and markers of cellular senescence in late-life depression (LLD) are associated with greater severity of depression, greater executive dysfunction, and higher medical illness burden. Since these clinical characteristics are associated with remission in LLD, molecular and cellular senescence abnormalities could be a possible biological mechanism underlying poor treatment response in this population. Objective: To examine whether the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) index was associated with the likelihood of remission from a depressive episode in older adults. Design, Setting, and Participants: A nonrandomized, open-label clinical trial was conducted between August 2009 and August 2014 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; St Louis, Missouri; and Toronto, Ontario, Canada, with older adults in a current major depressive episode according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fourth Edition, Text Revision) diagnostic criteria. Data from biomarker analyses were reported according to the clinical trial archived plasma samples run in March 2021. Data were analyzed from June to November 2021. Exposure: Venlafaxine extended release (dose ranging from 37.5 mg to 300 mg daily) for up to 12 weeks. Main Outcomes and Measures: The association between a composite biomarker-based index (SASP index) and treatment remission in older adults with major depression was measured using clinical data and blood samples. Results: There were 416 participants with a mean (SD) age of 60.02 (7.13) years; 64% (265 participants) were self-reported female, and the mean (SD) Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale score was 26.6 (5.7). Higher SASP index scores were independently associated with higher rates of nonremission, with an increase of 1 unit in the SASP index score increasing the odds of nonremission by 19% (adjusted odds ratio, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.05-1.35; P = .006). In contrast, no individual SASP factors were associated with remission in LLD. Conclusions and Relevance: Using clinical data and blood samples from a nonrandomized clinical trial, the results of this study suggest that molecular and cellular senescence, as measured with the SASP index, is associated with worse treatment outcomes in LLD. Combining this index score reflecting interrelated biological processes with other molecular, clinical, and neuroimaging markers may be useful in evaluating antidepressant treatment outcomes. These findings inform a path forward for geroscience-guided interventions targeting senescence to improve remission rates in LLD. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00892047

2.45GHz radiofrequency fields alter gene expression in cultured human cells

AbstractThe biological effect of radiofrequency (RF) fields remains controversial. We address this issue by examining whether RF fields can cause changes in gene expression. We used the pulsed RF fields at a frequency of 2.45GHz that is commonly used in telecommunication to expose cultured human HL-60 cells. We used the serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) method to measure the RF effect on gene expression at the genome level. We observed that 221 genes altered their expression after a 2-h exposure. The number of affected genes increased to 759 after a 6-h exposure. Functional classification of the affected genes reveals that apoptosis-related genes were among the upregulated ones and the cell cycle genes among the downregulated ones. We observed no significant increase in the expression of heat shock genes. These results indicate that the RF fields at 2.45GHz can alter gene expression in cultured human cells through non-thermal mechanism