Ultrasound integrated neuronavigation - standard tool for planning and guidance in the neurosurgery

State Medical and Pharmaceutical University “Nicolae Testemitanu”, Department of Neurosurgery, Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Chisinau, Republic of MoldovaIntroduction: Reliable intraoperative orientation in neurosurgery is essential. Anatomical topographic landmarks, frame based and frameless neuronavigation, iUS allow the neurosurgeon to localize the lesion and surrounding structures, to aid in optimizing the approach and achieve safe maximal resection. In recent years there has been a significant improvement in the quality of ultrasound imaging. Intraoperative ultrasound provides low cost real time imaging that is simple and rapid to use. Objectives: Ultrasound integrated neuronavigation can be used to optimize the approach and achieving safe maximal resection, thereby improving outcomes for patients with different localization and histology of brain tumors, vascular patology and spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage. Material and methods: Since 2007 till 2010, in the Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery, 130 operations with application of 2D iUS have been performed. Starting from March till May 2012, 17 patients went under surgical treatment using the intraoperative ultrasound integrated neuronavigation system. Results: We applied ultrasound neuronavigation system in 17 cases on patients with diverse pathologies, including brain tumors (craniopharyngeoma, corpus callosum glioblastoma and high grade intracerebral glioma), vascular patology (arteriovenous malformations, aneurysms), spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage. Application of ultrasound neuronavigation system aids in improving postoperative outcomes for these patients. Conclusion: The integration of 3D US with neuronavigation technology created an efficient and inexpensive tool for intraoperative imaging in neurosurgery. The technology has been applied to optimize surgery of brain tumors, but it has also been found to be useful in other procedures such as operations for aneurysms or arteriovenous malformations. iUS is easy to use and has a rapid learning curve which makes it a useful tool to the neurosurgeons intraoperative armamentarium

DIVERSITY OF FUNGI IN THE ALLIUM URSINUM L COVERED SOIL FOREST

In the soil,ecosystem there are differences in the diversity and spatial distribution of the fungal community. Forest soil samples were harvested in the spring season from the area of influence of plants of Allium ursinum L., in the western part of the country.The study of fungal diversity was carried out on the "soil grain method" on the sifted and ungrounded soil samples. The composition of fungal species is diverse, but there are also repetions (rehearsals) where the number of species is limited. The species present in both forest soil samples is Circinellaspp, followed by Penicillium spp and Aspergillus spp, the latter being isolated only from the sifted soil sample.The low-frequency species are: Torulaherbarum (species isolated from both soil samples), Chaetomium spirale (highlighted only in sampled (sifted) soil), Fusarium spp, Helminthosporiumspp and Mortierellamonospora, the last species isolated from the unsifted soil sample.Â

A simple asthma prediction tool for preschool children with wheeze or cough

BACKGROUND Many preschool children have wheeze or cough, but only some have asthma later. Existing prediction tools are difficult to apply in clinical practice or exhibit methodological weaknesses. OBJECTIVE We sought to develop a simple and robust tool for predicting asthma at school age in preschool children with wheeze or cough. METHODS From a population-based cohort in Leicestershire, United Kingdom, we included 1- to 3-year-old subjects seeing a doctor for wheeze or cough and assessed the prevalence of asthma 5 years later. We considered only noninvasive predictors that are easy to assess in primary care: demographic and perinatal data, eczema, upper and lower respiratory tract symptoms, and family history of atopy. We developed a model using logistic regression, avoided overfitting with the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator penalty, and then simplified it to a practical tool. We performed internal validation and assessed its predictive performance using the scaled Brier score and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. RESULTS Of 1226 symptomatic children with follow-up information, 345 (28%) had asthma 5 years later. The tool consists of 10 predictors yielding a total score between 0 and 15: sex, age, wheeze without colds, wheeze frequency, activity disturbance, shortness of breath, exercise-related and aeroallergen-related wheeze/cough, eczema, and parental history of asthma/bronchitis. The scaled Brier scores for the internally validated model and tool were 0.20 and 0.16, and the areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves were 0.76 and 0.74, respectively. CONCLUSION This tool represents a simple, low-cost, and noninvasive method to predict the risk of later asthma in symptomatic preschool children, which is ready to be tested in other populations

Ultrasound integrated neuronavigation – a standard tool for planning and guidance in the neurosurgery

Department of Neurosurgery, Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Chisinau, the Republic of Moldova, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield Teaching Hospital, Sheffield, United KingdomBackground: Intraoperative ultrasound provides a low cost real time imaging that is quick and simple to use. In recent years there has been a significant improvement in the quality of ultrasound imaging. Ultrasound integrated neuronavigation can be used to optimize the lesion approach and achieve a safe maximal resection, thereby improving the outcomes of the patients with different localizations and histologic types of brain tumors, vascular pathology, spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage. Material and methods: From 2007 to 2010 in the Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery 130 operations with the application of 2D intraoperative ultrasound (US) were performed. From March to May 2012 17 patients underwent a surgical treatment with the usage the intraoperative ultrasound integrated neuronavigation system. Results: We have applied ultrasound neuronavigation system in 17 cases on the patients with diverse pathologies, including brain tumors (craniopharyngeoma, corpus collosum and intracerebral glioblastoma, intraaxial glioma), vascular pathology (arteriovenous malformations, aneurysms), spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage. The application of ultrasound neuronavigation system helps in improving the postoperative outcomes of these patients. Conclusions: The integration of 3D US with neuronavigation technology has created an efficient and inexpensive tool for intraoperative imaging in neurosurgery. The technology has been applied to optimize the surgery of brain tumors, but it has also been found useful in other procedures, such as operations for aneurysms or arteriovenous malformations. Intraoperative ultrasound is easy to use and has a rapid assessment curve which makes it a useful tool of the neurosurgeons’ intraoperative armamentarium

Riscul limfedemului după tratamentul cancerului mamar

Spital Universitar Clinic de Urgențe “Sf. Spiridon”, Iași, Al XI-lea Congres al Asociației Chirurgilor „Nicolae Anestiadi” din Republica Moldova și cea de-a XXXIII-a Reuniune a Chirurgilor din Moldova „Iacomi-Răzeșu” 27-30 septembrie 2011Introducere: Importanța problemei este legată de incidența crescută (între 3 și 87%), consecințele limfedemului fiind asupra integrării profesionale, riscului de erizipel, calității vieții și relației cu membrii familiei. Scopul lucrării: De a sublinia importanța profilaxiei precoce, luând în calcul factori ce țin de boală, chirurg și pacientă. Material și metodă: S-au luat în studiu 1104 paciente tratate pentru neoplasm mamar între 2000 și 2010. La 228 cazuri s-a efectuat intervenție conservatoare (cadranectomie și evidare limfo-gangionara), la 876-operația Madden. S-au evaluat factorii favorizanți ai limfedemului preexistenti terapiei pentru neoplasmul de sân, factorii favorizanți în postoperator și terapia asociată. Rezultate: Cu o dispensarizare la fiecare 3 luni în primul an și la 6 luni ulterior, s-au decelat 42 observații cu limfedem al membrului superior mediu și sever, precoce (până la 21 zile postoperator) - 8 observații, între 21 zile și 12 luni - 4 observații și după 12 luni - 30 observații. Limfedemul sever a apărut în 13 cazuri la paciente de peste 60 ani, ținând cont de factorii favorizanți, 8 paciente au beneficiat de măsuri terapeutice (administrarea de flavonoide micronizate, heparina fractionata, masaj, banda elastică, gimnastica membrului superior, scădere ponderală) cu rezultate bune, iar la 5 paciente nu s-au obținut beneficii evidente. Pacientele cu limfedem moderat (29cazuri) au avut o evoluție favorabilă în urma aplicării acelorași măsuri terapeutice în 25 cazuri, 4 paciente rămânând cu limfedem moderat permanent. Concluzii: Limfedemul mederat și sever au apărut (pe cazuistica analizata) numai după operația Madden. Femeia vârstnică ar fi mai predispusă la limfedem. Ablația minuțioasă a grăsimii din jurul venei axilare ar predispune la limfedem prin interceptarea celor 2 colectoare principale axilare. Greutatea corporală mare, efortul fizic important postoperator constituie factori favorizanti ai limfedemului. Există măsuri terapeutice adjuvante pentru limfedem, cu rezultate favorabile

Copy number variation of the beta-defensin genes in Europeans: no supporting evidence for association with lung function, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or asthma

Lung function measures are heritable, predict mortality and are relevant in diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD and asthma are diseases of the airways with major public health impacts and each have a heritable component. Genome-wide association studies of SNPs have revealed novel genetic associations with both diseases but only account for a small proportion of the heritability. Complex copy number variation may account for some of the missing heritability. A well-characterised genomic region of complex copy number variation contains beta-defensin genes (DEFB103, DEFB104 and DEFB4), which have a role in the innate immune response. Previous studies have implicated these and related genes as being associated with asthma or COPD. We hypothesised that copy number variation of these genes may play a role in lung function in the general population and in COPD and asthma risk. We undertook copy number typing of this locus in 1149 adult and 689 children using a paralogue ratio test and investigated association with COPD, asthma and lung function. Replication of findings was assessed in a larger independent sample of COPD cases and smoking controls. We found evidence for an association of beta-defensin copy number with COPD in the adult cohort (OR = 1.4, 95%CI:1.02–1.92, P = 0.039) but this finding, and findings from a previous study, were not replicated in a larger follow-up sample(OR = 0.89, 95%CI:0.72–1.07, P = 0.217). No robust evidence of association with asthma in children was observed. We found no evidence for association between beta-defensin copy number and lung function in the general populations. Our findings suggest that previous reports of association of beta-defensin copy number with COPD should be viewed with caution. Suboptimal measurement of copy number can lead to spurious associations. Further beta-defensin copy number measurement in larger sample sizes of COPD cases and children with asthma are needed

Differential branching fraction and angular analysis of the decay B0→K∗0μ+μ−

The angular distribution and differential branching fraction of the decay B 0→ K ∗0 μ + μ − are studied using a data sample, collected by the LHCb experiment in pp collisions at s√=7 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.0 fb−1. Several angular observables are measured in bins of the dimuon invariant mass squared, q 2. A first measurement of the zero-crossing point of the forward-backward asymmetry of the dimuon system is also presented. The zero-crossing point is measured to be q20=4.9±0.9GeV2/c4 , where the uncertainty is the sum of statistical and systematic uncertainties. The results are consistent with the Standard Model predictions

Measurement of the relative rate of prompt χc0, χc1 and χc2 production at √s=7TeV

Prompt production of charmonium χc0, χc1 and χc2 mesons is studied using proton-proton collisions at the LHC at a centre-of-mass energy of √s=7TeV. The χc mesons are identified through their decay to J/ψγ, with J/ψ→μ+mu− using photons that converted in the detector. A data sample, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.0fb−1 collected by the LHCb detector, is used to measure the relative prompt production rate of χc1 and χc2 in the rapidity range 2.0<y<4.5 as a function of the J/ψ transverse momentum from 3 to 20 GeV/c. First evidence for χc0 meson production at a hadron collider is also presented

Observation of the decay Bc→J/ψK+K−π+B_c \rightarrow J/\psi K^+ K^- \pi^+

The decay $B_c\rightarrow J/\psi K^+ K^- \pi^+$ is observed for the first time, using proton-proton collisions collected with the LHCb detector corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3fb$^{-1}$. A signal yield of $78\pm14$ decays is reported with a significance of 6.2 standard deviations. The ratio of the branching fraction of \B_c \rightarrow J/\psi K^+ K^- \pi^+ decays to that of $B_c \rightarrow J/\psi \pi^+$ decays is measured to be $0.53\pm 0.10\pm0.05$, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic.Comment: 18 pages, 2 figure

Study of B0(s)→K0Sh+h′− decays with first observation of B0s→K0SK±π∓ and B0s→K0Sπ+π−

A search for charmless three-body decays of B 0 and B0s mesons with a K0S meson in the final state is performed using the pp collision data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.0 fb−1, collected at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV recorded by the LHCb experiment. Branching fractions of the B0(s)→K0Sh+h′− decay modes (h (′) = π, K), relative to the well measured B0→K0Sπ+π− decay, are obtained. First observation of the decay modes B0s→K0SK±π∓ and B0s→K0Sπ+π− and confirmation of the decay B0→K0SK±π∓ are reported. The following relative branching fraction measurements or limits are obtained B(B0→K0SK±π∓)B(B0→K0Sπ+π−)=0.128±0.017(stat.)±0.009(syst.), B(B0→K0SK+K−)B(B0→K0Sπ+π−)=0.385±0.031(stat.)±0.023(syst.), B(B0s→K0Sπ+π−)B(B0→K0Sπ+π−)=0.29±0.06(stat.)±0.03(syst.)±0.02(fs/fd), B(B0s→K0SK±π∓)B(B0→K0Sπ+π−)=1.48±0.12(stat.)±0.08(syst.)±0.12(fs/fd)B(B0s→K0SK+K−)B(B0→K0Sπ+π−)∈[0.004;0.068]at90%CL