Testicular Arteriovenous Malformation: Gray-Scale and Color Doppler Ultrasonography Features

Intratesticular arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are extremely rare benign incidental lesions of the testis. Ultrasonography (US) generally reveals a hypoechoic solid mass within the testicular parenchyma. We describe a patient with intratesticular AVM which was found incidentally during workup for infertility. The gray-scale and Doppler US appearance of an intratesticular AVM and the differential diagnosis have been presented. Based on the gray-scale, US appearance differentiation from malignant testicular tumors is difficult. Doppler US examination aids in the diagnosis by demonstrating the vascular nature of the tumor

Plasma total anti-oxidant capacity correlates inversely with the extent of acute appendicitis: a case control study

BACKGROUND: The role of free oxygen radicals in inflammatory conditions is well known. Free radicals cause lipid peroxidation of cellular membranes resulting in cell death. The purpose of this study was to investigate the levels of total anti-oxidant status (TAS), as a marker of anti-oxidant defense system and malondialdehyde (MDA), as a marker of oxidative stress, in the plasma of patients with acute appendicitis. METHODS: Fifty-one adult patients with a median age of 31 years who underwent operations with a preoperative diagnosis of acute appendicitis were included in this prospective study. Blood samples for C-reactive protein (CRP), MDA and TAS were collected preoperatively. Groups were compared by using the Mann-Whitney U test. RESULTS: There were 27 patients with acute phlagmenous appendicitis and 19 patients with advanced appendicitis (10 gangrenous and 9 perforated appendicitis), while 5 negative explorations were documented. No significant differences in WBC counts and MDA levels between groups were encountered. Plasma CRP was significantly higher in patients with perforated appendicitis, but not in the other groups. In advanced appendicitis group, TAS level was significantly lower than the other groups. On the other hand, plasma TAS level in acute phlagmenous appendicitis group was significantly higher. CONCLUSION: A decrease in plasma total anti-oxidant capacity might be a predictor of the progression of inflammation to the perforation in acute appendicitis

PL FSM: An Approach and a Tool for the Application of FSM in SPL Environments

In order to develop cost-efficient software it is crucial to measure the accurate software size. However; measuring the software size has up to now been almost entirely a manual process and, as such, is both time-consuming and prone to human error which can end up with time and money loss. Automation of this process is a must for the software developing companies to improve the quality of project and budget planning. This paper introduces a mapping between COSMIC concept elements and UML conceptual elements and an automation tool in order to capture the information needed for functional software size measurement from UML diagrams in a component based software product line environment (CBPL) that are structured in accordance with the interface based design (IbD) method. The mapping and the tool combined is called PL FSM. The results obtained by manual measurement and automated measurement are compared and the results are observed to be close. As a result of this study, PL FSM approach is validated in CBPL environment at the design stage of software development process. The case studies have been carried out in embedded systems domain

A simple modified technique for repair of umbilical hernia in patients undergo laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Report of 10 cases

Introduzione e scopo. L’ernia ombelicale spesso si associa a colelitiasi. È possibile realizzare la plastica dell’ernia dopo la colecistectomia in un unico tempo laparoscopico. Descriviamo una semplice modifica tecnica utile in questi casi. Pazienti e metodi. La tecnica modificata è stata realizzata in 10 pazienti sottoposti a colecistectomia laparoscopica. Effettuata la colecistectomia, l’incisione del trocar periombelicale è prolungata verso l’ombelico. Si riporta quindi il sacco erniario in cavità e con 1-2 punti di sutura si avvicinano i bordi fasciali del difetto erniario, sempre attraverso l’incisione realizzata per l’introduzione del trocar. Una mesh in polipropilene viene quindi posizionata direttamente sulla superficie peritoneale (onlay) e fissata ai quattro punti cardinali, a coprire il difetto erniario e l’incisione per il trocar dell’ottica (overlap). Risultati. Non abbiamo registrato alcuna complicanza delle incisioni addominali né recidive a un follow-up mediano di 23 mesi (range 6-40). Conclusioni. Questa semplice modifica tecnica è particolarmente utile in centri con esperienza di videolaparocolecistectomia nei quali la riparazione laparoscopica dell’ernia ombelicale non è invece pratica frequente o mancano materiali e strumentazione specifici per realizzarla

Metastasis of Gastric Signet-Ring Cell Carcinoma to the Urinary Bladder: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Although signet-ring cell (SRC) adenocarcinoma is commonly seen in the stomach, it is a very rarely seen histologic entity in the bladder. It is difficult to distinguish primary SRC adenocarcinoma of the bladder from bladder metastasis of SRC carcinoma of the stomach only based on histological findings. In such cases, clinical findings and immunohistochemical studies may be helpful. We present here a 48-year-old male patient presenting with hematuria and abdominal pain. Computerised tomography of the patient revealed a gastric mass, peritoneal involvement, and thickening of the bladder wall, and histopathological analysis revealed SRC adenocarcinoma in both of the endoscopic biopsies taken from the stomach and bladder. Immunohistochemical analyses confirmed the diagnosis of SRC adenocarcinoma of the bladder secondary to gastric cancer

Midterm results of the cylindrical fully porous-coated uncemented femoral stem in revision patients with Paprosky I-IIIA femoral defects

Introduction: The aim of this study was to analyze the survival of the Echelon (R) femoral stems in revision hip surgeries in patients with Paprosky I-IIIA femoral defects. Patients and methods: Sixty-six patients (70 hips) who underwent revision hip surgery with at least 3 years of follow-up data were included in the study between 2000 and 2013. The mean patient age was 64.5 (32-83) years, and the mean follow-up period was 93 (45-206) months. The reasons for revision were aseptic loosening in 55 (78.6%) patients, periprosthetic joint infection in 9 (12.9%) patients, periprosthetic fracture in 4 (5.7%) patients, and stem fracture in 2 (2.9%) patients. The preoperative and postoperative follow-up X-rays and functional scores were evaluated. Results: Five patients died in an average of 70 (45-86) months after surgery due to non-related diseases. We encountered sciatic nerve palsy in two patients and early hip dislocation in two patients, whereas 54 patients were able to walk without any assistive device. The remaining 12 patients required an assistive device to walk. The mean Harris hip score significantly increased from 34 (7-63) preoperatively to 72 (43-96) postoperatively. Aseptic loosening was observed in one patient. The survival of the porous-coated anatomical uncemented femoral stem was 98.4% over 10 years. Conclusion: This study showed that good clinical outcomes and survival can be obtained when using porous-coated anatomical uncemented femoral stems

Silica embedded cobalt(0) nanoclusters: Efficient, stable and cost effective catalyst for hydrogen generation from the hydrolysis of ammonia borane

Cobalt(0) nanoclusters embedded in silica (Co@SiO2) were prepared by a facile two-step procedure. In the first step, the hydrogenphosphate anion (HPO42-) stabilized cobalt(0) nanoclusters were in situ generated from the reduction of cobalt(II) chloride during the hydrolysis of sodium borohydride (NaBH4) in the presence of stabilizer. Next, HPO42- anion-stabilized cobalt(0) nanoclusters were embedded in silica formed by in situ hydrolysis and condensation of tetraethylorthosilicate added as ethanol solution. Co@SiO2 can be separated from the solution by vacuum filtration and characterized by UV-Vis electronic absorption spectroscopy, TEM, SEM-EDX, ATR-IR and ICP-OES techniques. Co@SiO2 are found to be highly active and stable catalysts in the hydrolysis of ammonia borane (AB) even at low cobalt concentration and room temperature. They provide an initial turnover frequency of 13.3 min(-1) and 24,400 total turnovers over 52 h in the hydrolysis of AB at 25.0 +/- 0.5 degrees C. Moreover, Co@SiO2 retain 72% and 74% of the initial activity after ten runs recyclability and five cycles reusability test in the hydrolysis of AB, respectively. The kinetics of hydrogen generation from the hydrolysis of AB catalyzed by Co@SiO2 was studied depending on the catalyst concentration, substrate concentration, and temperature. The activation parameters of this catalytic reaction were also determined from the evaluation of the kinetic data. Copyright (C) 2011, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Bilateral First-Ray Amputation of the Foot Due to Severe Tophaceous Gout Complicated by Infection and Discharged Sinus A Case Report

Background: Gout is a purine metabolism disease. Tophaceous gout may cause joint destruction and other systemic problems and sometimes may be complicated by infection. Infection and sinus with discharge associated with tophaceous gout are serious complications, and treatment is difficult. We present a patient with tophaceous gout complicated by infection and discharging sinus treated by bilateral amputation at the level of the first metatarsus