Initial assessment and treatment of refugees in the Mediterranean Sea (a secondary data analysis concerning the initial assessment and treatment of 2656 refugees rescued from distress at sea in support of the EUNAVFOR MED relief mission of the EU)

Excerpt of the underlying study variables with explanations and degree. (DOCX 100 kb

Quantum stereodynamics of Li + HF reactive collisions: The role of reactants polarization on the differential cross section

A complete quantum study for the state-to-state Li + HF(v,j,m) → LiF(v′,j′,Ω′) + H reactive collisions has been performed using a wave packet method, for different initial rotational states and helicity states of the reactants. The state-to-state differential cross section has been simulated, and the polarization of products extracted. It is found that the reactivity is enhanced for nearly collinear collisions, which produces a vibrational excitation of HF, needed to overcome the late barrier. It is also found that LiF(v′ = 0) products are preferentially forward scattered, while vibrationally excited LiF(v′ = 1 and 2) are backward scattered. These results are interpreted with a simple reaction mechanism, based on the late character and bent geometry of the transition state, originating from a covalent/ionic crossing, which consists of two steps: the arrival at the transition state and the dissociation. In the first step, in order to get to the saddle point some HF vibrational excitation is required, which favors head-on collisions and therefore low values of m. In the second step a fast dissociation of H atom takes place, which is explained by the ionic Li+F -H character of the bent transition state: the FH- is repulsive making that H depart rapidly leaving a highly rotating LiF molecule. For the higher energy analyzed, where resonances slightly contribute, the orientation and alignment of product rotational states, referred to as reactants frame (with the z-axis parallel to k), are approximately constant with the scattering angle. The alignment is close to -1, showing that j′ is perpendicular to k, while starting from initial states with well defined rotational orientation, as states with pure m values, the final rotational are also oriented. It is also found that when using products frame (with the z′-axis parallel to k′) the rotational alignment and orientation of products varies a lot with the scattering angle just because the z′ axis changes from being parallel to anti-parallel to k when varying from θ = 0 to π. © the Owner Societies 2011.This work has been supported by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, under grants CSD2009-00038 (programa CONSOLIDER-INGENIO 2010 entitled “Molecular Astrophysics: the Herschel and Alma era”), FIS2010-18132, CTQ2008-02578 and CTQ2007-62898, and by Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid (CAM) under Grant No. S-0505/MAT/0303.Peer Reviewe

Does the Constitution Provide More Ballot Access Protection for Presidential Elections Than for U.S. House Elections?

Both the U.S. Constitution and The Federalist Papers suggest that voters ought to have more freedom to vote for the candidate of their choice for the U.S. House of Representatives than they do for the President or the U.S. Senate. Yet, strangely, for the last thirty-three years, the U.S. Supreme Court and lower courts have ruled that the Constitution gives voters more freedom to vote for the candidate of their choice in presidential elections than in congressional elections. Also, state legislatures, which have been writing ballot access laws since 1888, have passed laws that make it easier for minor-party and independent candidates to get on the ballot for President than for the U.S. House. As a result, voters in virtually every state invariably have far more choices on their general election ballots for the President than they do for the House. This Article argues that the right of a voter to vote for someone other than a Democrat or a Republican for the House is just as important as a voter’s right to do so for President, and that courts should grant more ballot access protection to minor-party and independent candidates for the House

Primary diffuse large B-cell lymphoma of the breast: prognostic factors and outcomes of a study by the International Extranodal Lymphoma Study Group

Background: Primary diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) of breast is rare. We aimed to define clinical features, prognostic factors, patterns of failure, and treatment outcomes. Patients and methods: A retrospective international study of 204 eligible patients presenting to the International Extranodal Lymphoma Study Group-affiliated institutions from 1980 to 2003. Results: Median age was 64 years, with 95% of patients presenting with unilateral disease. Median overall survival (OS) was 8.0 years, and median progression-free survival 5.5 years. In multifactor analysis, favourable International Prognostic Index score, anthracycline-containing chemotherapy, and radiotherapy (RT) were significantly associated with longer OS (each P ≤ 0.03). There was no benefit from mastectomy, as opposed to biopsy or lumpectomy only. At a median follow-up time of 5.5 years, 37% of patients had progressed—16% in the same or contralateral breast, 5% in the central nervous system, and 14% in other extranodal sites. Conclusions: The combination of limited surgery, anthracycline-containing chemotherapy, and involved-field RT produced the best outcome in the pre-rituximab era. A prospective trial on the basis of these results should be pursued to confirm these observations and to determine whether the impact of rituximab on the patterns of relapse and outcome parallels that of DLBCL presenting at other site

Design and testing of hydrophobic core/hydrophilic shell nano/micro particles for drug-eluting stent coating

In this study, we designed a novel drug-eluting coating for vascular implants consisting of a core coating of the anti-proliferative drug docetaxel (DTX) and a shell coating of the platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor monoclonal antibody SZ-21. The core/shell structure was sprayed onto the surface of 316L stainless steel stents using a coaxial electrospray process with the aim of creating a coating that exhibited a differential release of the two drugs. The prepared stents displayed a uniform coating consisting of nano/micro particles. In vitro drug release experiments were performed, and we demonstrated that a biphasic mathematical model was capable of capturing the data, indicating that the release of the two drugs conformed to a diffusion-controlled release system. We demonstrated that our coating was capable of inhibiting the adhesion and activation of platelets, as well as the proliferation and migration of smooth muscle cells (SMCs), indicating its good biocompatibility and anti-proliferation qualities. In an in vivo porcine coronary artery model, the SZ-21/DTX drug-loaded hydrophobic core/hydrophilic shell particle coating stents were observed to promote re-endothelialization and inhibit neointimal hyperplasia. This core/shell particle-coated stent may serve as part of a new strategy for the differential release of different functional drugs to sequentially target thrombosis and in-stent restenosis during the vascular repair process and ensure rapid re-endothelialization in the field of cardiovascular disease

A randomized multi-center phase II trial of the angiogenesis inhibitor Cilengitide (EMD 121974) and gemcitabine compared with gemcitabine alone in advanced unresectable pancreatic cancer

BACKGROUND: Anti-angiogenic treatment is believed to have at least cystostatic effects in highly vascularized tumours like pancreatic cancer. In this study, the treatment effects of the angiogenesis inhibitor Cilengitide and gemcitabine were compared with gemcitabine alone in patients with advanced unresectable pancreatic cancer. METHODS: A multi-national, open-label, controlled, randomized, parallel-group, phase II pilot study was conducted in 20 centers in 7 countries. Cilengitide was administered at 600 mg/m(2 )twice weekly for 4 weeks per cycle and gemcitabine at 1000 mg/m(2 )for 3 weeks followed by a week of rest per cycle. The planned treatment period was 6 four-week cycles. The primary endpoint of the study was overall survival and the secondary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS), response rate, quality of life (QoL), effects on biological markers of disease (CA 19.9) and angiogenesis (vascular endothelial growth factor and basic fibroblast growth factor), and safety. An ancillary study investigated the pharmacokinetics of both drugs in a subset of patients. RESULTS: Eighty-nine patients were randomized. The median overall survival was 6.7 months for Cilengitide and gemcitabine and 7.7 months for gemcitabine alone. The median PFS times were 3.6 months and 3.8 months, respectively. The overall response rates were 17% and 14%, and the tumor growth control rates were 54% and 56%, respectively. Changes in the levels of CA 19.9 went in line with the clinical course of the disease, but no apparent relationships were seen with the biological markers of angiogenesis. QoL and safety evaluations were comparable between treatment groups. Pharmacokinetic studies showed no influence of gemcitabine on the pharmacokinetic parameters of Cilengitide and vice versa. CONCLUSION: There were no clinically important differences observed regarding efficacy, safety and QoL between the groups. The observations lay in the range of other clinical studies in this setting. The combination regimen was well tolerated with no adverse effects on the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of either agent

Between seas and continents: aspects of the scientific career of Hermann Von Ihering, 1850-1930

This paper covers some periods in Hermann von Ihering’s scientific trajectory: his training in zoology in Germany and Naples, his international activities based in Brazil, and his return to Germany. It deals with aspects of the formulation of his theories on land bridges. It focuses on the network of contacts he maintained with German émigrés like himself, and primarily with Florentino Ameghino, which allowed him to interact in international scientific circles. It mentions excerpts of his letters and his publications in the periods when he began corresponding with Ameghino (1890), when he travelled to Europe in search of support for his theories (1907), and when he published his book on the history of the Atlantic Ocean (1927).Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse