CT Findings of Patients with Small Bowel Obstruction due to Bezoar: A Descriptive Study

Purpose. The aim of this study was to present the computed tomography (CT) findings of bezoars that cause obstruction in the small bowel and to emphasize that some CT findings can be considered specific to some bezoar types. Materials and Methods. The records of 39 patients who underwent preoperative abdominal CT and subsequent operation with a diagnosis of intestinal obstruction due to bezoars were retrospectively analyzed. Results. In total, 56 bezoars were surgically removed from 39 patients. Bezoars were most commonly located in the jejunum (n=26/56, 46.4%). Sixteen (41.0%) patients had multiple bezoar locations in the gastrointestinal tract. Common CT findings in all patients were a mottled gas pattern and a focal ovoid or round intraluminal mass with regular margins and a heterogeneous internal structure. Furthermore, some CT findings were determined to be specific to bezoars caused by persimmons. Conclusions. Preoperative CT is valuable in patients admitted with signs of intestinal obstruction in geographic regions with a high bezoar prevalence. We believe that the correct diagnosis of bezoars and the identification of their number and location provide a great advantage for all physicians and surgeons. In addition, some types of bezoars have unique CT findings, and we believe that these findings may help to establish a diagnosis

COVID-19 and the Use of Immunomodulatory Agents in Ophthalmology

Immunomodulatory agents are often used in the systemic treatment of non-infectious uveitis. These drugs consist of corticosteroids, conventional immunosuppressives, and biological agents. As it is known that they suppress the immune system, the most important concern associated with immunomodulatory therapy (IMT) is the increased risk of infection. The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic on 11 March 2020. Although severe acute respiratory distress syndrome secondary to SARS-CoV-2 infection may develop in all people, patients who receive IMT may be at higher risk in terms of both the transmission of the infection and more severe disease course. Therefore, guidelines on the management of patients receiving IMT due to uveitis during the pandemic are needed. In this review, we examined the immunomodulatory drugs used in the treatment of uveitis in terms of infectious complications and the data of patients who received IMT during the COVID-19 pandemic and discussed recommendations for the use of these drugs. According to the latest information, patients who receive IMT may continue their treatment as long as there are no disruptions in regular complete blood count (especially white blood cell count >4,000/mu L) and liver and kidney function tests. Patients diagnosed with COVID-19 should be managed with a multidisciplinary approach

Fueling the evolution

DevOps has an important role to play in meeting 5G networks\u27 requirements for faster time to customer in an environment characterized by widely distributed resources and tight constraints on service quality. In collaboration with the open source and academic communities, we have investigated how best to address 5G challenges using DevOps and a generic architecture focused on agility and flexibility

Aligned carbon nanotubes as polarization-sensitive, molecular near-field detectors

Near-field scanning optical microscopes are widely used in imaging of subwavelength features in various material systems and nanostructures. For a variety of applications, polarization-sensitive near-field probes can provide valuable information on the nature and symmetry of the imaged nanoparticles and emitters. Conventional near-field optical microscopy lacks in-plane polarization sensitivity. Here, we use aligned single-wall carbon nanotubes as polarization-sensitive molecular scale probes to image the transverse near-field components of an optical Hertzian dipole antenna. Because of the Raman “antenna effect” in carbon nanotubes, only the near-field components along the nanotube axis are detected. These findings demonstrate that aligned carbon nanotubes can be used as polarization-sensitive near-field detectors

Silicon photodetectors integrated with vertical silicon nitride waveguides as image sensor pixels: Fabrication and characterization

The current trend toward image sensors with ever-increasing pixel counts is prompting continual reductions in pixel area, leading to significant cross-talk and efficiency challenges. The realization of image sensor pixels containing waveguides presents a means for addressing these issues. The fabrication of such pixels is however not straightforward. Conventional waveguides employed in integrated optics are horizontal, but waveguides needed for the proposed sensor must be vertical and integrated with photodetectors. Here, the authors describe a fabrication process for vertical silicon nitride waveguides integrated with silicon photodetectors. The authors describe the etching, deposition, and planarization techniques that enable the formation of silicon nitride waveguides embedded in silicon dioxide. They also describe a fabrication process for silicon photodetectors, including a means for ensuring that their photosensitive areas have sizes consistent with those of photodetectors employed in conventional image sensors. In addition, the authors perform optical and electrical characterization of the fabricated devices. The results demonstrate the ability of the fabricated waveguides to guide light onto the photodetectors with high efficiency

Relationship of the total atrial conduction time to subclinical atherosclerosis, inflammation and echocardiographic parameters in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

OBJECTIVES: The aim of our study was to evaluate the total atrial conduction time and its relationship to subclinical atherosclerosis, inflammation and echocardiographic parameters in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. METHODS: A total of 132 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (mean age 54.5±9.6 years; 57.6% male) and 80 age- and gender-matched controls were evaluated. The total atrial conduction time was measured by tissue-Doppler imaging and the carotid intima-media thickness was measured by B-mode ultrasonography. RESULTS: The total atrial conduction time was significantly longer in the patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus than in the control group (131.7±23.6 vs. 113.1±21.3, p<0.001). The patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus had significantly increased carotid intima-media thicknesses, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratios and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels than those of the controls. The total atrial conduction time was positively correlated with the high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio, carotid intima-media thickness and left atrial volume index and negatively correlated with the early diastolic velocity (Em), Em/late diastolic velocity (Am) ratio and global peak left atrial longitudinal strain. A multiple logistic regression analysis demonstrated that the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio, carotid intima-media thickness and global peak left atrial longitudinal strain were independent predictors of the total atrial conduction time. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that subclinical atherosclerosis and inflammation may represent a mechanism related to prolonged total atrial conduction time and that prolonged total atrial conduction time and impaired left atrial myocardial deformation may be represent early subclinical cardiac involvement in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus