338 research outputs found
Portal Vein Thrombosis after Restorative Proctocolectomy for Familial Adenomatous Polyposis and Sigmoid Cancer
Postoperative portal vein thrombosis (PVT) is rare, but has been described after various open as well as minimal access abdominal operations, especially splenectomy and colorectal surgical procedures. We report the case of a 39-year-old female who underwent restorative proctocolectomy and ileal pouch-anal anastomosis for familial adenomatous polyposis with sigmoid cancer. She presented 14 days later with vague upper abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and high output stoma. Doppler ultrasonography confirmed PVT and therefore anticoagulant therapy was started. Her condition improved dramatically and she underwent closure of ileostomy after finishing adjuvant chemotherapy. She remained well at 3-year follow-up with good pouch function and no local or distant recurrence. A high index of suspicion is essential for early diagnosis and prompt treatment of postoperative PVT after restorative proctocolectomy. Early anticoagulation is essential to avoid subsequent complications
Time spent with cats is never wasted: Lessons learned from feline acromegalic cardiomyopathy, a naturally occurring animal model of the human disease
<div><p>Background</p><p>In humans, acromegaly due to a pituitary somatotrophic adenoma is a recognized cause of increased left ventricular (LV) mass. Acromegalic cardiomyopathy is incompletely understood, and represents a major cause of morbidity and mortality. We describe the clinical, echocardiographic and histopathologic features of naturally occurring feline acromegalic cardiomyopathy, an emerging disease among domestic cats.</p><p>Methods</p><p>Cats with confirmed hypersomatotropism (IGF-1>1000ng/ml and pituitary mass; n = 67) were prospectively recruited, as were two control groups: diabetics (IGF-1<800ng/ml; n = 24) and healthy cats without known endocrinopathy or cardiovascular disease (n = 16). Echocardiography was performed in all cases, including after hypersomatotropism treatment where applicable. Additionally, tissue samples from deceased cats with hypersomatotropism, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and age-matched controls (n = 21 each) were collected and systematically histopathologically reviewed and compared.</p><p>Results</p><p>By echocardiography, cats with hypersomatotropism had a greater maximum LV wall thickness (6.5mm, 4.1β10.1mm) than diabetic (5.9mm, 4.2β9.1mm; Mann Whitney, p<0.001) or control cats (5.2mm, 4.1β6.5mm; Mann Whitney, p<0.001). Left atrial diameter was also greater in cats with hypersomatotropism (16.6mm, 13.0β29.5mm) than in diabetic (15.4mm, 11.2β20.3mm; Mann Whitney, p<0.001) and control cats (14.0mm, 12.6β17.4mm; Mann Whitney, p<0.001). After hypophysectomy and normalization of IGF-1 concentration (n = 20), echocardiographic changes proved mostly reversible. As in humans, histopathology of the feline acromegalic heart was dominated by myocyte hypertrophy with interstitial fibrosis and minimal myofiber disarray.</p><p>Conclusions</p><p>These results demonstrate cats could be considered a naturally occurring model of acromegalic cardiomyopathy, and as such help elucidate mechanisms driving cardiovascular remodeling in this disease.</p></div
Loneliness, social support and cardiovascular reactivity to laboratory stress
Self-reported or explicit loneliness and social support have been inconsistently associated with cardiovascular reactivity (CVR) to stress. The present study aimed to adapt an implicit measure of loneliness, and use it alongside the measures of explicit loneliness and social support, to investigate their correlations with CVR to laboratory stress. Twenty-five female volunteers aged between 18 and 39 years completed self-reported measures of loneliness and social support, and an Implicit Association Test (IAT) of loneliness. The systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and heart rate (HR) reactivity indices were measured in response to psychosocial stress induced in the laboratory. Functional support indices of social support were significantly correlated with CVR reactivity to stress. Interestingly, implicit, but not explicit, loneliness was significantly correlated with DBP reactivity after one of the stressors. No associations were found between structural support and CVR indices. Results are discussed in terms of validity of implicit versus explicit measures and possible factors that affect physiological outcomes
Infrared composition of the Large Magellanic Cloud
The evolution of galaxies and the history of star formation in the Universe
are among the most important topics in today's astrophysics. Especially, the
role of small, irregular galaxies in the star-formation history of the Universe
is not yet clear. Using the data from the AKARI IRC survey of the Large
Magellanic Cloud at 3.2, 7, 11, 15, and 24 {\mu}m wavelengths, i.e., at the
mid- and near-infrared, we have constructed a multiwavelength catalog
containing data from a cross-correlation with a number of other databases at
different wavelengths. We present the separation of different classes of stars
in the LMC in color-color, and color-magnitude, diagrams, and analyze their
contribution to the total LMC flux, related to point sources at different
infrared wavelengths
Neurovasculature of high and low tie ligation of the inferior mesenteric artery
PURPOSE: Controversy exists as to whether a high or low tie ligation of the inferior mesenteric artery (IMA) is the preferred technique in surgeries of the left colon and rectum. This study aims to contribute to the discussion as to which is the more beneficial technique by investigating the neurovasculature at each site. METHODS: Ten embalmed cadaveric donors underwent division of the inferior mesenteric artery at the level of the low tie. The artery was subsequently ligated at the root to render a section of tissue for histological analysis of the proximal (high tie), mid and distal (low tie) segments. RESULTS: Ganglia observed in the proximal end of seven specimens in the sample imply that there would be disruption to the innervation in a high tie procedure. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that a high tie should be avoided if the low tie is oncologically viable
B to strange tensor meson transition in a model with one universal extra dimension
We analyze the semileptonic transition in universal
extra dimension model. In particular, we present the sensitivity of related
observables such as branching ratio, polarization distribution and
forward-backward asymmetry to the compactification factor (1/R) of extra
dimension. The obtained results from extra dimension model show overall a
considerable deviation from the standard model predictions for small values of
the compactification factor. This can be considered as an indication for
existence of extra dimensions.Comment: 10 Pges, 6 Figures and 2 Table
Identifying Molecular Markers Suitable For Frl Selection in Tomato Breeding
Modern plant breeding heavily relies on the use of molecular markers. In recent years, next generation sequencing (NGS) emerged as a powerful technology to discover DNA sequence polymorphisms and generate molecular markers very rapidly and cost effectively, accelerating the plant breeding programmes. A single dominant locus, Frl, in tomato provides resistance to the fungal pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. radicis-lycopersici (FORL), causative agent of Fusarium crown and root rot. In this study, we describe the generation of molecular markers associated with the Frl locus. An F2 mapping population between an FORL resistant and a susceptible cultivar was generated. NGS technology was then used to sequence the genomes of a susceptible and a resistant parent as well the genomes of bulked resistant and susceptible F2 lines. We zoomed into the Frl locus and mapped the locus to a 900 kb interval on chromosome 9. Polymorphic single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the interval were identified and markers co-segregating with the resistant phenotype were generated. Some of these markers were tested successfully with commercial tomato varieties indicating that they can be used for marker-assisted selection in large-scale breeding programmes
Small Vessel Ischemic Disease of the Brain and Brain Metastases in Lung Cancer Patients
Brain metastases occur commonly in patients with lung cancer. Small vessel ischemic disease is frequently found when imaging the brain to detect metastases. We aimed to determine if the presence of small vessel ischemic disease (SVID) of the brain is protective against the development of brain metastases in lung cancer patients.A retrospective cohort of 523 patients with biopsy confirmed lung cancer who had received magnetic resonance imaging of the brain as part of their standard initial staging evaluation was reviewed. Information collected included demographics, comorbidities, details of the lung cancer, and the presence of SVID of the brain. A portion of the cohort had the degree of SVID graded. The primary outcome measure was the portion of study subjects with and without SVID of the brain who had evidence of brain metastases at the time of initial staging of their lung cancer.109 patients (20.8%) had evidence of brain metastases at presentation and 345 (66.0%) had evidence of SVID. 13.9% of those with SVID and 34.3% of those without SVID presented with brain metastases (p<0.0001). In a model including age, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and tobacco use, SVID of the brain was found to be the only protective factor against the development of brain metastases, with an OR of 0.31 (0.20, 0.48; p<0.001). The grade of SVID was higher in those without brain metastases.These findings suggest that vascular changes in the brain are protective against the development of brain metastases in lung cancer patients
Incidence and Risk of QTc Interval Prolongation among Cancer Patients Treated with Vandetanib: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Vandetanib is a multikinase inhibitor that is under assessment for the treatment of various cancers. QTc interval prolongation is one of the major adverse effects of this drug, but the reported incidence varies substantially among clinical trials. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to obtain a better understanding in the risk of QTc interval prolongation among cancer patients administered vandetanib.Eligible studies were phase II and III prospective clinical trials that involved cancer patients who were prescribed vandetanib 300 mg/d and that included data on QTc interval prolongation. The overall incidence and risk of QTc interval prolongation were calculated using random-effects or fixed-effects models, depending on the heterogeneity of the included studies. Nine trials with 2,188 patients were included for the meta-analysis. The overall incidence of all-grade and high-grade QTc interval prolongation was 16.4% (95% CI, 8.1-30.4%) and 3.7% (8.1-30.4%), respectively, among non-thyroid cancer patients, and 18.0% (10.7-28.6%) and 12.0% (4.5-28.0%), respectively, among thyroid cancer patients. Patients with thyroid cancer who had longer treatment duration also had a higher incidence of high-grade events, with a relative risk of 3.24 (1.57-6.71), than patients who had non-thyroid cancer. Vandetanib was associated with a significantly increased risk of all-grade QTc interval prolongation with overall Peto odds ratios of 7.26 (4.36-12.09) and 5.70 (3.09-10.53) among patients with non-thyroid cancer and thyroid cancer, respectively, compared to the controls.Treatment with vandetanib is associated with a significant increase in the overall incidence and risk of QTc interval prolongation. Different cancer types and treatment durations may affect the risk of developing high-grade QTc interval prolongation
Jet energy measurement with the ATLAS detector in proton-proton collisions at root s=7 TeV
The jet energy scale and its systematic uncertainty are determined for jets measured with the ATLAS detector at the LHC in proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of βs = 7TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 38 pb-1. Jets are reconstructed with the anti-kt algorithm with distance parameters R=0. 4 or R=0. 6. Jet energy and angle corrections are determined from Monte Carlo simulations to calibrate jets with transverse momenta pTβ₯20 GeV and pseudorapidities {pipe}Ξ·{pipe}<4. 5. The jet energy systematic uncertainty is estimated using the single isolated hadron response measured in situ and in test-beams, exploiting the transverse momentum balance between central and forward jets in events with dijet topologies and studying systematic variations in Monte Carlo simulations. The jet energy uncertainty is less than 2. 5 % in the central calorimeter region ({pipe}Ξ·{pipe}<0. 8) for jets with 60β€pT<800 GeV, and is maximally 14 % for pT<30 GeV in the most forward region 3. 2β€{pipe}Ξ·{pipe}<4. 5. The jet energy is validated for jet transverse momenta up to 1 TeV to the level of a few percent using several in situ techniques by comparing a well-known reference such as the recoiling photon pT, the sum of the transverse momenta of tracks associated to the jet, or a system of low-pT jets recoiling against a high-pT jet. More sophisticated jet calibration schemes are presented based on calorimeter cell energy density weighting or hadronic properties of jets, aiming for an improved jet energy resolution and a reduced flavour dependence of the jet response. The systematic uncertainty of the jet energy determined from a combination of in situ techniques is consistent with the one derived from single hadron response measurements over a wide kinematic range. The nominal corrections and uncertainties are derived for isolated jets in an inclusive sample of high-pT jets. Special cases such as event topologies with close-by jets, or selections of samples with an enhanced content of jets originating from light quarks, heavy quarks or gluons are also discussed and the corresponding uncertainties are determined. Β© 2013 CERN for the benefit of the ATLAS collaboration
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