Primary pulmonary melanoma: the unexpected tumour

A 62-year-old woman was referred to our pulmonology team with exertional dyspnoea and chest tightness of 2 months duration. Her medical history included cervical cancer and thyroid nodules. Imaging studies showed collapse of left upper lobe. Fiberoptic bronchoscopy unveiled an endoluminal lesion and bronchial biopsy displayed features of melanoma. She denied a history of melanoma or excision of lesions of skin, mucous membranes or the eye. A thorough evaluation including combined positron emission tomography with CT scan excluded other possible sites of primary melanoma, but there was a metastasis in a thoracic vertebra. Palliative radiotherapy of the spine was performed. Chemotherapy initiation with dacarbazine was postponed by the appearance of a malignant pleural effusion, confirmed by pleural fluid cytology. After four cycles chemotherapy was discontinued due to disease progression. The patient is still alive with a follow-up of 12 months, currently on best supportive care

PARTICLE SIZE DISTRIBUTION CORRECTION METHOD USING A SIMULATED ANNEALING TECHNIQUE

The procedure for obtaining the particle size distribution by visual inspection of a sample involves stereological errors, given the cut of the sample. A cut particle, supposedly spherical, with radius R, will be counted as a circular particle with radius r, r≤R. The difference between r and R depends on how far from the center of the sphere the cut was performed. This introduces errors when the extrapolation of the properties from two to three dimensions during the analysis of a sample. The usual method is to correct the distribution by probabilistic functions, which have large errors. This paper presents a method to reduce the error inherent to this problem. The method is to compute a simulation of the preparation process in a sample whose structure can be described by non-penetrating spheres of various diameters which meet a known probability distribution function, for example, a log-logistic function, or even a constant function. For each distribution radius, a number of spheres is generated and virtually cut, generating a bi-dimensional (2D) distribution. The 2D curves of the spheres distribution obtained in this simulation are compared with that obtained by the experimental procedure and then the parameters of the threedimensional distribution function are adjusted until the 2D curves are similar to the experimental one using the optimization method Simulated Annealing for the curve-fitting. In future this method will be applied to the analysis of the oil reservoir rocks

Efeito da temperatura no crescimento e capacidade parasítica de isolados de Trichoderma spp. selecionados para o controle biológico de Sclerotinia sclerotiorum.

O mofo-branco (Sclerotinia sclerotiorum) é a doença mais destrutiva do feijoeiro nos plantios de inverno, quando os dias são mais curtos e as temperaturas mais amenas (15 a 25ºC). Além das práticas culturais que contribuem para a redução do inóculo do patógeno no solo, o uso de agentes de controle biológico têm se intensificado. Espécies de Trichoderma são recomendados com relativo sucesso para o controle da doença em diversos países. A maioria das espécies de Trichoderma desenvolve-se melhor em temperaturas superiores a 25ºC. No Brasil, produtos à base de Trichoderma são utilizados em algumas regiões produtoras que apresentam temperatura elevada no inverno, entretanto, são pouco eficientes em regiões ou épocas de temperatura mais frias. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito da temperatura (15, 20, 25, 30 e 35ºC) sobre o crescimento e capacidade de parasitismo de três isolados de Trichoderma spp. (T66, T111 e T409) previamente selecionados para o controle do mofo branco. Foram avaliados o crescimento radial das colônias e a germinação de esporos em meio de cultura, além da capacidade de parasitismo sobre escleródios do patógeno no solo. A germinação de esporos e o crescimento das colônias de todos os isolados foram maiores entre 20 e 30ºC. Já a capacidade de inibição da germinação e parasitismo de escleródios foi variável entre os isolados e as temperaturas. De forma geral, nenhum dos isolados foi eficiente em parasitar os escleródios do patógeno nas temperaturas mais baixas (15 a 20ºC). Portanto, são necessárias novas avaliações na busca de isolados mais eficientes para o cultivo de outono-inverno

Genotipagem de uma família F2 de mamoneira por meio de marcadores microssatélite.

A mamoneira (Ricinus communis L.) é uma planta oleaginosa de elevado potencial energético e de grande importância socioeconômica para o Nordeste. Apresenta-se como fonte energética alternativa ao petróleo e seus derivados, além de apresentar uma alta capacidade de adaptação às diferentes condições ambientais.Em paralelo aconteceram também os seguintes eventos: V Seminário de Pesquisa do Recôncavo da Bahia; V Seminário Estudantil de Pesquisa da UFRB; V Seminário da Pós-Graduação da UFRB; II Seminário Regional de Pesquisa da EBDA; 5ª Jornada Científica da Embrapa Mandioca e Fruticultura; VIII Seminário Estudantil de Pesquisa e Extensão da FAMAM; Semana de Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação no Agronegócio; Fórum de Gestores de Iniciação Científica e Tecnológica da Bahia; II Simpósio Baiano de Defesa Agropecuária; I Semana de Educação Tutorial da UFRB

O papel dos fitonematóides sobre as pastagens tropicais e seus impactos nos sistemas de integração lavoura-pecuária e agrosilvopastoris.

Edição dos Resumos do XLIII Congresso Brasileiro de Fitopatologia, 2010, Cuiabá. Mesa Redonda 4: Impacto das doenças de forrageiras na agropecuária

Consecutive bilateral decompression retinopathy after mitomycin C trabeculectomy: a case report.

BACKGROUND: After a successful trabeculectomy, a sudden intraocular pressure decrease may alter the intracranial to intraocular pressure ratio and cause decompression retinopathy. Frequent Valsalva maneuvers may also play a role in its pathogenesis. This condition may manifest as multiple retinal hemorrhages, edema of the optic disc, macular edema, or a sudden decrease in visual acuity postoperatively. Outcomes for patients are usually good, with spontaneous resolution occurring within a matter of weeks. It has been rarely reported in the literature as a bilateral condition. CASE PRESENTATION: We present a case of consecutive bilateral decompression retinopathy in a 54-year-old severely obese Caucasian woman (body mass index 37 kg/m(2)) with open angle glaucoma and a poor history of medical therapeutic compliance, who chose surgical treatment based on her inability to consistently use ocular drops. Our patient underwent a trabeculectomy with mitomycin C in both eyes, with surgeries taking place 3 months apart. After the first surgery, 2 weeks postoperatively, she complained of decreased visual acuity. Examination of her right eye fundus revealed multiple retinal hemorrhages and disc edema. There was a similar pattern in her left eye, this time including maculopathy. Her visual acuity and fundoscopic changes resolved spontaneously over a period of a month in both cases. Currently, our patient has well-controlled bilateral intraocular pressure, ranging between 14 and 16 mmHg, without hypotensive medication. CONCLUSIONS: Decompression retinopathy is a potential complication after glaucoma surgery, but has rarely been described as a bilateral consecutive condition. A comprehensive approach could help to anticipate its occurrence and manage it

Primary and secondary scintillation measurements in a Xenon Gas Proportional Scintillation Counter

16 páginas, 10 figuras, 1 tabla.-- El PDF es la versión post-print.-- et al.NEXT is a new experiment to search for neutrinoless double beta decay using a 100 kg radio-pure high-pressure gaseous xenon TPC. The detector requires excellent energy resolution, which can be achieved in a Xe TPC with electroluminescence readout. Hamamatsu R8520-06SEL photomultipliers are good candidates for the scintillation readout. The performance of this photomultiplier, used as VUV photosensor in a gas proportional scintillation counter, was investigated. Initial results for the detection of primary and secondary scintillation produced as a result of the interaction of 5.9 keV X-rays in gaseous xenon, at room temperature and at pressures up to 3 bar, are presented. An energy resolution of 8.0% was obtained for secondary scintillation produced by 5.9 keV X-rays. No significant variation of the primary scintillation was observed for different pressures (1, 2 and 3 bar) and for electric fields up to 0.8 V cm-1 torr-1 in the drift region, demonstrating negligible recombination luminescence. A primary scintillation yield of 81 ± 7 photons was obtained for 5.9 keV X-rays, corresponding to a mean energy of 72 ± 6 eV to produce a primary scintillation photon in xenon.This work was supported by FCT (Portugal) and FEDER through project PTDC/FIS/103860/2008. E.D.C. Freitas acknowledges grant SFRH/BD/46711/2008 from FCT. C.M.B. Monteiro acknowledges grant SFRH/BD/25569/2005 from FCT. M. Ball, J.J. Gómez-Cadenas and N. Yahlali acknowledge the Spanish MICINN for the Consolider-Ingenio grants CSD2008-00037 and CSD2007-00042 and the research grants FPA2009-13697-C04-04 and FPA2009-13697-C04-B23/12. D.R. Nygren acknowledges support by the Director, Office of Science, Office of High Energy Physics, of the U.S. Department of Energy under contract DE-AC02-05CH11231.Peer reviewe