Recurrent Bacteremia, a Complication of Cyanoacrylate Injection for Variceal Bleeding: Report of Two Cases and Review of the Literature

We report the first description of recurrent bacteremia in two patients after cyanoacrylate injection for gastric varices bleeding treated with antibiotics alone. Adapted and prolonged antibiotic treatment allowed a complete resolution of the infection with no relapse after more than 6 months. According to recent data, prophylactic antibiotics should be further investigated for patients with bleeding varices undergoing cyanoacrylate injection

Abundances of Stars with Planets: Trends with Condensation Temperature

Precise abundances of 18 elements have been derived for ten stars known to host giant planets from high signal-to-noise ratio, high-resolution echelle spectroscopy. Internal uncertainties in the derived abundances are typically <=0.05 dex. The stars in our sample have all been previously shown to have abundances that correlate with the condensation temperature (T_c) of the elements in the sense of increasing abundances with increasing T_c; these trends have been interpreted as evidence that the stars may have accreted H-depleted planetary material. Our newly derived abundances also correlate positively with T_c, although slopes of linear least-square fits to the [m/H]-T_c relations for all but two stars are smaller here than in previous studies. When considering the refractory elements (T_c > 900 K) only, which may be more sensitive to planet formation processes, the sample can be separated into a group with positive slopes (four stars) and a group with flat or negative slopes (six stars). The four stars with positive slopes have very close-in giant planets (three at 0.05 AU) and slopes that fall above the general Galactic chemical evolution trend. We suggest that these stars have accreted refractory-rich planet material but not to the extent that would increase significantly the overall stellar metallicity. The flat or negative slopes of the remaining six stars are consistent with recent suggestions of a planet formation signature, although we show that the trends may be the result of Galactic chemical evolution.Comment: 64 pages (single column), 5 figures, 10 tables. Accepted by Ap

Imported Plasmodium falciparum malaria in HIV-infected patients: a report of two cases

As HIV becomes a chronic infection, an increasing number of HIV-infected patients are travelling to malaria-endemic areas. Association of malaria with HIV/AIDS can be clinically severe. Severe falciparum malaria is a medical emergency that is associated with a high mortality, even when treated in an Intensive Care Unit. This article describes two cases of HIV-positive patients, who returned from malaria-endemic areas and presented a parasitaemia > 5% of erythrocytes and clinical signs of severe falciparum malaria, both with > 350 CD4 cell count/μl, absence of chemoprophylaxis and successful response. Factors like drug interactions and the possible implication of anti-malarial therapy bioavailability are all especially interesting in HIV-malaria co-infections

Weather on Other Worlds IV: In-Depth Study of Photometric Variability and Radiative Timescales for Atmospheric Evolution in Four L Dwarfs

Rotational phase mapping of brown dwarfs allows exploration of different cloud and photospheric properties within the same atmospheres, allowing a separation of these parameters from global parameters, such as composition, surface gravity, and age. This work presents an in-depth characterization of high SNR light curves from the Spitzer Space Telescope with up to 13 hours of continuous monitoring of four dwarfs spanning the L3 to L8 spectral type. An exhaustive exploration of currently available state-of-the-art models explains the observed color changes for two of these dwarfs with a linear combination of two model cloudy surfaces differing in effective temperature, cloud opacity and vertical mixing. Using state-of-the-art purely radiative convective atmospheric models, we calculate basic radiative timescales for temperature perturbations in the atmosphere, and consider the effects of dynamics on these timescales. Along with dynamical atmospheric advection timescales, we discuss the relationships between model timescales and the observed light curve evolution

First case of cerebral abscess due to a novel Nocardia species in an immunocompromised patient

Flateau, C. et al.-- 16 pages, 2 figures, 26 references.We report the first case of cerebral abscess due to a novel species of Nocardia in a heart transplanted patient, and describe antimicrobial susceptibility of this isolate. As our patient was intolerant to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, we also discuss alternative therapeutic options in brain abscess due to Nocardia sp.Peer Reviewe