1,555 research outputs found
Local anaesthesia efficacy as postoperative analgesia for open shoulder instability surgery. a prospective randomised controlled study
Background and objectives: The aim of present study was to evaluate for the first time, the clinical effect of local anaesthetic infiltration as postoperative analgesia in open shoulder surgery for anterior-inferior instability. The comparison of the local infiltration and interscalenic brachial plexus block to a control group test the local anaesthetic efficacy in this surgery.
Methods: 78 patients scheduled for open shoulder surgery were enrolled and randomly assigned to one of three groups: local infiltration anaesthesia (LIA), interscalenic brachial plexus block (IBPB) and control (C). All patients received standardized general anaesthesia and all injections were performed with the same dose and volume of anaesthetic. The number boluses delivered by a PCA pump applied at the end of surgery and the visual analogue score (VAS) at 0, 2, 4, 6, 12, 18 and 24 hours after intervention were recorded. A patient satisfaction score was also assessed.
Results: Mean bolus consumption of the rescue analgesic, compared to C, was significantly less both in the LIA and IBPB groups (P<0.05). The IBPB group showed VAS scores that were significantly better than C group at all time points (P<0.05). The VAS scores for LIA group were clinically comparable to IBPB, and only at the 2 and 6 hours, postoperative time points there were no significant differences found in respect to the C group. IBPB and LIA showed comparable patient satisfaction scores.
Conclusion: The local anaesthetic infiltration as postoperative analgesia appears to be a clinically valid alternative, statistically comparable to IBPB, with no clinical meaningful adverse effects
Structure of chalcogenide glasses by neutron diffraction
5 pages. Proceedings International Workshop Non-crystalline Solids, Gijon (Spain).International audienceThe purpose of this work is to study the change in the structure of the Ge-Se network upon doping with Ag. The total structure factor S(Q) for two samples has been measured by neutron diffraction using the two-axis diffractometer dedicated to structural studies of amorphous materials, D4, at the Institut Laue Langevin. We have derived the corresponding radial distribution functions for each sample and each temperature, which gives us an insight about the composition and temperature dependence of the correlation distances and coordination numbers in the short-range. Our results are compatible with the presence of both GeSe4/2 tetrahedra and Se-Se bonds. The Ag atoms are linked to Se in a triangular environment. Numerical simulations allowing the identification of the main peaks in the total pair correlation functions have complemented the neutron diffraction measurements
Chronic migraine long-term regular treatment with onabotulinumtoxinA: a retrospective real-life observational study up to 4 years of therapy
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Optimization of an organic memristor as an adaptive memory element
The combination of memory and signal handling characteristics of a memristor makes it a promising candidate for adaptive bioinspired information processing systems. This poses stringent requirements on the basic device, such as stability and reproducibility over a large number of training/learning cycles, and a large anisotropy in the fundamental control material parameter, in our case the electrical conductivity. In this work we report results on the improved performance of electrochemically controlled polymeric memristors, where optimization of a conducting polymer polyaniline in the active channel and better environmental control of fabrication methods led to a large increase both in the absolute values of the conductivity in the partially oxydized state of polyaniline and of the on-off conductivity ratio. These improvements are crucial for the application of the organic memristor to adaptive complex signal handling networks
Raman spectroscopy of GeSe and AgGeSe thin films
The structural properties of Agy(Ge0.25Se0.75)1-y thin films (y=0, 0.07, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20 and 0.25 at. fraction) were studied. The films were prepared by pulsed laser deposition using bulk glass targets of the studied ternary system and deposited onto microscope slides. Their amorphous structures were confirmed by XRD (X-ray Diffraction). The effect of silver content on films structures was analysed by Raman spectroscopy. Typical Raman vibration modes were observed in the Ge0.25Se0.75 binary film: Ge-Se corner-sharing tetrahedra mode (CS) at 199 cm-1, edge sharing tetrahedra mode (ES) at 217 cm-1, and SeSe rings and chains mode at 255-265 cm-1 (CM). In the Agy(Ge0.25Se0.75)1-y ternary thin films, the same modes were observed but with a red shift and an intensity reduction in the ES and CM bands.Fil: Conde Garrido, Juan Manuel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Tecnologías y Ciencias de la Ingeniería "Hilario Fernández Long". Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ingeniería. Instituto de Tecnologías y Ciencias de la Ingeniería ; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ingenieria. Departamento de Fisica. Laboratorio de Sólidos Amorfos; ArgentinaFil: Piarristeguy, A.. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ingenieria. Departamento de Fisica. Laboratorio de Sólidos Amorfos; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Tecnologías y Ciencias de la Ingeniería "Hilario Fernández Long". Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ingeniería. Instituto de Tecnologías y Ciencias de la Ingeniería ; ArgentinaFil: Le Parc, R.. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; Francia. Universite Montpellier II; FranciaFil: Ureña, Maria Andrea.Fil: Fontana, Marcelo.Fil: Arcondo, B..Fil: Pradel, A.. Universite Montpellier Ii; Franci
Ultra-deep Large Binocular Camera U-band Imaging of the GOODS-North Field: Depth vs. Resolution
We present a study of the trade-off between depth and resolution using a
large number of U-band imaging observations in the GOODS-North field
(Giavalisco et al. 2004) from the Large Binocular Camera (LBC) on the Large
Binocular Telescope (LBT). Having acquired over 30 hours of data (315 images
with 5-6 mins exposures), we generated multiple image mosaics, starting with
the best atmospheric seeing images (FWHM 0.8"), which constitute
10% of the total data set. For subsequent mosaics, we added in data with
larger seeing values until the final, deepest mosaic included all images with
FWHM 1.8" (94% of the total data set). From the mosaics, we
made object catalogs to compare the optimal-resolution, yet shallower image to
the lower-resolution but deeper image. We show that the number counts for both
images are 90% complete to . Fainter than
27, the object counts from the optimal-resolution image start to
drop-off dramatically (90% between = 27 and 28 mag), while the deepest
image with better surface-brightness sensitivity ( 32
mag arcsec) show a more gradual drop (10% between 27
and 28 mag). For the brightest galaxies within the GOODS-N field, structure and
clumpy features within the galaxies are more prominent in the
optimal-resolution image compared to the deeper mosaics. Finally, we find - for
220 brighter galaxies with 24 mag - only marginal
differences in total flux between the optimal-resolution and lower-resolution
light-profiles to 32 mag arcsec. In only 10% of
the cases are the total-flux differences larger than 0.5 mag. This helps
constrain how much flux can be missed from galaxy outskirts, which is important
for studies of the Extragalactic Background Light.Comment: 24 pages, 14 figures, submitted to PASP, comments welcom
Multicolor observations of the Hubble Deep Field South
We present a deep multicolor (UBVIJsHKs) catalog of galaxies in the HDF-S,
based on observations obtained with the HST WFPC2 in 1998 and VLT-ISAAC in
1999. The photometric procedures were tuned to derive a catalog optimized for
the estimation of photometric redshifts. In particular we adopted a
``conservative'' detection threshold which resulted in a list of 1611 objects.
The behavior of the observed source counts is in general agreement with the
result of Casertano et al. (2000) in the HDF-S and Williams et al. (1996) in
the HDF-N, while the corresponding counts in the HDF-N provided by
Fernandez-Soto et al. (1999) are systematically lower by a factor 1.5 beyond
I_AB=26. After correcting for the incompleteness of the source counts, the
object surface density at I_AB<27.5 is estimated to be 220 per square arcmin,
providing an estimate of the Extragalactic Background Light in the I band
consistent with the work of Madau & Pozzetti(2000). The comparison between the
median V-I color in the HDF-North and South shows a significant difference
around I_AB~26, possibly due to the presence of large scale structure at z~1 in
the HDF-N. High-z galaxy candidates (90 U dropout and 17 B dropout) were
selected by means of color diagrams, down to a magnitude I_AB=27, with a
surface density of (21+-1) and (3.9+-0.9) per square arcmin, respectively. 11
EROs (with (I-K)_AB>2.7) were selected down to K_AB=24, plus 3 objects whose
upper limit to the Ks flux is still compatible with the selection criterion.
The corresponding surface density of EROs is (2.5+-0.8) per sq.arcmin
((3.2+-0.9) per sq.arcmin if we include the three Ks upper limits). They show a
remarkably non-uniform spatial distribution and are classified with roughly
equal fractions in the categories of elliptical and starburst galaxies.Comment: 36 pages Latex, with 12 PostScript figures. Accepted for publication
in Astronomical Journa
A mass threshold in the number density of passive galaxies at z2
The process that quenched star formation in galaxies at intermediate and high
redshift is still the subject of considerable debate. One way to investigate
this puzzling issue is to study the number density of quiescent galaxies at
z~2, and its dependence on mass. Here we present the results of a new study
based on very deep Ks-band imaging (with the HAWK-I instrument on the VLT) of
two HST CANDELS fields (the UKIDSS Ultra-deep survey (UDS) field and
GOODS-South). The new HAWK-I data (taken as part of the HUGS VLT Large Program)
reach detection limits of Ks>26 (AB mag). We select a sample of
passively-evolving galaxies in the redshift range 1.4<z<2.5. Thanks to the
depth and large area coverage of our imaging, we have been able to extend the
selection of quiescent galaxies a magnitude fainter than previous analyses.
Through extensive simulations we demonstrate, for the first time, that the
observed turn-over in the number of quiescent galaxies at K>22 is real. This
has enabled us to establish unambiguously that the number counts of quiescent
galaxies at z~2 flatten and slightly decline at magnitudes fainter than
Ks~22(AB mag.). We show that this trend corresponds to a stellar mass threshold
below which the mechanism that halts the star
formation in high-redshift galaxies seems to be inefficient. Finally we compare
the observed pBzK number counts with those of quiescent galaxies extracted from
four different semi-analytic models. We find that none of the models provides a
statistically acceptable description of the number density of quiescent
galaxies at these redshifts. We conclude that the mass function of quiescent
galaxies as a function of redshift continues to present a key and demanding
challenge for proposed models of galaxy formation and evolution.Comment: Accepted for publication on Astronomy and Astrophysic
On the parametrization of lateral dose profiles in proton radiation therapy.
Abstract Purpose The accurate evaluation of the lateral dose profile is an important issue in the field of proton radiation therapy. The beam spread, due to Multiple Coulomb Scattering (MCS), is described by the Moliere's theory. To take into account also the contribution of nuclear interactions, modern Treatment Planning Systems (TPSs) generally approximate the dose profiles by a sum of Gaussian functions. In this paper we have compared different parametrizations for the lateral dose profile of protons in water for therapeutical energies: the goal is to improve the performances of the actual treatment planning. Methods We have simulated typical dose profiles at the CNAO (Centro Nazionale di Adroterapia Oncologica) beamline with the FLUKA code and validated them with data taken at CNAO considering different energies and depths. We then performed best fits of the lateral dose profiles for different functions using ROOT and MINUIT. Results The accuracy of the best fits was analyzed by evaluating the reduced χ2, the number of free parameters of the functions and the calculation time. The best results were obtained with the triple Gaussian and double Gaussian Lorentz–Cauchy functions which have 6 parameters, but good results were also obtained with the so called Gauss–Rutherford function which has only 4 parameters. Conclusions The comparison of the studied functions with accurate and validated Monte Carlo calculations and with experimental data from CNAO lead us to propose an original parametrization, the Gauss–Rutherford function, to describe the lateral dose profiles of proton beams
Role of nutritional and lifestyle factors on the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis progression. Results from a multicenter cross-sectional study
Background: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is a devastating, untreatable motor neuron disease with unknown causes, but nutritional and lifestyle
factors may play a role. To check this hypothesis, we conducted a multicentre cross-sectional study.
Material and methods: This study recruited 241 patients, 96 females, and 145 males; the mean age at onset – 59.9±11.8 years. According to El
Escorial criteria, 74 patients were definite ALS, 77 – probable, 55 – possible, and 35 –suspected; 187 patients had spinal onset and 54 – bulbar.
Patients were categorized into three groups, according to their ΔFS: slow (81), intermediate (80), and fast progressors (80).
Results: Current coffee consumers were 179 (74.3%), 34 (14.1%) were non-consumers, 22 (9.1%) – former consumers. The log-ΔFS was weakly
correlated with the duration of coffee consumption (p=0.034), but not with the number of cup-years, or the intensity of coffee consumption
(cups/day). Current tea consumers were 101 (41.9%), 6 (2.5%) were former-consumers, and 134 (55.6%) – non-consumers. The log-ΔFS was
weakly correlated only with the consumption duration of black tea (p=0.028) but not with the number of cup-years. Current smokers were 44
(18.3%), former smokers – 10 (4.1%), and non-smokers – 187 (77.6%). The age of ALS onset was lower in current smokers than non-smokers,
and the ΔFS was slightly, although not significantly, higher for smokers of >14 cigarettes/day. Current alcohol drinkers were 147 (61.0%), former
drinkers – 5 (2.1%), and non-drinkers – 89 (36.9%). The log(ΔFS) was weakly correlated only with the duration of alcohol consumption (p =
0.028), but not with the mean number of drinks/day or the drink-years.
Conclusions: Our study does not support the hypothesis that coffee or tea consumption is associated with the ALS progression rate, possible
minor role for smoking and alcohol drinking was suggested
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