Ectopic internal carotid artery presenting as an oropharyngeal mass

Ectopic internal carotid artery (ICA) is a very rare variation. The major congenital abnormalities of the ICA can be classified as agenesis, aplasia and hypoplasia, and they can be unilateral or bilateral. Anomalies of the neck artery may be vascular neoplasms or ectopic position. Carotid angiograms provide absolute confirmation of an aberrant carotid artery, while EcoColorDoppler (ECD) gives also important information about the evaluation of carotid vassels. Nevertheless Computed Tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the neck provide spatial information about the adjacent pharyngeal anatomy and are less invasive than angiogram. Injuries to the ICA during simple pharyngeal surgical procedures can be catastrophic due to the risk of massive bleeding. We report a case of a 56 year-old male patient suffering from dysphagia associated with aberrant ICA manifesting itself as a pulsative protruding of the left lateral wall of the oropharynx

Terrestrial implications for the maritime geoarchaeological resource: A view from the Lower Palaeolithic

Stone tools and faunal remains have been recovered from the English Channel and the North Sea through trawling, dredging for aggregates, channel clearance, and coring. These finds highlight the potential for a maritime Lower Palaeolithic archaeological resource. It is proposed here that any Lower Palaeolithic artefacts, faunal remains, and sediments deposited in the maritime zone during dry, low-stand phases were once (and may still be) contextually similar to their counterparts in the terrestrial Lower Palaeolithic records of north-western Europe. Given these similarities, can interpretive models and analytical frameworks developed for terrestrial archaeology be profitably applied to an assessment of the potential value of any maritime resource? The terrestrial geoarchaeological resource for the Lower Palaeolithic is dominated by artefacts and ecofacts that have been fluvially reworked. The spatio-temporal resolution of these data varies from entire river valleys and marine isotope stages to river channel gravel bar surfaces and decadal timescales, thus supporting a variety of questions and approaches. However, the structure of the terrestrial resource also highlights two fundamental limitations in current maritime knowledge that can restrict the application of terrestrial approaches to any potential maritime resource: (i) how have the repetitive transgressions and regressions of the Middle and Late Pleistocene modified the terrace landforms and sediments associated with the river systems of the English Channel and southern North Sea basins?; and (ii) do the surviving submerged terrace landforms and fluvial sedimentary deposits support robust geochronological models, as is the case with the classical terrestrial terrace sequences? This paper highlights potential approaches to these questions, and concludes that the fluvial palaeogeography, Pleistocene fossils, and potential Lower Palaeolithic artefacts of the maritime geoarchaeological resource can be profitably investigated in future as derived, low-resolution data sets, facilitating questions of colonisation, occupation, demography, and material culture

Coastal vulnerability assessment based on video wave run-up observations at a mesotidal, steep-sloped beach

Coastal imagery obtained from a coastal video monitoring station installed at Faro Beach, S. Portugal, was combined with topographic data from 40 surveys to generate a total of 456 timestack images. The timestack images were processed in an open-access, freely available graphical user interface (GUI) software, developed to extract and process time series of the cross-shore position of the swash extrema. The generated dataset of 2% wave run-up exceedence values R 2 was used to form empirical formulas, using as input typical hydrodynamic and coastal morphological parameters, generating a best-fit case RMS error of 0.39 m. The R 2 prediction capacity was improved when the shore-normal wind speed component and/or the tidal elevation η tide were included in the parameterizations, further reducing the RMS errors to 0.364 m. Introducing the tidal level appeared to allow a more accurate representation of the increased wave energy dissipation during low tides, while the negative trend between R 2 and the shore-normal wind speed component is probably related to the wind effect on wave breaking. The ratio of the infragravity-to-incident frequency energy contributions to the total swash spectra was in general lower than the ones reported in the literature E infra/E inci > 0.8, since low-frequency contributions at the steep, reflective Faro Beach become more significant mainly during storm conditions. An additional parameterization for the total run-up elevation was derived considering only 222 measurements for which η total,2 exceeded 2 m above MSL and the best-fit case resulted in RMS error of 0.41 m. The equation was applied to predict overwash along Faro Beach for four extreme storm scenarios and the predicted overwash beach sections, corresponded to a percentage of the total length ranging from 36% to 75%.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Discovery and Correctness of Schema Mapping Transformations

Schema mapping is becoming pervasive in all data transformation, exchange and integration tasks. It brings to the surface the problem of differences and mismatches between heterogeneous formats and models, respectively used in source and target databases to be mapped one to another. In this chapter, we start by describing the problem of schema mapping, its background and technical implications. Then, we outline the early schema mapping systems, along with the new generation of schema mapping tools. Moving from the former to the latter entailed a dramatic change in the performance of mapping generation algorithms. Finally, we conclude the chapter by revisiting the query answering techniques allowed by the mappings, and by discussing useful applications and future and current developments of schema mapping tools

Recurrent Desmoid Tumor of the Neck: A Case Report of a Benign Disease with Aggressive Behavior

We present a case of a desmoid tumor recurrence in a patient with a history of a resected desmoid tumor of the right neck area with free surgical margins six months earlier. The neoplasm was found to invade the parapharyngeal space, and wide excision was performed including most of the sternocleidomastoid muscle (SCM), the thrombosed internal jugular vein (IJV), and the infiltrated spinal accessory nerve (SAN). The histopathologic findings displayed free microscopic margins, with close margins at the site of the parapharyngeal space extension. After 3 months, there was no sign of tumor recurrence. After 6 months, local tumor recurrence was identified on clinical examination and imaging. The decision of the Oncology Board was further treatment with radiotherapy (RT). Response to treatment was satisfactory, and the patient was on close follow-up for twelve months. Desmoid tumors are very rare benign neoplasms of mesenchymal origin with negligible mortality but high morbidity, due to their high recurrence rates, local tissue infiltration, and unpredictable disease course and response to treatment. No universally acceptable treatment protocols have been introduced to date. Appropriate patient counseling and close follow-up are warranted in all cases

Discovery and Correctness of Schema Mapping Transformations

Schema mapping is becoming pervasive in all data transformation, exchange and integration tasks. It brings to the surface the problem of differences and mismatches between heterogeneous formats and models, respectively used in source and target databases to be mapped one to another. In this chapter, we start by describing the problem of schema mapping, its background and technical implications. Then, we outline the early schema mapping systems, along with the new generation of schema mapping tools. Moving from the former to the latter entailed a dramatic change in the performance of mapping generation algorithms. Finally, we conclude the chapter by revisiting the query answering techniques allowed by the mappings, and by discussing useful applications and future and current developments of schema mapping tools

Procalcitonie als Entzündungsindikator bei Patienten mit bakteriellen Infektionen der oberen Atemwege

Einleitung: Seit vielen Jahrzehnten, gibt es die Zielsetzung die Suche eines spezifischen bakteriellen Entzündungsindikators zu finden. Zuerst, war die Zahl der Leucozyten und ihre Typus und dann die Blutsenkungsgeschwindigkeit und die CRP verwendet worden, während neulich andere biologische Indikatoren verwendet werden. Methode: Die Patienten teilten sich in drei Gruppen nach der klinischen Diagnose (bakterielle Pharyngitis-Tonsillitis, Rhinosinusitis, Peritonsillarabszess. Die Anamnese aller Patienten wurde aufgenommen, die Körpertemperaturen gemessen, genauso wie Tonsillen-Rachen-Abstrich, Nasenschleimhautabsonderungen und Abszesseiter entsprechend für eine Bakterienkultur genommen und wurden Blutuntersuchungen durchgeführt. Das Procalcitoniemessen geschah mit einer semiquantitativen Methode, die BRAHMS PCT-Q. Ergebnisse: Von dem insgesamt 23 Patienten, 10 Patienten hatten Pharyngitis-Tonsillitis, 5 Patienten Rhinosinusitis und 8 Patienten Peritonsillarabszess. Die Bakterienkultur war positiv im 10%, 40% und 100% entsprechend. Alle Patienten hatten Procalcitonieanzahlen weniger als 0,5 ng/mL. Die Körpertemperaturen waren 38,1±0,8 oC. Die Bakterienkultur war positiv für die krankheitserregende Mikrobe nur bei den 11 Patienten, während normale oder sterile Mikrobenflora in den übrigen Patienten sich entwickelt hatte. Die Leukozyten waren 11,900±5,000 /mul und die CRP war 8,54±6,93 mg/dl (0,12-24,10 mg/dl). Schlussfolgerungen: Die Resultate waren nicht vereinbar mit bakterieller Entzündung. Der Procalcitoniemessen ist nicht zuverlässig um es mit einer semiquantitativen Methode zu bestimmen. Weitere Studien sollen in der Zukunft mit quantitativen Methoden durchgeführt werden. Unterstützt durch: G. Velegraki