Pollination and Fruit Set in the Yellow Passion Fruit

The development on the use of the yellow passion fruit (Passiflora edulis forma flavicarpa Degener) for beverage, ice cream, sherbet, pastries, and other confectionaries has resulted in increased plantings of this crop in Hawaii. With this expansion, various cultural problems have been brought to the attention of the Hawaii Agricultural Experiment Station by farmers growing this crop and by the processors of passion fruit juice. In the studies reported here factors which may limit fruit set, fruit production, and juice yield have been given special attention

Less invasive causal treatment of ejaculatory duct obstruction by balloon dilation: a case report, literature review and suggestion of a CT- or MRI-guided intervention

Uni- or bilateral ejaculatory duct obstruction (EDO) is a rare but correctable cause of infertility, chronic pelvic pain and postejaculatory pain

The Release of Tissue Factor Pathway Inhibitor and Platelet Factor 4 After Heparin Injection in Patients with Thrombocytosis.

Platelet factor 4 (PF4) and tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) are two proteins with high affinity for heparin. They are each stored in platelets, as well as on endothelial cell surfaces, from where both are displaced or released following an injection of heparin with a rapid and marked increase in serum levels. Prior work has demonstrated that the platelet count is one of the factors affecting the levels of heparin-releasable PF4. We therefore characterized the response to a dose of intravenous heparin previously demonstrated to completely displace PF4 from the non-platelet pool in subjects with normal or increased platelet counts. Seventeen patients with essential thrombocytosis (ET), 10 patients with polycythemia vera and high platelet counts (PV-H), 7 patients with polycythemia vera and normal platelet counts (PV-N) and 10 controls received an initial bolus of 40 I.U./kg of unfractionated heparin, followed 2 hours later by a 2nd bolus of a fixed dose of 1000 I.U. TFPI activity did not show any variation among the different groups, either before (TFPI) or after (HR-TFPI) the first bolus of heparin: ET, TFPI 92.6 ± 21.5%, HR-TFPI 298.3 ± 165.8; PV-H, TFPI 91.5 ± 32.0, HR-TFPI 210 ± 1.0; PV-N, TFPI 69.4 ± 24.0, HR-TFPI 203.0 ± 79.0; C, TFPI 109.5 ± 33.5, HR-TFPI 234.0 ± 60.4. TFPI activity returned to basal values prior to the 2nd injection of heparin, which again elicited a rise in TFPI, albeit smaller due to the lower level of heparin injected. In contrast to the lack of any difference between groups with respect to TFPI, the level of heparin-releasable PF4 (HR-PF4) was significantly higher in ET and PV-H patients compared to PV-N patients or controls. However when normalized for platelet count, both PV-H and PV-N had HR-PF4 levels after the 1st heparin injection that were significantly higher than observed in ET patients (PV-H 1.163 + 0.108, PV-N 1.411 + 0.019, ET 0.737 + 0.086 ng/10/3 platelets) supporting an increased platelet activation in PV. Thus, although platelets contain approximately 5-10% of the total amount of TFPI in plasma, they do not affect the major intravascular pool of TFPI mobilizable by heparin. However, since the concentration at the site of vessel wall injury is enhanced several-fold, TFPI could play a role in competing with PF4 to limit thrombus formation in patients with high platelet count

Castrum Novum (Santa Marinella, prov. de Rome)

Introduction Au cours du mois de septembre 2017, les recherches sur le terrain entreprises l’année précédente ont été poursuivies sur la colline du « Casale Alibrandi » (zone D, fig. 1) qui correspond à l’habitat de la colonie de Castrum Novum. Le secteur D4 a permis de dégager l’angle sud-est des remparts de la cité, ainsi que deux nouvelles sépultures, dont une avec un jeune enfant et dont l’étude anthropologique a été confiée au Dipartimento di Biologia de l’Università di Roma 2 Tor Vergat..

Natural History of MYH7-Related Dilated Cardiomyopathy

BACKGROUND Variants in myosin heavy chain 7 (MYH7) are responsible for disease in 1% to 5% of patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM); however, the clinical characteristics and natural history of MYH7-related DCM are poorly described. OBJECTIVES We sought to determine the phenotype and prognosis of MYH7-related DCM. We also evaluated the influence of variant location on phenotypic expression. METHODS We studied clinical data from 147 individuals with DCM-causing MYH7 variants (47.6% female; 35.6 +/- 19.2 years) recruited from 29 international centers. RESULTS At initial evaluation, 106 (72.1%) patients had DCM (left ventricular ejection fraction: 34.5% +/- 11.7%). Median follow-up was 4.5 years (IQR: 1.7-8.0 years), and 23.7% of carriers who were initially phenotype-negative developed DCM. Phenotypic expression by 40 and 60 years was 46% and 88%, respectively, with 18 patients (16%) first diagnosed at <18 years of age. Thirty-six percent of patients with DCM met imaging criteria for LV noncompaction. During follow-up, 28% showed left ventricular reverse remodeling. Incidence of adverse cardiac events among patients with DCM at 5 years was 11.6%, with 5 (4.6%) deaths caused by end-stage heart failure (ESHF) and 5 patients (4.6%) requiring heart transplantation. The major ventricular arrhythmia rate was low (1.0% and 2.1% at 5 years in patients with DCM and in those with LVEF of <= 35%, respectively). ESHF and major ventricular arrhythmia were significantly lower compared with LMNA-related DCM and similar to DCM caused by TTN truncating variants. CONCLUSIONS MYH7-related DCM is characterized by early age of onset, high phenotypic expression, low left ventricular reverse remodeling, and frequent progression to ESHF. Heart failure complications predominate over ventricular arrhythmias, which are rare. (C) 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier on behalf of the American College of Cardiology Foundation

Embolisation und anschließende Operation von Glomustumoren der Kopf-Hals-Region

$\it Abstract:$ Auswertung der P.-Daten in Form von Tumorklass., Blutverlust und Komplikationsrate. Vergleich mit Lit. i. b. zu alternat. Behandlungsmöglichkeiten. 41 P. mit 44 Tumoren des Gl. jug. (n=21), Gl. tymp. (n=20) und Gl. car. (n=3) wurden 1988 - 2001 supersel. embolisiert und zeitnah (0 - 2 Tage post Emb.) operiert. $\it Ergebnisse:$ Fisch-Klass.: A: 13,51 %, B: 40,54 %, C: 21,62 %, D: 42,33 % ( Lit.: A: 0-11 %, B: 28 - 65 %, C: 30 - 44 %, D: 17 - 32 %). Abweichung des mittl. prä- vom postop. Hb-Wert um 3,51 g/dl und des mittl. prä- vom postop. Hkt um 9,17 %. Mittl. Verbrauch von EK´s: 1,25/Patient ( Lit.: 1 - 8 EK´s ). Mort.: 0 %.( Lit.:0 - 5 % ). Bei 16,21 % der P. trat bei Emb. und bei 69,44 % bei der Op Minorkompl. auf. Postop. eine Majorkompl. (Menigitis). $\it Schlussf.:$ Die komb. Therapie aus supersel. Emb. und zeitnaher Op ist anderen Therapieformen, wie der alleinigen Emb., der alleinigen Op oder der Radiatio vorzuziehen. Die Rate an NW und Kompl. ist im Vergl. zur Lit. niedrig

Hemostasis and Thrombosis Haematologica 2000; 85:72-81 decision making and problem solving Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia

Background and Objectives. There are two types of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT). HIT I is characterized by a transitory, slight and asymptomatic reduction in platelet count, occurring in the first 1-2 days of therapy, that resolves spontaneously; in contrast, HIT II, which has an immunologic origin, is characterized by a significant thrombocytopenia generally after the fifth day of therapy that usually resolves in 5-15 days only after therapy withdrawal. HIT II is the most frequent and dangerous side-effect of heparin therapy; in fact, in spite of thrombocytopenia, it can be complicated by venous and arterial thrombosis. Therefore, the recognition of HIT II may be difficult due to the underlying thrombotic symptoms for which heparin is administered. The aim of this article is to review the most recent advances in the field and to give critical guidelines for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of HIT II

Feasibility analysis of a hybrid auxiliary power unit for pleasure boats

To reduce the pollutant emissions in the naval sector, the use of alternative fuels and new power generator systems are both promising solutions. In this study, the feasibility of replacing a pleasure boat Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) with a hybrid solution is studied from the economic and technical points of view. Several power generation technologies and layouts are considered. Many configurations were investigated, from hybrid battery/diesel generator to innovative layouts including fuel cell with onboard Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) reforming for hydrogen production. Since hybrid APUs may yield significant advantages in terms of both environmental and noise pollution, the opportunity of operating the system for several hours without powering up the traditional generators is also considered. For each configuration, CO2 and NOx emissions, purchasing and operating costs, as well as weight and volume, are estimated. Emissions may be reduced up to 20 % and 60 % for CO2 and NOx, respectively, and fuel cost reductions up to 35 % may be achieved