Case-Control Cohort Study of Patients' Perceptions of Disability in Mastocytosis

BACKGROUND: Indolent forms of mastocytosis account for more than 90% of all cases, but the types and type and severity of symptoms and their impact on the quality of life have not been well studied. We therefore performed a case-control cohort study to examine self-reported disability and impact of symptoms on the quality of life in patients with mastocytosis. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In 2004, 363 mastocytosis patients and 90 controls in France were asked to rate to their overall disability (OPA score) and the severity of 38 individual symptoms. The latter was used to calculate a composite score (AFIRMM score). Of the 363 respondents, 262 were part of an ongoing pathophysiological study so that the following data were available: World Health Organization classification, standard measures of physical and psychological disability, existence of the D816V KIT mutation, and serum tryptase level. The mean OPA and AFIRMM scores and the standard measures of disability indicated that most mastocytosis patients suffer from disabilities due to the disease. Surprisingly, the patient's measurable and perceived disabilities did not differ according to disease classification or presence or absence of the D816V KIT mutation or an elevated (> or = 20 ng/mL) serum tryptase level. Also, 32 of the 38 AFIRMM symptoms were more common in patients than controls, but there were not substantial differences according to disease classification, presence of the D816V mutation, or the serum tryptase level. CONCLUSIONS: On the basis of these results and for the purposes of treatment, we propose that mastocytosis be first classified as aggressive or indolent and that indolent mastocytosis then be categorized according to the severity of patients' perceived symptoms and their impact on the quality of life. In addition, it appears that mastocytosis patients suffer from more symptoms and greater disability than previously thought, that mastocytosis may therefore be under-diagnosed, and that the symptoms of the indolent forms of mastocytosis might be due more to systemic release of mediators than mast cell burden

Studies of the Cerebral Circulation with Labeled Erythrocytes in Healthy Man

A thorough investigation of 10 healthy males, 26 to 46 years old, has been performed. One and a half ml. of their own erythrocytes, labeled with P 32 , was injected intravenously and dilution curves obtained simultaneously from one carotid artery and the two jugular bulbs. Thereafter, the same amount of labeled blood was injected into both carotid arteries, following one another, and dilution curves from the two jugular bulbs were simultaneously obtained. A total of seven dilution curves was collected in each case. The percutaneous punctures of the carotids were high enough in the neck so that it is highly probable that the injections were made into the internal carotid arteries. Calculations of the cerebral blood flow and the cerebral blood volume in absolute values were performed. The mean value of the cerebral blood flow amounted to 876 ml/min., i.e., 11.4 per cent of the cardiac output. The pool of the brain was calculated to about 100 ml. When a carotid artery was injected, the appearance and peak concentration times estimated from the dilution curves obtained from the ipsilateral bulbs were the same whether the injection was performed in the right or left side. The corresponding times for the dilution curves obtained from the contralateral bulb agreed, whichever the side on which the injection was performned. They were, however, one second longer than the ipsilateral ones. The determination of circulation time is of diagnostic value, according to an earlier publication. A simplified bloodless method has also been tried. </jats:p

Heat Transfer and Flow Phenomena in a Swirl Chamber Simulating Turbine Blade Internal Cooling

Heat transfer and fluid mechanics results are given for a swirl chamber whose geometry models an internal passage used to cool the leading edge of a turbine blade. The Reynolds numbers investigated, based on inlet duct characteristics, include values that are the same as in the application (18,000–19,400). The ratio of absolute air temperature between the inlet and wall of the swirl chamber ranges from 0.62 to 0.86 for the heat transfer measurements. Spatial variations of surface Nusselt numbers along swirl chamber surfaces are measured using infrared thermography in conjunction with thermocouples, energy balances, digital image processing, and in situ calibration procedures. The structure and streamwise development of arrays of Go¨rtler vortex pairs, which develop along concave surfaces, are apparent from flow visualizations. Overall swirl chamber structure is also described from time-averaged surveys of the circumferential component of velocity, total pressure, static pressure, and the circumferential component of vorticity. Important variations of surface Nusselt numbers and time-averaged flow characteristics are present due to arrays of Go¨rtler vortex pairs, especially near each of the two inlets, where Nusselt numbers are highest. Nusselt numbers then decrease and become more spatially uniform along the interior surface of the chamber as the flows advect away from each inlet.</jats:p

Foraging activity and demographic patterns of two termite species (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) living in urban landscapes in southeastern Brazil

Coptotermes gestroi and Heterotermes tenuis (Isoptera: Rbinotermitidae) are important pests in southeastern Brazil causing serious economic damage. In this study we determined the demographic patterns and foraging activity of these species using mark-release-recapture and the consumption of wooden stakes. Using both the weighted mean and Lincoln index methods, population estimates ranged from ≈ 0.57 to 1.99 million individuals for C. gestroi and from ≈ 0.20 to 1.37 million for H. tenuis. Territory size of the colonies ranged from 172.5 to 5235 m 2 for C. gestroi and from 16 to 40 m 2 for H. tenuis. Our results also indicate that foraging activity was dependent on the minimum temperature; however, the existence of a compensation strategy in the foraging activities may permit foragers to exploit food sources under different environmental conditions.Universidade de São Paulo (USP) Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (Esalq) Departamento de Entomologia Fitopatologia e Zoologia Agrícola, Piracicaba - SP 13418-900Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) Instituto de Biociências Departamento de Biologia, Rio Claro - SP 13506-900Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) Instituto de Biociências Departamento de Biologia, Rio Claro - SP 13506-90