Variation in annual volume at a university hospital does not predict mortality for pancreatic resections.

Annual volume of pancreatic resections has been shown to affect mortality rates, prompting recommendations to regionalize these procedures to high-volume hospitals. Implementation has been difficult, given the paucity of high-volume centers and the logistical hardships facing patients. Some studies have shown that low-volume hospitals achieve good outcomes as well, suggesting that other factors are involved. We sought to determine whether variations in annual volume affected patient outcomes in 511 patients who underwent pancreatic resections at the University of California, San Francisco between 1990 and 2005. We compared postoperative mortality and complication rates between low, medium, or high volume years, designated by the number of resections performed, adjusting for patient characteristics. Postoperative mortality rates did not differ between high volume years and medium/low volume years. As annual hospital volume of pancreatic resections may not predict outcome, identification of actual predictive factors may allow low-volume centers to achieve excellent outcomes

Procinura, P. aemula

Number of Pages: 4Integrative BiologyGeological Science

Sceloporus cautus

Number of Pages: 5Integrative BiologyGeological Science

Sceloporus halli

Number of Pages: 3Integrative BiologyGeological Science

Sceloporus heterolepis

Number of Pages: 3Integrative BiologyGeological Science

Sceloporus jalapae

Number of Pages: 5Integrative BiologyGeological Science

Sceloporus megalepidurus

Number of Pages: 5Integrative BiologyGeological Science

Sceloporus edwardtaylori

Number of Pages: 4Integrative BiologyGeological Science

Topological phase separation in 2D hard-core Bose-Hubbard system away from half-filling

We suppose that the doping of the 2D hard-core boson system away from half-filling may result in the formation of multi-center topological defect such as charge order (CO) bubble domain(s) with Bose superfluid (BS) and extra bosons both localized in domain wall(s), or a {\it topological} CO+BS {\it phase separation}, rather than an uniform mixed CO+BS supersolid phase. Starting from the classical model we predict the properties of the respective quantum system. The long-wavelength behavior of the system is believed to remind that of granular superconductors, CDW materials, Wigner crystals, and multi-skyrmion system akin in a quantum Hall ferromagnetic state of a 2D electron gas.Comment: 6 pages, 1 figur