Glasgow Prognostic Score Class 2 Predicts Prolonged Intensive Care Unit Stay in Patients Undergoing Pneumonectomy

Background. The Glasgow prognostic score (GPS) is an inflammation-based score based on albuminemia and Creactive protein concentration proved to be associated with cancer-specific survival in several neoplasms. The present study explored the immediate postoperative value of the GPS for patients undergoing pneumonectomy for lung cancer. Methods. The value of the GPS preoperatively was studied in 250 patients undergoing pneumonectomy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We analyzed overall postoperative complications, pulmonary and cardiac complications, 30-day postoperative death, reoperation for early complications, intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay and total length of hospital stay. Results. Patients with a GPS of 0 and 1 had a mean ICU length of stay of 0.8 days, whereas patients with a GPS of 2 had a mean ICU stay of 5.0 days (p = 0.004). The postoperative mortality rate in patients with a GPS of 2 was much higher than in patients with a GPS of 1 and 2, although it was not statistically significant (p = 0.083). Conclusions. A preoperative GPS of 2 effectively predicts a prolonged ICU stay in patients who undergo pneumonectomy for cancer. The score may be proposed as an easy-to-determine, economical, and fast preoperative tool to plan and optimize ICU admissions after elective pneumonectomy

HD 17156b: A Transiting Planet with a 21.2 Day Period and an Eccentric Orbit

We report the detection of transits by the 3.1 M_Jup companion to the V=8.17 G0V star HD 17156. The transit was observed by three independant observers on Sept. 9/10, 2007 (two in central Italy and one in the Canary Islands), who obtained detections at confidence levels of 3.0 sigma, 5.3 sigma, and 7.9 sigma, respectively. The observations were carried out under the auspices of the Transitsearch.org network, which organizes follow-up photometric transit searches of known planet-bearing stars during the time intervals when transits are expected to possibly occur. Analyses of the 7.9 sigma data set indicates a transit depth d=0.0062+/-0.0004, and a transit duration t=186+/-5 min. These values are consistent with the transit of a Jupiter-sized planet with an impact parameter b=a*cos(i)/R_star ~ 0.8. This planet occupies a unique regime among known transiting extrasolar planets, both as a result of its large orbital eccentricity (e=0.67) and long orbital period (P=21.2 d). The planet receives a 26-fold variation in insolation during the course of its orbit, which will make it a useful object for characterization of exoplanetary atmospheric dynamics.Comment: Accepted for publication to A&A, 4 pages, 2 figure

A slow lopsided bar in the interacting dwarf galaxy IC 3167

We present surface photometry and stellar kinematics of IC 3167, a dwarf galaxy hosting a lopsided weak bar and infalling into the Virgo cluster. We measured the bar radius and strength from broad-band imaging and bar pattern speed by applying the Tremaine-Weinberg method to stellar-absorption integral-field spectroscopy. We derived the ratio of the corotation radius to bar radius (R = 1.7 + 0.5 - 0.3) from stellar kinematics and bar pattern speed. The probability that the bar is rotating slowly is more than twice as likely as that the bar is fast. This allows us to infer that the formation of this bar was triggered by the ongoing interaction rather than to internal processes.Comment: Accepted for pubblication in MNRAS Letter

Biological Impact of Unilateral Oophorectomy. Does the Number of Ovaries Really Matter? [Biologische auswirkungen der einseitigen ovarektomie: Kommt es wirklich auf die anzahl der eierstöcke an?]

Although unilateral oophorectomies are performed more often than bilateral ones in women of reproductive age, their clinical consequences have been less intensively investigated. Experimental models in animals have shown that compensa- tory mechanisms occur after a unilateral oophorectomy (UO). This review aims to summarize the available evidence on the biological effects of unilateral oophorectomy on wom- en. Evaluated outcomes include age at onset of menopause, risk of cardiovascular and neurological disease, risk of mortal- ity and fertility outcome after spontaneous conception or in vitro fertilization (IVF). Results were compared with findings reported after bilateral oophorectomy and/or ovarian excision and/or women with intact ovaries. An electronic database search was performed using PubMed and Scopus, followed by a manual search to identify controlled studies that com- pared women after UO with women with two intact ovaries. In particular, a systematic review of fertility outcomes after IVF was performed, and the data were summarized in a table. Women who underwent UO had a similar age at menopause and similar clinical pregnancy rate compared to women with two ovaries. However, decreased ovarian reserve affecting the quantity but not the quality of the ovarian pool after IVF was observed in the UO group. Furthermore, an increased risk of neurological disease and even an increased risk of mortality was observed in women with single ovary. These data need to be confirmed by further studies, and a plausible mecha- nism of action must be identified. At present, patients who undergo UO can be reassured with regard to their reproduc- tive potential and their age at onset of menopause

Robotic Wireless Sensor Networks

In this chapter, we present a literature survey of an emerging, cutting-edge, and multi-disciplinary field of research at the intersection of Robotics and Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) which we refer to as Robotic Wireless Sensor Networks (RWSN). We define a RWSN as an autonomous networked multi-robot system that aims to achieve certain sensing goals while meeting and maintaining certain communication performance requirements, through cooperative control, learning and adaptation. While both of the component areas, i.e., Robotics and WSN, are very well-known and well-explored, there exist a whole set of new opportunities and research directions at the intersection of these two fields which are relatively or even completely unexplored. One such example would be the use of a set of robotic routers to set up a temporary communication path between a sender and a receiver that uses the controlled mobility to the advantage of packet routing. We find that there exist only a limited number of articles to be directly categorized as RWSN related works whereas there exist a range of articles in the robotics and the WSN literature that are also relevant to this new field of research. To connect the dots, we first identify the core problems and research trends related to RWSN such as connectivity, localization, routing, and robust flow of information. Next, we classify the existing research on RWSN as well as the relevant state-of-the-arts from robotics and WSN community according to the problems and trends identified in the first step. Lastly, we analyze what is missing in the existing literature, and identify topics that require more research attention in the future

Plant communities of Italy. The vegetation prodrome

The Vegetation Prodrome of Italy was promoted in 2012 by the Italian "Ministry of Environment, Land and Sea Protection", in collaboration with the "Italian Society of Botany", to provide a comprehensive and systematic catalogue and description of Italian plant communities. The Prodrome that is presented in this paper is the first full organic synthesis of the vegetation of Italy at the alliance syntaxonomic level. It fulfils several needs, the main one being a unified and comprehensive national framework that may make an important contribution to the definition of the European Vegetation Prodrome. Syntaxonomy, as well as taxonomy, is sometimes based on considerations that may in part diverge: several authors tend to favour models that are divisive or aggregative to a greater or lesser extent in terms of flora, biogeography and ecology. These different points of view stimulate the scientific debate and allow the adoption of a framework that is more widely supported. The Prodrome includes 75 classes, 2 subclasses, 175 orders, 6 suborders and 393 alliances. The classes were grouped into nine broad categories according to structural, physiognomic and synecological elements rather than to syntaxonomic criteria. The rank, full valid name, any synonymies and incorrect names are provided for each syntaxon. The short declaration highlights the physiognomy, synecology, syndynamics and distribution of the plant communities that belong to the syntaxon. The Prodrome of the Italian Vegetation is linked to the European Strategy for Biodiversity, the European Habitats Directive and the European Working Groups related to the ecosystems and their services. In addition to basic applications, the Prodrome can be used as a framework for scientific research related to the investigation of the relationships between plant communities and the environmental factors that influence their composition and distribution

preoperative c reactive protein and thrombocyte count as potential markers for longterm survival in ovarian cancer

n/

A social-ecological approach to identify and quantify biodiversity tipping points in South America’s seasonal dry ecosystems

ropical dry forests and savannas harbour unique biodiversity and provide critical ES, yet they are under severe pressure globally. We need to improve our understanding of how and when this pressure provokes tipping points in biodiversity and the associated social-ecological systems. We propose an approach to investigate how drivers leading to natural vegetation decline trigger biodiversity tipping and illustrate it using the example of the Dry Diagonal in South America, an understudied deforestation frontier. The Dry Diagonal represents the largest continuous area of dry forests and savannas in South America, extending over three million km² across Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay. Natural vegetation in the Dry Diagonal has been undergoing large-scale transformations for the past 30 years due to massive agricultural expansion and intensification. Many signs indicate that natural vegetation decline has reached critical levels. Major research gaps prevail, however, in our understanding of how these transformations affect the unique and rich biodiversity of the Dry Diagonal, and how this affects the ecological integrity and the provisioning of ES that are critical both for local livelihoods and commercial agriculture.Fil: Thonicke, Kirsten. Institute for Climate Impact Research ; AlemaniaFil: Langerwisch, Fanny. Institute for Climate Impact Research ; Alemania. Czech University of Life Sciences Prague; República ChecaFil: Baumann, Matthias. Humboldt Universität zu Berlin; Alemania. Technische Universitat Carolo Wilhelmina Zu Braunschweig.; AlemaniaFil: Leitão, Pedro J.. Humboldt Universität zu Berlin; Alemania. Technische Universitat Carolo Wilhelmina Zu Braunschweig.; AlemaniaFil: Václavík, Tomáš. Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research; Alemania. Palacký University Olomouc; República ChecaFil: Alencar, Anne. Ministerio da Agricultura Pecuaria e Abastecimento de Brasil. Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuaria; BrasilFil: Simões, Margareth. Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (EMBRAPA); BrasilFil: Scheiter, Simon. Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (EMBRAPA); Brasil. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; BrasilFil: Langan, Liam. Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre; AlemaniaFil: Bustamante, Mercedes. Universidade do Brasília; BrasilFil: Gasparri, Nestor Ignacio. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo. Instituto de Ecología Regional; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán; ArgentinaFil: Hirota, Marina. Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina; Brasil. Universidade Estadual de Campinas; BrasilFil: Börner, Jan. Universitat Bonn; AlemaniaFil: Rajao, Raoni. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; BrasilFil: Soares Filho, Britaldo. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; BrasilFil: Yanosky, Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología; ParaguayFil: Ochoa Quinteiro, José Manuel. Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt; ColombiaFil: Seghezzo, Lucas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Investigaciones en Energía no Convencional. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Departamento de Física. Instituto de Investigaciones en Energía no Convencional; ArgentinaFil: Conti, Georgina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: de la Vega Leiner, Anne Cristina. Universität Greifswald; Alemani

Jejunogastric intussusception presented with hematemesis: a case presentation and review of the literature

BACKGROUND: Jejunogastric intussusception (JGI) is a rare but potentially very serious complication of gastrectomy or gastrojejunostomy. To avoid mortality early diagnosis and prompt surgical intervention is mandatory. CASE PRESENTATION: A young man presented with epigastric pain and bilous vomiting followed by hematemesis,10 years after vagotomy and gastrojejunostomy for a bleeding duodenal ulcer. Emergency endoscopy showed JGI and the CT scan of the abdomen was compatible with this diagnosis. At laparotomy a retrograde type II, JGI was confirmed and managed by reduction of JGI without intestinal resection. Postoperative recovery was uneventful. CONCLUSIONS: JGI is a rare condition and less than 200 cases have been published since its first description in 1914. The clinical picture is almost diagnostic. Endoscopy performed by someone familiar with this rare entity is certainly diagnostic and CT-Scan of the abdomen could also help. There is no medical treatment for acute JGI and the correct treatment is surgical intervention as soon as possible

Multicultural Interdisciplinary Handbook: tools for learning history and geography in a multicultural perspective (MIH)

[ES] MIH project (Multicultural Interdisciplinary Handbook: tools for learning History and Geography in a multicultural perspective) is a Comenius Multilateral Project funded with support from the European Commission that has been developed from 2009 to 2011.Conceived from the idea of educating lower and upper Secondary School pupils in a process of construction of a European identity by involving them in the culture of other countries, MIH project meets this need by providing new methodological and ICT tools that could help teachers and pupils to plunge deeper into both cultures and languages of another nations via their History and Geography, and opens the way to introduce a European perspective in History and Geography school curricula and classroom activities