Multiple or metastatic clear cell chondrosarcoma: a case report

We report multiple synchronous clear-cell chondrosarcomas in a 43-year-old patient. The patient had a lesion in the right proximal humerus and in the left femoral condyle. Bone scintigraphy revealed increased uptake in both foci. Pathological analysis confirmed the diagnosis in both locations. In the proximal humerus, wide resection of the tumour was performed with allograft reconstruction of the joint with osteosynthesis. The femoral condyle was treated with curettage, phenolization, and cementation. Over a follow-up of 10 years no recurrence or metastasis was observed

Determination of the cardiac drug amiodarone and its N-desethyl metabolite in sludge samples

This is the postprint (accepted manuscript) version of the article published in Journal of Chromatography A http://doi.org/10.1016/j.chroma.2015.03.024 This manuscript version is made available under de CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 licenseFor the first time, a procedure for the simultaneous determination of the iodinated drug amiodarone and its major metabolite, N-desethylamiodarone, in sludge from urban sewage treatment plants (STPs) is proposed. Matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) followed by on-line cationic exchange clean-up, in mod- ular configuration, was used as sample preparation technique. Liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS), based on a hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight (QTOF) system, was employed for the selective determination of target compounds. The optimized procedure provided exhaustive recov- eries with little effect of the sample matrix in the efficiency of electrospray ionization (ESI). The overall recoveries of the method ranged between 95 and 111%, for samples spiked at different concentration levels. The achieved limits of quantification (LOQs) remained below 10 ng g−1 for both compounds, and the linear response range extended up to 2500 ng g−1. Amiodarone and N-desethylamiodarone were ubiquitous in sludge samples, from different STPs located in the Northwest of Spain, with maximum concentrations above 300 ng g−1 referred to the freeze-dried matrix. They were also present in stabilized sludge (mixed with lime and thermally dehydrated), which is mostly disposed in agriculture fields as fertilizer. Furthermore, mono-iodinated analogues of amiodarone and N-desethylamiodarone were also tentatively identified in some samples from their accurate MS and MS/MS spectraThis study has been supported by the Spanish Government and E.U. FEDER funds (project CTQ2012-33080) and the Xunta de Galicia (Excellence Research Groups Programme). R.M. acknowledges a post-doctoral “Juan de la Cierva” contract from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness.S

Non-Linear Models for Growth, Development, and Posture of L-33 White Leghorn Hens, according to Economic Indicators

The Zootechnical Factors established by the main indicators of bioeconomic behavior were determined for the pro-ductive-commercial cycle of L-33 White Leghorn hens in the province of Ciego de Ávila, Cuba. A number of 55 cycles were analyzed for validation of mathematical models between 2002 and 2014; other 18 cycles were studied between 2014 and 2016. Descriptive statistics, generalized mixed models (GLIMMIX), and five-function modelling were used. SAS 9.3 for Windows was also used. The productive cycles were similar to the standard set up for the breed and line in Cuba. Laying was 293 eggs/poultry, with a conversion of 1.40 feed kg/10 eggs, and a cost of $ 0.36 CUP an egg. The starting sheds and year had effects on live weight, tarsus length, uniformity, and daily weight gain up to 175 days. Sexual maturity, conversion, egg production, egg cost, and net income were influenced by farm, whereas each farm´s starting shed and the years, had negative effects on most biological indicators. Low, but significant effects of combined climate variables were observed in the bioeconomic indicators. The Gompertz´s model for growth, and Mc Nally´s for laying, were the best predicting tools for production. Along with GLIMMIX, they will contribute with suitable criteria for better decision making to increase egg production

Experimental validation of COMETA model of mental workload in air traffic control

The sustained increase in air traffic during the last decades represents a challenge to the air traffic management system in general. Thus, it is of utmost importance to develop strategies that can safely increase air traffic controller's handling capacity without increasing task related strain. This research proposes and validates a predictive model of air traffic controller's mental workload. Our model is based on COMETA, a model that considers the effect of the most relevant air traffic events in the cognitive complexity of the task. In the version of COMETA used in this study we include the online effects of the controllers' actions on the state of the airspace. To validate the model, a laboratory experiment was conducted using a simulator to precisely control the task workload factors. We used traffic density and airspace complexity as experimental factors because they are the most commonly acknowledged sources of mental workload in air traffic control literature. The measured dependent variables were selected because they have been found to correlate with mental workload in ATC tasks, namely, ISA and NASA indexes, electrodermal activity, heart rate, and different performance measures. The results demonstrate that our model can successfully predict air traffic controllers' mental workload across a wide range of task workload conditions. In addition, our results provide a clear portrait of the complex interactions between the different sources of task workload and their effects on mental workload. In the conclusion we consider the limitations and opportunities for the application of this model to improve policie

Tracking soluble and nanoparticulated titanium released in vivo from metal dental implant debris using (single-particle)-ICP-MS

Background: This work studies the presence of the Ti, Al and V metal ions and Ti nanoparticles released from the debris produced by the implantoplasty, a surgical procedure used in the clinic, in rat organs. Methods: The sample preparation for total Ti determination was carefully optimized using microsampling inserts to minimize the dilution during the acid attack of the lyophilized tissues by a microwave-assisted acid digestion method. An enzymatic digestion method was optimized and applied to the different tissue samples in order to extract the titanium nanoparticles for the single-particle ICP-MS analysis.Results: A statistically significant increase was found for Ti concentrations from control to experimental groups for several of the studied tissues, being and particularly significant in the case of brain and spleen. Al and V concentrations were detected in all tissues but they were not different when comparing control and experimental animals, except for V in brain. The possible presence of Ti-containing nanoparticles mobilized from the implantoplasty debris was tested using enzymatic digestions and SP-ICP-MS. The presence of Ti-containing nanoparticles was observed in all the analyzed tissues, however, differences on the Ti mass per particle were found between the blanks and the digested tissue and between control and experimental animals in some organs.Conclusion: The developed methodologies, both for ionic and nanoparticulated metal contents in rat organs, have shown the possible increase in the levels of Ti both as ions and nanoparticles in rats subjected to implantoplasty

Multielemental analysis of Antarctic soils using calibration free laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a quick technique that allows the analysis of all types of samples without destroying them and with much reduced sample treatment. One of its many applications is the study of geological samples such as soils. Because of the complexity of the matrix, it is very difficult to find or manufacture standards for these types of samples. Therefore, a good alternative is to make use of a methodology, called Calibration Free (CF), where instead of using standards, the physical parameters of the plasma created by the interaction of the laser with the sample are studied and related to the elements and species that compose it. This methodology is followed to perform a multielemental quantitative analysis of soil samples from Antarctica. Two studies were made, differing in the optimization of the instrumental parameters in order to obtain the best possible spectra in the chosen spectral lines. In both cases, the signal to noise ratio (SNR) was used to evaluate the quality of the spectra, but in the second study a full factorial design 23 with center and axial points was developed to get better results. The choice of spectral lines was based on a series of criteria, being stricter in the second study. The samples were mainly composed of the following oxides: SiO2, Al2O3, Fe2O3, CaO, MgO, Na2O, TiO and K2O. In the second study, it was also possible to determine the species present in lower concentrations: Mn, Cr, V, Sr, Zr, BA and Li. The results were compared with those provided by ICP-OES analysis, obtaining close values for most oxides, especially in the second study. For minority elements, the CF-LIBS and the ICP-OES results were within the same order of magnitude in all cases except the Cr case. These results show that CF-LIBS can be very useful in the characterization of complex samples from remote regions, such as Antarctic soils

Nuevos datos sobre la distribución de pteronotus personatus (wagner, 1843) (chiroptera: mormoopidae) en colombia

La familia Momoopidae está integrada por los comúnmente denominados murciélagos bigotudos, de espalda desnuda y los de rostro de fantasma, que conforman en total dos géneros con ocho especies restringidas al Nuevo Mundo (GARDNER, 2007). Estos murciélagos tienen un amplio rango ecológico de tolerancia y ocupan hábitat que van desde muy calurosos, como bosques tropicales, hasta lugares áridos y secos. En Colombia se encuentran los dos géneros (Mormoops y Pteronotus), con cinco especies: Mormoops megalophylla (PETERS, 1864); Pteronotus davyi GRAY, 1838; P. gimnonotus NATTERER, 1843; P. parnellii (GRAY, 1843) y P. personatus (WAGNER, 1843), siendo abundantes especialmente en las costas de la región Caribe (MUÑOZ, 2001).Pteronotus personatus, se distribuye desde el Sur del desierto de Sonora en México hasta el Sur de la costa Atlántica en Mato Grosso, Brasil (DE LA TORRE y MEDELLÍN, 2010). En Colombia ha sido registrada en los departamentos de Antioquia, Bolívar, Cundinamarca y La Guajira (CUERVO et al., 1986; GARDNER, 2007). Esta especie vive generalmente por debajo de los 400 msnm, tolera los bosques secos, bosques multiestructurales verdes y bosques deciduos tropicales (MUÑOZ, 2001). Son de hábitos insectívoros, sin embargo, no hay datos publicados sobre aspectos específicos de la dieta, competencia y depredadores naturales (DE LA TORRE y MEDELLÍN, 2010)

Análisis de movimientos y aceleraciones provocados por las acciones del oleaje y de los buques en el dique de Botafoc (Ibiza)

El reciente desarrollo de la instrumentación diseñada para proporcionar datos de aceleraciones y movimientos del cajón número 8 del dique Botafoc (Ibiza), perteneciente a la Autoridad Portuaria de Baleares (Puertos del Estado), en conjunción con datos procedentes de una instrumentación compuesta por sensores de presión existente en el paramento vertical, proporciona un novedoso medio para analizar la respuesta estructural del cajón, no sólo ante la acción del oleaje, sino también ante los efectos producidos por las maniobras de los buques en el muelle. Como la medición de estas aceleraciones y velocidades angulares se hace a altas frecuencias (de hasta 400 Hz), podemos proporcionar datos válidos acerca del comportamiento estructural y de los movimientos reales del cajón, tratando de correlacionar este comportamiento con los resultados obtenidos por el grupo de trabajo PROVERBS (Probabilistic design of vertical breakwaters, MAST III EU Programme), y generando una base de datos estadística de movimientos que deben considerarse para enriquecer los conocimientos en este ámbito. Además, la posibilidad de registrar los efectos causados por las maniobras de atraquedesatraque-estancia de los buques, abre un nuevo punto de vista al diseño estructural de un dique-muelle, siendo también de gran interés para los diseñadores de obras marítimas y para la correcta definición de las maniobras del buque en el muelle. The recent deployment of new instrumentation designed to provide accelerations and angular velocities from caisson #8 at Botafoc seawall, Ibiza, along with an existing pressure sensor instrumentation at the vertical wall, provides a way to record and process data of the structural response, not only to waves, but also to effects caused by ship mooring operations at Botafoc seawall. As the measurement of these angular speeds and accelerations is programmed with sampling frecuencies up to 400 Hz, and by integrating all data through time we may provide suitable data of the structural behaviour of the caisson. This behaviour is tried to be correlated with the PROVERBS working group achievements (Probabilistic design of vertical breakwaters, MAST III EU Programme), generating a statistical movement database that must be used to improve knowledge on this subject. Also the possibility to record the effects caused by the different ship mooring operations is a new point of view of the complete structural design of a seawall-wharf, which is considered an interesting matter for coastal designers as well for a correct ship mooring processes definition

sPLA2-V inhibits EPCR anticoagulant and antiapoptotic properties by accommodating lysophosphatidylcholine or PAF in the hydrophobic groove

The endothelial protein C receptor (EPCR) plays an important role in cardiovascular disease by binding protein C/activated protein C (APC). EPCR structure contains a hydrophobic groove filled with an unknown phospholipid needed to perform its function. It has not been established whether lipid exchange takes place in EPCR as a regulatory mechanism of its activity. Our objective was to identify this phospholipid and to explore the possibility of lipid exchange as a regulatory mechanism of EPCR activity driven by the endothelially expressed secretory group V phospholipase A2 (sPLA2-V). We identified phosphatidylcholine (PCh) as the major phospholipid bound to human soluble EPCR (sEPCR). PCh in EPCR could be exchanged for lysophosphatidylcholine (lysoPCh) and platelet activating factor (PAF). Remarkably, lysoPCh and PAF impaired the protein C binding ability of sEPCR. Inhibition of sPLA2-V, responsible for lysoPCh and PAF generation, improved APC binding to endothelial cells. EPCR-dependent protein C activation and APC antiapoptotic effect were thus significantly enhanced. In contrast, endothelial cell supplementation with sPLA2-V inhibited both APC generation and its antiapoptotic effects. We conclude that APC generation and function can be modulated by changes in phospholipid occupancy of its endothelial cell receptor

Ground-based detection of an extended helium atmosphere in the Saturn-mass exoplanet WASP-69b

Hot gas giant exoplanets can lose part of their atmosphere due to strong stellar irradiation, affecting their physical and chemical evolution. Studies of atmospheric escape from exoplanets have mostly relied on space-based observations of the hydrogen Lyman-{\alpha} line in the far ultraviolet which is strongly affected by interstellar absorption. Using ground-based high-resolution spectroscopy we detect excess absorption in the helium triplet at 1083 nm during the transit of the Saturn-mass exoplanet WASP-69b, at a signal-to-noise ratio of 18. We measure line blue shifts of several km/s and post transit absorption, which we interpret as the escape of part of the atmosphere trailing behind the planet in comet-like form. [Additional notes by authors: Furthermore, we provide upper limits for helium signals in the atmospheres of the exoplanets HD 209458b, KELT-9b, and GJ 436b. We investigate the host stars of all planets with detected helium signals and those of the three planets we derive upper limits for. In each case we calculate the X-ray and extreme ultraviolet flux received by these planets. We find that helium is detected in the atmospheres of planets (orbiting the more active stars and) receiving the larger amount of irradiation from their host stars.]Comment: Submitted to Science on 14 March 2018; Accepted by Science on 16 November 2018; Published by Science on 6 December 2018. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of the AAAS for personal use. The definitive version was published in Science, on 6 December 2018 - Report: pages 21 (preprint), 4 figures - Supplementary materials: 22 pages, 10 figures, 3 table