Preoperative digital three-dimensional planning for rhinoplasty

BACKGROUND: This report describes preoperative digital planning for rhinoplasty using a new three-dimensional (3D) radiologic viewer that allows both patients and surgeons to visualize on a common monitor the 3D real aspect of the nose in its inner and outer sides. METHODS: In the period 2002 to 2008, 210 patients underwent rhinoplasty procedures in the authors' clinic. The patients were randomly divided into three groups according to the type of preoperative planning used: photos only, a simulated result by Adobe Photoshop, or the 3D radiologic viewer. The parameters evaluated included the number of patients that underwent surgery after the first consultation, the number of patients who asked for a reintervention, patient satisfaction (according to a test given to the patients 12 months postoperatively), the surgical time required for a functional intervention, and the improvement in nasal function by postoperative rhinomanometry and subjective evaluation. RESULTS: Computer-aided technologies led to a higher number of patients deciding to undergo a rhinoplasty. Simulation of the postoperative results was not as useful in the postoperative period due to the higher number of reintervention requests. CONCLUSION: The patients undergoing rhinoplasties preferred new technologies in the preoperative period. The advantages of using the 3D radiologic viewer included improved preoperative planning, reduction in intraoperative stress, a higher number of patients undergoing surgery, reduction in postoperative surgical corrections, reduction in surgical time for the functional intervention, a higher rate of improvement in nasal function, a higher percentage of postoperative satisfaction, and reduced costs

Improvements in the methylmercury extraction from human hair by headspace solid-phase microextraction followed by gas-chromatography cold-vapour atomic fluorescence spectrometry

Improvements in the methylmercury extraction from human hair by solid-phase microextraction followed by gas chromatography coupled to cold-vapour atomic fluorescence spectrometry (GC-CVAFS) have been carried out. They consisted in the optimisation of the digestion step prior to the aqueous-phase ethylation and in the GC-CVAFS interface set-up. The main digestion parameters such as acid type, concentration, temperature and time have been optimised for hair sample analysis, thereby avoiding methylmercury degradation. Moreover, the stability of the digested samples was evaluated to improve the sample throughput

Significance of Textile Production the Argaric Culture (Spain)

In recent decades, research on the Bronze Age in the south-east of the Iberian Peninsula has focused mainly on analysis of the processes of hierarchy and social development. The valued archaeological indicators have been very diverse: from the ceramic and metallurgical specialization, to the normalization of funeral practices or the settlement pattern. However, only in recent years the importance of textile production in these processes has begun to be considered. With the present work we intend to evaluate the importance of this basic and fundamental craft, assessing the set of labour processes involved, the degree of specialization achieved, and the social value granted to textile products in the Bronze Age culture of El Argar.En las últimas décadas, las investigaciones sobre la Edad del Bronce en el Sudeste de la península ibérica se han centrado preferentemente en análisis de los procesos de jerarquización y desarrollo social. Los indicadores arqueológicos valorados han sido muy diversos: desde la especialización cerámica y metalúrgica, a la normalización de las prácticas funerarias o el patrón de asentamiento. Sin embargo, sólo en los últimos años comienza a ser considerada la importancia de la producción textil en dichos procesos. Con el presente trabajo pretendemos evaluar la importancia de esta artesanía básica y fundamental, valorando el conjunto de procesos laborales implicados, el grado de especialización alcanzado y el valor social otorgado a los productos textiles en la cultura de El Argar.This research has been carried out within the framework of the project “Espacios sociales y espacios de frontera durante el Calcolítico y la Edad del Bronce en el Levante de la península ibérica” (HAR2016-76586-P),” funded by el Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad del gobierno de España

An Argaric Tomb for a Carpathian ‘Princess’?

Around 120 years ago, a burial was discovered in the Argaric settlement of San Antón, 60 km southeast of Alicante (Spain). Although it was similar to many others recorded during more than a century of research, some gold objects found made this burial exceptional in the Iberian Bronze Age funerary record. Based on the most recent archaeological data, this article reviews both the context and the whole set of grave goods. It also explores the intersocial relationships that these gold ornaments suggest, which directly or indirectly seem to point towards both eastern Mediterranean Europe as well as to the Carpathian Basin

Validation of the approach method of electropherogram by a sum of gaussians

Quantitative estimation of one dimensionnal autoradiography film density profiles that are generated in gel electrophoresis of radioactive proteins and nucleic acids is a very used approach . Several studies have been realized on this subject . They operate on the optical density values acquired by CCD cameras . These operations include smoothing of mesuring values, background correction, and integration of peak areas after sided fit of half gaussian profile to each band . Our contribution consists to validate this approach by its application to separate RNA fragments of very close size. We show that is possible to use this approach to evaluate directly the relative expression level of each RNA in a determined experiance configuration .L'estimation quantitative des autoradiogrammes par une somme de gaussiennes est une approche très utilisée. Elle est rendue possible grâce au développement des méthodes densimétriques utilisables après digitalisation de l'image d'autoradiographie du gel. La métrologie apportée par l'analyse et le traitement d'images permet d'éliminer les appréciations subjectives visuelles et humaines. Plusieurs études ont été réalisées sur ce sujet. Notre contribution consiste à valider cet approche par son application à des fragments d'ARN de tailles très proches. Nous montrons qu'il est possible d'évaluer directement par le calcul le niveau d'expression d'ARN dans une configuration d'expérience déterminée, évaluation très difficile à obtenir par d'autres méthodes

Spin-phonon interaction and band effects in the high-T_C superconductor HgBa_2CuO_4

Band calculations show that a stripe-like anti-ferromagnetic spin wave is enforced by a 'half-breathing' phonon distortion within the CuO plane of HgBa_2CuO_4. This spin-phonon coupling is increased further by shear distortion and by increased distance between Cu and apical oxygens. The effects from spin-phonon coupling are consistent with many observations in high-T_C materials. Spin-phonon coupling can be important for the mechanism of spin fluctuations and superconductivity, although the effects are quantitatively weak when using the local density potential.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur

Pressure Studies on a High-TcT_c Superconductor Pseudogap and Critical Temperatures

We report simultaneous hydrostatic pressure studies on the critical temperature $T_c$ and on the pseudogap temperature $T^*$ performed through resistivity measurements on an optimally doped high-$T_c$ oxide $Hg_{0.82}Re_{0.18}Ba_2Ca_2Cu_3O_{8+\delta}$. The resistivity is measured as function of the temperature for several different applied pressure below 1GPa. We find that both $T_c$ and $T^*$ increases linearly with the pressure. This result demonstrate that the well known intrinsic pressure effect on $T_c$ is also present at $T^*$ and both temperatures are originated by the same superconducting mechanism.Comment: 4 pages and 2 figures in eps, final versio

Dimethyl-2-oxoglutarate improves redox balance and mitochondrial function in muscle pericytes of individuals with diabetes mellitus

Aims/hypothesis Treatment of vascular complications of diabetes remains inadequate. We reported that muscle pericytes (MPs) from limb muscles of vascular patients with diabetes mellitus display elevated levels of oxidative stress causing a dysfunctional phenotype. Here, we investigated whether treatment with dimethyl-2-oxoglutarate (DM-2OG), a tricarboxylic acid cycle metab- olite with antioxidant properties, can restore a healthy metabolic and functional phenotype. Methods MPs were isolated from limb muscles of diabetes patients with vascular disease (D-MPs) and from non-diabetic control participants (ND-MPs). Metabolic status was assessed in untreated and DM-2OG-treated (1 mmol/l) cells using an extracellular flux analyser and anion-exchange chromatography–mass spectrometry (IC-MS/MS). Redox status was measured using commercial kits and IC-MS/MS, with antioxidant and metabolic enzyme expression assessed by quanti- tative RT-PCR and western blotting. Myogenic differentiation and proliferation and pericyte–endothelial interaction were assessed as functional readouts. Results D-MPs showed mitochondrial dysfunction, suppressed glycolytic activity and reduced reactive oxygen species- buffering capacity, but no suppression of antioxidant systems when compared with ND-MP controls. DM-2OG supple- mentation improved redox balance and mitochondrial function, without affecting glycolysis or antioxidant systems. Nonetheless, this was not enough for treated D-MPs to regain the level of proliferation and myogenic differentiation of ND-MPs. Interestingly, DM-2OG exerted a positive effect on pericyte–endothelial cell interaction in the co-culture angiogenesis assay, independent of the diabetic status. Conclusions/interpretation These novel findings support the concept of using DM-2OG supplementation to improve pericyte redox balance and mitochondrial function, while concurrently allowing for enhanced pericyte–endothelial crosstalk. Such effects may help to prevent or slow down vasculopathy in skeletal muscles of people with diabetes

Stratigraphy, Radiocarbon and Textile Production: Chronotypologic Seriation of Bronze Age Loom Weights from the South-Eastern Area of the Iberian Peninsula

En este artículo se pretende evidenciar la importancia que, como indicador cronológico, posee en el cuadrante suroriental de la península ibérica uno de los objetos del registro arqueológico de la Edad del Bronce hasta ahora no considerados: las pesas de telar. A partir del análisis de su seriación tipológica, debidamente concatenada con la información contextual de aparición en ámbitos de hábitat y con la información cronoestratigráfica basada en dataciones absolutas asociadas de yacimientos argáricos, del Bronce Valenciano y del Bronce en La Mancha –2200-1550 cal AC– y del Bronce Tardío –1550-1250 cal AC–, se muestra cómo más allá de las implicaciones que sus cambios morfológicos pudieron tener en el marco de las innovaciones técnicas y en la organización de la artesanía textil a lo largo más de un milenio, también pueden ser empleadas como un indicador cronológico fiable en la ordenación temporal.This article aims to demonstrate the importance, as a chronological indicator, of one of the objects of the Bronze Age archaeological record in the south-eastern quadrant of the Iberian Peninsula that has not been considered until now: loom weights. From the analysis of their typological seriation, duly concatenated with the contextual information on their appearance in habitat spaces and with the chronostratigraphic data based on absolute dates associated from Argaric, Valencian Bronze Age and Bronze Age in La Mancha sites –2200-1550 cal BC– and Late Bronze Age sites –1550-1250 cal BC–, we show how, beyond the implications that their morphological changes may have had in the context of technical innovations and the organisation of textile craftsmanship over more than a millennium, they can also be used as a reliable chronological indicator in the temporal ordering