Cold saline irrigation of the renal pelvis during Radiofrequency Ablation of a central renal neoplasm: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Thermal destruction mediated by radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is gaining attention as an alternative treatment for patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC), particularly in those who are not candidates for open surgery. Treatment of central tumours is occasionally associated with complications such as ureteric stricture, injury to the psoas muscle, haematuria and vascular laceration.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We have used infusion of cold saline during RFA, through a retrograde ureteric catheter with its tip in the renal pelvis, in a patient with a central renal tumour.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We believe this process to have successfully avoided the risk of thermal injury.</p

Radiofrequency Ablation of Subpleural Lung Malignancy: Reduced Pain Using an Artificially Created Pneumothorax

One of the main issues with radiofrequency (RF) ablation of the subpleural lung malignancy is pain management during and after RF ablation. In this article, we present a case that utilized a technique to decrease the pain associated with RF ablation of a malignancy located within the subpleural lung. Under CT guidance, we created an artificial pneumothorax prior to the RF ablation, which resulted in minimizing the pain usually experienced during and after the procedure. It also decreased the amount of pain medications usually used in patients undergoing RF ablation of a subpleural lung lesion

Nanopillared Surfaces Disrupt Pseudomonas aeruginosa Mechanoresponsive Upstream Motility.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic, multidrug-resistant, human pathogen that forms biofilms in environments with fluid flow, such as the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients, industrial pipelines, and medical devices. P. aeruginosa twitches upstream on surfaces by the cyclic extension and retraction of its mechanoresponsive type IV pili motility appendages. The prevention of upstream motility, host invasion, and infectious biofilm formation in fluid flow systems remains an unmet challenge. Here, we describe the design and application of scalable nanopillared surface structures fabricated using nanoimprint lithography that reduce upstream motility and colonization by P. aeruginosa. We used flow channels to induce shear stress typically found in catheter tubes and microscopy analysis to investigate the impact of nanopillared surfaces with different packing fractions on upstream motility trajectory, displacement, velocity, and surface attachment. We found that densely packed, subcellular nanopillared surfaces, with pillar periodicities ranging from 200 to 600 nm and widths ranging from 70 to 215 nm, inhibit the mechanoresponsive upstream motility and surface attachment. This bacteria-nanostructured surface interface effect allows us to tailor surfaces with specific nanopillared geometries for disrupting cell motility and attachment in fluid flow systems

Nanopillared Surfaces Disrupt Pseudomonas aeruginosa Mechanoresponsive Upstream Motility.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic, multidrug-resistant, human pathogen that forms biofilms in environments with fluid flow, such as the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients, industrial pipelines, and medical devices. P. aeruginosa twitches upstream on surfaces by the cyclic extension and retraction of its mechanoresponsive type IV pili motility appendages. The prevention of upstream motility, host invasion, and infectious biofilm formation in fluid flow systems remains an unmet challenge. Here, we describe the design and application of scalable nanopillared surface structures fabricated using nanoimprint lithography that reduce upstream motility and colonization by P. aeruginosa. We used flow channels to induce shear stress typically found in catheter tubes and microscopy analysis to investigate the impact of nanopillared surfaces with different packing fractions on upstream motility trajectory, displacement, velocity, and surface attachment. We found that densely packed, subcellular nanopillared surfaces, with pillar periodicities ranging from 200 to 600 nm and widths ranging from 70 to 215 nm, inhibit the mechanoresponsive upstream motility and surface attachment. This bacteria-nanostructured surface interface effect allows us to tailor surfaces with specific nanopillared geometries for disrupting cell motility and attachment in fluid flow systems

Splenic arterial interventions: anatomy, indications, technical considerations, and potential complications.

Splenic arterial interventions are increasingly performed to treat various clinical conditions, including abdominal trauma, hypersplenism, splenic arterial aneurysm, portal hypertension, and splenic neoplasm. When clinically appropriate, these procedures may provide an alternative to open surgery. They may help to salvage splenic function in patients with posttraumatic injuries or hypersplenism and to improve hematologic parameters in those who otherwise would be unable to undergo high-dose chemotherapy or immunosuppressive therapy. Splenic arterial interventions also may be performed to exclude splenic artery aneurysms from the parent vessel lumen and prevent aneurysm rupture; to reduce portal pressure and prevent sequelae in patients with portal hypertension; to treat splenic artery steal syndrome and improve liver perfusion in liver transplant recipients; and to administer targeted treatment to areas of neoplastic disease in the splenic parenchyma. As the use of splenic arterial interventions increases in interventional radiology practice, clinicians must be familiar with the splenic vascular anatomy, the indications and contraindications for performing interventional procedures, the technical considerations involved, and the potential use of other interventional procedures, such as radiofrequency ablation, in combination with splenic arterial interventions. Familiarity with the complications that can result from these interventional procedures, including abscess formation and pancreatitis, also is important

Charged charm production in proton-emulsion interactions at 400 GeV/c

A study of charged charm production is made at 400 GeV incident energy of protons in nuclear emulsion. A total of 7005 primary stars have been scrutinized to look for charm particle decays in the forward cone within a decay distance of 100-1,000 &#181;m (3,056 stars) and 100-2,000 &#181;m (3,949 stars). In all 10 charm candidates decaying to &#8776;3 charged particles plus neutrals have been observed. Background due to secondary interactions for events of such topology is estimated to be &#8776;3. Background due to strange particle decays is estimated to be negligible. The rest of the events are attributed to &#923;c + and D &#177; decays. This leads to a value of 91&#177;35 &#181;b/nucleon for the total charged charm production cross section. Using production cross section for D &#177; from other experiments we obtain &#923;c + production cross section as 62&#177;27 &#181;b/nucleon. Two cases of pair production of charm have been seen

Neutral charm production in 400 GeV proton-emulsion interactions

A search has been carried out for neutral charm production in 5,108 proton-emulsion interactions at 400 GeV/c. Nine charm candidates have been observed in our fiducial volume which extends from 100&#181;m-1,000&#181;m in the forward cone. One of these is a 4-prong and the others are 2-prong events with opening angle&gt;10 mrad and momenta of both decay tracks&gt;150 MeV/c. Search for associated charm decays was made in an extended fiducial volume around the primary stars of these nine candidates. This yielded two neutral 2-prong events, one associated with the 4-prong and the other with a 2-prong candidate. All unassociated candidates are consistent with being backgrounds due to K s , &#923; decays, neutral interactions and &#947; conversions whereas the background to associated events is negligible. Based on the two associated decays the inclusive cross section for D 0, -0 production is determined as 27&#177;20 &#181;b/nucleon. Detailed measurements on the 4-prong candidate lead to the identification of one decay track as an electron and another as a kaon. This is interpreted as a semi-leptonic, Cabbibo favoured D 0/D -0 decay