Infrastructure Specifications

This document presents the computing infrastructure deployed in the context of StratusLab project, details the configuration of the computing resources used and the commitments made from the project partners to contribute with computing resources in the project. During the first months of operation this infrastructure has already been significantly exploited to deliver the first results towards the project's goals. The OpenNebula virtual management software has been used to install private clouds on different OS platforms. Two pre-production grid sites have been deployed in the private cloud and are used to test the implications of providing grid services in cloud environments. Experience from the deployment and operation of the above sites will help us identify the required tools and procedures for offering grid production sites over computing clouds. Finally the document presents related work, relevant to infrastructure operations, taking place in other projects and initiatives

First Year Infrastructure Operations Report

This document summarizes the achievements of the infrastructure operations activity during the first year of the project. It describes the technical specifications of the infrastructure that has been put into operation, the process that was followed to establish it, the problems encountered and the various solutions that were applied. It also provides statistics about the usage of cloud resources and an assessment of their utilization

A Case of Trapezium Avascular Necrosis Treated Conservatively

Introduction. Avascular necrosis (AVN) of the bones of the wrist most commonly involves the lunate followed by the proximal pole of the scaphoid and the capitate. Trapezium avascular necrosis is extremely rare with only two cases reported in the literature, both of which were treated surgically. In this article, we report a unique case of trapezium avascular necrosis treated conservatively. Case Presentation. A 38-year-old man complaining of a 4-month history of mild pain on the base of his right thumb. MRI scan was performed. The clinical presentation and the imaging findings indicated avascular osteonecrosis of the trapezium. The patient was treated with immobilization of the wrist joint for a period of six weeks. Three months later, the patient was free of symptoms and the MRI scan revealed a normal trapezium. Conclusion. AVN of trapezium is extremely rare. Our case shows that immobilization of an early stage avascular necrosis of the trapezium might be a treatment option

Difficult intubation provokes bacteremia

Abstract Purpose: To evaluate the prevalence of bacteremia after mask ventilation, laryngoscopy, and endotracheal intubation before induction of general anesthesia and to discover any correlation between traumatic manipulations and bacteremia. The specific bacteria responsible, knowledge of which may guide the prophylactic use of antibiotics, also were investigated. Methods: Fifty patients were enrolled. Three 10-mL blood samples were collected from a peripheral vein 10 min before induction of anesthesia, 10 min after mask ventilation, and 10 min after intubation. All samples were placed in aerobic and anaerobic bottles for culture and bacterial identification. Results: Cultures received 10 min after intubation were positive in 12% of patients. The following strains were isolated: Escherichia coli in two cases, Staphylococcus aureus in three cases, and Peptostreptococcus anaerobius in one case. A strong positive correlation was found between difficult intubation and bacteremia. No correlation between bacteremia and easy intubation or between bacteremia and face mask ventilation was identified. Conclusion: Traumatic manipulations during difficult laryngoscopy and endotracheal intubation could cause bacteremia. This finding may justify and guide prophylactic use of antibiotics. 52

Right procedure, wrong organ, an unusual case report of aortic trauma in a multiple injured patient

Blunt traumatic injury and acute dissection of thoracic aorta is increasing in incidence in seriously multi-trauma patients, remaining highly lethal. Early identification and repair is the key to a successful outcome. We report an unusual case of a 62-year-old man involved in a motor vehicle accident after subarachnoid hemorrhage due to an intracranial artery aneurysm rupture. The post-traumatic aorta dissection was overlooked during the initial evaluation and was found incidentally later during an attempt for endovascular treatment of the intracranial aneurysm. The pitfalls in the diagnostic approach of this patient are discussed and the paramount importance of the correct interpretation of all the available clinical and investigational findings in multiple injured patients are highlighted

Regional anaesthesia versus general anaesthesia in endovascular aneurysm repair: the surgical nursing interventions

Minimally invasive surgical techniques are a revolutionary and innovative approach to the practice of surgery. Endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) may offer a number of significant advantages in comparison with conventional open surgical repair. The purpose of this study was to compare regional anaesthesia (RA) and general anaesthesia (GA) in EVAR, and to describe the surgical nursing interventions. This included a retrospective analysis of 160 consecutive patients (age 55 to 96 years) who underwent EVAR under: epidural anaesthesia (EDA = 60 patients), combined spinal and epidural anaesthesia (Combined = 40 patients) and GA = 60 patients. Results were successful in all patients and no mortality was noticed. Among the GA group, 11 patients needed ICU support while only 5 from the other 2 groups. Furthermore, a statistically significant difference regarding median hospital stay was also noticed in favour of the regional group. In conclusion, RA is a safe and effective anaesthetic method for endovascular repair of abdominal aneurysms, offering several advantages including simplicity, haemodynamic stability, less need for ICU management and reduced hospital stay. The anaesthetic nurse can play a major role in the management of this anaesthesia throughout the procedure

Sickness Absence in the Private Sector of Greece: Comparing Shipyard Industry and National Insurance Data

Approximately 3% of employees are absent from work due to illness daily in Europe, while in some countries sickness absence exceeds 20 days per year. Based on a limited body of reliable studies, Greek employees in the private sector seem to be absent far less frequently (<5 days/year) compared to most of the industrialized world. The aim of this study was to estimate the levels of sickness absence in the private sector in Greece, using shipyard and national insurance data. Detailed data on absenteeism of employees in a large shipyard company during the period 1999–2006 were utilized. National data on compensated days due to sickness absence concerning all employees (around 2 million) insured by the Social Insurance Institute (IKA, the largest insurance scheme in Greece) were retrieved from the Institute’s annual statistical reports for the period 1987–2006. Sick-leave days per employee and sick-leave rate (%) were calculated, among other indicators. In the shipyard cohort, the employment time loss due to sick leave was 1%. The mean number of sick-leave days per employee in shipyards ranged between 4.6 and 8.7 and sick-leave rate (sickness absenteeism rate) varied among 2% and 3.7%. The corresponding indicators for IKA were estimated between 5 and 6.3 sick-leave days per insured employee (median 5.8), and 2.14–2.72% (median 2.49%), respectively. Short sick-leave spells (<4 days) may account at least for the 25% of the total number of sick-leave days, currently not recorded in national statistics. The level of sickness absence in the private sector in Greece was found to be higher than the suggested by previous reports and international comparative studies, but still remains one of the lowest in the industrialized world. In the 20-years national data, the results also showed a 7-year wave in sickness absence indexes (a decrease during the period 1991–1997 and an increase in 1998–2004) combined with a small yet significant decline as a general trend. These observations deserve detailed monitoring and could only partly be attributed to the compensation and unemployment rates in Greece so other possible reasons should be explored

Issues with the Specificity of Immunological Reagents for NLRP3: Implications for Age-related Macular Degeneration

Contradictory data have been presented regarding the implication of the NACHT, LRR and PYD domains-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome in age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of vision loss in the Western world. Recognizing that antibody specificity may explain this discrepancy and in line with recent National Institutes of Health (NIH) guidelines requiring authentication of key biological resources, the specificity of anti-NLRP3 antibodies was assessed to elucidate whether non-immune RPE cells express NLRP3. Using validated resources, NLRP3 was not detected in human primary or human established RPE cell lines under multiple inflammasome-priming conditions, including purported NLRP3 stimuli in RPE such as DICER1 deletion and Alu RNA transfection. Furthermore, NLRP3 was below detection limits in ex vivo macular RPE from AMD patients, as well as in human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived RPE from patients with overactive NLRP3 syndrome (Chronic infantile neurologic cutaneous and articulate, CINCA syndrome). Evidence presented in this study provides new data regarding the interpretation of published results reporting NLRP3 expression and upregulation in RPE and addresses the role that this inflammasome plays in AMD pathogenesis

Risk factors for sickness absence due to low back pain and prognostic factors for return to work in a cohort of shipyard workers

The purpose of this study was to determine risk factors for the occurrence of sickness absence due to low back pain (LBP) and to evaluate prognostic factors for return to work. A longitudinal study with 1-year follow-up was conducted among 853 shipyard workers. The cohort was drawn around January 2004 among employees in the shipyard industry. Baseline information was obtained by questionnaire on physical and psychosocial work load, need for recovery, perceived general health, musculoskeletal complaints, sickness absence, and health care use during the past year. During the 1-year follow-up for each subject medical certifications were retrieved for information on the frequency and duration of spells of sickness absence and associated diagnoses. Cox regression analyses were conducted on occurrence and on duration of sickness absence with hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence interval (95% CI) as measure of association. During the 1-year follow-up period, 14% of the population was on sick leave at least once with LBP while recurrence reached 41%. The main risk factors for sickness absence were previous absence due to a health problem other than LBP (HR 3.07; 95%CI 1.66–5.68) or previous sickness absence due to LBP (HR 6.52; 95%CI 3.16–13.46). Care seeking for LBP and lower educational level also hold significant influences (HR 2.41; 95%CI 1.45–4.01 and HR 2.46; 95%CI 1.19–5.07, respectively). Living with others, night shift and supervising duties were associated with less absenteeism due to LBP. Workers with a history of herniated disc had a significantly decreased rate of returning to work, whereas those who suffered from hand-wrist complaints and LBP returned to work faster. Prior sick leave due to LBP partly captured the effects of work-related physical and psychosocial factors on occurrence of sick leave. Our study showed that individual and job characteristics (living alone, night shift, lower education, sick leave, or care seeking during the last 12 months) influenced the decision to take sick leave due to LBP. An increased awareness of those frequently on sick leave and additional management after return to work may have a beneficial effect on the sickness absence pattern