Treatment of Aneurysmal Bone Cysts with Bioactive Glass in Children

Background and Aims: Aneurysmal bone cysts represent about 1% of primary bone tumors. The standard treatment is curettage, followed by local adjuvant treatments and bone grafting. The problem is the high recurrence rate. The purpose of this study was to evaluate retrospectively the use of bioactive glass as a filling material in the treatment of aneurysmatic bone cysts in children. Material and Methods: A total of 18 consecutive children (mean 11.3years at surgery; 10 males; 11 lower, 6 upper limb, 1 pelvis; 15 with primary surgery) with histologically proven primary aneurysmal bone cysts operated with curettage and bioactive glass filling between 2008 and 2013 were evaluated after a mean follow-up of 2.0years (range, 0.7-5.1years). Results: Two (11%) patients showed evidence of aneurysmal bone cyst recurrence and both have been re-operated for recurrence. Bone remodeling was noted in all patients with remaining growth and no growth plate disturbances were recorded. Two patients needed allogeneic blood transfusion. No intraoperative or postoperative complications were recorded. Conclusion: We conclude that bioactive glass is a suitable filling material for children with primary aneurysmal bone cyst. Bioactive glass did not affect bone growth and no side effects were reported.Peer reviewe

Day-Scale Variability of 3C 279 and Searches for Correlations in Gamma-Ray, X-Ray, and Optical Bands

Light curves of 3C 279 are presented in optical (R-band), X-rays (RXTE/PCA), and gamma rays (CGRO/EGRET) for 1999 Jan-Feb and 2000 Jan-Mar. During both of those epochs the gamma-ray levels were high, and all three observed bands demonstrated substantial variation, on time scales as short as one day. Correlation analyses provided no consistent pattern, although a rather significant optical/gamma-ray correlation was seen in 1999, with a gamma-ray lag of ~2.5 days, and there are other suggestions of correlations in the light curves. For comparison, correlation analysis is also presented for the gamma-ray and X-ray light curves during the large gamma ray flare in 1996 Feb and the two gamma-bright weeks leading up to it; the correlation at that time was strong, with a gamma-ray/X-ray offset of no more than 1 day.Comment: 20 pages, including 7 figures; accepted by The Astrophysical Journa

Multi-Epoch Multiwavelength Spectra and Models for Blazar 3C~279

Of the blazars detected by EGRET in GeV gamma rays, 3C 279 is not only the best-observed by EGRET, but also one of the best-monitored at lower frequencies. We have assembled eleven spectra, from GHz radio through GeV gamma rays, from the time intervals of EGRET observations. Although some of the data have appeared in previous publications, most are new, including data taken during the high states in early 1999 and early 2000. All of the spectra show substantial gamma-ray contribution to the total luminosity of the object; in a high state, the gamma-ray luminosity dominates over that at all other frequencies by a factor of more than 10. There is no clear pattern of time correlation; different bands do not always rise and fall together, even in the optical, X-ray, and gamma-ray bands. The spectra are modeled using a leptonic jet, with combined synchrotron self-Compton + external Compton gamma-ray production. Spectral variability of 3C 279 is consistent with variations of the bulk Lorentz factor of the jet, accompanied by changes in the spectral shape of the electron distribution. Our modeling results are consistent with the UV spectrum of 3C 279 being dominated by accretion disk radiation during times of low gamma-ray intensity.Comment: 39 pages including 13 figures; data tables not included (see ApJ web version or contact author

A randomized, placebo-controlled trial of prednisone in early Henoch Schönlein Purpura [ISRCTN85109383]

BACKGROUND: Henoch Schönlein Purpura (HSP) is the most common systemic vasculitis of childhood. There is considerable controversy over whether children with HSP should be treated with corticosteroids. The goal of this study was to investigate whether early corticosteroid administration could reduce the rate of renal or gastrointestinal complications in children with HSP. METHODS: Forty children with HSP, seen in the emergency room of a tertiary-care, paediatric centre, entered a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled study. The treatment group (n = 21) received oral prednisone, 2 mg/kg/day for one week, with weaning over a second week, while the placebo group (n = 19) received an identical appearing placebo. Co-primary outcomes were the rate of renal involvement at one year and the rate of acute gastrointestinal complications. Co-primary outcomes were analysed using Fisher's Exact test. RESULTS: At one year, there was no difference in the rate of renal involvement (3/21 prednisone group vs. 2/19 placebo group, P = 1.0). There was also no statistically significant difference in the rate of acute gastrointestinal complications (2/21 prednisone group vs. 3/19 placebo group, P = 0.7). Two children in the placebo group did experience intussusceptions compared with none in the prednisone group (P = 0.2). CONCLUSIONS: Early prednisone therapy in HSP does not appear to reduce the risk of renal involvement at one year, or the risk of acute gastrointestinal complications. There may be a reduced risk of intussusception. The routine, early use of prednisone in uncomplicated HSP cannot be recommended at this time

Structure-Activity Relationship Analysis of 3-Phenylcoumarin-Based Monoamine Oxidase B Inhibitors

Monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) catalyzes deamination of monoamines such as neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine. Accordingly, small-molecule MAO-B inhibitors potentially alleviate the symptoms of dopamine-linked neuropathologies such as depression or Parkinson's disease. Coumarin with a functionalized 3-phenyl ring system is a promising scaffold for building potent MAO-B inhibitors. Here, a vast set of 3-phenylcoumarin derivatives was designed using virtual combinatorial chemistry or rationally de novo and synthesized using microwave chemistry. The derivatives inhibited the MAO-B at 100 nM-1 mu M. The IC50 value of the most potent derivative 1 was 56 nM. A docking-based structure-activity relationship analysis summarizes the atom-level determinants of the MAO-B inhibition by the derivatives. Finally, the cross-reactivity of the derivatives was tested against monoamine oxidase A and a specific subset of enzymes linked to estradiol metabolism, known to have coumarin-based inhibitors. Overall, the results indicate that the 3-phenylcoumarins, especially derivative 1, present unique pharmacological features worth considering in future drug development

Experimental neck muscle pain impairs standing balance in humans

Impaired postural control has been reported in patients with chronic neck pain of both traumatic and non-traumatic etiologies, but whether painful stimulation of neck muscle per se can affect balance control during quiet standing in humans remains unclear. The purpose of the present experiment was thus to investigate the effect of experimental neck muscle pain on standing balance in young healthy adults. To achieve this goal, 16 male university students were asked to stand upright as still as possible on a force platform with their eyes closed in two conditions of No pain and Pain of the neck muscles elicited by experimental painful electrical stimulation. Postural control and postural performance were assessed by the displacements of the center of foot pressure (CoP) and of the center of mass (CoM), respectively. The results showed increased CoP and CoM displacements variance, range, mean velocity, and mean and median frequencies in the Pain relative to the No pain condition. The present findings emphasize the destabilizing effect of experimental neck muscle pain per se, and more largely stress the importance of intact neck neuromuscular function on standing balance

Surrounded by sound: noise, rights and environments

Noise was probably the first environmental pollutant (apart from human waste) in the Ancient world. Yet today, by comparison with other environmental matters, noise and protection from its effects are often overlooked, except in specialist fields such as architecture or planning. One major reason for this may be that noise does not possess the same ability to spread that is characteristic of other forms of pollution. Noise is also an unusual form of environmental pollution in having a physical impact – it is ‘heard’ and can be ‘felt’ – but is predominantly interpreted subjectively. The impact and consequences of anthropogenic noise for humans and biodiversity in general, are currently under-investigated in criminology and are under-addressed in both public and private international environmental law. Here we question why noise has not (so far) been explored within green criminology and only tentatively explored within cultural criminology. The objectives are to provide an overview of noise as a topic, connecting media, culture, anti- and pro-social behaviour, and to unearth interconnections between the matter of noise and its implications for the environment