Growth Rate and Associated Factors in Small Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms

AbstractObjectiveTo study the growth rate and factors influencing progression of small infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA).DesignObservational, longitudinal, prospective study.Patients and methodsWe followed patients with AAA <5cm in diameter in two groups. Group I (AAA 3–3.9cm, n=246) underwent annual ultrasound scans. Group II (AAA 4–4.9cm, n=106) underwent 6-monthly CT scans.ResultsWe included 352 patients (333 men and 19 women) followed for a mean of 55.2±37.4 months (6.3–199.8). The mean growth rate was significantly greater in group II (4.72±5.93 vs. 2.07±3.23mm/year; p<0.0001). Group II had a greater percentage of patients with rapid aneurysm expansion (>4mm/year) (36.8 vs. 13.8%; p<0.0001). The classical cardiovascular risk factors did not influence the AAA growth rate in group I. Chronic limb ischemia was associated with slower expansion (≤4mm/year) (OR 0.47; CI 95% 0.22–0.99; p=0.045). Diabetic patients in group II had a significantly smaller mean AAA growth rate than non-diabetics (1.69±3.51 vs. 5.22±6.11mm/year; p=0.032).ConclusionsThe expansion rate of small AAA increases with the AAA size. AAA with a diameter of 3–3.9cm expand slowly, and they are very unlikely to require surgical repair in 5 years. Many 4–4.9cm AAA can be expected to reach a surgical size in the first 2 years of follow-up. Chronic limb ischemia and diabetes are associated with reduced aneurysm growth rates

Sustainable development city-beach in Alicante

[EN] Tourism development in recent decades has involved a large urban development in coastal areas, with different anthropogenic structural interventions on the coast such as the construction of commercial buildings and marinas, which has led to intense erosion and large imbalances in the last century. This situation also affects the city of Alicante, with the area between the port of Alicante and the Huertas Cape, one of the most depressed areas of the city, due to various actions carried out since the 70s, for anthropic example fillers for building marinas, jetties and broken in poor condition because they are made of sandstone, and a bad connection between the two parts of the city. In this work the creation of a new promenade that communicates both zones is proposed, creating new beaches eliminating anthro- pogenic fillings and the remains of breakwaters along the coast, the union of diverse marine area in one marina, and the insertion of an artificial reef multipurpose. With all this it is to improve the attraction of the area, and increase the mobility of the city on the coast.Aragonés, L.; García-Barba, J.; Villacampa, Y.; López, I.; Gómez Martín, ME.; Pagán, J. (2017). Sustainable development city-beach in Alicante. International Journal of Sustainable Development and Planning. 12(4):704-712. doi:10.2495/SDP-V12-N4-704-712S70471212

Close companions around young stars

Multiplicity is a fundamental property that is set early during stellar lifetimes, and it is a stringent probe of the physics of star formation. The distribution of close companions around young stars is still poorly constrained by observations. We present an analysis of stellar multiplicity derived from APOGEE-2 spectra obtained in targeted observations of nearby star-forming regions. This is the largest homogeneously observed sample of high-resolution spectra of young stars. We developed an autonomous method to identify double lined spectroscopic binaries (SB2s). Out of 5007 sources spanning the mass range of $\sim$0.05--1.5 \msun, we find 399 binaries, including both RV variables and SB2s. The mass ratio distribution of SB2s is consistent with a uniform for $q0.95$. The period distribution is consistent with what has been observed in close binaries ($<10$ AU) in the evolved populations. Three systems are found to have $q\sim$0.1, with a companion located within the brown dwarf desert. There are not any strong trends in the multiplicity fraction (MF) as a function of cluster age from 1 to 100 Myr. There is a weak dependence on stellar density, with companions being most numerous at $\Sigma_*\sim30$ stars/pc$^{-2}$, and decreasing in more diffuse regions. Finally, disk-bearing sources are deficient in SB2s (but not RV variables) by a factor of $\sim$2; this deficit is recovered by the systems without disks. This may indicate a quick dispersal of disk material in short-period equal mass systems that is less effective in binaries with lower $q$.Comment: 25 pages, 20 figures. Accepted to A