Echinococcal disease in Alberta, Canada: more than a calcified opacity

BACKGROUND: Most cases of echinococcal disease (ED) acquired in Canada are thought to be due to the sylvatic form of Echinococcus granulosus, which may be more benign than ED due to either Echinococcus multilocularis or the pastoral form of E. granulosus. There are limited descriptions of the clinical course and outcome of Canadian patients with ED in the modern era. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed of patients hospitalized with echinococcal disease (ED) from 1991 to 2001 in Edmonton, Alberta. RESULTS: Forty-two cases of ED were identified of which 19 were definite, 3 probable, and 20 possible. Further analysis was limited to the 22 definite and probable cases, of which 77% were female and 41% aboriginal, with an age range of 5 to 87 years. Nine patients (40%) had pulmonary involvement and 11 (50%) hepatic involvement. One patient had an intracardiac mass presenting as a cerebrovascular event and one had a splenic cyst. Seven of the 22 patients had combined surgical resection and medical treatment, six had surgical resection of the cyst alone, four had cyst aspiration, one had medical treatment alone and four had no specific treatment. There was no mortality attributable to ED but three patients died of unrelated illnesses. CONCLUSION: Echinococcal disease in northern Alberta has a marked diversity of clinical presentations, and generally has a good prognosis despite a wide variety of therapeutic interventions

Photoinduced electrooptics in the In2O3 nanocrystals incorporated into PMMA matrixes

We have observed an appearance of clear morphological structure in composites containing In2O3 nanocrystals (NCs) incorporated into polymethyl methacrylite (PMMA) matrices under optical treatment by a polarized femtosecond laser. The initial photoinduced treatment was carried out using a Ti:sapphire femtosecond laser emitting 140 fs p-polarized light at a maximum spectral wavelength 775 nm with pulse repetition 1 kHz. It was found that the average morphological radius is varied maximally only during illumination at liquid helium temperature (T = 4.2 K). The morphological average mean radius is strictly dependent on the sizes of incorporated In2O3 NCs. Afterwards we measured the linear electrooptic effect at cw He–Ne laser wavelength 633 nm during simultaneous treatment by 1060 and 530 nm coherent beams of a Nd–YAG picosecond laser. We have established that a decrease of the average morphological mean radius favours an increase of the optically poled linear electrooptic coefficient. The diameters of In2O3 NCs were evaluated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and light-scattering techniques, whereas the NC sizes and morphological average mean radius of formed nanocomposites were estimated by atomic force microscopy (AFM). A relationship between the diameter of the NC, composite morphological mean average radius and effective linear electrooptic coefficient was established.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/58122/2/cm7_1_016204.pd

Career-Success Scale – A new instrument to assess young physicians' academic career steps

Background: Within the framework of a prospective cohort study of Swiss medical school graduates, a Career-Success Scale (CSS) was constructed in a sample of young physicians choosing different career paths in medicine. Furthermore the influence of personality factors, the participants' personal situation, and career related factors on their career success was investigated. Methods: 406 residents were assessed in terms of career aspired to, and their career progress. The Career-Success Scale, consisting of 7 items, was developed and validated, addressing objective criteria of academic career advancement. The influence of gender and career aspiration was investigated by a two-factorial analysis of variance, the relationships between personality factors, personal situation, career related factors and the Career-Success Scale by a multivariate linear regression analysis. Results: The unidimensional Career-Success Scale has an internal consistency of 0.76. It is significantly correlated at the bivariate level with gender, instrumentality, and all career related factors, particularly with academic career and received mentoring. In multiple regression, only gender, academic career, surgery as chosen specialty, and received mentoring are significant predictors. The highest values were observed in participants aspiring to an academic career, followed by those pursuing a hospital career and those wanting to run a private practice. Independent of the career aspired to, female residents have lower scores than their male colleagues. Conclusion: The Career-Success Scale proved to be a short, reliable and valid instrument to measure career achievements. As mentoring is an independent predictor of career success, mentoring programs could be an important instrument to specifically enhance careers of female physicians in academia

A family outbreak of tinea capitis due to Trichophyton violaceum in Michigan. Its control with griseofulvin

An outbreak of tinea capitis caused by Trichophyton violaceum in five siblings of a family of eight in Michigan and its control with griseofulvin are described.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/43276/1/11046_2005_Article_BF02145740.pd

Influence of gold nanoparticles on optically stimulated effects in TeO(2)-ZnO and GeO(2)-PbO amorphous thin films

We have found photoinduced second harmonic generation at wavelength 1064 nm during bicolor Nd:YAG laser coherent treatment of TeO(2)-ZnO and GeO(2)-PbO amorphous films. The maximally achieved second order susceptibility was equal to about 1.02 pm/V. Correlation of the induced second order susceptibility with local sample heating and induced birefringence may indicate an occurrence of local phase transitions from amorphous glass-like phase to non-centrosymmetry metastable phases. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Foundation for Polish Science (FNP)National Institute of PhotonicsCNPq-Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologic