Trigeminal Nerve Schwannoma of the Cerebellopontine Angle.

Introduction  Large and even moderate sized, extra-axial cerebellopontine angle (CPA) tumors may fill this restricted space and distort the regional anatomy. It may be difficult to determine even with high resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) if the tumor is dural-based, or what the nerve of origin is if a schwannoma. While clinical history and exam are helpful, they are not unequivocal, particularly since many patients present with a myriad of symptoms, or conversely an incidental finding. We present an atypical appearing, asymptomatic CPA tumor, ultimately identified at surgery to be a trigeminal schwannoma. Case History  A 40-year-old man presented with new-onset seizure. MRI identified an incidental heterogeneously contrast-enhancing CPA lesion ( Fig. 1A - D ). The tumor was centered on the internal auditory canal (IAC) with no tumor extension into Meckel's cave, IAC or jugular foramen. Audiometry demonstrated 10db of relative left-sided hearing loss with 100% word recognition. Physical examination was negative for focal neurologic deficits. A retrosigmoid craniotomy was performed and an extra-axial, yellow-hued mass was encountered and resected, which was ultimately confirmed to originate from the trigeminal nerve ( Video 1 ). Gross total resection was achieved, and the patient recovered from surgery with partial ipsilateral trigeminal sensory loss and no other new neurologic deficits. Conclusion  Pure CPA trigeminal schwannomas are rare, but should be considered in the differential for enhancing CPA lesions. Although, Meckel's cave involvement is frequently observed, it is not universal, and pure CPA schwannomas of all cranial nerves IV-XII have been reported in the literature. The link to the video can be found at: https://youtu.be/AlodYCu70F8

Time-Resolved Optical Emission Spectroscopy Reveals Nonequilibrium Conditions for CO2_{2} Splitting in Atmospheric Plasma Sustained with Ultrafast Microwave Pulsation

Among the pool of Power-to-X technologies, plasmas show high potential for the efficient use of intermittent renewable energies. High efficiencies of CO$_{2}$ conversion have been reported while using microwave plasmas at vacuum conditions which are, however, not suitable for CO$_{2}$ mitigation at industrial scales. Here we show that ultrafast pulsation of microwaves allow significant improvements of energy efficiencies during CO$_{2}$ splitting at atmospheric pressure as compared to continuous wave operation of the microwave source. Moreover, by the interrogation of the plasma with time-resolved optical emission spectroscopy we can, for the first time, observe the evolution of the vibrational and rotational temperatures and define a time window where nonequilibrium can be expected at the beginning of the pulse of an atmospheric CO$_{2}$ microwave plasma. In spite of the evidence of nonequilibrium in our system, thermal mechanism appears to dominate the CO$_{2}$ dissociation. It is shown that a fine control of the energy deposition in the plasma is possible with ultrafast pulsation of the microwave energy supply

Conservação do agroecossistema com manejo agrícola intensivo

 O objetivo desta revisão é abordar sobre a temática da conservação dos agroecossistemas com manejo agrícola intensivo, da mesma forma que apresentar alguns conceitos e pesquisas atuais sobre os sistemas de produção agrícola no sudoeste paranaense; analisando a dinâmica das plantas de cobertura, da cultura do trigo e soja nos agroecossistemas. Uma vez que, o advento do melhoramento genético, busca incansavelmente a máxima produtividade por área, utilizando-se cultivares transgênicas, defensivos agrícolas, fertilizantes químicos e mecanização intensa, gerando inúmeros pontos negativos para o agroecossitema. Desta forma, uma alternativa viável para minimizar os impactos ambientais é a inserção de culturas comerciais em agroecossistemas economicamente e ecologicamente viáveis, com associação de manejo convencional e alternativo de plantas daninhas, pragas e doenças, inserindo-se plantas de cobertura no sistema e possuindo retorno produtivo e de conservação de solo.El objetivo de esta revisión es abordar la conservación de los agroecosistemas con un manejo agrícola intensivo, así como presentar algunos conceptos e investigaciones actuales sobre los sistemas de producción agrícola en el suroeste de Paraná; analizando la dinámica de cultivos de cobertura, trigo y soja en agroecosistemas. Desde que, el advenimiento de la mejora genética, busca incesantemente la máxima productividad por área, utilizando cultivares transgénicos, pesticidas, fertilizantes químicos y una mecanización intensa, generando numerosos puntos negativos para los agroecosistemas. Por lo tanto, una alternativa viable para minimizar los impactos ambientales es la inserción de cultivos comerciales en agroecosistemas económicamente y ecológicamente viables, con la asociación del manejo convencional y alternativo de malezas, plagas y enfermedades, com inserción de cultivos de cobertura en el sistema y logrando retorno productivo y de conservación del suelo.The objective is to revive the theme of the conservation of agroecosystems with intensive agricultural management, which may affect some concepts and research on agricultural production systems in southwestern Paraná; Analyzing the dynamics of cover crops, wheat and soybean crops in agroecosystems. Since the advent of the best geneticist, he relentlessly pursues maximum productivity per area, using transgenic cultivars, agricultural pesticides, chemical fertilizers and intense mechanization, generating positive points for the agroecosystem. Directly, without coverage, in order to keep in touch with the children, with the support of a conventional and alternative system. productive and soil conservation

The effect of diagnostic label on care staff’s perceptions of cause of challenging behaviour in individuals with learning disabilities

Background: This study investigated whether care staff’s causal attributions and emotional reactions to the challenging behaviour displayed by service users was influenced by the service user’s diagnostic label. Materials and Method: One hundred and twenty care staff were randomly allocated to one of three conditions. Participants viewed a video of a senior staff member describing a service user, varying only in diagnostic label (autism, learning disability or Down syndrome). Participants then rated their endorsement of possible causes and emotional reactions to challenging behaviour. Results: Participants in the Autism and Down syndrome groups made more use of biomedical causes and less use of learned behaviour as an explanation for challenging behaviour than those in the Learning Disabilities group. Those in the former groups reported more positive and fewer negative emotions than those in the Learning Disabilities group. Conclusions: The way staff viewed people with learning disabilities was affected by their diagnostic label. Implications for further research and training has been discussed

Componentes de rendimiento y productividad de híbridos de maíz en cultivos tardios (entre cosechas)

El maíz es ampliamente cultivado en Brasil, siendo así el objetivo del estudio fue evaluar las características morfológicas de las plantas y los componentes de rendimiento de diferentes híbridos de maíz, cultivados en entre cosechas (cultivos tardios/entre cosechas). El estudio fue realizado en el municipio de Dos Vizinhos – PR- Se llevó a cabo en un diseño de bloques al azar y se evaluaron dieciocho híbridos comerciales de maíz: AS1635PRO3, AS1633PRO3, AS1777PRO3, 2B640PW, DKB290PRO3, 2B533PW, P30F53VYHR, AG8780PRO2, 2B500PW, 2B633PW, 2B346PW, DKB330PRO2, 2A401PW, 2B450PW, AG9000PRO3, RB9110PRO3, AG9030PRO3 y 2B210PW. La siembra fue realizada en 18 de febrero de 2017, con densidad de 60.000 semillas ha-1. Se evaluó el stand final de plantas, diámetro del colmo, altura de inserción de la espiga, altura final de planta, longitud de la espiga, diámetro de la espiga, granos por fila, filas por espiga, número de granos por espiga y productividad de granos. Se aplicó el análisis de varianza y cuando se constató significancia, se aplicó la prueba de Skott-Knott, el 5% de probabilidad. Se constataron diferencias estadísticas entre los híbridos estudiados para todas las variables analizadas, excepto el stand final de plantas. En cuanto a la productividad de granos, se destacaron con mayor cantidad los híbridos 2B533PW (5.738 kg ha-1), AG8780PRO2 (5.585 kg ha-1), P30F53VYHR (5.570 kg ha-1), 2B210PW (5.422 kg ha-1), 2B633PW (5387 kg ha-1), DKB290PRO3 (5382 kg ha-1), AS1635PRO3 (5353 kg ha-1), 2B500PW (5204 kg ha-1), AG9030PRO3 (5185 kg ha-1), 2B450PW (5111 kg ha-1) y AS1777PRO3 (5,013 kg ha-1).Maize is widely cultivated in Brazil, so the objective of the study was to evaluate the morphological characteristics of the plants and the yield components of different maize hybrids grown in the second harvest. The study was carried out in the municipality of Dois Vizinhos - PR, during the period of the outbreak. It was conducted in a randomized block design at random and were evaluated eighteen commercial corn hybrids: AS1635PRO3, AS1633PRO3, AS1777PRO3, 2B640PW, DKB290PRO3, 2B533PW, P30F53VYHR, AG8780PRO2, 2B500PW, 2B633PW, 2B346PW, DKB330PRO2, 2A401PW, 2B450PW, AG9000PRO3, RB9110PRO3, AG9030PRO3 and 2B210PW. Seeding was carried out on February 18, 2017, with a density of 60,000 ha-1 seeds. The final plant stand, stem diameter, spike insertion height, final plant height, ear length, ear diameter, grain per row, rows per spike, number of grains per spike and grain yield were evaluated. An analysis of variance was applied and when significance was found, a Skott-Knott test was applied, 5% probability. Statistical differences were observed among the hybrids studied for all analyzed variables, except for the final stand of plants. As for grain yield, the most important were the 2B533PW (5.738 kg ha-1), AG8780PRO2 (5.585 kg ha-1), P30F53VYHR (5.570 kg ha-1), 2B210PW (5.422 kg ha-1), 2B633PW (5.387 kg ha-1), DKB290PRO3 (5.382 kg ha-1), AS1635PRO3 (5.353 kg ha-1), 2B500PW (5.204 kg ha-1), AG9030PRO3 (5.185 kg ha-1), 2B450PW (5.111 kg ha-1) and AS1777PRO3 (5.013 kg ha-1).O milho é amplamente cultivado no Brasil, sendo assim o objetivo do estudo foi avaliar as características morfológicas das plantas e os componentes de rendimento de diferentes híbridos de milho, cultivados em safrinha. O estudo foi realizado no município de Dois Vizinhos – PR, durante o período de safrinha. Foi conduzido em delineamento de blocos ao acaso e foram avaliados dezoito híbridos comerciais de milho: AS1635PRO3, AS1633PRO3, AS1777PRO3, 2B640PW, DKB290PRO3, 2B533PW, P30F53VYHR, AG8780PRO2, 2B500PW, 2B633PW, 2B346PW, DKB330PRO2, 2A401PW, 2B450PW, AG9000PRO3, RB9110PRO3, AG9030PRO3 e 2B210PW. A semeadura foi realizada em 18 de fevereiro de 2017, com densidade de 60.000 sementes ha-1. Foram avaliados o stand final de plantas, diâmetro do colmo, altura inserção da espiga, altura final de planta, comprimento da espiga, diâmetro da espiga, grãos por fileira, fileiras por espiga, número de grãos por espiga e produtividade de grãos. Aplicou-se análise de variância e quando constado significância, aplicou-se teste de Skott-Knott, 5% de probabilidade. Constatou-se diferenças estatísticas entre os híbridos estudados para todas as variáveis analisadas, exceto stand final de plantas. Quanto a produtividade de grãos, destacaram-se com maior quantidade os híbridos 2B533PW (5.738 kg ha-1), AG8780PRO2 (5.585 kg ha-1), P30F53VYHR (5.570 kg ha-1), 2B210PW (5.422 kg ha-1), 2B633PW (5.387 kg ha-1),  DKB290PRO3 (5.382 kg ha-1), AS1635PRO3 (5.353 kg ha-1), 2B500PW (5.204 kg ha-1), AG9030PRO3 (5.185 kg ha-1), 2B450PW (5.111 kg ha-1) e AS1777PRO3 (5.013 kg ha-1)

Mechanical thrombectomy in intermediate- and high-risk acute pulmonary embolism: hemodynamic outcomes at three months

Background Mechanical thrombectomy has been shown to reduce thrombus burden and pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) and to improve right ventricular (RV) function in patients with high-risk or intermediate-high-risk pulmonary embolism (PE). As hemodynamic data after mechanical thrombectomy for PE are scarce, we aimed to assess the hemodynamic effects of mechanical thrombectomy in acute PE with right heart overload. Methods In this prospective, open-label study, patients with acute symptomatic, computed tomographydocumented PE with signs of right heart overload underwent mechanical thrombectomy using the FlowTriever System. Right heart catheterization was performed immediately before and after thrombectomy and after three months. Transthoracic echocardiography was performed before thrombectomy, discharge, and at three months. This analysis was done after 20 patients completed three months of follow-up. Results Twenty-nine patients (34% female) underwent mechanical thrombectomy, of which 20 completed three months follow-up with right heart catheterization. Most patients were at high (17%) or intermediate-high (76%) risk and had bilateral PE (79%). Before thrombectomy, systolic PAP (sPAP) was severely elevated (mean 51.3±11.6 mmHg). Mean sPAP dropped by -15.0 mmHg (95% confidence interval [CI]: -18.9 to -11.0; p<0.001) immediately after the procedure and continued to decrease from post-thrombectomy to three months (-6.4 mmHg, 95% CI: -10-0 to -2.9; p=0.002). RV/left ventricular (LV) ratio immediately reduced within two days by -0.37 (95% CI: -0.47 to -0.27; p<0.001). The proportion of patients with a tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE)/sPAP ratio<0.31 mm/mmHg decreased from 28% at baseline to 0% before discharge and at three months (p=0.007). There were no procedurerelated major adverse events. Conclusions Mechanical thrombectomy for acute PE was safe and immediately reduced PAP and improved right heart function. The reduction in PAP was maintained at three months follow-up

Presença de substâncias alelopáticas em pastagem

In pastures consortium systems with different forage species and legumes, is important to study if theypresent some potential for chemical inhibition between species, to optimize the time and resources for pasturesystem implementation. Thus, the study aimed to make a general approached with relevant information onthe possible allelopathy exerted on some species in others, some allelochemical synthesis relations and theirfuture prospects, with emphasis on the occurrence of allelopathy in cultivated pasture ecosystems.En los sistemas de cultivos intercalados con diferentes especies de forraje y leguminosas, es muy útil estudiar si hay algún potencial de inhibición química entre ellos, a fin de optimizar el tiempo y los recursos dedicados a implementarlos. Por lo tanto, el objetivo de este trabajo fue un enfoque general con información relevante sobre la posible alelopatía ejercida entre especies, algunas relaciones de síntesis de aleloquímicos y sus perspectivas futuras, con énfasis en la aparición de alelopatía en ecosistemas de pasturas.Em sistemas de consórcio de pastagens com diferentes espécies de forrageiras e leguminosas é de grande valia estudar se as mesmas apresentam algum potencial de inibição química entre elas, de modo a otimizar o tempo e recursos dispendidos para implantação dos mesmos. Assim, o trabalho teve como objetivo fazer um abordado geral com informações relevantes sobre a possível alelopatia exercida sobre algumas espécies em outras, algumas relações de síntese de aleloquímicos e suas perspectivas futuras, com ênfase na ocorrência de alelopatia em ecossistemas cultivados com pastagens

The effects of socioeconomic status and indices of physical environment on reduced birth weight and preterm births in Eastern Massachusetts

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Background: Air pollution and social characteristics have been shown to affect indicators of health. While use of spatial methods to estimate exposure to air pollution has increased the power to detect effects, questions have been raised about potential for confounding by social factors.Methods: A study of singleton births in Eastern Massachusetts was conducted between 1996 and 2002 to examine the association between indicators of traffic, land use, individual and area-based socioeconomic measures (SEM), and birth outcomes ( birth weight, small for gestational age and preterm births), in a two-level hierarchical model.Results: We found effects of both individual ( education, race, prenatal care index) and area-based ( median household income) SEM with all birth outcomes. The associations for traffic and land use variables were mainly seen with birth weight, with an exception for an effect of cumulative traffic density on small for gestational age. Race/ethnicity of mother was an important predictor of birth outcomes and a strong confounder for both area-based SEM and indices of physical environment. The effects of traffic and land use differed by level of education and median household income.Conclusion: Overall, the findings of the study suggested greater likelihood of reduced birth weight and preterm births among the more socially disadvantaged, and a greater risk of reduced birth weight associated with traffic exposures. Results revealed the importance of controlling simultaneously for SEM and environmental exposures as the way to better understand determinants of health.This work is supported by the Harvard Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Center, Grants R827353 and R-832416, and National Institute for Environmental Health Science (NIEHS) ES-0002