Bifocal Spinal Cord Injury without Radiographic Abnormalities in a 5-Year Old Boy: A Case Report

We present the extremely unusual case of a 5-year-old boy with a bifocal (cervical as well as lumbar) spinal cord injury without radiographic abnormalities (SCIWORAs). The MRI showed cord oedema at the level of C2 and T10. We propose that during the motor vehicle crash severe propulsion of the head with a flexed lumbar region resulted in a traction injury to the lower thoracic and lumbar spine and maximum flexion caused SCIWORA in C2

Luminescent properties and reduced dimensional behavior of hydrothermally prepared Y <inf>2</inf>SiO <inf>5</inf>: Ce nanophosphors

Hydrothermally prepared nanophosphor Y2 Si O5: Ce crystallizes in the P 21 c structure, rather than the B2b structure observed in bulk material. Relative to bulk powder, nanophosphors of particle size ∼25-100 nm diameter exhibit redshifts of the photoluminescence excitation and emission spectra, reduced self absorption, enhanced light output, and medium-dependent radiative lifetime. Photoluminescence data are consistent with reduced symmetry of the P 21 c structure and are not necessarily related to reduced dimensionality of the nanophosphor. In contrast, medium-dependent lifetime and enhanced light output are attributed to nanoscale behavior. Perturbation of the Ce ion electric field is responsible for the variable lifetime. © 2006 American Institute of Physics

Model Analysis of Time Reversal Symmetry Test in the Caltech Fe-57 Gamma-Transition Experiment

The CALTECH gamma-transition experiment testing time reversal symmetry via the E2/M1 mulipole mixing ratio of the 122 keV gamma-line in Fe-57 has already been performed in 1977. Extending an earlier analysis in terms of an effective one-body potential, this experiment is now analyzed in terms of effective one boson exchange T-odd P-even nucleon nucleon potentials. Within the model space considered for the Fe-57 nucleus no contribution from isovector rho-type exchange is possible. The bound on the coupling strength phi_A from effective short range axial-vector type exchange induced by the experimental bound on sin(eta) leads to phi_A < 10^{-2}.Comment: 5 pages, RevTex 3.

Covalently bonded three-dimensional carbon nanotube solids via boron induced nanojunctions

The establishment of covalent junctions between carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and the modification of their straight tubular morphology are two strategies needed to successfully synthesize nanotube-based three-dimensional (3D) frameworks exhibiting superior material properties. Engineering such 3D structures in scalable synthetic processes still remains a challenge. This work pioneers the bulk synthesis of 3D macroscale nanotube elastic solids directly via a boron-doping strategy during chemical vapour deposition, which influences the formation of atomic-scale “elbow” junctions and nanotube covalent interconnections. Detailed elemental analysis revealed that the “elbow” junctions are preferred sites for excess boron atoms, indicating the role of boron and curvature in the junction formation mechanism, in agreement with our first principle theoretical calculations. Exploiting this material’s ultra-light weight, super-hydrophobicity, high porosity, thermal stability, and mechanical flexibility, the strongly oleophilic sponge-like solids are demonstrated as unique reusable sorbent scaffolds able to efficiently remove oil from contaminated seawater even after repeated use

Adjuvant therapy for locally advanced renal cell cancer: A systematic review with meta-analysis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Many adjuvant trials have been undertaken in an attempt to reduce the risk of recurrence among patients who undergo surgical resection for locally advanced renal cancer. However, no clear benefit has been identified to date. This systematic review was conducted to examine the exact role of adjuvant therapy in renal cancer setting.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Randomized controlled trials were searched comparing adjuvant therapy (chemotherapy, vaccine, immunotherapy, biochemotherapy) versus no active treatment after surgery among renal cell cancer patients. Outcomes were overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and severe toxicities. Risk ratios (RR), hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals were calculated using a fixed-effects meta-analysis. Heterogeneity was measured by I². Different strategies of adjuvant treatment were evaluated separately.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Ten studies (2,609 patients) were included. Adjuvant therapy provided no benefits in terms of OS (HR 1.07; 95%CI 0.89 to 1.28; P = 0.48 I²= 0%) or DFS (HR 1.03; 95%CI 0.87 to 1.21; P = 0.77 I²= 15%) when compared to no treatment. No subgroup analysis (immunotherapy, vaccines, biochemotherapy and hormone therapy) had relevant results. Toxicity evaluation depicted a significantly higher frequency of serious adverse events in the adjuvant group.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This analysis provided no support for the hypothesis that the agents studied provide any clinical benefit for renal cancer patients although they increase the risk of toxic effects. Randomized trials are underway to test targeted therapies, which might open a new therapeutic frontier. Until these trials yield results, no adjuvant therapy can be recommended for patients who undergo surgical resection for renal cell cancer.</p