Outcome of alimentary tract duplications operated on by minimally invasive surgery: a retrospective multicenter study by the GECI (Groupe d'Etude en Coeliochirurgie Infantile).

BACKGROUND: Alimentary tract duplications (ATD) are a rare cause of intestinal obstruction in childhood. There are many case reports but few series about laparoscopy or thoracoscopy for ATD. The aim of our study was to report the outcome of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) for ATD. METHODS: This was a retrospective multicenter study from the GECI (Groupe d\u27Etude en Coeliochirurgie Infantile). We reviewed the charts of 114 patients operated on by MIS for ATD from 1994 to 2009. RESULTS: Sixty-two patients (54 %) had a prenatal diagnosis. Forty-nine patients (43 %) were symptomatic before surgery: 33 of those patients (63 %) with postnatal diagnosis compared to 16 (25 %) with prenatal diagnosis (P < 0.01). In this last group, the median age at onset of symptoms was 16 days (range = 0-972). One hundred and two patients had laparoscopy (esophageal to rectal duplications) and 12 patients had thoracoscopy for esophageal duplications. The mean operative time was 90 min (range = 82-98). There were 32 (28 %) resection anastomoses, 55 (48 %) enucleations, and 27 (24 %) unroofings. The conversion rate was 32 %, and in a multivariate analysis, it was significantly higher, up to 41 % for patients weighing <10 kg (P < 0.01). Ten patients (8 %) had unintentional perioperative opening of the digestive tract during the dissection. Eight patients had nine postoperative complications, including six small bowel obstructions. The median length of hospital stay was 4 days (range = 1-21) without conversion and 6 days (range = 1-27) with conversion (P = 0.01). The median follow-up was 3 months (range = 1-120). Eighteen of the 27 patients who underwent partial surgery had an ultrasound examination during follow-up. Five (18 %) of them had macroscopic residue. CONCLUSION: This study showed that MIS for ATD is feasible with a low rate of complications. Patients with prenatal diagnosis should have prompt surgery to prevent symptoms, despite a high rate of conversion in small infants

Antimicrobial lubricant formulations containing poly(hydroxybenzene)-trimethoprim conjugates synthesized by tyrosinase

Poly(hydroxybenzene)-trimethoprim conjugates were prepared using methylparaben as substrate of the oxida- tive enzyme tyrosinase. MALDI-TOF MS analysis showed that the enzymatic oxidation of methylparaben alone leads to the poly(hydroxybenzene) formation. In the presence of tri- methoprim, the methylparaben tyrosinase oxidation leads poly(hydroxybenzene)-trimethoprim conjugates. All of these compounds were incorporated into lubricant hydroxyethyl cellulose/glycerol mixtures. Poly(hydroxybenzene)-trimetho- prim conjugates were the most effective phenolic structures against the bacterial growth reducing by 96 and 97 % of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus epidermidis suspen- sions, respectively (after 24 h). A novel enzymatic strategy to produce antimicrobial poly(hydroxybenzene)-antibiotic conjugates is proposed here for a wide range of applications on the biomedical field.The authors Idalina Gonçalves and Cláudia Botelho would like to acknowledge the NOVO project (FP7-HEALTH- 2011.2.3.1- 5) for funding. Loïc Hilliou acknowledges the financial support by FCT – Foundation for Science and Technology, Portugal (501100001871), through Grant PEst-C/CTM/LA0025/2013 - Strategic Project - LA 25 - 2013–2014, and by Programa Operacional Regional do Norte (ON.2) through the project BMatepro – Optimizing Materials and Processes^, with reference NORTE-07-0124-FEDER-000037 FEDER COMPETE

In vitro phosphorylation as tool for modification of silk and keratin fibrous materials

An overview is given of the recent work on in vitro enzymatic phosphorylation of silk fibroin and human hair keratin. Opposing to many chemical "conventional" approaches, enzymatic phosphorylation is in fact a mild reaction and the treatment falls within "green chemistry" approach. Silk and keratin are not phosphorylated in vivo, but in vitro. This enzyme-driven modification is a major technological breakthrough. Harsh chemical chemicals are avoided, and mild conditions make enzymatic phosphorylation a real "green chemistry" approach. The current communication presents a novel approach stating that enzyme phosphorylation may be used as a tool to modify the surface charge of biocompatible materials such as keratin and silk

The Extension of the URF HADES: Realization and Observations

An important step in the feasibility study of radioactive waste disposal in Boom Clay is the demonstration that we can construct galleries using industrial techniques, keeping the disturbance of the host-rock at an acceptable level for the long term safety of the disposal site. The successful construction of a connecting gallery of 85m in less than 6 weeks demonstrated the feasibility. To limit the disturbance, an expanding lining type was used: the wedge-block system; for the same reason, the lining was installed as soon as possible after excavation and a minimal excavation rate (2m/day) was imposed. The total radial convergence was limited to about 0.09m; the excavation radius was 2.445m. An extensive instrumentation and observation program accompanied the construction of the connecting gallery. Sensors measuring displacements, total pressure and pore water pressure were installed in the host rock to study the hydro-mechanical behavior of the clay when the gallery was excavated. Sensors in the tunneling shield gave information about the instantaneous convergence and excavation parameters. Strain gauges were placed in three sections of the lining to study the evolution of stresses in the lining with time. A systematic observation of the face and side-walls provided a useful database of the shape and orientation of encountered fractures. This way, the origin of the fractures can be explained and substantiated. The fractures were induced by differential stresses, about 6m ahead of the excavation face. No evidence of natural induced fractures was found. On the other hand, qualitative evidence of self healing and self-sealing of the host rock was encountered

Depth-profiling of implanted 28Si by (α,α) and (α,p0) reactions

Silicon nanocrystals enclosed in thin films (Si quantum dots or Si QDs) are regarded to be the cornerstone of future developments in new memory, photovoltaic and optoelectronic products. One way to synthesize these Si QDs is ion implantation in SiO2 layers followed by thermal annealing post-treatment. Depth-profiling of these implanted Si ions can be performed by reactions induced by α-particles on 28Si. Indeed, for high incident energy, nuclear levels of 32S and 31P can be reached, and cross-sections for (α,α) and (α,p0) reactions are more intense. This can help to increase the signal for surface silicon, and therefore make distinguishing more easy between implanted Si and Si coming from the SiO2, even for low fluences. In this work, (α,α) and (α,p0) reactions are applied to study depth distributions of 70 keV 28Si+ ions implanted in 200 nm SiO2 layers with fluences of 1 × 1017 and 2 × 1017 cm-2. Analysis is performed above ER = 3864 keV to take advantage of resonances in both (α,α) and (α,p0) cross-sections. We show how (α,p0) reactions can complement results provided by resonant backscattering measurements in this complex case. © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Depth-profiling of implanted 28Si by (α,α) and (α,p0) reactions

Silicon nanocrystals enclosed in thin films (Si quantum dots or Si QDs) are regarded to be the cornerstone of future developments in new memory, photovoltaic and optoelectronic products. One way to synthesize these Si QDs is ion implantation in SiO2 layers followed by thermal annealing post-treatment. Depth-profiling of these implanted Si ions can be performed by reactions induced by α-particles on 28Si. Indeed, for high incident energy, nuclear levels of 32S and 31P can be reached, and cross-sections for (α,α) and (α,p0) reactions are more intense. This can help to increase the signal for surface silicon, and therefore make distinguishing more easy between implanted Si and Si coming from the SiO2, even for low fluences. In this work, (α,α) and (α,p0) reactions are applied to study depth distributions of 70 keV 28Si+ ions implanted in 200 nm SiO2 layers with fluences of 1 × 1017 and 2 × 1017 cm-2. Analysis is performed above ER = 3864 keV to take advantage of resonances in both (α,α) and (α,p0) cross-sections. We show how (α,p0) reactions can complement results provided by resonant backscattering measurements in this complex case. © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

A case of myocardial rupture in closed thoracic injury

peer reviewe

Experimental migration upward in elevation is associated with strong selection on life history traits

One of the strongest biological impacts of climate change has been the movement of species poleward and upward in elevation. Yet, what is not clear is the extent to which the spatial distribution of locally adapted lineages and ecologically important traits may also shift with continued climate change. Here, we take advantage of a transplant experiment mimicking up-slope seed dispersal for a suite of ecologically diverse populations of yellow monkeyflower (Mimulus guttatus sensu lato) into a high-elevation common garden during an extreme drought period in the Sierra Nevada mountains, California, USA. We use a demographic approach to quantify fitness and test for selection on life history traits in local versus lower-elevation populations and in normal versus drought years to test the potential for up-slope migration and phenotypic selection to alter the distribution of key life history traits in montane environments. We find that lower-elevation populations tend to outperform local populations, confirming the potential for up-slope migration. Although selection generally favored some local montane traits, including larger flowers and larger stem size at flowering, drought conditions tended to select for earlier flowering typical of lower-elevation genotypes. Taken together, this suggests that monkeyflower lineages moving upward in elevation could experience selection for novel trait combinations, particularly under warmer and drier conditions that are predicted to occur with continued climate change