Development of a fast fiber based UV-Vis multiwavelength detector for an ultracentrifuge

The advantages of simultaneously detecting multiple wavelengths in ultracentrifugation experiments are obvious, especially for interacting systems. In addition, the detection of the wavelength dependence of turbidity opens up the possibility to obtain independent information on the particle size in addition to the usual sedimentation coefficient distribution for colloidal systems. We therefore made an effort to develop a fast UV/Vis detector, which is able to simultaneously detect the range from 200-800 nm. This is possible by the use of a modern CCD chip based generation of UV-Vis spectrometers, which translates the dispersed white light onto a CCD chip, where each pixel corresponds to a particular wavelength. In addition to the simultaneous detection of a large number of wavelengths in the range 200-800 nm, also with non integer values, these spectrometers are very fast. Current typical spectrum scan times with the necessary scan quality in the ultracentrifuge are in the range of 100 ms but this time can be significantly shortened down to 3 ms for higher light intensities and even down to 10 μs for a new generation of CCD chip based spectrometers. The introduction of a fiber based UV-Vis optics into a preparative XL-80K ultracentrifuge with the associated hardware developments will be described as a first generation prototype. In this study, we use a wavelength dependent optical lens system instead of the necessary but more complex wavelength independent mirror optical system for a first check on possibilities and limitations of the optical system. First examples for biopolymers and latexes will be presented and compared to those obtained in the commercial XL-A ultracentrifuge. Already the fast detection enables completely new possibilities like the determination of a particle size distribution in a few minutes. Multiwavelength detection at constant position in dependence of time will be demonstrated, which is an important mode for the use of speed profiles for very polydisperse samples. Also, the use of radial multiwavelength scans will be demonstrated producing a three dimensional data space for monitoring the sedimentation via radial scans with multiwavelength detection. However, despite the advantages, the current problems with the detector will also be discussed including the main problem that much intensity is lost in the important UV range as a result of fiber coupling and bending. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2006

Therapeutic efficacy of dilatation and curettage in endometrial polyps: is it a valuable method?

Rezumat. Efi cacitatea terapeutică a dilatării și chiuretajului în polipii endometriali. Studiul a fost efectuat în perioada iunie 2008 – martie 2011, la Spitalul de Educaţie și Cercetare Ataturk din Izmir, Turcia. 36 de femei cu sângerare uterină anormală, care au suferit o dilatare și chiuretaj și la care evaluarea histopatologica a diagnosticat polip endometrial, au fost incluse în studiu. Toate pacientele au suportat histeroscopie imediat după menstruaţie. Au fost evaluate rezultatele şi ratele. Nouă (25%) dintre paciente au fost vindecate prin dilatare și chiuretaj și 27 (75%) au fost tratate cu succes prin histeroscopie. Diagnosticul a fost dovedit, polipii fiind eliminaţi prin histeroscopie de birou. În caz de hemoragii uterine anormale, cum ar fi polipul endometrial, histeroscopia de birou este o metodă mult mai utilă decât dilatarea și chiuretajul, pentru că este o metodă simplă prin care pacientul poate fi tratat la momentul diagnosticării.Резюме. Терапевтическая эффективность расширения и кюретажа в эндометрических полипах: действительно ли это ценный метод? Исследование проводилось с июня 2008 до марта 2011 года в Измир Ататюрк учебной и научной больнице, отделение гинекологии и акушерской помощи, Измир, Турция. Тридцать шесть женщин с аномальными маточными кровотечениями, которые прошли диагностическое выскабливание и у которых был поставлен диагноз полип эндометрия, были включены в исследование. Всем пациенткам проводилась амбулаторно-офисная гистероскопия сразу же после их очередной менструации. Результаты диагностического выскабливания и гистероскопии были оценены. Девять (25%) пациенток могут быть полностью вылечены при помощи диагностического выскабливания и 27 (75%) пациенток были успешно пролечены офисной гистероскопией. Диагноз был гистологически доказан, а полипы были удалены посредством офисной гистероскопии. В случаях патологии матки, которые вызывают аномальные кровотечения, как полип эндометрия, офисная гистероскопия является более полезной, чем метод диагностического выскабливания, потому, что это простой метод, который позволяет лечить пациента на момент постановки диагноза

Prognosis and Survival of Older Patients With Dizziness in Primary Care:a 10-year prospective cohort study

Purpose: The prognosis of dizzy older patients in primary care is unknown. Our objective was to determine the prognosis and survival of patients with different subtypes and causes of dizziness. Methods: In a primary care prospective cohort study, 417 older adults with dizziness (mean age 75.5 years) received a full diagnostic workup in 2006-2008. A panel of physicians classified their dizziness subtype and primary cause of dizziness. Presyncope was the most common dizziness subtype (69.1%), followed by vertigo (41.0%), disequilibrium (39.8%), and other dizziness (1.7%). The most common primary causes of dizziness were cardiovascular disease (56.8%) and peripheral vestibular disease (14.4%). Main outcome measures were mortality and dizziness-related impairment assessed at 10-year follow-up.Results: At 10-year follow-up 169 patients (40.5%) had died. Multivariable adjusted Cox models showed a lower mortality rate for patients with the subtype vertigo compared to other subtypes (HR 0.62 (95% CI 0.40 to 0.96)), and for peripheral vestibular disease versus cardiovascular disease as primary cause of dizziness (HR 0.46 (95% CI 0.25 to 0.84)). After 10 years, 47.7% of patients who filled out the follow-up measurement experienced substantial dizziness-related impairment. No significant difference in substantial impairment was seen between different subtypes and primary causes of dizziness. Conclusions: The 10-year mortality rate was lower for the dizziness subtype vertigo compared to other subtypes. Patients with dizziness primarily caused by peripheral vestibular disease had a lower mortality rate than patients with cardiovascular disease. Substantial dizziness-related impairment in older dizzy patients 10 years later is high, and indicates that current treatment strategies by FPs may be suboptimal.<br/

How to Intervene in the Caries Process: Dentin Caries in Primary Teeth

For an ORCA/EFCD consensus, this review systematically assessed available evidence regarding interventions performed and materials used to manage dentin carious lesions in primary teeth. A search for systematic reviews (SRs) and randomized clinical trials (RCTs) with a follow-up of at least 12 months after intervention was performed in PubMed, LILACS, BBO, and the Cochrane Library. The risk of bias tool from the Cochrane Collaboration and the PRISMA Statement were used for assessment of the included studies. From 101 screened articles, 2 SRs and 5 RCTs, which assessed the effectiveness of interventions in terms of pulp vitality and success of restoration, and 10 SRs and 1 RCT assessing the success of restorative materials were included. For treatments involving no carious tissue removal, the Hall technique showed lower treatment failure for approximal carious lesions compared to complete caries removal (CCR) and filling. For the treatment of deep carious lesions, techniques involving selective caries removal (SCR) showed a reduction in the incidence of pulp exposure. However, the benefit of SCR over CCR in terms of pulp symptoms or restoration success/failure was not confirmed. Regarding restorative materials, preformed metal crowns (PMCs) used to restore multisurface lesions showed the highest success rates compared to other restorative materials (amalgam, composite resin, glass ionomer cement, and compomer), and in the long term (12–48 months) these were also less likely to fail. There is limited evidence supporting the use of PMCs to restore carious lesions with single cavities. Among nonrestorative options, silver diammine fluoride was significantly more effective in arresting caries than other treatments for treating active carious lesions of different depths. Considerable heterogeneity and bias risk were observed in the included studies. Although heterogeneity observed among the studies was substantial, the trends were similar. In conclusion, less invasive caries approaches involving selective or no caries removal seem advantageous in comparison to CCR for patients presenting with vital, symptomless, carious dentin lesions in primary teeth. There is evidence in favor of PMCs for restoring multisurface carious lesions in primary molars

Higher COVID-19 pneumonia risk associated with anti-IFN-α than with anti-IFN-ω auto-Abs in children

We found that 19 (10.4%) of 183 unvaccinated children hospitalized for COVID-19 pneumonia had autoantibodies (auto-Abs) neutralizing type I IFNs (IFN-alpha 2 in 10 patients: IFN-alpha 2 only in three, IFN-alpha 2 plus IFN-omega in five, and IFN-alpha 2, IFN-omega plus IFN-beta in two; IFN-omega only in nine patients). Seven children (3.8%) had Abs neutralizing at least 10 ng/ml of one IFN, whereas the other 12 (6.6%) had Abs neutralizing only 100 pg/ml. The auto-Abs neutralized both unglycosylated and glycosylated IFNs. We also detected auto-Abs neutralizing 100 pg/ml IFN-alpha 2 in 4 of 2,267 uninfected children (0.2%) and auto-Abs neutralizing IFN-omega in 45 children (2%). The odds ratios (ORs) for life-threatening COVID-19 pneumonia were, therefore, higher for auto-Abs neutralizing IFN-alpha 2 only (OR [95% CI] = 67.6 [5.7-9,196.6]) than for auto-Abs neutralizing IFN-. only (OR [95% CI] = 2.6 [1.2-5.3]). ORs were also higher for auto-Abs neutralizing high concentrations (OR [95% CI] = 12.9 [4.6-35.9]) than for those neutralizing low concentrations (OR [95% CI] = 5.5 [3.1-9.6]) of IFN-omega and/or IFN-alpha 2

Autoantibodies against type I IFNs in patients with critical influenza pneumonia

In an international cohort of 279 patients with hypoxemic influenza pneumonia, we identified 13 patients (4.6%) with autoantibodies neutralizing IFN-alpha and/or -omega, which were previously reported to underlie 15% cases of life-threatening COVID-19 pneumonia and one third of severe adverse reactions to live-attenuated yellow fever vaccine. Autoantibodies neutralizing type I interferons (IFNs) can underlie critical COVID-19 pneumonia and yellow fever vaccine disease. We report here on 13 patients harboring autoantibodies neutralizing IFN-alpha 2 alone (five patients) or with IFN-omega (eight patients) from a cohort of 279 patients (4.7%) aged 6-73 yr with critical influenza pneumonia. Nine and four patients had antibodies neutralizing high and low concentrations, respectively, of IFN-alpha 2, and six and two patients had antibodies neutralizing high and low concentrations, respectively, of IFN-omega. The patients' autoantibodies increased influenza A virus replication in both A549 cells and reconstituted human airway epithelia. The prevalence of these antibodies was significantly higher than that in the general population for patients 70 yr of age (3.1 vs. 4.4%, P = 0.68). The risk of critical influenza was highest in patients with antibodies neutralizing high concentrations of both IFN-alpha 2 and IFN-omega (OR = 11.7, P = 1.3 x 10(-5)), especially those <70 yr old (OR = 139.9, P = 3.1 x 10(-10)). We also identified 10 patients in additional influenza patient cohorts. Autoantibodies neutralizing type I IFNs account for similar to 5% of cases of life-threatening influenza pneumonia in patients <70 yr old

Variability of the pulmonary oblique fissures presented by high-resolution computed tomography

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the radiological anatomy of oblique fissures (OFs) on high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) scans. We retrospectively reviewed HRCT scans of 144 patients with normal lung parenchyma. The uppermost level of OFs with respect to the ribs, configuration (concave, straight, convex and others), orientation (medial or lateral facing), rotation and completeness of OFs were recorded. The most cranial level of the left OF was seen between the third and sixth ribs, and all but one were seen above or at the same level as the right OF. The uppermost extent of the OF was between the third and fourth intercostal space and seventh rib on the right lung. Only 2.2% of the right and 1.6% of the left OFs followed a parallel course to the ribs. The configuration of the OFs was generally concave in the upper zones (85.8% on the right and 72.1% on the left) and convex in the middle and lower lung zones (79.3% on the right and 73.9% on the left); 62.5% of the right and 59.7% of the left OFs were incomplete. Suprahilar portions of both OFs (98.9% on the right and 96.7% on the left) and the infrahilar portion of the right OF (54.2%) were generally facing laterally, whereas the infrahilar portion of the left OF was facing medially (80.9%). Angles of the MFs differed at the upper and lower levels. We detected reversal of 21 OFs in their craniocaudal course. In conclusion, the radiological anatomy of the right OF differs from the left OF. The uppermost extent of the left OF is almost always higher than the right. Thus, higher position of the right OF compared with the left almost always indicates a pathological process. Assessment of the angles of the OFs or comparison of the two sides cannot be used for the diagnosis of parenchymal disease like atelectasis. Occasionally, the classical propeller-like configuration is disrupted by the reverse course of the caudal part of the OF. © Springer-Verlag 2006

Anatomy of the minor fissure: Assessment with high-resolution CT and classification

The aims of this study were to investigate the anatomy of the minor fissure and its variations on high-resolution CT (HRCT) sections and to propose a detailed classification. The prospective study included 67 patients who were referred to CT for various indications. High-resolution CT examinations (1.5-mm collimation) were obtained through the region of the minor fissure. The CT scans were assessed for the presence, completeness, and configuration of the minor fissure. Various configurations of the minor fissure were classified into four major types, based on whether the highest portion of the middle lobe upper surface was medial (type I), lateral (type II), posterior (type III), or central (type IV). Minor fissure was identified in 65 (97 %) of 67 patients, and absent in 2 (3 %) cases. The fissure was incomplete in 35 (54%) of 65 patients. Type-I minor fissure is seen in 28 (43%) patients, type II in 22 (34%), type III in 5 (8%), and type IV in 2 (3%) patients. Because the majority of the fissure was absent in 8 (12%) of 35 patients with incomplete fissure, they were considered indeterminate. Comprehensive knowledge of the various configurations of the minor fissure is helpful in correct localization of a lesion and its extension. In equivocal cases, limited thin-section CT scans through the fissure delineate the anatomy more clearly and provide greater degree of precision in localizing pulmonary lesions

Comparison of low-dose and standard-dose helical CT in the evaluation of pulmonary nodules

The purpose of this study was to investigate the diagnostic accuracy of low-dose helical computed tomography by comparing the number of nodules detected at low- and standard-dose CT. The prospective study included 25 patients who were referred to CT scan for the assessment of pulmonary metastases. All patients underwent CT examinations at both standard- (200 mA, 120 kV, collimation 5 mm, table feed 10 mm per rotation) and low-dose (50 mA, 120 kV, collimation 5 mm, table feed 10 mm per rotation). The number of nodules detected at each protocol was recorded. The size of the nodules was measured electronically and categorized as 0.05). Four hundred ninety-one (87.7%) nodules were detected at both standard- or low-dose CT, 42 (7.5%) nodules were observed only at standard-dose CT, and 27 (4.8%) nodules were seen only at low-dose CT. The sensitivity of low-dose CT was 92.5% for all nodules, 88.1% for nodules <5 mm, and 97.4% for nodules ≥5 mm. No significant image artifact interfering with nodule detection was observed at low-dose CT. The low-dose CT protocol used in this study provided images of adequate quality; thus, it can be used reliably in the detection or exclusion of pulmonary nodules