16 research outputs found
Surveillance and diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with cirrhosis
Early identification of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is more frequent because of surveillance programs for HCC worldwide. The optimal strategy of surveillance in cirrhosis is a current topical issue. In terms of diagnosis, recent advances in non-invasive imaging technology, including various techniques of harmonic ultrasound, new ultrasound contrast agents, multi-slice helical computed tomography and rapid high quality magnetic resonance, have all improved the accuracy of diagnosis. Consequently the role of liver biopsy in diagnosis of HCC has declined. The imaging diagnosis relies on the hallmark of arterial hypervascularity with portal venous washout. However, with recent advances in genomics and proteomics a great number of potential serum and tissue markers have been identified and are being developed as new candidate markers for both diagnosis and prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma, and may increase the need for liver biopsy
Os primeiros vidrados no Gharb al-Andalus no século IX-X: análises arqueométricas e interpretação histórica
This paper is aimed to clarify the beginnings of the glaze technology in the far west Islamic world, the garb al-Andalus. The
scarcity of glazed ceramics for the early Islamic period suggests that they were not local productions, but imports. Five
glazed ceramics found in the present-day south of Portugal have been analysed in order to determine their provenances
Proteomic analysis for developing new biomarkers of hepatocellular carcinoma
AIM: To identify new markers of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) using a proteomic analysis
Benefits of plant strips for sustainable mountain agriculture
Erosion degrades soil quality in agricultural
ecosystems, thereby reducing the productivity of the land. Semi-natural
vegetation and diverse cropping systems have been converted into
monocultures with low tree densities, leaving the soil unprotected. We
evaluated the association in soil- and water-conservation systems with
production in traditional almond orchards and the beneficial impact of plant
strips in mountainous agriculture. Soil loss, runoff and nutrient loss over
a four-year period (2002–2005) were monitored in hillside erosion plots with
almond trees under different soil-management systems: (1) non-tillage with
sage (Salvia lavandulifolia L. subspecies Oxyodon) strips 3 m wide; (2) non-tillage with rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) strips, (3) non-tillage with thyme (Thymus baeticus L. Boiss. exlacaita) strips, and (4) conventional
tillage on the south flank of the Sierra Nevada (Lanjaron) in south-eastern
Spain. Also, the nut yield from almond trees, and the biomass from
aromatic-shrub strips were measured. The erosion plots, located on a 35%
slope, were 144 m in area. The plant-cover strips, 3 m wide, ran
across the slope. Our results show that the most effective treatment proved
to be non-tillage with thyme strips, reducing the annual soil loss by 93%
and runoff by 80%, with respect to conventional tillage. Non-tillage with
rosemary strips reduced soil loss by 91% and runoff by 82%, with
respect to conventional tillage, while these percentages were 69% and
51%, respectively, for non-tillage with sage strips. In addition, all the
treatments as a whole, in comparison with conventional tillage, revealed
that the plant strips were the decisive factor in the reduction of NPK
losses by surface runoff. The average nut yield from non-tillage with sage
strips, non-tillage with rosemary strips, non-tillage with thyme strips and
conventional tillage during the study period was 2.4, 3.2, 3.8 and 4.5 kg
tree, respectively, and the essential oil yield from sage, rosemary
and thyme strips was 5.0, 8.7 and 10.8 L ha, respectively. The
non-tillage with thyme strips decreased nutrient loading in surface waters
and thus had a positive impact on the environment while simultaneously
maintaining reasonable almond-production levels. Thus, the combination of
orchard trees with shrubs provided a viable option to conserve soil and
water in hilly areas with opportunities to increase overall land
productivity as well as sustainable agro-environmental measures