A comprehensive overview of radioguided surgery using gamma detection probe technology

The concept of radioguided surgery, which was first developed some 60 years ago, involves the use of a radiation detection probe system for the intraoperative detection of radionuclides. The use of gamma detection probe technology in radioguided surgery has tremendously expanded and has evolved into what is now considered an established discipline within the practice of surgery, revolutionizing the surgical management of many malignancies, including breast cancer, melanoma, and colorectal cancer, as well as the surgical management of parathyroid disease. The impact of radioguided surgery on the surgical management of cancer patients includes providing vital and real-time information to the surgeon regarding the location and extent of disease, as well as regarding the assessment of surgical resection margins. Additionally, it has allowed the surgeon to minimize the surgical invasiveness of many diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, while still maintaining maximum benefit to the cancer patient. In the current review, we have attempted to comprehensively evaluate the history, technical aspects, and clinical applications of radioguided surgery using gamma detection probe technology

Powdery Mildew of Cantaloupe -- Evaluation of New Fungicides for Disease Control

Powdery mildew of cantaloupe, caused by Sphaerotheca fuliginea, is a perennial and often devastating disease in Arizona. During 1987 and 1984 potential new fungicides were evaluated in field trials for disease control. In 1987, Bayleton, Rally and Spotless provided significant disease control. In 1984, Rally and Spotless significantly reduced development of powdery mildew, while Bayleton and Tilt were less effective. Uneven development of powdery mildew within the plot may partially explain the apparent lack of significant disease control in 1988 by Bayleton and Tilt

Sclerotinia Leaf Drop on Lettuce -- Evaluation of New Fungicides for Disease Control

Leaf drop of lettuce, caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, is a sporadic, but destructive, disease in Arizona. Field trials were established during 1987 and 1988 to evaluate potential new fungicides for disease control. Ronilan and Rovral, the two materials currently registered for use on lettuce for Sclerotinia leaf drop, were consistently among the most effective fungicides for disease control. Levels of disease control equivalent to that provided by Rovral and Ronilan were observed with CGA-449, SC-0854 SDS-65311, Bay HWG 1608, and Spotless. These field tests have identified several potential new fungicides for control of leaf drop of lettuce caused by S. sclerotionan

Protected landscape areas and regional development (the case of the Czech Republic)

The focal point of this article is to discuss whether or not, or to which extent, nature protection can be considered a factor differentiating the level or speed of regional socio-economic development. We decided to use empirical evidence in order to test the historical belief that nature protection poses limits to economic development that may lead to stagnation if not decline in areas where it is applied. We used three large-scale Czech protected areas and tested the hypothesis saying that areas under special regime of management due to nature protection suffer from economic underdevelopment. Based on the analysis both of objective data and subjective reflection of the situation by local popidation we can conclude that protected areas should not be seen as territories a priori handicapped

Radial vs. femoral approach for primary percutaneous coronary intervention in octogenarians

BACKGROUND: The transradial approach is associated with fewer bleeding complications during percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs) but is more technically challenging and associated with prolonged times during intervention. The aim of this study is to retrospectively compare the results of radial vs. femoral approach in patients >or=80 years old undergoing primary or rescue PCI.METHODS: Between January 2002 and December 2007, 354 interventions were performed in our institution with the indication of primary or rescue PCI in patients over 80 years old, without history of previous bypass operation or cardiogenic shock on presentation. Thirteen patients required a change of the approach during the procedure and were not enrolled in the final analysis. Forty (12%) interventions were performed through the transradial approach and 301 (88%) through the femoral approach. In-hospital major adverse cerebral and cardiac events and access site bleeding complications as well as 30- and 365-day mortality, procedural times, and contrast volume were evaluated.RESULTS: The two groups had similar clinical characteristics, with the exception of serum creatinine that was higher in the transfemoral approach group. There were no differences in procedural times and clinical outcomes, although the transfemoral group had numerically more access site bleeding complications (12/301 vs. 0/40, P=.41). The transradial approach had a higher conversion rate compared with the transfemoral approach (18.3% vs. 1.3%, P<.001).CONCLUSION: The transradial approach is feasible and safe in the octogenarians undergoing primary and rescue PCI, but it is associated with a high conversion rate to another approach

The proliferation and differentiation of osteoblasts in co-culture with human umbilical vein endothelial cells: An improved analysis using fluorescence-activated cell sorting

The interaction of osteoblasts and endothelial cells plays a pivotal role in osteogenesis. This interaction has been extensively studied using their direct co-culture in vitro. However, co-culture experiments require clear discrimination between the two different cell types in the mixture, but this was rarely achieved. This study is the first to use fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) for the separation and quantitative analysis of the proliferation and differentiation of MG-63 cells grown in direct co-culture with human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). The cells of the MG-63 cell line have properties consistent with the characteristics of normal osteoblasts. We labeled HUVECs with fluorescent antibody against CD31 and used FACS to measure the proportions of each cell type and to separate them based on their different fluorescence intensities. The rate of proliferation of the MG-63 cells was estimated based on a count of the total viable cells and the proportion of MG-63 cells in the mixture. The mRNA expression levels of the osteoblast differentiation markers alkaline phosphatase (ALP), collagen type 1 (Coll-1) and osteocalcin (OC) in the MG-63 cells were measured via real-time PCR after the separation via FACS. We found that HUVECs stimulated the proliferation of the MG-63 cells after 72 h of co-culture, and inhibited it after 120 h of co-culture. The mRNA expression levels of ALP and Coll-1 significantly increased, whereas that of OC significantly decreased in MG-63 after co-culture with HUVECs. Using FACS for the quantitative analysis of the proliferation and differentiation of osteoblasts directly interacting with endothelial cells could have merit for further co-culture research