1,633 research outputs found

    PEDIATRIC CRITICAL CARE: A NEW MILLENNIUM DROWNING Rescue, Resuscitation, and Reanimation

    Get PDF
    I t i s o n e o f N a t u r e ' s g r e a t e s t i r o n i e s t h a t m a n s h o u l d s p e n d t h e f i r s t n i n e m o n t h s o f h i s e x i s t e n c e c o n t i n o u s l y s u r r o u n d e d b y w a t e r , b u t t h e r e s t o f h i s l i f e w i t h a n i n h e r e n t f e a r o f s u b m e r s i o n s

    The novel use of a commercially available video-conference platform to facilitate multidisciplinary target volume review and delineation for skull-base radiation therapy during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic

    Get PDF
    Multidisciplinary involvement in radiation therapy (RT) treatment planning is currently underused. A radiation oncologist sought input for generating target contours from a neuro-radiologist (NR) and otolaryngologist (OL) for 3 patients requiring skull-base RT during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. A Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act compliant virtual meeting between the radiation oncologist, NR, and OL was arranged. Involvement of the OL and NR led to significant changes in the clinical target volume for all patients. Our experience highlights the feasibility of using commercially available video-conference platforms for multidisciplinary target volume delineation for complex RT cases. Further applications include interdisciplinary contour review for RT cases requiring special expertise and joint attending/resident physician contour review for resident education. The video-conference platform technology has demonstrated benefit during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, and we believe it will remain an integral component of our field moving forward

    To ‘Sketch-a-Scratch’

    Get PDF
    A surface can be harsh and raspy, or smooth and silky, and everything in between. We are used to sense these features with our fingertips as well as with our eyes and ears: the exploration of a surface is a multisensory experience. Tools, too, are often employed in the interaction with surfaces, since they augment our manipulation capabilities. “Sketch-a-Scratch” is a tool for the multisensory exploration and sketching of surface textures. The user’s actions drive a physical sound model of real materials’ response to interactions such as scraping, rubbing or rolling. Moreover, different input signals can be converted into 2D visual surface profiles, thus enabling to experience them visually, aurally and haptically

    The role of the ubiquitination-proteasome pathway in breast cancer: Applying drugs that affect the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway to the therapy of breast cancer

    Get PDF
    The ubiquitin-proteasome pathway is responsible for most eukaryotic intracellular protein degradation. This pathway has been validated as a target for antineoplastic therapy using both in vitro and preclinical models of human malignancies, and is influenced as part of the mechanism of action of certain chemotherapeutic agents. Drugs whose primary action involves modulation of ubiquitin-proteasome activity, most notably the proteasome inhibitor PS-341, are currently being evaluated in clinical trials, and have already been found to have significant antitumor efficacy. On the basis of the known mechanisms by which these agents work, and the available clinical data, they would seem to be well suited for the treatment of breast neoplasms. Such drugs, alone and especially in combination with current chemotherapeutics, may well represent important advances in the therapy of patients with breast cancer

    Compared effects of inhibition and exogenous administration of hydrogen sulphide in ischaemia-reperfusion injury

    Get PDF
    INTRODUCTION: Haemorrhagic shock is associated with an inflammatory response consecutive to ischaemia-reperfusion (I/R) that leads to cardiovascular failure and organ injury. The role of and the timing of administration of hydrogen sulphide (H2S) remain uncertain. Vascular effects of H2S are mainly mediated through K+ATP-channel activation. Herein, we compared the effects of D,L-propargylglycine (PAG), an inhibitor of H2S production, as well as sodium hydrosulphide (NaHS), an H2S donor, on haemodynamics, vascular reactivity and cellular pathways in a rat model of I/R. We also compared the haemodynamic effects of NaHS administered before and 10 minutes after reperfusion. METHODS: Mechanically ventilated and instrumented rats were bled during 60 minutes in order to maintain mean arterial pressure at 40 +/- 2 mmHg. Ten minutes prior to retransfusion, rats randomly received either an intravenous bolus of NaHS (0.2 mg/kg) or vehicle (0.9% NaCl) or PAG (50 mg/kg). PNU, a pore-forming receptor inhibitor of K+ATP channels, was used to assess the role of K+ATP channels. RESULTS: Shock and I/R induced a decrease in mean arterial pressure, lactic acidosis and ex vivo vascular hyporeactivity, which were attenuated by NaHS administered before reperfusion and PNU but not by PAG and NaHS administered 10 minutes after reperfusion. NaHS also prevented aortic inducible nitric oxide synthase expression and nitric oxide production while increasing Akt and endothelial nitric oxide synthase phosphorylation. NaHS reduced JNK activity and p-P38/P38 activation, suggesting a decrease in endothelial cell activation without variation in ERK phosphorylation. PNU + NaHS increased mean arterial pressure when compared with NaHS or PNU alone, suggesting a dual effect of NaHS on vascular reactivity. CONCLUSION: NaHS when given before reperfusion protects against the effects of haemorrhage-induced I/R by acting primarily through a decrease in both proinflammatory cytokines and inducible nitric oxide synthase expression and an upregulation of the Akt/endothelial nitric oxide synthase pathway

    Exchange Rate Risk and Convergence to the Euro

    Full text link
    This paper proposes a new monetary policy framework for effectively navigating the path to adopting the euro. The proposed policy is based on relative inflation forecast targeting and incorporates an ancillary target of declining exchange rate risk, which is suggested as a key criterion for evaluating the currency stability. A model linking exchange rate volatility to differentials over the euro zone in both inflation (target variable) and interest rate (instrument variable) is proposed. The model is empirically tested for the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary, the selected new Member States of the EU that use direct inflation targeting to guide their monetary policies. The empirical methodology is based on the TARCH(p,q,r)-M model
    corecore