3,326 research outputs found
The profile of women who seek emergency contraception from the family planning service
published_or_final_versio
Exercise-Induced Changes in Exhaled NO Differentiates Asthma With or Without Fixed Airway Obstruction From COPD With Dynamic Hyperinflation.
Asthmatic patients with fixed airway obstruction (FAO) and patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) share similarities in terms of irreversible pulmonary function impairment. Exhaled nitric oxide (eNO) has been documented as a marker of airway inflammation in asthma, but not in COPD. To examine whether the basal eNO level and the change after exercise may differentiate asthmatics with FAO from COPD, 27 normal subjects, 60 stable asthmatics, and 62 stable COPD patients were studied. Asthmatics with FAO (n = 29) were defined as showing a postbronchodilator FEV(1)/forced vital capacity (FVC) ≤70% and FEV(1) less than 80% predicted after inhaled salbutamol (400 μg). COPD with dynamic hyperinflation (n = 31) was defined as a decrease in inspiratory capacity (ΔIC%) after a 6 minute walk test (6MWT). Basal levels of eNO were significantly higher in asthmatics and COPD patients compared to normal subjects. The changes in eNO after 6MWT were negatively correlated with the percent change in IC (r = −0.380, n = 29, P = 0.042) in asthmatics with FAO. Their levels of basal eNO correlated with the maximum mid-expiratory flow (MMEF % predicted) before and after 6MWT. In COPD patients with air-trapping, the percent change of eNO was positively correlated to ΔIC% (rs = 0.404, n = 31, P = 0.024). We conclude that asthma with FAO may represent residual inflammation in the airways, while dynamic hyperinflation in COPD may retain NO in the distal airspace. eNO changes after 6MWT may differentiate the subgroups of asthma or COPD patients and will help toward delivery of individualized therapy for airflow obstruction
cyTRON and cyTRON/JS: two Cytoscape-based applications for the inference of cancer evolution models
The increasing availability of sequencing data of cancer samples is fueling
the development of algorithmic strategies to investigate tumor heterogeneity
and infer reliable models of cancer evolution. We here build up on previous
works on cancer progression inference from genomic alteration data, to deliver
two distinct Cytoscape-based applications, which allow to produce, visualize
and manipulate cancer evolution models, also by interacting with public genomic
and proteomics databases. In particular, we here introduce cyTRON, a
stand-alone Cytoscape app, and cyTRON/JS, a web application which employs the
functionalities of Cytoscape/JS.
cyTRON was developed in Java; the code is available at
https://github.com/BIMIB-DISCo/cyTRON and on the Cytoscape App Store
http://apps.cytoscape.org/apps/cytron. cyTRON/JS was developed in JavaScript
and R; the source code of the tool is available at
https://github.com/BIMIB-DISCo/cyTRON-js and the tool is accessible from
https://bimib.disco.unimib.it/cytronjs/welcome
Comparison of the outcome of living related donor and cadaveric renal transplantation in Queen Mary Hospital - a single centre experience
Living related donors (LRD) have been the main source of donor kidneys in Hong Kong. In recent years, there has been an increase in the proportion of cadaveric (CAD) kidneys transplantation. This review examines the results of renal transplantation in. Queen Mary Hospital (QMH) in order to assess the continuing need for LRD kidney transplantation. The records of 159 of 165 transplant cases between 1983 and 1991 were analyzed. The mean age of recipients was 35.6 years (range 11 to 57), with a male predominance in the LED recipients (p = 0.03). The waiting time for the LRD recipients was significantly less than the CAD recipients (p < 0.001). There was no difference in the distribution of different primary renal diseases causing end stage renal failure between the LRD and CAD groups. The cumulative graft survival at five years was 82.5% and 65.8% for LRD and CAD respectively (p = 0.02), Graft function was also significantly better in LRD recipients (p < 0,01), Early surgical complications were more common after CAD transplantation (14% vs 29%, p = 0.02). While the transplant centres and the Hong Kong Government continue to promote cadaveric organ donation, the LRD transplant programme should be equally
encouraged because of superior graft outcome.published_or_final_versio
Universal antenatal human immunodeficiency virus testing in Hong Kong: consensus statement.
Following the recommendations of the Advisory Council on AIDS, Hong Kong, the Hospital Authority announced plans to introduce universal antenatal screening for human immunodeficiency virus infection and hence, a consensus conference was held to discuss strategies for implementing such screening in Hong Kong. This paper reports the discussions of the consensus conference. The consensus meeting group consisted of 15 clinicians and scientists from Hong Kong, Macau, and Thailand. Seven commonly asked questions concerning mother-to-child transmission of human immunodeficiency virus were selected for discussion by the participating panellists. Information on the laboratory diagnosis of human immunodeficiency virus infection and the efficacy of preventive measures in reducing mother-to-child transmission of human immunodeficiency virus were reviewed. Data from local studies was also presented and discussed. The timing, potential problems, and cost issues involved in testing all pregnant women in Hong Kong for human immunodeficiency virus were then considered.published_or_final_versio
Geometry and Dynamics of a Coupled 4D-2D Quantum Field Theory
Geometric and dynamical aspects of a coupled 4D-2D interacting quantum field
theory - the gauged nonAbelian vortex - are investigated. The fluctuations of
the internal 2D nonAbelian vortex zeromodes excite the massless 4D Yang-Mills
modes and in general give rise to divergent energies. This means that the
well-known 2D CP(N-1) zeromodes associated with a nonAbelian vortex become
nonnormalizable. Moreover, all sorts of global, topological 4D effects such as
the nonAbelian Aharonov-Bohm effect come into play. These topological global
features and the dynamical properties associated with the fluctuation of the 2D
vortex moduli modes are intimately correlated, as shown concretely here in a
U(1) x SU(N) x SU(N) model with scalar fields in a bifundamental representation
of the two SU(N) factor gauge groups.Comment: Latex, 39 pages, 5 figure
Improved eradication of Clostridium difficile spores from toilets of hospitalized patients using an accelerated hydrogen peroxide as the cleaning agent
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>C. difficle </it>spores in the environment of patients with <it>C. difficile </it>associated disease (CDAD) are difficult to eliminate. Bleach (5000 ppm) has been advocated as an effective disinfectant for the environmental surfaces of patients with CDAD. Few alternatives to bleach for non-outbreak conditions have been evaluated in controlled healthcare studies.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This study was a prospective clinical comparison during non-outbreak conditions of the efficacy of an accelerated hydrogen peroxide cleaner (0.5% AHP) to the currently used stabilized hydrogen peroxide cleaner (0.05% SHP at manufacturer recommended use-dilution) with respect to spore removal from toilets in a tertiary care facility. The toilets used by patients who had diarrhea with and without <it>C. difficile </it>associated disease (CDAD) were cultured for <it>C. difficile </it>and were monitored using an ultraviolet mark (UVM) to assess cleaning compliance on a daily basis 5 days per week. A total of 243 patients and 714 samples were analysed. The culture results were included in the analysis only if the UVM audit from the same day confirmed that the toilet had been cleaned.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Our data demonstrated that the efficacy of spore killing is formulation specific and cannot be generalized. The Oxivir<sub>TB</sub><sup>® </sup>AHP formulation resulted in statistically significantly (p = 0.0023) lower levels of toxigenic <it>C. difficile </it>spores in toilets of patients with CDAD compared to the SHP formulation that was routinely being used (28% vs 45% culture positive). The background level of toxigenic <it>C. difficile </it>spores was 10% in toilets of patients with diarrhea not due to CDAD. The UVM audit indicated that despite the enhanced twice-daily cleaning protocol for CDAD patients cleaning was not achieved on approximately 30 - 40% of the days tested.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our data indicate that the AHP formulation evaluated that has some sporicidal activity was significantly better than the currently used SHP formulation. This AHP formulation provides a one-step process that significantly lowers the <it>C. difficile </it>spore level in toilets during non-outbreak conditions without the workplace safety concerns associated with 5000 ppm bleach.</p
Solitary pancreatic tuberculous abscess mimicking pancreatic cystadenocarcinoma: a case report
BACKGROUND: The incidence of pancreatic tuberculosis is extremely rare, and it frequently misdiagnosed as pancreatic neoplasms. The nonsurgical diagnosis of this entity continues to be a challenge. CASE PRESENTATION: A 33 year old male with six-month history of intermittent right epigastric vague pain and weight lost had found a solitary pancreatic cystic mass and diagnosed as pancreatic cystadenocarcinoma. The chest X-ray film and physical examination revealed no abnormalities. Abdominal ultrasound (US) examination showed an irregular hypoechoic lesion of 6.6 cm × 4.4 cm in the head of pancreas, and color Doppler flow imaging did not demonstrate blood stream in the mass. The attempts to obtain pathological evidence of the lesion by US-guided percutaneous fine needle aspiration failed, an exploratory laparotomy and incisional biopsy revealed a caseous abscess of the head of pancreas without typical changes of tuberculous granuloma, but acid-fast stain was positive. CONCLUSIONS: Pancreatic tuberculosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of focal pancreatic lesions, especially for young people in developing countries
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