General pathobiology/ Constantinides

310 hal.: ill.; 30 cm

General pathobiology/ Constantinides

310 hal.: ill.; 30 cm

Ureterointestinal strictures following Bricker ileal conduit: management via a percutaneous approach

Objective Urinary diversion after radical cystectomy is commonly performed via an ileal conduit using the Bricker method. However, 4-8% of these cases are complicated with stricture formation at the ureterointestinal junction. Thus, this could eventually lead to hydronephrosis and kidney loss in neglected patients. Few data exist concerning the outcomes of patients with ureterointestinal junction strictures managed via a percutaneous approach and balloon dilatation of the stricture. The potential of managing these strictures, using a stent replacement strategy, was evaluated. Patients and methods A total of 14 patients (10 male, 4 female; age range 24-72 years) were enrolled in the study. Mean follow-up time was 30.9 months. Invasive bladder cancer was diagnosed in 11, neurogenic bladder in 2 and shrunk bladder after external beam radiation for prostate cancer in 1 patient. They were all managed by radical cystectomy followed by Bricker ileal conduit. In 6 cases, ureterointestinal strictures bilaterally were discovered, whereas unilateral (left-sided) strictures were noted to the remaining 8 patients. All strictures were managed via a percutaneous approach and balloon dilatation. A double J stent was placed at the end of the procedure and was regularly replaced after an interval of 3-6 months. Results A percutaneous nephrostomy was successfully placed in all patients. Double J stent insertion was possible in 18 of a total of 20 (90%) obstructed ureters. No major complications were observed in any of the cases while adequate renal function was preserved in all patients. Quality of life is not reported to be significantly compromised in any patient. Double J ureteral stent replacement is performed every 3-6 months in a retrograde fashion. One patient died in the follow-up period due to disease progression. Conclusion Placement of a double J stent via a percutaneous approach seems to have offered a viable option in the management of ureterointestinal strictures in this patient population. In addition, periodical retrograde replacement of the stent probably does not constitute a factor compromising quality of life. However, further studies are required to justify these primary clinical data

Laparoscopic versus open hepatic resections for benign and malignant neoplasms - a meta-analysis

Background. Laparoscopic surgery for hepatic neoplasms aims to provide curative resection while minimizing complications. The present study compared. laparoscopic versus open surgery for Patients with hepatic neoplasms with regard to short-term outcomes. Methods. Comparative studies published between 1998 and 2005 were included. Evaluated endpoints were operative, functional, and adverse events. A random-effects model was used and sensitivity analysis performed to account for bias in patient selection. Results. Eight nonrandomized studies were included, reporting on 409 resections of hepatic neoplasms, of which 165 (40.3%) were laparoscopic and 244 (59.7%) were open. Operative blood loss (weighted mean difference = -123 mL; confidence interval = -179, -67 mL) and duration of hospital stay (weighted mean difference = -2.6 days; confidence interval -3.8, -1.4 days) were significantly reduced after laparoscopic surgery. These findings remained consistent when considering studies matched for the presence of malignancy and segment resection. There was no difference in postoperative adverse events and extent of oncologic clearance. Conclusions. Laparoscopic resection results in reduced operative blood loss and earlier recovery with oncologic clearance comparable with open surgery. When performed by experienced surgeons in selected patients it may be a safe and feasible option. Because of the potential of significant bias arising from the included studies, further randomized controlled trials should be undertaken to confirm this bias and to assess long-term, survival rate

The Unmanned Systems Research Laboratory (USRL) : A New Facility for UAV-Based Atmospheric Observations

The Unmanned Systems Research Laboratory (USRL) of the Cyprus Institute is a new mobile exploratory platform of the EU Research Infrastructure Aerosol, Clouds and Trace Gases Research InfraStructure (ACTRIS). USRL offers exclusive Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)-sensor solutions that can be deployed anywhere in Europe and beyond, e.g., during intensive field campaigns through a transnational access scheme in compliance with the drone regulation set by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for the research, innovation, and training. UAV sensor systems play a growing role in the portfolio of Earth observation systems. They can provide cost-effective, spatial in-situ atmospheric observations which are complementary to stationary observation networks. They also have strong potential for calibrating and validating remote-sensing sensors and retrieval algorithms, mapping close-to-the-ground emission point sources and dispersion plumes, and evaluating the performance of atmospheric models. They can provide unique information relevant to the short- and long-range transport of gas and aerosol pollutants, radiative forcing, cloud properties, emission factors and a variety of atmospheric parameters. Since its establishment in 2015, USRL is participating in major international research projects dedicated to (1) the better understanding of aerosol-cloud interactions, (2) the profiling of aerosol optical properties in different atmospheric environments, (3) the vertical distribution of air pollutants in and above the planetary boundary layer, (4) the validation of Aeolus satellite dust products by utilizing novel UAV-balloon-sensor systems, and (5) the chemical characterization of ship and stack emissions. A comprehensive overview of the new UAV-sensor systems developed by USRL and their field deployments is presented here. This paper aims to illustrate the strong scientific potential of UAV-borne measurements in the atmospheric sciences and the need for their integration in Earth observation networks.Peer reviewe

Improvements of a low-cost CO2 commercial nondispersive near-infrared (NDIR) sensor for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) atmospheric mapping applications

International audienceUnmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) provide a cost-effective way to fill in gaps between surface in situ observations and remotely sensed data from space. In this study, a novel portable CO2 measuring system suitable for operations on board small-sized UAVs has been developed and validated. It is based on a low-cost commercial nondispersive near-infrared (NDIR) CO2 sensor (Senseair AB, Sweden), with a total weight of 1058 g, including batteries. The system performs in situ measurements autonomously, allowing for its integration into various platforms. Accuracy and linearity tests in the lab showed that the precision remains within ± 1 ppm (1σ) at 1 Hz. Corrections due to temperature and pressure changes were applied following environmental chamber experiments. The accuracy of the system in the field was validated against a reference instrument (Picarro, USA) on board a piloted aircraft and it was found to be ± 2 ppm (1σ) at 1 Hz and ± 1 ppm (1σ) at 1 min. Due to its fast response, the system has the capacity to measure CO2 mole fraction changes at 1 Hz, thus allowing the monitoring of CO2 emission plumes and of the characteristics of their spatial and temporal distribution. Details of the measurement system and field implementations are described to support future UAV platform applications for atmospheric trace gas measurements. Copyrigh