Extracorporeal membrane oxygenator as a bridge to successful surgical repair of bronchopleural fistula following bilateral sequential lung transplantation: a case report and review of literature

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Lung transplantation (LTx) is widely accepted as a therapeutic option for end-stage respiratory failure in cystic fibrosis. However, airway complications remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality in these patients, serious airway complications like bronchopleural fistula (BPF) are rare, and their management is very difficult.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 47-year-old man with end-stage respiratory failure due to cystic fibrosis underwent bilateral sequential lung transplantation. Severe post-operative bleeding occurred due to dense intrapleural adhesions of the native lungs. He was re-explored and packed leading to satisfactory haemostasis. He developed a bronchopleural fistula on the 14^thpost-operative day. The fistula was successfully repaired using pericardial and intercostal vascular flaps with veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenator (VV-ECMO) support. Subsequently his recovery was uneventful.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The combination of pedicled intercostal and pericardial flaps provide adequate vascular tissue for sealing a large BPF following LTx. Veno-venous ECMO allows a feasible bridge to recovery.</p

Gelatin microparticles aggregates as three-dimensional scaffolding system in cartilage engineering

A three-dimensional (3D) scaffolding system for chondrocytes culture has been produced by agglomeration of cells and gelatin microparticles with a mild centrifuging process. The diameter of the microparticles, around 10 μ, was selected to be in the order of magnitude of the chondrocytes. No gel was used to stabilize the construct that maintained consistency just because of cell and extracellular matrix (ECM) adhesion to the substrate. In one series of samples the microparticles were charged with transforming growth factor, TGF-β1. The kinetics of growth factor delivery was assessed. The initial delivery was approximately 48 % of the total amount delivered up to day 14. Chondrocytes that had been previously expanded in monolayer culture, and thus dedifferentiated, adopted in this 3D environment a round morphology, both with presence or absence of growth factor delivery, with production of ECM that intermingles with gelatin particles. The pellet was stable from the first day of culture. Cell viability was assessed by MTS assay, showing higher absorption values in the cell/unloaded gelatin microparticle pellets than in cell pellets up to day 7. Nevertheless the absorption drops in the following culture times. On the contrary the cell viability of cell/TGF-β1 loaded gelatin microparticle pellets was constant during the 21 days of culture. The formation of actin stress fibres in the cytoskeleton and type I collagen expression was significantly reduced in both cell/gelatin microparticle pellets (with and without TGF-β1) with respect to cell pellet controls. Total type II collagen and sulphated glycosaminoglycans quantification show an enhancement of the production of ECM when TGF-β1 is delivered, as expected because this growth factor stimulate the chondrocyte proliferation and improve the functionality of the tissue.JLGR acknowledge the support of the Spanish Ministry of Education through project No. MAT2010-21611-C03-01 (including the FEDER financial support). The support of the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) through the CIBER initiative of the Networking Research Center on Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN) is also acknowledged

Quantitative gait analysis under dual-task in older people with mild cognitive impairment: a reliability study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Reliability of quantitative gait assessment while dual-tasking (walking while doing a secondary task such as talking) in people with cognitive impairment is unknown. Dual-tasking gait assessment is becoming highly important for mobility research with older adults since better reflects their performance in the basic activities of daily living. Our purpose was to establish the test-retest reliability of assessing quantitative gait variables using an electronic walkway in older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) under single and dual-task conditions.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The gait performance of 11 elderly individuals with MCI was evaluated using an electronic walkway (GAITRite^®System) in two sessions, one week apart. Six gait parameters (gait velocity, step length, stride length, step time, stride time, and double support time) were assessed under two conditions: single-task (sG: usual walking) and dual-task (dG: counting backwards from 100 while walking). Test-retest reliability was determined using intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). Gait variability was measured using coefficient of variation (CoV).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Eleven participants (average age = 76.6 years, SD = 7.3) were assessed. They were high functioning (Clinical Dementia Rating Score = 0.5) with a mean Mini-Mental Status Exam (MMSE) score of 28 (SD = 1.56), and a mean Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score of 22.8 (SD = 1.23). Under dual-task conditions, mean gait velocity (GV) decreased significantly (sGV = 119.11 ± 20.20 cm/s; dGV = 110.88 ± 19.76 cm/s; p = 0.005). Additionally, under dual-task conditions, higher gait variability was found on stride time, step time, and double support time. Test-retest reliability was high (ICC>0.85) for the six parameters evaluated under both conditions.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In older people with MCI, variability of time-related gait parameters increased with dual-tasking suggesting cognitive control of gait performance. Assessment of quantitative gait variables using an electronic walkway is highly reliable under single and dual-task conditions. The presence of cognitive impairment did not preclude performance of dual-tasking in our sample supporting that this methodology can be reliably used in cognitive impaired older individuals.</p

Search for new phenomena in final states with an energetic jet and large missing transverse momentum in pp collisions at √ s = 8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

Results of a search for new phenomena in final states with an energetic jet and large missing transverse momentum are reported. The search uses 20.3 fb−1 of √ s = 8 TeV data collected in 2012 with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Events are required to have at least one jet with pT > 120 GeV and no leptons. Nine signal regions are considered with increasing missing transverse momentum requirements between Emiss T > 150 GeV and Emiss T > 700 GeV. Good agreement is observed between the number of events in data and Standard Model expectations. The results are translated into exclusion limits on models with either large extra spatial dimensions, pair production of weakly interacting dark matter candidates, or production of very light gravitinos in a gauge-mediated supersymmetric model. In addition, limits on the production of an invisibly decaying Higgs-like boson leading to similar topologies in the final state are presente

Clock genes and their genomic distributions in three species of salmonid fishes: Associations with genes regulating sexual maturation and cell cycling

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Clock family genes encode transcription factors that regulate clock-controlled genes and thus regulate many physiological mechanisms/processes in a circadian fashion. Clock1 duplicates and copies of Clock3 and NPAS2-like genes were partially characterized (genomic sequencing) and mapped using family-based indels/SNPs in rainbow trout (RT)(<it>Oncorhynchus mykiss</it>), Arctic charr (AC)(<it>Salvelinus alpinus</it>), and Atlantic salmon (AS)(<it>Salmo salar</it>) mapping panels.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Clock1 duplicates mapped to linkage groups RT-8/-24, AC-16/-13 and AS-2/-18. Clock3/NPAS2-like genes mapped to RT-9/-20, AC-20/-43, and AS-5. Most of these linkage group regions containing the Clock gene duplicates were derived from the most recent 4R whole genome duplication event specific to the salmonids. These linkage groups contain quantitative trait loci (QTL) for life history and growth traits (i.e., reproduction and cell cycling). Comparative synteny analyses with other model teleost species reveal a high degree of conservation for genes in these chromosomal regions suggesting that functionally related or co-regulated genes are clustered in syntenic blocks. For example, anti-müllerian hormone (amh), regulating sexual maturation, and ornithine decarboxylase antizymes (oaz1 and oaz2), regulating cell cycling, are contained within these syntenic blocks.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Synteny analyses indicate that regions homologous to major life-history QTL regions in salmonids contain many candidate genes that are likely to influence reproduction and cell cycling. The order of these genes is highly conserved across the vertebrate species examined, and as such, these genes may make up a functional cluster of genes that are likely co-regulated. CLOCK, as a transcription factor, is found within this block and therefore has the potential to cis-regulate the processes influenced by these genes. Additionally, clock-controlled genes (CCGs) are located in other life-history QTL regions within salmonids suggesting that at least in part, trans-regulation of these QTL regions may also occur via Clock expression.</p

MM-wave rotational spectrum of methyl nitrate

Methyl nitrate (CH$_{3}$NO$_{3}$), is a toxic liquid known for it’s explosive properties. It is metabolically expressed in trace amounts in exhaled human breath and is a potential candidate for interstellar detection. Previous microwave studies of methyl nitrate have yielded a handful line transitions in its vibrational ground state in the 8-34 GHz range. This paper discusses the high-resolution spectrum of methyl nitrate in 210-270 GHz range, and extends the spectroscopic assignment of its rotational transitions in the ground and first excited vibrational states

Combined measurement of differential and total cross sections in the H → γγ and the H → ZZ* → 4ℓ decay channels at s=13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A combined measurement of differential and inclusive total cross sections of Higgs boson production is performed using 36.1 fb−1 of 13 TeV proton–proton collision data produced by the LHC and recorded by the ATLAS detector in 2015 and 2016. Cross sections are obtained from measured H→γγ and H→ZZ*(→4ℓ event yields, which are combined taking into account detector efficiencies, resolution, acceptances and branching fractions. The total Higgs boson production cross section is measured to be 57.0−5.9 +6.0 (stat.) −3.3 +4.0 (syst.) pb, in agreement with the Standard Model prediction. Differential cross-section measurements are presented for the Higgs boson transverse momentum distribution, Higgs boson rapidity, number of jets produced together with the Higgs boson, and the transverse momentum of the leading jet. The results from the two decay channels are found to be compatible, and their combination agrees with the Standard Model predictions

Operation and performance of the ATLAS Tile Calorimeter in Run 1

The Tile Calorimeter is the hadron calorimeter covering the central region of the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider. Approximately 10,000 photomultipliers collect light from scintillating tiles acting as the active material sandwiched between slabs of steel absorber. This paper gives an overview of the calorimeter’s performance during the years 2008–2012 using cosmic-ray muon events and proton–proton collision data at centre-of-mass energies of 7 and 8TeV with a total integrated luminosity of nearly 30 fb−1. The signal reconstruction methods, calibration systems as well as the detector operation status are presented. The energy and time calibration methods performed excellently, resulting in good stability of the calorimeter response under varying conditions during the LHC Run 1. Finally, the Tile Calorimeter response to isolated muons and hadrons as well as to jets from proton–proton collisions is presented. The results demonstrate excellent performance in accord with specifications mentioned in the Technical Design Report