121 research outputs found
Late Onset of Hypoxemia Due to a Pulmonary Arteriovenous Malformation During Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulator Therapy
Analytic semigroup generated by an elliptic operator with discontinuous coefficients
We consider the generation of analytic semigroups by elliptic operators with discontinuous coefficients
Recent progress on color confinement
The status is reviewed of the dual superconductivity of QCD vacuum as a
mechanism of color confinement.Comment: 8 pages. Invited talk at the conference QCD@Work 2007, Martina Franca
(Italy) June 16-20 200
Late onset of hypoxemia due to a pulmonary arteriovenous malformation during selective estrogen receptor modulator therapy.
A76-year-old woman with unexplained hypoxemia and severe exertional dyspnea was admitted to our department. The symptoms had appeared during tamoxifen therapy after resection of breast carcinoma; history revealed recurrent upper gastrointestinal
bleeding, epistaxis, and a granddaughter deceased because of a cerebral arteriovenous malformation.
Chest computed tomography scan showed the presence of a highly vascularized nodule in the right lower lobe.
Right pulmonary artery angiography demonstrated a large pulmonary arteriovenous malformation (PAVM) (Online Video 1) with massive right-to-left shunt (A, B, C; Online Video 2); this confirmed the diagnosis of hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (1). The arrows point to the right upper pulmonary vein.
We decided to percutaneously close the PAVM. An occlusion test was performed before the procedure (D); O2 saturation rose from 87% to 96%. The PAVM was subsequently closed using a vascular occlusion device (E) with complete abolishment of the right-to-left shunt (F; Online Video 3). It is likely that selective estrogen receptor modulator therapy may have been responsible for the enlargement of the PAVM in our patient (2)
Statistical mechanics of the Cluster-Ising model
We study a Hamiltonian system describing a three-spin-1/2 cluster-like
interaction competing with an Ising-like anti-ferromagnetic interaction. We
compute free energy, spin correlation functions and entanglement both in the
ground and in thermal states. The model undergoes a quantum phase transition
between an Ising phase with a nonvanishing magnetization and a cluster phase
characterized by a string order. Any two-spin entanglement is found to vanish
in both quantum phases because of a nontrivial correlation pattern.
Neverthless, the residual multipartite entanglement is maximal in the cluster
phase and dependent on the magnetization in the Ising phase. We study the block
entropy at the critical point and calculate the central charge of the system,
showing that the criticality of the system is beyond the Ising universality
class.Comment: To be published in Physical Review
Lipid and lipoprotein profile changes in dairy cows in response to late pregnancy and the early postpartum period
Abstract. In dairy cows the peripartum period involves endocrine and metabolic changes to compensate for the increased energy requirement aggravated by reduced feed intake. Cows adjust to the resulting negative energy balance with the mobilization of lipids from adipose tissue that, if excessive, could lead to many transition disorders compromising the offspring's growth and well-being. The aim of this study was to evaluate the dynamic changes in serum lipid and lipoprotein profiles in five dairy cows during the peripartum period. For each cow body condition score (BCS) and body weight (BW) measurements as well as blood sampling was carried out 60, 30 and 15 days before calving (−60, −30 and −15BC), at calving day (C) and on days 15, 30 and 60 after calving (+15, +30 and +60AC). Blood samples were tested for serum total lipids, phospholipids, triglycerides, very low-density lipoproteins (VLDLs), total cholesterol (Total-Chol), high-density lipoproteins (HDLs) and low-density lipoproteins (LDLs). One-way repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was applied to determine the effect of the peripartum period on the studied parameters in cows. A statistically significant effect of the peripartum period (P &lt; 0.05) was found in the values of BCS, BW and all serum lipid and lipoprotein indices measured in cows. The changes observed in lipid indices of peripartum cows could be due to the start of milking and the increase in energy consumption in the body, confirming that metabolic adjustments occur as cows move from the gestation to the lactation period.</p
Insufficient knowledge among psoriasis patients can represent a barrier to participation in decision-making.
Patient participation in treatment decisions can have positive effects on patient satisfaction, compliance and health outcomes. The objectives of this study were to examine attitudes of psoriasis patients regarding participation in treatment decisions and to evaluate the effect of a decision-aid for discussing treatment options. A "quasi experiment" was conducted in a large dermatological hospital in Italy: a questionnaire evaluating the decision-making process and treatment knowledge was self-completed by 231 consecutive psoriasis patients after routine clinical practice and by a second sample of 171 patients exposed to a decision-board. In routine clinical practice 67.9% of patients wanted to be involved in decision-making, 28.4% wanted to leave decisions entirely to the doctor and 3.7% preferred making decisions alone. 17.9% and 25.3% of the control and decision-board group had good knowledge. At multivariate analysis good knowledge increased the likelihood of preferring an active role (risk ratio (RR) = 2.21; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.3-3.9; p = 0.006). The decision-board only marginally improved patient knowledge and doctor-patient communication. In conclusion, large proportions of psoriasis patients want to participate in decision-making, but insufficient patient knowledge can represent a barrier
Influence of Five Potential Anticancer Drugs on Wnt Pathway and Cell Survival in Human Biliary Tract Cancer Cells
Background: The role of Wnt signalling in carcinogenesis suggests compounds targeting this pathway as potential anti-cancer drugs. Several studies report activation of Wnt signalling in biliary tract cancer (BTC) thus rendering Wnt inhibitory drugs as potential candidates for targeted therapy of this highly chemoresistant disease
Aromatic sulphur compounds from Allium species induce antioxidant signaling in human bladder cancer cells
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