13 research outputs found
Olfactory Delusional Syndrome and Intracranial Meningioma
We report the case of a 37-year-old female in which the removal of a suprasellar neoplasm was accompanied by the disappearance of a longstanding olfactory delusion syndrome. In primary care the patient condition was exclusively thought to be psychic in origin, neglecting the possible, not infrequent, organic contribution. The delayed diagnosis produced neurological impairment, only partially recovered after surgical therapy. This case might help to improve the patient management via multi-specialist cooperation and to broaden the knowledge about somatic mechanisms of psychic disturbances, are not often taken into account
Lunar Gravitational-Wave Antenna
Monitoring of vibrational eigenmodes of an elastic body excited by
gravitational waves was one of the first concepts proposed for the detection of
gravitational waves. At laboratory scale, these experiments became known as
resonant-bar detectors first developed by Joseph Weber in the 1960s. Due to the
dimensions of these bars, the targeted signal frequencies were in the kHz
range. Weber also pointed out that monitoring of vibrations of Earth or Moon
could reveal gravitational waves in the mHz band. His Lunar Surface Gravimeter
experiment deployed on the Moon by the Apollo 17 crew had a technical failure
rendering the data useless. In this article, we revisit the idea and propose a
Lunar Gravitational-Wave Antenna (LGWA). We find that LGWA could become an
important partner observatory for joint observations with the space-borne,
laser-interferometric detector LISA, and at the same time contribute an
independent science case due to LGWA's unique features. Technical challenges
need to be overcome for the deployment of the experiment, and development of
inertial vibration sensor technology lays out a future path for this exciting
detector concept.Comment: 29 pages, 17 figure
SARS-CoV-2 omicron (B.1.1.529)-related COVID-19 sequelae in vaccinated and unvaccinated patients with cancer: results from the OnCovid registry
Background COVID-19 sequelae can affect about 15% of patients with cancer who survive the acute phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection and can substantially impair their survival and continuity of oncological care. We aimed to investigate whether previous immunisation affects long-term sequelae in the context of evolving variants of concern of SARS-CoV-2. Methods OnCovid is an active registry that includes patients aged 18 years or older from 37 institutions across Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK with a laboratory-confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 and a history of solid or haematological malignancy, either active or in remission, followed up from COVID-19 diagnosis until death. We evaluated the prevalence of COVID-19 sequelae in patients who survived COVID-19 and underwent a formal clinical reassessment, categorising infection according to the date of diagnosis as the omicron (B.1.1.529) phase from Dec 15, 2021, to Jan 31, 2022; the alpha (B.1.1.7)-delta (B.1.617.2) phase from Dec 1, 2020, to Dec 14, 2021; and the pre-vaccination phase from Feb 27 to Nov 30, 2020. The prevalence of overall COVID-19 sequelae was compared according to SARS-CoV-2 immunisation status and in relation to post-COVID-19 survival and resumption of systemic anticancer therapy. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04393974. Findings At the follow-up update on June 20, 2022, 1909 eligible patients, evaluated after a median of 39 days (IQR 24-68) from COVID-19 diagnosis, were included (964 [ 50 center dot 7%] of 1902 patients with sex data were female and 938 [49 center dot 3%] were male). Overall, 317 (16 center dot 6%; 95% CI 14 center dot 8-18 center dot 5) of 1909 patients had at least one sequela from COVID-19 at the first oncological reassessment. The prevalence of COVID-19 sequelae was highest in the prevaccination phase (191 [19 center dot 1%; 95% CI 16 center dot 4-22 center dot 0] of 1000 patients). The prevalence was similar in the alpha-delta phase (110 [16 center dot 8%; 13 center dot 8- 20 center dot 3] of 653 patients, p=0 center dot 24), but significantly lower in the omicron phase (16 [6 center dot 2%; 3 center dot 5-10 center dot 2] of 256 patients, p<0 center dot 0001). In the alpha- delta phase, 84 (18 center dot 3%; 95% CI 14 center dot 6-22 center dot 7) of 458 unvaccinated patients and three (9 center dot 4%; 1 center dot 9- 27 center dot 3) of 32 unvaccinated patients in the omicron phase had sequelae. Patients who received a booster and those who received two vaccine doses had a significantly lower prevalence of overall COVID-19 sequelae than unvaccinated or partially vaccinated patients (ten [7 center dot 4%; 95% CI 3 center dot 5-13 center dot 5] of 136 boosted patients, 18 [9 center dot 8%; 5 center dot 8-15 center dot 5] of 183 patients who had two vaccine doses vs 277 [ 18 center dot 5%; 16 center dot 5-20 center dot 9] of 1489 unvaccinated patients, p=0 center dot 0001), respiratory sequelae (six [4 center dot 4%; 1 center dot 6-9 center dot 6], 11 [6 center dot 0%; 3 center dot 0-10 center dot 7] vs 148 [9 center dot 9%; 8 center dot 4- 11 center dot 6], p= 0 center dot 030), and prolonged fatigue (three [2 center dot 2%; 0 center dot 1-6 center dot 4], ten [5 center dot 4%; 2 center dot 6-10 center dot 0] vs 115 [7 center dot 7%; 6 center dot 3-9 center dot 3], p=0 center dot 037)
Cinacalcet but not vitamin D use modulates the survival benefit associated with sevelamer in the INDEPENDENT study
Aims: Whether differences
in outcomes of calcium-free vs. calciumcontaining
phosphate binder treatments can
be amplified by concurrent treatment with a
calcium-sensing receptor agonist or vitamin
D remains to be elucidated. Material and
methods: A post-hoc analysis of the INDEPENDENT
study, an open-label randomized
controlled trial designed to evaluate the
impact of sevelamer (SV) vs. calcium salts
(CS) on survival in incident dialysis patients.
Results: We recruited 466 middle-aged men
and women. Cinacalcet (CC) and vitamin D
(VD) were administered to a portion of patients
as part of their routine care. We tested
the impact of CC and VD on survival in the
overall and in both treatment arms of the
original study cohort. Overall SV, but not CC
or VD, administration was associated with
a survival benefit (mean follow-up: 28 (10)
months). However, a significant (p = 0.006)
interaction of SV and CC on mortality was
observed. CC use was associated with improved
survival if administered in combination
with SV (HR 0.34, 95% CI 0.14 – 0.81,
p = 0.01 for subjects receiving or not CC) but
not CS (HR 1.28, 95% CI 0.82 – 2.00; p =
0.26 for subjects receiving or not CC). No effect
on mortality or interaction of phosphate
binder use with VD was noted. Conclusions:
Though hypothesis generating, these results
lend support to the idea that use of a CC may
increase survival in incident hemodialysis
patients when used with a calcium-free phosphate
binder.
Introductio