475 research outputs found
Formylated Chemotactic Peptides Can Mimic the Secondary, Provoking Endotoxin Injection in the Generalized Shwartzman Reaction
The Antarctic Seismographic Argentinean Italian Network - ASAIN Improving the instrumental coverage in Antarctica
Scientific investigations of the Scotia Sea region are crucial to
understand the history of the Antarctic continent tectonic evolution and the
influence of the aperture of the Drake passage in establishing the Circumpolar
Antarctic Current, as stressed by many authors (e.g. Lodolo, 2008). The Scotia
Sea occupies a roughly rectangular area of about 900.000 km . This area is
limited on three sides by the Scotia Arc, formed by islands and oceanic ridges,
which is a remnant of the mountain chain that joined the South American Andes
to the Antarctic Peninsula. The western border is represented by the about 1000
km wide Drake passage, that separates today the Tierra del Fuego in South
America from the Antarctic continent. A review of the tectonics and evolution
of the Scotia Sea can be found in Barker, 2001. The start of the geophysical
studies in this area dates back to several decades ago, but only after 1990
instrumental passive seismology started to be widely applied to investigate the
crustal properties and the properties of the seismic sources responsible for the strong
seismicity level observed along the Scotia plate boundaries. ASAIN started
operation in 1992 when a temporary seismograph was installed at the
Argentinean Base Esperanza. It grew quickly during the nineties and today five
stations are operated in Antarctica and two in Tierra del Fuego. All the Antarctic
stations transmit real-time data to the OGS and to the Instituto Antartico
Argentino. Esperanza (ESPZ), Jubany (JUBA), San Martin (SMAI) and
Orcadas(ORCD) stations also participate in the Virtual European Seismographic
Broadband Network (VEBSN) transmitting real time data to the Orfeus Data
Centre. On January 16 , 2009 BELA station was added to the network. It is
operated at the southernmost Argentinean Base Belgrano II (77° 52' S,
34° 37' W ) located on a rocky outcrop (Nunatak Bertrab) on the Filchner barrier. Its
inclusion in the VEBSN is also planned. ASAIN data real-time acquisition is
performed using SCREAM software, but also Earthworm and Antelope
software are being tested at the OGS Seismological Research Centre
Testing the global capabilities of the Antelope software suite: fast location and Mb determination of teleseismic events using the ASAIN and GSN seismic networks
The Italian National Institute for Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics (Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia
e di Geofisica Sperimentale, OGS) is running the Antarctic Seismographic Argentinean Italian Network (ASAIN),
made of 5 seismic stations located in the Scotia Sea region in Antarctica and in Argentina: data from these stations
are transferred in real time to the OGS headquarters in Trieste (Italy) via satellite links. OGS is also running, in
close cooperation with the Friuli-Venezia Giulia Civil Defense, the North East (NI) Italy seismic network, making
use of the Antelope commercial software suite from BRTT as the main acquisition system.
As a test to check the global capabilities of Antelope, we set up an instance of Antelope acquiring data in real time
from both the regional ASAIN seismic network in Antarctica and a subset of the Global Seismic Network (GSN)
funded by the Incorporated Research Institution for Seismology (IRIS). The facilities of the IRIS Data Management
System, and specifically the IRIS Data Management Center, were used for real time access to waveform required
in this study.
Preliminary results over 1 month period indicated that about 82% of the earthquakes with magnitude M>5.0 listed
in the PDE catalogue of the National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC) of the United States Geological
Survey (USGS) were also correctly detected by Antelope, with an average location error of 0.05 degrees and
average body wave magnitude Mb estimation error below 0.1.
The average time difference between event origin time and the actual time of event determination by Antelope was
of about 45’: the comparison with 20’, the IASPEI91 P-wave travel time for 180 degrees distance, and 25’, the
estimate of our test system data latency, indicate that Antelope is a serious candidate for regional and global early
warning systems.
Updated figures calculated over a longer period of time will be presented and discussed
improving the management of high cost anticancer drugs in a health care system
As a consequence of the rise in cancer prevalence and in the cost of anticancer drugs, global spending for cancer is increasing rapidly. The aim of this work is to identify and assess some effectiv ..
The postpneumonectomy syndrome: clinical presentation and treatment
Background: Postpneumonectomy syndrome (PPS) is a rare complication after pneumonectomy. It consists of an excessive mediastinal shift resulting in compression and stretching of the tracheobronchial tree and the esophagus. The aim of this study was to give a comprehensive overview of diagnosis, variety of symptoms and evaluation of surgical treatment of PPS. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the charts of all our patients with PPS since 1994 with respect to symptomatology, treatment and outcome. Our results were compared with case reports and case series in the literature. Results: Six women with a median age of 56.5 years (range 49-65) developed PPS after pneumonectomy for the treatment of lung cancer. Four presented with a right PPS and two with a left PPS, respectively. Symptoms consisted of shortness of breath in all patients and dysphagia as well as heartburn in two patients. Correction of PPS required re-exploration of the pneumonectomy space, reposition of the mediastinum followed by the insertion of single silicone prosthesis in five patients or fixation of the mediastinum with a xenopericardial graft in one patient. We could observe an improvement of the FEV(1)/FVC ratio in all our patients and the clinical improvement of shortness of breath was better than we expected by changes of lung function. Four patients returned to their regular activities with a follow-up of four years. We found 73 cases of PPS in the literature, on the right side in 50 patients (68%) and on the left side in 23 patients (32%). Fifty-nine patients (81%) were treated surgically. Symptoms can be suspicious for cardiogenic origin and vary from heartburn to recurrent syncopes. Conclusion: PPS is rare and not predictable. It can occur after right or left pneumonectomy. Symptoms are manifold and result from a shift, leading to compression and stretching of the two conduits located within the mediastinum, the tracheobronchial tree and the esophagus and consists of shortness of breath, stridor and heartburn. Diagnosis must be made by exclusion. Implantation of prosthesis is the most commonly used and effective treatmen
A pilot study of the King LT supralaryngeal airway use in a rural Iowa EMS system
Introduction In 2003, the King Laryngeal Tube (LT) received FDA approval for US sales. Prehospital systems in urban setting have begun evaluating and adopting the LT for clinical airway management. However, it is not routinely approved by State EMS Boards for use by all prehospita
Management of radiation dermatitis in patients receiving cetuximab and radiotherapy for locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck: proposals for a revised grading system and consensus management guidelines
Background: Radiation dermatitis developing in patients receiving cetuximab concomitantly with radiotherapy for locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (LA SCCHN) is now recognized to have different pathophysiological and clinical characteristics to the radiation dermatitis associated with radiotherapy or concomitant chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Current grading tools were not designed to grade this type of radiation dermatitis; their use may lead to misclassification of reactions and inappropriate management strategies, potentially compromising cancer treatment. Patients and methods: An advisory board of seven leading European specialists (three medical oncologists, three radiation oncologists and a dermatologist) with extensive experience of the use of cetuximab plus radiotherapy produced consensus guidelines for the grading and management of radiation dermatitis in patients receiving cetuximab plus radiotherapy. Results: Modifications to the current, commonly used National Cancer Institute—Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 4.3 for grading radiation dermatitis were proposed. Updated management guidelines, building on previously published guidelines from 2008, were also proposed. Conclusions: The proposed revisions to the grading system and updated management guidelines described here represent important developments toward the more appropriate grading and effective management of radiation dermatitis in patients receiving cetuximab plus radiotherapy for LA SCCH
Diagnosis, treatment and long-term outcome of solitary fibrous tumours of the pleura
Objective: Solitary fibrous tumours of the pleura (SFTP) are rare and can histologically be differentiated into benign and malignant forms. The aim of this study is to present new cases, and discuss up-to-date preoperative examinations, the role of video-assisted thoracic surgery and long-term outcome. Methods: Between 1993 and 2006, 27 SFTPs were diagnosed (14 females, mean age±SD, 62.3±9.6 years) at our institution. Medical records were reviewed, and follow-up was obtained by repeated examinations or contact with general practitioners. Results: SFTPs were associated with symptoms in 63% of all cases. In the six patients in which positron emission tomography (PET) with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) was performed preoperatively, malignant lesions were all found to be positive. Complete resection was achieved by video-assisted thoracic surgery in 15 and anterolateral thoracotomy in 12 patients. Mean hospital stay was shorter for patients operated by video-assisted thoracic surgery compared to thoracotomy, 4.5 (range 3-6) versus 7.5 (range 4-25) days, respectively (p≪0.01). Histology revealed 17 benign and 10 malignant SFTP. Mean±SD tumour diameter of malignant SFTPs was larger than in benign forms, 11.9±7.1 versus 6.1±3.5cm, respectively (p≪0.01). Tumour recurrence was recognised in four patients with malignant SFTPs at a median time interval after surgery of 38 (range 6-122) months, two late deaths occurred resulting from tumour recurrences. Conclusions: SFTPs can be treated minimally invasively by video-assisted thoracic surgery with short hospital stay. Large SFTPs with increased FDG-uptake have a high likelihood for malignancy. Long-term follow-up is mandatory in malignant SFTPs because of late recurrences associated with deat
"Medikamente sind Bomben" - zum Metapherngebrauch von Lungentransplantations-Patienten mit guter oder ungenĂĽgender Compliance
Fragestellung: Nach einer Organtransplantation finden komplexe psychologische Verarbeitungsprozesse statt. In der vorliegenden Studie wurde untersucht, welche Metaphern im Zusammenhang mit Transplantationserfahrungen verwendet werden, und ob Unterschiede zwischen Patienten mit guter bzw. ungenĂĽgender Compliance im Gebrauch dieser Metaphern bestehen.
Methode: 14 lungentransplantierte Patienten wurden in einem halbstrukturierten Interview zu ihren Transplantationserfahrungen befragt. Ihre Compliance wurde von den behandelnden Ärzten eingeschätzt. Die Auswertung der Interviews erfolgte anhand einer Metaphernanalyse, welche Hinweise auf vor- und unbewusste Vorstellungen der Patienten liefert. Die Interraterreliabilität über die Metapherngruppen war Cohen’s Kappa K = 0.8.
Ergebnisse: Die Patienten konzeptualisierten ihren Körper, aber auch ihr Selbst als ein “Gefäß”, dass sowohl materielle (z.B. die Lunge) wie immaterielle Objekte (z.B. Gedanken an den Spender, Affekte) enthält. Der wichtigste Unterschied zwischen den Compliance-Gruppen bestand darin, dass Patienten mit ungenügender Compliance eine grössere Distanz zur transplantierten Lunge erlebten. Auch konzeptualisierten sie ihren Körper bzw. ihr Selbst nicht als ein Gefäß, das die Lunge enthält.
Diskussion: Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass gute Compliance mit einer erfolgreichen Organintegration assoziiert ist, welche die Zugehörigkeit der Lunge in einem als Gefäß konzeptualisierten Körper bzw. Selbst umfasst. Patienten mit ungenügender Compliance nehmen die Lunge eher als Fremdkörper wahr. Diese Verarbeitungsprozesse sind teils bewusster, teils vor- und unbewusster Natur
Caveolin-1 Expression and Hemodynamics in COPD Patients
Caveolin-1 is a regulator of both intracellular calcium homeostasis and endothelial nitric oxide synthase and may play a pathogenetic role in pulmonary hypertension. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the correlations between pulmonary hemodynamics and vessel morphology including the expression of Caveolin-1 in pulmonary arterioles from patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who underwent lung-volume reduction surgery. Staining and subsequent analysis was performed on paraffin-embedded lung tissue from COPD patients (n = 12). Pulmonary arteries with an external diameter of 100-500µm were analysed. Immunhistochemistry with antibodies against caveolin-1 was performed and intensity was assessed. Morphometric data were obtained by using computer-assisted imaging software. The findings were quantified and correlated to hemodynamic data obtained by right-heart catheterization. In COPD patients with pulmonary hypertension (n = 5), the expression of caveolin-1 within the medial smooth muscle cell layer was found to be increased, whereas the intimal caveolin-1 was more prominently expressed in COPD patients with normal pulmonary pressures (n = 7). The ratio between these expression patterns was positively correlated to the mean pulmonary artery pressure. Similar findings were observed for the ratio between intimal and medial thickness as well as for the expression of smooth muscle actin (SMA)
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