Laparoscopic Upper-pole Nephroureterectomy In Infants

Objective: Report the results of laparoscopic upper-pole nephroureterectomy in infants. Materials and Methods: Six consecutive infants underwent 7 laparoscopic upper-pole nephroureterectomy. Pre and post-operative evaluation included renal sonography, voiding cystourethrogram and renal scintigraphy. All infants showed upper-pole exclusion. Surgery was performed through a transperitoneal approach with full flank position in all infants. Three or 4 ports were used according to the necessity of retracting the liver. The distal ureter was ligated close to the bladder whenever reflux was present and the dysplastic upper-pole was divided with the help of an electrocautery. Data regarding operative time, postoperative use of analgesics, time to resume oral feeding, hospital stay and tubular function were collected and analyzed. Results: All procedures were concluded as planned. Mean operative time was 135 min. One patient underwent staged bilateral upper-pole nephrectomy. There were no complications and the postoperative hospital stay was 48 hours in 5 procedures and 24 hours in 2 procedures. Pain medication was required only in the first day. Renal tubular function showed improvement in half of the cases. Conclusion: Laparoscopic partial nephrectomy is a safe and feasible procedure in infants. Due to the magnification provided by the lenses, a better vision of the structures is achieved, facilitating selective dissection of vascular upper-pole, renal parenchyma and distal ureter. This approach is less damaging to the lower pole, and is associated to low morbidity and a short hospital stay.3318791Peters, C.A., Laparoscopic and robotic approach to genitourinary anomalies in children (2004) Urol Clin North Am, 31, pp. 595-605Robinson, B.C., Snow, B.W., Cartwright, P.C., De Vries, C.R., Hamilton, B.D., Anderson, J.B., Comparison of laparoscopic versus open partial nephrectomy in a pediatric series (2003) J Urol, 169, pp. 638-640Steyaert, H., Valla, J.S., Minimally invasive urologic surgery in children: An overview of what can be done (2005) Eur J Pediatr Surg, 15, pp. 307-313Koyle, M.A., Woo, H.H., Kavoussi, L.R., Laparoscopic nephrectomy in the first year of life (1993) J Pediatr Surg, 28, pp. 693-695Valla, J.S., Breaud, J., Carfagna, L., Tursini, S., Steyaert, H., Treatment of ureterocele on duplex ureter: Upper pole nephrectomy by retroperitoneoscopy in children based on a series of 24 cases (2003) Eur Urol, 43, pp. 426-429Jordan, G.H., Winslow, B.H., Laparoendoscopic upper pole partial nephrectomy with ureterectomy (1993) J Urol, 150, pp. 940-943Horowitz, M., Shah, S.M., Ferzli, G., Syad, P.I., Glassberg, K.I., Laparoscopic partial upper pole nephrectomy in infants and children (2001) BJU Int, 87, pp. 514-516Gill, I.S., Delworth, M.G., Munch, L.C., Laparoscopic retroperitoneal partial nephrectomy (1994) J Urol, 152, pp. 1539-1542Borzi, P.A., A comparison of the lateral and posterior retroperitoneoscopic approach for complete and partial nephroureterectomy in children (2001) BJU Int, 87, pp. 517-520Desgrandchamps, F., Gossot, D., Jabbour, M.E., Meria, P., Teillac, P., Le Duc, A., A 3 trocar technique for transperitoneal laparoscopic nephrectomy (1999) J Urol, 161, pp. 1530-1532Hulbert, W.C., Rabinowitz, R., Prenatal diagnosis of duplex system hydronephrosis: Effect on renal salvage (1998) Urology, 51, pp. 23-26El-Ghoneimi, A., Farhat, W., Bolduc, S., Bagli, D., McLorie, G., Khoury, A., Retroperitoneal laparoscopic vs open partial nephroureterectomy in children (2003) BJU Int, 91, pp. 532-535Jednak, R., Kryger, J.V., Barthold, J.S., Gonzalez, R., A simplified technique of upper pole heminephrectomy for duplex kidney (2000) J Urol, 164, pp. 1326-1328Borzi, P.A., Yeung, C.K., Selective approach for transperitoneal and extraperitoneal endoscopic nephrectomy in children (2004) J Urol, 171, pp. 814-816Guillonneau, B., Ballanger, P., Lugagne, P.M., Valla, J.S., Vallancien, G., Laparoscopic versus lumboscopic nephrectomy (1996) Eur Urol, 29, pp. 288-291Janetschek, G., Seibold, J., Radmayr, C., Bartsch, G., Laparoscopic heminephroureterectomy in pediatric patients (1997) J Urol, 158, pp. 1928-193

Evaluation of total and non-fatty ether extract in feeds and cattle feces using two analytical methods

AbstractThe objective of this study was to evaluate ether extract (EE) concentrations, pigments, and wax in forages (n=14), concentrates (n=23), and cattle feces (n=100) using extraction methods recommended by Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC; method 920.39) and American Oil Chemist's Society (AOCS; method Am 5-04). The EE contents were compared by adjusting a linear regression model for each sample type. For the feces and forage samples, the EE contents produced by the AOCS method were greater (P<0.05) compared to those obtained using the AOAC method. No differences between methods were observed in EE content of concentrates (P>0.05). Concentration of vegetable pigments and wax were evaluated by using analysis for variance. Vegetable pigments were lower (P<0.05) in the post-extraction residues using the AOCS method, than the AOAC method, indicating greater participation of vegetable pigments in the EE. No differences were observed between the methods in wax concentration of the post-extraction residues (P>0.05). The quantification method of the EE content that is recommended by AOCS is not suggested for analyses of forage and feces of ruminants because it possibly increases the removal of non-fatty material, mostly pigments, in comparison to the method recommended by AOAC

Carotid endarterectomy in the U.K. and Ireland: Audit of 30-day outcome

Objectives and Design:A prospective study of 709 patients undergoing carotid surgery in the U.K. and Ireland was performed to evaluate the performance of vascular surgeons.Materials and Methods:Fifty-nine surgeons (range 2–39 cases each) were sampled and all patients undergoing surgery over a 6-month period (1 March 1994–31 August 1994) were included in the study. Indications for surgery were TIA (35.9%), AF (23.3%), CVA (21.4%) and “others” (19.6%).Results:Mean ipsilateral stenosis was 82% (30%–99%). Thirty-one percent of patients had preoperative neurological consults. Shunts were used in 67.6%, tacking sutures in 40.1%, drains in 71.9% and patches in 54.4% of cases. At 30 days there were nine (1.3%) deaths (four cardiac, three neurological). There were 15 ipsilateral postoperative CVAs (2.1%); 19% of patients had one or more complication, usually minor. Statistical analysis showed no independent risk factor for CVA other than seniority of the surgeon.Conclusions:A combined stroke/death rate of 3% for the series was obtained at 30 days for all cases. This large, validated study suggests that members of the Vascular Society of G.B. and Ireland currently have a very low morbidity/mortality rate for performing carotid surgery. Continued audit is required to ensure that this quality of service does not deteriorate

Herança de formato e produção de frutos imaturos em abobrinha (Cucurbita moschata)

Two inbred lines of C. moschata were crossed to obtain Fl, F2 and F1BC1 for both parental generations to study the inheritance of immature fruit shape and production. Four replications for each generation were choosen in a randomized block design. For each one of the eleven harvestings, the following parameters were evaluated: weight, length and diameter near peduncle and style ends of the immature fruits. Through the results it is concluded that there is dominance for higher growth speed of the fruits, which determines greater length, diameters and weight, when they were harvested at the same age, and, therefore, greater yield per plant.O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar a herança de formato e produção de frutos imaturos de 2 novas linhagens de C. moschata. Para tal obtiveram-se as gerações Fl, F2 e retrocruzamentos para ambos os progenitores. Para a avaliação das diferentes gerações utilizou-se o delineamento em blocos ao acaso com 4 repetições e número variável de plantas por repetição. As estimativas dos parâmetros genéticos foram obtidas segundo o modelo de MATHER & JINKS. Foram avaliados o peso, comprimento e diâmetros próximos das extremidades peduncular e estilar dos frutos. Observou-se dominância para maior velocidade de crescimento dos frutos, caracterizada pelos maiores comprimentos, diâmetros e peso médio na geração F1. Observou-se também dominancia para frutos mais bojudos e com menor relação entre o comprimento e a média dos diâmetros. Devido ao maior peso médio de frutos, e não ao número, obteve-se heterose significativa (20,5%) para produção total por planta

Passive direct methanol fuel cells acting as fully autonomous electrochemical biosensors: Application to sarcosine detection

This work describes an innovative electrochemical biosensor that advances its autonomy toward an equipment-free design. The biosensor is powered by a passive direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) and signals the response via an electrochromic display. Briefly, the anode side of the DMFC power source was modified with a biosensor layer developed using molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) technology to detect sarcosine (an amino acid derivative that is a potential cancer biomarker). The biosensor layer was anchored on the surface of the anode carbon electrode (carbon black with Pt/Ru, 40:20). This was done by bulk radical polymerization with acrylamide, bis-acrylamide, and vinyl phosphonic acid. This layer selectively interacted with sarcosine when integrated into the passive DMFC (single or multiple, in a stack of 4), which acted as a transducer element in a concentration-dependent process. Serial assembly of a stack of hybrid DMFC/biosensor devices triggered an external electrochromic cell (EC) that produced a colour change. Calibrations showed a concentration-dependent sarcosine response from 3.2 to 2000 µM, which is compatible with the concentration of sarcosine in the blood of prostate cancer patients. The final DMFC/biosensor-EC platform showed a colour change perceptible to the naked eye in the presence of increasing sarcosine concentrations. This colour change was controlled by the DMFC operation, making this approach a self-controlled and self-signalling device. Overall, this approach is a proof-of-concept for a fully autonomous biosensor powered by a chemical fuel. This simple and low-cost approach offers the potential to be deployed anywhere and is particularly suitable for point-of-care (POC) analysis.The authors acknowledge the financial support of EU-Horizon 2020 (Symbiotic, FET-Open, GA665046), and from national funds from FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., in the scope of the projects LA/P/0037/2020, UIDP/50025/2020, UIDB/50025/2020 and UID/EMS/00532/2019. Nádia Ferreira (SFRH/BD/122955/2016), Liliana Carneiro (SFRH/BD/122954/2016), and Ana Carolina Marques (SFRH/BD/115173/2016) acknowledge Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) for financial support.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Role of Modified Chaplygin Gas as a Dark Energy Model in Collapsing Spherically Symmetric Cloud

In this work, gravitational collapse of a spherical cloud, consists of both dark matter and dark energy in the form of modified Chaplygin gas is studied. It is found that dark energy alone in the form of modified Chaplygin gas forms black hole. Also when both components of the fluid are present then the collapse favors the formation of black hole in cases the dark energy dominates over dark matter. The conclusion is totally opposite to the usually known results.Comment: 7 Latex Pages, RexTex style, No figure

Static black holes with a negative cosmological constant: Deformed horizon and anti-de Sitter boundaries

Using perturbative techniques, we investigate the existence and properties of a new static solution for the Einstein equation with a negative cosmological constant, which we call the deformed black hole. We derive a solution for a static and axisymmetric perturbation of the Schwarzschild-anti-de Sitter black hole that is regular in the range from the horizon to spacelike infinity. The key result is that this perturbation simultaneously deforms the two boundary surfaces--i.e., both the horizon and spacelike two-surface at infinity. Then we discuss the Abbott-Deser mass and the Ashtekar-Magnon one for the deformed black hole, and according to the Ashtekar-Magnon definition, we construct the thermodynamic first law of the deformed black hole. The first law has a correction term which can be interpreted as the work term that is necessary for the deformation of the boundary surfaces. Because the work term is negative, the horizon area of the deformed black hole becomes larger than that of the Schwarzschild-anti-de Sitter black hole, if compared under the same mass, indicating that the quasistatic deformation of the Schwarzschild-anti-de Sitter black hole may be compatible with the thermodynamic second law (i.e., the area theorem).Comment: 31 pages, 5 figures, one reference added, to be published in PR

A Curvature Principle for the interaction between universes

We propose a Curvature Principle to describe the dynamics of interacting universes in a multi-universe scenario and show, in the context of a simplified model, how interaction drives the cosmological constant of one of the universes toward a vanishingly small value. We also conjecture on how the proposed Curvature Principle suggests a solution for the entropy paradox of a universe where the cosmological constant vanishes.Comment: Essay selected for an honorable mention by the Gravity Research Foundation, 2007. Plain latex, 8 page

Bibbia, cristianesimo e letteratura italiana: uno sguardo d'assieme.

L'A. ripercorre la presenza della Bibbia nella letteratura italiana dalle origini ai giorni nostri, sottolineando la persistenza della ripresa del Sacro testo sia nella poesia che nella prosa

Single-shot d-scan technique for ultrashort laser pulse characterization using transverse second-harmonic generation in random nonlinear crystals

We demonstrate a novel dispersion-scan (d-scan) scheme for single-shot temporal characterization of ultrashort laser pulses. The novelty of this method relies on the use of a highly dispersive crystal featuring antiparallel nonlinear domains with a random distribution and size. This crystal, capable of generating a transverse second-harmonic signal, acts simultaneously as the dispersive element and the nonlinear medium of the d-scan device. The resulting in-line architecture makes the technique very simple and robust, allowing the acquisition of single-shot d-scan traces in real time. The retrieved pulses are in very good agreement with independent frequency-resolved optical grating measurements. We also apply the new single-shot d-scan to a terawatt-class laser equipped with a programmable pulse shaper, obtaining an excellent agreement between the applied and the d-scan retrieved dispersions