151 research outputs found
Inflammatory markers as prognostic factors of survival in patients affected by hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing transarterial chemoembolization
Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is a good choice for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treatment when surgery and liver transplantation are not feasible. Few studies reported the value of prognostic factors influencing survival after chemoembolization. In this study, we evaluated whether preoperative inflammatory factors such as neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio and platelet to lymphocyte ratio affected our patient survival when affected by hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods. We retrospectively evaluated a total of 72 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma that underwent TACE. We enrolled patients with different etiopathogeneses of hepatitis and histologically proven HCC not suitable for surgery. The overall study population was dichotomized in two groups according to the median NLR value and was analyzed also according to other prognostic factors. Results. The global median overall survival (OS) was 28 months. The OS in patients with high NLR was statistically significantly shorter than that in patients with low NLR. The following pretreatment variables were significantly associated with the OS in univariate analyses: age, Child-Pugh score, BCLC stage, INR, and NLR. Pretreated high NLR was an independently unfavorable factor for OS. Conclusion. NLR could be considered a good prognostic factor of survival useful to stratify patients that could benefit from TACE treatment
Contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in blunt abdominal trauma.
In the assessment of polytrauma patient, an accurate diagnostic study protocol with high sensitivity and specificity is necessary. Computed Tomography (CT) is the standard reference in the emergency for evaluating the patients with abdominal trauma. Ultrasonography (US) has a high sensitivity in detecting free fluid in the peritoneum, but it does not show as much sensitivity for traumatic parenchymal lesions. The use of Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound (CEUS) improves the accuracy of the method in the diagnosis and assessment of the extent of parenchymal lesions. Although the CEUS is not feasible as a method of first level in the diagnosis and management of the polytrauma patient, it can be used in the follow-up of traumatic injuries of abdominal parenchymal organs (liver, spleen and kidneys), especially in young people or children
Prophylactic arterial catheterization in the management of high risk patients for obstetric haemorrhage
OBJECTIVES: Post-partum haemorrhage still remains one of the major causes of maternal morbidity and mortality. In case of abnormal placentation it is possible to carry out preventive and therapeutic actions. To maintain fertility in reproductive-aged women and to avoid a more radical surgery, embolization has been introduced in patients at high risk for haemorrhage. To describe a new option in the management of patients with abnormal placentation by an elective, preventive arterial catheterization and selective embolization of pelvic arteries. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective study including thirty six patients with abnormal placental invasion. All patients were prepared in the angiographic room and preventive arterial catheterization was performed before elective caesarean delivery. Materials for interventional angiography were transferred to the operating room. During surgery, selective embolization of pelvic arteries was realized in case of uncontrolled bleeding. RESULTS: Thirty-six elective arterial catheterizations were performed: 4 cases (11.1%) required embolization, haemorrhage was stopped in 2 patients. Hysterectomy was performed in two cases (5.5%). No death was reported. Two humeral thrombosis (5.5%) were registered. CONCLUSIONS: Prophylactic arterial catheterization appears to be safe. The main advantage is the reduction of the interval between the onset of bleeding and the embolization. This new option of management may contribute to reduce the risk of hysterectomy and maternal death
MOKA3D: An innovative approach to 3D gas kinematic modelling. I. Application to AGN ionized outflows
Studying the feedback process of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) requires
characterising multiple kinematical components, such as rotating gas and
stellar disks, outflows, inflows, and jets. To compare the observed properties
with theoretical predictions of galaxy evolution and feedback models and to
assess the mutual interaction and energy injection rate into the interstellar
medium (ISM), one usually relies on simplified kinematic models. These models
have several limitations, as they often do not take into account projection
effects, beam smearing and the surface brightness distribution of the emitting
medium. Here, we present MOKA3D, an innovative approach to model the 3D gas
kinematics from integral field spectroscopy observations. In this first paper,
we discuss its application to the case of AGN ionised outflows, whose observed
clumpy emission and apparently irregular kinematics are only marginally
accounted for by existing kinematical models. Unlike previous works, our model
does not assume the surface brightness distribution of the gas, but exploits a
novel procedure to derive it from the observations by reconstructing the 3D
distribution of emitting clouds and providing accurate estimates of the
spatially resolved outflow physical properties (e.g. mass rate, kinetic
energy). As an example, we demonstrate the capabilities of our method by
applying it to three nearby Seyfert-II galaxies observed with MUSE at the VLT
and selected from the MAGNUM survey, showing that the complex kinematic
features observed can be described by a conical outflow with a constant radial
velocity field and a clumpy distribution of clouds.Comment: 17 pages, 14 figure
MUSE AO spectroscopy confirms five dual AGNs and two strongly lensed QSOs at sub-arcsec separation
The novel Gaia Multi Peak (GMP) technique has proven to be able to
successfully select dual and lensed AGN candidates at sub-arcsec separations.
Both populations are important because dual AGNs represent one of the central,
still largely untested, predictions of lamdaCDM cosmology, and compact lensed
quasars allow to probe the central regions of the lensing galaxies. In this
work, we present high spatial resolution spectroscopy of twelve GMP-selected
systems. We use the the adaptive-optics assisted integral-field spectrograph
MUSE at VLT to resolve each system and study the nature of each component. All
the targets reveal the presence of two components confirming the GMP selection.
We classify five targets as dual AGNs, two as lensed systems, and five as a
chance alignment of a star and and AGN. Having separations between 0.30" and
0.86", these dual and lensed systems are, to date, among the most compact ever
discovered at z >0.3. This is the largest sample of distant dual AGNs with
sub-arcsec separations ever presented in a single paper.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figure
Feedback and ionized gas outflows in four low-radio power AGN at <em>z</em> ∼ 0.15
\ua9 2024 EDP Sciences. All rights reserved. An increasing number of observations and simulations suggests that low-power (< 1044 erg s1) jets may be a significant channel of feedback produced by active galactic nuclei (AGN), but little is known about their actual effect on their host galaxies from the observational point of view. We targeted four luminous type 2 AGN hosting moderately powerful radio emission (∼1044 erg s1), two of which and possibly a third are associated with jets, with optical integral field spectroscopy observations from the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) at the Very Large Telescope (VLT) to analyze the properties of their ionized gas as well as the properties and effects of ionized outflows. We combined these observations with Very Large Array (VLA) and e-MERLIN data to investigate the relations and interactions between the radio jets and host galaxies. We detected ionized outflows as traced by the fast bulk motion of the gas. The outflows extended over kiloparsec scales in the direction of the jet, when present. In the two sources with resolved radio jets, we detected a strong enhancement in the emission-line velocity dispersion (up to 1000 km s1) perpendicular to the direction of the radio jets. We also found a correlation between the mass and the energetics of this high-velocity dispersion gas and the radio power, which supports the idea that the radio emission may cause the enhanced turbulence. This phenomenon, which is now being observed in an increasing number of objects, might represent an important channel for AGN feedback on galaxie
Castel di Sangro-Scontrone field camp – structural and applied geomorphology
The Geomorphological Field Camp 2014 in the Castel di Sangro-Scontrone area is the result of geological and geomorphological teaching field work activities carried out in Central Italy by a group of 23 students attending the Structural Geomorphology and Applied Geomorphology courses (Master's Degree in Geological Science and Technology of the Università degli Studi ‘G. d'Annunzio’ Chieti-Pescara, Italy, Department of Engineering and Geology). The Field Camp 2014 was organized in May 2014, following regular classes held during the fall term. General activities for the field camp were developed over four main stages: (1) preliminary analysis of the regional geological and geomorphological setting of the area; (2) preliminary activities for the analysis of the local area (orography, hydrography and photogeology investigations, and geographical information system processing); (3) field work, focused on the analysis of a specific issue concerning structural geomorphology or applied geomorphology (e.g. landscape evolution, river channel change, landslide distribution, and flood hazard); and (4) post-field work production of the map. Finally, the fundamental role of field work in the analysis of landscape and in land management was outlined: indeed, the overall field camp enhanced the crucial role of field-based learning for young geomorphologists in order to acquire a strong sensitivity to geomorphological processes and landscape evolution
A new model for the characterization of infection risk in gunshot injuries:Technology, principal consideration and clinical implementation
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>The extent of wound contamination in gunshot injuries is still a topic of controversial debate. The purpose of the present study is to develop a model that illustrates the contamination of wounds with exogenous particles along the bullet path.</p> <p>Material and methods</p> <p>To simulate bacteria, radio-opaque barium titanate (3-6 μm in diameter) was atomized in a dust chamber. Full metal jacket or soft point bullets caliber .222 (n = 12, v<sub>0 </sub>= 1096 m/s) were fired through the chamber into a gelatin block directly behind it. After that, the gelatin block underwent multi-slice CT in order to analyze the permanent and temporary wound cavity.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The permanent cavity caused by both types of projectiles showed deposits of barium titanate distributed over the entire bullet path. Full metal jacket bullets left only few traces of barium titanate in the temporary cavity. In contrast, the soft point bullets disintegrated completely, and barium titanate covered the entire wound cavity.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>Deep penetration of potential exogenous bacteria can be simulated easily and reproducibly with barium titanate particles shot into a gelatin block. Additionally, this procedure permits conclusions to be drawn about the distribution of possible contaminants and thus can yield essential findings in terms of necessary therapeutic procedures.</p
GMP-selected dual and lensed AGNs: selection function and classification based on near-IR colors and resolved spectra from VLT/ERIS, KECK/OSIRIS, and LBT/LUCI
The Gaia-Multi-Peak (GMP) technique can be used to identify large numbers of
dual or lensed AGN candidates at sub-arcsec separation, allowing us to study
both multiple SMBHs in the same galaxy and rare, compact lensed systems. The
observed samples can be used to test the predictions of the models of SMBH
merging once 1) the selection function of the GMP technique is known, and 2)
each system has been classified as dual AGN, lensed AGN, or AGN/star alignment.
Here we show that the GMP selection is very efficient for separations above
0.15'' when the secondary (fainter) object has magnitude G<20.5. We present the
spectroscopic classification of five GMP candidates using VLT/ERIS and
Keck/OSIRIS, and compare them with the classifications obtained from: a) the
near-IR colors of 7 systems obtained with LBT/LUCI, and b) the analysis of the
total, spatially-unresolved spectra. We conclude that colors and integrated
spectra can already provide reliable classifications of many systems. Finally,
we summarize the confirmed dual AGNs at z>0.5 selected by the GMP technique,
and compare this sample with other such systems from the literature, concluding
that GMP can provide a large number of confirmed dual AGNs at separations below
7 kpc.Comment: 14 pages,A&A, in pres
GMP-selected dual and lensed AGNs: Selection function and classification based on near-IR colors and resolved spectra from VLT/ERIS, Keck/OSIRIS, and LBT/LUCI
The Gaia Multipeak (GMP) technique can be used to identify large numbers of dual or lensed active galactic nucleus (AGN) candidates at subarcsec separation, allowing us to study both multiple supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in the same galaxy and rare, compact lensed systems. The observed samples can be used to test the predictions of the models of SMBH merging when (1) the selection function of the GMP technique is known, and (2) each system has been classified as a dual AGN, a lensed AGN, or an AGN/star alignment. Here we show that the GMP selection is very efficient for separations above 0:15′′ when the secondary (fainter) object has a magnitude G ≤ 20:5. We present the spectroscopic classification of five GMP candidates using VLT/ERIS and Keck/OSIRIS and compare them with the classifications obtained from (a) the near-IR colors of seven systems obtained with LBT/LUCI, and (b) the analysis of the total spatially unresolved spectra. We conclude that colors and integrated spectra can already provide reliable classifications of many systems. Finally, we summarize the confirmed dual AGNs at z > 0:5 selected by the GMP technique, and compare this sample with other such systems from the literature, concluding that GMP can provide a large number of confirmed dual AGNs at separations below 7 kpc
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