In-Place Power Optimization for LUT-Based FPGAs

This paper presents a new technique to perform power-oriented re-con#guration of a system implemented using LUT FPGAs. The main features of our approach are: Accurate exploitation of degrees of freedom, concurrent optimization of multiple LUTs basedonBoolean relations, and in-placere-programming without re-routing. Our tool optimizes the combinational component of the CLBs after layout, and does not require any re-wiring. Hence, delay and CLB usage are left unchanged, while power is minimized. As the algorithm operates locally on the various LUT clusters, it best performs on large examples as demonstrated by our experimental results: An average power reduction of 20:6# has been obtained on standardbenchmarks. 1 Introduction Synthesis and optimization of FPGA circuits is a challenging problem. The freedom provided by the programmable architectures reduce the e#ectiveness of most of the design automation tools adopted for standard cell devices. Therefore, ad-hoc techniques need to be a..

Humeral shaft fractures treated with antegrade intramedullary nailing: What are the consequences for the rotator cuff?

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical and sonographic impact on the rotator cuff (RC) of the use of the anterolateral approach for nailing. Methods: A retrospective cohort of 48 patients treated for humeral diaphyseal fractures at the University Hospital of Parma between 2007 and 2011 was analysed. Inclusion criteria were (1) acute humeral shaft fractures treated with T2-proximal humeral nail (PHN) and (2) a minimum follow-up of one year. Exclusion criteria were (1) history of proximal and metaphyseal humeral fractures, (2) pathological fractures or open fractures of the humerus, and (3) RC lesions. Clinical assessment using the Constant score, simple shoulder test and through shoulder examination tests was carried out. The sonographic study investigated the integrity of the RC. Results: Mean score on Constant's scale was 78.21 points, with most patients achieving a good result (79 % obtained more than 65 points). One patient had a limited functional outcome (Constant's score of 49 points). The sonographic findings described for supraspinatus tendon were a partial ruptures of less than 30 mm in three patients and a complete tendon rupture in one case. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that the use of the anterolateral approach for antegrade humeral nailing ensures a good functional result with no significant clinical-sonographic impact on the rotator cuff and a satisfactory long term clinical outcome. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

IPOD Study: Management of Acute Left Colonic Diverticulitis in Italian Surgical Departments

BACKGROUND: In recent years, the emergency management of acute left colonic diverticulitis (ALCD) has evolved dramatically despite lack of strong evidence. As a consequence, management strategies are frequently guided by surgeon's personal preference, rather than by scientific evidence. The primary aim of IPOD study (Italian Prospective Observational Diverticulitis study) is to describe both the diagnostic and treatment profiles of patients with ALCD in the Italian surgical departments. METHODS: IPOD study is a prospective observational study performed during a 6-month period (from April 1 2015 to September 1 2015) and including 89 Italian surgical departments. All consecutive patients with suspected clinical diagnosis of ALCD confirmed by imaging and seen by a surgeon were included in the study. The study was promoted by the Italian Society of Hospital Surgeons and the World Society of Emergency Surgery Italian chapter. RESULTS: Eleven hundred and twenty-five patients with a median age of 62 years [interquartile range (IQR), 51-74] were enrolled in the IPOD study. One thousand and fifty-four (93.7%) patients were hospitalized with a median duration of hospitalization of 7 days (IQR 5-10). Eight hundred and twenty-eight patients (73.6%) underwent medical treatment alone, 13 patients had percutaneous drainage (1.2%), and the other 284 (25.2%) patients underwent surgery as first treatment. Among 121 patients having diffuse peritonitis, 71 (58.7%) underwent Hartmann's resection. However, the Hartmann's resection was used even in patients with lower stages of ALCD (36/479; 7.5%) where other treatment options could be more adequate. CONCLUSIONS: The IPOD study demonstrates that in the Italian surgical departments treatment strategies for ALCD are often guided by the surgeon's personal preference

IPOD Study: Management of Acute Left Colonic Diverticulitis in Italian Surgical Departments.

Background: In recent years, the emergency management of acute left colonic diverticulitis (ALCD) has evolved dramatically despite lack of strong evidence. As a consequence, management strategies are frequently guided by surgeon’s personal preference, rather than by scientific evidence. The primary aim of IPOD study (Italian Prospective Observational Diverticulitis study) is to describe both the diagnostic and treatment profiles of patients with ALCD in the Italian surgical departments. Methods: IPOD study is a prospective observational study performed during a 6-month period (from April 1 2015 to September 1 2015) and including 89 Italian surgical departments. All consecutive patients with suspected clinical diagnosis of ALCD confirmed by imaging and seen by a surgeon were included in the study. The study was promoted by the Italian Society of Hospital Surgeons and the World Society of Emergency Surgery Italian chapter. Results: Eleven hundred and twenty-five patients with a median age of 62 years [interquartile range (IQR), 51–74] were enrolled in the IPOD study. One thousand and fifty-four (93.7%) patients were hospitalized with a median duration of hospitalization of 7 days (IQR 5–10). Eight hundred and twenty-eight patients (73.6%) underwent medical treatment alone, 13 patients had percutaneous drainage (1.2%), and the other 284 (25.2%) patients underwent surgery as first treatment. Among 121 patients having diffuse peritonitis, 71 (58.7%) underwent Hartmann’s resection. However, the Hartmann’s resection was used even in patients with lower stages of ALCD (36/479; 7.5%) where other treatment options could be more adequate. Conclusions: The IPOD study demonstrates that in the Italian surgical departments treatment strategies for ALCD are often guided by the surgeon’s personal preference

IPOD Study: Management of Acute Left Colonic Diverticulitis in Italian Surgical Departments

Background: In recent years, the emergency management of acute left colonic diverticulitis (ALCD) has evolved dramatically despite lack of strong evidence. As a consequence, management strategies are frequently guided by surgeon’s personal preference, rather than by scientific evidence. The primary aim of IPOD study (Italian Prospective Observational Diverticulitis study) is to describe both the diagnostic and treatment profiles of patients with ALCD in the Italian surgical departments. Methods: IPOD study is a prospective observational study performed during a 6-month period (from April 1 2015 to September 1 2015) and including 89 Italian surgical departments. All consecutive patients with suspected clinical diagnosis of ALCD confirmed by imaging and seen by a surgeon were included in the study. The study was promoted by the Italian Society of Hospital Surgeons and the World Society of Emergency Surgery Italian chapter. Results: Eleven hundred and twenty-five patients with a median age of 62 years [interquartile range (IQR), 51–74] were enrolled in the IPOD study. One thousand and fifty-four (93.7%) patients were hospitalized with a median duration of hospitalization of 7 days (IQR 5–10). Eight hundred and twenty-eight patients (73.6%) underwent medical treatment alone, 13 patients had percutaneous drainage (1.2%), and the other 284 (25.2%) patients underwent surgery as first treatment. Among 121 patients having diffuse peritonitis, 71 (58.7%) underwent Hartmann’s resection. However, the Hartmann’s resection was used even in patients with lower stages of ALCD (36/479; 7.5%) where other treatment options could be more adequate. Conclusions: The IPOD study demonstrates that in the Italian surgical departments treatment strategies for ALCD are often guided by the surgeon’s personal preference

Copy-number disorders are a common cause of congenital kidney malformations

We examined the burden of large, rare, copy-number variants (CNVs) in 192 individuals with renal hypodysplasia (RHD) and replicated findings in 330 RHD cases from two independent cohorts. CNV distribution was significantly skewed toward larger gene-disrupting events in RHD cases compared to 4,733 ethnicity-matched controls (p = 4.8 × 10−11). This excess was attributable to known and novel (i.e., not present in any database or in the literature) genomic disorders. All together, 55/522 (10.5%) RHD cases harbored 34 distinct known genomic disorders, which were detected in only 0.2% of 13,839 population controls (p = 1.2 × 10−58). Another 32 (6.1%) RHD cases harbored large gene-disrupting CNVs that were absent from or extremely rare in the 13,839 population controls, identifying 38 potential novel or rare genomic disorders for this trait. Deletions at the HNF1B locus and the DiGeorge/velocardiofacial locus were most frequent. However, the majority of disorders were detected in a single individual. Genomic disorders were detected in 22.5% of individuals with multiple malformations and 14.5% of individuals with isolated urinary-tract defects; 14 individuals harbored two or more diagnostic or rare CNVs. Strikingly, the majority of the known CNV disorders detected in the RHD cohort have previous associations with developmental delay or neuropsychiatric diseases. Up to 16.6% of individuals with kidney malformations had a molecular diagnosis attributable to a copy-number disorder, suggesting kidney malformations as a sentinel manifestation of pathogenic genomic imbalances. A search for pathogenic CNVs should be considered in this population for the diagnosis of their specific genomic disorders and for the evaluation of the potential for developmental delay