Anaesthesia for surgical correction of scoliosis with spinal cord monitoring--a case series

Objective: To share our experience of anaesthetic management of scoliosis with intra-operative somatosensory evoked potential monitoring and wake up test.Methods: All the cases of scoliosis surgery scheduled during a period of two years in which SSEP and intra-operative wake-up test was planned were included in the study. The patient in which intra-operative wake-up test was not planned were excluded from this case series.Results: We managed a series of sixteen cases of scoliosis in our hospital. Eleven patients were female and five were male with the age ranging from six to twenty two years. SSEPs were monitored throughout the procedure and wake up test was done intra-operatively after surgical manipulation of spinal cord. Intra-operative wake-up test was completed successfully in all the patients. None of the patients had any neurological damage and were also successfully extubated at the end of procedure.CONCLUSION: Intra-operative wake up test and SSEP monitoring are reliable methods for detection of intra-operative spinal cord ischemia during scoliosis surgery

Test Design Methodology for Time-Domain Immunity Investigations Using Electric Near-Field Probes

This article investigates the possibility to develop time-domain immunity tests using electric near-field probes, for flexible customization of broadband input waveforms injected into specific pins of PCBs. For this purpose, a test design methodology is proposed, which is based on circuit modeling of the injection mechanism on the one hand, and on pulse design and equalization on the other hand. Two circuit models are developed. The former employs measurement/simulation data along with port-reduction techniques to model noise injection through near-field probes by means of internal induced sources. Conversely, the latter model only includes passive components and is derived starting from physical observation of the involved phenomena. Both models are compatible with circuit solvers and can be easily adapted for different traces under test. Since pulse-like noise is usually broadband, suitable stress waveforms are utilized to obtain different noise spectra. Also, in order to precisely control the shape of the waveform reaching the targeted pin, an equalization procedure is employed. These models and techniques can be easily applied to amplification systems originally designed for frequency-domain tests, thus providing a comprehensive solution for the design of broadband immunity tests in the time domain. The feasibility and accuracy of the proposed methodology are proved by full-wave simulations and measurements

Analysis of Near-Field Probing Techniques for Immunity Tests

This work experimentally investigates the performance of near-field probes as injection devices for wideband immunity tests. To this end, the coupling effectiveness and resolution of different kinds of magnetic and electric near-field probes are firstly investigated in terms of S-parameters measured with the probes placed on microstrip traces. Different test benches are set up and experimentally characterized in order to investigate the characteristics and determine the frequency response of the transfer function of a typical measurement chain for immunity verification. Finally, time-domain near-field tests employing arbitrary waveform generators are introduced, showing the feasibility of injecting customized wideband noise waveforms at specific pins

A transcriptome-driven analysis of epithelial brushings and bronchial biopsies to define asthma phenotypes in U-BIOPRED

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: Asthma is a heterogeneous disease driven by diverse immunologic and inflammatory mechanisms. We used transcriptomic profiling of airway tissues to help define asthma phenotypes. METHODS: The transcriptome from bronchial biopsies and epithelial brushings of 107 moderate-to-severe asthmatics were annotated by gene-set variation analysis (GSVA) using 42 gene-signatures relevant to asthma, inflammation and immune function. Topological data analysis (TDA) of clinical and histological data was used to derive clusters and the nearest shrunken centroid algorithm used for signature refinement. RESULTS: 9 GSVA signatures expressed in bronchial biopsies and airway epithelial brushings distinguished two distinct asthma subtypes associated with high expression of T-helper type 2 (Th-2) cytokines and lack of corticosteroid response (Group 1 and Group 3). Group 1 had the highest submucosal eosinophils, high exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) levels, exacerbation rates and oral corticosteroid (OCS) use whilst Group 3 patients showed the highest levels of sputum eosinophils and had a high BMI. In contrast, Group 2 and Group 4 patients had an 86% and 64% probability of having non-eosinophilic inflammation. Using machine-learning tools, we describe an inference scheme using the currently-available inflammatory biomarkers sputum eosinophilia and exhaled nitric oxide levels along with OCS use that could predict the subtypes of gene expression within bronchial biopsies and epithelial cells with good sensitivity and specificity. CONCLUSION: This analysis demonstrates the usefulness of a transcriptomic-driven approach to phenotyping that segments patients who may benefit the most from specific agents that target Th2-mediated inflammation and/or corticosteroid insensitivity

Infrared Thermal Images of Solar PV Panels for Fault Identification Using Image Processing Technique

Among the renewable forms of energy, solar energy is a convincing, clean energy and acceptable worldwide. Solar PV plants, both ground mounting and the rooftop, are mushrooming thought the world. One of the significant challenges is the fault identification of the solar PV module, since a vast power plant condition monitoring of individual panels is cumbersome. This paper attempts to identify the panel using a thermal imaging system and processes the thermal images using the image processing technique. An ordinary and thermal image has been processed in the image processing tool and proved that thermal images record the hot spots. Similarly, the new and aged solar photovoltaic panels were compared in the image processing technique since any fault in the panel has been recorded as hot spots. The image recorded in the aged panels records hot spots, and performance has been analyzed using conventional metrics. The experimental results have also been verified

A real-time PCR-based assay for detection of Wuchereria bancrofti DNA in blood and mosquitoes

We developed and evaluated real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays for detecting Wuchereria bancrofti DNA in human blood and in mosquitoes. An assay based on detection of the W. bancrofti “LDR” repeat DNA sequence was more sensitive than an assay for Wolbachia 16S rDNA. The LDR-based assay was sensitive for detecting microfilarial DNA on dried membrane filters or on filter paper. We also compared real-time PCR with conventional PCR (C-PCR) for detecting W. bancrofti DNA in mosquito samples collected in endemic areas in Egypt and Papua New Guinea. Although the two methods had comparable sensitivity for detecting filarial DNA in reference samples, real-time PCR was more sensitive than C-PCR in practice with field samples. Other advantages of real-time PCR include its high-throughput capacity and decreased risk of cross-contamination between test samples. We believe that real-time PCR has great potential as a tool for monitoring progress in large-scale filariasis elimination programs

Ki67 index is an independent prognostic factor in epithelioid but not in non-epithelioid malignant pleural mesothelioma: a multicenter study

BACKGROUND: Estimating the prognosis in malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) remains challenging. Thus, the prognostic relevance of Ki67 was studied in MPM. METHODS: Ki67 index was determined in a test cohort of 187 cases from three centres. The percentage of Ki67-positive tumour cells was correlated with clinical variables and overall survival (OS). The prognostic power of Ki67 index was compared with other prognostic factors and re-evaluated in an independent cohort (n=98). RESULTS: Patients with Ki67 higher than median (>15%) had significantly (P<0.001) shorter median OS (7.5 months) than those with low Ki67 (19.1 months). After multivariate survival analyses, Ki67 proved to be-beside histology and treatment-an independent prognostic marker in MPM (hazard ratio (HR): 2.1, P<0.001). Interestingly, Ki67 was prognostic exclusively in epithelioid (P<0.001) but not in non-epithelioid subtype. Furthermore, Ki67 index was significantly lower in post-chemotherapy samples when compared with chemo-naive cases. The prognostic power was comparable to other recently published prognostic factors (CRP, fibrinogen, neutrophil-to-leukocyte ratio (NLR) and nuclear grading score) and was recapitulated in the validation cohort (P=0.048). CONCLUSION: This multicentre study demonstrates that Ki67 is an independent and reproducible prognostic factor in epithelioid but not in non-epithelioid MPM and suggests that induction chemotherapy decreases the proliferative capacity of MPM

Clinical and transcriptomic features of persistent exacerbation-prone severe asthma in U-BIOPRED cohort

Background: Exacerbation-prone asthma is a feature of severe disease. Yet, the basis for its persistency remains unclear. Objectives: To determine the clinical and transcriptomic features of the frequent-exacerbator (FE) and of persistent FEs (PFE) in U-BIOPRED cohort. Methods: We compared features of FE (≥2 exacerbations in past year) to infrequent exacerbators (IE, <2 exacerbations) and of PFE with repeat ≥2 exacerbations during the following year to persistent IE (PIE). Transcriptomic data in blood, bronchial and nasal epithelial brushings, bronchial biopsies and sputum cells were analysed by gene set variation analysis for 103 gene signatures. Results: Of 317 patients, 62.4 % were FE of whom 63.6% were PFE, while 37.6% were IE of whom 61.3% were PIE. Using multivariate analysis, FE was associated with short-acting beta-agonist use, sinusitis and daily oral corticosteroid use, while PFE with eczema, short-acting beta-agonist use and asthma control index. CEA Cell Adhesion Molecule 5 (CEACAM5) was the only differentially-expressed transcript in bronchial biopsies between PE and IE. There were no differentially-expressed genes in the other 4 compartments. There were higher expression scores for Type 2 , T-helper type-17 and Type 1 pathway signatures together with those associated with viral infections in bronchial biopsies from FE compared to IE, while higher expression scores of Type 2, Type 1 and steroid insensitivity pathway signatures in bronchial biopsies of PFE compared to PIE. Conclusion: FE group and its PFE subgroup are associated with poor asthma control while expressing higher Type 1 and Type 2 activation pathways compared to IE and PIE, respectively

Efficacy and Safety of Artemether in the Treatment of Chronic Fascioliasis in Egypt: Exploratory Phase-2 Trials

Fasciola hepatica and F. gigantica are two liver flukes that parasitize herbivorous large size mammals (e.g., sheep and cattle), as well as humans. A single drug is available to treat infections with Fasciola flukes, namely, triclabendazole. Recently, laboratory studies and clinical trials in sheep and humans suffering from acute fascioliasis have shown that artesunate and artemether (drugs that are widely used against malaria) also show activity against fascioliasis. Hence, we were motivated to assess the efficacy and safety of oral artemether in patients with chronic Fasciola infections. The study was carried out in Egypt and artemether administered according to two different malaria treatment regimens. Cure rates observed with 6×80 mg and 3×200 mg artemether were 35% and 6%, respectively. In addition, high efficacy was observed when triclabendazole, the current drug of choice against human fascioliasis, was administered to patients remaining Fasciola positive following artemether treatment. Concluding, monotherapy with artemether does not represent an alternative to triclabendazole against fascioliasis, but its role in combination chemotherapy regimen remains to be investigated