Immunohistochemical characterization of the 'intimal proliferation' phenomenon in Sneddon's syndrome and essential thrombocythaemia

Cellular changes were immunocytochemically characterized in skin vessels of five patients with idiopathic generalized racemose livedo (Sneddon's syndrome), and one patient with localized racemose livedo associated with essential thrombocythaemia. Antibodies against alpha-smooth muscle-actin, tropomyosin, desmin, vimentin, factor VIII-related antigen, human endothelial cells (CD31), human macrophages (CD68), and HLA-DR positive cells (CR3/43) were used. Conventional light microscopy showed, in all cases, intimal thickening of ascending arteries and arterioles as a result of an accumulation of cells and extracellular hyalinized material. None of the specimens showed infiltration with polymorphonuclear leucocytes or macrophages. The cells in the region of the intimal hyperplasia showed intense positive immunostaining for alpha-smooth muscle actin and tropomyosin. Staining for the intermediate filament desmin was localized to the resident smooth muscle cells of the media, whereas staining for vimentin was found in all types of cells in both the intima and media. Positive immunostaining for factor VIII-related antigen and CD31 was strictly confined to the endothelial cells lining the narrowed lumina of the vessels. No positive staining with either antibody was observed in totally occluded vessels. Cells in the subintimal space did not show reactivity for CD68 in any of the specimens, but two cases showed solitary cells with positive staining for HLA-DR in this region. There were no differences in staining pattern between Sneddon's syndrome and essential thrombocythaemia with any of the antibodies. Our results support the assumption that the 'intimal proliferation' in both diseases is caused by colonization of the subendothelial space with contractile cells of possible smooth muscle origin.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS

Mimicry and ultrastructural analogy between the semi-aquatic grasshopper Paulinia acuminata (Orthoptera: Pauliniidae) and its foodplant, the water-fern Salvinia auriculata (Filicatae: Salviniaceae)

The semi-aquatic grasshopper Paulinia acuminata is mimetically protected by a striking similarity to its foodplant, the floating fern Salvinia auriculata. A SEM study of the cuticula of young grasshopper nymphs and the Salvinia leaf surface reveals a similar ultrastructure of epicuticular waxes which makes both organisms extremely water repellent

Data Analysis Techniques for Fan Performance in Highly-Distorted Flows from Boundary Layer Ingesting Inlets

The design of a unique distortion-tolerant fan for a high-bypass ratio boundary-layer ingesting propulsion system has been completed and a rig constructed and tested in the NASA Glenn 8x6 wind tunnel. Processing the data from the experiment presented some interesting challenges because of the complexity of the experimental setup and the flow through the test rig. The experiment was run in three phases, each of which employed a unique complement of inlet throat and fan face instrumentation to avoid the blockage that would have resulted from simultaneously installing all of the rakes. The measurement from the individual test points were subsequently combined to compute the overall stage performance. A CFD model of the experiment was used to gain understanding of the flow field and to test some of the techniques proposed for interpolating and extrapolating the measurements into regions where measurements were not made. This capability became extremely useful when it was discovered that there was an unexpected total temperature distortion in the tunnel. The CFD model was modified by inserting a total temperature profile at the upstream boundary that mimicked the measured distortion where measurements were available and that CFD solution was used to investigate methods to infer the complete total temperature field at the fan face

A Tale of Three Watersheds: Nonpoint Source Pollution and Conservation Practices across Iowa

Resource /Energy Economics and Policy, Q25,

High-sensitivity cardiac troponin T and copeptin assays to improve diagnostic accuracy of exercise stress test in patients with suspected coronary artery disease

Background: The average diagnostic sensitivity of exercise stress tests (ESTs) is lower than that of other non-invasive cardiac stress tests. The aim of the study was to examine whether high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) or copeptin concentrations rise in response to inducible myocardial ischaemia and may improve the diagnostic accuracy of ESTs. Methods and results: An EST was performed stepwise on a bicycle ergometer by 383 consecutive patients with suspected or progression of coronary artery disease (CAD). In addition venous blood samples for measurement of hs-cTnT and copeptin were collected prior to EST, at peak exercise, and 4 h after EST. Coronary angiography was assessed for all patients. Patients with significant CAD (n=224) were more likely to be male and older compared to patients with non-significant CAD (n=169). Positive EST was documented in 125 (55.8%) patients with significant CAD and in 69 (43.4%) patients with non-significant CAD. Copeptin and hs-cTnT concentrations at baseline were higher in patients with significant CAD (copeptin: 10.8 pmol/l (interquartile range (IQR) 8.1–15.6) vs 9.4 pmol/l (IQR 7.1–13.9); p=0.04; hs-cTnT: 3.0 ng/l (IQR <3.0–5.4) vs <3.0 ng/l (IQR <3.0); p=0.006). Hs-cTnT improved sensitivity (61.6% vs 55.8%), specificity (67.7% vs 56.6%) and the positive predictive value (PPV) (72.3% vs 64.4%) and negative (55.2% vs 47.6%) predictive value (NPV) of EST. Copeptin could not improve sensitivity (55.4% vs 55.8%) and reduced specificity, PPV and NPV. Conclusions: The measurement of hs-cTnT during EST improves sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values. In contrast, measurement of copeptin does not improve diagnostic sensitivity and reduces specificity

XMM-Newton observations of the BL Lac MS 0737+7441

We report on the XMM-Newton observations of the BL Lac object MS 0737.9+7441 during the performance verification phase. A simple power-law fit provides an adequate description of the integrated spectrum in the 0.2-10 keV energy band. The photon index is slightly steeper in the EPIC pn data with 2.38+-0.01 compared to the EPIC MOS data (2.28+-0.01). The difference is most probably due to the present uncertainties in the calibration of the EPIC MOS and EPIC pn data sets. We report evidence for intrinsic absorption in the distant BL Lac above the Galactic column N_H,Gal=3.2*10^20 cm^-2 which is N_H,fit(z=0.315)= (2.70+-0.20)*10^20cm^-2 in the EPIC pn data and N_H,fit(z=0.315)= (3.25+-0.25)*10^20cm^-2 in the EPIC MOS data assuming neutral gas and solar abundances. The flux variations are found to be of the order of 10 %.Comment: 4 pages, 4 Figures, accepted for publication in the special A&A Letters issue for XMM-Newto

Brain imaging in a patient with hemimicropsia

Hemimicropsia is an isolated misperception of the size of objects in one hemifield (objects appear smaller) which is, as a phenomenon of central origin, very infrequently reported in literature. We present a case of hemimicropsia as a selective deficit of size and distance perception in the left hemifield without hemianopsia caused by a cavernous angioma with hemorrhage in the right occipitotemporal area. The symptom occurred only intermittently and was considered the consequence of a local irritation by the hemorrhage. Imaging data including a volume-rendering MR data set of the patient’s brain were transformed to the 3-D stereotactic grid system by Talairach and warped to a novel digital 3-D brain atlas. Imaging analysis included functional MRI (fMRI) to analyse the patient’s visual cortex areas (mainly V5) in relation to the localization of the hemangioma to establish physiological landmarks with respect to visual stimulation. The lesion was localized in the peripheral visual association cortex, Brodmann area (BA) 19, adjacent to BA 37, both of which are part of the occipitotemporal visual pathway. Additional psychophysical measurements revealed an elevated threshold for perceiving coherent motion. which we relate to a partial loss of function in V5, a region adjacent to the cavernoma. In our study, we localized for the first time a cerebral lesion causing micropsia by digital mapping in Talairach space using a 3-D brain atlas and topologically related it to fMRI data for visual motion. The localization of the brain lesion affecting BA 19 and the occipitotemporal visual pathway is discussed with respect to experimental and case report findings about the neural basis of object size perception

Use of infrared thermography in the detection of superficial phlebitis in adult intensive care unit patients:A prospective single-center observational study

Common methods to detect phlebitis may not be sufficient for patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). The goal of this study was to investigate the feasibility of infrared (IR) thermography to objectively detect phlebitis in adult ICU patients. We included a total of 128 adult ICU-patients in a pilot and subsequent validation study. Median [interquartile range] age was 62 [54-71] years and 88 (69%) patients were male. Severity of phlebitis was scored using the visual infusion phlebitis (VIP)-score, ranging from 0 (no phlebitis) to 5 (thrombophlebitis). The temperature difference (ΔT) between the insertion site and a proximal reference point was measured with IR thermography. In 78 (34%) catheters early phlebitis and onset of moderate phlebitis was observed (VIP-score of 1-3). In both the pilot and the validation study groups ΔT was significantly higher when the VIP-score was ≥1 compared to a VIP-score of 0 (p<0.01 and p<0.001, respectively). Multivariate analysis identified ΔT (p<0.001) and peripheral venous catheter (PVC) dwell time (p = 0.001) as significantly associated with phlebitis. IR thermography may be a promising technique to identify phlebitis in the ICU. An increased ΔT as determined with thermography may be a risk factor for phlebitis

ЗНАХІДКИ УКРАЇНСЬКИХ НАТІЛЬНИХ ХРЕСТІВ В СЕРЕДНЬОМУ І НИЖНЬОМУ ПРИСАМАР’Ї

Територія Пониззя Присамар’я здавна привертала увагу дослідників, проте їх зацікавленість належала, переважно археологічним пам’яткам від доби каменю – бронзи та ранньозалізного часу. Пам’ятки пізніших часів, тим більш козацької епохи, переважно залишалися поза вивченням [28, с.28, 29- 33 с.214]. Винятковим явищем у цьому плані є роботи керованої Д.І.Яворницьким новобудівної Дніпрогесівської експедиції НКПросу 1927-1932 років [14, с.11-12], коли вперше на зазначених територіях були відкриті і досліджувалися не лише неолітичні і матеріали ранньобронзової доби, а й алано-болгарські пам’ятки, поселення доби Київської Русі, козацькі поховання XVII-XVIII ст. Д.І.Яворницький першим проводив археологічні розвідки на теренах Богородицької фортеці і її посаду під час робіт Дніпрогесівської експедиції 1927-1932 років [13; 19, с. 256-257] (у фондах ДІМ ім. Д.І.Яворницького знаходиться близько 80 натільних хрестів «із запорозьких поховань», зібраних вченим, але у матеріалах його розвідок місця знахідок часто не фіксувалися, через це знахідки не паспортизовувалися, що ускладнює ідентифікацію матеріалів). У повоєнні роки і до кінця 1980-х матеріали доби середньовіччя і козаччини з гирла Самари цікавили, переважно, краєзнавців і аматорів. У 1960-1970 рр. брати В.В. та Е.В.Бінкевичі знаходили монети й інші старожитності на Ігренському півострові: про ці знахідки з пониззя Самари лише стисло згадано в праці „Городок старинный запорожский Самарь с перевозом [1]. В цей же час і на цій же території краєзнавець з Придніпровська Є.Богуш збирав натільні хрести, колекція яких по смерті аматора була розпродана спадкоємцями частинами. У 2001 році науково-дослідною Лабораторією археології Подніпров’я ДНУ під керівництвом професора І.Ф.Ковальової на території Богородицьком фортеці і її посаду були розпочаті планомірні розвідки і розкопки