571 research outputs found
Simplified open repair for anterior chest wall deformities. Analysis of results in 205 patients
SummaryIntroductionPectus deformities are the most frequently seen congenital thoracic wall anomalies. The cause of these conditions is thought to be abnormal elongation of the rib cartilages. We here report our clinical experience and the results of a sternochondroplasty procedure based on the subperichondrial resection of the elongated cartilages.HypothesisThis technique is a valuable surgical strategy to treat the wide variety of pectus deformities.Patients and methodsDuring the period from October 2001 through September 2009, 205 adult patients (171 men and 34 women) underwent pectus excavatum (181), carinatum (19) or arcuatum (5) repair. The patients’ pre and postoperative data were collected using a computerized database, and the results were assessed with a minimum 2-year follow-up.ResultsThe postoperative morbidity rate was minimal and the mortality was nil. The surgeon graded cosmetic results as excellent (72.5%), good (25%) or fair (2.5%), while patients reported better results. Patients with pectus excavatum were found to have much more patent foramen ovale (PFO) than the normal adult population, which occluded after the procedure in 61% of patients, and significant improvement was found in exercise cardiopulmonary function and exercise tolerance at the 1-year follow-up.DiscussionOur sternochondroplasty technique based on the subperichondrial resection of the elongated cartilages allows satisfactory repair of both pectus excavatum and sternal prominence. It is a safe procedure that might improve the effectiveness of surgical therapy in patients with pectus deformities.Level of evidenceLevel IV. Retrospective study
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Cosmic Ray induced Neutron and Gamma-Ray bursts in a Lead Pile
The neutron background is created primarily by cosmic rays interactions. Of particular interest for SNM detection is an understanding of burst events that resemble fission chains. We have been studying the interaction of cosmic rays with a lead pile that is efficient at creating neutron bursts from cosmic ray interactions. The neutron burst size depends on the configuration of the lead. We have found that the largest bursts appear to have been created by primaries of energy over 100 GeV that have had a diffractive interaction with the atmosphere. The large events trigger muon coincidence paddles with very high efficiency, and the resulting interactions with the lead pile can create over 10, 000 neutrons in a burst
Concave Plasmonic Particles: Broad-Band Geometrical Tunability in the Near Infra-Red
Optical resonances spanning the Near and Short Infra-Red spectral regime were
exhibited experimentally by arrays of plasmonic nano-particles with concave
cross-section. The concavity of the particle was shown to be the key ingredient
for enabling the broad band tunability of the resonance frequency, even for
particles with dimensional aspect ratios of order unity. The atypical
flexibility of setting the resonance wavelength is shown to stem from a unique
interplay of local geometry with surface charge distributions
Swift XRT and UVOT deep observations of the high energy peaked BL Lac object PKS 0548-322 close to its brightest state
We present the results of a spectral analysis of 5 Swift XRT and UVOT
observations of the BL Lac object PKS 0548-322 carried out over the period
April-June 2005. The X-ray flux of this high energy peaked BL Lac (HBL) source
was found to be approximately constant at a level of F(2-10 keV) ~ 4x10^-11 erg
cm^-2 s^-1, a factor of 2 brighter than when observed by BeppoSAX in 1999 and
close to the maximum intensity reported in the Einstein Slew Survey. The very
good statistics obtained in the 0.3-10 keV Swift X-ray spectrum allowed us to
detect highly significant deviations from a simple power law spectral
distribution. A log-parabolic model describes well the X-ray data and gives a
best fit curvature parameter of 0.18 and peak energy in the Spectral Energy
Distribution of about 2 keV. The UV spectral data from Swift UVOT join well
with a power law extrapolation of the soft X-ray data points suggesting that
the same component is responsible for the observed emission in the two bands.
The combination of synchrotron peak in the X-ray band and high intensity state
confirms PKS 0548-322 as a prime target for TeV observations. X-ray monitoring
and coordinated TeV campaigns are highly advisable.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A (6 pages, 3 figures
Metabolomic Profiling of Statin Use and Genetic Inhibition of HMG-CoA Reductase
Background Statins are first-line therapy for cardiovascular disease prevention, but their systemic effects across lipoprotein subclasses, fatty acids, and circulating metabolites remain incompletely characterized. Objectives This study sought to determine the molecular effects of statin therapy on multiple metabolic pathways. Methods Metabolic profiles based on serum nuclear magnetic resonance metabolomics were quantified at 2 time points in 4 population-based cohorts from the United Kingdom and Finland (N = 5,590; 2.5 to 23.0 years of follow-up). Concentration changes in 80 lipid and metabolite measures during follow-up were compared between 716 individuals who started statin therapy and 4,874 persistent nonusers. To further understand the pharmacological effects of statins, we used Mendelian randomization to assess associations of a genetic variant known to mimic inhibition of HMG-CoA reductase (the intended drug target) with the same lipids and metabolites for 27,914 individuals from 8 population-based cohorts. Results Starting statin therapy was associated with numerous lipoprotein and fatty acid changes, including substantial lowering of remnant cholesterol (80% relative to low-density lipoprotein cholesterol [LDL-C]), but only modest lowering of triglycerides (25% relative to LDL-C). Among fatty acids, omega-6 levels decreased the most (68% relative to LDL-C); other fatty acids were only modestly affected. No robust changes were observed for circulating amino acids, ketones, or glycolysis-related metabolites. The intricate metabolic changes associated with statin use closely matched the association pattern with rs12916 in the HMGCR gene (R2 = 0.94, slope 1.00 ± 0.03). Conclusions Statin use leads to extensive lipid changes beyond LDL-C and appears efficacious for lowering remnant cholesterol. Metabolomic profiling, however, suggested minimal effects on amino acids. The results exemplify how detailed metabolic characterization of genetic proxies for drug targets can inform indications, pleiotropic effects, and pharmacological mechanisms
Endochondral bone formation in toothless (osteopetrotic) rats: failures of chondrocyte patterning and type X collagen expression
The pacemaker of endochondral bone growth is cell division and hypertrophy of chondrocytes. The developmental stages of chondrocytes, characterized by the expression of collagen types II and X, are arranged in arrays across the growth zone. Mutations in collagen II and X genes as well as the absence of their gene products lead to different, altered patterns of chondrocyte stages which remain aligned across the growth plate (GP). Here we analyze GP of rats bearing the mutation toothless (tl) which, apart from bone defects, develop a progressive, severe chondrodystrophy during postnatal weeks 3 to 6. Mutant GP exhibited disorganized, non-aligned chondrocytes and mineralized metaphyseal bone but without cartilage mineralization or cartilaginous extensions into the metaphysis. Expression of mRNA coding for collagen types II (Col II) and X (Col X) was examined in the tibial GP by in situ hybridization. Mutant rats at 2 weeks exhibited Col II RNA expression and some hypertrophied chondrocytes (HC) but no Col X RNA was detected. By 3rd week, HC had largely disappeared from the central part of the mutant GP and Col II RNA expression was present but weak and in 2 separate bands. Peripherally the GP contained HC but without Col X RNA expression. This abnormal pattern was exacerbated by the fourth week. Bone mineralized but cartilage in the GP did not. These data suggest that the tl mutation involves a regulatory function for chondrocyte maturation, including Col X RNA synthesis and mineralization, and that the GP abnormalities are related to the Col X deficiency. The differences in patterning in the tl rat GP compared to direct Col X mutations may be explained by compensatory effects
Near-field examination of perovskite-based superlenses and superlens-enhanced probe-object coupling
A planar slab of negative index material works as a superlens with
sub-diffraction-limited imaging resolution, since propagating waves are focused
and, moreover, evanescent waves are reconstructed in the image plane. Here, we
demonstrate a superlens for electric evanescent fields with low losses using
perovskites in the mid-infrared regime. The combination of near-field
microscopy with a tunable free-electron laser allows us to address precisely
the polariton modes, which are critical for super-resolution imaging. We
spectrally study the lateral and vertical distributions of evanescent waves
around the image plane of such a lens, and achieve imaging resolution of
wavelength/14 at the superlensing wavelength. Interestingly, at certain
distances between the probe and sample surface, we observe a maximum of these
evanescent fields. Comparisons with numerical simulations indicate that this
maximum originates from an enhanced coupling between probe and object, which
might be applicable for multifunctional circuits, infrared spectroscopy, and
thermal sensors.Comment: 20 pages, 6 figures, published as open access article in Nature
Communications (see http://www.nature.com/ncomms/
A Very Intense Neutrino Super Beam Experiment for Leptonic CP Violation Discovery based on the European Spallation Source Linac: A Snowmass 2013 White Paper
Very intense neutrino beams and large neutrino detectors will be needed in
order to enable the discovery of CP violation in the leptonic sector. We
propose to use the proton linac of the European Spallation Source currently
under construction in Lund, Sweden to deliver, in parallel with the spallation
neutron production, a very intense, cost effective and high performance
neutrino beam. The baseline program for the European Spallation Source linac is
that it will be fully operational at 5 MW average power by 2022, producing 2
GeV 2.86 ms long proton pulses at a rate of 14 Hz. Our proposal is to upgrade
the linac to 10 MW average power and 28 Hz, producing 14 pulses/s for neutron
production and 14 pulses/s for neutrino production. Furthermore, because of the
high current required in the pulsed neutrino horn, the length of the pulses
used for neutrino production needs to be compressed to a few s with the
aid of an accumulator ring. A long baseline experiment using this Super Beam
and a megaton underground Water Cherenkov detector located in existing mines
300-600 km from Lund will make it possible to discover leptonic CP violation at
5 significance level in up to 50% of the leptonic Dirac CP-violating
phase range. This experiment could also determine the neutrino mass hierarchy
at a significance level of more than 3 if this issue will not already
have been settled by other experiments by then. The mass hierarchy performance
could be increased by combining the neutrino beam results with those obtained
from atmospheric neutrinos detected by the same large volume detector. This
detector will also be used to measure the proton lifetime, detect cosmological
neutrinos and neutrinos from supernova explosions. Results on the sensitivity
to leptonic CP violation and the neutrino mass hierarchy are presented.Comment: 28 page
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