606 research outputs found
Sarcopenia and vitamin d deficiency in patients with crohnâs disease: Pathological conditions that should be linked together
Sarcopenia is a prevalent condition in patients with Crohnâs disease (CD), representing an independent predictor factor for the development of major postoperative complications. Thus, a proper assessment of the muscle strength, by using different validated tools, should be deemed an important step of the clinical management of these patients. Patients with CD are frequently malnourished, presenting a high prevalence of different macro-and micro-nutrient deficiencies, including that of vitamin D. The available published studies indicate that vitamin D is involved in the regulation of proliferation, differentiation, and regeneration of muscle cells. The relationship between vitamin D deficiency and sarcopenia has been extensively studied in other populations, with interesting evidence in regards to a potential role of vitamin D supplementation as a means to prevent and treat sarcopenia. The aim of this review was to find studies that linked together these pathological conditions
Geometric distortions in FMCW SAR images due to inaccurate knowledge of electronic radar parameters: analysis and correction by means of corner reflectors
Abstract In the last years the Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) technology has been playing an ever greater role in the realization of compact, light and cheap Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) systems to be mounted onboard small, low altitude platforms such as airplanes, helicopters and drones. To correctly focus FMCW SAR images, it is necessary to accurately know some system parameters, including the frequency sweep rate of the signal transmitted by the radar. It may happen, however, that this frequency sweep rate is not very accurately measured by the radar provider, and thus an incorrect value of this parameter is used during the SAR data focusing procedure. This may produce serious geometric distortion effects in the focused FMCW SAR images. To circumvent these problems, in this work we present a procedure that estimates the frequency sweep rate actually employed by the FMCW radar, thus providing a key information that can be then profitably used to achieve the correct focusing of the SAR data acquired by the radar system at hand. More specifically, we propose an algorithm that exploits on one side the focused SAR images corrupted by the geometric distortion effects induced by the inaccurate knowledge of this radar parameter, and on the other side the very precise in-situ measurements of the positions of a limited number of Corner Reflectors (CRs) properly deployed over the observed scene. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm has been tested on real data acquired by an airborne X-band FMCW SAR system
Low haemoglobin level predicts early hospital readmission in patients with cirrhosis and acute decompensation
Background & Aims: Patients with decompensated cirrhosis present frequent hospitalisations with a relevant clinical and socio-economic impact. This study aims to characterise unscheduled readmissions up to 1-year follow-up and identify predictors of 30-day readmission after an index hospitalisation for acute decompensation (AD). Methods: We performed a secondary analysis of a prospectively collected cohort of patients admitted for AD. Laboratory and clinical data at admission and at discharge were collected. Timing and causes of unscheduled readmissions and mortality were recorded up to 1 year. Results: A total of 329 patients with AD were included in the analysis. Acute-on-chronic liver failure was diagnosed in 19% of patients at admission or developed in an additional 9% of patients during the index hospitalisation. During the 1-year follow-up, 182 patients (55%) were rehospitalised and 98 (30%) more than once. The most frequent causes of readmission were hepatic encephalopathy (36%), ascites (22%), and infection (21%). Cumulative incidence of readmission was 20% at 30 days, 39% at 90 days, and 63% at 1 year. Fifty-four patients were readmitted for emergent liver-related causes within 30 days. Early readmission was associated with a higher 1-year mortality (47 vs. 32%, p = 0.037). Multivariable Cox regression analysis showed that haemoglobin (Hb) â€8.7 g/dl (hazard ratio 2.63 [95% CI 1.38â5.02], p = 0.003) and model for end-stage liver disease-sodium score (MELD-Na) >16 at discharge (hazard ratio 2.23 [95% CI 1.27â3.93], p = 0.005), were independent predictors of early readmission. In patients with MELD-Na >16 at discharge, the presence of Hb â€8.7 g/dl doubles the risk of early rehospitalisation (44% vs. 22%, p = 0.02). Conclusion: Besides MELD-Na, a low Hb level (Hb â€8.7 g/dl) at discharge emerged as a new risk factor for early readmission, contributing to identification of patients who require closer surveillance after discharge. Impact and Implications: Patients with decompensated cirrhosis face frequent hospitalisations. In the present study, type and causes of readmissions were analysed during 1-year follow-up in patients discharged after the index hospitalisation for an acute decompensation of the disease. Early (30-day) liver-related readmission was associated with higher 1-year mortality. The model for end-stage liver disease-sodium score and low haemoglobin at discharge were identified as independent risk factors for early readmissions. Haemoglobin emerged as a new easy-to-use parameter associated with early readmission warranting further investigation
Strangeness and light fragment production at high baryon density
We discuss medium effects on light cluster production in the QCD phase
diagram within a generalized Beth-Uhlenbeck (GBU) approach by relating Mott
transition lines to those for chemical freeze-out. We find that in heavy-ion
collisions at highest energies provided by the LHC light cluster abundances
should follow the statistical model because of low baryon densities. At low
energies in the nuclear fragmentation region, where the freeze-out interferes
with the liquid-gas phase transition, selfenergy and Pauli blocking effects are
important. At intermediate energies the HADES, FAIR and NICA experiments can
give new information. The GBU approach provides new insights to strange hadron
production in this energy domain for explaining the "horn" effects.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, Contribution to the Proceedings of the 18th
International Conference on 'Strangeness in Quark Matter' (SQM-2019), Bari,
Italy, 10-15 June, 201
Chemical Abundance Analysis of Tucana III, the Second -process Enhanced Ultra-Faint Dwarf Galaxy
We present a chemical abundance analysis of four additional confirmed member
stars of Tucana III, a Milky Way satellite galaxy candidate in the process of
being tidally disrupted as it is accreted by the Galaxy. Two of these stars are
centrally located in the core of the galaxy while the other two stars are
located in the eastern and western tidal tails. The four stars have chemical
abundance patterns consistent with the one previously studied star in Tucana
III: they are moderately enhanced in -process elements, i.e. they have
0.4 dex. The non-neutron-capture elements generally
follow trends seen in other dwarf galaxies, including a metallicity range of
0.44 dex and the expected trend in -elements, i.e., the lower
metallicity stars have higher Ca and Ti abundance. Overall, the chemical
abundance patterns of these stars suggest that Tucana III was an ultra-faint
dwarf galaxy, and not a globular cluster, before being tidally disturbed. As is
the case for the one other galaxy dominated by -process enhanced stars,
Reticulum II, Tucana III's stellar chemical abundances are consistent with
pollution from ejecta produced by a binary neutron star merger, although a
different -process element or dilution gas mass is required to explain the
abundances in these two galaxies if a neutron star merger is the sole source of
-process enhancement.Comment: 18 pages, 10 figures; accepted by Ap
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