Catalase-Containing Silica Particles as Ultrasound-Based Hydrogen Peroxide Sensors to Determine Infected From Noninfected Fluid Collections in Humans.

OBJECTIVE. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) plays a key role in neutrophil oxidative defense against infection. Catalase-containing silica nanoshells are nanoparticles that generate O2 microbubbles imaged with ultrasound in the presence of elevated H2O2. We aimed to determine whether ultrasound-detectable O2 microbubbles produced by catalase-containing silica nanoshells can determine whether fluid collections drained from patients are infected. SUBJECTS AND METHODS. During this HIPAA-compliant, institutional review board-approved study, 52 human fluid samples were collected from clinically required image-guided percutaneous drainage procedures. Catalase-containing silica nanoshells were added to the fluid samples during imaging in real time using a Sequoia-512 15L8-S linear transducer (Siemens Healthcare). Production of detectable microbubbles was graded subjectively as negative (noninfected) or positive (infected) with low, moderate, or high confidence by a single observer blinded to all clinical data. The truth standard was microbiology laboratory culture results. Performance characteristics including ROC curves were calculated. RESULTS. Microbubble detection to distinguish infected from noninfected fluids was 84% sensitive and 72% specific and offered negative and positive predictive values of 89% and 64%, respectively. The AUC was 0.79. Six of nine false-positive samples were peritoneal fluid collections that were all collected from patients with decompensated cirrhosis. CONCLUSION. The presence of elevated H2O2 indicated by microbubble formation in the presence of catalase-containing silica nanoshells is sensitive in distinguishing infected from noninfected fluids and offers a relatively high negative predictive value. False-positive cases may result from noninfectious oxidative stress. Catalase-containing silica nanoshells may constitute a novel point-of-care test performed at time of percutaneous drainage, potentially obviating placement of drains into otherwise sterile collections and minimizing risk of secondary infection or other complication

Tumor Recurrence Incidence Following Hand-Assisted Laparoscopic Nephroureterectomy

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the incidence of tumor recurrence following hand-assisted laparoscopic nephroureterectomy (HALNU) for the treatment of upper tract urothelial carcinoma. METHODS: The medical records of consecutive patients who underwent HALNU by a single surgeon (CW) between October 2001 and May 2005 were reviewed. The ureter was clipped before kidney dissection to prevent distal migration of tumor. Following liberation of the kidney, the bladder cuff and intramural ureter were excised by using a Collings knife under cystoscopic guidance. RESULTS: Ten patients were identified. The primary location of disease was confined to the intrarenal collecting system. Eight high-grade (HG) and 2 low-grade (LG) tumors were removed, with pT3 (6), pT2 (1), pT1 (1), and pTa (2) disease. The patient having a LG pTa urothelial carcinoma developed pulmonary metastasis 20 months following surgery and survived an additional 26 months. Two patients, each having a HG pT3 tumor, developed a urothelial carcinoma in the bladder contralateral to the site of ureteral excision. At a mean follow-up of 41 months, there has been no evidence of tumor recurrence in the pelvis. CONCLUSION: Our technique of HALNU does not appear to harbor an increased risk for urothelial carcinoma recurrence

Does colon cancer ever metastasize to bone first? a temporal analysis of colorectal cancer progression

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>It is well recognized that colorectal cancer does not frequently metastasize to bone. The aim of this retrospective study was to establish whether colorectal cancer ever bypasses other organs and metastasizes directly to bone and whether the presence of lung lesions is superior to liver as a better predictor of the likelihood and timing of bone metastasis.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We performed a retrospective analysis on patients with a clinical diagnosis of colon cancer referred for staging using whole-body ¹⁸F-FDG PET and CT or PET/CT. We combined PET and CT reports from 252 individuals with information concerning patient history, other imaging modalities, and treatments to analyze disease progression.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>No patient had isolated osseous metastasis at the time of diagnosis, and none developed isolated bone metastasis without other organ involvement during our survey period. It took significantly longer for colorectal cancer patients to develop metastasis to the lungs (23.3 months) or to bone (21.2 months) than to the liver (9.8 months). Conclusion: Metastasis only to bone without other organ involvement in colorectal cancer patients is extremely rare, perhaps more rare than we previously thought. Our findings suggest that resistant metastasis to the lungs predicts potential disease progression to bone in the colorectal cancer population better than liver metastasis does.</p

Matching scope, purpose and uses of planetary boundaries science

Background: The Planetary Boundaries concept (PBc) has emerged as a key global sustainability concept in international sustainable development arenas. Initially presented as an agenda for global sustainability research, it now shows potential for sustainability governance. We use the fact that it is widely cited in scientific literature (>3500 citations) and an extensively studied concept to analyse how it has been used and developed since its first publication. Design: From the literature that cites the PBc, we select those articles that have the terms 'planetary boundaries' or 'safe operating space' in either title, abstract or keywords. We assume that this literature substantively engages with and develops the PBc. Results: We find that 6% of the citing literature engages with the concept. Within this fraction of the literature we distinguish commentaries—that discuss the context and challenges to implementing the PBc, articles that develop the core biogeophysical concept and articles that apply the concept by translating to sub-global scales and by adding a human component to it. Applied literature adds to the concept by explicitly including society through perspectives of impacts, needs, aspirations and behaviours. Discussion: Literature applying the concept does not yet include the more complex, diverse, cultural and behavioural facet of humanity that is implied in commentary literature. We suggest there is need for a positive framing of sustainability goals—as a Safe Operating Space rather than boundaries. Key scientific challenges include distinguishing generalised from context-specific knowledge, clarifying which processes are generalizable and which are scalable, and explicitly applying complex systems' knowledge in the application and development of the PBc. We envisage that opportunities to address these challenges will arise when more human social dimensions are integrated, as we learn to feed the global sustainability vision with a plurality of bottom-up realisations of sustainability

The transformation of earth-system observations into information of socio-economic value in GEOSS

The Group on Earth Observations System of Systems, GEOSS, is a co-ordinated initiative by many nations to address the needs for earth-system information expressed by the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development. We discuss the role of earth-system modelling and data assimilation in transforming earth-system observations into the predictive and status-assessment products required by GEOSS, across many areas of socio-economic interest. First we review recent gains in the predictive skill of operational global earth-system models, on time-scales of days to several seasons. We then discuss recent work to develop from the global predictions a diverse set of end-user applications which can meet GEOSS requirements for information of socio-economic benefit; examples include forecasts of coastal storm surges, floods in large river basins, seasonal crop yield forecasts and seasonal lead-time alerts for malaria epidemics. We note ongoing efforts to extend operational earth-system modelling and assimilation capabilities to atmospheric composition, in support of improved services for air-quality forecasts and for treaty assessment. We next sketch likely GEOSS observational requirements in the coming decades. In concluding, we reflect on the cost of earth observations relative to the modest cost of transforming the observations into information of socio-economic value

Simulation of the Mars Surface Solar Spectra for Optimized Performance of Triple-Junction Solar Cells

The unparalleled success of the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) powered by GaInP/GaAs/Ge triple-junction solar cells has demonstrated a lifetime for the rovers that exceeded the baseline mission duration by more than a factor of five. This provides confidence in future longer-term solar powered missions on the surface of Mars. However, the solar cells used on the rovers are not optimized for the Mars surface solar spectrum, which is attenuated at shorter wavelengths due to scattering by the dusty atmosphere. The difference between the Mars surface spectrum and the AM0 spectrum increases with solar zenith angle and optical depth. The recent results of a program between JPL and Spectrolab to optimize GaInP/GaAs/Ge solar cells for Mars are presented. Initial characterization focuses on the solar spectrum at 60-degrees zenith angle at an optical depth of 0.5. The 60-degree spectrum is reduced to ~1/6 of the AM0 intensity and is further reduced in the blue portion of the spectrum. JPL has modeled the Mars surface solar spectra, modified an X-25 solar simulator, and completed testing of Mars-optimized solar cells previously developed by Spectrolab with the modified X-25 solar simulator. Spectrolab has focused on the optimization of the higher efficiency Ultra Triple-Junction (UTJ) solar cell for Mars. The attenuated blue portion of the spectrum requires the modification of the top sub-cell in the GaInP/GaAs/Ge solar cell for improved current balancing in the triple-junction cell. Initial characterization confirms the predicted increase in power and current matched operation for the Mars surface 60-degree zenith angle solar spectrum

INFRAESTRUTURA NECESSÁRIA PARA TRANSMISSÃO E RECEPÇÃO DO SINAL PARA A TV DIGITAL

Há tempos a televisão tem sido o veículo de comunicação mais utilizado por pessoas de diversas partes do mundo para obter informações e entretenimento. A TV Digital vem para agregar algumas melhorias não só na qualidade do som e da imagem, mas também, sinaliza possibilidades como a interatividade, a conectividade à internet, a mobilidade, a portabilidade e a multiprogramação. Para que essas melhorias possam beneficiar milhões de telespectadores no Brasil é necessária toda uma infraestrutura que suporte a transmissão e recepção do sinal digital. O objetivo desse estudo é fornecer uma visão geral sobre a infraestrutura necessária para transmissão do sinal digital para a TV, explicando os conceitos envolvidos durante a realização desse processo. Através desse conhecimento se tornará mais produtivo o desenvolvimento de aplicações para TV Digital interativa e que venham beneficiar os telespectadores

Pulse-Echo Quantitative US Biomarkers for Liver Steatosis: Toward Technical Standardization

Excessive liver fat (steatosis) is now the most common cause of chronic liver disease worldwide and is an independent risk factor for cirrhosis and associated complications. Accurate and clinically useful diagnosis, risk stratification, prognostication, and therapy monitoring require accurate and reliable biomarker measurement at acceptable cost. This article describes a joint effort by the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM) and the RSNA Quantitative Imaging Biomarkers Alliance (QIBA) to develop standards for clinical and technical validation of quantitative biomarkers for liver steatosis. The AIUM Liver Fat Quantification Task Force provides clinical guidance, while the RSNA QIBA Pulse-Echo Quantitative Ultrasound Biomarker Committee develops methods to measure biomarkers and reduce biomarker variability. In this article, the authors present the clinical need for quantitative imaging biomarkers of liver steatosis, review the current state of various imaging modalities, and describe the technical state of the art for three key liver steatosis pulse-echo quantitative US biomarkers: attenuation coefficient, backscatter coefficient, and speed of sound. Lastly, a perspective on current challenges and recommendations for clinical translation for each biomarker is offered

GINGA – MIDDLEWARE RESPONSÁVEL PELA INTERATIVIDADE NO SISTEMA BRASILEIRO DE TV DIGITAL

Há tempos a televisão tem sido o veículo de comunicação mais utilizado por pessoas de diversas partes do mundo para obter informações e entretenimento. A TV Digital vem para agregar algumas melhorias não só na qualidade do som e da imagem, mas também, sinaliza possibilidades como a interatividade, a conectividade à internet, a mobilidade, a portabilidade e a multiprogramação. Para que essas melhorias possam beneficiar milhões de telespectadores no Brasil é necessária toda uma infraestrutura que suporte a transmissão e recepção do sinal digital. O objetivo desse estudo é fornecer uma visão geral sobre a infraestrutura necessária para transmissão do sinal digital para a TV, explicando os conceitos envolvidos durante a realização desse processo. Através desse conhecimento se tornará mais produtivo o desenvolvimento de aplicações para TV Digital interativa e que venham beneficiar os telespectadores

AVALIAÇÃO DAS LINGUAGENS DE PROGRAMAÇÃO UTILIZADAS NO DESENVOLVIMENTO DE APLICATIVOS PARA A TV DIGITAL

A tendência atual no campo de entretenimento tem sido converter os dispositivos da tecnologia analógica para a digital. Como exemplo dessa conversão, tem-se o surgimento da TV Digital que traz consigo vantagens significativas para o futuro da televisão, como por exemplo, imagem e som de alta definição e a interatividade. Essa interativade permite que o usuário interaja com a aplicação, interferindo diretamente na programação que está recebendo. Para tanto, a Televisão Digital interativa corresponde a um conjunto de serviços e aplicações interativas disponibilizadas através de um televisor e de uma caixa decodificadora, chamada Set-top Box. Para que uma aplicação possa rodar em um Set-top Box é necessário um programa intermediário, uma camada de software que é responsável por toda a interatividade, esta camada é chamada de middleware. O middleware usado na TV digital interativa brasileira é o Ginga. Como ainda é uma plataforma nova, e muito promissora, o desenvolvimento para televisão digital vem enfrentando dificuldades no aspecto linguagem de programação. O objetivo desse trabalho é investigar qual a linguagem de programação é mais produtiva e eficiente e em relação ao ambiente de desenvolvimento