Comparison of postoperative pulmonary function and air leakage between pleural closure vs. mesh-cover for intersegmental plane in segmentectomy

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To prevent postoperative air leakage after lung segmentectomy, we used two methods for the intersegmental plane: closing it by suturing the pleural edge (pleural closure), or opening it with coverage using polyglycolic acid mesh and fibrin glue (mesh-cover). The preserved forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV₁) of each lobe and the postoperative air leakage were compared between the two groups.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>For 61 patients who underwent pleural closure and 36 patients who underwent mesh-cover, FEV₁of the lobe before and after segmentectomy was measured using lung-perfusion single-photon-emission computed tomography and CT (SPECT/CT). The groups' results were compared, revealing differences of the preserved FEV₁of the lobe for several segmentectomy procedures and postoperative duration of chest tube drainage.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Although left upper division segmentectomy showed higher preserved FEV₁of the lobe in the mesh-cover group than in the pleural closure one (<it>p </it>= 0.06), the other segmentectomy procedures showed no differences between the groups. The durations of postoperative chest drainage in the two groups (2.0 ± 2.5 vs. 2.3 ± 2.2 days) were not different.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Mesh-cover preserved the pulmonary function of remaining segments better than the pleural closure method in left upper division segmentectomy, although no superiority was found in the other segmentectomy procedures. However, the data include no results obtained using a stapler, which cuts the segment without recognizing even the intersegmental plane and the intersegmental vein. Mesh-cover prevented postoperative air leakage as well as the pleural closure method did.</p

Developmental differentiation in human infant cry through dynamic interaction with caregivers

cote interne IRCAM: Nonaka13aNone / NoneNational audienceNo infants in any primate species cry as much, and with as much diversity, as humans do. Two hypotheses compete to explain the development of such acoustical complexity in early life (Soltis, 2004). For one, the cry is a graded signal that develops to reflect the amount of e.g. neediness or pain felt by the infant. For the other, the cry is a categorical signal used to convey discrete types of needs. The present research proposes that it is, in fact, a mixture of both. We collected acoustic recordings of the cries of 35 infants, as well as verbal reports by their caregivers, at frequent and regular intervals during the infants' first year of age. Regression analyses of verbal categories identified in the reports indicate that, with development, caregivers increasingly attribute the cause of the cry to the infant's social (loneliness, shyness, opposition, etc.), rather than physiological (pain, sleepiness, hunger, etc.) needs; and that the cues utilized to infer one or the other type of need also change with time: the vocal content of the cry is used less and less to identify the infant's physiological needs, and more and more for its social needs. In parallel, acoustical analyses of the cries reveal a progressive differentiation of the patterns of expiration rate and pitch, in which each infant develops to adopt distinct signatures for different social needs. Together, these findings suggest that the infant's physiological states influence a graded-signal portion of the cry which is relatively stable through development, while social interactions influence a categorical-signal portion of the cry, a developping code which is probably learned jointly by the caregiver and the infant(Okanoya, 2007)

An analytical investigation of body parts more susceptible to aging and composition changes using statistical hypothesis testing

In recent years, age-related changes in body composition in the elderly are attracting attention. This is associated with a decline in physical functions and an increased risk of disease development. In general, age-related changes in body composition can be minimized with appropriate exercise. However, there are no studies that investigate body parts susceptibility to aging and changes in body composition of those parts. Therefore, devising exercise programs and advising daily life while taking these into account becomes difficult. This study aims to identify body parts that are more susceptible to aging and their body composition changes. The body composition was obtained with a Direct Segmental Multi-frequency Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis using InBody770 in 8 male elderly patients who had been shortly hospitalized. Statistical hypothesis testing was used to determine whether site-specific body composition changed significantly between hospital discharge and 1 year, 1 year and 2 years, and hospital discharge and 2 years. The results showed that Lean body mass, Total Body Water, Intracellular Water, Extracellular Water in the right arm; Lean body mass and Total Body Water in the left arm and trunk are more sensitive to aging

Colocalization Analysis of Lipo-Deoxyribozyme Consisting of DNA and Protic Catalysts in a Vesicle-Based Protocellular Membrane Investigated by Confocal Microscopy

The linkage between the self-reproduction of compartments and the replication of DNA in a compartment is a crucial requirement for cellular life. In our giant vesicle (GV)-based model protocell, this linkage is achieved through the action of a supramolecular catalyst composed of membrane-intruded DNA and amphiphilic acid catalysts (C@DNA) in a GV membrane. In this study, we examined colocalization analysis for the formation of the supramolecular catalyst using a confocal laser scanning fluorescence microscope with high sensitivity and resolution. Red fluorescence spots emitted from DNA tagged with Texas Red (Texas Red-DNA) were observed in a GV membrane stained with phospholipid tagged with BODIPY (BODIPY-HPC). To our knowledge, this is the first direct observation of DNA embedded in a GV-based model protocellular membrane containing cationic lipids. Colocalization analysis based on a histogram of frequencies of &ldquo;normalized mean deviation product&rdquo; revealed that the frequencies of positively correlated [lipophilic catalyst tagged with BODIPY (BODIPY-C) and Texas Red-DNA] were significantly higher than those of [BODIPY-HPC and Texas Red-DNA]. This result demonstrates the spontaneous formation of C@DNA in the GV membrane, which serves as a lipo-deoxyribozyme for producing membrane lipids from its precursor