Colonic histiocytic neoplasm mimicking malignant histiocytosis and presenting as intussusception

It is now apparent that distinction between the so-called malignant histiocytosis and lymphoma can be made using panels of established immunohistochemical markers and/or genotypic analysis. Many, if not all, of the previously diagnosed cases of malignant histiocytosis have been shown to be of lymphoid, rather than histiocytic, lineage. We report a rare case of colonic histiocytic neoplasm accompanied by a lymphoreticular dissemination that mimicked that of malignant histiocytosis. In addition, barium studies and computed axial tomography confirmed an intussusception that subsequently developed. The histiocytic nature of the neoplastic cells was supported by immunohistochemical, ultrastructural, and cytochemical studies. To our knowledge our case may represent the fifth documented case of a histiocytic malignancy reported in the literature. The relationship among the various cases will be discussed as well as the significance of the focal S-100 immunoreactivity observed in the present case.     

What could possibly go wrong? A multi-panel Delphi study of organizational social media risk

The growth of social media has crossed the boundary from individual to organizational use, bringing with it a set of benefits and risks. To mitigate these risks and ensure the benefits of social media use are realized, organizations have developed a host of new policies, procedures, and hiring practices. However, research to date has yet to provide a comprehensive view on the nature of risk associated with the use of social media by organizations. Using a multi-panel Delphi approach consisting of new entrants to the workforce, certified human resource professionals, and certified Information Technology auditors, this study seeks to understand organizational social media risk. The results of the Delphi panels are compared against a textual analysis of 40 social media policies to provide a comprehensive view of the current state of social media policy development. We conclude with directions for future research that may guide researchers interested in exploring social media risk in organizations.     

A photographic method to estimate the shading effect of obstructions

A new, simplified photographic method is proposed to estimate the shading effects of obstructions. In spite of the complex mathematical background of the new tool, its practical application is very simple, and only requires the measurements of three angles for each photograph. The proposed method is particularly useful for overcoming the difficulties caused by the need to accurately describe surrounding objects to estimate shading effects. The new method uses the information contained in a picture and allows one to draw daily solar paths directly on the photograph. The procedure is useful to verify the suitability of a generic site for solar exploitation; its main benefit is the simplicity of use and the transparency of the obtained results. This simple method is also particularly suitable to evaluate the technical feasibility of small solar equipment, which would not require complex software to define the daily solar path.     

A case of advanced gastric cancer that responded to long-term administration of low-dose 5''-DFUR]

Muscle glycogen synthesis is modulated by physiologically relevant changes in cell volume. We have investigated the possible involvement of integrin-extracellular matrix interactions in this process using primary cultures of rat skeletal muscle subject to hypo- or hyper-osmotic exposure with integrin binding peptide GRGDTP to disrupt integrin actions and the inactive analogue GRGESP as control. Osmotically induced increases (77%) and decreases (34%) in glycogen synthesis (D-[14C]glucose incorporation into glycogen) were prevented by GRGDTP (but not GRGESP) without affecting glucose transport. Cytoskeletal disruption with cytochalasin D or colchicine had similar effects to GRGDTP. Osmotically induced modulation of muscle glycogen synthesis involves integrin-extracellular matrix interactions and cytoskeletal elements, possibly as components of a cell-volume 'sensing' mechanism.     

Reduction of formaldehyde emission from plywood

The aim of this work is to evaluate performances of tannin-based resins designed as adhesive in the plywood production. For this purpose, a part of phenol formaldehyde (PF) and melamine formaldehyde (MF) in the classic adhesive formulation was replaced by tannin. The physical properties of the formulated resins (rheological characterization, etc.) were measured. In order to analyze the mechanical performance of tannin-based resins, plywood panels were produced and the mechanical properties including tensile strength wood failure and three-point bending strength were investigated. The performance of these panels is comparable to those of plywood panels made by commercial PF and MF. The results showed that the plywood panels bonded with tannin–PF (PFT) and tannin–MF (MFT) resins exhibited better mechanical properties in comparison to the plywood panels made of commercials PF and MF. The introduction of small properties of tannin in PF and MF resins contribute to the improvement of the water performance of these adhesives. The formaldehyde emission levels obtained from panels bonded with tannin-based resins were lower than those obtained from panels bonded with control PF and MF. Although there are no actual reaction at all between PF, MF, and tannin, addition of tannin significantly improves the water resistance of PF and MF resins. This is a novel finding that manifests the possibility of replacing a convention PF and MF resins by tannin. Modified adhesive is one of the goals in the plywood production without changing any of their production conditions with improvement to their overall properties.     

Polymerization of methyl methacrylate in the presence of molecular oxygen — a kinetic study

Methyl methacrylate was polymerized in aqueous medium initiated by a copper(II)-ascorbic acidoxygen system at 40°C and a kinetic study of the reaction is presented. The rate of polymerization, R_p showed an increase, constancy and then a decrease with increase in the [Cu²⁺]. The order with respect to [Cu²⁺] was 0.5 in the rate increase region. The order in monomer concentration changed gradually from 1.0 to 2.0 with increase in [Cu²⁺]. R_p became independent of ascorbic acid (AA) concentration and oxygen concentration at high concentrations. These results indicate that termination by mutual interaction of chain radicals predominates at low [Cu²⁺] while termination was exclusively by metal ions at high [Cu²⁺]. R_p was also observed to increase with temperature and ionic strength and to K_p/K_t^1/2 value was calculated and compared with literature values. Chain lengths were determined by viscometry for the polymers obtained under various experimental conditions.     

CT-guided interventional procedures for pain management in the lumbosacral spine

The lumbosacral spine is the source of pain, suffering, and disability more frequently than any other part of the body. Pain in the lower back can be managed with computed tomography-guided analgesic interventional procedures, such as periradicular infiltration, percutaneous laser disk decompression, facet joint block, and percutaneous vertebroplasty. Periradicular injection of steroids provides short-term and sometimes even long-term relief of low back pain. Percutaneous laser disk decompression is used to treat radiculalgia caused by disk herniation. Facet joint block is useful in diagnosis and treatment of facet syndrome. Percutaneous vertebroplasty provides short- and long-term pain relief in patients with vertebral body disease. However, precise patient selection is essential to the success of each of these techniques. The interventional radiologist has an active role to play in minimally invasive management of lower back pain and should be part of an interdisciplinary team that determines the appropriate therapy.     

Percutaneous laser photocoagulation of spinal osteoid osteomas under CT guidance

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Spinal osteoid osteomas are rare; when they occur, they are usually treated by surgical or percutaneous excision. The aim of percutaneous interstitial laser photocoagulation (ILP) of osteoid osteomas under CT guidance is thermal destruction of the nidus using low-power laser energy, thus precluding bone resection and open surgery. METHODS: Three cases of spinal osteoid osteomas were treated with percutaneous ILP of the nidus. Under CT guidance, the needle was positioned in the center of the nidus, at least 8 mm from neurologic structures. Using a high-power semiconductor diode laser (805 nm) with a 400-microm optical fiber, we delivered 600 to 800 joules to the nidus, depending on its size. The procedure was performed with the patient under neuroleptanalgesia and required overnight hospitalization. RESULTS: Complete pain relief was obtained in all three patients within 24 hours of the procedure, and no major complications were incurred. Follow-up ranged from 20 months to 60 months. CONCLUSION: Percutaneous ILP of spinal osteoid osteoma is a promising, simple, precise, and minimally invasive technique and may be an alternative to traditional surgical and percutaneous ablations.     

Photovoltaic electricity scenario analysis in urban contests: An Italian case study

This paper shows a methodology for the assessment of the photovoltaic potential in urban areas using Google Earth™ tool that provides either satellite images of the roofs of buildings or their number of floors by means of the Street View function. The applicability of the methodology has been tested on a selected urban area of the city of Palermo in the South of Italy. After classifying roofs according to the shape, orientation and pitch of buildings with different morphologies, the share of energy generated by the installable PV systems was evaluated with regard to the number of floors. Moreover the coverage of the electricity demand was investigated on the basis of the consumption of electricity of the households. The results of the energy assessment have been screened considering the economic feasibility of grid-connected photovoltaic systems. The proposed methodology permits to select a threshold number of floors of the buildings in correspondence of which the PV system that may be installed, and the consequent production of electricity, may not recover the costs for installation and maintenance of the system. This aspect has also been analyzed by considering the main factors that influence the computation, such as the mismatch between generated and consumed electricity and the shading effects due to the surrounding obstacles. The methodology could also be used to assess the effectiveness of the national incentives to support the diffusion of the PV systems in the short term.