Average intake of anti-oxidant (pro)vitamins and subsequent cancer mortality in the 16 cohorts of the Seven Countries Study

This ecologic study aimed to investigate whether differences in population mortality from lung, stomach and colorectal cancer among the 16 cohorts of the Seven Countries Study could be explained by differences in the average intake of anti-oxidant (pro)vitamins. In the 1960s, detailed dietary information was collected in small sub-samples of the cohorts by the dietary record method. In 1987, food-equivalent composites representing the average food intake of each cohort at baseline were collected locally and analyzed in a central laboratory. The vital status of all participants was verified after 25 years of follow-up. The average intake of vitamin C was strongly inversely related to the 25-year stomach-cancer mortality (r = -0.66, p = 0.01), also after adjustment for smoking and intake of salt or nitrate. The average intake of alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, and alpha-tocopherol were not independently related to mortality from lung, stomach or colorectal cancer, nor was vitamin C related to lung and colorectal cancer.     

Renopancreatic transplant. Urologic complications

OBJECTIVE: Retrospective study of urological complications in our series of reno-pancreatic transplants. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Between February 1983 and May 1994 our group has conducted 93 RPT, 80 of which, mean age 36 +/- 6 years (24-54 years), are studied in this paper: 57 male and 23 female with an average time in dialysis of 20 +/- 15 months (0-84 months) and diabetes evolution of 21 +/- 5 years (11-37 years). RESULTS: Actuarial annual survival of patient, renal graft and pancreatic graft has been 85%, 79% and 74% respectively. Haematuria: 25% incidence, with graft pancreatitis etiology in 16 cases, rejection in 8 and urinary fistula in 6. Urinary infection: 85% incidence, symptomatic in 23 patients (29%) and asymptomatic in the remaining cases. Dysuria, urethritis and urethral stenosis: 14 patients, all male, most with both conditions associated. Reconversion of pancreatic exocrine secretion by intestinal route was performed in 7 patients. Urinary fistula: secondary to surgery in 9 cases and rejection in 4. Etiology of one case remained unknown. In 4 cases it was resolved with conservative treatment, and with surgical correction in 8. One patient required pancreatic transplantectomy and one patient died of AMI. CONCLUSIONS: Urological complication in RPT account for a significant morbidity, urinary fistula being the one with greater repercussion on the patient and pancreatic graft survival.     

A new eicosapentaenoic acid formed from arachidonic acid in the coralline red algaeBossiella orbigniana

Aqueous extracts of the coralline red algaeBossiella orbigniana have been shown to catalyze the enzymatic oxidation of arachidonic acid to a previously unreported ω6 eicosapentaenoic acid product. This unique fatty acid contains a conjugated tetraene with absorption maxima at 293, 306, and 321 nm, and was identified by spectral methods as 5(Z),8(Z),10(E),12(E),14(Z)-eicosapentaenoic acid. The compound was given the trivial name bosseopentaenoic acid. Under experimental conditions, production of bosseopentaenoic acid was linear up to 2 hr and dioxygen was consumed. Bosseopentaenoic acid, along with several other conjugated tetraenes, was also present in the algae endogenously as revealed by a comparison of the ultraviolet (UV) spectra and the high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) pattern of the purified product and the organic extract ofBossiella.     

Hilar cholangiocarcinoma: thin-section spiral CT findings with cholangiographic correlation

Hilar cholangiocarcinoma, a highly lethal tumor, is difficult to diagnose with conventional computed tomography (CT) because of its small size. Spiral CT allows more effective evaluation of these small lesions and better demonstrates the status of the hepatic arterial or portal venous circulation. Among 27 patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma (infiltrative in 21, exophytic in two, polypoid in one, diffuse in three), thin-section spiral CT allowed identification of each tumor as an area of focal wall thickening that obliterated the lumen. Seventeen of the infiltrative tumors (81%) showed high attenuation. Identification of the level of biliary obstruction was possible in 63% of the patients (17 of 27). The level of obstruction was underestimated in six patients and overestimated in four. Spiral CT is a valuable method for diagnosis of hilar cholangiocarcinoma; however, spiral CT is less accurate in evaluation of intraductal tumor extent because of the limited z-axis resolution.     

Management of nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal stenosis in children

Nasopharyngeal stenosis and oropharyngeal stenosis are rare and challenging problems in the pediatric population. The most common etiology is currently the surgical trauma associated with adenotonsillectomy. Stenosis can vary from a thin band to a complete obstructing cicatrix. Presenting symptoms range from mild hyponasal speech to severe airway obstruction. We present a series of eight children with varying degrees of stenosis and associated symptoms. Choice of treatment varied with the severity of disease. In our series, successful interventions included triamcinolone acetonide injection, lysis of adhesions, rotational and advancement mucosal flaps, and jejunal free flap. Preoperative evaluation and individualized surgical repair are essential for successful treatment.     

The development and maturation of humanitarian psychology.

Humanitarian psychological support as an organized field is relatively young. Pioneers in the field were involved primarily in providing psychological support to refugees and internally displaced persons in conflict and nonconflict situations. This article describes basic principles for the design of psychological support programs and interventions. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) began a psychological support program in 1991. The IFRC chose psychological first aid as its model for implementation in developing countries. Psychological first aid fits all the principles for psychological support program design and is adapted to individual communities. The first generation of psychological support programs differed dramatically depending on the countries in which they were developed. A second generation of psychological support programs evolved in response to the earthquake/tsunami of December 26, 2004. The Inter-Agency Standing Committee international guidelines consolidated the advances of second-generation programs and provided a clear indication of the wide acceptance of the importance of psychological support. A glimpse is provided of the third generation of psychological support programs, and an admonition is made for a more empirical evaluation of the effectiveness of interventions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Space and time bounds on indexing 3D models from 2D images

Model-based visual recognition systems often match groups of image features to groups of model features to form initial hypotheses, which are then verified. In order to accelerate recognition considerably, the model groups can be arranged in an index space (hashed) offline such that feasible matches are found by indexing into this space. For the case of 2D images and 3D models consisting of point features, bounds on the space required for indexing and on the speedup that such indexing can achieve are demonstrated. It is proved that, even in the absence of image error, each model must be represented by a 2D surface in the index space. This places an unexpected lower bound on the space required to implement indexing and proves that no quantity is invariant for all projections of a model into the image. Theoretical bounds on the speedup achieved by indexing in the presence of image error are also determined, and an implementation of indexing for measuring this speedup empirically is presented. It is found that indexing can produce only a minimal speedup on its own. However, when accompanied by a grouping operation, indexing can provide significant speedups that grow exponentially with the number of features in the groups     

Genetics of sarcoidosis

Hereditary susceptibility to sarcoidosis is suggested by ethnic preponderance, familial clustering, and multigenerational involvement. The genetics of sarcoidosis cannot be adequately addressed in small samples of patients; a large-scale study with stratification for patient phenotypic differences is necessary. A study that uses both genetic marker and environmental data would be able to control for and examine different causative mechanisms. Until such a well-designed, comprehensive study is carried out, we are left with interesting patterns of disease in families and uncertain allelic associations.