Widespread microsatellite instability in sebaceous tumours of patients with the Muir-Torre syndrome

OBJECTIVE: Thoracic injury remains a major source of morbidity and mortality in urban trauma centers. With the advent and increasing expertise in video assisted thoracic surgery, this modality has become an attractive alternative in the management of patients with thoracic injury. This report will review our experience with video assisted thoracic surgery at a level I trauma center and attempt to further delineate the indications for and timing of thoracoscopy in thoracic trauma. METHODS: We identified 16 patients who had undergone video assisted thoracic surgery following chest trauma between July 1991 and June 1994. There were 15 penetrating and one blunt trauma. All 16 patients were initially treated with tube thoracostomy. From 0-20 days post-injury, video assisted thoracic surgery was attempted with either diagnostic or therapeutic intentions. RESULTS: Twelve of the 16 patients (75%) had successful thoracoscopy. Three patients had diaphragmatic injury excluded and nine patients had successful evacuation of clotted hemothoraces. Evacuation of clotted hemothorax up to 7 days post-injury was safe and easily accomplished. Four patients (25%) had unsuccessful thoracoscopy and were converted to standard thoracotomy; failure was attributed to either suboptimal single lung ventilation or severe pleural inflammatory reaction. The only death in the entire group occurred 10 days after a thoracotomy for retained hemothorax. The median post-operative hospital stay following successful video assisted thoracic surgery was 3.5 days. CONCLUSIONS: Video assisted thoracic surgery can be utilized as an effective and safe method for the initial diagnostic evaluation and surgical management of stable patients with penetrating thoracic trauma.     

Infection and antibiotic therapy in 4000 burned patients treated in Milan, Italy, between 1976 and 1988

The pathogenic flora, isolated from burn wounds of patients admitted to a burn care unit during the years between 1976 and 1988 were typed and the in vitro susceptibility to antibacterial agents was recorded. Between 1976 and 1988 the general therapeutic approach was changed three times, in congruence with the prevalent nosocomial bacterial resistance. The most frequent isolates were: Pseud. aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus spp., Proteus mirabilis, Escherichia coli, Enterobacter cloacae, Klebsiella spp. and other Enterobacteriaceae, such as Acinetobacter, Citrobacter. The most striking finding was the increase in antibiotic-resistant Enterococcus isolates. Staph. aureus, Klebsiella and E. cloacae showed susceptibility to cephalosporins, imipenem, pefloxacin, vancomycin; Enterococcus susceptibility to pefloxacin and vancomycin, and Pseud. aeruginosa sensitivity to piperacillin, amikacin, tobramycin was generally good. E. coli showed a satisfactory susceptibility on average, and P. mirabilis showed a good sensitivity to piperacillin, cephalosporins, amikacin, tobramycin, aztreonam and imipenem. Thus, the general bacterial flora and susceptibility have remained mostly unchanged over the years, with the conspicuous exception of Enterococcus spp. and E. cloacae, which demonstrated a marked increase in incidence, with a concomitant dramatic decrease in the sensitivity of Enterococcus spp. to antibiotics.     

A Model for Studying Velocity Variations in Unmyelinated Axons

A simple electrical model of the nerve axon is presented. The only non-linear element in the model is the sodium conductance, which is assumed to vary in a step-like way. This allows the propagation velocity for action potentials to be expressed analytically. The aftereffects from an action potential are generally slow. By considering them quasi-stationary, the velocity of a subsequent action potential can be calculated and compared with that of the first one. Considering the effects of afterpotential and afterconductance, it is shown that the theory adequately describes the variations in propagation velocity in the squid giant axon for action potentials separated by 3 ms to 14 ms.     

Parastrephia quadrangularis: A Possible Alternative to Inhibit the Microbial Effect on the Generation of Acid Mine Drainage

Mine Water and the Environment - The role of iron- and sulfur- oxidizing microorganisms in the generation of acid mine drainage (AMD) from sulfide ores and tailings is widely recognized. The...     

Molecularly imprinted polymers by phase inversion technique for the selective recognition of saccharides of biomedical interest in aqueous solutions

The purpose of this work was the preparation and characterization of polymeric membranes for the selective recognition of saccharides using molecular imprinting technology associated with phase inversion. A system able to bind saccharides with high selectivity is particularly important in the pharmaceutical sector, since some of these compounds are constituents of molecules which can exert serious toxic effects even at very low concentrations. Two polymeric matrices were prepared using poly(ethylene‐co‐vinyl alcohol) copolymers, with an ethylene molar content of 32% and 44%, and were imprinted with two different saccharide molecules: maltose and 2‐keto‐3‐deoxy‐d ‐manno‐octulosonate (KDO). Matrices imprinted against maltose and KDO showed an easy template extraction, high binding capability and satisfactory selectivity, particularly for the matrix with an ethylene molar content of 44%. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry     

A comprehensive approach to chemical engineering computational problems

A general programme for the solution of large sparse systems of non-linear equations is presented that allows to afford in a general way most computational problems in chemical engineering.Equipments and plants can, in fact, be represented as networks of “unit cells” to which material and energy balance equations are applied in finite form.The lay-out of the network and the assessment of the equations is a matter of the engineer's judgment and depends upon the aims of the computation and the complexity and importance of the phenomena involved.The solution of the equations then becomes a straightforward procedure that may be committed to the computer.Examples of application to a variety of chemical equipments and to process computation are given.     

The role of creep and fatigue in determining the high-temperature behaviour of AISI H11 tempered steel for aluminium extrusion dies

The present study was aimed to analyze the effect of loading cycles on the behaviour of the AISI H11 tool steel commonly used for aluminium extrusion dies working at high temperatures and under high, cyclic stresses. A technological test method in which the specimen geometry resembled the mandrel of a hollow extrusion die was developed. Finite element analyses were performed to aid in determining specimen geometry and dimensions as well as the levels of stress to be applied to the specimen so as to replicate the conditions typically encountered by industrial hollow extrusion dies. Tests were performed on a Gleeble thermomechanical simulator by heating the specimen using Joule's effect and by applying loading for up to 6.30 h or till specimen failure. Displacements during the tests at 380, 490, 540 and 580 °C and under the average stresses of 400, 600 and 800 MPa were determined. The specimens were tested under creep (with the load held at a fixed value), fatigue (cyclic loading) and creep–fatigue (cyclic loading with a 3 min dwell-time) loading, thereby allowing a direct comparison between different deforming mechanisms. The results showed that the test could physically simulate the cyclic loading on the hollow die during aluminium extrusion and that the creep condition represented the most severe working condition. In addition, the tests could reveal the interaction between creep and fatigue mechanisms.     

Rugged, portable tungsten coil atomic emission spectrometer

Tungsten coil atomic emission spectrometry is an ideal technique for field applications because of its simplicity, low cost, low power requirement, and independence from cooling systems. A new, portable, compact design is reported here. The tungsten coil is extracted from an inexpensive 24 V, 250 W commercial light bulb. The coil is housed in a small, aluminum cell. The emission signal exits from a small aperture in the cell, while the bulk of the blackbody emission from the tungsten coil is blocked. The resulting spectra exhibit extremely low background signals. The atomization cell, a single lens, and a hand-held charge coupled device (CCD) spectrometer are fixed on a 1 × 6 × 30 cm ceramic base. The resulting system is robust and easily transported. A programmable, miniature 400 W solid-state constant current power supply controls the temperature of the coil. Fifteen elements are determined with the system (Ba, Cs, Li, Rb, Cr, Sr, Eu, Yb, Mn, Fe, Cu, Mg, V, Al, and Ga). The precision ranges from 4.3% to 8.4% relative standard deviation for repetitive measurements of the same solution. Detection limits are in the 0.04 to 1500 μg/L range. Accuracy is tested using standard reference materials for polluted water, peach leaves, and tomato leaves. For those elements present above the detection limit, recoveries range from 72% to 147%.