Search

A 40-year-old man with no history of trauma or previous sinus surgery complained sudden right diplopia after vigorous sneezing. The patient was submitted elsewhere to a MRI study for persisting diplopia, with inconclusive findings. One week later the patient was submitted to a maxillofacial cone beam CT (CBCT) in our Institution. A blowout fracture of the right orbital floor and lateral orbital wall with an intact orbital rim and a ipsilateral maxillary sinus effusion with an air liquid level, were detected at the CBCT study. Our conclusion, confirmed by the clinician, was the patient had a barotraumatic, isolated, pure blowout fracture of the right orbit consequence of the episode of vigorous sneezing. The patient was treated by steroid and antibiotic therapy and diplopia resolved after two weeks. Clinicians and radiologists should be aware that a barotraumatic blowout fracture of the orbit after sneezing should be included among the unusual causes of sudden diplopia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a novel two-stage Energy Management System (EMS) that is suitable for small-scale grid-connected electrical systems, such as smart homes and buildings, encompassing renewable generators and electrical storage. In such systems, forecast errors of renewable generation and energy demand profiles result in a significant uncertainty on the power exchanged between the end users and the utility grid. The proposed EMS reduces such demand uncertainty and the electricity bill for end users, at the same time. The main novelty of the proposed technique is that it does not require any change in pricing plans or user's habits, differently from classical Demand Side Management schemes. Moreover, thanks to the increased predictability of the exchanged power, utility providers are facilitated in managing the wholesale risk, for example by designing appropriate pricing schemes. The proposed EMS is based on an optimization algorithm. It starts from profiles of renewable generation and load demand, which are obtained by a forecasting method based on suitably chosen and trained Artificial Neural Networks. Furthermore, it has been designed to be suitable for an embedded implementation on low-performance processing platforms. The proposed EMS has been validated using datasets coming from monitoring campaigns. The considered case study is a smart home with an annual energy consumption of about 4500 kWh. It encompasses a grid-connected electrical distribution power plant with a 3 kW photovoltaic generator and a 4.6 kWh battery electrical storage system. The results obtained for a sample month demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach. As a matter of fact, the demand uncertainty is only 4.75% against a cumulative forecast error of 10.35% expressed as normalized root mean square error. At the same time, the end user's cash flow is 2.43% higher than the income obtained without an EMS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years many papers about diagnostic applications of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) have been published. This is because DTI allows to evaluate in vivo and in a non-invasive way the process of diffusion of water molecules in biological tissues. However, the simplified description of the diffusion process assumed in DTI does not permit to completely map the complex underlying cellular components and structures, which hinder and restrict the diffusion of water molecules. These limitations can be partially overcome by means of diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI). The aim of this paper is the description of the theory of DKI, a new topic of growing interest in radiology. DKI is a higher order diffusion model that is a straightforward extension of the DTI model. Here, we analyze the physics underlying this method, we report our MRI acquisition protocol with the preprocessing pipeline used and the DKI parametric maps obtained on a 1.5 T scanner, and we review the most relevant clinical applications of this technique in various neurological diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: A growing literature supports the association between insomnia and cardiovascular risk. Since only few studies have provided empirical evidence of hyper-activation of the cardiovascular system in insomniacs, the aim of the present study was to analyze cardiac autonomic responses in primary insomnia. Methods: Impedance cardiography and heart rate variability (HRV) measures were assessed in 9 insomniacs and 9 good sleepers during a night of polysomnographic recording. Results: Insomniacs were found to be characterized by a constant sympathetic hyper-activation which was maintained all night, as suggested by a faster pre-ejection period (PEP) compared to good sleepers. In addition, only insomniacs showed a strong reduction in heart rate in the transition from wake to sleep. Both groups exhibited a reduction in cardiac output and sympathovagal balance, i.e., reductions in low-frequency/high-frequency ratio and increases in high-frequency normalized units of HRV, across the night. In addition, in our sample, a high physiological sympathetic activation (fast PEP) at night was found to be directly associated with low quality of sleep. Conclusions: These preliminary findings suggest that a constant cardiac sympathetic hyper-activation throughout the night is a main feature of primary insomnia. Our evidences support the association between insomnia and increased risk for cardiovascular diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies of the acute health effects of air pollution have used exposure windows of different spans and related them to single-day responses. Little is known about whether an increased response window span might be a viable alternative to single-day responses. Our aim is to compare a new model specification where both the exposure and response variables are represented as 7 day moving averages (CMA&CMA model) with the most widely used model specifications in the literature, where the response variable is usually a single-day, in terms of coefficients and their precision and robustness. To this end, daily series of 12 emergency-related hospital admissions and 6 air pollutants spanning 5.5 years in Lisbon were analysed through single-pollutant linear regression and, when necessary M-estimation. With our data, the CMA&CMA model yields coefficients that are very close to models where only the exposure variable is specified as a moving average whether the latter are estimated by OLS or robust M-estimation. In addition, the CMA&CMA model leads to more precise and robust estimates than other model specifications. The new model specification is a straightforward tool for adjusting weekend effects and errors. It is also analogous to robust estimation, with the added advantages of being sensitive to extreme values that are clustered in time, and leading to more precise and robust estimates without loss of high-frequency information. One drawback is the induction of autocorrelation in the residuals. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The in vitro antiplasmodial and cytotoxic activities of ethanol extracts from whole plant, fresh apical stems and calli from fresh apical stem of Phyllanthus amarus cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with indole-butyric acid (IBA)/benzylaminopurine (BAP) 1:1, 1:2, 1:4 and 1:4, IBA/BAP/mannitol 1:1:0.5%, IBA/BAP/mannitol: 2% for three months were evaluated. Results indicated that all ethanol extracts showed an in vitro antiplasmodial activity at different extends. The most active ethanol extract was that from callus cultivated with IBA/BAP/ mannitol 1:1:05% (IC50 < 0.19 μg/ml). The ethanol whole plant and intact apical stem extracts exhibited an activity with IC50 values of 2.5 ± 0.4 and 8.2 ± 1.9 μg/ml, respectively. Quercetin, lupeol and ellagic acid displayed an antiplasmodial activity with IC50 values of 3.2 ± 0.6, 8.3 ± 1.4 and 0.07 ± 0.02 μg/ml, respectively. All ethanol extracts and isolated compounds were considered to be non cytotoxic against MT-4 cell lines growth (CC50 > 32 μg/ml). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Accurate staging is necessary to determine the appropriate therapy in patients with lung cancer. Few studies have compared integrated fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) and contrast-enhanced CT in the characterization and staging of pulmonary tumors considered eligible for surgical resection. Purpose: To compare 18F-FDG PET/CT with standard contrast-enhanced CT for the diagnosis and staging of lung neoplasms eligible for surgical resection. Material and Methods: Seventy-six consecutive patients (56 male, 20 female; mean age±SD, 63.4±20 years) with 84 pulmonary tumors suspected for malignancy and considered eligible for surgical resection were prospectively enrolled. Seventy-three malignant (65 non-small-cell lung carcinomas, one small-cell lung cancer, two carcinoids, and five metastases) and 11 benign lung tumors (three hamartomas, two sarcoidosis, one amyloidosis, one Wegener granulomatosis, one tuberculosis, and three areas of scarring) were finally diagnosed by histology. Tumor staging was based on the revised American Joint Committee on Cancer. Results: In lesion characterization, the sensitivity and specificity of 18F-FDG PET/CT versus contrast-enhanced CT were 90% vs. 83% and 18% vs. 63% (P<0.05, McNemar test), respectively. In nodal staging, the sensitivity and specificity of 18F-FDG PET/CT versus contrast-enhanced CT were 78% vs. 46% and 80% vs. 93% (P<0.05), respectively. Conclusion: In patients with lung neoplasms considered eligible for surgical resection, 18F-FDG PET/CT versus contrast-enhanced CT revealed higher sensitivity in nodal staging, but lower specificity both in lesion characterization and nodal staging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The antimalarial activities of crude extracts and 17 fractions from the partition of 80%-methanolic extracts of three plants (the stem bark of Croton mubango, the stem bark of Nauclea pobeguinii and the leaves of Pyrenacantha staudtii) used as antimalarial remedies in the Democratic Republic of Congo were studied both in vitro (against Plasmodium falciparum) and in mice infected with Pl. berghei berghei. The toxic effects of dried aqueous extracts of the plants were also investigated, in uninfected mice. The most active crude extracts in vitro, with median inhibitory concentrations (IC50) of <1 μg/ml, were found to be the methanolic and dichloromethane extracts of C. mubango, and the dichloromethane extracts of N. pobeguinii and Py. staudtii. The aqueous extract with the most antimalarial activity in vitro was that of C. mubango (IC50=3.2 μg/ml), followed by that of N. probeguinii (IC50=5.3 μg/ml) and then that of Py. staudii (IC50=15.2 μg/ml). Results from the in-vivo tests of antimalarial activity showed that, at a daily oral dose of 200 mg/kg, all the dichloromethane extracts, the petroleum-ether, chloroformic, ethyl-acetate and residual water-soluble fractions from C. mubango, and the chloroformic, ethyl-acetate and n-butanolic fractions from Py. staudtii produced >80% chemosuppression of the parasitaemias by day 4. The aqueous extracts of C. mubango and N. probeguinii produced a slightly lower but still significant inhibition of parasitaemia (60%–80%) whereas that of Py. staudtii only suppressed the day-4 parasitaemias by 37%. The dried aqueous extract of the stem bark of C. mubango showed some signs of toxicity in mice, with median lethal doses (LD50) of 350 mg/kg in the female mice and 900 mg/kg in the male. The extract significantly increased the serum concentrations of glutamate-oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT) and glutamate-pyruvate transaminase (GPT) in mice of both sexes, but had no effect on the blood levels of creatinine or urea. No significant toxic effect was observed for the dried aqueous extracts of N. pobeguinii and Py. staudtii (LD50 >5 g/kg). Neither of these extracts affected the serum concentrations of GPT or the blood concentrations of creatinine and urea, although the N. pobeguinii extract did increase the serum concentration of GOT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Describes the plain and enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of lingual venous malformations. Discussion of the importance of contrast medium in the differential diagnosis of highly intensity lesions of the tongue on T2 weighted images; Collection of axial spoiled gradient recalled echo T1 weighted images before and after intravenous injection of paramagnetic contrast medium; Significance of information from the MRI findings of lingual venous malformations for differential diagnosis with other high intensity lingual lesions.

Describes the accumulation and elimination of lanthanum (La) by common duckweed. Use of speciation modeling to assure that solubility products were not exceeded; Amount of La adsorbed on the glass; Need for the monitoring of lanthanide emissions due to the high bioconcentration factor.

Purpose Gambling disorder has been recently reclassified under the category "substance-related and addictive disorders". Recent studies performed through functional MRI (fMRI) have shown that the perseverance of some behaviors can alter brain activation [1,2]. In this work we aim at investigating functional connectivity changes in pathological gamblers (PGs) in comparison to healthy controls (HCs) by means of resting state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (rs-fMRI). Methods and materials Thirteen HCs and fourteen PGs were recruited (all right handed males; drugs free; mean age 36 ± 10 yrs). All acquisitions were performed through a 1,5 T MRI scanner using a 8-channels phased-array head coil. Multi-session temporal concatenated Independent Component Analysis (concat-ICA) was carried out to achieve activations information on functionally linked brain regions. The resulted components were then matched and compared between groups. Correction for multiple comparisons across space was applied assuming an overall significance of p < 0.05 using permutation testing and threshold-free cluster enhancement. Results Functional connectivity was found to be increased in PGs, compared to HCs, in several networks including: anterior cingulate cortex, accumbens nucleus, head of the caudate nucleus, middle left temporal gyrus, right insula, right cerebellar hemisphere cortex and cerebellar vermis. Conclusion We can conclude that an hyperconnectivity together with an overactivation of specific regions is observed in PGs. The persistent activation of specific functional networks during gambling tasks might represent the neurofunctional basis of PGs state-reduced triggering threshold to gaming underlying the clinical features of gambling disorder. These preliminary results confirms the crucial role of fMRI studies to investigate brain networks and their changes in specific clinical functional disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AIM OF THE STUDY: The in vitro antiplasmodial activity and cytotoxicity of methanolic and dichloromethane extracts from five Congolese plants were evaluated. The plants were selected following an ethnobotanical survey conducted in D.R. Congo and focusing on plants used traditionally to treat malaria. The in vivo antimalarial activity of aqueous and methanolic extracts active in vitro was also determined in mice infected by Plasmodium berghei berghei. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The growth inhibition of Plasmodium falciparum strains was evaluated using the measurement of lactate dehydrogenase activity. The extracts (aqueous, CH(3)OH, EtOH and CH(2)Cl(2)) were prepared by maceration and tested in vitro against the 3D7 (chloroquine sensitive) and W2 (chloroquine resistant) strains of Plasmodium falciparum and against the human normal fetal lung fibroblasts WI-38 to determine the selectivity index. Some extracts were also used at the dose of 300 mg/kg to evaluate their activity in mice infected since 4 days by Plasmodium berghei. RESULTS: Two plants presented a very high activity (IC(50)<3 microg/ml). These plants were Strychnos icaja roots bark (MeOH and CH(2)Cl(2)) and Physalis angulata leaves (MeOH and CH(2)Cl(2)). One plant (Anisopappus chinensis whole plant, MeOH and CH(2)Cl(2)) presented a high activity (IC50<15 microg/ml). The extracts of Anisopappus chinensis and Physalis angulata showed also a good inhibition of parasitemia in vivo. Flavonoids, phenolic acids and terpenes were identified in these plants by a general phytochemical screening method. CONCLUSION: Three plants showed a very interesting antiplasmodial activity (Anisopappus chinensis, Physalis angulata and Strychnos icaja) and one of them showed a good selectivity index (>10, Anisopappus chinensis). Anisopappus chinensis and Physalis angulata were also active in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]