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International audience; Octreotide, a somatostatin analogue, has been used for more than 20 years in children with gastrointestinal bleeding, chylothorax or chylous ascites, intestinal lymphangiectasia, pancreatitis, intestinal dysmotility, and severe diarrhoea; however, until now, there is a lack of randomised clinical trials evaluating the efficacy of this compound in childhood. Hence, we aimed to review the literature in order to determine the evidence of its use and safety in children, using PubMed from 2000 to 2021 with the search terms "octreotide" and "children" and "bleeding or chylous ascites or chylothorax or acute pancreatitis or lymphangiectasia or diarrhoea or intestinal dysmotility".

Introduction: Diagnostic delay of inflammatory bowel disease in children might be responsible for complications and a poor response to treatment. The study of diagnostic delay and its determining factors may help implement corrective measures and improve the prognosis of the disease. Patients and methods: A retrospective study of the information collected from primary care medical records and that from the paediatric gastroenterology service at a tertiary hospital between 2000 and 2012 was carried out in 53 patients: 31 with Crohn's disease, 19 with ulcerative colitis, and 3 with unclassified paediatric inflammatory bowel disease. The main response variable was the interval from the first physician–patient contact to diagnosis. Results: The median time to diagnosis was 12 weeks (interquartile range 5–24). However for 26.3% of the ulcerative colitis cases and 25.8% of the Crohn's disease cases, the interval was longer than 1 year. There was a more marked delay trend in Crohn's disease cases, but it was not statistically significant. None of the evaluated risk factors were associated with a relevant diagnostic delay, although it tended to be longer in younger children. Conclusions: Whereas the median delay for paediatric inflammatory bowel disease seems to be acceptable, the diagnostic time spans are considerable for a large proportion of children with heterogeneous clinical characteristics. Further research into lost diagnostic opportunities needs to be carried out. Resumen: Introducción: El retraso diagnóstico (RD) de la enfermedad inflamatoria intestinal pediátrica (EII-P) puede conllevar la aparición de complicaciones y una menor respuesta al tratamiento. Estudiar el RD y los factores que lo condicionan ayudaría a implementar medidas correctoras y mejorar la evolución de la enfermedad. Pacientes y métodos: Un total de 53 casos (31 de enfermedad de Crohn [EC], 19 de colitis ulcerosa [CU] y 3 EII-P no clasificadas) entre 2000 y 2012 se evaluaron de forma retrospectiva a través de la información recogida en las historias clínicas de atención primaria y las de un Servicio de Gastroenterología infantil de un hospital terciario. La variable respuesta principal fue el tiempo entre el primer contacto médico-paciente y el diagnóstico. Resultados: El tiempo mediano de RD fue de 12 semanas (rango intercuartílico 5-24). Sin embargo, un 26,3% de las CU y un 25,8% de las EC presentaron un RD superior a un año. Ninguno de los factores de riesgo estudiados se asoció significativamente a un RD relevante pero los niños de menor edad presentaron una tendencia a un mayor RD. Conclusiones: Aunque el RD mediano de la EII-P parece aceptable, existe una proporción importante de niños con unas características clínicas heterogéneas y unos tiempos diagnósticos considerables. Se debería profundizar en el análisis de las oportunidades perdidas de diagnóstico.

In this paper we propose a review of the model called MVHR (Multi-Vibrational Hydrogen Release) dealing with Si-H bond physics and allowing explaining the complex physics of gate oxide breakdown. A large amount of effect as polarization, gate bias, temperature, and oxide thickness impacts are well explained by this physical model. In addition the model predicts some process related effects such as poly doping and oxide nitridation impact. The application of this model to high-K metal gate stack is discussed and a complete description of physical degradation in high-K stack is provided. A large amount of gate stack is studied as gate material (TiN, TaC, Poly), gate oxide (SiON, HfSiON, HfO2, HfZrO2). Hence the reliability limit of the SiON gate oxide will be predicted and guideline will be provided for metal gate dielectrics lifetime extrapolation.

Objective Selective granulocyte-monocyte adsorption (GMA) apheresis is a safe technique that has shown efficacy in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), especially in adult steroid-dependent and steroid-refractory ulcerative colitis. GMA apheresis is performed with Adacolumn, a direct blood perfusion system that selectively adsorbs circulating granulocytes and monocytes. Studies on efficacy of GMA apheresis in paediatric IBD are scarce. Our aim was to evaluate efficacy, safety, and tolerability of GMA apheresis in paediatric IBD patients followed for 1 year. Patients and methods Nine patients with a mild to moderate flare-up (6 boys, 3 girls; 5 ulcerative colitis [UC], 4 Crohn disease [CD]) were included. Mean age at inclusion was 13 years and 9 months, and mean disease duration before inclusion was 28 months. All of our patients with UC were steroid-dependent; patients with CD had been unsuccessfully treated with other therapies. GMA apheresis consisted of 5 consecutive weekly sessions lasting 60 minutes each. Results After the 5 sessions, 4 of 5 patients with UC and 1 of 4 patients with CD achieved remission. This remission was maintained in 2 of 4 patients with UC and in the single patients with CD. Patients taking steroids could begin to taper their daily doses after the second apheresis, and 3 of 5 of these patients reached the end of the study steroid-free. GMA apheresis was well tolerated and no severe side effects related to the technique were observed. Conclusions GMA apheresis is a safe, well-tolerated technique in paediatric IBD. As previously reported, we have observed a better efficacy in promoting and maintaining remission, and reducing conventional drugs in patients with UC than in patients with CD.

Objetivo: Los tumores hepáticos malignos (THM) pediátricos son el resultado final de la combinación variable de los factores de riesgo (FR) constitucionales y ambientales. La presente revisión pretende divulgar los principales FR asociados a los THM pediátricos para fomentar su prevención primaria y el diagnóstico precoz en los síndromes constitucionales. Método: Revisión sistemática de la bibliografía de los últimos 25 años, obtenida del Medline, Embase, Cancerlit, Lilacs y SciElo. El perfil de búsqueda utilizado fue la combinación de “etiology/risk factor/epidemiology” and “malignant liver tumors/hepatic cancer” or “hepatoblastoma/hepatocarcionoma”. Resultados: Los THM en la época pediátrica constituyen el 1% del total de cánceres pediátricos. Los dos tipos principales, el hepatoblastoma (HB) y el hepatocarcinoma (HC), engloban el 98-99% de los THM. Diversos FR constitucionales y ambientales están asociados a un mayor riesgo de desarrollar dichas neoplasias. Los principales FR constitucionales son los siguientes: a) síndrome de Beckwith-Wiedemann (BW); b) síndrome de hemihiperplasia aislada (HA); c) poliposis adenomatosa familiar; d) hemocromatosis; e) tirosinemia hereditaria tipo 1; f) deficiencia de alfa-1 antitripsina; g) porfirias; h) cirrosis; i) esteatosis no alcohólica, y j) colangitis esclerosante primaria. Los principales FR ambientales son los siguientes: a) virus de las hepatitis B (VHB) y C (VHC); b) aflatoxina B1 (AFB1); c) radiación ionizante; d) alcohol; e) tratamientos hormonales; f) exposiciones laborales a solventes, pesticidas, cloruro de vinilo y metales; g) tabaquismo; h) arsénico; i) prematuridad y muy bajo peso al nacimiento, y j) tremátodos. Conclusiones: El cribado clínico, analítico y ecográfico de los principales síndromes genéticos comentados, especialmente el de BW y HA, durante los primeros años de vida, facilitan el diagnóstico precoz del HB. La vacunación universal de los recién nacidos con el VHB, constituye el pilar básico de la prevención primaria de los THM. El control del VHB y VBC en la sangre, hemoderivados, donaciones de órganos y en drogadictos también es de gran utilidad. Otras medidas efectivas en la prevención primaria de los THM son: la reducción/ eliminación de alimentos con AFB1, la abstención alcohólica pediátrica y la reducción de las exposiciones prenatales al tabaco, radiaciones ionizantes, solventes, pesticidas, cloruro de vinilo, metales y tratamientos hormonales. : Objective: Pediatric Hepatic Malignancies (PHMs) are the result of the interaction between constitutional and environmental risk factors (RFs). We review the evidence on the main RFs associated to PHMs. Method: Systematic review of the literature published in the last 25 years on Medline, Embase, Cancerlit, Lilacs and SciElo using the following key words: “etiology/risk factor/epidemiology” and “malignant liver tumors/hepatic cancer” or “hepatoblastoma/hepatocarcionoma”. Results: PHMs account for 1% of all pediatric malignancies. The main types, hepatoblastoma (HB) and hepatocarcionma (HCC) make up 98-99% of PHM. The main constitutional RFs are: a) Beckwith-Wiedemann (BW) syndrome; b) isolated hemihyperplasia syndrome (IHS); c) adenomatous polyps of the colon; d) hemochromatosis; e) Hereditary Tyrosinemia Type 1; f) α-1-antitrypsin deficiency; g) porphyrias; h) cirrhosis; i) nonalcoholic steatosis; and j) primary sclerosing cholangitis. The main environmental RFs are: a) hepatitis B virus (HBV) and C virus (HCV); b) B1 aflatoxin (B1AF); c) ionizing radiation; d) alcohol; e) hormonal treatments; f) occupational exposure to pesticides, solvents, vinyl chloride and metals; g) smoking; h) arsenic; i) prematury and very low birth weight; and j) trematodes. Conclusions: The clinical, analytical and ultrasound screening facilitate the early diagnosis of HB in the previously mentioned genetic syndromes, particularly BW and IHS during the first years of life. HBV universal vaccination of newborns provides the biggest opportunity to prevent a substantial proportion of PHMs. Also systematic monitoring of HBV and HCV in blood, hemoderivates, donated organs and drug addicts, are very useful. Other effective measures are: the reduction/elimination of B1AF in food, zero alcohol intake during childhood and adolescence as well decreasing prenatal exposure to the tobacco, solvents, pesticides, vinyl chloride, metals, ionizing radiation and hormonal treatments.

At present there is a degree of uncertainty regarding when, how and in what form gluten should be introduced into the infant diet. For years the recommendations of the ESPGHAN Committee on Nutrition have prevailed, which include avoiding early introduction, before 4 months, and late, after 7 months, and gradually introducing gluten into the diet while the infant is being breastfed, with the aim of reducing the risk of celiac disease, diabetes and gluten allergy. However, 2 independent studies published in The New England Journal of Medicine in October 2014 reached the conclusion that the age of introduction of gluten does not modify the risk of developing celiac disease, and that breastfeeding at any age does not confer protection against celiac disease development.On the other hand, according to available scientific evidence, the introduction of foods other than breast milk or formula into the infant diet is generally recommended around 6 months of age, since the introduction before 4 months could be associated with an increased risk of food allergy and autoimmune diseases, and delaying it beyond 7 months would not have a protective effect.In this context, a group of experts has considered it appropriate to produce a consensus document based on the current scientific evidence and present general recommendations for daily clinical practice on the introduction of gluten into the diet. Resumen: En el momento actual existe una situación de indefinición con respecto a cuándo, cómo y de qué forma debe introducirse el gluten en la dieta del lactante. Durante años ha prevalecido la recomendación del Comité de Nutrición de la ESPGHAN de evitar tanto la introducción precoz, antes de los 4 meses, como la tardía, después de los 7 meses, y de introducir el gluten gradualmente mientras el lactante recibe leche materna; se pretendía con ello reducir el riesgo de enfermedad celiaca, diabetes y alergia al gluten. Sin embargo, 2 estudios independientes publicados en octubre de 2014 en The New England Journal of Medicine llegan a la conclusión de que la edad de introducción del gluten no modifica el riesgo de desarrollar la enfermedad celiaca y que la lactancia materna a cualquier edad tampoco confiere protección.Por otra parte, según la evidencia científica disponible, en general, se recomienda la introducción de otros alimentos en la dieta distintos de la leche materna o de fórmula alrededor de los 6 meses de edad, ya que la introducción antes de los 4 meses se asociaría a un riesgo aumentado de enfermedades autoinmunes y alergia alimentaria, y retrasarla más allá de los 7 meses no tendría efecto protector.En este contexto, un grupo de expertos ha considerado pertinente elaborar un documento de consenso basado en las evidencias científicas actuales y establecer unas recomendaciones generales para la introducción del gluten en la práctica clínica diaria.

An inexpensive, high optical-quality relay lens made up of two eyepieces arranged in an afocal assembly for use in confocal scanning laser imaging is described. In the past we have used relays, within our confocal microscopes, made up of achromats with long focal lengths (> or = 10 cm), which take up large optical tracks and suffer from significant amounts of astigmatism and curvature of field. We quantify aberrations associated with achromat and eyepiece relays using CODE V optical design and analysis software. The eyepiece relay is found to be more compact, better corrected, and not significantly more expensive than its achromat counterpart. In addition to being used to interconnect two scanning mirrors optically as well as scanning mirrors with microscope objectives, it can form part of the optics in a confocal scanning laser MACROscope-Microscope system (Biomedical Photometrics, Inc., Waterloo, Ontario, Canada). Due to design constraints, the MACROscope-Microscope system cannot incorporate a conventional wide-field microscope into its structure such as is done in most commercial confocal microscopes. The eyepiece relay is used as a stand-alone, compact optical link between the scanning mirrors and the microscope objective. This consequently makes the MACROscope-Microscope system more compact and easier to commercialize.

Study Objective: To test venous endothelial function in long-term climateric therapy with tibolone. Design: Measurement of dorsal hand-vein diameter by venous occlusion plethysmography during infusion of norepinephrine (NE), bradykinin (BK), NG-monomethyl l -arginine ( l -NMMA) and sodium nitroprusside (SNP). Setting: Plethysmography and Menopause Units. University Hospital Valdecilla. Santander. Spain. Patients: Eleven postmenopausal women having continuous treatment with oral tibolone (2.5 mg/day) for 6 months. Interventions: Three plethysmography studies were made: at baseline, and at three and six months of treatment. Main outcome measures: Dorsal hand-vein diameter measured by venous occlusion plethysmography during infusion of NE, BK, l -NMMA and SNP. Results: (a) Baseline study: maximum dilation with BK was 54.2±10.2%. (b) Three-month study: BK dilation of 71.5±11.9%, with a significant increase of 17.3% ( P =0.019) compared with baseline. (c) Six-month study: BK dilation of 77.5±11.9%, with a significant increase 23.3% ( P =0.002) compared with baseline. Maximal vasodilation was reached with SNP in the three studies and l -NMMA infusion has a similar vasoconstrictor response in the three studies. Conclusions: Long-term climateric therapy with tibolone improves vein endothelium-dependent vasodilation suggesting a positive impact of this drug on endothelial function.

Micron level resolution is required to image tightly spaced annual bands in speleothems. These same bands must be viewed over several millimeters and sometimes centimeters in order to ensure continuity. We report luminescence imaging results from several speleothem specimens using a novel confocal scanning laser macroscope instrument. The macroscope can non-destructively image specimens as large as 7.5×7.5 cm using reflected light and photoluminescence with a 10 μm lateral resolution in under 10 s. A high-resolution version of the macroscope can image specimens up to 1–2 cm in size with lateral resolutions ranging from 1 to 2 μm depending upon the laser scan lens utilized. The combination of both these instruments allows for entire specimens to be imaged even beyond 7.5×7.5 cm fields of view via tiling. Confocal imaging improves overall resolution of the instrument by eliminating light originating from outside the focal plane which tends to blur the image. High-contrast, crisp images are achieved in this way. We show photoluminescence imaging results for speleothem specimens where emphasis is placed on resolving to the level of annual bands.

We report the fabrication of photovoltaic devices by the anodization of microcrystalline silicon films on single-crystal silicon substrates. The porosity of the films was varied from 20% to 60% by changing the anodization conditions. The influence of the porosity on the series resistance ( R s ), the reflectance, and the spectral response of the devices was studied. In order to determine R s , the current–voltage characteristics were analyzed, both in the dark and under illumination. We observed that the value of R s increased from 3 to 100 Ω and the value of the reflectance decreased from 24% to 7% when the porosity increased from 20% to 60%. The optimum device performance (fill factor of 0.53 and efficiency of 7.2%), which was achieved for a porosity of 40% and can be improved further, resulted from a trade-off between good electrical and optical properties. From optical beam-induced current images, the homogeneity of the devices was found to be excellent and no defects were detected. Our results indicate that the fabrication of commercial solar cells based on porous microcrystalline Si (PMSi) is possible.

Resumen: El trasplante hepático (TH) es el único tratamiento efectivo existente para las enfermedades hepáticas en fase terminal. La desproporción entre demanda y oferta de órganos constituye su principal limitación, planteando la necesidad de buscar alternativas de tratamiento.El trasplante de hepatocitos humanos o trasplante celular hepático (TCH) constituye, en el momento actual, la mejor opción terapéutica puente al restablecimiento de la función hepática o al trasplante hepático. Consiste en trasplantar hepatocitos humanos totalmente diferenciados a un órgano receptor, en cantidad suficiente para que estos sobrevivan y restauren la función hepática normal, basándose en la capacidad de regeneración hepática.El TCH consta básicamente de 4 pasos: el aislamiento de los hepatocitos a partir de injertos hepáticos descartados para TH, la preparación de las suspensiones celulares, la criopreservación de los hepatocitos aislados y, finalmente, su implante en el receptor.Esta terapia se ha llevado a cabo en pacientes con insuficiencia hepática aguda de distintas etiologías con intención de sustituir o servir de puente al TH y en el tratamiento de pacientes pediátricos con errores congénitos del metabolismo con objetivo de reemplazar el déficit enzimático causante de la enfermedad.En el Hospital La Fe de Valencia hemos puesto en marcha una Unidad de Terapia Celular Hepática y llevado a cabo el primer TCH en España, abriendo una nueva línea de trabajo dentro del Programa de Trasplante Hepático. Abstract: Liver transplantation has been remarkably effective in the treatment of patients with end-stage liver disease. However, disparity between solid-organ supply and increased demand is the main limitation, resulting in longer waiting times and an increase in the mortality of transplant recipients. This situation creates the need to seek alternatives to orthotopic liver transplantation. Hepatocyte transplantation or liver cell transplantation has been proposed as the best method to support patients, a bridge to restore liver function or liver transplant.The procedure consists in transplanting individual cells in a recipient organ in enough quantity to survive and restore the function. The capacity of hepatic regeneration constitutes the biological basis of hepatocyte transplantation. Liver cell transplantation is carried out by means of the isolation of hepatocytes from donor liver rejected for orthotopic transplantation, to prepare a cell suspension for infusion, cryopreservation and, finally, hepatocytes are implanted into the recipient.This may be an optional therapeutic procedure in some patients with inborn errors of metabolism, fulminant hepatic failure, and acute and chronic liver failure, as a bridge to orthotopic liver transplantation.The first hepatocyte transplantation in Spain was performed in the Cell Therapy Unit of the Hospital La Fe of Valencia, creating a new research line in the transplant program.

This paper describes a confocal scanning beam MACROscope/Microscope which can image specimens up to 7 × 7 cm in size using reflected light, photoluminescence and optical beam induced current. The MACROscope provides a 10 μm spot size at various wavelengths and generates 512 × 512 pixel images in less than 5 s. When used in combination with a conventional confocal scanning laser microscope sub-micron spot sizes become possible providing resolutions as high as 0.25 μm laterally and 0.5 μm axially in reflected light. The main function of this imaging system is to spatially resolve any defects within solar cells and similar devices. Several reflected-light, photoluminescence and OBIC images of CdS CuInSe 2 and CdZnS CuInSe 2 thin film solar cells are presented.

High resolution, large area photoluminescence mapping with scanning stage microscopes has proven to be a useful, but slow, quality control technique for compound semiconductor wafers. This paper describes a confocal scanning beam MACROscope-Microscope which can image specimens up to 7.5×7.5 cm in size, in less than 10s, using reflected light, photoluminescence, and optical beam induced current. MACROscope mode provides 5 μm lateral resolution and 300 μm axial resolution. Microscope mode provides 0.25 μm lateral and 0.5 μm axial resolution, with a minimum field of view of 25×25 μm. This instrument can be used to evaluate preparation parameters involved in the manufacture of porous silicon as well as to provide quality control at a macroscopic and microscopic level for the fabrication of porous silicon specimens, wafers, detectors, and similar devices. A brief introduction to confocal microscopy and porous silicon is given. Several confocal and non-confocal photoluminescence and reflected-light images of a porous silicon wafer are shown at macroscopic and microscopic levels. A 3D profile of porous silicon structures reconstructed from confocal slices is also shown.

SUMMARY A new confocal scanning beam system (MACROscope) that images very large-area specimens is described. The MACROscope uses a telecentric, f-theta laser scan lens as an objective lens to image specimens as large as 7·5 cm × 7·5 cm in 5 s. The lateral resolution of the MACROscope is 5 μm and the axial resolution is 200 μm. When combined with a confocal microscope, a new hybrid imaging system is produced that uses the advantages of small-area, high-speed, high-resolution microscopy (0·2 μm lateral and 0·4 μm axial resolution) with the large-area, high-speed, good-resolution imaging of the MACROscope. The advantages of the microscope/MACROscope are illustrated in applications which include reflected-light confocal images of biological specimens, DNA sequencing gels, latent fingerprints and photoluminescence imaging of porous silicon.

En los ultimos 10 anos, una serie de estudios previos sobre la enfermedad celiaca (EC), y en particular los de Ivarsson et al. sobre la llamada epidemia sueca de celiaquia de mediados de los ochenta, han dado origen a la hipotesis de que la introduccion de pequenas cantidades de gluten, preferiblemente durante un periodo de lactancia materna, podria contribuir a reducir el riesgo de EC. Pero ademas de esos estudios, otro de Norris et al. mostraba que la introduccion del gluten en lactantes con riesgo genetico en una edad igual o inferior a los 3 meses, o igual o superior a los 7, se asociaba a un mayor riesgo de autoinmunidad celiaca y desarrollo de EC. Todo ello llevo a la comunidad cientifica a aceptar mayoritariamente la existencia de una «ventana de oportunidad» para la introduccion del gluten entre los 4 y 6 meses de edad. En consecuencia, el Comite de Nutricion de la ESPGHAN recomendo evitar la introduccion del gluten antes de los 4 meses o despues de los 6 meses de edad. Para investigar el potencial concreto de la intervencion dietetica en la prevencion de la EC se llevo a cabo un estudio multicentrico prospectivo europeo, el Prevent Coeliac Disease (PreventCD, www.preventcd.com, FP6-2005-FOOD4B-36383-PREVENTCD), en el que, desde el Centro Medico de la Universidad de Leiden, en los Paises Bajos, se coordino la colaboracion entre hospitales, universidades, laboratorios e industria de 7 paises europeos e Israel. Los resultados de

This letter describes a confocal scanning beam macroscope/microscope that can image specimens up to 7 cm in diameter using both photoluminescence and reflected light. The macroscope generates digital images (512×512 pixels) with a maximum 5 μm lateral resolution and 200 μm axial resolution in under 5 s, and in combination with a conventional confocal scanning laser microscope can provide quality control at a macroscopic/microscopic level for porous silicon specimens, wafers, detectors, and similar devices. This combination of instruments can also be used as a method for evaluating preparation parameters involved in the manufacture of porous silicon. Various confocal and nonconfocal photoluminescence and reflected‐light images of porous silicon are shown using both a macroscope and a conventional confocal scanning laser microscope. A 3D profile of a porous silicon structure reconstructed from confocal slices is also shown.

The STMicroelectronics facility at Crolles develops and volume produces ASICs for CMOS and BICMOS processes on 200 mm wafers for technologies down to 0.12 /spl mu/m. Given the wide range of products and processes, a high degree of manufacturing flexibility is required. A large-scale TPM (Total Productive Manufacturing) program was introduced in 1992 based on a comprehensive manufacturing strategy to improve equipment productivity.

A multicentric, open, prospective, observational and no-randomized clinical trial was carried out in Spain with 190 postmenopausal women receiving a soy preparation rich in isoflavones (PHYTO SOYA, capsules containing 17.5 mg isoflavones). The main object of the present study was to investigate its efficacy in alleviating the symptomatology derived from the lack of estrogen, mainly hot flushes, but also other symptoms such as sleep disorder, anxiety, depression, vaginal dryness, loss of libido and bone pain. Each patient received 35 mg isoflavones per day in two doses. During the four months' treatment, a statistically significant decrease in the number of hot flushes with PHYTO SOYA was experienced by 80.82% women; only 5,48% patients did not improve with the treatment. The average reduction was 47.8%, which is equivalent to 4 hot flushes. All the other studied parameters also showed a statistically significant decrease. No severe side-effects were reported and tolerance was excellent. Treatment with PHYTO SOYA resulted in a significant improvement of the symptomatology that accompanies the lack of estrogen during menopause.

Objective: To test venous endothelial function during long-term hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and after treatment withdrawal. Design: Measurement of dorsal hand-vein diameter by venous occlusion plethysmography during infusion of norepinephrine, bradykinin, NG-monomethyl l-arginine, and sodium nitroprusside. Setting: Plethysmography and menopause units, University Hospital Marques de Valdecilla, Santander, Spain. Patient(s): Twenty postmenopausal women, of whom 10 were assigned to receive no hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for 6 months after plethysmography (group A) and 10 were assigned to receive HRT for 6 months (group B). After 6 months, HRT was administered to group A and withdrawn from group B for another 6 months. Intervention(s): Plethysmography at baseline and at 6 and 12 months. Main Outcome Measure(s): Dorsal hand-vein diameter measured by venous occlusion plethysmography during infusion of norepinephrine, bradykinin, NG-monomethyl l-arginine, or sodium nitroprusside. Result(s): At 6 months, the maximum dilation obtained with bradykinin was 48.8 ± 7.58% in group A and 76.7 ± 12.9% in group B. At 12 months, maximum bradykinin dilation increased to 74.3 ± 14.2% in group A and decreased to 54.0 ± 15.9% in group B. Conclusion(s): Long-term HRT with estrogen plus progestin improves endothelium-dependent vasodilation, but this effect is lost in a relatively short time. Endothelial function in dorsal hand veins is an easy-to-use plethysmography model that can be used in serial studies.

A new confocal scanning beam laser microscope/macroscope is described that combines the rapid scan of a scanning beam laser microscope with the large specimen capability of a scanning stage microscope. This instrument combines an infinity-corrected confocal scanning laser microscope with a scanning laser macroscope that uses a telecentric f*(Theta) laser scan lens to produce a confocal imaging system with a resolution of 0.25 microns at a field of view of 25 microns and 5 microns at a field of view of 75,000 microns. The frame rate is 5 seconds per frame for a 512 by 512 pixel image, and 25 seconds for a 2048 by 2048 pixel image. Applications in fluorescence are discussed that focus on two important advantages of the instrument over a confocal scanning laser microscope: an extremely wide range of magnification, and the ability to image very large specimens. Examples are presented of fluorescence and reflected-light images of high quality printing, fluorescence images of latent fingerprints, packaging foam, and confocal autofluorescence images of a cricket.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Scanning stage microscopes have traditionally been used to provide high resolution, large area photocurrent mapping of solar cells and detectors. This imaging method, while very useful in the characterization and quality control of solar cells, is unfortunately slow (image acquisition takes several minutes). This paper describes a confocal scanning beam MACROscope-Microscope which can image specimens from 25×25 μm up to 7.5×7.5 cm in size, a zoom factor of 3000, using reflected light, photoluminescence, and optical beam induced current in less than 10s. Resolutions range from 0.25 to 10 μ;m laterally and 0.5 to 300 pm axially depending upon whether microscope or MACROscope mode is used. This instrument can therefore be used to characterize and provide quick and efficient quality control for solar cells and detectors at a microscopic and macroscopic level.A brief description of the MACROscope-Microscope is given. The MACROscope- Microscope's many abilities are highlighted by showing various reflected-light, photolhminescence and optical beam induced current images from CdZnS/CulnSe2 thin film solar cells and porous silicon devices.

A new confocal scanning beam laser microscope/macroscope is described that combines the rapid scan of a scanning beam laser microscope with the large specimen capability of a scanning stage microscope. This instrument combines an infinity-corrected confocal scanning laser microscope with a scanning laser macroscope that uses a telecentric f*(theta) laser scan lens to produce a confocal imaging system with a resolution of 0.25 microns at a field of view of 50 microns to 5 microns at a field of view of 75,000 microns. The frame rate is 3 seconds per frame for a 512 X 512 pixel image, and 45 seconds for a 2048 X 2048 pixel image. Changes made in the instrument to increase the image capture from 512 X 512 pixels to 2048 X 2048 pixels are described. Applications discussed focus on three important advantages of the instrument over a confocal scanning laser microscope: an extremely wide range of magnification, the ability to record very large data sets, and the ability to image very large specimens. Examples are presented from imaging of fibers in paper, latent fingerprint detection, and reflected-light and photoluminescence imaging of porous silicon.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

[EN] Ceramic tile decorating techniques have evolved significantly in recent years. Digital inkjet printing technology has enabled digital systems to be used for the direct decoration of ceramic tiles, revolutionizing ceramic tile decoration and providing many advantages over traditional decoration techniques. It was the formulation of inks with soluble and vitrifiable stains that allowed inkjet printing technology to be introduced into ceramic tile decoration. The incorporation of milled inorganic pigments into the inks broadened the available color palette. However, the colloidal instability of these inks and the constraints of the printing heads themselves made it necessary to reduce pigment particle size, thus limiting color saturation and the color gamut. In order to increase color saturation and obtain a set of pigmented inks with colors more closely resembling CMYK colors, pigments with larger particle sizes need to be used. Indeed, other digital decorating techniques, such as xerography, allow larger particle sizes to be used, while also providing the advantages associated with digital decoration. However, the implementation of this technique for ceramic tile decoration requires the development of appropriate ceramic toners and adaptation of printing machines. This article reviews the technical evolution of ceramic tile printing and describes the development of a prototype, based on xerographic printing, that is able to print ceramic tiles directly and provides greater color intensity and a wider color gamut.

This study aimed to assess the value of IgA-antigliadin and antiendomysium antibodies for coeliac disease screening in children with short stature. In 118 children with height less than the 3rd percentile for age preliminary work-up included absorption, hormonal and genetic studies, sweat test, X-ray for bone age, serum immunoglobulin levels and antigliadin antibodies. In 65 patients antiendomysium antibody and a small-intestinal biopsy were performed. Forty-three children had a normal mucosa and 22 a subtotal villous atrophy. Three coeliac children were negative for both antigliadin and antiendomysium antibodies; one further 11-year-old boy was negative only for antiendomysium antibodies. Sensitivity and specificity for antigliadin antibodies were 94.75% and 93%, respectively, and for antiendomysium antibodies 88.3% and 90.5%. Our results show that the use of antiendomysium antibodies as a confirmatory test to select patients for biopsy could result in coeliac disease going undiagnosed in adolescents.

A highly sensitive confocal scanning-beam system for time-resolved imaging of fingerprints is described. Time-resolved imaging is a relatively new forensic procedure for the detection and imaging of latent fingerprints on fluorescent substrates such as paper, cardboard, and fluorescent paint. Ordinary fluorescent imaging of latent fingerprints on these surfaces results in poor contrast. Instead, the specimens are treated with a phosphorescent dye that preferentially adheres to the fingerprint which allows time-resolved discrimination between the fingerprint phosphorescence and the background fluorescence. Time resolved images are obtained by synchronizing the digital sampling of the specimen luminescence with the on-off cycle of the chopped illumination beam. The merit of this technique is illustrated with high contrast images of fingerprints obtained from the fluorescent painted surface of a Coke™ can.

P2.12.04 P2.12.06 VENOUS ENDOTHELIAL FUNCTION IN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN ON LONG-TERM HORMONAL TREATMENTS, OESTROGENS AND PROGESTIN C. Ceballos, J.R. Berrazueta, M.T. Garcia-Unzueta, J.A. Amado, I. de Mier, C. Ribes. Cardiology and Gynecology Departments. Universitary Hospital M. Valdecilla. Santander. Spain PERCEFTION OF VARIOUS MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS AMONG POST-MENOPAUSAL WOMEN ATTENDING THE GYNECOLOGICAL OUT-PATIENT CLINIC AT MO1 TEACHING AND REFERRAL HOSPITAL, ELDORET, KENYA S.R. Mishra, Dept. of Reproductive Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Moi University, Eldoret, Kenya.