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La jamaica es un arbusto que se cultiva para comercializar el cáliz de sus flores, pero como subproducto se obtienen las semillas, que por su valor nutritivo y alto rendimiento representan un potencial económico considerable. El objetivo de este trabajo fue describir la cinética de imbibición y las isotermas de adsorción de humedad a 25, 35 y 45ºC en tres variedades cultivadas en México (“Criolla”, “China” y “Sudán”). Los resultados mostraron que el proceso de imbibición describe una curva que se ajusta al modelo de Weibull, con coeficientes #945; de 12.99, 8.81 y 2.21 horas y #946; de 0.83, 1.70 y 0.72 para las variedades Criolla, China y Sudán, respectivamente. Los modelos de GAB, y de Chung-Pfost describieron adecuadamente las isotermas de adsorción. La humedad de la capa monomolecular (coeficiente a del modelo de GAB) resultó entre 3.97 y 5.71% b.s., lo cual representa una actividad de agua entre 0.1 y 0.30. Los calores isostéricos totales de adsorción obtenidos en el intervalo de humedades de equilibrio de 6 a 22% b.s., oscilaron entre 52.85 y 42.90 .90 kJm #1468;ol-1, 60.99 y 43.41 kJm #1468;ol-1 y 51.23 y 43.20 kJm #1468;ol-1para las variedades Criolla, China y Sudán, respectivamente. A humedades de equilibrio iguales o superiores a 12 % b.s., el calor isostérico fue similar a la entalpía de vaporización del agua, pero a humedades inferiores a 6% b.s., éste alcanzó los valores más elevados.

Electrocution is the cause of a large number of accidents and, of these, a considerable percentage result in death. Several factors affect the severity and distribution of the injuries. It is known that for low voltages the characteristics of alternating current make it three times more dangerous than continuous current. The high percentage of neurological sequelae can be accounted for by the fact that nerves are the tissue with the lowest resistance in the body and electricity tends to follow the path that offers the least resistance.A 16-year-old male who was accidentally electrocuted by an electric guitar and later suffered a cardiorespiratory arrest; the patient required intubation. After withdrawing sedation, the patient was found to be blind in both eyes and could not remember what had happened. FLAIR MR imaging revealed oedema in both occipital lobes and, to a lesser extent, in the junction between the parietooccipital and temporooccipital lobes. Treatment with steroids was established for three days. After approximately one month, the patient had recovered his sight and the brain injuries had disappeared.The neurological manifestations secondary to accidents caused by electricity are usually divided into two types -immediate and delayed. Blindness has rarely been reported as a sequela in those who have survived fulguration due to a lightning strike. The patient's recovery after administering treatment with steroids and the reversibility of the oedema could lead us to think that the mechanism producing this sequela was the damage to the nervous system caused directly by the electricity, which is known as the 'phenomenon of electroporation'.

We are building a bolometer camera (the Goddard-Iram Superconducting 2-Millimeter Observer, GISMO) for operation in the 2 mm atmospheric window to be used at the IRAM 30 m telescope. The instrument uses a 8x16 planar array of multiplexed TES bolometers which incorporates our newly designed Backshort Under Grid (BUG) architecture. Due to the size and sensitivity of the detector array (the NEP of the detectors is 4×10-17 W/√Hz), this instrument will be unique in that it will be capable of providing significantly greater imaging sensitivity and mapping speed at this wavelength than has previously been possible. The major scientific driver for this instrument is to provide the IRAM 30 m telescope with the capability to rapidly observe galactic and extragalactic dust emission, in particular from high-z ULIRGs and quasars, even in the summer season. The 2 mm spectral range provides a unique window to observe the earliest active dusty galaxies in the universe and is well suited to better confine the star formation rate in these objects. The instrument will fill in the SEDs of high redshift galaxies at the Rayleigh-Jeans part of the dust emission spectrum, even at the highest redshifts. The observational efficiency of a 2 mm camera with respect to bolometer cameras operating at shorter wavelengths increases for objects at redshifts beyond z ~ 1 and is most efficient at the highest redshifts, at the time when the first stars were re-ionizing the universe. Our models predict that at this wavelength one out of four serendipitously detected galaxies will be at a redshift of z > 6.5.

Different subtypes of neuroblastoma (NB) carry associated genetic aberrations that predict their clinical course. Whole chromosome gains are usually associated with early clinical stages and good prognosis, while 1p deletion, 17q gain and MYCN amplification (MNA) are related to advanced stages and poor prognosis. High-risk neuroblastomas (NB-HR) include NB in children aged more than 1 year old, either stage 4 or any stages showing MNA except stage 1. The prognosis of NB-HR patients remains poor, despite aggressive therapy. Only MNA confers poor prognosis. Between January 2000 and February 2005, tumoral specimens from 60 patients with NB-HR were sent to the Spanish Reference Center for NB biological studies. In all cases, MYCN together with 1p36 status was analyzed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) was performed in 24 cases. Using FISH we detected 31 MNA cases including 29 with 1p36 deletion; there were 21 cases without MYCN amplification (MNNA) but 7 of these had 1p36 deletion; 8 cases showed MYCN gain (MNG) but 6 of these had 1p36 deletion. CGH showed other chromosomal alterations. Of 11 MNA cases, none had 11q loss and all of them showed 17q gain or 17 disomy. Of the 7 MNNA cases, there were 4 with 11q loss including 2 with 3p loss and all presented 17q gain or 17 disomy. The 6 MNG cases included 4 cases with 11q loss and 5 cases with 17q gain or 17 disomy. Genomic profiling by CGH in NB-HR confirms the interaction among genetic alterations, the prognostic significance of which should be evaluated to establish new treatment criteria.

Aseptic meningitis is a process that is characterised by an inflammatory reaction of the meninges that is not due to any infectious agent. Its aetiology is varied and is most frequently caused by rheumatologic and/or autoimmune processes, chemical or medication-induced meningitis, the most notable drugs involved being antibiotics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAI).We report the case of a 70-year-old male, with no relevant history, who was admitted to hospital five times over a period of 16 months because of acute meningitis with polymorphonuclear pleocytosis, high protein levels in cerebrospinal fluid and normal glucose in cerebrospinal fluid. No evidence of an infectious causation, chemical meningitis, carcinomatosis or autoimmune disease was found and the patient was diagnosed with recurrent aseptic meningitis. It was found that the patient had taken ibuprofen or ketorolac on several occasions, a few hours before the appearance of symptoms. These episodes were quickly resolved after withdrawal of this medication.A number of NSAI have been reported as inducers of aseptic meningitis, one of the most notable being ibuprofen. We report the case of a patient who, as a consequence of taking ibuprofen and ketorolac, presented episodes of recurrent aseptic meningitis. To our knowledge this side effect of ketorolac has not been reported before. Its clinical features are impossible to differentiate from those of infectious meningitis. Diagnosis is reached by exclusion and a careful pharmacological study, including over-the-counter drugs like some of the NSAI, must be performed in patients with this condition, since it is a problem that can easily be solved by withdrawing the drug that causes it.

In 1997 the Sun and the Earth passed through the equatorial plane of Jupiter and therefore through the orbital planes of its main satellites. During this period, mutual eclipses and occultations occurred and were observed. We investigate the precision of the catalogue to produce improved data for the development of dynamical models. Light curves of mutual eclipses and occultations were recorded by the observers of the international campaign PHEMU97 organized by the Institut de Mecanique Celeste, Paris, France. We made 275 observations of 148 mutual events from 42 sites. For each observation, information is given about the telescope, the receiver, the site and the observational conditions. This paper gathers together the data and gives a first estimate of the precision. The catalogue of these rare events represents a collection of improved accurate astrometric data useful for the development of dynamical models.

Patients who suffer seizures sometimes have electrocardiographic disorders during both the seizure and the post-critical period. The incidence of sudden death in epileptic patients (SUDEP) is greater than that observed in non-epileptic patients, there being evidence of respiratory disorders, cardiac arrhythmias, encephalic involvement and coronary ischemia during the seizures. This coronary ischemia has been mainly described in patients with drug refractory epilepsy, it being quite rare in patients without background of refractory seizures. During the seizure and in the post-critical period, changes have also been described in the ST segment. This suggests that the stimulation of the autonomic system may create the adequate substrate to cause myocardial ischemia. In this situation, ventricular arrhythmias and serious myocardial dysfunction may be observed. Besides the ischemia, on other occasions, there are alterations in the heart rhythm, it being possible to observe different effects and arrhythmias in the same patient.We present the case of a 50 year old male in whom electrocardiographic alterations with depression of the ST segment, without arrhythmias, were observed immediately after his first seizures.In some cases, cardiac alterations previously unknown in epileptic patients could explain the unexpected deaths of epileptics in SUDEP diagnosed cases.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) often presents with sensory symptoms, which are usually due to spinothalamic or spinal cord disorders; parietal syndrome is, however, very rare as the initial symptom. Likewise, aphasia is also an infrequent symptom of MS; in the few cases that have been reported, it is usually linked to the existence of important pseudotumoral lesions.We describe the case of a 31-year-old female with a 48-hour history of a progressive clinical picture consisting in nominal aphasia and a sensory parietal syndrome. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a lesion 3.6 cm in diameter that was hyperintense in T2 with perilesional edema and minimal gadolinium uptake, along with other images that revealed increased signal intensity in the periventricular subcortical white matter on the right-hand side and in the left-hand frontal subcortical region. A spectroscopic analysis of the largest lesion revealed that this lesion showed evidence of inflammation, with cell destruction and replacement, although it was not possible to distinguish between a demyelinating disease and a high grade glioma. Hence, a brain biopsy was required in order to reach the final diagnosis of demyelinating pseudotumoral lesion.Giant pseudotumoral plaques are a rare form of presenting symptom in MS; use of the clinical features, simple images and spectroscopy is not a very reliable means of reaching a differential diagnosis with a tumour and this often makes it necessary to conduct a biopsy study of the lesion.

In 1988 the International Headache Society (IHS) published the 1st edition of its headache classification and the 2nd edition was completed in 2003. AIM. To determine whether there exist changes in the incidence of post-lumbar puncture headache depending on the edition of the IHS classification.Between 2002 and 2003 data was gathered prospectively for 78 patients who were submitted to a diagnostic lumbar puncture, 40 obstetric spinal anaesthesias and 516 non-obstetric spinal anaesthesias. The 1st edition was used and, after the appearance of the 2nd edition, the cases were recoded.With the 1st edition, there were 31 out of 78 cases (39.7%) of post-puncture headache in diagnostic punctures, and when the 2nd edition was used, the number dropped to 10 cases (12.8%). The incidence of headache among patients who had undergone obstetric spinal anaesthesia was six cases out of a total of 40 (15%) using the 1st edition, and four cases with the 2nd edition (10%). The incidence of headache among patients after non-obstetric spinal anaesthesia was 80 cases out of a total of 516 (15.5%) when the 1st edition was utilised and 25 cases with the 2nd edition (4.85%).To compare the incidences of post-lumbar puncture headaches obtained by diverse observers we need to know which edition was used, since there are considerable differences between the results obtained using one edition or the other. The main reason accounting for the discrepancy between the two editions is the compulsory association of some accompanying sign, since this was not a necessary criterion in the 1st edition but it is included in the 2nd.

Primary malignant melanoma of the common bile duct is rare. Only seven cases have been described in the literature. Diagnosis is based on failure to find another primary site, histological examination with electron microscopy, and immunohistochemical tests. We describe a new case of primary malignant melanoma of the biliary tract and present a review of previous reports.

This paper describes a clinical case of labial frenectomy using different high power lasers: diode (810 nm) and Er:YAG (2940 nm). Considerations are made about specific indications, surgery techniques, and advantages of labial frenectomy using these laser wavelengths. The diode laser has high absorbance by pigmented tissues with hemoglobin, melanin, and collagen chromophores. For this reason, this wavelength is well indicated for surgery in soft tissue (vaporization, incision, coagulation, hemostasis). It is not properly absorbed, however, and should never be used in contact with hard tissues (bone). The Er:YAG laser has high absorbance to water and mineral apatite, making this wavelength useful and safe for the ablation of hard tissues. In the labial frenectomy clinical procedure, a combined technique is suggested: using the diode laser in soft tissues and the Er:YAG laser in periosteal bone tissues and for removal of final collagen fibers. It is important for the professional to understand the physical characteristics of the different laser wavelengths and their interaction with biological tissues to assure that they are used in a safe way, and that the benefits of this technology can be provided to infant patients.

Male and female rats were treated daily for 13 weeks with an ethanol extract of Cissampelos sympodialis leaves (9, 45 and 225 mg[sol ]kg). The food consumption, body weight and behavioural effects in the open-field test were evaluated by weekly monitoring. The results showed that the extract chronic treatment in female rats (45 and 225 mg[sol ]kg) reduced significantly the food intake and the body weight, and produced several alterations in the open-field test. These findings indicate that repeated oral administration of the extract may produce a sex-dependent difference in anoretic and behavioural effects.

Parotiditis is a viral infection that produces a non-suppurative inflammation of the parotid glands, although it may affect other salivary glands, the testicles, meninges and the pancreas. Clinical meningitis appears in 1-10% of cases, normally between the 4th and the 10th day after infection of the parotid glands. In this study, we analyse the clinical and analytic characteristics of the patients admitted to our Neurology Department over the last 12 years.A retrospective study was conducted by analysing the hospital discharge reports. The eligibility criterion was the existence of an acute meningeal syndrome linked to the presence of positive IgM titres for the parotiditis virus. In all, 13 cases were found, with a mean age of 16.5 years, and most of them were males (92.3%). Parotiditis preceded meningitis in all our patients with an average of 8.3 days, while orchiepididymitis, when it occurred, appeared at the same time or after meningitis. Analysis of the cerebrospinal fluid showed a lymphocyte profile with glycorrhachia above 40%, except in two cases that showed a non-persistent neutrophilic profile. There was a transient 30.7% reduction in prothrombin time in the patients. No sequelae were observed.Vaccination campaigns have drastically reduced the number of cases of meningitis due to this germ since the second half of the 90s. This virus must be borne in mind in cases of meningitis in young males who come from underdeveloped countries.

Helicobacter pylori (HP) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of gastric adenocarcinoma. Published data on HP infection and its association with both histological subtype and tumor localization are contradictory and few data are available on this topic in Spain. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the association of HP infection with histological subtype and tumor localization in a series of patients with gastric adenocarcinoma.We retrospectively reviewed all the patients diagnosed with gastric neoplasms in Hospital del Mar in Barcelona between 1995 and 2001. The histological subtype was established using Lauren's classification. Tissue samples were obtained from the surgical specimen or from endoscopic biopsies. HP infection was histologically determined through hematoxylin-eosin, Masson's trichromic, and Giemsa staining.During the study period, 304 gastric neoplasms, 275 (90.4%) adenocarcinomas, 22 (7.2%) lymphomas, 3 (1.0%) leiomyosarcomas, 2 (0.7%) degenerated gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) and 2 (0.7%) Kaposi's sarcomas were diagnosed. In patients with adenocarcinoma, the mean age at diagnosis was 69 years and most patients were male (62%). A total of 48.1% of the neoplasms were located in the gastric antrum, 23.7% in the body and 19.1% in the fundus (13.6% in the period 1994-1997 and 25.4% in the period 1998-2001, p = 0.018). Intestinal-type gastric carcinoma was observed in 56% of the patients, diffuse-type in 28% and indeterminate-type in 16%. HP infection was confirmed in 69% of the patients (68% in intestinal subtype, 69% in diffuse subtype, and 69% in indeterminate subtype, p = 0.84), and was significantly associated with distal adenocarcinomas vs. proximal adenocarcinomas (73.6% vs 48.6%, p0.05).No differences were observed between the histological type of adenocarcinoma and HP infection. In the last few years, the incidence of fundic adenocarcinomas has increased. These tumors show a lower association with HP infection.

SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2004, Glasgow, United Kingdom, Series: Proceedings of SPIE; no. 5489

Objective: to determine the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in patients having undergone gastrectomy for non-neoplastic disease who later developed gastric stump cancer. Material and methods: retrospective study of all patients with partial gastrectomy for non-malignant peptic disease who were submitted to an endoscopic exploration between 1995 and 2001. A comparison was made of major clinical and histological characteristics, and the presence of Helicobacter pylori among patients with and without gastric cancer in the stomach remnant. Results: a total of 73 patients were studied in this period. Fifteen patients (20.5%) had remnant-stump gastric cancer. All but one were adenocarcinomas (71% intestinal and 29% diffuse, respectively). The average time between diagnosis of gastric cancer and previous gastrectomy was 32 (14-48) years. There was a higher detection rate of Helicobacter pylori in patients with cancer in the gastric remnant (100 vs. 81.5%, respectively, p < 0.07). No relationship was seen between type of gastric reconstruction (Billroth I or II) and rate of Helicobacter pylori detection. Conclusions: Helicobacter pylori infection is frequent in patients with previous gastrectomy for non-neoplastic disease. The results of the study suggest that Helicobacter pylori infection may play a role in gastric stump cancer.

Standardised substitution of those drugs not included in the hospitaĺs formulary constitutes one of several methods used to improve therapeutic efficiency, due to reduction of variability in pharmaceutical practice and prevention of potential medication errors.To evaluate quality of drug substitution procedures in those drugs not included in the hospital's formulary.Assessment study in a surgical hospital with 314 beds, using structural, process and outcome criteria from 1998 to 2002.Compliance degree for structure, process and outcome criteria were 100, 89 and 35%, respectively, while the established standards were 100%. Prevalence values for patients with substituted medication, increased from 2.9 (95%CI, 2.4-3.6) in 1998 to 11.1% (95%CI, 10.2-12.1) in 2002. Non-substituted drugs annual cost decreased from 20,199 in 1998 to 12,356 Euro in 2002. Drug substitution made by the pharmacist had an acceptance degree of 82.5%. No interchange errors were found in 126 replaced drugs.The development of quality programs to improve drug prescription adherence to the hospitaĺs formulary, specially those that promote therapeutic interchange under the Pharmacy Committee guidance, are helpful strategies to make a proficient management of patients pharmacotherapy.

To describe the characteristics of patients included in the pancreatic tumor registry of the Hospital Clínic of Barcelona.All patients with pancreatic tumors attended between July 1990 and March 2003 were registered. Data collection included: age, gender, date of diagnosis, diagnosis, histology, size, location and tumor stage, and treatment. The correlation between tumor stage and age, date of diagnosis, and tumor location was also evaluated.Six hundred thirty patients with pancreatic tumors were included, representing an incidence of 60 patients/year. The mean age was 66 years and the male-to-female ratio was 1,18:1. The most frequent lesion was malignant tumor of the pancreas (92%), and the most frequent histological type was pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (73%). The most frequent location was the head of the pancreas (64%). In 28% of the patients, pancreatic cancer was diagnosed in stage I and II. Resection was performed in 31% of patients, whereas 48% of the patients received no treatment. The ratio between local (stage I)/disseminated (stage IV) disease was 0,34. The ratio between stage I/IV increased with age, diagnosis prior to 1994, and tumor location in the head of the pancreas.Hospital tumor registries can be used to define the profile of the attended population, which can help to delineate the best diagnostic-therapeutic strategy and can be useful in clinical research.

Multidirectional differentiation of neoplastic cells in uterine MMT is still a subject of controversy. The present study was designed to assess the immunophenotype of 15 uterine MMT paying special attention to the markers of neural (neuroendocrine) differentiation. In addition, the same immunohistochemical study was performed on 20 human fetal specimens in order to establish possible relationships between the immunophenotype of MMT and the expression of the corresponding antigens in the fetal tissues of the embryonal female genital tract. Besides the typical immunohistochemical patterns in three cases the epithelial component showed simultaneous coexpression of vimentin and desmin. EMA and cytokeratin, whereas epithelial markers were coexpressed with vimentin in the sarcomatous component of one adenosarcoma. Moreover, both components were immunoreactive to the markers of neural differentiation (PGP 9.5, GFAP, HNK-1, N-CAM, HBA71). This aberrant expression was not correlated with morphological signs of neural differentiation at either light microscopy or ultrastructural levels. Regarding the analysis of fetal tissues, both epithelial and mesenchymal elements in the fetal genital tract expressed the above-mentioned neural markers at different dates of gestation. The intensity of this expression diminishes as the fetus matures and at the end of antenatal life the immunophenotype characteristic for adult life is established. Taking into consideration the capacity of uterine tissue to reproduce embryonal phenotype during neoplastic transformation, we studied this abnormal immunoprofile and its hypothetic value for the diagnosis and prognosis of MMT.

The ability to make specific genomic alterations is an invaluable tool to researchers who use genetics and biochemistry to study problems in biology. We have investigated some of the parameters governing DNA fragment transplacement in two commonly used strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, S288C and W303-1A. These strains exhibited a marked difference in their capacity to take up plasmid DNA and utilize linear DNA fragments as substrates for transplacement. The contributions of transformation efficiency, length of homology, and alternative target site configuration were assessed. This analysis indicates that several genetic parameters are important for optimizing the efficiency of gene transplacement.

The ability to make specific genomic alterations is an invaluable tool to researchers who use genetics and biochemistry to study problems in biology. We have investigated some of the parameters governing DNA fragment transplacement in two commonly used strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, S288C and W303-1A. These strains exhibited a marked difference in their capacity to take up plasmid DNA and utilize linear DNA fragments as substrates for transplacement. The contributions of transformation efficiency, length of homology, and alternative target site configuration were assessed. This analysis indicates that several genetic parameters are important for optimizing the efficiency of gene transplacement.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease characterized by the presence of autoantibodies against intracellular components, the formation of immune complexes, and inflammation in various organs, typically the skin and kidney glomeruli. The etiology of the disease is not well understood but is most likely the result of the interaction between genetic and environmental factors. In order to identify susceptibility loci for SLE, we have performed genome scans with microsatellite markers covering the whole genome in families from Argentina, Italy, and Europe. The results reveal a heterogeneous disease with different susceptibility loci in different family sets. We have found significant linkage to chromosome 17p12-q11 in the Argentine set of families. The maximum LOD score was given by marker D17S1294 in combination with D17S1293, when assuming a dominant inheritance model (Z=3.88). We also analyzed a repeat in the promoter region of the NOS2A gene, a strong candidate gene in the region, but no association was found. The-locus on chromosome 17 has © Springer-Verlag 2004.

Inorganic arsenic, an environmental contaminant, produces a variety of stress responses in mammalian cells, including metabolic abnormalities accompanied by growth inhibition and carcinogenesis. Much of the toxicity of arsenic is known to stem from its uncoupling effects on mitochondria. Because previously we had shown that mitochondrial dysfunction can disrupt oocyte and embryo development, we investigated effects of arsenite on meiotic progression and early embryo development in mice. Six-week-old CD-1 mice were treated with 0 (solvent as control), 8 mg/kg (a dose previously established in mice as the maternal no-observed-adverse-effect level), and 16 mg/kg doses of sodium arsenite every 2 days for a total of seven i.p. injections ver a period of 14 days. The incidence of meiotic anomalies, characterized by spindle disruption and/or chromosomal misalignment, was significantly increased in arsenite-treated groups (25% after 8 mg/kg and 62.5% after 16 mg/kg), compared to normal metaphase II in control oocytes. Further, arsenite treatment significantly decreased cleavage rates of zygotes at 24 h, morula formation at 72 h, and development to blastocysts at 96 h in a dose-dependent manner. The total cell number in developed blastocysts did not differ significantly between the 8 mg/kg arsenite treatment and control groups, but was significantly reduced in the 16 mg/kg arsenite treatment group. Moreover, the percentage of apoptotic nuclei was significantly increased in blastocysts following 16 mg/kg arsenite treatment. These data suggest that arsenite causes meiotic aberrations, which may contribute to decreased cleavage and preimplantation development, as well as increased apoptosis.

To establish the usefulness of KRAS mutational analysis in the diagnosis of pancreatic adenocarcinoma by comparing this technique with conventional cytology in aspirates obtained by endosonography-guided fine-needle aspiration.All consecutive patients with pancreatic focal lesions undergoing endosonography-guided fine-needle aspiration were included. Samples were obtained with the concurrence of an attendant cytopathologist. Detection of codon-12 KRAS mutations was performed by the restriction fragment length polymorphism-polymerase chain reaction method. The effectiveness of conventional cytology, KRAS mutational analysis and their combination was established with respect to the definitive diagnosis. A cost-effectiveness analysis was also performed.Thirty-three patients had pancreatic adenocarcinoma and 24 patients had other lesions. A total of 136 samples was obtained. In patients in whom specimens were adequate (93% for cytology; 100% for mutational analysis), the specificity of both techniques was 100%, whereas the sensitivity favoured cytology (97% vs. 73%). When inadequate samples were considered as misdiagnosed, a combination of both techniques reached the highest overall accuracy (cytology, 91%; mutational analysis, 84%; combination of both, 98%).Cytology from aspirates obtained by endosonography-guided fine-needle aspiration is the most precise single technique for the diagnosis of pancreatic adenocarcinoma. However, when adequate specimens are not available to reach a cytological diagnosis, the addition of KRAS mutational analysis represents the best strategy.

Two field trials were carried out using 24 tonnes of cocoa beans to evaluate the feasibility of storage and pest control under low pressure using a novel approach on the application of vacuum technology. In these field trials, a new transportable, flexible storage system of 15-m3 capacity termed the Volcani Cube or GrainPro Cocoon, and a rotary oil-lubricated vacuum pump were used. A preliminary trial was conducted in March 2001 in Israel, at the Agricultural Research Organization (ARO) campus using 2 Volcani cubes to evaluate the vacuum system performance ahead of the demonstration trial. Here we report on the demonstration field trial performed for Nestlé. It was conducted using 2 cubes in November 2001 at Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire. The pressure in the cubes was maintained within the range of 25 and 50 mm Hg for durations of 3 and 7 days. Each cube contained 87 jute bags, each weighing 65 kg (total 5650 kg per cube). All life stages of Ephestia cautella [Cadra cautella], Plodia interpunctella and Tribolium castaneum were used as bioassay test insects. Caged insects were placed in the cubes before the start of the trial. Complete mortality of all life stages of all species was obtained in all 4 cubes. These results showed that the use of low pressure for controlling storage insect pests is feasible without the need for the large, rigid chambers employed in conventional vacuum-fumigation facilities today.

Laboratory studies were conducted to determine the combinations that enhance the effectiveness of insect control based on vacuum or CO2 in combination with increased temperatures as quarantine treatment of storage pests. The effects of commodity (cocoa beans) moisture content and the partial pressure of oxygen on the effectiveness of vacuum were studied. For Tribolium castaneum, Ephestia cautella [Cadra cautella] and Plodia interpunctella, the egg stage was the most resistant to low pressure: the duration required to obtain LT99 was 22, 45 and 49 h, respectively. For Tribolium castaneum, the larval and adult stages were the most susceptible, with an LT99 of 7 h. For E. cautella and P. interpunctella, the adult stage was the most susceptible, with LT99 of only 6 and 5 h, respectively. The evaluation of the effect of CO2 at 45°C on the reduction of exposure time for diapausing larvae of T. granarium indicated that by increasing the CO2 concentration to 90%, the LT99 value was reduced to approximately 10 h (LT99 value of 29 h at 35°C). For E. cautella, the larval stage was the most resistant to 90% CO2 at 40°C, with an LT99 value of only 6 h. For O. surinamensis under the same conditions, the LT99 value was 9 h for the most resistant egg stage. A transportable flexible storage system was developed for the control of insect pests. Experiments were carried out using a 15 m3 capacity plastic container termed the "Volcani Cube" or "GrainPro Cocoon". Bioassays in field trials [location not given] at 30°C demonstrated that complete mortality of test insects representing all the four developmental stages of E. cautella and Tribolium castaneum was observed upon three-day exposure to vacuum maintained between 23 and 75 mm Hg.

The Electronic Power Specification Standardization (EPSS) activity is consistent with DOD's Open System Joint Task Force (OS-JTF) strategy to reduce systems acquisition and lifecycle costs through judicious use of commercial resources (standards, products, processes, and services). As a result, the deliverables from this activity are commercial industry-based guidelines/standards for use by the government and industry to enhance use of commercial resources. The EPSS activity focuses on standardization of elements relevant to electronic power distribution systems. Therefore this paper will describe: (1) the rationale for partitioning an electronic power distribution system into primary/secondary power distribution and power supply systems, (2) the various ongoing activities in electronic power distribution standardization as they relate to EPSS, and (3) the progress to date and plans of the present focus of the EPSS activity: (a) IEEE P1515 Working Group, and (b) EPSS Power Supply System Consortium.

The Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program is the focal point for defining the next generation of strike aircraft weapon systems for the Navy, Marines, Air Force, and allies. The focus of the program is affordability reducing the costs of development, production, and ownership of the JSF family of aircraft. In addition to affordability as a "pillar" of the JSF program, three additional pillars have been established: survivability, lethality, and supportability/deployability. These four pillars have established the foundation for the design and development of the JSF weapon system. One of the keys to providing an affordable approach to supportability and deployability lies in the strategy of prognostics and health management (PHM) and how it supports the concept of autonomic logistics. This paper focuses on the contribution of PHM and its relationship to autonomic logistics.

The Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) is striving towards a unified support concept known as Autonomic Logistics. Autonomic Logistics implies that the various support systems (diagnostic, maintenance, mission planning, and logistics) function as "smart" systems that need not continually be fed data via human intervention. In order to achieve such autonomy the diagnostic, maintenance, mission planning, and logistics systems must be integrated. To achieve this integrated system of systems, a tool must be available to assist the system designers. This paper will describe the characteristics of such a system design tool and describe the work to date to develop such a tool.

To study the influence of finasteride treatment on the molecular forms of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).Total PSA, free PSA and PSA complexed to alpha1-antichymotrypsin (PSA-alpha1ACT) were measured in plasma and serum from 40 men with BPH and a total PSA of20 ng/mL, using in-house and commercial immunoassays, before and during treatment with finasteride (30 men) or placebo (10 men).The baseline values were not significantly different between the groups, with mean (sd) total plasma PSA levels of 3.6 (4.3) and 4.8 (5.9) ng/mL in the finasteride and placebo groups, respectively. Finasteride, but not placebo, induced a significant reduction in total PSA, free PSA and PSA-alpha1ACT levels in plasma and serum (P0.001). However, complexed-to-total (c/t) and free-to-total (f/t) PSA ratios remained constant in both groups, both in plasma and serum, during the follow-up.The decrease in total PSA after finasteride treatment results from a proportional reduction in its two major molecular forms, free PSA and PSA-alpha1ACT, which explains why the c/t and f/tPSA ratios do not change significantly despite treatment. This suggests that routine analysis of molecular forms of PSA could improve the utility of the change in total PSA associated with finasteride for the early diagnosis of prostate cancer. It also suggests that any subsequent change in both ratios, particularly an increase in c/tPSA or a decrease in f/tPSA ratio, could be considered an early sign of neoplastic degeneration rather than a therapeutic consequence.

Background and aims Paediatric palliative care is an essential aspect of medical practice for patients who need end-of-life attendance. The better understanding of the main death causes allows to anticipate the future complications in the final stage. The aim is to describe the epidemiology and characteristics of deaths at childhood in Catalonia and specifically in a tertiary paediatric hospital. Methods Review data from the National Statistics Institute (http://pestadistico.inteligenciadegestion.msssi.es) on mortality of people aged 0–19 years old, during the period from 2007 to 2011. Analyse the main general causes of death by ICD (International Code of Disease) collected in death certificate and compare them with our experience. Results During the period from 2007 to 2011, a total of 2.282 deaths were registered in Catalonia (59% males, 41% females). The mortality rate varies by age (Graph 1). In Catalonia the most frequent causes of death were conditions originated in the perinatal period (COPP) (27%), external causes (18%), congenital malformations (15%) and neoplasms (11%)(Table 1). The epidemiological study in our centre shows that 487 patients died in this period. The mean age was 3.5 years. According to sex, 47% were female and 53% male. The average length of hospitalisation was 12 days (range: 1–167 days). In our hospital, the most frequent causes of death in inpatients were COPP (45%), diseases of the respiratory system (17%) and neoplasms (15%)(Graph 2). Conclusions In accordance with the literature, during the first year there is a peak in the mortality rate. In this period the main causes of death are COPP and congenital malformations. In adolescence the main causes of death are external causes and malignancy. In our hospital, almost a half of the total deaths occur in the first month of life due to COPP. Every centre should know his epidemiology of the main causes of death.

Background and aims NICU’s environment is rich from an acoustical point of view. Long-termeffects of exposure to repeated noise in preterm’s neurological and sensorial developmentis of concern. We aimed to analyse the acoustic environment of the NICU, the types ofsounds present in it and their characteristics (both intensity and frequency). Patients and methods Ten recording sessions were carried out. Duration of acquired data:108.7 min. Two microphones connected to the Olympus LS-5 Linear-PCM Recorder were used. One microphone was placed inside the incubator; the other, outside. Results More than 65 different sounds were found. We divided them intoacoustically homogeneous groups: 1. Tones (mostly equipment alarms), were present in 21% of the totalrecorded time. 2. Vocalisations (with a lot ofdifferent subclasses here: speech, cry, laugh, cough... both from infants and adults) in 63%. 3. Other (all the other sounds: equipment moving, respiratory devices, caregiving tasks, etc.) in 70%. Average/Maximum sound intensity was 54/72.3 dB inside the incubator and 51.6/69.7 dB outside. With respect to the spectral domain, the fundamental frequencies of alarmsare mostly around 1.5 kHz, and the content of vocalisations can be observed upto 8 kHz. The group other is diverse, since it contains lower- andhigher-frequency sounds, and also sounds spread over awide frequency range (e.g. ventilation noise). Conclusions 1. In our NICU noise levels exceeds recommendations. 2. There is a large and diverse set of sounds; vocalisations are the most common. 3. Noise inside the incubator is higher than outside it.

Primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNETs) of the uterus are very rare. Even preoperative curettage specimen morphology does not permit establishing a proper histogenetic diagnosis.A 16-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital because of metrorrhagia of three months' duration. The curettage specimen was interpreted as poorly differentiated sarcoma. The patient was operated on, and a total abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy with omentectomy was performed. Histologically the tumor was composed of uniform, rounded, oval and sometimes spindle shaped cells with a narrow rim of eosinophilic cytoplasm. The cells were positive for neurogenic marker protein gene product, neuron-specific enolase and Ewing's sarcoma-related HBA-71. All cells were uniformly negative for Ber EP4 monoclonal antibody recognizing an epithelium-specific surface antigen. A diagnosis of PNET was rendered. The patient received combined therapy, external radiation to the pelvis and chemotherapy. Four years later she was alive, without signs of recurrent tumor.In spite of the generally recognized aggressive behavior of PNET, it can have a long disease-free survival rate when appropriately treated.