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Efficient sampling approaches combined with reliable, fast testing procedures are crucial factors in surveillance for early detection of Xylella fastidiosa (Xf). In the frame of the European project ‘XF-ACTORS’, work was performed on developing effective sampling methods to support reliable detection of Xf, particularly in asymptomatic plants. The objectives of the work were to: (a) evaluate the efficiency of two methods for DNA extraction from plant material (1 g), employing two commercial kits, one silica-column-based and one magnetic-bead-based, in automated DNA-extraction devices. (b) test the performance of both DNA extraction methods in pooled (10 g) plant samples. c) evaluate the sensitivity of an isothermal DNA amplification and detection system applied on crude plant material preparation without DNA purification, using a portable fluorometer (AmpliFire, Douglas Scientific). The plant material was derived from cultivated host species of high economic importance and wide distribution in Greece: Olea europaea, Prunus cerasifera, Ficus carica, and various ornamentals with a major role in Xf epidemiology: Lavandula sp., Nerium sp., Pelargonium sp., Pistacia sp., Juniperus sp. and Tagetes sp. It was spiked with different levels of inactivated Xf cells. The DNA extracts were assessed for their quality (Α260/Α280), quantity (ng/μl) and performance in qPCR protocols recommended in EPPO/ISPM diagnostic standards. In the isothermal DNA amplification and detection system experiment, the plant material was derived from: Polygala myrtifolia, a species used in this project as an indicator host for monitoring the presence of Xf insect-vectors, and Myrtus microphylla, a species exhibiting strong inhibition of amplification in conventional PCR. The results obtained contribute to the improvement of sampling and molecular testing of plants in Xf surveillance programs, supporting reliable early detection of this pathogen, as far as the effectiveness of the selected DNA extraction method is concerned, especially when pooled samples are tested., GR; PDF; m.holeva@bpi.gr

A procedure for computing customized wavelets suitable for identifying the location of a fault along the length of a transmission line is proposed. Measuring the time difference of arrival (TDOA) between two consecutive transient reflections or the TDOA between the two initial peaks of two synchronized voltage/current bus measurements provides an accurate fault-location estimate. Reliable TDOA estimates can be obtained only when the transformed fault signals consist of short/peaked pulses that arrive on a bus with a small group delay. Our customization method improves the “peakedness” and shortens the group delay of the transient signal by maximizing a suitable peakedness objective function. It is shown that this approach is superior in terms of accuracy compared to the “classic” (Daubechies) wavelet-based technique found in the literature. The proposed method is independent of the fault type and can be used to reduce the required data sampling rate while maintaining reliable TDOA estimates.

Background Rabeprazole produces a profound and long-lasting inhibition of gastric acid secretion. The aim of the study was to monitor the safety and efficacy of rabeprazole administered to patients with erosive or symptomatic non-erosive reflux disease, in real-life healthcare settings. Methods Male and female patients, aged ≥18 years, with endoscopy diagnosed GERD were included; patients received at least 8 weeks treatment with rabeprazole. Changes in severity of symptoms recorded on the Likert scale were analysed using marginal homogeneity tests. Results 186 patients were enrolled across 17 study sites; 127 patients (68.3%) completed the study. Almost 75% of patients had an initial diagnosis of GERD with Grade A or B esophagitis. The most commonly reported adverse events (AEs) were diarrhea, flatulence, dizziness, cough, abdominal pain, upper abdominal pain and somnolence. Over half of AEs were unrelated to study drug; 1 severe AE of diarrhea was possibly related to study drug. No new AEs were reported not included in the current version of Summary of Product Characteristics. Rabeprazole was effective in reducing the symptoms of GERD; the Likert scale scores of symptoms decreased significantly for all patients from 0-4 weeks and 4-8 weeks. Conclusions In our study, rabeprazole was safe and effective in reducing the symptoms of GERD.

A numerically robust, computationally efficient method for modeling a multi-phase, frequency-dependent transmission line (FDTL) or underground cable (FDUC) by means of low-order transfer functions using a perfect reconstruction filter bank (PR-FB) is proposed. Modeling the delay-transfer functions associated with the characteristic impedance and weighting function of an FDTL or FDUC over a wide range of frequencies typically involves high-order rational function approximations (RFAs). Discretization of the high order RFAs is prone to numerical instability, especially when the ratio of the maximum pole magnitude over the minimum pole magnitude (condition number) is large. The proposed method improves numerical stability by employing several narrowband (subband) low-order RFAs using a logarithmic tree-structured perfect reconstruction filter bank. Moreover, the method is computationally efficient, since simulation of each subband is of low complexity and very suitable for parallel (multi-core) processing.

A numerically robust, computationally efficient method for modelling a frequency-dependent transmission line (FDTL) by means of low-order transfer functions using a perfect reconstruction filter bank (PR-FB) is proposed. Modelling the delay-transfer functions associated with the characteristic impedance and weighting function of a FDTL over a wide range of frequencies typically involves high-order rational function approximations (RFAs). Discretization of the high order RFAs is prone to numerical instability, especially when the ratio of the maximum pole over the minimum pole (condition number) is large. The proposed method improves numerical stability by employing several narrowband (subband), low-order RFAs using a logarithmic tree-structured perfect reconstruction filter bank. Moreover, the method is computationally efficient, since simulation of each subband is of low complexity and very suitable for parallel (multi-core) processing.

A numerically robust, computationally efficient method for modeling a high order system by means of low order transfer functions using a perfect reconstruction filter bank (PR-FB) is proposed. Modeling the transfer functions associated with the characteristic impedance and propagation/weighting function of a frequency dependent transmission line (FDTL) over a wide range of frequencies typically involves rational function approximations (RFAs) of high order. Discretization of the high order RFAs is prone to numerical instability, especially when the ratio of the maximum pole over the minimum pole (condition number) is large. The proposed method improves numerical stability by employing several narrowband (subband), low-order RFAs using a logarithmic tree-structured perfect reconstruction filter bank. Moreover, the method is computationally efficient, since simulation of each subband is of low complexity and very suitable for parallel (multi-core) processing.

A systematic and highly intuitive procedure for deriving the digital filter realization of an arbitrary block-parallel and/or pipelined discrete-time transfer function H(z) is proposed. The method is based on simple block diagram and multi-rate (filter-bank) properties and is intended for low-power processing by reducing (a) the required system clock frequency and (b) the number of required multipliers by facilitating arithmetic resource sharing. We provide design examples for (classical) direct-form FIR and IIR filters as well as for specialized architectures such as fractional-delay Farrow (programmable FIR), lattice-ladder (IIR), Adaptive Phase Equalization (programmable IIR) and Multiplier-less MAXFLAT filters. The technique and examples presented are intended to serve as a high-speed filter realization reference for Digital and DSP ASIC developers.

A procedure for generating customized wavelets for detecting the location of a fault along the length of a transmission line is proposed. Measuring the time-difference-of-arrival (TDOA) between two consecutive transient reflections or the TDOA between the two initial peaks of two synchronized voltage/current bus measurements provides an accurate fault location estimate. Highly accurate TDOA estimates can be obtained only when the processed fault waveform consists of short/peaked pulses that arrive on a bus with a small group delay. Our customization procedure enhances the “peakedness” and shortens the group delay of the transient waveform by optimizing a suitable peakedness metric. This approach yields more accurate estimates than the “classic” (Daubechies) wavelet-based techniques found in the literature. The proposed method is independent of the fault-type and can be used to reduce the required data sampling rate while maintaining reliable TDOA estimates.

We describe a method for application-specific customization of dynamic phasors, intended for use in wide-area monitoring and control of electric power networks. In particular, we propose frequency-selective customization for accurate tracking of time-variant harmonic content under both steady-state (nearly-periodic) and transient operating conditions. Our approach relies on a recently introduced family of generalized dynamic phasors obtained via a so-called Phasor Bank transform. We provide an explicit compact characterization of the optimally-robust reconstruction stage of this transform, which can be used with any (customized) choice of its analysis stage. Since the phasor bank transform allows causal delay-free perfect reconstruction of any input waveform, it is perfectly suited for (closed-loop) control applications.

A procedure for generating customized wavelets for detecting the location of a fault in a power transmission line is proposed. A typical fault waveform consists of a 60Hz component and multiple reflections of a short transient. Measuring the time-difference-of-arrival (TDOA) between two consecutive transient reflections provides an accurate estimate of the location of the fault. Highly accurate TDOA estimates can be obtained only when the processed fault waveform consists of short/peaked pulses. Our customization procedure enhances the “peakedness” of the transient waveform by optimizing a suitable peakedness metric. This approach yields more accurate estimates than the method used in [1], which used a standard (Daubechies-4) wavelet to process the fault waveform. Our analysis also provides us with some insight as to why a discrete wavelet transform (including the one used in [1]) can significantly enhance the peakedness of a wide variety of power system fault waveforms.

Background: Postoperative anastomotic strictures frequently complicate colorectal resection. Currently, various endoscopic techniques are being employed in their management, but the establishment of an optimal therapeutic strategy is still pending. The purpose of our study is to compare through-the-scope (TTS) balloon dilators versus Eder-Puestow metal olive dilators in the treatment of postoperative benign rectal strictures, considering the clinical outcome and cost-effectiveness of each method. Methods: A total of 39 patients with benign anastomotic rectal stenosis were retrospectively studied. In group A, 15 patients underwent dilation with Eder-Puestow metal olives, while in group B 19 patients were treated by means of TTS balloon dilators. The technical and clinical success of dilation, complications, number of repeated sessions required, disease-free time intervals, and the overall cost of each procedure were evaluated. Results: Dilations were technically successful in all patients. No major complications occurred in either group. The number of dilations needed, rate of stricture recurrence, and duration of stenosis-free time intervals were not statistically significantly different between the two groups. Both methods proved more effective in older patients, given the greater number of dilations required in younger patients of both groups and higher frequency of stricture relapse in younger balloon-dilated patients (median 64.00 years) compared with older ones (median 75.00 years) (p = 0.001). An indisputable advantage of the Eder-Puestow technique, compared with TTS balloon dilators, is the low cost of equipment (median 22.30 € compared with 680 €, respectively; p < 0.001). Conclusion: Endoscopic dilation of postoperative benign rectal strictures is equally effective and safe, especially in older patients, when performed by Eder-Puestow bougies or TTS balloon dilators. However, metal olivary tips seem to surpass balloon dilators when considering the obvious economical benefits of the first method. © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.

AIM: To investigate the technical success and clinical complication rate of a cannulated pancreatic duct with guidewire for biliary access. METHODS: During a five-year study period, a total of 2843 patients were included in this retrospective analysis. Initial biliary cannulation method consisted of single-guidewire technique (SGT) for up to 5 attempts, followed by double-guidewire technique (DGT) when repeated unintentional pancreatic duct cannulation had taken place. Pre-cut papillotomy technique was reserved for when DGT had failed or no pancreatic duct cannulation had been previously achieved. Main outcome measurements were defned as biliary cannu-lation success and post-endoscopic retrograde cholan-giopancreatography (ERCP) complication rate. RESULTS: SGT (92.3% success rate) was characterized by statistically significant enhanced patient outcome compared to either the DGT (43.8%, P < 0.001), pre-cut failed DGT (73%, P < 0.001) or pre-cut as first step method (80.6%, P = 0.002). Pre-cut as first step method offered a statistically significantly more favorable outcome compared to the DGT (P < 0.001). The incidence of post-ERCP pancreatitis did not differ in a statistically significant manner between either method (SGT: 5.3%, DGT: 6.1%, Pre-cut failed DGT: 7.9%, Pre-cut as first step: 7.5%) or with patients' gender. CONCLUSION: Although DGT success rate proved not to be superior to SGT or pre-cut papillotomy, it is considered highly satisfactory in terms of safety in order to avoid the risk of a pre-cut when biliary therapy is necessary in difficult-to-cannulate cases. © 2011 Baishideng. All rights reserved.

Aim: To estimate if and to what extent long acting octreotide (LAR) improves survival and quality of life in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: A total of 127 cirrhotics, stages A-B, due to chronic viral infections and with advanced HCC, were enrolled in the study. Scintigraphy with 111Indium labeled octreotide was performed in all cases. The patients with increased accumulation of radionuclear compound were randomized to receive either oral placebo only or octreotide/octreotide LAR only as follows: octreotide 0.5mg s.c. every 8 h for 6 wk, at the end of wk 4-8 octreotide LAR 20 mg i.m. and at the end of wk 12 and every 4 wk octreotide LAR 30mg i.m.. Follow-up was worked out monthly as well as the estimation of quality of life (QLQ-C30 questionnaire). Patients with negative somatostatin receptors (SSTR) detection were followed up in the same manner. Results: Scintigraphy demonstrated SSTR in 61 patients. Thirty were randomized to receive only placebo and 31 only octreotide. A significantly higher survival time was observed for the octreotide group (49 ± 6 wk) as compared to the control group (28 ± 1 wk) and to the SSTR negative group (28 ± 2 wk), LR = 20.39, df = 2, P < 0.01. The octreotide group presented 68.5% lower hazard ratio [95% CI (47.4%-81.2%)]. During the first year, a 22%, 39% and 43% decrease in the QLQ-C30 score was observed in each group respectively. Conclusion: The proposed therapeutic approach has shown to improve the survival and quality of life in SSTR positive patients with advanced HCC. © 2007 The WJG Press. All rights reserved. Indications:30 patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (multinodular 6, massive 20, and diffuse 4) somatostatin receptor-positive and cirrhosis (stage A 11 and stage B 19). Patients:126 patients. Sandostatin group: 30 patients, 20 male and 10 female, mean age 69.4 years. 3 dropouts due to side effects. Placebo (control) group: 30 patients, 22 male and 8 female, mean age 69.5 years. SSTR-negative (SSTR-) group: 66 patients, 36 male and30 female, mean age 69.4 years. Patients were followed up for a period of 4 and 160 weeks. TypeofStudy:This study estimated the extent of improvement of survival rate, with respect to tumor size and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels, and quality of life of patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma-somatostatin receptor-positive (HCC-SSTR+) and A-B stage cirrhosis following Sandostatin treatment. Randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial. DosageDuration:0.5 mg sc tid (=1.5 mg daily) for 6 weeks; at the end of weeks 4 and 8, 20 mg im (as long acting repeatable); and at the end of week 12 and every 4 weeks, 30 mg im (as long acting repeatable). Duration: 12 weeks. Results:At the end of the follow-up period, 1 patient death was recorded. A significantly higher mean survival time was noted for the Sandostatin compared with placebo and SSTR- groups (49 vs. 28 and 28 weeks, respectively; P0.05) groups had a 68.5% and 7% lower hazard of death, respectively as compared with the SSTR- group. In all 3 groups, a decreasing QLQ-C30 score was observed during the follow-up. During the first 12 months, a 22%, 39%, and 43% decrease was observed in the Sandostatin, placebo, and SSTR- groups, respectively. Sandostatin-treated patients presented a significantly higher QLQ-C30 score as compared with placebo and SSTR- patients (P>0.05). AdverseEffects:A total of 30 adverse events were recorded at the end of follow up. 6 patients developed severe diarrhea leading to Sandostatin withdrawal. FreeText:SSTR determination was conducted in all patients using scintigraphy with 111Indium-labeled octreotide. Patients with increased uptake (Krenning's score 3 and 4) were randomized to receive placebo or Sandostatin. Other tests: AFP levels, liver and renal function, tumor size (dual phase helical computer tomography scan), and QLQ-C30 (quality of life assessment). AuthorsConclusions:The proposed therapeutic approach has shown to improve survival and quality of life in SSTR positive patients with advanced HCC and, despite the high cost, it seems to be an attractive therapeutic option for those who have no possibility for other therapeutic modalities such as liver transplantation, surgical resection, PEI [percutaneous ethanol injection] or TACE [transcatheter arterial chemoembolization].

Background: In controlled clinical trials, rabeprazole effectively improves symptoms and heals oesophageal erosions in patients with gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD). Aim: To examine symptom relief during week 1 of rabeprazole therapy, in addition to GORD healing, in a clinical practice setting. Methods: In this 8-week, prospective, multicentre, postauthorisation surveillance study conducted in Greece, patients with GORD (intent-to-treat: efficacy, 272; safety, 273) were treated with rabeprazole 20 mg once daily. The primary efficacy end point was the change from baseline in GORD symptom severity on day 1, 2, 3 and 7 using a 5-point Likert scale (1 = no symptoms; 5 = severe symptoms). Oesophageal healing was also evaluated by comparing the results of endoscopic findings at baseline and after 4 and 8 weeks of treatment. Results: On day 1 of treatment, rabeprazole relieved GORD symptoms across all grades of oesophagitis, with statistically significant (p = 0.0001) improvement in heartburn, regurgitation, epigastric pain and dysphagia. Oesophageal healing was achieved in 77% of patients at week 4 and in 90% at week 8 and treatment was well tolerated. Conclusions: In a clinical practice setting, rabeprazole provided rapid relief of GORD symptoms, confirming results seen in controlled clinical trials.

SR (serinearginine) proteins are essential premRNA splicing factors. Several SR proteins have been characterized in humans, among them SRA1. It has been demonstrated by members of our group that the SRA1 gene is constitutively expressed in most of the human tissues, while its transcription is increased in breast carcinoma cell lines. Moreover, the SRA1 gene is overexpressed in a set of ovarian tumors, suggesting that it may be involved in the pathogenesis and/or progression of ovarian cancer. Therefore, in the present study we examined the expression of the SRA1 gene in colon cancer tissues by RTPCR and found that it is overexpressed as compared to normal mucosa (p=0.01). The SRA1 gene was expressed more frequently in welldifferentiated tumors than those with poor differentiation. Survival curves determined by the KaplanMeier method and univariate analysis demonstrated that SRA1-positivity is associated with a long survival (p=0.044). However, when entered into a Cox multivariate model adjusted for other clinicopathological features studied, SRA1 expression status was not found to be of independent prognostic significance. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study examining the expression of the novel gene SRA1 in colon cancer progression.

Background: Several studies have attempted to investigate the association of thermal difference between malignant tumors and inflammatory benign lesions. In this work, we evaluated whether thermal heterogeneity of solid tumors in the stomach constitutes a marker for the diagnosis of benign, preneoplastic, and malignant lesions. Study: A thermistor probe was used that attached to the distal end of a long and steerable, 3fr-thermography catheter passed through the biopsy channel of the gastroscope and came in touch with the stomach epithelium to measure temperature differences (DeltaT) between normal tissue and various types of lesions. The method was applied in 8 patients with benign hyperplastic gastric lesions, 19 patients with gastritis, 9 patients with peptic ulcer, 7 patients with dysplasia and 11 patients with gastric adenocarcinoma. Results: Progressive changes in DeltaT between hyperplastic gastric lesions, gastritis, ulcer, dysplasia and adenocarcinoma were observed (P < 0.001). Statistical analysis showed that DeltaT greater than 1.7 degreesC, constitutes a crucial point for the diagnosis of malignancy, in stomach lesions, with sensitivity (72%) and specificity (94%). Conclusions: These findings suggest that the detection of DeltaT, between normal tissue and neoplastic lesions, could be useful in clinical practice for the differential diagnosis of stomach lesions, even in the early stages.

A randomized trial was conducted to assess the efficacy of daily (QD) or thrice weekly (TIW) administration of interferon-alpha (IFN) in high doses in combination with ribavirin (1.0-1.2 g/day) in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) who were nonresponders to previous IFN monotherapy. Interferon was administered as 10 MU IFN (QD or TIW) for 4 weeks, followed by 5 MU IFN (QD or TIW) for 20 weeks, and then by 3 MU IFN (QD or TIW) for 24 weeks. Sustained virological response (SVR) was evaluated in 142 patients who received at least one dose of medication. One-fourth of the patients achieved SVR, 26% of those treated with IFN QD and 25% of those treated with IFN TIW (P = 0.85). For genotype 1 patients, SVR rates were 32.4 and 15.8% for IFN QD and IFN TIW, respectively, whereas for genotype non-1 patients the corresponding SVR rates were 20.6 and 36.4%, respectively (test of homogeneity: P = 0.031). This finding was further confirmed by multivariate logistic regression analysis where a statistically significant interaction (P = 0.012) was found between treatment and HCV genotype indicating that the IFN QD regimen was superior to IFN TIW among genotype 1 patients whereas, among genotype non-1 patients, the two treatments were similar (odds ratio of SVR in IFN QD vs IFN TIW: 3.33 among genotype 1 patients, 95% CI: 1.00-11.14). In conclusion, re-treatment of patients not responding to previous IFN monotherapy with a combination of high daily dose of IFN with ribavirin may be beneficial for genotype 1 infected patients.