Anti-beta-2-glycoprotein I domain 1 identifies antiphospholipid antibodies-related injuries in patients with concomitant lupus nephritis.

Background: In this study we aimed to evaluate the usefulness of domain profiling of Beta-2-glycoprotein I(β2GPI)-Domain-1 (D1) antibodies in relation to antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL)-related nephropathy (aPL-N) in patients with biopsy-proven lupus nephritis (LN).

Methods: Of 124 consecutive patients (96 women, mean age 45.5 ± 12.

Merkel cell carcinoma of the forehead area: a literature review and case report.

Background: Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is an uncommon, aggressive malignancy of the skin, mostly affecting head and neck area in elderly white patients. Between head/neck sites, face accounts for 61% and forehead accounts for 17% of all face MCCs.

Purpose: We here present a literature review MCC cases arising in the forehead area, published in the English literature in the period 1987-2018, and report a personal observation with a late diagnosis and a treatment out of the current recommendations.

The Peltier driven frequency domain approach in thermal analysis.

The merits of Frequency Domain analysis as a tool for thermal system characterization are discussed, and the complex thermal impedance approach is illustrated. Pure AC thermal flux generation with negligible DC component is possible with a Peltier device, differently from other existing methods in which a significant DC component is intrinsically attached to the generated AC flux. Such technique is named here Peltier Driven Frequency Domain (PDFD).

Frequency domain analysis of spreading-constriction thermal impedance.

Spreading-constriction effects are analyzed in the frequency domain. The existence of a half-pole altering the steady state solution at high frequencies is pointed out. Application to the case of thermoelectric devices allows direct comparison with experimental data because thermal quantities can be measured as electrical signals at the very spot where spreading takes place.

An accurate new method to measure the dimensionless figure of merit of thermoelectric devices based on the complex impedance porcupine diagram.

The heat diffusion related f(-1/2) slow decay in the frequency domain transfer function of thermoelectric devices introduces a bias in figure of merit measurement methods that do not take it into account. The bias can range from less than 1% to more than 20% depending on the device. Harman type methods are not immune.

The elusive half-pole in the frequency domain transfer function of Peltier thermoelectric devices.

A half-pole can be expected in the transfer function of a Peltier device because proportionality between the diffusion length and the square root of the diffusion time is intrinsic in the diffusion equation. The resulting -1∕2 bilogarithmic slope (10 dB∕dec) is, however, easily masked by the thermal time constant of the load, which makes it elusive. The goal of this work is to identify the arrangements which can reveal and make usable the half-pole, because the latter can be instrumental in a servo control to increase the open-loop gain without risking instability.

Hospital costs of coronary artery bypass grafting on elective coronary patients.

Objective: To assess hospital costs associated with coronary artery bypass grafting performed on elective coronary patients, and the relation of costs with the number of grafts.

Methods: Descriptive prospective study carried out at Instituto Dante Pazzanese de Cardiologia in April, May and June of 2005. Coronary patients of different ages and both genders were included.