Assessing Risk of Osteoporotic Fractures in Primary Care: Development and Validation of the FRA-HS Algorithm.

We aimed to develop and validate the FRActure Health Search (FRA-HS) score for prediction of risk of osteoporotic fractures in primary care in Italy. We selected a cohort of patients aged 40 years between 1999 and 2002. They were followed until the occurrence of osteoporotic fracture, death, end of data registration, or end of data availability (December 31, 2012).

Interventional Radiology Management of a Ruptured Lumbar Artery Pseudoaneurysm after Cryoablation and Vertebroplasty of a Lumbar Metastasis.

We describe the management of a complication (a lumbar artery pseudoaneurysm and its rupture) after combined procedure (cryoablation and vertebroplasty) on a lumbar (L2) metastasis from renal cell carcinoma. Review of the literature is also presented with discussion about the measures to be taken to prevent these types of complications.

Treatment with rituximab in idiopathic membranous nephropathy.

Background: Rituximab represents a valid therapeutic option to induce remission in patients with primary glomerulonephritis. Despite several studies proving its efficacy in improving outcomes in patients with membranous nephropathy (MN), its role in therapeutic protocols is not yet defined.

Methods: We studied 38 patients with idiopathic MN treated with rituximab (in 13 patients as first-line therapy, in the remaining 25 after conventional immunosuppressive therapy).

Laser beam shaping for enhanced Zero-Group Velocity Lamb modes generation.

Optimization of Lamb modes induced by laser can be achieved by adjusting the spatial source distribution to the mode wavelength (λ). The excitability of Zero-Group Velocity (ZGV) resonances in isotropic plates is investigated both theoretically and experimentally for axially symmetric sources. Optimal parameters and amplitude gains are derived analytically for spot and annular sources of either Gaussian or rectangular energy profiles.

Predictive value of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) T-cell response in the control of HCMV infection by seropositive solid-organ transplant recipients according to different assays and stimuli.

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is still the most common viral infection in solid-organ transplant recipients (SOTR). Our study aimed to identify the predictive values of the T-cell response able to protect from HCMV disease, according to different assays. Viral DNA was determined by real-time PCR.

Developmental delay in motor skill acquisition in Niemann-Pick C1 mice reveals abnormal cerebellar morphogenesis.

Niemann-Pick type C1 (NPC1) disease is a lysosomal storage disorder caused by defective intracellular trafficking of exogenous cholesterol. Purkinje cell (PC) degeneration is the main sign of cerebellar dysfunction in both NPC1 patients and animal models. It has been recently shown that a significant decrease in Sonic hedgehog (Shh) expression reduces the proliferative potential of granule neuron precursors in the developing cerebellum of Npc1 (-/-) mice.

Thoracic spine trauma: advanced imaging modality.

Technological advances in diagnostic imaging make the diagnosis of spinal trauma more accurate both in the acute and in the chronic settings. Improvements in medical care and in diagnostic imaging lead to an increasing prevalence of patients' surviving injuries. The management of these patients depends on early and appropriate radiological evaluation in the acute phase.

Follicular helper T-cells and virus-specific antibody response in primary and reactivated human cytomegalovirus infections of the immunocompetent and immunocompromised transplant patients.

Analysis of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) primary infection in immunocompetent (n=40) and immunocompromised transplant patients (n=20) revealed that the median peak antibody titre neutralizing infection of epithelial cells was 16-fold higher in immunocompromised patients. The mechanism of this finding was investigated by measuring: (i) HCMV DNAemia; (ii) HCMV neutralizing antibodies; (iii) ELISA IgG antibody titre to HCMV glycoprotein complexes gHgLpUL128L, gHgLgO and gB; and (iv) HCMV-specific (IFN-γ+) CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells. Circulating CXCR5+ CD4+ (memory T follicular helper - TFH-cells) were identified as activated TFH (ICOS+PD-1++CCR7lo) and quiescent cells.

An Alignment Method for the Integration of Underwater 3D Data Captured by a Stereovision System and an Acoustic Camera.

The integration of underwater 3D data captured by acoustic and optical systems is a promising technique in various applications such as mapping or vehicle navigation. It allows for compensating the drawbacks of the low resolution of acoustic sensors and the limitations of optical sensors in bad visibility conditions. Aligning these data is a challenging problem, as it is hard to make a point-to-point correspondence.

Tailoring the nature and strength of electron-phonon interactions in the SrTiO3(001) 2D electron liquid.

Surfaces and interfaces offer new possibilities for tailoring the many-body interactions that dominate the electrical and thermal properties of transition metal oxides. Here, we use the prototypical two-dimensional electron liquid (2DEL) at the SrTiO3(001) surface to reveal a remarkably complex evolution of electron-phonon coupling with the tunable carrier density of this system. At low density, where superconductivity is found in the analogous 2DEL at the LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interface, our angle-resolved photoemission data show replica bands separated by 100 meV from the main bands.

Endothelin-1 Mediates Brain Microvascular Dysfunction Leading to Long-Term Cognitive Impairment in a Model of Experimental Cerebral Malaria.

Plasmodium falciparum infection causes a wide spectrum of diseases, including cerebral malaria, a potentially life-threatening encephalopathy. Vasculopathy is thought to contribute to cerebral malaria pathogenesis. The vasoactive compound endothelin-1, a key participant in many inflammatory processes, likely mediates vascular and cognitive dysfunctions in cerebral malaria.

In vitro antileishmanial activity of trans-stilbene and terphenyl compounds.

Leishmaniasis are globally widespread parasitic diseases which often leads to death if left untreated. Currently available drugs present different drawbacks, so there is an urgent need to develop new, safe and cost-effective drugs against leishmaniasis. In this study we tested a small library of trans-stilbene and terphenyl derivatives against promastigote, amastigotes and intramacrophage amastigote forms of Leishmania infantum.

A rare localization of pure dermoid cyst in the frontal bone.

We report the case of an 84-year-old woman who came to our attention with right palpebral edema associated with pain in the omolateral fronto-orbital region. The patient underwent an MRI scan that revealed a rounded, extracerebral intradiploic cystic lesion with dyshomogeneous signal intensity. Computed tomography (CT) imaging was also performed with reformatted 3D reconstruction.

Nonadherence to immunosuppressive therapy in kidney transplant recipients: can technology help?

End-stage kidney disease is a life-threatening condition that compels patients to accept either dialysis or transplant. Kidney transplantation is the best choice for patients with end-stage kidney disease because it ensures higher quality of life and longer survival rates than other choices, with less cost for the healthcare system. However, in order for renal recipients to maintain the functioning graft they must take lifelong immunosuppressive medications, with possible side effects and low medication adherence.

Importance of rotary systems in dental care by undergraduate students in patients of a public health service of Belo Horizonte.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the fracture rates of ProTaper rotary files used in the endodontics extension clinic of the Undergraduate Dentistry Course of the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais during the prior eight years.

Material And Methods: Control record data regarding file usage by students were collected and analyzed by semester. For each period, the total number of patient consultations, the frequency of file use, the occurrence of fractures and the file numbers for which fractures occurred were noted.

Impact of prolonged assisted ventilation on diaphragmatic efficiency: NAVA versus PSV.

Background: Prolonged controlled mechanical ventilation depresses diaphragmatic efficiency. Assisted modes of ventilation should improve it. We assessed the impact of pressure support ventilation versus neurally adjusted ventilator assist on diaphragmatic efficiency.

Investigation of interfacial stiffnesses of a tri-layer using Zero-Group Velocity Lamb modes.

Zero-Group Velocity (ZGV) Lamb waves are studied in a structure composed of two plates bonded by an adhesive layer. The dispersion curves are calculated for a Duralumin/epoxy/Duralumin sample, where the adhesion is modeled by a normal and a tangential spring at both interfaces. Several ZGV modes are identified and their frequency dependence on interfacial stiffnesses and on the bonding layer thickness is numerically studied.

Collapse of the Mott Gap and Emergence of a Nodal Liquid in Lightly Doped Sr(2)IrO(4).

We report angle resolved photoemission experiments on the electron doped Heisenberg antiferromagnet (Sr(1-x)La(x))(2)IrO(4). For a doping level of x=0.05, we find an unusual metallic state with coherent nodal excitations and an antinodal pseudogap bearing strong similarities with underdoped cuprates.

Colistin-associated Acute Kidney Injury in Severely Ill Patients: A Step Toward a Better Renal Care? A Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: Critically ill patients with severe sepsis or septic shock may need relatively high colistin daily doses for efficacy against multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant gram-negative rods. However, acute kidney injury (AKI) may represent a major dose-limiting adverse effect of colistin. We sought to determine AKI occurrence and to identify factors influencing AKI risk in severely ill patients receiving colistin according to a recently proposed dosing strategy.

Cytotoxic Screening and In Vitro Evaluation of Pentadecane Against Leishmania infantum Promastigotes and Amastigotes.

Pentadecane is an organic compound that is made up of primarily carbon and hydrogen atoms. Pentadecane is a floral volatile found in many different plants and essential oils and also in crude extracts of some plants, and it shows antimicrobial activity. This study investigated in vitro effects of pentadecane in Leishmania infantum parasites and found that it decreases growth by 86 ± 2% both in promastigotes (half maximal inhibitory concentration [IC50] = 65.

Reconstitution of Human Cytomegalovirus-Specific CD4+ T Cells is Critical for Control of Virus Reactivation in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Recipients but Does Not Prevent Organ Infection.

The relative contribution of human cytomegalovirus (HMCV)-specific CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells to the control of HCMV infection in hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients is still controversial. HCMV reactivation and HCMV-specific CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell reconstitution were monitored for 1 year in 63 HCMV-seropositive patients receiving HSCT. HCMV reactivation was detected in all but 2 patients.