Extrahepatic perfusion and incomplete hepatic perfusion after hepatic arterial infusion pump implantation: incidence and clinical implications.

Introduction: This study investigates the incidence of extrahepatic perfusion and incomplete hepatic perfusion at intraoperative methylene blue testing and on postoperative nuclear imaging in patients undergoing hepatic arterial infusion pump (HAIP) chemotherapy.

Methods: The first 150 consecutive patients who underwent pump implantation in the Netherlands were included. All patients underwent surgical pump implantation with the catheter in the gastroduodenal artery.

Resectability and Ablatability Criteria for the Treatment of Liver Only Colorectal Metastases: Multidisciplinary Consensus Document from the COLLISION Trial Group.

The guidelines for metastatic colorectal cancer crudely state that the best local treatment should be selected from a 'toolbox' of techniques according to patient- and treatment-related factors. We created an interdisciplinary, consensus-based algorithm with specific resectability and ablatability criteria for the treatment of colorectal liver metastases (CRLM). To pursue consensus, members of the multidisciplinary COLLISION and COLDFIRE trial expert panel employed the RAND appropriateness method (RAM).

Utilization of Lignin-Derived Small Molecules: Epoxy Polymers from Lignin Oxidation Products.

Much effort has been invested in developing methods for producing small molecules from lignin as a way to source feedstock chemicals from renewable sources. Significant progress is being made, and methods for deconstructing lignin are producing good yields of small, mononuclear aromatic products-sufficient amounts to enable studies of the potential use of these compounds as replacements for compounds currently produced from petroleum. To investigate the use of lignin products in epoxies, we begin with aromatic acids that can be produced from lignin, treat them with epichlorohydrin to make glycidyl ethers, and investigate the thermal and mechanical properties of cured mixtures of these compounds with a commercial epoxy resin (EPON 826) and an anhydride curing agent (NMA).

Phase Ib/II trial testing combined radiofrequency ablation and ipilimumab in uveal melanoma (SECIRA-UM).

Approximately, 50% of patients with uveal melanoma develop distant metastasis for which no standard therapy is established. In contrast to cutaneous melanoma, the anti-CTLA-4 antibody ipilimumab showed no clinical activity in uveal melanoma. Liver directed therapies improve local control, but fail to show overall survival (OS) benefit.

Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome resulting in nutmeg liver on computed tomography.

A 34-year-old woman entered the emergency room with abdominal pain in the right upper quadrant. Computed tomography scan showed a nutmeg liver suspected for increased venous pressure by thrombosis of the liver veins, Budd-Chiari malformation, or right-sided heart failure. Interestingly, the diagnosis was pelvic inflammatory disease complicated by the Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome (FHCS).

Diamagnetic current measurements in a solid-state plasma.

Using a resonant structure, we have established large pressure gradients in a magnetized indium antimonide (InSb) plasma. This produces diamagnetic current in the milliampere range. The magnetic field generated by the current is sensed with a small magnetic coil.

Toward the oxidative deconstruction of lignin: oxidation of β-1 and β-5 linkages.

There have been numerous reports on methods for the oxidative cleavage of β-O-4 linkages in lignin model compounds, but relatively few reports of how those methods affect other linkages that are present in lignin. We have investigated the effect of several of these oxidation methods on the β-1 and the β-5 lignin linkages, using four β-1 and β-5 model compounds. We observed that direct oxidative cleavage of C-C bonds occurs in metal-catalyzed TEMPO oxidation systems and with iron porphyrin oxidations, neither of which had we observed in similar oxidations on β-O-4 models.

A Prolapsed Cecoureterocele in an Adult Treated Conservatively: Highly Rare, but Existent.

Ectopic ureteroceles are one of the most common human urinary tract anomalies. They tend to be recognized and treated in early childhood, especially when they have prolapsed. In most cases surgical therapy is inevitable.

In vivo characterization of colorectal metastases in human liver using diffuse reflectance spectroscopy: toward guidance in oncological procedures.

There is a strong need to develop clinical instruments that can perform rapid tissue assessment at the tip of smart clinical instruments for a variety of oncological applications. This study presents the first in vivo real-time tissue characterization during 24 liver biopsy procedures using diffuse reflectance (DR) spectroscopy at the tip of a core biopsy needle with integrated optical fibers. DR measurements were performed along each needle path, followed by biopsy of the target lesion using the same needle.

Spectral sensing for tissue diagnosis during lung biopsy procedures: The importance of an adequate internal reference and real-time feedback.

Objectives: Difficulties in obtaining a representative tissue sample are a major obstacle in timely selecting the optimal treatment for patients with lung cancer or other malignancies. Having a modality to provide needle guidance and confirm the biopsy site selection could be of great clinical benefit, especially when small masses are targeted. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) at the tip of a core biopsy needle can be used for biopsy site confirmation in real time, thereby enabling optimized biopsy acquisition and improving diagnostic capability.

Da Vinci© Skills Simulator™: is an early selection of talented console surgeons possible?

To investigate whether the learning curve of robotic surgery simulator training depends on the probands' characteristics, such as age and prior experience, we conducted a study of six distinct proband groups, using the da Vinci Skills Simulator: experienced urological robotic surgeons, surgeons with experience as da Vinci tableside assistants, urological surgeons with laparoscopic experience, urological surgeons without laparoscopic experience, and complete novices aged 25 and younger and 40 and older. The results showed that all experienced robotic surgeons reached expert level (>90 %, as defined previously in the literature) within the first three repetitions and remained on a high level of performance. All other groups performed worse.

Resonant transducers for solid-state plasma density modulation.

We have developed transducers capable of modulating the plasma density and plasma density gradients in indium antimonide. These transducers make use of piezoelectric drivers to excite acoustic pressure resonance at 3λ/2, generating large amplitude standing waves and plasma density modulations. The plasma density has been directly measured using a laser diagnostic.

Real-time In Vivo Tissue Characterization with Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy during Transthoracic Lung Biopsy: A Clinical Feasibility Study.

Purpose: This study presents the first in vivo real-time tissue characterization during image-guided percutaneous lung biopsies using diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) sensing at the tip of a biopsy needle with integrated optical fibers.

Experimental Design: Tissues from 21 consented patients undergoing lung cancer surgery were measured intraoperatively using the fiber-optic platform capable of assessing various physical tissue properties highly correlated to tissue architecture and composition. In addition, the method was tested for clinical use by performing DRS tissue sensing during 11 routine biopsy procedures in patients with suspected lung cancer.

Selective cleavage of the C(α)-C(β) linkage in lignin model compounds via Baeyer-Villiger oxidation.

Lignin is an amorphous aromatic polymer derived from plants and is a potential source of fuels and bulk chemicals. Herein, we present a survey of reagents for selective stepwise oxidation of lignin model compounds. Specifically, we have targeted the oxidative cleavage of Cα-Cβ bonds as a means to depolymerize lignin and obtain useful aromatic compounds.

Low frequency pressure modulation of indium antimonide.

A lumped parameter resonator capable of generating megapascal pressures at low frequency (kilohertz) is described. Accelerometers are used to determine the applied pressure, and are calibrated with a piezoelectric sample. A laser diagnostic was also developed to measure the pressure in semiconductor samples through the band gap pressure dependence.

Nutrition, dietary supplements and adenocarcinoma of the prostate.

Three well-known and indisputable risk factors contribute to the development of prostate cancer, namely heredity, ethnic origin and increasing age. Geographic variations in incidence rates are considerable and it has, therefore, been suggested that environmental factors may also play a role. Migration studies clearly show that men with the same genetic background raised in different environments show a similar risk of developing the disease to those in their country of residency.

Hereditary persistence of alpha-fetoprotein mimicking testicular cancer in a patient with acute epididymitis.

Only a few cases of hereditary persistence of α-fetoprotein (HPAFP) have been published. This report presents an association between HPAFP and inflammatory testis disease, to the authors' knowledge, for the first time. HPAFP was diagnosed in a 41-year-old patient with acute epididymitis after exclusion of malignancies and benign diseases.

Linear and spiral forms of longitudinal cuts in graphitized N-doped multiwalled carbon nanotubes (g-N-MWCNTs).

Nitrogen-containing multiwalled nanotubes (N-MWCNTs), formed by CVD from a nitrogen-containing feedstock have a 'bamboo' structure in which the axes of the graphene planes are not parallel to the axis of the nanotube and the core is periodically bridged. We find that thermal and chemical treatment of these materials can produce nanotubes that have been cut longitudinally in either a linear or in a spiral manner. In addition, these longitudinally cut nanotubes can be partially or fully unrolled by sonication in an aqueous surfactant, producing graphite platelets as well as narrow structures that could be thin graphite ribbons or very narrow, intact N-MWCNTs.

Inter-observer agreement for abdominal CT in unselected patients with acute abdominal pain.

The level of inter-observer agreement of abdominal computed tomography (CT) in unselected patients presenting with acute abdominal pain at the Emergency Department (ED) was evaluated. Two hundred consecutive patients with acute abdominal pain were prospectively included. Multi-slice CT was performed in all patients with intravenous contrast medium only.

[A seatbelt sign following a car accident: look for internal abdominal injury].

We present three patients, a 55-year-old man, a 69-year-old woman and a 25-year-old man, with a seatbelt sign following a car accident. All 3 patients exhibited various injuries that may occur in the case of a blunt trauma, for example rib fractures. In one patient, however, symptoms of internal abdominal injury occurred several days after the accident.

Glaciers dominate eustatic sea-level rise in the 21st century.

Ice loss to the sea currently accounts for virtually all of the sea-level rise that is not attributable to ocean warming, and about 60% of the ice loss is from glaciers and ice caps rather than from the two ice sheets. The contribution of these smaller glaciers has accelerated over the past decade, in part due to marked thinning and retreat of marine-terminating glaciers associated with a dynamic instability that is generally not considered in mass-balance and climate modeling. This acceleration of glacier melt may cause 0.

Life-threatening acute and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension and subclavian vein thrombosis.

Severe thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension is an infrequent but potentially fatal complication of effort thrombosis (Paget-Schroetter syndrome) of the upper extremity. It has been sporadically reported in the literature, but in most cases has affected young, otherwise healthy athletes. Because this syndrome has been rarely described, it is likely underdiagnosed, and optimal evaluation and treatment has not been established.

Coupling biomolecules to fullerenes through a molecular adapter.

A novel biotinylated fullerene has been synthesized to facilitate the attachment of biotin-conjugated proteins to C(60) through the use of streptavidin as a molecular adapter. The strong biotin-streptavidin interaction enables the attachment of fullerenes to streptavidin and, because of the availability of four biotin-binding sites on streptavidin, to biotinylated biomolecules. The feasibility of this approach is demonstrated by using biotinylated alkaline phosphatase.

Methodology for the preparation of C1-monoalkylated 1,2-dihydro[C70)] derivatives: formation of the "other" regioisomer.

Deprotonation of 1,2-C(70)H(2) with TBAOH, followed by alkylation with methyl bromoacetate, results in formation of a C1-monoalkylated 1,2-dihydro-C(70) derivative. The position of the alkyl group (C1) was established by NMR spectroscopy and comparison with literature spectra of C2-monoalkylated analogs. Presumably, C1-alkylation is the major process due to selective deprotonation of 1,2-C(70)H(2) at C1.

Hybrid nanoparticles based on organized protein immobilization on fullerenes.

Nanoscale carbon materials (i.e., fullerenes and nanotubes) are an attractive platform for applications in biotransformations and biosensors.