Causes of volcanic unrest at Mt. Spurr in 2004-2005 inferred from repeated tomography.

Mt. Spurr is the largest active volcano in Alaska of high explosive potential. The most recent activity, including two recent magmatic eruptions in 1953 and 1992, has occurred via the flanking Crater Peak.

Breathing of the Nevado del Ruiz volcano reservoir, Colombia, inferred from repeated seismic tomography.

Nevado del Ruiz volcano (NRV), Columbia, is one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world and caused the death of 25,000 people in 1985. Using a new algorithm for repeated tomography, we have found a prominent seismic anomaly with high values of the Vp/Vs ratio at depths of 2-5 km below the surface, which is associated with a shallow magma reservoir. The amplitude and shape of this anomaly changed during the current phase of unrest which began in 2010.

Transient neurological symptoms after isobaric subarachnoid anesthesia with 2% lidocaine: the impact of needle type.

Background: The reported incidence of transient neurological symptoms (TNS) after subarachnoid lidocaine administration is as high as 40%. We designed this clinical trial to determine the incidence of TNS with two different pencil-point spinal needles: one-orifice (Atraucan) and two-orifice (Eldor) spinal needles.

Methods: Ninety-nine ASA physical status I or II patients undergoing surgical procedures of the urinary bladder or prostate were prospectively allocated to receive spinal anesthesia with 40 mg, 2% isobaric lidocaine plus fentanyl injected through either a 26-gauge Atraucan (n = 52) or a 26-gauge Eldor (n = 47) spinal needle.

Predistention of the epidural space before catheter insertion reduces the incidence of intravascular epidural catheter insertion.

Background: Accidental cannulation of an epidural vein is a common complication associated with epidural anesthesia or analgesia. On the basis of a pilot study and previous reports, we tested the hypothesis that predistention of the epidural space with saline before epidural catheterization would ease catheter insertion and decrease the incidence of this complication.

Methods: Two-hundred-three laboring women were randomly assigned to receive an epidural with loss of resistance technique with 2 mL (nondistention) or 5 mL saline (distention).

[X-ray guided endovascular repair of venous bed of contracted kidney from pyelonephritis in the treatment of renal hypertension and chronic renal failure].

For compensation for chronic ischemia of the pyelonephritically contracted kidney, the authors used X-ray endovascular venous revascularization for the first time. The surgical intervention was to stenose the subsegmental veins of the diseased kidney, resulting in recanalization of the arterial system. The outcomes of X-ray treatment were analyzed in 38 patients with chronic degree I-II renal failure and nephrogenic hypertension.