In vitro analysis of polyurethane foam as a topical hemostatic agent.

Topical hemostatic agents can be used to treat problematic bleedings in patients who undergo surgery. Widely used are the collagen- and gelatin-based hemostats. This study aimed to develop a fully synthetic, biodegradable hemostatic agent to avoid exposure to animal antigens.

Measurement of the isolated prompt photon production cross section in pp collisions at √s=7 TeV.

The differential cross section for the inclusive production of isolated prompt photons has been measured as a function of the photon transverse energy E(T)(γ) in pp collisions at √s=7  TeV using data recorded by the CMS detector at the LHC. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 2.9  pb(-1).

In vivo quantification of photosensitizer fluorescence in the skin-fold observation chamber using dual-wavelength excitation and NIR imaging.

A major challenge in biomedical optics is the accurate quantification of in vivo fluorescence images. Fluorescence imaging is often used to determine the pharmacokinetics of photosensitizers used for photodynamic therapy. Often, however, this type of imaging does not take into account differences in and changes to tissue volume and optical properties of the tissue under interrogation.

Search for stopped Gluinos in pp collisions at square root s=7 TeV.

The results of the first search for long-lived gluinos produced in 7 TeV pp collisions at the CERN Large Hadron Collider are presented. The search looks for evidence of long-lived particles that stop in the CMS detector and decay in the quiescent periods between beam crossings. In a dataset with a peak instantaneous luminosity of 1×10(32) cm-2 s-1, an integrated luminosity of 10 pb-1, and a search interval corresponding to 62 hours of LHC operation, no significant excess above background was observed.

Search for quark compositeness with the dijet centrality ratio in pp collisions at √s=7 TeV.

A search for quark compositeness in the form of quark contact interactions, based on hadronic jet pairs (dijets) produced in proton-proton collisions at √s=7 TeV, is described. The data sample of the study corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 2.9 pb(-1) collected with the CMS detector at the LHC.

Search for dijet resonances in 7 TeV pp collisions at CMS.

A search for narrow resonances in the dijet mass spectrum is performed using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.9 pb⁻¹ collected by the CMS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider. Upper limits at the 95% confidence level are presented on the product of the resonance cross section, branching fraction into dijets, and acceptance, separately for decays into quark-quark, quark-gluon, or gluon-gluon pairs.

Feasibility of conical biodegradable polyurethane foam for closure of oroantral communications.

Purpose: To assess the feasibility of a conically shaped biodegradable polyurethane (PU) foam for closure of oroantral communications (OACs).

Patients And Methods: In 10 consecutive patients, fresh OACs (present for <24 hours) were closed with PU foam. Standardized evaluations were performed at 2 and 8 weeks after closure of the OAC.

Recombinant human C1-inhibitor for the treatment of acute angioedema attacks in patients with hereditary angioedema.

Background: Hereditary angioedema (HAE) results from a genetic deficiency of C1-inhibitor. Two similar independent, randomized, saline controlled, double-blind studies were conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of recombinant human C1-inhibitor (rhC1INH) as a treatment of acute angioedema attacks in patients with HAE.

Objective: Analysis of pooled study results.

Transverse-momentum and pseudorapidity distributions of charged hadrons in pp collisions at square root of s = 7 TeV.

Charged-hadron transverse-momentum and pseudorapidity distributions in proton-proton collisions at square root of s = 7  TeV are measured with the inner tracking system of the CMS detector at the LHC. The charged-hadron yield is obtained by counting the number of reconstructed hits, hit pairs, and fully reconstructed charged-particle tracks. The combination of the three methods gives a charged-particle multiplicity per unit of pseudorapidity dN(ch)/dη|(|η|<0.

Closure of oroantral communications using biodegradable polyurethane foam: a feasibility study.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of biodegradable polyurethane (PU) foam for closure of oroantral communications (OACs).

Patients And Methods: Ten consecutive patients with OACs (existing <24 hours) were treated with PU foam. Standardized evaluations were performed at 2 weeks and 8 weeks after closure of the OAC.

Closure of oroantral communications using biodegradable polyurethane foam: a long term study in rabbits.

An oroantral communication (OAC) is an open connection between the oral cavity and maxillary sinus. Closure of OACs is commonly performed with a surgical procedure using a mucoperiosteal flap. An alternative technique using synthetic biodegradable polyurethane (PU) foam for closure of OACs is presented.

Modelling treatment effects in a clinical Bayesian network using Boolean threshold functions.

Objective: Appropriate antimicrobial treatment of infections in critically ill patients should be started as soon as possible, as delay in treatment may reduce a patient's prognostic outlook considerably. Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) occurs in patients in intensive care units who are mechanically ventilated and is almost always preceded by colonisation of the respiratory tract by the causative microorganisms. It is very difficult to clinically diagnose VAP and, therefore, some form of computer-based decision support might be helpful for the clinician.

[Diagnostic image (377). A man with bilateral swelling on the lingual surface of the mandible].

A 41-year-old man was referred with a bilateral swelling on the lingual surface of the mandible, due to torus mandibularis.

Predicting pathogens causing ventilator-associated pneumonia using a Bayesian network model.

Background: We previously validated a Bayesian network (BN) model for diagnosing ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). Here, we report on the performance of the model to predict microbial causes of VAP and to select antibiotics.

Methods: Pathogens were grouped into seven categories based upon the antibiotic susceptibility and epidemiological characteristics.

Effects of systemic antibiotic therapy on bacterial persistence in the respiratory tract of mechanically ventilated patients.

Objective: Bacterial respiratory tract colonization predisposes critically ill patients to intensive care unit (ICU)-acquired infections. It is unclear to what extent systemic antibiotics affect colonization persistence. Persistence of respiratory tract colonization, and the effects of systemic antibiotics hereon, were determined in a cohort of ICU patients.

A Bayesian decision-support system for diagnosing ventilator-associated pneumonia.

Objective: To determine the diagnostic performance of a Bayesian Decision-Support System (BDSS) for ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP).

Design: A previously developed BDSS, automatically obtaining patient data from patient information systems, provides likelihood predictions of VAP. In a prospectively studied cohort of 872 ICU patients, VAP was diagnosed by two infectious-disease specialists using a decision tree (reference diagnosis).

Role of energy systems in two intermittent field tests in women field hockey players.

The energetics of 2 field tests that reflect physical performance in intermittent sports (i.e., the Interval Shuttle Sprint Test [ISST] and the Interval Shuttle Run Test [ISRT]) were examined in 21 women field hockey players.

Epithelioid sarcoma: Still an only surgically curable disease.

Background: Epithelioid sarcoma is a rare soft tissue sarcoma with a known high propensity for locoregional recurrence and distant metastases. The clinical behavior and prognostic factors that influence the survival of patients with epithelioid sarcoma were studied.

Methods: Twenty-three patients, including 16 men (70%) and 7 women (30%), who were treated for epithelioid sarcoma between 1979-2003 at the University Medical Center Groningen and Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, were reviewed retrospectively.

Incorporating evaluation into the design of a decision-support system.

Medical decision support systems will only be accepted by the medical community if properly evaluated. However, little attention has been given in the scientific literature to the topic of how to incorporate evaluation issues into the design of a decision-support system. In this paper, we describe work in developing a decision-support system that is intended to support the management (diagnosis and treatment selection) of ventilator-associated pneumonia in patients.