Approximation of diffuse attenuation,Kd, for MODIS high-resolution bands

A high resolution depth attenuation product (K_d^hires) was developed using MODIS 500 m and 250 m spectral bands. The K_d^hires was compared with Wang’s operational K_d for the Chesapeake Bay. Minimal differences were observed between the two methods, with greatest deviation occurring in areas of high turbidity in the tributaries. After tuning the new K_d^hires, the mean absolute error and bias between the two algorithms was 0.22 m^?1 and 0.026 m^?1, indicating good agreement. Higher spatial resolution provides for improved retrievals along the coast and into the narrow sections of the tributaries, coinciding with areas of concern to estuarine health and coastal management applications.     

Influence of pneumoperitoneum on small bowel anastomoses: a histological analysis in the rat model.

Laparoscopic techniques are increasingly applied for the treatment of diverse gastrointestinal diseases. With regard to reports of a pronounced decrease of intra-abdominal blood flow with increasing intra-abdominal pressure, the present study investigates the impact of pressure and gas type on ischemia in small bowel anastomoses in the rat model. Laparotomy and ileoileal anastomosis were performed in 39 male Sprague-Dawley rats. A CO2 or helium pneumoperitoneum of 3 mm Hg or of 6 mm Hg was maintained before and after anastomoses. Rats in the control group received no pneumoperitoneum. Animals were sacrificed after 5 d, and the anastomotic region was explanted for subsequent histopathological examinations. In hematoxylin and eosin (HE)-stained sections, the Chiu score, villi configuration, and number of goblet cells were analyzed. Proliferation (Ki67) and expression of a matrix metalloproteinase (MMP-8) were examined by immunohistochemistry. Mucosal damage according to the scoring system by Chiu, the number of goblet cells, the villus length, the proliferation (Ki67), and the submucosal expression of MMP-8 was similar in all groups. Our results suggest that within a certain range of pressures and time, laparoscopic assisted surgery using CO2 pneumoperitoneum can be performed safely. Helium gas offers no advantages over CO2.     

Große solitäre fibröse Tumoren der Pleura als Zufallsbefund

The solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) is a very rare and usually benign neoplasm. This tumor is mostly located in the thoracic cavity, but it has also been reported in numerous sites including liver, skin, and meninges. Due to its rarity diagnosis is often difficult. Accordingly, histopathological differentiation is of major importance. Solitary fibrous tumors consistently express CD 34 and react negatively to epithelial markers. This absence of expression of epithelial markers, especially cytokeratin, is also useful to distinguish these rare entities from sarcomatous mesotheliomas. The treatment of choice for solitary fibrous tumors is extensive surgical resection. Up to now there is no evidence that radiation and chemotherapy are effective. The local recurrence or onset of metastases depends on histologic parameters. In cases of benign classification (60-80%), the recurrence rate was only 2% after surgical excision. One-half of the patients with malignant tumors can be cured; the rest develop recurrences and metastases more often. Especially in those cases, emphasis should be placed on continual follow-up examination. We report two cases of a 65- and a 75-year-old male patient with huge intrathoracic solitary fibrous subpleural tumors, discovered incidentally on routine chest X-ray.     

Pheophytin a, a low molecular weight compound found in the marine brown alga Sargassum fulvellum, promotes the differentiation of PC12 cells

We identified and characterized a neurodifferentiation compound from the marine brown alga Sargassum fulvellum collected from the Japanese coastline. Several instrumental analyses revealed the compound to be pheophytin a. Pheophytin a did not itself promote neurite outgrowth of PC12 cells. However, when PC12 cells were treated with a low concentration of pheophytin a (3.9 microg/ml) in the presence of a low level of nerve growth factor (10 ng/ml), the compound produced neurite outgrowth similar to that produced by a high level of nerve growth factor (50 ng/ml). Pheophytin a also enhanced signal transduction in the mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway, which is also induced by nerve growth factor. The effect of pheophytin a on neurite outgrowth of PC12 cells was completely blocked by U0126, a representative mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase inhibitor. These results suggest that pheophytin a enhances the neurodifferentiation of PC12 cells in the presence of a low level of nerve growth factor and that this effect is mediated by activation of a mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway.     

Current determinants of 30-day and 3-month mortality in over 2000 aortic valve replacements: Impact of routine laboratory parameters.

OBJECTIVE: Haematological and biochemical measurements are performed routinely before surgery to exclude organ malfunction and blood cell and coagulation abnormalities. We aimed to test routinely obtained laboratory data as factors predicting operative risk. METHODS: Between 1996 and 2003, 2198 patients underwent aortic valve replacement (AVR) (908 of them with concomitant CABG) in our institute. The mean age of the study population was 69+/-11 years (range 13-91, 43% female). Clinical and laboratory parameters based on the consolidated data mart set were evaluated by multiple logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The overall operative mortality (within 30 days) was 3.8% and the mortality after 3 months was 5.9%. In addition to clinical characteristics, the following laboratory values were identified as independent predictors of 30-day mortality: fasting blood glucose, antithrombine III, partial thromboplastine time and creatinine kinase. As independent predictors of 3-month mortality, the following laboratory values were indentified: fasting blood glucose, serum creatinine, antithrombine III, partial thromboplastine time, lactate dehydrogenase, sodium concentration and serum proteins. The discriminative power of the models increased if laboratory parameters were included in addition to preoperative clinical characteristics (from 0.75 to 0.79 and from 0.75 to 0.78 for 30-day and 3-month mortality, respectively). The discriminative power using the logistic EuroScore was lower (0.71 and 0.7, for 30-day and 3-month mortality, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Laboratory parameters as objective markers for organ function and nutritional status are useful data for the prediction of 30-day and 3-month mortality after aortic valve replacement. Using modern methods of information technology, these valuable data which are stored electronically in most hospitals, can be used efficiently for research and quality control.     

Identification of 16 novel mutations in the argininosuccinate synthetase gene and genotype-phenotype correlation in 38 classical citrullinemia patients

Classical citrullinemia (CTLN1), a rare autosomal recessive disorder, is caused by mutations of the argininosuccinate synthetase (ASS) gene, localized on chromosome 9q34.1. ASS functions as a rate-limiting enzyme in the urea cycle. Previously, we identified 32 mutations in the ASS gene of CTLN1 patients mainly in Japan and the United States, and to date 34 different mutations have been described in 50 families worldwide. In the present study, we report ASS mutations detected in 35 additional CTLN1 families from 11 countries. By analyzing the entire coding sequence and the intron-exon boundaries of the ASS gene using RT-PCR and/or genomic DNA-PCR, we have identified 16 novel mutations (two different 1-bp deletions, a 67-bp insertion, and 13 missense) and have detected 12 known mutations. Altogether, 50 different mutations (seven deletion, three splice site, one duplication, two nonsense, and 37 missense) in 85 CTLN1 families were identified. On the basis of primary sequence comparisons with the crystal structure of E. coli ASS protein, it may be concluded that any of the 37 missense mutations found at 30 different positions led to structural and functional impairments of the human ASS protein. It has been found that three mutations are particularly frequent: IVS6-2A>G in 23 families (Japan: 20 and Korea: three), G390R in 18 families (Turkey: six, U.S.: five, Spain: three, Israel: one, Austria: one, Canada: one, and Bolivia: one), and R304W in 10 families (Japan: nine and Turkey: one). Most mutations of the ASS gene are "private" and are distributed throughout the gene, except for exons 5 and 12-14. It seems that the clinical course of the patients with truncated mutations or the G390R mutation is early-onset/severe. The phenotype of the patients with certain missense mutations (G362V or W179R) is more late-onset/mild. Eight patients with R86H, A118T, R265H, or K310R mutations were adult/late-onset and four of them showed severe symptoms during pregnancy or postpartum. However, it is still difficult to prove the genotype-phenotype correlation, because many patients were compound heterozygotes (with two different mutations), lived in different environments at the time of diagnosis, and/or had several treatment regimes or various knowledge of the disease.