Multiproperty correlation of experimental data of the binaries propyl ethanoate+alkanes (pentane to decane). New experimental information for vapor-liquid equilibrium and mixing properties

[EN]A thermodynamic study is carried out on binary systems composed of propyl ethanoate with six alkanes, from pentane to decane. Vapor pressures of the ester and the isobaric vapor−liquid equilibria of these six mixtures were measured at 101.32 kPa in a small-capacity ebulliometer and also the mixing properties yE = vE,hE over a range of temperatures and at atmospheric pressure. Adequate correlations are drawn for the surfaces yE = yE(x,T) with an interpretation on the behavior of the mixtures and also using cp E data from literature.

An optimal estimator for the correlation of CMB anisotropies with Large Scale Structures and its application to WMAP-7year and NVSS

In the thesis we present the implementation of the quadratic maximum likelihood (QML) method, ideal to estimate the angular power spectrum of the cross-correlation between cosmic microwave background (CMB) and large scale structure (LSS) maps as well as their individual auto-spectra. Such a tool is an optimal method (unbiased and with minimum variance) in pixel space and goes beyond all the previous harmonic analysis present in the literature. We describe the implementation of the QML method in the {\it BolISW} code and demonstrate its accuracy on simulated maps throughout a Monte Carlo. We apply this optimal estimator to WMAP 7-year and NRAO VLA Sky Survey (NVSS) data and explore the robustness of the angular power spectrum estimates obtained by the QML method. Taking into account the shot noise and one of the systematics (declination correction) in NVSS, we can safely use most of the information contained in this survey. On the contrary we neglect the noise in temperature since WMAP is already cosmic variance dominated on the large scales. Because of a discrepancy in the galaxy auto spectrum between the estimates and the theoretical model, we use two different galaxy distributions: the first one with a constant bias $b$ and the second one with a redshift dependent bias $b(z)$. Finally, we make use of the angular power spectrum estimates obtained by the QML method to derive constraints on the dark energy critical density in a flat $\Lambda$CDM model by different likelihood prescriptions. When using just the cross-correlation between WMAP7 and NVSS maps with 1.8° resolution, we show that $\Omega_\Lambda$ is about the 70\% of the total energy density, disfavouring an Einstein-de Sitter Universe at more than 2 $\sigma$ CL (confidence level).

Correlation of 6-18F-fluoro-L-dopa PET uptake with proliferation and tumor grade in newly diagnosed and recurrent gliomas

6-(18)F-fluoro-l-dopa ((18)F-FDOPA) measured with PET as a biomarker of amino acid uptake has been investigated in brain tumor imaging. The aims of the current study were to determine whether the degree of (18)F-FDOPA uptake in brain tumors predicted tumor grade and was associated with tumor proliferative activity in newly diagnosed and recurrent gliomas.

Correlation of Device landing zone calcification and acute procedural success in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantations with the self-expanding CoreValve prosthesis

The aim of this study was to assess the influence of amount and distribution of calcifications of the aortic valve and the left ventricular outflow tract on the acute procedural outcome of patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI).

68Ga-DOTATOC PET/CT and somatostatin receptor (sst1-sst5) expression in normal human tissue: correlation of sst2 mRNA and SUVmax

By targeting somatostatin receptors (sst) radiopeptides have been established for both diagnosis and therapy. For physiologically normal human tissues the study provides a normative database of maximum standardized uptake value (SUV(max)) and sst mRNA.

Correlation of fat embolism severity and subcutaneous fatty tissue crushing and bone fractures

Pulmonary fat embolism (PFE) is frequently encountered in blunt trauma. The clinical manifestation ranges from no impairment in light cases to death due to right-sided heart failure or hypoxaemia in severe cases. Occasionally, pulmonary fat embolism can give rise to a fat embolism syndrome (FES), which is marked by multiorgan failure, respiratory disorders, petechiae and often death. It is well known that fractures of long bones can lead to PFE. Several authors have argued that PFE can arise due to mere soft tissue injury in the absence of fractures, a claim other authors disagree upon. In this study, we retrospectively examined 50 victims of blunt trauma with regard to grade and extent of fractures and crushing of subcutaneous fatty tissue and presence and severity of PFE. Our results indicate that PFE can arise due to mere crushing of subcutaneous fat and that the fracture grade correlated well with PFE severity (p = 0.011). The correlation between PFE and the fracture severity (body regions affected by fractures and fracture grade) showed a lesser significant correlation (p = 0.170). The survival time (p = 0.567), the amount of body regions affected by fat crushing (p = 0.336) and the fat crush grade (p = 0.485) did not correlate with the PFE grade, nor did the amount of body regions affected by fractures. These results may have clinical implications for the assessment of a possible FES development, as, if the risk of a PFE is known, preventive steps can be taken.

Bacterial expression of mutant argininosuccinate lyase reveals imperfect correlation of in-vitro enzyme activity with clinical phenotype in argininosuccinic aciduria

The urea cycle defect argininosuccinate lyase (ASL) deficiency has a large spectrum of presentations from highly severe to asymptomatic. Enzyme activity assays in red blood cells or fibroblasts, although diagnostic of the deficiency, fail to discriminate between severe, mild or asymptomatic cases. Mutation/phenotype correlation studies are needed to characterize the effects of individual mutations on the activity of the enzyme.

Correlation of Pullout Force of Kirschner (K-) Wire to Other Factors Indicative of Bone Quality

More than 250,000 hip fractures occur annually in the United States and the most common fracture location is the femoral neck, the weakest region of the femur. Hip fixation surgery is conducted to repair hip fractures by using a Kirschner (K-) wire as a temporary guide for permanent bone screws. Variation has been observed in the force required to extract the K-wire from the femoral head during surgery. It is hypothesized that a relationship exists between the K-wire pullout force and the bone quality at the site of extraction. Currently, bone mineral density (BMD) is used as a predictor for bone quality and strength. However, BMD characterizes the entire skeletal system and does not account for localized bone quality and factors such as lifestyle, nutrition, and drug use. A patient’s BMD may not accurately describe the quality of bone at the site of fracture. This study aims to investigate a correlation between the force required to extract a K-wire from femoral head specimens and the quality of bone. A procedure to measure K-wire pullout force was developed and tested with pig femoral head specimens. The procedure was implemented on 8 human osteoarthritic femoral head specimens and the average pullout force for each ranged from 563.32 ± 240.38 N to 1041.01 ± 346.84 N. The data exhibited significant variation within and between each specimen and no statistically significant relationships were determined between pullout force and patient age, weight, height, BMI, inorganic to organic matter ratio, and BMD. A new testing fixture was designed and manufactured to merge the clinical and research environments by enabling the physician to extract the K-wire from each bone specimen himself. The new device allows the physician to gather tactile feedback on the relative ease of extraction while load history is recorded similar to the previous procedure for data acquisition. Future work will include testing human bones with the new device to further investigate correlations for predicting bone quality.

MR imaging in Crohn's disease: correlation of MR motility measurement with histopathology in the terminal ileum

BACKGROUND: The objective of the study was to correlate MR-detectable motility alterations of the terminal ileum with biopsy-documented active and chronic changes in Crohn's disease. METHODS: This IRB approved retrospective analysis of 43 patients included magnetic resonance enterography (MRE) and terminal ileum biopsies (<2 weeks apart). Motility was measured at the terminal ileum using coronal 2D trueFISP pulse sequences (1.5T MRI,TR 83.8,TE1.89) and dedicated motility assessment software. Motility grading (hypermotility, normal, hypomotility, complete arrest) was agreed by two experienced readers. Motility was compared and correlated with histopathology using two-tailed Kruskal-Wallis test and paired Spearman Rank-Order Correlation tests. KEY RESULTS: Motility abnormalities were present in 27/43 patients: nine hypomotility and 18 complete arrest. Active disease was diagnosed on 15 biopsies: eight moderate and seven severe inflammatory activity. Chronic changes were diagnosed on 17 biopsies: 13 moderate and four severe cases. In four patients with normal motility alterations on histopathology were diagnosed. Histopathology correlated with presence (P = 0.0056 for hypomotility and P = 0.0119 for complete arrest) and grade (P < 0.0001; P = 0.0004) of motility alterations. A significant difference in the motility was observed in patients with active or chronic CD compared with patients without disease (P < 0.001; P = 0.0024). CONCLUSIONS & INFERENCES: MR-detectable motility changes of the terminal ileum correlate with histopathological findings both in active and chronic CD. Motility changes may indicate the presence pathology, but do not allow differentiation of active and chronic disease.

Post-mortem forensic neuroimaging: correlation of MSCT and MRI findings with autopsy results

Multislice-computed tomography (MSCT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are increasingly used for forensic purposes. Based on broad experience in clinical neuroimaging, post-mortem MSCT and MRI were performed in 57 forensic cases with the goal to evaluate the radiological methods concerning their usability for forensic head and brain examination. An experienced clinical radiologist evaluated the imaging data. The results were compared to the autopsy findings that served as the gold standard with regard to common forensic neurotrauma findings such as skull fractures, soft tissue lesions of the scalp, various forms of intracranial hemorrhage or signs of increased brain pressure. The sensitivity of the imaging methods ranged from 100% (e.g., heat-induced alterations, intracranial gas) to zero (e.g., mediobasal impression marks as a sign of increased brain pressure, plaques jaunes). The agreement between MRI and CT was 69%. The radiological methods prevalently failed in the detection of lesions smaller than 3mm of size, whereas they were generally satisfactory concerning the evaluation of intracranial hemorrhage. Due to its advanced 2D and 3D post-processing possibilities, CT in particular possessed certain advantages in comparison with autopsy with regard to forensic reconstruction. MRI showed forensically relevant findings not seen during autopsy in several cases. The partly limited sensitivity of imaging that was observed in this retrospective study was based on several factors: besides general technical limitations it became apparent that clinical radiologists require a sound basic forensic background in order to detect specific signs. Focused teaching sessions will be essential to improve the outcome in future examinations. On the other hand, the autopsy protocols should be further standardized to allow an exact comparison of imaging and autopsy data. In consideration of these facts, MRI and CT have the power to play an important role in future forensic neuropathological examination.

The correlation of urethral resistance pressure with maximum urethral closure pressure and stress incontinence

OBJECTIVE: Aim of the study was to correlate urethral retro resistance pressure with the maximum urethral closure pressure (MUCP) and functional urethral length (FUL) in patients with urinary incontinence and healthy individuals. STUDY DESIGN: Two hundred and twenty patients with the complaint of urinary incontinence had a urodynamic examination including urethral pressure profiles and URP. Additionally, 15 healthy individuals without the complaint of any incontinence had their URP and urethral pressure profiles measured. The correlation of MUCP, FUL and URP were calculated using Graph Pad Instat 4.0 for windows. RESULTS: URP correlates well with the diagnosis of urodynamic stress incontinence. Correlation coefficient between URP and MUCP is 0.9262. Healthy individuals have significantly higher values for URP and MUCP. CONCLUSION: URP is a valuable less invasive test than conventional urethral function tests for the diagnosis of urodynamic incontinence with an excellent correlation of MUCP and URP.

Coincidence of semilobar holoprosencephaly and Chiari II malformation: correlation of prenatal diagnostics and neuropathologic findings

As holoprosencephaly and Chiari II malformation differ considerably, both in pathogenesis and in phenotypic localization, the coincidence of both entities is extremely rare. The case presented is, to our knowledge, the first published report comprising a combination of a semilobar holoprosencephaly associated with a Chiari II malformation and a myelomeningocele diagnosed prenatally and confirmed by postmortem neuropathologic evaluation. These findings indicate that in the case of pre- and postnatal detection of a myelomeningocele and/or Chiari II malformation, possible additional intracranial malformation, such as a semilobar holoprosencephaly, should also be taken into account and vice versa.

Correlation of bone defect dimensions with healing outcome one year after apical surgery

This clinical study prospectively evaluated the healing outcome 1 year after apical surgery in relation to bony crypt dimensions measured intraoperatively. The study cohort included 183 teeth in an equal number of patients. For statistical analysis, results were dichotomized (healed versus non-healed cases). The overall success rate was 83% (healed cases). Healing outcome was not significantly related to the level and height of the facial bone plate. In contrast, a significant difference was found for the mean size of the bony crypt when healed cases (395 mm(3)) were compared with non-healed cases (554 mm(3)). In addition, healed cases had a significantly shorter mean distance (4.30 mm) from the facial bone surface to the root canal (horizontal access) compared with non-healed cases (5.13 mm). With logistic regression, however, the only parameter found to be significantly related to healing outcome was the length of the access window to the bony crypt.