Gender, age, and body surface area are the major determinants of ascending aorta dimensions in subjects with apparently normal echocardiograms.

BACKGROUND: Limited data have been published on the normal size of the ascending aorta (AA) measured using transthoracic echocardiography (TTE). METHODS: AA diameters were measured in 1799 patients with normal cardiac findings on TTE and compared with the diameters of the sinus of Valsalva (SoV). RESULTS: Mean diameters in men and women, respectively, were 3.4 and 3.1 cm for the SoV and 3.2 and 3.0 cm for the AA. The sizes of the SoV and the AA showed strong correlations with age, age squared, and body surface area. The 5th and 95th percentile curves for the SoV and AA showed faster growth of diameters in early adulthood compared with old age. The dimensions of the SoV were larger than those of the AA (mean differences, 0.19 cm in men and 0.08 cm in women), and the difference between the SoV and AA was negatively correlated with age. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study stress the importance of indexing dimensions of the SoV and the AA to age and body surface area separately for men and women.

La poesía amorosa de Quevedo: 'la entiende l'alma, el corazón la siente'

En este espacio tan vivido por Francisco de Quevedo, Torre de Juan Abad, que existe en la historia de la literatura gracias a él, y en este umbral que piso gracias a la generosidad de Rosa Regás, mis dudosos pasos sólo pueden llevarme a formular una invitación: la lectura de su obra.

Exposure of the Swiss population by medical x-rays: 2008 review.

Nationwide surveys on radiation dose to the population from medical radiology are recommended in order to follow the trends in population exposure and ensure radiation protection. The last survey in Switzerland was conducted in 1998, and the annual effective dose from medical radiology was estimated to be 1 mSv y(-1) per capita. The purpose of this work was to follow the trends in diagnostic radiology between 1998 and 2008 in Switzerland and determine the contribution of different modalities and types of examinations to the collective effective dose from medical x-rays. For this reason, an online database (www.raddose.ch) was developed. All healthcare providers who hold a license to run an x-ray unit in the country were invited to participate in the survey. More than 225 examinations, covering eight radiological modalities, were included in the survey. The average effective dose for each examination was reassessed. Data from about 3,500 users were collected (42% response rate). The survey showed that the annual effective dose was 1.2 mSv/capita in 2008. The most frequent examinations are conventional and dental radiographies (88%). The contribution of computed tomography was only 6% in terms of examination frequency but 68% in terms of effective dose. The comparison with other countries showed that the effective dose per capita in Switzerland was in the same range as in other countries with similar healthcare systems, although the annual number of examinations performed in Switzerland was higher.

The baby and the couple : understanding and treating young families

The Baby and the Couple provides an insider's view on how infant communication develops in the context of the family and how parents either work together as a team or struggle in the process. The authors present vignettes from everyday life as well as case studies from a longitudinal research project of infants and their parents interacting together in the Lausanne Trilogue Play (LTP), an assessment tool for very young families. Divided into three parts, the book focuses not only on the parents, but also on the infant's contribution to the family. Part 1 presents a case study of Lucas and his family, from infancy to age 5. With each chapter we see how, in the context of their families, infants learn to communicate with more than one person at a time. Part 2 explores how infants cope when their parents struggle to work together - excluding, competing or only connecting through their child. The authors follow several case examples from infancy through to early childhood to illustrate various forms of problematic co-parenting, along with the infant's derailed trajectory at different ages and stages. In Part 3, prevention and intervention models based on the LTP are presented. In addition to an overview of these programs, chapters are devoted to the Developmental Systems Consultation, which combines use of the LTP and video feedback, and a new model, Reflective Family Play, which allows whole families to engage in treatment. The Baby and the Couple is a vital resource for professionals working in the fields of infant and preschool mental health including psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, family therapists and educators, as well as researchers.

Lake dwellers occupation gap in Lake Geneva (France-Switzerland) possibly explained by an earthquake-mass movement-tsunami event during Early Bronze Age

High-resolution seismic and sediment core data from the 'Grand Lac' basin of Lake Geneva reveal traces of repeated slope instabilities with one main slide-evolved mass-flow (minimum volume 0.13 km3) that originated from the northern lateral slope of the lake near the city of Lausanne. Radiocarbon dating of organic remains sampled from the top of the main deposit gives an age interval of 1865-1608 BC. This date coincides with the age interval for a mass movement event described in the 'Petit Lac' basin of Lake Geneva (1872-1622 BC). Because multiple mass movements took place at the same time in different parts of the lake, we consider the most likely trigger mechanism to be a strong earthquake (Mw 6) that occurred in the period between 1872 and 1608 BC. Based on numerical simulations, we show the major deposit near Lausanne would have generated a tsunami with local wave heights of up to 6 m. The combined effects of the earthquake and the following tsunami provide a possible explanation for a gap in lake dwellers occupation along the shores of Lake Geneva revealed by dendrochronological dating of two palafitte archaeological sites.