Anévrismes complexes de l'aorte abdominale: la chirurgie ouverte est-elle obsolète [The complex aortic abdominal aneurysm: is open surgery old fashion?].

Open surgery is still the main treatment of complex abdominal aortic aneurysm. Nevertheless, this approach is associated with major complications and high mortality rate. Therefore the fenestrated endograft has been used to treat the juxtarenal aneurysms. Unfortunately, no randomised controlled study is available to assess the efficacy of such devices. Moreover, the costs are still prohibitive to generalise this approach. Alternative treatments such as chimney or sandwich technique are being evaluated in order to avoid theses disadvantages. The aim of this paper is to present the endovascular approach to treat juxtarenal aneurysm and to emphasize that this option should be used only by highly specialized vascular centres.

A reassessment of models for hydrocarbon generation in the Khibiny nepheline syenite complex, Kola Peninsula, Russia

Although hydrocarbon-bearing fluids have been known from the alkaline igneous rocks of the Khibiny intrusion for many years, their origin remains enigmatic. A recently proposed model of post-magmatic hydrocarbon (HC) generation through Fischer-Tropsch (FT) type reactions suggests the hydration of Fe-bearing phases and release of H-2 which reacts with magmatically derived CO2 to form CH4 and higher HCs. However, new petrographic, microthermometric, laser Raman, bulk gas and isotope data are presented and discussed in the context of previously published work in order to reassess models of HC generation. The gas phase is dominated by CH4 with only minor proportions of higher hydrocarbons. No remnants of the proposed primary CO2-rich fluid are found in the complex. The majority of the fluid inclusions are of secondary nature and trapped in healed microfractures. This indicates a high fluid flux after magma crystallisation. Entrapment conditions for fluid inclusions are 450-550 degrees C at 2.8-4.5 kbar. These temperatures are too high for hydrocarbon gas generation through the FT reaction. Chemical analyses of rims of Fe-rich phases suggest that they are not the result of alteration but instead represent changes in magma composition during crystallisation. Furthermore, there is no clear relationship between the presence of Fe-rich minerals and the abundance of fluid inclusion planes (FIPs) as reported elsewhere. delta C-13 values for methane range from -22.4% to -5.4%, confirming a largely abiogenic origin for the gas. The presence of primary CH4-dominated fluid inclusions and melt inclusions, which contain a methane-rich gas phase, indicates a magmatic origin of the HCs. An increase in methane content, together with a decrease in delta C-13 isotope values towards the intrusion margin suggests that magmatically derived abiogenic hydrocarbons may have mixed with biogenic hydrocarbons derived from the surrounding country rocks. (C) 2006 Elsevier BV. All rights reserved.

Battelle: By The Numbers, December 17, 2014

Iowa has made substantial economic progress over the last decade, resulting in positive trends in Iowa’s top-line measures of success.

Battelle: By The Numbers, December 17, 2014

Iowa has made substantial economic progress over the last decade, resulting in positive trends in Iowa’s top-line measures of success.

Complex molecular mechanisms cooperate to mediate histone deacetylase inhibitors anti-tumour activity in neuroblastoma cells

BACKGROUND: Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) are a new class of promising anti-tumour agent inhibiting cell proliferation and survival in tumour cells with very low toxicity toward normal cells. Neuroblastoma (NB) is the second most common solid tumour in children still associated with poor outcome in higher stages and, thus NB strongly requires novel treatment modalities. RESULTS: We show here that the HDACi Sodium Butyrate (NaB), suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA) and Trichostatin A (TSA) strongly reduce NB cells viability. The anti-tumour activity of these HDACi involved the induction of cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase, followed by the activation of the intrinsic apoptotic pathway, via the activation of the caspases cascade. Moreover, HDACi mediated the activation of the pro-apoptotic proteins Bid and BimEL and the inactivation of the anti-apoptotic proteins XIAP, Bcl-xL, RIP and survivin, that further enhanced the apoptotic signal. Interestingly, the activity of these apoptosis regulators was modulated by several different mechanisms, either by caspases dependent proteolytic cleavage or by degradation via the proteasome pathway. In addition, HDACi strongly impaired the hypoxia-induced secretion of VEGF by NB cells. CONCLUSION: HDACi are therefore interesting new anti-tumour agents for targeting highly malignant tumours such as NB, as these agents display a strong toxicity toward aggressive NB cells and they may possibly reduce angiogenesis by decreasing VEGF production by NB cells.

New universal definition of myocardial infarction applicable after complex percutaneous coronary interventions?

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to characterize myocardial infarction after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) based on cardiac marker elevation as recommended by the new universal definition and on the detection of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) by cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR). It is also assessed whether baseline inflammatory biomarkers are higher in patients developing myocardial injury. BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular magnetic resonance accurately assesses infarct size. Baseline C-reactive protein (CRP) and neopterin predict prognosis after stent implantation. METHODS: Consecutive patients with baseline troponin (Tn) I within normal limits and no LGE in the target vessel underwent baseline and post-PCI CMR. The Tn-I was measured until 24 h after PCI. Serum high-sensitivity CRP and neopterin were assessed before coronary angiography. RESULTS: Of 45 patients, 64 (53 to 72) years of age, 33% developed LGE with infarct size of 0.83 g (interquartile range: 0.32 to 1.30 g). A Tn-I elevation >99% upper reference limit (i.e., myocardial necrosis) (median Tn-I: 0.51 μg/l, interquartile range: 0.16 to 1.23) and Tn-I > 3× upper reference limit (i.e., type 4a myocardial infarction [MI]) occurred in 58% and 47% patients, respectively. LGE was undetectable in 42% and 43% of patients with periprocedural myocardial necrosis and type 4a MI, respectively. Agreement between LGE and type 4a MI was moderate (kappa = 0.45). The levels of CRP or neopterin did not significantly differ between patients with or without myocardial injury, detected by CMR or according to the new definition (p = NS). CONCLUSIONS: This study reports the lack of substantial agreement between the new universal definition and CMR for the diagnosis of small-size periprocedural myocardial damage after complex PCI. Baseline levels of CRP or neopterin were not predictive for the development of periprocedural myocardial damage.

Energy gap in the aetiology of body weight gain and obesity: a challenging concept with a complex evaluation and pitfalls.

The concept of energy gap(s) is useful for understanding the consequence of a small daily, weekly, or monthly positive energy balance and the inconspicuous shift in weight gain ultimately leading to overweight and obesity. Energy gap is a dynamic concept: an initial positive energy gap incurred via an increase in energy intake (or a decrease in physical activity) is not constant, may fade out with time if the initial conditions are maintained, and depends on the 'efficiency' with which the readjustment of the energy imbalance gap occurs with time. The metabolic response to an energy imbalance gap and the magnitude of the energy gap(s) can be estimated by at least two methods, i.e. i) assessment by longitudinal overfeeding studies, imposing (by design) an initial positive energy imbalance gap; ii) retrospective assessment based on epidemiological surveys, whereby the accumulated endogenous energy storage per unit of time is calculated from the change in body weight and body composition. In order to illustrate the difficulty of accurately assessing an energy gap we have used, as an illustrative example, a recent epidemiological study which tracked changes in total energy intake (estimated by gross food availability) and body weight over 3 decades in the US, combined with total energy expenditure prediction from body weight using doubly labelled water data. At the population level, the study attempted to assess the cause of the energy gap purported to be entirely due to increased food intake. Based on an estimate of change in energy intake judged to be more reliable (i.e. in the same study population) and together with calculations of simple energetic indices, our analysis suggests that conclusions about the fundamental causes of obesity development in a population (excess intake vs. low physical activity or both) is clouded by a high level of uncertainty.

On the connectivity of the escaping set for complex exponential Misiurewicz parameters

Let $ E_{\lambda}(z)=\lambda {\rm exp}(z), \lambda\in \mathbb{C}$, be the complex exponential family. For all functions in the family there is a unique asymptotic value at 0 (and no critical values). For a fixed $ \lambda$, the set of points in $ \mathbb{C}$ with orbit tending to infinity is called the escaping set. We prove that the escaping set of $ E_{\lambda}$ with $ \lambda$ Misiurewicz (that is, a parameter for which the orbit of the singular value is strictly preperiodic) is a connected set.

Health consultation : Des Moines (Ex) Ordnance Site Landfill and Lagoon Complex Prairie Trail Development Site [Ankeny] (2012)

The Prairie Trail Development Area is located in the southern portion of Ankeny, Iowa. This development area is located in an area that was formally occupied by the Des Moines Ordnance Plant. The Des Moines Ordnance Plant was constructed for the production and testing of small arms munitions for use during World War II. The Landfill and Lagoon Complex was utilized for disposal of wastes from the ordnance plant and also from various entities that utilized the site property until 1991. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is verseeing the cleanup of the Landfill and Lagoon Complex. A portion of the remainder of the site property had been used for burning of scrap explosives, the storage and disposal of chemicals, a disposal pond, testing of products, and various munitions manufacturing activities. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) is overseeing the cleanup of this remaining portion of the site property. The Iowa Department of Public Health has been contacted by residents within the Prairie Trail Development Area and by individuals that have an interest in relocating to the Prairie Trail Development Area. These residents are concerned with any environmental contamination that will be left after site remedial activities are completed. These residents want to know if any remaining environmental contamination will adversely impact their health or the health of their families.

Deciphering the global organization of clustering in real complex networks

We uncover the global organization of clustering in real complex networks. To this end, we ask whether triangles in real networks organize as in maximally random graphs with given degree and clustering distributions, or as in maximally ordered graph models where triangles are forced into modules. The answer comes by way of exploring m-core landscapes, where the m-core is defined, akin to the k-core, as the maximal subgraph with edges participating in at least m triangles. This property defines a set of nested subgraphs that, contrarily to k-cores, is able to distinguish between hierarchical and modular architectures. We find that the clustering organization in real networks is neither completely random nor ordered although, surprisingly, it is more random than modular. This supports the idea that the structure of real networks may in fact be the outcome of self-organized processes based on local optimization rules, in contrast to global optimization principles.

Conjugation of a Ru(II) Arene Complex to Neomycin or to Guanidinoneomycin Leads to Compounds with Differential Cytotoxicities and Accumulation between Cancer and Normal Cells

A straightforward methodology for the synthesis of conjugates between a cytotoxic organometallic ruthenium(II) complex and amino- and guanidinoglycosides, as potential RNA-targeted anticancer compounds, is described. Under microwave irradiation, the imidazole ligand incorporated on the aminoglycoside moiety (neamine or neomycin) was found to replace one triphenylphosphine ligand from the ruthenium precursor [(η6-p-cym)RuCl(PPh3)2]+, allowing the assembly of the target conjugates. The guanidinylated analogue was easily prepared from the neomycin-ruthenium conjugate by reaction with N,N′-di-Boc-N″-triflylguanidine, a powerful guanidinylating reagent that was compatible with the integrity of the metal complex. All conjugates were purified by semipreparative high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and characterized by electrospray ionization (ESI) and matrix-assisted laser desorptionionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) and NMR spectroscopy. The cytotoxicity of the compounds was tested in MCF-7 (breast) and DU-145 (prostate) human cancer cells, as well as in the normal HEK293 (Human Embryonic Kidney) cell line, revealing a dependence on the nature of the glycoside moiety and the type of cell (cancer or healthy). Indeed, the neomycinruthenium conjugate (2) displayed moderate antiproliferative activity in both cancer cell lines (IC50 ≈ 80 μM), whereas the neamine conjugate (4) was inactive (IC50 ≈ 200 μM). However, the guanidinylated analogue of the neomycinruthenium conjugate (3) required much lower concentrations than the parent conjugate for equal effect (IC50 = 7.17 μM in DU-145 and IC50 = 11.33 μM in MCF-7). Although the same ranking in antiproliferative activity was found in the nontumorigenic cell line (3 2 > 4), IC50 values indicate that aminoglycoside-containing conjugates are about 2-fold more cytotoxic in normal cells (e.g., IC50 = 49.4 μM for 2) than in cancer cells, whereas an opposite tendency was found with the guanidinylated conjugate, since its cytotoxicity in the normal cell line (IC50 = 12.75 μM for 3) was similar or even lower than that found in MCF-7 and DU-145 cancer cell lines, respectively. Cell uptake studies performed by ICP-MS with conjugates 2 and 3 revealed that guanidinylation of the neomycin moiety had a positive effect on accumulation (about 3-fold higher in DU-145 and 4-fold higher in HEK293), which correlates well with the higher antiproliferative activity of 3. Interestingly, despite the slightly higher accumulation in the normal cell than in the cancer cell line (about 1.4-fold), guanidinoneomycinruthenium conjugate (3) was more cytotoxic to cancer cells (about 1.8-fold), whereas the opposite tendency applied for neomycinruthenium conjugate (2). Such differences in cytotoxic activity and cellular accumulation between cancer and normal cells open the way to the creation of more selective, less toxic anticancer metallodrugs by conjugating cytotoxic metal-based complexes such as ruthenium(II) arene derivatives to guanidinoglycosides.

The complex organization of human cognitive domains and their heritability: a systematic review

Una revisión sistemática de la organización compleja de los dominios cognitivos humanos y su heredabilidad. Antecedentes: se ha propuesto que la estructura de la cognición humana respondería a un sistema jerárquico, donde las secuencias propias a una acción se organizarían desde sub-unidades de análisis hasta funciones de nivel superior relativamente complejas. Esta estructura organizacional estaría reflejada en las representaciones neurales que subyacen al comportamiento humano, así como también en sus sustratos genéticos. El objetivo del presente estudio fue explorar la posible organización jerárquica de las influencias genéticas subyacentes a los dominios cognitivos humanos. Método: se revisaron treinta y cuatro estudios de la heredabilidad de la cognición en muestras de la población general, que incluyeron medidas de inteligencia, habilidades verbales y manipulativas, memoria, memoria de trabajo y velocidad de procesamiento. Resultados: diversos dominios cognitivos mostraron distintas proporciones de influencias genéticas, con las mayores estimaciones de heredabilidad halladas para las funciones cognitivas de nivel superior y las menores estimaciones para las funciones de orden medio o inferior. Conclusiones: tomando como referencia los conocimientos actuales acerca del neurodesarrollo humano, las contribuciones genéticas de las habilidades cognitivas parecen organizarse paralelamente al crecimiento ontogénico del cerebro. Se discuten estos resultados en relación a la interacción entre el control genético de las funciones cognitivas y sus influencias ambientales.

Decreased pyramidal neuron size in Brodmann areas 44 and 45 in patients with autism.

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in social interaction and social communication, as well as by the presence of repetitive and stereotyped behaviors and interests. Brodmann areas 44 and 45 in the inferior frontal cortex, which are involved in language processing, imitation function, and sociality processing networks, have been implicated in this complex disorder. Using a stereologic approach, this study aims to explore the presence of neuropathological differences in areas 44 and 45 in patients with autism compared to age- and hemisphere-matched controls. Based on previous evidence in the fusiform gyrus, we expected to find a decrease in the number and size of pyramidal neurons as well as an increase in volume of layers III, V, and VI in patients with autism. We observed significantly smaller pyramidal neurons in patients with autism compared to controls, although there was no difference in pyramidal neuron numbers or layer volumes. The reduced pyramidal neuron size suggests that a certain degree of dysfunction of areas 44 and 45 plays a role in the pathology of autism. Our results also support previous studies that have shown specific cellular neuropathology in autism with regionally specific reduction in neuron size, and provide further evidence for the possible involvement of the mirror neuron system, as well as impairment of neuronal networks relevant to communication and social behaviors, in this disorder.

Multiple pulmonary artery aneurysms in tuberous sclerosis complex.

Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a rare genetic disorder characterised by multiple hamartomas, caused by inactivating mutations of the TSC1/TSC2 tumour suppressor genes. Classical pulmonary involvement in tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) consists of lymphangioleiomyomatosis and/or multiple micronodular pneumocyte hyperplasia (MMPH). Association of TSC with pulmonary artery aneurysm (PAA) has been only exceptionally described. We report here the first case of TSC with multiple PAA in combination with MMPH, cardiac rhabdomyomas and bone, skin and brain involvement.

Interaction of Spiral Waves in the Complex Ginzburg-Landau Equation

Solutions of the general cubic complex Ginzburg-Landau equation comprising multiple spiral waves are considered, and laws of motion for the centers are derived. The direction of the motion changes from along the line of centers to perpendicular to the line of centers as the separation increases, with the strength of the interaction algebraic at small separations and exponentially small at large separations. The corresponding asymptotic wave number and frequency are also determined, which evolve slowly as the spirals move