Positive contrast MR-lymphography using inversion recovery with ON-resonant water suppression (IRON).

PURPOSE: To investigate the utility of inversion recovery with ON-resonant water suppression (IRON) to create positive signal in normal lymph nodes after injection of superparamagnetic nanoparticles. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Experiments were conducted on six rabbits, which received a single bolus injection of 80 mumol Fe/kg monocrystalline iron oxide nanoparticle (MION-47). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed at baseline, 1 day, and 3 days after MION-47 injection using conventional T(1)- and T(2)*-weighted sequences and IRON. Contrast-to-noise ratios (CNR) were measured in blood and in paraaortic lymph nodes. RESULTS: On T(2)*-weighted images, as expected, signal attenuation was observed in areas of paraaortic lymph nodes after MION-47 injection. However, using IRON the paraaortic lymph nodes exhibited very high contrast enhancement, which remained 3 days after injection. CNR with IRON was 2.2 +/- 0.8 at baseline, increased markedly 1 day after injection (23.5 +/- 5.4, P < 0.01 vs. baseline), and remained high after 3 days (21.8 +/- 5.7, *P < 0.01 vs. baseline). CNR was also high in blood 1 day after injection (42.7 +/- 7.2 vs. 1.8 +/- 0.7 at baseline, P < 0.01) but approached baseline after 3 days (1.9 +/- 1.4, P = NS vs. baseline). CONCLUSION: IRON in conjunction with superparamagnetic nanoparticles can be used to perform 'positive contrast' MR-lymphography, particularly 3 days after injection of the contrast agent, when signal is no longer visible within blood vessels. The proposed method may have potential as an adjunct for nodal staging in cancer screening.

Intel·ligència competitiva en la gestió de recursos de talent (RRT)

Les organitzacions afronten una nova era industrial, la era de la Societat del Coneixement. Als recursos clàssics necessaris per mantenir-se competitiu en un mercat cada cop més exigent (RRHH, recursos naturals, recursos financers, etc.), s'hi ha afegit el recurs del coneixement, associat a les persones que tenen la capacitat d'aportar un elevat valor afegit a les organitzacions. Aquestes persones amb aptitud, actitud i sensibilitat per actuar amb intel·ligència són recursos de talent (RRT) i han de considerar-se un factor clau per qualsevol organització. L'estudi dut a terme sobre l'estat de l'art de la gestió de RRT evidencia la manca d'estratègies en aquest sentit. A més a més, s'han detectat alguns aspectes millorables en l'actual percepció entre informació-empresa. Per tots aquests motius, s'ha dut a terme una nova proposta per entendre la relació informacióempresa i s'ha desenvolupat un model de vigilància de RRT, que hauria de quedar integrat en l'estratègia de Gestió del Coneixement de qualsevol organització. L'estudi inclou també la presentació d'algunes eines de vigilància d'informació, fent incís en les eines de cerca d'informació a Internet, per la seva creixent rellevància. Aquesta nova situació industrial presentarà noves oportunitats de negoci relacionades amb la gestió de RRT, així com obrirà possiblement nous debats ètics sobre la conveniència o no, d'entendre les persones com a un recurs més per a les organitzacions.

Tabagisme, obésité et diabète: une interaction cliniquement importante [Smoking, obesity and diabetes: a clinically important interaction].

Smoking, obesity and diabetes are among the leading cause of premature death worldwide. Smokers have globally a lower body weight compared with non smokers but they tend to accumulate more fat in the abdomen. Most smokers gain weight when they quit smoking, however this does not seem to diminish the health benefits associated with smoking cessation. Smoking increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Among people with diabetes, smoking significantly increases the risks of complications and mortality. Interventions with pharmacologic help should be offered to all smokers, with or without diabetes, in order to increase smoking cessation rates and limit weight gain.

Identificação e implicações para a conservação do solo das fontes de sedimentos em bacias hidrográficas

Os sedimentos oriundos de áreas agrícolas são importante fonte de poluentes para os ecossistemas aquáticos. Existem várias fontes de sedimentos na escala de uma bacia hidrográfica rural, como lavouras, pastagens, florestas, rede fluvial e estradas. Cada uma tem características diferentes na magnitude de contribuição e potencial de contaminação. Identificar a origem dos sedimentos é fundamental na compreensão da taxa de emissão de sedimentos e no manejo dos sedimentos erodidos na escala de bacia. Este trabalho foi desenvolvido com o propósito de identificar as principais fontes de sedimentos de duas bacias rurais de cabeceira no Sul do Brasil, as quais são representativas do sistema agrário e das características fisiográficas da região. A metodologia utiliza a comparação entre os solos de diferentes fontes e os sedimentos em suspensão, usando traçadores naturais. A análise discriminante encontrou um grupo de variáveis capazes de distinguir as fontes de sedimentos. Com base na análise de classificação, as contribuições relativas de cada fonte nas bacias de Agudo e Arvorezinha foram, respectivamente: lavouras (68,3 e 55,5 %), estradas (28,1 e 37,6 %) e rede fluvial (3,6 e 6,9 %). Os resultados mostram que, além da contribuição predominante das lavouras, as erosões nas estradas e na rede fluvial contribuem significativamente para produção total de sedimentos nas bacias, demonstrando a importância dessa informação para controle da erosão do solo e manejo dos sedimentos na escala de bacia hidrográfica.

Achondrogenesis Type 1B.

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: Clinical features of achondrogenesis type 1B (ACG1B) include extremely short limbs with short fingers and toes, hypoplasia of the thorax, protuberant abdomen, and hydropic fetal appearance caused by the abundance of soft tissue relative to the short skeleton. The face is flat, the neck is short, and the soft tissue of the neck may be thickened. Death occurs prenatally or shortly after birth. DIAGNOSIS/TESTING: The diagnosis of ACG1B rests on a combination of clinical, radiologic, and histopathologic features. SLC26A2 (DTDST) is the only gene known to be associated with ACG1B. Molecular genetic testing is available on a clinical basis. MANAGEMENT: Treatment of manifestations: palliative care for liveborn neonates. GENETIC COUNSELING: ACG1B is inherited in an autosomal recessive manner. At conception, each sib of a proband with ACG1B has a 25% chance of being affected, a 50% chance of being an asymptomatic carrier, and a 25% chance of being unaffected and not a carrier. Once an at-risk sib is known to be unaffected, the risk of his/her being a carrier is 2/3. Carrier testing for at-risk relatives and prenatal testing for pregnancies at increased risk are possible if both disease-causing alleles in the family are known and the carrier status of the parents has been confirmed. Ultrasound examination after 14-15 weeks' gestation can be diagnostic.

Adsorção de fósforo em sedimentos e sua relação com a ação antrópica

A avaliação do teor de P total e solúvel nas águas superficiais é insuficiente para o diagnóstico do seu potencial poluidor. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar as frações de P e as propriedades relacionadas com a liberação de P de sedimentos erodidos de unidades paisagísticas com diferentes graus de ação antrópica. As amostragens de água+sedimentos foram realizadas em duas unidades paisagísticas de uma sub-bacia da pequena bacia hidrográfica do Arroio Lino, Agudo, RS, Brasil. Avaliaram-se pH, concentração de sedimentos, C orgânico total, granulometria, Fe extraído por DCB (Fe d) e oxalato (Fe ox), P solúvel (Ps), P total (Pt), P particulado biodisponível (Ppb), P particulado potencialmente biodisponível (Pppb) e teor de fosfato dessorvido com água destilada (Q0). Foram estimadas a capacidade máxima de adsorção de fosfato (Pmax), a concentração de equilíbrio de fosfato (CEP) e a constante relacionada com a energia de ligação de fosfato (k). Sedimentos erodidos de áreas mais antropizadas, comparativamente às áreas menos antropizadas, apresentaram: maior concentração de Pt, Pppb e menor quantidade de Ppb; maior Pmax e valor de k dessorveram menores quantidades de P em água destilada e mantiveram menor CEP, indicando maior potencial poluidor, especialmente em ambientes semelhantes.

Clinical value of immunoscintigraphy in colorectal carcinoma patients: a prospective study.

Fifty-seven patients with suspected CEA-producing tumors were studied prospectively by radioimmunoscintigraphy (RIS) using a 123I-labeled anti-CEA monoclonal antibody (MAb) (essentially the F(ab')2 or Fab fragments) and emission computed tomography (ECT). Results of RIS were compared to those of a comprehensive diagnostic study. Final diagnosis was based on surgery, biopsy and autopsy (n = 39) or follow-up findings (n = 18). Three groups of patients were defined: Group A with suspected primary tumors (n = 11), Group B with probable (n = 19) and Group C with questionable (n = 27) tumor relapse. Eighty-eight per cent, 93% and 71% of the anatomic regions studied were correctly identified as being involved, and 97%, 97%, and 87% as being free from tumor in Groups A, B, and C, respectively. In the 27 patients from Group C with no definite diagnosis of relapse, and in whom diagnosis was most difficult, 38 tumor sites were involved. Of these, 21 were detected by both prospective RIS and repeated comprehensive study, six by RIS only and seven by conventional methods only. Four sites remained undetected by both approaches. Ten of the 21 lesions were detected by RIS more than 1 mo earlier than by any other method. Among the seven tumor sites detected by other diagnostic modalities only, three were identified at the time of RIS and four became positive more than 6 mo later. Overall diagnosis was entirely correct in 30, partially correct in 16 and incorrect in six patients studied. RIS with ECT and 123I-labeled anti-CEA MAb allows early detection of recurrence or metastasis of colorectal cancer. It thus contributes to reduced delay between diagnosis and treatment.

Nitrate and ammonium in soil solution in tobacco management systems

Tobacco farmers of southern Brazil use high levels of fertilizers, without considering soil and environmental attributes, posing great risk to water resources degradation. The objective of this study was to monitor nitrate and ammonium concentrations in the soil solution of an Entisol in and below the root zone of tobacco under conventional tillage (CT), minimum tillage (MT) and no-tillage (NT). The study was conducted in the small-watershed Arroio Lino, in Agudo, State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. A base fertilization of 850 kg ha-1 of 10-18-24 and topdressing of 400 kg ha-1 of 14-0-14 NPK fertilizer were applied. The soil solution was sampled during the crop cycle with a tension lysimeter equipped with a porous ceramic cup. Ammonium and nitrate concentrations were analyzed by the distillation and titration method. Nitrate concentrations, ranging from 8 to 226 mg L-1, were highest after initial fertilization and decreased during the crop cycle. The average nitrate (N-NO3-) concentration in the root zone was 75 in NT, 95 in MT, and 49 mg L-1 in CT. Below the root zone, the average nitrate concentration was 58 under NT, 108 under MT and 36 mg L-1 under CT. The nitrate and ammonium concentrations did not differ significantly in the management systems. However, the nitrate concentrations measured represent a contamination risk to groundwater of the watershed. The ammonium concentration (N-NH4+) decreased over time in all management systems, possibly as a result of the nitrification process and root uptake of part of the ammonium by the growing plants.

Diet and the risk of head and neck cancer: a pooled analysis in the INHANCE consortium.

We investigated the association between diet and head and neck cancer (HNC) risk using data from the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology (INHANCE) consortium. The INHANCE pooled data included 22 case-control studies with 14,520 cases and 22,737 controls. Center-specific quartiles among the controls were used for food groups, and frequencies per week were used for single food items. A dietary pattern score combining high fruit and vegetable intake and low red meat intake was created. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the dietary items on the risk of HNC were estimated with a two-stage random-effects logistic regression model. An inverse association was observed for higher-frequency intake of fruit (4th vs. 1st quartile OR = 0.52, 95% CI = 0.43-0.62, p (trend) < 0.01) and vegetables (OR = 0.66, 95% CI = 0.49-0.90, p (trend) = 0.01). Intake of red meat (OR = 1.40, 95% CI = 1.13-1.74, p p (trend) < 0.01) was positively associated with HNC risk. Higher dietary pattern scores, reflecting high fruit/vegetable and low red meat intake, were associated with reduced HNC risk (per score increment OR = 0.90, 95% CI = 0.84-0.97).

Advances in post-mortem CT-angiography.

Performing a post-mortem multidetector CT (MDCT) scan has already become routine in some institutes of forensic medicine. To better visualize the vascular system, different techniques of post-mortem CT-angiography have been explored, which can essentially be divided into partial- and whole-body angiography techniques. Probably the most frequently applied technique today is the so-called multiphase post-mortem CT-angiography (MPMCTA) a standardized method for investigating the vessels of the head, thorax and abdomen. Different studies exist, describing its use for medicolegal investigations, and its advantages as well as its artefacts and pitfalls. With the aim to investigate the performance of PMCTA and to develop and validate techniques, an international working group was created in 2012 called the "Technical Working Group Post-mortem Angiography Methods" (TWGPAM). Beyond its primary perspective, the goals of this group include creating recommendations for the indication of the investigation and for the interpretation of the images and to distribute knowledge about PMCTA. This article provides an overview about the different approaches that have been developed and tested in recent years and an update about ongoing research in this field. It will explain the technique of MPMCTA in detail and give an outline of its indications, application, advantages and limitations.

Pediatric CT: how to compare the Present DRL Values? : 12.10

Purpose: To determine dose thresholds, in term of CTDIvol, where subtle anatomical structures of pediatric CT images becomes no more detectable and compare them to the most recent Reference Dose Levels (DRL) proposed in the UK, Germany and Switzerland. Materials and methods: A GE LightSpeed-Ultra scanner (MSCT 8 slices) was used to perform chest and abdomen acquisitions on 8 patients (age range 2 to 16 years old) to provide a set of gold standard images. Dose reductions were then simulated by introducing image noise on raw data to provide simulated CT images with CTDIvol ranging from 2 to 22 mGy. All images were reviewed and scored independently by four experienced radiologists using the VGA methodology (Visual Grading Analysis) to determine the dose threshold where a significant loss of normal anatomy conspicuity appeared. Data were analyzed with ANOVA and Tukey HSD tests, a p >0.05 was considered to be significant. Results: No significant difference in VGA scoring appeared for CTDIvol leading to image noise levels lower than 10 and 25 HU for respectively abdominal and chest acquisitions. These data can thus be used to set the AEC (automatic exposure control) system of units having similar noise properties than the GE LightSpeed-Ultra used in this study. The present DRLs proposed for pediatric CT acquisitions are compatible with an excellent image quality level. Conclusion: The differences of DRL values proposed in Europe for pediatric acquisitions are marginal and assure a very good image quality level. The results of this study allow to further optimize the acquisition protocol by giving Noise Index value to set the AEC device.

Estimating and explaining the effect of education and income on head and neck cancer risk : INHANCE consortium pooled analysis of 31 case-control studies from 27 countries

Low socioeconomic status has been reported to be associated with head and neck cancer risk. However, previous studies have been too small to examine the associations by cancer subsite, age, sex, global region, and calendar time, and to explain the association in terms of behavioural risk factors. Individual participant data of 23,964 cases with head and neck cancer and 31,954 controls from 31 studies in 27 countries pooled with random effects models. Overall, low education was associated with an increased risk of head and neck cancer (OR = 2·50; 95%CI 2·02- 3·09). Overall one-third of the increased risk was not explained by differences in the distribution of cigarette smoking and alcohol behaviours; and it remained elevated among never users of tobacco and non-drinkers (OR = 1·61; 95%CI 1·13 - 2·31). More of the estimated education effect was not explained by cigarette smoking and alcohol behaviours: in women than in men, in older than younger groups, in the oropharynx than in other sites, in South/Central America than in Europe/North America, and was strongest in countries with greater income inequality. Similar findings were observed for the estimated effect of low vs high household income. The lowest levels of income and educational attainment were associated with more than 2-fold increased risk of head and neck cancer, which is not entirely explained by differences in the distributions of behavioural risk factors for these cancers, and which varies across cancer sites, sexes, countries, and country income inequality levels. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Relationship between cigarette smoking and abdominal obesity

BACKGROUND: Although smokers tend to have a lower body-mass index (BMI) than non-smokers, smoking may affect body fat (BF) distribution. Some studies have assessed the association between smoking, BMI and waist circumference (WC), but, to our knowledge, no population-based studies assessed the relation between smoking and BF composition. We assessed the association between amount of cigarette smoking, BMI, WC and BF composition. METHODS: Data was analysed from a cross-sectional population-based study including 6187 Caucasians aged 32-76 and living in Switzerland. Height, weight and WC were measured. BF, expressed in percent of total body weight, was measured by electrical bioimpedance. Obesity was defined as a BMI>=30 kg/m2 and normal weight as a BMI<25 kg/m2. Abdominal obesity was defined as a WC>=102 cm for men and >=88 cm for women and normal WC as <94 cm for men and <80 cm for women. In men, excess BF was defined as %BF >=28.1, 28.7, 30.6 and 32.6 for age groups 32-44, 45-54, 55-64 and 65-76, respectively; the corresponding values for women were 35.9, 36.5, 40.5 and 44.4. Cigarette smoking was assessed using a self-reported questionnaire. RESULTS: 29.3% of men and 25.0% of women were smokers. Prevalence of obesity, abdominal obesity, and excess of BF was 16.9% and 26.6% and 14.2% in men and 15.0%, 33.0% and 27.5% in women, respectively. Smokers had lower age-adjusted mean BMI, WC and percent of BF compared to non-smokers. However, among smokers,mean age-adjusted BMI,WC and BF increased with the number of cigarettes smoked per day: among light (1-10 cig/day), moderate (11-20) and heavy smokers (>20), mean +/-SE %BF was 22.4 +/−0.3, 23.1+/−0.3 and 23.5+/−0.4 for men, and 31.9+/−0.3, 32.6+/−0.3 and 32.9+/−0.4 for women, respectively. Mean WC was 92.9+/−0.6, 94.0+/−0.5 and 96.0+/−0.6 cm for men, and 80.2+/−0.5, 81.3+/−0.5 and 83.3+/−0.7 for women, respectively. Mean BMI was 25.7+/−0.2, 26.0+/−0.2, and 26.1+/−0.2 kg/m2 for men; and 23.6+/−0.2, 24.0+/−0.2 and 24.1+/−0.3 for women, respectively. Compared with light smokers, the age-adjusted odds ratio (95% Confidence Interval) for excess of BF was 1.04 (0.58 to 1.85) formoderatesmokers and 1.06 (0.57 to 1.99) for heavy smokers in men (p-trend = 0.9), and 1.35 (0.92 to 1.99) and 2.26 (1.38 to 3.72), respectively, in women (p-trend = 0.04). Odds ratio for abdominal obesity vs. normal WC was 1.32 (0.81 to 2.15) for moderate smokers and 1.95 (1.16 to 3.27) for heavy smokers in men (p-trend < 0.01), and 1.15 (0.79 to 1.69) and 2.36 (1.41 to 3.93) in women (p-trend = 0.03). Odds ratio for obesity vs. normal weight was 1.35 (0.76 to 2.41) for moderate smokers and 1.33 (0.71 to 2.49) for heavy smokers in men (p-trend = 0.9) and 0.78 (0.45 to 1.35) and 1.44 (0.73 to 2.85), in women (p-trend = 0.08). CONCLUSIONS: WC and BF were positively and dose-dependently associated with the number of cigarettes smoked per day in women, whereas onlyWC was dose dependently and significantly associated with the amount of cigarettes smoked per day in men. This suggests that heavy smokers, especially women, are more likely to have an excess of BF and to accumulate BF in the abdomen compared to lighter smokers.