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Objective: This study aimed to compare long-term segmental deformity and clinical manifestations associated with vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty in treating single-level vertebral compression fractures. Materials and Methods: The patients were categorized into four groups based on corpus height loss and surgical procedures: VP1 and KP2 for ≤50% and VP2 and KP1 for >50%. Corpus height losses, restoration rates, segmental kyphotic angle values, visual analogue scale (VAS), and Oswestry disability index (ODI) scores were recorded at the 5-year follow-up. Results: There was a significant difference in the distribution of cases with corpus height loss ≤ 50% (VP1 and KP2) and ≥50% (KP1 and VP2) (p<0.05). Statistically significant decreases were observed in the restoration rates between the first day and the 60th month of postoperative follow-up for VP1, VP2, and KP1 (p<0.001). The restoration rate decreased in KP2 (p=0.023). There were no statistically significant changes in the segmental kyphotic angles for VP1, VP2, and KP1 from the first day to the 30th month. The angle of KP2's angle remained unchanged until the 60th month. VAS scores were significantly decreased for VP1, VP2, and KP1 on both the first and sixth day and the sixth (month <0.001). A significant difference was found in ODI values between the pre-operative period and the 5th year for VP1, VP2, and KP1 (p<0.001) but not for KP2 (p=0.003), indicating better results for KP2. Conclusion: Vertebroplasty is sufficient in patientscases with a height loss of ≤50%, whereas kyphoplasty is superior in patients with a height loss of >50%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Bosphorus Medical Journal / Boğaziçi Tıp Dergisi is the property of KARE Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objective: Rare disease Background: Masson’s tumor, also known as intravascular papillary endothelial hyperplasia (IPEH), is an unusual endothelial proliferation that leads to improper thrombus development due to faulty endothelial structure. Although IPEH is rare in the central nervous system, it can arise at any location in the brain. Headaches, seizures, and focal neurological symptoms ae the most common presenting symptoms. It is more common in females and it can occur at any age. Case Report: Herein, we present a 65-year-old female patient with a progressively enlarging right temporal lobe mass that was initially considered metastatic ovarian carcinoma. She underwent a right temporal craniotomy and the lesion was totally resected. Contrary to expectations, the pathology report was an IPEH. Conclusions: In this paper, we conducted a literature review of previously reported cerebral IPEH cases, with a focus on their clinical and radiological presentations, management, and especially their association with previous radiotherapy. The important point is that one-third of the cases had a history of radiation therapy to the head, and most of them had stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) on the location of the brain from which IPEH subsequently developed. The major question for which we are looking for an answer is its relationship with previous radiotherapies. We wanted to know how many of these cases were associated with radiotherapy in the same area, the time interval from radiotherapy to the onset of IPEH or symptoms, the dose of the previous radiotherapy, and, overall, if there is any cause-effect relationship between IPEH and radiotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to analyze farmers' willingness to contribute labor for the ongoing natural resource rehabilitation interventions in watershed development in East and West Belesa Districts, Amhara region. The aim of the study to assesses farmers' intervention in natural resource rehabilitation activities and examines the mean willingness to pay family labor required for public watershed development activities from the two districts; a total of 501 households were selected by using a multistage sampling technique. The collected data were analyzed using a descriptive and econometrics model. In the econometric part, the mixed logit model is used to analyze the mean willingness to contribute to family labor. The descriptive result showed that farmers have to improve the watershed ecosystem service through soil and water conservation, area enclosure, forestation, and reforestation natural resource management intervention methods. The mean willingness to pay contribution results from the mixed logit, revealing that the sampled households are willing to contribute for livestock fodder availability 0.79 labors per month means Farmer's Contribute 8 daily labors per months for watershed management activity for stabilizing spring water flow 0.80 labors per month, for reduced soil erosion 0.14 labors per month, and increase crop productivity 0.09 labors per month, respectively. The results important for policymakers and extension workers not to expect all farmers' have homogeneous daily labor contribute to public watershed development activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this study is to assess HFNC oxygenation and compare the efficacy of high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) to noninvasive ventilation (NIV) on oxygenation in patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure. The patients were randomly grouped into two groups, 20 in each group. Group 1: treated by high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) and group 2: treated by non-invasive ventilation. There was a statistically significant difference regarding PaO2/FiO2 at baseline and at the end (P-value < 0.001) in both groups indicating improvement of oxygenation in both groups. There was a statistically significant difference between the two groups regarding the PaO2 and PaO2/FiO2 ratio (P-value < 0.05) at the end of the trial however the degree of oxygenation improvement was significantly higher with NIV group. The conclusion of our study: the use of high flow nasal cannula is effective in improving oxygenation but NIV was superior to HFNC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Spondylodiscitis is infections of the intervertebral disc and adjacent vertebral body with insidious onset. These infections are primarily haematogenous in origin. Early spinal infections after posterior spinal instrumentation usually occur within 3 months after surgery, whereas late infections may occur up to 8 years after surgery but are rare with an incidence of 1.9%. Case presentation: We describe the case of a 66-year-old woman who complained of febrile back pain and developed late-onset spondylodiscitis 9 years after pedicle screw fixation, which is the longest-onset case. She was treated with surgical instrument removal and thorough debridement of the infected tissue with long-term antimicrobial treatment, with excellent results. Conclusions: If there is radiculopathy and fever associated with spinal surgery in the history, it should be remembered that evaluation of lumbar spine MRI and acute phase reactions is crucial, and spondylodiscitis should also be considered in the preliminary diagnosis even after 9 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Glioblastomas are the most common and highly malignant primary brain tumors in adults with a median survival of 15 months even with appropriate treatment. Extracranial metastases are extremely rare due to the poor prognosis not allowing sufficient time to spread. We report an extremely rare case of extracranial metastasis of supra-tentorial glioblastoma involving the skin, subcutaneous and muscular layers, periauricular region and parotid gland, and review the literature. A total of 13 glioblastoma parotid gland metastases cases have been hitherto described. A 42-year-old man underwent surgery for right temporal glioblastoma and received 60 Gy/30 fractions radiotherapy together with temozolomide at 75 mg/m2. Seven months later, the tumor relapsed and the patient underwent a second surgery while chemotherapy continued. Fifteen months later, he complained of swelling in the right neck region. Fine needle aspiration and tru-cut biopsy revealed a high-grade malignant tumor infiltration within the parotid gland. Despite salvage chemotherapy and adjuvant radiotherapy, in his follow-up after 6 months neck swelling increased. The patient declined any treatment modality and continues his life 39 months after the primary diagnosis of intracranial glioblastoma. Short conclusion: Due to the recurrence rate of intracranial glioblastoma and its malignant nature; close imaging follow-up is highly crucial. The increase in reported cases of its extracranial metastases is generally due to the modern diagnostic tools and prolonged survival attributed to the improvement in treatment modalities where now radical surgery with adjuvant radiotherapy and chemotherapy is standard protocol. Patients with glioblastomas presenting with swelling in the cervical region should be investigated to rule out parotid gland metastasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main aim of the research was to analyze economic evaluation and determinants of willingness to pay decisions for efficient irrigation water use improvement. Use for this purpose total of 300 HHs was selected using the Multi-stage sampling technique. The collected data was analyzed using econometrics model. In the econometric part, a seemingly unrelated bivariate probit model was applied to estimate households' mean willingness to pay and its determinant's for efficient irrigation water use. Leads by a double bounded dichotomous choice method. From seemingly unrelated bivariate probit model regression results, the mean and aggregate willingness to pay off the households 950.7 ETB (€25.7) per month per household per hectare was 1087159.09 ETB (€29382.7) per month and (12*1087159.09 = 13045909.08 ETB per year) respectively. The Mean and aggregate willingness to pay from the open-ended questions to be 926.059 ETB (€25.03) per month per household per hectare was 1072990.52 ETB (€28,999.74) per month respectively also, The bivariate probit model result revealed that bid values, sex of the household head, irrigation farm size, extension service significantly affected households' WTP in both initial and followed up bid values So, policymakers should be households have a high willingness to pay for improved irrigation water use systems and the government should implement irrigation water management practices to supply reliable irrigation water to the farmers and should set up proper irrigation water pricing at an amount close to the mean WTP that households were willing and able to pay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adoption of modern energy such as solar energy has been recognized as, an important way to reduce carbon emissions and enrich the energy supply of rural households in Ethiopia. This study investigated the factors that determine the solar technology adoption in rural households in case of West Belesa and East Belesa districts of Ethiopia. Data were collected from 500 farm households which were selected using a multi-stage sampling technique procedure through a structured survey questionnaire with online KOBO application through the Computer-Assisted-Personal-Interview (CAPI) system. The data was collected through focus group discussions and key informant interviews. Binary logit models were utilize to analyze the data. The finding of the study revealed that seven independent variables were significant in explaining the factors affecting farmers' adoption of solar technology. These variables were education status, family size, participation in natural resource management activity, extension services, knowledge about solar technology, credit utilization, and perception of climatic change were the positive determinants of adoption. Based on the finding, the study recommends that the government should raise farmers' awareness through increase access of education and improved especially credit services to rural household's to increase the adoption of solar energy technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Watersheds provide diverse range of goods and services which are vital for the sustenance of human wellbeing. Despite the huge volume of watershed development work in the intervention sites, sustainable flow of benefits from the constructed structures stayed to be still an issue. This study aimed to analyze Determinates of farmers' preference for watershed ecosystem services in East and West Belesa Districts, NorthWest Ethiopia. From the two districts, a total of 501 households were selected by using multistage sampling technique. Essential ecosystem services were used to develop and list watershed intervention list of options. The intervention options were created using choice experiment method by employing a D-optimal choice design. The mixed logit result revealed that farmers preferred the inclusion of different ecosystem services such as improved livestock fodder, soil moisture and fertility, stabilized spring water flow, reduced soil erosion and increased crop productivity in watershed interventions. However, the preference of the services was governed by the interaction of farmers' socioeconomic settings and attitudinal backgrounds. For instance, households with larger family size exceptionally valued the importance of enhanced soil fertility and moisture more than anything else. Similarly, farmers who hold relatively larger farms showed little interest for interventions striving to cut soil erosion at most. More importantly, farmers were found to give special emphasis for feed development and springs enhancement services over the rest of the ecosystem services included in the intervention menus. This implies that farmers give more preference to the two scarce resources of water and fodder more than other values even to those emphasized services aspired in the de-facto interventions which are reduced soil erosion and increased crop productivity. This calls for the need to revisit the undergoing interventions in the areas geared toward more livestock feed and water sources development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Lymphatic vessel density (LVD) has been shown to be an important predictor of survival in head and neck cancers. We report the predictive value of LVD for progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in laryngeal/hypopharyngeal cancer. Methods Fifty-five untreated patients with T3/T4 laryngeal and T4 hypopharyngeal cancer underwent laryngectomy between 1999 and 2010. Surgical specimens were immunostained with D2-40, a specific lymphatic marker. LVDs were determined in tumor vessel 'hot spots.' Recursive partitioning analysis identified LVD thresholds for both peritumoral (LVDpt) and intratumoral (LVDit) vessels for association with PFS and OS. Results Patients with mean LVDit of <11 vessels/mm2 had 2-year PFS and OS rates of 58% and 65%, respectively, compared to 13% and 13% for those with LVDit ≥11 vessels/mm2 ( p = .06 and .04, respectively). Conclusion Intratumoral lymphatic vessel density is predictive of PFS and OS in locally advanced laryngeal/hypopharyngeal cancer. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: E417-E420, 2016 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: ThinPrep® (TP) cervical cytology, as a liquid‑based method, has many benefits but also a relatively high unsatisfactory rate due to debris/lubricant contamination and the presence of blood. These contaminants clog the TP filter and prevent the deposition of adequate diagnostic cells on the slide. An acetic acid wash (AAW) protocol is often used to lyse red blood cells, before preparing the TP slides. Design: From 23,291 TP cervical cytology specimens over a 4‑month period, 2739 underwent AAW protocol due to initial unsatisfactory smear (UNS) with scant cellularity due to blood or being grossly bloody. Randomly selected 2739 cervical cytology specimens which did not undergo AAW from the same time period formed the control (non‑AAW) group. Cytopathologic interpretations of AAW and non‑AAW groups were compared using the Chi‑square test. Results: About 94.2% of the 2739 cases which underwent AAW were subsequently satisfactory for evaluation with interpretations of atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS) 4.9% (135), low‑grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL) 3.7% (102), and high‑grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL) 1% (28). From the 2739 control cases, 96.3% were satisfactory with ASCUS 5.5% (151), LSIL 5.1% (139), and HSIL 0.7% (19). The prevalence of ASCUS interpretations was similar (P = 0.33). Although there were 32% more HSIL interpretations in the AAW group (28 in AAW vs. 19 in non‑AAW), the difference was statistically insignificant (P = 0.18). AAW category; however, had significantly fewer LSIL interpretations (P = 0.02). The percentage of UNS cases remained higher in the AAW group with statistical significance (P < 0.01). Conclusions: While AAW had a significantly higher percent of UNS interpretations, the protocol was effective in rescuing 94.2% of specimens which otherwise may have been reported unsatisfactory. This improved patient care by avoiding a repeat test. The prevalence of ASCUS and HSIL interpretations between AAW and non‑AAW groups were comparable. Though not statistically significant, HSIL interpretations were relatively higher in the AAW group. LSIL interpretations showed lower prevalence in AAW group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Al-Rafadain Engineering Journal is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Others have suggested that CD117, or an immunophenotypic profile including CD117, can serve as surrogate for FLT3 mutation in T acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), thereby guiding targeted therapy. We report the results of flow cytometry immunophenotypic analysis in 42 cases of T-ALL and T/myeloid acute leukemia also assessed for FLT3 mutation. CD117 was expressed in 21 (50%), and FLT3 was mutated in 8 cases (19%; 1 T-ALL and 7 T/myeloid). FLT3-mutated cases were terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)+/CD2+ (7/8), cytoplasmic CD3+/CD5+ (5/8), CD7+/CD13+/CD15+ (4/6), CD33+ (4/8), CD34+, and CD117+ (bright). Cytochemistry showed myeloperoxidase-positive cells in all T/myeloid acute leukemias (3%-50%). We conclude that FLT3 mutation is rare in T-ALL, and its presence supports T/myeloid lineage. CD117 expression alone is sensitive but not specific for FLT3 mutation. The immunophenotypic profile of TdT, CD7, CD13, CD34, and CD117 (bright) is helpful for predicting FLT3 mutation, with a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 94%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]