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This datasheet on Water recirculation technology covers Identity, Description, Further Information.

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This datasheet on Monoculture/polyculture covers Identity, Description, Further Information.

®lastofibromas are benign connective tissue tumors occur ring in elderly patients and usually found in isolation. We report for the first time a case of multiple elastofibromas discovered during thoracotomy in a patient with prior aortic valve replacement for aortic stenosis. We discuss a novel association between aortic stenosis and elastofibroma and stipulate on possible etiology. In light of the well-known association of aortic valve insufficiency and a deficiency in structural proteins, the opposite problem of excess structural proteins may be pathogenic in the formation of both aortic valve stenosis and elastofibromas. This previously unrecognized association may influence the clinical management and diagnostic workup in patients manifesting with elastofibroma. Elastofibromas are rare, noncapsulated, slow-growing connective tissue tumors first described by Jarvi and Saxen in 1961, 1 generally benign, but may coexist with sarcomas, found more commonly in middle-aged women, most commonly located in the right infrascapular region, usually asymptomatic, or present with shoulder stiffness, pain, or swelling; generally unilateral although may be bilateral and multiple (Table 1). Small or asymptomatic elastofibromas may be easily overlooked, and on presentation, although most patients feature a several-centimeter-large tumor that does not adhere to the overlying skin and may be deep to chest wall musculature. Elastofibroma is diagnosed clinically with computed tomography (CT) or nuclear magnetic resonance. Immunohistochemically, they express vimentin and produce elastin fibers in characteristic fern-like structures. Because sarcomas may occur in the subscapular site, any suspicious looking lesion on imaging should be confirmed with biopsy to determine extent of chest wall resection necessary. No report exists where elastofibroma, which may have been found accidently during thoracotomy, 2 was associated with aortic stenosis (AS) as in our case. We stipulate on possible common etiology and heightened clinical awareness for associated lesions if elastofibroma is detected.

The metabolic role of extramyocellular lipid (EMCL) has yet to be elucidated. An inverse relationship between EMCL and physical function, and EMCL and vitamin D status has been described in vitamin...

Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) causes a systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), which can progress to an acute lung inflammation known as postperfusion syndrome. We developed a two-phase hypothesis: first, that SIRS, as indicated by elevated cytokines post-CPB, would be correlated with postoperative pulmonary dysfunction (Phase I), and second, that the cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) is predominantly released from the heart in CPB patients (Phase II). Blood samples were collected from patients undergoing CPB for elective cardiac surgery. In seven patients (Phase I), arterial samples were drawn before, during (5 minutes and 60 minutes), and after CPB. In 14 patients (Phase II), samples were collected from the coronary sinus, superior vena cava, and a systemic artery at the times indicated previously. Samples were analyzed with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay: IL-1, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha were assessed in Phase I and IL-6 assessed in Phase II. In Phase I, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10 were elevated after CPB, but only IL-6 concentrations correlated with lung function. In summary, Phase I data demonstrate that increased IL-6 levels at the end of CPB correlate with reduced lung function postoperatively. In Phase II, IL-6 elevation was similar at all sample sites suggesting that the heart is not the major source of IL-6 production. We suggest that IL-6 be implemented as a prognostic measure in patient care, and that patients with elevated IL-6 after CPB be targeted for more aggressive anti-inflammatory therapy to protect lung function.

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The complexities of the temporal bone and the critical inter-relationships among its key structures can be simplified with three-dimensional computer-assisted reconstruction. Knowledge of the topography of these structures and their mutual relationships in essential in any surgical approach to the temporal bone. Sixty sagittal histologic sections of a normal left temporal bone were examined. Each section, 30 microns in thickness, was optically enlarged. Segments representing the facial nerve, internal carotid artery, and inner ear structures from individual slides were traced and data were entered into a computer. A personal computer was used for data processing and analysis. Graphic software developed in our laboratory generated images with x-y-z coordinates that could be rotated in any plane. The high resolution of the computer graphics system, combined with the precision of histologic sections, permitted study of the critical three-dimensional anatomic relationships among essential intratemporal bone structures. The capability of reproducing individual and joint images of the intratemporal bone structures and viewing them from all surgical angles gives skull base and otologic surgeons important topographic guidance. Accurate spatial measurements of temporal bone anatomy are now possible with the application of computer graphic technology.