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ResumenIntroducciónLa enfermedad diverticular del colon es común en occidente. Posterior al primer episodio de diverticulitis, muchos pacientes se beneficiarán con terapia médica, pero de un 10 a un 20% de los casos desarrollarán abscesos, obstrucción, fístula.ObjetivoDescribir el tratamiento laparoscópico de las fístulas sigmoidovesicales secundarias a enfermedad diverticular.Material y métodosEstudio retrospectivo observacional de 10 pacientes consecutivos de 2011 a 2015 los cuales fueron sometidos a: 1) resección de fístula colovesical y cierre primario de vejiga y sigmoides o 2) sigmoidectomía laparoscópica técnica NOSE (extracción transanal del espécimen y anastomosis colorrectal, con cierre primario de vejiga).ResultadosSe operaron en total 10 pacientes en un periodo de tiempo de febrero de 2011 a febrero de 2015. Edad promedio 60.7(49-71)años. Se realizó sigmoidectomía con anastomosis primaria a 4 pacientes, resección y cierre primario a 6 pacientes, tiempo quirúrgico 140.4(80-210) minutos, sangrado 195(80-210) ml, tiempo para iniciar la vía oral 4.3 días (3–5) días. A todos los pacientes se les dejó el drenaje 10 días y la sonda transuretral dos semanas. Hasta ahora ninguno ha presentado recidiva de las fístulas o datos compatibles con estenosis de anastomosis intestinal.ConclusionesExisten reportes sobre el uso de la laparoscopia para el tratamiento de fístulas colovesicales demostrando resultados aceptables. Pocos son los estudios que se enfocan exclusivamente en fístulas colovesicales, generalmente los reportes incluyen fístulas de otros tipos también (colovaginales y colocutáneas). Las fístulas colovesicales son una patología que puede ser resuelta vía laparoscópica de manera eficaz segura.AbstractBackgroundDiverticular disease of the colon is common in the western world. After the first episode of diverticulitis, many patients benefit from medical therapy, but 10-20% develop abscesses, obstruction, or fistula.AimTo describe the laparoscopic treatment of sigmoidovesical fistula secondary to diverticular disease.Material and methodsAn observational, retrospective study was conducted on 10 consecutive patients within the time frame of 2011-2015 that had undergone: 1) colovesical fistula resection and primary closure of the bladder and sigmoid colon or 2) laparoscopic sigmoidectomy with the NOSE technique (transanal extraction of the specimen and colorectal anastomosis with primary closure of the bladder).ResultsTen patients were operated on within the time frame of February 2011 and February 2015. The mean age of the patients was 60.7(49-71) years. Sigmoidectomy with primary anastomosis was performed on 4 patients and resection and primary closure on 6 patients. Surgery duration was 140.4 (80-210) min, blood loss was 195 (80-210) ml, and length of time before beginning oral diet was 4.3 (3–5) days. The drain was left in place in all the patients for 10 days and the transurethral catheter for 2 weeks. Up to the present time, none of the patients has presented with fistula recurrence or data consistent with intestinal anastomosis stricture.ConclusionsReports on the use of laparoscopy for the treatment of colovesical fistulas have demonstrated acceptable results. Only a few studies concentrate exclusively on colovesical fistula; in general the reports include other types of fistula (colovaginal and colocutaneous), as well. Colovesical fistula is a pathology that can be resolved safely and efficaciously through laparoscopy.

Objective: To assesss the inappropriate use of causal language in studies on obesity and nutrition. Methods: Titles and abstracts of 525 peer-reviewed papers in the 4 leading journals in the fields of obesity and nutrition were scrutinized for language implying causality in observational studies published in 2006. Results: Such misleading language appeared in 161 papers (31%) independent of funding source. Remarkably 49% of studies lacking statistically significant primary outcomes used misleading language compared to 29% of those with p values ≤0.05 (chi square p < 0.001). Exculpatory language was present in the body of the text in 19%; of the 161 studies. Conclusion: We suggest that editors and reviewers evaluate submissions for misleading reporting.

In recent years, scientific interest on friction stir welding (FSW) has grown more and more since such a joining technique allows one to weld lightweight alloys that are rather difficult to weld or even “unweldable” with the classic fusion welding operations. Furthermore, few industrial applications of the process are already known in different manufacturing fields. In this paper, the optimization problem of a FSW lap joint for automotive applications is investigated, taking into account process parameters such as the tool rotating speed and the tool feed rate; a numerical gradient technique is applied for the optimization procedure reducing the number of experimental tests to be developed.

The Lauwerszee Trough is a northwest-trending sub-basin within the Southern Permian Basin and lies in the onshore area of northeastern Netherlands. Referred to as the ‘Golden Lane’ Trend, it is the classical Lower Permian Rotliegend gas play of the Netherlands, consisting of the prolific, high net-to-gross sandstone reservoirs of the Slochteren Formation. Traps are tilted extensional fault blocks that entrap gas sourced from the Carboniferous Coal Measures. The overlying Rotliegend Ten Boer Claystone and Upper Permian Zechstein evaporitic rocks provide the top and lateral seals for the fault traps. In this study 30 fault traps were analysed in which 22 were found to have gas accumulations. Trap fill is controlled primarily by Slochteren sand-on-sand juxtaposition leakage across a fault; however, some gas accumulations as mapped appear to be filled deeper than this leakpoint and require sand-on-sand fault seal. Retained fault-seal gas columns are relatively small and mostly less than 60 m with one exception of 95 m. Seven potential Slochteren sand-on-sand fault-zone seals were identified in this study. The analysis of these fault traps revealed three possible criteria that may promote the development of such fault seals: (1) juxtaposition against a tight, shale-rich interval; (2) small isolated sand-on-sand juxtaposition area ( 2 ) typically associated with fault lengths less than 1 km; or (3) occurrence of a complex narrow fault zone. However, some sealing fault segments are associated with structural interpretation/mapping uncertainty. Minor map changes may eliminate perceived sand-on-sand fault-zone seals and explain trap fill by conventional fault juxtaposition.

A new approach for the synthesis of selectively N-substituted tetra- and pentamethylenediamines 1 (n = 4,5) is described. The method uses N-substituted ω-haloalkanamides 2 as precursors and involves the microwave-promoted conversion into ω-azidocarboxamides 3 and later the reduction of both azido and carboxamide groups with diborane.

A-PAGE fractionation of starch granule proteins from 63 bread wheat cultivars with contrasting grain texture characteristics revealed two prominent polypeptides and three minor ones, approximately 15 kDa in size. These proteins were found to be encoded by genes on the short arm of chromosome 5D. The two major friabilin components were assumed to correspond to puroindolines a and b (pinA and pinB), as suggested by PCR amplification of genes coding for pinA, glycine-type or serine-type pinB. Two electrophoretic patterns for pinA (presence vs absence) and three patterns for pinB were obtained by A-PAGE. In cultivars with pinA (allele Pina-D1a), pinB was found to be encoded by wild-type Pinb-D1a, serine-type Pinb-D1b or by the novel glycine-type b1 allele. Cultivars lacking pinA (allele Pina-D1b) were shown to contain eitherPinb-D1a or the novel b2 allele, both alleles coding for glycine-type pinB. The intensity of pinB in A-PAGE gels was found to be associated with grain hardness as determined by the SKCS method. Cultivars lacking pinA had the highest SKCS values, suggesting that both pinA and pinB may affect grain texture. In the presence of pinA, cultivars with wild-type allelePinb-D1a had soft grain texture, whereas those with alleles Pinb-D1b or b1 showed increased grain hardness. It is suggested that allele b1 affects the interaction of pinB with starch granules because of a sequence mutation different from the glycine-to-serine change.

A general procedure for the synthesis of N -aryltetra- and pentamethylenediamines 1 by acid hydrolysis of N -aryl- N’ -acylalkylenediamines 2 under microwave irradiation is described. The precursors 2 are obtained by amination of the corresponding N- (ω-haloalkyl)benzamides with aromatic amines 3 .

In impression die forging the role of the flash geometry is fundamental since a proper design of the flash land strongly influences both the complete die filling and the die wear (i.e. the die life and the related costs). In this paper an integrated approach between numerical simulations and statistical tools was developed with the aim to optimize flash thickness in order to reduce die wear and to minimize material wasting. As wear is regarded, an analytical model depending on sliding velocity, temperature, die hardness and contact pressure was utilized during the numerical simulations of the process in order to reach a wear evaluation for different values of the flash design variables. Thus, it was possible to reach a prediction of tool life for different conditions. Furthermore, a cost analysis was carried out in order to investigate the influence of flash design on tool costs and material wasting costs.

Sanitary landfills are recognized as globally significant sources of atmospheric methane, but field measurements are rare. Existing country-specific landfill emissions have been estimated from solid waste statistics and a series of assumptions regarding methane generation and emission rates. There has been no attempt to reconcile the national and global estimates with limited field data on landfill methane emissions which range over six orders of magnitude (Bogner and Scott, 1995). This paper addresses controlled field measurements of methane emissions at sites in Illinois and California (USA) using a closed chamber technique. Overall, observed rates from various controlled monitoring experiments during 1988–1994 ranged from 0.003 to more than 1000 g CH 4 m −2 d −1 . Rates were related to the presence or absence of gas recovery wells, physical properties of cover soils (texture, moisture, and temperature) relating to their aeration status for diffusional flux, and rates of methane oxidation by indigenous methanotrophs. Surprisingly, at the Illinois site during spring, 1994, the landfill surface was consuming atmospheric methane rather than emitting landfill methane. This was attributed to high capacities for methane oxidation in well-aerated soils which had reduced landfill methane compared to 1993, the result of an effective pumped gas recovery system. Three independent methods confirmed that the landfill cover soils were functioning as a methane sink: (a) static closed chamber measurements yielding negative flux rates (uptake of atmospheric methane); (b) rates of methane oxidation similar to chamber results from in vitro field incubation studies using ambient methane; and (c) a reversal in the soil gas methane concentration gradient at the 25 cm depth. Field verification of landfill cover soils functioning as methane sinks has profound implications for revision of landfill contributions to global methane budgets; furthermore, it should be feasible to develop mitigation strategies incorporating a combination of engineered and natural methanotrophic controls.

Objectifs L’objectif de cette video est de demontrer que l’utilisation d’une pince robotisee Dexterite est compatible avec l’abord laparoscopique mono-trocart. Le mono-trocart est source de conflits entre les instruments et les instruments robotises ont un encombrement exterieur non negligeable laissant presager une incompatibilite entre ces deux approches. Methodes Nous avons acquis depuis 2009 l’experience de la laparoscopie mono-trocart pour de multiples interventions urologiques et nous avons donc choisi de tester l’utilisation de ciseaux et porte aiguille robotises pour la realisation d’une promontofixation avec double bandelette anterieure et posterieure chez une patiente (65 ans, 65 kg, 160 cm) presentant une hysterocele. Resultats Nous demontrons la compatibilite de la voie d’abord mono-trocart et de la pince robotisee Dexterite utilisee dans cet essai. Cet instrument offre une bonne qualite de dissection et de suture. Les conflits sont limites. L’intervention s’est deroulee dans des conditions tres satisfaisantes. Duree operatoire de 146 min. Conclusion Nous pensons que cette nouvelle instrumentation pourrait permettre d’elargir les indications de l’abord mono-trocart en apportant une solution supplementaire a la resolution de certains conflits. La courbe d’apprentissage de la laparoscopie mono-trocart pourrait egalement s’en trouver raccourcie.

Poly ADP-ribosylation (PARylation) is a posttranslational protein modification catalyzed by poly -ADP-ribose polymerases (PARPs). Poly ADP-ribose metabolism is involved in a wide range of biological processes, such as maintenance of genome stability, transcriptional regulation, energy metabolism, and programed cell death. Recently, chromatin components, including histones, have been shown to be targets of PARylation. Unlike mammals, which have several PARP-encoded genes, the model organism Drosophila melanogaster has only one PARP gene, highly related to mammalian PARP1. These features make flies a great model system to study PARP biology. Commercially available antibodies recognizing this covalent modification have made possible the development of immunofluorescence approaches to study PARylation of chromatin components. Here, we present a protocol to immunostain polytene chromosomes of the model system D. melanogaster.

Various title compounds of biological interest are available via the hydrolysis of N-acylalkylenediamine intermediates.

ExxonMobil's Integrated Trap Analysis (ITA) is a set of best practices and technical workflows for evaluating trap and seal in specific business environments. The ITA workflows contain recommendations for the application of appropriate tools and technologies in fault interpretation, bed and fault seal evaluation, and volumetric assessment of potential traps and closures for all upstream business stages. ITA best practice workflows differentiate between time scales (exploration vs. production) and the technical workflow is adjusted to reflect the time scale being analyzed. As well, rather than forcing an improbable solution using a single technology (e.g., capillary seal analysis), ITA workflows require the analyst to integrate multiple approaches to seal evaluation, which allows solutions that incorporate multiple seal mechanisms. Application of ITA workflows and associated technologies has impacted business decisions ranging from frontier and mature basin exploration, to development plans in new fields, to infill and near-field wildcat drilling in and around mature fields. Implementation of the ITA best practices has improved efficiency and quality in fault interpretation and structural mapping, promoted consistent application of appropriate technologies for trap and seal definition, and improved linkage of trap and seal analysis with volumetric assessment.

Objective: Recently, the C/T-13910 polymorphism on chromosome 2q21 in North-European populations has been found completely associated with lactase activity and its genetic typing proposed as first-stage screening test for adult hypolactasia. However, the C/T-13910 variant in some sub-Saharan African groups is not a predictor of lactase persistence. In this work, we wanted to verify if in the Mediterranean island of Sardinia, located in Southern Europe, the C/T-13910 polymorphism may be useful or not for the diagnosis of adult type hypolactasia. Design: Validation study of a genetic testing for adult type hypolactasia in Sardinians. Setting: Brotzu Hospital and Microcitemico Hospital, Cagliari, Italy. Subjects: The sample consisted in 84 Sardinian individuals (63 women and 21 men; range 20-73 years) selected from a group of 832 patients. Methods: Genetic testing was compared to an improved test obtained by a combination of different breath hydrogen tests and clinical assessment. Results: We found that all 49 individuals with lactose malabsorption, demonstrated by a combination of different breath hydrogen tests and clinical assessment, carried the C/C-13910 genotype associated with lactase non-persistence, 23 individuals with lactose normal absorption carried the C/T-13910 genotype associated with lactase persistence and only one person with the above phenotype showed a discordant C/C-13910 genotype. The genetic testing showed very high sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of 100, 95.8, 98 and 100%, respectively. Conclusions: Sardinians, unlike some ethnic groups in sub-Saharan Africa, show the same genetic association of hypolactasia with the C/T-13910 variant as other North-European populations. The genetic testing for the C/T-13910 variant may contribute to improving the diagnosis of adult type hypolactasia.

To determine the percentage of appearance of the H reflex and long latency reflexes (LLRs) in the thenar and hypothenar muscles of normal subjects to a fixed threshold mixed nerve electrical stimulus and variable degrees of muscle contraction.Fifteen subjects aged 21 to 32 years of age without any prior history of central or peripheral neurological diseases volunteered for the study. The stimulation was a constant currrent given at the wrist with the cathode positioned proximally; started at 1 mA and it was gradually increased mA by mA until the M response appeared with the subject relaxed. The intensity of the stimulation was thereafter kept constant. The contraction was an abducting movement of the thumb in the case of the thenar muscle and abduction of the digiti minimi in the case of the hypothenar muscle and was sustained throughout the study. The reflexes were elicited with a repetition rate of 3 Hz, the stimulus was a square pulse of 0.5 ms. We used a low frequency pass filter of 10 Hz and a high frequency pass filter of 10 kHz. The sweep speed was set a 10 ms per division. The responses were averaged 200 times and then smoothed.The mean intensity of the stimulus that evoked the H response, for all subjects, was 7.5 2.8 mA. The mean latency of the H reflex elicited with stimulation of the median nerve was 26 ms 2.03 ms (std. error 0.28, maximum 28.2, minimum 22.0). The mean latency of the H reflex elicited with stimulation of the ulnar nerve was 25.1 ms 1.64 ms (std. error 0.230, maximum 28, minimum 22.3). The difference between the percentage of responses attained under a relaxed condition and with any kind of muscle contraction was highly significant statistically using the Chi square method (p0.001). When we compared the percentage of the H responses obtained with slight, moderate, strong contraction, and contraction against resistance, between them, we did no find a significant difference. The LLRs appeared only in the trials with strong contraction.The H reflexes and the LLRs of the thenar and hypothenar muscle were not obtained with threshold stimulation when these muscles were relaxed. With any degree of muscle contraction the H reflex in these muscles could be obtained in 94 percent of the trials. Maximal contraction and contraction against resistance were the best conditions to elicit long latency responses.

Recording at various levels of the somatosensory pathway is often used in somatosensory evoked potentials to mixed nerve stimulation (SEP), but not in dermatomal somatosensory evoked potentials (DSEP) in which only the cortical potential is usually recorded. The aim of our study was to compare the recordings of upper limb DSEP at Erb point, cervical cord, and subcortical and cortical levels with SEP recordings in healthy subjects and patients with cervical radiculopathy.17 patients with clinical history, MRI and electromyography consistent with cervical radiculopathy and 17 healthy subjects were included. Median and ulnar nerves were stimulated at the wrist; and C6, C7 and C8 dermatomes at the 1st, 3rd and 5th fingers respectively. All the potentials obtained with SEP and DSEP were compared between controls and patients by t test for independent samples. We also used Pearson s correlation for height/latencies, weight/amplitude and age/peripheral nerve conduction velocity (PNCV).DSEP potentials were of similar morphology of those observed in SEP but had longer latencies and smaller amplitudes. We found a positive correlation between height and latencies, and a negative association of weight with amplitude of peripheral potential, and age/PNCV. No difference between controls and the neurological intact segments of patients was found. 13 patient had DSEP altered while only 5 of them had altered SEP recorded. The most common finding was prolongation of the conduction time of the segment N9 N13 on DSEP recordings.We found that it is possible to record and to identify all the potentials in DSEP as observed in the SEP. On cervical radiculopathy, DSEP with the present technique increase the sensitivity and give some additional and useful information regarding the extension and localization of the pathology. Besides, DSEP recording is a non invasive technique, non traumatic and well tolerated for our patients.

Nowadays the best test for the diagnosis of myasthenia gravis (MG) is the single fiber electromyography (SFEMG). Due to the cost of the test it has not become routine in most part of the hospitals to confirm the diagnosis of MG.To identify an acceptable gold standard for hospitals which do not have access to SFEMG, but have access to some other classical test through the use of a consensus methodology.The study was realized in three stages. The first two stages were done through a prolective survey and the third stage through a Delfos methodology. During the first stage 59 general neurologist were interviewed, applying an instrument in which they were asked which were the best test and the best group of tests to diagnose MG without using the SFEMG. During a second stage, a second collection instrument was applied to 15 experts in motoneuron diseases to identify the best isolated test and the best test scheme with and without using the SFEMG in four frequent clinical situations in clinical practice (typical clinical case of generalized MG, patient with ocular myasthenia, patient with generalized MG of medium and low probability). Finally four flowcharts were created of the four analyzed clinical situations and were approved through a Delfos methodology with 8 neurologist motoneuron disease.We identified an acceptable gold standard for hospitals which do not have access to SFEMG through the use of a consensus methodology. We have also completed four diagnostic flowcharts about the most frequent clinical situations that we have faced in the ordinary practice.We have found a series of important results for the diagnosis of MG available to general physicians, internists and neurologist that do not have all the test for the diagnosis of MG.

Recently it has been reported that maize (Zea mays L.) pollen can be stored up to several hours in a hypertonic aqueous medium at 0°C without losing its germinability (Broglia and Brunori 1994). We found that both release and activity of pollen nucleases are diminished in a cold hypertonic aqueous medium. Nucleases can be washed off while preserving germination ability and thus preserving the possibility of passive uptake of exogeneous DNA into germinating pollen grains. Alternatively, active DNA transfer into non-germinating pollen grains in the storage medium itself may be facilitated, due to the very reduced nuclease activity in this medium.

The synthesis of 1-acyl-3-arylimidazolidines were performed by reaction of N-acyl-N -arylethylenediamines with formaldehyde and Montmorillonite clay K-10 as a catalyst under microwave irradiation. INTRODUCTION Tetrahydroimidazoles (imidazolidines) are cyclic aminals of pharmacological interest due to the bioactivity shown by some members which is closely related to the substitution type. The most studied compounds are those N,N -disubstituted ones with alkyl or aryl groups, functionalized sometimes. Accordingly, a large number of these compounds with diverse properties such as strogenic activity and mammary tumor inhibition, anti inflammatory and analgesic activity have been described in the literature. Fungicide, bactericide and antiviral activities had also been reported. On the other hand, due to the hydrophobic nature of imidazolidines they can be used to increase the bioavailability of biologically active precursors in the form of a pro-drug and they had been employed as carriers of pharmacologically active ethylenediamines or carbonyl compounds. They are also closely related to the coenzyme N,N-methylenetetrahydrofolic acid, which participate in single carbon transfer at the oxidation level of formaldehyde. Synthesis and study of this type of compounds present interest from a chemical point of view, as synthetic intermediates of cyclic and acyclic compounds with the ethylenediamine structural unit. Thus, dehydrogenation of imidazolidines leads to 4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazolium salts and their selective reduction to N,N,N -trisubstituted ethylenediamines. The imidazolidine system has been widely employed as protecting group of vicinal diamines in peptide synthesis, due to its easy cleavage in mild acid medium. Besides, imidazolidines were also employed as heterocyclic chiral auxiliaries in asymmetric synthesis. Opposite to compounds HETEROCYCLES, Vol. 78, No. 3, 2009 771

Histone acetylation plays essential roles in cell cycle progression, DNA repair, gene expression and silencing. Although the knowledge regarding the roles of acetylation of histone lysine residues is rapidly growing, very little is known about the biochemical pathways providing the nucleus with metabolites necessary for physiological chromatin acetylation. Here, we show that mutations in the scheggia (sea)-encoded Sea protein, the Drosophila ortholog of the human mitochondrial citrate carrier Solute carrier 25 A1 (SLC25A1), impair citrate transport from mitochondria to the cytosol. Interestingly, inhibition of sea expression results in extensive chromosome breakage in mitotic cells and induces an ATR-dependent cell cycle arrest associated with a dramatic reduction of global histone acetylation. Notably, loss of SLC25A1 in short interfering RNA (siRNA)-treated human primary fibroblasts also leads to chromosome breaks and histone acetylation defects, suggesting an evolutionary conserved role for Sea/SLC25A1 in the regulation of chromosome integrity. This study therefore provides an intriguing and unexpected link between intermediary metabolism and epigenetic control of genome stability.

In the recent years the scientific interest on Friction Stir Welding (FSW) has grown more and more since such joining technique allows to weld light weight alloys rather difficult to be welded or even “un-weldable” with the classic fusion welding operations. What is more, a few industrial applications of the process are already known in different manufacturing fields. In the paper the optimization problem of a FSW lap joint for automotive applications is investigated taking into account process parameters such as the tool rotating speed and the tool feed rate; a numerical gradient technique is applied for the optimization procedure reducing the number of experimental tests to be developed.