Fluid resuscitation protocols for burn patients at intensive care units of the United Kingdom and Ireland

Introduction: The objective of this study was to determine the thermal injury fluid resuscitation protocols at intensive care units (ICUs) in the United Kingdom and Ireland

Cn-AMP2 from green coconut water is an anionic anticancer peptide

Globally, death due to cancers is likely to rise to over 20 million by 2030,which has created an urgent need for novel approaches to anticancer therapies such as the development of host defence peptides. Cn-AMP2 (TESYFVFSVGM), an anionic host defence peptide from green coconut water of the plant Cocos nucifera, showed anti-proliferative activity against the 1321N1 and =U87MG human glioma cell lines with IC50 values of 1.25 and 1.85mM, respectively. The membrane interactive formof the peptide was found to be an extended conformation, which primarily included β-type structures (levels>45%) and random coil architecture (levels>45%). On the basis of these and other data, it is suggested that the short anionic N-terminal sequence(TES) of Cn-AMP2 interacts with positively charged moieties in the cancer cell membrane. Concomitantly, the long hydrophobic C-terminal sequence (YFVFSVGM) of the peptide penetrates the membrane core region, thereby driving the translocation of Cn-AMP2 across the cancer cell membrane to attack intracellular targets and induce anti-proliferative mechanisms. This work is the first to demonstrate that anionic host defence peptides have activity against human glioblastoma, which potentially provides an untapped source of lead compounds for development as novel agents in the treatment of these and other cancers. Copyright © 2014 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Non-planar ABJM Theory and Integrability

Using an effective vertex method we explicitly derive the two-loop dilatation generator of ABJM theory in its SU(2)xSU(2) sector, including all non-planar corrections. Subsequently, we apply this generator to a series of finite length operators as well as to two different types of BMN operators. As in N=4 SYM, at the planar level the finite length operators are found to exhibit a degeneracy between certain pairs of operators with opposite parity - a degeneracy which can be attributed to the existence of an extra conserved charge and thus to the integrability of the planar theory. When non-planar corrections are taken into account the degeneracies between parity pairs disappear hinting the absence of higher conserved charges. The analysis of the BMN operators resembles that of N=4 SYM. Additional non-planar terms appear for BMN operators of finite length but once the strict BMN limit is taken these terms disappear.Comment: 1+26 pages, uses axodraw.sty. v2: typos fixed, references added. v3: more typos fixed, minor correction

The effect of harvesting techniques and cardiovascular risk factors on endothelial function of human coronary artery bypass grafts

Endothelial dysfunction is a common pathophysiological feature which develops in the evolution of cardiovascular diseases. Strategies to maintain a healthy endothelium or to reverse endothelial dysfunction are crucial for the normal function of the cardiovascular system and the maintenance of cardiovascular health. Endothelial dysfunction is observed both in the coronary and peripheral vasculature. Studies have demonstrated that surgical preparation of coronary artery bypass grafts can cause endothelial dysfunction and influence the viability and patency of these grafts. An important consideration in the improvement of surgical techniques is to prevent damage to the endothelium during harvesting and implantation. The relative influence of the Mayo stripper minimally invasive long saphenous vein (LSV) harvesting technique and the influence of internal mammary artery (IMA) pedicle width in preserving the integrity of endothelial function are uncertain. Increased production of reactive oxygen species, in particular, superoxide and radicals derived from superoxide, has been associated with endothelial dysfunction in animal models of disease, and there is increasing evidence of a link between oxidative stress and endothelial dysfunction in humans. It has been reported that endothelial dysfunction and increased oxidative stress may predict future events in patients with coronary artery disease. However, concurrent and comparative data on endothelial function, direct measures of superoxide in human vessels, and biomarkers of oxidative stress are not available simultaneously in patients with coronary artery disease nor in control subjects with no documented cardiovascular disease. Circulating biomarkers of oxidative stress have been investigated in patients with essential hypertension and in control subjects, but the relationship between these markers and endothelial function has not been examined. In addition, although the degree of endothelial function has been consistently linked to the number of risk factors present in patients with coronary artery disease, the relative importance of individual risk factors in determining levels of oxidative stress and endothelial function remains uncertain. To address these questions, this thesis studied the influence of harvesting techniques and cardiovascular risk factors on endothelial function of human blood vessels commonly used in coronary artery bypass grafting

Generalized scaling function from light-cone gauge AdS_5 x S^5 superstring

We revisit the computation of the 2-loop correction to the energy of a folded spinning string in AdS_5 with an angular momentum J in S^5 in the scaling limit log S, J >>1 with J / log S fixed. This correction gives the third term in the strong-coupling expansion of the generalized scaling function. The computation, using the AdS light-cone gauge approach developed in our previous paper, is done by expanding the AdS_5 x S^5 superstring partition function near the generalized null cusp world surface associated to the spinning string solution. The result corrects and extends the previous conformal gauge result of arXiv:0712.2479 and is found to be in complete agreement with the corresponding terms in the generalized scaling function as obtained from the asymptotic Bethe ansatz in arXiv:0805.4615 (and also partially from the quantum O(6) model and the Bethe ansatz data in arXiv:0809.4952). This provides a highly nontrivial strong coupling comparison of the Bethe ansatz proposal with the quantum AdS_5 x S^5 superstring theory, which goes beyond the leading semiclassical term effectively controlled by the underlying algebraic curve. The 2-loop computation we perform involves all the structures in the AdS light-cone gauge superstring action of hep-th/0009171 and thus tests its ultraviolet finiteness and, through the agreement with the Bethe ansatz, its quantum integrability. We do most of the computations for a generalized spinning string solution or the corresponding null cusp surface that involves both the orbital momentum and the winding in a large circle of S^5.Comment: 50 pages, late

Brane Tilings and M2 Branes

Brane tilings are efficient mnemonics for Lagrangians of N=2 Chern-Simons-matter theories. Such theories are conjectured to arise on M2-branes probing singular toric Calabi-Yau fourfolds. In this paper, a simple modification of the Kasteleyn technique is described which is conjectured to compute the three dimensional toric diagram of the non-compact moduli space of a single probe. The Hilbert Series is used to compute the spectrum of non-trivial scaling dimensions for a selected set of examples.Comment: 47 pages, 23 figure

Brachial neuropathy 22 years after radiation therapy for fibrosarcoma: a case report

This case report presents a 56-year-old man with right upper limb weakness which arose 22 years after initial local radiation treatment for a grade III fibrosarcoma. Nerve conduction studies revealed impairment of all three major upper limb nerves compared with the left, with particular impairment of the median and ulnar nerves in the most fibrotic area that had been irradiated. In addition, the patient received multiple courses of chemotherapy. The occurrence of radiation-induced brachial plexopathy should be considered in patients presenting with limb pain or weakness even many years after radiation therapy

Considerations for breast reconstructive surgery in South Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic

CITATION: Al-Benna, S. & Gohritz, A. 2020. Considerations for breast reconstructive surgery in South Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic. South African Journal of Surgery, 58(3):126-127, doi:10.17159/2078-5151/2020/v58n3a3348.The original publication is available at: http://www.scielo.org.zaENGLISH ABSTRACT: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has added a layer of complexity to surgical decision making particularly for complex reconstructive oncological surgery. In the absence of data on which to base validated strategies for breast reconstruction in the South African context, this article discusses the current trends in management and potential approaches which could be employedPublisher's versio

Ethics and surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic: principles are no different

CITATION: Banieghbal, B. & Al-Benna, S. 2020. Ethics and surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic: principles are no different. South African Journal of Surgery, 58(3):122, doi:10.17159/2078-5151/2020/v58n3a3348.The original publication is available at: http://www.scielo.org.zaEthics can perhaps falsely give the appearance of being a complex subject, but in clinical terms it is really about forming a judgment based on the available facts of an individual case and assessing the relative risks, burdens and benefits of different courses of action. This task is done by making reference to appropriate ethical and legal frameworks. While additional training may be needed to gain familiarity with these frameworks, it is not necessary for practicing healthcare professionals to be expert in these fields. Surgeons need to be aware of ethical and legal issues that apply to a case as they execute the process of consultation and decision makingPublisher's versio