Endoscopic laser-ablation for the treatment of orthotopic and ectopic ureteroceles in dogs: 13 cases (2008-2017).

BACKGROUND: Ureteroceles are a rare condition in dogs in which conventional treatments can result in substantial morbidity. Cystoscopic and fluoroscopic-guided laser ablation (CLA) of ureteroceles can successfully relieve obstruction. OBJECTIVES: To describe the technique and outcomes of attempting CLA for treatment of ureteroceles in dogs. ANIMALS: Thirteen client-owned dogs that underwent CLA for treatment of ureteroceles. METHODS: Retrospective multicentered study. Medical records were reviewed in all dogs that underwent CLA for ureterocele(s). A laser was used to extend the opening of the ureteral orifice (UO) unless surgical conversion was necessary. Data collected included signalment, clinicopathologic data, imaging, procedural findings, complications, and short- and long-term outcome. RESULTS: Thirteen dogs with 13 ureteroceles associated with 14 UOs resulting in ureteral obstruction were included. One ureterocele extended bilaterally. Treatment was initiated via retrograde cystoscopy (7 females), percutaneous perineal urethrocystoscopy (4 males), or percutaneous antegrade cystoscopy (2 males). Surgical conversion was necessary in 2 males. Ten of 14 (71%) UOs associated with the ureteroceles were ectopic. Thirteen of 14 had stenotic or imperforate UOs. No postoperative complications were noted. Preoperative incontinence or pollakiuria was present in 9 of 13 and 3 of 13 dogs and resolved in 8 of 9 and 3 of 3 dogs, respectively. Follow-up imaging showed resolution of all ureteroceles and improved ureteral/renal pelvic dilatation. Median follow-up time was 27 months (range, 3-96 months). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Cystoscopic-guided laser ablation was effective for the treatment of ureteroceles(s) in 11 of 13 dogs

On p-adic lattices and Grassmannians

It is well-known that the coset spaces G(k((z)))/G(k[[z]]), for a reductive group G over a field k, carry the geometric structure of an inductive limit of projective k-schemes. This k-ind-scheme is known as the affine Grassmannian for G. From the point of view of number theory it would be interesting to obtain an analogous geometric interpretation of quotients of the form G(W(k)[1/p])/G(W(k)), where p is a rational prime, W denotes the ring scheme of p-typical Witt vectors, k is a perfect field of characteristic p and G is a reductive group scheme over W(k). The present paper is an attempt to describe which constructions carry over from the function field case to the p-adic case, more precisely to the situation of the p-adic affine Grassmannian for the special linear group G=SL_n. We start with a description of the R-valued points of the p-adic affine Grassmannian for SL_n in terms of lattices over W(R), where R is a perfect k-algebra. In order to obtain a link with geometry we further construct projective k-subvarieties of the multigraded Hilbert scheme which map equivariantly to the p-adic affine Grassmannian. The images of these morphisms play the role of Schubert varieties in the p-adic setting. Further, for any reduced k-algebra R these morphisms induce bijective maps between the sets of R-valued points of the respective open orbits in the multigraded Hilbert scheme and the corresponding Schubert cells of the p-adic affine Grassmannian for SL_n.Comment: 36 pages. This is a thorough revision, in the form accepted by Math. Zeitschrift, of the previously published preprint "On p-adic loop groups and Grassmannians

Bone Marrow Stem Cell Treatment for Ischemic Heart Disease in Patients with No Option of Revascularization: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

PMCID: PMC3686792This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited

Anticipation and Adaptation in Particulate Matter Policy: The European Union, the Netherlands, and United States

The evolution of particulate matter (PM) air quality policy in the European Union and in the United States between 1970 and the present has been atypical. The US government and the European Commission have mandated scheduled reviews of PM policy over the past three decades and have updated that policy to new scientific information on multiple occasions. The use of planned adaptation over such a long period and in this manner, as a means to deal with uncertainty, has not often been reproduced in air quality policy. Furthermore, particulate matter policy in the EU and US does not conform to the commonly held perception that the EU’s environmental policies are, by and large, more precautionary than the respective policies in the United States. The US decisions to adopt air quality standards for PM10 and PM2.5, in 1987 and 1997 respectively, led those in the EU by approximately nine years. An analysis of the comparative stringency of the PM standards in the US and EU shows that the PM2.5 standard the US implemented in 1997 is more stringent than the standards that have been proposed in the EU by the European Commission and the European Parliament. In September this year, the US repealed their annual standard for PM10. Prior to that, however, the annual PM10 standard the EU implemented in 1999 was more stringent than the one the US adopted in 1987. The daily PM10 standards in the EU and US are of similar stringency. In the Appendix, these comparisons in stringency are discussed in more detail. The differences between the EU and US policies are remarkable because they are based on the same science and therefore reflect dissimilar processes of interpreting that science and the uncertainties inherent in it. The two cases themselves focus on the sciencepolicy interfaces for their respective governing bodies. The EU case also looks at the science-policy interface in the Netherlands. The US case also examines policies for sulfur dioxides that relate to the PM policies. The remainder of this summary discusses how characteristics of the science-policy interfaces may have led to the differences in outcomes

A decision support system for fostering smart energy efficient districts

The role of ICT is becoming prominent in tackling some of the urban societal challenges such as energy wastage and increasing carbon emissions. In this context, the concept of DAREED aims to deliver an integrated decision support system (DSS) to drive energy efficiency and low carbon activities at both a building and district level. The main aim of this paper is to present the technical concept of the Best Practices recommendation component of the DAREED system. This component seeks to compare and identify existing best practices to recommend practical actions to various stakeholders (e.g. building managers, citizens) in order to improve energy performance considering the global needs of a building. This paper also discusses the context of the three field trial sites (based in UK, Spain and Italy) in which the DAREED platform along with the best practices tool is to be tested and validated.This work evolved in the context of the project DAREED (Decision support Advisor for innovative business models and useR engagement for smart Energy Efficient Districts), www.dareed.eu, a project cofunded by the EC within FP7, Grant agreement no: 609082

Male Flat Jockeys Do Not Display Deteriorations in Bone Density or Resting Metabolic Rate in Accordance With Race Riding Experience: Implications for RED-S.

Despite consistent reports of poor bone health in male jockeys, it is not yet known if this is a consequence of low energy availability or lack of an osteogenic stimulus. Given the rationale that low energy availability is a contributing factor in low bone health, we tested the hypothesis that both hip and lumbar bone mineral density (BMD) should progressively worsen in accordance with the years of riding. In a cross-sectional design, male apprentice (n=17) and senior (n=14) jockeys (matched for body mass and fat free mass) were assessed for hip and lumbar spine BMD as well as both measured and predicted resting metabolic rate (RMR). Despite differences (P0.05) in hip (-0.9 ± 1.1 v -0.8 ± 0.7) and lumbar Z-scores (-1.3 ± 1.4 v -1.5 ± 1) or measured RMR (1459 ± 160 v 1500 ± 165 kcal.d-1) between apprentices and senior jockeys, respectively. Additionally, years of race riding did not demonstrate any significant correlations (P>0.05) with either hip or lumbar spine BMD. Measured RMR was also not different (P>0.05) from predicted RMR in either apprentice (1520 ± 44 kcal.d-1) or senior jockeys (1505 ± 70 kcal.d-1). When considered with previously published data examining under-reporting of energy intake and direct assessments of energy expenditure, we suggest that low BMD in jockeys is not due to low energy availability per se, but rather, the lack of an osteogenic stimulus associated with riding

Optimized intermolecular potential for nitriles based on Anisotropic United Atoms model

An extension of the Anisotropic United Atoms intermolecular potential model is proposed for nitriles. The electrostatic part of the intermolecular potential is calculated using atomic charges obtained by a simple Mulliken population analysis. The repulsion-dispersion interaction parameters for methyl and methylene groups are taken from transferable AUA4 literature parameters [Ungerer et al., J. Chem. Phys., 2000, 112, 5499]. Non-bonding Lennard-Jones intermolecular potential parameters are regressed for the carbon and nitrogen atoms of the nitrile group (–C≡N) from experimental vapor-liquid equilibrium data of acetonitrile. Gibbs Ensemble Monte Carlo simulations and experimental data agreement is very good for acetonitrile, and better than previous molecular potential proposed by Hloucha et al. [J. Chem. Phys., 2000, 113, 5401]. The transferability of the resulting potential is then successfully tested, without any further readjustment, to predict vapor-liquid phase equilibrium of propionitrile and n-butyronitrile

Does prohibitin expression regulate sperm mitochondrial membrane potential, sperm motility, and male fertility?

Prohibitin (PHB) is a highly conserved major sperm mitochondrial membrane protein whose absence in somatic cells is associated with mitochondrial membrane depolarization and increased generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Our recent findings suggest that high levels of oxidants in human semen may contribute to male infertility and that sperm motility could be the earliest and most sensitive indicator of oxidative damage. Based on PHB's roles in mitochondrial sub-compartmentalization and respiratory chain assembly, we examine sperm PHB expression and mitochondrial membrane potential (MITO) in infertile men with poor sperm motility (asthenospermia, A) and/or low sperm concentrations (oligoasthenospermia, OA). Here, we demonstrate that MITO is significantly lower in sperm from A and OA subjects than in normospermic (N) subjects; the decrease is more severe for OA than for A subjects. PHB expression is also significantly lower in sperm from A and OA subjects. Significantly positive correlations are found among PHB expression, MITO, and sperm motility in normospermic, asthenospermic, and oligoasthenospermic subjects. Collectively, our observations lead to the hypothesis that PHB expression is an indicator of sperm quality in infertile men, and that it regulates sperm motility via an alteration in MITO and increased ROS levels. © Copyright 2012, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.published_or_final_versio

MC-Simulation of the Transverse Double Spin Asymmetry for RHIC

Using {\sc Sphinx tt}, a new MC simulation program for transverse polarized nucleon--nucleon scattering based on {\sc Pythia~5.6}, we calculate the transverse double spin asymmetry $A^{TT}$ in the Drell-Yan process. If one assumes (quite arbitrarily) that the transversity parton distribution $\delta q(x,Q^2)$ equals the helicity distribution $\Delta q(x,Q^2)$ at some low $Q_0^2$ scale, the resulting asymmetry is of order 1\%. In this case is $A^{TT}$ would hardly be be measurable with PHENIX at RHIC.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figure