Development and validation of a Monte Carlo model of a mobile accelerator for intraoperative radiation therapy.

Background: Intraoperative electron radiation therapy (IOERT) relies on accurate and precise dose delivery to the tumor or tumor bed using mobile accelerators and interchangeable applicators, while critical organs are typically displaced or shielded during surgery. Treatment planning and linac commissioning are often based on water measurements, Monte Carlo (MC) simulations of the accelerator head and applicator system provide detailed insights into dose distributions and beam characteristics, offering additional support for clinical evaluation.

Purpose: This study develops an MC model of the Liac HWL mobile accelerator using a hypothetical linac head geometry, due to the limited availability of detailed information on its internal components resulting from manufacturer disclosure policies.

[Lesch-Nyhan syndrome in dizygotic twins].

Lesch-Nyhan syndrome is an inborn error of purine metabolism caused by deficiency of the enzyme hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase, with X-linked inheritance. At present, there are a few cases available in the international literature of twins with this condition. The object of this publication is to report the case of two twins with Lesch-Nyhan syndrome and to describe the clinical and therapeutic management.

Influence of Sunlight Exposure and Traditional Dehydration on Chemical and Nutritional Properties of Oxalis tuberosa (oca) Tubers.

Oca (Oxalis tuberosa), a potato like crops, is cultivated extensively in the high altitude regions of the Andes. Traditionally, consumers have used sunlight to enhance the sweetness of oca and have used methods to produce a dehydrated product known as 'khaya' for its preservation. This research seeks to assess the chemical and nutritional changes that four oca cultivars undergo after exposure to sunlight and traditional dehydration techniques.

Unusual high fluorescence of a 7,7'-diazaisoindigo derivative: A photophysical study.

7,7'-Diazaisoindigos are π-conjugated compounds but with poor luminescence properties. Their poor luminescence is generally attributed to the twisting around the central C-C bond in the excited state which favors non-radiative decay. We have found an unusual high fluorescence quantum yield (Φ ≈ 15 %) in a N,N‑Octyl-7,7'-diazaisoindigo derivative incorporating two triphenylamine (TPA) subunits at 5,5'-positions (called compound 12).

Impact on Quality of Life of Full-time and Night-time Braces in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Study Design: Randomized clinical trial.

Objective: To compare the effect on quality of life of night-time (NT) and full-time (FT) brace treatment for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS).

Summary Of Background Data: Conservative treatment of AIS with FT braces has proven to prevent the risk of progression and the need for surgery, with an inversely proportional relationship to the number of hours worn.

Dosimetric study of bevel factors in IOERT with mobile linacs: Towards a unified code of practice.

Background: Dosimetry in intraoperative electron radiotherapy (IOERT) poses distinct challenges, especially with inclined applicators deviating from international protocols. Ion recombination in ionization chambers, electron beam degradation due to scattering in cylindrical applicators, coupled with a lack of a well-defined beam quality surrogate, complicate output factor determination with ionization chambers. Synthetic diamond-based detectors, offer potential solutions; however, their suitability requires further exploration.

Detection and quantification by molecular techniques of early infection by Lawsonia intracellularis in suckling piglets.

Background: Lawsonia intracellularis is the causative agent of Porcine Proliferative Enteropathy (PPE), one of the most prevalent pig enteric diseases worldwide, but with sparse information about early infections in suckling piglets in the epidemiology of PPE. With that aim, this study evaluates the prevalence of L. intracellularis in 3-week-old piglets by analysing ileal digesta content and mucosal scrapings from 383 pigs from 16 farms (aprox.

Lateralized overgrowth as a guiding sign of abdominal neoplasms for pediatric orthopedic surgeons.

Objectives: This study aims to increase the awareness of the association between lateralized overgrowth (LO) and abdominal tumor among the pediatric orthopedic community and to evaluate its incidence in our center.

Patients And Methods: Between January 1997 and December 2021, a total of 166 patients with Wilms tumors and hepatoblastomas were retrospectively analyzed. Data including age, sex, initial clinical signs (hematuria, abdominal mass with or without general discomfort), type of asymmetric regional body overgrowth (isolated or in relation with any syndrome), and tumor stage at diagnosis were recorded.

Reversed priapism, thrombosis of the dorsal penile vein: A case report.

Priapism is an unintentional prolonged penile erection, lasting equal to or greater than 4 hours, in the absence of sexual stimulation or after having finished it. It is a rare pathology that can represent a urological emergency. The present report describes the case of a 25-year-old patient who presented priapism after suffering a one-meter fall on the genital area.

Comparative analysis of the anthelmintic efficacy of European heather extracts on Teladorsagia circumcincta and Trichostrongylus colubriformis egg hatching and larval motility.

Background: Gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) control is traditionally achieved with the use of anthelmintic drugs, however due to regulations in organic farming and the rise in anthelmintic resistance, alternatives are sought after. A promising alternative is the use of bioactive plant feeding due to the presence of plant secondary metabolites (PSMs) such as proanthocyanidins (PAs). This study focussed on the perennial shrub heather (Ericaceae family), a plant rich in PAs, highly abundant across Europe and with previously demonstrated anthelmintic potential.

Impact of microscopic incomplete resection for colorectal liver metastases on surgical margin recurrence: R1-Contact vs R1 < 1 mm margin width.

Background: Several studies highlighted an inferior outcome of R1 resection for colorectal cancer liver metastases (CRLM); it is still unclear whether directly involved margins (R1-contact) are associated with a poorer outcome compared to R1 < 1 mm. The aim of this study is to analyze the impact on surgical margin recurrence (SMR) of R1-contact vs R1 < 1 mm patients.

Methods: Patients who underwent surgery for CRLM between 2009-2018 with both R1 resections on final histology were included and compared in terms of recurrence and survival.

Somatostatin Therapy Improves Stellate Cell Activation and Early Fibrogenesis in a Preclinical Model of Extended Major Hepatectomy.

Liver resection treats primary and secondary liver tumors, though clinical applicability is limited by the remnant liver mass and quality. Herein, major hepatic resections were performed in pigs to define changes associated with sufficient and insufficient remnants and improve liver-specific outcomes with somatostatin therapy. Three experimental groups were performed: 75% hepatectomy (75H), 90% hepatectomy (90H), and 90% hepatectomy + somatostatin (90H + SST).

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the management of chronic noninfectious respiratory diseases.

The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged health care across the world, not just by the severity of the disease and the high mortality rate but also by the consequences on the management of the patients with chronic diseases. This review summarizes the most up-to-date published data regarding the impact of COVID-19 on the management and outcomes of patients with chronic noninfectious respiratory illnesses including obstructive sleep apnea, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchiectasis, interstitial and pulmonary vascular diseases, and lung cancer. Most of chronic respiratory diseases (except asthma and cystic fibrosis) are associated with more severe COVID-19 and poor outcomes but the mechanisms involved are not yet identified.

CFTR chloride channel activity modulates the mitochondrial morphology in cultured epithelial cells.

The impairment of the CFTR channel activity, a cAMP-activated chloride (Cl) channel responsible for cystic fibrosis (CF), has been associated with a variety of mitochondrial alterations such as modified gene expression, impairment in oxidative phosphorylation, increased reactive oxygen species (ROS), and a disbalance in calcium homeostasis. The mechanisms by which these processes occur in CF are not fully understood. Previously, we demonstrated a reduced MTND4 expression and a failure in the mitochondrial complex I (mCx-I) activity in CF cells.

Early intestinal complications following pancreas transplantation: lessons learned from over 300 cases - a retrospective single-center study.

Enteric complications remain a major cause of morbidity in the post-transplant period of pancreas transplantation despite improvements surgical technique. The aim of this single-center study was to analyze retrospectively the early intestinal complications and their potential relation with vascular events. From 2000 to 2016, 337 pancreas transplants were performed with systemic venous drainage.

[Evolution of the levels of the caregiver burden in bipolar patients' family members who participated in a psychoeducational workshop].

Purpose: Caregiver burden is a variable which measures the impact of a chronic disease on the people who are closer to the patient. Different investigations have shown that the burden suffered by family members of patients with bipolar disorder is similar to that suffered by the relatives of schizophrenic patients and superior to the excessive strain caused by chronic diseases, such as diabetes. Lowering burden levels has been proved to improve family members' welfare and also to reduce patients' relapse indexes.

Evolution Under Normothermic Machine Perfusion of Type 2 Donation After Cardiac Death Livers Discarded as Nontransplantable.

Background: Type 2 donation after cardiac death (DCD) represents an underused source of grafts for liver transplantation. In our center, normothermic regional perfusion and strict selection criteria have led to acceptable postoperative results after transplanting type 2 DCD livers. However, many of these grafts are still discarded before transplantation.

Prevalence of intestinal parasites and the absence of soil-transmitted helminths in Añatuya, Santiago del Estero, Argentina.

Background: Intestinal parasites (IP) have been reported in point studies from different provinces of Argentina. The presence of soil-transmitted helminths (STH) was detected in many of these studies, including varied prevalences of all five species of STH in the north were the climate is more appropriate for transmission. Nonetheless, Argentina lacks a comprehensive prevalence map of STH.

Pancreas transplantation: Advantages of a retroperitoneal graft position.

Introduction: In the 50 years since the first pancreas transplant performed at the University of Minnesota, the surgical techniques employed have undergone many modifications. Techniques such as retroperitoneal graft placement have further improved the ability to reproduce the physiology of the «native» pancreas. We herein present our experience of a modified technique for pancreatic transplant, with the organ placed into a fully retroperitoneal position with systemic venous and enteric drainage of the graft by duodeno-duodenostomy.

The Role of Prosocialness and Trust in the Consumption of Water as a Limited Resource.

This research analyzes the role of prosocialness and trust in the use of water as a limited resource under situations of competition or cooperation. For this purpose, 107 participants played the role of farmers and made decisions about irrigating their fields in the web-based multiplayer game Irrigania. Before the simulation exercise, participants' prosocialness and trust levels were evaluated and they were randomly assigned to an experimental condition (competition or cooperation).

Candidate insect vectors of apple proliferation in Northwest Spain.

The apple proliferation (AP) disease is spread mostly by two psyllids. Each species plays a predominant role as AP vector that changes regionally. Thus, there is an urgent need to identify the AP vectors in each region where the disease is present.

Intensive outpatient comprehensive behavioral intervention for tics: A case series.

Recent randomized clinical trials have established the efficacy of Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics (CBIT) in treating children and adults with Tourette syndrome and persistent tic disorders. However, the standard CBIT protocol uses a weekly outpatient treatment format (i.e.

[Linkage to care among new human immunodeficiency virus diagnoses in Spain].

Objetive: To describe linkage to care among new HIV diagnoses in Spain; and to estimate factors associated to linkage to care within three months after diagnosis.

Methods: The distribution of the time elapsing between the date of HIV diagnosis and the date of first determination of CD4 (considered to be the date of linkage to care) was calculated among new HIV diagnoses in 2010 in the seven Autonomous Regions participating, where data on date of CD4 count was available. Linkage to care was considered «correct» if done within three months after diagnosis.

Seasonal variation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon exposure levels in Mexico City.

This work presents the results obtained when determining the priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentration contained in particulate matter 10 microm in aerodynamic diameter or less (PM10) and in the gas phase in Mexico City's atmosphere by means of a field study conducted during 2005. PM10 and vapor-phase PAHs were collected on prebaked quartz fiber filters and PUF-XAD-4 resin and quantified by gas chromatography (GC)-mass spectrometry. Vapor-phase PAHs comprised 86-97% of the total PAH mass, and naphthalene was the most abundant PAH determined, contributing 84-93% to the total mass.