Main Recommendations
The following recommendations should only be applied after a thorough diagnostic evaluation including a contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) scan.
1
ESGE recommends colonic ...stenting to be reserved for patients with clinical symptoms and radiological signs of malignant large-bowel obstruction, without signs of perforation. ESGE does not recommend prophylactic stent placement.
Strong recommendation, low quality evidence.
2
ESGE recommends stenting as a bridge to surgery to be discussed, within a shared decision-making process, as a treatment option in patients with potentially curable left-sided obstructing colon cancer as an alternative to emergency resection.
Strong recommendation, high quality evidence.
3
ESGE recommends colonic stenting as the preferred treatment for palliation of malignant colonic obstruction.
Strong recommendation, high quality evidence.
4
ESGE suggests consideration of colonic stenting for malignant obstruction of the proximal colon either as a bridge to surgery or in a palliative setting.
Weak recommendation, low quality evidence.
5
ESGE suggests a time interval of approximately 2 weeks until resection when colonic stenting is performed as a bridge to elective surgery in patients with curable left-sided colon cancer.
Weak recommendation, low quality evidence.
6
ESGE recommends that colonic stenting should be performed or directly supervised by an operator who can demonstrate competence in both colonoscopy and fluoroscopic techniques and who performs colonic stenting on a regular basis.
Strong recommendation, low quality evidence.
7
ESGE suggests that a decompressing stoma as a bridge to elective surgery is a valid option if the patient is not a candidate for colonic stenting or when stenting expertise is not available.
Weak recommendation, low quality evidence.
Background. It is uncertain whether Leishmania parasites ever disappear after clinical cure of American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL). Recently, sensitive molecular techniques have allowed the ...identification of Leishmania parasites directly in specimens from patients' scars. Methods. Scars of 32 patients from northeastern Brazil who were treated and clinically cured of ACL were analyzed by use of polymerase chain reaction (PCR), culture, and histopathologic examination. Results. DNA specific for Leishmania (Viannia) was detected in scars of 30 (93.7%) of 32 patients. In specimens from 3 of the scars, Leishmania parasites could be isolated by culture; PCR results also were positive for those 3 specimens. No parasites were found by histopathologic examination, and fibrotic alterations were present in all cases, with slight inflammatory foci observed in 4 of the cases studied. Conclusions. The results suggest that clinical cure of ACL is rarely associated with sterile cure. The implications of persistence of parasites for the clinical evolution, relapse, and transmission of leishmaniasis deserves further studies, particularly with the increasing incidence of coinfection with leishmaniasis and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.
The present study was undertaken to determine anthropometrical parameters in male adult Wistar rats. We tested the hypothesis that the anthropometrical index may identify obesity and may predict its ...adverse effects on lipid profile and oxidative stress in rats. Two experimental protocols were performed. In the first experiment, 50 male Wistar rats, 21 days old and fed a control chow were studied up to 150 days of age. In the second experiment, male Wistar rats, 60 days old, were divided into three groups (n = 8): control (C) given free access to a control chow; (S) receiving the control chow and drinking 30% sucrose ad libitum and (HC) fed a high-carbohydrate diet ad libitum. The first experiment showed that food consumption, energy intake and body weight increased with increasing age, while specific rate of body mass gain was significantly decreased. There were no significant differences in body length and thoracic circumference of rats from 60 days of age. The abdominal circumference (AC) and body mass index (BMI) significantly increased with enhancing age in rats up to 90 days of age and remained constant thereafter. In the second experiment, after 30 days of dietary treatment, the final body weight, body mass gain, carcass fat and BMI were higher in S and HC rats than in C. There were no significant alterations in body length and carcass protein among the groups. Triacylglycerol (TG), total cholesterol (CT), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and lipid hydroperoxide (LH) were higher in S and HC rats than in C. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) decreased in HC rats and total antioxidant substances (TAS) decreased in S and HC rats. There were positive correlations between BMI with carcass fat, BMI with LH and BMI and serum TG concentration. In conclusion, the BMI for male adult Wistar rats ranged between 0.45 and 0.68 g/cm2. Obesity may be easily estimated from the BMI in rats. Alterations in BMI were associated with dyslipidemic profile and oxidative stress in serum of rats and BMI may predict these adverse consequences of the obesity in rats.
Aim
In Africa, reintroduction of wild animal species to conservation areas is a common practice, for the recovery or restoration of populations. Effective monitoring of reintroduced species requires ...understanding of basic ecological requirements such as habitat selection of these species in the new environment. Therefore, the present study investigated the habitat selection of zebra and wildebeest following their reintroduction into Maputo Special Reserve, south Mozambique, and we use binary logistic analyses to investigate the relative influence of biotic and abiotic factors in determining the habitat use.
Location
Maputo Special Reserve, south Mozambique.
Methods
We conducted the study from July 2016 to June 2017. The data were collected by direct observation, driving the vehicle along the reserve's roads that covered the vegetation communities where zebras and wildebeest are known to commonly occur. Habitat selection was calculated using selection indices (Manly's alpha), and binary logistic analyses were used to investigate the relative influence of biotic and abiotic factors in determining the habitat use.
Results
The arboreal savanna was the preferred habitat by both herbivore species. Habitat use of zebra appeared to be strongly determined by characteristics such as high grass cover, high grass greenness, and distance to water, while the habitat use by wildebeest, was strongly affected by grass height.
Main conclusions
Both zebra and wildebeest prefer arboreal savanna, forage selection likely drove preference of this habitat. Greater grass cover and greater percentage greenness of the grass both significantly increased the odds of zebra use of habitat, whereas the odds of use decreased with increases in distance to water, meaning an opportunity to ingest large amounts of grass biomass with higher quality, and this opportunity decreases with increasing in distance to water. Grass height was in the highest‐ranking model predicting habitat use by wildebeest, and during the dry season the use of habitat increased with increasing grass height, suggesting that selecting areas with tall grasses by wildebeest equated to choosing areas with higher grass quantity, as the food intake rate increases with grass height.
Habitat, zebra, wildebeest.
A
bstract
The contribution from quantum vacuum fluctuations of a real massless scalar field to the motion of a test particle that interacts with the field in the presence of a perfectly reflecting ...flat boundary is here investigated. There is no quantum induced dispersions on the motion of the particle when it is alone in the empty space. However, when a reflecting wall is introduced, dispersions occur with magnitude dependent on how fast the system evolves between the two scenarios. A possible way of implementing this process would be by means of an idealized sudden switching, for which the transition occurs instantaneously. Although the sudden process is a simple and mathematically convenient idealization it brings some divergences to the results, particularly at a time corresponding to a round trip of a light signal between the particle and the wall. It is shown that the use of smooth switching functions, besides regularizing such divergences, enables us to better understand the behavior of the quantum dispersions induced on the motion of the particle. Furthermore, the action of modifying the vacuum state of the system leads to a change in the particle energy that depends on how fast the transition between these states is implemented. Possible implications of these results to the similar case of an electric charge near a perfectly conducting wall are discussed.
The spatiotemporal distribution of a predator within an environment tends to be synchronized with that of its prey, to maximize the efficiency of its hunting behavior. However, small predators may ...also be obliged to avoid potentially agonistic encounters with larger predators due to interspecific competition and intraguild predation. We used occupancy models and indices of temporal overlap to evaluate whether the occurrence of prey species, ocelots (Leopardus pardalis) and top predators (puma Puma concolor and jaguar Panthera onca) influenced the habitat use and activity patterns of the northern tiger cat (Leopardus tigrinus) and jaguarundi (Herpailurus yagouaroundi) in a region of the semi‐arid Caatinga biome in Bahia, northeastern Brazil. The occurrence of prey had a positive influence on the use of habitat by the small felids. The northern tiger cat was nocturnal‐crepuscular and presented a high degree of temporal overlap with Spix's cavy (Galea spixii) and the rock cavy (Kerodon rupestris). The jaguarundi was diurnal, by contrast and overlapped temporally with the agouti (Dasyprocta nigriclunis). The occurrence of the ocelot did not influence the habitat or daily activity pattern of the jaguarundi, but presented a high degree of temporal overlap with the northern tiger cat, which adopted a strategy of spatial segregation to avoid direct contact with this dominant competitor. The top predators did not influence the spatiotemporal distribution of the small felids, indicating that their niches are segregated by dietary parameters related to differences in body size. Our results indicate that the availability of prey has a more profound influence on the spatiotemporal ecology of the small felids than the occurrence of the top predators, although the presence of the northern tiger cat appeared to be correlated negatively with that of the ocelot. We believe that environmental factors, such as the conservation status, size and isolation of native habitats, may have a fundamental influence on the strategies adopted by the northern tiger cat to mediate its coexistence with the ocelot.
Our study found that the occurrence of prey had a positive influence on the use of habitat by the small felids. The northern tiger cat (Leopardus tigrinus) was nocturnal‐crepuscular and presented high degree of temporal overlap with small rodents. Our results indicate that the availability of prey has a more profound influence on the spatiotemporal ecology of the small felids than the occurrence of the top predators, although the presence of the northern tiger cat appeared to be correlated negatively with that of the ocelot.
Cellulose modified fibres in cement based composites Tonoli, G.H.D.; Rodrigues Filho, U.P.; Savastano, H. ...
Composites. Part A, Applied science and manufacturing,
12/2009, Letnik:
40, Številka:
12
Journal Article
Recenzirano
The objective of the present work is to evaluate the effect of surface modification of cellulose pulp fibres on the mechanical and microstructure of fibre–cement composites. Surface modification of ...the cellulose pulps was performed with Methacryloxypropyltri-methoxysilane (MPTS) and Aminopropyltri-ethoxysilane (APTS) in an attempt to improve their durability into fibre–cement composites. The surface modification showed significant influence on the microstructure of the composites on the fibre–matrix interface and in the mineralization of the fibre lumen as seen by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with back-scattered electron (BSE) detector. Accelerated ageing cycles decreased modulus of rupture (MOR) and toughness (TE) of the composites. Composites reinforced with MPTS-modified fibres presented fibres free from cement hydration products, while APTS-modified fibres presented accelerated mineralization. Higher mineralization of the fibres led to higher embrittlement of the composite after accelerated ageing cycles. These observations are therefore very useful for understanding the mechanisms of degradation of fibre–cement composites.
Aqueous extract of macerated Vochysia rufa stem bark has been commonly used in the treatment of diabetes. Therefore, we evaluated the antihyperglycemic and antioxidant effects of an extract of V. ...rufa on the pancreata of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Animals received one of the following treatments daily by oral gavage: water (diabetic-control), V. rufa extract (diabetic-V. rufa), or glibenclamide (diabetic-GBD). Total antioxidant capacity; levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, reduced glutathione, and sulfhydryls; and superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities were measured in the pancreas. Biochemical analysis of serum total cholesterol and fractions, triglycerides, creatinine, urea, acid uric, ALP, γ-GT, AST, and ALT was performed, and pancreatic β-cells positive for insulin were evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Rats treated with extract exhibited a decrease in fasting blood glucose compared with levels in diabetic control rats. GPx activity and sulfhydryl levels were significantly lower in diabetic-V. rufa rats compared with those of diabetic-control rats. V. rufa extract acted to normalize the biochemical alterations found in diabetic rats (diabetic-controls), as demonstrated by increases in urea, HDL, ALP, AST, and ALT. Reduction in blood glucose was independent of an increase in insulin. The V. rufa extract was found to be composed of free sugars (inositol, galactose, glucose, mannose, sucrose, arabinose, and ribose) as the main metabolites. Thus, aqueous extract of the stem bark of V. rufa is capable of reducing blood glucose, resulting in an antioxidant effect on the pancreatic tissue of STZ-diabetic rats.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Objectives The aim of this study was to determine the antimycobacterial potential of laurel oil, its fractions and its two sesquiterpene lactones against several mycobacterial strains and clinical ...isolates, and to establish the possibility of occurrence of some synergistic effects between those lactones using a modification of the fluorometric Alamar Blue microassay (FMABA). Methods The in vitro antimycobacterial activity of whole oil and its fractions and pure active compounds were determined by FMABA. A bioassay-guided fractionation of the traditional preparation of laurel oil from Madeira Islands was performed, yielding pure compounds chemically identified by standard procedures. Synergism of pure compounds was established by X/Y quotient analysis adapted to FMABA. Results Sesquiterpene lactones, costunolide and dehydrocostuslactone, were the compounds responsible for the antimycobacterial activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv with MICs of 6.25 and 12.5 mg/L, respectively. Antimycobacterial activity against drug-resistant M. tuberculosis clinical isolates was better for the mixture than for pure compounds. Conclusions Both lactones presented synergistic activity, i.e. analysis of relative fluorescence units presented an X/Y value <0.5 at a concentration of 1/8 MIC of each compound in the combination. Establishment of synergism by FMABA represents another application of the microplate Alamar Blue assay.
Long-term exposure to intermittent hypoxia may lead to important cardiovascular dysfunctions, such as hypertension. Rodent
models of chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) have been used to study the ...mechanisms underlying the increase in mean arterial
pressure (MAP) observed after exposure to CIH. Several studies suggest that the hypertension of rats submitted to CIH is associated
with an increase in sympathetic activity. However, there are no studies documenting the direct measurement of sympathetic
activity in conscious freely moving rats exposed to CIH. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate whether or not the
increase of MAP in rats exposed to CIH is associated with an increase in sympathetic activity. To reach this goal, we analysed
the effect of ganglionic blockade on baseline MAP as well as the plasma levels of catecholamines. Rats submitted to CIH (fractional
inspired O 2 of 6%, for 40 s in every 9 min, 8 h day â1 ) for 35 days ( n
= 31) exhibited a significant increase in MAP compared with control rats ( n
= 28) maintained under normoxia (112 ± 2 versus 103 ± 1 mmHg, P
= 0.0003). The injection of the ganglionic blocker hexamethonium resulted in a similar fall in MAP in CIH and control
groups (â46 ± 2 versus
â41 ± 3 mmHg). However, hexamethonium after previous antagonism of the angiotensin II type 1 (AT 1 ) receptors with losartan produced a larger decrease in MAP in the CIH than in the control group (â58 ± 2 versus
â50 ± 2 mmHg, P
= 0.0165). The injection of losartan itself produced no major changes in the baseline MAP in both groups. The measurement
of plasma catecholamines showed an increase in plasma noradrenaline (10.12 ± 0.90 versus 4.74 ± 0.32 ng ml â1 , P
= 0.0042) in rats exposed to CIH compared with control rats. These data provide strong evidence to support the concept
that rats submitted to CIH exhibit an increase in sympathetic activity, which seems to be determinant in the maintenance of
hypertension in this experimental model.
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