In the present studies, spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) were used as the experimental model of hypertension in pregnancy. Systolic blood pressure of the NaCl loading group was maintained in a hypertensive state throughout pregnancy, probably because of NaCl retention, whereas that of the control group fell in the last stage of gestation. Urinary kallikrein levels, prostaglandin F2 alpha main urinary metabolite (PGF-MUM), plasma renin activity and plasma aldosterone concentration were determined both in the control group and the NaCl loading group. The results suggested that the NaCl loading group successfully preserved negative feed back in the kallikrein-kinin system, prostaglandin system and renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system as the blood pressure regulation mechanism. Fetal prognosis was poor in the NaCl loading group, because the incidence of SFD and fetal death rate were significantly higher than those of the control group. These findings, including histological observations, were similar to those of hypertensive pregnancy in human subjects reported in recent studies, and suggested that NaCl was closely related to hypertension in pregnancy.

The insertion of thermal dissipation (TD) sensors on tree stems for sap flux density (SFD) measurements can lead to SFD underestimations due to a wound formation close to the drill hole. However, the wound effect has not been assessed experimentally for this method yet. Here, we propose an empirical approach to investigate the effect of the wound healing on measured sap flux with TD probes. The approach was performed for both, diffuse-porous (Fagus sylvatica (Linnaeus)) and ring-porous (Quercus petraea (Lieblein)) species. Thermal dissipation probes were installed on different dates along the growing season to document the effects of the dynamic wound formation. The trees were cut in autumn and additional sensors were installed in the cut stems, therefore, without potential effects of wound development. A range of water pressures was applied to the stem segments and SFDs were simultaneously measured by TD sensors as well as gravimetrically in the laboratory. The formation of wounds around sensors installed in living tree stems led to underestimation of SFD by 21.4 ± 3 and 47.5 ± 3.8% in beech and oak, respectively. The differences between SFD underestimations of diffuse-porous beech and ring-porous oak were, however, not statistically significant. Sensors with 5-, 11- and 22-week-old wounds also showed no significant differences, which implies that the influence of wound formation on SFD estimates was completed within the first few weeks after perforation. These results were confirmed by time courses of SFD measurements in the field. Field SFD values decreased immediately after sensor installation and reached stable values after ~2 weeks with similar underestimations to the ones observed in the laboratory. We therefore propose a feasible approach to correct directly field observations of SFD for potential underestimations due to the wound effect.

Insertion of thermal dissipation (TD) sap flow sensors in living tree stems causes damage of the wood tissue, as is the case with other invasive methods. The subsequent wound formation is one of the main causes of underestimation of tree water-use measured by TD sensors. However, the specific alterations in wood anatomy in response to inserted sensors have not yet been characterized, and the linked dysfunctions in xylem conductance and sensor accuracy are still unknown. In this study, we investigate the anatomical mechanisms prompting sap flow underestimation and the dynamic process of wound formation. Successive sets of TD sensors were installed in the early, mid and end stage of the growing season in diffuse- and ring-porous trees, Fagus sylvatica (Linnaeus) and Quercus petraea ((Mattuschka) Lieblein), respectively. The trees were cut in autumn and additional sensors were installed in the cut stem segments as controls without wound formation. The wounded area and volume surrounding each sensor was then visually determined by X-ray computed microtomography (X-ray microCT). This technique allowed the characterization of vessel anatomical transformations such as tyloses formation, their spatial distribution and quantification of reduction in conductive area. MicroCT scans showed considerable formation of tyloses that reduced the conductive area of vessels surrounding the inserted TD probes, thus causing an underestimation in sap flux density (SFD) in both beech and oak. Discolored wood tissue was ellipsoidal, larger in the radial plane, more extensive in beech than in oak, and also for sensors installed for longer times. However, the severity of anatomical transformations did not always follow this pattern. Increased wound size with time, for example, did not result in larger SFD underestimation. This information helps us to better understand the mechanisms involved in wound effects with TD sensors and allows the provision of practical recommendations to reduce biases associated with wounding in field sap flow measurements.

Sap flow and environmental conditions were monitored at two Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus urophylla S.T.Blake) plantations at Hetou and Jijia, located in Leizhou, Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province. It was found that daily sap flux density (SFD) of Eucalyptus was closely related to daily atmospheric vapor pressure deficit (VPD) (R2 = 0.76, P = 0.01 at Hetou and R2 = 0.7021, P = 0.01 at Jijia) at both sites. No significant relationship existed between daily SFD and mean daily air temperature at both sites. Daily SFD varied with wind speed Y = -17585X3 + 15147X2 - 1250.7X + 2278.4 (R2 = 0.68; P = 0.01) at Hetou and Y = -101.67X3 - 1.65X2 - 376.4X + 1914.8 (R2 = 0.40, P = 0.05) at Jijia, where Y was daily SFD, X was daily wind speed. Experimental observations yielded the following data: (1) the critical lower and upper daily VPD threshold were 0 and 2 kPa, within which daily SFD varied from 540+/-70 L/(m2.d) to 4739+/-115 L/(m2.d) at Hetou site, from 397+/-26 L/(m2.d) to 3414+/-191 L/(m2.d) at Jijia site; (2) Diurnal SFDs at Hetou site were much higher under low relative humidity (< 30%) and slightly lower under high relative humidity >> 80%) compared with those at the Jijia site; (3) The upper and lower threshold of daily and diurnal RAD for the optimal water use of E. urophylla plantations were 18+/-2.7 and 2+/-1 MJ/(m2.d), 669 and 0 J/(cm2.h) during the observation period.

Electron dosimetry can be performed using cylindrical chambers, plane-parallel chambers, and diode detectors. The finite volume of these detectors results in a displacement effect which is taken into account using an effective point of measurement (EPOM). Dosimetry protocols have recommended a shift of 0.5 r_cav for cylindrical chambers; however, various studies have shown that the optimal shift may deviate from this recommended value. This study investigated the effect that the selection of EPOM shift for cylindrical chamber has on percentage depth dose (PDD) curves. Depth dose curves were measured in a water phantom for electron beams with energies ranging from 6 to 18 MeV. The detectors investigated were of three different types: diodes (Diode-E PTW 60017 and SFD IBA), cylindrical (Semiflex PTW 31010, PinPoint PTW 31015, and A12 Exradin), and parallel plate ionization chambers (Advanced Markus PTW 34045 and Markus PTW 23343). Depth dose curves measured with Diode-E and Advanced Markus agreed within 0.2 mm at R₅₀ except for 18 MeV and extremely large field size. The PDDs measured with the Semiflex chamber and Exradin A12 were about 1.1 mm (with respect to the Advanced Markus chamber) shallower than those measured with the other detectors using a 0.5 r_cav shift. The difference between the PDDs decreased when a Pinpoint chamber, with a smaller cavity radius, was used. Agreement improved at lower energies, with the use of previously published EPOM corrections (0.3 r_cav ). Therefore, the use of 0.5 r_cav as an EPOM may result in a systematic shift of the therapeutic portion of the PDD (distances < R₉₀ ). Our results suggest that a 0.1 r_cav shift is more appropriate for one chamber model (Semiflex PTW 31010).

BACKGROUND

Sorsby's fundus dystrophy (SFD) is an autosomal dominant macular dystrophy first described in a 1949 study of five British families, and it has received attention because of its clinical similarity to age-related macular degeneration and recent identification of the pathogenic gene.

METHODS

To date, about twenty families with SFD have been reported from Europe, North America, South Africa, Australia, and Japan. A review of the literature found that the age of onset is usually during the fourth or fifth decade of life, the prominent ophthalmoscopic finding is hemorrhagic or atrophic lesion in the macula, and functional prognosis is usually unfavorable due to additional peripheral chorioretinal dystrophy, ultimately leading to poor ambulatory vision in the late decades of life.

UNASSIGNED

Recent molecular studies have identified mutations in the tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-3 (TIMP 3) gene as the pathogenic gene defect.

CONCLUSIONS

TIMP 3 gene examinations not only allow accurate diagnosis but also lay the groundwork for future studies of potential therapeutic protocols.

Spray-freeze-drying was used to produce shrivelled, partially-collapsed microparticles of pure proteins that may be suitable for use in a ballistic injector. Various modifications of the freeze drying cycle were examined for their effects on collapse of the pure protein microparticles. The use of annealing at a shelf temperature of up to +10°C resulted in no visible particle shrinkage. This was because of the high Tg' of the pure protein. Inclusion of trehalose or sucrose led to particle shrinkage because of the plasticizing effects of the disaccharides on the protein. Only by extending the duration of primary drying from 240 to 2745min at shelf temperatures in the range -12 to -8°C were shrivelled, wrinkled particles of bSA and bCA of reduced porosity obtained. Manipulation of the freeze-drying cycle used for SFD can therefore be used to modify particle morphology and increase particle density.

The profile of drying rate versus primary drying time for a spray freeze-dried trehalose aqueous solution is much different from that determined for regular freeze-drying. Drying rate declines very rapidly, attributed to rate-limiting heat transfer through the packed bed of frozen microparticles contained in a vial. The inter-particulate spaces appear to be the cause of this rate limitation. Use of either liquid nitrogen or liquid propane as a cryogenic produced strong differences in both SFD particle morphology and drying rate using trehalose, sucrose, or mannitol. The lack of any evident correlation supports the argument that the inter-particulate voids determine drying behavior.

The application of char from biomass gasification as a filling material in landfill simulation reactors was investigated to evaluate the effect of char on carbon retention and nitrogen leaching, nitrogen denitrification, and waste stabilization. Landfill simulation columns filled with fine fraction of aged refuse (AR) and solid fraction of digestate (SFD) were used, with two char application methods: embedding a char layer between AR and SFD layers and mixing char with the SFD. The experimental results show that char application increased the biodegradable organic matter content as the respiration index (RI₄) of the mixture char-SFD increased up to 37.7%, which could enhance the heterotrophic denitrification. Moreover, 12.3% of ammonia leaching was avoid by applying the SFD mixed with char. These results indicate that char from biomass gasification poses a significant enhancement on nitrogen and carbon retention which might increase the denitrification capacity of the SFD in the long run. Although high nitrogen removal rates were achieved (up to 23.1 mg N/kg-TS day), the addition of char from biomass gasification has little effect on the nitrate removal.

The present study, based on a cross-sectional design, was conducted in the primary care setting with patients presenting somatic symptoms suggestive of somatoform disorders (SFD). The main aim of the study was to determine whether cognitive variables could differentiate between patients with SFD alone and those who also present depressive symptoms suggestive of depression (SFD + depression). All participants (N = 796) completed validated self-report measures to assess somatic, depressive, and/or anxiety symptoms, as well as functional impairment, quality of life (QoL), and cognitive variables (worry, rumination, metacognition, cognitive distortions, and emotion regulation). Univariate and multivariate analyses (controlled for potential sociodemographic and clinical confounders) were performed. On the univariate analysis, significant differences between the SFD and SFD + depression groups were found in sociodemographic and clinical variables, functional impairment, QoL, and cognitive variables. On the multivariate analysis, the only significative variables associated with comorbid SFD + depression were anxiety (β = 0.27; p < 0.001), physical and psychological QoL (β = -0.10; p = 0.01; and β = -0.21; p < 0.001, respectively), and marital status (β = -65; p < 0.05). Cognitive variables were not significantly related to depressive symptoms in patients with SFD. These findings suggest that patients with SFD - with or without comorbid depression - share common cognitive processes and thus both groups could benefit from transdiagnostic cognitive therapy.

Keywords: Anxiety; Cognitive emotion regulation; Comorbidity; Depression; Quality of life; Somatoform.

The progressively restoration of degraded vegetation in semiarid and arid desertified areas undoubtedly formed different habitat types. The most plants regulate their growth by fixing carbon with their energy deriving from photosynthesis; carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) play the crucial role in regulating plant growth, community structure, and function in the vegetation restoration progress. However, it is still unclear how habitat types affect the dynamic changes in allocation in C and N storage of vegetation-soil system in sandy grasslands. Here, we investigated plant community characteristics and soil properties across three successional stages of habitat types: semi-fixed dunes (SFD), fixed dunes (FD), and grasslands (G) in 2011, 2013, and 2015. We also examined the C and N concentrations of vegetation-soil system and estimated their C and N storage. The C and N storage of vegetation system, soil, and vegetation-soil system remarkably increased from SFD to G. The litter C and N storage in SFD, N storage of vegetation system in SFD, and N storage of soil and vegetation-soil system in FD increased from 2011 to 2015, while aboveground plant C and N storage of FD were higher in 2011 than in 2013 and 2015. Most of C and N were sequestered in soil in the vegetation restoration progress. These results suggest that the dynamic changes in allocation in C and N storage in vegetation-soil systems varied with habitat types. Our study highlights that SFD has higher N sequestration rate in vegetation, while FD has the considerably N sequestration rate in the soil.

Keywords: C and N storage; habitat types; sandy grassland; vegetation restoration; vegetation–soil system.

Aim: To investigate the enhancement of bioavailability by the usage of drug nanoparticles for increasing the efficacy of antidepressant therapeutic value. Materials & methods: Nano-amitriptyline HCI (AMT·HCl) particles were successfully prepared via a simple spray freeze drying (SFD) method. Results: The as-prepared nanoparticles are amorphous instead of crystalline. The mean size of AMT·HCl nanoparticles is 90 nm. In in vitro evaluation, AMT·HCl nanoparticles have greatly improved the dissolution compared with pure bulk materials, which have potential for enhancing human bioavailability and diminishing toxic effect. A nanoparticle formation mechanism was also proposed. Conclusion: These findings promote the development of antidepressant therapeutic evaluation based on the usage of AMT·HCl nanoparticles by SFD method and indicate that SFD is an alternative for a range of nanoparticle preparation in industrial pharmacy.

With heat dissipation probe technique and combined with microlysimeter and hydrological methods, this paper studied the evapotranspiration of secondary Quercus liaotungensis and Tilia paucicostata stands, and its relationship to forest structure from August to September 2004. The results indicated that the stem sap flux density (SFD) of Quercus liaotungensis and Tilia paucicostata changed regularly from day to night in later growth season. In relatively still period (nighttime), the SFD kept low values continuously, usually below 0.05 microl x cm(-2). min(-1), while in active period (daytime), it increased quickly, usually below 0.25 microl x cm(-2) x min(-1). The daily transpiration of whole-tree was estimated based on the calculation of daily cumulative SFD, which showed that there existed a significant difference between two tree species. The daily transpiration of Quercus liaotungensis reached 5.31 and 2.48 L x d(-1) in sunny- and cloudy-days, 2.35 and 3.75 folds as that of Tilia paucicostata, respectively. There was no significant difference in daily leaf transpiration rate between these two shrub species. During measurement periods, the average daily stand evapotranspiration was 1.45 mm x d(-1), including transpiration (0.72 mm x d(-1)), soil evaporation (0.19 mm x d(-1)), and canopy interception (0.54 mm x d(-1)), which accounted for 49.6%, 13.3% and 37.1% of the total evapotranspiration, respectively. The results showed that the difference of whole-tree transpiration between tree species contributed significantly to the difference of tree canopy transpiration, while the difference of shrub canopy transpiration was on account of the leaf amount in the canopy. The effects of vertical layers in the stand on total stand evapotranspiration also differed, with a percentage of 65.8%, 20.9% and 13.3% for tree canopy, shrub canopy and floor, respectively, which meant that the transpiration and interception of tree canopy contributed most to the total evpotranspiration, followed by shrub transpiration, soil evaporation, and grass transpiration.

One hundred newborns and their mothers were subjected to aerobic bacterial cultures and sensitivity study from different sites. Out of 36 clinically suspected neonatal septicemia cases, the blood culture was positive for bacterial growth in 24 neonates. The incidence of septicemia in PT-AGA, FT-AGA, FT-SFD and postterm-AGA babies was found to be 50.0, 13.5, 28.1 and 50.0%, respectively. The incidence of septicemia in LBW and FT-AGA babies was found to be 45.3 and 13.5%, respectively. The single major isolate in the positive blood culture was Staphylococcus aureus. In Gram positive septicemia the commonest site for colonization of the same organism in newborn was found to be umbilicus followed by nose, throat and external auditory canal, while in Gram negative septicemia rectum and umbilicus were the commonest sites.

Objectives: Aim of this work was to investigate precision of deployment and conformability of a new generation GORE EXCLUDER Conformable Endoprosthesis with active control system (CEXC Device, W.L. Gore and Associates, Flagstaff, AZ, USA) by analyzing aortic neck coverage and curvature.

Methods: All consecutive elective patients affected by abdominal aortic aneurysm or aortoiliac aneurysm treated at our institution between November 2018 and June 2019 with the new CEXC Device were enrolled. Validated software was adopted to determine the available apposition surface area into the aortic neck, apposition of the endograft to the aortic wall, shortest apposition length (SAL), shortest distance between the endograft fabric and the lowest renal arteries (SFD) and between the endograft fabric and the contralateral renal artery (CFD). Pointwise centerline curvature was also computed.

Results: Twelve patients (10 men, median age 78 years (71.75, 81.0)) with available pre- and postoperative computed tomography angiography (CTA) were included. Technical success was obtained in all the cases. Preoperative median length of the proximal aortic neck was 16.1 mm (10.7, 21.7) and suprarenal (α) and infrarenal (β) neck angulation were, respectively, 28.9° (15.7°, 47.5°) and 75.0° (66.9°, 81.4°). Postoperative median apposition surface coverage was 79% (69.25%, 90.75%) of the available apposition surface. SFD and CFD were 1.5 mm (0.75, 5.25) and 7 mm (4.5, 21.5), respectively. Average curvature over the infrarenal aorta decreased from 25 m^-1 (21.75, 29.0) to 22.5 m^-1 (18.75, 24.5) postoperatively (p=0.02). Maximum curvature did not decrease significantly from 64.5 m^-1 (54.25, 92.0) to 62 m^-1 (41.75, 71.5) (p=0.1).

Conclusions: Our early experience showed that deployment of the CEXC Device is safe and effective for patients with challenging proximal aortic necks. Absence of significant changes between pre- and postoperative proximal aortic neck angulations and curvature confirms the high conformability of this endograft.

Keywords: abdominal aortic aneurysm; apposition; endovascular treatment; geometric analysis; sealing.

Purpose: Increasing measures of adiposity have been correlated with poor oncologic outcomes and a lack of response to anti-angiogenic therapies. Limited data exists on the impact of subcutaneous fat density (SFD) and visceral fat density (VFD) on oncologic outcomes. This ancillary analysis of GOG-218, evaluates whether imaging markers of adiposity were predictive biomarkers for bevacizumab (bev) use in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC).

Patients and methods: There were 1249 patients (67%) from GOG-218 with imaging measurements. SFD and VFD were calculated utilizing Hounsfield units (HU). Proportional hazards models were used to assess the association between SFD and VFD with overall survival (OS).

Results: Increased SFD and VFD showed an increased HR for death (HR per 1-SD increase 1.12, 95% CI:1.05-1.19 p = 0.0009 and 1.13, 95% CI: 1.05-1.20 p = 0.0006 respectively). In the predictive analysis for response to bev, high VFD showed an increased hazard for death in the placebo group (HR per 1-SD increase 1.22, 95% CI: 1.09-1.37; p = 0.025). However, in the bev group there was no effect seen (HR per 1-SD increase: 1.01, 95% CI: 0.90-1.14) Median OS was 45 vs 47 months in the VFD low groups and 36 vs 42 months in the VFD high groups on placebo versus bev, respectively.

Conclusion: High VFD and SFD have a negative prognostic impact on patients with EOC. High VFD appears to be a predictive marker of bev response and patients with high VFD may be more likely to benefit from initial treatment with bev.

Keywords: Bevacizumab; Imaging biomarkers; Ovarian cancer; Plasma biomarkers.

In the tropical Okavango Delta, transpiration by trees is an important process partly responsible for maintaining the basin as a freshwater environment. Quantification of evapotranspiration from terrestrial landforms of the delta, fringed by riparian woodlands, is one of the main contributors to uncertainty in current hydrological modelling. We investigated sap flow of common trees in the distal, mid- and upper delta in July-August 2012, November-December 2012 and February-April 2013 using the compensation heat pulse velocity method. In the distal delta, four Diospyros mespiliformis individuals of different sizes were studied. Four trees of different species were studied in the mid- and upper delta. Sap flow density (SFD; flow per unit cross-sectional area) was used as a common unit to facilitate comparison. Sap flow varied with tree size, species, season and location. It was positively correlated with tree size (r² = 0.67). Sap flow variation between seasons and across locations in all the species studied indicated two distinct groups. Group 1 transpired the least during the hottest season, November-December, and Group 2 the most. In Group 1, the highest average SFD was 1.17 l cm^-2 day^-1 during July-August; in Group 2, it was 1.07 l cm^-2 day^-1 during November-December. Changes in the hydrology of the delta would negatively affect the riparian woodland.

In this article we describe the use of bench-scale single-fiber dialyzers for the development and testing of an immobilized enzyme reactor for the treatment of leukemia. The treatment is based on the enzymatic removal of specific amino acids from the blood of leukemia patients. L-Lysine alpha-oxidase and catalase were coimmobilized within the void space of the porous region of asymmetric hollow-fiber membranes for the removal of L-lysine from simulated human plasma solutions. Hollow-fiber reactor performance was evaluated using a small single-fiber dialyzer (SFD) consisting of a single fiber encased in a protective glass shell. This small reactor affords ease of use, requires small amounts of chemicals and biochemicals, and gives useful reactor performance data. Single-fiber dialyzers were constructed using polyamide fibers with a molecular weight cutoff of 10,000 (PA10 fibers); these fibers demonstrated the best compatibility with and retention of the enzymes. The SFD performance in removing L-lysine from solution was evaluated under both steady and pulsatile flow operation. Pulsatile flow was tested for two reasons: (1) to enhance the radial mass transfer of lysine within the SFD and (2) to simulate the pulsatile flow of blood in dialysis treatment. The use of pulsatile flow increased lysine conversion by 15% over the steady-flow case. Approximately 40% of the lysine was removed from simulated plasma by the SFD in a 4-h experiment using pulsatile flow in the recycle mode.

Background: System dynamics (SD) modelling can inform policy decisions under Thailand's Universal Health Coverage. We report on this thinking approach to Thailand's strategic health workforce planning for the next 20 years (2018-2037).

Methods: A series of group model building (GMB) sessions involving 110 participants from multi-sectors of Thailand's health systems was conducted in 2017 and 2018. We facilitated policymakers, administrators, practitioners and other stakeholders to co-create a causal loop diagram (CLD) representing a shared understanding of why the health workforce's demands and supplies in Thailand were mismatched. A stock and flow diagram (SFD) was also co-created for testing the consequences of policy options by simulation modelling.

Results: The simulation modelling found hospital utilisation created a vicious cycle of constantly increasing demands for hospital care and a constant shortage of healthcare providers. Moreover, hospital care was not designed for effectively dealing with the future demands of ageing populations and prevalent chronic illness. Hence, shifting emphasis to professions that can provide primary care, intermediate care, long-term care, palliative care, and end-of-life care can be more effective.

Conclusions: Our SD modelling confirmed that shifting the care models to address the changing health demands can be a high-leverage policy of health workforce planning, although very difficult to implement in the short term. of health workforce planning, although very difficult to implement in the short term.

Keywords: Care delivery models; Causal loop diagram; Group model building; Health systems performance; Health workforce; Human resource for health; Strategic planning; System dynamic modelling.

Fixation disparity (FD) refers to a suboptimal condition of binocular vision. The oculomotor aspect of FD refers to a misadjustment in the vergence angle between the two visual axes that is measured in research with eye trackers (objective fixation disparity, oFD). The sensory aspect is psychophysically tested using dichoptic nonius lines (subjective fixation disparity, sFD). Some optometrists use nonius tests to determine the prisms for constant wear aiming to align the eyes. However, they do not (yet) use eye trackers. We investigate the effect of aligning prisms on oFD and sFD for 60 sec exposure duration of prisms determined with the clinically established Cross test in far distance vision. Without prisms, both types of FD were correlated with the aligning prism, while with prisms the FD was close to zero (these analyses included all base-in and base-out cases). The effect of base-in prisms on oFD was proportional to the amount of the aligning prism for the present 60 sec exposure, similar as for the 2- 5 sec exposure in Schmid et al. (2018). Thus, within 1 minute of prism exposure, no substantial vergence adaptation seems to occur in the present test conditions. Further studies may investigate intra-individual responses to different exposure times of aligning prisms in both prism directions.

Keywords: Cross test; Eye tracking; MCH-procedure; aligning prism; fixation disparity; vergence.

Background: Following flow diverter placement, approximately 20% of intracranial aneurysms remain as residual aneurysms at 1 year. Device malapposition is a cause of residual aneurysms after flow diversion. We present a new and straightforward technique (exchange-free technique [EFT]) to enhance apposition of the surpass flow diverter (SFD), the only over-the-wire flow diverter currently available.

Materials and methods: We deployed laser-cut mini stents through the inner deployment catheter of the SFD. This maneuver was performed simply by withdrawing the micro-guidewire from its lumen and replacing it with a mini-stent (stents deliverable through microcatheters with inner diameter of 0.0165 inches), without a need to re-cross the deployed SFD or an exchange maneuver. All aneurysms in which this technique was utilized were retrospectively reviewed.

Results: Twenty-eight patients (20 females) with 30 treated aneurysms were identified. The mean aneurysm diameter was 10.2 ± 6.6 mm. Technical success rate was 96.6% (29/30 aneurysms). There was no mortality or permanent morbidity related to the procedures. Except for the patient treated for an iatrogenic, surgery-related internal carotid artery pseudoaneurysm who died secondary to consequences of multiple surgeries, no cases of mortality or permanent morbidity were noted. Complete aneurysm occlusion rates were 78.2%, 82.1%, and 95.2% at 0-3, 3-6, and 9-12 months, respectively. None of the patients were re-treated.

Conclusion: EFT is a simple and fast technique which was not associated with adverse effects in our series. The higher aneurysm obliteration rate obtained with EFT is probably the result of better wall apposition of the SFD.

Keywords: Aneurysm; endovascular treatment; flow diversion; flow diverter; stent.

Automated closed-loop (CL) insulin therapy has come of age. This major technological advance is expected to significantly improve the quality of care for adults, adolescents and children with type 1 diabetes. To improve access to this innovation for both patients and healthcare professionals (HCPs), and to promote adherence to its requirements in terms of safety, regulations, ethics and practice, the French Diabetes Society (SFD) brought together a French Working Group of experts to discuss the current practical consensus. The result is the present statement describing the indications for CL therapy with emphasis on the idea that treatment expectations must be clearly defined in advance. Specifications for expert care centres in charge of initiating the treatment were also proposed. Great importance was also attached to the crucial place of high-quality training for patients and healthcare professionals. Long-term follow-up should collect not only metabolic and clinical results, but also indicators related to psychosocial and human factors. Overall, this national consensus statement aims to promote the introduction of marketed CL devices into standard clinical practice.

Keywords: Adolescents; Adults; Artificial pancreas; Automated closed-loop insulin delivery; Children; Closed-loop; Organization of care; Position statement; SFD; Therapeutic education; Type 1 diabetes.

Ultrasound technology provides cattle breeders with a quick, noninvasive, and inexpensive way to measure carcass data on live animals. Ultrasound data are used as indicator traits in cattle genetic evaluations for economically relevant carcass traits. Ultrasound cattle genetic evaluations assume homogeneous additive genetic and residual variance. Thus, the objective was to partition phenotypic variance in ultrasound carcass measurements into components for additive genetic effects, technicians, contemporary groups within technicians, and residual and to examine the homogeneity of these variances among image interpretation laboratories. Records of longissimus muscle area (LMA), percentage of intramuscular fat (IMF), and subcutaneous fat depth (SFD), measured using ultrasound, were provided by the American Angus Association (n = 65,967), American Hereford Association (n = 43,182), and American Simmental Association (n = 48,298). The data also included contemporary group, technician, imaging lab, and a three-generation pedigree for each animal. Variance components for ultrasound carcass measurements were first estimated with univariate animal models for each breed and imaging laboratory using derivative-free restricted maximum likelihood. Then, treating data from each imaging laboratory as separate traits, genetic correlations between laboratories for LMA, percentage of IMF, and subcutaneous fat were estimated with trivariate animal models. The technician explained 12-27%, 5-23%, and 4-26% of the variance for IMF, SFD, and LMA, respectively, across all three breeds. Variance due to technician was often greater than variance due to additive genetic effects but almost always less than that explained by the contemporary group. Within breeds, estimates of additive genetic variance for LMA, SFD, and IMF differed (range divided by mean) among laboratories by 4.5%, 21.5%, and 39.4 % (Angus); 31.6%, 15.0%, and 49.1% (Hereford); and 19.9%, 46.6%, and 55.3% (Simmental), respectively. Likewise, estimates of residual variance for LMA, SFD, and IMF differed among laboratories by 43.4%, 22.9%, and 43.3% (Angus); 24.9%, 15.2%, and 79.2% (Hereford); and 26.4%, 32.5%, and 46.2% (Simmental), respectively. Genetic correlations between labs across breeds ranged from 0.79 to 0.95 for IMF, 0.26 to 0.94 for SFD, and 0.78 to 0.98 for LMA. The impact of the observed heterogeneity of variance between labs on genetic evaluation requires further study.

Keywords: beef; carcass merit; imaging laboratory; ultrasound.