RESUMEN
The future generation of extremely large telescopes will be certainly equipped with wide-field adaptive optics systems. All the components of such adaptive optics systems have to be precisely specified, and most of the technical specifications are related to atmospheric turbulence parameters, particularly the profile of the refractive index structure constant Cn2(h). The monitor Profiler of Moon Limb (PML) for the extraction of the Cn2(h) profile with high vertical resolution for nighttime and daytime conditions by the observation of the moon limb or sun edge has been developed and is now routinely exploited at the Calern Observatory on the French Riviera. The PML instrument uses a differential method with two small subapertures through which the moon limb or sun edge are observed, leading to a continuum of double stars that allows a scan of the whole atmosphere with high resolution in altitude. The PML is an autonomous instrument aided by a set of equipment such as an all-sky camera, a small meteorological station, and an automatic system to cover the two subapertures with solar filters to switch from night/moon to day/solar observations. In addition, the PML instrument provides in real time a large characterization of the atmospheric turbulence since it can measure other turbulence parameters, such as the total seeing and the isoplanatic angle.
RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Gastric cancer is still the main health threat being the third leading cause of deaths from cancers in the world. The major risk behind the gastric cancer is that it remains asymptomatic in the early stages and in (97%) cases it metastasizes to other organs. Gastric cancer is a multifactorial disease in which Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) has been known as a risk factor. However, patients with gastritis, especially atrophic gastritis and gastric ulcer have been shown to be at an increased risk for developing gastric cancer. METHODS: This study included measuring the serum levels of E-Cadherin protein, carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in 30 patients diagnosed with gastritis, 20 gastric ulcer patients, 20 gastric cancer patients and in 20 healthy volunteers serving as the control group. RESULTS: Infection with H. pylori was diagnosed by serology (IgA and IgG antibodies) as well as by rapid urease test (RUT) and histology. The results showed that 50 (71.4%) of the patients were positive for H. pylori. Levels of E-Cadherin were increased significantly in all patients in comparison to the control group with a large significant increase in the gastric cancer group. The levels of E-Cadherin were also significantly increased in H. pylori infected patients compared to H. pylori negative patients. A non-significant difference in the levels of CA19-9 and CEA was observed in all patients in comparison to healthy controls. CONCLUSION: This study concluded that serum E-Cadherin could be considered as a potential marker in diagnosis of gastric cancer.
RESUMEN
A primary hemangiopericytoma (HP) of the bone is rare, because the vast majority of these tumors arise in soft tissue. This report presents a case of a hemangiopericytoma in the sacrum (S1-S2) with extension to the retrorectal space. Only a few cases of osseous hemangiopericytomas in the sacrum and involving the retrorectal space have so far been reported. The difficult diagnosis of HP and the surgical strategy was chosen according to the location of the lesion in the sacrum and retrorectal space. A local excision was indicated. A sacral resection should be considered for tumors below S4. This report demonstrated the safety of this strategy. Adjuvant radiotherapy is useful in HP. The value of chemotherapy is still doubtful, although patients with high-grade tumors or metastatic spread seem to gain substantial benefit. Due to the often unpredictable behavior of this neoplasm, extended follow-up is strongly recommended.