Subject(s)
Foreign Bodies/diagnosis , Foreign Bodies/etiology , Lithotripsy, Laser/adverse effects , Ureter , Ureteral Calculi/diagnosis , Ureteral Calculi/etiology , Aged , Colic/etiology , Colic/therapy , Foreign Bodies/surgery , Foreign-Body Migration/diagnosis , Foreign-Body Migration/etiology , Humans , Kidney Diseases/etiology , Kidney Diseases/therapy , Male , Nephrostomy, Percutaneous , Recurrence , Ureteral Calculi/therapy , Ureteroscopy , UrographyABSTRACT
Spiral computed tomography (CT) is an imaging modality that utilizes the rapid acquisition of cross-sectional data that can be reconstructed in a number of useful ways. We briefly describe the technology of spiral CT and recent advancements that have made spiral CT feasible. The advantages over conventional CT and angiography are reviewed. Urologic clinical applications are discussed including: detection of a crossing vessel prior to endopyelotomy for ureteropelvic junction (UPJ) obstruction, evaluating renal vascular anomalies preoperatively, and assistance in preoperative planning prior to partial nephrectomy in benign and malignant disease. Spiral CT has numerous advantages over conventional CT and angiography, and will likely have a notable role in future renal imaging.
Subject(s)
Kidney Diseases/diagnostic imaging , Radiographic Image Enhancement , Tomography, X-Ray Computed/methods , Adult , Aged , Female , Humans , Kidney/abnormalities , Kidney/diagnostic imaging , Kidney Diseases/surgery , Male , Middle Aged , Nephrectomy , Preoperative Care , Renal Artery/diagnostic imaging , Sensitivity and Specificity , Tissue Donors , Ureteral Obstruction/diagnostic imagingABSTRACT
This paper will review the applicability of VXIbus based instruments to the needs of the bioengineering and biomedical measurement communities. Peak signal bandwidths supported by VXIbus extend to the GHz range which is well above most biological signal requirements. Similarly, environmental compatibility specifications including electromagnetic compatibility, cooling, shock, and vibration may exceed most needs and add to unnecessary cost. Despite these potential mismatches, the instrument-on-a-card and the virtual instrument capabilities of VXIbus offer advantages over existing RS-232, IEEE488.1/.2, plug-in cards, and other "rack-and-stack" systems. Expansion and flexibility inherent in VXIbus devices make them resistant to obsolescence and easy to upgrade. Users are faced with a number of selection criteria when making instrumentation decisions. Bandwidth, power, isolation, cost, performance, software for control, and future development needs are among the issues that must be evaluated. A list of systems, devices, and suppliers is provided as part of this paper.
Subject(s)
Biomedical Engineering/instrumentation , Computers , Electric Power Supplies , Equipment Design , Microwaves , TransducersABSTRACT
Strains of Escherichia coli carrying Tn10, a transposon consisting of two IS10 insertion sequences flanking a segment encoding for a tetracycline-resistance determinant, gain a competitive advantage in chemostat cultures. All Tn10-bearing strains that increase in frequency during competition have a new IS10 insertion that is found in the same location in the genome of those strains. We mapped, by a gradient of transmission, the position of the new IS10 insertion. We examined 11 isolates whose IS10 insertion was deleted by recombinational crossing-over, and in all cases the competitive fitness of the isolates was decreased. These results show that the IS10-generated insertion increases fitness in chemostat cultures. We named the insertion fit::IS10 and suggest that transposable elements may speed the rate of evolution by promoting nonhomologous recombination between preexisting variations within a genome and thereby generating adaptive variation.
