Hagen Bræ: A Surging Glacier in North Greenland-35 Years of Observations.

We use remotely sensed ice velocities in combination with observations of surface elevation and glacier area change to investigate the dynamics of Hagen Bræ, North Greenland in high detail over the last 35 years. From our data, we can establish for the first time that Hagen Bræ is a surge-type glacier with characteristics of both Alaskan- and Svalbard-type surging glaciers. We argue that the observed surge was preconditioned by the glacier geometry and triggered by englacially stored meltwater. At present, the glacier is in a transitional state between active and quiescence phases and is not building up to its pre-surge geometry. We suggest that the glacier is adjusting to the loss of its floating section, general thinning, and changes in fjord conditions that occurred over the study period which are unrelated to the surge behavior. The high temporal resolution of the ice velocity data gives insight to the sub-annual glacier flow.

Randomized clinical trial of perioperative omega-3 fatty acid supplements in elective colorectal cancer surgery.

BACKGROUND: Omega-3 fatty acids (n-3 FAs) may have beneficial clinical effects, and n-3 FA supplements may improve outcome after surgery. METHODS: In a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial in single centre, patients referred for elective colorectal cancer surgery received either an n-3 FA-enriched oral nutritional supplement (ONS) (Supportan, 200 ml twice daily) providing 2.0 g eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and 1.0 g docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) per day, or a standard isocaloric and isonitrogenous ONS, for 7 days before and 7 days after surgery. The primary endpoint was infectious and non-infectious complications within 30 days of surgery. Secondary endpoints were length of hospital stay, intensive care unit admission, readmissions, and concentrations of marine n-3 FAs and arachidonic acid in granulocyte membranes. RESULTS: Some 148 consecutive patients (68 women, 80 men; mean age 71 (range 41-89) years) were randomized. There was no significant difference between groups in infectious or non-infectious postoperative complications (P = 1.000). Granulocyte levels of EPA, DHA and docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) were significantly higher in the n-3 FA-enriched supplement group compared with the control group (P < 0.001). The arachidonic acid level in granulocytes was significantly lower in the enriched group than in the control group (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: EPA, DHA and DPA were incorporated into granulocytes in patients receiving n-3 FAs, but this was not associated with improved postoperative outcomes. REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT00488904 (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov).

Treatment of simple bone cysts in children with curettage and cryosurgery.

A retrospective study in children with simple or unicameral bone cysts treated with curettage, cryosurgery, and bone grafting was conducted. The purpose of this study was to evaluate local tumor control and bony healing after this method of treatment. Five (12%) of 42 treated patients had a local recurrence with a mean clinical follow-up of 24.5 months. Surgical complications consisted of two superficial wound infections, one radial nerve palsy, and two fractures, which all resolved completely. A review of the literature was performed to compare our results with historic controls using steroid-injection therapy and curettage with bone grafting alone. We believe that the use of cryosurgery as adjuvant therapy in the surgical treatment of simple bone cysts is of value in controlling local recurrences and achieving bony consolidation.

[Autologous transfusion of drained blood in hip and knee alloplasty. A prospective controlled study of 56 patients]. / Autolog draenblodtransfusion ved hofte- og knaealloplastik. En prospektiv kontrolleret undersøgelse af 56 patienter.

Fifty-six patients undergoing hip or knee replacements were randomized to receive autologous drain-blood transfusion or homologous blood transfusion at postoperative need. A reinfusion of 65% of the postoperative drainage blood loss was achieved. The number of homologous blood transfusions fell concomitantly from 2.3 to 0.6 after hip replacement and from 3.3 to 0.3 after knee replacement. No signs of activation of the complement or coagulation systems were found.

Autotransfusion of drainage blood in arthroplasty. A prospective, controlled study of 31 operations.

56 consecutive patients who had primary arthroplasties of the hip or the knee were randomly selected for either autologous or homologous blood transfusion. For autologous transfusion, the Solcotrans Orthopaedic device was used. Patients who received autologous transfusion had 65 percent of the post-operatively drained blood reinfused; compared to the control group the number of bank blood transfusions decreased in the hip group from 2.3 to 0.6 units, and in the knee group from 3.3 to 0.3 units.

Specificities of monoclonal antibodies against the complement C3d split product.

The only specific method at present for the quantification of the complement split product C3d, the double-decker rocket immunoelectrophoretic assay, is work intensive and expensive. We investigated the possibilities for developing an ELISA for the direct quantification of C3d in plasma. Available antibodies were examined for their specificity for C3 and its degradation products by the PAGE immunoblotting method. None of the antibodies were specific for C3d, as cross-reactivities against C3 and/or C3b and C3bi were demonstrable.

The anatomic relationship between the long saphenous vein and the saphenous nerve. Relevance for radical varicose vein surgery.

Radical surgery for varicose veins often includes total stripping of the long saphenous vein. Some surgeons now claim, however, that stripping of the distal part of that vein can be avoided, thereby reducing the risk of damage to the saphenous nerve. Dissection of 60 cadaver legs to demonstrate the relationship between the long saphenous vein and the saphenous nerve indicated that stripping performed from the groin to immediately below the knee would minimize the risk of nerve damage.

Propagation and characterization of human blood basophils.

Basophils were isolated and propagated in large numbers from the blood of patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia. Propagation over 4-6 weeks of culture was dependent upon a growth factor(s) other than interleukin-2 obtained from a lectin-stimulated clone of the Jurkat cell line. Evidence that these basophils were dividing during culture included an increase in both the number of basophils and the histamine content of the cultures over time, as well as ultrastructural studies that demonstrated basophil cell division. The cells also had the capacity to be stimulated in an IgE-dependent manner characteristic of basophils. Cultured basophils passively sensitized with IgE underwent noncytotoxic degranulation after stimulation with specific antigen. Antigen-stimulated basophils released histamine, leukotrienes B4 and C4 and other 5-lipoxygenase products of arachidonic acid metabolism. Culture models such as this may permit the propagation and purification of sufficient numbers of basophils to allow biochemical and immunological analyses of basophil physiology.