MAVEN observations of the response of Mars to an interplanetary coronal mass ejection.

Coupling between the lower and upper atmosphere, combined with loss of gas from the upper atmosphere to space, likely contributed to the thin, cold, dry atmosphere of modern Mars. To help understand ongoing ion loss to space, the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft made comprehensive measurements of the Mars upper atmosphere, ionosphere, and interactions with the Sun and solar wind during an interplanetary coronal mass ejection impact in March 2015. Responses include changes in the bow shock and magnetosheath, formation of widespread diffuse aurora, and enhancement of pick-up ions. Observations and models both show an enhancement in escape rate of ions to space during the event. Ion loss during solar events early in Mars history may have been a major contributor to the long-term evolution of the Mars atmosphere.

Early MAVEN Deep Dip campaign reveals thermosphere and ionosphere variability.

The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission, during the second of its Deep Dip campaigns, made comprehensive measurements of martian thermosphere and ionosphere composition, structure, and variability at altitudes down to ~130 kilometers in the subsolar region. This altitude range contains the diffusively separated upper atmosphere just above the well-mixed atmosphere, the layer of peak extreme ultraviolet heating and primary reservoir for atmospheric escape. In situ measurements of the upper atmosphere reveal previously unmeasured populations of neutral and charged particles, the homopause altitude at approximately 130 kilometers, and an unexpected level of variability both on an orbit-to-orbit basis and within individual orbits. These observations help constrain volatile escape processes controlled by thermosphere and ionosphere structure and variability.

Observation of spinor dynamics in optically trapped 87Rb Bose-Einstein condensates.

We measure spin mixing of F=1 and F=2 spinor condensates of 87Rb atoms confined in an optical trap. We determine the spin mixing time to be typically less than 600 ms and observe spin population oscillations. The equilibrium spin configuration in the F=1 manifold is measured for different magnetic fields and found to show ferromagnetic behavior for low field gradients. An F=2 condensate is created by microwave excitation from the F=1 manifold, and this spin-2 condensate is observed to decay exponentially with time constant 250 ms. Despite the short lifetime in the F=2 manifold, spin mixing of the condensate is observed within 50 ms.

Burn injuries in the elderly.

This study has shown that elderly males were more likely to be admitted to the Royal Brisbane Hospital Burns Unit than females. No high-risk period of the day, week or year could be identified for this group. Flame burns and scalds were most common as was the association with cooking and bathing activities. Predisposing factors were found to be common in the elderly burn population. Prevention programmes need to be directed to the home with safer cooking facilities and lower temperature or temperature outlet controls to lessen bathing scalds, as these patients found it difficult to escape a hot bath. Mortality rates were related to the percentage total body surface area burned and inhalation injury, and were well predicted by the Burn Severity Index. Complications were mainly pneumonias and venous thrombosis and reflect the need in this age group of maintaining active mobility and a quick resolution of the burn injury. Good nutrition, often lacking in this age group, must be maintained, along with meticulous wound care if infection is to be prevented. Early wound coverage is vital to prevent sepsis. Our approach is towards an early skin grafting programme while the patient is fit. This is aggressive, with as much skin coverage as possible, before the patient's condition deteriorates. Every effort is made to maintain the patient's health as near normal as possible. However, if deterioration occurs, then the patient is supported and grafting delayed until the patient is again fit for surgery. When this study was undertaken, it was hoped that an answer to the controversial subject of early versus late surgery could be answered.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Uterine hemangioma associated with infertility.

An infertile woman with an enlarged uterus was thought to have leiomyoma. At laparotomy two large, vascular uterine tumors were removed; the remainder of the uterus was preserved. Evaluation of histologic sections with antibody to human factor VIII and electron microscopy were necessary to confirm the diagnosis of hemangioma.

Postmenopausal bleeding and the endometrium.

The postmenopausal endometrium possesses the potential for development of endometrial adenocarcinoma, the most common female genital tract malignancy. An understanding of this tissue and its response to hormone stimulation is essential for the establishment of rational plans for clinical management. Recently, new techniques for in-office endometrial sampling have been described and advocated. These methods have proven to be fairly accurate diagnostic methods and have potential value for screening, especially among high-risk patients. Patients with postmenopausal bleeding are at such great risk for carcinoma that definitive, more traditional methods, particularly D & C, must usually be employed before the malignancy can be adequately ruled out.

Fine-needle aspiration in gynecology: evaluation of extrapelvic lesions in patients with gynecologic malignancy.

Fine-needle aspiration for suspicious extrapelvic lesions is documented in 82 specimens from patients with known pelvic malignancy. Specimens were obtained from lung (39%), supraclavicular lymph nodes (24%), paraaortic lymph nodes (11%), liver (7%), and other sites. Three of 32 (9.4%) patients with transthoracic aspirates experienced pneumothoraces requiring chest tube placement, and three others had smaller pneumothoraces that resolved spontaneously. Fifty-nine (72%) specimens were positive for malignancy. There were no known false positives. Of six negative aspirates that had follow-up histology, there were two false negatives. When the subsequent course was used as an indication of accuracy, specificity was 100%, and sensitivity was 91%. Fifty-eight (71%) patients had therapeutic alterations as a direct result of aspiration diagnosis. Thirty-nine major operative procedures and 28 open biopsies were spared. Fine-needle aspiration is a reliable and cost-effective diagnostic method that should become an increasingly routine component of the diagnostic armamentarium and may have broader roles defined through continuing study.

The pathologic spectrum of uterotubal junction obstruction.

Excised tubal segments from 42 women with uterotubal junction obstruction were studied histologically to evaluate the pathologic spectrum of disease and correlate this with clinical data. The most frequent lesion encountered was obliterative fibrosis (38.1%), confirmed by connective tissue stains, which was not associated with cornual nodularity. Other pathologic entities included salpingitis isthmica nodosa (23.8%), intramucosal endometriosis (14.3%), and chronic tubal inflammation (21.4%). Intramucosal endometriosis was distinguishable from salpingitis isthmica nodosa by virtue of its unique stroma confirmed by connective tissue staining. Women with previous pregnancies were included in all the groups. In all instances, the obstruction was present in the transmural portion of the tube and extended a variable distance into the isthmic segment. These observations on uterotubal junction obstruction demonstrate that: 1) There are multiple distinct histologic patterns, 2) Intraabdominal findings do not predict the histology of the uterotubal junction pathology, 3) Any histologic pattern can be associated with a previous intrauterine or ectopic pregnancy, and 4) The obstruction begins within the transmural portion of the oviduct, extends a variable distance into the isthmic segment, but does not obstruct the ampullary segment. These data suggest that the initiating process originates within the uterus and that fibrosis may represent a nonspecific response to chronic injury of the transmural and isthmic segments of the oviduct.

Disposition of the normal-appearing ovary during surgery intended to cure endometriosis externa. A case report.

Management of a normal-appearing ovary at the time of hysterectomy in a patient with endometriosis externa is controversial. Our experience supports the contention that such ovaries should not be conserved at the time of surgery intended to cure endometriosis.

Necrotizing fasciitis of vulvar origin in diabetic patients.

Necrotizing fasciitis is a rare, rapidly progressive, and often fatal infection of the superficial fascia and subcutaneous tissues. The integrity of the deep muscle fascia is usually not breeched, thus limiting the depth of involvement. Centrifugal spread within the planes of the superficial fascia and subcutaneous tissues is characteristic. Patients with diabetes mellitus constitute the group most vulnerable to necrotizing fasciitis, and a vulvar or perineal origin is associated with particularly high mortality. The authors report four such patients. Other apparent predisposing factors are advancing age, peripheral vascular disease, chronic debilitating illness, malnutrition, and possibly other states predisposing patients to immunodeficiency. None of these factors is an absolute prerequisite to the development of necrotizing fasciitis.

Sex assignment in gestational trophoblastic neoplasia.

A retrospective survey was performed in 205 cases of gestational trophoblastic neoplasia with the use of routine tissue sections and quinacrine stain after hydrolysis and pronase pretreatment. The method allows scoring of nuclei simultaneously for either Y chromatin or X chromatin (Barr body) and has proved to be a valid test for sex assignment in tissue sections. Y-chromatin positivity (indicating gamete heterozygosity) was found in 16 of 182 cases (9%) of hydatidiform mole, two of four cases (50%) of invasive mole, and 14 of 19 cases (74%) of choriocarcinoma. The cytogenetic literature of 173 cases of complete hydatidiform mole indicates 8.1% have been 46,XY. Our unexpectedly high incidence of Y chromatin in malignant gestational trophoblastic neoplasia would suggest that homozygosity for a recessive mutant oncogene is not an important factor in pathogenesis of choriocarcinoma. The partial allograft theory of pathogenesis after nonmolar antecedents with attendant diminished host immunoreactivity remains a plausible consideration.