A dense ring of the trans-Neptunian object Quaoar outside its Roche limit.

Planetary rings are observed not only around giant planets1, but also around small bodies such as the Centaur Chariklo2 and the dwarf planet Haumea3. Up to now, all known dense rings were located close enough to their parent bodies, being inside the Roche limit, where tidal forces prevent material with reasonable densities from aggregating into a satellite. Here we report observations of an inhomogeneous ring around the trans-Neptunian body (50000) Quaoar. This trans-Neptunian object has an estimated radius4 of 555 km and possesses a roughly 80-km satellite5 (Weywot) that orbits at 24 Quaoar radii6,7. The detected ring orbits at 7.4 radii from the central body, which is well outside Quaoar's classical Roche limit, thus indicating that this limit does not always determine where ring material can survive. Our local collisional simulations show that elastic collisions, based on laboratory experiments8, can maintain a ring far away from the body. Moreover, Quaoar's ring orbits close to the 1/3 spin-orbit resonance9 with Quaoar, a property shared by Chariklo's2,10,11 and Haumea's3 rings, suggesting that this resonance plays a key role in ring confinement for small bodies.

The size, shape, density and ring of the dwarf planet Haumea from a stellar occultation.

Haumea-one of the four known trans-Neptunian dwarf planets-is a very elongated and rapidly rotating body. In contrast to other dwarf planets, its size, shape, albedo and density are not well constrained. The Centaur Chariklo was the first body other than a giant planet known to have a ring system, and the Centaur Chiron was later found to possess something similar to Chariklo's rings. Here we report observations from multiple Earth-based observatories of Haumea passing in front of a distant star (a multi-chord stellar occultation). Secondary events observed around the main body of Haumea are consistent with the presence of a ring with an opacity of 0.5, width of 70 kilometres and radius of about 2,287 kilometres. The ring is coplanar with both Haumea's equator and the orbit of its satellite Hi'iaka. The radius of the ring places it close to the 3:1 mean-motion resonance with Haumea's spin period-that is, Haumea rotates three times on its axis in the time that a ring particle completes one revolution. The occultation by the main body provides an instantaneous elliptical projected shape with axes of about 1,704 kilometres and 1,138 kilometres. Combined with rotational light curves, the occultation constrains the three-dimensional orientation of Haumea and its triaxial shape, which is inconsistent with a homogeneous body in hydrostatic equilibrium. Haumea's largest axis is at least 2,322 kilometres, larger than previously thought, implying an upper limit for its density of 1,885 kilograms per cubic metre and a geometric albedo of 0.51, both smaller than previous estimates. In addition, this estimate of the density of Haumea is closer to that of Pluto than are previous estimates, in line with expectations. No global nitrogen- or methane-dominated atmosphere was detected.

A ring system detected around the Centaur (10199) Chariklo.

Hitherto, rings have been found exclusively around the four giant planets in the Solar System. Rings are natural laboratories in which to study dynamical processes analogous to those that take place during the formation of planetary systems and galaxies. Their presence also tells us about the origin and evolution of the body they encircle. Here we report observations of a multichord stellar occultation that revealed the presence of a ring system around (10199) Chariklo, which is a Centaur--that is, one of a class of small objects orbiting primarily between Jupiter and Neptune--with an equivalent radius of 124 ± 9 kilometres (ref. 2). There are two dense rings, with respective widths of about 7 and 3 kilometres, optical depths of 0.4 and 0.06, and orbital radii of 391 and 405 kilometres. The present orientation of the ring is consistent with an edge-on geometry in 2008, which provides a simple explanation for the dimming of the Chariklo system between 1997 and 2008, and for the gradual disappearance of ice and other absorption features in its spectrum over the same period. This implies that the rings are partly composed of water ice. They may be the remnants of a debris disk, possibly confined by embedded, kilometre-sized satellites.

Menopausal symptoms are associated with non-adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy in human immunodeficiency virus-infected middle-aged women.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the association between the intensity of menopausal symptoms and highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) adherence in middle-aged women with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 313 Peruvian women with HIV infection (age 40-59 years) were surveyed and classified as adherent or non-adherent to HAART based on the Antiretroviral Treatment Adherence Evaluation Questionnaire. The intensity of menopausal symptoms was assessed with the Menopause Rating Scale, and categorized as none, mild, moderate, and/or severe. Age, sexual orientation, used HAART scheme, time since HIV diagnosis, menopausal status, risk of depression, and presence of comorbidities were also assessed. Poisson generalized linear models with robust variance were performed in order to estimate crude prevalence ratios (PRs) and adjusted PRs using statistical (a1PR) and epidemiological criteria (a2PR).Results: A total of 19.9%, 32.6%, and 15.0% of all women presented mild, moderate, and severe menopausal symptoms, respectively. Overall, 70.6% women were non-adherent to HAART. The probability of non-adherence was higher in women with mild, moderate, and severe symptoms as compared to asymptomatic women in the non-adjusted model (PR: 1.79, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.39-2.29; PR: 1.76, 95% CI: 1.38-2.23; and PR: 2.07, 95% CI: 1.64-2.61, respectively) and the adjusted model.Conclusion: The severity of menopausal symptoms was associated with HAART non-adherence in HIV-infected middle-aged women.

Albedo and atmospheric constraints of dwarf planet Makemake from a stellar occultation.

Pluto and Eris are icy dwarf planets with nearly identical sizes, comparable densities and similar surface compositions as revealed by spectroscopic studies. Pluto possesses an atmosphere whereas Eris does not; the difference probably arises from their differing distances from the Sun, and explains their different albedos. Makemake is another icy dwarf planet with a spectrum similar to Eris and Pluto, and is currently at a distance to the Sun intermediate between the two. Although Makemake's size (1,420 ± 60 km) and albedo are roughly known, there has been no constraint on its density and there were expectations that it could have a Pluto-like atmosphere. Here we report the results from a stellar occultation by Makemake on 2011 April 23. Our preferred solution that fits the occultation chords corresponds to a body with projected axes of 1,430 ± 9 km (1σ) and 1,502 ± 45 km, implying a V-band geometric albedo p(V) = 0.77 ± 0.03. This albedo is larger than that of Pluto, but smaller than that of Eris. The disappearances and reappearances of the star were abrupt, showing that Makemake has no global Pluto-like atmosphere at an upper limit of 4-12 nanobar (1σ) for the surface pressure, although a localized atmosphere is possible. A density of 1.7 ± 0.3 g cm(-3) is inferred from the data.

Oxidative and endoplasmic reticulum stress is impaired in leukocytes from metabolically unhealthy vs healthy obese individuals.

BACKGROUND: Oxidative stress and inflammation are related to obesity, but the influence of metabolic disturbances on these parameters and their relationship with endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is unknown. Therefore, this study was performed to evaluate whether metabolic profile influences ER and oxidative stress in an obese population with/without comorbidities. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A total of 113 obese patients were enrolled in the study; 29 were metabolically healthy (MHO), 53 were metabolically abnormal (MAO) and 31 had type 2 diabetes (MADO). We assessed metabolic parameters, proinflammatory cytokines (TNFα and IL-6), mitochondrial and total reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, glutathione levels, antioxidant enzymes activity, total antioxidant status, mitochondrial membrane potential and ER stress marker expression levels (glucose-regulated protein (GRP78), spliced X-box binding protein 1 (XBP1), P-subunit 1 alpha (P-eIF2α) and activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6). RESULTS: The MAO and MADO groups showed higher blood pressure, atherogenic dyslipidemia, insulin resistance and inflammatory profile than that of MHO subjects. Total and mitochondrial ROS production was enhanced in MAO and MADO patients, and mitochondrial membrane potential and catalase activity differed significantly between the MADO and MHO groups. In addition, decreases in glutathione levels and superoxide dismutase activity were observed in the MADO vs MAO and MHO groups. GRP78 and CHOP protein and gene expression were higher in the MAO and MADO groups with respect to MHO subjects, and sXBP1 gene expression was associated with the presence of diabetes. Furthermore, MAO patients exhibited higher levels of ATF6 than their MHO counterparts. Waist circumference was positively correlated with ATF6 and GRP78, and A1c was positively correlated with P-Eif2α. Interestingly, CHOP was positively correlated with TNFα and total ROS production and GRP78 was negatively correlated with glutathione levels. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support the hypothesis that both inflammation and oxidative stress are involved in the induction of ER stress signaling pathways in the leukocytes of metabolically unhealthy obese vs healthy obese subjects.

A Pluto-like radius and a high albedo for the dwarf planet Eris from an occultation.

The dwarf planet Eris is a trans-Neptunian object with an orbital eccentricity of 0.44, an inclination of 44 degrees and a surface composition very similar to that of Pluto. It resides at present at 95.7 astronomical units (1 AU is the Earth-Sun distance) from Earth, near its aphelion and more than three times farther than Pluto. Owing to this great distance, measuring its size or detecting a putative atmosphere is difficult. Here we report the observation of a multi-chord stellar occultation by Eris on 6 November 2010 UT. The event is consistent with a spherical shape for Eris, with radius 1,163 ± 6 kilometres, density 2.52 ± 0.05 grams per cm(3) and a high visible geometric albedo, Pv = 0.96(+0.09)(-0.04). No nitrogen, argon or methane atmospheres are detected with surface pressure larger than ∼1 nanobar, about 10,000 times more tenuous than Pluto's present atmosphere. As Pluto's radius is estimated to be between 1,150 and 1,200 kilometres, Eris appears as a Pluto twin, with a bright surface possibly caused by a collapsed atmosphere, owing to its cold environment. We anticipate that this atmosphere may periodically sublimate as Eris approaches its perihelion, at 37.8 astronomical units from the Sun.

Enhancement of struvite pellets crystallization in a full-scale plant using an industrial grade magnesium product.

A full-scale struvite crystallization system was operated for the treatment of the centrate obtained from the sludge anaerobic digester in a municipal wastewater treatment plant. Additionally, the feasibility of an industrial grade Mg(OH)2 as a cheap magnesium and alkali source was also investigated. The struvite crystallization plant was operated for two different periods: period I, in which an influent with low phosphate concentration (34.0 mg P·L-1) was fed to the crystallization plant; and period II, in which an influent with higher phosphate concentration (68.0 mg P·L-1) was used. A high efficiency of phosphorus recovery by struvite crystallization was obtained, even when the effluent treated had a high level of alkalinity. Phosphorus recovery percentage was around 77%, with a phosphate concentration in the effluent between 10.0 and 30.0 mg P·L-1. The experiments gained struvite pellets of 0.5-5.0 mm size. Moreover, the consumption of Mg(OH)2 was estimated at 1.5 mol Mg added·mol P recovered-1. Thus, industrial grade Mg(OH)2 can be an economical alternative as magnesium and alkali sources for struvite crystallization at industrial scale.

Influence of dissolved oxygen concentration on the start-up of the anammox-based process: ELAN®.

The anammox-based process ELAN® was started-up in two different sequencing batch reactor (SBR) pilot plant reactors treating municipal anaerobic digester supernatant. The main difference in the operation of both reactors was the dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration in the bulk liquid. SBR-1 was started at a DO value of 0.4 mg O2/L whereas SBR-2 was started at DO values of 3.0 mg O2/L. Despite both reactors working at a nitrogen removal rate of around 0.6 g N/(L d), in SBR-1, granules represented only a small fraction of the total biomass and reached a diameter of 1.1 mm after 7 months of operation, while in SBR-2 the biomass was mainly composed of granules with an average diameter of 3.2 mm after the same operational period. Oxygen microelectrode profiling revealed that granules from SBR-2 where only fully penetrated by oxygen with DO concentrations of 8 mg O2/L while granules from SBR-1 were already oxygen penetrated at DO concentrations of 1 mg O2/L. In this way granules from SBR-2 performed better due to the thick layer of ammonia oxidizing bacteria, which accounted for up to 20% of all the microbial populations, which protected the anammox bacteria from non-suitable liquid media conditions.

Implications of full-scale implementation of an anammox-based process as post-treatment of a municipal anaerobic sludge digester operated with co-digestion.

The feasibility of treating the supernatant of a municipal sludge digester supplemented with co-substrates by means of an anammox-based process (ELAN(®)) was tested in Guillarei (NW of Spain). Ammonia concentration measured in the supernatant of the sludge digester varied in the range 800-1,500 g N/m(3) due to the fact that the sludge produced in the plant was co-digested with wastes coming from surrounding food industries. Treating this supernatant in the ELAN(®) reactor, nitrogen removal rates up to 1.1 kg N/(m(3) d) were reached in experiments run in a pilot plant reactor operated in batch mode. No nitrite oxidation was registered after several months of operation despite the average dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations being 1.5 g O2/m(3) and the temperature reaching values as low as 18 °C. By keeping the DO set point at 1-2 g O2/m(3) and tuning the hydraulic retention time, the stability of the process was guaranteed and the presence of co-substrates in the anaerobic digester did not affect negatively the operation of the autotrophic nitrogen removal process. Due to the success of the pilot plant experiment, an upscale of the process to full scale is proposed. Mass balances applied to Guillarei wastewater treatment plant revealed that in the main stream line the average denitrification rate calculated with the data of year 2011 was 226 kg N/d. Since the nitrogen removal efficiency is limited by the amount of readily biodegradable organic matter available to carry out denitrification in the water line, the implementation of an anammox-based process to treat the supernatant seems the best option to improve the effluent quality in terms of nitrogen content. The nitrogen removal rate in the sludge line would be 30 times higher than the one in the water line. The implementation of the process would improve the energetic balance and the nitrogen removal performance of the plant.

Effects of the cycle distribution on the performance of SBRs with aerobic granular biomass.

The aerobic granular systems are mainly sequencing batch reactors where the biomass is submitted to feast-famine regimes to promote its aggregation in the form of granules. In these systems, different cycle distributions can be applied for the simultaneous removal of organic matter, nitrogen and phosphorus. In this work two strategies were followed in order to evaluate the effects of the cycle distribution. In the first experiment, the length of the operational cycle was decreased in order to maximize the treatment capacity and consequently the famine/feast ratio was also decreased. In the second experiment, an initial anoxic phase was implemented to improve nitrogen removal efficiency. The results obtained showed that to reduce the famine/feast ratio from 10 to 5 was possible by increasing the treated organic and nitrogen loading rates in the system to 33%, without affecting the removal efficiencies of organic matter (97%) and nitrogen (64%) and producing a slight detriment of the granules characteristics. On the other hand, the implementation of an anoxic phase of 30 min previous to the aerobic one with a pulse-fed mode increased the nitrogen removal of pig manure from 20 to 60%, while the cycle configuration comprising a continuous feeding simultaneous with an anoxic phase of 60 min did not enhance the nitrogen removal and even worsen the ammonia oxidation.

Could the canopy structure of bryophytes serve as an indicator of microbial biodiversity? A test for testate amoebae and microcrustaceans from a subtropical cloud forest in Dominican Republic.

The mechanisms that ultimately regulate the diversity of microbial eukaryotic communities in bryophyte ecosystems remain a contentious topic in microbial ecology. Although there is robust consensus that abiotic factors, such as water chemistry of the bryophyte and pH, explain a significant proportion of protist and microcrustacean diversity, there is no systematic assessment of the role of bryophyte habitat complexity on such prominent microbial groups. Water-holding capacity is correlated with bryophyte morphology and canopy structure. Similarly, canopy structure explains biodiversity dynamics of the macrobiota suggesting that canopy structure may also be a potential parameter for understanding microbial diversity. Canopy roughness of the dominant bryophyte species within the Bahoruco Cloud Forest, Cachote, Dominican Republic, concomitant with their associated diversity of testate amoebae and microcrustaceans was estimated to determine whether canopy structure could be added to the list of factors explaining microbial biodiversity in bryophytes. We hypothesized that smooth (with high moisture content) canopies will have higher species richness, density, and biomass of testate amoebae and higher richness and density of microcrustaceans than rough (desiccation-prone) canopies. For testate amoebae, we found 83 morphospecies with relative low abundances. Species richness and density differed among bryophytes with different bryophyte canopy structures and based on non-metric multidimensional scaling, canopy roughness explained 25% of the variation in species composition although not as predicted. Acroporium pungens (low roughness, LR) had the lowest species richness (2 ± 0.61 SD per gram dry weight bryophyte), and density (2.1 ± 0.61 SD individual per gram of dry weight bryophyte); whereas Thuidium urceolatum (high roughness) had the highest richness (24 ± 10.82 SD) and density (94 ± 64.30 SD). The fact that the bryophyte with the highest roughness had the highest levels of diversity for testate amoebae suggests that moisture levels at the level of the bryophyte canopy may not represent a biodiversity driver in a cloud forest with high relative humidity; however, high roughness could generate a dynamic and fluctuating moisture environment with concomitant alternating microbial communities. A total of 26 microcrustacean morphospecies were found across 11 bryophytes; however, no bryophyte canopy effect was detected on their richness and density. Microcrustacean mean density was low ranging from less than one individual per 50 cm2 of bryophyte in Leucobryum (LR) to a maximum of 6 ± 3.37 SD individuals/50 cm2 in Monoclea (LR). This lack of pattern suggests that possible explanatory variables may be related to larger scale processes than those examined in this study.

Effect of a multistage ultraendurance triathlon on aldosterone, vasopressin, extracellular water and urine electrolytes.

Prolonged endurance exercise over several days induces increase in extracellular water (ECW). We aimed to investigate an association between the increase in ECW and the change in aldosterone and vasopressin in a multistage ultraendurance triathlon, the 'World Challenge Deca Iron Triathlon' with 10 Ironman triathlons within 10 days. Before and after each Ironman, body mass, ECW, urinary [Na(+)], urinary [K(+)], urinary specific gravity, urinary osmolality and aldosterone and vasopressin in plasma were measured. The 11 finishers completed the total distance of 38 km swimming, 1800 km cycling and 422 km running within 145.5 (18.8) hours and 25 (22) minutes. ECW increased by 0.9 (1.1) L from 14.6 (1.5) L prerace to 15.5 (1.9) L postrace (P < 0.0001). Aldosterone increased from 70.8 (104.5) pg/mL to 102.6 (104.6) pg/mL (P = 0.033); vasopressin remained unchanged. The increase in ECW was related neither to postrace aldosterone nor to postrace vasopressin. In conclusion, ECW and aldosterone increased after this multistage ultraendurance triathlon, but vasopressin did not. The increase in ECW and the increase in aldosterone were not associated.

Autotrophic nitrogen removal at low temperature.

In this work the autotrophic nitrogen removal was carried out at moderately low temperatures using two configurations: a) two-units one comprising a SHARON reactor coupled to an Anammox SBR and b) single-unit one consisting of a granular SBR performing the CANON process. At 20°C the two-units system was limited by the Anammox step and its nitrogen removal capacity was around ten times lower than the CANON system (0.08 g N/(L d) versus 1 g N/(L d)). When the CANON system was operated at 15°C the average removed nitrogen loading rate decreased to 0.2 g N/(L d). The CANON system was operated in order to limit the ammonia oxidation rate to avoid nitrite inhibition of Anammox bacteria. Since both, temperature and dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration regulate ammonia oxidizing bacteria activity, once the temperature of the reactor is decreased the DO concentration must be decreased to avoid the deeper oxygen penetration inside the granule which could cause inhibition of Anammox bacteria by oxygen and/or nitrite.

Study of nitrogen implantation in Ti surface using plasma immersion ion implantation & deposition technique as biocompatible substrate for artificial membranes.

The present investigation reports the modification of Ti substrates by a plasma technique to enhance their physio-chemical properties as biocompatible substrates for the deposition of artificial membranes. For that purpose, nitrogen ions are implanted into Ti substrate using the plasma immersion ion implantation & deposition (PIII&D) technique in a capacitively coupled radio frequency plasma. The plasma was characterized using optical emission spectroscopy, together with radio frequency compensated Langmuir probe, while the ion current towards the substrate was measured during the implantation process using an opto-electronic device. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used for chemical analysis of the surface, confirming the presence of δ-TiN. The penetration depth of the nitrogen ions into the Ti substrate was measured using secondary ions mass spectroscopy (SIMS) while the morphological changes were observed using atomic force microscopy (AFM). A calorimetric assay was used to prove that the TiN samples maintain the biocompatibility of the untreated Ti surface with its native oxide layer. The ion implantation increases the load bearing ability of Ti surface by the formation of α-Ti(N) and δ-TiN phases on the sub-surface of Ti, and maintains the bio compatibility of Ti surface. After the plasma treatment a thin layer of chitosan (CH) was deposited in order to provide a moisturizing matrix for the artificial membrane of 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-3- phosphor glycerocholine (DPPC). The CH and subsequently the DPPC were deposited on the plasma deposited TiN substrate by using physical vapor deposition. The formation of artificial membranes was confirmed by AFM, measuring the topography at different temperatures and performing force curves.

A multiplanet system of super-Earths orbiting the brightest red dwarf star GJ 887.

The closet exoplanets to the Sun provide opportunities for detailed characterization of planets outside the Solar System. We report the discovery, using radial velocity measurements, of a compact multiplanet system of super-Earth exoplanets orbiting the nearby red dwarf star GJ 887. The two planets have orbital periods of 9.3 and 21.8 days. Assuming an Earth-like albedo, the equilibrium temperature of the 21.8-day planet is ~350 kelvin. The planets are interior to, but close to the inner edge of, the liquid-water habitable zone. We also detect an unconfirmed signal with a period of ~50 days, which could correspond to a third super-Earth in a more temperate orbit. Our observations show that GJ 887 has photometric variability below 500 parts per million, which is unusually quiet for a red dwarf.

Psychological aspects of human cloning and genetic manipulation: the identity and uniqueness of human beings.

Human cloning has become one of the most controversial debates about reproduction in Western civilization. Human cloning represents asexual reproduction, but the critics of human cloning argue that the result of cloning is not a new individual who is genetically unique. There is also awareness in the scientific community, including the medical community, that human cloning and the creation of clones are inevitable. Psychology and other social sciences, together with the natural sciences, will need to find ways to help the healthcare system, to be prepared to face the new challenges introduced by the techniques of human cloning. One of those challenges is to help the healthcare system to find specific standards of behaviour that could be used to help potential parents to interact properly with cloned babies or children created through genetic manipulation. In this paper, the concepts of personality, identity and uniqueness are discussed in relationship to the contribution of twin studies in these areas. The author argues that an individual created by human cloning techniques or any other type of genetic manipulation will not show the donor's characteristics to the extent of compromising uniqueness. Therefore, claims to such an effect are needlessly alarmist.

Bioequivalence study of a film-coated tablet of deferiprone in healthy Thai volunteers.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the bioequivalence of a single dose of deferiprone tablet manufactured locally (GPO-L-ONE, GPO, Thailand) with a reference formulation (Ferriprox, ApoPharma, Canada). VOLUNTEERS AND METHODS: A randomized, single dose, two-treatment, two-period, two- sequence crossover study was conducted in 24 healthy volunteers. Each subject received a single dose of 3 tablets of 500 mg deferiprone of both formulations with a two-week washout period. Blood samples were collected at 12 points for 480 min. Serum deferiprone levels were analyzed using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. Pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated from serum concentration-time curve and applying the non-compartment model. Statistical comparisons of Cmax, AUC(0-t), AUC(0-inf) values were evaluated after logarithmic transformation. Other pharmacokinetic parameters were tested non-parametrically. RESULTS: The C(max) value (mean +/- SD) for reference and test product was 32.4 +/- 13.2 and 27.8 +/- 12.8 microg/ml, respectively. Mean ratio (test/reference) of C(max) was 0.852 with 90% CI of 0.772 - 0.934. Mean ratio (test/reference) of AUC(0-t) was 0.962 with 90% CI of 0.914 to 1.012, and of AUC(0-inf) was 0.966 with 90% CI of 0.918-1.016. Both formulations were well tolerated and no adverse effects were observed. CONCLUSION: The 90% CI of mean ratio of AUC(0-t) and AUC(0-inf) fell within the acceptable range (0.80 - 1.25) for bioequivalent eligibility. Regarding the efficacy of deferiprone, which depends on AUC rather than C(max), 90% CI of mean ratio of C(max) was within the acceptable range of WHO criteria for bioequivalence study (0.75 - 1.33). Therefore the two film-coated formulations of deferiprone tablet were proven bioequivalent in healthy Thai volunteers.

[Tensor fascia lata unilateral hypertrophy: A case report]. / Hipertrofia unilateral del músculo tensor de la fascia lata, a propósito de un caso.

Hypertrophy of the tensor fascia lata muscle is an uncommon clinical entity, which can simulate a soft tissue tumour. In most patients, it presents as a palpable proximal anterior thigh mass. The characteristic appearance on CT or MRI allows a confident diagnosis of muscle hypertrophy to be made, avoiding unnecessary diagnostic biopsy or surgical intervention. In cases with suspected radiculopathy, electromyography is also useful. We present an illustrative case of hypertrophy of the tensor fascia lata muscle and its outcome after rehabilitation treatment.