Multi-pass probing for high-sensitivity tomographic interferometry.

Optical probing is an indispensable tool in research and development. In fact, it has always been the most natural way for humankind to explore nature. However, objects consisting of transparent materials with a refractive index close to unity, such as low-density gas jets, are a typical example of samples that often reach the sensitivity limits of optical probing techniques. We introduce an advanced optical probing method employing multiple passes of the probe through the object to increase phase sensitivity, and relay-imaging of the object between individual passes to preserve spatial resolution. An interferometer with four-passes was set up and the concept was validated by tomographic characterization of low-density supersonic gas jets. The results show an evident increase of sensitivity, which allows for the accurate quantitation of fine features such as a shock formed by an obstacle or a barrel shock on the jet boundary in low ambient gas pressures. Despite its limitations in temporal resolution, this novel method has demonstrated an increase in phase sensitivity in transmission, however, it can also be employed to boost the absorption or polarization contrast of weakly interacting objects in both transmission and reflection setups, thus, upgrading the sensitivity of various optical characterization methods.

Atypical presentation of immunoglobulin G4-related disease as subglottic stenosis: a case-based review.

BACKGROUND: Immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a recently recognized fibro-inflammatory pathology that has been reported to affect principally the retroperitoneum, hepatobiliary system, salivary glands, orbital structures or lymph nodes. However, IgG4-RD with laryngeal involvement is a very rare entity. Our aims were to describe a case of subglottic stenosis as first and only manifestation of IgG4-RD and review the literature. A patient with IgG4-RD affecting the larynx that presented as subglottic stenosis is described. A MEDLINE database search of IgG4-RD cases with laryngopharyngeal manifestations was also conducted. A 30-year-old Caucasian woman was referred to a tertiary care hospital for dyspnea on exertion, which had been increasing for the last 4 months. Medical and surgical procedures revealed a subglottic stenosis, with a histological finding of IgG4 positive plasma cell infiltration. There was no evidence of other organ involvement. She was successfully treated with oral glucocorticoids and rituximab infusions. Glucocorticoids were rapidly tapered and the rituximab regimen was optimized, with no evidence of relapses. In the literature review, we found a total of 12 reported cases with laryngopharyngeal involvement, two of them with subglottic stenosis. IgG4-RD of the larynx is rare but should be considered after excluding more common disorders.

Simulations of the gain profile and performance of a diode side-pumped QCW Nd:YAG laser.

A design of a diode side-pumped Nd:YAG laser module and simulations of the gain distribution inside the active medium are presented in this paper. The code is based on a nonsequential ray-tracing Monte Carlo method for the light generated by the laser diodes. The fluorescence image of the active medium was analyzed in order to compare it with the simulations, which were found to be in good agreement with experimental data. The laser was tested in QCW mode and provided a maximum average power of 220 W while maintaining constant energy per pulse in the 100-1000 Hz range.

Fístula esofagopleural posneumonectomía. Una complicación infrecuente pero seria de la cirugía pulmonar / Postpneumonectomy esophagopleural fistula. An uncommon but serious complication in pulmonary surgery

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Recurrence of bronchioloalveolar carcinoma in donor lung after lung transplantation: microsatellite analysis demonstrates a recipient origin.

Bronchioloalveolar carcinoma is a distinctive subtype of pulmonary adenocarcinoma, without effective therapy, although there have recently been some attempts to use lung transplantation. However, a high post-transplantation local recurrence rate is described with some controversy regarding the possible involved mechanisms, the main possibilities being the lymphatic spread and aerosolization. Presented herein is a case of a bilateral lung transplantation for a bilateral and pneumonic form of non-mucinous bronchioloalveolar carcinoma in a 43-year-old woman. The histological analysis of mediastinal lymph nodes during surgery did not show neoplastic cells. Thirty-five months after transplantation several nodular opacities in donor lungs were detected. Three pulmonary wedge resections were performed showing a non-mucinous bronchioloalveolar carcinoma with the same histological characteristics as the primary. Again, the mediastinal lymph nodes were tumor free. A complete microsatellites molecular analysis was performed to compare the primary and recurrent carcinoma using capillary electrophoresis, showing that the recurrent tumor was generated in a recipient cellular clone. The absence of lymph node metastasis and the molecular evidence of the recipient origin of the neoplasm supports the contamination of the new lungs at the time of implantation as being the reason for the high incidence of recurrence after lung transplantation in this kind of disease.

Flow cytometric analysis of a localized malignant mesothelioma.

Malignant mesothelioma usually presents as a diffuse neoplasm. We report a localized malignant mesothelioma in the parietal pleura of a patient who was not exposed to asbestos. A complete clinical, pathologic, and immunohistochemical description is provided. Flow cytometric analysis showed an aneuploid DNA content in neoplastic cells. The patient is alive and well 8 months after complete surgical resection. Localized malignant mesothelioma must be included in the differential diagnosis in chest wall-based neoplasms.