1,722,119 research outputs found
Cactus pear (O. ficus-indica (L.) Mill.) fruit production: Ecophysiology, orchard and fresh-cut fruit management
No full textCactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica L. Mill.) is cultivated in wide range of
environments with the consequence of large differences in crop potential, orchard systems and management. These differences may be related to temperature and rainfall range (water availability) but also to the day/night length and, of course, to soil characteristics. This leads to considerable variability in the field and in fruit quality. Crop value much depends in crop variability in terms of fruit size, which is the major factor for fruit price in Europe. The increase of crop value very much depends on regular cultural practices such as irrigation and fruit thinning, but it is also dependent on plant crop yield and architecture.
Despite this relative large diffusion, cactus pear marketing is seasonal and, due to the poor postharvest performances of the fruit, covers no more than two months, in each ripening season of each cultivar. The most powerful tool to get a longer fruit marketing season is related to cropping strategies and, eventually to the ability of O. ficus-indica to reflower and to get different crops in the same year; some studies conducted in Sicily demonstrated that double removal induced a third flush of flowers and cladodes during late August with a fruit production that ripened the following winter (January-March); out-of-season fruits obtained, were regular in size and percent flesh with only a slight reduction of total soluble solid content.
Some studies also demonstrated that cactus pear fruit plantations are efficient in terms of carbon sequestration. Research achievements and goal are revised in order to address new research efforts towards orchard efficiency
“Intraoperative parathyroid hormone monitoring in minimally invasive video-assisted parathyroidectomy”
No full textBackground. The increasing sensitivity of preoperative
localization methods in combination with
intraoperative parathyroid hormone (PTHIO) has
led to the use of minimally invasive procedures
in parathyroid surgery. In addition, it is usually
accepted that a decrease in PTHIO values by more
than 50% within 5 minutes after excision of hyperfunctioning
parathyroid tissue can be considered
as a confirmation of the adequacy of the surgical
treatment.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact
of use of PTHIO on the success rate of minimally
invasive video-assisted parathyroidectomy
(MIVAP).
Methods. From March 2005 to March 2008 a series
of 13 patients with pHPT underwent MIVAP
by an anterior approach in combination with preoperative
ultrasound and 99Tc-SestaMIBI scintigraphy
and PTHIO assay (UniCel® DxI 800 Beckman
Coulter, Fullerton, California, U.S.A.). Blood
drawings were routinely performed before skin
incision (T0), 5 minutes (T1) and 10 minutes (T2)
after the excision of the adenomatous tissue. Surgery
procedures were concluded when at T1 has
been reached a drop in PTHIO level >50% with
respect to preoperative levels. PTH, calcemia,
complications, pathologic findings, length of
hospital stay, operative times, timing and number
of sample collection, postoperative pain and cosmetic
results, were retrospectively analyzed.
Results. 13 patients (10 females, 3 males); median
age: 69 years old (range: 33-86); preoperative diagnosis:
12 pts (92%) with sporadic primary hyperparathyroidism
(pHPT), one (8%) with pHPT in
Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia type 1 (MEN1).
In 11 pts (85%) a drop of PTHIO value major
than 50% at T1 was observed; for one pts (8%)
the drop was of 19.5% (patient in MEN1) while
in one pts (8%) a rise of 83.20% was reached. In
all but one pts the drop was significant in T2. Only
one PTHIO was necessary after 20 minutes after
excision (T3). Median operative time and hospitalization
was 85 minutes (range: 32-125), and 2
days (range: 2 -5) respectively. In all pts, frozen
sections and final histology showed benign disease.
Morbidity was 3 (23%) transient hypocalcemias
(1 syntomatic) and 1 (8%) haematoma.
Conclusions. Our data underline that a PTHIO
reduction of more than 50%, five minutes after
the resection of adenoma, is a predictor of successful
surgery and becomes of fundamental importance
in surgical decision making when preoperative
imaging studies miss the hyperfunctioning
parathyroid tissue.
Key-words: intraoperative parathyroid hormone,
minimally invasive video-assisted parathyroidectomy,
sporadic primitive hyperparathyroidism,
99Tc-sestaMIBI
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