OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of medical treatment with percutaneous closure of patent foramen ovale (PFO). BACKGROUND Patients with cryptogenic stroke and PFO are at risk for recurrent cerebrovascular events. METHODS We compared the risk of recurrence in 308 patients with cryptogenic stroke and PFO, who were treated either medically (158 patients) or unde...

BACKGROUND Published information regarding survival and long-term cardiac remodeling after patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) closure in dogs is limited. OBJECTIVES To report outcome and identify prognostic variables in dogs with PDA, and to identify risk factors for persistent remodeling in dogs with a minimum of 12 months of follow-up after closure. ANIMALS Five hundred and twenty client-owne...

BACKGROUND We conducted a prospective observational multi-institutional study to examine the natural history of the open abdomen (OA) after trauma and identify risk factors for failure to achieve definitive primary fascial closure (DPC) after OA use in trauma. METHODS Adults requiring OA for trauma were enrolled during a 2-year period. Demographics, presentation, and management variables were...

The elementary closure P ′ of a polyhedron P is the intersection of P with all its GomoryChvátal cutting planes. P ′ is a rational polyhedron provided that P is rational. The Chvátal-Gomory procedure is the iterative application of the elementary closure operation to P . The Chvátal rank is the minimal number of iterations needed to obtain PI . It is always finite, but already in R2 one can con...

Background: Previous studies have considered patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) a common finding in premature infants, leading to complications such as intracranial hemorrhage, necrotizing enterocolitis and pulmonary dysplasia. The aim of this study was to assess and compare the efficacy of oral ibuprofen and intravenous acetaminophen in the closure of arterial duct in premature newborns. We also e...

BACKGROUND Closure of salvage laryngectomy defects with vascularized tissue remains controversial. METHODS We evaluate outcomes in patients who required repair of a fistula after attempted primary closure of salvage laryngectomy defect and assess risk factors for persistent fistula. Between 2001 and 2010, 20 patients were treated for pharyngocutaneous fistulae after primary closure of a salva...

OBJECTIVE To compare the difference in the rate of surgical wound infection, patient's convenience and length of hospital stay between Primary Closure and Delayed Primary Closure in cases of complicated appendicitis in adults. METHODS This randomised control trial was conducted at the Combined Military Hospital, Kharian and Malir from June 5, 2006, to September 10, 2009. Patients > or = 15 ye...

BACKGROUND Closure of PDA can be associated with echocardiographic changes including deterioration of LV systolic function. Although PDA is commonly encountered in dogs, few comprehensive reports of echocardiographic changes in dogs with PDA closure are available. OBJECTIVES To evaluate the short-term echocardiographic changes observed after PDA closure in dogs using strain analysis. ANIMAL...

Given P ⊂ R, a mixed integer set P I = P ∩ (Z × Rn−t), and a k-tuple of n-dimensional integral vectors (π1, . . . , πk) where the last n− t entries of each vector is zero, we consider the relaxation of P I obtained by taking the convex hull of points x in P for which π 1 x, . . . , π T k x are integral. We then define the k-dimensional lattice closure of P I to be the intersection of all such r...