The operations drip and mate considered in (mem)brane computing resemble the operations cut and recombination well known from DNA computing. We here consider sets of vesicles with multisets of objects on their outside membrane interacting by drip and mate in two different setups: in test tube systems, the vesicles may pass from one tube to another one provided they fulfill specific constraints;...

Jackson Pollock introduced a revolutionary artistic style of dripping paint on a horizontal canvas. Here we study Pollock’s unique artistic style by using computational methods for characterizing the low-level numerical differences between original Pollock drip paintings and drip paintings of other painters who attempted to mimic his signature drip painting style. Four thousands and twenty four...

AIM OF STUDY To review the use of hypodermoclysis in a local Hospice. METHOD A review of all hypodermoclysis carried out over a six-month period was conducted. Special attention was paid to the reason for starting and stopping the drip, duration of the drip, complications, the type and amount of solution infused. RESULTS Fifty-one (19%) out of 266 patients received hypodermoclysis during th...

INTRODUCTION The Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease has a prevalence of ∼12% of the urban population in Brazil. Koufman proposed the term to designate Laryngeal Pharyngeal Reflux (LPR) symptoms, signs or tissue damage resulting from aggression of the gastrointestinal contents in the upper aerodigestive tract. Belafsky et al proposed a score that points to inflammatory laryngeal signs through video...

BACKGROUND Recent otolaryngologic studies document significant fatigue and bodily pain (BP) in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis. Studies of general medical patients are lacking. METHODS A case-control study of 297 consecutive general medical outpatients. RESULTS Sixty-five patients noted unexplained chronic fatigue (UCF), 33 reported BP, and 26 had both. Compared with 232 patients witho...

PRIMARY STUDY OBJECTIVE To determine the appropriate role and timing of sinus imaging studies in the evaluation and treatment of chronic cough. DESIGN Prospective study of chronic cough. All patients underwent sinus imaging, the results of which identified prospectively the following: (1) fluid in sinuses, with or without opacification, and (2) mucosal thickening. Patients then were treated u...

I some ways, ICD-10 coding is very much like ICD-9 coding but with more options, as the previous articles in this series have demonstrated. (See the series overview on page 18.) This article explains how to report symptoms, signs, and test results in the absence of a confirmed diagnosis. Under both ICD-9 and ICD-10, if your diagnosis is noted as “probable” or any other term that means a diagnos...

BACKGROUND Chronic cough is one of the most challenging symptoms to diagnose and treat, not only because of the variety of underlying disorders but also its varying susceptibility to treatments. Etiological studies of chronic cough vary depending on the clinical settings and the particular interests of investigators. OBJECTIVES The purposes of this study were first to categorize the etiology ...

BACKGROUND Current guidelines recommend that patients with unexplained chronic cough undergo empirical proton pump inhibitor (PPI) treatment, but scientific evidence for this treatment is lacking. We investigated the effectiveness and appropriate dose of PPI therapy in chronic cough. METHODS We included 27 patients with unexplained chronic cough after excluding subjects with positive response...