This is one important reason why statistical experimental design is needed. Design of experiments (DOE) originated as a method to maximize the knowledge gained from experimental data. Compared with conventional methods, multivariate approaches based on DOE allow studying all possible KPT-330 mouse interactions between experimental variables and can significantly reduce the experimental effort needed

to investigate the experimental factors and their interactions. These methods are especially valuable for optimization of chemical processes. The examples of application of multivariate DOE include using MODDE 6 software for optimization of supercritical fluid extraction, conditions for the Fedratinib concentration extraction of indole alkaloids from the dried leaves of Catharanthus roseus, and GC/MS-based analysis of amino acids and organic

acids in rat brain tissue samples [9, 10]. Only a few reports discussing the chemometrics approach in rational design of MIPs have appeared. Thus, Kempe and Kempe [11] AZD8186 supplier employed multivariate data analysis (MODDE 6.0 software, Umetrics, Umea, Sweden) for the optimization of monomer and cross-linker ratios in the design of a polymer specific for propranolol. Mijangos et al. [12] used chemometrics (MODDE 6.0 software, Umetrics, Sweden) to optimize several parameters such as concentration of initiator (1,1′-azobis(cyclohexane-1-carbonitrile) and 2,2-dimethoxy-2-phenylacetophenone) and polymerization time required for

the design of high-performance MIP for ephedrine. U0126 solubility dmso In the present work, we demonstrate the use of the multivariate DOE approach and MODDE 9.0 software (Umetrics, Sweden) for increasing the yield of MIP nanoparticles synthesized in the automatic photoreactor developed by our team. Methods Reagents and materials N,N′-methylene-bis-acrylamide, ethylene glycol methacrylate phosphate, 3-aminopropyltrimethyloxysilane (APTMS), fluorescein O-methacrylate, and acetone were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich, Gillingham, UK. Acetonitrile was obtained from Fisher Scientific (Bromborough, UK). N,N-diethyldithiocarbamic acid benzyl ester was obtained from TCI Europe (Boerenveldseweg 6, 2070 Zwijndrecht, Belgium). Vancomycin was chosen as the model template in solid-phase synthesis of MIP nanoparticles. All chemicals and solvents were of analytical or HPLC grade and were used without further purification. Phosphate buffered saline (PBS) was prepared from PBS buffer tablets (Sigma-Aldrich, Gillingham, UK) and comprised 0.01 M phosphate buffer, 0.0027 M potassium chloride, and 0.137 M sodium chloride, with pH 7.4, at 25°C. Where necessary, the pH of the buffer was adjusted to pH 7.2 by the addition of HCl. Preparation of template-derivatized glass beads Glass beads (75-μm diameter from Sigma-Aldrich) were activated by boiling in 4 M NaOH for 10 min, then washed with double-distilled water followed by acetone, and dried at 80°C.

multocida. In another recent review, Boyce et al. [32] speculated that the combination of additional P. multocida genome sequences and advances in our ability to genetically manipulate the organism will facilitate Androgen Receptor antagonist major advances in our understanding of disease pathogenesis. To that end, we undertook a detailed comparative genome analysis of two virulent strains (X73 and P1059) and avirulent strain Pm70 of P. multocida. The goal of this study

is to enable narrowed identification of a repertoire of unique genes present in the highly pathogenic avian strains that may play a role in virulence. This information will also facilitate the design of improved modified live vaccine candidates with defined mutations that can be evaluated as immunoprophylactic agent(s) to control P. multocida-caused disease in avian and other host species. Methods Bacterial strains The strains sequenced in this study included P. multocida strains P1059 (ATCC# 15742) and X73 (ATCC# 11039). Strain P1059 is a well click here characterized pathogenic strain Capmatinib cost isolated from the liver of a turkey that died of fowl cholera [30]. Strain X73 is also a well characterized pathogenic strain

isolated from the liver of a chicken that died of fowl cholera [30]. For comparative purposes, the avirulent Pm70 strain was used [15]. There are several reasons why we selected strains P1059 and X73 in this study. First, both strains are highly virulent to chickens, turkeys and other poultry species. Second, they are of different serotypes (P1059 = A:3; and X73 = A:1) and different immunologic types [30]. Thirdly, they are reference serotype strains that are readily available to investigators and there is abundant literature on the biology of these two strains [1, 11, 30, Edoxaban 33–35]. Genome sequencing and annotation Sequencing of strains P1059 and X73 was performed using 454 Life Sciences pyrosequencing at the National Animal Disease Center in

Ames, Iowa. The following data sets were generated for each strain: GS- FLX, with 270,010 shotgun reads of average length 240 bp yielding 64,827,159 bp for P1059; and GS-FLX, with 227,030 shotgun reads of average length of 240 bp, yielding 54,398,540 bp for X73. Reads were de novo assembled into scaffolds using Newbler 2.3 [36]. The draft sequences of these genomes are deposited under the following accession numbers: P1059 [Genbank:AMBQ01000000] and X73 [Genbank:AMBP01000000]. Comparative genomics Annotation of P1059 and X73 was performed using publicly available tools. Putative coding regions were predicted using GeneMarkS [37]. Gene function was assigned using HMMER3 against Pfam-A 24.0, RPS-BLASTp against CDD, and BLASTp against all microbial proteins [38, 39]. tRNA genes were identified using tRNAscan-SE [40]. rRNA genes were identified using RNAmmer [41]. For analysis of the shared and unique proteins in the P.

oneidensis MR-1. As noted earlier, several of the genes predicted to belong to the so2426 regulon also have Fur-binding motifs in their upstream regions. The likely molecular

EPZ015938 mechanism controlling iron homeostasis in S. oneidensis MR-1 involves Fur-mediated transcriptional repression, which includes down-regulation of so2426 expression under iron-replete conditions and derepression followed by SO2426-mediated transcriptional activation under iron-limited conditions. This may explain the residual siderophore production in the Δso2426 mutant. It is also possible that an as-yet uncharacterized secondary mechanism for siderophore production exists in strain MR-1. Conclusions SO2426 is annotated as a DNA-binding response regulator, but its specific function in S. Vorinostat oneidensis MR-1 was previously undefined. Using combined in silico motif prediction and in vitro binding assays along with physiological characterization, this

report provides an important empirical step toward describing the SO2426 regulon. We initially check details identified a putative SO2426-binding consensus motif that consists of two conserved pentamers (5′-CAAAA-3′) in tandem. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays demonstrated that recombinant SO2426 exhibits binding specificity with its predicted motif within the 5′ regulatory region flanking a siderophore biosynthesis operon. A Δso2426 mutant was unable to synthesize CAS-reactive siderophores at wild-type rates under iron limitation. Collectively, these data support a function for SO2426 as a positive regulator of siderophore-mediated iron acquisition in S. oneidensis MR-1. In addition to exhibiting iron-responsive expression, the so2426 gene has been previously shown to be up-regulated in response to chromate stress [15, 41]. The up-regulation of iron acquisition and iron storage systems in response to metal stress is not unique to S. oneidensis. In Arthrobacter sp. FB24, a number of proteins with putative functions in iron sequestration,

such as Ferritin-Dps family proteins, as well as Reiske (2Fe-2S) domain proteins, showed increased abundance as a result of chromate stress [17]. Copper has been shown Phosphatidylethanolamine N-methyltransferase to disrupt Fe-S clusters in important enzymes in E. coli [44]. An E. coli strain defective in iron transport was also found to be more sensitive to chromium [19]. Exposure to manganese in B. subtilis resulted in altered intracellular iron pools with subsequent expression of Fur-regulated genes [45]. The reason for the up-regulation of iron-responsive genes is unclear. It has been speculated that metal ions such as chromate result in oxidative stress mediated through Fenton-type reactions with ferrous iron [18, 46–48]. Up-regulation of iron storage proteins may help alleviate metal-induced oxidative damage by binding excess Fe and preventing its interaction with other metal ions.

Only the BUD/FM and BUD treatment arms, which were common to all four studies, are presented; selleck chemicals llc these studies were not originally powered for comparison of learn more asthma events. Table I Study treatments and entry criteria[5–8] Table II Predefined criteria for asthma events[5–8] Table III Patient demographic and baseline clinical characteristics[5–8] a,b Statistical methods for this analysis are similar to those described previously.[5–8] Comparisons among treatment groups

of percentages of patients who experienced ≥1 predefined asthma event and of percentages of patients who withdrew because of such an event were performed by χ2 test (study I) or Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel test with adjustment for treatment (studies III and IV) and ICS dose (medium or high; studies II, III, and IV) at study entry. Results Baseline demographics were

similar across studies (table II). As expected, patients with mild to moderate asthma had better pulmonary function than those with moderate to severe asthma. The percentage of patients with moderate to severe asthma who experienced Selleckchem BVD-523 ≥1 asthma event was lower in the BUD/FM groups versus the BUD group, with statistically significant differences observed in study II (p < 0.05) [figure 1]. In all studies, the most commonly met predefined criterion was night-time awakening. The predefined criterion of clinical exacerbation included the following subcategories that were not mutually exclusive: study I (BUD/FM: one patient [one emergency department (ED) visit, one event of disallowed asthma medication use], BUD: three patients Florfenicol [one ED visit, three events of disallowed asthma medication use]); study II (BUD/FM: seven patients [three ED visits, seven events of disallowed asthma medication use], BUD: five patients [one ED visit, four events of disallowed asthma medication use]); study III (BUD/FM: three patients [two events of disallowed asthma medication use, one event of nebulized bronchodilator use, three events

of oral corticosteroid use], BUD: three patients [one ED visit, three events of disallowed asthma medication use, one event of nebulized bronchodilator use, and three events of oral corticosteroid use]); study IV (BUD/FM: seven patients [two ED visits, two hospitalizations — one due to multiple significant/active comorbidities and one due to viral infection, seven events of disallowed asthma medication use], BUD: two patients [two events of disallowed medication use]). Fig. 1 Percentages of patients with ≥1 predefined asthma event (overall and individual events) and withdrawals due to predefined asthma event in (a) study I (predominantly White patients with mild to moderate asthma), (b) study II (predominantly White patients with moderate to severe asthma), (c) study III (Black patients), and (d) study IV (Hispanic patients).

Lanes are molecular size marker, M; cultures after 0 day, 0; 6 days, 6; 8 days, 8; 10 days, 10; 12 days, 12; 14 days, 14; and 14 days cultivation in the absence of alkanes, -. b, Relative degradation of alkanes by strain B23. Fractions degraded were estimated by the reduction of peak areas in GC/FID. Figure 3 Effects of long-chain alkanes on the induction click here levels of P24, P21 and P16. Proteins were separated on an SDS-12% polyacrylamide gel and stained with Coomassie Brilliant Blue R-250. Lanes are molecular size marker (M), total cellular proteins

in the absence of alkanes (-); total cellular proteins in the presence of decane (C10), tetradecane (C14), octadecane (C18), docosane (C22), hexacosane (C26), triacontane (C30), tetracontane (C34). The effect of carbon chain length of alkanes on the induction CHIR99021 levels of the proteins was examined. It is obvious that the induction

effect increases in accordance with the increase in the chain length of alkanes (Fig. 3). It has previously been shown that strain B23 effectively degrades alkanes longer than dodecane [1]. These results strongly suggest that P24, P21, and P16 are related to the long-chain-alkane degradation by strain B23 or the production of these proteins was stimulated in the consequence of alkane degradation. Localization of the proteins in the cell was examined by fractionation of total cellular proteins (Fig. 4). Because P24 was recovered in a soluble OSI-027 fraction after disruption of the cells, this protein is probably a cytoplasmic protein. On the other hand, P21 and P16 were recovered in an insoluble form, suggesting that they are membrane proteins. Figure 4 Localization of P24, P21, and P16 in the cells. Lanes are molecular weight markers, M; whole cell fraction cultivated in the absence of alkanes, 1; whole cell fraction cultivated in the presence of alkanes, 2. Soluble

intracellular fraction after sonication of the cells, 3; insoluble membrane fraction after sonication, 4. Amino acid sequences of P21 and P16 The N-terminal amino acid sequences of P21 and P16 were determined as AFPLSGVGGFTISADLI (P21-N) and VPISGVGEFXVTFDKL (P16-N), respectively. These sequences, which are Celastrol highly similar with each other, showed considerable similarity with that of cholesterol esterase from Streptomyces lavendulae [15]. Cholesterol esterase is a secretion enzyme which hydrolyzes long-chain fatty acid esters of cholesterol and mainly functions in mammalian tissues. In bacteria, only actinomycetes and pseudomonads [16] are reported to produce this enzyme. Cloning and analysis of genes encoding P21 and P16 Utilizing the information of N-terminal and internal amino acid sequences, 416 bp and 1.8 kb DNA fragments encoding a part of P21 and P16, respectively, were cloned and their nucleotide sequence was determined.

Table 1 Average hourly cardiovascular and energy expenditure measures Variable   Baseline Hour 1 Hour 2 Hour 3 Heart Rate (b·min-1) SUP 70.4 ± 9.4 71.2 ± 11.2 74.3 ± 12.6 * 72.3 ± 9.1*   P 70.0 ± 6.2 67.9 ± 7.1 65.3 ± 5.7 64.8 ± 5.8 Systolic Blood Ferrostatin-1 Pressure (mmHg) SUP 112.7 ± 9.9 115.8 ± 7.7 * 121.2 ± 6.8 * 119.3 ± 8.9 *   P 110.8 ± 9.6 111.7 PF-01367338 cell line ± 9.0 109.7 ± 7.3 111.7 ± 7.9 Diastolic Blood Pressure (mmHg) SUP 74.0 ± 6.0 76.7 ± 9.1 76.1 ± 7.5 76.3 ± 7.7   P 75.4 ± 7.5 76.1 ± 9.6 75.7 ± 5.9 74.9 ± 6.9 Energy

Expenditure (kcal·min-1) SUP 1.16 ± .36 1.25 ± .39 * 1.29 ± .34 * 1.31 ± .28 *   P 1.00 ± .35 0.96 ± .27 1.03 ± .35 1.05 ± .37 RQ SUP 0.89 ± .09 0.86 ± .05 0.80 ± .04 * 0.79 ± .04 *   P 0.89 ± .07 0.87 ± .09 0.87 ± .07 0.86 ± .07 *P < 0.05, SUP > P; SUP = Supplement; P = Placebo The average hourly cardiovascular response to the study protocol is seen in Table 1. Heart rate was significantly higher during hours two and three for SUP compared to P. The average systolic blood pressure response in SUP was significantly higher at each hour compared to P. The average systolic blood pressure response for the 3-hr protocol was also significantly greater (p = 0.002) for SUP than P (see Figure 2a). No difference between the groups was seen in the diastolic blood pressure response

(Table 1 and Figure 2b). Figure 2 a: Average 3-Hour Systolic Blood Pressure. * = Supplement significantly (p < 0.05) different MK1775 than Placebo: 2b: Average 3-Hour Diastolic Blood Pressure. Data are reported mean ± SD. The average RQ was significantly lower for SUP than P at hours two and three (see Table 1). In addition, a trend (p = 0.06) towards a greater utilization of stored fat as an energy source, expressed as energy expenditure from fat, was also demonstrated during the 3-hr study protocol for SUP compared to P (see Figure 3). Figure 3 Average 3-Hour Fat Utilization. Data are reported mean ± SD. Comparisons between groups in the average profile of mood states scores can be observed in Figure 4. No significant

differences were seen in the average score for the mood states depression, anger, vigor, and fatigue. However, a significantly N-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphate transferase higher average tension and confusion score was observed during SUP compared to P. Figure 4 Average Profile of Mood States. * = Supplement significantly (p < 0.05) different than Placebo. Data are reported mean ± SD. Discussion The results of this study indicate that a weight loss supplement containing anhydrous caffeine, synephrine, tetradecylthioacetic acid, yerba mate extract, methylphenylethylamine, yohimbine, and hordenine is effective in increasing acute energy expenditure in young, healthy individuals. Ingestion of this supplement also resulted in significant elevations in heart rate and systolic blood pressure indicating a strong inotropic response to this supplement. In addition, acute ingestion of this supplement increased tension and confusion among subjects.

5 mm reconstruction plates (Synthes, West Chester, PA), which were applied in bridging technique (Figure 5). This was followed by a median approach to the transverse sternal fracture. The

sternum had a diastasis of about 3 cm through which the mediastinal fat pad and pericardium was evident (Figure 2B). The video clip in the Additional file 1 shows the beating heart behind the sternal fracture. A 2.5 mm unicortical hole was drilled on each side of the fracture, to allow placement of a pointed learn more reduction tenaculum for anatomic reduction of the sternal fracture (Figure 6A). The fracture was then fixed with two 8-hole 3.5 mm third-tubular locking plates (Synthes), using unicortical locking head screws. This technique was used to avoid screw penetration across the far cortex, with the risk of a delayed arrosion of the pericardium (Figure 6B). Figure 5 Intraoperative fluoroscopy films of bilateral clavicle fracture fixation in bridging technique (left panels), and follow-up radiographs at 6 months, demonstrating the bilateral healed fractures (right panels). Figure 6 Intraoperative view of the technique for fracture reduction (A) and locked plating (B) of the displaced transverse sternum fracture. See text for details. After wound closure, the patient was carefully log-rolled into a right lateral decubitus position on a pre-positioned

see more beanbag, for operative fixation of the unstable T9 vertebral fracture. Two-level spinal fixation

from T8-T10 was performed using a titanium locking plate system (THOR™, Stryker, Allendale, NJ), through a less-invasive postero-lateral approach, Small molecule library supplier as previously described [15]. A tracheostomy was performed in the same session, due to the requirement of prolonged ventilation in the SICU. The postoperative chest radiographs demonstrates the plate fixation of bilateral clavicles, sternum, and thoracic spine (Figure 7A). The patient tolerated the surgical procedures well and remained Casein kinase 1 hemodynamically stable throughout the case. He was weaned from mechanical ventilation, and the chest tubes were appropriately removed. The patient was transferred to an acute rehabilitative facility on postoperative day 16. Figure 7 Radiographic documentation demonstrating the sternal fracture and T9 spine fixation in antero-posterior chest X-ray (A), and in the lateral plane at 6 months follow-up (B). The patient was readmitted three weeks later, 6 weeks post injury, for acute fever, chills, and night sweats, in conjunction with increased oxygen requirement. A right-side chest drain was placed which showed purulent drainage, and the patient was diagnosed with a pleural empyema, likely related to a retained hemothorax. He underwent a video-assisted thoracoscopic pleural decortication. Two 32 French pleural chest drains were placed intraoperatively. The patient recovered well from the procedure, and he was treated with adjunctive antibiotics.

The down-conversion process requires that the cerium ions are in the Ce3+ state and are associated with oxygen vacancies, which implies that ceria nanoparticles contain Ce2O3 is a direct semiconductor [11]. To obtain visible light via up-conversion, ceria nanoparticles must be doped with certain lanthanides, such as erbium, then annealed at temperatures above 700°C [12]. Ceria is a low-phonon host for the erbium ions, which act as optical centers that convert the energy from absorbed IR photons into

visible light [13]. CHIR98014 molecular weight However, the presence of the negative-association energy element, erbium, and the high temperature anneal causes the dominant ionization state of cerium ions to be in the Ce4+ state where Ce4+ ions bond with oxygen to

form CeO2, an indirect semiconductor [10, 14, 15]. Hence, the down-conversion emission efficiency of the erbium-doped ceria nanoparticles (EDC NPs), particularly after the thermal anneal, is low [10]. On the other hand, there is no observable up-conversion emission from undoped ceria nanoparticles or from ceria nanoparticles doped with positive association energy lanthanide. Thus, to optimize the properties of ceria nanoparticles for the two optical conversion processes, it has been required two different nanoparticle synthesis and post-processing procedures. As shown in the illustrative diagram of Figure 1, this work introduces a reduced EDC NPs that have the unique material properties to act as an optical medium for both down-conversion and up-conversion in the same time to generate multi-wavelength www.selleck.co.jp/products/atezolizumab.html visible emissions under near https://www.selleckchem.com/products/Adriamycin.html UV and IR excitations, respectively. The used synthesis process results in a high concentration of Ce3+ ions associated with the oxygen vacancies in ceria, which is required to obtain high fluorescence efficiency in the down-conversion process. Simultaneously, the synthesized nanoparticles contain the molecular energy levels of erbium that are required for up-conversion. Therefore, the EDC NPs synthesized using this procedure can emit visible light when excited with either or both UV or IR photons. This work is the first, to the best of the authors’

knowledge, to offer one optical nanomaterial for both up- and down-conversions simultaneously. This opens new opportunities for applications where emission of visible light via both up- and down-conversions from a single nanomaterial is desired. Figure 1 Illustrative diagram demonstrating usage of EDC NPs in generating visible light. Simultaneous UV (down-conversion) and IR (up-conversion) excitations. Methods EDC NPs are prepared using the chemical precipitation technique which is relatively simple and inexpensive synthesis process [16, 17]. Cerium (III) AZD3965 chloride (0.475 g) and erbium (III) chloride (0.025 g) are dissolved in de-ionized (DI) water (40 mL) to obtain a 5% weigh ratio of erbium to cerium in the synthesized nanoparticles.

cruzi strains, we performed Southern blot hybridizations with chromosomal bands selleck inhibitor from CL Brener (a strain belonging to T. cruzi VI) as well as from G, Sylvio X-10 and Dm28c strains (all of them belonging

to T. cruzi I) and Y strain (a T. cruzi II strain) separated by pulsed field gel electrophoresis. As shown in Figure 2A, the presence of two copies of β-amastins in a 900 kb chromosomal band, which is similar to the predicted size of chromosome 32 [15], has been https://www.selleckchem.com/products/jph203.html confirmed in all T. cruzi strains. Using a probe specific for the δ-Ama40, we detected a chromosomal band of 800 kb, similar to the size of chromosome 26 in all strains except for the SylvioX-10, where we detected two bands of similar sizes (Figure 2B). Since significant differences in sizes of homologous chromosomal bands in T. cruzi have been

frequently described [16], it is possible that the two bands detected in SylvioX-10 correspond to size variation of chromosome 26 from this strain. Compared to β-amastins, the pattern of distribution of δ-amastins appears to be much more complex and variable: similar to CL Brener, learn more in Dm28c and G strains, a probe specific for δ-amastin sub-family, which does not recognizes either β-amastins or δ-Ama40/50, hybridizes with sequences present in three chromosomal bands with approximately 1.1, 1.3 and 2.3 Mb (Figure 2C). In Sylvio X-10, Colombiana and Y strains, these sequences were found in only one or two chromosomal bands. Thus, our analyses indicates that, in addition to β-amastins, which are located in chromosome 32, members of the δ-amastin sub-family are scattered among at least 3 chromosomes in this parasite strain. Whether two of these chromosomes correspond to allelic pairs that have significant differences in size, still needs

to be verified. This highly heterogeneous pattern of distribution of δ-amastin sequences is also in agreement with previous analyses described by Jackson (2010) [9], which suggest that δ-amastin sequences are apparently highly mobile. Based on analyses of genomic position as well as the phylogeny of Leishmania amastins, it was proposed unless that independent movements of δ-amastins genes occurred in the genomes of different Leishmania species. Also consistent with these previous analyses, when blots containing chromosomal bands were probed with a sequence encoding one of the tuzin genes, a pattern of hybridization similar to the pattern obtained with the δ-amastin probes was observed (Figure 2D). Thus, for most T. cruzi strains, our results are consistent with the existence of more than one cluster containing linked copies of δ-amastins and tuzin genes and an additional locus with two β-amastins linked together.

Case presentation A 30-year-old woman was admitted to the emergency department at 23 week of her second pregnancy for non-specific abdominal pain. She was known for previous minor abdominal surgery including mesenteric cyst excision and vesicoureteral reflux surgery in childhood followed by laparoscopic adhesiolysis 10 years later. She had no fever and www.selleckchem.com/products/pf-573228.html no vomiting or constipation history. Biological tests including RBC, WBC, C-reactive protein, bilirubin, pancreatic enzymes and serum lactates were also still normal during 48 hours of observation.

The initial imaging investigations by abdominal and pelvic ultrasound showed no intra-abdominal abnormalities and the plain abdominal x-ray at 48 hours revealed only some very slightly dilated small bowel loops. The foetus status in ultrasound was normal. Persistence of pain not relieved with strong analgesics conducted to laparoscopic MK-0457 in vivo exploration despite the absence of biological or radiological abnormality. Laparoscopy revealed massive necrotic lesions of the small bowel with rare viable segments in discontinuity.

After conversion to laparotomy multiple segmental resections were performed, potentially viable bowel segments were closed by stapling and www.selleckchem.com/products/ABT-263.html abdomen was left open with vacuum assisted dressing in the aim to asses the viability of remaining bowel after 24 and 48 hours (figures 1, 2). The vacuum abdominal closure was done using a negative pressure therapy system ([NPWT] V.A.C.® Therapy™, KCI Inc.) with 125 mmHg continuous negative pressure.

At the second and third surgical look some intestinal segments required subsequent additional resections. Eventually, after 48 hours of open abdomen management, the intestinal continuity was restored leaving 110 cm of viable small bowel. Abdominal wall was primary closed without aponeurotic defect (figure 3). Figure 1 Open abdomen. The gravid uterus is seen in the inferior half of the laparostomy. Quisqualic acid Figure 2 Open abdomen with vaccum dressing. Figure 3 Abdomen primarily closed after 48 hours of laparostomy. During the two days where the abdomen was left open, optimal foetal and mother conditions were maintained by intensive care procedures including sedation, mechanical ventilation, liquid resuscitation, adapted parenteral nutrition and pharmacologic tocolysis by hexoprenaline. The patient left the intensive care unit on 9th postoperative day. Complete recovery requires in-hospital and ambulatory nutritional support for short bowel syndrome. Pregnancy was uneventfully carried to full term vaginal delivery. Conclusion Open abdomen management has become a commonly adopted strategy in severe surgical conditions. Critical intra-abdominal infection, blunt or open trauma, intestinal ischemia and abdominal hypertension are typical indications to leave the abdomen open. It is also the treatment of abdominal compartment syndrome.