WorldWideScience

Sample records for pre-treated aebm groups

  1. Poly(vinylbenzylchloride) Based Anion-Exchange Blend Membranes (AEBMs): Influence of PEG Additive on Conductivity and Stability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kerres, Jochen A; Krieg, Henning M

    2017-06-16

    In view of the many possible applications such as fuel cells and electrolysers, recent interest in novel anion exchange membranes (AEMs) has increased significantly. However, their low conductivity and chemical stability limits their current suitability. In this study, the synthesis and characterization of several three- and four-component anion exchange blend membranes (AEBMs) is described, where the compositions have been systematically varied to study the influence of the AEBM's composition on the anion conductivities as well as chemical and thermal stabilities under strongly alkaline conditions. It was shown that the epoxide-functionalized poly(ethylene glycol)s that were introduced into the four-component AEBMs resulted in increased conductivity as well as a marked improvement in the stability of the AEBMs in an alkaline environment. In addition, the thermal stability of the novel AEBMs was excellent showing the suitability of these membranes for several electrochemical applications.

  2. [DNA quantification of blood samples pre-treated with pyramidon].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Chuan-Hong; Zheng, Dao-Li; Ni, Rao-Zhi; Wang, Hai-Sheng; Ning, Ping; Fang, Hui; Liu, Yan

    2014-06-01

    To study DNA quantification and STR typing of samples pre-treated with pyramidon. The blood samples of ten unrelated individuals were anticoagulated in EDTA. The blood stains were made on the filter paper. The experimental groups were divided into six groups in accordance with the storage time, 30 min, 1 h, 3 h, 6 h, 12 h and 24h after pre-treated with pyramidon. DNA was extracted by three methods: magnetic bead-based extraction, QIAcube DNA purification method and Chelex-100 method. The quantification of DNA was made by fluorescent quantitative PCR. STR typing was detected by PCR-STR fluorescent technology. In the same DNA extraction method, the sample DNA decreased gradually with times after pre-treatment with pyramidon. In the same storage time, the DNA quantification in different extraction methods had significant differences. Sixteen loci DNA typing were detected in 90.56% of samples. Pyramidon pre-treatment could cause DNA degradation, but effective STR typing can be achieved within 24 h. The magnetic bead-based extraction is the best method for STR profiling and DNA extraction.

  3. Unexpected cutaneous reactions in diabetic and pre diabetic patients treated with salsalate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Adibi, N.; Faghihimani, E.; Mirbagher, L.; Sohrabi, H.; Toghiani, A.

    2012-01-01

    Objective: The most commonly reported side effects of salsalate are gastrointestinal events, and few reports are available on its cutaneous side effects. We therefore assessed cutaneous side effects among diabetic/pre-diabetic patients treated with salsalate. Methodology: In a randomized placebo-controlled trial, we evaluated cutaneous side effects in 52 diabetic and 124 pre-diabetic patients, 90 of whom received 3 g/day salsalate and 86 of whom receive a placebo for four weeks. The evaluation was carried out every week using a checklist completed by a single general practitioner. Results: The difference between the salsalate- and placebo-treated groups in overall prevalence of cutaneous reactions was not significant (26.7% versus 17.4%; P < 0.05). Side effects included urticaria (nine (10.1%) salsalate-treated versus six (6.9%) placebo-treated), rashes (five (5.5%) salsalate-treated versus three (3.4%) placebo-treated), pruritus (six (6.7%) salsalate-treated versus three (3.4%) placebo-treated), and edema (two (2.2%) salsalate-treated versus one (1.2%) placebo-treated); in addition, one (1.1%) case of erythema nodosum and one (1.1%) of vasculitis were observed in the salsalate-treated group. In the salsalate group, therapy was discontinued by the physician for three (3.3%) patients because of acute and severe vasculitis, erythema nodosum and urticaria and two (2.2%) patients stopped the treatment themselves because of mild urticaria compared with two patients who stopped using the placebo. Conclusions: Salsalate can cause several and, in some cases, severe cutaneous side effects in patients with diabetes/pre-diabetes. Because these cutaneous eruptions can raise various concerns, including patient non-compliance, greater attention should be paid to dermatological problems in patients under salsalate treatment. (author)

  4. Acrylamide generation in pre-treated potato chips

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedreschi, Franco; Kaack, Karl; Granby, Kit

    2008-01-01

    Acrylamide formation in potato slices fried at two different temperatures ( 170 and 190 degrees C) was investigated under different pre-processing conditions. Potato slices (Saturna variety, diameter: 37 mm, width: 2.2 mm) were either fried at 170 degrees C per 5 min or 190 degrees C per 3.5 min...... to reach a final moisture content of 1.8 g water/100g ( wet basis). Prior to frying, potato slices were treated in one of the following ways: (i) Raw slices without any pre-treatment were considered as the control; (ii) Blanching: which was accomplished in 2 temperature-time combinations: 60 degrees C....... Acrylamide content in potato chips was determined after frying at 170 or 190 degrees C. Frying at 190 degrees C increased by almost 130 percent the acrylamide content of all the pre-treated samples ( average value) fried at 170 degrees C. Soaking of blanched potato slices in the 3 g/100 g of NaCl solution...

  5. Evaluation on ecological stability and biodegradation of dyeing wastewater pre-treated by electron beam

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, M.J.; Park, C.K.; Yoo, D.H.; Lee, J.K.; Lee, B.J.; Han, B.S.; Kim, J.K.; Kim, Y.R.

    2005-01-01

    Biological treatment of dye wastewater pre-treated by electron beam has been performed in order to evaluate the biodegradation and ecological stability of effluent. In the process of electron-beam treatment of wastewater there are utilized chemical transformations of pollutants induced by ionizing radiation. Partial decomposition of pollutant takes place as well as transformations of pollutant molecules that result in improving subsequent purification stages like as biological processing. Dyeing wastewater contains many kind of pollutants which are difficult to be decomposed completely by microorganisms. In this study, biodegradation with dyeing wastewater pre-treated by electron beams was observed. On the other hand, consideration on public acceptance in terms of ecological stability of biological effluent pre-treated by electron beams was given in this study. The results of laboratory investigations on biodegradation and ecological stability of effluent showed that biodegradation of dye wastewater pre-treated by electron beam was enhanced compared to unirradiated one. In the initial stage of biological oxidation regardless of different HRT, dye wastewater pre-treated by electron beam could be oxidized easily compare to without treated one. More number of survived daphnia magna could be observed in the biological effluent pre-treated by electron beam. This means that biological effluent pre-treated by electron beam can be said 'it is safe on the ecological system'

  6. Pre-treating water with non-thermal plasma

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cho, Young I.; Fridman, Alexander; Rabinovich, Alexander; Cho, Daniel J.

    2017-07-04

    The present invention consists of a method of pre-treatment of adulterated water for distillation, including adulterated water produced during hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") of shale rock during natural gas drilling. In particular, the invention is directed to a method of treating adulterated water, said adulterated water having an initial level of bicarbonate ion in a range of about 250 ppm to about 5000 ppm and an initial level of calcium ion in a range of about 500 ppm to about 50,000 ppm, said method comprising contacting the adulterated water with a non-thermal arc discharge plasma to produce plasma treated water having a level of bicarbonate ion of less than about 100 ppm. Optionally, the plasma treated water may be further distilled.

  7. Suitability of green solvent in pre treating agricultural waste

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoon, Li Wan; Ngoh, Gek Cheng; Chua, Adeline Seak May

    2010-01-01

    Full text: Agricultural wastes such as palm oil residue, rice husk and sugarcane bagasse have been found to occupy the largest fraction in the total biomass generated in Malaysia. These residues are normally lacking of commercial values and have limited alternative uses. Since they are being generated substantially every year, their disposal has caused a serious problem to the society and the environment. Hence, it is essential to discover the potentials of converting these wastes into wealth. One of the major drawbacks which hinder their effective utilization is due to their recalcitrant nature. Thus, pretreatment is necessary in order to disrupt the complex carbohydrate structures in the substrate and improves its digestibility. The present study showed the efficiencies of various mediums namely ionic liquid, acid, alkali and water in pre treating sugarcane bagasse. The performances of these pretreatment mediums were evaluated by the reducing sugar generated after enzymatically hydrolysed the treated substrate. The results obtained were compared with the untreated sugarcane bagasse. In this study, substrate treated by ionic liquid has yielded the highest amount of reducing sugar followed by alkali treated substrate. The performance of untreated bagasse is found to be better than acid and water treated bagasse. These results showed that ionic liquid which has been identified as the green solvent can be an effective medium in pre treating the sugarcane bagasse. This finding has given a new prospect in the production of value added products from agricultural wastes. (author)

  8. Fabrication of indium tin oxide (ITO) thin film with pre-treated sol coating

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hong, Sung-Jei; Han, Jeong-In

    2004-01-01

    A new pre-treated sol-coating method to fabricate an indium tin oxide (ITO) thin film is introduced in this paper. The pre-treatment sol-coating method is to form a seed layer on the substrate before spin coating of ITO sol. The pre-treatment was carried out at room temperature in order not to damage the substrate during the pre-treatment. It is effective to enhance the formation of the ITO sol film on the substrate, owing to the seed layer. The seed layer consists of ultrafine grains, which are observed at the pre-treated substrate. For the optimal pre-treatment condition, we used pre-treatment times of 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours to observe the effect on the characteristics of ITO sol film. As a result, the lowest resistance could be achieved with a pre-treatment time of 72 hours. The optical transmittance of the ITO sol film with the pre-treatment time of 72 hours exceeded 80 % at a wavelength of 400 nm. So, an ITO sol film with good electrical and optical properties could be fabricated by using the pretreatment sol coating.

  9. Bonding effectiveness to different chemically pre-treated dental zirconia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Inokoshi, Masanao; Poitevin, André; De Munck, Jan; Minakuchi, Shunsuke; Van Meerbeek, Bart

    2014-09-01

    The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of different chemical pre-treatments on the bond durability to dental zirconia. Fully sintered IPS e.max ZirCAD (Ivoclar Vivadent) blocks were subjected to tribochemical silica sandblasting (CoJet, 3M ESPE). The zirconia samples were additionally pre-treated using one of four zirconia primers/adhesives (Clearfil Ceramic Primer, Kuraray Noritake; Monobond Plus, Ivoclar Vivadent; Scotchbond Universal, 3M ESPE; Z-PRIME Plus, Bisco). Finally, two identically pre-treated zirconia blocks were bonded together using composite cement (RelyX Ultimate, 3M ESPE). The specimens were trimmed at the interface to a cylindrical hourglass and stored in distilled water (7 days, 37 °C), after which they were randomly tested as is or subjected to mechanical ageing involving cyclic tensile stress (10 N, 10 Hz, 10,000 cycles). Subsequently, the micro-tensile bond strength was determined, and SEM fractographic analysis performed. Weibull analysis revealed the highest Weibull scale and shape parameters for the 'Clearfil Ceramic Primer/mechanical ageing' combination. Chemical pre-treatment of CoJet (3M ESPE) sandblasted zirconia using Clearfil Ceramic Primer (Kuraray Noritake) and Monobond Plus (Ivoclar Vivadent) revealed a significantly higher bond strength than when Scotchbond Universal (3M ESPE) and Z-PRIME Plus (Bisco) were used. After ageing, Clearfil Ceramic Primer (Kuraray Noritake) revealed the most stable bond durability. Combined mechanical/chemical pre-treatment, the latter with either Clearfil Ceramic Primer (Kuraray Noritake) or Monobond Plus (Ivoclar Vivadent), resulted in the most durable bond to zirconia. As a standard procedure to durably bond zirconia to tooth tissue, the application of a combined 10-methacryloyloxydecyl dihydrogen phosphate/silane ceramic primer to zirconia is clinically highly recommended.

  10. Microstructural study of pre-treated and enzymatic hydrolyzed bamboo

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Funsho O. KOLAWOLE

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Bamboo was used as biomass feedstock which was pre-treated using dilute acid hydrolysis followed by enzymatic hydrolysis. The bamboo was mechanical ground to particle sizes 212–500µm, followed by pre-treatment with dilute sulfuric acid at a concentration of 0.5 and 1.0 (%v/v at temperatures of 25, 110, 120, 150 and 200°C with time intervals of 2 and 4 hours. Pre-hydrolyzate was later analyzed for reducing sugar using UV-Vis spectrophotometry. Under the above conditions, a maximum glucose yield of 153.1 mg/g was obtained at 200°C and acid concentrations of 1% for 4 hours. Water insoluble solids obtained were subsequently hydrolyzed with Celluclast (Trichoderma reesi and β-glucosidase (Novozyme 188 for 72 hours. Optical Microscope and ESEM images of bamboo samples were obtained at various stages of pre-treatment and enzymatic hydrolysis. Result reveals a breakdown in the ligno-cellulosic structure of the bamboo during exposure to dilute acid and enzymatic hydrolysis.

  11. Addition of sunitinib to cetuximab and irinotecan in patients with heavily pre-treated advanced colorectal cancer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Qvortrup, Camilla; Jensen, Benny Vittrup; Jørgensen, Trine Lembrecht

    2010-01-01

    Results of continuous sunitinib, in combination with cetuximab and irinotecan every other week (SIC) for compassionate use in heavily pre-treated patients with mCRC are presented.......Results of continuous sunitinib, in combination with cetuximab and irinotecan every other week (SIC) for compassionate use in heavily pre-treated patients with mCRC are presented....

  12. Gemcitabine and capecitabine for heavily pre-treated metastatic colorectal cancer patients

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Spindler, Karen-Lise G; Pallisgaard, Niels; Andersen, Rikke F

    2014-01-01

    AIM: We investigated the efficacy and safety of capecitabine and gemcitabin (GemCap) in heavily pre-treated, therapy-resistant metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients and the clinical importance of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) measurement. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients' inclusion criteria included...

  13. Pre-exercise blood glucose affects glycemic variation of aerobic exercise in patients with type 2 diabetes treated with continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Yun; Zhang, Dan-Feng; Dai, Lu; Li, Zheng; Li, Hui-Qin; Li, Feng-Fei; Liu, Bing-Li; Sun, Xiao-Juan; Ye, Lei; He, Ke; Ma, Jian-Hua

    2018-05-03

    Considering the insulin sensitivity may increase by exercise particularly in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), glycemic variation during exercise needs to be studied when the patients are treated with insulin. This study aimed to explore the influence factors of the efficacy and safety of aerobic exercise in patients with T2D treated with Continuous Subcutaneous Insulin Infusion (CSII). A total of 267 patients with T2D, treated with CSII, were included. Glycemic variations were assessed by continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). Patients were asked to complete 30 min aerobic exercise for at least one time during CGM. The patients were divided into effective and ineffective group by incremental glucose area under curve from 0 to 60 min after exercise (AUC 0-60 min ). The patients completed a total of 776 times of aerobic exercises. Blood glucose decreased fastest in the first 60 min of exercise. Pre-exercise blood glucose (PEBG) was negatively correlated with AUC 0-60 min (standardized β = -0.386, P AUC of blood glucose ≤ 4.4 mmol/L (standardized β = -0.078, P = 0.034), and was significantly higher in effective group than in ineffective group (P AUC 0-60 min during post-dinner was significantly higher than that during pre-lunch, post-lunch and pre-dinner (P  16.7 mmol/L. Post-dinner exercise decreases the blood glucose better than other periods of the day. ChiCTR-ONC-17010400, www.chictr.org.cn. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Biologically Pre-Treated Habitation Waste Water as a Sustainable Green Urine Pre-Treat Solution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jackson, W. Andrew; Thompson, Bret; Sevanthi, Ritesh; Morse, Audra; Meyer, Caitlin; Callahan, Michael

    2017-01-01

    The ability to recover water from urine and flush water is a critical process to allow long term sustainable human habitation in space or bases on the moon or mars. Organic N present as urea or similar compounds can hydrolyze producing free ammonia. This reaction results in an increase in the pH converting ammonium to ammonia which is volatile and not removed by distillation. The increase in pH will also cause precipitation reactions to occur. In order to prevent this, urine on ISS is combined with a pretreat solution. While use of a pretreatment solution has been successful, there are numerous draw backs including: storage and use of highly hazardous solutions, limitations on water recovery (less than 85%), and production of brine with pore dewatering characteristics. We evaluated the use of biologically treated habitation wastewaters (ISS and early planetary base) to replace the current pretreat solution. We evaluated both amended and un-amended bioreactor effluent. For the amended effluent, we evaluated "green" pretreat chemicals including citric acid and citric acid amended with benzoic acid. We used a mock urine/air separator modeled after the urine collection assembly on ISS. The urine/air separator was challenged continually for >6 months. Depending on the test point, the separator was challenged daily with donated urine and flushed with amended or un-amended reactor effluent. We monitored the pH of the urine, flush solution and residual pH in the urine/air separator after each urine event. We also evaluated solids production and biological growth. Our results support the use of both un-amended and amended bioreactor effluent to maintain the operability of the urine /air separator. The ability to use bioreactor effluent could decrease consumable cost, reduce hazards associated with current pre-treat chemicals, allow other membrane based desalination processes to be utilized, and improve brine characteristics.

  15. Predictive potential of pre-operative functional neuroimaging in patients treated with subthalamic stimulation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sestini, Stelvio; Castagnoli, Antonio; Pupi, Alberto; Sciagra, Roberto; Ammannati, Franco; Ramat, Silvia; Sorbi, Sandro; Mansi, Luigi

    2010-01-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the predictive potential of pre-operative regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in the pre-supplementary motor area (pre-SMA) and clinical factors in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients treated with subthalamic nucleus (STN) stimulation. Ten patients underwent rCBF SPECT and motor Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) pre- and post-operatively during stimulation at 5 and 42 months. Statistical parametric mapping (SPM) was used to extract rCBF values in the pre-SMA because it is related with motor improvement. Post-operative outcomes included motor response to stimulation and percent improvement in UPDRS. Pre-operative predictors were explored by correlation test, linear regression and multivariate analyses. Higher pre-operative rCBF in the pre-SMA and younger age were associated with favourable outcomes at 5 and 42 months. Pre-operative rCBF results were significantly associated with baseline clinical factors. This study shows that PD patients with younger age have higher rCBF values in the pre-SMA and better outcome, thus giving the rationale to the hypothesis that STN stimulation could be considered early in the course of disease. (orig.)

  16. Predictive potential of pre-operative functional neuroimaging in patients treated with subthalamic stimulation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sestini, Stelvio; Castagnoli, Antonio [Ospedale Misericordia e Dolce, Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Nuclear Medicine Unit, Prato (Italy); Pupi, Alberto; Sciagra, Roberto [University of Florence, Department of Clinical Physiopathology, Nuclear Medicine Unit, Florence (Italy); Ammannati, Franco; Ramat, Silvia; Sorbi, Sandro [University of Florence, Department of Neurological and Psychiatric Sciences, Florence (Italy); Mansi, Luigi [University II Naples, Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Nuclear Medicine Unit, Naples (Italy)

    2010-01-15

    The aim of this study was to investigate the predictive potential of pre-operative regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in the pre-supplementary motor area (pre-SMA) and clinical factors in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients treated with subthalamic nucleus (STN) stimulation. Ten patients underwent rCBF SPECT and motor Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) pre- and post-operatively during stimulation at 5 and 42 months. Statistical parametric mapping (SPM) was used to extract rCBF values in the pre-SMA because it is related with motor improvement. Post-operative outcomes included motor response to stimulation and percent improvement in UPDRS. Pre-operative predictors were explored by correlation test, linear regression and multivariate analyses. Higher pre-operative rCBF in the pre-SMA and younger age were associated with favourable outcomes at 5 and 42 months. Pre-operative rCBF results were significantly associated with baseline clinical factors. This study shows that PD patients with younger age have higher rCBF values in the pre-SMA and better outcome, thus giving the rationale to the hypothesis that STN stimulation could be considered early in the course of disease. (orig.)

  17. A study of survival rate of the patients with esophageal carcinoma treated by pre- and/or post-operative irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eida, Koichiro

    1986-01-01

    So far there is still considerable disagreement as to the evaluation of the pre- and postoperative irradiation effects on the survival rate of the patients with esophageal carcinoma. From April 1973 to December 1983, 138 cases of thoracic esophageal carcinoma were surgically operated upon at our Department; 68 cases were irradiated and 70 cases were not irradiated prior to the surgical operation. Followup study was done and its result has been reported in this communication. A few cases treated by pre-operative irradiation survived longer than the expected longevity in spite of their low curative operation rates. Prognosis was better in the cases with well differentiated squamous cell carcinoma, when marked or good responses to pre-operative irradiation with the calculated total dose of 30 Gy were recorded. There were differences in responsibility in the various histological types of esophageal carcinomas; good response in the group of well differentiated squamous carcinoma, less marked response in the groups of moderately and poorly differentiated squamous carcinomas, minor response in the types of undifferentiated and unclassifed carcinomas. From our observation it seems reasonable to say that prognosis of the patients with pre- and postoperative irradiation was better than that of those who received postoperative irradiation only. (author)

  18. Chemical characteristics and methane potentials of source-separated and pre-treated organic municipal solid waste

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Trine Lund; Svärd, Å; Angelidaki, Irini

    2003-01-01

    A research project has investigated the biogas potential of pre-screened source-separated organic waste. Wastes from five Danish cities have been pre-treated by three methods: screw press; disc screen; and shredder and magnet. This paper outlines the sampling procedure used, the chemical...... composition of the wastes and the estimated methane potentials....

  19. Resistance to bond degradation between dual-cure resin cements and pre-treated sintered CAD-CAM dental ceramics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Osorio, Raquel; Monticelli, Francesca; Osorio, Estrella; Toledano, Manuel

    2012-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate the bond stability of resin cements when luted to glass-reinforced alumina and zirconia CAD/CAM dental ceramics. Study design: Eighteen glass-infiltrated alumina and eighteen densely sintered zirconia blocks were randomly conditioned as follows: Group 1: No treatment; Group 2: Sandblasting (125 µm Al2O3-particles); and Group 3: Silica-coating (50 µm silica-modified Al2O3-particles). Composite samples were randomly bonded to the pre-treated ceramic surfaces using different resin cements: Subgroup 1: Clearfil Esthetic Cement (CEC); Subgroup 2: RelyX Unicem (RXU); and Subgroup 3: Calibra (CAL). After 24 h, bonded specimens were cut into 1 ± 0.1 mm2 sticks. One-half of the beams were tested for microtensile bond strength (MTBS). The remaining one-half was immersed in 10 % NaOCl aqueous solution (NaOClaq) for 5 h before testing. The fracture pattern and morphology of the debonded surfaces were assessed with a field emission gun scanning electron microscope (FEG-SEM). A multiple ANOVA was conducted to analyze the contributions of ceramic composition, surface treatment, resin cement type, and chemical challenging to MTBS. The Tukey test was run for multiple comparisons (p ceramic interfacial longevity depended on cement selection rather than on surface pre-treatments. The MDP-containing and the self-adhesive resin cements were both suitable for luting CAD/CAM ceramics. Despite both cements being prone to degradation, RXU luted to zirconia or untreated or sandblasted alumina showed the most stable interfaces. CAL experimented spontaneous debonding in all tested groups. Key words:CAD/CAM ceramic, alumina, zirconia, resin cement, surface pre-treatment, sandblasting, silica-coating, chemical aging, bond degradation, microtensile bond strength. PMID:22322517

  20. Porphyromonas gingivalis Differentially Modulates Cell Death Profile in Ox-LDL and TNF-α Pre-Treated Endothelial Cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Isaac Maximiliano Bugueno

    Full Text Available Clinical studies demonstrated a potential link between atherosclerosis and periodontitis. Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg, one of the main periodontal pathogen, has been associated to atheromatous plaque worsening. However, synergism between infection and other endothelial stressors such as oxidized-LDL or TNF-α especially on endothelial cell (EC death has not been investigated. This study aims to assess the role of Pg on EC death in an inflammatory context and to determine potential molecular pathways involved.Human umbilical vein ECs (HUVECs were infected with Pg (MOI 100 or stimulated by its lipopolysaccharide (Pg-LPS (1μg/ml for 24 to 48 hours. Cell viability was measured with AlamarBlue test, type of cell death induced was assessed using Annexin V/propidium iodide staining. mRNA expression regarding caspase-1, -3, -9, Bcl-2, Bax-1 and Apaf-1 has been evaluated with RT-qPCR. Caspases enzymatic activity and concentration of APAF-1 protein were evaluated to confirm mRNA results.Pg infection and Pg-LPS stimulation induced EC death. A cumulative effect has been observed in Ox-LDL pre-treated ECs infected or stimulated. This effect was not observed in TNF-α pre-treated cells. Pg infection promotes EC necrosis, however, in infected Ox-LDL pre-treated ECs, apoptosis was promoted. This effect was not observed in TNF-α pre-treated cells highlighting specificity of molecular pathways activated. Regarding mRNA expression, Pg increased expression of pro-apoptotic genes including caspases-1,-3,-9, Bax-1 and decreased expression of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2. In Ox-LDL pre-treated ECs, Pg increased significantly the expression of Apaf-1. These results were confirmed at the protein level.This study contributes to demonstrate that Pg and its Pg-LPS could exacerbate Ox-LDL and TNF-α induced endothelial injury through increase of EC death. Interestingly, molecular pathways are differentially modulated by the infection in function of the pre-stimulation.

  1. Pre-Session Satiation as a Treatment for Stereotypy During Group Activities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rispoli, Mandy; Camargo, Síglia Hoher; Neely, Leslie; Gerow, Stephanie; Lang, Russell; Goodwyn, Fara; Ninci, Jennifer

    2014-05-01

    Individuals with developmental disabilities may engage in automatically reinforced behaviors that may interfere with learning opportunities. Manipulation of motivating operations has been shown to reduce automatically maintained behavior in some individuals. Considering behavioral indicators of satiation may assist in identifying the point at which an abolishing operation has begun to effect behavior. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of pre-session satiation of automatic reinforcement on subsequent levels of stereotypy and activity engagement during group activities for three males ages 5 to 13 years with developmental disabilities. Following functional analyses with analogue conditions, an alternating treatment design compared a pre-session access to stereotypy condition with a no-pre-session access condition prior to group activity sessions. Results indicated that pre-session satiation of the putative reinforcer produced by stereotypy was effective in decreasing stereotypy and increasing activity engagement during subsequent group activities for all participants. These findings add to the literature supporting the effectiveness of abolishing operations to decrease automatically maintained stereotypy. © The Author(s) 2013.

  2. Pre-treatment and membrane ultrafiltration using treated palm oil mill effluent (POME

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wong Pui Wah

    2002-11-01

    Full Text Available Treatment of palm oil mill effluent (POME has always been a topic of research in Malaysia. This effluent that is extremely rich in organic content needs to be properly treated to minimize environmental hazards before it is released into watercourses. The common practice for treating POME in Malaysia involves a combination of aerobic and anaerobic methods. The purpose of tertiary treatment is to allow the treated water to be reused in the mill operations for other purposes such as feed water. The proposed treatment will also ensure the industry to meet a more stringent discharge standard in terms of the BOD, COD and nitrogen values. In this study membrane ultrafiltration is used as the tertiary treatment method. Before the actual membrane operation was conducted, the samples were pre-treated using three separate method namely filtration, centrifugation and coagulation. It was found that the combination of filtrationultrafiltration treatment POME produced the best-treated sample quality in terms of pollutant contents elimination, namely % BOD, % COD and % nitrogen removal.

  3. Induction of congenital malformations in the offspring of male mice treated with X-rays at pre-meiotic and post-meiotic stages

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kirk, K.M.; Lyon, M.F.

    1984-01-01

    The induction of congenital malformations among the offspring of male mice treated with X-rays at pre-meiotic and post-meiotic stages has been studied in two experiments. Firstly, animals were exposed to varying doses of X-rays and mated at various time intervals, so as to sample spermatozoa, spermatids and spermatogonial stem cells. In the second experiment, only treated spermatogonial stem cells were sampled. One group of males was given a single dose, a second group a fractionated dose and a third group was left unexposed. In the first experiment, induced post-implantation dominant lethality increased with dose, and was highest in week 3, in line with the known greater radiosensitivity of the early spermatid stage. Preimplantation loss also increased with dose and was highest in week 3. There was no clear induction of either pre-implantation or post-implantation loss at spermatogonial stem cell stages. There was a clear induction of congenital malformations at post-meiotic stages. At the two highest doses the early spermatids (15-21 days) appeared more sensitive than spermatozoa, and at this stage the incidence of malformations increased with dose. Expt. 2 showed a statistically significant induction of malformations at both dose levels. The relative sensitivities of male stem cells, post-meiotic stages and mature oocytes to the induction of congenital malformations were reasonably similar to their sensitivities for specific-locus mutations, except that the expected enhancing effect of the fractionation regime used was not seen. (Auth.)

  4. Induction of congenital malformations in the offspring of male mice treated with X-rays at pre-meiotic and post-meiotic stages

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kirk, K.M.; Lyon, M.F. (Medical Research Council, Harwell (UK). Radiobiological Research Unit)

    1984-01-01

    The induction of congenital malformations among the offspring of male mice treated with X-rays at pre-meiotic and post-meiotic stages has been studied in two experiments. Firstly, animals were exposed to varying doses of X-rays and mated at various time intervals, so as to sample spermatozoa, spermatids and spermatogonial stem cells. In the second experiment, only treated spermatogonial stem cells were sampled. One group of males was given a single dose, a second group a fractionated dose and a third group was left unexposed. In the first experiment, induced post-implantation dominant lethality increased with dose, and was highest in week 3, in line with the known greater radiosensitivity of the early spermatid stage. Preimplantation loss also increased with dose and was highest in week 3. There was no clear induction of either pre-implantation or post-implantation loss at spermatogonial stem cell stages. There was a clear induction of congenital malformations at post-meiotic stages. At the two highest doses the early spermatids (15-21 days) appeared more sensitive than spermatozoa, and at this stage the incidence of malformations increased with dose. Expt. 2 showed a statistically significant induction of malformations at both dose levels. The relative sensitivities of male stem cells, post-meiotic stages and mature oocytes to the induction of congenital malformations were reasonably similar to their sensitivities for specific-locus mutations, except that the expected enhancing effect of the fractionation regime used was not seen.

  5. 20 years of long-term water balance measurements of a landfill cover system with components constructed from pre-treated dredged material

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Berger, K.; Groengroeft, A.; Gebert, J.; Harms, C.; Eschenbach, A.

    2017-01-01

    The cover system of the mono-landfill Hamburg-Francop for disposal of dredged
    material comprises a mineral liner of pre-treated fine-grained dredged material (‘METHAmaterial’) and an overlying drainage layer of pre-treated sandy dredged material (‘METHAsand’). Water balance and effectiveness of

  6. Virological failure and HIV-1 drug resistance mutations among naive and antiretroviral pre-treated patients entering the ESTHER program of Calmette Hospital in Cambodia.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hubert Barennes

    Full Text Available INTRODUCTION: In resource limited settings, patients entering an antiretroviral therapy (ART program comprise ART naive and ART pre-treated patients who may show differential virological outcomes. METHODS: This retrospective study, conducted in 2010-2012 in the HIV clinic of Calmette Hospital located in Phnom Penh (Cambodia assessed virological failure (VF rates and patterns of drug resistance of naive and pre-treated patients. Naive and ART pre-treated patients were included when a Viral Load (VL was performed during the first year of ART for naive subjects or at the first consultation for pre-treated individuals. Patients showing Virological failure (VF (>1,000 copies/ml underwent HIV DR genotyping testing. Interpretation of drug resistance mutations was done according to 2013 version 23 ANRS algorithms. RESULTS: On a total of 209 patients, 164 (78.4% were naive and 45 (21.5% were ART pre-treated. Their median initial CD4 counts were 74 cells/mm3 (IQR: 30-194 and 279 cells/mm3 (IQR: 103-455 (p<0.001, respectively. Twenty seven patients (12.9% exhibited VF (95% CI: 8.6-18.2%, including 10 naive (10/164, 6.0% and 17 pre-treated (17/45, 37.8% patients (p<0.001. Among these viremic patients, twenty-two (81.4% were sequenced in reverse transcriptase and protease coding regions. Overall, 19 (86.3% harbored ≥1 drug resistance mutations (DRMs whereas 3 (all belonging to pre-treated patients harbored wild-types viruses. The most frequent DRMs were M184V (86.3%, K103N (45.5% and thymidine analog mutations (TAMs (40.9%. Two (13.3% pre-treated patients harbored viruses that showed a multi-nucleos(tide resistance including Q151M, K65R, E33A/D, E44A/D mutations. CONCLUSION: In Cambodia, VF rates were low for naive patients but the emergence of DRMs to NNRTI and 3TC occurred relatively quickly in this subgroup. In pre-treated patients, VF rates were much higher and TAMs were relatively common. HIV genotypic assays before ART initiation and for ART pre-treated

  7. Using a network-based approach and targeted maximum likelihood estimation to evaluate the effect of adding pre-exposure prophylaxis to an ongoing test-and-treat trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balzer, Laura; Staples, Patrick; Onnela, Jukka-Pekka; DeGruttola, Victor

    2017-04-01

    Several cluster-randomized trials are underway to investigate the implementation and effectiveness of a universal test-and-treat strategy on the HIV epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa. We consider nesting studies of pre-exposure prophylaxis within these trials. Pre-exposure prophylaxis is a general strategy where high-risk HIV- persons take antiretrovirals daily to reduce their risk of infection from exposure to HIV. We address how to target pre-exposure prophylaxis to high-risk groups and how to maximize power to detect the individual and combined effects of universal test-and-treat and pre-exposure prophylaxis strategies. We simulated 1000 trials, each consisting of 32 villages with 200 individuals per village. At baseline, we randomized the universal test-and-treat strategy. Then, after 3 years of follow-up, we considered four strategies for targeting pre-exposure prophylaxis: (1) all HIV- individuals who self-identify as high risk, (2) all HIV- individuals who are identified by their HIV+ partner (serodiscordant couples), (3) highly connected HIV- individuals, and (4) the HIV- contacts of a newly diagnosed HIV+ individual (a ring-based strategy). We explored two possible trial designs, and all villages were followed for a total of 7 years. For each village in a trial, we used a stochastic block model to generate bipartite (male-female) networks and simulated an agent-based epidemic process on these networks. We estimated the individual and combined intervention effects with a novel targeted maximum likelihood estimator, which used cross-validation to data-adaptively select from a pre-specified library the candidate estimator that maximized the efficiency of the analysis. The universal test-and-treat strategy reduced the 3-year cumulative HIV incidence by 4.0% on average. The impact of each pre-exposure prophylaxis strategy on the 4-year cumulative HIV incidence varied by the coverage of the universal test-and-treat strategy with lower coverage resulting in a larger

  8. Oral etoposide in heavily pre-treated metastatic breast cancer: A retrospective series.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Giannone, G; Milani, A; Ghisoni, E; Genta, S; Mittica, G; Montemurro, F; Valabrega, G

    2018-04-01

    Patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) can derive clinical benefit from several subsequent lines of chemotherapy. However, in heavily pre-treated patients, agents with clinical activity, a favourable side effects profile and a convenient administration modality are preferred. We retrospectively analyzed 110 patients with previously treated MBC, who received oral etoposide at the dose of 50 mg/day for 20 days in 28 days cycles, between 2003 and 2017. Because this was not a prospectively planned study, to describe the clinical performance of oral etoposide we adopted the approach suggested by Dzimitrowicz and colleagues (J Clin Oncol. 2016; 34:3511-17); Tumour Response (TR) was defined as the proportion of physician-reported clinical or imaging response; Prolonged Duration on Therapy (PDT) as the proportion of non-progressing patients whose treatment lasted more than 6 months. Furthermore, we evaluated median duration on therapy (TD) and median Overall Survival (OS) by the Kaplan Meier method. The median number of previous chemotherapy lines was 5 (range 2-8). TR, PDT, median TD and median OS were 6.4%, 18.2% 4 (range 3.5-4.5) and 10.6 (range 8.4-12.8) months respectively. Interestingly, etoposide activity was unrelated to the number of previous lines and type of metastatic involvement. Oral etoposide was well tolerated with only two patients discontinuing therapy due to toxicity. In this large, single Institution, real practice analysis oral etoposide is a valuable and safe option for pre-treated metastatic breast cancer patients and might be considered in patients failing other approaches, but still suitable for chemotherapy. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Roentgenographic findings in hyaline membrane disease treated with exogenous surfactant: comparison with control group

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Sun Kyoung; Lim, Chae Ha; Lim, Woo Young; Kim, Young Sook; Byen, Ju Nam; Oh, Jae Hee; Kim, Young Chul

    1997-01-01

    To compare, with the use of chest radiographic findings, improvement and complications in newborns treated with exogenous surfactant for hyaline membrane disease (HMD), and an untreated control group. Thirty-six patients with HMD were randomly assigned to a control group (n=18) or surfactant treated group (n=18). As part of an initial evaluation of their pulmonary status, we then performed a retrospective statistical analysis of chest radiographic findings obtained in exogenous surfactant treated and untreated infants within the first 90 minutes of life. Subsequent examinations were performed at less than 24 hours of age. Chest radiograph before treatment showed no significant differences between the two groups, but significant improvement was noted in the surfactant treated group, in contrast to the control group. The most common chest radiographic finding after surfactant administration was uniform (n=15) or disproportionate (n=2) improvement of pulmonary aeration. Patent ductus arteriosus developed in three treated neonates and in four cases in the control group. Air leak occurred in three cases in the treated group and in five cases in the control group. In one treated patient pulmonary hemorrhage developed and intracranial hemorrhage occurred in three treated neonates and in four cases in the control group. Bronchopulmonary dysplasia was developed in 6 cases of treated group and 3 cases of control group. A chest radiograph is considered to be helpful in the evaluation of improvement and complications of HMD in infants treated with surfactant

  10. Modelling the Thin-Layer Drying Kinetics of Untreated and Blanch-Osmotic Pre-treated Tomato Slices

    OpenAIRE

    Samuel Enahoro Agarry

    2016-01-01

    The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of pre-treatment and drying temperature on the drying kinetics and nutritional quality of tomato (Lycopersicon esculantum L.) under hot air drying. Tomato samples were blanched at 80oC and osmotically dehydrated using 20% w/w sodium chloride solutions at 30oC for 20 min. The blanch-osmotic pre-treated and untreated tomato slices were dried at temperature of 40, 50, 60, 70 and 80oC, respectively in a hot air-dryer. The results showed th...

  11. Insights into plant cell wall structure, architecture, and integrity using glycome profiling of native and AFEXTM-pre-treated biomass

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pattathil, Sivakumar; Hahn, Michael G.; Dale, Bruce E.; Chundawat, Shishir P. S.

    2015-01-01

    Cell walls, which constitute the bulk of plant biomass, vary considerably in their structure, composition, and architecture. Studies on plant cell walls can be conducted on both native and pre-treated plant biomass samples, allowing an enhanced understanding of these structural and compositional variations. Here glycome profiling was employed to determine the relative abundance of matrix polysaccharides in several phylogenetically distinct native and pre-treated plant biomasses. Eight distinct biomass types belonging to four different subgroups (i.e. monocot grasses, woody dicots, herbaceous dicots, and softwoods) were subjected to various regimes of AFEX™ (ammonia fiber expansion) pre-treatment [AFEX is a trademark of MBI, Lansing (http://www.mbi.org]. This approach allowed detailed analysis of close to 200 cell wall glycan epitopes and their relative extractability using a high-throughput platform. In general, irrespective of the phylogenetic origin, AFEX™ pre-treatment appeared to cause loosening and improved accessibility of various xylan epitope subclasses in most plant biomass materials studied. For most biomass types analysed, such loosening was also evident for other major non-cellulosic components including subclasses of pectin and xyloglucan epitopes. The studies also demonstrate that AFEX™ pre-treatment significantly reduced cell wall recalcitrance among diverse phylogenies (except softwoods) by inducing structural modifications to polysaccharides that were not detectable by conventional gross composition analyses. It was found that monitoring changes in cell wall glycan compositions and their relative extractability for untreated and pre-treated plant biomass can provide an improved understanding of variations in structure and composition of plant cell walls and delineate the role(s) of matrix polysaccharides in cell wall recalcitrance. PMID:25911738

  12. The effect of group play therapy on social-emotional skills in pre-school children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chinekesh, Ahdieh; Kamalian, Mehrnoush; Eltemasi, Masoumeh; Chinekesh, Shirin; Alavi, Manijeh

    2013-12-24

    Childhood is important and critical period in human life. The foundation of ego is shaped in childhood. Play therapy is one of the successful strategies to help children with inner conflicts problems. This method of psychotherapy is base on the normal learning processes of children, provides solutions to relieve feelings of stress, and expands self-expression. Group play therapy can enhance the self-awareness, self- regulation, social communication, empathy and adoptability in children. Present study investigated the effects of play therapy on relational and emotional skills of pre-school children. For this purpose, the total numbers of 372 pre-school children were randomly selected, and divided into two equal groups (case and control). In next step, the BUSSE-SR methodology was used for evaluation and comparison of self-awareness, self-regulation, social interaction, empathy, adoptability, and control groups. Pre-test were performed for both groups and case group was involved in-group play therapy. According to the results of post-test, correlation of variables between case-control groups was examined by multivariate analysis of covariance. Frequency of boys and girls in our sample were 51.3 and 48.7 percent, respectively. The mean age of children was 5.1±0.6 year. According to the results of present study, play therapy significantly enhanced the social-emotional skills (Pplay therapy can be used in pre-school centers to help children learn problem-solving skills and communicate with others.

  13. Modelling the Thin-Layer Drying Kinetics of Untreated and Blanch-Osmotic Pre-treated Tomato Slices

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Samuel Enahoro Agarry

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of pre-treatment and drying temperature on the drying kinetics and nutritional quality of tomato (Lycopersicon esculantum L. under hot air drying. Tomato samples were blanched at 80oC and osmotically dehydrated using 20% w/w sodium chloride solutions at 30oC for 20 min. The blanch-osmotic pre-treated and untreated tomato slices were dried at temperature of 40, 50, 60, 70 and 80oC, respectively in a hot air-dryer. The results showed that blanch-osmotic pre-treatment offered a higher drying rate and lower or faster drying time than untreated condition. The tomato drying regime was characteristically in the constant and falling rate period. The tomato drying rate curve showed characteristics of porous hygroscopic solids. The optimum drying temperature for tomato was found to be 60oC. Four semi-empirical drying models of Newton, Page, Henderson and Pabis, and Logarithmic were fitted to the drying data using non-linear regression analysis. The most appropriate model was selected using the coefficient of determination (R2 and root mean square error (RMSE. The Page model has shown a better fit to the drying kinetics data of tomato in comparison with other tested models. Transport of moisture during drying was described by Fick’s diffusion model application and the effective moisture diffusivity (Deff thus estimated. The Deff at 60oC was 4.43 × 10-11m2/s and 6.33 × 10-11m2/s for blanch-osmotic pre-treated and untreated tomato slices, respectively.

  14. A Novel Therapeutic Frame for Treating Depression in Group Treating Depression Downhill

    OpenAIRE

    Valery Krupnik

    2014-01-01

    We describe an original protocol Treating Depression Downhill (TDD) that was designed as a specific therapy for depression. Evolutionary theories of depression served as a basis for its development. We discuss the rationale for using evolutionary theory and describe the structure and integrative nature of TDD. We then present an observation on TDD’s application to group therapy of active duty military personnel. In the...

  15. Mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic biodegradability of water hyacinth pre-treated at 80 degrees C.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferrer, Ivet; Palatsi, Jordi; Campos, Elena; Flotats, Xavier

    2010-10-01

    Water hyacinth (Eichornia crassipes) is a fast growing aquatic plant which causes environmental problems in continental water bodies. Harvesting and handling this plant becomes an issue, and focus has been put on the research of treatment alternatives. Amongst others, energy production through biomethanation has been proposed. The aim of this study was to assess the anaerobic biodegradability of water hyacinth under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions. The effect of a thermal sludge pre-treatment at 80 degrees C was also evaluated. To this end, anaerobic biodegradability tests were carried out at 35 degrees C and 55 degrees C, with raw and pre-treated water hyacinth. According to the results, the thermal pre-treatment enhanced the solubilisation of water hyacinth (i.e. increase in the soluble to total chemical oxygen demand (COD)) from 4% to 12% after 30 min. However, no significant effect was observed on the methane yields (150-190 L CH(4)/kg volatile solids). Initial methane production rates for thermophilic treatments were two fold those of mesophilic ones (6-6.5L vs. 3-3.5 L CH(4)/kg COD x day). Thus, higher methane production rates might be expected from thermophilic reactors working at short retention times. The study of longer low temperature pre-treatments or pre-treatments at elevated temperatures coupled to thermophilic reactors should be considered in the future. (c) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic biodegradability of water hyacinth pre-treated at 80 oC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ferrer, Ivet; Palatsi, Jordi; Campos, Elena; Flotats, Xavier

    2010-01-01

    Water hyacinth (Eichornia crassipes) is a fast growing aquatic plant which causes environmental problems in continental water bodies. Harvesting and handling this plant becomes an issue, and focus has been put on the research of treatment alternatives. Amongst others, energy production through biomethanation has been proposed. The aim of this study was to assess the anaerobic biodegradability of water hyacinth under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions. The effect of a thermal sludge pre-treatment at 80 o C was also evaluated. To this end, anaerobic biodegradability tests were carried out at 35 o C and 55 o C, with raw and pre-treated water hyacinth. According to the results, the thermal pre-treatment enhanced the solubilisation of water hyacinth (i.e. increase in the soluble to total chemical oxygen demand (COD)) from 4% to 12% after 30 min. However, no significant effect was observed on the methane yields (150-190 L CH 4 /kg volatile solids). Initial methane production rates for thermophilic treatments were two fold those of mesophilic ones (6-6.5 L vs. 3-3.5 L CH 4 /kg COD.day). Thus, higher methane production rates might be expected from thermophilic reactors working at short retention times. The study of longer low temperature pre-treatments or pre-treatments at elevated temperatures coupled to thermophilic reactors should be considered in the future.

  17. Pre-treating dentin with chlorhexadine and CPP-ACP: self-etching and universal adhesive systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dos Santos, Ricardo Alves; de Lima, Eliane Alves; Montes, Marcos Antônio Japiassu Resende; Braz, Rodivan

    2016-12-01

    Objective: The aim of the present study was to compare the effect of pre-treating dentin with chlorhexidine, at concentrations of 0.2% and 2%, and remineralizing paste containing CPP-ACP (MI Paste - GC) on the bond strength of adhesive systems. Material and methods: In total, 80 slides of dentin were used. These slides were 2 mm thick and were obtained from bovine incisors. Standard cavities were created using diamond bur number 3131. In the control groups, a Scotchbond Universal Adhesive (SUA) self-etching adhesive system of 3M ESPE and a Clearfil SE Bond (CSE) adhesive system of Kuraray were applied, following the manufacturer's instructions. In the other groups, dentin was pretreated with chlorhexidine (0.2% and 2%) for 1 min and with MI Paste for 3 min. The cavities were restored with Z350 XT resin (3M ESPE). After 24 h of storage, the push-out test was applied at a speed of 0.5 mm/min. Results: The different dentin pretreatment techniques did not affect the intra-adhesive bond strength. There was a difference between treatment with MI Paste and chlorhexidine 0.2% in favor of the SUA, with values of 15.22 and 20.25 Mpa, respectively. Conclusions: The different pretreatment methods did not alter the immediate bond strength to dentin. Differences were only recorded when comparing the adhesives.

  18. Evaluation of a new pulping technology for pre-treating source-separated organic household waste prior to anaerobic digestion

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Naroznova, Irina; Møller, Jacob; Larsen, Bjarne

    2016-01-01

    A new technology for pre-treating source-separated organic household waste prior to anaerobic digestion was assessed, and its performance was compared to existing alternative pre-treatment technologies. This pre-treatment technology is based on waste pulping with water, using a specially developed...... screw mechanism. The pre-treatment technology rejects more than 95% (wet weight) of non-biodegradable impurities in waste collected from households and generates biopulp ready for anaerobic digestion. Overall, 84-99% of biodegradable material (on a dry weight basis) in the waste was recovered...... in the biopulp. The biochemical methane potential for the biopulp was 469±7mL CH4/g ash-free mass. Moreover, all Danish and European Union requirements regarding the content of hazardous substances in biomass intended for land application were fulfilled. Compared to other pre-treatment alternatives, the screw...

  19. Grouped to Achieve: Are There Benefits to Assigning Students to Heterogeneous Cooperative Learning Groups Based on Pre-Test Scores?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Werth, Arman Karl

    Cooperative learning has been one of the most widely used instructional practices around the world since the early 1980's. Small learning groups have been in existence since the beginning of the human race. These groups have grown in their variance and complexity overtime. Classrooms are getting more diverse every year and instructors need a way to take advantage of this diversity to improve learning. The purpose of this study was to see if heterogeneous cooperative learning groups based on student achievement can be used as a differentiated instructional strategy to increase students' ability to demonstrate knowledge of science concepts and ability to do engineering design. This study includes two different groups made up of two different middle school science classrooms of 25-30 students. These students were given an engineering design problem to solve within cooperative learning groups. One class was put into heterogeneous cooperative learning groups based on student's pre-test scores. The other class was grouped based on random assignment. The study measured the difference between each class's pre-post gains, student's responses to a group interaction form and interview questions addressing their perceptions of the makeup of their groups. The findings of the study were that there was no significant difference between learning gains for the treatment and comparison groups. There was a significant difference between the treatment and comparison groups in student perceptions of their group's ability to stay on task and manage their time efficiently. Both the comparison and treatment groups had a positive perception of the composition of their cooperative learning groups.

  20. A Novel Therapeutic Frame for Treating Depression in Group Treating Depression Downhill

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Valery Krupnik

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available We describe an original protocol Treating Depression Downhill (TDD that was designed as a specific therapy for depression. Evolutionary theories of depression served as a basis for its development. We discuss the rationale for using evolutionary theory and describe the structure and integrative nature of TDD. We then present an observation on TDD’s application to group therapy of active duty military personnel. In the described sample, TDD demonstrated effectiveness and specificity for depression, differentiating it from anxiety and personality disorders.

  1. The Efficacy of Group Play Therapy on the Social Skills of Pre-School Hearing-Impaired Children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gita Movallali

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Objective: The purpose of the present study was to investigate of the efficacy of group play therapy on the social skills of pre-school hearing-impaired children. Materials & Methods: The present research was a semi-experimental study with pre-test, post-test design and control group. The participants were 30 male hearing-impaired children from pre-schools centers in Varamin and Gharchak provinces using an available method. Subjects were randomly divided into experimental and control groups, each group consisting of 15 children. The experimental group received 12 sessions of group play therapy and the control group did not. The instruments were done using the Raven coloure progressive matrices test and social skills rating scale. The data were recorded and statistically analyzed using MANCOVA. Results: The results of MANCOVA showed that group play therapy had a significant effect on the social skills of hearing-impaired children (P<0.001. The results also revealed that group play therapy had a positive and significant effect on all subscales of social skills in these children: cooperation, self-assertiveness and self-control (P<0.001. Conclusion: Group play therapy can improve the social skills of hearing-impaired children. It is recommended that planning play therapy for hearing-impaired children receives serious attention .

  2. Overview on pre-harmonization studies conducted by the Working Group on Codes and Standards

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guinovart, J.

    1998-01-01

    For more than twenty years, the Working Group on Codes and Standards (WGCS) has been an Advisory Expert Group of the European Commission and three subgroups were formed to consider manufacture and inspection, structural mechanics and materials topics. The WGCS seeks to promote studies at the pre-harmonisation level, for the clarification and building of consensus in the European Community concerning technical issues of relevance for the integrity of safety-related components. It deals with pre-standardization process regarding industrial codes whose rules are applicable to design, construction and operation of NPP components in European Community

  3. Blood group AB and factor V Leiden as risk factors for pre-eclampsia: a population-based nested case-control study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hiltunen, Leena M; Laivuori, Hannele; Rautanen, Anna; Kaaja, Risto; Kere, Juha; Krusius, Tom; Paunio, Mikko; Rasi, Vesa

    2009-06-01

    Pre-eclampsia is an important cause of maternal morbidity and mortality. Its etiology is still unknown. Clinical symptoms correlate with activation of coagulation and inherited thrombophilia has been associated with pre-eclampsia. ABO blood group has been associated with thrombotic disorders and pre-eclampsia. We assessed ABO blood group, seven thrombophilia associated polymorphisms, and anti-beta2-glycoprotein I antibodies as risk factors for pre-eclampsia. We performed a population-based nested case-control study of 100,000 consecutive pregnancies in Finland. Cases and controls were identified by combining national registers and medical records were reviewed. We studied 248 cases fulfilling strict criteria for pre-eclampsia and 679 controls. Severe pre-eclampsia, early pre-eclampsia, and pre-eclampsia with intra-uterine growth restriction (IUGR) were analyzed separately. Blood group AB increased the risk for pre-eclampsia as a whole (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.3-3.5), and in the three subgroups (OR 2.3, 3.8, 3.4; 95% CI 1.3-3.9, 2.0-7.1, 1.6-7.1). FV Leiden increased the risk as a whole (OR 1.7, 95% CI 0.8-3.9), and in the three subgroups, although not statistically significantly. Anti-beta2-glycoprotein I antibodies were not associated with pre-eclampsia. High body mass index, diabetes, first pregnancy, and twin pregnancy increased the risk from 1.5-fold to 8.2-fold. Our results confirm and extend the prior observation of blood group AB being a risk factor for pre-eclampsia. ABO blood group is known from all pregnant women. The value of blood group as risk factor for pre-eclampsia should be further assessed in prospective studies. In this study, FV Leiden was not statistically significant risk factor.

  4. TEACHER TRAINING IN COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE: THE CASE OF A GROUP OF PRE-SERVICE CHEMISTRY TEACHERS

    OpenAIRE

    Santos, Valéria C.; Arroio, Agnaldo

    2015-01-01

    This work deals with communities of practice and their contribution to pre-service teacher training. A group of eight pre-service chemistry teachers was accompanied during their participation in the PIBID program. Based on their interaction in planning teaching activities, the group was characterized as a community of practice. For this characterization the three dimensions of communities of practice were observed: mutual engagement, joint enterprise and shared repertoire. The results showed ...

  5. Training in time-limited dynamic psychotherapy: A systematic comparison of pre- and post-training cases treated by one therapist.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderson, Timothy; Strupp, Hans H

    2015-01-01

    This qualitative study systematically compared cases treated by the same therapist in order to understand the group comparison findings of a larger study on training of experienced therapists (the "Vanderbilt II" psychotherapy project). The therapist, Dr C., was selected based on the therapist's overall treatment successes. His two patients were selected based on their outcomes and the relative training cohort from which they were drawn: a case with successful outcome from the pre-training cohort and a case of negligible improvement from the post-training cohort. Dr C. demonstrated a variety of interpersonal skills throughout his pre-training case, though there was also poor interpersonal process throughout. However, in the second case he had considerable difficulty in adapting his typical therapeutic approach to the requirements of the time-limited dynamic psychotherapy (TLDP) manual, even while appearing to work hard to find ways to use the manual. Dr C.'s spontaneity, and his unique set of interpersonal skills may enhanced his initial rapport and alliance building with clients and yet may not have interfaced well with TLDP. His unique interpersonal skills also may have contributed to problems of interpersonal process. Future research may benefit from examining the interaction of between therapist interpersonal skills and the implementation of the treatment manual.

  6. Increased blastocyst formation of cloned porcine embryos produced with donor cells pre-treated with Xenopus egg extract and/or digitonin

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Liu, Ying; Østrup, Olga; Li, Juan

    2012-01-01

    from Xenopus laevis eggs. In Experiment 1, fetal fibroblasts were permeabilized by digitonin, incubated in egg extract and, after re-sealing of cell membranes, cultured for 3 or 5 days before use as donor cells in handmade cloning (HMC). Controls were produced by HMC with non-treated donor cells....... The blastocyst rate for reconstructed embryos increased significantly when digitonin-permeabilized, extract-treated cells were used after 5 days of culture after re-sealing. In Experiment 2, fetal and adult fibroblasts were treated with digitonin alone before re-sealing the cell membranes, then cultured for 3...... cells after pre-treatment with permeabilization/re-sealing and Xenopus egg extract. Interestingly, we observe a similar increase in cloning efficiency by permeabilization/re-sealing of donor cells without extract treatment that seems to depend on choice of donor cell type. Thus, pre-treatment of donor...

  7. Comparison of pre-treatment and post-treatment use of selenium in retinal ischemia reperfusion injury

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alper Yazici

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available AIM: To investigate the effects of selenium in rat retinal ischemia reperfusion (IR model and compare pre-treatment and post-treatment use. METHODS: Selenium pre-treatment group (n=8 was treated with intraperitoneal (i.p. selenium 0.5 mg/kg for 7d and terminated 24h after the IR injury. Selenium post-treatment group (n=8 was treated with i.p. selenium 0.5 mg/kg for 7d after the IR injury with termination at the end of the 7d period. Sham group (n=8 received i.p. saline injections identical to the selenium volume for 7d with termination 24h after the IR injury. Control group (n=8 received no intervention. Main outcome measures were retina superoxide dismutase (SOD, glutathione (GSH, total antioxidant status (TAS, malondialdehyde (MDA, DNA fragmentation levels, and immunohistological apoptosis evaluation. RESULTS: Compared to the Sham group, selenium pre-treatment had a statistical difference in all parameters except SOD. Post-treatment selenium also resulted in statistical differences in all parameters except the MDA levels. When comparing selenium groups, the pre-treatment selenium group had a statistically higher success in reduction of markers of cell damage such as MDA and DNA fragmentation. In contrast, the post-selenium treatment group had resulted in statistically higher levels of GSH. Histologically both selenium groups succeeded to limit retinal thickening and apoptosis. Pre-treatment use was statistically more successful in decreasing apoptosis in ganglion cell layer compared to post-treatment use. CONCLUSION: Selenium was successful in retinal protection in IR injuries. Pre-treatment efficacy was superior in terms of prevention of tissue damage and apoptosis.

  8. Stage of readiness of patients with behavioral dysphonia in pre and post-group voice therapy assessments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Costa, Bianca Oliveira Ismael da; Silva, Priscila Oliveira Costa; Pinheiro, Renata Serrano de Andrade; Silva, Hêmmylly Farias da; Almeida, Anna Alice Figueirêdo de

    2017-08-10

    To verify the efficacy of group voice therapy in the stage of readiness and identify which items of the URICA-Voice range are more sensitive to post-therapy change in patients with behavioral dysphonia. An intervention study was conducted on 49 patients with behavioral dysphonia. An eclectic approach to group therapy was implemented over eight sessions, the first and last sessions consisting of assessments. The URICA-Voice range was used to evaluate the stage of readiness at pre- and post-therapy assessments. A descriptive and inferential statistical analysis was implemented for the results. Most participants were female, did not make professional use of voice, and had membranous vocal fold lesions. Most of them were in the Contemplation stage at in both moments, pre- and post-therapy. There was no significant change in the comparison of pre- and post-therapy scores. The majority of patients showed a reduction in the stage of readiness and some advanced to a higher stage. In the comparison of URICA-V range items, seven questions had equal or inferior responses in the post-therapy assessment. There was no statistical difference when comparing the pre- and post-therapy total average score of the URICA-Voice range. There were significant changes in the stage of readiness of patients in pre- and post-group speech therapy assessments.

  9. Sexual dysfunction prevalence in a group of pre- and postmenopausal Mexican women

    Science.gov (United States)

    Núñez, Flor de Durazno Casillas

    2018-01-01

    Introduction To determine the prevalence of sexual dysfunction in pre and postmenopausal women. Material and methods A cross-sectional, descriptive, comparative study was done in climacteric women from 40 to 59 years of age. Female sexual function was evaluated with the female sexual function index (FSFI) on the day of consultation. The comparison between pre and postmenopausal women and between those with or without sexual dysfunction was done with Mann Whitney U test, χ2, and Spearman’s correlation analysis was done. Results One hundred and ten women were studied, 55 were premenopausal (group 1) and 55 postmenopausal (group 2). The median of age in group 1 was 46 (40-58) years and in group 2 it was 53 (45-60) years. Premenopausal women had higher education level than postmenopausal women (p < 0.023). From those sexually active, 62.1% had sexual dysfunction. No statistically significant difference was found in education level, religion and marital status between women with or without sexual dysfunction. No difference in sexual dysfunction was found between premenopausal (62.1%) and postmenopausal (62.5%) women, but greater sexual dysfunction was found starting from 50 years age. Age negatively correlated with FSFI score (ρ = –0.324, p < 0.001). Conclusion In postmenopausal women, those older had a greater impairment in sexual function.

  10. The influence of pre-Slavic ethnic groups on the hydronymy of present-day Slovakia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jaromír Krško

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, we focus on the influence of pre-Slavic ethnic groups on the hydronymy of present-day Slovakia. The migration of entire ethnic groups – especially after the dissolution of the Roman Empire – led to contact between native and incoming people. Ethnic contact also affected languages of these ethnic groups, as mutual influencing and borrowing of vocabulary occurred. Incoming ethnic groups had to find their way around in the new surroundings as well as identify and distinguish important landmarks, mainly hills, mountains and streams. We can approach the issue of pre-Slavic hydronyms from two points of view: one, by analyzing the names preserved from the time period before the arrival of Slavs in the territory of Slovakia, and two, by analyzing the names whose origin some authors consider to be pre-Slavic. The oldest name of a river from the Slovak region comes from the time period before the arrival of the Slavs. It was recorded by the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius in years 166–180 AD as Granoua. It is a record of the river Hron at which Roman legions fought against the Germanic tribes of the Marcomanni and Quadi. Several historians and linguists believe that besides the rivers Dunaj, Morava and Tisa, other names of big rivers date from before the arrival of Slavs in the central Europe. In the paper, we analyse the names Dunaj, Morava, Váh, Hron, Tisa, Nitra and Hornád.

  11. A Retrospective Analysis of Pre-surgical Incisor Decompensation Attained in an Orthognathic Surgery Population

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-07-01

    incisors were more proclined. One of the goals of pre - surgical orthodontic treatment is decompensation of the occlusion and movement of teeth into...purpose of this study is to analyze pre - surgical orthodontic incisor decompensation attained in a group of orthognathic surgery patients treated in...the Tri-Service Orthodontic Residency Program. B. Specific Hypothesis Pre - surgical orthodontic treatment does not achieve full decompensation of

  12. Pre-treating Seed to Enhance Germination of Desert Shrubs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    W. K. Ostler; D. C. Anderson; D. J. Hansen

    2002-06-01

    Creosotebush [Larrea tridentata (D.C.) Cav.] and white bursage [Ambrosia dumosa (A. Gray) W.W. Payne] seeds were subjected to pre-treatments of rinsing and soaking in water and thiourea to enhance germination in laboratory experiments. The effects of darkness, temperature, seed source, and soil moisture were also evaluated in the laboratory. The best pre-treatment from the laboratory experiments, rinsing with water for 36 hours followed by drying, was field-tested at Fort Irwin, California. Two sites and two seeding dates (early March and mid April) were determined for each site. Five mulch treatments (no mulch, straw, gravel, chemical stabilizer, and plastic) were evaluated in combination with the seed pre-treatments. Field emergence was greatly enhanced with the seed pre-treatment for white bursage during the March (18-42% increase in germination) and April seedings (16-23% increase in germination). Creosotebush showed poor germination during March (2-5%) when soil temperatures averaged 15 C, but germination increased during the April trials (6-43%) when soil temperatures averaged 23 C. The seed pre-treatment during the April trials increased germination from 16-23%. The plastic mulch treatment increased germination dramatically during both the March and April trials. The plastic mulch increased soil temperatures (8-10 C)and maintained high humidity during germination. Both the chemical stabilizer and the gravel mulches improved germination over the control while the straw mulch decreased germination. These results suggest that seed pre-treatments combined with irrigation and mulch are effective techniques to establish these two dominant Mojave Desert species from seed.

  13. The effect of pre-operative topical anaesthetic cream on the ablative width and coagulative depth of ablative fractional resurfacing laser.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Punyaratabandhu, Preawphan; Wanitphakdeedecha, Rungsima; Pattanaprichakul, Penvadee; Sitthinamsuwan, Panitta; Phothong, Weeranut; Eimpunth, Sasima; Lohsiriwat, Visnu; Manuskiatti, Woraphong

    2017-02-01

    Topical anaesthetic cream (TAC) is commonly used as a pre-treatment of ablative fractional resurfacing (AFR) laser. Most of anaesthetic cream contains distilled water as major component. Therefore, pre-operative TAC may interfere the photothermal reaction in the skin treated with fractional carbon-dioxide (FCO 2 ) laser and fractional erbium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet (FEr:YAG) laser. The objective of the study was to compare the ablative width (AW) and coagulative depth (CD) of AFR laser with and without pre-treatment with TAC. Four Thai females who underwent abdominoplasty were included in the study. The excised skin of each subject was divided into four areas. TAC (eutectic mixture of local anaesthesia; EMLA) with 1-h occlusion was applied only on the first and second areas. The first and third areas were treated with FCO 2 at 15 mj and 5% density. The second and fourth areas were treated with FEr:YAG at 28 J/cm 2 and 5% density. Six biopsied specimens were obtained from each area. A total of 96 specimens (24 specimens from each area) were collected from four patients and examined randomly by two dermatopathologists. The ablative width and coagulative depth from each specimen were determined. In FCO 2 -treated specimens, the mean AW of the specimens that were pre-treated with TAC and control was 174.86 ± 24.57 and 188.52 ± 41.32 μm. The mean CD of the specimens that were pre-treated with TAC and control was 594.96 ± 111.72 and 520.03 ± 147.40 μm. There were no significant differences in AW and CD between both groups (p = 0.53 and p = 0.15). In FEr:YAG-treated specimens, the mean AW of the specimens that were pre-treated with TAC and control was 381.11 ± 48.02 and 423.65 ± 60.16 μm. The mean CD of the specimens that were pre-treated with TAC and control was 86.03 ± 29.44 and 71.59 ± 18.99 μm. There were no significant differences in AW and CD between both groups (p = 0.16 and p = 0.24). The pre

  14. Empirical Modeling on Hot Air Drying of Fresh and Pre-treated Pineapples

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tanongkankit Yardfon

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available This research was aimed to study drying kinetics and determine empirical model of fresh pineapple and pre-treated pineapple with sucrose solution at different concentrations during drying. 3 mm thick samples were immersed into 30, 40 and 50 Brix of sucrose solution before hot air drying at temperatures of 60, 70 and 80°C. The empirical models to predict the drying kinetics were investigated. The results showed that the moisture content decreased when increasing the drying temperatures and times. Increase in sucrose concentration led to longer drying time. According to the statistical values of the highest coefficients (R2, the lowest least of chi-square (χ2 and root mean square error (RMSE, Logarithmic model was the best models for describing the drying behavior of soaked samples into 30, 40 and 50 Brix of sucrose solution.

  15. The perceived benefits of belonging to an extra curricular group within a pre-registration nursing course.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gerrard, Sabina; Billington, John

    2014-05-01

    This study describes a qualitative research design that focuses on nursing students who were aligned to different extra-curricular groups (a student representative committee, a Nurses' Day Committee and a magazine editorial team) within the School of Health. The study explores the nursing students' experiences and perceptions of belonging to an extra-curricular group within a pre-registration nursing course. Data were collected using focus groups. The findings of this study suggest that students who are members of extra-curricular groups perceive group membership to have many positive benefits. The findings were grouped into three main themes namely: employability, retention and personal gain. The findings suggest that students are clearly aware of their career development and expressed how group membership meant they were able to develop skills around employability. Students highlighted that they gained support and built lasting relationships through the groups which supported and reassured them which it was felt enabled them to progress successfully through the course. These themes reinforce the value of having established groups within a pre-registration curriculum. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Influence of Pre-etching Times on Fatigue Strength of Self-etch Adhesives to Enamel.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takamizawa, Toshiki; Barkmeier, Wayne W; Tsujimoto, Akimasa; Endo, Hajime; Tsuchiya, Kenji; Erickson, Robert L; Latta, Mark A; Miyazaki, Masashi

    To use shear bond strength (SBS) and shear fatigue strength (SFS) testing to determine the influence of phosphoric acid pre-etching times prior to application of self-etch adhesives on enamel bonding. Two single-step self-etch universal adhesives (Prime&Bond Elect and Scotchbond Universal), a conventional single-step self-etch adhesive (G-ӕnial Bond), and a conventional two-step self-etch adhesive (OptiBond XTR) were used. The SBS and SFS were obtained with phosphoric acid pre-etching for 3, 10, or 15 s prior to application of the adhesives, and without pre-etching (0 s) as a control. A staircase method was used to determine the SFS with 10 Hz frequency for 50,000 cycles or until failure occurred. The mean demineralization depth for each treated enamel surface was also measured using a profilometer. For all the adhesives, the groups with pre-etching showed significantly higher SBS and SFS than groups without pre-etching. However, there was no significant difference in SBS and SFS among groups with > 3 s of preetching. In addition, although the groups with pre-etching showed significantly deeper demineralization depths than groups without pre-etching, there was no significant difference in depth among groups with > 3 s of pre-etching. Three seconds of phosphoric acid pre-etching prior to application of self-etch adhesive can enhance enamel bonding effectiveness.

  17. Butyric acid fermentation from pre-treated wheat straw by a mutant clostridium tyrobutyricum strain

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Baroi, George Nabin; Baumann, Ivan; Westermann, Peter

    Only little research on butyric acid fermentation has been carried out in relationship to bio-refinery perspectives involving strain selection, development of adapted strains, physiological analyses for higher yield, productivity and selectivity. However, a major step towards the development...... strain could grow in up to 80% pre-treated wheat straw and can ferment both glucose and xylose. The yield of butyric acid without optimization was 0,37±0,051 g butyric acid/g sugar monomers and the acetate yield was 0,06±0,021 g acetic acid/g sugar monomers. Moreover, the strain could grow without...... addition of yeast extract. Further optimization of yield and productivity is under investigation....

  18. Fasting and exercise increase plasma cannabinoid levels in THC pre-treated rats: an examination of behavioural consequences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wong, Alexander; Keats, Kirily; Rooney, Kieron; Hicks, Callum; Allsop, David J; Arnold, Jonathon C; McGregor, Iain S

    2014-10-01

    Δ(9)-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive constituent of cannabis, accumulates in fat tissue where it can remain for prolonged periods. Under conditions of increased fat utilisation, blood cannabinoid concentrations can increase. However, it is unclear whether this has behavioural consequences. Here, we examined whether rats pre-treated with multiple or single doses of THC followed by a washout would show elevated plasma cannabinoids and altered behaviour following fasting or exercise manipulations designed to increase fat utilisation. Behavioural impairment was measured as an inhibition of spontaneous locomotor activity or a failure to successfully complete a treadmill exercise session. Fat utilisation was indexed by plasma free fatty acid (FFA) levels with plasma concentrations of THC and its terminal metabolite (-)-11-nor-9-carboxy-∆(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC-COOH) also measured. Rats given daily THC (10 mg/kg) for 5 days followed by a 4-day washout showed elevated plasma THC-COOH when fasted for 24 h relative to non-fasted controls. Fasted rats showed lower locomotor activity than controls suggesting a behavioural effect of fat-released THC. However, rats fasted for 20 h after a single 5-mg/kg THC injection did not show locomotor suppression, despite modestly elevated plasma THC-COOH. Rats pre-treated with THC (5 mg/kg) and exercised 20 h later also showed elevated plasma THC-COOH but did not differ from controls in their likelihood of completing 30 min of treadmill exercise. These results confirm that fasting and exercise can increase plasma cannabinoid levels. Behavioural consequences are more clearly observed with pre-treatment regimes involving repeated rather than single THC dosing.

  19. Wilms' tumour: a comparison of surgical aspects in patients with or without pre-operative chemotherapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Safdar, C.A.; Aslam, M.; Awan, S.H.; Ahmed, I.; Badshah, S.

    2006-01-01

    To compare the technical aspects of Wilms' tumour (WT) surgery in patients with and without pre-operative chemotherapy. Patients of WT, presenting between January 1999 and December 2001, were treated, using the NWTSG protocol, with primary surgery (group I). Between January 2001 and December 2004, WT patients were treated according to SIOP protocol, with pre-operative chemotherapy followed by surgery (group II). Volume reduction with chemotherapy, duration of surgery, rupture of tumour, extent of excision, adherence and damage to surrounding structures, blood loss, complications, stay in hospital and event-free survival (EFS) were compared in the two groups. Out of 22 patients in group I, 19 (86.4%) underwent primary surgery. Of the 23 patients in group II, 21 (91.3%) received pre-operative chemotherapy followed by surgery. Average volume reduction in this group was 54% with chemotherapy. Difference in duration of surgery and blood loss was significantly low in group II (p=0.003 and p<0.001, respectively). In group I, rupture (6 vs 2), adherence (14 vs 10) and damage to surrounding structures (5 vs 2) were more. Complete macroscopic excision was possible in 90.5% of WT in group II as compared to 73.7% in group I. Immediate postoperative complications and length of hospital stay were similar in both groups. There was no difference in EFS. (author)

  20. Biosorption of heavy metals and radionuclide from aqueous solutions by pre-treated arca shell biomass

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dahiya, Sudhir; Tripathi, R.M.; Hegde, A.G.

    2008-01-01

    In this study biosorption potential of pre-treated arca shell biomass for lead, copper, nickel, cobalt and cesium was explored from the artificially prepared solution containing known amount of metals. The effects of pH, initial concentration, biosorbent dosage and contact time were studied in batch experiments. Effects of common ions like sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium on the sorption capacity of pre-treated arca biomasses were also studied. To analyse the homogeneity of the biomaterial, experiments were performed for eight lots arca shell biomass for all the studies elements and it was observed that relative standard deviation in uptake capacity was within 10% for all elements. At equilibrium, the maximum total uptake by shell biomaterial was 18.33 ± 0.44, 17.64 ± 0.31, 9.86 ± 0.17, 3.93 ± 0.11 and 7.82 ± 0.36 mg/g for lead, copper, nickel, cesium and cobalt, respectively, under the optimised condition of pH, initial concentration, biosorbent dose and contact time. Effect of all the common ions jointly up to concentration of 50 ppm was negligible for all the elements but at higher levels the cations affects the uptake capacity. Sorption isotherms were studied to explain the removal mechanism of both elements by fitting isotherms data into Lagergren, Freundlich and Langmuir equations. Halls separation factor estimated under optimised condition also favours the sorption potential of these elements using arca shell biomass. Arca shell biomass can be effectively and efficiently employed for removal of studied elements after optimisation of parameters

  1. Pre-hospital ticagrelor in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction with long transport time to primary PCI facility.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lupi, Alessandro; Schaffer, Alon; Lazzero, Maurizio; Tessitori, Massimo; De Martino, Leonardo; Rognoni, Andrea; Bongo, Angelo S; Porto, Italo

    2016-12-01

    Pre-hospital ticagrelor, given less than 1h before coronary intervention (PCI), failed to improve coronary reperfusion in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients undergoing primary PCI. It is unknown whether a longer interval from ticagrelor administration to primary PCI might reveal any improvement of coronary reperfusion. We retrospectively compared 143 patients, pre-treated in spoke centers or ambulance with ticagrelor at least 1.5h before PCI (Pre-treatment Group), with 143 propensity score-matched controls treated with ticagrelor in the hub before primary PCI (Control Group) extracted from RENOVAMI, a large observational Italian registry of more than 1400 STEMI patients enrolled from Jan. 2012 to Oct. 2015 (ClinicalTrials.gov id: NCT01347580). The median time from ticagrelor administration and PCI was 2.08h (95% CI 1.66-2.84) in the Pre-treatment Group and 0.56h (95% CI 0.33-0.76) in the Control Group. TIMI flow grade before primary PCI in the infarct related artery was the primary endpoint. The primary endpoint, baseline TIMI flow grade, was significantly higher in Pre-treatment Group (0.88±1.14 vs 0.53±0.86, P=0.02). However in-hospital mortality, in-hospital stent thrombosis, bleeding rates and other clinical and angiographic outcomes were similar in the two groups. In a real world STEMI network, pre-treatment with ticagrelor in spoke hospitals or in ambulance loading at least 1.5h before primary PCI is safe and might improve pre-PCI coronary reperfusion, in comparison with ticagrelor administration immediately before PCI. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Impact of Pretreatment Body Mass Index on Patients With Head-and-Neck Cancer Treated With Radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pai, Ping-Ching; Chuang, Chi-Cheng; Tseng, Chen-Kan; Tsang, Ngan-Ming; Chang, Kai-Ping; Yen, Tzu-Chen; Liao, Chun-Ta; Hong, Ji-Hong; Chang, Joseph Tung-Chieh

    2012-01-01

    Purpose: To investigate the association of pretreatment body mass index (preT BMI) with outcomes of head-and-neck cancer in patients treated with radiotherapy (RT). Methods and Materials: All 1,562 patients diagnosed with head-and-neck cancer and treated with curative-intent RT to a dose of 60 Gy or higher were retrospectively studied. Body weight was measured both at entry and at the end of RT. Cancer-specific survival (CSS), overall survival (OS), locoregional control (LRC), and distant metastasis (DM) were analyzed by preT BMI ( 2 vs. ≥25 kg/m 2 ). The median follow-up was 8.6 years. Results: Patients with lower preT BMI were statistically significantly associated with poorer CSS and OS than those with higher preT BMI. There was no significant difference between preT BMI groups in terms of LRC and DM. Body weight loss (BWL) during radiation did not influence survival outcomes. However, in the group with higher preT BMI, CSS, OS, and DM-free survival of patients with less BWL during radiation were statistically longer when compared with greater BWL. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that higher preT BMI positively influenced survival outcomes for patients with head-and-neck cancer. Patients with higher preT BMI who were able to maintain their weight during radiation had significantly better survival than patients with greater BWL.

  3. [Relieving pre-exam anxiety syndrome with wrist-ankle acupuncture: a randomized controlled trial].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shu, Shi; Li, Tong-ming; Fang, Fan-fu; He, Hou-luo; Zhou, Qing-hui; Gu, Wei; Zhou, Shuang

    2011-06-01

    Pre-exam anxiety syndrome is a common condition occurring in pre-exam students and directly affects their examination performance and physical state. Wrist-ankle acupuncture has significant therapeutic effects in treating mental disorders and may also relieve the symptoms of pre-exam anxiety syndrome. To assess the therapeutic effect of wrist-ankle acupuncture on pre-exam anxiety syndrome. A total of 60 students who met the inclusion criteria of pre-exam anxiety syndrome were enrolled from a university in Shanghai and they were randomly divided into treatment group and control group. There were 30 cases in each group, and no case failed to follow-up. In the treatment group, wrist-ankle acupuncture was adopted to point upper 1 bilaterally (impression between flexor carpi ulnaris tendon and ulnar margin), and there was no requirement for Deqi (arrival of qi). In the control group, sham acupuncture was adopted. The treatment was applied 3 times totally in both groups one week before the exam, once every other day, each time with the needles retained for 30 min. The therapeutic effects were compared between two groups. Before and after 3 treatments, Sarason Test Anxiety Scale (TAS) and Expectation and Treatment Credibility Scale (ETCS) were measured and evaluated. The therapeutic effect experienced by the treatment group was better than that of the control group (PETCS before treatment between the two groups. The scores of TAS after treatment in two groups were higher than those before treatment (PETCS than those in the control group (P<0.05, P<0.01). No adverse reaction was reported. Wrist-ankle acupuncture can relieve the symptoms of pre-exam anxiety syndrome significantly, and this therapy is highly safe.

  4. Ni/YSZ anode – Effect of pre-treatments on cell degradation and microstructures

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hauch, Anne; Jørgensen, Peter Stanley; Brodersen, Karen

    2011-01-01

    ,TPB) was decreased to ¼ or less for the pre-treated and fuel cell tested cells when compared with a non-pre-treated reference tested cell; all operated at the same fuel cell test conditions. Scanning electron microscopy and image analyses for the non-pre-treated reference tested cell and selected pre-treated cells...

  5. Promoting Pre-Service Elementary Students' Understanding of Chemical Equilibrium through Discussions in Small Groups

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bilgin, Ibrahim

    2006-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of small group discussion on students' conceptual understanding of chemical equilibrium. Students' understanding of chemical equilibrium concepts was measured using the Misconception Identification Test. The test consisted of 30 items and administered as pre-posttests to a total of 81…

  6. Severe hyperparathyroidism in a pre-dialysis chronic kidney disease patient treated with a very low protein diet.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ohta, Eriko; Akazawa, Masanobu; Noda, Yumi; Mandai, Shintaro; Naito, Shotaro; Ohta, Akihito; Sohara, Eisei; Okado, Tomokazu; Rai, Tatemitsu; Uchida, Shinichi; Sasaki, Sei

    2012-03-01

    The present report describes a case of a 64-year-old pre-dialysis woman with chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage 5, who developed severe hyperparathyroidism. This patient had been on a very low protein diet (VLPD) to delay the progression of CKD and the need for renal replacement therapy (RRT). Her serum calcium levels were high-normal to slightly high during this time. However, her serum intact parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels increased from 400 to 1160 pg/ml rapidly over a period of 3 months. Serum 1,25-(OH)2D levels were low, and ultrasound of the neck showed three markedly enlarged parathyroid glands exceeding 2 cm. Parathyroidectomy was performed, and all glands showed nodular hyperplasia, which indicated severe secondary hyperparathyroidism leading to tertiary. Severe secondary hyperparathyroidism requiring surgical intervention is usually observed in patients with long-term RRT and is relatively rare in the pre-dialysis patient. In this case, extension of the pre-dialysis period by VLPD may have predisposed this patient to develop severe secondary hyperparathyroidism. Thus, careful monitoring of calcium, phosphorus, and PTH may be necessary in patients treated with VLPD even before renal replacement therapy. Furthermore, initiation of dialysis should not be excessively delayed by strict protein restriction dietary therapy.

  7. Pre-treatment with intravenous granisetron to alleviate pain on propofol injection: A double-blind, randomized, controlled trial

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ahsan Ahmed

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Propofol is one of the widely used intravenous (i.v. anaesthetics, although pain on injection still remains a considerable concern for the anaesthesiologists. A number of techniques has been tried to minimize propofol-induced pain with variable results. Recently, a 5-HT 3 antagonist, ondansetron pre-treatment, has been shown to reduce propofol-induced pain. The aim of our randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded study was to determine whether pre-treatment with intravenous granisetron, which is routinely used in our practice for prophylaxis of post-operative nausea and vomiting, would reduce propofol-induced pain. Methods: Eighty-two women, aged 18-50 years, American society of Anaesthesiologist grading (ASA I-II, scheduled for various surgeries under general anaesthesia were randomly assigned to one of the two groups. One group received 2 mL 0.9% sodium chloride while the other group received 2 mL granisetron (1 mg/mL, and were accompanied by manual venous occlusion for 1 min. Then, 2 mL propofol was injected through the same cannula. Patients were asked by a blinded investigator to score the pain on injection of propofol with a four-point scale: 0=no pain, 1=mild pain, 2=moderate pain, 3=severe pain. Results: Twenty-four patients (60% complained of pain in the group pre-treated with normal saline as compared with six (15% in the group pre-treated with granisetron. Pain was reduced significantly in the granisetron group (P<0.05. Severity of pain was also lesser in the granisetron group compared with the placebo group (2.5% vs. 37.5%. Conclusion: We conclude that pre-treatment with granisetron along with venous occlusion for 1 min for prevention of propofol-induced pain was highly successful.

  8. Effects of Pre and Probiotic on Growth Performance and Haematological Parameters in Pigs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrei Radu Szakacs

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available The present study investigates the effects of dietary supplementation with feed supplements (prebiotics and probiotics on pig performance, the feed conversion ratio and some haematological parameters. The research was conducted on hybrid pigs [(Yorkshire × Landrace × Duroc] in a farm from Sălaj County, Romania. Pigs of 11 weeks (n = 200 were divided into 4 equal groups: a group fed with the probiotic, a prebiotic-fed group, a control group and a synbiotic (pre- and probiotic treated group. The control group was fed with a feed without the specified additives. Probiotic treated group was fed the same feedstuff but containing the additive Beta Plus® Ultra (Biochem( 5.12x1012 CFU / kg - Bacillus subtilis DSM 5750, 5.12x1012UFC / kg - Bacillus licheniformis (DSM 5749 and 921 g of betaine, in an amount of 1 kg / tonne of feed.  Prebiotic group had added to the feed an extract derived from the cell wall of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (TechnoMos® - Biochem in a dose of 250 g / ton of feed. The weight of 25 pigs in each compartment was recorded 9 times (over 85 days. Animal health was evaluated via clinical, haematological, and parasitological examinations. 5 rectal swabs were collected on day 11 and day 77 and faeces samples were taken in day 77 from each investigated group. Growth rate, feed consumption and some haematological parameters were measured. The body weight, average total weight gain and feed conversion rate increase by the dietary inclusion of the both pre and probiotic (p˃0.05. In the compartment treated with prebiotic the weight of the pigs has increased by 1030 g/day compared with 982 g/day value recorded in the control group. The average feed consumption was 3.21 kg/day in the control group while the group treated with prebiotic was only 2.99 kg/day. Feed conversion rate for all treated groups were lower than the one of control. Haematological parameters varied in physiological limits of species. Conclusion: These products show

  9. Pre-operative radiochemotherapy of locally advanced rectal cancer

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Xiao-Nan Sun; Qi-Chu Yang; Jian-Bin Hu

    2003-01-01

    AIM: To evaluate results of pre-operative radiochemotherapy followed by surgery for 15 patients with locally advanced un-resectable rectal cancer.METHODS: 15 patients with advanced non-resectable rectal cancer were treated with pre-operative irriadiation of 40-46 Gy plus concomitant chemotherapy (5-FU+LV and 5′-DFuR) (RCS group). For comparison, 27 similar patients,treated by preoperative radiotherapy (40-50 Gy) plus surgery were served as control (RS group).RESULTS: No radiochemotherapy or radiotherapy was interrupted and then was delayed because of toxicities in both groups. The radical resectability rate was 73.3% in the RCS group and 37.0% (P=0.024) in RS group. Sphincter preservation rates were 26.6% and 3.7% respectively (P=0.028). Sphincter preservation rates of lower rectal cancer were 27.3 % and 0.0 % respectively (P=0.014). Response rates of RCS and RS groups were 46.7 % and 18.5 %(P=0.053). The tumor downstage rates were 8 (53.3%)and 9 (33.3%) in these groups (P=0.206). The 3-year overall survival rates were 66.7 % and 55.6% (P=0.485), and the disease free survival rates were 40.1% and 33.2%(P=0.663). The 3-year local recurrent rates were 26.7%and 48.1% (P=0.174). No obvious late effects were found in either groups.CONCLUSION: High resectability is possible following preoperative radiochemotherapy and can have more sphincters preserved. It is important to improve the quality of the patients′ life even without increasing the survival or local control rates. Preoperative radiotherapy with concomitant full course chemotherapy (5-Fu+LV and 5′-DFuR) is effective and safe.

  10. Mass attenuation coefficient of binderless, pre-treated and tannin-based Rhizophora spp. particleboards using 16.59 – 25.26 keV photon energy range

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mohd Yusof, Mohd Fahmi, E-mail: mfahmi@usm.my; Hamid, Puteri Nor Khatijah Abdul; Tajuddin, Abdul Aziz [School of Physics, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Penang (Malaysia); Bauk, Sabar [School of Distance Education, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Penang (Malaysia); Hashim, Rokiah [School of Industrial Technologies, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Penang (Malaysia)

    2015-04-29

    The Rhizophora spp. particleboards were fabricated using ≤ 104 µm particle size at three different fabrication methods; binderless, steam pre-treated and tannin-added. The mass attenuation coefficient of Rhizophora spp. particleboards were measured using x-ray fluorescent (XRF) photon from niobium, molybdenum, palladium, silver and tin metal plates that provided photon energy between 16.59 to 25.26 keV. The results were compared to theoretical values for water calculated using photon cross-section database (XCOM).The results showed that all Rhizophora spp. particleboards having mass attenuation coefficient close to calculated XCOM for water. Tannin-added Rizophora spp. particleboard was nearest to calculated XCOM for water with χ2 value of 13.008 followed by binderless Rizophora spp. (25.859) and pre-treated Rizophora spp. (91.941)

  11. Mass attenuation coefficient of binderless, pre-treated and tannin-based Rhizophora spp. particleboards using 16.59 – 25.26 keV photon energy range

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mohd Yusof, Mohd Fahmi; Hamid, Puteri Nor Khatijah Abdul; Tajuddin, Abdul Aziz; Bauk, Sabar; Hashim, Rokiah

    2015-01-01

    The Rhizophora spp. particleboards were fabricated using ≤ 104 µm particle size at three different fabrication methods; binderless, steam pre-treated and tannin-added. The mass attenuation coefficient of Rhizophora spp. particleboards were measured using x-ray fluorescent (XRF) photon from niobium, molybdenum, palladium, silver and tin metal plates that provided photon energy between 16.59 to 25.26 keV. The results were compared to theoretical values for water calculated using photon cross-section database (XCOM).The results showed that all Rhizophora spp. particleboards having mass attenuation coefficient close to calculated XCOM for water. Tannin-added Rizophora spp. particleboard was nearest to calculated XCOM for water with χ2 value of 13.008 followed by binderless Rizophora spp. (25.859) and pre-treated Rizophora spp. (91.941)

  12. Comparison of two long acting pre-lambing anthelmintic treatments on the productivity of ewes in low body condition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bingham, C; Hodge, A; Mariadass, B

    2017-05-01

    To determine if there was a benefit from treating ewes with a low body condition score (BCS) with long acting anthelmintic products pre-lambing and to compare the effects of two commonly used treatment options. The study was conducted on a single commercial hill country sheep and beef property in the central North Island of New Zealand. Mixed age twin-bearing ewes were preselected by the farmer as being in poor condition 4 weeks before the planned start of lambing, and were sequentially drafted into three equal groups identified with coloured ear tags. The negative control group (n=199) received no anthelmintic treatment; the other two groups received either a controlled release capsule (CRC) containing abamectin, albendazole, Se and Co (n=200) or a long-acting injection of moxidectin (n=200). All ewes were body condition scored (1-5 scale) and weighed at pre-lambing, docking (65 days after treatment) and at weaning (127 days after treatment). Faecal nematode egg counts (FEC) were carried out on 10 ewes from each group at these three times. Most lambs were matched to the ewe treatment groups at weaning, and weighed. At weaning the mean body weight of ewes treated with moxidectin was 3.2 (95% CI=2.3-4.3) kg heavier than controls, and of ewes treated with CRC was 3.6 (95% CI=2.5-4.5) kg heavier than control ewes (pewes had a BCS≥3. At weaning, more ewes treated with CRC (140/194; 72%) or moxidectin (122/187; 65%) had a BCS≥3 than control ewes (55/179 (31%); pewes from the treatment groups, the mean weight at weaning of lambs from ewes treated with moxidectin was 2.6 (95% CI=1.9-3.3) kg heavier, and from ewes treated with CRC was 2.6 (95% CI=1.9-3.4) kg heavier than lambs from control ewes (pewes with low BCS pre-lambing with long acting anthelmintic treatments (moxidectin long acting injection or CRC) resulted in an increase in mean body weight of the ewes and lambs at weaning. There were no significant differences between the two pre-lambing treatments used

  13. Blockade of group II metabotropic glutamate receptors produces hyper-locomotion in cocaine pre-exposed rats by interactions with dopamine receptors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoon, Hyung Shin; Jang, Ju Kyong; Kim, Jeong-Hoon

    2008-09-01

    It was previously reported that blockade of group II metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) produces hyper-locomotion in rats previously exposed to amphetamine, indicating that group II mGluRs are well positioned to modulate the expression of behavioral sensitization by amphetamine. The present study further examined the locomotor activating effects of specific blockade of these receptors after cocaine pre-exposures. First, rats were pre-exposed to seven daily injections of cocaine (15mg/kg, IP). When challenged the next day with an injection of either saline or the group II mGluR antagonist LY341495 (0.5, 1.0 or 2.5mg/kg, IP), they produced hyper-locomotor activity, measured by infrared beam interruptions, to LY341495 compared to saline in a dose-dependent manner. Second, rats were pre-exposed to either saline or seven daily injections of cocaine (15mg/kg, IP). Three weeks later, when they were challenged with an injection of either saline or LY341495 (1.0mg/kg, IP), only rats pre-exposed to cocaine produced hyper-locomotor activity to LY341495 compared to saline. These effects, however, were not present when dopamine D1 (SCH23390; 5 or 10microg/kg), but not D2 (eticlopride; 10 or 50microg/kg), receptor antagonist was pre-injected, indicating that this cocaine-induced hyper-locomotor activity to LY341495 may be mediated in dopamine D1 receptor-dependent manner. These results suggest that group II mGluRs may be adapted to interact with dopaminergic neuronal signaling in mediating the sensitized locomotor activity produced by repeated cocaine pre-exposures.

  14. Mono-uridylation of pre-microRNA as a key step in the biogenesis of group II let-7 microRNAs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heo, Inha; Ha, Minju; Lim, Jaechul; Yoon, Mi-Jeong; Park, Jong-Eun; Kwon, S Chul; Chang, Hyeshik; Kim, V Narry

    2012-10-26

    RNase III Drosha initiates microRNA (miRNA) maturation by cleaving a primary miRNA transcript and releasing a pre-miRNA with a 2 nt 3' overhang. Dicer recognizes the 2 nt 3' overhang structure to selectively process pre-miRNAs. Here, we find that, unlike prototypic pre-miRNAs (group I), group II pre-miRNAs acquire a shorter (1 nt) 3' overhang from Drosha processing and therefore require a 3'-end mono-uridylation for Dicer processing. The majority of let-7 and miR-105 belong to group II. We identify TUT7/ZCCHC6, TUT4/ZCCHC11, and TUT2/PAPD4/GLD2 as the terminal uridylyl transferases responsible for pre-miRNA mono-uridylation. The TUTs act specifically on dsRNAs with a 1 nt 3' overhang, thereby creating a 2 nt 3' overhang. Depletion of TUTs reduces let-7 levels and disrupts let-7 function. Although the let-7 suppressor, Lin28, induces inhibitory oligo-uridylation in embryonic stem cells, mono-uridylation occurs in somatic cells lacking Lin28 to promote let-7 biogenesis. Our study reveals functional duality of uridylation and introduces TUT7/4/2 as components of the miRNA biogenesis pathway. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Comparison of Postoperative Pain Relief by Intercostal Block Between Pre-rib Harvest and Post-rib Harvest Groups

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bashir, M. M.; Shahzad, M. A.; Yousaf, M. N.; Khan, B. A.; Khan, F. A.

    2014-01-01

    Objective: To compare intercostal nerve block before and after rib harvest in terms of mean postoperative pain score and mean postoperative tramadol usage. Study Design: Randomized controlled trial. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Plastic Surgery, Mayo Hospital, KEMU, Lahore, from January 2011 to July 2012. Methodology: Patients (n = 120) of either gender with ASA class-I and II requiring autogenous costal cartilage graft were inducted. Patients having history of local anaesthetic hypersensitivity and age 60 years were excluded. Subjects were randomly assigned to pre-rib harvest (group-1) and post-rib harvest (group-2). Local anaesthetic mixture was prepared by adding 10 milliliters 2% lidocaine to 10 milliliters 0.5% bupivacaine to obtain a total 20 ml solution. Group-1 received local anaesthetic infiltration along the proposed incision lines and intercostals block before the rib harvest. Group-2 received the infiltration and block after rib harvest. Postoperative consumption of tramadol and pain scores were measured at 6 and 12 hours postoperatively using VAS. Results: Mean age was 31.43 A +- 10.78 years. The mean pain scores at 6 hours postoperatively were 1.033 A +- 0.609 and 2.4667 A +- 0.812 in pre-rib harvest and post-rib harvest groups respectively (p < 0.0001). The mean pain scores at 12 hours postoperatively were 1.45 A +- 0.565 and 3.65 A +- 0.633 in pre-rib harvest and post-rib harvest groups respectively (p < 0.0001). The mean tramadol used postoperatively in first 24 hours was 169 A +- 29.24 mg and 255 A +- 17.70 mg in prerib harvest and post-rib harvest groups respectively (p < 0.0001). Conclusion: Intercostal block administered before rib harvest as preemptive strategy result in decreased postoperative pain scores and narcotic use. (author)

  16. Fatty acids characterization, oxidative perspectives and consumer acceptability of oil extracted from pre-treated chia (Salvia hispanica L.) seeds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Imran, Muhammad; Nadeem, Muhammad; Manzoor, Muhammad Faisal; Javed, Amna; Ali, Zafar; Akhtar, Muhammad Nadeem; Ali, Muhammad; Hussain, Yasir

    2016-09-20

    Chia (Salvia hispanica L.) seeds have been described as a good source of lipids, protein, dietary fiber, polyphenolic compounds and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. The consumption of chia seed oil helps to improve biological markers related to metabolic syndrome diseases. The oil yield and fatty acids composition of chia oil is affected by several factors such as pre-treatment method and size reduction practices. Therefore, the main mandate of present investigate was to study the effect of different seed pre-treatments on yield, fatty acids composition and sensory acceptability of chia oil at different storage intervals and conditions. Raw chia seeds were characterized for proximate composition. Raw chia seeds after milling were passed through sieves to obtain different particle size fractions (coarse, seed particle size ≥ 10 mm; medium, seed particle size ≥ 5 mm; fine, seed particle size ≤ 5 mm). Heat pre-treatment of chia seeds included the water boiling (100 C°, 5 min), microwave roasting (900 W, 2450 MHz, 2.5 min), oven drying (105 ± 5 °C, 1 h) and autoclaving (121 °C, 15 lbs, 15 min) process. Extracted oil from pre-treated chia seeds were stored in Tin cans at 25 ± 2 °C and 4 ± 1 °C for 60-days and examined for physical (color, melting point, refractive index), oxidative (iodine value, peroxide value, free fatty acids), fatty acids (palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic, α-linolenic) composition and sensory (appearance, flavor, overall acceptability) parameters, respectively. The proximal composition of chia seeds consisted of 6.16 ± 0.24 % moisture, 34.84 ± 0.62 % oil, 18.21 ± 0.45 % protein, 4.16 ± 0.37 % ash, 23.12 ± 0.29 % fiber, and 14.18 ± 0.23 % nitrogen contents. The oil yield as a result of seed pre-treatments was found in the range of 3.43 ± 0.22 % (water boiled samples) to 32.18 ± 0.34 % (autoclaved samples). The oil samples at day 0 indicated the

  17. The forecasted hazard of primary hepatocellular carcinoma treated by interventional embolization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cui Shuzhong; Wang Yuandong; Liu Haiying; Ruan Zhongming; Tang Yunqiang; Hu Weimin; Wang Jiakang; Li Jianchang; Wang Bin; Cai Kuihua

    2002-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate the reserved liver function of the primary liver cancer treated by interventional embolization. Methods: 116 patients with primary liver cancer treated by interventional embolization were classified into three groups: the better, the lightly-damaged, and the highly-damaged according to the liver function after operation. The liver function and the reserved liver function among the three groups were analyzed with simple factor (Kruskal-Wallis) and multiple factors (Logistic). The damage of liver function was forecasted for primary liver cancer treated by interventional embolization. Results: There was no difference in the ALT, AST, CGT, ALP of the pre-operation among the three groups (P>0.05), but the difference in the ICGR15 and the grade of Child was obvious (P<0.05). The three equations forecasting group division after-operation with Logistic were counted and the total according rate was 82.76%. Conclusion: ICGR15 and the grade of Child were the better standard in evaluating the function of the primary liver cancer treated by interventional embolization. The strong evaluable evidence is provided for the interventional embolization of primary liver cancer

  18. Chemical composition and resistance to oxidation of high-oleic rapeseed oil pressed from microwave pre-treated intact and de-hulled seeds

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rękas, A.; Wroniak, M.; Siger, A.; Ścibisz, I.

    2017-01-01

    The influence of a microwave (MV) pre-treatment (3, 6, 9 min, 800W) on the physicochemical properties of high-oleic rapeseed oil prepared from intact (HORO) and de-hulled seeds (DHORO) was investigated in this study. A control DHORO contained higher levels of total tocopherols and carotenoids, while higher concentrations of total phenolic compounds and chlorophylls were detected in the HORO. The MV pre-treatment caused a decrease in the unsaturated fatty acids content that was more evident for the DHOROs. The microwaving time significantly affected phytochemical contents and the color of both types of oils. A vast increase in canolol concentration was noticeable following 9 min of microwaving, which increased 506- and 155-fold in the HORO and DHORO, respectively. At the same time, the antioxidant capacity of oil produced from MV pre-treated seeds for 9 min was nearly 4 times higher than that of the control oil for both types of oils. [es

  19. 18F-PEG-biotin: Precursor (boroaryl-PEG-biotin) synthesis, 18F-labelling and an in-vitro assessment of its binding with NeutravidinTM-trastuzumab pre-treated cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smith, Tim A.D.; Simpson, Michael; Cheyne, Richard; Trembleau, Laurent

    2011-01-01

    In terms of nuclear decay 18 F is the most ideal PET nuclide but its short t 1/2 precludes its use for directly labelling whole antibodies due to their long blood residence times. Pre-targeted imaging using affinity systems such as Neutravidin TM -biotin facilitates the application of short-lived nuclides by their attachment to biotin for imaging cell surface proteins targeted with Neutravidin TM -conjugated antibodies. Methods: Boroaryl functionalised biotin was prepared with a PEG linker and radiolabelled by incubation with 18 F in acidified aqueous solution. Cells expressing high (SKBr3), medium (MDA-MB-453) and low (MDA-MB-468) levels of HER-2 were pre-incubated with Neutravidin TM -conjugated trastuzumab, washed, and then incubated with 18 F-PEG-biotin. Results: The 18 F-fluorination of boroaryl-PEG-biotin was much more efficient than reported for other versions of boroaryl-biotin. The novel 18 F-PEG-biotin was demonstrated to bind to HER-2-expressing cells in-vitro pre-incubated with Neutravidin TM -conjugated trastuzumab. Conclusion: Biotin can be functionalised with boroaryl and readily 18 F-radiolabelled in aqueous solution and will bind to cells pre-incubated with Neutravidin TM -antibody conjugates. - Highlights: → Boroaryl-biotin precursor is prepared. → Rapid 18 F-fluorination is demonstrated. → HER-2 expressing breast cancer cells pre-treated with trastuzumab-Neutravidin TM . → 18 F-PEG-biotin binding to pre-treated cells corresponds with HER-2 expression.

  20. Detrimental effects of rat mesenchymal stromal cell pre-treatment in a model of acute kidney rejection

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martina eSeifert

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC have shown immunomodulatory and tissue repair potential including partial tolerance induction by pre-treatment of donor-specific cells in a rat heart transplantation model. Very recently, we could show that autologous MSC attenuated ischemia reperfusion injury in a highly mismatched donor-recipient rat kidney transplant model. Therefore, we investigated donor-specific MSC pre-treatment in this rat kidney transplantation model to study whether graft function could be improved, or if tolerance could be induced.Donor- and recipient-type MSC or PBS as a control were injected i.v. four days before kidney transplantation. Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF immunosuppression (20 mg/kg body weight was applied for 7 days. Kidney grafts and spleens were harvested between days 8-10 and analyzed by quantitative RT-PCR and immunohistology. In addition, creatinine levels in the blood were measured and serum was screened for the presence of donor-specific antibodies.Surprisingly, application of both donor- and recipient-specific MSC resulted in enhanced humoral immune responses verified by intragraft B cell infiltration and complement factor C4d deposits. Moreover, signs of inflammation and rejection were generally enhanced in both MSC-treated groups relative to PBS control group. Additionally, pre-treatment with donor-specific MSC significantly enhanced the level of donor-specific antibody formation when compared with PBS- or recipient-MSC-treated groups. Pre-treatment with both MSC types resulted in a higher degree of kidney cortex tissue damage and elevated creatinine levels at the time point of rejection. Thus, MSC pre-sensitization in this model impairs the allograft outcome.Our data from this pre-clinical kidney transplantation model indicate that pre-operative MSC administration may not be optimal in kidney transplantation and caution must be exerted before moving forward with clinical studies in order to avoid adverse effects.

  1. The Impact of Morphological Awareness on Iranian Pre-University Students’ Listening Transcription

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    mohammad nabi karimi

    2009-10-01

    Full Text Available Morphological Awareness (henceforth: MA, defined as the ability to understand the morphemic structure of the words, has been reported to affect various aspects of second language performance including reading comprehension ability, spelling performance, etc. Yet, the concept has been far less treated with reference to l2 listening transcription. Thus, against this background, this study aims to investigate the link between MA and listening transcription ability of Iranian pre-university students. To this aim, 40 pre-university students participated in the study, and were assigned to two control and experimental groups. Both groups were first given three short listening passages to transcribe as the pre-tests. The results of the independent-samples t-test revealed no significant difference between the two groups. The experimental group, then, received five one-hour sessions briefing them on the morphological realization of English words. The two groups were then given three short listening passages to transcribe as their post-tests. The results of the independent-samples t-tests attested to the significant difference between the two groups, thus, supporting the relationship between MA and listening transcription ability. The study concludes with some suggestions as to the incorporation of MA into L2 learning programs.

  2. A pre-operative group rehabilitation programme provided limited benefit for people with severe hip and knee osteoarthritis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wallis, Jason A; Webster, Kate E; Levinger, Pazit; Fong, Cynthia; Taylor, Nicholas F

    2014-01-01

    To determine if a pre-operative group rehabilitation programme can improve arthritis self-efficacy for people with severe hip and knee osteoarthritis. Single group, repeated measures design: 4-week baseline phase followed by a 6-week intervention phase of water exercise, and education with self-management strategies. The primary outcome was arthritis self-efficacy. The secondary outcomes were measures of pain (WOMAC), activity limitation (WOMAC), activity performance (30 s chair stand test, 10 m walk test) and health-related quality of life (EuroQol). Twenty participants (10 knee osteoarthritis and 10 hip osteoarthritis) with a mean age of 71 years (SD 7) attended 92% (SD 10%) of the scheduled sessions. All measures demonstrated baseline stability between two time points for measurements at week 1 and measurements at week 4. After the 6-week intervention programme there were no significant improvements for arthritis self-efficacy. There was a 12% increase for fast walking speed (mean increase of 0.14 m/s, 95% CI 0.07, 0.22). There were no significant improvements for other secondary outcomes. A pre-operative water-based exercise and educational programme did not improve arthritis self-efficacy, self-reported pain and activity limitation, and health-related quality of life for people with hip and knee osteoarthritis who were candidates for joint replacement. While there was a significant increase in one measure of activity performance (walking speed), these findings suggest the current programme may be of little value. Implications for Rehabilitation This pre-operative group rehabilitation programme for people with severe hip and knee osteoarthritis did not change arthritis self-efficacy, pain, activity limitation and health-related quality of life. This programme may have little value in preparing people for joint replacement surgery. The optimal pre-operative programme requires further design and investigation.

  3. The association between retrospective outcome evaluations and pre-post-treatment changes in psychodynamic group-psychotherapy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Hans Henrik; Mortensen, Erik Lykke; Lotz, Martin

    2008-01-01

    In the present study of 203 patients in psychodynamic group psychotherapy, we explore associations between patient and therapist global retrospective outcome evaluations (ROE), and pre-post-treatment changes on the Symptom Check List 90 Revised (SCL-90-R) and non-symptomatic focus of therapy. The......, and associated with personality factors or domains not captured by standard questionnaires....

  4. Pre-hospital treatment of acute poisonings in Oslo

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heyerdahl, Fridtjof; Hovda, Knut E; Bjornaas, Mari A; Nore, Anne K; Figueiredo, Jose CP; Ekeberg, Oivind; Jacobsen, Dag

    2008-01-01

    Background Poisoned patients are often treated in and discharged from pre-hospital health care settings. Studies of poisonings should therefore not only include hospitalized patients. Aims: To describe the acutely poisoned patients treated by ambulance personnel and in an outpatient clinic; compare patients transferred to a higher treatment level with those discharged without transfer; and study the one-week mortality after pre-hospital discharge. Methods A one-year multi-centre study with prospective inclusion of all acutely poisoned patients ≥ 16 years of age treated in ambulances, an outpatient clinic, and hospitals in Oslo. Results A total of 3757 health service contacts from 2997 poisoning episodes were recorded: 1860 were treated in ambulances, of which 15 died and 750 (40%) were discharged without transfer; 956 were treated in outpatient clinic, of which 801 (84%) were discharged without transfer; and 941 episodes were treated in hospitals. Patients discharged alive after ambulance treatment were mainly poisoned by opiates (70%), were frequently comatose (35%), had respiratory depression (37%), and many received naloxone (49%). The majority of the patients discharged from the outpatient clinic were poisoned by ethanol (55%), fewer were comatose (10%), and they rarely had respiratory depression (4%). Among the hospitalized, pharmaceutical poisonings were most common (58%), 23% were comatose, and 7% had respiratory depression. Male patients comprised 69% of the pre-hospital discharges, but only 46% of the hospitalized patients. Except for one patient, who died of a new heroin overdose two days following discharge from an ambulance, there were no deaths during the first week after the poisonings in the 90% of the pre-hospital discharged patients with known identity. Conclusion More than half of the poisoned patients treated in pre-hospital treatment settings were discharged without transfer to higher levels. These poisonings were more often caused by drug and

  5. Pre-hospital treatment of acute poisonings in Oslo

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nore Anne K

    2008-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Poisoned patients are often treated in and discharged from pre-hospital health care settings. Studies of poisonings should therefore not only include hospitalized patients. Aims: To describe the acutely poisoned patients treated by ambulance personnel and in an outpatient clinic; compare patients transferred to a higher treatment level with those discharged without transfer; and study the one-week mortality after pre-hospital discharge. Methods A one-year multi-centre study with prospective inclusion of all acutely poisoned patients ≥ 16 years of age treated in ambulances, an outpatient clinic, and hospitals in Oslo. Results A total of 3757 health service contacts from 2997 poisoning episodes were recorded: 1860 were treated in ambulances, of which 15 died and 750 (40% were discharged without transfer; 956 were treated in outpatient clinic, of which 801 (84% were discharged without transfer; and 941 episodes were treated in hospitals. Patients discharged alive after ambulance treatment were mainly poisoned by opiates (70%, were frequently comatose (35%, had respiratory depression (37%, and many received naloxone (49%. The majority of the patients discharged from the outpatient clinic were poisoned by ethanol (55%, fewer were comatose (10%, and they rarely had respiratory depression (4%. Among the hospitalized, pharmaceutical poisonings were most common (58%, 23% were comatose, and 7% had respiratory depression. Male patients comprised 69% of the pre-hospital discharges, but only 46% of the hospitalized patients. Except for one patient, who died of a new heroin overdose two days following discharge from an ambulance, there were no deaths during the first week after the poisonings in the 90% of the pre-hospital discharged patients with known identity. Conclusion More than half of the poisoned patients treated in pre-hospital treatment settings were discharged without transfer to higher levels. These poisonings were more often

  6. Improving enzymatic saccharification of cassava stem using peroxide and microwave assisted pre-treatment techniques

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sudha A.

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The effectiveness of microwave assisted alkali (MAA and alkaline hydrogen peroxide (AHP pre-treatment methods in improving the enzymatic saccharification of cassava stem was investigated. Ground cassava stems were by MAA method by varying microwave power, NaOH concentration and pre-treatment time. AHP method was performed at various H2O2 concentrations, pre-treatment temperatures and times. The results showed that reducing sugar yield was higher from MAA pretreated stem when compared with AHP pre-treatment, which demonstrated that MAA pre-treatment was effective in releasing sugars. SEM studies on the pre-treated samples revealed extensive distortion of fibres in MAA pre-treated than AHP pre-treated samples, which showed pores and cracks in the fibrous structure. Spectral studies showed the change in the chemical structure of pre-treated samples. The work revealed that the studied pre-treatment methods were effective in improving the enzymatic saccharification of cassava stem.

  7. Pre-colonial transport systems: A veritable instrument for inter-group ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    It thinks that pre-colonial transport systems, due to its commercial and strategic importance, were extensively used by farmers and traders, who participated actively in both internal and long distance commerce. This paper submits that, pre-colonial transport systems such as human porterage on land and dug-out canoe on ...

  8. Pre-aging effects in thermo mechanically treated 6201 aluminium alloy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martinova, Zlatanka P.

    2003-01-01

    In this work the aging characteristics of aluminum alloy 6201 (Al-0, 62%Mg-O, 56%Si), subjected to new dimension of thermomechanical treatment (TMT) was investigated. TMT employed stepped, aging according to the scheme: solution treatment, water quenching, pre-aging at low to intermediate temperatures, cold working with 75-95% deformation and final artificial aging at 170 o C - 200 o C. Differential thermal analysis (DTA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis to examine the precipitation and dissolution reactions during continuous heating of samples with different pre-aging treatments were used. The main commonality between each DSC curve obtained from pre-aged and deformed samples at 20 o Cmin -1 was the appearance of broad exothermic peak, centered at approximately 250 o C. This suggests an overlap of several reactions, occurring within the same temperature interval. Most likely, these are the precipitation of strengthening β , β' phases, recovery/ recrystallization and some reversion of GPI zones. The tensile properties and electrical conductivity of the wires were determined after deformation and after isothermal artificial aging. The changes of the properties are discussed in terms of structure development at every stage of TMT and according to the current two-stepped aging theories. (Original)

  9. Clinical research of comprehensive rehabilitation in treating brachial plexus injury patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Jun-Ming; Gu, Yu-Dong; Xu, Xiao-Jun; Zhang, Shen-Yu; Zhao, Xin

    2012-07-01

    Brachial plexus injury is one of the difficult medical problems in the world. The aim of this study was to observe the clinical therapeutic effect of comprehensive rehabilitation in treating dysfunction after brachial plexus injury. Forty-three cases of dysfunction after brachial plexus injury were divided into two groups randomly. The treatment group, which totaled 21 patients (including 14 cases of total brachial plexus injury and seven cases of branch brachial plexus injury), was treated with comprehensive rehabilitation including transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, mid-frequency electrotherapy, Tuina therapy, and occupational therapy. The control group, which totaled 22 patients (including 16 cases of total brachial plexus injury and six cases of branch brachial plexus injury), was treated with home-based electrical nerve stimulation and occupational therapy. Each course was of 30 days duration and the patients received four courses totally. After four courses, the rehabilitation effect was evaluated according to the brachial plexus function evaluation standard and electromyogram (EMG) assessment. In the treatment group, there was significant difference in the scores of brachial plexus function pre- and post-treatment (P injury. The scores of two "total injury" groups had statistical differences (P injury" groups had statistical differences (P brachial plexus injury than nonintegrated rehabilitation.

  10. Effect of precursor concentration on the growth of zinc oxide nanorod arrays on pre-treated substrates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Urgessa, Z.N.; Oluwafemi, O.S.; Botha, J.R.

    2012-01-01

    Well aligned zinc oxide nanorod arrays (ZNAs) synthesized by a simple chemical bath deposition method were fabricated on pre-treated Si substrates. By keeping the molar VI/II ratio constant, the effect of precursor concentration on the growth and optical quality of the ZNAs was investigated. The as-synthesized ZNAs were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD) and photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL). FESEM images show that both the diameter and aspect ratio of the ZNAs increase dramatically as the precursor concentration increases. The XRD analysis indicates that all the as-grown ZNAs are crystalline and are preferentially oriented along the c-axis. The high intensity ratio of the UV emission to visible emission in the room temperature PL spectra illustrate that high optical quality ZNAs were produced.

  11. Effect of precursor concentration on the growth of zinc oxide nanorod arrays on pre-treated substrates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Urgessa, Z.N. [Department of Physics, P.O. Box 77000, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth 6031 (South Africa); Oluwafemi, O.S., E-mail: oluwafemi.oluwatobi@gmail.com [Department of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Walter Sisulu University, Mthatha Campus, Private Bag XI, 5117 (South Africa); Botha, J.R. [Department of Physics, P.O. Box 77000, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth 6031 (South Africa)

    2012-05-15

    Well aligned zinc oxide nanorod arrays (ZNAs) synthesized by a simple chemical bath deposition method were fabricated on pre-treated Si substrates. By keeping the molar VI/II ratio constant, the effect of precursor concentration on the growth and optical quality of the ZNAs was investigated. The as-synthesized ZNAs were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD) and photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL). FESEM images show that both the diameter and aspect ratio of the ZNAs increase dramatically as the precursor concentration increases. The XRD analysis indicates that all the as-grown ZNAs are crystalline and are preferentially oriented along the c-axis. The high intensity ratio of the UV emission to visible emission in the room temperature PL spectra illustrate that high optical quality ZNAs were produced.

  12. Effects of sodium chloride on radiation protection and modification of gamma-ray treated rice seeds

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Cailian; Zhao Kongnan; Shen Mei; Xu Gang; Chen Qiufang

    1992-11-01

    The radiation protection effect of sodium chloride on dormant and germinating rice seeds treated with gamma-rays, and modification effect of sodium chloride on mutation were studied. Results show that the radiation-damage effect on seedling growth, percentage of seedling growth, percentage of seedling growth and fertility in M 1 generation is significantly enhanced with the increasing of dose. However, the seedling growth, percentage of seedling growth and fertility can be improved if the irradiated seeds are pre-treated with sodium chloride solution having concentrations of 0.05, 0.10 and 0.20 mol/L. The difference between treated group and control group is very significant. Results also show that pre-treatment and post-treatment by sodium chloride can raise the mutation frequencies of chlorophyll deficient seedlings, especially, the mutation frequency of early heading date and height is more considerably. The conclusion is that the sodium chloride, as a radiation protection agent, combined with gamma-ray treatment could reduce the effect of radiation-damage on M 1 generation and raise the mutation frequency in M 2 generation, and this result will be helpful in rice breeding

  13. Determination of the protection efficacy and homogeneity of the distribution of sunscreens applied onto skin pre-treated with cosmetic products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weigmann, Hans-Jürgen; de Sainte Claire, Maude Suisse; Schanzer, Sabine; Patzelt, Alexa; Meinke, Martina; Antoniou, Christina; Sterry, Wolfram; Lademann, Jürgen

    2012-05-01

    The efficacy of sunscreens depends decisively on the homogeneity of its distribution on the skin surface, which is sensitively reflected by two spectroscopic data - the factor of inhomogeneity and the sum transmission - measured after tape stripping. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of a skin pre-treatment with body lotion on the layout of the formulations. Six healthy volunteers were pre-treated using the body lotion, Nivea Body (Beiersdorf AG, Hamburg, Germany). The sunscreen was an oil/water (o/w) emulsion, Roc SPF 8 (RoC SA, Paris, France). The tape stripped tesa films were measured with a modified UV/VIS spectrometer Lambda 5 (PerkinElmer, Frankfurt/Main, Germany), the data of which were used to calculate both measurands. The obtained results made clear that the original spectroscopic data must be corrected taking into account the changed amounts of horny layer particles removed with the individual tape strips after pre-treatment. As a consequence of the correction, the factors of inhomogeneity as well as the sum transmissions confirm a more homogeneous distribution of the applied sunscreen. The findings confirm that the applied method is well suited to obtain information on the distribution of topically applied substances, and furthermore that the influence of the pre-treatment of the skin with the body lotion enhances the homogeneity of distribution and thus the sunscreen efficacy. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

  14. Comparison of the T2-star Values of Placentas Obtained from Pre-eclamptic Patients with Those of a Control Group: an Ex-vivo Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yurttutan, Nursel; Bakacak, Murat; Kızıldağ, Betül

    2017-09-29

    Endotel dysfunction, vasoconstriction, and oxidative stress are described in the pathophysiology of pre-eclampsia, but its aetiology has not been revealed clearly. To examine whether there is a difference between the placentas of pre-eclamptic pregnant women and those of a control group in terms of their T2 star values. Case-control study. Twenty patients diagnosed with pre-eclampsia and 22 healthy controls were included in this study. The placentas obtained after births performed via Caesarean section were taken into the magnetic resonance imaging area in plastic bags within the first postnatal hour, and imaging was performed via modified DIXON-Quant sequence. Average values were obtained by performing T2 star measurements from four localisations on the placentas. T2 star values measured in the placentas of the control group were found to be significantly lower than those in the pre-eclampsia group (pstar value in the pre-eclamptic group was found to be 37.48 ms (standard deviation ± 11.3), this value was 28.74 (standard deviation ± 8.08) in the control group. The cut-off value for the T2 star value, maximising the accuracy of diagnosis, was 28.59 ms (area under curve: 0.741; 95% confidence interval: 0.592-0.890); sensitivity and specificity were 70% and 63.6%, respectively. This study, the T2 star value, which is an indicator of iron amount, was found to be significantly lower in the control group than in the pre-eclampsia group. This may be related to the reduction in blood flow to the placenta due to endothelial dysfunction and vasoconstriction, which are important in pre-eclampsia pathophysiology.

  15. Group Insight Versus Group Desensitization in Treating Speech Anxiety

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meichenbaum, Donald H.; And Others

    1971-01-01

    Results of this study indicated that the insight group was as effective as the desensitization group in significantly reducing speech anxiety over control group levels as assessed by behavioral, cognitive, and self-report measures given immediately after posttreatment and later at a three-month follow-up. (Author)

  16. Carvacrol and Pomegranate Extract in Treating Methotrexate-Induced Lung Oxidative Injury in Rats

    Science.gov (United States)

    Şen, Hadice Selimoğlu; Şen, Velat; Bozkurt, Mehtap; Türkçü, Gül; Güzel, Abdulmenap; Sezgi, Cengizhan; Abakay, Özlem; Kaplan, Ibrahim

    2014-01-01

    Background This study was designed to evaluate the effects of carvacrol (CRV) and pomegranate extract (PE) on methotrexate (MTX)-induced lung injury in rats. Material/Methods A total of 32 male rats were subdivided into 4 groups: control (group I), MTX treated (group II), MTX+CRV treated (group III), and MTX+PE treated (group IV). A single dose of 73 mg/kg CRV was administered intraperitoneally to rats in group III on Day 1 of the investigation. To group IV, a dose of 225 mg/kg of PE was administered via orogastric gavage once daily over 7 days. A single dose of 20 mg/kg of MTX was given intraperitoneally to groups II, III, and IV on Day 2. The total duration of experiment was 8 days. Malondialdehyde (MDA), total oxidant status (TOS), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and oxidative stress index (OSI) were measured from rat lung tissues and cardiac blood samples. Results Serum and lung specimen analyses demonstrated that MDA, TOS, and OSI levels were significantly greater in group II relative to controls. Conversely, the TAC level was significantly reduced in group II when compared to the control group. Pre-administering either CRV or PE was associated with decreased MDA, TOS, and OSI levels and increased TAC levels compared to rats treated with MTX alone. Histopathological examination revealed that lung injury was less severe in group III and IV relative to group II. Conclusions MTX treatment results in rat lung oxidative damage that is partially counteracted by pretreatment with either CRV or PE. PMID:25326861

  17. Effect of Pre-Ramadan Education on Dietary Intake and Anthropometry-Comparison Between Two Groups of Diabetic Patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bencharif Meriem

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Background and aims: Fasting of Ramadan leads to changes in dietary habits, physical activity, sleep and time of drug intake for diabetics. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of pre-Ramadan education on dietary intake and anthropometry of two groups of patients.

  18. Ripening of fruits of 'Dwarf Prata' banana (Musa acuminata x Musa balbisiana, AAB group)irradiated and treated with calcium carbide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martineli, Maristella; Coneglian, Regina C.C.; Vasconcellos, Marco A.S.; Silva, Eduardo; Vital, Helio C.

    2011-01-01

    The competing effects resulting from the exposure of fruits of 'warf prata' banana (Musa acuminata x Musa balbisiana, AAB group) to gamma radiation and to calcium carbide have been investigated in this work. The fruits were harvested in a pre-climateric stage (green colored though physiologically developed) in the city of Jaiba, state of Minas Gerais, and gamma irradiated with doses of 0.25 or 0.50 kGy in a research irradiating facility at the Brazilian Army Technology Center (CTEx) in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Some samples were also exposed to calcium carbide for 32 hours in order to accelerate ripening. Quantitative estimates of peel color, disease index and fresh mass loss were performed for 9 days while the fruits were kept at an average temperature of 23 deg C. The analyses were performed in the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro, located in the city of Seropedica. The following treatments or combination of processes have been tested: untreated (control); treated only with irradiation with doses of 0.25 kGy or 0.50 kGy; treated with irradiation with doses of 0.25 kGy or 0.50 kGy and then exposed to calcium carbide. The fruits treated solely with irradiation with 0.25 kGy exhibited a better response during the first days of storage, although their initial green coloration vanished with time. In addition, the fungi Colletotrichum musae and Lasidioplodia theobroma were detected in samples submitted to the combination of both processes. In contrast, such fungi were not observed in fruits that had only been exposed to 0.25 kGy and exhibited low disease indices. Also, 1-2 cm lesions were detected on fruits.(author)

  19. Efficacy of moxibustion for pre- or stage I hypertension: study protocol for a pilot randomized controlled trial

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shin Kyung-Min

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Hypertension is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and the prevalence of hypertension tends to increase with age. Current treatments for hypertension have adverse side effects and poor adherence. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of moxibustion on blood pressure in individuals with pre- or stage I hypertension. Methods/design Forty-five subjects with pre- or stage I hypertension will be randomized into three groups: treatment group A (2 times/week, treatment group B (3 times/week, and the control group (non-treated group. The inclusion criteria will be as follows: (1 aged between 19 and 65 years; (2 prehypertension or stage I hypertension (JNC 7, Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure; (3 the participants are volunteers and written consent obtained. The participants in the treatment group A will undergo indirect moxibustion 2 times per week for 4 weeks, and the participants in the treatment group B will undergo indirect moxibustion 3 times per week for 4 weeks. The participants in the control group (non-treated group will maintain their current lifestyle, including diet and exercise. The use of antihypertensive medication is not permitted. The primary endpoint will be a change in patient blood pressure. The secondary endpoints will be the body mass index, lipid profile, EuroQol and Heart Rate Variability. The data will be analyzed with the Student’s t-test and analysis of variance (ANOVA (p Discussion The results of this study will help to establish the optimal approach for the care of adults with pre- or stage I hypertension. Trial registration Clinical Research Information Service KCT0000469

  20. The efficacy of a brief group CBT program in treating patients diagnosed with bulimia nervosa: a brief report

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jones, Allan; Clausen, Loa

    2013-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of a brief group cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) program in treating a large cohort of patients diagnosed with bulimia nervosa. METHOD: Treatment outcome defined as reductions in bulimia related behavioral symptoms and bulimia related...... distress was examined in 205 consecutive new patients enrolled in an eight-session group CBT program. RESULTS: Significant reductions in eating disorder pathology were found on all measures of bulimia related behavioral symptoms, as well as on all measures of bulimia related distress. DISCUSSION......: There is strong evidence for the efficacy of brief group CBT in treating patients with bulimia nervosa....

  1. The Effect of Phosphoric Acid Pre-etching Times on Bonding Performance and Surface Free Energy with Single-step Self-etch Adhesives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsujimoto, A; Barkmeier, W W; Takamizawa, T; Latta, M A; Miyazaki, M

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of phosphoric acid pre-etching times on shear bond strength (SBS) and surface free energy (SFE) with single-step self-etch adhesives. The three single-step self-etch adhesives used were: 1) Scotchbond Universal Adhesive (3M ESPE), 2) Clearfil tri-S Bond (Kuraray Noritake Dental), and 3) G-Bond Plus (GC). Two no pre-etching groups, 1) untreated enamel and 2) enamel surfaces after ultrasonic cleaning with distilled water for 30 seconds to remove the smear layer, were prepared. There were four pre-etching groups: 1) enamel surfaces were pre-etched with phosphoric acid (Etchant, 3M ESPE) for 3 seconds, 2) enamel surfaces were pre-etched for 5 seconds, 3) enamel surfaces were pre-etched for 10 seconds, and 4) enamel surfaces were pre-etched for 15 seconds. Resin composite was bonded to the treated enamel surface to determine SBS. The SFEs of treated enamel surfaces were determined by measuring the contact angles of three test liquids. Scanning electron microscopy was used to examine the enamel surfaces and enamel-adhesive interface. The specimens with phosphoric acid pre-etching showed significantly higher SBS and SFEs than the specimens without phosphoric acid pre-etching regardless of the adhesive system used. SBS and SFEs did not increase for phosphoric acid pre-etching times over 3 seconds. There were no significant differences in SBS and SFEs between the specimens with and without a smear layer. The data suggest that phosphoric acid pre-etching of ground enamel improves the bonding performance of single-step self-etch adhesives, but these bonding properties do not increase for phosphoric acid pre-etching times over 3 seconds.

  2. Trace element analysis of teeth from pre-Columbian population groups in Mexico

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Solis, C.; Oliver, A.; Andrade, E.; Macias, R.; Mansilla, J.; Chavez-Lomeli, M.E.

    1999-01-01

    Human teeth from pre-Columbian and recent population groups have been analyzed by PIXE. Ancient teeth corresponding to children and adults were obtained from archaeological burials located in five geographic areas of Mexico. Inter-specific and inter-site differences in the trace element contents of enamel were compared in order to get some insight into differences in diet, environmental conditions, teeth health, disease state and post mortem alteration among the co-occurring populations. For permanent teeth from adults, small variations in trace element levels were found depending on the collection site or tooth health, but for deciduous teeth from children, the concentration of elements such as Mn, Fe and Sr varied considerably. In this work, the possible sources of variation are discussed. (author)

  3. Development to term of cloned cattle derived from donor cells treated with valproic acid.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juliano Rodrigues Sangalli

    Full Text Available Cloning of mammals by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT is still plagued by low efficiency. The epigenetic modifications established during cellular differentiation are a major factor determining this low efficiency as they act as epigenetic barriers restricting reprogramming of somatic nuclei. In this regard, most factors that promote chromatin decondensation, including histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACis, have been found to increase nuclear reprogramming efficiency, making their use common to improve SCNT rates. Herein we used valproic acid (VPA in SCNT to test whether the treatment of nuclear donor cells with this HDACi improves pre- and post-implantation development of cloned cattle. We found that the treatment of fibroblasts with VPA increased histone acetylation without affecting DNA methylation. Moreover, the treatment with VPA resulted in increased expression of IGF2R and PPARGC1A, but not of POU5F1. However, when treated cells were used as nuclear donors no difference of histone acetylation was found after oocyte reconstruction compared to the use of untreated cells. Moreover, shortly after artificial activation the histone acetylation levels were decreased in the embryos produced with VPA-treated cells. With respect to developmental rates, the use of treated cells as donors resulted in no difference during pre- and post-implantation development. In total, five clones developed to term; three produced with untreated cells and two with VPA-treated cells. Among the calves from treated group, one stillborn calf was delivered at day 270 of gestation whereas the other one was delivered at term but died shortly after birth. Among the calves from the control group, one died seven days after birth whereas the other two are still alive and healthy. Altogether, these results show that in spite of the alterations in fibroblasts resulting from the treatment with VPA, their use as donor cells in SCNT did not improve pre- and post

  4. Pregnancy outcome in women with polycystic ovary syndrome comparing the effects of laparoscopic ovarian drilling and clomiphene citrate stimulation in women pre-treated with metformin: a retrospective study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ott, Johannes; Kurz, Christine; Nouri, Kazem; Wirth, Stefan; Vytiska-Binstorfer, Elisabeth; Huber, Johannes C; Mayerhofer, Klaus

    2010-05-13

    Ovarian stimulation in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) increases the risk for perinatal complications. Ovulation induction by laparoscopic ovarian drilling (LOD) might improve the overall pregnancy outcomes. The aim of our study was to assess the adverse events or effects on pregnancy of LOD and clomiphene citrate (CC) stimulation in patients who received metformin. Academic research institution. We retrospectively analyzed the courses of 40 spontaneous pregnancies after LOD for CC-resistance, 40 pregnancies after CC stimulation, and 40 pregnancies after metformin treatment alone. Patients in the LOD and the CC groups had been pre-treated with Metformin. Primary outcome parameters were: the rate of multiple pregnancies; the rate of early pregnancy losses/miscarriages; the development of gestational diabetes, pregnancy-induced hypertension, and preeclampsia/HELLP-syndrome; premature delivery; and birth weight. The rate of twin pregnancies did not differ between the CC group (12.5%), the LOD group (7.5%), and the metformin only group (2.5%, p=0.239). Seventeen women suffered an early miscarriage. There were no differences with regard to the rates of gestational diabetes, pregnancy-induced hypertension, preeclampsia, and preterm delivery. By analyzing all pregnancy complications together, the overall pregnancy complication rate was highest in the CC group (70.0%, 28/40), followed by the LOD group (45.0%, 18/40), and the metformin only group (47.5%, 19/40; p=0.047). CC, but not LOD, increases the complication rate in pregnant patients who received metformin.

  5. Influence of pre-infarction angina, collateral flow, and pre-procedural TIMI flow on myocardial salvage index by cardiac magnetic resonance in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lønborg, Jacob; Kelbæk, Henning; Vejlstrup, Niels; Bøtker, Hans Erik; Kim, Won Yong; Holmvang, Lene; Jørgensen, Erik; Helqvist, Steffen; Saunamäki, Kari; Thuesen, Leif; Krusell, Lars Romer; Clemmensen, Peter; Engstrøm, Thomas

    2012-05-01

    In patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) pre-infarction angina, pre-procedural TIMI flow and collateral flow to the myocardium supplied by the infarct related artery are suggested to be cardioprotective. We evaluated the effect of these factors on myocardial salvage index (MSI) and infarct size adjusting for area at risk in patients with STEMI treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) was used to measure myocardial area at risk within 1-7 days and final infarct size 90 ± 21 days after the STEMI in 200 patients. MSI was calculated as (area-at-risk infarct size) / area-at-risk. Patients with pre-infarction angina had a median MSI of 0.80 (IQR 0.67 to 0.86) versus 0.72 (0.61 to 0.80) in those without pre-infarction angina, P = 0.004). In a regression analysis of the infarct size plotted against the area-at-risk there was a strong trend that the line for the pre-infarction angina group was below the one for the non-angina group (P = 0.05). Patients with pre-procedural TIMI flow 0/1, 2 and 3 had a median MSI of (0.69 (IQR 0.59 to 0.76), 0.78 (0.68 to 0.86) and 0.85 (0.77 to 0.91), respectively (PCollateral flow did not change MSI (P = 0.45) nor area-at-risk (P = 0.40) and no significant difference in infarct size adjusted for area at risk (P = 0.25) was observed. Pre-infarction angina increases MSI in patients with STEMI supporting the theory that pre-infarction angina leads to ischemic preconditioning. As opposed to the presence of angiographically visible collateral flow to the infarct area pre-procedural TIMI flow is strongly associated with MSI.

  6. Does a pre-treatment diagnostic interview affect the outcome of internet-based self-help for social anxiety disorder? a randomized controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boettcher, Johanna; Berger, Thomas; Renneberg, Babette

    2012-10-01

    Numerous studies suggest that Internet-based self-help treatments are effective in treating anxiety disorders. Trials evaluating such interventions differ in their screening procedures and in the amount of clinician contact in the diagnostic assessment phase. The present study evaluates the impact of a pre-treatment diagnostic interview on the outcome of an Internet-based treatment for Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD). One hundred and nine participants seeking treatment for SAD were randomized to either an interview-group (IG, N = 53) or to a non-interview group (NIG, N = 56). All participants took part in the same 10-week cognitive-behavioural unguided self-help programme. Before receiving access to the programme, participants of the IG underwent a structured diagnostic interview. Participants of the NIG started directly with the programme. Participants in both groups showed significant and substantial improvement on social anxiety measures from pre- to post-assessment (d IG = 1.30-1.63; d NIG = 1.00-1.28) and from pre- to 4-month follow-up assessment (d IG = 1.38-1.87; d NIG = 1.10-1.21). Significant between-groups effects in favour of the IG were found on secondary outcome measures of depression and general distress (d = 0.18-0.42). These findings suggest that Internet-based self-help is effective in treating SAD, whether or not a diagnostic interview is involved. However, the pre-treatment interview seems to facilitate change on secondary outcomes such as depression and general distress.

  7. {sup 18}F-PEG-biotin: Precursor (boroaryl-PEG-biotin) synthesis, {sup 18}F-labelling and an in-vitro assessment of its binding with Neutravidin{sup TM}-trastuzumab pre-treated cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Smith, Tim A.D., E-mail: t.smith@abdn.ac.uk [Biomedical Physics Building, John Mallard PET Unit, Aberdeen Biomedical Imaging Centre, School of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD (United Kingdom); Simpson, Michael; Cheyne, Richard [Biomedical Physics Building, John Mallard PET Unit, Aberdeen Biomedical Imaging Centre, School of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD (United Kingdom); School of Natural and Computing Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3UE (United Kingdom); Trembleau, Laurent [School of Natural and Computing Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3UE (United Kingdom)

    2011-10-15

    In terms of nuclear decay {sup 18}F is the most ideal PET nuclide but its short t{sub 1/2} precludes its use for directly labelling whole antibodies due to their long blood residence times. Pre-targeted imaging using affinity systems such as Neutravidin{sup TM}-biotin facilitates the application of short-lived nuclides by their attachment to biotin for imaging cell surface proteins targeted with Neutravidin{sup TM}-conjugated antibodies. Methods: Boroaryl functionalised biotin was prepared with a PEG linker and radiolabelled by incubation with {sup 18}F in acidified aqueous solution. Cells expressing high (SKBr3), medium (MDA-MB-453) and low (MDA-MB-468) levels of HER-2 were pre-incubated with Neutravidin{sup TM}-conjugated trastuzumab, washed, and then incubated with {sup 18}F-PEG-biotin. Results: The {sup 18}F-fluorination of boroaryl-PEG-biotin was much more efficient than reported for other versions of boroaryl-biotin. The novel {sup 18}F-PEG-biotin was demonstrated to bind to HER-2-expressing cells in-vitro pre-incubated with Neutravidin{sup TM}-conjugated trastuzumab. Conclusion: Biotin can be functionalised with boroaryl and readily {sup 18}F-radiolabelled in aqueous solution and will bind to cells pre-incubated with Neutravidin{sup TM}-antibody conjugates. - Highlights: > Boroaryl-biotin precursor is prepared. > Rapid {sup 18}F-fluorination is demonstrated. > HER-2 expressing breast cancer cells pre-treated with trastuzumab-Neutravidin{sup TM}. > {sup 18}F-PEG-biotin binding to pre-treated cells corresponds with HER-2 expression.

  8. Analysis of toxicity in a group of patients treated for pancreatic cancer with combined modality 3D radiation therapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fine, Robert M.; Fernandez-Vicioso, Eduardo; Higgins, Patrick; Schell, Michael; Sohn, Jason; Pelley, Robert; Walsh, R. M.; Vogt, David; Hermann, Robert

    1995-01-01

    Purpose: To evaluate the acute toxicity of a group of 37 pancreatic cancer patients treated with noncoplanar, nonopposed, conformal radiation therapy with concurrent chemotherapy (5-FU). Materials and Methods: We retrospectively evaluated a group of initially nonadvanced 37 pancreatic cancer patients treated with combined concurrent chemotherapy and 3D radiation therapy treated between 1992 until 1995. During this period we began treating the initially unresectable patients with preoperative chemo-RT (50.4 Gy) after treating an initial group of unresectable patients to a higher dose of 66.6 Gy. We also include a group of patients who received postop chemo-RT after Whipple resection (59.4 Gy). All radiation was delivered at a 1.8 Gy per fraction dose rate. The total group was made up of 37 patients of whom 21 were male (57%) and 16 female (43%). There were 22 (59%) head of pancreas lesions, 10 (27%) body of pancreas lesions, and 5 (14%) head and body of pancreas cancers. Of these 37 patients 7 (19%) were treated with chemo-RT as their only treatment, 10 patients (29%) were treated post Whipple resection, and 20 patients (54%) were treated with preoperative intent. Results: Three patients (8%) required a treatment break, one with a body and 2 with head lesions. Two of these patients stopped RT short of planned dose (32.56 and 46.8 Gy) both suffering from nausea, vomiting, and anorexia with the third, who finished a planned 66.6 Gy dose, after a 4 day rest for leukopenia. One of 20 patients (5%) preop patients underwent the planned post chemo-RT Whipple resection, while 4 of the 20 patients (20%), remained unresectable, but without disease progression and had Iodine 125 interstitial implants at exploration delivering a minimal tumor dose of 120 Gy on top or the 50.4 Gy delivered preoperatively. Four patients (11%) maintained a minimal Karnofsky score of 100, 23 patients (62%) maintained a minimal KPS of 90, 6 patients (16%) maintained a minimal KPS of 80, and 4

  9. Software support: Pre-empting the quick question. [User's support group at Fermilab

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Loebel, L.

    1987-09-01

    High energy physicists, researchers and graduate students, from universities all around the world come to Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory to do their experiments. They use our computer facilities to perform all phases of their data-analysis and presentation. We have a large turnover of users and a rather small support group, in a multi-vendor environment. We strive to make our users self-sufficient through the use of well-publicized maintenance procedures, documentation systems, and product support standards. By these pre-emptive measures we attempt to have quick answers at hand for the truly quick questions, leaving us time for the interesting problems.

  10. Values of iodine metabolism biomarkers in assessing the iodine nutrition status in surgically treated patients with thyroid disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Jian-hua; Wu, Lian; Yu, Song-lin; Fang, Hui-ling; Kamg, Wei-ming; Cheng, Xin-qi; Lu, Jie; Yu, Jian-chun; Qiu, Ling

    2015-04-01

    To assess the clinical application value of iodine metabolism biomarkers in assessing iodine nutrition status in surgically treated patients with thyroid disease. Blood,morning urine and 24-hour urine samples were collected in 31 healthy volunteers and in 30 surgically treated patients with thyroid disease before and after surgery. Iodine concentration was analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The iodine metabolism biomarkers including serum iodine (SI), morning urine iodine(UI), morning urine iodine/urine creatinine ratio (UI/UCr), 24-hour urine iodine (24 h UI), and 24-hour urine iodine excretion (24 h UIE) were evaluated in these two groups. In addition, the validation coincidence rate of iodine metabolism biomarkers in healthy volunteers to different reference ranges including World Health Organization, Mayo Clinic, and Quest Diagnostics were calculated. The UI/UCr ratio of pre-operative thyroid disease patients was significantly lower than that of healthy volunteers (P0.05) between these two groups. The SI, UI ,and 24 h UI in postoperative thyroid disease patients were significantly higher than those of the pre-operative patients (all Piodine metabolism biomarkers. The UI/UCr ratio may be used for iodine nutrition evaluation in surgically treated patients with thyroid disease.

  11. Induction of dominant lethals in male mice treated as embryos with 35S

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reddy, K.S.; Reddy, P.P.; Reddy, O.S.

    1980-01-01

    Pregnant female mice were injected (ip) with 20 μCi of 35 S or 0.5 ml of saline (control) on 3.5 day of gestation. The animals were allowed to litter and the (CBA female x C 3 H/He male) F 1 males treated as embryos were tested at maturity (8-10 weeks) for dominant lethal incidence. Each male was mated to 3 untreated virgin females for a period of 3 weeks. The pregnant animals were killed at mid gestation and the uterine contents and corpora lutea were examined. There was a significant increase in the frequency of dominant lethals both at pre- and post-implantation stages in the treated group when compared to controls. As a result a significant increase in dead implantations/female and reduction in live implantations/female were noticed in the treated group. Thus the results clearly delineate the genetic effects of sulfur-35 in mice. (auth.)

  12. Replicative phenotyping adds value to genotypic resistance testing in heavily pre-treated HIV-infected individuals - the Swiss HIV Cohort Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martinetti Gladys

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Replicative phenotypic HIV resistance testing (rPRT uses recombinant infectious virus to measure viral replication in the presence of antiretroviral drugs. Due to its high sensitivity of detection of viral minorities and its dissecting power for complex viral resistance patterns and mixed virus populations rPRT might help to improve HIV resistance diagnostics, particularly for patients with multiple drug failures. The aim was to investigate whether the addition of rPRT to genotypic resistance testing (GRT compared to GRT alone is beneficial for obtaining a virological response in heavily pre-treated HIV-infected patients. Methods Patients with resistance tests between 2002 and 2006 were followed within the Swiss HIV Cohort Study (SHCS. We assessed patients' virological success after their antiretroviral therapy was switched following resistance testing. Multilevel logistic regression models with SHCS centre as a random effect were used to investigate the association between the type of resistance test and virological response (HIV-1 RNA Results Of 1158 individuals with resistance tests 221 with GRT+rPRT and 937 with GRT were eligible for analysis. Overall virological response rates were 85.1% for GRT+rPRT and 81.4% for GRT. In the subgroup of patients with >2 previous failures, the odds ratio (OR for virological response of GRT+rPRT compared to GRT was 1.45 (95% CI 1.00-2.09. Multivariate analyses indicate a significant improvement with GRT+rPRT compared to GRT alone (OR 1.68, 95% CI 1.31-2.15. Conclusions In heavily pre-treated patients rPRT-based resistance information adds benefit, contributing to a higher rate of treatment success.

  13. Saccharification and hydrolytic enzyme production of alkali pre-treated wheat bran by Trichoderma virens under solid state fermentation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    El-Shishtawy, Reda M; Mohamed, Saleh A; Asiri, Abdullah M; Gomaa, Abu-Bakr M; Ibrahim, Ibrahim H; Al-Talhi, Hasan A

    2015-05-28

    In continuation of our previously interest in the saccharification of agriculture wastes by Bacillus megatherium in solid state fermentation (SSF), we wish to report an investigation and comparative evaluation among Trichoderma sp. for the saccharification of four alkali-pretreated agricultural residues and production of hydrolytic enzymes, carboxymethyl cellulase (CMCase), filter paperase (FPase), pectinase (PGase) and xylanase (Xylase) in SSF. The optimization of the physiological conditions of production of hydrolytic enzymes and saccharification content from Trichoderma virens using alkali-pretreated wheat bran was the last goal. The physico-chemical parameters of SSF include incubation time, incubation temperature, moisture content of the substrate, incubation pH, supplementation with carbon and nitrogen sources were optimized. Saccharification of different solid state fermentation sources wheat bran, date's seeds, grass and palm leaves, were tested for the production of fermentable sugar by Trichoderma sp. The maximum production of hydrolytic enzymes CMCase, FPase, PGase and Xylase and saccharification content were obtained on wheat bran. Time course, moisture content, optimum temperature, optimum pH, supplementation with carbon and nitrogen sources were optimized to achieve the maximum production of the hydrolytic enzymes, protein and total carbohydrate of T. virens using alkali pre-treated wheat bran. The maximum production of CMCase, FPase, PGase, Xylase, protein and carbohydrate content was recorded at 72 h of incubation, 50-70 % moisture, temperature 25-35 °C and pH 5. The influence of supplementary carbon and nitrogen sources was studied. While lactose and sucrose enhanced the activity of PGase from 79.2 to 582.9 and 632.6 U/g, starch inhibited all other enzymes. This was confirmed by maximum saccharification content. Among the nitrogen sources, yeast extract and urea enhanced the saccharification content and CMCase, PGase and Xylase. The results of

  14. Pregnancy outcome in women with polycystic ovary syndrome comparing the effects of laparoscopic ovarian drilling and clomiphene citrate stimulation in women pre-treated with metformin: a retrospective study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vytiska-Binstorfer Elisabeth

    2010-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Ovarian stimulation in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS increases the risk for perinatal complications. Ovulation induction by laparoscopic ovarian drilling (LOD might improve the overall pregnancy outcomes. The aim of our study was to assess the adverse events or effects on pregnancy of LOD and clomiphene citrate (CC stimulation in patients who received metformin. Methods Setting: Academic research institution. We retrospectively analyzed the courses of 40 spontaneous pregnancies after LOD for CC-resistance, 40 pregnancies after CC stimulation, and 40 pregnancies after metformin treatment alone. Patients in the LOD and the CC groups had been pre-treated with Metformin. Primary outcome parameters were: the rate of multiple pregnancies; the rate of early pregnancy losses/miscarriages; the development of gestational diabetes, pregnancy-induced hypertension, and preeclampsia/HELLP-syndrome; premature delivery; and birth weight. Results The rate of twin pregnancies did not differ between the CC group (12.5%, the LOD group (7.5%, and the metformin only group (2.5%, p = 0.239. Seventeen women suffered an early miscarriage. There were no differences with regard to the rates of gestational diabetes, pregnancy-induced hypertension, preeclampsia, and preterm delivery. By analyzing all pregnancy complications together, the overall pregnancy complication rate was highest in the CC group (70.0%, 28/40, followed by the LOD group (45.0%, 18/40, and the metformin only group (47.5%, 19/40; p = 0.047. Conclusions CC, but not LOD, increases the complication rate in pregnant patients who received metformin.

  15. Assessment of Biochemical Changes and Protein Pattern in Kidney of Fasciola gigantica. Infected Rabbit Untreated and Treated with Triclabendazole

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moawad, M.A.; Hafez, E.N.

    2014-01-01

    Fascioliasis is a hepatic parasitic infection caused by Fasciola gigantica that affects numerous mammalian species, mainly ruminants and occasionally human. Triclabendazole TCBZ (marketed as Fasinex) has high efficacy against all stages of F. gigantica in mammalian host. The present study was designed to evaluate the effect of infection on liver and kidney functions in rabbits untreated and treated with triclabendazole and the electrophoretic pattern of proteins of the rabbit kidney as well. Twenty four (24) parasite-free rabbits were divided into four groups, group (1): normal control (non treated, non infected), group (2): infected only, group (3): treated with TBCZ only, group: (4) infected and then treated with TBCZ. Biochemical studies on infected, treated and infected treated showed a high significant hyperbilirubinaemia P<0.001 in infected and treated groups and significant hyperbilirubinaemia P<0.01 in infected treated group compared to the normal control group. Ala - nine aminotransferase (ALT) value was highly significantly increased in infected group P<0.001 with no significant changes (P>0.05) in both treated and infected treated groups compared to control normal group. Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels showed high significant increase P>0.001 compared to normal control group. Blood urea levels in infected and treated groups were highly significant increased compared to control normal group with P<0.001. Similarly serum creatinine levels showed high significant increase P<0.001 in both infected and infected treated groups with values (1.4 Mg/dl) and (1.2 Mg/dl) respectively. While only treated group showed significant decrease (0.6 Mg/dl) compared to normal group (0.77 Mg/dl). The concentration of protein bands in kidney electrophoresis revealed no significant changes in pre albumin in infected group (P>0.05) and significant difference in treated and infected treated groups (P<0.01) compared to normal control group. Albumin concentration showed

  16. Patterns of Mortality in Patients Treated with Dental Implants: A Comparison of Patient Age Groups and Corresponding Reference Populations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jemt, Torsten; Kowar, Jan; Nilsson, Mats; Stenport, Victoria

    2015-01-01

    Little is known about the relationship between implant patient mortality compared to reference populations. The aim of this study was to report the mortality pattern in patients treated with dental implants up to a 15-year period, and to compare this to mortality in reference populations with regard to age at surgery, sex, and degree of tooth loss. Patient cumulative survival rate (CSR) was calculated for a total of 4,231 treated implant patients from a single clinic. Information was based on surgical registers in the clinic and the National Population Register in Sweden. Patients were arranged into age groups of 10 years, and CSR was compared to that of the reference population of comparable age and reported in relation to age at surgery, sex, and type of jaw/dentition. A similar, consistent, general relationship between CSR of different age groups of implant patients and reference populations could be observed for all parameters studied. Completely edentulous patients presented higher mortality than partially edentulous patients (P age groups showed mortality similar to or higher than reference populations, while older patient age groups showed increasingly lower mortality than comparable reference populations for edentulous and partially edentulous patients (P age groups of patients compared to reference populations was observed, indicating higher patient mortality in younger age groups and lower in older groups. The reported pattern is not assumed to be related to implant treatment per se, but is assumed to reflect the variation in general health of a selected subgroup of treated implant patients compared to the reference population in different age groups.

  17. Pre-operative biliary drainage for obstructive jaundice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fang, Yuan; Gurusamy, Kurinchi Selvan; Wang, Qin; Davidson, Brian R; Lin, He; Xie, Xiaodong; Wang, Chaohua

    2014-01-01

    Background Patients with obstructive jaundice have various pathophysiological changes that affect the liver, kidney, heart, and the immune system. There is considerable controversy as to whether temporary relief of biliary obstruction prior to major definitive surgery (pre-operative biliary drainage) is of any benefit to the patient. Objectives To assess the benefits and harms of pre-operative biliary drainage versus no pre-operative biliary drainage (direct surgery) in patients with obstructive jaundice (irrespective of a benign or malignant cause). Search methods We searched the Cochrane Hepato-Biliary Group Controlled Trials Register, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Clinical Trials (CENTRAL) in The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Science Citation Index Expanded until February 2012. Selection criteria We included all randomised clinical trials comparing biliary drainage followed by surgery versus direct surgery, performed for obstructive jaundice, irrespective of the sample size, language, and publication status. Data collection and analysis Two authors independently assessed trials for inclusion and extracted data. We calculated the risk ratio (RR), rate ratio (RaR), or mean difference (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) based on the available patient analyses. We assessed the risk of bias (systematic overestimation of benefit or systematic underestimation of harm) with components of the Cochrane risk of bias tool. We assessed the risk of play of chance (random errors) with trial sequential analysis. Main results We included six trials with 520 patients comparing pre-operative biliary drainage (265 patients) versus no pre-operative biliary drainage (255 patients). Four trials used percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage and two trials used endoscopic sphincterotomy and stenting as the method of pre-operative biliary drainage. The risk of bias was high in all trials. The proportion of patients with malignant obstruction varied between 60

  18. Ripening of fruits of 'Dwarf Prata' banana (Musa acuminata x Musa balbisiana, AAB group)irradiated and treated with calcium carbide

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Martineli, Maristella [Instituto de Quimica. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Coneglian, Regina C.C.; Vasconcellos, Marco A.S.; Silva, Eduardo, E-mail: rccconeg@ufrrj.br, E-mail: masv@ufrrj.br [Departamento de Fitotecnia. Instituto de Agronomia. Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ), Seropedica, RJ (Brazil); Vital, Helio C., E-mail: vital@ctex.eb.br [Secao de Defesa Nuclear. Divisao de Defesa Quimica, Biologica e Nuclear. Centro Tecnologico do Exercito (CTEx), Guaratiba, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

    2011-07-01

    The competing effects resulting from the exposure of fruits of 'warf prata' banana (Musa acuminata x Musa balbisiana, AAB group) to gamma radiation and to calcium carbide have been investigated in this work. The fruits were harvested in a pre-climateric stage (green colored though physiologically developed) in the city of Jaiba, state of Minas Gerais, and gamma irradiated with doses of 0.25 or 0.50 kGy in a research irradiating facility at the Brazilian Army Technology Center (CTEx) in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Some samples were also exposed to calcium carbide for 32 hours in order to accelerate ripening. Quantitative estimates of peel color, disease index and fresh mass loss were performed for 9 days while the fruits were kept at an average temperature of 23 deg C. The analyses were performed in the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro, located in the city of Seropedica. The following treatments or combination of processes have been tested: untreated (control); treated only with irradiation with doses of 0.25 kGy or 0.50 kGy; treated with irradiation with doses of 0.25 kGy or 0.50 kGy and then exposed to calcium carbide. The fruits treated solely with irradiation with 0.25 kGy exhibited a better response during the first days of storage, although their initial green coloration vanished with time. In addition, the fungi Colletotrichum musae and Lasidioplodia theobroma were detected in samples submitted to the combination of both processes. In contrast, such fungi were not observed in fruits that had only been exposed to 0.25 kGy and exhibited low disease indices. Also, 1-2 cm lesions were detected on fruits.(author)

  19. Effect of biological activated carbon pre-treatment to control organic fouling in the microfiltration of biologically treated secondary effluent.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pramanik, Biplob Kumar; Roddick, Felicity A; Fan, Linhua

    2014-10-15

    Biological activated carbon (BAC) filtration was investigated as a pre-treatment for reducing the organic fouling of a microfiltration membrane (0.1 μm polyvinylidene fluoride) in the treatment of a biologically treated secondary effluent (BTSE) from a municipal wastewater treatment plant. BAC treatment of the BTSE resulted in a marked improvement in permeate flux, which was attributed to the effective removal of organic foulants and particulates. Although the BAC removed significantly less dissolved organic carbon than the granular activated carbon (GAC) treatment which was used as a control for comparison, it led to a markedly greater flux. This was attributed to the effective removal of the very high molecular weight substances such as biopolymers by the BAC through biodegradation and adsorption of those molecules on the biofilm. Size exclusion chromatography showed the BAC treatment led to approximately 30% reduction in these substances, whereas the GAC did not greatly remove these molecules. The BAC treatment led to a greater reduction of loosely-attached and firmly-attached membrane surface foulant, and this was confirmed by attenuated total reflection-fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis. This study demonstrated the potential of BAC pre-treatment for reducing organic fouling and thus improving flux for the microfiltration of BTSE. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Effect of α-Amylase Degradation on Physicochemical Properties of Pre-High Hydrostatic Pressure-Treated Potato Starch

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mu, Tai-Hua; Zhang, Miao; Raad, Leyla; Sun, Hong-Nan; Wang, Cheng

    2015-01-01

    The effect of high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) on the susceptibility of potato starch (25%, w/v) suspended in water to degradation by exposure to bacterial α-amylase (0.02%, 0.04% and 0.06%, w/v) for 40 min at 25°C was investigated. Significant differences (p starch (PS) exposed to α-amylase (0.06%, w/v) showed a significantly greater degree of hydrolysis and amount of reducing sugar released compared to α-amylase at a concentration of 0.04% (w/v) or 0.02% (w/v). Native PS (NPS) granules have a spherical and elliptical form with a smooth surface, whereas the hydrolyzed NPS (hNPS) and hydrolyzed HHP-treated PS granules showed irregular and ruptured forms with several cracks and holes on the surface. Hydrolysis of HHP-treated PS by α-amylase could decrease the average granule size significantly (p starch in both the ordered and the amorphous structure, especially in hydrolyzed HHP600 PS. The B-type of hydrolyzed HHP600 PS with α-amylase at a concentration 0.06% (w/v) changed to a B+V type with an additional peak at 2θ = 19.36°. The HHP600 starch with 0.06% (w/v) α-amylase displayed the lowest value of T o (onset temperature), T c (conclusion temperature) and ΔH gel (enthalpies of gelatinization). These results indicate the pre-HHP treatment of NPS leads to increased susceptibility of the granules to enzymatic degradation and eventually changes of both the amorphous and the crystalline structures. PMID:26642044

  1. Pre-Algebra Lexicon.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hayden, Dunstan; Cuevas, Gilberto

    The pre-algebra lexicon is a set of classroom exercises designed to teach the technical words and phrases of pre-algebra mathematics, and includes the terms most commonly found in related mathematics courses. The lexicon has three parts, each with its own introduction. The first introduces vocabulary items in three groups forming a learning…

  2. Microwave-Assisted Alkali Pre-Treatment, Densification and Enzymatic Saccharification of Canola Straw and Oat Hull.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agu, Obiora S; Tabil, Lope G; Dumonceaux, Tim

    2017-03-26

    The effects of microwave-assisted alkali pre-treatment on pellets' characteristics and enzymatic saccharification for bioethanol production using lignocellulosic biomass of canola straw and oat hull were investigated. The ground canola straw and oat hull were immersed in distilled water, sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide solutions at two concentrations (0.75% and 1.5% w/v) and exposed to microwave radiation at power level 713 W and three residence times (6, 12 and 18 min). Bulk and particle densities of ground biomass samples were determined. Alkaline-microwave pre-treated and untreated samples were subjected to single pelleting test in an Instron universal machine, pre-set to a load of 4000 N. The measured parameters, pellet density, tensile strength and dimensional stability were evaluated and the results showed that the microwave-assisted alkali pre-treated pellets had a significantly higher density and tensile strength compared to samples that were untreated or pre-treated by microwave alone. The chemical composition analysis showed that microwave-assisted alkali pre-treatment was able to disrupt and break down the lignocellulosic structure of the samples, creating an area of cellulose accessible to cellulase reactivity. The best enzymatic saccharification results gave a high glucose yield of 110.05 mg/g dry sample for canola straw ground in a 1.6 mm screen hammer mill and pre-treated with 1.5% NaOH for 18 min, and a 99.10 mg/g dry sample for oat hull ground in a 1.6 mm screen hammer mill and pre-treated with 0.75% NaOH for 18 min microwave-assisted alkali pre-treatments. The effects of pre-treatment results were supported by SEM analysis. Overall, it was found that microwave-assisted alkali pre-treatment of canola straw and oat hull at a short residence time enhanced glucose yield.

  3. Can a four-session biofeedback regimen be used effectively for treating children with dysfunctional voiding?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sener, Nevzat Can; Altunkol, Adem; Unal, Umut; Ercil, Hakan; Bas, Okan; Gumus, Kemal; Ciftci, Halil; Yeni, Ercan

    2015-01-01

    To compare the outcomes of the open-ended six to ten sessions of biofeedback against a novel regime of four sessions of biofeedback to treat children with dysfunctional voiding. Patients from two centers using different methods were retrospectively analyzed. Group 1 comprised 20 patients treated with four sessions of biofeedback. Group 2 comprised 20 patients treated with six to ten sessions of biofeedback. Each group was evaluated with subjective and objective parameters pre-treatment, immediately post-treatment and 6 months post-treatment. All patients in Group 1 were treated with four sessions of biofeedback and in Group 2 the mean number of sessions was 7.35±1.30 (range 6-10). Normalized voiding flow curves after treatment were determined in 18 patients in Group 1 (90%) and 19 patients in Group 2 (95%) (p=0.553). There were seven patients (35%) in Group 1 and eight patients (40%) in Group 2 with reflux. When units were compared, there were 11 units (4 bilateral) in Group 1 and 13 units (5 bilateral) in Group 2 with reflux (p=0.747). At 6 months post-treatment, in Group 1, seven had resolved (63.6%), three had improved (27.2%) and one persisted (9.01%). In Group 2, ten had resolved (76.9%) and three had improved (23.1%) (p=0.553). Biofeedback therapy is one of the most widely used techniques in dysfunctional voiding in children. The regime of use has not been well defined, and the results of this study showed that a regime of four sessions of biofeedback therapy may be as safe and effective as the previously defined open-ended six to ten sessions.

  4. A review of results from patient experience surveys during the introduction of group pre-radiotherapy patient information sessions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chapman, K.; James, S.

    2016-01-01

    Aim: The aims of the survey were to check that group pre-radiotherapy information sessions met patients' needs. The use of virtual technology (VT) through Patient Education And Radiotherapy Learning (PEARL) was incorporated part way through the survey period. Methods: Patients attending group pre-radiotherapy information sessions led by assistant practitioners between March and December 2014 were asked to complete questionnaires after they had attended at least five radiotherapy sessions. Key results: 305 patients attended sessions during the survey period. 129 questionnaires were distributed with 103 returned, resulting in an 80% response rate (Overall rate 34%). 102 (99%) patients responded that they were happy and comfortable to receive their radiotherapy information in a group setting. The majority of patients responded that they felt no additional information should be included. Conclusions and recommendations: The survey highlighted that almost all patients were happy to receive their information in a group setting. Patients attending non PEARL and PEARL sessions indicated high satisfaction levels with no notable differences between the groups. This has allayed MVCC staffs' original concerns that patients may find the use of VT as frightening in patient information sessions, so the centre is now confident to incorporate it in the future. The implementation of these sessions has seemed to be both feasible and an efficient use of staff time. All patients referred for radical breast radiotherapy are now invited to attend. It is recommended that regular patient experience surveys are conducted in the future to ensure they continue to meet patients' needs. - Highlights: • 102 (99%) patients responded happy to receive their information in a group setting. • 86 (83%) patients responded they felt no additional information should be included. • 58 (56%) patients provided complimentary comments about the sessions.

  5. Outcomes from intracerebral hemorrhage among patients pre-treated with statins

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Flávio Ramalho Romero

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, or statins, have been associated with improved clinical outcomes after ischemic stroke and subarachnoid hemorrhage, but with an increased risk of incidental spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH. We investigated whether the statin use before ICH, was associated with functional independence, 90 days after treatment. METHOD: We analyzed 124 consecutive ICH patients with 90-day outcome data who were enrolled in a prospective cohort study between 2006 and 2009. Eighty-three patients were included in this study. Among ICH survivors, univariate Cox regression models and Kaplan-Meier plots were used to determine subject characteristics that were associated with an increased risk of recurrence. Statin usage was determined through interviewing the patient at the time of ICH and confirmed by reviewing their medical records. Independent status was defined as Glasgow Outcome Scale grades 4 or 5. RESULTS: Statins were used by 20 out of 83 patients (24% before ICH onset. There was no effect from pre-ICH statin use on functional independence rates (28% versus 29%, P=0.84 or mortality (46% versus 45%, P=0.93. CONCLUSION: Pre-ICH statin use is not associated with changes to ICH functional outcome or mortality.

  6. 26 CFR 1.679-5 - Pre-immigration trusts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 26 Internal Revenue 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Pre-immigration trusts. 1.679-5 Section 1.679-5 Internal Revenue INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES Grantors and Others Treated As Substantial Owners § 1.679-5 Pre-immigration trusts. (a) In...

  7. Characterization of trauma patients treated in a pre-hospital care service

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amanda de Ornelas Carvalho

    2004-09-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: To identify the characteristics of trauma patientstreated in a pre-hospital care service, to characterize the factorsrelated to the trauma event and quantify the severity of trauma,according to the Revised Trauma Score. Methods: This is adescriptive, exploratory, retrospective study carried out at thePre-Hospital Care Service of the Military Police - Rescue in thecity of São Paulo. Data comprised a randomized sample of 60nursing charts, distributed among the four advanced life supportunits in the city. Results: Of the occurrences dealt with, 65% arerelated to public streets, 20% are medical cases, 65% are maleindividuals, predominantly young adults. The predominantmechanisms of trauma are crash and run-over. Casa Verde wasthe care unit which obtained the highest Revised Trauma Scoreweighted mean. Conclusions: The results presented here are inconformity with the national statistics on trauma: young adults, ofworking age, involved in road accidents are most frequentlyaffected. Identifying this population is of utmost importance forthe development of preventive and educational measures.

  8. Pre-Mission Communication And Awareness Stratgies For Positive Group Functioning And Development: Analysis Of A Crew At The Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) In Utah, USA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allner, Matthew; Bishop, Sheryl; Gushin, Vadim; McKay, Chris; Rygalov, Vadim; Allner, Matthew

    Introduction: Psychosocial group functioning has become an increased international focus of many space faring nations due to the recent shift in focus of colonizing the Moon and then preparing to travel to Mars and beyond. Purpose: This study investigates the effects of pre-mission communication and awareness strategies for positive group functioning in extreme environments as well as suggestive countermeasures to maintain positive group dynamic development in isolated and confined extreme (ICE) environments. The study is supported by both preand intra-mission management efforts, which included crewmember assessments at various mission phases (pre-, intra-, and end-mission). Methods: A six person heterogeneous American crew conducted a Mars simulation mission at the Mars Society's Mars Desert Research Station in Utah, USA in 2006 as part of a new NASA training program called Spaceward Bound. Participants were administered assessments of personality, personal and group identity/functioning, subjective stress, coping, and subjective motivation. All participants were also provided information (pre-mission) regarding past research and tendencies of group functioning, stressors, cognitive functioning, and mission mistakes from a mission phase analysis approach, to see if this would be a factor in positive group dynamic development. Results: Data collected and obtained by both assessment and journaling methods were both consistent and indicative of positive personalities desirable of expedition crews. Assessment data further indicated positive group cohesion and group interactions, along with supportive and strong leadership, all which led to positive personal and group experiences for crewmembers. Crewmembers all displayed low levels of competition while still reporting high motivation and satisfaction for the group dynamic development and the mission objectives that were completed. Journals kept by the crew psychologist indicated that crewmembers all felt that the pre

  9. Effects of pre-treatment technologies on quantity and quality of source-sorted municipal organic waste for biogas recovery

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Trine Lund; Jansen, J.l.C.; Davidsson, Å.

    2007-01-01

    , collection bag material (plastic or paper) and easily degradable organic matter. Furthermore, the particle size of the biomass was related to the pre-treatment technology. The content of plastic in the biomass depended both on the actual collection bag material used in the system and the pre......Source-sorted municipal organic waste collected from different dwelling types in five Danish cities and pre-treated at three different plants was sampled and characterized several times during one year to investigate the origin of any differences in composition of the pre-treated waste introduced...... by city, pre-treatment technology, dwelling type or annual season. The investigated pre-treatment technologies were screw press, disc screen and shredder + magnet. The average quantity of pre-treated organic waste (biomass) produced from the incoming waste varied between the investigated pre...

  10. High-performance oxygen reduction catalysts in both alkaline and acidic fuel cells based on pre-treating carbon material and iron precursor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Song, Ping; Barkholtz, Heather M.; Wang, Ying; Xu, Weilin; Liu, Dijia; Zhuang, Lin

    2017-12-01

    We demonstrate a new and simple method for pre-treating the carbon material and iron precursor to prepare oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysts, which can produce super-high performance and stability in alkaline solution, with high performance in acid solution. This strategy using cheap materials is simply controllable. Moreover, it has achieved smaller uniform nanoparticles to exhibit high stability, and the synergetic effect of Fe and N offered much higher performance in ORR than commercial Pt/C, with high maximum power density in alkaline and acid fuel cell test. So it can make this kind of catalysts be the most promising alternatives of Pt-based catalysts with best performance/price.

  11. Influence of mechanical-biological waste pre-treatment methods on the gas formation in landfills

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bockreis, A.; Steinberg, I.

    2005-01-01

    In order to minimise emissions and environmental impacts, only pre-treated waste should be disposed of. For the last six years, a series of continuous experiments has been conducted at the Institute WAR, TU Darmstadt, in order to determine the emissions from pre-treated waste. Different kinds of pre-treated waste were incubated in several reactors and various data, including production and composition of the gas and the leachate, were collected. In this paper, the interim results of gas production and the gas composition from different types of waste after a running time of six years are presented and discussed

  12. Treating disorganized attachment in the Group Attachment-Based Intervention (GABI©): A case study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Knafo, Hannah; Murphy, Anne; Steele, Howard; Steele, Miriam

    2018-05-24

    This paper describes the treatment of a mother and child who demonstrated disorganized attachment behaviors in their interactions with one another. The mother, who was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, felt incapable of managing her aggressive toddler and his emotional needs. The dyad was referred for therapy due to concerns about his developmental progress, evident delays having been mainly attributed to the problems observed within the parent-child relationship. The primary intervention applied to working with the dyad was the Group Attachment-Based Intervention (GABI©), developed by Anne Murphy in collaboration with Miriam Steele and Howard Steele. The mother also received individual psychotherapy as a supplement to the dyadic and group work of GABI©. The process and outcome of this comprehensive approach to treating a vulnerable dyad is explored in this case study. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  13. Efficacy of a sedo-analgesia protocol in pre-hospital trauma treatment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Savino Occhionorelli

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Pre-hospital trauma treatment is an important situation in which pain should be appropriately assessed and treated, but there is a great lack of studies about it. Literature has widely pointed out that the underanalgesia problem is spread to all groups of patients. The objective of the study is to verify the efficacy of a sedation-analgesia protocol based on the use of NSAIDs, Fentanyl and Midazolam, for prehospital treatment of trauma patients. The protocol was tested in three Emergency Medical Services for a four month period, in which 30 patients were included in the study. Results evidenced a good management of both pain and anxiety in the majority of patients treated, with the achievement of analgesia target in 80% of the patients and sedation target in 100% of the patients.

  14. Evaluation of furazolidone, sulfadimidine and amprolium to treat coccidiosis in Beetal goats under field conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Avais, Muhammad; Rashid, Ghazanfar; Ijaz, Muhammad; Khan, Muhammad Arif; Nasir, Amar; Jahanzaib, Muhammad Shoaib; Khan, Jawaria Ali; Hameed, Sajid; Reichel, Michael Philipp

    2016-03-01

    Coccidiosis is a protozoal and occasionally fatal diarrheic disease of goats imposing heavy economic losses to farming community. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacies of Furazolidone, Sulfadimidine and Amprolium against coccidiosis in Beetal goats. Twenty-four (24) Beetal goats naturally infected with coccidiosis were randomly divided into four groups of 6 (A-D). Goats in groups A, B and C were treated orally with Furazolidone (10 mg/Kg), Sulfadimidine (100 mg/Kg) and Amprolium (55 mg/Kg), respectively for 7 days. Goats in-group D served as positive control. Oocysts per gram (OPG) of feces counts of individual goats in each group were performed on Days; 0 (pre-treatment) 7, 14 and 21 (post-treatment). OPG counts amongst goats in all groups at day 0 were not significant (P>0.05). On days 7, 14 and 21, OPG values decreased significantly (P0.05). In conclusion, Furazolidone, Sulfadimidine and Amprolium are well-tolerated and any one of these may be recommended to effectively treat coccidiosis in Beetal goats.

  15. Pre-hospital physical activity status affects in-hospital course of elderly patients with acute myocardial infarction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miyamoto, Takamichi; Obayashi, Tohru; Hattori, Eijirou; Yamauchi, Yasuteru; Niwa, Akihiro; Isobe, Mitsuaki

    2010-03-01

    The clinical course of elderly patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) can sometimes unexpectedly result in an adverse outcome even when therapy appears to be successful. We suspect that specific factors may characterize this worsening of status during hospitalization. This study examines whether the pre-hospital physical activity status of the elderly treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for AMI affects their in-hospital course. We studied 110 consecutive patients, aged 80 or older, who had undergone emergent PCI for AMI. Patients were divided into two groups based on clinical presentation: Better Killip class (Killip classes I and II) and Worse Killip class (Killip classes III and IV). Patients were also divided into two groups based on pre-hospital physical activity status, determined retrospectively by review of medical records: Good physical activity (n=57) comprising those able to go out alone independently and Poor physical activity comprising those mainly confined to home (n=53). The overall in-hospital mortality rate was 9.1% for the study population. The Worse Killip class group had a higher in-hospital mortality rate than the Better Killip class group (27.8% vs 5.4%, respectively; p=0.0102). In addition, the Poor physical activity group had a higher in-hospital mortality rate than the Good physical activity group (15.1% vs. 3.5%, respectively; p=0.047). These data suggest that pre-hospital physical activity status in elderly patients with AMI may affect in-hospital mortality as well as Killip class.

  16. Whole-lesion ADC histogram and texture analysis in predicting recurrence of cervical cancer treated with CCRT.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meng, Jie; Zhu, Lijing; Zhu, Li; Xie, Li; Wang, Huanhuan; Liu, Song; Yan, Jing; Liu, Baorui; Guan, Yue; He, Jian; Ge, Yun; Zhou, Zhengyang; Yang, Xiaofeng

    2017-11-03

    To explore the value of whole-lesion apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) histogram and texture analysis in predicting tumor recurrence of advanced cervical cancer treated with concurrent chemo-radiotherapy (CCRT). 36 women with pathologically confirmed advanced cervical squamous carcinomas were enrolled in this prospective study. 3.0 T pelvic MR examinations including diffusion weighted imaging (b = 0, 800 s/mm 2 ) were performed before CCRT (pre-CCRT) and at the end of 2nd week of CCRT (mid-CCRT). ADC histogram and texture features were derived from the whole volume of cervical cancers. With a mean follow-up of 25 months (range, 11 ∼ 43), 10/36 (27.8%) patients ended with recurrence. Pre-CCRT 75th, 90th, correlation, autocorrelation and mid-CCRT ADC mean , 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th, autocorrelation can effectively differentiate the recurrence from nonrecurrence group with area under the curve ranging from 0.742 to 0.850 (P values range, 0.001 ∼ 0.038). Pre- and mid-treatment whole-lesion ADC histogram and texture analysis hold great potential in predicting tumor recurrence of advanced cervical cancer treated with CCRT.

  17. [Study on the pathogens correlated to sexually transmitted diseases in 285 pre-pubertal girls with vulvovaginitis in Beijing].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Xiao-Yan; Sun, Hong-Mei; Feng, Yan-Ling; Hu, Jin; Zhao, Han-Qing; Zhang, Li-Ya

    2007-08-01

    To study the relationship between vulvovaginitis in pre-pubertal girls and pathogens as Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct), N. gonorrhoeae (Ng), Mycoplasma, Ureaplasma urealyticum (Uu), Mycoplasma hominis (Mh), M. genitalium (Mg), M. fermentans (Mf) and M. penetrans (Mpe), as well as to find out the proportion of mycoplasma which is correlated to sexually transmitted diseases (STD) and AIDS. METHODS Vulvae swab specimens from 285 pre-pubertal girls with vulvovaginitis (case group) and 128 healthy girls (control group) were collected and detected by nested polymerase chain reaction (nPCR) to identify the existence of pathogens as Ct, Ng, Uu, Mh, Mg, Mf and Mpe. nPCR with both high specificity and sensitivity, would not be influenced by the amount of pathogens in specimens or inactivated during the process of storage or transportation. The rate of detection on pathogens was 59.65% in the 285 specimens from case group including 'one kind of pathogen in one specimen' as 37.54% and 'two kinds' as 16.84% and 'three kinds' as 5.26%. However, in the 128 specimens from control group, the detectable rate of pathogen was 6.25%. Relationships were found between Ng (P vulvovaginitis in pre-pubertal girls. In control group the pathogens were detected from 7 specimens including 5 Uu and 2 Mh. Some of the pathogens were correlated to STD and were important in causing vulvovaginitis in pre-pubertal girls. Vulvovaginitis might have been caused by more than one kind of pathogen in pre-pubertal girls. The locations of Mg, Mf and Ng in outer genital tracts were correlated to seasonal change. Macrolide seemed to be quite effective clinically in treating urogenital tract infection caused by mycoplasma and Ct.

  18. Treated bottom ash medium and method of arsenic removal from drinking water

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gadgil, Ashok

    2009-06-09

    A method for low-cost arsenic removal from drinking water using chemically prepared bottom ash pre-treated with ferrous sulfate and then sodium hydroxide. Deposits on the surface of particles of bottom ash form of activated iron adsorbent with a high affinity for arsenic. In laboratory tests, a miniscule 5 grams of pre-treated bottom ash was sufficient to remove the arsenic from 2 liters of 2400 ppb (parts per billion) arsenic-laden water to a level below 50 ppb (the present United States Environmental Protection Agency limit). By increasing the amount of pre-treated bottom ash, even lower levels of post-treatment arsenic are expected. It is further expected that this invention supplies a very low-cost solution to arsenic poisoning for large population segments.

  19. Pro-Resolving Effects of Resolvin D2 in LTD4 and TNF-α Pre-Treated Human Bronchi.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rayan Khaddaj-Mallat

    Full Text Available Inflammation is a major burden in respiratory diseases, resulting in airway hyperresponsiveness. Our hypothesis is that resolution of inflammation may represent a long-term solution in preventing human bronchial dysfunctions. The aim of the present study was to assess the anti-inflammatory effects of RvD2, a member of the D-series resolving family, with concomitant effects on ASM mechanical reactivity. The role and mode of action of RvD2 were assessed in an in vitro model of human bronchi under pro-inflammatory conditions, induced either by 1 μM LTD4 or 10 ng/ml TNF-α pre-treatment for 48h. TNF-α and LTD4 both induced hyperreactivity in response to pharmacological stimuli. Enhanced 5-Lipoxygenase (5-LOX and cysteinyl leukotriene receptor 1 (CysLTR1 detection was documented in LTD4 or TNF-α pre-treated human bronchi when compared to control (untreated human bronchi. In contrast, RvD2 treatments reversed 5-LOX/β-actin and CysLTR1/β-actin ratios and decreased the phosphorylation levels of AP-1 subunits (c-Fos, c-Jun and p38-MAP kinase, while increasing the detection of the ALX/FPR2 receptor. Moreover, various pharmacological agents revealed the blunting effects of RvD2 on LTD4 or TNF-α induced hyper-responsiveness. Combined treatment with 300 nM RvD2 and 1 μM WRW4 (an ALX/FPR2 receptor inhibitor blunted the pro-resolving and broncho-modulatory effects of RvD2. The present data provide new evidence regarding the role of RvD2 in a human model of airway inflammation and hyperrresponsiveness.

  20. Cost-benefit analysis of telehealth in pre-hospital care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Langabeer, James R; Champagne-Langabeer, Tiffany; Alqusairi, Diaa; Kim, Junghyun; Jackson, Adria; Persse, David; Gonzalez, Michael

    2017-09-01

    Objective There has been very little use of telehealth in pre-hospital emergency medical services (EMS), yet the potential exists for this technology to transform the current delivery model. In this study, we explore the costs and benefits of one large telehealth EMS initiative. Methods Using a case-control study design and both micro- and gross-costing data from the Houston Fire Department EMS electronic patient care record system, we conducted a cost-benefit analysis (CBA) comparing costs with potential savings associated with patients treated through a telehealth-enabled intervention. The intervention consisted of telehealth-based consultation between the 911 patient and an EMS physician, to evaluate and triage the necessity for patient transport to a hospital emergency department (ED). Patients with non-urgent, primary care-related conditions were then scheduled and transported by alternative means to an affiliated primary care clinic. We measured CBA as both total cost savings and cost per ED visit averted, in US Dollars ($USD). Results In total, 5570 patients were treated over the first full 12 months with a telehealth-enabled care model. We found a 6.7% absolute reduction in potentially medically unnecessary ED visits, and a 44-minute reduction in total ambulance back-in-service times. The average cost for a telehealth patient was $167, which was a statistically significantly $103 less than the control group ( p cost savings from the societal perspective, or $2468 cost savings per ED visit averted (benefit). Conclusion Patient care enabled by telehealth in a pre-hospital environment, is a more cost effective alternative compared to the traditional EMS 'treat and transport to ED' model.

  1. Mesenchymal stromal cell and osteoblast responses to oxidized titanium surfaces pre-treated with λ = 808 nm GaAlAs diode laser or chlorhexidine: in vitro study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chellini, Flaminia; Giannelli, Marco; Tani, Alessia; Ballerini, Lara; Vallone, Larissa; Nosi, Daniele; Zecchi-Orlandini, Sandra; Sassoli, Chiara

    2017-08-01

    Preservation of implant biocompatibility following peri-implantitis treatments is a crucial issue in odontostomatological practice, being closely linked to implant re-osseointegration. Our aim was to assess the responses of osteoblast-like Saos2 cells and adult human bone marrow-mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) to oxidized titanium surfaces (TiUnite ® , TiU) pre-treated with a 808 ± 10 nm GaAlAs diode laser operating in non-contact mode, in continuous (2 W, 400 J/cm 2 ; CW) or pulsed (20 kHz, 7 μs, 0.44 W, 88 J/cm 2 ; PW) wave, previously demonstrated to have a strong bactericidal effect and proposed as optional treatment for peri-implantitis. The biocompatibility of TiU surfaces pre-treated with chlorhexidine digluconate (CHX) was also evaluated. In particular, in order to mimic the in vivo approach, TiU surfaces were pre-treated with CHX (0.2%, 5 min); CHX and rinse; and CHX, rinse and air drying. In some experiments, the cells were cultured on untreated TiU before being exposed to CHX. Cell viability (MTS assay), proliferation (EdU incorporation assay; Ki67 confocal immunofluorescence analysis), adhesion (morphological analysis of actin cytoskeleton organization), and osteogenic differentiation (osteopontin confocal immunofluorescence analysis; mineralized bone-like nodule formation) analyses were performed. CHX resulted cytotoxic in all experimental conditions. Diode laser irradiation preserved TiU surface biocompatibility. Notably, laser treatment appeared even to improve the known osteoconductive properties of TiU surfaces. Within the limitations of an in vitro experimentation, this study contributes to provide additional experimental basis to support the potential use of 808 ± 10 nm GaAlAs diode laser at the indicated irradiation setting, in the treatment of peri-implantitis and to discourage the use of CHX.

  2. Prevalence of pre-diabetes, diabetes, pre-hypertension, and hypertension in children weighing more than normal

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Priti Phatale

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Aim: Prevalence of pre-diabetes, diabetes, pre-hypertension (pre-HT, and hypertension (HT in children weighing more than normal. Materials and Methods: Three- to eighteen-year old children weighing more than normal were included. Pathological short children were excluded. According to Centre for Disease Control (CDC, children are grouped into overweight (OW and obese (OB. Indian B.P. reference tables are used for defining HT and pre-HT. [2] HbA1c by HPLC (BIO RAD method was used to define pre-diabetes and diabetes. [3] Children with HbA1c ≥6.5 were subjected for Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT. C-peptide assay was done to rule out (r/o IDDM. Observations: When we compare this with our earlier presentation at PEDICON 2011, we found that hypertension (HTN (22.9% vs. 23.07% is not significantly different but pre-HTN (28.09% vs. 33.9%, pre-diabetes mellitus (pre-DM (3.7% vs. 64.3%, and diabetes mellitus (DM (0.35% vs. 3.8% are significantly high in this study. Conclusion: (1 Prevalence of HT (22.90% vs. 23.07% is similar in both groups but pre-HT (33.9% vs. 28.09% is high in this study. (2 Significant rise in prevalence of diabetes (3.84% vs. 0.35% and pre-diabetes (64.33% vs. 3.7% is seen in this study. (3 This change is because of using HbA1c as screening tool in children weighing more than normal.

  3. The Investigation of Insulin Resistance in Two Groups of Epileptic Patients Treated with Sodium Valproate and Carbamazepine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammad Reza Najafi

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Valproic acid (VPA is a widely used broad-spectrum antiepileptic drug for therapy of generalized and focal epilepsies. Cross-sectional studies have suggested that valproate treatment may be associated with hyperinsulinemia. We decided to investigate hyperinsulinemia as a health-threatening side effect of VPA in Iranian epileptic patients. Materials and Methods: Body mass index (BMI, lipid profile, fasting serum insulin, fasting blood glucose (FBS, and homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR were measured in 30 VPA-treated epileptic patients and 30 controls (CBZ-treated. The Chi-square test, t-test, and Pearson correlation test were used. Results: BMI was higher in VPA group than in control group (25.7 ± 3.5 > 21.7 ± 4.1 (0.000 0.05. Conclusion: Despite the majority of previous studies that are against VPA and according to our study, VPA could be prescribed safely and it may not cause IR and its complications.

  4. Definitive treatment of anal canal carcinoma with radiotherapy: Adverse impact of a pre-radiation resection. A retrospective study of 57 patients treated with curative intent

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Coquard, R.; Cenni, J.C.; Artru, P.; Lledo, G.; Chalabreysse, P.; Queneau, P.E.; Taieb, S.; Alessio, A.

    2009-01-01

    Purpose To describe retrospectively the overall survival, the cancer specific survival and the tumor control in an homogeneous series of patients with epidermoid carcinoma of the anal canal treated with definitive radiotherapy; to assess the impact of brachytherapy, chemotherapy and pre-radiotherapy resection on the risk of recurrence. Patients and methods From 1997 to 2007, 57 patients (pts) presenting with an epidermoid carcinoma of the anal canal (T1: 14, T2: 33, T3-4: 10, N0: 31, N1: 19, N2: 3, N3: 4, M0: 57) were treated with definitive radiotherapy by the same radiation oncologist. The treatment included an external beam irradiation (E.B.R.T.) given to the posterior pelvis (45 Gy/25 fractions) and, six weeks later, a boost delivered with interstitial brachytherapy (37/57) or external beam irradiation (20/57). Twelve pts had undergone a surgical resection of the tumour before radiotherapy. A belly board was used for E.B.R.T. in 13 pts. A concurrent platinum based chemotherapy was done in 42 pts. The mean follow-up was 57 months. Results The overall survival rate at 5 years was 89% with a cause specific survival of 96%. Five patients recurred (5-year rate: 12%: four had local relapse (5-year rate: 8%), four had groin recurrence, and distant metastases were seen in two. In univariate analysis, the risk of relapse was higher in patients who had undergone a pre-radiation excision (p = 0.018), in those who did not receive chemotherapy (p = 0.076) and in those who were irradiated on a belly board (p = 0.049). In multivariate analysis, a pre-radiotherapy resection (p = 0.084) had an inverse impact on the tumour control reaching the level of statistical significance and the use of a belly board was of marginal influence (p = 0.13). Conclusion Radiotherapy and chemo radiation with cisplatin-based chemotherapy cure a vast majority of patients with epidermoid carcinoma of the anal canal. Therapeutic factors that may interfere with the definition of the target volume and

  5. Screening of patients for cochlear implant through a questionnaire online. GroupProfile of patients pre-and peri lingual not summoned

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Leal, Aquiles Figueiredo

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Facilitating access to specialized centers and properly screen patients seeking cochlear implants are critical steps for proper rehabilitation. Objective: To describe the group of patients pre-and peri-lingual is not called for in a service evaluation of cochlear implants. Method: A retrospective study analyzed 401 questionnaires of patients pre-and peri-lingual Web site registered in the Central Brazilian cochlear implant. For the failure to call these patients were used as criteria applied some variables: age, use of hearing aids, speech therapy, duration of deafness, type of progression of hearing loss and type of communication used by the patient. Results: The group of patients with pre-and peri-lingual deafness accounted for 34% of total questionnaires completed during the period. The distribution by age found that 54% of patients were over 17 years, 30% between 9 and 17 years, and remaining less than 9 years. The duration of deafness was higher than 20 years in 50% of patients, between 10 and 20 years by 32% between 5 and 10 years in 9% and between 0 and 5 years in 9%. Regarding the performance of voice rehabilitation 58% of patients had performed and 42% did not. Regarding the mode of communication 49% had global communication, 18% LIBRAS, 6% oral communication, 26% no communication. Conclusion: Advanced age, duration of deafness high, so mostly no oral communication and lack of voice rehabilitation were crucial to the failure to call these patients.

  6. Effectiveness of group CBT in treating adolescents with depression symptoms: a critical review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nardi, Bernardo; Massei, Micaela; Arimatea, Emidio; Moltedo-Perfetti, Andrés

    2016-01-20

    Depression is among the most common psychological disorders of adolescents. Its management is based on pharmacological treatment, psychological therapy, or a combination thereof. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the most extensively tested intervention for adolescent depression. A PubMed search was conducted for randomized controlled trials (RCT) of the efficacy of CBT in treating adolescents with depressive symptoms published in 2005-2015. Keywords were "cognitive behavioral therapy", "group therapy", "depression" and "adolescent". Of the 23 papers that were retrieved, only six met all inclusion criteria. Three of them reported a significant reduction in depressive symptom severity after either individual or group (G)-CBT compared with the control group, even with a small number of CBT sessions (six rather than 10-12), with a medium or medium-to-large effect size. One study reported improved self-awareness and a significantly greater increase in perceived friend social support compared with bibliotherapy and check with brochure. Two studies reported clinical symptom reduction without significant differences compared with the control group (activity contrast). This review highlighted primarily that very few RCT have applied CBT in adolescents; moreover, it confirmed the effectiveness of G-CBT, especially as psychotherapy, although it was not always superior to other interventions (e.g. other activities in prevention programs). Comparison showed that G-CBT and group interpersonal psychotherapy were both effective in reducing depressive symptoms. Successful G-CBT outcomes were related to the presence of peers, who were an important source of feedback and support to observe, learn, and practice new skills to manage depressive symptoms and improve social-relational skills.

  7. A randomized controlled trial of pre-conception treatment for periodontal disease to improve periodontal status during pregnancy and birth outcomes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Hong; Xiong, Xu; Su, Yi; Zhang, Yiming; Wu, Hongqiao; Jiang, Zhijun; Qian, Xu

    2013-12-09

    Evidence has suggested that periodontal disease is associated with an increased risk of various adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes. However, several large clinical randomized controlled trials failed to demonstrate periodontal therapy during pregnancy reduced the incidence of adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes. It has been suggested that the pre-conception period may be an optimal period for periodontal disease treatment rather than during pregnancy. To date, no randomized controlled trial (RCT) has examined if treating periodontal disease before pregnancy reduces adverse birth outcomes. This study aims to examine if the pre-conception treatment of periodontal disease will lead to improved periodontal status during late pregnancy and subsequent birth outcomes. A sample of 470 (235 in each arm of the study) pre-conception women who plan to conceive within one year and with periodontal disease will be recruited for the study. All participants will be randomly allocated to the intervention or control group. The intervention group will receive free therapy including dental scaling and root planning (the standard therapy), supragingival prophylaxis, and oral hygiene education. The control group will only receive supragingival prophylaxis and oral hygiene education. Women will be followed throughout their pregnancy and then to childbirth. The main outcomes include periodontal disease status in late pregnancy and birth outcomes measured such as mean birth weight (grams), and mean gestational age (weeks). Periodontal disease will be diagnosed through a dental examination by measuring probing depth, clinical attachment loss and percentage of bleeding on probing (BOP) between gestational age of 32 and 36 weeks. Local and systemic inflammatory mediators are also included as main outcomes. This will be the first RCT to test whether treating periodontal disease among pre-conception women reduces periodontal disease during pregnancy and prevents adverse birth outcomes. If

  8. 'Group value foresight' - Treating the nuclear interest in IVO Group Communications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Heininen-Ojanpera, Marke

    1999-01-01

    Fortum is a new international energy group formed through the combination of the IVO Group and the Neste Group, two Finnish industrial groups with extensive operations in the energy sector in the Nordic countries and certain other countries throughout the world. IVO Group uses almost all fuels to generate electricity: nuclear, hydro, gas, oil, coal, peat, biomass, municipal waste, wind and solar. The main capacity is generated by nuclear, coal and water but gas, particularly in cogeneration, has been expected to grow. The major challenge in communicating is to find a balanced way of dealing with this variety so that the messages will be open and objective and, at the same time, not harming unnecessarily any of the generation forms in business terms. Moreover, new business procedures are welcome. The majority of the communicating issues deal with either competition or environmental questions under the threat of bad publicity and more strict regulatory controls. From the beginning, one of the working groups was responsible for defining the issues and sorting out the weak signals related to nuclear energy. In terms of corporate communications, special nuclear policies and messages have been worked out each year. For many reasons, the earlier nuclear policies and communication agendas have been unnecessarily strongly emphasising the nuclear option only. Today, the Group Value Foresight process, among others, has helped IVO to find the correct weighting of any nuclear issue and option in relation to other major forms of generation and related issues. The policies and messages have become more reasonable and more sensitive to changing situations in the market and in relation to public perception. There is less and less need for presenting the nuclear option in public with a quivering voice of offended authority

  9. Value of Nonrigid Registration of Pre-Procedure MR with Post-Procedure CT After Radiofrequency Ablation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, Juil; Lee, Jeong Min, E-mail: jmlshy2000@gmail.com, E-mail: jmsh@snu.ac.kr; Lee, Dong Ho; Joo, Ijin; Yoon, Jeong Hee [Seoul National University Hospital, Department of Radiology (Korea, Republic of); Park, Jin Young [Dongnam Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences, Department of Radiology (Korea, Republic of); Klotz, Ernst [Siemens Healthineers, Computed Tomography (Germany)

    2017-06-15

    PurposeTo evaluate the value of pre-radiofrequency ablation (RFA) MR and post-RFA CT registration for the assessment of the therapeutic response of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).Materials and MethodsA total of 178 patients with single HCC who received RFA as an initial treatment and had available pre-RFA MR and post-RFA CT images were included in this retrospective study. Two independent readers (one experienced radiologist, one inexperienced radiologist) scored the ablative margin (AM) of treated tumors on a four-point scale (1, residual tumor; 2, incomplete AM; 3, borderline AM; 4, sufficient AM), in two separate sessions: (1) visual comparison between pre-and post-RFA images; (2) with addition of nonrigid registration for pre- and post-RFA images. Local tumor progression (LTP) rates between low-risk (response score, 3–4) and high-risk groups (1–2) were analyzed using the Kaplan–Meier method at each interpretation session.ResultsThe patients’ reassignments after using the registered images were statistically significant for inexperienced reader (p < 0.001). In the inexperienced reader, LTP rates of low- and high-risk groups were significantly different with addition of registered images (session 2) (p < 0.001), but not significantly different in session 1 (p = 0.101). However, in the experienced reader, LTP rates of low- and high-risk groups were significantly different in both interpretation sessions (p < 0.001). Using the registered images, the cumulative incidence of LTP at 2 years was 3.0–6.6%, for the low-risk group, and 18.6–27.8% for the high-risk group.ConclusionRegistration between pre-RFA MR and post-RFA CT images may allow better assessment of the therapeutic response of HCC after RFA, especially for inexperienced radiologists, helping in the risk stratification for LTP.

  10. [Correlation analysis of the pre-pregnant body mass index, the gestational weight gain and umbilical cord blood C peptide].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, X L; Han, Y; Zhao, X M; Liu, Y; Lü, J J

    2017-01-03

    Objective: To explore the correlation among the pre-pregnant body mass index (BMI), gestational weight gain (GWG) and umbilical cord blood C peptide, and to investigate the influence of maternal weight management on the incidence of baby long-term metabolic syndrome. Methods: During May to Aug.2015, 485 pregnant women in Zhejiang Taizhou first people's hospital and Taizhou Huangyan maternal &child care service centre were selected in random and divided into four groups according to pre-pregnant BMI: low body mass, normal body mass, over body mass and obese group, and also divided into two groups for getting gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) or not. According to the gestational weight gain (GWG), all the cases were divided into two groups: above the Institute Of Medicine (IMO) 2009 recommendations or not. According to the outcome, the GDM group which had received weight control treatment, was divided into successful treat group or not. At last, we tested the umbilical cord blood C peptide and birth weight of each newborn and compared the difference in all subgroups. The correlation between the umbilical cord blood C peptide and birth weight were analysed. Results: (1) In the pre-pregnant BMI groups, there were significant differences of incidence of GDM ( P 0.05). (2) Newborn birth weight and the umbilical cord blood C peptide were positively correlated ( r =0.673, P newborn birth weight in all subgroups. (4) All groups showed correlations with neonatal umbilical cord blood C peptide, the GDM mostly (β=0.58), pre-pregnant BMI secondly (β: 0.36, 0.38) , and GWG weakly (β=0.17). (5) By stratification analysis, in GDM group, low body mass was negatively correlated with umbilical cord blood C peptide ( P gestational weight gain and umbilical cord blood C peptide. Suitable maternal weight control especially pre-pregnant body mass index control will lower the baby long-term metabolic syndrome incidence.

  11. Investigation of a pre-clinical mandibular bone notch defect model in miniature pigs: clinical computed tomography, micro-computed tomography, and histological evaluation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carlisle, Patricia L; Guda, Teja; Silliman, David T; Lien, Wen; Hale, Robert G; Brown Baer, Pamela R

    2016-02-01

    To validate a critical-size mandibular bone defect model in miniature pigs. Bilateral notch defects were produced in the mandible of dentally mature miniature pigs. The right mandibular defect remained untreated while the left defect received an autograft. Bone healing was evaluated by computed tomography (CT) at 4 and 16 weeks, and by micro-CT and non-decalcified histology at 16 weeks. In both the untreated and autograft treated groups, mineralized tissue volume was reduced significantly at 4 weeks post-surgery, but was comparable to the pre-surgery levels after 16 weeks. After 16 weeks, CT analysis indicated that significantly greater bone was regenerated in the autograft treated defect than in the untreated defect (P=0.013). Regardless of the treatment, the cortical bone was superior to the defect remodeled over 16 weeks to compensate for the notch defect. The presence of considerable bone healing in both treated and untreated groups suggests that this model is inadequate as a critical-size defect. Despite healing and adaptation, the original bone geometry and quality of the pre-injured mandible was not obtained. On the other hand, this model is justified for evaluating accelerated healing and mitigating the bone remodeling response, which are both important considerations for dental implant restorations.

  12. Pre-1989 epidemiological surveys of low-level dose pre-conception irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rose, K.S.B.

    1990-01-01

    Information from 59 pre-1989 epidemiological surveys concerning pre-conception irradiation at doses less than 0.1 Gy has been collated to determine whether any consistent patterns of health effects emerge. The surveys are considered in three groups: childhood malignancies, Down's syndrome and indicators of reproductive damage. Although a pattern is observed for Down's syndrome, no reliable associations are apparent for childhood malignancies (where all surveys pre-date the Gardner survey at Sellafield) or indications of reproductive damage. The twelve surveys of Down's syndrome in relation to maternal pre-conception irradiation received for medical reasons show a pattern consistent with a doubling dose of about 20 mGy. This doubling dose value is, however, not based on individual measurements of ovarian dose and is inconsistent with results from high-level dose surveys. There is no association between paternal irradiation and Down's syndrome. (author)

  13. Evaluation of pre-existing neuropathy and bortezomib retreatment as risk factors to develop severe neuropathy in a mouse model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bruna, Jordi; Alé, Albert; Velasco, Roser; Jaramillo, Jessica; Navarro, Xavier; Udina, Esther

    2011-09-01

    Pre-existing neuropathy, a not uncommon feature in oncologic patients, is a potential but non-confirmed risk factor to develop early or severe chemotherapy-induced neuropathy. The main goal of this study is to evaluate the role of pre-existing neuropathy induced by vincristine (VNC) or bortezomib (BTZ) as a risk factor to develop more severe BTZ-induced neuropathy in a mouse model. VNC, at doses of 1 and 1.5 mg/kg given twice per week for 4 weeks, induced a moderate and severe sensory-motor neuropathy, primarily axonal, with predominant involvement of myelinated sensory axons. The neuropathy induced by BTZ at dose of 1 mg/kg given twice per week for 6 weeks was a mild axonal sensory neuropathy involving myelinated and unmyelinated fibers. The neuropathy in mice previously treated and retreated with the same schedule of BTZ after 4 weeks of washout period was similar in profile and severity to the one observed after the first treatment. When basal neuropathy was classified as moderate (most of BTZ-treated animals) or severe (all VNC-treated animals and two BTZ-treated animals), there was a more marked decline in sensory nerve function during BTZ retreatment in the group with basal severe neuropathy (-86%) than in the groups with basal mild (-57%) or without neuropathy (-52%; p < 0.001). Histopathological findings supported the functional results. Therefore, this study shows that the presence of a severe neuropathy previous to treatment with an antitumoral agent, such as BTZ, results in a more marked involvement of peripheral nerves. © 2011 Peripheral Nerve Society.

  14. A stability comparison of redox-active layers produced by chemical coupling of an osmium redox complex to pre-functionalized gold and carbon electrodes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boland, Susan; Foster, Kevin; Leech, Donal

    2009-01-01

    The production of stable redox active layers on electrode surfaces is a key factor for the development of practical electronic and electrochemical devices. Here, we report on a comparison of the stability of redox layers formed by covalently coupling an osmium redox complex to pre-functionalized gold and graphite electrode surfaces. Pre-treatment of gold and graphite electrodes to provide surface carboxylic acid groups is achieved via classical thiolate self-assembled monolayer formation on gold surfaces and the electro-reduction of an in situ generated aryldiazonium salt from 4-aminobenzoic acid on gold, glassy carbon and graphite surfaces. These surfaces have been characterized by AFM and electrochemical blocking studies. The surface carboxylate is then used to tether an osmium complex, [Os(2,2'-bipyridyl) 2 (4-aminomethylpyridine)Cl]PF 6 , to provide a covalently bound redox active layer, E 0 '' of 0.29 V (vs. Ag/AgCl in phosphate buffer, pH 7.4), on the pre-treated electrodes. The aryldiazonium salt-treated carbon-based surfaces showed the greatest stability, represented by a decrease of <5% in the peak current for the Os(II/III) redox transition of the immobilized complex over a 3-day period, compared to a decrease of 19% and 14% for the aryldiazonium salt treated and thiolate treated gold surfaces, respectively, over the same period

  15. Magnesium Therapy in Pre-eclampsia Prolongs Analgesia Following Spinal Anaesthesia with Fentanyl and Bupivacaine: An Observational Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tülay Özkan Seyhan

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Background: Magnesium has anti-nociceptive effects and potentiates opioid analgesia following its systemic and neuraxial administration. However, there is no study evaluating the effects of intravenous (IV magnesium sulphate (MgSO4 therapy on spinal anaesthesia characteristics in severely pre-eclamptic patients. Aims: The aim of this study was to compare spinal anaesthesia characteristics in severely pre-eclamptic parturients treated with MgSO4 and healthy preterm parturients undergoing caesarean section. Thus, our primary outcome was regarded as the time to first analgesic request following spinal anaesthesia. Study Design: Case-control Study. Methods: Following approval of Institutional Clinical Research Ethics Committee and informed consent of the patients, 44 parturients undergoing caesarean section with spinal anaesthesia were enrolled in the study in two groups: Healthy preterm parturients (Group C and severely pre-eclamptic parturients with IV MgSO4 therapy (Group Mg. Following blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF sampling, spinal anaesthesia was induced with 9 mg hyperbaric bupivacaine and 20 µg fentanyl. Serum and CSF magnesium levels, onset of sensory block at T4 level, highest sensory block level, motor block characteristics, time to first analgesic request, maternal haemodynamics as well as side effects were evaluated. Results: Blood and CSF magnesium levels were higher in Group Mg. Sensory block onset at T4 were 257.1±77.5 and 194.5±80.1 sec in Group C and Mg respectively (p=0.015. Time to first postoperative analgesic request was significantly prolonged in Group Mg than in Group C (246.1±52.8 and 137.4±30.5 min, respectively, p<0.001; with a mean difference of 108.6 min and 95% CI between 81.6 and 135.7. Side effects were similar in both groups. Group C required significantly more fluids. Conclusion: Treatment with IV MgSO4 in severe pre-eclamptic parturients significantly prolonged the time to first analgesic request compared

  16. Carbon nanotube synthesis from propane decomposition on a pre ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Growth of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) was performed by atmospheric pressure chemical vapour deposition (APCVD) of propane on Si(111) with a pre-treated Ni overlayer acting as a catalyst. Prior to the growth of CNTs, a thin film of Ni was deposited on Si(111) substrate by evaporation and heat treated at 900°C. The growth ...

  17. The effect of dilute acid pre-treatment process in bioethanol production from durian (Durio zibethinus) seeds waste

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghazali, K. A.; Salleh, S. F.; Riayatsyah, T. M. I.; Aditiya, H. B.; Mahlia, T. M. I.

    2016-03-01

    Lignocellulosic biomass is one of the promising feedstocks for bioethanol production. The process starts from pre-treatment, hydrolysis, fermentation, distillation and finally obtaining the final product, ethanol. The efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulosic biomass depends heavily on the effectiveness of the pre-treatment step which main function is to break the lignin structure of the biomass. This work aims to investigate the effects of dilute acid pre-treatment on the enzymatic hydrolysis of durian seeds waste to glucose and the subsequent bioethanol fermentation process. The yield of glucose from dilute acid pre-treated sample using 0.6% H2SO4 and 5% substrate concentration shows significant value of 23.4951 g/L. Combination of dilute acid pre-treatment and enzymatic hydrolysis using 150U of enzyme able to yield 50.0944 g/L of glucose content higher compared to normal pre-treated sample of 8.1093 g/L. Dilute acid pre-treatment sample also shows stable and efficient yeast activity during fermentation process with lowest glucose content at 2.9636 g/L compared to 14.7583g/L for normal pre-treated sample. Based on the result, it can be concluded that dilute acid pre-treatment increase the yield of ethanol from bioethanol production process.

  18. Pre-treatment with melatonin decreases abamectin induced toxicity in a nocturnal insect Spodoptera litura (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Subala, Subramanian P; Zubero, Eduardo E; Alatorre-Jimenez, Moises A; Shivakumar, Muthugounder S

    2017-12-01

    Oxidative stress is an important component of the mechanism of pesticide toxicity. The aim of the present study was to investigate the time-dependent melatonin effects against abamectin-induced oxidative stress in a S.litura model. Larvae were divided into 5 different groups; (1) control group,(2) Melatonin group (4.3×10 -5 M/100ml diet), (3) Abamectin group 1.5ml/L, (4) Pre-melatonin treated group (PM) (4.3×10 -5 M/100ml diet) before abamectin exposure 1.5ml/L, (5) Post-melatonin treated group (TM) after abamectin exposure. Melatonin was supplemented via artificial diet in PM and TM animals during 24h. Midgut, fatbody, and hemolymph, were collected for the analysis of oxidative stress markers (Total ROS, GSH, nitrite, TBARS, LPO), antioxidant enzyme levels (SOD, GST, CAT, POX, APOX) in fifth instar larvae. Midgut damage was examined by using morphological analysis. Our results observed that ABA group showed significant changes (pmelatonin. Significant (pmelatonin treatment reduces this damage due to its antioxidant properties, especially POX levels in midgut, fatbody, and hemolymph. Therefore, indoleamine can play a vital role curtailing the abamectin toxicity in time dependent manner in S.litura. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Utilization of acid pre-treated coconut dregs as a substrate for production of detergent compatible lipase by Bacillus stratosphericus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohd Zin, Nur Bainun; Mohamad Yusof, Busyra; Oslan, Siti Nurbaya; Wasoh, Helmi; Tan, Joo Shun; Ariff, Arbakariya B; Halim, Murni

    2017-12-01

    In recent years, many efforts have been directed to explore the methods to reduce the production costs of industrial lipase by improving the yield and the use of low-cost agricultural wastes. Coconut dregs, which is a lignocellulosic by-product from coconut oil and milk processing plants, is rich in cellulose (36%) and crude fat (9%). A newly isolated Bacillus stratosphericus has been demonstrated to perform cellulose hydrolysis on coconut dregs producing fermentable sugars. The highest extracellular lipase activity of 140 U/mL has been achieved in submerged fermentation with acid pre-treated coconut dregs. The lipase was found to be active over a wide range of temperatures and pHs. The activity of lipase can be generally increased by the presence of detergent ingredients such as Tween-80, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, hydrogen peroxide and phosphate per sulphate. The great compatibility of lipase in commercial detergents has also underlined its potential as an additive ingredient in biodetergent formulations.

  20. Effects of blending of desalinated and conventionally treated surface water on iron corrosion and its release from corroding surfaces and pre-existing scales.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Haizhou; Schonberger, Kenneth D; Peng, Ching-Yu; Ferguson, John F; Desormeaux, Erik; Meyerhofer, Paul; Luckenbach, Heidi; Korshin, Gregory V

    2013-07-01

    This study examined effects of blending desalinated water with conventionally treated surface water on iron corrosion and release from corroding metal surfaces and pre-existing scales exposed to waters having varying fractions of desalinated water, alkalinities, pH values and orthophosphate levels. The presence of desalinated water resulted in markedly decreased 0.45 μm-filtered soluble iron concentrations. However, higher fractions of desalinated water in the blends were also associated with more fragile corroding surfaces, lower retention of iron oxidation products and release of larger iron particles in the bulk water. SEM, XRD and XANES data showed that in surface water, a dense layer of amorphous ferrihydrite phase predominated in the corrosion products. More crystalline surface phases developed in the presence of desalinated water. These solid phases transformed from goethite to lepidocrocite with increased fraction of desalinated water. These effects are likely to result from a combination of chemical parameters, notably variations of the concentrations of natural organic matter, calcium, chloride and sulfate when desalinated and conventionally treated waters are blended. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Treating panic symptoms within everyday clinical settings: the feasibility of a group cognitive behavioural intervention

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Austin, S.F.; Sumbundu, A.D.; Lykke, J.

    2008-01-01

    of significant clinical change displayed and resources required to carry out the intervention. A small sample of GP-referred patients displaying panic symptoms completed a 2-week intensive cognitive-behavioural intervention. Results collected post-intervention revealed significant clinical reductions in panic......Panic disorder is a common and debilitating disorder that has a prevalence rate of 3-5% in the general population. Cognitive-behavioural interventions have been shown to be an efficacious treatment for panic, although a limited number of studies have examined the effectiveness of such interventions...... implemented in everyday clinical settings. The aim of the following pilot study was to examine the feasibility of a brief group cognitive-behavioural intervention carried out in a clinical setting. Salient issues in determining feasibility include: representativeness of patient group treated, amount...

  2. Randomized controlled trial demonstrates the benefit of RGTA® based matrix therapy to treat tendinopathies in racing horses.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sandrine Jacquet-Guibon

    Full Text Available A randomized controlled trial was performed on racing horses, to evaluate the efficacy of a new class of therapeutic agents in regenerative medicine-ReGeneraTing Agents® (RGTA®, to treat tendinopathies. Preliminary uncontrolled studies on tendon healing in racing horses with RGTA® (OTR4131-Equitend® showed encouraging results, justifying performing a randomized, controlled, multicenter study with a two-year racing performance follow up. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of Equitend® versus placebo on acute superficial digital flexor tendonitis in racing French Standardbred Trotters (ST. Twenty-two ST were randomly and blindly assigned to receive with a ratio of 2 to 1, a single Equitend® (n = 14 or placebo (n = 8 intralesional injection under ultrasonographic guidance. Horses were evaluated over 4 months, by clinical and ultrasonographic evaluations (day 0, months 1, 2, 4, and their racing performances followed up over the 2 years after treatment. During the first month of treatment, a significant decrease in the cross-sectional area (CSA was found in the Equitend® group (p = 0.04. After 4 months, the number of Equitend® treated horses with an improved CSA was significantly higher than the placebo-treated horses (p = 0.03571. The Equitend® group returned to their pre-injury performance level, racing in, and winning, significantly more races than the placebo group (p = 0.01399 and 0.0421, respectively. Furthermore, recurrence was significantly higher in the placebo group than in the Equitend® group (71.4% vs 16.6%, p = 0.02442. In conclusion, we measured a significant, short-term, reduction effect on CSA and demonstrated a long-term beneficial effect of intralesional injection of Equitend® for the treatment of superficial digital flexor tendonitis on racing ST, racing 2. 3 times more often than placebo, with 3.3 times fewer recurrences maintaining pre-injury performance level. This study may open the way for the

  3. Effect of copper surface pre-treatment on the properties of CVD grown graphene

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Min-Sik Kim

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Here, we report the synthesis of high quality monolayer graphene on the pre-treated copper (Cu foil by chemical vapor deposition method. The pre-treatment process, which consists of pre-annealing in a hydrogen ambient, followed by diluted nitric acid etching of Cu foil, helps in removing impurities. These impurities include native copper oxide and rolling lines that act as a nucleation center for multilayer graphene. Raman mapping of our graphene grown on pre-treated Cu foil primarily consisted of ∼98% a monolayer graphene with as compared to 75 % for the graphene grown on untreated Cu foil. A high hydrogen flow rate during the pre-annealing process resulted in an increased I2D/IG ratio of graphene up to 3.55. Uniform monolayer graphene was obtained with a I2D/IG ratio and sheet resistance varying from 1.84 – 3.39 and 1110 – 1290 Ω/□, respectively.

  4. Modification of saltwater stress response in Cyprinus carpio (Linnaeus, 1758) pre-exposed to pesticide indoxacarb.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghelichpour, Melika; Taheri Mirghaed, Ali; Mirzargar, Seyed Saeed; Joshaghani, Hamidreza; Ebrahimzadeh Mousavi, Hoseinali

    2018-01-01

    To evaluate the effects of indoxacarb on saltwater stress response in Cyprinus carpio, the fish were pre-exposed to indoxacarb (0, 0.75, 1.5 and 3mg/L denoted as CP, 0.75IT, 1.5IT and 3IT, respectively) for 21 days and then released to saltwater. A negative control (CN) group was included (the fish were held in indoxacarb-free water for the entire experiment). The fish were sampled immediately (0h) and 24, 48 and 72h after the salinity exposure for the analysis of plasma cortisol, glucose and sodium, chloride, potassium and calcium levels. All fish pre-exposed to 3mg/L indoxacarb, died after the first day of salinity challenge. CP showed typical cortisol response after the salinity challenge, but, cortisol response of the fish pre-exposed to indoxacarb (0.75IT and 1.5IT) was blocked. Plasma glucose increased significantly in all groups compared to the CN; however, this elevation had no consistent trend in 0.75IT and 1.5IT which indicated interference in glucose response due to indoxacarb exposure. Plasma sodium increased (compared to CN) in all groups after the salinity challenge. However, elevation in plasma chloride and potassium was significantly different among the groups and the indoxacarb-treated fish showed slightly sooner ionic disturbance. The results clearly indicate that indoxacarb impairs stress response of C. carpio and the fish may not be able to respond normally to additional stressors, which threatens their survival. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. The role of group brain checkups using magnetic resonance imaging in pre-elderly with hypertension

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kanai-Iwai, Eri; Ogawa, Fumiaki; Nakagawa, Masanori; Nishimura, Tsunehiko; Matsubara, Hiroaki; Naruse, Shoji

    2006-01-01

    Care of elderly people is an important socio-economical issue for industrial nations. Stroke is the leading cause of elderly care and its major risk facters are silent brain infarcts and metabolic disorders such as hypertension. Recent progress in brain imaging techniques has enabled early detection of cerebrovascular disease. However, brain imaging of numerous patients is not feasible because the test is time consuming and costly. Furthermore, the epidemiology of silent cerebrovascular disease in hypertensive elderly people is not well-known. Thus, the present study aims to establish whether group brain check-up is effective and to assess the incidence of silent cerebrovascular disease in pre-elderly individuals with hypertension. We randomly enrolled 224 participants, aged 50- to 65-years-old, with hypertension detected during routine medical check-ups. All participants were free of neurological symptoms, or dementia as determined by the Mini Mental Status Examination. MRI was carried out by the simplified method of fast spin echo (FSE)-T2-weighted image (T2WI) and 3D-time of flight (TOF) MRA with Toshiba VISART1.5T, and diagnosed by 3 radiologists. Each imaging test required only 10 minutes and the cost was reduced to about 40-80% number of the usual cost for brain MRIs. The detection rate of abnormal findings was 77.6% (n=174) and that of cerebrovascular changes was 70.1% (n=159; 102 lacunae, 64 intracranial artery stenosis, and 27 cerebral aneurysm), which was much higher than previously reported in a study of random participants. In addition, follow-up questionnaires after the brain check-ups revealed that 86% of participants improved their awareness about health-related life-style. These findings indicate that the pre-elderly population with hypertension is at high-risk for silent cerebrovascular disease, and mass screening of this group using our simplified MRI may be an effective medical health strategy in aging society. (author)

  6. Characterization of lignin during oxidative and hydrothermal pre-treatment processes of wheat straw and corn stover.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaparaju, Prasad; Felby, Claus

    2010-05-01

    The objective of the study was to characterize and map changes in lignin during hydrothermal and wet explosion pre-treatments of wheat straw and corn stover. Chemical composition, microscopic (atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy) and spectroscopic (attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, ATR-FTIR) analyses were performed. Results showed that both pre-treatments improved the cellulose and lignin content with substantial removal of hemicellulose in the pre-treated biomasses. These values were slightly higher for hydrothermal compared to wet explosion pre-treatment. ATR-FTIR analyses also confirmed these results. Microscopic analysis showed that pre-treatments affected the biomass by partial difibration. Lignin deposition on the surface of the hydrothermally pre-treated fibre was very distinct while severe loss of fibril integrity was noticed with wet exploded fibre. The present study thus revealed that the lignin cannot be removed by the studied pre-treatments. However, both pre-treatments improved the accessibility of the biomass towards enzymatic hydrolysis. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Optimization of Saccharification Conditions of Lignocellulosic Biomass under Alkaline Pre-Treatment and Enzymatic Hydrolysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rafał Łukajtis

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Pre-treatment is a significant step in the production of second-generation biofuels from waste lignocellulosic materials. Obtaining biofuels as a result of fermentation processes requires appropriate pre-treatment conditions ensuring the highest possible degree of saccharification of the feed material. An influence of the following process parameters were investigated for alkaline pre-treatment of Salix viminalis L.: catalyst concentration (NaOH, temperature, pre-treatment time and granulation. For this purpose, experiments were carried out in accordance to the Box-Behnken design for four factors. In the saccharification process of the pre-treated biomass, cellulolytic enzymes immobilized on diatomaceous earth were used. Based on the obtained results, a mathematical model for the optimal conditions of alkaline pre-treatment prediction is proposed. The optimal conditions of alkaline pre-treatment are established as follows: granulation 0.75 mm, catalyst concentration 7%, pre-treatment time 6 h and temperature 65 °C if the saccharification efficiency and cost analysis are considered. An influence of the optimized pre-treatment on both the chemical composition and structural changes for six various lignocellulosic materials (energetic willow, energetic poplar, beech, triticale, meadow grass, corncobs was investigated. SEM images of raw and pre-treated biomass samples are included in order to follow the changes in the biomass structure during hydrolysis.

  8. A novel pre-surgical maxillary orthodontic device using β-titanium wire for wide unilateral cleft lip and palate patients: preliminary study of its efficacy and impact for the maxillary formation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taniguchi, Maki; Oyama, Tomoki; Kiya, Koichiro; Sone, Yumiko; Ishii, Nobuyuki; Hosokawa, Ko

    2014-02-01

    For patients with a wide, complete, unilateral cleft lip and palate, pre-surgical maxillary orthodontic treatments have been used to reduce the alveolar gap before cheiloplasty. However, most of these treatments are complicated and laborious for patients and for medical professionals. Thus, we developed an original pre-surgical orthodontic device made with two separate acrylic resin plates connected with a spring-shaped β-titanium wire (β-TW). When the device was applied on the palate, each segment of the maxilla was automatically aligned for our target formation with the elastic force of β-titanium alloy. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the new device and the size of the maxilla in comparison with the conventional Hotz procedures. A total of 47 patients with a wide unilateral cleft lip and palate were retrospectively evaluated; 33 patients were treated with our new device (β-TW plate group) and 14 were treated with a Hotz plate (HP group). We evaluated the alveolar gap reduction and the size of the maxilla between the two groups, obtaining intraoral maxillary impressions at birth, at 3 months and 1 year. The width of the alveolar gap in the β-TW plate group was significantly reduced compared with that in the HP group 1 month after the treatment (p pre-surgical orthodontic treatments. Copyright © 2013 British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Use of pre-packaged chloroquine for the home management of presumed malaria in Malagasy children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Malvy Denis

    2006-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Objective The main objective of this study was to assess the quality of home malaria management with pre-packaged chloroquine in two areas in the Moramanga district of Madagascar. The knowledge, attitude and practices of care providers in terms of home treatment options were evaluated and compared. The availability of treatment options by studying retailers and community-based service providers was also investigated. Methods A cross-sectional investigation in two communities, in the hamlets and villages located close to carers, retailers, community-based service providers and primary health centres was carried out. Results Carers in the two districts were equally well aware of the use of pre-packaged chloroquine. Their first response to the onset of fever was to treat children with this antimalarial drug at home. The dose administered and treatment compliance were entirely satisfactory (100% with pre-packaged chloroquine and rarely satisfactory (1.6% to 4.5% with non pre-packaged chloroquine. In cases of treatment failure, the carers took patients to health centres. Chloroquine was supplied principally by private pharmacies and travelling salesmen selling unpackaged chloroquine tablets. Non pre-packaged chloroquine was the most common drug used at health centres. The frequency of positive rapid malaria tests (P = 0.01 was significantly higher in children treated with non pre-packaged chloroquine (38% than in children treated with pre-packaged chloroquine (1.3%. Conclusion Home malaria management should be improved in Madagascar. Efforts should focus on communication, the training of community-based service providers, access to pre-packaged drugs and the gradual withdrawal of pre-packaged chloroquine and its replacement by pre-packaged artemisinin-based combination therapies.

  10. Epigallocatechin gallate enhances treatment efficacy of oral nifedipine against pregnancy-induced severe pre-eclampsia: A double-blind, randomized and placebo-controlled clinical study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, D-D; Guo, J-J; Zhou, L; Wang, N

    2018-02-01

    Oral nifedipine is commonly used to treat pre-eclampsia, one of the most severe complications during pregnancy, but its clinical efficacy is less than ideal. Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a natural compound from green tea, could benefit cardiovascular health especially hypertension. We investigated the clinical efficacy of EGCG, when complemented with oral nifedipine, in treating pre-eclampsia. A total of 350 pregnant women with severe pre-eclampsia were recruited and randomized to receive oral nifedipine, together with placebo (NIF+placebo) or EGCG (NIF+EGCG). The primary treatment outcome was the time needed to control blood pressure and interval time before a new hypertensive crisis, whereas the secondary treatment outcome was the number of treatment doses to effectively control blood pressure, maternal adverse effects and neonatal complications. Comparing NIF+EGCG group to NIF+placebo group, the time needed to control blood pressure was significantly shorter (NIF+EGCG 31.2±16.7 minutes, NIF+placebo 45.3±21.9 minutes; 95% CI 9.7-18.5 minutes), whereas interval time before a new hypertensive crisis was significantly prolonged (NIF+EGCG 7.2±2.9 hours, NIF+placebo 4.1±3.7 hours; 95% CI 2.3-3.9 hours), and the number of treatment dosages needed to effectively control blood pressure was also lower. Between the two treatment groups, no differences in incidence rates of maternal adverse effects or neonatal complications were observed. EGCG is both safe and effective in enhancing treatment efficacy of oral nifedipine against pregnancy-induced severe pre-eclampsia, but formal validation is required prior to its recommendation for use outside of clinical trials. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  11. Effects of home-based exercise on pre-dialysis chronic kidney disease patients: a randomized pilot and feasibility trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hiraki, Koji; Shibagaki, Yugo; Izawa, Kazuhiro P; Hotta, Chiharu; Wakamiya, Akiko; Sakurada, Tsutomu; Yasuda, Takashi; Kimura, Kenjiro

    2017-06-17

    Only a few research is available on the effects of home-based exercise training on pre-dialysis chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. Therefore, we aimed to elucidate the effect of home-based exercise therapy on kidney function and arm and leg muscle strength in pre-dialysis CKD patients. Thirty-six male stage 3-4 pre-dialysis CKD patients (age, 68.7 ± 6.8 years; estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), 39.0 ± 11.6 ml/min/1.73 m 2 ) who were being treated as outpatients were included. The subjects were randomly assigned to an exercise intervention group (Ex group: 18) and a control group (C group: 18). The Ex group wore accelerometer pedometers and were instructed to perform home-based aerobic and resistance exercises, such as brisk walking for 30 min per day, for 12 months. The C group subjects wore accelerometer pedometers but received no exercise therapy guidance; the number of steps covered during normal daily activities was recorded for the C group. The outcome measures were changes in kidney function and handgrip and knee extension muscle strength. Values at the baseline (T1) and 12 months later (T2) were compared. There were no significant differences in baseline characteristics between the two groups; however, the C group was more physically active than the Ex group. Eight subjects dropped out, and 28 subjects (14 in each group) were included in the final analysis. Physical activity increased significantly only in the Ex group. Grip strength (F = 7.0, p = 0.01) and knee extension muscle strength (F = 14.3, p < 0.01) were found to improve only in the Ex group. Further, the changes in eGFR were not significantly different between the two groups (F = 0.01, p = 0.93). Home-based exercise therapy for pre-dialysis CKD patients was feasible and improved arm and leg muscle strength without affecting kidney function. UMIN Clinical Trials Registry ( UMIN000005091 ). Registered 2/15/2011.

  12. Silane pre-treatments on copper and aluminium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Deflorian, F.; Rossi, S.; Fedrizzi, L.

    2006-01-01

    A large part of aluminium products are coated with an organic layer in order to improve the corrosion resistance. Copper surfaces are also sometimes protected with an organic coating to improve the durability or the aesthetic properties. Examples of industrial applications are household appliances and heat exchanger components. For these applications it is not rare to have the industrial need to treat at the same time components made of aluminium and copper. In order to extend the service life of the organic coated copper a specific surface pre-treatment is often required. Nevertheless, probably because of the limited market of this application, no specific pre-treatments for copper are industrially developed, with the exception of cleaning procedures, but simply extensions of existing pre-treatments optimised for other metals (aluminium, zinc) are used. The application of silane pre-treatments as adhesion promoters for organic coated metals is remarkably increasing in the last decade, because silanes offer very good performance together with high environmental compatibility. The idea is therefore to try to develop a specific silane based pre-treatment for copper. The starting point is the existing silane products for aluminium, optimising the composition and the application conditions (concentration, temperature, pH of the bath, etc.) in order to develop a high performance copper alloy pre-treatment increasing the protective properties and the adhesion of a successively applied organic coating. Moreover these pre-treatments could be used for aluminium alloys too and therefore could be suggested for multi-metals components. The deposits were analysed using FTIR spectroscopy and optical and electron microscopic observations. A careful electrochemical characterisation, mainly by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements (EIS) was carried out to highlight the presence of silane and to evaluate the performance of the different deposits. In order to study an

  13. Flippin' Fluid Mechanics - Quasi-experimental Pre-test and Post-test Comparison Using Two Groups

    Science.gov (United States)

    Webster, D. R.; Majerich, D. M.; Luo, J.

    2014-11-01

    A flipped classroom approach has been implemented in an undergraduate fluid mechanics course. Students watch short on-line videos before class, participate in active in-class problem solving (in dyads), and complete individualized on-line quizzes weekly. In-class activities are designed to achieve a trifecta of: 1. developing problem solving skills, 2. learning subject content, and 3. developing inquiry skills. The instructor and assistants provide critical ``just-in-time tutoring'' during the in-class problem solving sessions. Comparisons are made with a simultaneous section offered in a traditional mode by a different instructor. Regression analysis was used to control for differences among students and to quantify the effect of the flipped fluid mechanics course. The dependent variable was the students' combined final examination and post-concept inventory scores and the independent variables were pre-concept inventory score, gender, major, course section, and (incoming) GPA. The R-square equaled 0.45 indicating that the included variables explain 45% of the variation in the dependent variable. The regression results indicated that if the student took the flipped fluid mechanics course, the dependent variable (i.e., combined final exam and post-concept inventory scores) was raised by 7.25 points. Interestingly, the comparison group reported significantly more often that their course emphasized memorization than did the flipped classroom group.

  14. Superwellness Program: a cognitive-behavioral therapy-based group intervention to reduce weight gain in patients treated with antipsychotic drugs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laura R. Magni

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Objective: To assess the effectiveness of a cognitive-behavioral therapy-based intervention (Superwellness Program on weight gain compared with a treatment-as-usual (TAU approach in patients treated with antipsychotics, and to evaluate the relationship between body mass index (BMI variation and clinical variables. Method: Eighty-five patients treated with antipsychotics were allocated across two groups, experimental (n=59 and control (n=26. The Superwellness Program (experimental group consisted of 32 twice-weekly 1-hour sessions, conducted by a psychologist and a nutritionist/nurse, concurrently with moderate food intake and moderate physical activity plans. Sociodemographic, clinical, and biological variables were collected at baseline, at the end of intervention (16 weeks, and after 6 months. Results: BMI change from baseline differed significantly between the experimental and control groups, with a larger decrease in the experimental group (F = 5.5, p = 0.021. Duration of illness moderated the effect of treatment on BMI (p = 0.026. No significant (p = 0.499 effect of intervention during the follow-up period was found. Interestingly, the intervention indirectly induced a significant (p = 0.024 reduction in metabolic risk by reducing BMI. Conclusion: A cognitive-behavioral therapy-based intervention could be useful in reducing weight in a clinical population taking antipsychotics, with consequent benefit to physical and mental health.

  15. Pre-treatment MRI minimum apparent diffusion coefficient value is a potential prognostic imaging biomarker in cervical cancer patients treated with definitive chemoradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marconi, Daniel Grossi; Fregnani, Jose Humberto Tavares Guerreiro; Rossini, Rodrigo Ribeiro; Netto, Ana Karina Borges Junqueira; Lucchesi, Fabiano Rubião; Tsunoda, Audrey Tieko; Kamrava, Mitchell

    2016-01-01

    Diffusion Weighted (DW) Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) has been studed in several cancers including cervical cancer. This study was designed to investigate the association of DW-MRI parameters with baseline clinical features and clinical outcomes (local regional control (LRC), disease free survival (DFS) and disease specific survival (DSS)) in cervical cancer patients treated with definitive chemoradiation. This was a retrospective study approved by an institutional review board that included 66 women with cervical cancer treated with definitive chemoradiation who underwent pre-treatment MRI at our institution between 2012 and 2013. A region of interest (ROI) was manually drawn by one of three radiologists with experience in pelvic imaging on a single axial CT slice encompassing the widest diameter of the cervical tumor while excluding areas of necrosis. The following apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values (×10 −3 mm 2 /s) were extracted for each ROI: Minimum - ADC min , Maximum - ADC max , Mean - ADC mean , and Standard Deviation of the ADC - ADC dev . Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were built to choose the most accurate cut off value for each ADC value. Correlation between imaging metrics and baseline clinical features were evaluated using the Mann Whitney test. Confirmatory multi-variate Cox modeling was used to test associations with LRC (adjusted by gross tumor volume – GTV), DFS and DSS (both adjusted by FIGO stage). Kaplan Meyer curves were built for DFS and DSS. A p-value < 0.05 was considered significant. Women median age was 52 years (range 23–90). 67 % had FIGO stage I-II disease while 33 % had FIGO stage III-IV disease. Eighty-two percent had squamous cell cancer. Eighty-eight percent received concurrent cisplatin chemotherapy with radiation. Median EQD2 of external beam and brachytherapy was 82.2 Gy (range 74–84). Women with disease staged III-IV (FIGO) had significantly higher mean ADC max values compared with those

  16. Pre-migration Trauma Exposure and Psychological Distress for Asian American Immigrants: Linking the Pre- and Post-migration Contexts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Miao; Anderson, James G

    2016-08-01

    Drawing on the life course perspective and the assumptive world theory, this paper examines whether pre-migration trauma exposure is associated with psychological distress through post-migration perceived discrimination for Asian American immigrants. The study is based on cross-sectional data from the National Latino and Asian American Study (N = 1639). Structural equation model is used to estimate the relationship between pre-migration trauma, post-migration perceived discrimination, and psychological distress. Additional models are estimated to explore possible variations across ethnic groups as well as across different types of pre-migration trauma experience. Pre-migration trauma exposure is associated with higher levels of psychological distress, both directly and indirectly through higher level of perceived discrimination, even after controlling for demographic/acculturative factors and post-migration trauma exposure. This pattern holds for the following sub-types of pre-migration trauma: political trauma, crime victimization, physical violence, accidental trauma, and relational trauma. Multi-group analyses show that this pattern holds for all Asian immigrant subgroups except the Vietnamese. Studies of immigrant mental health primarily focus on post-migration stressors. Few studies have considered the link between pre- and post-migration contexts in assessing mental health outcomes. The study illustrates the usefulness of bridging the pre- and post-migration context in identifying the mental health risks along the immigrant life course.

  17. Effectiveness of the Relaxation Response-Based Group Intervention for Treating Depressed Chinese American Immigrants: A Pilot Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Albert Yeung

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Background: This study examined the feasibility, safety and efficacy of an 8-week Relaxation Response (RR-based group. Methods: Twenty-two depressed Chinese American immigrants were recruited. Outcomes measures were response and remission rates, the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, Clinical Global Impressions Scale, Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire, and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support Scale. Results: Participants (N = 22 were 82% female, mean age was 53 (±12. After intervention, completers (N = 15 showed a 40% response rate and a 27% remission rate, and statistically significant improvement in most outcome measures. Discussion: The RR-based group is feasible and safe in treating Chinese American immigrants with depression.

  18. Delayed hydride cracking: alternative pre-cracking method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mieza, Juan I.; Ponzoni, Lucio M.E.; Vigna, Gustavo L.; Domizzi, Gladys

    2009-01-01

    The internal components of nuclear reactors built-in Zr alloys are prone to a failure mechanism known as Delayed Hydride Cracking (DHC). This situation has triggered numerous scientific studies in order to measure the crack propagation velocity and the threshold stress intensity factor associated to DHC. Tests are carried out on fatigued pre-crack samples to ensure similar test conditions and comparable results. Due to difficulties in implementing the fatigue pre-crack method it would be desirable to replace it with a pre-crack produced by the same process of DHC, for which is necessary to demonstrate equivalence of this two methods. In this work tests on samples extracted from two Zr-2.5 Nb tubes were conducted. Some of the samples were heat treated to obtain a range in their metallurgical properties as well as different DHC velocities. A comparison between velocities measured in test samples pre-cracked by fatigue and RDIH is done, demonstrating that the pre-cracking method does not affect the measured velocity value. In addition, the incubation (t inc ), which is the time between the application of the load and the first signal of crack propagation, in samples pre-cracked by RDIH, was measured. It was found that these times are sufficiently short, even in the worst cases (lower speed) and similar to the ones of fatigued pre-cracked samples. (author)

  19. Pre-radiotherapy FDG PET predicts radiation pneumonitis in lung cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Castillo, Richard; Guerrero, Thomas; Pham, Ngoc; Ansari, Sobiya; Meshkov, Dmitriy; Castillo, Sarah; Li, Min; Olanrewaju, Adenike; Hobbs, Brian; Castillo, Edward

    2014-01-01

    A retrospective analysis is performed to determine if pre-treatment [ 18 F]-2-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG PET/CT) image derived parameters can predict radiation pneumonitis (RP) clinical symptoms in lung cancer patients. We retrospectively studied 100 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients who underwent FDG PET/CT imaging before initiation of radiotherapy (RT). Pneumonitis symptoms were evaluated using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 4.0 (CTCAEv4) from the consensus of 5 clinicians. Using the cumulative distribution of pre-treatment standard uptake values (SUV) within the lungs, the 80th to 95th percentile SUV values (SUV 80 to SUV 95 ) were determined. The effect of pre-RT FDG uptake, dose, patient and treatment characteristics on pulmonary toxicity was studied using multiple logistic regression. The study subjects were treated with 3D conformal RT (n = 23), intensity modulated RT (n = 64), and proton therapy (n = 13). Multiple logistic regression analysis demonstrated that elevated pre-RT lung FDG uptake on staging FDG PET was related to development of RP symptoms after RT. A patient of average age and V 30 with SUV 95 = 1.5 was an estimated 6.9 times more likely to develop grade ≥ 2 radiation pneumonitis when compared to a patient with SUV 95 = 0.5 of the same age and identical V 30 . Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed the area under the curve was 0.78 (95% CI = 0.69 – 0.87). The CT imaging and dosimetry parameters were found to be poor predictors of RP symptoms. The pretreatment pulmonary FDG uptake, as quantified by the SUV 95 , predicted symptoms of RP in this study. Elevation in this pre-treatment biomarker identifies a patient group at high risk for post-treatment symptomatic RP

  20. Effects of thermo-chemical pre-treatment on anaerobic biodegradability and hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Fernandes, T.; Klaasse Bos, G.J.; Zeeman, G.; Sanders, J.P.M.; Lier, van J.B.

    2009-01-01

    The effects of different thermo-chemical pre-treatment methods were determined on the biodegradability and hydrolysis rate of lignocellulosic biomass. Three plant species, hay, straw and bracken were thermo-chemically pre-treated with calcium hydroxide, ammonium carbonate and maleic acid. After

  1. Impact analysis of different chemical pre-treatments on colour of apple discs during drying process

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jasmina Lukinac

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available The main purpose of this study was to compare colour changes of chemically pre-treated dried apple discs. Changes were observed by chromameter in L*a*b* colour model by using Minolta chromameter CR-400 and by image analysis system in RGB colour model. Apple discs variety "Gold Rush" were pre-treated and dried in laboratory tray drier at drying temperature 70 °C and at airflow velocity of 1.5 ms-1. Different chemical pre-treatments were applied on apple discs (dipping in 0.5% ascorbic acid solution; 0.3% L–cysteine solution; 0.1% 4–hexyl resorcinol solution and 1% sodium metabisulphite solution. Mean values of colour parameters, colour changes and correlation coefficients for apple discs were calculated for both colour models. The analysis showed statistically significant influence of pre-treatment method on total colour changes for both chosen colour models of dried apples. Calculated correlation coefficient between colour changes for used models was found to be 0.894. According to colour characteristics the best results were achieved when samples were pre-treated with 0.5% ascorbic acid solution. According to calculated results it was found that image analysis method as well as colorimetric method can be used to observe the colour changes on dried apple discs.

  2. Does melatonin help save dopaminergic cells in MPTP-treated mice?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Jeannine; Shaw, Victoria E; Mitrofanis, John

    2009-05-01

    This study explores whether melatonin neuroprotects dopaminergic cells of the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) from degeneration in 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-treated mice (well-known animal model of Parkinson disease). BALB/c albino mice were divided into four experimental groups. In each, mice received three series (over a 24-h period) of two intraperitoneal injections (1h apart) in different combinations. The different groups and their combinations of injections were: (1) Saline (saline, saline); (2) Mel (melatonin, saline); (3) MPTP (saline, MPTP); (4) Mel-MPTP (melatonin, MPTP). Six days after the last injection, all mice were perfused transcardially with aldehyde fixative. Brains were processed for routine tyrosine hydroxylase (TH; rate limiting enzyme for dopamine production) immunochemistry and Nissl staining. Our results - using unbiased stereology - showed that there were more TH(+) (50%) and Nissl-stained (30%) cells in the SNc of the Mel-MPTP group compared to the MPTP group, indicating a clear saving or neuroprotection of these cells. In fact, we found no significant difference between the number of TH(+) and Nissl-stained SNc cells in the Mel-MPTP group compared to the controls, namely Saline and Mel groups. This indicated that melatonin pre-treatment potentially neuroprotected all the SNc cells from MPTP toxicity and death.

  3. Dental Fluorosis and Catalase Immunoreactivity of the Brain Tissues in Rats Exposed to High Fluoride Pre- and Postnatally.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Güner, Şirin; Uyar-Bozkurt, Süheyla; Haznedaroğlu, Eda; Menteş, Ali

    2016-11-01

    This study evaluated dental fluorosis of the incisors and immunoreactivity in the brain tissues of rats given chronic fluoride doses pre- and postnatally. Female rats were given drinking water with 0, 30 or 100 ppm fluoride ad libitum throughout gestation and the nursing period. In addition, 63 male offspring were treated with the same water regimens as the mothers after weaning and were followed for 1, 3 or 5 months. The upper and lower incisors were collected, and all teeth were examined under a stereomicroscope and scored by two blinded examiners using a modified rodent enamel fluorosis index. Cortical, hippocampal and cerebellar brain samples were evaluated morphologically and immunohistochemically. All fluoride-treated pups were born with low body weight (p = 0.001). All animals from the fluoride groups had enamel fluorosis with defects of various degrees. The increase in the dental fluorosis scores in the fluoride treatment groups was significant (p fluoride groups was significantly higher than that in the controls after 1, 3 and 5 months (p toxicity of fluoride.

  4. Mechanical pre-treatment for enzymatically enhanced energy efficient TMP; Mekanisk foerbehandling av flis foer effektiv enzymatisk paaverkan vid energieffektiv TMP tillverkning

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Viforr, Silvia

    2008-11-15

    Thermomechanical pulp (TMP) processes are high energy demanding. This together with the high energy prices of nowadays results in significant costs, why less energy demanding processes are wished. This project has evaluated the potential for energy reductions in a TMP process by a mechanical pre-treatment of the wood chips combined with an enzymatic modification based on a cellulase mixture. The structure of the wood was opened up by the mechanical pre-treatment making it easier for the enzymes to penetrate into the pre-treated wood material. The enzymatic treatment was then run at optimum standard conditions. The EU project - Ecotarget 2004-2008 (www.ecotarget.com) have studied different types of enzymes that could be used for pre-treatment of wood chips in order to save energy during TMP processes. Based on these studies cellulose enzyme was recommended to be used at pre-treatment experiment performed by the Vaermeforsk project. Due to the fact that the Ecotarget-project has also been run during 2008 with activities involving enzymes, the steering board of the Vaermeforsk project took the decision to co-ordinate the experiments from both of the projects. This co-operation increased the funds and also the number of experiments for both of the projects. The experimental results from this project showed that energy reductions at a given tensile index could be achieved if gently mechanical pre-treated wood chips were enzymatically treated. An intensive mechanical pre-treatment gave negative effects on both fibre length and tear index while the light scattering coefficient was promoted, probably due to the fibre shortening. Enzymatic modification of mechanically pre-treated chips showed a favourable modification of the fibres, even regarding the fibre shortening, if compared to mechanical pre-treated chips only. The effects of cellulases was however not as expected, why a high amount of cellulases was used. Other types of enzymes which could attack the primary wall of

  5. FUMEX cases 1, 2, and 3 calculated pre-test and post-test results

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Stefanova, S; Vitkova, M; Passage, G; Manolova, M; Simeonova, V [Bylgarska Akademiya na Naukite, Sofia (Bulgaria). Inst. za Yadrena Izsledvaniya i Yadrena Energetika; Scheglov, A; Proselkov, V [Russian Research Centre Kurchatov Inst., Moscow (Russian Federation); Kharalampieva, Ts [Kombinat Atomna Energetika, Kozloduj (Bulgaria)

    1994-12-31

    Two versions (modified pre-test and modified post-test) of PIN-micro code were used to analyse the fuel rod behaviour of three FUMEX experiments. The experience of applying PIN-micro code with its simple structure and old conception of the steady-state operation shows significant difficulties in treating the complex processes like those in FUMEX experiments. These difficulties were partially overcame through different model modifications and corrections based on special engineering estimations and the results obtained as a whole do not seem unreasonable. The calculations have been performed by a group from two Bulgarian institutions in collaboration with specialists from the Kurchatov Research Center. 1 tab., 14 figs., 8 refs.

  6. Antisense pre-treatment increases gene therapy efficacy in dystrophic muscles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peccate, Cécile; Mollard, Amédée; Le Hir, Maëva; Julien, Laura; McClorey, Graham; Jarmin, Susan; Le Heron, Anita; Dickson, George; Benkhelifa-Ziyyat, Sofia; Piétri-Rouxel, France; Wood, Matthew J; Voit, Thomas; Lorain, Stéphanie

    2016-08-15

    In preclinical models for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, dystrophin restoration during adeno-associated virus (AAV)-U7-mediated exon-skipping therapy was shown to decrease drastically after six months in treated muscles. This decline in efficacy is strongly correlated with the loss of the therapeutic AAV genomes, probably due to alterations of the dystrophic myofiber membranes. To improve the membrane integrity of the dystrophic myofibers at the time of AAV-U7 injection, mdx muscles were pre-treated with a single dose of the peptide-phosphorodiamidate morpholino (PPMO) antisense oligonucleotides that induced temporary dystrophin expression at the sarcolemma. The PPMO pre-treatment allowed efficient maintenance of AAV genomes in mdx muscles and enhanced the AAV-U7 therapy effect with a ten-fold increase of the protein level after 6 months. PPMO pre-treatment was also beneficial to AAV-mediated gene therapy with transfer of micro-dystrophin cDNA into muscles. Therefore, avoiding vector genome loss after AAV injection by PPMO pre-treatment would allow efficient long-term restoration of dystrophin and the use of lower and thus safer vector doses for Duchenne patients. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  7. Pre-exposure to wheel running disrupts taste aversion conditioning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salvy, Sarah-Jeanne; Pierce, W David; Heth, Donald C; Russell, James C

    2002-05-01

    When rats are given access to a running wheel after drinking a flavored solution, they subsequently drink less of that flavor solution. It has been suggested that running produces a conditioned taste aversion (CTA). This study explored whether CTA is eliminated by prior exposure to wheel running [i.e., unconditioned stimulus (UCS) pre-exposure effect]. The rats in the experimental group (UW) were allowed to wheel run for 1 h daily for seven consecutive days of pre-exposure. Rats in the two other groups had either access to locked wheels (LW group) or were maintained in their home cages (HC group) during the pre-exposure days. All rats were then exposed to four paired and four unpaired trials using a "ABBAABBA" design. Conditioning trials were composed of one flavored liquid followed by 60-min access to wheel running. For the unpaired trials, rats received a different flavor not followed by the opportunity to run. All rats were then initially tested for water consumption followed by tests of the two flavors (paired or unpaired) in a counterbalanced design. Rats in the UW group show no CTA to the liquid paired with wheel running, whereas LW and HC groups developed CTA. These results indicate that pre-exposure to wheel running (i.e., the UCS), eliminates subsequent CTA.

  8. Model-based optimization and scale-up of multi-feed simultaneous saccharification and co-fermentation of steam pre-treated lignocellulose enables high gravity ethanol production.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Ruifei; Unrean, Pornkamol; Franzén, Carl Johan

    2016-01-01

    High content of water-insoluble solids (WIS) is required for simultaneous saccharification and co-fermentation (SSCF) operations to reach the high ethanol concentrations that meet the techno-economic requirements of industrial-scale production. The fundamental challenges of such processes are related to the high viscosity and inhibitor contents of the medium. Poor mass transfer and inhibition of the yeast lead to decreased ethanol yield, titre and productivity. In the present work, high-solid SSCF of pre-treated wheat straw was carried out by multi-feed SSCF which is a fed-batch process with additions of substrate, enzymes and cells, integrated with yeast propagation and adaptation on the pre-treatment liquor. The combined feeding strategies were systematically compared and optimized using experiments and simulations. For high-solid SSCF process of SO2-catalyzed steam pre-treated wheat straw, the boosted solubilisation of WIS achieved by having all enzyme loaded at the beginning of the process is crucial for increased rates of both enzymatic hydrolysis and SSCF. A kinetic model was adapted to simulate the release of sugars during separate hydrolysis as well as during SSCF. Feeding of solid substrate to reach the instantaneous WIS content of 13 % (w/w) was carried out when 60 % of the cellulose was hydrolysed, according to simulation results. With this approach, accumulated WIS additions reached more than 20 % (w/w) without encountering mixing problems in a standard bioreactor. Feeding fresh cells to the SSCF reactor maintained the fermentation activity, which otherwise ceased when the ethanol concentration reached 40-45 g L(-1). In lab scale, the optimized multi-feed SSCF produced 57 g L(-1) ethanol in 72 h. The process was reproducible and resulted in 52 g L(-1) ethanol in 10 m(3) scale at the SP Biorefinery Demo Plant. SSCF of WIS content up to 22 % (w/w) is reproducible and scalable with the multi-feed SSCF configuration and model-aided process

  9. Effect of storage temperature and osmotic pre-treatment with alternative solutes on the shelf-life of gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata fillets

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Theofania N. Tsironi

    2017-01-01

    Osmotic pre-treatment led to significant shelf-life extension of fillets, in terms of microbial growth, chemical changes and organoleptic deterioration. The pre-treatment with the alternative solutes led to depression of the freezing point (−1.8, −2.6, −3.2 and −3.5 °C for the untreated samples and the osmotically pre-treated with HDM, HDM + treh and HDM + gluc, respectively. TVB-N values were higher in untreated samples, followed by osmotically treated fillets, mainly at higher storage temperatures (i.e. 10 and 15 °C. Based on the mathematical models for sensory evaluation scoring, the shelf-life was 12, 19, 22 and 22 days at 0 °C for untreated and osmotically pre-treated with HDM, HDM + treh and HDM + gluc fish slices, respectively, while the respective values at −3 °C were 21, 35, 38 and 38 days. The alternative solutes had no significant effect on the quality and shelf-life of pre-treated fish fillet during storage at refrigerated conditions.

  10. Behavioral effects of pre- and postnatal exposure to a mixture of low chlorinated PCBs in rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lilienthal, H; Neuf, M; Munoz, C; Winneke, G

    1990-10-01

    Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-treated Wistar rats were tested on three different behavioral paradigms. Animals were pre- and postnatally exposed to a technical mixture of PCBs with a chlorine content of 42%. Exposure levels were 0, 5, or 30 mg/kg diet. These conditions did not affect the health of the dams, the litter size or weight, or the physical development of the offspring. Relative liver weights in the offspring, however, were elevated in a dose-dependent manner. Open-field ambulation, active avoidance learning, and operant conditioning on a fixed interval 30-sec schedule (FI-30-sec) were used to evaluate PCB-induced behavioral alterations. Ambulation was increased in 30-mg-treated rats at Day 22, but not at Day 120. There were more avoidance responses and intertrial responses in the 30-mg group than in both other groups. On the FI-30-sec schedule slightly more reactions were emitted by the 30-mg group during the first 10 sec of the interval than by the other animals. More pronounced, however, were the differences between groups in the temporal pattern of responses within the 30-sec interval. It is concluded that in rats PCB exposure causes consistent alterations in all of the tested activity-dependent behaviors.

  11. The effect of hydroxyzine on treating bruxism of 2- to 14-year-old children admitted to the clinic of Bandar Abbas Children Hospital in 2013-2014.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rahmati, M; Moayedi, A; Zakery Shahvari, S; Golmirzaei, J; Zahirinea, M; Abbasi, B

    2015-01-01

    Introduction. Bruxism is to press or grind teeth against each other in non-physiologic cases, when an individual does not swallow or chew. If not treated, teeth problems, stress, mental disorders, frequent night waking, and headache is expected. This research aimed to study the effect of hydroxyzine on treating bruxism of 2- to 14-year-old children admitted to the clinic of Bandar Abbas Children Hospital. Methodology. In this clinical trial, 143 children with the ages between 4-12 years were admitted to the Children Hospital and were divided randomly into test and control groups. The test group consisted of 88 hydroxyzine-treated children and the control group consisted of 55 children who used hot towels. Both groups were examined in some stages including the pre-test stages or the stage before starting treatments at two, four, and six weeks and four months after stopping the treatment. The effects of each treatment on reducing bruxism symptoms were assessed by a questionnaire. The data were analyzed by using SPSS in descriptive statistics, t-test, and ANOVA. Results. As far as bruxism severity was concerned, the results showed a significant difference between the test group members who received hydroxyzine and the control group members who received no medication. T-test results showed a statistically significant difference between the test and the control groups in the second post-test (four weeks later) (p. value ≤ 0.05). Mean of the scores of bruxism severity in the test group has changed significantly in the post-test (at two weeks, four weeks, and six weeks later) as compared to the pre-test. Whereas, as far as the response to the treatment, no significant difference was recorded between the control group and the test group 4 weeks after the treatment. Discussion. The results showed that prescribing hydroxyzine for 4 weeks had a considerable effect in diminishing bruxism severity between the test groups.

  12. Hydrogen photo-evolution by Rhodopseudomonas palustris 6A using pre-treated olive mill wastewater and a synthetic medium containing sugars

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pintucci, Cristina; Padovani, Giulia; Giovannelli, Alessio; Traversi, Maria Laura; Ena, Alba; Pushparaj, Benjamin; Carlozzi, Pietro

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Adsorbent matrices to convert fresh olive mill wastewater (OMW F ) in feedstock. • Dry-Azolla and granular active carbon for adsorbing polyphenols from OMW F . • Photofermentative processes for biohydrogen production. • Culture mixing by means of an impeller or a magnetic stir bar. • A 30% of dephenolised OMW containing medium suits the photofermentative process. - Abstract: Increasing costs of petroleum, associated with the escalating problems of global climate change, require always greater efforts in order to produce an energy carrier as bioH 2 . In this study, bioH 2 production using photofermentative process was investigated. Two culture broths were used: (a) a synthetic medium rich in sugars (glucose and fructose) and (b) a pre-treated fresh olive-mill wastewater (OMW F ) diluted with water (30%, v:v). The pre-treatment was carried out using two different vegetable matrices (dry-Azolla and granular active carbon) to decrease both the content of polyphenols and the dark colour of wastewater. Rhodopseudomonas palustris 6A isolated from soil spread with OMW was utilized for batch growth experiments, carried out indoors under continuous light (200 μE/m 2 /s). When synthetic medium was used, the culture mixing was performed using either (i) a magnetic stir bar, and (ii) an impeller equipped with five turbines. The latter system made it possible to increase the bioH 2 photo-evolution by 1.4 times. The specific hydrogen photo-evolution rate was 13.5 mL/g(dw)/h in the broth containing diluted OMW F and 11.8 mL/g(dw)/h in the synthetic medium containing sugars (glucose and fructose)

  13. Combination of paclitaxel and bevacizumab in heavily pre-treated non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients: a case series study on 15 patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Le Moulec, Sylvestre; Hadoux, Julien; Gontier, Eric; Chargari, Cyrus; Helissey, Carole; Lamand, Virginie; Tanz, Rachid; Farace, Françoise; Vedrine, Lionel; Bonardel, Gérald; Soria, Jean-Charles; Besse, Benjamin

    2013-12-01

    The combination of paclitaxel and bevacizumab was EMA-approved as first-line therapy in metastatic breast cancer. Moreover, in vitro studies showed a potential antiangiogenic synergistic effect of paclitaxel and bevacizumab. Between November 2008 and March 2010, this case series study included 15 patients with metastatic non squamous-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). Those were bevacizumab eligible and received the same regimen used in metastatic breast cancer with weekly paclitaxel (80 mg/m(2), days 1, 8 and 15) and bevacizumab (10 mg/kg at days 1 and 15) after at least one prior line of chemotherapy. Efficacy was evaluated by CT-scan and PET-FDG every two months. Circulating endothelial progenitor cells (CEP) and circulating endothelial cells (CEC) levels were explored in a subset of patients. Median age 56 (36-75), female: 47%, never smokers: 27%, adenocarcinoma: 100%, PS 0-1: 87% and PS 3: 13%. All patients were treated with a first-line platinum-based doublet with or without bevacizumab and 70% of them with erlotinib in the second-line. No major toxicity was observed. Partial response (PR) rate was 44% (31-63%) using RECIST criteria on CT-scan, and 65% (29-88%) with PET FDG. PS improved in 33% of the cases. Median progression free survival was 4.6 months. An increase of CEC and CEP was observed in patients with NSCLC treated with paclitaxel and bevacizumab. In this retrospective series, our results suggest efficacy signal in pre-treated metastatic NSCLC and warrant further assessment in a randomized clinical trial.

  14. Recombinant human TSH and ablation of post-surgical thyroid remnants in differentiated thyroid cancer: the effect of pre-treatment with furosemide and furosemide plus lithium

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Barbaro, Daniele; Lapi, Paola; Pasquini, Cristina; Orsini, Paola; Turco, Anna [General Hospital of Livorno, Endocrinology Unit, Livorno (Italy); Grosso, Mariano; Boni, Giuseppe; Mariani, Giuliano [University of Pisa Medical School, Regional Center of Nuclear Medicine, Pisa (Italy); Meucci, Giuseppe [General Hospital of Livorno, Division of General Surgery, Livorno (Italy); Marzola, Maria Cristina; Rubello, Domenico [' Santa Maria della Misericordia' Hospital, Department of Nuclear Medicine, PET Centre, Rovigo (Italy); Berti, Piero; Miccoli, Paolo [University of Pisa Medical School, Department of Surgery, Pisa (Italy)

    2010-02-15

    treated with a 30-mCi I-131 dose under rhTSH stimulus without performing the short 4-day L-4 withdrawal: this group was taken as the control. Follow-up was performed by neck ultrasonography (US), and Tg measurement and I-131 WBS under rhTSH stimulus. Among the patients from group 1, those pre-treated with furosemide or with furosemide plus lithium showed a better outcome of ablation both in terms of undetectable Tg values (97.7% and 95.5 % vs. 79.5%, p < 0.05) and of WBS negativity (97.7% vs. 81.8%, p < 0.05) during the rhTSH stimulus. No similar findings were observed in group 2 patients. Moreover, in patients from group 3 (I-131 30 mCi, without L-T4 withdrawal), the outcome of ablation was significantly lower in comparison to patients from group 1 (I-131 30 mCi, with L-T4 withdrawal) in terms of undetectable Tg during the rhTSH stimulus (55.0%, p < 0.001). rhTSH is highly effective for post-surgical thyroid remnant ablation in low-risk cancer patients using the low 30-mCi dose protocol combined with the short 4-day withdrawal of L-T4. Moreover, in these patients the pre-treatment with furosemide seems to play an important role to further improve the outcome of ablation by reducing the iodine pool. (orig.)

  15. Effect of Pre-Gamma Irradiation Induction of Metallothionein on potentially Radiation-Induced Toxic Heavy Metals Ions In Rats

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    El-Shamy, El.

    2004-01-01

    Metallothionein, which is a cystein-rich metal binding protein, can act as free radical scavenger and involved in resistance to heavy metal toxicity. The induction of synthesis has been shown to protect organs from the toxic effect of radiation. This study aimed to stud the effects of pre-irradiation induction of by heavy metal (Zinc sulfate) on potentially gamma radiation-induced toxic heavy metals ions in rate liver and kidney tissues. Forty eight albino rats were included in this study. They were divided into eight groups each of six animals. Two control groups injected with saline. Two Zinc sulfate-treated groups injected with zinc sulfate, two Irradiated groups exposed to a single dose level (7 Gy) of whole body gamma irradiation and two combined zinc sulfate and irradiation groups injected with zinc sulfate and exposed to whole body gamma irradiation (at dose 7 Gy). Animals of all groups were sacrificed 24 and 48 hours after last either zinc sulfate dose or irradiation. Samples of liver and kidney's tissues were subjected to the following investigations: Estimation of tissue heavy Metals (Zinc, Iron and Copper), and tissue (MT). After irradiation, liver and kidney MT were increased approximately 10-fold and 2-fold respectively after irradiation. Accumulation of zinc and iron in both liver and kidney tissues were detected, while accumulation of copper only in the liver tissues. The pre-irradiation treatment with zinc sulfate (Zn SO4) resulted in highly significant decrease in zinc, iron, and copper levels in both liver and kidney tissues in comparison with irradiation groups. Conclusion, it can be supposed that pre-irradiation injection of ZnSO 4 exerted protective effect against the potentially radiation-induced toxic heavy metals ions through MT induction

  16. Pre-hospitalization, hospitalization, and post-hospitalization costs of patients with neurocysticercosis treated at the Instituto Nacional de Neurologia y Neurocirugia (INNN in Mexico City, Mexico

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rachana Bhattarai

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to estimate the direct costs associated with the diagnosis and treatment of neurocysticercosis (NCC during pre-hospitalization, hospitalization, and post-hospitalization periods for 108 NCC patients treated at the Instituto Nacional de Neurologia y Neurocirugia (INNN in Mexico City, Mexico. Information on clinical manifestations, diagnostic tests, hospitalizations, surgical procedures, prescription medication, and other treatments was collected via medical chart reviews. Uncertain values for costs and frequency of treatments were imputed using bootstrap techniques. The average per-patient pre-hospitalization and hospitalization costs were US$ 257 (95% CI: 185 – 329 and US$ 2,576 (95% CI: 2,244 – 2,908, respectively. Post-hospitalization costs tended to decrease over time, with estimates for the first five years post-hospitalization of US$ 475 (95% CI: 423 – 527, US$ 228 (95% CI: 167 – 288, US$ 157 (95% CI: 111 – 202, US$ 150 (95% CI: 106 – 204, and US$ 91 (95% CI: 27 – 154, respectively. NCC results in a significant economic burden for patients requiring hospitalization, with this burden continuing years post-hospitalization.

  17. Stress, pre-term labour and birth outcomes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    MacKey, M C; Williams, C A; Tiller, C M

    2000-09-01

    Stress, pre-term labour and birth outcomes Preliminary studies have suggested that stress may be associated with the onset, treatment and outcomes of pre-term labour; however, a systematic comparison of the stress of women with and without pre-term labour has not been reported. Therefore, the purpose of this exploratory study was to compare the stress (daily hassles and mood states) and birth outcomes of black and white women who experienced pre-term labour (PTL) during pregnancy with those who did not. The convenience sample consisted of 35 pregnant women hospitalized in 1996-1997 for the treatment of PTL (24-35 weeks gestation) and 35 controls matched on age, race, parity, gestational age and method of hospital payment. Women in the PTL group had significantly higher tension-anxiety and depression-dejection on the Profile of Mood States (POMS), lower mean birthweight and mean gestational age, and a higher percentage of babies born <37 weeks and weighing 2500 g or less. Black women in the PTL group and white women in the control group had significantly higher scores on the fatigue sub-scale of the POMS and the work and future security sub-scales of the Daily Hassles Scale. Women in the PTL group whose babies weighed 2500 g or less had significantly higher scores on the health, inner concern and financial responsibility sub-scales of the Daily Hassles Scale. The findings from this study indicate the need for further exploration of the interaction of race and stress in understanding and preventing PTL and low birthweight and the need to examine the role of social support in preventing pre-term birth after an episode of PTL.

  18. Systemic administration of bevacizumab prolongs survival in an in vivo model of platinum pre-treated ovarian cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    REIN, DANIEL T.; VOLKMER, ANNE KATHRIN; VOLKMER, JENS; BEYER, INES M.; JANNI, WOLFGANG; FLEISCH, MARKUS C.; WELTER, ANNE KATHRIN; BAUERSCHLAG, DIRK; SCHÖNDORF, THOMAS; BREIDENBACH, MARTINA

    2012-01-01

    Ovarian cancer patients often suffer from malignant ascites and pleural effusion. Apart from worsening the outcome, this condition frequently impairs the quality of life in patients who are already distressed by ovarian cancer. This study investigated whether single intraperitoneal administration of the anti-VEGF antibody bevacizumab is capable of reducing the ascites-related body surface and prolonging survival. The study was performed in an orthotopic murine model of peritoneal disseminated platin-resistant ovarian cancer. Mice were treated with bevacizumab and/or paclitaxel or buffer (control). Reduction of body surface and increased survival rates were assessed as therapeutic success. Survival of mice in all treatment groups was significantly enhanced when compared to the non-treatment control group. The combination of paclitaxel plus bevacizumab significantly improved body surface as well as overall survival in comparison to a treatment with only one of the drugs. Treatment of malignant effusion with a single dose of bevacizumab as an intraperitoneal application, with or without cytostatic co-medication, may be a powerful alternative to systemic treatment. PMID:22740945

  19. Surgical results and MRI findings of cervical myelopathy treated with anterior decompression and fusion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miyazato, Takenari; Teruya, Yoshimitsu; Kinjo, Yukio

    1995-01-01

    We reviewed 19 patients with cervical myelopathy treated with anterior decompression and fusion. Etiology of cervical myelopathy was cervical disc herniation (CDH) in 13 patients and cervical spondylosis (CSM) in 6. Clinical recovery rate (%) was calculated from preoperative cervical myelopathy score (JOA) and the score at follow-up. Correlation between the clinical recovery rate and MRI findings (area and flatness at the narrowest part of the spinal cord), age at surgery, duration of myelopathy and pre-operative clinical score were analyzed separately in the CDH and CSM groups. Clinical recovery rate averaged 69% in the CDH group and 75% in the CSM group. In the CDH group, average clinical recovery rate in patients younger than 60 years was 80 and in patients over 60 years was 60. There was a significant negative correlation between the clinical recovery rate and age at surgery (p<0.05). No significant correlation was found between the clinical recovery rate and other factors investigated. (author)

  20. Effect of pre-heating on the viscosity and microhardness of a resin composite.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Lucey, S

    2010-04-01

    The effect of pre-heating resin composite on pre-cured viscosity and post-cured surface hardness was evaluated. Groups of uncured specimens were heated to 60 degrees C and compared with control groups (24 degrees C) with respect to viscosity and surface hardness. Mean (SD) viscosities of the pre-heated specimens (n = 15) were in the range of 285 (13)-377 (11) (Pa) compared with 642 (35)-800 (23) (Pa) at ambient temperature. There was a statistically significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.001). Mean (SD) Vickers microhardness (VHN) of the pre-heated group (n = 15) was 68.6 (2.3) for the top surface and 68.7 (1.8) for the bottom surface measured at 24 h post curing (specimen thickness = 1.5 mm). The corresponding values for the room temperature group were 60.6 (1.4) and 59.0 (3.5). There was a statistically significant difference between corresponding measurements taken at the top and bottom for the pre-heated and room temperature groups (P < 0.001). There was no significant difference between top and bottom measurements within each group. Pre-heating resin composite reduces its pre-cured viscosity and enhances its subsequent surface hardness. These effects may translate as easier placement together with an increased degree of polymerization and depth-of-cure.

  1. A comparison of laparoscopic and open surgery following pre-operative chemoradiation therapy for locally advanced lower rectal cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kusano, Toru; Inomata, Masafumi; Hiratsuka, Takahiro

    2014-01-01

    Although pre-operative chemoradiation therapy for advanced lower rectal cancer is a controversial treatment modality, it is increasingly used in combination with surgery. Few studies have considered the combination of chemoradiation therapy followed by laparoscopic surgery for locally advanced lower rectal cancer; therefore, this study aimed to assess the usefulness of this therapeutic combination. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients with locally advanced lower rectal cancer treated by pre-operative chemoradiation therapy and surgery from February 2002 to November 2012 at Oita University. We divided patients into an open surgery group and a laparoscopic surgery group and evaluated various parameters by univariate and multivariate analyses. In total, 33 patients were enrolled (open surgery group, n=14; laparoscopic surgery group, n=19). Univariate analysis revealed that compared with the open surgery group, operative time was significantly longer, whereas intra-operative blood loss and intra-operative blood transfusion requirements were significantly less in the laparoscopic surgery group. There were no significant differences in post-operative complication and recurrence rates between the two groups. According to multivariate analysis, operative time and intra-operative blood loss were significant predictors of outcome in the laparoscopic surgery group. This study suggests that laparoscopic surgery after chemoradiation therapy for locally advanced lower rectal cancer is a safe procedure. Further prospective investigation of the long-term oncological outcomes of laparoscopic surgery after chemoradiation therapy for locally advanced lower rectal cancer is required to confirm the advantages of laparoscopic surgery over open surgery. (author)

  2. The genetic diversity of commensal Escherichia coli strains isolated from nonantimicrobial treated pigs varies according to age group

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ahmed, Shahana; Olsen, John E.; Herrero-Fresno, Ana

    2017-01-01

    This is the first report on the genetic diversity of commensal E. coli from pigs reared in an antibiotic free production system and belonging to different age groups. The study investigated the genetic diversity and relationship of 900 randomly collected commensal E. coli strains from non......-antimicrobial treated pigs assigned to five different age groups in a Danish farm. Fifty-two unique REP profiles were detected suggesting a high degree of diversity. The number of strains per pig ranged from two to 13. The highest and the lowest degree of diversity were found in the early weaners group (Shannon...... diversity index, H' of 2.22) and piglets (H' of 1.46) respectively. The REP profiles, R1, R7 and R28, were the most frequently observed in all age groups. E. coli strains representing each REP profile and additional strains associated with the dominant profiles were subjected to PFGE and were assigned to 67...

  3. Tailoring degradation of AZ31 alloy by surface pre-treatment and electrospun PCL fibrous coating

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hanas, T. [Medical Materials Laboratory, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036 (India); School of Nano Science and Technology, National Institute of Technology Calicut, Calicut, Kerala 673601 (India); Sampath Kumar, T.S., E-mail: tssk@iitm.ac.in [Medical Materials Laboratory, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036 (India); Perumal, Govindaraj; Doble, Mukesh [Department of Biotechnology - Bhupat and Jyoti Mehta School of Biosciences, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036 (India)

    2016-08-01

    AZ31 magnesium alloy was coated with polycaprolactone (PCL) nano-fibrous layer using electrospinning technique so as to control degradation in physiological environment. Before coating, the alloy was treated with HNO{sub 3} to have good adhesion between the coating and substrate. To elucidate the role of pre-treatment and coating, samples only with PCL coating as well as HNO{sub 3} treatment only were prepared for comparison. Best coating adhesion of 4B grade by ASTM D3359–09 tape test was observed for pre-treated samples. The effect of coating on in vitro degradation and biomineralization was studied using supersaturated simulated body fluid (SBF 5 ×). The weight loss and corrosion results obtained by immersion test showed that the combination of HNO{sub 3} pre-treatment and PCL coating is very effective in controlling the degradation rate and improving bioactivity. Cytotoxicity studies using L6 cells showed that PCL coated sample has better cell adhesion and proliferation compared to uncoated samples. Nano-fibrous PCL coating combined with prior acid treatment seems to be a promising method to tailor degradation rate with enhanced bioactivity of Mg alloys. - Highlights: • PCL electrospun coating on HNO{sub 3} pre-treated AZ31 alloy controls biodegradation. • Acid pre-treatment stabilizes the substrate - coating interface. • Electrospun porous coating improves biomineralization. • Coating similar to extracellular matrix enhances cell adhesion.

  4. Waste washing pre-treatment of municipal and special waste.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cossu, Raffaello; Lai, Tiziana; Pivnenko, Kostyantyn

    2012-03-15

    Long-term pollution potential in landfills is mainly related to the quality of leachate. Waste can be conveniently treated prior to landfilling with an aim to minimizing future emissions. Washing of waste represents a feasible pre-treatment method focused on controlling the leachable fraction of residues and relevant impact. In this study, non-recyclable plastics originating from source segregation, mechanical-biological treated municipal solid waste (MSW), bottom ash from MSW incineration and automotive shredder residues (ASR) were treated and the removal efficiency of washing pre-treatment prior to landfilling was evaluated. Column tests were performed to simulate the behaviour of waste in landfill under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. The findings obtained revealed how waste washing treatment (WWT) allowed the leachability of contaminants from waste to be reduced. Removal rates exceeding 65% were obtained for dissolved organic carbon (DOC), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (TKN). A percentage decrease of approximately 60% was reached for the leachable fraction of chlorides, sulphates, fluoride and metals, as proved by a reduction in electric conductivity values (70%). Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Effects of anti-lipid peroxidation of Punica granatum fruit extract in endothelial cells induced by plasma of severe pre-eclamptic patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Isri Nasifah

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Preeclampsia is a pregnancy disorder characterized by hypertension and proteinuria. This disorder involves oxidative stress and changes in endothelial homeostasis. This study was aimed to seek whether an ethanolic extract of Punica granatum fruit inhibits 8-iso-PGFα formation and modulates nitric oxide (NO in endothelial cells induced by plasma from pre-eclamptic patients. Endothelial cells were cultured from human umbilical vein endothelial cells. At confluence, endothelial cells were divided into five groups, which included endothelial cells exposed to 2% plasma from normal pregnancy (NP, endothelial cells exposed to 2% plasma from pre-eclamptic patients (PP, endothelial cells exposed to PP in the presence of ethanolic extract of P. granatum (PP+PG at the following three doses: 14; 28; and 56 ppm. Analysis of 8-iso-PGFα was done by immunoassay technique. Analysis of NO level was done by colorimetric technique. Plasma from PP significantly increased 8-iso-PGFα level compared to cells treated by normal pregnancy plasma. This increase in 8-iso-PGFα was significantly (p0.05 between groups. P. granatum fruit extract protects endothelial cells from oxidative stress induced by plasma from pre-eclamptic patients.

  6. An Investigation of School Violence and Pre-Service Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCaleb, Karen Nykorchuk; Andersen, Amy; Hueston, Harry

    2008-01-01

    All educators need to be aware of issues regarding school violence. Recent years have shown that violence can happen in a variety of school settings. This study conducted a one-group, pretest-posttest, pre-experimental design to explore pre-service teachers' perceptions regarding school violence. First, pre-service educators were asked to complete…

  7. Effects of Boron and Graphite Uncertainty in Fuel for TREAT Simulations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vaughn, Kyle; Mausolff, Zander; Gonzalez, Esteban; DeHart, Mark; Goluoglu, Sedat

    2017-03-01

    Advanced modeling techniques and current computational capacity make full core TREAT simulations possible, with the goal of such simulations to understand the pre-test core and minimize the number of required calibrations. But, in order to simulate TREAT with a high degree of precision the reactor materials and geometry must also be modeled with a high degree of precision. This paper examines how uncertainty in the reported values of boron and graphite have an effect on simulations of TREAT.

  8. [Effect of Low Molecular Weight Heparin Calcium Combined Compound Danshen Injection on Perinatal Outcomes of Nephrotic Syndrome Patients with Early Onset Severe Pre-eclampsia].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tong, Chong-xin; Xing, Xiao-fen; Qiao, Shu-hua; Liu, Lin; Shan, Ling

    2015-08-01

    To observe the effect of low molecular weight heparin calcium (LMWHC) combined Compound Danshen Injection (DI) on nephrotic syndrome patients with early onset severe preeclampsia. Totally 80 nephrotic syndrome patients with early onset severe pre-eclampsia were randomly assigned to four groups voluntarily, i.e., Group A (22 cases, treated by magnesium sulfate), B (19 cases, treated by magnesium sulfate plus LMWHC), C (21 cases, magnesium sulfate plus DI), D (18 cases, magnesium sulfate plus LMWHC and DI). Umbilical arterial S/D ratios, amniotic fluid index (AFI), prolonged gestational age, placenta weight, neonatal weight, and Apgar score were compared among the four groups. Compared with before treatment in the same group, umbilical arterial S/D ratios decreased in the four groups (P <0. 05). AFI decreased in Group A, while it increased in Group B, C, and D (P<0. 05). Compared with Group A at the same time point, umbilical arterial S/D ratios decreased, and AFI increased in Group B, C, and D (P <0. 01 , P <0. 05). Prolonged gestational age and neonatal weight were increased in Group B, C, and D (P <0. 01, P <0. 05). Placenta weight were increased in Group B and D (P <0. 05). Apgar scores at 1 and 5 min were improved in Group D (P <0. 05). Compared with Group B and C at the same time point, umbilical arterial S/D ratios decreased, and AFI increased in Group D (P<0. 05). Compared with Group B, prolonged gestational age and placenta weight were decreased in Group C, but prolonged gestational age and placenta weight were increased in Group D (P <0.05). Compared with Group C, prolonged gestational age, placenta weight, and neonatal weight were increased in Group D (P <0. 05). Treatment of nephrotic syndrome patients with early onset severe pre-eclampsia by LMWHC combined DI could prolong gestational ages, obviously improve prenatal outcomes, with better effect obtained than using any of them alone.

  9. ANALYTIC GROUP PSYCHOTHERAPY—For Wives and Husbands

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruskin, I. W.

    1952-01-01

    The practice of group psychotherapy has its roots in Freudian dynamics and concepts, and varies from play group psychotherapy to analytic group psychotherapy, using the dynamics of transference, catharsis, interpretation, insight, ego building, reality, and sublimation. This presentation is based on the experience of the author with about 40 women patients formed in groups at a sanatorium. The majority were neurotic, psychoneurotic or manic-depressive. Several were psychotic. Some of the patients were treated in groups that included their husbands, after discharge from the sanatorium. Analytic group psychotherapy is a concept of an attenuated mobile and uncensored societal setting, where persons who have failed in the larger and harsher social reality may again attempt resocialization in a permissive, friendly, and protected environment. It is not to be considered the poor man's makeshift for individual psychoanalysis. Group dynamics facilitate the regression and catharsis necessary to produce insight and ego strength, leading to more rapid recovery. Husband and wife participation in the same group led to a more tolerant acceptance by the husband of the concept of mental ailment, and empathy for the spouse. The role of the psychiatrist in group psychotherapy is very similar to that in individual psychoanalysis. He represents the reality to the patient and the group. He is objective but permissive, and not passive. Therapeutic goals are the same as in individual therapy, and may focus on the resolution of pre-oedipal conflicts or on situational maladjustments. PMID:12978896

  10. Ethephon As a Potential Abscission Agent for Table Grapes: Effects on Pre-Harvest Abscission, Fruit Quality, and Residue

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferrara, Giuseppe; Mazzeo, Andrea; Matarrese, Angela M. S.; Pacucci, Carmela; Trani, Antonio; Fidelibus, Matthew W.; Gambacorta, Giuseppe

    2016-01-01

    Some plant growth regulators, including ethephon, can stimulate abscission of mature grape berries. The stimulation of grape berry abscission reduces fruit detachment force (FDF) and promotes the development of a dry stem scar, both of which could facilitate the production of high quality stemless fresh-cut table grapes. The objective of this research was to determine how two potential abscission treatments, 1445 and 2890 mg/L ethephon, affected FDF, pre-harvest abscission, fruit quality, and ethephon residue of Thompson Seedless and Crimson Seedless grapes. Both ethephon treatments strongly induced abscission of Thompson Seedless berries causing >90% pre-harvest abscission. Lower ethephon rates, a shorter post-harvest interval, or berry retention systems such as nets, would be needed to prevent excessive pre-harvest losses. The treatments also slightly affected Thompson Seedless berry skin color, with treated fruit being darker, less uniform in color, and with a more yellow hue than non-treated fruit. Ethephon residues on Thompson Seedless grapes treated with the lower concentration of ethephon were below legal limits at harvest. Ethephon treatments also promoted abscission of Crimson Seedless berries, but pre-harvest abscission was much lower (≅49%) in Crimson Seedless compared to Thompson Seedless. Treated fruits were slightly darker than non-treated fruits, but ethephon did not affect SSC, acidity, or firmness of Crimson Seedless, and ethephon residues were below legal limits. PMID:27303407

  11. Pre-excitation pattern associated with accessory pathway related tachycardia: Case report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Burazor Mirko

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction. Pre-excitation is based on an accessory conduction pathway between the atrium and ventricle. The term Wolff- Parkinson-White (WPW syndrome is used for patients with the pre-excitation/WPW pattern associated with AP-related tachycardia. Case Outline. We present a 52-year-old man with severe palpitation, fatigue, lightheadedness and difficulty breathing. The initial ECG showed tachyarrhythmia with heart rate between 240 and 300/min. He was treated with antiarrhythmics (Digitalis, Verapamil, Lidocaine with no response. Then, the patient was treated with electrical cardioversion and was referred to our Clinic for further evaluation with the diagnosis: “Ventricular tachycardia”. During in-hospital stay, the previously undiagnosed WPW pattern had been seen. Additional diagnostic tests confirmed permanent pre-excitacion pattern (ECG Holter recording, exercises test. The patient was referred to an electrophysiologist for further evaluation. Mapping techniques provided an accurate assessment of the position of the accessory pathway which was left lateral. The elimination of the accessory pathway by radiofrequent catheter ablation is highly effective in termination and elimination of tacchyarrhythmias. Conclusion. Symptomatic, life-threatening arrhythmia, first considered as ventricular tachycardia, reflected atrial fibrillation with ventricular pre-excitation over an accessory pathway in a patient with previously undiagnosed WPW syndrome.

  12. Impact of target volume coverage with Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) 98-05 guidelines for transrectal ultrasound guided permanent Iodine-125 prostate implants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Horwitz, Eric M.; Mitra, Raj K.; Uzzo, Robert G.; Das, Indra J.; Pinover, Wayne H.; Hanlon, Alexandra L.; McNeeley, Shawn W.; Hanks, Gerald E.

    2003-01-01

    Purpose: Despite the wide use of permanent prostate implants for the treatment of early stage prostate cancer, there is no consensus for optimal pre-implant planning guidelines that results in maximal post-implant target coverage. The purpose of this study was to compare post-implant target volume coverage and dosimetry between patients treated before and after Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) 98-05 guidelines were adopted using several dosimetric endpoints. Materials and methods: Ten consecutively treated patients before the adoption of the RTOG 98-05 planning guidelines were compared with ten consecutively treated patients after implementation of the guidelines. Pre-implant planning for patients treated pre-RTOG was based on the clinical target volume (CTV) defined by the pre-implant TRUS definition of the prostate. The CTV was expanded in each dimension according to RTOG 98-05 and defined as the planning target volume. The evaluation target volume was defined as the post-implant computed tomography definition of the prostate based on RTOG 98-05 protocol recommendations. Implant quality indicators included V 100 , V 90 , V 100 , and Coverage Index (CI). Results: The pre-RTOG median V 100 , V 90 , D 90 , and CI values were 82.8, 88.9%, 126.5 Gy, and 17.1, respectively. The median post-RTOG V 100 , V 90 , D 90 , and CI values were 96.0, 97.8%, 169.2 Gy, and 4.0, respectively. These differences were all statistically significant. Conclusions: Implementation of the RTOG 98-05 implant planning guidelines has increased coverage of the prostate by the prescription isodose lines compared with our previous technique, as indicated by post-implant dosimetry indices such as V 100 , V 90 , D 90 . The CI was also improved significantly with the protocol guidelines. Our data confirms the validity of the RTOG 98-05 implant guidelines for pre-implant planning as it relates to enlargement of the CTV to ensure adequate margin between the CTV and the prescription isodose

  13. From individual preference construction to group decisions: framing effects and group processes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Milch, K.F.; Weber, E.U.; Appelt, K.C.; Handgraaf, M.J.J.; Krantz, D.H.

    2009-01-01

    Two choice tasks known to produce framing effects in individual decisions were used to test group sensitivity to framing, relative to that of individuals, and to examine the effect of prior, individual consideration of a decision on group choice. Written post-decision reasons and pre-decision group

  14. Pre-harvest calcium sulfate application improves postharvest quality ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The quality of cut rose flowers at the postharvest stage is affected by pre-harvest conditions. The present study was conducted to examine the possible involvement of calcium sulfate (CaSO4) in regulation of rose flower senescence. Roses (Rosa hybrida L.) cultivars 'Cool Water' and 'Pretty Blinda', were treated with either ...

  15. Group cognitive behavioral therapy to improve the quality of care to opioid-treated patients with chronic noncancer pain: a practice improvement project.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Whitten, Stacey K; Stanik-Hutt, Julie

    2013-07-01

    To enhance outcomes of patients with chronic noncancer pain (CNCP) treated with opioids in a primary care setting by implementing an evidence-based quality improvement project. The project consisted of the implementation of a 6-week cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) program. Twenty-two patients with CNCP completed the program. Impact of the project was evaluated by comparing pre- and postintervention participant self-reports of mood on the Beck Depression Inventory and functional status on the Brief Pain Inventory and Short Form-36. Patient perception of treatment benefit was also measured using the Patient Global Impression of Change. Qualitative provider perceptions of the program were also collected. Paired t-test statistics were used to analyze the data. Mood (including negative attitude, performance difficulty, and physical complaints), and patient impression of treatment benefit improved significantly after CBT was added. Primary care providers reported that the CBT supported their overall management of these complex patients. The addition of a CBT program improved selected outcomes in this self-selected sample of patients with CNCP treated with opioids. ©2012 The Author(s) ©2012 American Association of Nurse Practitioners.

  16. A Multimodal Evaluation of the Comparative Efficacy of Yoga versus a Patient Centered Support Group for Treating Chronic Pain in Gulf War Illness

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-10-01

    Treating Chronic Pain in Gulf War Illness PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Peter Bayley, PhD RECIPIENT: Palo Alto Veterens Institute for Research Palo Alto, CA...Centered Support Group for Treating Chronic Pain in Gulf War Illness 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S...with Gulf War Illness (GWI). A secondary objective is to provide veterans with skills in yoga breathing, postures, and meditation that can be used to

  17. [Pre- and post-surgical orthodontic treatment for skeletal open bite].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Y; Hu, W; Sun, Y

    2001-05-01

    To Study the principles and rules of pre- and post-surgical orthodontic treatment for skeletal open bite patients. Thirty-two surgically treated open bite cases were analyzed, of which 9 were males, and 23 were females, aged from 16 to 38. Open bite was from 1 to 8.5 mm, average was 4 mm. 31 patients were Class III malocclusion, while 1 patient was Class II malocclusion. 1. Totally 21 patients were treated with orthodontics before and after orthognathic surgery, while 8 patients had pre-surgical orthodontics only, and other 3 had post-surgical orthodontics only. The duration for pre-surgical orthodontics was from 4 to 33 months, average was 12 months. The duration for post-surgical orthodontics was from 3 to 17 months, average was 8.5 months. 2. Presurgical orthodontic treatment included: Alignment of arches, decompensation of incisors, avoiding extrusion of incisors, and slight expansion of arches for coordination of arches. 3. Post-surgical orthodontic treatment included: Closure of residual spaces in the arches, realignment of arches, vertical elastics and Class II or III intermaxillary elastics. Skeletal open bites require combined orthodontic-orthognathic surgery for optimal and esthetical pleasing results.

  18. Effects of chemical-physical pre-treatment processes on hemp fibres for reinforcement of composites and textiles

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thomsen, Anne Belinda; Thygesen, Anders; Bohn, Vibeke

    2006-01-01

    Retted hemp fibres were treated using chemical-physical pre-treatments and the material was characterised chemically in order to evaluate the effect of the pre-treatments, respectively, wet oxidation (WO), hydrothermal treatment (HT) and steam explosion (STEX). Process variables were addition...

  19. Assessment of metabolic control in patients with diabetes treated with insulin using Contour USB and A1cNow+ devices (COMET study).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vinagre, Irene; Álvarez, Pilar; García, Nicolás; Roura, Guillem; Conget, Ignacio

    2015-10-01

    The self-determination of blood glucose is relevant for diabetes mellitus (DM) insulin-treated patients. The use of glucometers with advanced features and measuring glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) may help improve metabolic control. The main objective of this study was to determine the percentage of insulin treated patients who reduced HbA1c by at least 0.4% after 6 months of using Contour and A1CNow+. Observational, prospective, multicentre study in adult DM insulin treated patients, with HbA1c> 8%. Of the 454 recruited patients analysed, a total of 333 were evaluable. After 6 months the HbA1c decreased (P 8% was observed, with this reaching: 41% for all, 45% in type 1 DM, and 25% in type 2 DM. In the glycaemic profile, a reduction (P<.05) was observed in pre- and post-prandial glycaemia in both groups (-20.7±36.4 and -37.1±47.1mg/dL, respectively), with 23% pre-prandial glucose < 130mg/dL and post-prandial < 180mg/dL CONCLUSION: The use of glucometers with advanced features, and measuring glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) may help improve metabolic control and to monitor insulin treated DM patients more closely. Copyright © 2015 SEEN. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  20. Influence of different pre-etching times on fatigue strength of self-etch adhesives to dentin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takamizawa, Toshiki; Barkmeier, Wayne W; Tsujimoto, Akimasa; Suzuki, Takayuki; Scheidel, Donal D; Erickson, Robert L; Latta, Mark A; Miyazaki, Masashi

    2016-04-01

    The purpose of this study was to use shear bond strength (SBS) and shear fatigue strength (SFS) testing to determine the influence on dentin bonding of phosphoric acid pre-etching times before the application of self-etch adhesives. Two single-step self-etch universal adhesives [Prime & Bond Elect (EL) and Scotchbond Universal (SU)], a conventional single-step self-etch adhesive [G-aenial Bond (GB)], and a two-step self-etch adhesive [OptiBond XTR (OX)] were used. The SBS and SFS values were obtained with phosphoric acid pre-etching times of 3, 10, or 15 s before application of the adhesives, and for a control without pre-etching. For groups with 3 s of pre-etching, SU and EL showed higher SBS values than control groups. No significant difference was observed for GB among the 3 s, 10 s, and control groups, but the 15 s pre-etching group showed significantly lower SBS and SFS values than the control group. No significant difference was found for OX among the pre-etching groups. Reducing phosphoric acid pre-etching time can minimize the adverse effect on dentin bonding durability for the conventional self-etch adhesives. Furthermore, a short phosphoric acid pre-etching time enhances the dentin bonding performance of universal adhesives. © 2016 Eur J Oral Sci.

  1. Laser quench hardening of steel: Effects of superimposed elastic pre-stress on the hardness and residual stress distribution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meserve, Justin

    Cold drawn AISI 4140 beams were LASER surface hardened with a 2 kW CO2 LASER. Specimens were treated in the free state and while restrained in a bending fixture inducing surface tensile stresses of 94 and 230 MPa. Knoop hardness indentation was used to evaluate the through thickness hardness distribution, and a layer removal methodology was used to evaluate the residual stress distribution. Results showed the maximum surface hardness attained was not affected by pre-stress during hardening, and ranged from 513 to 676 kg/mm2. The depth of effective hardening varied at different magnitudes of pre-stress, but did not vary proportionately to the pre-stress. The surface residual stress, coinciding with the maximum compressive residual stress, increased as pre-stress was increased, from 1040 MPa for the nominally treated specimens to 1270 MPa for specimens pre-stressed to 230 MPa. The maximum tensile residual stress observed in the specimens decreased from 1060 MPa in the nominally treated specimens to 760 MPa for specimens pre-stressed to 230 MPa. Similarly, thickness of the compressive residual stress region increased and the depth at which maximum tensile residual stress occurred increased as the pre-stress during treatment was increased Overall, application of tensile elastic pre-stress during LASER hardening is beneficial to the development of compressive residual stress in AISI 4140, with minimal impact to the hardness attained from the treatment. The newly developed approach for LASER hardening may support efforts to increase both the wear and fatigue resistance of parts made from hardenable steels.

  2. Pre-training evaluation and feedback improved skills retention of basic life support in medical students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Qi; Zhou, Rong-hua; Liu, Jin; Lin, Jing; Ma, Er-Li; Liang, Peng; Shi, Ting-wei; Fang, Li-qun; Xiao, Hong

    2013-09-01

    Pre-training evaluation and feedback have been shown to improve medical students' skills acquisition of basic life support (BLS) immediately following training. The impact of such training on BLS skills retention is unknown. This study was conducted to investigate effects of pre-training evaluation and feedback on BLS skills retention in medical students. Three hundred and thirty 3rd year medical students were randomized to two groups, the control group (C group) and pre-training evaluation and feedback group (EF group). Each group was subdivided into four subgroups according to the time of retention-test (at 1-, 3-, 6-, 12-month following the initial training). After a 45-min BLS lecture, BLS skills were assessed (pre-training evaluation) in both groups before training. Following this, the C group received 45 min training. 15 min of group feedback corresponding to students' performance in pre-training evaluation was given only in the EF group that was followed by 30 min of BLS training. BLS skills were assessed immediately after training (post-test) and at follow up (retention-test). No skills difference was observed between the two groups in pre-training evaluation. Better skills acquisition was observed in the EF group (85.3 ± 7.3 vs. 68.1 ± 12.2 in C group) at post-test (p<0.001). In all retention-test, better skills retention was observed in each EF subgroup, compared with its paired C subgroup. Pre-training evaluation and feedback improved skills retention in the EF group for 12 months after the initial training, compared with the control group. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Working group reports: evaluation of the evidence to support practice guidelines for nutritional care of preterm infants-the Pre-B Project.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raiten, Daniel J; Steiber, Alison L; Carlson, Susan E; Griffin, Ian; Anderson, Diane; Hay, William W; Robins, Sandra; Neu, Josef; Georgieff, Michael K; Groh-Wargo, Sharon; Fenton, Tanis R

    2016-02-01

    The "Evaluation of the Evidence to Support Practice Guidelines for the Nutritional Care of Preterm Infants: The Pre-B Project" is the first phase in a process to present the current state of knowledge and to support the development of evidence-informed guidance for the nutritional care of preterm and high-risk newborn infants. The future systematic reviews that will ultimately provide the underpinning for guideline development will be conducted by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics' Evidence Analysis Library (EAL). To accomplish the objectives of this first phase, the Pre-B Project organizers established 4 working groups (WGs) to address the following themes: 1) nutrient specifications for preterm infants, 2) clinical and practical issues in enteral feeding of preterm infants, 3) gastrointestinal and surgical issues, and 4) current standards of infant feeding. Each WG was asked to 1) develop a series of topics relevant to their respective themes, 2) identify questions for which there is sufficient evidence to support a systematic review process conducted by the EAL, and 3) develop a research agenda to address priority gaps in our understanding of the role of nutrition in health and development of preterm/neonatal intensive care unit infants. This article is a summary of the reports from the 4 Pre-B WGs. © 2016 American Society for Nutrition.

  4. Impact of pre-hospital antibiotic use on community-acquired pneumonia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simonetti, A F; Viasus, D; Garcia-Vidal, C; Grillo, S; Molero, L; Dorca, J; Carratalà, J

    2014-09-01

    Information on the influence of pre-hospital antibiotic treatment on the causative organisms, clinical features and outcomes of patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) remains scarce. We performed an observational study of a prospective cohort of non-immunosuppressed adults hospitalized with CAP between 2003 and 2012. Patients were divided into two groups: those who had received pre-hospital antibiotic treatment for the same episode of CAP and those who had not. A propensity score was used to match patients. Of 2179 consecutive episodes of CAP, 376 (17.3%) occurred in patients who had received pre-hospital antibiotic treatment. After propensity score matching, Legionella pneumophila was more frequently identified in patients with pre-hospital antibiotic treatment, while Streptococcus pneumoniae was less common (p sensitivity and specificity of the pneumococcal urinary antigen test for diagnosing pneumococcal pneumonia were similar in the two groups. Patients with pre-hospital antibiotic treatment were less likely to present fever (p 0.02) or leucocytosis (p 0.001). Conversely, chest X-ray cavitation was more frequent in these patients (p 0.04). No significant differences were found in the frequency of patients classified into high-risk Pneumonia Severity Index classes, in intensive care unit admission, or in 30-day mortality between the groups. In conclusion, L. pneumophila occurrence was nearly three times higher in patients who received pre-hospital antibiotics. After a propensity-adjusted analysis, no significant differences were found in prognosis between study groups. Pre-hospital antibiotic use should be considered when choosing aetiological diagnostic tests and empirical antibiotic therapy in patients with CAP. © 2013 The Authors Clinical Microbiology and Infection © 2013 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.

  5. Assessment of the insecticidal activity of afoxolaner against Aedes aegypti in dogs treated with NexGard®

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liebenberg Julian

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Twelve healthy dogs were studied in this parallel group, blinded, randomised, and negative controlled efficacy study. On Day -1, the 12 dogs included were ranked within sex in descending order of individual pre-treatment (Day -5 fed mosquito counts and randomly allocated by blocks of two dogs to the untreated control group or the afoxolaner-treated group. NexGard® (Merial, now part of Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health was administered orally on Day 0 in accordance with the European label instructions. On Days 1, 7, 14, 21 and 28, all dogs were exposed for a duration of 1 hour to 50 ± 5 unfed Aedes aegypti females. After each exposure, mosquitoes were collected after 1 hour and assessed for viability during collection and at 24 ± 2 hours. The arithmetic (and geometric mean values of live fed mosquito counts at 24 hours after the exposure periods for the negative control group ranged from 33.7 (32.3 to 49.8 (49.7, indicating that this was a vigorous mosquito strain. There was no significant difference between control and treated groups in the number of live and fed mosquitoes at each 1 hour post-exposure collection time. Based on arithmetic and geometric mean values at 24 hours after each exposure, significantly fewer live fed mosquitoes were recorded in the treated group, compared to the negative control group, throughout the study (p < 0.001. The afoxolaner insecticidal efficacy against A. aegypti varied from 98% (Day 2 to 75.3% (Day 29 based on arithmetic means, and 98.7% (Day 2 to 89.8% (Day 29 based on geometric means.

  6. Comparison of long-term prognosis of patients with AIDS treated and not treated with zidovudine. AIDS in Europe Study Group

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lundgren, Jens Dilling; Phillips, A N; Pedersen, C

    1994-01-01

    zidovudine, the death rate was approximately constant for the first 5 years after AIDS diagnosis. For patients treated with zidovudine, the death rate within the first year since starting zidovudine was markedly lower than for untreated patients who had developed AIDS at the same time (relative rate, 0......OBJECTIVE--To determine the association between elapsed time since starting zidovudine and survival in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). DESIGN--Inception cohort and observational study of patients treated and not treated with zidovudine. SETTING--Fifty-one centers in 17...... European countries. PATIENTS--A total of 4484 patients diagnosed as having AIDS from 1979 to 1989 who survived their initial AIDS-defining event and who had not started zidovudine before AIDS diagnosis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Use of zidovudine and mortality. RESULTS--Among patients who did not receive...

  7. A mindful eating group as an adjunct to individual treatment for eating disorders: a pilot study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hepworth, Natasha S

    2011-01-01

    The objective of this study was to investigate potential benefits of a Mindful Eating Group as an adjunct to long-term treatment for a variety of eating disorders. Individuals (N = 33) attending treatment at an outpatient treatment facility participated in the 10-week intervention designed to enhance awareness around hunger and satiety cues. Disordered eating symptoms were assessed pre- and post-intervention using the EAT-26. Significant reductions were found on all subscales of the EAT-26 with large effect sizes. No significant differences were identified between eating disorder diagnoses. Results suggest potential benefits of an adjunct mindfulness group intervention when treating a variety of eating disorders. Limitations are discussed.

  8. Overview on the Surface Functionalization Mechanism and Determination of Surface Functional Groups of Plasma Treated Carbon Nanotubes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saka, Cafer

    2018-01-02

    The use of carbon materials for many applications is due to the unique diversity of structures and properties ranging from chemical bonds between the carbon atoms of the materials to nanostructures, crystallite alignment, and microstructures. Carbon nanotubes and other nanoscale carbonaceous materials draw much attention due to their physical and chemical properties, such as high strength, high resistance to corrosion, electrical and thermal conductivity, stability and a qualified adsorbent. Carbon-based nanomaterials, which have a relatively large specific area and layered structure, can be used as an adsorbent for efficient removal of organic and inorganic contaminants. However, one of the biggest obstacles to the development of carbon-based nanomaterials adsorbents is insolubility and the lack of functional groups on the surface. There are several approaches to introduce functional groups on carbon nanotubes. One of these approaches, plasma applications, now has an important place in the creation of surface functional groups as a flexible, fast, and environmentally friendly method. This review focuses on recent information concerning the surface functionalization and modification of plasma treated carbon nanotube. This review considers the surface properties, advantages, and disadvantages of plasma-applied carbon nanotubes. It also examines the reaction mechanisms involved in the functional groups on the surface.

  9. Electrooxidation as the anaerobic pre-treatment of fats: oleate conversion using RuO2 and IrO2 based anodes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gonçalves, M; Alves, M M; Correia, J P; Marques, I P

    2008-11-01

    Electrochemical treatment of oleate using RuO2 and IrO2 type dimensionally stable anodes in alkaline medium was performed to develop a feasible anaerobic pre-treatment of fatty effluents. The results showed that the pre-treated solutions over RuO2 were faster degraded by anaerobic consortium than the raw oleate solutions or the electrolysed solutions using IrO2. In batch experiments carried out with pre-treated solutions over RuO2 (100-500mg/L), no lag phases were observed before the methane production onset. On the other hand, raw oleate and pre-treated oleate over IrO2 had originated lag phases of 0-140 and 0-210h, respectively. This study demonstrated that it is advantageous to apply the electrochemical treatment carried out on the RuO2 type DSA in order to achieve a faster biodegradation of lipid-containing effluent and consequently to obtain a faster methane production.

  10. Association between hemodynamic modifications and clinical outcome of intracranial aneurysms treated using flow diverters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paliwal, Nikhil; Damiano, Robert J; Davies, Jason M; Siddiqui, Adnan H; Meng, Hui

    2017-02-11

    Treatment of intracranial aneurysms (IAs) has been revolutionized by the advent of endovascular Flow Diverters (FDs), which disrupt blood flow within the aneurysm to induce pro-thrombotic conditions, and serves as a scaffold for endothelial ingrowth and arterial remodeling. Despite good clinical success of FDs, complications like incomplete occlusion and post-treatment rupture leading to subarachnoid hemorrhage have been reported. In silico computational fluid dynamic analysis of the pre- and post-treated geometries of IA patients can shed light on the contrasting blood hemodynamics associated with different clinical outcomes. In this study, we analyzed hemodynamic modifications in 15 IA patients treated using a single FD; 10 IAs were completely occluded (successful) and 5 were partially occluded (unsuccessful) at 12-month follow-up. An in-house virtual stenting workflow was used to recapitulate the clinical intervention on these cases, followed by CFD to obtain pre- and post-treatment hemodynamics. Bulk hemodynamic parameters showed comparable reductions in both groups with average inflow rate and aneurysmal velocity reduction of 40.3% and 52.4% in successful cases, and 34.4% and 49.2% in unsuccessful cases. There was a substantial reduction in localized parameter like vortex coreline length and Energy Loss for successful cases, 38.2% and 42.9% compared to 10.1% and 10.5% for unsuccessful cases. This suggest that for successfully treated IAs, the localized complex blood flow is disrupted more prominently by the FD as compared to unsuccessful cases. These localized hemodynamic parameters can be potentially used in prediction of treatment outcome, thus aiding the clinicians in a priori assessment of different treatment strategies.

  11. Evaluating effectiveness of small group information literacy instruction for Undergraduate Medical Education students using a pre- and post-survey study design.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McClurg, Caitlin; Powelson, Susan; Lang, Eddy; Aghajafari, Fariba; Edworthy, Steven

    2015-06-01

    The Undergraduate Medical Education (UME) programme at the University of Calgary is a three-year programme with a strong emphasis on small group learning. The purpose of our study was to determine whether librarian led small group information literacy instruction, closely integrated with course content and faculty participation, but without a hands on component, was an effective means to convey EBM literacy skills. Five 15-minute EBM information literacy sessions were delivered by three librarians to 12 practicing physician led small groups of 15 students. Students were asked to complete an online survey before and after the sessions. Data analysis was performed through simple descriptive statistics. A total of 144 of 160 students responded to the pre-survey, and 112 students answered the post-survey. Instruction in a small group environment without a mandatory hands on component had a positive impact on student's evidence-based information literacy skills. Students were more likely to consult a librarian and had increased confidence in their abilities to search and find relevant information. Our study demonstrates that student engagement and faculty involvement are effective tools for delivering information literacy skills when working with students in a small group setting outside of a computer classroom. © 2015 Health Libraries Group.

  12. Abnormal P-53 suppressor gene expression predicts for a poorer outcome in patients with locally advanced adenocarcinoma of the prostate treated by external beam radiation therapy with or without pre-radiation androgen ablation: results based on RTOG study 86-10

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lawton, Colleen A.; Grignon, David; Caplan, Richard; Sarkar, Fazlul; Forman, Jeffrey; Mesic, John; Fu, Karen K.; Abrams, Ross

    1995-01-01

    Purpose/Objective: The purpose of this study is to establish the effect of the abnormal expression of the P-53 suppressor gene on the results of locally advanced adenocarcinoma of the prostate treated with radiation therapy with or without pre-radiation therapy androgen ablation. Materials and Methods: Patients evaluated were part of a RTOG phase III multi-institutional trial. This trial assessed the value of pre-radiation therapy androgen ablation on patients with locally advanced disease (bulky stage B and stage C). Of the 471 patients registered, pre-treatment pathological material was available for 129 patients. P-53 status was determined immunohistochemically utilizing a commercially available antibody (D07). Clinical endpoints evaluated were overall survival and development of metastases. Results: Twenty-three of the 129 patients had abnormal expression of the P-53 suppressor gene. Presence of this abnormal expression significantly correlated with lower overall survival (p=0.03) and the development of distant metastases (p=0.03). Abnormal expression of the P-53 gene was an independent prognostic indicator when evaluated against clinical stage and Gleason score. Conclusion: This data from patients entered on a phase III multi-institutional, randomized clinical trial shows that abnormal P-53 suppressor gene expression as determined immunohistochemically is an independent predictor of poorer survival and the development of distant metastases in patients with locally advanced adenocarcinoma of the prostate treated with radiation therapy with or without pre-radiation therapy androgen ablation

  13. The Impact of Enactive /Vicarious pre-reading Tasks on Reading Comprehension and Self-Efficacy of Iranian Pre-Intermediate EFL Learners

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arezoo Eshghipour

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available This study investigated the effect of enactive pre-reading tasks on Iranian pre-intermediate EFL learners’ reading comprehension and self-efficacy. Moreover, it explored whether Iranian per-intermediate EFL learners’ reading comprehension and self-efficacy are influenced by vicarious pre-reading tasks. The required data was gathered through a reading comprehension passage entailing 20 comprehension questions and a 30-item self-efficacy questionnaire with 5-point Likert-scale response options. A total of 66 participants (including 34 individuals in the enactive group and 32 leaners in the vicarious one took part in this study. The Pearson formula, an independent T-Test, paired T-test, and the Mann-Whitney U test were used to analyze the data. Based on the findings of the study, enactive pre-reading tasks played a key role in the Iranian pre-intermediate EFL learners’ reading comprehension ability. Moreover, it was found that vicarious pre-reading tasks served an important role in the Iranian pre-intermediate EFL learners’ self-efficacy.

  14. Emotional face recognition deficits and medication effects in pre-manifest through stage-II Huntington's disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Labuschagne, Izelle; Jones, Rebecca; Callaghan, Jenny; Whitehead, Daisy; Dumas, Eve M; Say, Miranda J; Hart, Ellen P; Justo, Damian; Coleman, Allison; Dar Santos, Rachelle C; Frost, Chris; Craufurd, David; Tabrizi, Sarah J; Stout, Julie C

    2013-05-15

    Facial emotion recognition impairments have been reported in Huntington's disease (HD). However, the nature of the impairments across the spectrum of HD remains unclear. We report on emotion recognition data from 344 participants comprising premanifest HD (PreHD) and early HD patients, and controls. In a test of recognition of facial emotions, we examined responses to six basic emotional expressions and neutral expressions. In addition, and within the early HD sample, we tested for differences on emotion recognition performance between those 'on' vs. 'off' neuroleptic or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) medications. The PreHD groups showed significant (precognition, compared to controls, on fearful, angry and surprised faces; whereas the early HD groups were significantly impaired across all emotions including neutral expressions. In early HD, neuroleptic use was associated with worse facial emotion recognition, whereas SSRI use was associated with better facial emotion recognition. The findings suggest that emotion recognition impairments exist across the HD spectrum, but are relatively more widespread in manifest HD than in the premanifest period. Commonly prescribed medications to treat HD-related symptoms also appear to affect emotion recognition. These findings have important implications for interpersonal communication and medication usage in HD. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Posterior Cruciate Ligament Tibial Avulsion treated with Open Reduction and Internal Fixation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lee WXP

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available The optimal treatment for thoracolumbar fractures (TLF without neurological deficit remains controversial. Majority of the systematic reviews and meta-analyses have evaluated open operative approaches but have yet to compare the outcomes of minimally invasive percutaneous pedicle fixation (MIPPF versus non-operative treatment. A retrospective cohort study was performed to compare clinical and radiological outcomes between MIPPF and conservative groups for TLF AO Type A1 to Type B2 during a 2-year follow-up period. Pre-operative plain and CT films were evaluated and decision made for short segment (non-fusion MIPPF. Patients who refused operation were treated conservatively with three months of body cast, brace, or corset. MIPPF group showed earlier Visual Analog Score (VAS improvement at six months post-injury (0 vs 6.0- p0.050. MIPPF as a method of internal bracing can be pursued in the treatment of TLF, with larger future cohorts and RCTs being called for to support and explore new findings.

  16. Perbedaan Pengaruh Terapi Psikoreligius dengan Terapi Musik Klasik terhadap Kecemasan Pasien Pre Operatif di RSUD dr. H. Abdul Moeloek Provinsi Lampung

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    El Rahmayati

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available The surgical procedure for most patients triggers anxiety and fear. Approximately 60-80% of patients who will undergo surgery experience anxiety that needs to be intervened in the category of moderate to severe anxiety (Efendy, 2005 in Faradisi, 2012. This study aims to determine the effect of psycho-religious therapy and classical music therapy on pre operative patient anxiety in RSUDAM Lampung Province in 2016. This research type is quasi-experiment research with non-equivalent control group design. This research was conducted at RSUDAM Lampung Province in September- November 2016 in three surgical wards: the gelatik room (orthopedic surgery, the kutilang room (male general surgery and the rose room (female general surgery. The population taken were all pre operative patients within the study period. The sampling technique uses a purposive method and the sample size is 80 people divided into 2 groups ie the group which is given the classical music intervention and the group that is given psycho-religious therapy with religious music and murrotal Al Quran surah Arrahman. The data were collected using a survey of Zung Self Anxiety Rating Scale (ZSARS instruments before and after treatment. Bivariate analysis was performed using independent t-test statistic test by setting Alpha value 0,05 and 95% CI. The results of this study conclude that there are differences of psycho-religious therapy and classical music therapy on pre operative patient's anxiety at RSUDAM Lampung Province 2016 (p-value 0,030 with a decrease of ZSARS score in patients treated with psycho-religious therapy 2,250. Researchers suggested that psycho-religious therapy performed on pre operative patients at RSUDAM Lampung Province and entered into one form of intervention to decrease preoperative anxiety.

  17. Pre-treatment with α-tocopherol and Terminalia arjuna ameliorates, pro-inflammatory cytokines, cardiac and apoptotic markers in myocardial infracted rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shukla, Santosh K; Sharma, Suman B; Singh, Usha R

    2015-03-01

    This study was aimed to evaluate the cardioprotective potential of combination of T. arjuna and α-tocopherol in isoproterenol induced myocardial injury. Wistar albino rats were pre-treated with hydroalcoholic extract of T. arjuna (HETA) and α-tocopherol (100 mg/kg b. w) daily for 30 days. Isoproterenol (ISP, 85 mg/kg b.w) was administered on 28th and 29th days at an interval of 24 hr. ISP treated rats showed significant increase in lipid peroxidation (MDA), cardiac markers (CK-MB, SGOT, Trop I and LDH), pro-inflammatory cytokine (IL-6, CRP, TNF-α) levels and apoptotic markers (Bcl-2/Bax) as compared to healthy group. Pre-treatment with HETA 100 mg/kg b. w, reduced the elevated levels of these markers and significant effect (ppresent study concluded that the combination of α-tocopherol (100 mg/kg b. w) and hydroalcoholic extract of T. arjuna (100 mg/kg b. w) augments endogenous antioxidant compounds of rat heart and also prevents the myocardium from ISP-induced myocardial injury and it may have therapeutic and prophylactic value in the treatment of ischemic heart disease.

  18. Theoretical and practical aspects of pre-sowing laser biostimulation of the seeds

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gładyszewska, B.; Kornas-Czuczwar, B.; Koper, R.; Lipski, S.

    1998-01-01

    Against the background of recent literature review basic aspects of the mechanism responsible for pre-sowing laser bio-stimulation of the seeds were discussed. Developed by professor W. Sedlak theory of bioplasma was the main point of reference. Presented results of own research works proved the positive influence of pre-sowing laser treatment of seeds on their yielding and nutritive value. The yield rises caused by pre-sowing laser seed bio-stimulation for some examined plant crops were as follows: maize (from 10 to 15%), spring wheat (from 20 to 30%), spring barley (from 20 to 25%), sugar beets (from 10 to 30%), rape seeds (from 10 to 15%). The quality of crops frawn from the laser treated seeds was also better than the control ones. For example, the protein content in grain of spring wheat grown from the seeds bio-stimulated with a the He-Ne laser increased from about 12 up to 14%. Similarly, in roots of the sugar beets grown from laser treated seeds, the sugar content rose from about 15 up to about 17% [pl

  19. Towards Detecting Group Identities in Complex Artificial Societies

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Grappiolo, Corrado; Yannakakis, Georgios N.

    2012-01-01

    This paper presents a framework for modelling group struc- tures and dynamics in both artificial societies and human-populated vir- tual environments such as computer games. The group modelling (GM) framework proposed focuses on the detection of existing, pre-defined group structures and is compo......This paper presents a framework for modelling group struc- tures and dynamics in both artificial societies and human-populated vir- tual environments such as computer games. The group modelling (GM) framework proposed focuses on the detection of existing, pre-defined group structures...

  20. A pre-pubertal girl with giant juvenile fibroadenoma: A rare case report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kumar Gaurav

    2015-01-01

    Conclusion: Through this case we want to emphasize that these giant benign neoplasms should be suspected in any pre-pubertal girl with breast lump and should always be treated with breast conserving surgery.

  1. The Combination of Pixantrone, Etoposide, Bendamustine and, in CD20+ Tumors, Rituximab (PREBEN) Shows Promising Feasibility/Efficacy in Heavily Pre-Treated Aggressive Lymphomas of B- and T-Cell Phenotype - Results of the Pre-Trial Experience Leading to a Nordic Phase 1/2 Study (the PREBEN Trial)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Clausen, Michael Roost; Leppa, Sirpa; Brown, Peter de Nully

    2016-01-01

    -anthracenadione recently approved in Europe for patients with multiply relapsed aNHL. Etoposide and bendamustine were chosen as companion compounds due to available feasibility data in combination with anthracenadions, and a well-documented efficacy in salvage regimens for relapsed aNHL. Rituximab was added......IND developed acute myeloid leukemia with therapy-related cytogenetic features.Conclusions: The PREBEN/PEBEN salvage regimen was feasible in a heavily pre-treated cohort of elderly patients with high-risk aNHL. In individual patients it elicited substantial and durable responses early in the course of therapy...

  2. Correlation between the e-antigen, Pre-S2 antigen and DNA of hepatitis B virus

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cai Changhui; Liang Jinsheng

    2006-01-01

    Objective: To study the relationship between the hepatitis B e-antigen (HBeAg), Pre-S1 antigen (Pre-S1), Pre-S2 antigen (Pre-S2) and DNA of hepatitis B virus (HBV). Methods: The blood samples of 268 cases of viral B hepatitis were collected. The HBV DNA of all samples were tested by fluorescent-quantitating PCR method, and HBeAg were assayed by time-resolved fluoro-immunoassay method, and their Pre-S1 and Pre-S2 were assayed by enzyme linked immunosorbentassay method. Results: The positive rates of HBeAg, Pre-S1 and Pre-S2 in HBV DNA positive group were 48.2%, 76.4% and 100% respectively, and 1.6%, 36.3% and 32.3% respectively in HBV DNA negative group. There was significantly difference between the HBeAg, Pre-S1 and Pre-S2 positive rates of the two groups (Chi-square test, P<0.01). Conclusions: There was positive relationship between the HBeAg, Pre-S1, Pre-S2 and DNA which all were indicators of HBV reproduction. Comparing to HBV DNA, Pre-S2 was the most, Pre-S1 the second, and HBeAg the third sensitive indicator for evaluating HBV reproduction. Pre-S1 and Pre-S2 could be used as the supplementary indicator for the reproduction of HBV. (authors)

  3. Effects of anti-lipid peroxidation of Punica granatum fruit extract in endothelial cells induced by plasma of severe pre-eclamptic patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nasifah, Isri; Soeharto, Setyawati; Nooryanto, Mukhamad

    Preeclampsia is a pregnancy disorder characterized by hypertension and proteinuria. This disorder involves oxidative stress and changes in endothelial homeostasis. This study was aimed to seek whether an ethanolic extract of Punica granatum fruit inhibits 8-iso-PGFα formation and modulates nitric oxide (NO) in endothelial cells induced by plasma from pre-eclamptic patients. Endothelial cells were cultured from human umbilical vein endothelial cells. At confluence, endothelial cells were divided into five groups, which included endothelial cells exposed to 2% plasma from normal pregnancy (NP), endothelial cells exposed to 2% plasma from pre-eclamptic patients (PP), endothelial cells exposed to PP in the presence of ethanolic extract of P. granatum (PP+PG) at the following three doses: 14; 28; and 56 ppm. Analysis of 8-iso-PGFα was done by immunoassay technique. Analysis of NO level was done by colorimetric technique. Plasma from PP significantly increased 8-iso-PGFα level compared to cells treated by normal pregnancy plasma. This increase in 8-iso-PGFα was significantly (pgranatum extract. The level of NO was insignificant (p>0.05) between groups. P. granatum fruit extract protects endothelial cells from oxidative stress induced by plasma from pre-eclamptic patients. Copyright © 2017 Transdisciplinary University, Bangalore and World Ayurveda Foundation. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Pre-natal effects of ethanol and folic acid supplements on the ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Pre-natal effects of ethanol and folic acid supplements on the mineralisation of bones in ... folic acid deficiency, in particular at pregnancy; thus inflicting severe skeletal ... or 'catch-up' growth was displayed in the ethanol plus folate treated rats.

  5. Full utilization of silt density index (SDI) measurements for seawater pre-treatment

    KAUST Repository

    Wei, Chunhai

    2012-07-01

    In order to clarify the fouling mechanism during silt density index (SDI) measurements of seawater in the seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination process, 11 runs were conducted under constant-pressure (207kPa) dead-end filtration mode according to the standard protocol for SDI measurement, in which two kinds of 0.45μm membranes of different material and seawater samples from the Mediterranean including raw seawater and seawater pre-treated by coagulation followed by sand filtration (CSF) and coagulation followed by microfiltration (CMF) technologies were tested. Fouling mechanisms based on the constant-pressure filtration equation were fully analyzed. For all runs, only t/(V/A)∼t showed very good linearity (correlation coefficient R 2>0.99) since the first moment of the filtration, indicating that standard blocking rather than cake filtration was the dominant fouling mechanism during the entire filtration process. The very low concentration of suspended solids rejected by MF of 0.45μm in seawater was the main reason why a cake layer was not formed. High turbidity removal during filtration indicated that organic colloids retained on and/or adsorbed in membrane pores governed the filtration process (i.e., standard blocking) due to the important contribution of organic substances to seawater turbidity in this study. Therefore the standard blocking coefficient k s, i.e., the slope of t/(V/A)∼t, could be used as a good fouling index for seawater because it showed good linearity with feed seawater turbidity. The correlation of SDI with k s and feed seawater quality indicated that SDI could be reliably used for seawater with low fouling potential (SDI 15min<5) like pre-treated seawater in this study. From both k s and SDI, the order of fouling potential was raw seawater>seawater pre-treated by CSF>seawater pre-treated by CMF, indicating the better performance of CMF than CSF. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.

  6. A clinical observation of irritable bowel syndrome treated by traditional Chinese spinal orthopedic manipulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xing, Liyang; Qu, Liuxin; Chen, Hong; Gao, Song

    2013-12-01

    To evaluate the clinical effect of Traditional Chinese Spinal Orthopedic Manipulation (TCSOM) in treating Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) in comparison with Pinaverium Bromide Dicetel (PBD), and to assess a possible cause for IBS. 60 cases of IBS patients were randomly divided into two groups: TCSOM and PBD. All patients in the TCSOM group were treated with a 5-time spinal manipulations. The symptoms of pre-treatment and post-treatment were evaluated based on bowel symptom scale (BSS) scores. A symptom improvement rating (SIR) and patient subjective assessment (PSA) were implemented in order to evaluate the effects of the treatments, and to statistically compare the two groups. The symptoms of 23 patients of the TCSOM group disappeared soon after spinal manipulation and 6 cases were significantly improved. The BSS scores in the TCSOM group were significantly lower than those in the PBD group post-treatment. According to the SIR which was based on the BSS, the TCSOM research group included 14 cases with excellent results, 13 cases with good, and 3 cases with poor. Adverse side effects to the treatment were not reported. Based on the BSS, the PBD research group reported 7 cases with excellent results, 8 cases with good and 15 cases with poor. All cases were statistically analyzed, revealing a significant difference (Pinter-vertebral disks and/or vertebra in the thoracic or lumbar region seems to be a contributing factor in the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. Thumb pressing manipulation on jiaji points in the thoracic and/or lumbar region can correct the displacement of inter-vertebral disks and/or vertebra, resolving the stimuli caused by pressure exerted on the nerves and vessels around the spine. So it is an effective treatment for IBS. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Self-reported comfort treating severe mental illnesses among pre-doctoral graduate students in clinical psychology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buck, Benjamin; Romeo, Katy Harper; Olbert, Charles M; Penn, David L

    2014-12-01

    One possible explanation for the dearth of psychologists working in severe mental illness (SMI) areas is a lack of training opportunities. Recent studies have shown that while training opportunities have increased, there remain fewer resources available for SMI training compared to other disorders. Examines whether students express discomfort working with this population and whether they are satisfied with their level of training in SMI. One-hundred sixty-nine students currently enrolled in doctoral programs in clinical psychology in the United States and Canada were surveyed for their comfort treating and satisfaction with training related to a number of disorders. RESULTS indicate that students are significantly less comfortable treating and finding a referral for a patient with schizophrenia as well as dissatisfied with their current training in SMI and desirous of more training. Regression analyses showed that dissatisfaction with training predicted a desire for more training; however, discomfort in treating people with SMI did not predict a desire for more training in this sample. This pattern generally held across disorders. Our results suggest general discomfort among students surveyed in treating SMI compared to other disorders.

  8. Re-analysis of clinical and treatment related prognostic factors on outcome using biochemical control as an end-point in patients with prostate cancer treated with external beam irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ziaja, Ellen L.; Horwitz, Eric M.; Vicini, Frank A.; Dmuchowski, Carl F.; Brabbins, Donald S.; Gustafson, Gary S.; Hollander, Jay; Matter, Richard C.; Stromberg, Jannifer S.; Martinez, Alvaro A.

    1996-01-01

    Purpose: Prostate specific antigen (PSA) has been established as the most important prognostic factor for prostate cancer. We reviewed our experience treating patients with clinically localized prostate cancer with external beam irradiation (RT) to evaluate if previously defined clinical and treatment related prognostic factors remain valid when biochemical control was used as an end-point to evaluate results. Methods and Materials: Between 1/87 and 12/91, 480 patients with clinically localized prostate cancer received external beam irradiation (RT) using localized prostate fields at William Beaumont Hospital. The median dose to the prostate was 66.6 Gy (range 58 - 70.4 Gy) using a 4 field or arc technique. Pre- and post-treatment serum PSA levels were recorded. Biochemical control was defined as PSA nadir ≤ 1.5 ng/ml within 1 year of treatment completion. After achieving nadir, if 2 consecutive increases of PSA were noted, the patient was scored a failure at the time of the first increase. Patients (pts) were divided into 3 groups according to total number of days on treatment: ≤ 49 days (≤ 7 weeks)- 21 pts; 50-63 days (8-9 weeks)- 429 pts; and ≥ 64 days (≥ 9 weeks)- 15 pts. Patients were also divided into groups with respect to the method of diagnosis: TURP (81 pts), or other means (399 pts). Patients were further divided into 2 groups: 1) if they had ever had a pre-treatment TURP (170 pts) or 2) if they had not (310 pts). Patients were divided into 2 groups according to boost technique: bilateral arcs (459 pts) or 4 field box (21 pts). Patients were also divided into groups according to total RT dose: ≤ 70 Gy (421 pts) or > 70 Gy (59 pts). Patients were further subdivided into 3 dose groups: 70 Gy (59 pts). Results: Median follow-up is 48 months (range 3 - 112 months). No statistically significant difference in rates of biochemical control were noted for treatment time, overall time (date of biopsy to completion of RT), or treatment time divided into

  9. Effect of sample pre-treatment on the determination of steroid esters in hair of bovine calves

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Aqai, P.; Stolker, A.A.M.; Lasaroms, J.J.P.

    2009-01-01

    The effect of three sample pre-treatment steps, washing, cutting and grinding on the determination of steroid esters in hair is studied. The study is performed by using hair samples obtained after pour-on application of steroid esters to bovine calves. After sample pre-treatment the hair is treated

  10. Pre-service teachers’ awareness of child abuse

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nihal TUNCA

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to determine the awareness of pre-service teachers from different departments related to the concept of child abuse. This study aims to determine pre-service teachers’ awareness of child abuse as a qualitative study, conducted in line with phenomenological design. In the study, one of the purposeful sampling methods, maximum diversity sampling method, was employed. The participants of the study are 15 pre-service teachers attending the departments of Psychological Counseling and Guidance, Teacher Education for the Intellectually Disabled, Pre-school Teacher Education, Social Studies, Art Teaching, Computer and Instructional Technologies, German Language Teaching, French Language Teaching, and Teacher Education for the Hearing Impaired, all within the Education Faculty of Anatolian University, Turkey. The data of the study was collected through the focus-group interview technique. The data collected from two different focus-group interviews were analyzed by content analysis technique using the NVivo 8 data analysis program. As a result of the analysis of the data, it was concluded that the pre-service teachers explained the concept of child abuse by most strongly emphasizing emotional abuse and least strongly by emphasizing economic abuse. In light of the pre-service teachers’ opinions, it was also concluded that the culture constructed by society through the meanings attached to genders, society’s view of sexuality, child marriage, proverbs and idioms specific to the local society and superstitions lead to incidences of child abuse. The current study revealed that child abuse can be prevented by providing training to raise the awareness of child abuse primarily for families then children, teachers and other concerned people. It was also found that the majority of pre-service teachers do not have enough information about how to act in the face of an incidence of child abuse.

  11. Changes in occlusal relationships in mixed dentition patients treated with rapid maxillary expansion. A prospective clinical study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McNamara, James A; Sigler, Lauren M; Franchi, Lorenzo; Guest, Susan S; Baccetti, Tiziano

    2010-03-01

    To prospectively measure occlusal changes in mixed dentition patients who underwent a standardized early expansion protocol. The treatment sample consisted of 500 patients who were assigned to three groups according to molar relationship: Class I (n = 204), end-to-end (n = 166), and Class II (n = 130). All patients were treated with a bonded rapid maxillary expander (RME) followed by a removable maintenance plate and a transpalatal arch. Mean age at the start of treatment was 8.8 years (T(1)), with a pre-phase 2 treatment cephalogram (T(2)) taken 3.7 years later. The control sample consisted of the cephalometric records of 188 untreated subjects (Class 1, n = 79; end-to-end, n = 51; Class II, n = 58). The largest change in molar relationship was noted when the Class II treatment group (1.8 mm) was compared with the matched control group (0.3 mm). A positive change was seen in 81% of the Class II treatment group, with almost half of the group improving by > or = 2.0 mm. The end-to-end treatment group had a positive change of 1.4 mm, compared with a control value of 0.6 mm, and the Class I group of about 1 mm compared with controls, who remained unchanged (0.1 mm). Skeletal changes were not significant when any of the groups were compared with controls. The expansion protocol had a significantly favorable effect on the sagittal occlusal relationships of Class II, end-to-end, and Class I patients treated in the early mixed dentition.

  12. A histopathological effectiveness of pre-operative irradiation for biliary tract cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mizusaki, Kaoru

    1993-01-01

    There is almost no report on pre-operative irradiation therapy in biliary tract cancer. For the purpose of attaining improved operative results, pre-operative irradiation has so for been performed in our department. We experienced 106 cases of biliary tract cancer during the period from January 1982 to December 1990, including 30 cases treated by pre-operative irradiation. Among 30 cases, 20 cases, including 9 cases of gallbladder cancer and 11 cases of bile duct cancer, were resectable. Final histopathological findings were obtained in 8 cases of gallbladder cancer and 9 cases of bile duct cancer. The effectiveness of irradiation was evaluated according to the histopathological criteria proposed by Ohboshi and Shimosato in 1971. Four cases were Grade I, 2 cases were Grade IIA, and 2 cases were Grade IIB, and 1 case was Grade III of bile duct cancer. In both groups, no correlation was observed between the exposure doses and their effects. Although no correlation was noted between the degree of differentiation of tubular adenocarcinoma of microscopic pathological findings and the irradiation effects, 1 case of poorly differentiated tubular adenocarcinoma of the bile duct was evaluated as Grade III. Mucinous adenocarcinoma and papillary adenocarcinoma of the gallbladder were revealed to be Grade I. According to the main affected site of bile duct cancer, a good irradiation effect was obtained in patients with upper to middle bile duct cancer. The irradiation effect on the gallbladder and the bile duct wall was predominant on the mucous side but less effective on the serous side. From the histopathological findings, the effectiveness of pre-operative irradiation was suggested. These results suggested that the further clinical evaluation, such as rates of resection or prognostic outcome would be relevant. (author)

  13. Comparison of early quality of life in patients treated with radiotherapy following mastectomy or breast conservation therapy: A prospective study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Munshi, Anusheel; Dutta, Debnarayan; Kakkar, Sajal; Budrukkar, Ashwini; Jalali, Rakesh; Sarin, Rajiv; Gupta, Sudeep; Parmar, Vani; Badwe, Rajendra

    2010-01-01

    Introduction: To compare quality of life (QOL) in breast cancer patients from a developing country after breast conservation surgery (BCS) or mastectomy and adjuvant radiotherapy (RT). Materials and methods: In a 6-month period, all consecutive early and locally advanced breast cancer patients treated with either BCS or mastectomy and treated with RT were analyzed. All patients who underwent mastectomy were treated with 45 Gray/20/4 weeks. Patients with BCS were treated with a dose of 45-50 Gray/25/5 weeks to whole breast followed by tumor bed boost (15 Gray/6/6 days with suitable energy electrons). Prospective evaluation of QOL using EORTC QLQ C30 and breast cancer specific QLQ BR23 was done before starting RT (baseline), at mid-RT and at RT conclusion for all patients. Results: One hundred and thirteen patients had mastectomy and 142 patients underwent BCS. Reliability test (Cronbach alpha) for questionnaire filling was 0.669-0.886. At pre-RT assessment, global QOL scores in mastectomy and BCS groups were 71.1 and 71.3, respectively. There was no significant difference in pre-RT EORTC QLQ C30 functional and symptom domains between mastectomy and BCS patients. However, social function domain score was higher in patients who underwent mastectomy (83 versus 73.9; p = 0.018). In QLQ BR23 domains, body image and sexual functioning domains were similar between the two groups. However, sexual enjoyment (10.9 versus 47.6; p = 0.006) and future perspective (7.4 versus 37.1; p = 0.036) domains were significantly better in BCS arm. There was no difference between systemic side effect (BRSSE), breast symptom (BRBS) and arm symptom (BRAS) domain scores between the groups. There was no significant difference in change of QOL scores between mastectomy and BCS patients at RT completion as compared to baseline. Conclusions: There was no significant difference in quality of life in patients with BCS versus those with mastectomy. However, patients who underwent BCS had better

  14. Poor periodontal health as a risk factor for development of pre-eclampsia in pregnant women

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shailesh Varshney

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Aims: Periodontal disease has been considered a systemic exposure implicated in a higher risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. The aim of the present study was to determine whether maternal oral health is associated with an increased risk of pre-eclampsia. Subjects and Methods: A case-control study was conducted which included 40 pregnant women patients admitted to the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, J.N. Medical College, A.M.U, Aligarh. Pre-eclampsia was defined as classic triad of hypertension, proteinuria and symptoms such as swelling/edema esp. in hands and face, headache, visual changes etc., A periodontal examination was done during 48 h after child delivery. Maternal oral status was evaluated using gingival index by Loe and Silness, oral hygiene index (simplified by greene and vermillion and periodontal pockets and clinical attachment level (CAL. Statistical Analysis: Null hypothesis that no difference exist between the two groups (pre-eclamptic and non-pre-eclamptic Group was calculated using paired t-test, Chi-square and Mann-Whitney U statistical tests using SPSS 11.5 (Statistical Package for Social sciences, Chicago. P < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Results: The amount of gingival inflammation, oral hygiene levels, pocket depth and CALs as measured by their respective indices were higher in the pre-eclamptic group when compared to non-pre-eclamptic group. Furthermore CAL was significantly increased in the test group. This study showed that pre-eclamptic cases were more likely to develop periodontal disease (P < 0.05. 30% of the test group and 65% of the case group had periodontal disease (P < 0.05 which had shown that pre-eclamptic cases were 4.33 times more likely to have periodontal disease (odds ratio = 4.33. Conclusions: Maternal oral status was determined to be associated with an increased risk of pre-eclampsia.

  15. Effect of Costus igneus: The insulin plant, on prediabetes and diabetes in neonatal streptozotocin rats

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Murthy EGK Talasila

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Pre-diabetes is a condition that persists for a considerable duration before progressing into type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM. Development of resistance to insulin is the underlying cause of pre-diabetes, preventive measures such as diagnosis, treatment and exercise will preclude its development into T2DM. The present study aims at studying the effect of pre-treatment and post-treatment with isolated fraction of Costus igneus on pre-diabetes and diabetes in neonatal streptozotocin (STZ induced T2DM.Methods: Neonatal rats were treated with STZ and differentiated for pre-treatment and post-treatment. Rats of pre-treated group were treated with isolated fraction of Costus igneus (CIF from 4th week after STZ administration and after 12th week in non-treated rats of post-treatment group. The antihyperglycemic was studied on 7th and 12th week after STZ treatment using oral glucose tolerance test and the hypoglycemic effect was studied on day 1, 7, 14 and 21 of treatment after 12th week of STZ treatment in both pre and post treated groups.Results: Oral glucose tolerance test on 7th and 12th week had shown a protective effect against increase in blood glucose levels in pre-treated groups whereas, no such significant decrease was observed in non-treated groups. In the effect on hypoglycemia, a reduction in blood glucose levels was observed on treatment with CIF in both pre and post treated rats on 14th and 21st day.Conclusions: Treatment with CIF in pre-diabetic stage could reduce the chances of progression into T2DM and is also beneficial in diabetic rats, which could be due to increase in the peripheral utilization of glucose and the insulin mimetic effect of Costus igneus.

  16. WebQuest experience: Pre-Service secondary maths and chemistry teachers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erdoğan Halat

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to examine the impact of developing WebQuests on the attention, confidence, relevance and satisfaction, or motivation, of pre-service secondary mathematics and chemistry teachers in the instructional technologies and material design course. There were a total of 67 pre-service teachers, 32 pre-service secondary mathematics teachers and 35 pre-service secondary chemistry teachers involved in this study, which took place over seven weeks. The pre-service teachers in both groups designed their WebQuests suitable for the level of high-school students. The researcher used a questionnaire in the collection of the data to find the motivational level of the participants. It was given to the participants by the researcher before and after the instruction during a single class period. The paired-samples t-test, independent samples t-test and ANCOVA were used in the analysis of the quantitative data. The study showed that designing WebQuests had more effect on the attention, confidence and relevance of the pre-service chemistry teachers than of the pre-service mathematics teachers. However, in general, although developing WebQuests had positive effects on the motivational levels of both pre-service secondary maths and chemistry teachers, there were no statistically significant differences found in relation to the motivational levels of both groups.

  17. Proximal, but not distal, pre-exposure reduces serial overshadowing in one-trial taste aversion learning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kwok, Dorothy W S; Boakes, Robert A

    2015-09-01

    This experiment tested whether pre-exposing a taste would reduce its ability to overshadow conditioning to a target taste and whether this effect would depend on the delay between pre-exposure and conditioning. Two groups of rats were pre-exposed to an interfering taste (HCl) either a week before conditioning (Group Distal) or the day preceding conditioning (Group Proximal). In the single conditioning trial, rats were given the target taste (sucrose) and 65min later were injected with lithium. The groups differed as to what they were given to drink 50min after sucrose: The Distal, Proximal and Novel groups were given HCl, while the Control group was given water. Pre-exposure to HCl reduced overshadowing of the sucrose aversion by HCl in Group Proximal but not in Group Distal. Possible explanations for the latter result include extinction of the context-HCl association and loss of context control over an HCl-no outcome association. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. The effect of pre-emptive intravenous Dexketoprofen + thoracal epidural analgesia on the chronic post-thoracotomy pain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Comez, Mehmet; Celik, Mine; Dostbil, Aysenur; Aksoy, Mehmet; Ahiskalioglu, Ali; Erdem, Ali Fuat; Aydin, Yener; İnce, İlker

    2015-01-01

    Post thoracotomy chronic pain is a severe problem that affects the majority of patients and decreases the quality of life. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the long-term effects of thoracal epidural levobupivacaine and intravenous dexketoprofen analgesia formed pre-emptively on the wound site pain after major thoracotomy operations. This randomised, prospective and double-blind study was performed with 60 patients undergoing thoracic surgery. Patients were divided into three groups; Control Group (Group C), Pre-emptive Epidural Group (Group PE) and Pre-emptive Dexketoprofen + Epidural Group (Group PED). Patients in the Group C did not receive epidural analgesics and i.v. dexketoprofen before and during the operation. 10-15 ml 0.125% levobupivacaine was given to cases in Group PE pre-emptively through epidural catheter before the anesthesia induction. The cases in Group PED were given 10-15 ml 0.125% epidural levobupivacaine and 50 mg dexketoprofen with i.v. infusion pre-emptively. The VAS score was found to be lower in Group PED during postoperative 24 and 48 hours and before the discharge (P0.05). A statistically significant decrease was determined in the VAS score in Group PED during the sixth month, compared to the other groups (Pdexketoprofen and thoracal epidural analgesia reduce the chronic post-thoracotomy pain.

  19. Elevated circulating homocyst(e)ine levels in placental vascular disease and associated pre-eclampsia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, J; Trudinger, B J; Duarte, N; Wilcken, D E; Wang, X L

    2000-07-01

    We examined the hypothesis that hyperhomocyst(e)inaemia in the maternal or fetal circulation is associated with placental vascular disease with either the maternal syndrome of pre-eclampsia and/or fetal syndrome of growth restriction. Maternal plasma homocyst(e)ine levels were significantly higher in pregnancies complicated by pre-eclampsia, pregnancies with evidence of umbilical placental vascular disease, and pregnancies with both complications compared with the normal pregnancy group. In the fetal circulation mean plasma homocyst(e)ine concentration was significantly higher in the pre-eclampsia group compared with the normal group. The results suggest that hyperhomocyst(e)inaemia may be a risk marker for placental vascular disease and maternal pre-eclampsia. The elevated fetal plasma homocyst(e)ine concentrations, found only in the group of pregnancies with pre-eclampsia in the absence of umbilical placental vascular disease, may be due to an effect of placental vascular disease on homocyst(e)ine transfer from the maternal to fetal circulation.

  20. A Clinical Observation of Functional Abdominal Pain Syndrome in Patients Treated by Traditional Chinese Spinal Orthopedic Manipulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qu, Liu-Xin; Xing, Li-Yang; Wanda, Norman; Chen, Hong; Li, Ming-Ju; Gao, Song; Li, Ping

    2018-02-01

    To evaluate the clinical effect of traditional Chinese spinal orthopedic manipulation (TCSOM) in treating patients with functional abdominal pain syndrome (FAPS) in comparison with Pinaverium Bromide (Dicetel, PBD), and to assess a possible cause for FAPS. Eighty patients with FAPS were randomly and equally assigned to the TCSOM group and PBD group according to the random number table. All patients in the TCSOM group were treated with a maximum of 5 times of spinal manipulations. Patients in the PBD group were instructed to take 50 mg 3 times a day, consistently for 2 weeks. The symptoms of pre- and post-treatment were assessed on a visual analog scale (VAS) pain score. A symptom improvement rating (SIR) was implemented to evaluate the effects of the treatments. The symptoms of 27 cases of the TCSOM group were relieved soon after the first TCSOM treatment and 9 cases were significantly improved. The VAS pain scores in the TCSOM group were significantly lower than those in the PBD group after 2 weeks treatment. According to the SIR based on VAS, the TCSOM group included 30 cases with excellent results, 7 cases with good, and 3 cases with poor. Adverse events to the treatment were not reported. Based on VAS, the PBD group reported 8 cases with excellent results, 10 cases with good and 22 cases with poor. There was a significant difference between the two groups (P<0.01). The displacement of intervertebral discs and/or vertebra in the thoracic or lumbar region seems to be a contributing factor in the symptoms of FAPS. TCSOM is an effective treatment for FAPS.

  1. Implications of Schema-based Pre-Reading Tasks in Facilitating ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Ethiopian Journal of Education and Sciences ... A One-Group Pre-Test-Post-test Design (Creswell, 2009:160) was used to test the significance of schema-based pre-reading tasks (SBPRT) in facilitating reading comprehension. ... It was meant to identify the level of achievement of the students in reading comprehension.

  2. Treatment and outcome in cancer cervix patients treated between 1979 and 1994: A single institutional experience

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shyamkishore Shrivastava

    2013-01-01

    Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective study of 6234 patients with carcinoma of the cervix treated with radical intent between 1979 and 1994. All the work-up, staging investigations, treatment details, radiation protocols, outcomes, and toxicities were noted, compiled, and analyzed. Results: With a mean age of 46 years (range: 18-90 years; median: 45 years, 669 (11% patients were in stage Ib, 284 (5% were in stage IIa, 1891 (30% were in stage IIb, 69 (1% were in stage IIIa, and 3321 (53% were in stage IIIb. With a median follow-up of 68 months (57-79 months for the entire group, there was no significant difference in the outcome of 953 patients with international federation of gynecology and obstetrics (FIGO Ib-IIa treated after radical surgery, pre-operative radiation therapy (pre-op RT + Sx or after radical radiation; their disease-free survival (DFS was 60-62% at 8 years. In our series of 1891 patients with stage IIb and 3321 with stage IIIb, a respective DFS of 56% and 40% was achieved at 8 years. Conclusion: Over the last two decades, with the acquisition of newer facilities and inception of Joint Clinics, there has been a significant refinement in the treatment protocols and outcome. Improving radiation strategies to improve therapeutic ratio is the key to success.

  3. Anaerobic digestion of thermal pre-treated emulsified slaughterhouse wastes (TESW): Effect of trace element limitation on process efficiency and sludge metabolic properties.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eftaxias, Alexandros; Diamantis, Vasileios; Aivasidis, Alexandros

    2018-06-01

    Slaughterhouse solid wastes, characterized by a high lipid content, are considered a valuable resource for energy production by means of anaerobic digestion technologies. Aim of this study was to examine the effect of trace element limitation on the mesophilic anaerobic digestion of thermally pre-treated emulsified slaughterhouse wastes (TESW). Under two distinct experimental periods (Period I - low and Period II - high trace element dosage respectively) a CSTR with sludge recirculation was operated at increasing organic loading rate (OLR) from 1.5 to 10 g L -1  d -1 . Under optimum conditions, COD removal was higher than 96%, biogas yield equal to 0.53 L g -1  COD feed and the biogas methane content 77%. Trace element limitation however, resulted in a dramatic decline in process efficiency, with VFA accumulation and events of extreme sludge flotation, despite that the soluble concentration of Ni, Co and Mo were between 12 and 28 μg L -1 . This is indicative of mass transfer limitations caused by lipids adsorption onto the anaerobic biomass. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Fifteen-minute music intervention reduces pre-radiotherapy anxiety in oncology patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Lee-Chen; Wang, Tze-Fang; Shih, Yi-Nuo; Wu, Le-Jung

    2013-08-01

    Oncology patients may respond to radiation treatment with anxiety expressed as stress, fear, depression, and frustration. This study aimed to investigate effects of music intervention on reducing pre-radiotherapy anxiety in oncology patients. Quasi-experimental study with purposeful sampling was conducted in the Department of Radiation Oncology, at Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan. Subjects were assigned into a music group (n = 100) receiving 15 min of music therapy prior to radiation and a control group (n = 100) receiving 15 min rest prior to radiation. Both groups were evaluated for pre- and post-test anxiety using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Physiological indicators of anxiety were measured pre- and post-test. Baseline State/Trait scores and vital signs were comparable between groups (P > 0.05). Mean change in pre- and post-test State/Trait scores showed significant decreases from baseline to post-test in both groups (all P music therapy and control groups in mean change of State anxiety scores (mean decreases 7.19 and 1.04, respectively; P music and control groups (-5.69 ± 0.41 mmHg vs. -0.67 ± 1.29 mmHg, respectively; P = 0.009). Music therapy decreased State anxiety levels, Trait anxiety levels and systolic blood pressure in oncology patients who received the intervention prior to radiotherapy. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Superhorizon curvaton amplitude in inflation and pre-big bang cosmology

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sloth, Martin Snoager

    2002-01-01

    We follow the evolution of the curvaton on superhorizon scales and check that the spectral tilt of the curvaton perturbations is unchanged as the curvaton becomes non-relativistic. Both inflation and pre-big bang cosmology can be treated since the curvaton mechanism within the two scenarios works...... the same way. We also discuss the amplitude of the density perturbations, which leads to some interesting constrains on the pre-big bang scenario. It is shown that within a SL(3,R) non-linear sigma model one of the three axions has the right coupling to the dilaton and moduli to yield a flat spectrum...

  6. Reproductive potential of male catfish treated with gel extract of Aloe ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The reproductive potential of male catfish treated with gel extract of Aloe vera plant was studied using twelve male fish weighing 500-560g.The fish were divided into 3 groups; A, B and C with four fish in each group. Group A was treated with 2% Aloe vera gel while group B was treated with 3% and Group C the control was ...

  7. Serial casting versus stretching technique to treat knee flexion contracture in children with spina bifida: a comparative study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al-Oraibi, S; Tariah, Hashem Abu; Alanazi, Abdullah

    2013-01-01

    Severe knee contractures that develop soon after muscle imbalance may not improve with stretching exercises and splinting. An alternative treatment is serial casting, which has been used to promote increased range of motion. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of using serial casting and passive stretching approaches to treat knee flexion contracture in children with spina bifida. In a pre/post randomized controlled study, ten participants were included in the serial casting group, while eight participants were included in the passive stretching intervention group. The degree of knee extension was measured at baseline, immediately after intervention, and at a one-year follow-up using a standard goniometer. Both groups showed significant improvements in the degree of flexion contracture at the post-treatment evaluation and the follow-up evaluation. The serial casting group showed significant improvements in knee flexion contracture at the post-treatment evaluation, t (9)=13.4, p casting group compared with passive stretching group in relation to the degree of flexion contracture were found at the immediate post-treatment evaluation, F(1, 15)=246, p=0.0001, and the one-year follow-up evaluation, F (1, 15)=51.5, p=0.0001. The outcomes of this study provide the first evidence that serial casting may be a useful intervention in treating knee flexion contracture in children with spina bifida. However, further investigations into serial casting, as well as investigations into the use of serial casting with other interventions, are warranted.

  8. Argumentation Practices in Classroom: Pre-Service Teachers' Conceptual Understanding of Chemical Equilibrium

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaya, Ebru

    2013-01-01

    This study examines the impact of argumentation practices on pre-service teachers' understanding of chemical equilibrium. The sample consisted of 100 pre-service teachers in two classes of a public university. One of these classes was assigned as experimental and the other as control group, randomly. In the experimental group, the subject of…

  9. Doxorubicin and ifosfamide combination chemotherapy in previously treated acute leukemia in adults: a Southwest Oncology Group pilot study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ryan, D H; Bickers, J N; Vial, R H; Hussein, K; Bottomley, R; Hewlett, J S; Wilson, H E; Stuckey, W J

    1980-01-01

    The Southwest Oncology Group did a limited institutional pilot study of the combination of doxorubicin and ifosfamide in the treatment of previously treated adult patients with acute leukemia. Thirty-four patients received one or two courses of the combination. All patients had received prior chemotherapy and 32 had received prior anthracycline chemotherapy. Three patients died before their responses could be fully evaluated. Fourteen patients achieved complete remission (41%) and one patient achieved partial remission. The complete remission rate was 27% for patients with acute myeloblastic leukemia (myelomonoblastic leukemia, monoblastic leukemia, and erythroleukemia) and 89% for patients with acute lymphocytic and undifferentiated leukemia (ALL). Toxic effects included severe hematologic reactions in 33 of 34 patients, hematuria in six patients, altered sensorium in one patient, and congestive heart failure in one patient. The safety of the combination was established and toxic side effects of this therapy were tolerable. The 89% complete remission rate for previously treated patients with ALL suggests that the combination of doxorubicin and ifosfamide may be particularly effective in ALL.

  10. Trends in the incidence of pre-eclampsia and eclampsia in Taiwan between 1998 and 2010

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Te-Fu Chan

    2015-06-01

    Results: The incidence of pre-eclampsia increased significantly (from 0.87% to 1.21%, but the incidence of eclampsia did not change significantly (from 0.04% to 0.05% between 1998 and 2010. The incidence of pre-eclampsia in the 20–24-year age group was 0.60 ± 0.09%. The relative risk of pre-eclampsia in the different age groups was as follows: aged 35-year age groups.

  11. Pre-liver transplant psychosocial evaluation predicts post-transplantation outcomes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Benson, Ariel A; Rowe, Mina; Eid, Ahmad; Bluth, Keren; Merhav, Hadar; Khalaileh, Abed; Safadi, Rifaat

    2018-08-01

    Psychosocial factors greatly impact the course of patients throughout the liver transplantation process. A retrospective chart review was performed of patients who underwent liver transplantation at Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center between 2002 and 2012. A composite psychosocial score was computed based on the patient's pre-transplant evaluation. Patients were divided into two groups based on compliance, support and insight: Optimal psychosocial score and Non-optimal psychosocial score. Post-liver transplantation survival and complication rates were evaluated. Out of 100 patients who underwent liver transplantation at the Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center between 2002 and 2012, 93% had a complete pre-liver transplant psychosocial evaluation in the medical record performed by professional psychologists and social workers. Post-liver transplantation survival was significantly higher in the Optimal group (85%) as compared to the Non-optimal group (56%, p = .002). Post-liver transplantation rate of renal failure was significantly lower in the Optimal group. No significant differences were observed between the groups in other post-transplant complications. A patient's psychosocial status may impact outcomes following transplantation as inferior psychosocial grades were associated with lower overall survival and increased rates of complications. Pre-liver transplant psychosocial evaluations are an important tool to help predict survival following transplantation.

  12. Circulating vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 in pre-eclampsia, gestational hypertension, and normal pregnancy: evidence of selective dysregulation of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 homeostasis in pre-eclampsia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Higgins, J R; Papayianni, A; Brady, H R; Darling, M R; Walshe, J J

    1998-08-01

    Our purpose was to investigate circulating levels of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 in the peripheral and uteroplacental circulations during normotensive and hypertensive pregnancies. This prospective observational study involved 2 patient groups. Group 1 consisted of 22 women with pre-eclampsia and 30 normotensive women followed up longitudinally through pregnancy and post partum. There were an additional 13 women with established gestational hypertension. Group 2 consisted of 20 women with established pre-eclampsia and 19 normotensive control subjects undergoing cesarean delivery. Plasma levels of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 were measured in blood drawn from the antecubital vein (group 1) and from both the antecubital and uterine veins (group 2). Data were analyzed by analysis of variance. In group 1 vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 levels did not change significantly throughout normal pregnancy and post partum. Women with established pre-eclampsia had increased vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 levels compared with the normotensive pregnancy group (P = .01). Vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 levels were not elevated in women with established gestational hypertension. In group 2 significantly higher levels of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 were detected in the uteroplacental (P post partum, is not a feature of nonproteinuric gestational hypertension, and is not observed with other major leukocyte adhesion molecules. Induction of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 expression in pre-eclampsia may contribute to leukocyte-mediated tissue injury in this condition or may reflect perturbation of other, previously unrecognized, functions of this molecule in pregnancy.

  13. Osmotic dehydration of organic kiwifruit pre-treated by pulsed electric fields and monitored by NMR.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Traffano-Schiffo, Maria Victoria; Laghi, Luca; Castro-Giraldez, Marta; Tylewicz, Urszula; Rocculi, Pietro; Ragni, Luigi; Dalla Rosa, Marco; Fito, Pedro J

    2017-12-01

    Osmotic dehydration (OD) is a widely used preservation technique that consists in the reduction in food water activity by the immersion of the biological tissue in hypertonic solutions. The aim of this work was to analyze the effect of pulsed electric fields (PEF) in mass transfer as a pre-treatment of the OD using NMR. In this sense, PEF pre-treatments were done using three different voltages (100, 250 and 400V/cm) and 60 number of pulse. The OD of kiwifruit was carried out in 61.5% of sucrose solution at 25°C, for a contact period from 0 to 120min. The water distribution into the cellular tissue was studied by NMR relaxometry. In conclusion, NMR is an excellent technique for quantifying water molecules according to their interactions in the fruit tissue, obtaining the adsorbed water and opening the possibility to apply the BET model to fit the adsorbed isotherm over the whole range of water activity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. PEDAGOGICAL ASPECTS OF KINDERGARTEN TEACHERS IN PRE-SCHOOL INSTITUTIONS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Duško Bjelica

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available A poll procedure has been done at sample of 102 kindergarten teachers with Bachelor degree attending Specialist studies at Department of Pre-School Education of the Faculty of Philosophy in Niksic, and the aim of the poll was to determine the examinees’ opinions on games organizations in pre-school institutions, from all towns of Montenegro. All of the questioned teachers were employed during the poll or they had already had working experience. The poll was based on the 14 questions ques¬tionnaire, especially made for this purpose in which the questions were classified in groups in order to determine 4 aspects that are important for successful organization of games. The first group of the questions regards choice of the games to be played; the second group relates to space choice for the game, as the third group of the questions refers to the way of making groups of children during preparation. The fourth group of the questions regards making cooperation and tolerance among the children during the games’ realization. This poll is a part of the research done at the Faculty of Sports and Physical Education in Niksic with the aim to get directions for improving teaching and expert work in pre-school institutions through monitoring and insight into opinions of Specialist studies’ students.

  15. Status of pre-processing of waste electrical and electronic equipment in Germany and its influence on the recovery of gold.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chancerel, Perrine; Bolland, Til; Rotter, Vera Susanne

    2011-03-01

    Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) contains gold in low but from an environmental and economic point of view relevant concentration. After collection, WEEE is pre-processed in order to generate appropriate material fractions that are sent to the subsequent end-processing stages (recovery, reuse or disposal). The goal of this research is to quantify the overall recovery rates of pre-processing technologies used in Germany for the reference year 2007. To achieve this goal, facilities operating in Germany were listed and classified according to the technology they apply. Information on their processing capacity was gathered by evaluating statistical databases. Based on a literature review of experimental results for gold recovery rates of different pre-processing technologies, the German overall recovery rate of gold at the pre-processing level was quantified depending on the characteristics of the treated WEEE. The results reveal that - depending on the equipment groups - pre-processing recovery rates of gold of 29 to 61% are achieved in Germany. Some practical recommendations to reduce the losses during pre-processing could be formulated. Defining mass-based recovery targets in the legislation does not set incentives to recover trace elements. Instead, the priorities for recycling could be defined based on other parameters like the environmental impacts of the materials. The implementation of measures to reduce the gold losses would also improve the recovery of several other non-ferrous metals like tin, nickel, and palladium.

  16. Use of insecticide-treated clothes for personal protection against malaria: a community trial

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kuria Isabel W

    2006-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The study sought to determine the effect of using insecticide-treated clothes (ITCs on personal protection against malaria infection. The specific objectives were to determine the effect of using ITCs on the rate of infection with malaria parasites and the effect on indoor mosquito density. Methods This study was done in Dadaab refugee camps, North Eastern Province Kenya between April and August 2002, and involved a total of 198 participants, all refugees of Somali origin. The participants were selected through multi-stage cluster sampling. Half of the participants (treatment group had their personal clothes worn on a daily basis (Diras, Saris, Jalbaabs, Ma'awis and shirts and their bedding (sheets and blankets treated with insecticide (permethrin. The other half (comparison group had their clothes treated with placebo (plain water. Indoor mosquito density was determined from twelve households belonging to the participants; six in the treatment block and six in the comparison block. During pre-test and post-test, laboratory analysis of blood samples was done, indoor mosquito density determined and questionnaires administered. Using STATA statistical package, tests for significant difference between the two groups were conducted. Results Use of ITCs reduced both malaria infection rates and indoor mosquito density significantly. The odds of malaria infection in the intervention group were reduced by about 70 percent. The idea of using ITCs for malaria infection control was easily accepted among the refugees and they considered it beneficial. No side effects related to use of the ITCs were observed from the participants. Conclusion The use of ITCs reduces malaria infection rate and has potential as an appropriate method of malaria control. It is recommended, therefore, that this strategy be considered for use among poor communities like slum dwellers and other underprivileged communities, such as street children and refugees

  17. ABO and RhD blood groups and gestational hypertensive disorders: a population-based cohort study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, B K; Zhang, Z; Wikman, A; Lindqvist, P G; Reilly, M

    2012-09-01

    To examine the association between ABO and RhD blood groups and gestational hypertensive disorders in a large population-based cohort. Cohort study. Risks of gestational hypertensive disorders, pre-eclampsia, and severe pre-eclampsia, estimated by odds ratios for maternal ABO blood group and RhD status. National health registers of Sweden. All singleton deliveries in Sweden born to first-time mothers during the period 1987-2002 [total n = 641 926; any gestational hypertensive disorders, n = 39 011 (6.1%); pre-eclampsia cases, n = 29 337 (4.6%); severe pre-eclampsia cases, n = 8477 (1.3%)]. Using blood group O as a reference, odds ratios of gestational hypertensive disorders, pre-eclampsia, and severe pre-eclampsia were obtained from logistic regression models adjusted for potential confounding factors. Gestational hypertensive disorders, pre-eclampsia, and severe pre-eclampsia. Compared with blood group O, all non-O blood groups had modest but statistically significantly higher odds of pre-eclampsia. Blood group AB had the highest risk for pre-eclampsia (OR = 1.10, 95% CI 1.04-1.16) and severe pre-eclampsia (OR = 1.18, 95% CI 1.07-1.30). RhD-positive mothers had a small increased risk for pre-eclampsia (OR = 1.07, 95% CI 1.03-1.10). In the largest study on this topic to date, women with AB blood group have the highest risks of gestational hypertensive disorders, pre-eclampsia, and severe pre-eclampsia, whereas women with O blood group have the lowest risks of developing these disorders. Although the magnitude of increased risk is small, this finding may help improve our understanding of the etiology of pre-eclampsia. © 2012 The Authors BJOG An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology © 2012 RCOG.

  18. Investigation of Surface Pre-Treatment Methods for Wafer-Level Cu-Cu Thermo-Compression Bonding

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Koki Tanaka

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available To increase the yield of the wafer-level Cu-Cu thermo-compression bonding method, certain surface pre-treatment methods for Cu are studied which can be exposed to the atmosphere before bonding. To inhibit re-oxidation under atmospheric conditions, the reduced pure Cu surface is treated by H2/Ar plasma, NH3 plasma and thiol solution, respectively, and is covered by Cu hydride, Cu nitride and a self-assembled monolayer (SAM accordingly. A pair of the treated wafers is then bonded by the thermo-compression bonding method, and evaluated by the tensile test. Results show that the bond strengths of the wafers treated by NH3 plasma and SAM are not sufficient due to the remaining surface protection layers such as Cu nitride and SAMs resulting from the pre-treatment. In contrast, the H2/Ar plasma–treated wafer showed the same strength as the one with formic acid vapor treatment, even when exposed to the atmosphere for 30 min. In the thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS measurement of the H2/Ar plasma–treated Cu sample, the total number of the detected H2 was 3.1 times more than the citric acid–treated one. Results of the TDS measurement indicate that the modified Cu surface is terminated by chemisorbed hydrogen atoms, which leads to high bonding strength.

  19. Pre-harvest UV-C irradiation triggers VOCs accumulation with alteration of antioxidant enzymes and phytohormones in strawberry leaves.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Yanqun; Luo, Zisheng; Charles, Marie Thérèse; Rolland, Daniel; Roussel, Dominique

    2017-11-01

    Recent studies have highlighted the biological and physiological effects of pre-harvest ultraviolet (UV)-C treatment on growing plants. However, little is known about the involvement of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and their response to this treatment. In this study, strawberry plants were exposed to three different doses of UV-C radiation for seven weeks (a low dose: 9.6kJm -2 ; a medium dose: 15kJm -2 ; and a high-dose: 29.4kJm -2 ). Changes in VOC profiles were investigated and an attempt was made to identify factors that may be involved in the regulation of these alterations. Principle compounds analysis revealed that VOC profiles of UV-C treated samples were significantly altered with 26 VOCs being the major contributors to segregation. Among them, 18 fatty acid-derived VOCs accumulated in plants that received high and medium dose of UV-C treatments with higher lipoxygenase and alcohol dehydrogenase activities. In treated samples, the activity of the antioxidant enzymes catalase and peroxidase was inhibited, resulting in a reduced antioxidant capacity and higher lipid peroxidation. Simultaneously, jasmonic acid level was 74% higher in the high-dose group while abscisic acid content was more than 12% lower in both the medium and high-dose UV-C treated samples. These results indicated that pre-harvest UV-C treatment stimulated the biosynthesis of fatty acid-derived VOCs in strawberry leaf tissue by upregulating the activity of enzymes of the LOX biosynthetic pathway and downregulating antioxidant enzyme activities. It is further suggested that the mechanisms underlying fatty acid-derived VOCs biosynthesis in UV-C treated strawberry leaves are associated with UV-C-induced changes in phytohormone profiles. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  20. Pre-college education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stein, Sylvia

    1990-01-01

    Pre-college education efforts are many and varied, involving the teachers, students, parents, museums, and youth groups. However, it is necessary to reach out to school administration at all levels if teachers are to be innovative in their approaches. This introductory meeting clearly indicated that more interaction between the participants would be profitable. It is clear that the science pipeline leading from kindergarten to college entry needs to be filled with students. What is not clear is how we can do it. The plethora of projects being pursued by the NASA Space Grant College Fellowship (NSGC) programs to accomplish that goal are heartening and exciting. However, this large gamut of programs may also indicate how new we are in this game and how little anyone knows about creating a pre-college interest in science and engineering. In a way, it resembles the situation of the common cold--there is no known cure yet, so there are many so-called remedies. Unfortunately, the time we had together was entirely too short to address the evaluation situation, so that we can in the future zero in on the most effective approaches. This report is a summary of the many ways the different NSGC' s are approaching pre-college education and a list of suggestions.

  1. [Comparability study of analytical results between a group of clinical laboratories].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alsius-Serra, A; Ballbé-Anglada, M; López-Yeste, M L; Buxeda-Figuerola, M; Guillén-Campuzano, E; Juan-Pereira, L; Colomé-Mallolas, C; Caballé-Martín, I

    2015-01-01

    To describe the study of the comparability of the measurements levels of biological tests processed in biochemistry in Catlab's 4 laboratories. Quality requirements, coefficients of variation and total error (CV% and TE %) were established. Controls were verified with the precision requirements (CV%) in each test and each individual laboratory analyser. Fresh serum samples were used for the comparability study. The differences were analysed using a Microsoft Access® application that produces modified Bland-Altman plots. The comparison of 32 biological parameters that are performed in more than one laboratory and/or analyser generated 306 Bland-Altman graphs. Of these, 101 (33.1%) fell within the accepted range of values based on biological variability, and 205 (66.9%) required revision. Data were re-analysed based on consensus minimum specifications for analytical quality (consensus of the Asociación Española de Farmacéuticos Analistas (AEFA), the Sociedad Española de Bioquímica Clínica y Patología Molecular (SEQC), the Asociación Española de Biopatología Médica (AEBM) and the Sociedad Española de Hematología y Hemoterapia (SEHH), October 2013). With the new specifications, 170 comparisons (56%) fitted the requirements and 136 (44%) required additional review. Taking into account the number of points that exceeded the requirement, random errors, range of results in which discrepancies were detected, and range of clinical decision, it was shown that the 44% that required review were acceptable, and the 32 tests were comparable in all laboratories and analysers. The analysis of the results showed that the consensus requirements of the 4 scientific societies were met. However, each laboratory should aim to meet stricter criteria for total error. Copyright © 2015 SECA. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

  2. Impulsive Choice, Alcohol Consumption, and Pre-Exposure to Delayed Rewards: II. Potential Mechanisms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stein, Jeffrey S.; Renda, C. Renee; Hinnenkamp, Jay E.; Madden, Gregory J.

    2014-01-01

    In a prior study (Stein et al., 2013), we reported that rats pre-exposed to delayed rewards made fewer impulsive choices, but consumed more alcohol (12% wt/vol), than rats pre-exposed to immediate rewards. To understand the mechanisms that produced these findings, we again pre-exposed rats to either delayed (17.5 s; n = 32) or immediate (n = 30) rewards. In post-tests, delay-exposed rats made significantly fewer impulsive choices at both 15- and 30-s delays to a larger, later food reward than the immediacy-exposed comparison group. Behavior in an open-field test provided little evidence of differential stress exposure between groups. Further, consumption of either 12% alcohol or isocaloric sucrose in subsequent tests did not differ between groups. Because Stein et al. introduced alcohol concentration gradually (3–12%), we speculate that their group differences in 12% alcohol consumption were not determined by alcohol’s pharmacological effects, but by another variable (e.g., taste) that was preserved as an artifact from lower concentrations. We conclude that pre-exposure to delayed rewards generalizes beyond the pre-exposure delay; however, this same experimental variable does not robustly influence alcohol consumption. PMID:25418607

  3. Inhibition of IL-17A suppresses enhanced-tumor growth in low dose pre-irradiated tumor beds.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eun-Jung Lee

    Full Text Available Ionizing radiation induces modification of the tumor microenvironment such as tumor surrounding region, which is relevant to treatment outcome after radiotherapy. In this study, the effects of pre-irradiated tumor beds on the growth of subsequently implanted tumors were investigated as well as underlying mechanism. The experimental model was set up by irradiating the right thighs of C3H/HeN mice with 5 Gy, followed by the implantation of HCa-I and MIH-2. Both implanted tumors in the pre-irradiated bed showed accelerated-growth compared to the control. Tumor-infiltrated lymphocyte (TIL levels were increased, as well as pro-tumor factors such as IL-6 and transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-β1 in the pre-irradiated group. In particular, the role of pro-tumor cytokine interleukin-17A (IL-17A was investigated as a possible target mechanism because IL-6 and TGF-β are key factors in Th17 cells differentiation from naïve T cells. IL-17A expression was increased not only in tumors, but also in CD4+ T cells isolated from the tumor draining lymph nodes. The effect of IL-17A on tumor growth was confirmed by treating tumors with IL-17A antibody, which abolished the acceleration of tumor growth. These results indicate that the upregulation of IL-17A seems to be a key factor for enhancing tumor growth in pre-irradiated tumor beds.

  4. Full utilization of silt density index (SDI) measurements for seawater pre-treatment

    KAUST Repository

    Wei, Chunhai; Laborie, Sté phanie; Ben Aï m, Roger M.; Amy, Gary L.

    2012-01-01

    according to the standard protocol for SDI measurement, in which two kinds of 0.45μm membranes of different material and seawater samples from the Mediterranean including raw seawater and seawater pre-treated by coagulation followed by sand filtration (CSF

  5. APLIKASI THERMAL PRE-TREATMENT LIMBAH TANAMAN JAGUNG (Zea mays SEBAGAI CO·SUBSTRAT PADA PROSES ANAEROBIK DIGESTI UNTUK PRODUKSI BIOGAS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Darwin Darwin

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Thermal pre-treatment was given on corn stover in the purpose of breaking the lignin content; thus, it may help anaerobic microorganisms to convert polymer including cellulose and hemicelluloses into biogas. This study aimed to investigate the effects of thermal pre-treatment on corn stover in anaerobic digestion process related to the production of biogas as well as digestion process efficiency. This research was carried out by utilizing batch reactors where the temperature was maintained at mesophilic conditions above room temperature (33 ± 2 oC. Based on the result, it was known that thermal pre-treatment given on the corn stover may enhance anaerobic digestion process for biogas production at the first 10 days. This condition reduced the time of lag phase during anaerobic digestion. The biogas production of corn stover given thermal pre-treatment was slow at 26 days where their average total production were 12,412.5 mL,12,310 mL at 15 and 25 minutes thermal pre-treatment, respectively while biogas production of non pre-treated corn stover was 12,557 mL. The highest daily biogas production was accomplished by corn stover that was given thermal pre-treatment at 25 minutes (915 mL. Corn stover given with 15 minutes thermal pre-treatment also generated higher daily biogas production at day 9 (772.5 mL compared with corn stover that was not pre-treated (405 mL. This research also revealed that corn stover given thermal pre-treatment reached higher biogas yield compared with non pre-treated corn stover where their biogas yield were 670.39, 690.65 mL/g volatile solids added at 15 and 25 minutes thermal pre- treatment respectively, and 456.37 mL/g volatile solids added of non pre-treated corn stover. Keywords: Thermal pre-treatment, corn stover, anaerobic digestion, biogas   ABSTRAK Thermal pre-treatment diberikan pada limbah tanaman jagung dengan tujuan untuk memecahkan kandungan lignin yang terdapat pada limbah tanaman jagung sehingga memudahkan

  6. Cardiac diastolic function after recovery from pre-eclampsia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soma-Pillay, P; Louw, M C; Adeyemo, A O; Makin, J; Pattinson, R C

    Pre-eclampsia is associated with significant changes to the cardiovascular system during pregnancy. Eccentric and concentric remodelling of the left ventricle occurs, resulting in impaired contractility and diastolic dysfunction. It is unclear whether these structural and functional changes resolve completely after delivery. The objective of the study was to determine cardiac diastolic function at delivery and one year post-partum in women with severe pre-eclampsia, and to determine possible future cardiovascular risk. This was a descriptive study performed at Steve Biko Academic Hospital, a tertiary referral hospital in Pretoria, South Africa. Ninety-six women with severe preeclampsia and 45 normotensive women with uncomplicated pregnancies were recruited during the delivery admission. Seventy-four (77.1%) women in the pre-eclamptic group were classified as a maternal near miss. Transthoracic Doppler echocardiography was performed at delivery and one year post-partum. At one year post-partum, women with pre-eclampsia had a higher diastolic blood pressure (p = 0.001) and body mass index (p = 0.02) than women in the normotensive control group. Women with early onset pre-eclampsia requiring delivery prior to 34 weeks' gestation had an increased risk of diastolic dysfunction at one year post-partum (RR 3.41, 95% CI: 1.11-10.5, p = 0.04) and this was irrespective of whether the patient had chronic hypertension or not. Women who develop early-onset pre-eclampsia requiring delivery before 34 weeks are at a significant risk of developing cardiac diastolic dysfunction one year after delivery compared to normotensive women with a history of a low-risk pregnancy.

  7. Undiagnosed Diabetes and Pre-Diabetes in Health Disparities.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Susan P Fisher-Hoch

    Full Text Available Globally half of all diabetes mellitus is undiagnosed. We sought to determine the extent and characteristics of undiagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus and pre-diabetes in Mexican Americans residing in the United States. This disadvantaged population with 50% lifetime risk of diabetes is a microcosm of the current pandemic. We accessed baseline data between 2004 and 2014 from 2,838 adults recruited to our Cameron County Hispanic Cohort (CCHC; a two-stage randomly selected 'Framingham-like' cohort of Mexican Americans on the US Mexico border with severe health disparities. We examined prevalence, risk factors and metabolic health in diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetes and pre-diabetes. Two thirds of this Mexican American population has diabetes or pre-diabetes. Diabetes prevalence was 28.0%, nearly half undiagnosed, and pre-diabetes 31.6%. Mean BMI among those with diabetes was 33.5 kg/m2 compared with 29.0 kg/m2 for those without diabetes. Significant risk factors were low income and educational levels. Most with diabetes had increased waist/hip ratio. Lack of insurance and access to health services played a decisive role in failure to have diabetes diagnosed. Participants with undiagnosed diabetes and pre-diabetes had similar measures of poor metabolic health similar but generally not as severe as those with diagnosed diabetes. More than 50% of a minority Mexican American population in South Texas has diabetes or pre-diabetes and is metabolically unhealthy. Only a third of diabetes cases were diagnosed. Sustained efforts are imperative to identify, diagnose and treat individuals in underserved communities.

  8. A Solid Foundation: Key Capacities of Construction Pre-Apprenticeship Programs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Helmer, Matt; Blair, Amy; Gerber, Allison

    2012-01-01

    This publication shares research from site visits conducted to construction pre-apprenticeship programs in Baltimore, Hartford, Milwaukee and Portland (OR). Findings from the site visits, which included interviews and focus groups with pre-apprenticeship program staff, public officials, philanthropic leaders, construction industry leaders and…

  9. Evaluation of the theory-based Quality Improvement in Physical Therapy (QUIP) programme: a one-group, pre-test post-test pilot study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rutten, Geert M; Harting, Janneke; Bartholomew, L Kay; Schlief, Angelique; Oostendorp, Rob A B; de Vries, Nanne K

    2013-05-25

    Guideline adherence in physical therapy is far from optimal, which has consequences for the effectiveness and efficiency of physical therapy care. Programmes to enhance guideline adherence have, so far, been relatively ineffective. We systematically developed a theory-based Quality Improvement in Physical Therapy (QUIP) programme aimed at the individual performance level (practicing physiotherapists; PTs) and the practice organization level (practice quality manager; PQM). The aim of the study was to pilot test the multilevel QUIP programme's effectiveness and the fidelity, acceptability and feasibility of its implementation. A one-group, pre-test, post-test pilot study (N = 8 practices; N = 32 PTs, 8 of whom were also PQMs) done between September and December 2009. Guideline adherence was measured using clinical vignettes that addressed 12 quality indicators reflecting the guidelines' main recommendations. Determinants of adherence were measured using quantitative methods (questionnaires). Delivery of the programme and management changes were assessed using qualitative methods (observations, group interviews, and document analyses). Changes in adherence and determinants were tested in the paired samples T-tests and expressed in effect sizes (Cohen's d). Overall adherence did not change (3.1%; p = .138). Adherence to three quality indicators improved (8%, 24%, 43%; .000 ≤ p ≤ .023). Adherence to one quality indicator decreased (-15.7%; p = .004). Scores on various determinants of individual performance improved and favourable changes at practice organizational level were observed. Improvements were associated with the programme's multilevel approach, collective goal setting, and the application of self-regulation; unfavourable findings with programme deficits. The one-group pre-test post-test design limits the internal validity of the study, the self-selected sample its external validity. The QUIP programme has the potential to change physical

  10. Pre-migration trauma and HIV-risk behavior.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Steel, Jennifer; Herlitz, Claes; Matthews, Jesse; Snyder, Wendy; Mazzaferro, Kathryn; Baum, Andy; Theorell, Töres

    2003-03-01

    This study examined the relationship between pre-migration trauma and HIV-risk behavior in refugees from sub-Saharan Africa. The sample comprised 122 persons who had emigrated from sub-Saharan Africa and were currently residing in Sweden. Qualitative methods including individual interviews, focus groups, and interviews with key informants addressed questions regarding trauma experience and HIV-risk behavior. A history of pre-migration trauma was found to be associated with HIV-risk behavior. According to the participants, symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, adjustment disorder, and substance use mediated the relationship between pre-migration trauma and sexual risk behavior. In contrast, a minority of the participants who reported pre-migration trauma but not psychological sequelae, or experienced post-traumatic growth, reported safer sexual practices. It appears that for some individuals, pre-migration trauma resulted in psychiatric sequelae, which may increase an individual's risk to be infected with HIV. Interventions targeted at individuals at increased risk (i.e. pre-migration trauma with unresolved psychiatric symptomatology) may facilitate the prevention of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases in this population. Integration of multiple psychosocial and health issues is recommended for comprehensive treatment and prevention programs.

  11. Promoting Inclusivity in STEM through Active Recruiting and Mentoring: The Pre-Major in Astronomy Program (Pre-MAP) at the University of Washington

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schwieterman, Edward; Binder, Breanna A.; Pre-Major in Astronomy Program

    2016-01-01

    The Pre-Major in Astronomy Program (Pre-MAP) is a research and mentoring program for entering undergraduate students offered by the University of Washington Astronomy Department since 2005. The primary goal of Pre-MAP is to recruit and retain students from groups traditionally underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) through early exposure to guided research projects. The Pre-MAP seminar is the core component of the program and offers instruction in computing skills, data manipulation, science writing, statistical analysis, and scientific speaking and presentation skills. Students choose research projects proposed by faculty, post-docs and graduate students in areas related to astrophysics, planetary science, and astrobiology. Pre-MAP has been successful in retaining underrepresented students in STEM fields relative to the broader UW population, and we've found these students are more likely to graduate and excel academically than their peers. As of fall 2015, more than one hundred students have taken the Pre-MAP seminar, and both internal and external evaluations have shown that all groups of participating students report an increased interest in astronomy and science careers at the end of the seminar. This talk will provide an overview of the program and the structure of the core seminar. In particular, the talk will focus on additions and revisions to the seminar course over the last few years, such as the introduction of a public speaking coach, career and internship modules, and the formalization of external lab tours.

  12. Re: Does Pre-emptive Transplantation versus Post Start of Dialysis Transplantation with a Kidney from a Living Donor Improve Outcomes After Transplantation? A Systematic Literature Review and Position Statement by the Descartes Working Group and ERBP

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yarkın Kamil Yakupoğlu

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available EDITORIAL COMMENT In case of end stage kidney disease, living donation by expanding the donor pool might give a chance for pre-emptive kidney transplantation, which is defined as having a kidney transplant before initiation of chronic dialysis. In this guideline, Descartes Working Group conducted a systematic review of the literature which included observational data of 29 studies, mainly coming from single center or regional registries, performed after 1990 providing data on aspects of pre-emptive living donation. They found that around half of studies showed improvements in patient and graft survival or reductions in the risk of acute rejection. However, relating to pre-transplant glomerular filtration rate no differences were found between the graft and patient survivals. In the light of the data, the group recommends pre-emptive transplantation where possible, with the timing designed to avoid dialysis in patients who have kidney disease that is indefinitely irreversible and clearly progressive. There is also a selection bias. The characteristics of population who receive a pre-emptive kidney transplantation is very different from those receiving a transplant on the waiting list in the mentioned studies, which is well recognized by the authors.

  13. Low locoregional recurrence rates in patients treated after 2000 with doxorubicin based chemotherapy, modified radical mastectomy, and post-mastectomy radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Greenbaum, Michael P.; Strom, Eric A.; Allen, Pamela K.; Perkins, George H.; Oh, Julia L.; Tereffe, Welela; Yu, Tse-Kuan; Buchholz, Thomas A.; Woodward, Wendy A.

    2010-01-01

    Purpose: To determine the rate of locoregional recurrence (LRR) associated with modern tri-modality therapy. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed data from 291 consecutive PMRT patients treated from 1999 to 2001. These patients were compared to an historical group of 313 patients treated from 1979 to 1988 who had fluoroscopic simulation and contour-generated 2D planning. 1999-2001 spans the adoption of CT simulators for breast radiation therapy and a comparison was made between patients simulated before and after the implementation of CT simulation. Five-year actuarial rates for LRR, distal metastasis (DM), and overall survival (OS) between the pre and post CT simulation cohorts were compared as well. Results: Compared to a 2D planned historic control, the combined contemporary patients had improved outcomes at 5 years for all endpoints studied; LRR 3.0% vs. 11.5%, DM 29.2% vs. 39.2%, and OS 79.2% vs. 70.6% (p = 0.0004, 0.0052, 0.0012, respectively). Significant factors in a multivariate analysis for LRR were: advanced T-stage (RR = 2.14, CI = 1.11-4.11, p = 0.023), and percent positive nodes (RR = 1.01, CI = 1.00-1.02, p = 0.012). The comparison of the pre and post CT-simulated PMRT patients (1999-2001) found no significant difference in any endpoint. Conclusions: The rate of locoregional control for PMRT patients treated with modern radiotherapy is outstanding and has improved significantly compared to historical controls.

  14. Effect of HCl pre-treatment on corrosion resistance of cerium-based conversion coatings on magnesium and magnesium alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brunelli, Katya; Dabala, Manuele; Calliari, Irene; Magrini, Maurizio

    2005-01-01

    The corrosion protection afforded by a cerium conversion coating, formed by immersion in a solution containing rare earth salt and hydrogen peroxide, on pure magnesium and two magnesium alloys, AZ91 and AM50, has been studied. The effect of HCl pre-treatments on the morphology and on the corrosion resistance of the cerium conversion layer was investigated. A thicker and more homogeneous distribution of the conversion coating was obtained when the sample surface was pre-treated with acid. Higher amounts of cerium on the surface of the pre-treated samples were detected. The cerium conversion coating increased the corrosion resistance of the alloys because it ennobled the corrosion potential and decreased both the anodic and cathodic current. The acid pre-treatment further increased the corrosion resistance of the coated alloys. After five days of immersion in chloride environment the untreated samples showed localized corrosion while the chemical conversion coated samples appeared unaffected

  15. Promoting Diversity in STEM through Active Recruiting and Mentoring: The Pre-Major in Astronomy Program (Pre-MAP) at the University of Washington

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schwieterman, Edward; Binder, Breanna; Tremmel, Michael; Garofali, Kristen; Agol, Eric; Meadows, Victoria

    2015-11-01

    The Pre-Major in Astronomy Program (Pre-MAP) is a research and mentoring program for underclassmen and transfer students offered by the University of Washington Astronomy Department since 2005. The primary goal of Pre-MAP is to recruit and retain students from groups traditionally underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) through early exposure to research. The Pre-MAP seminar is the core component of the program and offers instruction in computing skills, data manipulation, science writing, statistical analysis, and scientific speaking and presentation skills. Students choose research projects proposed by faculty, post-docs and graduate students in areas related to astrophysics, planetary science, and astrobiology. Pre-MAP has been successful in retaining underrepresented students in STEM fields relative to the broader UW population, and we've found these students are more likely to graduate and excel academically than their peers. As of spring 2015, more than one hundred students have taken the Pre-MAP seminar, and both internal and external evaluations have shown that all groups of participating students report an increased interest in astronomy and science careers at the end of the seminar. Several former Pre-MAP students have obtained or are pursuing doctoral and master’s degrees in STEM fields; many more work at NASA centers, teaching colleges, or as engineers or data analysts. Pre- MAP student research has produced dozens of publications in peer-reviewed research journals. This talk will provide an overview of the program: the structure of the seminar, examples of projects completed by students, cohort-building activities outside the seminar, funding sources, recruitment strategies, and the aggregate demographic and achievement data of our students. It is our hope that similar programs may be adopted successfully at other institutions.

  16. Placebo-controlled trial of atomoxetine for weight reduction in people with schizophrenia treated with clozapine or olanzapine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ball, M Patricia; Warren, Kimberly R; Feldman, Stephanie; McMahon, Robert P; Kelly, Deanna L; Buchanan, Robert W

    2011-04-01

    In recent years, several pharmacological and psychosocial interventions have examined ways to prevent or treat weight gain in people receiving second-generation antipsychotics. While there has been some success, in general, results have not been compelling. Atomoxetine is a selective norepinepherine reuptake inhibitor found to be associated with appetite suppression. Therefore, we examined whether atomoxetine may be of benefit for those who have gained weight on either clozapine or olanzapine. The study was a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. All participants received the same psychosocial platform: a structured support and exercise group. People with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, on olanzapine or clozapine, who had gained at least 7% of their pre-clozapine or pre-olanzapine weight were eligible for a 24-week, randomized, parallel group, double-blind comparison of adjunctive atomoxetine or placebo. Thirty-seven participants (20 atomoxetine, 17 placebo) were randomized and 26 participants (14 atomoxetine, 12 placebo; 70.2%) completed the study. There were no significant group differences in baseline BMI (atomoxetine: 34.5±4.9; placebo: 35.7±7.0) or weight (atomoxetine: 102.2±15.7 kg; placebo: 104.3±17.5 kg). Both treatment groups showed modest, not significant, trends in weight loss, averaging about 2 kg. Gender or baseline antipsychotic treatment did not modify treatment effects on weight. Secondary outcomes included neuropsychological assessments, symptom assessments (BPRS, SANS) and safety assessments. Of these, only the group difference in Gordon distractibility test scores was statistically significant and favored treatment with atomoxetine. Atomoxetine is not effective for weight loss in this population, but both olanzapine and clozapine participants can lose weight with structured group support and exercise.

  17. Evaluate, assess, treat: development and evaluation of the EAT framework to increase effective communication regarding sensitive oral-systemic health issues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    DeBate, R D; Cragun, D; Gallentine, A A; Severson, H H; Shaw, T; Cantwell, C; Christiansen, S; Koerber, A; Hendricson, W; Tomar, S L; McCormack Brown, K; Tedesco, L A

    2012-11-01

    Oral healthcare providers are likely to encounter a number of sensitive oral/systemic health issues whilst interacting with patients. The purpose of the current study was to develop and evaluate a framework aimed at oral healthcare providers to engage in active secondary prevention of eating disorders (i.e. early detection of oral manifestations of disordered eating behaviours, patient approach and communication, patient-specific oral treatment, and referral to care) for patients presenting with signs of disordered eating behaviours. The EAT Framework was developed based on the Brief Motivational Interviewing (B-MI) conceptual framework and comprises three continuous steps: Evaluating, Assessing, and Treating. Using a group-randomized control design, 11 dental hygiene (DH) and seven dental (D) classes from eight institutions were randomized to either the intervention or control conditions. Both groups completed pre- and post-intervention assessments. Hierarchical linear models were conducted to measure the effects of the intervention whilst controlling for baseline levels. Statistically significant improvements from pre- to post-intervention were observed in the Intervention group compared with the Control group on knowledge of eating disorders and oral findings, skills-based knowledge, and self-efficacy (all P oral/systemic health issues. Because the EAT Framework was developed by translating B-MI principles and procedures, the framework can be easily adopted as a non-confrontational method for patient communication. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

  18. Pengaruh Kekurangan Protein Pre dan Postnatal Terhadap Mineralisasi Gigi

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pinandi Sri Pudyani

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available The accuracy of nutrition quantity during and after pregnancy is needed for supporting division, differentiation and replication of cells during growth stage. Protein is needed to obtain optimally child's body growth and development including tooth. The study was aimed to deteremine the effects of pre and postnatal protein deficiency on tooth mineralization rats model. The study was carried out on 30 Rates norvegicus rats, divided in 3 groups.The first group was fed the protein deficient diet (4% during pre and postnatal period, the second was fed the protein deficient diet (4% only postnatal and the third was fed the postnatal diet. Feeding was carried out until animales aged at 56 days. After that, animals were sacrificed and the width of right mandibular molar prevention layer was histologically analyzed to know the number of tooth mineralization. The result of the study showed significant differences (p<0.05 in width of prevention layer between standard and experimental groups. It's concluded that pre and postnatal protein deficiency were inhibits tooth mineralization.

  19. Ovarian protection in cyclophosphamide-treated mice by fennel

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Azam Hassanpour

    Full Text Available Evaluation of protective effect of fennel on mouse ovary against the destructive effects of cyclophosphamide (CP was the aim of this study. Adult female NMARI mice were randomly divided into six groups (n = 8: (A negative control, (B CP200 mg/kg, (C fennel 400 mg/kg/day, (E, F, and D that received fennel 200, 400 and 100 mg/kg/day respectively + CP200 mg/kg. Their ovary weight, volume, and diameter (WVD were measured. Five micron sections were stained using the H&E method. The serum levels of oestrogen and progesterone were measured using ELISA kit. The results showed that WVD significantly reduced in the CP-treated groups in comparison with the A and C, but WVD increased after treatment of the mice with fennel extract, in comparison with B group. A significant decrease of serum in terms of oestrogen and progesterone levels among CP-treated groups in comparison with the A group was observed. In the CP-treated groups a reduction in the number of different ovarian follicles in comparison with the A and C groups was observed. However, in the treated animals with fennel extract, these parameters significantly increased in comparison with the B group. Finally, it is concluded that fennel can protect ovary from cyclophosphamide side effects. Keywords: Cyclophosphamide, Fennel, Mice, Ovary

  20. Analysis of group cohesion levels and pre-competitive psychological stress in volleyball athletes.. http://dx.doi.org/10.5007/1980-0037.2012v14n6p704

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guilherme Moraes Balbim

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available This descriptive study was designed to analyze the level of group cohesion and pre-competitive psychological stress of adult volleyball athletes. The subjects consisted of 155 male and female athletes from the state of Parana who played in the JAPS/ 1st division (A, and 2nd division (B. The assessment instruments used were the Group Environment Questionnaire (GEQ and the Volleyball Psychic Stress Test (V-PST. For data analysis, the following tools were used: Cronbach’s alpha, Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Mann-Whitney, one-way Anova, and Tukey’s post hoc (p<0.05. The results revealed that athletes of division A were more negatively influenced by stress factors than the athletes of division B; in terms of individual attraction to the social group (p=0.014 and tasks (p=0016 athletes of division B had higher levels of group cohesion than athletes from division A; athletes with low social cohesion were negatively impacted by factors of "inappropriate physical conditioning" and "excessive nervousness;" athletes with low levels of cohesion for the task were negatively influenced by the factors of "Pressure from other people to win" and positively by the factor "Behavior of the fans in the game outside." It was concluded that group cohesion is demonstrated to be an intervening factor in pre-competitive stress thereby demonstrating that the higher the dispute level, the higher the negative influence of stress.

  1. Efficacy and tolerability of high dose "ethinylestradiol" in post-menopausal advanced breast cancer patients heavily pre-treated with endocrine agents

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robertson John FR

    2006-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background High dose estrogens (HDEs were frequently used as endocrine agents prior to the introduction of tamoxifen which carries fewer side effects. Due to the development of resistance to available endocrine agents in almost all women with metastatic breast cancer, interest has renewed in the use of HDEs as yet another endocrine option that may have activity. We report our experience with one of the HDEs ("ethinylestradiol" 1 mg daily in advanced breast cancer (locally advanced and metastatic in post-menopausal women who had progressed on multiple endocrine agents. Patients and methods According to a database of advanced breast cancer patients seen in our Unit since 1998, those who had complete set of information and fulfilled the following criteria were studied: (1 patients in whom further endocrine therapy was deemed appropriate i.e., patients who have had clinical benefit with previous endocrine agents or were not fit or unwilling to receive chemotherapy in the presence of potentially life-threatening visceral metastases; (2 disease was assessable by UICC criteria; (3 were treated with "ethinylestradiol" until they were withdrawn from treatment due to adverse events or disease progression. Results Twelve patients with a median age of 75.1 years (49.1 – 85 years were identified. Majority (N = 8 had bony disease. They had ethinylestradiol as 3rd to 7th line endocrine therapy. One patient (8% came off treatment early due to hepato-renal syndrome. Clinical benefit (objective response or durable stable disease for ≥ 6 months was seen in 4 patients (33.3% with a median duration of response of 10+ (7–36 months. The time to treatment failure was 4 (0.5–36 months. Conclusion Yet unreported, high dose "ethinylestradiol" is another viable therapeutic strategy in heavily pre-treated patients when further endocrine therapy is deemed appropriate. Although it tends to carry more side effects, they may not be comparable to those of other

  2. Efficacy and tolerability of high dose "ethinylestradiol" in post-menopausal advanced breast cancer patients heavily pre-treated with endocrine agents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agrawal, Amit; Robertson, John F R; Cheung, K L

    2006-07-11

    High dose estrogens (HDEs) were frequently used as endocrine agents prior to the introduction of tamoxifen which carries fewer side effects. Due to the development of resistance to available endocrine agents in almost all women with metastatic breast cancer, interest has renewed in the use of HDEs as yet another endocrine option that may have activity. We report our experience with one of the HDEs ("ethinylestradiol" 1 mg daily) in advanced breast cancer (locally advanced and metastatic) in post-menopausal women who had progressed on multiple endocrine agents. According to a database of advanced breast cancer patients seen in our Unit since 1998, those who had complete set of information and fulfilled the following criteria were studied: (1) patients in whom further endocrine therapy was deemed appropriate i.e., patients who have had clinical benefit with previous endocrine agents or were not fit or unwilling to receive chemotherapy in the presence of potentially life-threatening visceral metastases; (2) disease was assessable by UICC criteria; (3) were treated with "ethinylestradiol" until they were withdrawn from treatment due to adverse events or disease progression. Twelve patients with a median age of 75.1 years (49.1-85 years) were identified. Majority (N = 8) had bony disease. They had ethinylestradiol as 3rd to 7th line endocrine therapy. One patient (8%) came off treatment early due to hepato-renal syndrome. Clinical benefit (objective response or durable stable disease for > or = 6 months) was seen in 4 patients (33.3%) with a median duration of response of 10+ (7-36) months. The time to treatment failure was 4 (0.5-36) months. Yet unreported, high dose "ethinylestradiol" is another viable therapeutic strategy in heavily pre-treated patients when further endocrine therapy is deemed appropriate. Although it tends to carry more side effects, they may not be comparable to those of other HDEs (such as diethylstilbestrol) or chemotherapy.

  3. Effects of pre-creep on the dislocations of 316LN Austenite stainless steel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pei, Hai-xiang; Hui, Jun; Hua, Hou; Feng, Zai-xin; Xu, Xiao-long

    2017-09-01

    The 316LN Austenite stainless steels (316LNASS) were pre-creep treated, the evolution of microstructure were investigated. The samples were pre-creep at 593 K and from 500 to 2000 h at 873 K with a stress in the range of 20 to 150 MPa, Then the evolution of microstructure and precipitation were investigated by optical microscope (OM), and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The results show that the crystal surface slipping resulted in dislocations and original dislocations decomposition during the pre-creep process, and generate quadrilateral or hexagonal dislocation network was obviously. The sub-grain boundary gradually became narrow with the increasing of pre-creep treatment time and temperature. When the pre-creep temperature was 593 K and 873 K, dislocation network gradually disappear with the increasing of pre-creep time and load. When the pre-creep temperature was 873 K under 120 MPa, and the treatment time was 2000 h, the hexagonal dislocation network (HDN) would completely disappeared. When the pre-creep temperature was 593 K under 20 MPa, and the treatment time was 500 h, the quadrilateral dislocation network (QDN) would completely disappeared.

  4. Becoming Reflective Practitioners: A Case Study of Three Beginning Pre-Service Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tiainen, Outi; Korkeamäki, Riitta-Liisa; Dreher, Mariam Jean

    2018-01-01

    This case study examined three pre-service teachers' reflection processes during their first teaching practicum. During the six-week practicum, the pre-service teachers reflected on their own as well as their peers' teaching in group mentoring meetings several times a week. Unstructured stimulated recall facilitated pre-service teacher-initiated…

  5. Pre-Irradiation Chemotherapy in High Risk Medulloblastoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abd-El-Aal, H.

    2006-01-01

    Rationale: The present study evaluates the effect of pre-irradiation chemotherapy in pediatric patients with high risk medulloblastoma. Twenty-four (24) pediatric patients attended the pediatric unit of Kasr-EI-Aini Center of Radiation Oncology and Nuclear Medicine (NEMROCK) from January 2000 to January 2003. Patients and Methods: Our patients were 13 boys and II girls aged 3-12 years with a median of 6.5 years. According to Chang staging system 6 cases had T2, 14 cases had T3 A and 4 cases had T3 B, 20 cases were M0, 3 cases were M I and I case was M2. All patients were treated by initial surgery, 2 cycles of pre-irradiation chemotherapy followed by craniospinal radiation then by 4 cycles of post-radiation chemotherapy. Results: Fifteen out of the 20 patients with M0 had objective response (10CR + 5PR) and no one had disease progression after pre-irradiation chemotherapy. Among 4 patients with M0 disease, 2 patients had PR and 2 had S.D. There was no disease progression among patients who received pre-irradiation chemotherapy. The 3-year overall survival and 3-year progression-free survival; (PFS) were 50% and 51 %, respectively, Myelosuppression was the main toxic effect observed during pre-irradiation chemotherapy; however, there was no delay or interruption of craniospinal irradiation. Conclusion: Pre-irradiation chemotherapy is effective in high risk medulloblastoma and is associated with acceptable side effects. The delay in craniospinal irradiation (CSI) for about 5 weeks to receive 2 courses of chemotherapy will not significantly increase disease progression. Multiple cycles of post-irradiation chemotherapy can be given safely after C51. A larger number of patients and longer follow-up is needed to confirm the results

  6. Significance of ABO-Rh blood groups in response and prognosis in breast cancer patients treated with radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cihan, Yasemin Benderli

    2014-01-01

    To evaluate whether ABO-Rh blood groups have significance in the treatment response and prognosis in patients with non-metastatic breast cancer. We retrospectively evaluated files of 335 patients with breast cancer who were treated between 2005 and 2010. Demographic data, clinic- pathological findings, treatments employed, treatment response, and overall and disease-free survivals were reviewed. Relationships between clinic-pathological findings and blood groups were evaluated. 329 women and 6 men were included to the study. Mean age at diagnosis was 55.2 years (range: 26-86). Of the cases, 95% received chemotherapy while 70% were given radiotherapy and 60.9% adjuvant hormone therapy after surgery. Some 63.0% were A blood group, 17.6% O, 14.3% B and 5.1% AB. In addition, 82.0% of the cases were Rh-positive. Mean follow-up was 24.5 months. Median overall and progression-free survival times were 83.9 and 79.5 months, respectively. Overall and disease-free survival times were found to be higher in patients with A and O blood groups (pgroup (p=0.226). In univariate and multivariate analyses, ABO blood groups were identified as factors that had significant effects on overall and disease-survival times (p=0.011 and p=0.002). It was seen that overall and disease-free survival times were higher in breast cancer patients with A and O blood groups when compared to those with other blood groups. It was seen that A and O blood groups had good prognostic value in patients with breast cancer.

  7. Low ERCC1 mRNA and protein expression are associated with worse survival in cervical cancer patients treated with radiation alone

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Doll, Corinne M.; Prystajecky, Michael; Eliasziw, Misha; Klimowicz, Alexander C.; Petrillo, Stephanie K.; Craighead, Peter S.; Hao, Desiree; Diaz, Roman; Lees-Miller, Susan P.; Magliocco, Anthony M.

    2010-01-01

    Purpose: To evaluate the association of excision repair cross-complementation group 1 (ERCC1) expression, using both mRNA and protein expression analysis, with clinical outcome in cervical cancer patients treated with radical radiation therapy (RT). Experimental design: Patients (n = 186) with locally advanced cervical cancer, treated with radical RT alone from a single institution were evaluated. Pre-treatment FFPE biopsy specimens were retrieved from 112 patients. ERCC1 mRNA level was determined by real-time PCR, and ERCC1 protein expression (FL297, 8F1) was measured using quantitative immunohistochemistry (AQUA (registered) ). The association of ERCC1 status with local response, 10-year disease-free (DFS) and overall survival (OS) was analyzed. Results: ERCC1 protein expression levels using both FL297 and 8F1 antibodies were determined for 112 patients; mRNA analysis was additionally performed in 32 patients. Clinical and outcome factors were comparable between the training and validation sets. Low ERCC1 mRNA expression status was associated with worse OS (17.9% vs 50.1%, p = 0.046). ERCC1 protein expression using the FL297 antibody, but not the 8F1 antibody, was significantly associated with both OS (p = 0.002) and DFS (p = 0.010). After adjusting for pre-treatment hemoglobin in a multivariate analysis, ERCC1 FL297 expression status remained statistically significant for OS [HR 1.9 (1.1-3.3), p = 0.031]. Conclusions: Pre-treatment tumoral ERCC1 mRNA and protein expression, using the FL297 antibody, are predictive factors for survival in cervical cancer patients treated with RT, with ERCC1 FL297 expression independently associated with survival. These results identify a subset of patients who may derive the greatest benefit from the addition of cisplatin chemotherapy.

  8. Magnesium sulphate and other anticonvulsants for women with pre-eclampsia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duley, Lelia; Gülmezoglu, A Metin; Henderson-Smart, David J; Chou, Doris

    2010-11-10

    Eclampsia, the occurrence of a seizure (fit) in association with pre-eclampsia, is rare but potentially life-threatening. Magnesium sulphate is the drug of choice for treating eclampsia. This review assesses its use for preventing eclampsia. To assess the effects of magnesium sulphate, and other anticonvulsants, for prevention of eclampsia. We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group's Trials Register (4 June 2010), and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials Register (The Cochrane Library 2010, Issue 3). Randomised trials comparing anticonvulsants with placebo or no anticonvulsant, or comparisons of different drugs, for pre-eclampsia. Two authors assessed trial quality and extracted data independently. We included 15 trials. Six (11,444 women) compared magnesium sulphate with placebo or no anticonvulsant: magnesium sulphate more than a halved the risk of eclampsia (risk ratio (RR) 0.41, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.29 to 0.58; number needed to treat for an additional beneficial outcome (NNTB) 100, 95% CI 50 to 100), with a non-significant reduction in maternal death (RR 0.54, 95% CI 0.26 to 1.10) but no clear difference in serious maternal morbidity (RR 1.08, 95% CI 0.89 to 1.32). It reduced the risk of placental abruption (RR 0.64, 95% CI 0.50 to 0.83; NNTB 100, 95% CI 50 to 1000), and increased caesarean section (RR 1.05, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.10). There was no clear difference in stillbirth or neonatal death (RR 1.04, 95% CI 0.93 to 1.15). Side effects, primarily flushing, were more common with magnesium sulphate (24% versus 5%; RR 5.26, 95% CI 4.59 to 6.03; number need to treat for an additional harmful outcome (NNTH) 6, 95% CI 5 to 6).Follow-up was reported by one trial comparing magnesium sulphate with placebo: for 3375 women there was no clear difference in death (RR 1.79, 95% CI 0.71 to 4.53) or morbidity potentially related to pre-eclampsia (RR 0.84, 95% CI 0.55 to 1.26) (median follow-up 26 months); for 3283 children exposed in utero

  9. Adenoid and tonsil surgeries in children: How relevant is pre-operative blood grouping and cross-matching?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lucky Onotai

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: As a part of pre-operative evaluation, several otolaryngologists group and cross-match blood routinely for children undergoing adenoid and tonsil surgeries. This practice has generated several debates either in support or against this practice. The aim of this study is to critically evaluate the incidence of post-tonsillectomy (with or without adenoidectomy bleeding and blood transfusions in otherwise healthy children with adenoid/tonsil pathologies conducted in the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH. Patients and Methods: A descriptive retrospective study of children who underwent adenoid and tonsil surgeries in the Department of Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT surgery of UPTH from January 2003 to December 2012. Children with family history of bleeding disorders and derangement of clotting profile as well as different co-morbidity like sickle cell disease were excluded from this study. The patients′ data were retrieved from the registers of ENT out-patient clinics, theatre registers and patients case notes. Demographic data, indications for surgery, preoperative investigations, complications and management outcomes were recorded and analyzed. Results: Out of 145 children that had adenoid and tonsil surgeries; only 100 met the criteria for this study. The study subjects included 65 males and 35 females (male: female ratio 1.9:1 belonging to 0-16 years age group (mean age: 3.46 ± 2.82 years. The age group of 3-5 years had the highest (n = 40, 40% number of surgeries. Adenotonsillectomy was the commonest (n = 85, 85% surgery performed on patients who had obstructive sleep apnea (OSA. The commonest (n = 6, 6% complication was haemorrhage, and only few (n = 3, 3% patients had blood transfusion. However, mortality was recorded in some (n = 3, 3% patients. Conclusion: This study confirms that the incidence of post adenoidectomy/tonsillectomy bleeding in otherwise healthy children is low and rarely requires blood transfusion

  10. Analytic and Systemic Specialized Incest Group Psychotherapy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Elkjaer, Henriette Kiilsholm; Mortensen, Erik Lykke; Poulsen, Stig Bernt

    PURPOSE: Women with long-term sequalae of child sexual abuse (CSA) were randomly assigned to analytic (Group A) or systemic group psychotherapy (Group S). Pre-post-analysis indicated that both therapies led to significant improvement, but overall Group S had significantly better outcome than Group...

  11. Pre-bent elastic stable intramedullary nail fixation for distal radial shaft fractures in children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ge, Yi-hua; Wang, Zhi-gang; Cai, Hai-qing; Yang, Jie; Xu, Yun-lan; Li, Yu-chan; Zhang, Yu-chen; Chen, Bo-chang

    2010-08-01

    To investigate the functional and radiographic outcomes of pre-bent elastic stable intramedullary nail in treatment of distal radial shaft fractures in children. From January 2006 to December 2008, 18 children with distal radial shaft fracture were treated by close reduction and internal fixation with a pre-bent elastic stable intramedullary nail. The age range was from 5 years to 15 years, with an average of 9 years and 8 months. The minimum follow-up was 12 months. All fractures maintained good alignment postoperatively, and 94.4% (17/18) of the patients regained a full range of rotation of the forearm. One patient has limitation of rotation to less than 10°, this had improved by final follow-up. Complications included soft tissue irritation at the site of nail insertion in one patient and transient scar hypersensitivity in another. Fixation with a pre-bent elastic stable intramedullary nail is an effective, safe and convenient method for treating distal radial shaft fractures in children. © 2010 Tianjin Hospital and Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

  12. Effect of play therapy on behavioral problems of mal-adjusted pre-school children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mehdi Khanbani

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective: The present research was conducted to study the effect of play therapy on reducing behavioral problems of mal-adjusted children (children with oppositional defiant disorder. Method: By using multistage cluster sampling, regions 6, 7, and 8 in Tehran were selected, and among kindergartens of these areas, 3 kindergartens under the support of welfare organization were randomly selected. From pre-school children of these 3 kindergartens, 40 children that could have behavioral disorder according to their teachers and parents complaints, were carefully tested, and among them, by the results obtained from child symptom inventory questionnaire (CSI-4, teacher's form, and a researcher-made self-control checklist, 16 children who showed severe symptoms of oppositional defiant disorder were selected, and they were randomly divided into control and experimental group. This research is quasi-experimental, and is done by the use of pre-test, post-test, and control group. Results: values of calculated F for oppositional defiant disorder in control and experimental group is meaningful after fixing the effect of pre-test (F(1,12=74/94, P<0/001 so there is a meaningful difference between means of disobedience disorder post-test scores in experimental and control group by having the fixed effect of pre-test effect. Comparison of adjusted means of 2 groups shows that the mean of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD in experimental group (M=14/09 is lower than control group (M=36/66. Therefore, applying play therapy in experimental group in comparison with control group, who did not receive these instructions, caused reduction in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD in pre-school children. Conclusion: Results of this research show that the children's disobedience is reduced by benefiting from play therapy.

  13. Pre-emptive tramadol could reduce pain after ureteroscopic lithotripsy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mimić, Ana; Denčić, Nataša; Jovičić, Jelena; Mirković, Jelena; Durutović, Otaš; Milenković-Petronić, Dragica; Lađević, Nebojša

    2014-09-01

    Optimal analgesia in ambulatory urology patients still remains a challenge. The aim of this study was to examine if the pre-emptive use of intravenous tramadol can reduce pain after ureteroscopic lithotripsy in patients diagnosed with unilateral ureteral stones. This prospective pilot cohort study included 74 patients diagnosed with unilateral ureteral stones who underwent ureteroscopic lithotripsy under general anesthesia in the Urology Clinic at the Clinical Center of Serbia from March to June 2012. All patients were randomly allocated to two groups: one group (38 patients) received intravenous infusion of tramadol 100 mg in 500 mL 0.9%NaCl one hour before the procedure, while the other group (36 patients) received 500 mL 0.9%NaCl at the same time. Visual analogue scale (VAS) scores were recorded once prior to surgery and two times after the surgery (1 h and 6 h, respectively). The patients were prescribed additional postoperative analgesia (diclofenac 75 mg i.m.) when required. Pre-emptive effects of tramadol were assessed measuring pain scores, VAS1 and VAS2, intraoperative fentanyl consumption, and postoperative analgesic requirement. The average VAS1 score in the tramadol group was significantly lower than that in the non-tramadol group. The difference in average VAS2 score values between the two groups was not statistically significant; however, there were more patients who experienced severe pain in the non-tramadol group (ppain. The patients who received pre-emptive tramadol were less likely to experience severe post-operative pain.

  14. Assessment of Osmotic Pre-Drying Treatment on Drying Rates of Fresh Tomato Fruits

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P. A. Idah

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this work is to investigate the influence of osmotic pre-drying treatments on drying rates of tomato (Lycopersiconesculentum at various drying temperatures. Fresh Roma tomato fruit samples were sliced to a thickness of 5 mm and the seeds were removed. Weight of 300 g was measured for each of the three replicates and immersed in a hypertonic solution of sucrose of different concentrations 40 and 60 oBrix each held for osmotic duration of 1 and 2 hours, drained for 10 min and then dried at 50, 60, and 70 oC in a mechanical dryer. Control samples were also weighed 300 g per replicate and dried at 50, 60, and 70 oC without pre-drying treatment. The initial moisture content of fresh tomato used was 94.5% (wb. Moisture loss of each sample was monitored and recorded hourly until the product has reached the desired final moisture content (≤ 7%.The data collected were subjected to statistical analysis of variance (ANOVA and Duncan New Multiple range tests (DNMRT to ascertain the level of significance differences between the individual treatments and their interaction at p ≤ 0.05.The results show that at all the drying temperatures used, the control tomato samples exhibited the fastest drying rate with an average of 35.2 g/hr, samples pre-treated at 40 oBrix has an average drying rate of 26.6 g/hr, while samples pre-treated at 60 oBrix has the slowest drying rate of 25.2 g/hr. It was also revealed that samples subjected to 1 hour osmotic time have faster drying rates than those treated for 2 hours osmotic time.

  15. Correlation between pre-treatment quasispecies complexity and treatment outcome in chronic HCV genotype 3a.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Moreau, Isabelle

    2012-02-03

    Pre-treatment HCV quasispecies complexity and diversity may predict response to interferon based anti-viral therapy. The objective of this study was to retrospectively (1) examine temporal changes in quasispecies prior to the start of therapy and (2) investigate extensively quasispecies evolution in a group of 10 chronically infected patients with genotype 3a, treated with pegylated alpha2a-Interferon and ribavirin. The degree of sequence heterogeneity within the hypervariable region 1 was assessed by analyzing 20-30 individual clones in serial serum samples. Genetic parameters, including amino acid Shannon entropy, Hamming distance and genetic distance were calculated for each sample. Treatment outcome was divided into (1) sustained virological responders (SVR) and (2) treatment failure (TF). Our results indicate, (1) quasispecies complexity and diversity are lower in the SVR group, (2) quasispecies vary temporally and (3) genetic heterogeneity at baseline can be use to predict treatment outcome. We discuss the results from the perspective of replicative homeostasis.

  16. Long-Term Testosterone Therapy Improves Cardiometabolic Function and Reduces Risk of Cardiovascular Disease in Men with Hypogonadism: A Real-Life Observational Registry Study Setting Comparing Treated and Untreated (Control) Groups.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Traish, Abdulmaged M; Haider, Ahmad; Haider, Karim Sultan; Doros, Gheorghe; Saad, Farid

    2017-09-01

    In the absence of large, prospective, placebo-controlled studies of longer duration, substantial evidence regarding the safety and risk of testosterone (T) therapy (TTh) with regard to cardiovascular (CV) outcomes can only be gleaned from observational studies. To date, there are limited studies comparing the effects of long-term TTh in men with hypogonadism who were treated or remained untreated with T, for obvious reasons. We have established a registry to assess the long-term effectiveness and safety of T in men in a urological setting. Here, we sought to compare the effects of T on a host of parameters considered to contribute to CV risk in treated and untreated men with hypogonadism (control group). Observational, prospective, cumulative registry study in 656 men (age: 60.7 ± 7.2 years) with total T levels ≤12.1 nmol/L and symptoms of hypogonadism. In the treatment group, men (n = 360) received parenteral T undecanoate (TU) 1000 mg/12 weeks following an initial 6-week interval for up to 10 years. Men (n = 296) who had opted against TTh served as controls. Median follow-up in both groups was 7 years. Measurements were taken at least twice a year, and 8-year data were analyzed. Mean changes over time between the 2 groups were compared by means of a mixed-effects model for repeated measures, with a random effect for intercept and fixed effects for time, group, and their interaction. To account for baseline differences between the 2 groups, changes were adjusted for age, weight, waist circumference, fasting glucose, blood pressure, and lipids. There were 2 deaths in the T-treated group, none was related to CV events. There were 21 deaths in the untreated (control) group, 19 of which were related to CV events. The incidence of death in 10 patient-years was 0.1145 in the control group (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.0746-0.1756; P control group and none in the T-treated group. Long-term TU was well tolerated with excellent adherence suggesting a high level of

  17. Maternal and perinatal outcome of patients with severe pre ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    ABEOLUGBENGAS

    Eclampsia occurred in 3 members of the diazepam group and none in the MgSO group. There were no .... in pre-eclampsia- abnormal trophoblastic invasion of uterine blood vessels and endothelial cell ..... O'Brien E, Conroy R & Darling MR.

  18. Agreement between pre-operative and intra-operative bacteriological samples in 85 chronic peri-prosthetic infections.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matter-Parrat, V; Ronde-Oustau, C; Boéri, C; Gaudias, J; Jenny, J-Y

    2017-04-01

    Whether pre-operative microbiological sampling contributes to the management of chronic peri-prosthetic infection remains controversial. We assessed agreement between the results of pre-operative and intra-operative samples in patients undergoing single-stage prosthesis exchange to treat chronic peri-prosthetic infection. Agreement between pre-operative and intra-operative samples exceeds 75% in patients undergoing single-stage exchange of a hip or knee prosthesis to treat chronic peri-prosthetic infection. This single-centre retrospective study included 85 single-stage prosthesis exchange procedures in 82 patients with chronic peri-prosthetic infection at the hip or knee. Agreement between pre-operative and intra-operative sample results was evaluated. Changes to the initial antibiotic regimen made based on the intra-operative sample results were recorded. Of 149 pre-operative samples, 109 yielded positive cultures, in 75/85 cases. Of 452 intra-operative samples, 354 yielded positive cultures, in 85/85 cases. Agreement was complete in 54 (63%) cases and partial in 9 (11%) cases; there was no agreement in the remaining 22 (26%) cases. The complete agreement rate was significantly lower than 75% (P=0.01). The initial antibiotic regimen was inadequate in a single case. Pre-operative sampling may contribute to the diagnosis of peri-prosthetic infection but is neither necessary nor sufficient to confirm the diagnosis and identify the causative agent. The spectrum of the initial antibiotic regimen cannot be safely narrowed based on the pre-operative sample results. We suggest the routine prescription of a probabilistic broad-spectrum antibiotic regimen immediately after the prosthesis exchange, even when a pathogen was identified before surgery. IV, retrospective study. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  19. Children’s participation in Finnish pre-school education - Identifying, Describing and Documenting Children’s Participation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jonna Leinonen

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available This article describes, analyzes, and evaluates children’s participatory in Finnish pre-school groups. Children’s participation is viewed in the context of the Core Curriculum for Pre-school Education in Finland (2010, in which children are considered active subjects, who interact with both other people and the environment. However, in practical data, collected via survey from pre-school educators, this ideology is restricted and the educators in pre-school groups focus on children’s participation from a narrow point of view that reflects a lack of connection between the Core Curriculum goals for pre-school education and the actual participatory practices children face.

  20. Impact of group psychotherapy in chemotherapy induced vomiting for treatment of advanced breast and lungs cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pervez, T.; Mein, F.D.; Alharbi, T.M.

    2007-01-01

    To assess the effect of group psychotherapy in the management of the side effects of chemotherapy treatment in advanced breast and lung cancer. One hundred patients treated with chemotherapy for advanced stage (IIIB and IV) breast and lung cancer were selected with ECOG performance status of 0 or 1. All patients received anti-emetic medications half an hour before chemotherapy. All those patients in this category who completed fist line chemotherapy with 6 cycles were included. Fifty were subjected to group discussions with other patients, family members and medical staff. This was labeled group A. The other 50 were not included in group discussion and were labeled group B. Both the group received similar standard chemotherapy and pre-medication for vomiting as per their disease and chemotherapy schedule. Breast and lung cancer patients were 29 and 21 in each arm respectively. At the end of the discharge, grade 2 and above of vomiting, according to common terminology criteria for adverse events (CTCAE) was counted for all patients in both the arms A and B, over full length of treatment for 6 cycles, and then were compared statistically. Mean with standard deviation for adverse event (vomiting) in group A and B was 6.2 + 2.6 and 13.4 + 3.8 respectively per cycle of treatment. It was observed that group psychotherapy had statistically significant effect (p-value <0.05) on the management of vomiting. Group psychotherapy can be used to reduce the incidence of vomiting in advanced breast and lung cancer patients treated with chemotherapy. (author)

  1. Behavior of metallic fuel in treat transient overpower tests

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bauer, T.H.; Wright, A.E.; Robinson, W.R.; Klickman, A.E.

    1988-01-01

    Results and analyses are reported for TREAT in-pile transient overpower tests of margin to cladding failure and pre-failure axial expansion of metallic fuel. In all cases the power rise was exponential on an 8 s period until either incipient or actual cladding failure was achieved. Test fuel included EBR-II driver fuel and ternary alloy, the reference fuel of the Intergral Fast Reactor concept. Test pin burnup spanned the widest range available. The nature of the observed cladding failure and resultant fuel dispersals is described. Simple models are presented which describe observed cladding failures and pre-failure axial expansions yet are general enough to apply to all metal fuel types

  2. Enzymatic saccharification of biologically pre-treated wheat straw with white-rot fungi.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dias, Albino A; Freitas, Gil S; Marques, Guilhermina S M; Sampaio, Ana; Fraga, Irene S; Rodrigues, Miguel A M; Evtuguin, Dmitry V; Bezerra, Rui M F

    2010-08-01

    Wheat straw was submitted to a pre-treatment by the basidiomycetous fungi Euc-1 and Irpex lacteus, aiming to improve the accessibility of cellulose towards enzymatic hydrolysis via previous selective bio-delignification. This allowed the increase of substrate saccharification nearly four and three times while applying the basidiomycetes Euc-1 and I. lacteus, respectively. The cellulose/lignin ratio increased from 2.7 in the untreated wheat straw to 5.9 and 4.6 after the bio-treatment by the basidiomycetes Euc-1 and I. lacteus, respectively, thus evidencing the highly selective lignin biodegradation. The enzymatic profile of both fungi upon bio-treatment of wheat straw have been assessed including laccase, manganese-dependent peroxidase, lignin peroxidase, carboxymethylcellulase, xylanase, avicelase and feruloyl esterase activities. The difference in efficiency and selectivity of delignification within the two fungi treatments was interpreted in terms of specific lignolytic enzyme profiles and moderate xylanase and cellulolytic activities. (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Effects of pre-germinated brown rice treatment high-fat diet-induced metabolic syndrome in C57BL/6J mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yen, Hsueh-Wei; Lin, Hui-Li; Hao, Chi-Long; Chen, Fu-Chih; Chen, Chun-Yun; Chen, Jia-Hao; Shen, Kuo-Ping

    2017-05-01

    To investigate using pre-germinated brown rice (PGBR) to treat metabolic syndrome, we fed one group of mice standard-regular-diet (SRD) for 20 weeks and another group of mice high-fat-diet (HFD) for 16 weeks. We subdivided them into HFD group and HFD + PGBR group whose dietary carbohydrate was replaced with PGBR for 4 weeks. The HFD group gained more weight, had higher blood pressure, heart rate, blood glucose and lipids, liver levels of TG, feces TG and bile acid, lower adipose levels of adipocytokine, lower skeletal muscle IR, IRS-1, IRS-2, PI3 K, Akt/PKB, GLUT-1, GLUT-4, GCK and PPAR-γ; higher liver SREBP-1, SCD-1, FAS, HMGCR, LDLR, CYP7α1 and PPAR-α, and higher adipose SREBP-1, SCD-1, FAS, and lower adipose PPAR-α and adiponectin. The HFD + PGBR group had clearly improved blood pressure, biochemical parameters and above proteins expressions. PGBR successful treatment of metabolic syndrome was achieved through improvements in glucose and lipid synthesis and metabolism.

  4. [Impact of pre-pregnancy body mass index on baby's physical growth and nutritional status].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Hongyan; Tan, Shan; Gao, Xiao; Xiang, Shiting; Zhang, Li; Huang, Li; Xiong, Changhui; Yan, Qiang; Lin, Ling; Li, Dimin; Yi, Juan; Yan, Yan

    2015-04-01

    To explore the impact of pre-pregnancy body mass index on baby's physical growth and nutritional status. A total of 491 pairs of mother-infant were divided into 3 groups according to mother's pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI): a pre-pregnancy low BMI group (BMIpregnancy normal BMI group (18.5 kg/m² ≤ BMIpregnancy high BMI group (BMI ≥ 24.0 kg/m², n=72). Analysis of variance of repeated measurement data and the median percentage methods were used to compare the physical growth and nutritional status of babies in different groups. Baby's weight in the high BMI group were higher than that in the normal BMI and the low BMI group (F=3.958, P=0.020). The incidence of malnutrition in the low BMI group showed a tendency to decline along with the months (χ²=5.611, P=0.018), the incidence of overweight and obesity in the high and the normal BMI groups displayed a tendency to decline along with the months (χ²=18.773, 53.248, all PPregnancy BMI was correlated with the growth of baby. Too high or too low prepregnancy BMI exerts harmful effect on baby's weight and nutritional status. Medical workers should strengthen the education on women's pre-pregnancy to remind them keeping BMI at normal level.

  5. Active caspase-3 and ultrastructural evidence of apoptosis in spontaneous and induced cell death in bovine in vitro produced pre-implantation embryos

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gjørret, Jakob O.; Fabian, Dusan; Avery, Birthe

    2007-01-01

    In this study we investigated chronological onset and involvement of active caspase-3, apoptotic nuclear morphology, and TUNEL-labeling, as well as ultrastructural evidence of apoptosis, in both spontaneous and induced cell death during pre-implantation development of bovine in vitro produced...... microscopy in both treated and untreated blastocysts. Activation of caspase-3 is likely involved in both spontaneous and induced apoptosis in bovine pre-implantation embryos, and immunohistochemical staining of active caspase-3 may be used in combination with other markers to identify apoptosis in pre...... embryos. Pre-implantation embryos (2-cell to Day 8 blastocysts) were cultured with either no supplementation (untreated) or with 10 µM staurosporine for 24 hr (treated). Embryos were subjected to immunohistochemical staining of active caspase-3, TUNEL-reaction for detection of DNA degradation and DAPI...

  6. Previously unclassified bacteria dominate during thermophilic and mesophilic anaerobic pre-treatment of primary sludge.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pervin, Hasina M; Batstone, Damien J; Bond, Philip L

    2013-06-01

    Thermophilic biological pre-treatment enables enhanced anaerobic digestion for treatment of wastewater sludges but, at present, there is limited understanding of the hydrolytic-acidogenic microbial composition and its contribution to this process. In this study, the process was assessed by comparing the microbiology of thermophilic (50-65 °C) and mesophilic (35 °C) pre-treatment reactors treating primary sludge. A full-cycle approach for the 16S rRNA genes was applied in order to monitor the diversity of bacteria and their abundance in a thermophilic pre-treatment reactor treating primary sludge. For the thermophilic pre-treatment (TP), over 90% of the sequences were previously undetected and these had less than 97% sequence similarity to cultured organisms. During the first 83 days, members of the Betaproteobacteria dominated the community sequences and a newly designed probe was used to monitor a previously unknown bacterium affiliated with the genus Brachymonas. Between days 85 and 183, three phylotypes that affiliated with the genera Comamonas, Clostridium and Lysobacter were persistently dominant in the TP community, as revealed by terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP). Hydrolytic and fermentative functions have been speculated for these bacteria. Mesophilic pre-treatment (MP) and TP communities were different but they were both relatively dynamic. Statistical correlation analysis and the function of closely allied reference organisms indicated that previously unclassified bacteria dominated the TP community and may have been functionally involved in the enhanced hydrolytic performance of thermophilic anaerobic pre-treatment. This study is the first to reveal the diversity and dynamics of bacteria during anaerobic digestion of primary sludge. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  7. Influence of Pre-question and genre-based instructional strategies on reading

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Titi J. Fola-Adebayo

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available This study investigated the influence of Pre-question and genre-based instructional strategies on science undergraduates’ achievement in, and attitude to, reading. Using purposive sampling,two specialised universities in Nigeria were selected and stratified sampling was employed in assigning students to research groups based on gender and performance in a verbal ability test. Two hundred and eighty-five students participated in the study. Pre-post randomised block experimental design was used with three experimental groups and one control group. The experimental procedure involving Pre-question, genre-based instruction and a combination of Pre-question and genre-based instructional strategies were used for the experimental groups for four weeks whilst the control group received normal teacher input. Data were collected through a Reading Comprehension Achievement Test and Students’ Attitude Questionnaire. Qualitative data, obtained from videotapes of classroom interactions, were subjected to conversation and interaction analyses and quantitative data were analysed with Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA. The results indicate that although there was no significant main effect of instructional strategy on students’ achievement in reading comprehension, there was significant main effect of instructional strategy on students’ attitude to reading (F(3,231 = 30.9;p <.05. Findings from the qualitative enquiry revealed that female students were more voluble and assertive in their responses probably because of the need to resist male domination whilst male students used discourse strategies to affirm their authority. The study indicated that the combination of pre-question and genre-based approach was the most effective in enhancing the students’ attitude to reading. Reading is one of the most useful of the Language Arts skills which learners need for academic reasons and for lifelong learning. The globalised world demands that the second language

  8. Dry ice blasting as a substitution for the conventional electroplating pre-treatments

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Uhlmann Eckart

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available For high quality electroplated products, surfaces must be thoroughly pre-treated. For this purpose electroplating currently needs a variety of chemical baths. The used chemicals are injurious to health and harmful to the environment. In addition, the conventional pre-treatment has a long process time which results in high costs. Dry ice blasting alone or in combination with other processes has the potential to completely substitute these conventional pre-treatment processes. Three process sequences as pre-treatment methods prior to electroplating were investigated on the aluminium alloys AlSi12 and AlMg3. The used processes are dry ice blasting, tempering during dry ice blasting and glass bead blasting followed by dry ice blasting. The influence of the parameters on the surface roughness, surface topography and surface tension of the workpieces was examined. A model to describe the correlation between the dry ice blasting parameters and surface parameters was developed. Finally, an adhesion test of electroplated specimen was conducted in order to determine the suitability of these alternative pre-treatment processes.

  9. Effect of Reduced Phosphoric Acid Pre-etching Times 
on Enamel Surface Characteristics and Shear Fatigue Strength Using Universal Adhesives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsujimoto, Akimasa; Fischer, Nicholas; Barkmeier, Wayne; Baruth, Andrew; Takamizawa, Toshiki; Latta, Mark; Miyazaki, Masashi

    2017-01-01

    To examine the effect of reduced phosphoric acid pre-etching times on enamel fatigue bond strength of universal adhesives and surface characteristics by using atomic force microscopy (AFM). Three universal adhesives were used in this study (Clearfil Universal Bond [C], G-Premio Bond [GP], Scotchbond Universal Adhesive [SU]). Four pre-etching groups were employed: enamel pre-etched with phosphoric acid and immediately rinsed with an air-water spray, and enamel pre-etched with phosphoric acid for 5, 10, or 15 s. Ground enamel was used as the control group. For the initial bond strength test, 15 specimens per etching group for each adhesive were used. For the shear fatigue test, 20 specimens per etching group for each adhesive were loaded using a sine wave at a frequency of 20 Hz for 50,000 cycles or until failure occurred. Initial shear bond strengths and fatigue shear strengths of composite adhesively bonded to ground and pre-etched enamel were determined. AFM observations of ground and pre-etched enamel were also conducted, and surface roughness as well as surface area were evaluated. The initial shear bond strengths and fatigue shear strengths of the universal adhesives in the pre-etched groups were significantly higher than those of the control group, and were not influenced by the pre-etching time. Significantly higher surface roughness and surface area of enamel surfaces in pre-etched groups were observed compared with those in the control group. While the surface area was not significantly influenced by etching time, surface roughness of the enamel surfaces in the pre-etched groups significantly increased with pre-etching time. The results of this in vitro study suggest that reduced phosphoric acid pre-etching times do not impair the fatigue bond strength of universal adhesives. Although fatigue bond strength and surface area were not influenced by phosphoric-acid etching times, surface roughness increased with increasing etching time.

  10. Safety test of a supplement, 5-aminolevulinic acid phosphate with sodium ferrous citrate, in diabetic patients treated with oral hypoglycemic agents

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Naohide Yamashita

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Objective: This study aimed to examine the safety of 5-aminolevulinic acid phosphate (5-ALA with sodium ferrous citrate (SFC in diabetic patients treated with one or more oral hypoglycemic agents (OHAs. Background: Recent intervention studies performed in the USA and Japan have shown that a nutritional supplement of 5-ALA with SFC efficiently reduced blood glucose levels in pre-diabetic population without any adverse events. Thus, it was anticipated that 5-ALA with SFC may potentially be taken as a beneficial supplement by diabetic patients who were being treated with OHA therapy. Nevertheless, it is important to examine its safety and efficacy in diabetic population. Methods: This study was a prospective single-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled and parallel-group comparison study. Medically treated diabetic patients between the ages of 30 and 75 were recruited from the Tokyo metropolitan area of Japan and 45 subjects were selected after screening. These subjects were randomly assigned to three groups: daily intake of 15mg 5-ALA, 50mg 5-ALA, and a placebo (n=15, respectively. The supplement or placebo was administered for 12 weeks followed by a four week washout period. The primary endpoint was safety and occurrence of hypoglycemic attack, while the secondary endpoint was changes of fasting blood glucose (FBG and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c. Results: Adverse events related to 5-ALA with SFC were not observed in all the groups. Abnormalities in blood and urine tests were not observed either. Significant decrease in FBG was not detected in all the groups. However, there was a small but significant decrease in HbA1c at 4 and 8 week in the 15 mg 5-ALA group. Significant decrease in HbA1c was not observed in the 50 mg 5-ALA group, although a tendency to decrease after 4 weeks was apparent. Conclusion: 5-ALA with SFC is a safe and potentially beneficial supplement if taken by diabetic patients treated with OHAs.

  11. Modification of Bi:YIG film properties by substrate surface ion pre-treatment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shaposhnikov, A.N.; Prokopov, A.R.; Karavainikov, A.V.; Berzhansky, V.N.; Mikhailova, T.V.; Kotov, V.A.; Balabanov, D.E.; Sharay, I.V.; Salyuk, O.Y.; Vasiliev, M.; Golub, V.O.

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Effects of substrates ion beam treatment on magnetoptical properties Bi:YIG films. • Substrate surface damage results in sign inversion of the magneto-optical effects. • Atomically smooth films growth takes place on low energy ions treated substrates. • High energy ions treatment results in selective nucleation mechanism of the growth. - Abstract: The effect of a controlled ion beam pre-treatment of (1 1 1)-oriented Gd 3 Ga 5 O 12 substrates on the magneto-optical properties and surface morphology of the ultrathin bismuth-substituted yttrium–iron garnet films with a composition Bi 2.8 Y 0.2 Fe 5 O 12 was studied. It has been shown that the observed sign inversion of magneto-optical effects (Faraday rotation and magnetic circular dichroism) observed in films that were deposited on the GGG substrate pre-treated by 1 keV and 4 keV Ar + ion beams is a result of the substrate surface amorphization caused by the ion bombardment

  12. N-acetylcysteine increases the frequency of bone marrow pro-B/pre-B cells, but does not reverse cigarette smoking-induced loss of this subset.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Victoria L Palmer

    Full Text Available We previously showed that mice exposed to cigarette smoke for three weeks exhibit loss of bone marrow B cells at the Pro-B-to-pre-B cell transition, but the reason for this is unclear. The antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC, a glutathione precursor, has been used as a chemopreventive agent to reduce adverse effects of cigarette smoke exposure on lung function. Here we determined whether smoke exposure impairs B cell development by inducing cell cycle arrest or apoptosis, and whether NAC treatment prevents smoking-induced loss of developing B cells.Groups of normal mice were either exposed to filtered room air or cigarette smoke with or without concomitant NAC treatment for 5 days/week for three weeks. Bone marrow B cell developmental subsets were enumerated, and sorted pro-B (B220(+CD43(+ and pre-B (B220(+CD43(- cell fractions were analyzed for cell cycle status and the percentage of apoptotic cells. We find that, compared to sham controls, smoke-exposed mice have ∼60% fewer pro-B/pre-B cells, regardless of NAC treatment. Interestingly, NAC-treated mice show a 21-38% increase in total bone marrow cellularity and lymphocyte frequency and about a 2-fold increase in the pro-B/pre-B cell subset, compared to sham-treated controls. No significant smoking- or NAC-dependent differences were detected in frequency of apoptotic cells or the percentage cells in the G1, S, or G2 phases of the cycle.The failure of NAC treatment to prevent smoking-induced loss of bone marrow pre-B cells suggests that oxidative stress is not directly responsible for this loss. The unexpected expansion of the pro-B/pre-B cell subset in response to NAC treatment suggests oxidative stress normally contributes to cell loss at this developmental stage, and also reveals a potential side effect of therapeutic administration of NAC to prevent smoking-induced loss of lung function.

  13. The effect of pre-dive ingestion of dark chocolate on endothelial function after a scuba dive.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Theunissen, Sigrid; Balestra, Costantino; Boutros, Antoine; De Bels, David; Guerrero, François; Germonpré, Peter

    2015-03-01

    The aim of the study was to observe the effects of dark chocolate on endothelial function after scuba diving. Forty-two male scuba divers were divided into two groups: a control (n=21) and a chocolate group (n=21). They performed a 33-metres deep scuba-air dive for 20 minutes in a diving pool (Nemo 33, Brussels). Water temperature was 33⁰C. The chocolate group ingested 30 g of dark chocolate (86% cocoa) 90 minutes before the dive. Flow-mediated dilatation (FMD), digital photoplethysmography and nitric oxide (NO) and peroxynitrites (ONOO-) levels were measured before and after the scuba dive in both groups. A significant decrease in FMD was observed in the control group after the dive (91±7% (mean±95% confidence interval) of pre-dive values; Pchocolate group (105±5% of pre-dive values; Pchocolate group (154±73% of pre-dive values; P=0.04). A significant reduction in ONOO- was observed in the control group (84±12% of pre-dive values; P=0.003) whereas no variation was shown after the dive with chocolate intake (100±28% of pre-dive values; ns). Ingestion of 30 g of dark chocolate 90 minutes before scuba diving prevented post-dive endothelial dysfunction, as the antioxidants contained in dark chocolate probably scavenge free radicals.

  14. Chromium level in prediction of diabetes in pre-diabetic patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rahmatollah Rafiei

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Chromium supplementations (Cr have been shown to exert beneficial effects in the management of type-2 diabetes. Prevalence of Cr deficiency in pre-diabetic patients is not well-understood, therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the extent of this prevalence. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional descriptive study, 132 pre-diabetic patients were recruited. The participants were randomly selected from those who referred to the Shariati Hospital in Isfahan, Iran. Blood samples are collected for measurement of Cr, insulin, fasting blood sugar (FBS, and two-hour post-load plasma glucose. The body mass index (BMI was calculated. Determination of Cr was carried out by atomic absorption spectrometry. Results: Thirty-four (31.5% patients had Cr deficiency and 74 (68.5% patients had normal Cr. There was no significant difference between sex, age groups (<50 years and ≥50 years and between patients with and without a family history of diabetes in both the groups. No significant differences in age, BMI, FBS or insulin were observed between two groups. In the group with a normal level of Cr, there was a significant reversed correlation between the Cr level and age, but no significant correlation existed between the Cr level and other factors in both groups. Conclusion: The levels of Cr deficiency are relatively common in patients with pre-diabetes, and it is necessary to screen patients with diabetes and pre-diabetes according to the American Diabetes Association guidelines, with regard to the Cr level and action should be taken to eliminate the Cr deficiency in these patients.

  15. The Use of Pre-Group Instruction to Improve Student Collaboration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Snyder, Lisa Gueldenzoph

    2010-01-01

    The emphasis on the importance of collaborative skill is evident at nearly all levels of education. In higher education, teamwork and group skills are critical elements in a business student's training. To be successful in the business world, students must be able to work well in teams. Group work can be a successful learning experience if…

  16. Impaired renal function and increased urinary isoprostane excretion in Ghanaian women with pre-eclampsia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tetteh PW

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Paul Winston Tetteh,1,4 Charles Antwi-Boasiako,1 Ben Gyan,3 Daniel Antwi,1 Festus Adzaku,1 Kwame Adu-Bonsaffoh,1,2 Samuel Obed21Department of Physiology, 2Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Ghana Medical School, Accra, Ghana; 3Department of Immunology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana; 4Hubrecht Institute for Developmental Biology and Stem Cell Research, Uppsalalaan 8, Utrecht, The NetherlandsBackground: The cause of pre-eclampsia remains largely unknown, but oxidative stress (an imbalance favoring oxidant over antioxidant forces has been implicated in contributing to the clinical symptoms of hypertension and proteinuria. Assessment of oxidative stress in pre-eclampsia using urinary isoprostane has produced conflicting results, and it is likely that renal function may affect isoprostane excretion. The aim of this study was to determine the role of oxidative stress in the pathophysiology of pre-eclampsia and to assess the effect of renal function on isoprostane excretion in pre-eclampsia in the Ghanaian population.Methods: This was a case-controlled study, comprising 103 pre-eclamptic women and 107 normal pregnant controls and conducted at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital between December 2006 and May 2007. The study participants were enrolled in the study after meeting the inclusion criteria and signing their written informed consent. Oxidative stress was determined by measuring urinary excretion of isoprostane and total antioxidant capacity using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique. Renal function was assessed by calculating the estimated glomerular filtration rate using the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease formula.Results: The pre-eclampsia group had significantly (P = 0.0006 higher urinary isoprostane excretion (2.81 ± 0.14 ng/mg creatinine than the control group (2.01 ± 0.18 ng/mg creatinine and a significantly (P = 0.0008 lower total antioxidant power (1

  17. Cultural Identity in Teaching across Borders: Mainland Chinese Pre-Service Teachers in Hong Kong

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gu, Mingyue Michelle

    2013-01-01

    This study explores transformations in the cultural identities of a group of pre-service teachers from mainland China during their educational experiences in Hong Kong, and how these transformations subsequently impact their professional identity. Individual and focus group interviews were conducted with 16 cross-border pre-service teachers from a…

  18. Effect of a comprehensive health education program on pre-hospital delay intentions in high-risk stroke population and caregivers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Li; Zhao, Qiuli; Zhu, Xuemei; Shen, Xiaoying; Zhu, Yulan; Yang, Liu; Gao, Wei; Li, Minghui

    2017-08-01

    Many factors influence pre-hospital delays in the event of stroke. This study aimed to develop and evaluate a comprehensive educational program for decreasing pre-hospital delays in high-risk stroke population. We enrolled 220 high-risk stroke population and caregivers from six urban communities in Harbin from May 2013 to May 2015, and randomly divided them into intervention and control groups. We implemented a comprehensive educational program (intervention group), comprising public lectures, instructional brochures, case videos, simulations, and role-playing from May 2013 to May 2015. We delivered conventional oral education in the control group. We compared stroke pre-hospital delay behavioral intention (SPDBI), pre-hospital stroke symptom coping test (PSSCT), and stroke pre-symptoms alert test (SPSAT) results between the groups before and 6, 12, and 18 months after health intervention. There were significant differences between before and after intervention (P educational program was significantly effective in decreasing SPDBI, improving knowledge, enhancing stroke pre-symptoms alert, and reducing the possibility of pre-hospital delays.

  19. Chondromalacia patellae treated by warming needle and rehabilitation training.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qiu, Ling; Zhang, Min; Zhang, Ji; Gao, Le-Nv; Chen, Da-wei; Liu, Jun; She, Jia-yi; Wang, Ling; Yu, Jin-yan; Huang, Le-ping; Bai, Yang

    2009-06-01

    To observe the effect of warming needle combined with rehabilitation training on chondromalacia patellae in a randomized controlled trial. The 92 cases were randomly divided into a treatment group treated by warming needle plus rehabilitation training (47 cases) and a control group treated by medication plus rehabilitation training (45 cases), and the therapeutic effect was compared after 20 sessions. The pain was relieved more obviously in the treatment group than in the control group (P chondromalacia patellae.

  20. Connecting Lignin-Degradation Pathway with Pre-Treatment Inhibitor Sensitivity of Cupriavidus necator

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, W. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Yang, S. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Hunsinger, G. B. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Pienkos, P. T. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Johnson, D. K. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

    2014-05-27

    In order to produce lignocellulosic biofuels economically, the complete release of monomers from the plant cell wall components, cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, through pre-treatment and hydrolysis (both enzymatic and chemical), and the efficient utilization of these monomers as carbon sources, is crucial. In addition, the identification and development of robust microbial biofuel production strains that can tolerate the toxic compounds generated during pre-treatment and hydrolysis is also essential. In this work, Cupriavidus necator was selected due to its capabilities for utilizing lignin monomers and producing polyhydroxylbutyrate (PHB), a bioplastic as well as an advanced biofuel intermediate. We characterized the growth kinetics of C. necator in pre-treated corn stover slurry as well as individually in the pre-sence of 11 potentially toxic compounds in the saccharified slurry. We found that C. necator was sensitive to the saccharified slurry produced from dilute acid pre-treated corn stover. Five out of 11 compounds within the slurry were characterized as toxic to C. necator, namely ammonium acetate, furfural, hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), benzoic acid, and p-coumaric acid. Aldehydes (e.g., furfural and HMF) were more toxic than the acetate and the lignin degradation products benzoic acid and p-coumaric acid; furfural was identified as the most toxic compound. Although toxic to C. necator at high concentration, ammonium acetate, benzoic acid, and p-coumaric acid could be utilized by C. necator with a stimulating effect on C. necator growth. Consequently, the lignin degradation pathway of C. necator was reconstructed based on genomic information and literature. The efficient conversion of intermediate catechol to downstream products of cis,cis-muconate or 2-hydroxymuconate-6-semialdehyde may help improve the robustness of C. necator to benzoic acid and p-coumaric acid as well as improve PHB productivity.

  1. Hypocalciëmisch delier door magnesiumsulfaatbehandeling bij een zwangere met preëclampsie

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ganzevoort, J. W.; Hoogerwaard, E. M.; van der Post, J. A. M.

    2002-01-01

    A 34-year-old pregnant patient, admitted with severe pre-eclampsia and the 'haemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, low platelets' (HELLP) syndrome at 31 weeks gestational age, was treated with magnesium sulphate for imminent eclampsia. The further management was aimed at prolonging gestation. During

  2. Using Pre-TMIn Treatment to Improve the Optical Properties of Green Light Emitting Diodes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bing Xu

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available We investigated the effects of pre-TMIn treatment on the optical properties of green light emitting diodes (LEDs. Although pre-TMIn treatment did not affect the epitaxial structure of quantum wells, it significantly improved the quality of the surface morphology relative to that of the untreated sample. Indium cluster can be seen by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM, which is the explanation for the red-shift of photoluminescence (PL. Time-resolved photoluminescence measurements indicated that the sample prepared with pre-TMIn treatment had a shorter radiative decay time. As a result, the light output power of the treated green LED was higher than that of the conventional untreated one. Thus, pre-TMIn treatment appears to be a simple and efficient means of improving the performance of green LEDs.

  3. Microwave assisted air drying of osmotically treated pineapple with variable power programmes

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Botha, GE

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Variable power programmes for microwave assisted air drying of pineapple were studied. The pineapple pieces were pre-treated by osmotic dehydration in a 55º Brix sucrose solution at 40ºC for 90 minutes. Variable power output programmes were designed...

  4. The effect of pre-cure bracket movement on shear bond strength during placement of orthodontic brackets, an in vitro study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tam, Byron; Bollu, Prashanti; Chaudhry, Kishore; Subramani, Karthikeyan

    2017-10-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of linear and rotational pre-cure bracket displacement during the bonding procedure on shear bond strength (SBS) of orthodontic brackets. Stainless steel orthodontic premolar brackets were bonded to the buccal surfaces of 50 human pre-molars with a conventional two-step bonding protocol. Extracted human pre-molars were divided into 5 groups (n=10/group). In the Control Group, the brackets were bonded with no pre-cure bracket displacement or rotation. The Rotation Group was bonded with 45 degrees of pre-cure rotation. The Displacement Group was bonded with 2mm pre-cure linear displacement. The Rotation-Displacement Group was bonded with pre-cure movements of 45º counter-clockwise rotation and 2mm displacement. The Slippage Group was bonded with 2mm each of mesial and distal pre-cure linear displacement. Photo-activation was carried out on the lateral sides of the bracket. Shear debonding force was measured, 24 hours after initial bonding, with an Instron universal testing machine using a knife-edged chisel. Data was analyzed using one-way ANOVA test. Adhesive Remnant Index (ARI) was scored under 15x magnification. The ARI data was analyzed using the Chi-square test ( p -value bracket displacements do not appear to effect the shear bond strength of orthodontic brackets. Key words: Shear bond strength, orthodontic bracket, displacement, rotation, adhesive remnant index, pre-cure movement.

  5. Pretreatment PSA predicts for biochemical disease free survival in patients treated with post-prostatectomy external beam irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Crane, C.H.; Kelly, M.; Rich, T.A.

    1996-01-01

    Objective: To assess the outcome and determine prognostic factors for patients treated with external beam radiotherapy following radical prostatectomy. Methods and Materials: Forty-four patients were treated after prostatectomy with radiotherapy between March 1988 and October 1993. All patients were free from clinically or radiographically suspicious local or distant disease. One patient underwent neoadjuvant hormonal therapy, but no other patients received hormonal therapy prior to radiation. Pre-radiotherapy PSA and follow-up PSA data were available in all patients. Four patients had undetectable PSA ( 7, and 11% had nodal involvement. Survival was analyzed using the life table method. Actuarial freedom from biochemical (BCM) failure, defined as a rise of greater than 10% or an undetectable PSA becoming detectable, was the primary endpoint studied. Results: Fifty-nine percent of patients had a detectable PSA return to undetectable levels after XRT. The actuarial five year freedom from biochemical failure for all patients was 24%. A significant difference in BCM disease free survival was seen for patients irradiated with a pre-XRT PSA ≤2.7 versus a pre-XRT PSA >2.7 (p=0.0001). Sixty percent of the former group were BCM disease free versus 0% in the latter. Biochemical disease free survival was not affected by preoperative PSA level, presence of undetectable PSA after surgery, surgery to radiation interval, seminal vesicle invasion, clinical stage, pathologic stage, Gleasons grade, or total dose. There were no symptomatic or clinically suspicious local failures, and there were no grade 3, 4, or 5 acute or late complications. There were 69% grade 1 and 2 acute reactions and one grade 2 late complication. Conclusions: Pelvic radiotherapy for patients with a PSA of ≤2.7 after prostatectomy was effective in biochemically controlling 60% of the patients with four years median follow up. To our knowledge these data represent the longest follow-up for this patient

  6. Pre-Service Teachers and Classroom Authority

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pellegrino, Anthony M.

    2010-01-01

    This study examined the classroom practices of five pre-service teachers from three secondary schools in a large southeastern state. Through classroom observations, survey responses, reviews of refection logs, and focus-group interview responses, we centered on the issue of developing classroom authority as a means to effective classroom…

  7. Effects of Whey Protein Supplementation Pre- or Post-Resistance Training on Muscle Mass, Muscular Strength, and Functional Capacity in Pre-Conditioned Older Women: A Randomized Clinical Trial

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hellen C. G. Nabuco

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Aging is associated with sarcopenia and dynapenia, with both processes contributing to functional dependence and mortality in older adults. Resistance training (RT and increased protein intake are strategies that may contribute to health improvements in older adults. Therefore, the aim was to investigate the effects of whey protein (WP supplementation consumed either immediately pre- or post-RT on skeletal muscle mass (SMM, muscular strength, and functional capacity in pre-conditioned older women. Seventy older women participated in this investigation and were randomly assigned to one of three groups: whey protein pre-RT and placebo post-RT (WP-PLA, n = 24, placebo pre-RT and whey protein post-RT (PLA-WP, n = 23, and placebo pre- and post-RT (PLA-PLA, n = 23. Each group ingested 35 g of WP or PLA. The RT program was carried out over 12 weeks (three times per week; 3 × 8–12 repetition maximum. Body composition, muscular strength, functional capacity, and dietary intake were assessed pre- and post-intervention. Two-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA for repeated measures, with baseline scores as covariates were used for data analysis. A time vs. group interaction (p < 0.05 was observed with WP-PLA and PLA-WP presenting greater increases compared with PLA-PLA for SMM (WP-PLA = 3.4%; PLA-WP = 4.2%; PLA-PLA = 2.0%, strength (WP-PLA = 8.1%; PLA-WP = 8.3%; PLA-PLA = 7.0%, and the 10-m walk test (WP-PLA = −10.8%; PLA-WP = −11.8%; PLA-PLA = −4.3%. Whey protein supplementation was effective in promoting increases in SMM, muscular strength, and functional capacity in pre-conditioned older women, regardless of supplementation timing. This trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03247192.

  8. Early results of quality of life for curatively treated rectal cancers in Chinese patients with EORTC QLQ-CR29

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peng, Junjie; Shi, Debing; Goodman, Karyn A; Goldstein, David; Xiao, Changchun; Guan, Zuqing; Cai, Sanjun

    2011-01-01

    To assess the quality of life in curatively treated patients with rectal cancer in a prospectively collected cohort. Patients with stage I-III rectal cancer who were treated curatively in a single institution were accrued prospectively. Quality of life was assessed by use of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer questionnaire module for all cancer patients (QLQ-C30) and for colorectal cancer patients (QLQ-CR29). Quality of life among different treatment modalities and between stoma and nonstoma patients was evaluated in all patients. A total of 154 patients were assessed. The median time of completion for the questionnaires was 10 months after all the treatments. For patients with different treatment modalities, faecal incontinence and diarrhea were significantly higher in radiation group (p = 0.002 and p = 0.001, respectively), and no difference in male or female sexual function was found between radiation group and non-radiation group. For stoma and nonstoma patients, the QLQ-CR29 module found the symptoms of Defaecation and Embarrassment with Bowel Movement were more prominent in stoma patients, while no difference was detected in scales QLQ-C30 module. Our study provided additional information in evaluating QoL of Chinese rectal cancer patients with currently widely used QoL questionnaires. As a supplement to the QLQ-C30, EORTC QLQ-CR29 is a useful questionnaire in evaluating curatively treated patients with rectal cancer. Bowel dysfunction (diarrhea and faecal incontinence) was still the major problem compromising QoL in patients with either pre- or postoperative chemoradiotherapy

  9. Comparison and Optimization of Saccharification Conditions of Alkaline Pre-Treated Triticale Straw for Acid and Enzymatic Hydrolysis Followed by Ethanol Fermentation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rafał Łukajtis

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available This paper concerns the comparison of the efficiency of two-stage hydrolysis processes, i.e., alkaline pre-treatment and acid hydrolysis, as well as alkaline pre-treatment followed by enzymatic hydrolysis, carried out in order to obtain reducing sugars from triticale straw. For each of the analyzed systems, the optimization of the processing conditions was carried out with respect to the glucose yield. For the alkaline pre-treatment, an optimal catalyst concentration was selected for constant values of temperature and pre-treatment time. For enzymatic hydrolysis, optimal process time and concentration of the enzyme preparation were determined. For the acidic hydrolysis, performed with 85% phosphoric acid, the optimum temperature and hydrolysis time were determined. In the hydrolysates obtained after the two-stage treatment, the concentration of reducing sugars was determined using HPLC. The obtained hydrolysates were subjected to ethanol fermentation. The concentrations of fermentation inhibitors are given and their effects on the alcoholic fermentation efficiency are discussed.

  10. Near infrared group IV optoelectronics and novel pre-cursors for CVD epitaxy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hazbun, Ramsey Michael

    Near infrared and mid infrared optoelectronic devices have become increasingly important for the telecommunications, security, and medical imaging industries. The addition of nitrogen to III-V alloys has been widely studied as a method of modifying the band gap for mid infrared (IR) applications. In xGa1-xSb1-y Ny/InAs strained-layer superlattices with type-II (staggered) energy offsets on GaSb substrates, were modeled using eight-band k˙p simulations to analyze the superlattice miniband energies. Three different zero-stress strain balance conditions are reported: fixed superlattice period thickness, fixed InAs well thickness, and fixed InxGa1-xSb 1-yNy barrier thickness. Optoelectronics have traditionally been the realm of III-V semiconductors due to their direct band gap, while integrated circuit chips have been the realm of Group IV semiconductors such as silicon because of its relative abundance and ease of use. Recently the alloying of Sn with Ge and Si has been shown to allow direct band-gap light emission. This presents the exciting prospect of integrating optoelectronics into current Group IV chip fabrication facilities. However, new approaches for low temperature growth are needed to realize these new SiGeSn alloys. Silicon-germanium epitaxy via ultra-high vacuum chemical vapor deposition has the advantage of allowing low process temperatures. Deposition processes are sensitive to substrate surface preparation and the time delay between oxide removal and epitaxial growth. A new monitoring process utilizing doped substrates and defect decoration etching is demonstrated to have controllable and unique sensitivity to interfacial contaminants. Doped substrates were prepared and subjected to various loading conditions prior to the growth of typical Si/SiGe bilayers. The defect densities were correlated to the concentration of interfacial oxygen suggesting this monitoring process may be an effective complement to monitoring via secondary ion mass spectrometry

  11. A Comparative Examination of Pre-Service Teacher Self-Efficacy Related to Literacy Instruction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Helfrich, Sara R.; Clark, Sarah K.

    2016-01-01

    This study investigated differences in self-efficacy to teach literacy between two groups of pre-service teachers. The authors hypothesized that pre-service teachers enrolled in one program focusing on fewer grade levels (K-3) and requiring more literacy-focused courses would have higher self-efficacy than pre-service teachers enrolled in another…

  12. 虹膜切口氪激光预光凝在青光眼激光治疗中的临床研究%Clinical Research of Pre-photocoagulation of Iris Cut by Krypton Laser in Glaucoma Laser Treatment

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    张磊

    2011-01-01

    Objective To observe the effect of pre - photocoagulation iris by krypton laser in glaucoma laser treatment. Methods All 78 cases( 92 eyes )were grouped into A and B. Group A was treated by krypton laser peripheral iridoplasty( LPIP ), iris pre - photocoagulation and YAG laser peripheral iridectomy ( LPI ). Group B was only treated by LPIP and YAG LPI. After laser Treatment, IOP, visual acuity and iris haemorrhage were observed. Results The difference of IOP and iris haemorrhage between group A and group B was statistically significant( P < 0.05 ). Conclusion The method of pre - thermocoagulation iris by krypton laser can reduce the complication of glaucoma laser treatment effectively.%目的 观察虹膜切口氪激光预光凝对青光眼激光治疗的影响.方法 将我院门诊需行激光治疗的青光眼患者78例(92只眼)随机分成A、B组.A组行虹膜氪激光周边成形+切口周围预光凝+YAG激光切开术.B组行虹膜氪激光周边成形+YAG激光切开术,治疗后观察两组的视力、眼压、虹膜出血等指标.结果 比较两组在治疗后眼压和虹膜出血等并发症情况的差异有统计学意义(P < 0.05).结论 氪激光虹膜切口预光凝可以有效地降低青光眼激光治疗后的并发症.

  13. Improved performance of AlGaN/GaN HEMT by N2O plasma pre-treatment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mi Min-Han; Zhang Kai; Zhao Sheng-Lei; Wang Chong; Zhang Jin-Cheng; Ma Xiao-Hua; Hao Yue

    2015-01-01

    The influence of an N 2 O plasma pre-treatment technique on characteristics of AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) prepared by using a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) system is presented. After the plasma treatment, the peak transconductance (g m ) increases from 209 mS/mm to 293 mS/mm. Moreover, it is observed that the reverse gate leakage current is lowered by one order of magnitude and the drain current dispersion is improved in the plasma-treated device. From the analysis of frequency-dependent conductance, it can be seen that the trap state density (D T ) and time constant (τ T ) of the N 2 O-treated device are smaller than those of a non-treated device. The results indicate that the N 2 O plasma pre-pretreatment before the gate metal deposition could be a promising approach to enhancing the performance of the device. (paper)

  14. The Effects of Dynamic Geometry Software and Physical Manipulatives on Pre-Service Primary Teachers’ Van Hiele Levels and Spatial Abilities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fatih Karakuş

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of the study was to compare the influence of dynamic geometry software activities and influence of the physical manipulatives and drawing activities on the spatial ability and van Hiele levels of pre-service primary school teachers in a geometry course. A quasi-experimental statistical design was used in the study. The participants were 61 pre-service primary teachers in the second year of their undergraduate program in the Department of Elementary Education at Afyon Kocatepe University. A total of 32 pre-service teachers (computer group were trained in the dynamic geometry based activities and 29 pre-service teachers (physical-drawing group were trained in the physical manipulative and drawing based activities. In order to determine the two groups of the pre-service teachers’ geometric thinking levels, the van Hiele Geometry Test and in order to determine the two groups of the pre-service teachers’ spatial ability, The Purdue Spatial Visualization Test was used as the pre-test and post-test. The results of the study showed that there was no difference on the post-test of the two groups related to the van Hiele levels and spatial abilities. Moreover, both groups have significantly higher achievement on the post-test compared to the pre-test.

  15. Effects of pre-training using serious game technology on CPR performance – an exploratory quasi-experimental transfer study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Creutzfeldt Johan

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Multiplayer virtual world (MVW technology creates opportunities to practice medical procedures and team interactions using serious game software. This study aims to explore medical students’ retention of knowledge and skills as well as their proficiency gain after pre-training using a MVW with avatars for cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR team training. Methods Three groups of pre-clinical medical students, n = 30, were assessed and further trained using a high fidelity full-scale medical simulator: Two groups were pre-trained 6 and 18 months before assessment. A reference control group consisting of matched peers had no MVW pre-training. The groups consisted of 8, 12 and 10 subjects, respectively. The session started and ended with assessment scenarios, with 3 training scenarios in between. All scenarios were video-recorded for analysis of CPR performance. Results The 6 months group displayed greater CPR-related knowledge than the control group, 93 (±11% compared to 65 (±28% (p  At start the pre-trained groups adhered better to guidelines than the control group; mean violations 0.2 (±0.5, 1.5 (±1.0 and 4.5 (±1.0 for the 6 months, 18 months and control group respectively. Likewise, in the 6 months group no chest compression cycles were delivered at incorrect frequencies whereas 54 (±44% in the control group (p  Conclusions This study supports the beneficial effects of MVW-CPR team training with avatars as a method for pre-training, or repetitive training, on CPR-skills among medical students.

  16. Collaborative learning in pre-clinical dental hygiene education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mueller-Joseph, Laura J; Nappo-Dattoma, Luisa

    2013-04-01

    Dental hygiene education continues to move beyond mastery of content material and skill development to learning concepts that promote critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of collaborative learning and determine the growth in intellectual development of 54 first-year dental hygiene students. The control group used traditional pre-clinical teaching and the experimental group used collaborative pedagogy for instrument introduction. All students were subjected to a post-test evaluating their ability to apply the principles of instrumentation. Intellectual development was determined using pre- and post-tests based on the Perry Scheme of Intellectual Development. Student attitudes were assessed using daily Classroom Assessment Activities and an end-of-semester departmental course evaluation. Findings indicated no significant difference between collaborative learning and traditional learning in achieving pre-clinical competence as evidenced by the students' ability to apply the principles of instrumentation. Advancement in intellectual development did not differ significantly between groups. Value added benefits of a collaborative learning environment as identified by the evaluation of student attitudes included decreased student reliance on authority, recognition of peers as legitimate sources of learning and increased self-confidence. A significant difference in student responses to daily classroom assessments was evident on the 5 days a collaborative learning environment was employed. Dental hygiene students involved in a pre-clinical collaborative learning environment are more responsible for their own learning and tend to have a more positive attitude toward the subject matter. Future studies evaluating collaborative learning in clinical dental hygiene education need to investigate the cost/benefit ratio of the value added outcomes of collaborative learning.

  17. Pre-hospital intubation by anaesthesiologists in patients with severe trauma: an audit of a Norwegian helicopter emergency medical service

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lossius Hans

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Anaesthesiologists are airway management experts, which is one of the reasons why they serve as pre-hospital emergency physicians in many countries. However, limited data are available on the actual quality and safety of anaesthesiologist-managed pre-hospital endotracheal intubation (ETI. To explore whether the general indications for ETI are followed and what complications are recorded, we analysed the use of pre-hospital ETI in severely traumatised patients treated by anaesthesiologists in a Norwegian helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS. Methods A retrospective audit of prospectively registered data concerning patients with trauma as the primary diagnosis and a National Committee on Aeronautics score of 4 - 7 during the period of 1994-2005 from a mixed rural/urban Norwegian HEMS was performed. Results Among the 1255 cases identified, 238 successful pre-hospital ETIs out of 240 attempts were recorded (99.2% success rate. Furthermore, we identified 47 patients for whom ETI was performed immediately upon arrival to the emergency department (ED. This group represented 16% of all intubated patients. Of the ETIs performed in the ED, 43 patients had an initial Glasgow Coma Score (GCS Conclusions We found a very high success rate of pre-hospital ETI and few recorded complications in the studied anaesthesiologist-manned HEMS. However, a substantial number of trauma patients were intubated first on arrival in the ED. This delay may represent a quality problem. Therefore, we believe that more studies are needed to clarify the reasons for and possible clinical consequences of the delayed ETIs.

  18. Analysis of covariance with pre-treatment measurements in randomized trials under the cases that covariances and post-treatment variances differ between groups.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Funatogawa, Takashi; Funatogawa, Ikuko; Shyr, Yu

    2011-05-01

    When primary endpoints of randomized trials are continuous variables, the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with pre-treatment measurements as a covariate is often used to compare two treatment groups. In the ANCOVA, equal slopes (coefficients of pre-treatment measurements) and equal residual variances are commonly assumed. However, random allocation guarantees only equal variances of pre-treatment measurements. Unequal covariances and variances of post-treatment measurements indicate unequal slopes and, usually, unequal residual variances. For non-normal data with unequal covariances and variances of post-treatment measurements, it is known that the ANCOVA with equal slopes and equal variances using an ordinary least-squares method provides an asymptotically normal estimator for the treatment effect. However, the asymptotic variance of the estimator differs from the variance estimated from a standard formula, and its property is unclear. Furthermore, the asymptotic properties of the ANCOVA with equal slopes and unequal variances using a generalized least-squares method are unclear. In this paper, we consider non-normal data with unequal covariances and variances of post-treatment measurements, and examine the asymptotic properties of the ANCOVA with equal slopes using the variance estimated from a standard formula. Analytically, we show that the actual type I error rate, thus the coverage, of the ANCOVA with equal variances is asymptotically at a nominal level under equal sample sizes. That of the ANCOVA with unequal variances using a generalized least-squares method is asymptotically at a nominal level, even under unequal sample sizes. In conclusion, the ANCOVA with equal slopes can be asymptotically justified under random allocation. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  19. Botulinum toxin type-A effect as a preemptive treatment in a model of acute trigeminal pain: a pre-clinical double-blind and placebo-controlled study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elcio Juliato Piovesan

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to investigate if botulinum neurotoxin type-A (BoNT/A had a preemptive antinociceptive effect in a formalin-induced orofacial pain model (FT. To test this hypothesis, male Rattus norvegicus were injected with isotonic saline solution 0.9% or BoNT/A administered as a 40 μl bolus, lateral to their nose, at 24 hours, 8, 15, 22, 29 or 36 days pre-FT. The procedures were repeated 42 days later. Influence on motor activity was assessed through the open-field test. Pain scores corresponded to the time spent rubbing and flicking the injected area. Animals pre-treated with BoNT/A at the first protocol (8 days subgroup showed reduced inflammatory scores (p=0.011. For the other groups no significant results were observed at any phase. Motor activity was similar in both groups. BoNT/A showed to be effective preventing inflammatory pain up to eight days after the first treatment, an effect not reproduced on the second dose administration.

  20. Osmotic dehydration of some agro-food tissue pre-treated by pulsed electric field: Impact of impeller’s Reynolds number on mass transfer and color

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. Amami

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Tissues of apple, carrot and banana were pre-treated by pulsed electric field (PEF and subsequently osmotically dehydrated in an agitated flask at ambient temperature using a 65% sucrose solution as osmotic medium. The effect of stirring intensity was investigated through water loss (WL and solid gain (SG. Changes in product color were also considered to analyze the impact of the treatment. The impeller’s Reynolds number was used to quantify the agitation. The Reynolds number remained inferior to 300 thus displaying laminar flow regime. Water loss (WL and solid gain (SG increase with the increase of Reynolds number. Mass transfer in osmotic dehydration of all three test particles has been studied on the basis of a two-exponential kinetic model. Then, mass transfer coefficients were related to the agitation intensity. This paper shows that the proposed empirical model is able to describe mass transfer phenomena in osmotic dehydration of these tissues. It is also shown that a higher agitation intensity improves both the kinetics of water loss and solid gain.

  1. Study of thermal pre-treatment on anaerobic digestion of slaughterhouse waste by TGA-MS and FTIR spectroscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodríguez-Abalde, Ángela; Gómez, Xiomar; Blanco, Daniel; Cuetos, María José; Fernández, Belén; Flotats, Xavier

    2013-12-01

    Thermogravimetric analysis coupled to mass spectrometry (TGA-MS) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were used to describe the effect of pasteurization as a hygienic pre-treatment of animal by-products over biogas production. Piggery and poultry meat wastes were used as substrates for assessing the anaerobic digestion under batch conditions at mesophilic range. Poultry waste was characterized by high protein and carbohydrate content, while piggery waste presented a major fraction of fat and lower carbohydrate content. Results from anaerobic digestion tests showed a lower methane yield for the pre-treated poultry sample. TGA-MS and FTIR spectroscopy allowed the qualitative identification of recalcitrant nitrogen-containing compounds in the pre-treated poultry sample, produced by Maillard reactions. In the case of piggery waste, the recalcitrant compounds were not detected and its biodegradability test reported higher methane yield and production rates. TGA-MS and FTIR spectroscopy were demonstrated to be useful tools for explaining results obtained by anaerobic biodegradability test and in describing the presence of inhibitory problems.

  2. Molybdenite Re-Os dating of Mo-Th-Nb-REE rich marbles: pre-Variscan processes in Moldanubian Variegated Group (Czech Republic

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Drábek Milan

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available In an effort to contribute to the discussion concerning the age of rocks of the Moldanubian Variegated Group, we have undertaken Re-Os dating of molybdenite of banded carbonatite-like marbles (CLM from the graphite mine Václav at Bližná (Southern Bohemia, which belong to the metamorphic sequence of this group. The Re-Os model ages for the molybdenites range between 493 and 497 Ma and apparently correspond to the early stages of metamorphism connected with pre-Variscan rift-related tectono-metamorphic events, which affected and recrystallized sedimentary CLM material rich in Mo-Th-Nb-REE. The molybdenite bearing carbonatite like marbles situated in the footwall of Bližná graphite mine have been interpreted as carbonates with a large share of volcano-detritic material derived from contemporaneous primitive alkaline (carbonatite-like volcanism deposited in a shallow marine lagoonal environment. There is no geological evidence for the participation of fluids mobilized from host rocks in the formation of the CLM. Because the Re-Os chronometer in molybdenite is demonstrably stable through later Variscan facies metamorphism, the molybdenite chronometer has not been affected by subsequent thermal overprints associated with the Variscan orogeny.

  3. The effectiveness of group therapy based on quality of life on marital adjustment, marital satisfaction and mood regulation of Bushehr Male abusers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    yoseph Dehghani

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Background: The purpose of this research was to study the The effectiveness of group therapy based on quality of life on marital adjustment, marital satisfaction and mood regulation of Bushehr Male abusers. Materials and Methods: In this study which was a quasi-experimental pre-test, post-test with control group, the sample group was selected by clustering sampling method from the men who referred to Bushehr addiction treatment clinics that among them a total of 30 patients randomly divided into two experimental and control groups of 15 individuals. The instrument included short version of the Marital Adjustment Questionnaire, Marital Satisfaction Questionnaire and Garnefski Emotional Regulation Scale that was completed by the participants in the pre-test and post-test stages.The experimental group was treated based on group life quality in eight sessions but the control group did not receive any treatment. Multi-variate covariance analysis is used for statistical analysis of data. Results: The results revealed that after intervention there was a significant difference between two groups in terms of marital adjustment, marital satisfaction and emotional regulation variables (P<0/001.The rate of marital adjustment, marital satisfaction and emotional regulation in experimental group compare with control group and it was significantly higher in post-test.  Conclusion: treatment based on quality of life which have formed from combination of positive psychology and cognitive-behavioral approach can increase marital adjustment, marital satisfaction and mood regulation of abusers.

  4. Primeval health economics in Britain: a personal retrospect of the pre-HESG (Health Economists' Study Group) period.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, A

    1998-08-01

    There is a danger that the history of health economics in Britain comes to be regarded as roughly co-terminous with the history of the Health Economists' Study Group (HESG). As one of the founders of that Group, I would take some pride from that, if it were true. But it is not. Just as primitive human societies existed before recorded history, so there was primeval health economics in Britain prior to 1972. There is probably more of this primeval health economics than even I know about, but as one of the ancient relics of that period I have been offered the opportunity to reminisce about what I saw during those dark ages! When one reaches the advanced age of 70, there is no escaping the fact that your past is bound to be more extensive (and probably more enjoyable) than your future, which is why the old enjoy looking back more than they enjoy looking forward! I am no exception. Hence this essay, which may either be seen as a rather self-indulgent bout of nostalgia concerning the early days of health economics in Britain, or as an archaeological enterprise, exhibiting, for all to wonder at, the treasures to be found at carefully selected ancient (i.e., pre-HESG) sites in Britain. Either way, my purpose is to suggest that most of the fundamental issues with which health economists have grappled in the last 25 years had already been identified and addressed in a careful way during the decade preceding the formation of the HESG.

  5. [Variation of water DOC during the process of pre-pressure and coagulation sedimentation treatment].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Wen-Jing; Cong, Hai-Bing; Xu, Ya-Jun; Wang, Wei; Jiang, Xin-Yue; Liu, Yu-Jiao

    2014-07-01

    The aim of the study was to explore whether the pre-pressure and coagulation sedimentation process would result in algal cell disruption, leading to increased dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in water, based on which, the pressure application mode would be optimized and safe and efficient pre-pressure algae removal process would be obtained. The changes in DOC during the process of pre-pressure and preoxidation treatment, the distribution of molecular weight in water as well as the removal efficiency of algae, turbidity and DOC after coagulation and sedimentation were investigated. The results showed that the DOC in water did not increase but decreased, and the molecular weight decreased after treated with 0.5-0.8 MPa pressure. While KMnO4 and NaClO pre-oxidation both increased the DOC, in the meanwhile, the distribution of molecular weight showed no obvious change. After the pre-pressure coagulation and sedimentation process, the removal rate of algae was 96.23% and that of DOC was 29. 11%, which was by 10% - 30% higher than the rate of pre-oxidation coagulation and sedimentation process.

  6. Prevalence of Human Papillomavirus (HPV in upper respiratory tract mucosa in a group of pre-school children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jaroslaw Szydłowski

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available [b]introduction[/b]. Human Papillomavirus (HPV is a group of DNA viruses which is an etiological factor of many benign and malignant diseases of the upper respiratory tract mucosa, female genital tract and the skin. HPV infection is considered a sexually-transmitted infection, but can also be transmitted by non-sexual routes, including perinatal vertical transmission, physical contact, iatrogenic infection and autoinoculation. Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis (RRP in children is connected with HPV infection transmitted vertically from mother to child during the passage of the foetus through an infected birth canal. [b]objective. [/b]The aim of this study was to establish the level of Human Papillomaviruses carrier state in upper respiratory tract mucosa in healthy pre-school children, and to identify potential risk factors for HPV infection. [b]materials and method[/b]. After obtaining consent from their parents, 97 pre-school children were examined – 51 girls and 46 boys between the ages of 3 – 5 years; average age – 4 years and 5 months. 68 children were urban dwellers and 29 came from a rural environment. A questionnaire with detailed history was taken including parents’ and child`s personal data, as well as perinatal risk factors in pregnancy. Socio-demographic information was also obtained, including the standard of living, and chosen environmental factors. Routine ENT examination was performed. Exfoliated oral squamous cells were collected from swabs and analysed for the presence of DNA papillomaviruses by polymerase chain reaction. [b]results.[/b] The presence of HPV in the respiratory tract in children was detected in 19.6% cases. ‘High oncogenic potential’ HPVs, such as HPV-16 and HPV-18, were not observed in squamous cell mucosa of the respiratory tract in the children. No significant differences were observed between the HPV carrier state in urban and rural inhabitants.

  7. Effect of interactive group discussion among physicians to promote rational prescribing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garjani, A; Salimnejad, M; Shamsmohamadi, M; Baghchevan, V; Vahidi, R G; Maleki-Dijazi, N; Rezazadeh, H

    2009-01-01

    This study assessed the effect of an educational intervention (interactive group discussion) on the prescribing behaviour of 51 general physicians from the north-west of Tabriz. Prescriptions were analysed pre-intervention and post-intervention (control and intervention groups) using a proforma with 8 indicators of correct prescribing. The mean number of drugs per prescription pre-intervention was 3.82. The percentage of prescriptions with antibiotics, corticosteroids and injections were 40.8%, 25.9% and 58.0%, respectively. Following the intervention there were slight but not significant changes in the indicators in both intervention and control groups compared with pre-intervention results.

  8. Thematic Blogs: Tools to Increase Interaction, Collaboration and Autonomy among Pre-Service Foreign Language Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Savas, Perihan

    2013-01-01

    This paper reports a study that is done in an English Language Teaching (ELT) pre-service teacher undergraduate course at a university in Turkey. Seventy six EFL pre-service teachers were asked to create Thematic Blogs in groups by using WordPress. Each group was assigned a specific topic

  9. Gastrointestinal permeability in ovarian cancer and breast cancer patients treated with paclitaxel and platinum

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Melichar, Bohuslav; Hyšpler, Radomír; Dragounová, Emanuela; Dvořák, Josef; Kalábová, Hana; Tichá, Alena

    2007-01-01

    Combination of platinum derivatives with paclitaxel is currently the standard front line regimen for patients with epithelial ovarian carcinoma, and represents also an active regimen in patients with metastatic breast or unknown primary carcinomas. Measurement of intestinal permeability represents one of the potential methods of noninvasive laboratory assessment of gastrointestinal mucositis induced by chemotherapy, but little is known about intestinal permeability in patients treated with paclitaxel or platinum. Intestinal permeability was assessed in 36 breast and ovarian cancer patients treated with paclitaxel/platinum combination by measuring, using capillary gas chromatography, urinary sucrose, lactulose, xylose and mannitol after oral challenge. The significance of differences during the therapy compared to pre-treatment values was studied by Wilcoxon paired test. The differences between groups of patient were studied by Mann-Whitney U test. Fisher exact test was used to compare the frequency in different subgroups. After administration of the first dose, a significant (p < 0.05) decrease in xylose absorption and increased lactulose/mannitol, sucrose/mannitol, lactulose/xylose and sucrose/xylose ratios were observed, but these parameters returned subsequently to pre-treatment levels. Patients who experienced serious (grade 3 or 4) toxicity had at baseline significantly lower percentages of xylose, mannitol and sucrose, and higher lactulose/mannitol ratio. Nine of 13 (69%) patients with baseline lactulose/mannitol ratio 0.070 or above experienced serious toxicity compared to 4 out of 23 patients (17%) with the ratio below 0.070 (p = 0.002). Post-treatment lactulose, lactulose/mannitol, sucrose/mannitol and lactulose/xylose ratios were significantly increased in patients with serious toxicity. A transient significant increase in lactulose/monosaccharide and sucrose/monosaccharide ratios was observed in ovarian and breast cancer patients treated with paclitaxel

  10. [Early results of proximal femoral fractures treated with FENIX modular hemiarthroplasty].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Görski, Radosław; Górecki, Andrzej; Olszewski, Paweł; Biedrzycki, Jerzy; Skowronek, Paweł

    2010-01-01

    The article discusses preliminary clinical results in patients with proximal femoral fractures treated with hemiarthroplasty using a FENIX implant. The study group comprised 41 subjects aged 69 to 97 (median age 82.3 year). The follow-up study provided data on 26 subjects (63.4%), among which 15 attended the check-up, 5 subjects refused to visit at the Department and 6 subjects were reported as deceased. Median follow-up period amounted to 6.8 month (1 to 22 months). General hospitalization-related complications occurred in 8 patients (19.5%). During hospitalization no deaths occurred, in the deceased group 3 patients died within 12 months after surgery, while another 3 died after the twelve-month postoperative period (median of 13.3%). According to Merle d'Aubigne-Postel score favorable long-term results were observed in 9 patients (59.9%), 13 patients regained the level of motor function similar to the functional ability prior to fracture. The need to postpone the surgery due to general health status and impaired pre-operative motor function are significant negative prognostic factors. The results obtained were compared with previous efficacy studies on femoral fracture treatment using an Austin-Moore implant. Functional ability and self-reliance was higher in the FENIX group. FENIX arthroplasty effectively helps patients regain self-reliance and motor function thanks to its modular characteristics and anatmoical construction.

  11. Self-etching adhesive on intact enamel, with and without pre-etching.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Devarasa, G M; Subba Reddy, V V; Chaitra, N L; Swarna, Y M

    2012-05-01

    Bond strengths of composite resin to enamel using self-etch adhesive (SEA) Clearfil SE bond system on intact enamel and enamel pre-etched with phosphoric acid were compared. The objective was to determine if the pre-etching would increase the bond strengths of the SEA systems to intact enamel and to evaluate the effect of pre-etching on bond formation of self-etch adhesives on intact enamel. Labial surfaces of 40 caries free permanent upper central and lateral incisors were cleaned, sectioned of their roots. All specimens were mounted on acrylic block and divided randomly into four groups. In two groups the application of self-etch adhesive, Clearfil SE bond was carried as per manufacturer's instructions, composite cylinders were built, whereas in the other two groups, 37% phosphoric acid etching was done before the application of self-etching adhesives. Then the resin tags were analyzed using scanning electron microscope and shear bond strength was measured using Instron universal testing machine. When phosphoric acid was used, there was significant increase in the depth of penetration of resin tags and in the Shear Bond Strength of composite to enamel. The results indicate that out of both treatment groups, pre-etching the intact enamel with 37% phosphoric acid resulted in formation of longer resin tags and higher depth of penetration of resin tags of the Clearfil SE bond, and attaining higher bond strength of the Clearfil SE bond to intact enamel. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  12. Interpersonal and social rhythm group therapy for patients with bipolar disorder

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    C.G. Bouwkamp (Christian); M.E. de Kruiff (Marije); T.M. van Troost (Thea); M.L. Snippe (Martine); M.B.J. Blom (Marc); R.F.P. de Winter (Remco F.); P.M.J. Haffmans (P.M. Judith)

    2013-01-01

    textabstractThis article describes Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy (IPSRT) adapted for use in a group setting for patients with bipolar disorder. In a preliminary efficacy study, we studied the pre-post group treatment effect on affective symptoms. One-year pre-post findings in the IPSRT

  13. PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS' PERCEPTIONS OF "ADMINISTRATION" AND "SCHOOL PRINCIPAL" REFLECTED THROUGH METAPHORS

    OpenAIRE

    Bertan Akyol; C. Bilge Kapçak

    2017-01-01

    This study aims to present pre-service teachers’ perceptions of “administration” and “school principal” reflected through metaphors; a purpose based on the fact that although they are trained in educational administration with only one course at university, pre-service teachers who are trained in the faculties of education constitute the group with the highest potential for becoming educational administrators in Turkish education system. The study group is the 4th grade (senior) university st...

  14. Effect of pre-pyrolysis mode on simultaneous introduction of nitrogen/oxygen-containing functional groups into the structure of bagasse-based mesoporous carbon and its influence on Cu(II) adsorption.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wan, Zeqing; Li, Kunquan

    2018-03-01

    A convenient effective microwave pre-pyrolysis treatment to synthesize biomass-based mesoporous carbon with higher nitrogen/oxygen-chelating adsorption for Cu(II) is reported here, in which phosphoric acid impregnated bagasse was used as a microwave absorber and porogen. For comparison, conventional electric-heating pyrolyzed carbon was prepared and doped with nitrogen/oxygen groups. Nitrogen adsorption, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and batch adsorption were employed to investigate the effects of the two pre-pyrolysis modes on the sample physicochemical and Cu(II) adsorptive properties. The 22-min-microwave-pyrolyzed bagasse mesoporous activated carbon (MBAC, 85.32% mesoporosity) contained 10.52% O, which is 3.94% more than electric-heating pyrolyzed mesoporous activated carbon (89.52% mesoporosity). After electrophilic aromatic substitutions of N/O doping, the former possessed more N (5.83%) and more O (21.40%), confirming that time-saving energy-efficient microwave pyrolysis favors the formation of defective C/O atoms in or at the edges of the graphite layer of MBAC, which are highly active and tend to act as preferred reactive positions for the doping of N/O-containing groups simultaneously compared with conventional electric-heating pyrolysis. These N and O species existed mainly as COOH, OH, NH and NH 2 functional groups, and were confirmed by XPS to be active sites for metal binding via electrostatic attraction, hydrogen bonding, a chelate effect and complexation, resulting in the great enhancement of Cu(II) adsorption. Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic fitting further proved that Cu(II) adsorption by N/O-doped MBAC is ascribed mainly to chemisorption. Therefore, rapid microwave pre-pyrolysis provides a promising route to prepare excellent-performance N/O-doped carbon adsorbents. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Comparison of skin sensory thresholds using pre-programmed or single-frequency transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kang, Jong Ho

    2015-12-01

    [Purpose] The purpose of the present study was to compare the sensory thresholds of healthy subjects using pre-programmed or single-frequency transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation. [Subjects] Ninety healthy adult subjects were randomly assigned to pre-programmed or single-frequency stimulation groups, each consisting of 45 participants. [Methods] Sensory thresholds were measured in the participants' forearms using von Frey filaments before and after pre-programmed or single-frequency transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, and the result in values were analyzed. [Results] Significant increases in sensory threshold after stimulation were observed in both groups. However, there were no significant differences between the two groups in sensory thresholds after stimulation or in the magnitude of threshold increases following stimulation. [Conclusion] Our results show that there are no differences between sensory threshold increases induced by pre-programmed and single-frequency transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation.

  16. A Comprehensive Analysis on Technopedagogical Education Competency and Technology Perception of Pre-Service Teachers: Relation, Levels and Views

    Science.gov (United States)

    Incik, Eylem Yalcin; Akay, Cenk

    2017-01-01

    The main purpose of this research is to identify the competency and the perceptions of pre-service teachers on technopedagogical education. While study group of quantitative dimension is composed of 626 pre-service teachers; study group of qualitative extent is composed of 67 pre-service teachers. The sample represents 35% of the population of…

  17. Influence of ultrasonication and Fenton oxidation pre-treatment on rheological characteristics of wastewater sludge.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pham, T T H; Brar, S K; Tyagi, R D; Surampalli, R Y

    2010-01-01

    The effect of ultrasonication and Fenton oxidation as physico-chemical pre-treatment processes on the change of rheology of wastewater sludge was investigated in this study. Pre-treated and raw sludges displayed non-Newtonian rheological behaviour with shear thinning as well as thixotropic properties for total solids ranging from 10 g/L to 40 g/L. The rheological models, namely, Bingham plastic, Casson law, NCA/CMA Casson, IPC Paste, and power law were also studied to characterize flow of raw and pre-treated sludges. Among all rheological models, the power law was more prominent in describing the rheology of the sludges. Pre-treatment processes resulted in a decrease in pseudoplasticity of sludge due to the decrease in consistency index K varying from 42.4 to 1188, 25.6 to 620.4 and 52.5 to 317.9; and increase in flow behaviour index n changing from 0.5 to 0.35, 0.62 to 0.55 and 0.63 to 0.58, for RS, UlS and FS, respectively at solids concentration 10-40 g/L. The correlation between improvement of biodegradability and dewaterability, decrease in viscosity, and change in particle size as a function of sludge pre-treatment process was also investigated. Fenton oxidation facilitated sludge filterability resulting in capillary suction time values which were approximately 50% of the raw sludges, whereas ultrasonication with high input energy deteriorated the filterability. Biodegradability was also enhanced by the pre-treatment processes and the maximum value was obtained (64%, 77% and 73% for raw, ultrasonicated and Fenton oxidized sludges, respectively) at total solids concentration of 25 g/L. Hence, pre-treatment of wastewater sludge modified the rheological properties so that: (1) the flowability of sludge was improved for transport through the treatment train (via pipes and pumps); (2) the dewaterability of wastewater sludge was enhanced for eventual disposal and; (3) the assimilation of nutrients by microorganisms for further value-addition was increased.

  18. The impact of insecticide-treated school uniforms on dengue infections in school-aged children: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial in Thailand.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilder-Smith, Annelies; Byass, Peter; Olanratmanee, Phanthip; Maskhao, Pongsri; Sringernyuang, Luechai; Logan, James G; Lindsay, Steve W; Banks, Sarah; Gubler, Duane; Louis, Valérie R; Tozan, Yesim; Kittayapong, Pattamaporn

    2012-11-15

    There is an urgent need to protect children against dengue since this age group is particularly sensitive to the disease. Since dengue vectors are active mainly during the day, a potential target for control should be schools where children spend a considerable amount of their day. School uniforms are the cultural norm in most developing countries, worn throughout the day. We hypothesise that insecticide-treated school uniforms will reduce the incidence of dengue infection in school-aged children. Our objective is to determine the impact of impregnated school uniforms on dengue incidence. A randomised controlled trial will be conducted in eastern Thailand in a group of schools with approximately 2,000 students aged 7-18 years. Pre-fabricated school uniforms will be commercially treated to ensure consistent, high-quality insecticide impregnation with permethrin. A double-blind, randomised, crossover trial at the school level will cover two dengue transmission seasons. Practical issues and plans concerning intervention implementation, evaluation, analysing and interpreting the data, and possible policy implications arising from the trial are discussed. clinicaltrial.gov. NCT01563640.

  19. Identification of Individuals With Undiagnosed Diabetes and Pre-Diabetes in a Danish Cohort Attending Dental Treatment

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Holm, Niels-Christian Reimers; Belstrøm, Daniel; Østergaard, Jakob Appel

    2016-01-01

    BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: It is estimated that 3.6% and 13.6% of the Danish population suffer from undiagnosed type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes, respectively. Periodontitis is an established complication to diabetes. Identification of individuals with diabetes and pre-diabetes is important...... to reduce diabetes-related complications including periodontitis. The objective of the study was to identify individuals with undiagnosed diabetes or pre-diabetes among individuals attending a dental setting for diagnosis and treatment. METHODS: 291 adults with no history of diabetes were included......c levels corresponding to guideline values for diabetes and pre-diabetes respectively. Higher proportions of patients with undiagnosed diabetes and pre-diabetes were observed in the periodontitis group (32.7%) than in the control group (17.4%) (p=0.054). Identification of diabetes and pre-diabetes...

  20. Group schema therapy for eating disorders: study protocol.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Calvert, Fiona; Smith, Evelyn; Brockman, Rob; Simpson, Susan

    2018-01-01

    The treatment of eating disorders is a difficult endeavor, with only a relatively small proportion of clients responding to and completing standard cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). Given the prevalence of co-morbidity and complex personality traits in this population, Schema Therapy has been identified as a potentially viable treatment option. A case series of Group Schema Therapy for Eating Disorders (ST-E-g) yielded positive findings and the study protocol outlined in this article aims to extend upon these preliminary findings to evaluate group Schema Therapy for eating disorders in a larger sample ( n  = 40). Participants undergo a two-hour assessment where they complete a number of standard questionnaires and their diagnostic status is ascertained using the Eating Disorder Examination. Participants then commence treatment, which consists of 25 weekly group sessions lasting for 1.5 h and four individual sessions. Each group consists of five to eight participants and is facilitated by two therapists, at least one of who is a registered psychologist trained on schema therapy. The primary outcome in this study is eating disorder symptom severity. Secondary outcomes include: cognitive schemas, self-objectification, general quality of life, self-compassion, schema mode presentations, and Personality Disorder features. Participants complete psychological measures and questionnaires at pre, post, six-month and 1-year follow-up. This study will expand upon preliminary research into the efficacy of group Schema Therapy for individuals with eating disorders. If group Schema Therapy is shown to reduce eating disorder symptoms, it will hold considerable promise as an intervention option for a group of disorders that is typically difficult to treat. ACTRN12615001323516. Registered: 2/12/2015 (retrospectively registered, still recruiting).

  1. Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level, CEA ratio, and treatment outcome of rectal cancer patients receiving pre-operative chemoradiation and surgery

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, Kai-Lin; Chang, Shih-Ching; Chu, Lee-Shing; Wang, Ling-Wei; Yang, Shung-Haur; Liang, Wen-Yih; Kuo, Ying-Ju; Lin, Jen-Kou; Lin, Tzu-Chen; Chen, Wei-Shone; Jiang, Jeng-Kae; Wang, Huann-Sheng

    2013-01-01

    To investigate serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) as a prognostic factor for rectal cancer patients receiving pre-operative chemoradiotherapy (CRT). Between 2000 and 2009, 138 patients with advanced rectal cancer receiving CRT before surgery at our hospital were retrospectively classified into 3 groups: pre-CRT CEA <6 ng/ml (group L; n = 87); pre-CRT CEA ≥ 6 ng/ml and post-CRT CEA <6 ng/ml (group H-L; n = 32); and both pre- and post-CRT CEA ≥ 6 ng/ml (group H-H; n = 19). CEA ratio (defined as post-CRT CEA divided by pre-CRT CEA), post-CRT CEA level and other factors were reviewed for prediction of pathologic complete response (pCR). Five-year disease-free survival (DFS) was better in groups L (69.0%) and H-L (74.5%) than in group H-H (44.9%) (p = 0.024). Pathologic complete response was observed in 19.5%, 21.9% and 5.3% of groups L, H-L and H-H respectively (p = 0.281). Multivariate analysis showed that ypN stage and pCR were independent prognostic factors for DFS and that post-CRT CEA level was independently predictive of pCR. As a whole, post-CRT CEA <2.61 ng/ml predicted pCR (sensitivity 76.0%; specificity 58.4%). For those with pre-CRT CEA ≥6 ng/ml, post-CRT CEA and CEA ratio both predicted pCR (sensitivity 87.5%, specificity 76.7%). In patients with pre-CRT serum CEA ≥6 ng/ml, those with “normalized” CEA levels after CRT may have similar DFS to those with “normal” (<6 ng/ml) pre-CRT values. Post-CRT CEA level is a predictor for pCR, especially in those with pre-CRT CEA ≥6 ng/ml

  2. Interventions for preventing and treating hyperthyroidism in pregnancy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Earl, Rachel; Crowther, Caroline A; Middleton, Philippa

    2010-09-08

    Women with hyperthyroidism in pregnancy have increased risks of miscarriage, stillbirth, preterm birth, and intrauterine growth restriction; and they can develop severe pre-eclampsia or placental abruption. To assess the effects of interventions for preventing or treating hyperthyroidism in pregnant women. We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group's Trials Register (28 July 2010). We intended to include randomised controlled trials comparing antithyroid treatments in pregnant women with hyperthyroidism. Two review authors would have assessed trial eligibility and risk of bias, and extracted data. No trials were located. As we did not identify any eligible trials, we are unable to comment on implications for practice, although early identification of hyperthyroidism before pregnancy may allow a woman to choose radioactive iodine therapy or surgery before planning to have a child. Designing and conducting a trial of antithyroid drugs for pregnant women with hyperthyroidism presents formidable challenges. Not only is hyperthyroidism a relatively rare condition, both of the two main drugs used have potential for harm, one for the mother and the other for the child. More observational research is required about the potential harms of methimazole in early pregnancy and about the potential liver damage from propylthiouracil.

  3. Wii-hab for pre-frail older adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daniel, Kathryn

    2012-01-01

    To examine the effectiveness of a novel intervention aimed at decreasing indices related to frailty through systematic, Progressive Functional Rehabilitation (PFR). Pre-frail volunteers were recruited to participate in a 15 week exercise intervention or control group. Those who met study criteria and consented were randomized into one of three groups: control, seated exercise, or Wii(®) -fit. Test measures were completed before and after the 15 week intervention period on all participants. Measures included: Senior Fitness Test, Body Weight, Balance Efficacy Scale, CHAMPS, Late-Life Function and Disability Index, MOS SF-36. Attendance was also recorded. There were improvements on several of the measures included in the Senior Fitness Test including chair stands, arm curls, step 2, six minute walk, sit and reach, and the timed up and go. A few participants did lose weight. All of the differences reflected improved physical functional status in the seated exercise or Wii-fit groups compared with the control group. Increased physical activity was beneficial for all who participated. There were improvements in physical performance scores on several of the measures on the senior fitness test in both the seated exercise and Wii-fit groups. Participants in the Wii-fit group also showed improvement in their reported caloric expenditure and balance confidence. This pilot study suggests a rehabilitation effect that was similar to the effect of community based senior fitness classes. A home video game console system with weight vest could be an effective alternative for pre-frail senior adults to group exercise classes. © 2012 Association of Rehabilitation Nurses.

  4. Overcoming the Recalcitrance for the Conversion of Kenaf Pulp to Glucose via Microwave-Assisted Pre-Treatment Processes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Miguel A. Hurtado

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available This study evaluates the pre-treatment of cellulose from kenaf plant to yield sugar precursors for the production of ethanol or butanol for use as biofuel additives. In order to convert the crystalline cellulosic form to the amorphous form that can undergo enzymatic hydrolysis of the glycosidic bond to yield sugars, kenaf pulp samples were subjected to two different pre-treatment processes. In the acid pre-treatment, the pulp samples were treated with 37.5% hydrochloric acid in the presence of FeCl3 at 50 °C or 90 °C whereas in the alkaline method, the pulp samples were treated with 25% sodium hydroxide at room temperature and with 2% or 5% sodium hydroxide at 50 °C. Microwave-assisted NaOH-treatment of the cellulose was also investigated and demonstrated to be capable of producing high glucose yield without adverse environmental impact by circumventing the use of large amounts of concentrated acids i.e., 83–85% phosphoric acid employed in most digestion processes. The treated samples were digested with the cellulase enzyme from Trichoderma reesei. The amount of glucose produced was quantified using the QuantichromTM glucose bioassay for assessing the efficiency of glucose production for each of the treatment processes. The microwave-assisted alkaline pre-treatment processes conducted at 50 °C were found to be the most effective in the conversion of the crystalline cellulose to the amorphous form based on the significantly higher yields of sugar produced by enzymatic hydrolysis compared to the untreated sample.

  5. Effect of Treating Anxiety Disorders on Cognitive Deficits and Behaviors Associated with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Preliminary Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Denis, Isabelle; Guay, Marie-Claude; Foldes-Busque, Guillaume; BenAmor, Leila

    2016-06-01

    Twenty-five percent of children with ADHD also have an anxiety disorder (AD). As per Quay and in light of Barkley's model, anxiety may have a protective effect on cognitive deficits and behaviors associated with ADHD. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of treating AD on cognitive deficits and behaviors associated with ADHD in children with both disorders. Twenty-four children with ADHD and AD were divided into two groups: treatment for AD, and wait list. Participants were assessed at pre-treatment, post-treatment, and 6-month follow-up with the ADIS-C, the CBCL, and neuropsychological measures. The results revealed a significant improvement in automatic response inhibition and flexibility, and a decrease in inattention/hyperactivity behaviors following the treatment for AD. No significant differences were observed in motor response inhibition, working memory, or attention deficits. The results do not seem to support Quay's hypothesis: treating AD did not exacerbate cognitive deficits and behaviors associated with ADHD in our sample.

  6. A Tool that Can be Effective in the Self-Regulated Learning of Pre-Service Teachers: The Mind Map

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tanriseven, Isil

    2014-01-01

    The aim of this study is to analyse the effect of task planning with mind maps on the self-regulation strategies and motivational beliefs of pre-service teachers. A quasi-experimental design, with a pre-test and post-test control group, was applied in the research. The research group comprised of 60 pre-service teachers taking "Teaching…

  7. The impact of inquiry-based learning on the critical thinking dispositions of pre-service science teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arsal, Zeki

    2017-07-01

    In the study, the impact of inquiry-based learning on pre-service teachers' critical thinking dispositions was investigated. The sample of the study comprised of 56 pre-service teachers in the science education teacher education programme at the public university in the north of Turkey. In the study, quasi-experimental design with an experimental and a control group were applied to find out the impact of inquiry-based learning on the critical thinking dispositions of the pre-service teachers in the teacher education programme. The results showed that the pre-service teachers in the experimental group did not show statistically significant greater progress in terms of critical thinking dispositions than those in the control group. Teacher educators who are responsible for pedagogical courses in the teacher education programme should consider that the inquiry-based learning could not be effective method to improve pre-service teachers' critical thinking dispositions. The results are discussed in relation to potential impact on science teacher education and implications for future research.

  8. Efficacy of postal communication with patients who have cryopreserved pre-embryos.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brzyski, R G

    1998-11-01

    To compare the characteristics of patients who did and did not respond to a request for information regarding their cryopreserved pre-embryos. Mail survey. Academic-assisted reproductive technology program. One hundred thirty-six patients with cryopreserved pre-embryos. Patients were surveyed by first-class mail regarding their plans for their cryopreserved pre-embryos and their interest in embryo donation. Age, number of stored pre-embryos, and duration of storage of responders and nonresponders at 6 weeks after mailing. Eighty-three patients (62%) did not respond to the survey. Compared with responders, nonresponders were significantly older at the time of embryo cryopreservation, had fewer pre-embryos cryopreserved, and had the pre-embryos cryopreserved for a longer duration. Five responders (9%) expressed an interest in embryo donation. Three patients requested disposal of pre-embryos. Sixteen surveys (12%) were returned as undeliverable. As a group, these patients had the fewest pre-embryos cryopreserved and had the longest duration of storage. A disturbing number of patients with cryopreserved pre-embryos ignored efforts by our program to maintain contact. Older patients with few cryopreserved pre-embryos may require special attention to avoid abandonment.

  9. Quality properties of pre- and post-rigor beef muscle after interventions with high frequency ultrasound.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sikes, Anita L; Mawson, Raymond; Stark, Janet; Warner, Robyn

    2014-11-01

    The delivery of a consistent quality product to the consumer is vitally important for the food industry. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential for using high frequency ultrasound applied to pre- and post-rigor beef muscle on the metabolism and subsequent quality. High frequency ultrasound (600kHz at 48kPa and 65kPa acoustic pressure) applied to post-rigor beef striploin steaks resulted in no significant effect on the texture (peak force value) of cooked steaks as measured by a Tenderometer. There was no added benefit of ultrasound treatment above that of the normal ageing process after ageing of the steaks for 7days at 4°C. Ultrasound treatment of post-rigor beef steaks resulted in a darkening of fresh steaks but after ageing for 7days at 4°C, the ultrasound-treated steaks were similar in colour to that of the aged, untreated steaks. High frequency ultrasound (2MHz at 48kPa acoustic pressure) applied to pre-rigor beef neck muscle had no effect on the pH, but the calculated exhaustion factor suggested that there was some effect on metabolism and actin-myosin interaction. However, the resultant texture of cooked, ultrasound-treated muscle was lower in tenderness compared to the control sample. After ageing for 3weeks at 0°C, the ultrasound-treated samples had the same peak force value as the control. High frequency ultrasound had no significant effect on the colour parameters of pre-rigor beef neck muscle. This proof-of-concept study showed no effect of ultrasound on quality but did indicate that the application of high frequency ultrasound to pre-rigor beef muscle shows potential for modifying ATP turnover and further investigation is warranted. Crown Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Effects of pre-fermentation and pulsed-electric-field treatment of primary sludge in microbial electrochemical cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ki, Dongwon; Parameswaran, Prathap; Popat, Sudeep C; Rittmann, Bruce E; Torres, César I

    2015-11-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the combination of two technologies - pulsed electric field (PEF) pre-treatment and semi-continuous pre-fermentation of primary sludge (PS) - to produce volatile fatty acids (VFAs) as the electron donor for microbial electrolysis cells (MECs). Pre-fermentation with a 3-day solids retention time (SRT) led to the maximum generation of VFAs, with or without pretreatment of the PS through pulsed-electric-fields (PEF). PEF treatment before fermentation enhanced the accumulation of the preferred VFA, acetate, by 2.6-fold. Correspondingly, MEC anodes fed with centrate from 3-day pre-fermentation of PEF-treated PS had a maximum current density ∼3.1 A/m(2), which was 2.4-fold greater than the control pre-fermented centrate. Over the full duration of batch MEC experiments, using pre-fermented centrate led to successful performance in terms of Coulombic efficiency (95%), Coulombic recovery (80%), and COD-removal efficiency (85%). Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Digital portfolio in building teaching efficacy of pre-service teachers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cimermanová Ivana

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper discusses the role of e-portfolio in the development of reflective thinking in a group of pre-service English as a foreign language teachers. It stresses the benefits it can bring (e.g. autonomous learning, cooperative learning - the author highlights the social context of e-portfolio as well as presents the threats and risks it might bring based on the own experience of the author. The results of this case study showed that the process of e-portfolio building can enhance professional development, self-confidence and the ability to self-reflect own work and progress. The author indicates also the possibilities of its use not only in the groups of pre-service teacher trainers but also in the groups of in-service teachers.

  12. Group therapy for selective mutism - a parents' and children's treatment group.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharkey, Louise; Mc Nicholas, Fiona; Barry, Edwina; Begley, Maire; Ahern, Sinead

    2008-12-01

    To evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of group therapy for children with selective mutism and their parents. Five children (mean age 6.1 years) with a diagnosis of selective mutism were administered group therapy over an 8-week period. Parents simultaneously attended a second group, aimed at providing education and advice on managing selective mutism in everyday situations, and in the school environment. At post-treatment, all children increased their level of confident speaking in school, clinic and community settings. Parents indicated a reduction in their own anxiety levels, from pre- to post-treatment on self-rating scales. Findings support the feasibility and effectiveness of group therapy for children with selective mutism and their parents.

  13. Does pre-operative psychological distress affect patient satisfaction after primary total hip arthroplasty?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nolan John

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background There are concerns that pre-operative psychological distress might be associated with reduced patient satisfaction after total hip replacement (THR. Methods We investigated this in a multi-centre prospective study between January 1999 and January 2002. We dichotomised the patients into the mentally distressed (MHS ≤ 56 and the not mentally distressed (MHS > 56 groups based on their pre-operative Mental Health Score (MHS of SF36. Results 448 patients (340 not distressed and 108 distressed completed the patient satisfaction survey. Patient satisfaction rate at five year was 96.66% (415/448. There was no difference in patient satisfaction or willingness to have the surgery between the two groups. None of pre-operative variables predicted five year patient satisfaction in logistic regression. Conclusions Patient satisfaction after surgery may not be adversely affected by pre-operative psychological distress.

  14. PRE-DIABETES

    OpenAIRE

    Akula Annapurna

    2013-01-01

    Pre-diabetes is a condition where the body's cells begin to show resistance to insulin. Glucose circulates in the blood instead of being used by the cells for energy. Blood sugar levels become elevated. Increased weight, unhealthy diet and a sedentary lifestyle can lead to pre-diabetes. WHAT IS PRE-DIABETES A diagnosis of pre-diabetes means that the cells in your body are becoming resistant to insulin and your blood glucose levels are higher than they should be. Since the levels aren't as hig...

  15. Modification of Bi:YIG film properties by substrate surface ion pre-treatment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shaposhnikov, A.N.; Prokopov, A.R.; Karavainikov, A.V.; Berzhansky, V.N.; Mikhailova, T.V. [Taurida National V.I. Vernadsky University, Vernadsky Avenue, 4, Simferopol, 95007 (Ukraine); Kotov, V.A. [V.A. Kotelnikov Institute of Radio Engineering and Electronics, RAS, 11 Mohovaya Street, Moscow, 125009 (Russian Federation); Balabanov, D.E. [Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny, 141700 (Russian Federation); Sharay, I.V.; Salyuk, O.Y. [Institute of Magnetism, NAS of Ukraine, 03142, Kiev (Ukraine); Vasiliev, M. [Electron Science Research Institute, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup 6027 (Australia); Golub, V.O., E-mail: v_o_golub@yahoo.com [Institute of Magnetism, NAS of Ukraine, 03142, Kiev (Ukraine)

    2014-07-01

    Highlights: • Effects of substrates ion beam treatment on magnetoptical properties Bi:YIG films. • Substrate surface damage results in sign inversion of the magneto-optical effects. • Atomically smooth films growth takes place on low energy ions treated substrates. • High energy ions treatment results in selective nucleation mechanism of the growth. - Abstract: The effect of a controlled ion beam pre-treatment of (1 1 1)-oriented Gd{sub 3}Ga{sub 5}O{sub 12} substrates on the magneto-optical properties and surface morphology of the ultrathin bismuth-substituted yttrium–iron garnet films with a composition Bi{sub 2.8}Y{sub 0.2}Fe{sub 5}O{sub 12} was studied. It has been shown that the observed sign inversion of magneto-optical effects (Faraday rotation and magnetic circular dichroism) observed in films that were deposited on the GGG substrate pre-treated by 1 keV and 4 keV Ar{sup +} ion beams is a result of the substrate surface amorphization caused by the ion bombardment.

  16. Long-term Treatment Response and Patient Outcomes for Vestibular Schwannoma Patients Treated with Hypofractionated Stereotactic Radiotherapy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mira A. Patel

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available PurposeThe aim of this study is to evaluate long-term treatment outcome and toxicities among vestibular schwannoma (VS patients treated with hypofractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (HSRT.Methods383 patients with unilateral VS treated with HSRT (25 Gy, five fractions between 1995 and 2007 were retrospectively reviewed. Treatment failure was defined as requiring salvage microsurgery. Posttreatment new/progressive clinical symptoms or increases in baseline tumor volume (BTV due to treatment effect or progression were noted. Symptom outcomes were reported as baseline and posttreatment ± improvement, respectively. Symptoms were grouped by cranial nerve (CN VII or CNVIII. Audiometry was assessed baseline and posttreatment hearing. Patients were grouped as having greater than serviceable hearing [Gardner Robertson (GR score 1–2] or less than non-serviceable hearing (GR score 3–5 by audiometry.ResultsMedian follow-up was 72.0 months. Nine (2.3% experienced treatment failure. At last follow-up, 74 (19.3% had new/progressive symptoms and were categorized as radiologic non-responders, whereas 300 (78.3% had no tumor progression and were grouped as radiologic responders. Average pretreatment BTV for treatment failures, radiologic non-responders, and radiologic responders was 2.11, 0.44, and 1.87 cm3, respectively. Pretreatment CNVII and CNVIII symptoms were present in 9.4 and 93.4% of patients, respectively. Eight (24% with pre-HSRT CNVII and 37 (10% with pre-HSRT CNVIII symptoms recovered CN function post-HSRT. Thirty-five (9% and 36 (9.4% experienced new CNVII and CNVIII deficit, respectively, after HSRT. Of these, 20 (57% and 18 (50% recovered CNVII and CNVIII function, respectively, after HSRT. Evaluable audiograms were available in 199 patients. At baseline and at last follow-up, 65.8 and 36.2% had serviceable hearing, respectively. Fifty-one percent had preservation of serviceable hearing at last follow-up.ConclusionTreatment of VS

  17. ?I know exactly what I'm going into?: recommendations for pre?nursing experience from an evaluation of a pre?nursing scholarship in rural Scotland

    OpenAIRE

    Smith, Annetta; Beattie, Michelle; Kyle, Richard G.

    2015-01-01

    Abstract Aim To develop a model of pre?nursing experience from evaluation of a pre?nursing scholarship for school pupils in Scotland. Design Action research study. Methods School pupils (n?=?42) completed questionnaire surveys and participated in anecdote circles. Student nurses acting as pupil ?buddies? (n?=?33) participated in focus groups. Descriptive quantitative data and thematic analyses of qualitative data were integrated across cohorts and campuses. Results Ten recommended components ...

  18. Impact of virtual chemistry laboratory instruction on pre-service science teachers’ scientific process skills

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mutlu Ayfer

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available This study aimed to investigate the impact of virtual chemistry laboratory instruction on pre-service science teachers’ scientific process skills. For this purpose, eight laboratory activities related to chemical kinetic, chemical equilibrium, thermochemistry, acids-bases, and electrochemistry were developed. Those activities were performed in virtual laboratory environment by the pre-service teachers in the experimental group and in the real laboratory environment by c the preservice teachers in the control group during eight weeks. Scientific process skills test developed by Burns, Okey and Wise [3], and translated into Turkish by Ateş and Bahar [2] was used before and after the instructions for data collection. According to results, while there was no significant difference between pre-test mean scores (U=133.500, p>0.05, significant difference between post-test mean scores was found in favour of experimental group (U=76.000, p<0.05. In addition, while no significant difference between pre-test mean scores for each sub-dimension was found, significant difference between post-test mean scores for designing investigation and formulating hypothesis skills was found in favour of experimental group.

  19. Pre- and post-radiotherapy computed tomography in laryngeal cancer: imaging-based prediction of local failure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pameijer, Frank A.; Hermans, Robert; Mancuso, Anthony A.; Mendenhall, William M.; Parsons, James T.; Stringer, Scott P.; Kubilis, Paul S.; Tinteren, Harm van

    1999-01-01

    Purpose: To determine if pre-radiotherapy (RT) and/or post-radiotherapy computed tomography (CT) can predict local failure in patients with laryngeal carcinoma treated with definitive RT. Methods and Materials: The pre- and post-RT CT examinations of 59 patients (T3 glottic carcinoma [n = 30] and T1-T4 supraglottic carcinoma [n = 29]) were reviewed. For each patient, the first post-RT CT study between 1 and 6 months after irradiation was used. All patients were treated with definitive hyperfractionated twice-daily continuous-course irradiation to a total dose of 6,720-7,920 cGy, and followed-up clinically for at least 2 years after completion of RT. Local control was defined as absence of primary tumor recurrence and a functioning larynx. On the pre-treatment CT study, each tumor was assigned a high-or low-risk profile for local failure after RT. The post-RT CT examinations were evaluated for post-treatment changes using a three-point post-RT CT-score: 1 = expected post-RT changes; 2 = focal mass with a maximal diameter of 1 cm, or < 50% estimated tumor volume reduction. Results: The local control rates at 2 years post-RT based on pre-treatment CT evaluation were 88% for low pre-treatment risk profile patients (95% CI: 66-96%) and 34% (95% CI: 19-50%) for high pre-treatment risk profile patients (risk ratio 6.583; 95% CI: 2.265-9.129; p = 0.0001). Based on post-treatment CT, the local control rates at 2 years post-RT were 94% for score 1, 67% for score 2, and 10% for score 3 (risk ratio 4.760; 95% CI: 2.278-9.950 p 0.0001). Post-RT CT scores added significant information to the pre-treatment risk profiles on prognosis. Conclusions: Pre-treatment CT risk profiles, as well as post-RT CT evaluation can identify patients, irradiated for laryngeal carcinomas, at high risk for developing local failure. When the post-RT CT score is available, it proves to be an even better prognosticator than the pre-treatment CT-risk profile

  20. Expanding the Application of Group Interventions: Emergence of Groups in Health Care Settings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Drum, David; Becker, Martin Swanbrow; Hess, Elaine

    2011-01-01

    Changes in the health care arena and within the specialty of group work are contributing to the increased utilization of groups in health care settings. Psychoeducational, theme, and interpersonal therapy groups are highlighted for their contributions to treating challenging health conditions. An understanding of the evolution of these group…

  1. [Clinical observation on treating diabetic macular edema with intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide and laser].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yongbo; Shi, Anna; Shi, Xun; Liu, Weifeng

    2010-08-01

    To evaluate the effect of intravitreal injection of triamcinolone acetonide(IVTA) combining with retinal laser treating for diabetic macular edema(DME). Twenty five patients(32 eyes) with DME who has microangioma in macula lutea were randomly divided into group A, B,C and D(8 eyes each group). Eyes in group A were treated with laser photocoagulation. Eyes in group B were treated with multiplier-532 laser photocoagulation and transpupillary thermotherapy. Eyes in group C were treated with multiplier-532 laser photocoagulation and intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide. Eyes in group D were treated with multiplier-532 laser, transpupillary thermotherapy plus triamcinolone acetonide injection. Intravitreal injection of 4 mg triamcinolone acetonide was done 1 week after laser photocoagulation in group C and D. The visual acuity, intraocular pressure, macular thickness (foveal thickness) of the eyes in 4 groups were observed before and 1, 3 and 6 months after treatment. The visual acuity, intraocular pressure and foveal thickness of the 4 groups before treatment showed no significant difference(p> ). The visual acuity, intraocular pressure, macular thickness of eyes in group A, B were better than those of group C, D at 1, 3 and 6 months after treatment, and they had significant difference(p0.05). The effect of laser photocoagulation and intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide, laser photocoagulation combining with transpupillary thermotherapy plus triamcinolone acetonide injectionvisual treating for DME was better than laser photocoagulation alone, laser photocoagulation combining with transpupillary thermotherapy.

  2. The Histological Effects of L-arginine on Ventricular Myocardium in Iron Treated Male Rats

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M Sofiabadi

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available <pre>Background and Objectives: Iron overload is detrimental for the body and can create damage to different body tissues, such as myocardium by producing oxidative stress. Therefore, the antioxidant factors can neutralize iron induced damages. According to available reports, L-arginine as a precursor nitric oxide production has antioxidant effects. This study was carried out to evaluate the histological effects of iron overload on ventricular muscle and preventive role of L-arginine in male rats.pre>>Methods: In this experiment, 40 male rats with weight range of 300-250g were divided at random into five equal groups including:1- Control, 2- Iron (10mg/kg, ip, 3- Iron(10mg/kg, ip+L-arginine (1mg/ml, po, 4- Iron (50mg/kg, ip and 5- Iron (50mg/kg,ip+L-arginine(1mg/ml,po. After treatment (6 weeks, the animals were anesthetized and the samples of left apical ventricular myocardium were taken out and morphological studies were done following fixation with 10% formalin and H&E staining. Microscopic parameters under study were cell swelling, vessel dilatation and hypercongestion, cell necrosis and tissue deformity. The type and severity of damage to the tissue were also noted. Data were analyzed using chi-square statistical procedure, and Pvalue≤0.05 were considered to be significant. pre>>Results: The data showed moderate changes in the ventricular myocardium of group 2 that was significant in comparison to the control group (P<0.05. The ventricular myocardium of group 3 showed low changes and wasn't significant in comparison to control group (P=0.84. The ventricular myocardium of the group 4 showed severe changes in comparison to the control group (P<0.01. The low change showed in the ventricular myocardium of group 5 that wasn't significant in comparison to the control group.>

    Conclusion: This study showed

  3. Multicentre randomised study of the effect and experience of an early inhome programme (PreHomeCare) for preterm infants using video consultation and smartphone applications compared with inhospital consultations: protocol of the PreHomeCare study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hägi-Pedersen, Mai-Britt; Norlyk, Annelise; Dessau, Ram; Stanchev, Hristo; Kronborg, Hanne

    2017-03-09

    Although premature infants and their parents are discharged earlier to inhomecare programmes, how to optimally support parents during this transition remains unknown. The aim of this study is to compare the effects of early inhomecare (PreHomeCare) including video consultations and mobile applications with those of inhospital consultations regarding breast feeding, parental confidence and parent-infant interactions. A randomised controlled intervention study will be conducted in four neonatal departments offering PreHomeCare (ie, premature infant inhomecare) in Denmark. Parents of hospitalised premature infants who fulfil the inclusion criteria for PreHomeCare will be randomised during hospitalisation to either the intervention (n=80) or control group (n=80) using 1:1 block randomisation. During PreHomeCare, the intervention group will receive a smartphone application with a video system and an infant scale, and the control group will receive usual care (ie, hospital consultations). Additionally, both groups will have planned nurse consultations two to three times a week: the intervention group through video consultations and the control group through inhospital consultations. Data collection will occur at inclusion/baseline, at the end of PreHomeCare and 1 month after discharge using questionnaires and hospital records. The primary outcome is the proportion of exclusively breastfed infants 1 month after discharge/end of PreHomeCare, the secondary outcomes are parent-infant interactions measured by the Mother and baby interaction scale and family confidence in caring for infants measured by the Karitane Parenting Confidence Scale. The process evaluation will consist of two qualitative studies: a field study and an interview study. Data collection will initially involve field observations of three scheduled video consultations with six families from the intervention group. These families will also be interviewed 1 month after PreHomeCare has ended. The project

  4. Friendship and Emotion Control in Pre-Adolescents With or Without Hearing Loss.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rieffe, Carolien; Broekhof, Evelien; Eichengreen, Adva; Kouwenberg, Maartje; Veiga, Guida; da Silva, Brenda M S; van der Laan, Anneke; Frijns, Johan H M

    2018-05-04

    Emotional functioning plays a crucial role in the social development of children and adolescents. We examined the extent to which emotion control was related to the quality of friendships in pre-adolescents with and without hearing loss. We tested 350 pre-adolescents (75 deaf/hard of hearing in mainstream education (DHHm), 48 deaf/hard of hearing in special education (DHHs), and 227 hearing) through self-report. Outcomes confirmed a positive association between emotion control and positive friendships for all groups, with one notable exception: more approach strategies for emotion regulation were associated with more negative friendship features in the DHHs group. In addition, the DHHm group demonstrated high levels of emotion control, while their levels of positive friendship features were still lower compared to the hearing group.

  5. The Effects of Using Podcast on Listening Comprehension among Iranian Pre-intermediate EFL Learners

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Islam NamazianDost

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of the present study was to explore the effects of using podcast on listening comprehension among Iranian pre-intermediate EFL learners. To fulfill the objectives of the study a Homogeneity test (Oxford Quick Placement Test was administered among 90 students at the pre-intermediate level of Poyesh language Institute and finally 60 participants were selected. Then, they were non-randomly divided into two sub­groups, namely control and experimental groups.  Before starting the treatment, a validated teacher-made listening comprehension test was administered to students as pre-test to assess the participants' listening comprehension at the beginning of the course. Then, the experimental group received the treatment, which was teaching listening comprehension through using podcasts while the control group was taught using traditional methods of teaching listening with no multimedia source. After 20 sessions of treatment, the two groups were administered the same teacher-made listening test as post-test. Data were analyzed by Paired and Independent Samples t-­test. The findings showed that the experimental group significantly performed better than the control group. Generally, the experimental groups outperformed the control groups. The results suggest that podcasts can be used in English classes to develop listening ability among Iranian EFL learners.

  6. Effectiveness of Sand-Therapy on the Attenuation of Separation anxiety Signs in Pre-School Children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arghavan Shariat

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Background and Objective: The present research was conducted with the aim of determining effect of Sand-therapy on the attenuation of separation anxiety signs among pre-school children in Isfahan, Iran. Methods: The statistical society consists of all pre-school children who had separation anxiety disorder and Among100 children, 30 persons were selected using available sampling. The method of this research is quasi-experimental with one group and pre-test and post-test plan. After performing pre-test of separation anxiety disorder scale, the experimental group were trained under sand-therapy training in 10 sessions of 60 minutes for a period of two months and after that, post-test of separation anxiety disorder scale was performed. The research tool consists of the questionnaire CSI-4 of child’s morbid signs. Wilcoxon method was used to analysis the results. Results: The research findings showed that there was a meaningful different (P=0.008 between pre- test & post-test scores of anxiety signs for study group.Conclusion: As a practical message, we can mention that sand therapy is as an interesting and practical playing for the children and it is a meaningful therapy related to attenuation of separation anxious signs. Keywords: Sand therapy, separation anxiety, pre-school-children

  7. Studies on the influence of surface pre-treatments on electroless copper coating of boron carbide particles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Deepa, J.P.; Resmi, V.G.; Rajan, T.P.D.; Pavithran, C.; Pai, B.C.

    2011-01-01

    Boron carbide is one of the hard ceramic particles which find application as structural materials and neutron shielding material due to its high neutron capture cross section. Copper coating on boron carbide particle is essential for the synthesis of metal-ceramic composites with enhanced sinterability and dispersibility. Surface characteristics of the substrate and the coating parameters play a foremost role in the formation of effective electroless coating. The effect of surface pre-treatment conditions and pH on electroless copper coating of boron carbide particles has been studied. Surface pre-treatement of B 4 C when compared to acid treated and alkali treated particles were carried out. Uniform copper coating was observed at pH 12 in alkali treated particles when compared to others due to the effective removal of inevitable impurities during the production and processing of commercially available B 4 C. A threshold pH 11 was required for initiation of copper coating on boron carbide particles. The growth pattern of the copper coating also varies depending on the surface conditions from acicular to spherical morphology.

  8. The impact of telenursing consultation by using the social networks to promote the self- efficacy and weight control in patients treating with hemodialysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marzieh Sadat Hosseini

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Hemodialysis as the most common renal replacement therapy alone cannot ensure the health and survival of the patient's life and along with it, training and consulting about self-care and adherence is one of the fundamental pillars of treatment. This study was conducted to determine the impact of telenursing consultation by using networks to promote the self-efficacy and weight control in patients treating with hemodialysis. This study was a clinical trial for two groups and had a pre-test and two post-test. 52 patients under treatment by hemodialysis were divided randomly into two groups of experimental and control groups. The experimental group received consultations by using the telegram software and the control group received usual nursing care for a month. The data were collected by the weight control of the patients before and after the sessions of hemodialysis and general self-efficacy questionnaire and were analyzed by SPSS software version 20, and using descriptive statistics and analytical tests. The two groups did not have a significant statistically differences in demographic variables. The average rates of the self-efficacy after intervention in the experimental group was significantly more than the control group and also the average overweight after the intervention was significantly lower. telenursing consultation by using the social networks is effective on the improvement of self-efficacy and weight control in patients treating with hemodialysis and due to the shortage of nurses and their high volume of work it can be used as a new way for training.

  9. A cross-sectional study of tuberculosis drug resistance among previously treated patients in a tertiary hospital in Accra, Ghana: public health implications of standardized regimens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Forson, Audrey; Kwara, Awewura; Kudzawu, Samuel; Omari, Michael; Otu, Jacob; Gehre, Florian; de Jong, Bouke; Antonio, Martin

    2018-04-02

    Mycobacterium tuberculosis drug resistance is a major challenge to the use of standardized regimens for tuberculosis (TB) therapy, especially among previously treated patients. We aimed to investigate the frequency and pattern of drug resistance among previously treated patients with smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital Chest Clinic, Accra. This was a cross-sectional survey of mycobacterial isolates from previously treated patients referred to the Chest Clinic Laboratory between October 2010 and October 2013. The Bactec MGIT 960 system for mycobactrerial culture and drug sensitivity testing (DST) was used for sputum culture of AFB smear-positive patients with relapse, treatment failure, failure of smear conversion, or default. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize patient characteristics, and frequency and patterns of drug resistance. A total of 112 isolates were studied out of 155 from previously treated patients. Twenty contaminated (12.9%) and 23 non-viable isolates (14.8%) were excluded. Of the 112 studied isolates, 53 (47.3%) were pan-sensitive to all first-line drugs tested Any resistance (mono and poly resistance) to isoniazid was found in 44 isolates (39.3%) and any resistance to streptomycin in 43 (38.4%). Thirty-one (27.7%) were MDR-TB. Eleven (35.5%) out of 31 MDR-TB isolates were pre-XDR. MDR-TB isolates were more likely than non-MDR isolates to have streptomycin and ethambutol resistance. The main findings of this study were the high prevalence of MDR-TB and streptomycin resistance among previously treated TB patients, as well as a high prevalence of pre-XDR-TB among the MDR-TB patients, which suggest that first-line and second-line DST is essential to aid the design of effective regimens for these groups of patients in Ghana.

  10. Do action learning sets facilitate collaborative, deliberative learning?: A focus group evaluation of Graduate Entry Pre-registration Nursing (GEN) students' experience.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maddison, Charlotte; Strang, Gus

    2018-01-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate if by participating in action learning sets, Graduate Entry Pre-registration Nursing (GEN) students were able to engage in collaborative and deliberative learning. A single focus group interview involving eleven participants was used to collect data. Data analysis identified five themes; collaborative learning; reflection; learning through case study and problem-solving; communication, and rejection of codified learning. The themes are discussed and further analysed in the context of collaborative and deliberative learning. The evidence from this small scale study suggests that action learning sets do provide an environment where collaborative and deliberative learning can occur. However, students perceived some of them, particularly during year one, to be too 'teacher lead', which stifled learning. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Evaluating a Pre-session Exercise in a Standalone Information Literacy Class

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joseph E. Goetz

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available In this study, researchers evaluate a homework exercise assigned before a standalone information literacy session. Students in a Master of Education program completed a worksheet using the ERIC database thesaurus. The researchers conducted pre- and posttests within a single library session to assess student learning, using a control group for comparison. The treatment group did not demonstrate better thesaurus skills than students who had regular library instruction alone, but results pointed the way to targeted improvements of pre-session learning materials. This approach could inform other information literacy homework applications such as flipping the classroom.

  12. An evaluation of a pre-scaling gel (SofScale) on the ease of supragingival calculus removal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, S R; Foyle, D M; Daniels, J

    1994-09-01

    SofScale is a pre-scaling gel, containing disodium EDTA and sodium lauryl sulphate, which is claimed to soften calculus and therefore facilitate its removal. 31 subjects were treated in a double blind randomised placebo controlled split mouth study to evaluate this product. Test or placebo gels were applied to the lingual surfaces of the mandibular teeth for 4 min and the time taken to complete the removal of supragingival calculus recorded. The operator recorded on which side the calculus was considered easier to remove and the patient indicated how comfortable the scaling had been. The mean calculus index was 1.99 for the SofScale group and 1.97 for the placebo. The mean time taken to complete scaling was 5.31 min for both groups. Using the Student t-test, there were no statistically significant differences (p > 0.7) between either the calculus index or time taken to complete the scaling between the groups. The operator did not consider SofScale to facilitate calculus removal and patients did not find calculus removal more comfortable when SofScale had been used. There was no increased sensitivity in the SofScale group following scaling. The results of this study do not support the use of SofScale as an adjunct to scaling.

  13. DNA damage in healthy individuals and respiratory patients after treating whole blood in vitro with the bulk and nano forms of NSAIDs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Diana Anderson

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs inhibit COX enzyme activity which affects the inflammatory response. Inflammation is associated with increasing cancer incidence. Pre-clinical and clinical studies have shown that NSAID treatment could cause an anti-tumour effect in cancers. In the present study, blood was taken from healthy individuals (n=17 and patients with respiratory diseases or lung cancer (n=36. White blood cells (WBC were treated with either a micro-suspension, i.e. bulk (B or nano-suspension (N of aspirin (ASP or ibuprofen (IBU up to 500 µg/ml in the comet assay and up to 125 µg/ml in the micronucleus assay. In this study results were compared against untreated lymphocytes and their corresponding treated groups. The results showed, thgat NSAIDs in their nano form significantly reduced the DNA damage in WBCs from lung cancer patients in bulk and nano compared to untreated lymphocytes. Also, there was a decrease in the level of DNA damage in the comet assay after treating WBCs from healthy individuals, asthma and COPD groups with aspirin N (ASP N but not with IBU N. In addition, the number of micronuclei decreased after treatment with NSAIDs in their nano form (ASP N and IBU N in the healthy as well as in the lung cancer group. However, this was not the case for micronucleus frequency in asthma and COPD patients. These data show that lymphocytes from different groups respond differently to treatment with ASP and IBU as measured by comet assay and micronucleus assay, and that the size of the suspended particles of the drugs affects responses.

  14. Pre-treatments applied to oxidized aluminum surfaces to modify the interfacial bonding with bis-1,2-(triethoxysilyl)ethane (BTSE)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Teo, M. [Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, 2036 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z1 (Canada); Kim, J. [Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, 2036 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z1 (Canada); Wong, P.C. [Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, 2036 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z1 (Canada); Wong, K.C. [Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, 2036 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z1 (Canada); Mitchell, K.A.R. [Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, 2036 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z1 (Canada)]. E-mail: karm@chem.ubc.ca

    2005-12-15

    A remote microwave-generated H{sub 2} plasma and heating to 250 deg. C were separately used to modify high-purity oxidized aluminum surfaces and to assess whether these treatments can help enhance adhesion with bis-1,2-(triethoxysilyl)ethane (BTSE) coatings. Different initial oxide surfaces were considered, corresponding to the native oxide and to surfaces formed by the Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) treatment applied for either 15 or 60 min. BTSE is applied from solution at pH 4, and competing processes of etching, protonation (to form OH groups) and coupling (to form Al-O-Si interfacial bonds) occur at the solid-liquid interface. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to determine how the topographies of the modified Al surfaces changed with the different pre-treatments and with exposure to a buffer solution of pH 4. Secondary-ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) was used to determine the direct amount of Al-O-Si interfacial bonds by measuring the ratio of peak intensities 71-70 amu, while X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to determine the overall strength of the silane coating adhesion by measuring the Si 2p signals before and after application of an ultrasonic rinse to the coated sample. Measured Al 2p and O 1s spectra helped assess how the different pre-treatments modified the various Al oxidized surfaces prior to BTSE coating. Pre-treated samples that showed increased Al-O-Si bonding after BTSE coating corresponded to surfaces, which did not show evidence of significant etching after exposure to a pH 4 environment. This suggests that such surfaces are more receptive to the coupling reaction during exposure to the BTSE coating solution. These surfaces include all H{sub 2} plasma-treated samples, the heated native oxide and the sample that only received the 15 min FPL treatment. In contrast, other surfaces that show evidence of etching in pH 4 environments are samples that received lower amounts of Al-O-Si interfacial bonding. Overall, heating

  15. Low-level laser therapy to treat fibromyalgia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruaro, J A; Fréz, A R; Ruaro, M B; Nicolau, R A

    2014-11-01

    Several clinical treatments have been proposed to manage symptoms of fibromyalgia. Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) may be a useful tool to treat this dysfunction. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of LLLT in patients with fibromyalgia. A placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial was carried out with 20 patients divided randomly into either an LLLT group (n = 10) or a placebo group (n = 10). The LLLT group was treated with a GaAlAs laser (670 nm, 4 J/cm(2) on 18 tender points) three times a week over 4 weeks. Before and after treatment, patients were evaluated with the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), McGill Pain Questionnaire, and visual analog scale (VAS). Data from the FIQ and McGill questionnaire for the treated and control groups were analyzed by paired t tests, and Wilcoxon tests were used to analyze data from the VAS. After LLLT or sham treatment, the number of tender points was significantly reduced in both groups (LLLT, p fibromyalgia symptoms showed significant improvements after LLLT compared to placebo (FIQ, p = 0.0003; McGill, p = 0.0078; and VAS, p = 0.0020). LLLT provided relief from fibromyalgia symptoms in patients and should be further investigated as a therapeutic tool for management in fibromyalgia.

  16. Amelioration of rCBF and PbtO2 following TBI at high altitude by hyperbaric oxygen pre-conditioning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Shengli; Li, Fei; Luo, Haishui; Xia, Yongzhi; Zhang, Jiuquan; Hu, Rong; Cui, Gaoyu; Meng, Hui; Feng, Hua

    2010-03-01

    Hypobaric hypoxia at high altitude can lead to brain damage and pre-conditioning with hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) can reduce ischemic/hypoxic brain injury. This study investigates the effects of high altitude on traumatic brain injury (TBI) and examines the neuroprotection provided by HBO preconditioning against TBI. Rats were randomly divided into four groups: HBO pre-conditioning group (HBOP, n=10), high altitude group (HA, n=10), plain control group (PC, n=10) and plain sham operation group (sham, n=10). All groups were subjected to head trauma by weight drop device except for the sham group. Rats from each group were examined for neurological function, regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and brain tissue oxygen pressure (PbtO(2)) and were killed for analysis by transmission electron microscope. The score of neurological deficits in the HA group was highest, followed by the HBOP group and the PC group, respectively. Both rCBF and PbtO(2) were the lowest in the HA group. Brain morphology and structure seen via the transmission electron microscope was diminished in the HA group, while fewer pathological injuries occurred in the HBOP and PC groups. High altitude aggravates TBI significantly and HBO pre-conditioning can attenuate TBI in rats at high altitude by improvement of rCBF and PbtO(2). Pre-treatment with HBO might be beneficial for people traveling to high altitude locations.

  17. Elective Drama Course in Mathematics Education: An Assessment of Pre-Service Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sagirli, Meryem Özturan

    2014-01-01

    This study aimed to evaluate a newly introduced elective course "Drama in Mathematics Education" into mathematics education curriculum from the viewpoints of pre-service mathematics teachers. A case study was employed in the study. The study group consisted of 37 pre-service mathematics teachers who were enrolled in a Turkish state…

  18. Partial-Body Irradiation in Patients with Prostate Cancer Treated with IMRT Has Little Effect on the Composition of Serum Proteome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pietrowska, Monika; Jelonek, Karol; Polanska, Joanna; Wojakowska, Anna; Marczak, Lukasz; Chawinska, Ewa; Chmura, Aleksanda; Majewski, Wojciech; Miszczyk, Leszek; Widlak, Piotr

    2015-06-30

    Partial body irradiation during cancer radiotherapy (RT) induces a response of irradiated tissues that could be observed at the level of serum proteome. Here we aimed to characterize the response to RT in group of patients treated because of prostate cancer. Five consecutive blood samples were collected before, during, and after the end of RT in a group of 126 patients who received definitive treatment with a maximum dose of 76 Gy. Serum peptidome, which was profiled in the 2000-16,000 Da range using MALDI-MS. Serum proteins were identified and quantified using the shotgun LC-MS/MS approach. The majority of changes in serum peptidome were detected between pre-treatment samples and samples collected after 3-4 weeks of RT (~25% of registered peptides changed their abundances significantly), yet the intensity of observed changes was not correlated significantly with the degree of acute radiation toxicity or the volume of irradiated tissues. Furthermore, there were a few serum proteins identified, the abundances of which were different in pre-RT and post-RT samples, including immunity and inflammation-related factors. Observed effects were apparently weaker than in comparable groups of head and neck cancer patients in spite of similar radiation doses and volumes of irradiated tissues in both groups. We concluded that changes observed at the level of serum proteome were low for this cohort of prostate cancer patients, although the specific components involved are associated with immunity and inflammation, and reflect the characteristic acute response of the human body to radiation.

  19. Partial-Body Irradiation in Patients with Prostate Cancer Treated with IMRT Has Little Effect on the Composition of Serum Proteome

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Monika Pietrowska

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Partial body irradiation during cancer radiotherapy (RT induces a response of irradiated tissues that could be observed at the level of serum proteome. Here we aimed to characterize the response to RT in group of patients treated because of prostate cancer. Five consecutive blood samples were collected before, during, and after the end of RT in a group of 126 patients who received definitive treatment with a maximum dose of 76 Gy. Serum peptidome, which was profiled in the 2000–16,000 Da range using MALDI-MS. Serum proteins were identified and quantified using the shotgun LC-MS/MS approach. The majority of changes in serum peptidome were detected between pre-treatment samples and samples collected after 3–4 weeks of RT (~25% of registered peptides changed their abundances significantly, yet the intensity of observed changes was not correlated significantly with the degree of acute radiation toxicity or the volume of irradiated tissues. Furthermore, there were a few serum proteins identified, the abundances of which were different in pre-RT and post-RT samples, including immunity and inflammation-related factors. Observed effects were apparently weaker than in comparable groups of head and neck cancer patients in spite of similar radiation doses and volumes of irradiated tissues in both groups. We concluded that changes observed at the level of serum proteome were low for this cohort of prostate cancer patients, although the specific components involved are associated with immunity and inflammation, and reflect the characteristic acute response of the human body to radiation.

  20. The effects of surgical lengthening of hamstring muscles in children with cerebral palsy--the consequences of pre-operative muscle length measurement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laracca, Ettore; Stewart, Caroline; Postans, Neil; Roberts, Andrew

    2014-03-01

    Children with cerebral palsy often undergo multiple orthopaedic surgical procedures in a single episode. Evidence of the effectiveness of individual components within the overall package is sparse. The introduction of musculoskeletal modelling in Oswestry has led to a more conservative management approach being taken with hamstring muscles for children walking in a degree of crouch. Muscles which were shown to be of at least normal length at initial contact were not surgically lengthened, as would have been the case previously. A retrospective review of 30 such patients was therefore possible, comparing 15 patients treated before the policy change who had their hamstrings lengthened with 15 treated after who did not. All patients had pre and post operative gait assessments and significant changes were observed for each group separately and for the two groups when compared. The comparison revealed that preserving the hamstrings does tend to reduce, and therefore normalize, the dynamic muscle length. Examination of the two patient groups separately, however, reveals a more complex picture with more global gait improvements seen when the hamstrings were lengthened. No absolute recommendation can be made to inform the clinical management of all children with normal to long hamstring muscles during gait. The final decision of whether to include a hamstring lengthening will need to take into account the characteristics of the individual child. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. SBR treatment of olive mill wastewaters: dilution or pre-treatment?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farabegoli, G; Chiavola, A; Rolle, E

    2012-01-01

    The olive-oil extraction industry is an economically important activity for many countries of the Mediterranean Sea area, with Spain, Greece and Italy being the major producers. This activity, however, may represent a serious environmental problem due to the discharge of highly polluted effluents, usually referred to as 'olive mill wastewaters' (OMWs). They are characterized by high values of chemical oxygen demand (COD) (80-300 g/L), lipids, total polyphenols (TPP), tannins and other substances difficult to degrade. An adequate treatment before discharging is therefore required to reduce the pollutant load. The aim of the present paper was to evaluate performances of a biological process in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) fed with pre-treated OMWs. Pre-treatment consisted of a combined acid cracking (AC) and granular activated carbon (GAC) adsorption process. The efficiency of the system was compared with that of an identical SBR fed with the raw wastewater only diluted. Combined AC and GAC adsorption was chosen to be used prior to the following biological process due to its capability of providing high removal efficiencies of COD and TPP and also appreciable improvement of biodegradability. Comparing results obtained with different influents showed that best performances of the SBR were obtained by feeding it with raw diluted OMWs (dOMWs) and at the lowest dilution ratio (1:25): in this case, the removal efficiencies were 90 and 76%, as average, for COD and TPP, respectively. Feeding the SBR with either the pre-treated or the raw dOMWs at 1:50 gave very similar values of COD reduction (74%); however, an improvement of the TPP removal was observed in the former case.

  2. Cytoarchitectural effects of ethanolic leaf extract of Newbouldia laevis

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The pre-cisplatin group was treated with 100mg/kg body weight of ethanolic leaf extract of N. laevis for twelve weeks before being treated with 8mg/kg of cisplatin ... The testicular sections of pre-cisplatin group showed remarkable preservation of the original testicular and epididymal cytoarchitecture, compared to the ...

  3. Evaluation of chemical, thermobaric and thermochemical pre-treatment on anaerobic digestion of high-fat cattle slaughterhouse waste.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harris, Peter W; Schmidt, Thomas; McCabe, Bernadette K

    2017-11-01

    This work aimed to enhance the anaerobic digestion of fat-rich dissolved air flotation (DAF) sludge through chemical, thermobaric, and thermochemical pre-treatment methods. Soluble chemical oxygen demand was enhanced from 16.3% in the control to 20.84% (thermobaric), 40.82% (chemical), and 50.7% (thermochemical). Pre-treatment altered volatile fatty acid concentration by -64% (thermobaric), 127% (chemical) and 228% (thermochemical). Early inhibition was reduced by 20% in the thermochemical group, and 100% in the thermobaric group. Specific methane production was enhanced by 3.28% (chemical), 8.32% (thermobaric), and 8.49% (thermochemical) as a result of pre-treatment. Under batch digestion, thermobaric pre-treatment demonstrated the greatest improvement in methane yield with respect to degree of pre-treatment applied. Thermobaric pre-treatment was also the most viable for implementation at slaughterhouses, with potential for heat-exchange to reduce pre-treatment cost. Further investigation into long-term impact of pre-treatments in semi-continuous digestion experiments will provide additional evaluation of appropriate pre-treatment options for high-fat slaughterhouse wastewater. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  4. [Ocular Surface Evaluation in Patients Treated with Prostaglandin Analogues Considering Preservative Agent].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mlčáková, E; Mlčák, P; Karhanová, M; Langová, K; Marešová, K

    The aim of this study was to evaluate the ocular surface in patients treated with prostaglandin analogues considering contained preservative agent. 60 patients with glaucoma or ocular hypertension treated with prostaglandin analogue monotherapy were enrolled in this observational study. 20 patients with glaucoma suspect or ocular hypertension without local or systemic glaucoma medication formed the control group. Demographic data and medical history were recorded for each participant. Patients filled in the Ocular surface disease index© (OSDI) questionnaire and underwent an ophthalmological examination including assessment of conjunctival hyperaemia according to Efron, tear film break up time (BUT) and fluorescein staining according to the Oxford grading scheme. Treated participants were divided into 3 groups according to the preservative contained in the currently used prostaglandin analogue: the preservative-free group (18 patients), the polyquaternium group (17 patients) and the benzalkonium chloride (BAK) group (25 patients). The control group had significantly lower fluorescein staining than the preservative-free group (p=0.001), the polyquaternium group (p=0.007) and the BAK group (p=0.002). The conjunctival hyperaemia was significantly lower in the preservative-free group compared to the polyquaternium group (p=0.011). There was no significant difference among the other groups. The difference neither in the OSDI score nor in the BUT was statistically important. This study confirmed that the ocular surface is worse in patients treated with prostaglandin analogue monotherapy than in people without glaucoma medication. A significant difference among treated patients depending on a preservative agent was not proved.Key words: benzalkonium chloride, glaucoma, ocular surface disease, preservatives, prostaglandin analogues.

  5. Randomized controlled trial of group cognitive behavioral therapy compared to a discussion group for co-morbid anxiety and depression in older adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wuthrich, V M; Rapee, R M; Kangas, M; Perini, S

    2016-03-01

    Co-morbid anxiety and depression in older adults is associated with worse physical and mental health outcomes and poorer response to psychological and pharmacological treatments in older adults. However, there is a paucity of research focused on testing the efficacy of the co-morbid treatment of anxiety and depression in older adults using psychological interventions. Accordingly, the primary objective of the current study was to test the effects of a group cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) program in treating co-morbid anxiety and depression in a sample of older age adults. A total of 133 community-dwelling participants aged ⩾60 years (mean age = 67.35, s.d. = 5.44, male = 59) with both an anxiety disorder and unipolar mood disorder, as assessed on the Anxiety Disorder Interview Schedule (ADIS), were randomly allocated to an 11-week CBT group or discussion group. Participants with Mini-Mental State Examination scores <26 were excluded. Participants were assessed pre-treatment, post-treatment and at 6 months follow-up on the ADIS, a brief measure of well-being, Geriatric Anxiety Inventory and Geriatric Depression Scale. Both conditions resulted in significant improvements over time on all diagnostic, symptom and wellbeing measures. Significant group × time interaction effects emerged at post-treatment only for diagnostic severity of the primary disorder, mean severity of all anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and all disorders, and recovery rates on primary disorder. Group CBT produced faster and sustained improvements in anxiety and depression on diagnostic severity and recovery rates compared to an active control in older adults.

  6. Fuel pin failure in the PFR/TREAT experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Herbert, R.; Hunter, C.W.; Kramer, J.M.; Wood, M.H.; Wright, A.E.

    1986-01-01

    The PFR/TREAT safety testing programme involves the transient testing of fresh and pre-irradiated UK and US fuel pins. This paper summarizes the experimental and calculational results obtained to date on fuel pin failure during transient overpower (resulting from an accidental addition of resolivity) and transient undercooling followed by overpower (arising from an accidental stoppage of the primary sodium circulating pumps) accidents. Companion papers at this conference address: (I) the progress and future plans of the programme, and (II) post-failure material movements

  7. The Effects of Coordination and Movement Education on Pre School Children's Basic Motor Skills Improvement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Altinkök, Mustafa

    2016-01-01

    This research was conducted for the purpose of analyzing the effect of the movement education program through a 12-week-coordination on the development of basic motor movements of pre-school children. A total of 78 students of pre-school period, 38 of whom were in the experimental group and 40 of whom were in the control group, were incorporated…

  8. Effects of Enzyme Treated Palm Kernel Expeller on Metabolizable Energy, Growth Performance, Villus Height and Digesta Viscosity in Broiler Chickens

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P. Saenphoom

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available This study examined whether pre-treating palm kernel expeller (PKE with exogenous enzyme would degrade its fiber content; thus improving its metabolizable energy (ME, growth performance, villus height and digesta viscosity in broiler chickens fed diets containing PKE. Our results showed that enzyme treatment decreased (p0.05 among treatment groups in the finisher period, ADG of chickens in the control (PKE-free diet was higher (p0.05 FCR. The intestinal villus height and crypt depth (duodenum, jejunum and ileum were not different (p>0.05 among treatments except for duodenal crypt depth. The villus height and crypt depth of birds in enzyme treated PKE diets were higher (p0.05 among treatments. Results of this study suggest that exogenous enzyme is effective in hydrolyzing the fiber (hemicellulose and cellulose component and improved the ME values of PKE, however, the above positive effects were not reflected in the growth performance in broiler chickens fed the enzyme treated PKE compared to those received raw PKE. The results suggest that PKE can be included up to 5% in the grower diet and 20% in the finisher diet without any significant negative effect on FCR in broiler chickens.

  9. Pre-Service Elementary Teachers' Motivation and Ill-Structured Problem Solving in Korea

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Min Kyeong; Cho, Mi Kyung

    2016-01-01

    This article examines the use and application of an ill-structured problem to pre-service elementary teachers in Korea in order to find implications of pre-service teacher education with regard to contextualized problem solving by analyzing experiences of ill-structured problem solving. Participants were divided into small groups depending on the…

  10. Investigation of Pre-Service Science Teachers' Attitudes towards Sustainable Environmental Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keles, Özgül

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of the current study is to investigate pre-service science teachers' sustainable environmental education attitudes and the factors affecting them in terms of some variables (gender and grade level). The study group of the current research is comprised of 154 pre-service teachers attending the Department of Science Education in the…

  11. Development code for group constant processing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Su'ud, Z.

    1997-01-01

    In this paper methods, formalism and algorithm related to group constant processing problem from basic library such as ENDF/B VI will be described. Basically the problems can be grouped as follows; the treatment of resolved resonance using NR approximation, the treatment of unresolved resonance using statistical method, the treatment of low lying resonance using intermediate resonance approximation, the treatment of thermal energy regions, and the treatment group transfer matrices cross sections. it is necessary to treat interference between resonance properly especially in the unresolved region. in this paper the resonance problems are treated based on Breit-wigner method, and doppler function is treated using Pade approximation for calculation efficiency. finally, some samples of calculational result for some nuclei, mainly for comparison between many methods are discussed in this paper

  12. 'Treats', 'sometimes foods', 'junk': a qualitative study exploring 'extra foods' with parents of young children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petrunoff, Nicholas A; Wilkenfeld, Rachel L; King, Lesley A; Flood, Victoria M

    2014-05-01

    The present study investigated parents' understanding and approaches to providing energy-dense and nutrient-poor 'extra foods' to pre-school children and explored variation between parents of low and high socio-economic status in relation to these issues. We conducted thirteen focus groups. Data were subject to framework analysis. Child-care centres in distinctly socially disadvantaged and socially advantaged areas. Eighty-eight parents of children aged 3-5 years. The three most common terms parents identified to describe foods that are not 'everyday foods' were 'treats', 'sometimes foods' and 'junk'. Parents' perceptions regarding what influences them in providing food to their children included seven sub-themes: (i) the influence of the child; (ii) food-related parenting practices; (iii) health considerations; (iv) food costs and convenience; (v) external factors perceived as influencing their child; (vi) factors related to child care; and (vii) social influences and occasions. Parents' decision-making processes regarding provision of 'extra foods' related to moderation and balance. Parents generally expressed the position that as long as a child is eating healthy foods, then treats are appropriate; and for many parents, this might apply frequently. All groups described the health of their child as an influence, but parents in low socio-economic groups were more likely to describe immediate concerns (dental health, behaviour) in relation to avoiding sugar-dense food or drink. The belief that provision of 'extra foods' can be frequent as long as children are eating a healthy balance of foods is factored into parents' decision making. Challenging this belief may be important for reducing the consumption of 'extra foods' by young children.

  13. Proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines present in the acute phase of experimental colitis treated with Saccharomyces boulardii.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grijó, Nathália Nahas; Borra, Ricardo Carneiro; Sdepanian, Vera Lucia

    2010-09-01

    To study the proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines present in the acute phase of trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced experimental colitis treated with Saccharomyces boulardii. Thirty male Wistar rats were divided into three groups: (1) treated group--received Saccharomyces boulardii for 14 days; (2) non-treated group--received sodium chloride solution for 14 days; (3) control group. Colitis was induced on the seventh day of the study in the treated and the non-treated groups using TNBS (10 mg) dissolved in 50% ethanol. Quantification of cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-1beta (IL-1beta), IL-6, transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta), IL-10 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), in the serum and colonic tissue collected on day 14 were carried out using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The mean concentrations of TGF-beta in both the serum and the colonic tissue of the treated group were statistically higher than that of the control group. The mean concentration of TGF-beta in the colonic tissue of the non-treated group was also statistically higher than the control group. The group treated with Saccharomyces boulardii showed increased amounts of TGF-beta, an anti-inflammatory cytokine, during the acute phase of colitis. There were no differences in the amount of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, IL-6, and IL-10 between the treated and the non-treated or the control groups during the acute phase of experimental colitis induced by TNBS.

  14. Stimulation of development of notion about syntax in pre-school children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nikolić Mirjana

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a part of the research the goal of which was to study the notion about syntax as one of the meta-linguistic abilities that contributes to adoption of reading. Research comprised two hundred children of pre-school age, divided into two groups, balanced according to gender, intelligence and socioeconomic status. The research was conducted by an experimental method test-retest. In the initial measuring, experimental and control group were given the list comprising three kinds of experimental tasks for determining the level of development of notion about syntax, constructed by the author of the research. Experimental program consisted of tasks for stimulation of development of notion about syntax, which children practiced in the course of ten days (up to 30 minutes a day, with the help of previously trained pre-school teachers. After the ten-day training, final measuring in both groups was performed in both groups of respondents, by parallel form of tasks. The goal of the research was to determine whether it is possible to encourage the development of notion about syntax in children of pre-school age by systematic practice. The results of final measuring indicate that both in experimental and control group there have been significant improvements with respect to development of notion about syntax, and that the number of answers in which judgement was based on the semantic criterion (experience and meaning was significantly reduced. In making judgements based on consequences (content of the sentence points to something which is a good or not a good thing to do, moral or immoral there were no significant differences in the final compared to the initial measuring in both groups. Significant differences in retest were found in making judgements based on meaning. The mere experience with test material at pre-school age brings about the improvement of the notion about language, and practice contributes considerably to shifting the

  15. Portable OCT-assisted surgical treatment of intracorneal pre-Descemet epithelial cyst: a case report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Sang Woo; Kim, Eung Kweon

    2017-08-29

    Intracorneal epithelial cysts are a rare clinical condition that can occur anywhere in the corneal tissue; however, they appear most commonly in the stroma. They are sometimes challenging to treat because of their location, depth, and visual outcomes. Herein, we report a pre-Descemet epithelial cyst that was successfully treated surgically, with guidance from Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography (FD-OCT). This interventional case report presents a patient with gradually decreasing vision caused by a pre-Descemet epithelial cyst. A 4-year-old girl with no history of trauma or ocular surgery showed a deep-seated intracorneal cyst in her left eye (8 o'clock corneoscleral area, dissecting into the pre-Descemet cornea). The cyst was threatening the visual axis. An epithelial cyst was diagnosed after drainage on the basis of the cyst contents. We irrigated inside the cyst using 10% trichloroacetic acid (TCA), distilled water, and 1% 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) solutions for chemical cyto-destruction of the lining epithelial cells of the cystic wall. We used a portable FD-OCT during operation to guide this procedure, without perforating the Descemet's membrane and endothelial layer. Recurrence could be prevented after removal of the cystic tissue located in the sclera area outside of the limbus. No recurrence was noted during the 4-year follow-up. When treating centrally deep-seated intracorneal epithelial cysts, clinicians must consider recurrence, endothelial damage, and visual outcome. Herein we report the case of a deep-seated, intracorneoscleral epithelial cyst that was completely resolved with chemical cyto-destruction and removal of the intrascleral cystic tissue under the guidance with FD-OCT; thus, endothelial damage could be minimized.

  16. What is the place of pre-exposure prophylaxis in HIV prevention?

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Man, Jeroen; Colebunders, Robert; Florence, Eric; Laga, Marie; Kenyon, Christopher

    2013-01-01

    New tools are needed to bring down ongoing high HIV incidence. This review aims to evaluate the place of one of these new tools (pre-exposure prophylaxis) in a comprehensive prevention strategy. Several trials have demonstrated the safety and the efficacy of pre-exposure prophylaxis in HIV prevention. Two large trials have, however, failed to show such efficacy. This was likely due to poor adherence in these trials. New forms of long-acting pre-exposure prophylaxis currently in trials may deal with these problems of low adherence. Pre-exposure prophylaxis has been demonstrated to be cost-effective within certain settings. The introduction of pre-exposure prophylaxis into prevention programs needs to be carefully thought through. For example, pre-exposure prophylaxis-induced risk compensation, at both an individual and population level, could undermine other aspects of a comprehensive HIV prevention program. In conclusion, pre-exposure prophylaxis could be a useful additional tool for the prevention of HIV in specific high-risk groups. It should be implemented in a way that deals with issues such as ensuring high adherence and ensuring that pre-exposure prophylaxis does not detract from, but complements, other more fundamental elements of HIV prevention programs.

  17. Treat-to-target in systemic lupus erythematosus

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mosca, Marta; Boumpas, Dimitrios T; Bruce, Ian N

    2013-01-01

    Multiple clinical trials performed over twenty years in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have clearly demonstrated that patients have better outcomes if their disease activity at each time-point for follow-up includes a pre-specified target. A European SLE expert panel met in Zurich...... on May 8, 2012 to discuss whether a treat-to-target approach could be applied in the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) (T2T/SLE), define a research agenda, and establish a plan for moving forward. In the present paper, observations raised at the meeting and literature data on potential...

  18. Pre-symptomatic increase in urine-orosomucoid excretion in pre-eclamptic women

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kronborg, Camilla Skovhus; Allen, Jim; Vittinghus, Erik

    2007-01-01

    , 32 women developed pre-eclampsia, and 5 controls for every case of pre-eclampsia were found. Blood samples were collected 4 times and urine samples 6 times from the 18/19th week and throughout pregnancy. Orosomucoid and albumin in plasma were analysed by standard methods, and in urine by sandwich...... in orosomucoid. In the plasma samples, orosomucoid was significantly higher late in pre-eclamptic pregnancies (>or=36th week, p=0.0275). CONCLUSIONS: Pre-eclampsia is associated with a pre-symptomatic increase in the urine excretion of orosomucoid, and orosomucoid excretion precedes that of albumin. Orosomucoid...... excretion can probably be used as a prognostic tool in combination with other screening methods, and seems to be a more sensitive marker for evolving pre-eclampsia than albumin. Plasma orosomucoid is significantly increased late in pre-eclampsia. Thus, the increased excretion of orosomucoid must primarily...

  19. Small-Group Phonological Awareness Training for Pre-Kindergarten Children with Hearing Loss Who Wear Cochlear Implants and/or Hearing Aids

    Science.gov (United States)

    Werfel, Krystal L.; Douglas, Michael; Ackal, Leigh

    2016-01-01

    This case report details a year-long phonological awareness (PA) intervention for pre-kindergarten children with hearing loss (CHL) who use listening and spoken language. All children wore cochlear implants and/or hearing aids. Intervention occurred for 15 min/day, 4 days per week across the pre-kindergarten school year and was delivered by…

  20. Antidepressant monotherapy in pre-bipolar depression; predictive value and inherent risk.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Donovan, Claire; Garnham, Julie S; Hajek, Tomas; Alda, Martin

    2008-04-01

    To identify specific treatment-emergent symptoms in response to antidepressant therapy in depression preceding bipolar disorder. Retrospective chart review of response to antidepressants in "pre-bipolar" depression, compared to a matched unipolar sample. Family history of completed suicide (p=0.0003) and bipolar disorder (p=0.004) were more common in the pre-bipolar subgroup. Earlier age of onset of diagnosed depression (p=0.005) as well as even earlier episodes of untreated retrospectively diagnosed major depression (p<0.0001) were associated with a future bipolar course. The pre-bipolar group was less likely to respond to antidepressant treatment (p=0.009). Treatment-emergent "mixed" symptoms (two or more symptoms of DSM IV mania, mood lability, irritability/rage with co-existing depression) and in particular, "serious symptoms" (treatment emergent or increased agitation, rage or suicidality) occurred more commonly in the bipolar group. The two variables that best accounted for the between-group differences in logistic regression, were early age at first symptoms of depression and treatment-emergent agitation. Family history of completed suicide and/or bipolar disorder, early onset of depressive symptoms as well as treatment-emergent "mixed" symptoms are common in depression preceding the diagnosis of bipolar disorder.

  1. The Combination of Pixantrone, Etoposide, Bendamustine and, in CD20+ Tumors, Rituximab (PREBEN) Shows Promising Feasibility/Efficacy in Heavily Pre-Treated Aggressive Lymphomas of B- and T-Cell Phenotype - Results of the Pre-Trial Experience Leading to a Nordic Phase 1/2 Study (the PREBEN Trial)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Clausen, Michael Roost; Leppa, Sirpa; Brown, Peter de Nully

    2016-01-01

    Background: Aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma (aNHL) relapsing after high-dose therapy or, in not transplant-eligible patients, after 1st-line chemotherapy represents an unmet clinical need. Therefore, we aimed at evaluating a salvage combination regimen based on pixantrone, an aza-anthracenadione ......Background: Aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma (aNHL) relapsing after high-dose therapy or, in not transplant-eligible patients, after 1st-line chemotherapy represents an unmet clinical need. Therefore, we aimed at evaluating a salvage combination regimen based on pixantrone, an aza......IND developed acute myeloid leukemia with therapy-related cytogenetic features.Conclusions: The PREBEN/PEBEN salvage regimen was feasible in a heavily pre-treated cohort of elderly patients with high-risk aNHL. In individual patients it elicited substantial and durable responses early in the course of therapy...

  2. PreCam

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Allam, Sahar S. [Fermilab; Tucker, Douglas L. [Fermilab

    2015-01-01

    The Dark Energy Survey (DES) will be taking the next step in probing the properties of Dark Energy and in understanding the physics of cosmic acceleration. A step towards the photometric calibration of DES is to have a quick, bright survey in the DES footprint (PreCam), using a pre-production set of the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) CCDs and a set of 100 mm×100 mm DES filters. The objective of the PreCam Survey is to create a network of calibrated DES grizY standard stars that will be used for DES nightly calibrations and to improve the DES global relative calibrations. Here, we describe the first year of PreCam observation, results, and photometric calibrations.

  3. Pre-analytic phase in molecular biology: criticism and non-compliance management

    OpenAIRE

    Catia Sias; Loredana Aleo; Stefania Di Filippo; Marco Paterno; Anna Rosa Garbuglia; Maria Rosaria Capobianchi

    2010-01-01

    Introduction: During workflow in Laboratories the most delicate and important step is pre-analytic sample treatment because it involves more than one operator of the same structure and often different health services. In fact, the biological materials used for the diagnosis should be collected, sent and properly treated before the analytic phase. Correct methods for collecting and handling biological materials, including guidelines to users of laboratory services, improve performance of Labor...

  4. [Study on immunogenicity of group A and group C meningococcal conjugate vaccine with coupling group B meningococcal outer membrane protein].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Fu-Bao; Tao, Hong; Wang, Hong-Jun

    2009-10-01

    To evaluate the Immunogenicity of Group A and Group C Meningococcal conjugate Vaccine with coupling Group B Meningococcal Outer Membrane Protein (Men B-OMP). 458 healthy children aged 3-5 months, 6-23 months, 2-6 years and 7-24 years were given the Groups A and C conjugate Vaccine with MenB-OMP or other vaccine as control group to measure the pre-and post-vaccination Men A and C and B by Serum Bactericidal Assay (SBA) in the double-blind randomized controlled trial. 97.65%-100% were 4 times or greater increase in SBA titer for the healthy children given the Groups A and C conjugate Vaccine with MenB-OMP, The geometric mean titer of SBA were 1:194-1:420, which significantly higber than controls. The Group A and C conjugate Vaccine with MenB-OMP was safe and well immunogenic.

  5. The top five research priorities in physician-provided pre-hospital critical care: a consensus report from a European research collaboration

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lockey David

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Physician-manned emergency medical teams supplement other emergency medical services in some countries. These teams are often selectively deployed to patients who are considered likely to require critical care treatment in the pre-hospital phase. The evidence base for guidelines for pre-hospital triage and immediate medical care is often poor. We used a recognised consensus methodology to define key priority areas for research within the subfield of physician-provided pre-hospital critical care. Methods A European expert panel participated in a consensus process based upon a four-stage modified nominal group technique that included a consensus meeting. Results The expert panel concluded that the five most important areas for further research in the field of physician-based pre-hospital critical care were the following: Appropriate staffing and training in pre-hospital critical care and the effect on outcomes, advanced airway management in pre-hospital care, definition of time windows for key critical interventions which are indicated in the pre-hospital phase of care, the role of pre-hospital ultrasound and dispatch criteria for pre-hospital critical care services. Conclusion A modified nominal group technique was successfully used by a European expert group to reach consensus on the most important research priorities in physician-provided pre-hospital critical care.

  6. Health care provider knowledge and routine management of pre-eclampsia in Pakistan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sheikh, Sana; Qureshi, Rahat Najam; Khowaja, Asif Raza; Salam, Rehana; Vidler, Marianne; Sawchuck, Diane; von Dadelszen, Peter; Zaidi, Shujat; Bhutta, Zulfiqar

    2016-09-30

    Maternal mortality ratio is 276 per 100,000 live births in Pakistan. Eclampsia is responsible for one in every ten maternal deaths despite the fact that management of this disease is inexpensive and has been available for decades. Many studies have shown that health care providers in low and middle-income countries have limited training to manage patients with eclampsia. Hence, we aimed to explore the knowledge of different cadres of health care providers regarding aetiology, diagnosis and treatment of pre-eclampsia and eclampsia and current management practices. We conducted a mixed method study in the districts of Hyderabad and Matiari in Sindh province, Pakistan. Focus group discussions and interviews were conducted with community health care providers, which included Lady Health Workers and their supervisors; traditional birth attendants and facility care providers. In total seven focus groups and 26 interviews were conducted. NVivo 10 was used for analysis and emerging themes and sub-themes were drawn. All participants were providing care for pregnant women for more than a decade except one traditional birth attendant and two doctors. The most common cause of pre-eclampsia mentioned by community health care providers was stress of daily life: the burden of care giving, physical workload, short birth spacing and financial constraints. All health care provider groups except traditional birth attendants correctly identified the signs, symptoms, and complications of pre-eclampsia and eclampsia and were referring such women to tertiary health facilities. Only doctors were aware that magnesium sulphate is recommended for eclampsia management and prevention; however, they expressed fears regarding its use at first and secondary level health facilities. This study found several gaps in knowledge regarding aetiology, diagnosis and treatment of pre-eclampsia among health care providers in Sindh. Findings suggest that lesser knowledge regarding management of pre

  7. Policy implications of the widespread practice of 'pre-drinking' or 'pre-gaming' before going to public drinking establishments: are current prevention strategies backfiring?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wells, Samantha; Graham, Kathryn; Purcell, John

    2009-01-01

    To describe the research, policy and prevention implications of pre-drinking or pre-gaming; that is, planned heavy drinking prior to going to a public drinking establishment. The authors describe the phenomenon of pre-drinking, motivations for pre-drinking and its associated risks using available research literature, media and popular internet vehicles. Heavy drinking prior to going out has emerged as a common and celebrated practice among young adults around the world. Apparent motivations are: (i) to avoid paying for high priced drinks at commercial drinking establishments; (ii) to achieve drunkenness and enhance and extend the night out; and (iii) to socialize with friends, reduce social anxiety or enhance male group bonding before going out. Limited existing research on pre-drinking suggests that it is associated with heavy drinking and harmful consequences. We argue that policies focused upon reducing drinking in licensed premises may have the unintended consequence of displacing drinking to pre-drinking environments, possibly resulting in greater harms. Effective policy and prevention for drinking in licensed premises requires a comprehensive approach that takes into account the entire drinking occasion (not just drinking that occurs in the licensed environment), as well as the 'determined drunkenness' goal of some young people.

  8. Control of biological growth in recirculating cooling systems using treated secondary effluent as makeup water with monochloramine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chien, Shih-Hsiang; Chowdhury, Indranil; Hsieh, Ming-Kai; Li, Heng; Dzombak, David A; Vidic, Radisav D

    2012-12-01

    Secondary-treated municipal wastewater, an abundant and widely distributed impaired water source, is a promising alternative water source for thermoelectric power plant cooling. However, excessive biological growth is a major challenge associated with wastewater reuse in cooling systems as it can interfere with normal system operation as well as enhance corrosion and scaling problems. Furthermore, possible emission of biological aerosols (e.g., Legionella pneumophila) with the cooling tower drift can lead to public health concerns within the zone of aerosol deposition. In this study, the effectiveness of pre-formed and in-situ-formed monochloramine was evaluated for its ability to control biological growth in recirculating cooling systems using secondary-treated municipal wastewater as the only makeup water source. Bench-scale studies were compared with pilot-scale studies for their ability to predict system behavior under realistic process conditions. Effectiveness of the continuous addition of pre-formed monochloramine and monochloramine formed in-situ through the reaction of free chlorine with ammonia in the incoming water was evaluated in terms of biocide residual and its ability to control both planktonic and sessile microbial populations. Results revealed that monochloramine can effectively control biofouling in cooling systems employing secondary-treated municipal wastewater and has advantages relative to use of free chlorine, but that bench-scale studies seriously underestimate biocide dose and residual requirements for proper control of biological growth in full-scale systems. Pre-formed monochloramine offered longer residence time and more reliable performance than in-situ-formed monochloramine due to highly variable ammonia concentration in the recirculating water caused by ammonia stripping in the cooling tower. Pilot-scale tests revealed that much lower dosing rate was required to maintain similar total chlorine residual when pre-formed monochloramine

  9. Observation on Efficacy of Puerarin in Treating Diabetic Retino pathy

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    任平; 胡惠君; 张瑞

    2002-01-01

    Objective: Using the principle of promoting blood circulation to remove s tasis to observe central retinal arterial and venous blood flow indexes, and hemorrheology of diabetic retinopathy patients with puerarin. Methods: Thirty patients with diabetic retinopathy were randomly divided into the treated group (n=15) and the control group (n=15). The treated group was given puerarin 400 mg per day intravenously dripping. The control group was given Mikebao 500 μg intramuscularly, once per day. Both groups were treated for 3 co nsecutive weeks as one treatment course. Two courses later, hemorrheologic parameters, central retinal arterial and venous blood flow indexes were observed . Results: Comparison before and after treatment showed red blood cell aggregation index, the whole bloo d viscosity rate, plasma viscosity rate, fibrinogen and erythrocyte sedimentatio n rate, have all improved obviously (P<0.05, P<0.01). Compared wi th the control gro up, there was significant difference (P<0.05, P<0.01). With the treated group before and after treatment, the peak systolic velocity (P SV) of c entral retinal artery, their end diastolic volume, the acceleration, the central retinal venous reflux velocity have improved respectively. Nak ed eye visions were also improved, compared with the control group, the differe nce was significant (P<0.01). Conclusion: Puerarin could reduc e bl ood viscosity, improve microcirculation, and play a positive therapeutic role i n diabetic retinopathy.

  10. Avascular osteonecrosis in patients treated for Hodgkin's disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Enrici, R.M.; Donato, V.; Santoro, M.; Tombolini, V.; Anselmo, A.P.

    1998-01-01

    The aim of this study is to assess the risk of avascular osteonecrosis (AVN) of the femoral head in patients treated for Hodgkin's disease (HD), in relation to the type of treatment they have received. For this purpose, a cohort of 1391 patients treated for HD at University of Rome between 1972 and 1996 was divided into 2 groups according to their initial treatment. The first group contained 784 patients treated, at the onset of HD, either with chemotherapy (CT) containing steroids, combined in some cases with subdiaphragmatic radiotherapy (RT), or with subdiaphragmatic RT combined with CT without steroids. The second group was made up of 607 patients who had received, initially, supradiaphragmatic RT alone or supradiaphragmatic RT combined with CT without steroids. For the purpose of this study, only the 784 patients belonging to the first group were observed for the appearance of AVN, which occurred in 9 cases. The period of time which elapsed between the end of treatment and the radiological evidence of AVN ranged from 23 to 97 months, with an average of 35 months. Because the number of cases of AVN was so small, the pathogenesis of this complication could not be identified. (au)

  11. Pre- versus post-exercise protein intake has similar effects on muscular adaptations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schoenfeld, Brad Jon; Aragon, Alan; Wilborn, Colin; Urbina, Stacie L; Hayward, Sara E; Krieger, James

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to test the anabolic window theory by investigating muscle strength, hypertrophy, and body composition changes in response to an equal dose of protein consumed either immediately pre- versus post-resistance training (RT) in trained men. Subjects were 21 resistance-trained men (>1 year RT experience) recruited from a university population. After baseline testing, participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 experimental groups: a group that consumed a supplement containing 25 g protein and 1 g carbohydrate immediately prior to exercise (PRE-SUPP) ( n  = 9) or a group that consumed the same supplement immediately post-exercise (POST-SUPP) ( n  = 12). The RT protocol consisted of three weekly sessions performed on non-consecutive days for 10 weeks. A total-body routine was employed with three sets of 8-12 repetitions for each exercise. Results showed that pre- and post-workout protein consumption had similar effects on all measures studied ( p  > 0.05). These findings refute the contention of a narrow post-exercise anabolic window to maximize the muscular response and instead lends support to the theory that the interval for protein intake may be as wide as several hours or perhaps more after a training bout depending on when the pre-workout meal was consumed.

  12. Pre- versus post-exercise protein intake has similar effects on muscular adaptations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Brad Jon Schoenfeld

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to test the anabolic window theory by investigating muscle strength, hypertrophy, and body composition changes in response to an equal dose of protein consumed either immediately pre- versus post-resistance training (RT in trained men. Subjects were 21 resistance-trained men (>1 year RT experience recruited from a university population. After baseline testing, participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 experimental groups: a group that consumed a supplement containing 25 g protein and 1 g carbohydrate immediately prior to exercise (PRE-SUPP (n = 9 or a group that consumed the same supplement immediately post-exercise (POST-SUPP (n = 12. The RT protocol consisted of three weekly sessions performed on non-consecutive days for 10 weeks. A total-body routine was employed with three sets of 8–12 repetitions for each exercise. Results showed that pre- and post-workout protein consumption had similar effects on all measures studied (p > 0.05. These findings refute the contention of a narrow post-exercise anabolic window to maximize the muscular response and instead lends support to the theory that the interval for protein intake may be as wide as several hours or perhaps more after a training bout depending on when the pre-workout meal was consumed.

  13. Seismic facies analysis from pre-stack data using self-organizing maps

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kourki, Meysam; Ali Riahi, Mohammad

    2014-01-01

    In facies analysis, seismic data are clustered in different groups. Each group represents subsurface points with similar physical properties. Different groups can be related to differences in lithology, physical properties of rocks and fluid changes in the rocks. The supervised and unsupervised data clustering are known as two types of clustering architecture. In supervised clustering, the number of clusters is predefined, while in unsupervised clustering, a collection of patterns partitions into groups without predefined clusters. In this study, the pre-stack data clustering is used for seismic facies analysis. In this way, a horizon was selected from pre-stack data, followed by sorting of data using offset. A trace associated with each CDP is constructed, for which the first and second samples are related to the first and second offsets, respectively. The created trace is called consolidated trace which is characteristic of subsurface points. These consolidated traces are clustered by using self-organizing maps (SOM). In proposed pre-stack seismic data clustering, points with similar physical properties are placed in one cluster. Seismic data associated with hydrocarbon reservoirs have very different characteristics that are easily recognized. The efficiency of the proposed method was tested on both synthetic and real seismic data. The results showed that the algorithm improves the data classification and the points of different properties are noticeable in final maps. (paper)

  14. Ramucirumab for Treating Advanced Gastric Cancer or Gastro-Oesophageal Junction Adenocarcinoma Previously Treated with Chemotherapy: An Evidence Review Group Perspective of a NICE Single Technology Appraisal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Büyükkaramikli, Nasuh C; Blommestein, Hedwig M; Riemsma, Rob; Armstrong, Nigel; Clay, Fiona J; Ross, Janine; Worthy, Gill; Severens, Johan; Kleijnen, Jos; Al, Maiwenn J

    2017-12-01

    The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) invited the company that manufactures ramucirumab (Cyramza ® , Eli Lilly and Company) to submit evidence of the clinical and cost effectiveness of the drug administered alone (monotherapy) or with paclitaxel (combination therapy) for treating adults with advanced gastric cancer or gastro-oesophageal junction (GC/GOJ) adenocarcinoma that were previously treated with chemotherapy, as part of the Institute's single technology appraisal (STA) process. Kleijnen Systematic Reviews Ltd (KSR), in collaboration with Erasmus University Rotterdam, was commissioned to act as the Evidence Review Group (ERG). This paper describes the company's submission, the ERG review, and NICE's subsequent decisions. Clinical effectiveness evidence for ramucirumab monotherapy (RAM), compared with best supportive care (BSC), was based on data from the REGARD trial. Clinical effectiveness evidence for ramucirumab combination therapy (RAM + PAC), compared with paclitaxel monotherapy (PAC), was based on data from the RAINBOW trial. In addition, the company undertook a network meta-analysis (NMA) to compare RAM + PAC with BSC and docetaxel. Cost-effectiveness evidence of monotherapy and combination therapy relied on partitioned survival, cost-utility models. The base-case incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of the company was £188,640 (vs BSC) per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained for monotherapy and £118,209 (vs BSC) per QALY gained for combination therapy. The ERG assessment indicated that the modelling structure represented the course of the disease; however, a few errors were identified and some of the input parameters were challenged. The ERG provided a new base case, with ICERs (vs BSC) of £188,100 (monotherapy) per QALY gained and £129,400 (combination therapy) per QALY gained and conducted additional exploratory analyses. The NICE Appraisal Committee (AC), considered the company's decision problem was in

  15. Acupuncture therapy in treating migraine: results of a magnetic resonance spectroscopy imaging study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gu, Tao; Lin, Lei; Jiang, Yun; Chen, Juan; D'Arcy, Ryan Cn; Chen, Min; Song, Xiaowei

    2018-01-01

    Acupuncture has been proven to be effective as an alternative therapy in treating migraine, but the pathophysiological mechanisms of the treatment remain unclear. This study investigated possible neurochemical responses to acupuncture treatment. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy imaging was used to investigate biochemical levels pre- and post-acupuncture treatment. Participants (N=45) included subjects diagnosed with: 1) migraine without aura; 2) cervicogenic headache; and 3) healthy controls. Participants in the two patient groups received verum acupuncture using acupoints that target migraine without aura but not cervicogenic headache, while the healthy controls received a sham treatment. All participants had magnetic resonance spectroscopy scans before and after the acupuncture therapy. Levels of brain metabolites were examined in relation to clinical headache assessment scores. A significant increase in N -acetylaspartate/creatine was observed in bilateral thalamus in migraine without aura after the acupuncture treatment, which was significantly correlated with the headache intensity score. The data demonstrate brain biochemical changes underlying the effect of acupuncture treatment of migraine.

  16. Employment of modified Fe3 O4 nanoparticles using thermo-sensitive polymer for extraction and pre-concentration of cefexime in biological samples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Naghibi, Saman; Sahebi, Hamed

    2018-02-01

    Cefexime is a useful antibiotic that can be prescribed to treat bacterial infections. Nanoparticles have been widely marketed as a universal solution among scientists. Many studies have been performed to modify nanoparticles to make them functional as extraction and pre-concentration agents and drug carriers. Temperature-sensitive polymers belong to a group of substances that undergo a major change in their physical features in response to temperature. Recently developed polymers can be used in many different areas, including modification of nanoparticles. In order to modify this nanoparticle, grafting copolymerization of Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles was performed using poly (N-vinylcaprolactam) and 3-allyloxy-1,2-propanediol. The optimum conditions for pre-concentration of cefexime were studied. Under these optimum conditions, extraction recovery of biological samples in the range of 71-89% was obtained. The limit of detection and precision of proposed method were 4.5 × 10 -4  μg mL -1 and analysis of cefexime, in biological samples using the proposed method, the ability of this method to extract and pre-concentrate cefexime was confirmed. Also, satisfactory results from an in vitro study on drug release in simulated intestine media were obtained. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  17. The impact of insecticide-treated school uniforms on dengue infections in school-aged children: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial in Thailand

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wilder-Smith Annelies

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background There is an urgent need to protect children against dengue since this age group is particularly sensitive to the disease. Since dengue vectors are active mainly during the day, a potential target for control should be schools where children spend a considerable amount of their day. School uniforms are the cultural norm in most developing countries, worn throughout the day. We hypothesise that insecticide-treated school uniforms will reduce the incidence of dengue infection in school-aged children. Our objective is to determine the impact of impregnated school uniforms on dengue incidence. Methods A randomised controlled trial will be conducted in eastern Thailand in a group of schools with approximately 2,000 students aged 7–18 years. Pre-fabricated school uniforms will be commercially treated to ensure consistent, high-quality insecticide impregnation with permethrin. A double-blind, randomised, crossover trial at the school level will cover two dengue transmission seasons. Discussion Practical issues and plans concerning intervention implementation, evaluation, analysing and interpreting the data, and possible policy implications arising from the trial are discussed. Trial registration clinicaltrial.gov. Registration number: NCT01563640

  18. Treating Procrastination Using Cognitive Behavior Therapy: A Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Treatment Delivered via the Internet or in Groups.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rozental, Alexander; Forsström, David; Lindner, Philip; Nilsson, Simon; Mårtensson, Lina; Rizzo, Angela; Andersson, Gerhard; Carlbring, Per

    2018-03-01

    Procrastination is a common problem among university students, with at least half of the population reporting great difficulties initiating or completing tasks and assignments. Procrastination can have a negative impact on course grades and the ability to achieve a university degree, but can also lead to psychological distress. Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) is believed to reduce procrastination, but few studies have investigated its effectiveness in a regular clinical setting. The current study explored its effects using a pragmatic randomized controlled trial comparing treatment delivered during 8 weeks as self-guided CBT via the Internet (ICBT) or as group CBT. In total, 92 university students with severe procrastination were included in the study (registered as a clinical trial on Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT02112383). Outcome measures on procrastination, depression, anxiety, and well-being were distributed at pre- and posttreatment as well as 6-month follow-up. An outcome measure of procrastination was administered weekly. Linear mixed and fixed effects models were calculated, along with improvement and deterioration rates. The results showed large within-group effect sizes on procrastination, Cohen's d of 1.29 for ICBT, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) [0.81, 1.74], and d of 1.24 for group CBT, 95% CI [0.76, 1.70], and small to moderate benefits for depression, anxiety, and well-being. In total, 33.7% were regarded as improved at posttreatment and 46.7% at follow-up. No differences between conditions were observed after the treatment period, however, participants in group CBT continued or maintained their improvement at follow-up, while participants in self-guided ICBT showed some signs of deterioration. The findings from the current study suggest that CBT might be an effective treatment for those struggling with severe procrastination, but that a group format may be better for some to sustain their benefits over time and that the clinical significance of the

  19. Impact of Structured Group Activities on Pre-Service Teachers' Beliefs about Classroom Motivation: An Exploratory Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mansfield, Caroline F.; Volet, Simone E.

    2014-01-01

    Pre-service teachers' beliefs about classroom motivation, and how these beliefs may be developed during initial teacher preparation, is a relatively new aspect of enquiry in the fields of motivation and teacher education. An empirical study, grounded in a social constructivist perspective, was designed to examine the impact of providing…

  20. Mortality and health-related quality of life in patients surgically treated for spondylodiscitis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dragsted, Casper; Aagaard, Theis; Ohrt-Nissen, Søren

    2017-01-01

    center. Indications for surgery, pre- and postoperative neurological impairment, comorbidities, and mortality were recorded. A survey was conducted on all eligible patients with the EuroQol 5-dimension (EQ-5D) questionnaire and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). RESULTS: Sixty-five patients were diagnosed...... neurological impairment. CONCLUSIONS: Several years after surgery, patients surgically treated for spondylodiscitis have significantly lower HRQL and more disability than the background population. Neurological impairment prior to index surgery predicts adverse outcome in terms of disability and lower HRQL.......PURPOSE: To assess mortality, disability, and health-related quality of life (HRQL) in patients surgically treated for spondylodiscitis. METHODS: A retrospective longitudinal study was conducted on all patients surgically treated for spondylodiscitis over a 6-year period at a single tertiary spine...

  1. Effects of 6-week pre-season plyometric training to performance characteristics in female handball players

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kale Mehmet

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a 6-week pre-season plyometric training on the performance characteristics in female handball players. Nineteen female handball players voluntarily participated in the study. They were divided into 2 groups [experimental group (ETG; N = 10, and control group (NTG; N = 9]. Both groups continued regular pre-season training for 6-weeks. The ETG also did plyometric training. Sprints (10 m, 20 m, and 30 m, squat jump (SJ, countermovement jump (CMJ, anaerobic power and capacity (AP and AC, and aerobic variables at fixed blood lactate levels (FBLLs [running velocity (RV, heart rate (HR, and oxygen consumption (VO2] were compared before and after the training. The results have shown that there are significant differences in SJ and CMJ (p<0.05, all sprints (p<0.01, AP and AC (p<0.05, VO2max (p<0.01, RV, HR, and VO2 at each of FBLLs (p<0.01 between pre- and post-training results of ETG. Pre- and post training results also showed significant differences in SJ and CMJ (p<0.05, all sprints (p<0.01, and AP (p<0.05 in NTG. In conclusion, was found that a 6-week plyometric training is an important parameter in addition to physical fitness, technical, and tactical training for the female handball players who get prepared for the woman handball super league which affects pre-season performance characteristics.

  2. Observation for clinical effect of phellodendron wet compress in treating the phlebitis caused by infusion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wan, Ying

    2018-05-01

    Aim of the study was to observe and analyze the clinical effect of phellodendron wet compress in treating the phlebitis caused by infusion. The research objects were 600 cases of phlebitis caused by infusion, all of which were treated in our hospital from June 2013 to June 2016. All patients were entitled to the right to know. They were randomly divided into the research group and the control group. Patients in the control group were treated with magnesium sulfate solution wet compress, while patients in the research group were treated with phellodendron wet compress. The effects in these two groups were observed and compared. Compared with the control group, the research group has better overall treatment efficiency, pred swelling and pain, p<0.05. Phellodendron wet compress shows a beneficial effect in treating the phlebitis caused by infusion. It can not only obviously shorten the onset of action, but also level up the overall treatment efficiency that helps patients to recover.

  3. Pre- and Postoperative Vomiting in Children Undergoing Video-Assisted Gastrostomy Tube Placement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Torbjörn Backman

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of pre- and postoperative vomiting in children undergoing a Video-Assisted Gastrostomy (VAG operation. Patients and Methods. 180 children underwent a VAG operation and were subdivided into groups based on their underlying diagnosis. An anamnesis with respect to vomiting was taken from each of the children’s parents before the operation. After the VAG operation, all patients were followed prospectively at one and six months after surgery. All complications including vomiting were documented according to a standardized protocol. Results. Vomiting occurred preoperatively in 51 children (28%. One month after surgery the incidence was 43 (24% in the same group of children and six months after it was found in 40 (22%. There was a difference in vomiting frequency both pre- and postoperatively between the children in the groups with different diagnoses included in the study. No difference was noted in pre- and postoperative vomiting frequency within each specific diagnosis group. Conclusion. The preoperative vomiting symptoms persisted after the VAG operation. Neurologically impaired children had a higher incidence of vomiting than patients with other diagnoses, a well-known fact, probably due to their underlying diagnosis and not the VAG operation. This information is useful in preoperative counselling.

  4. Reproductive and Productive Performance of Iraqi Buffaloes as Influenced by Pre-Mating and Pre-Calving Concentrate Supplementation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Talal Anwer Abdulkareem*, Sawsan Ali Al-Sharifi, Sajeda Mahdi Eidan and R.G. Sasser1

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available The objective of the present study was to investigate the influence of pre-mating and pre-calving concentrate supplementation of Iraqi buffaloes on some of the reproductive (estrus, mating, pregnancy and calving rates and productive (daily milk yield and calves birth weight traits. This study was carried out in 4 Iraqi South-central governorates using 596 pre-mating and 628 pregnant buffaloes (during the last two months of gestation. Pre-mating buffaloes were divided randomly into 496 concentrate-supplemented buffaloes (Flushing and 100 control ones. Additionally, pregnant buffaloes were also divided into 528 concentrate- supplemented buffaloes (Steaming up and 100 controls. Each buffalo within the flushing and steaming up groups were fed daily on 7 Kg of concentrate diet (13% crude protein and 1.70 Mcal of net energy for 60 days. The control buffaloes were nourished only on low-quality roughages of the area and wheat bran. Higher estrus (+15%, P<0.01, pregnancy (+23.8%, P<0.05 and calving rates (+30.8%, P<0.01 were observed in concentrate-supplemented buffaloes as compared with controls. An obvious increase in (P<0.05 calving rate (+14.7%, daily milk yield (+44.8% and calf birth weight (+25.6% were noted in steaming up buffaloes in comparison with control buffaloes. Results indicated that improvement in feeding schedule of Iraqi buffaloes during pre-mating and late gestation periods enhanced the reproductive performance and increased milk production of subsequent lactation and calf birth weight. These improvements increased owner income ($174=209,000 Iraqi dinar /buffalo from the sale of meat and milk.

  5. Cabazitaxel for Hormone-Relapsed Metastatic Prostate Cancer Previously Treated With a Docetaxel-Containing Regimen: An Evidence Review Group Perspective of a NICE Single Technology Appraisal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kearns, Benjamin; Pandor, Abdullah; Stevenson, Matt; Hamilton, Jean; Chambers, Duncan; Clowes, Mark; Graham, John; Kumar, M Satish

    2017-04-01

    As part of its single technology appraisal (STA) process, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) invited the company that manufactures cabazitaxel (Jevtana ® , Sanofi, UK) to submit evidence for the clinical and cost effectiveness of cabazitaxel for treatment of patients with metastatic hormone-relapsed prostate cancer (mHRPC) previously treated with a docetaxel-containing regimen. The School of Health and Related Research Technology Appraisal Group at the University of Sheffield was commissioned to act as the independent Evidence Review Group (ERG). The ERG produced a critical review of the evidence for the clinical and cost effectiveness of the technology based upon the company's submission to NICE. Clinical evidence for cabazitaxel was derived from a multinational randomised open-label phase III trial (TROPIC) of cabazitaxel plus prednisone or prednisolone compared with mitoxantrone plus prednisone or prednisolone, which was assumed to represent best supportive care. The NICE final scope identified a further three comparators: abiraterone in combination with prednisone or prednisolone; enzalutamide; and radium-223 dichloride for the subgroup of people with bone metastasis only (no visceral metastasis). The company did not consider radium-223 dichloride to be a relevant comparator. Neither abiraterone nor enzalutamide has been directly compared in a trial with cabazitaxel. Instead, clinical evidence was synthesised within a network meta-analysis (NMA). Results from TROPIC showed that cabazitaxel was associated with a statistically significant improvement in both overall survival and progression-free survival compared with mitoxantrone. Results from a random-effects NMA, as conducted by the company and updated by the ERG, indicated that there was no statistically significant difference between the three active treatments for both overall survival and progression-free survival. Utility data were not collected as part of the TROPIC trial, and

  6. Cognitive synergy in groups and group-to-individual transfer of decision-making competencies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Curşeu, Petru L.; Meslec, Nicoleta; Pluut, Helen; Lucas, Gerardus J. M.

    2015-01-01

    In a field study (148 participants organized in 38 groups) we tested the effect of group synergy and one's position in relation to the collaborative zone of proximal development (CZPD) on the change of individual decision-making competencies. We used two parallel sets of decision tasks reported in previous research to test rationality and we evaluated individual decision-making competencies in the pre-group and post-group conditions as well as group rationality (as an emergent group level phenomenon). We used multilevel modeling to analyze the data and the results showed that members of synergetic groups had a higher cognitive gain as compared to members of non-synergetic groups, while highly rational members (members above the CZPD) had lower cognitive gains compared to less rational group members (members situated below the CZPD). These insights extend the literature on group-to-individual transfer of learning and have important practical implications as they show that group dynamics influence the development of individual decision-making competencies. PMID:26441750

  7. Cognitive synergy in groups and group-to-individual transfer of decision-making competencies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Curşeu, Petru L; Meslec, Nicoleta; Pluut, Helen; Lucas, Gerardus J M

    2015-01-01

    In a field study (148 participants organized in 38 groups) we tested the effect of group synergy and one's position in relation to the collaborative zone of proximal development (CZPD) on the change of individual decision-making competencies. We used two parallel sets of decision tasks reported in previous research to test rationality and we evaluated individual decision-making competencies in the pre-group and post-group conditions as well as group rationality (as an emergent group level phenomenon). We used multilevel modeling to analyze the data and the results showed that members of synergetic groups had a higher cognitive gain as compared to members of non-synergetic groups, while highly rational members (members above the CZPD) had lower cognitive gains compared to less rational group members (members situated below the CZPD). These insights extend the literature on group-to-individual transfer of learning and have important practical implications as they show that group dynamics influence the development of individual decision-making competencies.

  8. A CRM domain protein functions dually in group I and group II intron splicing in land plant chloroplasts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Asakura, Yukari; Barkan, Alice

    2007-12-01

    The CRM domain is a recently recognized RNA binding domain found in three group II intron splicing factors in chloroplasts, in a bacterial protein that associates with ribosome precursors, and in a family of uncharacterized proteins in plants. To elucidate the functional repertoire of proteins with CRM domains, we studied CFM2 (for CRM Family Member 2), which harbors four CRM domains. RNA coimmunoprecipitation assays showed that CFM2 in maize (Zea mays) chloroplasts is associated with the group I intron in pre-trnL-UAA and group II introns in the ndhA and ycf3 pre-mRNAs. T-DNA insertions in the Arabidopsis thaliana ortholog condition a defective-seed phenotype (strong allele) or chlorophyll-deficient seedlings with impaired splicing of the trnL group I intron and the ndhA, ycf3-int1, and clpP-int2 group II introns (weak alleles). CFM2 and two previously described CRM proteins are bound simultaneously to the ndhA and ycf3-int1 introns and act in a nonredundant fashion to promote their splicing. With these findings, CRM domain proteins are implicated in the activities of three classes of catalytic RNA: group I introns, group II introns, and 23S rRNA.

  9. Treating rheumatoid arthritis to target: Revision of the 2014 International Expert Group Recommendations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N. T. Vatutin

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper presents a new edition (2014 of basic approaches to therapy of rheumatoid arthritis (RA based on the principle of «Treat to target », which has been elaborated by the experts of the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR and the American College of Rheumatology (ACR. The revised recommendations consider the results of numerous randomized controlled and cohort studies, as well as the data of an extensive systematic review of the literature. The new 2014 version contains 4 basic principles and 10 recommendations for the management of patients with RA. When making the updated recommendations, the experts took into account particularly issues, such as criteria for defining a remission, the need to minimize comorbidities in patients with RA and to individualize its therapy, as well as their working ability. The basic principles in the management of patients with RA, by using a treat-to-target strategy, are discussed in detail and the rewording of the main points of the 2010 recommendations and their new edition are substantiated.

  10. Endothelial activation and cardiometabolic profiles of treated and never-treated HIV infected Africans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fourie, C M T; Schutte, A E; Smith, W; Kruger, A; van Rooyen, J M

    2015-05-01

    The role the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and antiretroviral treatment on endothelial activation, and the subsequent relationship with cardiovascular disease, is not well understood. We investigated endothelial activation, inflammatory and cardiometabolic profiles, and measures of vascular structure and function of 66 antiretroviral treated (ART), 78 never-treated (no-ART) HIV infected and 165 HIV free Africans. Blood samples were obtained for biochemical analysis and blood pressure, pulse wave velocity (PWV) and carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) measurements were performed. The HIV infection duration was at least five years and the treatment 2.86±0.13 years. The intracellular adhesion molecule (ICAM) and vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM) levels were elevated in the HIV infected groups compared to the controls. The odds of higher adhesion molecule levels were increased when HIV infected (especially in the no-ART group); OR no-ART vs. no-HIV: ICAM 3.92 (2.2-7.0); VCAM 16.2 (7.5-35). ICAM and VCAM associated with HIV status and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the total group (all pART: β=-0.28, p=0.01; ART: β=-0.22, p=0.07) and TC (no-ART: β=-0.36, pART: β=-0.27, p=0.03). The ART group had an unfavourable lipid profile compared to the no-ART group. The inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein (CRP) and IL-6), PWV and IMT did not differ between the three groups. HIV infected Africans showed endothelial activation when compared to HIV free controls. The endothelial activation was not accompanied by increased inflammation (as measured with CRP and IL-6), arterial stiffness or sub-clinical atherosclerosis. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Methodologies for pre-validation of biofilters and wetlands for stormwater treatment.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kefeng Zhang

    Full Text Available Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD systems are frequently used as part of a stormwater harvesting treatment trains (e.g. biofilters (bio-retentions and rain-gardens and wetlands. However, validation frameworks for such systems do not exist, limiting their adoption for end-uses such as drinking water. The first stage in the validation framework is pre-validation, which prepares information for further validation monitoring.A pre-validation roadmap, consisting of five steps, is suggested in this paper. Detailed methods for investigating target micropollutants in stormwater, and determining challenge conditions for biofilters and wetlands, are provided.A literature review was undertaken to identify and quantify micropollutants in stormwater. MUSIC V5.1 was utilized to simulate the behaviour of the systems based on 30-year rainfall data in three distinct climate zones; outputs were evaluated to identify the threshold of operational variables, including length of dry periods (LDPs and volume of water treated per event.The paper highlights that a number of micropollutants were found in stormwater at levels above various worldwide drinking water guidelines (eight pesticides, benzene, benzo(apyrene, pentachlorophenol, di-(2-ethylhexyl-phthalate and a total of polychlorinated biphenyls. The 95th percentile LDPs was exponentially related to system design area while the 5th percentile length of dry periods remained within short durations (i.e. 2-8 hours. 95th percentile volume of water treated per event was exponentially related to system design area as a percentage of an impervious catchment area.The out-comings of this study show that pre-validation could be completed through a roadmap consisting of a series of steps; this will help in the validation of stormwater treatment systems.

  12. Determination of CT number and density profile of binderless, pre-treated and tannin-based Rhizophora spp. particleboards using computed tomography imaging and electron density phantom

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yusof, Mohd Fahmi Mohd, E-mail: mfahmi@usm.my; Hamid, Puteri Nor Khatijah Abdul; Tajuddin, Abdul Aziz [School of Physics, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Penang (Malaysia); Bauk, Sabar [School of Distance Education, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Penang (Malaysia); Hashim, Rokiah [School of Industrial Technologies, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Penang (Malaysia)

    2015-04-29

    Plug density phantoms were constructed in accordance to CT density phantom model 062M CIRS using binderless, pre-treated and tannin-based Rhizophora Spp. particleboards. The Rhizophora Spp. plug phantoms were scanned along with the CT density phantom using Siemens Somatom Definition AS CT scanner at three CT energies of 80, 120 and 140 kVp. 15 slices of images with 1.0 mm thickness each were taken from the central axis of CT density phantom for CT number and CT density profile analysis. The values were compared to water substitute plug phantom from the CT density phantom. The tannin-based Rhizophora Spp. gave the nearest value of CT number to water substitute at 80 and 120 kVp CT energies with χ{sup 2} value of 0.011 and 0.014 respectively while the binderless Rhizphora Spp. gave the nearest CT number to water substitute at 140 kVp CT energy with χ{sup 2} value of 0.023. The tannin-based Rhizophora Spp. gave the nearest CT density profile to water substitute at all CT energies. This study indicated the suitability of Rhizophora Spp. particleboard as phantom material for the use in CT imaging studies.

  13. Determination of CT number and density profile of binderless, pre-treated and tannin-based Rhizophora spp. particleboards using computed tomography imaging and electron density phantom

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yusof, Mohd Fahmi Mohd; Hamid, Puteri Nor Khatijah Abdul; Tajuddin, Abdul Aziz; Bauk, Sabar; Hashim, Rokiah

    2015-01-01

    Plug density phantoms were constructed in accordance to CT density phantom model 062M CIRS using binderless, pre-treated and tannin-based Rhizophora Spp. particleboards. The Rhizophora Spp. plug phantoms were scanned along with the CT density phantom using Siemens Somatom Definition AS CT scanner at three CT energies of 80, 120 and 140 kVp. 15 slices of images with 1.0 mm thickness each were taken from the central axis of CT density phantom for CT number and CT density profile analysis. The values were compared to water substitute plug phantom from the CT density phantom. The tannin-based Rhizophora Spp. gave the nearest value of CT number to water substitute at 80 and 120 kVp CT energies with χ 2 value of 0.011 and 0.014 respectively while the binderless Rhizphora Spp. gave the nearest CT number to water substitute at 140 kVp CT energy with χ 2 value of 0.023. The tannin-based Rhizophora Spp. gave the nearest CT density profile to water substitute at all CT energies. This study indicated the suitability of Rhizophora Spp. particleboard as phantom material for the use in CT imaging studies

  14. A consensus-based template for documenting and reporting in physician-staffed pre-hospital services

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kruger, Andreas J; Lockey, David; Kurola, Jouni

    2011-01-01

    -staffed pre-hospital services in Europe. METHODS: Using predefined criteria, we recruited sixteen European experts in the field of pre-hospital care. These experts were guided through a four-step modified nominal group technique. The process was carried out using both e-mail-based communication and a plenary...... have established a core data set for documenting and reporting in physician-staffed pre-hospital services. We believe that this template could facilitate future studies within the field and facilitate standardised reporting and future shared research efforts in advanced pre-hospital care....

  15. An ex vivo, assessor blind, randomised, parallel group, comparative efficacy trial of the ovicidal activity of three pediculicides after a single application - melaleuca oil and lavender oil, eucalyptus oil and lemon tea tree oil, and a "suffocation" pediculicide

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Altman Phillip M

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background There are two components to the clinical efficacy of pediculicides: (i efficacy against the crawling-stages (lousicidal efficacy; and (ii efficacy against the eggs (ovicidal efficacy. Lousicidal efficacy and ovicidal efficacy are confounded in clinical trials. Here we report on a trial that was specially designed to rank the clinical ovicidal efficacy of pediculicides. Eggs were collected, pre-treatment and post-treatment, from subjects with different types of hair, different coloured hair and hair of different length. Method Subjects with at least 20 live eggs of Pediculus capitis (head lice were randomised to one of three treatment-groups: a melaleuca oil (commonly called tea tree oil and lavender oil pediculicide (TTO/LO; a eucalyptus oil and lemon tea tree oil pediculicide (EO/LTTO; or a "suffocation" pediculicide. Pre-treatment: 10 to 22 live eggs were taken from the head by cutting the single hair with the live egg attached, before the treatment (total of 1,062 eggs. Treatment: The subjects then received a single treatment of one of the three pediculicides, according to the manufacturers' instructions. Post-treatment: 10 to 41 treated live eggs were taken from the head by cutting the single hair with the egg attached (total of 1,183 eggs. Eggs were incubated for 14 days. The proportion of eggs that had hatched after 14 days in the pre-treatment group was compared with the proportion of eggs that hatched in the post-treatment group. The primary outcome measure was % ovicidal efficacy for each of the three pediculicides. Results 722 subjects were examined for the presence of eggs of head lice. 92 of these subjects were recruited and randomly assigned to: the "suffocation" pediculicide (n = 31; the melaleuca oil and lavender oil pediculicide (n = 31; and the eucalyptus oil and lemon tea tree oil pediculicide (n = 30 subjects. The group treated with eucalyptus oil and lemon tea tree oil had an ovicidal efficacy of 3.3% (SD

  16. Esophageal motor disorders are frequent during pre and post lung transplantation. Can they influence lung rejection?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ciriza de Los Ríos, Constanza; Canga Rodríguez-Valcárcel, Fernando; de Pablo Gafas, Alicia; Castel de Lucas, Isabel; Lora Pablos, David; Castellano Tortajada, Gregorio

    2018-06-01

    lung transplantation (LTx) is a viable option for most patients with end-stage lung diseases. Esophageal motor disorders (EMD) are frequent in candidates for LTx, but there is very little data about changes in esophageal motility post-LTx. the aim of our study was to assess esophageal motor disorders by high resolution manometry (HRM) both pre-LTx and six months post-LTx in patients with and without organ rejection. HRM (Manoscan®) was performed in 57 patients both pre-LTx and six months post-LTx. HRM plots were analyzed according to the Chicago classification 3.0. EMD were found in 33.3% and in 49.1% of patients pre-LTx and post-LTx, respectively, and abnormal peristalsis was more frequently found post-LTx (p = 0.018). Hypercontractile esophagus was frequently found post-LTx (1.8% and 19.3% pre-LTx and post-LTx, respectively). Esophagogastric junction (EGJ) morphology changed significantly pre-LTx and post-LTx; type I (normal) was more frequent post-LTx (63-2% and 82.5% respectively, p = 0.007). EMD were more frequent post-LTx in both the non-rejection and rejection group, although particularly in the rejection group (43.2% and 69.2% respectively, p = 0.09). EMD such as distal spasm, hypercontractile esophagus and EGJ outflow obstruction were also observed more frequently post-LTx in the rejection group. significant changes in esophageal motility were observed pre-LTx and particularly post-LTx; hypercontractile esophagus was a frequent EMD found post-LTx. EMD were more frequent in the group of patients that experienced organ rejection compared to the non-rejection group. EMD leading to an impaired esophageal clearance should be considered as an additional factor that contributes to LTx failure.

  17. Pre-movement planning processes in people with congenital mirror movements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Franz, E A; Fu, Y

    2017-10-01

    Pre-movement processes were investigated in people with Congenital mirrormovement (CMM), a rare disorder in which bilateral movement (mirroring) occurs in the upper distal extremities (primarily the hands and fingers) during intended unilateral movements. Abnormal density of ipsilateral corticospinal projections is an established hallmark of CMM. This study tested whether the Lateralised Readiness Potential (LRP), which reflects movement planning and readiness, is also abnormal in people with CMM. Twenty-eight neurologically-normal controls and 8 people with CMM were tested on a unimanual Go/No-go task while electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded to assess the LRP. No significant group differences were found in reaction time (RT). However, significantly smaller LRP amplitudes were found, on average, in the CMM group compared to Controls at central-motor (C3,C4) sites in stimulus-locked and response-locked epochs; similar group differences were also found at further frontal sites (F3,F4) during response-locked epochs. Abnormal brain activity in pre-movement processes associated with response planning and preparation is present in people with CMM. Aberrant bilateral activity during pre-movement processes is clearly implicated; whether part of the etiology of CMM, or as a mechanism of neuro-compensation, is not yet known. Copyright © 2017 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Characterization of Physical and Thermal Properties of Biofield Treated Neopentyl Glycol

    OpenAIRE

    Trivedi , Mahendra Kumar; Tallapragada , Rama Mohan; Branton , Alice; Trivedi , Dahryn; Nayak , Gopal; Mishra , Rakesh; Jana , Snehasis

    2015-01-01

    International audience; Neopentyl glycol (NPG) has been extensively used as solid-solid phase change materials (PCMs) for thermal energy storage applications. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the impact of biofield treatment on physical, spectral and thermal properties of NPG. The study was performed in two groups (control and treated). The control group remained as untreated, and treatment group was subjected to Mr. Trivedi’s biofield treatment. The control and treated NPG ...

  19. Evaluation of crystalline changes and resistance to demineralization of the surface of human dental enamel treated with Er:YAG laser and fluoride using x-ray diffraction analysis and Vickers microhardness

    Science.gov (United States)

    Behroozibakhsh, Marjan; Shahabi, Sima; Ghavami-Lahiji, Mehrsima; Sadeghian, Safura; Sadat Faal Nazari, Neda

    2018-06-01

    This study aimed to investigate the changes in crystalline structure and resistance to demineralization of human dental surface enamel treated with erbium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet laser (Er:YAG) laser and fluoride. The enamel surfaces were divided into four groups according to the treatment process including, (L): irradiated with Er:YAG; (F): treated with acidulated phosphate fluoride gel (LF): Pre-irradiated surfaces with Er:YAG subjected to acidulated phosphate fluoride gel and (FL): laser irradiation was performed on the fluoridated enamel surface. Before and after the treatment procedure, the samples were evaluated using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and the Vickers microhardness test. The surface microhardness values also were measured after a pH-cycling regime and acid challenge. The a-axis of all lased groups was contracted after treatment procedure. Measurement of the area under the peaks showed the highest crysallinity in the FL group. The hardness values of all laser treated samples significantly reduced after treatment procedure compared to the F group (p  ⩽  0.001). The morphological observations showed remarkable changes on the lased enamel surfaces including cracks, craters and exposed prisms. These findings suggest, irradiation of the Er:YAG laser accompanying with fluoride application can induce some beneficial crystalline changes regarding the acid-resistance properties of enamel, however, the craters and cracks produced by laser irradiation can promote enamel demineralization and consequently the positive effects of the Er:YAG laser will be eliminated.

  20. Recent advances in pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Desai, Monica; Field, Nigel; Grant, Robert; McCormack, Sheena

    2017-12-11

    Although pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)-the use of antiretroviral drugs by non-infected people to prevent the acquisition of HIV-is a promising preventive option, important public health questions remain. Daily oral emtricitabine (FTC)-tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) is highly efficacious in preventing the acquisition of HIV in people at risk as a result of a range of different types of sexual exposure. There is good evidence of efficacy in women and men, and when men who have sex with men use event based dosing. Studies have been conducted in several countries and epidemics. Because adherence to this treatment varies greatly there are questions about its public health benefit. Oral FTC-TDF is extremely safe, with minimal impact on kidney, bone, or pregnancy outcomes, and there is no evidence that its effectiveness has been reduced by risk compensation during open label and programmatic follow-up. It is too early to assess the impact of this treatment on the incidence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) at a population level. Many challenges remain. Access to pre-exposure prophylaxis is limited and disparities exist, including those governed by race and sex. Different pricing and access models need to be explored to avoid further widening inequalities. The optimal combination prevention program needs to be defined, and this will depend on local epidemiology, service provision, and cost effectiveness. This review updates the evidence base for pre-exposure prophylaxis regarding its effectiveness, safety, and risk compensation. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

  1. Amifostine reduces the seminiferous epithelium damage in doxorubicin-treated prepubertal rats without improving the fertility status

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Miraglia Sandra M

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Amifostine is an efficient cytoprotector against toxicity caused by some chemotherapeutic drugs. Doxorubicin, a potent anticancer anthracycline, is known to produce spermatogenic damage even in low doses. Although some studies have suggested that amifostine does not confer protection to doxorubicin-induced testicular damage, schedules and age of treatment have different approach depending on the protocol. Thus, we proposed to investigate the potential cytoprotective action of amifostine against the damage provoked by doxorubicin to prepubertal rat testes (30-day-old by assessing some macro and microscopic morphometric parameters 15, 30 and 60 days after the treatment; for fertility evaluation, quantitative analyses of sperm parameters and reproductive competence in the adult phase were also carried out. Methods Thirty-day-old male rats were distributed into four groups: Doxorubicin (5 mg/kg, Amifostine (400 mg/kg, Amifostine/Doxorubicin (amifostine 15 minutes before doxorubicin and Sham Control (0.9% saline solution. "Standard One Way Anova" parametric and "Anova on Ranks" non-parametric tests were applied according to the behavior of the obtained data; significant differences were considered when p Results The rats killed 30 and 60 days after doxorubicin treatment showed diminution of seminiferous epithelium height and reduction on the frequency of tubular sections containing at least one type of differentiated spermatogonia; reduction of sperm concentration and motility and an increase of sperm anomalous forms where observed in doxorubicin-treated animals. All these parameters were improved in the Amifostine/Doxorubicin group only when compared to Doxorubicin group. Such reduction, however, still remained below the values obtained from the Sham Control group. Nevertheless, the reproductive competence of doxorubicin-treated rats was not improved by amifostine pre-administration. Conclusions These results suggest that

  2. Multicentre study of Wilm's tumours treated by different therapeutic ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    National Wilm's Tumour Study (NWTS) group and the. International ... improvement in the survival of children with cancer in ... at diagnosis, sex, incidence, presenting symptoms, pre- ... localized in the left kidney in 22 (55%) patients, the right.

  3. Perceptions of Pre-Service Teachers on Student Burnout, Occupational Anxiety and Faculty Life Quality

    Science.gov (United States)

    Türkoglu, Muhammet Emin; Cansoy, Ramazan

    2017-01-01

    Perceptions of pre-service teachers on burnout, occupational anxiety and faculty life quality were investigated in this research. The research group consisted of 461 pre-service teachers in total studying at Afyon Kocatepe University faculty of education. "Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Form," "Faculty Life Quality Scale"…

  4. GAP pre-polymer, as an energetic binder and high performance additive for propellants and explosives: A review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mehmet S. Eroglu

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available In preparation of energetic composite formulations, functionally terminated pre-polymers have been used as binder. After physically mixing the pre-polymers with oxidizing components, metallic fuel, burning rate modifier and other minor ingredients, they are cured with a suitable curing agent to provide physical and chemical stability. These pre-polymers could be functionalized with carboxyl, epoxide or hydroxyl groups at varying average chain functionalities. For carboxyl-terminated pre-polymers, an epoxy functional curing agents could be used. If the pre-polymer possesses hydroxyl groups, isocyanate functional curing agents are the most suitable curing agents in terms of easy and efficient processing. Glycidyl azide polymer (GAP is one of the well-known low-molecular weight energetic liquid pre-polymer, which was developed to use as energetic binder, high performance additive and gas generator for high performance smokeless composite propellant and explosive formulations. Linear or branched GAP can be synthesized by nucleophilic substitution reaction of corresponding poly(epichlorohydrin (PECH with sodium azide through replacement of chloromethyl groups of PECH with pendant energetic azido-methyl groups on the polyether main chain. Positive heat of formation (+957 kJ/kg enables exothermic and rapid decomposition of GAP producing fuel rich gases. Its polyether main chain provides GAP with relatively low glass transition temperature (Tg= - 48 oC and presence of hydroxyl functional groups allows it to have easy processing in curing with isocyanate curing agents to form covalently crosslinked polyurethane structure. These outstanding properties of GAP enable it to be used as energetic polymeric binder and high performance additive in preparation of energetic materials and low vulnerable explosives.

  5. The effect of colostrum on pigs pre-natally or post-natally exposed to Schistosoma japonicum

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Techau, M.E.; Johansen, M.V.; Lind, Peter

    2004-01-01

    Pre-natal infection of Schistosoma japonicum in pigs may prove to be a useful model in shedding light on human pre-natal schistosomiasis. This study describes the effects of immune colostrum on worm burdens, tissue egg counts, liver pathology and crude worm or egg antigen-specific IgG and Ig......A responses, in groups of pigs pre-natally, pre-natally + post-natally or post-natally exposed to S. japonicum. Results suggest that pre-natal exposure and immune colostrum did not affect the establishment of a post-natal challenge infection. However, immune colostrum seemed to increase the levels of septal...

  6. Ixekizumab for Treating Moderate-to-Severe Plaque Psoriasis: An Evidence Review Group Perspective of a NICE Single Technology Appraisal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramaekers, Bram L T; Wolff, Robert F; Pouwels, Xavier; Oosterhoff, Marije; Van Giessen, Anoukh; Worthy, Gill; Noake, Caro; Armstrong, Nigel; Kleijnen, Jos; Joore, Manuela A

    2018-02-26

    relevant comparators. The Evidence Review Group highlighted some issues regarding the systematic review process and an issue with the generalisability of the findings in that the trials failed to include patients with moderate psoriasis according to a widely used definition. This issue was considered by the Appraisal Committee and the population was deemed generalisable to patients in England and Wales. Based on the network meta-analysis, the Appraisal Committee concluded that ixekizumab was more clinically effective than adalimumab and ustekinumab, and agreed it was likely that ixekizumab was similarly effective compared with secukinumab and infliximab while tolerability was similar to other biological treatments approved for treating psoriasis. The Evidence Review Group's critical assessment of the company's economic evaluation highlighted a number of concerns, including (1) the use of relative outcomes such as Psoriasis Area and Severity Index response to model the cost effectiveness; (2) the exclusion of the consequences of adverse events; (3) the assumption of no utility gain in the induction phase; (4) equal annual discontinuation rates for all treatments; (5) the selection of treatment sequences for consideration in the analyses and; (6) the transparency of the Visual Basic for Applications code used to develop the model. Although some of these issues were adjusted in the Evidence Review Group base case, the Evidence Review Group could not estimate the impact of all of these issues, and thus acknowledges that there are still uncertainties concerning the cost-effectiveness evidence. In the Evidence Review Group base-case incremental analysis, the treatment sequence incorporating ixekizumab in the second line has an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of £25,532 per quality-adjusted life-year gained vs. the etanercept sequence. Ixekizumab in the first-line sequence has an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of £39,129 per quality-adjusted life-year gained compared

  7. Effect of pomegranate juice pre-treatment on the transport of carbamazepine across rat intestine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D Adukondalu

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available "n  "nBackground and the purpose of the study: Many drug substances along with a variety of naturally occurring dietary or herbal components interact with the CYP enzyme system.The present study was aimed to investigate the effect of pomegranate juice pre-treatment on the transport of carbamazepine across the rat intestine "nMethods: The transport of carbamazepine across different parts of rat intestine was studied by everted and non-everted sac methods. The control and pomegranate juice (10 ml Kg-1 for 7 days pre-treated rats were sacrificed and isolated the intestine. The sacs of intestine were prepared, treated with carbamazepine solution and then placed in dulbeccos buffer. Samples were collected periodically and the drug content was estimated using HPLC. Results and conclusion: The results show that there was a significant (p<0.05 difference in the transport of carbamazepine from the intestinal sacs of pretreated with pomegranate juice and control. It seems that pomegranatejuice might have induced CYP3A4enzymes and hence drug is extensively metabolized.

  8. Spatial and volumetric changes of retroperitoneal sarcomas during pre-operative radiotherapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wong, Philip; Dickie, Colleen; Lee, David; Chung, Peter; O’Sullivan, Brian; Letourneau, Daniel; Xu, Wei; Swallow, Carol; Gladdy, Rebecca; Catton, Charles

    2014-01-01

    Purpose: To determine the positional and volumetric changes of retroperitoneal sarcomas (RPS) during pre-operative external beam radiotherapy (PreRT). Material and methods: After excluding 2 patients who received chemotherapy prior to PreRT and 15 RPS that were larger than the field-of-view of cone-beam CT (CBCT), the positional and volumetric changes of RPS throughout PreRT were characterized in 19 patients treated with IMRT using CBCT image guidance. Analysis was performed on 118 CBCT images representing one image per week of those acquired daily during treatment. Intra-fraction breathing motions of the gross tumor volume (GTV) and kidneys were measured in 22 RPS patients simulated using 4D-CT. Fifteen other patients were excluded whose tumors were incompletely imaged on CBCT or who received pre-RT chemotherapy. Results: A GTV volumetric increase (mean: 6.6%, p = 0.035) during the first 2 weeks (CBCT1 vs. CBCT2) of treatment was followed by GTV volumetric decrease (mean: 4%, p = 0.009) by completion of radiotherapy (CBCT1 vs. CBCT6). Internal margins of 8.6, 15 and 15 mm in the lateral, anterior/posterior and superior/inferior directions would be required to account for inter-fraction displacements. The extent of GTV respiratory motion was significantly (p < 0.0001) correlated with more superiorly positioned tumors. Conclusion: Inter-fraction CBCT provides important volumetric and positional information of RPS which may improve PreRT quality and prompt re-planning. Planning target volume may be reduced using online soft-tissue matching to account for interfractional displacements of GTVs. Important breathing motion occurred in superiorly placed RPS supporting the utility of 4D-CT planning

  9. Fostering Pre-service Teachers' Self-Determined Environmental Motivation Through Green Chemistry Experiments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karpudewan, Mageswary; Ismail, Zurida; Roth, Wolff-Michael

    2012-10-01

    The global environmental crisis intensifies particularly in developing nations. Environmental educators have begun to understand that changing the environmental impact requires not only changes in pro-environmental knowledge and attitudes but also in associated, self-determined motivation. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that a green chemistry curriculum changes Malaysian pre-service teachers' environmental motivation. Two comparable groups of pre-service teachers participated in this study. The students in the experimental group ( N = 140) did green chemistry experiments whereas the control group ( N = 123) did equivalent experiments in a traditional manner. Posttest results indicate that there is significant difference between both the groups for intrinsic motivation, integration, identification, and introjections scales and no differences for external regulation and amotivation scales. The qualitative analysis of interview data suggests that the changes are predominantly due to the personal satisfaction that participants derived from engaging in pro-environmental behavior.

  10. Cytomegalovirus viral load kinetics in patients with HIV/AIDS admitted to a medical intensive care unit: a case for pre-emptive therapy.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Simnikiwe H Mayaphi

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Cytomegalovirus (CMV infection is associated with severe diseases in immunosuppressed patients; however, there is a lack of data for pre-emptive therapy in patients with HIV/AIDS. METHOD: This was a retrospective study, which enrolled patients diagnosed with HIV/AIDS (CD41,000 copies/ml at baseline testing had significantly higher mortality compared to those who had 5,100 copies/ml and did not receive ganciclovir had 100% mortality compared to 58% mortality in those who received ganciclovir at VLs of >5,100 copies/ml, 50% mortality in those who were not treated and had low VLs of <5,100 copies/ml, and 44% mortality in those who had ganciclovir treatment at VLs of <5,100 copies/ml (p = 0.084, 0.046, 0.037, respectively. CONCLUSION: This study showed a significantly increased mortality in patients with HIV/AIDS who had high CMV VLs, and suggests that a threshold value of 1,000 copies/ml may be appropriate for pre-emptive treatment in this group.

  11. INTRINSIC COLORS, TEMPERATURES, AND BOLOMETRIC CORRECTIONS OF PRE-MAIN-SEQUENCE STARS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pecaut, Mark J.; Mamajek, Eric E. [University of Rochester, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rochester, NY 14627-0171 (United States)

    2013-09-01

    We present an analysis of the intrinsic colors and temperatures of 5-30 Myr old pre-main-sequence (pre-MS) stars using the F0- through M9-type members of nearby, negligibly reddened groups: the η Cha cluster, the TW Hydra Association, the β Pic Moving Group, and the Tucana-Horologium Association. To check the consistency of spectral types from the literature, we estimate new spectral types for 52 nearby pre-MS stars with spectral types F3 through M4 using optical spectra taken with the SMARTS 1.5 m telescope. Combining these new types with published spectral types and photometry from the literature (Johnson-Cousins BVI{sub C} , 2MASS JHK{sub S} and WISE W1, W2, W3, and W4), we derive a new empirical spectral type-color sequence for 5-30 Myr old pre-MS stars. Colors for pre-MS stars match dwarf colors for some spectral types and colors, but for other spectral types and colors, deviations can exceed 0.3 mag. We estimate effective temperatures (T {sub eff}) and bolometric corrections (BCs) for our pre-MS star sample through comparing their photometry to synthetic photometry generated using the BT-Settl grid of model atmosphere spectra. We derive a new T {sub eff} and BC scale for pre-MS stars, which should be a more appropriate match for T Tauri stars than often-adopted dwarf star scales. While our new T {sub eff} scale for pre-MS stars is within ≅100 K of dwarfs at a given spectral type for stars pre-MS stars are ∼250 K cooler than their MS counterparts. Lastly, we present (1) a modern T {sub eff}, optical/IR color, and BC sequence for O9V-M9V MS stars based on an extensive literature survey, (2) a revised Q-method relation for dereddening UBV photometry of OB-type stars, and (3) introduce two candidate spectral standard stars as representatives of spectral types K8V and K9V.

  12. Fifty Cases of Parkinson's Disease Treated by Acupuncture Combined with Madopar

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    REN Xiao-ming

    2008-01-01

    objective;To search for an effective therapy for trealing motor disorder due to Parkinson's disease(PD).Methods;Fifty cases in a treatrnent group were treated by acupuncture combined with madopar,and 30 cases in a control group treated by madopar only.Results;A total effective rate of 92%was achieved with obvious alleviation of motor disorder in the treatment group,which was significantly higher than that in the control group(P<0.05).Conclusion;Acupuncture can enhance therapeutic effects of western medicine and lessen the dose of the medicine needed.

  13. Anaerobic digestion and co-digestion of slaughterhouse waste (SHW): influence of heat and pressure pre-treatment in biogas yield.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cuetos, M J; Gómez, X; Otero, M; Morán, A

    2010-10-01

    Mesophilic anaerobic digestion (34+/-1 degrees C) of pre-treated (for 20 min at 133 degrees C, >3 bar) slaughterhouse waste and its co-digestion with the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) have been assessed. Semi-continuously-fed digesters worked with a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 36 d and organic loading rates (OLR) of 1.2 and 2.6 kg VS(feed)/m(3)d for digestion and co-digestion, respectively, with a previous acclimatization period in all cases. It was not possible to carry out an efficient treatment of hygienized waste, even less so when OFMSW was added as co-substrate. These digesters presented volatile fatty acids (VFA), long chain fatty acids (LCFA) and fats accumulation, leading to instability and inhibition of the degradation process. The aim of applying a heat and pressure pre-treatment to promote splitting of complex lipids and nitrogen-rich waste into simpler and more biodegradable constituents and to enhance biogas production was not successful. These results indicate that the temperature and the high pressure of the pre-treatment applied favoured the formation of compounds that are refractory to anaerobic digestion. The pre-treated slaughterhouse wastes and the final products of these systems were analyzed by FTIR and TGA. These tools verified the existence of complex nitrogen-containing polymers in the final effluents, confirming the formation of refractory compounds during pre-treatment. (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Decision making about pre-medication to children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Proczkowska-Björklund, M; Runeson, I; Gustafsson, P A; Svedin, C G

    2008-11-01

    Inviting the child to participate in medical decisions regarding common medical procedures might influence the child's behaviour during the procedures. We wanted to study nurse decision-making communication regarding pre-medication before ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgery. In total, 102 children (3-6 years) signed for ENT surgery were video-filmed during the pre-medication process. The nurse decision-making communication was identified, transcribed and grouped in six main categories dependent on the level of participation (self-determination, compromise, negotiation, questioning, information, lack of communication). Associations between child factors (age, gender, verbal communication and non-verbal communication) and different nurse decision-making communication were studied. Associations between the decision-making communication and verbal hesitation and/or the child's compliance in taking pre-medication were also studied. Totally, information was the most frequently used category of decision making communication followed by negotiation and questioning. To the children showing signs of shyness, the nurse used more negotiation, questions and self-determination communication and less information. The nurse used more compromise, negotiation and gave less information to children with less compliance. No specific type of nurse decision-making communication was associated with verbal hesitation. The most important predictors for verbal hesitation were none or hesitant eye contact with nurse (OR = 4.5) and placement nearby or in parent's lap (OR = 4.7). Predictors for less compliance in taking pre-medication were verbal hesitation from the child (OR = 22.7) and children who did not give any verbal answer to nurse initial questions (OR = 5.5). Decision-making communication could not predict the child's compliance during pre-medication. Although negotiation, questioning and self-determination communication were associated with more unwillingness to take pre

  15. Decreased Serum 25-Hydroxycalciferol Levels in Pre-diabetic Adults

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ain, Q. A.; Khan, D. A.; Ijaz, A.; Khan, F. A.; Latif, A.

    2016-01-01

    Objective: To determine the serum 25-hydroxycalciferol levels [25(OH)D] in adults with pre-diabetes and normoglycaemia to examine a possible association of vitamin D deficiency with pre-diabetes. Study Design: Case control study. Place and Duration of Study: Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Rawalpindi, from November 2012 to July 2013. Methodology: A total of 272 adults including 136 pre-diabetics and 136 normoglycaemics of either gender aged 20 years and above were consecutively inducted. Patients with diabetes mellitus, pregnancy, rickets and osteomalacia, ischemic heart disease, chronic kidney disease and chronic liver disease were excluded. Fasting Plasma Glucose (FPG) was estimated with hexokinase method on Modular p800 Roche chemistry analyzer while serum 25(OH)D was measured on Diasorin Liaison immunoassay analyzer using the chemiluminescent technique. Mean 25(OH)D levels in pre-diabetic and normoglycaemic groups were compared using Mann-Whitney U test. Spearman's correlation coefficient 'rs' was determined between serum 25(OH)D and FPG. Odds ratio for vitamin D deficiency was also calculated. Results: Mean serum 25(OH)D level was low in pre-diabetics (23.2 nmol/L) as compared to normoglycaemics (29 nmol/L; p=0.001). Serum 25(OH)D level had inverse correlation with FPG (rs = -0.448, p=0.000). There was also significant association of vitamin D deficiency with pre-diabetes compared with normoglycaemia (OR: 2.21, p= 0.016; 95 percentage CI: 1.15-4.27). Conclusion: Vitamin D deficiency with pre-diabetes suggested that vitamin D may have an important role in pathogenesis of pre-diabetes. (author)

  16. Improving the implementation of pre-laboratory flow charts ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The aim of this research was to use different assessment methods by engaging all students in pre-laboratory flow charts with check lists by taking into account rather than giving a mark for attendance for their presence, based on principles of cooperative learning method by forming groups, promoting positive ...

  17. Lipid content and cryotolerance of in vitro-produced bovine embryos treated with forskolin before vitrification

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Melissa Meneghel

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the intracytoplasmic lipid content, development and cryotolerance of in vitro-produced bovine embryos treated with different concentrations of forskolin before vitrification. Embryos were produced from abattoir-derived ovaries and allocated into four groups. In the treatment groups, forskolin was added to the in vitro culture medium on Day 6 and incubated for 24 hours in one of the following concentrations: 2.5μM (Forsk 2.5 group, 5.0μM (Forsk 5.0 group or 10.0μM (Forsk 10.0 group. Embryos from the control group were cultured without forskolin. On Day 7 of culture, the expanded blastocysts were stained with the lipophilic dye Sudan Black B for determination of the intracytoplasmic lipid content or were cryopreserved via the Vitri-Ingá® procedure. Although there were no significant differences (P>0.05 in the blastocyst rates between the Control group (44.9% and the other treatments, the embryo production was lower (P0.05 to that found in Forsk 2.5 (0.92±0.03 and Forsk 10.0 groups (1.06±0.03 groups; however the lipid accumulation in blastocysts from Forsk 5.0 group (0.82±0.04 was lower than in the Control group (P<0.05. Based on these results, Forsk 5.0 treatment was tested for cryotolerance and it was observed that the blastocoel re-expansion rate evaluated 24 hours after warming was greater (P<0.05 in Forsk 5.0 group (72.2% compared to the Control group (46.2%. In conclusion, pre-treatment with forskolin at a concentration of 5.0 μM for 24 hours before vitrification is effective in reducing the intracytoplasmic lipid content and, consequently, improves cryotolerance of IVP bovine embryos.

  18. Effect of pre operative heart rate on post spinal hypotension in obsteric patients

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Khan, S.; Zahoor, M.U.; Zaid, A.Y.; Buland, K.

    2010-01-01

    The purpose of the study was to determine the association between of preoperative heart rate and post spinal hypotension in women undergoing cesarean section, Two hundred patients undergoing caesarean were included in the study selected on non probability convenience sampling technique, The patients were divided into two groups depending upon their pre operative heart rate. Spinal anesthesia was administered and number of patients developing hypotension was noted. Among 200 patients, who were included in the study; 112 were placed in group A and 88 were placed in group B depending on mean heart rate of 90 beats per minute or less or 91 beats per minute or more respectively. In group A 14 (11.86%) patients developed hypotension where as in group B 28 (31,82%) patients developed hypotension. Pre operative heart rate is significantly associated with post spinal hypotension in obstetric patients undergoing cesarean section. (author)

  19. Application of Real-Time Three-Dimensional Echocardiography to Evaluate the Pre- and Postoperative Right Ventricular Systolic Function of Patients with Tetralogy of Fallot

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cui, Cunying; Liu, Lin; Fan, Taibing; Peng, Bangtian; Cheng, Zhaoyun; Ge, Zhenwei; Li, Yanan; Liu, Yuanyuan; Zhang, Yanwei; Ai, Feng; Zhang, Lianzhong

    2015-01-01

    Tetralogy of Fallot (ToF) can be challenging for clinicians to both diagnose and treat, given the multiple heart defects that are by definition associated with the illness. This study investigates the value of real-time three- dimensional echocardiography (RT-3DE) in evaluating the pre-and postoperative right ventricular systolic function of patients with tetralogy of Fallot. A total of 41 ToF patients were divided into two groups: the child group (CG) and the adult group (AG) according to age. The right ventricular end-diastolic volume (RVEDV), right ventricular end-systolic volume (RVESV), and the right ventricular ejection fraction (RVEF) of ToF patients were measured before surgery, 7 days, and 3 months after the surgery. The correlation between the preoperative Nakata index and RVEF was then analyzed. Compared with the RVEDV and RVESV prior to surgery, those of the postoperative 7-day and 3-month were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). However, RVEF decreased, and the difference was statistically significant (p 0.05). Compared with the pre-and postoperative RVEDV and RVESV of CG, those of AG increased. However, RVEF decreased, and the differences were statistically significant (p < 0.05). Our study indicated that the correlation between preoperative Nakata index and RVEF was good. Ultimately, we did confirm that RT-3DE can quantitatively evaluate the right ventricular volume and systolic function of ToF patients, thereby providing clinical significance in determining postoperative efficacy and prognosis evaluation. PMID:27122891

  20. The comparison of Updating function of Working Memory in Three Groups of Substance Abusers (Heroin, Opium, Those Treated with Methadone and normal controls

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gholamrezayee S

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Chronic use of opiates is associated with a wide range of neuropsychological deficits. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate one of the neuropsychological functions, updating function of working memory, in three groups, including substance abusers (heroin and opium, those under treatment with methadone, and normal controls. Methods:The method of this study was causal-comparative. Ninty individuals in three groups, including substance abusers (n = 30, those under treatment with methadone (n = 30, and normal controls (n = 30 were selected from people referred to the addiction treatment Clinics in Shiraz (2015 with the purposeful sampling method. All subjects were evaluated regarding working memory updating and self-reported mental effort scale and the results were analyzed by Multiple Analysis of Variance (MANOVA test and Tukey post hoc test with SPSS software (version 23. Results:The results showed a significant difference between the three groups in the updating function of working memory; so that effectiveness and efficiency of processing in the normal group was better than the other two groups and the performance effectiveness and efficiency of processing in the group under methadone treatment was better than substance abusers group. conclusions:substance abuse has a negative effect on neurological function. Given that the group of methadone treatment had better performance in the updating function of working memory than the group of substance abusers, these results provide hope that the effects of examined drugs on working memory is not permanent and we can look for psychological interventions to treat these patients and prevent problems recurrence.